North West Archives - Page 77 of 178

Giovanni, Let Me Entertain You – Floral Pavilion

1Feb

By Emma LambeNo Comments

North West

Giovanni, Let Me Entertain You – Floral Pavilion

Strictly Theatre Co. presents a fun filled evening with quite possibly Strictly's favourite professional dancer, well certainly mine, Giovanni Pernice! This show proves how he is an all-round entertainer, he is not only a highly talented dancer, but showman and surprisingly a singer too. He charms us with his cheekiness and multiple times showing love for being centre stage by asking the spotlight to be moved etc. This is all done in a charming way and is very likeable in the process. He is joined by a cast of professional dancers and West End performers and a 2-man band. Most noticeably his fellow Strictly Dancer Lauren Oakley, who wowed us just as much. The live music was the icing on the cake, as their vocals brought the roof down. Giovanni draws us in with his cheeky swag, earnin...

29Jan

By Peter RuddickNo Comments

North West

Enough – King’s Arms, Salford

When Enough was first performed at the Greater Manchester Fringe last summer it was depressingly prescient. A play about misogyny, corruption and racism in the police less than six months after a review into the culture and standards of behaviour at the Met was published. As part of a Best of Fringe season, Enough is one of a handful of last year’s highlights being revived at the King’s Arms in Salford. The play won a Best Drama award in the summer, and it is not hard to see why. The subject matter may be, marginally, less topical but is no less important. In fact, the ‘enough is enough’ message is, arguably, even more powerful now. The attention of the headlines circus may have moved on but the issues this play raises have not been resolved. As is often the case, it is down to po...

Stranger Sings – Theatre Royal, St Helens

24Jan

By Gill LewisNo Comments

North West

Stranger Sings – Theatre Royal, St Helens

A playful teasing of the popular TV show which knows its audience well. Backed by a full set of original 80s bubble-gum pop synth beats make for a fun night for fans and mouth breathers alike. The popular science fiction horror series, Stranger Things, based around the unusual supernatural happenings in a small Indiana town, sparked a resurgence in bad haircuts and introduced a younger generation to the iconic Kate Bush. Its growing fandom, a reflection of its richness and texture that makes up the brilliance of the Netflix series. The nerdy quirkiness of its characters who inhabit the small town of Hawkins and their interpersonal relationships, provide the best source of parodic material. With Book, Music and Lyrics by Jonathan Hogue, Stranger Sings presents origin...

24Jan

By Adam WilliamsNo Comments

North West

Murder in the Dark – The Lowry

Thrillers on stage are notoriously difficult to pull off effectively and I am afraid this one didn’t quite hit the mark. Unfortunately, I was not on the edge of my seat and the supposed thrills, twists and turns at the end flailed rather than flabbergasted. Which is a shame because the groundwork was solidly laid for a classic murder mystery thriller. A group of characters are left in an isolated farm, and we become increasingly concerned there maybe something nasty in the woodshed. Danny (Tom Chambers) and Sarah (Laura White) are welcomed into the farmhouse by the eccentric owner Mrs Bateman (Susie Blake). It is New Year’s Eve, he has just buried his mother, they are miles from anywhere and Danny is desperate for a drink. He has crashed his car into a wall, and they will have to sta...

24Jan

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

The Time Machine – The Lowry

There’s usually a golden rule that you don’t talk about yourself in writing a review. But when you end up being part of the show, it makes that somewhat tricky to follow. But this being a play about time travel, let’s rewind. HG Wells’ sci-fi classic has been subject to many adaptations, but this has possibly been one of the most irreverent. Borrowing heavily from the stylings of Mischief Theatre (the giants behind the ‘…Goes Wrong’ suite of shows), we have the familiar play-within-a-play setup as our three actors (George Kemp, Amy Revelle, and Michael Dylan) look to present their take on The Time Machine, having recently discovered that George is actually the great-great grandson of Wells’, with things failing to run as smoothly as they’d hope. The show makes the most of the trio...

