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A Plague On All Your Houses – Riverside Studios

16Jul

By Paul AckroydNo Comments

London

A Plague On All Your Houses – Riverside Studios

A Plague On All Your Houses, a new play by writer/director Marcia Kelson presently playing at the Riverside Studios, is a hilarious romp depicting plagues through the ages. Scenes, not in chronological order, imagined the impact, on rulers and ordinary people, of the plagues including those of biblical times, pestilence in French wine fields, the Black Death, which caused so many problems for the budding playwright William Shakespeare, up to recent Covid events and a very worrying peek into the not too distant future. It was presented on a largely bare stage against a black backdrop, with a few boxes as props, and a keyboard musician to one side of the stage. All the characters in all the various historical pieces were played four actors who changed their costumes at the side of t...

16Jul

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

A Wilde Life – Workshop Theatre, Leeds

Tonight, I was fortunate enough to see the opening preview of Chevron Theatre production of 'A Wilde Life' in Leeds, prior to dates in Cambridge and culminating at Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August. A musical based on the rise and fall of literary giant Oscar Wilde, upon initial viewing I am in little doubt that if the audience seek out this gem of a production in the plethora of offerings in Edinburgh, then this Leeds based company will have a hit on their hands. Running at just under an hour, the show opens in a seedy 'fin de siècle' Parisian café, populated with debauched alcoholics and prostitutes that form the ensemble during the scene setting opening (Oscar in Paris). Following his ostentatious entrance, Wilde (Jake Glantz) then proceeds to illustrate his rise and fall by transf...

16Jul

By Tracy RyanNo Comments

North West

Blackbird – Liverpool’s Royal Court

David Harrower’s controversial, award-winning 2005 play about historical sexual abuse has been revived by Southport-based company, Roots Theatre – and enabled by hundreds of supporters through crowdfunding – and it still packs a punch; if anything, the passage of time has increased its potency. Fifteen years after their relationship, 20-something Una appears at Ray’s place of work, tracking him down to challenge him about their relationship and why he abandoned her: the shock is that Una was 12 at the time & and Ray 40. The real-time, one act drama is fraught with tension, dynamism & repressed fury as the damaged characters reminisce and reveal their pain - not simply of abuse but of abandonment, betrayal and jealousy, which caused The New York Times to say when the play was ...

15Jul

By Gemma PrinceNo Comments

London

Millennials – The Other Palace

A pink pop frenzy is the best way to describe Elliot Clay’s new pop song cycle Millennials, which has transformed the Studio of The Other Palace. Written and composed by Clay and directed by Hannah Benson, the musical tells the highs and lows of life as a millennial right now, from crippling social anxiety to first loves, the show packs in plenty in just over an hour. The show features a small but strong cast which includes Hannah Lowther, Luke Bayer, Hiba Elchikhe, Georgina Onuorah, Luke Latchman and What’s Onstage award winner Rob Madge. Designed by Andrew Exeter, the immersive set wowed the moment you walked through the curtain of pink pool noodles. There was a dizzying blend of sparkles, pink lights, inflatables, rubber ducks and slinkies everywhere. Normal seats were replaced wi...

Dalton Wood talks about being a Jersey Boy as the hit musical comes to Leeds Grand Theatre

15Jul

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Interviews

Dalton Wood talks about being a Jersey Boy as the hit musical comes to Leeds Grand Theatre

If you love pop music then you will have a favourite Four Seasons songs and Jersey Boys is the musical based on their troubled journey from rags to riches. The quartet famed for their close harmonies fought their way out of humble blue collar roots in Newark to record a set of beautifully arranged smash hits like Sherry, Rag Doll, Big Girls Don’t Cry, Walk Like A Man and December ’63 (Oh What a Night). For a musical it’s a natural tale of triumphing against the odds with the added bonus of lead singer Frankie Valli’s utterly distinctive falsetto vocal style. So, it’s no wonder Jersey Boys was a big hit on Broadway, and is still running in the West End, as fans new and old appreciate the great songs penned by Valli and musical prodigy Bob Gaudio. It’s also become a regular on the t...

