North West Archives - Page 136 of 173

24May

By Carole BaldockNo Comments

North West

Corrina, Corrina – Everyman Theatre

Even allowing for a couple of spiced rum punches in the interval, I have to say, there is nothing better after a play than hearing repeated comments of Brilliant and Amazing. So, you may have wondered about the appeal of this tale, the only woman working as Safety Officer on a container ship heading to Singapore, encountering sexism and racism, for a start – but there are plenty of comical moments, and karaoke. with the music of Muse, Dolly Parton and of course, the eponymous title, sound overall is most effective, predominately building up the tension as well as helping convey the sense of being aboard ship and highlighting emotions and actions. That said, it is sometimes perhaps too haunting, implying the supernatural. And when sinister, with the frequent references to pirates, you ar...

House of Ghosts – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

24May

By Brian MaddenNo Comments

North West

House of Ghosts – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

Murder mysteries are one of my favourite genres of fiction. So, I was extremely intrigued to see Alma Cullen transporting the iconic Inspector Morse from television to stage. Cullen has written some of the episodes for the TV series, so she should be able to bring some of that magic to the stage production. From the beginning this has the busy going ons of a play within a play. It was rather amusing to start with, but then got far too complicated. A lot of the actors looked and sounded very similar, so it was difficult to distinguish who’s who - which is vital in a murder mystery! The play is set in Oxford in the 1980s where a production of Hamlet is taking place. However, the young actor playing Ophelia (in this case Ciara Booker) collapses and dies on stage during the performance. ...

Though This Be Madness – The Studio, Edinburgh

23May

By Louise BalaguerNo Comments

North West

Though This Be Madness – The Studio, Edinburgh

Have you ever been welcomed into and auditorium with cushions and soft toys tucked here and there into the seats, bean bags in the front row, and actively encouraged by the ushers to grab hold of any you may like and hold it throughout (or discreetly displace it to a nearby seat if that’s not for you)? No? Well, this was definitely a first for me too – and a welcome one. There I sat, ready to enjoy the show, a small koala bear on my lap, and a lion peering over the seat in front of me. Quite the cosy setting I must say. This is exactly the sort of atmosphere that the stage set reflects: baby toys, blankets, Pilates balls and a range of other items strewn across the stage (maybe messy is a more accurate term than cosy at this point), Skye Loneragan, playing a heavily sleep-deprived mum, ...

22May

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Lucia Di Lammermoor – Met Opera

Producer Simon Stone provides a modern take on Donizetti’s classic opera and, putting the occasional embellishment aside, delivers one of the most complete operatic productions of the season. Fallen on hard times, Enrico (Artur Ruciński) has arranged an advantageous marriage for his sister, Lucia (Nadine Sierra), but Normanno (Alok Kumar) reveals that she is in love with Enrico’s enemy, Edgardo (Javier Camarena). As Lucia and Alisa (Deborah Nansteel) wait for Edgardo, Lucia reveals a recent dream which Alisa interprets as a portent of doom. When Edgardo arrives, he explains that he has to leave on a mission and he and Lucia exchange vows. Normanno obtains forged evidence to suggest that Edgardo is involved with another woman and when Enrico shows it to Lucia, she is heartbroken and a...

Red Hot Chilli Pipers – Floral Pavilion Theatre

22May

By Ezzy LaBelleNo Comments

North West

Red Hot Chilli Pipers – Floral Pavilion Theatre

Bagpipes with attitude, drums with a Scottish accent and a show so hot it carries its own health warning – that’s what the Red Hot Chilli Pipers sell themselves as and they do not disappoint! I went in cold but came out hot. Currently performing their 20th anniversary tour, the Red Hot Chilli Pipers are a Celtic rock band who bring the house down with their own unique blend of bagpipes, rock music and a relentless command of the stage that screams ‘we’re here to have fun and so are you!’ A combination of guitars, keyboards, drums and bagpipes create their unique, self-proclaimed 'bagrock' sound. This is not a sit down recital of several set pieces. Picture the energy of Queen, the stage presence of Elvis and the tradition of a marching band and you have something that resembles this ...

