I forgot this topic was here. I haven't seen anything for a few months now, but will just back track a bit.
Oedipus
Stephen Berkoff's new version, which mostly uses the original script from Sophocles as far as I could tell. I've already said in this topic that I don't like Berkoff much, but that was based on the original plays he's written (East urgh) and seeing his stuff done badly way too many times by drama students who think that throwing a few stylised movements into a performance makes it Berkovian. As a director, I've got a much higher opinion of him now.
It was staged very simply, just around a long table, with Oedipus and his advisors forming a "Last Supper" on the stage. It looked amazing, was executed incredibly precisely and acted really, really well.
Roald Dahl's Twisted Tales
This was a stage version of a selection of Dahl's more adult stories, adapted for the theatre by Jeremy Dyson (The League of Gentlemen). I didn't really find the stories themselves all that "twisted", but it was staged well, with a really dark, tense atmosphere. Some of the acting was a bit ropey, but some of it was fantastic, especially Selina Griffiths (played the alcoholic daughter in the last series of Benidorm), who was absolutely amazing throughout the whole thing.
Ghost The Musical
This opened a few months ago before moving to London (starts this week I think?) and I wasn't really interested to be honest. Some friends were going though, so I went along as well.
Hmmmm, it looks amazing: the set, lighting and projection design are (mostly) fantastic and there are some absolutely brilliant effects.
The music isn't up to much though. To be fair, that's often down to the story with the female lead having about a million songs about being alone/dead husband etc. The Whoopee Goldberg character is played by Sharon D. Clarke, who totally steals the show, both because she's the strongest singer in the cast and she has the more entertaining character.
Basically, it just is the film put on stage, so if you liked the film, you'll probably like this.
Oedipus
Stephen Berkoff's new version, which mostly uses the original script from Sophocles as far as I could tell. I've already said in this topic that I don't like Berkoff much, but that was based on the original plays he's written (East urgh) and seeing his stuff done badly way too many times by drama students who think that throwing a few stylised movements into a performance makes it Berkovian. As a director, I've got a much higher opinion of him now.
It was staged very simply, just around a long table, with Oedipus and his advisors forming a "Last Supper" on the stage. It looked amazing, was executed incredibly precisely and acted really, really well.
Roald Dahl's Twisted Tales
This was a stage version of a selection of Dahl's more adult stories, adapted for the theatre by Jeremy Dyson (The League of Gentlemen). I didn't really find the stories themselves all that "twisted", but it was staged well, with a really dark, tense atmosphere. Some of the acting was a bit ropey, but some of it was fantastic, especially Selina Griffiths (played the alcoholic daughter in the last series of Benidorm), who was absolutely amazing throughout the whole thing.
Ghost The Musical
This opened a few months ago before moving to London (starts this week I think?) and I wasn't really interested to be honest. Some friends were going though, so I went along as well.
Hmmmm, it looks amazing: the set, lighting and projection design are (mostly) fantastic and there are some absolutely brilliant effects.
The music isn't up to much though. To be fair, that's often down to the story with the female lead having about a million songs about being alone/dead husband etc. The Whoopee Goldberg character is played by Sharon D. Clarke, who totally steals the show, both because she's the strongest singer in the cast and she has the more entertaining character.
Basically, it just is the film put on stage, so if you liked the film, you'll probably like this.
