Category: Theatre

  • THEATRE REVIEW | What’s In A Name, Birmingham Rep

    THEATRE REVIEW | What’s In A Name, Birmingham Rep

    ★★★★ | A modern farce that delivers ounces of emotion, comedy and suspense. A full platter!


    (Photo credit: Robert Day)

    What’s In A Name, written by Alexandre De La Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte, stages a dinner party packed with many surprises and twists that kept you on edge, and slightly edgy, while holding your belly for laughing. It is set in London, and the story centres itself around the name of Adolphe which Vincent jokes about calling his son when he is born. The story then darkens as secrets are revealed within each of the five guests.

    Sarah Hadland, who most would remember as Stevie in Miranda, stole the show with her multi-emotional portrayal of Elizabeth. Sarah was completely natural and every line and action was delivered with sheer dexterity and conviction. I was so happy to see Sarah aka Stevie up close, and to not see her as Stevie at the same time, which was something I really enjoyed. Raymond Coulthard was magnificent as Carl, and was great to see him back at the Birmingham Rep after watching him in King’s Speech. Carl carried the biggest secret and Raymond played the audience well, never giving any of it away. Nigel Harman, Eastenders, was formidable as Vincent, Elizabeth’s younger brother. Nigel conveyed him with such energy and natural flair that one could not help but be drawn every time he spoke and moved. Jamie Glover was excellent with his cross-examining scenes as Peter, challenging Vincent and others to prove a point. He made the set appear like it was his own home with the way he perched on or leaned against features in the front room signalling natural familiarity. Olivia Poulet as Anna was a great ingredient to turn the drama on its head with coming in quite late and revealing a hidden secret. Olivia was charismatic and held her own against the other theatrical titans.

    I seriously suggest everyone go and see this as it draws you in with the clever humour and sophisticated drama – you just didn’t know what you were going to get!

     

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Dirty Great Love Story, The Arts Theatre

    ★★ | Dirty Great Love Story, The Arts Theatre

    CREDIT: Richard Davenport

    I’m a bit unconventional in my views when it comes to romance. I strongly believe that sex before the first date is a sensible action (who wants to sit through a tedious meal with a fake smile plastered on your face when you can cut to the chase?) but I also have a secret love of ‘will they won’t they’ romantic comedies.

    Slam poetry champion Richard Marsh and writer/performer Katie Bonna originally conceived Dirty Great Love Story as a short pub performance piece.

    It evolved into a longer two-hander play and was well received at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2012 where the writers also performed the piece. Outlining a meeting between gauche and shy Richard and recently heartbroken Katie on a stag and hen do, followed by a one night stand in a Travelodge, the play then goes on to tantalise with an almost/on and off romance, that burgeons in spite of obstacles.

    It’s classic rom-com but recited partly in verse.

    In this new incarnation at The Arts Theatre, the pair is played by actors with accomplished performances from Ayesha Antoine and Felix Scott. This is where the problem seems to lie, though. Maybe performance poetry works better coming from the mouth of the poet and in this case, fails to translate over easily despite the actors’ efforts.

    In spite of their skill as performers, the verse feels stilted coming from their mouths and sits oddly with a touch of the painfully twee about it in parts. Yes, they’re sometimes talking about the dirty bits of this relationship, but in a Richard Curtis style romantic comedy format with poetry that sounds like Pam Ayres on a 1980s edition of That’s Life.

    It splutters dimly more that it illuminates and feels tired and dated. Not so great and a tiny bit dirty but a love story nonetheless, there are flashes of brilliance but they feel few and far between.

    When the funny moments hit they’re worth waiting for, there’s a clever set by Pia Furtado with bits that drop down and pop up to illustrate various scenes but overall it all falls a bit flat.

     

    Dirty Great Love Story plays at The Arts Theatre until 16th March 2017

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Bitches Ahoy!, Above The Stag

    THEATRE REVIEW | Bitches Ahoy!, Above The Stag

    ★★★★ | Bitches Ahoy! : Above The Stag

    Batten down the hatches, all hands on your AussieBums, and anchors – prudes advised to stay on dry land – aweigh.

    Bitches Ahoy review
    CREDIT: Above The Stag

    Gareth, Max and Fat Pam set sail for a new adventure on the Mediterranean awash with a couple of love interests in close-quarters.  This is up-and-coming Playwright Martin Blackburn’s second production – an all-at-sea sequel to Aright Bitches! – and in Blackburn’s previous style: pummelled with more innuendos than a Navy Officer in the engine room after six months at sea.

