Jenn McKean, Author at North West End UK

9Jun

By Jenn McKeanNo Comments

North West

Follies – Liverpool Playhouse

An amateur dramatics company putting on a Stephen Sondheim show should be enough to send shivers down your spine – but Birkenhead Operatic Society Trust (BOST) really gave it their all – and it paid off! Follies opened on Broadway in 1971 and was written by Sondheim, James Goldman and Hal Prince, inspired by the former Ziegfeld Follies. It centres around Sally Durant Plummer and her husband Buddy and her best friend from their time in the Follies, Phyllis Rogers Stone and her husband Ben. We are introduced to their present selves in 1971 and their 30-year younger selves, at the star of the 1940s. It is set at the Weissman Theatre on Broadway, on the eve of its demolition. We mainly follow Sally, Phyllis, Buddy and Ben and their younger selves, but we also get to meet some of the other p...

4Mar

By Jenn McKeanNo Comments

North West

Dear England – Liverpool Empire

As someone who can’t bear football, because it is forced upon them so much, I was as shocked as everyone to find how intrigued I was by the Dear England play. Euro ’96 is probably the first big tournament I remember and Gareth Southgate’s penalty being the prevailing moment. And I think that was what made me want to see him and cheer him on as he managed to turn things around over the last decade as manager of the England men’s team. The play starts with that missed penalty that knocked England out of the Euros in 1996. It then cuts to 2016 and Sam Allardyce ‘mutually deciding’ to leave the post with the FA, after being in charge for one singular game. We get to see Southgate being asked to become the Interim manager and follow how he managed to take the team to heights we’ve n...

27Oct

By Jenn McKeanNo Comments

North West

The Signalman – Floral Pavilion

As someone who spends a lot of their life on trains, I’ve always wondered what happened in the old signal boxes along the routes… not so much anymore! The Signalman has been adapted for the stage from the short story by Charles Dickens, by Francis Evelyn. With the book only being 30 pages, Evelyn managed to create a 2-act play from it, while still keeping the Dickens essence in it. It tells the story of a signalman in the 1880s, who is rigorous in his routines, being visited by a traveller and them sharing their stories. The signalman is adamant that he is visited by a Spirit, that foretells of a dangerous event occurring – train crashes, women falling to their deaths from trains and so on… It is comprised of a small cast of actors and relies on clever tricks, to convey the presence of ...

2Oct

By Jenn McKeanNo Comments

North West

The Book of Mormon – Liverpool Empire

What really shouldn’t work as a concept for a musical, really does. A musical based on the book that Mormons use, or even Mormons in general? And it was written by the duo who created South Park? Everything just shouldn’t work about this show, yet it has a huge following and is so funny, that you ache from laughing. Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s musical follows Elder Price – the top missionary in his class and his missionary partner, Elder Cunnigham, who is the bottom of the class. It follows them as they begin their missionary journey and not in the place that Elder Price was praying for. Nothing seems to go right for the duo and they try to covert a local village to become Mormons themselves. As with their partnership, it has varying levels of success. As someone who saw the origina...

Dianne & Vito: Red Hot and Ready – Floral Pavilion

16Jul

By Jenn McKeanNo Comments

North West

Dianne & Vito: Red Hot and Ready – Floral Pavilion

Burn the Floor is back! And this time it is red, hot and ready with Dianne Buswell and Vito Coppola, the two most recent professional winners of Strictly Come Dancing on the BBC. This is the most recent production under the Burn the Floor banner, created by Jason Gilkison. It is two hours of fun, personality and of course, dancing! The audience gets taken on a journey through the dances and also the chats from Dianne and Vito. With Dianne hailing from Australia and Vito from Italy, there were a lot of references to missing homes and families, but it definitely helped the audience feel closer to the two dancers, rather than just what they get to see on TV between September and December each year. It helped to learn more about them and their families and there was even a special appea...

The Girl on the Train – Liverpool Playhouse

15May

By Jenn McKeanNo Comments

North West

The Girl on the Train – Liverpool Playhouse

What would you do, if you saw something that you knew wasn’t right, but were on a train when you saw it? The Girl on the Train has been adapted from the bestselling book by Paula Hawkins, that was turned into a film starring Emily Blunt. It tells the story of Rachel Watson who watches people on her commute into work, then one day a detective turns up at her door to tell her that a lady she has been watching on the train has disappeared. We follow as Rachel becomes involved in the investigation and figures out things that she has blocked from her memory. Louisa Lytton (best known as Ruby in Eastenders) has taken over the role as Rachel Watson for five weeks and she seems fitted into the cast and the role seamlessly. She really showcases her acting talent in the role and take the audie...

Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of) – Floral Pavilion

10Apr

By Jenn McKeanNo Comments

North West

Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of) – Floral Pavilion

Think you know Pride and Prejudice? Think again. Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of) is the story you know and love, told through the eyes of the people who know the characters the best, the servants. With the characters you know and love but told in a more up-to-date way with modern language for a more modern audience. It also includes some belters of tunes, including You’re So Vain, Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow, Holding Out For a Hero and more! It was so much fun from a completely unexpected evening. If you’re going expecting an evening dedicated to Jane Austen’s most famous work, then you will be disappointed, but with an open mind, then evening will be one of the most fun you’ve had for a while. It is a small cast of five and there is not a weak link in any of the girls. Emma Ro...

3Apr

By Jenn McKeanNo Comments

North West

Animal Farm – Liverpool Playhouse

All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others. As to be expected from a play, based on a novel by George Orwell, Animal Farm is a dystopian social commentary, that allegedly refers to the Russian revolution of 1917. It tells the story of Old Major, Napoleon, Snowball and the other animals of Manor Farm wanting to overthrow the human owner – Mr Jones and become free and self-sufficient. The production is one that would definitely be approved by Orwell himself, with a clever set designed by Ciarán Bagnall, which you don’t think would be much, as it is all set on the farm. But the moving parts that were added in – to create the windmill and show the commandments were clearly so well thought about and came across so well throughout the performance. It is truly...

19Mar

By Jenn McKeanNo Comments

North West

Pig Heart Boy – Liverpool Playhouse

Better to have a pig heart that works, that a human one that doesn’t, right? Pig Heart Boy, based on the popular 1997 novel by Malorie Blackman of the same name and has been adapted for the stage by Winsome Pinnock. It is true to the book and has even been endorsed by Blackman herself. It tells the story of Cameron, a 13-year old boy who has had heart problems since he was ill as a child. Everyone treats him as though he’s a China cup, fragile and to be handled with care. When his father contacts Professor Bryce, things start to look up, after a failed attempt at a heart transplant. Or does it? Bryce has been working on a way to get pig hearts transplanted into humans, to help save more people. The story ends up in the media and what follows is how a young boys life changes – for the be...

The Rocky Horror Show – Liverpool Playhouse

6Dec

By Jenn McKeanNo Comments

North West

The Rocky Horror Show – Liverpool Playhouse

The Cult classic is back in Liverpool this Christmas! Having previously filled the Liverpool Empire on multiple occasions, it was strange to head into a smaller venue to see this production. However, it made the evening and the atmosphere a lot more intimate and not as many people joined in with the shout-outs, but they could mostly still be heard around the theatre. The Rocky Horror Show, which was later turned into a film (The Rocky Horror Picture Show) tells the story of a young couple – Brad and Janet, who’s car breaks down on their way home from a friends’ wedding, shortly after getting engaged themselves. Helped sometimes by the audience, Brad remembers that they passed a castle a couple of miles down the road and head off towards it, as a storm starts. From there the night takes ...