Latest Articles - Page 537 of 656

6Oct

By Damian RiverolNo Comments

North West

Heathers the Musical – Palace Theatre

Based on the 1988 movie of the same name, Heathers ‘exploded’ on to the Palace Theatre stage this evening and gave us exactly what we needed after 18 months away from theatres. With killer vocals, perfectly slick choreography and a dark yet extremely comical storyline, Heathers really is a show not to be missed. The story is told via Veronica (Rebecca Wickes) and her ‘dear diary’ inserts. Veronica wants to fit it and be seen to be one of the cool kids, so she manages to get in with the Heathers, the leaders of the school ‘hierarchy’ and bully’s, lead by Heather Chandler (Maddison Firth). Once Veronica is part of the Heathers and popular, she falls in love with the new mysterious guy, JD (Simon Gordon), and together decide that they want peace and harmony in the school, but how far will ...

6Oct

By Kiefer WilliamsNo Comments

North West

Leaving – Hope Street Theatre

This was the opening night of a quartet of new plays written by Liverpool Scriptshop playwrights. Selected from many scripts submitted, Scriptshop wanted to present four of these new pieces as part of the exciting Liverpool Fringe Theatre Festival 2021. The overall theme of these one act plays was all about leaving, whether it be physically or emotionally. On this first night, Scriptshop presented us with the first two plays. Prayers for Albert written and directed by William Lee focused on a local family living and surviving through World War 1. Based upon actual events, the play was simply set and told the moving story of young couple Eileen (Catherine Fahy) and Albert (Luke Morgan). It was a familiar tale with one half of the stage set as the home front and the other half set as t...

Big cast announced for Wendy & Peter Pan at Leeds Playhouse

6Oct

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

NEWS

Big cast announced for Wendy & Peter Pan at Leeds Playhouse

Leeds Playhouse have announced a big cast for their annual festive blockbuster which this year is Wendy & Peter Pan. Ella Hickson’s adaptation of the J M Barrie classic retells the story from the viewpoint of Wendy Darling and has been created in co-production with Japan’s Bunkamura Theatre. Amber James will play Wendy Darling and previously took the title role of Cressida in Greg Doran's Troilus & Cressida for the RSC. She’s been joined by Pierro Niel who plays the boy who refuses to grow up. This trip to Neverland is full of fun and flying set to an epic score by Japanese composer Shuhei Kamimura. Japanese video artistry will be cleverly combined with this classic British story to give the production a unique international shared vision. “This show comes hot...

Solo theatre show explores the legacy of Florence Nightingale

6Oct

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Solo theatre show explores the legacy of Florence Nightingale

Songwriter and performer Louise Jordan connects Florence’s work in the 19th century with the issues we continue to face today. Solo production Florence: the lesser known life and legacy of Florence Nightingale comes to Waterside in Sale on Friday 15th October. Through song and storytelling Louise puts the myth of ‘the Lady with the Lamp’ under the spotlight and explores Florence Nightingale’s work as a pioneering statistician who used data to call for government accountability, demanding equal healthcare for all. Louise said of Florence: “Florence Nightingale spent less than two years as a nurse during the Crimean War, yet she lived to the age of ninety. Whilst researching the production I was astounded at the volume and breadth of Florence’s work - she spent decades campaigning for ...

5Oct

By Clare ChandlerNo Comments

London

Hamlet – Young Vic

Cush Jumbo is the big draw in this production of Shakespeare’s classic play, whipping up a storm as the tempestuous Prince of Elsinore. Cross gender, or gender blind, casting of this legendary protagonist is not a new fad, indeed the first ‘female’ Hamlet graced a London stage in 1796 - when Elizabeth Powell took on the role. There is also a 12th century Danish legend that states that he was in fact a she, and that Hamlet’s gender had been hidden by their mother to protect their claim to the throne. In Greg Hersov’s production Jumbo’s ‘unmanly grief’ is the undoing of Elsinore as Hersov’s edited text (which still runs at over three hours) aims for a mystery thriller flow to bring the piece alive for a contemporary audience. At its most successful the performance is an absolut...

