THEGAYUK

Tag: UK

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Playing For Time

    ★★★ | Playing For Time

    Amongst the horrors and inhumanity of Auschwitz, a small group of women are pressured to play in a rag-tag band, used for both entertaining the higher ranks of their captors and to march their fellow inmates into the fields to work and into the gas chambers to die.

    Playing for Time explores the emotional toll on the women as they quite literally play for their lives whilst struggling with the ethics and morals of pandering to the theatrical whims of the murders around them as their fellow detainees are being massacred around them.

    Based on the autobiography of Parisian cabaret sensation, Fania Fénelon, the opening scenes of her and her fellow Jews crammed into a cattle truck effectively conveyed the confusion, fear and false optimism of the passengers, followed quickly by a powerful, jolting and brutal arrival at Auschwitz which was genuinely unnerving to watch. But the play swiftly switches from the brutality of the camp to an examination of the inner conflict between an individual’s desire to survive and their desire to remain human. The internal struggles and external quarrels about the dehumanisation of the women in the band and the divide between their loyalties to those around them and their own selfish and primal instinct of survival are the focus of the wordy script. The dimly lit and smoke-filled auditorium provided an air of somberness and oppression, and the almost monochrome presentation of the piece (the black and grey sunken set penetrated by crisp, defined white beams of light) seemed to be a visual representation of the stark choices that go towards life and death in such a place, whilst the constant rumbles, cries, whistles and gunfire of the excellent sound design by Melanie Wilson constantly reminded the audience of the inescapable confines of the concentration camp.

    Arthur Miller’s seldom-performed play is a touch overlong, with a slightly uneven pacing and a group of central characters, performed by the predominantly female cast, which was not easy to connect with, although this could be as a result of the characters intentional or unintentional self-serving motivations.

    The sound of Sian Phillip’s Piaf-esque voice accompanied by the accordion, harmonica or a gentle piano was convincing in terms of 1940’s cabaret and reminded you of how recent in European history the events you are watching actually were. The performance of Un bel dì (One Fine Day) from Madame Butterfly was inspired, and its delivery in the context of the surroundings was not lost on the audience. The poignancy of the aria’s lyrics describing “that thin thread of smoke rising over the horizon” beautifully reflected both the optimism and hopefulness of the original context of the aria and the hopelessness of life in the concentration camp. Perfectly timed to coincide with Arthur Miller’s centenary and the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, Playing for Time is more of an exploration of human emotion than a narrative piece of theatre and one with a technically impressive presentation.

    Playing for Time is currently on stage at The Crucible Theatre, Sheffield until 5th April 2015. For further details and tickets visit www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk

  • Gay Man Left “Shaken” After Being Removed From Pub In Manchester

    A gay man has allegedly been escorted from a pub in Manchester after kissing another man on the lips.

    • Friends say man was left “Shaken”.
    • Man was reportedly removed from the pub after kissing another man on the lips.
    • Pub claims man was drunk and removed as normal.
    • Twitter users respond suggesting “Kiss In” retaliation.

    A man was allegedly removed from Mulligans in Manchester after kissing another man on the lips at the bar, reports have serviced via the Twitter social network.

    https://twitter.com/mulligans_MCR/status/578220756137603072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.archive.thegayuk.com%2F_snippet%2Fblog%2F4009928388%2F9531798%2FzjOiyEqv1Ec20XyFNhtc8zZ0574.html

    Actor John Last tweeted, “My friend was just escorted out of ‪@mulligans_MCR for kissing a man on the lips. Disgusting homophobia.

    “…He was escorted from the bar after kissing a man.”

    Speaking with TheGayUK, Last said, that his friend was left “shaken” after the incident that happened on the evening of 17th March.

    The man was removed by Security.

    Hannah Martin a campaigner for Greenpeace reported the incident on Twitter today, claiming the unnamed man was “escorted out” of the pub, before adding, “This is 2015 not 1915”

    The pub, which is based in Deansgate, Manchester, a short walk away from the centre of Manchester’s gay village, responded to the allegations by tweeting Mr Last saying:

    “Your friend (went) outside for a cig, drank too much, advised, as is norm, no re entry. The ONLY reason. ALL customers welcome.

