Entertainment

Review: Dirty Dancing At The Regent

Photo credit Mark Senior The iconic Dirty Dancing struts into town this week. The 1987 smash hit is a classic and is one of the best loved films of the era, with the tale of a summer holiday romance at Kellerman's between dance teacher Johnny and guest 'Baby' made famous by Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey. Michael O'Reilly and Kira Malou are perfectly cast in the leading roles and you are immersed in the action, so much so, it's hard not to remember that you are not watching the original stars of the show. That's to take nothing away from…

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Review: ‘The King And I’ At The Regent

This week, one of the most famous musicals of all time is in town with 'The King And I' and theatregoers are whisked off in style to the Orient. The fifth of the Rogers and Hammerstein musicals, it was adapted from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the King of Siam. The musical was famously turned into a film starring Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner which was a huge commercial success and features a wonderful score including much beloved songs as 'I Whistle A Happy Tune', 'Getting To Know You' and 'Shall We Dance?'. It finds widow Anna journeying…

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Review: ‘The Card’ At New Vic

Photo Credit: Mark Douet Arnold Bennett's comic novel is inventively and fabulously re-told by Claybody Theatre on its latest run at New Vic which opened on Saturday. Bennett's 1911 tale tells the story of Edward Henry (Denry) Machin and his rise from lowly son of a washerwoman to Mayor of Bursley. The endearing Denry gets there through ingenuity, blind luck sometimes and all with a generous helping of humour. The novel itself was turned into a film starring Alec Guinness and Petula Clark in 1952 (called The Promoter) Bennett, of course, makes more than a little reference to his home…

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Professor Brian Cox Is Coming To The Regent

Horizons: A 21st Century Space Odyssey with Professor Brian Cox, is coming to the Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent onThursday 29 February 2024. Having set two Guinness World Records with his previous sell-out World Tour, Professor Brian Cox is back in regional theatres to see off the sellout Arena tour HORIZONS. Horizons has taken over 250,000 people across three continents on a dazzling journey; a story of how we came to be and what we can become. Using state of the art screen technology, venues across the world from New Zealand to the Arctic Circle have been filled with images of far-away galaxies, alien worlds, supermassive…

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Review: ‘Annie’ at The Regent Theatre

Photo Credit Paul Coltas Annie hit the Regent Theatre this week on the musical's 2023 tour of the UK came to Hanley. A much beloved film in 1982 starring (amongst others) Albert Finney and Tim Curry which was revived in 2014 with Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz. Generation after generation adore the tale of the young Annie, plucked from her dreary existence in a New York orphanage which is ran by the surley, exasperated and drunken Miss Hannigan, by 'Gracie' who works for wealthy Oliver Warbucks. Warbucks and the confident Annie are pushed together and they soon build a strong…

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Review: Heathers The Musical At Regent Theatre

The opening bell at Westerburg High peeled tonight at The Regent Theatre to celebrate the first Stoke based performance of the UK 2023 tour of 'Heathers The Musical'. To say that the 1988 film with Christian Slater and Winona Ryder has a cult following is a slight understatement, as the foyer was littered with fans dressed as their favourite characters and most sporting mock croquet mallets made from everything you can imagine. The musical stays true to the film's dark comedy with a sardonic look at the archetypal US high school, with the various groups, the stoners, the football champs…

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Review: ‘Bouncers’ At New Vic

The in-the-round setting at New Vic Theatre became the 1980's hottest nightclub in town 'Mr. Cinders' as John Godber's classic comedy 'Bouncers' opened last night. Directed by Jane Thornton and originally performed at Edinburgh Fringe in 1977, this four-hander relives a night at a Yorkshire disco with a thumpingly good soundtrack. Telling the tale of Bouncer's Judd, Les, Ralph and Lucky Eric, the versatile cast play every character in it, from the vulgar and laddish Bouncers, to the young 'lads and lasses' on a night out, even the pre-event barbers and ladies' hairdressers. The cast of Frazer Hammill (Lucky Eric),…

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Quality Street: New Vic Review

The wonderful setting of The New Vic Theatre transports the audience back to the 19th century for the latest production, which is a revival of J.M. Barrie's Quality Street by Northern Broadsides. The story, set in the Napoleonic war era, follows sisters Phoebe and Susan Throssel who live on Quality Street. Susan and their neighbours, the Willoughby's (Mary and Fanny), seem to have resigned themselves to being eternal spinsters, however "Phoebe of the ringlets" as she is known, is eagerly awaiting Doctor Valentine Brown to make a proposal. Sadly when she believes the time has finally come, his announcement isn't…

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Review: The Bodyguard at The Regent

Photo Credit Paul Coltas Another Hollywood blockbuster hits The Regent this week in the form of 'The Bodyguard'. The 1992 smash hit starred Whitney Houston as vocal superstar Rachel Marron whose team engage bodyguard Frank Farmer (Kevin Costner) after a series of unsavoury letters lead them to the inevitable conclusion that the star has a dangerous stalker. The film showcased the vocal talents of Houston and included some memorable numbers including 'Run To You', 'I Have Nothing' and the unforgettable 'I Will Always Love You'. The stage play stays true to the film script and the storyline follows the hectic…

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Review: Shawshank Redemption At The Regent

Starting a week of back-to-back Hollywood blockbusters at The Regent, Shawshank Redemption began life as a 1982 novella by Steven King 'Rita Hayworth And The Shawshank Redemption' which was then the basis of the 1994 blockbuster film and has now been once again transformed wonderfully to the stage. Those familiar with the Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins depiction, will find this a slightly different fare. Adapted by Owen O'Neill and Dave Johns, the stage play traverses its own path and develops the other characters far more than the screen version, whilst staying loyal to the storyline and major themes. The…

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