Paul Clarke Archives - North West End UK

Zodwa Nyoni talks about new musical Chisholm for President!

1Apr

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NEWS

Zodwa Nyoni talks about new musical Chisholm for President!

Chisholm for President! is a brand-new musical inspired by the remarkable journey of the first Black woman to be elected to the United States Congress, and who then dared to run for the Democratic nomination for President in 1972. Playwright Zodwa Nyoni has teamed up with Leeds based rapper Testament to develop a musical that traces Shirley Chisholm’s life as the daughter of immigrants who then battled racism and misogyny to win a seat in Congress. Chisholm was known for her advocacy on behalf of women, minorities, stood with the gay community, was way ahead of her time on environmental protections, fought against child poverty and was noted for her opposition to the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. Chisholm served in Congress for seven terms before passing away in 200...

imitating the dog’s Andrew Quick talks about their new version of Frankenstein

31Jan

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Interviews

imitating the dog’s Andrew Quick talks about their new version of Frankenstein

imitating the dog is a company who have developed an international reputation for high-tech reinventions of classic movies and texts, so it’s not surprising they’ve taking on Mary Shelley’s Gothic classic Frankenstein. This time Co-Artistic Directors Pete Brooks, Andrew Quick and Simon Wainwright are bringing their trademark multimedia experience to rethink this timeless novel as a psychological thriller that asks the eternal question – what is it to be human? In this version a couple are forced to confront their own fears about impending parenthood in a version of the Frankenstein myth that erupts into life as everyday objects are transformed into glaciers, a ship at sea, a dissecting room and a house on fire. imitating the dog’s two-han...

Pilot Theatre’s Esther Richardson talks about their new stage production of A Song for Ella Grey

22Jan

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Interviews

Pilot Theatre’s Esther Richardson talks about their new stage production of A Song for Ella Grey

Pilot Theatre have become of the UK’s leading companies making challenging work for younger audiences, and after their success with classic teen yarn Noughts & Crosses their latest production is an adaptation of David Almond’s A Song For Ella Grey This adaptation by Zoe Copper is a contemporary retelling of the Orpheus myth focusing on Claire and her best friend Ella Grey, who are just ordinary kids with everyday hopes and fears. They and their friends fall in and out of love, but one day a musician called Orpheus appears on the beach. He entrances them all, and particularly Ella, but where has Orpheus come from and what path will Ella take as she comes of age? The cast will feature actress, writer and to her 729.1k followers Tik Tok performer Grace Long as Ella Grey, Beth Crame...

Bradford Opera Festival stage The Barber of Seville…but with a distinctive local twist

14Nov

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Interviews

Bradford Opera Festival stage The Barber of Seville…but with a distinctive local twist

The opening event of the newly created Bradford Opera Festival is the world premiere of a Yorkshire dialect version of The Barber of Seville. To make this happen the festival team have been working with legendary Yorkshire poet Ian McMillan and conductor Ben Crick, who has long had a dream to stage a version of Rossini’s classic tale of class, lust and betrayal performed in the local vernacular. Alex Chisholm who has been a stalwart of the Bradford artistic scene for many years is directing, and she told our Features Editor Paul Clarke why this festival will help democratise a misunderstood art form for local audiences. Of all the great operas, why did you choose The Barber of Seville? This really came from Ben, and he has had this dream for the last 20 years, so it's not just...

Dalton Wood talks about being a Jersey Boy as the hit musical comes to Leeds Grand Theatre

15Jul

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Interviews

Dalton Wood talks about being a Jersey Boy as the hit musical comes to Leeds Grand Theatre

If you love pop music then you will have a favourite Four Seasons songs and Jersey Boys is the musical based on their troubled journey from rags to riches. The quartet famed for their close harmonies fought their way out of humble blue collar roots in Newark to record a set of beautifully arranged smash hits like Sherry, Rag Doll, Big Girls Don’t Cry, Walk Like A Man and December ’63 (Oh What a Night). For a musical it’s a natural tale of triumphing against the odds with the added bonus of lead singer Frankie Valli’s utterly distinctive falsetto vocal style. So, it’s no wonder Jersey Boys was a big hit on Broadway, and is still running in the West End, as fans new and old appreciate the great songs penned by Valli and musical prodigy Bob Gaudio. It’s also become a regular on the ...

