Latest Articles - Page 549 of 644

16Jul

By Gaurav SinghNo Comments

London

Lava – Bush Theatre

Lava is more than just a play about race and identity – it is about a never-ending struggle to be acknowledged. Written by Benedict Lombe, the text was originally conceptualized in 2020 as part of the Bush Theatre's Protest Series, a digital artistic response to the murder of George Floyd. A little over a year later and after a historical conviction in the legal trial, a lot has changed for the global Black community but equally, a lot has not – case in point being the England football team’s black players being subjected to racist abuse and trolling just a few days ago in the aftermath of a Euro Cup loss. Lava is not only an urgent call to acknowledge this moment in time for the Black community but a frantic imploration to recognize the world’s complicity in the past and the present. A...

15Jul

By Eugene GriffinNo Comments

London

Pippin – Charing Cross Theatre

The Charing Cross Theatre was the perfect venue for this latest revival of Pippin. Written in 1972 with Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a Book by Roger O.Hirson. The piece itself is very interesting as it follows a mystery performance group who tell the story of Pippin who longs to find something to fulfil his life. This piece can be interpreted in different and interesting ways. Director Steven Dexter has placed Pippin in a 60’s, flower power environment, where you are immediately transported to somewhere in the middle of nowhere where the performance group are. As soon as you walk into the space you are engulfed by 60’s tapestries hanging all over the theatre walls. And incense burning which further transported the audience away from London in July to somewhere in America in ...

Cabaret announces transformation of West End theatre

15Jul

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Cabaret announces transformation of West End theatre

The KIT KAT CLUB in London’s West End will open its doors on 15th November 2021 with the musical CABARET starring Oscar, Golden Globe, BAFTA, Tony and Olivier award winner Eddie Redmayne as ‘The Emcee’ and Bafta Nominee and British Independent Film award winner Jessie Buckley as ‘Sally Bowles’. • The Kit Kat Club takes over the Playhouse Theatre, transforming one of London’s most famous theatres with in-the-round auditorium and reimagined spaces. • Tickets go on priority sale at 8.00am on 19th July 2021 for both ATG TheatreCard Members and Underbelly Full Fat Members and at 12.00 noon for those who have signed up for priority booking. • There is still time to register for priority access from 12.00 noon online via www.kitkat.club • General on sale for the firs...

Mind The Gap turn A Little Space into a film

15Jul

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

NEWS

Mind The Gap turn A Little Space into a film

Mind the Gap and Gecko Theatre have turned their joint production of A Little Space into a movie that is free to view online. Set in a bleak apartment block, A Little Space follows the lives of five people exploring what happens when they connect and disconnect from each other, whether through choice or through isolation. It draws on the performers’ own experiences becoming powerful piece of physical theatre when it first toured in 2019. The cast used movement, imagery, sound, and lighting to portray the needs, desires, and fears of the characters. The two theatre companies worked with award-winning Newcastle-based Meerkat Films to bring the piece to the screen and promise that audiences can expect ‘a mash up of theatre and film’. “Streaming has come into its own thro...

15Jul

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

A Little Night Music – Leeds Playhouse

A hot July evening in West Yorkshire proved to be the perfect backdrop for a musical set at the Scandinavian midsummer, as the theatregoers of Leeds joyfully returned to a stunning adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's puckish, satirical operetta from Leeds Playhouse and Opera North. Written in 1973, during a golden period of his gilded career, 'A Little Night Music' shows Sondheim at the peak of his powers, utilising his tongue twisting lyricism and complex musicality to stunning effect, against the backdrop of a country weekend in 'fin de siecle' Sweden. Sondheim always chooses arcane subject matter around which to base his work, everything from a Seurat painting (Sunday in the Park with George) to homicidal pie making (Sweeney Todd), have been used by him as source material and 'Night Mus...

