Jo Lee Archives - North West End UK

The Addams Family – The Brindley, Runcorn

19Nov

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

The Addams Family – The Brindley, Runcorn

For those who are resisting the total takeover of tinsel, they may find comfort in a date with America’s spookiest family. The Addams Family packs lots of nostalgic charm for those who loved the various TV shows and films. In this adaptation, everyone’s favourite young goth, Wednesday, has a nasty shock for her family that, for once doesn’t involve the usual collection of weaponry and torture devices – instead she has fallen in love and, to the horror of the kooky clan, he and his family are ‘normal’ – and guess who’s coming to dinner? Centenary Theatre Company’s production, directed by Claire Littlemore, and with musical direction by Emily Woodward, boasts all the hallmarks of their high standards. A splendidly macabre set brings us into heart of the Addams’ home and the slick light...

Vardy v Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial – The Brindley

19Sep

By Sam JamesNo Comments

North West

Vardy v Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial – The Brindley

Vardy V Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial is a comedic, dramatic and true to the fact play all about the trial and tribulations of the well known and strange showdown between Coleen Rooney and Rebecca Vardy back in 2022. The story being brought to the stage so quickly demonstrates it's bizarre yet gripping storyline. You are greeted to a basic but effective set (Mike Hall) which clearly sets the scene for what is about to unfold. You are eager to see the witnesses take the stand as each of the characters roles are clearly defined by the staging even before they are introduced. A clever comedic effect added was the detail of having the court room separated by a football pitch to throw you into the match between the two characters. The staging was flipped in the interval to provide the a...

The Girl on the Train – The Brindley Theatre

13Sep

By Codie WrightNo Comments

North West

The Girl on the Train – The Brindley Theatre

Wow. As someone who went into this show not having seen the film or read the book (I read a book called A Girl on A Train, which I didn’t realise until weeks later was not the bestselling novel by Paula Hawkins that everyone else had read), I had no idea what to expect, and I left the theatre feeling utterly blown away! Directed by Clare Littlemore, the show follows Rachel Watson, a well-meaning woman with an alcohol problem (side note: I felt a little uncomfortable at some of the audience’s reactions to Rachel’s drinking. It’s clear that she has an issue with drinking, but there was a lot of laughing in the audience which felt a bit misplaced. Occasionally it felt as though lines were delivered deliberately to evoke a laugh, but other times it was clear that this was not the time, so t...

The Addams Family – St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School

26Oct

By Katie LeicesterNo Comments

North West

The Addams Family – St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School

Spooky season is upon us and what better production to stage than Addams Family, Newton Amateur Dramatic and Operatic Society (NADOS) just one week before Halloween have created the right amount of spookiness for this spectacular family musical comedy. Staged in a high school there was a huge buzz of families with their children dressed in Halloween outfits or as characters from the show, it was a delight to see the community spirit with front of house dressed in Halloween attire and all pulling together to ensure the audience was well catered for and able to find their seating. Addams Family has become enormously popular in the autumn months for many theatre companies, this being my third viewing of the show in less than a couple of months. The story is that of the kooky, upside-...