MARIANKA SWAIN ~ WRITE HERE, WRITE NOW

Aspects of Love, Southwark Playhouse

Posted on January 11, 2019 by mkmswain

“Love Changes Everything”, as immortalised by Michael Ball, is the most enduring feature of Andrew Lloyd Webber, Don Black and Charles Hart’s 1989 musical – a moderate West End success, and a Broadway flop. Jonathan O’Boyle’s production, seen last year at Manchester’s Hope Mill Theatre, follows the trend for stripping back big shows to get at the heart of them; a good tactic on the whole, though challenged by a work that’s ultimately more interested in dissecting love than sharing it.

Read my full theartsdesk review here

Pinter Five and Pinter Six, Harold Pinter Theatre

Posted on January 6, 2019 by mkmswain

Jamie Lloyd’s star-studded season of short Pinter plays continues with two more intriguing productions: one directed by Patrick Marber, the other by Lloyd himself. Among the subjects this time around are family, miscommunication, class and politics – plus an early bid for the most memorable wigs of 2019.

Read my full BroadwayWorld review here

Posted in Journalism, Theatre | Tagged book tickets, broadwayworld, celia imrie, cheap tickets, comedy, drama, harold pinter theatre, jamie lloyd, jane horrocks, john simm, london, patrick marber, pinter, pinter five, pinter six, play, review, rupert grave, theatre, tracy-ann oberman, west end | Leave a comment

Aspects of Love leads January’s Top 10 new London shows

Posted on January 3, 2019 by mkmswain

From a reborn Andrew Lloyd Webber to Cate Blanchett’s UK stage debut.

Read my full BroadwayWorld article here

Posted in Journalism, Theatre | Tagged adrian lester, andrew lloyd webber, aspects of love, best, book tickets, broadwayworld, cate blanchett, celia imrie, charing cross theatre, cheap tickets, circus, cirque du soleil, cost of living, finborough theatre, hampstead theatre, harold pinter, jane horrocks, january, jeanine tesori, john simm, katie mitchell, leave to remain, london, lyric hammersmith, madalena alberto, martin crimp, martyna majok, musical, national theatre, new, opera, pinter at the pinter, play, pulitzer, royal albert hall, royal opera house, sale, sheila atim, show, southwark playhouse, tchaikovsky, the queen of spades, theatre, ticket deal, time is love, top 10, totem, tracy-ann oberman, tyrone huntley, violet, west end | Leave a comment

Strictly Speaking: The Final

Posted on December 17, 2018 by mkmswain

Another year, another bloated final that winds up being totally irrelevant to the results. At some point, Strictly bosses might need to look into that… For my money, of the last four, Ashley was the strongest dancer, Joe the most improved, Faye the best on the night, and Kevin, I mean Stacey, won. Err, yay?

Read my full Dancing Times blog here

Posted in Dance, Journalism, TV | Tagged ashley roberts, ballroom, bbc, blog, celebrity, champion, competition, dance, dancing, dancing times, dirty dancing, faye tozer, final, joe sugg, judges, judges choice, kevin clifton, latin, michael buble, recap, review, seann walsh, showdance, stacey dooley, strictly, strictly come dancing, strictly speaking, tv, vote, voters, winner | 2 Comments

Why do Strictly viewers hate Ashley Roberts?

Posted on December 10, 2018 by mkmswain

This weekend’s Strictly Come Dancing semi-final saw a third consecutive trip to the dreaded dance-off for ex-Pussycat Doll Ashley Roberts – despite topping the leaderboard with pro partner Pasha Kovalev after notching four nines for a fierce Paso Doble and a perfect score for her luminous American Smooth.

Read my full Telegraph article here

Posted in Dance, Journalism, TV | Tagged alexandra burke, american, article, ashley roberts, ballroom, bbc, blog, celebrity, comment, competition, dance, dance off, dancing, danny john-jules, debbie mcgee, faye tozer, final, joe mcfadden, latin, lauren steadman, pasha kovalev, pop, pussycat dolls, semi final, strictly, strictly come dancing, telegraph, theatre, training, tv | Leave a comment

Strictly Speaking: Week 12

Posted on December 10, 2018 by mkmswain

Semi-final week saw the usual quality drop-off with two dances – although in some cases such technical lack was rebranded as “authenticity” by the ever-erratic judges. We also had the dance and music lottery either boosting or limiting celebs, depending on whether they lucked out with the last remaining caramel swirl in the Quality Street tin, or got stuck with that unwanted green triangle.

