Jackie Foottit, Author at North West End UK

<strong>A Christmas Carol – Hull Truck Theatre</strong>

30Nov

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

A Christmas Carol – Hull Truck Theatre

The "snow" that fell at the end of Hull Truck Theatre's production of A Christmas Carol, on Tuesday evening, was the icing on a quite unusual theatrical cake. There can't be anyone alive today who doesn't know Charles Dickens' story of the miserly Scrooge and his visitations from three spirits which leads to him changing his greedy ways. Well, in a rather novel move, British Sign Language (BSL) runs throughout this production, having two deaf actors in lead roles. Hull-born Adam Bassett (Bob Cratchit) and Emma Prendergast (Mrs Cratchit) used sign language to communicate, as did the rest of the cast, who must be congratulated on their BSL skills. Also, to be congratulated are the set and costume designers who created the perfect atmosphere of wealth, hardship, fun, fear and sadn...

<strong>Nobody: A Dance-Circus Adventure – Hull New Theatre</strong>

25Nov

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Nobody: A Dance-Circus Adventure – Hull New Theatre

I have just one question to ask the seven performers who entertained in Nobody: A Dance-Circus Adventure at the Hull New Theatre on Thursday evening, and that is “What planet are you all from?”. I’ve lived on planet Earth all my life, so I’ve sort of got an inkling of what humans are capable of. But this crew are out of this world. The stage setting started off simply enough with a few random boxes, lit up to look like mini-office blocks (that’s my interpretation, anyway). A huge video screen backdrop showed a cityscape of high-rise buildings, and a sky full of moving clouds. A massive cube in front of the screen was draped in material, showing a building plus moving digital scenes. Each alien, I mean performer, plays two roles - one as a crow, representing the humans’ inner voice...

<strong>Demon Dentist – Hull New Theatre</strong>

10Nov

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Demon Dentist – Hull New Theatre

My second trip to the dentist in one week saw me at the Hull New Theatre on Wednesday evening, when Demon Dentist came to town. Thank goodness my first visit was a much less scary experience - nothing like the evil tooth-puller let loose on the stage in this adaptation of David Walliams’ book. The dental monster, the aptly-named Miss Root (Emily Harrigan), is the stuff of nightmares, especially for 12-year-old Alfie (Sam Varley), whose bad dental experience six years earlier had put him off dentists for life. However, strange things had been happening in the town where Alfie lives with his loving dad (James Mitchell), which had drawn the schoolboy back into the world of teeth, or lack thereof in some cases. Children who had lost a tooth and had placed it under their pillow read...

1Nov

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

The Commitments – Hull New Theatre

I spent Hallowe’en in Dublin, Ireland - not literally, I was at the Hull New Theatre on Monday evening watching The Commitments, a story set in the Emerald Isle. The production, part of a nine-month UK and Ireland tour, had me hooked from the opening scene of a disparate bunch of pub regulars, in the run-up to Christmas. Based on the 1991 film of the same name, it tells of local working-class music-lover Jimmy (James Killeen) who persuades a number of his compatriots to form a band with him. Amazed to be asked, they all agree; three girl singers and a very experienced trumpeter, Joey the Lips (Stuart Reid), also sign up. Deco (Ian McIntosh) is equally amazed to be asked to be the lead singer, only having sung in public on a drunken night out, which he had no recollection of. Wh...

Bugsy Malone: The Musical – Hull New Theatre

26Oct

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Bugsy Malone: The Musical – Hull New Theatre

On Tuesday evening a packed Hull New Theatre sat facing quite a drab stage setting as they waited for “curtain up” for Bugsy Malone: The Musical. Well, drab soon turned to fab as the fantastic setting throughout turned out to be one of the best I’ve seen in any show. The nightclub tables, complete with lit lamps, descending from above, tablecloths billowing out, was just one unforgettable scene. All credit must go to stage designer Jon Bausor, who was also responsible for the amazing costumes throughout. The story, set in 1920s New York, centres around rival gangster bosses, club owner Fat Sam and the smartly dressed Dandy Dan, two small-time “hoods” for whom nothing seems to go right - often with hilarious consequences. Exciting events, often to a backdrop of the rat-a-tat-tat of...

