North West

Stone on Stone, written by Frank Kenny and directed by Mikyla Jane Durkan, is a drama inspired by Charlie Chaplin’s infamous visit to John Larkin in Sing Sing Prison, New York in the early 1920s. An exploration of the political views of Larkin, the political education of Chaplin, and the constant peril Chaplin’s position as an internationally famous film star with far-left leanings, the exact definition of which he would constantly be deliberately vague in confirming, this play is an interesting look at what might have happened behind closed doors, when Larkin met Chaplin. The play opens with James Larkin (John O’Gorman) discussing Chaplin’s forthcoming visit with the Warden (Franklyn Jacks). Unfortunately, a lot of the impact of this scene is lost due to some apparent confusion in the ...

Explorations is an evening of music to transport you, from the bustling streets of Paris, to the dark and ominous world that can be created with baroque style harpsichord, and finally to the enchanting scenes of Finland’s view of the aurora borealis. Performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Andrew Manze, this was a collection of music which swept you along an epic journey and held a poignancy as the musicians played a memorial tribute to friend of the orchestra, Maurice Henry George. The dramatic powerful opening of Mozart’s Symphony No 31, ‘Paris’ was paired beautifully with the gentle dreamlike woodwind and intricately layered strings. The fantastical elements are heightened in the second movement, with gentle and nostalgic melodies nodding to echoes of th...

Bartlett Sher’s revival of ‘My Fair Lady’ has arrived at the Palace Theatre in Manchester until April, being a huge fan of the original 1964 film with Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison I had high hopes and an inner excitement to watch this newly revived production. I was also intrigued to see how my 15-year-old daughter would interpret the musical as a representative of our modern-day youth. Director Bartlett Sher has mostly stayed true to the original Lerner and Loewe book, itself based on George Bernard Shaw’s 1913 play Pygmalion, the story of ‘My Fair Lady’ is that of Eliza Doolittle (Charlotte Kennedy), a young Cockney flower seller, and Henry Higgins (Michael D. Xavier), a linguistics professor who after a chance meeting with Eliza makes a bet with his associate Colonel Pickering (Jo...