THEGAYUK

Category: Entertainment

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Top Hat, Sheffield Theatres and National Tour

    ★★★★ | | Top Hat, Sheffield Theatres and National Tour

    Based on the RKO Pictures musical of the same name, the story is one familiar to the genre – a will they / won’t they love story filled with mistaken identity, rekindled romance and gentle comedy. Jerry Travers (played by Alan Burkitt) is a huge Broadway star who jets to London to star in his first West End show, produced by his friend, Horace Hardwick. He meets and falls for Dale Tremont (Charlotte Gooch), but she mistakes him for Horace, the husband of her friend, Madge Hardwick. Thinking that he is cheating on his wife, Dale gives Jerry the cold shoulder despite having fallen head over heels with him. Dale goes to visit Madge in Venice, but will the arrival of Jerry and Horace, who are unaware of her confusion, lead to true love?

    I can’t resist a good, old-fashioned, large-scale musical; and Top Hat did not disappoint. The songs by Irving Berlin were irresistible and the large ensemble based production numbers had me tapping my feet and grinning from ear to ear. Highlights were the opening number; Puttin’ on the Ritz, which kicked things off nicely, the Act One closing tap dancing spectacular, Top Hat, White Tie and Tales, and the sweeping renditions of Cheek to Cheek and Let’s Face The Music and Dance, all of which were performed brilliantly.

    Birkett, as Jerry Travers, effortlessly tapped, glided and leapt his way through the dance routines, wholly impressing with every step. Gooch, as Dale Tremont, was warm, likeable, glamourous and very well cast as the 1930’s trendsetter. John Conroy gained most laughs as Bates, the long-suffering butler, and the look, feel and vocal performances of the cast as a whole accurately captured the atmosphere of the 1930’s.

    The production values were incredibly high and some of the best I have seen in a touring musical for some time. Top Hat is a show which is grand in scale, and has none of the feeling of being stripped back or watered down that can often accompany West End touring productions. The detailed art deco sets were beautifully constructed and visually grandiose, reflecting the decadence of the story’s 1930’s setting. The costumes were simply stunning and elegant, both in their design and in their sheer volume; and the show’s direction was very impressive, utilising screens to enable multiple set changes and to focus the audience’s attention forming a production which was slick, polished and professional overall.

    The only flaw I found was the slightly uneven pace between the two acts. The first act flew by, with a barrage of show-stopping numbers, whereas the second act was much more narrative based and more spaced out musical numbers.

    Despite reaching the grand old age of 80 this year, Top Hat is certainly up there for musical lovers and has lost none of its whimsical charm for such an old lady. If you enjoy shows like High Society, Anything Goes or any of those old Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers films, then Top Hat is a quality production of a top-notch tap spectacular.

    Top Hat is playing at Sheffield Theatres until 7th March 2015 (www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk) before continuing on its national tour through to the end of July 2015 (www.tophatonstage.com/ )

    DATES:
    Tue 24 Feb – Sat 7 Mar
    SHEFFIELD Lyceum Theatre
    Tue 10 – Sat 21 Mar
    BIRMINGHAM Hippodrome
    Tue 31 Mar – Sat 11 Apr
    NORWICH Theatre Royal
    Tue 14 – Sat 25 Apr
    CANTERBURY The Marlowe Theatre
    Tue 28 Apr – Sat 9 May
    PLYMOUTH Theatre Royal Plymouth
    Tue 12 – Sat 23 May
    SOUTHAMPTON Mayflower
    Wed 27 May – Sat 6 Jun
    DUBLIN Bord Gais Theatre
    Tue 16 – Sun 21 Jun
    BROMLEY Churchill Theatre
    Wed 24 Jun – Sat 4 Jul
    SUNDERLAND Empire Theatre
    Tue 7 – Sat 18 Jul
    WOKING New Victoria Theatre
    Tue 21 – Sat 25 Jul
    EASTBOURNE Congress Theatre

  • FILM REVIEW | Still Alice

    ★★★★★ | Still Alice

    Beautiful, pitch-perfect, Sublime

    Life is seemingly idyllic for 50-year-old Alice Howland a renowned Professor of Linguistics at Columbia University who is happily married with three grown up children.

