Latest Articles - Page 551 of 645

8Jul

By Luke StephensonNo Comments

North West

Ellen & Rigby – Royal Court

I always get excited when I’m reviewing at the Liverpool's Royal Court Theatre because the experience is always second to none. This time was no exception. Ellen & Rigby by Gerry Linford the show synopsis is as follows “Lucky in life, unlucky in love, Ellen has been looking for a man. Now, thanks to the organisational power of the NHS, Joe Rigby has been dropped in her lap! A rock star who nearly made it in 1985, Joe has been living alone for so long that he didn’t realise that he was unhappy so it’s a good job Ellen arrived to let him know. He needs taking in hand (not like that, you dirty ticket) and Ellen is quite the catch. She was Miss Old Swan in 1991 and that kind of beauty doesn’t fade away no matter how many years are heaped on top of it. After 12 months alone, the...

Something about Simon – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

8Jul

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Something about Simon – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

“Hello darkness, my old friend” Never was a refrain such a perfect welcome to a show, as audiences slowly start to return to theatres. As the house lights go down, an unassuming figure strolls out, picks up his guitar and brings the full attention of the audience centre-stage, as he plucks out the iconic strains of ‘Sound of Silence’. In this one-man show, singer-songwriter Gary Edward Jones takes the audience on a journey through the catalogue and life story of Paul Simon, known to the majority as one half of folk megastars, Simon and Garfunkel, as well as in his own right as a solo artist. In just shy of 90 minutes, we are treated to some of the biggest songs of a generation, allowing the audience to rediscover much loved classics, as well as some hidden gems from the star troub...

7Jul

By Gemma PrinceNo Comments

London

Shoes to Fill – Iris Theatre

Part of the Iris Theatre’s Summer Festival at the Actor’s Church, Fair Play Production’s Shoes to Fill is a story of celebration, exploring mixed-race identity and the coming together of two different cultures. Written and performed by Tanya Bridgeman and directed by Alex Miller, the one-woman play mixes elements of spoken word, music, and multi-rolling in a lyrical journey of self-discovery and realisations. Despite the unfortunate weather that plagued the outdoor setting, Bridgeman was able to truly command attention with her high-energy performance as ‘Granddaughter’, a young woman struggling to find herself. Flitting between her Bajan grandmother’s memories of Barbados, her present inner conflict with her growing self-doubt and her Irish grandmother’s advice, Bridgeman’s performance...

The original play NOIR is coming to Stream.Theatre from July 23rd

6Jul

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

The original play NOIR is coming to Stream.Theatre from July 23rd

After a critically acclaimed try out production in Manchester in 2017, the original play Noir was set to return in 2020, but then the world stopped due to the pandemic. Out of wanting to keep theatre alive, actors acting and audiences enjoying, the writer/director and producers at Vertigo Theatre Productions, armed with only camera phones, gathered the cast safely in a giant warehouse to put up the production without an audience and film the show on those phones, and not just that, but film it in the style of a black and white movie. Noir is set in past New York and tells the story of Veronica Smart, a beautiful but manipulative woman who is married to a man unworthy of her love as she lives a life she never really wanted. After starting a new job at the local high school, Veronica mana...

Heathers the Musical – Theatre Royal Haymarket

6Jul

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

Heathers the Musical – Theatre Royal Haymarket

You know when you wake up the next day singing the songs that you have seen a good musical. Those little ear worms working away overnight, doing what they do best and making sure the tunes continuously occupy our minds long into the next day and beyond. A great musical connects with its audience, involves them, allows them to care about the characters they are seeing and to become invested in what is happening to them regardless of the subject matter. THAT is exactly what ‘Heathers the Musical’ does. As a result, its high energy music, and quirky, easily memorable, witty book are fast developing a cult following. Produced by Bill Kenwright and Paul Taylor-Mills, this high-octane black-comedy rock musical, based on one of the greatest cult teen films of all time, starring Winona Ryder an...

