North West Archives - Page 89 of 128

24Jun

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

All Shook Up – Rainhill Village Hall

Inspired by Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, the story is new and the hits are Elvis as Director and Choreographer Lucy Bradshaw takes us back to the summer of 1955 Midwest America in this heart-warming and feel-good musical, where we find Natalie (Sarah Johnson), a young mechanic, dreaming of love and adventure, without realising best friend Dennis (Ben Evans-Clarke) has a secret crush on her. But things take off when Chad (David Stevens), a hip-swivelling, guitar-playing roustabout, brings more than the jukebox to life in Sylvia’s (Julie Gould) Honky Tonk, putting a spring in the step of Natalie’s father, Jim (Bryan Dargie) and more than a sonnet in Miss Sandra (Dawn Wright). Can it get any better when Sylvia’s daughter Lorraine (Bláthíne Maguire) is told she’s beautiful by Dean (Toby Abb...

22Jun

By Jenn McKeanNo Comments

North West

Singin’ in the Rain – Liverpool Empire

Don’t you know everyone wants to laugh? The stage production of what is arguably one of Gene Kelly’s most famous films, Singin’ in the Rain, is once again making its way around the UK once more and is continuing to entertain audiences, just as it did in the 1950s. With such a famous score, including the titular track, ‘Good Morning’, ‘Moses Supposes’ and ‘Make ‘Em Laugh’, to name but a few, the musical really does make the film come to life right in front of your eyes. In 1927, Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont are at the height of their fame as silent movie stars. Their latest movie is a massive smash hit, and they are about to start working on the next film, when news reaches them, about Warner Brothers’ next film – a talking picture. What can they do to maintain their stardom and what ...

Calendar Girls – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

21Jun

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

Calendar Girls – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

The traditional view of that redoubtable British institution, The Women’s Institute (or WI to its friends), is one of middle-class ladies of a certain age baking and knitting in a cosy village environment, far from the struggles of the real world. Subverting this stereotype, a branch from Yorkshire decided to produce an ‘Alternative WI Calendar’ to raise money for a new sofa in the wait room of a local hospital, following the cancer diagnosis of a friend. The twist was that all the ladies appeared in various states of undress whilst posing in a variety of mundane activities. The idea was a runaway success, eventually raising over £3,000,000 for Leukaemia Research and subsequently spawning a successful play, film and this stage musical in 2015. Penned by Tim Firth (Kinky Boots, Neville’s...

18Jun

By Brian MaddenNo Comments

North West

The Kid – HOME, Manchester

Charlie Chaplin is one of those iconic movie characters that I am embarrassed to admit I've never seen on screen until Manchester Camerata's live orchestral accompaniment of The Kid. The beauty of his movies is that a story can be followed without the use of dialogue. At first, I thought this would be screened on one of the cinema screens at HOME, however it took place in their main theatre space. The movie is projected onto a screen at the back of the stage. Given the movie was originally released in 1921, the person who managed to digitally restore and bring it up to viewable quality should be applauded. The movie, as you can imagine, is silent. Yet it is filled with humour from beginning to end. Obviously for the movie to work without any dialogue it does rely quite heav...

16Jun

By Amanda HodgsonNo Comments

North West

Blood Harmony – The Lowry

Blood Harmony (written by Matthew Bulgo, directed and choreographed by Jonnie Riordan and Jess Williams) is a melange of styles and ideas, brought together to tell a seemingly simple story. Three sisters Chloe (Eve de Leon Allen), Maia (Keshini Misha) and Anna (Philippa Hogg) re-unite after the death of their mother to sift through the detritus of their past and present lives, sorting out regrets, grudges and grief, while charting a course to the future. If that sounds like heavy weather, don’t worry there are plenty of sitcom laughs and laughter at recognisable archetypes along the way. The play feels like the offspring of Friends and Chekov’s Three Sisters, with a reassuringly cosy atmosphere to take the edge off the emotional sharpness of the dialogue. The performances by the three a...

