REVIEWS Archives - Page 72 of 548

25Jun

By Coral MourantNo Comments

North West

Calamity Jane – Blackpool Opera House

Based on the 1953 film, Calamity Jane is finally back on stage and whipping up great audiences all over the UK. This time starring multi award-winning theatre star Carrie Hope Fletcher (Les Misérables, Heathers) as the titular Wild West heroine, this touring revival is bound to have your feet a-stomping and your hands clapping. Fearless, gun-slinging Calamity is always telling tales of her adventures to her friends in Deadwood, but this time might be one lie too many. When she promises to bring back an adored actress to appease the obsessed men of the town, Calamity not only causes chaos amongst the people, but she may have instigated a love battle… and who will get her heart in the end? Alongside the classic tunes from Sammy Fain and Paul Francis, this new adaptation by Charles K. Free...

Dear Evan Hansen – Grand Opera House, York

25Jun

By Abigail PendleburyNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Dear Evan Hansen – Grand Opera House, York

An emotional and thought-provoking masterclass. Dear Evan Hansen at the Grand Opera House York, was one of the most emotionally resonant and beautifully staged productions I've ever seen. From the moment the lights dimmed and the opening chords of “Waving Through a Window” echoed through the theatre, it was clear we were in for something special. The cast delivered powerful, nuanced performances that held the audience in rapt attention from start to finish. Ryan Kopel’ portrayal of Evan brought a vulnerability and raw honesty to the role that made his journey incredibly moving as well as hugely relatable to most audiences. His vocal performance was both delicate and commanding, effortlessly navigating the show’s emotionally charged score, and the sensitivity of Evan trying to find hi...

24Jun

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

RANT – Traverse Theatre

With yet another instalment of Scottish traditional music, RANT brought their lively fiddle quartet tunes to an even livelier audience at The Traverse. Comprised of Bethany Reid, Anna Massie, Lauren MacColl, and Gillian Frame, RANT are a powerhouse of a band, bringing an energy to their music that finds your toe tapping involuntarily. Having attended many a music night at The Traverse, never have I seen an audience in such high spirits as I did at RANT. Starting off as a rather coy but enamoured crowd, after Anna Massie came to introduce the next tune, the audience were soon whooping, clapping and stamping. It is quite a skill to evoke that kind of energy from an audience—especially given that the demographic of most of The Traverse’s music nights are of an older, very well-mannered gen...

Me, You and The Fit Bloke Next Door – King’s Arms, Salford

24Jun

By Philip EdwardsNo Comments

North West

Me, You and The Fit Bloke Next Door – King’s Arms, Salford

It’s not very often I leave a theatre and think “so what”, but I did on Sunday night as I left the Kings Arms Theatre. I suspect what caused me the problem was the play being written for a “fringe” performance. Pip Carew has written a piece which lasted 60 minutes but would perhaps benefit from lasting a bit longer and the time then used to develop the three characters who inhabit this play. We are presented with a married couple of whom I know very little. That back story would tell us what lead to this point in their relationship. As it is, we quickly discover they both fancy the bloke, Alex, from the next flat (of whom we are told a bit more). They proceed to seduce him but make clumsy efforts to engage his interest on their own. The element of of “will they, wo...

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

24Jun

By Harry AltyNo Comments

North West

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

Taking on the life story and songbook of two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Carole King is no easy task - but this Altrincham Garrick Playhouse production, fronted by the incomparable Madeleine Healey, is a sure-fire hit. With high-production value, a top-tier company and imaginative staging, this feel-good jukebox musical is truly Some Kind of Wonderful. Director Joseph Meighan seamlessly moves through the nearly thirty musical numbers with simplicity and pace, whilst still managing to craft the emotional story beats between the numbers. Stage management ensures the scenes transition efficiently, as set pieces and decoration create the various environments for this biographical story. The live camera work during One Fine Day tapped into the Jamie Lloyd’s Andrew Lloyd Webber r...

