HOME Mcr Archives - North West End UK

16Oct

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

North West

Team Viking – HOME Mcr

SPOILER ALERT – the main character in this funny and profoundly moving monologue dies. Most of us when we shuffle off this mortal coil can expect a short eulogy, and possibly some curled up sandwiches at the wake, but not Tom who got a full fiery Viking Funeral thanks to his two best friends. One of them was James Rowland who in a one-hour monologue took the audience through an intense childhood friendship with Tom and his neighbour Sarah. They became a close knit team as their childhood games revolved around the classic 1958 Norse melodrama, The Vikings, starring Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis as they acted out different roles from the movie. They agreed to a pact where when one of them snuffed it they would each get a Viking funeral where they floated away on a fiery longboat, whi...

4Oct

By Brian MaddenNo Comments

North West

Othello – HOME Mcr

This striking co-production between Northern Stage, HOME Manchester, Citizens Theatre, and Royal & Derngate delivers a stark, modernised vision of Shakespeare’s Othello. Director Anthony Almeida transports the tragic downfall of the Venetian general to early 1980s Britain against the backdrop of the Falklands War, reimagining Cyprus as an isolated, high-strung military outpost. The period shift proves remarkably effective, demonstrating how effortlessly the play’s core themes of jealousy, manipulation, and social performance translate across centuries. Natasha Jenkins’ sparse, metallic set creates a hard-edged, sterile arena devoid of softness or warmth, perfectly mirroring the cold calculatedness of the narrative. Erin Guan’s background video design further amplifies the emotional ...

28Sep

By Amanda HodgsonNo Comments

North West

Mrs Dalloway – HOME Mcr

Fans of Virginia Woolf’s classic novel Mrs Dalloway will be intrigued to follow the new adaptation of the story, written and directed by Jen Heyes and starring Kit Green in multiple roles. The play does not follow the conventional rules of drama, offered as more of a commentary on the story of Mrs Dalloway and how the characters relate to modern life than a straightforward performance. Green frequently breaks character and the fourth wall to engage with the audience and comment on the relevance of Virginia Woolf to aspects of modernity such as mental health, technological change and socioeconomic uncertainty. If this all sounds like heavy-going, the truth is that these breaks in the story are the highlights of the production, offering funny and upbeat respites in the official narrat...

27Sep

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

North West

BULL – HOME Mcr

Imagine if David Brent busted a few moves and communicated in British Sign Language (BSL) then you get a sense of what BULL was all about. Like Mamet’s masterpiece Glengarry Glen Ross this was on one level a play about toxic office politics, but also a perceptive examination of power, and more importantly which of the characters had it. What sets BULL apart is that the cast communicate in BSL throughout with hearing members of the audience relying on captions above the stage. I’d seen a few works at Leeds Playhouse where BSL had been partially integrated but Deafinitely Theatre as the first deaf led company had gone much further as the hearing amongst us found ourselves where people with hearing issues routinely find themselves in theatre land. As director Paula Garfield no...

22Apr

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

, Daniel Blake – HOME Mcr

Back in 2016, the political and cultural landscape of Britain felt markedly different: David Cameron was Prime Minister, the UK remained within the European Union, and Leicester City’s improbable Premier League triumph captured the national imagination. It was also the year Ken Loach secured the Palme d’Or at Cannes for I, Daniel Blake, a characteristically unflinching indictment of Britain’s welfare system. A decade on, this stage adaptation—presented by Northern Stage in collaboration with Leeds Playhouse—arrives not as a period piece, but as a grimly resonant reminder of how little has changed. Adapted by Dave Johns from Paul Lavery’s original screenplay, the production wastes little time in immersing us in the daily realities faced by its protagonist. Daniel Blake (Dave Nellist), a ...

20Feb

By Adam WilliamsNo Comments

North West

The Last Picture – HOME Mcr

This may be a tale told by a dog, but it isn’t a shaggy dog story. It is a moving and perceptive tale about hate, shame, pain and ultimately humanity. In dangerous times, amidst the mess of human existence, light can shine, and there is hope. Storyteller Robin Simpson bounds onto the stage and tells us he is Sam, an emotional support dog trained to look after us all. He has been assigned to a Year 9 class, which means children aged 13 to 14. Catherine Dyson’s script is structured through a series of pictures described by Sam. We are invited to imagine these images sometimes from the kids' perspective, at times from our own, and even to envision how the people in those photos might have been feeling at the time. A swastika has been drawn on a locker, and even though the children mi...

The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical – HOME Mcr

12Feb

By Coral MourantNo Comments

North West

The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical – HOME Mcr

You’ve heard of Hercules, you may have heard of Perseus, but do you know Percy Jackson, the demigod of the new world? A best selling book series, two movie adaptations and, most recently, a multi series Disney television show. And it’s a musical. “The gods are real, and they have kids. And those kids have issues”. Sixteen-year-old Percy Jackson is expelled from yet another school. Just when he thinks there’s no hope for a kid like him, he finds out that he is a half-blood. The future of the world hangs in the balance, as Percy and his friends embark on a difficult quest encountering monsters, gods and all sorts of chaos. The stage show takes Rick Riordan’s first novel, “The Lightning Thief”, and adds an electrifying soundtrack to engage all audiences, whether child, adult, or dem...

1May

By Emma WildNo Comments

North West

North by NorthWest – HOME Mcr

Adapting a film for the stage is no mean feat, especially if the film is an MGM blockbuster of its time, by hugely successful, iconic director and producer, Sir Alfred Hitchcock. These are certainly big shoes to fill. A challenge taken on by multi-award winning director, Emma Rice, in the world première adaptation of North by Northwest. How would Rice’s theatre company, Wise Children, translate Hitchcock’s use of masterful focus, suspense and tongue-in-cheek humour to the stage? Well, the resulting show did not disappoint and was an absolute joy to behold! Visiting HOME in central Manchester was a privilege and a pleasure, vibrant and buzzing with energy on the outside, and, as the name suggests, warm and welcoming on the inside. A comfortable, modern, spacious auditorium, the perfect s...

14Feb

By Harry AltyNo Comments

North West

One Punch – HOME Mcr

Everything can change in a moment, sometimes to devastating effect. Demonstrating that is the ambition of ‘One Punch’, a unique one-hour production from the John Godber Company in partnership with the charity One Punch Hull. Opening on minimalist staging, a square outlined with police tape symbolic of a boxing ring, our story is narrated by three NHS paramedics Corey (Ellis Basford), Sarah (Camille Hainsworth-Staples) and Jack (George Reid) detailing the stresses of their jobs. Setting the scene for the story ahead, it is clear from the beginning this is a cautionary tale. Our narrators smartly guide the audience through the oncoming scenes making up the events of this poignant but fatal day. The company of three performers switch through multiple characters as they tell the story of...

12Dec

By Scot CunninghamNo Comments

North West

Miracle on 34th Street – HOME Mcr

This clumsy interpretation of the classic seasonal flick presents itself more as a school play than an actual musical. Forgettable songs, cracker-quality jokes and unembellished choreography feel like several lumps of coal in the stocking, delivered by the least convincing Santa Claus this reviewer has ever seen. Miracle on 34th Street follows Susan (Karis), a sceptical girl whose doubts about the marvel of Christmas have been handed down by her no-nonsense, workaholic mother, Doris (Jessica Joslin). When neighbour Fred (Matthew Hawksley) hears of Susan’s lack of belief, he makes it his mission to change this. A magical unveiling of Ciaran Bagnall’s charming toy shop set promises something wonderful, with floor-to-ceiling shelves brimming with teddy bears, footballs and rocking horse...