North West Archives - Page 17 of 180

Calendar Girls – Blackburn Empire Theatre

18Sep

By Emma WildNo Comments

North West

Calendar Girls – Blackburn Empire Theatre

What an absolute privilege and pleasure to return to beautiful, Blackburn Empire Theatre, for Blackburn Drama Club’s first play of the 2025/2026 season, and what a cracker of a show to kick off with! Calendar Girls, based on the true story of eleven members of the Rylstone and District Women’s Institute, who, back in 1998 came up with the somewhat shocking idea of posing nude for a charity calendar. W.I. member, Tricia Stewart, was inspired by her friend’s husband, John Baker, who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, and who sadly passed away aged just 54, to create an unconventional calendar to raise funds to buy a new sofa for visitors, at the local hospital where John was receiving treatment. John’s wife, Angela Baker, said they discussed the idea of the nude calendar with John b...

The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical – Liverpool Empire

18Sep

By Sam JamesNo Comments

North West

The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical – Liverpool Empire

The worldwide phenomena Percy Jackson (Joe Tracz) has hit the stage with a loud and rapturous bang. Enter monsters, a heroic adventure, catchy songs and a ferocious cast and you can easily see why this adaptation of the books, films and TV series shouldn't be anything but following in the success of its predecessors of Percy Jackson. Produced and directed by Bill Kenwright, Paul Taylor-Mills and Lizzie Gee) Packed with catchy, upbeat songs which will have you toe tapping along and singing as you leave, the musical score (Rob Rokicki, Will Joy and Jeremy Wootton) and vocals for this production are beautifully orchestrated. The set design (Ryan Dawson Laight) is simple, but a very detailed, effective and dynamic staging. Minimal pieces of movable platforms are utilised to adapt the sta...

Rambert x (LA) Horde: Bring Your Own – The Lowry

17Sep

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Rambert x (LA) Horde: Bring Your Own – The Lowry

(LA) Horde’s collaboration with Rambert, Bring Your Own, is an ambitious attempt to bottle the unruly energy of nightlife and stage it as contemporary performance. Over the course of several distinct pieces, the production draws on social dance, rave culture, and acrobatic spectacle, pushing the 14-strong Rambert ensemble into a space where technique meets abandon. The result is fast, furious, and undeniably compelling, though not always as coherent as it aspires to be. The opening section, Hopestorm, is a striking fusion of Lindyhop and rave. Dancers charge through fifteen minutes of relentless partnering and synchronised group work, with echoes of Broadway chorus lines interlaced with rock ’n’ roll. Snatches of Elvis Presley’s “Hound Dog” surface beneath a pounding rave soundscape, wh...

Matthew Bourne’s The Midnight Bell – Liverpool Playhouse

17Sep

By Miranda GreenNo Comments

North West

Matthew Bourne’s The Midnight Bell – Liverpool Playhouse

T.S. Eliot said that poetry can communicate before it is understood. The Midnight Bell is poetry in motion – not so much a linear tale as an evocation of a time and place, where love stories from the back streets of inter-war London swirl, intersecting and cross-referencing, before resolving into a tableau. Born in Covid and taking inspiration from the Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky novels of Patrick Hamilton, The Midnight Bell takes its name from a downtown pub, the narrative hub, where the small-time romances of chancers and spinsters alike play out. Certainly, there is something very Prufrockian about Lez Brotherston’s set, reminiscent of the “muttering retreats of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels” of Eliot’s antihero. The inside of a Soho boozer is wonderfully sum...

Send in the Clowns: A Little Flop of Horrors – Hope Mill Theatre

17Sep

By Katie LeicesterNo Comments

North West

Send in the Clowns: A Little Flop of Horrors – Hope Mill Theatre

Returning for their fourth outing at Hope Mill Theatre, the boisterous cabaret troupe behind Send in the Clowns: A Little Flop of Horrors once again delivered an evening of wickedly funny, musically sharp, and gloriously risqué entertainment. Having caught their last production (C*ck of Ages) back in May, I was curious to see if they could outdo themselves and they certainly rose to the challenge. The four-strong cast – Fatt Butcher, Blu Romantic, Dahlia Rivers, and Alanna Boden proved to be a powerhouse ensemble. Vocally, they were outstanding, effortlessly switching from the sultry tones of Cabaret to a comedic delivery of Dear Evan Hansen, and the playful belting of a song from Annie. Their mash-up medleys, including an inspired collision of Chicago, Oliver! and Les Misérables, were ...

