REVIEWS Archives - Page 502 of 548

The Red Side of the Moon – St Paul’s Church

14Jul

By Paul AckroydNo Comments

London

The Red Side of the Moon – St Paul’s Church

The delightful garden of St Paul's Church (The Actors Church) is the location for this new musical written by Zoe Woodruff playing as part of Iris Theatre's summer festival. The story tells of an up-and-coming folk musician Beth (Elinor Peregrin) who, one night, plays in an unremarkable bar in unnamed provincial town where she comes across the barmaid Ellen (Kathryn Tindall) who writes songs but never performs them. Beth persuades Ellen to share some of her song book and then perform with her. This leads to a professional partnership, which in turn, develops into a personal relationship. But this is the early 2000's and gay relationships in the performing arts are frowned on and force a choice between their professional and personal lives. Kathryn Tindall wrot...

A Brief Conversation about the Inevitability of Love – Bombed Out Church

14Jul

By Donna M DayNo Comments

North West

A Brief Conversation about the Inevitability of Love – Bombed Out Church

Ian Salmon’s A Brief Conversation about the Inevitability of Love, directed by Mikee Dickinson, is a sweet romance about the almosts and what might have beens that everyone has buried in their memories. Mark (Thomas Galashan) and Cathy (Samantha Alton) are discussing their past relationships. Mark’s ex-wife Suzanne hates all of his friends, and he hates hers, while Cathy’s relationship with Philip was plagued by his serial infidelity. Both Galashan and Alton are dressed casually, with a similar colour scheme, which brings them together as characters. Cool blue light warms up to medium pink giving the play an eerie, dreamlike quality. The piece is very funny throughout with tongue in cheek humour as the characters make fun of each other. Height is cleverly used as the actors move f...

14Jul

By Gaurav SinghNo Comments

London

Final Farewell – Tara Theatre

Final Farewell is a multi-layered theatrical experience by Tara Theatre that explores grief, remembrance and mortality through six short audio stories. Each of the six stories puts us in the footsteps of those who succumbed to the pandemic, their lives remembered through the real-life memories and testimonies of those who knew them, which were then crafted by writer Sudha Bhuchar and dramatized by Tara’s creative ensemble. The audience is invited to listen to these stories and undertake an outdoor walk through the arches of Henry Prince Estate into the gardens of King George’s Park, walking past the Old Burial Ground in Garratt Lane and St. Anne’s Church. The audio walk is accompanied by an exhibition containing artefacts and items to commemorate each story, as well as a digital photo fram...

14Jul

By Gaurav SinghNo Comments

London

The Invisible Hand – Kiln Theatre

Written by Ayad Akhtar and presented by The Kiln Theatre The Invisible Hand by Ayad Akhtar is a thrilling exploration of capitalism, Wall Street and geopolitics set in the backdrop of rural Pakistan. Directed by Artistic Director of the Kiln Theatre Indhu Rubasingham, this revival of Akhtar’s 2014 play is deliciously exciting and thought-provoking, combining the frenetic pace of the financial world with the growing disillusionment of Pakistan’s working class against interference by Western nations. The story centres around the unlawful detention of American banker Nick Bright (played by Daniel Lapaine) who is being held ransom by a local Imam (played by Tony Jayawardena) in a rural village in Pakistan. Supporting the Imam’s mission is the fiery Bashir (played by Scott Kar...

12Jul

By Paul AckroydNo Comments

London

The Comeback – Noel Coward Theatre

Is it a play? Is it a series of sketches? Is it stand-up comedy? The answer in the case of Ben Ashenden and Alex Owen's new play now resumed at the Noel Coward Theatre following the Covid interruption is…. Yes…. to all of them. The storyline which runs through the piece is of two aspiring comics, Ben and Alex, starting out as the warmup tour for an ageing well known duo, Sid and Jimmy, who are trying to re-establish their former glory in a production in the mythical town of Diddington. Both comic pairs are played by Ben Ashenden and Alex Owen who have established their name as comics on the BBC radio series The PIn. Their debut play demonstrates them as accomplished live performers. They set up an immediate rapport with the audience, many of whom appeared to b...

