Latest Articles - Page 337 of 645

27May

By Jennifer LaishleyNo Comments

London

Invisible – Bush Theatre

Invisible by Nikhil Parmar is a one man show centring on the life of Zayan. The play explores what leads Zayan to feel invisible, as he is outcast by his loved ones and wider society. Nikhil has crafted a piece of theatre that deals with racism, Islamophobia in a powerful and thought-provoking way. Zayan is a struggling actor who is trying to navigate co-parenting with his ex’s new partner. In the play, Nikhil takes the audience through a series of events that lead Zayan to having destructive violent thoughts. It’s easy to see how small moments can build up and have dire consequences. Zayan is also grappling with the death of his sister. Nikhil is a captivating performer and holds the space and audience’s attention throughout the piece. Nikhil quickly sets the tone of the piece an...

A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Shakespeare’s Globe

27May

By Aditi DalalNo Comments

London

A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Shakespeare’s Globe

Elle While presents a vibrant, new production of the widely performed, if not widely loved play. With a few contemporary references thrown in and some of the original text being reinterpreted for modern times, the show feels like a fresh chaotic riot. It is amazing how many versions of the same play can be created! The bright costumes by takis keep the Elizabethan spirit alive and the specific colours for each character help even novices keep track of the changing affections between the lovers. The boisterousness of the costumes is carried through in the movement direction by Annie-Lunnette Deakin-Foster. The cast seems to be in a two and half hour long party, with everyone in a highly intoxicated but slickly controlled state, springing off the magnanimous stage. But all is not brigh...

Nobody’s Perfect – Little Theatre, Birkenhead

27May

By Bev ClarkNo Comments

North West

Nobody’s Perfect – Little Theatre, Birkenhead

‘Capable cast entertain with a gentle comedy.’ The Woolgathers of Heswall return to the Little Theatre Birkenhead with their second production, after their very successful Agatha Christie’s The Hollow earlier this year. Nobody’s Perfect by Simon Williams is a lesser known romantic comedy, which boarders on farce in places. Williams was a TV actor and voice-over artist but he has some writing credits from the 1990s, which might seem to some a little dated now. It’s a rather cliched but whimsical plot and does offer some funny lines and four characters that give actors some comic opportunities. Being the first night we were treated to an added surprise to open the show – The Bunker Boys Choir formed ten years ago with members of the Heswall Golf Club. The chaps gave us twen...

Quines Cast Podcast Season Two Launch: RIOT – Traverse Theatre

27May

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

Quines Cast Podcast Season Two Launch: RIOT – Traverse Theatre

Disembodied voices snap-chat earnestly. The cast is meritorious. They posit thoughts and summaries upon a serious issue, in this case, RIOT: why riots happen and the impact of rioting. But the disembodied voices are simply sound bites without flesh: skinny starters for discussion rather than a proper, in-depth discourse. If I were one of those bright, energetic, purposeful women who contributed, I’d have shivered to be reduced to a sound bite. But maybe it was ironic? Maybe I missed the point? The voices felt reminiscent of Loose Women: trite opinions aired for entertainment. Having said that, I was won over by Jessica Gaitán Johannesson. She read a piece specifically written for RIOT which was measured, thoughtful, factual and gripping. She embodied all the things that women are per...

27May

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Modest – Hull Truck Theatre

Elizabeth Southerden Thompson was a name unknown to me until I watched Modest, at Hull Truck Theatre, on Thursday evening. The year is 1874, and budding artist Elizabeth (Emer Dineen), dares to not only paint a portrait of fighting Crimean War soldiers (a very unladylike act at the time), but also to enter it into the Royal Academy's public art exhibition at a time when women were neither seen, nor heard. Titled The Roll Call, it is generally assumed the scene represented the aftermath of the Battle of Inkerman; but that fact wasn't the mean reason the members of the Academy were against accepting it. They just couldn't get it into their top-hatted heads that a woman could envisage such a barbaric scene when she should be at home doing needlepoint and sniffing her pomander. The me...

