Katie Leicester, Author at North West End UK

23Jul

By Katie LeicesterNo Comments

North West

The Tempest – Norton Priory

The Multi Award Winning – A Place for Us Theatre Company in partnership with Cronton 6th Form College aimed to present their present Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’ in the stunning woodlands theatre space nestled in the 42-acre ancient grounds of the phenomenal Norton Priory Museum & Gardens. A Place for Us presently continues their Shakespeare legacy after a successful run of their previous interpretation of Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth in 2021/2022. Due to our unpredictable seasonal weather in the UK nothing is a given, so a huge credit to the Creative Team, Director/Producer Kate Allerston, Chis Bastock Producer/Music & Sound Design and Stage Managers both consultant and Cronton College students for turning the show around bringing it into the breath-taking Norton Priory Museu...

13Jul

By Katie LeicesterNo Comments

North West

Anything Goes – Z–Arts, Manchester

Z-Arts Renaker Theatre hosted Manchester Musical Youth’s (MMY) latest summer production of ‘Anything Goes’. With a cast of over forty young performers, I was intrigued to see how Principle and Musical Director Kimberley Holden would pull this musical off with its huge repertoire of songs, monumental tap numbers, including the sensational choreography that we have come to expect from this classic Cole Porter’s masterpiece. The set is that of the ocean liner S. S. American, where nightclub singer Reno Sweeney (Hanna Cunningham) is on route from New York to England. Reno’s love interest and friend Billy Crocker (Oliver Horton) has stowed away to be his true love Hope Harcourt (Amelia Ruffley), the problem being that his true love is betrothed to be married to a wealthy English Lord – Evely...

Rachel Creeger – Whitefield Garrick Theatre

4Jul

By Katie LeicesterNo Comments

North West

Rachel Creeger – Whitefield Garrick Theatre

Greater Manchester Fringe is well and truly in the swing of things, and I was honoured to review Rachel Creeger’s latest masterpiece ‘Ultimate Jewish Mother 2023’ at the intimate Garrick Theatre in Whitefield. Creeger is no stranger to the stage as she is a multi-award-winning stand-up comedian, writer, and director, and I believe the only practising orthodox Jewish woman on the mainstream UK comedy circuit. Her debut hour "It's No Job for A Nice Jewish Girl" won the Best Comedy Award at the Greater Manchester Fringe in 2017, which sold out its run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe where it was a Fringe Review recommended show, and went on to have a critically acclaimed, successful international tour. Her second solo hour "Hinayni!" ran at the Underbelly for Edinburgh Fringe 2019 and ...

27Jun

By Katie LeicesterNo Comments

North West

Strictly Ballroom – The Lowry

Baz-Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom first ever UK tour hit Manchester’s beautiful Lowry Theatre, full of glitz and glamour this visually stunning adaptation of the 1992 film by Luhrmann and Craig Pearce revolves around a rebellious Australian dancer Scott Hastings (Kevin Clifton). Directed and Co-Choreographed by Craig Revel Horwood with Co-Choreographer Jason Gilkison the coupling has created a masterpiece of dance, glamour, passion, and excitement. Unfortunately, on press night after the opening number the creative team ran into technical difficulties resulting in the show being halted for approximately 10-15 minutes, which must have been very frustrating for them, and the audience did get a little fidgety by the lengthy delay. After the initial hiccup the show went on, telling the...

Witness for the Prosecution – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

23May

By Katie LeicesterNo Comments

North West

Witness for the Prosecution – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

Director Mike Shaw has delighted us with his production of ‘Witness for the Prosecution’ a play that has been adapted from Agatha Christie’s 1925 short story "Traitor's Hands". Shaw is no stranger to directing some of Agatha Christie’s having directed at least three others previously as well as other whodunnit and murder mysteries. I have not seen any of Agatha Christie’s greats, so I was entering the theatre as a novice and had no expectations of the play itself. The creative team have done a magnificent job on the staging as the set is that of an authentic court room creating the atmosphere of being in the chambers itself. It’s the atmosphere that they have created that makes this a very unique experience; the echoes of footsteps outside the chamber and the grandeur of the Old Bail...

