John Nicholson Archives - North West End UK

The Massive Tragedy of Madame Bovary – Southwark Playhouse

11Dec

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

The Massive Tragedy of Madame Bovary – Southwark Playhouse

‘The Massive Tragedy of Madame Bovary’ playing at Southwark Playhouse, attempts a brave, comedic overhaul of Gustave Flaubert's sobering classic, with varying degrees of success. For those of you not familiar with the novel (which is, as pointed out at the start of the show, most of us), the story centres around a woman battling the constraints of the patriarchy. Emma is portrayed as profoundly disenchanted, bored with her uninspiring doctor husband, her mundane provincial village, and her stifling role as a dutiful wife in nineteenth-century France. The character extravagantly spends beyond her resources to flee the dullness and void of provincial existence. This narrative is upended by Ha Hum Ah Productions & Minack Theatre as the audience is ushered into a more modern and rau...

26Sep

By Jan MellorNo Comments

North West

King Arthur – The Lowry

I had never seen a production by the theatre group “Le Navett Bete” before. The theatre group decided on this name- as it loosely translates to “The Daft Turnip” and that being unusual, unique and fun- mirrors this talented theatre group impeccably. The show was being shown in the more intimate theatre at the Lowry and as we entered, we were met by an impressive backdrop/set of castle turrets, gothic windows, crenelations, scaffolds and towers (great work Fi Russell), and the opening scene of the three squires Edgar, Osbert and Dave in stocks and singing their woes. The audience (first two rows) had been given. latex fruit and vegetables to throw at these men and the audience loved it. As the three released themselves from the stocks – singing “I want to break free” we...

The Hound of the Baskervilles – Theatre by the Lake

17Aug

By Karen Morley-ChesworthNo Comments

North West

The Hound of the Baskervilles – Theatre by the Lake

The audience at Theatre by the Lake are howling with delight at the new production of the Sherlock Holmes classic The Hound of the Baskervilles, writes Karen Morley-Chesworth. This three-person production is a complete retake on the detective novel by Arthur Conan Doyle. The fourth wall isn’t broken, it is demolished in this hilarious retelling of the popular tale. Adapted by Steven Canny and John Nicholson, this hit West End production captures all the elements of British comedy - farce, physical humour and clever witty lines. This is a fast moving play that all the family can enjoy together. Sherlock is called in to investigate the death of Sir Charles Baskerville, who died on the moors, after what is believed to have been an attack by a giant dog. Sir Henry has inherited the ti...

24Jan

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

The Time Machine – The Lowry

There’s usually a golden rule that you don’t talk about yourself in writing a review. But when you end up being part of the show, it makes that somewhat tricky to follow. But this being a play about time travel, let’s rewind. HG Wells’ sci-fi classic has been subject to many adaptations, but this has possibly been one of the most irreverent. Borrowing heavily from the stylings of Mischief Theatre (the giants behind the ‘…Goes Wrong’ suite of shows), we have the familiar play-within-a-play setup as our three actors (George Kemp, Amy Revelle, and Michael Dylan) look to present their take on The Time Machine, having recently discovered that George is actually the great-great grandson of Wells’, with things failing to run as smoothly as they’d hope. The show makes the most of the trio...

The Hound of Baskervilles opens at Bolton Octagon in July

2Jun

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

The Hound of Baskervilles opens at Bolton Octagon in July

Bolton’s recently refurbed Octagon Theatre’s first inhouse production will be the Sherlock Holmes classic, The Hound of the Baskervilles. The comedy adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic adventure will be directed by the Octagon’s artistic director Lotte Wakeham and adapted for the stage by Steven Canny and John Nicholson. It’s the familiar story with a comic twist of world-renowned detective Sherlock Holmes and his colleague Dr Watson unravelling the mystery surrounding the untimely death of Sir Charles Baskerville. With rumours of a cursed giant hound on the loose, they must act fast to save the Baskerville family’s last remaining heir. Leading the case as the famous sleuth is Salford born actor and Octagon Youth Theatre alumnus Reuben Johnson joined...