THEGAYUK

Category: Entertainment

  • FILM REVIEW | By the Grace of God

    FILM REVIEW | By the Grace of God

    ★★★★ | By the Grace of God

    Francois Ozon is back at the top of his game in his new film By the Grace of God.

    Ozon, director of some very unique and unusual films such as 8 Women, Swimming Pool, and The New Girlfriend, takes a turn towards fact in a film about the Catholic Church abuse scandal, a true story where three men publicly come out to tell their story about being sexually abused by the same priest when they were very young.

    In this French film, Melvil Poupaud, who was amazing in Laurence Anyways, plays Alexandre Guérin, married wth children, yet he’s got something in his past that keeps haunting him – the time when he was young and was molested by Father Bernard Preynat (played by Bernard Verley). When he learns that Father Preynat is stil working with children, and not wanting to be on his seeking out justice – he finds two more victims – Francois (Denis Menochet) and Emmanuel (Swann Arlaud), and among them they band together. They form an organization and publicize it, and more victims come forward. But with this brings memories of the past, memories that some of the men can’t get over, but Father Preynat must pay for his sins, and the men won’t stop until Preynat is jailed.

    Ozon, who also wrote the film, has chosen the right actors to play the victims. They are all very good but especially Poupaud who carries this heavy burden with him while managing to be a good husband and father to his children without concealing his emotional scars. Like ‘Spotlight,’ the 2015 Best Picture winner which told a similar story from journalists perspective, By the Grace of God is more effective because it tells the story from the victims perspective and how a man they, and their parents, trusted, could do something as horrific, evil and criminal to them at such a young age – it’s a crime.

    Believe it or not, the real Father Preynat is still alive, has never served time for his crimes, and the only punishment he has so far received is to be defrocked by the Archdiocese of Lyon. Shocking.

    By the Grace of God In cinemas and on Curzon Home Cinema on 25th October.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Ian McKellen On Stage, London

    THEATRE REVIEW | Ian McKellen On Stage, London

    ★★★★★ | Ian McKellen On Stage, Harold Pinter Theatre, London

    “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.”

    This is a famous quote from Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare, and it can also be applied to Sir Ian McKellen, and his performance in his one-man show ‘Ian McKellen On Stage,’ a show that is both very entertaining, engaging, brilliant and great!

    McKellen has been touring this solo show all over the UK – 80 theatres for his 80th birthday, and now 80 performances at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London.

    And I strongly encourage you to go – do whatever you can to get a ticket. It is a tour de force performance, so unlike anything I’ve ever seen in live theatre. And it’s rare to see someone of his calibre, celebrity, candor, wit and knowledge on a West End Stage.

    McKellen takes us through his life during this show, which includes his work in both film (especially Lord of The Rings where he famously played Gandalf) and theatre, working with legends any actor can only dream of working with (Laurence Olivier). There is also a huge suitcase on stage, a suitcase littered with stickers of theatres where he has performed this very same show (The Space in the Isle of Dogs, the Young Vic, Theatre Royal Stratford East, Leicester Curve Studio… the list goes on and on). But in this suitcase are books by William Shakespeare, and McKellen gets the audience involved by asking them to call out the names of any Shakespeare book, which McKellen plucks out of the suitcase and proceeds to tell a story about said book, until all the books have been talked about – pure genius.

    Ian McKellen on Stage is what I suspect is the real Ian Mckellen off stage; genuinely warm, friendly, self-assured and confident and making you feel this way too, and by the end of the night he makes the audience feel that they were let in on his life, with some secrets told, and some gossip about other famous people, and opening up his life to us in a way no other performer (that I know of) has ever done. And we feel that we want to share our lives with him at some point as well. Ian (yes I feel comfortable enough to call him Ian) collects money in the lobby after the show for theatre charities (proceeds from this show also goes to theatre charities).

    Taking this show to 80 theatres around the country was an 80th birthday present to himself – it is also a birthday gift to us and is a once in a lifetime experience for us as well.

    Ian McKellen On Stage, is at the Harold Pinter Theatre until 5th January 2020, Book now

  • THEATRE REVIEW | On Your Feet – National Tour

    THEATRE REVIEW | On Your Feet – National Tour

    ★★★ | On Your Feet, Sheffield

    (C) PR SUPPLIED

    Tracing her rise from Cuban immigrant to global superstar, On Your Feet tells the story of Gloria Estafan and the Miami Sound Machine.

