REVIEW: Grimm Tales for Fragile Times & Broken People (Creation Theatre Online)

Creation Theatre presents a set of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales in true macabre style with a talented cast of five in this hour-long spine-chilling storytime. So as recommended, I sat in pitch black and lit my candle (a half-used Pumpkin Spice one from Halloween, rather apropos), and went down the gruesome rabbit hole.

There were five tales told, all in a round, which took a while to understand and settle into. It helped that there were a few that I was already familiar with. All the storytellers kept up their consistently creepy energy throughout, and there were some interesting and unusual camera angles and physical settings which further added to the unsettling vibe. 

REVIEW: The Secret Society of Leading Ladies at the Barn Theatre (Online)

The Secret Society of Leading Ladies should be anything but a secret! Ryan Carter’s new interactive concert is slick and chock full of talent. 

The mini-concert is... well it's completely up to you! Throughout your concert you have 5 chances to choose which song you’d like to see performed, and with over 150 combinations to choose from, there’s plenty to whet your appetite. A wide variety of shows are featured spanning from old classics like Chicago and The Wizard of Oz to musical theatre nerdy gems like Steel Pier and Bonnie and Clyde.

Stitching the songs together are some very clever scenes as your performers share a short scene together, really elevating the concert from cute gimmick to technically impressive and delightful. Cumulating in a fabulous finale, the show really will put a smile on your face and tide you over for when we can finally be back in theatre’s in person.

REVIEW: CASES Studio Cast Recording

It’s always exciting to see a new British musical, and while we wait until we can tread the boards in person, perhaps we are going to see a resurgence of studio albums akin to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s from the 80’s. Dominic Powell’s CASES is a gentle, easy listen, with melodies that float above you performed by a stellar cast comprised of Maiya Quansah-Breed, Bobbie Little, Andrew Patrick-Walker and Waylon Jacobs. It goes without saying that these four all have gorgeous vocals, and the album highlight is the group number “Cost of Living”, which sums up the conceit of the show the best. We are following the personal triumphs and pitfalls of four characters as they navigate an artist’s lifestyle with financial instability and all that encompasses. 

We get off to a strong start with the opening number, the title song, with gorgeous harmonies and a warm, gentle melody inviting us in. Following is an album highlight, “Airs and Grace”, sung by Maiya Quansah-Breed, injecting real character into this catchy and charismatic number that I wouldn’t be surprised to find in many a girl’s audition folder and fantasy solo concert setlist. 

REVIEW: Dangling Man, A short film by Bunkum Theatre

Inspired by the 1944 novel of the same name, Dangling Man is described as “a visual poem’, exploring loneliness and what’s just beyond our reach if we take the leap. 

Sometimes art makes you think, and this short film certainly does. Certainly a grower, this surrealist piece begins feeling too pretentious for its own good, and that’s the point, I think. Our central character Joseph, lost in his monotonous life, suddenly spies a small hole in his ceiling. He climbs through, and enters a Wonderland-esque world where he is entranced by his three “neighbours”. 

Uncomfortably quirky, but by the end of the film you are charmed as if you yourself have been hypnotised by the “neighbours” yourself. While at times the vignettes feel like a confusing life insurance advert, the gimmick of the black-gloved hands works well, and Jack Parris (Joseph) is wonderfully expressive as the everyday man. Perhaps too high concept and cerebral to feel fully satisfying, but the high-quality production and soundtrack elevate the piece to something well worth watching.