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Chisholm For President! – The Warehouse in Holbeck

18Apr

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Chisholm For President! – The Warehouse in Holbeck

It’s always risky when you see any work in progress which can often just be a series of vignettes that don’t really knit together, even if you can see the potential of the material being tested in front of a live audience. That was most definitely not the case at this taster session for Chisholm For President!, based on the life of the first black woman elected to the US Congress in 1968 and then the first woman of colour to run for President in 1972. Sitting in Slung Low’s cavernous newish home I was wondering why a brand-new musical, that is basically performers acting with script in hand and singing a bunch of original songs, seemed so fully formed. But then the penny dropped that this fledgling production has a very strong creative team behind it. Playwright Zodwa Nyoni has cr...

The Girls of Slender Means – Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh

18Apr

By Nazaret RaneaNo Comments

Scotland

The Girls of Slender Means – Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh

Directed by Roxana Silbert, "The Girls of Slender Means" follows the lives of five young women living in the May of Teck Club in London during the summer of 1945. Adapted by Gabriel Quigley from Muriel Spark's novel, the play explores the post-war hopes and struggles of the characters as they navigate love, work, and survival in a society torn by war. Romance, fashion, and politics intersect as the girls grapple with uncertainty and cling to their dreams amidst the rubble of the past. The fragmented structure adds depth to the storytelling, inviting audiences to piece together the narrative while reflecting on themes of resilience and the lasting power of hope. Under Silbert's direction, the production shines with its immaculate production design, drawing the audience into a world where...

Ushers: The Front of House Musical – The Other Palace

18Apr

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

Ushers: The Front of House Musical – The Other Palace

A new musical housed in The Other Palace, Ushers: The Front of House Musical. We are introduced to the characters who make the theatre run. A newcomer Lucy (Danielle Rose) starts her shift, disrupting the well working machine to try and slot herself in this odd little family. As the evening runs, backstage dramas unfold between relationships, Gary (Cleve September) finally landed a role and is moving to Austria for the year while his boyfriend Luke Bauer (Ben) stays here, still front of house. Rosie (Bethany Amber Perrins), a very funny but creepy TikTok fanatic obsessed with leading men is preyed upon by the failed Opera star ‘Manager’ Robin (Daniel Page) desperate for a raise, money and the little power that comes from overworking your equals. Lucy gets to know this team over the evening...

18Apr

By Angela KellyNo Comments

North West

Kinky Boots – Crewe Lyceum

Crewe Amateur Musicals Society (CAMS) are gracing the stage of the Crewe Lyceum this week with their 100th Anniversary show and a performance of ‘Kinky Boots’ and it must be acknowledged that this is certainly a brave undertaking. Having first debuted on Broadway in 2013, with an original score by Cindy Lauper, Kinky Boots has won an impressive six Tony Awards. This interpretation, directed by Sean Johnson- Hargreaves is certainly ambitious and was performed to a very excited packed theatre. Written by Geoff Deane and Tim Firth, Kinky Boots is based on a true story and tells the tale of Charlie Price who is presented with the challenge of following his late Father’s footsteps when he is forced to save the family business. He meets the colourful drag queen, Lola, who he eventually works ...

The Drifters Girl – Birmingham Hippodrome

17Apr

By Peter KinnockNo Comments

North West

The Drifters Girl – Birmingham Hippodrome

Faye Treadwell, born in Arkansas in 1926, owned and managed the Drifters following the death of her husband George Treadwell in 1967 and since then navigated their careers and oversaw many legal battles over the use of the name. She made history as one of the first African American managers in show business and created a reputation as a hard-headed businesswoman. Plus, she gave the world the Drifters! For those of us brought up in the seventies the great American songbook was filling up nicely with much loved numbers by tunesmiths who’d long since packed away their music stands and headed for swimming pool filled retirement, but not Miss Treadwell and not the Drifters. They were still touring well into the eighties and beyond with Tina Treadwell taking over her mother’s musical mantle a...