    From humble beginnings, the group went on to sell over 100 million records, albeit not without struggling to bring their fusion of Latin beats and Pop to the charts. But the American dream turns sour when at the height of her fame, tragedy hits the family.

    You might think that Gloria Estafan’s life was not really eventful enough to carry the narrative of a two-hour show, and, well, you may be right.

    There is very little in this musical biopic that hasn’t been seen before. The show feels a little self-indulgent at times, only ever skimming the surface of Estafan’s life and there are no huge revelations. The story ambles along without really getting very far in act one; and despite the narrative thickening out a little during act two, it remains a rather superficial look at her life.

    Narrative aside and despite a rather lacklustre set, this is a big production with a quality feel, an excellent lighting design taking us from the heat of the Cuban sun to packed out stadiums, some stunningly beautiful costumes, a stage full of actors and a superb live band on stage. Francesca Lara Gordon plays Gloria Estafan as a sassy, headstrong and determined woman, and had a voice enabling her to belt out the pop tunes and softly sing the slower numbers; and there was a tangible chemistry between her and George Ioannides as Emilio Estafan.

    With a good mix of ballads, upbeat pop and Latin American music, the show bursts into life during the musical numbers which are filled with passion and energy. With infectious Latin rhythms and dance routines that positively sizzle, outstanding choreography and an ensemble cast as hot as the Miami sun, the show really does impress during these moments and proves to be utterly irresistible.

    On Your Feet is a musical biopic with the emphasis firmly on the music rather than the biopic, and provides a couple of hours of foot-tapping, feel-good fun.

    On Your feet is at Sheffield Theatres until 19th October 2019, before continuing on its national tour.

  • FILM REVIEW | All Male, All Nude: Johnsons

    FILM REVIEW | All Male, All Nude: Johnsons

    ★★★★ | All Male, All Nude: Johnsons

    Step into the sexy world of male strippers in the new titillating documentary All Male, All Nude: Johnsons

    Johnsons is not the name of one of the strippers – it’s the name of a male strip club in Fort Lauderdale. Well not actually Fort Lauderdale but a community within called Wilton Manors – Americas second gayest city per capita.

    In a follow up to the popular 2017 feature documentary ‘All Male, All Nude,’ director Gerald McCullouch introduces us to the all too hot, sexy, and young male strippers of all nationalities at Johnson’s.

    Owned by Matt Colunga, an award-winning bodybuilder who has been in the male entertainment industry for 23 years, we see that Johnson’s is the perfect place to work if you want to be a male stripper. The strippers can make as much as $500 on a good night – and perhaps even more if they go to the ‘private’ rooms with a customer. But everything here is on the up-and-up, no risqué business takes place here, where Matt really cares for his strippers, even to a point to make them take a breath test before they leave the club after their shifts.

    We meet the adorable hot and sexy Alexander, 26, who spends his days dressed as Spider-Man creating fun for children at kids parties and then spends his nights stripping down to his G-String for gay men, and others including one young man who decided to become a cosmetologist when he decided he did not want to strip anymore.

    Also, there are single fathers and young men putting themselves through college with their stripping income, to entertainers in the adult film world – all sorts of men who are working hard for the money. While the focus in the documentary is not on the customers, it’s them who keep this place going, and packed most nights.

    ‘All Male, All Nude: Johnsons’ is exactly what it says on the tin – it’s sexy, nude and all-male!:)

    On DVD & VOD

  • Concert Review: Cheer up with Cher on her Here We Go Again Tour

    Concert Review: Cheer up with Cher on her Here We Go Again Tour

    With the ticket price of live music events becoming ever more expensive and the options of places to see the more prominent names performing, requiring more travel, you have to redefine your attitude when it comes to going to a gig. Rather than make it the sole purpose of your trip away, if you combine it with comfortable travel (Eurostar), and a convenient place to stay, the whole adventure feels much more like a short holiday rather than a quick dash to get a music fix.

    And that’s how I found myself checking in to The Crowne Plaza in Antwerp, a plush four-star hotel only a direct and convenient 25

    -minute tram ride away from my musical destination and an appointment to see none other than Cher! The Crowne Plaza hotel was modern and functional,  perfect for my overnight stay and catering for short-haul travellers, such as myself, high-flying business executives, and everyone in between.

