Hope Street Theatre Archives - North West End UK

7Mar

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Wild Swimming – Hope Street Theatre

Directors Dan Meigh and Connor Wray delightfully plunge us into the lives of a young couple whose relationship is firmly in the ‘can’t live with you, can’t live without you’ stage, with their production of Marek Horn’s somewhat timeless two-hander that plays fast and loose with time. Whilst men are from Mars and women are from Venus, Nell (Amy Thompson-Hope) and Oscar (Harry Clark) opt to meet on a beach in 1595 – or is it 1610 – and to which they will return like the tide over the next four hundred years to debate feminism, privilege, literature, sex, and, of course, swimming. Watery metaphors abound for these two very diverse characters; she is witty and acerbic with a sharp tongue whilst he dreams of being a poet and adventurer from the safety of his beach towel, yet the opening k...

8Feb

By Stephanie WiswallNo Comments

North West

Exposed – Hope Street Theatre

Exposed (written, produced and performed by Laura Tellwright and wonderfully directed by Faye Caddick) is a painful but powerful performance which documents the ups and downs of life through the depths of grief. Don't be fooled into thinking this performance is going to be depressing and morose. Although, yes, you do need tissues in parts, this story really does have you crying, laughing and crying laughing. Very rarely do I see an audience so captivated, entranced and mesmerized. Yes, all similar words but I feel it needs to be shown just what an amazing performance this really is. You feel every emotion, you understand those emotions, you can relate with what is happening on stage, from the raw grief to the comedic take on dating, therapy and sometimes grief itself. By the e...

A Man and His Circumstance – Hope Street Theatre

31Jan

By Stephanie WiswallNo Comments

North West

A Man and His Circumstance – Hope Street Theatre

A man and his circumstance is a thought provoking and educational piece of theatre based around breaking the stigma of talking about male health issues and opening the floor for men to talk. Written and produced by Tom Cain, owner of his own independent theatre company Tom Cain Theatre. The performance is portrayed by three very talented actors, some of whom take on multiple roles throughout the performance. Firstly, Matthew Swinnerton who plays Joel, a friendly, down to earth, relatable lad next door type. He is the main character and narrates the whole story. You empathise with his health struggles, and he portrays a guy's different personalities within different settings and social groups extremely well. Also, portraying touching more delicate moments with ease. Thoroughly ...

25Jan

By Stephanie WiswallNo Comments

North West

Breezeblock Park – Hope Street Theatre

Breezeblock Park, set in Liverpool, during Christmas of 1975, following the highs and lows of a Scouse family as they encounter a different class, a shock revelation and try with all their might to maintain their Christmas spirit throughout. Written by Willy Russell, directed by Clayton Travis and performed by Off Topic Theatre Company. This performance is lengthy, hard hitting and diverse. The cast did extremely well with such a performance and each character portrayed their own morals, characteristics and mannerisms well, meaning the audience had a good grasp of the types of personalities, temperaments and natures which graced our stage. The story follows rebel Sandra (Chloe Gratton) who is trying to break free from her family class and norms to experience a wider world. Her dy...

8Jan

By NewsdeskNo Comments

NEWS

Exposed at Hope Street Theatre

New Year is a time of joy, but it can also be a difficult time for those who have experienced or are experiencing loss. Stagewright Theatre Company’s upcoming production of Exposed, Laura Tellwright’s debut one-woman show directed by Faye Caddick, at The Hope Street Theatre in Liverpool, explores the often-unspoken experiences that surround loss and grief and the deeply personal vulnerability that inevitably follows for so many people. When thirty-something Charlotte suddenly loses her dad to cancer, her whole life dramatically changes. Charlotte invites an audience to observe her journey through grief, heartache, crippling mental health, finding joy, and sharing secrets she’ll take to the grave, in this powerful, painful but truthful comedic monodrama that exposes grief for what it rea...

