REVIEWS Archives - Page 88 of 548

Highlights from Wagner’s Ring Cycle in Concert – Liverpool Philharmonic

5May

By Mark HumphreysNo Comments

North West

Highlights from Wagner’s Ring Cycle in Concert – Liverpool Philharmonic

Wagner’s monumental Ring cycle, often described as a feat of artistic ambition and endurance, was distilled into a thrilling concert experience at the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Hall last night with soprano Elena Pankratova under the assured baton of Domingo Hindoyan. This handpicked journey through the Ring brought drama, grandeur and pathos to life in a way that transcended the absence of sets and staging. But it was far from a bare stage. No fewer than six harps, four Wagner tubas, and an expanded instrumental palette that included bass clarinet, contrabassoon, bass trumpet and contrabass trombone made it clear: Wagner liked his low notes. The evening opened with the Entry of the Gods into Valhalla from Das Rheingold, a piece that shimmered with prophetic splendour. Hindoy...

Murder at the Three Ring Circus – Ellesmere Port Civic Hall

4May

By Damian RiverolNo Comments

North West

Murder at the Three Ring Circus – Ellesmere Port Civic Hall

AMT productions presents Murder at the Three Ring Circus at Ellesmere Port Civic Hall. This is no ordinary theatre production as you are transported to the Circus as soon as you enter, with different acts dotted around the bar area, posters of the main acts hanging from the ceiling and little stalls dotted around to entice and involve you from the beginning. Once the main ‘Circus’ is open, we enter the auditorium which has been fully transformed to make you feel like you're in a big Circus tent, with seating around three sides of the Circus Ring. The set up is brilliant, with ‘backstage’ announcements taking place from the stage manager and the acts running around getting ready for the show. The show takes place over two levels, with the main story taking place down at audience l...

Liverpool Improvisation Festival 2025 – Unity Theatre

4May

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

North West

Liverpool Improvisation Festival 2025 – Unity Theatre

As the dust settles, and the individual show reviews have now been written, it seems like a good time to take a step back and reflect on last weekend’s improvisation festival. The four-day event consisted of three days of improvised shows, and the final day was workshops aimed at fellow improvisers. The Unity Theatre offered two good sized spaces, so it was easy to move between the two theatres whilst the organisers set up the next act. The vibe of the event was one of community, and inclusivity, and a warm welcome was given to all who came to the event. I attended one whole day on the Saturday, which offered a varied schedule, beginning with a charming family show, ‘Jungle of Emotions’ which encouraged children to join in, by making their own suggestions, and th...

The School Of Night – Liverpool Improvisation Festival – Unity Theatre

4May

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

North West

The School Of Night – Liverpool Improvisation Festival – Unity Theatre

Twenty years ago, under the stewardship of Ken Campbell, ‘The School of Night’ was formed and made its first appearance at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. It is interesting to note that the original members of the Elizabethan version of The School of Night, were such luminaries as Sir Walter Raleigh, Thomas Harriot, Christopher Marlowe et al, who may very well have frequented the original Globe Theatre, which was built in 1599, which makes The School’s anniversary feel significant. It is thought that the name ‘The School of Night’ came from a line in Shakespeare’s play ‘Love’s Labour’s Lost,’ but there were other possibilities for the original name of this group of radical freethinkers. These include ‘The School of Atheism,’ and the ‘Durham House Set’ named after Sir Walter Raleig...

Moulin Rouge The Musical – Edinburgh Playhouse

2May

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

Moulin Rouge The Musical – Edinburgh Playhouse

Premiering at the Edinburgh Playhouse, the musical theatre adaptation of Baz Lurhmann’s 2001 film Moulin Rouge, kicks off the first ever tour in the show's history this month. Set in 1899 Paris in the infamous Moulin Rouge cabaret, we follow the secret love affair between the cabaret’s star performer Satine (played by Verity Thompson), and bohemian writer Christian (played by Nate Landskroner). Despite the grandiosity of the Moulin Rouge, it is struggling financially so owner Harold Zidler (Cameron Blakely) arranges for Satine to seduce The Duke (James Bryers) and in return the Duke will provide Zidler with a large investment to put towards their next show. Satine has to choose between living a life of poverty with her true love Christian or submitting to the Duke in orde...

