North West Archives - Page 158 of 174

24Oct

By Ezzy LaBelleNo Comments

North West

First Time – Unity Theatre

Raw. Funny. Honest. Tonight, we met Nathaniel J Hall in all his glory and left the theatre better for it. Known for his role in Russell T Davies ‘It’s A Sin’ Hall has already established himself as an actor to watch. With First Time he is also establishing himself as a writer to watch. First Time manages to fit jokes, a re-enacted prom, silly string, and a quiz into the running time without it becoming farcical or cheesy; much of it is delivered with the light-hearted naivety of youth, providing a contrast to the sudden crash into the adult world Hall found himself confronted with. Opening up a topic that doesn’t often reach the mainstream warrants recognition. Doing it in a way that connects and engages a wide audience is to be even more commended. When did you last see a mainstr...

Do You Hear the People Sing? – Northwich Memorial Court

22Oct

By Angela KellyNo Comments

North West

Do You Hear the People Sing? – Northwich Memorial Court

It’s clear to see that theatres are delighted to open their doors again all over the country and the award-winning Knutsford Musical Theatre Company (KMTC) are one company who demonstrate this as they welcome audiences back to Northwich Memorial Court this week. This is KMTCs first concert since lockdown and in an evening that provides a wide array of songs from musicals, it was obvious that the intent of the evening was certainly to be an evening of celebration. There could be no denying from the opening number of Clare Moorhouse’s performance of ‘Tell me it’s not True,’ with the KMTC from the fabulous ‘Blood Brothers’ that the quality of the entire evening was going to be exceptional. As the evening unravelled it was hard to believe that this was amateur theatre as the energy from ...

Bedknobs and Broomsticks – Palace Theatre

21Oct

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

North West

Bedknobs and Broomsticks – Palace Theatre

Bedknobs and Broomsticks arrives in Manchester this week, the first of a trilogy of Disney productions to play at the Palace Theatre with Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King arriving in the next 12 months. Tonight’s show was truly a lesson in visual artistry with scene after scene making you question if your eyes really saw that? Countless illusions including a flying bed and fully functioning broomstick take centre stage alongside glorious puppets all illuminated by a stunning lighting design all knitted together with slick direction from Candice Edmunds. The shows website says “When the three orphaned Rawlins children are reluctantly evacuated from wartime London to live with the mysterious Eglantine Price, they have no idea what adventures lie ahead. Upon discovering Eglantine ...

Matthew Bourne’s The Midnight Bell – Liverpool Playhouse

21Oct

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Matthew Bourne’s The Midnight Bell – Liverpool Playhouse

The bad boy of ballet is back with a sultry, sensual tale of lonely hearts and hedonism in 1930s London. Delivered by Bourne’s New Adventures company, we’re introduced to a multitude of characters from the underbelly of Soho, who congregate at night in a local pub, the Midnight Bell, trying to escape the mundanity of their daily lives and connect with whoever may have them. Heavily inspired by the novels of Patrick Hamilton, each distinct personality dances straight out of the pages of his work, to present an often-bleak view of the very human desire for love and acceptance. A true ensemble piece, our dancers weave in and out of each other’s spaces and stories with wonderful fluidity and awareness of each other. Immaculate choreography and timing pulls us into each picture post...

The War of the Worlds – Liverpool Everyman

20Oct

By Carole BaldockNo Comments

North West

The War of the Worlds – Liverpool Everyman

What a tangled web we weave, especially these days when the Internet ensures all kinds of information reach the parts that other sources can't get to. Fake news can make people belligerent or else scare them out of their wits, just as it did with the broadcast of 'War of the Worlds' years ago. Rhum and Clay, with Isley Lynn, proudly present their version of events, each cast member, pipe in hand, narrating as the multi-talented and multi-faceted Orson Welles. And on the starkest of sets, designed by Bethany Wells, there's nowt but a cumbersome old wireless, soundproof mesh walls with doors inset, and a radio studio at the back, but oh my, the lovely attention to detail: two dear little lamps like miniature spaceships, All brought to life by the Lighting Designers, Nick Flintoff and Pete...

