Latest Articles - Page 20 of 688

Riki Lindhome: Dead Inside – Soho Theatre

7Apr

By Kira DanielsNo Comments

London

Riki Lindhome: Dead Inside – Soho Theatre

Cinderella wants to go to the ball and Ariel wants to be where the people are. Riki Lindhome is trying to get some balls to come to her so she can be where the people are (growing). Venture into the infinite forest of her fertility journey in Dead Inside, a one woman musical odyssey that rejects both the structure of the cis straight white man’s hero’s journey and the audience expectation that a one act one woman musical won’t make everyone cry. Lindhome alternates musical comedy with a series of gut-wrenching monologues so disarmingly genuine that by the end of the show much of the audience was in fact brought to tears. Fans of Lindhome will recognize almost all of the songs in this show from her online work, with particular standouts “So Long Farewell (A Breakup Anthem for B...

Lark Rise to Candleford – Theatre by the Lake

7Apr

By Karen Morley-ChesworthNo Comments

North West

Lark Rise to Candleford – Theatre by the Lake

Lark Rise to Candleford is a joyous actor-musician production at Theatre by the Lake, that transports the audience back to the late 19th century and the English countryside way of life. Based on the semi-autobiographical trilogy by Flora Thompson, this adaptation has been written by Tamsin Kennard and is a warm, nostalgic production. This is the story of a woman, Laura, looking back over her life. Starting in the hamlet of Lark Rise, where she lived a simple life, but where she felt she didn’t quite fit in, she then moved to the bright lights of the nearby town of Candleford. Laura, played by Jessica Temple, travels the timeline of her life, and she rises to the part which demands her to be on stage throughout the whole production. Temple gives a natural and engaging performance. ...

4Apr

By Brian MaddenNo Comments

North West

We Will Rock You – Liverpool Empire

Empire Youth Theatre’s production of We Will Rock You at the Liverpool Empire is an ambitious, high-energy showcase that highlights both the strengths and growing edges of a young cast taking on a demanding, full-scale musical. From the opening number, there’s a clear sense of commitment. We Will Rock You is no easy feat, requiring strong vocals, comic timing, and the ability to navigate a deliberately over-the-top and often chaotic script. The cast largely rises to the challenge, delivering Queen’s iconic songs with enthusiasm and, in many cases, impressive vocal control. Somebody to Love is a particular standout, showcasing Scaramouche’s vocals to great effect with a confident and engaging performance. However, at times the balance isn’t quite right, with the backing singers’ mic leve...

42nd Street – The Grand Theatre, Blackpool

2Apr

By Dan GrimesNo Comments

North West

42nd Street – The Grand Theatre, Blackpool

I have to start this review with a confession. I have a very serious addiction. I am, unfortunately, addicted to tap dancing—as a consumer rather than a participant, I hasten to add. My social media algorithms know this about me and, as part of our complex web of co-dependency, the apps ply me with endless reels of routines. It is through this rather sordid route that I became familiar with this musical and, until tonight, I had never actually seen the whole show—due in no small part to the fact that it is performed scandalously infrequently. If you’re a fan of pub quiz trivia, it might interest you to know that the show isn’t as old as you might expect. It was adapted in 1980 from the 1933 Warner Bros. film of the same name and went on to win Tony Awards for Best Musical and Best Chore...

2Apr

By Angela KellyNo Comments

North West

Mean Girls – The Regent Theatre

‘Mean Girls,’ originally written by Tina Fey in 2004, is gracing the stage at Stoke this week. It is an amusing musical comedy based on the film version. In its musical format it was an instant success and since it was first performed in New York in 2018 where it received much accolade and was nominated for several Tony awards. It then travelled to London and has been a huge success ever since. Directed by Casey Nicholaw it includes an extremely talented bunch of stars that are certainly ‘all things musical theatre’. The story is essentially about a group who call themselves ‘The Plastics’ who see themselves as the leaders of North Shore High School in every way. The ringleader is the evil ‘Regina George’ and it tells the tale of her taking new girl ‘Cady’ under her wing and the battle ...

