Latest Articles - Page 210 of 657

Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience – Exhibition Centre Liverpool

27Jun

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience – Exhibition Centre Liverpool

Billed as the UK premiere, Annerin Productions’ Beyond Van Gogh arrives in Liverpool as an immersive experience of over 300 masterpieces including three more renowned images – The Starry Night; Sunflowers; and Café Terrace at Night. As much as I enjoy art, Liverpool’s Exhibition Centre isn’t a curated gallery – nor does it claim to be – and equally the event itself is clear that this is very much about artwork freed from its frames rather than any original pieces, so any assessment is based two-fold on the experience itself and the extent to which it enlightens its audience, serving as an introduction to art. There is a winding route from entrance which sets out a simplified backstory to Van Gogh with a hint of his work in the background, designed as an appetiser to the main event wh...

Twisted: The Untold Story of a Royal Vizier – Cre8 Theatre

27Jun

By Oliver GigginsNo Comments

Scotland

Twisted: The Untold Story of a Royal Vizier – Cre8 Theatre

Twisted is a retelling of Disney's Aladdin from the point of view of that cartoon's villain, Jafar (Fionn Cameron/Oliver Payn on alternating nights), portrayed here as a well-meaning public servant struggling to deal with his tragic backstory with Sherrazade (Cosette Bolt), and to fix the Magic Kingdom's (an amalgamation of Disney and Agrabah) issues, including its incompetent Sultan (Mitch Gardiner), immature princess (Mhairi Goodwin/Heather Richardson), criminal dude-bro Aladdin (Calum Philp/Orla Bayne) and belligerent neighbour Prince Achmed (Darren Walls). Unsurprisingly, much of the comedy is built around the Disney version of the tale. Quotes from song lyrics from the original film are peppered throughout the dialogue, scenes from the cartoon are comedically described to have happ...

Windrush Warriors – International Anthony Burgess Foundation

26Jun

By Peter RuddickNo Comments

North West

Windrush Warriors – International Anthony Burgess Foundation

When the Windrush scandal began to emerge, the plight of the victims struck a chord because an injustice was being served on people who had already faced discrimination, despite giving so much to the country. Windrush Warriors focuses, not on the scandal itself, but on the real lives of those victims. It is touching, occasionally emotional and very funny. Just like the beautiful Windrush generation themselves. Sister Johnson (Jennifer Marvaree-Robinson) arrives at the local community centre in distress, worried she may face deportation. She finds a, largely, sympathetic audience in her fellow pensioner pals from the West Indies and the quartet decide to organise a fightback. What follows are a set of Vicar of Dibley parish council meeting-like conversations as the self-titled Win...

Hourglass: A Suffragette Story – Soho Poly

26Jun

By Eleanor HallNo Comments

London

Hourglass: A Suffragette Story – Soho Poly

‘Hourglass: A Suffragette Story’ was advertised as a dark comedy, but I could count on one hand the number of times any audience member could be heard laughing. It felt as though five acts had been thrown into hamster wheel of amateur dialogue and could not disembark. This was not helped by a hefty running time. Set in the time before and during World War One, we watch a mother, daughter and their maid experience and support first wave British feminism. It seems that the men surrounding them has something to gain they seek to protect their social status, defend their gender or make their money. During Act 1, great ladles of pathos were heaped onto Kitty (Penny Bosworth), the maid-turned-beggar, by swamping the audience with repetitive scenes of her begging us. She is then offered reside...

Burlesque the Musical – Opera House, Manchester

26Jun

By Hannah WildeNo Comments

North West

Burlesque the Musical – Opera House, Manchester

Following the success of the 2010 smash hit film starring global superstars Christina Aguilera and Cher, I knew it would only be a matter of time before Burlesque was converted to a stage show – with the glitz, the glamour and the Broadway-esque showtunes, it’s a perfect fit for the big stage. There were certainly moments of pure brilliance that could have only been delivered in such a format as theatre, but I do have to say that some moments did leave a little to be desired, which was such a shame for a show of this calibre. Let’s start with the exceptional. Firstly, the female lead – down-on-her-luck Ali, played by Jess Folley – was an absolute casting masterclass. Not many aspiring singers can step into the lofty designer shoes of one Christina Aguilera, but vocally Folley held he...

