It is always nice to see a show which has done very well return to the city where it made it's name, and Blood Brothers is no exception.
The tale of the twins separated at birth has delighted audiences for over twenty years, gaining standing ovations every night as well as some of Britains finest leading ladies. Set in Liverpool, the show begins with the death of the two young men who ended up living two very different lives. One child was kept and one given away by the mother who couldn't afford to keep both of them, and the story follows the life of both boys as they grow up world's apart in the same city.
Both boys fight to keep their friendship alive, becoming blood brothers in the process. No matter how far apart their families move they are always brought back together. As they leave their childhood years behind them however, their destiny leads them down completely different paths - one to local government and the other to prison.
Sean Jones as Mickey and Paul Jones as Eddie both do sterling jobs as the two young brothers. It is Lyn Paul who shines however as the Marilyn Monroe obsessed mother. Her rendition of Tell me it's not true will have audiences reaching for their tissues, long after they've left the theatre. Her acting skills are good, but it is her voice, which projects from the stage right to the back of the auditorium, which distingishes her from the rest of the cast.
Robbie Scotcher as the narrator does disappoint however. It is true that much of the material which he has to deliver isn't particularly strong, but he delivers many of his lines in such a rush that the diction suffers and so it is hard to understand exactly what he is saying. This becomes quite distracting during the second half when his character is suposed to move the storyline on.
Whilst this show keeps returning to Liverpool is will continue to sell well, and rightly so. It is a good story which is told very well. However some of the lyrics are too contrived and this means that the flow of the story is occasionally affected. The show and the set are beginning to look dated now, although will the current economic climate there is more relevance to today.
The show does bring in the crowds, but it would be nice if it encouraged the audiences it does get to stay and watch other musicals - many of which are much better both lyrically and musically.
What the show does very well is that it lets you re-live your youth- it lets you revel in it.. the long, hot summer days at the fayre; the walks through the countryside and the nights sat looking out over the city. It lets you connect with the characters, and so it becomes ever more poignant at the ending.
If you have yet to see this show then you should get yourself a ticket - if you've already seen it then splash out the cash you would have spent on a ticket on another musical - you never know, you may even enjoy it more!
7/10
Tuesday, 13 April 2010
Wednesday, 24 February 2010
Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake @ Liverpool Empire
I was a bit sceptical about going to see this show I’ll admit. Having never seen a ballet before, and not knowing much about this particular one, I figured that the evening would be enjoyable enough but that it wouldn’t really capture my imagination. How wrong I was!
This interpretation of the story isn’t the same as the traditional sense. The piece is a mixture of contemporary dance with ballet, which in my opinion heightens the story – from the softness and elegance of the ballet, to the rush and the passion of the contemporary.
Swan Lake follows the story of a prince who longs for a more enjoyable existence than cutting ribbons and attending royal functions. In a dreamlike sequence he imagines what it would be like to fly with the swans he sees in a park, which starts his ascent into madness, which results in tragic consequences.
The production value is astonishing! The set is especially striking – it seems no expense has been spared on the wonderful royal hall, and the backdrop to an opera. The one thing I felt was missing however, was a live orchestra. I realise that with a full casts of 25, as well as accompanying stage managers, dressers, etc, that it would be impractical to tour with a full pit, however, during the more climactic scenes, when the music was reaching a crescendo, I did feel that it was such a shame that there was no live band – it would make the production more “real”.
The choreography is what this show is famous for, and boy it doesn’t disappoint. The dancing is flawless, and what is particular exceptional about it all, is that each cast member has their own routines – many hours have been spent in the rehearsal room, and it pays off!
The acting is also very good. Sam Archers shines in particular as the prince. One of the main differences between this version of Swan Lake and the traditional version is that the swans are played by an all male cast. This, I think, heightens the drama – it shows the sheer strength and the elegance of the animals.
It was obviously very risky 15 years ago to have two male principles dancing with each other and showing that two men can connect, but it was definitely worth it, because it adds a new dimension to a show, which I’ve not seen before in any show. The show has not aged, and is still as edgy now as it was when it opened in London 15 years ago.
May this be the beginning of a wonderful relationship between Matthew Bourne’s production company and Liverpool audiences.
Swanderful!!! 9/10
This interpretation of the story isn’t the same as the traditional sense. The piece is a mixture of contemporary dance with ballet, which in my opinion heightens the story – from the softness and elegance of the ballet, to the rush and the passion of the contemporary.
