Lou Steggals, Author at North West End UK

7Dec

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Eric and Ern – The Lowry

Anytime there is a poll on the public’s favourite comedy act, or a look back at the TV of yesteryear, one double act will feature, without fail – Morecambe and Wise. Icons of their era, they’ve left a legacy of classic comedy that is adored to this day. So, whilst modern-day comedians may attempt to push boundaries with their material, it’s a brave soul that attempts to re-visit the most-loved sketches of these titans of British comedy. Ian Ashpitel (as Ernie) and Jonty Stephens (as Eric) are those souls, having developed tonight’s variety show from their stage play of the duo’s enduring partnership. But it is quickly obvious that even the most die-hard fans will be breathing a big sigh of relief that the material is in very safe, and very funny hands. Soaking the audience with a ...

3Dec

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Handel’s Messiah – Liverpool Empire

As the calendar ticks over into December and Christmas looms properly into view, there are certain things that can be guaranteed – that there will be arguments over whether Die Hard is a Christmas film. That you’ll buy yourself a discount advent calendar because you’re never too old. And that somewhere, choirs are dusting off their music for Handel’s Messiah. Tonight, it’s the mighty Glyndebourne opera company who have taken on the mantle, sandwiching it between performances of The Rake’s Progress and Don Pasquale as part of a three-night residency at the Liverpool Empire during their wider UK tour. In contrast to these two shows, their Messiah is set to be a more austere affair, with a simple tier of chairs for the chorus and additional seating for tonight’s four soloists. And...

Boss New Plays (Saturday) – Royal Court Studio

8Nov

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Boss New Plays (Saturday) – Royal Court Studio

Liverpool Lanterns’ annual showcase of up-and-coming writing and acting talent in Merseyside came to a close with five new pieces from some of Lanterns’ veteran writers. As these are short pieces and in varying stages of development, it’s unfair to ‘rate’ them but there is still plenty for us to get our teeth into as an audience. There’s no easing into tonight’s showcase with our first piece, Banter, written by Darren Anglesea. The moment the lights go down there is an explosion of swearing and scuffling, as we are introduced to Tony, an angry young man accused of assault, which he swears is just ‘banter’ that got out of hand. When he sees that his duty solicitor Martin is black, he makes it plain this is an issue and it’s up to Martin to help his client understand how much trouble h...

31Oct

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Spring Awakening – Hope Street Theatre

In most instances, a quiet audience would be a sign of a failed, boring performance. Tonight, the quiet is a reflection of an audience completely captivated by the story being played out before them. Spring Awakening is the multi award-winning musical tale, based on the 1891 play, of teenage discovery – of the wider world around them, and of the more intimate desires starting to blossom as they reach puberty. In the setting of late 19th century Germany, we watch our cast explore new ideas and sensations that have both sweet and tragic consequences. The show is presented by students of the First Act Drama Studio, which means leading roles are tackled by much younger performers than you might usually expect, given the subject matter. It is an ambitious ask of any performer to bring lig...

24Oct

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

REVIEWS

Blind – London Horror Festival

What is evil? Can it infect a place and its people? And how would you react if you found yourself trapped in that place, in the dark, alone? Blind is a 30-minute immersive experience from Ryots Productions, currently part of the London Horror Festival, that takes us on a ‘found footage’ type story (in this case purely audio rather than visual) of what happens to historian Alice Levine - in town to share the slightly gruesome history of the newly re-opened Butcher Library - when a sudden power cut plunges her into darkness. When a young girl, that Alice presumes is the caretaker’s daughter, comes to keep her company, she shares a chilling ghost story of the library’s original inhabitants and a doll whose blindfold must never be removed. It’s a classic ‘bumps in the night’ tale by E...

