THEGAYUK

Tag: Theatre Review

All the latest breaking news on theatre in the UK. Browse THEGAYUK’s complete collection of news, articles and commentary on LGBT+ theatre in the UK.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Promises Promises, Southwark Playhouse

    THEATRE REVIEW | Promises Promises, Southwark Playhouse

    ★★★ | Promises, Promises – Southwark Playhouse

    Promises, promises review southwark playhouse
    CREDIT: Claire Bilyard

    ‘Promises Promises’ has a fine pedigree. It’s a 1968 musical based on the classic 1960 Billy Wilder film, ‘The Apartment’. The script is by King of the one-liners Neil Simon and the music is from the outstanding duo Burt Bacharach and Hal David.  The set list contains the lilting ‘A House is Not a Home’ and the glorious ‘I’ll Never Fall in Love Again’ which topped the charts for Dionne Warwick and Bobby Gentry. Surely, this a case for high expectations being met if ever there was one? Sadly it’s a bit of a mixed bag and isn’t all it pledges to be.

    The main problem with the piece is the tone of the musical which feels dated and uncomfortable to watch. It’s more reminiscent of Benny Hill’s stomach curdling capers than the suave sex appeal of ‘Mad Men’. Chuck is a junior executive who accidentally hits on a way to curry favour with his married bosses by lending them his bachelor pad to take their girlfriends to for sex. After a lot of songs, dialogue and an inordinate amount of set up, Chuck realises that the object of his affection, waspish cafeteria worker Fran, is being taken back to the flat by the boss of the company. The first act limps along and feels uncomfortable because of the dated references to women whilst the second act takes a darker turn but feels equally uncomfortable in its bizarre response to one character’s suicide attempt.

    There’s a cringe-worthy set piece in Act One where a group of married executives prance around and sing about where to take a girl to have sex on the sly. The girls are of course young and pretty (and largely devoid of character) whilst the executives are overweight and lumbering. The rest of the songs blend into one at times and the script feels less than zippy. Chuck addresses the audience and feels like he should be hilariously funny to watch but he just isn’t. The odd strong one liner that should be really funny (a woman downs a drink in one and he says ‘I’d hate to see her eat!’) barely raises a laugh, feeling lost amongst a swamp of too much dialogue and too many songs.  At three hours there feels like not much content over a lot of time.

    There are plenty of positives, though. The cast is really skilled and likeable. In spite of his humour falling flat, there’s something really quite loveable about Gabriel Vick’s portrayal of Chuck. Vick is a decidedly good looking man who can belt a tune out and is magnetic. He’s worth the ticket price alone. I defy you not to come out of the theatre with a slight crush on him. Equally strong is Daisy Maywood as the sharp-tongued but soft-centred Fran. Naturally, there are good songs among the setlist (it’s Bacharach and David. They write bloody good songs). Simon Wells slightly creaky set feels fun and is versatile and the choreography is filled with joyous moments.

    Although this musical misses the mark by a mile in many ways it’s still worth a stroll to the delightful Southwark Playhouse just to see such strong performances and sit back for a few hours and let the music wash over you. Just don’t listen to the words too closely.

    Promises, Promises plays at the Southwark Playhouse until 18th February 2017

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Sister Act – Sheffield Theatres and National Tour

    THEATRE REVIEW | Sister Act – Sheffield Theatres and National Tour

    ★★★| When 70’s disco lounge singer Deloris Van Cartier witnesses Curtis, her married, crime-boss lover, murdering one of his cohorts; she is placed in witness protection in the last place on earth anyone would look for such a sassy little lady – a convent. Trying desperately to fit in, whilst doing nothing but standing out, she is assigned to take over the choir, whose screeching vocals are enough to curl your wimple. But as the singer tunes up the choir, Curits finds out where Deloris is, and sets out to make sure she doesn’t testify against him.

