Author: The Reviews Hub - Central

Writer: Thomas Levi Normal is a cuttingly humorous one-person show, telling the story of an actor struggling with the ‘performativeness’ of gay culture and his own gay identity. In Birmingham as part of the SHOUT Festival, it contains some sharp moments of wit and self-recognition as well as commentary on current times. This piece is an intriguing addition to the wide array of one-person shows out there. We meet the unnamed protagonist as he waits to be called into an audition for the role of “Sebastian – gay name.” He’s been given castings for “gay characters” ever since he came…

Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Libretto: Emanuel Schikaneder  Director: Daisy Evans Conductor: Frederick Brown Translation: Daisy Evans The Magic Flute is the first opera many people attend as a teenager and so it has a very special place in the hearts of many operagoers.  Welsh National Opera (WNO) is also a company very dear to UK audiences as their productions are normally of the highest possible quality.  Sadly this version of The Magic Flute has to rank as the weakest production that this reviewer has ever encountered from WNO. There is no criticism to be made of the cast, orchestra nor…

Writer: Olga Tokarczuk Director: Simon McBurney Janina Duszejko is an environmentalist, avid astrologer and passionate translator of William Blake, living in a remote community in the mountains of Poland, not far from the Czech border. Deep into the depths of one winter a member of the local hunting club dies, and then another, in increasingly mysterious circumstances. She’s been watching the animals who share the isolated plateau with the villagers – are they starting to act strangely or is she imagining it? When she does the horoscope for each of the victims, it’s almost as though the manner of their…

Book: Peter Stone Music and Lyrics: Maury Yeston Director: Thom Sutherland Most people will admit to a passing knowledge of RMS Titanic, the largest moving object on earth, apinnacle of engineering and, of course, unsinkable. And how that bluff was horrifically called one night in icy seas when an iceberg was struck and the ship sank, with the loss of over 1500 souls. Some might also recall how there were insufficient lifeboats for all the passengers and crew, or that she was steaming at full speed into an area in which other ships were repeatedly reporting icebergs. What exactly went…

Writer: Jane Austen Adaptor: Isobel McArthur Directors: Isobel McArthur and Simon Harvey It is a truth universally acknowledged that any review of an adaptation of Pride and Prejudice must be in want of a witty summary to open it that clearly enumerates where the production falls short and which is in the style of Austen’s famous aphorism. Except that this adaptation is not in want of anything; it’s as perfect as it can be. At its heart, there’s a story that is pretty faithful to the novel, but there’s so much more. Austen’s sense of the absurd in the Regency…

Writer: Michael Rosen Adaptor: Roy Williams Music: Yaya Bey and Conrad Murray Director: James Dacre It’s been tough for Shona since Mum died. Dad lost his job and is getting forgetful so she has had to grow up fast. Debts are piling up and they are living in a procession of ever-smaller digs eating meals of ever-smaller bags of chips. With the move comes a new school, and Shona joins Miss Cavani’s class, which is reluctantly studying Oliver Twist. When they realise Shona doesn’t have a phone, classmates Tino and Gazz draw her into a shady world in which she…

Book: Kyle Jarrow Original Music: Tom Kitt Original Lyrics: Jonathan Coulton Director: Tara Overfield Wilkinson ‘Spongebob Squarepants’ might not be just a simple sponge, but this is a somewhat simple musical. A star-studded cast, diverse musical numbers, and elaborate set design really give this production a ton of potential but it does feel undercooked in parts. Bikini Bottom has escaped its roots at the depths of the seabed and crawled its way through the M6 traffic to arrive in Birmingham in time for its touring journey across the country. Having already began its tour in Southampton, The Spongebob Musical intends to…

Writer: Maggie O’Farrell Adaptor: Lolita Chakrabarti Director: Erica Whyman In March 2020 the Swan Theatre had to close, like venues across the country affected by the pandemic during which countless thousands of families experienced the grief of losing a loved one. Now, following a major refurbishment, the theatre has re-opened – and what better choice to mark the occasion than the world stage premiere of Hamnet, which tells the story of just one family and their grief during similar circumstances four hundred years ago. It’s a risky business taking a highly-acclaimed novel and adapting it for the stage but Lolita…