THEGAYUK

Category: Theatre

  • Here’s what’s totally gay at Edinburgh Fringe in 2024

    Here’s what’s totally gay at Edinburgh Fringe in 2024

    There’s a whole lot of gay going down at Edinburgh this year, here’s our top picks for what LGBTQ+ people should look out for whilst out at the fringe.

    Stephanie Martin (Juniper and Jules; Joy) who is bringing her new comedy DID YOU MEAN TO FALL LIKE THAT? about expectations we place on ourselves through the lens of modern-day masculinity and the sexual as well as personal awakenings that might arise when life hasn’t quite gone according to plan. In this one-man show, James McGregor (Harry Potter And The Cursed Child, The Palace Theatre; Pride, Pathé) will take on the role of Charlie, who is on a journey of healing whilst rejecting the pressures from society and embracing sexual fluidity.

    WHERE AND WHEN: Pleasance Courtyard (Bunker 3), Wednesday 31st July – Monday 26th August 2024, 11:35

    PILLOCK has ADHD and is trying to keep his head above water, but he is drowning in loneliness, hook-up culture and medical role-plays. Then he meets Eugene – but will he be Mr Right or Mr Right Now? Pillock wants to trust his gut, but with his lactose intolerance, his can’t even handle a Muller Corner. Capturing the essence of the ADHD experience, Pillock is a darkly hilarious coming-of-age remix following a young man who is struggling with ADHD while dreaming of something bigger and wanting more from life.

    WHERE AND WHEN: Assembly George Square (Front Room), 1st – Monday 26th August 2024, 18:25

    SECONDS TO MIDNIGHT explores queer friendship, platonic love and nuclear anxiety, following Jo and Eddie through the first seven minutes of their friendship – and the final seven hours of the world. With most queer stories on stage and screen focussed around romance, Love Song Productions set out to fill the gap by making a show about queer friendship. While female friendship is often written about, very few stories have been told about the unique dynamic between queer men and women when the possibility of attraction is taken away.

    WHERE AND WHEN: Pleasance Courtyard (Bunker One), Wednesday 31st July – Monday 26th August 2024 (not 7th, 14th, 21st), 11.45am

    A new play by Rachel E. Thorn, which was longlisted for the Kenneth Branagh Award, is coming to Pleasance Courtyard this Edinburgh Fringe festival, and it’s all about the utter selfishness of true love. ME FOR YOU tackles the fundamental paradox of modern life – we want to be good people but we’re just so bloody self-absorbed. The play is about a gay couple who join Extinction Rebellion in a bid to save the planet. In the process, they have to face the fact that we do good things for personal gain. After all, what could be more selfish than being in love?

    WHERE AND WHEN: Pleasance Courtyard (The Green), Thursday 1st – Saturday 25th August 2024 (not 7th and 13th), 18:10

    THINGS BETWEEN HEAVEN AND EARTH is a psychological thriller that depicts the aftermath of a widow discovering her husband’s affair and murder through a book written by their close friend, exposing everything to the whole world. From a global majority perspective of East Asian culture, LGBTQ rights may seem integrated to Western countries, but elsewhere, a profound stigma persists. Things Between Heaven and Earth delves into the persistent taboo surrounding homosexual relationships, prevalent not only in the 64 countries that still criminalise them but also within immigrant communities locally.

    WHERE AND WHEN: Underbelly Bristo Square (Jersey), Thursday 8th – Monday 26th August (not 13th), 13:00

    With six actors, six roles and one story – There are hundreds of combinations for the audience to choose as they direct the love story of the summer. REJECT ME ALREADY provides a space of endless possibilities with pairing across gender and sexuality. From newcomer Paul Richard Keegan comes this light-hearted yet sincere romcom that gives the audience the chance to develop the characters and story and build the world around them, even as they watch.

