Reviewer : Megan Hyland

Upstaged Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

If you see any piece of theatre this year, make sure it is Melissa Johns’ Snatched.

Hilarious, brutal, and genuine, Snatched is Johns’ compelling memoir that leaves no stone unturned. A masterful exploration of disability and sexuality, the piece is as confronting as it is moving; and with a majority female production team behind her, Johns’ debut is refreshing and vital. Theatre is supposed to make you feel something, and if the tearful standing ovation Johns received – at the performance I attended – is anything to go by, she certainly achieved that.

Following a phone hack that resulted in intimate photos of Corrie star Johns being publicly released in 2018, she became an advocate against body shaming – particularly the body shaming of disabled people. After devising Snatched with the help of director, Lily Levin, Johns is now speaking out against the scrutinization that her body has faced her whole life – the 2018 phone hack being the crescendo that followed years of discrimination and shame.

The way that Johns pulls apart her life for the audience and examines it in such gut-wrenching detail is nothing short of phenomenal. With witty sarcasm, she explores her relationship with her body across the years and how that has changed, from feeling like “such a special little girl” to hiding her disability from potential dates to avoid their discomfort. Imogen Halsey’s hauntingly beautiful voice permeates the scenes that span Johns’ life so far, taking us through the decades with hushed covers of the classics from each decade whose lyrics are reframed for the audience by Johns’ moving narrative.

The music, coupled with Johns’ flawless depiction of her evolution from girlhood to womanhood, perfectly translates to the audience where we are. But what cannot be underestimated is Snatched’s unmatched ability to convey truly powerful emotion. And this doesn’t just refer to the unspeakably awful moment that Johns finds out about the photo hack, but also to the way in which Snatched depicts love and relationships. When Johns describes her first love – with Halsey’s euphoric cover of Bryan Adams’ ‘Heaven’ playing in the background, surrounded by Katrin Padel’s soft blush lighting design, we feel the dizzying heights of Johns’ infatuation as though it is our own.

And that is what makes Snatched so truly magnificent. It is one thing to evoke sadness within an audience, but entirely another to elicit pure joy, and Johns manages to do both expertly. She allows us to feel her every emotion as though they are our own, and whether you have shared Johns’ experience or not, there is something that will hit home for everyone in Snatched.

Defiantly looking to the future, Snatched is a message of hope for anyone that has ever had their privacy invaded, their body scrutinised, or their value questioned. Each and every person has had a tumultuous relationship with their body, but Johns is saying “no more”. This is Johns taking full ownership of her body and her narrative, and we as an audience are fortunate enough to be taken along for the whole magnificent ride.

-Megan Hyland

You can catch Snatched at The Unity Theatre, Liverpool on 16 June 2022 and Bolton Octagon on 18 June 2022.

Reviewer: Rachel Foster

Upstaged rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Between Tiny Cities is an experimental dance performance by two individuals from cities very far apart in terms of geography and culture; one from Lancashire and one from Cambodia.

This is a chance to witness what surely must be a rare opportunity to see a duet with a dancer from Darwin, Lancashire – Aaron Lim and a dancer from Phnom Penh, Cambodia  – Erak Mith with choreography from Sydney courtesy of internationally renowned B*boy – Nick Power. Interestingly, he has worked with Aboriginal communities in the desert to draw on rituals and culture and combine them with hip hop as well as world-renowned stage performances.

The night takes on an almost gladiatorial feel as the ‘battle commences,’ in the circular space at Contact. The two dancers are lit in the shadows – so close – we can almost touch them; it has a very urgent feral appeal, tinged with formality and structure. We see the sweat beading off their bodies and feel the panting of their physical exertion as they throw every ounce of effort into their performance.

There is no clue as to how the night will travel, which makes for a gripping watch.

To watch is sometimes nail-biting, sometimes filled with wonder and awe, sometimes slightly uncomfortable at the tension and intimacy. There is no clue as to how the night will travel, which makes for a gripping watch. Will it be friendly old-school vibes or will the two different cultures not make a connection and find common ground? Maybe they won’t get on? This performance leaves you on the edge of reason and with a thousand questions.

If you look away for a second you might miss a daring acrobatic move, they almost poke fun at the audience when they collapse in the middle of the set from exhaustion mid-way. It is difficult to detect what is for the crowd – it’s genuine but very clever.

Brave, unexpected, offbeat, quirky and humorous.