Read my full Dancing Times blog here

Posted in Dance, Journalism, TV | Tagged american smooth, argentine tango, ashley roberts, ballroom, bbc, blog, celebrity, craig revel-horwood, dance, dance off, dancing, dancing times, eliminated, faye tozer, final, joe sugg, latin, lauren steadman, recap, review, semi final, shirley ballas, stacey dooley, strictly, strictly come dancing, strictly speaking, tango, tv | Leave a comment

Is Strictly’s judging going to pot?

Posted on December 9, 2018 by mkmswain

In these divisive times, we can count on the BBC’s sequin-fest to get all the generations round the telly on a Saturday night, becoming armchair experts on fleckerls and voltas. In this 16th series, however, the good ship Strictly has hit more icebergs than Ann Widdecombe’s Titanic rumba.

Read my full Telegraph article here

Posted in Dance, Journalism, TV | Tagged alexandra burke, ashley roberts, ballroom, bbc, bruno tonioli, celebrity, charles venn, column, competition, contemporary, couples choice, craig revel-horwood, dance, dance off, dancing, danny john-jules, darcey bussell, ed balls, hip hop, joe sugg, judges, judging, katya jones, kevin clifton, latin, les miserables, musical theatre, opinion, same sex dancing, score, seann walsh, shirley ballas, stacey dooley, strictly, strictly come dancing, telegraph, tv, unfair | Leave a comment

Fiddler on the Roof, Menier Chocolate Factory

Posted on December 6, 2018 by mkmswain

There’s a welcome alternative to panto hijinks in this gem of a Trevor Nunn musical revival – more attuned to the biting hardships of winter, and to the elegiac aspect of change, than to festive jollies. Which is not to say that there isn’t rousing fun to be had in many a slick set-piece, but this intimate, sensitive staging brings out the work’s soul, particularly its timeless call for empathy and compassion.

Read my full theartsdesk review here

Posted in Dance, Journalism, Theatre | Tagged andy nyman, dancing, daughter, faith, family, father, fiddler on the roof, if i were a rich man, immigrant, jew, jewish, judaism, judy kuhn, london, love, marriage, menier chocolate factory, musical, religion, review, revolution, russia, singing, theartsdesk, theatre, tradition, trevor nunn, tsar | Leave a comment

Strictly Speaking: Week 11

Posted on December 3, 2018 by mkmswain

Musicals Week! The quarter-finals! All to play for on this jazz hands show, and the combination of high-stakes competition and rampant theming produced… mixed results. Some dances fit beautifully with their songs, others were swallowed whole – and the judges continued to be consistent only in their inconsistency.

Read my full Dancing Times blog here

Posted in Journalism, Theatre | Tagged aladdin, ashley roberts, ballroom, bbc, blog, celebrity, charles venn, dance, dance off, dancing, dancing times, funny girl, joe sugg, joseph, judge, latin, les miserables, musicals, musicals week, quarter finals, quickstep, recap, review, rumba, south pacific, strictly, strictly come dancing, strictly speaking, the sound of music, trevor dion nicholas, tv, week 11, west end, west side story | Leave a comment

True West leads December’s Top 10 new London shows

Posted on December 2, 2018 by mkmswain

From a starry revival to new plays and the return of a modern classic.

Read my full BroadwayWorld article here

Posted in Journalism, Theatre | Tagged almeida, barbican, best, black panther, book tickets, broadwayworld, caroline or change, cheap tickets, christmas, comedy, december, doctor faustus, donmar warehouse, drama, fiddler on the roof, Games of Thrones, globe, johnny flynn, Kit Harrington, letitia wright, london, lynn nottage, marianne elliott, mark haddon, marlowe, martha plimpton, menier chocolate factory, musical, natasha gordon, national theatre, nine night, piccadilly theatre, picks, play, playhouse theatre, richard ii, rsc, sale, save, shakespeare, sharon d clarke, simon russell beale, sweat, the convert, the curious incident, the merry wives of windsor, theatre, ticket deal, top 10, trafalgar studios, trevor nunn, true west, trump, vaudeville theatre, wakanda, west end, young vic | Leave a comment

MARIANKA SWAIN ~ WRITE HERE, WRITE NOW

Aspects of Love, Southwark Playhouse

Pinter Five and Pinter Six, Harold Pinter Theatre

Aspects of Love leads January’s Top 10 new London shows

Strictly Speaking: The Final

Why do Strictly viewers hate Ashley Roberts?

Strictly Speaking: Week 12

Is Strictly’s judging going to pot?

Fiddler on the Roof, Menier Chocolate Factory

Strictly Speaking: Week 11

True West leads December’s Top 10 new London shows

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