Friday, December 19

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The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel comes to Leeds Playhouse
10Feb By Paul ClarkeNo Comments
Interviews

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel comes to Leeds Playhouse

It’s not often you see mature actors leading a play, and what makes The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel different is that the younger cast members are in supporting roles as a group of British retirees find themselves trying to make new lives in India. The two smash movies featured the cream of British acting Oscar winners having great fun as they help a mother and son save their rundown hotel and finding themselves along the way. The stage production is based on the book that inspired the movies, and also features some acting royalty in Paul Nicholas, Rula Lenska and Hayley Mills as the tour which has played to packed houses makes its way to Leeds Playhouse. Rekha John-Cheriyan is one of the younger cast members playing the feisty Mrs Kapoor who will do anything to save the hotel, and sh...
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The Verdict – Floral Pavilion, New Brighton
9Feb By Gill LewisNo Comments
North West

The Verdict – Floral Pavilion, New Brighton

A thought-provoking timeless courtroom drama questioning the value of a human life. The audience as the jury has to spin the moral compass, judging the ‘playground of the rich’ where class, status and money attempt to hinder values and honesty.       Margaret May Hobbs adaption of Barry Reed’s ‘The Verdict’ is brought to life by Middle Ground Theatre Company as part of its National UK/Eire Tour.  Hard-drinking, ambulance chasing, Lawyer Frank Galvin (strongly portrayed by Jason Merrells) is given the chance to resuscitate his fledging career by taking on the biggest case of his life: the Catholic Church, St Catherine’s hospital and their ‘blue blooded’ representatives. Galvin rejects temp...
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Faustus: That Damned Woman – Storyhouse Chester
8Feb By Damian RiverolNo Comments
North West

Faustus: That Damned Woman – Storyhouse Chester

A co-production between Storyhouse Originals and Fallen Angels Dance Theatre has opened at Storyhouse in Chester. Reimagined and written by award winning Playwright, Chris Bush, the story takes us into a world of despair, sacrifice and consequence. Faustus: That Damned Woman draws on themes that resonate with many people on the addiction recovery journey, and this is what makes the partnership with Fallen Angels Dance Theatre even more important. Johanna Faustus (Olivia Sweeney) is trying to prove her mother’s innocence, making a deal with Lucifer to get the answers that she needs but soon realising that this was a mistake and that she should have been more careful what she wishes for. After selling her soul to the devil in exchange for 144 years on earth and an apprentice, Mephistop...
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<strong>Blood Brothers (The Play) – Daneside Theatre, Congleton</strong>
8Feb By Caroline WorswickNo Comments
North West

Blood Brothers (The Play) – Daneside Theatre, Congleton

Bringing to the stage the play version of this tale, written by Willy Russell for Merseyside Young People’s Theatre in the early 1980’s, with the pre-requisite that the play must be only 70 mins long; a five hander with no set; and very little lighting as it was to be performed in a school hall.  This short play version of Blood Brothers was later lengthened into the Musical that most of us know, and began touring in 1983, with the star of the show – Barbara Dickson. Congleton Players along with director Louise Colohan, have given this play a re-birth, bringing this 1980’s idea into the 21st century.  For those who do not know the story, the tale begins with Mrs Johnstone (Sarah Francis) being swept off her feet by her husband (Andrew Bours), but when children arrive in very q...
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Spring and Port Wine – Octagon Theatre
8Feb Avatar photoBy Paul WilcoxNo Comments
North West

Spring and Port Wine – Octagon Theatre

When the Octagon Theatre announced it was producing 'Spring and Port Wine' as its first show of 2023 I jumped at the opportunity to make the short trip to Bolton to review. In the two years since its £12 million refurbishment, and under the Artistic Director Lotte Wakeham, the Octagon has quietly been adding to an already strong reputation as one of the most interesting and innovative theatres in the north of England. With 'Spring and Port Wine' they have brought a quintessentially Boltonian story back to its roots, delighting this partisan opening night crowd into a raucous standing ovation at the conclusion. Writer Bill Naughton is often wrongly categorised as part of a group of playwrights who came to prominence in Britain in the early 1960's', the 'angry young men', responsible for ...
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<strong>Police Cops: Badass be thy name – Vault Festival</strong>
8Feb By Samantha CollettNo Comments
London

