THEGAYUK

Category: Review

  • RESTAURANT REVIEW | Carluccio’s, Solihull

    Carluccio’s has debuted its first ‘new generation’ restaurant in the heart of Solihull, bringing its original and unrivalled modern Italian dining, deli and shop to the Mell Square development.

    Review of Carluccio's in Solihull
    © Mark Blackburn

    Last night, I took my friend to Carluccio’s, and together we had a wonderful evening. The environment was cosy, the staff were very friendly and caring, especially Nicole who served us. Nicole was very smiley, and was very genuine when catering for our needs – throwing in some cheeky recommendations for us to try. We were particularly glad of the Homebaked Focaccia suggestion with traditional Extra Virgin Olive Oil (£2.95) and the accompaniment of Rustica Marinated Olives (£2.95).

    We ordered a nice dry bottle of white Babylon Bianco (£21.95), which agreed with every dish we ordered. For starters, my guest ordered Crispy Calamari (£6.50) and the generosity of the dish was very appealing, enough for me to steal some bites. This dish I highly recommend, and will be ordering myself next time. I ordered Crab Macaroni (£6.95) for my first course, but I have to say I was a little disappointed. Though I appreciated the presentation of it, it was sort of ‘crab-less’. Having grown up in Portugal, I was spoiled for seafood. I wasn’t expecting a whole crab, of course, but I definitely wanted some fresh crab meat to go with the pasta. It was more like dry shavings tossed on top of the dish. It tasted fine, but for £6.95 I wanted some ocean essences. This is a new dish, so perhaps Carluccio’s should look at how the crab dimension is served in the next culinary draft.

    Mains wise, I chose Festoni with Smoked Salmon & Vodka (£12.50). This dish was the highlight for me. It had plenty of smoked salmon, which I love, and the Festoni pasta really worked for this dish, absorbing the wonderful cream & vodka sauce. Nicole grated some cheese for me which complemented it very well. My friend was not too impressed with his main. For just under £15, the Chicken Saltimbocca (£14.95) promises a palate adventure with 14-day aged prosciutto Gran Sasso with sage and a white wine sauce; served with roasted potatoes tossed in pesto and rocket. In part, the flavours from the potatoes and bird delivered, but the chicken was left with a tiny, speedo-sized prosciutto piece in the middle, leaving the rest of the chicken escalope bare. It was like the chicken was wearing a prosciutto loincloth. In fairness, when this was mentioned, the manageress offered to add more pieces or to choose some sides. That was a very professional and friendly way to deal with our disappointment.

    The desserts were Mandarin and Lemon sorbet, which were very refreshing and packed with fragrance and flavour, and I had the Cioccolato Fondente (£6.95), which Nicole raved enthusiastically about. For that price, you are expecting an amazing dessert, but it was just like any other you get from a tin. It wasn’t special enough in my eyes.

    The evening was finalised by a shot of Limoncello and Nicole doggy-bagged my wine, which was perfect! Overall, great atmosphere and flavours, but some concepts need rethinking and rebranding.

    ADDRESS: 159-161 High St, Solihull B91 3SS

    WEBSITE: www.carluccios.com/restaurants/solihull

    Price Rating: £££ (explained)

    Star Rating: ★★★ (explained)

     

     

     

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Catch Me, Underbelly, London

    ★★★★★ |  Catch Me, Underbelly, London

    It’s a sure sign that summer is here when the Underbelly opens on London’s Southbank. If you haven’t seen it before on its travels, it’s an upside down giant purple cow that acts as a big top for international circus acts. This year they’re showcasing more Canadians with Quebec’s acrobatic troupe Flip Fabrique with a show called ‘Catch Me’.

    Catch Me Udderbelly review

    You’ve seen one circus/gymnastic/acrobatic troupe and you might think that you’ve seen them all. If you think that then you’ll be pleasantly surprised by this show. Even the most jaded and cynical are at risk of sitting with their mouths open in awe like they’ve got some sort of chronic sinus problem.

    The show contains all the usual stuff: balancing, juggling, trampolining and a handful of hot men one of whom is hypnotically beautiful when he whips off his top and reveals a torso to die to die for. There’s more to it than that and it’s not the vague and unnecessary storyline (that you won’t even realise is there unless you read the program) that makes this show so enjoyable. Just as you complacently think you know where a stunt is going, the performers snap you back out of that and you’re treated to a spectacular and unexpected twist on a theme.

