Paul Wilcox, Author at North West End UK

27Nov

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

The Jungle Book – Octagon Theatre

When Walt Disney was contemplating adapting Rudyard Kipling’s ‘Jungle Book’ stories, he gave his writing staff a copy with the instruction ‘The first thing to do is NOT to read it’. The resultant movie, released in 1968, bore only a passing resemblance to the source material, but still became one of the best love films in the Disney canon. For this adaptation, writer Andrew Pollard has stuck closer to the source material and whilst the result is an engaging retelling of the tale with some excellent, original songs, it still sits in the shadow of its more famous celluloid cousin. Mowgli (Kiara Nicole Piliai) and his adventures as an abandoned baby growing up in the Indian jungle in the company of wolves, bears and panthers, pursued by the menacing Shere Khan (Rachel Marwood), is a fantas...

Stones In His Pockets – Octagon Theatre, Bolton

24Oct

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

Stones In His Pockets – Octagon Theatre, Bolton

When a Hollywood studio arrives in the quiet, rural backwater of County Kerry in the west of Ireland to film their latest big budget drama ‘The Quiet Valley’, there is much excitement in the local community. Told through the eyes of Charlie (Gerard McCabe) and Jake (Shaun Blaney), this tale of thwarted ambition and lost opportunity veers starkly between farcical comedy and dark pathos without really convincing in either genre, despite the extremely strong performances from the gifted cast of two. Written by Marie Jones in 1996, ‘Stones’ has come to be regarded as an iconic show in its native Ireland, winning acclaim for its tragicomic depiction of the differences between the cruel reality of Irish rural life and its idealisation in film and television. Charlie and Jake are initially bot...

11Oct

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

JB Shorts 25 – 53two, Manchester

Under the arches at 53two’s Watson Street headquarters, JB Shorts is now firmly established on the Manchester theatre scene as the place to experience sharp new writing and watch both emerging and established actors hone their craft. Now in its 25th iteration, tonight’s offerings were as eclectic as ever, managing to mix the farcical and surreal with more thoughtful offerings to delight the packed midweek audience. Railway Sleepers Kicking off the evening with a familiar train journey from Piccadilly to Euston, we meet Frank (Will Travis) and Sue (Sue McCardle) ostensibly travelling south for a conference and striking up a conversation with fellow passenger Cheryl (Rosa Brooks) around how best to reply to a text message received from Frank’s mysterious boss. The piece worked quite we...

23Sep

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

War Horse – The Lowry

Since its stunning debut on the Olivier stage at the National Theatre in 2007, War Horse has been performed worldwide to over 8 million people at 7,500 plus performances; it is comfortably the most successful show that the NT has ever produced. Now in 2024, new audiences have the opportunity to follow the adventures of Joey, the eponymous War Horse, in a new production that will tour the UK for the next year, and once again, wherever they get to see it, adults and children alike will gaze in wonder at this startling theatrical achievement. Based on the 1982 novel by Michael Morpurgo - a man who disproves the adage you should never meet your heroes - we follow Joey from a Devonshire farmyard foal, through the nightmare of the Somme in 1917 to his eventual bittersweet reunion with Albert ...

8Sep

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

Brassed Off – Octagon Theatre, Bolton

The Octagon Theatre in Bolton resounds to the sound of beautiful Brass this Autumn as we open their new season with an adaptation by Paul Allen of the iconic 90’s film of the same name, exploring the effect of the Miners’ strike through the prism of the Colliery band. Set a decade after the seminal events of 1984, Director Liz Stevenson has successfully transferred some of the grit of the original to the stage and added wistful musicality to the mix, but the authenticity of working-class culture is missing, sacrificed on the altar of whimsical nostalgia and an inappropriate feel good ending. The set design (Simon Kenny) evokes the disused grandeur of a closed coal mine, the broken Colliery wheel is suspended above a black circular stage, a conveyor littered with coal and acting as a ram...

