Paul Downham, Author at North West End UK

13Dec

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

North West

Cinderella – The Brindley

Last year I was invited to review my first ever pantomime at The Brindley in association with New Pantomime Productions and I wrote in my review “personally I cannot wait to return in 2025 to see if, and how this show can be beaten”. Well, I am thrilled to report that this year’s production did indeed beat last years. This is traditional pantomime at its very best. Making her professional debut and leading the cast was the superb Emma Laverty as Cinderella. Laverty looks so at home on stage you would believe she has been treading the panto boards for years, with a stunning crystal clear voice and natural interactions with all she was on stage with I predict big things for this young lady. Mikey Rowan playing Cinderella’s love interest Prince Charming commanded the stage whenever he w...

Northern Lights and German Resonance – Liverpool Philharmonic Hall

28Oct

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

North West

Northern Lights and German Resonance – Liverpool Philharmonic Hall

There was nothing Fawlty about the RLPO in last night’s performance—a real Touch of Class, you might say. In that BBC comedy classic, Sybil famously complained about her henpecked husband “listening to that racket”—prompting Basil’s comic rejoinder that it was Brahms’s Third racket. Perhaps she would have preferred his Fourth Symphony, one of the great Romantic masterpieces, brought vividly to life at Liverpool’s Philharmonic Hall by debutant Estonian conductor Kristiina Poska. The programme opened with little-known Swedish composer Ida Moberg’s evocation of dawn, traversed Sibelius’s elemental drama, and closed with Brahms at his most romantic and architecturally grandiose. All of it under the guidance of a left-handed baton—a rare sight, even in Liverpool, the city of famous left-hand...

13 Going on 30 The Musical – Opera House

1Oct

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

North West

13 Going on 30 The Musical – Opera House

Once more Manchester’s Opera House hosted another World Premiere last night in the latest show where Manchester gets it first! 13 Going on 30 is adapted from the 2004 romantic comedy about Jenna Rink, a 13-year-old girl who wishes to skip her awkward teenage years and be “thirty, flirty, and thriving.” After making her wish, she wakes up as her 30-year-old self, a successful magazine editor. At first thrilled, Jenna soon realizes adult life isn’t as perfect as she imagined—especially when she’s drifted from her childhood best friend, Matt. From the first beat of music until the last, the energy on stage was infectious with the younger part of the company shining bright, and by tonight’s showing confirming the future of musical theatre performers is in the safest of hands. Amelia M...

Frank Sanazi: Songs for Swinging Leaders – Le Monde

11Aug

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

Scotland

Frank Sanazi: Songs for Swinging Leaders – Le Monde

If you like your swing music served with a side order of political incorrectness and a heavy pour of dark satire, Frank Sanazi is the man for you. Back at the Fringe with his full entourage of dubious dignitaries and crooning comrades, he’s once again proving that nothing is sacred when there’s a gag to be had.The conceit is as daft as it is inspired, take the Rat Pack, swap Vegas for the Reichstag, sprinkle in a few dictators, despots, and dubious dinner guests, then belt out swing standards with new, far too on the nose lyrics. The results range from groan worthy puns to moments of comedy gold. This year’s line up of chums includes Sadami Davis Jr., a gloriously deadpan presence with a twinkle in his eye, Dino Stalin (think Dean Martin but with more gulags), and Osama Bing Crosby, a beam...

31Jul

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

London

Macbeth – Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Arriving in London from a sold-out season in Melbourne, The Australian Shakespeare Company brings Macbeth to the beautiful Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew. Played outdoors, the sun sets, and darkness encroaches as much as it does within Macbeth providing a haunting atmosphere. Hugh Sexton and Nicole Nabout as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have strong chemistry and a magnetism between them, helping the relationship feel absolutely real. Sexton shines in the big moments, his ‘and tomorrow’ soliloquy is a highlight. Nabout really sells Lady Macbeth's journey into madness. Both excel as the story goes on and they move from their shared ambition into isolation and guilt. While the grief of Macduff is well presented by Jackson McGovern, a little more time would have been appreciated in particular ...