15Jul

By Donna M DayNo Comments

North West

Twice Nightly – Bombed Out Church

Twice Nightly, written, directed by and starring Maria Lovelady and Michael Alan Bailey, is a fun comedy which explores the world of variety entertainment in 1931 and the impact of film on the theatre industry. Don (Bailey) and Madge (Lovelady) are down on their luck cabaret performers who are frustrated with their underappreciative employer and not being hailed as the superstars they deserve to be. Opening with a synchronised song and dance number, both Bailey and Lovelady demonstrate excellent musical theatre skills throughout the piece. Live music is provided by musical director, Jessica Dives, with fun accordion melodies giving the piece a feeling of the 1930s music hall. A mischievous song about being criminal masterminds is surprisingly followed by the arrival of a policeman (R...

Seeking Arrangement comes to the King’s Head

14Jul

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

NEWS

Seeking Arrangement comes to the King’s Head

Whilst some questioned whether they could survive the pandemic and others wondered what to do during lockdown, Kitty Ball and Alexandra Hannant took control of their own destiny and set up Burning Brick Theatre Company, so it was a delight to catch up with them – and compatriot Phoebe Coop – to discuss their forthcoming production, Seeking Arrangement, written by Hannant, directed by Ball, and starring Coop. By day, Bolton lass Charlie struggles to make a difference as a UN intern, working to prevent the sexual exploitation and abuse of women across the world. By night, she moonlights as Sugar Baby Tamara, trading companionship and intimacy to survive in New York City. Assessing feminist ideas of ownership of the body while yielding it to a paying consumer, Seeking Arrangement follows o...

The Red Side of the Moon – St Paul’s Church

14Jul

By Paul AckroydNo Comments

London

The Red Side of the Moon – St Paul’s Church

The delightful garden of St Paul's Church (The Actors Church) is the location for this new musical written by Zoe Woodruff playing as part of Iris Theatre's summer festival. The story tells of an up-and-coming folk musician Beth (Elinor Peregrin) who, one night, plays in an unremarkable bar in unnamed provincial town where she comes across the barmaid Ellen (Kathryn Tindall) who writes songs but never performs them. Beth persuades Ellen to share some of her song book and then perform with her. This leads to a professional partnership, which in turn, develops into a personal relationship. But this is the early 2000's and gay relationships in the performing arts are frowned on and force a choice between their professional and personal lives. Kathryn Tindall wrot...

A Brief Conversation about the Inevitability of Love – Bombed Out Church

14Jul

By Donna M DayNo Comments

North West

A Brief Conversation about the Inevitability of Love – Bombed Out Church

Ian Salmon’s A Brief Conversation about the Inevitability of Love, directed by Mikee Dickinson, is a sweet romance about the almosts and what might have beens that everyone has buried in their memories. Mark (Thomas Galashan) and Cathy (Samantha Alton) are discussing their past relationships. Mark’s ex-wife Suzanne hates all of his friends, and he hates hers, while Cathy’s relationship with Philip was plagued by his serial infidelity. Both Galashan and Alton are dressed casually, with a similar colour scheme, which brings them together as characters. Cool blue light warms up to medium pink giving the play an eerie, dreamlike quality. The piece is very funny throughout with tongue in cheek humour as the characters make fun of each other. Height is cleverly used as the actors move f...

14Jul

By Gaurav SinghNo Comments

London

Final Farewell – Tara Theatre

Final Farewell is a multi-layered theatrical experience by Tara Theatre that explores grief, remembrance and mortality through six short audio stories. Each of the six stories puts us in the footsteps of those who succumbed to the pandemic, their lives remembered through the real-life memories and testimonies of those who knew them, which were then crafted by writer Sudha Bhuchar and dramatized by Tara’s creative ensemble. The audience is invited to listen to these stories and undertake an outdoor walk through the arches of Henry Prince Estate into the gardens of King George’s Park, walking past the Old Burial Ground in Garratt Lane and St. Anne’s Church. The audio walk is accompanied by an exhibition containing artefacts and items to commemorate each story, as well as a digital photo fram...