Between Tiny Cities is moving, brave, unexpected, offbeat, quirky and humorous the accompanying music very varied and gives way to powerful communication through language and physical movement. There’s no room for shyness or insecurity it’s bold, unashamed real and honest from the D*City Rockers and Cambodia’s Tiny Toones whose styles of movement fuse effortlessly together. 

-Rachel Foster

Between Tiny Cities runs at Contact until Thursday 12 May 2022.

Reviewer: Daniel Shipman

Upstaged Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Adapted from the film Passione d’Amore, Passion tells the story of a military officer, Giorgio (Dean John-Wilson) who is called to serve and must leave behind his married lover, Clara (Kelly Price). When he arrives at his remote post, he meets the physically unwell and mentally unstable Fosca (Ruthie Henshall). She quickly develops an obsession with him. He is initially uninterested but entertains Fosca for her wellbeing, before falling in love with her and reciprocating her feelings, just before he is forced elsewhere and she dies.

When Henshall takes to the stage for Fosca’s introductory number ‘I Read’, she sets the stage alight

As it begins, this production (directed by Michael Strassen) feels a little basic, with a sparse, impressionistic set. However, when Henshall takes to the stage for Fosca’s introductory number ‘I Read’, she sets the stage alight – I don’t think I’ve ever seen such vocal power in such an intimate setting as Hope Mill. It was a genuinely remarkable thing to watch.

Indeed, the vocal performances are excellent all round, especially in the central trio. Dean John-Wilson makes for a highly watchable Giorgio – an essential characteristic, as he spends almost the entire show on stage.

Unfortunately, for all the vocal dexterity and bombast, the performances just do not ring true in an emotional sense, and you can’t base an entire musical on vocal talent alone. I simply could not get my head around the reasons why Giorgio acted like he did – watching this version, it seems as though a switch just flicks in his head at one point causing him to discard Clara and dote upon Fosca, a woman who he has been generally kind to, but primarily disturbed by up until this point.

The vocal performances are excellent all round, especially in the central trio…

A firmer directorial hand may have helped. Strassen’s influence is missing from much of the production – never more so than in a flashback to Fosca’s past where a couple of the male ensemble need to briefly play female parts. This could have been signalled quite easily with costume alone, but the cast added some unforgivably camp mannerisms played entirely for laughs which just did not sit within the overwhelmingly tragic, sombre tone of the show.

If this had been a concert presentation that purely focused on the music and did away with the staging and the emotion, then it would have been truly stellar. The band deserve plaudits for conjuring such a lush sound from just five musicians. But for a musical which is titled Passion, it was simply lacking heart.

-Daniel Shipman

Passion runs at Hope Mill Theatre until 5 June 2022.

Reviewer: Daniel Shipman

Upstaged Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The first thing you need to know about Hedwig and the Angry Inch is that I’ve already booked to see it again. 

The second thing you need to know is that Hedwig is the role Divina de Campo was born to play. Capturing the nuance of the part perfectly – you don’t want to be friends with Hedwig, but you also never want to leave her company.  

Hedwig is the role Divina de Campo was born to play.

The show takes the form of a gig performed by Hedwig in a rundown club as she relates her life story to the audience. We’re taken from a neglected childhood in East Berlin, via botched surgery, military liaisons and the reinvention of a young prodigy who steals Hedwig’s songs and uses them to launch himself to superstardom. 

Under Jamie Fletcher’s direction, this production leans into the dark humour which underpins John Cameron Mitchell’s text. It flits from genuine belly laughs to devastating pathos with a deceptive lightness of touch. As Hedwig’s husband Yitzhak, Elijah Ferreira provides the perfect foil to Divina’s Hedwig – browbeaten and abused but ultimately defiant.  

The costumes (Ben Stones, who also designed the set) are suitably outrageous and provide many of the finest comic moments in the show. Divina emerges on the stage brandishing a denim American flag with the statement ‘gender is a construct’ – it works as a summary mission statement for the entire show. 

‘Gender is a construct’ – works as a summary mission statement for the entire show. 

Similarly, the video design (Daniel Denton) serves to immerse the audience in Hedwig’s internal world writ large, taking the thoughts expressed in these iconic songs and splashing them across the stage.  

By the closing number, on the night I attended, the audience are in full rapture – hands aloft and entirely at the mercy of Hedwig’s tragi-comic life story. I’d challenge anyone to be able to come to this show and not find themselves in the same blissful state by the end of it. 

-Daniel Shipman

Hedwig and the Angry Inch runs at HOME Manchester until Wednesday 11 May 2022.

