Friday, December 5

Tag: Rob Howell

Matilda The Musical – Liverpool Empire
North West

Matilda The Musical – Liverpool Empire

Roald Dahl’s classic Matilda, turned into a musical by scriptwriter Dennis Kelly and Songwriter Tim Minchin, arrived at the Empire this week to great applause from the Liverpool audience. This nostalgic journey back into a well-known children’s book was a fun filled and laugh out loud exploration of the story. Many may have seen the film version out in 2022 and the hype around this musical continues. Having spent over a decade in London, this touring production offers the rest of the UK the opportunity to delve into Matilda’s world. And no wonder it has proved so popular, the show is a gift where theatrics and cinematography combine and you’ll be questioning – how did they do that effect? The main cast are child actors, and all are incredible, showcasing their multi-talents and maki...
North by Northwest – Liverpool Playhouse
North West

North by Northwest – Liverpool Playhouse

Billed as a ‘theatre legend’ in the production’s accompanying notes, celebrated director Emma Rice’s adaptation of this Hitchcock classic for the stage is sumptuous and visually arresting but sadly more style over substance with its lack of storyline. It would be strange would it not, poses The Professor (Katy Owen) who narrates much of the evening’s proceedings, if in a city of seven million people, one man was never mistaken for another. And in a flash we are transported to the bright lights of the big city – New York – in 1959, where we meet reluctant hero Roger Thornhill (Ewan Wardrop), whose mistimed phone call to his mother lands him smack bang in the middle of a Cold War conspiracy. Now he’s on the run dodging spies and airplanes as he tries to evade the clutches of villain Phill...
RSC’s Multi-Award winning Matilda The Musical to begin Major New Tour of UK & Ireland in October 2025
NEWS

RSC’s Multi-Award winning Matilda The Musical to begin Major New Tour of UK & Ireland in October 2025

It was announced today (8th October 2024) that the Royal Shakespeare Company’s smash hit production of Matilda The Musical, based on Roald Dahl’s beloved book, will embark on its second major tour of the UK and Ireland in October 2025. The internationally renowned musical - which continues to play to packed houses in the West End at the Cambridge Theatre and has been seen by 12 million people across 100 cities around the world – will begin performances in Leicester on 6th October 2025. The show will celebrate its 15-year anniversary when it opens at Curve, Leicester in October 2025, before travelling to Bradford, Liverpool, Plymouth, Sunderland, Edinburgh and Manchester where it will run through March and April of 2026.  Further tour dates will be announced next year. Priorit...
Juno and the Paycock – Gielgud Theatre
London

Juno and the Paycock – Gielgud Theatre

Juno and the Paycock is widely regarded as Sean O'Caseys's theatrical masterpiece.  Set during the Irish Civil War in 1922 the first act starts almost as a melodrama with  " Captain" Jack Boyle( Mark Rylance) and his dissolute companion "Joxer" Daly (Paul Hilton) indulging in drunken excess and an attempting to avoid all forms of work while dodging the wrath of  Juno Boyle (J.Smith-Cameron), the redoubtable female head of the household. The impoverished family’s fortunes seem to take a dramatic turn for the better when they are informed that Jack Boyle has received a large inheritance from a relative.  As the second act opens, we see them in the same rundown dwelling, but now bedecked with new expensive furnishings and the family wearing new clothes for which they ha...
Present Laughter – National Theatre Live: The Old Vic
REVIEWS

Present Laughter – National Theatre Live: The Old Vic

Filmed live during its sell-out run at The Old Vic in 2018, director Matthew Warchus’ multi-award winning production of Noël Coward‘s provocative 1943 comedy delightfully returns to the big screen, as it depicts a few days in the life of the successful and self-obsessed light comedy actor Garry Essendine (Andrew Scott) as he prepares to travel for a touring commitment in Africa. Amid a series of events bordering on farce and with the support of a knowing valet Fred (Joshua Hill) and a housekeeper Miss Erikson (Liza Sadovy), he has to placate both his long-suffering secretary Monica (Sophie Thompson) and his wife Liz (Indira Varma) who form part of his inner circle along with Morris (Abdul Salis) and Helen (Suzie Toase), whilst in this updated gender swap version, also fighting off the a...
Lungs – The Old Vic: In Camera
London

Lungs – The Old Vic: In Camera

On a deserted Old Vic stage Claire Foy and Matt Smith give us a fly on the wall insight into their character’s turbulent relationship. Yes, I did say they are standing on a stage, a sight that warms the cockles as the theatre going public have been starved of their beloved live theatre, The Old Vic have given us a chance to submerge ourselves in this tsunami of emotional drama. Due to social distancing requirements, the set is minimalistic and has been painted a dark grey and the designer Rob Howell appears to have co-ordinated the couple’s wardrobe to blend in. The show is directed by Matthew Warchus and is broadcast via good old Zoom which splits the two so that they can be brought together on screen without being too close to each other on stage. This works well with this production ...