Latest Articles - Page 119 of 645

8Feb

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Shellshocked – Leeds Playhouse

When a shellshocked army veteran walks into an artist’s studio it starts a dark game of cat and mouse that ends with a really neat twist. Wesley has survived the horrors of World War II and desperate for work as he recovers from his PTSD he seeks a job with local artist Mr Lupine, who seems determined to humiliate his wannabe apprentice at every turn. But just much abuse can damaged hero Wesley take? Philip Stokes directs his own words, setting his compelling two hander that has echoes of Anthony Shaffer’s Sleuth in his native Leeds. Over a tense 70 minutes he offers a mediation on the nature of war, loss, honour and what it takes to be a great artist rather than a mediocrity like Lupine. Lee Bainbridge takes a break from his day job as the Playhouse’s Building Manager to pl...

Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake – Birmingham Hippodrome

8Feb

By Peter KinnockNo Comments

West Midlands

Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake – Birmingham Hippodrome

This elegant old bird glides into the Hippodrome after swooping across the world for nearly thirty years and proves itself to be in turns vibrant engaging, compelling and comic. Matthew Bourne first envisioned and delivered his barn-storming creation to the world back in 1995 way before most of the cygnets in tonight’s performance were even hatched and it maintains and sustains its artistic integrity, vision and panache without a single feather out of place. Bourne has given the world something stunningly unique and intelligent which remixes the familiar tropes and tunes of the Tchaikovsky ballet rearranges, reimagines and reupholsters them in a breathtakingly new, yet recognisable, manner using the swan imagery as a metaphor for our young princess’s sexual awakening coupled with a thri...

Murder on The Orient Express – Sheffield Lyceum

6Feb

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Murder on The Orient Express – Sheffield Lyceum

Trains, tension and covered tracks! As Agatha Christie’s 1934, now famous novel steamed into the Sheffield Lyceum this week and it’s all aboard the Orient Express. Adapted by Ken Ludwig for the stage, this is the premier UK tour after its US launch in 2017. Directed by Lucy Bailey we travel with Christie’s famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot on the luxurious Orient Express in the Winter of 1934, as he makes his way back to England. The journey is stopped in its tracks by a snowdrift and an American Tycoon is found violently murdered in his cabin, with the door locked from the inside. A myriad of suspects happen to adorn the first class carriages. Using his ‘little grey cells’ and forensic evidence, Poirot must solve his most difficult crime but, there is more at stake than just the ...

Cast announced for Animal Farm at Leeds Playhouse

6Feb

By NewsdeskNo Comments

NEWS

Cast announced for Animal Farm at Leeds Playhouse

Animal Farm might have been written 80 years ago, but our troubled times make it perfect for a revival as Tatty Hennessy’s innovative adaptation of George Orwell’s dystopian classic comes to Leeds Playhouse in March. Orwell’s timeless fable of how power corrupts revolves around a group of exploited animals who rebel against their human farmer-tyrant and take control of the land that they live on. They hope to create a world where they can be equal, happier and free but as power shifts and a new leader emerges things start to go badly wrong. Amy Leach directs Tianah Hodding (Clover), Shakeel Kimotho (Mollie), Robin Morrissey (Snowball), David Nellist (Benjamin), Tachia Newall (Napoleon), Gabriel Paul (Boxer), Em Prendergast (Milo), Everal A Walsh (Old Major), Farshid Rokey (Minty), Br...

6Feb

By Alison BainesNo Comments

North West

Here You Come Again – Opera House

Here You Come Again… yes, it is indeed another musical featuring the hit songs of country icon Dolly Parton. If it wasn’t enough to bring Dolly’s movie, 9 to 5, to the stage, here’s another Dolly musical to wet your whistle. If you’re expecting a musical about Dolly’s life and music, then you may be thoroughly disappointed. Instead, the plot takes us back to a time that none of us want to re-live… the COVID-19 pandemic. Kevin, played by Steven Webb, finds himself on the wrong side of 40, heart-broken, living back at home in the attic of his parent’s house, unemployed and in a bit of a ‘p-hole’ (that’s a pity hole for those who have not yet seen the show). Just when things hit rock bottom for Kevin, the queen of country herself, and Kevin’s idol, appears to show him the way. Who bette...

