REVIEW: Motown The Musical, Shaftesbury Theatre ✭✭✭✭✭
Motown breaks free of the normally constraints of a jukebox musical. It is a joyous, exuberant celebration of life, of challenge and ultimately of success.
Reviews
Five Reasons To See: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
We recently paid a visit to the National Theatre’s production of The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time at the Gielgud Theatre. Here are our top 5 reasons to see this remarkable piece of theatre:- 1) The test of time To withstand the test of time in London’s West End is no mean feat – particularly during a recession. As with The National Theatre’s runaway success War Horse, the enduring popularity of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time came to many as a surprise; not because it wasn’t worthy of sell-out shows and five star reviews – far from it – but simply because in 2012, when Curious Incident premiered at the Cottesloe Theatre, times were particularly tough for everyone. Since then Curious Incident has been unstoppable, receiving seven Olivier Awards and taking home Best New Play at the 2013 Whatsonstage Awards. Even when … Read more
REVIEW: Merit, Finborough Theatre ✭✭✭
Merit at The Finborough by Alexandra Wood explores the unravelling relationship between a mother and daughter during the financial crash in 2013 Spain. A fast paced two-hander, the play confronts the morality of ambition, the nature of altruism and how success affects our responsibilities to family and friends.
REVIEW: Hello Norma Jean, Park Theatre ✭✭
Hello Norma Jeane The Park Theatre 24th February 2016 2 stars Marilyn Monroe remains one of Hollywood’s most intriguingly enigmatic figures – adored by so many, yet understood by so few. In many ways, she typifies the distinction between private and public identities, a theme that is at the centre of Hello Norma Jeane. The protagonist is Lynnie (Vicki Michelle), an elderly woman with a failing memory, and a tremendous secret. Escaping her Essex nursing home, she is tracked by her grandson Joe (Jamie Hutchins) to a Los Angeles motel. Here she reveals that she is Marilyn Monroe, having faked her death decades earlier. Joe desperately wants this to be true, not least because it might mend his relationship with his abusive partner Scott. When ‘CIA Agent’ Bobby (Peter McPherson) bursts onto the scene, claiming to be searching for Marilyn, Joe is convinced. Yet we soon discover that Bobby is … Read more
REVIEW: Chicago, New Wimbledon Theatre (UK Tour) ✭✭✭✭✭
Chicago New Wimbledon Theatre 23rd February 2016 5 Stars UK Tour – Buy Tickets Having Razzle Dazzled the UK for years Chicago is back on tour around the UK, and this current production is set to remind us why this incredible score by John Kander and Fred Ebb is considered a classic of its time. Set in prohibition-era Chicago (1920’s), the musical is based on a play by reporter Maurine Dallas Watkins, and loosely based on the crimes she covered for her paper. When it originally opened on Broadway, the show ran for a respectable 936 performances, it was only when revived in 1996, that the show proved to be a massive hit – Chicago had come of age and this story of greed, corruption celebrity criminals and trial by media took the world by storm. The West End revival ran for nearly 15 years, becoming the longest-running American musical … Read more
REVIEW: Blood Brothers, Churchill Theatre (UK Tour) ✭✭✭✭
Blood Brothers is an all time classic, with a thrilling story and an atmospheric score. It is showing a few signs of wear and tear but some superb performances mean the tour is a must-see.
REVIEW: Janis Joplin – Full Tilt, Theatre Royal Stratford East ✭✭✭
Janis Joplin: Full Tilt Theatre Royal Stratford East 3 Stars Book Tickets This Edinburgh Fringe sell out is the closest thing you will get to watching Janis Joplin in concert. A hybrid of live gig and monologue, the play gives voice to both the talent and the trauma that led Janis into a life of addiction. Angie Darcy in the title role has an impressive command of Joplin’s raspy tones, the wailing, and supercharged emotional delivery that propelled her into stardom. If the acting fails to match her superb vocal range, there is still much to enjoy in this celebration of a loved music icon. Darcy embodies a sexually forthright persona, and exudes confidence as she seduces the audience through both song and speech. She is an electric Pearl (Janis’s stage alter-ego), but unfortunately, the element of performance never quite disappears. When on the recurring subject of loneliness and her … Read more
REVIEW: Firebird, Trafalgar Studios 2 ✭✭✭✭✭
Firebird deals with pertinent weighty issues of race, class and child exploitation, but the writing shines with Phil Davies’ dark humour. It is punchy and savage, it’s stark grimy set underscored with intrusive dubstep during the scene changes. See this play for the three performances of the small cast, who possess an unbridled and searing energy that shakes you to the core.
