North West Archives - Page 70 of 129

<strong>Girl from the North Country – Liverpool Empire</strong>

12Jan

By Ezzy LaBelleNo Comments

North West

Girl from the North Country – Liverpool Empire

As the audience eagerly chatters in anticipation, a scene not unlike a film unfolds, drawing spectators along with it. A lone man walks on stage and begins to sing unexpectedly. The lights gradually dim, both on stage and in the auditorium, as others walk about their business and a set is lowered down. Everyone is cocooned. Everyone is both part of the community in Girl from the North Country and a fly-on-the-wall watcher - it is an experience as much as a performance. Set in 1934, Girl from the North Country transports viewers to a time-weathered guesthouse in Duluth, US and draws them into the lives of its inhabitants for a year. The narrative is creatively conveyed through Bob Dylan songs, making the show unique in its interpretation of a musician's repertoire. Director and writer...

<strong>Handel’s Messiah – Liverpool Philharmonic</strong>

8Jan

By Ezzy LaBelleNo Comments

North West

Handel’s Messiah – Liverpool Philharmonic

Hallelujah! Renowned and revered, George Frideric Handel’s masterpiece, Messiah, fills Liverpool Philharmonic Hall to provide a sumptuous evening of music. Led by eminent German maestro Clemens Schuldt, this rousing aural experience is not to be missed. First performed in 1742, Messiah has become one of Handel’s most successful works. Fusing the traditions of Italian Opera, German Passion and English Anthem, it has both a geographical and timeless appeal that often cuts to the core of audiences, and this performance is no different. Featuring four of the finest singers in Europe on the solos – Dorothee Mields (soprano), Anna Stéphany (mezzo-soprano), Caspar Singh (tenor) and Benjamin Appl (baritone) – the marriage between musicians, choristers and soloists is truly harmonic. Messi...

<strong>Dreamgirls – Liverpool Empire</strong>

4Jan

By Clare ChandlerNo Comments

North West

Dreamgirls – Liverpool Empire

Dreamgirls is an iconic musical, later movie musical, but it is on stage where the story really sings. The show follows the rise of the Dreamettes (later the Dreams) amidst the changing sounds of America in the swinging sixties. The trio at the musical’s heart (Effie, Deena and Lorrell) navigate these challenges, finding success, overcoming heartbreak and – ultimately – learning to love themselves and one another. Dreamgirls premiered on Broadway in 1981, it was directed and choreographed by musical theatre legend Michael Bennett. Thirty-five years later the show made its UK debut, opening on the West End in a new production directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw. This production is now on a UK tour, and we caught up with it at the Liverpool Empire. The show continues ...

<strong>Jack and the Beanstalk – Hope Street Theatre</strong>

22Dec

By Donna M DayNo Comments

North West

Jack and the Beanstalk – Hope Street Theatre

Jack and the Beanstalk is an all singing, all dancing pantomime, full of Scouse humour, original and fun musical numbers and all of the interactive jokes that make pantomime a great festive experience for all of the family. Written by Christopher Jones and directed by John Garfield-Roberts, assisted by Kazia Cannon, this is a great pantomime to introduce children to the theatre or continue an existing festive tradition with children who are already familiar with the annual showcases. The stage, with set design by Amy Le Dain, is outlined in bright green cheerful beanstalks and features a cute house that has been taken straight from a fairy tale. This is the home of Jack Trott (Joe Owens) and he, as Mother Nature (Lesley Butler) tells us, is the reluctant hero of our tale. Jack however i...

Stocking Fillers – Liverpool’s Royal Court Studio

21Dec

By Hannah EsnoufNo Comments

North West

Stocking Fillers – Liverpool’s Royal Court Studio

Stocking Fillers – Liverpool’s Royal Court Studio December 2022 If you need something to make you feel Christmassy, look no further. Amongst the wholesome decoration of the studio, Emma Bird has allowed these short plays to shine. With a drunken Santa, a police investigation, and a church flasher, laughs were not running short. As a collection of short plays provided by the new writer's scheme at the theatre, it was a fantastic collection of tales. Rachel Hunter’s Derby Day Domestic was a lovely way to open. Pip was a highlight and the comedy timing was sharp. Tendency was had to verge on playing for a laugh, but it was minor and didn’t distract from the story. White Christmas Lies by Wallace Charles was a highlight for me. Performed with conviction and warmth, this monologu...

