Adam Williams, Author at North West End UK

25Mar

By Adam WilliamsNo Comments

North West

La Traviata – Opera House

On a very rainy night in Manchester, there was at least some comfort to be had in Manchester’s Opera House as they staged Ellen Kent’s production of Verdi’s famous tale of doomed love as part of her farewell tour. I may as well start my review with the outstanding Viktoria Melnyk, who dazzled as the ill-fated heroine of this opera, Violetta. She sings with such power, control and emotion. Her voice is not just sublime and beautiful, it is mesmerising. It is worth seeing this show just to witness such a transcendent talent. Her charisma and presence alone made this show worth watching. Hovhannes Andreasyan, as Alfredo, was also impressive. He gave an imposing performance, full of feeling and desire. Alfredo makes Violetta see that her material life is nothing without love. The mes...

20Mar

By Adam WilliamsNo Comments

North West

My Name is Rachel Corrie – 53two

It is really quite rare that you get to see a truly great work of art. This was such a stunning, mesmerising, heart-and-gut-wrenching piece of work that it left the audience collectively speechless as they tried to process what they had just witnessed. Unfortunately, there is no avoiding the subject matter of the play, which is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, particularly the treatment by Israel of Gaza. The action of this drama takes place in 2003, twenty-plus years before the current carnage, and it centres around one remarkable young lady. Rachel Corrie was a real person who decided in her early twenties to go to Rafah in Gaza in order to protest against the policies of the US government and its support for the actions of the Israeli army in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip....

20Feb

By Adam WilliamsNo Comments

North West

The Last Picture – HOME Mcr

This may be a tale told by a dog, but it isn’t a shaggy dog story. It is a moving and perceptive tale about hate, shame, pain and ultimately humanity. In dangerous times, amidst the mess of human existence, light can shine, and there is hope. Storyteller Robin Simpson bounds onto the stage and tells us he is Sam, an emotional support dog trained to look after us all. He has been assigned to a Year 9 class, which means children aged 13 to 14. Catherine Dyson’s script is structured through a series of pictures described by Sam. We are invited to imagine these images sometimes from the kids' perspective, at times from our own, and even to envision how the people in those photos might have been feeling at the time. A swastika has been drawn on a locker, and even though the children mi...

4Feb

By Adam WilliamsNo Comments

North West

MÁM – The Lowry

According to the director and choreographer of this scintillating piece of art, Michael Keegan-Dolan, “A mám is a pass through the mountains. It’s a geographical structure that encourages people to go a certain way.” He goes on to say it can also mean an “obligation”, adding, “Sometimes as artists, you feel this obligation to do something, even if you can’t really say why.” This is an artistic endeavour of the highest quality. It is an imaginative combination of dance, theatre and music. Taking you on a journey through love, despair, longing, and joy. It is both intense and free, structured and loose, disparate and unifying. It starts with a devilish figure holding a concertina, facing a child. He takes off his mask, and the dancers start creating a beat, and the movement begins. ...

24Jan

By Adam WilliamsNo Comments

North West

The Execution of Private Slovik – 53two

It is well known that, in response to potential harm, the human body can go into fight-or-flight mode. It is a physiological survival mechanism, and some people choose to face the danger, whilst others will run away. This play concerns the true story of Private Eddie Slovik (Jamie Peacock), who was the only American soldier to be executed for desertion in the Second World War. Indeed, he was the first to face that punishment since the American Civil War. We are presented with a moral dilemma. Do we see Slovik as a flawed man, with a difficult upbringing, who froze at the vital moment and wanted, like many would in the middle of a war, simply to run away and back to his sick wife? Or do we see him as a cog in an army machine that should simply obey orders for the good of the natio...

Ideal 20th Anniversary Live Show – The Lowry

10Sep

By Adam WilliamsNo Comments

North West

Ideal 20th Anniversary Live Show – The Lowry

Back in 2005, Tony Blair was the Prime Minister, Doctor Who returned to our screens, and another show, with a budget not quite as large, started on BBC Three called Ideal. Set in Salford, it revolved around Moz (Johnny Vegas), a small-time drug dealer, and the weird and wonderful characters who came to see him to buy cannabis. It was lo-fi, a bit of a sleeper hit, and a cult classic beloved by its fans. Twenty years later, it has been resurrected for the stage, and it is silly, surreal and just fun. You know everyone is up for having a good time when the actors are applauded when they come on stage. It had a pantomime feel, not least in those moments when things went wrong. Audiences always love it when this happens, and it was very entertaining watching the actors try to improvise them...

2:22 A Ghost Story – Opera House, Manchester

14Aug

By Adam WilliamsNo Comments

North West

2:22 A Ghost Story – Opera House, Manchester

Everyone loves a ghost story. Whether it is by M R James, Edgar Allen Poe or Stephen King, we all love stories that make us jump out of our seats and scare the bejesus out of us. This show certainly did that and more! At base, this is a tremendously well-structured play which brilliantly ratchets up the tension and keeps everyone on the edge of those seats they will certainly be jumping out of. There is more, though, to this play than being a simple ghost story. It also explores ideas of rationalism, belief, control and identity whilst also being a supremely entertaining romp. It has been a phenomenally successful show, having been three years in the West End, and has been seen by over one million people in 17 different countries. I can understand why, as the play zips along faster t...

20Jul

By Adam WilliamsNo Comments

North West

Almost Famous – The King’s Arms

“Escaping and pretending is better than the truth,” says Emily Benton (Jac Wheble), the hero of this one-woman show about identity, fame, and the desire to be seen, not for what you are, that’s boring. She has a thirst, a craving almost to be seen in the spotlight, out front, and famous. Benton, we find out, is living a lie from the start. Suddenly, we are taken into an examination of identity in a world where everyone is pretending. She came from Australia to the UK in the early 1970s to pursue her dream of finding fame and fortune as a performer. “Naivety gets you through,” she says as she looks back at her younger self and the pitfalls she faced in a business where more established, powerful men will take advantage of her with the promise of a record contract or a juicy part o...

15Jul

By Adam WilliamsNo Comments

North West

Varnish – The King’s Arms

We are all the stars of our own lives, and in this one-man show, Jonathan Mayor is undoubtedly the star of his. Mayor comes onto the stage full of glitter and glam. A sparkling presence, the epitome of the outrageous stage and screen performer. He is the star of the show, and all the stars have come out to see him, including Dame Judi, Oprah and Tom Cruise, on a booster seat! He is charismatic and camp as he starts the show. You feel that in his head, he imagines he is at the opening of his Las Vegas residency or appearing at the top of the bill at the London Palladium. However, this isn’t a show. It’s a play written by his friend, Janet Taylor, and based on his life. It is not necessarily the unvarnished truth, but who, in reality, tells the truth of their own lives, even to the...

20Jun

By Adam WilliamsNo Comments

North West

Macbeth – Hope Mill Theatre

Sometimes you see a piece of theatre and it just blows you away. This production was inventive, audacious and stunningly theatrical. Theatrical seems an odd thing to write in a theatre review. Surely all theatre is theatrical. Yet, the fashion these days is to shun theatricality, to underplay, to minimise. Thankfully, the directors of this play were not afraid to create a spectacle. Fittingly, for a play where bewitchment is central to the plot, they created magic in a very small space. From the start, there was dynamism, vivacity, verve and brio which grabbed the attention. And it did not let up. There was a briskness to the direction which gave the play its vim and vigour. It was so compelling that you could not take your eyes off the action. It was co-directed by Amy Gavin and Han...