North West Archives - Page 54 of 179

The History Boys – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

17Sep

By Peter RuddickNo Comments

North West

The History Boys – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

It’s hard to believe two decades have passed since the late, great Richard Griffiths first made his motorbike gear-clad entrance onto the National Theatre’s Lyttleton stage as beloved, but problematic, schoolmaster Hector. In that time, two casts of Altrincham Garrick Playhouse History Boys have sat the Oxford and Cambridge entrance exam. Now, to mark the play’s 20-year anniversary, a third is having a go. The appeal of Alan Bennett’s classroom classic is as enduring as the man himself. A true national treasure. This solid production is a good example why. In a northern 1980s sixth form, a set of schoolboys are celebrating passing their A Level exams. The eight have returned, at least in the mind of English and General Studies tutor Hector (Ivor Farley), to resume their pursui...

17Sep

By Clare ChandlerNo Comments

North West

8 Hours There and Back – Unity Theatre

It’s always fascinating to revisit a show further along in its journey. Two years after its work-in-progress sharing at the Unity, 8 Hours There and Back returns to kick off a UK tour, playing to a packed house. The production features new faces—Cal Connor, Olivia Lamb, and Rio Star as children navigating a world they don’t belong in, within a system that has forgotten them—along with some new creatives. Choreographer Adele Inglis infuses the movement with a Hip Hop-inspired vibe, but at its core, the show remains a moving and, at times, harrowing portrayal of the realities of life for children with a parent in prison. This is unmistakably an All Things Considered Theatre production, bearing the distinct creative fingerprints of Sarah Hogarth and Emma Bramley. Deft comic moments prevent...

Now That’s What I Call Armageddon – Daneside Theatre

14Sep

By Angela KellyNo Comments

North West

Now That’s What I Call Armageddon – Daneside Theatre

The idea of a ‘Now’ album highlighting the songs you'd want to listen to before the end of the world is certainly an intriguing concept. Although it’s easy to forget what ‘Now’ album we are up to, this performance by Trinity Amateur Operatic Society is clearly informing us that this is the final one! This album is badged as ‘the ultimate play list for the end of the world’ and directed by Simeon Green and Simon Matthews it is undoubtedly an innovative idea. The premise of the show is essentially about the songs that the public would want to hear as the end of the world approaches. The songs are entered into different categories such as ‘Ultimate song for singing in the shower’,’ …for motivation’, and even ‘…for driving with the window down.’ The backdrop to the stage displayed a T...

13Sep

By Scot CunninghamNo Comments

North West

Gwyneth Goes Skiing – Hope Mill Theatre

It’s barely been a year since Awkward Productions tickled and perplexed Manchester audiences through Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story, yet this queer little theatre company is back at Hope Mill with another not-entirely-accurate story of a style icon to tell. Adversity strikes for the otherwise carefree actress-turned-entrepreneur Gwyneth Paltrow (Linus Karp) after a ski crash with optometrist Terry Sanderson (Joseph Martin) leads to a court battle. The real-life incident occurred in 2016 but wasn’t brought to trial until 2023. An understanding of goop-founding Gwyneth’s background helps to appreciate the humour of this part-musical, part-comedy, as references come hurtling down the Deer Valley slopes thick and fast. The script confidently covers it all, from her incalculable f...

The Girl on the Train – The Brindley Theatre

13Sep

By Codie WrightNo Comments

North West

The Girl on the Train – The Brindley Theatre

Wow. As someone who went into this show not having seen the film or read the book (I read a book called A Girl on A Train, which I didn’t realise until weeks later was not the bestselling novel by Paula Hawkins that everyone else had read), I had no idea what to expect, and I left the theatre feeling utterly blown away! Directed by Clare Littlemore, the show follows Rachel Watson, a well-meaning woman with an alcohol problem (side note: I felt a little uncomfortable at some of the audience’s reactions to Rachel’s drinking. It’s clear that she has an issue with drinking, but there was a lot of laughing in the audience which felt a bit misplaced. Occasionally it felt as though lines were delivered deliberately to evoke a laugh, but other times it was clear that this was not the time, so t...

