UK Theatre Network

PETER PAN                                                                          

KENSINGTON GARDENS

 

A new effects laden production of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, the original place where the story began, sounds like the perfect scenario for this much loved 1904 tale to return home. But on it’s journey it has lost it’s heart and soul in a messy plundering of J.M Barrie’s original concept.

Presented in a 1,100-seat circus–like arena by designer Bill Dudley, it is the world’s first fully 360-degree movie backdrop for live theatre. Computer generated images projected on to a cyclorama that runs right round the tent, provide stunning panoramas as Pan, Tinkerbell and the Darling children take flight. With superb flying skills they zoom over a dazzling three-dimensional CGI set of Edwardian London, and eventually arrive in an equally striking Neverland. Perfectly complimented by a soaring soundtrack by Benjamin Wallfisch, it feels as if we are flying with them.

Sue Buckmaster’s highly effective puppet creations add to the magic. Operated by War Horse-style puppeteer Mohsen Nouri, they include Nana the dog, the Neverbird and a wonderful skeletal crocodile.

There are adaptations to the original story by Tanya Ronder that work. In this day of high profile child disappearances, Mr.and Mrs Darling do not leave the children home alone, but are entertaining guests downstairs when their youngsters disappear. Tinkerbell is no longer just a ball of twinkling light but is a punky fairy with attitude. But there are other differences that are not so successful. When Tinkerbell swallows poison the audience are asked not to clap but told to whisper ‘I believe in fairies,’ to save her life. It is almost apologetic and seems to sum up the whole mood of the production. Indeed there seems to be an unwillingness to adhere to any commitment that might give the play emotional truth. Consequently it fails to move, resulting in a production that is ultimately shallow. The energy of the show seems to reflect this, and despite my attendance at only the second press night, it already felt tired.

Abbey Ford as Wendy is uninspiring and too old for the role, and there are little age differences (actual or performance wise), with the actors playing her brothers. Supporting actors in the Lost Boys and Pirates are far more convincing; and in the leads Jonathan Hyde is excellent as the wanna-be-loved Hook, Ciaran Kellgren dynamic as Pan and Itxasco Moreno riveting as naughty fairy Tinkerbell.

Of course I am reviewing this version of Peter Pan from an adult’s viewpoint. The children watching were not so critical, and although they only counted for only about ten percent of the audience they seemed to love it. Perhaps their voice should reflect any   future successes of the show much louder than that of a critic who has broken Pan’s rules and grown up.

OLIVER VALENTINE                                                                

 Comedy Magician Christian Lee played at Jackson's Lane Theatre, Highgate, for three nights last week with his new show 'Magic Bullet' & what an enjoyable show it was!

Lee has worked hard to produce a fully rounded themed show which is hugely entertaining, funny and skillful, appealing at Highgate to both an adult and younger audience - quite a feat!

Of his magicianship skills - there's no doubt he is one of the most skillful magicians in town; but Lee offers us more than that - he brings a very likeable, warm and funny persona - himself - to the stage. Somewhat reminiscent you may say, of a mixture of Tommy Cooper, Norman Wisdom & more recently Lee Evans - just as much in the comedy as in his physicality.
Lee takes his time with his tricks, pulling us into his absorption, giving them time & space, nice build-up, and skillfully incorporating the responses from individual participating audience members, as well as the audience as a whole.
 
The show is well structured & the ongoing  sub-plot is nicely held & acted by his assistant Vicious Delicious  (Leah Shand) as a pregnant 'princess' type, who hits the right comic note & to the delight of the audience gets her revenge at the end. Musical accompaigment throughout with Pete Saunders & his trio is excellent & adds an extra dimension to the night's entertainment.

But it's Lee's night & he takes it by the bit & packs it full, offering us all the goods - skillful magic (sometimes nailbiting!) comedy, humour, energy, & his very likeable stage presence.

This show has legs & deserves to grow. Surely a UK tour must be lined up offering the chance to show it's goodies to a wider audience.

