THEGAYUK

Tag: UK

  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Picture of Dorian Gray at Dorian Gray’s Townhouse

    ★★★★ | The Picture of Dorian Gray at Dorian Gray’s Townhouse

    Staged in a Georgian townhouse in Greenwich “modernised” to suit a wealthy Victorian resident, The Alchemist Order have presented an exciting and innovative production of this classic Oscar Wilde play.

    For those that don’t know the story, The Picture of Dorian Gray is the tale of a young man who trades his soul for eternal youth and beauty. As he lives a life of hedonism and decadence, a portrait painted of him as a young man ages in his place. Often cited as one of the finest examples of Gothic literature, The Picture of Dorian Gray is exquisitely dark but peppered with Wilde’s trademark wit.

    Dorian, played by the brilliant Mia Hawk, is both innocent and debauched, and Hawk conveys both with conviction. Although momentarily distracting that he is played by a female, the combination of great acting, inventive staging and clever writing soon forgives this. Chatting to the cast after the performance, I learned that Mia had less than a week to rehearse this role following an injury to the original actor, which makes her portrayal of this complex character all the more impressive.

    Samuel Orange, Creative Director of The Alchemist Order, plays Lord Henry Wotton utterly convincingly and has a natural ability to hold a stage, in even the most intimate of spaces. The interplay between Lord Henry and Dorian strikes just the right balance of tension and allure. Similarly notable is Jonathan Redfern, playing Basil Hallward, who brings a somewhat mesmerising flair to his role and is completely believable as the tortured artist.

    An outstanding highlight for me, though, is the fantastic Louise Larchbourne, whose Mrs Leaf is thoroughly engaging, and carries just the right balance of servitude and mastery appropriate for her role. From the moment one steps through the door into Mr Gray’s salon, all through the interval and right through to the time you leave, Larchbourne remains perfectly in character, entertaining and serving guests with a respectful wit.

    This is the inaugural production of The Alchemic Order, and if it is any indication of what is to come, the future of creative and imaginative theatre is very, very secure.

    THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY plays at Dorian Gray’s Townhouse, 2 minutes’ walk from Greenwich station (exact address revealed upon booking) Tues – Sat until 28 September. Tickets are £35 (£25 on Tues) from www.thealchemicorder.com

  • Ride Out for Human Rights

    Mystery bicycle ride to landmarks of famous humanitarians & LGBTs

    If you enjoy cycling, join us for our Ride Out for Human Rights around London on Sunday 6 October, starting at 10.30am in central London – at Gays The Word 66 Marchmont Street, WC1n 1AB

    We’re inviting you to join our fun bike ride to 11 mystery landmarks associated with famous LGBTs and humanitarians.
    It’s not a race. The ride is not timed, so you can ride as fast or as slow as you wish.

    If you haven’t got your own bike, consider hiring one from the London blue bike hire scheme.
    Spread the word. Bring your friends and family.
    The Ride Out for Human Rights is a fundraiser for the for Peter Tatchell Foundation. The registration fee is £20. Find out more and register via our website.

    If you can’t join us, please consider a donation.

    We receive no government funding and rely entirely on your generous donations. Your support makes a big difference. It enables us to continue speaking out for human rights.

    Please feel free to forward this invitation to your friends. Ask them to join us.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | A Life Backwards (The Crucible Theatre, Sheffield)

    ★★★★★ | A Life Backwards (The Crucible Theatre, Sheffield)

    After meeting at a protest to support two homeless charity workers, Alexander (played by Will Adamsdale) and Stuart (played by Fraser Ayres) develop an unlikely bond. Stuart becomes intrinsic in the organisation of Alexander’s public campaign and the two men find they have much more in common than they ever thought they would. But for Stuart, who suffers from muscular dystrophy, the reality of life on the streets is never far away and his psychological problems gradually get the better of him as his physical and mental health start to deteriorate. Alexander, who had promised Stuart that he would write a biography that Stuart’s son would want to read, starts to speak to those who knew Stuart growing up. He uncovers a troubled past for Stuart, and starts to understand the impact and implications of Stuart’s family, schooling and disability.

