North West Archives - Page 125 of 178

2Nov

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

Disney’s The Lion King – Palace Theatre

There was a palpable sense of excitement in Manchester last night as the crowds made their way down Oxford Road to watch 'The Lion King' start its mammoth run at the venerable old Palace Theatre. Some in the audience have been waiting over two years, the original booking falling victim to the pandemic back in 2020, indeed such was the demand for tickets (over 200,000 sold for the initial weeks of performance), that the run has been further extended to the middle of March next year. I saw this production on its last visit to Manchester in 2012 and will admit to being slightly underwhelmed on that occasion, so I was interested to see if this time round it would live up to the hype. Should you be spending your hard earned money in the company of Simba and Pumba in the Pride Lands, rather t...

1Nov

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

The Shawshank Redemption – The Lowry

The 1994 screen version of 'The Shawshank Redemption' consistently tops the IMDB rankings as their most popular movie of all time, but this tale of Andy Dufresne, a banker wrongly convicted of killing his wife was a slow burner on its initial release, only achieving the preeminence it now enjoys in cinematic history over the ensuing thirty years. A similar glacial timeframe forms the backdrop to the story, being set over a two decades in the hellish surroundings of Shawshank prison in Maine and following Dufresne through his suffering and eventual vindication; a story of hope and a triumph of positivity under the most trying of circumstances. The film, based on the 1982 novella by Stephen King has become so pervasive in modern culture, that there will have been few attending the caverno...

31Oct

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Doing Whodunnit – Hope Street Theatre

The souvenir programme should have been the first clue of how tonight’s proceedings were going to go. Stretched headshot pictures and typos hint at the lack of finesse that has undone what could have been an excellent concept for a parody of the classic ‘Whodunnit’. Developed from what was a very well-received online piece during lockdown, tonight’s show from the Northern Comedy Theatre is based around the premise of a world-weary acting troupe whose schtick of putting on murder mysteries for corporate teams and parties is starting to test everyone’s patience, especially when 28 of the expected 30 punters from a local conservatory installation firm have failed to show for the latest outing. Soon a genuine murder occurs and anyone and everyone is a suspect. Unfortunately, the transiti...

28Oct

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Friday the 13th – Rainhill Village Hall

Having set up Individuality Youth some eighteen months ago, producer Samantha Moores turns her attention to an older audience with this tragi-comedy from renowned French playwright Jean-Pierre Martinez, translated by Anne-Christine Gasc, and directed by Michèle Martin. John (Phil Halfpenny) and Christine (Moores) have invited two of their friends for dinner in their Liverpool home. Natalie (Lisa Mogan) arrives without her husband, distraught, having just heard that the plane bringing him home crashed at sea. With the potential widow they wait with bated breath for news confirming whether her husband is among the survivors, before discovering that they are the winners of that evening’s super jackpot lottery draw. From then on, the operative words are “controlling emotions”. And that is j...

28Oct

By Alison BainesNo Comments

North West

Let The Right One In – Royal Exchange

Is there anything better than settling in to watch a horror film around Halloween time? Well, how about heading to the theatre to see a spine-tingling horror right in front of your eyes… even better right? The Royal Exchange have done it again, bringing to life a stage adaptation of a novel with great flair, vibrancy and talent. The horror fans out there might recognise the title: Let The Right One In from the Swedish novel and film by John Ajvide Lindqvist, a vampire horror/romantic tale with blood, guts, gore and heart. What more could you want? Oskar is a shy boy, suffering due to the reign of terror from school bully’s Jonny and Micke. He meets Eli, a mysterious girl who just moved in next door. Oskar is taken by her enigmatic presence; they quickly become friends and begin to fa...

