King’s Arms Archives - Page 2 of 3

Four Weddings and a Breakdown – King’s Arms, Salford

9Jul

By Louise KershawNo Comments

North West

Four Weddings and a Breakdown – King’s Arms, Salford

Phil Green’s pre-Edinburgh stand up show, presented to a small audience who had made their way through the torrential rain of a humid summers evening, took us on a journey of his life over the past twenty years and the trials and torments that have brought him to where he is now. Relaxed, quick witted and very likeable, Green quickly got down to the business of pondering the life experiences and learnings of each generation from the Babyboomers who raised him to the current Generation Z cleverly highlighting the differences and similarities between them. Using the power of his beloved and adored Sugababes, who have accompanied him for the whole journey and assisted by observant and entertaining photographs, visual charts and graphs, Green highlights the features of each generation with ...

6Jul

By Scot CunninghamNo Comments

North West

Wasteman – King’s Arms, Salford

In a sequin-studded change in his career path, Joe Leather whimsically recounts how he traded hi-vis for high heels in this endearing one-hour play. Despite dabbling in drag in former times, regrettable events have led him to boxing up his dreams. However, a new opportunity tempts our refuse-collecting queen to rediscover their passion for performing. Leather embraces his ‘imaginary’ audience and entertains us with engrossing words, song and dance while jumping between a past and present narrative. His stage presence is cheeky and charming, and he capably juggles additional minor roles with expressive mannerisms and accents. While there are plenty of funnies laced throughout the script, a quantity over quality situation in terms of humour is sometimes apparent: where too many ...

Amy Webber: No Previous Experience – King’s Arms, Salford

5Jul

By Scot CunninghamNo Comments

North West

Amy Webber: No Previous Experience – King’s Arms, Salford

Ambitious opera graduate Amy Webber occupies the King’s Arms theatre space with a stand-up routine composed of music, role-play and just a little bit of job-hunting. Opening with a playful sing-through of her CV, the piece throws in plenty of anecdotes throughout to keep it laugh-a-minute. The way Webber ad-libs lyrics and fumbles on her mini keyboard is reminiscent of Peep Show’s hapless, wannabe musician Jeremy Usborne (in the most complimentary way). Applying an energetic and quick-witted persona as she enacts different occupations- from teacher to therapist- Webber also employs some tongue in cheek audience interaction. While no one offered any exciting career leads for her on this occasion, she shares some frivolous networking pointers nonetheless. Radio impersonations an...

3Jul

By Louise KershawNo Comments

North West

Smell the Roses – King’s Arms, Salford

Meet Molly. Young, motivated, engaging and real. She runs her own florist and from it helps her customers acknowledge key moments in their lives by saying it with flowers. Whether it is the joy of assembling a bridal bouquet or a jilted lovers desperate offering, she constructs floral arrangements that are full of meaning and symbolism… who knew geraniums represent folly and stupidity? Certainly not me when I filled my garden with them! When George finds his way into Molly’s little shop for a much needed Fuck You Bouquet a ‘romantic comedy’ begins. The problem is, I found it neither romantic nor comic. George finds ways to come in and out of Mollys shop for multiple reasons, none of which are especially convincing. He asks Molly to teach him about floristry and the meanings of flowers w...

2Sep

By Louise KershawNo Comments

North West

Twenty Today – King’s Arms, Salford

For some reason, in the mid Eighties, my Dad started collecting plates. The sorts of plates that were regularly advertised in the back of glossy Sunday magazines. They were hideous. Many of them were wall mounted around the house and when family parties or sisters pretending to be The Nolans got a bit boisterous, my mother could be heard crying “Watch the plates!” I was reminded of this in the opening scene of Peripeteia Theatre’s Twenty Today in which we meet 19-year-old Peter Clapton (Joseph Harding) and his Aunt Holly ‘Dave’ Clapton (Solaya Sang) on the eve of his 20th birthday. He is preparing for his house party, she has a date. There is immediate warmth and connection between Harding and Sang as the orphaned boy-about-to-be-man and the sister of his dead mother, who has now...

