Liverpool Empire Archives - North West End UK

4Dec

By Bethany EastonNo Comments

North West

Matilda The Musical – Liverpool Empire

Roald Dahl’s classic Matilda, turned into a musical by scriptwriter Dennis Kelly and Songwriter Tim Minchin, arrived at the Empire this week to great applause from the Liverpool audience. This nostalgic journey back into a well-known children’s book was a fun filled and laugh out loud exploration of the story. Many may have seen the film version out in 2022 and the hype around this musical continues. Having spent over a decade in London, this touring production offers the rest of the UK the opportunity to delve into Matilda’s world. And no wonder it has proved so popular, the show is a gift where theatrics and cinematography combine and you’ll be questioning – how did they do that effect? The main cast are child actors, and all are incredible, showcasing their multi-talents and maki...

Fawlty Towers The Play – Liverpool Empire

13Nov

By Emma LambeNo Comments

North West

Fawlty Towers The Play – Liverpool Empire

John Cleese’s Fawlty Towers the Play is sure to be a great night out for anyone wanting to have a good laugh. I was delighted to see John Cleese’s name on the programme, wondering whether he had any part in the plays production. His is the first name you see on the programme, down as adapted for the stage by. What a difficult task that must have been, trying to keep fans of the show happy with the expected gags, but also making sure it works on stage. Which it sure did. Danny Bayne playing the iconic Basil got the audience laughing as soon as he entered the stage and had his mannerisms and look down to a t. Matched brilliantly by Mia Austen as Sybil. Their energy bouncing lines off each other really set up the play as a whole. It was like you could almost imagine the consequences of Bas...

30Oct

By Stephanie WiswallNo Comments

North West

Top Hat – Liverpool Empire

Glitz, glamour, sophistication and flair, Irving Berlin's Top Hat takes to the stage to reinvigorate and regenerate the musicals of times gone by. A magical reminder of the sheer talent and romance of the theatre. Adapted for stage by authors Matthew White and Howard Jacques and based on RKO's motion picture. Directed and choreographed by Kathleen Marshall. Get your toes tapping from the moment the curtain is raised and watch in awe of the perfectly timed and varied choreography (Richard Pitt, Carol Lee Meadows and Kathleen Marshall) as the dancers showcase some iconic footwork from the soft shoe shuffle to an exciting crescendo for the end of act 1 of precision dancing in a revolution of the stage as a company. The staging (Peter Mckintosh) was grand and took you straight back in ti...

2Oct

By Jenn McKeanNo Comments

North West

The Book of Mormon – Liverpool Empire

What really shouldn’t work as a concept for a musical, really does. A musical based on the book that Mormons use, or even Mormons in general? And it was written by the duo who created South Park? Everything just shouldn’t work about this show, yet it has a huge following and is so funny, that you ache from laughing. Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s musical follows Elder Price – the top missionary in his class and his missionary partner, Elder Cunnigham, who is the bottom of the class. It follows them as they begin their missionary journey and not in the place that Elder Price was praying for. Nothing seems to go right for the duo and they try to covert a local village to become Mormons themselves. As with their partnership, it has varying levels of success. As someone who saw the origina...

24Sep

By Jan MellorNo Comments

North West

Fiddler on the Roof – Liverpool Empire

Fiddler on the Roofis a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein and is based on the story of Tevye a poor dairy man in imperial Russia around 1905. Entering the packed Empire theatre, the stage was set in a dark haze with the orchestra pit set at the back of the stage – it looked intriguing and inviting. As a lover of this wonderful story of a man’s fight for tradition in a Jew-hating world, the set was very fitting. I saw this play on stage many years ago when the lead was played by Topol who also played the lead in the film – it was great then and I was hoping that this would compete. The opening scene of the iconic fiddler sat precariously on a roof playing the melodic tune sets the scene wonderfully and below the straw roof canopy, th...

