THEGAYUK

Category: Theatre

  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Comedy About A Bank Robbery, The Birmingham Rep

    ★★★★★ | The Comedy About A Bank Robbery, The Birmingham Rep

     

    Mischief Theatre did it again! Masters of comedy and experts in dropping jaws, The Comedy About A Bank Robbery was another side-splitting hit.

Set in Summer 1958, Minneapolis City Bank has been entrusted with a priceless diamond. An escaped convict is dead set on pocketing the gem with the help of his sidekick who has a crush on him, his con girlfriend, and her con lover. A recipe for hilarious disaster.



    Liam Jeavons, Sean Carey, and Julia Frith did a sterling job at multi-role playing while showcasing dexterity in movement, voice and perfect comedic timing. Particularly stealing the show was Julia as Caprice whose constant tricking of lovers and the incessant charade playing to get out of sticky situations uplifted the very already funny production. Sean as Sam was a mastermind in roleplaying, switching from characters in a matter of minutes and fast changes of costume while never giving up the ‘act’ doing everything for his love, even spanking her boyfriend while they make love – it’s hard to explain; you have to watch it to see what I mean.



    Ruth was another shining gem, playing the mother of Sam, with an angelic voice and superb acting ability full of foxiness. Her energy was effervescent and though was not a key role, she always enhanced the scenes with her character. A very agile performance was seen by George Hannigan who played Caprice’s three lovers – in one scene, it was just George on stage portraying the three men at the same time, changing between each character with such fluidity that each one was clearly distinct.

    All other actors were subliminal too, for instance Damian Lynch who played Bank owner Robin Freeboys had a true command of each scene with intelligent comedic timing. His sidekick Warren Slax played by Jon Trenchard was a formidable entertainer too grabbing the audience by the heartstrings as he was always butt end of a joke or something going wrong.

    What was a real marvel was the set design which contained versatile/multipurpose sets mesmerising the audience. One piece was so jaw-dropping, which speaking to my plus one – thought the same, was the scene on the wall, where Jon and Damian were suspended from the ceiling and acted as if they were grounded! This just shows that Mischief Theatre continues to be bold, unique and dangerous! I hope they are writing the next one!

  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Play That Goes Wrong, Theatre Royal Brighton

    ★★★☆☆ | The Play That Goes Wrong

    The Play That Goes Wrong, Theatre Royal Brighton

    There is an old saying in theatre that “the show must go on” and nowhere is that old adage put more to the test than in The Play That Goes Wrong, a comedy of errors which collates every actor’s worst nightmare and throws them at the cast who are determined to carry on regardless.

    Borrowing heavily from The Mousetrap, The Play That Goes Wrong is a scattergun comedy set around the fictitious Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society, who is performing The Murder at Haversham Manor, a murder mystery set in the roaring twenties. Despite the best endeavours of the cast, nothing quite goes right for them, as scenery collapses, actors are knocked unconscious, props break and unprepared understudies stand in.

    With a varied blend of visual gags, slapstick, farce, wordplay, one-liners, missed cues and a rather more animated corpse than one would expect, the gags come thick and fast; some hitting the bullseye and others missing the target; but the whole thing is so fast-paced, that there is always another gag heading your way imminently. Garnering some genuine laugh out loud moments, the show has a sensible one hour forty minute runtime meaning that even if a few of the gags begin to outstay their welcome, the show does not.

    Whilst there is plenty of fun to be found and a lot of chuckles, guffaws and belly-laughs to be had, the ending of the show descends into a rather shouty and chaotic handful of closing scenes which, unfortunately, slightly takes the edge off of what has come before. But that said, the cast is delightful, in particular, Kazeem Tosin Amore; and there is some excellent split second comedic timing and plenty of physical dexterity on offer as the fictional cast try desperately to keep their faces straight, their upper lips stiff and prevent the performance collapsing into a catastrophe.

