North West Archives - Page 34 of 173

22Feb

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

La Bohème – Opera House

Ellen Kent’s current revival of her original production perfectly captures the emotion and drama at the heart of Puccini’s timeless masterpiece of unforgettable music that tells of love, friendship, and death, under the direction of maestro Vasyl Vasylenko. Set in the Latin Quarter of Paris in about 1830, it is Christmas Eve when we meet four struggling bohemians living in a garret: a poet, Rodolfo (Davit Sumbadze); a painter, Marcello (Iurie Gisca); a philosopher, Colline (Valeriu Cojocaru); and a musician, Schaunard (Vitalii Cebotari) who arrives having had some good fortune and they agree to celebrate by dining at Café Momus. They are interrupted by their landlord, Benoît (Eugeniu Ganea) but cleverly trick him into revealing he has been playing around which allows them to throw him o...

22Feb

By Codie WrightNo Comments

North West

Bing’s Birthday – The Lowry

If you have little ones who love Cbeebies, you’ll know of Bing - the bunny who often gets things wrong (and let’s be honest, is a pretty accurate portrayal of toddlerhood), who lives with the tiny and endlessly patient Flop. (I was partially hoping that today’s show would explain a) what animal Flop is and b) what his relationship is with Bing. But spoiler alert: that did not happen). This show brings the joy of the cartoon favourite onto the stage under the guise of it being Bing’s birthday. I have seen quite a few children’s favourites on the stage, and they don’t always hit the mark. Some of them seem rushed, created without care, or love for the source material and are nothing more than an overstimulating cash grab. Thankfully, Bing is not one of those. As soon as we walked in...

20Feb

By Grace AnnabelNo Comments

North West

The Parent Agency – Storyhouse

This evening, I had the immense privilege of watching the world premiere of ‘The Parent Agency’. A BRAND-NEW musical at The Storyhouse based on the best-selling book by David Baddiel with music by Dan-Gillespie Sells and direction by Tim Jackson. The hilariously entertaining production follows the story of eleven-year-old Barry Bennett who dreams of having “better parents”, those who give him everything he has ever wanted! Barry’s wishes come true, and he is transported to the United Kid-dom, where he is taken to the Parent Agency to find the mum and dad of his wildest dreams - however he quickly finds out that all of this is easier said than done and we follow his trials and tribulations along the way. The set and staging by Jon Bausor was spectacular, yet minimalistic in certain as...

20Feb

By Philip EdwardsNo Comments

North West

Beautiful Thing – Harpers Theatre Cafe

It is hard to believe that Jonathan Harvey’s play is 30 years old. Despite the progress made in some areas of LGBTQ life, there are many elements that are just as difficult and for that reason, if nothing else Beautiful Thing is still worth performing in 2025. A company like The Drama Department is to be applauded for staging a piece of theatre that is both heart breaking and humorous, often at the same time. To achieve both of those elements is a bit of a juggling act, and one that was sometimes missed in Michael McCaw’s production. When some of the humour comes from an angry situation, as it does in this play, it needs balance in pitch and tone to bring the elements through and here there was a bit too much shouting to convey anger, and that masked the humour within. A bit of quiet...

20Feb

By Anne PritchardNo Comments

North West

Rave On – Floral Pavilion

Rave On is a musical show which loosely relates the history of Rock ‘n Roll during the 1950’s and 1960’s. It’s popularity relies heavily on nostalgia of the songs featured and the audience aged mainly 60+ with a few exceptions attending, reflected this. The performers in the six piece band are talented musicians and singers, lead vocalist Olliver Seymour Marsh and female soloist Victoria Bass taking the lead on vocals throughout. Seymour Marsh’s looks and gyrating hips, aka Elvis, Billy Fury etc., lend themselves to the 1950’s genre whilst Bass pulls off the looks and vibrant traits of the 50’s and 60’s iconic style with her costumes and effervescence. The opening number, Eddie Cochran’s ‘C’mon Everybody’ set the mood for the evening with Seymour March on vocals and three gu...

