THEGAYUK

Category: Theatre

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Into The Hoods: Remixed, National Tour

    ★★★★ | In The Hoods: Remixed

    Two children are lost on the Ruff Endz Estate and in exchange for a bus ticket home; they agree to help The Landlord, who sends them out on a quest to find the gifts he wants to give his daughter for her 18th birthday.

    Their search, to find an iPhone as white as milk, a hoodie as red as blood, weave as yellow as corn and trainers as pure as gold, leads them on an adventure with the residents of Beanstalk Towers. Spinderella, wants to DJ at the ball, Lil Red has just signed a recording deal with Wolf, of Big Teef Records, Jaxx lives in the basement and is trying to avoid eviction and Rap-en-Zel will do anything to escape her room.

    In this hip-hop, street-dance fairy-tale, the story is little more than an excuse for some spectacular choreography, made up of routines laced with humour and character. There are some superb set pieces, nowhere more evident than in the 70’s style afro-tastic party of the local gangster and the explosion of break-dancing pensioners in Grandma’s retirement home.

    Borrowing from the familiar fairy-tale stories which are re-written for the hip-hop generation, the show is incredibly well presented, made up of superb animated backdrop projections, clever lighting and simple division of the four intertwining stories by use of colour and character. The routines provide for clearly defined and detailed characters that come across solely by the use of dance and music; and Kate Prince’s confident direction is effective in conveying the narrative and bringing out the best in the ridiculously talented cast.

    Based loosely on the Stephen Sondheim musical, of a similar name, Into the Hoods: Remixed is a streetwise, mash up of music with a smart, sassy and humorous personality performed by a slick, polished and disciplined cast. With its use of snippets of a variety of songs from different genres and styles to tell the story, it has a hint of “Moulin Rouge” about it and an energy which falls somewhere between relentless and jaw dropping. Into The Hoods is both impressive and great fun, and you cannot help but be swept up by this very entertaining and vivacious production.

    Into the Hoods is currently on national tour until the 9th April 2016. Full details can be found on the show’s website at www.intothehoodsremixed.co.uk .

    Into the Hoods: Remixed was reviewed at Sheffield Theatres , who have recently launched their new season, which includes No Man’s Land starring Sir Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Beacons

    ★★★★ | Beacons

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  • THEATRE REVIEW | Miss Atomic Bomb

    ★★ | Miss Atomic Bomb

    It’s a bomb that goes off during the production of ‘Miss Atomic Bomb.’ It’s not an actual bomb but a stink and sink bomb.

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  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Narcissist

    THEATRE REVIEW | The Narcissist

    ★★★★ The Narcissist Portrays Theatrical Therapy

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  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Nap, Crucible Theatre, Shefield

    THEATRE REVIEW | The Nap, Crucible Theatre, Shefield

    ★★★★★ The Nap | In this comedy thriller, up and coming snooker star, Dylan Spokes (Jack O’Connell) returns to his Sheffield home and is gearing up for his match in the World Championships, but is drawn into a police operation to target match fixing within the sport.

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  • THEATRE REVIEW | Land of our Fathers

    THEATRE REVIEW | Land of our Fathers

    Six miners wait to be rescued in the brutal and powerful ‘Land of our Fathers.’

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  • THEATRE REVIEW | Gangsta Granny, Sheffield Theatre

    ★★★★ Gangsta Granny | Ben dreads Friday evening coming around – another night when his parents send him to his granny’s house whilst they go ballroom dancing.

    Birmingham Stage Company presents Gangsta Granny by David Walliams.
    Birmingham Stage Company presents Gangsta Granny by David Walliams.

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  • THEATRE REVIEW | Northern Ballet’s Swan Lake

    ★★★★ | Northern Ballet’s Swan Lake

     Following the accidental drowning of his brother whilst they were out playing, Anthony’s obsession with the lake grows increasingly, as does his guilt; with his turbulent inner emotions being further compounded by his confusion around his attraction to his best friend, Simon.

    Simon is in love with Anthony and their relationship teeters on the cusp of developing into something more, until Anthony’s parents press him towards marriage to Odilia. Torn between his best friend and his parent’s wishes, Anthony’s guilt grows increasingly and he finds comfort and solace in the waters of the lake and in the arms of the mystical creature, Odette.