Northern Ballet: Gentleman Jack – Sheffield Lyceum

2Apr

By Jo TillotsonNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Northern Ballet: Gentleman Jack – Sheffield Lyceum

Anne Lister. Born 1791, died 1840. Yorkshirewoman. Diarist. Businesswoman. Landowner. A woman who lived life on her own terms, and who loved how and who she wanted. For anyone who hadn’t already heard of her, she was made famous in the 2010s by the BBC, which cemented her status as the ‘first modern lesbian’, but there is so much more to her than just her sexuality. In this brand new, 100-minute ballet (with interval) we get to know Anne as a woman who forged her own path in society. From the moment the curtain rises to reveal Anne (danced at this performance by Gemma Coutts) in a striking tailored jacket surrounded by a homogeneous group of male contemporaries, she demands your complete attention. The ballet follows the story of her life as she falls in love, gets her heart broken, fac...

2Apr

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

Choir Boy – Stratford East

Choir Boy is an engaging and thought-provoking play that centres on the character of Pharus played by Terique Jarrett, an outspoken, confident student at an elite prep school for Black boys. As a young, gay man, Pharus is navigating both his identity and his place within a rigid, tradition-driven environment. The production balances humour and tension effectively. There are several genuinely funny, laugh-out-loud moments, often driven by the boys’ natural banter, playful teasing, and bursts of spontaneous energy, including unexpected dancing. These interactions feel authentic, capturing the way teenage boys might behave with one another. The cast as a whole deserves credit here; their chemistry makes the dialogue feel fluid and convincing, with a rhythm that adds to both the comedic and...

2Apr

By Klervi GavetNo Comments

London

In The Print – King’s Head Theatre

It’s 1985. London. Rupert Murdoch secretly relocates his entire newspaper operation overnight from Fleet Street to a purpose-built facility in Wapping, locking out five thousand print workers without warning. Facing him: Brenda Dean, the first woman ever elected leader of a major British trade union, who must somehow hold a fractious coalition together against a man who seems to have already won before the fight even starts. In The Print, written by Robert Khan and Tom Salinsky, takes this year-long standoff — known as the Wapping dispute — and wrestles it into 90 tight, no-interval minutes. Given we’re living through another era of tech moguls rewriting the rules while calling it progress, the timing feels pointed. The production values are impressively high. Claudia Jolly’s Bre...

Friends: The Musical Parody – Storyhouse Chester

2Apr

By Emma LambeNo Comments

Wales

Friends: The Musical Parody – Storyhouse Chester

When a TV show is as iconic as FRIENDS, it would be so easy to leave it alone and not attempt to parody. Boy, am I glad they decided to give it a go. Seeing it being brought to life on stage, had the perfect balance of breaking the fourth wall and making jokes that we know and love from the 90's sitcom. Photo: Pamela Raith You could tell it had been created by fans and managed to condense 10 seasons worth of plot and memorable moments into a 2 hour and 10-minute show (including interval). The beginning is super energetic and manages to keep this up throughout in my opinion. Judging by the audience laughs from start to finish, I think they agreed with me. The transitions were slick and worked well with the 'Warner Bros crew members' changing the set from Central Perk to Monica's ap...

2Apr

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Blood Brothers – Hull New Theatre

Only a genius could create what is essentially a sad story of heartache, deceit, poverty, violence, snobbery, desertion and the most awful tragedy, but write it in such a way that it’s uproariously funny throughout. Blood Brothers, written by Willy Russell, is at the Hull New Theatre this week and on Tuesday evening the venue was chock-a-block with theatregoers. This multi-award winning production ran for more than 10,000 performances in London’s West End; no mean feat. And it’s no surprise to me, having seen a version of the show three times, that it’s known affectionately as the “standing ovation musical” - that description speaks for itself. All the action takes place in both the well-off and poorer areas of the city of Liverpool, in the late 1950s, and the stage setting clever...