THEGAYUK

Category: Review

  • RESTAURANT REVIEW | Darwin Brasserie, The Sky Garden

    Dining up at the Sky Garden sounds exciting doesn’t it? A little novel? Darwin’s menu boasts being “inspired by the very best of British”, but in reality means they have no imagination, catering for tourists that expect British food to be bad, and will charge what they like (extortionately).

    A prime example of somewhere relying on what and where it is, rather than what it does. The setting of the Sky Garden is also spoiled by this familiar airport lounge look with an underlying sense that they don’t want you hanging around for too long. Having to put on sunglasses as the sun sets in your eyes is also where the novelty of dining in a glorified conservatory began to wear off.

    Darwin’s décor comprises of creams, pastels, greys (perhaps symbolising shades of clouds), and cute little succulent plants on each table. I liked the way the cocktail menu was set out, in that it would describe each one’s composition and then break it down into two/three of its dominant flavours, enabling (and potentially persuading) swift decisions.

    Their wines start at around £24 for a bottle of white. With so many lovely and popular roses around it was a little disappointing to only find one on the menu and priced at £39 (2014). Our waitress was on the ball and everything seemed okay at this point. That was until our food came- at a concerning speed consistently through courses (again feeling like another “please leave” nudge).

    To start I had the Ham Hock & Parsley Terrine (£9.50). There wasn’t much to the actual terrine, and the amount of parsley was depressing with only a few flecks. The sourdough bread served was over oily and felt more like fried bread than grilled. However, the sharp and fresh veg piccalilli that came with the dish was really lovely and packed flavour where the ham lacked. Altogether the plate needs more oomph and cannot solely rely on the pickle as its star.

    Also to start, English Aparagus (£14.50)- not entirely sure where the price for this dish was plucked from (literally from the Sky it would seem, sorryboutit). Bearing in mind asparagus is in season, and the pot of sauce that came with it is basically made from cream, egg, and lemon- all relatively minimal costing. The dish was served a little too cold and verging on undercooked.

    For my main, Cornish Lamb Rump (£26), and I’m baffled as to how the classically strong lamby flavours of the flesh had been utterly eradicated. The “aromatic” couscous was screaming with colossal amounts of cumin and the “ras el hanout jus” tasted more like just jus, which actually suited me after taste bud apocalypse via the couscous. On the plus side, the lamb was not stringy fatty.

    Roast Chicken Breast (£17.50) – A dish laden with errors for me. Its fricassee of cocoa beans, peas, broad beans & rosemary- lacked even the most subtle of cocoa notes and its gravy tasted a little akin to my “ras el hanout jus”. Cold tomatoes were laced through the dish, and came served in a bowl. Confusing as it resembled a warm salad, but we didn’t want a salad- otherwise, we would have ordered off the separate salad menu. Whatever it was- this dish was limp.

    A sad affair for the sides of Tenderstem Broccoli (with chilli & preserved lemon), and Steamed Spinach (both priced at £5 each). They both tasted rather odd and almost metallic. I did bring this up and was advised that one of the dishes was cooked in a steamer so possibly that is where the metallic-y thing is coming from. Oh.

    Choosing from a dessert menu comprising of tediously boring dishes, we went for the Chocolate Pudding with hazelnut praline, and the Champagne Strawberry Jelly with pannacotta and lime (Both @ £7.50) To detract from the dishes plain titles (all I read was ‘cake & jelly’), it would only take a bit of re-jigging to sound a little more exciting. i.e. Hazelnut Praline Pudding / Lime & Panna Cotta with Champagne Jelly. Perhaps its over simplicity again is a reach out to the tourists.

    The chocolate pudding was singed and there’s nothing worse than bitter, burnt, dry cake. The jelly dish was served in a martini glass, yes really. Jelly, fruit, pannacotta and a meringue which was literally egg froth with a blow torched top. It would have been nice to have a crumbly meringue to give texture amongst the different wet consistencies of the dish.

    Darwin also has a cheeseboard (£9) on the menu with cheese from Neal’s Yard. This was probably the best part of the meal. Climaxes came from the Brie, the blue and goats. So if you do visit the Sky Garden and find yourself dining at the Darwin, I’d recommend you have the cheeseboard.

    I must firstly say as I conclude, that the service we received from our waitress was consistently caring- she was wonderful. I can totally understand when venues and menus are designed with tourists in mind, so I never would expect five-star dining from the Darwin. But with high prices and low levelled execution you really feel like they just don’t care, reinforcing that going to the Sky Garden is probably something you would only ever do once in your life- tourist or not. Perhaps being on level 36, they have spent too much time with their head in the clouds.

