Arts REVIEW: Dome: Being Both As one of the great vocal artists of her generation, mezzo-soprano Alice Coote is renowned for her Handelian repertory and the portrayal of roles originally written for castrati. With lots of indication of depth and analysis about this most curious habit of mixing up of gender roles bringing insight By Eric Page • 3 min read
Arts REVIEW: Pink Fringe: Wolf Meat From the same group – Wildheart & Lyric – that brought us ‘told by an idiot’ last year this new outing Wolf Meat has a plot very loosely based on the tale of Red Riding Hood but based in a geriatric drug factory in a Croydon Council estate. This glamourized the world of drugs, porn and violence to t By Eric Page • 2 min read
Arts OPERA REVIEW: The Pirates of Penzance: ENO This highly anticipated swashbuckling farce with its new staging is directed by Mike (I’ll never direct an opera) Leigh, who made his operatic debut this evening. I liked his version, all geometric sets and ultra-simplistic colours from Alison Chitty, they worked well, softly gliding and sliding int By Eric Page • 4 min read
Arts REVIEW: Fringe: Threesome Review: Threesome Theatre Box: Warren Brighton Fringe This new play examines the effects of changing the rules of engagement in a settled marriage played to a sold out house at the neat little Theatre Box over the weekend. Chris Willoughby’s delightful and subtle performance as confused and bemused By Eric Page • 2 min read
Arts REVIEW: Pink Fringe: Get A Round This is fresh, raw theater, using common clichés and sad tragic lives to spear us with some uncomfortable truths about our empty consumer lives. One of my fringe highlights so far! You will love them and they will love you, unconditionally. By Eric Page • 4 min read
Arts REVIEW: Fringe: The Trousered Traviata In a flapping noisy tent with the wind picking up outside we sat down to watch Verdi’s tragic opera Traviata, but with a female cast. Having an all female cast changed the whole tone of the opera; remarkably so, with a mean mother and female lovers changing the texture of this misogynist opera and t By Eric Page • 4 min read
Cabaret REVIEW: Festival: Beyond This show is a stunner, full of signature pieces, and also some new jaw dropping tricks and ensemble routines that are breathtakingly good. This is a troupe very sure of itself and its grasp on this interesting blend of contemporary dance, acrobatics, circus arts and clowning. It’s a heady mix and w By Eric Page • 3 min read
Arts REVIEW: Fringe: carMen Set in the gay community of liberal 1920s Spain. José, the central character in this all-male reworking of Bizet’s tragic opera, is sexually confused and dominated by a strictly religious upbringing. His infatuation with handsome Carmen leads to inner turmoil and tragedy – a journey which reflects t By Eric Page • 3 min read
Arts REVIEW: Camille O’Sullivan: Spiegeltent Some folk write their own reviews, some folk are lucky to get one, some folk impress, Ms O’Sullivan deserves more than a good review, she deserves a love letter from us humble critics. By Eric Page • 3 min read
Arts REVIEW: Fringe: You can do better Brighton based duo Puppy Fat bring us a collection of their characters all suffering from the triumph of self-delusion with some dark/ish insights into their own failures, so far so ‘League of Gentleman’ and although there were some well fleshed out characters; the ex-child star, the dumb American t By Eric Page • 2 min read
Arts REVIEW: Fringe: Point and Shoot This was a sophisticated and highly planned bit of musical mischief making and the highly planned and ruthlessly choreographed changing of instruments and tune was occasionally buried under some of the action unfolding on stage. I assumed this was intentional. With funny acting and high octane singi By Eric Page • 3 min read
Arts REVIEW: Fringe: I need a Doctor How do you write a Doctor Who musical without getting shut down by the BBC? Jamie Wildon & Jess Sprey try their very best in this unauthorized Whosical show. Watch their time traveling hero’s battle copyright-free villains the ‘Exterminators’ and ‘Cybergents’ in this award-winning musical comedy. Th By Eric Page • 3 min read
