Latest news with #auditorium
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The Railway Children review – a real steam train is the spectacular star
This site-specific experience begins with a ride on a stream train. Audiences travel to a purpose-built auditorium inside an engine shed at Oxenhope station. It is a delightful mood-setter to Mike Kenny's adaptation of E Nesbit's 1905 novel, which premiered in 2008. It is back on the road, this time chugging its way along the same five-mile line comprising the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway on which the Green Dragon travelled in Lionel Jeffries' iconic 1970 film. Inside the shed, the impressive stagecraft arrests the senses over the story of Roberta (Farah Ashraf), Peter (Raj Digva) and Phyllis (Jessica Kaur), the children forced out of their well-to-do London home and into a shambling house by the tracks in Yorkshire, after their father (Paul Hawkyard) is wrongly imprisoned. They take to waving at passengers on the Green Dragon, an invisible locomotive here conjured through a wonderful concoction of steam, sounds (designed by Craig Vear) and crackles of light (designed by Richard G Jones). That is, until a real-life steam train enters the auditorium – a sight to behold. Scenes on Joanna Scotcher's stupendous set design are deftly executed on mobile platforms. It gives the period dress production a heady sense of motion as the children take off on their adventures. But for all these excitements, it is initially too tame in its storytelling and anodyne in its emotional drama. A framing device in which adult versions of Roberta, Peter and Phyllis reflect back on their childhood selves, and enact the story in retrospect, feels under-used. Conceived and directed by Damian Cruden, the children are Anglo-Indian; their father met their mother (Asha Kingsley) in the British Raj. It is an interesting twist, rather like that in last year's production of The Secret Garden. But little is done with this introduced theme of imperialism and mixed heritage identity beyond the cosmetic: Mother wears an ethnic shawl; one of the children dreams of having an elephant. The siblings speak in cheery tones and appear more like a reduced version of the Famous Five than young people trying to turn their pain into resilience. It is all a little chocolate-box – a quintessential, idealised version of Englishness. Thankfully, it is brought back on track after the interval. The humour sparks alive and there are charming meta flourishes to the siblings' memories. 'You'll have to use your imaginations for this part,' Roberta implores us at one point, and later we become the waving strangers on the train. It shines in these collaborative moments. The emotional life of the play gains weight, too, however schmaltzy the story may be. By the time the final scene comes round, with Father's return, this show has become irresistible. At Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, until 7 September.
The Sun
25-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
New London cultural destination to open in the city with Vegas-like dome attraction
A NEW cultural destination is coming to London with a giant Vegas-like dome. The Holborn Dome will be home to office spaces, a cultural space and a 300-person auditorium in central London. 4 Located next to Chancery Lane tube station, the new venue will replace the surrounding offices and shops and bring them into one larger building. The centre and a number of retail shops will be located on the ground floor. And as part of the project, there will be a main auditorium with a double-height domed ceiling. Whilst The Holborn Dome aims to commemorate the earlier Knights Templar Church, which was demolished at the site a long time ago - plans reveal a similar dome-like structure to that of the Vegas Sphere. The round cultural space will be similar to the round churches that the Templars used to build. And the design of the dome is inspired by the former Knights Templar Church - which once stood in nearly the same spot as where the new dome will sit. The auditorium will be used for exhibitions and provide an immersive experience. When the site eventually opens, there will also be parts of the walls from the original church revealed and put on display where possible. There will be a remodelled pocket park at the rear of the building too, and upgraded public routes around the entire site. Facilities such as the water fountain and toilets will also be upgraded. One of the world's deepest bars to open in London Once completed, there will also be a number of exhibition spaces across the 10-storey-tall destination. According to MyLondon, deputy Tom Sleigh, chair of the planning and transportation committee, said: "This is exactly the kind of scheme we want to see more of in the Square Mile - best-in-class office space that keeps London globally competitive, while also delivering public spaces that everyone can enjoy. "Supporting the primary business function of the City through meeting this huge level of demand for office space is critical. "But I'm particularly pleased by the retention of sections of the Knights Templar, a brilliant way to connect the new venue with the history of the site." 4 Of course, The Holborn Dome will not be anywhere near the same size as the Vegas Sphere. The US attraction towers 112metres into the sky and stretches 157metres wide. And whilst the both the interior and exterior of The Holborn Dome won't be a colossal screen, inside it will offer an immersive visitor experience. The world's deepest bar is also set to open in London as part of huge new £120million attraction. Plus, a first-of-its-kind Titanic attraction is coming to England this summer, and is expected to make guests feel like they're on the ship. 4