    REVIEWED BY: Jordan Lohan
    ADDRESS: Darwin Brasserie- Floor 36
    Sky Garden
    20 Fenchurch Street
    London
    EC3M 3BY
    PHONE: 0333 772 0020
    PRICE: £££££ (explained)
    TIPPING POLICY: http://skygarden.london/darwin

  • FILM REVIEW | Angel With Tethered Wings

    It seems like Steven Vasquez the director/writer/cinematographer/editor wants to corner the market in low-budget gay horror mystery movies the rate he is turning them out these days.

    This new one like his last recent one (Errodity) is essentially another piece of soft-core pornography, but this time with an extended and tangled plot, and where the script is as flaccid as the penises and the only thing stiff is the acting.

    It’s billed as a ‘back-from-the-grave revenge flick’, which is in three parts and is the story about a pair of gay twins, and their brother. I think. Anyway, there is a bad twin who is a callous producer of twink porn who owes the mysterious Carmine an awful lot of money that he plans to replay when a geeky Texan coughs up big time to have sex with the main porn star. The money disappears after the Texan has had his end away, and the rest of the movie is spent chasing the money and the Twink too.

    It’s not all played out chronologically so the rather lame story is not that easy to follow, and I wouldn’t be giving too much away by saying that soon after the Twink and his brother (!) come back as vampires, most of the cast get shot one way or another. Now that the Twink is dead he very sadly misses his boyfriend although they dated for just two days. However, the fact that he is played by a real (and hot) porn star Addison Graham makes that totally understandable. He actually puts in a very convincing performance even when he is fully clothed.

    Nearly everyone at one time or another gets completely naked and there are lots of full frontals and also some very noisy un-erotic simulated sex scenes, once even played out to some church lady singing ‘Ave Maria’.

    Making ambitious low budget gay movies like this is not easy and through sheer lack of resources often the script and the acting suffers. In this instance, it was both, and maybe if Vasquez hadn’t been trying to do everything behind the camera himself he would spot that too.

    If you are a fan of gay zombie B Movies then you may want to even try this, as there are not many others in this genre. If you are a fan of Mr Graham and want to literally see more of him (!) then you may want to check out some the steamy movies he stars in for Michael Lucas’s Studio.
    On Dvd/VOD July 13th from TLA

  • FILM REVIEW | Tiger Orange

    Wade Gasque’s debut feature, which he co-wrote with lead actor Mark Strano, is an interesting drama about the conflict between two estranged gay brothers who are trying to reconcile after the death of their father. ★★★

    Their sexuality is one of the few things the siblings have in common as Chet is quiet and reserved and has never left their small hometown or ‘come out of the closet’. His younger brother Todd, on the other hand, escaped to LA when he just 18-years-old to try his hand out as an actor, and he is out, proud and very loud.

    Chet is a workaholic and when he is not running the family hardware store in town, he leads a solitary life just eating dinner in front of the TV every night. Todd never bothered to return to town for his father’s funeral but now breezes back when he ends up both jobless and homeless with no other options or prospects in sight. If his rebellious streak is not enough to upset Chet’s calm equilibrium, then at the same time Brandon one of his schoolboy crushes also turns up and between the two of them, force Chet to deal with his reality.

    This very simple indie melodrama that is presently playing the Film Festival circuit is attracting attention simply because of the curiosity value with it starring porn performer Johnny Hazzard going legit. Under his real name Frankie Valenti, he plays Todd and puts in a much more credible performance than one may have suspected, and he proves to be a strong focal point of the drama.  He is very charismatic and easily shows that he doesn’t have to be naked to grab our attention.

    It’s a well-produced and well-crafted movie that thanks to some good acting, and a pleasing visually look, really belies its low budget. Well worth a look when it is released on DVD/VOD later this year.

  • FILM REVIEW | The Invisible Men

    ★★★★★ | The Invisible Men

    Louie is a 32-year-old Palestinian who tries to live his life unobtrusively hidden away from society’s prying eyes. He has no legal right to live in Israel, and thus without papers he must continually avoid any confrontation with the police or officialdom, as if he returns back across the border he risks the very real death threats from his own family and all simply because he’s gay.

