Vivienne
Rating * Reviewed by Alex Foott October Gallery Thursday 17th October 2013 It is a truly agonising thing to behold a performer who has quite a notable talent when they are tethered to a frankly dismal production. Sadly, this is such a case. While Vivienne is a commendable effort to elevate one of the most […]
Piff The Magic Dragon
Wilma’s Rating ***** Piff The Magic Dragon enters the stage of the Soho Theatre in a box. Not happy with the response he receives from the audience, he walks off stage and then magically re-appears from the same box in the middle of the stage. At this point you realise you are in for a […]
Code of the West
Rating **** Reviewed by Michaela Clement-Hayes Tabard Theatre – 17th October 2013 Mistaken identity, embezzlement, sexism. All of these things are rife in nineteenth century San Francisco where a self-proclaimed Emperor of the United States rules and the Code of the West dominates the citizens’ actions. In desperate need of an heir to continue his […]
Hotbed Festival
Rating *** Reviewed by Alex Foott Hotbed Festival Double-Bill Directed by Paul Bourne Why Can’t We Live Together? Written by Steve Waters Somniloquy written by Craig Baxter How To Begin written by Hisham Matar Performance date – Wednesday 16th October 2013 This summer’s Hotbed Festival has yielded up some rather interesting new writing, a sample […]
Jesus Christ Superstar
Rating **** Reviewed by Michaela Clement-Hayes The O2 – 13th October 2013 The musical that thrust Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Tim Rice into the spotlight has a long and powerful history. Looking at the story of Jesus of Nazareth from a different angle, the show was first performed in Sweden in 1972. More than 40 years […]
Bare: the rock musical
Rating ***** Reviewed by Alex Foott Greenwich Theatre Performance date – Friday 11th October 2013 Take a pinch of Catholic schooling and throw in fistfuls of adolescent rebellion. Whisk into a frenzy and cover with lashings of rock music and you have the recipe for what surely must be the least imaginative musical ever to […]
The Secret Garden in Concert
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Reviewed by Michaela Clement-Hayes Yvonne Arnaud Theatre – 11th October 2013 One of my favourite books as a child, The Secret Garden is a story that every little girl knows and is beloved by people across the world. So finding out there is a musical gave me mixed feelings – would it bring […]
Sitting with Thistle
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Reviewed by Michaela Clement-Hayes Lion and Unicorn Theatre – 9th October 2013 It’s been snowing heavily all week. Siblings Mark and Elysé have been trapped in a cottage in Wales for three days. Gran died after two… With just two actors in this short play by Marietta Kirkbride, Sitting with Thistle promises to […]
The Curse of Elizabeth Faulkner
Rating ⭐️⭐️ Reviewed by Michaela Clement-Hayes Charing Cross Theatre – 10th October 2013 When a play is billed “A rip roaring gothic farce” the start time of 10pm would seemingly hint that it’s pretty scary and the director wants to intensify the audience’s fear. However, the lateness of the hour only increases the number of […]
The Pride
Rating ***** Reviewed by Alex Foott The Pride (Stonewall Gala Evening) Performance date – Wednesday 9th October 2013 As Russia threatens to hurl itself into the rather self-destructive acceptance of homophobia, there is no better time to present a play that demonises such a sentiment. The Pride is a balanced exploration of homosexuality in both […]