Thursday, October 10

North West

<strong>Quatuor Danel – Manchester Jewish Museum</strong>
North West

Quatuor Danel – Manchester Jewish Museum

The University of Manchester’s internationally acclaimed string quartet in residence, Quatuor Danel, brought their lively repertoire to Manchester Jewish Museum’s historic synagogue with two quartets from composers of Jewish descent, who despite living a century apart, shared a complex yet strong relationship to their Jewish faith, as well as writing pieces in memory of lost sisters. Following an introduction from The University of Manchester’s resident Mendelssohn expert, Professor Thomas Schmidt, the first piece was Felix Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No.6 in F Minor, Op.80, which was the composer’s last major piece, completed just two months before his death in 1847. It was written in tribute to his sister, the composer Fanny Mendelssohn, who herself died earlier that year. Mendels...
<strong>Snow White and the Scouse Queen – Hope Street Theatre</strong>
North West

Snow White and the Scouse Queen – Hope Street Theatre

Panto is a tricky beast to get right. Audiences come armed with expectations of organized chaos, cheesy jokes and lots of interaction. City Theatre have aimed to turn the formula a little bit on its head, modernizing the tale of Snow White (played by Molly Riley) and bringing it away from some unknown Fairy Tale kingdom, into the heart of Liverpool. City Theatre’s ethos is about opportunity for those with a passion for performing arts to have a space to develop their ability and confidence. This is evident in the show as we certainly have heaps of enthusiasm but a bit of a mixed bag in performance craft. Strong turns come from Elisha Mai Curry as Fairy Hope, with her powerhouse vocals, an energetic Denise Collins as Billy Shine and a warm, charming Lucy Walters as the ironically depr...
<strong>Dick Whittington – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse</strong>
North West

Dick Whittington – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

Pantomime season is once more upon us, and the Garrick Playhouse in Altrincham is joining in the fun once more.  This year’s offering is Dick Whittington, the age old tale of a young man, seeking his fortune in London.  The Garrick have kept to the basics of the story with their own adaptations and as with any panto lots of modern and local references The staging of the show is well done with a simple but effective design, excellent lighting effects and stunning costumes.  There are some sound issues with actors being hard to hear, especially when singing, but that could be first night technical hitches. The actors are enthusiastic and generally perform well.  Shining stars are Dan Ellis, who also directs, as Idle Jack and Phil Edwards as Sarah the Cook. &nbs...
<strong>BETTY! – A sort of Musical – Royal Exchange Theatre</strong>
North West

BETTY! – A sort of Musical – Royal Exchange Theatre

As we left the Royal Exchange this evening following the World Premiere of 'BETTY! - A sort of Musical', I understood the necessity of the subtitle in attempting to describe this show. 'Betty' is part musical, part sketch comedy and all heart, a Winter warmer that is both funny and completely bonkers but lacks the consistency to make it a real Christmas cracker. Director Sarah Frankcom and Maxine Peake have further developed their long standing working relationship with both each other and this Mancunian theatrical institution, 'BETTY' is their eighth project working together. This time round they have enlisted composer and songwriter Seiriol Davies to tell the story of Baroness Betty Boothroyd, the redoubtable first woman Speaker of the House of Commons and her extraordinary rise to po...
<strong><u>White Christmas – Liverpool Empire</u></strong>
North West

White Christmas – Liverpool Empire

The classic Irving Berlin Christmas film, White Christmas has been turned into a heart-warming musical, that is sure to get even the grinch into the Christmas spirit! 10 years after their last Christmas of the Second World War, Captain Bob Wallace and Private Phil Davis are huge music stars. They’ve kicked off the festive season on The Ed Sullivan Show and plan on getting the red-eye (overnight) train from Grand Central station to Florida, to rehearse and try out their new musical revue. Whilst searching for a sister duo to be their opening act, they meet Betty and Judy Haynes and end up with them in Vermont – even stumbling across their old army general, as the innkeeper! The classic romantic comedy storyline ensues, boys meet girls, start falling in love, a misunderstanding happens bu...
<strong>Cinderella – Theatre Royal, St Helens</strong>
North West

