Kiefer Williams, Author at North West End UK

Souvenir De Florence – Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

18Oct

By Kiefer WilliamsNo Comments

North West

Souvenir De Florence – Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

This delightful concert in the Close-Up series features musicians from the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. The ensemble consists of: Thelma Handy- violin Sarah Brandwood-Spencer- violin Alex Mitchell- viola Gwendolyn Cawdron- viola Jonathan Aasgaard- cello Alexander Holladay- cello The evening comprises of three pieces of superlative chamber music. Vaughan Williams Phantasy Quintet (1912) is probably one of Williams most lyrical and moving compositions. Its melody positively soars over the course of four short movements. There is an overriding theme of contemplation that runs throughout each movement. It is a truly beautiful piece of music and the ensemble play this with great finesse and precision. Exquisite. Martinu String Sextet (1932) is a more mod...

House Guest – Allerton United Reformed Church

14Oct

By Kiefer WilliamsNo Comments

North West

House Guest – Allerton United Reformed Church

Originally written in 1976, Francis Durbridge’s House Guest can be best described as a quintessential “cosy crime” thriller. Spanning just over 50 years, Durbridge was a prolific writer of crime novels and plays and his most famous creation was Paul Temple, the debonair and exclusive private investigator. House Guest is one of his least known standalone plays that centres around the kidnapping of a child and suspicious goings on with the so-called police! Unfortunately, no Mr Temple is in sight here to sort things out! The play by today’s standards is quite dated and some of the dialogue is gruesomely wooden but having said that its clear to see that the RADS have tremendous fun in performing Durbridge’s creaky script and I must say, their enthusiasm was infectious. ...

Trap – John Foster Drama Studio, Liverpool

6Oct

By Kiefer WilliamsNo Comments

North West

Trap – John Foster Drama Studio, Liverpool

Written and performed by Nathan Dunn, this is the story of Chris and his leaving do night out with a couple of mates. He wants to make a fresh start in another country and more importantly escape his hometown that has trapped him for so many years. On the surface this seems quite a simple story, but Dunn’s script is full of nice little touches, and he brings a vibrant energy to his performance as Chris and all his friends. Trap explores many issues including the class system, masculinity, sexuality, and toxic relationships. There is a good mix of dramatic tension and comedic flair throughout, and Dunn pitches the balance really well. Each of the friends have something to say and a story to tell and Dunn’s adroit and well-paced script moves effortlessly between the characters, ...

5Oct

By Kiefer WilliamsNo Comments

North West

Othello – Liverpool Playhouse

Formed in 1994 Frantic Assembly is the UK’s foremost physical theatre company. Their inimitable and often compelling style of theatre has undoubtedly elevated their reputation both at home and on the international theatre scene. They are an exciting and innovative theatre company producing work that resonates and stays long in the memory of their audience and now they turn their attention to one of Shakespeare’s darkest tales of jealousy, passion, and revenge. Of course, being Frantic Assembly, they manage to conjure up a new translation of Shakespeare’s painfully beautiful play and transport the action to a modern-day poolroom in a pub. It shouldn’t really work on paper but through audacious and complex movement alongside strong performances from the cast and imaginative direction f...

29Jul

By Kiefer WilliamsNo Comments

North West

No Place Like Home – Unity Theatre

This energetic solo performance from Alex Roberts & Co. explores issues surrounding violence and hate crimes within the LGBTQ+ particularly referencing the nightlife culture. The question is whether there are any safe places to be queer in our towns and cities, especially at night-time. With the increase of violence within our community, I found this a timely and pertinent piece of work. It would be so easy to stand up and rant on about the many ways that society fails to acknowledge violence and hate crimes towards the LGBTQ+ community but Alex Roberts & Co. have produced a meaningful and honest show that is far more subtle and thoughtful in its approach and appeal than most others of a similar theme. Cleverly fusing both spoken word, video art, dance, and music we are...

