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25Apr

By Peter KinnockNo Comments

West Midlands

Madam Butterfly – Birmingham Hippodrome

With all the characteristic style and élan we usually associate with Welsh National Opera, “Madam Butterfly” wafted decorously and gracefully into the Birmingham Hippodrome last night, alighted with panache and, once her work was done, flitted off on the thermal undercurrents of a warm and adoring audience and was seen no more. It was a delight. A crowded, expectant and semi-masked audience sat entranced as the tale unfurled of Captain Pinkerton’s child-bride, Madam Butterfly who, after providing him with a home life and a child, is deceived and betrayed by her thoughtless husband and commits the act which all deceived and betrayed wives seem to commit in opera, but I’ll not inflict a plot-spoiler so early in proceedings suffice to say the denouement arrives inevitably but shockingly an...

24Apr

By Natalie J RomeoNo Comments

REVIEWS

Henry V – Donmar Warehouse

Shakespeare’s wartime history is transported to the modern day in Max Webster's newest production for the Donmar Warehouse, this time screen through National Theatre Live. For those unfamiliar with the plot: after an insult from the French Dauphin, King Henry V of England invades France to claim the throne he believes should be his. Henry stops an assassination plot, rouses troops with powerful rhetoric, and wins battles when the odds are stacked against England. In the end, he marries the Princess of France, linking the two nations. Shakespeare’s original production was set around 1599 and contained all the ingredients to make it a smash hit at the royal court. This production poignantly communicates the ease with which Shakespeare can seemingly be transplanted to perhaps any time peri...

23Apr

By Luke StephensonNo Comments

North West

Making It – Royal Court Studio

Last night was rather exciting when I took a trip to Liverpool’s Royal Court Theatre, as this time I was in their studio, watching their latest production called Making It. Penned by Stephen Fletcher writer of Mam I’m Ere and Catherine Rice a Liverpool based writer and Comedienne with additional material by Andrew Schofield. Known for playing many shows at the Royal Court as well as being the narrator in Blood Brothers back in 1983. The story is about our Bev (Catherine Rice) as she tells us about her acting career. She is currently waiting for her agent to call, to say she has the role in the film but until then she was singing in the local club. Bev opened up about how she had agents who were not quite legitimate. Also, a photographer who took loads of photos of her to be used to said...

White Sun by Will Dickie – Unity Theatre

23Apr

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

White Sun by Will Dickie – Unity Theatre

Will Dickie is bouncing. As people enter the theatre, as they order drinks and greet friends, he mingles amongst them, constantly bouncing. When the show ‘officially’ starts he informs us he has been bouncing for 22 minutes. Dressed in a light shirt and grey trousers, Dickie is a ball of nervous energy. His one-act show, White Sun, is described as “A lo fi solo symphony of words and movement.” Taking us on a tour through his life, Will aims to navigate the tensions of inheritance, privilege and addiction whilst pursuing a life in the creative arts, referencing actors who have come before him and the relationship he has with his father. Dickie’s performance is a bag of contradictions. There is no set, yet there is a sense of immersion. He doesn’t stop moving, yet his frenetic movem...

23Apr

By Zoё MeeresNo Comments

London

Qrumpet – Camden People’s Theatre

Theatre can elicit many emotions in an audience – fear, sadness, joy, anger, to name but a few. Last night, I felt an emotion that I don’t think has ever been awoken in me through the arts – an absolute, raging frustration. The show’s description is quirky and intriguing – basically, quantum tunnelling, but with a crumpet. What if you could throw a crumpet through a wall? SPOILER ALERT. You cannot. And I know this, because last night I spent an hour watching crumpets being buttered and thrown at a wall. Not just crumpets, either; a shoe, a free newspaper, an unsuspecting Lindt bunny. None of the above can be thrown through a wall, and I’m sorry to say that I didn’t find the process of finding that out remotely entertaining. The stage is set with the world’s worst Pelaton bike ...

