Reading Time: 6 minutesThe beloved Christmas classic, The Snowman, is making its triumphant return to Sadler's Wells' Peacock Theatre, from November 18th to December 30th, marking its 26th annual performance. Directed by Bill Alexander, with lighting by Tim Mitchell and choreography by Robert North, the production is brought to life by the imaginative designs of Ruari Murchison.
Reading Time: 3 minutesMÁM shows just how transfixing the communion between movement and music can be Choreographed by Michael Keegan-Dolan, and produced by the dance company Teaċ Daṁsa, MÁM returns to Sadler’s Wells this month, an other-worldly exploration of human…
Reading Time: 5 minutesAmit and Bea, you are both dancers for Michael Keegan-Dolan’s MÁM, opening at Sadler’s Wells Theatre on 5th October. How would you describe MÁM? Amit: I think of MÁM as an experiment in how to be most alive. I can only describe MÁM from the…
Reading Time: 3 minutesPatsy Ferran and Bertie Carvel star in the revival of George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, a play written in 1912, a classic tale of rags to riches, familiar to us, having inspired films such as My Fair Lady and Pretty Woman. Pygmalion follows the transformation of Eliza Doolittle (Patsy Ferran), from a working-class girl, selling flowers in Covent Garden, into a refined, presentable "lady". Eliza's story begins with her meeting the phonetics professor Henry Higgins (Bertie Carvel) and Colonel Pickering (Michael Gould). Higgins makes a bet with Pickering that through training and speech lessons, he could replace Eliza's cockney accent and blasphemous language, with the speech and mannerisms of a high-class lady, and pass her off as a duchess in high society. Eliza is transformed and suddenly a new world is opened up to her; various parties, social opportunities, and romantic interests. As expected, this big change has its consequences, and as we follow the effects of Eliza's new social status, we also observe the changing relationship between Eliza and Higgins, leading to questions concerning class, identity and power.
Reading Time: 2 minutesBBC's penultimate Prom at the Royal Albert Hall saw the pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii take on Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 3, with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra led by Domingo Hindoyan. The programme was ambitious and greatly impressive; the concerto was exciting and filled the space of the hall - aurally but also its layered and varied sound took up the auditorium tonally and emotionally. Nobuyuki Tsujii, born blind, gained international recognition when he won the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2009. His talent and technique is undoubtedly captivating to watch and to listen to.
Reading Time: 2 minutesStepping into the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields is quite something. Located next to Trafalgar Square, its interior is spacious and on Thursday night, it was lit up beautifully, ready for the performance of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, a chamber orchestra, and the brilliant horn soloist Stephen Stirling. What followed was pretty special. The programme consisted of an interesting range of pieces, from a mixture of living and passed composers.
Reading Time: 2 minutesThe Park Theatre's latest production, The Garden of Words, is a based on Makoto Shinkai's beloved anime story and film, co-adapted for the stage by both Susan Momoko Hingley and Alexandra Rutter. An example of Anglo-Japanese theatre collaboration, cultural influences are blended together in this production, and listening to both the English and Japanese language on stage was particularly refreshing.
Reading Time: 3 minutesFrom the get go, I had goosebumps. Opening with Prokofiev's terrific 'Dance of the Knights', the show continued with passion and astounding elegance. Not having adapted Shakespeare before, Matthew Bourne has done so with success in his reinterpretation of Romeo and Juliet, showing at Sadler's Wells now until 2nd September. Bourne reimagines the classic story and turns it into something utterly modern, compelling, and inventive.
Reading Time: 2 minutesContinuing its West End run, Ghost Story 2:22, now at the Apollo Theatre, is a brilliant production written by Danny Robins which expertly blends fear and fascination, delivering an engaging story and an evening of guaranteed entertainment. 2:22 tells a gripping tale, which takes place during a dinner party at Sam and Jenny's new under-construction home. With their friends Lauren and Ben, tensions rise as Jenny reveals the scary, haunting experiences she's been having during the night
Reading Time: 2 minutesFaulty Towers the Dining Experience offers an uproarious homage to the timeless 70s sitcom, Fawlty Towers, while transforming the restaurant ambiance into an immersive stage. Presented by Interactive Theatre International, this dinner-show delivers an unforgettable evening of laughter, driven by impeccable character portrayals, brilliant improvisation, and a wave of nostalgic hilarity that leaves guests thoroughly entertained.