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Opera House, York – until 24^th September 2022

Reviewed by Katie Goldsbrough

4****

Based on a true story, Kinky Boots tells the story of Charlie (Damien Poole), who after his dad passes away finds himself in charge of his struggling family shoe factory. A chance encounter results in him meeting Lola (Samuel Lewis), a drag queen who loves fabulous shoes they form a friendship and work together to save the struggling factory, beginning to manufacture ladies boots with stiletto heels for men which will hold the weight of a grown man. Based on the 2005 film of the same name Kinky Boots has been a hit worldwide. 

We see how people can overcome prejudice and embrace people for who they are. Despite being a feel good and inclusive musical, we see some of the hardships Lola has been through, with their dad being unable to accept them. And as Lola arrives at the factory for work as Simon, they try to fit in only to be ridiculed and bullied by Don (Finn East) and his cronies. Resulting in a conversation about what it means to be a real man, Kinky Boots doesn’t shy from discussing topics which are important. 

York stage’s adaption of this much-loved musical is wonderful, the production company combines local and professional talent and they have become a company well known for their fantastic productions. The set design is excellent quickly changing from a Northampton factory to a London cabaret club and finally a runway show in Milan. 

The cast all work together effortlessly and talent is excellent. Samuel Lewis as Lola truly stole the stage, when Lola and her Angels (Lola’s back-up drag queens) were on stage you were unable to take your eyes off them resulting in them being met with a tumultuous applause during the final bow. With catchy music by Cyndi Lauper you’ll leave the theatre wanting more and believing a good pair of shoes really are ‘The Most Beautiful Thing in the World’.

Criterion Theatre – until 8 January 2023

Reviewed by Claire Roderick

4****

Danny Robins’ nerve-jangling ghost story never fails to make me jump, even on my third viewing.

While Jenny’s husband Sam was away, terrifying things began happening at 2:22 each morning, centring around baby Phoebe. Sam’s condescending reactions on his return make her determined to prove that there are supernatural forces present in their house. Dinner guests Lauren and Ben are along for the ride as strange things begin to happen while the clock ticks relentlessly towards 2:22.

Robins’ peerless writing builds tension from the start, with exquisite design by Anna Fleischle (Set), Ian Dickson (Sound), Lucy Carter (Lighting) creating spine-tingling moments. The couple’s newly renovated terraced house in a gentrified area of London has a character of its own, with layers of partly removed ancient wallpaper sharing a space with stark modern doors and skylights. The presence of Ben, a builder who grew up in an area like this but makes his living remodelling for families like Sam and Jenny, exposes the classism and intellectual snobbery of Lauren and Sam as scientist Sam tries to rationalise every mysterious event. Through arguments and “quizzes” the characters explore ideas of what ghosts are and why they return, all the while badgered by Sam’s unceasing certainty in scientific explanations. Jenny’s conviction that the house, or its past owners are reacting to them ripping the soul out of the building as windows open, objects move, lights flicker, and their Alexa rebels leads to a brilliant séance scene that swerves from nervous laughter to gasps of terror in the blink of an eye.

Under Matthew Dunster’s assured direction, this latest cast are a joy. Tamsin Carroll is brilliant as Lauren, drinking her way through the evening and capturing the underlying sadness of her life as she clings on to unrequited love. Felix Scott is fantastic as Sam, full of love and concern for his wife, but also snarky and patronising and hilarious as his frustration with events grows. Laura Whitmore is excellent as Jenny, defiantly protective of her child and increasingly angry at Sam without going over the top and making the character hysterical and unsympathetic. Matt Willis steals the show as Ben. The character has all the best lines, but Willis adds a wonderful wild-eyed, sometimes manic sense of disbelief when confronting Sam’s attitude towards him.

It is a testament to Danny Robins’ work that many people go back for a second viewing – this is lots of fun as you try to spot what is going on and notice foreshadowing. But you will still jump out of your seat! There are more jumps in this play than a trampoline competition, and it is glorious to be scared silly by such clever writing

Park Theatre – until 15 October 2022

Reviewed by Claire Roderick

3***

Maureen Lipman’s extraordinarily raw performance is magnificent, but even she cannot make the sometimes-clunky narrative of Martin Sherman’s play great.

