Archive for August, 2001
Posted in August 15th, 2001
There’s an unwritten maxim that shows with fantastic names are unquestionably dire. However, there is always an exception to every rule, and Crouching Ferret Hidden Beaver definitely breaks it. A simple mix of characters and observations, that is truly inspired, draws from all walks of life and creates scenes ranging from pleasantly humourous to delightfully [...]
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Posted in August 15th, 2001
Pratchett’s askew view of life, the universe and everything has long since risen from cult status into a mainstream institution and, by reputation alone, Wyrd Sisters is sure to draw a crowd. However, transplanting Pratchett’s vivid world, that balances on the back of a giant turtle, to the confines of a modest stage is not [...]
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Posted in August 15th, 2001
Winning a Perrier can totally ruin some acts. The whiff of success goes to their heads, they get a TV deal and they become less funny. Thank God this hasn’t happened to Rich Hall AKA Otis Lee Crenshaw!
If anything, Otis is better than ever before. It’s as though he’s grown to fill the cavernous interior [...]
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Posted in August 15th, 2001
After winning Perrier’s “Best Newcomer” last year, Noble & Silver are almost guaranteed sell-out audiences this year, but is there any substance beyond the hype?
On the face of it, the answer is clearly no. This year’s show seems to be a series of half formulated sketches that don’t go anywhere and only lead the audience [...]
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Posted in August 15th, 2001
The concept of Shakespeare updates for today’s audience usually sets alarm bells ringing, but the idea of Macbeth in the London underground is intriguing. On the face of it, it could work as the characters and situation could easily lend itself to a criminal hierarchy, but the approach still leaves itself open to criticism.
Keeping true [...]
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Posted in August 15th, 2001
Sean Bean has a lot to answer for. Not content with destroying Cornwell’s Richard Sharpe, he went onto obliterate Lawerence’s Mellors in that awful TV adaptation of Lady Chatterley’s Lover. Thankfully Midland Actors Theatre have decided not to call upon Sean for their adaptation and rely on a core of five actors to bring off [...]
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Posted in August 15th, 2001
On the face of it, I am Star Trek is a history of the biggest sci-fi show of all time. Thankfully it goes beyond the thin veneer of pointy ears, doomed away teams and phasers to provide an insight into the nepotism, plagiarism and production politics that dogged the series and its creator.
This warts and [...]
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Posted in August 15th, 2001
Mark Little is angry. The history of his forefathers has come to haunt him - he doesn’t want to be a whingeing POHM. Instead of denying his heritage, Little has decided to embrace it, learn from it and put the world to rights.
This is a show that promises new concepts in theatre, the deconstruction of [...]
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Posted in August 15th, 2001
Dogged by the release of a thoroughly dire film by the same name, Atomic Theatre’s production of Up ”N” Under makes the best of a bad lot. Tackling the Full Monty-esque plot of no hopers trying to become hereos head on, the players amble through the predictable script with suitable aplomb and do their best [...]
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Posted in August 15th, 2001
At first this Eastern-themed dance motif is quite perplexing, but then manages to transcend cultural barriers and provides a great deal enjoyment while remaining intellectually elusive.
Tokyo Triangle in Tantra Vision explores the philosophy of tantric sex through a courtship between the performers and the audience. At first they flirt, then slowly become more intimate with [...]
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