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Singin’ In The Rain – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

29Apr

By Oliver GigginsNo Comments

Scotland

Singin’ In The Rain – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

It's 1927. Silent-film star Don Lockwood (Sam Lips) has it all, a wise-cracking best friend Cosmo Brown (Ross McLaren), fans, hit films and the most beautiful actress in town, Lina Lamont (Faye Tozer) on his arm. Then a chance meeting with a aspiring actress Kathy Selden (Charlotte Gooch) forces him to re-evaluate himself, just as the movies become the talkies, and everything must adapt or be left behind. The 1952 MGM classic this was adapted from was directed and choreographed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, and starred Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds and Jean Hagen. It is perhaps least famous for being the era's equivalent of a jukebox musical, having been conceived around songs written and released almost two decades previously. However, the film quickly eclipsed the songs' ...

Maggie May change minds at Leeds Playhouse

28Apr

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Interviews

Maggie May change minds at Leeds Playhouse

In the UK there are nearly a million people living with dementia, and Leeds Playhouse’s new play Maggie May follows an ordinary woman’s journey through Alzheimer’s Disease. Like so many Maggie is devastated by her diagnosis trying to hide it from loved ones who offer support as she finds a way to live a fulfilling and rewarding life on her own terms. Given the sensitivities of the subject matter that impacts on so many families award-winning writer Frances Poet has worked really closely with people living with dementia to give Maggie an authentic voice as she makes sense of her new world. Our Yorkshire Editor Paul Clarke found out more from Brookside legend Eithne Browne about the challenges and joy of playing Maggie. Tell me a little bit about Maggie? She ran the school kit...

28Apr

By Jo TillotsonNo Comments

North West

Curtain Up! – The Little Theatre

As theatre companies continue to return to live performances following enforced hiatuses from the Covid-19 pandemic, tonight’s performance possibly hits a bit closer to home than it usually would. Curtain Up! by Peter Quilter introduces us to five women who inherit a dilapidated theatre and set about trying to raise funds for its revival. They settle on hosting a charity concert, with a guest turn from the global megastar, Liza Minelli, who has shocked them by agreeing to appear. But when things go awry, the troupe go to great lengths to keep the truth from their audience. Directed by Eliane Davie, this is a gentle comedy very much reliant on the dynamic between the very different women. Carlton Players’ veteran Elizabeth Youster takes on the role of Pam, ex-wife of the theatre’s pre...

27Apr

By David S ClarkeNo Comments

North West

Sister Act – Forum Theatre

This production is based on the 1992 motion picture originally starring Whoopi Goldberg. The music was written by the prolific Alan Menken with lyrics by Glenn Slater. The original setting of the film was San Francisco in 1990s and for this production it has changed to Philadelphia in the 1970s, which enabled the musical score to develop particularly in the gospel and disco eras. The show was blest with a live band of very technically competent musicians which certainly enhanced the overall experience. A nice touch before the show started was having the nuns hand out the programmes. The storyline is based around gangster’s moll, Deloris Van Cartier (played admirably by Karina Thomlinson) who attempts to audition for a spot in her boyfriend’s nightclub. She fails at this and decides to b...

27Apr

By Jo TillotsonNo Comments

North West

Bat out of Hell – Regent Theatre

“I would do anything for love…” is probably one of Meat Loaf’s best-known lyrics, and it provides the backbone of this entire production. Bat out of Hell follows the story of Strat, a street kid whose DNA was frozen when he was 18 preventing him from ageing, and Raven, the daughter of the local power-hungry magnate. They meet by chance when Raven sneaks out from her home, desperate to experience life outside her protected bubble. With the help of a stellar soundtrack written by Jim Steinman, we see their relationship grow and then falter, we experience some of the challenges Strat and his friends face on the margin of society and we share in Raven’s frustration with her overprotective father; and then we witness a rousing finale that answers the question of just what people will do for lov...