    Then suddenly out of the blue she forgets a word or two midway in a tutorial, and then cannot remember the occasional appointment although this hardly registers with her at all. That is until one day out on her usual run around the campus Alice suddenly realises that she doesn’t recognise where she is even though she is literally standing outside her own office building. A subsequent trip to a Neurologist rules out a brain tumour or stroke which had been her worst fears, but further investigation reveals something that she had never even considered: early-onset Alzheimer’s. If that is not bad enough for Alice as she comes to terms with the fact that she will eventually be unable to recognise her own children, she then learns that her disease is hereditary and she may inadvertently pass it on to them too.

    Alice takes a reasoned and logical approach to her situation even though filled with rage that she will lose all that she has worked for and achieved in the past 50 years in probably just a matter of months. Whilst still very much aware of her situation in these early stages Alice makes plans for her uncertain future by visiting Special Care Facilities and making contingency plans for when she can no longer answer a series of personal questions about her life, which have now become part of her daily routine. She desperately tries coming to terms with the fact that life, as it had previously existed, is now over and so insists on continuing teaching, until that is she tells all to her Department Head who promptly dismisses from her position. Having a lack of a daily purpose seems to help speed up her degeneration, and being left at home all with just a carer to look after her is difficult for this once extremely active workaholic to come to terms with. Her husband John, a fellow academic is very understanding and completely supportive of all her needs but nevertheless still refuses to take a sabbatical year off to share what will be her last few months of coherence, and he is, in fact, planning to accept a new important job in another State.

    The story based on a novel by neuroscientist Lisa Genova unusually tells the tale from Alice’s point of view instead of solely focusing on the effects her illness has on family and friends. The fact, in this case, it was initially harder to diagnose was, as her doctors point out, due to the fact that intelligent people like Alice are capable of devising elaborate ways to work around their initial symptoms that mask the problem. Whilst writer/directors Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland have not shied away from showing the sheer sadness in watching Alice’s life disintegrate in front of her own very eyes, they have rather brilliantly avoided the temptation to milk the situation and let this turn into a weepy melodrama. In fact there are some tender touches of humor that never let us forget that before Alice became a victim, she was a very articulate and witty woman.

    The sublime Julianne Moore imbues Alice with a powerful voice in a beautiful pitch-perfect low-key performance that makes it all feel so real. She makes us appreciate that life is simple, not fair, and that you have to appreciate it whilst you are able too. It deservedly won her a long overdue Best Actress Oscar. It was very much her picture, but nevertheless kudos to her fine supporting cast that included Alec Baldwin who delivered a subtle understated performance as her husband John, and Kristen Stewart as her youngest daughter Lydia who refused to give up her own dreaming of acting, but nevertheless became the one family member who would really be there for her all the way.

    The story has particular resonance with married couple Westmoreland and Glatzer as the latter has his own debilitating disease after being diagnosed with ALS. The fact that he has chosen to write and direct this exceptionally beautiful movie with his husband shows that he certainly hasn’t given up, a message that is also very important to Alice who refuses to just give in.

  • Top 10 Campest Moments From The Brit Awards

    Ah, the Brits, of the last bastion of drunken, ego driven, campery that hits our small screens every year, oh well that and the Oscars…

    Scores of people have won and gone, but it’s the camp moments of this event that keep has tuned in every year. If only to see if Geri Halliwell will be involved. We delved into the annals of Brits history to find its campest moments. The aforementioned Halliwell has three of the campest moments alone. We also have Sharon O, Kylie and Adele’s middle finger…

    10. Bjork: I am grateful: grapefruit
    Grapefruits are one of the campest fruit we know. Seriously, okay maybe a pineapple is a little gayer, but Grapefruit reminds us of Louie Spence, Bright, zesty but bitter.

