Latest Articles - Page 437 of 645

29Jul

By Kiefer WilliamsNo Comments

North West

No Place Like Home – Unity Theatre

This energetic solo performance from Alex Roberts & Co. explores issues surrounding violence and hate crimes within the LGBTQ+ particularly referencing the nightlife culture. The question is whether there are any safe places to be queer in our towns and cities, especially at night-time. With the increase of violence within our community, I found this a timely and pertinent piece of work. It would be so easy to stand up and rant on about the many ways that society fails to acknowledge violence and hate crimes towards the LGBTQ+ community but Alex Roberts & Co. have produced a meaningful and honest show that is far more subtle and thoughtful in its approach and appeal than most others of a similar theme. Cleverly fusing both spoken word, video art, dance, and music we are...

Not Drunk But Disorderly – The Empty Space

29Jul

By Louise KershawNo Comments

North West

Not Drunk But Disorderly – The Empty Space

As part of the Greater Manchester Fringe Festival, Liverpool based Hindley and Amos presented their comic murder mystery to a supportive audience at The Empty Space in Salford. Brimming with energy, this fast paced, devised piece of theatre entertained us as we were introduced to Howard and Geoffrey, two local police officers, and the various residents of the fictional Newpool as they investigate a sudden murder on their patch. Hindley and Amos took on all the roles with skill, imagination and great comic timing. Strong physical theatre skills combined with a video backdrop helped set the scenes and present their many characters and situations with much humour and an excellent rapport between the two performers. At 45 minutes long, this is a short piece of well-crafted slapstick ...

28Jul

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

NEWS

OCD Me debuts at Edinburgh Fringe 2022

Sure, we all get a bit stressed sometimes. We all feel a bit isolated, ashamed, and terrified; convinced that the minutest of our actions may somehow have catastrophic effects on our loved ones… or is that just me? Sarah was diagnosed with OCD a decade ago. She’s been managing it pretty well, but it’s hard living in a world that tells you to follow your gut when your gut wants you to touch the door handle 64 times. She wants to tell you her story and let you know that there’s much more to it than the stereotypes we see on TV, like obsessive handwashing (though in Sarah’s case that’s definitely part of it). Written and directed by Aisling Smith, OCD Me is a one-woman comedy about living with obsessive compulsive disorder. OCD Me is a semi-autobiographical piece about obsessive comp...

All aboard! Next stop for Leaves on the Line: Edinburgh

28Jul

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

All aboard! Next stop for Leaves on the Line: Edinburgh

A new musical makes a stop at the Edinburgh Fringe this August. Set in the confines of a train carriage, Leaves introduces a fresh, vibrant style of songwriting. Witty, self-aware and emotional musical numbers are executed with utter professionalism and heart by the team from DULOG, Durham University’s largest musical theatre company. Evie and Constance, the co-composers and lyricists of Leaves, describe the musical that emerged from pandemic-induced Zoom writing sessions as spotlighting a subject far from the isolation experienced over months – ‘life in all its bustling, chaotic, and at times, highly irritating glory.’ In many ways, they say, ‘the show is a tribute to normality’. In the show’s two-year journey, with a creative team and cast hopping onboard, a workshop, and an upcomi...

Sister Act: A Divine Musical Comedy – Eventim Apollo

28Jul

By Clare ChandlerNo Comments

London

Sister Act: A Divine Musical Comedy – Eventim Apollo

This latest revival of Alan Menken, Glenn Slater, Cheri Steinkellner and Bill Steinkellner’s divine comedy has been a long time coming. Initially conceived as an opportunity to return Whoopi Goldberg to the role she created in the hit nineties film, the planned second coming fell foul of the pandemic. So, two years after its planned debut Beverley Knight is rocking the habit, and the Eventim Apollo, in Bill Buckhurst’s revised production. The production is not short of spectacle with Knight and the singing nuns bringing enough glitz to hold their own amongst the long list of performers who have graced the Eventim Apollo stage over the years. The musical is fairly faithful to the film’s plot - having witnessed a murder Deloris Van Cartier is forced to hide out in a convent helping her ‘s...

