Jenn McKean, Author at North West End UK

The Beekeeper of Aleppo – Liverpool Playhouse

2Mar

By Jenn McKeanNo Comments

North West

The Beekeeper of Aleppo – Liverpool Playhouse

Of all the jobs in the world, one of the ones you’d probably least associate with Syria, is beekeeping. Based on the book by Christy Lefteri, who was a volunteer at a women and children’s refugee camp in Athens, the play tackles the topic of the Syrian war and a refugee and his wife, who leave Syria and are trying to seek asylum in the UK. With adaptations from a book and especially one that deals with such a serious issue as this one, it can be hard to get it right. Getting the message across in just the right way can be difficult, but this production from Nottingham Playhouse, Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse and UK Productions Ltd hits the spot. Getting the mix of serious and funny across was done extremely well and despite the subject matter, you left the theatre having had a thorou...

<strong><u>White Christmas – Liverpool Empire</u></strong>

8Dec

By Jenn McKeanNo Comments

North West

White Christmas – Liverpool Empire

The classic Irving Berlin Christmas film, White Christmas has been turned into a heart-warming musical, that is sure to get even the grinch into the Christmas spirit! 10 years after their last Christmas of the Second World War, Captain Bob Wallace and Private Phil Davis are huge music stars. They’ve kicked off the festive season on The Ed Sullivan Show and plan on getting the red-eye (overnight) train from Grand Central station to Florida, to rehearse and try out their new musical revue. Whilst searching for a sister duo to be their opening act, they meet Betty and Judy Haynes and end up with them in Vermont – even stumbling across their old army general, as the innkeeper! The classic romantic comedy storyline ensues, boys meet girls, start falling in love, a misunderstanding happens bu...

<strong>Noughts and Crosses – Liverpool Playhouse</strong>

23Nov

By Jenn McKeanNo Comments

North West

Noughts and Crosses – Liverpool Playhouse

A new baby signals hope, as does an unopened letter. Hope that things will be better. Fans of Malorie Blackman’s Noughts and Crosses series are sure to love the stage adaptation of the book, which was also turned into a BBC series a couple of years ago. Sephy Hadley is a Cross, and her father is also the Home Secretary, Callum McGregor is a Nought, and his mother was the housekeeper to Sephy’s family, until she refused to lie for Sephy’s mother and got sacked. Having grown up together, Callum and Sephy continue their friendship in secret as in their world Crosses can’t be seen to be mixing with Noughts, especially not one from a high-profiled family. Things appear to be changing when Callum is one of three Noughts who have won a scholarship to be allowed to go to the same school as Seph...

<strong>Beautiful: The Carole King Musical – Liverpool Empire</strong>

16Nov

By Jenn McKeanNo Comments

North West

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical – Liverpool Empire

It actually felt like I spent an evening at Carnegie Hall, instead of the Liverpool Empire last night. Beautiful tells the story of Carole King. How she became who she was, the peaks and troughs of her career as a songwriter and how that led to her becoming one of the most instantly recognisable artists of all time. The show starts with her famous performance at the prestigious Carnegie Hall, in New York City in June of 1971. We then get taken back to a teenage Carole Klein, writing songs and begging her mother to allow her into the city (from their home in Brooklyn) to try and sell her songs. She manages to sell the song which makes it to number 106 on the Billboard Charts when sung by Bobby Vee. We go through her career and relationship with Gerry Goffin, their friendship and competit...

26Oct

By Jenn McKeanNo Comments

North West

Blood Brothers – Liverpool Empire

Did you ever the story of the Johnstone twins? And if not, why not? Willy Russell’s Blood Brother’s made a triumphant return to the Liverpool Empire last night and there is nothing better than seeing a musical that ‘belongs’ to a city, in said city. The atmosphere was electric, the cast were excited, and the combination made for a thoroughly enjoyable evening. Blood Brother’s tells the story of Mrs. Johnstone, who has found out she’s pregnant again, with the threat of Social Services taking some of her children, hanging over her head. She has managed to find herself a job, cleaning the Lyons’ house, when she discovers, she is expecting twins. Luckily, Mrs. Lyons, who has had trouble conceiving, comes up with a plan – she’ll take one of the twins, so Social Services doesn’t. Whilst li...

