REVIEWS Archives - Page 80 of 549

Il Barbiere di Siviglia – Metropolitan Opera

3Jun

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

REVIEWS

Il Barbiere di Siviglia – Metropolitan Opera

The Metropolitan Opera in collaboration with Royal Ballet and Opera close their season in style with Rossini’s effervescent comedy retaking the stage with director Kathleen Smith Belcher’s revival of Bartlett Sher’s madcap production from 2006 of Il Barbiere di Siviglia, a prequel to The Marriage of Figaro. Count Almaviva (Jack Swanson), disguised as Lindoro, courts Rosina (Aigul Akhmetshina), who is under the guardianship of the jealous Dr. Bartolo (Peter Kálmán). Figaro (Andrey Zhilikhovsky), the town barber, helps Almaviva navigate the obstacles, including Bartolo's plan – with the assistance of Don Basilio (Alexander Vinogradov) – to marry Rosina himself. Through disguises, deception, and clever schemes, Figaro and Almaviva work to win Rosina's affection and thwart Bartolo's plan. ...

3Jun

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

Dear England – The Lowry

When James Graham originally staged ‘Dear England’ back in June 2023 at the National Theatre, England football fans were daring to dream that their wait over half a century for a tournament victory was finally at an end. English hearts were once again broken at Euro ‘24 by an 86th-minute Spanish goal in the final, the wait for a trophy from our men’s national football team will now enter its seventh decade at the World Cup in the USA next year. Set against this backdrop of perceived failure, Graham has fashioned a superb piece of theatre that examines the effect that ‘fifty-nine years of hurt’ have had on our national psyche, through the lens of our national game and the redemption journey of one man, Gareth Southgate. Our jumping-off point in the narrative is Wembley Stadium in the Sum...

Trial by Jury and A Matter of Misconduct – Festival Theatre

1Jun

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

Scotland

Trial by Jury and A Matter of Misconduct – Festival Theatre

Welcome to another episode of the hit TV show, Trial by Jury! Gilbert and Sullivan’s comedy opens this double bill from Scottish Opera. The setting is a Jerry Springer-style TV show, rather than a real-life courtroom, and we are the studio audience. This means that the performers get to interact to the crowd, exaggerating the showmanship of the characters. The absurdity of the story is perfect for the I’d-do-anything-to-get-on-TV scenario. The jury, and the audience, are instructed to be impartial, but the libretto and the staging subvert this, with light-up signs demanding “APPLAUSE” and telling us when to “BOO”. The plaintiff, jilted bride Angelina, is immediately anointed as the darling of judge and jury alike, while her ex, Edwin (Jamie McDonald) is reviled for his cruelty. She’s re...

A Shoddy Detective and the Art of Deception – HOME Mcr

1Jun

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

A Shoddy Detective and the Art of Deception – HOME Mcr

Creative team Mitch Donaldson and Becky Bartram have produced a laugh-out-loud slapstick whodunnit featuring four primary actors, a dozen characters and a whole load of chaos that turns everything on its head so make sure you pay attention. When a priceless painting goes missing at a private auction, Detective Stuart Pidcock (Neil Jennings) is called upon to uncover the mystery. However, when he cannot solve it himself he is forced to enlist the help of an old nemesis, Dusty Wills (Wesley Griffith). Together, the pair must interrogate the many characterful suspects (Donaldson and Bartram in multiple roles plus a delightful cameo from understudy Alexandra Ricou which drew the laughs) that reside at the manor, in order to catch the conniving culprit and solve the crime of the century. ...

1Jun

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Macbeth – Traquair House Gardens

Shakespeare at Traquair has become something of an institution, this year marking the 30th anniversary for the talented troupe of amateur actors and volunteers who bring a different bard play to life each year. This is the third outing of ‘the Scottish Play’, performed promenade style in the grounds of the ancient building, claimed to be the oldest continually inhabited house in Scotland. Each scene is set in a different location in the grounds; amongst towering trees, against giant billowing rhododendrons, on great lawns and ancient cobbled stable yards and in one particularly effective scene, amongst the twisted limbs of a yew tree clearing as daylight dwindled. Add to this, the weird soundscape of electronica, grinding gears or static fuzz, or banging doors from carefully placed speaker...

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 ...