ÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿåÔÿå by Andrea Gaini Seeing a show for the first time is very difficult. Musicals, in particular, because sometimes it takes a little bit of time to familiarise yourself with the music and the constant change from acting to singing. Last night at the New Theatre in Cardiff was my first time ever seeing Blood Brothers, the tear-jerking story of two brothers separated at birth, … Continue reading REVIEW: “Blood Brothers” at the New Theatre
ÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿå by Andrea Gaini The houselights go off, a man walks in the dark and as he steps up on a crate, a single light illuminates his long body. Michael Mears, playing James Brightmore, reads aloud a letter he is writing to his family, explaining the condition he is forced to live in the cell he has been put in for being a Conscientious Objector. … Continue reading REVIEW: “This Evil Thing” at the Sherman Theatre
The Irish improv duo, Abandoman, are taking their hilarious show Life and RhymeÔÇÖ which sold out at last yearÔÇÖs Fringe Festival, on a tour of the UK. Kicking off on the 14th of September, the act will combine comedy and freestyle rap to bring you a fictional biopic of the two ÔÇÿmaking itÔÇÖ as a band in the early 90ÔÇÖs. Georgia Davies got the chance … Continue reading Abandoman Interview
By Maxwell Modell This year was my first year at the Edinburgh Fringe festival and seeing as I had no expectation going in it could be argued that everything was a surprise. However, with some shows, I knew what I was going to get, this particularly tends to be the case with the big shows containing famous performers as they are a known quantity to … Continue reading The 3 Biggest Surprises of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2017
by Maxwell Modell The Edinburgh Fringe festival is not just an event, it is the event. It is possibly the biggest draw for the performing arts community every year, with the calendars of fans and performers alike blocked off for the period of August. 2017 marks the 70 annual Edinburgh Fringe festival and is set to be the biggest yet. Last yearÔÇÖs festival consisted of … Continue reading Review: Creatives at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2017
by Maria Mellor┬á Sitting in the theatre waiting for the show to start, you can get a sense of what this play is about. Apart from the buddy I brought to watch it with me, there was hardly another man in sight. Regardless of gender, both of us came out at the end saying how much we loved it! The one woman show starred Jodie … Continue reading Review: Shirley Valentine at the New Theatre
Alexandre Pr├®vert takes the audience of the Church of St. Edward through a journey of music and poetry. ÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿàÔÿå By Andrea Gaini The duo, music and poetry, is a very powerful one. The first clears up your mind of any thoughts and worries filling it with peace and tranquillity. The second stimulates your neurons to look at the world through the eyes of the writer … Continue reading ALEXANDRE PR├ëVERT – A JOURNEY OF MUSIC AND POETRY REVIEW
The Apocalypse Fire revolves around the Skoptsy, a dark and mysterious Russian religious cult. The Skoptsy seeks to amass genuine religious artefacts which justify a mass suicide at the site of the CatharsÔÇÖ 13th Century last stand, Le Chateau de Montsegur. Ava – a former Secret Intelligence Service agent now working as an archaeologist at the British Museum – is swiftly recruited into the top … Continue reading Review: The Apocalypse Fire
One of the signs of a really good play is that it manages to remain relevant years after it is first performed. Arthur MillerÔÇÖs timeless 1953 play has done exactly this. As the play develops with untiring intensity it becomes uncomfortably apparent that a lot of the issues explored are still prevalent in todayÔÇÖs society. The Crucible is based on the Salem witch trials which … Continue reading Review: The Crucible, New Theatre
Ray CooneyÔÇÖs theatre legacy is strongly shining on through his newest venture Out of Order which is running through its UK tour and sending belly-aching laughs to a theatre near you! Its simplistic yet effective and realistic set of a London hotel designed by Rebecca Brower means that the actors have to work together to create the upmost atmosphere ÔÇô and boy did they deliver! … Continue reading Review: Out of Order, New Theatre
