THEGAYUK

Tag: UK

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Mary Stuart, Duke of Yorks Theatre

    ★★★★★ | Mary Stuart, Duke of York’s Theatre

    Two queens fighting to the death. No, not Vauxhall on a Saturday but a fascinating slice of Elizabethan history. Mary Stuart seeks refuge in England only to be imprisoned by her cousin, Queen Elizabeth the 1st, as a potential threat to the English throne. Mary anxiously awaits her fate whilst Elizabeth tortures herself deciding the best course of action. Sounds dry, fusty and irrelevant? Not in the slightest in this bold and modern update on Schiller’s play.

    Robert Icke is a director who can breathe extraordinary new life into works. His versions of Hamlet, 1984 and Uncle Vanya (to name a few) have garnered awards and shown his skills. Here, he’s taken the text, staging and costume and made it feel thoroughly modern and relevant. There’s barely a ruff in sight and the dialogue feels like something you might eavesdrop upon in Parliament in 2018.

    Two top UK actors take the lead roles, Juliet Stevenson and Lia Williams (currently to be seen in Kiri and The Crown). There’s a gimmick but it’s one with no hint of tackiness. Both actors switch roles depending on the results of a tossed coin at the start of the play. It’s a tense moment for both the actors and the audience as the two face off on stage and await their role allocation.

    All in, it’s a riveting three hours. The stripped back set, pared back dialogue and emotional intensity combine with two killer performances to make this a nail-biting experience. It’s a fine example of top acting in a top production that also remains entertaining.

     

    Mary Stuart runs at the Dukes Of York’s Theatre until 31st March 2018

  • LGBT+ Conservatives backtrack over c*nt Tweet

    The LGBT+ Conservatives have issued a statement on suggesting that MP David Davies was a c*nt.

    The LGBT+ Conservatives have backtracked on a message about the MP, David Davies, after he tweeted that “Somebody possessing a penis & pair of testicles is definitely not a woman”.

    In their initial response, the group Tweeted, “It’s clear that the T in his name stands for transphobe. It’s equally clear what the C stands for.”

    The MP hit back saying that the group were being misogynistic and that he would report them to the party’s chairman, Brandon Lewis.

    The LGBT+ Conservatives issued statement on Twitter saying that the first response was meant to be “light-hearted” and that it might have caused offence,

    “On reflection, yesterday’s tweet at which was meant to be light-hearted, may have inadvertently caused offence. This wasn’t our intention. We’ll continue to express disagreements with David on issues, but will hold ourselves to higher standards in future”.

  • Tory MP slammed for ‘transphobic’ message about trans women’s genitalia

    “Somebody possessing a penis & pair of testicles is definitely not a woman”

    David Davies, the MP for Monmouth has been slammed by trans advocates and his party’s own LGBT+ group for being a transphobe after he Tweeted a shocking message, which suggested that trans women who still have a penis and testicles are not women.

    Taking to Twitter he wrote,

    “Somebody possessing a penis & pair of testicles is definitely not a woman. This should be a biological fact not a matter for political debate. At least we can agree on something.”

    It wasn’t long before the party’s own LGBT+ group, LGBT+ Conservatives, commented, “David TC Davies’ transphobic views are abhorrent and out of kilter with Conservative Party policy.

    “It’s clear that the T in his name stands for transphobe. It’s equally clear what the C stands for.”

    The MP hit out at the group calling them a “disgrace” questioning whether the group was fit to stand for equality saying, “It is appalling that a Conservative group which purports to stand for equality is willing to allude to the word “c*nt” to describe MPs it doesn’t like. You are a disgrace.”

    LGBT+ voting record

    David Davies has, according to TheyWorkForYou.com, consistently voted against gay rights. During his time in office, he has voted five times against and been absent five times on LGBT+ equality laws. He also voted against same-sex marriage.

    Victim of abuse

    The MP went on to Tweet about the abuse that MPs face on social media.

    “Abuse on social media is par for the course as an MP – but it’s a sad day when it comes from a group based in the HQ of the party which I have actively supported for over 30 years.”

    He then called out the LGBT+ Conservatives for being misogynistic before suggesting that he would report the group for online abuse to the party Chairman, Brandon Lewis.

