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Hello and Goodbye – Elysium Theatre Company

27Jun

By Brian MaddenNo Comments

REVIEWS

Hello and Goodbye – Elysium Theatre Company

As I sat down on my couch and tuned into the live streamed production of ‘Hello and Goodbye’, I was quite curious about how this would play out. A television production and theatrical production are remarkably different, so trying to do both is quite a challenge. When the lights go up, we are greeted to a shabby living room that looks like it hasn’t been cleaned in years. It’s clear that whoever lives here hasn’t got a lot of money or is extremely lazy - or perhaps both? The window netting is torn and the walls are stained. One of the first things to grab my attention is the hole in the wall that appears to be in the shape of Africa. It is soon confirmed that the play is set in South Africa in the 1960s. Set designers; Caitlin Mills and Lee Ward have done a fantastic job in capturing th...

Leeds Playhouse’s James Brining talks about staging A Little Night Music with Opera North

27Jun

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Interviews

Leeds Playhouse’s James Brining talks about staging A Little Night Music with Opera North

Most people have heard the haunting Send In The Clowns but how many could say which musical it is from? Well, it’s just one of a bunch of brilliant tunes penned by Oscar and multiple Tony winner Stephen Sondheim for A Little Night Music that traces the complicated and interlocking relationships of several Swedish couples at the dawn of the twentieth century. Inspired by Bergman’s film Smiles of a Summer Night, Sondheim’s challenging score and an intelligent book by Hugh Wheeler offers genuine insights into the high and lows of human relationships. Leeds Playhouse’s Artistic Director James Brining was gearing up to direct A Little Night Music as his latest coalition with Opera North, but then the pandemic struck. Now the company including the legendary Dame Josephine Barstow are...

27Jun

By Gaurav SinghNo Comments

London

Staircase – Southwark Playhouse

Presented by Two's Company and Karl Sydow in association with Tilly Films Staircase is a revival of late English playwright Charles Dyer’s play from the late 60s that explores the relationship between an ageing gay couple who own a barber shop in Brixton, London. Set in a time when homosexuality was not fully decriminalized in the UK, the play shines a light on the various social pressures and anxieties suffered by gay couples who often had to resort to living an undercover life to stay clear of the law. Presented by Two’s Company, who are known for their revivals of texts from the previous century and staged at The Southwark Playhouse, this production is a striking glimpse into the lives of Charles and Harry as they struggle to get past personal differences, estranged family relationsh...

An Evening with Professor von Goosechaser – Brighton Fringe

26Jun

By Donna M DayNo Comments

South East

An Evening with Professor von Goosechaser – Brighton Fringe

An Evening with Professor von Goosechaser, written and performed by Adam Nightingale, is a mock lecture on the complex field of monsterology, and seeks to answer the question of whether or not the supernatural creatures plaguing the seventeenth century are real, or vicious anti-Catholic propaganda spun out by the Puritans. The esteemed Professor is accompanied by Marco (Mark “el durmiente” Nightingale) a guitarist who plays in a beautiful fingerpicking style which emphasises the medieval mood of the show. Remaining comically nonplussed throughout, Marco’s bored demeanour and minimal responses emphasise the dry humour utilised throughout the piece. The show makes wry nods to today’s world, including the presence of a plague, which the Professor says has come from demons. At the openin...

Production Images Revealed for Heathers The Musical

25Jun

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Production Images Revealed for Heathers The Musical

Greetings, salutations and welcome to the West End 2021 class of Westerberg High. Leading the cast in the highly celebrated return of Heathers the Musical in the West End is Christina Bennington (Bat Out Of Hell) in the role of high school geek Veronica Sawyer and Jordan Luke Gage (& Juliet) as the dark and moody teen, Jason “J.D.” Dean. In the eponymous roles of ‘The Heathers’ is returning cast member Jodie Steele (Six) with her critically acclaimed portrayal of ‘mega bitch’ Heather Chandler, alongside Bobbie Little (Jesus Christ Superstar) as Heather Duke and Frances Mayli McCann (Evita) as Heather McNamara. They are joined by Joaquin Pedro Valdes (Ram Sweeney), Lauren Ward (Ms. Fleming/Veronica’s Mother), Madison Swan (Martha Dunnstock), Ros...