    I was never a massive fan of Cher, but she has had such a long and varied, not to mention successful highly career, so much so that the word icon feels justified in her case, that I thought I should experience her show at least once. So I snapped up a 9th-row ticket, booked the hotel, hopped on a tram, and here I was.

    Someone like Cher doesn’t just play a gig, she brings a show to town, and then some, and for someone coming to her show afresh and open-minded, as it were, she made a convert out of me with ease. Keeping an audience in the palm of your hand for two hours is not an easy thing to do but this is Cher’s world, she is the mistress of all that she surveys and the wonderful between-song anecdotes (old people love to talk,) the constant costume changes, her larger than life personality and a set of fantastic songs meant that the time flew by.

    It was a very theatrical show, hints of Vegas abounded, and she still knows how to belt out a tune, no lip-synching or technological cheats here, but all the time I found myself thinking, “I wonder if I will still look this great in heels when I’m 73!” And if the songs took us back through her career, the nostalgic costume changes underlined just how long a career she has had. We travelled back to her formative years, the Sonny and Cher era, right through to the here and now, Cher displaying an incredible ability to turn back time, pun intended, whilst putting on a very contemporary show.

    One surprise came with her rendition of ABBA hits challenging the already dancing queens of Antwerp to up their game. By this point, the show had gone beyond merely an average gig and had turned into the hottest gay party in Western Europe that night!

    We partied, and then we parted, me back to the comfort of my hotel, her to set the next town alight with her show as her tour continued across Europe and on to the UK. You should try new things; it’s what living is all about. And although I may have wandered into the arena with an open mind about Cher, I certainly left as a bit of a fan.

    Cher performs at the O2 in London and across the UK and Europe on several dates in October/November 2019.

    Written By: Ray Si – Proud Member of IGLTA

  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Woman in Black – National Tour

    ★★★★ | The Woman in Black

    (C) PR SUPPLIED / FORTUNE

    Set in an old theatre in the late 1950s, a solicitor, Arthur Kipps, enlists the assistance of a young actor to tell his story. His tale revolves around a terrifying incident when he was younger, when he travelled to Eel Marsh House to settle the estate of a long-standing deceased client. Alone in his client’s mansion, he is plagued by the sound of a pony and trap, an unexplained banging noise and a door which appears to be locked from the inside. What secrets does the estate hold? And who is the woman in black he keeps seeing?

    This effective ghost story is beautifully crafted and uses simple techniques to create a very taught atmosphere. The lighting design, in particular, was incredibly well done – who would have thought that a dark stage with just a door highlighted would draw worried mumblings from those around you? The production slowly cranks up the tension, drawing you to the edge of your seat and then throwing you back into it with some effective jump scares.

    The narrative of the show remains faithful to the original novel, and the production avoids spoon-feeding you the story, leaving you to create your own horrors in your imagination. The set, staging and props were remarkably effective in their simplicity and created an atmosphere where you held your breath with the central character as he explored the darkness; and the way in which the audience is manipulated via the events unfolding on stage is testament to the quality of writing behind the show and the impressive performances of the two actors, Robert Goodale and Daniel Easton.

    The Woman In Black is well-crafted fireside ghost story which proves that there is more to what is unseen than what is seen. This show is a chilling pre-Halloween treat and a perfect way to spend a dark, stormy winter evening.

    The Woman In Black is currently at Sheffield Theatres until 12th October 2019 before continuing on its national tour and is also playing in the West End.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | tick, tick…BOOM, Penge

    THEATRE REVIEW | tick, tick…BOOM, Penge

    ★★★★ | tick, tick…BOOM, Penge

    Jonathan Larson, the genius behind Rent – perhaps one of the greatest musicals of all time – created a show about his struggle with getting a show produced before Rent – the show is ‘tick tick…BOOM’ – and it is now playing at the Bridge House Theatre in SE20 – Penge.

    Larson, who died sadly and unexpectedly of an aortic aneurysm in January, 1996 – a few weeks before Rent‘s world premiere – at the age of 35 – was very talented, and as the Writer, Composer and Lyricist of tick tick…BOOM his extreme talent was just starting to bloom when he died.

    But tick, tick…BOOM is actually what turns out to be a celebration of his life – telling the story of Jon (a very good Alex Lodge) getting ready to turn 30 and still waiting tables for a living but soon to workshop a show he has written called Superbia.

    He’s besotted with his girlfriend Susan (a good Georgie Ashford) and is not very jealous of his rich gay best friend Michael (James Hume), who seems to have it all but in all actuality does not. So tick, tick…BOOM takes us through the trials and tribulations of Jon’s struggle with the upcoming workshop, and his relationships with his girlfriend and best friend.