Les Misérables: School Edition – Hyde Festival Theatre

17Apr

By David S ClarkeNo Comments

North West

Les Misérables: School Edition – Hyde Festival Theatre

It’s not very often, if ever, that I am left speechless by a performance, but this was one such occasion. I found myself so enthralled by what was happening on the stage that I forgot that I was actually meant to be reviewing the show, in fact I got to the end of Act 1 and discovered that I hadn’t written anything on my notes, so I will have to write this review purely from memory. I’ve had to edit my review and have left out the synopsis which I had originally included. For those few of you who don’t know the story of Les Miserables, all I can suggest is that Google is a wonderful thing! Anyway, back to the show. The first solo of the performance was taken by Harry O’Connor as the Bishop of Digne who set the standard for the rest of the performers to follow, a good opening and great...

17Apr

By Grace AnnabelNo Comments

North West

I Should Be So Lucky – Liverpool Empire

This evening, I had the immense privilege of watching Debbie Isitt and Jason Gilkison’s brand new musical creation, ‘I should be so lucky’ at the marvellous Liverpool Empire Theatre, which cleverly comprises of Stock Aitken Watermans greatest hits intertwined into a hilariously feel-good tale. The show takes us on an action-packed whirlwind, when two engaged lovers (Ella and Nathan) experience the greatest pre-wedding jitters of all, causing Ella to be jilted at the altar, but as the show’s tagline says ‘The wedding is off but the Honeymoon is on’! The show opens to reveal a set of great stature, with many cut out heart layers all one behind the other boasting gorgeous seaside themed details and outlined with vibrant lighting on each panel, demonstrating the show’s incredibly high pr...

15Apr

By Zara OdetundeNo Comments

London

The Comeuppance – Almeida Theatre

The Comeuppance is the first offering of the Almeida’s 2024 season as a thought-provoking piece of theatre that will leave the audience reflecting on their own lives. The Comeuppance takes place at the pre drinks of a circle of high school friends who reunite before they attend their 20th high school reunion. Many haven’t seen each other for years and each person is at a different point in their lives, as they reconnect and share old memories and inside jokes, another presence is hovering on the outskirts. Death. Branden Jacobs-Jenkins writes a play in which the characters are exploring their perspective of mortality and maturity. They have all grown up since they have last seen each other and have started to reflect on their choices and the consequences of them, all the what ifs and...

15Apr

By Damian RiverolNo Comments

North West

Dreamcoat Stars – Floral Pavilion

After their inaugural tour in 2023, the Dreamcoat Stars are back again with their UK tour for 2024 and tonight I am at The Floral Pavilion, New Brighton and an extremely full looking audience who are here to have a fun night with great songs, fantastic vocals, and some fabulous dance moves. Tonight’s line up are Sam Cassidy, Keith Jack, Rob McVeigh, and Graham Tudor. Each member of this group has strong links to the musical Joseph and the amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, hence the name The Dreamcoat Stars, and it’s through their love of the show and theatre that have brought these stars together to deliver a fantastic night of entertainment. The stage is set up with a levelled scaffolding stage in the centre of the main stage to create levels for the stars to sing from and six large p...

James V: Katherine – The Studio, Edinburgh

15Apr

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

James V: Katherine – The Studio, Edinburgh

How do you make a play about the Scottish reformation, set in 1527-28; playful, thought-provoking and above all very funny. Writer Rona Munro provides a master class in character writing, and humour in a fascinating historical setting in this superbly watchable addition to her James Plays. Many will already be aware of Munro’s epic historical series comprising of seven works in total, six staged to date, which span two centuries of the house of Stuart between 1406 and 1603. This is part 5 of the series, but unlike all the others which have been grand in scale and staging, Katherine is a much more intimate four-hander chamber piece, which seeks to delve into the very minutiae of life, love and death. The play is set in a time when the Catholic Church’s grip on Scotland is loosening, p...