Chicken – Pyramid Arts Centre

Soup Productions proudly presented an intimate and original piece of Warrington Theatre at the versatile Pyramid Arts Centre.

Writer and Director Mike Pirks recently caught my attention with his phenomenal script of ‘Smiler’ in February this year. So, I was thrilled to be asked to return and review his latest creation of ‘Chicken’ alongside ‘The Pride Monologues’. Pirks stated that’s his latest works were the most important stories he had ever told and that he was honoured to have been given the chance to put these pieces together.

The show runs during Warrington Pride month and has been chosen as a part of the Culture Warrington’s Pride Programme running for two nights only. Jake Liken is the creative producer for communities at Culture Warrington who felt that this creative piece was an important addition to Warrington’s Pride this year.

The first part of the show was ‘The Pride Monologues’ where we heard personal stories from the cast and others outside of the group on LGTBQ+ experiences that they wanted to tell. Michelle Drinkwater spoke of her daughter Em becoming Emmett and the challenges Trans teenagers face with delays in treatment but also of the support the education system gave him. Jayne Dittrich told the story of a married woman of many years falling in love with a female colleague and the spark this injected into her life beyond her husband and the difficult decisions she had to make following her new love. Michele Dean relayed the experience of being hopelessly in love with a boy at high school who shattered her dreams of romance when he told her he was gay, spiralling her into self-loathing and doubt. The final monologue was from Michael Ridd who gave an emotional encounter of a daughter that was bullied for being a lesbian who took her own life. All four did an amazing job of effectively revealing the stories to the audience with full impact.

After a short break Pirks creation of ‘Chicken’ was delivered by two outstanding actors – Ian Grant who played Daniel an elderly gay gentleman and Lewis Canning who portrayed Craig a young and vibrant gay carer. Grant’s portrayal of Daniel was first class with his comic timing and stunning stage presence making his delivery both believable and heartwarming. Canning’s interpretation of Craig was equally magnificent with his stellar performance and wonderful execution of the role.

Pirks inspiration for ‘Chicken’ was from the writings of Russell T Davies a Welsh writer known for his notable work such as ‘Queer as Folk’, ‘It’s a Sin’, ‘The Grand’, ‘Bob and Rose’, ‘Cucumber’, ‘Banana’ and many more LGTBQ+ productions. This script took 12 years in the making and Pirks felt it was the right time to tell the story – it was created and influenced by his own experiences as a gay man and inspired by Mike Leigh’s process and techniques of kitchen sink realism style drama.

The story explores the themes, life experiences, discrimination and social attitudes towards LGTBQ+ individuals, focusing specifically on the two characters of Daniel and Craig and how their lived experiences have differed due to the generation gap.

Pirks writing of ‘Chicken’ is outstanding and had me captivated from the start to the end, the story was poignant, witty and heartwarming and I was honoured to witness such a masterpiece from an ingenious writer/director.

The whole evening was magnificent with a sensationally talented cast, and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment. Huge applause to all involved as it is clear that each and every member of the cast and team have worked hard in creating this brilliant piece of theatre.

Mike Pirks you have done it again and completely blown me over with your remarkable mind in creating such a stunning masterpiece.

The show runs for one more night at the Pyramid Arts Centre in Warrington, so I would recommend you purchase a ticket and sit back and witness magic in the making from this talented writer.

Reviewer: Katie Leicester

Reviewed: 11th June 2024

North West End UK Rating: