Paul Downham, Author at North West End UK

Janey Godley’s Big Burns Supper – Live Stream

27Jan

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

Scotland

Janey Godley’s Big Burns Supper – Live Stream

As Janey herself said at the end, ‘Ah’m knackert.’ This was as crammed a 90 minutes as one could wish for in celebration of Scotland’s famous poet. His global appeal was reflected in the comments box overflowing with a never-ending stream of greetings and toasts, viewers logging in from every conceivable time-zone. In this Covid-enforced YouTube version of the extravaganza - that usually takes place each year in the town of Dumfries - performances came in from far and wide. KT Tunstall beamed in a performance of ‘Everything Has Its Shape’ from Los Angeles, Donovan a rogue-ish version of ‘Sunshine Superman’ from Cork, Camille O’Sullivan’s rendition of Nick Cave’s ‘The Ship Song’ reached us from a beach near Dublin and Dervish performed ‘The Ploughman’ from a beautifully candle-lit room i...

24Jan

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

REVIEWS

Rock Musicals – The Theatre Channel

In another instalment of the Theatre Café Channels’ concerts, some of the best West End talent perform a catalogue of stagey rock tunes. The obvious and over-done songs were thankfully not chosen and the choices here were unpredictable and entertaining. We start off with Aquarius, where the “Theatre Café Four” welcome us into their space. The singers entice us in with pleasing harmonies and psychedelic editing. It’s great to see these guys pop up in the other performances and add some levels there too. Francesca Jackson (Million Dollar Quartet) gives a stellar performance of Forgiven, from Jagged Little Pill. The Broadway hit, that evolved from Alanis Morisette’s album of the same name, asks for raw and impassioned vocals that Jackson excels at. If it ever jumps over the pond then th...

The Kettle’s Boiled! Paperwork’s Teacup Commissions go live

22Jan

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

The Kettle’s Boiled! Paperwork’s Teacup Commissions go live

Although stages across the UK remain in darkness, Paperwork Theatre are encouraging theatre makers to keep generating bold, new ideas by investing in homegrown new work as part of Teacup Commissions, part of their Artist Opportunities Scheme. Teacup Commissions are a micro fund to support the development of new work by theatre makers; we encourage people to donate the price of a cuppa and every time the cup is full, local theatre makers can pitch to win it. Launched in January 2020, the scheme has raised over £700 so far and supported 6 North West theatre-makers to kick start new creative projects. The scheme has been so popular in 2020, the micro fund has been raised to £200. The Paperwork team believes in sharing knowledge, developing skills and demystifying the industry for North ...

All Together – The Living Record Festival

22Jan

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REVIEWS

All Together – The Living Record Festival

All Together is an online improvised comedy show by the UK-based improv troupe The Noise Next Door which was performed live as part of The Living Record Festival 2021. Using suggestions from a live audience on Zoom, the ensemble devised a 60-minute performance on the spot with quickfire scenes and oddball characters that had us laughing without a break. The show relies on techniques and methods of improvisational theatre (or simply improv, as some better know it!) which is a form of spontaneous storytelling based on suggestions by the audience, making it an interactive and immersive experience for those watching. Whereas typically you’d find the quartet, consisting of Matt Grant, Tom Livingstone, Sam Pacelli and Robin Hatcher, playing at comedy clubs and fringe venu...

21Jan

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REVIEWS

The 39 Steps – A Radio Drama

As a novel, John Buchan's The Thirty-Nine Steps (1915) is famous for being one of the inventors of the man-on-the-run thriller and for being the source of multiple film, TV and theatre versions which are often better regarded as their own work than as adaptations of the book. Most versions agree on the very basic premise: Richard Hannay, currently bored and living in London, comes home to find a strange person in his flat talking about a conspiracy that will have adverse side-effects to both his health and world peace and necessitates him staying with Hannay for a few days. The ultimate consequence of this is a dead body in Hannay's flat, which leaves the police with a few questions for Hannay and the murderers with a few theories as to how much Hannay now knows, forcing him to go on th...