11May

By Katie LeicesterNo Comments

North West

RENT – The Brindley Theatre

Directed and Choreographed by Donna Dale, Assistant Director Charlotte Allmand, Assistant Choreographer John Sprung-Murphy and Musical Director Craig Price have produced the latest D&S Production of ‘Rent’. Set in the East Village of New York City, 'Rent' is about falling in love, finding your voice, and living for today. Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, 'Rent' has become a pop culture phenomenon. 'Rent' follows a year in the life of a group of penniless young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York’s Lower East Side, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. Johnathon Larson’s 1996 rock musical focus is around the interconnected lives of three couples: Roger (Elliott Tutt) and Mimi (Sara Haynes), Maureen (Francesca Forbes...

4May

By Katie LeicesterNo Comments

North West

Unexpected Twist – The Lowry

Michael Rosen is a British children's author, poet, presenter, political columnist, broadcaster, and activist who has written 140 books. Rosen wrote ‘Unexpected Twist’ in 2018 which is the re-telling of the Charles Dickens classic ‘Oliver Twist’ - Michael Rosen has combined the two stories into one, with his modern story ‘Unexpected Twist’ and the 1838 Dickens classic that he states inspired it. The two stories allegedly twist together unexpectedly, set in modern-day, teenager Shona (Drew Hylton) lives with her single dad (Thomas Vernal) and relies on benefits to survive. They have been forced to move due to a familiar cycle of debt of her unemployed father following the death of her beloved mother - moving means yet another school to attend an all too cyclic event f...

The Jungle Book – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

2Apr

By Katie LeicesterNo Comments

North West

The Jungle Book – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

The Easter holiday’s production of ‘The Jungle Book’ commenced at the Altrincham Garrick Playhouse, headed by the super talented Artistic Director Joseph Meighan. Following the success of last year’s ‘George’s Marvellous Medicine’ Ros Greenwood agreed to direct this imaginative production based on Rudyard Kipling’s eponymous collective works from 1894. Most of us remember the Walt Disney’s animated film from 1967 titled ‘The Jungle Book’ where we see Mowgli a human boy guided by the animal guardians, who is set on a journey of self-discovery whilst evading the threatening evil Shere. Ros Greenwood’s production of ‘The Jungle Book’ is that of Stuart Paterson’s adaptation where this classic is brought to life with a cast who fills the stage with the voices and bodies of all the animals...

24Mar

By Katie LeicesterNo Comments

North West

My Fair Lady – Palace Theatre

Bartlett Sher’s revival of ‘My Fair Lady’ has arrived at the Palace Theatre in Manchester until April, being a huge fan of the original 1964 film with Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison I had high hopes and an inner excitement to watch this newly revived production. I was also intrigued to see how my 15-year-old daughter would interpret the musical as a representative of our modern-day youth. Director Bartlett Sher has mostly stayed true to the original Lerner and Loewe book, itself based on George Bernard Shaw’s 1913 play Pygmalion, the story of ‘My Fair Lady’ is that of Eliza Doolittle (Charlotte Kennedy), a young Cockney flower seller, and Henry Higgins (Michael D. Xavier), a linguistics professor who after a chance meeting with Eliza makes a bet with his associate Colonel Pickering (Jo...

<strong>Elf The Musical – The Brindley, Runcorn</strong>

16Nov

By Katie LeicesterNo Comments

North West

Elf The Musical – The Brindley, Runcorn

Centenary Theatre Company’s Director Dan Grimes must have thought all his Christmas’s had come at once when Dean Callow walked in an auditioned for the part of Buddy! As all I can say is WOWSER as I am sure Dan Grimes did too, what a fabulous charismatic actor Dean Callow is, he has as much energy as one human being can possibly have without spontaneous combusting! Dean Callow was definitely on fire on opening night, unfortunately the programme does not tell me anything about Dean (or any of the other cast members), so I do not know any of his previous theatre credits etc. However, I would recommend this show on Dean Callow’s performance alone as he is the perfect Buddy the Elf, who will keep you entertained throughout the evening with his Elf moves, perfect comedy timings and pitch perfec...