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Tag: David Vass reviews

A boiling Crucible of terror and tragedy comes to the Corn Hall
23rd Jan 2023
by David Vass
Arthur Miller’s 1953 study of hysteria and public shaming marks a welcome return of live performance beamed in from the National Theatre to the Corn Hall. The play is notionally a period drama, retelling the… read more
Posted in Theatre
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A delightful confection starring Leslie Manville and fifties fashion
20th Jan 2023
by David Vass
Anyone familiar with the films of Mike Leigh will know how good an actor Leslie Manville is, but it’s only as recently as 2017, for the performance in Phantom Threads, that this was widely acknowledged.… read more
Posted in Film
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Tom Cruise goes Maverick in this astonishing spectacle
13th Jan 2023
by David Vass
Viewed through the prism of all that followed, the first Top Gun film looks oddly dated now, but at the time it was a game changer, instrumental in bringing the vitality and economy of advertising… read more
Posted in Film
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Common Ground have fun with nuns
8th Jan 2023
by David Vass
The Common Ground Theatre Company specialises in the dramatization of challenging classic texts, fearlessly tackling the likes of Coleridge, Poe and Dostoevsky. Their shows make for intellectually nourishing and wonderfully enlightening evenings that educate as… read more
Posted in Review, Theatre
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Blancmange makes Waves in Diss
18th Nov 2022
by David Vass
In what was an exciting departure for the Corn Hall, Blancmange brought Synth-pop to Diss, brilliantly showcasing a new album and a back catalogue stretching back forty years. The evening kicked off with Rodney Cromwell,… read more
Posted in Music
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Roughcast Theatre revive a comedy classic
13th Nov 2022
by David Vass
Frank Capra’s movie of the same name is such a perfect example of the screwball comedy genre he made his own, it’s easy to forget that Arsenic and Old Lace was originally a play, and… read more
Posted in Theatre
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Full Steam ahead for the Railway Children's Return
12th Nov 2022
by David Vass
It’s been over fifty years since Jenny Agutter stood on a railway platform calling for her Daddy in the definitive family film. In this belated sequel, it’s Beau Gadsdon that does much the same, in… read more
Posted in Film
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Daliso Chaponda Stands Up to Lockdown
11th Nov 2022
by David Vass
Daliso Chaponda is best known for reaching the final of Britain’s Got Talent, having been fast tracked by Amanda Holden with the golden buzzer. A sweet, self-effacing performer, he describes himself as a D list… read more
Posted in Comedy
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Open Space takes Miss Julie in a new direction
29th Oct 2022
by David Vass
Those familiar with Strindberg’s play, might be surprised by how much of it has remained intact in Patrick Marber’s updated version. Marber’s abiding message, by implication, is that nothing much changed in the sixty years… read more
Posted in Theatre
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Mark Rylance fits the Outfit like a glove
28th Oct 2022
by David Vass
Single set dramas – anything from 12 Angry Men to Reservoir Dogs – are compelled to do something interesting with words, and The Outfit is no exception. Mark Rylance is reliably excellent as the cutter… read more
Posted in Film
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