The Rocky Horror Show – Opera House, Manchester

24Jan

By Katie LeicesterNo Comments

North West

The Rocky Horror Show – Opera House, Manchester

Since the original show in 1973 the ‘Rocky Horror Show’ has gained generations of fans who have been seduced by its mix of horror-comedy and science-fiction script, with an excuse to dress up for the occasion. Over the half a century of the show, it has increased in its popularity with the not just the oldies but with a whole new generation of young followers. Despite the show being over 50 years old it has absolutely no signs of ageing as it continues to entice theatregoers through its doors with its bright, bold and extremely risqué script that bursts into life from the beginning through to the finale. The show is not for the faint hearted as you are guaranteed to be met with an auditorium of ladies or men in French maid outfits, an array of glittery top hats and dazzling tailcoats, s...

24Jan

By Luke StephensonNo Comments

North West

Pretty Woman – Liverpool Empire

It was opening night last night of Pretty Woman, a show with extremely limited tickets throughout its run so it was lovely to have been invited to do a review for this show. Upon arrival at the theatre and taking our seats we were made aware that there was a cast change for this week. The role of Vivian Ward was to be played by Elly Jay. Now I must admit I know of the film Pretty Woman, but I have never seen it. So, for those who do know, please bear with me while I explain. It's set in LA when Billionaire Edward Lewis (Oliver Savile) is about to shut down a company and make millions with his lawyer. He gets lost in his lawyer’s car and ends up meeting a lady of the night known as Vivian Ward (Elly Jay) Edward offers to pay for Vivian but not in the way you might think. He hires her to dri...

Calendar Girls – Winter Gardens, Blackpool

24Jan

By Rebecca CaseyNo Comments

North West

Calendar Girls – Winter Gardens, Blackpool

Based on the 2003 film by the same name Bill Kenwright Ltd brings us Calendar Girls - The Musical, Written by Gary Barlow and Tim Firth. An evening of nostalgic British humour with a true story centred around a real group of Yorkshire ladies creating a controversial calendar with their WI group to raise money for cancer research. Director Jonathan O’Boyle brings us a star-studded cast and a witty interpretation of the tale, cleverly scripted and warm, natural believable characters. Even if like me you have already seen the show before, this is not the same musical score or script, it has gone under some changes for this tour and in parts is unrecognisable. The set remains the same for the entire show, with a few additions to change it from the Women’s institute hall to the hospita...

19Jan

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Snow White – Rainhill Village Hall

Director Karen Woods has kept the spirit of the season alive – oh yes she has! – as Rainhill Musical Theatre company sing us into the New Year with their take on this famous fairy tale to a live musical accompaniment led by Musical Director Wayne Oakes. The kind and beautiful Snow White (Michelle Williams) lives happily in the village of Applebury with Muddles (David Stevens) and his mother, the Dame (Dru Fitzgerald), and other villagers (Fiona O’Gorman; Ryan Greenall; Emily Boycott). Her wicked stepmother, the evil Queen (Sarsh Johnson) is jealous of her beauty and with the assistance of Helga the Hag (Claire Heaton) decides to do away with her. Can fairy Riff (Megan Charlton) and Mirror (Dianne Glover) stop her in her tracks? Will the miners (Ruth Gibb; Annie Topping; Liam Fitzgerald;...

The Full Monty – Liverpool Empire Theatre

17Jan

By Jan MellorNo Comments

North West

The Full Monty – Liverpool Empire Theatre

Well, we have all probably seen the film – a bunch of middle -aged men – ex steel workers – who when the steel mills and factories close, are left broke, desperate and powerless. A story with its iconic scenes, music and humour that everyone – especially females – remembered - The Full Monty - when a bunch of men, for one night only, become cabaret strippers. So, how was this going to translate from screen to stage? I was intrigued to find out. The Liverpool Empire theatre was packed to the rafters – mostly women I have to say, and there was a deep breath of anticipation across the auditorium as the show started. A large steel construction, a scaffold frame that was a formidable centre piece, drew us into Sheffield’s former glory of theses skyline -consuming steel factories ...