    Based on the biography of the same name, which chronicles the true life story of Stuart Shorter, this play was an outstanding piece of theatre. The intelligent writing of the piece shone through, having the audience laughing out loud one moment and sitting with teary eyes hanging on every word uttered the next. The unravelling of Stuart’s life was beautifully written; with the latter half of the play deconstructing the complex character it had so carefully crafted in the first half. Stuart is portrayed as likeable, funny, resilient and sensitive, yet at the same time violent, volatile, unpredictable and unstable. The script itself was, in equal parts, genuinely funny, moving, warm, touching and upsetting as you learn who Stuart really is and you are left wondering whether you should or shouldn’t actually like him.

    The acting in the play was of a very high standard all round with the minimal cast drawing in the audience with their performances, meaning that you could feel definite shifts in the atmosphere of the studio theatre as everyone became absorbed in the story.

    But undoubtedly, the primary focus was on Fraser Ayres, who gave one of the best performances I have seen in the theatre for many years with his exceptional portrayal of Stuart. His convincing, sensitive and genuine performance of a man tormented by his inner demons and his failing body was quite frankly brilliant, moving, accurate and wholly believable.

    The setting of the Studio Theatre, an intimate performance space at Sheffield Theatres, only added to the total immersion in the play. The production values were basic with a very simple, but astutely utilised, scaffolding set, but the real draw here is the story, performances and emotions of the piece.

    This extraordinary play, produced by Sheffield Theatres and High Tide Festival Theatre is an outstanding piece of work. It was wholly engrossing in terms of its performance, writing and characters and left the audience feeling as though they had been through the full spectrum of emotions with the characters on stage. The thought provoking nature of the play was perfectly balanced with the soul, warmth and humour that punctuates it and provided an incredible opening to Sheffield Theatre’s autumn season. A must see.

    Stuart – A Life backwards is currently playing at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield until the 28th September 2013. Details can be found at http://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Bourgeois And Maurice At The Soho Theatre

    You know those occasions when you meet your mates in town for a drink after work. It gets to about 9 and you think it might be nice to round off the evening in some way.

    Well instead of heading to your local kebab house, why not nip down to the Soho Theatre for a bit of cabaret, where you can catch one of the final performances of Sugartits, by the award-winning duo Bourgeois and Maurice? It would be a great way to round off a convivial evening with friends.

    And convivial, for the most part, is what this cabaret is. The duo delivers a selection of self-penned songs, covering a range of contemporary topics, such as tax, internet junkies and the homogenisation of our town centres (an “improvised” song about Birmingham could be about any town in the UK, which is actually the point). However, though engaging and entertaining, it’s not quite as hard hitting as they’d like to think, pandering, as it does, to middle-class Liberal sensibilities. I felt it could have done with a set of sharper teeth.

    That said, I could hardly fault the performances of the duo, who are the perfect foil for each other. Bourgeois, looking rather like a cross between the Divine David and the MC from Cabare, (I loved the Putin decorated jumpsuit he changed into half way through) delivers his songs and linking dialogue with a sardonically laconic wit, whilst Maurice, sporting a 60’s beehive, which would be the envy of Marge Simpson, has an engaging goofiness, and a rare talent at the keyboard. I particularly enjoyed her surreal attempt to tell a joke, in the manner of Michael McIntyre.

    Certainly, worth a trip, you can catch the show at the Soho Theatre Downstairs until September 21st.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Speed Twins, Riverside Studios

    This warm tale of love and last chances weaves together three very different characters as they are brought together in the afterlife bar, Dyke Heaven.

    Queenie, a 60-something year old ex-beauty queen, has spent her life making what she feels are the right choices by society’s norms and so is very surprised to be spending her afterlife in a lesbian bar. Polly Hemingway is wonderfully expressive and brings a warmth and softness to her character that could easily be lost beneath the difficult choices she has had to make.

    Ollie, on the other hand, is a Beryl Reid / Oliver Hardy hybrid (harking back to the days when lesbians were forced into the butch-femme role-play that is still too-often perceived as their only reality) and has lived her life true to her desires. Amanda Boxer is entirely convincing, and delivers her witty one-liners with excellent comic timing. Ollie is delighted to be in Dyke Heaven as it is so very reminiscent of the Gateways Club, a popular lesbian bar in Chelsea made famous by the 1969 film The Killing of Sister George (in which Beryl Reid dresses as Oliver Hardy). Indeed, several references to this movie are made throughout the play – both explicitly and implied.