    *This review was taken from the Sheffield production*

    Book tickets for Theatre Royal Brighton through our ticketing partner ATG Tickets

     

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Swan Lake – St. Petersburg Ballet Theatre – London

    THEATRE REVIEW | Swan Lake – St. Petersburg Ballet Theatre – London

    ★★★★★| Swan Lake – St. Petersburg Ballet Theatre – London Coliseum

    You’ve only got until Saturday September 1st to see perhaps one of the most amazing, and beautiful, ballet performances you’ll ever see this year, and perhaps in many years.
    The internationally acclaimed St. Petersburg Ballet Theatre have made their return to the London Coliseum with their production of Swan Lake. And what a production it is! With picture perfect ballet performances, amazing costumes, and even more amazing sets, you will sit spell-bound as you watch the performers dance to one, if the not the most, famous ballet pieces of all time.
    The St. Petersburg Ballet Theatre 2015 season was a sell out with over 25,000 seats sold. So due to huge demand, the company has graced London with 9 performances. This strictly limited 2018 season now takes place between Wednesday 22nd August and Sunday 2nd September 2018.
    Founded in 1994, St Petersburg Ballet Theatre is renowned globally not just for its beautiful Vaganova trained dancers, but also for its stunning full-length productions. The company travels internationally performing classical masterpieces from its repertoire includingGiselle,Don Quixote,The NutcrackerandSleeping Beauty. The incredibly popular Company is in such demand that it gives over 200 performances every year.
    Irina Kolesnikova, prima ballerinaat St Petersburg Ballet Theatre since the age of 21, leads the Company that continues to have remarkable successes around the world – from Sydney to Johannesburg, from Paris to Istanbul. And she is truly astonishing in the role.
    Kolesnikova will be joined by guest stars including the Bolshoi Balletprincipals Denis Rodkin and Alexander Volchkov . Both will dance the role of Prince Siegfried. TheMariinsky Theatre’sprincipal dancer, Kimin Kimwill also dance Siegfried. Also joining isBolshoiprincipal dancerYulia Stepanova, who will also dance the role of Odette/Odile.
    Swan Lake, if you don’t know the story, tells the classic love story of Prince Siegfried and Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer’s curse. St Petersburg Ballet Theatre will perform this balletic masterpiece as it was meant to be seen, boasting gorgeous traditionally painted backdrops, Tchaikovsky’s moving score, a full-sized orchestra and critically acclaimed dancers performing the full-length production for London audiences.Swan Lakeis undoubtedly a production everyone must experience at least once in their life.
    It’s really an amazing production, and will leave you breathless and speechless. I highly recommend getting tickets as soon as possible as the short run, might, and will probably, sell out.
    Production:St Petersburg Ballet Theatre Present Swan Lake
    Venue:London Coliseum,St Martin’s Ln, London WC2N 4ES
    Dates:Wednesday 22ndAugust – Sunday 2ndSeptember 2018
    Performances:Tuesday – Sunday Evenings 19:30, Thursday & Saturday Matinees 14:30, Wednesday 29thAugust & Sunday 2ndSeptember Matinee 14.30
    Prices:£20 – £95 plus booking fee.
    Booking:https://londoncoliseum.org/swan-lake-st-petersburg-ballet-theatre
    Performance Schedule*
    Odette/Odile
    Irina Kolesnikova Aug 22ndeve, 23rdeve, 25thmat, 26thmat, 28theve, 29theve, 30theve, Sept 1stmat,
      2ndSept mat
    Yulia Stepanova Aug 23rdmat, 24theve, 25theve, 29thmat, 30thmat, 31steve, Sept 1steve
    Prince Siegfried
    Denis Rodkin Aug 22ndeve, 23rdeve, 25thmat, 26thmat, 28theve,
    Kimin Kim Aug 23rdmat, 24theve, 25theve, 30thmat, 31steve, Sept 1steve, 2ndeve
    Alexander Volchov Aug 29thmat, 29theve, 30theve, Sept 1stmat
    *The Producers reserve the right to substitute any named artist(s) at any scheduled performance(s).

  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Play That Goes Wrong, Princess Theatre Torquay

    ★★★☆☆ | The Play That Goes Wrong

    The Play That Goes Wrong, Princess Theatre Torquay

    There is an old saying in theatre that “the show must go on” and nowhere is that old adage put more to the test than in The Play That Goes Wrong, a comedy of errors which collates every actor’s worst nightmare and throws them at the cast who are determined to carry on regardless.

