Latest Articles - North West End UK

23May

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

The Harder They Come – Stratford East

Here’s the truth. I reviewed The Harder They Come at Stratford East when it opened last autumn. It got an enthusiastic five stars. It deserved every one of them. Spoiler alert- it’s getting five stars again. The fact that I jumped at the chance to repeat the experience is another testament to this show’s joyful power. Jimmy Cliff died at the age of 81, last November, adding a certain poignancy to this welcome comeback. This musical is based on Perry Henzell’s seminal 1972 film The Harder They Come. While casting the movie, Henzell asked Jimmy Cliff, ‘Do you think you could write some music for the movie?’ ‘What do you mean, do I think?’ replied Cliff. ‘I can do anything.’ Cliff’s swaggering confidence not only won him the lead role of Ivan, but he also wrote much of the legendary sou...

Churchill’s Urinal – King’s Head Theatre

23May

By Saloni SanwalkaNo Comments

London

Churchill’s Urinal – King’s Head Theatre

Imagine a zombie Winston Churchill, slobbering and drunk, delivering one of his trademark rousing speeches to you through a hole in a half-destroyed urinal. You’d have a fairly good idea of what it is like to be an audience member in Rosie Holt’s Churchill’s Urinal. The show is 70 minutes of non-stop chaos as the protagonist, played by Holt and heavily inspired by first female Chancellor Rachel Reeves, simultaneously deals with an overbearing boss, incompetent assistant, and indifferent soon-to-be-ex-husband, all while a mob gathers outside her office, calling for her head. The cause? Her wish to remove a urinal from the Chancellor’s private bathroom which was once used by Sir Winston Churchill and is thus classed a national treasure. This sets the stage for a sharply scripted satire...

21May

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

End of the Rainbow – Soho Theatre

Jinkx Monsoon takes on the role of Judy Garland in End of the Rainbow, delivering a performance that is both captivating and emotionally devastating. Best known by many for their drag artistry and sharp wit, Monsoon proves themself to be an exceptional dramatic performer, embodying Garland with remarkable precision. From the mannerisms and vocal delivery to the emotional vulnerability beneath every scene, the portrayal feels deeply authentic and heartbreakingly human. The production itself is brilliantly written, refusing to romanticise Garland’s final years. Instead, it presents an unflinching look at a beloved icon struggling with addiction, exhaustion, and the crushing pressures of fame. At times, the show is genuinely difficult to watch, not because it lacks quality, but because it ...

We Will Rock You – Northwich Memorial Court

21May

By Katie LeicesterNo Comments

North West

We Will Rock You – Northwich Memorial Court

We Will Rock You performed by TMTC at the Northwich Memorial Hall was an electrifying triumph from start to finish. From the moment the auditorium doors opened on opening night, there was an undeniable buzz of excitement throughout the packed venue, with audiences eagerly awaiting a night of Queen’s legendary rock anthems brought spectacularly to life. What followed was a breathtaking production that delivered visually, vocally, and emotionally on every level. Written by Ben Elton and featuring the iconic music of Queen, We Will Rock You tells the story of a dystopian future where individuality and live music have been banned by the all-powerful Globalsoft corporation. Musical instruments are forbidden, originality is crushed, and society is controlled by conformity. At t...

Stand & Deliver: The Lee Jeans Sit-in – Traverse Theatre

21May

By Roger JacobsNo Comments

Scotland

Stand & Deliver: The Lee Jeans Sit-in – Traverse Theatre

The Bryant & May Matchgirls strike in 1888 in Bow. Fords in Dagenham and the fishing industry champions, the Women Of Hessle Road, both in 1968. The Grunwick dispute in Dollis Hill in 1976. Fast forward to 1981, the Lee Jeans factory in Greenock, a fading town west of Glasgow once vibrant with ‘ships & sugar’. Maggie T is attempting to drag the UK out of the dismal 70’s, with, as they say, scant regard for the horses. Cue the factory’s American owners, having availed themselves of some generous government assistance in Greenock in the first place, are having their heads turned by similar enticements in N Ireland. 240 jobs, predominantly for local women, hang in the balance. The story was exhaustively researched by local journalist and broadcaster Paul English and written by...

