North West Archives - Page 69 of 129

<strong>Ellen Kent’s La Boheme – Opera House, Manchester</strong>

28Jan

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

Ellen Kent’s La Boheme – Opera House, Manchester

Producer Ellen Kent has created a niche in the theatrical world over the last three decades, importing the best of traditional ballet and opera from Eastern Europe to be staged here in the UK. Given the ongoing war in Ukraine and subsequent political upheaval, it is a testament to her tenacity that she has managed to bring 'The Ukrainian Opera & Ballet Theatre' from war torn Kyiv, on a Spring tour to the UK, beginning at Manchester's Opera House. The small company of approximately a dozen, supplemented by local young artists and supported by a full orchestra, will be showcasing classic works by Puccini and Verdi over the next four months; Madama Butterfly, Aida and La Boheme. Ah, 'La Boheme'! At this point I have to confess my history with Puccini's impossibly romantic story of doom...

27Jan

By Hannah EsnoufNo Comments

North West

Touch – Unity Theatre

Becky Downing has carefully crafted a beautiful script that brings four people’s stories together. As they were playing to a sold-out crowd, there was high expectation for the long-awaited verbatim piece, and it was received with great warmth. Verbatim, for those that are unaware, is a theatrical device where the real words of people are used in the script. In this instance, it was handled well, and the language of those people was owned and honoured by those on stage. Set over one day, this play tells a lot more about the connections between four neighbours, and for me the best moments were when everyone was still. At times it felt that the movement in and around the space was scripted and not spontaneous, which distracted from what was being said. Using a wonderfully diverse cas...

Madama Butterfly – Manchester Opera House

27Jan

By Jan MellorNo Comments

North West

Madama Butterfly – Manchester Opera House

What a privilege to be able to see one of Puccini’s most iconic operas, in one of auditoriums built for such a performance – at the Opera House in Manchester. I was so delighted to see this (even if it was on a school night!) and as it was a packed house so were a lot of people. The set was stunning, with the Japanese pagoda and trees across the stage and as the curtain rose we were taken to a mountain top village in Nagasaki, where life was simple, traditions obeyed and love was strong. Lieutenant Pinkerton of the American Navy, awaits his bride to be, the 15 year old naïve Cio-Cio-San, and is shown around his mountain top home by the marriage broker Goro. The American is joined by the American Consul Sharpless, who has adept knowledge of Japanese traditions and knowing that t...

<strong>You Are My Sunshine – Unity Theatre</strong>

22Jan

By Hannah EsnoufNo Comments

North West

You Are My Sunshine – Unity Theatre

Izzy Campbell took on the daunting task of writing and starring in her own work. You are my Sunshine shines a light on the difficult conversations that families have about mental health. With only two performers, the task was big, and they made a large effort to try and make it succeed. It begins with music, a common device for the bringing on of characters, but in this case, it went on for too long and the dialogue got lost. Faye Donnellan chose a simple setting of a living room set-up which worked for the intimacy of the conversations that followed. Yet, the yellow balloons, the same ones on the poster, were rid of in the first scene, perhaps they could have had a bit more relevance throughout the performance to be deemed necessary to have onstage. The character of Emily, played by...

Unsolicited (An Unsafe Space for Straight Men) – Royal Court Theatre

21Jan

By Clare ChandlerNo Comments

North West

Unsolicited (An Unsafe Space for Straight Men) – Royal Court Theatre

Every woman knows the importance of identifying your exits, they plan their routes home from nights out and experience the momentary panic when the taxi driver takes an unfamiliar route. They have been educated from birth that it is their responsibility to prevent men from raping them, by dressing appropriately, not wearing headphones, holding their keys in the correct manner. And so, we join All Things Considered Theatre aboard the Spice Up Your Lifeboat as they navigate the treacherous, sometimes deadly, Sea of Misogyny. Four multi-talented performers (Ashleigh Owen, Frankie Gold, Holly Wright, Shannon Lavelle) bedecked in sequins and glitter guide us through this exploration of unsafe spaces, unwanted dick pics, harassment and more with All Things Considered’s usual...

