North West Archives - Page 164 of 173

3Sep

By Brian MaddenNo Comments

North West

Proper Adult – Altrincham Garrick

Life is funny. When we're young we can't wait to be grown up to do all the things we can't do. And then when we're adults we wish we could relive our youth. That is exactly what 'Proper Adult' by Megan Relph captures. This is a short one woman show where we meet Rachel, who has just turned 18 and has started her first job. Although we soon realise she's not prepared for adulthood. New writing is always something I look forward to in the fringe, you have no idea what to expect. While I felt this was a good production with some nice moments, it was too short to really get emotionally invested in it. In its current format, this would work well as a warm up act, or as a series of short plays performed in one evening. Having said that I do think Relph has the bones of something here and w...

3Sep

By Louise PennNo Comments

North West

Alexithymia – GM Fringe Online

Alexithymia is a term used in psychiatry as “the inability to recognise or describe one’s own emotions”. Although not a core feature of autism, it can affect as many as 50% diagnosed with it. In Madison Weinhoffer’s short theatre piece, which runs at less than twenty-five minutes, we are following the journey of “Friend”, who is a lost being needing assistance to find their way back to who they are. The production starts as more art installation than theatre. Projected images and music add to a general sense of confusion and disorder. The letters which spell the title of the show mix and disintegrate as watch. Friend and voices engage as abstract images are shown on a landscape we can only partly see, but not fully appreciate. Then the show becomes more of a traditional theatre pi...

2Gorgeous4U: From Ladette To Laundrette – Bombed Out Church, Liverpool

2Sep

By Blathine MaguireNo Comments

North West

2Gorgeous4U: From Ladette To Laundrette – Bombed Out Church, Liverpool

Liverpool Theatre Festival opened its doors tonight within the stunning location of St Lukes Bombed Out Church. This festival runs for 12 nights with a variety of musicals, drama, comedy and entertainment being shown daily. What a pleasure it is to be back seeing Live Theatre and local actress Lynne Fitzgerald didn’t disappoint as she starred in the opening performance “From Ladette to Laundrette”. This slice of comedy is a one-woman show where Lynne plays a number of characters (at least 10!) to illustrate the narrative across the 70-minute performance. The story is set in present day, and it follows Claire, a beautician from Waterloo, as she stumbles through the dramas that unfold across her work, love life, family and friendships. Claire was one half of a famous pop duo back in...

2Sep

By Julia PanovaNo Comments

North West

Fruit Salad – GM Fringe Online

Cherry and Peaches, two fruits which wonderfully complement each other. Or perhaps Cherry and Peaches, the two friends who at first glance don’t seem remotely similar but at the core have a unity that’s imperishable. Or at least that’s what we thought... Fruit Salad follows a friendship that formed over their fruity names and fruity nature. We watch as the two meet up from their late teens to early twenties to catch up over cheap wine in their favourite pub. Soon enough they both move to different universities, make new friends, fall in love with new people and ultimately see one another less. Cherry seems to have it all together and worries for ‘Princess Peach’ seeing as her life is falling apart. One does wonder if their lives will ever get back on the same page, or perhaps if it’s th...

2Sep

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

At Home with Miss Angela Bra – Lock 91

“Do you have the socials?” an unsuspecting punter is asked. No, not some new contagion to be wary of, simply a way of finding out if the audience prefers Tik-Tok or Facebook. Miss Angela Bra (better known as Andy Quirk) is busy holding court on life as a part-time musical teacher, rising social media star, and owner of two cats - Pinot and Grigio - treating us to her very own brand of banter, singing and occasional costume changes. As with many drag-based acts, the success of these can live and die with the audience interaction and whilst Miss Angela (the full name pronounced like ‘Candelebra’ and just as classy she tells us) does her best with the small but warmly appreciative audience. You can’t help but wonder though how the act could develop if unleashed on a slightly rowd...

2Sep

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

North West

The Relatives! – GM Fringe Online

Growing up as part of a large family myself, I was intrigued to hear whether writer Siân Parry-Williams’ experiences of her own kith and kin came close to my own familial memories. So, as 6pm neared on Wednesday evening, I logged on to my laptop and opened my online ticket in readiness to listen to The Relatives!, part of the 10th Greater Manchester Fringe. Parry-Williams informed us she is “sure” the antics of her characters will remind us of our own relatives. Well, to be honest, nothing during the 30-minute audio event came close to anything heard or seen in my own, Yorkshire, family. But then, Parry Williams’ characters relate to folk in her Welsh background. However, comedy can cross all borders … The Relatives! kicks off with a conversation, on Skype, between mother an...

1Sep

By Kiefer WilliamsNo Comments

North West

Judas – GM Fringe Online

This quirky and off the wall satire on religion written and performed by BeeJay Aubertin-Clinton re-imagines the relationship between Judas and Jesus from a queer perspective. Aubertin-Clinton has written a clever and sometimes witty monologue that does not seek to offend, rather it highlights the broader issues of relationships and queer identity. All the religious tropes and stories about Judas and his special man are performed at a campy breakneck speed, occasionally stopping for very brief interludes of emotional depth, which sometimes seemed at odds with the comedic elements of Aubertin-Clinton’s dazzling and sharp script. The dialogue is crisp and fresh, and you are immediately drawn into Aubertin- Clinton’s warm and imaginative character, he holds your attention throughout and...

1Sep

By Max EdenNo Comments

North West

Dirty Dancing – Buxton Opera House

It’s been 21 months since I last had the pleasure of experiencing live theatre at the beautiful ‘theatre of the Peaks’ - Buxton Opera House. It’s charm and beauty hasn’t faltered one bit in that lockdown time and a trip to Buxton’s famous opera house is just as special as before, if not more so now! It helped no doubt by returning and seeing the ultimate feel-good Musical currently on tour, Dirty Dancing. I think most of us will have seen the movie, (if not, what have you been doing in this lockdown) and if you like the movie; you’ll love this show. The energy, the music, the romance - it’s a theatrical whirlwind which makes for the perfect live show experience! Any Movie purists can rejoice too as this stage adaptation stays very close to the film in terms of dialogue and scen...

31Aug

By Alison BainesNo Comments

North West

Hairspray – Empire Theatre

Bank holiday weekend, and the last week before kids are back to school and what better than a treat to see musical phenomenon Hairspray as it hits the stage in Liverpool! We arrived at the theatre in plenty of time but were greeted by a massive queue snaking around all the way to the entrance of the Lime Street Station. The queue, presumably due to the checking of covid status in addition to bag searches and tickets, was rather frustrating and after waiting 20 to 30 minutes to enter, we reached the front of the queue for 7.30pm by which time the show was already starting late (as half the audience was still outside), meaning a mad dash to find your seat and prepare. Not a great start I must say, but fingers crossed this can be much better organised for the next show in the run... Aft...

25Aug

By Damian RiverolNo Comments

North West

All Above Board – Gladstone Theatre

The World Premiere tour of Nigel Planer's All Above Board came to life at the Gladstone Theatre in Port Sunlight this week before heading off around the North and Midlands. It was wonderful to be back at the Gladstone theatre after such a long time of it being closed due to Covid and it was as homely and welcoming as ever. Nothing is too much in this theatre and that is why people continue to return time and time again All Above Board is a hilarious farce where a good deed ends up going as horribly wrong as it possibly could but with much wit and laughter along the way. Set in the living room of a flat, it had a feeling of Not Going Out with a hint of Fawlty Towers and a huge nod to The Young Ones, the show that writer, Planer, is so well known for. Robert Stuart-Hudson in the ...