Paul Wilcox, Author at North West End UK

The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists – Shakespeare North Playhouse

15Sep

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists – Shakespeare North Playhouse

Nearly 40 years ago, a skinny and slightly geeky young lad nervously walked into a college classroom to begin his studies for an A level in Politics, noticing that the student was sporting a Billy Bragg T-shirt, the lecturer picked a dog-eared copy of 'The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists' by Robert Tressell from the bookshelf and handed it over, urging him to read it. As I write this review, I still have that copy next to me (sorry Mr Beech!), that single act of kindness sparked a lifetime of love for this wonderful novel. In 2011 Actor/Writer/Musician Neil Gore celebrated the centenary of its writing (although it wasn't actually published fully until as late as 1956), by turning the novel into a two-handed show. This gradually morphed it into a one-man version which he has subsequently p...

Great Expectations – Royal Exchange Theatre

14Sep

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

Great Expectations – Royal Exchange Theatre

With three competing press nights in Manchester theatreland this evening, I chose the opportunity to visit the venerable old Royal Exchange building in St Anne's Square to review their opening offering for the Autumn/Winter season, an adaptation of Charles Dickens 'Great Expectations' which like the character of Estella had great beauty but lacks a little heart. This is one of Dickens most oft adapted novels, only 'A Christmas Carol' and 'Oliver Twist' beat it for popularity and already in 2023 we have had two versions of Dickens tale of class mobility and class intransigence served up, Steven Knight gave us his spiky television adaptation earlier this year and Eddie Izzard's extraordinary one woman show was a huge success in London over the Spring, This ubiquity means that writers are ...

4Sep

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

LIZZIE The Musical – Hope Mill Theatre

On a late Summer Sunday afternoon when the sun had finally decided to grace Manchester with its presence, I forfeit the chance of barbeques with friends (or beers in the pub garden) to attend the UK rebirth of 'Lizzie', billed as 'A True Crime Rock Musical'. Some two hours later, I emerged blinking into the light having witnessed a 'tour de force' of musical theatre with powerhouse performances and cracking choreography. A production which will stay with me for a very long time, I definitely made the right decision. 'Lizzie Borden took an axe, And gave her mother forty whacks. When she saw what she had done, She gave her father forty-one.' This nursery rhyme is as well known to American children as 'Ring a Roses' or 'Three Blind Mice' is to their British counterparts, and it...

22Jul

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

Maybe Dick – The Squad House, Stockport

As the pun in the title implies, this is a comedic interpretation of ‘Moby Dick’, the 1851 novel by Herman Melville depicting the obsessional pursuit of ‘the great white whale’ by Captain Ahab. In the hands of Hambledon Productions this great work of Victorian literature becomes a jumping off point for puppetry, puns and silly slapstick which purposefully elicits as many groans as it does belly laughs. Writer and Performer John Hewer plays every character throughout the hour long show (with an unnecessary interval), and clearly has a deep knowledge and love of post war British comedy. Paying homage to his heroes by heavily drawing on Ronnie Corbett and Tommy Cooper in the delivery style, he concocts a ‘Carry On Moby Dick’ structure which allows a constant stream of wordplay and double e...

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory The Musical – Palace Theatre, Manchester

13Jul

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory The Musical – Palace Theatre, Manchester

For the next three weeks, the venerable old Palace Theatre will play host to the UK tour of 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory The Musical'. Whilst it will undoubtedly prove a box office success with families seeking distraction at the beginning of the long summer holidays, unfortunately its saccharine sweetness without any of the counteracting sourness left me feeling slightly queasy by the conclusion. I am not alone in adoring the work of Roald Dahl; his books have sold over 300 million copies worldwide and his work is widely accepted to be amongst the canon of children's literature, everything from 'James and the Giant Peach' to 'The BFG’ has been voraciously read by succeeding generations of schoolchildren over the last six decades. Part of his appeal is that he is deliciously dark;...

