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<strong>Elf The Musical – The Brindley, Runcorn</strong>

16Nov

By Katie LeicesterNo Comments

North West

Elf The Musical – The Brindley, Runcorn

Centenary Theatre Company’s Director Dan Grimes must have thought all his Christmas’s had come at once when Dean Callow walked in an auditioned for the part of Buddy! As all I can say is WOWSER as I am sure Dan Grimes did too, what a fabulous charismatic actor Dean Callow is, he has as much energy as one human being can possibly have without spontaneous combusting! Dean Callow was definitely on fire on opening night, unfortunately the programme does not tell me anything about Dean (or any of the other cast members), so I do not know any of his previous theatre credits etc. However, I would recommend this show on Dean Callow’s performance alone as he is the perfect Buddy the Elf, who will keep you entertained throughout the evening with his Elf moves, perfect comedy timings and pitch perfec...

<strong>Glory Ride – The Other Palace</strong>

15Nov

By Maani WayNo Comments

London

Glory Ride – The Other Palace

A brand-new musical, Glory Ride, makes its first world appearance at The Other Palace in a staged concert performance. Based on the true story of a heroic conspiracy to rescue children from fascist Italy by bicycle, Glory Ride is a tale of passion, friendship, grief and pride. Glory Ride centres around the beloved Italian athlete Gino Bartali (James Darch), a household name in Italy, who cycled across European countries delivering falsified identity cards to Jewish fugitives in order to save their lives. Darch’s soft baritone voice fits perfectly with the tone of the musical. He portrays the complex and conflicted nature of Gino admirably, making the audience root for the character and feel a sense of familiarity. Gino and his relationship with his family pulls on the heartstrings espec...

<strong>Ainadamar – Edinburgh Festival Theatre</strong>

15Nov

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

Ainadamar – Edinburgh Festival Theatre

Ainadamar (The Fountain of Tears) is a fusion of dance, visual technology, voices and orchestra, knitted together in bold, beautiful, installation-style art. The opening, a monochrome projection of a bull, is instantly intriguing and the intermittent visual representations cast to the shimmering circular curtain continue throughout the opera, lending depth and coherence not afforded by the libretto (David Henry Hwang). The curtain is easily penetrated and moved aside, suggesting power and vulnerability at one and the same time. The chainmail bullring conceals scene changes and reveals the action with the cast free to move between the interior and the exterior. This metaphor translates to traditional Andalucia and its gypsy customs of Flamenco and bullfighting, which Lorca endeavoured to...

<strong>An Evening with Ms Sharon LeGrand & Friends – unity Theatre</strong>

15Nov

By Peter RuddickNo Comments

North West

An Evening with Ms Sharon LeGrand & Friends – unity Theatre

The theme for this year’s Homotopia festival - Queer Joy Is A Protest! - could not be more accurately represented than in An Evening with Ms Sharon LeGrand & Friends. Liverpool’s annual LGBTQIA+ arts showcase is the UK’s longest running celebration of queer culture and it just seems to go from strength to strength. This year, fresh from causing outrage in the nation’s capital, drag queen Sharon LeGrand returns to her native Merseyside to host an evening of cabaret at the Unity Theatre. Sticklers for the Trade Descriptions Act might be a tad disappointed. There appear to be more friends of Ms LeGrand in the audience than on the stage with her. Each introduction only happens thanks to a shouted reminder from the wings of the next act’s name. Even our host declares the show shoul...

<strong>The Mother Sh*t – Pleasance Theatre</strong>

15Nov

By Anisha PucadyilNo Comments

London

**The Mother Sh*t – Pleasance Theatre**

The Mother Sh*t is a genre-bending delight. After their sell out run at Camden People’s Theatre with Frills and Spills, magicians of Stumble Trip Theatre who manage to craft beatboxing, physical theatre and personal stories of 50 participants verbatim in an hour! Part heart-warming, part heart-wrenching Mother sh*t has you in splits while weeping uncontrollably. I have never heard the audience break out in so many giggles throughout a show. Grace Church and Chloe Young are like a rubber band, connected at the hip; you can’t distinguish where one begins and the other ends. Their vibrancy is infectious. Their sense of play and curiosity is grounded by the diversity of stories they have collected. The background score is improvised by Conrad Murray, Lakeisha Lynch-Stevens and Dunja Botij who ...