    “No interest WHATSOEVER in any customers personal preference, nor should we have, we sell entertainment

    “No further comment from Mulligans.

    According to a spokesperson for the pub, the man asked to retrieve his jacket and was escorted through the pub by security, reported as normal procedure.

    An email was sent to THEGAYUK for clarification from Padraig Brady, “The customer in question went outside to have a cigarette, whilst outside he was observed to be unsteady on his feet. He was spoken to and it was obvious that he had consumed too much alcohol (no crime) and was advised that he would not be re admitted. We were asked for a jacket to be retrieved, as is the NORM, a member of security, escorted went in and retrieved the jacket and the customer left. On a day like yesterday, there are numerous occasions whereby, a customer, of WHATEVER, personal preference will be deemed to have consumed too much alcohol and therefore not be re admitted to the premises. Are you suggesting that 1 customer among 20 outside smoking was somehow, in amongst a group of 250 customers, was somehow, through, CLOSED DOORS, not allowed to re enter the premises because they have a particular preference???

    We are a business that sells entertainment to customers of whatever preference.”

  • Is Penis Enlargement The New Nose Job?

    Is penis enlargement the new nose job?

    Sponsored by

    There’s been a lot of talk about Penis size recently and with the revelation that the average size is smaller than you might think, men are still clamouring for that extra inch.

    WORRIED: Many men are concerned with the size of their manhood. Our survey found over a third were worried about length or girth.
    According to a new survey the average erect penis is 5.16 inches, not the six to seven inches that was usually suspected average. A collective sigh of relief was heard from men all over the world, but that revelation hasn’t deterred men from all over the country making enquiries about penis enlargement.

    In a survey, under taken by TheGayUK, it seems as though us Brits are still troubled by willy worry as we found that over a third of men were unhappy with their penis in someway or another. The poll also found that thirty-four percent were concerned about their length and 29% were worried about girth issues, while one in ten of us has considered picking up the phone and calling a surgeon.

    WHAT’S DOWN THERE: Despite the average length revealed as 5.16inches, some men have taken to surgery to gain up to an extra inch.

    One clinic, the Moorgate Aesthetics clinic on London’s medical mecca Harley Street, has found that enquiries for enlargement surgeries are on the up and are more sought after now than the common nose job, but just what does the nob job actually entail? How much more can you realistically expect to grow from such procedures?

    According to Moorgate Aesthetics the average lengthening is around one inch, this is achieved by the cutting of the suspensory ligament. A relatively straightforward surgery and girth can be improved substantially by transferring fat from other areas on your body to your penis. However because fat is a natural substance, it may need a top in the future. However, there is a little downside to the surgery and that is no sex for at least 6 weeks after the procedure, a small sacrifice though for a large improvement!

     

    HAPPY PETE: Many men who have undertaken the surgery are happy with the result – and with a downtime of just 6 weeks, men can gain an extra inch in length – or even more with their girth.

    So just why are we so concerned about the length of our penis? Some suspect it could be the influx of well endowed porn stars or the increase of “monster c**k” porn available on streaming services, making us jealous. A spokesperson from Moorgate Aesthetics said, “One of the reasons for their belief that their penis is too small stems from derogatory comments made by sexual partners – comments that are often simply throw-away ones, but that stick in the memory for years to come. For others, it’s a realisation that their penis didn’t grow as it should have done in their formative years.

    Many others feel that the size of their penis has prevented them from starting sexual relationships, and now yearn for the chance to develop a lasting and fulfilling sexual relationship with a partner.”

     

    If you would like to talk with someone regarding a possible enlargement or for more information then contact Moorgate Aesthetics confidentially on 01302 246 130 or visit: www.moorgateaesthetics.com

    Article Sponsored by: Moorgate Aesthetics (What does this mean?)

     

  • FILM REVIEW | Three In A Bed, Where is the chemistry?

    ★★☆☆☆ | Three In A Bed
    three in a bed film review

    After his mother dies, twenty-something-year-old struggling musician Nate has taken on her mantle and the responsibility of looking after his two self-centered sisters.

