Staged Beauty

Advantages: Crudup's surprising and engaging performance
Disadvantages: rather predictable fare

...Maybe it’s because I was less than complimentary about Billy Crudup’s rather functional perfomance in Big Fish, or perhaps I was just in a sentimental mood as I settled down to watch this theatrical little tale, but I left it rather moved. No genius here, but a lot of heart made it something worth watching, if not an urgent recommendation. Seventeeth century English law decreed that it was illegal for a woman to take to the stage. As such, some male actors would specialise in playing women’s parts. Billy Crudup takes to the screen as Ned Kynaston, a beloved star of the stage, famed for his Desdemona, supported and secretly worshipped by his plucky dresser, Maria (Claire Danes). Her suppressed passion to emulate the object of her desire on the stage is finally given its outlet when one theatre takes the risk...

ruth_cole 19.12.2004 · Read review
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Review of Stage Beauty (DVD)

Yamaha Stage Custom Drumkit

Advantages: GREAT DRUM KIT 4 OUTSTANDING PRICE!
Disadvantages: NONE?

...This Drum kit is amazing. If your a beginer or even really good this drum kit will suit you this kit is awsome if your looking for a reasonibly priced drum kit this is for you. I bought this kit about 2 years ago ive only made 3 adjustments like putting remo pinstripe skins on it and buying anew cymbal pack and buyong a mapex double bass pedal but thats what ive done this is a great kit and i would recomend this product to nearly anyone. The most affordable all-birch Yamaha drumset ever! An incredible value, the legendary tone of an all-birch Yamaha drumset is now available in the Stage Custom series. The low fundamental and warm tone of Yamaha's birch drums have been the top choice of drummers for over 30 years. The Stage Custom Birch series is great for the beginner or the working professional. The staggered diagonal seam allows us to...

ReviewDude12345 04.01.2009 · Read review
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Review of Yamaha Stage Custom Drumkit

The Compleat Female Stage Beauty

Advantages: Great script, performances and attention to detail
Disadvantages: Unnecessary nudity

...In 1660, the most beautiful woman on the London stage is played by a man. Ned Kynaston is the most feted ?actress? in the country, dazzling everyone as Desdemona in ?Othello?. But when Charles II bans men from playing women, Ned is out of a job and has to watch as his lovelorn dresser Maria takes to the stage. How will he cope? And can his acting talents stretch to playing men as well as women? Director Richard Eyre is best known as an award-winning theatre director, so who better to direct a film about the theatre? He and screenwriter Jeffrey Hatcher (adapting his own stage play) interweave fact and fiction. Ned Kynaston was a Restoration-era star and Margaret (Maria) Hughes was the first woman on the stage. Hatcher?s script is well-written, witty, poignant and intelligent and will frequently be compared to the Oscar...

afy9mab 17.09.2004 · Read review
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Review of Stage Beauty (DVD)

Exit Stage Door Permanently

Advantages: None
Disadvantages: Apart from the above there was no parking either.

...We recently went to the Stage Door for our works Christmas lunch. We all arrived on time and were seated at a long table. The large room was very noisy and jam packed with people. It was a very dark, gloomy room and unwelcoming. One small, dirty toilet serviced all these people. There were a number of balloons on the table which served as the only entertainment (I did not get one). There were NO Xmas crackers, hats, party poppers etc. We waited an hour before our starters arrived. At this point I asked the waitress when we could expect to eat, to be snapped at by the waitress. When the starter eventually arrived the packet pate was acceptable but came with hard biscuits which were poor. The turkey was re-formed and the portion was very small. The Xmas pudding was tasty enough but again a tiny portion and at the end of the meal I...

AberdeenDiner 14.12.2009 · Read review
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Review of The Stage Door Restaurant, Aberdeen

stage door

Advantages: Lovely food at reasonable prices
Disadvantages: Stairs , too hot , can be expensive

...The stage door restaurant is situated just off Golden square in Aberdeen city centre. We have had the pleasure of eating there twice. Both times we were in large parties (12 and 10) so this review is from the perspective of a group of diners out on a casual night out. To get to the restaurant you have to go up a large flight of stairs so it is not suitable for anyone with mobilty problems. Once you trek all the way up the stairs you are met by a waiter who will show you to your table. The restraurant itself is well set out so that you are not too close to other tables without feeling that your table is in the middle of nowhere. The tables are set out with the classic lots of shiny cutlery and pressed napkins. The decor is a lovely art deco style. It feels warm and cosy while still giving a formal feel. We did find the room to...