25Jun

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Sister Act – Storyhouse Chester

Hold onto your rosaries folks, Philadelphia’s favourite sisters are in the building, ready to bring the musical version of the 1992 hit film vividly to life. Sister Act is a vibrant, feel-good show and it’s easy to see why it has become a staple for am-dram group, full of energetic ensemble numbers, humour and heart. The musical, with music and lyrics by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater respectively, and sparklingly directed by Bill Buckhurst, largely sticks to the film’s plot. Club singer Deloris Van Cartier witnesses her gangster boyfriend Curtis commit murder and is placed into witness protection in a convent, leading to much fish-out-of-water hilarity. The cheerful but tuneless nuns soon tap into Deloris’ talent as a singer to inject some oomph into their choir despite the misgivings...

25Jun

By Kiefer WilliamsNo Comments

North West

Olivera – Hope Street Theatre

Olivera is about transformation and the importance of being true to yourself. New company Igloof Haus presents this queer drama comedy set in South Carolina USA. The play is written by Jacklyn Jeffries and tells the story of Oliver, a regular high school kid (Jacklyn Jeffries) who is slowly transitioning into Olivia. She is hiding all this from her radical televangelist Dad (John Smeathers). The play picks up the tension within the family dynamic and we watch as Olivia finds it more difficult to embrace her new life as a young woman within the strict environment of the family and the wider community. It’s not until Dad finds a new wife (Suzanne Fulton) that things really do take off. Olivia finds an unexpected ally in her new stepmom and realises now that she must live he...

25Jun

By Kira DanielsNo Comments

London

The Beckett Trilogy – Coronet Theatre

How much Beckett is too much Beckett? For performer and producer Conor Lovett it seems the limit may not exist. His prodigious memory and inexhaustible articulation are well displayed in this production of three plays from the novels Molloy, Malone Dies, and The Unnamable all written by Samuel Beckett. Alone on stage but very much confederate with a captive audience eager to absorb what they can from his nearly three-hour monologue, Lovett is tremendously impressive and knows it too. Directed and designed by Judy Hegarty Lovett, his conspirator in Gare St Lazare Ireland, a touring production company specializing in “presentations” of Beckett’s various works. The style of this production is extremely presentational and clearly preoccupied with faithful interpretation of the great ...

25Jun

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Callum Beattie – Usher Hall, Edinburgh

The prodigal son returns as Musselburgh man Callum Beattie takes to the magnificent stage of the 2200 capacity, Usher Hall tonight to belt out some crowd favourites and experiment with some new material in front of a sell-out audience. The 34-year-old has come a long way from busking the streets and performing around the pubs of Edinburgh. Between songs, he tells us his regular gig fifteen years ago was at the Red Squirrel pub, just a stones throw away from tonight’s rather more salubrious venue. Despite the minor setback of the drummer breaking his arm during rehearsals, the show most certainly went on, and quite a show it was. Opening the set with the pumping title track of his second album, Vandals, has the packed house jumping and my fillings vibrating. Health and safety is out t...

Mario the Maker Magician – Underbelly Boulevard

25Jun

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

Mario the Maker Magician – Underbelly Boulevard

After an incredible whirlwind of success in the USA, London finally gets to witness the incredible Mario the Maker Magician- currently sold out for June at the Underbelly Boulevard. Mario has made whistle stop tours on Sesame Street and Jimmy Fallon and although the show centres and celebrates the children in the audience, it is definitely not just a kids show. It’s a hug to your inner child and a beautiful reminder that you should ALWAYS do what you love. The stage is seemingly cluttered with old broken objects, inflatable tins of soup tower over the magician as he enters with the most breathtaking energy- I couldn’t quite believe how a person might keep it up. But he did. The most difficult audience is an audience of children, keeping them in their seats and excited all the same ti...