Ripper Archives - North West End UK

21Aug

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

Ripper – Hill Street Theatre

Reconnect Theatres brings back its grizzly rock-musical for a second time at the Fringe. Based on the infamous murderer Jack the Ripper, we watch police officer Frederick Abberline (played by Stephen Kerr) tackle the seemingly unsolvable trail of gruesome murders. Right off the bat, I was hit with chills – Kerr’s vocals are astounding - in fact the whole cast’s vocals are astounding - truly a spectacularly talented lot. The rock style was perfectly suited to the two leads. Our ripper is played by Alex Lyne who brings a suave, dogmatic feel to the character – so charming you almost forget he is the villain - or is he?... Being such a small cast, some of the bigger numbers of the musicals are difficult to tackle – with no ensemble to fill the stage certain numbers...

RIPPER – C-Arts Aquila Temple

It's 1888 and the infamous killer Jack The Ripper is plaguing the streets of White Chapel murdering ladies of the night and harvesting their organs, and with no clue as to who jack is a local female journalist has decided to investigate the murders herself. After coming face to face with the killer she embarks on a dangerous game of cat and mouse and begins to question how far she will go to get the scoop. The history of Jack the Ripper has always been an area of interest for many people, so there is always a certain risk when it comes to giving the killer a face and dramatizing the gruesome murders. Ripper takes a new route with the story, giving Jack a face and personality yet still managing to skilfully keep his identity hidden and establish the fact that no one truly knew who ja...

Ripper – Hill Street Theatre

A small ‘black box’ theatre venue with a pronounced AC thrum and uncomfortable chairs does not auger well for this brand new musical by Pete Sneddon. However, once the action started I am pleasantly surprised, both by the quality of the acting, the script and the music accompanying this pacy rock opera, directed efficiently by Mark Jeary-Fairbairn. It just goes to show what can be produced on a tight budget, with enough commitment and talented actors. A few tweaks of the lighting set up would improve the audience experience, with bright LEDs behind the stage area causing some unnecessary glare issues, particularly for the front row. That having been said, John Christopher is excellent in the lead role, which requires real commitment and attack from the very start, and which he...