North West Archives - Page 10 of 173

The Story of Jessie Gavin – Callister Gardens, Oxton, Birkenhead

15Sep

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

The Story of Jessie Gavin – Callister Gardens, Oxton, Birkenhead

Writer and director Pauline Fleming’s tale of Oxton’s very own Gentleman Jack in this original production from Depth Training CIC hints at the intrigue and suspense behind an array of secret relationships during the restrictive Victorian era but doesn’t really get beneath the surface of its two primary characters enough for my liking and their passionate, rule-defying romance. Jessie Gavin (Gabriella Tavini), an artist from the Wirral, escapes the expectations of her upbringing to pursue the freedom of artistic circles in London and Paris. When she falls in love with pioneering architect Eileen Gray (Alicia Brockenbrow), they create a life filled with creativity, defiance, and desire. But with the world at war, can their relationship survive societal conflicts and pressures. Comi...

11Sep

By Damian RiverolNo Comments

North West

The Spongebob Musical – The Brindley

This evening, I find myself visiting the underwater town of Bikini bottom and joining Spongebob and friends on a quest to save the town from a volcano that is threatening to wipe it and them all out. CODYS productions ‘Stars of the future!’ brings the musical that is based on the Nickelodeon series to the Brindley theatre, and we had a great time being transported to another world for a few hours. Directed by Dan Grimes, with musical direction from Emily Woodward and Choreography by Laura Cupit, we are treated to some fabulous songs delivered to a high standard by a super talented cast of young performers, with fun, inventive dance routines and a great storyline that is well directed, full of fun while keeping the suspense running throughout. Spongebob is double cast with Team Kru...

Ideal 20th Anniversary Live Show – The Lowry

10Sep

By Adam WilliamsNo Comments

North West

Ideal 20th Anniversary Live Show – The Lowry

Back in 2005, Tony Blair was the Prime Minister, Doctor Who returned to our screens, and another show, with a budget not quite as large, started on BBC Three called Ideal. Set in Salford, it revolved around Moz (Johnny Vegas), a small-time drug dealer, and the weird and wonderful characters who came to see him to buy cannabis. It was lo-fi, a bit of a sleeper hit, and a cult classic beloved by its fans. Twenty years later, it has been resurrected for the stage, and it is silly, surreal and just fun. You know everyone is up for having a good time when the actors are applauded when they come on stage. It had a pantomime feel, not least in those moments when things went wrong. Audiences always love it when this happens, and it was very entertaining watching the actors try to improvise them...

A Chorus Line – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

8Sep

By Katie LeicesterNo Comments

North West

A Chorus Line – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

There are certain shows that feel timeless in their simplicity and power, and A Chorus Line is one of them. The Altrincham Garrick Playhouse’s current production, directed by Joseph Meighan, captures that magic beautifully, offering a night of theatre that is both dazzling and deeply human. The story, set in the world of Broadway auditions, follows director Zach Wilson (played here with presence and precision by Joseph Meighan himself) as he whittles down a group of hopeful dancers competing for a coveted spot in his new chorus line. The show strips back theatrical spectacle to its essence, focusing instead on raw storytelling with its mirrored backdrops and nothing else allowing the cast’s talent and truth to shine. What sets this production apart is the electric chemistry between M...

8Sep

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Don Giovanni – Lowther Pavilion Theatre

Whilst it’s not customary to review the same production, a couple of key cast changes, a new venue, and the omission of the supporting orchestra meant that director Sarah Helsby-Hughes would have to overcome some challenges with Flat Pack Music’s ingenious re-setting of one of Mozart’s most complete operas to La Dolce Vita of 1960’s Italy: she was not to disappoint. Don Giovanni (Richard Walshe) has seduced over two thousand women, all catalogued by servant Leporello (David Bicarregui), and he is looking to add another name with his attempted rape of Donna Anna (Carrie-Ann Williams) that results in him killing her father, the Commendatore (George Elson), and which her fiancé Don Ottavio (Joseph Buckmaster) swears to revenge. Donna Elvira (Helsby-Hughes), an earlier conquest, has come...

