Latest Articles - Page 527 of 645

How To Survive An Apocalypse – Finborough Theatre

1Oct

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

How To Survive An Apocalypse – Finborough Theatre

"No-one wins the end of the world." This just about sums up Jordan Hall's witty and timely rom-com-drama "How To Survive An Apocalypse" which tracks a millennial couple's sudden financial collapse and how this leads them to question their smart urban lifestyle and adopt a survivalist mentality. Realising that they are not at all prepared for a natural disaster or catastrophic failure of society, they start to learn what they will need to survive. They quickly find that Jen's skills of running a lifestyle magazine and Ben's coding ability have left them remarkably lacking when it comes to survival in a potential post-apocalyptic world of no food, water or electricity. They can just about buy bottled water and tinned goods with their maxed-out credit cards, but becoming hun...

The Mountaintop – Royal Exchange, Manchester

1Oct

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

The Mountaintop – Royal Exchange, Manchester

In 2009, the Memphis born playwright Katori Hall was unable to secure a venue in the United States for her new play 'The Mountaintop'. Instead, she brought it to London, where it received huge acclaim for the portrayal of Dr Martin Luther King on the eve of his assassination in April 1968. Now Roy Alexander Weise, the new Artistic Director of the Royal Exchange, has chosen this blisteringly funny and timely play for his debut here, and launches the Autumn season with an absolutely stunning production. The difficulty Hall had with this play in the US, centres around her portrayal of Dr King; rather than the hagiographic figure of grainy newsreel footage, we see King as a fully rounded human being with all the faults and foibles that entails. He smokes constantly, is unfaithful to his wif...

Witness For the Prosecution – London County Hall

30Sep

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

London

Witness For the Prosecution – London County Hall

‘Witness For the Prosecution’ started its life as a short story called ‘Traitor Hands’. Agatha Christie herself thought the story wasn’t anything special, but her theatre producer Peter Saunders, thought he could develop the story into a courtroom drama for the stage. Christie challenged him to adapt the story into a play and he took her up on it. She dismissed his attempt but went ahead and wrote her own version which became one of her greatest achievements as a dramatist. The play received its West End debut at the Winter Garden Theatre in 1953 and the following year opened on Broadway. The setting at the London County Hall could not be bettered for its authenticity. The courtroom feel, fits perfectly with the play’s location at the Old Bailey, where the ...

Have a theatrical staycation with Sunny Side Up

30Sep

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Have a theatrical staycation with Sunny Side Up

Prolific playwright John Godber returns to Oldham from Tuesday 19th – Saturday 23rd October with his latest play, Sunny Side Up. Written, directed and starring John Godber, with Jane Thornton, from the West End hit Scary Bikers, Sunny Side Up is the hilarious and moving account of a struggling Yorkshire coast B&B and the people who run it. Join down to earth proprietors Barney, Cath and Tina as they share their stories of awkward clients, snooty relatives and eggs over easy, in this seaside feel good rollercoaster which digs into what ‘staycations’ are all about. If you’re thinking of holidaying at home this year, why not book into the Sunny Side boarding house soon? John Godber is one of Britain's most prolific playwrights, with hits including: Teechers, Bouncers, Up N Un...

Homebaked the Musical – Liverpool’s Royal Court

30Sep

By Blathine MaguireNo Comments

North West

Homebaked the Musical – Liverpool’s Royal Court

The doors of Liverpool’s much loved Royal Court Theatre are back open and tonight we witness a new show “Homebaked the Musical” which has been produced by Liverpool’s Royal Court alongside Red Ladder Theatre Company. Written by Boff Whalley, ‘Homebaked the Musical’, is a new piece of theatre based on the well-known bakery that borders Anfield and Everton. It celebrates the historic and heroic story of the Liverpool residents who fought to save their local bakery from demolition and evolves into a huge inspiring project that brings the whole community together. Boff Whalley has done a fantastic job in writing something funny, heart-warming and emotive. The music is both touching and humorous which blends perfectly into the script. I particularly enjoyed the choral sound of ‘we rise’, ...