12Sep

By Damian RiverolNo Comments

North West

Beautiful Thing – Storyhouse, Chester

Disley Theatrical Productions return for their third production, this time making their debut at Storyhouse, Chester. The Garrett Theatre is usually a bare studio space, so it was nice to see it used in a different way with a set that brought the piece to life. Designed by Phil Cross and built by Mark Disley, the main set is the front of three flats in which the characters live, and the communal area outside the front of the flats is where the story is played out, where issues are aired and dealt with. We are occasionally taken to Jamie’s bedroom where a bed is brought to the centre of the stage area and where some tender scenes take place. Beautiful Thing follows the story of three teenagers struggling with their own issues. Jamie who is being bullied at school for being gay, Ste who i...

12Sep

By Louise KershawNo Comments

North West

I Bought a Flip Phone – HOME Mcr

Have you every stopped to wonder what would happen to you if you dumped your smart phone? No more WhatsApp groups, no social media, no googling, no maps. Just a phone for calls and text and nothing else. This is the question Panos Kandunias asks in his one man show which tells the story of Charlie, an almost 27-year-old gay man who has become sick of shuffling and buys himself a flip phone in an attempt to address his 5 hour a day addiction to his now ditched smart device. I Bought a Flip Phone is a passionate exploration of modern digital burnout and the perpetual feeling that life is on hold. It is the very engaging story of a young man searching for deeper and more personal connections with his fellow humans. The staging is sparse. An empty stage with a simple bench and table a...

Murder on the Orient Express – The Lowry

11Sep

By Brian MaddenNo Comments

North West

Murder on the Orient Express – The Lowry

The current touring production of Murder on the Orient Express, presented at The Lowry in Salford, is a resounding success, perfectly capturing the timeless charm of Agatha Christie’s classic mystery while bringing fresh energy to the familiar tale. Directed by Lucy Bailey and adapted by Ken Ludwig, this version pays homage to the original while offering a modern twist that feels both invigorating and faithful to the source material. It’s no small feat to revitalise a story so well-known, yet this production does so with ease. Set in the 1930s, the plot follows Hercule Poirot as he investigates a murder aboard the famed Orient Express, which has become stranded by snow in Yugoslavia. Michael Maloney delivers a standout performance as Poirot, portraying the detective’s methodical nature ...

Margaret Thatcher: Queen of Soho – Lowry Theatre

11Sep

By Louise KershawNo Comments

North West

Margaret Thatcher: Queen of Soho – Lowry Theatre

Currently playing in the Lowry’s Quays Theatre and following four sell-out runs at the Edinburgh Fringe is the ‘smash hit drag extravaganza’ Margaret Thatcher Queen of Soho. This big gay odyssey about LGBT rights and the Section 28 amendment to the Local Government Act of 1988 is pretty much a whistle stop tour of the 1980s and the homophobic battle within the Conservative Party to push the legislation through. Our hero in this battle, the then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher; our villain, the then MP for Birmingham Edgbaston. Jill Knight. As battle commenced, pantomime style and accompanied by the hi energy hits of the time, a punk Peter Tatchell, the ghost of Winston Churchill, the kids from Grange Hill, The A Team and the Weather Girls, the joyous chaos that followed kept the ...

8Sep

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

Brassed Off – Octagon Theatre, Bolton

The Octagon Theatre in Bolton resounds to the sound of beautiful Brass this Autumn as we open their new season with an adaptation by Paul Allen of the iconic 90’s film of the same name, exploring the effect of the Miners’ strike through the prism of the Colliery band. Set a decade after the seminal events of 1984, Director Liz Stevenson has successfully transferred some of the grit of the original to the stage and added wistful musicality to the mix, but the authenticity of working-class culture is missing, sacrificed on the altar of whimsical nostalgia and an inappropriate feel good ending. The set design (Simon Kenny) evokes the disused grandeur of a closed coal mine, the broken Colliery wheel is suspended above a black circular stage, a conveyor littered with coal and acting as a ram...