North West Archives - Page 159 of 177

17Nov

By Ezzy LaBelleNo Comments

North West

Grease the Musical – Liverpool Empire

Fantastically feel good and naughtily nostalgic, Grease the Musical arrived in Liverpool this week with all the right moves and an abundance of exuberant energy. You cannot help but leave this show with a smile. Starring Peter Andre, and debuting several newcomers, it offers a slightly different flavour to what has been done before. Expect to have a good time. This production took a couple of scenes to find their flow but once they were in it there was no stopping them. Directed by Curve’s Nikolai Foster and choreographed by Arlene Phillips, Grease demands strong dancing from the cast in order to carry out creative sequences and transports the audience back to Rydell High School with ease. Led by Dan Partridge (Danny Zuko) and Ellie Kingdon (Sandy) the dialogue is fast paced with ...

17Nov

By Hannah WildeNo Comments

North West

Dial M For Murder – The Lowry

The Lowry Theatre’s production of “Dial M For Murder” is probably one of the best pieces of theatre I have seen in a long, long time. Having no prior knowledge of the storyline – past the intriguing title and the vaguest of recollections of a film made in 1954 by the king of suspense, Mr. Alfred Hitchcock – I came into the Lowry Theatre on a cold Monday night not knowing what to expect... but nothing prepared me for the theatrical brilliance that awaited me. The set was simple – one single set, designed to replicate art deco living room-cum-kitchen in London’s trendy Maida Vale that wouldn’t have looked out of place in a 1960s edition of House and Home Magazine. But even in its simplicity, the set was wonderfully dynamic. It was functional, believable, and helped set the scene of mid...

A Streetcar Named Desire – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

16Nov

By Angela KellyNo Comments

North West

A Streetcar Named Desire – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

First performed on Broadway in 1947, Tennessee Williams ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ is a tragedy that highlights the inequalities of society in post war America. The play particularly shares the negative effects experienced by women during this time. Associated by many as one of the most significant of all American plays, it is certainly a brave step that the Altrincham Garrick Playhouse have undertaken in performing this epic tale. For those unfamiliar with the story, the play relays the story of Blanche Dubois (Kathryn Worthington) who arrives in New Orleans from Laurel, Mississippi having been given “a leave of absence” from her teaching role. She moves into her sister Stella’s apartment (Fiona Primrose) in the unbearable heat of New Orleans that she shares with Stella’s husband, the ...

Opera North: Trouble in Tahiti – The Lowry

13Nov

By Amanda HodgsonNo Comments

North West

Opera North: Trouble in Tahiti – The Lowry

Trouble in Tahiti is a one-act opera in seven acts, composed by Leonard Bernstein, who is perhaps best known for his musical West Side Story. It is one of Bernstein’s darker and more autobiographical works, based on the relationship between the composer’s parents, combining themes of domestic struggle and breakdown with operatic melodrama, performed here by Opera North at The Lowry in Salford. The opera is set in the 1950s, and opens with a jazz trio (Laura Kelly-McInroy, Joseph Shovelton, Nicholas Butterfield) singing about domestic bliss in an unspecified suburb in the form of a radio advertisement for the American Dream. The reality, however, is very different, as we soon follow the story of Sam (Quirijn de Lang) and Dinah (Sandra Piques Eddy), a young couple whose marriage is collap...

11Nov

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

Opera North: Carmen – The Lowry

Hard on the heels of 'Waitress' at the Opera House this week, another musical tale of female lust and empowerment comes to Manchester, with the arrival of Georges Bizet's 'Carmen' from Opera North playing at The Lowry. Unfortunately, whilst this production promises 'desire and hot-blooded passion', what we are served is a reheated dish that attempts to be innovative and succeeds only in being lacklustre and imitative. Carmen was hugely controversial upon its initial staging in 1875 with its story of immorality amongst the proletarian class of Andalucia; the eponymous heroine being both lawless, amoral and (spoiler alert) suffering a brutal on stage death at the denouement. Bizet died less than three months after the premiere of his final work, never getting to see it staged to internati...