    Songs in this show, including ‘Therapy’ and the opening number ’30/90′ pre-tell the songwriting style of Larson and what was to come in the masterpiece that was Rent. If you, like me, are a fan of Rent and have never seen tick, tick….BOOM, it’s worth the journey to Penge to see this show (the theatre is conveniently located next to Penge East overground train station).

    If you’ve never seen Rent, then this show is also worth a watch as the story is relevant to pretty much all of us as we struggled to become successful in our first jobs. And the cast is all wonderful, and Lodge is just about perfect as Jon, with a glimmer of a sparkle in his eye that tells us the real Jon knew he had a gift.

    The show was first performed Off-Off-Broadway in September 1990 by Jonathan Larson in a workshop at the Second Stage Theatre under the title ‘Boho Days.’ It originally premiered in London with Neil Patrick Harris as Jon at the Menier Chocolate Factory and ran for three months.

    This production ends on October 27th, so book now.

  • FILM REVIEW | Judy

    FILM REVIEW | Judy

    ★★★★ | Judy

    Renee Zelwegger is electric as the late, great Judy Garland in the new film Judy.

    Judy is a semi-biographical account of her time in London in winter 1968 where she performed a five-week sold-out show at the venue that was called ‘Talk of the Town.’ The film also traces her life when she became very famous for the film Wizard of Oz, and how it affected not only her career, but also her well-being, her relationships with men, and her overall sanity.

    It’s 1968, and it appears Garland doesn’t have two pennies to rub together (hard to believe a woman of her calibre and celebrity would be in such a position), with two children in tow (the father of the children is Sydney Luft, while Liza Minnelli was a bit older and already on her own), and not a place to call home.

    So Garland is asked to go to London to perform, and it’s an opportunity to make some real money so she can get a home for her and her children, which would put some stability in theirs, and her, lives. But Judy is, to put it mildly, a mess.

    She’s drinks a lot, take pills a lot, and is practically frightened to get on that stage. But when she puts her mind to it, and leaves all the demons behind, she is a tour de force. But she is not consistent and it’s a mystery as to which Judy will appear each day.

    Judy shows us a Judy who was struggling and still looking for a little bit of hope, love and sanity in her final year of life (she died in 1969 of an accidental drug overdose in London).

    Zelwegger perfectly captures Garland’s look, body and voice (yes, it’s actually Zelwegger singing). Zelwegger lost weight for the role, and it’s her best performance to date which could net her an Oscar. The rest of the cast don’t fare as well. While Finn Wittrock is good as her 5th (and last) husband Mickey Deans, Rufus Sewell is a bit dry and boring as Sydney Luft, while Jessie Buckley has a thankless role, and task, as her London minder.

    And while the performances of Zellweger singing are captivating, the scenes of her as a young girl on film sets just don’t seem to ring true (bullying by the studio head – Louis B. Mayer and her minders – are a bit exaggerated). Director Rupert Goold doesn’t quite capture the entire essence of Judy’s life, and time, in London and in her younger years. With this being his second directorial effort, I feel that he just wasn’t quite qualified to take on a film of a woman with so much stardom, of such legendary status, and unfortunately heartbreak.

  • TFL would have allowed Vinegar Strokes’ iconic Victoria Line costume

    TFL would have allowed Vinegar Strokes’ iconic Victoria Line costume

    In a twist worthy of Drag Race UK, Transport For London has confirmed to THEGAYUK that it was never approached about Vinegar Strokes’ costume.

    Yesterday we revealed that Drag Race UK‘s Vinegar Strokes said that she wasn’t permitted to use her planned costume – an EPIC dress which featured the entire Victoria Line, for the runway section, due to licensing, but TFL has confirmed to THEGAYUK that they were never approached for licensing and would have been ” more than happy to help make it happen”.

    In an Instagram post, the North London drag Queen uploaded a picture of the look she actually had wanted to wear saying, “THIS WAS WHAT I WAS PLANNING ON WEARING FOR MY HOMETOWN QUEEN RUNWAY!!!!! What’s more London then our glorious TFL Underground line. But due to licensing I wasn’t allowed to wear it”

    Unfortunately, due to whatever the reasons between Ms Strokes being unable to wear her planned costume, her last-minute compromise her runway look failed to excite the judges, leaving Michelle Visage, in particular, disappointed.