    Borrowing heavily from The Mousetrap, The Play That Goes Wrong is a scattergun comedy set around the fictitious Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society, who is performing The Murder at Haversham Manor, a murder mystery set in the roaring twenties. Despite the best endeavours of the cast, nothing quite goes right for them, as scenery collapses, actors are knocked unconscious, props break and unprepared understudies stand in.

    With a varied blend of visual gags, slapstick, farce, wordplay, one-liners, missed cues and a rather more animated corpse than one would expect, the gags come thick and fast; some hitting the bullseye and others missing the target; but the whole thing is so fast-paced, that there is always another gag heading your way imminently. Garnering some genuine laugh out loud moments, the show has a sensible one hour forty minute runtime meaning that even if a few of the gags begin to outstay their welcome, the show does not.

    Whilst there is plenty of fun to be found and a lot of chuckles, guffaws and belly-laughs to be had, the ending of the show descends into a rather shouty and chaotic handful of closing scenes which, unfortunately, slightly takes the edge off of what has come before. But that said, the cast is delightful, in particular, Kazeem Tosin Amore; and there is some excellent split second comedic timing and plenty of physical dexterity on offer as the fictional cast try desperately to keep their faces straight, their upper lips stiff and prevent the performance collapsing into a catastrophe.

    *This review was taken from the Sheffield production*

    Book tickets for Princess Theatre Torquay through our ticketing partner ATG Tickets

     

  • Edinburgh Fringe show rocked by homophobic jeers and slurs on the streets of Edinburgh

    Edinburgh Fringe show rocked by homophobic jeers and slurs on the streets of Edinburgh

    A show currently performing at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe festival has been rocked by persistent homophobic jeers and insults.

    (C) Danny Braverman

    Nick Cassenbaum, the star of My Kind of Michael, which is currently playing at the #Edinburgh Fringe festival has encountered a barrage of homophobic abuse on the streets of Edinburgh while trying to promote the show, which runs until the 26th August at the Summerhall.

    The show is about Cassenbaum’s childhood hero, Michael Barrymore, who was an incredibly popular TV star until a tragic incident at his home in 2001 left a young man dead and the star came out about his bisexuality. 

    The show, My Kind of Michael, chronicles Cassenbaum’s childhood infatuation with the Strike it Lucky presenter and how he was inspired by Barrymore to take to the stage himself.

    As part of the promotion for the show, a life-size cut out of Michael Barrymore has been used on Edinburgh’s streets.

    Speaking about the abuse, Cassenbaumn said, “After all this time I thought people may be prepared to accept him as a brilliant ‘working class boy made good’ entertainer, but it’s become apparent that not only do some people hold strong views about him but that they are prepared to use blatantly homophobic language to make their point.

    “Old-fashioned homophobia and trial by tabloid is alive and well at the Edinburgh Fringe”

    Cassenbaum then shared some of the abuse that the show and indeed Michael Barrymore (who is not part of the lineup) has endured,

    ‘He’s as bent as a ten-bob note. He killed a man. He raped a man. He’s a pervert’
    ‘He raped a man and drowned him’
    ‘He’s alwight in the back hole’
    ‘Get that murdering pervert away from me’ (referring to a cardboard cutout of Barrymore)

    Others have apparently accused him of being known for preying on young boys, said Cassenbaum.

    Cassenbaum continued, “I have been flyering for this show for two weeks now and this type of language has shocked and surprised me. Especially at a ‘liberal’ arts festival that is known for controversial and cutting-edge productions.

    “Barrymore has had to put up with this for nearly 20 years now. I want to make it clear that he was never charged for anything, yet people treat him as if he is a perverted murderer and child molester, tarring him with the same brush as those convicted following Operation Yewtree.

    “It seems that old-fashioned homophobia and trial by tabloid is alive and well at the Edinburgh Fringe.

    Essex Police admitted wrongful arrest – and never charged

    This year, Michael Barrymore won a court case against Essex Police over the wrongful arrest of the entertainer after the death of a man at his home in 2001.

