REVIEWS Archives - Page 87 of 548

Priscilla Queen of the Desert – Waterside Arts

8May

By Helen JonesNo Comments

North West

Priscilla Queen of the Desert – Waterside Arts

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert was originally a 1994 film starring the sublime Terence Stamp, Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce. Some years later it was converted into a stage musical, and it is one of the campest but fun musicals around. Sale Nomads have this year brought it to Waterside Arts for a four-day run. The plot takes two drag queens and a transgender woman as they travel together across the Australian Outback from Sydney to Alice Springs to perform at a resort there. One of the drag queens, Tick, has a more important reason for organising the trip. The resort is run by his wife and the six-year-old son he has never met is there. Buying an old bus they name Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, their journey is an experience of rejection, acceptance and frien...

6May

By Peter KinnockNo Comments

West Midlands

An Inspector Calls – The Alexandra

There are not many of these old theatrical war-horses left, you know. Those familiar, reliable, well-made plays which stomped across the provinces for year in, year out have now been replaced by newer, younger models targeting the cutting-edge, ground-breaking yoof market. There are fewer and fewer Agatha Christies, Ray Cooneys and hardly any Terence Rattigan. And no one has touched JB Priestley for years. Apart from Stephen Daldry. Priestley’s dour, northern wordy world has been given a fresh new slant in this production which itself is knocking on a bit having premiered way back in 1992 yet feels a fresh as a daisy - which is oddly the name of a character in the play. It’s appropriate that a play about social responsibility and the evils of capitalism should have started in Russia in ...

Beauty and the Beast – Empire Theatre, Blackburn

6May

By Stephanie WiswallNo Comments

North West

Beauty and the Beast – Empire Theatre, Blackburn

Glitter, bubbles, laughter and love, this performance of Beauty and the Beast has it all. It was an absolute honour to review this production by Blackburn Musical Theatre Company, directed by Tony Fry. I can honestly say it's one of, if not THE best amateur production I have seen. Definitely get yourselves down to the Empire Theatre in Blackburn to witness this magical production, I'm sure you won't be disappointed. The audience were enchanted and engaged from start to finish, I spoke with many people and not one had a bad word to say about this sparkling production. I'll start with the wonderful Belle (Leanna Wharf) who encompassed the role beautifully and whose vocals shone. She was a delight to watch and listen to and her solos were incredible, hitting some very difficult an...

The Empire Strips Back: A Burlesque Parody – Riverside Studios

6May

By Ben PearsonNo Comments

London

The Empire Strips Back: A Burlesque Parody – Riverside Studios

I am under strict instructions from a fierce Imperial Officer (last night’s host Pete Anderson) not to give too much of the show away here, so I’ll keep this simple. The Empire Strips Back is an absolute joy to watch, and whether you’re a huge Star Wars fan or you just enjoy a comically risqué night out, I highly recommend you go and see it. As the title would suggest, The Empire Strips Back pays tribute to the beloved worlds and characters of Star Wars by reimagining them through a burlesque lens. The results are simultaneously hilarious, seductive and at times jaw-droppingly impressive. Creator Russall S Beattie, producer David J Foster and London director Bec have crafted an intricate production that allows the performers to form a relationship with the audience, flirting and teasing...

Q The Music: James Bond Concert Spectacular – Fairfield Halls, Croydon

6May

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

Q The Music: James Bond Concert Spectacular – Fairfield Halls, Croydon

Warren Ringham, a life-long massive James Bond fan and professional musician, founded Q The Music in 2004 as a unique tribute to the music of the iconic movie series. He has put together and leads a first-class 13-piece orchestra of superbly talented musicians to remind audiences of the important contribution the music of John Barry, David Arnold, Hans Zimmer and others has made to the movies. Three vocalists (Kerry Schultz, Rhiannon Porter and Matt Walker), recreate well-known Bond themes such as You Only Live Twice, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger and the Oscar-winning Skyfall. As well as the themes, Ringham interestingly includes some of the incidental music from the movies, the passages of music that don't usually get much attention outside of the films. Bond films...

