Shakespeare North Playhouse Archives

Do I Love You – Shakespeare North Playhouse

5Apr

By Coral MourantNo Comments

North West

Do I Love You – Shakespeare North Playhouse

A love letter to Northern Soul from the witty playwright John Godber tours the UK this year, and it’s guaranteed to tug at a few heartstrings and give us all the nostalgia kick we crave. Three twenty-somethings from Hull contemplate life, friendship and the state of the world in this delightful comedy. Finding an appreciation for Northern Soul, the friends explore why this phenomenon was so popular, and how we’re all just wishing for the simple joys of the old days. With dreams paused because of Covid, and a feeling of helplessness and resentment in their working-class roots, the trio find their solace in the discovery of Northern Soul dancing. Sally’s gran has a load of vinyl in the attic, the song “Do I Love You” is constantly played at their work (a drive through takeaway, which m...

19Mar

By Eleanor HallNo Comments

North West

The Moth – Shakespeare North Playhouse

Paul Herzberg’s two hander is a nuanced take on familial responsibility, the ethics of searching for forgiveness, and history’s grip on our adult lives. Using the studio at Shakespeare North to its full potential, The Moth directly confronts its audience with these thought-provoking themes. The stage was preset with tall posters and a flat screen TV that introduced one character’s ‘Confesisonal’, implying a public forum and foregrounding the character study that was to come. The action weaved between John Josana’s talk on racism, his international childhood and his experiences meeting Marius (a South African ex-solider) on a train and later elsewhere. In detailing John’s experiences, the play introduced some vivid imagery and an interesting historical backdrop, supported by monochro...

Love’s Labour’s Lost (more or less) – Shakespeare North Playhouse

5Mar

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Love’s Labour’s Lost (more or less) – Shakespeare North Playhouse

Shakespeare North Playhouse’s latest co-production with Stephen Joseph Theatre promises much, but sadly, as the title hints at, delivers little in this 1990’s-based adaptation. Ferdy (Timothy Adam Lucas) and his stags Berowne (Thomas Cotran) and Long-Dumain (Linford Johnson) have tipped up at a resort in Ibiza run by Armado (David Kirkbride) for their lads’ weekend but are under a promise to not talk to any girls, let alone think about them. Meanwhile, Yvette (Annie Kirkham) and her hens Mary-Kate (Alice Imelda), Rosie (Alyce Liburd), and Boyet (Jo Patmore) are heading to Malaga until the resort says they’ve had to relocate them to a hotel in Ibiza. Cue shoddy disguises, mislaid love letters, and theatrical chaos as we wait to see whether the boys get the girls or indeed something el...

An Evening of Irish Myths and Queer Love at Shakespeare North Playhouse

4Mar

By NewsdeskNo Comments

NEWS

An Evening of Irish Myths and Queer Love at Shakespeare North Playhouse

Liverpool-based Irish theatre-maker Anna Ní Dhuill is set to bring their new show ‘This is Not My Beautiful House’ to the Shakespeare North Playhouse Studio this May. Building off its success at the Galway Theatre Festival in 2024, where audiences called it “incredible” with a “richness of imagination and language”, Ní Dhúill and company Cult Collective are so excited to bring their work to a Scouse audience. A story of myth, legend and identity, ‘This is Not My Beautiful House’ is a one-person play in the Irish language. With English surtitles, the show revolves around an unnamed artist as they wait in their studio for their partner to come home so that they can reveal their secret and finally come out as non-binary. As they wait, they begin to delve into their recent obsession wi...

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...

Alice in Wonderland – Shakespeare North Playhouse

27Nov

By Jan MellorNo Comments

North West

Alice in Wonderland – Shakespeare North Playhouse

A fabulous theatre, a story of marvel and magic, at a pantomime time of year and excitement in bucket loads, this being the ingredients to the opening night for the journey into fantasy, written with brilliance by Nick Land and directed with creativity by Nathan Powell that greeted the packed theatre this evening. To greet the full house, there were children dancing in the foyer and magical colour-changing potions to add to orange juice with the famous quote from the book itself ‘drink me’ (now pour me), that had us all entwined in the world of Lewis Carroll from the onset. As the play started, the playing cards greeted the crowd, waving excitedly at children dressed as Alice in pale blue dresses or as Mad Hatters who all waved back with beaming smiles. The 4 cards on stage realis...

Divorced, Beheaded, Died: An Audience With King Henry VIII – Shakespeare North Playhouse

9Oct

By Jan MellorNo Comments

North West

Divorced, Beheaded, Died: An Audience With King Henry VIII – Shakespeare North Playhouse

An intimate evening with the most famous monarch that ever lived – who could resist that! I have loved the Tudors and been fascinated particularly by the ‘antics’ of Henry V111 since my history lessons at schools. That as one of my favourite theatres – The Shakespeare North Playhouse in Prescott - were holding ‘An evening with’ - I was very excited indeed to see how this legend would be portrayed. The performance was in the smallest of the theatres at the playhouse and as I took my seat – a front row of course – a large regal chair awaited us. Then to wonderful 16th century music, the magnificent monarch entered the room. The audience gasped – as there he was- in all his splendour, the noble tyrant, we all knew so well. Jack Abbot was awesome from the minute he ...

27Sep

By Stephanie WiswallNo Comments

North West

Jarman – Shakespeare North Playhouse

Jarman is the retelling of the extraordinary life of Derek Jarman, an artist, film maker, activist, painter and so much more demonstrating his want for freedom and expression on the world until his unfortunate death due to AIDS in 1994. As you can tell from the synopsis to put on someone's complete life story, especially one so complex with such highs and lows is no easy feat. Mark Farrelly who not only wrote but also performed this solo performance, portrayed this strong character extremely well. His performance was thought provoking, defiant, strong and powerful as he navigated through the different chapters of Jarman's life. With a very minimal staging and his only props being a torch, roll of paper, chair and a sheet. He imaginatively brought the character and scenes to life ...

Anthony and Cleopatra – Shakespeare North Playhouse

18Aug

By Jo TillotsonNo Comments

North West

Anthony and Cleopatra – Shakespeare North Playhouse

‘Anthony and Cleopatra’ is not an easy play to get right. William Shakespeare took the story of political intrigue, family jealousy, and blinding love right from the pages of ancient history, and wove a tale that is dramatic, tragic and loving in equal measure. It is an even harder play to get right when you are a company of only seven players, each permitted to learn only your own lines and cues, thrust onto an unfamiliar stage with no rehearsal. That said, the talented company from Shake-Scene Shakespeare did just that… performing Anthony and Cleopatra as the second play in their mini repertory residency at the Shakespeare North Playhouse this week with resounding success. Opening with ‘As You Like It’ yesterday (the review of that show can be found here: https://northwestend.c...

As You Like It – Shakespeare North Playhouse

16Aug

By Jo TillotsonNo Comments

North West

As You Like It – Shakespeare North Playhouse

'As You Like It' - one of William Shakespeare's many comedies - is ultimately a story of love: what it means to be in love and how to find your true love. Of course, as in many of the Bard's works, the course of true love never runs smooth, and this play is no different. The lovers here have to navigate banishment from their homes, hidden identities and burning jealousy in order to see the way through the trees and find their way to what they really want. In this particular production, the players also had to battle through the lack of rehearsal, the absence of a set, and minimal props and costumes, as well as the elements in the Sir Ken Dodd Performance Garden; with only the support of the book-holder to prompt lines and missed cues. For this is Shakespeare, but not as you know ...