Latest Articles - Page 482 of 645

18Mar

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

The Queens are taking you to court

Worldwide hit musical SIX, created by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, will play three open-air concert performances at Hampton Court Palace, reuniting the original West End Queens and performing within the iconic main courtyard of their infamous ex-husband’s former residence on Sunday 19th June and two performances on Monday 20th June 2022. This production, staged in partnership with Historic Royal Palaces – the independent charity which cares for Hampton Court Palace - will see the global musical phenomenon staged outdoors for the first time, in front of an audience of over 3,000 at each performance. SIX Live at Hampton Court Palace will reunite the original West End line-up of Olivier Award nominated cast members; Jarnéia Richard-Noel (Catherine of Aragon), Millie O’Connell (Anne Boleyn...

Gary Barlow’s A Different Stage comes to the West End

18Mar

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Gary Barlow’s A Different Stage comes to the West End

Acclaimed singer, songwriter, composer and producer, Gary Barlow is bringing his theatrical one-man stage show, A Different Stage, to London’s West End, with a string of dates announced today. He will perform at The Duke of York’s Theatre from 30th August to 18th September, with tickets on sale Wednesday 23rd March at 10am from www.adifferentstage.show To date, Gary has performed sold out performances of A Different Stage at The Brindley in Runcorn, Cheshire and the Lowry Quays Theatre in Salford. He’s currently performing another sold out run at The Playhouse in Liverpool before he heads to Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum Theatre from 22nd March. Limited tickets are available for select dates in Edinburgh from www.adifferentstage.show A Different Stage, which Gary Barlow created with h...

18Mar

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Meet the West End stars of tomorrow!

Three sets of twins who are starring in Identical, the new musical adaptation of The Parent Trap at The Lowry from Friday 19th August - Saturday 3rd September 2022. After a five-year casting search and multiple auditions across the UK, three sets of talented identical twins are about to become Britain’s latest musical theatre stars. The trio of twins will be starring in Identical, the new musical adaptation of Erich Kästner’s novel ‘The Parent Trap’ directed by Olivier & Tony award-winning director Sir Trevor Nunn and produced by Kenny Wax whose current hits include ‘SIX the musical’ and ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’. Identical tours to The Lowry from Friday 19th August - Saturday 3rd September 2022. They say you should never work with children or animals, but this summer Olivier an...

18Mar

By Donna M DayNo Comments

North West

Rice – Unity Theatre

Rice, written by Michele Lee and directed by Matthew Xia, is a fun two woman show which explores the roles of gender, race and class in today’s world, against a background of the migrant experience and how different generations are impacted by it. Nisha (Anya Jaya-Murphy) is a young executive officer at Golden Fields, Australia’s largest producer of rice. The fashion of alternatives such as cauliflower rice and quinoa are impacting business in a big way, but Nisha has her eye on a deal which would make the company the national distributor of rice in India. Long hours and long phone calls with the Indian Agricultural Minister’s irritating PA, Gretel are taking their toll and Nisha soon finds herself conflicting with office cleaner, Yvette (Angela Yeoh). Yvette is part of a new cleanin...

18Mar

By Zoё MeeresNo Comments

REVIEWS

The Red – Original Theatre

I’ve been a fan of comedian Marcus Brigstocke for a while, so I was very excited at the chance to review his hour long two hander, The Red. The concept of the play is beautifully simple - Benedict’s dad has passed away and amongst his last will and testament is a letter for Benedict, inviting him to visit the family’s well stocked wine cellar and enjoy an extra special bottle of red wine with which he shares a birthday. The problem is, Benedict is an alcoholic and has been in recovery and sober for 25 years. The drama was originally commissioned for BBC Radio 4 and the intention for this to be an aural experience stands out in the writing. The dialogue feels genuine, familiar and comfortable as Benedict and his father paint a picture of a life lived together, of other family members and...

17Mar

By Khushboo ShahNo Comments

London

Gulliver’s Travels – Unicorn Theatre

Gulliver’s adventures come to life with the bizarre and delightful production of Gulliver’s Travels playing at the Unicorn Theatre for age 7+. Directed by Jay Woodcock-Stewart, Lulu Raczka’s rendition of Jonathan’s Swift classic brilliantly uses form to share Gulliver’s narrative to a vivacious audience of young people accompanied by adults. Leah Brotherhood, Mae Munuo (Gulliver), Sam Swann, and Jacoba Williams make an energetic entrance to hip-hop music with a camera and a portable spotlight on a whitewashed stage with multiple tables set at a corner. They set the tone of the play, dancing and celebrating, interacting with the audience, and playing with the camera as their movements are projected on the white backdrop. Photo: Marc Brenner The narrative seamlessly begins as the da...

17Mar

By Damian RiverolNo Comments

Wales

Cats – Theatr Clwyd

Tip Top productions have taken on the Andrew Lloyd Webber classic, Cats, at Theatr Clwyd and delivered a show that would give any West End tour version of this show a run for its money. Tip Top Productions produce high-quality musicals, plays, children’s shows, and pantomimes and this musical is at the top end of high quality. Cats was rehearsed over a three-month period, with Direction and Choreography by Rob Stevens and Musical Direction by Tim Jones, and the two together have created an absolute masterpiece. Choreography is key to Cats and the precision and energy in these routines left me in awe. From individual routines to full cast numbers, there was something for everyone and the cast gave everything to delivering the high standard of dance given to them. A live 15-piece ba...

17Mar

By Luke StephensonNo Comments

North West

The Royal – Liverpool’s Royal Court

Last night I was invited to review The Royal, and before you say, no I don’t mean the NHS hospital. It’s a show that is currently playing at The Royal Court Theatre. The show is a comedy starring Lindzi Germain a Royal Court regular and a true comedy Liverpool icon. Lindzi is also one of the show’s writers. Before the show opened, she came out with her dressing gown on and rollers in the hair to say hello and why she wrote the show. It all started after a trip to the Royal Hospital. She wasn’t the patient, but she was with her mum and dad, and it was her dad that did you should write a show about The Royal and so she did. From the get-go the laughter erupted within the theatre. There were times for people myself included had to gasp for breath before the next joke which all came thic...

17Mar

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

Bedknobs & Broomsticks – The Lowry

Musical theatre in Britain is currently heavily influenced by Disney, with three shows (The Lion King, Mary Poppins and Frozen) playing in the West End at present, and 'Beauty and the Beast' arriving in Manchester next month as part of a national tour. Whether you think this is a good or bad thing, it shows no sign of dissipating with the next one off the production line, an adaptation of the much beloved 1971 film musical 'Bedknobs and Broomsticks'. It is fair to say that with a few minor tweaks, the House of Mouse could have another big hit on its hands. The original stories by Mary Norton, author of The Borrowers, were written in the immediate period after the Second World War and the story of the Rawlins children, Charlie (Conor O'Hara), Carrie (Isabella Bucknall) and Paul (Aidan Ot...

17Mar

By Paul AckroydNo Comments

London

Tempest – Pleasance Theatre

The production of the Tempest by Wildcard Theatre, currently running at the Pleasance Theatre is rather like the two-headed beast that Caliban and Trinculo create in act 2 scene 2 of Shakespeare's play, having two heads. One head is a serious attempt to present Shakespeare's famous play, the other the desire for a light-hearted music inspired evening. Instead of working together towards a common purpose the tension between them detracted from what could have been an extremely fine and inventive production. Pleasance Theatre’s main auditorium was a set out with tables rather than banks of auditorium seats, and the production took place on revolving stage, bare except for a metal construction of steps and stairs which was used inventively by the director, James Meteyard, for t...