Friday, April 26

Tag: Sean Jones

Blood Brothers – Floral Pavilion
North West

Blood Brothers – Floral Pavilion

Floral Pavilion, New Brighton welcomes Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers back for the start of its 2024 UK tour and tonight’s full house audience were lucky enough to be there to witness it. This venue is the nearest venue to the story’s origins of Liverpool on this tour and the audiences are fully behind this show with an almost sold-out week, give or take a few single seats throughout before the show has even opened. Directed by Bob Tomson and the late Bill Kenwright, this classic musical has been entertaining the masses for over 40 years and is a favourite that has audience members returning time and time again. The joy with this show is not just the story, but the music, the heart and the cast who return over and over to the point they become part of the family. Returning to the...
Jack and the Beanstalk – Floral Pavilion
North West

Jack and the Beanstalk – Floral Pavilion

Floral Pavilion and Martin Dodd for UK Productions bring Jack and The Beanstalk to the Floral Pavilion for the festive period. A well-known panto that has been told in many ways and this is no different. We follow the Trott family who are poor and are trying to find the money to survive and pay the £1000 the King (Tom Sterling) tells them they need to pay. So, they must sell their beloved Sandra Bullock, The Cow (Amy Walker) at market. Along the way we are introduced to many characters, such as Flesh Creep (Joseph Elliot), The Vegetable Fairy (Hayley Tamaddon) and Princess Jill (Rachel Grundy). The Trott family are made up of Dame Trott played by Oliver Brooks, Simple Simon played by Sean Jones and the title character, Jack, played by the wonderful Joe Sleight. The set for Jack a...
Tick Tock – Hope Street Theatre
North West

Tick Tock – Hope Street Theatre

A new play was written and performed at Liverpool’s Hope Street Theatre called Tick Tock by Debbie Redcliffe (The Responder, Moving on). Before you ask, no I don’t mean the social media app where you can floss and lip Sync. This play Tick Tock, directed by Margaret Connell (Forgotten Voices and Blood Runs Deep). Follows the story of Sarah, Jenna and Pauline. Sarah (Debra Redcliffe) has dreams to be a mother, she was forever eating healthy, checking her temperature and when it was time to do the deed made sure her husband Danny knew about it. However, whilst trying it became clear that not all seemed right. The tests were negative, and hope was drifting away. Jenna’s life (Lisa McMahon) unfolded where she opened up about the miscarriages she had gone through. Whilst she had a family ...
Blood Brothers – New Wimbledon Theatre
London

Blood Brothers – New Wimbledon Theatre

Willy Russell's Blood Brothers is back and it's back with a bang. In the 40 years since the show was first performed in Liverpool, Blood Brothers has garnered global acclaim and success. The themes are broad - the class divide, nature versus nurture, poverty, friendship, sibling rivalry, family relationships.  Twins Mickey and Eddie are born to working class mother Mrs Johnstone, already a mother of five, who is struggling to feed and clothe them all. Living on the "never-never", she has bailiffs at the door, so in the depths of her despair, she agrees to give up one of the new-borns to the wealthy Mrs Lyons who has been unable to have children. Mrs Lyons has one major condition in this arrangement; the boys must never find out that they are brothers.  As the tale unfolds of the...
Beauty and the Beast – Floral Pavillion
North West

Beauty and the Beast – Floral Pavillion

The festive season has started in New Brighton with the opening of Beauty and the Beast. Now when I review a show usually review it alone, but this seemed like too good of a chance to share the experience so I took along my god son because I could also get a child’s point of view on what the show was like. More on his thoughts later but first the story. It was set in the lovely French town of Camembert. Where Fairy Bon Bon played by (Melanie Walters from Gavin & Stacey). Told us the story of the Beast’s (Shaun Dalton) unfortunate event that had kept him hidden away in a dark castle in the woods. Within minutes of the first note being plucked we were mesmerised by the lights and magic beginning to unfold. We then met the wonderful Belle (Milkshakes Olivia Birchenough). Where she wou...