Thursday, March 28

Tag: Hull New Theatre

Turn & Face the Strange – Hull New Theatre
Yorkshire & Humber

Turn & Face the Strange – Hull New Theatre

Having seen Turn & Face the Strange a while ago, in a smaller theatre, I was keen to see how the show would play out on the larger Hull New Theatre stage. I wasn’t the only keen theatregoer on Friday evening - the place was jam-packed. The stage setting was how I remembered it - huge images of rock legend and David Bowie sideman, Mick Ronson, with a giant video screen in the centre. Turn & Face the Strange tells the story of Ronson’s early life, through to his premature death in 1993 at the age of 46 Ronson was born in Hull and, despite his global fame working with the likes of Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, Van Morrison, John Mellencamp, and Morrissey to name just a few - had “Hull-ness” running through him like a stick of Bridlington rock. But most will always associate him...
Calendar Girls The Musical – Hull New Theatre
Yorkshire & Humber

Calendar Girls The Musical – Hull New Theatre

I remember buying the original Women’s Institute nude calendar way back in 1999. It might be worth something now - but, alas, it probably went to the great recycler in the sky. Calendar Girls The Musical brought the story of the calendar’s inception to the Hull New Theatre on Tuesday evening. All the action takes place in the village hall of the small Yorkshire village of Cracoe. Under a fabulous vaulted ceiling (a remarkable stage design) we witnessed seven local ladies attending their usual WI meeting. Some took the proceedings seriously, others found them a bit mundane. This motley tight-knit group - Annie Clarke (Tanya Franks), Ruth (Maureen Nolan), Jessie (Lyn Paul), Chris (Amy Robbins), Marie (Paula Tappenden), Celia (Marti Webb) and Cora (Honeysuckle Weeks) -  are thr...
Dirty Dancing – Hull New Theatre
Yorkshire & Humber

Dirty Dancing – Hull New Theatre

The first couple of minutes of Dirty Dancing, at the Hull New Theatre on Tuesday night, was in the dark - had the spotlights failed? It soon became apparent the darkness was on purpose and it made the sudden burst of colour that followed even more memorable and exciting. And the excitement lasted until the very last - make that lasting - standing ovation for a production that is nothing short of perfect. We in the packed theatre were transported back to 1963 America and Kellerman’s Holiday Resort. Regular visitors to the resort are Dr Jake Houseman (Jack Loy), his wife Marjorie (Taryn Sudding) and daughters, Lisa (Daisy Steere) and Frances “Baby” (Kira Malou). At 16 or 17 years of age, Baby really is the baby of the family - but, boy, she certainly grows up thanks to Keller...
Greatest Days – Hull New Theatre
Yorkshire & Humber

Greatest Days – Hull New Theatre

The pre-show stage setting greeting theatregoers at the Hull New Theatre on Tuesday evening, must rank as the oddest. It was a line of washing, and I wondered what that could possibly have to do with the production - Greatest Days, the official Take That Musical. But it’s often the little things that make an impact - and this line of washing was actually blowing in the wind. A clever touch of realism. And that simple prop came to highlight the mundanity of one of the surviving characters. I say “surviving” as there is a fatality, but my lips are sealed as to who pops their clogs. It’s 1993, and five 16-year-old schoolgirls are fans of boy band Take That who are enjoying their first UK number 1 hit, Pray. The five - Rachel (Olivia Hallett), Debbie (Mary Moore), Heather (Kitt...
Annie – Hull New Theatre
Yorkshire & Humber

Annie – Hull New Theatre

What a fabulous, uplifting start to the week - all thanks to a cute, little, red-haired orphan called Annie, whose story is told in a production of the same name. A jam-packed Hull New Theatre was the setting on Monday evening for this smash-hit show, which has come direct from London’s West End. At curtain up, the stage featured metal bedsteads and sparse bedding, in an orphanage run by the drunken, cruel Miss Hannigan (Craig Revel Horwood). With unkempt hair, make-up, sloppy negligee and a fridge-full of booze, the Strictly Come Dancing star is perfection in the role, bringing much hilarity to proceedings as well as a fine singing voice. Equally perfect in her role is young Zoe Akinyosade as Annie, who is on stage for over two hours - no mean feat for a nine-year-old. With a...
Ailey 2 – Hull New Theatre
Yorkshire & Humber