    Buoyant party-buoy Gareth (Ethan Chapples) is holibobing with new squeeze Drew (Chris Clynes), and giving monogamy a stern-go onboard a queer cruise with two thousand homo-hotties – will either walk the plank of infidelity?  Nothing’s ever plain-sailing on this ship.

    Max has embarked on a new career as a cabin boy with a firm eye in every porthole and a love/hate taste for his surroundings. Pam (Hannah Vesty) has harpooned the Moby of all Dicks and flaunts new French fiancé Patrice (Simon Burr) from port to starboard causing a splash with the whole crew’s rudders. Straight guy aboard a gay cruise – what could possibly come adrift?

    Blackburn clearly knows how to quill a boat-rocking quip, but on this voyage, some of the jokes were washed ashore unnoticed, mainly due to the delivery.

    Come aboard this vessel for cock-capers, tampon-tomfoolery and to catch a glimpse of Pam wet wiping her lady bits.  This is a camp factor 50 with the potent UVAs radiating from Vesty and Chapples  – giving you the Jolly Rogers and the January blues the heave-ho.

     

    Bitches Ahoy is at Above The Stag Theatre until 26th February

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Holding The Man, Jack Studio Theatre

    THEATRE REVIEW | Holding The Man, Jack Studio Theatre

    ★★★ | Holding The Man, Jack Studio Theatre

    Holding The Man
    CREDIT: Nicholas Chinardet

    Holding the Man is a play by Tommy Murphy (Strangers in Between) that was also made into a film in 2015.

    It’s based on Timothy Conigrave’s 1995 memoir, an elegy to his late partner, John Caleo. The pair met as teenagers in 1970s Australia and fell in love, facing parental disapproval, trying to find where they fitted into society and experimenting with their sexuality. Sadly, Conigrave died aged 34 from an AIDS related illness shortly after completing the book. This is more than just a play about the AIDS crisis, though. It’s a tender love story and a reflection on the problems faced by young gay people, which is still pertinent today.

    Director Sebastian Polka has taken a clever starting point to staging this play. The play is wide in its scope, covering Tim’s Catholic school upbringing through to his death, looking at his first experiences of the gay scene and gay activism, his career as an actor and the highs and lows of his relationship with John. Polka takes Tim’s acting career as a point from which to present the characters with the stage being a dressing room where Tim conjures up scenes from his life. Tim is played with skill and sensitivity by lean and angular Christopher Hunter along with astonishingly good muscle hunk Paul-Emile Forman as John. The astonishing thing is that this is Forman’s professional debut and he gives an incredibly subtle and nuanced performance. The rest of the characters from Tim’s life are played by four actors who constantly change clothes and accents along with their roles.
    It’s an interesting play that is well staged but ultimately the problem lies in the play itself. It’s a major task to try to present twenty-five years of a man’s life in such detail in one play.

    The focus on so many events ends up detracting somewhat from the whole effect and leaves it feeling oddly bloodless. The actors barely have space within the dialogue to convey much and the piece occasionally feels superficial and has less emotional depth than it could have.

    Holding The Man plays at the Jack Studio Theatre until 4th Feb 2017

  • Four gay plays to look out for this spring 2017

    Four gay plays to look out for this spring 2017

    As the spring theatre season starts to gather momentum, there are some great gay-themed plays in and around the UK. Here are four plays to keep an eye out for.

    Everyone’s Talking About Jamie – Crucible Theatre, Sheffield.

    Jamie New is sixteen. He’s from Sheffield. And he has a secret. He doesn’t quite fit in at school. His Dad’s left home. He’s about to sit his GCSEs. The future is terrifying. With his brilliant mum behind him, will Jamie be brave enough to stand up for who he really wants to be? A coming-of-age story with a twist, with catchy new songs by lead singer-songwriter of The Feeling Dan Gillespie Sells and writer Tom MacRae (Doctor Who), this brand new musical will have everybody talking about Jamie for years to come. Based on the BBC3 documentary, Jamie – Drag Queen at Sixteen, the world premiere of this new musical runs at Sheffield Theatres from the 9th – 25th February 2017. Visit www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk for details and listen to the first song from the show below.

    https://soundcloud.com/user-872483887/dont-even-know-it-featuring-betty-boo

     

