Tracey Bell, Author at North West End UK

An Officer and a Gentleman – Sheffield Lyceum

20Jun

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

An Officer and a Gentleman – Sheffield Lyceum

In the same genre as recent musical adaptations such as 'Dirty Dancing' and 'The Bodyguard', using an extensive and repurposed catalogue of music from the period, this jukebox of the beloved 80's film classic - 'An Officer and a Gentleman' is touring the UK in 2024. Fifteen years in the original making, written by Douglas Day Stewart and later adapted for stage alongside Sharleen Cooper Cohen, this new interpretation follows the 2018 version and is again directed by Nikolai Foster. The raw and raunchy story is set in Florida 1982. It tells the story of both autobiographical naval officer recruits and a group of female factory workers at a time when Ronald Reagan sowed the seeds of a new America. These characters collectively, regardless of class and gender, all have their demons and bindin...

12Jun

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

The Syndicate – Sheffield Lyceum

We all dream of the big lottery win but The Syndicate at the Sheffield Lyceum just falls short of hitting the theatre jackpot. Written by the supremo of creating relatable characters Kay Mellor completed the writing of this just before her death in May 2022. The Syndicate is directed by her well known daughter, Gaynor Faye, who also plays Kay, the Lottery representative. One winner from this production is the set and costume designer Bretta Gerecke. The first Act set is the shop building the characters are employed at and has multiple playing areas that allow for mood and tone. It is full and detailed and effortlessly transforms into the more clinical house interior of Stuart’s swanky new home in Act Two. A definite nod to the loss of comfortable familiarity to a harder less embracing new ...

5Jun

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

The Kite Runner – Sheffield Lyceum

Based on the bestselling novel by Khaled Hosseini and adapted for the stage by Matthew Spangler, The Kite Runner is an epic tale of childhood friends Amir and Hassan, set in the backdrop of Afghanistan in the 1970’s. Their tumultuous story is seemingly mirrored by the horrific realities of a country on the cusp of war. The Kite Runner does not shy away from mature themes of the atrocities of brutality, rape, war and political upheaval and handles them with an exemplary display of compassionate sensitivity. Directed by Giles Croft with Design by Barney George and Composition and Musical Direction by Jonathon Girling this production is all encompassing and draws the audience into a time of affronting through Amir’s own story. If you have read the 2003 book, then I would say this production; ...

Agnes of God – Cortonwood Comeback Centre Theatre

26Apr

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Agnes of God – Cortonwood Comeback Centre Theatre

Agnes of God is a 1979 play by American Playwright John Pielmeier which he later penned as a film script in 1985. With runs in both the West End and Broadway this play is believed to be Pielmeier’s finest. Inspired by the true story of American Maureen Murphy, a 37-year-old Nun who was found in a pool of blood after giving birth to a baby in the Our Lady of Lourdes convent in New York. Murphy, a resident of 19 years at the convent before the conception, the baby boy was originally reported missing but was later found in a garbage can. The baby’s death was logged as Asphyxiation and Murphy was later evaluated and cleared by the court as to her emotional and mental stability, to stand trial. Her criminal defence argued she was unable to comprehend her actions, due to the excessive loss of bl...

Made In Dagenham – University of Sheffield Performing Arts Society

25Apr

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Made In Dagenham – University of Sheffield Performing Arts Society

Based on the 2010 film and centring around the Ford factory strike of 1968, 'Made in Dagenham' is the story based on the real life events that led up to the Equality Pay Act of 1970. As the female machinists in the factory were downgraded to 'unskilled' workers, the fight escalated into a full on war against the government and Trade Unions to secure equal pay for all workers regardless of gender. 'It's not about money it's about equality!' This small group of women, like all ground breakers, found that the battle had to be won in their home lives as well as the factory floor. As the principal character encapsulates with her poignant line in response to her young daughter's career choice, 'I laughed at her when she wanted to be a doctor and bought her a nurse’s outfit instead', but this was...

The First Chapter – The Wesley Centre, Maltby

14Apr

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

The First Chapter – The Wesley Centre, Maltby

Firstly, may I thank you for your invite to join you on this evening of; what can truly be called; an evening of celebration. Celebration of all things musical, celebration of diversity, celebration of community and celebration of the power of the Arts to entertain and enlighten. Sherlock Productions was originally founded by the late Paddy Sherlock as Humdrum Amdram, but after his tragic passing the company was renamed Sherlock Productions in his honour. The now co-founders Shelley Edwards and Jade Wilkinson state ‘the company aims to be a safe space for all people, irrespective of their needs, abilities, age and gender. The company has become a place for people who want to perform but for whatever reason don’t feel they fit in with other companies’. The First Chapter was an e...

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie – Sheffield Lyceum

11Apr

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie – Sheffield Lyceum

Seven years after its Premiere at the Crucible Theatre in February 2017, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie returns to its hometown of Sheffield this week. With endless Sheffield references the story can’t fail to be a hit here… and it hits the bullseye! Based on the 2011 Firecracker documentary Jamie: Drag Queen at 16, the true story of Jamie Campbell follows the struggles of his teen years in light of societal bigotry, as he becomes who he was born to be. A boy in a dress and more shockingly at his Prom! Jamie’s journey to acceptance through his tumultuous school years is heightened by the knowledge he is different and doesn’t fit the social norms of the day. His birth father sees him as ‘disgusting’ but amongst all this, Jamie has his supporters none more so than his single Mother, Maur...

20Mar

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Sunset Boulevard – Sheffield Lyceum

‘I am big. It’s the pictures that got small’. Norma Desmond’s famous line encapsulates all that is Sunset Boulevard, pure opulence from the scrumptious score to the dramatic and flamboyant performance. Based on the 1950’s film by Bill Wilder starring silent movie queen Gloria Swanson, the stage version; after many attempted and aborted musical adaptations; finally had its debut in 1992 with the book and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton and the music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Sunset Boulevard powerfully charts the decline of the silent movies and instead of celebrating the rise of the talkies such as the musical Singing in the Rain, it hovers moodily over the demise of the stars who were cast aside and ‘dethroned’. Told through the eyes of the struggling writer Joe Gillis as he ...

The Boy at the Back of the Class – Sheffield Lyceum

6Mar

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

The Boy at the Back of the Class – Sheffield Lyceum

Sheffield Lyceum opened its doors and its generational spanning heart to the adaptation of Onjali Q. Rauf’s well known and much loved book A Boy at the Back of the Class. Adapter Nick Ahad’s does not disappoint in his stage version, retaining all the wit, the power of a collective sense of humanity and the eternal hope we all deserve to experience. Monique Touko as Director strives to paint a desired world stating, ‘May this play push for further actions of kindness, promote equality and depict a world where people are seen as people’. Aimed at children, teachers and parents alike this production is a full, dynamic and impactful theatrical experience bringing the characters and their story to life. The set and costume design by Lily Arnold creates the backdrop of a school setting with P...

17Jan

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

I Should Be So Lucky – Sheffield Lyceum

The Hit Factory of the 1980/1990’s punches into the Sheffield Lyceum this week with Stock, Aitken & Waterman’s - I Should Be So Lucky. With over 25 of their top 40 hits packed into this farcical frolic of romance and crazy characters, I was left in a confused state - torn between irresistibility and irritation. The music has the potential to be a great addition to the tradition of jukebox musicals but unfortunately the storyline is just too manic to invest in its characters. With flashes of brilliance and moments that overstep the camp cheesiness into complete cringe – this show is definitely the marmite of musical theatre but just maybe it is meant to be so? With an audience demographic donned with rose coloured spectacles of a bygone era of dancing in their bedrooms to Rick Astle...