The Lady in the Van – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

5Oct

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

The Lady in the Van – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

In common with most people who love the theatre, I adore the prodigious output of plays, books and diaries that Alan Bennett has produced over the course of the last half century, however, I have never really subscribed to the view that he belongs in the pantheon of comfortable personalities that make up our 'National Treasures'. Bennett himself despises the term, and there has always been as much vinegar as sugar in his writing as he wryly chronicles the state of the nation, so to bracket him with as characters as bland as David Beckham and Joanna Lumley, is to give a somewhat distorted view of his place in modern Britain. His style is perfectly exemplified by his 1999 play 'The Lady in the Van', which started its week long run at the Garrick Playhouse in Altrincham this evening, in this ...

4Oct

By Jenn McKeanNo Comments

REVIEWS

Going the Distance – Online Stream

We were all waiting for the musical and play adaptation of the Handforth Parish Council Meeting last year and it seems like Going the Distance will be the closest we will get for a while. March 2020 and the theatres have all gone dark. What happens to all those local theatres that rely on donations and local productions to get them through? Going the Distance takes us through how Matchborough Community Theatre plans to survive the global pandemic. We start with a familiar scene – the first Zoom meeting, synonymous with the ‘I can hear you, can you hear me?’ – and we are introduced to Frank (Matthew Kelly), Maggie (Penny Ryder) and Rae (Sarah Hadland). They discuss finances and ways in which they can continue to make money, despite the pandemic trying to have other ideas. They settle on ...

Dracula: The Untold Story – Leeds Playhouse

4Oct

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Dracula: The Untold Story – Leeds Playhouse

For over a century Count Dracula has been part of our popular culture so it’s smart of imitating the dog to make him a peripheral figure in his own play. Instead, they cleverly switch the focus to Mina Harker who in Bram Stoker’s gothic classic not only had her neck bitten but pulled together all the threads to create the myth of the immortal Transylvanian bloodsucker. They’ve also updated the story to 1965 as Harker walks into a London police station confessing a murder to two police officers, and we learn that she has used her immortal superhuman power for what she thinks is the greater good as the Count lurks around the piece as the embodiment of eternal darkness. As usual the team deploys a wide range of high-tech digital tricks, including two video cameras and stage side gree...

All-female version of Shakespeare favourite set for the stage after Covid delay

3Oct

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

All-female version of Shakespeare favourite set for the stage after Covid delay

A hugely anticipated modern version of a William Shakespeare classic is set for a busy run in Manchester – with all the roles played by women. The 21st century interpretation of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ will be staged at the Hope Mill Theatre, from October 6th – 16th, following on from two similar sold-out Shakespeare shows in 2018 and 2019. In a twist on the plot of the original play – which revolves around the marriage of Theseus, Duke of Athens, to Hippolyta, the former queen of the Amazons – this reimagined version is set on Hipppolyta’s hen-do in a Manchester nightclub. Billed as ‘Canal Street’s explosive imagination meets the instability of Love Island and the classiness of the Real Housewives of Cheshire’, the play has been produced by HER Productions in partnership with...

October Promises Music, Icons and Panto at St Helens Theatre Royal

3Oct

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

October Promises Music, Icons and Panto at St Helens Theatre Royal

October promises St Helens Theatre Royal audiences a month of pop, panto and truly fantastic entertainment this October. Last month saw the Corporate Street venue revert back to full house audiences after a challenging 18 months – and theatregoers are steadily returning to enjoy live shows in the town. St Helens Theatre Royal has been granted the use of the Society Of London Theatre & UK Theatre’s ‘See It Safely’ mark. This certifies that the venue is complying with Government and industry Covid-19 guidelines to ensure the safety of staff, performers, and audiences. The programme for October features Rat Pack classics from Liverpool singer Ray Quinn and friends; shows celebrating the music of Ariana Grande, Whitney Houston, Abba, The Eagles, George Michael, and Q...