Latest Articles - Page 345 of 645

5May

By Gill LewisNo Comments

North West

UKRLAND – Unity, Liverpool

An aesthetically outstanding performance sharing the untold stories of survival, strength and determination of ordinary women living in Ukraine. Their endurance in maintaining the idea of hope and love in the face of fear, death and hate is powerful and poignant in this mesmerising and incredible show. Following its acclaimed UK tour, this breath taking one woman show arrives in Liverpool as part of ‘A Place of Hope’, a two-week long free programme celebrating Ukraine with an incredible schedule of music, dance, movement and poetry. UKRLAND, a combination of ‘Ukraine’ and ‘land’, documents 8 stories written by Ukrainian playwrights and the unique perspectives from women experiencing the horrors of war first hand. Created by theatre makers Yurii Radionov and Shor...

5May

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Wish You Were Dead – Leeds Grand

One of the less appealing gigs for critics was watching creaky touring versions of Agatha Christie novels, so thank god best-selling crime author Peter James spotted a gap in the middle market for stage versions of his work. Wish You Were Dead features his most famous creation, the deep-thinking Brighton detective Roy Grace, and many of the audience will have been attracted by the popular ITV series. This play is based on a quick read novel as Grace takes a much-needed break in France with his pathologist wife Cleo and baby son Noah. Along with their American nanny Kaitlynn they tip up at a run-down French chateau to be met by a surly maid and there's a missing copper. As is tradition in crime capers nothing is as it seems, so can the wily Grace talk his way out of some se...

A Streetcar Named Desire – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

4May

By Nazaret RaneaNo Comments

Scotland

A Streetcar Named Desire – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

Since its debut in 2012, the Scottish Ballet’s production of “A Streetcar Named Desire” has been proved to be a stunning interpretation of Tennessee Williams’ classic play. It is a faithful adaptation of the original story that feels completely fresh and innovative in its ballet form. The choreography and music perfectly capture the emotion of the story and the performances are outstanding. This production is a beautiful expression of the themes of love, loss, and desire, and it is easy to see why it has won so many accolades. Every movement is deliberate, emotional, and perfectly timed to convey the psychology and inner battles of the characters. The dancing is both sensual and powerful, effortlessly capturing the passion and intensity of the story. In particular, the pas de deux be...

4May

By Anisha AnantpurkarNo Comments

London

The World’s Wife – Barbican

Clad in red, sitting on blocks shaped like the roof of a house, the Ragazze Quartet sit while Baritone Lucia Lucas stands leaning against the roof with her back to the audience. The sound of one violin and Lucia Lucas’ baritone radiates through the theatre. We don’t see her sing, all we see are the choreographed responses of the rest of the Ragazze Quartet. For the entirety of the performance we are immersed in a production where words, sound, and movement are in conversation with one another as they tell us the stories of women hidden from history. The performance The World’s Wife is based on and named after the book of collection of poems by Carol Ann Duffy’s. It includes the poems The Little Red Cap, Pilate’s Wife, Salome, Mrs. Icarus, Medusa, Mrs Aesop, Anne Hathaway, Mrs Beast, Que...

4May

By Katie LeicesterNo Comments

North West

Unexpected Twist – The Lowry

Michael Rosen is a British children's author, poet, presenter, political columnist, broadcaster, and activist who has written 140 books. Rosen wrote ‘Unexpected Twist’ in 2018 which is the re-telling of the Charles Dickens classic ‘Oliver Twist’ - Michael Rosen has combined the two stories into one, with his modern story ‘Unexpected Twist’ and the 1838 Dickens classic that he states inspired it. The two stories allegedly twist together unexpectedly, set in modern-day, teenager Shona (Drew Hylton) lives with her single dad (Thomas Vernal) and relies on benefits to survive. They have been forced to move due to a familiar cycle of debt of her unemployed father following the death of her beloved mother - moving means yet another school to attend an all too cyclic event f...