    WHERE AND WHEN: Greenside (Lime Studio), Friday 2nd – Saturday 24th August, 19.40

    IN DEFIANCE OF GRAVITY: Ezra Montefiore is the greatest psychic to have ever lived. He’s a master of the séance, telekinesis, and spirit summoning. Eyewitnesses swear he can raise the dead, heal the sick, and levitate 70 feet into the air. He defies all scientific explanations. But when an unexpected encounter with Prince Felix Yusupov catapults Ezra into the world of Russia’s aristocracy, he finds himself entangled in a dangerous game of power, seduction, and political intrigue. As rumours of his affair with both the prince and his wife reach the ears of Rasputin, Ezra faces an impossible choice: denounce himself as a fraud or commit political murder.

    WHERE AND WHEN: Summerhall (Demonstration Room), 1 Summerhall, Edinburgh EH9 1PL. Thursday 1st August –Monday 26thAugust 2024(not 12th, 19th), 21:15

    BUY TICKETS HERE

  • Brokeback Mountain on stage is a thing now, and we’re here for that

    Brokeback Mountain on stage is a thing now, and we’re here for that

    One of our favourite gay / bisexual movies has been turned into a stage play with music and we’re rejoicing, but it seems it’s not the famed Ang Lee version.

    Mike Faist, who was nominated for a BAFTA, and Lucas Hedges, who was nominated for an Oscar, are set to star in a London stage adaptation of Annie Proulx’s bestselling novel, Brokeback Mountain. The play, which will incorporate music, is scheduled to run at the Sohoplace Theatre in the West End for 12 weeks, beginning on May 10.

    Nica Burns, the theatre’s owner and producer, emphasized that the play is based on Proulx’s original short story, which was published in The New Yorker in 1997, and not on the critically acclaimed 2005 film directed by Ang Lee and starring Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal.

    Mike Faist, who received a BAFTA nomination for his performance in West Side Story, has been cast as Jack Twist in the London stage adaptation of Brokeback Mountain. Lucas Hedges, who earned an Oscar nomination for Manchester By The Sea in 2016, will play Ennis Del Mar.

    The story, which follows two cowboys who fall in love in the vast expanses of Wyoming, resonated with readers and viewers alike. Ashley Robinson, a writer from Brooklyn, approached Annie Proulx about securing the stage rights, which were ultimately granted.

    Jonathan Butterell, who brought the stage and screen adaptations of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, will direct the play, with Dan Gillespie Sells serving as a close collaborator and music writer. Eddi Reader, a singer-songwriter, will perform on stage with a country and western band featuring a pedal steel guitarist.

  • One man comedy by Jonathan Harvey to tour England in Feb

    One man comedy by Jonathan Harvey to tour England in Feb

    The show, which stars Andrew Lancel, will open at Liverpool’s Unity Theatre for six performances over three nights, this will be the first live performances at the theatre since closing in March due to the on-going coronavirus pandemic.

    The show then moves on to The Atkinson Southport, Lighthouse Poole, Swan Theatre Worcester, Belgrade Coventry, Dukes Lancaster, City Varieties Leeds, and Capitol Horsham. All venue will present to socially distanced audiences and more dates are to be confirmed soon.

    Swan Song was first staged at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1997, before transferring to Hampstead Theatre with award-winning comedy actress Rebecca Front in the lead role. Jonathan Harvey adapted the 70-minute play especially for Liverpool Theatre Festival for Andrew Lancel to play the solo role of Dave Titswell. Due to critical acclaim, the play will now perform at venues across the UK next year, these new dates replaced the November 2020 dates which were cancelled due to lockdown, now a longer tour is planned for Spring 2021.

    The news also comes as Andrew Lancel is set to have an appearance in the Royal Variety Performance, which is televised on Tuesday 8 December. Andrew appears as Brian Epstein in Cilla The Musical, he also played Brian in Epstein The Man Who Made The Beatles in 2012, where Andrew Lancel first met Bill Elms who produced the play in Liverpool and London’s West End.

    “Funny, clever and inspiring production”

    Producer and the artistic director of Liverpool Theatre Festival, Bill Elms said: “Swan Song is a funny, clever and inspiring production which opened the inaugural Liverpool Theatre Festival. Andrew Lancel, Jonathan Harvey, and Noreen Kershaw are an incredible blend of creative talent, and the play went down a storm in Liverpool. It is such a lovely piece that I approached Andrew and the team with the idea to tour. People are excited for the return of live theatre – and we’re excited to give them that experience back after such a long time with a really special production.”