Cinderella – Theatre Royal, St Helens

With a cast fresh from our TV screens, my expectations for Regal Entertainment's annual Christmas Panto at St. Helens Theatre Royal were high and, fortunately, I was not disappointed. One of the many charms of reviewing the marvellous institution of British Panto, is anticipating how production teams might 'freshen up' extremely overdone fairy tales to avoid audience fatigue and deliver hilarious family entertainment year after year. Cinderella at St. Helens Theatre Royal was anything but tired thanks to an eclectic mix of ventriloquism from the massively talented Jamie Leahey and Chuck (Postman and Speciality Act), stand-up comedy from Jon Courtenay (Dandini), hilarious antics from Lewis Devine (Buttons), breath-taking vocal performance from Rachel Wood (Fairy Godmother) and ah-inducin...
<strong>West End to Broadway: A Christmas Cabaret – The Pendleton School of Theatre</strong>
North West

West End to Broadway: A Christmas Cabaret – The Pendleton School of Theatre

Ahh December, a time for proud parents to crowd into overheated school halls and gymnasiums to watch the tradition that is the school Christmas show, usually an event where hymns and Christmas songs are gently murdered by offspring with varying degrees of talent. Fortunately, I am at The Pendleton School of Theatre this evening where no such horrors await, and I'm wafted gently into the festive season on a tide of theatrical artistry that ensures the continuation of the excellent reputation of this school. Nostalgia blankets the programme this evening like the frost outside on this freezing Salford night, with both Musical Director Neil G Bennett and Director Becky Marshall raiding their memory box of Christmas, bringing us a programme that in addition to the traditional, allows a coupl...
<strong>The Borrowers – Theatre by the Lake</strong>
North West

The Borrowers – Theatre by the Lake

The tiny people who live in the walls and under the floorboards make a return visit to Theatre by the Lake as The Borrowers provides family entertainment this Christmas and into the new year, writes Karen Morley-Chesworth. The adaptation of Mary Norton’s children’s classic by Theresa Heskins follows the adventures of Pod, Homily and their daughter Arrietty whose life is turned upside down when discovered by the humans living in the house where they live under the floor. This re-telling, with the permission of the deFaria Company plays around with the scale of life between the tiny Borrowers, the human child & adults - as well as the wildlife in the open fields surrounding the Borrower’s home. With the use of puppets and set scale, we zoom in and out of the two worlds which collid...
<strong>Cinderella – Floral Pavilion</strong>
North West

Cinderella – Floral Pavilion

Floral Pavilion and Martin Dodd for UK Productions bring Cinderella to audiences this festive season. With a cast known from TV, Pop bands to theatre stars, there was an array of talent on stage tonight. Cinderella follows the story of a young girl, Cinders, who is treated unfairly by her stepsisters and follows the handsome Prince Charming as he throws a ball to find the girl of his dreams. This evening’s show was their first day of performances and as an I felt that they had not yet fully settled in. There were a few issues with sound where, on numerous occasions, mics did not come on at the beginning of people’s lines meaning the audience were missing bits of dialogue. In the larger numbers in the show, the band seemed to completely overshadow the cast on stage, again, leaving the au...
<strong>SHREK The Musical – Liverpool Empire</strong>
North West

SHREK The Musical – Liverpool Empire

This family-focused musical with music by Jeanine Tesori is based on the Oscar-winning DreamWorks Animation film, Shrek, with book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire; it brings all the familiar characters from the film to life. It is a very funny, unusual fairy-tale in which curses are reversed, donkeys and dragons find love, princesses in all shapes and sizes are beautiful and monsters get the girls. The moral of the story is that it's important to accept people who are different and the title character, who is a green ogre, definitely fits the bill. Shrek is a swamp-dwelling ogre who, in a make-believe land, embarks on a quest to reclaim his land.  He encounters a smart-aleck donkey with the gift of the gab, who becomes a good friend, battles a scarey fire-breathing dragon and...