Music: Andrew Lloyd-Webber Lyrics: Tim Rice Director: Nikolai Foster Oh, what a show we have at the Curve Theatre in Nikolai Foster’s stunning new version of Evita. The production rips apart every preconception you might have about the staging or interpretation of the Rice / Lloyd Webber classic and looks at the show afresh, giving it a contemporary feel and increased relevance in today’s political landscape. Foster brings a level of creative imagination to the production that many can only dream of, yet when you see how he has approached some of the scenes it seems inevitable that they should…
Author: The Reviews Hub - Central
The Reviews Hub - Central
The Central team is under the editorship of Selwyn Knight. The Reviews Hub was set up in 2007. Our mission is to provide the most in-depth, nationwide arts coverage online.
Writer: Michael Frayn Director: Lindsay Posner Noises Off is one of the greatest comic plays of all time. Written just over forty years ago, it is a dazzling play within a play that seamlessly blends farce, physical comedy and memorable characters. It is a script that should have audiences in fits of irrepressible laughter for two hours. Why then does this new production feel so flat and forced? Michael Frayn’s script does reflect attitudes and behaviours that were accepted in the late 1970s and early 1980s but it still holds up as a masterclass of writing comedy for the stage…
Music: Benji Bower and Barnaby Race Writer: C S Lewis Adaptor: Sally Cookson Director: Michael Fentiman The Chronicles of Narnia is a book series familiar with many for its magical storytelling by C.S Lewis. The first of this series is arguably its most well known; The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. Fresh from its successful West End appearance and a UK tour, this adaptation based on the original production by Sally Cookson and directed by Michael Fentiman is a delight for families to come and watch. The story needs little introduction, but it follows four children who are embarking on…
Music: Osvaldo Golijov Director: Deborah Colker Conductor: Matthew Kofi Waldren In an era of cuts to arts funding in general and opera in particular, it is heartening to see Welsh National Opera taking risks by staging a piece like Ainadamar. It is far from being a traditional opera but it is a thrilling piece of music theatre that captures an audience and keeps them enthralled for eighty minutes. Taking elements and episodes from the life and works of Lorca, Ainadamar is a fusion of song, dance and drama that draws on the musical heritage of Spain to create something innovative,…
Lyrics: Tim Rice Music: Andrew Lloyd-Webber Director: Timothy Sheader Jesus Christ Superstar caused quite a stir when first performed with some religious groups taking exception at its depiction of Christ as ‘just a man’ and its sympathetic portrayal of Judas. Nevertheless, it was to run for eight years in the West End and be revived multiple times. This production originated in 2016, celebrating 45 years of the show. The storyline follows the last week of Jesus’ life as warring political factions seek to be rid of him as his popularity grows. Judas is becoming ever more disillusioned and wrestles with…
Writer: John Masefield Adaptor: Piers Torday Director: Justin Audibert A spanking new RSC production that reimagines the eponymous Masefield children’s novel, qualified with the jeopardy teaser, When The Wolves Were Running, reveals a highly suggestive compendium of themes that might well have inspired both Susan Cooper’s series, The Dark Is Rising, a young boy drawn into The Hero’s Journey where time and place become magical, featuring pagan characters such as Herne The Hunter. Similarly, the heroine of Philip Pullman’s Northern Lights, Lyra, takes ownership of an alethiometer, a Golden Compass with horological/horoscope knobs on for unravelling mysteries, as with Kay’s…
Writer: Paul Laverty Adaptor: David Johns Director: Mark Calvert “It’s only a work of fiction” were the dismissive words of the government as they were challenged on the accuracy of the distressing scenes in Ken Loach’s 2016 film I, Daniel Blake. While technically true, the pain, anguish and heartbreak captured in the film is only too relatable to many of those watching. Having such an emotional connection with the events on screen is one thing, but Dave Johns’ stage adaptation makes this storyline even more vivid following his own portrayal of the role of Daniel in the film. The audience…
Music: Richard Rodgers Book & Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II Director: Bartlett Sher The King And I is a quintessential Broadway classic by Rodgers and Hammerstein. This revival started at the Dominion Theatre, London with Helen George heading up the cast, but during its tour it has undergone a cast change and it is now Annalene Beechy in the role of Anna Leonowens, the English teacher tasked with schooling the royal children of Siam. Summoned by the King himself (Darren Lee), Anna makes her way from England to the palace of Siam where she impresses the monarch so much that he…