REVIEWS Archives - Page 80 of 548

1Jun

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

The Merry Widow – Festival Theatre

In this modern adaptation of Franz Lehar’s 1905 operetta The Merry Widow, Scottish Opera presented us with a fresh, ingenious take on the classic comedy of errors. Featuring the mob of 1950s New York, a Sicilian lemon grove, and a million different miscommunications in love, John Savournin and David Eaton’s translation brings a much needed sense of accessibility and reimagination for today's audience. Typically being seen as an art form for the elites of the world, it seems Scottish Opera is making a very conscious effort to trample this narrative by reviving its productions in a way which appeals to a much wider audience - The Merry Widow being a trailblazing example of this. Not only with its English translation, but also by its consideration of setting, moving away from the more ster...

31May

By Savitha VenugopalNo Comments

London

Bog Body – Arches Lane Theatre

Love is more than language, Petra tells you, more than just words. She convinces you that it transcends the confines of time, form, and existence even. You see, she has fallen in love with a man who died 2,000 years ago. The bog body in the title refers to Lindow Man, the preserved human cadaver from the Iron Age recovered from the peat bogs of Lindow Moss, and Petra is preparing to marry him. In the 30 minutes before she is to tie the knot, dressed in white, she talks about her love and of her twin sister’s death. From off stage, the disembodied voices of her dead sister and the psychologist help her along in introspection. Is the idea of falling in love with a person long gone ridiculous and mad, or entirely normal? If you listen to Petra, you will be convinced of the latter. Losin...

31May

By Holly SewellNo Comments

London

Failure Project – Soho Theatre

Yolanda Mercy’s Failure Project is a sharp, cathartic and touching story of a woman who just can’t seem to catch a break - professionally, personally or creatively. It’s a sobering reflection of the theatre industry for emerging and mid-career writers, and the realities that face anyone trying to forge a career in the arts. The story follows a 33-year-old playwright, Ade, who is commissioned by a London theatre to write a script about her time on a scholarship at a posh private school. Over six months, her story is distorted beyond recognition by a production team that sidelines her as soon as the script is done. She is dismissed as an actor, interrupted and ignored. Still, the commission stands. To the outside world, Ade is a success. Mercy digs into failure in every facet of Ade’s...

30May

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Taming of the ‘Shrew’ – HOME Mcr

HER Productions can be commended for taking on what they describe as one of Shakespeare’s most polarising comedies as there is so much more to it than its title suggests, the key to which is its sadly often-omitted Induction when drunken tinker Christopher Sly (Ciara Tansey) is conned by the Hostess (Megan Holland) into believing he is a lord and about to watch a play; it is this ‘play-within-a-play’ that becomes the rest of The Taming of the Shrew. Young noble, Lucentio (Mia Gibson) arrives in Padua to study, much to the chagrin of servant, Tranio (Leah Eddleston). As he quickly falls in love with Bianca (Hope Yolanda), the beautiful younger daughter of wealthy Baptista Minola (Jakki Moore), there is stiff competition from the aged Gremio (Sarah Legg) and younger Hortensio (Nicole Keri...

Sh*t Life Crisis – Polar Bear Music Club

30May

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Sh*t Life Crisis – Polar Bear Music Club

“We won’t ask you to get up and sing into a microphone” - these words printed under the What to Expect section in the programme for Sh*t Life Crisis were music to my “hate audience participation” ears. But what did I do on Thursday evening when invited to sing into a microphone during the show? I instantly ignored my misgivings and sang the words I LOVE IT at the top of my tuneless voice, during a karaoke sequence. But I’m jumping ahead. I was at the Polar Bear Music Club in Hull to watch the performance presented by local theatre company, Silent Uproar. Arriving early at the venue, my first visit there, I and my theatre buddy sister were invited to relax in a back room while sound checks etc took place - a back room that wouldn’t have looked out of place a century ago. We ...

