By Ilona Cabral ÔÇ£Even if you think you donÔÇÖt like gin, thereÔÇÖll be a gin here for you!ÔÇØ This weekend crowds of Cardiffian gin enthusiasts queued in anticipation for some mouth-watering cocktails, gins and toe-tapping live entertainment. On entering the festival, I was equipped with a Gin glass and a Gin Bible, detailing the 101 gins available on sale. The festival offers included 4 gins … Continue reading Review | The Great British Gin Festival
By Ilona Cabral Ôÿà Ôÿà Ôÿà Ôÿà Last night, the smash-hit Joseph and his Technicolor Dreamcoat rocked up on the shores of Cardiff Bay. Since its first presentation, as a 15-minute ÔÇÿpop-cantataÔÇÖ at Colet court School in 1968, this show has been regenerated and reinvigorated countless times: from West End productions to the 1999 film-adaptation starring Donny Osmund. Through each interpretation, this story and soundtrack … Continue reading Review | Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat
By Kathleen Walker ÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿà ThereÔÇÖs a lot of ÔÇÿladsÔÇÖ on the comedy scene, but thankfully, Ivo Graham is not one of them.┬áAs he openly admits, heÔÇÖs an apologetic old-Etonian pupil, but thereÔÇÖs more to Ivo than his┬áupper-crust voice would initially have you believe. Yes, he also went to Oxford, but he┬áearned his comedy stripes from the age of 18 doing stand-up, before becoming the youngest┬áwinner … Continue reading Review | Ivo Graham ÔÇô Motion Sickness tour ÔÇô Glee Club
By Victoria Maria ÔÿàÔÿàÔÿà It is Friday Night. I pack my bag, get my tickets, try to dress elegantly because IÔÇÖm about to go to the Cabaret now in Cardiff Bay. It has been a while since I saw a musical performance, but I feel the thrill of whatÔÇÖs about to come. To start the gig, the cast opens with the classic ÔÇÿÔÇÖAll That JazzÔÇÖÔÇÖ … Continue reading Review | Hello Cabaret
By Indigo Jones ÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿà The show started with a bang, literally, immediately submerging the audience in the drama. The musical began as it intended to go, demonstrating the perfect balance between a musical and a concert performance. The show itself could be described as┬á almost film-like, perhaps a homage to the original movie starring Whitney Houston. That is exactly what this production achieved, it payed … Continue reading Review | Bodyguard
By Kathleen Walker ÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿà Possibly the biggest film hit of 2017/2018, The Greatest Showman found universal appeal after a rocky start with the critics. However, fans have not let the hype die, with the soundtrack being one of the biggest music sellers of last year and still conjuring up vivid imagery thanks to three little words, This Is Me. Now, Sing-a-Long-a Productions have brought the … Continue reading Review | Greatest Showman Sing-a-long
By Chris Colbourn SelfMadeHeroÔÇÖs translation of this Belgian-Dutch graphic novel feels particularly timely as the last three years of Brexit madness have soured a lot of young peopleÔÇÖs relationships with older generations. When politics divides us, it can be easy to forget that the other side are real people too, with their own lives and emotions, and this book is about just that. Blossoms in … Continue reading Review | Blossoms in Autumn
By Yi Lam Tang ÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿà A musical theatre group, who formed for only one month before the eighth season of BritainÔÇÖs Got Talent, had amazed the judges every time with their harmony. Collabro won the majority of votes and had become the winner of the eighth season of BritainÔÇÖs got talent. Since 2014, they had published 4 alba and are currently on their fourth tour: … Continue reading Review | Colabro
By Phoebe Blandford ÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿà An evening of jazz was a refreshing change of scene from regular student life, swapping the VKs for cocktails and nibbles at the Wales Millennium Centre. The evening was held in their Ffresh caf├®; a small space that is kitted out as a cabaret bar, and perfect for a jazz evening. It was set up like a traditional jazz caf├® with … Continue reading Review | Miles Davis: The 1950s and Beyond
By Sarah Rawle ÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿà Top or Bottom? If you havenÔÇÖt been asked this question yourself, you have likely heard it before. Maybe not sung to you accompanied by a ukulele, or alongside a lesson in 1970s handkerchief code ÔÇô but such is the uniqueness of ÔÇÿBottomÔÇÖ. It is a question about the power dynamics of sex. A question which has become so engrained in our … Continue reading Review | Bottom