You can get to see it before it's snapped up, at the Hackney Empire, July 1-2 2009. Details below:

MAGIC BULLET
July 1st & 2nd 2009

HACKNEY EMPIRE
 291 Mare Street, London E8 1EJ
Box Office: +44 (0)20 8985 2424
boxoffice@hackneyempire.co.uk
www.hackneyempire.co.uk
www.christianleeshow.biz

Nicola Hollinshead

Rent

The Customs House, South Shields, Tyne & Wear

From first impressions, a musical that deals with issues including poverty, homelessness, jealousy, betrayal, drug addiction and the AIDS epidemic, doesn’t sound like a whole lot of fun.

‘Rent’ is, more or less, a modern-day take on Puccini’s famous opera La Boheme. Its storyline is rooted in the realities that were the ‘rent riots’ which were the culmination of spiralling rent increases in Alphabet City, New York, during the 1980s.

The plot follows the lives of seven friends, Mark (Jordan Branthwaite), Roger (Jonathan Bell), Mimi (Jade Thirlwall), Collins (James Alexander Hall), Angel (Andrew McKay), Joanne (Amber Glover) and Maureen (Alice Brown), beginning on one Christmas Eve and ending the next.

Despite the fact that director Gareth Hunter has assembled a cast consisting of considerable vocal and acting talent, Jonathan Larson’s script provides slim pickings for them. There is virtually no dialogue, which hampers the actors with characterisation and makes it harder for the audience to follow the plot and place each character into context. The ‘issues’ tackled seem to come straight from a ‘shopping list’, too.

However, the energy and enthusiasm emanating from the stage somehow allowed this reviewer to overcome these shortcomings and almost enjoy the show.

ION Productions have an enviable reputation for producing shows of the highest quality and there is no doubt that Gareth Hunter is a theatrical impresario, but unfortunately, in my opinion, ‘Rent’ is by no means a representation of their finest work.

However, there were yowls of approval from the audience on opening night and, as far as I could tell, only one yelp of dissent. Judging from the standing ovation, ‘Rent’ must be pleasing the majority.

Steve Burbridge.

‘Rent’ runs at The Customs House, South Shields until Saturday 13^th June 2009.

 

 

 

 

D C Jackson’s sequel to last year’s hit comedy “The Wall” ends its run at the Traverse this week.

Two years have passed since Norma, Michelle, Rab and Barry used to meet at “the wall” in Stewarton, the most boring town in Ayrshire. Now they meet at “the ducky”, the local pond. Although things haven’t changed much in Stewarton they have for the three friends. Barry’s in Thailand, Michelle’s at uni, Rab’s having problems with his brother and Norma is pregnant.

This is a very funny play, in which Jackson uses teenage angst and west of Scotland dialect to their full comic affect. Such is the skill of his writing that he creates a play that is humorous, yet also deals with some bigger issues, such as death, bullying, loneliness and teenage pregnancy.

The cast all work well together. In particular Hannah Donaldson, as a very angst ridden Michelle, and Sally Reid, who is hilarious as Norma.

A clever and funny play that’s well worth a look!

 

Listings:

Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh

10 to 13 April

Wed – Sat eves 8:00pm

Sat mat 2:30pm

Tickets: £5 - £16

Box Office: 0131 228 1404

www.traverse.co.uk

 

Rattle of a Simple Man

Reviewed at Darlington Civic Theatre

Ian Dickens Productions kicks off their 10^th Anniversary Summer Repertory Season with a charming production of Rattle of a Simple Man, starring Hannah Waterman and Huw Higginson.

Cyrenne is a worldly-wise London prostitute who picks up Percy, a gullible football fan from Manchester. His mates, knowing his lack of experience with women, bet him fifty pounds to spend the night with her and ‘go all the way.’ He accepts.