Swan Lake follows the story of a prince who longs for a more enjoyable existence than cutting ribbons and attending royal functions. In a dreamlike sequence he imagines what it would be like to fly with the swans he sees in a park, which starts his ascent into madness, which results in tragic consequences.
The production value is astonishing! The set is especially striking – it seems no expense has been spared on the wonderful royal hall, and the backdrop to an opera. The one thing I felt was missing however, was a live orchestra. I realise that with a full casts of 25, as well as accompanying stage managers, dressers, etc, that it would be impractical to tour with a full pit, however, during the more climactic scenes, when the music was reaching a crescendo, I did feel that it was such a shame that there was no live band – it would make the production more “real”.
The choreography is what this show is famous for, and boy it doesn’t disappoint. The dancing is flawless, and what is particular exceptional about it all, is that each cast member has their own routines – many hours have been spent in the rehearsal room, and it pays off!
The acting is also very good. Sam Archers shines in particular as the prince. One of the main differences between this version of Swan Lake and the traditional version is that the swans are played by an all male cast. This, I think, heightens the drama – it shows the sheer strength and the elegance of the animals.
It was obviously very risky 15 years ago to have two male principles dancing with each other and showing that two men can connect, but it was definitely worth it, because it adds a new dimension to a show, which I’ve not seen before in any show. The show has not aged, and is still as edgy now as it was when it opened in London 15 years ago.
May this be the beginning of a wonderful relationship between Matthew Bourne’s production company and Liverpool audiences.
Swanderful!!! 9/10
Wednesday, 17 February 2010
Chichester 2010
I've had a quick glance at whats on this summer in Chichester and I'm not sure what to make of it. There are definately a few things which look good, and I shaln't be missing - Pygmalion and 42nd street, both of which are in the Festival Theatre, but the rest of their programming doesn't look too hot! Both shows at the minerva (The Critic Sherridan Stoppard The Real Inspector Hound and The Ragged Trousered Philanthropist) don't really appeal to me in the slightest (they just have really long names!), and one of them is a co-production between Chichester and Liverpool, and so without a doubt I will get to see it in Liverpool for free! Overall I'm not too impressed with this years! It would always take alot to beat last years Enron and Oklahoma and 2007's Macbeth and Babes in Arms, but I feel that the programming just doesn't look as strong on paper! I hope I am wrong however, and am indeed glad that they've brought Patrick Stewart back (in a show I won't be able to see), and am very much looking forward to seeing Rupert Everrett in Pygmalion! They're also bringing Enron back to the Festival Theatre for 10 performances only which I'm sure will do very well, however I do feel that it was so good last year due to the small space it was in and some of that will undoubtably be lost! x
Wicked @ West End
Sorry it's took a while to put up a post! I've been very busy recently!
Anyway, during the last week in November, I took my nieces down to London to watch Wicked as a treat! I'd promised I would take them a few years ago after I showed them the trailer after going to see it myself. One weekend I went home with a poster of the show, the tickets and a poster I'd made which showed them the things they would do in London. I did a treasure hunt where they had to follow the clues to find the prize. After a while they eventually found it and boy, where they excited! It was lovely to see their little faces light up!
Fast forward 2 months and my sister and nieces arrived at my flat late on the Friday evening. It was my nieces birthday so they drove up straight from her birthday party. After going to Asda to buy magazines for the journey and some snacks for the next day, we went back to my flat, watched Jonathon Ross on the TV and went to bed.
The next morning we got up super early and I made everyone sausage and bacon muffins before we left to catch the bus. The five of us jumped into a taxi and got to the bus station a bit too early - think Pete was a bit anxious that we'd miss the bus otherwise! The bus turned up on time (so only a 35 min wait in the cold!), and so we got on and began our journey. It did seem to last quite a long time, but the fact that the bus wasn't too busy meant that we could all stretch ourselves out on the coach and just while away the hours until we got to London. After what seemed like forever, we finally entered the city! The sites were amazing and the sun seemed to shine the whole way to Victoria coach station. The kids and my sister definately enjoyed the sights from the inside of the coach.
Once we had arrived, we met up with Mark, who had travelled down from Birmingham. The first thing we did was to walk to our hotels (which took a while to locate on the maps!) and to dump our stuff. Luckily Dawn and the kids hotel was quite close to our hotel. We left the girls to freshen up and unpack whilst we went and did the same. 40 minutes later we all met up and went and purchased our tickets for the tube, during which time Mark got lost! After finding him, we jumped the tube to Oxford St, where we spent a few hours looking in Topshop, Hamleys and had a Subway. It was nice to see the pretty lights and the shops, but I'd advise taking a load of London virgins to Oxford Street 4 weeks before Christmas on a Saturday afternoon! It was not fun!
