Inspired by events that took place in a powerful African state in the 19th century, The Woman King is the story of a battalion of female warriors. Known as the Agojie, their job was to protect the Kingdom of Dahomey, and its ruler King Ghezo (John Boyega). The narrative focuses primarily on two figures –…
Cathy Kelly is gifted at delivering feelgood fiction mixed with contemporary issues, making her a bestselling author many times over. I saved Between Sisters for when I needed something light, warm and easy to read, and for the most part that’s exactly what I got. Here’s the blurb: Cassie has spent her married life doing everything right…
Lauded American born Greek opera singer Maria Callas’ (2nd December 1923 – 16th September 1977), final days are captured in Maria. By then her famed soprano voice has gone and she hasn’t performed in years. As played by Angelina Jolie, she is holed up in her luxury Paris apartment. With her are her two loyal…
The well-being of a brilliant seven year-old is on the line in the feel-good weepy Gifted. Frank Adler (Chris Evans) is a single man raising his spirited young niece Mary (Mckenna Grace) in a coastal town in Florida. Though Mary is a child prodigy, Frank’s intends that she lead a normal life. His aim is thwarted…
Love is in the air, but there are those who have other ideas. That, in a nutshell is the premise of Harlequinade. Based on commedia dell’arte – an early form of professional theatre, originating in Italy and popular throughout Europe between the 16th and 18th centuries – the piece was created in 1900 by Marius Petipa. He choreographed some…
Writer and director David Pulbrook (Last Dance) has a way to go before being compared to Alfred Hitchcock. The great director’s command of the genre is what Bad Blood seems to be going for, but it falls short. Carrie (Morgan Griffin) is in love with her new fiancé Vincent (Xavier Samuel), a handsome and successful young…
Alfonso Cuarón has never been easy to pin down. The Mexican director has slipped effortlessly between genre films (Children of Men), Hollywood blockbusters (Gravity) and human dramas (Y Tu Mamá También). Now Cuarón draws the strands together in Roma, a film that’s paradoxically both his most ambitious and his most intimate to date. Before getting…
My take on Garfield: The Musical with Cattitude – energetic, fun and funny. This musical is based on the world’s most widely syndicated comic strip. Jim Davis created the cat Garfield, the human Jon Arbuckle and the dog Odie in 1978. Today it is syndicated to more than 2,500 media outlets worldwide. Common themes in…
A dynamic lead, some stirring and familiar numbers and a moving story with which I wasn’t familiar make Dusty: The Musical well worth attending. Director Jason Langley was one of the actors who workshopped Dusty back in 2004. Written by John-Michael Howson, David Mitchell and Melvyn Morrow (the team that also wrote Shout! The Legend…
Delivering all the flash and dash you’d expect, the alcohol-soaked pressure cooker environment of a glamorous location wedding sets the scene for grisly murder in Lucy Foley’s latest crime offering, The Guest List. The marriage of a television celebrity and a trailblazing magazine publisher demands something extra special. Bride to be Jules Keegan finds the…
