REVIEWS Archives - Page 7 of 342

19Apr

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Wicked – Bradford Alhambra

If you’ve ever wondered how those red shoes came to be sticking out from under Dorothy’s house in The Wizard of Oz this prequel to that classic movie will give you the answer. It goes back to before Dorothy crash landed in the land of Oz ruled by a mysterious wizard to reveal the backstory of Elphaba – better known to us The Wicked Witch of the West - and her nemesis Glinda the Good. Based on Gregory Maguire’s revisionist novel ‘Wicked – The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of West’ rather than L. Frank Baum’s original text we firstly meet Elphaba and Glinda as they start life at Shiz University as sworn enemies. The brilliant twist in this version is that Elphaba's skin is green thanks to an accident of birth so is the outsider and blonde rich brat Glinda is her exact opposite. B...

19Apr

By Roger JacobsNo Comments

Scotland

Chicken – Traverse Theatre

Having nearly died in the egg, rescued and raised by a kindly Kerry couple, narrowly avoiding being whisked into an omelette and living ‘claw to beak’ in New York, Don Murphy gets his break. His bird-break. Into the business we call show, following a monumental orgy of Jameson with Michael Fassbender (That Don Murphy? No, he’s a human). Keep up now, we’re talking one of the most determined, resourceful cocks to ever grace the cinematic wests of Ireland and the United States, but fame and success can have a downside. Three exhausting years of 16-hour day shoots leads to the inevitable glitch, a ketamine addiction resulting from a party hosted by evil LA-based Colin Farrell. That Colin Farrell? Enjoyably surreal, entertainingly disarming, this was a true k-hole of a show, so quite...

19Apr

By Helen JonesNo Comments

North West

Rambert: Death Trap – The Lowry

Following on from the success of their adaptation of Peaky Blinders, Rambert are back at the Lowry with their current tour Death Trap. Consisting of two separate pieces Cerberus and Goat, Death Trap is more contemporary theatre than contemporary dance but is no less engaging and is intensely powerful. Cerberus is an adaptation of the story of Orpheus and Eurydice. It opens with Aishwarya telling the audience that what we are about to see is her life, from birth to death. She emerges stage right, with a rope around her middle and moves across till she exits stage left. As she exits her Orpheus emerges holding onto the other end of the rope. He is unwilling to believe she is dead and with the assistance of his translator f...

19Apr

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

F**king Men – Waterloo East

When Tony Award-winning playwright Joe DiPietro first started writing his all-male adaptation of Arthur Schnitzler's La Ronde, he didn’t think anyone would be interested in producing it. So, he gave it what he considered to be an ‘un-producible title’: F**king Men. As the title of this review gives away, the play not only went on to be produced, but it was a runaway success. Debuting in London over 15 years ago, F**king Men became a fringe classic, and DiPietro’s updated version is back for a six-week run at Waterloo East Theatre until 26th May. Drawing back the curtains on the interconnecting sexual encounters between ten different men, F**king Men offers the audience a glimpse into the lives of modern gay men navigating sex, love, and monogamy in a world that still too often discr...

Is This Thing On? – Contact Theatre, Manchester

19Apr

By Bo WarnerNo Comments

North West

Is This Thing On? – Contact Theatre, Manchester

Is This Thing On? Was written by Megan Keaveny and Ellie Campbell and follows flat mates Mary and Liz, a musician and a poet, as they battle over integrity, ownership, the spotlight and who’s turn it is to buy the f*king toilet roll. It is MissMatch’s debut into the theatre scene. The pair has clear chemistry, great energy and pace throughout. Their friendship feels believable, and some funny moments pepper their description of sexual exploits as they are introduced. There are ambitious choices made with the use of loop pedals and music, movement and spoken word. However, this is a story that lacks purpose and focus. Too much, and yet too little is tackled, and while the story tries to tackle serious and weighty themes along with personal conflict, the result is unfortunately muddie...