    Gypsy Queen – Doncaster CAST and National Tour

    Photo Credit: PR Supplied

    Written, in part, as a response to Tyson Fury’s comments that “there are only three things that need to be accomplished before the devil comes home and one of them is homosexuality being legal.”; this play tells the tale of The Gypsy King, a boxer who leaves his travelling community roots behind him to pursue his career. “Gorgeous” George O’Connell is taken on by a professional boxing coach, whose own son Dane ‘The Pain’ Samson is openly gay, and as they train together, George learn much more about himself that he ever thought he would. But Dane is fighting his own battles that lead to a tragedy that neither could predict. Set in the testosterone-fuelled world of boxing, this play looks at what happens in the traditionally masculine world of the sport when everything about someone’s culture and identity are confronted by their greatest fear. This play contains strong language, full frontal nudity and scenes of a sexual nature. Gypsy Queen plays at Doncaster CAST Theatre on the 12th April 2017 (www.castindoncaster.com ) and national tour.

    La Cage Aux Folles – Leeds Grand Theatre and National Tour.

    Photo Credit: PR Supplied by Leeds Grand Theatre

    Georges is the manager of a Saint Tropez nightclub, his partner Albin is a drag artiste and the club’s star attraction. They live an idyllic existence in the south of France until Georges’ son Jean-Michel announces his engagement to the daughter of a notorious right-wing politician; a politician who is determined to close down the local colourful night-life. This lavishly funny tale follows the gay couple desperately trying to “play it straight” as the families meet; and celebrates unconditional love, family values  and that life’s not worth a damn ‘till you can say I am what I am.’ Better known to many as “The Birdcage”, this 1983 classic musical is embarking on its first ever national tour, and stars John Partridge (Eastenders), and West End leading lady Marti Webb. La Cage Aux Folles is at Leeds Grand from the 20th to the 25th March 2017 (www.leedsgrandtheatre.com), as part of its current national tour (http://www.kenwright.com/microsite/la-cage-aux-folles/ )

    Miss Meena and the Masala Queens – West Yorkshire Playhouse and National Tour.

    Credit – PR Supplied

    Dazzling saris, grand Bollywood lip-sync dance numbers and queues of adoring fans – for Miss Meena this is all now a distant memory. The once famous and fabulous drag queen has lost his sparkle and like his nightclub is washed up and out of date. The punters have gone and whilst the other drag queens are strutting their high-heels elsewhere, property developers are circling like vultures waiting for Miss Meena to give up the lease to the club. With the club on its knees, a new arrival brings a glittery rainbow of hope. But just as things are starting to look up for Miss Meena, a visitor from the past makes him question everything he ever stood for. This new production promised to be fun, vivacious and heart-warming. Ms Meena and the Masala Queens is at West Yorkshire Playhouse from the 13th to the 17th June 2017 (www.wyp.org.uk ) as part of its national tour. Visit http://rifcoarts.com/shows/miss-meena-the-masala-queens for details.

     

     

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Promises Promises, Southwark Playhouse

    THEATRE REVIEW | Promises Promises, Southwark Playhouse

    ★★★ | Promises, Promises – Southwark Playhouse

    Promises, promises review southwark playhouse
    CREDIT: Claire Bilyard

    ‘Promises Promises’ has a fine pedigree. It’s a 1968 musical based on the classic 1960 Billy Wilder film, ‘The Apartment’. The script is by King of the one-liners Neil Simon and the music is from the outstanding duo Burt Bacharach and Hal David.  The set list contains the lilting ‘A House is Not a Home’ and the glorious ‘I’ll Never Fall in Love Again’ which topped the charts for Dionne Warwick and Bobby Gentry. Surely, this a case for high expectations being met if ever there was one? Sadly it’s a bit of a mixed bag and isn’t all it pledges to be.

    The main problem with the piece is the tone of the musical which feels dated and uncomfortable to watch. It’s more reminiscent of Benny Hill’s stomach curdling capers than the suave sex appeal of ‘Mad Men’. Chuck is a junior executive who accidentally hits on a way to curry favour with his married bosses by lending them his bachelor pad to take their girlfriends to for sex. After a lot of songs, dialogue and an inordinate amount of set up, Chuck realises that the object of his affection, waspish cafeteria worker Fran, is being taken back to the flat by the boss of the company. The first act limps along and feels uncomfortable because of the dated references to women whilst the second act takes a darker turn but feels equally uncomfortable in its bizarre response to one character’s suicide attempt.

