Monday, May 6

Tag: Floral Pavilion

Red Hot Chilli Pipers – Floral Pavilion Theatre
North West

Red Hot Chilli Pipers – Floral Pavilion Theatre

Bagpipes with attitude, drums with a Scottish accent and a show so hot it carries its own health warning – that’s what the Red Hot Chilli Pipers sell themselves as and they do not disappoint! I went in cold but came out hot. Currently performing their 20th anniversary tour, the Red Hot Chilli Pipers are a Celtic rock band who bring the house down with their own unique blend of bagpipes, rock music and a relentless command of the stage that screams ‘we’re here to have fun and so are you!’ A combination of guitars, keyboards, drums and bagpipes create their unique, self-proclaimed 'bagrock' sound. This is not a sit down recital of several set pieces. Picture the energy of Queen, the stage presence of Elvis and the tradition of a marching band and you have something that resembles this...
Eric & Ern – Floral Pavilion
North West

Eric & Ern – Floral Pavilion

How do you replicate the diamond duo of Morecombe and Wise, held in Britain’s comedy consciousness with an abundance of affection? Can the captivating chemistry between them ever be replicated? Watching actors Jonty Stephens and Ian Ashpitel on stage, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’re in a time-warp! They are exceptionally uncanny. Playing all the right notes in the right order, Eric & Ern manages to imitate the inimitable. It is unmissable. Not only do they look incredibly convincing as the renowned double-act, their mannerisms and timing mesh together to create a live show that captures the essence of Morecombe and Wise’s magic – nothing is lost. It is a true feat of necromancy. With high expectations from fans and newbies alike, we’re greeted by Stephens and Ashpitel open...
The Legends of American Country – Floral Pavilion
North West

The Legends of American Country – Floral Pavilion

JMG music group present ‘The Legends of American Country show’ which is currently touring around Ireland and the UK and tonight, the delightful Floral Pavilion had the pleasure of finally hosting this celebration of country music after it was postponed one year ago. The show is opened by our host Anthony McBrien who comes from a village named Derrylin in County Fermanagh. Anthony is joined on stage by his co-star Tracy McCauley from Banbridge in County Down. It is no surprise that the stars of the show come from Ireland given the huge Irish-American connections when it comes to country music although it was a delight to see a full, enthusiastic, country-loving audience ready to greet them tonight in New Brighton. This show prides itself on “taking you to Nashville and back” in one n...
Ellen Kent: Madama Butterfly – Floral Pavilion
North West

Ellen Kent: Madama Butterfly – Floral Pavilion

Puccini may have been a philanderer and scoundrel, with a Hitchcock-like tendency to put his heroines through merry hell, but my goodness, he could write an aria. Madama Butterfly, one of the most widely performed operas in the world, boasts its fair share, and is deemed to be one of the most accessible to audiences. Set in one location - a hillside house in Nagasaki, Japan - we follow Cio-Cio-San, nicknamed ‘Butterfly’, the young bride of an American naval officer, Lieutenant Pinkerton, as her romantic ideals are tested to their limits when he seemingly abandons her, yet she still waits hopefully for his return. The sense of tragedy is embedded from the get-go, as we know as an audience that Pinkerton has no intention of coming back, seeing the match as a short-lived one until he can ...
Ellen Kent: Carmen – Floral Pavilion
North West

Ellen Kent: Carmen – Floral Pavilion

Carmen is a four-act opera by French composer Georges Bizet, first performed in Paris on 3rd March 1875 with audiences initially objecting to the wild and immoral behaviour on view. Sadly, Bizet's sudden death in June meant he did not get to see its resounding success in Vienna later that year and its subsequent international acclaim. It is now one of the most popular and frequently performed operas. Set in Seville, Spain around 1820, Carmen tells the story of the downfall of Don José (Sorin Lupu) a naïve corporal who falls head over heels in love with Carmen (Katerina Timbaliuk), a seductive, free-spirited gypsy girl. The infatuated Don José abandons his childhood sweetheart, Micaela (Alyona Kistenyova), and neglects his military duties much to the annoyance of his senior officer Zuni...
Judy & Liza – Floral Pavillion
North West

Judy & Liza – Floral Pavillion

What an absolute joy and honour it was to be able to be at the first show at the Floral Pavilion, whose auditorium has been closed to patrons since March last year. The staff and regulations that have been put in place to allow people to feel safe, have definitely done just that. And what a show to reopen the theatre with! Judy & Liza is a bit like the concert a lot of people would have wanted to see, but never got the chance to. 45 years after they performed together at the London Palladium, this vaudeville-style concert of a show tells us a brief history of Frances ‘Baby’ Gumm and her daughter Liza May Minnelli. It’s been well thought out and put together so well, that at times you forgot you were watching actors playing the roles and not the legends themselves. Helen Sheals as J...