In 1962, when Rattle of a Simple Man was first produced and social taboos were much stronger, the piece must have seemed rather daring. In today’s world, where we are accustomed to seeing all manner of intimacy on stage and screen, does it still manage to strike a chord with the audience?

Well, the answer is a resounding ‘Yes.’

This is largely due to the performances of Hannah Waterman and Huw Higginson. Miss Waterman creates a multi-faceted character that is tough but tender, strong yet fragile. The cynicism and sarcasm of the self-assured, professional ‘hostess’ is merely the mask that hides the damaged little girl behind. Her performance has real pathos and is nothing less than magnificent. Huw Higginson is in no way overshadowed by Waterman and he, too, creates a character that is rounded and easy to engage with. He gives the bumbling Scoutmaster a  genuine warmth and his lack of guile is totally believable.

The chemistry between them is tangible as they play a game of sexual cat and mouse and the characters are so beautifully acted that the audience are soon willing them to get it together – not so that Percy wins his bet, but because it is obvious that he and Cyrenne are made for each other.

The conversation between the couple, as they awkwardly attempt to establish whether the bed will be used, reveals much about each character. As a result, it seems that Cyrenne and Percy have much more in common than they first thought.

The loneliness that each character experiences is most eloquently summed-up by Cyrenne when she is exposed as a fantasist and she admits: ‘They’re old friends, the people I invent, I laugh and I cry with them.’

This production of Rattle of a Simple Man is poignant and compelling, with production values that are second to none and performances that are first class. In short, it encompasses everything that good theatre should be.

Steve Burbridge.

‘Rattle of a Simple Man’ runs at Darlington Civic Theatre until Saturday 13^th June 2009.

 

 

 

 

On their return to the Theatre Royal the Imperial Ice Stars show why the audience have been waiting so eagerly.

 

Before the show even begins, the impressive scale of this production is explained in the programme. The effort to transform the Theatre Royal stage into an ice rink for these talanted performers is no mean feat. With 36 hours of solid work, including spraying the ice every 15 mins overnight to ensure the correct thickness and smoothness, it was amazing to think they managed all that, plus constructed the set and rigged up and focused the lights and still opened on time. There was one slight technical issue with a projector or screen not being at the correct position, but that can easily be forgiven when you see the work that has already taken place behind the scenes. Besides, it’s the work onstage that draws your attention.

 

With many different verions of Cinderella to choose from, the Imperial Ice Stars have created a clever story that allows each performer to show off their own individual talents on the ice. From acrobatics to aerial work, from leaps to lifts, from spins to splits, this show really does manage to do everything on ice you could possibly think of (and they’ve thought of even more too!). As Cinderella, Olga Sharutenko (who some may remember as the dance partner of John Barrowman on Dancing On Ice) shows that skating is in her blood (her mother was also a figure skater). With poise and beauty as the leading lady, all the audience, young or old, were enthralled with both her on ice and “off ice” dancing.

 

With no dialogue, it always amazes me in these productions that the story can be told so emotionally, and also with great humour. The interpretations of different dance styles in the production was ingenious and extremely entertaining. Also, in the current economic climate, it was clever to re-use Swan Lake as a part of the story and include the beautiful costumes from that last production, alongside the stunning dresses created for this show. The Stepmother had fantastically over the top, but extremely tailored creations, which allowed Olena Pyatash to show some fantastic aerial positions in the stunning lifts with both Vadim Yarkov, as Cinderella’s Father, and Andrei Penkine, who instead of a traditional “Prince” was playing the Lord Mayor’s Son.

 

The production numbers involving the full cast are amzing to watch, as they all move with such precision over the small section of ice, pulling off daring moves like  double axels, triple flips and toe loops, and triple throw axels where the girls are thrown into a spin by their partners, and land, with only inches of ice to spare. With ice skating making a resurgance in the popularity stakes, due to the Dancing On Ice TV show, this show will tick all the boxes for fans of traditional ice shows, and also of the TV show. And seeing as the Dancing On Ice producers “couldn’t find a venue to accommodate their show in Scotland”, they’ve been majorly put to shame by The Imperial Ice Stars and their continuing tours.

