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16Mar

By Alison BainesNo Comments

North West

The Glee Club – Oldham Coliseum

Britain, 1960’s: a decade of change and of course the birth of the swinging sixties. The Glee Club, set in Yorkshire 1962, takes us right back to this era as we follow the story of six miners and their love of music. The Glee Club is a six-man musical group, who come together to escape their daily lives and share their love of music with their friends. They are preparing for the annual gala, but as they do, we begin to see their lives unfold, and change for good. The story, although not action packed, is one of male camaraderie, friendship and troubles. The play begins and ends with narration from Colin: the youngster of the group, with a big voice and bigger dreams of becoming a pop star, but unfortunately doomed to fail as life has other plans for him. Each of the six men dea...

16Mar

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

The Addams Family – Hull New Theatre

Writing this review, I am happily singing along to just one of the catchy ditties that entertained us at the Hull New Theatre on Tuesday evening, courtesy of The Addams Family’s musical comedy. “Death is just around the corner”, sung by the family matriarch, Morticia (Joanne Clifton of Strictly Come Dancing and The Rocky Horror Show fame), though morbid in content, was sung in such a joyful way, I’ll be humming it for days. From the start, the amazing stage setting held its own with the equally amazing cast, being suitably spooky, with smoke and lightning strikes both adding to the atmosphere. Aided and abetted by wonderful live music emanating from the orchestra pit, we knew we were in for a treat. And as the familiar finger clicks by “The Thing” started proceedings, it was ghoul...

Cherry Jezebel – Everyman Theatre, Liverpool

16Mar

By Kiefer WilliamsNo Comments

North West

Cherry Jezebel – Everyman Theatre, Liverpool

Jonathan Larkin’s new play is indeed a sparkling celebration of everything queer. Set in the world of Liverpool drag, this sharply funny and poignant play focuses on the outrageous diva Cherry Brandy (Mickey Jones) and her friends, rivals and herstory within the queer community. Cherry appears to be in the autumn of her drag life, but she has one thing that most of her rivals don’t really have and that is a passion for life and a big sense of fun; yes she has her low moments (don’t we all) but she is a local icon and we just know that she could easily wipe the floor with all of the pretenders to her diva status. Larkin’s beautifully constructed script is both astute and crisp and never draws breathe with some great one- liners, gobby scouse humour and quite barbed dialogue throughout...

Red Riding Hood Announced as Everyman’s iconic rock n roll panto returns for 2022

15Mar

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Red Riding Hood Announced as Everyman’s iconic rock n roll panto returns for 2022

The legendary Everyman rock n roll panto is back for 2022 and this year we’re telling the tale of Red Riding Hood from Friday 25th November 2022 to Saturday 14th January 2023. You might think you know the story of Red Riding Hood, but this is the tale Everyman style! There will be outlandish and sparkling costumes, plenty of plot twists and surprises, and full to the brim with musical hits performed by a company of supremely talented actor musicians. We’re thrilled to welcome back regular team member Adam Keast with more cast news to follow. As the theatres continue to recover from the impact of the pandemic, audience confidence is growing particularly for joy and fun-filled experiences, that can be shared with family and friends. The iconic rock n roll panto is the perfect treat...

15Mar

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Summer Season announced at Theatr Clwyd

Theatr Clwyd has announced a massive summer season of activity. The season boasts an incredible mixture of musicals, comedy, drama, music, and family activities. The venue welcomes the return of many community performers that have not been able to take to the stage since before the pandemic. Theatr Clwyd produces brand new productions in this season. Celebrated Virgins, A Story of the Ladies of Llangollen (20th May-4th June) is a brand-new production written by Katie Elin-Salt and directed by Eleri B Jones. Based on the true story of Eleanor Butler and Sarah Ponsonby. When they fell in love, they were forced to leave their homes and cast out by society. Taking up residence in Llangollen they became minor celebrities, forced to witness their own lives written about by those who could nev...