    The last fifteen minutes is a frenetic sensory overload that leaves the audience gasping like children at a firework display. They’re a quirky bunch and there’s a hipster vibe to their styling. Most of all this is a fun night for a summer evening. Enjoy!

    Catch Me, plays at Underbelly, until 9th July 2017

  • THEATRE REVIEW | 5 Guys Chillin’, Kings Head Theatre, London

    ★★★ | 5 Guys Chillin’, Kings Head Theatre, London

    5 guys chilling kings head theatre review

    There’s a chemsex party taking place at the King’s Head Theatre. No, it’s not an actual party – It’s the returning show 5 Guys Chillin’.

    In the comforts of the living room of J (David Palmstrom) and M (George Fletcher), them and three other guys (actually men) are enjoying each other as well as the drugs on the table in order to experience the highs, and in some cases, the lows, of what gay men (not all gay men) are getting into nowadays; drugs and sex and more drugs and in some cases unsafe sex in private house parties.

    B (Gareth Watkins) and R (Tom Ratcliffe) are a bit of an unmatched couple; R is very young but not so innocent, while muscular big daddy B is experienced and likes it any which way and loose. And the last one to arrive at the party is Pakistani PJ (George Bull). He’s a bit unsure as to why he’s there, but slowly gets into the action. But he’s got a story to tell the other guys; he’s actually married with a young child because it’s what is expected in his culture. Besides him, all the guys have stories to tell; B’s story is particularly vivid as he recounts the time he was spit roasted in Berlin where sexual diseases were not discussed. It’s all a lot to take in; the play’s honesty and brutal nature is scary because know all know these types of gay men, and parties, do actually exist.

    And all the actors should be admired for performing such an in your face play shedding emotions as well as bravely shedding their clothes. Writer and Director Peter Darney seems to have gotten the tone and characters right, but luckily I wouldn’t know because I’ve never been and don’t plan to go to one of these parties.

    5 Guys Chillin’ plays at Kings Head Theatre  until June 3rd 

     

  • THEATRE REVIEW | La Strada – Sheffield Theatres and London’s West End

    ★★★ |  La Strada – Sheffield Theatres and London’s West End

    Based on the film by Frederico Felini, La Strada is set in the heart of the Italian Countryside, and tells the story of the Gelsomina, who becomes the assistant to a travelling showman, Zampano, as they move from town to town trying to earn their keep. But things change when they join a travelling circus and they meet Il Matto, a clown, who teaches Gelsomina that there is more to life than her current existence and encourages her to find herself.

    La Strada is a show with a very European flavour and a real feel for the source material, being Fellini’s classic 1950’s Italian film. The music is a broadly uplifting fusion of gypsy, jazz and folk, providing a jaunty soundtrack which melts into the story rather than providing standalone moments, and whilst the show is billed as a musical, it would perhaps be better pitched as a drama with musical interludes.

    Overall, the show carried with it an impressive presentation. Sally Cookson’s direction is distinctive and stylish, with a slew of innovative theatrical techniques, carefully choreographed movement and almost constant activity on and around the stage. The set has a feeling of 1950’s European cinema, with its muted colour pallet and its use of shadows and silhouettes, and the provision of the on-stage musicians added a nice touch. Feeling almost cinematic in its staging, the show does has a certain magic about the way in which it presents itself.

    La Strada boasts a large international cast, led by Audrey Brisson and whilst the performances were functional, they never really excelled. The story is filled with pathos and it is bold in its attempt to portray what is effectively a road movie on a single, static set. The pacing of the show is very slow and the narrative is thin, almost only allowing the audience to glimpse snapshots of the character’s lives, rather than allow them to join them on their journey;  which is where the production struggled overall and where the emotional punch of Fellini’s film was somewhat lost

    La Strada is a show which is a luxurious, visual feast, but one which has a low-key narrative, and a steady pace; and is a more high-brow musical  for people seeking an alternative to the saccharine-coated West End extravaganzas or the traditional staples of musical theatre. It is very much style over substance, but may well reward the patient audience member.

