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Dark of the Moon – Charing Cross Theatre

2Jun

By Paul AckroydNo Comments

London

Dark of the Moon – Charing Cross Theatre

This new musical version by Lindy Robbins, Dave Bassett and Steve Robson is the latest in a long series of versions of this piece. It was first performed as a play in 1942 and a substantially revised version transferred to Broadway in 1945. It was produced in London at the Lyric Hammersmith in 1948 and the Ambassadors Theatre in 1949. The story has not been updated. It is effectively a fairytale about a rural Appalachian community who live in close proximity to a coven of witches in the nearby Smoky Mountains. One of the witches, John (Witch Boy), is enamoured with one of the human girls, Barbara Allen, and seeks to develop a relationship with her, to the dismay of both communities. Its theme is the clash between cultures with the boy/ girl relationsh...

The Marriage of Figaro – Festival Theatre

2Jun

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

The Marriage of Figaro – Festival Theatre

There is a reason why Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro remains one of the most frequently performed operas in the world. More than two centuries after its premiere, this tale of lust, deception, privilege and revenge still has the power to delight audiences. The comedy remains sharp, the characters remain recognisable, and Mozart's music continues to provide one glorious melody after another. Scottish Opera's revival of Sir Thomas Allen's production arrives in Edinburgh following its run in Glasgow, conducted by Dane Lam and directed by Allen himself. It is a handsome, traditional staging that places its faith in the strength of Mozart's score and Lorenzo Da Ponte's story rather than attempting to reinvent either. The central plot remains as entertaining as ever. Figaro and Susanna ar...

The Taming of the Shrew – Traquair House

2Jun

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

The Taming of the Shrew – Traquair House

All the world's a stage, wrote Shakespeare, and nowhere does that feel truer than at Traquair. On a glorious Borders evening, with peacocks calling in the distance, goats grazing unconcernedly nearby, live musicians leading the audience from scene to scene, and performers appearing from every corner of Scotland's oldest inhabited house, Shakespeare's comedy becomes something far more than a play. It becomes an event. Director Kath Mansfield's production of The Taming of the Shrew is playful, joyful and bursting with life. Every corner of the estate is pressed into service, from formal gardens and winding pathways to the magnificent terraces in front of the house. Traquair itself becomes a cast member, its ancient walls, mature trees and carefully cultivated landscape providing a backdro...

30May

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

Second Class Queer – Riverside Studios

‘Second Class Queer’ delivers an emotionally charged and deeply human exploration of identity, belonging and grief. Written, performed and produced by Kumar Muniandy, the one-person play uses the framework of a Berlin speed-dating event to unpack the experiences of Krishna, a queer Malaysian-Indian man navigating racism, homophobia and the exhausting complexities of existing between conflicting cultures. What makes this production compelling is not technical polish, but the honesty of its storytelling and writing and the charisma of Muniandy. The script confronts difficult themes without losing sight of humour or vulnerability, allowing moments of discomfort to sit alongside genuinely touching reflections on loneliness, shame and connection. Muniandy’s performance carries a quiet intens...

30May

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

Redcliffe – Southwark Playhouse

While gay life has existed as long as humanity, the British history of homosexuality isn’t recorded in any informative detail until the 18th century. It is via court records and lurid newspaper reports from that period which give colour to London’s bordellos, ‘rent boy’ scandals and the plight of poor men who were executed and pilloried for the crime of sodomy. Anyone interested in Georgian queer life should read ‘Mother Clap’s Molly House- The Gay Subculture in England 1700-1830’ by Rictor Norton. It’s academic and brutally comprehensive, but it’s an absolute banger. It is from this arcane world of blackmail, public hangings and graphic pamphlets that Jordan Luke Gage has found inspiration for Redcliffe, his debut musical. Set in Bristol 1752-53, this eagerly anticipated production put...

