Monday, December 8

North West

Dreamboats & Petticoats: Bringing On Back The Good Times – Blackpool Grand
3Aug By Rebecca CaseyNo Comments
North West

Dreamboats & Petticoats: Bringing On Back The Good Times – Blackpool Grand

Dreamboats & Petticoats: Bringing On Back The Good Times is a follow on from the original feel good juke box musical. I had no idea what to expect this evening, but I assumed that the production would be very similar to previous DreamBoats & Petticoats productions, it was also a juke box musical and it did feature the same central characters and songs from the golden era of Rock’ n’ Roll, such as ‘To Sir With Love’ ‘Palisades Park’ and ‘Is This The Way To Amarillo’ The story tells of Laura (Elizabeth Carter) a successful singer and her partner on their number one hit record Dreamboats and Petticoats’ Bobby (Jacob Fowler) who has decided to re-join his former group Norman and The Conquests at St Mungo’s Youth Club. This is where the majority of the production is set, the other ha...
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Little Women – Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre
3Aug By Carole GordonNo Comments
North West

Little Women – Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre

Cor Blimey, Guv, bit of a turn up for the book – because this is a long way from the beloved quintessential American novel set in the Civil War, and a different time: Chester (OK, appropriately enough) during the Great War. But girls will be girls, and the story of the four sisters is still recognizable, and they certainly are, as portrayed by such brilliant actresses. And apologies, by the way; Londoners barely get a word in; the predominant accent is Liverpudlian. That said, still perplexed as to why John Brooke (Oliver Nazareth Aston, as extraordinary as his name) was a postman rather than Laurie's tutor, except that letters are more important than ever in times of war. And of course, it is extremely sad in parts, but again, not quite sure about all the comic touches; an annoying bee...
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Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em – St Helens Theatre Royal
3Aug By Luke StephensonNo Comments
North West

Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em – St Helens Theatre Royal

Theatre Royal St Helens welcomed Frank Spencer and his chaos to the town last night in ‘Some Mothers do ‘Ave ‘Em a popular comedy in the 1970s with Michael Crawford. The same Michael Crawford who was phantom. This stage show was written and directed by Guy Unsworth. The leading man playing Frank Spencer was the hugely funny Joe Pasquale who can cause a riot of laughter just by walking on stage. Frank is currently out of work and in between jobs or as he puts it, he’s in between his old one and waiting for a new one. He has just received a letter from the BBC to say he has a audition for a top talent competition and will be over shortly to film his magic act. His wife Betty played by Sarah Earnshaw, has news of her own but is finding it hard to tell Frank. Frank and Betty are having a dinne...
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What He Said – The Casa Theatre
30Jul By Andrew LeeNo Comments
North West

What He Said – The Casa Theatre

‘What he said’ is an assortment of short plays written by a range of writers and performed by a small group of actors produced by Pique Niche Productions. The common theme was varying social logics of why men feel discouraged to talk about emotional issues. As a man I was encouraged by the theme and the intention, especially given the strong link to and support of Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), a charity united against suicide (visit thecalmzone.net for more information). It was fantastic to see that part of the drive of the production was to raise money for CALM. Both Parents Matter ‘Both Parents Matter’ is a short play written by Mark Davoren which explores the perspectives and experiences of four different fathers who meet in a dads support group. Each characterises ...
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Julie: The Musical – 53two
29Jul By Scot CunninghamNo Comments
North West

Julie: The Musical – 53two

No one is more deserving of a jaunty, high-octane musical than Mademoiselle Maupin, and so this one-acter celebrates the sword-fighting, opera-singing, understated queer icon that she was. The life of Maupin, also known as Julie d’Aubigny, (Abey Bradbury) and her escapades are retold through comical, lyrical accounts. This tell-all biography-style piece may not be entirely historically accurate, but the events seen on stage are mostly all true. There is a lot to appreciate in Bradbury’s production, starting with representation in the form of an incredibly likeable bisexual heroine. Her script is witty and well-paced, with catchy songs and rib-tickling choreography making the ninety-minute run-time fly by. A slightly clumsy start gives way to a tight, tenacious performance from the...
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No Place Like Home – Unity Theatre
29Jul By Kiefer WilliamsNo Comments
North West