    9. Geri Halliwell does Jessica rabbit
    First on the list of Halliwell’s moments is her Jessica Rabbit moment. Geri knows how to steal the show. Bring back Geri we say.

    8. Michael Jackson’s “Christ-like figure”
    Never one to be ignored Michael Jackson showed the world what it would look like if he was a god. Too much for Jarvis Cocker who stormed the stage and waggled his bum. Yes, we said Waggled and we own it.

    7. Lady Gaga
    Pretty much anything Gaga does is high campery.

    6. Kylie Mashup
    Queen Kylie mashed up her glorious gay hits into one hot homo-song-soup. All rather marvellous. And looking incredible. How does she do it? (Sneaky side eye)

    5. Sharon Osbourne
    Queen of vamp, you know where you are with Mrs O. Never one to mince her words, she asked Kelly “What have they come as?” about a rather dishevelled looking Artic Monkeys and called Vic Reeves a p*** head bastard.

    4. Geri Halliwell Union Jack
    Probably one of the most iconic looks of The Brits of all time. A look that would launch a thousand Drag Queens into existence. Let’s face it; Geri is the goddess of Drag. And who knew, that her sister, out of t-towels, made the dress. Dirty dishes.

    3. Adele’s Middle Finger
    If anyone can flip the bird at millions of viewers at home it’s Adele. Newly crowned as a gay icon, by the listeners of a now defunct Gaydar Radio, Adele couldn’t get two words in edgewise but had time to stick her fingers up…. Oooo errr. We do like a double entendre.

    2. Sam Fox & Mick Fleetwood 1989
    Everything about Sam and Mick’s hosting was camp, in a tragedy way. We demand, neigh, need this to happen every year. Those awkward silences, those soft mumblings, the knowing looks, it’s like us when we’re on a date when we’ve been Roofied. Don’t worry it’s usually us who packs the Rohypnol.

    1. Geri Halliwell, Bag It Up
    Geri Halliwell made the world her gyno in 1997 when she sang from the middle of her legs. Usually it’s suggested that you sing from the diaphragm, but no Spicey logic dictates the vay vay is the place.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Unknown Male

    ★★★★ | Unknown Male

    Unknown Male depicts a tragic story of Heather who has recently got a job as train a conductor. All is very well. Until, after the tunnel, a person jumps off the platform on to her incoming train.

    The story revolves around Heather and her coping mechanisms, or the lack of; Emily, her daughter who has been trying to comfort her mum, but unsuccessful, so she decides to investigate who the victim who was run over by her mum’s train; and Mark, Heather’s boyfriend, who also has trouble relighting Heather’s will to live, and deviates from the house to very familiar territory.

    Unknown Male brings to the Rep Stage a topic that is rarely talked about, and if it is, then the story tends to emphasise the sympathy of the individuals who died under the train. However, Stephanie Ridings ambitiously captivates the audience with the other side of the story: the victim being the person who ran over the individual. Excellently portrayed and greatly realised under the direction of Nick Walker. Both visions equally combine the success in delving deep into the topic and expertly deliver the content where, with a quick glance at the audience, there was evidence of a few tears being shed with many eyes.

    This was also achieved by the brilliant cast that consisted of Lorraine Stanley as Heather; Phoebe Frances-Brown as Emily; and Mark was played by Ged Simmons.

    The three actors conveyed the emotions brilliantly. Particularly, Lorraine’s conveyance of Heather, whose emotion range was a phenomenon. Stanley portrays Heather more than convincingly, to the point of thinking one was sitting in the family’s front room with a feeling of awkwardness as the drama ensued. Ged did a sterling job with Mark, as he evidenced on stage what a person in his position might go through and the ability to explore the dark sides of a man whose world is ripping apart. Finally, Phoebe delights the spectators with her portrayal of a young teenager; the actress, of course is older than Emily, but she shows an innocence and defiance of Emily’s age in a subliminal way.

