North West Archives - Page 5 of 179

16Jan

By Stephanie WiswallNo Comments

North West

Rapunzel – Rainhill Village Hall

Looking for a fun filled magical night? Look no further than Rainhill Musical Theatre Company's wonderful production of Rapunzel. Rainhill pleasantly surprise me every time I see them by adding magical moments which are unexpected and fun within their shows. The show is opened by the adorably ditzy Fairy Dandruff (Lauren Bewley) who appealed beautifully to the kids in the audience with her dozy but sassy character. In perfect contrast, you are then introduced to Mother Gothel (Lynsey Corner), mean, vindictive but with an element of Edina from Absolutely Fabulous which gives her a brilliant all round comedic edge. A character you love to hate. Moving on to Dame Fanny (David Flanagan), Pascal (David Stevens) and King Bouffant (Gavin Simpson-White) they had good chemistry on stag...

15Jan

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

To Kill a Mockingbird – The Lowry

If the rest of my theatrical year measures up to this stunning start, then I am in for a vintage 2026. My first outing is a superb stage rendering of Harper Lee’s 1960 novel To Kill a Mockingbird, currently midway through an extensive UK tour following its runaway success on the London stage earlier this decade. A distinctly diverse audience greeted the production at the cavernous Lyric Theatre in Salford for this packed press night. A mixture of ageing grey hairs (like myself), with distant memories of studying the book for O-level, mingled with excitable GCSE students who have encountered Scout, Atticus and Boo Radley much more recently. All were entranced by the stage adaptation of the novel which, whilst staying faithful to the spirit and morality of the original, managed to find 21...

HadesTown Teen Edition – The Forum Theatre

15Jan

By David S ClarkeNo Comments

North West

HadesTown Teen Edition – The Forum Theatre

This is another production at which NK excels, gathering a number of extremely talented young people together to bring out the best in their multiple abilities resulting in a gloriously entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable production, although I have to confess that at times I was a bit bewildered as to what was going on in the storyline, but that is down to my shortcomings rather than any fault with the cast. It was wonderful to see Paul Wilson directing another teen edition version of a classic show following on from the excellent Six which he directed a couple of years ago (ably complimented by Ceri Graves as Musical Director and Jenny Wilson as Choreographer) and it was always going to be difficult to reach the same standard as they previously achieved with that production but agai...

Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts – Liverpool Playhouse

14Jan

By Stephanie WiswallNo Comments

North West

Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts – Liverpool Playhouse

Twists, turns, murder and mystery sound like your kind of evening? If so, join the dynamic cast of characters in Inspector Morse at the Liverpool Playhouse from 13th to 17th January 2026. The staging is set, the lights are low and you are plunged into an intriguingly immersive scene. A murder! Who killed sweet or troubled Rebecca? (Eliza Teale) Our main man, the likeable and quirky Inspector Morse (Tom Chambers) takes to the stage, accompanied by his more stable and rule following partner Lewis (Tachia Newall). Both dive into a shady past of wealth of characters from calm and composed Ellen (Teresa Banham), the wild and rough Freddy (James Gladdon), unstable and erratic Justin (Spin Glancy) and the messy and divaesc Verity (Charlotte Randle). Special mentions to Josh Katembela ...

11Jan

By Helen JonesNo Comments

North West

Cinderella – Waterside Arts

Sale Nomads are back at Waterside Arts with their annual post Christmas pantomime. This year Cinderella is the one in favour for the first time since 2017. In this production we have all the usual protagonists – Cinders, Buttons, Prince Charming, Dandini and of course the ugly sisters. The Nomads have high production standards and here they work hard to keep those standards in place. In the majority, it works. Good actors. Well designed and executed set. Excellent technical execution. The one blip – parts of the script. Pantomime is always a derivative art form. The basic plot, the corny jokes and so on. Some blatant plagiarism is a little harder to handle. Maybe the writers didn’t expect audience members to be as fam...