19Feb

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

North West

Beauty and the Beast – Grange Theatre

Mid Cheshire Musical Theatre Company (MCMTC) are back with their annual musical offering bringing Disney’s Beaty and the Beast to the wonderful Grange Theatre. Beauty and the Beast is a stage adaptation of Disney's beloved animated film. The musical, with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, and a book by Linda Woolverton, first premiered in 1994. It tells the timeless story of Belle (Gemma Chapman), a bright, independent young woman who is dissatisfied with her small village life and yearns for adventure. The story unfolds when Belle's father, Maurice (Bill Shardlow), gets lost in the woods and stumbles upon the Beast's enchanted castle. The Beast (Ben Vaughan), a prince cursed by an enchantress, imprisons Maurice. Belle offers to take her father's place and b...

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe – Liverpool Empire

19Feb

By Bev ClarkNo Comments

North West

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe – Liverpool Empire

Since the 1950s C S Lewis’ Christian allegory of the Chronicles of Narnia has been delighting children, most especially The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. With many spin offs in Tv and film- it is a children’s classic. The current touring stage show, based on the book and Sally Cookson’s original production, is a journey through a portal to another world of wonder with spectacular sets and costumes in Tom Paris’ design, beautiful music (Race/Bower) and engaging performances. The three main components that bring this to life are - an imaginative concept with a team of ingenious creatives, amazing illusions lighting and sound and a versatile multi-skilled ensemble who sing, dance and play, becoming many different characters. The magic that is created before our ...

19Feb

By Harry AltyNo Comments

NEWS, North West

Dear Evan Hansen – Palace Theatre

After debuting a decade ago, audiences are elated to see the hit modern-day musical Dear Evan Hansen finally grace the Manchester stage as part of a UK national tour. With an impressive cast, innovative staging and a host of earworm hits – it was clearly worth the wait. The musical follows Evan (Ryan Kopel) struggling to traverse his high-school days, he is an awkward outsider who struggles to form friendships in his often-cruel teenage years. In his efforts to fit in, Evan gets caught up in a web of lies that sees him finally be the one thing he had always desired – important. Over the runtime the show explores a range of topics from mental health, family roles and friendship all against the backdrop of a generation growing up completely immersed in the world of social media. Set de...

Queen Extravaganza – Manchester o2 Apollo

17Feb

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Queen Extravaganza – Manchester o2 Apollo

50 years ago, the late, great Freddie Mercury and his fellow Queen bandmates put the finishing touches to a bombastic six-minute piece of prog rock, featuring one of the most famous moments of rock falsetto that, despite mixed critical reaction, would go on to top the UK charts not once but twice. Tonight, Queen Extravaganza, the official tribute band with members hand-picked by Roger Taylor and Brian May, roll into Manchester as part of a UK tour to celebrate Bohemian Rhapsody’s Golden Jubilee, alongside a set-list crammed with other greatest hits. To pay homage to a band like Queen is like picking low-hanging fruit, in that you are assured of a fantastic catalogue of music that weaves through hard rock, heavy metal and operatic sensibilities. Queen Extravaganza, to their cre...

Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 6 – Liverpool Philharmonic

16Feb

By Anna Ní DhúillNo Comments

North West

Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 6 – Liverpool Philharmonic

On a very cold February night, the cozy Liverpool Philharmonic hall proved a glorious respite for more than one sense. The evening’s layout began with Missy Mazzoli’s River Rouge Transfiguration, followed by Brahms’ Violin Concerto in D major, and finished off with Shostakovich’s Symphony in D minor. Lidiya Yankovskaya conducts the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra on this occasion. Photo: Karen Almond Mazzoli’s contemporary River Rouge Transfiguration is given an introductory explanation by conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya, warming us up to the shop floor of the Ford factory in Detroit that the music will soon transport us to. Mazzoli, deemed ‘Brooklyn’s post-Millennial Mozart’ by Time Out Magazine, brings the factory floor to us with an awe and holiness. Indeed, she says tha...