    Stephanie Ridings does the Birmingham Rep Foundry proud, as she showcases the ability to create a piece of theatre in a way that transports the audience from a seat at The Door, to a seat inside Heather’s flat most magnificently, drawing every person on to the tragedy explored in Unknown Male.

    The set was minimalist, but was used to great effect; especially in the very last scene, as it was converted to a train station platform, to which Emily is found standing over.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Superman The Musical, London

    ★★ | Superman The Musical, London

    It’s a bird, it’s a plane, no – it’s Superman the Musical.

    Playing until this weekend at the Leicester Square Theatre, Superman is not just a musical but it is also a comical look at the man we all know and love as the saviour of Gotham City, preventing disasters and capturing criminals.

    Originally produced for the Broadway stage in 1966, and coming directly from Ye Olde Rose and Crown Theatre where it played last year, its transfer to the West End brings with it a set made up of cardboard props, and a cast who mostly struggle with the all-encompassing singing, dancing and acting.

    Craig Berry plays Superman. Sure, he’s got the look down – the black gelled-back hair and the chiselled chin, but Berry just doesn’t have much stage presence for playing such a larger than life character. Sure, the costume fits him, but that’s about it. Michelle LaFortune doesn’t fare much better. Her Lois Lane is bland. LaFortune can sing, but it doesn’t help when she forgets a line or two.

    So what’s the plot you ask? We should know it as we’ve all seen those Superman movies. Lane is in love with Superman but not with Clark Kent, who works with her at the Daily Planet, and you see Clark Kent is actually Superman! Another man in the office – Max Mencken (a good Paul Harwood) – is the office lothario and vies for Lane’s affections, though he’s with Sydney (a good Sarah Kennedy), a clueless co-worker who’s looking for love in all the wrong places. However, when Mencken teams up with Dr Abner Sedgwick (an excellent Matthew Ibbotson) to devise a plan to turn Superman into an ordinary mortal, one who would obey Dr Sedgwick’s every command, things don’t look too good for Superman, and it is Lane who happens to fall in love with Dr Sedgwick’s assistant Jim (Charlie Vose), and forgets all about Superman.

    Superman plays like an amateur production (a high school production) with a few talented members of the cast (Harwood, Kennedy and especially Ibbotson), but it’s the ones who aren’t as talented that bring this show down. And the backup dancers do their darndest, all trying very hard to keep things moving (especially the adorable Christine Harris), but they just can’t save this production. Music by Charles Strouse with lyrics by Lee Adams help the show move along, but the end just doesn’t come soon enough.

  • EastEnders: Top 10 Gayest Moments Of EastEnders

    To celebrate the fact that Eastenders has been one of the beacons of LGBT storylines, we’ve decided to discover the gayest moments of the landmark soap, which has been at the forefront of gay storylines.

    In date order….

    10) Underage At The Time 1987

    In 1987 Colin Russel (Michael Cashman) And Barry Clark (Gary Hailes) labelled by the Sun, as “two yuppie poofters” were the first gay couple on EastEnders. Their first kiss received a record number of complaints, even more than a Celebrity Big Brother with Perez… At the time, the age of sexual consent for gay people was 21. The police were more concerned with the pairs’ relationship rather than a break-in at their home. Barry ends his relationship when the police tell his parents.

    9) Dot Starts AIDS Rumours 1988

    9) Dot Cotton (June Brown) spreads rumours that Colin has AIDS when she discovers Colin and Barry share the same bed. This was at the height of the AIDS epidemic and the storyline help frame the nation’s discussion towards the issue. Her rumours cause some of Walford to shun Colin. Despite this, Dot and Colin forge a strong relationship.

    8) The Most Watched Gay Kiss 1989


    Colin and Guido Smith (Nicholas Donovan), had a cheeky snog in 1989 in front of an audience of 17-million viewers – the world’s most watched gay kiss in a soap.

