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Treasure Island – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

4Apr

By Helen JonesNo Comments

North West

Treasure Island – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

As an Easter Holiday child friendly show, the Garrick has produced a version of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic Treasure Island. This version adapted by the well-respected Bryony Lavery was first produced in 2014. The basic plot remains the same, but Lavery has taken liberties with both characters and sections of the story. Jim Hawkins is now female, Jim has a grandmother not parents, characters are missing, new characters are inserted, and the fate of several characters is altered. The problem with doing this is that while the play bears some resemblance to the original it should be referred to as the Alternative Treasure Island. Jim and her grandmother run the Admiral Benbow Inn in Black Cove. One night a man arrives with his sea chest and takes a ...

3Apr

By H.S. BakerNo Comments

Scotland

Pretty Woman – Edinburgh Playhouse

Most of us are familiar with the 1989 film of Pretty Woman, starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts, directed by Garry Marshall. For those that aren’t, the narrative is a simple fairy story – millionaire tycoon Edward, visiting Los Angeles on a business trip, stops in Hollywood Boulevard to ask street walker Vivian for directions to the prestigious Beverly Wilshire hotel. She ends up staying the night. The following day she is told to kit herself out with some high-end fashion using Edward’s credit card and asked to remain for the rest of the week and accompany him on his various social enterprises. So far, so Cinderf***ingrella. Pretty Woman the musical, book by Garry Marshall and J.F. Lawton and music and lyrics by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance, is a joyous romp which is about as f...

3Apr

By Emma WildNo Comments

North West

Cluedo 2 – The Lowry

Cluedo, the family favourite board game, celebrates 75years since it was first produced in the UK and America. This enduring game is filled with intrigue, mystery and fun. Did this show live up to the appeal of this classic game? Cluedo 2, a sequel to the hugely popular first play, which toured the UK in 2022, has a host of re-invented characters, a different, intriguing storyline and is set in a whole new mansion. Cluedo 2 has all the potential to be a sure fire hit, with the hugely talented director, Mark Bell (best known for directing The Play That Goes Wrong) and successful stage and screen comedy writers Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran. I was hoping for a night filled with laughter whilst acting the sleuth, however, I only chuckled a few times throughout the evening. Set in the ...

An Officer and a Gentleman – New Wimbledon Theatre

3Apr

By Maani WayNo Comments

London

An Officer and a Gentleman – New Wimbledon Theatre

Based on the award-winning movie of the 1980s and featuring a soundtrack with hits from Madonna, Bon Jovi, Cyndi Lauper and Blondie, An Officer and a Gentleman bursts into their tour run as a must-see, feel-good romance which will leave your heart fulfilled. This is the emotional story of Zack Mayo (Luke Baker), a young officer candidate with a dark past, and his captivating love interest Paula Pokrifki (Georgia Lennon), who bonded over their zest for life and fiery spirits. The plot also centres around Zack’s right-hand man on the Officer Candidate School (AOCS) course, Sid (Paul French) and his sweetheart Lynette (Sinead Long) navigating their newly formed romance. The set in this production immediately stands out and is hard to believe that it belongs to a tour production. Large m...

3Apr

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

Holly Spillar: HOLE – Soho Theatre

Holly Spillar is obsessed with holes: the ones in your face, the ones in Warburton’s crumpets, and especially the ones in our pants. After being diagnosed with vaginismus (a condition that causes the vagina to suddenly tighten when something is inserted, making penetrative sex painful), she’s become particularly fixated on why her hole can’t easily welcome a pole. This quest to try and achieve the “basic, beige sex life of her dreams” is the premise of her one-woman show HOLE, playing at Soho Theatre until 3rd April. Accompanied on stage with nothing but a loop pedal and a microphone, Spillar takes us on a surreal musical and comic journey about her experiences of navigating a litany of gaslighting doctors, terrible one-night stands, and internal misogyny. Spillar’s deft use of the l...

