Latest Articles - Page 2 of 728

1Oct

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Terminal 2 – 53two

There can be few settings better suited to contemplating life’s bigger questions than the strange limbo of an airport departure lounge. In Terminal 2, written by David Payne, that familiar mundanity becomes the backdrop to something altogether more poignant. The simple set consists of little more than airport seating and a screen charting the interminable delay to George (Allan Nicol) and Lynda’s (Janice Fryett) flight. The pair are already waiting as the audience enters, immediately establishing the sense that we have simply stumbled across two ordinary people in transit. And ordinary they initially seem. Their conversation wanders entertainingly through everything from Al-Qaeda, Viennetta to Russ Abbott, to the supposed similarities of Grindr and Sky+, with occasional witty bar...

1Oct

By Helen JonesNo Comments

North West

Jane Eyre – Waterside Arts

Jane Eyre is unarguably Charlotte Bronte’s most successful novel. First published in 1847 it is a hugely popular book and currently a recommended school’s text. At the start Jane is ten, orphaned and ends up being taken in by her maternal aunt but is mistreated and neglected. Eventually she is sent to Lowood School and remains there initially as a pupil for the first six years and the last two years as a teacher. At eighteen, Jane leaves Lowood and begins working as Governess to young Adele Varens at Thornfield Hall. Appointed by the housekeeper Mrs Fairfax, Jane does not meet Adele’s guardian Edward Rochester until sometime later. Over time Jane’s feelings for Mr Rochester grow and eventually she confesses her feelings only for him to admit he feels...

The Anastasia File – Theatre Royal, Windsor

1Oct

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

The Anastasia File – Theatre Royal, Windsor

One of the twentieth century’s most enduring historical mysteries provides rich material for ‘The Anastasia File’, Royce Ryton’s drama exploring the extraordinary story of Anna Manahan, the woman who spent decades claiming to be Grand Duchess Anastasia, the supposedly murdered daughter of Tsar Nicholas II. Following the execution of the Romanov family in 1918, the play moves to Berlin two years later, where a traumatised young woman is rescued from a canal and subsequently placed in an institution. Gradually, details emerge that suggest she may be the surviving Anastasia. From there, questions of memory, identity, trauma and inheritance begin to intertwine as those around her attempt to establish whether she is a survivor of unimaginable brutality or an extraordinarily convincing im...

Paranormal Activity – Grand Opera House York

30Sep

By Adam CraddockNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Paranormal Activity – Grand Opera House York

Last night I had the pleasure to be invited along to the press night for the UK tour of “Paranormal Activity”, the new play by Levi Holloway inspired by the Paramount Pictures movies. I love a horror play, I think the dim lighting and cold air of a historic theatre is perfectly suited to an unnerving horror experience and Paranormal Activity more than delivers on these expectations. We follow an American expat couple James and Lou, recently moved to London for James’ work, as they deal with some mysterious happenings from an unwelcome spirit in their house. I won’t spoil any major plot points but more generally I have to say the way the supernatural elements were delivered in this production were quite frankly masterful. For me this is the gold standard of horror theatre that I have seen.&...

Murder Before Evensong – Watermill Theatre

30Sep

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

Murder Before Evensong – Watermill Theatre

There is something particularly satisfying about watching a production that understands exactly how to use the theatre it inhabits, and ‘Murder Before Evensong, the world-premiere stage adaptation of Reverend Richard Coles’ bestselling novel, feels completely at home at the Watermill Theatre. Intimate in scale but remarkably expansive in execution, this is a beautifully constructed, wonderfully performed production that manages to make this tiny auditorium feel, at times, like a full-scale West End stage. Adapted by Paul Hart and Shaun McKenna, and directed by Hart, the story takes us to the seemingly idyllic village of Champton in 1988, where parish politics, long-standing relationships and simmering tensions surround St Mary’s Church. When murder intrudes upon this comfortably familia...

