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Grenfell: System Failure Scenes from the Inquiry – The Playground Theatre

24Feb

By Zoё MeeresNo Comments

London

Grenfell: System Failure Scenes from the Inquiry – The Playground Theatre

I still remember the horror I felt when I saw for myself the remains of the Grenfell Tower as I was driving through west London a couple of weeks after the fire. It was an appalling, brutal sight, and I found it so overwhelming that I immediately burst into tears. So, it was fitting that I – unintentionally – took that same route to the performance of Grenfell – System Failure last night, as the recollection helped set my mindset for the evening ahead. As the title suggests, the premise here is a snapshot into the evidence and conclusions from the first phase of the Grenfell inquiry. Richard Norton-Taylor, together with Nicholas Kent, have selected testimony from a range of people who were either affected by the tragedy or were part of the chain of events that led to it. The stage is se...

The Yeomen of the Guard – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

24Feb

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

The Yeomen of the Guard – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

A massive production, with a cast of over 60, a purpose-built two-storey set, glorious costumes and a full orchestra tries, mostly successfully, to breathe life into this rarely staged comic opera, and had some real bright moments amongst Gilbert’s dark libretto. Like snow falling on a bright day, there seems barely enough time to appreciate the full extent of the massive effort expended here, by the institution that is Edinburgh Gilbert and Sullivan Society, before the so-brief run ends in just two days time. The story follows Colonel Fairfax, war hero, wrongly imprisoned and sentenced to death for sorcery. When he escapes, helped by an old war buddy, it leads to some farcical situations with young ladies and hiding in plain sight as one of the Yeomen of the Guard. Meanwhile two str...

Women, Beware the Devil – Almeida Theatre

24Feb

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

Women, Beware the Devil – Almeida Theatre

‘Women, Beware the Devil’ is a brand-new play by Lulu Raczka, and directed by Rupert Goold that manages to both dazzle and confound in equal measures. It takes place in 17th century England during a time of political turmoil and witch hunts and features a cast of strange and unconventional characters. At the start of the play, the devil himself (Nathan Armarkwei-Laryea) acts as the master of ceremonies, welcoming the audience and guiding them into the intricate and somewhat confusing plotline of the De Clare family. Lady Elizabeth De Clare (Lydia Leonard) is hatching a scheme to cling on to the luxurious family home. She has schemed to arrange a marriage of convenience between her brother Edward (Leo Bill) and Katherine (Ioanna Kimbook), the wealthy daughter of a shipbuilder, in the hop...

24Feb

By Gonzalo SentanaNo Comments

London

The Winter’s Tale – Shakespeare’s Globe

Imagine that you go to see a play, and someone tells you everything that is going to happen next, but it is so amazing that it's hard to believe. That's when one knows the experience one is about to go through is unique. Marking the opening of the Globe's Folio 400th celebrations, The Winter's Tale, directed by Sean Holmes, takes us to a trip between the intimate and oppressive setting of Sicilia, staged in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, and the open-air colorful and mostly vivid lands of Bohemia, staged in the Globe Theatre. The original five acts of the play are then organized in three acts, and the audience is led from the first hall to the second and then back inside again. As it is customary in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, the empty stage greets us with the warm light of many cand...

The Chicago Blues Brothers return to Manchester for one night only

23Feb

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

The Chicago Blues Brothers return to Manchester for one night only

Following their last Hollywood themed sell-out show at the Opera House back in 2021, the Chicago Blues Brothers return with their new tour Cruisin’ For A Bluesin’. The boys have put the band back together and are ready to take you cruising to the music capitals of the USA for one night of spectacular live music. Performed in the hard-hitting style that has made the Chicago Blues Brothers the biggest and most loved Blues Brothers productions in the world. From the Savoy theatre in London’s West End to the Madinat Theatre, Dubai this show has rocked some of the most iconic venues around the globe. Join Jake and Elwood, The Sweet Soul Sisters and the amazing CBB Band for a hand clapping, foot-stomping, hit parade corker of an evening. Overflowing with heart and brimming with soul, in...

