REVIEWS Archives - Page 95 of 565

Five Shorts and a One-Act Play – Bilton Theatre

5Jun

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Five Shorts and a One-Act Play – Bilton Theatre

Joining the queue to enter the Bilton Theatre on Wednesday evening, for Bilton Amateur Dramatic Society’s (BADS), production, Five Shorts & A One-Act Play, it was obvious this talented group of performers had, once again, succeeded in drawing in the crowds. No mean feat for a society that is over 70 years old! After showing my ticket, giving my drink order (tea or coffee, plus biscuits, included in the £10 ticket price), I took my seat on Row G and waited for curtain up. First up, The Pub Play or “Did We Win?”, a comedy by Doc Watson, featured befuddled playwright (Patrick Wilkinson) who, while trying to write an award-winning play, ropes in an equally befuddled actress (Ailsa Oliver) to achieve his goal. Pub-goer Nick Northcott-Orr ends up just as befuddled as the other two a...

5Jun

By Peter RuddickNo Comments

North West

COCK – Hope Mill Theatre

When you strip away the peripheral elements of existence what are you left with? Remove the career that will end, the possessions that will gather dust and the places that will fade in the memory. What remains? Love, human relationships and a sense of self perhaps. Mike Bartlett’s COCK is the theatrical equivalent of this exercise. Strip it all away and lay bare the stark reality of life. Distraction-free analysis of identity, of sexuality, of power, of interaction. It all sounds so simple. Of course, it isn't. It requires outstanding writing, light-touch - yet precise - direction and pitch-perfect performances. Check, check and check for HER and Up ‘Ere Productions. After a highly successful northern premiere last year at 53Two, the show is back in Manchester ...

4Jun

By Ben PearsonNo Comments

London

Street – Barons Court Theatre

STREET, brought to the Barons Court Theatre by ‘Mos Sans Productions’, follows Miriam and Foster. Both are homeless, neglected and ignored by anyone but each other, and have little to no hope that anything will change. Writer and director Liviu Monsted uses these two compelling characters to explore the realities of living on the street. It’s a strong, moving and effective script, that only gets stronger when Miriam and Foster are joined by Fay and Christian. These newcomers hold up a mirror to those who romanticise homelessness and the ‘freedom’ it brings. Christian, in particular, is convinced that Foster and Miriam are lucky. Lucky that they don’t have a job, lucky that they are ignored by so much of society. It’s a wonderful depiction of the ignorance and privilege of those who view a ...

4Jun

By Maani WayNo Comments

London

Little Women – Richmond Theatre

Louisa May Alcott’s beloved ‘Little Women’ is back, telling the celebrated and heartwarming story of four sisters, their mother and their friends as they navigate the twists and turns of life and what it has to offer. The stage is set as a quaint living room, adorned with a twinkling Christmas tree and centrepiece piano. This set is unobtrusive yet provides a whimsical feel, adding to the theme of the sisters’ hopes and dreams in the first Act of the show. Fitting props and staging create two main scenes – in the first Act, the March’s home and surrounding areas and in the second Act, the addition of bookcases show time has passed and sets the scene for Jo working at the boarding house. Lighting is used beautifully throughout the play, particularly when paired with the fake snow f...

4Jun

By Aditi DalalNo Comments

London

In Praise of Love – Orange Tree Theatre

There’s something truly magnetic about a play that holds you at the edge of your seat, slowly pulling you deeper into its world with every passing moment. In Praise of Love does just that, creating a charged atmosphere where tension builds quietly, but persistently, in the midst of seemingly everyday exchanges. A beautiful balance of humour and heartbreak, this play keeps you engaged from start to finish, delivering its emotional punches with grace. Set in 1970s England, In Praise of Love follows Lydia, an Estonian refugee, and her husband Sebastian, a sharp-tongued literary critic, as they each try to protect the other with carefully kept secrets. Written by Terence Rattigan, the play brings to life four sharply drawn characters, each carrying their own secrets, loyalties, and regrets....

3Jun

By Zandra OdetundeNo Comments

London

Permission – Tara Theatre

Permission is protest theatre with teeth. It’s urgent, intimate, and unexpectedly funny. Set between a Heathrow immigration line and a rooftop in Karachi, it’s a story that pulses with the politics of belonging, but never forgets the bruises left behind in private. The play tackles respectability, resistance, and the slippery myth of freedom, especially when your body, your story, and your silence have been weaponised. Hanna, played with quiet ache and steel by Anisa Butt, is a Pakistani-born student trying to stake out her own version of liberation in London, far from the weight of family and the hum of Karachi’s rooftop revolution was astounding in her role. Rea Malhotra Mukhtyar delivers something magnetic — playing both Hanna’s childhood best friend Minza, and later, Anush...

Vardy vs Rooney: A courtroom drama – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

3Jun

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Vardy vs Rooney: A courtroom drama – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

There have been many moments in society that have reverberated around the country and sent media news desks into a spin, more than ever since the advent of social media. Sporting glory, royal deaths, political scandals. When Coleen Rooney, wife of footballer Wayne, posted the words ‘It’s……….Rebecca Vardy’s account’, on Instagram, accusing her fellow football WAG of leaking personal stories from Rooney’s private account to The Sun newspaper, the fallout was as instant and, bizarrely, as explosive of any other major news story. Vardy was promptly vilified for her apparent betrayal of trust and Rooney gained the nickname ‘Wagatha Christie’ when her entrapment scheme to identify the source of the leaks was revealed, leading to Vardy making a libel claim against her rival. Whilst U...

The Great Big Dinosaur Show – Midlands Arts Centre

3Jun

By Peter KinnockNo Comments

West Midlands

The Great Big Dinosaur Show – Midlands Arts Centre

“Never work with children and dinosaurs” is a paraphrased old showbiz adage and a well-worn warning passed down the years to caution well-meaning performers against the inconsistent vagaries of both - you never know what children may do and dinosaurs tend to go extinct. So it takes a strong poet and his gecko to face the daunting two-headed hybrid of the Dinokid, but in the reliable hands of both Simon Mole and his buddy, Gecko, who, I was disappointed to discover, was not a gecko, these old showbiz platitudes can be safely tossed aside. “The Great Big Dinosaur Show” emerged from the primordial soup of the combined imaginations of these two talented performers via Mole’s 2023 book, “A First Book of Dinosaurs” from Walker Books illustrated by Matt Hunt and evolved into something unique, ...

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...