Damian Riverol, Author at North West End UK

12Dec

By Damian RiverolNo Comments

North West

Beauty and the Beast – Storyhouse

The festive season has returned and Storyhouse have treated us to a spectacular original version of Beauty and the Beast, full of beautiful scenery, fantastic costumes, songs to please all ages and a stellar cast who put their all in to bring us joy and cheer. Written by Anne Odeke with her debut panto, there are some strong messages throughout about treating people with respect, being kind to others and understanding that everyone deserves happiness. There are plenty of laughs, lots of joy but a lot of heart that will leave you feeling warm inside and maybe shed a little tear or two. Set and costumes, designed by Amy Jane Cook, are beautiful, extremely colourful, especially in Fromageville, shown off in all its glory by the wonderful lighting, designed by Aaron J Dootson. The set is...

8Nov

By Damian RiverolNo Comments

North West

The Red Rogue of Bala – Theatr Clwyd

1913, with a war looming, we are transported to a dark, dingy pub where we are treated to stories of mischief and misdemeanours from scoundrel and rogue, John Jones. But all is not as it first seems. Written by Chris Ashworth-Bennion and directed by Dan Jones, we are taken on a journey of deceit, lies, “magic” and unusual friendships. As we enter the Theatr Weston we are invited into the local pub, where the audience can buy a drink at the on-stage bar, sit in the pub and mix with the locals (cast) and join in with card games and conversations. We immediately feel involved as we are taken directly into this world and you become a part of it. With jolly music and frivolity, all is good and light, that is until the change in music and lighting and John Jones, otherwise known as Coch Bach ...

30Oct

By Damian RiverolNo Comments

North West

The Producers – Zodiac Theatre Group

Opening Night, It’s Opening Night. Zodiac Theatre Group have brought the hilarious Mel Brooks musical, The Producers, to the Hammond in Chester this week. A new venue for the company but the space was used extremely well. Directed by Neil Silcock, there were nods from the 2005 film mixed with some fresh and hilarious moments, with lots of physical comedy made possible by the brilliant cast who threw themselves, sometimes literally, into the roles to bring this hilarious musical to life. Gareth Earl leads the company as doomed theatre producer Max Bialystock and lead he does. Earl delivers a fantastic Bialystock, with absolute top notch acting, plenty of physical comedy and some incredible vocals, especially during Betrayed where he recaps most of the story at top speed, including an ...

Come From Away – Northwich Memorial Court

23Oct

By Damian RiverolNo Comments

North West

Come From Away – Northwich Memorial Court

This evening The Musical Theatre Company transported us to Gander and treated us to the emotional true story of 7000 people who were diverted to Gander, Newfoundland on September 11th 2001, when the world stopped and lives were changed forever. TMTC are one of the first amateur companies to get the rights to Come From Away and they put everything into telling this story with as much truth and emotion as humanly possible. With Direction from Ben Ireson, Musical Direction from Michael J Scott and Choreography from Ceris Shadwell, you can feel that they’ve thrown all they have in to this story and along with the incredibly talented cast and the on stage band, you become lost in this world and go from laughing to crying within seconds. Come From Away is a complete ensemble piece with the...

11Sep

By Damian RiverolNo Comments

North West

The Spongebob Musical – The Brindley

This evening, I find myself visiting the underwater town of Bikini bottom and joining Spongebob and friends on a quest to save the town from a volcano that is threatening to wipe it and them all out. CODYS productions ‘Stars of the future!’ brings the musical that is based on the Nickelodeon series to the Brindley theatre, and we had a great time being transported to another world for a few hours. Directed by Dan Grimes, with musical direction from Emily Woodward and Choreography by Laura Cupit, we are treated to some fabulous songs delivered to a high standard by a super talented cast of young performers, with fun, inventive dance routines and a great storyline that is well directed, full of fun while keeping the suspense running throughout. Spongebob is double cast with Team Kru...

Annie Get Your Gun in Concert – Theatr Clwyd

4Sep

By Damian RiverolNo Comments

Wales

Annie Get Your Gun in Concert – Theatr Clwyd

Tip Top Productions have come bounding back to Theatr Clwyd with full force, bringing a concert version of Annie Get Your Gun to the newly renamed Theatr Moondance. Although this is no ordinary “in concert” as it comes with wonderful staging, fantastic choreography, brilliant projections and a whole lot more. Steve Davies as Producer and Director has put together a highly professional show with a stellar cast and staging that makes you forget you are watching a concert version and allows you to immerse yourself into the full musical. The stage is set with chairs across the centre with a gap in the middle and cast bring on five microphone stands across the front section of the stage which ties in the concert vibe of the show but also helps when it comes to spacing and lighting. Such a cl...

17Jul

By Damian RiverolNo Comments

North West

Annie – Storyhouse, Chester

Tip Top productions have returned to the Storyhouse, this time with the classic musical, Annie, 33 years after the company first produced the show. With Direction from Phil Cross, we follow the journey of an 11-year-old orphan, Annie, who dreams that one day her parents will return to the orphanage for her and makes it her mission to find them. In the meantime, billionaire Oliver Warbucks and his assistant Grace Farrell are looking for an orphan to spend the holidays at their home, and this is where Annie’s story takes a turn. In the titular role, Emily Allerston shines while leading the company through this journey. With bags of confidence, energy and powerful vocals, we know we are in safe hands from the second she enters the stage. Allerston’s version of “Tomorrow” was beautifully...

12Jun

By Damian RiverolNo Comments

North West

The 39 Steps – Gladstone Theatre

For their final instalment of their centenary season, Bebington Dramatic Society have brought the hilarious The 39 Steps to the Gladstone theatre and what a treat it is. Originating as a novel in 1915, it then inspired the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock film, which in turn was turned in to a play. The set, to start, is rather bare, with a covered chair, a table with a few props on, a window and 2 step ladders at the back providing the set up for the play and with clever use of different pieces such as a lamppost, a door and numerous suitcases, we are transported through many scenes from the theatre, a train, to a hotel room and everything in between. The story follows Richard Hannay (Richard Dodd) as he goes on the run after being falsely accused of murdering Annabella Schmidt (Danielle Jones...

Murder at the Three Ring Circus – Ellesmere Port Civic Hall

4May

By Damian RiverolNo Comments

North West

Murder at the Three Ring Circus – Ellesmere Port Civic Hall

AMT productions presents Murder at the Three Ring Circus at Ellesmere Port Civic Hall. This is no ordinary theatre production as you are transported to the Circus as soon as you enter, with different acts dotted around the bar area, posters of the main acts hanging from the ceiling and little stalls dotted around to entice and involve you from the beginning. Once the main ‘Circus’ is open, we enter the auditorium which has been fully transformed to make you feel like you're in a big Circus tent, with seating around three sides of the Circus Ring. The set up is brilliant, with ‘backstage’ announcements taking place from the stage manager and the acts running around getting ready for the show. The show takes place over two levels, with the main story taking place down at audience l...

11Dec

By Damian RiverolNo Comments

North West

Sleeping Beauty – Storyhouse Chester

Back for their 8th Christmas Season, we have another Storyhouse original production, this time the classic Sleeping Beauty, but as usual, done in their own way. This year, Storyhouse have tried something different and produced their show on the proscenium stage rather than the thrust stage. This gives them more scope to include a bigger set and more stage magic including flying and pyrotechnics. It does feel like it loses a little bit of magic not having the cast as close as usual as in the past, with the audience surrounding the stage and the cast entering through the audience at times but what they have done with this year’s set and storytelling makes up for that. Written by Samantha O’Rourke who also wrote last year Cinderella, we are taken on a journey of love, self-discovery and be...