Mike Shaw Archives - North West End UK

The Audience – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

21May

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

The Audience – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

Back in 2013, well before ‘The Crown’ became a Netflix sensation, Peter Morgan wrote ‘The Audience’. This reimagining of the weekly meetings that take place between the monarch and her first twelve Prime ministers was a smash hit in both the West End and on Broadway, garnering Olivier and Tony awards for Helen Mirren in her role as Elizabeth II. Altrincham Garrick Playhouse has now taken up the challenge of producing this deep dive into post war British history, resulting in a sumptuous and informative production sprinkled with excellent performances. The set (Barry Purves) could not be simpler; two chairs on a bare stage - which Equerry (Howard Yaffe) informs us may or may not be Hepplewhite - allow Queen Elizabeth (Ros Greenwood) and her various Prime Ministers to illustrate political...

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

24Oct

By Alexandra SevernNo Comments

North West

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

Only a few weeks ago, and coincidental to being asked to review this show, I had a nostalgic watch of the 1968 film on which this show is based. While some reviews will give a full synopsis, most of us know the plot from hours of watching the film as both children and adults - I’m sure many of us still have nightmares thanks to the Child Catcher (played maleficently by Mike Shaw in the Garrick’s version). We were whisked away on this surprisingly mild October evening to Ian Fleming’s magical world, where frequently we would forget that cars can’t fly - the titular car received a round of applause on its first entrance. With music by the Sherman Brothers, script by Jeremy Sams and first performed in 2002, the show has become a steadfast fixture on the amateur circuit and the Garrick’s ca...

Witness for the Prosecution – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

23May

By Katie LeicesterNo Comments

North West

Witness for the Prosecution – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

Director Mike Shaw has delighted us with his production of ‘Witness for the Prosecution’ a play that has been adapted from Agatha Christie’s 1925 short story "Traitor's Hands". Shaw is no stranger to directing some of Agatha Christie’s having directed at least three others previously as well as other whodunnit and murder mysteries. I have not seen any of Agatha Christie’s greats, so I was entering the theatre as a novice and had no expectations of the play itself. The creative team have done a magnificent job on the staging as the set is that of an authentic court room creating the atmosphere of being in the chambers itself. It’s the atmosphere that they have created that makes this a very unique experience; the echoes of footsteps outside the chamber and the grandeur of the Old Bail...

The Little Mermaid – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

26Oct

By Hannah WildeNo Comments

North West

The Little Mermaid – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

Even if you’re not a Disney aficionado, everyone knows the story of The Little Mermaid: Girl meets boy, girl can’t be with boy, chaos ensues, true love prevails. It’s a true Disney classic. However, love story aside, I was very intrigued to see how a story that predominantly occurs underwater would be portrayed onstage, so when the chance arose to see The Little Mermaid at Altrincham Garrick Playhouse, I naturally had to see it for myself. And am I glad I did! With a dream-team of talent spearheading the dressing rooms – from renowned stage director Joseph Meighan, musical director Mark Goggins, and lesser-known at the Garrick (but still utterly fantastic) choreographer Koda Holland-Smith – it’s no wonder this show was a delight from start to finish. Photo: Martin Ogden Whilst ...

The Lady in the Van – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

5Oct

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

The Lady in the Van – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

In common with most people who love the theatre, I adore the prodigious output of plays, books and diaries that Alan Bennett has produced over the course of the last half century, however, I have never really subscribed to the view that he belongs in the pantheon of comfortable personalities that make up our 'National Treasures'. Bennett himself despises the term, and there has always been as much vinegar as sugar in his writing as he wryly chronicles the state of the nation, so to bracket him with as characters as bland as David Beckham and Joanna Lumley, is to give a somewhat distorted view of his place in modern Britain. His style is perfectly exemplified by his 1999 play 'The Lady in the Van', which started its week long run at the Garrick Playhouse in Altrincham this evening, in this ...