A Small Mind At The Theatre

Bright Places , currently running at The Rep, Birmingham, is an at times deeply powerful and at others overtly funny exploration of what it is to be a sufferer of Multiple Sclerosis. Presented by Carbon Theatre, in association with Birmingham Rep, the show is written by MS sufferer Rae Mainwaring as a totally honest autobiographical story. Performed by three female actors, Lauren Foster, Aimee Berwick and Rebecca Holmes, they each take on the roles of Actor A, B and C respectively. These "actors" then in turn take the role of sufferer and writer Rae, and all others within her life story from work colleagues, fellow sufferers and doctors. Most of their characterisation is kept simple and is mostly depicted by the use of a costume box or prop rather than in their performance. All the actors do work extremely well together though, clearly, both well rehearsed and confident in each other's abilities to keep the much-needed pace to the story. At times, the sketch-like style of...

I have to confess that apart from hearing Kenny Loggins' monstrously catchy title tune many times, both the original 1984 film and this 1998 stage adaptation of Footloose have passed me by. Therefore, finally, I get to tick it off the list thanks to this production from the Northampton Musical Theatre Company on stage at Royal & Derngate. So, was it worth the wait? Footloose tells the story of Ren McCormack and his mother, Ethel's move to the town of Bomot, Utah with his aunt and uncle following the walking out of Ren's father from the family home. What the confident and rebellious Ren finds within the boundary of Bomot and its illegal dance stance puts him on a path of conflict with the local Reverend Shaw Moore. In many ways the story of Ren and his attitude sits with the delightful selection of Footloose for the N.M.T.C. It is not an obvious fit for the group, leaving fewer roles for the old guard and a movement towards the "next generation" of the group. ...

An Officer and a Gentleman - The Musical, is, as expected a musical offspring of the 1982 film of the same name, starring Richard Gere and Debra Winger. Writers Douglas Day Stewart and Sharleen Cooper Cohen have taken the original screenplay, and placed within the show a series of eighties classics to create what just about amounts to a musical. Following a previous UK tour back in 2018, but with a few changes, it has landed once again at Milton Keynes Theatre on its second tour. The story An Officer and a Gentleman , revolves around a bunch of US Navy recruits attempting to survive the pipeline and get their chance at the big flying game. Under the eyes of Sgt Emil Foley, a few survive the training and also get up close and personal with the young ladies of Pensacola, Florida, in particular here, Zack Mayo and his potential lady, Paula Pokrifki, and Sid and Lynette. What transpires however with this book by Stewart and Cohen, alongside director Nikolai Foster, is a hugely disappoi...

Kazuo Ishiguro's 2005  Never Let Me Go is a slightly difficult novel to categorise at times, but most call it a science-fiction speculative piece. With some limited spoilers for those unfamiliar with the Man Booker Prize-shortlisted work, Ishiguro paints a world where people, clones, are created for the benefit of medical science, destined to become donors to rid the world of deaths from solvable diseases for the rich. It is a powerful piece and while it had a successful film version back in 2010, could a stage version, now running at Royal & Derngate, work similarly? The answer to that is yes, and perhaps even better than the film version. The intimate world of the theatre feels like a stronger location for the story to unfold, bringing the piece straight to the audience with no potential interruption or break to the tale. We learn of Kathy, Ruth and Tommy's (the main protagonists) fixed life through their eyes and live their life for the long, but never dr...

The musical Chicago , first staged in 1975 is rightfully a classic of the stage, and the 2002 film went many ways in bringing it also to more generations. The creator's list itself is a thing of stage legend. Music is by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, with a book by Ebb accompanied by Bob Fosse. It's quite a line-up. Fosse especially shines here with his often-emulated but never-bettered classic jazz choreography. So, what's not to like about seeing this again on stage? Truthfully, very little, this is a highly polished new production of Chicago , opening an extensive tour here at Milton Keynes Theatre. Leading the cast is a carefully selected group of familiar stars from stage and screen, all perfectly suited to their roles. The infamous roles of Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly are played by performers who have both previously razzle dazzled in them. From the cobbles of Coronation Street , Faye Brookes makes the perfect transition to the role of Roxie Hart beyond ...

The title My Mother's Funeral: The Show is perhaps not the most attractive title for a theatre show, however, this show had great success at the Edinburgh Fringe and now arriving at Royal & Derngate, one of its co-producing theatres, so, let's look beyond the unusual title and see what lies beneath. Abigail is a theatre dramatist pursuing plays that the theatres no longer want. Her "gay bugs in space" saga falls foul of being fiction for a start, something a theatre director states audiences no longer want stating they want gritty, real experiences, theatre with painful truths. So, after Abigail devastatingly loses her mother and finds no money to pay the funeral fees, she pursues the creation of a very personal theatre show. My Mother's Funeral: The Show is gritty and sad, but, also in many ways very funny, if in a dark way. Writer Kelly Jones digs deep into the world of poverty in Dagenham and countless estates across the country. A world of people born in...

Dodie Smith's novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians has been a staple for many a child's upbringing ever since it was first published back in 1956. Perhaps Disney's 1961 film 101 Dalmatians went the way of bringing the tale of Perdi and Pongo's adventure into even more family homes and here this musical adaptation brings the show to a new, highly appreciative audience, currently playing at Milton Keynes Theatre. For those unfamiliar with the tail, 101 Dalmatians tells the tale of a burgeoning relationship between Tom and Danielle, owners of dalmatians Pongo and Perdi, their puppies, and the devilish actions of a certain Cruella De Vil, interested in more than the work of fashion designer Tom. First staged at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre in 2022, this re-imagined touring version from director Bill Buckfast has taken the show on a UK tour since June and perhaps adds more of a touch of pantomime style to the production. Adapted by Johnny McKnight, with music and lyr...

It is a truth universally acknowledged... No Stop! That is too obvious an opening line to a review of any Pride & Prejudice . Let us begin anew... Of all the classic regency novels from the 19th century, perhaps, one of the most famous is that of P ride & Prejudice by Jane Austen. The novel of manners telling the story of the Elizabeth Bennet her development and her family is maybe more famous now for the many adaptations the novel itself has had, including a certain wet-shirted Colin Firth edition from the nineties. Due to this, it is ripe for many a reworking and with a guaranteed audience waiting for it. Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) is one of the more bold of those adaptations. However, for all its boldness, does this new version work, or in truth, is it one step too far? The answer is a clear yes, as this dynamic and brilliant reworking by writer and director Isobel McArthur has proven since first taking to the stage back in 2018 and now into this second UK tour, reachin...