Latest Articles - Page 316 of 645

30Jul

By Anisha PucadyilNo Comments

London

Word-Play – Royal Court

Artist – audience - resonance - reflection - WEIRD - discomfort - indifference - values - public - harm - community - responsible? – cracked - so many tiny pieces. Rabiah Hussain has made a masterpiece. Word- Play is evocative, heart-wrenching and poignant. Kudos to director Nimmo Ismail for the skilled use of light, space, and direction. Each of the actors painted with broad strokes scenes from across London. Some we have observed, some we have heard of and many that clawed into our skins and made us feel deeply. From scenes of bastions of power making guffaws to the playground to dinner-time social niceties, the drama uncovers the discomfort that often remains unexpressed in social interactions using words that give light to our unconscious biases and blind spots. Also, how we lean...

30Jul

By Katie LeicesterNo Comments

North West

Top Hat & Heels – Pontins Southport

Wayne Billany (aka Miss Kitty) and JoJo the infamous duo from Newcastle Upon Tyne’s Pure Entertainment Group are on the road again to entertain thousands of holiday makers! Starting their lengthy summer tour in Southport Pontins, these two are no newbies to life on the road as they have become seasoned favourites on the holiday/club circuits with their high energy comedy drag act. This summer alone they have over 40 venues booked across the length and the breadth of the UK. For as long as I remember I have loved to watch drag performers, from the pantomime dames to Foo Foo Lammar, Dame Edna Everage, Lilly Savage, Betty Legs Diamond - this flamboyant world has always caught my attention. Remembering the drag performers in history that changed our world such as Coccinelle, Marsha P. Johns...

The Rubbish Shakespeare Company’s Romeo and Juliet – Liverpool Theatre Festival

28Jul

By Bev ClarkNo Comments

North West

The Rubbish Shakespeare Company’s Romeo and Juliet – Liverpool Theatre Festival

The theatre gods smiled on Liverpool’s Bombed Out Church this afternoon and kept the rain away for The Rubbish Shakespeare Company’s Romeo and Juliet. Three actors present this comic tomfoolery with plenty of physicality, energy, adlibs, bad wigs and a packet of sausage rolls. This immersive theatre relies heavily on audience participation and luckily there were lots of young people in the audience willing to get up and be part of the show, so us adults didn’t have to. Lee Hithersay, Alex MacDonald along with Thomas Galashan, who was making his debut this afternoon, showed that underneath all their clowning about and slapstick they can actually act. They are professions as Hithersay reminds us. This funny, accessible, hour-long show gives us the main gist and characters ...

28Jul

By Louise KershawNo Comments

North West

Baggy Bra – The Squad House, Stockport

Meet Barb. Barb loves bras. Her daughter designs and makes them. Together they sell them to grateful women, keen to have something comfortable, stylish and well fitted to wear each day. From Barb’s little shop they welcome women in need of advice, support and a proper fitting. Starting in the bar of this great new venue, Barb (Sian Parry-Williams) welcomes the audience into the space where cabaret style seating awaits, glitter sparkles, Welsh flags proudly adorn, and we enter her world of all things mammary. Parry-Williams takes immediate control of the action and the audience takes to her instantly. A well-rounded character with sharp wit and enormous warmth, she shatters the fourth wall conspiratorially and instantly gains our loyalty, which remains throughout. The play itse...

28Jul

By Max EdenNo Comments

North West

Message In a Bottle – The Lowry

Based on the songs of Sting; Message in a Bottle is a breathtaking dance production that immerses its audience in a captivating narrative of hope, resilience, and human connection. It is really quite incredible! From the opening scene to the final curtain call, this show delivers an emotional rollercoaster that will leave your heart so full, following the story of one family and their three teenage children as they are uprooted and displaced by civil war and go through the harsh reality of fleeing for safety. The choreography by Kate Prince is nothing short of extraordinary. Every movement, every gesture, and every leap conveys a profound story, captivating the audience and creating a powerful visual spectacle. The dance sequences are executed flawlessly, blending contemporary ...