Dunkirk star Fionn Whitehead stars in online production of The Picture Of Dorian Gray

20Jan

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Dunkirk star Fionn Whitehead stars in online production of The Picture Of Dorian Gray

Fionn Whitehead, star of Dunkirk and Black Mirror, will take the title role in a new online adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s classic play The Picture of Dorian Gray (16th – 31st March) directed by Theatr Clwyd’s Artistic Director Tamara Harvey. Most recently seen starring in the Lionsgate and Saban Films’ Don’t Tell A Soul, Fionn Whitehead is best known for his critically acclaimed performance as the protagonist Tommy in Christopher Nolan’s Academy Award nominated war film, Dunkirk. Set in a profile pic-obsessed, filter-fixated world where online and reality blur, influencer Dorian Gray makes a deal. For his social star never to fade. For the perfect self he broadcasts to the world to always remain. But as his mental health starts to decline, as corruption and murderous depravity start to...

Welcome to the Café – The Theatre Channel

20Jan

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

London

Welcome to the Café – The Theatre Channel

At the beginning of October in 2020, The Theatre Café released the first episode of their new series, The Theatre Channel, presented by Adam Blanshay Productions. Rallying together some of the West End’s top performers, viewers are treated to fantastically produced musical numbers directed by Bill Deamer. Each episode has its own unique theme, and so fittingly, the first one introduces and welcomes us to the café itself. Opening with ‘Coffee (In a Cardboard Cup)’ from And the World Goes Round, featuring series regulars ‘The Café Four’ (Alyn Hawke, Emily Langham, Sadie-Jean Shirley and Alex Woodward), we instantly get a taste for the energetic, perfected and stagey songs we’re in for. Deamer also lends his tight, upbeat choreography to the series, and it’s evident in this fun first numbe...

Daniel Bye takes to the road with a new play about running and freedom

19Jan

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Interviews

Daniel Bye takes to the road with a new play about running and freedom

Daniel Bye made his name with a series of challenging interactive works he wrote and appeared in, but now he’s teamed up with musician Boff Whalley to create These Hill Are Ours that’s nominally about their shared love of running. Daniel and the former Chumbawamba songwriter are also using songs and words to explore who should own the land they run on, and thanks to the virus they’ve been waiting for a year to perform it in front an audience. The idea began life when they were working together on projects around the country. “We go for a run from wherever we were out of the town, or city, towards the peak overlooking the place and that kind of grew into a project,” recalls Daniel about a work that developed as they put the hard miles in over the last three years. “But as we rep...

Oops!… I Streamed It Again – Thespie Online

19Jan

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REVIEWS

Oops!… I Streamed It Again – Thespie Online

In this online concert launched by theatre streaming platform Thespie, the stars of hit West End musical &Juliet reunited for a truly memorable performance. From hit pop songs from the likes of Britney to legendary show tunes from musical favourites such as Wicked, the show was the perfect mix of pop, ballads and musical theatre. Five brilliant &Juliet cast members took centre stage – Oliver Tompsett, Grace Mouat, Jordan Luke Gage, Tim Mahendran and 2020 Olivier Award Winner Cassidy Janson. The concert began with a soulful short version of Britney classic “Oops!... I Did It Again” performed by Janson and Tompsett, rather fitting with the name of the show. With their beautiful harmonies that just blend so perfectly it was a solid opening and I was reminded of their great...

18Jan

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

REVIEWS

Girl Power – Thespie Online

In this new addition to the streaming website, Thespie, the SEVEN original cast-members of SIX, the West End musical, give some incredible FIVE-star performances. With FOUR glamourous costume changes, the audience is swept through the decades of classic THREE-minute pop songs by female collaborators. Surprisingly, the group has only put on TWO concerts, but it’s clear that this ONE is a hit. Yes, I enjoyed myself creating that countdown introduction. But not as much as I enjoyed watching this show. Starting off with the Andrews Sisters, (a surprising choice) the show pushes on to the likes of TLC and Little Mix. The concert aims to get the audience dancing along in their living rooms to some female anthems. And it succeeded. Their harmonies are ridiculously good. There’s not one song of...