    When both of his sibling’s lives take a turn for the worse: one finds out her live-in boyfriend is cheating on her and the other discovers that the married man she has been dating has got her pregnant, they move in with him in his small one-bedroom apartment. It doesn’t give him much privacy or independence at a crucial time in his life when he is slowly discovering his sexuality.

    The object of his affection is Jonny the boy-next-door who quickly falls in love with a confused Nate, but when the going soon gets rough, Jonny runs off to France to drown his sorrows by getting a job erecting tents! Nate discovers that not only does he miss Jonny, but also that he finally has something to write a song about.

    This micro-budget romantic comedy set in Manchester and funded mainly by actress Jody Latham who plays one of the sisters, is full of good intentions and a great deal of enthusiasm. Sadly that does not make up for the painfully weak script or some extremely lame acting that makes one wince instead of smiling much of the 81 minutes. What was particularly disappointing was the lack of any real chemistry not just between the two men but with the siblings too and all the other characters.

    The movie has a happy ending for Nate but not necessarily for us. When there are three in a bed, sometimes that can be at least two too many.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Radiant Vermin, Soho Theatre, London

    ★★★★ | Radiant Vermin, Soho Theatre, London

    “I want this house. Oh, yes, I know there’ll be problems. But at least we’ll have the hope of things getting better. Isn’t that the least we owe our child? Hope.”

    Jill and Ollie: a seemingly ordinary couple, trapped in poor housing on a rough estate, unable to get on the property ladder. They want to tell you about how they found their dream home and some of the things they did in order to get it. It’s a beautiful house. They know you might find some of the things they did shocking and horrible but they want to explain. They deserve that chance, at least. It may well be that you understand more than you initially think you do, too.

    Philip Ridley’s plays are often visceral and dark with skilful humour leading the viewer subtly down dark routes too often brutal and sharp conclusions. This play is no exception with a hilarious and seemingly light-hearted satire on consumerism and the lengths we’re willing to go to acquire things. That’s till things get nasty and the gruesome secrets come out with Jill and Ollie’s suburban niceties peeling away to reveal deadly secrets.

    The sublime Gemma Whelan, star of Ridley’s last play, “Dark Vanilla Jungle”, puts on another brilliant performance as the seemingly naïve and sweet, Jill. She’s ably supported by hapless and sweet Sean Michael Verey (Pramface) as wholesome Ollie and Amanda Daniels as the Mephistophelean Miss Dee.

    A stark white set supports the raw action in this play that is perhaps one of Ridley’s most accessible. It’s a piece that’ll make you laugh, squirm and shudder and ultimately question your own motivations and desires. What would you do for a rapid induction hob, a four-man Jacuzzi and a flat screen TV? The Soho Theatre has yet again managed to put on something truly original and contemporary that suits beautifully in our current cultural landscape.

    Radiant Vermin runs until the 12th of April 2015

    Buy tickets here: http://sohotheatre.com/whats-on/radiant-vermin

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Jeeves & Wooster in Perfect Nonsense: Hilarity at its best

    ★★★★ | Jeeves & Wooster in Perfect Nonsense

    Jeeves and Wooster played by Jason Thorpe and Robert Webb respectively, bring to The Birmingham Rep a delightful and hilarious performance of Perfect Nonsense with actor Christopher Ryan. There is an initial gag before the curtains go up by a speaker announcing that phones should be switched off, for it might interrupt the first performance of Mr Wooster and he might feel nervous. Of course, merriment ensued.

    Perfect Nonsense tells a story of Wooster and his butler Jeeves who are putting on a play, but it is Wooster’s debut so he starts the show with running through his part and calming himself by saying: ‘How hard can acting be?’ Jeeves had cleverly set everything up so Wooster pretty much walks on to the intricate set that he has just been describing, as it is rolled on, on wheels, and displayed behind him as he turns around. It was so efficient that it surprises Wooster every time.

    Perfect Nonsense, directed by Olivier Award winner Sean Foley, is currently touring the UK, and it is peppered with comedy, suspense, and a little drama, especially when Wooster is blackmailed by half the characters, who all want the silver cow creamer.

    Robert, Jason and Christopher combined made the show extra special, as each contributed to the amusement by exaggerating facial expressions that provided the effect they wanted: to bring the house down with laughter.