    She was placed in the bottom two and was forced to lip sync – in which she was victorious.

  • Drag Race UK’s Vinegar Strokes reveals why her real catwalk look for episode 1 was banned

    Drag Race UK’s Vinegar Strokes reveals why her real catwalk look for episode 1 was banned

    Drag Race UK‘s Vinegar Strokes, who has become one of the competition’s “one to watch” has revealed that her Thames-inspired catwalk costume in the first episode wasn’t what she actually wanted to to wear.

    During the first-ever catwalk for this year’s queens, Vinegar Stroke’s runway look failed to excite the judges, leaving Michelle Visage, in particular, disappointed, but apparently, according to Ms Stokes, it wasn’t what she was actually planning to wear.

    In fact, Vinegar Strokes had been planning to wear a stunning, outsized costume which featured an entire map of London underground’s Victoria line.

    The North-London drag queen said that due to licensing, she was unable to wear the dress that she had actually planned to wear, and what she walked down the catwalk in was a quick, last-minute compromise.

    She wrote, “Funny story! THIS WAS WHAT I WAS PLANNING ON WEARING FOR MY HOMETOWN QUEEN RUNWAY!!!!! What’s more London then our glorious TFL Underground line. But due to licensing I wasn’t allowed to wear it, hence the creation of THAMES, THAMES CROSS THE BOARD!! The Victoria line is my line! I jump on at Seven Sisters and I get off for work at Oxford Circus. But when I really wanna GET OFF I’ll pop down to Brixton for some Chicken Wings, Jamaican Patties and some real BBC

    View this post on Instagram

    Funny story! THIS WAS WHAT I WAS PLANNING ON WEARING FOR MY HOMETOWN QUEEN RUNWAY!!!!! What’s more London then our glorious TFL Underground line. But due to licensing I wasn’t allowed to wear it, hence the creation of THAMES, THAMES CROSS THE BOARD!! The Victoria line is my line! I jump on at Seven Sisters and I get off for work at Oxford Circus. But when I really wanna GET OFF I’ll pop down to Brixton for some Chicken Wings, Jamaican Patties and some real BBC ? • • • • • #couldntwearit #camp #TFL #victorialine #londonqueen #london #londoner #instaqueen? #dragraceuk #rupaulsdragraceuk #rpdr #tubes #swag #comedyqueen #lookqueen #mua #hairqueen #lgbt Outfit by @kraken.countercouture Hair by @the_wig_room_training_academy Pic by @elliot_moody

    A post shared by VINEGAR STROKES (@theonlyvinegarstrokes) on

    Can we just say that look is EPIC! and should have won! However it did give us an opportunity to see Ms Strokes lip sync for her life – which she did.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | We Will Rock You, National Tour

    THEATRE REVIEW | We Will Rock You, National Tour

    ★★★ |We Will Rock You, National Tour

    WE WILL ROCK YOU by Elton, , Writer and Director – Ben Elton, Set Designer – Mark Fisher, Costume Designer – Tim Goodchild, Lighting designer – Willie Williams, Churchill Theatre, Bromley, UK, 2019, Credit: Johan Persson

    Set in a distant, dystopian future where musical instruments and composers are banned, where generic pop music is imposed on the public and rock music is all but unknown, a small group of “Bohemians” struggle to restore the idea of thought, fashion and, most importantly, rock music as they break free of the grip of the Killer Queen.

    Seventeen years after it opened, this theatrical juggernaut heads out on a theatre tour bringing with it some of Queen’s most iconic songs. The show is a full-on assault to the senses, with a set made up of giant screens displaying animated, projected backdrops, a colourful array of costumes and music and vocals so loud that the bass reverberates in your chest.

    During the first act, the songs come thick and fast, with the wafer-thin plot serving little more purpose other than linking one song to the next, but the second act yields a little more to the rather silly narrative whilst still packing in enough hits to keep you entertained.

    Such big songs require big voices and the two leads, Ian McIntosh and Elena Skye can certainly belt out the tunes, giving solid vocal performances; whilst audience favourite Michael McKell provided some excellent comic relief throughout.

    But the real stars here are the songs, and the show packs in all the Queen hits you are expecting. Despite a plot which is utter nonsense, We Will Rock You will have you rocking your way out of the theatre.

    We Will Rock You is currently at Sheffield Theatres before continuing on its national tour.