 

Get your skates on, as it will be another 2 years before they are back in Glasgow again!

 

Listings Info:

 

Tue 9^th – Sat 13^th June

Tue – Sat eves 7.30pm

Wed, Thu and Sat Mats 2.30pm

 

Tickets: £13.50 - £30

 

Box Office: 0870 060 6647          www.ambassadortickets.com/glasgow

 

Matthew Bourne’s Dorian Gray

Reviewed by Sue Marks at Milton Keynes Theatre on Tuesday 9^th June 2009.
 

This production is what dance should be: vital, flowing, sensual, but above all entrancing. It offers a variation upon Wilde’s original Picture of Dorian Gray whilst interpreting the same theme. In Wilde’s story a painting of Gray absorbs the corruption which should be visited upon the individual and by so doing encourages more and more corruption.  As with all dance this production is open to personal interpretation but for me Bourne explores the corrupting influence of fame and beauty. Here the image retains its beauty as does Gray himself, the corruption being internalised and leading to a journey through hedonism to vice and ultimately to the destruction of the origins of fame and Gray himself. I frequently found myself torn between foreground and background action to the extent that I may go to another performance to catch the bits I missed.

It would be divisive to talk about individual members of the company as they are clearly a talented, experienced and mutually supportive team. On this night the cast consisted of ; Richard Winsor, Michela Meazza, Jason Piper, Christopher Marney, Jared Hageman, Ashley Bain, Joe Colesanti, Anabel Kutay, Dominic Lamb, Dominic North, Joe Walkling and Chloe Wilkinson. The band were; Craig Edwards associate musical director and keyboard, Dan Bowtell on guitar, Mat Elliott on bass guitar, James Gambold on drumkit/percussion and  Magnus Mehta on percussion/keyboard.

Both the set and the costumes were predominantly black and white, making Dorian stand out in his grey suit. The set had a certain simplicity giving the appearance of whitewashed brick walls, with a huge screen in the centre on a revolving stage. One side of the screen was white whilst the other side had been given an industrial finish of grey and rust. Props included the bed with black linen, a beautiful black sofa and a rather pleasant bath in which rather unpleasant things happen. Personally I thought the most amazing prop was a skull shaped mirror ball.

For the most part the lighting was low key being effective without being intrusive with perhaps the exception of the strobe sequence, the mirror ball and one or two other effects. One advantage of the white walls was the strength of the shadows cast upon them and this was used with deliberate effect.

Clearly an awful lot of effort had been put into the music drawing together many different threads including classical, pop, rock, dance and world music and I enjoyed it so much I bought the cd of the soundtrack in the interval. In many ways the ambience provided by the music provided the canvas the dancers then painted upon.  

I have no hesitation in saying this is the best dance I have ever seen, an opinion that was clearly echoed by the comments of those around me and the rapturous applause at the end of the performance. I can honestly say I was captivated from beginning to end and it left me wanting more.

Dorian Gray plays Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday 13^th June 2009. Milton Keynes Theatre Box Office 0844 871 7652 (bkg fee). www.miltonkeynestheatre.com.
The tour then continues playing Teatro Alighieri, Ravenna Festival Italy from Friday 19^th to Sunday 21^st June 2009. www.new-adventures.net/doriangray/tour.

Reviewed by Sue Marks at Milton Keynes Theatre on Tuesday 9^th June 2009 on behalf of Catherine Brian.

The Seafarer

Octagon Theatre, Bolton

5 June 2009

 

The final show in the Octagon season is Mark Babych’s valedictory production before he steps down as artistic director.  The Seafarer is another example of his passion for new writing, skill at working with a tight ensemble on an intense chamber piece, and penchant for black comedy – a characteristic choice from the director who brought us Four Knights in Knaresborough, Blue/Orange and assorted Martin McDonagh classics. 