12Jul

By Johanna RobertsNo Comments

North West

Under the Mask – Liverpool Playhouse

With the possibility of restrictions being lifted and mask wearing no longer being compulsory, Under the Mask is a timely and poignant reminder of the situation 18 months ago when Covid first hit our shores and our health service. An audio play by Shaan Sahota, herself a doctor, it tracks the first days of newly qualified doctor, Jaskaran (Aysha Kala), as she tries to navigate her way around a new job, a new hospital, and a new virus combining an almost documentary, prosaic tone with personal stories. If judged by conventional standards, it is by no means perfect, but as an experience reflecting a current social crisis that has affected us all, it is an important piece of theatre. As a theatrical experience, it differs from simply listening to a play on the radio. The audience ...

11Jul

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

Magic Mike Live – Hippodrome Casino

For those of you that are familiar with the brand, the two Magic Mike films reinvigorated the art of the male strip tease that had not really been seen in the mainstream since the famous Chippendales thrust around world stages in the 80’s and 90’s. The reimagined movie concept was loosely based on the experiences of star Channing Tatum, who was an 18-year-old stripper in Tampa, Florida and now Tatum completes what he is previously billed as a “trilogy” with a live action stage show that he not only created, but also directs alongside Alison Faulk in London’s historical the Hippodrome. For 120 years the Hippodrome has pushed the boundaries of how London entertains, and Magic Mike Live is no exception. From the opening scene, as the dancers begin their first number, with hip thrusts and p...

Black Is The Color Of My Voice – Stream.Theatre

11Jul

By Adam WilliamsNo Comments

REVIEWS

Black Is The Color Of My Voice – Stream.Theatre

The tragic murder of George Floyd last year in Minneapolis brought race back to the centre of the stage of American politics. It gave rise to the Black Lives Matter campaign, a movement echoing the civil rights protests of the 1960s led by Dr Martin Luther King Jr. Nina Simone, the inspiration for this wonderful one woman play, was part of that civil rights movement writing Mississippi Goddam in response to the murder of Medgar Evers in 1963 and the bombing of a church that killed four young black girls. She spoke at rallies and marches demanding change. Frustrated by Dr King’s non-violent approach she felt the movement should violently retaliate instead. This skilfully handled monologue is no polemic though, concentrating mainly on the relationship between the singer and her father....

8Jul

By Luke StephensonNo Comments

North West

Ellen & Rigby – Royal Court

I always get excited when I’m reviewing at the Liverpool's Royal Court Theatre because the experience is always second to none. This time was no exception. Ellen & Rigby by Gerry Linford the show synopsis is as follows “Lucky in life, unlucky in love, Ellen has been looking for a man. Now, thanks to the organisational power of the NHS, Joe Rigby has been dropped in her lap! A rock star who nearly made it in 1985, Joe has been living alone for so long that he didn’t realise that he was unhappy so it’s a good job Ellen arrived to let him know. He needs taking in hand (not like that, you dirty ticket) and Ellen is quite the catch. She was Miss Old Swan in 1991 and that kind of beauty doesn’t fade away no matter how many years are heaped on top of it. After 12 months alone, the...

Something about Simon – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

8Jul

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Something about Simon – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

“Hello darkness, my old friend” Never was a refrain such a perfect welcome to a show, as audiences slowly start to return to theatres. As the house lights go down, an unassuming figure strolls out, picks up his guitar and brings the full attention of the audience centre-stage, as he plucks out the iconic strains of ‘Sound of Silence’. In this one-man show, singer-songwriter Gary Edward Jones takes the audience on a journey through the catalogue and life story of Paul Simon, known to the majority as one half of folk megastars, Simon and Garfunkel, as well as in his own right as a solo artist. In just shy of 90 minutes, we are treated to some of the biggest songs of a generation, allowing the audience to rediscover much loved classics, as well as some hidden gems from the star troub...