    There’s a cringe-worthy set piece in Act One where a group of married executives prance around and sing about where to take a girl to have sex on the sly. The girls are of course young and pretty (and largely devoid of character) whilst the executives are overweight and lumbering. The rest of the songs blend into one at times and the script feels less than zippy. Chuck addresses the audience and feels like he should be hilariously funny to watch but he just isn’t. The odd strong one liner that should be really funny (a woman downs a drink in one and he says ‘I’d hate to see her eat!’) barely raises a laugh, feeling lost amongst a swamp of too much dialogue and too many songs.  At three hours there feels like not much content over a lot of time.

    There are plenty of positives, though. The cast is really skilled and likeable. In spite of his humour falling flat, there’s something really quite loveable about Gabriel Vick’s portrayal of Chuck. Vick is a decidedly good looking man who can belt a tune out and is magnetic. He’s worth the ticket price alone. I defy you not to come out of the theatre with a slight crush on him. Equally strong is Daisy Maywood as the sharp-tongued but soft-centred Fran. Naturally, there are good songs among the setlist (it’s Bacharach and David. They write bloody good songs). Simon Wells slightly creaky set feels fun and is versatile and the choreography is filled with joyous moments.

    Although this musical misses the mark by a mile in many ways it’s still worth a stroll to the delightful Southwark Playhouse just to see such strong performances and sit back for a few hours and let the music wash over you. Just don’t listen to the words too closely.

    Promises, Promises plays at the Southwark Playhouse until 18th February 2017

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Sister Act – Sheffield Theatres and National Tour

    THEATRE REVIEW | Sister Act – Sheffield Theatres and National Tour

    ★★★| When 70’s disco lounge singer Deloris Van Cartier witnesses Curtis, her married, crime-boss lover, murdering one of his cohorts; she is placed in witness protection in the last place on earth anyone would look for such a sassy little lady – a convent. Trying desperately to fit in, whilst doing nothing but standing out, she is assigned to take over the choir, whose screeching vocals are enough to curl your wimple. But as the singer tunes up the choir, Curits finds out where Deloris is, and sets out to make sure she doesn’t testify against him.

    Picture Credit – Curve Theatre PR Supplied

     

    Featuring the songs “Raise Your Voice”, “Take Me To Heaven”, “Fabulous Baby” and “Spread the Love Around”, Sister Act is a fun, spirited and vivacious show with very catchy songs, warm characters and a spring in its step. With a large, static set and a vibrant lighting design by Liam Jones, the production is bolstered by the presence of Alexandra Burke who, to her credit, could certainly belt out the big numbers. There was some very able (and tuneful) support from Joe Vetch as Detective “Sweaty” Eddie Souther, and a real smooth criminal in Aaron Lee Lambert as Curtis, the Shaft influenced, soul styled bad guy. Throw into the mix some enjoyable physical comedy from Curtis’s cronies, and you have the basis of a good show.

    But with every heavenly blessing, there are some sins to atone for, as Craig Revel Horwood’s direction doesn’t quite hit its stride, with a heavy reliance on over-exaggeration of movement and gurning facial expressions; which meant that instead of the comedy flowing naturally from the effervescent script, it felt somewhat forced. The inclusion of musical instruments being played by the cast on stage worked in parts, but served as a distraction in others; and felt as though it stifled the choreography, which is a shame given the directors “Strictly” credentials. But once confession is over, all is forgiven as the show yields to its musical-number-filled second act and feel-good finale.

    Sister Act is a high energy bundle of fun, and whilst this production and ensemble cast doesn’t sparkle quite as brightly as other productions of this show, it has enough big tunes, bold characters and beating heart to make for an toe-tapping, if ultimately throwaway, evening at the theatre.

    Sister Act is currently on a UK Tour until 7th September 2017 and details can be found at http://www.sisteractuktour.co.uk/ . The show was reviewed at Sheffield Theatres, who’s upcoming production of new musical “Everyone’s Talking About Jamie” opens on the 9th February 2017. Visit https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/whats-on/everybodystalking-jamie for details.

     

  • THEATRE REVIEW | BU21

    THEATRE REVIEW | BU21

    ★★★★ | BU21

    We’re bombarded every year with news of atrocities. We might try to avoid looking at the scenes on the news or alternatively seek them out with a ghoulish fascination. We might worry about it happening to us or think about how we’d cope with say a gunman opening fire or a bomb blast. The certain fact is that bad things happen in the world and we can’t avoid knowing that they do.

