REVIEWS Archives - Page 62 of 548

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – Winter Gardens, Blackpool

30Jul

By Rebecca CaseyNo Comments

North West

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – Winter Gardens, Blackpool

The show is based on the classic 1950s novel by C.S. Lewis telling the tale of four siblings evacuated during the war who go on an adventure through the wardrobe and discover the magical land of Narnia. All the classic characters are there but this is a visual masterpiece, a cleverly put together evening of escapism captivating the elements of magic, imagination, nostalgia and a very talented team of creatives and performers. I am not familiar with this show, however I have seen the Narnia movies and so I knew somewhat what to expect. At the centre of the story the four siblings Joanna Adaran as a gentle, thoughtful Susan, Kudzai Mangombe as the cheerful loveable Lucy, Jesse Dunbar as a courageous Peter and Bunmi Osadolor as a mischievous Edmond. I’m going to be candid, at the ...

30Jul

By Philip EdwardsNo Comments

North West

The Last Laugh – Manchester Opera House

It is a well-known fact that most comedians have an insecurity caused by and driven by the need to get the next laugh. Tony Hancock for example paid the ultimate price in his strive to stay funny. It is fuelled by the need to build on the success they have already built. It is an anxiety shared by the three comic greats we see presented on stage in Paul Hendy’s touching script though how they deal with it is very different. All three come from the first generation of comedians to transition from the age of music hall to the age of television. In music hall, comics often toured the same material for years, but once seen on television, that material becomes yesterday’s chip paper and the need to create new, funnier comedy drives the insecurity to get the next laugh. There can ...

Rabbie Burns’ Bottom Drawers – Barons Court Theatre

30Jul

By Louise PennNo Comments

London

Rabbie Burns’ Bottom Drawers – Barons Court Theatre

Entering the space at Barons Court Theatre for this “hands on exploration” of the bawdy works of Robert Burns, we find Christine Weir and Jeremy Claydon already in character, welcoming us into this celebration. Framed as a chatty piece between Weir (vocals, keyboard) and Claydon (vocals, percussion), we open with “My Love Is Like A Red Red Rose”, that showcases the purity of the Sckts ballad. “Charlie Is My Darling” includes us in the chorus while allowing Weir and Claydon to prove their worth as musicians working seamlessly together. It also allows a bit of discussion about Burns’s reappropriation of material for nationalistic ends. It's a cautious step to the poems and songs of sexual explitiness, but when we get there, Weir’s outwardly staid Scots housekeeper runs with it w...

30Jul

By Samantha CollettNo Comments

South East

God of Carnage – Frinton Summer Theatre

We probably all know how thin the veneer of civility is, but when you put two sets of parents together to work out what to do about a child’s wayward behaviour, the gloves really come off. In Yasmina Rema’s award-winning ‘God of Carnage’ – which has been a commercial triumph in both the West End and Broadway, this is really tested to the limits. If you’ve ever watched ‘White Lotus’ (or a programme of such ilk), you’ll understand the concept: all characters are awful, and you hate everyone. However, the point of enduring such unpleasant characters, is that they can be toyed with and held up to satire and mocking for their views and ways of being. The story is this: 11-year-old Ferdinand has knocked out 11-year-old Bruno’s two front teeth in a fight at a posh school in France. T...

29Jul

By Harry AltyNo Comments

North West

Nuns of Fury! – Seven Oaks Pub

What happens when you combine the criminal-catching of Charlie’s Angels with beloved women of the cloth of Sister Act? Rocket Whip’s Nuns of Fury offers a unique look into the world of a crime-fighting, habit wearing, God-backed group who are on a mission to steal from the rich and give to the poor. This comedic musical, presented with blessings and favour from up above, is a great addition to this year’s Greater Manchester Fringe line-up. This show’s holy word comes from writer and co-director Liv Burton. Throughout the one-act musical, the plot falls into common tropes expected from a crime genre parody; a rag-tag-team of crime fighters, a cocky duo of criminals and over-exaggerated kung-fu fighting. Where this show differs and excels is when it breaks the fourth wall with a wink ...