Sharky, a shambolic middle-aged drifter, has mysteriously jacked in his chauffeuring job down south and returned to the bosom of his family for Christmas.  “Family” now comprises his blind older brother Richard and their drinking buddy Ivan, whose exasperated wife has chucked him out yet again.  In this dysfunctional company, and surrounded by every kind of alcohol, Sharky’s attempts at abstinence are already under pressure.  But then his arch-enemy Nicky comes round for a game of poker, accompanied by the enigmatic Mr Lockhart.  Nicky thinks he accidentally bumped into Mr Lockhart in a bar, but in fact Mr Lockhart has purposely come to claim a twenty-five-year-old debt from the doomed Sharky.

Conor McPherson’s monologue-heavy Shining City was at the Octagon a couple of years ago, but The Seafarer is a fuller-bodied piece, getting away from the long story-telling form by deploying the cast of five in a genuinely dramatic manner.  It’s also an out-and-out Irish comedy, though again with a supernatural twist.

The cast handle the Mamet-style dialogue with aplomb, and their characterisations are well observed, from Michael O’Connor’s edgy alcoholic Sharky, pacing the tiny basement room like a caged animal, to Peter Dineen as his monstrous brother, whose spirit remains strong but whose features are disintegrating like a digestive biscuit dunked in a cup of tea.  Brendan Charleson is piteous but funny as the myopic Ivan, and Leigh Symonds captures the way that Nicky’s confident designer-label self-image is actually a cheap counterfeit.  However it’s Fintan McKeown as the Mr Lockhart who brings another dimension to the play.  The crumpled white linen suit, goatee beard and pony-tail immediately mark him out from his grubby companions, as do his aristocratic bearing and a mesmeric bass-baritone.  And when he rants passionately about his contempt for the human body his voice seems to emerge directly from the unfathomed depths of hell.  His mastery of the role is absolute.

When the lights come up on Patrick Connellan’s incredibly detailed set we immediately know where we are - a former family home which has been taken over by undomesticated single men, with darts sticking out of the lampshade, a bar mat antimacassar over the back of the armchair, and the carpet carpeted by empty bottles and beer cans.  Even the bubbling fish tank plays its part, while Tom Dexter Scott’s subtle lighting underlines the other-worldly episodes without being intrusive.

This is a really funny night at the theatre for lovers of black Irish humour with a sting in the tail.  After this magnificent swan-song we can only hope that Mark Babych’s work will continue to be seen in the north-west, even if it’s just touring to The Lowry.

 

 

The Seafarer is on at Bolton Octagon until Saturday 27 June 2009

Tickets: from £9.00

Evenings: Mon-Sat at 7.30pm

Matinees: Wednesday 17 and Saturday 27 May @ 2pm

Box Office: 01204 520661

www.octagonbolton.co.uk

 

 

“Never Forget” - the hit musical with the songs of Take That

“Never Forget” is the type of musical where to get the most enjoyment out of it, you have to be a Take That fan and you have to believe that the five guys on stage are actually the real members of Take That.  Sadly I am neither a fan and I believe I was watching five actors.  That said it’s a well performed piece. 

As with all pop shows, the story is pretty thin – a guy sets up a tribute band, the lead singer is more talented that the rest of the band, an r & r lady comes and wants to sign him to her record label (bizarrely before their first gig and within a two week rehearsal period!), the band manager isn’t honest and pockets the money offered to the lead guy... But then this show isn’t about the story, it’s about the music.  For non-Take That-ers like me, some of the settings for the songs and some of the costumes are, frankly, bizarre.  Suddenly in one number rain starts coming out of the sky (read, of course, fly floor) for no reason at all, other than, I am reliably informed, because that’s how the Take That video was, even though the song doesn’t mention rain once.  I was bemused.  In another song, they are wearing the most ridiculous costumes in all shades of red – again, I am reliably informed, because that’s what Take That did in the video of the song.  Thank goodness, or else I’d have thought the designer had had some kind of breakdown!  All of which poses the question, if you are taking something out of context and giving it its own story, should you then try to re-create the music video of the song?  And if so, should the only people who come to see the show therefore, be die-hard fans of the band in question?  And should you even attempt to take it out of context?  Which is possibly one of the reasons why Mamma Mia and We Will Rock you are so successful as they are out of context and don’t try to recreate what the original bands did, therefore not cutting out an entire slice of revenue creating audience.