    Swan Song is a bittersweet comedy written by Jonathan Harvey. Set in Liverpool, it is Christmas 1997, the world is changing and in the staff room, Gay, forty-something, English teacher Dave Titswell finds that not all change is welcome. He has a crush, but life, love, and work are never straight forward for Dave. Will a school trip to The Lakes change things for the better, or make things decidedly worse? Swan Song will make audiences laugh, but equally pull at the heartstrings. Everyone knows someone like Dave – or could even be a Dave themselves.

    Andrew Lancel in Swan Song by Jonathan Harvey
    Ⓒ DAVID MUNN PR SUPPLIED

    Andrew Lancel is no stranger to audiences. Well established on the national theatre scene, Andrew is also widely known for his television roles as DI Neil Manson in The Bill and super-villain Frank Foster in Coronation Street. He has twice played Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein on stage to great critical acclaim, first in Epstein – The Man Who Made The Beatles (also produced by Bill Elms) which premiered in Liverpool and went on to play London’s West End, as well as playing Epstein in the national tour of Cilla The Musical, Bill Kenwright’s stage adaptation of the TV series written by Jeff Pope.

    Andrew Lancel commented: “The last play I saw before lockdown was Jonathan Harvey’s Our Lady of Blundellsands at The Everyman Liverpool, which I loved – so it’s very cool, and a little ironic, that my first play back is with Jonathan. We have known each other for years and worked together a lot but never on stage, so it’s humbling that he has adapted this play for me. It’s very funny, moving, and I think people will really relate to it today. His characters are literally gifts to play and to watch.

    “This play is about reuniting too. Reuniting theatre and audiences with live performance is extra special. To be back with Epstein producer Bill Elms is a buzz, and I’ve worked on some very serious storylines on Corrie with Noreen Kershaw. It feels like coming home for us all in so many ways.”

    Award-winning Jonathan Harvey’s credits include Gimme Gimme Gimme; Murder Most Horrid; Coronation Street; Call The Midwife; and Tracey Ullman’s Show. His plays include Beautiful Thing, Corrie, Canary, Hushabye Mountain, Babies, Boom Bang A Bang’ and Rupert Street Lonely Hearts Club. He also wrote the 2001 stage musical Closer to Heaven with the Pet Shop Boys and its sequel Muzik. He has won the John Whiting Award, the George Devine Award, two Manchester Evening News Awards, an Evening Standard Award, two British Soap Awards and a Writers Guild of Great Britain Award.

    Jonathan added: “Swan Song is a comedy about a teacher who’s trying to hold onto his dignity while the education system crumbles around him – and I’m thrilled Andrew is playing Dave. I’m delighted to also be working with Noreen again, she directed many of my Corrie scripts and my last episode of Call The Midwife. As the original Shirley Valentine, Noreen definitely knows a thing or two about one person shows.”

    Noreen Kershaw’s directing credits include Our Girl, Moving On, Scott & Bailey, Emmerdale, Shameless, Heartbeat and Coronation Street. She is also known for acting in Life On Mars, Brookside, and Watching. Noreen also originated the title role of Willy Russell’s Shirley Valentine at Liverpool’s Everyman Theatre.

    Andrew Lancel in

    SWAN SONG

    by Jonathan Harvey

    UNITY THEATRE

    Hope Place, Liverpool, L1 9BG

    Thursday 4 – Saturday 6 February 2021

    Performance times: 5pm / 7.45pm

    Show duration: 70 minutes (no interval)

    How to book: www.unitytheatreliverpool.co.uk ON SALE NOW

    ATKINSON THEATRE

    Lord Street, Southport, PR8 1DB

    Friday 12 – Saturday 13 February 2021

    Performance times: 7.30pm

    Show duration: 70 minutes (no interval)

    How to book: www.theatkinson.co.uk ON SALE SOON

    THE LIGHTHOUSE

    Kingland Road, Poole, BH15 1UG

    Saturday 20 February 2021

    Performance times: 3pm / 7pm

    Show duration: 70 minutes (no interval)