    Stuart Lubbock, 31 was found dead at the star’s Essex home in March 2001. In June 2001 Police arrested Barrymore, his partner and another man in connection to Lubbock’s death but no charges were brought forward. The same three men were arrested again in 2007 but the case was dropped again after three months. No one was charged.

    Essex Police admitted the arrest was unlawful and that the arresting officer did not have reasonable grounds to suspect that Mr Barrymore was guilty.

    In 2009 the IPCC found multiple failings with the original police investigation.

    Speaking to THEGAYUK a spokesperson for Edinburgh Council said, “Hate crime is not tolerated and we would urge anyone who has been a victim of or has witnessed hate crime to report it to the Police“.

    The Edinburgh Fringe Festival Society told THEGAYUK.com “No matter who you are or where you come from, you should feel at home at the Fringe. The Fringe Society have a zero-tolerance policy on harassment, abuse and bullying and we take the safety and welfare of all of our participants and audience members extremely seriously. We provide advice on all aspects of performing and taking part in the Fringe and would encourage anyone who has been affected by issues such as this to contact us.

    “Please also take a look at our Your Rights section of our website :https://www.edfringe.com/take-part/your-rights”

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Little Shop of Horrors – Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, London

    THEATRE REVIEW | Little Shop of Horrors – Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, London

    ★★★★☆ | Little Shop of Horrors – Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

    There’s a human-eating plant in Regents Park, and the more it eats the bigger it gets – and it’s all at the wonderful Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre in the new show ‘Little Shop of Horrors.’

    On skid row in downtown Manhattan, a flower shop called Mushnik’s is not doing much business. But Seymour Krelborn (a wonderful Marc Antolin), who works at the shop owned by Mr Mushnick (Forbes Masson) has mysteriously acquired a plant, a plant so unlike any in the shop. It’s a plant that looks like a venus flytrap, but this plant is very different. It’s a plant he has called Audrey II (Vicky Vox plays the plant later in the show), named after the co-worker he is secretly in love with Audrey (Jemima Rooper). This plant doesn’t want water like all the other plants in the shop, as discovered by Seymour when he pricks his fingers and drips blood on the plant, and it’s happy drinking his blood. But the more blood Seymour feeds the plant, the bigger it grows, and soon enough Seymour can’t give any more blood to the plant, and it’s grown so huge that’s it’s become a celebrity (and so has Seymour). But how can Seymour continue to keep his plant happy and all the while attaining his new celebrity status (and the money that comes with it?). He has to give Audrey II more blood, and this includes people. The first to go into the plant is Audrey’s abusive boyfriend Orin Scrivello (Matt Willis – of pop group Busted). But who will be next? The plants keeps telling Seymour ‘I’m Hungry’ so he’s at odds as to what to do next. And this all takes place in the beautiful outdoor theatre.
    Playing until Saturday, September 22, ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ is great fun to watch. Let’s hope the good weather continues until the end of the shows run – as Little Shop of Horrors is best enjoyed when it’s not raining. The cast are all wonderful, and Vicky Vox is larger than life as the plant. With music and lyrics by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman, Little Shop of Horrors is still good fun and even better set amongst all those trees in Regent’s Park. Just be careful and don’t get too close to one, it might eat you!

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Flashdance The Musical, National Tour

    ★★☆☆☆ | Flashdance The Musical

    Back in the 80’s, movie musicals such as Fame and Footloose blazed a trail across cinema screens and into the hearts of foot tapping teens everywhere. But nestled between the two was Flashdance, the story of Alex – a welder by day and a club dancer at night, with a dream to make it into a prestigious to dance school. Now fully embedded in popular culture, being mimicked by Geri Halliwell and Comic Relief; and even making an appearance in The Full Monty, Flashdance now takes to the stage with Strictly Come Dancing’s Joanne Clifton.

    Based incredibly loosely on the film, the stage show waters down the story of the gritty welder and her struggles to make it, and provides a fairly sanitised version of the story, with plenty of nods to the film, but placing the emphasis on different aspects of the story. The show retains a handful of songs from the film’s soundtrack, including “Maniac”, “Gloria” and “Flashdance (What a Feeling)”; but packs them in tightly with a high number of original songs which are functional, but not particularly memorable.