Every Leaf A Hallelujah – Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

27May

By Anisha PucadyilNo Comments

London

Every Leaf A Hallelujah – Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

The play follows the quest of determined Mangoshi, who is searching for a unique flower for her ill mother. Encouraged by her caring father and led by the sassy chief of trees 'Baobab', we are immediately immersed into this world of colour, beauty and grace of trees and abundance. In straightforward language, the play makes space for different emotions, from curiosity to fear, which would be an excellent tool for parents and teachers to pick up with students after watching the play. The play also illustrates how the 'mycorrhizal network' supported by the mycelium fungi helps trees pass messages about their joy and pain to one another. Based on Booker Prize-winner Ben Okri's new fairytale, Every Leaf A Hallelujah. The play brings together music, poetry, movement and transformation for our p...

Present Laughter – Reformed Allerton Dramatic Society

27May

By Kiefer WilliamsNo Comments

North West

Present Laughter – Reformed Allerton Dramatic Society

Written in 1939 Noel Coward’s blisteringly witty comedy of manners centres around Garry Essendine a completely self-absorbed and egotistical light comedy actor as he juggles the affections and attentions of almost everyone that he encounters. Coward jokingly acknowledged that in part Essendine mirrored his own “experiences” in the world of theatre and indeed his wider relationships. It’s clear that Essendine has never really grown up and feels entitled when it comes to matters of the heart. It’s a jolly and harmless romp, not one of Coward’s best – that accolade must go jointly to Private Lives and Blithe Spirit, but Cowards playful script does have its moments and the RADS rise to the occasion with a fairly solid rendition of the text. Director Bethany Cragg get...

26May

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

A Passionate Woman – Leeds Playhouse

Your child’s wedding day is one of most stressful events for any parent, but in Betty Derbyshire’s case it has brought all her regrets into sharp focus as she totally melts down barricading herself in the loft while her son frantically tries to save his big day. Middle aged Leeds housewife Betty is battling with empty nest syndrome as her only son starts a new life, living a lie in a loveless marriage, hiding some age old secrets, and being joined in the loft by the ghost of her long dead lover, who may or may not be in her head. It’s thirty years since Leeds writing legend Kay Mellor’s debut play was performed in this theatre, and her sharp ear for how working class people speak and think means it very much stands the test of time. One woman in the audience reflecting on this bitter...

26May

By Michelle KnightNo Comments

London

Aspects of Love – Lyric Theatre

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Aspects of Love originally came to stage in 1989, this beautifully written adaptation with Lyrics by Don Black and Charles Hart revisits the emotional tumultuous and ethically challenged love triangle set in post war France and Venice. Michael Ball returns to the stage as the accomplished George Dillingham. Actress Rose, fickle and in need of male affection is performed with palpable emotion and grit by Laura Pitt-Pulford. Giulietta, the Italian sculptor played by Danielle de Niese wows the theatre audience with her performance as George’s mistress. Their relationships become entwined within a web of egotistical jealousy, passion and complexity when Alex, Jamie Bogyo a soldier whose infatuation of love for Rose shifts awkwardly to Jenny his young cousin in an ...

The Stamping Ground – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

24May

By H.S. BakerNo Comments

Scotland

The Stamping Ground – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

The Stamping Ground is a musical featuring the songs of Scottish Celtic rock band, Runrig. Although little known outside Scotland, Runrig were a hugely popular group with a passionate and loyal fan base from 1973 to 2018. Although the line-up changed a little over the years, Calum and Rory Macdonald remained the constants, having written all the songs featured in this musical, some of which are sung in Gaelic, the native language of their birthplace, The Isle of Skye. Written by Morna Young and directed by Luke Kernaghan, The Stamping Ground tells the story of Euan (Ali Watt) and Annie (Jenny Hulse) who make a decision to return to their highland home when life in London turns sour, and to give their teenage daughter Fiona (Caitlin Forbes) a safer and healthier life. &...