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One Man, Two Guvnors – Liverpool Playhouse

30Jun

By Blathine MaguireNo Comments

North West

One Man, Two Guvnors – Liverpool Playhouse

Liverpool Playhouse Theatre welcomes The West End and Broadway hit comedy “One Man, Two Guvnors”. Following its roaring success when the show was first performed in 2011 and starred James Cordon, it is a delight to see production companies ‘Octagon Theatre Bolton’ and ‘Theatre by the Lake’ have taken this show on the road and is gracing our Liverpool Playhouse stage this summer. The audience are welcomed by the sweet tones of the cast who also make up the house band in this production. Elevated on the first floor of a striking set, the band set the mood for this fun, energetic production set in 1963. The theatre is alight with flashing bulbs that give fantastic seaside holiday vibes, in keeping with the Brighton setting. The story begins in the home of Charlie (Rodney Mat...

30Jun

By Peter KinnockNo Comments

West Midlands

Waitress – Wolverhampton Grand

As far as I can see, Waitress has been a huge success internationally with various runs on Broadway, West End and around the world and it was undoubtedly loved by the audience last night who greeted it like an old friend, laughing and cheering in equal measure at appropriate moments. Everyone seemed very familiar with the piece - apart from me. Nope. Never seen it, never heard of it. Didn’t recognise a single tune. This is no bad thing when accessing a new piece, but I did have an unsettling feeling of missing out. All the pieces fitted together - great performances, great music, great production, but beyond the clear professionalism of all concerned it didn’t quite touch me. I was, however, in a minority. Based on Adrienne Shelly’s 2007 movie of the same name it has now evolved, seemin...

The Rise and Fall of Little Voice – Richmond Theatre

30Jun

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

The Rise and Fall of Little Voice – Richmond Theatre

‘The Rise and Fall of Little Voice’ by Jim Cartwright comes to West London’s Richmond Theatre this week as part of a national tour. An award winning, life-affirming play, originally introduced to the stage in 1992, but made famous by the screen adaptation starting Jane Horrocks and Brenda Blethyn. The story of Little Voice (LV) and Mari Hoff, a timeless classic exploring the highs and the lows of small-town dreams, family rivalry and finding your voice in a noisy world. The current production, directed by Bronagh Lagan has so much potential, and promises an uplifting and timeless tale. With a seasoned cast including the brilliant Shobna Gulati (Mari Hoff), Ian Kelsey (Ray Say), and Fiona Mulvaney (Sadie), plus the mega talented international sensation, Christina Bianco in the lead role ...

30Jun

By Priya GuptaNo Comments

West Midlands

Guys and Dolls – Alexandra Theatre

BMOS Musical Theatre Company has returned to The Alexandra Theatre Birmingham stage with their rendition of the popular Broadway classic musical, Guys and Dolls. BMOS are Birmingham’s award-winning musical theatre company, clearly excited to bring this funny musical story of luck, gambling, and love under the bright lights of Broadway to life. Guys and Dolls has been enjoyed by audiences since the 1950s, initially as a musical, then as a film starring Marlon Brando, Gene Simmons, Frank Sinatra, and Vivian Blaine. Tonight's press showing coincided with the BSL (British Sign language) performance, and it was nice to see this inclusion within the theatre on stage, allowing the theatre to be accessible to everybody. The production values of this performance were incredible. There were ma...

Tony Award nominated Keala Settle to star in her first ever Pantomime

29Jun

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

NEWS

Tony Award nominated Keala Settle to star in her first ever Pantomime

Broadway, West End and The Greatest Showman superstar Keala Settle comes to Northampton’s Royal & Derngate in Jack and the Beanstalk this Christmas Northampton’s Royal & Derngate is delighted to announce that Tony Award-nominated star Keala Settle, from The Greatest Showman, will be heading up the cast in this year’s spectacular Christmas pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk. For Settle’s first ever pantomime, she will be joined by Horrible Histories’ Richard David-Caine, with Alex Lodge returning as Jack, and the hilarious Bob Golding returning as Dame. Vocal powerhouse Keala Settle will play the Fairy. Her performance of the anthemic This Is Me in the global blockbuster movie The Greatest Showman earned her critical acclaim, with the original soundtrack becoming 2018’s best-sel...