<strong>All My Sons – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse</strong>

15Nov

By Helen JonesNo Comments

North West

All My Sons – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

It is seventy-five years since Arthur Miller’s play All My Sons was first produced on Broadway. Three quarters of a century later it is as powerful as it was in the late 1940s. Miller’s writing and crafting of the plot is exceptional. Unlike many of his later plays it also feels the most personal. The family set up is similar to that of his own growing up, with himself as the younger brother, and the story is based upon a true tale told to him by his mother in law. It was also his last chance to write a successful play before he gave up playwrighting altogether. Thankfully it was a success and Miller continued writing until not long before his death in 2005. The play takes place over a period of twenty-four hours. Joe Keller is a ...

15Nov

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

North West

This Charming Man – unity Theatre

Sian Davies’s show, part of Liverpool’s Homotopia Festival, was warmly received by a home crowd, keen to proudly welcome the Edinburgh Fringe Comedy Award winning stand up back to her Liverpool home. This Charming Man tells the story of Davies’s life to date and her experiences of the male role models in her life, punctuated by her vast knowledge and significant love of The Smiths. As that famous Johnny Marr guitar intro hit the auditorium, the crowd were clearly ready for a night of entertaining banter, thought provoking observations and candid opinions of the world that has brought Davies to this point in her life. Arming everyone the crowd with a kazoo, to be used every time they spotted a Smiths lyric, allowed the Smithspotters amongst us to finally get a return on those teenage yea...

<strong>The Day After The Fair – Birkenhead Little Theatre</strong>

14Nov

By Bev ClarkNo Comments

North West

The Day After The Fair – Birkenhead Little Theatre

These days, theatre gives us so much choice from minimalist to technical wizardry, contemporary themes and hard-hitting issues but every so often its pleasant to spend an evening watching a well written, old-fashioned play, that tells a story with rounded characters and strong production values. The Carlton players presented The Day After the Fair at the Little Theatre, Birkenhead this week. Based on Thomas Hardy’s short story, with a slight similarity to the plot of Cyrano de Bergerac in that there is a deception: a lover gains the assistance of another to write letters on their behalf. Originally set in the 1890s and adapted by Frank Harvey, Carlton players set their production in an Edwardian Salisbury, in the drawing room of the Harnham family. Arthur is the chairman of their fam...

<strong>Noor – Southwark Playhouse</strong>

14Nov

By Aditi DalalNo Comments

London

Noor – Southwark Playhouse

A British spy of Indian Muslim heritage, Noor was an inspirational woman during World War II. Her story, with its political and moral complexities has been craftily worded by Azma Dar in this production. Dar undertook extensive research into the life of Noor over a decade ago and in 2018, Kali Theatre presented a reading of an earlier version of the play as part of its War Plays season. Now fully realised by a fabulous creative team, Noor is presented as a 105-minute play at Southwark Playhouse, outlining the values and mission of this daring woman. The play takes the audience on a journey from Noor’s aspirations as a writer to her training to become the first British woman to be a wireless operator on an international mission to her encounters in Paris, fighting for her country and for...

Christmas cheer comes to Runcorn next week

11Nov

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Christmas cheer comes to Runcorn next week

Centenary Theatre Company are about to move into the Brindley Theatre in Runcorn to present their latest production Elf the Musical which opens next week. North West End UK sat down with their musical director, Simon Pickup to find out how the company choses, rehearses and ultimately stages such a big production. Centenary Theatre Company was formed in 1901 and has showcased theatrical talent in Warrington and the surrounding areas ever since. When did you first become involved with the company? I was invited to musically direct CTC’s production of “Annie Get Your Gun” in 2013, and following that show I joined as a member and have now MD’d 7 shows for them, and appeared in 3. Your show this year is Elf the Musical being staged at the glorious Brindley Theatre in Runcorn, tell us h...