Reviewer: Elise Gallagher

Upstaged Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The House with Chicken Legs marks a triumphant post-Covid return for HOME.

Based on the best-selling novel by Sophie Anderson, we find 12-year-old Marinka (Eve De Leon Allen) who lives with their Grandmother Baba (Lisa Howard) and trained Jackdaw Jack (David Fallon) in a house which has chicken legs.

Baba guides spirits from one world to the next, which means the house needs to up sticks and move – without warning – to keep the living from discovering them. Unfortunately for Marinka, this means she’s never around long enough to make friends.

The piece brims with fun whilst also expertly navigating the intricacies of grief and growing up…

Adapted by Oliver Lansley and brought to life by award-winning theatre company Les Enfants Terribles, we enter a quirky world of music, kvass, death and joy. Directed by Lansley & James Seager, the piece brims with fun whilst also expertly navigating the intricacies of grief and growing up – without feeling twee or forced.

With a rotating cast made up of six performers, we explore the lands of the living, the dead and the bit between the two. Here, Marinka befriends Ben (David Fallon) and Nina (Keshini Misha) and battles against her destiny.

On top of an incredibly dynamic set (Jasmine Swan), head-shaking live musical numbers (Alexander Wolfe & Oliver Lansley) and master puppetry (Samuel Wyer), The House with Chicken Legs is a golden example of how a cast can support and shine a light on one another. Not just gifted in performance, many of the performers picked up an array of different instruments to play them exceptionally.

Although all shone brightly, Matthew Burns immediately captured the audience’s attention with his ingenious Jackdaw puppetry and vocalising, striking the right balance between comedy and tenderness in his performance.

The House with Chicken Legs is an excellent addition to any family Easter celebrations.

Musical numbers could be slightly trimmed as the 2 hours and 55-minute running time might be a lot for younger audience members. But nevertheless, The House with Chicken Legs is an excellent addition to any family Easter celebrations.

-Elise Gallagher

Catch the House with Chicken Legs at HOME until Saturday 23 April 2022.

Upstaged Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Reviewer: Daniel Shipman

Sheila’s Island is a reworking of Tim Firth’s 1992 comedy Neville’s Island which, rather than revolving around four middle-aged, middle management men, revolves around the same characters rendered as women. The quartet are on a corporate away day in the Lake District when they are stranded together on a small island with no food, bar a single concealed sausage.

Beyond that, the plot is thin on the ground which would be fine if it was making room for in-depth character studies or non-stop hilarity, but unfortunately, it is not. The seeds of thematic gold are sewn but never reaped. There is the empty nester pining after her children; the career-driven woman in late middle age who never married and is now wondering whether she has made the right decision; the working-class battle-axe who rose above her station; and the sweet soul who found religion whilst recovering from a breakdown and grieving for her mother. Each of the characters contains layers of material that is ripe for further exploration, but unfortunately none of them ever really gets it.

Instead, the audience is met with jokes about the menopause, unresolved implications of marital infidelity, and an unexpectedly dark twist in the final act which sets out to be shocking but ends up merely being a jarring change of tone. There are laughs here too, but for a comedy that is short on other content, they are simply too few and far between to sustain a two-hour play.

I applaud Firth for attempting to redress the lack of middle-aged/older female characters on stages across the country, although I can’t help but wonder what might have been possible if he had handed the reigns to a female playwright who had first-hand experience of the subject matter. Sheila’s Island isn’t a bad night out at the theatre, but it could have been so much more.

-Daniel Shipman

Sheila’s Island runs at The Lowry until Saturday 2 April 2022.

Upstaged Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Robert Icke came to national attention with his stage adaptation of George Orwell’s 1984, now – together with Toby Olié (the co-creative mastermind behind the puppets in War Horse) – he turns his attention to Orwell’s Animal Farm.

The puppets, and the way they are handled, is truly phenomenal.

Published in 1945, Orwell’s allegorical novella tells the story of the Russian revolution and its aftermath. The story takes the structure of a farmyard fable, as a group of animals lead a revolt against their human masters, only to find their idealist post-human society fall into authoritarian disrepair. Since its publication, the story has resonated throughout history. With startling universal themes, this impressive new theatrical production of Animal Farm is given even more meaning and relevance in light of current world news events.

In this powerful and timely stage adaptation, ‘the ensemble’ are an exceptionally detailed and characterful group of puppets, skilfully animated by a team of puppeteers and the text is spoken by actors as a pre-recorded voiceover. 