15Sep

By Zain RussellNo Comments

North West

Not Your Superwoman – Bush Theatre

Not Your Superwoman, stars Golda Rosheuvel and Letitia Wright; two powerhouse actresses who breathed life into Emma Dennis-Edward’s deeply moving play. The story follows a mother and daughter, Joyce and Erica, who have grown apart over the years as they mourn the loss of their family matriarch — “Mummy” to Joyce and “Granny” to Erica. At its heart, the play is about family ties strained by silence, grief, and distance, yet bound by love and memory. Using Guyana as its vibrant backdrop, Not Your Superwoman becomes more than just a family drama, it becomes a meditation on the importance of culture as both a source of identity and a bridge across generations. Through the music, the language, the food, and the rituals of remembrance, Dennis-Edward captures how culture is often the thread...

The Story of Jessie Gavin – Callister Gardens, Oxton, Birkenhead

15Sep

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

The Story of Jessie Gavin – Callister Gardens, Oxton, Birkenhead

Writer and director Pauline Fleming’s tale of Oxton’s very own Gentleman Jack in this original production from Depth Training CIC hints at the intrigue and suspense behind an array of secret relationships during the restrictive Victorian era but doesn’t really get beneath the surface of its two primary characters enough for my liking and their passionate, rule-defying romance. Jessie Gavin (Gabriella Tavini), an artist from the Wirral, escapes the expectations of her upbringing to pursue the freedom of artistic circles in London and Paris. When she falls in love with pioneering architect Eileen Gray (Alicia Brockenbrow), they create a life filled with creativity, defiance, and desire. But with the world at war, can their relationship survive societal conflicts and pressures. Comi...

11Sep

By Damian RiverolNo Comments

North West

The Spongebob Musical – The Brindley

This evening, I find myself visiting the underwater town of Bikini bottom and joining Spongebob and friends on a quest to save the town from a volcano that is threatening to wipe it and them all out. CODYS productions ‘Stars of the future!’ brings the musical that is based on the Nickelodeon series to the Brindley theatre, and we had a great time being transported to another world for a few hours. Directed by Dan Grimes, with musical direction from Emily Woodward and Choreography by Laura Cupit, we are treated to some fabulous songs delivered to a high standard by a super talented cast of young performers, with fun, inventive dance routines and a great storyline that is well directed, full of fun while keeping the suspense running throughout. Spongebob is double cast with Team Kru...

Ideal 20th Anniversary Live Show – The Lowry

10Sep

By Adam WilliamsNo Comments

North West

Ideal 20th Anniversary Live Show – The Lowry

Back in 2005, Tony Blair was the Prime Minister, Doctor Who returned to our screens, and another show, with a budget not quite as large, started on BBC Three called Ideal. Set in Salford, it revolved around Moz (Johnny Vegas), a small-time drug dealer, and the weird and wonderful characters who came to see him to buy cannabis. It was lo-fi, a bit of a sleeper hit, and a cult classic beloved by its fans. Twenty years later, it has been resurrected for the stage, and it is silly, surreal and just fun. You know everyone is up for having a good time when the actors are applauded when they come on stage. It had a pantomime feel, not least in those moments when things went wrong. Audiences always love it when this happens, and it was very entertaining watching the actors try to improvise them...

A Chorus Line – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

8Sep

By Katie LeicesterNo Comments

North West

A Chorus Line – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

There are certain shows that feel timeless in their simplicity and power, and A Chorus Line is one of them. The Altrincham Garrick Playhouse’s current production, directed by Joseph Meighan, captures that magic beautifully, offering a night of theatre that is both dazzling and deeply human. The story, set in the world of Broadway auditions, follows director Zach Wilson (played here with presence and precision by Joseph Meighan himself) as he whittles down a group of hopeful dancers competing for a coveted spot in his new chorus line. The show strips back theatrical spectacle to its essence, focusing instead on raw storytelling with its mirrored backdrops and nothing else allowing the cast’s talent and truth to shine. What sets this production apart is the electric chemistry between M...