Chatback Theatre’s If This Is Normal to be<br>published by Methuen as Liverpool date added to<br>the UK Tour

15Mar

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

NEWS

Chatback Theatre’s If This Is Normal to be
published by Methuen as Liverpool date added to
the UK Tour

Chatback Theatre’s coming-of-age hit If This is Normal, will be published by Methuen next month and will be available at all venues during their UK tour this April. The news comes the team announce an exciting new stop at Liverpool’s Royal Court Theatre. Critically acclaimed at Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2019 and VAULT Festival in 2020, the show follows a trio of teenagers navigating the no-man’s land between childhood and adulthood, complicated by unfiltered access to technology and pop-feminism. The full cast returns from the previous Edinburgh Fringe Festival and VAULT festival runs with Aoife Smyth as Alex (On Railton Road, Brixton Base; If I Can Get This Part Right At Least, Nottingham Playhouse), Isambard Rawbone as Madani (Midnight Hustle, Rogue Productions/ VAULT Festival, Ham...

Dreamboats and Petticoats – Palace Theatre

15Mar

By Katie LeicesterNo Comments

North West

Dreamboats and Petticoats – Palace Theatre

Bill Kenwright’s and Laura Mansfield’s presentation of Dreamboats and Petticoats opened for its one week run of the 2022 tour at the magnificent Manchester Palace Theatre. This juke box musical is written around a compilation of hit songs from the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, the storyline is thin but still noteworthy where we see a group of youngsters trying to make a success of their musical careers. Laura (Elizabeth Carter) the most successful of the group and her beau Bobby (David Ribi) who has taken a backstep from the limelight due to stage fright. The couple take summer jobs Laura alone in Torquay and Bobby in Butlin’s Bognor Region with the rest of the gang. Another significant coupling in the script is Norman (Alastair Hill) a cool and flirtatious lead singer and the mother of...

15Mar

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

Kes – Octagon Theatre, Bolton

The most frequent responses to my reviewing this new adaptation of 'Kes' at the newly refurbished Octagon Theatre in Bolton a co-production with Theatre by the Lake, were ' Ooh, I read that at school' or 'I love the film' (often followed by an impersonation of Brian Glover as the PE teacher). Any of the audience attending last night expecting a faithful rendition of the novel, or wanting a staged version of the film, would have been disappointed. What they got instead was an intensely theatrical experience; a story of 'a boy, not a bird', that should be appreciated for its own considerable merits. This northern story of Billy Casper (Jake Dunn) finding and training a kestrel is so embedded in the psyche, that the initial moments of this new adaptation by Robert Alan Evans are disorienta...

Casting update for West End production of Jerusalem

15Mar

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Casting update for West End production of Jerusalem

Producer Sonia Friedman announced that joining the previously announced Mark Rylance and Mackenzie Crook, who will reprise their celebrated roles as Johnny “Rooster” Byron and Ginger respectively in Ian Rickson’s production of Jez Butterworth’s Jerusalem, are Kemi Awoderu (Pea), Alan David (The Professor), Shane David-Joseph (Mr Parsons), Gerard Horan (Wesley), Ed Kear (Davey), Charlotte O’Leary (Tanya), Indra Ové (Dawn), Jack Riddiford (Lee), Barry Sloane (Troy Whitworth), Niky Wardley (Linda Fawcett) and Eleanor Worthington-Cox (Phaedra). Kobe Champion-Norville, Jesse Manzi and Matteo Philbert will share the role of Marky and joining as understudies are Abigail Green, Amanda Gordon, Callum Sheridan-Lee, Greg Snowden and Anthony Taylor. Final casting will be announced at a lat...

15Mar

By Roger JacobsNo Comments

Scotland

Hairspray – Edinburgh Playhouse

‘Save your personal life…’ instructs Velma Von Tussle ‘… for the camera, Sweetie.’ She, back in ‘62 (OK, John Waters in the mid 80’s) had clearly seen something in a crystal ball about TV beyond the early 90’s. Despite how prescient this observation, it was soon overwhelmed by a production possessing strength, power and above all… rhythm. The dialogue - sharp and indestructible as a diamond – swung perfectly between the songs and vice versa, but where musicals can often find themselves staffed by good actors who can sing and dance a little, or good singers/dancers who can act a bit, this had a cast capable of handling it all. Of a Dick Van Dyke accent catastrophe there was barely a flicker. Not a cue nor a laugh was missed. It’s scarcely believable that this was the professional debu...