Tonight the community of Soho and London, both straight and gay people shall be gathering to respect and show support at 7pm for the victims and families of the Pulse nightclub shootings in Orlando.
Hundreds are expected to be gathering at Old Compton Street, Soho, to pay respect for the 50 people killed and over 53 hospitalised in a terrorist attack on the LGBT+ community of Orlando.
At 7pm tonight, 13th June, everyone is invited to come out onto the street to hold hands. Local bars and businesses shall stop serving during this time.
You can keep up-to-date on the official FaceBook page for more information.
Volunteers are being asked for from 6pm to help with what is expected to be a large turnout.
A baker and his wife long for a child, but a curse placed on their family many years ago prevent them from having their hearts desire. But when the Witch who cursed them offers to lift her spell over the family in exchange for them bringing her four specific items; the two of them set out into the woods on a quest which interweaves four very familiar stories.
Photo Credit : Manuel Harlan
Stephen Sondheim’s darkly comic fairy tale mash up is a curious beast. The first act is a charming, comical and whimsical look at the intertwining tales of four familiar stories, Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel and Little Red Riding Hood. The familiarity of the stories and the light comic moments wash over you with a feeling of warm nostalgia, bringing the first act to a close with a happy ending, as all good musicals (and indeed, as all good fairy tales) should. The second act, however, takes a much darker tone, reflected in the subject matter, the musical numbers and the presentation, as Sondheim bleakly examines the impact adults have on their children and how death affects us all. Jack is raised by a single mother, Rapunzel and the witch have a dysfunctional mother / daughter relationship, Cinderella pines for her dead mother and the Baker has his own issues with his absent father. Sondheim certainly pulls no punches as to how parents influence their offspring.
Performance wise, the co-production between West Yorkshire Playhouse and Opera North is a visual and aural treat. Colin Richmond’s set design starts as a faithful recreation of a primary school classroom, which transforms with remarkable versatility as the tale unfolds, and the staging of the play within a school setting reinforces the themes of parental influence in the second act. The forest of playground swings added eerie gravitas to the set which was enhanced by the digital projections at the rear of the stage. Puppetry further laid on the childhood charm and there is a ‘giant’ character as the second act opens which is enough to induce both laughter and reawaken childhood fears simultaneously.
The cast sang remarkably, as one would expect, and it was a genuine pleasure to see a musical where absolutely every cast member could sing beautifully; providing expression, emotion and perfect diction in every line. Claire Pascoe excelled as The Witch both in acting and singing, whilst Ross McInroy had velvet voice which I could have happily listened to all evening.
Sondheim can often be quite heavy going, and the second act certainly felt very dark (and perhaps just a tad long), as it became increasingly bleak in its portrayal of what happens “after happily ever after”. But despite this, you can’t help but leave the theatre feeling that you have been on a journey, as the show itself presents as somewhat of a metaphor for the woods themselves – the more you journey into it, the darker it becomes.
Into The Woods is a co-production between Opera North (www.operanorth.co.uk) and West Yorkshire Playhouse (www.wyp.org.uk) and is playing until 25th June 2016. For details or to book tickets visit their websites or call the theatre on 0113 213 7700
Gloucester Pride happens this weekend and thousands of people will be filling up the city to celebrate LGBTI life.
Gloucester Pride is held on the 11th June this year, taking over the city with it’s extended parade route, followed by a party in the park.
Where does Gloucester Pride Parade Begin?
The Gloucester Pride parade starts off at Shire Hall at 11.30am on Saturday 11th June.
What Route will the Gloucester Pride Parade Take?
Leaving Shire Hall, the parade will travel around town making it’s way to the main event in Gloucester Park.
The Festival
The Pride festival kicks off from 12:00pm until 7:00pm with entertainment from the Main Stage, Cabaret Tent and Dance Tent. PLUS there’s lots of stalls including THEGAYUK stall, where you can buy some Pride Jewellery to help support Pride. Then afterwards the evening entertainment continues at The Station Hotel.
The day event is Free – Tickets are available for the after party on the day for just £10.
Who’s Performing At Gloucester Pride?
Main Stage: Sonia, Lloyd Daniels, Tom Barnwell – The Voice, Ryan Jagger, Feryl, Heather Porter, Charlie Baxter, CC Quinn, Misty Monqiue, Dr Bev, Emily Samways, Kian Taylor-Jackson, Amanda Henderson.
Cabaret Stage: Sandra, Miss Penny, Monica Tension, Ruby Slippers, Me Myself & Jon, Stephanie Von Clitz, Amy Slade, Stefan, James Negus, Miss Demeanor, Gracie G, Eva Fliction, Pandora LaRoux.
Dance Tent: Ted O’Shay – DJ
After Party – Nicki French, Lloyd Daniels, Miss Demeanor, Sisters Of Sass, Speeches, Surprise, Dr Bev, Ryan Jagger, Miss Penny, Gracie G, Last Orders.