Introverts The Musical – Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh

3Apr

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Introverts The Musical – Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh

Writer Amy Hawes, one third of Tandem Writing Collective, teams up with keyboard player Aaron McGregor to present a brand-new musical about Introverts. Still at workshop stage we are treated to a sneaky peek by a trio of fine actors: Kim Allen, Natalie Arle-Toyne and Betty Valencia, with scripts in hand. Toyne stands out as the neurotic, protective mother, trying to protect her anxiety filled, introvert daughter, Angela, played by Valencia, with Allen never far away as the side-kick imaginary friend. When Angela is given the chance of a free a course at the Introvert Conversion Centre (ICC) which has recently opened in Livingston, and her mum the commission to write about it, they both jump at the chance. It’s not long before Angela is transformed into an online celebrity with a host...

3Apr

By Andrew LeeNo Comments

North West

2:22 A Ghost Story – Liverpool Empire

As Danny Robbins (writer) so accurately describes in his introduction in the programme, 2:22 has ghosts in it, and most of the text is about ghosts, but in reality, it is about trust. How would you as a believer react to a sceptically loved one, and vice versa? This play explores dynamics of relationships when your beliefs differ so widely, and this is what has truly made the play a success. When married couple and new parents Jenny (Fiona Wade) and Sam (George Rainsford) cannot agree on the cause of mysterious events in their new home, their trust in each other and strength of their relationship is stripped bare. Helped along by dinner guests Lauren (Vera Chok) and Ben (Jay McGuinness) the couple must prove (or disprove) the cause of the inexplicable happenings. Their beliefs differ on...

Little Shop of Horrors – Theatre by the Lake, Keswick

2Apr

By Karen Morley-ChesworthNo Comments

North West

Little Shop of Horrors – Theatre by the Lake, Keswick

The atmosphere in the main house at Theatre by the Lake is electrifying as Audrey Two takes centre stage for this energetic and magical production of the classic Little Shop of Horrors, writes Karen Morley-Chesworth. The set designers need a shout out for their adaptable New York florist shop on Skid Row. The cast are really versatile and first class – quadruple threats of acting, singing, dancing and musicians. Opening this musical extravaganza is the trio of Chiffon, Crystal and Ronnette played by Janna May, Zweyla Mitchell dos Santos, and Chardai Shaw play along with the house band, Migdalia van der Hoven on Drums with Musical Director, Gabrielle Ball. The production hits the ground running, and it doesn’t disappoint. Oliver Mawdsley as the central character, orphan Seymour who...

Zodwa Nyoni talks about new musical Chisholm for President!

1Apr

By NewsdeskNo Comments

NEWS

Zodwa Nyoni talks about new musical Chisholm for President!

Chisholm for President! is a brand-new musical inspired by the remarkable journey of the first Black woman to be elected to the United States Congress, and who then dared to run for the Democratic nomination for President in 1972. Playwright Zodwa Nyoni has teamed up with Leeds based rapper Testament to develop a musical that traces Shirley Chisholm’s life as the daughter of immigrants who then battled racism and misogyny to win a seat in Congress. Chisholm was known for her advocacy on behalf of women, minorities, stood with the gay community, was way ahead of her time on environmental protections, fought against child poverty and was noted for her opposition to the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. Chisholm served in Congress for seven terms before passing away in 2005...

Legally Blonde The Musical – Leeds Grand Theatre

1Apr

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Legally Blonde The Musical – Leeds Grand Theatre

It does seem odd in what can seem like an endless conveyor belt of stage adaptations of hit Hollywood movies that Leeds Amateur Operatic Society are the first to stage Legally Blonde in this historic theatre where they have been putting on shows since 1890. The don’t judge a book by its cover trope is one of the classic musical theatre narratives, with the traditional happy ending always coming from the most unlikely of sources. In this version staying pretty faithful to the smash hit Reece Witherspoon movie, our unexpected heroine is sorority queen and fashionista Elle Woods, who wins a place at the prestigious Harvard Law School proving to have a sharp legal intellect beneath all her fluffy pink exterior as she wins the day. It's a high energy show with plenty of humour and some gr...