28Oct

By Carole BaldockNo Comments

North West

The Addams Family – Gladstone Theatre

Can't say I completely agree with Morticia: absolutely no secrets, but as this is the Addams family, best summed up as skeletons in the closet... And including their Ancestors, a motley crew crowds the stage, all sorts from Caveman and Viking to Flight Attendant, with Glenn Jenkinson-Deakin doubling up as Cowboy and Young Gomez and Mackauley Reece, the Matador, dancing the day away with Morticia, as Death. Talking of shades, there's many a touch here, from 'Thriller' (dance routines) to the 'Rocky Horror Show' (plot). Wednesday has certainly moved on from the little blonde Goody Two Shoes of the TV show to a rebellious, irrational, brother-tormenting Goth: your average teenager, basically. The plot revolves around her plans for a family dinner to which the Beinekes have been invited so ...

The Beauty Queen of Leenane – Theatre by the Lake

27Oct

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

North West

The Beauty Queen of Leenane – Theatre by the Lake

The wind and rain of an autumn evening in Cumbria sets the scene perfectly for Theatre by the Lake's new production of The Beauty Queen of Leenane - a tragedy that unfolds in a small rural community in Ireland, writes Karen Morley-Chesworth. The setting of an isolated cottage overshadowed by the mountain range behind captures the claustrophobic existence of Maureen played by Elizabeth Appleby, a 40-something virgin, reluctantly the 'carer' for her controlling mother, Mag played by Susan Twist. Twist is a brilliant character actor who brings this woman to life. No one in the audience would want to be trapped in that room with Mag - but also no one in the audience could fail to laugh and cry with and for her as the relationship between mother and daughter reaches breaking point. App...

27Oct

By Hannah WildeNo Comments

North West

Dreamgirls – Winter Gardens, Blackpool

Direct from the West End, the latest adaptation of the multi-award-winning Dreamgirls really did transport the audience into a dream-like state – a dream filled with soul, sass, a whole lot of sequins, and some truly spine-tingling singing. The story follows three soulful songstresses, The Dreams, who ride the wave of the turbulent music industry in the 1960s, as they experience the ups and downs of sex, love, fame, and the ruthlessness of the industry they all love. The trio (Effie, Lorrell and Deena) each negotiate through their own trials and tribulations, which makes for interesting parallel storytelling. Many will be familiar with the story from the 2006 film adaptation of the same name, starring Beyonce and Jennifer Hudson. Although strenuously denied by the original creator...

Calendar Girls The Musical – Brindley Theatre

27Oct

By Jan MellorNo Comments

North West

Calendar Girls The Musical – Brindley Theatre

Well, we have all probably seen the film – a bunch of middle – aged, bored housewives from a remote Yorkshire village, who, to raise money, decide to do a saucy calendar of them all naked. The film had such stars as Julie Walters and Helen Mirren and was a phenomenal success with all the cast being remembered for their bravery on the big screen. So, for the award-winning amateur dramatic group - D & S Productions – this was an even more courageous choice of show to attempt, in front of a live local audience. But attempt it they did, led by their chair and director/producer Donna Dale and Charlotte Allmand (choreographer), Craig Price (musical director) and Steve Dale (stage manager). To even dream of doing this was ambitious but to bring this challenging concept alive on stage was ...

26Oct

By Jenn McKeanNo Comments

North West

Blood Brothers – Liverpool Empire

Did you ever the story of the Johnstone twins? And if not, why not? Willy Russell’s Blood Brother’s made a triumphant return to the Liverpool Empire last night and there is nothing better than seeing a musical that ‘belongs’ to a city, in said city. The atmosphere was electric, the cast were excited, and the combination made for a thoroughly enjoyable evening. Blood Brother’s tells the story of Mrs. Johnstone, who has found out she’s pregnant again, with the threat of Social Services taking some of her children, hanging over her head. She has managed to find herself a job, cleaning the Lyons’ house, when she discovers, she is expecting twins. Luckily, Mrs. Lyons, who has had trouble conceiving, comes up with a plan – she’ll take one of the twins, so Social Services doesn’t. Whilst li...