Hannah Esnouf, Author at North West End UK

8May

By Hannah EsnoufNo Comments

North West

Making It! – Liverpool’s Royal Court

You know what to expect when you take your seat in front of the Royal Court stage. As ever, this production was overtly scouse, laugh-a-minute and easy watching. If you weren’t looking closely at the show poster, you would be surprised to learn that the entire production is a duologue. A hefty feat for any actor, but a challenge Cath Rice and Andrew Schofield executed with ease and maturity. No matter what character he played, and various he did, Schofield always exudes charm and professionalism on stage. His versatility in this production was as hilarious as impressive as he had to juggle a mixture accents, costume changes and exuberant stage entrances. But I’d expect nothing less from him. Due to the two-hand nature of this production, it was at times extremely dialogue heavy, almo...

2May

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North West

Takeaway – Liverpool Everyman

Watching a premiere is an exciting privilege, and Nathan Powell’s scouse adaptation of what once was a Brixton-based story intrigued me, but I questioned if it would be believable. There aren’t as many Caribbean restaurants in Toxteth compared to Greater London, for a start. But immediately, from the music to the warm hues of the Hylton restaurant set, the world invited us in with warm arms. The characters, Phina Oruche’s Carol and Wayne Rollins’ chef giving it the swagger and tenacity the drama needed from the go to dash any doubts about the story. Keeping an entire play in one location is a challenge, but I did not miss a change of scenery as the fresh witty banter, freedom of movement in the space and comic timing, kept eyes from wandering. Moreover, the performances were mostly f...

9Apr

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North West

War Horse – Liverpool Empire

When a National Theatre production goes on tour, audiences expect a high calibre performance. That expectation increases two-fold when a production has such a celebratory history like War Horse has. Due to its longstanding repertoire, audiences know what to expect when they see this show; the puppets, the story, the wartime setting. However, one only feels the true essence of the performance when it is seen it live. Descriptions won’t do the creative work justice, but one word to describe this production: magic. Considering the tour after tour it has been through, this cast held that sense of first-time performance quality that this show needs to succeed. Like so many reviewers before me, I thought the puppetry was out of this world. Each performer, led expertly by Tom Sturgess as...

28Mar

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North West

Tambo & Bones – Liverpool Playhouse

Seeing other reviews of this production, not to mention the various accolades it has received, my hopes were high as I took my seat in the auditorium. The vibe had a chilled excitement to it, aided by the pre-amble music, but as the clock-ticked on, the audience soon became restless at the late start. However, when the performance did get underway, those feelings were quickly dashed thanks to the gutsy, bold and connected acting onstage. Clifford Samuel and Daniel Ward delivered a Tambo and Bones that were in-sync, funny, unapologetic and warm to watch. The minstrel show for the first half of Act One was a high-class opening, the inclusion of the puppet a particular personal highlight. But the enthusiasm seemed to dip as the show progressed. Into the second half of Act 1, yet another...

12Mar

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North West

Blood Brothers – Liverpool Empire

A centenary celebration is a milestone in itself, but having Liverpool’s iconic musical back in the city’s legendary theatre for its one-hundredth birthday is a new level of special. Audience members may have watched Blood Brothers countless times, I being not from the city, have only studied Willy Russell’s play, never seeing it performed. So, I had all hopes this would live up to expectation. Bringing Sean Jones back to re-imagine Mickey was a stellar move by Bob Tomson and Bill Kenwright. He was at home in that character and his ease in the role from age seven to eighteen is nothing but smooth and effortless. Together with Joe Sleight’s equally natural and charming Eddie, they make a magnicent pair, full of vivacity until the very end. This musical will never die. Just like the Em...

The Merchant of Venice 1936 – Liverpool Playhouse

5Feb

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North West

The Merchant of Venice 1936 – Liverpool Playhouse

The authenticity in this production is what struck me at rst, with the Jewish culture and language centre-stage for the preamble. And it didn’t matter that we may not understand what they were saying or doing, it was unapologetic. A sentiment carried through the whole production, which was a novel idea, as it gave the relic script a new tenacity and sense of place in the present which is far removed from when Shakespeare was writing. That authenticity is also what made me realise that this piece really was an example of how these celebrated plays can be relevant to today and still teach us something about the human condition. The cast, albeit small, was able to take on the responsibility of a much larger selection of characters. Their ability to multirole was not only impressive but ...

It’s a Wonderful Life – Liverpool’s Royal Court Studio

21Nov

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North West

It’s a Wonderful Life – Liverpool’s Royal Court Studio

I was glad to see how busy it was in the Studio for this production. Sometimes one feels slightly exposed and as though they should fear the worst sitting in a sparsely filled audience. Old Fruit Jar Productions is beginning to build up a solid reputation for bringing trustworthy and impactful theatre to the local area and I must say they continue that trend with this staging of It’s a Wonderful Life. Firstly, if you have yet to feel Christmassy then seeing a show like this will at once change that. The wholesome and honest story is a classic for a reason, that said, a classic on screen and so I was curious to see what it could be on stage. Due to the small space, they had to be economical and efficient with set and frills; not even the most high-tech theatres can jump from an off...

20Nov

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North West

An Inspector Calls – Liverpool Empire

With the size and grandeur of the Empire stage, any play has a feat to reach the farthest eyes and ears in the audience. Especially a play that has such a wide and respecting reputation, not to mention a sell-out run to precede it. I didn't watch that initial tour of this production, so I have no comparison. That said, I was keen to see the calibre of the National Theatre re-produced, albeit with a hint of apprehension as to whether it would feel big enough for a space so different to the intimate Littleton. However, sat way back in the stalls I was pleased to feel so much life from the distant stage. The characters were bold and worked very hard to keep us in that world of tailcoats and silk gloves. Sheila Birling (Leona Allan) had humility, and a subtlety needed to counteract Mr an...

14Nov

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North West

Dear Evan Hansen – Liverpool Empire

The classic saying always favours the book over the film of story but when a book comes off the back of a musical, then that musical has got to be next level. Dear Evan Hansen therefore comes with a calibre. The show is the blueprint that went to Broadway before Hollywood film sets and so future renditions can sometimes be overshot with assumed greatness. Instantly this performance was not that. What I noticed first was that the story was the main character rather than the individual performers which so often occurs during ‘big’ shows. I say it every time I go to the Empire, but that theatre is a big space that demands a strong stage presence. This cast were instantly electric, purposeful and slick that captured me and the packed seats three tiers high. Ryan Kopel’s Evan wa...

Girls Don’t Play Guitars – Liverpool’s Royal Court

5Oct

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North West

Girls Don’t Play Guitars – Liverpool’s Royal Court

Reading the 2019 reviews of this show it was natural that I took my seat at its revival with high expectations. The story is undoubtably inspiring and it feels right at home in this theatre, however, as a stage show this lacked depth for me. With an 80:20 ratio of music to dialogue, albeit good music, it was difficult to feel much emotional pull towards these characters. As characters themselves, I imagine it was difficult to ascertain much difference between them for the actors as their personalities were as similar as their costumes in most parts of the script, noticeably different only by which love interest they had. Nothing can be said of the talent of the cast though. Their skills as musicians were undeniably central to the success of this show’s success; I just wish they were ...