    David Nixon’s choreography brims with an abundance of metaphor within this reworking of a classic. The light, delicate movement of the swans sit opposite the dark, emotional turmoil of the central character; just as swans glide so gracefully on the surface whilst paddling so frantically under the water. Equally, the influence of Anthony’s inner struggle and guilt over his brother and his repressed sexuality ripples out to impact on the other characters, akin to the waves caused by a disturbance on a lake’s surface. The lines of symmetry drawn in the movement across the stage prove mesmerising at times and these gentile moments compliment the dark undertone of the story and the emotional confusion of the central characters – almost a metaphorical white swan and black swan. Elements of the traditional ballet, including the score, remain intact, but the story gives the opportunity for multiple interpretations and parallels to be drawn between the original and reimagined characters. The familiar music took on new meaning with the revised story and the production as a whole packed an emotional punch.

    Toby Batley’s portrayal of the tortured Anthony impressed, but it was Nicola Gervasi who stood out as the handsome and fresh-faced Simon, progressing his character with an increasingly self-assured acceptance of his sexuality and a confidence in his feelings towards Anthony. Gervasi is nicely developing as an artist and it was a pleasure to watch his performance. Martha Leebolt and Ayami Miyata were stunning as Odette and Odilia respectively, but the quality of the performance of the company as a whole was incredibly high and the grace displayed, particularly by the female ensemble was beautiful.

    Swan Lake is one of the more visually impressive productions that Northern Ballet has recently performed and is a good balance of old and new, although it can be slightly heavy going at times given the darker aspects of the narrative. With the characters reluctance to accept the changes in their relationships, it did put this writer in mind of Brokeback Mountain a little, with reference to the conflict between true feelings and social expectations.

    Swan Lake is playing at Leeds Grand Theatre until 12th March 2016, and then touring to Sheffield Lyceum Theatre, Norwich Theatre Royal and Milton Keynes Theatre between now and the 30th April 2016. Tickets and other details can be found at www.northernballet.com.

    Northern Ballet’s 1984 is currently available on BBC iPlayer and they will be touring 1984, Jayne Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Romeo & Juliet and Beauty and the Beast during 2016.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Father

    THEATRE REVIEW | The Father

    ★★★★★ The Father | Now eighty years old, Andre was once a tap dancer. He lives with his daughter Anne and her husband Antoine in Paris.

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  • Homophobic Beating Leads To Theatrical Celebration

    Homophobic Beating Leads To Theatrical Celebration

    Nando Messias was beaten up on a street in an act of homophobic hatred. Years later he’s ready to give his response to that incident, a spectacle of provocation, celebration and hyper flamboyancy in The Sissy’s Progress.

    CREDIT: Nando Messias
    CREDIT: Nando Messias

     

    Part dance-theatre, part walking performance, The Sissy’s Progress leads its audience out onto the streets with a live marching band playing original music composed by Jordan Hunt. The Sissy’s Progress confronts the harsh contradictions of gender and violence of city life, standing up for sissies everywhere.

    Nando says, “It’s genuinely frightening. I almost always get abuse from passers-by when we’re doing the performance. The audience gets to experience that and that makes it feel uniquely relevant. I’m particularly proud that we take this performance precisely to places where such

    work wouldn’t normally be seen. It’s a universal theme.”     

    The Sissy’s Progress has been performed at Homotopia, Liverpool and OUTBURST, Belfast. with further performances on:

    20th February, Tom Thumb Theatre, Margate 7.30pm  £10   www.tomthumbtheatre.co.uk

    17th/18th March, Toynbee Studios, London 17th: 7.30pm. 18th: 7pm & 8.45pm   £10/£8    

    www.artsadmin.co.uk

    7th May,   Marlborough Theatre, Brighton, Brighton Fringe   www.marlboroughtheatre.org.uk


    12    th May, Horniman Museum & Gardens, London as part of Queer Lates, from 6.30pm 

    www.horniman.ac.uk

  • THEATRE REVIEW | THE 39 STEPS

     ★★★★★ The 39 Steps  | This production was masterful in every aspect of theatre-craft. It encompassed staging that was bursting with creativity in every nook and cranny. Designed by Peter McKintosh, the set came alive through different entrances and exits which were revealed as actors turned them around, flipped them upside down, and they were even mounted in all sorts of angles.

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