Donna Berlin Archives - North West End UK

5Dec

By Hannah WildeNo Comments

North West

Wicked – Palace Theatre

Wicked is - and for the last 20+ years has been - a musical theatre smash hit, with indefinite residencies on Broadway and the West End, plus touring productions in more than 130 cities worldwide. And now, with the Universal Pictures motion picture just hitting cinemas, it seems that Wicked-mania has hit fever pitch. So as Wicked is taking the world by storm once more, I willingly took a seat to watch the magic happen in the place where it began… the theatre. This particular touring production - led by Production Manager Matt Towell - has all the hallmarks of a show flown straight from the West End: sublime staging, iridescent costumes, and scintillating set design. This production is a testament to the beauty and brilliance of musical theatre, with seamless musical and visual transi...

19Apr

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Wicked – Bradford Alhambra

If you’ve ever wondered how those red shoes came to be sticking out from under Dorothy’s house in The Wizard of Oz this prequel to that classic movie will give you the answer. It goes back to before Dorothy crash landed in the land of Oz ruled by a mysterious wizard to reveal the backstory of Elphaba – better known to us The Wicked Witch of the West - and her nemesis Glinda the Good. Based on Gregory Maguire’s revisionist novel ‘Wicked – The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of West’ rather than L. Frank Baum’s original text we firstly meet Elphaba and Glinda as they start life at Shiz University as sworn enemies. The brilliant twist in this version is that Elphaba's skin is green thanks to an accident of birth so is the outsider and blonde rich brat Glinda is her exact opposite. Bu...

8Mar

By Peter KinnockNo Comments

West Midlands

Wicked – Birmingham Hippodrome

“There’s No Place Like Brum!” There’s certainly no place Brum for the next few weeks as the international green-faced, broomstick-wielding, hit-stuffed mega-musical drops its house on the stage of the Birmingham Hippodrome which it will be calling no place like home until the 7th April. “Wicked” erupted on Broadway in a flume of green smoke 21 years ago and has been dazzling us with a rainbow of pizzazz ever since. Stemming from Gregory Maguire’s 1995 revisionist exploration of the characters from L.Frank Baum’s 1900 novel “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” itself adapted into the cloyingly sentimental and techo-surrealist 1939 movie starring Judy “Slippers” Garland, “Wicked” has become the mainstay of both West End and Broadway with many an actress donning the Shrek-hued make-up and defyi...

23May

By Brian MaddenNo Comments

North West

The Way Old Friends Do – The Lowry

"The Way Old Friends Do," written by Ian Hallard, is an engaging, light-hearted comedy that playfully straddles the line between homage to iconic pop band ABBA and an exploration of significant societal themes. Balancing the frivolity of a tribute band with weightier undertones of male friendship, homophobia, and familial relationships, the play invites audiences to a narrative filled with laughter and introspection. The story pivots around Peter (played by the writer; Ian Hallard), a middle-aged former librarian and ABBA superfan who reunites with his old school friend, Edward (James Bradshaw). Their coincidental reunion leads them to form half of a gender-reversed ABBA tribute show, alongside the prim Mrs. Campbell (Triyé Peterside) and the endearingly anxious Jodie (Rose Shalloo). Th...