    How to book: www.lighthousepoole.co.uk ON SALE 11 DEC

    THE SWAN THEATRE

    The Moors, Worcester, WR1 3ED

    Sunday 21 February 2021

    Performance times: 3pm / 7pm

    Show duration: 70 minutes (no interval)

    How to book: www.worcesterlive.co.uk ON SALE NOW

    BELGRADE THEATRE

    Belgrade Square, Coventry, CV1 1GS

    Wednesday 24 February 2021

    Performance times: 2.30pm / 7pm

    Show duration: 70 minutes (no interval)

    How to book: www.belgrade.co.uk ON SALE NOW

    DUKES LANCASTER

    Moor Lane, Lancaster, LA1 1QE

    Thursday 25 February 2021

    Performance times: 2.30pm / 7.30pm

    Show duration: 70 minutes (no interval)

    How to book: www.dukeslancaster.org ON SALE NOW

    CITY VARIETIES MUSIC HALL

    Swan Street, Leeds, LS1 6LW

    Saturday 27 February 2021

    Performance times: 2pm / 7.30pm

    Show duration: 70 minutes (no interval)

    How to book: www.cityvarieties.co.uk ON SALE NOW

    THE CAPITOL THEATRE

    North Street, Horsham, RH12 1RG

    Sunday 28 February 2021

    Performance times: 3pm / 6pm

    Show duration: 70 minutes (no interval)

    How to book: www.thecapitolhorsham.co.uk ON SALE NOW

  • THEATRE REVIEW | GH Boy – Charing Cross Theatre – The Gay Party scene – Warts and all

    THEATRE REVIEW | GH Boy – Charing Cross Theatre – The Gay Party scene – Warts and all

    Rating: 4 out of 5.

    Robert seems to have it all but in reality, he doesn’t. His fate is revealed in the new hard-hitting play GH Boy.

    Now playing at the Charing Cross Theatre until December 20th Robert (Jimmy Essex) has the perfect boyfriend in Sergio (Marc Bosch). Sergio is young, cute, fun and just adores Robert – who in Sergio’s eyes can’t do no wrong. Robert also has an understanding mom (now played by Nicola Sloane after Buffy Davis injured herself), a very good friend in Jasminder (Anryana Ramkhalawon) and an understanding therapist (Devesh Kishore). But Robert hides a secret – he’s way over his head in East London’s party scene (party = drugs).

    Meanwhile, there are whispers of a gay serial killer who entices gay men with promises of drugs, drugs, and more drugs. Robert desperately wants to leave the scene behind him and to enjoy his engagement with the adorable Sergio – but Robert can’t seem to escape the clutch on drugs – and this might just lead to a rendevous with the serial killer who seems about to snare Robert into his dangerous web.

    GH Boy tackles the misconceptions around gay culture and promiscuity and questions why gay men like Robert are drawn to this scene to the point of self-destruction in this show by debut playwright Paul Harvard.

    Originally supposed to run at The Vaults earlier this year but cancelled due to COVID 19 – catch it now while you can before possible tier 3 restrictions come into effect.

    Find out more https://ghboy.co.uk and book tickets here

  • London’s Queer cabaret collectives take over Pleasance Islington this festive season

    London’s Queer cabaret collectives take over Pleasance Islington this festive season

    ‘Tis the season to be Queer. The crème de la crème of London’s Queer cabaret groups are taking over the Pleasance this December for a festive celebration of London’s renowned drag, cabaret, and performance scene. This year the venue welcomes a diverse representation of the LGBTQ+ community, with drag kings, queens and gender non-conforming artists all taking to the stage.

    Following on from two acclaimed residencies at the Pleasance with Sink The Pink, Ginger Johnson is back for an evening of camp laughs, filthy looks, and all the usual shiny shit you’ve come to expect from Pleasance’s own Christmas tree angel. All-female and non-binary theatre and cabaret company Pecs Drag Kings visit Pleasance for the first time with Pecs: Christmas Queer before the one and only Cocoa Butter Club promise to decolonise and remoisturise in a brand-new Christmas revue, Gifted. Acclaimed pan-Asian collective The Bitten Peach will bring the festivities to a close and enchant audiences with their Bedtime Stories

    Embracing the new normal, the venue has transformed its main house into London’s most exciting, socially distanced comedy, theatre and cabaret space. The new three-tier auditorium will welcome 100 people a night when it reopens in November, bringing the spirit of the Fringe back to London.