    La Strada is currently at Sheffield Lyceum Theatres (www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk) until 27th May 2017, before transferring to the West End, playing at The Other Palace in London from the 30th May to the 8th July 2017. Visit www.theotherpalace.co.uk/whats-on/la-strada for details.

     

  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Faulty Towers Dining Experience, London

    ★★★★

    | The Faulty Towers Dining Experience, Kingsway Hotel, London

    The Faulty Towers Dining Experience review

    Believe it or not, I’ve never seen an episode of Faulty Towers. I knew that it is a British television institution, a classic, yet I’ve just never got around to watching it (plus I’m a bit too young to remember when it originally aired on television). So I didn’t know what to expect when I went to the Faulty Towers Dining Experience.

    It was hilarious! Taking place in the dining room at Kingsway Hotel in Covent Garden, the Faulty Towers Dining Experience is an interactive and immersive theatre at its best. Of course, there is a meal that’s included in the experience, but it’s all about the show that is unravelling (and falling apart) right before your very eyes as you’re tucking into your leek and potato soup – that is if Manuel hasn’t taken it from you.

    If you don’t know much about the television show, which would be hard to believe, it is about characters in a fictional hotel in the seaside town of Torquay. First off there is owner Basil Fawlty – a true Englishman – and his wife Sybil, who orders him around but she’s the one who wears the pants in the relationship. And then there is Manual – a short in stature Spanish waiter who practically speaks no English and gets the instructions from Basil all wrong. So it’s these characters from the show that you get to ‘enjoy’ your dining experience with.

    The show starts immediately when Basil (played by Benedict Holme) tells Manuel (Anthony Clegg as an exact replica to the Manuel played by Andrew Sachs) to take the glasses away, of course, Manuel takes people’s glasses off their faces and not the drink glasses! Then Basil tells Manuel to pass out the peanuts, so Manuel literally passes out the peanuts. It’s one thing after another, and once you sit down in the Faulty restaurant it’s only a matter of time until Manual interferes with you – he turns your napkin into a bib, tosses rolls around the room, does somersaults, and spends the entire time misunderstanding and misinterpreting everything Basils says. Lucky for us it’s Sybil (Suzanna Hughes) who manages, a bit, to keep the entire dinner from melting into complete chaos! It’s very physical comedy, but it’s also physical for the attendee because you’re laughing very hard and out loud too! It was the unlucky few who found a set of teeth in their soup – gags like this that make the whole thing hilariously fun and funny! No person is spared, and god forbid if you are celebrating a birthday or anniversary – you will get a special gift from Sybil – and boy is it special! It’s an experience that you will not forget – just don’t mention the war!!!

    It was a treat to be transported back to the 1970’s with being part of Fawlty Towers Dining Experience. The trepidation that you might be picked on was real and you almost expect the soup to end up on your lap? Sybil was so like the television character down to the scary laugh, while Manuel was brilliant and made the whole show so very reminiscent of the television snow. What a great way to spend a two and a half hours – to be part of this experience makes me want to watch the television series now.

    Tickets for the Fawlty Towers Dining Experience can be bought here:

    http://www.torquaysuitetheatre.com

    If you have any questions on the show, there is a Frequently Asked Questions on the first page.
    The London shows, held in the Torquay Suite Theatre at the Kingsway Hall Hotel, are held throughout the year, while there is also a version that tours the UK as well as Australia and the rest of the world. Yes, this is how popular this show is – continuously playing much to the delight of the television show’s fans – it’s the world’s most successful comedy dining show of it’s kind and now it’s time for you to experience yourself too!

  • CAR REVIEW | Abarth 695 Biposto Record

    ★★★★★ | Abarth 695 Biposto Record

    THEGAYUK were quite privileged to have tested the Abarth 695 Biposto Record. This was number 118 of 133 made for the globe. It’s quite a rare machine. Why 133? It’s to mark 133 records Abarth hold. Is this then the reconstruction of Abarth instead of it being badges stuck to a Punto side skirt? Hell yes!!!

    Externally it looks like my old 500. This model still uses the older style lights unlike the rest of the range but this is probably because it was launched in 2015. The boot opens the same way as mine. Speaking of the boot, there is tons of space available compared to the standard 500. The rear seats appear to be missing and have been replaced with a cargo net and 3 bar roll cage of titanium by Poggipolini.

