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Author Archives: Brian Penn

Chicago Blues Brothers: Motown Mission, Savoy Theatre – Review

The Blues Brothers brand has now endured for forty years, first appearing on the big screen in 1980. But Jake and Elwood don’t look much like rock stars, occasionally they don’t sing so well. Tall and skinny, short and fat maybe; but with shades and a pork pie hat they become the funky men in black; they are indeed the Blues Brothers. Come to the Savoy Theatre any other night and you would have got 9 to 5 with the ...

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Chicago Blues Brothers: Motown Mission – Preview

With Chiacago Blues Brothers currently touring the UK, quite possibly coming to a town near you soon, as well as one night only in London on 4 August, we asked Brian Penn to reminisce about a show that for many people of a certain age is a cult classic. For a full list of upcoming venues and tickets see https://www.thebluesbrothers.co.uk/ One of the outstanding films of my childhood was the Blues Brothers, directed by John Landis. It had pretty much ...

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Fiver, Southwark Playhouse – Review

Have you ever wondered how long a £5 note survives in circulation? Experts suggest the polymer note introduced in 2016 can last up to five years. But who might take ownership of the said note during its lifetime. What impact did it have before it was passed onto the next recipient? All these questions are imagined and explored in Fiver, currently running at the Southwark Playhouse. Most fringe theatres have a studio space secreted in its bowels. The playhouse is ...

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Sh!tfaced Shakespeare: Hamlet, Leicester Square Theatre – Review

Pre show, I grabbed a flyer for Sh!tfaced Shakespeare. The early signs were not promising; according to said blurb the show features a cast of professional Shakespearian actors; each night one lucky victim is selected and carefully intoxicated for up to four hours prior to the show. The remaining sober cast members then have to navigate their way around the play with their drunken comrade in tow. The play was introduced by the compare, a blonde sequinned ringmaster who screamed ...

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The Talented Mr Ripley, Wilton’s Music Hall – Review

Because film is such a powerful medium it naturally becomes a reference point for any stage adaptation. The Talented Mr Ripley is a perfect example, coming twenty years after the big screen version starring Matt Damon and Jude Law. Here the four principal characters, within a self-contained plot, seem to suit the stage well. The understated grandeur of Wilton’s Music Hall also provides a natural atmosphere in which to crank up the tension. Tom Ripley (Christopher Hughes) is a small ...

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