North West Archives - North West End UK

2Jul

By Kevin EcclestonNo Comments

North West

Strawberry Jack – Floral Pavilion

As a part of the Paradise Heights series Strawberry Jack comes to the Floral Pavilion, New Brighton 28th June. Written and directed by Joe O’Byrne, Strawberry Jack is one of those shows that grabs you by the collar from the first moment and refuses to let go. Joe O’Byrne’s Paradise Heights universe has always thrived on grit, heart, and a touch of the supernatural, but this one digs even deeper. It’s a bruised, beautifully bleak character study that feels as raw as a scraped knuckle and as tender as the moment after the fight, when the adrenaline fades and the truth starts to sting. At the centre is Jack Grundy — “Strawberry Jack” to the locals who once whispered his name with a mix of fear and admiration. Once the War Horse of Paradise Heights, Jack was a wild child who grew int...

2Jul

By Coral MourantNo Comments

North West

Miss Saigon – Blackpool Opera House

A musical masterpiece that has garnered loyal fans, Miss Saigon will always bring in an audience to be entertained and devastated in equal measure. This new touring production has been reinterpreted “for a new generation”, but with a track record of box office success, does it really need to be changed? I wouldn’t consider myself a theatre purist, I believe shows should have the opportunity to be re-imagined and reworked. However, this particular adaptation left me nostalgic for its predecessor. Perhaps I am remembering the London revival as perfection, but in comparison, I found myself not fully immersed in this one. Although the technological advancements have served the plot well, I fear the overall impact of the piece has been watered down. Loosely based on Puccini’s opera Madama...

2Jul

By Damian RiverolNo Comments

North West

Rocky Horror Show – Storyhouse

Rocky Horror Show stops off at Storyhouse this week as part of its UK tour, and it opened with a bang. If it’s a party evening you’re after, this is the show for you. With brilliant music, fantastic costumes (not just on the stage), great lighting and a cast that gives you everything and more, Rocky Horror Show ticks all the right boxes. With songs such as Sweet Transvestite and The Time Warp. Brad and Janet are on their way home from a wedding when their car blows a tyre so they go to the nearest castle to ask if they have a telephone they can use and come across a ‘different’ group of people where they find themselves dragged into a series of interesting events as the real identity of those living here become apparent. The set designed by Hugh Durrant is very creative, all wi...

25Jun

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

North West

Something Rotten – Opera House

Manchester does it again! A city that gives birth to so many musicals that go on to conquer the world, Something Rotten is the latest UK premiere to grace the Opera House stage and this one is something special! Something Rotten! is a high-energy comedy set in 1595, where struggling brothers Nick Bottom and Nigel Bottom compete with rock-star playwright William Shakespeare. Desperate for success, Nick consults a soothsayer who predicts the future of theatre—and invents the musical, complete with singing, dancing, and jazz hands. What follows is a rapid-fire blend of wordplay, tap numbers, and affectionate parody of Shakespeare, musical theatre clichés, and creative jealousy. With show-stopping ensemble pieces, heartfelt sibling rivalry, and relentlessly silly humour, the show celebrates...

Matthew Bourne’s The Car Man – The Lowry

24Jun

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Matthew Bourne’s The Car Man – The Lowry

On the hottest day of the year in the UK, the return of The Car Man to The Lowry feels almost too perfectly timed. As the temperature in Manchester soars, the heat radiating from the stage proves every bit as intense, transporting us to the sultry, sweat-soaked corner of small-town America where passions burn dangerously out of control. Inspired by Bizet’s Carmen, with an extended version of Rodin Shchedrin’s orchestration, The Car Man remains one of Bourne’s most intoxicating creations. Moving the action to a 1960s Midwestern diner and garage in the fictional town of Harmony, the production pulses with desire, jealousy and betrayal, all underscored by Terry Davies’ thrilling arrangement of the famous music. At the centre of the drama, the chemistry between the lead performers ...

