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Dreamboats & Petticoats – King’s Theatre Glasgow

20Jul

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Dreamboats & Petticoats – King’s Theatre Glasgow

On the hottest day ever (so far!) I hauled myself along the M8 to Glasgow to this touring show. The question was – would it, could it, bring back the good times at the King’s this week? The third instalment of Bill Kenwright’s Dreamboats and Petticoats franchise, set in the mid 1960’s and following the trials and tribulations of rock ‘n roll band, Norman and the Conquests, from youth club dive to Butlins at Bognor Regis, aka ‘bonking by the sea’. At the centre of the story is the ongoing relationship of Laura and Bobby played by Elizabeth Carter and Jacob Fowler, can their love survive a Summer apart, can Bobby resist the wall-to -wall crumpet of Butlins and will Laura escape the clutches of Frankie Howard where she is booked for the Summer season at the Palace Theatre Torquay? This ...

Ghosts of the Titanic – Frinton Summer Theatre

20Jul

By Samantha CollettNo Comments

South East

Ghosts of the Titanic – Frinton Summer Theatre

What do you do when the ‘unsinkable’ sinks? The Titanic sank 110 years ago, but ‘Ghosts of the Titanic’ presents conflicting theories as to why the ship sank and who may have benefited, making this a relevant modern day psychological drama. Emma Hinton (Alex Constantinidi) is an English girl who has travelled to America to find out the truth of why the Titanic sunk. She has a key reason to know - her fiancé was playing in the band and lost his life on that fateful journey. Enter Molloy (William Meredith) an alleged journalist and his newspaper boss, Swanson (Hilary Tones), and you have a tale fit for any decent conspiracy theorist. What is fascinating is the weaving of facts within a fictional play. I did not know, for example, that J P Morgan of American banking fame, was the owner ...

Jean Paul’s Gaultier’s Fashion Freak Show – Roundhouse

20Jul

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

Jean Paul’s Gaultier’s Fashion Freak Show – Roundhouse

If one had been unaware of Gaultier’s work under Pierre Cardin, or his first collection in 1976, that changed in 1984 when he launched his line of skirts for men (actually kilts). The high-octane sensation this caused was akin to a cultural earthquake. This move was mocked and talked about from school playgrounds to the tabloids. Fashion’s enfant terrible had arrived. Jean Paul’s Gaultier’s Fashion Freak Show has landed at London’s Roundhouse and is a hot romp through the career of a designer who didn’t just break the rules of fashion, but provoked a paradigm shift on gender, sexuality and perceptions of beauty. It’s a slick, erotic circus that takes the catwalk as a concept and injects it with the high production values of an arena gig, while keeping a well-heeled toe in the i...

We Need To Talk, a Jazz Cabaret – International Anthony Burgess Foundation

20Jul

By Alison BainesNo Comments

North West

We Need To Talk, a Jazz Cabaret – International Anthony Burgess Foundation

In the scorching Manchester heat (not very often we can write that), there’s no better escape than an air-conditioned room listening to some jazz… As part of Manchester’s Fringe Festival, We Need to Talk is a Mancunian’s story of a breakup told through the beauty of jazz. Blue Balloon Theatre is a female-led, not-for-profit theatre company. Led by actor, singer and poet Rebecca Phythian, alongside actor, singer and the evenings cabaret storyteller Jas Nisic, the company aim to develop and showcase their own, original work. Jazz is unfortunately heard less and less in this modern time of hip-hop, dance and pop music. First generated in the communities of New Orleans in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Jazz music has shot many stars to fame including Ella Fitzgerald, Eva Cassidy...

New space, new writing and new beginnings for 53two as they lay out plans to take them to 2023

19Jul

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

New space, new writing and new beginnings for 53two as they lay out plans to take them to 2023

53two launch first ever season in their new home with world premieres of new writing, the return of JB Shorts and opportunities for Greater Manchester talent to share their work as a part of several new platforms supporting multi-discipline creatives. 53two, only just over a year old in their new venue, are making moves to change the face of independent Manchester Theatre with a line-up of new writing and events that will champion their ethos of ensuring theatre and the arts are for everyone. For creatives and audiences alike, access is key. In September, the space affectionately known as ‘the arches’ will open its newly expanded 150-seater venue with brand new writing from Joshua Chandos. The one act, two hander will be brought to life by the venue’s Creative Director, Simon Naylor ...

