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
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
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
Legally Blonde, Monday 10th April, Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, reviewer: Penelope Barnes ItÔÇÖs a production we all know and love. Blonde sorority queen Elle Woods adores college sweetheart Warner, said ÔÇÿsweetheartÔÇÖ doesnÔÇÖt turn out to be sweet at all, and Elle gets serious and ends up discovering sheÔÇÖs destined for more than a life as a shopaholic with a shoe addiction. Underneath … Continue reading Review: Legally Blonde, Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama
One of my pet hates in life is when people give away the plot line to a book. This pet hate is only heightened when it turns to drama. Not really knowing what to expect before entering, The Play That Goes Wrong is quite frankly what it says on the tin. Letting us in on the world of unsuccessful and extremely humorous amateur dramatics, Mark … Continue reading Review: The Play That Goes Wrong, The New Theatre
You’ve Got a Friend, Thursday 6th April, St David’s Hall, reviewer: Sarah Harris James Taylor and Carole King are arguably two of the most influential and most successful singer/songwriters of the last few decades. From the same people who created the outstanding West End masterpiece, The Simon & Garfunkel Story, YouÔÇÖve Got A Friend┬áshowcases the music and work on Taylor and King and celebrates the … Continue reading Review: You’ve Got a Friend, St David’s Hall
ÔÇ£1940s Baltimore and itÔÇÖs opÔÇÖninÔÇÖ night of a musical version of┬áThe Taming of the Shrew. Rehearsals are over, costumes donned and thereÔÇÖs a 10 minute curtain call. What youÔÇÖre about to witness is a whole lot more than ShakespeareÔÇÖs comic love storyÔǪÔÇØ Welsh National OperaÔÇÖs Autumn season featured three productions inspired by William Shakespeare, as part of the official Shakespeare 400 celebrations to commemorate the … Continue reading Preview: Welsh National Opera, Kiss Me, Kate
I went into this play not knowing what to expect other than the basics. The Mousetrap is a murder mystery play written by Agatha Christie. It is set in an old manor house, which the owners have recently converted into a guesthouse. It begins on a cold, winter afternoon with the guests being introduced one by one. However, as the days go on, the guests … Continue reading Review: The Mousetrap, New Theatre
ÔÇ£WickedÔÇØ as a story itself is essentially one of the most successful fanfictions ever written. Based off the 1995 story ÔÇ£The Wizard of OzÔÇØ by L. Frank Baum, ÔÇ£Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the WestÔÇØ, is a novel written by Gregory Maguire and it tells the untold story of the witches of Oz: Glinda the Good and Elphaba the Wicked … Continue reading Review: Wicked the MusicalÔÇÖs 10th Anniversary in London
As Mrs BrownÔÇÖs Boys is voted the best sitcom of the 21st Century, I argue the case for the shows it beat- and what this says about the state of British comedy today. Picture the scene. The camera opens on a mock-up of a traditional kitchen. Old worktops, shelves cluttered with pots and pans, and there, sat at the table, is quite clearly a man … Continue reading No Laughing Matter
BILLY ELLIOT: THE MUSICAL Review by Tom Morris As I went into Billy Elliot at the WMC, I asked my Nan, who I was with, what she thought about the two questions on my mind. That is; how would the play be better than the film, and is Billy supposed to be gay? By the final curtain, these questions couldnÔÇÖt be further from my mind. … Continue reading Review: Billy Elliot, WMC
Review by Sam Walker The 39 Steps is an unusual beast. Following the novel written by John Buchan , the story has been adapted for film many times, most notably in 1935 by Alfred Hitchcock. While┬áthe Master of SuspenseÔÇÖs name may appear on the posters for this stage adaptation, the actual result could not be more different. While HitchcockÔÇÖs film is a tense thriller, this … Continue reading Review: The 39 Steps, New Theatre
Review by Elis Doyle Thriller ÔÇô Live chronicles the incredibly journey of Michael Jackson from eleven year old musical prot├®g├® of The Jackson Five, to his rise as the world renowned ‘King of Pop’. Frankly speaking, I had never listened to Michael Jackson’s music that frequently until his untimely death on June 25th 2009. It’s one of life’s cruel ironies that I never got to … Continue reading Review: Thriller! Live, New Theatre
Review by Molly Wyatt -UDDERLY FABULOUS- Animal Farm is by no means a simple play to stage; an absolute classic piece of literature, this politically charged story requires a great deal of creativity, commitment and character. Having read (and loved) the book, yet never seeing a stage production of it, I was intrigued to see how this challenging show has been adapted. To say that … Continue reading Review: Animal Farm, Act One
Reviewed by Ellie Philpotts LetÔÇÖs face it ÔÇô sometimes everything can seem like a bit of a stressor. So what better way to mark the start of the Easter holidays after a good few weeks of essays, deadlines and maybe attempted revision than by boogying your way into the 1960s? ┬á Hairspray is somewhat of a classic ÔÇô even if musicals arenÔÇÖt your scene, you … Continue reading Review: Hairspray, The New Theatre.
Review by Amy Butler Footloose is an undeniably classic musical; defined appropriately by its creator Dean Pitchford as a ÔÇÿcultural touchstoneÔÇÖ, even those who havenÔÇÖt seen the adaptations will know the story of the small town in which dancing was made illegal. Based on a bizarre true story, Footloose was first introduced to us through the 1983 film, starring Kevin Bacon as the original Ren … Continue reading Review: Footloose, New Theatre
Becca Stamatis┬átells Quench Culture about the who’s, what’s,┬áwhere’s, when’s and why’s about Amnesty International’s┬áhosting of ‘Jamnesty’,┬áin aid of ‘My Body My Rights campaign’. Jamnesty is Amnesty InternationalÔÇÖs annual jam night, raising money and making noise about the worldÔÇÖs leading human rights organisation. Cardiff UniversityÔÇÖs Amnesty International Society is hosting their Jamnesty event at 10 Feet Tall on Thursday 10th March, at 7pm until late. So … Continue reading What is ‘JAMNESTY’?
Review by Elis Doyle The Rocky Horror Show, a musical performance which explores the peculiar and outrageous, with a dash of B-Movie Horror and Sci-fi thrown into the melting pot, is quite the spectacle to behold. In the show, newly-weds Janet and Brad are stranded in the middle of nowhere, and are forced to take refuge in a nearby castle owned by a certain … Continue reading Review: The Rocky Horror Picture Show, New Theatre
