Latest Articles - Page 165 of 657

Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me – Summerhall

25Sep

By Wendy McEwanNo Comments

Scotland

Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me – Summerhall

Ben Harrison and David Paul Jones were both teenagers in the 1980s. Both felt suffocated by their respective small towns, and both found solace in the music of the time. Harrison tells a selection of stories from his youth, and Jones performs his own interpretations of some of those songs. It’s a nostalgic revisit to a vibrant era that now seems defined by its contrasts. Emery Hunter’s integrated BSL interpretation drew me in right from the start. I am not a BSL user, but to me, her performance felt like poetry. Her flowing movements were beautiful to watch, with a rhythm that synchronised with the others on stage, but delightful in their own right. I hope that I will have more chances to see BSL poetry in future. Jones has taken well-known songs and made them his own, from the t...

Waiting for Godot – Theatre Royal Haymarket

25Sep

By Riana HowarthNo Comments

London

Waiting for Godot – Theatre Royal Haymarket

Well, these are two very well-spoken "tramps". A wired Didi (Ben Whishaw) jolts and flourishes across the space, amidst a more weighted, stony Gogo (Lucian Msamati). The two are equally as confounded as each other, torn between wavering uncertainty and resignation to the fact. As the title of the play reveals, they are waiting for Godot. In Beckett's classic, we are not entirely sure who Godot is or why he is being waited for, and neither, as it seems, are the characters. Whishaw and Msamati play their respective characters so beautifully. It is like watching a dance - their responsivity and spontaneity is glorious, and they find musicality in the repetition. This much studied play has plenty of meat to chew on. The real juiciness of it, as brought out by Whishaw and Msamati ...

24Sep

By Savitha VenugopalNo Comments

London

Lilith – New Wimbledon Theatre

The stage is stark – white and blank save for the tree in the centre, laden with red fruit. This is the setting of an ancient story, the characters well known. You already know what that tree is, what it is going to do to Adam and Eve. But what of Lilith, the one who fell through the pages, the first companion of Adam, banished from paradise? The play – directed by Olivia Swain and Aimee Dickinson, written by the latter along with Aliya Gilmore – tells the story from the much-vilified Lilith’s perspective. Created along with Adam as a single entity “with four limbs and twin mouths”, Lilith was then cleaved from Adam and each named after the rhythm of their heartbeats. Together, they explore the garden of Eden with the delight of children, tasting fruits, naming animals and flowers, m...

24Sep

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

& Juliet – Hull New Theatre

Hull New Theatre’s Autumn/Winter 2024 season got under way on Monday evening with the exuberant musical, & Juliet. After a fantastic run in London’s West End, & Juliet embarks on its first UK and Ireland tour, starting in Hull. We were kept waiting for quite a while before the auditorium doors opened, which meant the 7.30pm start stretched to 7.45pm to allow us all to be seated. The stage setting - a huge, colourfully lit “& Juliet” sign backed by an equally large black and white video screen depicting drawings of London - remained amazing throughout. There can’t be a person on the planet who hasn’t heard of William Shakespeare’s story of star-crossed lovers, Romeo & Juliet. A happy ending it ain’t. But what would happen if the greatest love story ever told t...

23Sep

By David S ClarkeNo Comments

North West

Annie – Stockport Plaza

I think just about everyone will be familiar with the tale of Little Orphan Annie and the rags to riches story which covered the life of this young girl and her friends from the orphanage where she was brought up. The word that often comes to mind when thinking about this musical is “cute”, but this production moved beyond that. There were times when you didn’t realise that you were watching a cast of mostly pre-teens as the maturity and professionalism of these young girls was amazing. I must start by praising the star of the show, the young girl who played the title role of the production. I have seen a number of versions of this show over the years and the performance of Zara Bateson as Annie was up there with the best of them. You knew that this was going to be something out of the ...

23Sep

By Brian MaddenNo Comments

North West

Befuddled – Contact Theatre

In the surreal world of "Befuddled," two tooth fairies, Olett and Pebbles, find themselves on a mission that takes a dark turn. Instead of the usual setting of a child’s bedroom, they arrive in a grim prison cell, where they observe two grown men, Mason and Lewis. The contrast between the whimsical fairies and the bleak reality of the prison creates an atmosphere that is both unsettling and thought-provoking. Cathryn McDougall and Lily Paton bring Olett and Pebbles to life with a blend of bemused innocence and sharp wit, navigating the strange situation with humour that has a dark edge. Their characters, unaccustomed to the harshness of adult life, are thrown off balance by the unexpected sight of grown men living in such dire conditions. Darren Higham and Jack Hannah deliver str...

23Sep

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

War Horse – The Lowry

Since its stunning debut on the Olivier stage at the National Theatre in 2007, War Horse has been performed worldwide to over 8 million people at 7,500 plus performances; it is comfortably the most successful show that the NT has ever produced. Now in 2024, new audiences have the opportunity to follow the adventures of Joey, the eponymous War Horse, in a new production that will tour the UK for the next year, and once again, wherever they get to see it, adults and children alike will gaze in wonder at this startling theatrical achievement. Based on the 1982 novel by Michael Morpurgo - a man who disproves the adage you should never meet your heroes - we follow Joey from a Devonshire farmyard foal, through the nightmare of the Somme in 1917 to his eventual bittersweet reunion with Albert ...

The Lonesome Death of Eng Bunker – Omnibus Theatre

20Sep

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

The Lonesome Death of Eng Bunker – Omnibus Theatre

The story of Chang and Eng Bunker is one of enduring curiosity: two Siamese immigrant twins, conjoined by a band of cartilage and a shared liver, fascinated audiences across the US and achieved an unorthodox version of the American Dream. But on January 17th, 1874, Eng woke up to discover his conjoined twin brother was dead, before passing away himself a few hours later. The Lonesome Death of Eng Bunker, directed by Iskandar R. Sharazuddin, depicts Eng’s final solitary hours through puppetry, music, and striptease. Across an enchanting 60 minutes, writer and performer Tobi Poster-Su is at one with his puppets, bringing each figure — no matter how big or small — to life with a thrumming heartbeat. From the smallest tea bag to the largest human-like puppet, Poster-Su takes an extrao...

20Sep

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Made in Dagenham – Morley Town Hall

In the beautiful surroundings of Morley Town Hall, Morley Amateur Operatic Society brought Made in Dagenham to the stage, their last show in the venue for a while due to venue refurbishments. Judging by tonight’s performance they will be missed. Made in Dagenham is a fun musical that will have you laughing, crying and cheering – all in one unforgettable night! Based on the true story of the 1968 Ford sewing machinists' strike, Made in Dagenham is an emotional roller-coaster of a show that celebrates courage, unity and justice. After having their pay downgraded and deemed not to be skilled workers the ladies of Ford rebel against their employers and go out on strike with the aim of having their pay matched to sister factories, and in the end petitioning management for equal pay. Ha...

19Sep

By Phoebe Olivia Sian HobsonNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

A Raisin in the Sun – Leeds Playhouse

With confidence it can be assured that I was one of many who walked away from this show truly moved, in fact more than that. Inspired. A beautifully dedicated performance to the true beauty of culture and history was portrayed up on that stage, as eyes were opened to the struggles and prejudice that the black community faced in the 60’s. The story meets an aspirational family with finance as the root cause of all their problems, son, and father Walter Lee is power hungry and desperate for a change in funds. With his mother, sister, wife, and son all bundled into one home he feels the pressure to provide a better future for his family, although his chances seem slim the long-awaited cheque from his father’s passing is what keeps his hopes alive. Solomon Israel was truly fascinating in hi...