Author: The Reviews Hub - Central

Book, Music and Lyrics: Lyn-Manuel Miranda Director: Thomas Kail Hamilton has arrived in Birmingham to the same fanfare which greeted its original 2015 debut on Broadway, and has captivated young and old alike for the best part of a decade. The fact that the Birmingham Hippodrome is only one of multiple venues dotted around the world that Hamilton can be enjoyed right now is testament to its success as a rapidly growing musical. So, what makes a musical documenting the life of Alexander Hamilton so successful? While its historical and cultural significance is there for all to see, its ability…

Writer: Moon Kim Director: Esalan Gates In her discussion of the creative process for The Waiting Room, writer and performer Moon Kim explains that it was written “based on [her] own experiences” and how a growing understanding of Attachment Theory and attachment types helped her to identify “the real problems” through its lens. This reviewer can hardly claim any real knowledge of Attachment Theory beyond that which can be gleaned from a quick internet search, so cannot comment on the veracity of the piece academically. Nevertheless, one can’t help but relate to the subject matter of obsessive love. At its…

Writer: Kay Mellor Director: Gaynor Faye Kay Mellor’s TV series are among the country’s best-loved, taking ordinary people and placing them in extraordinary situations with humour and empathy. Her ensemble BBC1 series, The Syndicate, initially aired in 2012 and spawned a further three series. Tonight’s play is condensed from the first series in which each episode focused on one of the five members, their secrets and their ultimate destiny. Bob is the manager of Right Buy U, a small Leeds supermarket with a staff of four: assistant manager Stuart and his ne’er-do-well brother, Jamie, Leanne and the older Denise. They…

Writers: Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson Directors: Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin Creating theatre out of a neverending series of international climate conferences is a bold choice for any production team. Such events, though vital for the future of our planet, are not obvious source material for an entertaining night in the theatre. Thankfully, in the experienced and confident hands of Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin, Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson’s intelligently crafted script comes to life in a vibrant, fast-paced and entrancing production that never once feels like it is preaching. Central to the play and the production as…

Writer: William Shakespeare Director: Sean Turner If you’re wondering whether the team at the Gatehouse can match last year’s spectacular woodland setting for the annual Stafford Shakespeare, wonder no more. This time round it’s Twelfth Night, and it’s Shakespeare with a Cornish twist, as Illyria is moved to become a small fishing village in Cornwall – and the set that designer Alfie Heywood has created is superb. It has a Harbourmaster’s house, quayside, and a revolving pub (complete with working beer pumps), created and decorated using half a tonne of detritus collected from beaches in the South West in partnership…

Conductor: Nicholas Buc Hans Zimmer’s film-score legacy reaches even further than that sword-thrown by Maximus following his, “Are you not entertained?’ hissy-fit aimed at the pampered provincials. Well, they certainly weren’t, what with having their olive obliterated and wine goblets trashed, but by this evening’s reckoning Symphony Hall was certainly going to be gloriously entertained. Spanning over five decades, Zimmer’s opus has more disparate boxes ticked than a baton can be shaken at. If he’s good enough for Ridley Scott, Thelma and Louise, aforementioned referenced Gladiator, or late brother, Tony’s, Days of Thunder,/Crimson Tide, he doesn’t really need to pitch…

Writer: Herman Melville Adapter: Sebastian Armesto Director: Jesse Jones For a swashbuckling tale of bloodthirsty adventure on the high seas, there is something muted, almost cerebral, about this production. Forget the classic image of Captain Ahab’s lifeless corpse, festooned by his own ropes to the flanks of his nemesis. In Simple8’s production, Moby-Dick is but a whale of the mind, proceeding from Ahab’s vengeance-oppressed brain. Moments of intense violence are hinted at, but replaced by blackouts. Pain, exhaustion and suffering are expressed not through sweat, toil and action, but through the lyrics of an almost constant soundtrack of old sea…

Writer: William Shakespeare Director: Blanche McIntyre Often overlooked, there’s little doubt that The Merry Wives of Windsor is one of Shakespeare’s funniest comedies, almost a farce. With no deep-and-meaningful plot, it’s simple and uncomplicated comedy which in the hands of the right creative team it can be a real delight. Here Blanche McIntyre takes the helm and delivers a piece of theatre that will have you laughing out loud from start to finish. With its suburban setting and comic themes it’s a play which sits very comfortably in a modern time period as a broke Falstaff tries to get money…