Category: Review
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THEATRE REVIEW | Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty
With his new ballet, Matthew Bourne completes his trilogy of great Tchaikovsky ballets, which started with The Nutcracker back in 1992. (more…)
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FILM REVIEW: The Perks Of Being A Wallflower
“The Perks of Being a Wallflower” opens nationwide today.
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CABARET REVIEW | Shaken And Stirred
‘Shaken and Stirred’, the newest cabaret night to hit the Soho Scene is the brainchild of Samantha Renke and Zak Black, also known as ‘Verve Couture’. Their bespoke entertainment company, established in 2006 is holding the event to raise money in aid of the Brittle Bone Society. This evening of music, burlesque and Brazilian Dance takes place at Floridita, one of London’s finest live venues. The bar has a Latin American feel with a delicious A La Carte menu. (more…)
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BOOK REVIEW | Funny Peculiar
Will Young has finally joined the scores of celebrities who have books about themselves on the shelves. The usual tomes are full of “shock” revelations and tedious romps through celebrity debauchery, usually ending on a redemptive note as the star reclaims his or her life back.
This book is as far from that genre as you can get and as such is thoroughly refreshing to read. Will penned the entire book himself and has a distinctive writing style. Rather than a straightforward autobiography, he presents us with a series of beautifully written anecdotes, musings and diary entries. There’s something altogether quaint and charmingly British about the whole thing, reminding me of celebrity memoirs from previous decades. The book even has a series of cartoonish illustrations by Kathryn Pinker, rather than the usual glossy photographs you’d normally expect, which adds to its retro charm.
The themes certainly aren’t old fashioned though and the book retains freshness and is written in an original and engaging style. He addresses the thorny issues of coming out in the media spotlight, experiencing depression, winning a TV talent contestant and what it’s like to have to undergo a make-over in front of the cameras on “This Morning”. He also writes candidly and with self-awareness about suffering from poor self-esteem and bouts of crippling depression as well as portraying his passion for what he does.
He details lots of hapless exploits and is self-deprecating in his descriptions of his actions. The anecdotes, which often feature Will as hapless yet entirely normal, cover how not to behave at London Fashion week, what not to do when meeting the Beckhams or Julia Roberts and what not to shout out to a row of disabled people at a gig.
The book is both funny and poignant and although Will isn’t reticent or coy in what he writes about, he manages to maintain a strong sense of dignity, a rarity in modern celebrity culture.
I’d recommend this entertaining and original book to anyone, whether they’re a big fan of Will Young or not.
“Funny Peculiar” is available from Amazon
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THEATRE REVIEW | Julian Clary Tour: Position Vacant Apply Within
Julian Clary is on fire. The penultimate date of his gruelling 2012 tour of the UK including Dorking, sees the King of campery, winner of Celebrity Big Brother in fine fettle at The o2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire. ★★★★★ (more…)
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FILM REVIEW | Pam Ann Live From New York City
★★★★ | Pam Ann Live From New York City
When I moved to London as a pink faced, wide eyed young lad from the midlands, live cabaret was quite an alien concept to me. In those heady days I’d bounce from bars, where bar boys would be doing camp Steps routines, to club nights where the likes of Mariah and Madonna would play, all whilst supping on a bottle of hooch.
Way back then, Pam Ann was one of the first cabaret acts that I ever saw and even though I’d never even set foot in an airport, let alone on an aeroplane, at that point in my life, I still howled at every bit of her sharp observational humour and the garish persona she had invented.
Thirteen years on and whilst so many things have come and gone, Caroline Reid, the woman behind the potty-mouthed trolley dolly, is not only still commanding packed out venues in London, she has seemingly charted a meteoric rise to fame worldwide. With a world tour in 2011, sell-out performances at the esteemed London Palladium and the Hammersmith Apollo, Pam has set her sights firmly on breaking America and she’s doing a damn good job of it. In her latest DVD, Pam Ann Live from New York, Pam plays to her ‘gays’ at ‘Joes Pub’: a celebrated showcase venue that has seen the likes of Kiki and Herb, Amy Winehouse and Alicia Keys grace it’s stage.
Pam’s knowledge of her subject really is astounding. If you’re going to do stand up focussing on such a niche topic then you have to be on the ball and the devil really is in the detail. Pam gives a master class in it. Rolling off gags about every possible airline you know, and some you have never even heard of; mocking certain mannerisms and nuances that she has picked up and exaggerated for comic effect, whilst also working the audience into as much of the show as she can. The content is fresh and appealing and is mixed well with tried and tested older material; with references to recent aviation developments such as British Airways’ recent initiative, ‘what would Kate do’ and Ryanair threatening to introduce porn to their flights (shudders).
If you’ve never seen Pam before then you’d best buckle up because she doesn’t mince her words and it’s certainly not a DVD for you if you’re at all twee about swearing and sexual suggestiveness. She does love to go on about her appreciation of big black cock A LOT.
A highly entertaining show that will really put a smile on even the glummest of faces. Pam’s unique brand of stand up is as risible now as it ever was.
Available to buy / view on: Amazon
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THEATRE REVIEW | STRAIGHT
Straight by DC Moore, based on the 2009 film “Humpday”, this is a story about two college friends reunited after a seven-year hiatus. ★★★★★
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FILM REVIEW | Hit So Hard, The Life and Near Death Story of Patty Schemel
P. David Ebersole’s documentary Hit So Hard tells the story of former Hole drummer Patty Schemel’s rise from working class kid in Marysville, Washington to drummer for one of the biggest grunge bands of the nineties.