Anne Pritchard, Author at North West End UK

9Aug

By Anne PritchardNo Comments

North West

Footloose – Liverpool Empire

The audience whooped and cheered as the show started, and as the curtains opened, the cast bounded onto the stage. The full company started as they meant to go on with a high energy, enthusiastic rendition of ‘Footloose’/ ’On Any Sunday’ displaying excitement and commitment to their participation in the show. This all singing, all dancing production is based on the 1984 film of the same name featuring Kevin Bacon and Sarah Jessica Parker; it sparkles with the spirit of the era from the portrayal of the 1980’s outfits, use of the period’s colloquialisms and famous hit songs. Writer Dean Pitchford based the story on the town of Elmore City, Oklahoma. The town had banned dancing since it was established in 1898 in an effort to reduce the amount of heavy drinking. Because of the ban on danc...

20Feb

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North West

Rave On – Floral Pavilion

Rave On is a musical show which loosely relates the history of Rock ‘n Roll during the 1950’s and 1960’s. It’s popularity relies heavily on nostalgia of the songs featured and the audience aged mainly 60+ with a few exceptions attending, reflected this. The performers in the six piece band are talented musicians and singers, lead vocalist Olliver Seymour Marsh and female soloist Victoria Bass taking the lead on vocals throughout. Seymour Marsh’s looks and gyrating hips, aka Elvis, Billy Fury etc., lend themselves to the 1950’s genre whilst Bass pulls off the looks and vibrant traits of the 50’s and 60’s iconic style with her costumes and effervescence. The opening number, Eddie Cochran’s ‘C’mon Everybody’ set the mood for the evening with Seymour March on vocals and three gu...

27Nov

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North West

The Signalman – Thingwall Hall

ArtsGroupie CIC presents this retelling of Charles Dickens’s classic ghost story which was written after Dickens himself survived a train crash; adapted and directed by David Griffiths, it is performed by John Maguire and Zoran Blackie. This haunting story is performed in almost total blackness, the only lights being the signalman’s two signal lamps which are used throughout, sometimes blinding the audience and at other times utilised to uplight the performers faces or to help portray large shadows on the stage backdrop. The only other lighting is a red coloured lamp depicting a fire in the corner of the signalman’s hut. The production opens with the stage in pitch darkness, eerie background music playing with a stark set consisting of two wooden boxes serving as seating for the play...

The Scouse Red Riding Hood – Liverpool’s Royal Court

15Nov

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North West

The Scouse Red Riding Hood – Liverpool’s Royal Court

The Scouse Red Riding Hood, written by Kevin Fearon and directed by Mark Chatterton, with musical direction from Howard Gray, the creative team that engineered successful previous Royal Court Christmas shows, such as The Scouse Cinderella, The Scouse Snow White and The Scouse Jack & The Beanstalk is the theatre’s re-telling of children’s fairy tale, Little Red Riding Hood with a twist. This adult panto contains an abundance of Liverpool-style innuendo and near-the-knuckle jokes plus a lot of swearing, so not suitable for youngsters. The storyline is funnily sharp-witted and works perfectly providing laughs galore including lots of home-grown Liverpool colloquialisms, Red-versus-Blue footie jokes and the cast naming local Merseyside landmarks. It’s difficult to provide too many...

16Oct

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North West

Play On! – Liverpool Playhouse

This musical show transfers Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night to the 1940’s New York jazz scene and is set in the infamous Cotton Club in 1940’s Harlem. Conceived by Sheldon Epps from a book by Cheryl L. West, the production started out on Broadway where it received three Tony nominations; it has been brought to the UK by the Talawa Theatre Company. Talawa is UK’s Black theatre company, promoting Black Joy 2024, a season of theatre and workshops celebrating Black stories and artists. Directed by Talawa’s Artistic Director, Michael Buffong, the show incorporates music by legendary jazz singer, Duke Ellington and showcases classic and contemporary choreography from Kenrick H2O Sandy. It is an all-singing, all-dancing production with a five-piece live band, comprising musicians, Shane Fo...