23Aug

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

Scotland

Pippin – Paradise in Augustines

A fantastic trip to the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe Festival concluded for me with the Edinburgh University Footlights production of ‘Pippin’, Stephen Schwartz and Bob Fosse’s groundbreaking 1972 fantasy musical. Unfortunately, this production had none of the soul, wit and energy required to carry the audience, and with a couple of notable exceptions, the performance lacked magic. Pippin’s odyssey of self discovery takes him from naivety to self awareness, watched by the mysterious Leading Player (Gemma Iseka Bekano), controlling the narrative and his development, Bekano gives good value with a strong vocal which is dominant when onstage. Dan Bryant as Pippin looks the part and acted well but is limited vocally and struggles to fully realise the beauty of the score, especially during ‘...

Shakespeare: But Just The Deaths – Shakespeare North Playhouse

29Jul

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

Shakespeare: But Just The Deaths – Shakespeare North Playhouse

The last time I saw Shakespeare performed by Cream Faced Loons, the company formed by Abey Bradbury in 2016, we sat wearing plastic ponchos as gallons of fake blood was thrown around during ‘Titus Andronicus’; the time before, the audience donned paper crowns and fought with wooden swords for ‘King John’. Now Bradbury brings her one woman show to Shakespeare North Playhouse with the intent of describing all the deaths (and gory bits) throughout the Bard’s canon in just under an hour. Spoiler alert - she succeeds - and does so in an accessible and humorous style that makes this show perfect family entertainment for a Saturday evening spent outdoors in the July sunshine. The Edinburgh Fringe roots of this fast paced production are clearly visible as we are taken on a whirlwind tour throug...

Lonesome Tonight – Workshop Theatre, Leeds

27Jul

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Lonesome Tonight – Workshop Theatre, Leeds

When Len (Josh Phillips) turns up at the door of his mate Chris (Barnaby St. Giles) dressed in full ‘Elvis in Las Vegas circa 1974’ mode and demanding £35 (£40 if you want the voice), we know this isn’t going to be a quiet night in. Chris is in the throes of a split from his girlfriend Anya (Edith Gray) and doesn’t really need Len’s brand of hearty, macho ‘told you so’ friendship, preferring to wallow in a fantasy world justifying the reasons why he and Anya split to himself in increasingly lurid fashion. Writer and Director Dillon Dawson has devised a three handler that seeks to explore the culture of both male friendship and answer the perennial question ‘What is a Real Man?’ Ostensibly Len is a boorish lout, forcing Chris to drink whisky and play daft drinking games, only as t...

Fringe: The Musical – Workshop Theatre, Leeds

27Jul

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Fringe: The Musical – Workshop Theatre, Leeds

When I was offered the opportunity to preview the ‘Fringe: The Musical’, the latest offering from Chevron Theatre, prior to its forthcoming run at Edinburgh Festival Fringe next month, I jumped at the chance. This Leeds based theatre company have produced some funny and thought provoking new musical theatre for the Fringe over the last few years and I’m pleased to say that ‘Fringe: The Musical’ carries on this excellent tradition. ‘Fringe’ is set in an Essex hairdressing salon, Darren (Zak Muggleton) is struggling to make the business survive, whilst simultaneously bringing up his young daughter Sam (Izzy Peter), following the recent death of his wife. The staff are all supportive of Darren; gossipy Claire and Emma (Alice Gedye & Erin Foster), introverted Gemma (Ava King) and frustr...

The Audience – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

21May

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

The Audience – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

Back in 2013, well before ‘The Crown’ became a Netflix sensation, Peter Morgan wrote ‘The Audience’. This reimagining of the weekly meetings that take place between the monarch and her first twelve Prime ministers was a smash hit in both the West End and on Broadway, garnering Olivier and Tony awards for Helen Mirren in her role as Elizabeth II. Altrincham Garrick Playhouse has now taken up the challenge of producing this deep dive into post war British history, resulting in a sumptuous and informative production sprinkled with excellent performances. The set (Barry Purves) could not be simpler; two chairs on a bare stage - which Equerry (Howard Yaffe) informs us may or may not be Hepplewhite - allow Queen Elizabeth (Ros Greenwood) and her various Prime Ministers to illustrate political...