27Apr

By Ezzy LaBelleNo Comments

North West

Animal Farm – Liverpool Playhouse

In a feat of technical brilliance and creativity, this show makes the impossible possible through exceptional puppetry and characterisation. A contemporary re-imagining of George Orwell’s classic text, this adaptation does not disappoint. Charting the rise of a fictional revolution and its aftermath, the plot of Animal Farm is just as relevant now as it was when first published, if not more so. Adults and children over 11 years are best-placed to engage with this experience. This is not a tale for the feint-hearted. We begin with a bloodied farmer carrying carcasses across the stage, going about his daily business on Manor Farm. It quickly becomes apparent he’s not a pleasant character. The animals are scared when he’s around, treated as work units and considered expendable when they...

27Apr

By Rebecca CaseyNo Comments

North West

Gypsy – Lowther Pavilion

What a lovely evening at the Lowther pavilion, Lytham, my first time at the theatre and a great welcome from The Christie Musical Theatre Company, with Gypsy the Musical. Gypsy is based on a real-life story of world-famous stripper Gypsy Rose Lee and has been made into a movie a couple of times, one of them starring Bette Midler. The story tells of Gypsy or Louise’s life growing up in the shadow of her talented younger sister June and the overbearing pushy stage mother Rose. I am very familiar with the script, musical score and storyline having appeared in this show twice myself, but even with that in mind I was in for a few surprises this evening, this certainly was not a standard by the book performance and the team have a few surprises up their sleeve to take us away from the exp...

27Apr

By Adam WilliamsNo Comments

North West

If This Is Normal – 53Two

Being young is a wonderful thing, isn’t it? All you can remember, as you look back at those carefree days and that glorious summer before going to university, is the sunshine and the happy times, yes? Those heady days when everything seemed possible and all you had to do was to go out and enjoy yourself with your mates. Wasn’t it fantastic? Yet was it? Because when you get older you tend to forget all the confusion, the insecurity, the vulnerability and the sheer emotional nightmare we all went through when we were young. It is a very confusing time and If This Is Normal captures all that angst perfectly. Writer Lucy Danser’s play is, like most teenagers, full of verve, energy, sprit, fun and emotion. It follows the friendship of three young people, siblings Madani and Maryam w...

26Apr

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Habibti Driver – Octagon Theatre

What links Laurence of Arabia, Vegan bacon, bingo and burkas? The answers lie within a fantastic new ‘clash of the cultures’ play. Habibti Driver, receiving its world premiere tonight, follows the relationship between Egyptian Muslim cab driver Ashraf, and his ‘Habibti’ half Egyptian, half Wiganese daughter Shazia. The mischief starts when Ashraf (Dana Haqjoo) introduces Shazia (Shamia Chalabi) to his new Egyptian bride, whilst she is attempting to break the news of her own secret engagement. Based on Chalabi's real-life experiences and co-written with Sarah Henley, the play, described as ‘East Meets Wigan’, explores the clashes, compromises and comedy that come with living in a mixed-culture family in today's Britain. Thanks to a superb script that is funny and moving in equal...

Catch Me If You Can – The Alexandra, Birmingham

26Apr

By Annette NuttallNo Comments

West Midlands

Catch Me If You Can – The Alexandra, Birmingham

This thrilling mystery based on the play Trap for a Lonely Man by French writer Robert Thomas arrives in Birmingham this week. Not to be confused with the Leonardo Di Caprio film of the same name, this American adaptation written by Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert, Catch Me If You Can tells the story of newly married Daniel Corban. Daniel and his wife have gone to the mountains for their honeymoon when Elizabeth Corban goes missing. While the police are searching, Elizabeth returns, but Daniel is adamant the woman is not his wife. Is he losing his mind or is something more sinister going on? With a single room set throughout and a small cast, Patrick Duffy as Daniel Corban is on stage for most of the play. He convincingly portrays the desperation and determination of his character ...