Wednesday, September 30

Tag: Michelle Butterly

Letter to Brezhnev – Liverpool’s Royal Court
North West

Letter to Brezhnev – Liverpool’s Royal Court

We begin with quite a dilemma because the curtain rises on one of the most intriguing, complex sets I’ve ever seen - but no wish to spoil the impact, so let’s call it multi-level, multi-layered and multi-purpose, covering a lot of ground, from Russia to the UK: ship and Kremlin to a council house, pubs and the Kirkby Chicken Factory. The set ingeniously changes the scene with fittings sliding in and out, back and forth, or even turned around, while manhandling the props is skilfully done. However, considering so much care has been taken, the devil is in a couple of details: Elaine threatening somebody with using her stilettoes as a weapon when she is wearing flats, and Nan’s 80th birthday party – with no sign of Nan. On the bright side, set in 1985, when two Liverpool lasses meet up wit...
Cuckoo – Everyman Theatre
North West

Cuckoo – Everyman Theatre

Familiarity breeds contempt and seeing the whole of this household glued to their phones is exasperating to say the least. They appear to be trapped in the mobile world, excuse the dichotomy, with every aspect covered: news flashes; online buying and selling; videos, posts, messages. It feels as if there's more ping than dialogue sometimes. Set in a slightly shabby, old-fashioned house in Birkenhead; a bit parochial but like everywhere else, places are closing down, there's a gig economy and all sorts going on in schools, the increasing vice of violence, and the influence of the would be virtuous. We learn all this through the Greek Chorus of Doreen's two daughters, didactic Sarah in particular. The division between the cosy interior and the scary outside world (and let's face it, has i...