23Jun

By Tom ScottNo Comments

Scotland

The Stars and After – Traverse Theatre

Ten actors stand silently with bowed heads as the audience enters the auditorium. In the dim blue lighting we can make out pieces of corrugated iron and large machine cogs. This is a gloomy dystopian land. In this world of the future, there are two classes of people: the citizens who live above ground and live a comfortable life; and the workers who live below ground, leading a miserable existence. The citizens’ light, power and their whole lifestyle depend on the efforts of the workers. It’s a hundred years since the city of Goliath was founded. Citizens live a good if unexciting life. They are largely unaware of how they are manipulated into docility by their Leader. Above ground there is no darkness and no natural light, but citizens have the benefit of powerful lights. However...

21Jun

By Zandra OdetundeNo Comments

London

One Way Out – Brixton House

One Way Out is the kind of play that doesn’t just speak, it shouts. But in the same breath, it leaves you in silence, sitting with a truth you didn’t ask for but needed to hear. Montel Douglas’s coming-of-age story doesn’t try to be subtle. It’s loud, local, and full of heart. It asks what home really means when a window breaks and your whole life shatters with it. The show opens with a physical theatre sequence that, I wasn’t expecting to enjoy, but it was done incredibly well. Tense, explosive, choreographed with purpose. The fight unfolds like a dance, and it's this moment that sets everything in motion. A broken window leads to a suspension. That suspension alerts the police. The police alert the Home Office. And just like that, someone’s life is over. That some...

21Jun

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

Grease – Pitlochry Festival Theatre

The classic rock and rollin’, bunny hoppin’ musical Grease lands at the Pitlochry Festival Theatre this week after kicking off their run at the Blackpool Grand Theatre earlier this month. Pitlochry Festival Theatre and Blackpool Grand Theatre have worked together to co-produce this rough and ready production, showcasing the enterprise opportunities that come with collaborating both financially and creatively. Not only allowing for more freedom with budget, but also (very importantly) allowing this show to provide accessible commercial theatre for those more rural theatre scenes. With no typical-style ensemble and no typical-style band, the cast are tasked with acting, singing and dancing all while playing the score of Grease themselves. Jan (Leah Jamieson) rocks out...

The Ministry of Lesbian Affairs – The Kiln Theatre

21Jun

By Anisha PucadyilNo Comments

London

The Ministry of Lesbian Affairs – The Kiln Theatre

The Ministry of Lesbian Affairs holds counsel for all of us seeking to find our queer foremothers who lived and loved despite the unjust laws of the land that aims to criminalize love. The synergistic partnership between writer Iman Qureshi and director Hannah Hauer-King will be cherished. They have managed to not only centre ‘community building’ on the stage but also brought a nuanced, intersectional perspective to the structural challenges that pose barriers to many from joining and sustaining communities. Supported by an award-winning cast, each of them brings such diversity of perspectives and emotional vulnerability to the portrayal of their roles. Fanta Barrie (Ellie) plays the butch lesbian lover on a journey of self discovery and curiosity, Georgie Henley (Ana) plays the white l...

Swallows and Armenians – Chelsea Theatre

21Jun

By Karen Morley-ChesworthNo Comments

London

Swallows and Armenians – Chelsea Theatre

The truth behind a British children’s classic is revealed with the premiere of Swallows and Armenians at the Chelsea Theatre. Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons, set in the Lake District, was an instant success when published in 1930. However, the truth behind the inspiration for the story has been suppressed until now. The actor-musician production by Karen Babayan is based on her book Swallows and Armenians, which she wrote after extensive research. An Anglo-Arminian, Babayan discovered the central characters in the book, a quintessential English family, the Walkers, were based on an Arminian family, called Altounyan. Close friends of Ransome, the family spent the summer of 1929 in Coniston with the author, sailing two boats on the lake. This new production tells the story of...