North West Archives - Page 3 of 182

27Mar

By Max EdenNo Comments

North West

Erin & Ern – The Lowry

It’s charming and filled with laugh-out-loud moments; Eric & Ern at The Lowry is a nostalgic celebration of one of Britain’s most beloved comedy double acts! Written by Ian Ashpitel and Jonty Stephens, Eric & Ern takes audiences back to the golden era of light entertainment, performing a selection of Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise best bits that made them became the nation’s favourite duo. This show is a must for any Morecambe & Wise fans with a show filled with warmth and affection for the pair, capturing not only the iconic humour but also the deep friendship at its core. The duo on stage have the personalities down to a tee; they are superb; Ian Ashpitel as Eric and Jonty Stephens as Ern demonstrate impeccable comic timing and undeniable chemistry. They don’t sim...

27Mar

By David S ClarkeNo Comments

North West

Come from Away – The Forum Theatre

I have to say right at the start of this review that this was a brand new tale for me, I was only vaguely aware of the storyline, so unlike a lot of previous productions I have seen I was coming into this with little or no knowledge of what to expect from cast, crew and writers. Perhaps this was an advantage as I had no pre-conceived ideas as to what to expect. The story of “Come from Away” is set in the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11th 2001 when airplanes were used to wreak death and destruction on the World Trade Centre buildings in New York. This resulted in all planes in American airspace being immediately grounded and obliged to land at the nearest airports available to them. This production tells the story of the 38 planes and about 7000 passengers wh...

25Mar

By Adam WilliamsNo Comments

North West

La Traviata – Opera House

On a very rainy night in Manchester, there was at least some comfort to be had in Manchester’s Opera House as they staged Ellen Kent’s production of Verdi’s famous tale of doomed love as part of her farewell tour. I may as well start my review with the outstanding Viktoria Melnyk, who dazzled as the ill-fated heroine of this opera, Violetta. She sings with such power, control and emotion. Her voice is not just sublime and beautiful, it is mesmerising. It is worth seeing this show just to witness such a transcendent talent. Her charisma and presence alone made this show worth watching. Hovhannes Andreasyan, as Alfredo, was also impressive. He gave an imposing performance, full of feeling and desire. Alfredo makes Violetta see that her material life is nothing without love. The mes...

25Mar

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

Pomona – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

For the fourth instalment in its “Season of Manchester Drama”, Altrincham Garrick Studio opts for the unexpected. Alongside the more familiar Hobson’s Choice and A Taste of Honey, it is Alistair McDowell’s Pomona — a dense, disorientating work from 2014 — that proves the boldest programming choice. In Mark Goggins’ assured and imaginatively realised production, it becomes something close to unmissable. The programme’s content warning is exhaustive — violence, abuse, sexual assault, human trafficking, suicide — and suggests an evening of grim endurance. Yet what unfolds is something more intellectually disquieting than viscerally shocking: a slippery, elusive blend of dystopian satire, urban noir and cosmic horror that owes as much to Black Mirror as it does to H. P. Lovecraft. The shock...

The Complete Works of Jane Austen Abridged – Thingwall Players

21Mar

By Stephanie WiswallNo Comments

North West

The Complete Works of Jane Austen Abridged – Thingwall Players

Who needs to know Jane Austen's works to perform them? Certainly not Trevor (Kyle Jensen) when he unexpectedly throws himself into a performance of her complete works with two Austenites, or Janeites (depending on how big a fan you, yourself are). Determined to deliver their show Jessica (Bethany Cragg) and Charlotte (Meredith Clayton) enlist Trevor after the unforeseen resignation of the final piece of their original trio. Cragg was soft and spritely as Jessica, wrapped up in the love and triumphs of Austen's story. Clayton contrasted this character well with her more serious and grouchier take on Charlotte. My absolute favourite was Trevor as Jensen took on a variety of voices and roles fluid in both genders and had the audience in stitches. Extremely good physicality throughout hi...