How My Light is Spent, Sherman, Wednesday 17th May, reviewer: Tom Morris Last monthÔÇÖs stellar play Killology was always going to be a hard act to follow, but this short and sweet effort has mostly pulled it off. Featuring Rhodri Meilir (him out of Pride) and Alexandria Riley as two main characters (and a bunch of side characters besides), How My Light Is Spent takes … Continue reading Review: How My Light is Spent, Sherman
When a Government Junior Minister plans to spend the evening with one of the Opposition’s typists in the Westminster Hotel, things go disastrously wrong – beginning with the discovery of a body trapped in the hotel’s only unreliable sash window. Desperately trying to get out of an extremely sticky situation, things quickly go from bad to worse.┬áOut of Order┬áwill be at Cardiff’s New Theatre from … Continue reading Ones to Watch: Out of Order
Bill Kenwright’s production of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s family musical continues on its record breaking tour having sold an estimated 15 million tickets. The spellbinding performance retold the Biblical story of Joseph (Joe McElderry), his eleven brothers and the coat of many colours, featuring famous songs such as┬áAny Dream Will Do┬áand┬áClose Every Door To Me.┬á This is no shy performance. There is an … Continue reading Review: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Wales Millennium Centre
Million Dollar Quartet, New Theatre, Tuesday 2nd April, reviewer: Sarah Harris Not many people know about the man behind some of the worlds greatest rock ÔÇÿnÔÇÖ roll stars such as Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and of course, the king of rock himself, Elvis Presley. Sam Phillips was the founder of Sun Records and discovered all three of these artists as well as Carl Perkins. … Continue reading Review: Million Dollar Quartet, New Theatre
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a play based on the book by Mark Haddon. The play is a powerful story about Christopher Boone, a boy with autism who investigates the death of a neighbour’s dog and uncovers a family truth along the way. The play looks at Christopher’s relationship with his father and people outside his family and shows what … Continue reading Review: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Wales Millennium Centre
With the exceptional pairing of Welsh actors Rhodri Meilir and Alexandria Riley, How My Light Is Spent (which has already won the Judges Award, a top award at the 2015 Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting) is the much anticipated new play from the Cardiff-based playwright Alan Harris. Its Welsh premiere at Sherman Theatre, the co-producers of How My Light is Spent with ManchesterÔÇÖs Royal Exchange Theatre … Continue reading Ones to Watch: How My Light Is Spent, Sherman Theatre
Romeo and Juliet, Thursday 27th April, Wales Millennium Centre, reviewer: Kirby Evans This is┬áShakespeare┬áreimagined. Omidaze┬átheatre company combine aerial┬ácirrus┬áwith iambic pentameter to create a stunning performance of a story that has been told a thousand times.┬á The two-hour┬áunseated┬áperformance begins its dynamic┬ájourney┬áin the foyer of the theatre, where audience members whisper and┬áscour┬áthe room┬áwith┬áuncertainty┬ábefore the cast members appear┬áamongst┬áthem. Once everyone is finally aware of what is happening, the … Continue reading Review: Romeo and Juliet, Wales Millennium Centre
Chris Ramsey, Is That… Chris Ramsey?, Thursday 27th April, St David’s Hall, reviewer: Becca Moody The loveable Geordie that is Chris Ramsey returned to St DavidÔÇÖs Hall on 27th April after previously playing here as tour support for Al Murray (the Pub Landlord). The theatre is busier than IÔÇÖve ever seen it. RamseyÔÇÖs support is Carl Hutchinson, who plays a solid half hour of high-calibre … Continue reading Review: Chris Ramsey, St David’s Hall
Northern Ballet: Casanova, Tuesday 25th April, New Theatre, reviewer: Faith Clarke Casanova for most has become the archetype of sexual promiscuity. We all recognise the name, yet the tale of Giacomo Casanova is less widely known. It is the goal of The Northern Ballet then, to communicate his story through the medium of dance; to ÔÇÿpeel back the layersÔÇÖ as choreographer Kenneth Tindall puts it … Continue reading Review: Northern Ballet: Casanova, New Theatre
Escape the Scaffold,┬áThursday 20th April,┬áThe Other Room,┬áReviewer: Sarah Harris ItÔÇÖs been over 24 hours since I saw Escape the Scaffold at The Other Room but my mind hasnÔÇÖt stopped thinking about it since. IÔÇÖve always had a thing for psychological thrillers, but usually in the form of Christopher Nolan films so this was a nice and interesting change. The performance was set in a small … Continue reading Review: Escape the Scaffold, The Other Room