21May

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

Even These Things – Royal Exchange

Anniversaries are the central plank of this season at the Royal Exchange in Manchester, with both the celebration of 50 years since the theatre was established and three decades since June 1996, when the explosion of the largest bomb in mainland Britain since WWII devastated the heart of the city centre. The latter is commemorated with Even These Things, a new piece of writing by Irish Mancunian Rory Mullarkey which seeks to place the bombing within the cultural identity of Manchester’s history and explain its part in the renaissance of the modern city. As with the city it celebrates, Even These Things is a complex creation: beautiful in individual parts, but one that does not always work together as a cohesive whole. The play comprises three acts — 110 minutes without an interval — spa...

21May

By Stephanie WiswallNo Comments

North West

Sunny Afternoon – Liverpool Empire

Sunny Afternoon captures the spirit of The Kinks with grit, energy, and undeniable heart, delivering a musical that feels both raw and deeply human. Rather than presenting a polished version of the band’s rise to fame, the production leans into the tensions, frustrations, and contradictions that shaped the music, giving the show an authenticity that resonates throughout, directed by Edward Hall. What makes the musical particularly effective is how closely the songs reflect real life. Tracks such as “Waterloo Sunset,” “Days,” and “You Really Got Me” emerge naturally from the emotional struggles of Ray Davies and Dave Davies, revealing the loneliness, ambition, and family conflict beneath the swagger of the 1960s rock scene. There is something wonderfully unvarnished about the production ...

20May

By Nazaret RaneaNo Comments

Scotland

The Bodyguard – Edinburgh Playhouse

I must admit I went into this musical differently to most people around me because, somehow, I’ve never actually seen the film. Which almost felt embarrassing once the audience started reacting to certain moments with anticipation usually reserved for cult classics. Still, there was something nice about experiencing the story without constantly comparing it to the film version. It meant I could just take the show as it was: glossy, dramatic, a little ridiculous at times, but undeniably entertaining. The production wastes no time throwing you into the spectacle of it all. One minute Edinburgh’s Playhouse is settling, the next there’s a gunshot and suddenly we’re in full concert territory with pyrotechnics, dancers and Queen of the Night blasting through the theatre. It sets the tone ...

18May

By Dylan MooneyNo Comments

Scotland

The Freshwater Five – Traverse Theatre

From the Isle of Wight, theatre company Deadman, have embarked on a national tour of The Freshwater Five, a true story very close to home. Directed by the company’s artistic director, Samuel Bossman, and written by Liam Patrick Harrison, this play aims to spread light on miscarriage of justice and community. Inspired by the real events, the play focuses on 2011 where five fishermen from Freshwater, in the Isle of Wight, were accused and jailed for conspiring to import £53m worth of cocaine onto the island. In 2021, new evidence was found that hoped to free the men who were collectively jailed for a total of 104 years. The Freshwater Five is a deep analysis into this evidence and recounts what led up to the events. This play has an intriguing premise - a genuine local story told by cr...

18May

By Charlotte MansfieldNo Comments

London

Stage Kiss – Hampstead Theatre

Currently in its UK debut at Hampstead Theatre, Stage Kiss explores the nature of acting and the intimacy of a kiss, asking where are the lines between reality and performance, and what would the fallout be if those lines began to blur? In Sarah Bruhl’s critically acclaimed romantic comedy, an actress returning to work after a long break finds her ex has been cast opposite her in a revival of a terrible 1930s play, The Last Kiss, where the plot makes no sense and half the characters are called Millicent. Life begins to mirror art as the leads fall back in love, just like the characters they portray, causing upheaval in their normal lives. But is the romance sustainable once the play they’re in has ended? As the reality of being poor and out of work sets in, they are cast in a second ter...