REVIEWS Archives - Page 65 of 548

Your Therapist is Clueless – The King’s Arms

19Jul

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Your Therapist is Clueless – The King’s Arms

Holding an audience rapt for any period of time where the subject is the meaty, nuanced and personal elephant that is mental health support in the UK is a very big ask of any performer. One thinks of writers such as Adam Kay, who’s book and tour, This is Going to Hurt, vividly brought to life the warts and glory of being an NHS doctor. Or copper turned stand-up comic Alfie Moore’s It’s a Fair Cop in which, by allowing the audience to play police, he highlights the idiosyncrasies and impotencies of the criminal justice system. Tonight, performer Nathaniel Tresise shares his experiences of working for a Greater Manchester mental health charity where a dreadfully under-resourced service attracts people with all the quirks you expect, often risking those with genuine, urgent need bei...

19Jul

By Peter KinnockNo Comments

North West

Daddy’s First Gay Date – Waterside Arts

After the success of BI-TOPIA, writer and performer Sam Danson has once again collaborated with legendary director Rikki Beadle-Blair for a new show about the bisexual experience. Daddy’s First Gay Date is Danson’s first full-length play for multiple cast members and is set to tour the UK after an initial couple of dates at Sale’s Waterside theatre. Much like BI-TOPIA, the show focuses on a slice of queer life that is sadly often underrepresented in mainstream culture. Danson takes the audience on an interesting and, often, unexpected journey. Ben (Danson) and Helen (Megan Edmondson) are celebrating their 15-year anniversary at the local restaurant. Well, Helen thinks she is there to celebrate. To celebrate and to enjoy Ben popping the question. Ben, on the other hand, thin...

19Jul

By Michelle KnightNo Comments

London

Don’t Rock the Boat – The Mill Sonning

The Mill at Sonning is an 1800 circa flour mill converted into a professional theatre and restaurant. Located on an island in the River Thames at Sonning Eye. The environment offers guests dinner and theatre and a welcoming greeting by the Director of Don’t Rock the Boat, Sally Hughes. Sally Hughes decided to keep Don’t Rock the Boat this 1990’s play to its original prose billed as a comedy but beneath the surface “there are some sharp and family themes” that unfold throughout. This play features two quite different families, the perfect and the chaotic who spend a weekend together on ‘The Bunty’, a barge situated on the River Thames. Everything is not quite how it seems, as the families grapple with ideologies of morality, bribery and political differences. Thes two seeming...

19Jul

By Peter KinnockNo Comments

West Midlands

Mary Poppins – Birmingham Hippodrome

P.L.Travers, by all accounts, cried at the opening of the Disney adaptation of her famous children’s novel - and not in a nice way. She was a stickler for accuracy and precision and wanted her book recreated almost exactly as she had envisioned it - Disney had other plans. Disney often did. In reinventing her novel (and ignoring Traver’s demands) he gave the world one of its most beloved family films which has woven itself in the DNA of our shared culture for over sixty years. It gave us those indelible Sherman Brothers songs coupled with an endearing, cute plot and one of the worst cockney accents committed to celluloid. So when Cameron Mackintosh landed on the idea of staging the show he not only took on the behemoth of a cultural icon, the might of Disney but, perhaps most intimidatingl...

The Great Gatsby – Pitlochry Festival Theatre

19Jul

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

The Great Gatsby – Pitlochry Festival Theatre

Set in the grand manor of Jay Gatsby in 1922, Pitlochry Festival Theatre presents us with Elizabeth Newman’s dreamy adaptation of The Great Gatsby as part of their 2025 Summer repertoire. With a winding imperial staircase, sheer curtains that drift in the breeze, and a magnificent art-deco style glass chandelier, Jen McGinley’s set design establishes the splendour and veil over New York in the roaring twenties. The band sits atop the staircase, observing the mayhem below them unfold from behind their white-rimmed glasses. As in Pitlochry’s latest production of grease, the cast act in the play as well as making up the band. Accompanying the play with classic jazz standards, setting the tone for Gatsby’s (played by Oraine Johnson) raucous parties. The story unfolds...