It is 1999, Rose is 80 and is sitting shivah for a 9-year-old girl who has been shot – the exact circumstances are not revealed until the last scene of the play. As she sits, she remembers her life and muses on God and belonging. What follows is the harrowing story of her early life in a shtetl in Ukraine, moving to Warsaw and the arrival of the Nazis. Rose tells us about life in the Warsaw ghetto and the death of her daughter. There is fatalism, realism, delightfully banal details, and lots of deadpan humour, expertly performed by Lipman and you really want to learn more about this strong woman. Sherman’s Rose evades the Nazis and isn’t sent to the concentration camps, but what happened to her in those years of hiding is something she will not talk about – and this woman can talk! – leaving the horrors of surviving in the sewers up to the listener’s imagination. Rose travels to Palestine on the Exodus ship and is detained by the British, but escapes to marry a kind American who was on the ship. Life in Atlantic City and later Miami Beach brought success, but Rose’s sense of being an outsider never diminishes. Her pride in her son and grandchildren settling in Israel becomes confused as these modern Israelis distance themselves from Rose’s European heritage and Yiddish language and embrace armed conflict. The history of the Jewish people in the 20th century is something we must never forget, and this narrative from a mother’s viewpoint could be brilliant. Sherman’s touch is devastating but light when tackling issues of historic weight and importance, but then sledgehammers in moments of reflection and revelation that jar in tone. Rose’s stories about her first husband’s possession of her and her trip to Arizona belong in another play. I am not sure if Sherman is wanting to portray the healing power of memory or the deterioration of mental faculties with age, but Rose’s character has been shown delightfully with simple asides throughout and this feels like overkill.

With Lipman sitting on a bench throughout in a beautifully contained performance, director Scott Le Crass employs subtle lighting changes as the mood alters, and Lipman has the audience in the palm of her hand. From silliness to abject grief, cynicism to girlish wonder, Lipman is a force of nature in this role and lifts the play to a higher level.

A flawed but well-intentioned play with an unforgettable stellar performance from Maureen Lipman.

53Two, Manchester – until October 1st 2022

Review by Rebecca Hampson

4.5****

Things That Divide Us was a poignant and informative piece written by Joshua Chandos and Directed by Simon Naylor. The story explores the relationship between two characters Kitty and David who meet in the apocalyptic Calais Jungle. Within this 90 minute performance we delve deep into the political world of Calais and see the impact of war through a refugee crisis.

The technical aspects of the play must be commended as the use of a projected screen added a deeper layer to the play as the audience were shown clips of news reports and French which immersed us into the world. There were moments where the performance space became problematic due to blocking but this was dismissed as we accepted the changing venue of the space.

I personally thoroughly enjoyed the chemistry between Callum Sim as ‘David’ and Beth Lily-Banks as ‘Kitty’ and felt this connection between the two characters moved the plot forwards in incredible ways. The character development throughout this piece was highly commendable as we saw how this experience changed both Kitty and David.

A line that stood out to me in this play came from a short repeated monologue by Kitty “In twenty years time you will be able to say you were stood on the right side of history”. With the recent events of the world this phrase has never been more apt.

Things That Divide Us will run at 53Two until October 1st so if you are in Manchester and fancy pre-drinks with a twist, this fully accessible theatre is located under the arches next to Beetham Tower and only a short walk from the Deansgate-Castlefield Metrolink Stop!

Birmingham Hippodrome – until 17th September 2022

Reviewed by Emily Cliff

4****

From great American novel to star-casted film to Tony Award-nominated Broadway musical, Alison Walker’s The Color Purple has seen many formats over the years. A hard-hitting musical at the best of times, and a musical that needs passion, love and a cast to carry the story above and beyond. Like many in the audience, my only experience of this gut-wrenching story has either been with the book taught and analysed in schools or the 2015 new Broadway cast recording starring Cynthia Erivo and Jenifer Hudson – this new staging of the infamous musical was just as breathtaking as every adaptation I have come into contact with.

