Having been a fan of the film, I was more than delighted to accept the invitation to go along to the press night of East Is East, 25 years since the world premiere on the Birmingham REP’s stage.
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Fairy Powered Productions is a website set up by lifelong theatre lover Susan Lindsay to cover news, views, interviews and reviews. A place for all things theatrical, it concentrates on the talent appearing in the regions as well as the West End.
The latest from Fairy Powered on MyTheatreMates
‘Indulge in your inner child and open up your imagination’: LOVE BEYOND THE ZOO – BBC Sounds ★★★★ (Online review)
Indulge in your inner child and open up your imagination to unlikely possibilities with ‘Love Beyond the Zoo’ – it’s not just a fictional story but also a fable which makes us question what it really means to be free.
‘Torn in two by the final twist’: THE WOMAN IN BLACK – Fortune Theatre ★★★★★
This production of The Woman in Black at the Fortune Theatre is a great reminder of why theatre and the arts are so important and how they can take you to another place entirely
‘Very ingenious and entertaining’: CRIMES IN EGYPT — Yvonne Arnaud (Touring) ★★★
Bang! (That was a gunshot.) A glamorous newlywed has been murdered on her honeymoon cruise on the Nile. Who did it? Her ex-best friend? Her husband? Or someone else entirely from the eccentric passengers and crew? Not to worry – top detective Artemis Arinae is on hand to solve the mystery with the help of her leetle grey cells.
‘Exquisitely performed by the most phenomenal dancers’: DANGEROUS LIAISONS – Leeds ★★★★★
A very excited audience gathered at the wonderful Leeds Playhouse to see David Nixon’s ballet adaptation of Choderlos de Laclos’ 18th-century highly-seductive novel, Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Dangerous Liaisons), on the opening night.
‘Acceptance is the name of the game’: EVERYBODY’S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE – Salford & Touring ★★★★★
All-in-all, everybody SHOULD be talking about Jamie, and everyone – no matter colour gender, sexuality or anything else is welcome here – acceptance is the name of the game in this touring production of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie.
‘You can really feel the adrenalin rush & noise of the terraces’: FEVER PITCH – Hope Theatre ★★★★
A love of football – ideally the red side of north London – would definitely help to enjoy this play, but the universal themes of obsession, alienation and comradeship mean there’s plenty in Fever Pitch at the Hope Theatre for anyone to enjoy,
‘Tumble outta bed & stumble to the theatre’: 9 TO 5 THE MUSICAL – Southampton & Touring ★★★★★
All stand for Queen Dolly! I have been waiting to see 9 to 5 The Musical this for a long time, I’m a huge fan of Dolly Parton, having even ticked DollyWood off my must do list. Finally it happened and I was not disappointed.
‘A sumptuous visual & musical treat’: CINDERELLA – Gillian Lynne Theatre ★★★★★
We can finally go to the ball, and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella was well worth the wait. Emerald Fennell’s treatment of the fairy tale frames Cinderella as a social outcast in a town obsessed with beauty.
‘Slick & arresting’: SALOMÉ – Southwark Playhouse ★★★★
The intimacy of Southwark Playhouse and some judicious rewriting by director Ricky Dukes creates a more focused, stylised production of Wilde’s scandalous take on the story of Salomé.
‘The perfect thriller’: LOOKING GOOD DEAD – Sheffield & Touring ★★★★★
A very warm and Covid-friendly welcome was received from the Lyceum staff as they greeted an excited audience for the opening night of Looking Good Dead, a stage adaptation (Shaun McKenna) of a Peter James novel.
‘Sinister, captivating & immersive’: WHEN DARKNESS FALLS – Park Theatre ★★★★
From the offset the atmosphere for When Darkness Falls had an eerie aura. The chemistry between John Blondel, portrayed by Will Barton, and the storyteller portrayed by Alex Phelps is impeccable.
‘Bobbing along beautifully’: BEDKNOBS & BROOMSTICKS – Newcastle & Touring ★★★★★
If Mary Poppins is Practically Perfect then Miss Eglantine Price is Bobbing Along Beautifully. Fifty years after the film version of the Sherman Brothers classic hit the cinemas, Bedknobs and Broomsticks has finally hit the stage. With a book by Brian Hill and new songs and additional lyrics by Neil Bartram. Marvellously magically, creatively choreographed and sensationally staged it was definitely worth the wait.
‘You cannot help but smile at the narrator’s energy’: PRISON GAME (Online review) ★★★★
Written and performed by Marcus Hercules, Prison Game is a monologue that tells the story of an innocent young man who finds himself in prison for a crime that he did not commit.
Reviewed by Aimee Liddington.
4****
Written and performed by Marcus Hercules, Prison Game is a monologue …
‘More than I could have wanted’: CONSTELLATIONS – Vaudeville Theatre ★★★★
I had a flash of a thought, ‘Oh please don’t let this be an anti-climax’, and in the safe hands of the Donmar Warehouse production team, I needn’t have worried. In fact, Constellations was more than I could have wanted.
‘Family entertainment at its best’: MAGIC GOES WRONG – Cambridge & Touring ★★★★★
Magic Goes Wrong is a highly entertaining comedy play, created through the combined talents of Mischief Theatre and Penn and Teller. It’s part of Mischief Theatre’s ‘Goes Wrong’ series of plays, which include The Play That Goes Wrong and Peter Pan Goes Wrong.
‘The cast is insanely talented’: A LITTLE SPACE – Mind The Gap (Online review) ★★★★★
The icing on the cake in Mind The Gap’s technically fantastic production of A Little Space is the fact it showcases performers who are often left out of mainstream theatre.
‘Joyous & vital’: TUCK SHOP WEST END – Garrick Theatre ★★★★★
Tuck Shop West End is a two week takeover of the Garrick Theatre showcasing drag and queer performers. Joe Black is a Brighton-based cabaret and drag performer, most recently seen worldwide on the stage of Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK being shouted at for wearing an H&M dress.
‘The clouds will clear one day’: Offie-nominated performer Beaux Harris on how she has kept creative during lockdown
Despite Coronavirus, 25-year-old award-nominated actor Beaux Harris continues to dance her way through lockdown and is encouraging others to keep going through her Instagram page and online dance classes, suitable for all age groups.
‘A festive wonder’: LITTLE ROBIN REDBREAST – Salisbury ★★★★★
Little Robin Redbreast is a wonderful Christmas musical, the socially-distanced crew is marvellous at portraying a festive wonder.