Aliya Al-Hassan - Page 93

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.

Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is one of the most well-known and best-loved stories of the season. Over the years, a number of radio adaptations of it have been broadcast; always faithful to the story and always professional.

James Seabright must be a very busy man at the moment. With numerous productions currently playing across London, including the excellent Transpotting and F**king Men at The Vaults, he now brings Olivier Award-nominated show Potted Panto to the Garrick Theatre for a suitably festive run.

After the success of last year's A Christmas Carol, Kingston's Rose Theatre have again turned to talented Ciaran McConville for their festive show. 2016 sees a festive adaptation of Kenneth Grahame's much-loved children's tale of love and friendship, The Wind In The Willows.

The famous story of the Prince of Denmark follows Hamlet on his murderous quest to avenge the death of his father. The enduring appeal of Shakespeare's tragedy is the writer's skill in retaining mystery about the eponymous protagonist. He is an enigma and audiences' perceptions of him always vary.

CATS is a strange phenomenon. Despite the fact that there is no real plot, its infectious songs and legendary choreography has meant that it has been playing around the world almost constantly since 1981.

Incredibly, it is over two decades since Irvine Welsh's cult classic, Trainspotting, landed on bookshelves and twenty years since Danny Boyle's film impacted on modern culture in a way rarely seen before.

A revue is a rare theatrical treat these days. In its heyday, the irresistible combination of light comedy, song and dance sketches was incredibly popular. Its golden age lasted from the early 1920s to the late 1950s and for much of that time its greatest practitioner was Noel Coward who wrote and appeared in a succession of revues on both sides of the Atlantic such as London Calling! (1923) and Sigh No More (1945).

Kelly Hunter, a Royal Shakespeare Company actress, began working with autistic children in 2002. Through this work and a desire to bring Shakepeare to children who do not have access to it, she developed the Hunter Heartbeat Method. Through this technique, autistic children are introduced to Shakespeare through the use of games and the rhythm of the iambic pentameter.

It is an unusual way to earn a living; manipulating your genitals on stage for the entertainment of others. But Puppetry of the Penis, or The Ancient Australian Art of Genital Origami, is just that.

Carol Churchill is one of our greatest playwrights; gems such as Top Girls and Far Away have challenged the concepts of theatrical writing in wonderful and exciting ways. Blue Heart at Orange Tree Theatre is a different animal. It is both clever and absurd, and Churchill tests many traditions of theatrical form, yet feels a little empty at its core.