    And then you notice other “items” missing that make you suddenly realise this isn’t just an overdressed 500 with 35 section tyres and red Brembo brakes screaming from behind lightened O.Z 18 inch anthracite wheels with a 1400cc turbo engine. Or underdressed if you like lots of bits like door armrests and a radio. You get little red fabric loops and yet, strangely enough, you also get electric windows. As for the missing radio, the hole you get does give good acoustics to your smartphone’s speaker. It’s not a 500. It’s a 695.

    All this visual and tactile assessment was gained just by moving it around the car park at work so on showroom appeal alone you might be thinking that you are not getting a lot for your £36,000. For a small car, the turning circle was also a bit below par. That then will be because of the limited slip differential.

    Before you even drive it you notice a growl from the Akrapovic titanium twin exhausts and this is before you press the sports button that stiffens the steering and makes throttle inputs more responsive. It feels like a small adjustment but when the crazy gets crazier it all comes together like surfing a tsunami.

    Abarth 695 Bisporto Record

    I drove it before I had a chance to look up the spec sheet. I had in fact asked for a much lesser Abarth so I wasn’t quite expecting a machine that was so visually striking in Modena yellow while being quite acceptable on the road. Its behaviour is impressive. The Sabelt bucket seats clad in carbon fibre felt perfect for both comfort and support on the road or on the track. Potholes aside, it handled the city commute with aplomb. It didn’t behave like a track day ready car or make you wish for softer springs. Even the clutch was as simple to operate like that in the lesser 1200cc 500

    Sadly it attracts two kinds of wrong attention. Firstly you get idiots in de-badged Corsas always wanting a traffic light grand-Prix which you let them win because the comparison is so unfair and then you get GTi drivers wanting to prove a point to you and the pint-sized rocket to which you greet with enthusiasm. Sometimes it can be over very quickly and in your favour too. The 0-60 time of 5.9 seconds catches them out from the car weighing only 997 kg. It really doesn’t weigh a lot.

    I’d like to say the 695 is all about raw power. As you can see though it isn’t. It’s quite useable. In normal mode, it’ll attack the asphalt cleanly and quickly. There is a little hesitation from the throttle response but this prevents you making errors in the bumper to bumper city traffic.

    Press the sports button then and my word does it change. Instantly and before the facia panel has changed its digital display to show G forces and gas inputs, you notice it’s growling snap from inputs and the gentle increase in steering weight. Press on and the turbo now vocalising its induction and the exhaust snaps and cackles. It sounds like a modern day supercar.

    Thankfully the limited slip differential does wonders at reducing torque steer and with 190 horses at full gallop at 5500rpm, you need it. Thankfully it doesn’t totally eliminate it so you still get that “feeling alive” craziness you should from a mighty power pack in a car this size. Press the TTC button (Torque Transfer Control) and it does wonders in keeping it in a straight line while also reducing some understeer when really pressed. And press it I did. Unlike the 208 GTi we’ve tested, lift off mid corner and there is no sudden oversteer. The stripped out insides make this an enjoyable road ferret.

    It goes some way to show what the 500 shell is capable of. That rear end is very light. In theory, I expected it to become a little unbalanced during weight transference around corners and under hard braking. Even when braking really hard which you can do quite easily, the ABS system is rapid in firing its pulses to stop you. There is no fuss from the pedal. No annoying ABS pulse feel. The 4 pot Brembos up front stop you. Sadly the hazard lights flash during hard braking. I was always putting on the hazards.

    The suspension is also amazing. Shox provide the vital parts fitted to the standard cars front wishbones and solid rear beam. That is when you realise the potential the normal car has give or take the other thousands of pounds worth of kit the Abarth has added to it. That £36k is money well spent.

    So what have we got here than in steel and precious metals? It’s a toy really. A bit of a play thing. At any price, the Bisporto assures exclusivity. It’s there for the person who wants to go fast, fuss free and not have trouble parking it in the city, unlike the Ferrari. It’s also there for a little track day fun. There is also carbon fibre. It’s real carbon fibre. This is the kind of car that looks good with it. And it’s economical too. I managed 29mpg during my test.

