Latest Articles - Page 2 of 736

21Oct

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

The Car Man – Bradford Alhambra

If you came along to The Car Man expecting a straight dance version of Bizet’s classic opera you would be disappointed but instead buckle up for a dark and raunchy ride through lust and murder. New Adventures Artistic Director Matthew Bourne, who devised and directed this piece, says The Car Man was inspired by Carmen’s heady blend of lust and revenge, but the only real connection was the use of the opera’s familiar 40-minute Shchedrin arrangement as the basis of a dynamic longer score composed by Terry Davies. Instead, this was a production heavily influenced by James M Cain’s 1934 classic noir novel, The Postman Always Rings Twice, later made into a similarly seamy movie starring Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange. Not surprisingly The Car Man started off in a 1950s small garage in t...

21Oct

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Heathers The Musical – Sheffield Lyceum

A delighted Sheffield audience welcome Heathers to the Lyceum with the now expected cult-like following. Plaid skirts aplenty filled the theatre and we are back to our high school days in this dark tale depicting the social rules of high school life, in its own brutal adaptation of the 1989 cult film by Daniel Waters of the same name. Like the song says - ‘’This ain’t no high school, this is Thunderdome’’. Kevin Murphy and Laurence O’Keefe’s (Book, Music and Lyrics) shockingly catchy tunes juxtapose the stark undercurrent of adolescent despair – ‘’We all know what it feels like to be an outsider and a weirdo. Everyone is clueless and scared. And that’s okay’’. Fast forward for a moment to 2020’s, now school shootings are common place; bullying is no longer whispered insinuations and forged...

The Visions of The Lovers of Adonis – Bread & Roses Theatre

21Oct

By Michelle KnightNo Comments

London

The Visions of The Lovers of Adonis – Bread & Roses Theatre

As part of the Lambeth Fringe festival The Visions of the Lovers of Adonis had two nights at the Bread & Roses Theatre. This short play explores the timeless complexities of love, desire and power through the lens of Roman mythology. Drawing on Ovid’s Metamorphoses and the mythological world of gods and goddesses, the play brings together a cast of characters whose competing desires drive the narrative. “Venus is in love with Adonis, Diana has sworn off love, Mars seeks power, and Cupid longs to see his parents reunited”. Through these intertwining motivations, the play examines the contradictions of the heart and the often-conflicting nature of human desire. The acting style is reminiscent of Shakespearean tragedy, with elements of soliloquy that heightens the performance. This...

tell me straight / aggy – King’s Head Theatre

21Oct

By Naina SidhuNo Comments

London

tell me straight / aggy – King’s Head Theatre

Paul Bradshaw’s debut play, ’tell me straight’ is an effervescent exploration of self in London’s jungle of sexual energy. The unnamed protagonist seems to always be on the cusp of something. Whether that be a new job or a new lover, Him is constantly chasing things that are just about unattainable. Him’s navigation of sexual conquests and intimacy asks us the long-standing question of which is better, the chase or the destination? tell me straight’s answer to this is a vulnerable and biting portrayal of internalised homophobia, balancing the confessional and charming levity. Him recites recollections from his life, detailing an odyssey of sexual encounters. Cheng Keng’s light design contracts the space, assigning each encounter to its own distinctive vignette. Bright spotlights squ...

21Oct

By Jo TillotsonNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Twelfth Night – Crucible Theatre

A shipwreck separates twins Viola and Sebastian – neither knowing whether the other survived. A local Duke is in love with a grieving countess, who in turn is falling for his new emissary. A trio of revellers plot to bring down the steward who seeks to curtail their fun. There is something for everyone in Shakespeare’s 17th century play, which at its heart explores questions of love and identity, all while serving a healthy dose of comedy. This production of Twelfth Night from Sheffield Theatres is brilliantly funny, and director Jamie Glover and his team have led the company to a product that is accessible, and full of energy and interesting character nuance. The maid, Maria (Katie Wimpenny), has an agency and feistiness that I have not seen in previous productions, and which scratc...