Police Cops: Badass be thy name – Vault Festival

I’ll be honest, I’m not overly sure I got the storyline right – but what I can tell you: this is the most frenetic, supercharged, high production piece of theatre you’ll likely see at the Vaults. The story is set in the 1990s. Tommy Dixon quits his job because he wants to get more out of life. But he also wants to find his dad who walked out on him when he was younger – not before repeatedly punching a photograph of his young son. As it turns out Tommy then ends up on a quest to become a vampire slayer and finds his dad. And there’s a lot of talk of Manchester and sweets. I wish I could explain more about how all of this makes sense, but I can’t, and I don’t think it really matters because this is a feast (and feat) of physical comedy theatre you rarely get to see. It’s unbelieva...
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Quench – Vault Festival
8Feb By Samantha CollettNo Comments
London

Quench – Vault Festival

I bet you’ve walked past a drinks vending machine many times in your life and never given a second thought to the lives of those who reside within. Those cartons, cans and bottles all illuminated and waiting to be picked have lives too – or so that’s what Quench made me realise. Set in a vending machine in a leisure centre facing closure we follow the tragi-comedy lives of Appletania, Sparkling, Fizzy Orange and Electrolyte. If it sounds absurd – it is, but the minimal yet effective costumes and behavioural tics make this an incredibly believable set – and idea. Despite sounding like an insane idea for a play, this works really well to tell the story of the hopes, dreams and fears of life. On the surface this may be a funny comedy, but there’s a depth to the writing that leaves t...
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Death Drop 2: Back in the Habit – Liverpool Playhouse
8Feb By Hannah EsnoufNo Comments
North West

Death Drop 2: Back in the Habit – Liverpool Playhouse

Playing to a full audience, there was high expectation for the keenly awaited comeback of Death Drop to the stage. It did not disappoint. If you are looking for an evening that serves, laughs, scares and complete REALness, this is the show to see. With an all-star cast hailing from RuPaul’s Drag Race, the return of the murder mystery (or ‘Dragatha Christie’), to St Babs Convent was a tasteful idea, and one with hilarious possibilities. Drag has sashayed into a whole new format with this kind of theatre, and Jesse Jones has allowed these queens to shine. The current vocabulary, inclusive dialogue, and killer soundtrack all added to the crowd's appreciation for the performance of Mother Superior and her nuns. Photographer: Matt Crockett Set in the wonderful Playhouse, the modern mee...
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Time For a New Semester – Cast Announced For Heathers UK and Ireland Tour
7Feb By Paul DownhamNo Comments
NEWS

Time For a New Semester – Cast Announced For Heathers UK and Ireland Tour

Following its multiple West End runs, and continuing success at its home – The Other Palace, Heathers the Musical will embark on its highly anticipated UK and Ireland tour from 14th February 2023. Heathers the Musical will open in Windsor and visit cities throughout the UK and Ireland, including Liverpool, Nottingham, York, Birmingham, Norwich, Manchester, Dublin, Brighton, Bath, Leicester, Clywd, Cardiff and Glasgow. Full dates and venues can be found at www.heathersthemusical.com Making it beautiful in blue, Jenna Innes (Les Misérables) takes on the role of angst-ridden teen, Veronica Sawyer, and returning to the role of Jason 'J.D' Dean is Jacob Fowler (Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella). The Westerberg tour class of 2023 is completed by Verity Thompson (Cinderella) as Heath...
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Vardy v Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial announces UK Tour
7Feb By Paul DownhamNo Comments
NEWS

Vardy v Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial announces UK Tour

Following a strictly limited run at the Ambassadors Theatre in the West End (6th April – 20th May 2023),Vardy v Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial  will tour to the following locations: WOKING New Victoria Theatre (26th May – 27th May 2023), LIVERPOOL Empire Theatre (28th May 2023), SOUTHEND Palace Theatre (30th – 31st May 2023), SALFORD The Lowry (9th – 11th June 2023) and BRIGHTON Theatre Royal (15th – 17th June 2023). The verbatim production opened on 15th November 2022 at the Wyndham’s Theatre where it played to packed houses and standing ovations. The trial that gripped the nation has been adapted from seven days of High Court transcripts by Liv Hennessy (finalist in the Paines Plough’s Women’s Prize for Playwriting) and directed by Lisa Spirling (Artistic Director of Theatre5...
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