The Merry Wives of Windsor – Shakespeare’s Globe

10Jul

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

London

The Merry Wives of Windsor – Shakespeare’s Globe

Published in 1602 and traditionally believed to have been written at the specific request of Elizabeth I, The Merry Wives of Windsor is one of Shakespeare's less frequently produced and not so well-regarded plays. It's a great romp though, and the perfect choice for a summer evening at the iconic "Wooden O" on London's South Bank. Sir John Falstaff, the large, impoverished and corpulent knight from Shakespeare's Henry series, secretly propositions the wives of Ford and Page, with the intention of relieving them of their husbands' money. He sends both women identical letters hoping to woo them. The women discover that Falstaff is communicating with both of them and decide to lead him on, to mock and shame him and teach him a lesson. Through the meddling of the servant, Mistre...

Trial by Jury and A Matter of Misconduct – Festival Theatre

1Jun

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

Scotland

Trial by Jury and A Matter of Misconduct – Festival Theatre

Welcome to another episode of the hit TV show, Trial by Jury! Gilbert and Sullivan’s comedy opens this double bill from Scottish Opera. The setting is a Jerry Springer-style TV show, rather than a real-life courtroom, and we are the studio audience. This means that the performers get to interact to the crowd, exaggerating the showmanship of the characters. The absurdity of the story is perfect for the I’d-do-anything-to-get-on-TV scenario. The jury, and the audience, are instructed to be impartial, but the libretto and the staging subvert this, with light-up signs demanding “APPLAUSE” and telling us when to “BOO”. The plaintiff, jilted bride Angelina, is immediately anointed as the darling of judge and jury alike, while her ex, Edwin (Jamie McDonald) is reviled for his cruelty. She’s re...

A Knight’s Tale – Opera House, Manchester

1May

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

North West

A Knight’s Tale – Opera House, Manchester

Manchester’s famous Opera House had hosted multiple productions beginning their theatrical journey as part of ATG’s ‘Manchester Gets It First’ programme with many going on to the West End and Broadway. Ghost the Musical, Bat Out Of Hell, &Juliet, Mrs Doubtfire and who could forget Covid hit Back To The Future? Each one of these productions has a ‘Made in Manchester’ tag securely attached to them and continue to thrive playing to packed houses across the globe. Now there is a new pretender to the crown, A Knight’s Tale had its World Premiere tonight and judging by the audience reaction the producers will need to find a West End venue pretty quick. Based on the 2001 cult film A Knight’s Tale follows William Thatcher, a 14th century peasant squire who breaks all the rules when he pa...

23Apr

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Dear Evan Hansen – Hull New Theatre

Some productions are so special that theatregoers can get the gist of the story from the get go. I certainly did when Dear Evan Hansen came to the Hull New Theatre on Tuesday evening. Ryan Kopel in the lead role as troubled high school kid, Evan, brought the gawky, angst-ridden, awkward, nerdy, coy, friendless teen to life so perfectly, words can’t begin to describe just how talented this young actor is. Everything about Kopel’s performance kept us, in the packed theatre, spellbound, as we followed his accidental journey of lies, lies and more lies. Evan lives with his mum Heidi (Lara Beth-Sas), whose busy work schedule often means her son is left alone for long stretches of time. He’s old enough, so no big deal. Or is it? Undergoing treatment from his doctor for his social anx...

10Apr

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

North West

Abigail’s Party – Royal Exchange

Most of the packed press night audience will have arrived in the Victorian splendour of the Royal Exchange thinking they had a firm idea of what to expect from their evening’s entertainment. This suburban satire is firmly fixed in the collective theatrical imagination, chiefly thanks to the 1977 televised ‘Play For Today’, which confirmed Mike Leigh as a theatrical auteur and launched the stellar acting career of (his then wife) Alison Steadman. However, with this new production, the Royal Exchange has succeeded in demonstrating the bitter and caustic underbelly of this ‘puckish satire on contemporary mores’ without losing the humour at its heart. Director Natalie Abrahami decides to transpose the action in place but not in time, so we are presented with our Richmond Road setting in sub...