THEGAYUK

Category: Entertainment

  • THEATRE REVIEW | 46 Beacon, Trafalgar Studios, London

    ★★★★ | 46 Beacon

    It’s 1970 and for Robert, the air is heavy with the promise of straight, gay and even group sex as the hedonistic sixties leave behind a legacy of enhanced freedom for gay men.

    A suave and handsome British actor, Robert, has invited gauche teenage virgin, Alan, to his Boston hotel room for a drink and a chat (and hopefully an easy no-strings shag without his ‘room mate’ back in London finding out). The gin flows and it’s not just flesh that’s bared as they probe each other in more ways than one. Alan is overwhelmed, unsure of himself and his sexuality. Appearances are deceptive, though and Robert isn’t quite the carefree shagger he initially appears to be.

    This is a charming play that’s both warm and witty with plenty of wry humour and a touching message. The pace flags occasionally but picks up again. Overall it’s a resonant play touching on themes of alienation and feeling lost within the life you’ve made that I’m sure will be familiar to lots of us.

    The setting might be 47 years ago but as the saying goes: the more things change the more they stay the same. This is an incisive and fascinating glimpse of gay life that whilst humorous, I’m sure will make you wince at times as you recall your own past. Well worth 83 minutes of your time.

    46 Beacon plays at Trafalgar Studios until 29th April 2017

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Miss Nightingale, The Vaults, London

    ★★★★ | Miss Nightingale, The Vaults, London

    Miss Nightingale review
    CREDIT: Robert Workman

    The story of a chanteuse called Miss Nightingale who is caught between three men in 1940’s London during WW2 is now playing at The Vaults under Waterloo Station.

    Leaving war-ravaged Berlin behind, Maggie Brown (a very talented Tamar Broadbent) and Polish George Nowodny (an excellent Conor O’Kane) arrive in The Big Smoke with Brown’s musical talent. Almost immediately, Brown is spotted by producer Sir Frank Worthington-Blythe (Nicholas Coutu-Langmead) and is urged to start singing for her supper. She’s a hit and starts dating Tom the drummer (Niall Kerrigan). But when their relationship goes down the drain (a bit unexpectedly), Brown, now known by her stage name of Miss Nightingale, falls into the arms of Frank. But Frank and the seductive George have struck up a relationship, all of this amidst the constant threat of blackouts, bombs and The Blitz – life in London during World War II was a treacherous and at times tortuous place.

    Miss Nightingale is similar to the storyline in Cabaret where the songs are catchy and campy, however, there is the fear of the unknown, and it’s set amidst the drama and terror that is happening in the outside world. Broadbent is absolutely wonderful as the star of the show, petite yet singing with a big voice and big personality – she commands the stage. Coutu-Langdmead is just as good in his meaty role as Brown’s best confidante and Frank’s lover – though he’s got lots of emotional scars from his past that he can’t soon forget. But the actors in this show not only act, they also play the instruments! O’Kane is especially adept when he’s playing several instruments during one of Broadbent’s songs – is there nothing this man can’t do? The action (and drama) takes place in the small stage space that is The Vaults, not much space to move around but the actors do it, and class it up with their excellent performances and singing.

    I can’t recommend this show enough – it’s got everything going for it – and there’s a cosy bar for those all important pre-show and interval drinks!

    Miss Nightingale is playing at The Vaults until May 20th.

     

  • THEATRE REVIEW | 42nd Street, London

    ★★★★★ | 42nd Street, Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London

    It’s got Razzle. It’s got dazzle. It’s the tapiest and most glittering show in town. It’s 42nd Street!

    42nd Street is back in London and it played to a star-studded crowd on opening night (even the Duchess of Cambridge was there!). There were more stars in the room than in the skies, and there were more sparkles on stage than on Guy Fawkes night! 42nd Street is one of the most well-known and loved musicals of all time. Originally a 1933 film and based on a novel by Bradford Ropes, 42nd Street made it to broadway as a musical 47 years later (what took it so long?). It found it’s way to our shores in 1984, playing at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane (where it’s playing now!) and launched the career of Catherine Zeta-Jones, who was a chorus member fortunate enough to be bounced to the lead role one night when the main star and the understudy were both sick. The lead role, of wanna be musical star Peggy Sawyer, will definitely make Clare Halse, who is in this new production, a star.

