REVIEW: Sister Act is an uplifting show that everyone could do with a dose of
Venue: Haymarket Theatre Basingstoke Performance Date: 18 May 2022 Reviewer: Leyla Demirel Following the rehearsal of Basingstoke Amateur Theatre Society’s (BATS) Sister Act, I was looking forward to seeing the finished show. And it provided the fun, high energy and laugh a minute show everyone could do with a dose with from time to time. Under […]
REVIEW: Waitress – An utterly charming production, & a rom-com with a difference
Wendy Mae Brown ‘Becky’, Chelsea Halfpenny ‘Jenna’ and Evelyn Hoskins ‘Dawn’. Photo Johan Persson Venue: Birmingham Hippodrome Performance Date: 17 May 2022 Reviewer: Alex Birch Star Rating: ★★★★★ Based on Adrienne Shelly’s 2007 indie film of the same name, Waitress is a rom-com musical about an underappreciated pie chef, Jenna (Chelsea Halfpenny), who spends her days […]
REVIEW: Footloose – won’t change your life, but it will put a smile on your face
Footloose UK Tour – Photo: Mark Senior Venue: Aylesbury Waterside Theatre Performance Date: 10 May 2022 Reviewer: Gemma Fincher Star Rating: ★★★ Theatreland is somewhat saturated with movie musical offerings of late. We’ve had Dirty Dancing recently replaced by Grease at the cavernous Dominion Theatre in the West End. Both enjoyed UK tours before their London […]
REVIEW: We Will Rock You – Pop your smartphone down for three hours & go & immerse yourself in some good old-fashioned live entertainment
Cast of We Will Rock You UK Tour – Credit: Johan Persson Venue: Aylesbury Waterside Theatre Performance Date: 02 May 2022 Reviewer: Gemma Fincher Star Rating: ★★★★ Back in 2002 even the perceptive Ben Elton surely couldn’t have foreseen just how technology would evolve by the time We Will Rock You would celebrate its 20th anniversary […]
REVIEW: Mamma Mia! Get ready to be a Dancing Queen & give the box office all your Money Money Money – You’ll want to go again & again!
Helen Anker (Tanya), Sara Poyzer (Donna), Nicky Swift (Rosie) in MAMMA MIA! Credit Brinkhoff-Moegenburg Venue: Birmingham Hippodrome Performance Date: 04 May 2022 Reviewer: Ely King Star Rating: ★★★★★ Directed by Phyllida Lloyd, with music by the spectacular ABBA, Mamma Mia! follows bride-to-be Sophie on her quest to get her father to walk her down the aisle. Things don’t exactly […]
REVIEW – Cluedo: A barmy night of murder mystery high jinks
Cluedo Production Image – 2022 UK Tour Credit Craig Sugden Venue: The Alexandra, Birmingham Performance Date: 03 May 2022 Reviewer: Alex Birch Star Rating: ★★★★ Debuting last month at Bath’s Theatre Royal, Cluedo is a new offering from Mark Bell, the director of The Play That Goes Wrong. This week, it’s playing at Birmingham’s beloved Alexandra Theatre until Saturday. […]
REVIEW: Chicago Blues Brothers – A night at the movies – Get ready to shake your tail feather
Chicago Blues Brothers Production Image Venue: Aylesbury Waterside Theatre Performance Date: 30 April 2022 Reviewer: Jo Neville Star Rating: ★★★1/2 The Blues Brothers movie first hit the screens in 1980. With its fantastic rhythm and blues music and quotable lines, it became a cult classic. The trilby hats, suits, and dark glasses of Jake and Elwood […]
REVIEW: Les Misérables – Stirring, empowering, heart-breaking, and rousing
Les Misérables TOUR. The Company. Photo Danny Kaan Venue: Milton Keynes Theatre Performance Date: 29 April 2022 Reviewer: Gemma Fincher Star Rating: ★★★★1/2 There are few musicals that truly stand the test of time, certainly not those who enjoy continued and unadulterated success. Les Misérables is one such musical. Still a stalwart of the West end, […]
NEWS – Basingstoke Amateur Theatrical Society are back in the habit as rehearsals for Sister Act begin…
By Leyla Demirel You’d think a hollowed church hall wouldn’t be the best place to rehearse a fully staged musical, and yet I had the wonderful pleasure of being invited to the rehearsal of a full run-through of BATS (Basingstoke amateur theatrical society) newest show, Sister Act, opening at the Haymarket Theatre in Basingstoke on […]
REVIEW: Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance – Incredible Irish Dancing dipped in Disney
Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance (Matt Smith) – Credit: Brian Doherty Venue: Aylesbury Waterside Theatre Performance Date: 22 April 2022 Reviewer: Jo Neville Star Rating: ★★★★ 25 years ago, Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance first exploded onto the stage. Along with his earlier show, Riverdance, it was literally a sensation, revolutionising Irish dancing and bringing […]