By Ellie Philpotts A lot of things are associated with Cathays. Students, seagulls and stormy weather┬ámay be the biggest, but they donÔÇÖt all begin with S. Look a little further and youÔÇÖll find Crwys Road is dotted with more restaurants than you might initially guess of the area. WeÔÇÖve got Welsh brunch haven Stag Coffee, stylish Italian Svago, Greek gorgeousness (or gluttony) at Hellenic Eatery, … Continue reading Review: Happy Lok Diner
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
By Ellie Philpotts and Georgia O’Brien (Shorter version of this is in the current and final print issue of Quench -┬áhttps://issuu.com/gairrhydd/docs/quench_163) Intro ÔÇô Ellie If youÔÇÖve ever tried to track down CardiffÔÇÖs best international restaurant, youÔÇÖll know youÔÇÖre in for a mighty mission. ThereÔÇÖs an abundance of choice in every corner you turn ÔÇô from the ArcadesÔÇÖ Madame Fromage; New York Deli and WallyÔÇÖs, to … Continue reading Review: Wahaca
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
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
Sister Act, 17th April 2017, Wales Millennium Centre, reviewer: Hannah Stait The Wales Millennium Centre was bursting with soul last night as people flocked to see the hit musical production of Sister Act. Based on the 1992 film starring Whoopi Goldberg, Sister Act tells the story of Deloris Van Cartier, a diva whose world gets flipped upside down when she witnesses her sleazy boyfriend commit … Continue reading Review: Sister Act, Wales Millennium Centre
The Commitments, Tuesday 11th April, Wales Millennium Centre, reviewer: Hannah Stait The Commitments is a musical that music fans will love and is a real celebration of soul. With the success of the 1991 BAFTA winning classic film, the story was brought the the West End After a whirlwind of positive reviews. From a two year run in the West End,┬áThe Commitments is now half … Continue reading Review: The Commitments, Wales Millennium Centre
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
A Judgement in Stone, Tuesday 4th April, New Theatre, reviewer: Corey Aunger A Judgement in Stone is a somewhat mixed production that doesnÔÇÖt really pick up until the second half. Argued to be one of Ruth RendallÔÇÖs better works, the novel is adapted for the stage by Simon Brett and Antony Lampard. The Classic Theatre Company, and producer Bill Kenright, are touring twenty-five venues … Continue reading Review: A Judgement in Stone, New Theatre
Foreign Television Drama as a Window Into the Rest of the World: Welcome to the Wonderful World of Walter Presents Sinead McCausland If you have watched an episode of the Spanish prison drama Locked Up, the German spy thriller Deutschland ÔÇÖ83, or, say, the French political thriller Spin, all available on Channel 4ÔÇÖs streaming service Walter Presents, you will be aware of the man behind … Continue reading Interview: Walter Iuzzolino on Foreign TV Drama
The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli M├ñki (2016) is a charming and beautifully stylised film from Finnish director Juho Kuosmanen; perfectly bringing the WoW Festival to a close. The film retells the true story of underdog boxer Olli M├ñkiÔÇÖs big fight with American champion Davey Moore in Helsinki, 1962. M├ñki (Jarkko Lahti) becomes distracted throughout his preparations for the match however; he has … Continue reading Review: The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli M├ñki, WoW Festival
Evita, Monday 20th March, New Theatre, Reviewer: Hannah Hopkins Evita has always, for me at least, been one of those musicals known for a few great songs whilst the rest of the plot has often faded into obscurity. Yet, this production completely changed my mind. The story is powerful and poignant, though the musical elements make it fun and all the more engaging. Following a … Continue reading Review: Evita, New Theatre
By The Time It Gets Dark follows the overlapping narratives of a group of seemingly separate individuals as their lives begin to weave together across the course of the film. An actor, a director, and a number of other characters ranging from a cleaner to a Buddhist, are all linked together across the structure of Thai society. As the director interviews actors in a … Continue reading Review: By The Time It Gets Dark, WoW Festival
W├╣lu ÔÇô Review Directed by Daouda Coulibaly, W├╣lu follows the story of Ladji (Ibrahim Koma), a likeable Malian bus conductor turned drugs smuggler, in a desperate bid to better not only his life but also his sister (Inna Modja) who is forced to work as a prostitute In order to make ends meet. As this gritty narrative unfolds, we watch as he works his way … Continue reading Review: W├╣lu, WoW Festival
(The shorter version of this is in the current print issue of Quench – https://issuu.com/gairrhydd/docs/quench_162.) Ellie Philpotts – Cardiff seems like a city of two halves. In one sense, itÔÇÖs rooted in tradition, with a number of venues in the entertainment scene that double as part of the capitalÔÇÖs furniture. Examples such as The Globe, Chapter and Owain Glyndwr have dutifully satisfied generations, from those … Continue reading Food Evening: Chai Street
By Olivia Botting I write this as I emerge from my two-day food coma bestowed upon me by the delicious food at The Clink Restaurant, by Queen Street train station. This particular restaurant is a bit different to conventional eateries, in that you have to go through a small security check upon applying for a reservation (at least, thatÔÇÖs what it said on the website) … Continue reading Review: The Clink Charity
By Elinor Terry Hey, what are you up to tonight? WeÔÇÖre thinking about going to the Flora for a few drinks, want to join us? Now, I know what youÔÇÖre thinking: any self-respecting Cardiff student in second year or above, would have, under no circumstances, sent that text a couple of months ago. Situated on the corner of Cathays Terrace and Flora Street, the fittingly … Continue reading Review: The Flora
By Ellie Philpotts I would say I basically have no words after experiencing CardiffÔÇÖs take on Coyote Ugly, but a blank review is kind of a novel concept, so instead IÔÇÖll settle with starting that itÔÇÖs definitely something different. Coyote Ugly is a hit film centred on 21-year-old Violet, whoÔÇÖs keen to make it as a singer in New York City, but instead ends up … Continue reading Review: Coyote Ugly Saloon