53two launch charity auction to continue their journey in supporting underserved artists & developing their accessible venue

5Jul

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

53two launch charity auction to continue their journey in supporting underserved artists & developing their accessible venue

In May, 53two opened the doors to its bar/café arts venue – a hub for creatives across Greater Manchester to meet, work and play together. At the end of June, their pop-up ‘Studio’ space was opened for theatrical and event bookings. The 60-seat studio space, designed to be a stop-gap, will house short-plays, new writing nights, intimate gigs and events until they can open their 150 seater venue early next year. Whilst they are open and functioning, they still have some way to go to make the venue as brilliant and accessible as they possibly can. For this, they’re looking to you! Manchester giants have donated auction items for you to view and bid on over the next couple of weeks. From Damon Albarn tickets at Manchester Central & Parklife Weekend VIP Passes, to Afternoon Tea i...

Spotlight on Nigel Planer – writer of All Above Board

5Jul

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

Interviews

Spotlight on Nigel Planer – writer of All Above Board

As we look forward to Nigel Planer’s new play ‘All Above Board’ coming to the stage in partnership with The Northern Comedy Theatre, we asked Nigel about playwriting, his views on comedy and where did the idea for his character Neil from ‘The Young Ones’, come from? For further details of ‘All Above Aboard’ including tour dates and booking information, follow this link to The Northern Comedy Theatre’s website - https://northerncomedytheatre.com/ Your new play ‘All Above Board’ is due to premiere in New Brighton on the 23rd August. Without giving away too much, can you give us a brief summary of the plot of the play? Well, it’s a farce, so the plot is a bit intricate, but I’ll have a go. Timothy Upton-Fell has quit the world of banking and now - for all the wrong re...

5Jul

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

REVIEWS

Idlib by Storm in the North

Idlib, from new production company Storm in the North, is a transient piece in so many ways. Written and directed by Kevin Dyer, it started as a piece of prose as a prelude for a play that morphed into a short story before becoming the script for this monologue. As a halfway step on its journey to becoming a full-length stage play, the parallel to its content couldn’t be more complete. Commissioned by Chester Bandstand, performed by Paislie Reid, and based on the story of a Syrian baker who wanted to go home and real interviews with Syrian refugees and escapees across Europe, it tells the story of a woman who has hope. There’s a normality to Reid’s delivery that is comforting and almost invites you to step into the picture she paints, but it isn’t a scene that most of us would recogn...

3Jul

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Hull & High Water – Hull Truck Theatre

Listening to the pre-show chatter of the Hull Truck Theatre audience, awaiting the start of the world premiere of Hull & High Water, made me realise just how much I have missed the live theatre atmosphere. I watched this, the third of the theatre’s socially distanced Homecomings Season monologues, online but, no doubt, I’ll be back in that cosy theatre before too long. As in the first two monologues (The Greatest Play In The History Of The World and Everything I Own), the stage setting was a tad too dark for my liking. Dim lighting and dark furniture added to the gloom. Luckily, Emmerdale actor John Middleton lit up the stage the minute he set foot on it. I warmed to him immediately. Although his character, Frank Piddock, is getting on in years, suffering from dementia and ...

3Jul

By Gaurav SinghNo Comments

London

Extinct – Theatre Royal Stratford East

As I walked through the exit doors of Theatre Royal Stratford East, two immediate thoughts struck me. First, a growing feeling of being overwhelmed (in a good way) by something I thought I knew but hadn’t fully grasped until just then. Second, a feeling of (self-conscious) irony that washed over me as I looked around for a recyclable bin to dispose of my complimentary-press-night beverage can. Unable to find one, I settled for a general use bin instead (I know, I know) and made my way home. Through this brief and exceedingly casual act that many of us probably undertake everyday without much thought, I was confronted by the central argument the show represents – human indifference in the face of a global extinction crisis. Extinct is a deeply gripping, hauntingly vivid call for action a...