    This remarkable award-winning documentary from Israeli filmmaker Yariv Mozer tracks Louie as he goes about his daily life in Tel Aviv. A somewhat shy, introverted and extremely likeable young man, Louie survives by doing odd jobs of work and constantly moving apartments as he tries to keep one step ahead of the authorities all the time. On the several times he is caught, the police deport him back to Ramallah, but yet somehow this quiet resourceful man soon manages to very soon sneak back into Israel once again. It’s a harrowing existence and when he relates the lurid details to Mozer of how his family tied him up and tried to slaughter him like an animal, you know that he has no other choice if he wants to live.

    After what seems like just one to many deportations, Louie contacts a refugee law centre at the university and discovers that there is a possible way out from this predicament. Under international law he can apply for asylum in another country (that will be chosen for him) and resettle there. There are no guarantees he will be awarded this and he is warned that his chances of succeeding are slim. A skeptical Louie is put in touch with Abdu another gay Palestinian who has already been accepted and is about to leave for his yet unknown new country/home. Abdu, an outgoing extrovert, is totally opposite to Louie and he shows his new timid friend a whole underground gay movement that Louis finds hard to believe.

    Months later when Louie gets word that he has won a much coveted asylum place, he starts having very serious second thoughts. Israel has been his home for the past 10 years, and although it has been a scary and dangerous existence, he feels a great draw as this is where he believes he truly belongs, despite all the pain and heartache that he has been through, he really wants to stay.

    Mozer tells Louie’s emotional charged story without disguising his own attachment, but he does sensibly refrain from making any comment at all on the tense political situation that engulfs this whole region. It’s a humanitarian tale that will shock most of us living in the West to realise (or be reminded) that being gay in any Arab country puts your very life at risk, and being Palestinian in a country where you are illegal, which in Louie’s case was his birthplace, seems so very unjust.

    An extremely moving heartbreaking story that is sensitively documented, and that will rightly jerk you out of your comfort zone… it’s very definitely unmissable.

    P.S. Louie is safely living somewhere in Europe coping with the snow, but as Yariv Mozer has told us he’s ‘the only gay in the village’. However he’s alive and well and even getting some assistance to help him heal his emotional scars. He is one of the lucky ones.

  • FILM REVIEW | Triple Crossed

    ★★ | Triple Crossed

    After he had finished his posting serving in the military in war-torn Afghanistan during which time he witnessed his best friend being killed, Chris Jensen is struggling to adapt back into civilian life. Unable to find a job, as no one seems prepared to want the services of a somewhat damaged ex-serviceman, he has resorted to living in his car.

    Out of the blue, he gets a call from Jackie who wants to offer a job that he would like to turn down. Her recently deceased half-brother has left his controlling share of the family’s multi-million business to his boyfriend Andrew, and she is having none of it. She wants to get his share but doesn’t want to pay a cent for it, but she is however prepared to pay Chris a handsome sum to kill Andrew so she can get her own way.

    He is desperate enough to take on the assignment but first he goes to check out his ‘target’ who naturally turns out to be as hot as hell. The two men are soon grappling with each but not quite in the way Jackie had wanted as they are naked and in bed. The question then is to kill or not? Not an easy one to answer as the title of this drama implies everyone has their own agenda, and so we are never sure how this will play out.

    What makes this small-budget indie stand out from others of this genre is that it marks the debut of Sean Paul Lockhart; aka ex-porn star Brent Corrigan behind the camera as well as in front for a change. Although it is full of the good intentions the movie does sadly fail to be a thriller in or out of the bedroom even though it does have a gun-toting finale.

    Sean doesn’t ever quite manage to convince us that he really did go to war, although he does put in a pretty good performance as a potential new boyfriend for Andrew who seems to have soon forgotten his ex dead one. If you are a fan of Sean aka Brent then you’ll want to see this,but if you are not, then you may just want to wait for a rainy afternoon when you have nothing better to do.

  • TV REVIEW | American Horror Story

    ★★★★★ | American Horror Story

    American Horror Story, or AHS as it is abbreviated to, is a four season (soon to be five) long delve into the creative mind of Ryan Murphy, the creator. In case anyone hasn’t watched AHS yet, please do.

    I mean genuinely it is such a deep and intense show you can not afford to miss it. I will be honest, since Season four “Freak Show” finished in January I have re-watched season 1, 2, and 3 all over again in less than a week. I am an addict, I will admit. Now with the premise of season 5, “Hotel” featuring, Lady Gaga, I am struggling to keep my panties dry.

    I will commence with a season by season commentary, I will warn you, there will be spoilers.