29Jul

By Ben PearsonNo Comments

London

People – Etcetera Theatre

Anna Manuelli’s People explores existential questions about the nature, purpose and meaning of life through an intriguing device; the use of doppelgängers. Manuelli plays four characters from different timelines, far removed from one another, who nonetheless share the same face. She uses this premise to demonstrate that the answers a person seeks, and indeed the questions they ask, can vary hugely depending on their context. Is it retribution and revenge that gives life meaning? Is it power? Is it happiness? The design of People is minimal, with limited use of lighting, sound and blocking. Thus, the show relies on Manuelli’s performance to keep the audience engaged. Luckily, her turn as the four characters is inspired, embodying each individual with unique physicality’s and expressi...

Maiden Voyage – Southwark Playhouse Elephant

29Jul

By Kira DanielsNo Comments

London

Maiden Voyage – Southwark Playhouse Elephant

Maiden Voyage, a new musical with book and lyrics by Mindi Dickstein and music by Carmel Dean, tells the story of the 1989-1990 Round the World Whitbread Race Maiden crew, an all-female sailing team that broke barriers in competitive sailing and made history in the worldwide race. The scope of this story is pretty narrow despite the globality of its setting, and the writers choose to focus almost exclusively on Tracy (Chelsea Halfpenny), the crew’s young skipper and navigator. Tracy builds the team up from her personal and professional circle into a solid chorus for her sea ballads. Halfpenny is an able performer and is well supported by the surrounding cast, but she is not particularly well served by the story itself, which doesn’t go very far in exploring its characters’ emotional dep...

28Jul

By Hannah KellyNo Comments

North West

Flat 4 – The King’s Arms

Influenced by her own experiences and trauma, Isobel Songer’s ‘Flat 4’ is a powerful one-woman show that forms part of the Greater Manchester Fringe 2025 at the King’s Arms Theatre. Impressively, Songer has both written the play and performs the roles of all characters and monologues within the story. Through its entirety, ‘Flat 4’ demandsthe audience’s undivided attention. The performance is essentially about the complexities of female friendships, introducing ‘Alex’ and ‘Becks’ and their flat share at university. Songer guides the audience through Alex’s downwards spiral as she deals with abuse, anorexia and her subsequent depression. The combination of spoken word poetry alongside theatre is an interesting approach to the story. Integrating frequent poetic monologues ...

26Jul

By Angela KellyNo Comments

North West

The Invocation – The King’s Arms

In one of the most suited theatres for such a performance, the King's Arms welcomes "The Invocation", a bizarre twilight zone-esque evening by Casino Improv, an Improv troupe from Wigan as part of Greater Manchester Fringe.As the audience settled into their seats, the cast, clad in black clothing and red capes, began engaging with the audience in a ceremonial fashion as they asked for "requests" that could be improvised into a horror story. The requests chosen were randomly selected via an iPad and then the stories began!The evening then essentially became the presentation of a bunch of improvised horror stories in a hilarious "off the cuff" style by the comedy quintet. Eerie music and various sounds to accompany stories were used throughout. There is no denying the talent on stage and the...

Extraordinary Women – Jermyn Street Theatre

26Jul

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

Extraordinary Women – Jermyn Street Theatre

In post-First World War Italy, a multi-national group of women are enjoying a bohemian lifestyle on the fictional island of Sirene off the coast of Naples, with new-found freedoms and relationships. The island's calm is maintained by a group of four sirens who watch over the island and its inhabitants. It's an idyllic set-up, until the arrival of the penniless Rosalba upends the island's serenity. Flirting with everyone, manipulating relationships, and enjoying creating chaos and mayhem, she causes distress and jealousy to her lover Aurora, who has sunk her money into buying a villa as their intended home. Friendships and relationships are formed and shattered as Rosalba romps through the group like a human Vesuvius, egotistically declaring how extraordinary she is. Every...