Manchester Musical Youth Archives

25Aug

By Katie LeicesterNo Comments

North West

Frozen Jr – Z-Arts

Z-arts Renaker Theatre hosted Manchester Musical Youth’s (MMY) latest production of Frozen Jr, the show is unfortunately only running tonight and tomorrow evening with a matinee in the middle as it is a show not to be missed. This Disney family favourite did not disappoint the audience, it is hard to believe that the cast only had four rehearsals following their weekend residential and junior festival earlier in the year to produce such a well-polished production. This is MMY’s third show in a space of a month and the standard never ceases to amaze me, it is evident that the production is a team effort involving many family members supporting the process with their super talented youngsters. The auditorium and front of house was a buzz of super proud relatives and friends rightfu...

14Jul

By Brian MaddenNo Comments

North West

The Hunchback of Notre Dame – Z Arts

Based on the 1831 novel by Victor Hugo, the Hunchback of Notre Dame has been transcribed into a musical with a little help from the 1996 Walt Disney production. The play itself has been written by Peter Parnell, with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. The Manchester Musical Youth group have decided to tackle this classic as their latest production. It must be said it’s been a good few years since I’ve seen the Hunchback of Notre Dame and this production is certainly a lot darker than I remember the Disney movie. There’s also the addition of new songs. Even though the play is set in Paris, it almost has a Greek feel to it. The numerous statues and gargoyles almost act as a chorus that is quite typical of many Greek plays such as Suppliant Women. From that point of v...

5Nov

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

North West

The Addams Family – Z-Arts

Not even the Addams Family are immune from Covid-19, however tonight at Z-Arts after nearly 2 years of delays they finally sat down for dinner watched by an excited audience, and it was well worth the wait. Manchester Musical Youth (MMY) Grads are back! If you are not aware of the story, it follows Wednesday Addams who falls in love with Lucas Beineke. Wednesday announces that the Beineke’s are coming over for dinner so that her extraordinary family can meet their ordinary one before announcing their engagement. What follows is a night of truth and revelations that could change the future for both families forever. I have to congratulate director Tom Jennings, not only has he brought this show to the stage in a fun and inventive way he also stepped in to play Gomez Addams with just ...

16Oct

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

North West

Sister Act Jr – Z-Arts

It has been a long time since Manchester Musical Youth’s (MMY) apprentices got to shine on the Z-Arts stage, so tonight was a personal joy to be back in the auditorium to witness a triumphant return with their latest production of Sister Act Jr. Sometimes, for me junior versions of full-scale shows seem cut too short and the story suffers because of this. I get the idea behind these versions and the opportunities it gives young performers, but tonight’s version of Sister Act did not seem to suffer from this, albeit some of the story was rushed. One thing MMY does better than most is find and cultivate young talent, many of which in previous years have gone on to some of the best theatre schools in the country and even the West End. Tonight, was no different as two young actors shone...