The Salon: The Sequel! – St Helens Theatre Royal

6Oct

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North West

The Salon: The Sequel! – St Helens Theatre Royal

This adult comedy show, written by Drew Quayle, follows the antics and everyday life of salon manager, Carol, played by radio and stage star Leanne Campbell. It’s predecessor show, The Salon originally played at St Helens Theatre Royal in 2009, playing again in 2011 and 2017, before transferring to Liverpool’s Epstein Theatre in 2018. This stand-alone sequel has been updated to reflect current local Liverpool culture and is awash with Scouse over-the-top caricatures and Scouse humour which had the hyped-up audience showing their appreciation with boisterous whoops and piercing squeals of laughter amid noisy excitement. Carol (Leanne Campbell) is orchestrator of the story, managing the salon staff and trying to keep her family life in control. Her staff of two, be...

17May

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North West

Frankie Goes to Bollywood – HOME Mcr

Rifco Theatre Company delivers two and a half hours of delightful entertaining theatre with this enjoyable show; with comedic stereotypical depictions of characters from the Bollywood film industry, beautiful Indian costumes, energetic dance routines, an original musical score and abundant high-speed costume changes this production is a ‘must-see’. The story centres on Frankie (Laila Zaidi), a British Indian girl working in the Milton Keynes branch of a multi-chain cinema, serving popcorn with her cousin, Goldy (Katie Stasi). Frankie’s mother (Helen K Wint) passes away leaving her daughter with memories of her career and her longing to break into Bollywood. Frankie decides to try and fulfil her mother’s ambitions and auditions for a part in a Bollywood film, although never having ...

25Jul

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North West

Titanic The Musical – Liverpool Empire

Titanic The Musical is based on the original Broadway production which won five Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book, as such, there's no Jack and Rose in this story as in the film of the same name. This stage production is based on real-life stories which include romance and heartbreak and are told mainly through song. Based on the book, by Peter Stone with music and lyrics by Maury Yeston the tale is portrayed with precision and composure; Thom Southerland’s direction ensures that the production is played to maximum effect whilst the Production team and the band are to be commended. The distressing tale of the Titanic tragedy is known world-wide and is not one which springs readily to mind to be portrayed in a musical production but despite being such a dist...

David Walliams’ Demon Dentist – Liverpool Empire

28Apr

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North West

David Walliams’ Demon Dentist – Liverpool Empire

David Walliams is now a well-known author and his children’s books have become infamous for their comedy and down-to-earth themes; he is probably classed as one of the most contemporary influential writers of children’s books at the present time, his characters are both endearing and outrageous whilst he also touches on the plights of unhappy and unloved children and their escapades. Demon Dentist is a stage adaptation of his latest book following on from Gangsta Granny and Billionaire Boy. This production is directed and adapted by Neal Foster of the Birmingham Stage Company. This story centres on Alfie (Sam Varley), a boy who has cared for his disabled dad since his mum passed away. After an unpleasant experience at the dentist six years prior to where this story ...

14Feb

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North West

Rita Sue and Bob Too! – Epstein Theatre

This comedy-drama production is based on the British film, ‘Rita, Sue and Bob Too’ which burst onto screens in 1987, adapted by Andrea Dunbar based on two of her stage plays, ‘Rita, Sue and Bob Too’ (1982) and ‘The Arbour’ (1980); the play was first performed with the strapline, ‘Thatcher’s Britain with her knickers down’. Set in Bradford, it tells the story of two teenage schoolgirls, Rita and Sue, who embark on a sexual threesome with a married man; the girls, both from working-class backgrounds, live on a deprived council estate and are finishing their final year at school. To earn money, they babysit for married couple Bob and his wife, Michelle who live in a modern house on an executive development on the wealthy side of town. Without his wife knowing, Bob enjoys sex wi...