Latest Articles - Page 479 of 664

20May

By Maani WayNo Comments

London

Get Dressed! – Unicorn Theatre

Get Dressed! is an inventive, fun, and friendly show which tells the story of a young girl (Marieme Diouf) and her father (Joseph Barnes-Phillips) navigating family life. The show explores a young girl finding her identity through her wardrobe, her surroundings as she learns how to dress herself. The show is energetic and warm, with the set being used to its fullest, allowing for the actors to move around and interact with each other playfully. Amongst the set is a bed, climbing frame, a chest, climbing wall and the most interactive of all, the washing machine. Diouf moved around the stage effortlessly, making it believable that the stage was her home. Lighting and sound was used beautifully throughout, working well with the staging, and allowing the audience to be fully engaged in t...

20May

By Paul AckroydNo Comments

London

Bliss – Finborough Theatre

This is a new play by Fraser Grace, based upon a short story written by Andrey Platanov in 1936, and tells the story of Nikita Firsov, a soldier returning from the Russian Civil War in 1921. It is a portrayal of what we would now call the effects of battlefield PTSD, but which at that time was not specifically recognised, and also shows the grim reality of life for the rural peasantry in Russia at this time of famine and political upheaval. The pace of the play mirrors the harshness of the prevailing conditions. It is slow-moving, with many pauses, and everything about the production contributed to depicting the dreariness and struggle of the life of the characters. The acting was universally excellent. Jesse Rutherford as the returning soldier, Nikita, and Bess Roche as the girl to who...

Much Ado About Nothing – Network Theatre

20May

By Riana HowarthNo Comments

London

Much Ado About Nothing – Network Theatre

Network Theatre’s take on Shakespeare’s enemies to lovers play is refreshingly modern and original. Beatrice and Benedict’s disdain for each another and their vow of celibacy soon dissolves as their friends conspire to matchmake them. As their defences unravel, the two face feelings of vulnerability and openness. This play is particularly suited for an LGBTQ+ interpretation because of those feelings and the heightened uncertainty that those in LGBTQ relationships may face. It begins with a series of snippets of Beatrice and Benedict together, making the tension in their relationship an undercurrent throughout the play. The whole cast conveyed the story and its confusing plot effectively. The playful dynamic between Naomi Bowman’s Beatrice and Lio Lylark’s Benedict was exciting to wa...

Shrek The Musical – Northwich Memorial Court

19May

By Angela KellyNo Comments

North West

Shrek The Musical – Northwich Memorial Court

Knutsford Musical Theatre Company (KMTC) return to tread the boards in Northwich again, only this time it is the swamp that takes over the stage, as Shrek and friends pay a visit! Directed by Ben Ireson, the musical is based on the well-known, Oscar winning film by DreamWorks – an ambitious task perhaps but one that KMTC have wanted to embrace for several years having been given the rights to perform it five years ago. With recent outstanding performances in terms of KMTCs productions of ‘Do you hear the people sing?’ and prior to that the fabulous ‘Ghost The Musical’, it is safe to say that ‘Shrek The Musical’ is a mammoth task, surely even for this award-winning musical theatre company. Intrigued prior to the performance and with so many questions such as ‘How will the swamp appear on...

19May

By Maani WayNo Comments

London

This Last Piece of Sky – The Space

This Last Piece of the Sky, written by French writer Kevin Keiss, tells the story of a young boy Louis and a young girl Sarah who have the ability to see each other’s lives in their minds. Louis is on one path; Sarah is on another. It is winter. Louis believes he has found the secret of the universe and dreams of a girl called Sarah. However, his family struggles to cope with his newfound revelation and the behaviour that comes with it. In another city, in the intense heat of summer, the Sarah whom Louis dreams about and her family are adjusting to living under a military coup. This lyrical play attempts to explore our ability to transcend boundaries and look beyond our accepted reality, however it portrays a fine line between psychosis and mania but does little exploration. The plot...

