Hull New Theatre Archives - Page 5 of 9

9 to 5 The Musical – The Alexandra, Birmingham

15Jun

By Robert BartleyNo Comments

West Midlands

9 to 5 The Musical – The Alexandra, Birmingham

Dolly Parton’s instantly recognisable hit “9 To 5” became the signature anthem behind the film of the same name, which kicked off the 1980s with a huge dose of female empowerment. The film’s legendary cast (Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Parton herself) made the film an instant classic still beloved today, and as is often the way these days, went on to inspire a stage musical. Though it was short-lived on Broadway, running just a few months in 2009, it has found a larger audience here in the UK, with a year-long West End run (curtailed by Covid) and two successful national tours. The uplifting and empowering musical is the latest choice for the long-running BMOS group based in Birmingham. Incredibly this is their 166th production in a history spanning nearly 140 years...

30May

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Titanic The Musical – Hull New Theatre

Within minutes of the cast of Titanic the Musical gathering on the Hull New Theatre stage, on Monday night, I was sucked into the story and found myself wondering who would live and who would die. There can’t be a soul on Earth who hasn’t heard of the 1912 tragedy involving the RMS Titanic, billed as the “unsinkable, largest moving object in the world”; so, me questioning who survives and who pops their clogs in the icy cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean, is no spoiler. At “curtain up” the quayside of Southampton bustled with tradesmen carrying their wares on to the ship, which was on its maiden voyage, heading for New York. Two such individuals ran off the stage and past us in the audience, carrying crates of oranges and cauliflowers. What a clever move - it felt as if we were act...

17May

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Rock of Ages – Hull New Theatre

“Are you ready to have your face mel-ted?” is the unusual question we in the Hull New Theatre audience were asked, on Tuesday evening, when Rock of Ages erupted on to the stage. Shouted out by the show’s narrator, Lonny Barnet (Tim Oxbrow), before I could make up my mind, yes or no, he had already moved on to other madcap musings - a theme he never wavered from throughout the ear-splitting show. I’ve enjoyed watching many a shake, rattle and roll rock band in my time, but this is the first time my bones have involuntarily rattled and rolled - so piercing and loud was the drumbeat. Even my theatre seat on Row O juddered. I kid you not. The story, set in 1987 Hollywood, centres around The Bourbon Room, a bar/club owned by Dennis Dupree (Kevin Kennedy - Curly Watts of Coronation Stre...

3May

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

The King and I – Hull New Theatre

I start this review with an apology to anyone involved with the production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The King and I, which came to Hull New Theatre on Tuesday evening. I apologise because there simply aren’t enough words in the English - or any other - language, to describe just how good it is. The King and I comes to the city following a sold-out season at the London Palladium, bringing with it the West End’s Annalene Beechey as Anna, and Broadway’s Darren Lee as the King of Siam. Before curtain up, we in the packed theatre enjoyed snippets of some of the show’s well-known tunes, played by a full-scale orchestra whose musical talents were an integral part of proceedings. We knew we would be treated to the complete versions of unforgettable tunes such as Shall We Dance?, Whi...

19Apr

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Our House – Hull New Theatre

Hull New Theatre was very well-attended on Tuesday night, in anticipation of Hessle Theatre Company’s production of Our House. I know from past experience this amateur company can produce some very professional work; and I gladly gave top marks to their versions of Shrek the Musical and Made In Dagenham. Would Our House elicit the same response from my reviewer’s pen? This award-winning West End musical featuring hit songs from the band Madness, begins with Kath Casey (Katherine Fitzgerald) informing her boyfriend (Neal Edlin) that she is pregnant. Fast forward 16 years and their boy, Joe (Connor Wilson) is at a crossroads in his young life. On the one hand he wants to make something of his life and not end up like his good-for-nothing (in his eyes) Dad; but on the other, he is...

