David S Clarke, Author at North West End UK

12Jul

By David S ClarkeNo Comments

North West

Grease – The Forum Theatre

Well, seeing as this is one of the most iconic shows ever produced, I don’t think there is much point in my writing a synopsis of this except to say, “Welcome to Rydell”! This is actually by way of a swansong for many of the seniors at NK as a large number will be leaving to go onto further education, whether in the musical theatre forum or in alternative areas of study. I am proud to say that I have followed the journey that many of these young performers have been on for the past 12 years plus and have seen them grow from little 5-year-olds to super confident performers who have developed into outstanding young men and women who all have an amazing stage presence. A nice touch was the section of the programme devoted to the memories of the leavers, where they could each come up wi...

The Wizard of Oz – The East Cheshire Musical Theatre Company

4Jun

By David S ClarkeNo Comments

North West

The Wizard of Oz – The East Cheshire Musical Theatre Company

This is a very well-known story from the 1939 film starring Judy Garland taking the part of Dorothy in the tale of a young girl from Kansas who is magically transported to the land of Oz and her adventures along the way and the various characters she meets. Based on the original book by Frank Baum, it has become a popular show for theatre productions for many years, and it is nice to see East Cheshire Theatre Company join the long list of groups who have put on this production. The storyline centres around young Dorothy who lives with her aunt and uncle on a farm in Kansas along with her dog Toto. During a severe tornado, Dorothy and Toto find themselves whisked up in the air, finally landing in what turns out to be the magical land of Oz, where they are greeted by Glinda, a good which,...

10Apr

By David S ClarkeNo Comments

North West

Calendar Girls – The Forum Theatre

This is the story of an enterprising group of ladies who are members of their local Women’s Institute ( a very staid and traditional organisation), who decide to go against these traditions in an effort to raise funds to purchase a couch for the waiting room at their local hospital, where the husband of one of them is a regular visitor undergoing tests for cancer, which unfortunately turn out to be not only positive but with a terminal diagnosis. Having noticed a nude calendar in the premises of a local car mechanic, the ladies decide to attempt their own version featuring other members of the group in discretely nude poses featuring the more traditional activities of the WI, such as baking, jam making, knitting and musical activities and set about trying to convince the other members of t...

27Mar

By David S ClarkeNo Comments

North West

Come from Away – The Forum Theatre

I have to say right at the start of this review that this was a brand new tale for me, I was only vaguely aware of the storyline, so unlike a lot of previous productions I have seen I was coming into this with little or no knowledge of what to expect from cast, crew and writers. Perhaps this was an advantage as I had no pre-conceived ideas as to what to expect. The story of “Come from Away” is set in the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11th 2001 when airplanes were used to wreak death and destruction on the World Trade Centre buildings in New York. This resulted in all planes in American airspace being immediately grounded and obliged to land at the nearest airports available to them. This production tells the story of the 38 planes and about 7000 passengers wh...

HadesTown Teen Edition – The Forum Theatre

15Jan

By David S ClarkeNo Comments

North West

HadesTown Teen Edition – The Forum Theatre

This is another production at which NK excels, gathering a number of extremely talented young people together to bring out the best in their multiple abilities resulting in a gloriously entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable production, although I have to confess that at times I was a bit bewildered as to what was going on in the storyline, but that is down to my shortcomings rather than any fault with the cast. It was wonderful to see Paul Wilson directing another teen edition version of a classic show following on from the excellent Six which he directed a couple of years ago (ably complimented by Ceri Graves as Musical Director and Jenny Wilson as Choreographer) and it was always going to be difficult to reach the same standard as they previously achieved with that production but agai...

14Nov

By David S ClarkeNo Comments

North West

The Graduate – The Forum Theatre

I’m pleased to see Richard Parker getting another opportunity to direct a production at the Forum Theatre, Romiley, having made his directorial debut with NK earlier this year with what was probably my favourite show that I have seen this year, namely “Teechers” by John Godber. It was always going to be a difficult task to bring to the stage an adaptation of such an iconic and well known film with amazing stars (Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft and Katherine Ross) but I must say that the director and cast have done a great job with the interpretation of the characters. The Graduate premiered on stage in London 25 years ago and is the story of young Benjamin Braddock and his seduction by the infamous Mrs Robinson and his falling in love with her daughter Elaine, which leads to all sorts of ...

Little Shop of Horrors – The Forum Theatre

25Sep

By David S ClarkeNo Comments

North West

Little Shop of Horrors – The Forum Theatre

Adapted from the B-movie classic from over 50 years ago, this production has been brought to the stage by an extremely talent cast led by director and producer Gareth Cole, a long time NK stalwart who is undertaking his first full length theatre show, ably assisted by musical director Scott Mitchell, who also lead the excellent live band, and Jenny Arundale as choreographer. The back stage people contributed well to the overall production and their input should not be underestimated. Again another superb programme (presumably by Dominic Stannage again) with brilliant photographs by Kyle Hassall. The show is set in Mr Mushnik’s flower shop on Skid Row and explores the relationship between the staff of shy Seymour and quiet assuming Audrey. The fortunes of the shop take off when Seymour d...

11Jul

By David S ClarkeNo Comments

North West

Fame Jr – NK Theatre Arts

This show was performed by the NK Theatre Arts senior youth theatre members, so we are talking about young people aged 16-18. It was great to see Hannah Thomas reprising the role of director, musical director and choreographer which she had previously undertaken when NK last performed this show 10 years ago. The show is a musical adaptation of the film and television series “Fame” and follows a group of students at the New York City High School for the Performing Arts. The script showcases the experiences of the students as they pursue their dreams of a career in the performing arts. The cast is led by the extremely talented Olivia Barton in the role of Carmen Diaz who is developing into a multi-talented singer, dancer and actress who succeeds in all that she attempts. She was given...

13Jun

By David S ClarkeNo Comments

North West

Finding Nemo Jr. – The Forum Theatre

This show was performed by the NK Theatre Arts junior youth theatre members (all 85 of them!) and I cannot remember ever seeing such an enthusiastic bunch of children, many of whom were taking part in their first ever stage show. I must say at the outset that HUGE congratulations must go to Hannah Thomas who in addition to directing the show also took on the role of musical director and choreographer and she excelled in all of these disciplines. I have to say that, going back many years, this must be just about the best production I have seen that Hannah has taken charge of. She really does excel in bringing out the talents of the youngsters in her charge. The storyline of the production is based on the 2003 Pixar animated film of the same name. Living on the great barrier reef off ...

Ghost the Musical – The Forum Theatre, NK Theatre Arts

22May

By David S ClarkeNo Comments

North West

Ghost the Musical – The Forum Theatre, NK Theatre Arts

This musical is based on the famous film of the same name which starred Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg. It is such a well-known story that I guess it is pointless of me to go over the storyline, so I will concentrate instead on describing this production by the cast and crew of NK Theatre Arts who have put together a highly entertaining version of this story. Kerry Day (ably assisted by Nickie Simms) has put together a highly entertaining production which was enjoyed by a capacity audience on this opening night. The music (Dominic Stannage and Scott Mitchell) and choreography (Helena Davies in her debut as lead choreographer after many years performing on stage) all did an excellent job with the roles they had to undertake. Mention should also be given to the contributio...