Category: Review
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THEATRE REVIEW| Single Spies
★★★★★ Single Spies | Divided in to two separate plays –‘An Englishman Abroad’ and ‘A Question of Attribution’, ‘Single Spies’ conveys an era in which spying and mistrust was a fashion statement.
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THEATRE REVIEW | The 39 Steps National Tour
★★★ The 39 Steps | A murdered spy, a misty Scottish moor, a dastardly plot and a daring escape (coupled with a stiff upper lip and rather attractive pencil moustache) are the order of the day as dashing hero, Richard Hannay, uncovers the secrets of The 39 Steps in this knockabout comedy.
Based on the book and the Hitchcock film of the same name (and with more than a few nods to the Hitchcock legacy, including a cameo from the man himself), The 39 Steps is a classic spy thriller which finds our hero, Richard Hannay, falsely accused of the murder of a seductive spy, leading him to go on the run to Scotland and to uncover a dastardly plot to smuggle secrets out of the country.
This playful, tongue in cheek production takes a gentle comedy sideswipe at the spy films of the 30’s and 40’s with a knowing smile and an approach which displays a genuine affection for the source material and the genre as a whole. But the twist with this production is that the 130 characters that adorn the stage are played by just four actors, who give a whistle stop tour of the major plot points and protagonists at breakneck speed.
In a style that is not too far removed from the deadpan delivery of the “Airplane” or “The Naked Gun” films and with just a hint of “The League Of Gentlemen” – the rapid delivery and scattergun approach to the stream of gags ensure that if you don’t find the last joke funny, there is another on the way in a few seconds. The cast play their roles with a completely straight bat, taking the narrative deadly seriously and seemingly oblivious to the chaos and ridiculousness that surrounds them.
The use of mime, limited props, quick change costumes and clever staging compel the audience to use their imagination to an extent, but by buying into the premise and presentation, the audience is well rewarded. It was hard to fault the physical performances of the cast who were clearly so well-rehearsed that the switching between characters was second nature; and who were all clearly thoroughly enjoying themselves on stage.
As with all comedy, not every joke hit the mark, but there was a fair balance of comments, actions or situations which led to a smile, a groan, a guffaw or a belly laugh. Despite a few of the repeated gags starting to nudge their way towards outstaying their welcome, the main criticism of the show was that it was sometimes difficult to hear the script, either as a result of quiet diction from the actors, the fast paced nature of the script or due to their indeterminable caricature accents, but these issues were soon passed and soon forgiven as the next comedic moment rolled along.
Happily, the show stays on the right side of silly fun, delivers a joke-per-minute ratio which far exceeds most productions over the course of the show’s 100 minute running time and rightly retains its reputation on its tenth anniversary tour.
The 39 Steps plays at Sheffield Theatres until 20th February 2016.
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THEATRE REVIEW | Alright Bitches
★★★★★ Alright Bitches | Winter blues getting you down on your knees, feeling the cold-finger from old Jack Frost or just in need of some sun, sand and seamen?
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GIG REVIEW: The Double R Club at Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club
Louche By Name, Louche by Nature? Fraulein Sasha de Suinn reviews The Double R Club@Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club. 4 Stars! The Dark Palace Of Depraved Delights!
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AUDIO REVIEW | RHA S500i In-Ear Headphones
The world seems to be full of huge, chunky earphones/headphones – you’re nobody if you don’t wear huge “cans”…
Except, they don’t necessarily give you the best fit or sound. I prefer in-ear headphones, buds that sit inside your ear, snuggly and giving you excellent music pleasure.
These new earphones from RHA, the S500i gives you style and substance in one tiny, well-designed package.
As with this style of headphone, the S500i is lightweight and comfortable to use and wear – mainly being down to the big quality aluminium used in the production of these beauties. Add to that a fabric cord and an easy to use mic/volume control and you have a future classic. These come with a selection of dual-density replaceable ear tips that ensure you don’t disturb the other commuters!
The 1.35m fabric cable gives you more than enough cable to pop your phone in your pocket and still do the head bop to your favourite tunes without dislodging the earbuds. The lightweight, aluminium construction helps to make it feel like you’re not wearing anything – in your ears…
The selection of replaceable ear tips means a snug fit but also keeps your earphones clean and tidy. This is something I’ve struggled with using the white ones supplied by “you-know-who”.
Now I love my cheesy music, and sometimes I want to listen to it without the judgement looks from those around me – you know who you are. So, the fact that these lovely things actually do what they say they will and keep the noise in your ears, rather than anyone else, is a bonus for me. I can look like I’m listening to Megadeath or Mahler, instead of actually bopping away to Steps or Scootch.
I’m biased when it comes to this type of earbud, I prefer my headphones small and easy to transport/store so these are ideal. My only negative is, as usual, the fact the cord tangles – but this is something that happens with all headphones so it’s no major issue. They come with a lovely drawstring pocket to keep them safe and tidy so at least RHA are thinking about how to transport them and try to keep them tangle free.
The Positive
Lightweight aluminium
Changeable ear tips
Fabric cord
The Negative
Not aimed at RHA, but I wish someone could design a tangle-free cord?
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Meet The Skin Educators
There’s so much information out there about how to look after your skin. We are bombarded with adverts about youth serums, daily regimes and scientific words that we can hardly pronounce. With all that info are we really any closer to understanding what is best for our skin and what actually works?
