Amanda Hodgson, Author at North West End UK

Loose Women Live – Opera House Manchester

10Sep

By Amanda HodgsonNo Comments

North West

Loose Women Live – Opera House Manchester

The strobes lights were in full force, the show tunes loud with everyone dancing, and four Loose Women kept us entertained for a Friday night of ‘Loose Women Live’. Swapping the TV screen for the stage, we were invited to join their panel and be part of an unfiltered show. Loose Women being the iconic day time show that it is, exploring issues ranging from the serious and sad, to the funny and downright risqué, has been on our screens for almost 25 years. In this time we have grown to love certain Loose Women and welcome them in to our hearts from our screens, listening to their problems and anecdotes, relating and laughing along the way. And this familiarity offers a sense of comfort – the audience are wanting a good time, unified by a love for these ladies and their chatter, and the Loos...

28Sep

By Amanda HodgsonNo Comments

North West

Road – Oldham Coliseum

A trip to the Oldham Coliseum usually provides a gem of a show, and ‘Road’ did not disappoint. The play explores an array of characters, some loud, some rough, some lonely, some misunderstood, and some tormented, who live on a Lancashire street in 1987. An evening of real-life moments told through monologue and dialogue; we hear about Northern people with Northern problems. Although set in 1987 this play explores issues which clearly resonates with some northern towns today, more than 30 years later. The set captured the essence of Lancashire life, transforming between exterior windows, living rooms, bedrooms, and kitchens. The use of running water, and everyday sound effects such as barking dogs and fireworks, enhanced the real-life atmosphere, providing a sense of familiarity. The ...

16Jun

By Amanda HodgsonNo Comments

North West

Blood Harmony – The Lowry

Blood Harmony (written by Matthew Bulgo, directed and choreographed by Jonnie Riordan and Jess Williams) is a melange of styles and ideas, brought together to tell a seemingly simple story. Three sisters Chloe (Eve de Leon Allen), Maia (Keshini Misha) and Anna (Philippa Hogg) re-unite after the death of their mother to sift through the detritus of their past and present lives, sorting out regrets, grudges and grief, while charting a course to the future. If that sounds like heavy weather, don’t worry there are plenty of sitcom laughs and laughter at recognisable archetypes along the way. The play feels like the offspring of Friends and Chekov’s Three Sisters, with a reassuringly cosy atmosphere to take the edge off the emotional sharpness of the dialogue. The performances by the three a...

Opera North: Trouble in Tahiti – The Lowry

13Nov

By Amanda HodgsonNo Comments

North West

Opera North: Trouble in Tahiti – The Lowry

Trouble in Tahiti is a one-act opera in seven acts, composed by Leonard Bernstein, who is perhaps best known for his musical West Side Story. It is one of Bernstein’s darker and more autobiographical works, based on the relationship between the composer’s parents, combining themes of domestic struggle and breakdown with operatic melodrama, performed here by Opera North at The Lowry in Salford. The opera is set in the 1950s, and opens with a jazz trio (Laura Kelly-McInroy, Joseph Shovelton, Nicholas Butterfield) singing about domestic bliss in an unspecified suburb in the form of a radio advertisement for the American Dream. The reality, however, is very different, as we soon follow the story of Sam (Quirijn de Lang) and Dinah (Sandra Piques Eddy), a young couple whose marriage is collap...

Subdural Hematoma – Salford Arts Theatre

4Sep

By Amanda HodgsonNo Comments

North West

Subdural Hematoma – Salford Arts Theatre

Eleanor May Blackburn plays Eleanor May Blackburn in ‘Subdural Hematoma’, a one-act play that appears to draw inspiration from Eleanor’s own experiences recovering from a brain injury. In doing so, she utilises solo verbatim, audio, and physical theatre to share with her audience the many ups and downs of recovering in hospital. Central to Eleanor’s recovery are her family and friends. With poignancy and insight, she notes that as hard as recovering from a brain injury was for her, it was just as hard for those around her. The moments of Harry Potter tales read aloud by her father added fun and universality. While, her mother’s voice, read as diary entries chronicling Eleanor’s recovery, helped the audience visualise Eleanor’s stay in hospital and feel the passage of time. Audio recordi...

24May

By Amanda HodgsonNo Comments

North West

C-O-N-T-A-C-T – Salford Quays

A young woman, Sarah (Chloe Gentles), goes about her day in silence, troubled by erratic thoughts and a pain in her sternum that won’t go away. When she sits on a park bench, lost in thought, a stranger (Cellan Scott) tries to strike up a conversation which she initially spurns. But all is not as it appears, and soon she is propelled on an emotional journey that will change her life forever. The idea behind this production from C-O-N-T-A-C-T theatre is intriguing. Set entirely outside, the audience follows the actors around an outdoor environment, watching their movements whilst listening to voice-over and music provided by a digital app on their smart phones. This is both a refreshing change from more traditional theatre experiences and a timely approach in the context of the pandemic ...