    Targetting the perpetrators of online abuse, cyberbullying and trolling have been in the sights of the Conservatives in recent years. Those found guilty of online maltreatment could face prosecution in England and Wales.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Dietrich: Natural Duty

    ★★★★★ | Dietrich: Natural Duty

    Described as a one (wo)man show, Peter Groom’s take on legendary teutonic beauty Marlene Dietrich is literally breathtaking at points. There’s an uncanny likeness between him and the screen goddess with his cat-like cheekbones and arched brows. He’s clearly spent a vast amount of time studying her mannerisms and speech too as he captures every wink, every drag on a cigarette and each sultry gaze. There’s something uncanny about his appearance that makes you feel that you’re anywhere but in the Vaults which is essentially a dank series of tunnels under Waterloo Station. The bare brick and smoky interior is entirely appropriate with it’s underground club feel.

    Groom has written a witty show with a touch of pathos based around Dietrich’s wartime experiences. It was a stark choice for her as she made the decision to leave behind her beloved mother along with her mother country and flee to America. Taking on the role of ‘Captain Dietrich’ she entertained and supported the troupes and saw first hand some of the horrors of war.

    The show is based around a saucy cabaret performance with Groom slinking on in a spectacular gown and rasping out some of Dietrich’s songs. Heckling by a reporter makes her pause and reluctantly answer some probing questions. Not only is Groom a fabulous mimic but he’s also a deft and skilled writer as the script lurches between camp comedy and deep sadness. This is an absolute tour de force. If you can catch this tonight or tomorrow then get down to the Vaults Festival. If not then keep your eyes peeled as this is a show that’s sure that make a return.

    Dietrich: Natural Duty runs at the Vault Festival until 28th January 2018

     

  • Six things we loved about Oranges and Elephants, Hoxton Hall

    ★★★★☆ | Oranges And Elephants

    An all-female musical has opened in London, Oranges and Elephants

    1) The story. Set in Victorian London and there’s a turf war between two all-female rival groups, the Oranges and the Elephants, led by two fierce women and their battle to reign supreme. Plot: Get two sparring gangs, in a Victorian setting, throw in a newbie (a brilliant Sinead Long (Mary)) to the city, a quick lesbian romp, dressed it all up in drag king goodness conclude with an ending even Shakespeare would be proud of and you’re close to why Orange And Elephants is the most exciting musical to open in London in an age.

    2) The lack of men.  This show simply doesn’t need us menfolk. We’re not missed. At all.  So yeah, f*ck the patriarchy. The cast’s observation of masculinity and, well, frail masculinity at that, is superb. A special mention to Rebecca Bainbridge, whose gangster, Ada (Oranges), is frankly beyond scary and you won’t find a more vicious matriarch than Liz Kitchen’s Annie, leader of the Elephants.

    3) A new musical… At last a new musical that isn’t a jukebox musical. All new music and perfectly suited to the piece. It is ballad heavy but there are a few rousing gems from Jo Collins’ score. The entire cast gets involved with playing the instruments and acting without it feeling forced, and there’s also audience participation, expertly carried through by our narrator. Oh, and BTW, it’s funny. Very funny.

    4) Costumes. Some of the best costumery (Sara Perks) we’ve seen in a long time and while we’re at it, a special mention to the set design. Simple but incredibly effective. You won’t look at an A to Z in the same way again… (for those who just asked, what’s an A to Z, think Google Maps but on paper).

    5) Hoxton Hall. This is a double edge sword for us. On one hand, the music-hall design of the rather stunning venue helps transport you back to the Victorian era – but it has, without a doubt the most uncomfortable seating, so bring a cushion.

    6) A nod to the queer community – as there’s even a little bit of lesbian twist, which sticks two fingers up at the traditional boy meets girls blah blah blah. Bravo!

    A little rough around the edges, but a ruby in the Victorian dust.

    Oranges and Elephants runs at Hoxton Hall until 10 February.

  • Man jailed for multiple, non-recent sexual offences on six boys

    A man has been jailed for 16 years for multiple sexual offences against boys in 1970s.

    Retired musician, Neil Duncan, 74 from Southend-On-Sea, was sentenced to 16 years imprisonment on Wednesday. Along with his prison sentence, Duncan will be made to sign the sex offenders’ register for life.

    He previously pleaded guilty, in December 2017 to 39 offences:

    One count of attempted buggery with a victim aged under 16;
    – Seven counts of buggery with a victim aged under 16;
    – One count of incitement to commit buggery;
    – 13 counts of indecency with a child under the age of 14 years;
    – 15 counts of indecent assault on a male under the age of 16 years; and,
    – Two counts of making indecent images.