<strong>The Ocean at the End of the Lane – The Lowry</strong>

21Dec

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

The Ocean at the End of the Lane – The Lowry

When a reviewer is compiling their list of 'Best Shows of the Year', it is advisable to wait until the end of December until they make their final decision. Tonight, having attended the packed press night for 'The Ocean at the End of the Lane' at the opening of its extensive UK tour, I have had to rip up my list for 2022 and start again. As with many of the classic stories aimed at a younger audience, we begin our tale with loss and grief. A man (Trevor Fox) returns to his family home to bury his Father, an event that acts as the stepping off point, evoking his childhood memories of a series of strange and wonderful adventures for his boyhood self (Keir Ogilvy) and best friend Lettie Hempstock (Millie Hikasa). A more detailed summary of the plot is superfluous, suffice to say that au...

<strong>Ghost Stories For Christmas – Liverpool Central Library</strong>

17Dec

By Carole BaldockNo Comments

North West

Ghost Stories For Christmas – Liverpool Central Library

'Tis the season to be jolly...well scared by tales of the Supernatural, in the unsettling setting of Hornby Library, And Ramsey Campbell, our foremost horror writer (Stephen King is a fan), crowns the show with Calling Card, originally commissioned by the Daily Post in the 80s. Like the other three tales, it is atmospheric and scary: keeping you on the edge of your seat. And trapped there. The whole evening evokes an insidious feeling of constantly being watched, by something, caught up in an hallucination, or dream, nightmare, rather. Oh, I am going to sleep well tonight. His offering indeed takes place at Xmas, while two of the others could be any time, and any place, worryingly, though locally set is alarming, far too close to home. We open with Strike, read by Samantha Alton, parts ...

<strong>Realms of Glory – 53Two</strong>

17Dec

By Scot CunninghamNo Comments

North West

Realms of Glory – 53Two

As the Christmas Markets and colourful pantomimes take over Manchester’s culture scene, tucked away in a pocket of Deansgate, a seasonal offering from 53two comes in the form of Imaginality Production’s ‘Realms of Glory’, a World War Two-inspired musical. The Manchester Blitz of 1940 sees munitions worker Lizzie entombed in her home at Christmastime by the heavy bombings. Trapped and alone, she reminisces about times gone by. A theatrical festive feast is promised in the show’s synopsis, but a lack of story depth and characterisation leaves little to feed on. The focus is on Lizzie’s ‘love at first sight’ relationship with RAF pilot Robert and their desire to raise a family, with time also dedicated to her friend Mavis, who falls for Jim. What unfolds is simply a series of sombre soa...

<strong>The Pantomime Adventures of Peter Pan – Opera House, Manchester</strong>

14Dec

By Grace AnnabelNo Comments

North West

The Pantomime Adventures of Peter Pan – Opera House, Manchester

As one would expect from such a prestigious venue, the Opera House’s annual Christmas pantomime was on a truly epic scale. As soon as the curtain lifted to a magical, fluttering Tink (Samara Casteallo), floating high above the enormous stage, the audience sensed it was in for an exceptional evening of festive entertainment with breath-taking special effects and screen graphics. A brief, child-friendly synopsis of the storyline was given by Tink to familiarise the audience with the upcoming plot before a colourful array of high-energy ensemble dancers dressed in jungle costumes stepped up the gears to mark the beginning of a vibrant, action-packed visual extravaganza. The vivid, gaudy artwork of the multi-dimensional stage set was a sight to behold and matched the ostentatiousness ...

<strong>Goldilocks and the Three Bears – Epstein Theatre</strong>

14Dec

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Goldilocks and the Three Bears – Epstein Theatre

I think I’m in love with a pantomime villain. We’ll come to the snake-hipped Von Vippemall in a moment. Firstly, an acknowledgement that in an absolute ocean of Pantos, it can be very difficult to stand out from the crowd. But Regal Entertainment’s offering, directed by Chantelle Nolan, has not so much raised the bar as smashed it into orbit with the perfect blend of music, slapstick and a few fantastic circus acts to literally put a new spin on a well-known fairytale. The familiar plot of Goldilocks gets dispensed with in about two minutes flat so that we can focus on a far more interesting tale – Goldilocks (played by the charmingly bubbly Olivia Sloyan) is now a circus entrepreneur with her mother, Dame Gertie (Britain’s Got Talent favourite, Mama G, from Dame Nation) with the thr...