No Place Like Home – Unity Theatre

This energetic solo performance from Alex Roberts & Co. explores issues surrounding violence and hate crimes within the LGBTQ+ particularly referencing the nightlife culture. The question is whether there are any safe places to be queer in our towns and cities, especially at night-time. With the increase of violence within our community, I found this a timely and pertinent piece of work. It would be so easy to stand up and rant on about the many ways that society fails to acknowledge violence and hate crimes towards the LGBTQ+ community but Alex Roberts & Co. have produced a meaningful and honest show that is far more subtle and thoughtful in its approach and appeal than most others of a similar theme. Cleverly fusing both spoken word, video art, dance, and music we are...
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Not Drunk But Disorderly – The Empty Space
29Jul By Louise KershawNo Comments
North West

Not Drunk But Disorderly – The Empty Space

As part of the Greater Manchester Fringe Festival, Liverpool based Hindley and Amos presented their comic murder mystery to a supportive audience at The Empty Space in Salford. Brimming with energy, this fast paced, devised piece of theatre entertained us as we were introduced to Howard and Geoffrey, two local police officers, and the various residents of the fictional Newpool as they investigate a sudden murder on their patch. Hindley and Amos took on all the roles with skill, imagination and great comic timing. Strong physical theatre skills combined with a video backdrop helped set the scenes and present their many characters and situations with much humour and an excellent rapport between the two performers. At 45 minutes long, this is a short piece of well-crafted slapstick ...
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<strong>Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat – Winter Gardens, Blackpool</strong>
27Jul By Rebecca CaseyNo Comments
North West

Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat – Winter Gardens, Blackpool

A magical evening at The Winter Gardens Blackpool. Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is in town this week. I have seen the show previously but even if this is the case for you, this performance was a whole new experience. This is the perfect show to bring the children to, it’s short energetic, engaging and full of fun. The performance started at 7.30pm and was over by 9.30pm with a short interval. With a mesmerising score form Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice this musical never fails to fill the theatre. It was so nice to see The Winter Gardens so busy. The cast and creatives have done a superb job putting this tour together and keeping the piece fresh. Choreography by Joann M Hunter, Direction from Laurence Connor and Musical Director John Rigby, a winning team. ...
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Mother There Art Thou – King’s Arms, Salford
27Jul By Adam WilliamsNo Comments
North West

Mother There Art Thou – King’s Arms, Salford

Most plays, essentially, are about families and that age-old conflict between kids and their parents. If you go back to ancient Greek drama and myth Oedipus and Electra have complexes named after them. A child’s view of the world is created by their parents. They can, if they want, make it seem to be a scary place their kids should hide from, or they can say it is wonderful and should be embraced and enjoyed. The set-up for this darkly comic play is that a domineering rule-setting, brutal, mother has died, and her son and daughter are left to ponder how they want to live their lives. There is no mention of a father in the piece, so it is assumed the mother brought up the children on her own. Within the family dynamic son Charlie is clearly willing to follow the rules and is extrem...
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Taking Up Space – Twenty Twenty Two
25Jul By Scot CunninghamNo Comments
North West

Taking Up Space – Twenty Twenty Two

New queer writing has the potential to be pioneering, invigorating: something that challenges conventions and introduces an attention-grabbing LGBT+ narrative to a wider audience. This wearisome offering from The Empathy Club instead decides to go down the well-trodden path of perpetually unhappy gays. ‘Taking Up Space’ follows university students Jasreena (India Erlam), Saffy (Megan Webber) and Gia (Sarah Hutchinson) as they navigate the varying relationships between each other. A dry script littered with all the tropes and cliches queer storytelling has been plagued by for decades attempts to tackle far too many issues at once, resulting in a surface-level toe-dipping into the story’s deep themes from sexuality to depression to marriages of convenience. Dialogue is clunky- all c...
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