    Picture Credit – Curve Theatre PR Supplied

     

    Featuring the songs “Raise Your Voice”, “Take Me To Heaven”, “Fabulous Baby” and “Spread the Love Around”, Sister Act is a fun, spirited and vivacious show with very catchy songs, warm characters and a spring in its step. With a large, static set and a vibrant lighting design by Liam Jones, the production is bolstered by the presence of Alexandra Burke who, to her credit, could certainly belt out the big numbers. There was some very able (and tuneful) support from Joe Vetch as Detective “Sweaty” Eddie Souther, and a real smooth criminal in Aaron Lee Lambert as Curtis, the Shaft influenced, soul styled bad guy. Throw into the mix some enjoyable physical comedy from Curtis’s cronies, and you have the basis of a good show.

    But with every heavenly blessing, there are some sins to atone for, as Craig Revel Horwood’s direction doesn’t quite hit its stride, with a heavy reliance on over-exaggeration of movement and gurning facial expressions; which meant that instead of the comedy flowing naturally from the effervescent script, it felt somewhat forced. The inclusion of musical instruments being played by the cast on stage worked in parts, but served as a distraction in others; and felt as though it stifled the choreography, which is a shame given the directors “Strictly” credentials. But once confession is over, all is forgiven as the show yields to its musical-number-filled second act and feel-good finale.

    Sister Act is a high energy bundle of fun, and whilst this production and ensemble cast doesn’t sparkle quite as brightly as other productions of this show, it has enough big tunes, bold characters and beating heart to make for an toe-tapping, if ultimately throwaway, evening at the theatre.

    Sister Act is currently on a UK Tour until 7th September 2017 and details can be found at http://www.sisteractuktour.co.uk/ . The show was reviewed at Sheffield Theatres, who’s upcoming production of new musical “Everyone’s Talking About Jamie” opens on the 9th February 2017. Visit https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/whats-on/everybodystalking-jamie for details.

     

  • THEATRE REVIEW | BU21

    THEATRE REVIEW | BU21

    ★★★★ | BU21

    We’re bombarded every year with news of atrocities. We might try to avoid looking at the scenes on the news or alternatively seek them out with a ghoulish fascination. We might worry about it happening to us or think about how we’d cope with say a gunman opening fire or a bomb blast. The certain fact is that bad things happen in the world and we can’t avoid knowing that they do.

    BU21
    CREDIT: BU21

    ‘BU21’ looks at the human aftermath of a terrorist plane attack which causes mass causalities in suburban North London. It’s a wry and witty play that’s multi-layered and never predictable. Told as a set of interconnected monologues it’s a 100-minute ride with surprising humour as well as pathos.
    Graham has been elevated from van driver to national icon, having been one of the first to be filmed at the scene on the news and now finds this gives meaning to his life. Izzy learned that her mother had been ripped apart via Twitter and is trying to use her middle-class skills set to cope with this. Waitress Ana was horribly burned and maimed whilst sunbathing before her shift and is living life in a cold vacuum. Floss is seeing a dead man everywhere she goes. The thing is she was at the kitchen window and a man fell to earth in his plane seat and died looking into her eyes. City banker Alex’s flat was hit by wreckage which led to the unfortunate discovery of his girlfriend’s body welded to Alex’s best friend mid-shag. Finally,
    Clive is a devout Muslim. Raised with no religion he’s found comfort in Islam and wants to tell us about his side of the story.

    It might all sound unbearably grim and definitely like a play to avoid watching during a grey English January but this is where author Stuart Slade surprises tricks and teases. Slade’s characters are varying in their resilience, their surprising humour and their ability to get through. The play also turns its gaze upon society. Why do we want to watch this and what does our fascination with tragedy say about us as a society or as individuals? Slade plays with our prejudices too and laughs at and forces us to laugh at ourselves too. This is an alarmingly sad, hilariously funny and utterly pertinent play and is an experience you won’t stop thinking about for quite some time.

