Latest Articles - Page 333 of 645

11Jun

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

The Mikado – Wilton’s Music Hall

Take one classic operetta, mix it up a bit, add some brilliant choreography, phenomenal singing and a fantastically talented all-male ensemble and you have a witty and joyful new show. Gilbert and Sullivan purists might object, but Sasha Regan's imaginative take is stuffed full of all the elements that make a hit show. First performed in 1885, Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado was set in Japan so they could take sideswipes at the British establishment and idiotic laws, but with plausible deniability, by referencing a far-off land. At the heart of the convoluted plot is the law enacted by the Mikado that makes flirting a capital crime. Along comes the Mikado's son, in the guise of a wandering minstrel, who has fallen in love with a young lady who is the ward of the Lord High Execut...

My Uncle Is Not Pablo Escobar – Brixton House

11Jun

By Gonzalo SentanaNo Comments

London

My Uncle Is Not Pablo Escobar – Brixton House

Matters of representation have become an important issue in the globalized world. What if a group of immigrant misfits could topple one of the most powerful banks in the world? The play written by Valentina Andrade, Elizabeth Alvarado, Lucy Wray and Tommy Ross-Williams and co-directed by Wray and Ross-Williams deals with several of the problematic issues of being a Latin American Londoner woman. The piece portrays four characters played by Cecilia Alfonso-Eaton, as Lucia, Yanexi Enriquez as Alejandra, Pía Laborde-Noguez as Catalina, and Nathaly Sabino as Honey. The play starts with a promising introduction, listing the categories included in University admission forms for ethnicity: the intention was to highlight the non-existence of a "Latin American" category in that list. It conti...

Vardy v Rooney – The Wagatha Christie Trial – The Lowry

11Jun

By Brian MaddenNo Comments

North West

Vardy v Rooney – The Wagatha Christie Trial – The Lowry

We all remember that day in October 2019 when Colleen Rooney posted that now infamous line on social media "It's......Rebekah Vardy's account". After a turbulent court case, the transcript has now found its way on stage. While Lisa Spirling's adept direction lends a captivating dynamism to the court scenes, as attorneys demonstrate their prowess in a thrilling simulation of a tennis match, it's hard to ignore the signs of rushed production in "Vardy V Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial". Despite its moments of brilliance, the production bears the unmistakable marks of hasty assembly and never really distinguishing if it's a comedy or drama. This theatrical piece offers a fresh take on a tale that has already etched itself into the public consciousness. However, it fails to seize the opp...

9Jun

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

Lear – Hope Mill Theatre

The opportunity to see any new interpretation of one of Shakespeare's 'biggies' is never one that this reviewer will pass up, so when my June list included HER Productions' all female twist on ‘King Lear', I was excited to see what fresh perspective they could offer. Unfortunately, what we witnessed was uneven performances, poor delivery and confused themes, only partially redeemed by a couple of strong performances. We open with a sparse set and red curtain backdrop with the small brick lined theatre at Hope Mill harshly lit by overhead fluorescent strips. Lear (Christine Mackie) is relinquishing her power and dividing the realm between her three daughters according to the love they demonstrate, the resulting decisions leading to civil war and the fall from grace of this all powerful m...

The Pearl Fishers – Opera North at The Bridgewater Hall

9Jun

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

The Pearl Fishers – Opera North at The Bridgewater Hall

Bizet’s first full length opera took six months from being commissioned to being performed in 1863 and whilst receiving a hostile reception from the critics, it was popular with audiences as, set in the then Ceylon, it draws upon its exotic setting to explore issues such as the conflict between love and duty, and jealousy whilst testing out new musical ideas and motifs that were ultimately to come to the fore in Carmen some twelve years later. Zurga (Quirijn de Lang) and Nadir (Nico Darmanin) are old friends who reminisce that despite having fallen in love with the same young women years before, it hadn’t got in the way of their loyalty to each other. With Zurga now the leader of their village, their relationship is about to be tested again with the arrival of a veiled young priestess, ...