19Jul

By Holly SewellNo Comments

London

Four Play – King’s Head Theatre

If you’re queer and living in London in 2025, chances are you know someone in an open relationship. You might think it’s a fad; you might think it’s the only reasonable response to widespread capitalist ideas about love. Either way, it feels like monogamy is increasingly followed by a question mark in discussions around modern dating. Monogamy, non-monogamy and their common downfalls are the subject of Jake Brunger’s Four Play. A couple of seven (and a half!) years strong start to feel the itch. They believe that a one-off arrangement with their friend Michael will solve the problem: one shag each, questions answered, book closed. Michael’s relationship governs that he cannot sleep with friends, but a discussion with his partner gives him the green light. The arrangement proceeds, and t...

The 39 Steps – Pitlochry Festival Theatre

17Jul

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

The 39 Steps – Pitlochry Festival Theatre

Based on Alfred Hitchcock's 1935 film, Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s revival of The 39 Steps features femme fatales, a runaway convict, police chases, and a healthy number of sheep. The film and the play both share an almost identical narrative structure and much of the dialogue has been lifted straight out of the film and into the play - however they couldn’t feel more different to each other. The play is a spoof of the classic film, and while it still maintains the dry, sarcastic humour of the film, it relies heavily on slapstick comedy. I was especially pleased to see the iconic train scream being absolutely nailed because nothing is more camp than that. With only four actors, but about 150 characters, it was a marvel to watch the cast rapidly battling with jac...

17Jul

By Paul AckroydNo Comments

London

Poor Clare – Orange Tree Theatre

The Clare in this story starts off far from poor. She was born into a noble and wealthy family in Assisi in 1194. Religiously pious, at the age of 18 she heard a young man preach and thereafter determined to forego her worldly possessions and devote herself to a life of poverty and God. The young man was Francis, who became the renowned Saint Francis now associated with a simple life, and love of animals and nature. In this dramatisation playwright Chiara Atik chooses to put the issue of wealth distribution at the centre of the play, and also Clare's decision to renounce her former privileged life. She also made the decision to use contemporary vernacular language and forms of speech. So, while the costumes and stage furniture and props were, with a few exceptions, authen...

17Jul

By Damian RiverolNo Comments

North West

Annie – Storyhouse, Chester

Tip Top productions have returned to the Storyhouse, this time with the classic musical, Annie, 33 years after the company first produced the show. With Direction from Phil Cross, we follow the journey of an 11-year-old orphan, Annie, who dreams that one day her parents will return to the orphanage for her and makes it her mission to find them. In the meantime, billionaire Oliver Warbucks and his assistant Grace Farrell are looking for an orphan to spend the holidays at their home, and this is where Annie’s story takes a turn. In the titular role, Emily Allerston shines while leading the company through this journey. With bags of confidence, energy and powerful vocals, we know we are in safe hands from the second she enters the stage. Allerston’s version of “Tomorrow” was beautifully...

17Jul

By Katie LeicesterNo Comments

North West

Fame The Musical – Z-Arts

Fame, performed by Manchester Musical Youth (MMY) produced by Dave and Kimberly Holden. Directed by Dave Holden and Sarah Binns with Musical Director Kimberly Holden. As someone who has had the pleasure of reviewing many MMY productions over the years, I can confidently say that ‘Fame’ is without doubt one of my favourites. This production encapsulates everything that makes MMY such a special musical theatre group – heart, talent and a true sense of family. The energy and commitment from the cast, the creative vision of the production team, and the warmth that radiates from the group as a whole makes this a must-see show from start to finish. From the opening number to the emotional finale, ‘Fame’ bursts with passion and authenticity. The cast throw themselves into the iconic story o...