Photo credit: Danny Kaan If ever there was a more perfect introduction to the work of Steven Sondheim, it is Old Friends. Carefully arranged by Cameron Mackintosh, the evening is a complete triumph, the spirit of Broadway and of the man himself lies in every note. If I’m very much mistaken, most if not all … Continue reading Review, Steven Sondheim’s Old Friends, Gielgud Theatre, London by James Ellis
The Importance of Being…Earnest? Many of my generation will best know the classic story of John ‘Jack’ Worthing and Algernon ‘Algy’ Moncrieff, two bachelors who create alter egos named Ernest to escape their tiresome lives, through the 2002 movie adaptation starring Colin Firth, Dame Judy Dench, and Rupert Everett amongst other big names. The men … Continue reading Review The Importance of Being…Earnest? Say It Again, Sorry, Theatr Clwyd by Donna Williams
The Great Gatsby is an immersive performance that truly takes us back in time to the rip-roaring 1920s and is made exquisitely unique by taking place in the derelict Dolphin Pub, within Mold itself. From the moment you book your tickets at ‘Gatsby’s Drugstore’ you know you are in for a real treat. Photo Credits … Continue reading Review The Great Gatsby:The Dolphin Pub, Theatr Clwyd, Mold by Rosie Anthony
When you hear the term ‘rock opera’, your first thought might be of icons and iconoclasts: Ziggy Stardust, Meat Loaf, Pink Floyd. You don’t tend to think of the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield – but TONY! [The Tony Blair Rock Opera] is here to give former Prime Minister Tony Blair his very own American … Continue reading REVIEW Tony! [The Tony Blair Rock Opera] at the New Theatre Cardiff
What do you get when you cross Yes, Minister with The Rocky Horror Show? You get Tony! [The Tony Blair Rock Opera], of course! This, at least, is the bonkers pitch from comedian Harry Hill and Steve Brown, the comic creatives behind the West End’s weirdest smash hit show. Billed as “a reckless reappraisal of … Continue reading PREVIEW Tony! [The Tony Blair Rock Opera] New Theatre Cardiff
Perhaps overshadowed by later artists, Donatello wows in many ways. The sculptures remain highly polished and from the era of the 15th century being well before his time. The V&A have take it upon themselves to grace London with a wonderful show of his work, though looking at the details of a lot of the … Continue reading Review Donatello: Sculpting the Renaissance, V&A, London by James Ellis
In what might be the most strange and wonderful concert programme seen at Wigmore, Claron McFadden & Alexander Melnikov gave us an education in avant-garde vocalise. What a treasure of an evening, Claron in her solo moments shone, Alexander proving a stunning accompanist as well as piano soloist. John Cage’s Aria is a quirky few … Continue reading Review Claron McFadden & Alexander Melnikov Recital, Wigmore Hall by James Ellis
The Golden Age of Musicals was an era unlike any other. From the 1940s through to the 60s, the movies were the place to go for opulent Hollywood spectacle, presided over by Messrs Rodgers & Hammerstein, the inimitable duo behind such classic musicals as Oklahoma!, Carousel, The Sound of Music – and the multi-award-winning The … Continue reading REVIEW The King and I, New Theatre by Barbara Hughes-Moore
Family Tree, directed by Matthew Xia, greatly explores the era of segregation in the 1950’s, where Henrietta Lacks, performed by Aminita Francis takes to the stage to tell her story. Playwright, Mojisola Adebayo Playwright, Mojisola Adebayo poetically enacts how Henrietta Lacks, diagnosed with cervical cancer in 1951, endured difficulty to find treatment, leading her to … Continue reading Review Family Tree, Actors Touring Company and Belgrade Theatre Coventry in association with Brixton House by Tanica Psalmist
After their Bag of Bones delight, the Manchester Collective are unstoppable in their scope and creativity. In tours all around the UK, it would be a delightfully morbid night in Bristol at Strange Brew that they offered up another stellar concert. As if were weren’t treated enough we had a warm up act that of … Continue reading Review Black Angels: Manchester Collective & Harrga, Strange Brew, Bristol by James Ellis