10Nov

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

Waitress – Manchester Opera House

In order to bake a perfect pie, it is necessary to have quality ingredients mixed in the correct proportions by an experienced baker; add in heat allied with perfect timing and a scrumptious pastry is produced. Just such a dish was served before the hungry and eager capacity audience at Manchester Opera House this evening as 'Waitress' begins a two-week residency in the city centre. The show arrives in Manchester in the midst of a UK wide tour, having been a huge Broadway and West End hit following its premiere back in 2016. The all-female creative triumvirate of Sarah Bareilles (Music & Lyrics), Jessie Nelson (Book) and Diane Paulus (Director) have crafted a warm and funny piece which simultaneously tugs at the heartstrings whilst also being unafraid to confront issues that women f...

9Nov

By Johanna RobertsNo Comments

North West

Rajesh and Naresh – Unity Theatre

Seventy minutes, two actors, one set. That’s all that is needed to tell this touching story of how two men, with different backgrounds, different experiences, and different personalities, make a connection that changes their lives. The play opens with Rajesh (Brahmdeo Shannon Ramana), who works in a financial firm in London, and Naresh (Madhav Vasantha), who makes cricket bats in Mumbai, sitting on chairs on separate halves of the stage – the one in London and the other in Mumbai. Their initial actions as they prepare for the day clearly and concisely convey their personalities. Rajesh – young, good-looking, and seemingly self-confident – presents a sharp contrast to the 42-year-old Naresh, who focuses only on what he considers to be his faults. The action continues to develop separa...

Boss New Plays (Saturday) – Royal Court Studio

8Nov

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Boss New Plays (Saturday) – Royal Court Studio

Liverpool Lanterns’ annual showcase of up-and-coming writing and acting talent in Merseyside came to a close with five new pieces from some of Lanterns’ veteran writers. As these are short pieces and in varying stages of development, it’s unfair to ‘rate’ them but there is still plenty for us to get our teeth into as an audience. There’s no easing into tonight’s showcase with our first piece, Banter, written by Darren Anglesea. The moment the lights go down there is an explosion of swearing and scuffling, as we are introduced to Tony, an angry young man accused of assault, which he swears is just ‘banter’ that got out of hand. When he sees that his duty solicitor Martin is black, he makes it plain this is an issue and it’s up to Martin to help his client understand how much trouble h...

Boss New Plays (Friday) – Royal Court Studio

8Nov

By Jenn McKeanNo Comments

North West

Boss New Plays (Friday) – Royal Court Studio

The Lantern Writers hold an annual showcase of new writing from semi-professional and amateur writers, at various stages of development. It is held over three night and the second night of new writing definitely stood up to the showcases’ name ‘Boss New Plays’. The first of the four pieces was ‘It's Not The Coughing That Carries You Off’, written by Mark Murphy. This is a comedy play, that uses a doctor’s surgery to bring comedy into everyday life. We’ve all been in a waiting room and overheard half of a phone conversation that could easily been misconstrued; or had that person next to us that can’t sit quietly for their turn and Murphy takes us to these moments and allows us to see the comedy in them. It is cleverly written and takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions throughout the ha...

Boss News Plays (Thursday) – Royal Court Studio

5Nov

By Blathine MaguireNo Comments

North West

Boss News Plays (Thursday) – Royal Court Studio

Boss New Play’s is a three night long annual showcase from some of the most fantastic and ambitious artists in Liverpool who are best known as the ‘Lantern Writers’. This group are an eclectic mix of semi-professional and amateur writers, and tonight’s show brings us three new pieces of work at varying stages of development. In the first slice of this showcase, we see ‘Jigsaw’ live on stage, which has been written by Mark Davoren. In this Kafkaesque drama, two couples meet over dinner for what seems to be a fairly normal ‘life catch-up’ event. One couple, made up of Harry (Conor Burns) and Emily (Jennifer Morrow), look like the perfect pair with well-paid jobs and two children, they really seem to have it all. In contrast, Leah (Faye Draper) and Pete (Christopher James) are struggling a...