Latest Articles - Page 495 of 645

9Feb

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Birmingham Rep Announce Free Open Day

Birmingham Rep are offering members of the public a chance to take a peek behind the scenes at the city’s only premiere producing theatre with a free Open Day on Saturday 26th February. The full day of activities for all the family will take members of the public behind the scenes of Birmingham’s famous theatre, the only large-scale theatre in the city that builds all of its own productions on site from scratch, including huge sets and beautiful costumes. From 10am-4pm, families can enjoy backstage tours, workshops, performances, technical demonstrations, heritage talks plus the chance to purchase incredible garments in The Rep’s costume sale. Artistic Director, Sean Foley and Executive Director, Rachael Thomas said; “We are thrilled to be throwing open our doors and inviting the ...

9Feb

By Jo TillotsonNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

9 to 5: The Musical – Sheffield Lyceum

“Working 9 to 5, what a way to make a living / Barely getting by, it's all taking and no giving” I’m sure this sounds familiar, if not musically then probably existentially! One of country music’s most iconic singers, Dolly Parton, wrote these well-known lyrics back in 1980 for the film ‘9 to 5’, which she then transferred to the stage in 2008 with the help of book-writer Patricia Resnick. Parton’s fingerprints are everywhere, from the tone of the music and lyrics throughout, to her on-stage presence as the narrator of the story; that was a cute and unexpected touch, although I’m not sure that the story was complex enough to warrant the level of narration it got! 9 to 5 takes us to a corporate office in middle America where Judy is starting her first ever job having been dumped by...

Matthew Bourne’s The Nutcracker – Birmingham Hippodrome

9Feb

By Annette NuttallNo Comments

West Midlands

Matthew Bourne’s The Nutcracker – Birmingham Hippodrome

It may be February, but it is never too late to catch this superb production of The Nutcracker. First of all, take everything you know about The Nutcracker, screw it up and throw it out of the window. This ballet is like no other version you have seen before. Matthew Bourne has taken the family favourite (and the version he first created 30 years ago) and given it a very colourful make over. The basic story of Clara and her toy is there, but it opens in an orphanage rather than a lavish house. She is still transported away to a fantasy world of ice and then sweets, but the national dances have been replaced by ones representing confectionery. Unlike the usual version there is a story being told throughout, the second half has more of a purpose than just a showcase for different style...

9Feb

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

Blood Brothers – New Wimbledon Theatre

Willy Russell's Blood Brothers is back and it's back with a bang. In the 40 years since the show was first performed in Liverpool, Blood Brothers has garnered global acclaim and success. The themes are broad - the class divide, nature versus nurture, poverty, friendship, sibling rivalry, family relationships. Twins Mickey and Eddie are born to working class mother Mrs Johnstone, already a mother of five, who is struggling to feed and clothe them all. Living on the "never-never", she has bailiffs at the door, so in the depths of her despair, she agrees to give up one of the new-borns to the wealthy Mrs Lyons who has been unable to have children. Mrs Lyons has one major condition in this arrangement; the boys must never find out that they are brothers. As the tale unfolds of the ...

Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story on Stage – Dominion Theatre

9Feb

By Samantha CollettNo Comments

London

Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story on Stage – Dominion Theatre

It’s hard to believe it’s been 35 years since Dirty Dancing first hit our screens, but the nostalgia stakes are high when it comes to this theatrical production of the iconic American romantic drama dance film. ‘Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story on Stage’, is, I am pleased to report, rather faithful to the original film. It features the original dialogue and script by Eleanor Bergstein and the much-loved songs and dances every Dirty Dancing fan will expect and appreciate. Set in 1963, the story is a triumphant tale of young love. Frances ‘Baby’ Houseman (Kira Malou) is on holiday with her parents at the upscale Kellerman’s resort, when she falls in love with a dance instructor, Johnny Castle (Michael O’Reilly). Photo: Mark Senior Beneath the polished veneer of all things respect...