20Oct

By Bethany EastonNo Comments

North West

Mean Girls – Liverpool Empire

It is always a challenge when putting a loved classic on stage - although this iconic film feels like it premiered yesterday, it was released in 2004! It is no wonder then that so many in the audience were hit with nostalgia, as the familiar and well-loved characters were brought to life on stage and with song. The story was revisited in film format in 2024, demonstrating that its themes remain as relevant today as they were two decades ago and continue to resonate with a new generation of Mean Girls fan. The musical, based on the book by Tina Fey, follows Cady Heron (Emily Lane), a teenager who is home-schooled in Kenya but wants to experience life with other teenagers. Moving with her mum (Jennifer Ellison) to Illinois, Cady navigates the hierarchy of other students at North Shore Hig...

20Oct

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

The Mousetrap – Floral Pavillion

There are few productions that carry the amount of theatrical baggage as The Mousetrap. The legendary production, into it’s 75th year, is touring the UK for the third time, ready to prove that, even now, it still can keep its audiences guessing. The success of the evening depends on which of two camps audiences fall in – those who relish the nostalgia of a good old-fashioned murder mystery or those who find the 1950s pacing and plot a bit too traditional and, dare one say, predictable. The Mousetrap is set in a remote guesthouse, Monkswell Manor, recently taken on by a young, married couple Mollie and Giles Ralston (Emily Laing and Jack Hardwick). A mix of guests battle the blizzard outside to stay at the manor, from the prissy Mrs Boyle (Susan Penhaligon) to the excitable Christ...

When The Fun Stops, Try Again? – Pleasance Theatre

20Oct

By Charlotte MansfieldNo Comments

London

When The Fun Stops, Try Again? – Pleasance Theatre

Described as 'part storytelling, part stand-up, part dream', When The Fun Stops, Try Again? is an interactive, audience-controlled show devised by Nathan Charles and Brightmouth productions. Drawing on his own experiences of gambling, Charles has created a show where the audience, guided by a PowerPoint presentation, goes through a series of stories and tasks exploring different forms of gambling and what it means to win or lose. The audience entered the space to see a screen at the back of the stage, various items on a table on one side, a microphone on the other side and what looked like rubbish covering the floor at the back - on closer inspection, this was made up of things like discarded lottery tickets and packs of cards. The audience waited in their seats in silence when the ...

Concerned Others – The Eastgate Theatre, Peebles

19Oct

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

Concerned Others – The Eastgate Theatre, Peebles

Concerned Others is an installation-style docu-drama, utilising live art, tiny models, puppetry, masks and even a treadmill to convey the hidden inner world of the addict and society’s unwilling attitude to look this problem squarely in the face. It is mesmerising with its real-life voice-overs and shocking statistics about the counter culture of substance abuse and crime endemic in Scotland. With Scotland’s statistics for 2025 standing at 21.4 deaths per 100,000 people (four times higher than in the year 2000), drug and alcohol-related deaths in Scotland out-performs the rest of Europe. The death rate in Scotland’s most deprived areas is fifteen times higher than the least deprived areas. Yet no-one, no class, is immune. The soundscape of this intriguing miniature theatre (which...

19Oct

By Prateek SonnyNo Comments

London

Faith Healer – The Questors Theatre

If ever there was a play that asked its audience to pay close attention to every word, it is Brian Friel’s Faith Healer. Directed by Roger Beaumont, this production consists of four monologues that weave a gripping tale of faith, memory, and the elusive nature of truth. The stage is set with a backdrop of a giant banner saying ‘The Fantastic Frank Hardy. Faith Healer. One Night Only’. The set changes before each monologue establish the characters’ respective spaces as they recount their versions of a shared past. The story follows Frank Hardy (David Lemkin), the titular faith healer, who travels with Grace (Sarah Sharpe), his ‘mistress’, and Teddy (David Erdos), his manager, across villages in Wales, Scotland and Ireland. Frank performs supposed miracles for the locals, but whether he c...