With a fantastic set designed by Alex Lowde, the show was a visual masterpiece from the very beginning. Simple alcoves built into the wider stage transformed the sets completely and the clever use of projection onto the timber background gave the stage that rustic southern American feel to it. The first look at costumes in the opening number showed that this show truly cared about doing both the book and the original Broadway show justice but also showing us that it was also trying to be its own individual show.

For those who don’t know, The Colour Purple tells the harrowing story of a woman silenced, shunned and shut away; abused by her stepfather and even more so by her husband, Celie’s life has been far from easy. The musical tells a story of resilience and the importance of standing up and keeping the faith. Me’sha Bryan was simply mesmerising as Celie. Bryan’s voice was powerful throughout the show, however, when it came to the infamous power ballad ‘I’m Here’ Bryan almost made herself too small for the stage. Her voice was extremely powerful and her performance as Celie was awe-inspiring and simply magnetic and I truly believe that she will be one of the biggest stars in musical theatre to come but she needs to fill and own the stage a little more when that song comes and not shy away from it.

Anelisa Lamola’s Sofia was just as spicy and punchy as anyone could hope for. Taking the character in her stride and truly making it her own and delivering it with power and determination. Another notable performance was Bree Smith as Shug, delivering the performance as gracefully as her character, teaching everyone in the audience some valuable life lessons.

Portraying Mister was Ako Mitchell. A tough role to perform and really do justice yet Mitchell did just that. The role of Mister is incredibly hard to nail when you consider everything, on the one hand, you hate him from the very beginning for putting Celie through such hell and abuse; from that along it is hard to recover, but when he gets his redemption Mitchell can show the audience the vulnerable side of a character we never even thought we could stand to like.

Overall this production of The Color Purple was simply beautiful. There wasn’t a dry eye in the theatre at the end. Supported by an all-powerful cast this production is bound for a London, maybe even a West End transfer by the end of the tour. Inspirational, gut-wrenching and emotional everyone needs to see this story of love and faith at least once.

Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham – until 24 September 2022

Reviewed by Amy Coulson

5*****

Tony, Grammy, and Olivier Award-winning musical Jersey Boys has landed in Nottingham for a two-week run until 24 September. I’d obviously heard good things over the years, and was very excited to see the show, which has won over 65 major awards and been seen by over a staggering 27 million people.

Jersey Boys is written by Marshall Brickman & Rick Elice, with music by Bob Gaudio and lyrics by Bob Crewe. The Jersey Boys UK and Ireland Tour is staged by the entire original Broadway creative team, led by the Tony Award-winning team of director Des McAnuff and choreographer Sergio Trujillo, with scenic design by Klara Zieglerova. Previous tour alumni Michael Pickering and Lewis Griffiths return as Frankie Valli and Nick Massi respectively, with Blair Gibson as Bob Gaudio and Dalton Wood as Tommy DeVito.

The true story, as told by the four band members, who at various stages break the fourth wall to talk directly to you, investigates the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. Four guys from New Jersey, with strong accents (truth be told, it took me a while to sync with the accent) who together, sung beautiful top hits. The story looks at their lives offstage as well as on, and it’s thrilling! From the streets of New Jersey to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, we are swept along with them in a whirlwind of big hits and big personalities! The show is packed with their hits, including Sherry, Walk Like A Man, 1963 (Oh What a Night), Big Girls Don’t Cry, My Eyes Adored You, Let’s Hang On (To What We’ve Got), Bye Baby, Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, Working My Way Back to You, and Fallen Angel. If not familiar with Frankie Valli already, movie goers will recognise songs which feature in iconic films such as Grease and Dirty Dancing.

I can’t not mention, Michael Pickering as Frankie Valli, who is exceptional. His powerful falsetto kept the audience transfixed and excited. There were gasps every time he hit the high notes. It felt an honour to be in the same room.