Full casting announced for Mark Gatiss’ adaptation of A Christmas Carol

30Sep

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Full casting announced for Mark Gatiss’ adaptation of A Christmas Carol

Producer Eleanor Lloyd and Nottingham Playhouse have today announced full casting for Mark Gatiss’ brand-new adaptation of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol directed by Adam Penford. Originally scheduled to open in 2020 the production will premiere at Nottingham Playhouse on 29th October, ahead of its London premiere at Alexandra Palace on 26th November. Olivier award-winner Mark Gatiss (Sherlock, The League of Gentlemen, Doctor Who) stars as Jacob Marley in his own retelling of Dickens’ classic winter ghost story alongside Nicholas Farrell (Chariots of Fire, The Crown, The Iron Lady and 37 Days) as Scrooge; James Backway (Holes, The Taming of the Shrew, War Horse) as Fred; Angelina Chudi (Dear Elizabeth, Patricia Gets Ready (for a date with the man that used to hit her)) as Caroline; Jo...

30Sep

By Andrew LeeNo Comments

North West

Beauty and the Beast – Liverpool Empire

Beauty and the Beast is a Disney classic, a staple of their dominance in the 1990’s when it comes to animated musicals. Coupled with one of the most successful composers of the modern musical, Alan Menken, and Beauty and the Beast has a sure-fire street to success. The play is the story of Belle (Courtney Stapleton), a young girl longing to escape from her dreary everyday life and see the big wide world (you can’t fault Disney for their recycling). Along the way she is captured by a hideous Beast (Emmanuel Kojo), whose only prospect of a return to normality is to love and be loved in return, but first he must learn to leave his selfish self behind. It must be said that in this production the Beast was not all that Beastly, as he still cut a lean, attractive figure throughout. The mar...

Arthur Smith: SYD coming to Waterside Arts in Sale

29Sep

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Arthur Smith: SYD coming to Waterside Arts in Sale

Arthur Smith’s show SYD comes to Waterside Arts in Sale following highly successful season at Soho Theatre and a sell-out and critical acclaimed run at the Edinburgh Fringe. Packed with big gags, hilarious stories and poignant reflections about an ordinary man who lived through extraordinary times; Arthur, accompanied by the mellifluous Kirsty Newton tells the story of his own father. Syd Smith fought at El Alamein, became a P.O.W., and ended the war in the notorious Colditz Castle in Germany. In the 1950s PC Syd patrolled London’s South Bank and met a gallery of characters, whom he tried his best not to arrest. Arthur tells this 20th century story with laughter and song and, quoting directly from his father’s hand-written journal, he splices time, memories and m...

29Sep

By Gaurav SinghNo Comments

London

Tokyo Rose – Southwark Theatre

‘Tokyo Rose was a legend, but Iva Toguri lived.’ It’s this simple yet decisive line, delivered just before its concluding musical number, which encapsulates the interplay between the personal and the political in this extraordinary production. Tokyo Rose is a powerful testament to the life and trials endured by Iva Toguri, an American citizen of Japanese heritage, who was accused of treason by the US Government in the aftermath of the World War II. The title refers to the nickname given to the female radio broadcasters trusted with spreading Japanese propaganda to the Allied Forces and prisoners of war captured by the Axis forces. Blending Iva’s personal journey of coming to terms with the duality of her heritage and upbringing as well as a larger socio-political narrative about the fallou...

Grease the Musical – Festival Theatre Edinburgh

29Sep

By Roger JacobsNo Comments

Scotland

Grease the Musical – Festival Theatre Edinburgh

This production can be viewed two ways; a successful adaptation combining the best of the original, visceral, 1971 Chicago show and the candyfloss of the 1978 film… or something that falls between the two stools of these contrasting affairs. Undeniably it was lively, but frenetic rather than kinetic. The constant movement made for a spectacle but parts of the script, including many of the caustic, witty, one-liners, were lost in the hustle and bustle, denying the audience a glimpse of the themes so vital when Grease first made its impact. The screen greeting the audience prior to the start promised much, decorated with small black & white TV’s, transistor radios, the most modern of things back in the 50’s, both devices carrying – amidst Elvis and Westerns - the advertising that propell...