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<strong>The Ocean at the End of the Lane – The Lowry</strong>

21Dec

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

The Ocean at the End of the Lane – The Lowry

When a reviewer is compiling their list of 'Best Shows of the Year', it is advisable to wait until the end of December until they make their final decision. Tonight, having attended the packed press night for 'The Ocean at the End of the Lane' at the opening of its extensive UK tour, I have had to rip up my list for 2022 and start again. As with many of the classic stories aimed at a younger audience, we begin our tale with loss and grief. A man (Trevor Fox) returns to his family home to bury his Father, an event that acts as the stepping off point, evoking his childhood memories of a series of strange and wonderful adventures for his boyhood self (Keir Ogilvy) and best friend Lettie Hempstock (Millie Hikasa). A more detailed summary of the plot is superfluous, suffice to say that au...

<strong>Mr Charles Dickens presents A Christmas Carol – Greenwich Theatre</strong>

20Dec

By Zoё MeeresNo Comments

London

Mr Charles Dickens presents A Christmas Carol – Greenwich Theatre

I’ve been struggling with this review since I left Greenwich Theatre last night, unsure of whether I’d just witness a masterclass in stage performance or a relatively dry rendition of a festive favourite. I shall expand; the clue is in the title, and ‘Mr Charles Dickens presents’ means exactly that. For an hour and 35 minutes, John O’Connor in the role of Charles Dickens narrates and performs A Christmas Carol solo on a static stage, as the author himself would have in the mid-1800s. Sound and lighting are used sparingly to create effects such as the weighty chain Marley forged in life, but otherwise this the epitome of a pared back performance. On the one hand, O’Connor as Dickens is superb. Alone on stage for the duration of the play, O’Connor’s Dickens is jovial and charming and deli...

<strong>Potted Panto – Apollo Theatre, London</strong>

19Dec

By Samantha CollettNo Comments

London

Potted Panto – Apollo Theatre, London

I’m always sceptical when a show claims it can cater for ages six to 106, but this is Panto season, so I let myself go for the festive ride – and thank the jingle bells on high I did, because ‘Potted Panto’ is the funniest panto I’ve ever seen. From the start you’re not really sure how the dashing duo of Dan (Daniel Clarkson) and Jeff (Jefferson Turner) will turn out seven pantomimes in 70 minutes, until you realise the sheer creative power this pair have. Incisive and utterly brilliant they take the panto punchline and regale the tales in the most madcap funniest display of wit and fun. Their energy and enthusiasm are boundless and infectious. I laughed until my teeth hurt. I know some people aren’t fans of the panto genre, but to call this Olivier Award nominated festive celebr...

<strong>Sofokles Oidipus – Štátne divadlo Košice</strong>

18Dec

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

REVIEWS

Sofokles Oidipus – Štátne divadlo Košice

Great theatre stands the test of time and so it is with this production, translated by Vojtech Mihálik, and which in the capable hands of director Anton Korenči, crossed all barriers with ease, a testament to the professionalism and craft of its creative team and cast. Plague and war are raging in Thebes and the people (chorus: Martin Stolár, Beáta Drotárová, Katarína Horňáková, Lívia Michalčík Dujavová, Juraj Zetyák, Adriana Ballová, František Balog and members of the ŠDKE Opera Choir) are desperate, and they look to their ruler, Oedipus (Matej Marušin), for help. When his brother-in-law, Creon (Jakub Kuka), returns from consulting the priest (Róbert Šudík) at Delphi to tell him that it is because the murderer of Laius, the former king, has never been found, Oedipus takes it upon himse...

<strong>The Rat Pack at Christmas – Cadogan Hall</strong>

18Dec

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

The Rat Pack at Christmas – Cadogan Hall

I’m not sure who the target audience for The Rat Pack at Christmas might be, but as an ex-acid house raver who likes experimental theatre, it probably isn’t yours truly. However, ‘tis the season to embrace cheesy fare, flashback nostalgia and family entertainment. Unsure of what to expect, the lure of hearing a big band in Cadogan Hall proved enough to park chilly misgivings and hand myself over to the festive spirit. The Manhattan Swing Orchestra were tight and glorious. The acoustics of Cadogan Hall are superb for live music and the setting is on brand and perfect, a Byzantine Revival style ex-church by architect Robert Fellowes Chisholm. Stephen Triffitt plays Frank Sinatra and gets away with it. As long as one doesn’t focus on the detail, it’s a faithful rendition. He’s got...

