Paul Downham, Author at North West End UK

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Series 3 Tour – M&S Bank Arena

17Sep

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

North West

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Series 3 Tour – M&S Bank Arena

It's too conformist. It's not political enough. There's a diversity problem. The drag debate began long ago and won't be settled anytime soon. But surely, if a show has talent and is attracting a new audience then it's doing something right? If so, there's very little to debate: RuPaul's Drag Race UK Series 3 Tour is bloody brilliant. The latest season of RuPaul on the BBC boasted a stellar line-up. But it's not until each queen is given an equal time to shine that it's clear just how stellar. There are no weak links, everyone is bringing their a-game and the result is mainstream drag at its very finest. A black and white-themed runway opener gives the up-for-it-audience a first glimpse of what's in vogue. The looks are predictably incredible. This review will focus on the performanc...

5Sep

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

Interviews

Big Fish swims into Northwich

Big Fish the musical is heading to Northwich Memorial Court later this month from Mid Cheshire Musical Theatre Company and our editor, Paul Downham has been speaking to director Louise Colohan to find out what we can expect from this lessor known musical. Mid Cheshire Musical Theatre Company have once again opted to produce a lesser known musical after the success of Sunshine on Leith 12 months ago and American Idiot earlier this year, which both gained huge critical acclaim. This year they bring us Big Fish, tell us about the storyline? Big Fish tells us the story of Edward Bloom, a seemingly ordinary man who, through the tales he tells his son, appears to have led a life full of magic, wonder, love and adventure. As an ailing Edward seeks to reconcile with his now grown-up son, we ...

West Side Story – Theatre Royal Wakefield

27Aug

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

West Side Story – Theatre Royal Wakefield

A Tour de Force of a production in every perceived meaning of the phrase. A long-time favourite of many, West Side Story which is based on the concept of Jerome Robbins – as a modern day telling of Romeo and Juliet - is synonymous with Robbins famous choreographic style. Collaborating with Arthur Laurents as writer and the legendary composer Leonard Bernstein with Stephen Sondheim as lyricist; West Side Story was always going to be a hit. From its film versions in 1961 and 2021 to its innumerable stage productions the musical has engaged people for the last 65 years and continues to do so in Wakefield this week! Set in the 1950’s, the musical resets Romeo and Juliet onto the New York streets and the world of rival gangs, the Jets and the Sharks. Maria, sister of the Sharks gang leade...

20Aug

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

REVIEWS

Midnight – Daniel Lewis Wilson

Midnight – written, directed, and filmed by Daniel Lewis Wilson – is the sobering tale of what happens when an affair goes wrong and two lovers (Natasha Hale; Pete Austen) have to deal with its aftermath. Austen captures the anger and frustration of the man whilst Hale’s more pensive and reflective woman hints towards the twist that will follow in this riveting short piece whose words and performances really hold the attention, with a natural awkwardness to their chemistry befitting of the moment they find themselves in. Filmed in a single location, Wilson’s use of dark, light and shadow techniques, with the merest touch of colour, really adds to the intrigue and suspense, holding our attention whilst Marko Maksimovic’s Dark Ambient provides the perfect accompaniment. With edi...

Blippi: The Musical – Apollo Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue

20Aug

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

London

Blippi: The Musical – Apollo Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue

For the very first time, the well-loved character Blippi hits the stage in the UK for only three weeks from 16th August until the 4th September. Spanning a variety of media platforms, Blippi has become the soundtrack to many childrens’, and subsequently families’, lives since his inception in 2014. The character Blippi was created, and originally played, by Stevin John before Clayton Grimm took over in May 2021 and is whom we saw today. The show follows Blippi and his buddies in their quest to fix the Party Machine, whilst having a variety of detours courtesy of their vast array of friends in need of help. Even though the show is targeted at families and for ages 2+, I went in with an open mind and was ready to review it with a focus on the kids’ enjoyment more than my own – as...