2May

By Hannah EsnoufNo Comments

North West

Takeaway – Liverpool Everyman

Watching a premiere is an exciting privilege, and Nathan Powell’s scouse adaptation of what once was a Brixton-based story intrigued me, but I questioned if it would be believable. There aren’t as many Caribbean restaurants in Toxteth compared to Greater London, for a start. But immediately, from the music to the warm hues of the Hylton restaurant set, the world invited us in with warm arms. The characters, Phina Oruche’s Carol and Wayne Rollins’ chef giving it the swagger and tenacity the drama needed from the go to dash any doubts about the story. Keeping an entire play in one location is a challenge, but I did not miss a change of scenery as the fresh witty banter, freedom of movement in the space and comic timing, kept eyes from wandering. Moreover, the performances were mostly f...

Scenes from a Repatriation – Royal Court Theatre

2May

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

Scenes from a Repatriation – Royal Court Theatre

Scenes from a Repatriation is a bold and thought-provoking play that centres around a 1,000-year-old statue of Guan Yin, which was taken from China and is now housed in the British Museum. This production offers a rich philosophical exploration of the questions surrounding ownership of cultural artefacts—who has the right to possess them, and what meanings they hold for individuals across time and place. From the outset, the play is an intense, quite disturbing and an unconventional experience. It unfolds through a series of dynamic, often surreal scenes, each presenting a different perspective on the statue’s significance. The statue of Guan Yin becomes more than a historical object; it is a spiritual icon, a political flashpoint, and a symbol of commodification in a world where cultur...

A Knight’s Tale – Opera House, Manchester

1May

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

North West

A Knight’s Tale – Opera House, Manchester

Manchester’s famous Opera House had hosted multiple productions beginning their theatrical journey as part of ATG’s ‘Manchester Gets It First’ programme with many going on to the West End and Broadway. Ghost the Musical, Bat Out Of Hell, &Juliet, Mrs Doubtfire and who could forget Covid hit Back To The Future? Each one of these productions has a ‘Made in Manchester’ tag securely attached to them and continue to thrive playing to packed houses across the globe. Now there is a new pretender to the crown, A Knight’s Tale had its World Premiere tonight and judging by the audience reaction the producers will need to find a West End venue pretty quick. Based on the 2001 cult film A Knight’s Tale follows William Thatcher, a 14th century peasant squire who breaks all the rules when he pa...

Into the Woods – University of Sheffield Drama Studio

1May

By NewsdeskNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Into the Woods – University of Sheffield Drama Studio

Sondheim’s 1987 Broadway classic reinvented Grimm tales, and whilst this production from the Sheffield University Performing Arts Society needed not to reinvent, it certainly sought to invoke the classical quality of the musical and succeeded in doing so to great effect. Jamie Stephens’ and Rory Violet’s direction was fantastic. Scenes were carefully considered, and the conveyer-belt qualities of the work were well understood, bringing about an amusing and potent sense of urgency and slickness. I got a strong impression there was some really useful time put into fine-tuning the actors’ performances also, as there was evident depth and a real freedom and aliveness that can often only be wrought out by a director-actor working relationship. The layers of these performances are arguabl...

1May

By Emma WildNo Comments

North West

North by NorthWest – HOME Mcr

Adapting a film for the stage is no mean feat, especially if the film is an MGM blockbuster of its time, by hugely successful, iconic director and producer, Sir Alfred Hitchcock. These are certainly big shoes to fill. A challenge taken on by multi-award winning director, Emma Rice, in the world première adaptation of North by Northwest. How would Rice’s theatre company, Wise Children, translate Hitchcock’s use of masterful focus, suspense and tongue-in-cheek humour to the stage? Well, the resulting show did not disappoint and was an absolute joy to behold! Visiting HOME in central Manchester was a privilege and a pleasure, vibrant and buzzing with energy on the outside, and, as the name suggests, warm and welcoming on the inside. A comfortable, modern, spacious auditorium, the perfect s...