What I found most amazing was the amount of screaming the, majority female, audience did.  Its musical theatre not Take That!  Its five actors – hitherto out of work – doing a job!  I really was in the minority by not really wanting to stand up and dance to the, obligatory, mega-mix at the end.  Maybe it’s me.  Maybe I’m an old stick-in-the-mud.  But surely a mega-mix should be a momentum thing, and make everyone want to get up and dance, such is the furore the evening of magic has created?  Surely it should be something that has to be built up to and is spontaneous, not something that is expected of the audience at the end of the show?  Of course we had to stand up as we couldn’t see anything, but sometimes I wonder if the first couple of rows full of excitable fans didn’t stand up, whether anyone else would actually bother.

As I said, there was nothing wrong with the performances.  In fact, some were brilliant.

  I wonder what the exceptional talent of Aimee Atkinson is doing touring the country, when really, she should be in the West End leading a cast?  She showed exactly why she won the “Voice of Musical Theatre” competition.  I wish Piers Morgan would come and see her, and then he might stop banging on about the middle-aged woman trying to sing “I Dreamed A Dream” and propel the amazing Miss Atkinson to star-dom.

Tom Bradley is surely a star in the making.  His portrayal of Adrian was brilliant.  Keenly observed and very funny. 

Teddy Kempner as Ron Freeman, the band manager, gave, as expected, a solid performance.  There were no bad performances so to single anyone out is possibly unfair to the rest of the cast.

Would I recommend you go and see “Never Forget”?  To be honest, only if you’re part of a hen party or are into Take That.  If you’re not and you’re sober, you might wish you’d spent your money on something more suitable to your taste.  I always question when we are told in the title of the piece that it’s a hit – surely if it was that good, we’d know it was a hit without being told...

“Never Forget” – plays Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday 6^th June. www.miltonkeynestheatre.com. Box Office: 0844 871 7652.  There are tour dates booked until December – full details including videos, photos and audience reviews can be found at www.neverforgetthemusical.com. 

Reviewed by Catherine Brian at Milton Keynes Theatre on Tuesday 2nd June 2009.

YOUTH AUDITIONS

Casting For The West End

Talented youngsters are always in demand in the West End.

With shows such as Cat On A Hot Tin Roof,  The Lion King, Oliver and the classic Les Miserables.

 Some of these positions are open to auditions on recommendation only. UK Theatre Network are acting as agents to represent a select quality of young individuals who are clearly passionate about theatre. Parents should enquire for further details by emailing editor@uktheatre.net 

There are strict age, skin tone, height and some requiring dance and singing skills, please provide some details with your enquiry.

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GETTING YOUR FIRST MOVIE MADE

 Saturday/Sunday 20/21 June - Central London

Weekend Masterclass 

Make the movie, sell the movie.

Lo-To-No Budget Filmmaking -The Original And Still The Best.....with Elliot Grove, Raindance

The courses that shot Guy Ritchie and Chris Nolan to fame.

Only £250 plus vat.

There’s also a wide range of foundation courses which give you all the skills from lighting to sound and direction to production.  

Email editor@ukfilm.tv for dates and details or to register your interest for future courses.

 

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Goodbye: The After Life Of Cook and Moore

Published by: OLIVER VALENTINE on Monday 1st June 2009 09:06am

GOODBYE: THE AFTER LIFE OF COOK AND MOORE             

Goodbye: The (After) Life of Cook and Moore, at The Leicester Square Theatre offers an hilarious review of the sometimes bumpy working relationship of iconic British comics Peter Cook and Dudley Moore.

