REVIEWS Archives - Page 52 of 346

2Nov

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

The Interview – Park Theatre

An older lady enquired if she was, ‘in the right place for Diana’. This query occurred on the pavement, outside Park Theatre, where The Interview by Jonathan Maitland is currently enjoying its world premiere. It transpired that this woman had booked tickets for the show on the same night as her 36th wedding anniversary. Her husband had been dead many decades. She then told me that from beyond the grave, he had nudged her to choose this significant date, so that she wouldn’t be home alone and grieving. Instead, she would be, ‘on a night out with Diana. He knows how much I love her.’ In many ways, that little vignette sums up the power, legacy and impact that Diana, Princess of Wales continues to hold over the nation. She stirs up sentimentality, paranormal notions and passionate fanatic...

2Nov

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

LIZZIE– Southwark Playhouse

London's Southwark Playhouse is currently playing host to a riveting and unapologetically fierce production of ‘LIZZIE’, the true crime rock punk musical. This fresh and dynamic production of the first UK staging, presented by the accomplished team at Hope Mill Theatre, is edgy, bold, and nothing short of brilliant. It brings a thrilling blend of music, drama, and history to the stage, redefining the boundaries of what a musical can be, and quite frankly goes toe-to-toe with some of the other similar historical productions that are currently playing in the West End and round the globe. Set in the backdrop of the infamous Lizzie Borden murders in Fall River, Massachusetts in 1892, ‘LIZZIE’ weaves a gripping narrative that blends fact, fiction, legend, and female sass, into an intoxicati...

And Then There Were None – Richmond Theatre

1Nov

By Dave SmithNo Comments

London

And Then There Were None – Richmond Theatre

"And Then There Were None" is one of the best-selling novels of all time with Agatha Christie's sales surpassed only by the Bible and William Shakespeare. The inscription above the stage at Richmond Theatre which reads "To wake the soul by tender strokes of art," seems to contrast starkly with the ruthless and unforgiving nature of events in this play. Eight strangers and two servants receive invitations to stay on Soldier Island, but it quickly becomes evident that they have all been deceived, as connections to their supposed hosts, Mr. and Mrs. Owen, turn out to be shaky or false. The Owen’s never appear, and a storm isolates the group on the island, cutting them off from the mainland. The guests seem to have little in common, and they squabble with each other and with the servants. ...

1Nov

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

London

King Lear – Wyndham’s Theatre

Written in 1604, King Lear is sandwiched between Measure For Measure, Othello and Macbeth, a period in the bard’s writing dedicated to history and tragedy. 419 years later, and following many extraordinary performances, how can Kenneth Branagh and team bring something different to their production? And here is where I feel that some modern productions fall foul, the need to modernise and bring today’s razzamatazz into the equation. Call me old fashioned, call me a Shakespeare prude, but I want to see, hear, and feel the language, the small nuances that a blank stage can offer, and when I hear the words spoken, allow them to touch me, without the hinderance of external factors introduced by an over eager director wishing to put their own mark on Shakespeare’s work. ...

1Nov

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

The King and I – Leeds Grand Theatre

The King and I is without doubt one of the great musicals with a sensational score but has been in recent years a problematic piece as the original play and movie had something of a white saviour narrative to them. This intelligent and sumptuous revival directed by Bartlett Sher is now much more about the repercussions of culture clashes as widowed British teacher Anna and her son travel to Siam to teach the many children of an autocratic king. He is keen to embrace western values to protect his country from the imperialist vultures circling around his small kingdom as civil war rages in America. The King gambles that western values will make him stronger, but he soon discovers through smart and feisty Anna that what he hopes to import into a centuries old Siamese culture brings une...

