Aliya Al-Hassan - Page 90

If City of Glass was a modern art installation, it would undoubtably be worth five stars. It is one of the most visually impressive productions I have ever seen on a London stage.

After You is the first musical to be performed at The Crazy Coqs venue, deep under Piccadilly Circus at Brasserie Zedel in London's West End. Childhood friends and musical collaborators Katie Lam and Alex Parker were commissioned to create a musical specifically for the venue and the result is a time-honoured story of strangers meeting and an irresistible connection being sparked.

Following the sell-out run in 2015 at The Vaults deep under Waterloo Station, Les Enfants Terribles' and ebp bring their Olivier award nominated Alice's Adventures Underground back to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Lewis Carroll's beloved book. Less like a gentle retelling of the story and more like experiencing falling down the rabbit hole yourself, Alice's Adventures Underground is a more grown up way to immerse yourself in this fantastic story.

Mike Leigh wrote his most famous play, Abigail's Party, 40 years ago, as a reaction to the boom in consumerism after the war and as a general commentary at the absurdism of class aspiration. Set in a suburban 70s house, Beverly and her staid estate agent husband Laurence are hosting that most potentially awkward of scenarios; a drinks party with the neighbours. Nurse Angela and brooding Tony join socially self conscious Sue, whose daughter Abigail is having her own party down the road.

Arthur Miller's The Crucible was written in response to the McCarthy-era in America, as an allegory for the witch hunts against supposed communists. The presidential order resulted in an obsession with exposing the 'red under the bed', destroying friendships and disrupting communities with fear and suspicion. Today, it appears more timely than ever, as we again find ourselves living in an era of heightened fear and anxiety. The play resonates as current warning against hysteria, the threat of religious fundamentalism and even the potential danger of fake news.

In a plot more than a little reminiscent of Daphne du Maurier, Gabriel sees Jeanne Becquet is trying to keep her young daughter and Jewish daughter-in-law safe under the ever-increasing threat of the Nazis in German-occupied Guernsey in 1943. When a young man washes up on the shore near the house, it is not clear who he is or where he comes from. Fluent in both German and English, it becomes increasingly clear that his presence in her house is incredibly dangerous and one wrong move could spell disaster for Jeanne and those closest to her.

Last seen in 1984 as BBC's Play for Today, Dog Ends establishes a scenario familiar to many; George is growing weary of looking after his frail elderly father and his beloved dog. Set in an ordinary home, the play looks at a social impact of an ageing population and the possible solutions that may be attempted to alleviate this pressure on the NHS and society.

There are few male playwrights who have captured the female psyche as well as Willy Russell. The character of Shirley is both simple and complex. On one hand all she wants is to escape her life of regimented predictability, where her husband Joe demands his steak on a Thursday and the only source of entertainment is talking to her kitchen wall. On the other is the deep and heartbreaking aspect of wanting to return to her past, where she felt she had more worth and character.

Not Dead Enough is the third novel by best-selling crime writer Peter James to be adapted by Shaun McKenna and directed by Ian Talbot. Brighton socialite Katie Bishop is found raped and murdered in gruesome circumstances. The evidence points to her husband Brian, who claims to have been asleep in his flat in London at the time. Detective Superintendent Roy Grace is called in to investigate but the evidence is not quite what it seems and the body count starts to rise.

Patrick Hamilton's Gaslight had its premiere in Richmond Theatre in 1938 and so it seems suitable for it to end its UK tour in the same setting. Set firmly in an era of Victorian melodrama; Bella Manningham is increasingly convinced that she is going mad. She loses jewelry and finds photo frames in the piano stool. Her husband Jack only seems to encourage this belief, systematically chipping away at her confidence and independence. One night, a mysterious visit from a detective reveals that the truth is very different. Bella is not going mad and her husband is certainly not who he claims to be.

Federico Fellini's Oscar-winning film La Strada has earned its place as a cinematic classic. As a film, it is a visual feast and so therefore a huge challenge to put on the stage. In a world of extreme deprivation and poverty, a widow sells her daughter, Gelsomina, to travelling strongman Zampano. An erratic and aggressive man, Zampano teaches her to introduce his act and exposes her life on the road. They join a circus, where tightrope-walker The Fool tries to revive Gesolmina's broken spirit. They are expelled as Zampano's violence escalates and the tale turns to tragedy.

The wonderful thing about fringe theatre is the variety and quality of what can be produced in a tiny space, with very little budget. Creativity is key to make an audience return to what is essentially the back room of a pub with slightly uncomfortable seating. Madam Butterfly is the latest creative offering from the King's Head Theatre, who has a well-known reputation for producing innovative and unique shows in such a room.

It is 30 years since Clare McIntyre's Low Level Panic premiered at the Royal Court. Focusing on a snap shot in the lives of three flatmates; Mary has found a pornographic magazine in the bin and wants to talk about it. Jo is in the bath, wondering how her life would be if she were that bit taller and slimmer, while Celia just wants to light a candle and get away from them both.

It is no secret that acclaimed film director Mike Leigh has a passion for Gilbert and Sullivan; his 1999 film Topsy-Turvy was an outright celebration of them and their music. In this first revival of his version of Pirates of Penzance, Leigh maintains and expands on that celebratory spirit in a colourful and vivacious production at the London Coliseum.

It's a common complaint that as you get older, you start to become invisible to others. This is compounded further if you are an actress over a certain age. The recent performances of actresses such as Glenda Jackson as the titular role in King Lear have highlighted even more that there is dearth of roles for older women.

With an established tradition for producing plays set in memorable venues, Antic Disposition returns with its production of Henry V, performed in eight cathedrals around the country.

The return of Jonathan Miller's brilliant Mafioso take on Verdi's Rigoletto is incredibly welcome after the awkward and confusing version that last appeared at the ENO in 2014. The original production directed by Miller premiered back in 1982, but still feels as sharp and slick as ever.

John Webster is not what you could ever describe as a subtle writer. His bloody themes of lust, revenge and tragedy are overt and unflinching. The White Devil is based on an extraordinary true-life story in the Venetian court, where Duke Bracciano decides to seduce Vittoria with the help of her brother Flamineo, who is motivated by social mobility and power. The fact that both characters are already married seems no barrier. The result is an intoxicating and decadent game of power play and lust that leads to murder, revenge and the destruction of their very existence.

The beautiful story of Nutcracker is as festive as Father Christmas and mince pies. Clara and her Christmas Eve battle with the evil Mouse King to rescue her beloved Nutcracker leads to a magical trip to the land of the Sugar Plum Fairy. When Tamara Rojo took over as Artistic Director of the English National Ballet, she inherited Wayne Eagling's version of Nutcracker. As she has since more than proved her innovative style, it seems a shame that she has not updated this rather muddled version. Eagling's version keeps Clara as the focus, imagining herself as an adult travelling to the land of snow with her handsome suitor.There is more than a hint of sexual awakening in this version, as well as some confusing narrative. The Mouse King is not actually seen to be defeated and the morphing of Clara into the Sugar Plum Fairy is a little bewildering.

For UK audiences, Dreamgirls will be more familiar from the critically acclaimed 2006 film, but incredibly, the iconic musical started life on Broadway all the way back in 1981. The UK debut of the stage show has been a long time coming, but is resolutely worth the wait.