Set in the prohibition era, Chicago tells the story of Roxie Hart, who shoots her lover and finds herself of death row; alongside Vaudeville star Velma Kelly. Enter slick lawyer and media manipulator, Billy Flynn, who takes on Roxie’s case and simultaneously pushes Velma out of the headlines. As the two women catfight for the spotlight, the dirty tricks and rivalry escalate as each try to ensure that they make the front page. ★★★★
The 1997 Broadway musical of “Titanic” may have shared an inaugural year with the showy and special effect laden film by James Cameron but thankfully there’s not so much as a hint of Celine Dion. Saying that it does seem to go on and on in places, much like her poor heart. ★★★
How difficult was it to be a gay man with a penchant for dressing up in drag in Victorian England? The answers provided by ‘Stella” might surprise you. ★★★★
Celebrities and activists have condemned this week’s announcement from NHS England that it will not fund PrEP, a pill that is almost 100% effective in preventing HIV.
Stephen Fry led the movement of celebrities rallying for PrEP to be made available to those at risk of HIV.
Stephen, a patron of Terrence Higgins Trust, said:
“I have been a supporter of HIV charities for 35 years and seen remarkable medical and social breakthroughs in treating infection and stigma. But I never imagined I would be alive to see the day when a pill was created that could actually prevent HIV.
“It is remarkable and thrilling to witness so tremendous an achievement, but deeply frustrating in equal measure to discover that our national health service has pointedly refused to provide it to people at significant risk of infection from HIV.
“Surely this must be challenged: if not in the name of humanity then in the name of economy and plain common sense.”
His sentiments were echoed by Dr Christian Jessen, an ambassador for National HIV Testing Week, who said,
“As a doctor, this makes no sense to me. There should be no ‘controversy’ – this is a drug that works, it will halt HIV, and it is cost-effective. Condom use has prevented tens of thousands of HIV infections and remains a cornerstone of HIV prevention, but it’s not enough on its own. PrEP could have been the last piece of the puzzle.”
Christian Jessen (C) Monty McKinnen
The UK now has the worst HIV epidemic of any large country in western Europe, having overtaken Spain, France and Portugal. Every day, seven men who have sex with men get HIV.
The HIV sector has been united in its outrage following NHS England’s announcement on Tuesday. In an unprecedented move, the UK’s HIV charities and organisations have now joined forces and announced they will march together at London Pride on 25th June for the first time in Pride history, under the banner of #United4PrEP.
In a letter to The Times, the coalition of over 20 HIV organisations called the decision “a dark day for the NHS.”
The letter was signed by National AIDS Trust, Terrence Higgins Trust, Gay Men Fighting AIDS, British HIV Association and many more.
They said,
“Our Government seems to have no idea who is responsible for funding the drug that could help end the HIV epidemic, with departments passing the buck and no-one taking charge. The broader implications of that chaos should worry everyone.”
Rather than making PrEP available to high-risk groups, the NHS has agreed to provide PrEP to just 500 gay and bisexual men.
“The tokenistic offer to provide PrEP to 500 gay men over two years is arbitrary and inadequate,” continued the letter in the Times.
“It won’t scratch the surface when 2,500 gay men get HIV each year, let alone other groups such as trans women and black Africans.”
Other celebrities joining the outcry have included Coronation Street actor Charlie Condou, who said:
“Anything that can stop people getting HIV can only be a good thing, and that’s why I was so disappointed that the NHS has refused to fund PrEP. Despite what lots of people think, HIV hasn’t gone away. It’s an incurable health condition affecting thousands of people – and I believe that if there’s a way of stopping it in its tracks, our health service should be grabbing that opportunity, not letting it go to waste.
“I understand it costs money to provide PrEP, but in the long term, it will be cheaper for the NHS to prevent at-risk people from getting HIV than to fund a lifetime of treatment for them.”
Sir Elton John has previously voiced his support for PrEP. Writing in the New York Times in 2014, he said,
“Many view the drug Truvada — often used in pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP — as a miracle drug that will end AIDS. I share in this excitement, and have great hope for PrEP — and praise for leaders who advocate its wider use.”
The Prime Minister David Cameron has publicly spoken out about the benefits of PrEP, saying,
“There’s no doubt there is a rising rate of [HIV] infection. These treatments can help and make a difference.”
Now HIV activists and organisations are calling on him to show leadership and see this game-changing drug provided to those most at risk.
This article was written by Terrence Higgins Trust but was edited to meet THEGAYUK’s style guide.
The charity had released a number of funding warnings in 2015 and again in 2016 – blaming the Government’s silence in confirming whether the charity would be funded for another year.
The charity did receive funding for 2015 and 2016 but a charity insider blamed “major mismanagement” for the issues.
Communications to its chief executive, Jo Harvey Barringer by THEGAYUK went unanswered in early 2016.
Mowtown magic lives on in this musical revue, pulling together the classic artists, the timeless songs and the sound which defined a generation with an unmistakable musical legacy. Featuring songs from The Temptations, The Four Tops, Martha Reeves, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Lionel Richie and Stevie Wonder; seven singers and a live band bring to life the golden days of Tamla records.
Photo Courtesy of The Flying Music Company Ltd.