    The venue will follow up-to-date safety regulations with e-ticketing, enhanced cleaning and table service using the app Butlr to provide drinks as well as new pizzas from neighbours The Depot. The auditorium will open one hour before each performance to give audiences time to settle in and enjoy some pre-show drinks ensuring you can spend your whole evening at the venue in style. A trip to the Pleasance promises to be a fun and safe night out.

    Anthony Alderson, Director of Pleasance Theatre Trust, comments, I’m thrilled that we are re-opening the London space and managing to bring theatre back to London audiences. We have put strict hygiene and cleanliness protocols in place and are making sure that your visit to the Pleasance is as safe as possible. The artists we work with are at the heart of what we do and this re-opening season is all about bringing back that undefinable Fringe spirit that embodies all of us.

    London’s Queer cabaret collectives take over Pleasance Islington this festive season

    Pleasance Theatre, Carpenters Mews, London N7 9EF Wednesday 11th November – Tuesday 22nd December 2020

    The programme is as follows:

    Ginger Johnson presents

    Ginger Johnson’s Christmas Egg

    8th – 9th December 2020

    Join Newcastle’s sweetheart and some of her most ridiculous cabaret pals for an evening of camp laughs, filthy looks, and all the usual shiny shit you’ve come to expect from Pleasance’s own Christmas tree angel, Ginger Johnson.

    From the same tiny mind that brought you How to Catch a Krampus and Escape from Planet Trash, Miss Rona may have put pay to her usual festive offering but that won’t stop Ginger from squeezing her lockdown paunch into 4 pairs of dance tights and making an idiot of herself in the name of entertainment. Expect songs, sequins and special guests.

    Pecs Drag Kings present

    Pecs: Queer Christmas

    10th – 12th December 2020

    The Kings of Pecs have been queerantined up in our castle but now it’s time to Pec the halls because we’re back in town and we want to spread the Christmas Queer.

    Join us in our cosy cabaret grotto while we bring you some of our greatest festive hits, queermas tales and sexy socially distanced dances.

    Put some Christmas Queer in your stocking filler!

    The Cocoa Butter Club presents

    Gifted

    15th – 17th December 2020 Ooo-wee, what did you wish for?

    The Cocoa Butter Club presents Gifted – an exquisite cabaret evening of excellence; delivering dreams, desires and demands to the most deserving – that’s you!

    Wrapped in your favourite RnB, Neo Soul and Old Skool jams, expect a homecoming feeling, as our family reunites to ‘decolonise and re-moisturise’! Issa generous serving of multi-skilled and highly melanated talent, boasting burlesque, drag, music, spoken word, circus arts and more!

    Bitten Peach presents

    Bedtime Stories

    21st – 22nd December 2020

    2020 might be a total nightmare, but this December you’ll be having some sweet dreams as you dive into The Bitten Peach Bedtime Stories!

    London’s Premiere Pan-Asian Cabaret Collective comes together to present a special winter season showcase, featuring some of your favourite fairytales with a queer twist and the Bitten Peach’s signature Asian flavours.

    Pleasance, Carpenters Mews, North Road, London N7 9EF

    The nearest underground station is Caledonian Road (Piccadilly Line). The nearest train stations are Kings Cross/St Pancras and Caledonian Road & Barnsbury Richmond.

    Tickets from £15. Buy tickets from www.pleasance.co.uk or call 0207 609 1800.

    @ThePleasance, #ThePleasance

    www.facebook.com/ThePleasance

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Buyer & Cellar – Above the Stag Theatre – Barbra Streisand’s shopping mall!

    THEATRE REVIEW | Buyer & Cellar – Above the Stag Theatre – Barbra Streisand’s shopping mall!

    Rating: 4 out of 5.

    Take a tour through Barbra Streisand’s underground shopping centre – in her home – in the new play Buyer & Cellar.

