Park Theatre’s original and fresh take of the story of Rapunzel is a not to be missed, it delivers both an evening full of laughter and plenty of surprises.
Things are tough in the Kingdom of Puss Puss, as the Queen (Aretha Ayeh) and King (Rolan Bell) are trying their hardest to produce an heir to the throne. If that wasn’t enough matters get even more complicated once a con man, The Great Gazombees (Mark Cameron) along with his side-kick, Dobson (Alex Hope) start interfering with Queen’s health, plotting to rule the kingdom himself. Even the birth of Princess Rapunzel won’t stop Gazombees from getting what he wants.
It’s hard to put into words quite how much I love this production. Celebrated choreographer, Matthew Bourne, who transformed the ballet SWAN LAKE into a modern West End and Broadway hit when he re-imagined the swans as sexy, topless bird-thugs has now turned his attention to SLEEPING BEAUTY. He has taken the notoriously thin plot, traditionally staged as a series of technical dance exercises and given it wit, depth and psychological insight. The result is stunning and utterly satisfying on every level.
I first saw this hilarious comedy in a try out fringe production at the Pleasance Theatre some years ago.
AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHTY DAYS is a much loved novel by Jules Verne from 1873 in which Phileas Fogg, a methodical, emotionally stunted adventurer, bets a fortune that he can travel the circumference of the globe in under 80 days. He's joined by a bumbling servant, Passepartout, pursued by a detective who believes him to be a bank robber and along the way he meets his future bride, Aouda, when he rescues her from sacrifice in the Indian jungle. The chemistry between the protagonists, the race against the clock and the scrapes and escapes, which come thick and fast, all contribute to its enduring popularity.
The American sit-com FRIENDS which ran from 1994 to 2004 has been a permanent background to our lives ever since it captured the world with its vision of loveable and witty twentysomethings starting their adult lives in Manhattan. It’s repeated across the globe, all the time, on satellite TV channels and is as popular as ever with young viewers.