Dada Masilo’s The Sacrifice – Hull New Theatre

8Apr

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Dada Masilo’s The Sacrifice – Hull New Theatre

Hull New Theatre was far from full on Friday evening, when the UK premiere of Dada Masilo’s The Sacrifice took to its stage. The fact it was Good Friday and potential theatregoers might have had other plans may have accounted for the empty seats. But the lengthy applause from an appreciative audience for all on stage, at the show’s end, showed that those who did take up the seats were heartily glad they made the effort. First to appear on the stage - whose backdrop of bare tree branches hardly changed throughout - were three very talented musicians playing keyboards, violin and a most unusual array of instruments that made sounds I simply cannot describe. And I don’t mean that in a negative way. Award-winning choreographer, Masilo, hails from South Africa, so she is more than q...

31Mar

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Opera North: Tosca – Hull New Theatre

It was drama from curtain up, on Thursday evening at the Hull New Theatre, when Opera North’s Tosca came to town, thrilling us with the sight of escaped political prisoner, Cesare Angelotti (a very brave Callum Thorpe), dropping from on high via a rope, on to the stage and, with split-second timing, the rope falling unattached to the floor. Phew! Aided and abetted by wonderfully atmospheric music played by the talented members of the Orchestra of Opera North, the drama never let up throughout a longish evening of opera. Angelotti’s entrance, through a beautifully decorated cupola in a family chapel, finds him in the company of his friend, artist, Mario Cavaradossi (Mykhailo Malafii), who gives him food and the key to his villa, advising him to hide in a secret chamber down a well in ...

Strictly Ballroom the Musical – Hull New Theatre

7Mar

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Strictly Ballroom the Musical – Hull New Theatre

Kevin Clifton aka "Kevin from Grimsby" got a huge cheer from theatregoers in an almost capacity Hull New Theatre, on Monday night, as he stepped on to the stage when Strictly Ballroom the Musical came to town. Never having seen even one episode of Strictly Come Dancing, the TV show in which Kevin performed and excelled, I had no idea what to expect. But I was more than pleasantly surprised. For starters, the stage setting was so cleverly designed, changing before our brains (well, mine) registered the difference. All around were what seemed like upright, sprung willow floorboards, arching over at the top with lights, in a palm-tree fashion. Sections opened and closed throughout the night, creating totally different vistas. The screen backdrop also changed from indoor scenes to out...

1Feb

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Peaky Blinders – Hull New Theatre

Period crime drama, Peaky Blinders, wowed TV audiences from 2013 to 2022. And now a Rambert Dance production of the same name, is wowing theatre audiences nationwide. On Tuesday evening, Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby came to Hull New Theatre, and from "curtain up" it was action all the way. The Peaky refers to a popular style of flat cap, and the Blinders is common slang for someone well-dressed and dapper. I spotted quite a few theatregoers sporting a Peaky and very dapper they all looked, too. The unbelievably atmospheric opening stage setting took us straight to the trenches of Flanders, during the First World War, with dramatic scenes from which emerged five young men - alive, but dead inside from the horrors they had witnessed and taken part in. Fast-forw...

<strong>The Varna International Ballet & Orchestra: Coppélia – Hull New Theatre</strong>

18Jan

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

The Varna International Ballet & Orchestra: Coppélia – Hull New Theatre

Thank you Hull New Theatre for starting your 2023 theatre programme with one of my favourite genres - ballet. Celebrating its 75th anniversary, the Varna International Ballet Company brought Coppélia to the stage, to delight and cheer us on a cold, icy night. Performing in the UK for the first time, Coppélia heralds the start of a week of ballet by this Bulgarian company, who will also perform Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and Giselle. The theatre was far from full - maybe ballet fans had opted to buy tickets for the more well-known productions there later in the week. At curtain-up, the stage backdrop looked very muted colour-wise, but it soon became obvious the hues were purposefully chosen so as not to clash with the gloriously colourful costumes worn by all and sundry on stage....