Latest Articles - Page 453 of 645

16Jun

By Daniel CoxNo Comments

North West

Mam! I’m Ere! – Liverpool’s Royal Court

Following its debut 10 years ago at Central Hall in Liverpool ‘Mam! I’m Ere!’ has gone from strength to strength as it found its home at Liverpool’s Royal Court. After providing one of the venues most successful runs in 2015 and still making audiences laugh in 2018, would it be able to bring the energy and audiences following the delayed 2020 run because of COVID-19? Well, Mam! I’m Ere! has arrived in 2022 and you best tell your mother that this production isn’t hiding away anytime soon (and it’s a good job). Along with the blessing of original Mamma Mia director Phyllida Lloyd, director Stephen Fletcher takes a hilarious twist on the well-loved 2008 jukebox musical. He tells the story of Sally, a young woman inviting her potential mothers to her home at a Welsh caravan site to witness ...

Scottish Ballet: The Crucible – Sadler’s Wells

16Jun

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

Scottish Ballet: The Crucible – Sadler’s Wells

Arthur Miller’s The Crucible has a rare quality of being ubiquitous, but consistently relevant, provocative and timely. There’s always a witch hunt somewhere. Medieval villagers with pitchforks have evolved into middle aged idiots on Facebook. Or mob-giddy kids on TikTok. Theocracies continue to thrive, and the oppression in those places can make The Crucible seem tame. I’m looking at you; Yemen, Afghanistan, The Vatican, Saudi Arabia and Iran. Arthur Miller was famously a victim of McCarthy era ‘Reds under the Bed’ paranoia. The playwright was questioned by the House of Representatives' Committee on Un-American Activities in 1956 and convicted of contempt of Congress for refusing to identify others present at meetings he had attended. His play is more than just an allegorical spin on A...

Dictating To The Estate – Maxilla Social Club

15Jun

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

Dictating To The Estate – Maxilla Social Club

We are approaching the 5th anniversary of the cataclysmic inferno that engulfed Grenfell Tower and killed 72 people. Post-pandemic, as we ponder war in Europe, food bank ubiquity and a shifty party-clown PM, there’s a danger of taking an eye off Grenfell. More fatalities could haunt us, if we don’t wise-up, listen to campaigners and hold the guilty to account. The luxury of looking elsewhere is not afforded to those who lost their lives, or to their loved ones whose grief is poisoned by righteous fury. The inquiry into the Grenfell Tower disaster has spent £117m of public money so far. £60m got sucked up by lawyers working for the core participants. Arconic, the company that made the combustible cladding sheets has splashed £55m on legal and professional advice for its defence. All. Tha...

15Jun

By Adam WilliamsNo Comments

North West

I Am Not A Robot – King’s Arms, Salford

The potential dangers to humanity of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robots have been the meat and drink of numerous science fiction movies for decades. On TV the BBC sci-fi show, Doctor Who, back in the 60s, created the Cybermen, monsters who had once been human but had turned themselves into killing machines devoid of emotion. I Am Not a Robot explores this theme, cleverly grounding it with northern humour, whilst adding a touch of slapstick and a healthy dash of melodrama. The sparky script is punchy and witty which rattles along at a wonderful pace until the third act. It starts off in the bedroom of a luxury hotel somewhere overseas in the near future. Beth has won a luxury stay via Instagram and has invited her best friend, ambitious politician Karina, to share it with her. Ka...

14Jun

By Khushboo ShahNo Comments

London

The False Servant – Orange Tree Theatre

Gender fluid yet stereotypical, Martin Crimp’s translation of Pierre Marivaux’s French play The False Servant is probably the outcome of Commedia del'arte being shredded off its extreme archetypes and placed in a slightly modern context. Often reminiscent of Shakespeare and Moliere’s comedy, filled with subplots, disguise and conceit, wit and irony, courtship and lust, Orange Tree Theatre production presented The False Servant directed by their artistic director Paul Miller. The play opens announcing its period origins with the ensemble walking and bowing to festive and joyful music. We first meet Trivelin (Will Brown), the voluble and opportunistic aristocrat reduced to poverty by circumstance and Frontin (Uzair Bhatti) who introduces Trivelin to his mistress/ master successfully provi...