Matthew Bourne’s The Midnight Bell – Liverpool Playhouse

21Oct

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Matthew Bourne’s The Midnight Bell – Liverpool Playhouse

The bad boy of ballet is back with a sultry, sensual tale of lonely hearts and hedonism in 1930s London. Delivered by Bourne’s New Adventures company, we’re introduced to a multitude of characters from the underbelly of Soho, who congregate at night in a local pub, the Midnight Bell, trying to escape the mundanity of their daily lives and connect with whoever may have them. Heavily inspired by the novels of Patrick Hamilton, each distinct personality dances straight out of the pages of his work, to present an often-bleak view of the very human desire for love and acceptance. A true ensemble piece, our dancers weave in and out of each other’s spaces and stories with wonderful fluidity and awareness of each other. Immaculate choreography and timing pulls us into each picture post...

Sh!t Theatre Drink Rum With Expats – Unity Theatre

17Oct

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Sh!t Theatre Drink Rum With Expats – Unity Theatre

A man walks into a ‘bar’. He’s given a free foamy cup of lager and a lump of cheese. The punchline is 75 minutes of meta-theatre; a show about a show, ‘Lost in La Mancha’ style, packed with singing, sparklers and the eponymous rum of the title. Created by Louise Mothersole and Rebecca Biscuit, ‘Drink Rum…’ takes us through their pre-pandemic journey to Malta, where they’ve been commissioned by a friend to produce a fringe show in Valetta, in celebration of its year as European Capital of Culture. The base of operations, which is recreated as our set for tonight’s proceedings, is The Pub (its actual name), a small hostelry favoured by the late, great Sir Oliver Reed, as his drinking den of choice during the filming of Gladiator. Famously, it’s where he also breathed his last and a shr...

Priscilla Queen of the Desert – Manchester Palace Theatre

12Oct

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Priscilla Queen of the Desert – Manchester Palace Theatre

The world’s most flamboyant road trip has rolled into Manchester as we’re invited to step aboard a ‘Budget Barbie Camper’ named Priscilla and lip-sync our way through a jukebox of disco hits with the best of them. Based on the cult 1994 film, and co-produced by its original West End star, Jason Donovan, tonight’s show takes us deep into the Australian outback as we join drag queens Tick/Mitzi (Edwin Ray), and Adam/Felicia (Nick Hayes) and transgender Bernadette (Miles Western) on their trip from suburban Sydney to Alice Springs. Our ‘ladies’ are set to perform at a local casino as a distraction from their current woes. Unbeknownst to Adam and Bernadette, it will also give Tick the chance to meet his son, Benji. Along the way they tackle weighty issues of grief, bigotry and what it...

13Sep

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

West Midlands

Rock of Ages – Alexandra Theatre

Part rock gig, part romp down memory lane, the new tour of Rock of Ages has landed, ready to make the UK ‘feel the noize’ and indulge in some heavy metal headbanging. Tonight, we’ve been transported from the centre of Birmingham to the heart of Los Angeles, the Sunset Strip. We meet the regulars of the Bourbon Bar; an insalubrious rock joint being faced with extinction as a villainous German duo look to demolish and develop the gritty Strip into a gleaming European vision of modernity. Underneath this shadow we meet barback Drew who is instantly smitten with the wholesome new girl in town Sherrie, and the show follows their budding ‘will they, won’t they’ relationship as they navigate the standard fare of missed opportunities and misunderstandings as well as their attempts to make it...

An Evening without Kate Bush – Liverpool Theatre Festival

7Sep

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

An Evening without Kate Bush – Liverpool Theatre Festival

Before there was Ga Ga, Bjork or Sia, there was Kate Bush. Considered by some as genius, by others as just plain weird, Bush has entertained and bemused for some five decades with her otherworldly vocals and lashings of theatrical flair. Tonight, she’s not here, but we are. Created by Sarah-Louise Young- who has cut her comedic chops with stints in Fascinating Aïda, and the award-winning musical improv troupe The Showstoppers- and Russell Lucas, ‘An Evening Without…” celebrates not just the music but the loyal and devoted fans who have steadfastly followed their idol for years. Describing this show as merely a ‘tribute act’ would do a massive injustice to Young’s sensational performance. Whilst she modestly brushes away any ambition to sound precisely like Bush, (‘who cou...