The entire cast and production felt very slick, and I was completely swept away by it all. Exactly the escape I needed after a long week (or months) and I have a feeling that others felt the same. The standing ovation and cheers were well deserved, and I encourage you to see for yourself. You won’t be able to take your eyes off of this stage.

Queens Theatre, Hornchurch – until 24th September 2022

Reviewed by Bobbi Fenton

5*****

The Blueprint Festival is a collection of various projects created and produced by different people all presented throughout the space of two weeks. I was lucky enough to experience three of these events, as well as a speech explaining the events given by some of the creators and performers behind them.

The first event I saw was ‘Shakespeare on Sea’, a three-minute short film featuring three monologues from Shakespeare plays presented in a modern context. The Mawa Theatre Company have explored these monologues through the gaze of black female artists in Essex. The film features monologues from Romeo and Juliet, The Comedy of Errors, and The Tempest, which are performed by the wonderfully talented Deborah Imhogiemhe, Mia Jerome, and Sharon Rose. These monologues are performed in such a brilliant way that the typically complicated and difficult to understand Shakespearean language is much easier to understand, and it is much easier to understand what is going on in the scene because of the modern context in which they are presented.

The second event I saw was a 31-minute play with 31 scenes, called ‘In This Smoking Chaos’. This play is the result of asking the question ‘what if design was the first thing you thought about when creating a performance.’ Instead of having typical scenes with short transitions in between, this play is made up of one continuous transition with no definitive beginning or ending. The audience are invited to move about the auditorium to experience multiple different angles, as we follow a person (Yael Elisheva) exploring the process of life from beginning to end. There is no actual speech in the performance, with the exception of a person talking over the phone in a demonic sounding voice, so the performance is all movement. The set is what looks like a house that spins around at various times throughout the performance, and in often lit up in red, with 31 phrases projected onto it every so often, as these are the names of each scene. These are ominous phrases with no obvious meaning or relation to their scenes, only what can be inferred by the audience and their interpretation of the play. Overall, this piece is an absolutely incredible experience.

The final event was a very fun 15-minute presentation and light show projected onto the side of the building, displaying every show the theatre has put on, featuring music from each of these shows as well as very entertaining lighting and exciting pyrotechnics. The evening ended with drinks at the bar accompanied by a musical theatre dj set. Overall, it was the most fun theatre experience I have ever had, and that didn’t cover all the events the theatre had to offer. There are many other events taking place over two weeks, which all sound very entertaining. Everybody should go to this festival for at least one day to experience even a small piece of this magnificent festival.

Malvern Forum Theatre – 15th September 2022

Reviewed by Julie Bellerby

3***

Adam is a presenter on Gardener’s World and also appears regularly on the BBC’s cover of the RHS Flower Shows. This, his first night of the current tour, was greeted by an enthusiastic audience.

An informative and entertaining evening learning about Adam’s (and ‘Mrs Frosts’s’) life and professional journey. We all have a story to tell and Adam is very honest about some difficult stages in his life, all put across without seeking pity or sympathy of the audience.

Growing up his love of gardening grew from an early age, and he says he was surrounded by creative people and along with his natural talents for design, he has worked hard, along with taking a few risks, so his progression in the industry has been successful.

He had a screen to display images of people and Gardens he had worked with whilst talking about the influences in his life. There were amusing antidotes, and the audience were appreciative as the evening drew to a close.

There was, of course, a book just released, which he was happy to sign after the show.

It was a very pleasant evening, regardless of your knowledge of Adam and his career, this was about the life of, and not a gardener’s question time.

EPSTEIN THEATRE, LIVERPOOL – 14TH SEPTEMBER 2022

REVIEWED BY MIA BOWEN

5*****

It has been more then 40 years, since the release of Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures, the debut album of four ordinary lads, who inspired by the punk revolution of 1970’s Manchester, came together to form one of the most influential bands of all time. The band name and LP cover for Unknown Pleasures is based on an image of radio waves from pulsar CP1919 and has become an iconic image, even outside the Joy Division fandom. As part of the Autumn 2022 production, New Dawn Fades is celebrating 10 years with an exciting and re-staged Northern Tour, including a return to the Epstein Theatre, located in the heart of Liverpool.