3May

By Marita MatarNo Comments

London

Stars – Institute of Contemporary Arts

Just because I am born here doesn’t mean I am from here’ -MRS In an effort to elicit sexual arousal and understanding of bodies that are queer, Black, female, or undocumented, STARS present an Afrofuturist music play performed by Debra Michaels (MRS) and Bradley Charles (DJ Michael Manners), written by Mojisola Adebayo, an internationally acclaimed theater maker artist and Alfred Fagon award winner and directed by Gail Babb and S. Ama Wray. Huge acknowledgments to the cast, the creative team and the production who successfully made a 90-minute piece possible with the creative intervention of experimental music, digital tills, acting, animation, lighting and stage managing. The actor was accompanied by music played by the DJ in a space-like cabin who sets the tone with his trippy, univer...

3May

By Zoё MeeresNo Comments

London

Blanket Ban – Southwark Playhouse

Performing to a packed Southwark Playhouse audience on Tuesday night, writers and performers Davina Hamilton and Marta Vella open their one act show by extolling the virtues of their home country, Malta. And it sounds idyllic – 300 days of sunshine, beautiful beaches and coastline, jewel blue sea – which features as a recurring theme of beauty and power – delicious food and a friendly community spirit across the country. Ah, and it has – or had up until very recently – a blanket ban on abortion. And so, the premise is set, with Hamilton and Vella breaking down the internal conflict they feel for a country they clearly love, with otherwise open and progressive views, taking such a stern, outdated position on abortion. The piece has been well researched and uses a mix of first-person t...

3May

By Louise KershawNo Comments

North West

Sucker Punch – The Lowry

Set in London during the 1980s Sucker Punch follows the relationship of Leon and Troy, two young black men who have been caught breaking into a local boxing gym and are now paying penance to, gym owner, Charlie (Liam Smith) in exchange for him not involving the police in their misdemeanors. Why these two young men break into the gym in the first place was not clear, it does not matter. What does matter is that the middle-aged Charlie is white, racist, sexist and homophobic and these two young men are at his mercy. On entering the theatre it is 1981. Ska music plays. Charlie and protégé Tommy (John Rogers) are warming up and then training in the ring as the audience settle. Sandra Falase’s set very successfully creates the back street gym typified in the East End of London; the boxing...

The Ocean at the End of the Lane – Liverpool Empire

3May

By Hannah EsnoufNo Comments

North West

The Ocean at the End of the Lane – Liverpool Empire

A celebration of the worlds possible to create onstage. Katy Rudd and Joel Horwood, along with their creative teams have transformed Neil Gaiman’s story into a masterclass of theatre making. The attention to detail and appreciation for the magical realism of the world in and around the Hempstock’s farm, did not go unnoticed. The slick choreography and complicated set changes proved part of the magic and kept the audience gasping and giggling at just how they did it. Photo: Brinkhoff-Moegenburg Standout aspects were Ian Dickinson’s sound design and Samuel Wyer’s puppets. With delicate power, these aspects of the performance brought more life and atmosphere to the stage than any other. A perfect accompaniment to the actor’s performances, that kept us believing in the world onstage a...

The Beekeeper of Aleppo – Richmond Theatre

3May

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

The Beekeeper of Aleppo – Richmond Theatre

‘The Beekeeper of Aleppo’, adapted for the stage by Nesrin Alrefaai and Matthew Spangler, is based on Christy Lefteri's bestselling novel. The play follows the story of Nuri, a beekeeper, and his wife Afra as they navigate a dangerous journey from war-torn Syria to the UK. The couple's experiences are shaped by the trauma they faced during the war, and the challenges they encounter as refugees seeking safety and a new home. As Nuri and Afra struggle through Turkey and Greece, leaving behind the shattered remains of their lives, audiences bear witness to their resilience and strength and see the power of the human spirit in the face of adversity. Lefteri's novel is a powerful story that offers a glimpse into the harsh realities faced by refugees, and the play adaptation seeks to bring th...