Monday, March 17, 2025

Chicago – high-kicking tale of courtroom theatre foreshadowing modern sharing of deliberate falsehoods (Grand Opera House until Saturday 22 March)

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Only one inmate awaiting trial can be the cause célèbre. It’s a tussle to get column inches. The prison’s bribable matron Mama swaps cash ...
Sunday, March 16, 2025

The Velveteen Rabbit – a vivid reality check whether you’re in the nursery or ageing towards obsolescence! (Replay Theatre Company and Lyric Theatre as part of Belfast Children’s Festival until Sunday 30 March) #BCF25

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Really great theatre happens when lots of different creative influences combine to conjure up something beyond what the audience are expecti...
Monday, March 10, 2025

The Necklace: a new musical in concert (The Belfast Ensemble at the Lyric Theatre)

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New music from Conor Mitchell and The Belfast Ensemble never disappoints, and tonight’s concert première of The Necklace was no exception...
1 comment:
Saturday, March 08, 2025

Moonlight Dream: A Baby’s Cosmic Odyssey – snuggly, sensory, and slightly soporific dreamy dance (Maiden Voyage Dance at Belfast Children’s Festival) #BCF25

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As I sit at the back of the Crescent Arts Centre’s Cube Theatre for an early afternoon performance of Moonlight Dream , there are almost two...
Friday, February 28, 2025

Under the Lights – an energetic and sobering play brought to life by a chameleon actor (c21 Theatre Company touring until 1 March)

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Josh and Okie are not natural wannabe rugby players. Josh is good at arm-wrestling, while Okie is a young bookmaker, taking bets on Josh’s l...
Wednesday, February 19, 2025

The Monkey – a brilliantly gory comedy with horror origins and a wind-up monkey that dispatches a large proportion of the cast (in UK and Ireland cinemas from 21 February)

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More than a day after watching a screening of The Monkey , I still break out into a grin when I think back to the film. Often puerile, entir...
Wednesday, February 05, 2025

The Gap Year – a trio of women take time out and learn to let go and choose change over stagnation (Lyric Theatre until Sunday 2 March)

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The times, they are a-changin’ for three women in their sixties. Kate has just said goodbye to her husband who dropped dead in the bread ais...
Friday, January 31, 2025

Guy Mitchell’s Dog’s Dead – Pass It On … a child’s quite innocent understanding of growing up in 1970’s Ballybeen estate (Lyric Theatre until Sunday 2 February)

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At the start of Guy Mitchell’s Dog’s Dead – Pass It On , a wiry figure bounces onto the stage, giving a goofy wave to the audience. Sammy’s ...

Bring Them Down – shepherding in a grisly addition to the cinematic ovine oeuvre (Queen’s Film Theatre from Friday 7 February)

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It’s all kicking off on the farm. Though truth be told, there’s been a lot of death and killing on hill over the years. Bring Them Down see...
Monday, January 27, 2025

Hard Truths – an explosive performance from Marianne Jean-Baptiste in Mike Leigh’s new film (Queen’s Film Theatre from Friday 31 January)

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Pansy lives in a constant state of agitation. No one and no thing pleases her. The pigeons in the garden threaten to invade her over-cleaned...
Saturday, January 25, 2025

Maggie – a raucous recap of 12 years of debauchery and growing up (The MAC until Sunday 9 February)

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This year’s update from the pen of Leesa Harker, simply entitled Maggie , boils down the first four Maggie Muff tales into one narrative. Th...
1 comment:
Friday, December 27, 2024

Better Man – biopic full of symbolism and panache, even if it is drowning in self-reflection (UK cinemas from 26 December)

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Better Man is like a giant apology to the people who were important to Robbie Williams’ life and career but suffered from him treating them...
Thursday, December 12, 2024

The Magician’s Nephew – a fantasy tale of world-jumping and witnessing the creation of Narnia (Sanctuary Theatre until Saturday 4 January)

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Truth be told, The Magician’s Nephew is a rather odd prequel, almost an afterthought to the better known The Lion, the Witch and the Wardro...
3 comments:
Wednesday, December 11, 2024

Elvis Yourself A Merry Little Christmas – the cruelty of mortality cuts through, laced with levity and tied up in a festive bow (CCurran Productions at The MAC until Tuesday 31 December)

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It’s the eve of Christmas Day and Frankie’s big birthday. Played by Rhodri Lewis, Frankie is trying to forget about his troubles while waiti...