Some books grab you and don’t let go. Under the Harrow by Flynn Berry is one of them. Here’s the blurb: When Nora takes the train from London to visit her sister in the countryside, she expects to find her waiting at the station, or at home cooking dinner. But when she walks into Rachel’s…
A great sense of fun, good humour and liberal dollops of audience interaction are the constants in Paris Underground, a subversion of classic French cabaret and variety that is more than a little cheeky. Seven performers take to the stage for a couple of hours singing, dancing, tapping, contorting, climbing, telling stories and performing magic…
Remembering Pirates is a new work by Christopher Harley, who gave us Blood Bank at the Ensemble Theatre late last year. The ‘core’ of the drama in this new play is similar to the last one by Mr Harley. Two brothers: one of them lost (Michael), the other (John) subsequently traumatised. (In Blood Bank, it…
Disney seem intent on remaking live action versions of their back catalogue of animated classics, and we’ve had the likes of The Jungle Book, Alice In Wonderland, Cinderella and even Beauty And The Beast undergo this treatment. For the most part they have been very successful and put a new spin on familiar stories. And…
If you were concerned about how your fond memories of one of the most iconic television sitcoms in history would be translated onto the stage four decades later, I am here to allay your fears. One of the original writers and its star John Cleese – who penned Fawlty Towers with fellow lead Connie Booth…
I just loved Singin’ in the Rain. There is so much to love about this musical – the fabulous music, the sensational choreography, and the great songs which the talented cast brought to life. It has to be one of the best I have seen. All the cast and crew, especially the director, Jonathan Church,…
Bridget Jones’s Baby, the third installment of the romantic fantasy about a woman not afraid to reveal her flaws and insecurities is a crowd pleaser. The original director Sharon Maguire returns but they have introduced a couple of new writers, including one of the stars, Emma Thompson. Renee Zellweger and Colin Firth are joined by…
Three time Oscar winner Oliver Stone’s (Platoon) latest outing, Snowden, is a look at one of the most polarising figures of the 21st century. He is the man responsible for what has been described as the most far-reaching security breach in US intelligence history. In 2013 Edward Snowden (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) quietly leaves his job at…
Occasionally you encounter a low-budget film with overwhelming visual looks – like Kill Command – and that despite the limited budget. Besides that, you can also enjoy some successful performances and a narrative which is entertaining enough. It’s not very original however – we’ve seen enough films with sophisticated technologies doing crazy things because of…
No this is not a remake of the fluffy and lightweight 1966 rom-com that starred Elvis Presley as a part-time NASCAR driver. Rather, this is a raucous, at times bawdy and crude Ocker comedy along the lines of Barry McKenzie Holds His Own, Dimboola, Stork and even the more recent A Few Best Men. There’s…