20May

By Brian MaddenNo Comments

North West

Werq the World – AO Arena, Manchester

AO Arena in Manchester played host to some of the most fabulous drag queens from RuPaul’s Drag Race last night. Featuring probably the world’s most malfunctioning time machine, Werq the World was full of laughs, fantastic costumes, bad lip syncing and amazing hairography. If you’re looking for a slice of diva, then you’re definitely in the right place. Hosted by the fabulous Asia O’Hara, the premise of the show is she is trying to use the time machine to take her back to Season 10 of Ru Paul’s Drag Race, where she can go back and snatch the title. What was amazing to see at AO Arena on this night, is not only how much love there is for the drag queens, but that it comes from all walks of lives. Some people had waited two years to see this show as the original run was cancelled due to...

Shrek The Musical – Northwich Memorial Court

19May

By Angela KellyNo Comments

North West

Shrek The Musical – Northwich Memorial Court

Knutsford Musical Theatre Company (KMTC) return to tread the boards in Northwich again, only this time it is the swamp that takes over the stage, as Shrek and friends pay a visit! Directed by Ben Ireson, the musical is based on the well-known, Oscar winning film by DreamWorks – an ambitious task perhaps but one that KMTC have wanted to embrace for several years having been given the rights to perform it five years ago. With recent outstanding performances in terms of KMTCs productions of ‘Do you hear the people sing?’ and prior to that the fabulous ‘Ghost The Musical’, it is safe to say that ‘Shrek The Musical’ is a mammoth task, surely even for this award-winning musical theatre company. Intrigued prior to the performance and with so many questions such as ‘How will the swamp appear on...

19May

By Damian RiverolNo Comments

North West

Anything Goes – The Brindley Theatre

Centenary Theatre Company brings Cole Porter’s Anything Goes to the Brindley Theatre after two and a half years in the making. With the dreaded Covid putting a hold on things, they were able to bring most of the original cast back to display the hard work they have put into this show. Set aboard the Luxury liner S.S. American as it travels from New York to England, we follow the comings and goings of a nightclub singer, a wealthy English Aristocrat, a public enemy, and many more in this fast paced, music filled show. The show started with the house curtains closed as the band played the Overture, sounding incredible and stayed sounding amazing throughout. When the curtains opened, we were introduced to the very impressive looking set, mostly the deck of the liner with pieces wheeled on ...

19May

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

The Cher Show – Opera House, Manchester

After six decades of a career encompassing pop and film stardom, political activism and television success, it was a no-brainer that the life of Cherilyn Sarkasian, aka Cher, would eventually make the transition to a stage musical. Now, the 2018 Broadway show (with a significant overhaul courtesy of Leicester Curve Theatre) lands at Opera House in Manchester to a rapturous reception on press night. The audience here is knowledgeable and primed (unlike at Sunderland Empire, where people left the theatre when they realised it wasn't Cher performing!) and they were not to be disappointed in the depth of detail with which the show represents her early life. Cher has long been a spokesperson for LGBTQ+ rights and her story of early marginalisation, mistreatment and oppression is a story that...

19May

By Louise KershawNo Comments

North West

Oh Mother – HOME

If you have ever had a child, been a child, had or been a mother, cared for someone you love or if you have ever had a dishwasher, at some point during this perfectly paced piece of physical theatre you will be struck, right in the heart and soul. Oh Mother is made up of fragments of stories that are interrupted and cut off, woven together to create the dreamlike world you can live in when you are taking care of someone, at the beginning or the end of their life. The stories are interspersed with sequences of movement and music that adventure into epic domestic, rage, gender, bonding, attachment and climbing into that fantastic beast of domestic white goods… The Rashdash Company of three, present a brilliant Brechtian bonanza which looks at women’s roles as key carers to their own...