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ENIGMA by Derren BrownDirector: Andy NymanReviewer: Helen PatrickBeing a complete Sceptic, I was dreading going to the Lowry Theatre with my husband to review Enigma, Derren Brown’s latest theatrical event. But I was soon put firmly in my place by a master of showmanship, one just couldn’t help but be swept along by the whole event and found myself laughing and clapping along and gasping with the audience in this sell out show.Derren , throughout the show talks about randomness and how nothing in life is random even when you think you’re making a random choice. You make choices in life best on even the silliest of reasons whether it’s the colour of an item or the look of somebody, your mind really can’t do random things. Which is quite Ironic that he should chose a random way of selecting people to take part in his show by throwing a Frisbee into the audience or is it random? Well I can truthfully answer a resounding yes to this as my husband Steve caught the Frisbee and found himself and his thoughts at centre stage in front of 100’s of people and by the smile on his face he was loving every minute of his five minutes of fame, which horrified me as 3 years ago you couldn’t even get him inside a theatre.I quote now from my husband Steve: “I am so pleased my wife and i had the opportunity to go to the show I had been looking forward to it for ages and always watch his TV programmes. When Derren threw the Frisbee and I caught it ,it made my night. The illusion he performed with me and another two audience members was phenomenal, so much so that me and my wife were still talking about it on [...]

Sign of the Times by Tim FirthDirector: Peter Wilson Reviewer: James HigginsTim Firth was originally commissioned by Alan Ayckbourn in 1991 to write a one act play (A Man of Letters) to be performed at Scarborough’s Stephen Joseph Theatre. Fifteen years later we finally learn what became of the characters after the one act play had ended. A new two act version under the title ‘Absolutely Frank’ was performed in Scarborough at Stephen Joseph once more in 2006. Sign of the Times is the new title for 2009 and one of some significance in today’s current climate.In Sign of the Times we arrive on the roof of Forshaws, an electrical signage company. Frank Tollit (Stephen Tompkinson) has worked there for 25 years and is now head of installations and takes great pride in his position. We find him trying to stimulate some interest in the mind of a bored work experience student, 16 year old Alan. (Tom Shaw)Despite Franks great sense of achievement in climbing the corporate ladder he would much prefer to be a writer of Spy stories like his literary hero John Le Carre. He is a keen amateur novelist and discovers that Alan has a hidden creative streak which provides a lot of the common ground throughout the play.The rooftop set is well constructed and uses props (the letters) from the 1991 original. Director Peter Wilson takes us on a journey that is full of highs and lows, one minute making us laugh out loud, the next sitting in quiet reflection contemplating the sometimes sad reality of life.Stephen Tompkinson was excellent in the lead role. He was utterly convincing throughout as the man of the world with a constant supply of advice to dish out to young Alan during the first act. Tom Shaw as Alan, much [...]

Seven Brides For Seven BrothersBook: Lawrence Kasha & David S. LandayMusic: Gene De PaulLyrics: Johnny MercerNew songs: Al Kasha & Joel HirschhornDirector: Chris HockingChoreography: Chris HockingReviewer: Elizabeth VileSeven Brides for Seven Brothers is a fun, family musical set in Oregon in the 1850’s. It tells the story of Adam and his six brothers who live in a farm high in the mountains and what happens when Adam brings his new wife, Milly, to live with them.This easy going musical is full of catchy songs and impressive orchestration with ample opportunity for dancing, solo and ensemble singing and some well developed characterisation by all involved.The comic elements were brought out as much as possible, with elements of caricature apparent with some of the characters, especially those of ‘Frank’ played by Gavin Lee Rees and ‘Preacher’ played by David Alcock. Appearing flowers to represent spring and a townsman running around waving a carpet beater also added to the comedy. I felt these additions were humorous but it did push the production very close to becoming a pantomime, especially mixed with the bright costumes and large chorus numbers. Luckily this slide into panto never happened. The strength of the story and the professionalism of the principals gave the story believability and made the audience care about the characters they were watching.Steven Houghton played ‘Adam Pontipee’ with the perfect mixture of strength, pride and tenderness. He is a man struggling to survive as the head of the household with a new, headstrong wife, who challenges the beliefs he has strived to live up to. His singing voice was powerful and handled the large amounts of energetic singing easily.Susan McFadden brought a young naive quality to the part of Milly as she dreamily marries Adam in the hope that he will be the escape to [...]

