Pendleton School of Theatre Archives

16May

By Katie LeicesterNo Comments

North West

West Side Story – Eccleston Theatre

Pendleton School of Theatre continues with its season of shows with their latest production of West Side Story. Pendleton’s Musical Theatre students have a reputation for excellence and considering their age and experiences in musical theatre they never disappoint, by consistently delivering outstanding productions. Tonight’s West Side Story has raised the bar even higher yet again with a sterling cast of excellent performers! I was lucky enough to have watched ‘Chorus Line’ last year and was pleased to see some familiar faces back on the stage. Ian Bennett Director of the 2023 production returned to his role to deliver this magnificent display of West Side Story. West Side Story is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by the late Stephen S...

One Man, Two Guvnors – The Eccleston Theatre

6Mar

By Katie LeicesterNo Comments

North West

One Man, Two Guvnors – The Eccleston Theatre

Pendleton School of Theatre continues with its season of shows with their latest production of ‘One Man, Two Guvnors’, which is a hilarious slapstick play infused with a wonderful medley of stunning 1960’s songs. The play is based on ‘The Servant of Two Masters’ by Carlo Goldoni and has been adapted by Nicholas Hytner to move away from the original setting of Italy in the 18th Century to Brighton in 1963 - in collaboration with Richard Bean the award-winning playwright and composer/musician Grant Olding. Pendleton School of Theatre has stayed mainly true to the successful adaptation that ran in the West End and Broadway commencing in 2011, however they have altered and added to the wonderful script and characters. The bands ‘The Magic Five’ and ‘The Pendies’ were situated above th...

Christmas Cabaret – Pendleton School of Theatre

7Dec

By Katie LeicesterNo Comments

North West

Christmas Cabaret – Pendleton School of Theatre

Director Ian Bennett has created a splendid Christmas Cabaret, specifically aimed at the theme of ‘family’. Christmas is a joyous time but can also be a struggle for many, so Bennett didn’t want the traditional Christmas tunes as he wanted the Cabaret to reflect different walks of life but specifically aimed around ‘family’ and the many guises that it takes. Each of the musicals featured tonight show family at the centre - with the dysfunctional family in ‘Dear Evan Hansen’, the adopted family in ‘Les Misérables’, the chosen family in ‘Rent’ and the magical one in ‘Frozen’! I have been privileged to witness many cohorts perform over the years at Pendleton Sixth Form College, with many of their pupils going onto exceptionally successful careers in theatre. The standard of this college’s ...

<strong>West End to Broadway: A Christmas Cabaret – The Pendleton School of Theatre</strong>

8Dec

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

West End to Broadway: A Christmas Cabaret – The Pendleton School of Theatre

Ahh December, a time for proud parents to crowd into overheated school halls and gymnasiums to watch the tradition that is the school Christmas show, usually an event where hymns and Christmas songs are gently murdered by offspring with varying degrees of talent. Fortunately, I am at The Pendleton School of Theatre this evening where no such horrors await, and I'm wafted gently into the festive season on a tide of theatrical artistry that ensures the continuation of the excellent reputation of this school. Nostalgia blankets the programme this evening like the frost outside on this freezing Salford night, with both Musical Director Neil G Bennett and Director Becky Marshall raiding their memory box of Christmas, bringing us a programme that in addition to the traditional, allows a coupl...