Friday, March 6

REVIEWS

Scratch Night – Arts Bar, Liverpool
7Jun By NewsdeskNo Comments
North West

Scratch Night – Arts Bar, Liverpool

Following on from the success of their inaugural event in April, the Arts Bar on Hope Street returned with their second Scratch Night and an opportunity for emerging and less established artists or companies to test their work before a welcoming audience, with much of the work performed for the first time. An eclectic evening commenced with Cuts, Scratches, & China Plates written by Adam Hancox and directed by Connor Mullan. Featuring Hancox, Jack Coley, Ethan Shortt, and Jonny murphy, it is about a group of men united through football until the unimaginable happens. An interesting exploration on why some men resort to violence as a first means and how their friends should hold them accountable for their actions. In a slight change to the scheduled order, Charlie’s Release, w...
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Inside Giovanni’s Room –  Liverpool Playhouse
6Jun By Anna Ní DhúillNo Comments
North West

Inside Giovanni’s Room –  Liverpool Playhouse

Inside Giovanni’s Room by Phoenix Dance Theatre at Liverpool’s Playhouse was close to a five-star night out at the theatre. For the majority of the audience, the tale of Giovanni’s Room – James Baldwin’s 50s literary classic – was familiar. They knew the story of David (played here by Phikolwethu Luke), a young American torn between the world’s expectation of him and his own desires. The audience members who might have been unfamiliar with the book were enlightened with less of the facts and more of the feelings: which, in my opinion, made for an emotional and gripping story of sexuality and shame. Where certain details are lost – David’s relationship with his aunt and father – others are found: Giovanni’s inner world is lit up in a nightmarish dance at the start of the second act, wher...
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Grease The Musical – Blackpool Grand
6Jun By Abigail PendleburyNo Comments
North West

Grease The Musical – Blackpool Grand

Grease is back in Blackpool, and it's bringing all the nostalgic charm and infectious energy that fans adore. This co-production between Pitlochry Festival Theatre and Blackpool Grand Theatre delivers a fresh take on the classic, blending dynamic performances with a live on-stage band to create an immersive experience. From the very first announcement the audience were transported back to the 1950s world of Rydell High. The cast's enthusiasm is obvious from their smiles and energy as they take the stage, with standout performances that breathe new life into beloved characters. Blythe Jandoo shines as Sandy, showcasing the character’s innocence throughout the show, delivering a beautiful and heartfelt rendition of "Hopelessly Devoted to You," while Alexander Service's portrayal of Danny ...
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A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Bridge Theatre
6Jun By Zandra OdetundeNo Comments
London

A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Bridge Theatre

If A Midsummer Night’s Dream should leave you feeling as though you’ve wandered through a strange, enchanted world, unsure what was real and what was play, then this immersive production succeeds beautifully. Bold, funny, sometimes outrageous, but always intelligent, it brings Shakespeare’s classic comedy to life with an energy that is both thoroughly modern and deeply respectful of the text’s spirit. Bunny Christie’s design is a triumph, a playful yet atmospheric space in which the audience moves freely as the world of the play shifts around them. The staging, with its moving platforms and layered set-pieces, constantly reshapes your perspective. I was fortunate to experience it from within the pits, which brought an exhilarating intimacy to the action. That said, if you...
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Macbeth – Shakespeare North Playhouse
6Jun By Jan MellorNo Comments
North West

Macbeth – Shakespeare North Playhouse

Dark, scary and foreboding. The three words that summarise the Shakespearean masterpiece.  The tale of greed, malice and murder shown in the magnificent theatre at Prescott - it’s very foundations from the times that the original plays were performed. The set was thick with an eerie mist as the audience entered the round theatre, and as the play started, we were put into pitch blackness with only the sound of eerie sighs and moans from ghouls, surrounding us as the play began. It was immediately atmospheric and as the first scene opened – a bare stage with only a tin bath at it’s centre - we were immediately transfixed. A woman is carried to the bath, her gown covered in blood and in this bath, she miscarries her baby. Screams from the woman fill the theatre. This is not for the fain...
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So What’s the Plan – The Other Palace
6Jun By Aditi DalalNo Comments
London