Untitled F*ck M*ss S**gon Play – Royal Exchange Theatre

1Jul

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

Untitled Fck Mss S**gon Play – Royal Exchange Theatre

The biennial Manchester International Festival (MIF) opens across our wonderful city this weekend and under its umbrella purports to 'cut across disciplines and blur the boundaries between art and popular culture'. As their offering, in conjunction with the Young Vic and Headlong productions, the Royal Exchange have chosen to give the world premier to Kimber Lee's 'Untitled F*ck M*ss S**gon Play', a coruscating satirical drama about racial stereotyping and casual prejudice towards people from the Asian diaspora. It manages to find both sharp humour and pathos in such a serious subject but may struggle to engage with an audience beyond the esoteric confines of the MIF devotees. Lee takes 1906 as her jumping off point, the year that 'Madama Butterfly’ by Puccini received its US premiere, ...

30Jun

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

Twelfth Night – Walkden Gardens, Sale

Despite the title signalling the traditional end of the festive season, this Shakespearean romantic comedy is perfect fayre for a high summer evening spent in an outdoor setting. Tonight, the gem that is Walkden Gardens, hidden away in suburban Sale, provides the verdant backdrop to Shakespeare's tale of cross dressing and mistaken identity, the Duke's Theatre Company delighting the audience with a funny and farcical production but missing the opportunity to be truly interesting in exploring underlying themes. The Duke's Theatre Company is the grand title for the small company of six actors and crew currently playing a fifty date tour of England and Wales, covering everywhere from the Lake District to Land's End throughout the Summer. There has been a proliferation of such companies ove...

Into The Woods – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

20Jun

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

Into The Woods – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

Ever since the death of Stephen Sondheim in November 2021 there has been a rush on both the professional and amateur stage to produce his works, with every performer and creative wishing to pay posthumous tribute to the most influential voice in musical theatre during the latter half of the last century. As a fully paid up 'Sondaphile', I've therefore been delighted to witness this outpouring of love for the great man with productions of Company and Sweeney Todd and 'A Little Night Music' standing next to his lesser known works (Passion, Assassins and the forthcoming Pacific Overtures) in showcasing his lyrical genius. Tonight we are firmly at the popular end of the spectrum with a production of 'Into The Woods' the 1987 collaboration with James Lapine, as Altrincham Garrick finish their s...

Blonde Bombshells of 1943 – Octagon Theatre, Bolton

14Jun

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

Blonde Bombshells of 1943 – Octagon Theatre, Bolton

On an evening where the mercury on the temperature gauge almost touched thirty degrees, the Octagon Theatre's air conditioning system was a blessed relief to the packed press night audience. They were rewarded for their dedication to the theatrical cause with a nostalgic and tender memory play that simultaneously pulled at the heartstrings and got the toes tapping. The eponymous 'Blonde Bombshells' are an all-girl swing band touring wartime Britain entertaining the troops. Due to their membership being unexpectedly depleted by three of the members running off with American GI's after a recent concert, they are forced to hastily audition for replacements ahead of their big break on BBC radio later that evening. The eclectic new recruits include naive sixth former Elizabeth (Lauren Chinne...

9Jun

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

Lear – Hope Mill Theatre

The opportunity to see any new interpretation of one of Shakespeare's 'biggies' is never one that this reviewer will pass up, so when my June list included HER Productions' all female twist on ‘King Lear', I was excited to see what fresh perspective they could offer. Unfortunately, what we witnessed was uneven performances, poor delivery and confused themes, only partially redeemed by a couple of strong performances. We open with a sparse set and red curtain backdrop with the small brick lined theatre at Hope Mill harshly lit by overhead fluorescent strips. Lear (Christine Mackie) is relinquishing her power and dividing the realm between her three daughters according to the love they demonstrate, the resulting decisions leading to civil war and the fall from grace of this all powerful m...