The puppets, and the way they are handled, is truly phenomenal. The puppeteers crouch and envelop the animals – each movement particular to each animal and its character. There’s humour to be found in the bickering hens and the farmyard feline. With fluttering pigeons, waddling geese, muscular cart horses, panting dogs and of course, the infamous pigs – Snowball, Napoleon and Squealer – there’s plenty of parallels to be drawn here in terms of our own leaders, Partygate and restrictions on the right to protest. I’ll leave you to mull that over.

A bold and thought provoking production perfectly programmed for our time.

Dark and ominous, Bunny Christie’s minimalist design of sliding corrugated iron suggests the working climate of a farm, while Jon Clark’s intelligent lighting design and Tom Gibbons’ sound design excels in building tension throughout the 90 minute non-stop piece.

There is much to admire in this daring, contemporary performance – a bold and thought provoking production perfectly programmed for our time.

-Kristy Stott

Animal Farm continues its UK tour at Plymouth Theatre Royal from 29 March – 2 April; Nottingham Theatre Royal from 5 – 9 April; Belgrade Theatre Coventry 12 – 16 April, the Grand Theatre, Blackpool 19 – 23 April and Liverpool, Playhouse 26 – 30 April. For more tour venues and dates, click here.

Reviewer: Megan Hyland

Upstaged Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

For anybody familiar with the 1971 film, Michael Harrison’s Bedknobs & Broomsticks is filled to the brim with joyful nostalgia and beloved tunes that are bound to bring back childhood memories. Though far from being a carbon copy of the fantastic film, the production features sensational new songs from Neil Bartram as well as innovative, captivating special effects that truly bring the magic to life.

Filled to the brim with joyful nostalgia and beloved tunes.

Celebrated musical theatre performer Dianne Pilkington stars as the magical and mysterious Miss Eglantine Price, and is charm personified. Her voice is enchanting, and she brings both grace and complexity to the iconic character. And while it may take the audience a while to warm up to Miss Price herself, Pilkington enchants us from the moment that she appears onstage.

Alongside Pilkington, Charles Brunton stars as the eccentric Mr Emelius Browne, to whom he brings an effortless goofish charm and contagious energy. He is the perfect Mr Browne, with a forties croon to his voice and instant likeability. Together with Pilkington and the children, Brunton is the perfect addition to an imperfect, altogether unlikely family.

However, the true stars of the production are of course the Rawlins children themselves. As Charlie Rawlins, Conor O’Hara is fantastic – dynamic, with quick comedic timing and an outstanding voice that lends itself expertly to old songs and new. He is the glue that brings the Rawlins family together, though at times feels somewhat out of place. It seems an odd casting choice to have Paul and Carrie be played by children of a similar age to their characters, yet to have 13-year-old Charlie played by an adult. This breaks the illusion of childhood innocence, as Charlie and Miss Price place such emphasis on his lack of belief as he stands on the outskirts of boyhood – which is in itself difficult to believe at times. That being said, O’Hara still manages to bring a mischievous, childlike energy, and the way in which he plays off the younger children is fantastic.

As Carrie and Paul Rawlins, Isabella Bucknett and Aidan Oli are delightful. Despite their size, they carry fantastically big musical theatre voices, and are bursting with talent that promises vast careers on the stage ahead of them. That talent, however, is unfortunately not used enough in this production. For as fantastic as O’Hara and Pilkington are, they are afforded a rather large portion of the musical numbers while Bucknett and Oli take an undeserving backseat. Yet when they are given their moment to shine, they grab it with both hands.

Perhaps their best moment is in Neil Bartram’s original song, ‘Miss Price, I Believe’, which gives them the opportunity to show off their impressive vocal range and undoubtable talent. As memorable as the Sherman Brothers’ classics are, Bartram’s original songs are unforgettable in their own right, and are bound to be fast favourites for musical theatre fans.

The real magic of this production has to be credited to the tech team…that will leave you reeling as you try to work out just how they did it.

However, the real magic of this production has to be credited to the tech team, who have brought to life Jamie Harrison’s extraordinary illusion design in some truly captivating sequences that will leave you reeling as you try to work out just how they did it. What we know for sure is that they have created an innovative combination of traditional magic tricks and 21^st-century stage techniques that borders on true magic. The way in which set and illusion designer Jamie Harrison combines this with stunning sets to portray these enchanting spaces in an evocative and original way.