    Is the shopping centre real? That’s for you to decide, but in this brilliant production, you’ll get a bit of insight into the woman who is the most talented, respected and perhaps loneliest biggest celebrity in the world.

    Now playing at the Above the Stag Theatre (until November 8th) in a show that never had it’s premiere as it was scheduled to open in mid-March, Buyer & Cellar is nowhere and it’s your chance to go see it in a socially distanced theatre which is perhaps one of the cleanest around!

    And Aaron Sidwell is brilliant as Alex More, an out of work actor who gets hired for a mysterious job, it’s a job that no one knew ever existed – to run the shops beneath Barbra Streisand’s Malibu home, shops that are full of her memorabilia. But when Alex encounters La Streisand when she enters the basement, he treats her like any other customer in shops where there will be only one customer – HER. And when she wants to buy a doll, Sidwell cleverly and quickly jumps inter her character, and he effortlessly does her throughout the show. Eventually, Alex feels like he and Streisand are forming a bond each time she comes to the shops, and he yearns to know whether she sees him as a friend or just another employee. As the lines get blurred Alex maintains his composure until he’s invited upstairs to see the house, and he’s hoping this will be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

    In this 100 minutes plus show, Sidwell who holds your attention and masters the dialogue, and draws us into his world – and Barbra’s basement shopping mall. It’s a one-man show – with a larger than life celebrity at its centre, but Sidwell getting the applause.

    Tickets available at AboveTheStag.co.uk

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Sleepless – Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre – This is what theatre is all about!

    THEATRE REVIEW | Sleepless – Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre – This is what theatre is all about!

    Rating: 4 out of 5.

    The West End is back, and it’s in Wembley!

    Sleepless the first major stage productions to open up in London in 6 months (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre opened in Mid-August with Jesus Christ Superstar). Originally scheduled to open on April 1st, it was sidelined, like all other productions, until further notice. But now it is here, and it’s a fun and lively show that will keep you entertained and emotional, not just because of the romantic plot but also because it’s a real live show that you’ll be watching, and not a taped show on your laptop!

    Playing at the Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre, in, yes Wembley (not quite the West End), Sleepless is based on the 1993 hit film Sleepless in Seattle (which starred Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks). And while stars Jay McGuiness and Kimberly Walsh are no Hanks and Ryan, they make a fantastic pair as a man and woman who are destined to be together.

    If you don’t know the plot, McGuiness is single father Sam. His wife passed away a year ago and he is left with young son Jonah. Jonah calls into a radio station to announce that his father is available to meet someone new, very much to Sam’s dismay. Enter Walsh’s Annie, a journalist about to be married to the dull but romantic Walter (Daniel Casey). When Annie hears about Jonah’s plea, she somehow feels that for her it’s a true calling, and she decides on a rendevous time and place in the hopes that Sam will be there and then. Of course, Sleepless ends on a happy note, and without giving too much away it’s happily ever after, with toe-tapping songs and a very good supporting cast to get us to the happy ending. While it’s not quite award-winning stuff, it gets my award for bringing a smile to people’s faces, and for ambitiously opening up.

    The seating capacity at this very large and very new theatre has been reduced from 1,300 to 400. Masks are required to wear while inside the auditorium (including the bar area), temperature checks and track and trace are there as you walk into the compound, and the cast and crew are subject to daily testing. But it’s a magnificent theatre with a bar outside and inside and plenty of space to move around.

    But here’s to producers Michael Rose and Damien Sanders for getting this show, a brand new one never been done before, up and running. Kudos to Michael Burdette for the book, Robert Scott and Brendan Cull (new British writers) for the music and lyrics, and the 12 piece orchestra. And kudos to the people you see on stage – they all make it look so seamless and easy, making us forget, temporarily, the events of the past 6 months.

    This is what theatre is all about.