The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical – Liverpool Empire

18Sep

By Sam JamesNo Comments

North West

The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical – Liverpool Empire

The worldwide phenomena Percy Jackson (Joe Tracz) has hit the stage with a loud and rapturous bang. Enter monsters, a heroic adventure, catchy songs and a ferocious cast and you can easily see why this adaptation of the books, films and TV series shouldn't be anything but following in the success of its predecessors of Percy Jackson. Produced and directed by Bill Kenwright, Paul Taylor-Mills and Lizzie Gee) Packed with catchy, upbeat songs which will have you toe tapping along and singing as you leave, the musical score (Rob Rokicki, Will Joy and Jeremy Wootton) and vocals for this production are beautifully orchestrated. The set design (Ryan Dawson Laight) is simple, but a very detailed, effective and dynamic staging. Minimal pieces of movable platforms are utilised to adapt the sta...

Tina: The Tina Turner Musical – Liverpool Empire

15Aug

By Abigail PendleburyNo Comments

North West

Tina: The Tina Turner Musical – Liverpool Empire

From the opening notes of ‘Simply the Best’ and the curtain rising into the sky, you know you’re in for a rollercoaster of a night. Tina: The Tina Turner Musical delivers a powerful evening of storytelling and soul, bringing the extraordinary yet deeply intense life of Tina Turner to life. This heart-wrenching yet highly energetic performance had audiences cheering Tina on her journey from the very start. Elle Ma-Kinga N’Zuzi sensationally portrays the role of Tina, embodying her every move and likeness to a tea. Her vocal prowess is something to be rivalled; she really brought Tina’s vulnerability and powerful nature to the audience. Her ability to maintain vocal composure whilst depicting the raw and emotional scenes of the domestic violence Tina went through really allows for audienc...

9Aug

By Anne PritchardNo Comments

North West

Footloose – Liverpool Empire

The audience whooped and cheered as the show started, and as the curtains opened, the cast bounded onto the stage. The full company started as they meant to go on with a high energy, enthusiastic rendition of ‘Footloose’/ ’On Any Sunday’ displaying excitement and commitment to their participation in the show. This all singing, all dancing production is based on the 1984 film of the same name featuring Kevin Bacon and Sarah Jessica Parker; it sparkles with the spirit of the era from the portrayal of the 1980’s outfits, use of the period’s colloquialisms and famous hit songs. Writer Dean Pitchford based the story on the town of Elmore City, Oklahoma. The town had banned dancing since it was established in 1898 in an effort to reduce the amount of heavy drinking. Because of the ban on danc...

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat – Liverpool Empire

16Jul

By Stephanie WiswallNo Comments

North West

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat – Liverpool Empire

A magical evening of rainbows, sparkles, music and performance. A real feel good show aimed at all ages which engages the audience from start to finish. If you're looking for a show to introduce children to musicals and also be thoroughly entertained yourself, this is the show you are looking for. A fun and captivating story of love, forgiveness and triumph. The story is superbly narrated by Christina Bianco from start to finish, with a pitch perfect vocal performance and an astonishing range, Bianco really deserved her standing ovation and rapturous applause at the end. The energy from her on stage was oozing with excitement and grit. Joined by the main man Joseph (Adam Filipe) an outstanding performance, I couldn't take my eyes off him every time he entered the stage, his presence was...

Let The People Sing! Les Misérables – Liverpool Empire

5Jul

By Kevin EcclestonNo Comments

North West

Let The People Sing! Les Misérables – Liverpool Empire

In 2025, Les Misérables, the world-famous Cameron Mackintosh musical based on Victor Hugo’s novel, celebrates its 40th anniversary. To mark this Ruby Anniversary, eleven amateur theatre groups across the UK were invited to stage their own productions, bringing the musical to life in their local communities. This is the first time in four decades that Les Misérables has been licensed for production by amateur theatre groups in the UK, and what a wonderful job they did for this project at the Liverpool Empire Theatre. Alongside Liverpool Empire Creative Learning, BOST Musicals, Romily Operatic Society and Tip Top Productions put on a truly professional performance at the Empire Theatre. It was better than some of the touring theatre shows I’ve seen, and the talent on display would not ...