My Son’s a Queer … but what can you do? – Turbine Theatre

25Jun

By Louise PennNo Comments

London

My Son’s a Queer … but what can you do? – Turbine Theatre

Rob Madge is putting on a Disney parade. In this heart-warming show we meet the young Robert through old videos of the productions staged in their living room. An intelligent and confident child, Madge graced the West End stage in Mary Poppins, Matilda, and Les Misérables. It is clear from the obsessive attention placed on these family shows (programmes, rehearsal schedules, that they were destined to head in front of the footlights. To pinhole this show in a particular genre would be an injustice. It is a play about expression and tolerance. It is a musical, with songs which reach out to queer children anywhere, as step by step their lyrics comment on the actor’s childhood. It is a memoir, with the grown Rob looking back on their younger self, sometimes lip-synching words, always...

25Jun

By Rebecca CaseyNo Comments

North West

Bow & Arrow: The Outlaws of Sherwood – The Black-E

I spent this evening in Sherwood Forest or in reality The Black E venue in central Liverpool. It was my first time at the venue and seeing this particular group, City Theatre, Rep Theatre Group. The promo promises a night of ‘adult comedy that will shock and make you laugh in equal measure’ and that is exactly what we got. Although there is area for improvement where the vocals and dancing are concerned the thing that would have me returning was certainly the comedy element! This was the groups rescheduled first show since covid, and I must say it was nice to see some live theatre, finally. They provided text to Seat bar service, it was a shame the audience had to be so spaced out and not many allowed in, but all the seats that had been laid out, were full. The show ra...

seven methods of killing kylie jenner – Royal Court, London

24Jun

By Gaurav SinghNo Comments

London

seven methods of killing kylie jenner – Royal Court, London

After a sold-out premiere in 2019, seven methods of killing kylie jenner returns for a limited run at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at The Royal Court. Written by Jasmine Lee-Jones and directed by Milli Bhatia, this is a stunning exploration of historical oppression and cultural appropriation through the lens of free speech, social media and identities, both lived and virtual. The title of the show alludes to a series of viral tweets posted by the handle @incognegro, run by a young Black British woman Cleo, that has caught the attention of the Twitterverse and its millions of faceless users. Confronted by online trolls and haters who are increasingly calling for her to be censored, Cleo’s only refuge is her best friend Kara whose advice only exacerbates the situation further and opens ...

Romeo & Juliet – Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

24Jun

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

London

Romeo & Juliet – Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

On a wonderfully sunny evening, the weather gods behaved themselves, and we were treated to one of Shakespeare’s best loved plays. Postponed from last year’s season, director Kimberley Sykes’ version has been eagerly anticipated, with its new viewpoint on this popular play, we ask – did this re-assessment pay off? The set designed by Naomi Dawson, with its backdrop of trees, helps to soften the harsh set of scaffolding, rocks, and earth. Earth is one of Sykes’ themes and can be seen as a symbol of nurturing growth, but earth also throws its arms around death which is a major part of the plotline. When Sykes re-read the play, she was struck by a reference to an earthquake that had happened in Verona eleven years earlier. At the time of the earthquake, the Nurse (E...

24Jun

By Donna M DayNo Comments

South East

Devil’s Food Cake – Brighton Fringe

Devil’s Food Cake, written and directed by Marcia Kelson, is a dark and emotional drama, written for online performance, which explores the bewildering and overwhelming world of anorexia and its effect on both the patient and their loved ones. The play tells the story of Sophie (Eden Vansittart) who is living with anorexia and the efforts her Mum, Jenny (Lesley Ann Jones), Dad, Frank (David Jones) and sister, Katie (Eliza Jones) are making to persuade her to eat. In their desperation they sign up for family therapy sessions with Jasmine (Caroline Salter). When the play opens Sophie’s actions seem almost reasonable as her apparently overprotective mother tries to prevent her following a plant-based diet, for the planet, and going for a run to keep healthy. It quickly becomes clear how...