Thursday, March 28

Tag: Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

National Theatre Live: Life of Pi – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse
North West

National Theatre Live: Life of Pi – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

In the week that 'Standing at the Sky's Edge' deservedly won the Olivier award for Best New Musical, another show that started life at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre, then went on to win Olivier's galore and wow the West End and Broadway. premiered on the National Theatre's streaming service. If 'Edge' has half the success that this beautiful metaphorical production has so far achieved, the producers will be well rewarded for their risk. Based on the best selling novel by Yann Martel and adapted for the stage by Lolita Chakrabati, 'Life Of Pi' tells the extraordinary story of 17 year old Piscine Molitor (Hiran Abeysekera) and his survival for 227 days in the Pacific Ocean, after a shipwreck which killed his entire family and everyone on board. Following his rescue, he is questioned as to...
The Jungle Book – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse
North West

The Jungle Book – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

The Easter holiday’s production of ‘The Jungle Book’ commenced at the Altrincham Garrick Playhouse, headed by the super talented Artistic Director Joseph Meighan. Following the success of last year’s ‘George’s Marvellous Medicine’ Ros Greenwood agreed to direct this imaginative production based on Rudyard Kipling’s eponymous collective works from 1894. Most of us remember the Walt Disney’s animated film from 1967 titled ‘The Jungle Book’ where we see Mowgli a human boy guided by the animal guardians, who is set on a journey of self-discovery whilst evading the threatening evil Shere. Ros Greenwood’s production of ‘The Jungle Book’ is that of Stuart Paterson’s adaptation where this classic is brought to life with a cast who fills the stage with the voices and bodies of all the animal...
National Theatre Live at Altrincham Garrick Playhouse – Othello
North West

National Theatre Live at Altrincham Garrick Playhouse – Othello

The creative team at Altrincham Garrick Playhouse have recently teamed up with National Theatre Live to bring some of the best British theatre to suburban south Manchester, our reviewer Paul Wilcox went along to check out the offering: The opportunity to watch the best of London theatre without the expense and general inconvenience of a trip to the South Bank is never one I am going to refuse, and Altrincham Garrick Playhouse have certainly pulled out all the stops to recreate the theatrical experience as closely as possible, judging by last night’s presentation of 'Othello'. Broadcast in the main 400 seat auditorium, the huge screen allows every detail of the performance to be observed up close and personal with the added advantage that every seat in the house is the best one. Small t...
Shakespeare in Love – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse
North West

Shakespeare in Love – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

With numerous accolades, including an Oscar Winning film performance and the acquisition of seven Academy awards, ‘Shakespeare in Love’ is performed this week at The Altrincham Garrick Playhouse. Based upon the screenplay by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard and adapted for stage by Lee Hall, this popular romantic comedy performed by the Garrick Ensemble is produced and directed by Joseph Meighan. For those who have not seen the film, the story is essentially about a certain young playwright, ‘Will Shakespeare’ (Loui Quelcutti) who meets the wealthy ‘Violet de Lesseps’ (Ciara- Alexandra Booker) who dreams of becoming an actor. The two fall deeply in love, however Violet's father, ‘Sir Robert de Lesseps’ (Paul O’Dwyer) insisted she married Lord Wessex (Tom Broughton) and so a love affair bet...
<strong>The Importance of Being Earnest – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse</strong>
North West

The Importance of Being Earnest – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

The third week in January traditionally brings 'Blue Monday', reportedly the most depressing day of the entire year. So, in an attempt to pull the audience away from the warmth of hearth and home in the depths of Winter, Altrincham Garrick Playhouse have updated Oscar Wilde's enduring masterpiece of misunderstanding and deception for a modern audience. First staged on Valentine's Day 1895, the plot of 'Earnest' revolves around the wooing of Gwendolen Fairfax (Antonia Whitehead) and Cecily Cardew (Lauren Robinson) by John Worthing (Jamie Sloan) and Algie Moncrieff (Chris Shoop Worrall), abetted by the usual farcical misunderstandings and enough outrageous plot twists to make Charles Dickens blush. What lifts the play above mere buffoonery is the quality of the writing, the genius 'bon m...
<strong>Dick Whittington – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse</strong>
North West

Dick Whittington – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

Pantomime season is once more upon us, and the Garrick Playhouse in Altrincham is joining in the fun once more.  This year’s offering is Dick Whittington, the age old tale of a young man, seeking his fortune in London.  The Garrick have kept to the basics of the story with their own adaptations and as with any panto lots of modern and local references The staging of the show is well done with a simple but effective design, excellent lighting effects and stunning costumes.  There are some sound issues with actors being hard to hear, especially when singing, but that could be first night technical hitches. The actors are enthusiastic and generally perform well.  Shining stars are Dan Ellis, who also directs, as Idle Jack and Phil Edwards as Sarah the Cook. &nb...
<strong>All My Sons – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse</strong>
North West

All My Sons – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

It is seventy-five years since Arthur Miller’s play All My Sons was first produced on Broadway.  Three quarters of a century later it is as powerful as it was in the late 1940s.  Miller’s writing and crafting of the plot is exceptional.  Unlike many of his later plays it also feels the most personal.  The family set up is similar to that of his own growing up, with himself as the younger brother, and the story is based upon a true tale told to him by his mother in law.    It was also his last chance to write a successful play before he gave up playwrighting altogether.  Thankfully it was a success and Miller continued writing until not long before his death in 2005. The play takes place over a period of twenty-four hours.  Joe Keller is a...
The Sound of Music – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse
North West

The Sound of Music – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

The Altrincham Garrick Playhouse opened the doors for their first musical of season 2022-2023 with the classic musical Sound of Music with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. Artistic Director Joseph Meighan and Musical Director Neil Bennett are no strangers to working together, this fabulous duo have produced and created some magnificent productions in their time both at the Garrick Playhouse and at Pendleton College performing arts. I have been fortunate enough to watch numerous of Meighan’s productions over the years and have often quoted that he has the Midas touch because everything he touches turns into a success, and his 2022 The Sound of Music is no exception. This old classic that marks its 80th anniversa...
Blue Stockings – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse
North West

Blue Stockings – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

Every year, during the first week of October, thousands of fresh-faced young people flock to our major cities marking the start of the university year. That this annual migration forms a rite of passage for both men AND women, is largely due to the efforts of 'Blue Stockings', pioneers in the rights for women's education and equality of opportunity during the nineteenth century. In this 2013 play, writer Jessica Swale focuses on the 1896 fight by women at Girton College, Cambridge to gain the right to graduate alongside their male peers in the face of hostile opposition from faculty, fellow students and society at large. We see the prejudice and misogyny that women in education faced through the eyes of four new 'Girton Girls', Tess (Pippa Lane), Celia (Bronte James), Carolyn (Madelein...
The Habit of Art – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse
North West

The Habit of Art – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

The Altrincham Garrick Playhouse welcomes ‘The Habit of Art’, a play by Alan Bennett who certainly needs no further introduction. With many accolades to his name including the fabulous ‘History Boys’ and ‘The Lady in The Van’, this particular play that premiered in 2009 and is perhaps lesser known than others was a brave undertaking. Directed by John Cunningham and stage managed by Mark McEwan, Vi Pope and Karen Foster it is clear that The Altrincham Garrick are well equipped to take on this multi-layered play. It is essentially a story about a fictional meeting between Benjamin Britten and W.H. Auden. The meeting takes place twenty five years after they had disagreed and damaged their friendship, seemingly irrevocably. It centres on the characters Fitz (Bill Platt), Henry (Jonathon Bl...