    Mark Bramble, who originally wrote the book (along with Michael Stewart) directs this new production, and it’s a non-stop bacchanalia of fun! And with an amazing and flawless cast of over 50, 42nd Street has gotten better with time, even though it tells the same old time-trodden story of a young girl from a small town – Peggy Sawyer – who goes to the big city and dreams of making it big. She gets a job as a backup dancer in a new show called Pretty Lady, and the Pretty Lady in the title is Dorothy Brock (fabulously played by singer Sheena Easton). Brock is in love with Pat (Norman Bowman), who disappears off to Philadelphia. So Brock wants to follow him there, forcing the show to move to there. But Brock breaks her ankle, so after getting fired for causing Brock to break her leg, Sawyer is roped back into the show, this time as it’s lead, and she’s only got 48 hours to learn the part, to learn the dance moves, and is wooed and coddled by director Julian Marsh (Tom Lister). But it’s Billy (Stuart Neal) who really takes a liking to her. Will she be ready and rehearsed in time to open the show? Will the nerves get the best of her? I’m sure we can all figure out how it plays out – and plays out it does, much to our delight!

    But the story line pretty much takes a back seat to the musical numbers. Songs such as ‘I Only Have Eyes for you’ – beautifully sung by Easton, and ‘Lullaby of Broadway’ and ‘We’re in the Money – sung by the entire cast, are just as memorable now as when they were originally written. Act 1 moves us from the stage of the 42nd Street theatre to The Gypsy Tea Kettle Restaurant and then on to Philadelphia, while Act 2 takes us from the dressing rooms to Philadelphia train station – all realistically cleverly designed. And those dance numbers – wow! There is one amazing scene where a dozen or so female dancers are on the floor while a mirror hovers above them for the audience to see – it’s breathtaking! This cast is definitely the hardest working cast in town – from the opening number where they tap themselves to death to the finale where they all come down the amazing light-up stairs – it’s one singing sensation after another. Halse is superb (with an excellent voice) as the lead, Easton is delicious as Brock – who would’ve guessed Easton had so much acting talent, and it’s her acting stage debut! And Maggie Jones and Christopher Howell excel in their supporting roles. With excellent choreography by Randy Skinner, 42nd Street is simply a must show to see.

    42nd Street is playing at DTheatre Royal Drury Lane, London until October 14, 2017. 

     

  • THEATRE REVIEW | This Joint Is Jumpin’

    THEATRE REVIEW | This Joint Is Jumpin’

    ★★★★  | This Joint Is Jumpin’

    This Joint Is Jumping' review
    CREDIT: Darren Bell

    London seems to have gone a bit tap dancing mad. What with “42nd Street” and “An American in Paris’ it seems that you can barely enter a theatre before someone starts toe tapping. That’s no bad thing either.

    The studio theatre at The Other Palace at Victoria (The St James’ Theatre with an oddly chosen new name) is a perfect cabaret venue. It’s intimate, stylish and only lacks an evocative haze of cigarette smoke to make it feel sufficiently retro. This lively show is a tribute to Fats Waller and the joint definitely jumped more than a little with glasses and bottles rattling on the tables and feet spontaneously tapping in the audience. Tap dancing, a live band and lively banter make this a full on joyous show to see.

    It’s not so much a musical but more a jazz and tap dancing gig. There are thin links that are entertaining, funny and occasionally moving but there’s no discernible plot to link it. As well as a tribute to Waller there’s a nod to black history which adds emotional wallop. The main draw here though is the performers. Broadway star Lilias White is a mesmerising powerhouse of a pocket rocket, belting out tunes with panache and making the hairs rise on whichever part you have that rise. The tap is frenetic and loud, the songs are raucous/melodic/blasting and the men are a sight to behold. Joseph Wiggan is notable as a tap supremo with jaw dropping moves and singers Michael Mwenso and Vuyo Sotashe rock the roof off. There’s a cheeky pianist, an MC with attitude and a great backing band. It’s a tiny stage but somehow they managed to fit 11 performers on there.