    Season 1: Murder House.
    The Harman family move from the East coast to the West, LA, to settle down and try and get their family together again after a ‘brutal’ abortion and a cheating husband. Mum Vivian, dad Ben and daughter Violet move into their 18th Century house which appears normal. Until they slowly discover all of the deaths in the house. Almost every occupant who has lived there has died in that house. Each of them are wanting something. It isn’t long until Ben gets his first patient (he is a psychiatrist) and we meet Tate Langdon (Evan Peters *Clenches butt*). Violet and Tate hit it off great and it’s even more dramatic when we find out he is dead, and why… It is so damned intense! Vivian gets pregnant with twins, unfortunately for her, one of the babies is Ben’s but the other is a masked man’s in a gimp suit who raped her. Turns out it was Tate. Fast forward a little and she looses Ben’s baby in childbirth and gives birth to the rape baby, but dies in labour. At this point we find out Violet died from an overdoseThe neighbour next door, Constance (who we find out is Tate’s mum and is played by Jessica Lange) takes the rape baby because it is her grandchild. Ben is left alone and the other spirits kill him, which leaves Ben, Vivian and Violet together as a family in the house. It’s oddly a nice ending. It ends with them warding off new buyers so the don’t have to go through what the Harman’s did.

    Season 2: Asylum. Featuring Adam Levine.
    Set in the 1960s, this corrupt church owned mental institution is governed by the sick minded Sister Jude (Jessica Lange). She wrongly commits Lana Winters (Sarah Paulson) into their care because she was snooping and wanting to write a story about an inmate, Kit Walker – Bloody Face, (played by Evan Peters), who was wrongly accused of skinning alive women. Move down the line and Lana thinks she finds her escape with a friendly doctor but turns out he is Bloody Face and he rapes her. She gets away and ends up back in the asylum. Finally, she gets out again and gets her story out and kills bloody face. In all of this time, Sister Jude has been forcefully committed to the asylum and her fellow Nun, Sister Mary Eunice who has been possessed by the devil was partially responsible. Queue a Nazi Doctor and you have an amazing story! Things progress, and Kit Walker gets free and later takes sister Jude with him. She dies and he gets abducted by aliens after he gets terminally ill (the aliens are explained in the plot). At the end, Lana is an old woman who is a very successful writer and ends up meeting her baby from Bloody Face’s rape she gave up for adoption. She shoots him in the dead and that’s it. End. Finito.

    Season 3: Coven.
    Set in New Orleans this school for witches sounds like a cheap and nasty Harry Potter magic school. It is far from it. It is set now. It is modern, sassy and darn right attention holding season. There is less explaining I can do here. A group of witch girls fight to become the new Supreme of the Coven and cause havoc on their way to it. People die, monsters die, zombies invade, slavery is witnessed and we see what hell is like. The majority of the soundtrack to this is Fleetwood Mac so if you like that you’ll like this because Stevie Nicks also makes an appearance as well. We end up getting to the point were there are two witches left and their new Supreme. The coven makes national news and they recruit a mass of new witches. This end well. Well worth a watch as this is my favourite.

    Season 4: Freakshow.
    You follow around Elsa Mars (Jessica Lange) a German woman of wonder who is the owner of a travelling Freak Show. They settle down in New Orleans but the welcome is not great. They are losing audiences fast. Throughout this, we visit were Elsa has been, through picking out the freaks to getting mutilated, to where she wanted to be. On TV. In the show there are new acts, new drama, back stabbing, kidnap and a new and gorgeous fancier of one of the women there. Betty and Dot (Sarah Paulson) the two-headed woman is right in the sights of Dandy (there are a few bare butt scenes which are a bonus). Things get so out of hand at the end that Dandy buys the show, massacres the majority of the freaks and then gets drowned by the remaining few. Elsa gets her TV show but ends up dying. This doesn’t end well for any of Jessica Lange’s characters.

    Season 5: Hotel
    This season is coming out in October 2015 and features the one and only Lady Gaga. The saddest part is Jessica Lange is not in it anymore (my ultimate woman crush). All we know is that it is set in a hotel. It looks promising with many returning characters and I just hope it is too the standard of Murphy’s other work.

    Not only is AHS beautifully written and cast, it has some real personality. The cinematography is a gem, the mise-en-scene is fabulous, the sounds are eerie and well thought out and the editing is just as you want it. You can tell that Ryan Murphy has put every last thought into it. A masterpiece. The only criticism is can you please you not bring Emma Roberts back. That is all.