    Detective Constable Amy Dobner, from the Child Abuse and Sexual Offences (CASO) Command, said, “Duncan is a prolific offender who spent the 1970s abusing young children. I am grateful that they have since come forward so that we could take the necessary action to bring him before the courts.

    “I would like to take this opportunity to praise their bravery and resolve, and hope that today will further help them move on with their lives, knowing that Duncan has been punished for his crimes.”

    Showing boys pornography

    Police were first contacted by one of Duncan’s victims in March 2016. Three other victims subsequently came forward towards the end of 2016 and early 2017. They all told officers that they had been assaulted by Duncan as young boys in the 1970s.

    Duncan would show the boys pornographic material before forcing them to perform sex acts.

    Officers quickly established that he had offended across west London and the Home Counties.

    Duncan was arrested on 4 August 2016. A number of computers were seized and found to contain indecent images.

    Officers also discovered several diaries that were kept by Duncan which corroborated the allegations.

    He was charged in mid-August 2017.

    Detective Chief Inspector John Foulkes of CASO said, “Given the number of victims and offences that Duncan has admitted to, it cannot be ruled out that there are other victims who have yet to contact police.

    “I would urge anyone who has been abused by Neil Duncan to come forward and speak to police where you will be supported by specially trained officers.”

    Anyone with information is asked to contact the Barnet Child Abuse and Sexual Offences team on 020 8733 5139.

  • Isn’t it time UK law considered gay sex equal to straight sex?

    For those who continue to call same-sex marriage “marriage equality,” you might be interested to know that the UK government doesn’t consider your sexual activity equal.

    So when same-sex marriage came into law, it didn’t automatically spell marriage equality – it’s one of the reasons why THEGAYUK.com doesn’t use the term.

    One of those things that stopped us from fully embracing the marriage equality slogan was that in UK law gay sex and straight sex are not equal.

    How do we know this? Well, straight couples can get divorced because of adultery. Gay couples cannot. Effectively treating same-sex sexual relations differently from heterosexual sexual relations.

    Adultery is defined by UK law “voluntary sexual relations between an individual who is married and someone who is not the individual’s spouse”, but it only counts if the person is of the opposite sex. A spouse cannot commit adultery if the person they are cheating with is the same sex.

    Grounds for divorce, in this case, would have to be petitioned under “unreasonable behaviour”.

    This is also true of civil partnerships. Speaking to THEGAYUK.com last year, Andrew Smith, Associate Solicitor for Blacks Solicitors’ Family Law team told us,

    “…the definition of adultery is sexual intercourse with someone of the opposite sex outside marriage. Instead, civil partners have to use ‘unfaithfulness’ as one of a number of examples of Unreasonable Behaviour.”

    “Where is the equality?”

    Jodene Murphy is petitioning the UK government for change. Writing on the petition Murphy explains, “When the UK Government welcomed same-sex marriage and updated the Marriage Act accordingly, they neglected to sufficiently update the divorce law. We are now living in a country where same-sex couples cannot divorce under the grounds of adultery. Where is the equality? Equal rights for all.”

    The petition needs to garner over 10,000 signatures in order for the government to answer. At 100,000 signatures, the petition will be considered for debate in Parliament.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Woman Before a Glass

    ★★★★☆ | Woman Before a Glass

    Lanie Robertson’s Lady Day at the Emerson Bar and Grill looked at Billie Holiday’s heroin fogged last days. Here his razor sharp wit is turned towards wealthy art collector Peggy Guggenheim.

    1960s Venice and Peggy is pontificating on the terrace of her palazzo with an arm full of designer dresses, wondering what to wear for a TV appearance. She’s in the mood for chatting and addresses the audience of the tiny Jermyn Street Theatre directly. Brash, vulgar and monstrous, she’s a vision of bouffant hair, free-swinging breasts and is mistress of the crude comment. Looking back at her life she stalks the stage, swigging gin martinis and smoking. She amusingly refers to numerous ‘fucks’ including a few of the local gondoliers and lovingly reflects on her modern art collection, spitting venom when talking about that bitch who her uncle married. Beneath the campy veneer of tasteless monstrosity, there’s inner sadness as she talks about her father (who drowned on the Titanic), her great love who tragically died and her troubled depressive daughter, Pegeen.