    Robert Webb, whose credits are endless, but one would immediately recognise him as Jeremy Usborne from the Peep Show, had an innate ability of moving his body to suit the action and it made the transition between scenes even funnier. He even simulated Michael Jackson’s famous moonwalk to travel between scenes. Webb reprised the role like a duck to water and carried the show with relentless energy and flair.

    Jason Thorpe, whose theatre credits include: From Morning to Midnight, His Dark Materials and What the Butler Saw, lends his ingenious acting ability and comedic timing to Jeeves, Wooster’s butler. He also convincingly multi-part plays other roles in the show, and to each one he gives a special touch that supports Wooster’s storytelling. His characterisation of Stiffy was sublime.

    Christopher Ryan most famous for playing Mike in 1982-1984 TV series: Young Ones, portrays the character of Seppings who plays all other roles with an enthusiasm and persistence that would put anyone my age to shame. Christopher dominates the stage with his flair of movement with one second portraying Wooster’s aunty Dahlia and in the next Roderick Spode who is described as being 6ft 9in when Ryan is nowhere near that height at all.

    The set was a masterpiece of the steady yet unpredictable design of Alice Power whose recent design credits include: The Walworth Farce; and A Mad World My Masters by Thomas Middleton. Power designed a set that was so effortlessly mutable, that it became part of the comedy, as the sets were pushed on and pictures were rolled up and down a photo frame via a rotating handle.

  • “We Do Not Like Gays Living Here” Vile Welcome Note To Gay Couple

    A gay couple that have recently moved to a small town in Yorkshire, England, were shocked to find this most unwelcoming note from a neighbour.

    A note that a gay couple reportedly received when they moved to a village near York has surfaced on Twitter and Facebook. The letter contained outrageous homophobic terms such as backstabbers and s*** stabbers.

    The person who wrote the note was quite adamant that the couple would cause trouble for the neighbourhood saying, “This is a respectable village. We do not like gays living here, we do not want a load of gays coming and going day and night.

    We have heard about the partys (sic) you have, and the young lads you having stayed the night.

    “You only have young lads for one thing.

    “You [are] a pair of s*** stabbers,

    “You pair of dirty b*****ds,

    “We will have you run out of the village.

    “This is a warning so get this house up for sale and push off back where you came from, you are not welcome here.
    “S*** stabbers.”

    It is unclear whether the police have been informed, however, The Mirror states that the police are believed to be investigating the note.

    The York Pride facebook page wrote, “Why are pride events important in 2015? Read this letter received by someone right here in North Yorkshire to see what views still exist in 2015!”

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Beautiful

    ★★★★ | Beautiful

    Will you Still Love me tomorrow. I feel the Earth Move. You’ve got a Friend. These are just a few songs written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin that are included in the new West End Show Beautiful – The Carole King Musical.

    While Carole King might not be known to the younger generation, anyone 50 and older know her, and her music, very well. In the 1960s she, along with her husband Goffin, wrote dozens and dozens of hit songs including The Locomotion, You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling, and Up on The Roof. Beautiful tells the story of King’s life, how when she was a young girl and sold her first song to music producer Don Kirshner, to meeting her songwriting partner, and partner in life, Gerry Goffin, to being a single mother as well as a very very successful singer and songwriter. In Beautiful, King is played by the energetic Katie Brayben, from the piano playing right down to the curly hair, the resemblance is very good.

    Beautiful covers King’s life from age 16 to the age of 29, when she’s at Carnegie Hall performing So Far Away – a hit single from her mega-selling and multiple grammy winning album Tapestry. It’s just Brayben and the piano on stage. The show then goes back in time, the time when teenager King (Brayben) is at home in Brooklyn wanting to go into Manhattan to sell songs to Kirshner, but her mom tells her that she’s not going into Manhattan all by herself. When King does get to Kirshner’s (played by Gary Trainor) office, she meets people there who will be the key players in her life. She meets Cynthia Weil (Lorna Want) and Barry Mann (Ian McIntosh), a songwriting couple, but more importantly she meets Goffin (Alan Morrissey). They start a romance, but King gets pregnant so her and Goffin (played by Alan Morrissey) get married. He loves her, and they literally make beautiful mussic together – they are at their best when writing songs, and they write some of the biggest hits of the 1960s. But over time Goffin starts to feel like he’s being tied down and wants to take advantage of their new celebrity status, while King wants them to go home at the end of each day and spend time as a family. It’s a stressful situation for King, and it doesn’t help that Goffin is having mental problems to go along with his infidelity. And this is the plot of Beautiful – the relationship between King and Goffin and their very close friendship with Weil and Mann.