  • REVIEW | The Sea Doo Spark Personal Water Craft

    ★★★★ | The Sea Doo Spark Personal Water Craft

    Sea-Doo Like To Be Beside the Seaside

    Like many people, my only experience of a personal watercraft (PWC) has been on holiday flogging a less than fresh example up and down the coast. Even when on a less than healthy machine, they are so much fun that you might even consider buying one. The Sea-Doo Spark is just the kind of pwc a first-time buyer may gravitate to thanks to the combination of low price and clever tech designed to make for an easier ride. It’s a looker too, the vibrant colours complementing the angular lines. If you get bored of your Spark’s hue, you can buy replacement bolt on body panels or graphic packages as well.

    The Spark is one of the smaller, lighter machines on the market and comes available as a two or three-seater. Two power levels are available and there’s the option of iBR, intelligent brake and reverse. This not only makes manoeuvring a doddle, it also enables you to stop around 100ft sooner, making things safer and giving you more confidence. The three-cylinder 900cc Rotax engine is quiet, smooth yet plenty powerful enough to get up to 50 mph if you opt for the high output version.

    Hopping aboard, made easier by the optional fold up step, the controls are simple and clear. Thumb the starter button and the engine catches easily, defaulting into Eco mode with around half power and improved fuel economy. Operating the brake and reverse soon become second nature allowing you to easily and accurately get off and on a trailer. A couple of button presses later, you unleash full power turning a fairly quick machine into one that way faster than I expected, even a few seconds of throttle see the numbers on the GPS speedo rise rapidly. The Spark is keen to change direction and great fun to throw about.

    Moving from Shoreham harbour to open seas just off Brighton gave me the chance to try it in choppy waters, a daunting prospect considering my previous ride had been in calm water on a windless day. With a couple of other guys on Sea-Doos with me as well, I was thankful for the brakes on a couple of occasions! The Spark proved more than up to the task, staying stable even cresting waves taller than itself. Within a couple of minutes I had the throttle pinned sending it into the air over wave after wave, carving through the rough seas. Even this increased exuberance failed to upset the Spark, at no point did I feel like I was about to be ejected and I stayed on the craft at all times.

    For a basic price of £4,999, the Spark comfortably undercuts its competition. This is however for the basic low output model that doesn’t have the option of iBR. To get this system, you need to spend another £900 for the high output model and then spend another £600 on iBR. Although the system is definitely worth £600, it’s a shame it isn’t offered on the lower power model which is probably going to be quick enough for most people anyway. Still, this is the only real flaw in an inexpensive, easy to transport (most smaller cars could still tow this), fun and cheap to run pwc. If you’re tempted by a bit of nautical fun, this seems hard to beat.

    CREDIT: PR Supplied
    CREDIT: PR Supplied

    Pros
    Affordable
    Easy to ride
    Seriously good fun

    Cons
    iBR only available on high output model
    Digital display could be a bit higher
    Seat could be more padded to protect your balls on landing

  • The Boystown Series by Jake Biondi

    Looking for a steamy page-turner for your summer holidays? Jake Biondi’s Boystown series are proving to be popular with readers in the United States and Europe.

    Whether you’re sweltering in San Tropez or freezing in a gale in Blackpool; this series with its hot male cover stars and cliff-hanging plots is sure to crank up the heat. Biondi started writing the books as a regular serial (much like Dickens and Maupin; although they were in newspapers rather than online) but the popularity of the stories led him to launch them in book format.

    Chicago’s Boystown is one of the most diverse and lively neighbourhoods in the country with something for everyone. It’s no wonder that Jesse Morgan and Cole O’Brien chose to live there upon graduating from college. Ready to begin the next phase of their lives in an exciting new city, Jesse and Cole quickly find themselves at the centre of a new group of friends. Joyelle and Derek Mancini have been happily married for years but Derek is harbouring a secret that could tear them apart. Derek’s brother Emmett is about to discover that his boyfriend Keith Colgan has a past that will haunt them both.

    Long time couple Logan Pryce and Max Taylor must face a crisis that neither of them expected. Before they realise it, Jesse and Cole find themselves at the centre of it all in the adult playground known as Boystown.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | That Is All You Need To Know

    ★★★ That Is All You Need To Know | In a day and age where you can share every aspect of your life at the touch of a social media button, the concept of an entire workforce keeping ‘what they did in the war’ a secret for 30 years is one which may be difficult to comprehend. But for the workforce of Bletchley Park, where the government brought together some of the greatest minds of the time together to gather war time intelligence, that is exactly what they had to do.