<strong>Singing with Friends – Rainhill Village Hall</strong>

21Jan

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Singing with Friends – Rainhill Village Hall

A simple title yet, as director Paul Robinson says in his notes, full of meaning. This was so much more than a show: it was the history of a company that goes back over seventy years; it was the meaning of family that the company has come to embrace; it was the tale of putting on many a production; but most importantly it was the journey and story of many individuals whose combined whole is so much more than these words can do justice. A Broadway musical medley from the entire ensemble with live band accompaniment consisting of Paul Taft (guitar), Kevin Bates (bass) and Amy Gray (drums) led by musical director and maestro on the piano, Wayne Oakes, got the evening off with a bang, with Charlotte Orme injecting some real energy into Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Bet Davies’ pron...

<strong>Pride and Prejudice* (*Sort of) – The Lowry</strong>

20Jan

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

**Pride and Prejudice* (*Sort of) – The Lowry**

Sending up classical literature is nothing new but there’s still nothing quite like the sight of one of its most iconic characters busting out an accordion whilst her mother has an asthma attack on the chaise longue. Welcome to the most irreverent interpretation of Austen you’re ever likely to witness. A madcap mix of petticoats and profanity that prompts everything from schoolgirl sniggers to flat out belly laughs, like a foul-mouthed French and Saunders spoof on steroids. Here, Austen’s familiar tale of the Bennett brood, with their overbearing mother desperate to marry them off lest they lose their fortune and home to a most disagreeable male relative, is told through the view of the servants of the Bennett home of Longbourne. They highlight with hilarious effect, not onl...

<strong>The Cher Show – Liverpool Empire</strong>

18Jan

By Grace AnnabelNo Comments

North West

The Cher Show – Liverpool Empire

Tonight, I had the privilege of watching the dazzling new musical, ‘The Cher Show’. Having been exposed to this musical flooding social media for months, I was eager to see what the hype was all about. Some may believe this is a niche market - Jukebox musicals - therefore I was intrigued to find out if this one can appeal to a mass audience. To give a brief synopsis, The Cher show takes us on the journey of Cher’s life, and the creators have crafted this cleverly using three different performers to symbolise the three stages of her life. We are introduced to prominent characters in Cher’s life and are shown the relationships with each person and how they develop. From the moment we entered the Empire’s grand auditorium, the energy was electric. We were greeted with an intricate set o...

<strong>The Importance of Being Earnest – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse</strong>

17Jan

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

The Importance of Being Earnest – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

The third week in January traditionally brings 'Blue Monday', reportedly the most depressing day of the entire year. So, in an attempt to pull the audience away from the warmth of hearth and home in the depths of Winter, Altrincham Garrick Playhouse have updated Oscar Wilde's enduring masterpiece of misunderstanding and deception for a modern audience. First staged on Valentine's Day 1895, the plot of 'Earnest' revolves around the wooing of Gwendolen Fairfax (Antonia Whitehead) and Cecily Cardew (Lauren Robinson) by John Worthing (Jamie Sloan) and Algie Moncrieff (Chris Shoop Worrall), abetted by the usual farcical misunderstandings and enough outrageous plot twists to make Charles Dickens blush. What lifts the play above mere buffoonery is the quality of the writing, the genius 'bon mo...

<strong>Snow White – The Atkinson</strong>

14Jan

By Rebecca CaseyNo Comments

North West

Snow White – The Atkinson

Once upon a time in a lovely little fishing village called Southport, Snow White and the seven…..elves took to the stage at The Atkinson, in an all singing, all dancing spectacular pantomime. All Souls Dramatic Club have once again taken a classic tale and added their own modern spin, bringing together a wealth of local talent and an eclectic musical score. Writer and director Cliff Gillies, alongside choreographer Katie Palfrey and Musical Director Chris Rimmer, together are a dream team. If anything, it was a little long, particularly the first half, this wouldn’t matter so much on a matinee, but it was a school night and I had brought along my nephew. The show opened at 7.30 and the interval didn’t happen until 8.50pm, I saw from the programme song list that a song had actually...