Wales Archives - North West End UK

Pride and prejudice* (*sort of) – Theatr Clwyd

30Sep

By Damian RiverolNo Comments

Wales

Pride and prejudice* (*sort of) – Theatr Clwyd

The outrageously hilarious Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) comes bursting on to the Moondance stage at Theatr Clwyd with an impressive set, wonderful costumes and a group of five incredible women who take us through this story, playing all the roles and leaving the audience on their feet. Written and directed by Isobel McArthur and based on the Jane Austin novel, Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) starts with the servants ‘cleaning’ in the auditorium, interacting with the audience, the sound of the bell ringing occasionally. The servants realise they are at work and the show begins. The servants are central to the story, reminding us that even though they are never seen, they are always there. With another ring of a bell the cast jump in to action and with a quick costume change (extrem...

16Sep

By Damian RiverolNo Comments

Wales

Handbagged – Theatr Clwyd

Written by Moira Buffini, we are taken back between 1979 and 1990 during Margaret Thatcher’s three terms as Prime Minister and her weekly meetings with Queen Elizabeth 2nd. Theatr Weston is in the round for this performance with the stage in the centre. A raised round stage with cleverly laid props and costume pieces laid on stands around the lower part of the stage, those of which are used throughout the show by the two male cast members to help transform them in to numerous characters with a lot of help from our imagination. The play starts with Alexandra Mathie entering the stage waiting for one of the men to bring her a chair. She doesn’t need a chair, but she doesn’t want them to know that. She is followed closely by Meriel Scholfield as Queen Elizabeth 2nd, dragging a chair beh...

16Jul

By Damian RiverolNo Comments

Wales

Art – Theatr Clwyd

How much would you pay for a white painting? Disley Theatrical Productions bring Art to the Weston at Theatr Clwyd. Written by Yasmina Reza and translated by Christopher Hampton, we follow the friendship of three men, Marc, Serge and Yvan. Serge has spent a huge amount of money on a white painting, a five foot by four foot white painting with a few diagonal white lines. But this purchase causes a huge rift between Serge and Marc. Then Yvan comes along, not wanting to upset anyone and tries to play the happy medium but only upsetting himself more. Simon Phillips as Marc is commanding, honest and frank, not buying in to the fact that Serge actually loves this piece of art and feels something when he looks at it. Chris Jones brings a calmness to Serge which balances out Marc’s fiery...

11Jun

By Damian RiverolNo Comments

Wales

The Full Monty – Theatr Clwyd

Almost 30 years after the original film came to our screens, Tiptop productions return to Theatr Clwyd with the brilliant The Full Monty. Directed by Peter Swingler, we follow the story of a group of Steelworkers in the 90s who find themselves out of work as yet another steel factory has been closed and they are trying to find their way through unemployment, depression, body image and much more. As the play unfolds, we realise it’s not just about six men taking their clothes off but heart, emotion and real people. When Gaz faces the possibility of losing shared custody of his son, he has to find a way to make money. And fast. After seeing the crowds that the Chippendales have drawn in, he gathers a group with five other guys to create the Buns of Steel, a group of strippers who will ...

1May

By Coral MourantNo Comments

Wales

Twelfth Night – Theatr Clwyd

“If music be the food of love play on” And we definitely do play- with relationships, with the audience, and in a clever twist, with the conclusion. Directed by Juliette Manon, this adaptation leans into the complications that come from “mistaken identities” and focuses on the concept of “identity” itself. In a genius move, Cesario (Lee Braithwaite), is played as a trans character who journeys through the piece exploring their new sense of self. Washing up on the shore of Ilyria, they literally break free from their dress and begin living openly as a man. In the original, this is simply a way of entering Osario’s court (as women could not do so), but this gives much more poignancy and freedom to their choice. Following this narrative concept, the entanglements of love and complica...

16Apr

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

Wales

Come From Away – Storyhouse, Chester

On September 11th 2001, the world came to a horrifying stop following a terrorist attack in the USA. As it became clear that the first plane crashing into the World Trade Centre North tower was a deliberate act, US airspace was closed and hundreds of planes across the world were diverted. Come from Away tells the tale of the little town of Gander, in Newfoundland, Canada, whose airport became a haven for many of those flights, and shines a spotlight on those in the community who rallied to help those stuck far from home, many initially unaware of what had unfolded that terrible morning as they finally stumbled off the planes they had been stuck on for many hours. Tonight, Tip Top Productions brought the story to life in a production that, quite simply, would rival any professional st...

9Apr

By Damian RiverolNo Comments

Wales

We Will Rock You – The Hammond

Zodiac Theatre Group return to the Hammond School this week and are transporting us to the iPlanet where Globalsoft have taken over, banning real music and instruments and turning everything computer generated, from music to the people who live there, dressing the same, listening to the same computer generated music. The Killer Queen is ruling the iPlanet, with the help of her evil assistant, commander Khashoggi. But the bohemians know that Rock n roll is still alive somewhere on the iPlanet, so when they come across the dreamer, Galileo, they do all they can to help him to find the hidden musical instruments hidden in the place of hidden rock. The stage is quite bare, with computer monitors, keyboards and other old electronics at the front either side of the stage, a rostra that runs a...

Friends: The Musical Parody – Storyhouse Chester

2Apr

By Emma LambeNo Comments

Wales

Friends: The Musical Parody – Storyhouse Chester

When a TV show is as iconic as FRIENDS, it would be so easy to leave it alone and not attempt to parody. Boy, am I glad they decided to give it a go. Seeing it being brought to life on stage, had the perfect balance of breaking the fourth wall and making jokes that we know and love from the 90's sitcom. Photo: Pamela Raith You could tell it had been created by fans and managed to condense 10 seasons worth of plot and memorable moments into a 2 hour and 10-minute show (including interval). The beginning is super energetic and manages to keep this up throughout in my opinion. Judging by the audience laughs from start to finish, I think they agreed with me. The transitions were slick and worked well with the 'Warner Bros crew members' changing the set from Central Perk to Monica's ap...

25Mar

By Damian RiverolNo Comments

Wales

Teechers – Theatr Clwyd

The John Godber Company bring an updated, post covid version of the classic Teechers to the Weston Theatr at Theatr Clwyd. The script has been updated after John Godber spoke to teachers post covid and realised how much things have changed in the state system, where drama, art and music have a much lower status now compared to the other subjects, and how some educators are leaving the state system and being seduced by the private system which offer more in the drama, arts and music subjects. The set looks simple but very effective, with parquet looking flooring to mark out the set area, school tables and chairs, a set of lockers and a variety of other pieces and costumes around the set that are used throughout the play, all designed by Graham Kirk. The cast are made up of three actor...

8Mar

By Damian RiverolNo Comments

Wales

Macbeth – Storyhouse

Adapted and directed by Jamie Sophia Fletcher, Shakespeare has returned to Storyhouse with a fresh, bold and ambitious telling of Macbeth. We also see the return of the thrust configuration within the theatre which sees the stage area built out over the original stalls and creates a more intimate space where the audience surround three sides of the stage and feel even more involved with the story being told, with cast occasionally entering through the audience, inviting us in a little closer. The stage is pretty bare except for some strip lighting hanging down at different levels above the stage area and ‘Something wicked this way comes’ written all across the floor. The lighting is a huge part of this production, used to differentiate different families or groups, each with their own l...