Written by the ingenious Brian Gorman, this highly acclaimed stage play is based on his graphic novel of the same title and brought to the stage by Manchester production company All Roads Meet, with executive producer Nina Whiteman. It is directed by writer, actor and improviser, Sean Mason and visual artist, performer, film maker and designer Giles D Bastow, both very accomplished and both part of the cast. Gorman also made an appearance in the play itself, as the historic characters of the Roman General Agricola, who ordered the founding of Mamucium, the foundations of what became Manchester and Dr John Dee, advisor to Elizabeth I. His appearance was pre recorded and beamed onto a large screen at the back. The sensitivity to history and interesting way of staging makes the story of Manchester and the music scene all the more engaging.

The cast played a handful of Joy Division classics live and imitated the original four piece, amazingly. When they performed Shadow Play, I felt like I was watching them on Granada Reports, live!

The cast in the play are fantastic. Al Donohoe plays the role of the flamboyant Tony Wilson, who co founded the seminal Manchester label Factory Records and acts as narrator.

Ian Curtis was born in 1956, married at 19, joined Joy Division and released Unknown Pleasures by the age of 22 and was dead by the age of 23. Joseph Walsh, who plays Curtis, in his early twenties himself and manages to take youth, innocence and vulnerability, as was at the heart of the real Joy Division story and turn it into an immersive experience. He very skilfully imitates Curtis’ haunting stage presence and dancing.

The rest of the band members, Bernard Sumner (Harry McLafferty), Peter Hook (Bill Bradshaw) and Stephen Morris (Matthew Melbourne) are strong and powerful characters and slightly resemble the real life band members. Bradshaw was hilarious as ‘Hooky’ Hook. Also in her early twenties is Leah Gray playing Deborah Curtis, perfect for articulating the touching tragic tale of Curtis’ wife.

No wonder it had a standing ovation! It is a testament to Joy Division that we are still talking about them today!

Southampton Mayflower – until 15 October 2022

Reviewed by Lucy Hitchcock

5*****

The well known, loved and anticipated classics ‘The Lion King’ bounds onto the Mayflower stage, and it is a work of wonder!

We follow the classic storyline through its entirety, but mixed with the visually stunning costumes, effects and exquisite music this really is not one to be missed.

The iconic ‘Nants’ Igonyama’ begins the show and Nosipho Nkonqa as Rafiki has the enviable task of performing ‘Circle of life’. A true piece of artistry and a vocal showcase, this is the perfect start to the piece. The ensemble enhance this song perfectly, with great puppetry, choreography and costumes from Michael Curry, Garth Fagan and Julie Taymor respectively. The whole cast were impeccable, giving the performance of a lifetime and creating emotion that rippled through the audience. Richard Hurst and Jean-Luc Guizonne as Scar and Mufasa were excellent. Hurst had a brilliant costume that, when mixed with his spot on portrayal of ‘Scar’ made it hard to believe this was an act! Matthew Forbes as ‘Zazu’ was also great, cutting any tense situation with excellent comedic timing. It was great to see that ‘Zazu’ was an extension of Forbes and he acted with his whole body, creating a spectacular illusion.

Pumbaa and Timon, played by Carl Sanderson and Alan Mchale were the perfect duo. They were witty, comical and sang with Simba (Stephenson Ardern-Sodje) with ease – bringing the duo into a wondrous trio! Arden-Sodje has a great singing voice and gave his all to his performance. Josiah Araba-Coker and Serenna Hunte as young Simba and Nala brought a wonderful childish energy to the show and really showed how much fun they have on this stage. As well as having great vocals, their energy and chemistry is unmatched-making for a show stopping act!

This is visually stunning and all creatives should be proud of the show. In particular, Richard Hudson-scenic designer. Although the scene changed were simple, they were highly effective and you could hear the gasps of children in the audience as we were transported across the savannahs and lairs of Scar.

This is a show like no other-no wonder it is selling out. There are not enough words to describe what a treat this is for all ages!!