Clare Chandler, Author at North West End UK

17Sep

By Clare ChandlerNo Comments

North West

8 Hours There and Back – Unity Theatre

It’s always fascinating to revisit a show further along in its journey. Two years after its work-in-progress sharing at the Unity, 8 Hours There and Back returns to kick off a UK tour, playing to a packed house. The production features new faces—Cal Connor, Olivia Lamb, and Rio Star as children navigating a world they don’t belong in, within a system that has forgotten them—along with some new creatives. Choreographer Adele Inglis infuses the movement with a Hip Hop-inspired vibe, but at its core, the show remains a moving and, at times, harrowing portrayal of the realities of life for children with a parent in prison. This is unmistakably an All Things Considered Theatre production, bearing the distinct creative fingerprints of Sarah Hogarth and Emma Bramley. Deft comic moments prevent...

Unsolicited (An Unsafe Space for Straight Men) – Royal Court Theatre

21Jan

By Clare ChandlerNo Comments

North West

Unsolicited (An Unsafe Space for Straight Men) – Royal Court Theatre

Every woman knows the importance of identifying your exits, they plan their routes home from nights out and experience the momentary panic when the taxi driver takes an unfamiliar route. They have been educated from birth that it is their responsibility to prevent men from raping them, by dressing appropriately, not wearing headphones, holding their keys in the correct manner. And so, we join All Things Considered Theatre aboard the Spice Up Your Lifeboat as they navigate the treacherous, sometimes deadly, Sea of Misogyny. Four multi-talented performers (Ashleigh Owen, Frankie Gold, Holly Wright, Shannon Lavelle) bedecked in sequins and glitter guide us through this exploration of unsafe spaces, unwanted dick pics, harassment and more with All Things Considered’s usual...

<strong>Dreamgirls – Liverpool Empire</strong>

4Jan

By Clare ChandlerNo Comments

North West

Dreamgirls – Liverpool Empire

Dreamgirls is an iconic musical, later movie musical, but it is on stage where the story really sings. The show follows the rise of the Dreamettes (later the Dreams) amidst the changing sounds of America in the swinging sixties. The trio at the musical’s heart (Effie, Deena and Lorrell) navigate these challenges, finding success, overcoming heartbreak and – ultimately – learning to love themselves and one another. Dreamgirls premiered on Broadway in 1981, it was directed and choreographed by musical theatre legend Michael Bennett. Thirty-five years later the show made its UK debut, opening on the West End in a new production directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw. This production is now on a UK tour, and we caught up with it at the Liverpool Empire. The show continues ...

Sister Act: A Divine Musical Comedy – Eventim Apollo

28Jul

By Clare ChandlerNo Comments

London

Sister Act: A Divine Musical Comedy – Eventim Apollo

This latest revival of Alan Menken, Glenn Slater, Cheri Steinkellner and Bill Steinkellner’s divine comedy has been a long time coming. Initially conceived as an opportunity to return Whoopi Goldberg to the role she created in the hit nineties film, the planned second coming fell foul of the pandemic. So, two years after its planned debut Beverley Knight is rocking the habit, and the Eventim Apollo, in Bill Buckhurst’s revised production. The production is not short of spectacle with Knight and the singing nuns bringing enough glitz to hold their own amongst the long list of performers who have graced the Eventim Apollo stage over the years. The musical is fairly faithful to the film’s plot - having witnessed a murder Deloris Van Cartier is forced to hide out in a convent helping her ‘s...

This Savage Parade – Manchester Collective

24Jun

By Clare ChandlerNo Comments

North West

This Savage Parade – Manchester Collective

The Manchester Collective continue to programme their seasons in a manner that seems remarkably prescient. This evening as inflation rises, industrial unrest unfurls, ice caps melt and war bleeds ever closer to home, they perform a set of ethereal music for voice and string orchestra declaring that ‘in a volatile world, sometimes you just need a good tune to hang on to’. There are many ‘good tunes’, enhanced by the atmospheric backdrop of Hallé St Peter’s, in this final offering of the season from the Collective. Manchester Collective concerts are always a little different, devoid of the pomp associated with classical music their shows feel democratic, and collaborative. Audience and performers meet in the space between the music – even when over exuberant attendees...

