North West Archives - North West End UK

Calendar Girls the Musical – Theatre by the Lake

12Aug

By Karen Morley-ChesworthNo Comments

North West

Calendar Girls the Musical – Theatre by the Lake

Theatre by the Lake has brought the best feel-good production to the heart of the Lake District. Written by Take That’s Gary Barlow and Tim Firth, Calendar Girls the Musical tells the well-known, true story of a Women’s Institute in Yorkshire that produced a saucy nude calendar to raise money for a local hospital – and in doing so created a story that went around the world. This cast of 15 excellent singers, musicians and actors is so strong that when the young actor Sol Taibi, who plays Tommo, son of one of the WI members, was injured, the show went on with gusto, with 14 members of the cast, and the Musical Director, Alex Weatherhill, reading the part, as well as being on stage bringing together the actors as they created the soundtrack. Sarah Groarke, the Chairwoman of ...

I F*cked You In My Spaceship – King’s Arms

11Aug

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

I F*cked You In My Spaceship – King’s Arms

There may be barely a spaceship in sight in Louis Emmitt-Stern’s sharply witty Queer comedy-drama, but there’s certainly plenty of sex, relationships and increasingly blurred boundaries. Played in the round with no conventional set or props, the Kings Arms’ studio is transformed with a simple overhead rig of paper-lantern ‘planets’, star garlands and one solitary paper rocket. Bathed in pink and purple light as the strains of 2001: A Space Odyssey’s opening theme echoes around the room; we first eavesdrop on the romantic machinations of couple Leo (Ciarán Lockwood) and Dan (Ben Bradfield). As an attempt at alien role-play is hilariously undermined by asthma, we have our tone set for a play that places awkward, authentic conversations inside decidedly offbeat scenarios. In parallel, w...

Take Me Home County Road – Liverpool’s Royal Court

6Aug

By Daniel CoxNo Comments

North West

Take Me Home County Road – Liverpool’s Royal Court

Galloping into Liverpool's Royal Court throughout August is Take Me Home County Road, the story of Shelly, a County Road local with a remarkable singing talent. Once performing on cruise ships Shelly's world now looks very different. Having swapped the spotlight for a role as a classroom teaching assistant, she still dreams of singing success. When the opportunity arises to enter The Next Big Thing, she embarks on a journey fuelled by friendship, determination and community spirit. What happens next? You'll have to grab a ticket (and perhaps a pair of cowboy boots) to find out. Adam McCoy showcases his talents both on and off the stage, appearing as neighbour Anthony while also making his playwriting debut with this production. The fact that this is McCoy's first play demonstrates an im...

1Aug

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Bad Habits – The King’s Arms

Imagine Sister Act crashing headlong into St Trinian’s and you’ve got the gloriously chaotic energy of Bad Habits. Stu Meevens’ irreverent comedy throws a convent into crisis as an eccentric order of nuns hatch an increasingly ridiculous plan to save their home from becoming a supermarket, by stealing a collection of holy relics, resulting in two hours of organised theatrical mayhem. Meevens’ script is packed with one-liners, running gags and knowingly daft wordplay. The sisters’ names alone range from gloriously cheesy to outrageously NSFW that would make the Pope blush. Not every joke is original, but even the more telegraphed punchlines land thanks to the confidence and commitment of an experienced cast who know exactly how to sell them. Leading the convent is Dale Vicker’s wo...

Aarian Mehrabani: How’s your Head? – The Lowry

1Aug

By Angela KellyNo Comments

North West

Aarian Mehrabani: How’s your Head? – The Lowry

The comedian Aarian Mehrabani premieres ‘How’s Your Head?’ at the Lowry Theatre this week. Directed by Dec Munro and commissioned by The Lowry, with support from the Arts Council England, this performance was the perfect preparation for Mehrabani’s upcoming Edinburgh Fringe Performance later this year. Having had previous success with his company ‘FlawBored’, he won awards for his debut show, ‘It’s a motherf***ing pleasure’ that completed with a three week run on Broadway. Describing himself as a ‘triple threat’: Brown, Bisexual and Blind, Mehrabani is certainly one interesting guy. He relays funny tales including his experiences of having an STI, his thoughts on the children’s story ‘Elemer the Elephant’ and in dramatic contrast to much of his tales, he bravely discusses having sur...