Tim Peake: My Journey into Space – Liverpool Philharmonic

7Sep

By Jenn McKeanNo Comments

North West

Tim Peake: My Journey into Space – Liverpool Philharmonic

What does a man from West Sussex have in common with Tom Cruise? The fact that his life seemed to be following the films that Cruise was starring in. There are not many people who have no idea who Tim Peake is, in this day and age, but very few probably know his story. That will soon change, as he has just released his autobiography ‘Limitless’. However, reading someone’s story is not the same as hearing them tell it, their excitement about their favourite moments and the genuine fear that they’ve experienced. Peake is no different. It was so fascinating to hear his story, in his words, spoken by him. The evening was split into two halves. The first half was about how Peake made his way to becoming an astronaut, his humble beginnings, his earlier jobs, the astronaut selection process...

David Essex ‘I’ll Be Missing You’ Tour – Liverpool Philharmonic

6Sep

By Jenn McKeanNo Comments

North West

David Essex ‘I’ll Be Missing You’ Tour – Liverpool Philharmonic

How do you scare a man in his mid-70s from East London? Lock him in a room with hundreds of scouse women screaming for him. Some people might think that David Essex is well past his prime, still going on tour into his 70s, but being on stage at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, it seemed as though he was still in his prime. Still sounding almost exactly the same as he did on his records and still able to fully captivate an audience. As someone who grew up, only knowing his biggest hits and learnt more of his back catalogue through his musical ‘All the Fun of the Fair’, it was a thoroughly enjoyable evening. We were treated to a fabulous set from Tim Newman, as Essex’s support act and he definitely got the crowd warmed up and ready for the main event. He sang some of his own tracks, in...

22Jun

By Jenn McKeanNo Comments

North West

Singin’ in the Rain – Liverpool Empire

Don’t you know everyone wants to laugh? The stage production of what is arguably one of Gene Kelly’s most famous films, Singin’ in the Rain, is once again making its way around the UK once more and is continuing to entertain audiences, just as it did in the 1950s. With such a famous score, including the titular track, ‘Good Morning’, ‘Moses Supposes’ and ‘Make ‘Em Laugh’, to name but a few, the musical really does make the film come to life right in front of your eyes. In 1927, Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont are at the height of their fame as silent movie stars. Their latest movie is a massive smash hit, and they are about to start working on the next film, when news reaches them, about Warner Brothers’ next film – a talking picture. What can they do to maintain their stardom and what ...

Derren Brown: Showman – Liverpool Empire

1Jun

By Jenn McKeanNo Comments

North West

Derren Brown: Showman – Liverpool Empire

Forget Hugh Jackman, the greatest showman of our generation without a doubt is Derren Brown. The prominent illusionist rose to fame in the early 2000s, starting with the TV show Mind Control and other shows such as Trick of the Mind and his specials Sacrifice, Miracle: Faith or Fiction and The Push are currently available to stream on Netflix, with more available on All4. He has always stated that he is able to manipulate the mind and use psychology to work out people’s actions. More often than not, he is able to do exactly what he says and has stunned audiences worldwide. In today’s fickle age, over 20 years after his rise to fame, he is still as popular with audiences and able to stun them to silence in awe at what he does. Unfortunately, I can’t go into detail about what we wi...

The Play That Goes Wrong – Liverpool Empire

24May

By Jenn McKeanNo Comments

North West

The Play That Goes Wrong – Liverpool Empire

The Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society has finally found the play for their member numbers and the time has come for them to put it in front of an audience, but are they ready? Mischief Comedy’s The Play That Goes Wrong focuses on the Drama Society’s performance of Murder at Haversham Manor and is two hours of guaranteed laughs and enjoyment. Written by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields, it is a comedy and a piece that will stand the test of time, as there is no actual time period mentioned throughout the piece. The comedic timing is absolutely spot on and to be able to deliver the piece straight-faced, whilst standing in exactly the right place at the right time, so as not to mess up any of the cues definitely takes a special type of skill. Just when you think nothing els...