    SLEEPLESS, plays at Wembley Park until 27th September 2020. Book tickets here.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Priscilla Queen of the Desert – National Tour

    THEATRE REVIEW | Priscilla Queen of the Desert – National Tour

    Rating: 2 out of 5.
    Priscilla Queen of the Desert - National Tour review

    Everyone’s favourite big, gay bus is hitting the road again, as Felicia, Tick and Bernadette unplug their curling tongs and go bush, travelling across the Australian outback and making their way to perform a show in Alice Springs.  Between the breaking down, bickering and bigotry, the trio learns about life, love and friendship whilst strutting their stuff in their high heels.

    As Felicia says at one point in the film that the show is based on, “there’s nothing like new frock to brighten your day, girls.” The show has been re-imagined and like the bus itself, it is given a fresh coat of paint.  But not every frock is made of satin and this production, unbelievably, manages to suck most of the fun out of what is, in reality, a superb show.

    Joe McFadden is woefully miscast as Tick, hardly making any eye contact with the audience and flipping between being virtually inanimate to over-exaggerating every gesture, whilst Miles Western portrays transsexual Bernadette more as a gay man than a trans woman; with only Jordan Cunningham bringing much to the main trio as Adam and his drag alter ego Felicia. 

    The corrugated iron-based background set is bland, gone are the recreations of the Oscar-winning costumes (to remove the flip-flop dress is a crime) and the titular bus doesn’t fare too well either. There is an abundance of unnecessary creative decisions – the “comedic” shooting of a kangaroo, a flashing nun and the addition of a set of dancing hicks whilst Adam belts out La Traviata from the top of the bus – which simply don’t sit well within the show. The delivery of the script fell flat. There is an increase in the sexualisation in the show, containing more groin thrusting that is really needed and seemingly replacing the camp with a vague sleaziness.

    The choreography was safe rather than outrageous, and the staging made the performance space seem almost empty when the ensemble cast were performing. Those who are seeing the show for the first time may well find much to enjoy, but disappointingly, this is an incredibly uninspiring production.

    On the plus side, the Divas’ were able to belt out the tunes, the soundtrack comprising of a selection of disco classics is stomping and the musical numbers are undertaken with energy and enthusiasm by the ensemble. But sadly, the re-imagined show looked cheap, the costumes were disappointing and tacky, the performances from the main cast were broadly poor and the over the top camp felt sadly lacking.

    It must be difficult to drain the life out of such a buoyant and uplifting show, but somehow, this production manages to do just that.

    Priscilla Queen of the Desert is at Sheffield Theatres before continuing on its national tour

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Spy Plays, London

    THEATRE REVIEW | Spy Plays, London

    ★★★★★ | Spy Plays, Above the Stag Theatre, London

    Intrigue. Attraction. Mystery. Lust. Sex. Murder. These are the themes surrounding two plays rolled into one and called ‘Spy Plays’ now at the Above the Stag Theatre.

    David Thame’s ‘Kompromat‘ and ‘London/Budapest‘ are shown together for the first time, and both based on true life events where the same actors play different characters in both, 60 years apart.

    ‘Kompromat’ which in Russian culture is short for “compromising material”, and which has been previously performed at the Vaults, tells the chilling story of Gareth Williams, the presumedly gay man who worked for a government agency and who was found dead inside a sportsbag in the bathtub in his Pimlico flat in 2010. The show takes the story further by surmising that he picked up a man at a gay bar on that night and took him back to his flat. Guy Warren-Thomas plays Gareth, shy yet brilliant, while Max Rinehart plays Zac, the young mysterious Hungarian who seduces Gareth and perhaps had something to do with his death. In ‘London/Budapest’ it’s 1955 and Author Adam de Hegedus (Warren-Thomas), has just met a young man (Rinehart again, at his most seductive) at the Jermyn Street Baths, and takes him back to his Pimlico flat. But who is this young man? Is he who he says he is?

    And did de Hegedus actually commit suicide or was he murdered?