9Feb

By Beth EltringhamNo Comments

Scotland

Bat Out of Hell – Edinburgh Playhouse

Romeo and Juliet meets Peter Pan, meets Meatloaf is probably the best summary one can give of Bat Out Of Hell the musical. The plot is familiar and so is the music, and perhaps that’s what makes it such a fun and lovable show. In what we can assume is a futuristic world just like our own a chemical leak has led to a portion of society remaining forever at the age of 18. This has caused a rivalry between the forever young and those still bitterly aging. Our Peter Pan archetype: Strat (Glenn Adamson) leads the Lost however becomes infatuated by young 18-year-old Raven (Martha Kirby) the unsatisfied daughter of our villain Falco (Rob Fowler) and his even more so unsatisfied wife Sloane (Sharon Sexton). Throughout we see Strat and Raven fight the odds to be together even with the disapprova...

9Feb

By Khushboo ShahNo Comments

London

SAMAADHI – Riverside Studios

SAMAADHI, performed by Mohit Mathur and Ivanity Novak at the Riverside Studios as part of the Bitesize Festival, depicts India’s most significant and lamentable colonial event, the Jallianwala Baug Massacre. The audience is welcomed into the auditorium by an ongoing audio news report on the heart-wrenching episode blended with Indian instrumental music. While the news report seems befitting, direct, and aptly contextual, the melodious music does little to set the stage for a rather dark, traumatic, and painful performance to follow. The ‘show in development’ opens to a desolate stage with Mathur dragging a suitcase packed with burnt papers, a winter coat, a piece of cloth, a bullet, and a long stick summing up the minimalistic prop list for the show. The duo uses physical theatre and sp...

9Feb

By Khushboo ShahNo Comments

London

Sunday Morning – Riverside Studios

Mat, a successful, middle-aged photographer takes the audience on a heart-warming, epiphanic journey in the one-man show, Sunday Morning. Directed by Jenine Collocott and written by Nick Warren, it was performed by James Cuningham at the Riverside Studios as part of the Bitesize Festival. On learning that his girlfriend is pregnant, a stunned Mat goes for a jog in his neighbourhood to do some “thinking.” The stage with some grey blocks covered with Sunday newspaper collages turned into a neighbourhood in Johannesburg with vivid descriptions offered by Warren and skilfully articulated by Cuningham. The show was delightfully packed with Mat’s reflections on success, independence, and the uninvited role of becoming a father in his 40s. Without making Mat sound like a man-child, Warren’s...

One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

8Feb

By Paul AckroydNo Comments

North West

One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

When Ken Kesey’s debut novel was published in 1962 it was an instant hit and spawned a lauded theatrical production, one of the greatest movies of all time and countless other adaptations. It’s a brave choice then for the Garrick Ensemble to take on One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest for only their second production. A company of 18-to-30-year-old up-and-coming actors from the local area, the ensemble aims to produce a play a year on the main stage at the Altrincham Garrick Playhouse. It’s a chance to see local talent in innovative work before they proceed in their careers. This show certainly has talent in abundance but the ambition to create something fresh may have been lost in the scale and baggage of the story they’ve taken on. Photo: Martin Ogden Randle Patrick McMurphy (Joseph...

8Feb

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Ellen Kent: Carmen – Floral Pavilion

Carmen is a four-act opera by French composer Georges Bizet, first performed in Paris on 3rd March 1875 with audiences initially objecting to the wild and immoral behaviour on view. Sadly, Bizet's sudden death in June meant he did not get to see its resounding success in Vienna later that year and its subsequent international acclaim. It is now one of the most popular and frequently performed operas. Set in Seville, Spain around 1820, Carmen tells the story of the downfall of Don José (Sorin Lupu) a naïve corporal who falls head over heels in love with Carmen (Katerina Timbaliuk), a seductive, free-spirited gypsy girl. The infatuated Don José abandons his childhood sweetheart, Micaela (Alyona Kistenyova), and neglects his military duties much to the annoyance of his senior officer Zunig...