Theatre Reviews & Recommendations, What Have You Seen? What Are You Going To See? What's Your Fave? Options

[Nosferatu]

Trailer for the Michael Grandage season of plays in the West End:

[angelfan]

Taboo cast update: Paul Baker will reprise his Olivier award-winning performance as Phillip Sallon.

[ItIsHairy]

Saw Torch Song Trilogy at the Menier tonight. Warm, witty, moving, sexy, hilarious and superbly acted. Not to be missed. My special favourite was Joe McFadden who is utterly delightful and looks sensational in his pants.

I have to agree. I can't believe I first fancied Joe about 20 years ago and he looked better than ever in his pants.

[angelfan]

Rob Bryden will make his West End debut later this year in Alan Ayckbourn's A Chorus of Disapproval alongside Nigel Harman and Ashley Jensen. The play will be directed by Trevor Nunn at the Harold Pinter theatre from 17th September to 5th January.

[Nosferatu]

What's Jack Lowden like?

Interview and some footage from the show:

[Nosferatu]

Bit of West End news that might be of interest, Mathew Lewis will be joining the cast of "Our Boys" in September at the Duchess Theatre, appearing alongside Laurence Fox and Arthur Darvill.

And for anyone who hasn't seen "Torch Song Trilogy" at the Menier yet, there is a good £10 ticket offer available HERE

[PadSpin]

What's Jack Lowden like?

Interview and some footage from the show

It's funny how one can make erroneous assumptions.

Knowing James McArdle to be Scottish, I assumed he was playing Eric Liddle.

As it is, both actors are Scots and James is actually playing Harold Abrahams.

With Joe McFadden in Torch Song, it looks as though the Scots are starting to take over the West End the way the Canadians are taking over Hollywood!

[angelfan]

What's Jack Lowden like?

Interview and some footage from the show

It's funny how one can make erroneous assumptions.

Knowing James McArdle to be Scottish, I assumed he was playing Eric Liddle.

As it is, both actors are Scots and James is actually playing Harold Abrahams.

With Joe McFadden in Torch Song, it looks as though the Scots are starting to take over the West End the way the Canadians are taking over Hollywood!

I think you'll actually find there are actually a lot of Scots in the West End.

[angelfan]

Off to see Blood Brothers again in Glasgow today. One of my favourite musicals.

[angelfan]

Was a bit disappointed with Blood Brothers this time around. Marti Pellow was completely wrong for the Narrator. His accent was all over the place and he completely overacted. Maureen Nolan certainly hit a few bum notes.

In other news Chicago is to close in London on 1st September after 15 years.

[Nosferatu]

This weekend I saw "The Last of the Haussmans" at the National Theatre, starring Julie Walters and Rory Kinnear. The story follows an ex-hippie matriach of a dysfunctional family in her later years, as she tries to cling on to her revolutionary past whilst also trying to salvage her relationships to those closest to her. For the most part the play is absolutely hysterical, with Walters excelling in a role that was clearing written with her in mind. The whole cast are very strong, with Kinnear great (if a little stereotyped) as the blacksheep gay son but every character gets decent stage time and story arc - the embittered daughter, lecherous local doctor, stroppy granddaughter and disturbed local teenager (recent RADA-graduate Taron Egerton provide ample totty quota, especially when making his entrance dripping wet in just a pair of tight black speedos, lol). It does get a little shouty and overwrought towards the end but in general this show is a great night out at the theatre that ticks just about every box.

[PadSpin]

Do you have a pic of Taron to whet our appetite?

(note absence of wet/whet joke!)

[Nosferatu]

Do you have a pic of Taron to whet our appetite?

(note absence of wet/whet joke!)

Lol, very nice!

Here he is:

[Nosferatu]

A heads up for fans of Karl Davies - he is currently a member of the all-male Propeller Theatre Group that is performing "The Winter's Tale" and "Henry V" at the Hampstead Theatre:

[angelfan]

Hairspray is going on tour again next year with Mark Benton as Edna.

[norns3]

A heads up for fans of Karl Davies - he is currently a member of the all-male Propeller Theatre Group that is performing "The Winter's Tale" and "Henry V" at the Hampstead Theatre:

Karl has been on the Propellor tour (brilliant company) since last winter, and I saw the last performances today. Firstly, he is an excellent actor, with superb timing and great stage presence.

Secondly, he is stripped very amusingly in Winters Tale, to a tiny posing pouch with nice bulge. Later he runs on completely naked, covering front and back with leaves, and gives a not too quick flash of his very cute shapely bum.

Sorry no photo, but there are clips and photos on their website and YouTube from many of their productions.

[Nosferatu]

Yesterday I saw a doublebill of gay-themed plays:

Firstly, "Torch Song Trilogy" at the Menier Chocolate Factory. Harvey Fierstein's iconic play hasn't aged badly at all and in fact probably benefits from the fact that is was written just before the AIDS epidemic came to public consciousness. In the lead, David Bedella is excellent (and very Fiersterin-esque), always comfortable and believable in Arnold's skin. The supporting cast are slightly more disappointing with Joe McFadden badly over-acting, Tom Harries looks gorgeous (his sex scene with McFadden is quite something) but his accent is very much US-via-the-Valleys and only really Perry Millward's comic turn in the third act living up to Bedella's standard. The first act is a touch melodramatic but otherwise this remains a play that very much needs to be seen.

Then "Vieux Carre" at the King's Head Theatre, Islington. One of Tennessee Williams' last and easily most entertaining plays (one reviewer described it as "Carry On Tennessee"), the story follows the young Tennessee's years as a struggling and unknown writer and the characters he met on his travels. The performances from the ensemble are all fairly strong but again the accents are largely all over the place. Even so its a very atmospheric, entertaining show and there's even the added bonus of the resident eye candy with a full frontal nude scene (more about that HERE).

[Nosferatu]

Harry McEntire in "Blink", which opens at the Soho Theatre next month after the Edinburgh Festival:

[Nosferatu]

Yesterday I saw "Proud" at LOST Theatre, London. Co-scripted by Patrick Wilde (author of gay classic "What's Wrong With Angry"), this is the story of a closeted young gay boxer about to compete at the London Olympics. The script has plenty of very interesting ideas (not only topical, other themes include the legacy of the Admiral Duncan bombing) but unfortunately too many of them are poorly executed. Whilst the script often makes life hard for the actors, the standard of acting is frequently no better than AmDram, with the macho trainer being the main exception. Utterly gorgeous, and fearless for an inexperienced heterosexual actor, lead Parry Glasspool is certainly the show's main plus point.

[wilko1]

Anyone been to see anything good at the Edinburgh Fringe, any recomendations??