28Jul

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Making Mischief in Edinburgh Again

Mischief are the award-winning company behind The Play That Goes Wrong, Magic Goes Wrong and The Comedy About A Bank Robbery as well as the BBC comedy series The Goes Wrong Show and they are back in Edinburgh for this year's Fringe. CHARLIE RUSSELL AIMS TO PLEASE Written and performed by Charlie Russell Pleasance Courtyard (Below) 3rd – 27th August at 3.15pm https://bit.ly/3PHe8Mi Charlie Russell wants to do a show in Edinburgh, but all she can think about is what she wants people to think of it and ultimately, of her. So rather than focusing on what she wants to say, she’s just going to create a show that will please absolutely everyone by trying to hit as many solo fringe show tropes and styles as possible within an hour. That’s doable, right? MISCHIEF MOVIE NIGHT ...

World Premiere of Flesh the Musical at Edinburgh Fringe

28Jul

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

NEWS

World Premiere of Flesh the Musical at Edinburgh Fringe

A Fast, Funny and Furious Musical extravaganza resurrecting the grisly tale of Burke and Hare and their relationship with the Edinburgh Medical Establishment. A tale oft told – but not in this way! Two hundred years on, Surgeon’s Hall is once more the centrepiece for the story of the World’s first serial killers, William Burke and William Hare whose cosy relationship with the City’s prominent surgical anatomist, Dr Robert Knox, brought shame upon Scotland’s capital. John Montgomery, composer of the musical, Deacon Brodie, has aligned his considerable talents with retired QC Derek Batchelor to produce this musical spectacular. With elements of Rock, Ballads and a touch of the Celtic, these catchy tunes and dance routines will have you singing and dancing in the aisles and maybe bri...

Scot’s battle against addiction took him from Heroin to Hero

28Jul

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

NEWS

Scot’s battle against addiction took him from Heroin to Hero

Young Scottish heroin addict Paul Boggie was at death’s door – but with incredible courage pulled back from the brink and ended up as a soldier guarding the Queen at Buckingham Palace. Actor and playwright Tony McGivern, who works closely with Paul, has now turned his acclaimed autobiography Heroin to Hero into a one-man play that will be performed in Edinburgh this August as part of Army@TheFringe. The new play is an unsparing and inspiring rollercoaster ride through the struggle faced by a man wanting to escape addiction in the face of a system that often hinders rather than helps. More than simply a piece of theatre, Paul and Tony see the play – also called Heroin to Hero – as a means of raising issues, bringing hope, challenging received wisdoms and ultimately changing l...

28Jul

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Jersey Boys – Leeds Grand Theatre

“If you’re from my neighbourhood, you’ve got three ways out – you could join the army, you could get mobbed up, or you could become a star.” So says streetwise minor hoodlum and guitarist Tommy DeVito opening the show as he creates the Four Seasons as a quartet of blue-collar Italian Americans who force their way out of New Jersey on the back of a string of hit singles If you have the radio in the car tuned to any of the classic hits stations then you don’t have long to wait for a Four Seasons record to come on from an early smash like Sherry to Frankie Valli’s comeback hit Can’t Take My Eyes Off You. Frankie’s unique powerful falsetto might not be to everyone’s taste, but it proved to be their unique selling point. At their height they outsold the Beach Boys and the Beatle...

‘The Hippie Shakes’ come to Edinburgh Fringe Festival

27Jul

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

‘The Hippie Shakes’ come to Edinburgh Fringe Festival

After being showcased at the Soho Theatre in summer 2021 and making its London debut at the Rosemary Branch Theatre, The Hippie Shakes comes to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival as part of a UK tour. The Hippie Shakes is produced by emerging theatre and production company Sweaty Palms Productions and directed by Frankie Regalia. The Hippie Shakes has been awarded a performance bursary and is supported by the Bloomsbury Festival and is part of their official selection for the 2022 festival. The Hippie Shakes is also supported by Creative Scotland. As part of this tour, The Hippie Shakes has been performed at Old Gym Theatre Glasgow and Ventnor Fringe Festival. Based on a true story, this new piece of gig theatre is a distinctly female story of motherhood, survival, and intergeneration...