Phil Saunders Archives - North West End UK

22Dec

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Star of Wonder – Unity Theatre

This collaborative production from Theatre Porto and Teatro Pomodoro, originally performed at Theatre Porto in 2022, follows its own star as it travels from Ellesmere Port to arrive in Liverpool’s Unity Theatre where, under the direction of Nina Hajiyianni, it delights and enthrals in equal measure. In this modern take on the nativity tale, five friends (Carmen Arquelladas; Jordan Connerty, Miwa Nagai; Nikki Hill; Simone Tani) and a teddy bear set out to follow a star using a unique form of transport. Despite becoming separated, their journey continues including having to overcome the challenges of mirages, sandstorms, and quicksand, as well occasional attacks from a pair of shepherds and their flock of sheep. With the group eventually reunited, the question is whether they will finally...

Woman | Women – Shakespeare North Playhouse

1Dec

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Woman | Women – Shakespeare North Playhouse

Produced, directed, performed, and choreographed by Dr Rowena Gander, Woman I Women is a physical and comedic show that takes an ironic deep dive into the typically fast-paced nature of lesbian relationships, coming out of the other side with a more philosophical whole that encourages its audience to contemplate the meaning of relationships and oneself within and without one. Whilst its focus is on lesbian relationships, this powerful, empowering, and informative work resonates on a number of levels. Less is more and Gander’s approach to physical theatre demonstrates how you can do a lot with a little as a basic rectangular cuboid frame serves as a metaphoric clothes horse that brings two into one as well as the boxing ring for some playful fighting through to the rougher breaking u...

14May

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Krapp’s Last Tape – Unity Theatre

Marking the welcome return of Graeme Phillips to Unity Theatre and the directorial chair, with the support of Assistant Director Izzie Major and Producer Peter Ward, Krapp’s Last Tape, written by Samuel Beckett, holds a firm place in Phillips’ heart. On his sixty-ninth birthday, Krapp (Nick Birkinshaw), as has become his custom, hauls out his old tape recorder to review one of the earlier years, and make a new recording commenting on the events of the previous twelve months. Whilst his younger self speaks to reveal an idealistic fool, will the passage of time reveal the kind of fool he has become? Almost seventy years since it was written, this one-act play remains as relevant – perhaps more so – in 2024, when we all more readily identify with its themes of isolation, reflection, and...

Peep Show Battle Royale – MAKE, North Docks, Liverpool

11Feb

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Peep Show Battle Royale – MAKE, North Docks, Liverpool

Step into a future where the world’s leading game show presents the latest in entertainment: a live show where its contestants-turned-gladiators look to destroy each other across a series of games with their ultimate fate decided by the votes of a live audience. What’s not to like? Get into your booth and let the fun begin… This is immersive theatre taken to a new extreme and whilst it seems initially distasteful in its voyeurism, it is curiously addictive at the same time. As our artificial host, A.I.M.E.E, gets us settled before Sarge (Duncan Cameron) appears to introduce us to tonight’s contestants (Carmen Arquelladas, Leebo Luby, Miwa Nagai, and Simone Tani) and then the games begin, dark and comedic in equal measure. Sat in isolated, grungy booths which encircle the action, the ...

Memoria – Tmesis Theatre at Albert Walker Hall at the Linacre Methodist Mission

30Jun

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Memoria – Tmesis Theatre at Albert Walker Hall at the Linacre Methodist Mission

Memoria, created by Tmesis Theatre and directed by Elinor Randle, takes us on a journey of memory and nostalgia in this immersive, physical piece set in the Albert Walker Hall at the Linacre Methodist Mission, much influenced by the many real stories of people whose lives were spent in this very building and whose accompanying voices and imagery are further represented through the physical medium of cast and ensemble, and the addition of text from David Whyte’s Consolations. These experiences are further explored by the notion that perhaps all epochs live and breath in parallel, that spaces and minds can hold imprints of all that has gone before, influencing the future. Equally, where we don’t remember, we always have our imagination, and this is where the piece spectacularly unfolds as...

8May

By Louise PennNo Comments

REVIEWS

Deep Blue – Paperwork Theatre

Riley is a woman of a certain age, caught in-between two worlds, above and below the water. Deep Blue is a show about what it means to belong and the importance of human connection when you live alone. Its Twitter tag is #StopLoneliness and the original music is by the Mono LPs. The four-person cast (Danielle McLauren, Tom Wilson, Edalia Day and Holly Phelps) play all the characters and the indie-rock soundtrack in this honest, heartfelt and humorous show from a company who explore theatre, community and workshops across the North West of England. Fully aware of both the changes in climate and the need for humans to have friendships, families, or a transient chat with a stranger on the street, Deep Blue presents Riley as an ordinary woman who creates her own little worlds while she s...