REVIEWS Archives - Page 67 of 548

14Jul

By Kathryn GortonNo Comments

North West

Magic and Sex – The King’s Arms

I didn’t know what to expect walking into Magic and Sex — a one-woman stand-up, magic, and improv show by Australian comedian Kathryn Haywood — but I was more than pleasantly surprised. Even on a very, very hot and stuffy night in the upstairs room of the King’s Arms, Haywood’s boundless energy and zany charm kept us all laughing, chuckling… and then laughing some more. From her entrance in sparkly tail coat, top hat and deck of card leggings and tap shoes she bounded round that space and sucked us in, immediately. She is a very engaging performer. Part stand-up, part magic show, with a cheeky (but not over-the-top) nod to the title’s promise of “sex,” Haywood’s performance is a joyful, chaotic romp. She has a knack for creating an easy rapport with the audience, she read them well ...

14Jul

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Wink – 53two

In the dimly lit arches of 53two, an unsuspecting audience is about to receive an almighty gut punch, courtesy of Phoebe Eclaire-Powell’s darkly funny and unsettling play, Wink. Updated from its 2015 debut with the latest social media and cultural references, Wink is brutal in its timeliness, holding a mirror to the worst excesses of online culture - from toxic ‘alpha male’ influencers through to the horrendous consequences of Catfishing. Photo: Shay Rowan Despite the heavy source material and a worryingly long list of trigger warnings, the play remains hugely compelling and crackles with humour. We meet 16-year-old Mark who idolises his too-cool-for-school French teacher, Mr Martin. Unbeknownst to him, Mr Martin is struggling with his own frustrations, particularly around his cru...

The Liverpool Scratch Network – Leaf on Bold Street

13Jul

By NewsdeskNo Comments

North West

The Liverpool Scratch Network – Leaf on Bold Street

This was the sixth Liverpool Scratch Network, a monthly event in collaboration with RBA Management and Liverpool Film Academy, showcasing new work written and performed by both industry professionals and up and coming creatives, with each scene being workshopped a few hours prior to performance with the help of an allocated director. An eclectic evening kicked off with Leather Apron written by James Orford and directed by Thomas Goodison-Fearns. An exploration of the infamous double event murders committed by notorious killer Jack the Ripper. Featuring an array of characters including Abberline (Ray F. Beard), Jack (Rory Gillan), Watkins (Tasia Rhodes), Diemschutz (Sam Prior), Packer (Matty Dwyer), and a Woman in Crowd (Beth Rosebrook), one can certainly imagine this as an audio drama. ...

13Jul

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Penguin – Unity Theatre

Opening this year’s Liverpool’s Arab Arts Festival, Penguin is a timely piece which connects strongly with the recent Refugee Week – the UK-wide celebration of arts, culture, and community – as it tells the story of one man’s extraordinary journey from a village in the Syrian mountains to a new life in the North-East of England. Directed with a suitably light touch by Amy Goulding, the wonderfully charismatic Hamzeh Al Hussien relays his life in just over an hour with a combination of music and physical theatre and liberal doses of humour throughout. Performed predominantly in English, there is some Arabic with surtitles provided in both languages. Jida Akil’s staging and costume design is rightfully kept simple with an array of clothes rails to the rear allowing Hamzeh to seamle...

Pat Goldsack: How to Flirt Well into Your Grave – The King’s Arms

13Jul

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Pat Goldsack: How to Flirt Well into Your Grave – The King’s Arms

If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if your nan discovered TikTok and decided to audition for Love Island, Pat Goldsack might be your fever dream come true. Created from the mind of award-winning Kiwi actress, Katie Boyle, tonight the octogenarian granny is here to dish out her decades of expertise in the game of flirting and relationships. Greeting her audience as they trickle into the cosy side room of the Kings Arms, Pat’s repartee instantly harks back to the warm and genteel comedy of Dame Edna Everage and Mrs Merton – where even the most stinging observations somehow feel like a warm hug. As we ramble through the highly interactive show, peppered with parodies of modern hits (accompanied on the pub’s piano by Nino Raphael) and regular bursts of ‘Bingo was his Name-O...

