North West Archives - Page 108 of 113

25Jun

By Rebecca CaseyNo Comments

North West

Bow & Arrow: The Outlaws of Sherwood – The Black-E

I spent this evening in Sherwood Forest or in reality The Black E venue in central Liverpool. It was my first time at the venue and seeing this particular group, City Theatre, Rep Theatre Group. The promo promises a night of ‘adult comedy that will shock and make you laugh in equal measure’ and that is exactly what we got. Although there is area for improvement where the vocals and dancing are concerned the thing that would have me returning was certainly the comedy element! This was the groups rescheduled first show since covid, and I must say it was nice to see some live theatre, finally. They provided text to Seat bar service, it was a shame the audience had to be so spaced out and not many allowed in, but all the seats that had been laid out, were full. The show r...

The Complete works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

22Jun

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

The Complete works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

A fifteen month hiatus from live theatre has left everyone in the industry both grateful to be back and trepidatious in equal measure. Therefore, when my editor suggested that my first review in nine months should be 'The Complete Works of William Shakespeare', I checked the calendar to see if it wasn't April 1st. Thankfully, rather than the entire canon of 37 plays, we were presented with an 80 minutes gallop through the collected works of 'The Bard', laced with humour, improvisation and slapstick which made for a highly entertaining Monday evening at the warm and welcoming Garrick Playhouse in Altrincham. Written by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Whitfield, this show was originally performed at the Edinburgh Festival in 1987, before transferring to London where it ran successfully...

18Jun

By Luke StephensonNo Comments

North West

Electric Dreams – Norton Priory Museum

Imagine this setting, your sat on a garden chair eating a picnic and you pop open the champagne. As you relax the sun sets in front of you and the odd plane flies past above your head. You can’t help but fall in love with the relaxing setting. It was a perfect evening to watch the opening night of Electric Dreams a musical adaption of Midsummer Nights Dream (by William Shakespeare) at Norton Priory Museum and Gardens. In a creative partnership with A Place for us. A short synopsis in case you don’t know, Its Midsummer Night in 1980s Athens, four young lovers and a group of workmen 'wannabe' actors find themselves entranced and entrapped in an enchanted forest where Rock Diva Fairies rule and a mischievous sprite is hell bent on causing havoc…what could possibly go wrong? The sho...

18Jun

By Johanna RobertsNo Comments

North West

Y’MAM – Everyman Theatre

Different languages express it in different ways – the straw that breaks the camel’s back, the final drop that makes the glass overflow - but all refer to the same moment of when the ‘red mist descends’ and anger takes over. We’ve all seen it – either in real life or on the screen, when ‘it all kicks off’ and a fight breaks out over nothing. Or over what seems like nothing, but as Y’MAM so eloquently explains, for the problem to exist, there must have been ‘an intro to the problem’. Y’MAM – written by and performed by Majid Mehdizadeh (aka Luke Jerdy) – is based on Majid’s own life. Both the writing and the performance are stunning, though there were some moments when the need to convey the energy means individual words were lost, which is a shame, as the use of language is remarkable....

Opera North: A Night at the Opera – The Lowry

17Jun

By Adam WilliamsNo Comments

North West

Opera North: A Night at the Opera – The Lowry

The last performance Opera North gave before lockdown in March 2020 was at The Lowry so it seems somehow appropriate that they should come out of their enforced hibernation to perform an evening of popular opera classics at the same venue. Also, this was the first time I have seen anything live since then and I have to say it was absolutely wonderful to see performers in the flesh, to feel their emotions and admire their talent. Online performances have got us through this terrible time but there is nothing like the real thing. The cavernous auditorium of the Lyric theatre was, because of Covid restrictions, mostly empty. Even though the audience was small it was extremely appreciative of a wonderful night’s entertainment. Paul Daniel, the conductor, was a charming and witty tour...

16Jun

By Harriet AndrewsNo Comments

North West

Opera North: Fidelio – The Lowry

The story of Fidelio is a simple one. Leonore (Rachel Nicholls) under the guise of a man (Fidelio) infiltrates a Spanish prison in order to free her husband Florestan (Toby Spence), who is a political prisoner. Meanwhile Don Pizarro (Robert Hayward), the governor of the prison and very man responsible for the wrongful imprisonment of Florestan intends to kill him before Don Fernando (Matthew Stiff) can arrive and uncover the cruelty taking place within the prison walls. The orchestra, conducted by Paul Daniel, was magnificent. Being socially distanced and taking up most of the stage, it was a different setup, and one which the musicians will have grown accustomed too, but the sound was rich, textured and balanced, and I would have been quite content to listen to it all night. ...

14Jun

By Blathine MaguireNo Comments

North West

The Play Scratch Night – Online

I think it is fair to say the arts have been hit hard during the COVID19 pandemic with the closure of theatres, music venues and everything in between but what is quite beautiful, is that the amazingly passionate people of the art world have not stopped writing or creating new drama for the world to see. Liverpool has been lucky enough to still have its own arts festival running at this time. The LightNight festival has given hope to the people of Liverpool over the last while by showcasing everything from large-scale light projections and live music to workshops on spoken word, art, crafts and theatre. LightNight has also seen a string of events such as street performance, walking tours, dancing and late-opening exhibitions taking place right across the city centre. LightNight is p...

12Jun

By Hazel BumbyNo Comments

North West

Hushabye Mountain – Hope Mill Theatre

This was a theatre trip of many firsts for me, not only had I never heard of Hushabye Mountain (except from watching Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and singing it myself); this was my first Hope Mill performance. And all I can say is ‘wow’. I won’t lie, I had read the synopsis and thought that the subject matter might be a little depressing but what these six amazing artists achieve, is something wonderful. Yes, you read that right – just a cast of 6 people who not only acted but seamlessly changed ‘scenery’ whilst already into the next scene and working in costume changes into that scene. I put scenery into inverted commas as there wasn’t any to speak of really, no elaborate drops (except for the Church and the star cloth – and who doesn’t love a star cloth) no big flats to move, ju...

The Last Five Years – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

8Jun

By Alison BainesNo Comments

North West

The Last Five Years – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

The award winning The Last Five Years has got to be one of my favourite musicals. With a stunning musical score by Jason Robert Brown, the one act musical requires actors with a broad range both vocally and emotionally to portray the joy, hardship and heartbreak Cathy and Jamie endure throughout. With a tiny cast of just two actors, and directed by new Garrick Artistic Director Joseph Meighan, The Last Five Years is an intimate look at the relationship between two New Yorkers: a writer and an actress The musical follows their love story in a fresh, modern way, as its unconventional structure tells Cathy’s story in reverse and Jamie’s chronologically. You may have seen Hollywood star Anna Kendrick and Broadway sensation Jeremy Jordan in the film adaptation released in 2014, so Ella- ...

5Jun

By Jenn McKeanNo Comments

North West

Judy & Liza – Floral Pavillion

What an absolute joy and honour it was to be able to be at the first show at the Floral Pavilion, whose auditorium has been closed to patrons since March last year. The staff and regulations that have been put in place to allow people to feel safe, have definitely done just that. And what a show to reopen the theatre with! Judy & Liza is a bit like the concert a lot of people would have wanted to see, but never got the chance to. 45 years after they performed together at the London Palladium, this vaudeville-style concert of a show tells us a brief history of Frances ‘Baby’ Gumm and her daughter Liza May Minnelli. It’s been well thought out and put together so well, that at times you forgot you were watching actors playing the roles and not the legends themselves. Helen Sheals as J...