Author: The Reviews Hub - Central

Writer: William Shakespeare Director: Roy Alexander Weise Much Ado About Nothing follows two couples’ treacherous road to happiness. Soldiers Benedick and Claudio return in triumph under Don Pedra (gender-swapped in this production from the original Don Pedro). They stay with Leonato, father of Beatrice and uncle of Hero. Leonato confides that ‘There is a kind of merry war’ between Benedick and Beatrice and so it turns out as they tease one another mercilessly. Any watcher of RomCom will immediately tell that they are destined to be together, one just has to see what mechanism Shakespeare will use to overcome their…

Writer: Michael Morpurgo Adapter: Simon Reade Director: Elle While Was there ever more devotion, forgiveness and loyalty than that found between the Peaceful brothers? This loyalty is apparent in this new stage adaptation by Simon Reade of Michael Morpurgo’s famous novel, now with an ensemble cast. In the past, the stage play has been Reade’s previous version, a one-man play that tells a powerful story but in the process takes some liberties with the original book for the sake of creating a piece of drama. This professional premiere gives us something which is truer to Morpurgo’s original. The Peaceful brothers…

Director and Choreographer: Matthew Bourne Music: Tchaikovsky Originally devised in 1992, Matthew Bourne’s Nutcracker!is a vivid reworking of the classical ballet set to Tchaikovsky’s epic score. Bourne successfully bridges the gap between classical ballet, modern danceand popular theatre. Unlike other ballets, this version of The Nutcracker! has been brought to life with a fusion of traditional well-performed ballet, sprinkled with samplings from a range of other styles such as flamenco, mime, breakdance, and the Commedia Dell’Arte. It is bold, brashy and at points absurd, but it is nevertheless a thrilling watch. The story of The Nutcracker! follows Clara (Cordelia Braithwaite),…

Writer: Tom Wright Director: Rikki Beadle-Blair Ms Senabo is on her first day teaching Personal, Social and Health Education in a multi-cultural Coventry high school. In her class we find Natasha, a confident Black British loudmouth; Vikram, South-Asian British who appears to be an uncomplicated troublemaker in class; the studious and ultimately easily-led Mary, South-Asian British and Muslim – her parents gave her the name Mary in an attempt to help her fit in and  Leon, Natasha’s mixed heritage boyfriend who sees professional sport as his way out and is openly homophobic towards Cieren, who is white, outrageously camp and…

Book: Julian Fellowes Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Glenn Slater Director: Laurence Connor Based on the cult film and with a rocking score by Andrew Lloyd Webber, School of Rock follows wannabe rock star Dewey Finn (Jake Sharp) as he lies his way into a cover teacher position at a prestigious prep school. Here he turns a class of straight-A students into a guitar-shredding, bass-slapping, mind-blowing all-conquering rock band – sensationally performed by the production’s young cast with incredible energy. School of Rock is uplifting and full of laughs: Laurence Connor’s direction has skilfully succeeded in the fusion of identifiable…

Original score: Tim Dickinson and Sophy Smith Choreographer: Kevin Finnan and the original cast Since its inception in 1988, Motionhouse has become one of the world’s great dance companies. With their distinctive dance-circus style, they create a very physical form of movement designed to engage and bring out emotions in the audience. Nobody epitomises that style absolutely, presenting yet another multi-sensory show that hits the mark. First though, there’s a little warm-up treat. Members of Hippodrome’s Education Network, which comprises schools and colleges across the region, show a short piece that they have conceived and devised based on their reaction…

Writer: C S Lewis Director: Michael Fentiman Composer: Benji Bower & Barnaby Race Based on Original Direction/Devising: Sally Cookson The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was the first of C.S. Lewis’s books to be written in his series, The Chronicles of Narnia. In its lifetime it has enjoyed many adaptations, in many formats: the latest offering is this vibrant production directed by Michael Fentiman which can currently be found on tour at venues across the UK. It follows the story of the four Pevensie children as they are evacuated to the countryside during World War II, and happen upon…

Writer: Ian Henery Adaptor: Emma Cooper Director: Marcus Fernando The horrors of trench warfare in the First World War are well documented, including the huge death tolls on both sides. And that death toll led to problems – back home, women could step up and take on jobs previously taken by men, but at the front, shortages of manpower needed a different solution, one that few are aware of these days. An agreement was struck with the Chinese authorities to supply a pool of labourers. Technically, these labourers were non-combatants working away from the front line in support of troops;…