Theatre Review: La Traviata – The Lowry, Salford
This review was originally written for The Public Reviews Opera North’s new production of Verdi’s La Traviata may have been 15 years in the making but it’s certainly worth the wait. Fiercely passionate, profoundly moving and devastatingly tragic, La Traviata is widely considered the most popular opera of all time and is arguably Giuseppe Verdi’s […]
Album Review: First Strut Is The Deepest by Brother Strut
Fresh, funky and fabulous, First Strut Is The Deepest is simply brilliant After sell-out gigs in London, Reading and Chichester earlier this year, funk-soul group Brother Strut head to London next month for a special gig at the O2 Brooklyn Bowl. As Frankly, My Dear has a pair of tickets to give away, it only seemed […]
Film Review: My Old Lady
Maggie Smith stars in My Old Lady, a complex, dark and compelling film about family secrets Dame Maggie Smith may be 79 years old but she’s showing no signs of slowing down. Between her role as Violet Crawley in Downton Abbey and three new film releases including The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015), the […]
Theatre Review: Al Murray The Pub Landlord: One Man, One Guvnor – The Lowry, Salford
This review was originally written for The Public Reviews It’s hard to believe that Al Murray’s The Pub Landlord has been in business for 20 years. Striding about stage with pint-glass in hand and a quarrelsome grin on his face, Murray’s witty, double-edged satire is as fresh as ever, as Britain’s favourite publican embarks on […]
Film Review: Get On Up
Chadwick Boseman delivers electrifying performance that is Oscar-worthy Love him or hate him, there is no denying that James Brown is a musical legend. At an exclusive screening of Get On Up, I glanced around the room to see almost everyone bopping their head as the unmistakable “Whoah” of I Got You (I Feel Good) […]