    (more…)

  • FILM REVIEW | Kidnapping of Freddy Heineken

    ★★★ | Kidnapping of Freddy Heineken

    This film is a true sleeper, it had a limited cinema release earlier this year but now gets a DVD release.

    It tells the true story of the 1983 kidnapping of Freddy Heineken, the head of “that” brewing dynasty. It goes inside the gang responsible and shows their family links, how it escalated. It shows how these individuals went from owning a successful building company through to one of the worst recessions the world has seen that hit everyone, and finally to show how they planned and executed one of the biggest kidnappings in history.

    It stars Jim Sturgess (21, Cloud Atlas), Sam Worthington (Avatar, Clash of the Titans), Ryan Kwanten (True Blood, Home & Away) and Mark van Eeuwen as the main components of the group who, after being turned down for loans to help them through this tough period, and having their only piece of real estate occupied by squatters and therefore open to long and expensive legal battles to free it up, turn to crime.

    This film paints them all as dreamers, people who didn’t want to live in the real world, people who wanted their boats and mansions and cars back, people willing to do anything, ANYTHING to get their old lives back.

    So, along comes the idea, after a successful bank job that will keep them afloat and food the new scheme.

    The rest of history, and makes for a bloody good film. The back-story is intriguing, the plan ingenious and the rest of the film is gripping.

    Anthony Hopkins puts in a great turn as Freddy, showing little concern for his own safety and having fun with his captors as the whole scheme unravels.

    This film scored a terrible 27/100 on Rotten Tomatoes, but I enjoyed it. It is entertaining, the story is intriguing and the cast put in good performances. It is no frills, no major special effects, but this means it doesn’t detract from the actual story, which is, for me, how it should be – the story is centre stage.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Shrek, National Tour 2015

    ★★★★ | Shrek, National Tour 2015

    Making the transition from screen to stage is not always easy, especially when you are adapting something as beloved as Shrek.

    The tale of the big green ogre rescuing the fair princess on behalf of the diminutive Lord Fardquaad is one which follows the plot of the film fairly closely, albeit with so many songs crammed into the running time, the whole thing teeters on the edge of being a sing through musical.

    Like the film, the stage show has a bit of something for everyone, with a script which is packed full of kid friendly comedy but with enough one liners and near the knuckle jokes to keep the adults more than entertained, nowhere more evident than in every second of stage time held by Lord Faquaad. Gerrard Carey was just outstanding as the vertically challenged monarch-to-be, and gave a deliciously camped up performance which was quite frankly hilarious. Look up the definition of “scene stealer” in any theatrical dictionary and you should find his picture. Dean Chisnall’s portrayal of the grumpy ogre was suitably downplayed, but his powerful voice was simply incredible as he belted out the songs.

    But it wasn’t just the performances that made this show, it was the whole package. For a touring production, the staging was incredible, utilising a slew of techniques to bring the tale to life in a way which far exceeded expectations. The set was beautifully put together, lavish and detailed, the lighting was well designed and the costumes and make up were stunning. The show pads out the backstories of the main characters a little, but equally allows the supporting cast to all get their turn, and with such a strong line-up, it would have been criminal not to.

    Where the show doesn’t quite peak is in the songs themselves.” I Got You Beat” was a neat take on the courting songs of Irving Berlin, “What’s Up, Duloc?” was an upbeat big production number and “Morning Person” was a Bob Fosse inspired tap dancing routine. When coupled with the visuals of the set, the choreography and the polished delivery, the actual numbers were are all perfectly amiable and got the feet tapping. However, they were ultimately pretty forgettable; and whilst they certainly work on stage, most audience members left the theatre singing the 1966 hit, “I’m A Believer”, rather than humming any of the shows original songs.

    Shrek carries with it an air of childhood magic and a theatrical experience which, provided you allow yourself to buy into it, will transport you back to that feeling of being a kid again. It’s a show which is bold, loud, colourful and utterly charming. Whether it was giggling at the occasional spot of toilet humour, laughing at the jokes which go over the kids’ heads, or simply being transfixed by the spectacle of a dragon flying about the stage, Shrek had me smiling throughout the show.

    Shrek is currently playing at the Sheffield Lyceum Theatre (www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk) until 6th June 2015 before continuing on its national tour at various venues throughout the country up to February 2016. Get yourself “ogre” to the tour’s website for full details (www.shrekthemusical.co.uk)