1Nov

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Greatest Days – Hull New Theatre

The pre-show stage setting greeting theatregoers at the Hull New Theatre on Tuesday evening, must rank as the oddest. It was a line of washing, and I wondered what that could possibly have to do with the production - Greatest Days, the official Take That Musical. But it’s often the little things that make an impact - and this line of washing was actually blowing in the wind. A clever touch of realism. And that simple prop came to highlight the mundanity of one of the surviving characters. I say “surviving” as there is a fatality, but my lips are sealed as to who pops their clogs. It’s 1993, and five 16-year-old schoolgirls are fans of boy band Take That who are enjoying their first UK number 1 hit, Pray. The five - Rachel (Olivia Hallett), Debbie (Mary Moore), Heather (Kitt...

1Nov

By Angela KellyNo Comments

North West

2:22 A Ghost Story – The Lowry

Written by Danny Robins and directed by Matthew Dunster and Isabel Marr, ‘2:22 A Ghost Story’ is an Olivier Award nominated thriller that first premiered in the West End in 2021. Having already captivated the West End, this gripping story is now on the move to impress more audiences across the country. Appropriately opening at the Lowry on the evening of Halloween only added to the audience’s anticipation. The story is essentially about the potential haunting of a new home. New mum ‘Jenny’ (Louisa Lytton) argues that the house is haunted and her husband, science obsessed ‘Sam’ (Nathaniel Curtis), vehemently disagrees. Over the night Jenny becomes more and more desperate to quash all of Sams ‘scientific theories’ as she is convinced there are strange ‘ghostly’ occurrences in the house. ...

Stand Up Horror – The Banshee Labyrinth, Edinburgh

1Nov

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Stand Up Horror – The Banshee Labyrinth, Edinburgh

As Part of the Edinburgh Horror Festival, at The Banshee Labyrinth, Stand Up Horror sees actor, writer and tour guide Alex Staniforth concocting a wild and hilarious story on the spot from audience suggestions. The small size of the audience in the tiny bar space ensures that everyone has a chance to contribute and to feel part of the action, and this is perhaps the unique selling point of this unusual, brave and inventive show. Part dungeon master, part stand-up comedian, Staniforth relies on just a few props a very quick brain and a bit of nudging in the right general direction to move the story on apace, although it is never far away from taking a very sharp turn! As the programme alludes to, every show here is bound to be very different! Staniforth’s charisma and general ent...

The Ha Ha Horror Show – The Banshee Labyrinth, Edinburgh

1Nov

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

The Ha Ha Horror Show – The Banshee Labyrinth, Edinburgh

As Part of the Edinburgh Horror Festival, at The Banshee Labyrinth, The Ha Ha Horror Show draws a very small audience to a tiny bar, to a show that aims very low indeed and succeeds with aplomb! Advertised as ‘The return of the Great Mortar’, the mind-reading, fortune telling, death-defying magician. Unfortunately, the GM wasn’t feeling so great tonight, having been shot with a nail gun in a stunt that went wrong. In fact, he’s dead! This causes quite a bit of angst in the crowd, some of whom I’m convinced don’t realise that this is all part of the show, such is their show of concern. However, it all adds to the general confusion and hilarity. Anyway, stepping in at the last moment is the likeable Cooper-esque buffoon, Tom Short. Big Northern lad Short, I would have loved him...

Peter Pan Goes Wrong – Wolverhampton Grand

31Oct

By Peter KinnockNo Comments

West Midlands

Peter Pan Goes Wrong – Wolverhampton Grand

Exploding both literally and figuratively on the stage at the Grand last night, “Peter Pan Goes Wrong” follows in the confident footsteps of its predecessor Broadway-smash, “The Play That Goes Wrong”. Riddled with Mischief theatre’s trademark mania, chaos and panto-like pandemonium from the off and a litany of misfires, missed cues, mistakes and madness - the evening provides a string of cracking sight gags and slapstick. Whereas their predecessor opted for a murder mystery to parody here we have the well know family story which, much to the actor’s distress, the audience seem to think is a panto. The joy of Mischief theatre is the dedicated attention to detail, gags woven so adeptly into the script with many callbacks to previous set-ups making for a fantastically joyous evening with no ...