21Mar

By Brian MaddenNo Comments

North West

Waiting for Godot – Liverpool Playhouse

Dominic Hill’s revival of Waiting for Godot, seen here at Everyman Theatre, reminds you why this play still divides audiences' decades after its premiere. Samuel Beckett’s writing can feel elusive and, at times, deliberately opaque - but in the right hands, it becomes something quietly powerful. The production opens on a stark, desolate set designed by Jean Chan. A fractured landscape stretches across the stage, dominated by the familiar solitary tree, here emerging from the wreckage of an abandoned car. It’s a world that feels worn down and forgotten, reinforcing the sense that time has stalled completely. At the centre are Vladimir and Estragon, played by George Costigan and Matthew Kelly. Their performances carry the production. There’s an ease between them that never feels theatr...

21Mar

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

Under Milk Wood – Theatr Clwyd

For a Welsh theatre marking its 50th anniversary, Under Milk Wood is both an obvious and a risky choice. Dylan Thomas’s “play for voices” is so bound up with its own mythology—its lyrical density, its association with Richard Burton—that any staging must negotiate the tension between fidelity and reinvention. Kate Wasserberg’s production does so with intelligence and flair, even if it occasionally brushes up against the limits of the text itself. Written for radio and first broadcast in 1954, Thomas’s portrait of a day in the fictional Welsh village of Llareggub (read it backwards) remains a defiantly literary work: episodic, associative and rich to the point of saturation. Its comparison to Thornton Wilder’s Our Town is not misplaced, but where Wilder offers clarity and restraint, Thom...

20Mar

By Adam WilliamsNo Comments

North West

My Name is Rachel Corrie – 53two

It is really quite rare that you get to see a truly great work of art. This was such a stunning, mesmerising, heart-and-gut-wrenching piece of work that it left the audience collectively speechless as they tried to process what they had just witnessed. Unfortunately, there is no avoiding the subject matter of the play, which is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, particularly the treatment by Israel of Gaza. The action of this drama takes place in 2003, twenty-plus years before the current carnage, and it centres around one remarkable young lady. Rachel Corrie was a real person who decided in her early twenties to go to Rafah in Gaza in order to protest against the policies of the US government and its support for the actions of the Israeli army in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip....

19Mar

By Jo TillotsonNo Comments

North West

Spitfire Girls – Buxton Opera House

The Second World War is ongoing, and its reality is inescapable. With so many of the able men fighting on the front lines, where does the war effort find its manpower? As we are well aware, it was woman power that kept many industries operational for many years. In Spitfire Girls we meet Bett (played by the writer, Katherine Senior) and Dotty (Hannah Morrison), two women who defied the obligations expected of them by family and society and learned to fly. This play explores their relationship, their identity, and their growth as women and as pilots throughout the war and beyond. Senior and Morrison are authentic in their interactions with one another and with the others they encounter throughout the story. In particular, Morrison’s portrayal of a woman finding her freedom in the ...

Come Together: The Lennon & McCartney Songbook – Liverpool’s Royal Court

19Mar

By Bethany EastonNo Comments

North West

Come Together: The Lennon & McCartney Songbook – Liverpool’s Royal Court

One of the most well-known groups in history, the Beatles, have offered a range of musical delights that are still loved and relished today and are celebrated currently at the Royal Court. This show, for many Beatles fans, is a bit of a dream come true as we were never gifted with a retrospective Lennon & McCartney reunion concert. But through the magic of Come Together: The Lennon & McCartney Songbook, we get a heartfelt and expertly delivered window in what that could have looked like. The songbook and songwriting duo are bought to life by Tom Connor (Paul McCartney) and Mark Newnham (John Lennon) undertaking a range of Beatles songs and stories detailing and celebrating the groups history. Connor and Newnham portray Lennon and McCartney well bouncing quips off each other and ...