David S Clarke, Author at North West End UK

1May

By David S ClarkeNo Comments

North West

The Addams Family – The Forum Theatre

The programme describes this production as a musical comedy and there was certainly plenty of both on show at this performance presented by the East Cheshire Musical Theatre Company, who can always be relied upon to put on a first class and highly entertaining show. I cannot remember ever seeing a production with so many one-liners on the comedy front that had myself and the rest of the audience in absolute stiches throughout the whole of the show’s duration. I have to say right from the start that every single member of the cast on stage did an absolutely superb job, not just the main characters but also the members of the company (The Ancestors) who’s singing and dancing, choreographed superbly by Sally Hilliard, brought the whole production to life (or death, if you prefer!) The ...

One Man, Two Guvnors – The Forum Theatre

11Apr

By David S ClarkeNo Comments

North West

One Man, Two Guvnors – The Forum Theatre

This has to be one of the funniest productions I have seen in a long time. Once I got around the complexes of the plot (which took me until half way through the second act before I could fully comprehend what was going on) it was a joy to watch. The minimalistic scenery and props only added to the overall ambience of the play. I liked the way the scene changes were accompanied by the cast members taking turns at singing songs from the period in which the play was set (early 1960’s) and I was particularly taken with Mike Lamont and Terry Halliday’s vocals. I will do my best to come up with a resume of the plot, but as I’ve said previously, there were many twists and turns in the storyline, but much of this was deliberate and I must apologise to the directors (Jake Martin and Terry Hallid...

Flashdance the Musical – The Forum Theatre

27Mar

By David S ClarkeNo Comments

North West

Flashdance the Musical – The Forum Theatre

This production of Flashdance the musical is directed and choreographed by Hannah Thomas of NK Theatre Arts and a wonderful job she has done of it too, ably assisted by Jade Wilbraham. The show is set in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the USA and is based on a book by Tom Hedley and Robert Cary, music by Robbie Roth and lyrics by Roth and Cary. It has a distinctive 80’s feel about it and includes a number of well-known songs including “Maniac”, “Gloria” and “What a feeling”. it tells the story of young Alex, whose job is a welder by day and 'flash-dancer' by night, and her dreams of becoming a member of a dance academy and fulfilling her ambition to become a professional dancer. It was good to see many familiar faces in the cast members who took to the stage doing improvised dancing be...

14Feb

By David S ClarkeNo Comments

North West

Teechers – The Forum Theatre

Before I set off to watch this show this evening, I was trying to remember previous occasions when I had seen NK put on this play by John Godber (who is one of the authors who they seem to visit on a regular basis, having seen “Bouncers and Shakers” a number of times also) and if my memory is correct, I think this is the third time I have seen it in the past 8 years or so. Previous casts have utilised more adult actors, but this production is much more realistic in that all the cast are still in their teens so are genuinely playing characters of their own age. Teechers is actually a play within a play, which the students perform for their teachers, taking on twenty or so different roles throughout the show. The stage setting is very basic, consisting of a noticeboard, blackboard, a coup...

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time – Forum Theatre

31Oct

By David S ClarkeNo Comments

North West

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time – Forum Theatre

Well, where do I start with this review? Being a Stockport lad myself I am quite familiar with the work of Simon Stephens, but I have to admit this is the first time I have come across this particular play. There were definitely times during the production when I struggled to comprehend what was happening, but that was more due to my lack of understanding rather than anything lacking in the production. Once I got into the characters and began to realise what the story was about I found myself thoroughly absorbed. This play was first presented to the public a mere 12 years ago in London and this production is the Stockport premier of this play. For others like myself who are not familiar with the storyline, I think a brief synopsis would be appropriate. The lead character ...

27Sep

By David S ClarkeNo Comments

North West

Bad Girls the Musical – Romiley Forum

This musical is based on the television series of the same name and tells the story of a dozen or so inmates of Larkhall Prison who are incarcerated for various misdemeanours ranging from shoplifting through drug dealing and prostitution to murder. The characters are introduced individually at the start of the show, which was a nice touch by director Lucy Worthington in her directorial debut (and a marvellous job she did of it too; I have seen shows where she has acted as assistant director, but this is her first time in charge in her own right.) The plot as it is revolves around the relationships between the female prisoners and their mainly male warders, who are split between those wanting to take advantage of the girls and those who wish a better life for them. As the play progresses...

23Sep

By David S ClarkeNo Comments

North West

Annie – Stockport Plaza

I think just about everyone will be familiar with the tale of Little Orphan Annie and the rags to riches story which covered the life of this young girl and her friends from the orphanage where she was brought up. The word that often comes to mind when thinking about this musical is “cute”, but this production moved beyond that. There were times when you didn’t realise that you were watching a cast of mostly pre-teens as the maturity and professionalism of these young girls was amazing. I must start by praising the star of the show, the young girl who played the title role of the production. I have seen a number of versions of this show over the years and the performance of Zara Bateson as Annie was up there with the best of them. You knew that this was going to be something out of the ...

Les Misérables: School Edition – Hyde Festival Theatre

17Apr

By David S ClarkeNo Comments

North West

Les Misérables: School Edition – Hyde Festival Theatre

It’s not very often, if ever, that I am left speechless by a performance, but this was one such occasion. I found myself so enthralled by what was happening on the stage that I forgot that I was actually meant to be reviewing the show, in fact I got to the end of Act 1 and discovered that I hadn’t written anything on my notes, so I will have to write this review purely from memory. I’ve had to edit my review and have left out the synopsis which I had originally included. For those few of you who don’t know the story of Les Miserables, all I can suggest is that Google is a wonderful thing! Anyway, back to the show. The first solo of the performance was taken by Harry O’Connor as the Bishop of Digne who set the standard for the rest of the performers to follow, a good opening and great...

11Apr

By David S ClarkeNo Comments

North West

Rock of Ages – New Mills Art Theatre

As NK Theatre Arts still do not currently have access to their home venue at the Romiley Forum, this production was staged at the 500-seat capacity New Mills Art Theatre, which is a considerable distance from their usual venue, but thanks go to them for accommodating this performance directed by Paul Wilson. Before the show even started many cast members took to the stage, which created a superb atmosphere at the “Bourbon Club” in downtown LA. The show was enhanced by the use of live musicians who were ably directed by Ceri Graves. All the action took place in the club, and it was non-stop right from the word go, with superb choreography from Dawn Wrigley and Rivkah Kneen which contributed hugely to the show’s success. One classic song after another, mainly originating from 80’s Amer...

Our Day Out – Castle Hill School, Stockport

1Feb

By David S ClarkeNo Comments

North West

Our Day Out – Castle Hill School, Stockport

As NK Theatre Arts do not currently have access to their home venue at the Romiley Forum, this production was staged at the hall at Castle Hill School. This meant that instead of their usual capacity of close on 300 seats, there was an audience of only about 50 people, but those that did attend were treated to an excellent interpretation of Willy Russell’s comedy about a group of Liverpool’s underprivileged children on a day out from their normal classes exploring the countryside of North Wales. The director described this production as an “Informal Show”, which is perhaps doing it a bit of an injustice as everything about it was done in an extremely professional manner. The date of the production has changed a number of times which necessitated a number of changes in the cast, but thes...