    So what links these two men? A Pimlico flat, and that both dead had connections to the spy world. And Director Peter Darney beautifully, with the help of the production team, brings it all to life on one of the stages at Above the Stag. In ‘London/Budapest‘ we are whisked to a appropriate era set with a comfy lounge chair while in ‘Kompromat‘ it’s a modern bachelor flat where death will rear its ugly head. And the acting couldn’t be better. While Rinehart has the most dialogue and delivers it with passion, Warren-Thomas Is just perfect in his duel roles and is also absolutely breathtaking when he enters the stage in ‘Kompromat’ in an outfit that’s unexpected yet very, very sexy.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Prince of Egypt, London

    THEATRE REVIEW | The Prince of Egypt, London

    ★★★★ | The Prince of Egypt, Dominion Theatre, London

    Dreamwork’s animated 1998 film ’The Prince of Egypt‘ comes to life at the Dominion Theatre. 

    With music and lyrics by veteran composer Stephen Schwarz, and directed by his son Scott Schwartz, ‘The Prince of Egypt’ faithfully follows the film in the telling of two men – Moses (Luke Brady) and Ramses (Liam Tamne) – who were raised as brothers but, in one of the dark secrets of the family, are not actually brothers.

    Moses was born a Hebrew, and after an accident where Moses pushes an Egyptian guard off a temple being built by the Hebrew slaves, he runs off and encounters what turns out to be his real sister and the real members of his family – all Hebrews. While his adopted father dies, Ramses takes over as the Pharaoh – King – while at the same time still condemning all Hebrews to a life of slavery, which will now include his brother. With the brothers divided, what will become of their relationship, and of the Hebrews who desperately seek their freedom? 

    The production values in this show are worth the price of a ticket. From the illuminated pharaohs and hieroglyphics, which are projected on to the sides of and on the stage, to the amazing costumes and sets, ’The Prince of Egypt’ was made for the huge stage that is the Dominion Theatre. And the dancers are all actually superb, morphing from statues to flowing water to wind to sand dunes to the burning bush where God tells Moses that he needs to return to Egypt and guide the Hebrews to freedom.

    Yes, we also get to see Moses part the red sea, with videos of waves projected onto the sides of the stage to make it look like the Hebrews are actually walking between the red sea. Disney, just like their other productions in the West End, looks like they spared no expense in this production. Kudos go to Sean Cheesman, choreographer, who has guided the dancers to be practically another character in the show, to the production and set design and costumes (Jon Driscoll, Kevin Depinet and Ann Hould-Ward respectively), and the performances of both Brady and Tamne. Also, the singing voices of Christine Allado, Alexia Khadime and Mercedesz Csampai are just beautiful. While there were a couple of scenes that had us scratching our heads, overall it’s an amazing production and one not to miss.

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  • THEATRE REVIEW | La Cage, London

    THEATRE REVIEW | La Cage, London

    ★★★★ | La Cage, Park Theatre, London

    When you walk into a theatre and you see that the set is a grand staircase leading into a living room with a large statue of David and various photos of men and drag queens on the wall you know you’re in for a drag of a time. This is exactly what ‘La Cage’ delivers.

    Actor Simon Callow adapted the show for the stage, who was asked to write an English version of the original 1973 play (which inspired three french films, a hit musical, and a hit American film – The Birdcage). Directed by Jez Bond, ‘La Cage’ is written in its original time and location, and French speaker Callow astutely brings the flavour of the original farce to life. 

    Drag queen extraordinaire Albin (Paul Hunter) and Georges (an amazing Michael Matus) own and live above drag queen bar La Cage, along with their extremely camp butler Jacob (Syrus Lowe) who can sure wear high heels. Georges’ son Laurent (Arthur Hughes) arrives to inform him that he’s getting married to a girl whose parents are very religious and conservative, and that they’re coming to town to meet his ‘parents.’

    Laurent’s natural mother is invited as well but leaves it to Albin to pretend he’s Laurent’s mother and it’s all one huge farce on the day and things get worse downstairs in the club as all hell breaks loose as Albin is not in residence. Dishes with naughty pictures and innuendos galore go into overdrive as the show goes way over the top with an ending identical to the other productions but in this production is all a bit too easily sewn up. 

    A lot happens in just over two hours and the cast easily keep up the comedy and energy. From the grand dame that is Albin to the almost not in control Georges they help to maintain a bit of the drama while the show spins its characters all over the place. And while you’ll admire their dedication and tenacity, you might find yourself laughing throughout but to a point where it’s not even funny. 

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