The Play That Goes Wrong – Hull New Theatre

19Jul

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

The Play That Goes Wrong – Hull New Theatre

The last time I saw The Play That Goes Wrong, presented by the Cornley Drama Society, Winston the dog (an integral prop in the production) had done a runner then, too. It was the same on Monday evening at the Hull New Theatre, meaning Trevor, the society’s lighting and sound operator (Gabriel Paul), had to ask for our help in finding, or even replacing, the errant mutt. The stage setting for the society’s production of Murder At Haversham Manor was not quite ready at “curtain up”, so chaos ensued immediately, with a hapless audience member (or was he a stooge?) having to help out. The setting is a 1920s manor house, home to Charles Haversham (Steven Rostance), on the occasion of his engagement to Florence Colleymore (Aisha Numah). Unfortunately, Charles is discovered dead as a ...

The Countdown Is On To Deva Fest’s Big Weekend

19Jul

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

NEWS

The Countdown Is On To Deva Fest’s Big Weekend

With just weeks to go until Deva Fest 2022, excitement is building for what is set to be the unmissable event of the summer. The three-day music, food and lifestyle extravaganza comes to Chester Lakes from 12th-14th August and final preparations are underway to make the annual event the best one yet. Cheshire’s premier family festival includes a host of activities and attractions which are all included within its entrance price - including marvellous mermaids, pirates and parades, funfair rides, fancy dress competitions and a fantastic line-up of household names on the main music stage. They include headliners Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Heather Small, singer-songwriter and pop-rap princess Betty Boo, and brilliant bands Scouting for Girls and Dodgy. Mermaid Cove is a new attractio...

19Jul

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

ArtsGroupie to play brand new Shakespeare North Playhouse

Local Northern heritage and theatre CIC, Artsgroupie play the Sir Ken Dodd Performance Gardens July 23rd and 24th at the new Shakespeare North Playhouse, Prescot. “We are ecstatic to see two of our productions come alive in this exciting new theatre space. The Liver Bird and Kitty: Queen of the Washhouse celebrate two Iconic Northern favourites. Both shows champion Northern history and community spirit. Audiences are encouraged to embrace their imaginations and enjoy the classic oral tradition of storytelling.” John Maguire, Creative Director THE LIVER BIRD – a fun interactive performance for all the family What if the Liver Birds really did exist? Charlie J has heard all about Liverpool’s famous Birds from his Grandma’s stories but are they real? Has anybody seen one fly? When th...

Twelfth Night – Old Fruit Jar Productions at Royal Court Studio, Liverpool

18Jul

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

NEWS

Twelfth Night – Old Fruit Jar Productions at Royal Court Studio, Liverpool

Twelfth Night – Old Fruit Jar Productions at Royal Court Studio, Liverpool Old Fruit Jar Productions have well and truly ripened with their upcoming production of Twelfth Night at Liverpool’s Royal Court Studio this August, and it was a delight to catch up with director Alex Carr and cast members to discover what they have in store. Shakespeare is often perceived as off-putting, mainly because of how poorly it is taught in schools, and something that people look forward to escaping from but in the right hands, one can delight at the continued relevance of work from over four hundred years ago and its ironic examination of the human character: plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose… OFJP have embraced the challenge and chosen to reset the play, one of Shakespeare’s more famous co...

18Jul

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Make Up – The Kings Arms, Salford

What do you do if your life in drag has become just that – a drag? Written and directed by Andy Moseley and performed by Moj Taylor, Make Up is a snapshot of the somewhat world-weary mind of drag performer Lady Christina, behind who hides the much more mundane Chris. As Chris catches sight of his father in his reflection in the mirror as he’s taking off his make up for what may be the last time, we listen in on his musings on the impact of his dad’s rejection of him for being gay, and how his alter ego allows him to both escape the tedium of reality, whilst secretly reconnecting with his mother. This one-hour show is an engaging exploration of identity with some lovely snippets that emerge from Chris/Christina’s monologue. It certainly feels timely as he declares ‘tolerance is goi...