His Dark Materials by Philip PullmanAdaptor: Nicholas WrightDirector: Rachel KavanaughReviewer: Clare Howdon Philip Pullman’s ‘His Dark Materials’ trilogy stunned readers and critics when it first emerged on the literary scene with its gripping and biting tale of alternate worlds, strange characters, corrupt theology, and theoretical physics. Main characters are subject to questionable morals, the whole Christian notion of the nature of the Universe is picked apart and characters that you find yourself caring about do die, forcing both the characters and audience to address their own spiritual and theological notions of life and death. It is also profusely entertaining and captivating and at the heart lies a fantastic story; a modern tale set within a mythical context.As with any great book, it is always a risky business when attempting to do it justice on stage or screen. Nicholas Wright’s six-hour adaptation of Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass, divided into two plays was first staged by the National Theatre in 2004 and has now been revived in a joint production between Birmingham Repertory Theatre and West Yorkshire Playhouse.Wright’s adaptation begins and ends on a bench where we meet the two central characters Lyra (Amy McAllister) and Will (Nick Barber), sitting together but somehow apart. Throughout their ‘coming of age’ journey we discover that Will and Lyra are unwittingly caught in a struggle between good and evil and both have an important part to play within that. We are whisked through worlds familiar and unknown where they encounter fantastical creatures culminating in a terrifying visit to the land of the dead.There is a ridiculous amount to get through in this six hour adaptation and it takes a very daring and ambitious director to tackle this most daunting of theatrical tasks. Luckily co-directors Rachel Kavanaugh and Sarah …

FameConceived by: David de SilvaWritten by: Jose FernandezDirected by: Karen BruceReviewed by: Ian CainSuch was the success of the 1980 smash-hit movie, ‘Fame’, that it spawned a hugely successful television series which ran for five years and, subsequently, a stage production that made it’s West End debut in 1995 and has completed seven national tours since.This latest production stars Beverley Trotman, who was catapulted into the public domain as a result of her success as a finalist in ‘The X-Factor 2007.’Several modifications have been made in an attempt to make this a production that resonates with a 21st century audience. Gone are the big fashions and even bigger hairstyles of the 80s; gone are the familiar characters, including Coco, Leroy, Miss Grant and Mr Shorofsky; gone, too, are the familiar songs such as ‘Hi-Fidelity’ and ‘Starmaker.’ Instead, the show is set in the present day and in come a new set of students and teachers and brand new songs, although the iconic title song, ‘Fame,’ is still there.The decision to update the show is a risky one and, unfortunately, is not a total success. Although the re-vamped production boasts sensational choreography, a stylishly simple set and moody, evocative lighting it somehow lacks substance and heart. Jose Fernandez’s script seems to be a ‘shopping list’ of issues that are merely introduced and never actually tackled; the characters (of which there are too many) are stereotypical and one-dimensional, and some performances seemed slightly stilted at times.Beverley Trotman is totally under-utilised and rarely gets the opportunity to demonstrate her vocal prowess which is odd when you consider that it was probably a significant reason for the decision to cast her in the role. During the performance, I noticed that quite a few members of the audience were eager to be given the opportunity [...]