    Abarth 695 Bisporto Record3

    I wouldn’t have a Bisporto. Even if you can find the limited run Record model, It’s too much for me. I like my sports cars to be a little bit more cruiser than skateboard. It’s fast. It’s rapid. It demands respect from the moment you pull away because you can go very fast very quickly. Respect I give anyone who buys one. To hell with it, I’ll have 2, It’s fabulous.

    Likes

    The ridiculous asking price
    The amount of race names associated with it
    The Performance

    Loathes

    The sensitive hazard lights
    Idiots in Vauxhall Corsas
    Making GTi drivers unhappy. No, seriously I am… NOT

    The Lowdown
    Car – Abarth 695 Bisporto Record
    Price – £36,610
    MPG – 45.9 (combined)
    Power – 190bhp @ 5500rpm
    0-62mph – 5.9 seconds
    Top Speed – 143 mph
    Co2 – 145 (g/km)

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Judy, The Arts Theatre

    ★★★★★ | Judy!, The Arts Theatre

    Judy! review at the Arts Theatre London

    If you were off from gay school the week that they covered gay icons then this is the play for you. If you’re already well versed in Garland mania then you’ll love this too. Judy is a potted history of the life of Judy Garland told with wit and warmth from the clever perspective of having three Judy Garlands on stage at different points in her life.

    Judy Garland was the child stage actress and star of pappy films who hit the big time after landing the role of Dorothy in the iconic film ‘The Wizard of Oz’. Her frenetic delivery on stage, her fragility and her belting unique voice made her a public favourite in spite of her flakiness, late stage arrivals and occasional no-shows. Behind the spotlight, she was a troubled figure and the familiar story of the Hollywood legend played out: psychiatric problems, drug and alcohol abuse, multiple marriages and an untimely death from a Barbiturate overdose aged 47 in London in 1969.

    Ray Rackham presents us with three Judys. Firstly we have hard drinking and waspish middle-aged Judy struggling to keep her temper, plagued by debts and desperately trying to make a failing TV show work. Secondly, we have pill-popping mid-life Judy: mother to Liza Minnelli, box office poison, about to risk everything by embarking on marriage number three and throwing all her remaining cash into a risky venture of a grand show on Broadway. Finally, we have awkward teenage Judy, dominated by her pushy show business mother and being used and abused by the film studios.

    The device works well and showcases not only a number of songs but manages to portray both uplifting and funny side of Garland as well as the not so joyous times. There’s a cast of twelve with cast members doubling up as the live band too. Oh and the Judys? They’re pitch perfect and totally on point both in mannerisms and vocal style. They’ve clearly had great direction from Ray Rackham (part of the team behind the hit musical ‘Apartment 40c’) and spent a lot of time on YouTube studying Ms Garland’s unique style.

    This is a great show in its third incarnation after successful runs as ‘Through the Mill’ at London Theatre Workshop and Southwark Playhouse. It a piece that’s tightly written and will both move you and fill you with equal parts of joy and sadness. Go see it.

    Judy! runs at The Arts Theatre until 17th June 217

  • FILM REVIEW | Alien Covenant

    ALIEN COVENANT – The Eighth film in the franchise about the acid-bleeding Alien Xenomorph with the original director Ridley Scott back to pick up exactly after the end of the lukewarmly received Prometheus prequel with some repeat characters.

    Nutshell – 10 years after the events of Prometheus and sometime before the original Alien sequence of films a colony ship The Covenant is diverted to a potential paradise planet. Of course, it turns out to be anything but, leading to a turn of events & possible terrifying fate so a big escape is needed in this very noisy much more horror orientated movie than its sister film. It’s in many ways a greatest hits of the other seven films that result in something generally a lot less satisfying as it gets more and more complicated… and there is a third one to come requiring university degrees

    Running Time – 122 minutes; Certificate – 15.

    Tagline – ‘The Path To Paradise Begins In Hell’.

    THEGAYUK Factor – It depends on how much you fancy Michael Fasbender as there are no other potential studs here. Michael does talk an awful lot about fingering, playing with holes etc but you will probably be too worried about what the aliens are up to around the corners to get a hard on.

    Cast – Michael Fassbender and Guy Pearce are back from Prometheus and are joined by Katherine Waterson, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride who has a distinct gay bear thing going on and a bunch of unknown alien acid teeth fodder. There is also an uncredited James Franco here the king of the gays.