By Saoirse O’Connor ÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿà Agatha ChristieÔÇÖs name is synonymous with the modern detective story, her influence evident in modern shows like Death in Paradise. As soon as we see a group of suspects gathered in a room, a detective centre stage ready to uncover a murderer, the Queen of CrimeÔÇÖs hand isnÔÇÖt hard to discern. But the modern interpretation of Christie is more sordid than … Continue reading Review | The Mirror Crack’d
By Jasmine Snow ÔÿàÔÿàÔÿà Recently, I had the pleasure of seeing one of William ShakespeareÔÇÖs most haunting tragedies, Antony and Cleopatra. The show was performed at the Llanover Arts Centre by Act One, directed by Sophie Callery and produced by Daisy Leach. The performance perfectly captured the struggle between reason and emotion, but the 1920s setting left something to be desired. The plot follows a … Continue reading Theatre Review: Act One Presents Antony and Cleopatra
By Anna Whitfield Camp be yourself is a short yet sweet play about two women who return to their beloved summer camp ten years later, but this time as camp councillors. The two-woman play, written and performed by two Royal welsh college of music and drama graduates, shows the characters struggling to come to terms with the harsh realities and complexities of adulthood. The play … Continue reading Review | Camp Be Yourself
By Martina Merenda ÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿà Set in a post-apocalyptic present, National Theatre’s production of Macbeth, under the direction of Rufus Norris, doesn’t disappoint. The tragedy in five acts starts with the brave Scottish general Macbeth, who, after a mysterious meeting with the “three weird sisters” (the witches) discovers to be the centre of a prophecy that will eventually see him as king of Scotland. Driven by … Continue reading Review | Macbeth
By Ilona Cabral The South Wales Wellness Show united curious Cardiffians, young and old, in a transformational event which┬ácelebrated holistic health and wellness. With over a hundred retailers, healers, free talks and workshops the show was dedicated to raising awareness and educating people about holistic healing. As show organiser Gaia Love said in an interview with Quench: ÔÇ£The event aims to evolve consciousness, raise awareness … Continue reading Review | South Wales Wellness show
By Ilona Cabral ÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿà Brace yourselves as your favourite Horrible characters come careering onto the New Theatre Stage! Over 20 years ago Terry Deary began writing his smash-hit series, ÔÇ£Horrible HistoriesÔÇØ and since then its popularity has not wavered! The series has inspired a BAFTA-winning Television show, merchandise and a Horrible-histories film is expected this year. Considering this legacy, the stage show production does not … Continue reading Review | Horrible Histories: The Terrible Tudors
By Jacob South-Klein ÔÿàÔÿàÔÿà One of the manifold Golden Rules of Reviewing™ (so writes a man who until now has never written a review for Quench) is to maintain a level of objectivity, as a distant observer, from the reviewed event itself. In other words, do not, accidentally end up on stage with any Hairy Bikers, in front of three-thousand fellow audience members. The second … Continue reading Review | Hairy Bikers Live
By┬áRhiannon Humphreys ÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿà Bummer and Lazarus by Jack Harrison is a Fringe show that is at once comedic, existentialist and absurdist in nature. On the surface, it is about two inseparable friends, the title characters, who are trapped, on the brink of starvation and need to find a means of escape from their captivity. However, on a larger scale the work explores broader concepts such … Continue reading Review | Bummer and Lazarus
By Ilona Cabral Where will I be next year? This is the question on every student’s mind. Disregard this scary thought for second though and I want you to think of your time at University so far: of the people, the parties andÔǪthe accommodation. In my opinion, no (proper) student can leave their university without a couple of ÔÇÿwar storiesÔÇÖ. It may be tales about … Continue reading On the Move
By Maisie Marston ÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿà Setting the scene, a projection of the view from Mark ThomasÔÇÖ rehearsal room rolls, showing Lisson Grove Health Centre in its seemingly slow operation. When Thomas takes the stage, youÔÇÖre shocked into consciousness. He paints a picture of pre-1948 Britain where his grandmother would put aside money for healthcare, having to choose which family memberÔÇÖs illness warranted emptying the pot. As … Continue reading Review | Mark Thomas ÔÇô Check Up: Our NHS at 70 review