    Filled with an abundance of day-glow, colourful neon, the show is little more than an excuse for some vibrant dance numbers, nowhere more alive than in Demmileigh Foster’s show-stealing rendition of “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll”, and in the rather upbeat closing medley. Joanne Clifton shows that she can sing as well as dance, and Colin Kiyani was perfectly affable as Nick, Alex’s boss and boyfriend.

    Those wanting a theatrical version of the film (akin to the Dirty Dancing musical) won’t get that here, given the light plot, two dimensional characters and a rather lacklustre script; but this story is really a wraparound device to tie together the musical numbers of which there are plenty; with a few good set pieces and a feel-good ending to be had.

    Flashdance the Musical is at Sheffield Theatres until Saturday 11th August 2018 before continuing on its national tour.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Play That Goes Wrong, Blackpool Opera House

    ★★★☆☆ | The Play That Goes Wrong

    THEATRE REVIEW | The Play That Goes Wrong, Blackpool Opera House

    There is an old saying in theatre that “the show must go on” and nowhere is that old adage put more to the test than in The Play That Goes Wrong, a comedy of errors which collates every actor’s worst nightmare and throws them at the cast who are determined to carry on regardless.

    Borrowing heavily from The Mousetrap, The Play That Goes Wrong is a scattergun comedy set around the fictitious Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society, who is performing The Murder at Haversham Manor, a murder mystery set in the roaring twenties. Despite the best endeavours of the cast, nothing quite goes right for them, as scenery collapses, actors are knocked unconscious, props break and unprepared understudies stand in.

    With a varied blend of visual gags, slapstick, farce, wordplay, one-liners, missed cues and a rather more animated corpse than one would expect, the gags come thick and fast; some hitting the bullseye and others missing the target; but the whole thing is so fast-paced, that there is always another gag heading your way imminently. Garnering some genuine laugh out loud moments, the show has a sensible one hour forty minute runtime meaning that even if a few of the gags begin to outstay their welcome, the show does not.

    Whilst there is plenty of fun to be found and a lot of chuckles, guffaws and belly-laughs to be had, the ending of the show descends into a rather shouty and chaotic handful of closing scenes which, unfortunately, slightly takes the edge off of what has come before. But that said, the cast is delightful, in particular, Kazeem Tosin Amore; and there is some excellent split second comedic timing and plenty of physical dexterity on offer as the fictional cast try desperately to keep their faces straight, their upper lips stiff and prevent the performance collapsing into a catastrophe.

    *This review was taken from the Sheffield production*

    Book tickets for Blackpool Opera House through our ticketing partner ATG Tickets

     

  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Play That Goes Wrong

    ★★★☆☆ | The Play That Goes Wrong

    There is an old saying in theatre that “the show must go on” and nowhere is that old adage put more to the test than in The Play That Goes Wrong, a comedy of errors which collates every actor’s worst nightmare and throws them at the cast who are determined to carry on regardless.

    Borrowing heavily from The Mousetrap, The Play That Goes Wrong is a scattergun comedy set around the fictitious Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society, who is performing The Murder at Haversham Manor, a murder mystery set in the roaring twenties. Despite the best endeavours of the cast, nothing quite goes right for them, as scenery collapses, actors are knocked unconscious, props break and unprepared understudies stand in.

    With a varied blend of visual gags, slapstick, farce, wordplay, one-liners, missed cues and a rather more animated corpse than one would expect, the gags come thick and fast; some hitting the bullseye and others missing the target; but the whole thing is so fast-paced, that there is always another gag heading your way imminently. Garnering some genuine laugh out loud moments, the show has a sensible one hour forty minute runtime meaning that even if a few of the gags begin to outstay their welcome, the show does not.