Ailey 2 – Hull New Theatre

Storm Babet was no deterrent to the hardy souls who ventured out on Friday evening to watch Ailey 2 at the Hull New Theatre. This energetic troupe of modern dancers - I counted 12 in all - come to the city as part of a UK tour. Ailey 2 has been described by the New York Times as being the “younger version of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater” - a company founded in 1958 by choreographer, dancer and visionary, Alvin Ailey to bring African-American dance to the world stage from its base in the Big Apple. From what I witnessed on Friday evening, Ailey’s quest has been a huge success. At curtain up, the stage - left, right and centre - was enveloped in black, as were the dancers who emerged in the gloom to a hypnotic, and very loud, drum beat. They moved individually, sometime...
Rocky Horror Show – Hull New Theatre
Yorkshire & Humber

Rocky Horror Show – Hull New Theatre

When the Rocky Horror Show comes to town, you can guarantee fishnet stockings, suspenders, bustiers, saucy maids’ costumes et al will be much in evidence. And that’s just in the audience. So, it was on Monday night when theatregoers pulled out all the stops to show their support for this iconic production, which comes to Hull New Theatre as part of a world tour. It was great fun, pre curtain up, checking out the get-ups of the brave souls who had dared - often, to bare - with all shapes, sizes and genders joining in the fun. They are an essential part of proceedings. This legendary rock ’n’ roll musical has been wowing audiences for 50 years and doesn’t look like retiring any time soon. The well-known story tells of innocent college kids, Brad (Reece Budín) and his fiancée,...
Jesus Christ Superstar – Hull New Theatre
Yorkshire & Humber

Jesus Christ Superstar – Hull New Theatre

When a theatre production seems to pass in the blink of an eye, you know you have witnessed something special. So, it was on Monday evening, when Jesus Christ Superstar came to the Hull New Theatre to spellbind us in the fairly full venue. After a 10-minute delay for curtain up, the first half was well worth the wait. Events on stage were so utterly engrossing, next thing we knew the interval was upon us. The stage setting for the last weeks of Jesus Christ’s life (seen through the eyes of Judas), was devoid of colour; even the actors’ costumes were mostly a drab beige. This cleverly created the perfect atmosphere of suspicion, fear and doubt leading up to Jesus’s demise. Feared by the authorities for being hailed as the “King of the Jews” and the “Son of God” by his followers...
Heathers The Musical – Hull New Theatre
Yorkshire & Humber

Heathers The Musical – Hull New Theatre

Thank goodness my years at the Newton Hall Grammar Technical High School, in Hull, weren’t as angst-ridden and dangerous as those “enjoyed” by the pupils of Westerberg High School, in Ohio, US. When the energetic cast of Heathers The Musical took to the Hull New Theatre stage on Tuesday evening, their actions shed light on the likes of bulimia, latent homosexuality, suicide, bullying and murder. Phew! There was never a dull moment, making my schooldays seem dull and boring. I was new to Heathers, but a large chunk of the audience whooped and hollered loudly on many occasions throughout - showing, not only their appreciation, but also their knowledge of the storyline. I admired their enthusiasm, but, sadly, couldn’t join in as (and I’m sure I was in the minority here, judging b...
Sister Act – Hull New Theatre
Yorkshire & Humber

Sister Act – Hull New Theatre

I was affected by my own Sister Act on Monday evening, when the musical of the same name came to the Hull New Theatre stage. My long-time theatre buddy, my sister Chrissy, deserted me to have fun in the sun abroad, leaving her sisterly gap to be filled by my good pal, Barbs. The story starts in 1977 Philadelphia, US, where wannabe singer Deloris Van Cartier (Landi Oshinowo), witnesses her married lover, the thuggish Curtis Jackson (Ian Gareth-Jones), commit murder. Deloris, realising she has been seen by Curtis, heads for the police station and into the protective custody of my fave character on the night, “Steady” Eddie Souther (Alfie Parker). Later on, Eddie becomes the hero of the hour, bless him. Meanwhile, Deloris is packed off to a nunnery to keep her safe from Curtis...