15Jul

By Aditi DalalNo Comments

London

Anything Goes – Barbican Theatre

Put together three pairs of (almost) lovers and their muddled relationships, against the backdrop of a grand ship with scintillating choreography and music, and you get a spirited production of Anything Goes. There isn’t very much else to the plot, just a classic case of entangled couples, falling in love and attempting to see it through. But the story is not what the audience comes for. It is the escape into this magical world of a magnificent ship where everyone talks in song and dance, makes silly jokes and enthrals the audience with contagious energy! Cole Porter’s classic masterpiece is back with an award-winning cast including Kerry Ellis as Reno Sweeney, Denis Lawson as Moonface Martin, Simon Callow as Elisha Whitney, Bonnie Langford as Evangeline Harcourt, Samuel Edwards as Bill...

Lord of the Dance: 25 Years of Standing Ovations – Palace Theatre

15Jul

By Brian MaddenNo Comments

North West

Lord of the Dance: 25 Years of Standing Ovations – Palace Theatre

It's hard to believe that 25 years have passed since Michael Flatley stepped aside from Riverdance and created Lord of the Dance. In fact, it's now 28 years since that spectacular Eurovision interval act, that I still think to this day is the only interval act to overshadow the song contest itself! Since then, it has gone on to sell over 60 million tickets in over 1000 venues across the world. It puts such a joyous smile on your face to watch these fantastic dancers in action. The audience were clapping along and cheering from the very beginning. I think it's the positive energy the show gives us that makes it so infectious. Gerard Fahy who composed the music for the original show has written some new music for this production. It feels more like an update than brand new material. ...

15Jul

By Klervi GavetNo Comments

London

Patriots – Almeida Theatre

How do you make a grown Russian man sing? Give him a piano and some vodka. How do you make him cry? Take him away from the Motherland. Patriots has all the hallmarks of a good political drama. Court intrigues, outrageous backdoor deals, international conflict, even memorable, poisonous assassinations… It is after all the new play of Peter Morgan, best known for his historical hits such as Netflix’s The Crown, The Audience, or Frost/Nixon. Here Morgan examines the making of oligarchs in post-soviet Russia and the rise of one Vladimir Putin from deputy mayor of Saint Petersburg to President of the Russian Federation, all through the eyes of mathematician genius turned businessman and kingmaker, Boris Berezovsky. Directed by Almeida Artistic Director Rupert Goold, this production often ...

14Jul

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

The Wedding Singer – Montgomery Theatre

After three long years and three cancelled shows Woodseats Musical Theatre Company finally and joyously make it back to the stage with their production of The Musical Comedy, The Wedding Singer. . so get ready to party like it’s 1985! With the Book by Chad Beguelin and Tim Harlihy, Music by Matthew Sklar and Lyrics by Chad Beguelin, this production is directed by Ian Walker, and I particularly liked the breaking of the 4th wall as the performers used the space on the steps and in the audience – nice touch. The Choreography is by Amber Parry and Lilly Abram and the Musical direction by Dominic Ridler. The 8 strong band sounded great, and the balance of their sound was good. I must note that Ridler is unusually an MD who plays drums, his performance in the pits in itself is very flambo...

14Jul

By Zoё MeeresNo Comments

London

Hungry – Soho Theatre

On the face of it, Chris Bush’s new play could simply be viewed as a fresh take on class. In reality, Hungry has more layers than a millefeuille, tackling a diverse range of topics including love, love language, class, culture, ethnicity, sexuality, addiction and, of course, food. The set-up is thus – laidback waitress Bex meets passionate, driven chef Lori. Bex loves chicken nuggets and Pot Noodles, Lori is acutely aware of the difference between a mousse and a marquise. During an hour and ten minutes we move back and forth in time, observing the peaks and troughs in their relationship – two people who find love with someone so unlike them, trying to assimilate and be assimilated into each other's worlds. The time-hopping can be confusing, especially in the earlier scenes as you try to...