North West Archives - Page 141 of 178

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...

19May

By Lewis DownhamNo Comments

North West

Chicago – New Wimbledon Theatre

New Wimbledon Theatre had it coming as the show razzle dazzled its way onto the stage, with popular musical hits such as Cell Block Tango, Mister Cellophane and many more. The show is set in 1920’s Chicago and follows the story of Roxie Hart (Faye Brookes) and Velma Kelly (Djalenga Scott) as they battle for a space on the front of the newspaper to gain fame and stardom, after murdering various lovers after not getting their way. Billy Flynn (Russell Watson) takes the case of the two stars. The set for this production was stripped back, which by no means takes away from the show but frames the stage and band quite literally as they take centre stage while being immersed into the show and given a character of their own. Interacting with the cast led by Andrew Hilton (Musical Director) ...

Ross & Rachel – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

19May

By Brian MaddenNo Comments

North West

Ross & Rachel – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

They were arguably the biggest on-screen couple of the 1990s. But what happened after the cameras stopped rolling on Ross and Rachel? After all, no one told life was gonna be this way. Written by James Fritz, strangely this isn't a play about the iconic couple from Friends. Instead, it is about a young couple navigating their way through life until they're delivered a massive blow. What starts off as relatively light hearted takes a more sinister turn. To add to this, the play directed by Carole Carr, is essentially a series of monologues delivered by one actor. In this case Fiona Primrose rose to the challenge. Her dramatic scenes were when she shone brightest, but personally I would have preferred a more distinguished difference between the two characters. I did have the joy of see...

The Rocky Horror Show – Liverpool Empire

17May

By Jan MellorNo Comments

North West

The Rocky Horror Show – Liverpool Empire

Well, what a hoot! From start to finish this show was an absolute rollercoaster of mayhem, laughter and double-entendres! The Rocky Horror Show – more of a phenomenon now since it first braced the theatres nearly 50 years ago (since 1973)- has become the biggest cult musical of all time. Richard 0’Brien’s wacky story of how two squeaky clean college kids – Brad and his fiancée Janet, when by a twist of fate, find their way into a creepy mansion whilst on their way to visit their former college professor, meet the charismatic Dr Frank ’n’ Furter and change their lives forever, has taken on a new life of its own. I have seen the show a couple of times and thought it’s time I educated my 17-year-old son into the world of “The Mind Warp” and to the craziness that is the Rocky Horror Show. A...