    BU21 plays at the Trafalgar Studi0 until Feb 18th

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Strangers in Between, Kings Head Theatre

    THEATRE REVIEW | Strangers in Between, Kings Head Theatre

    ★★★★ | Strangers in Between, Kings Head Theatre

    Strangers In between review
    CREDIT: Andreas Grieger

     

    Great performances by a cast of three is the highlight of the play ‘Strangers in Between.’

    Playing for the second year in a row at the Kings Head Theatre, ’Strangers in Between’ is a drama about a young man experiencing the big city for the first time. Shane (Roly Botha) has moved from his small hometown in Australia to the big city of Sydney. He says he’s 19, and he works in a liquor store yet doesn’t even know how to use the register. In walks a customer – gay and trendy Will (Dan Hunter). Shane at first is a bit intimidated by him, but they manage to make small talk until another customer walks in – Peter (Stephen Connery-Brown) – a middle-aged gay man looking for a simple yet inexpensive bottle of wine. Eventually, Shane gets Will’s number.

    Shane lives in the Kings Cross section of Sydney, an area teeming with prostitutes and crime. But Shane loves it there, especially as it’s far away from his family, and especially brother, he ran away from. He and Will hook up for a few trysts – it’s purely a sexual relationship – while Shane finds comfort in his friendship with Peter. But Shane has a couple secrets, one being his age, and the other involving his homophobic brother Ben (Hunter). But suddenly Ben finds Shane in Sydney after Shane’s world is falling apart after he has lost his job and contracted an STD from Will.

    The cast is very admirable but it’s Botha who shines. His Shane is young, cute, innocent and with a nervous tick – he dominates the very small stage – Botha is a wonder. Hunter ably does double duty as Will and Ben, while Connery-Brown is very good as Peter. While the ending is a bit of a letdown, the play, written by Tommy Murphy, is a show that all of us can relate to because at one time we were all young and innocent and new to the big city.

    For tickets, please visit:

    Strangers In Between plays at the Kings Head Theatre until 4th Feb 2017

  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Kite Runner, Wyndham’s Theatre

    ★★★★ | The Kite Runner, Wyndham’s Theatre

    The Kite Runner tells the story of Amir, a young boy played by Ben Turner,  growing up at the beginning of the troubles, in Afghanistan. When the Russians invade he is forced to flee with his ailing father or “Baba” (Emilio Doorgasingh) and begins a new life in the US where he finds a bride in what should be a happy ever ending. Unfortunately, Amir is also accompanied by a burdening baggage of guilt as a result of a set of lies and deceit, a secret known only by his father’s dear old friend Rahim (Nicholas Khan) who remained in Kabul.

    Amir’s mother had died during Amir’s birth, so he was brought up by Baba and father and son servants, the later Hassan (Andre Costin) of whom had developed a strong and loyal bond with Amir which is pivotal to the storyline. However, Amir betrayed that loyalty after witnessing an outrageous act on Hassan by a local gang of youths, who’s ring leader Assef (Nicholas Karimi) and Amir’s nemesis, reappears in an added twist later in the story when he is compelled by Rahim to return on a dangerous mercy mission to Kabul, now inhabited by the Taliban.

    The adaptation is brave as it’s a narration by Amir of his journey from boy to man and the tragedy that unfolds. This is a common style for Asian story telling but there is a danger that narration can be plodding and almost “sermon-esque” but Mathew Spangler seems to have struck a perfect balance between the story telling, flash-backs and cleverly choreographed crowd scenes that echoed the atmosphere and rhythms of Husseini’s novel, helped by a strong performance from Ben Turner and the supporting cast. The stage set is minimal with a kind of skateboard park half pipe that cleverly allows an illusion of height and depth for the performers to work off especially during the kite flying and action scenes, the backdrop a giant movable kite that had patterns projected on to it that complimented each scene.

    Tragedy upon tragedy lent to a relatively high tear jerk rating but this was pleasantly interspersed with humour from the characters who seemed to grow in confidence as the performance progressed and they connected with the audience.