Chisholm For President! – The Warehouse in Holbeck

18Apr

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Chisholm For President! – The Warehouse in Holbeck

It’s always risky when you see any work in progress which can often just be a series of vignettes that don’t really knit together, even if you can see the potential of the material being tested in front of a live audience. That was most definitely not the case at this taster session for Chisholm For President!, based on the life of the first black woman elected to the US Congress in 1968 and then the first woman of colour to run for President in 1972. Sitting in Slung Low’s cavernous newish home I was wondering why a brand-new musical, that is basically performers acting with script in hand and singing a bunch of original songs, seemed so fully formed. But then the penny dropped that this fledgling production has a very strong creative team behind it. Playwright Zodwa Nyoni has c...

The Girls of Slender Means – Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh

18Apr

By Nazaret RaneaNo Comments

Scotland

The Girls of Slender Means – Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh

Directed by Roxana Silbert, "The Girls of Slender Means" follows the lives of five young women living in the May of Teck Club in London during the summer of 1945. Adapted by Gabriel Quigley from Muriel Spark's novel, the play explores the post-war hopes and struggles of the characters as they navigate love, work, and survival in a society torn by war. Romance, fashion, and politics intersect as the girls grapple with uncertainty and cling to their dreams amidst the rubble of the past. The fragmented structure adds depth to the storytelling, inviting audiences to piece together the narrative while reflecting on themes of resilience and the lasting power of hope. Under Silbert's direction, the production shines with its immaculate production design, drawing the audience into a world wher...

Ushers: The Front of House Musical – The Other Palace

18Apr

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

Ushers: The Front of House Musical – The Other Palace

A new musical housed in The Other Palace, Ushers: The Front of House Musical. We are introduced to the characters who make the theatre run. A newcomer Lucy (Danielle Rose) starts her shift, disrupting the well working machine to try and slot herself in this odd little family. As the evening runs, backstage dramas unfold between relationships, Gary (Cleve September) finally landed a role and is moving to Austria for the year while his boyfriend Luke Bauer (Ben) stays here, still front of house. Rosie (Bethany Amber Perrins), a very funny but creepy TikTok fanatic obsessed with leading men is preyed upon by the failed Opera star ‘Manager’ Robin (Daniel Page) desperate for a raise, money and the little power that comes from overworking your equals. Lucy gets to know this team over the evenin...

18Apr

By Angela KellyNo Comments

North West

Kinky Boots – Crewe Lyceum

Crewe Amateur Musicals Society (CAMS) are gracing the stage of the Crewe Lyceum this week with their 100th Anniversary show and a performance of ‘Kinky Boots’ and it must be acknowledged that this is certainly a brave undertaking. Having first debuted on Broadway in 2013, with an original score by Cindy Lauper, Kinky Boots has won an impressive six Tony Awards. This interpretation, directed by Sean Johnson- Hargreaves is certainly ambitious and was performed to a very excited packed theatre. Written by Geoff Deane and Tim Firth, Kinky Boots is based on a true story and tells the tale of Charlie Price who is presented with the challenge of following his late Father’s footsteps when he is forced to save the family business. He meets the colourful drag queen, Lola, who he eventually works...

The Drifters Girl – Birmingham Hippodrome

17Apr

By Peter KinnockNo Comments

North West

The Drifters Girl – Birmingham Hippodrome

Faye Treadwell, born in Arkansas in 1926, owned and managed the Drifters following the death of her husband George Treadwell in 1967 and since then navigated their careers and oversaw many legal battles over the use of the name. She made history as one of the first African American managers in show business and created a reputation as a hard-headed businesswoman. Plus, she gave the world the Drifters! For those of us brought up in the seventies the great American songbook was filling up nicely with much loved numbers by tunesmiths who’d long since packed away their music stands and headed for swimming pool filled retirement, but not Miss Treadwell and not the Drifters. They were still touring well into the eighties and beyond with Tina Treadwell taking over her mother’s musical mantle ...