Wilder! – The International Anthony Burgess Foundation

30Jul

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Wilder! – The International Anthony Burgess Foundation

In ‘Wilder!’ writers Thomas Billiouw and Dany Van Brabant have cultivated an entertainingly twisted world, where manicured lawns conceal murderous intent and the local gardening club is the beating heart of suburban paranoia and gossip. Imagine Hot Fuzz’sNeighbourhood Watch transplanted into the pristine neighbourhoods of a British Desperate Housewives and you’re somewhere close to the show’s gleefully madcap and macabre tone. At the centre is Gloria, played with wonderful commitment by Dany Van Brabant, who channels the clipped elegance and commanding poise of a homicidal Katharine Hepburn. Every smile feels calculated, every perfectly delivered line hints at barely contained violence, making Gloria both magnetic and deeply unsettling. Opposite her, Thomas Billiouw provides a...

Stevie Parker: Big Bloke with Big Jokes – The Eagle Inn

28Jul

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Stevie Parker: Big Bloke with Big Jokes – The Eagle Inn

You’ve always got to admire someone willing to stand alone on stage for 90 minutes armed with nothing but a microphone and the hope that strangers will laugh. Stevie Parker is undeniably likeable company, and his enthusiasm for comedy never wavers, but unfortunately, he struggles to deliver. Built around the conceit that Parker will attempt to tell 1,001 jokes in a single show – a “non-contractually binding” world record attempt – the set rattles along at a reasonable pace. Yet quantity rarely translates into quality. Many of the jokes are groan-inducing dad jokes and puns, sometimes feeling a bit archaic in their occasional crudeness, while observational routines often wander off into tangents that are never quite brought back together. There are flashes of promise, but the deli...

28Jul

By Max EdenNo Comments

North West

The Rocky Horror Show – Palace Theatre

The Rocky Horror Show has arrived at Manchester Palace Theatre with all the sass, sparkle, and outrageous fun that audiences could possibly wish for. Richard O’Brien’s iconic cult musical continues to delight generations of theatre-goers, and this latest tour proves exactly why it remains one of the most beloved musicals of all time! From the moment the curtain rises, the production immediately feels energetic, complete with humour, and an infectious sense of mischief. The simplistic set design perfectly captures the eccentric world of Frank’n’Furter, while the lighting and slick direction create a thrilling experience that keeps the audience engaged from beginning to end. Every technical element works seamlessly together, transporting the audience into the wonderfully bizarre universe ...

The Spy Who Came In From The Cold – The Lowry

24Jul

By Helen JonesNo Comments

North West

The Spy Who Came In From The Cold – The Lowry

John Le Carre’s original novel The Spy Who Came In From The Cold was first published in 1963 and was his third novel, the plot very much triggered by the building of the Berlin Wall in 1961. Alec Leamas works for The Circus, a British intelligence organisation who are running spies between the West and the communist East. The Cold War issues are very dominant in the story. Leamas is trying to get his last agent out of East Berlin but as he makes his escape across No Man’s Land he is shot by the German counterintelligence officer Mundt. Back in the UK Leamas is keen to retire from service but the head of The Circus, a man known merely as Control has one last job for him which will silence Mundt forever. In order to do so, Leamus must appear to be out of The Circus...

23Jul

By Gill LewisNo Comments

North West

Pub? – Salford Arts Theatre

A laugh-out-loud insight into how notto run a pub, serving up outrageous characters, brilliantly observed humour and plenty of workplace chaos. The Great Bear Productions create an entertaining night on shift at The Legless Lamb pub, where the frazzled staff are recalling the night’s events under the threat of another HR seminar! And for good reason! We’re treated to the kind of banter you'd expect in a local boozer; politically incorrect jokes, ridiculous "would you rather?" conversations, and the kind of nonsense that helps bored staff survive a long shift. The dynamics between the staff brings plenty of laughs, with a strong cast of recent University of Salford acting graduates who all possess natural funny bones. If Jason from HR ever set foot in the Legless Lamb, he'd h...