Tim Cooper Archives - North West End UK

Bleak Expectations – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

30Sep

By Dan GrimesNo Comments

North West

Bleak Expectations – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

My son, Sam, and I were thrilled to have been invited to the Altrincham Garrick Playhouse to spend an evening watching this hugely entertaining and funny play. Full disclosure, I was a big fan of the original Radio 4 series that inspired this stage adaptation, so my hopes were set high. There is something quintessentially British about the combination of the surrealist, gag-filled scripts from writer Mark Evans and their gentle parodying of all things Victorian that just invokes a knitted tea cosy and a plate of hot, buttered crumpets. How to describe the plot of Bleak Expectations? Basically, take every Dickensian Sunday night telly adaptation you’ve ever seen, pop them all in a blender, add a liberal splash of absolute nonsense and, hey presto! Roughly speaking the story follows the h...

A Midsummer Night’s Dream – International Anthony Burgess Foundation

Set in the 1980s, Time & Again's production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is certainly an interesting take on the Shakespeare classic. Up until now this production had been staged outdoors in parks across the country, this seemed liked the first indoor production. You can tell a lot of thought has gone into this production and interpretation from Directors Laura Crow and Jon Turner. Comparing the Rude Mechanicals to the striking miners of the 1980s is a really fascinating concept. Also, the costumes are just absolutely on point - I'm sure the local charity shops were raided but I think we had it all from 'Frankie Says Relax' to the iconic 1980s perm. You can see there is more than a nod to the new romantics' movement taken for inspiration here. However, I must admit one thing I wa...

Much Ado About Nothing – Victoria Baths

For one night only, the stunning Victoria Baths in Manchester is converted into the Messina Holiday Camp, as the Time & Again Theatre Company bring their touring production of 'Much Ado About Nothing' indoors into this stunning Edwardian water palace. Substituting the location of Shakespeare's most performed comedy from 16th Century Sicily to a 1950's British seaside resort may seem incongruous, but it allows the deck chair and parasol props to be placed in an idealised fantasy world, utilising the sumptuous fabric of the building to create a convincing whole. In addition to the relocation, the company made the decision to cast some of the leading roles as female to represent the existence of same sex relationships in every period of history, even buttoned up post-war Britain. This ...