    My only minus point about this stage version is that Husseini’s novel addressed other issues head on, shaking a fist at the revolving door of invaders that ruined what was once a beautiful country and a Mecca for travellers seeking enlightenment with a steady bustling economy and the subservient divide between Sunni and Shia, issues that were incidental and merely form a backdrop in this stage version, but were what made the novel a hot potato. However, to encapsulate the novel in its entirety on stage is too big an ask!

    I cannot sum up without mentioning the wonderful and often hypnotic percussion accompaniment from Hanif Khan that gelled the performance, beautifully done.

    I recommend this play, well written, and with strong performances throughout. I have already booked my return ticket!

     

    The Kite Runner runs at the Wyndham’s Theatre until 11th March.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | St Petersburg Classic Ballet’s Swan Lake – Sheffield Lyceum and National Tour

    THEATRE REVIEW | St Petersburg Classic Ballet’s Swan Lake – Sheffield Lyceum and National Tour

    ★★★| It is a tidal wave of tights, tutus and tiaras in this presentation of one of Tchaikovsky’s most famous ballets, performed in typical traditional style by the St Petersburg Classic Ballet. Telling the story of a Prince who finds his youth slipping away and being pressured into marriage, he meets and falls in love with Odette, Queen of the Swans, who is under a curse from which only true love can free her. But their love is thwarted by the evil Von Rothbart when he tricks the Prince into being betrothed to another. When the Prince realises he has been a victim of such cruel treachery, he battles to save Odette from her curse.

    PR Supplied

    In their second UK tour, Swan Lake proves to be a more entertaining and gentile evening than anticipated, with simple but effective sets, traditional costumes and an instantly recognisable score. The company, on the whole, performed well and the dancers individually were all very talented and quite natural in their performances. There is no denying the technical ability and suppleness of the cast, but when dancing as an ensemble, there were still some flaws in the performance including the odd stumble, the fixed smiles and, on occasions, the unison of the dancers not being as tight and synchronised as one would hope for and anticipate, especially from such a prestigious company

    That aside, the vivacious, playful and instantly recognisable score by Tchaikovsky sounded as vibrant as ever, and proved absorbing, especially during the first act. There were times when the ballet sparkled brightly, nowhere more evident than the sight of a sheer volume of swans and signets in the latter portion of the second act, which amounted to a fairly mesmerising vision. The tapestry based static set was functional and some of the costumes were beautifully put together. There was a romantic pas de deux in the latter half of the second act and the soloists portraying the potential suitors displaying their wares at the opening of Act 3 were quite captivating.

    For those seeking a traditionally presented ballet, then this version of Swan Lake is a safe bet and a pleasant evening’s entertainment, albeit one which is let down very slightly by a lack of unison within the performance on the odd occasions, which is a shame when compared to the tightly performed routines by other companies.

    However, there remain many aspects of the show to enjoy and it is an easy, accessible ballet which is more focussed on dance and performance than detailed narrative.

    The production was reviewed at Sheffield Theatres (www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk) who will be premiering a new musical, Everyone’s Talking About Jamie, based on the BBC3 documentary Jamie: Drag Queen at 16 in February 2017

    St Petersburg Classic Ballet is touring the UK, calling at Poole Lighthouse, Truro Hall, Bath Theatre Royal and Aylesbury Waterside between now and the 4th February 2017.

     

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Charming Dick

    THEATRE REVIEW | Charming Dick

    ★★★ | Charming Dick

    Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a couple of cut-price synthetic-fibre-clad drag queens, a Eurovision medley, and a huge sack full of festive double entendres and innuendos – we at THEGAYUK can’t wait for Kris Kringle to cum down our chimney – falalalala la la la la.

    Producer Catia Ciarico and The Royal Vauxhall Tavern’s production of Charming Dick has more puns than letters to Santa requesting penis pumps. If you’ve a penchant for musical theatre, know your way around a winklepicker-tapping Dolly Parton number and the melody to ‘Money Money Money’ sends your baubles into a figgy-pudding frenzy, then this should be right up your North Pole.