5Feb

By Ralph JeffreysNo Comments

London

Vanya Is Alive – Omnibus Theatre

Vanya is alive is a unique play, telling the story of political censorship and the realities of war in Russia today. In its current form, it is calling out for a more complete staging, with moments of excellence not translating into a production that fully explores its own potential. The play focuses on Alya, whose son Vanya is captured and killed in the war, and her journey of political awakening that follows this. This tragedy is explored through a central conceit, namely that in Alya's society, the sentence that began this paragraph is not permissible, indeed it doesn't even exist. Instead, Aliya is told that her son is "absolutely free". In this way characters speak and emote through antonyms. It is an interesting idea, and at times can be incredibly moving. We are told how Alya ...

The Merchant of Venice 1936 – Liverpool Playhouse

5Feb

By Hannah EsnoufNo Comments

North West

The Merchant of Venice 1936 – Liverpool Playhouse

The authenticity in this production is what struck me at rst, with the Jewish culture and language centre-stage for the preamble. And it didn’t matter that we may not understand what they were saying or doing, it was unapologetic. A sentiment carried through the whole production, which was a novel idea, as it gave the relic script a new tenacity and sense of place in the present which is far removed from when Shakespeare was writing. That authenticity is also what made me realise that this piece really was an example of how these celebrated plays can be relevant to today and still teach us something about the human condition. The cast, albeit small, was able to take on the responsibility of a much larger selection of characters. Their ability to multirole was not only impressive but ...

5Feb

By Hannah WildeNo Comments

North West

Kinky Boots – Palace Theatre

A regular feature across Broadway and the West End since its debut 13 years ago, it’s no wonder Kinky Boots has a list of accolades as long as a pair of knee-high boots to its name (including Olivier, Tony and Grammy Awards to name but a few). Music and lyrics were provided by pop icon Cyndi Lauper, who created a score that perfectly underpinned the story and allowed its performers to explore their vocal talents. Lauper even says her participation in writing the songs for Kinky Boots is one of the things she is most proud of in her illustrious 40+ year career. The curtain opens on a young Charlie Price, whose father bequeaths him the family shoe manufacturing business upon his death. A crisis of confidence and identity soon ensues, as Charlie battles with the pressure of inheriti...

5Feb

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

Mrs President – Charing Cross Theatre

Mary Todd Lincoln is an enigmatic character in American history, shrouded in an equal parts myth and tragedy. The much-criticised First Lady witnessed the assassination of her husband president Abraham Lincoln as well as losing three of her four children, with her fourth child controversially committing her to an insane asylum. In John Ransom Phillips’s play Mrs President we see a different side to the infamous First Lady (played by Miriam Grace Edwards) as she poses for a series of portraits with esteemed photographer Matthew Brady (Sam Jenkins-Shaw), whose iconic photography of Abraham Lincoln reportedly helped him to secure the presidency. Photo: Pamela Raith As Mary strives to control her image through these photographs, whether that’s as a strong leader, doting mother, or a g...

5Feb

By Peter KinnockNo Comments

West Midlands

Community – Birmingham Rep

Farrah Chaudhry’s new play and, seemingly, first play is set in the epicentre of the second city and tells a comedic tale of coming of age, identity and belonging. Zoya and Leyla are ethically, morally and politically in different leagues. While Zoya could be best described slightly spoiled. Leyla is the epitome of nose-to-the-grindstone communal responsibility. When Zoya’s parents decide she no longer has a place in their home (for reasons we’re eager to discover but are never told) she turns to her friend for help, support and a couch to sleep on. Thus begins the story and were this the TV Times, I could add “with hilarious consequences” though that wouldn’t be entirely accurate. Parts are funny, parts are very funny and lots of it works very well. It’s patchy in parts, though, and ha...