23Feb

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Jersey Boys – Sheffield Lyceum

Jersey Boys tells the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, with over 30 of their hits including ‘Sherry’, ‘Big Girls Don’t cry’, ‘Walk Like a Man’, ‘Rag Doll’, ‘Can’t take my eyes off You’ and ‘Oh What a Night’ you are left amazed at just how many familiar songs the group are responsible for! Although known as a jukebox musical jersey Boys is far more than that. Rather than merely being a scantily linked storyline that fits around the back catalogue of hits, Jersey Boys has an autobiographical script told in turn by each of the founding four members. Their viewpoints span the decades starting with the early days of the 1950’s in New Jersey narrated by Tommy Devito to the final stage collaboration in the 1990’s as the group were induced into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Frankie V...

23Feb

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

Beginning – Royal Exchange Theatre

A romantic comedy concerned with meeting and falling in love in a modern city, may conjure up images of Renee Zellweger and Meg Ryan romping through a fairytale version of New York or London in your mind's eye. However, any expectations of 'Bridget Jones' or 'When Harry Met Sally' should be firmly set aside before watching 'Beginning'; this production is something far more interesting and substantial to kick off 2023 at the Royal Exchange Theatre. The premise is deceptively simple; Laura (Erin Shanagher) and Danny (Gerard Kearns) are the last couple left standing amidst the detritus of her housewarming party, initial mutual attraction is made plain from the outset but the opportunity is missed, with the jeopardy of the next two hours 'will they or won't they get it on' played out in rea...

23Feb

By Peter KinnockNo Comments

West Midlands

Mother Goose – Wolverhampton Grand

Sir Ian, Sir Ian, Sir Ian is a game old dame bounding on stage in frock after frock of increasing absurdity with all the energy of a pro half his age in a pot pourri of panto panache. This is glorious, engaging, gormless, beguiling and simply joyous. Sir Ian, Sir Ian, Sir Ian nails the part, the panto and the people with all the precision of a seasoned pantomimer but this, it seems, is one of his first goes (He has Twankied for us before now, apparently). It is a masterclass in drollery, wit, timing, slapstick sprinkled with two poignant moments of deft and touching drama. For a moment he tells of his days as a child in Bolton visiting a theatre for the time and being entranced by, of course, pantomime and as he tells us the tale the frock and wig just seem to vanish and a gentle, nostalgi...

22Feb

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

My Brother’s Keeper – Theatre 503

Mahad Ali’s new play follows two refugee brothers, Aman and Hassan (Tapiwa Mugweni, Tito Williams) finding new life in a UK coastal town. Their new home is the local Bed and Breakfast owned by father and son; Bill Bradley and Aidan (Phillip Wright, Oscar Adams). Undergoing the stress of his father’s failing business, Aidan invites the brothers to stay in one of their rooms, much to his father’s concerns. We follow the rise of Aidan and Aman’s sweet romance; although Aidan struggling with his depression, he is pulled into new territories and told to face them as Aman says ‘we face forwards, not backwards’. Hassan’s main focus is to make as much money as he can, only to send it back to his wife and child. An unexpected friendship brings Hassan and Bill together in the form of running, Bill b...

22Feb

By Zoё MeeresNo Comments

London

Romeo and Julie – National Theatre

While any trip to the theatre is a joy and a privilege for me, occasionally something lifts the bar and the experience becomes “more than”. Those times when a production touches a place inside you and leaves you feeling full and empty at the same time, in line with your emotions being pulled to their extremities by characters that you’ll never meet again but somehow feel you know. Last night’s performance was definitely a “more than” event – truly great writing, brilliantly executed, phenomenal cast. As the title suggested, Romeo and Julie takes its inspiration from the Bard’s classic Romeo and Juliet. While this is well-trodden ground as a storyline, Romeo and Julie genuinely feels fresh and unique. Gary Owen’s Romeo (Callum Scott Howells) is a single dad on the breadline with no...