14May

By Kiefer WilliamsNo Comments

North West

Mothers Ruin – Hope Street Theatre

Steve Bird’s worthy and sensitive biographical play about Gary Skyner who was one of the first British born people to be affected by the Thalidomide medical scandal, comes to the stage in Skyner’s hometown. The play documents the struggles that faced Skyner and his family in the early years and moves at a fairly good pace as we reach the present day. The use of a likable narrator (Tommy Tyler) is a clever idea in moving the story forward and the play almost has a feel of a documentary with the use of various multimedia which adds context and depth to this inspiring story. For me, the central and most powerful character of this piece is Gary’s strong and resilient mum Frances (Mary Savage) and how she deals, with amongst other things the breakup of her marriage to Gary’s father...

6May

By Kiefer WilliamsNo Comments

North West

Dog/Actor – Hope Street Theatre

Steven Berkoff’s eloquent and evocative double bill performance of Dog / Actor is brought to the stage by Threedumb Theatre, and I have to say it is truly a masterclass in both physical and comedic theatre. Stephen Smith, who is also the artistic director for Threedumb, is the solo performer of this back-to-back double bill and he really excels in this challenging piece. In Dog, Smith portrays a racist foul-mouthed football hooligan with his companion pit bull Roy. Smith uses every part of the studio space to significant effect and provides the audience with a strong and ever-increasing sense of rage. It is without question an uncompromising and difficult piece for any actor to perform but Smith finds the right tempo throughout. Excellent lighting also adds texture to Dog. ...

Cherry Jezebel – Everyman Theatre, Liverpool

16Mar

By Kiefer WilliamsNo Comments

North West

Cherry Jezebel – Everyman Theatre, Liverpool

Jonathan Larkin’s new play is indeed a sparkling celebration of everything queer. Set in the world of Liverpool drag, this sharply funny and poignant play focuses on the outrageous diva Cherry Brandy (Mickey Jones) and her friends, rivals and herstory within the queer community. Cherry appears to be in the autumn of her drag life, but she has one thing that most of her rivals don’t really have and that is a passion for life and a big sense of fun; yes she has her low moments (don’t we all) but she is a local icon and we just know that she could easily wipe the floor with all of the pretenders to her diva status. Larkin’s beautifully constructed script is both astute and crisp and never draws breathe with some great one- liners, gobby scouse humour and quite barbed dialogue throughout...

2Feb

By Kiefer WilliamsNo Comments

REVIEWS

Riot Act – Stream Theatre

Celebrating LGBTQ+ History month, Stream Theatre shares this eloquent and powerful one-man performance based on three verbatim interviews from three people who have been a part of the LGBTQ+ rights movement. Alexis Gregory gives a superlative performance throughout and his script is sensitive, raw, witty, and sometimes full of rage. Gregory carefully complied his three interviews into one continuous layered monologue and in so doing formed a remarkable commentary on queer activism through the years. If this all sounds quite serious and leaning towards political debate, have no fear, Gregory holds your attention throughout, and his characterisation is superb. This is such a warm and exuberant show that I challenge anyone not to admire and love. Each person has a story to tell, a...

26Oct

By Kiefer WilliamsNo Comments

North West

Sessions – Unity Theatre

Ifeyinwa Frederick’s eloquent and captivating meditation on masculinity and mental health is brought to vibrant life in this touring production from theatre company Paines Plough. Tunde (Joseph Black) is fast approaching his thirtieth birthday and somehow, he feels his life is unravelling. His relationships both with himself and other people seem fragile and fractured, so he seeks help from his unseen therapist in one-to-one sessions to alleviate his anxieties and try to look forward with renewed confidence. It’s not an easy journey for Tunde as the piece reveals. This one-man performance is a fairly simple construct and much depends on both Fredericks writing and Black’s performance but what could appear to be a simply framed set of monologues morphs into something a lot mo...