    7) When The Curious Guy And The Bi Guy Get It Together 1996

    Tony Hills (Mark Homer) And Simon Raymond (Andrew Lynford), Tony was a bit of bisexual lothario, having numerous relationships with men and women, most notably with Tiffany (Martine McCutcheon) – however after confiding with Simon, her brother, that he was confused about his sexuality, the pair get together. Tony and Simon drew some criticism for not being “gay” enough. Their first kissed caused controversy in the UK. Seeing a pattern here?

    First Civil Partnership 2005

     Christian Clarke (John Partridge) and Syed Masood (Marc Elliott) caused near hysteria with Daily Mail readers with their pre-watershed romantic moments. Hurrah we say. They were the first gay couple to celebrate a civil partnership.

    5) Curious Steven Beale 2008

    4) Steven Beale (Aaron Sidwell) A confused Steven tries to get together with Stacey, however, can’t, forcing him to question his sexuality, leading to kissing Christian Clarke. Speaking about the kiss, Aaron, who identifies as straight said it was a ‘cracking scene.’

    4) Youngest Coming Out 2011

    A 15-year-old Ben Mitchell(Joshua Pascoe) tells Christian Clarke that he gay, being the youngest character to come out on EastEnders.

    3) When Johnny Kissed Gary 2013


    3) When Johnny Carter (Sam Strike) and bisexual Danny Pennant (Gary Lucy) shared a kiss the BBC received just two complaints, however, comments on social media weren’t so kind.

    2) When Johnny Came Out 2014


    Johnny Carter coming out to his pa, Mick Carter was a landmark moment for EastEnders, so well judged and superbly acted – it brought a tear to our eye.

    1) The death of Paul Coker

    Beaten in a tragic anti-gay attack, Ben Mitchell’s boyfriend dies in hospital. Many people took to social media to say how important the storyline was to highlighting violence against LGBT people.

  • FILM REVIEW | Selma: US History With Passion And Brilliance

    ★★★★★ Selma | This extraordinary wonderful new film that finally brings Nobel Peace Laureate Dr. Martin Luther King centre stage in a Hollywood movie focuses on just one of the most crucial periods in his life.

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  • BOOK REVIEW | Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda

    Coming out is still a huge deal.

    No matter how many people cry out, “it’s 2015, why does this matter anymore?” It does. The stress and worry surrounding sexuality and self-discovery can lead to horrendous consequences. Suicide, lengthy battles with depression and feelings of alienation are still prevalent for many LGBTs in our community.

    Last year a staggering one in ten men who phoned The Samaritans were concerned about their sexuality showing that coming to terms with your own sexuality can be one of the hardest things in life.

    That’s why when books this powerful come along we must pay attention and remember, while things are getting better, we’re not there yet.

    First-time author Becky Alertalli hits the nail on the head with her brilliantly observant story of Simon, a 16-year-old schoolboy who’s just on the cusp of coming out. Not quite there… but nearly.

    Falling deeply in love over emails with an unknown schoolmate only known as ‘Blue’, whom he finds via a random post on the school’s gossip board on Tumblr, Simon is about to learn what it means to come out… Out out.

    A brilliantly confident book which shines the light on the age-old genre of coming of age and taking those hesitant steps in telling the first person, and for once about a boy meets boy and falls head over heels, brilliantly questioning why the white, heterosexual middle classes are always the default.

    Achingly honest and socially awkward; readers will melt for junk food obsessed, mobile phone yielding, indie music loving Simon, who picks his way through sexuality and schoolyard politics to find his true self. They’ll cheer with sheer joy as he takes his small steps out of the closet and laugh heartedly at his first giant leap to his drunken evening out at a gay bar.

    A non-stop page turn-over for those wanting or needing reassurance ahead of their own coming out that it will be okay, or for those who want to fondly remember their first outing with a massive smile on their faces.

    Pre-order from Amazon now. Out April 2015

  • Lesbian Films On Netflix

    Here is the current list, updated on Feb 16 2015 for films with a lesbian storyline or films aimed at gay women on Netflix UK.