    But in between this storytelling we get great musical performances by the ensemble in the show – the actors who play the musicians that King and Goffin write songs for. And this is when Beautiful comes alive. The ensemble really lets it rip, and brings life and colour to the show when they perform songs such as 1650 Broadway Melody, Some Kind of Wonderful and On Broadway, among others.

    Beautiful is a female singer, songwriter, mother, daughter, an American, and British-born Brayben does a fine job in portraying King. Recently seen in American Psycho, Brayben can sing and act, and can hit all the notes, and like King, Brayben writes her own music. Her hairstyle changes throughout the course of the show, most of these styles, however, make her look much older than the character she is playing.

    Morrissey is fine as Goffin, excited about their love yet still not sure that’s he’s happy or not in their relationship. Want and McIntosh are excellent as their best friends, and even more so when they provide emotional support after King’s breakup of her marriage. The staging of the show is fine, moving from living rooms to recording studios to Kirshner’s offices – but it’s Peter Kaczorowski‘s lighting that literally and figuratively lights up the stage. If only the book of the show was as good. By Douglas McGrath, the book is very mundane and not very dramatic – sure we care about King’s life but give us more of the music and razzle-dazzle and less of their bickering and conversations.It’s a musical that should be a musical, yet Beautiful plays more like a drama show with bits of music thrown in. But the show redeems itself when near the end, Brayben (as King) and the ensemble bring down the house with the song ‘You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman” – it’s a moment when you realize that King really is the greatest female songwriter of all time.

    Beautiful The Carole King Musical plays at the Aldwych Theatre,  until 5th August 2017

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Back Down: Cheeky, Dramatic and Sincere

    Back Down is an intense play by Steven Camden aka Polarbear, whose excitement stems from writing dialogue and unashamedly falls in love with his own ‘Brummie’ story, and the action centralises itself on the friendship of three ‘brummie’ friends: Zia, Tommy and Luke. ★★★★ (more…)

  • Marks And Spencer Bans The Word Gay

    Marks And Spencer Bans The Word Gay

    The word gay has been banned when you try and buy a gift from the Marks And Spencer website.

    (more…)

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Bathhouse, The Musical

    ★★★★ | Bathhouse, The Musical

    For their second production of 2015, Above The Stag have chosen to revive their hugely successful production of Bathhouse The Musical.

    It comes with a few changes of cast and new choreography by Carole Todd, a choreographer of some renown, who comes with an impressive list of credits which includes West End musicals as well as work at the Royal Opera House and Sadlers Wells.

    What was always a hugely entertaining and hilarious show now emerges slicker, tighter and cleaner.

    In case you missed it last time, the show is set for its entirety in a Bathhouse, with the cast wearing nothing but towels throughout. The story (such as it is) revolves around the adventures of young Billy, who starts out a bathhouse virgin, but finishes a lot more experienced. He is guided through his adventures by the disembodied voice of Giles Brandreth.

    The score is a wonderfully witty amalgam of styles ranging from hoedown to full out Broadway ballads with quite a few other musical references between. With song titles like I’m a Bear Chaser, the hilarious Penises Are Like Snowflakes, Clickin’ for Dick and Seduction Tango, the jokes aren’t exactly subtle, but nor are they meant to be.

    In a show that is such an ensemble piece, it would be invidious to single out any one individual. Each and every one gets their moment to shine and they are all excellent, so kudos to Will Ferris, Matthew Harper, John R Harrison, Ryan Lynch, Luke Webber and Tim McArthur, who also directs the fast-paced production, which doesn’t flag for one second.

    Great entertainment, not so pure and simple.

    Bathhouse the Musical runs at Above the Stag until 29 march 2015.