The Rise and Fall of Little Voice – Blackpool Grand

16Jun

By Coral MourantNo Comments

North West

The Rise and Fall of Little Voice – Blackpool Grand

Jim Cartwright's 90's hit “The Rise and Fall of Little Voice” tells the story of one talented girl and her reluctant rise to stardom in her local Northern town. It feels fitting to be back in Blackpool, surrounded by cabaret bars and illuminations, and this production deserves to be bringing in all the crowds here. This Olivier award winning play has had many revivals including a film starring Jane Horrocks and Michael Caine. It’s easy to see why, as the story of Little Voice is a charming tale of family, humour and small town dreams. At the heart of the play is LV herself; a young recluse who constantly listens to her late father's record collection. Overheard imitating the divas she adores, LV is forced to perform and struggles to find her own voice in the chaos and noise. The s...

16Jun

By Daniel CoxNo Comments

North West

Mam! I’m Ere! – Liverpool’s Royal Court

Following its debut 10 years ago at Central Hall in Liverpool ‘Mam! I’m Ere!’ has gone from strength to strength as it found its home at Liverpool’s Royal Court. After providing one of the venues most successful runs in 2015 and still making audiences laugh in 2018, would it be able to bring the energy and audiences following the delayed 2020 run because of COVID-19? Well, Mam! I’m Ere! has arrived in 2022 and you best tell your mother that this production isn’t hiding away anytime soon (and it’s a good job). Along with the blessing of original Mamma Mia director Phyllida Lloyd, director Stephen Fletcher takes a hilarious twist on the well-loved 2008 jukebox musical. He tells the story of Sally, a young woman inviting her potential mothers to her home at a Welsh caravan site to witness ...

15Jun

By Adam WilliamsNo Comments

North West

I Am Not A Robot – King’s Arms, Salford

The potential dangers to humanity of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robots have been the meat and drink of numerous science fiction movies for decades. On TV the BBC sci-fi show, Doctor Who, back in the 60s, created the Cybermen, monsters who had once been human but had turned themselves into killing machines devoid of emotion. I Am Not a Robot explores this theme, cleverly grounding it with northern humour, whilst adding a touch of slapstick and a healthy dash of melodrama. The sparky script is punchy and witty which rattles along at a wonderful pace until the third act. It starts off in the bedroom of a luxury hotel somewhere overseas in the near future. Beth has won a luxury stay via Instagram and has invited her best friend, ambitious politician Karina, to share it with her. Ka...

14Jun

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Habeas Corpus – Lyceum Theatre, Oldham

“I’ve never seen anything like it since I was a locum in Liverpool.” So declares the diminutive Sir Percy Shorter in Alan Bennett’s 1973 farcical exploration of the randy side of Little England, named after the Latin legal phrase that roughly translates to ‘have the body’. Set in the residence of a Brighton and Hove GP, Arthur Wicksteed, the play is a saucy seaside postcard collection of characters and carry ons, each loaded with carnal frustrations and foibles. There’s Wicksteed’s wife, the frustrated Muriel who, neglected by her husband, longs to rekindle a past dalliance with Sir Percy. Her sister, the flat-chested Constance, buys fake breasts in the hope of literally boosting her chance of romance. The Wicksteed’s wimpish son Dennis is convinced he’s dying until his head is...

Opera North: Parsifal – Bridgewater Hall

13Jun

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Opera North: Parsifal – Bridgewater Hall

Opera North’s production of Wagner’s final work for the stage arrives in a blaze of glory from director Sam Brown’s theatrical staging in Leeds but what is served up at Bridgewater Hall in Manchester is much more muted in its dramatisation, and although the work was originally written with the orchestra below the stage to add acoustic and psychological drama, here it was very much centre and fore. Running at just over four hours stage time, Parsifal tells the story of the Knights of the Holy Grail, much of it narrated by a veteran knight, Gurnemanz (Brindley Sherratt). The castle of Monsalvat has been established by Titurel (Stephen Richardson) as a sanctuary for the Holy Grail and the Spear that pierced Christ’s side, before retiring in favour of his son, Amfortas (Robert Hayward), who...