19Oct

By Max EdenNo Comments

North West

Tell Me on a Sunday – The Lowry

Coming across an Andrew Lloyd Webber Musical which I’d never seen before was reason enough to see the new touring production of Tell Me On A Sunday at The Lowry Theatre...and seeing Jodie Prenger in the title role will be my reason to go back and see it again! This one-act production features just one cast member (Prenger) and the concept was originally conceived for television being the very first collaboration with Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black, away from Tim Rice, with this in mind it has a very different feel to other Lloyd Webber shows, but has more emotion! It follows the young English girl; Emma and her romantic misadventures in New York in the heady days of the 1980’s with her search for love which sees her cross to Manhattan and California in search of love. The diffi...

19Oct

By Katie LeicesterNo Comments

North West

Forgotten Voices – Hope Mill Theatre

The adaptable Hope Mill Theatre hosted the one woman show inspired by the life of Eva Moorhead Kadalie the wife of Clements Kadalie first black national trade union leader from South Africa. Shareesa Valentine whose stage and tv credits include Band of Gold, Hollyoaks, The Syndicate, Dumping Ground and Last Tango in Halifax played Eva a strong South African woman who was reflecting on her life and the transitions through the voices in her head that had been forgotten or suppressed that made her the female she was just before she was about to embark on the last journey to a new life in England with her son Victor. ‘Forgotten Voices’ was written by David Moorhead the grandson of Eva who stated in an interview "My grandmother was glamorous and warm hearted but beneath lay a complex pers...

17Oct

By Karen Morley-ChesworthNo Comments

North West

Home, I’m Darling – Theatre by the Lake

Drama and comedy returns to the stage of Theatre by the Lake with an entertaining play that looks at how we all pick and choose our own narrative of reality - shaped by our rose-tinted glasses approach to history writes Karen Morley-Chesworth. The main theatre is in the round for this production of Laura Wade’s deconstructed rom-com - providing a viewpoint on every perspective of a marriage cloaked in fantasy and collapsing under the weight of pretence. The relationship between Judy and Johnny has been captured within a 1950s bubble - like an insect trapped in amber. Living in the 21st century, they both have a passion for the 50’s style, fashions and music yet take it one step further to take on the philosophy and social norms of the era. From career woman to housewife carer, Jud...

Sh!t Theatre Drink Rum With Expats – Unity Theatre

17Oct

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Sh!t Theatre Drink Rum With Expats – Unity Theatre

A man walks into a ‘bar’. He’s given a free foamy cup of lager and a lump of cheese. The punchline is 75 minutes of meta-theatre; a show about a show, ‘Lost in La Mancha’ style, packed with singing, sparklers and the eponymous rum of the title. Created by Louise Mothersole and Rebecca Biscuit, ‘Drink Rum…’ takes us through their pre-pandemic journey to Malta, where they’ve been commissioned by a friend to produce a fringe show in Valetta, in celebration of its year as European Capital of Culture. The base of operations, which is recreated as our set for tonight’s proceedings, is The Pub (its actual name), a small hostelry favoured by the late, great Sir Oliver Reed, as his drinking den of choice during the filming of Gladiator. Famously, it’s where he also breathed his last and a shr...

16Oct

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

North West

Sister Act Jr – Z-Arts

It has been a long time since Manchester Musical Youth’s (MMY) apprentices got to shine on the Z-Arts stage, so tonight was a personal joy to be back in the auditorium to witness a triumphant return with their latest production of Sister Act Jr. Sometimes, for me junior versions of full-scale shows seem cut too short and the story suffers because of this. I get the idea behind these versions and the opportunities it gives young performers, but tonight’s version of Sister Act did not seem to suffer from this, albeit some of the story was rushed. One thing MMY does better than most is find and cultivate young talent, many of which in previous years have gone on to some of the best theatre schools in the country and even the West End. Tonight, was no different as two young actors shone ...