14Jun

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Habeas Corpus – Lyceum Theatre, Oldham

“I’ve never seen anything like it since I was a locum in Liverpool.” So declares the diminutive Sir Percy Shorter in Alan Bennett’s 1973 farcical exploration of the randy side of Little England, named after the Latin legal phrase that roughly translates to ‘have the body’. Set in the residence of a Brighton and Hove GP, Arthur Wicksteed, the play is a saucy seaside postcard collection of characters and carry ons, each loaded with carnal frustrations and foibles. There’s Wicksteed’s wife, the frustrated Muriel who, neglected by her husband, longs to rekindle a past dalliance with Sir Percy. Her sister, the flat-chested Constance, buys fake breasts in the hope of literally boosting her chance of romance. The Wicksteed’s wimpish son Dennis is convinced he’s dying until his head is...

New Vic Theatre bring back old favourite Marvellous for their autumn season

14Jun

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

NEWS

New Vic Theatre bring back old favourite Marvellous for their autumn season

By popular demand Staffordshire’s New Vic Theatre brings back the critically acclaimed Marvellous as part of their autumn season. Marvellous is the colourful life story of local legend Neil ‘Nello’ Baldwin and returns to the in-the-round stage in September reuniting the original cast. The theatre then stages their Christmas show Alice in Wonderland to close their 60th anniversary celebrations from Saturday 18th November to Saturday 28th January. It’s adapted and directed by New Vic Artistic Director Theresa Heskins and created by the same team who brought their productions of The Snow Queen which won the UK Theatre Award Best Show for Children and Young People in 2017, Treasure Island and last year’s Beauty and The Beast to life. Michael Hugo and Suzanne Ahmet in Marvellous 2 - Cr...

Major new exhibition at The Lowry explores popular children’s books on the page and stage

14Jun

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Major new exhibition at The Lowry explores popular children’s books on the page and stage

Picture This will run from Saturday 23rd July until Sunday 30th October 2022 The evocative world of children’s literature and theatre is being explored at a major new exhibition running from July to October 2022 at The Lowry in Salford. Picture This will feature six popular children’s books that have a strong visual identity on the page and have also been vividly brought to life on stage. Each section of the free family exhibition will include illustrations and artwork from the books – which range from much-loved modern works to iconic classics. Alongside will be filmed extracts from stage productions, with a variety of props, costumes, designs and posters. Throughout there will be interactive opportunities for visitors to draw, write, perform, read and play and even devise the...

Leicester Curve delays opening of Billy Elliot

14Jun

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Leicester Curve delays opening of Billy Elliot

Due to a number of cases of Covid-19 amongst the Billy Elliot the Musical company, the production is now delayed, with performances beginning 13th July. Curve Chief Executive Chris Stafford and Artistic Director Nikolai Foster said, "Unfortunately, valuable rehearsal time for Billy Elliot the Musical has been lost due to a number of covid cases in our company. Therefore, we have made the decision to cancel performances from Thursday 7th to Tuesday 12th July to allow us to make up time in the rehearsal room and ensure we deliver a first-class production for our audiences. We are sorry for any inconvenience caused by this delay in opening. All customers affected by the show postponement have been contacted by our Box Office team. If you have not received an email from us, then please c...

Full cast announced for The Witches of Eastwick in Concert

14Jun

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Full cast announced for The Witches of Eastwick in Concert

Producer Jack Maple, by arrangement with Cameron Mackintosh Ltd, is delighted to announce the full cast joining West End stars Carrie Hope Fletcher and Laura Pitt-Pulford in a special one-off concert of THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK at the Sondheim Theatre on Monday 20 June 2022, directed by Olivier Award-winning Maria Friedman. Due to the indisposition of Giles Terera and Danielle Steers, the roles of Darryl Van Horne and Alexandra Spofford will now be played by John Partridge and Natasha J Barnes respectively. John Partridge’s credits include Emcee in UK Tour of Cabaret, Buddy in The View Upstairs in London, Albin in UK Tour of La Cage aux Folles, Billy Flynn in UK Tour of Chicago, Zach in A Chorus Line at London Palladium. He is well known for his extensive TV work, including the long-r...