    The arrival of Mia Mackie’s Shirley to the bar causes something of a stir. Queenie flits from rages of wild jealousy to blank-faced denial, while Ollie jumps from lustful to intrigued and back again. Mackie brings forward some very difficult emotions and handles the complicated character with skill.

    Overall, Maureen Chadwick has written a piece that is dark but tender, and infused with warmth and gentle humour throughout.

    The Speed Twins plays at the Riverside Studios, Hammersmith until 28 September. Tickets are £22.50 (£15 conc.) from http://www.riversidestudios.co.uk/cgi-bin/page.pl?l=1370426957

  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Confessions Of Gordon Brown, Trafalgar Studios

    ★★★★ |The Confessions Of Gordon Brown, Trafalgar Studios

    Fresh from the Edinburgh fringe, this hit one man show has transferred to the prestigious Trafalgar Studios in London.

    This satirical look at the reign of Gordon Brown as leader of the Labour party is both laugh out loud and moving in equal parts. Written by Emmy award winning Kevin Toolis, the script swiftly moves between discussion of Brown the public figure and Brown the man.

    Ian Grieve (a remarkable likeness of the man himself) gives a strong, grounded performance, getting the audience onside and empathising with one of the most well known faces in British politics.The script reaches deep into the soul of the character, and one can only wonder what those close to Brown, and the man himself, would make of the writers interpretation of his character.

    Until 28th September,7.45pm daily

    http://www.atgtickets.com/shows/the-confessions-of-gordon-brown/trafalgar-studios/#overview_tab

    Twitter @GordonConfesses

  • THEATRE REVIEW: Gotta Sing, Gotta Dance, UK TOUR

    ★★★★ So much more than the title suggests, Gotta Sing Gotta Dance is a true celebration of musical theatre at its very best.

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  • THEATRE REVIEW | Liza, Liza, Liza at The Tabard Theatre, London

    ★★★★ | Liza, Liza, Liza at The Tabard Theatre, London

    Meine Damen und Herren, Mesdames et Messieurs, Ladies and Gentleman! I bring you not one, not two but three Liza Minnellis, all on one small stage for your delight and delectation.

    Acclaimed stage and screen writer Richard Harris (Outside Edge, Stepping Out) has penned a brilliant new play which is a tribute, a raucous examination and a celebration of all things Ms Minnelli. More than that, it’s also a reflection on what it is to be human in a mad world and although we may not all be from such stellar circles as Liza, there’s much to identify with.

    The set is glitzy and bright with a giant ‘Liza!’ sprawling across it, partly obscuring the piano and dashing pianist and on limps Liza, post hip replacement with a cane. Within seconds the audience is rapt as she wisecracks her way to the chaise longue. The play cleverly combines three incarnations of Liza: Firstly, the gauche and enthusiastic teenager trying hard to make her mark on a world ready to judge her against her mother and balance a home life mad enough to drive a nun to blasphemy. Secondly: the chain smoking ‘middle’ Liza hurtling into a self destructive spiral of drink, drugs and unsuitable men as her career both soars and plummets and finally: the older wiser and more cynical Liza who’s more than able to laugh at herself and her own foibles and failings. Oh what a dirty laugh it is too. All these Lizas are of course, overshadowed by the dominating influence of Judy Garland who begins the play shouting through from a dressing table at the back of the stage.

    Multiple lovers and failed marriages, battles with weight, booze, pills and depression: it’s not hard to see what it is that gay men seem to feel such an affinity with her about. What Harris and the fantastic cast of three actresses manage to do is to present a life story that contains no self pity, plenty of humour and a hell of a lot of spirit. There are killer one liners, great vocal performances (but not too many; it’s not a musical) and some very credible acting that rises above being just cheap impersonations. The three actresses all manage to own the stage, which is a feat in itself.

    Liza, Liza Liza runs until the 29th of September

    Buy tickets here: http://www.tabardweb.co.uk/liza

  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Spring Tide at The Old Red Lion, Angel, London

    ★★★★★ | The Spring Tide at The Old Red Lion, Angel, London

    This new piece of writing by Carol Vine premieres with a stellar cast put together by Oliver Taheri Productions, and delivers a punchy and passionate play that explores coming out in middle age and the impact on a modern family.

    We see the two women as girls in the teens and throughout the years of their relationship up until present day, Suzy trapped in an unhappy middle class world with an angry teenager and a crumbling marriage, Lan still waiting on her love to return.