Tick Tick … Boom! – St Mary’s Creative Space, Chester

28Jul

By Damian RiverolNo Comments

North West

Tick Tick … Boom! – St Mary’s Creative Space, Chester

This is the first Productions from Disley Theatrical Productions (the brain child of Luke Disley) and what a show to open with. Tick Tick...Boom! is a Semi-autobiographical musical of writer, Jonathan Larson. It follows the story of Jon who lives in New York in 1990. As he approached his 30th birthday, he begins to question his life choices and career path to be part of the performing arts. Larson began performing this piece as solo work in 1990, but after his death in 1996, it was revamped by Playwright, David Auburn, as a Three actor piece. Tick Tick...Boom! Include incredible songs including 30/90, Therapy and the glorious Louder Than Words. The cast is made up of three fantastic performers, Phil Cross as Jon, Ceri-Lyn Cissone-Hunter as Susan and others and Calum Craine as Mich...

Treason The Musical explodes onto stage this autumn

27Jul

By NewsdeskNo Comments

NEWS

Treason The Musical explodes onto stage this autumn

The much-anticipated pivotal role of Martha Percy in Treason the Musical will be played by Nicole Raquel Dennis. They recently starred as Effie White in the smash hit UK tour of the Olivier Award Winning Dreamgirls, as Alana Beck in the original West End cast of Dear Evan Hansen, where they won “Best Supporting Actress in a Musical” at the Black British Theatre Awards, and as a semi-finalist on ITV’s The Voice, during which she performed a memorable duet with Jennifer Hudson. The role of Martha Percy has previously been played in development by West End stars, Rosalie Craig, Lucie Jones and most recently Carrie Hope Fletcher and this autumn audiences will witness “The Inevitable” and be blown away by Nicole as they step into the thick of the Gunpower Plot. Starting his reign as omnipote...

27Jul

By NewsdeskNo Comments

NEWS

Shrek The Musical begins UK Tour

Footage and images are released today for the brand-new production of Shrek The Musical which opened at Theatre Royal Plymouth on Friday 21st July. The official Dreamworks production is touring through to April 2024 with a Shrek-tacular principal cast line up including Antony Lawrence (Shrek), Joanne Clifton (Princess Fiona), James Gillan (Lord Farquaad), Brandon Lee Sears (Donkey) and rising star Cherece Richards (Once on This Island, Regent’s Park Theatre) who is making her debut in a principal role as the Dragon. The smash hit musical will tour through to April 2024 to a total of 31 venues. Shrek the Musical opened at Theatre Royal Plymouth on 21st July 2023 and then tours to Manchester, Dublin, Bristol, Southend, Carlisle, Aberdeen, Oxford, Wimbledon, Dartford, Northampton, Br...

Multi-platinum Australian recording artist Emily Williams joins The Bodyguard

27Jul

By NewsdeskNo Comments

NEWS

Multi-platinum Australian recording artist Emily Williams joins The Bodyguard

Producers, Michael Harrison and David Ian are delighted to announce that multi-platinum Australian recording artist Emily Williams will star as Rachel Marron in the award-winning international smash hit musical THE BODYGUARD, from Tuesday 12th September 2023 at the Liverpool Empire. Emily Williams returns to the role of Rachel Marron, having previously starred in the 2017 Australian production, which marked her theatrical debut. Emily rose to fame on Australian Idol, becoming the runner-up of the competition. Following this, she found commercial success as a member of the Australian girl group Young Divas before going solo gaining numerous ‘Favourite Australian Female Artist' nominations. Emily will join Emmerdale and Hollyoaks star Ayden Callaghan as Frank Farmer, with Emily-Mae as ...

Further Casting Announced for Manchester Panto

27Jul

By NewsdeskNo Comments

NEWS

Further Casting Announced for Manchester Panto

Further casting has been announced for Jack and the Beanstalk at Manchester Opera House this Christmas. Multi-award-winning star of stage and screen Myra DuBois joins the cast as Mrs Blunderbore, Samara Casteallo returns for another year in the Opera House panto as The Spirit of the Beans, and West-End performer Emma Williams joins the cast as Princess Jill, running from Saturday 2nd – Sunday 31st December 2023. The news follows the earlier announcement that Comedy superstar Jason Manford will return to lead the cast in the title role of Jack, alongside returning Manchester panto favourite Ben Nickless as Silly Simon, seeing the dynamic duo come together for a second year by popular demand. The self-declared ‘Siren from South Yorkshire’, the larger-than-life Myra DuBois became a hous...