<strong>Picture Perfect Christmas – National Gallery</strong>

18Dec

By Zoё MeeresNo Comments

London

Picture Perfect Christmas – National Gallery

While I’m a cynical native Londoner, even I buy into the idea that there’s nowhere quite like the big city at Christmas. So, when I arrived at Trafalgar Square and saw the Christmas market and the (slightly sad, granted) Trafalgar Square tree, my Christmas spirit began to peak. I’m ashamed to admit that I didn’t even realise there was a theatre in the National Gallery, much less visited it, but it’s a neat and spacious auditorium that I’d definitely return to. The stage for Picture Perfect Christmas is set to resemble Hendrick Avercamp’s wintery painting and set designer Jill Wilson has done an incredible job of creating something that’s both magically beautiful and pleasingly functional. Writer and director Francesca Renèe Reid uses the painting as the inspiration for the production...

<strong>Rumpelstiltskin – Park Theatre</strong>

17Dec

By Khushboo ShahNo Comments

London

Rumpelstiltskin – Park Theatre

Offie Award Winner Charles Court Opera presents an action-packed pantomime Rumpelstiltskin this festive season at The Park Theatre written and directed by John Savournin. The classic tale by Brothers Grimm breaks into a unique plot tracing the adventure of a greedy Rumpelstiltskin as he journeys towards reclaiming his identity after having forgotten his name to Dreamcatcher’s vicious ploy. On this journey, this consumeristic little goblin comes across several interesting characters in different places, offshoots of different classics at the mercy of the Dreamcatcher. Some help him, some ditch him. How does he reclaim his identity and what changes in him? The Panto opens with a delightful musical track ‘Once upon a time’ performed by Emily Cairns, Tamoy Phipps and Lucy Whitney dramatisin...

<strong>My Fair Lady – Edinburgh Playhouse</strong>

17Dec

By Oliver GigginsNo Comments

Scotland

My Fair Lady – Edinburgh Playhouse

Working-class flower girl Eliza Doolittle (Charlotte Kennedy) takes up an offer (or rather, bet) by renowned phonetician Professor Henry Higgins (Michael D. Xavier) saying that in six months he can teach her to pass for a member of the aristocracy enough to fool royalty. If they succeed, they will prove accents are a real but surmountable limitation on one's condition in Edwardian London and may improve one person's prospects, but if they fail, more than one life may be ruined. The musical, based on the 1913 George Bernard Shaw play and 1938 film Pygmalion (which was in turn based on the Greek myth of the same name about a sculpture who fall in love with Galatea, a statue of his creation), has been hailed as a classic since its 1956 stage and 1964 film premieres, with many classic songs...

<strong>Circus 1903 – Eventim Apollo</strong>

17Dec

By Khushboo ShahNo Comments

London

Circus 1903 – Eventim Apollo

Circus 1903 returns to London at its new home this festive season at Eventim Apollo with its supreme skill and showmanship to transport the audiences to the ‘Golden Age of circus’. With an effortless flow, a troupe of global artists present dare-devil performances, sometimes dazzling the audience, sometimes keeping them at the edge of their seats but always entertained and mesmerised. This is interspersed with Ringmaster Willy Whipsnade’s (performed by David Williamson) acerbic yet charming exchange with young people from the audience. While they are mesmerised by the ringmaster’s hands-on magic and spectacle, the elder audience is thoroughly amused. The show format is traditional and simple directed by Neil Dorward and highlights the talent, rigour, and finesse of diverse artists with ...

<strong>Ghost Stories For Christmas – Liverpool Central Library</strong>

17Dec

By Carole BaldockNo Comments

North West

Ghost Stories For Christmas – Liverpool Central Library

'Tis the season to be jolly...well scared by tales of the Supernatural, in the unsettling setting of Hornby Library, And Ramsey Campbell, our foremost horror writer (Stephen King is a fan), crowns the show with Calling Card, originally commissioned by the Daily Post in the 80s. Like the other three tales, it is atmospheric and scary: keeping you on the edge of your seat. And trapped there. The whole evening evokes an insidious feeling of constantly being watched, by something, caught up in an hallucination, or dream, nightmare, rather. Oh, I am going to sleep well tonight. His offering indeed takes place at Xmas, while two of the others could be any time, and any place, worryingly, though locally set is alarming, far too close to home. We open with Strike, read by Samantha Alton, parts ...