Latest Articles - Page 2 of 688

2Jul

By Coral MourantNo Comments

North West

Miss Saigon – Blackpool Opera House

A musical masterpiece that has garnered loyal fans, Miss Saigon will always bring in an audience to be entertained and devastated in equal measure. This new touring production has been reinterpreted “for a new generation”, but with a track record of box office success, does it really need to be changed? I wouldn’t consider myself a theatre purist, I believe shows should have the opportunity to be re-imagined and reworked. However, this particular adaptation left me nostalgic for its predecessor. Perhaps I am remembering the London revival as perfection, but in comparison, I found myself not fully immersed in this one. Although the technological advancements have served the plot well, I fear the overall impact of the piece has been watered down. Loosely based on Puccini’s opera Madama...

2Jul

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

Grindr the Opera – Union Theatre

Perhaps there are people out there who don’t know that Grindr is a gay ‘dating’ app and are blithely unaware of the culture which has spawned from this smartphone phenomenon. This production is not aimed at that naïve demographic, but serves as a satire, cautionary tale and a timely mirror for the app’s 15m users across the globe. Last year Grindr released stats in which the UK emerged as the global leader for self-identified ‘fem tops’ while Ireland recorded the highest proportion of users listing themselves as ‘bears’. The most searched tag globally was ‘hung’. Madonna recently used the app to launch her new album, and it’s reported that cities experienced a 4% spike in usage when Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball came to town. The app may be re-shaping our neural pathways and it’s definitely ...

Catriona Macdonald & Annbjorg Lien – Traverse Theatre

2Jul

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Catriona Macdonald & Annbjorg Lien – Traverse Theatre

It was, as one might expect, a famously fiddly evening at the Traverse Theatre, as Shetland’s Catriona Macdonald and Norway’s Annbjørg Lien brought together a programme rich in Scandinavian and Shetland tunes, shared history and extraordinary musicianship. Presented as the final concert in this season’s Soundhouse series, the evening was built around the musical relationship between two players who first met when they were barely teenagers. That history mattered. This was not simply a meeting of two virtuosos, impressive though both undoubtedly are, but a conversation between traditions, between islands and sea routes, and between generations of musicians passing music from one hand to the next. Macdonald was open, warm and generous throughout, speaking movingly about returning h...

The Lady Boys of Bangkok: Full Moon – Sabai Pavilion, Shepherd’s Bush Green

2Jul

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

The Lady Boys of Bangkok: Full Moon – Sabai Pavilion, Shepherd’s Bush Green

For almost thirty years, The Lady Boys of Bangkok has been a reliable fixture of the UK's touring entertainment calendar, building its reputation on flamboyant spectacle, irreverent humour and an unapologetically camp celebration of Thai-inspired cabaret. Its latest production, ‘Full Moon’, arrives at Shepherd's Bush Green promising a glittering evening of music, comedy and escapist fun. Unfortunately, while the enthusiasm remains intact, the production itself feels increasingly outpaced by the modern cabaret landscape. Entertainment has evolved dramatically since the show first toured in the late 1990s, audiences are now accustomed to the polished excellence of international drag artists, contemporary cabaret, immersive productions and televised performance competitions. Against that b...

2Jul

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

The Car Man – Hull New Theatre

Sparks literally flew as Matthew Bourne’s award-winning The Car Man hit the Hull New Theatre stage on Tuesday evening. Performed by Bourne’s New Adventures dancers, it’s billed as “Bizet’s Carmen re-ignited”. Set in a 1960s garage, the sparks we saw were presumably from a welding gun used by one of the dishiest set of mechanics I’ve ever set eyes upon. All the action takes place in the US town of Harmony; however, events are far from harmonious after a drifter answers Dino’s Diner and Garage’s ad for “man wanted”. Garage owner, Dino Alfano (Alan Vincent), is married to the beautiful, younger Lana (Ashley Shaw). He has no idea what tragedy will enfold by employing the traveller, who goes by the name of Luca (Harrison Dowzell). The stage setting was a hive of activity even before...

