Tuesday, October 15

Author: Anna Ní Dhúill

WRESTLELADSWRESTLE – HOME Mcr
North West

WRESTLELADSWRESTLE – HOME Mcr

While you might not think Judo and racism are the easiest go-tos for a (sort-of) one-woman show, Jenni Jackson’s expert weaving of personal experience with community accountability in WRESTLELADSWRESTLE cracks the subject matter wide-open in an approachable way, inviting us in to listen and learn. The piece, at its core, is built off the universal desire we have as humans to assert ownership over our own pain: at least if we can decide when and how it happens, we can be somewhat prepared. Out of this, we learn anecdotal stories, as well as news snippets of traumas that have occurred to women when they simply weren’t prepared. So: Jenni prepares us. What we learn, among other things, is how to get people out of our house when they start to act aggressive. Bringing her ‘girl gang’ onstage...
Bowie Experience – Floral Pavilion
North West

Bowie Experience – Floral Pavilion

With a thirty-song, two-and-a-half hour set with a tight band and charismatic performers, Bowie Experience is a real triumph. The tone is set immediately, as the Bowie impersonator asserts that we, the audience, can take photos, sing along, even get up and dance. This breaking of regular expectations works excellently to get the audience even more excited for what’s to come. While it takes us the first half to get confident enough to rise to our feet, by the second half most of the audience are on their feet and swaying along in pure nostalgic glee. The show opens with Space Oddity, and while you can tell lead singer Oliver Slee is a natural Bowie, it takes him a minute to really ease into that Bowie-charisma. The negative space onstage ate him up a bit for the first few tunes, u...
Two Cities…Half the World Away – Liverpool’s Royal Court
North West

Two Cities…Half the World Away – Liverpool’s Royal Court

“Two Cities…Half the World Away” by Beyond The Line Theatre Company at The Royal Court Studio was a joyful production that had the audience hooked from the first moment. Callum O’Brien, the director of both the company and the production, staged Nicky Allt’s newer play – you might know him from his better-known “One Night in Istanbul” or “Brick Up the Mersey Tunnels”. Allt’s aptitude for inciting football pride, along with the actor’s abundance of energy left the audience smiling from start to finish. The story follows two men – meant to be somewhere in their early thirties but looking freshly graduated from college – on their way to an important football match before getting thrown into a police cell until their unpaid fines are paid up. Liam (played by Joseph Stanley), a scouser who c...
In The Sick of It – Unity Theatre
North West

In The Sick of It – Unity Theatre

‘In the Sick of It’, at the Unity Theatre in Liverpool, was an evening of highly enjoyable verbatim theatre and top-notch storytelling. Devised and acted by Adam McGuigan and Antonia Kemi Coker of Wake the Beast Theatre Company, Liverpool was treated to an intimate preview before the company head to Edinburgh for a hefty Fringe run. ‘In the Sick of It’ is a compilation of stories from NHS and healthcare workers who worked tirelessly through COVID and continue to work post-pandemic. Wake the Beast have been working on this show for four years, with the intention of bringing it to care homes and hospitals as an offering of catharsis for those working in healthcare. While I imagine it was a huge success in those specific sites, I’m so glad the company have decided to share this brilliant w...