Yorkshire & Humber Archives - Page 29 of 33

3Nov

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Elf the Musical – Hull New Theatre

I once spent many hours one weekend, corresponding with an “elf”, via email. His name was Blodwit and he was helping me organise Santa letters for the youngsters in my family. Obviously, Blodwit was a mischievous Santa letter employee working from home, but I happily played along with him as the child in me wanted to believe he was real. Fast forward to Tuesday evening and I couldn’t wait to get to the Hull New Theatre to watch some of Blodwit’s relatives (maybe) in Elf The Musical. And judging by the many theatregoers wearing elf hats, I wasn’t the only one eager to get into the festive spirit. As the lights dimmed in the packed theatre the colourful stage setting, bedecked with 20ft-tall candy canes, left us in no doubt we were in Santa’s domain at the North Pole. As the “elv...

Bedknobs and Broomsticks – Sheffield Lyceum

28Oct

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Bedknobs and Broomsticks – Sheffield Lyceum

First, we had the spectacles that are The Phantom of the Opera, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and Mary Poppins and now there is a new contender to the crown with more magical illusions than you can shake a magic wand at! From the very opening sequence we are inundated with illusion and magic from Illusion Designer Jamie Harrison and it doesn’t let up for one moment. The children in the audience gasp and the technically minded amongst us try to work out how it was done. From flying broomsticks to beds, magical moving clothing to magical magician’s tricks. Then there is Kenneth MacLeod’s puppets of mighty lions to neon fish and rabbits to ostriches, this production is nonstop wonderment with a sense of humour and more than a dash of panache! The 1971 Disney film classic staring Angela...

27Oct

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

The Lemon Table – Crucible Theatre

The Lemon Tree is presented by Wiltshire Creative, Malvern Theatres, Sheffield Theatres and Home, in association with MGC. It is two short stories penned by Julian Barnes, co-directed by Michael Grandage and Titus Halder and performed by the actor Ian McDiarmid. Lighting designer Paule Constable, Associate lighting designer Ryan Day and Sound Designer by Ella Wahlstrom make up the creative team. Barnes’ 2005 book of Short Stories are first person accounts on the reality of ageing. The two chosen stories in the Lemon Table are told through the eyes of Jeffrey in ‘Vigilance’ and the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius as he draws to the end of his life, in the second – ‘Silence’. Both these dramatizations are depicted back to back over a 65 minute period by McDiarmid with the ease of a masterc...

20Oct

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Dirty Dancing – Hull New Theatre

Bloomin’ ‘eck! Michael O’Reilly, you have left me speechless. Let me explain. This fine figure of a man (nah, change that to sex on legs), is one of the stars of Dirty Dancing and it was mainly his actions on the stage of the packed Hull New Theatre on Tuesday night that left us in the spellbound audience shouting for more. O’Reilly plays the part of dancer Johnny Castle, a role made famous by Patrick Swayze in the 1987 movie of the same name. And he certainly does the role justice. All the action takes place at Kellerman’s Resort in the US. It’s the summer of 1963 and Frances “Baby” Houseman (Kira Malou) is on holiday there with her family. This innocent teen soon finds herself drawn into a world very different from the one she has been brought up in. Dancing to the resort ...

20Oct

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Dial M for Murder – Sheffield Lyceum

Dial M for Murder is billed as ‘The Genre Defining Thriller of All Time’. The play originally written by Frederick Knott in the 1950’s and made famous by Alfred Hitchcock in the 1954 film with Grace Kelly and Ray Millard. The play was first performed in 1952 and has since become a nationally, regular repertory production. This new production is eventually on tour after being on hold during the Covid times of 2020, the cast of 4 familiar faces from stage and television deliver a wordy, yet clever crime thriller littered with comedic moments to add just the required juxtaposition to this detective thriller. The First Act is a mammoth task of dialogue but is handled well, it is the Second Act that this play grips the audience. Thanks to Director Anthony Banks there are some surprisin...