    There was a little too much ‘business’ on stage between scenes and that was slightly distracting however the performances of the actors bought us crashing back into the narrative with their passionate and brave performances. The characters are not stereotypical but very real and three dimensional and the story not sensationalist but entirely believable. The actors also deliver a very naturalistic performance so you truly empathise with the characters and the tragic twist of the story is all the more poignant for it.

    On until 21st September, Tuesday to Saturday 7.30pm and Saturday and Sunday Matinees at 3pm

  • New Gay Pub Opens In Ipswich, Suffolk

    Following a major external refurbishment carried out by STAR PUBS & BARS, The County of Suffolk is re-launching in Ipswich on Tuesday 30th September 2013.

    New Lessee; Mr Michael Knight, says “ I am delighted at the work that has been carried out around the building, the new fresh colour scheme, enhanced external lighting and brand new signage has really helped to restore life into this fantastic, historical building.”

    On the back of the success of a recently launched sandwich, Panini and jacket potato menu, a brand new hot food menu has also been introduced to coincide with the grand re-opening and features pub classics such as “Retro Prawn Cocktail”, “Fish & Chips”, “Scampi & Chips” together with locally sourced “Procters” sausages and regional specials. Sunday lunches to be launched soon!

    Mr Knight and his Team have high hopes for the new development, stating: “we are here for the whole of Suffolk and surrounding areas to enjoy – we intend to provide a warm welcome and a top class and affordable range of food and drinks within a safe and homely environment”. We also have 2 double guest rooms available on a room only basis at a very competitive rate of from £20.00 per night per room.

    Over the next few months Mr Knight will be developing The County of Suffolk’s offer with speciality evenings such as “sausage & cider week”, “quiz nights”, and themed evenings in the lead up to Christmas.

    The pub is open 12noon until 11pm, 7 days a week and offers a wide range of draught beers and cider with weekly specials of hand pumped real ale. A full selection of soft drinks, together with teas and coffees are available throughout the day.

    The County of Suffolk is a gay-run, gay-friendly venue welcoming the whole of the LGB&T community.

     

  • INTERVIEW | English Gay Youth Twice As Likely To Smoke and Drink

    With the news today published by BMJ that gay youth in England are twice as likely to smoke and drink more hazardously than their heterosexual peers we speak with one of the authors of the study by UCL, Dr. Joanna Semlyen.

    TGUK: Why in your opinion LGBs are more likely to smoke firstly – and secondly, perhaps more worryingly more likely to drink and to hazardous levels?

    DJS: There are several reasons why LGB young people may be more likely to smoke tobacco and drink alcohol hazardously and we do not, as yet, due to lack of research, have definitive evidence as to what the reasons are, however, we suspect that the impact of homophobia and heterosexism within society, in addition to the possible experience of homophobic bullying whilst at school, may lead to what we call ‘minority stress’ or in increased low self esteem which young people then perhaps seek to alleviate with smoking and/or alcohol. We also know that LGB people tend to socialise in the places where they can be with each other, which is almost always places where alcohol and cigarettes are freely available, like bars and clubs.

    This situation may be being exacerbated by a growing concern that LGB people are targeted, for example, by the tobacco industry. There may also be other reasons we do not know and a large longitudinal study (with a heterosexual control group and repeated follow-ups) might allow us to study the antecedents of smoking and drinking in young LGB people.

    TGUK: Do you think this might be linked with the fact that LGBTs are more likely to suffer from mental health issues?

    DS: Because no data on transgender identity was collected in this study, I can only comment on LGB participants in this study. I think that the experience of homophobia and heterosexism should not be underestimated and, along with the stress of coming out (often repeatedly throughout one’s life), may well account for why we see greater incidence of mental health issues in LGB people. The problem is, we don’t have any data yet on the causes of smoking and hazardous alcohol drinking in LGB young people, followed repeatedly over time.

    TGUK: Do you think the government or the health service is doing enough to interface with young LGBTs?

    DS: As a researcher and LGBT Health Psychologist, I would like to see the routine collection of sexual orientation data within population based health and well-being studies and as part of the NHS’ own routine identity data collection.

    This would allow us to accurately determine the health inequalities being experienced by this group and, by virtue of being included, would go a long way to indicate to LGBT people that their health is being considered. LGB people want to be counted in surveys. Indeed we noted the question in this study had a very low refusal rate.