Application 39 (For The 2048 Gaza Summer Olympics) – Shubbak Festival

30May

By Anisha PucadyilNo Comments

London

Application 39 (For The 2048 Gaza Summer Olympics) – Shubbak Festival

Application 39 invites you; to witness, to weep and to hope. Written by Ahmed Masoud supported with an absolutely fabulous cast of Sara Masry, Sama Rantisi, Joe Haddad. With its tightrope balancing act of rooting in reality while developing wings for at least our collective imagination to fly. The punchy dialogue, razor sharp satire and moving light/ sound choices make this a piece of theatre that will stay in the depth of your bones forever. Set in Gaza in 2048, where being herded by flying talking robots is normal, two young IT professionals reformat France’s application to host the olympics and suggest Gaza. What follows is not only reliving of the ghosts of the many buried past, the decisions affecting so many futures. The play is a treatise to the most forgotten collateral damag...

Return to Palestine: Freedom Theatre – Shubbak Festival

30May

By Anisha PucadyilNo Comments

London

Return to Palestine: Freedom Theatre – Shubbak Festival

Freedom Theatre’s reputation precedes its arrival in London. Holding a bastion for young adults in the heart of Gaza with theatre tools. It held pastoral care for the young adults and a treatise to the spirit of Gaza. Connected deeply to one’s soil, produce, relationships and people it makes one wonder, about one’s own ‘homecoming’ and deeper connection of belonging to the land one is born in. During the pandemic Playback theatre was a stepping stone for many to find artistry, expression and community as the world shut down. I learnt about the Freedom bus from Ben Rivers, one of the co- founders. I celebrated Freedom Theatre hosting the Feminist Theatre Festival in September 2023 just before all hell broke loose. Return to Palestine is directed by Micaela Miranda and devised together wi...

This Is Not a Murder Mystery – Drayton Arms Theatre

29May

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

This Is Not a Murder Mystery – Drayton Arms Theatre

This Is Not a Murder Mystery is a sharply written and tightly directed comedy-thriller by Peter Rae, performed in the intimate upstairs theatre above the charming Drayton Arms pub. With direction by Helen Bang—who also stars as the whimsical, scene-stealing Elizabeth Treasure—this fast-paced production delivers an evening full of energy, cleverness, and an unexpected twist. Set entirely in a regional theatre’s dressing room on the opening night of a fictional murder mystery, the play cleverly blurs the lines between backstage drama and on-stage intrigue. From the moment the lights go up, we’re immersed in a chaotic, hilarious, and occasionally poignant world of ageing actresses, youthful optimism, and theatrical egos. Helen Bang, Rosalind Blessed, and Laura Morgan have an infectious ...

29May

By Oliver GigginsNo Comments

Scotland

The Watsons – Church Hill Theatre

When Jane Austen died in July of 1817, she left behind six completed novels (four already published and two released not long after her death) and several volumes of unpublished juvenilia, as well as two aborted novel starts. These include Sanditon, which she was working on when she died, and 1803's The Watsons, which marked the transitionary period between her childhood attempts and the later novels with which she would find various levels of success. Austen's subsequent comparatively small canon of works and her status in literature has led to a small but passionate fascination with these lesser works, especially in recent years. While continuations, sequels and spin-offs of Austen are nothing new, over the last decade we have also had big-name adaptations of Lady Susan from her juven...

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie – The Gladstone Theatre

29May

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie – The Gladstone Theatre

Taking on a musical like Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, the true story of a young man who dreams of being a drag queen and wearing a dress to prom, can be an ambitious project requiring a strong, triple-threat cast, clever staging and the energy to send the show strutting into the audience’s hearts in glittery heels. Thankfully D&S Productions have achieved this in spades. Under the assured direction of Donna Dale, the company have delivered a sassy and sparkly show that brings all the right notes of humour and humanity to a hugely enjoyable performance. Donna has honed her ensemble into a very high standard, with smart blocking and some lovely directorial touches. Similarly Musical Director Grace Harman leads her band with a solid showcase of Dan Gillespie Sells’ fizzy musical...