North West Archives - Page 172 of 180

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 ...

25Aug

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

The Rocky Horror Show – Opera House

If ever a show epitomised how happy people are to be back in theatres, it’s this one. You can’t move for corsets, sequins and high heels. And that’s just the men. For those unfamiliar with the nature of the show, perhaps having no more than a vague recollection of the 1975 film, it’s like being taken on a joyride on a high-powered motorbike and has an atmosphere more akin to a rock gig than a theatre show. The cheering and enthusiastic audience participation is in full throttle from the moment the strains of ‘Science Fiction Double Feature’ start and the curtain twitches open. It’s a fantastic atmosphere for our cast to bounce off, which they do with gusto. Philip Franks, in a role a billion miles away from his stuffy Darling Bud of May character, is outstanding as the Narrator, g...

Act Your Age New Writing Festival – Hope Mill Theatre

24Aug

By Adam WilliamsNo Comments

North West

Act Your Age New Writing Festival – Hope Mill Theatre

In a youth obsessed culture such as ours it was nice to see some plays written for actors over forty. This new writing festival, we were told, had been in the planning for 18 months and now, thankfully, it was here. It was the first of three evenings of new short plays that will be taking place at the Hope Mill Theatre over the next few weeks. The first play was Paper Crown by Laura Harper. It was partly about how we imagine the lives of others to be better than our own. This two-hander was an intriguing take on the familiar trope of the errant husband and the vengeful wife. Hell hath no fury… At first, we think we are watching a play about class. A working-class couple are in their pyjamas getting ready for bed. His are stained by ketchup, hers are cheap and tasteless. She ido...

24Aug

By Jenn McKeanNo Comments

North West

Heathers the Musical – Empire Theatre

How very anticipated. You could feel the excitement and anticipation in the air upon arrival at the theatre. Whilst it was a week later than planned, you could tell for the majority of the audience, it was their first return to the theatre since they were shut last year and boy where they excited to see this cult classic on stage. You couldn’t tell that the cast had been off unexpectedly the week before, the energy and joy of them being back on stage was met with the reactions from the audience. It was difficult to tell who was more excited to be there, the cast or the audience. The show, based on the film of the same name, is a dark comedy about how a ‘nobody’ Veronica Sawyer becomes friends with the popular girls at school, who are coincidentally all named Heather (Chandler, Duke a...

24Aug

By Brian MaddenNo Comments

North West

The Woman in Black – Palace Theatre

Theatre is back! The Palace Theatre in Manchester swung open their doors for the first time since March 2020 to welcome theatregoers to The Woman in Black. A bit of a dark show for the first one back! Prior to this evening I had never seen The Woman in Black. I didn’t know what to expect, other than the promotional material that made me think it would be a thriller. I was actually pleasantly surprised to discover it was quite humorous in places. Fun fact - The Woman in Black is the second longest running show on London’s West End after The Mousetrap. It is said to be the most terrifying live theatre experience in the world - but I’ll leave that open to interpretation. This is a stage production based on the novel written by Susan Hill. In the beginning we are in a rehearsal studio...