A charming evening of chat with two luminaries of the television industry and our self-effacing host Wayne Imms. Imms has a talent for creating interesting line ups for his talk series The Space and fosters an informal and welcoming environment for his guests to speak. Founded twenty years ago, Imm’s has nurtured this event well, often getting high profile and famous people to come to his intimate surrounds to discuss their careers and tonight is no different. A welcoming and expectant audience are delighted to greet John Lloyd in the first half of the show. Lloyd is a titan of…
Author: The Reviews Hub - Brighton
Canadian circus outfit Flip Fabrique take centre stage at Brighton Dome for this year’s Twixtmas aerial outing. Their show, Blizzard, is marketed as a ‘children and family’ performance for those aged six-plus, and there’s a strong tween contingent in the crowd. Promising a ‘crazy, poetic and gentle journey’, does Blizzard bring the depth of wonder and enchantment we’d hope for from a post-Christmas show? The opening moments feel modern and stark. With minimal set, props and jarring music, it’s an oft-told story of winter, but perhaps unexpected for this particular audience and very specific time of year. As the show…
Covent Gards Sinfonia conducted by Ben Palmer. The anticipation of Christmas hangs heavy in the air on this typically soggy English winter afternoon in December. Hundreds of young people and their care givers populate the Brighton Dome in excitement for this live orchestra accompaniment of the forty three year old classic, The Snowman. Seat boosters are employed in full force as eager children jostle into position for the start of the recital. Conductor Ben Palmer takes to the stage, a genial host, and prepares the audience for what they about to hear. For make of the young crowd this is…
An enchanting evening from Kate Rusby and her band of merry men, which clearly signals Christmas has arrived to an enraptured Brighton Dome audience. Kate Rusby is excited. She loves Christmas, she tells the audience, and everything about it. This is a celebration of that love as the songsmith guides us through a wonderful evening of Christmas cheer. The stage at The Dome has been lovingly converted into what looks like a festive 1980’s pub with vibrant Christmas tree, gloriously gaudy carpet and vintage decorations, including a slightly odd but resplendent reindeer and a classic four four foot, light up,…
Concept and Direction – Mella Faye The Gift is An interactive festive offering supporting The old Market, such a worthy cause. The experience aims for the group gathered to become a community, of sorts, and focuses on real world connectivity. Something we all need more of in this over rampant technological age. As soon as the audience enters The Old Market in Hove, we are transported into another dimension. Ushered into a cozy room by a performer who looks like a ring master, who we are told is “The Magician”, we are firstly invited to phase out distraction and drop…
John-Luke Roberts strides on stage almost starkers, head bedecked in faux foliage. ‘Do nit lik at my cak,’ he says, in character as smutty, Anglo-Saxon-esque storyteller, Geoffrey Chaucer. His body is swathed in a blanket that is inches away from exposing his, er, jingle balls. Oops. The innuendo-fuelled revelry has only just begun. Thankfully, Bec Hill enters and paints a picture of what we’re about to see within seconds. A wholesome Christmas story, no saggy satsumas in sight. A magical tale of everyone’s favourite street creatures and the trash-turned-treasure they bring at the most wonderful time of the year. She…
Uh-oh. Naughty audience member. You’ve crossed a line at work, and now you’re in a seminar with several other filthy folk to learn about appropriate behaviour in the workplace. Fresh from human resources hell, Allison Pope has joined us to share office decorum do-and-do-nots for simpletons like ourselves. She’s a flirtatious, fag-smoking expert, donning a polyester two-piece that Thatcher would have adored. There’s more than a touch of Jennifer Saunders here. She’s giving Edina Monsoon in Absolutely Fabulous, precariously armed with HR for Dummies. A PR princess in a HR hellhole. But what can she teach us about being on…
Hot diggity dog. What’s a hound to do when the haemorrhoids are on his tail? Enter Brad Jon Kane. This furry-eared comedian fights piles with nutrition and Dylanesque tunes. A winning combo, we’re sure you’ll agree. Unhinged is a varied, work-in-progress show that demonstrates Kane’s creativity in storytelling. From choose-your-own adventures to Groundhog Day style shootings. As a work-in-progress, it’s the ideal space to play and try out new ideas, and he takes advantage of this to its full potential. Kane’s staple cowboy style antics are a fantastic fit for the deadpan delivery he specialises in. His characters are believable,…