North West Archives - North West End UK

11Dec

By Rebecca CaseyNo Comments

North West

Cinderella – Blackpool Grand

I spent my afternoon at The Grand theatre Blackpool, at the matinee of this year’s Christmas Pantomime Cinderella. As usual, a star studded lineup including Hayley Tamaddon as the fairy godmother. Britain’s Got Talent’s local Steve Royle as a lovable Buttons who certainly earned his money, in my opinion the funniest part of the show. It had all of the traditional pantomime aspects that one would expect, the audience participation, the good vs evil, the happy ending, even the song sheet at the end. Local talent, a very pretty Kitty Harris in the title role, direct from her recent stint as standby for the leading role in Burlesque the Musical UK Tour. A genuinely funny script, very well put together, colourful creative scenery, and a strong team. Direction by Kylie Bu...

11Dec

By Damian RiverolNo Comments

North West

Sleeping Beauty – Storyhouse Chester

Back for their 8th Christmas Season, we have another Storyhouse original production, this time the classic Sleeping Beauty, but as usual, done in their own way. This year, Storyhouse have tried something different and produced their show on the proscenium stage rather than the thrust stage. This gives them more scope to include a bigger set and more stage magic including flying and pyrotechnics. It does feel like it loses a little bit of magic not having the cast as close as usual as in the past, with the audience surrounding the stage and the cast entering through the audience at times but what they have done with this year’s set and storytelling makes up for that. Written by Samantha O’Rourke who also wrote last year Cinderella, we are taken on a journey of love, self-discovery and be...

9Dec

By Bev ClarkNo Comments

North West

Cinderella – Gladstone Theatre

It’s that time of year again… oh yes, it is! And Dreamworld Entertainment returned for the nineth year with a fabulous Cinderella, to a full house of laughter and appreciation. Everyone loves a panto with its upbeat songs, glittery costumes, corny jokes and audience participation and this has it all in abundance. Director Laura Newnes and Choreographer Jamie-Leigh Christian, also producers, have assembled a tight professional cast and slick technical team to give us the wow factor and a jolly good entertainment. We all know the story, but writer Fortina Stone gives us a little bit extra with an amusing dynamic between the Prince and Dandini (who frankly are usually a bit wet) as well as all the usual slapstick and “it’s behind you” we come to expect. Some excellent si...

Jack and the Beanstalk – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

7Dec

By Peter RuddickNo Comments

North West

Jack and the Beanstalk – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

Panto is about tradition. Where the big producing houses, and their star-led shows, can never succeed is in developing a joyful familiarity that is nurtured and continued from year to year. That is the superpower of smaller venues, like the Altrincham Garrick Playhouse. But not all theatres are aware of that. Some stray from the path of success. It is a pleasure to report that, yet again, the Garrick gets it and has delivered. There was a slight first night hitch, however. Cast illness meant there was a panto dame-shaped hole to fill. Step up show director, and artistic director, Joseph Meighan. After a long rehearsal process, it is the kind of problem that must feel insurmountable backstage. On stage, however, the audience experience was no less at all. In fact, theatregoers ...

An Evening of Talking Heads – Hope Street Theatre

7Dec

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

An Evening of Talking Heads – Hope Street Theatre

When Alan Bennett wrote the play Enjoy, in which an elderly couple find themselves being packed up to become a living museum exhibit, there’s a chance he might have been seeing the future for many of his other characters. Tonight, we have three monologues from Bennett’s first series of Talking Heads, first broadcast in 1988. The series, which has become a staple of English literature syllabus’, provides a variety of perspectives on themes such as isolation, guilt, and loneliness. Pieces like these will always present a bit of a challenge to some audiences – those who remember the time-period will find warmth in evocative references to times gone by, but younger audience members may find the idea of regularly writing letters, waiting for a call on a landline, or the 1980s buying power...

The Rocky Horror Show – Liverpool Playhouse

6Dec

By Jenn McKeanNo Comments

North West

The Rocky Horror Show – Liverpool Playhouse

The Cult classic is back in Liverpool this Christmas! Having previously filled the Liverpool Empire on multiple occasions, it was strange to head into a smaller venue to see this production. However, it made the evening and the atmosphere a lot more intimate and not as many people joined in with the shout-outs, but they could mostly still be heard around the theatre. The Rocky Horror Show, which was later turned into a film (The Rocky Horror Picture Show) tells the story of a young couple – Brad and Janet, who’s car breaks down on their way home from a friends’ wedding, shortly after getting engaged themselves. Helped sometimes by the audience, Brad remembers that they passed a castle a couple of miles down the road and head off towards it, as a storm starts. From there the night takes ...

5Dec

By Hannah WildeNo Comments

North West

Wicked – Palace Theatre

Wicked is - and for the last 20+ years has been - a musical theatre smash hit, with indefinite residencies on Broadway and the West End, plus touring productions in more than 130 cities worldwide. And now, with the Universal Pictures motion picture just hitting cinemas, it seems that Wicked-mania has hit fever pitch. So as Wicked is taking the world by storm once more, I willingly took a seat to watch the magic happen in the place where it began… the theatre. This particular touring production - led by Production Manager Matt Towell - has all the hallmarks of a show flown straight from the West End: sublime staging, iridescent costumes, and scintillating set design. This production is a testament to the beauty and brilliance of musical theatre, with seamless musical and visual transi...

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs – St Helens Theatre Royal

5Dec

By Luke StephensonNo Comments

North West

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs – St Helens Theatre Royal

Panto season has landed upon us in the North West. Last night’s offering was Snow White and the seven dwarfs. Held at the Theatre Royal St Helens. A production produced by Regal Entertainments. This was a star studded cast bringing Christmas festivities this season. The show opened with the Wicked Queen (Maureen Nolan), wondering who the fairest of the land is. The Queen then summons ‘The Mirror’ (Leanne Campbell). The Queen (at least for now) was the fairest of the land. But only until Snow White (Chantelle Morgan) turns 18. This would lead to an evil plan to make sure The Queen remained the fairest of the land. Meanwhile, The Prince (Emrhys Cooper) of Coronationville, has been set out to find his new Princess and his first love has led him to Snow White. To keep the audience entertain...

4Dec

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

North West

Come From Away – The Lowry

Come From Away, is uplifting and heartwarming and now playing at The Lowry in Salford, the show takes audiences on a remarkable journey through the emotional and transformative events surrounding 9/11. Set in the small Canadian town of Gander, Newfoundland, the show tells the true story of how the residents opened their hearts and homes to 7,000 stranded airline passengers and crew after their flights were grounded due to the terrorist attacks. From the moment the show begins, the energy is infectious. The ensemble cast, which is central to the musical’s success, effortlessly shifts between multiple characters, portraying both the bewildered passengers and the compassionate townspeople. The seamless transitions highlight the remarkable storytelling of Come From Away, where each cast mem...

4Dec

By Manda ElizabethNo Comments

North West

Here You Come Again – Liverpool Empire

Dolly Parton’s hits such as “9-5" and “Islands in the stream” grace the stage of Liverpool’s Empire Theatre this week for a wacky and wonderful comedy take on a diehard fan's troublesome times, and the dreams that see him through “when reality and fantasy intertwine” - as Paul Wills (set & costume designer) says. This is “Here you come again”. Immediately the story begins and we meet Kevin Rutter played by Steven Webb, in his attic kitted out in shrine for Dolly. He takes us back to Covid-19 pandemic times… very controversial I thought given the elapsed time and a somewhat dare we say distant memory, but the political humour as the story went on was a real trust the process and something that I felt worked to a high degree. Kevin is a struggling comic awaiting his break, and albeit ...