Yorkshire & Humber Archives - North West End UK

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast – Montgomery Theatre

9Jul

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast – Montgomery Theatre

In the sweltering heat the audience of Woodseats Musical Theatre Company’s production of Beauty and the Beast blazed into Sheffield town and the Montgomery Theatre, inviting us to be there guests and subsequently delighted all. With an impressive creation team - book by Linda Woolverton, Music by Alan Menken and Lyrics by Howard Ashman and the legendary Tim Rice. Woodseats did a fine job without the big budget set and scenery to create a beguiling ‘Tale as old as time’. As Director/Musical Director Rowan Alfred does a good job to steer the production’s legendary tale - this was no mean feat at times with nothing more than limited back projection and a rear dais with a central set of four steps. The actors were very much carrying the entire storytelling and did so with a very strong prin...

The Karate Kid – The Musical – Sheffield Lyceum

9Jul

By Natalia PrucnalNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

The Karate Kid – The Musical – Sheffield Lyceum

The hit 1984 film ‘The Karate Kid’ has marched into the Sheffield Lyceum, now reimagined as an action-packed musical production (from the book written by Robert Mark Kamen and composed by Drew Gasparini). The cast of this musical are ridiculously talented, and it makes for a deeply enjoyable watch. The show follows teenager Daniel Larusso, who moves to Southern California with his single mother Lucille. He finds himself the target of bullying at the hands of the Cobra Kai dojo, particularly Johnny Lawrence, which only derails after he falls for Ali Mills, Lawrence’s ex-girlfriend. After befriending his local maintenance man Mr. Miyagi, who is secretly a martial arts master, Larusso trains under his new sensei’s watchful eye to fight the Cobra Kai at a karate competition. Walking into...

7Jul

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Operation Mincemeat – Hull New Theatre

Hull New Theatre-goers are used to having their bags searched upon entering the venue, but on Monday evening, my sister, Chrissy, who accompanied me to the theatre to watch Operation Mincemeat, a new musical, was scanned with a metal detector by a kindly security person. We wondered if this was part of the production - one that involved espionage, skullduggery, death and deceit, where a metal detector might be of some use. But, no, dear reader, my sis was scanned for real. It was a prelude to new security measures coming to public buildings mainly because of the Manchester Arena attack in 2017 (or so it was explained to us). Anything that keeps us safe on our beautiful planet is OK with me. Right, back to the show. The award-winning Operation Mincemeat (from the book, music and ly...

2Jul

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

The Car Man – Hull New Theatre

Sparks literally flew as Matthew Bourne’s award-winning The Car Man hit the Hull New Theatre stage on Tuesday evening. Performed by Bourne’s New Adventures dancers, it’s billed as “Bizet’s Carmen re-ignited”. Set in a 1960s garage, the sparks we saw were presumably from a welding gun used by one of the dishiest set of mechanics I’ve ever set eyes upon. All the action takes place in the US town of Harmony; however, events are far from harmonious after a drifter answers Dino’s Diner and Garage’s ad for “man wanted”. Garage owner, Dino Alfano (Alan Vincent), is married to the beautiful, younger Lana (Ashley Shaw). He has no idea what tragedy will enfold by employing the traveller, who goes by the name of Luca (Harrison Dowzell). The stage setting was a hive of activity even before...

Priscilla Queen of the Desert – The Musical – Sheffield Lyceum

30Jun

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Priscilla Queen of the Desert – The Musical – Sheffield Lyceum

The Sheffield Lyceum Theatre basked in the 80s/90’s disco glitter ball disco hits as Priscilla Queen of the Desert - the Musical drove into town. With more sequined glamour and glitz than a red carpet event the audience went wild and this full throttle jukebox musical hit all the right notes with unadulterated pizzazz. Based on the Motion Picture, Stephen Elliott and Allan Scott’s adaptation does a stellar job in retaining its heart-warming story of acceptance, queer identity and family. The 13 years since its premier has seen Drag become a mainstay and accepted part of our culture not just in theatre but on prime time TV and Media. But, Priscilla, the trailblazer adds the Trans community central and upfront - no hiding - with the character of Bernadette which is written with sinceri...