8Sep

By Peter RuddickNo Comments

North West

Can’t Complain – 53two

Described as “a new electropop audiodrama”, Can’t Complain is the brainchild of musician Sam Easton. The genesis of this show is not necessarily standard for new musicals. An original cast recording has been made and will be released this week. Two listening events of the album have now been held, in London and Manchester. An excerpt has been performed live. However, there have been no full live productions, as yet. Despite essentially being a playback session of a pre-recorded concept album, the Manchester premiere was still slightly theatrical. A dinner table set for four is centre of the 53Two stage. Three plates lie empty. One spaghetti bolognaise lies ominously untouched on the fourth plate. Behind the table, a large screen displays the visuals to accompany each track....

6Sep

By Anna Ní DhúillNo Comments

North West

Mona and Mimi – Unity Theatre

Mona and Mimi by Catherine Leen, premiering at the Unity Theatre on the 3rd and 4th of September, played deservedly to a sold-out audience. Telling the story of the guardians of Pete Best, original drummer of the Beatles, and John Lennon (you’ve probably heard of him) as they but heads over the future of the Beatles, we get a wonderful tale of two strong women debating what they believe to be the best course of action in protecting, and encouraging, their boys. The staging is simple, with a few chairs and a backdrop to signify a seamless set change. The simplicity adds to the DIY feel of the play, which I personally love, and allows the dialogue and story flow naturally between the two actors, Meriel Scholfield, playing the cogent Mimi (that is, Mrs. Smith, Lennon’s aunt), and Fiona...

6Sep

By Brian MaddenNo Comments

North West

Yen – Octagon Theatre

Connor Goodwin’s production of Anna Jordan’s Yen at the Octagon Theatre is raw, tense, and painfully intimate. The play follows brothers Hench (Adam Owers) and Bobbie (Jonny Grogan), left to fend for themselves in a flat in Feltham while their mother drifts in and out of their lives. Their fragile existence is punctuated by pornography, video games, and a caged dog — numbing routines that barely cover their hunger for love and stability. The arrival of their neighbour Jennifer (Lucy Eve Mann) disrupts their chaotic balance. Her presence awakens a tenderness in Hench and a defiance in Bobbie but also exposes just how unprepared the boys are for connection. Vicky Binns, as their mother Maggie, delivers a performance that is both heartbreaking and infuriating — her fleeting warmth undermin...

Canal Street Lonely Hearts Club – Hope Mill Theatre

6Sep

By Scot CunninghamNo Comments

North West

Canal Street Lonely Hearts Club – Hope Mill Theatre

With an inspired creative vision, the updating of a theatre piece can breathe new life into it, bringing entirely new meanings to the story and characters. The gender-swapped Company revival provided a female-centric look at the thirty-five-and-still-single life, questioning societal expectations, while &Juliet allows the queerness of Shakespeare to be a lot more overt. But when Rupert Street Lonely Hearts Club writer Jonathan Harvey‘s motivation for a modern, Northern version of his 90s London-based play doesn’t go beyond ‘f*** it, why not?’, its purpose is thrown into question before the curtain has even lifted. In a Canal Street flat, two brothers (Shaun, straight and Marti, gay) contemplate their love lives as the former’s girlfriend is being unresponsive while on holiday in...

Here & Now The Steps Musical – Opera House

6Sep

By Philip EdwardsNo Comments

North West

Here & Now The Steps Musical – Opera House

Here’s the thing, some people like Marmite, and some don’t. I always add it to my gravy and most people don’t mind. The music of Steps can be equally divisive some people like it, some don’t, but when you add it to a piece of musical theatre, well most people, on the evidence of the Opera House audience love it! But let’s dig a little deeper than the whooping, cheering and joining in that I witnessed on press night. First of all, you hire a critically acclaimed writer such as Shaun Kitchener to pen a story into which you can fit the songs of a 1990’s pop group. That’s not so easy. Many “catalogue” musicals fit the story round the songs. On the evidence of “Here and Now – the Steps musical”, the songs fit around the story and that is one of the strengths of this show. The songs adv...