    Pour yourself a gin, sit back and let the music take you over. This might be retro jazz but there’s nothing dated or tired about this show.

     

    This Joint Is Jumpin’ is playing at The Other Palace, until 15th April

  • Film REVIEW | I Am Michael

    ✭✭✭✭ | I Am Michael

    I Am Michael Review
    CREDIT:

    James Franco is very convincing as a man who renounces his homosexuality to lead a religious straight life in the film I Am Michael.

    Franco is one of Hollywood’s busiest actors. One look at his IMDB page shows an incredible 21 upcoming projects with a mix of indie and blockbuster films. He also likes to mix up his repertoire (and keep his fans guessing) by playing gay characters. He was a gay porn producer in King Cobra, and he directed and produced the 2013 controversial film Interior. Leather Bar. And now in I Am Michael, Franco has his gayest role yet.

    It’s based on the true story of Michael Glatze, who claimed he was no longer gay and became a straight pastor. But in 1999, Michael was in a gay relationship with boyfriend Bennett (Zachary Quinto) and was the editor of the successful real-life XY Magazine, while at the same time living in San Francisco – it was the ultimate gay life and gay lifestyle. But Bennett’s father has a job for him in Halifax, Canada, so they relocate there – it’s a city with not much to do, but they end up hooking up with the young good looking Tyler (Charlie Carver). But after a few panic attacks, and memories of his late father and mother, Michael starts to question his homosexuality – he starts to re-evaluate his life, loves, and takes up to reading the bible for answers, until one day he leaves it all behind for a new life.

    Shot in just 20 days in New York, on a budget of $2.5 million, I Am Michael didn’t get the proper cinema release that it deserved. It’s done the film festival circuit and it’s only now being released, on video on demand. Writer and Director Justin Kelly keeps the movie flowing, and it never once loses the faith of its subject matter. Franco superbly carries this film (though his hairstyle seems to change in every scene) and the rest of the cast excellently support him. It’s a highly recommended watch not just for it being a gay film – it’s Franco’s performance that is more than worth the watch.

    I Am Michael is out now.

     

  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Full Monty – National Tour

    ★★★ | The Full Monty – National Tour

    In this tale set in Sheffield, a group of ex-steelworkers with seemingly very little in common, other than their unemployment, band together in a get rich quick scheme, whereby they plan to rival The Chippendales by becoming strippers and giving the audience a little something extra – by going all the way. Gary, needs money as he is on the cusp of losing contact with his son, overweight Dave has a big body image problem, Horse has a rather (ahem) “small” problem and Lomper has his own secret hidden in his closet. But despite their unlikely sex symbol status, the whole community waits to see whether they really will go ahead with their scheme and whether they will go “the full monty”.

    Not to be confused with the musical version of The Full Monty, which was produced in 2000, this version is a relatively straight play, which does away with thin plot and thinner characterisations to simply link musical numbers; and instead provides a play with heart, rounded characters, a genuinely funny script and, of course, the ending that the audience were waiting for.

    Even overlooking the rather dubious Sheffield accents (you can’t fool the home crowd, you know), the production felt a little shouty at times; and the cast were broadly functional as an ensemble but never really excelled. That said, what Gary Lucy (“Eastenders”) lacked in performance, he made up for in the eye candy stakes; and Anthony Lewis gave a suitably downbeat performance as the depressed Lomper, especially during his coming out scene. But standing out from the crowd was Chris Fountain (“Hollyoaks”, “Dancing on Ice”) who really lit up the stage and outshone the rest of the cast, with a performance bursting with enthusiasm, confidence and a level of sexiness which was hotter than a steelworks smelting pot.

