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I See Me & Meryl Streep – The Other Palace

30Apr

By Michelle KnightNo Comments

London

I See Me & Meryl Streep – The Other Palace

This show has had a successful run in Australia and is all about ‘Me’ Meryl performed by actor and comedienne Alexandra Keddie. This sixty-minute tour of her ‘obsession not really’ with Meryl Streep, showcases Keddie’s skill of impersonation. knowledge and comedic portrayal of Streep’s iconic moments from the movies. Films such as the ‘The Deer Hunter’ ‘Devil Wears Prada’ ‘Sophie’s Choice’ and many more. Diane a skit on Diane Keaton Keddie’s ‘sister’ supports her performance with music and sisterly banter. This sixteen-year-old girl for her drama teacher wanted to shine and outperform her fellow classmates with her acting skills and knowledge of Meryl Streep’s meteoric rise to fame and fortunes. Keddie ‘namesake Meryl’ is a young girl finding her way in the world, vulnerable with her ow...

Allegory of the Cave – Liverpool Improvisation Festival – Unity Theatre

30Apr

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

North West

Allegory of the Cave – Liverpool Improvisation Festival – Unity Theatre

Mythical tales re-telling the story of people’s lives is enchanting, and Allegory of the Cave excel at making the tradition of storytelling delightful in their presentation with an improvised show which also incorporates puppetry. Grandma is always good to have on hand to read these mythical tales, and in this instance, she is a G&T drinking Granny. She asks her grandchild to ask her imaginary friend what fear she had when she was a child, and of course the imaginary friend is us, the audience. Brave audience member Mark recounted his recurring bad dream of being chased by bees, and so the troupe would weave Mark’s fear of bees into the story. Photo: Andrew AB The story centres around the battle between nature and the destructive force that are humans. ...

Box of Frogs – Liverpool Improvisation Festival – Unity Theatre

30Apr

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

North West

Box of Frogs – Liverpool Improvisation Festival – Unity Theatre

This show is a fast-paced style of improvisation, for those of us who are old enough to remember ‘Whose Line Is It Anyway?’, you will get the idea of how this works. No Clive Anderson, but they do short-form gymnastics in the same way as the ‘Whose Line…’ crew. They begin by asking for suggestions from the audience, and poor Robert Wilson whoever you are, you were the choice of child that someone didn’t like at school, and they played a game of ‘Story, Story, Die!’, where three of the company must keep a story going or die, a bit like it’s a knockout improv. This is a good game to warm up the audience, as it shows off the skills of the improvisers and the speed of their reflexes. To show off their improvised music, the ensemble pulled together a song about scabies c...

30Apr

By Harry AltyNo Comments

North West

Death of a Salesman – The Lowry

Despite Arthur Miller’s classic play Death of a Salesman first debuting on stage over 75 years ago, this Trafalgar Theatre and Raw Material production at The Lowry helps to demonstrate how the themes of the piece still resonate with a modern audience. This slick interpretation boasts a stellar cast, combined with effective staging, light production and set design resulted in audiences being transported to 1940s Brooklyn. Our story focussed on the Loman family, led by patriarch Willie who is expertly portrayed by David Hayman as the titular salesman. David Hayman expertly traverses this complex role and when combined with Andy Arnold’s meticulous direction and staging, creates a seamless demonstration of a deteriorating man. The piece presents Willie as a character of duality, wit...

30Apr

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Bat Out of Hell – Sheffield Lyceum

Book, Music & Lyrics by Jim Steinman, this rock spectacular crowd pleaser directed by Jay Scheib, roars into the Sheffield Lyceum with a pulsating bass line and a sound quality that hits the heights at every perceivable moment. It could be said that this show is a hybrid – part Musical Theatre experience and part Rock concert – this new reimagined version of Bat Out of Hell feels to be moving more towards the latter, as the music is the unquestioned star of the show. Much of the dialogue has been removed from its initial conception and now only sporadically links Jim Steinman’s extensive back catalogue to form a convoluted storyline that is ‘undefined’ to say the least. But that said it doesn’t seem to matter… we can vaguely follow the plot – a cross between Peter Pan and Romeo and Jul...