Yours Unfaithfully – Jermyn Street Theatre

9Jun

By Paul AckroydNo Comments

London

Yours Unfaithfully – Jermyn Street Theatre

The Mint Theatre Company of New York specialises in uncovering forgotten plays that deserve to be remembered. In Unfaithfully Yours by Miles Malleson they have uncovered a little gem, which was premiered in New York in 2017 and now UK audiences have the chance to enjoy it at the Jermyn Street Theatre. The play features an outwardly extremely happily married couple, Anne and Stephen Meredith, who secure in the knowledge of the soundness of their relationship are happy for each other to engage in dalliances on the side. However, their intellectual commitment to allowing their partner to do what they like in order to further their happiness is severely tested byte feelings of jealousy which arise. At the time when it was written 90 years ago this would have undoubtedly been a shoc...

8Jun

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

Grindr The Opera – Union Theatre

Grindr The Opera (An Unauthorised Parody), directed by the brilliant William Spencer and designed by the visionary David Shields, delivers a bold and innovative theatrical experience at London's Union Theatre. This groundbreaking and highly risqué production explores the intricacies of contemporary gay relationships in the digital age, presenting a thought-provoking adult narrative that challenges societal norms and delves into the complexities of human connections in all of its darkest, dirty and sometimes painful elements. Leading the cast of ‘Grindr’ is the immensely talented Christian Lunn, whose portrayal of the main character, Grindr, is nothing short of exceptional. Lunn's remarkable acting skills, combined with his powerful singing voice, and otherworldly physique, create a capt...

Tony: The Tony Blair Rock Opera – Birmingham Rep

8Jun

By Peter KinnockNo Comments

West Midlands

Tony: The Tony Blair Rock Opera – Birmingham Rep

It’s not that long ago “Spitting Image” spat their saucy and sinister satire across the stage of the Birmingham Rep and seeing “Tony! The Tony Blair Rock Opera” has a slight whiff of deja vu - all over again. Where once well-crafted and designed puppets grotesquely caricatured well-known faces now we have real humans in a plethora of wigs (I believe that’s the correct collective noun for wigs) and a gamut of ‘tashes (same note) enacting a biog of the most polarising premier we’ve had for many a day. But unlike “Spitting Image”, which spoofed the news right up the opening night and revised the show thereafter, “Tony” seems to dwell on yesterday’s headlines and, despite occasional nudges towards the contemporary impact of his decisions, all seems a few years too late. Nonetheless it’s a v...

8Jun

By Bev ClarkNo Comments

North West

The Crucible – Gladstone Theatre

A bold, original attempt at this classic, which ascends to a powerful ending. The Crucible is one of the seminal and most popular plays of the mid 20thcentury. Miller’s chilling parable of mass hysteria parallels the Salem witch-hunt of 1692 against The McCarthyism of 1950s America, and it is still examined in school rooms, as well as being performed by amateurs and professionals. It is a play which should feverishly bubble and burn, as it builds from what was a girlish prank, to a community that destroys itself from within with its frantic frenzy of accusations. It is a claustrophobic, intense ‘wailing’ of a play that can fall victim to overflowing and reaching boiling point too soon. The alchemy is in getting the temperature and consistency right as the plot thickens. It is a bo...

8Jun

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

Patriots – Noel Coward Theatre

It’s hard not to be struck by the ironic luxury of witnessing a West End play about Russian politics, as the war continues to rage in Ukraine. The collapse of the Kakhova dam means that up to 42,000 Ukrainians are being displaced while I sip on Aperol spritz outside the Noel Coward theatre. Russian hackers are being blamed for a massive cyber-attack that’s screwed the BBC, Boots and British Airways. There are fears that Putin may bomb the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, but al fresco revellers at The Salisbury on St. Martin’s Lane appear untroubled at the prospect. Life, and the show, must go on. Peter Morgan’s Patriots arrives with such pedigree at its helm that it’s hard not to be dazzled by the prospect. Morgan is responsible for The Queen and Frost/Nixon on both stage and sc...