North West Archives - Page 126 of 173

Truus’ Children – Manchester Jewish Museum

13Sep

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Truus’ Children – Manchester Jewish Museum

Special Eyes Productions documentary tells the extraordinary story of the largely unknown Dutch resistance heroine Truus Wijsmuller (1896-1978), who managed to rescue more than 10.000 people from the hands of the Nazis in the years immediately before and during the Second World War thanks to her unprecedented perseverance, tact, and courage. Most of them were between 2 and 18 years old. This September, as part of European Days of Jewish Culture and Heritage 2022, in cooperation with Margaret and Richard Jacobi, and with the support of the Dutch Embassy in the United Kingdom, the story of a remarkable lady who did what everybody could have done, but nobody did, is being shown. This improbable story, hidden for almost 80 years, comes to life in great detail in ‘Truus’ Children’. When f...

Twopence To Cross The Mersey – Floral Pavilion

13Sep

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Twopence To Cross The Mersey – Floral Pavilion

Adapted by Rob Fennah from Helen Forrester’s million-selling book and directed by Gareth Tudor Price, Twopence To Cross The Mersey is a period drama set in the early 1930’s during the Great Depression. Helen’s (Jenny Murphy) spendthrift father (Mark Moraghan) has been declared bankrupt forcing the family to leave behind the nannies, servants, and beautiful middle-class home in the south of England. With little more than the clothes they stand up in, the family take the train to Liverpool where they hope to rebuild their shattered lives, although mother (Lynn Francis) is plagued by other doubts, but it is not the wealthy port that used to exist as the city too has changed and fallen on harder times. With the parents looking for work, Helen is taken out of school to look after her sibl...

Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula The Sea Witch – The Lowry, Salford

13Sep

By Brian MaddenNo Comments

North West

Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula The Sea Witch – The Lowry, Salford

Many musicals have now been inspired by Wicked - creating a spin-off of a well-known tale and flipping it on its head. Unfortunate is similar, where it takes the story of The Little Mermaid and makes Ursula (the villain) the protagonist. She is now a feminist and self-confessed ‘tough bitch’ to give the character a backstory. The musical was first performed at the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and has now been revamped into a full-length production. Before going into the review, I must state on press night the role of Ursula was played by Allie Dart due to cast illness. Dart was absolutely fantastic; you’d never know she was an understudy. She completely embodied Ursula and made her a wickedly likable character. And perhaps she wasn’t evil after all and just misunderstood? Anyon...

The Glass Menagerie – Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester

8Sep

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

The Glass Menagerie – Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester

Thomas 'Tennessee' Williams is widely regarded as one of the great American playwrights, the quality and extent of his output in the middle of the last century ensuring that his work still continues to form a staple diet for professional and amateur theatre all over the world. The Royal Exchange have chosen his first (and most autobiographical) play to kickstart its Autumn/Winter season, and after recent upheavals and some very odd programming decisions by this Mancunian institution, it is a welcome and sparkling return to form. 'The Glass Menagerie' is famously a 'memory play' told from the flawed perspective of the narrator Tom (Joshua James), unpacking his tense relationship with Mother Amanda Wingfield (Geraldine Somerville) and sister Laura (Rhiannon Clements) as they struggle to m...

Tim Peake: My Journey into Space – Liverpool Philharmonic

7Sep

By Jenn McKeanNo Comments

North West

Tim Peake: My Journey into Space – Liverpool Philharmonic

What does a man from West Sussex have in common with Tom Cruise? The fact that his life seemed to be following the films that Cruise was starring in. There are not many people who have no idea who Tim Peake is, in this day and age, but very few probably know his story. That will soon change, as he has just released his autobiography ‘Limitless’. However, reading someone’s story is not the same as hearing them tell it, their excitement about their favourite moments and the genuine fear that they’ve experienced. Peake is no different. It was so fascinating to hear his story, in his words, spoken by him. The evening was split into two halves. The first half was about how Peake made his way to becoming an astronaut, his humble beginnings, his earlier jobs, the astronaut selection process...