Musical revues can often come across as slightly polished cruise ship cabaret and their success rests primarily on their subject matter rather than the way in which they are put together. Production wise, one would be hard pressed to find very much to sing about with this show, with nothing more than a static set made up of a handful of podiums for the backing band, three posters of legendary artists, an average lighting set up and a collection of microphone stands. The costumes are functional but nothing spectacular and overall, the whole show remained on a plateau in terms of pace and presentation. There is no narrative, just a relentless set list to carry the show over its two hour running time.
But it is that set list which really scores the points for this production, with songs including “Superstitious”, “Stop In The Name Of Love”, “Baby Love”, “Reach Out, I’ll Be There”, “My Girl”, “Dancing in the Streets”, “The Tracks Of My Tears”, “Get Ready”, “River Deep Mountain High” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”, the show certainly crams in the classics. Performed by a five piece band, three female singers and four male singers, the vocals were perfectly functional, with all of the singers taking turns to step into the limelight, and each of them finding their niche with a particular song or two. But where the show succeeds is in getting the audience involved. From the outset, audience members were encouraged to dance, clap, sing and shout throughout the proceedings, and the audience certainly took advantage, barely sitting down for the majority of the show and quite literally packing out the aisles in the theatre as they danced.
When you compare this show to others similar revues, such as Thriller Live which has the hits coupled with some slickly choreographed routines, Dancing in the Streets is lacking in spectacle and, quite honestly, is visually rather bland. But what it lacks in spectacle, it makes up for in energy and atmosphere.
So put on your dancing shoes; and provided you go and see this show for the music and the party atmosphere, and not for the production values, then you are highly likely to have an enjoyable night.
Dancing In The Streets is currently on tour throughout the UK until 19th June 2016. For details, see http://www.flyingmusic.com/our-shows/dancing-in-the-streets/ .The production was viewed at Sheffield Theatres (www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk) who have announced their new season, including Lady Chatterley’s Lover, Annie Get Your Gun, The Shawshank Redemption and Everybody’s Talking About Jamie.
It’s Saturday 28th May 2016 and I’m at Birmingham Pride. I attend each year and always have a great time. However, I cannot help but have mixed feelings about it too. Something sits very uncomfortably with me, despite the fact that I have a good time.
Before I continue, I must first congratulate Birmingham Pride for successfully running a festival of such magnitude. It’s not an easy task, but year after year the organisers do an amazing job of it and for that they must be praised.
As a fellow Pride organiser, the last thing I want to do is criticise another Pride event, as I know how difficult it is to put everything together. However, there is an aspect of Pride that worries me. That is the fact that the spirit of Pride seems to be getting lost along the way.
When the Pride movement began, Pride was a protest. People marched for their rights and what they believed in. Now that LGBT people have almost full equality in law, I can’t help feeling that the true meaning of Pride is being lost, despite parades and marches still being a part of such events.
I’m sure we are all aware that the larger Prides are now commercial machines that do not fully represent LGBT people or the spirit of the Pride movement. An example of this can be seen when looking at main stage performance line-ups. I only attended Birmingham Pride on the Saturday, but to my knowledge there was only one LGBT performer on the main stage that day. The rest were heterosexual and cisgender. It lacked the kind of representation that LGBT people deserve at a Pride festival.
It appears to be increasingly common these days for Pride festivals to book lots of straight acts to appear on their main stages. Having looked at several Pride line-ups, I’ve wondered where the LGBT representation is. Recently, somebody was protesting on Twitter that a certain Pride didn’t have any LGBT acts booked. I don’t know if that’s actually the case or not, but the lack of LGBT performers at LGBT Pride events is a worrying trend.
At Warwickshire Pride, 90% of this year’s main stage line-up is LGBT. It’s a percentage that we strive to increase or at least maintain each year in order for the festival to truly represent the people it primarily caters for.
That’s not to say that Warwickshire Pride is leading where others should follow. Far from it, in fact. It’s entirely up to the organisers of each Pride event to book the acts they want, move in the direction that they view as being best, and to respond to the wishes or needs of the community that they represent. At Warwickshire Pride, we pride ourselves on being a little bit different to other Prides and a lot of that comes from the feedback that local LGBT people provide. Yes, we have some fabulous elements such as Angie Brown and Wagner from the X Factor performing last year, but ultimately we try to create something in the spirit of the original Pride movement.
Perhaps it’s the activist in me. Every part of my being is about furthering the rights of LGBT people, both legally and socially. I believe that Pride is absolutely a protest, but do acknowledge that it’s a celebration too. There is nothing wrong with celebrating. However, I also feel that as a Pride movement we are in danger of losing touch with our roots.
What I’d like to see is more Prides having actual LGBT performers on their main stages, not just confined to cabaret tents. I’d also like to see more protesting and highlighting of social issues that our communities face. Finally, I’d like to see Prides being more inclusive. There are four letters in the acronym LGBT and it’s important that the B & T are remembered and included. This is something that the smaller, grassroots Pride events do very well, but it’s time that the larger Prides stepped up and truly represented their communities once more.
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