Widowers’ Houses’ by George Bernard ShawDirector: Greg HersovReviewer: Clare Howdon Bernard Shaw’s theatrical debut ‘Widowers’ Houses’, first performed in 1892 as a response to the exploitation of the poor by Slum Landlords, has been given a timely revival at the Royal Exchange Theatre under the direction of Greg Hersov.Coined in 1898 by Shaw as one of three of the ‘Plays: Unpleasant collection’, I was pleasantly surprised that this play managed to entertain the audience throughout as well as raising important socialist comments.Greg Hersov’s masterful sleight of hand direction ensures that the parallels between Victorian and modern-day Britain are highlighted throughout and audience members are reminded that where human greed and sleaze are concerned, history certainly does repeat itself.Through both the slick direction and strong ensemble cast, the most is made of the fact that this play is also a romantic comedy of manners as well as biting political satire. Running alongside the exposure of slum landlords, who had grown rich charging extortionate rent on London tenements, is a blossoming romance between Blanche Sartorius (Lucy Brigg’s Owen) and young Doctor Harry Trench (Ben Addis). The romance begins during a holiday, blossoms into an engagement and suddenly and explosively finishes when Trench learns that his future father-in-law, Mr. Sartorius (Roger Lloyd Pack) had made his fortune by exploiting the poor. The idealistic Trench then insists that Blanche must live off his limited income, a demand Blanche rejects. The happy yet ironic ending shows that even the idealistic and proud Trench is not above moral corruption.Shaw had a great talent for writing strong and independent female characters and Blanche Sartorius is no exception. Lucy Briggs-Owen fills these very large shoes with varying degrees of success. The latter scenes between her and Trench are delightful and she is certainly at her best when conveying [...]

Noises Off by Michael FraynDirected by Bob CarltonReviewed by Mark Valencia Michael Frayn’s comedy of backstage horrors was once described as one of the 13 best farces written since the war, ‘the other twelve being Fawlty Towers’. That comparison was hard to deny in Michael Blakemore’s blissful premiere production with Patricia Routledge and Paul Eddington and, if anything, it was even truer in the razor-sharp revival that Jeremy Sams mounted for the National Theatre a few years back. I have even been reduced to hysterics by this play in a humble rep production before now; so what makes this Queen’s production fall so flat?Bob Carlton’s production has plenty of zip, and it certainly looks great on Rodney Ford’s revolving set. This theatre has a good track record in modern comedy, most recently in a terrific staging of Ayckbourn’s How The Other Half Loves that featured many of the same actors, but for some reason their Noises Off fails to cross the footlights. And that ‘some reason’? There’s no getting away from it: too many roles are miscast and too many lines mistimed.The resident company at the Queen’s, ‘cut to the chase…’, is a multi-talented group of actor-musicians who have done heroic work since last autumn across an eclectic range of shows. However, Noises Off is not a play whose parts can be distributed easily among a pre-existing company. Each role makes specific demands and requires dead-centre casting, while on a technical level the play is the very devil to prepare and perform. The tale of a down-at-heel touring company desperately trying to keep their wretched comedy afloat during a gruelling provincial tour, riven though they are by internal strife, is powered by an hilarious (but fiendishly tricky) central act in which a disastrous matinée performance is viewed from backstage. In [...]

Hang OnCreated by Theatre-Rites and Ockham’s RazorDirector Sue Buckmaster Reviewer: Honour BayesA family show that actually pleases parents, children and cosmopolitan ‘friends’ alike? Surely this doesn’t exist without the Disney seal of approval. But if you want to take all your extended family along to one show this year, take them to see Hang On at the Lyric Hammersmith. Tumbling along through a delicately balanced mobile of Charlie Chaplin charm and virtuoso circus play, this piece will lift one and all above the mundane into a world of infinite and childlike possibility where everything that can be possible, is.Theatre-Rites and Ockham’s Razor have come together to create a spine tingling and joyous show which feels a bit like a crazy mathematics lecture, a bit like a piece of contemporary dance and a bit like a circus performance with a dollop of intensely beautiful minimalistic art and music.Eric MacLennan, Stefano Di Renzo, Alex Harvey, Tina Koch, Nao Masuda and Charlotte Mooney enter the stage with a spring in their step and proceed to turn small metal hangers into, massive spinning mobiles and tiny, and not so tiny, red orbs into xylophones and drums. Fully realising Theatre-Rites’ interest in object-lead work, each item used has its potential magic revealed and exploded to the delight of this very vocal and immediate audience. Hang On is performed not only to a score of delicate tubular music and pounding drum beats, but also to the tinkling of children’s giggles and the gasps of adult appreciation.The cast all bring their own special something to the stage. With his feet firmly on the floor Eric’s cautiousness creates a well meaning, though initially overbearing, adult figure for the others to react against, albeit very kindly, with the sort of lively mischievousness that permeates all young people’s daydreams (and [...]