Review-FAME
April 28, 2009
Venue: Sunderland Empire
April 27th 2009
A new take on a well known and very popular musical, based on the 80s film and TV show FAME, following a group of aspiring teenage students, as they push themselves to the limit, displaying dedication and resilience at New York’s High School of performing arts, their goal, to reach the finish line of graduation and seek FAME.
Each student brings their own characteristics and storylines handling controversial topics and troubled souls, all are clearly portrayed, from Mable Washington, (Terisha Rommick), the overweight, loudmouthed dancer who ignores everyone’s advice to slim down and injects humour at every opportunity, to Tyrone Jackson (Spin) the confident womaniser who struggles with his inability to read, to Schlomo Metzenbaum (Nicholas Larkin) the son of a famous musician who finds and loses love, and Carmen Diaz (Holly James) who struggles to overcome her demons and the addiction of drugs. Read more
Review-The Sponge Who Could Fly
April 23, 2009
Date April 22nd 2009
Venue: Sunderland Empire
Taking a TV cartoon and transplanting it on to stage will never be easy, but can be done successfully, as shown with Scooby Doo, which is currently undertaking a second national tour with a new stage adventure.
On this occasion we have Nickelodeon’s Spongebod Squarepants in The Sponge Who Could Fly, a new musical adventure and I had to rely on my youngest daughter to vouch for the quality of screen to stage success. She gave the production full marks even though she spotted the changes in the story from the TV version it was taken from But she was less than impressed that Spongebob appeared to have used the wrong part of his hairdryer to blow up his trousers, which if effect gave him the ability to fly. Read more
Review- Waiting for Godot
April 21, 2009
Date Reviewed: 20th April, 2009
Venue: Theatre Royal, Newcastle
While we are used to seeing star names on tour, we need to look back towards Jack Lemmon and Michael Gambon in Veterans Day or even further to Laurence Olivier and Ralph Richardson heading a tour of Uncle Vanya, for a more stellar cast than in this version of Waiting for Godot.
In supporting roles we have Ronald Pickup (recently in Newcastle with Uncle Vanya) and Simon Callow (who headed the recent the tour of Equus) with stage and screen legends Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart leading the company. Both actors are familiar faces at the Theatre Royal having separately played Shakespeare to packed houses, but this time they are appearing together, so we have the force of the X-Men meeting Star Trek and Lord of the Rings (as well as Coronation Street) and therefore it is little wonder there are house full signs up for the week. Read more
Reviews-Spyski
April 16, 2009
Reviewed: April 15th, 2009
Venue: Northern Stage, Newcastle
The announcement across the theatre asks us to take our seats for The Importance of Being Earnest and when the curtain rises for the first few minutes we are watch a rather frantic version of Wilde’s play.
Then, when a voice from portable walkie-talkie booms out and a man, dressed in black and wearing a balaclava jumps up waving a gun from the front row, all sense flies out of the window and the fun begins.
This is the first visit by Peeploykus to Newcastle and judging from the reaction of the audience it will not be the last. The production is actually a joint venture between Peepolykus and the Lyric Hammersmith in association with the West Yorkshire Playhouse. Read more
Review-Jolson and Co
April 14, 2009
Reviewed: 14th April 2009
Venue: Theatre Royal, Newcastle
A play looking back at the life of Asa Yoelson, born in Lithuania in 1886, at first glance does not seem to be the most riveting of evenings at the theatre, but change the name of the lead character , as the man did himself, to Al Jolson and it is a different story.
Allan Stewart, as Jolson, gives a tour de force in the role, which looks back in detail over the entertainer’s life. His performance alone warrants this production having life after its present tour finishes and he must surely be nominated for an award as he gives one of the best performances I have seen in a theatre for a long-time. But the show does not just rely on him alone as from casting to set design and direction this show is pure class. Read more
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