Bedknobs and Broomsticks – Wolverhampton Grand

7Apr

By Clare ChandlerNo Comments

West Midlands

Bedknobs and Broomsticks – Wolverhampton Grand

The iconic Disney film Bedknobs and Broomsticks has been adapted into a ‘magical musical’ with additional songs from Neil Bartram, and a new book by Brian Hill. Adapting a beloved film for the stage can be risky, but Candice Edmunds and Jamie Harrison navigate the challenges with some flair and ingenuity. Harrison’s clever design references the original film’s animations, which also influence Gabriella Slade’s costume designs and Sam Cox’s hair and wig work. The opening sequence cleverly situates the piece in London during the Blitz as the Rawlins’ children’s world explodes. Following a bomb blast their bedroom shatters, its fractured parts framing the stage providing a constant reminder of the reality of war. There is some clever theatrical magic as we see the Rawlins’ children evacuat...

2Apr

By Clare ChandlerNo Comments

North West

The Oracle – The Future Yard

A building that reimagines the role of a live music venue seems the perfect setting for an arts organisation pushing the boundaries of classical music. Tonight, the collaboration is further enhanced by the contribution of South African cellist Abel Selaocoe, an artist who is redefining the parameters of his instrument. As Selaocoe explains, in South Africa mastering ‘Western’ instruments is a form of protest as you can put your culture on top. This layering of cultures, timbres and sounds is evident throughout The Oracle as pieces by Stravinsky, Rameau and Vivaldi sit alongside Selaocoe’s own compositions. An oracle is a form of divination, providing a message for the wellbeing of the community and there are moments of this programme that are sublime as it explores Afrofutur...

ADHD The Musical – Royal Court, Liverpool

11Mar

By Clare ChandlerNo Comments

North West

ADHD The Musical – Royal Court, Liverpool

ADHD The Musical is an enjoyable and informative show that explores the realities of life when your brain is ‘differently made’. Written and performed by Dora Colquhoun the show is part musical parody, part stand-up and part ADHD infomercial. Colquhoun is an incredibly engaging performer who is ably supported by the excellent Karl LLorca (who provides BSL interpretation). Indeed, Llorca was gifted a show stealing moment when Colquhoun’s mic pack malfunctioned, and he and musical director Luke Thomas, were required to entertain the sold-out Royal Court studio. Given the huge diagnosis gap between men and women with ADHD, with men almost three times more likely to be diagnosed, this is an important topic and one that Colquhoun, with collaborator Izzie Major, str...

15Feb

By Clare ChandlerNo Comments

North West

A Little Requiem – Hallé St Peter’s

This performance marks a special anniversary for the Manchester Collective, it is five years since their first Manchester concert. It is also almost two years since this reviewer saw them on the cusp of the pandemic in the atmospheric White Hotel venue. This evening’s surroundings – a Grade II listed former church where the Hallé Orchestra rehearses – are more refined but equally atmospheric. This venue has Corinthian columns rather than corrugated iron shutters but as ever the Manchester Collective present a programme that duets with the architecture to provide further resonances. A Little Requiem was performed in Bristol the night before but it feels tailor made for this venue, which - like us all - has returned to life following a period of lockdown. A Little ...

8Feb

By Clare ChandlerNo Comments

North West

8 Hours There and Back – Unity Theatre

The latest production from All Things Considered is a collaborative verbatim piece exploring the stories of children affected by parental imprisonment in the UK. The show (co-created by Time Matters UK and the Unity Theatre) has the usual warmth, humour and pathos of All Things Considered as Michael Irvine-Hall, Alivia Yemm and Adebola Olayinka creatively and energetically share testimonies from children who have had a parent sent to prison. Indeed, at one point Yemm was so enthusiastic in her performance that she added a dramatic fall to the proceedings – a moment that she quickly incorporated into the show for comedic effect as she informed Olayinka “no you go, I’m injured!” (Thankfully she appeared to make a quick recovery). 8 Hours There and Back is intended for social workers,...