    Charming Dick is a posing-pouch-packed with everything an adult yuletide panto should be, audience participation – “oh yes there is”. A Twankey (Tim McArthur), a wicked witch (Matthew Floyd), a prince (Stewart Briggs) a Little Red Riding Hood/blind mouse/chem-sex party fag-hag (Abigail Carter-Simpson) and of course, a Big Dick (Ali Frederick). Imagine Westminster City Council as the witch, then you’ve got the Noel narrative.

    Not every scene was like skating around the rink at Somerset House, a few of the lines took the same route as the lemon does with the Turkey on the nut-cracking day, and the ‘Twelve Day Of Christmas’ almost got lost in a snow-hole – but it all added to the jingle-belling jollity. Any mince pie indulgence from the derrieres-on-seats would have been worked off with the continuous guffaws.

    This is a stuffer for your stocking, a trimming for your tree, full of festive vulgarity – head to the Cockpit Theatre and we hope you ‘Oh Cum All Ye Faithful’.

    If we gave halves – we’d give three-and-half.

    The Cockpit Theatre, Gateforth Street, London NW8 8EH
6 – 23 December 2016 | Doors at 7pm, show at 8pm 
£16 (adv), £18 (on the door), £12 (conc) | www.thecockpit.org.uk | | 020 7258 2925

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Buried Child

    THEATRE REVIEW | Buried Child

    ✭✭✭ | Buried Child

    Buried Child
    CREDIT: Buried Child

    If you want to see Ed Harris sitting on a couch for close to three hours, then Buried Child is the show for you.

    Harris, film and television star, is excellent as Dodge, the father of two sons (dysfunctional doesn’t even come close to describing them). He lives in an old, ram shackled dilapidated house in Illinois with his wife Halie (Harris’ real-life wife Amy Madigan), who pops up in the first and third acts. Yes, this play has three acts, with two very quick ten-minute intervals between the acts. The last show I saw that had three acts, (The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures), was very painful to sit through and felt a bit like Chinese water torture. Buried Child, playing at Trafalgar Studios, is not that bad but it still feels like a long show.

    Harris does spend the whole time on centre stage, on the sofa, and he’s even on the sofa before the show even starts. Dodge and Halie share their home, unwillingly, with their two grown up sons. They’ve obviously missed the financial gravy train and are unfortunately tethered to their poor lot in life. One son, Bradley (Gary Shelford), never left home, and who continues to bring into the house freshly dug up vegetables from no one knows where because there’s not a garden anywhere near the house. Tilden (Barnaby Kay), who used to live in New Mexico, has returned to the family homestead because of an incident that happened there. It’s up to Halie to be the sane member of the family, this is until their grandson Vince (Jeremy Irvine), son of Tilden, arrives in town with his girlfriend Shelly (Charlotte Hope). Immediately Shelly is uncomfortable in the house full of Vince’s miserable and depressed and sick grandfather, father and uncle. But there is a family secret that’s slightly mentioned which peaks Charlotte’s curiosity, and she wants to find out more. Meanwhile, Vince goes to the grocery store to buy booze for his grandfather because the bottle he had under the couch is missing, and while Charlotte is speaking to Bradley and wanting to know more about this secret and starts nagging a bit too much, he puts his hand into her mouth (at this point if I were her I would’ve run out of that house). But the secret that has doomed this troubled family is literally, and eventually, out of the bag, but not before Vince goes missing for the rest of the night and Halie returns home with the family pastor who’s just as uncomfortable in the house as Charlotte is. But it’s not until the final scene that leaves you with an image that you won’t soon forget.

    Buried Child is a very wordy play. perhaps a bit too wordy, but it being a Sam Shepard play, there is lots that is over dramatic, over the top, and bordering close to the unbelievable. Surely cutting out one act would’ve made this play more biting, sharper and dramatic instead of long-winded, but director Scott Elliott is able, just, to keep the drama and tension up, while maintaining, until the very end, the mystery of this family’s tragic existence on earth.