Mother There Art Thou – King’s Arms, Salford

27Jul

By Adam WilliamsNo Comments

North West

Mother There Art Thou – King’s Arms, Salford

Most plays, essentially, are about families and that age-old conflict between kids and their parents. If you go back to ancient Greek drama and myth Oedipus and Electra have complexes named after them. A child’s view of the world is created by their parents. They can, if they want, make it seem to be a scary place their kids should hide from, or they can say it is wonderful and should be embraced and enjoyed. The set-up for this darkly comic play is that a domineering rule-setting, brutal, mother has died, and her son and daughter are left to ponder how they want to live their lives. There is no mention of a father in the piece, so it is assumed the mother brought up the children on her own. Within the family dynamic son Charlie is clearly willing to follow the rules and is extrem...

18Jul

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Make Up – The Kings Arms, Salford

What do you do if your life in drag has become just that – a drag? Written and directed by Andy Moseley and performed by Moj Taylor, Make Up is a snapshot of the somewhat world-weary mind of drag performer Lady Christina, behind who hides the much more mundane Chris. As Chris catches sight of his father in his reflection in the mirror as he’s taking off his make up for what may be the last time, we listen in on his musings on the impact of his dad’s rejection of him for being gay, and how his alter ego allows him to both escape the tedium of reality, whilst secretly reconnecting with his mother. This one-hour show is an engaging exploration of identity with some lovely snippets that emerge from Chris/Christina’s monologue. It certainly feels timely as he declares ‘tolerance is goi...

The Crisp Review LIVE – King’s Arms, Salford

6Jul

By Scot CunninghamNo Comments

North West

The Crisp Review LIVE – King’s Arms, Salford

‘The Crisp Review LIVE’ does what it says on the packet: crisp connoisseur Adam Evans brings the antics of his snack-rating vlog to a live audience for the very first time. Set up in lockdown, The Crisp Review was born out of the desire to receive free crisps in exchange for an all-encompassing video critique. Adam shares his taste-testing methods, which cover everything from texture to value for money, and have even managed to bag him some complimentary samples. The show starts out strong, with Adam’s dry wit and self-effacing humour tickling the whole room. On-stage musings are interspersed with comedic highlights from his social media channels; his disapproval of saucy branding and triangular tubes are as relatable as they are on-topic. A light-hearted yet informative Q and...

The Day the World Came to Huddersfield – King’s Arms

2Jul

By Scot CunninghamNo Comments

North West

The Day the World Came to Huddersfield – King’s Arms

Did you know that the UK’s first ever national Pride took place in Huddersfield in 1981? A diverse ensemble revisits this forgotten but significant chapter of LGBT+ history through a series of rousing vignettes. Unsettled by homophobic political figures likening sexuality to fashion trends as well as the lack of historical records about this unique Pride march, producer Stephen M. Hornby felt urged to create ‘The Day the World Came to Huddersfield’. The stories are inspired by those who attended it; adroit direction from Helen Parry and Olivia Schofield ensures each one is dynamic and punchy throughout. To kick off the evening, John Addy (Simon Hallman) recounts how his running of Huddersfield’s gay night club, The Gemini, became fraught with difficulties when new, anti-LGBT law enfo...

15Jun

By Adam WilliamsNo Comments

North West

I Am Not A Robot – King’s Arms, Salford

The potential dangers to humanity of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robots have been the meat and drink of numerous science fiction movies for decades. On TV the BBC sci-fi show, Doctor Who, back in the 60s, created the Cybermen, monsters who had once been human but had turned themselves into killing machines devoid of emotion. I Am Not a Robot explores this theme, cleverly grounding it with northern humour, whilst adding a touch of slapstick and a healthy dash of melodrama. The sparky script is punchy and witty which rattles along at a wonderful pace until the third act. It starts off in the bedroom of a luxury hotel somewhere overseas in the near future. Beth has won a luxury stay via Instagram and has invited her best friend, ambitious politician Karina, to share it with her. Ka...