Musical Theatre Archives - North West End UK

24Sep

By Rebecca CaseyNo Comments

North West

We Will Rock You – Winstanley College

Tonight was my first time at Winstanley College and my first time seeing a production by Orrell Musical & Dramatic Society (OMADS). The company was set up in 1967. I have seen the Westend production of We Will Rock You but working it out it must be 20 years ago. We Will Rock You is a jukebox musical Featuring over 20 hit songs by the British rock band Queen formed in the 70s. Story and script by Ben Elton a comedian and writer. Set in a post-apocalyptic future it tells the tale of a world where music and individuality is banned. At the core of the story, the principal cast, Emily Reacher as Scaramouche and Jerome Antony Pargetor as Galileo. Pargetor was the epitome of a triple threat musical theatre performer, his dancing was strong, the vocals flawless. As a pair these too...

Operation Mincemeat – Leeds Grand Theatre

Last night I had the pleasure to be invited along to the always wonderful Leeds Grand Theatre to review the latest leg of the UK tour of “Operation Mincemeat”. I was very much looking forward to this one, I’m a massive World War 2 history buff and I have always found the story of “Major William Martin” fascinating but didn’t know too much about some of the background players in the story so this was definitely right up my street. My only holdup going into it was how it was going to translate as a musical and now seeing the program littered with ex members of Mischief Theatre I have to say… it translates perfectly. The plot follows a struggling MI5 trying to come up with a plan to invade Sicily. We see various plans to kill Hitler thrown out until an unbecoming scientist pitches “O...

Chicago – Hull New Theatre

Ten very talented musicians, led by fun-loving maestro Neil MacDonald, opened Chicago the Musical at Hull New Theatre on Monday evening – or at least, one of the three trumpeters did. But all ten played an enraptured audience out at the show’s end, with the aforementioned maestro encouraging us to wave our arms in the air to the music. Such talents are often hidden away in a theatre’s orchestra pit, so for these musicians to be on stage for the duration was a joy. All the action takes place in 1920s Chicago, Illinois, mostly in the women’s block of the Cook County Jail, after unfaithful housewife and nightclub dancer Roxie Hart (Janette Manrara, of Strictly Come Dancing fame) is held there pre-trial for murdering her lover. The stage designers of this amazing production cleverl...