Tag: musical

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christmas, Film/TV, Review, Writing

Review: Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square

And just like that, it’s December. 2020 has certainly been a weird, whirlwind of a year, but we can always count on one continued tradition: the annual Netflix Original Christmas film. And this year, in true 2020 style, Netflix really went for it. Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square has undeniably earnt the title of a Netflix Original, as I can easily say there is … Continue reading Review: Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square

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Editorial Team, Performance Arts, Review, Theatre

Review: Family on Screen: The Wind in the Willows

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

To provide some escapism and light relief from the prevailing news reports surrounding the Coronavirus pandemic, the producers of the West End 2017 production of The Wind in the Willows are streaming the show online for free. Whilst I appreciate the attempt to bring the magic of theatre to the comfort of one’s home, this production with its bumpy and dull storyline and unlikeable, arrogant protagonist, partnered with buffering Wi-Fi, leaves something to be desired.  Continue reading Review: Family on Screen: The Wind in the Willows

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Columns, Editorial Team, Music, Review

Singles’ Round-Up: ‘Just Friends’ by Max Pope

‘Just Friends’ is the first single from Max Pope’s upcoming EP, In Limbo. A fusion of jazz/pop/funk/soul, Max Pope’s sound feels fresh and interesting, with a beautifully subtle groove in all of his work. He is easily comparable with Tom Misch, but I’d say Max holds a distinct sound himself. The guitar and bass melodies in this track carry divine funk and marry perfectly with a simple but wonderfully smooth beat, producing a song perfect to walk down the street to. Max is also a super talented lyricist, with this track focusing on anxiety around change and feeling like you have a lack of control over relationships. Continue reading Singles’ Round-Up: ‘Just Friends’ by Max Pope

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Editorial Team, Performance Arts, Review, Theatre

Review: Dear Evan Hansen @ Noël Coward Theatre, West End

“Dear Evan Hansen,

Today is going to be a good day and here’s why…”

After winning six Tony Awards in 2017, a West End run for Dear Evan Hansen became a highly anticipated inevitability – even more so because it’s a creation of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the minds behind La La Land and The Greatest Showman. The show grapples with teen suicide and mental health by following Evan Hansen, a lonely high-schooler with (nearly) crippling social anxiety, whose bully, Connor Murphy, kills himself. Through unfortunate coincidence, Evan is caught up in the aftermath when Murphy’s parents are convinced he was their son’s best friend. He falls into perpetuating and expanding this fabrication of friendship as he grows closer to the family, goes viral online, and his dreams start to come true. But with everything built on the world wide web of lies, can Evan handle it? Continue reading Review: Dear Evan Hansen @ Noël Coward Theatre, West End

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Editorial Team, Film/TV, Preview

Review: Frozen II

Disney Sequels. Two words which conjure up a slew of childhood straight-to-VHS or DVD extravaganzas, sporting worse animation and subpar storylines (except the Cinderella sequels, which were surprisingly better than the original). But Frozen II is no cheap add on. The animation is stunning, the voice work is impeccable and the soundtrack is stellar. But this is to be expected. The question is, does it live up to the hype of the original? Continue reading Review: Frozen II

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Editorial Team, Local, Performance Arts, Review, Theatre

Review: Voldemort and The Teenage Hogwarts Musical Parody @ Exeter Phoenix

On the first day of term for University of Exeter students, Laura Elmes Production treated us to a nostalgic return to the beloved world of Harry Potter. We find a teenage Tom Riddle, played with excellent comedic timing and stellar voice by Steve Graney, facing some of the same woes as the Freshers at the University: love, fame, world domination and fascination with snakes. You know, the usual teenage stuff. The year is 1942 and the production starts off by making it painfully obvious that Nazis are in power, but asks us to ignore that and instead focus on teenage Voldemort, his classmates and Hufflepuff girlfriend obsessed with baked goods, called Muffin Rows, played with adorableness and grace by Alice Robinson. Continue reading Review: Voldemort and The Teenage Hogwarts Musical Parody @ Exeter Phoenix

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Editorial Team, Exeter Uni, Local, Performance Arts, Review, Theatre

Review: Shotgun Theatre and Theatre with Teeth’s ‘The Remarkables’

The Remarkables is Shotgun Theatre and Theatre with Teeth’s highly anticipated original musical, and, at the opening night, pretty much every seat in Kay House Cabaret was filled. Without a doubt, not a single audience member left dissatisfied with the self-proclaimed “musical comedy of epic proportions”. The audience were laughing from the very beginning, and, overall, it was this comedy and the quality of the original music which carried the performance beyond its limited storyline and into a very memorable piece of student theatre. Continue reading Review: Shotgun Theatre and Theatre with Teeth’s ‘The Remarkables’

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Editorial Team, Performance Arts, Review, Theatre

Review: My Fair Lady

Footlights, Exeter’s musical theatre society, are well-known for their high-budget, high-ambition productions. Shows like The Producers, Singin’ in the Rain and Gypsy, were tantalising visual spectacles, true to the Broadway musical genre. So it was intriguing to see their production of My Fair Lady which, unlike their other recent plays, was performed at the smaller Lemon Grove. This allowed the cast and production team to … Continue reading Review: My Fair Lady

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