After a little walk around town, we got the tube to Victoria station (my nieces directing us quite well after being taught how to read the tube map), and met Tim who was joining us for the show. Everyone was very excited, including myself who'd already seen the show twice before! The nieces bought a t-shirt each and I got my Wicked hoodie (thanks Pete), and we settled ourselves down to watch the show. It was enthralling, and enjoyable on every level - I don't think I'll ever get bored of this show! The kids particularly enjoyed Defying Gravity, and my sister actually cried! My bro enjoyed the show as well, because although he'd seen it before, this time he had better seats. He's becoming almost as West End cultured as I am - having seen Avenue Q, Spring Awakening and now Wicked twice in the past year! It must be the London bug!
Afterwards, we tried waiting for autographs, but I think that we'd missed the majority of the cast due to spending too long in toilet queues. This was a shame, but didn't ruin our evening. We went to Leicester Square and spent a couple of hours wandering round admiring the sites which everyone enjoyed, before returning to our hotels and getting some shut eye for the night.
Everyone was up bright and early the next day - breakfast was served at 8ish, and for the price of the hotel, it wasn't much kop! We dumped our bags in the luggage room and went for a wander around central London. The kids enjoyed walked around Buckingham Palace and the London Eye. We all enjoyed a boat trip up the Thames, which was suprisingly cheap! The day was quite miserable but didn't dampen our spirits (Ok, well only Beckys!). We met up with Tim once again and she acted as tour guide along with Peter! We spent a while in Harrods, were Dawn bought us some lovely cakes, before returning to our hotel and picking up the bags. Afterwards we returned to the city centre, where we went Ice Skating! Only myself, Dawn and the kids did this as the others wanted to sit inside and enjoy a hot chocolate. I think this may have been a good idea in hindsight as it was raining cats and dogs! It didn't matter though to be honest as we all enjoyed ourselves. We then went and had a quick look at Convent Garden, before biding farewell to Tim and Mark who were returning to their respective homes, and taking the tube to Euston Station. En route, Danw bought a load of souveniers for everyone back home, and the girls got their very own "I heart London" hoodies, which they were very impressed with!
Once at Euston station, we realised that we had around half an hour to spare and so we went and got a burger king (pete and zoe a harry ramsdens). We then boarded the train and everyone fell asleep on the way home, were reality awaited us! Dawn and the kids drove back to Skem and me and Peter tidied up before falling asleep!
It was a great weekend, which hopefully the children, and my sister will remember for a very long time! I hope they return to London in the future and that it gives them the theatre bug! x
Anyway, during the last week in November, I took my nieces down to London to watch Wicked as a treat! I'd promised I would take them a few years ago after I showed them the trailer after going to see it myself. One weekend I went home with a poster of the show, the tickets and a poster I'd made which showed them the things they would do in London. I did a treasure hunt where they had to follow the clues to find the prize. After a while they eventually found it and boy, where they excited! It was lovely to see their little faces light up!
Fast forward 2 months and my sister and nieces arrived at my flat late on the Friday evening. It was my nieces birthday so they drove up straight from her birthday party. After going to Asda to buy magazines for the journey and some snacks for the next day, we went back to my flat, watched Jonathon Ross on the TV and went to bed.
The next morning we got up super early and I made everyone sausage and bacon muffins before we left to catch the bus. The five of us jumped into a taxi and got to the bus station a bit too early - think Pete was a bit anxious that we'd miss the bus otherwise! The bus turned up on time (so only a 35 min wait in the cold!), and so we got on and began our journey. It did seem to last quite a long time, but the fact that the bus wasn't too busy meant that we could all stretch ourselves out on the coach and just while away the hours until we got to London. After what seemed like forever, we finally entered the city! The sites were amazing and the sun seemed to shine the whole way to Victoria coach station. The kids and my sister definately enjoyed the sights from the inside of the coach.
Once we had arrived, we met up with Mark, who had travelled down from Birmingham. The first thing we did was to walk to our hotels (which took a while to locate on the maps!) and to dump our stuff. Luckily Dawn and the kids hotel was quite close to our hotel. We left the girls to freshen up and unpack whilst we went and did the same. 40 minutes later we all met up and went and purchased our tickets for the tube, during which time Mark got lost! After finding him, we jumped the tube to Oxford St, where we spent a few hours looking in Topshop, Hamleys and had a Subway. It was nice to see the pretty lights and the shops, but I'd advise taking a load of London virgins to Oxford Street 4 weeks before Christmas on a Saturday afternoon! It was not fun!
