Sadly, despite the best efforts of the cast and creative team, the tendency of the script towards offering a scrapbook of ‘best bits’ from the sporting legacy of Tom Molineaux is impossible for it to dodge.
As An Octoroon demonstrates to great effect, he is interested in exploring the theatrical experience, entertaining us with its madcap energy while tackling uncomfortable and challenging issues.
Having seen to what brilliant effect such a cast can be used in the recent production of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ it was a shame to see a similar cast, so underutilised in The Grapes Of Wrath.
Beautiful – The Carole King Musical is to close at London’s Aldwych Theatre on 5 August 2017. During its two and a half year run in the West End, the Olivier, Tony and Grammy award-winning show had two visits from Carole King, surprising the cast and audience at the curtain call. Beautiful – The Carole King Musical is the untold story of her journey from school girl to superstar; from her relationship with husband and song-writing partner Gerry Goffin, their close friendship and playful rivalry with fellow song-writing duo Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, to her remarkable rise to stardom. Along the way, she became one of the most successful solo acts in music history, and wrote the soundtrack to a generation. Beautiful – The Carole King Musical features the Carole King classics including So Far Away, It Might as Well Rain Until September, Take Good Care of my Baby, Will You Love Me … Read more
The Steamie will celebrate the shows 30th anniversary with a Scottish tour starting in Kirkcaldy on 6th September 2017. The 30th Anniversary touring cast brings together Mary McCusker (reprising her role as Mrs Culfeathers from the 2012 production), Steven McNicoll (wrote and starred in seven series of the BAFTA Nominated BBC sketch show Velvet Soup), Libby McArthur (Gina Rossi in River City), Carmen Pieraccini (Kelly-Marie Adams in River City) and Fiona Wood (also reprising her role as Doreen from the 2012 production). The Steamie is a Scottish theatre classic; an ode to the hardworking women of the 1950’s and to a bygone Glasgow. The young Doreen envisions a new future, while Mrs Culfeathers looks back to the past – the play is a snapshot of a society, of a time and a cross section of strong women, all rolled up in Roper’s hilarious comedy. As The Scotsman said in 2012, it … Read more
The Union Theatre’s upcoming production of Tim Rice’s musical comedy Blondel have unveiled their new Blondel – Connor Arnold. Blondel tells the story of the trials and triumphs of Blondel, an ambitious minstrel in the court of King Richard the Lionheart. Can Blondel save his King who has been captured by the cunning Duke of Austria, avoid a rather annoying assassin and write a love song to win the heart of potential sweetheart Fiona? A graduate of the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in 2016, Connor Arnold recently The Pardoner on a European tour of Canterbury Tales. His previous credits include Silent Witness (BBC1) and Catch Me at the Arts Theatre. The rest of the cast features: Courtney Bowman (Winner Stephen Sondheim Performer of The Year 2016, she’s just played Fatimah in the acclaimed new musical, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie at Sheffield Crucible); Michael Burgen (Patsy, Spamalot, West End, Samuel, … Read more
An incredible showcase of talent, The Color Purple in concert is impossible to walk away from without feeling deeply moved.
Adventures In Wonderland The Vaults 20th May 2017 3 Stars Book Tickets What has happened to this show? Only a month ago, it was firing on all cylinders, generating a wonderful buzz in the atmospherically redesigned venue, attracting droves of enthusiastic patrons, many dressed up to look the part, and all ready to throw themselves into the mysterious and fascinating world generated by an army of designers and technicians in a sprawling complex of spaces beneath Waterloo Railway Station. The cast were animated, intensely driven to tell their extraordinary tale of exploration both physical and psychical. The audience entered into this ready to open their hearts and minds to a revelatory rediscovery of Lewis Carroll’s stories, ‘Alice In Wonderland’ and ‘Alice Through The Looking-Glass’. Having seen the show twice in rapid succession over the past few days, I’m alarmed to have found that the production, while visually just as appealing … Read more