19May

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Casting announced for LIVE capture performance of Heathers the Musical

Bill Kenwright & Paul Taylor-Mills are excited to announce the cast for the eagerly anticipated recording of the hit production of Heathers the Musical, a project with Steam Motion and Sound. The cast for the filmed production are Ailsa Davidson (Veronica Sawyer), Simon Gordon (Jason “J.D” Dean), Maddison Firth (Heather Chandler), Vivian Panka (Heather Duke), Teleri Hughes (Heather McNamara), Vicki Lee Taylor (Ms. Fleming/Veronica’s Mom), Mhairi Angus (Martha Dunnstock), Liam Doyle (Kurt Kelly), Rory Phelan (Ram Sweeney), Oliver Brooks (Kurt’s Dad/Big Bud Dean/Coach Ripper), Andy Brady (Ram’s Dad/Principle Gowan/Veronica’s Dad), Benjamin Karran (Beleaguered Geek), Chris Parkinson (Hipster Dork/Officer McCord), Jermaine Woods (Peppy Stud/Officer Milner), Eleanor Morris...

19May

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Jersey Boys – Hull New Theatre

So engrossed was I in the storyline during my third viewing of Jersey Boys (I’ve seen it once before as a reviewer and once as a civilian) at the Hull New Theatre on Wednesday evening, that I almost forgot to do my reviewer-ly duty, and check out the scenery, lighting, musicians, costumes etc etc. The story of the rise, fall and rise again of four young American boys from New Jersey, who became the worldwide rock stars Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, was told with humour, passion, anger and regret to name just a few of the emotions expressed by a super-talented cast of individuals. And when they were lost for words, their singing took over - and what singing! Michael Pickering’s portrayal of Frankie Valli was spot on - close your eyes and it could have been the legend himself ...

19May

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

Snatched – Soho Theatre

Snatched currently running at Soho Upstairs and is written and performed by previous Coronation Street actor Melissa Johns, following her life prior to her dreams of becoming an actor, dating in her teens and mastering riding the bike. Melissa was born missing a forearm, of which only seems like a big deal to everyone else. We are taken through a rabbit hole all the moments that revealed something new to her. From the first moment of feeling romantic love, where she strategically hid her arm to avoid any prior judgement to the moment her agent rang her to reveal that her naked pictures were leaked and about to be in the papers. Johns is a firecracker as she dances around from scene to scene revealing how the comments from others pushed her into heavily critiquing the things she cannot c...

19May

By Maani WayNo Comments

London

Patricia Gets Ready – Brixton House

“When the person you love hits you, it hurts.” Patricia Gets Ready is an honest, engaging, and compelling story, dealing with the struggles of meeting not only an ex-boyfriend, but an abusive ex-boyfriend who Patricia was forced to leave. After bumping into him on the street after almost a year, Patricia is too stunned to speak and unable to articulate her feelings. She struggled to voice her well-prepared speech that she had been sitting on since the relationship ended, instead agreeing to meet him for dinner that evening. We follow Patricia through her journey of getting ready for this rendezvous, as she reminisces, questions her actions, and reflects on her mental turmoil. The star of this one-woman show is Yasmin Dawes. Portraying Patricia as charismatic, funny, and most importan...

19May

By Robert BartleyNo Comments

London

Grease – Dominion Theatre

‘Grease’ is one of those shows that everyone knows, even people who don’t like musicals. Who among us hasn’t performed one half of the legendary megamix (badly) at a wedding or Christmas party? Steeped in kitsch 1950s nostalgia, the original “high school musical" premiered on stage in 1971 before being immortalised on film with the world’s tightest trousers in 1978, cementing the careers of John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. Now, 15 years after it was last seen in London, the show is back in town. Reimagined by Nikolai Foster (Curve’s resident Artistic Director), and featuring choreography by Arlene Phillips, ‘Grease’ has moved into the Dominion Theatre for a summer run on the back of a successful UK tour. But with such a well-known and often-visited show, ...