29Jun

By Zoё MeeresNo Comments

London

Metamorphosis – Lyric Theatre

Dating in your 30s is *hard*, if for no other reason than you’re just busier than you were in your 20s. And so it came to pass that I invited the guy I’ve recently started seeing to join me at Monday’s production of Metamorphosis. This was risky, but schedules dictated that it was the only viable option, and you can tell a lot about someone by the way they respond to dance theatre, right...? I say this because going into the performance I really wasn’t sure what to expect, and Maria Caruso’s solo production will not be everyone’s cup of tea. Indeed, it wouldn’t traditionally be mine, but I found last night’s performance so moving and relatable that I’ve been mulling it over all day, examining the work from different perspectives and having an indulgent bit of navel gazing along the way....

28Jun

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

Evelyn – Southwark Playhouse

In a small Northern beach town, an accomplice to the murder of her own child has moved under police protection after serving 3 years in prison. Escaping her abusive relationship, her grief and horrific past she begins to start life anew with a new relationship and friends. Only until the power of social media, the mob isn’t far behind on a hunt to find out where Evelyn Mills escaped to with an obsessive mission to make sure she knows she doesn’t belong. Focusing on the concept of internet mobs taking justice into their own hands and questioning when forgiveness is actually accepted by the community allowing the rehabilitation of criminals into our society. Evelyn played by Nicola Harrison was a dark, quiet presence on stage who controlled how much she was seen as a person desperately tr...

Epstein Premiere For New Staged Production Of Masquerade

28Jun

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

NEWS

Epstein Premiere For New Staged Production Of Masquerade

A brand new production of Masquerade – a play telling a powerful and emotional tale set in an iconic Liverpool gay club in the 1980s – is coming to the city’s Epstein Theatre this Autumn. Masquerade is a poignant tale of love and loss among Liverpool’s LGBT+ community. Following a successful run at the Royal Court Studio in 2019, the acclaimed play written by Laura Lees is back in a new electrifying and reimagined staging, with Liverpool’s queer history at its heart. The creative team has been announced, the full cast will be revealed shortly. Masquerade will run at the Epstein Theatre in Liverpool from Tuesday 22nd November to Saturday 26th November 2022 for just eight performances. Tickets are priced from £20 and are on sale now. Masquerade is produced by Bill Elms (So...

Samuel Nicholas talks about why Dreamgirls resonates so strongly with cast and audiences alike

28Jun

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Interviews

Samuel Nicholas talks about why Dreamgirls resonates so strongly with cast and audiences alike

Musical theatre has often explored the dark side of showbiz for source material, and Dreamgirls looks at the murky music industry in the 1960s as the big dreams of three women are both realised and destroyed. Effie, Denna and Lorell are the Dreams who perform songs written by Effie’s brother C.C before hooking up with devious mechanic turned manager Curtis Taylor, who is quick to exploit tensions in the group. Along the way they sing back up for flamboyant soul man Jimmy Early before Curtis’ Machiavellian plans cause all sorts of heartbreak for the trio. Samuel Nicolas is one of a strong male ensemble who do a lot of the heavy lifting in this energetic show, and he spoke to our Yorkshire Editor Paul Clarke about why Dreamgirls is resonating so strongly with both the cast and audience...

28Jun

By Scot CunninghamNo Comments

North West

Cluedo – The Lowry

Colonel Mustard, with the dagger…in the theatre? Out of the box and on to the stage, family favourite boardgame Cluedo rolls up for an evening so fun it’s lethal. The plot is based on that of the 1985 film Clue: the 6 familiar suspects show up at Boddy Manor having all been mysteriously invited there, where a revelation from their host sets in motion a sequence of surprising events. Direction from Mark Bell, of The Play That Goes Wrong fame, gives cause for excitement for all the farcical comedy fans this show is designed to attract. However, Sandy Rustin’s vanilla script limits this adaptation to the appeal of a second-hand game with the instructions missing. There is chucklesome physical humour, most regularly delivered by the floundering Reverend Green (Tom Babbage): his being ...