    BU21
    CREDIT: BU21

    ‘BU21’ looks at the human aftermath of a terrorist plane attack which causes mass causalities in suburban North London. It’s a wry and witty play that’s multi-layered and never predictable. Told as a set of interconnected monologues it’s a 100-minute ride with surprising humour as well as pathos.
    Graham has been elevated from van driver to national icon, having been one of the first to be filmed at the scene on the news and now finds this gives meaning to his life. Izzy learned that her mother had been ripped apart via Twitter and is trying to use her middle-class skills set to cope with this. Waitress Ana was horribly burned and maimed whilst sunbathing before her shift and is living life in a cold vacuum. Floss is seeing a dead man everywhere she goes. The thing is she was at the kitchen window and a man fell to earth in his plane seat and died looking into her eyes. City banker Alex’s flat was hit by wreckage which led to the unfortunate discovery of his girlfriend’s body welded to Alex’s best friend mid-shag. Finally,
    Clive is a devout Muslim. Raised with no religion he’s found comfort in Islam and wants to tell us about his side of the story.

    It might all sound unbearably grim and definitely like a play to avoid watching during a grey English January but this is where author Stuart Slade surprises tricks and teases. Slade’s characters are varying in their resilience, their surprising humour and their ability to get through. The play also turns its gaze upon society. Why do we want to watch this and what does our fascination with tragedy say about us as a society or as individuals? Slade plays with our prejudices too and laughs at and forces us to laugh at ourselves too. This is an alarmingly sad, hilariously funny and utterly pertinent play and is an experience you won’t stop thinking about for quite some time.

    BU21 plays at the Trafalgar Studi0 until Feb 18th

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Strangers in Between, Kings Head Theatre

    THEATRE REVIEW | Strangers in Between, Kings Head Theatre

    ★★★★ | Strangers in Between, Kings Head Theatre

    Strangers In between review
    CREDIT: Andreas Grieger

     

    Great performances by a cast of three is the highlight of the play ‘Strangers in Between.’

    Playing for the second year in a row at the Kings Head Theatre, ’Strangers in Between’ is a drama about a young man experiencing the big city for the first time. Shane (Roly Botha) has moved from his small hometown in Australia to the big city of Sydney. He says he’s 19, and he works in a liquor store yet doesn’t even know how to use the register. In walks a customer – gay and trendy Will (Dan Hunter). Shane at first is a bit intimidated by him, but they manage to make small talk until another customer walks in – Peter (Stephen Connery-Brown) – a middle-aged gay man looking for a simple yet inexpensive bottle of wine. Eventually, Shane gets Will’s number.

    Shane lives in the Kings Cross section of Sydney, an area teeming with prostitutes and crime. But Shane loves it there, especially as it’s far away from his family, and especially brother, he ran away from. He and Will hook up for a few trysts – it’s purely a sexual relationship – while Shane finds comfort in his friendship with Peter. But Shane has a couple secrets, one being his age, and the other involving his homophobic brother Ben (Hunter). But suddenly Ben finds Shane in Sydney after Shane’s world is falling apart after he has lost his job and contracted an STD from Will.

    The cast is very admirable but it’s Botha who shines. His Shane is young, cute, innocent and with a nervous tick – he dominates the very small stage – Botha is a wonder. Hunter ably does double duty as Will and Ben, while Connery-Brown is very good as Peter. While the ending is a bit of a letdown, the play, written by Tommy Murphy, is a show that all of us can relate to because at one time we were all young and innocent and new to the big city.

    For tickets, please visit:

    Strangers In Between plays at the Kings Head Theatre until 4th Feb 2017

  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Kite Runner, Wyndham’s Theatre

    ★★★★ | The Kite Runner, Wyndham’s Theatre

    The Kite Runner tells the story of Amir, a young boy played by Ben Turner,  growing up at the beginning of the troubles, in Afghanistan. When the Russians invade he is forced to flee with his ailing father or “Baba” (Emilio Doorgasingh) and begins a new life in the US where he finds a bride in what should be a happy ever ending. Unfortunately, Amir is also accompanied by a burdening baggage of guilt as a result of a set of lies and deceit, a secret known only by his father’s dear old friend Rahim (Nicholas Khan) who remained in Kabul.

