The singer, who has been working on his own material since the band took a break in 2015, has released a couple of pictures which look to be the front cover of Rollacoaster Magazine.
Since uploading the picture it has received over 100,000 likes and over 41,000 RTs and over on Instagram, the picture has gotten a healthy 703,000 likes. Naturally, he’s been trending world-wide!
The singer had sparked concern among One Direction fans that the group were splitting up for good when he teased new music, but later insisted that the lads would be reforming after their hiatus.
Manchester’s Hope Mill Theatre is the perfect setting for this MGM-style musical which is performed with style and honesty.
This new musical, written by brothers David and Joseph Zellnik, is having its premiere at the Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester. It is an apt location for this innovative piece which buckles the trend of new pop-musicals. Yank! is billed as World War II love story. While ostensibly this is true – it’s actually much more than it gives itself credit for.
The show centres around Stu, a young gay man, who is drafted into the army to fight in the Second World War. He struggles to find his literal and metaphorical place amongst the pseudo-masculine military men – a mission which is only complicated by his complex relationship with his fellow squadron Mitch.
Musically and stylistically, Yank! has all the makings of the classic MGM musical. Though the second act goes to places which are considerably more candid and poignant that you might expect from a show consisting of tap-dancing men in khaki.
Scott Hunter plays the timid Stu with a fragile believability and Barnaby Hughes’ Mitch has all the charisma you’d expect from an, albeit untraditional, leading man. The ensemble cast are also strong all-rounders and support the principle cast in moments of hilarity and sincerity alike.
Despite the show being set almost 80 years ago, the tropes of this new musical are as current as ever. Substitute the frontline with a school playground, workplace or a homophobic family home, and you’ll see that the struggles of young gay men are not confined to the stories of history.
Baker, the show’s director, said that he didn’t want these stories to get lost from history. With this charming new musical hopefully set to become a staple of musical theatre repertoire, the story of Stu and Mitch, and the men they represent, will hopefully live on for years to come.
Yank! The Musical plays at the Hope Mill Theatre until 8th April 2017
Few names exist in the music industry where sparks have spread like wildfire across the world. Bob Marley was certainly the sensation that reached many people around the globe, and the feeling that ripples still decades later. Bob’s vision, talent and style have made him an eternal flame.
The Birmingham Rep hosted ‘One Love: The Bob Marley Musical’, and an epic event it was! Written and directed by Kwambe Kwei Armah, ‘One Love’ celebrates the icon Bob Marley in a delicate, timeless and memorable way. Through the history of his early music career to his later achievements, the audience were transported on a journey evoking nostalgia and emotion from the depths of your core.
Mitchell Brunings played Bob Marley in an effervescent way that drew you in instantly, and commanded the stage with mastery and ‘next-level’ leadership, as the remaining characters shone around him; upscaling the standard of the production. It was a flawless performance by Mitchell. As an ensemble, every artist was terrific and invested every ounce of energy into every move and musical note. Alexia Khadime who played Rita Marley was the second star of the show second to Mitchell Brunings, with her gifted musical range and was absolutely captivating in her acting. Alexia really added to the drama and darkness of the story and handled emotion expertly.
The Redemption Song was my favourite moment in the show as the track was beautifully arranged to illustrate the moment Bob Marley’s life turned 360 degrees, returning to his routes.
ULTZ designed the production and a vision that was fitting with the ambition of the show. Using multimedia against sets, creating moments in time with real footage corresponding with key events shown in the musical. People need to see this show for the education, entertainment and the ride down memory lane were as sweet as guava jelly!
In a reimagining of the classic tale, Dr Victoria Frankenstein shuns her family as she relentlessly pursues her quest for knowledge and in her exploration of the part of existence where life and death meet. In her experiments with bringing the dead back to life, she creates a creature, which overpowers her and escapes. Haunted by her creation and by her guilt, her life begins to unravel as the creature returns a little too close to home.
Photo Credit: Pamela Raith
Mary Shelley’s definitive work is one which is firmly cemented in popular culture and one which is not easy to present with an original slant, which Northern Stage have tried to do. There were numerous themes of conflict portrayed within the production, with Victoria shunning religion in favour of science; her pursuit of knowledge at the cost of her compassion and the sacrifice of others for the preservation of one’s own interests. As the story arc progressed, there was something bittersweet in the way in which it takes a monster to make Victoria more human; despite how she treats her family and the way in which her self-driven ambition is ultimately self-destructive.
Utilising a quasi-steampunk style set and, at times, some effective lighting; there was a relatively competent performance from Polly Frame as Dr Victoria Frankenstein; and whilst Ed Gaughan’s portrayal of the Creature was physically engaging, the way in which the creature spoke made many of his lines indiscernible. However, the closing scene was one which did carry some emotional weight and did bring the characters journey to a definitive and tender end.
But sadly, the production overall was one which was never really hit its stride. The re-imagining of Dr Frankenstein as a female had such potential; but the struggles of Victoria to carve a path into the male-dominated medical profession or the challenges faced by her in breaking with the conventional female role was never really advanced, which, in the end, resulted in adding nothing of significance to the story. The timeline of the narrative was often unclear, with no clear demarcation between shifts in scenes or timeframes; and an intrusive sound design dominated the first act. But the biggest issue was that the production just lacked atmosphere and dramatic tension. A heavy reliance on the relationships between the Frankenstein family members meant for a limited narrative progression and the all too brief appearance of the creature throughout meant that the production felt more like a family drama than a gothic horror.