After a little walk around town, we got the tube to Victoria station (my nieces directing us quite well after being taught how to read the tube map), and met Tim who was joining us for the show. Everyone was very excited, including myself who'd already seen the show twice before! The nieces bought a t-shirt each and I got my Wicked hoodie (thanks Pete), and we settled ourselves down to watch the show. It was enthralling, and enjoyable on every level - I don't think I'll ever get bored of this show! The kids particularly enjoyed Defying Gravity, and my sister actually cried! My bro enjoyed the show as well, because although he'd seen it before, this time he had better seats. He's becoming almost as West End cultured as I am - having seen Avenue Q, Spring Awakening and now Wicked twice in the past year! It must be the London bug!
Afterwards, we tried waiting for autographs, but I think that we'd missed the majority of the cast due to spending too long in toilet queues. This was a shame, but didn't ruin our evening. We went to Leicester Square and spent a couple of hours wandering round admiring the sites which everyone enjoyed, before returning to our hotels and getting some shut eye for the night.
Everyone was up bright and early the next day - breakfast was served at 8ish, and for the price of the hotel, it wasn't much kop! We dumped our bags in the luggage room and went for a wander around central London. The kids enjoyed walked around Buckingham Palace and the London Eye. We all enjoyed a boat trip up the Thames, which was suprisingly cheap! The day was quite miserable but didn't dampen our spirits (Ok, well only Beckys!). We met up with Tim once again and she acted as tour guide along with Peter! We spent a while in Harrods, were Dawn bought us some lovely cakes, before returning to our hotel and picking up the bags. Afterwards we returned to the city centre, where we went Ice Skating! Only myself, Dawn and the kids did this as the others wanted to sit inside and enjoy a hot chocolate. I think this may have been a good idea in hindsight as it was raining cats and dogs! It didn't matter though to be honest as we all enjoyed ourselves. We then went and had a quick look at Convent Garden, before biding farewell to Tim and Mark who were returning to their respective homes, and taking the tube to Euston Station. En route, Danw bought a load of souveniers for everyone back home, and the girls got their very own "I heart London" hoodies, which they were very impressed with!
Once at Euston station, we realised that we had around half an hour to spare and so we went and got a burger king (pete and zoe a harry ramsdens). We then boarded the train and everyone fell asleep on the way home, were reality awaited us! Dawn and the kids drove back to Skem and me and Peter tidied up before falling asleep!
It was a great weekend, which hopefully the children, and my sister will remember for a very long time! I hope they return to London in the future and that it gives them the theatre bug! x
Monday, 23 November 2009
Scrooge @ Liverpool Empire
Tommy Steele makes his stage return in the Bill Kenwright produced "Scrooge!"
Basic on the Dickens classic, Scrooge tells the tale of old Ebenezer Scrooge, an old skinflint of a man who refuses to celebrate Christmas. He is interested only in his money and will stop at nothing to earn as much of it as he can. One Christmas eve he is visited by the spirit of his old friend and business partner, Jacob Marley, who warns Scrooge that he must change his act now or face the eternity of his afterlife in chains begging for remorse. What follows, is a visit from three Christmas ghosts who show Scrooge how he must change his life.
The set, for a Kenwright production is excellent. It is extravagant - it looks, and feels like old Victorian England - with the exception of a backdrop which separates Scrooges counting house from the outside. It blows backwards and forwards during a pivotal scene in the story and is quite distracting to the audience. The costumes however are exceptional - the attention to detail is excellent, particularly to the three ghosts.
The thing that sets this apart from other Christmas shows out there are the illusions. There are tricks aplenty, from ghosts appearing and disappearing onto the stage, appearing from apparant solid walls, and quick changes that would impress David Blaine! A definate highlight of the evening - many a child will leave this show wondering how some of the tricks were done!
Tommy Steele in the leading role is good - the audience love the man who has been performing on the British stage for the past few decades. What he lacks in vocal strength, he more than makes up for in charisma, and he balances the greed with the humour very well. Other cast members are good.
Some minor flaws in the show was some lines being forgotten by some of the cast, sound problems caused by the theatres system and the lack of power in some of the casts voices. The child cast members, were also sub-par which took away from the emotion of the story.