    Amir’s mother had died during Amir’s birth, so he was brought up by Baba and father and son servants, the later Hassan (Andre Costin) of whom had developed a strong and loyal bond with Amir which is pivotal to the storyline. However, Amir betrayed that loyalty after witnessing an outrageous act on Hassan by a local gang of youths, who’s ring leader Assef (Nicholas Karimi) and Amir’s nemesis, reappears in an added twist later in the story when he is compelled by Rahim to return on a dangerous mercy mission to Kabul, now inhabited by the Taliban.

    The adaptation is brave as it’s a narration by Amir of his journey from boy to man and the tragedy that unfolds. This is a common style for Asian story telling but there is a danger that narration can be plodding and almost “sermon-esque” but Mathew Spangler seems to have struck a perfect balance between the story telling, flash-backs and cleverly choreographed crowd scenes that echoed the atmosphere and rhythms of Husseini’s novel, helped by a strong performance from Ben Turner and the supporting cast. The stage set is minimal with a kind of skateboard park half pipe that cleverly allows an illusion of height and depth for the performers to work off especially during the kite flying and action scenes, the backdrop a giant movable kite that had patterns projected on to it that complimented each scene.

    Tragedy upon tragedy lent to a relatively high tear jerk rating but this was pleasantly interspersed with humour from the characters who seemed to grow in confidence as the performance progressed and they connected with the audience.

    My only minus point about this stage version is that Husseini’s novel addressed other issues head on, shaking a fist at the revolving door of invaders that ruined what was once a beautiful country and a Mecca for travellers seeking enlightenment with a steady bustling economy and the subservient divide between Sunni and Shia, issues that were incidental and merely form a backdrop in this stage version, but were what made the novel a hot potato. However, to encapsulate the novel in its entirety on stage is too big an ask!

    I cannot sum up without mentioning the wonderful and often hypnotic percussion accompaniment from Hanif Khan that gelled the performance, beautifully done.

    I recommend this play, well written, and with strong performances throughout. I have already booked my return ticket!

     

    The Kite Runner runs at the Wyndham’s Theatre until 11th March.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | St Petersburg Classic Ballet’s Swan Lake – Sheffield Lyceum and National Tour

    THEATRE REVIEW | St Petersburg Classic Ballet’s Swan Lake – Sheffield Lyceum and National Tour

    ★★★| It is a tidal wave of tights, tutus and tiaras in this presentation of one of Tchaikovsky’s most famous ballets, performed in typical traditional style by the St Petersburg Classic Ballet. Telling the story of a Prince who finds his youth slipping away and being pressured into marriage, he meets and falls in love with Odette, Queen of the Swans, who is under a curse from which only true love can free her. But their love is thwarted by the evil Von Rothbart when he tricks the Prince into being betrothed to another. When the Prince realises he has been a victim of such cruel treachery, he battles to save Odette from her curse.

    PR Supplied

    In their second UK tour, Swan Lake proves to be a more entertaining and gentile evening than anticipated, with simple but effective sets, traditional costumes and an instantly recognisable score. The company, on the whole, performed well and the dancers individually were all very talented and quite natural in their performances. There is no denying the technical ability and suppleness of the cast, but when dancing as an ensemble, there were still some flaws in the performance including the odd stumble, the fixed smiles and, on occasions, the unison of the dancers not being as tight and synchronised as one would hope for and anticipate, especially from such a prestigious company

    That aside, the vivacious, playful and instantly recognisable score by Tchaikovsky sounded as vibrant as ever, and proved absorbing, especially during the first act. There were times when the ballet sparkled brightly, nowhere more evident than the sight of a sheer volume of swans and signets in the latter portion of the second act, which amounted to a fairly mesmerising vision. The tapestry based static set was functional and some of the costumes were beautifully put together. There was a romantic pas de deux in the latter half of the second act and the soloists portraying the potential suitors displaying their wares at the opening of Act 3 were quite captivating.

    For those seeking a traditionally presented ballet, then this version of Swan Lake is a safe bet and a pleasant evening’s entertainment, albeit one which is let down very slightly by a lack of unison within the performance on the odd occasions, which is a shame when compared to the tightly performed routines by other companies.

    However, there remain many aspects of the show to enjoy and it is an easy, accessible ballet which is more focussed on dance and performance than detailed narrative.

    The production was reviewed at Sheffield Theatres (www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk) who will be premiering a new musical, Everyone’s Talking About Jamie, based on the BBC3 documentary Jamie: Drag Queen at 16 in February 2017

    St Petersburg Classic Ballet is touring the UK, calling at Poole Lighthouse, Truro Hall, Bath Theatre Royal and Aylesbury Waterside between now and the 4th February 2017.