lesleyalan 03.11.2007 · Read review
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Review of The Stage Door Restaurant, Aberdeen

All the world's a stage

Advantages: dedicated publication with lots of job opportunities
Disadvantages: none

...The Stage is a dedicated newspaper for all those who are involved or interested in the entertainment industry. Not only does it publish knowledgeable and well informed criticism of performances in theatres up and down the country, it also prints relevent articles affecting the entertainment industry. It also provides a shop window for actors, singers, dancers, magicians, etc to show the world what they can do and there are always loads of adverts for training and auditions. For those interested in working backstage it also displays adverts for training and jobs. It is a very 'within the trade' publication, which means that unless you are in showbusiness a lot of the editorial content will go over your head, but makes interesting reading nevertheless and a newcomer to the glitzy world of showbiz might pick up a tip or two. There...

w1ldrover 08.03.2001 (06.03.2001) · Read review
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Review of The Stage

Stage 84 (Bradford) My Own Personal Viewpoint

Advantages: Good reputation for getting a part in Corrie
Disadvantages: expensive, very time consuming, in my opinion oppressive and overbearing

...my eldest daughter attended Stage 84 and, initially, enjoyed it. Would you be happy to leave your child in the care of individuals who feel it is appropriate to blow whistles at the children should they dare not obey their every command? This includes children as young as three and four. I can recall one occasion where the whistle was blown at a group of parents who failed to clear the room in time after dropping off their children! Now i know father Von Trapp used similar methods in the Sound of Music but those were different times, under a strict dictatorial prolatariat maniac with an obsession for power and, dare i say, money. i must end this particular paragraph by saying,again, that these are my own personal views and interpretations following what i have been told by my own daughter and from what i have seen with my own eyes...

bobster591 06.10.2009 · Read review
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Review of Stage 84 (Bingley)

Staged brilliance, enough said.

Advantages: Bowie at his absolute brilliant best with a band and music to kill for!
Disadvantages: Practically nothing whatsoever...

...I bought Stage on holiday for cheap after not going to see Bowie perform live back home, as with Bowie I love half his stuff and the other half, well, not. Back at the hotel room in the evening before offing out, I slipped it from the plastic case, allowing the digipak to unfold and very nice it was too. Within liner notes from Tony Visconti enthused about Stage and Bowie's live shows, giving some personal insight into their working and how this re-release of Stage returned the music to the original running order (previously it was separated into one CD of more conventional songs and another of less conventional instrumentals). I slipped the first CD into the walkman, feeling a little uncertain as to Visconti's enthusiasm and? One of 'those' more unusual instrumentals begins - the track he opened the concerts with. Warszawa...

No_name 21.03.2006 · Read review
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Review of Stage (Live/Remastered) [Digipak] - David Bowie

The Beauty is in the Stage

Advantages: Elegant style and a worthwhile love story
Disadvantages: I can't think of any, I'm just that biased.

...This film had me gripped from the start. Not that it's a thrilling or fast moving movie. It just had a certain elegance that is easy to follow and become engrossed in the characters. The story line appeals to the interests of a theatre-goer or someone with a certain interest in the theatre or history of the theatre. Or someone who would just enjoy a tantalising experience of the development of our entertainment culture. We begin with Mr. Kynaston (Billy Crudup) playing women on stage, whilst his dresser, Maria (Claire Danes) watches on wistfully. She puts on her own performance of the current play, Orthello, and attracts a wide audience and is invited to dine with King, where it is revealed she has been on stage, which was illegal at the time. The King then decrees that each gender must present their own from now on. Much to Mr...

absurd_luck 17.03.2006 (21.05.2006) · Read review
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Review of Stage Beauty (DVD)

Dancing is the Star of Center Stage

Advantages: Dancing - Without a doubt!
Disadvantages: Storyline - Yawn

...Let me start this review by stating that I have sang and danced since I was 5 years old, and therefore have a passionate enthusiasm for any dancing films and shows!!! Therefore taking this into consideration, I have tried to be as open minded as possible about my review on this... ~THE STORY~ Center Stage, the story about a group of young dancers joining the ABC (American Ballet Company). The story starts with a brief bit about their audition to the company, Leaving their girlfriends 'back home', doing so against parents wishes, auditioning and not really wanting it etc... then they all start 'class' and the new group takes shape. The story (not that there really is much of one) takes us on the journey, of their successes in class, the worry about whether they are good enough, of course a love story.... a girls first love...

hayleyjwarner 28.10.2004 · Read review
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Review of Center Stage (DVD)