The score, whilst not very memorable, added a new dynamic to this well-known story. The songs are written moderately well, and sang adequately. They don't really move the story along, but in a show like Scrooge, they do add to the party, Christmas atmosphere in the auditorium.
A good Christmas romp!
7/10
Basic on the Dickens classic, Scrooge tells the tale of old Ebenezer Scrooge, an old skinflint of a man who refuses to celebrate Christmas. He is interested only in his money and will stop at nothing to earn as much of it as he can. One Christmas eve he is visited by the spirit of his old friend and business partner, Jacob Marley, who warns Scrooge that he must change his act now or face the eternity of his afterlife in chains begging for remorse. What follows, is a visit from three Christmas ghosts who show Scrooge how he must change his life.
The set, for a Kenwright production is excellent. It is extravagant - it looks, and feels like old Victorian England - with the exception of a backdrop which separates Scrooges counting house from the outside. It blows backwards and forwards during a pivotal scene in the story and is quite distracting to the audience. The costumes however are exceptional - the attention to detail is excellent, particularly to the three ghosts.
The thing that sets this apart from other Christmas shows out there are the illusions. There are tricks aplenty, from ghosts appearing and disappearing onto the stage, appearing from apparant solid walls, and quick changes that would impress David Blaine! A definate highlight of the evening - many a child will leave this show wondering how some of the tricks were done!
Tommy Steele in the leading role is good - the audience love the man who has been performing on the British stage for the past few decades. What he lacks in vocal strength, he more than makes up for in charisma, and he balances the greed with the humour very well. Other cast members are good.
Some minor flaws in the show was some lines being forgotten by some of the cast, sound problems caused by the theatres system and the lack of power in some of the casts voices. The child cast members, were also sub-par which took away from the emotion of the story.
The score, whilst not very memorable, added a new dynamic to this well-known story. The songs are written moderately well, and sang adequately. They don't really move the story along, but in a show like Scrooge, they do add to the party, Christmas atmosphere in the auditorium.
A good Christmas romp!
7/10
Monday, 9 November 2009
Rocky Horror Show
This evening, Liverpool welcomed the arrival of many a man dressed in drag, and many a woman dressed in nothing but corsets and stockings - no it wasn't the world pole dancing championships - it was the first night of Richard O'Briens Rocky Horror Show.
Set in a dark, spooky castle, the show tells the story of engaged sweethearts Brad and Janet, who are caught in a storm and are forced to take refuge in the home of Frank 'n' Furter and some of the craziest people this world has ever seen. Featuring the iconic "Time Warp" and the timeless "Sweet Transvestite", this show is definately not one for the kids.
The acting from the start is flawless, as is the majority of the singing. David Bedella in the lead role stands out, as does Haley Flaherty as Janet. The microphones on some cast members were turned up slightly too high at times, and in group numbers alot of the voices became distorted, and so the words lost some of the meaning. The band were very good, playing the rock music with gusto and exuberance. It was nice to be able to actually see the audience, perched high above the stage in plain view, rather than them being hidden away in the pit.
The atmosphere in the crowd however was as electric as the bass guitars which were providing the superb sound. The audience were on their feet throughout the show and were happily singing along and shouting out in places. It did get a tad annoying when one gentleman in the crowd felt like he had to shout out all the way through. It was also slightly off putting to see so many security men in the audience. They walked around the auditorium constantly and so were very distracting.
The humour of the show is exceptional, and everyone left having a superb evening. One feels that the weekend shows will be much more rowdier, as the crowds will be watching the show before a night out, and so I think the audience will be electric. If Michael Starkes narrator bounces off the audience as he did tonight, then everyone is in for a real treat.
Real Adults Night Out! 8/10
Set in a dark, spooky castle, the show tells the story of engaged sweethearts Brad and Janet, who are caught in a storm and are forced to take refuge in the home of Frank 'n' Furter and some of the craziest people this world has ever seen. Featuring the iconic "Time Warp" and the timeless "Sweet Transvestite", this show is definately not one for the kids.
The acting from the start is flawless, as is the majority of the singing. David Bedella in the lead role stands out, as does Haley Flaherty as Janet. The microphones on some cast members were turned up slightly too high at times, and in group numbers alot of the voices became distorted, and so the words lost some of the meaning. The band were very good, playing the rock music with gusto and exuberance. It was nice to be able to actually see the audience, perched high above the stage in plain view, rather than them being hidden away in the pit.