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THEATRE REVIEW: Of Mice and Men
In 1929, the Great Depression took place when New York witnessed its Wall Street Crash, leaving 15 million Americans unemployed. ★★★★
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Blown Away, Making Gifts Out Of Glass
Looking for a gift? Forget the race day vouchers or the grow-your-own purple carrot kits as there’s a new experience to behold. Glassblowing. I say new, it’s been around since the 1st Century, which makes me wonder why I’ve never picked up the blowpipe sooner. (more…)
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CAR REVIEW | Mitsubishi L200 Barbarian
I don’t know quite what I was expecting when l took delivery of the new and improved series 5 Mitsubishi L200 Barbarian pick-up.
Visually you are made aware of its almost 5300mm in length. Its load bed length of 1470mm looked bigger than it actually was. The L200 range has come a long way since its launch in 1982 and the new model sees a subtle design change with some of the feminine curves replaced by straight lines making it look a little sturdier than the old model, while still being civilian friendly looking over the opposition from the likes of Nissan and Toyota. More importantly, there is now a city friendly tighter turning circle too. With 7 different guises of L200 pick-up available it is possible that every member of the family could find a pick-up to suit.
The interior finish is rugged looking and the leather-covered seats are comfortable. All plastic surfaces practical and functional plastic of the hard variety that literally makes cleaning a wipe over. The fascia is laid out well and all the controls minus the heated front seat switches were within easy reach. The steering wheel housed controls for the stereo, phone and cruise control. It was all quite too civilised for what a pick-up should be. Thankfully l found some hard edge plastic under the switches on the steering wheel. An ideal edge for filing off that hard skin from a day’s graft on-site. This masculine touch was then ruined by the floor lighting. Nothing wrong with floor lighting l hear you say but the blue was just a touch 2000’s Lexus and even they don’t do it in blue anymore. Even more, Lexus was the pick-ups “Barbarian” signature illuminated in the kick plates.
I developed a love/hate relationship with the inbuilt sat-nav and infotainment system. Its touch screen was easy to use for my thin fingers but having asked a real man we’ll call Dave to have a play, he moaned that its on-screen buttons were too compacted for his manly fingers. And the brightness of the screen at night was reminiscent to that of a Hollywood dashboard. So intense was the light l couldn’t use the sat-nav at night. The night option changed the colours making it harder to view quickly while on the move.
On the road, this fully loaded pick-up will set you back £30,238.80 with no options available because it literally has everything thrown at it or for £2000 cheaper when bought with the manual gearbox. Traction control is quite essential in 2WD mode. The 2442cc in-line 4 16 valve DOHC turbo diesel MIVEC engine packs quite a thud in the back when needed.
The price you pay for having a pickup that goes from 0-60mph in 11.8 seconds is that the 317 Ib.ft of torque at 2500rpm would spin the rear wheels without much provoking on moist surfaces. Select the 4WD and all the power was planted where you wanted it. Again on the road and over most surfaces it performed with car-like comfort and ability. The steering was nicely weighted more towards town driving ease with feedback of road ahead being well communicated through the thick-rimmed steering wheel. In 4WD mode, you could feel the front differential working via a slight rumble through the wheel.
The engine could be heard if really pushed but in the normal day to day it was bearably audible from a cold start until fully warmed. All this power doesn’t come with an added fuel premium either and official figures suggest a respectable 43.5mpg giving a range of over 700 miles. With today’s fuel prices that’s quite commendable for a tank that’ll cost you about £80 to fill. 4WD’s have become greener and cleaner over the years and the Barbarian is one of the greenest.
Remember that 5300mm in length l mentioned, in practice, it doesn’t feel that big on the road. Admittedly you will struggle to park it within a single bay at your local DIY store but the reverse camera and big mirrors make it an easy task. l am not the best at reversing anything bigger than a hatchback so the reverse camera was a nice addition and one of the best l have ever used. The lines that appear on the screen are just perfect for achieving your 10/10 parking space award. You shouldn’t find the Barbarian on that website where people park inconsiderately.
I have to conclude that overall l was impressed by almost every aspect of the Barbarian. Its ease of driving, the quietness of the cabin, the way it was screwed together and even the engine bay was laid out in a simple logical layout. It was better than l thought it could and should be and if you were to have just one vehicle for work and play then this has to be high on the list. It’s car like applications such as one touch door handles, push start, full electric windows, climate control and cruise modes all add up to make this a civilised machine for not a lot of money when you consider what it can do and where you could go with it. l wasn’t able to trial its off-road ability so l have to take Mitsubishi’s word for it, though with its long established history and range packed full of 4WD models I’m pretty sure this could take you as far away from civilian life as you’d want to go on a weekend. Sadly the Barbarian being so civilised it’ll remind you all too soon that you have work on Monday.
Pros
Comfort
Go anywhere ability
More useful than you’d thinkCons
Blue LED lighting
Dazzling sat-nav screen
No hill descent controlThe Lowdown
Car – Mitsubishi L200 Double cab Barbarian
Price – £23,799.00 (£30,238.80 as tested)
MPG – 43.5 mpg
Power – bhp
0-62mph – 10.5 seconds
Top Speed – 109mph
Co2 – 189g/km -
Book Review: The Wolf at War (Runes Trilogy Book 3) by Adrian Lilly
The Wolf at War is an exhilarating, entertaining and enjoyable read.