    Whilst there is plenty of fun to be found and a lot of chuckles, guffaws and belly-laughs to be had, the ending of the show descends into a rather shouty and chaotic handful of closing scenes which, unfortunately, slightly takes the edge off of what has come before. But that said, the cast is delightful, in particular, Kazeem Tosin Amore; and there is some excellent split second comedic timing and plenty of physical dexterity on offer as the fictional cast try desperately to keep their faces straight, their upper lips stiff and prevent the performance collapsing into a catastrophe.

    The Play That Goes Wrong is currently at Sheffield Theatres until the 4th August 2018 before continuing on its national tour.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Titanic, The Musical, Liverpool Empire

    THEATRE REVIEW | Titanic, The Musical, Liverpool Empire

    ★★★☆☆ | Titanic – The Musical – Liverpool Empire

    Titanic - The Musical - National Tour review

    **This review was taken from the Sheffield production**

    Despite it being over 100 years since Titanic slipped under the waves, the fascination with the ship and those on board hasn’t faded, as evidenced by the packed house of this revival of Moury Yeston’s musical. The story of the ships maiden voyage and, ultimately, its demise is told through a wealth of characters from all classes of passengers and from the crew on board.

    The set, all sheet metal and rivets, towers above the audience instilling in them the impression of the sheer scale of the ship whilst a simple two-tier stage evoked an image of the decks and worked effectively. But from the off, the cast were on top form, as the magnificent ensemble belted out the opening numbers with such gusto that it reverberated in the chest, like the sounds of the engines of the great ship itself.

    And therein lays the strength of this production. Its cast was outstanding, and whether singing alone, in small groups or as an ensemble, the whole thing was beautifully sung and more akin to an opera than a musical. The three leads Philip Rham, Simon Green and Greg Castiglioni bounced off each other nicely as the Captain, owner and designer of the ship, and Niall Sheeny impressed as the stoker Fred Barrett. Whilst the direction was fairly minimal, the cast switched between their multiple roles seamlessly, spilling out into the aisles on occasions to engage the audience; whilst on a technical level, the lighting and sound design, the costumes and the balance between actors voices and orchestra were all absolutely spot on.

    Sadly, an overly long runtime, a handful of similar-sounding songs and a few too many story threads anchored down the first act to an extent, but the second act picked up the pace as the race to abandon ship took hold.

    What comes out of the production is an underlying theme of love between the characters, from the newlyweds to the eloping couple to the elderly husband and wife, and it is this which packs the emotional punch and brings the human cost of the tragedy sharply into focus.

    Book tickets to see Titanic, The Musical at Liverpool Empire until 4th August 2018

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Thriller Live! – Sheffield Theatres

    ★★★☆☆ | Thriller Live!

    Celebrating the music, dancing and performances of the entertainer, Thriller Live is a whistle-stop tour of Michael Jackson’s greatest hits, rolled into a relentless package of iconic dance moves, legendary performances and classic songs.

    From his early days in Mowtown, through the Jackson 5 years and onto his solo success, the show features a quartet of singers who perform against a backdrop of spectacular choreography which is performed with unyielding vigour and energetic enthusiasm by the vivacious cast of dancers who fill the stage; accompanied by a talented bunch of musicians in the live band.

    Cleverly taking the routines, or snippets of them, highlights included music video recreations of ‘Smooth Criminal’ and ‘Thriller’, great renditions of ‘Man in the Mirror’ and ‘I Just Can’t Stop Loving You’ and some tracks you wouldn’t immediately associate with Michael Jackson, including ‘Dangerous’ and ‘This Place Hotel’.

    Despite the vocals not being of the highest order, some forced audience participation and a couple of songs descending into an overblown mess, there is still plenty of enjoyment to be found here. Regardless of the controversy surrounding his life, Michael Jackson’s enduring appeal undoubtedly remains, especially if the shouts, whoops and cheers from the audience were anything to go by.

    Whilst musical revues can often come across as sycophantic, Thriller Live manages to sidestep being the gushing praise-fest that it could be, and instead allows the party atmosphere, music, songs and dance routines to speak for themselves in an undemanding evening of foot tapping, high end cabaret.

    Thriller Live is rounding off its national tour at Sheffield Lyceum Theatre until 21st July 2018, but you can still catch the show in the West End.