Lone Flyer: The Last Flight Of Amy Johnson – Hull Truck Theatre

15Oct

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Lone Flyer: The Last Flight Of Amy Johnson – Hull Truck Theatre

I came away from the Hull Truck Theatre on Thursday night, full of admiration for all involved in The Lone Flyer - The Last Flight Of Amy Johnson. How on earth could just two people create so many different atmospheres - happy, sad, scary - that kept us theatregoers hooked for almost two hours. Admittedly, the two - Louise Willoughby as Amy Johnson, and Benedict Salter as every other character on the night - were aided and abetted by suitable lighting, music, background sounds and the odd cloud of steam. I’m not downplaying in any way the importance of such effects; this production would have obviously been greatly diminished without any of them. But from “curtain up” it was the two actors who commanded the audience’s complete attention. Hull-born Willoughby was perfect as A...

Northern Ballet: Merlin – Hull New Theatre

14Oct

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Northern Ballet: Merlin – Hull New Theatre

I wonder if professional ballet dancers, after a performance, head straight for the Voltarol to rub on to their aching limbs. Well, after watching the ballet Merlin, on Wednesday night, at Hull New Theatre, I really felt I, too, would be heading for the Voltarol, to rub onto my aching arms - so vigorously had I applauded. Luckily for me, pain relief wasn’t needed, but my goodness, the Northern Ballet company has really gone to town with this production. A read through the programme informs us Merlin brings together a creative team working with Northern Ballet for the first time. And, with no disrespect to any of the company’s other productions, this new input really has worked its magic. The story of the mythical wizard is told in such a way, I didn’t know what to concentra...

13Oct

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Magic Goes Wrong – Sheffield Lyceum

What a hilarious evening the audience at the Sheffield Lyceum had, as Mischief Theatre presented ‘Magic Goes Wrong’. Magical mayhem with two hours of silliness and laugh-out-loud moments, Co-writers Henry Lewis, Jonathon Sayer and Henry Shields collaborated with the legendary Penn and Teller to offer the next instalment of the … Goes Wrong series. A perfect vehicle, to be honest, as who doesn’t watch a Magic show with a little bit of them, hoping something does indeed go wrong! Or, we gasp at what appears to go wrong does actually redeem itself in gloriously spectacular fashion. The set resembled a very glitzy, sparkly version of The Royal Variety Show/ Live at the London Palladium mixed with the most elaborate gameshow you could imagine. Magic Goes Wrong is not quite the heavi...

7Oct

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Grease – Sheffield Lyceum

Directed by the renowned Nickolai Foster and Choreography by the legendary Arlene Phillips, Grease hits the Sheffield stage with all the frenzy the original 1978 film created. With an audience full of Pink Ladies and T Birds, I anticipated a night of raucous sing-a-long, but on the whole the audience were too riveted by the performances they were witnessing to join in, until invited to on the Grease Mega Mix. Only then was the whole audience on its feet raising the roof and loving every moment. As the band struck up, conducted by Rickey Long the oh so familiar songs soared and so did my expectation as I realised we weren’t in for the sweet version of the film, the energy from the cast was electric from the very start, edgy, with a hint of modernity, a lifetime away from the sickly image...

Dracula: The Untold Story – Leeds Playhouse

4Oct

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Dracula: The Untold Story – Leeds Playhouse

For over a century Count Dracula has been part of our popular culture so it’s smart of imitating the dog to make him a peripheral figure in his own play. Instead, they cleverly switch the focus to Mina Harker who in Bram Stoker’s gothic classic not only had her neck bitten but pulled together all the threads to create the myth of the immortal Transylvanian bloodsucker. They’ve also updated the story to 1965 as Harker walks into a London police station confessing a murder to two police officers, and we learn that she has used her immortal superhuman power for what she thinks is the greater good as the Count lurks around the piece as the embodiment of eternal darkness. As usual the team deploys a wide range of high-tech digital tricks, including two video cameras and stage side gree...