Gary Jones Archives - North West End UK

Let The People Sing! Les Misérables – Liverpool Empire

5Jul

By Kevin EcclestonNo Comments

North West

Let The People Sing! Les Misérables – Liverpool Empire

In 2025, Les Misérables, the world-famous Cameron Mackintosh musical based on Victor Hugo’s novel, celebrates its 40th anniversary. To mark this Ruby Anniversary, eleven amateur theatre groups across the UK were invited to stage their own productions, bringing the musical to life in their local communities. This is the first time in four decades that Les Misérables has been licensed for production by amateur theatre groups in the UK, and what a wonderful job they did for this project at the Liverpool Empire Theatre. Alongside Liverpool Empire Creative Learning, BOST Musicals, Romily Operatic Society and Tip Top Productions put on a truly professional performance at the Empire Theatre. It was better than some of the touring theatre shows I’ve seen, and the talent on display would not ...

26Mar

By Kathryn GortonNo Comments

North West

Evita – Stockport Plaza

Following on from last year’s excellent production of Priscilla comes Romiley Operatic Societies presentation of the popular and multi award winning Lloyd-Webber classic, Evita! This society perform here each year and completely utilises this beautiful, Art Deco theatre with its huge, and I mean huge, proscenium and luxurious auditorium with fabulous sight lines and acoustics. And did they use it well? Oh yes and some. I counted 50 performers on stage in some of the numbers which takes some enormous artistic direction and choreography and logistics to make that work but boy they did and with aplomb. I counted a mind blowing 64 cast members in the programme and that in itself is a remarkable cast size for any production. Evita tells the meteoric rise to fame and popularity as t...

Les Misérables: School Edition – Hyde Festival Theatre

17Apr

By David S ClarkeNo Comments

North West

Les Misérables: School Edition – Hyde Festival Theatre

It’s not very often, if ever, that I am left speechless by a performance, but this was one such occasion. I found myself so enthralled by what was happening on the stage that I forgot that I was actually meant to be reviewing the show, in fact I got to the end of Act 1 and discovered that I hadn’t written anything on my notes, so I will have to write this review purely from memory. I’ve had to edit my review and have left out the synopsis which I had originally included. For those few of you who don’t know the story of Les Miserables, all I can suggest is that Google is a wonderful thing! Anyway, back to the show. The first solo of the performance was taken by Harry O’Connor as the Bishop of Digne who set the standard for the rest of the performers to follow, a good opening and great...

Priscilla Queen of the Desert – Stockport Plaza

13Mar

By Philip EdwardsNo Comments

North West

Priscilla Queen of the Desert – Stockport Plaza

Sometimes, reviewing theatre productions can be a bit like pulling hens teeth. You sit there, you get acted at, you clap then you leave. All very nice, but you can’t say very much about what you’ve seen. Then there are the nights when you get blown away by a production. A production so good, you can’t stop saying things about it. I saw one of those tonight. By any criteria you can name, this production of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert was a joy from start to finish. I guess you will know the plot by now. Three drag queens schlep across Australia in an old bus, (the titular Priscilla). They encounter the sort of people who don’t take naturally to people who are different. They are despised, assaulted in the vilest way. One finds romance, one a family but they all have adventures they wo...

27Sep

By Adam WilliamsNo Comments

North West

Cats – Stockport Plaza

In my day job, outside of the nights I spend in and around the various theatrical haunts of Greater Manchester, I write about dogs. Yes, I am a canine journalist and yes, that is a real job! Given that my professional life revolves around man’s best friend you would think I would hate Cats but this production was so pleasing that I wanted to take it home, give it a saucer of milk and tickle it behind its ears. However, I did have one problem with the show and I will get the negative out of the way now because there was so much in it to enjoy. My gripe was that for some of the numbers where everyone was singing, I couldn’t hear the words. I don’t know if it was a sound issue but the solo songs were fine. The person I took with me said they had the same problem. As I say, I don’t want to ...