Much Ado about Nothing – Hope Mill Theatre

19Aug

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

North West

Much Ado about Nothing – Hope Mill Theatre

Shakespeare isn’t for everybody, they say. Well, it was tonight in Ancoats! HER Productions & Girl Gang Manchester & Unseemly Shakespeare have produced yet another (this is their fourth Shakespearean outing) magical piece of theatre which allows the wit of Shakespeare’s writing to speak for itself, with an impressive cast who relish the opportunity to perform it. A plot to drive a couple apart and a plot to unite another paring both through trickery and male misplaced notions of the opposite sex. A play about desire and love, this production highlights gender politics acutely; it’s far more than a Tudor rom-com. The gender fluid casting is pure Shakespeare and adds a unique joy to the play. This a comedic play and each line was delivered with a sharpness that made the Elizabetha...

Cast announced for revival of Nine Night at Leeds Playhouse

11Aug

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Cast announced for revival of Nine Night at Leeds Playhouse

The cast has been announced for a revival of Nine Night celebrating the rituals of a traditional Jamaican wake. The production at Leeds Playhouse from 24th September to 15th October invites audiences into a traditional Nine Night Jamaican wake for family matriarch Gloria. As the story unfolds her children and grandchildren gather to mark her passing during a night full of humour and deep sorrow as they share memories, good food and grievances older than Gloria’s well-loved dining table. This new production of Natasha Gordon's comedy follows a successful West End run in 2018 which was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best New Comedy and won three awards in the Evening Standard Theatre Awards and Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards. Its three-week run in Leeds is staged in...

Casting revealed for The Importance of Being Earnest at Leeds Playhouse

6Aug

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Casting revealed for The Importance of Being Earnest at Leeds Playhouse

The cast has been revealed for Denzel Westley-Sanderson's retelling of Oscar Wilde’s most outrageous comedy, The Importance of Being Earnest, which premieres at Leeds Playhouse from 5th -17th September before heading out on a UK tour. Westley-Sanderson is melding Wilde’s sharp wit with chart-toppers and contemporary references to offer a sassy promising an unique take on the classic satire about dysfunctional families, class, gender and sexuality. The cast includes Daniel Jacob, who has gained international recognition as his Drag Queen alter ego Vinegar Strokes, who plays the iconic Lady Bracknell. Jacob is joined by Midsomer Murders’ Phoebe Campbell as Cecily making her theatre debut, the experienced Valentine Hanson as Merriman/Lane and Joanne Henry as Miss Prism wh...

4Aug

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

National Youth Theatre of Wales and Theatr Clwyd present, a brand-new comedy as part of exciting partnership

National Youth Theatre of Wales and Theatr Clwyd are co-producing their first full length production together, The In-Between. The show will open at Theatr Clwyd before heading to The Sherman Theatre, Cardiff. This brand-new comedy has been written by one of Wales’ leading playwrights Gary Owen (Iphigenia in Splott) and BAFTA-nominated actress and writer, Alexandria Riley (Pembrokshire Murderers, In My Skin). A new comedy about growing up. Fay is finished. Her tutors at the music college are telling her she’s failing. She’s giving everything she can - and it’s not enough. Fay’s not going to fail. She’s going to do the mature, grown-up thing. She’s going to quit. All she has to do is walk to college, hand in her letter and she’s free from the struggle and the worry. ...

Get Up Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical announces West End closing

4Aug

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Get Up Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical announces West End closing

Producers have announced that the hit production Get Up Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical which received its world premiere performance at the Lyric Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue on 1st October 2021, will play its final performance in London’s West End on 8th January 2023. The critically acclaimed show has been playing to ecstatic crowds since October 2021 at the Lyric Theatre Shaftesbury Avenue and it was nominated for 4 Olivier Awards, including Best New Musical winning the award for best orchestrations. Following the West End, the production will embark on a UK-wide tour with full details to be announced soon. The production is also planning multiple international engagements, with discussions underway in Europe, North and South America. A cast recording featuring the original cast i...