Titus Andronicus – Swan Theatre, Stratford Upon Avon

30Apr

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

West Midlands

Titus Andronicus – Swan Theatre, Stratford Upon Avon

Director Max Webster arrives In Stratford to direct his first production for the Royal Shakespeare Company hot on the heels of recent critical and popular success with Macbeth at the Donmar and ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ at the National Theatre. For his debut with the company he has given us a glorious interpretation of ‘Titus Andronicus’ which, whilst sparing none of the blood and gore associated with Shakespeare’s bloody revenge tragedy, also manages to encompass the filial love at the heart of the play. The Costume Design by Joanna Scotcher places this ‘Titus’ somewhere in the present; a gorgeous grey-black palette suffuses the stage with long luxuriant coats and smart suits replacing the martial uniform of Imperial Rome. Scotcher also designed the set, the action played out o...

30Apr

By Kathryn GortonNo Comments

North West

Annie – George Lawton Hall

As someone who fell in love with Annie as a child—watching it at the cinema, singing along and knowing every line, every lyric, and every character, intimately—this reviewer came to Mossley AODS’s production with both deep affection and high expectations. A lifelong fan of the original movie version, I’m well aware that the stage musical differs in places—some of the iconic songs are swapped out, the pacing is different—but at its core, Annie remains a story rooted in resilience. Set against the backdrop of the 1930s Great Depression, Annie’s journey from a grim orphanage to the luxurious world of billionaire Oliver Warbucks is a stirring metaphor for hope amidst hardship. The character of Annie stands as a beacon of optimism in a world clouded by economic despair which is sounding like a ...

Little Gem – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

30Apr

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Little Gem – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

Given it is the size of a generous living room, the Garrick Studio has proved the perfect venue for Elaine Murphy’s wickedly funny portrayal of three generations of Dublin women navigating the chaos and camaraderie of everyday life. Little Gem, tonight under the steadfast direction of Meg Brassington, is a play that thrives through its raw emotional proximity and conversational style. Through a series of alternating monologues between the three women we are given a whistlestop tour of love, loss and resilience. With a well-planned static set and judicious use of props, the focus is solely on the three actors and the life that they breathe into Murphy’s rich (and raucous) language. And in our actresses tonight we have three uniformly strong performances. Chloe Arrowsmith, as teenag...

30Apr

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

An Inspector Calls – Bradford Alhambra

Only yards away from this historic theatre is a statue of local boy made good J B Priestley so it’s fitting that it’s a full house for this revival of his spooky masterpiece. Still a GCSE text An Inspector Calls was revived by Stephen Daldry for the National Theatre and since then Priestley’s combination of the supernatural and socialism has become a staple of the touring circuit. Posh industrialists the Birlings are having an engagement party for their self-absorbed daughter in their mansion at the turn of the last century when a mysterious police inspector arrives to ask them questions about the suicide of a young local woman. Piece by piece Inspector Goole reveals the complicity in the death of these smug people, whose only concern is for themselves, but is their inquisitor all th...

30Apr

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Ghost The Musical – Hull New Theatre

When your goosebumps get goosebumps you know you are experiencing something extraordinary. I was affected by the bloomin’ eruptions at least twice while watching Ghost the Musical at the Hull New Theatre, on Tuesday evening. I’ve been spouting off to whoever would listen that no theatre production would come close to the 1990 movie, Ghost, starring Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore in the lead roles. Well, dear reader, I was totally and utterly wrong. This production of Ghost the Musical is definitely on a par with the hit movie. The theatre was packed on the night and, as the words “Oh my love, my darling, I’ve hungered for your touch” appeared on a huge star-lit screen, I bet every audience member started mentally singing those lyrics made famous in the song Unchained Melody,...