Latest Articles - Page 531 of 645

22Sep

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

The Midnight Bell – Sheffield Lyceum

It has been said that no other English author has written so accurately about sexual infatuation, embarrassment and self-illusion as Patrick Hamilton, a riveting dissector of English life up to and including the War. Hamilton’s novels are the perfect stimulus for master storyteller Matthew Bourne’s new work ‘The Midnight Bell’, which explores the transfixing tales of Soho’s bleak, darker side. A nocturnal event that follows the story of the frequenters of the 1930’s public house in Fitzroyd Square. The characters are taken from Hamilton’s various literary works including 20,000 Streets Under the Sky; Hangover Street and the works Gas Light and Rope; which were successfully made into film. The characters are thrown together in one time and place with a few added new ‘Hamiltonian’ feeling...

22Sep

By Annette NuttallNo Comments

West Midlands

Heathers the Musical – The Alexandra

After a successful run in the West End, the long-awaited Heathers the musical tour reaches Birmingham for a week. Based on the 1989 film of the same name starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater, this production had a very appreciative audience on its feet. Veronica longs to be one of the cool girls with the Heathers rather than a nobody. When she gets her wish, she realises it isn’t all she dreamed. A night with new boy “J D” means her life will never be the same as they take on the school together. This show is bright and colourful with original up-tempo songs. The subject matter however is dark and thought provoking. There are many difficult subjects covered throughout the show, bullying, homophobia, sexual assault, bulimia, and the main topic of suicide. Although serious topics...

Curtain Up – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

21Sep

By Hannah WildeNo Comments

North West

Curtain Up – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

Described on its promotional literature as “a celebratory evening of musical theatre”, Curtain Up at the Altrincham Garrick Playhouse certainly delivered this celebration in spades. As somewhat of a musical theatre aficionado, I have attended lots of musical medleys in my time – concerts, jukebox musicals, shows, and even films that are an ode to the not-so-humble, completely camp and over-the-top art form that is musical theatre. Anything that promises showtunes and jazz hands, I’ll be there. As a result, in my time I’ve witnessed musical theatre homages that really have ranged from the good, the bad, and the ugly. However, this one was definitely not the latter – Curtain Up felt like it had something special. This show marks the first full-scale production in Altrincham Garri...

21Sep

By Alison BainesNo Comments

North West

Lady In Red – The Lowry

“I've never seen you looking so lovely as you did tonight…” it begins with the Chris De Burgh song of the same title. A lady in red, enters a sparce stage; just a table with a Christmas Tree, two chairs and a suitcase, half packed on the floor. The one-woman, short play of only 45 minutes is a story exploring a woman’s struggle to break free from the chains of love. Set at Christmas time, Rose is struggling to remember where she is, how she got there, and why she’s covered in blood and pain. As she weaves through her taunted memories, she bares her struggles to us as she begins to piece together her dark and violent memories. The production is by Certain Curtain Theatre, a company with an established history of exploring the complex issues around domestic abuse. The professional tour...

21Sep

By Clare ChandlerNo Comments

North West

A Greasy Spoon – Unity Theatre

Part of Unity’s Open Call The joy of a double bill is the opportunity to see two very different works and A Greasy Spoon definitely delivered a change in tone from The Weight of Repopulating a Nation earlier. This rehearsed reading marked the first public outing for Alice Bunker-Whitney’s dark comedy. Given that this is a work in the early stages of its development, and still very much a work-in-progress it would be unfair to give it a star rating. Bunker-Whitney’s show opens with promise; Mandy and Shannon appear covered in blood and Mandy matter-of-factly observes that “this is gonna stain isn’t it?”. The show delivers laughs, but the absurd heightened reality promised by the blurb is never fully achieved, and there is a heavy reliance on dated comic conven...

20Sep

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Stayin’ Alive – Unity Theatre

Up Next is a new event series showcasing exciting new work from Merseyside performers and following the success of her previous show Heaven or Pussy, Victoria Oxley stepped up with her new musical-themed comedy Stayin’ Alive. Written by and starring Oxley, and with directorial input from Gemma Bodinetz who introduced the piece tonight, it follows the story of Maggie (Oxley) as she confronts her mental health problems and the loss of her grandmother, with support from Emma Bispham reading in other roles including Maggie’s mother, her sister Ann-Marie, and therapist Rob. Drawing on Oxley’s real-life relationship with her grandmother and her own work as a mentor for young people with mental health difficulties, this was a powerful piece of work that in its opening lines managed to blow ...

20Sep

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

A Heavenly Way to Die – Unity Theatre

Up Next is a new event series showcasing exciting new work from Merseyside performers and this piece was a rehearsed read through of Tom Kinney’s love story about being in a relationship while suffering from Harm OCD. Centred predominantly around bedroom scenes, we see the developing relationship between Violet (Angelina Cliff) and Glen (Liam Powell-Berry). All seems well but that natural initial nervousness doesn’t leave Violet, in fact she continues to feel anxious around Glen all the time. But it’s not him. It’s because she has intrusive and obsessive thoughts that she will hurt him while she sleeps. It is an interesting concept and the piece under the direction of Emma Turner was well read by Cliff and Powell-Berry with stage directions read in by Aimee Cross. With the focus on t...

The Weight of Repopulating a Nation – Unity Theatre

20Sep

By Clare ChandlerNo Comments

North West

The Weight of Repopulating a Nation – Unity Theatre

Leianna Boodaghians’ emotionally resonant exploration of her heritage, and the legacy of a forgotten genocide, began this Up Next double bill of new writing from across the city. This autobiographical performance follows Boodaghians’ own journey, as she explores her Armenian identity and uncovers a wealth of atrocities that resulted in Armenians being one of the world’s most dispersed peoples. The subject matter is incredibly hard-hitting, leading Boodaghians to question how you can relate to something so unimaginable as she shares verbatim accounts of the horrors of April 1915, when the Ottoman Empire attempted to eradicate Armenians. Boodaghians covers so much in the show, interweaving stories of her family with historical accounts and interviews. Some of these...

20Sep

By Gaurav SinghNo Comments

London

Is God Is – Royal Court Theatre

To say Aleshea Hariss’ new play is a tale of revenge would be a bit reductionist, for it wouldn’t do justice to its innate exploration of abuse and trauma through the lens of its titular character. The story follows 21-year-old twins Anaia and Racine (played by Adelayo Adedayo and Tamara Lawrance respectively) who travel across the South Western belt of the United States on a mission from ‘god’, a self-christened sobriquet for their mother who they believed was dead for the last 18 years. As kids, the twins managed to survive a gruesome fire that had not only brought their ‘god’ a life of gradual decay, but also had shaped their entire life with visible scars they carried, on their bodies and otherwise. They are now on a quest to find their father, seeking 18 year's worth of answers, justi...

18Sep

By Blathine MaguireNo Comments

North West

Shrek the Musical – Storyhouse Chester

Castaway Theatre presents Dreamworks ‘Shrek the Musical’ at The Storyhouse Theatre, Chester. Being very familiar with the movie but having never seen the show live on stage, I am privileged to have my first experience an unforgettable one from the talented youth and young adults at Castaway Theatre Company. The wholesome tale of ‘Shrek’ needs no introduction, it shares the story of our favourite green ogre on the quest of a lifetime and the storyline for this stage production is no different. Shrek (Euan Parkes) sets out to claim his swamp back from Lord Farquaad (Jake Bloem) and on the way to Duloc, he meets a new companion; Donkey (Cai Gruffudd). This duo finds themselves on a mighty adventure when Lord Farquaad insist they slay the ferocious dragon and rescue Princess Fiona (Francesc...