Rent (by Jonathan Larson)
I’m not generally a fan of musicals, but this is fantastic! On its first UK tour after being a smash hit on both Broadway and the West End, “Rent” is the vibrant and compelling story of the lives, ambitions and addictions of a group of young artists living in a rundown loft in New York’s East Village during the 80s. As they struggle with AIDS and the problem of ever increasing rents, their sense of “living for the moment” is very real – No day but today, says one of the songs. Their philosophy of life is summed up in La Vie Boheme. All the songs are great, sometimes bold and sexy and often moving. I liked the stark set design and the inspired street wear. The characters, who are based on real-life people the playwright knew, are unforgettable. Look out for Collins, a NYU professor of “computer age philosophy” who has “just re-wired the ATM” to get emergency cash for his friends, and for Maureen, a performance artist delivering a bleak vision of Cyberland, where Diet Coke has been made compulsory and cows are prohibited from producing milk!
Closer (by Patrick Mamet)
An award winning play dubbed "Sex, lies and the internet". A writer of obituaries is inspired by a woman he meets at an hospital's A&E department and turns into a serious literary figure. He also becomes a catalyst for the other three characters and we follow them through the years, as couples split, make up and swing! The language is strong and witty, with sex chats over the net and nights at a table dancing club. The plays loses momentum slightly in the second Act.
XXY (by Theatrelab)
Meet the Children of the XXY, as they offer you sweets, and chant and dance their message of peace through the world. But things soon turn horribly wrong. The play deals with the controversial subject of religious cults, and the characters are abused and stripped of their personalities until the tragic climax.
Phantom of the Opera on Ice (with the Russian Ice Stars)
Choreographed by the Kirov Ballet and the Ballet of La Scala, Milan, with original music by Roberto Danova. A feast for the eyes! This musical is a brilliant combination of ice skating and circus acrobatics. There is also opera singing and very imaginative costumes.
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