The Osmonds: A New Musical – Hull New Theatre

19Oct

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

The Osmonds: A New Musical – Hull New Theatre

I headed to the Hull New Theatre on Tuesday evening to review The Osmonds: A New Musical, safe in the knowledge that my financial outlay would be minimal. A free ticket and interval drink meant my only expense would be a pre-production coffee. I was absolutely certain that Donny Osmond’s recording of Puppy Love and his sister Marie’s Paper Roses (the only two Osmond songs I could recall … apart from my worst song of all time, Crazy Horses) would never, ever make it on to my ageing iPod. Well, dear reader, all I can say is I will never be rich. Back home I downloaded everything Osmondy I could find (except Crazy Horses!). From the not-so-glittery curtain up, the show grew on me by the minute. It was Jay Osmond (Alex Lodge), one of the older Osmonds, who narrated their story, writte...

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo – Hull New Theatre

12Oct

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo – Hull New Theatre

With names such as Helen Highwaters (aka Duane Gosa), Vavara Laptopova (Takaomi Yoshino), Maria Clubfoot (Alejandro Gonzalez) and Olga Supphozova (Robert Carter), in the programme, it was going to be difficult to take anything seriously at the Hull New Theatre on Tuesday evening, when Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo brought their male-only troupe to the city. But we in the decent-sized audience soon realised this extremely talented bunch were deadly serious when it comes to their art - ballet dancing, with a difference. Men in tutus may not sound appealing, but I can promise you there wasn’t a hairy chest, no huge biceps or a five o’clock shadow to be seen - these “ballerinas” were graceful, toned, ultra-fit and had the best legs in the business. And they danced en pointe fo...

5Oct

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Ladies Unleashed – Hull Truck Theatre

It might have been a rainy night in Hull on Tuesday, but there was a very warm welcome awaiting Hull Truck theatregoers who had ventured out to see Amanda Whittington’s Ladies Unleashed. No sooner had my theatre buddy sister, Chrissy, and I found seats in the foyer, a friendly “waitress” held the most scrumptious looking food under our noses for us to sample - free of charge. The garlic chips, chicken wings with dip, prawns etc were all from the new menu of Shoot The Bull, the popular eaterie within the theatre, and every mouthful was delicious. What a fantastic start to theatrical proceedings. But did the night continue in that vein? Well, the jury is still out on that one. The atmospheric stage setting was static, apart from a useful giant film screen at the rear, which mainl...

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra: Film Music Gala – Hull City Hall

30Sep

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra: Film Music Gala – Hull City Hall

It takes something special for my goosebumps to reveal themselves but, my goodness, on Thursday night, the minute the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra struck up the opening chords of the main theme to The Big Country movie, my skin erupted in ‘em. The animated conductor, Stephen Bell, was the person responsible for my eruptions, as he was the one wielding the baton, looking like he was enjoying every minute for the couple of hours the orchestra performed. This extremely talented bunch of musicians launched the hall’s Classics Season and the programme, as the title suggests, was bursting with well-known themes from blockbuster movies of the past five decades. The beautiful City Hall stage was the perfect backdrop for the immaculately dressed ladies and gentlemen and their gleaming inst...

14Sep

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Bat Out of Hell – Hull New Theatre

Hull New Theatre’s autumn season got off to a flying start on Tuesday night, when Bat Out Of Hell the Musical roared into town. As a reviewer, I try to be critical, but when something of this calibre hits the stage, it is practically impossible to find fault. The rip-roaring production, featuring the music of Meatloaf, centres around two couples - 18-year-olds, gang leader, Strat (Glenn Adamson) and his love interest Raven (Rebecca Lafferty); and Raven’s over-protective parents, Falco (Rob Fowler) and Sloane (Sharon Sexton). Strat’s gang, The Lost, live underground, while Raven and her parents live above-ground, in luxury. Here I must mention set designer, Jon Bausor, whose concept of having just one item of the set, a sofa, having to be “scene-shifted” throughout the productio...