The atmosphere in the crowd however was as electric as the bass guitars which were providing the superb sound. The audience were on their feet throughout the show and were happily singing along and shouting out in places. It did get a tad annoying when one gentleman in the crowd felt like he had to shout out all the way through. It was also slightly off putting to see so many security men in the audience. They walked around the auditorium constantly and so were very distracting.
The humour of the show is exceptional, and everyone left having a superb evening. One feels that the weekend shows will be much more rowdier, as the crowds will be watching the show before a night out, and so I think the audience will be electric. If Michael Starkes narrator bounces off the audience as he did tonight, then everyone is in for a real treat.
Real Adults Night Out! 8/10
Thursday, 29 October 2009
Sorry about lack of posts!
Sorry I've not been posting as much on here as I would like! I've started a new course and so the number of trips to the the theatre has rapidly decreased! Will try and make a special effort though to at least post the most recent news from the theatre world, as well as box office updates. I am planning on seeing a good few shows before Christmas too, so will get my reviews up! Here's just a few news worthy items I've seen these past few weeks!
Avenue Q closed on Broadway at the end of August - it will however be playing for a while in an off-Broadway theatre.
Shrek the Musical is due to close on January 4th 2010, just over a year after it opened. It wasn't selling particularly well, as you probably have seen from my weekly theatre updates!
Andrew Lloyd Webber has been diagnosed with a form of prostate cancer. It has been caught in the early stages and he is currently undergoing treatment, so we hope he will be ok! Andrew also premiered his new musical this month. Love Never Dies, the sequel to the Phantom of the Opera will open in February for previews in London's Adelphi theatre. The production will star London's current phantom, Ramin Karimloo and American Sierra Bogdess, and it is thought that the show will open on Broadway and in the far East not long after.
Legally Blonde is coming to London in December. It will star Benidorm's Sherridan Smith, Duncan James from Blue, Jill Halfpenny, and Aoife Mulholland!
Last night I watched a National Theatre production in Liverpool. The Black Album had received poor reviews on its London run, but I thought that with it being an NT production that it would still be quite good. I was quite wrong! Set in 1989, the story follows a young man with Pakistani origins who travels from Selly Oaks in Kent to London for university. There he falls into a crowd of radical muslims who want to stop the publication of The Satanic Verses. The young man doesn't believe in the radical nature of his friends and just wants to finish his course and to get together with his lecturer, but as time goes by he gets dragged more and more into their mess, with potentially fatal consequences. The acting was appauling, the story was dismal and dull, and the pace was all wrong. I wasn't suprised that more than 10% of the already small audience left during the interval. The only saving grace was the fabulous set - 3 walls which gave the illusion of a living room, which had images and words projected on it to give the illusion of different venues.
3/10
Avenue Q closed on Broadway at the end of August - it will however be playing for a while in an off-Broadway theatre.
Shrek the Musical is due to close on January 4th 2010, just over a year after it opened. It wasn't selling particularly well, as you probably have seen from my weekly theatre updates!
Andrew Lloyd Webber has been diagnosed with a form of prostate cancer. It has been caught in the early stages and he is currently undergoing treatment, so we hope he will be ok! Andrew also premiered his new musical this month. Love Never Dies, the sequel to the Phantom of the Opera will open in February for previews in London's Adelphi theatre. The production will star London's current phantom, Ramin Karimloo and American Sierra Bogdess, and it is thought that the show will open on Broadway and in the far East not long after.
Legally Blonde is coming to London in December. It will star Benidorm's Sherridan Smith, Duncan James from Blue, Jill Halfpenny, and Aoife Mulholland!
Last night I watched a National Theatre production in Liverpool. The Black Album had received poor reviews on its London run, but I thought that with it being an NT production that it would still be quite good. I was quite wrong! Set in 1989, the story follows a young man with Pakistani origins who travels from Selly Oaks in Kent to London for university. There he falls into a crowd of radical muslims who want to stop the publication of The Satanic Verses. The young man doesn't believe in the radical nature of his friends and just wants to finish his course and to get together with his lecturer, but as time goes by he gets dragged more and more into their mess, with potentially fatal consequences. The acting was appauling, the story was dismal and dull, and the pace was all wrong. I wasn't suprised that more than 10% of the already small audience left during the interval. The only saving grace was the fabulous set - 3 walls which gave the illusion of a living room, which had images and words projected on it to give the illusion of different venues.
3/10
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