    Buried Child is now playing at Trafalgar Studios until February 18, 2017.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Strictly Ballroom – The Musical – West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds

    THEATRE REVIEW | Strictly Ballroom – The Musical – West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds

    ★★★★| Hunky dance champion, Scott Hastings throws the uptight world of the Australian Ballroom Federation into disarray when he strays from tradition and introduces his own steps onto the dance floor of the competition. Horrifying his mother, his coach, his friends and, most importantly, the federation’s chairman, his new moves ignite a spark in Fran, the dance school’s ugly duckling. As Scott rejects his potential new partners and routines, he secretly practices with Fran, falling in love as they do. But as they head to the Pan-Pacific Grand Prix Finals, not everything on the judging panel is ‘strictly ballroom’, and Scott is forced to choose between dancing from the approved moves and dancing from his heart.

    In 1992, Baz Luhrmann opened his Red Curtain Trilogy of films with this offbeat satire on the world of ballroom dancing and the film quickly garnered critical praise and cult status. The show has come full circle, moving from stage to screen and back to stage in a production which is wildly vivacious, colourful and as camp as they come. Featuring songs from the film along with a number of new musical numbers, the camp factor is ramped up to the max, with the whole thing swishing around in a swirl of sequins, feathers, 80’s pastel shades and deliberately dodgy wigs.

    Broadway veteran Sam Lips makes his UK theatre debut in the role of Scott, with his strengths primarily in his voice and his dancing; whilst Gemma Sutton relishes in a believable transformation from shy wall flower to leading lady, as Fran.  Richard Grieve steals every scene he is in with his portrayal of the flamboyant Les Kendall and there are brilliantly understated performances from Tasmin Carroll and Stephen Matthews as Scott’s parents. Flesh out the cast with an ensemble of excellent dancers, including a plethora of perfect pecs and bulging biceps and you have a top notch cast who are clearly enjoying themselves as much as the audience.

    The ingenious set design by Soutra Gilmour opened out into the key locations with remarkable versatility and comfortably accommodates Drew McOnie’s steady direction and thoroughly enjoyable choreography. The first act focuses primarily on the narrative, which never strays too far from the familiar film, whilst the second act opens up into a barrage of musical numbers which are unyielding from the opening number right up until the curtain falls, bringing the crown to their feet in thunderous approval.

    With Strictly Come Dancing riding high in the public consciousness, the UK premiere of Strictly Ballroom is well timed, and proves just as undemanding but far more enjoyable than its nearest television counterpart. Whilst underneath the glitz, glam and gayness of it all, there is a rather corny Pygmalion-eque love story, this is one evening at the theatre that is more about the joy of the journey rather than the destination. Cheesy, tongue in cheek and with a distinct flavour of both irony and homage to the art form, it’s a smile inducing spectacle, and one can only hope that a national tour will follow.

    Musicals really don’t come any gayer than this, and the show is a piece of unadulterated, joyous, feel-good theatre.

    Strictly Ballroom is currently playing at West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds until 21st January 2017. For tickets, further information and details of their new season, visit their website at www.wyp.org.uk or call the box office on 0113 213 7700

     

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Thebes Land

    THEATRE REVIEW | Thebes Land

    ★★★★ | Thebes Land

    Thebes Land review
    CREDIT: Alex Brenner

    Our fascination with murder shows no sign of waning. Crime fiction, newspaper headlines and ‘true life’ series like Making a Murderer and Serial present tales that are still as grimly compelling to us as the story of Oedipus murdering his father was to the ancient Greeks. ‘Thebes Land’ promises us the story of Martin, a young man who has committed a particularly grisly act of patricide. Not only is documentary maker ‘T’ going to tell us about the story of how he met Martin in order to write this play but he’s also going to present the real Martin on stage. The audience are safe, though. Martin is contained in a 3-metre high wire cage, as per Home Office regulations. Or is he up on the balcony under armed guard? Or is he watching us watching him via video-link?