Pride and prejudice* (*sort of) – Theatr Clwyd

30Sep

By Damian RiverolNo Comments

Wales

Pride and prejudice* (*sort of) – Theatr Clwyd

The outrageously hilarious Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) comes bursting on to the Moondance stage at Theatr Clwyd with an impressive set, wonderful costumes and a group of five incredible women who take us through this story, playing all the roles and leaving the audience on their feet. Written and directed by Isobel McArthur and based on the Jane Austin novel, Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) starts with the servants ‘cleaning’ in the auditorium, interacting with the audience, the sound of the bell ringing occasionally. The servants realise they are at work and the show begins. The servants are central to the story, reminding us that even though they are never seen, they are always there. With another ring of a bell the cast jump in to action and with a quick costume change (extrem...

29Sep

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Jersey Boys – Hull New Theatre

Having seen the musical Jersey Boys several times now, both as a reviewer as well as a paying theatregoer, this recent production at the Hull New Theatre shows just why the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons is still filling theatres, 20 years after it was first staged. The group’s music needs no introduction - hit followed hit with the likes of Sherry, Big Girls Don’t Cry, Walk Like a Man, My Eyes Adored You, Beggin’, Rag Doll and many more. And on Monday night in Hull, we in the full-ish theatre were treated to all these songs with plenty of their other hits thrown in. Classed as a “musical biography”, we were not only treated to the most wonderful music and singing, but also to the story of where it all began - in Noo Joisey, oh sorry, got carried away there, I mean Ne...

28Sep

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Dirty Harry – La Belle Angele

There are tribute bands, and then there are those which, for a couple of hours at least, manage to transport you somewhere else entirely. Tonight, Dirty Harry took me straight back to the late 1970s and early 80s, when Blondie were in their prime and Debbie Harry was quite simply one of the coolest people on the planet. First up are The Postcards, who provide an enjoyable warm-up with a slightly more adventurous trawl through the alternative end of the 80s than your average covers band. Orange Juice’s Rip It Up, Simple Minds’ Don’t You (Forget About Me) and a welcome excursion into Echo & the Bunnymen territory all hit the spot. Their venture into The Smiths is perhaps less successful — Morrissey’s voice is a particularly dangerous one to borrow — but you can’t win th...

Dear Joanna, My Favourite Animals Are Scorpions – Bread and Roses Theatre

28Sep

By Gaurav SinghNo Comments

London

Dear Joanna, My Favourite Animals Are Scorpions – Bread and Roses Theatre

Dear Joanna, My Favourite Animals Are Scorpions is an unsettling exploration of childhood friendship, adolescent obsession and the ways in which seemingly innocent behaviour can develop into something much darker. Written by Julia Rudd and directed by Elizabeth Laurence, the play follows Joanna, played by Grace Maltman, and Dave, played by Joseph Mason-Coombs, from childhood into adolescence. Dave becomes fascinated with Joanna and repeatedly tries to establish a friendship that she does not reciprocate. As they grow older, his attempts to gain her attention become increasingly obsessive. Letters, rumours and eventually voyeuristic behaviour shift what initially looks like an innocent childhood infatuation towards stalking and harassment. The writing is the production’s biggest stren...

Tandem at Ten: A Festival of Words – Traverse Theatre

28Sep

By Wendy McEwanNo Comments

Scotland

Tandem at Ten: A Festival of Words – Traverse Theatre

Tandem is a writing collective established and run by playwrights Jennifer Adam, Amy Hawes and Mhairi Quinn. This new writing showcase celebrates their tenth anniversary, featuring a varied, thoughtfully curated selection of pieces including plays, poetry, prose and music. As we enter Trav 1, musician Gillian plays her own hauntingly melodic compositions on the piano, creating an atmosphere of expectation. Cunnison plays transition music between each piece as well. The showcase opens with a short play called The Will of the People, written by Charlotte Smith. A politician (Nicola Roy), and her bodyguard (Jenny Hulse) are waiting for hospital staff to identify a mystery substance thrown at them by a protester. As the scene unfolds, the limits of democracy are exposed. It’s a thoug...