Samuel Nicholas talks about why Dreamgirls resonates so strongly with cast and audiences alike

28Jun

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Interviews

Samuel Nicholas talks about why Dreamgirls resonates so strongly with cast and audiences alike

Musical theatre has often explored the dark side of showbiz for source material, and Dreamgirls looks at the murky music industry in the 1960s as the big dreams of three women are both realised and destroyed. Effie, Denna and Lorell are the Dreams who perform songs written by Effie’s brother C.C before hooking up with devious mechanic turned manager Curtis Taylor, who is quick to exploit tensions in the group. Along the way they sing back up for flamboyant soul man Jimmy Early before Curtis’ Machiavellian plans cause all sorts of heartbreak for the trio. Samuel Nicolas is one of a strong male ensemble who do a lot of the heavy lifting in this energetic show, and he spoke to our Yorkshire Editor Paul Clarke about why Dreamgirls is resonating so strongly with both the cast and audienc...

Red Ladder Local takes theatre to people where they live

5Apr

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Interviews

Red Ladder Local takes theatre to people where they live

If there was one company you might expect to take theatre out of its safe traditional spaces playing to the usual suspects it would be radical mischief makers Red Ladder. Since 1968 this decidedly left leaning company has created work that challenges the way we think about the world, so it’s no surprise they created Red Ladder Local. Like all great ideas it is simple. Instead of just playing big theatres, Red Ladder and other companies take scaled down, but high-quality, productions to non-traditional venues like community centres, pubs and working men’s clubs. It all started when Red Ladder’s producer Chris Lloyd went along to the then Yorkshire Playhouse to see a new short play called Playing The Joker, and he had a lightbulb moment which led years later to the creation of Red ...

Wrongsemble take the ugly sisters to the people

21Mar

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Interviews

Wrongsemble take the ugly sisters to the people

Wrongsemble take the ugly sisters to the people Traditionally the ugly sisters have been the perennial villains in Cinderella but maybe it’s so quite so simple is the idea behind a new show from Wrongsemble The Leeds based company set themselves up to make work for families, and The Not So Ugly Sisters takes a look at the classic fairy tale from their perspective for the very first time. Written and directed by their founder Elvi Piper, sisters Dolly and Barb are in their northern hair salon as kid sister Cindy prepares to marry her prince charming, but they’ve not been invited to the wedding. This bittersweet musical retelling of a story familiar to every child (and adult) aims to make us think about the sisters in a very different way. The two hander with a new cast is headi...

Musical director Harry Blake talks about Say Yes to Tess at Leeds Playhouse

11Mar

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Interviews

Musical director Harry Blake talks about Say Yes to Tess at Leeds Playhouse

One of the first-time candidates in the 2017 general election was Tess Seddon who stood for the Yorkshire Party in Leeds North East. Not surprisingly given it is a safe Labour safe this political novice didn’t win with her 303 votes, but she has now turned her experiences as a candidate into a musical comedy, Say Yes to Tess. Unexpectedly thrust into the political maelstrom Tess takes her newly formed party’s passion for Yorkshire devolution to the streets, but with the election day looming her play follows the candidate as she starts to question whether she’s doing the right thing. Our Yorkshire Editor Paul Clarke caught up with the show’s musical director Harry Blake to find out more about a show that attempts to make politics fun, and maybe just a bit more accessible. Tell ...

From Japan to Leeds Playhouse – Rupert Hands

2Dec

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

Interviews

From Japan to Leeds Playhouse – Rupert Hands

The annual festive shows at Leeds Playhouse have become must see spectaculars for theatre lovers across West Yorkshire and this year they recruited a massive cast to rethink the legend of Peter Pan Wendy & Peter offers a new spin on the JM Barrie classic as writer Ella Hickson has decided to tell the story through Wendy Darling's eyes, but audiences can rest assured it’s still going to be a rollicking tale of a battle in Neverland with the dastardly Captain Hook full of flying, fighting and fun. This version of the beloved tale of the boy who won’t grow up started life at the Royal Shakespeare Company and has just returned from a critically acclaimed run in Tokyo. There the creative team added an epic score by Japanese composer Shuhei Kamimura and added some Anime video design. ...