So What’s the Plan – The Other Palace

So What’s the Plan is a three-hander performed mostly through song, following three friends in their twenties, trying to build a life in London. It touches on their friendship, the struggle to pay rent, juggling jobs, navigating flat shares and chasing their dreams - all delivered with humour, warmth, and honesty. Written by Harry Gascoigne, and starring himself alongside Lucy Brindle and Sophie Precious Muringu, the show is a fun, engaging watch. It’s especially relatable for anyone in their 20s trying to make it in a big, overwhelming city—and particularly for those hustling in creative industries. The show is told primarily through song, with engaging musical numbers that capture the emotional landscape of early adulthood and artistic ambition. While the songs don’t break new arti...
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Nan Shepherd: Naked and Unashamed – Pitlochry Festival Theatre
6Jun By Jessie MartinNo Comments
Scotland

Nan Shepherd: Naked and Unashamed – Pitlochry Festival Theatre

Featuring in Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s Summer lineup, Nan Shepherd: Naked and Unashamed has been produced by Firebrand Theatre Company and Pitlochry Festival Theatre for a second time following the success of the play’s first run in 2024.  The biographical play explores the life of famous female Scottish writer Nan Shepherd, the first woman to be printed on a Royal Bank of Scotland banknote.  This play paints a ghostly portrait of Nan’s mental deterioration throughout time, while simultaneously highlighting the headstrong, vibrant and vigorous way in which she carried herself through life.  Although we see glimpses of nan’s childhood, as well as her time in a nursing home, the brunt of the story is told when an American reporter comes to interview her about her close friend...
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Come Fall in Love: The DDLJ Musical – Opera House, Manchester
5Jun By Kathryn GortonNo Comments
North West

Come Fall in Love: The DDLJ Musical – Opera House, Manchester

Opening to a packed press night audience , this iconic Bollywood love story movie from 1995 is translated to the  musical stage with a sparkling , brand new score of 18 songs from Nell Benjamin (Mean Girls) capturing the authentic bhangra beats and style and rhythms of the culture and breathing new life and reimagining this Bollywood blockbuster, musically. The music was a highlight and although new musicals never usually leave me with an ear worm ,  Act One’s Twice as Good’ and Act Two’s ‘ Desi Kudi’ definitely hit the sweet spot.  Aditya Chopra has adapted the famous movie Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and it is spectacular costumes with energy, playfulness, humour and a vibrant and talented cast who ooze charm and charisma.   The story is of British born, second generation Indian, Simr...
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The Mountaintop – The Royal Lyceum Theatre
5Jun By Tom ScottNo Comments
Scotland

The Mountaintop – The Royal Lyceum Theatre

Katori Hall’s magnificent, beautifully written play is set the night before the assassination of the American civil rights leader, Dr Martin Luther King jnr, in 1968. The production is directed powerfully and vibrantly by Rikki Henry. Occasionally the actors were in danger of being upstaged by the fabulous set and sound effects. And the pace in the first half of the play was at times a little too frantic. But this was a breathtakingly inspiring production by Henry. The play takes place in a motel room in Memphis shortly after King had made his last speech, ‘I’ve been to the Mountaintop’ in which he declared: “I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you t...
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Speedo Mick The Musical – Liverpool’s Royal Court
5Jun By Luke StephensonNo Comments
North West

Speedo Mick The Musical – Liverpool’s Royal Court

It feels amazing to be back writing for North West End UK again and to kick off my first review of 2025, I was invited to watch ‘Speedo Mick The Musical’ written by John May, music by Boff Whalley and directed by Conrad Nelson, at the iconic Liverpool’s Royal Court Theatre. For those who don’t know Speedo Mick, otherwise known as Micheal Cullen. Raises money for charity by walking in all weathers and even in sub-zero temperatures all in his pair of blue Speedo’s and not forgetting his Everton scarf. Raising over a million pounds for selected charities. So quite rightly this story had to be told and give him the recognition he deserves and more. The show opens with Johnny (Lenny Wood) at the top of the building, unable to see the light and wanting to end his life. This is until he is ...
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