Yorkshire & Humber Archives - Page 12 of 43

7Dec

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

A Corpse For Christmas – Bilton Theatre

As Storm Darragh raged outside on Friday night, the cosy little Bilton Theatre, in Bilton, near Hull, began to fill up with theatregoers eager to find out who’d “dunnit” in Bilton Amateur Dramatic Society’s production of A Corpse For Christmas. Billed as a “thriller with a touch of comedy”, all the action takes place in the front room of Philip and Alison Winter, and their daughter Naomi. There’s nothing posh about the Winter’s home - a comfy, but worn, beige three-piece suite, a fireplace, coffee table and some pictures on the wall. A Christmas tree stands in the corner waiting to be decorated by Alison, who usually doesn’t like anyone else interfering with what she considers her territory. Other decorations hang over the back of the sofa, waiting for Naomi to drape them over...

4Dec

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

The Borrowers – Hull Truck Theatre

I loved watching The Borrowers when it aired on TV in 1992, and can well remember many of the antics of the Clock family, aka The Borrowers. Fast forward to today and the teeny family - mum Homily, dad Pod and daughter Arrietty - are still teeny and still just as entertaining. Hull Truck Theatre has the Clocks gracing its stage until early January 2025, and Tuesday night’s performance proved that size doesn’t matter where talent is involved. Of course, the Clock actors - Bea Clancy as Arrietty, Deb Pugh as Homily and Marc Akinfolarin as Pod - are all normal size, so in parts were shown as tiny puppets. Our first glimpse of the family’s underfloor home showed everyday items they had “borrowed”, including a matchbox used as a double bed by mum and dad. It’s Christmas in the ea...

Be More Chill – University of Sheffield Drama Studio

1Dec

By NewsdeskNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Be More Chill – University of Sheffield Drama Studio

SUPAS’ production of ‘Be More Chill’ demonstrates there is a strong future in the next generation of creatives, with the only question being left asked of them is to try and emulate more faith in their own abilities and a slightly enhanced focus to get them to the next level. Alice Bell’s direction of Joe Iconis and Joe Tracz’s text, based on Ned Vizzini’s novel, is good. Transitions tend to avoid interrupting the action and there is a strong sense of narrative peaks and troughs successfully struck upon. Although Daniel Brown’s set design is easy on the eye with its simple-but-effective approach, the play is proxemically stagnant and there is no great use of the abundance of depth and height there is to utilise. Bell tidies this up nicely, however, with some great texturing of scenes us...

The Rocky Horror Show – Sheffield Lyceum

28Nov

By NewsdeskNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

The Rocky Horror Show – Sheffield Lyceum

The Rocky Horror show proves to be the culturally significant powerhouse it was destined to be following its initial ventures in the 1970’s. This production excels in revelry, debauchery, humour and liberation. Jason Donovan’s Frank N Furter is gorgeously eccentric, and though his animation seems slightly stifled and awkward (surprisingly Donovan doesn’t seem completely comfortable in heels), there is still a good fluidity and playful poise that, matched which is excellent stage presence, ultimately makes him very watchable. Connor Carson’s Brad and Lauren Chia’s Janet are excellent caricatures who’s stiff cliche is a perfect match for the unbridled chaos that surrounds them. They allow themselves to be engulfed, and by proxy we are swallowed by the raucous flamboyance. They are precise...

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe – Leeds Playhouse

28Nov

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe – Leeds Playhouse

Christmas is a magical time for most of us so a story that begins with a mysterious wardrobe that transports four traumatised children into another world should be the perfect festive treat. Leeds Playhouse have over the last decade offered a series of spectacular festive shows, and this is their second go at this C.S. Lewis classic so beloved of generations of children as goodies and baddies battle it out in a strange world. Peter, Edmund, Lucy and Susan Pevensie are evacuated from war torn London to Scotland where they discover a wardrobe that is a portal into a magical land called Narnia, ruled by the wicked White Witch Jadis where it’s permanently winter. The human children are the key to freeing Narnia’s motley collection of talking animals, who yearn to hear the roar of the myt...

26Nov

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Hairspray – Bradford Alhambra

Hairspray is one of those rare musicals that can happily combine big, breezy show tunes with a clear political message, but still easily fill big theatres like this. It’s 1962, Tracy Turnblad is a plus size teenager with an enormous beehive living in racially segregated Baltimore, who has a dream of becoming a star of the Corny Collins TV dance show despite limited talent, which certainly feels familiar in our reality TV obsessed world. Along the way Tracy who is mocked by the 'cool' white teens finds she has much in common with her black friends, and leads an assault on Corny’s show to try and unite the races through the medium of song and dance. Hairspray was the creation of transgressive cult filmmaker John Waters who brought together a gang of misfits in his home city to cre...

19Nov

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Hairspray – Hull New Theatre

Hull New Theatre was packed to the rafters on Monday evening, in anticipation of watching Hairspray - “the hilarious, joyous and most inspiring musical of all” according to the press release. Did it live up that that description? You bet. I loved every madcap minute. It’s 1962 America - Baltimore to be exact - and teen schoolgirl Tracy Turnblad (Katie Brace) is desperate to appear on her favourite TV programme, The Corny Collins Show. Corny (Joseph Bristow), invites teens to show off their dancing skills, but racial segregation is prevalent in America at that time, so all of the dancers are “white”, with a “negro” night being held every so often. Corny’s show is sponsored by a hairspray company, and Tracy’s ears prick up when she hears of a competition for a Miss Teenage Hairsp...

14Nov

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Grease the Musical – Sheffield Lyceum

Grease is traditionally a powerhouse show, and there is not much difference in this touring 2024 production. Nikolai Foster’s direction is astute, Arlene Phillip’s choreography expertly executed, and Jim Jacob’s and Warren Casey’s script is given just treatment by this large ensemble cast. However, it is not without its blemishes, and this interpretation of the classic 1950’s love story has lost some of its charm along the way owed to some slightly muddy performances and lackadaisical approach. Fortunately, it still just about holds up. This show is a spectacle, it has to be said. The set design is big and bold, the lighting design adventurous and loud. It is a treat for the eyes, complimented further by some stellar choreography perfectly executed by those on stage. There are true ...

13Nov

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

A Christmas Carol – Hull New Theatre

“One magical night” were the first three words of the press release describing the well-known story, A Christmas Carol, ahead of Northern Ballet’s run of the Charles Dickens’ classic at the Hull New Theatre on Tuesday evening. Those same three words aren’t praise enough to describe what we theatregoers witnessed when this amazing company took to the stage. It was sheer perfection - from the opening snowy scenes of Victorian life, to the closing joyous scene amidst the falling snow. The famous story, set in Victorian Leeds for this production, focuses on miserly money-lender Ebenezer Scrooge who is shown the error of his ways after visits from three spirits, Christmas Past, Present and Future. It’s a gloomy start, with the funeral procession of Scrooge’s business partner, Jacob ...

Northern Ballet: A Christmas Carol – Sheffield Lyceum

9Nov

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Northern Ballet: A Christmas Carol – Sheffield Lyceum

Northern Ballet’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ is infused with festive wonder and spectacle, but is ultimately haunted by ghosts of an unwillingly bygone era, suffering in real-time, solemnly foreboding a future of split community and chairs belonging, but not occupied. There is an abundance of talent on display in this show, with some excellent set pieces and performances. It works well between large and small scale, with seamless interplay between soloists and group dancers. Even its transitional qualities in and out of scenes is impressive. This piece is both large and small, but for all the right reasons, it usually feels large. The design of the show is fantastic, with an immensely adept understanding of transformative set design and utility. Wardrobe excels in many areas, with the Ghost...