    The show is written by Simon Beaufoy, who wrote the original story and received an Oscar nomination for his screenplay for the film. The story of the play very closely mirrors that of the film itself, with all of the key plot points, pivotal scenes and music being extrapolated, and despite the running time of the play being approximately 40 minutes longer than the film; it generally doesn’t feel too padded out. What does come across much more in this production is the political and social commentary hidden beneath the comedy and narrative; and there is a real balance between the humour, sadness and optimism portrayed. Despite the characters initial differences, there is a genuine feeling of friendship which permeates the play, accompanied by a strong sense of family, loyalty and acceptance.

    Overall, the show remains a feel good, funny and enjoyable show, and the whoops of delight by the time the curtain (and the undergarments) fell proved it was a real crowd pleaser.

    The Full Monty is rounding off its current tour in the theatre where it had its world premiere, so don’t miss your last chance to catch up with the boys for a while. The Full Monty is playing at Sheffield Theatres until the 15th April 2017. For information and to purchase tickets visit www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk .

     

  • FILM REVIEW | My Straight Son

    ★★★★ | My Straight Son

    Diego a successful fashion photographer in Caracas has commitment phobia but the very night he is about to tell Fabrizio his Doctor boyfriend that he will move in with him after all, is the same night that Fabrizio is the victim of a vicious fatal gay bashing. It is also the same night that Armando, his estranged teenage son, turns up from Spain to stay with him for a few months whilst his mother goes to London to study for a Masters degree.

    This very melodramatic first 24 hours sets the tone for a hectic story packed full of characters that deliberately sets out to tug at your heartstrings for the next two hours. Father and son are like strangers and must learn how to adapt to each other. Armando to the unknown homosexual world of a father grieving for his partner that he had never met, and Diego to the closed attitude of his adolescent son.

    Added to the mix are both Diego’s own parents and Fabrizio’s too who are completely homophobic and are obsessed with watching Venezuela’s most popular TV Chat Show with its buxom bigoted host who loves to stir up fear of the unknown with her inflammatory remarks. Plus Diego’s female assistant/friend that keeps going back to her abusive boyfriend who beats her up most days, and the penniless transsexual choreographer who has to subsidise her modern dance troupe by still doing her lip-syncing drag act at a gay club at night to pay the rent. Between them all director/writer Miguel Ferrari insures that he covers the whole gamut of social issues from gay parenting and partners rights to gender identity.

    Despite its (too) many layers and all its plot complications there is something very compelling about the unraveling of the relationship between the father and son that ensures our investment in watching to the end to see how its all going to turn out. Maybe it’s the sonorous tones of the orchestra’s lush string section that pervades the dramatic soundtrack, or just seeing a cute nervous Armando mastering the art of the Tango so that he can win the heart of his new Internet girlfriend?

    It’s sweet and funny and immensely moving with some very fine performances from this handsome and talented cast, plus there is more than a hint of Almodovar about the whole thing. The movie has been wowing audiences already and in Spain it won the Best Foreign Picture Goya (their Oscars) when it still had the original and much better title of ‘Azul y No Tan Rosa’ which literally translates into ‘Blue, and Not So Pink’, and it should do just as well as here even with its newer clumsier title.

    Highly recommended.

  • THEATRE | Adam & Eve and Steve

    What is Adam & Eve and Steve about?

    Adam_and_Steve_2

    Adam & Eve… and Steve is a brand new five-star musical farce set in a newly created paradise, the Garden of Eden. The basis of every love story, every romantic ballad, and every sentimental poem ever written is man meets woman, they disagree, they resolve their differences, they fall in love.   But…..

    Adam & Eve… and Steve  is the story of the first couple up to a point…everything in the Garden is going according to God’s plan until the pesky Beelzebub adds the hunky Steve into the mix.  Fun, mischief and mayhem ensues as Adam & Eve compete for Steve’s affections and God tries to impose some order on the chaotic love tangle that ensues.