Whilst there are some interesting themes on offer and despite a handful of redeeming features, this feels like a missed opportunity, and it is a genuine shame that the production never really achieves its potential, in what could have been a wholly refreshing and original take on a classic tale.
Spring is in the air (almost) and with this comes gay films – and the BFI Flare London LGBT Film Festival.
Taking place from March 16th – 27th at the NFT on the South Bank in London, this year Flare, for it’s 31st year, will deliver over 50 features, more than 100 shorts, and a wide range of special events including workshops, club nights and much much more in what is one of the world’s largest LGBT Film Festivals. Here’s a taste of what is showing:
Against the Law
Against the Law – the world premiere (and opening night gala) of this British film which commemorates 50 years since the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales. The film deals with a Daily Express journalist, Peter Wildeblood, who has an affair with a serviceman that becomes disastrous for both of them in light of the law. Starring Mark Gattis (Boys in the Band) and Daniel Mays.
Signature Movie
Signature Movie – a widowed Pakistani woman living in Chicago falls in love with a Mexican woman but it’s not acceptable behavior in her culture. Even more so in that her mother constantly nags her about about finding another man to marry.
Torrey Pines – a psychedelic stop-motion animation film about a child grappling with gender identity and a schizophrenic mother. The film will be accompanied by a live score from director Clyde Petersen’s Queercore band.
After Louie
After Louie – Alan Cumming is a troubled New York-based artist, a survivor of the AIDS epidemic, who meets a young man who turns his life around.
Different for Girls – A woman has to explain to her female partner how she became pregnant while they were on a break. Expect lots of tension and drama!
Heavyweight
Short film Heavyweight deals with the arrival of a boxer who finds his world turned upside down by the arrival a new fighter at his club.
Flare continues to categorise the films in different sections: Hearts (love, romance and friendship), Bodies (sex, identity and transformation) and Minds (reflections on art, politics and community). Here’s a small sample of some of these films:
Handsome Devil, starring Andrew Scott, is about the unlikely friendship between a lonely gay teen and his hunky rugby-playing roommate; Heartland follows a young woman who has to move back home to Oklahoma following the death of her girlfriend; Being 17 is the touching story of two gay teenage boys in their last year in high school; Body Electric follows a young man and his casual encounters in Brazil; The Trans List, a documentary of where prominent transpeople, including Caitlin Jenner and Laverne Cox, tell their stories; Two Soft Things, Two Hard Things, a documentary about LGBT life in Canada’s remote Artic Intuit polulation; as well as Last Man Standing, the life of eight long-term AIDS survivors.
There’s also a chance to catch two recent gay-themed films in case you missed them. Academy Award winner Moonlight, which is the first gay-themed film to win Best Picture, and French Canadian wunderkind director Xavier Dolan’s It’s Only the End of the World will both be shown at the festival.
We highly recommend a visit to the festival at least on one of the days, but if you have the stamina, and the money, there is something for everyone every single day of the festival. To learn more about what’s going on, and to buy tickets, please visit:
A man is fighting for his life after an alleged “one punch” attack outside a gay bar in central London.
CREDIT: TheGayUK
A man has been hospitalised and reportedly fighting for his life after been knocked unconscious outside the Admiral Duncan gay pub in Soho, London. According to witnesses, a fight broke out before the 39-year-old man was allegedly punched, just once, before falling to the ground where he lay unconscious.
The victim was drinking with friends inside the pub before the alleged attack. An ambulance was called and the victim was taken to a nearby hospital.
His condition has been reported as critical but stable.
The Metropolitan Police are not treating this attack as a homophobic crime and arrested a 23-year-old in the early hours of this morning (16th March) on suspicion of GBH. They said, “He remains in custody at an east London police station”.
Saved by the introduction of protease inhibitors in the mid-1990s, many HIV-positive men needed to rebuild the lives they thought they’d never be able to live. In an effort to make peace with the virus inside them, some migrated to California’s Palm Springs in the hope of finding a healing desert oasis. But is this environment enough to heal their shattered bodies & dispel their lingering grief?
Starring: Keith Epley, Steve Henderson, Doug Graham
Runtime: 1 hour, 21 minutes
Release: 2015
IMDB: 8.2/10
Lucas returns to his native country with co-director Scott Stern to shine a light on the truth of LGBT men and women in Russia and their ever-increasing prosecution.
Starring: Michael Lucas
Runtime: 1 hour, 19 minutes
Release: 2014
IMDB: 6.7/10
What’s it like being a gay teenager in high school? This intimate documentary provides a rare glimpse into the lives of three gay kids. We follow Adina as they weave their way in and out of school, braving harassment and rejection as they come to terms with their sexuality. Compelling and insightful, Class Queers is an empowering film about daring to be different.
Author Vinnie Judith Rosenberg is battling a severe case of writer’s block. Her friend Jamie suggests combating it by observing complete strangers in public and, based on tiny details of their random conversations, creates three short, funny and whimsical stories about the new life experiences they are heading off to encounter.
Bowser is a young man who simply cannot hold down a job; he’s fired from every one he starts. Following the loss of yet one more job Bowser announces his plan to make his own adult film much to the chagrin of his Father (a retired Military Special Forces Officer) and his loving & supportive Mother. From here on the story twits and turns in a highly amusing way.
Starring: Nick Lewis, Kevin Viol
Runtime: 1 hour, 29 minutes
Released: 2005
IMDB: 4.3/10