13Jul

By Zandra OdetundeNo Comments

London

Lil.Miss.Lady – Brixton House

If early 2000s UK grime is in your bloodstream, if you grew up on pirate radio, Nokia polyphonic ringtones, and Channel U, then Lil.Miss.Lady at Brixton House should be on your watchlist. This production isn’t theatre in the conventional sense, it’s part rave, part memory lane, part cultural reckoning. Like a reload-worthy set in the middle of a sweaty basement rave, it demands your full attention. The cast aren’t just actors, they’re MCs, lyricists, hosts, ravers. Hypez (Alexander Lobo Moreno) spun with serious dexterity, blending narrative with nostalgia, and Lil.Miss.Lady (Lady Lykez) herself was magnetic: part MC, part griot, part survivor. The bars were sharp, the energy relentless. And DJ Rat (Aliaano Elali)? Deserves his flowers, no question. His ability to hype the crowd while s...

Pride and Prejudice – Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre

13Jul

By Miranda GreenNo Comments

North West

Pride and Prejudice – Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre

The annual open-air theatre at Grosvenor Park has, of late, sidestepped Shakespeare, both to bring in new audiences and because they’ve “done all the good ones.” Instead, they are showcasing new and edgy productions such as last year’s sell-out Gangs of New York and this year’s The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Twenty-twenty’s production of Pride and Prejudice has therefore been revived for 2025 presumably to fulfil the heritage quota. Happily, this chimes with Austen’s 250th birthday. Photo: Mark McNulty However, this is not to say that it will only appeal to a vintage audience. Indeed, the youngest member in last night’s was only about 2 months old. Admittedly she did sleep through most of it… Not so the rest of us, teens through to antique relics, because matters of love, with...

The White Chip – Southwark Playhouse Borough

13Jul

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

The White Chip – Southwark Playhouse Borough

Sean Daniels’ semi-autobiographical play ‘The White Chip’ has arrived in London for its UK premiere at Southwark Playhouse Borough. Having enjoyed a successful 2019 stint Off-Broadway, directed by Matt Ryan, and produced by Danielle Tarento and Tony Award winner Annaleigh Ashford, ‘The White Chip’ is a cleverly constructed play, widely noted for its darkly comic take on painful realities. It chronicles the painful descent and recovery of Steven, a high-functioning alcoholic US theatre director, presented through fast-paced, vignette-driven, and monologue heavy script that, whilst offering insightful clarity to the character’s journey through addiction, at times sacrifices any real depth and dynamic, and as a result this production doesn’t quite land the emotional punch it clearly aims for....

The Addams Family – Birmingham Hippodrome

13Jul

By Peter KinnockNo Comments

West Midlands

The Addams Family – Birmingham Hippodrome

Photo: Jay Brooks With its familiar theme song (click, click) and enduring characters (click, click) the Addams Family has established its own gruesome niche in the global comedy/horror market (click, click). Since it emerged from the fetid and grim brain of Charles Addams way, way back when horror was in black and white both in film and print and his cartoons adorned the pages of the New Yorker it has, like the many creatures it apes, transformed, transmuted and transmogrified and spawned many and varied offspring. Famously a TV series which evolved from the simmering depths of the ABC network in 1964 (not to be confused with “The Munsters” which sprung from the same gothic horror tropes with a similarity bordering on plagiarism, but shown on an entirely different channel), which then ...

11Jul

By David S ClarkeNo Comments

North West

Fame Jr – NK Theatre Arts

This show was performed by the NK Theatre Arts senior youth theatre members, so we are talking about young people aged 16-18. It was great to see Hannah Thomas reprising the role of director, musical director and choreographer which she had previously undertaken when NK last performed this show 10 years ago. The show is a musical adaptation of the film and television series “Fame” and follows a group of students at the New York City High School for the Performing Arts. The script showcases the experiences of the students as they pursue their dreams of a career in the performing arts. The cast is led by the extremely talented Olivia Barton in the role of Carmen Diaz who is developing into a multi-talented singer, dancer and actress who succeeds in all that she attempts. She was given...