2Jul

By Damian RiverolNo Comments

North West

Rocky Horror Show – Storyhouse

Rocky Horror Show stops off at Storyhouse this week as part of its UK tour, and it opened with a bang. If it’s a party evening you’re after, this is the show for you. With brilliant music, fantastic costumes (not just on the stage), great lighting and a cast that gives you everything and more, Rocky Horror Show ticks all the right boxes. With songs such as Sweet Transvestite and The Time Warp. Brad and Janet are on their way home from a wedding when their car blows a tyre so they go to the nearest castle to ask if they have a telephone they can use and come across a ‘different’ group of people where they find themselves dragged into a series of interesting events as the real identity of those living here become apparent. The set designed by Hugh Durrant is very creative, all wi...

1Jul

By Charlotte MansfieldNo Comments

London

Springwood – Hampstead Theatre

On the verge of the WWII, King George VI (Bertie) and Queen Elizabeth visit President Franklin D. Roosevelt, to try to gain U.S. support for Britain. The occasion takes place, not at the White House, but at Roosevelt’s country home, Springwood. Written and directed by Richard Nelson, the play explores the meeting between these two men from a human angle, rather than a political one – what personal challenges were they facing, and where might they have found a connection? Springwood opens with a simple set of dining furniture that is immediately moved off stage and replaced with a small table and a few chairs. Presumably there was a reason for this, but whatever that was is not clear, and it makes for a disconcerting and awkward beginning. Perhaps it’s to foreshadow the awkwardness of th...

Priscilla Queen of the Desert – The Musical – Sheffield Lyceum

30Jun

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Priscilla Queen of the Desert – The Musical – Sheffield Lyceum

The Sheffield Lyceum Theatre basked in the 80s/90’s disco glitter ball disco hits as Priscilla Queen of the Desert - the Musical drove into town. With more sequined glamour and glitz than a red carpet event the audience went wild and this full throttle jukebox musical hit all the right notes with unadulterated pizzazz. Based on the Motion Picture, Stephen Elliott and Allan Scott’s adaptation does a stellar job in retaining its heart-warming story of acceptance, queer identity and family. The 13 years since its premier has seen Drag become a mainstay and accepted part of our culture not just in theatre but on prime time TV and Media. But, Priscilla, the trailblazer adds the Trans community central and upfront - no hiding - with the character of Bernadette which is written with sinceri...

Love and Friendship – St Augustine United Church

30Jun

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Love and Friendship – St Augustine United Church

There is no shortage of ambition in Edinburgh Rep’s latest production, an affectionate parody of Jane Austen’s youthful novella Love and Friendship, adapted and directed by Oliver Giggins. Packed with heightened Regency melodrama, broad physical comedy and moments of gleeful absurdity, the production showcases a company with obvious talent and infectious enthusiasm, even if the material itself doesn’t always provide the strongest framework for that talent to flourish. Rather than adapting one of Austen’s familiar novels, the production draws on one of her earliest works, written when she was still a teenager. The story follows the young Marianne persuading her Aunt Laura to reveal the astonishing tale of her youth, a tale involving doomed romances, improbable revelations of parenta...

30Jun

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

Archduke – Royal Court Theatre

Rajiv Joseph's ‘Archduke’ arrives at the Royal Court with an intriguing premise, imagining the lives of the young conspirators whose actions would trigger the First World War. On paper it sounds epic, and it promises a darkly comic examination of radicalisation, friendship and history, yet despite moments of theatrical flair, the production never quite justifies its existence. Although its themes remain strikingly relevant, this production struggles to offer a compelling dramatic perspective on such a familiar historical event, leaving it feeling oddly unnecessary The greatest obstacle is its uncertain identity. The script lurches between historical drama and absurd comedy without ever settling comfortably into either. There are clear echoes of “Blackadder Goes Forth” and the anarchic w...