Beauty and the Beast – The Atkinson, Southport

22Dec

By Rebecca CaseyNo Comments

North West

Beauty and the Beast – The Atkinson, Southport

KD Productions have been bringing Southport’s professional pantomime for the past three years. This year the traditional tale of Beauty and the Beast. Obviously, there are things that cannot be done due to copyright. But all of the things are in there, a goody a baddie and a happily ever after. Even the it’s behind you moment. With live band of musicians led by musical director Alex Holley. I will say I find it a little bit of a shame that they are not able to use people from the north west to appear in a pantomime taking place in the north west. I understand that you find talent where you find it, but we have a lot of talented professionals from the area. Having said that, of course, the cast were very talented; Safia Bartley gave us a lovely Belle, a stunning vocal with lovel...

Shaun The Sheep’s Circus Show – Aviva Studios

17Dec

By Harry AltyNo Comments

North West

Shaun The Sheep’s Circus Show – Aviva Studios

For families looking for an alternative production this festive season, Aviva Studios has the European premiere of Circa and Aardman’s Shaun the Sheep’s Circus Show. First appearing in Wallace & Gromit’s 1995 classic A Close Shave, Shaun has established himself as a firm favourite with families. Combining the cast of characters from Muddy Bottom Farm with acrobatics straight from a circus tent, this family-friendly extravaganza is primed to keep the kids entertained during the show’s run until January 4th. Our farm set fills the large stage of The Hall at Aviva Studios, with green fields and rural landscapes building out Shaun’s world. The impressive, sloped backdrop acts as a slide for our cast of adventurous sheep, drawing the biggest reaction from the audience as they launch down...

13Dec

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

North West

Cinderella – The Brindley

Last year I was invited to review my first ever pantomime at The Brindley in association with New Pantomime Productions and I wrote in my review “personally I cannot wait to return in 2025 to see if, and how this show can be beaten”. Well, I am thrilled to report that this year’s production did indeed beat last years. This is traditional pantomime at its very best. Making her professional debut and leading the cast was the superb Emma Laverty as Cinderella. Laverty looks so at home on stage you would believe she has been treading the panto boards for years, with a stunning crystal clear voice and natural interactions with all she was on stage with I predict big things for this young lady. Mikey Rowan playing Cinderella’s love interest Prince Charming commanded the stage whenever he w...

Flint Street Nativity – St Hilda’s Church

12Dec

By Stephanie WiswallNo Comments

North West

Flint Street Nativity – St Hilda’s Church

They say never work with children or animals! Well, as you can imagine, directing a nativity performed by a class of seven-year-olds is enough to test the patience of even the calmest of people. Mizzis Horrocks and her class, with their squabbles and specific interests trying to be stubbornly squeezed into the birth of the baby Jesus, culminates in one excellent comedic musical which is bound to get you in the jolly spirit of Christmas. Woolton Drama Group present to you 'The Flint Street Nativity' directed by Georgina Anwyl and Andrew Parsons. Stage Management by Charlotte Titley. An assemblage of diverse characters takes to the stage to entertain and delight you for the evening. Firstly, let's start with the angelic perfectionist Mary herself (Jenny Snell), there's one in every cla...

Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch – The Lowry

12Dec

By Katie LeicesterNo Comments

North West

Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch – The Lowry

Unfortunate splashes back onto the stage with all the camp, chaos and deliciously wicked sparkle you could hope for. Directed by Robyn Grant and written by Grant and Daniel Foxx, this gloriously irreverent musical flips The Little Mermaid on its tail, giving Ursula the narrative power she has always deserved. In this fabulously filthy retelling, Ursula isn’t the villain but the victim, cast out from her home and from the arms of her one true love, King Triton, after a web of murderous lies twists the kingdom against her. Years later, she finds herself drawn back into Atlantica’s drama when the hopelessly horny and hilariously naïve Ariel decides she wants legs, not for adventure, but for access to the human men and their “genital anatomy.” The result is a riotous, queer, glitter-soaked ...