    Key Player – Ridley Scott is the ruler of this world and he is in his element here. His set pieces are great but he struggles to really give us anything new and boy does he make it complicated. The big thing missing here is tension.

    Budget – $111 Million the most expensive alien yet and it’s sure to make a profit – we predict it rounding out at about 400 Mill in the bank so, on to number nine..

    Best Bit – 1.38 mins; The big action beat involving an out of control spaceship is top notch and this film works better as an action blockbuster than a horror and yet it was the latter it was aiming for!

    Worst Bit – 0.03 mins; The opening unconnected scene of Fassbender and Pearce in a white room is pure 2001 A Space Odyssey and is a load of b*llocks. Total Prometheus type crap brings on the monsters and the killing.

    Little Secret – Shot on location in Australia and New Zealand using some of the same locations as The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy. In 2015 Scott announced that this would be the second after Prometheus in a new Aliens trilogy for the third one please remember to bring a pen and notepad to sort it all out. The first alien movie since HR Giger whose images created the Alien past away.

    Further Viewing – Aliens 1-7, A couple of Predators, Blobs and The Things a plenty, Interstellar and the recent Arrival, Passengers and last months space horror Life.

    Any Good – This is fine it is no Alien or Aliens that’s for sure but it is way better than Prometheus as at least you get some monster action here throughout the second and third acts. The twist is one of the most obvious of all time but it is still a hugely enjoyable fun movie just don’t expect big scares – are we used to this by now or is it the fact that we just don’t care about any of the crew as there is no Sigourney in her underpants here. A valid addition to the franchise but not a game changer.

    Rating – 58% out of 100

  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Faaaabulous Ceri Dupree Show – National Tour

    THEATRE REVIEW | The Faaaabulous Ceri Dupree Show – National Tour

    ★★★| In this one man, twenty-one woman show, the Faaaabulous Ceri Dupree brings an evening of glitz, glamour and variety to the theatre. Featuring a combination of original songs, colourful characters, female impersonations, anecdotal comedy, an abundance of feathers and sequins, quick fire one liners and healthy dose of tongue in cheek sardonic barbs aimed at members of the audience, the show is unashamedly old school drag.

    Photo Credit – PR supplied

    Taking the scattergun approach to comedy, there was a good mixture of comedy, ranging from gentle observations to the slightly risqué to the downright crude, with the vast majority of the gags hitting the spot. Throw into this, a slew of characters, from Dame Edna Everage to Camilla Parker Bowles, from Shirley Bassey to Mary Hopkins and from Amy Winehouse to Gladys Pugh, there were plenty of laughs to be had.

    The show is a bit of a mixed bag in terms of success. Parts of the act were hilarious – such as the Dame Edna section, which involved copious amounts of ribbing members of the audience, whereas the Amy Winehouse impersonation fell rather flat and garnered little response. Some of the jokes were probably around when Bernadette was touring with Les Girls, and some of the relevance of the characters, such as Gladys Pugh (from Hi-Di-Hi) and Mary Hopkins would be lost on many of the younger members of the community (although gays of a certain age (like me) will find it hilarious).

    But that said, the show shone brightly in the main, especially with the original songs, some hilariously blue and innuendo filled humour, a song-laden second act and genuine warmth resonating throughout. With drag standards all present and correct, Joan Collins, Shirley Bassey, Kathyrn Jenkins, Charlotte Church and even the Queen don’t escape unscathed. As the show rounds to a close with the mirror balls spinning and the audience on their feet for a rousing rendition of I Am What I Am, you know that you are firmly in the campest of floorshows.

    The show is pure cabaret, of the ilk which is reminiscent of the old days of variety in the style of Hinge and Bracket or Danny La Rue.  What makes the show stand out is that it does away with the bitchiness and backstabbing and places the fun and entertainment value of drag squarely in the centre of the stage. Whilst there is very little here that you won’t have seen before if you had been knocking around the scene in the eighties, the show ups the ante of the pub cabaret circuit and delivers a quality and style of show which is becoming harder to find on the scene.

    Slick, polished and with more laugh out loud moments than anticipated, this is a show which will either take you back to your youth, or show you how it used to be done properly.