6May

By Ben PearsonNo Comments

London

WEER – Soho Theatre Walthamstow

I was exhausted as I sat down in the newly opened Soho Theatre Walthamstow to watch Natalie Palamides’ WEER. It had been a long day at work and, if I’m honest, I needed a bit of a pick-me-up. Luckily, Palamides more than delivered. I am not exaggerating when I say that WEER was one of, if not the funniest plays I have ever seen. The premise is simple; Palamides’ plays both sides of a couple in turmoil. And I mean that literally. One side of her, ‘Mark’, sports a beard, wig, and stereotypically masculine clothes, whilst the other side, ‘Christina’, wears a dress. At least to start with… the number of costume changes Palamides managed to pull off was something to behold. I was amazed by how distinct Palamides’ portrayals of Mark and Christina were. They each had unique physical mannerisms...

6May

By Wendy McEwanNo Comments

Scotland

In Other Words – The Studio

When your partner is diagnosed with a life-changing illness, your shared history becomes a prologue. At first, nothing tangible changes between you. But at that moment, you each gain a new identity within your relationship. They are the patient, and you are the carer. And the future you had planned together is revealed as a mirage. As the audience enters, Jane (Lydia White) and Arthur (Matthew Seager) are falling in love. They sit beside each other, blissfully conversing and gazing into each other’s eyes, accompanied by the music of Frank Sinatra. This is the very beginning of the life they will spend together. Then, the lighting changes. Arthur remains seated, but now he is nonverbal, trembling, childlike. Jane comforts him. Photo: Tom Dixon We follow their relationship from t...

5May

By Michelle KnightNo Comments

London

Romeo & Juliet – Shakespeare’s Globe

The Shakespeare Globe presents as part of the summer season. A new lively production of Romeo and Juliet, a play of young love and tragedy. This is one of Shakespeare’s controversial plays “which the age of a character is overtly stated, Juliet is just thirteen”. Romeo’s age is never mentioned but the sense is he is not much older than his Juliet played by Lola Shalam. It offers Shakespeare style, set within the wild west times of the 19th Century, yes cowboys. Don’t be fooled It has its scenes of tragedy, violence and misfortunate heartache. Set in Verona it revolves around a story of feuding families, the Montagues and the Capulet’s of which Romeo is a Montague and Juliet a Capulate. The two meet for the first time at a ‘coming out’ banquet for Juliet. Romeo with his friends Ben...

Mermaids Have No Tears — Barons Court Theatre

5May

By Zak RosenNo Comments

London

Mermaids Have No Tears — Barons Court Theatre

It can be hard not to fall into despair when contemplating all the different apocalypses we face today — climate change, oligarchic billionaires, social media brain rot, rising authoritarianism, talking to your father about your gender. But Mermaids Have No Tears, written by Ellis Stump and directed by Julia Sopher, manages to take in the overwhelming chaos of life in this moment and explores it with hope, humility, and a whole lot of humour, all through the lens of the fascinating subculture of Mermaiding. Set during the 2024 and 2025 New York Mermaid Conventions and the intervening year, the play follows the intricate and mildly unhinged antics of three twenty-somethings. Fyn (played by Everleigh Brenner) is the environmental activist child of an oil tycoon trying to figure out ho...

Scottish Ballet: The Crucible – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

5May

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Scottish Ballet: The Crucible – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

Excelling in pretty much every aspect of theatrical performance, this revival of Scottish Ballet’s 2019 adaptation of Arthur Miller’s iconic play is a cast-iron cross-over hit full of exquisite movement, sublime sound, theatrical storytelling, ethereal lighting and brilliant set design, magical, darkly complex and supernaturally good. I say cross-over because this does not feel, or indeed sound like any ballet I have ever witnessed before. There is so much modern dance and passionate movement mixed in here with storytelling and set to a scintillating modern score by Peter Salem it feels like something completely new, different and exciting. The giant stage of The Festival Theatre can be daunting, some productions just get swallowed up here. But not this one. In Emma Kingsbury and Dav...