23Apr

By Jenn McKeanNo Comments

North West

Anything Goes – Liverpool Empire

In olden days, a glimpse of stocking was looked on as something shocking, but now God knows, anything goes. Last years’ Olivier Award nominations were proof that Cole Porter’s 1934 musical hit is a timeless classic and can still please audiences today. This new touring production also shows, that with the right casting, it can raise the roof on large theatre venues. Set on the SS American, as it sets sail from New York to England, the press and passengers on board are complaining that there are no celebrities to make this trip worthwhile and worth the price of the ticket. Unbeknownst to them, there are stowaways and gangsters hiding in plain sight aboard and chaos, of course, ensues. With storylines that follow four main characters, it’s easy to think you’d get confused with the multipl...

22Apr

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

Saving Britney – The Other Palace

Britney Spears was a titanic pop phenomenon. That’s a concrete fact, if you were a fan or a puzzled observer. Whether it was shrugging off the Lolita vibes of the ‘Baby One More Time’ video or sniggering when she shaved her head in a psychotic episode, we were all complicit in the making and breaking of Britney. In 2007, Chris Cocker went viral with a YouTube plea to ‘Leave Britney Alone’. In many ways, the appeal was a canary down the mine for the media intrusion that ensued. Incidentally, Cocker evolved into a very able gay porn star, and then after a stab at cinema and pop stardom, transitioned, and is now known as Cara Cunningham. As Britney would say, ‘Work Bitch’. The Free Britney movement grew from a semi-jokey meme in 2009, to a full-blown, bona fide campaign juggernau...

22Apr

By Riana HowarthNo Comments

London

The Burnt City – Woolwich Works

Punchdrunk’s new piece directed by Felix Barrett and Maxine Doyle is an exhilarating immersive experience which has the epic feel of Greek tragedy fused with a modern electricity. Based on Agamemnon and Hecuba, the story follows the characters as the mythical world comes to life. Audience members enter an exhibition which suddenly lurches into this realm, where space and time feels suspended. We are free to follow whatever takes our interest as a multitude of scenes occur simultaneously across the different spaces. There isn’t a huge amount of audience interaction, but it is visually and mentally engaging throughout as you endeavour to piece together the plot and choose where to go. For a venue with a plethora of different spaces, the set designed by Barrett, Livi Vaughan and Beatrice M...

Sidney Fox’s Crime – Above The Stag Theatre

22Apr

By Paul AckroydNo Comments

London

Sidney Fox’s Crime – Above The Stag Theatre

Sidney Fox led an eventful, unconventional and disreputable life. The illegitimate fourth son of promiscuous Rosaline Fox, he took up pretty crime from an early age. Stealing and forgery were second nature to him, and he spent six spells in prison. His good looks made him attractive to both sexes and he had affairs with many in the highest echelons of 1920's society. In the years before his mother's death, the two of them lived in a succession of hotels, rarely paying the bills before moving on. On 23rd October 1929 in the Metropole hotel in Margate his mother died in mysterious circumstances. Sidney was arrested and tried for her murder. Glenn Chandler has written a fast moving, fascinating account of Fox's life and the events leading up to his mother's death and his ...

21Apr

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Six – Sheffield Lyceum

So, I polished my crown and headed (minus the be-) off to the beautiful Sheffield Lyceum, my husband reluctantly in tow to witness the royally resplendent Six. Before I even got in the building I was praising the show for its allure to so many young theatre goers, the diversity of the audience was a real heart warmer. Six has become a cultural phenomenon and is a British musical comedy with book, music and lyrics by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss. Presented as a pop concert, the competitive wives of Henry VIII each tell their stories and vie to be ‘the one who suffered the most’ to enable the victor to become the group’s lead singer. Under the direction of Lucy Moss and Jamie Armitage the stylish Six took to the stage. With a set mainly given over to lighting and upstage steps, which hous...