The production is full of gasp-worthy spells, beautifully crafted illusions, and baffling reveals; yet my personal favourite moment is the very first instance of magic that we see on stage. Watching Miss Price struggle with a rather disagreeable broom – although simplistic compared to the mind-blowing effects that follow – captured my attention immediately with its charming ingenuity. And the fact that the production uses effects on the bed similar to those in the film is a beautifully nostalgic touch.

Puppet captain Jonathan Cobb has also done a brilliant job of coordinating the movement of characters such as King Leonidas the lion and Angela the bird; bringing together pairs of perfectly synchronised cast members that move as one to bring these characters to life. Sherman the bear, however, was a bit of a disappointment, as the stiffness of the puppet’s head did not afford as much movement, leaving his voice feeling slightly disembodied. Fortunately, the fluidity of movement afforded to Angela the bird more than made up for it.

Enchanting, silly, innovative, emotional, and beautifully heartfelt.

What truly sold the overall production was Brian Hill’s melancholy ending, which tugs at your heartstrings and brings home the message that families can be both found and made. Filled with raw emotion, this ending is guaranteed not to leave a dry eye in the house; and given the unfortunate gritty reality that children in present-day Ukraine are facing, it really hits home to watch the Rawlins children grapple with the heaviness of war.

A truly magical masterpiece…fun for all ages.

Overall, Bedknobs & Broomsticks is – as it has always been – a story for the whole family. It is enchanting, silly, innovative, emotional, and beautifully heartfelt. Directors Candice Edmunds and Jamie Harrison have created a truly magical masterpiece that is fun for all ages. 

-Megan Hyland

Catch Bedknobs & Broomsticks at The Lowry until Saturday 19 March.

Reviewer: Daniel Shipman

Upstaged Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

For those not familiar, Bizet’s Carmen follows the tumultuous love life of its titular character. In this production, she is the show-stealing head dancer at a nightclub – a clever and well-executed solution to the dated portrayal of gypsies in the original libretto which is problematic in a modern context. She begins an affair with Don Juan (Sébastien Guèze), who ditches his childhood sweetheart and deserts military service for her. Soon though, her affections wane and she moves on to Escamillo (Gyula Nagy), who is rendered as a cowboy in this production with hugely entertaining results. The opera ends after, heartbroken at falling out of favour, Don Juan murders Carmen. 

If you ever want to prove to someone that opera doesn’t have to be stuffy, this is the production that will do it.

Sexy and seedy in equal measure, this production of transfers the action to ‘an unspecified border town, close to our own time’, according to the programme. In reality, this is a production that intentionally chooses a drifting, almost hallucinatory aesthetic. It begins in a seedy nightclub frequented by soldiers and populated by strippers, but as Carmen’s affections drift from militaristic Don Josè to showy Escamillo, the setting gradually changes from seedy nightclub to campy rodeo.  

The women of the production are dressed up to the nines whilst the men are slimy and over-sexed. The whole thing is fuelled by copious amounts of cocaine. It’s basically a Friday night out in Spinningfields, but they’re singing Bizet rather than Oasis. 

As Don José, Sebastian Guèze channels Tom Cruise in Top Gun, all cocksure vivacity and sunglasses worn indoors. Unfortunately, his lack of chemistry with Williams’ Carmen is the one thing holding this production back from perfection. 

Chrystal E Williams’ portrayal of Carmen has won acclaim since premiering in 2021, and it’s easy to see why. A powerful, sultry presence who never fails to light up the stage, I couldn’t take my eyes off her from the second she walks on stage and delivers the iconic Habanera. She is more than ably supported by Frasquita (Amy Freston) and Mercedes (Helen Évora) who claim some of the top comedy highlights of the evening.  

Chrystal E Williams’ portrayal of Carmen has won acclaim since premiering in 2021…a powerful, sultry presence…

I could write pages about this production, there is so much I haven’t covered here – Lillas Pastia (Anders Duckworth) being cast as a non-binary, ballet-dancing cow wrangler sounds absurd on paper but feels inspired in context. Escamillo has a fringed suit covered in fairy lights. Balloons cover the stage during the Toreador Song. It’s completely insane, but somehow it works perfectly. If you ever want to prove to someone that opera doesn’t have to be stuffy, this is the production that will do it. 

-Daniel Shipman

Carmen next plays at Theatre Royal, Nottingham on 18 March 2022; meanwhile, you can catch Opera North’s Rigoletto at The Lowry until Saturday 12 March 2022.