It's 2002 and Dudley Moore has died. Moore finds himself in a bar run by his ex-comedy partner Cook. The booze is free and never gives a hangover but all is not perfect. The comics are in Limbo, and they have an eternity to settle old scores. In death Cook and Moore face divine judgment for ‘Derek and Clive,’ and are forced to face their past, present and future with performers whose paths they crossed - not always favorably, before they are allowed to enter heaven or hell. With them in Limbo are a whole host of comics like Kenneth Williams, Tony Hancock and Charles Hawtrey who despite successful careers were deeply unhappy on earth.

 http://www.uktheatre.tv/magazine/read/goodbye-the-after-life-of-cook-and-moore_184.html

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Thriller: Live

Published by: Steve Burbridge on Tuesday 2nd June 2009 01:06am

Thriller: Live

UK National Tour

Reviewed at Darlington Civic Theatre

 

In a career that has spanned forty years, Michael Jackson has sold an unparalleled 750 million records worldwide, with his Thriller album still the world’s best-selling record of all time. Love him or loathe him, his impact upon 20^th century pop music cannot be denied.

So, it would seem, the time is right for musical theatre to pay tribute to his achievements in a production that is dedicated to his career. After all, Queen has We Will Rock You, Madness has Our House, Boney M has Daddy Cool, Barry Manilow has Can’t Smile Without You . . . you get the point, right?

http://www.uktheatre.tv/magazine/read/thriller-live_187.html

 

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Studies For A Portrait Oval House theatre

Published by: OLIVER VALENTINE on Tuesday 2nd June 2009 03:06pm

STUDIES FOR A PORTRAIT                OVAL HOUSE THEATRE

 Studies For A Portrait, at the Oval House Theatre follows the last few days of Julian Barker, a highly successful artist in the ranks of David Hockney, Francis Bacon and Andy Warhol.

The dying artist retreats to his East Hampton beach home with his much younger partner Chad. The latter is a hard-faced but efficient gold-digger who is determined to take sole control of Barker's estate once he is dead. However Barker’s previous long term boyfriend Marcus, appears on the scene broke and believing he has also a stake in the painter’s work. Along for the ride is also Justin, Chad’s cute twenty-three year old underwear model boyfriend who wants Chad’s full attention but is also willing to share his time with Barker as his new muse. As the battle for inheritance, heart and legacy begins amongst the ménage a trios, the best and worst of human nature is seen.

http://www.uktheatre.tv/magazine/read/studies-for-a-portrait-------------------oval-house-theatre_185.html

Unreal

Published by: Steve Burbridge on Wednesday 3rd June 2009 09:06am

Unreal

The Customs House, South Shields, Tyne and Wear

Two of the North East’s leading ‘new writing’ producers have teamed up for a three year partnership to offer playwrights in the North East region various opportunities to develop and showcase their work.

The Customs House, South Shields and Cloud Nine Productions launched the project, last night, with a trio of brand new one-act plays from aspiring Northern writers, collectively entitled ‘Unreal.’

http://www.uktheatre.tv/magazine/read/unreal_189.html

A View From The Bridge – Theatre Royal, Glasgow – 1st – 6th Jun 2009

Published by: Jon Cuthbertson on Wednesday 3rd June 2009 01:06pm

After a critically acclaimed run in London, A View From The Bridge stops in Glasgow for one week as part of a very limited national tour.

 Arthur Miller has created many tragic heroes in his time, and many of his plays focus on situations surrounding family loyalty and responsibility. A View From The Bridge seems to combine many of his themes in one play, and it’s humour and drama still provides entertainment to this day. The political statements that speak to us about our lives today, including the immigrant workers, the struggles for money are the background in which to place a simple story about misplaced love and loyalty.

http://www.uktheatre.tv/magazine/read/a-view-from-the-bridge-�-theatre-royal-glasgow-�-1st-�-6th-jun-2009_186.html