29May

By Dylan MooneyNo Comments

Scotland

Once – Pitlochry Festival Theatre

Marking Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s 75th anniversary and the inaugural season of new Artistic Director, Alan Cumming, Once, the hit West End and Broadway musical, has its Scottish premiere. Bringing back the original team, including designer, Bow Crowley, and director, John Tiffany, this production is very exciting to have opening the theatre programme and start a new chapter for Pitlochry Festival Theatre. Once follows Guy, a Dublin-based musician used to playing in bars who dreams of success but is ready to abandon his hope and give up. He meets Girl, a Czech immigrant, who attempts to bring back his hope and inspires him to keep going. The pair meet a group of quirky individuals, coming together to create an album filled with Guy’s original music. From the outset of this producti...

29May

By Charles PipeNo Comments

London

Black Comedy– Orange Tree Theatre

Aspiring sculptor, social climber, and cad Brindsley Miller is supposed to be hosting both his fiancé’s well-to-do father as well as a famed art collector in his unimpressive flat, when a blown fuse plunges the entire building into darkness. What follows is a hilarious cavalcade of slapstick gags and farcical set pieces, as Miller attempts to spin more and more plates and stay on top of an ever-growing web of lies in order to keep his many transgressions from coming to light. Unlike Miller’s evening, this revival of Peter Shaffer’s farce is an absolute success. While the characters are in darkness, the audience gets a clear view of everything, thanks to Elliot Griggs’s simple-yet-effective lighting design (and a lighting desk operator with split-second-perfect timing). While the charact...

Beetlejuice The Musical – Prince Edward Theatre

29May

By Maani WayNo Comments

London

Beetlejuice The Musical – Prince Edward Theatre

Based on Tim Burton’s iconic film of 1988, Beetlejuice bursts onto the West End in musical form with an all-star cast and presents a unique and thrilling piece of theatre. This eagerly awaited stage adaptation has been highly anticipated since its US debut in 2018 and does not disappoint. This is the story of Beetlejuice, the title character: a pale-faced ghoul dressed head to toe in a black-and-white suit, complete with outrageous green hair, trapped between the real world and the afterlife, affectionately known as “The Netherworld”. Beetlejuice has one goal: to be seen and no longer feel invisible. His plan to achieve that involves killing a seemingly ordinary couple and haunting the new occupants of their home. However, it is not until he meets Lydia, the daughter now living in the h...

2:22 A Ghost Story – Edinburgh Playhouse

27May

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

2:22 A Ghost Story – Edinburgh Playhouse

The touring production of 2:22 A Ghost Story arrives at the Edinburgh Playhouse carrying a formidable reputation. Danny Robins’ supernatural thriller has already conquered the West End, toured internationally and become one of those modern stage phenomena where audiences arrive already primed, whispering theories before the lights even dim. The premise remains brilliantly simple, a dinner party with four friends descends into a late night argument about belief, scepticism and whatever may or may not arrive each night at precisely 2:22am. What elevates the evening beyond a standard jump scare ghost story is Robins himself. Already well known as the creator of the hugely successful BBC Sounds podcast series Uncanny, Robins has become something of Britain’s modern campfire s...

The Rapping Princess – Polka Theatre Wimbledon

27May

By Michelle KnightNo Comments

London

The Rapping Princess – Polka Theatre Wimbledon

This beautifully crafted adaptation of the book The Rapping Princess by Hannah Lees and Allen Fatimaharans’ tells the story of “Shiloh, a princess with a big love for music. But she’s got one problem, she cannot sing”. Through her dismay and her parents’ disappointment Shiloh embarks on a journey of discovery to only find that she has another hidden talent that not even she expected. With a cast of two performers, they take you on a journey of song through the genres, beat box and rap. Anu Akinseye (once on this Island, Into the woods) plays Shiloh she is joined by Grace Venus (Stalled, Sleeping Beauty) as the Queendom Storyteller, who also voices the King, the Queen, Doctor Grump, DJ Princess Kenya, and various princes. This play incorporates purposeful interaction to encourage the...