    This is a tight script with the 90 minutes broken down into three sections. The character of Peggy is well rounded and thoroughly credible. At points, it’s a bawdy comedy but it veers towards tragedy as this strong woman regales us with her triumphs and troubles.

    Judy Rosenblatt is nothing less than stellar and her Peggy is a force to be reckoned with. Whether you’re already a devotee of Peggy Guggenheim or sadly unaware of this colourful character, this is a performance worth seeing.

    Woman Before A Glass is playing at the Jermyn Street Theatre until 3rd Feb 2018

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Still Ill, New Diorama Theatre

    THEATRE REVIEW | Still Ill, New Diorama Theatre

    Still Ill | ★★★

    Sophie is a jobbing actress who’s working in a terrible soap opera, playing a surgeon with a brain tumour. She’s making up her income having endless neurological examinations performed on her by trainee doctors. Struck down by a series of strange nervous system symptoms she’s left unable to function and feeling desperate with paralysis, spasms and seizures. Naturally, modern medicine has an answer. Even if there’s not a cure then there’s a name for what’s happening to you and some sort of treatment, isn’t there? But what if every doctor you meet tells you that it’s good news and the tests are negative? The more doctors you see (and there’s a lot of them), the more tests you have and the more time passes your symptoms get worse and there’s still no answer. Is it still ‘good news’ about how normal your test results are? Welcome to the world of Functional Neurological Disorder, a surprisingly common and debilitating condition.

    Still Ill returns to the The New Diorama Theatre near Warren Street after a successful run in 2016. It’s an achingly sad play with touches of comedy but an overall sense of optimism. It’s not as grim as the subject matter makes it sound. The company have carefully researched their subject under expert guidance and come up with a witty piece of theatre about a poorly understood area of medicine (and indeed life).

    The cast of three skilfully play multiple parts and it’s convincing and watchable albeit with the odd off note where it feels like they’re over-egging the pudding. There’s a strange backing track of live music and a sense of physicality to some of the action and it almost works. This is well worth watching not just to gain an understanding of a rarely mentioned illness but to see what appears to be a sane response to a mad world.

     

    Still Ill run at the New Diorama Theatre until the 27th January 2018

  • Kevin Spacey investigated over third London assault: report

    British police said Thursday they are investigating a man over a third sexual assault, with the Press Association news agency reporting that US actor Kevin Stacey is the suspected assailant …

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Strangers on a Train, Sheffield Lyceum

    Strangers on a Train | ★★☆☆☆

    During a chance encounter on a whiskey-soaked train journey, two strangers, Guy Haines, a respected architect and Charles Bruno, a drunken playboy, jokingly plot to commit a murder to assist the other in moving on in their lives. Bruno proposes that Haines kill Bruno’s overbearing father, whilst Bruno himself will kill Haines’ adulterous wife. But what starts out as a drunken joke becomes something more sinister, as Bruno keeps up his end of the bargain and expects Haines to do the same.

    Based on the novel by Particia Highsmith, the narrative of the piece starts promisingly enough, with sufficient threads of the story put forward to generate interest, but the early promise simply isn’t sustained, as the play draws itself out into something over long and turgid, leading to an incredibly dry second act which never even begins to gather momentum.

    Feeding into the dryness of the piece are the performances from the cast which were truly terrible across the board. Jack Ashton is suitably dashing and fares best of the bunch with a rather flat portrayal of Haines, but never comes close to depicting a man whose life is in turmoil as a result of the relentless harassment by Bruno, the murder of his wife or his harboured dark secrets. Chris Harper is just plain irritating rather than menacing, with a pantomime-villain portrayal of Bruno, being more akin to an annoying drunken work colleague at the office party than a scheming manipulator and calculating killer; and Helen Anderson’s over the top histrionics as Elsie Bruno were sharply juxtaposed with the stiff, wooden delivery of Hannah Toiton as Haines’ new wife.

    Anthony Banks’ direction is sadly lacking, and manages to produce a play with no drama, no tension, no menace and no pace. The set, comprising of a series of sliding panels, projections and micro-sets looked lavish and generally worked well, which was the saving grace of the production; but sadly a flashy set design is not enough to prevent this thrill-less thriller from coming off the rails.

    Strangers On A Train is currently at Sheffield Lyceum before continuing on its national tour until 31 March 2018; calling in at Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester, Woking, Richmond, Cambridge, York, Aylesbury and Cardiff.