An Evening of Talking Heads – Hope Street Theatre

7Dec

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

An Evening of Talking Heads – Hope Street Theatre

When Alan Bennett wrote the play Enjoy, in which an elderly couple find themselves being packed up to become a living museum exhibit, there’s a chance he might have been seeing the future for many of his other characters. Tonight, we have three monologues from Bennett’s first series of Talking Heads, first broadcast in 1988. The series, which has become a staple of English literature syllabus’, provides a variety of perspectives on themes such as isolation, guilt, and loneliness. Pieces like these will always present a bit of a challenge to some audiences – those who remember the time-period will find warmth in evocative references to times gone by, but younger audience members may find the idea of regularly writing letters, waiting for a call on a landline, or the 1980s buying power...

7Jun

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

The Dumb Waiter – Hope Street Theatre

Moxie on Fire are certainly that with their production of Harold Pinter’s classic one-act play, considered to be one of his best, and certainly one open to much interpretation depending on who you talk to, with director Kaitlin Howard successfully navigating the potential pitfalls whilst still leaving us with plenty to reflect on at its conclusion. Gus (Gareth Llewelyn) and Ben (Richard Cottier) are hit men who are holed-up in a dingy basement kitchen, waiting to be sent out on their next job. Even from before the start of the play it is clear that Ben is the more senior of the two as they lie on their respective beds – Ben reading the newspaper, Gus seemingly asleep. The unravelling scene captures the uneasy frustration between them as they wait for instruction on their next victim ...

They Don’t Really Care About Us – Hope Street Theatre

3Jun

By Gill LewisNo Comments

North West

They Don’t Really Care About Us – Hope Street Theatre

An intelligent and authentic production with fire in its belly, which does well to tackle complex themes with passionate conviction. Provides an important lesson in the ongoing injustices and experiences of racial and sexist discrimination, leaving room for further development and exploration. TDRCAU is set in the 90s during the immediate aftermath of the murder of Stephen Lawrence. A landmark case in which a public inquiry into the handling of his brutal racially motivated murder eventually exposed institutional racism within the UK police and justice systems. We follow the story of medical student Dinesh Sharma (portrayed by co-writer and co-director, Sab Muthusamy), a local lad of Indian descent who finds himself regularly subject to derogatory racial comments from th...

Accidental Death of an Anarchist – Hope Street Theatre

10May

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Accidental Death of an Anarchist – Hope Street Theatre

One of Dario Fo’s most loved and renowned works, Accidental Death of an Anarchist is based on the true story of the Piazza Fontana bombing in Milan in 1969 and the subsequent death of Giuseppe Pinelli whilst being held in police custody. Director Dan Meigh’s re-imagination of the play places us in a modern-day police station where a mysterious Maniac (Mat Oliphant) has just climbed through the wrong window to be encountered by Inspector Berlozzo (Phil Rayner) and Constable 1 (Noah Cambridge) who are already in possession of a warrant for his arrest. With a history tied to disruption and disturbance across the ages, the Maniac makes his escape to the fourth floor and an encounter with a Chief Inspector (Eleanor Martin), Inspector Pisoni (Connor Wray), and Constable 2 (Cambridge). With...

22Apr

By Paddy Darnell-WalshNo Comments

North West

BOUND – Hope Street Theatre

Theatre placing LGBTQ+ characters front and centre is still a rarity, even in 2024. In times where representation and equality are increasingly important, it is refreshing to come across new theatre centring on a same-sex relationship. BOUND, a new comedy by Phoebe Edmonds, and presented by Grapevine Theatre, follows lesbian couple Dani and Charlotte as they become engaged. What is seemingly a simple tale of wedding planning takes a twist when it becomes apparent that Dani is only willing to marry when The Church of England allows same-sex marriage. Edmonds’ One Act script offered great potential, particularly in its comedic elements. Along with Caitlin Newman, Edmonds directed her own piece and thus was able to fully realise her vision for the play. As the play only had two characters,...