    Daniel Goldman’s cleverly adapted version of this South American piece is a wily beast of a play. It beguiles, tricks and twists until the audience aren’t quite sure what to believe at any point. It starts innocuously enough and promises to be a slightly dry but nonetheless intriguing academic discourse on the nature of theatre-making and storytelling. That’s the first trick of many. It’s a whole lot more than that. What evolves is multifaceted with reflections on multiple issues including the father/son relationship, truth and ego.

    It’s a lot more than that too. It’s a grisly crime story, it’s titillating (whilst making you feel perturbed that it’s titillating) and it has a disturbing undertone of sexual tension that crops up between the two men. Hell, it even has a weird little segment where there’s a Whitney Houston number. There’s so much contained here that it leaves you reeling at points and not sure what to think about next.

    There is the odd discordant moment where the self-mocking misses the mark but these are few and far between and the two actors are entirely credible. There’s something impish, attractive and likeable about Trevor White’s ‘T’ and Alex Austin gives good vulnerable but terrifying disaffected youth. If you like to be toyed with and want an unconventional night at the theatre then head down to The Arcola and take a cage-side seat. You won’t regret it.

     

    Thebes Land plays at the Arcola Theatre until 23rd December

     

    Follow Chris Bridges on Twitter

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Beauty On The Piste

    THEATRE REVIEW | Beauty On The Piste

    ✭✭ | Beauty on the Piste

    Beauty on the piste
    CREDIT: Above The Stag

    It’s Panto season in case you’ve been hiding under a rock, and with that comes shows that are silly and campy, some good and more than a few not so good. But does it really matter?

    This year’s panto at Above the Stag is Beauty on the Piste, a reimagining of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, and it’s exactly what you would expect, but perhaps a bit less.

    This is the plot, in a nutshell: Morag (David Moss) and her son Mac (an adorable Ross Tucker) own a tea house high up in the mountains in a town called Les De Nice (Les Dennis – cue laugh here).

    Passing by the tea house is the young lithe and blond boy Beau (Joshua Oakes-Rogers) and his father Gustav (Andrew Truluck). Beau is eternally horny and always on Grindr (we’re getting tired of Grindr being in almost every gay play nowadays). But nearby is where The Beast (Jamie Coles) lives, behind huge gates in an old mansion, and he’s hardly ever seen.

    One night Morag and Gustav decide to take a walk to get to know each other better, but they are kidnapped by The Beast, and it’s up to Morag and Beau to go looking for them. They find them in The Beast’s home, and Beau trades places with his father to let him free, and it’s only a matter of time before sparks fly between Beau and The Beast. But trouble lies on the horizon; the gay Sebastian St. Moritz (Simon Burr), who owns lots of the property in Les De Nice, wants to raise the rent of the tea house, so what’s the newly rescued Morag and her son going to do? Throw in Mabel the Fairy (a cute Briony Rawie), and The Beasts housekeeper – Heidi (Ellen Butler) – who keeps morphing into various items one finds in the house- and what you’ve got is a show, with a sing-a-long, that’s full of glitter and glee.

    Does it matter that the songs are awful? No!

    Does it matter that this production is not one of the Stag’s better shows? No!

    And does it matter that most (if not all) of the cast can’t sing? Of course not!

    Why?

    Because you’re not going to see Beauty on the Piste because it is sold out for the rest of it’s run! So perhaps console (or congratulate) yourself and buy a ticket to their next production – Bitches Ahoy – a show that bills itself as a “gay holiday hilarity” – hopefully it’s a return to the Stag’s better quality shows. Just one month to go until Panto season ends, whew!

    Just one month to go until Panto season ends, whew!

    Beauty On the Piste plays at Above The Stag until 14th January 2017