My Fair Lady – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

23Jun

By Dan GrimesNo Comments

North West

My Fair Lady – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

Surprisingly, the story of My Fair Lady, that most quintessentially British of musicals, has its origins in ancient Greece. The character of Henry Higgins is a reinterpretation of Pygmalion, the gifted sculptor from the myth recorded in Ovid’s Metamorphoses. In that story, Pygmalion is disillusioned by what he sees as the flaws of women and decides to remain unmarried, choosing instead to carve an ivory statue of a woman so exquisitely beautiful that he falls in love with his own creation. George Bernard Shaw’s 1913 revision of the myth is a sharply satirical retelling in an updated social context. His Pygmalion is transplanted from the island of Cyprus to Edwardian London, and he reframes the story to explore class structures, gender roles, and questions of social mobility within a rig...

16Jun

By Brian MaddenNo Comments

North West

The Bodyguard – Liverpool Empire

The UK tour of The Bodyguard brings the high-stakes, romantic thriller to life on stage, expertly balancing the glitz of a pop concert with the tension of a dark TV drama. Telling the story of superstar Rachel Marron and Frank Farmer - the former Secret Service agent hired to protect her from an obsessive stalker - the show manages to be both a spectacular showcase of Whitney Houston’s greatest hits and a genuinely gripping theatrical experience. The show doesn't gently ease you into your seat; it commands your attention from the absolute second the house lights fade. Opening with an explosive rendition of "Queen of the Night," the production immediately immerses the audience into the high-octane world of a global mega-celebrity. What follows is a clever juxtaposition of high-energy...

Desperate Scousewives: Lily’s Story — St Helens Theatre Royal

13Jun

By Kevin EcclestonNo Comments

North West

Desperate Scousewives: Lily’s Story — St Helens Theatre Royal

Some productions arrive with a clear sense of identity, and Desperate Scousewives: Lily’s Story wastes no time establishing exactly what kind of night audiences are in for. From the moment the opening music fills the auditorium, the show embraces its Merseyside roots with confidence and affection. Loud, proud and packed with personality, it delivers an evening of laughter, warmth and recognisable Scouse spirit that immediately wins over its audience. At the centre of it all is Lily, played by the ever-charismatic Crissy Rock. A born performer with impeccable comic timing, Rock commands the stage from her first entrance. Lily is brash, outspoken and fiercely funny, but Rock ensures there is genuine heart beneath the sharp one-liners. Against a background of coercive behavior and physical...

11Jun

By Stewart Who?No Comments

North West

We Had a World – Hampstead Theatre

Joshua Harmon’s We Had a World arrives Downstairs at Hampstead Theatre following a critically acclaimed debut in New York last year. The young playwright is a Juilliard graduate who scandalised Manhattan with his first play Bad Jews. He also co-wrote a musical with Sarah Silverman and his last play, Prayer for the French Republic was nominated for Tony. While Harmon is the award-winning toast of New York, he’s less familiar to London crowds. It’s a minor coup for Hampstead Theatre to present this show in a studio space normally reserved for emerging new writers. It’s a small space for a playwright who’s a big deal. We had a World is a semi-autobiographical analysis of family conflict and how it filters through different generations. The play opens with Joshua (Ryan Copel) addressi...

The Ballad of Johnny and June – The Lowry

10Jun

By Helen JonesNo Comments

North West

The Ballad of Johnny and June – The Lowry

Johnny Cash and June Carter were independently successful within the country music scene in the fifties and sixties. Having met in the fifties when both were married to other people, the connection was forged and they toured together before their affair started and they eventually married each other at the end of the sixties. Their son John Carter Cash was born in 1970. The Ballad of Johnny and June takes a mostly biographical look back at the early years of their relationship from the perspective of their son. From their first meeting backstage at a concert they were both performing at, through Johnny becoming sucessful to them getting together and then marriage and the birth of John. From that point onwards the show then jumps years at a time to strategic event...