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  • THEATRE REVIEW | She Loves Me, Landor Theatre

    ★★ | She Loves Me, Landor Theatre

    Mistaken identity has long been the theme of love stories. This love story centres round a perfume shop in Budapest where two sparring employees unwittingly exchange love letters via a lonely-hearts advertisement. Sound familiar?

    The musical was based on a play that inspired “The Shop Around the Corner” and the Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan film You’ve Got Mail.

    Staging a musical in a small space like The Landor is fraught with difficulties and is a challenge that the team always rise to. One of the issues is that in a fringe venue there isn’t the scope for a huge dazzling set, scores of dancers and big choreographed routines. This puts the focus back onto the musical itself. In the case of their previous triumphs, such as “Damn Yankees”, this isn’t a problem. Where the musical is as weak as this one, with lacklustre and forgettable songs, lame comedy and a tedious plot, it simply doesn’t work at all and makes for dull viewing.

    There are lots of positive aspects to the production. “Britain’s Got Talent” finalist Charlotte Jaconelli makes a dazzling stage debut and has a superb voice as well as a lot of acting talent. Equally, Matthew Wellman is a singing sensation with a beautiful voice and Emily Lynn also puts in a great performance. Indeed, the whole cast work incredibly hard to make this work. The Art Nouveau inspired set is well thought and cunningly used.

    This production tries really hard but ultimately; the source material is so weak that the efforts of the team can’t revive this dated corpse of a show.

    She Loves Me is at the Landor Theatre until the 7th of March 2015.
    http://www.landortheatre.co.uk/index.php/booking-office/musicals/she-loves-me-93/

  • FILM REVIEW | This Is What Love In Action Looks Like

    ★★★★ | This Is What Love In Action Looks Like

    When evangelicals try to forcibly make gay men straight.

    In 1973 the American Psychiatric Association declassified homosexuality as a mental disorder. Later that same year Love In Action was founded by an evangelical Christian ministry specifically ‘to restore those trapped in sexual and relational sin through the power of Jesus Christ’ i.e. to forcibly make gay men straight. As the oldest established ‘ex-gay’ organisation in the US, it based its whole creed on lumping pornography, sex addiction and homosexuality together but the latter was considered by far the worse sin of all.

    In 2005 their Refuge Program specifically designed to ‘cure’ young teenagers of their ‘gay addiction’ hit the national headlines when 16-year-old Zach Stark’s heartfelt cry for help appeared on his MySpace Blog. Zach had ‘come out’ to his parents and in return, they sent him against his will to be an inmate at the Camp. His plea hit a real nerve and quickly became a rallying cry for a small group of other young people, both gay and straight, who’s regular protests outside the Campus started a snowball effect and very soon caught the attention of the national and local media.

    On one hand, Pat Robertson was preaching his usual hate-ridden rhetoric, whilst on the other, more mainstream TV channels Zach ‘s story and the whole Love In Action oppressive authoritarian regime was covered by the likes of Diane Sawyer and Paula Zahn. Most of them quoted L.I.A. Executive Director John Smid, an ex-gay now married (to a woman). who bitterly defended his organisation tooth and nail not conceding to any of the real concern now being raised about these young men’s welfare.

    Stark was released after 8 weeks and initially obeyed his parents’ instructions to delete his blog and make no public comments to further fuel the fire. But by the time this documentary was made, Stark was now 18 and ready to speak up and to confirm that despite all that he went through he is now a happy and reasonably adjusted gay young man.

    In 2007 the Program was halted and not only did the Rev. Smid resign his post, but he actually took the unprecedented step of publishing a public apology to anyone who may have been harmed by the program.

    Morgan Jon Fox’s film bears witness to this shameful time in recent history and is most compelling when the interviews are with ex-patients/inmates and you can see the real pain that they were forced to endure in what are essentially the most crucial years in their growing up. It’s a testimony to their strength that they survived the ordeal, and equally a credit to the determined band of protesters who proved that standing up to be counted on when one encounters an injustice, does really work. And it’s a witness to all those poor souls that the disbandment of this whole movement came too late for.