     Adam & Eve…and Steve won Best New Musical at the Hollywood Fringe 2015 and comes to London after a highly acclaimed run at the Edinburgh Fringe 2016

     Dale Adams (Steve) trained at the Arts Ed, London. His stage appearances include Prince Charming in Cinderella and Frankie Valli in Oh What a Night! He has also appeared at Glyndebourne and was in the ensemble for the Olivier Awards.

     Michael Christopher (God) played Sir Thomas Moore in Robert Bolt’s A Man For All Seasons and Monk Tetzel in John Osborne’s Luther.

     Hayley Hampson (Eve) trained at Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts and her credits include: Blue Girl in Shout! The Mod Musical; Faryl in Golden Oldies; Daisy in Pharaoh Cross the Mersey; and Sophie in Departure Lounge.

     Stephen McGlynn (Beelzebub) has appeared in the West End in Mary Poppins, Mamma Mia (original cast), Les Miserables, Witches of Eastwick, and State Fair. He has also appeared in Romeo and Juliet, It’s A Wonderful Life, Hairspray, Macbeth, Beauty and the Beast and Evita.

     Joseph Robinson (Adam) trained at The Guildford School of Acting and this is his professional debut.

     Adam and Eve… and Steve is directed and choreographed by Francesca Goodridge. Francesca Trained at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts. She has worked as an actor, singer and director. Her directing credits include Shout! The Mod Musical at LIPA, Edinburgh Festival and Liverpool’s Royal Court Theatre.

     The book and lyrics are by Chandler Warren, a noted US entertainment lawyer, producer and writer. Warren has written extensively for television and theatre, as well as penning numerous books and articles. He has also produced movies, for television and theatre productions, both on and off Broadway.

     The original music is composed by Wayne Moore, whose previous original works include; There’s No Place Like Hollywood (Stella Adler Theatre), Freeway Dreams (The Gardenia), I Know I Came In Here For Something and The Real Desperate Housewives (Taconic Playhouse, New York).

     Musical direction is by Dean Austin, whose extensive credits include Allegro at Southwark Playhouse, Zorro at the Garrick, as well as TV appearances on Jonathan Ross, Royal Variety Show and Paul O’Grady.  Set and Costume designer is Roberta McKeown, whose credits include Shout! The Mod Musical.   Roberta was Wardrobe Assistant for the UK tour of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, and the UK tour of Jeeves and Wooster and for Disney’s The Lion King.

     Lighting is by Richard Williamson, production manager for C Venues at the Edinburgh Festival; his many credits include Easter Rising at the Jermyn, Richard lll at Stratford, and Play Size at Young Vic.   Sound Design is by Django Holder who graduated from The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts in 2016 with a BA (Hons) in Sound Technology.  This is his professional debut.

    The King’s Head Theatre is London’s first and foremost pub theatre and is led by Artistic Director, Adam Spreadbury-Maher. New writing, revivals, musicals, opera, cabaret and queer work sit side by side in an unashamedly eclectic programme of work. Thanks to an in-house agreement with Equity, we’re leading the way when it comes to ethical employment on the fringe whilst our resident trainee director’s scheme continues to provide comprehensive, vocational training to the rising stars of tomorrow. With high profile co-productions, national touring and transfers to and from the biggest arts festivals in the world, we’re certainly not slowing down!

    What theatre is Adam & Eve and Steve on?

    Venue: King’s Head Theatre, 115 Upper Street, London, N1 1QN

    What dates does Adam & Eve and Steve run?

    Tuesday 21st March – Saturday 29th April 2017 

    Times: Tuesday – Friday @  8.40pm: Saturday @  3pm &  8.40pm: Sunday @ 5pm

  • FILM REVIEW | The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story Of Aaron Swartz

    ★★★★★ | The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story Of Aaron Swartz

    This is the story of a charming and selfless information prodigy that strived to use his talent to make this a freer and better world for which he ended up paying for with his life.