The Osmonds: A New Musical – Liverpool Empire

7Sep

By Anne PritchardNo Comments

North West

The Osmonds: A New Musical – Liverpool Empire

Love them or loathe them, The Osmonds were a tour de force in the musical showground in the 1960’s and 1970’s and the brothers attracted massive adulation from female fans, particularly Donny; together the group lived an incredible life producing chart-topping albums, selling out huge arena concerts and creating record-breaking TV shows. This production is based on Jay Osmond’s personal experiences charting the story of an extraordinary family and their rise to superstardom. Alex Lodge as Jay acts as Narrator; he managed a heavy script containing facts and figures about the Osmond family detailing their highs and lows; he did it extremely well with exuberance and panache. The Osmond brothers and sister, Marie were born in Utah, USA to parents George and Olive; brothers Alan, Wayne...

Venus Rising – Liverpool Theatre Festival

6Sep

By Ezzy LaBelleNo Comments

North West

Venus Rising – Liverpool Theatre Festival

Pulsing with energy and sprinkled with laughs, Venus Rising takes you on a trolley ride of emotion through the life of an accidental erotic writer. Performed as a monologue, it has you perched with anticipation. Meet James Wilkinson. All he had ever wanted to do was write, but not like this. Having made a drunken bet with a friend, James finds success carving out his own greasy niche in the market. Life should be brilliant, shouldn't it? It is clear from the staging - a messy room with several wine bottles - that life is perhaps not as brilliant as you'd expect for a writer supposedly living the dream everyone else has. But that's the problem; he's not the one living the dream. He’s the most successful person you’ll ever meet, and you’d never know it. He hates his job, hates his l...

6Sep

By Max EdenNo Comments

North West

We Will Rock You – Palace Theatre

‘We Will Rock You’ is one of those musicals where you know exactly what you’re going to get; a musical with a set list jam-packed with singalong mega hits and bags of energy and fun, it’s a real crowd pleaser! Launched back in 2002; it has become the eleventh longest running musical of the West End and credited as one of the original ‘jukebox’ musicals, it’s popularity and longevity can be acknowledged in part by the back catalogue of Rock Legends; Queen - which make up its score; featuring a whooping 25 songs from Freddie Mercury and the band. The script although quite far-fetched and silly at times is perfectly tailored to our British humour, and writer Ben Elton has revamped and refreshed the script over the years to keep the production relevant, including a rather amusing Covid t...

David Essex ‘I’ll Be Missing You’ Tour – Liverpool Philharmonic

6Sep

By Jenn McKeanNo Comments

North West

David Essex ‘I’ll Be Missing You’ Tour – Liverpool Philharmonic

How do you scare a man in his mid-70s from East London? Lock him in a room with hundreds of scouse women screaming for him. Some people might think that David Essex is well past his prime, still going on tour into his 70s, but being on stage at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, it seemed as though he was still in his prime. Still sounding almost exactly the same as he did on his records and still able to fully captivate an audience. As someone who grew up, only knowing his biggest hits and learnt more of his back catalogue through his musical ‘All the Fun of the Fair’, it was a thoroughly enjoyable evening. We were treated to a fabulous set from Tim Newman, as Essex’s support act and he definitely got the crowd warmed up and ready for the main event. He sang some of his own tracks, in...

Fear and Misery of the Third Reich – Liverpool Theatre Festival

5Sep

By Ezzy LaBelleNo Comments

North West

Fear and Misery of the Third Reich – Liverpool Theatre Festival

With no ticket left unsold, Fear and Misery of The Third Reich transports the audience to a time the history books say will never happen again. Written by Bertolt Brecht in 1938, viewers witness events that took place in ordinary German households through a series of twenty-four interconnected playlets. This version is dedicated in solidarity with the people of Ukraine. Produced by Theatre Right Now and directed by Anthony Proctor, Fear and Misery of The Third Reich, the performance provides an intimate, moving evening. They have made use of the actors’ skillsets and focused on the storytelling of Brecht's work. The script is powerful. With only four people in the cast - Liam Powell-Berry, Reginald Edwards, Megan Thorne, Mary Savage and Samantha Alton - a multitude of characters a...