    The Faaaabulous Ceri Dupree Show was reviewed at CAST in Doncaster, who have a varied and packed programme of shows and is a cultural gem in the heart of the city. Visit https://castindoncaster.com/ for details. The show is on national tour and details can be found at http://www.ceridupree.co/index.html

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Tommy The Musical, Birmingham Rep

    ★★★★ thrilling and emotional

    One of the most influential UK rock and roll bands, The Who were formed in 1964 in Shepherd’s Bush, London. In 1969 The Who created a unique concept album called Tommy, and it quickly became a cultural fete. In 1975, Ken Russell adapted the album into one of the best and biggest films with an all-star cast starring Tina Turner, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Jack Nicholson, and more.

    New Wolsey Theatre and Ramps on the Moon collaborated to bring to life Tommy The Musical to the main stage as a daring musical. The Who’s Tommy musical was a sad, gritty and powerful tale about a boy who is ‘deaf, blind and dumb’ and at the mercy of Uncle Ernie (Garry Robson) who ‘fiddled about’ with him at night; Cousin Kevin (Lukus Alexander) who bullied and taunted Tommy, and a thug of a stepdad Frank (Alim Jayda), relentlessly trying to ‘solve’ Tommy’s disabilities.

    Tommy The Musical, directed by Kerry Michael, was extra special for it allowed the opportunity for actors who are D/deaf, disabled and non-disabled to work together to produce an eerie and fantastic production with all-audience accessibility. Through embedded audio description, creative captioning and integrated British Sign Language, everyone could engage and be a part of the musical.

    Tommy (William Grint) was phenomenal. William really brought to life the chronicles of Tommy’s life and was sublime in the delivery. What Tommy went through, was hard and gruelling, and William did an amazing job showcasing the outcomes of so much abuse. His two voices (Julian Capolei and Matthew Jacobs-Morgan) were perfect for Tommy’s voice, in particular, Julian’s voice, which was so powerful and pleasing to the ear. Tommy’s mother, Nora (Donna Mullings) was also formidable, really conveying emotion without speaking a lot, and when she did, it was potent and emotionally charged. The best voice in the production was the actor playing Nora’s voice (Shekinah McFarlane).

    The outstanding performer of The Who’s Tommy was Acid Queen (Peter Straker). In the film, Acid Queen is played Tina Turner, and for this production, it was a man dressed in drag, which was a very progressive touch to the production. Peter’s voice was stunning and his overall performance was commanding – this was the highlight for me.

    This is an excellent idea, and we need to see more theatre productions reflecting stories through actors who are physically affected by the context of the plays.

     

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Kings Cross [Remix], Camden People’s Theatre, London

    ★★★★ | Kings Cross [Remix], Camden People’s Theatre, London

    Take a journey to 1980’s London, specifically the King’s Cross area, through the storytelling of Tom Marshman, in the new show Kings Cross [Remix]. The one-man show, at the Camden People’s Theatre, is a tour de force performance by Marshman, too young to remember the stories he’s telling, yet he tells them so vividly, with such authority and believability that he makes us actually believe he was there.

    Through the use of video and audio tape recordings of the people who were actually around during those times, Marshman weaves together these stories in a 60-minute show to great effect. He talks about the long gone disco Bagely’s nightclub, the denizens of King Cross including the hookers and the club kids, a unique story about the late and great Leigh Bowery, and grainy video footage of the once popular gay bar and club The Bell (this footage can also be found on Youtube). But Marshman also transports us to this decade when lots of our fellow friends were dying of AIDS, and one audio clip of a man who is a patient representative at a local clinic remembers the days when gay men were diagnosed with GRID (Gay Related Immune Deficiency) and were in their last days as there no hope for them. Marshman also chillingly brings up the arrival of patient zero – the man who introduced HIV into England. This and more is all told with the songs of Donna Summers’ “Last Dance” and lots of other disco classics as the soundtrack, and footage of Jimmy Somerville in his early days who can now be found from time to time drinking at his local bar Central Station. Marshman’s show celebrates a time when the scene in Kings Cross was more fun but also a bit dangerous and not posh as it is now. I

    It’s a great show and Marshman does a very good job in telling these stories.

     

    Kings Cross (Remix) plays at Camden’s People’s Theatre until 26th May.