    Aaron Swartz was born in Chicago, the middle son, of successful middle-class Jewish parents. Inquisitive from birth, he taught himself to read by the age of three and by the time he reached High School he despaired of his teachers who he complained taught him less than he could read up in an hour. At 13 he won a competition for young people who created non-commercial websites for which the prize included a trip to M.I.T. From then on, there was no looking back for him.

    From there the young genius played a major part in the development of the basic Internet protocol RSS and also co-founded Reddit which became the most popular social news website in the world. His work brought fame in the online communities and also wealth (when Reddit was sold) but this affable young man couldn’t have been less interested in either. What did excite him was social justice and political organising that focused on working to free up inaccessible information online that he believed belonged in the public domain and should be available to all without charge. It was what would prove to be his undoing in time.

    Without Swartz’s involvement it is most unlikely that the Stop Online Piracy Act would have been defeated in Congress, but when he set about copying almost 5 million academic articles from JSTOR (Journal Storage) Database at M.I.T. events did not go his way. Swartz maintained that as these articles had been financed from public funds they should be freely available. When he was caught, JSTOR chose not press any charges but the Federal Government did and very aggressively pursued Swartz and indicted him with a total of 13 felonies. To its shame, M.I.T. just stood on sidelines and did nothing.

    The beauty of Brian Knappenberger’s rather wonderful documentary of this extraordinary young man is that he makes a concerted effort to show not only why the online community was in awe of his seemingly unlimited talent, but by including his very supportive and proud family and friends, he showed what an exceptionally nice person Swartz was too. This very unassuming man was magnanimous and both reserved and quiet but he seemed to blossom as more people called on him to help. He was a passionate thinker who used the same logical approach he employed when programming also in how tackled any social injustice he came across.

    Why he took his own life is never really explained in the movie, but what is very clear from listening to all the evidence is that was a wasted life cut short. However his memory just doesn’t live on with his loved ones, and with the online community who are in awe of all his inventions and achievements. In 2013, a Bill was introduced to finally reform the ambiguous and outdated Anti-Hacking Law that the Government used so mercilessly against him. The Bill is called Aaron’s Law, as well it should be.

    Unmissable.

    Available on Netflix

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Adam and Eve and Steve, Kings Head Theatre, London

    ★★★ | Adam and Eve and Steve, Kings Head Theatre, London

    Adam and Steve theatre review, kings head
    It’s not Adam and Eve but Adam and Eve and Steve (plus the Devil) at The Kings Head Theatre.

    A musical version of the biblical story that we all know and love so well is just what we need in this time of Brexit and Trump. But in this story Steve (Dale Adams), and not Eve, is accidentally created by God (the voice and later the body of Michael Christopher) – thanks to Beelzebub – the Devil (played to camp perfection by Stephen McGlynn). But Adam (an innocent looking Joseph Robinson) thinks that Steve is actually Eve, but then God waves his magic wand and creates the real Eve (a sexy Hayley Hampson) and it all becomes very confusing for Adam. Beelzebub tempts them all to take a bite of, as he calls it, the pom (a/k/a apple) against God’s wishes. But Steve wants to be with Adam, and Eve wants to be with Adam, and Adam is confused, and what does Beelzebub (and the mostly gay audience) want?

    For Adam and Steve to hook up, and, of course, Beelzebub (and us) wants everyone to sin! Set to a sinfully silly musical score (‘I want to shop for furniture’ was one of the most memorable tunes) and tons of references to the existing world (Uber, Ikea, gluten free), with lots of skin on show, Adam and Eve and Steve won’t change your life but it will make you forget all about the outside world for a luckily brief 75 minutes.

    Adam and Eve at the kings head

    Adam and Eve and Steve Plays at the Kings Head Theatre until 29th April 2017

     

  • Mila Jam releases beautiful video celebrating just how diverse our community is

    Transgender star Mila Jam has just released an emotional music video which shows just how gorgeous we all are.

    The powerful video features a “rainbow” of LGBT+ faces and TV stars, Tituss Burgess, Laverne Cox and Candis Cayne.

     

    Gorgeous, just gorgeous.

    You can download the single here