Summer Holiday The Musical – Crucible Theatre

26Jun

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Summer Holiday The Musical – Crucible Theatre

Jump aboard as The Bus stops at the Crucible! A Sheffield Theatres Production in association with Blackpool Grand Theatre bring the summer to Sheffield and the Yorkshire weather played its part too. With a giant sandpit outside the theatre and stripy blue and white deckchairs, with buckets and spades abound both children and adults had a lovely time with live music adding to the ambience. The fully air-conditioned Crucible Theatre gave a wonderful place to escape the blistering sun and enjoy a Summer Holiday from a cool vista. The stage version of the classic film has been specially adapted for the Crucible’s round stage by Michael Gyngell and Mark Haddigan resetting the story of Don and the gang from Sheffield on South Yorkshire Transport to Paris, Italy, the Alps and Greece. A fun sto...

Blood Wedding – The Drama Studio, Sheffield

26Jun

By Nathan DunnNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Blood Wedding – The Drama Studio, Sheffield

The Company brought their production of Federico Garcia Lorca’s Spanish tragedy ‘Blood Wedding’ to Sheffield this week, and with it plenty of endeavour. How does this horrorful, mysterious tale of lovers torn astray weigh up today? It ought to be said that many (if not all) of the performers on stage demonstrated strong performative capability. They were confident, expressive, at times dynamic and at times deeply committed. Equally Mia Stephenson and Bella Rodgers’ costumes are great, and John Ansari’s fight co-ordination is strong. However, unfortunately I feel this production faced some challenges that proved difficult to overcome. Ed Bancroft and Heather Ellis’ direction has its moments. Specifically, it has a big moment in the second act – in which the sinister, abstract underwor...

25Jun

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Brassed Off – Leeds Playhouse

Britain has had two civil wars, and the second was the titanic battle that ran between 1985 and 1985 as our nation’s miners who were the shock troops of the industrial working class took on Thatcher’s Tory government. This stage revival of the hit movie Brassed Off takes place a decade after that bitter dispute in the fictional pit village of Grimley where the miners are agonising whether to vote to take a big redundancy package and let their mine die. Meanwhile, troubled young miner Andy is finding love with his school flame Gloria who has come back home, but is she who she appears to be? Paul Allen’s witty and often bleak adaptation also uses the colliery’s brass band - led by obsessive conductor Danny who believes music is the answer to everything - to explore the idea of wh...

The Choir of Man – Sheffield Lyceum Theatre

25Jun

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

The Choir of Man – Sheffield Lyceum Theatre

Wow! What an exhibition of triple /quad threat talent was took over the entire building at Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield last night. I am still stunned by what I saw. The Choir of Man created by Nic Doodson and Andrew Kay and under Doodson’s direction is one of the most enduring pieces of cultural enhancing theatre I have witnessed. With Musical Supervision, vocal arrangement and orchestration by Jack Blume, monologues written by Ben Norris and Freddie Huddleston in directive charge of movement and choreography, this production only gives you time to have a quick gulp of your beer in between diverse spectacle after spectacle. Energy in every form possible. Oli Townsend’s scenic design takes us to ‘The Jungle’, the local British pub, much in decline and much needed. Where men can...

Calendar Girls The Musical – Pontefract Town Hall

19Jun

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Calendar Girls The Musical – Pontefract Town Hall

An emotional and memorable evening was had at Pontefract Town Hall last night as Encore Theatre Company performed their version of Gary Barlow and Tim Firth’s Calendar Girls – The Musical. For those who aren’t familiar with the stage show, it is based on the true story of a group of ordinary Yorkshire women who attend a branch of the Women’s Institute (WI). Through tragedy, the loss of one of their own, Annie’s husband to blood cancer, led by Chris they find a novel and extraordinary way of raising money to buy a memorial settee for the visitor’s room at Skipton General Hospital. Let’s create a ‘nude’ calendar! Resulting in a global phenomenon and enough money (Millions!) to have a ward in the hospital named the John Clarke Memorial Wing. The musical explores the challenging, movi...