Unity Theatre Archives - North West End UK

17Oct

By Anna Ní DhúillNo Comments

North West

Am I Irish Yet? – Unity Theatre

Kate Kerrigan’s autobiographical one-woman show at Unity in Liverpool has the audience rapt as she shares anecdotes about her life in the media, working at a hair salon in London, and her deep connection to her Irish roots. Playing as part of the Liverpool Irish Festival, Am I Irish Yet? kicked off ten days of celebration as the city hosts theatre, commemorations, and talks celebrating Irish heritage. Photo: Alison Loredo My first takeaway of Am I Irish Yet? is that Kate Kerrigan is an amazing woman. Born in London in the sixties, to Irish parents from Ballina, Co. Mayo, Kate is an exceptional role model for any woman who might have been told they aren’t qualified enough. Over the course of ninety minutes, we get snippets of Kate’s life and the important characters that shaped her, a...

5Oct

By Eleanor HallNo Comments

North West

The Lodger – Unity Theatre

From the creator of ADHD: The Musical comes a semi-hallucinogenic exploration of belonging. After an unsettling welcome paired with deadpan humour, the nameless lodger takes the dust sheets from the objects strewn around the stage and orchestrates the story. I was lost for the few minutes during the lodger’s own initial perspective, but the story soon developed into a compelling journey through place and possession. Dora Colquhoun plays 5 characters and gifts each one their own physicality. Most impressive was her representation of the unspeaking female deer, which was an impressive feat of physical storytelling. Furthermore, the play-world that is conveyed through The Lodger is theatrically inventive and unique. Through the recurring props and reappearing characters - all fighting to s...

17Sep

By Clare ChandlerNo Comments

North West

8 Hours There and Back – Unity Theatre

It’s always fascinating to revisit a show further along in its journey. Two years after its work-in-progress sharing at the Unity, 8 Hours There and Back returns to kick off a UK tour, playing to a packed house. The production features new faces—Cal Connor, Olivia Lamb, and Rio Star as children navigating a world they don’t belong in, within a system that has forgotten them—along with some new creatives. Choreographer Adele Inglis infuses the movement with a Hip Hop-inspired vibe, but at its core, the show remains a moving and, at times, harrowing portrayal of the realities of life for children with a parent in prison. This is unmistakably an All Things Considered Theatre production, bearing the distinct creative fingerprints of Sarah Hogarth and Emma Bramley. Deft comic moments prevent...

31Jul

By Anna Ní DhúillNo Comments

North West

In The Sick of It – Unity Theatre

‘In the Sick of It’, at the Unity Theatre in Liverpool, was an evening of highly enjoyable verbatim theatre and top-notch storytelling. Devised and acted by Adam McGuigan and Antonia Kemi Coker of Wake the Beast Theatre Company, Liverpool was treated to an intimate preview before the company head to Edinburgh for a hefty Fringe run. ‘In the Sick of It’ is a compilation of stories from NHS and healthcare workers who worked tirelessly through COVID and continue to work post-pandemic. Wake the Beast have been working on this show for four years, with the intention of bringing it to care homes and hospitals as an offering of catharsis for those working in healthcare. While I imagine it was a huge success in those specific sites, I’m so glad the company have decided to share this brilliant w...

29Apr

By Gill LewisNo Comments

North West

Borrowed – Unity Theatre

New writing offers a fresh perspective in exploring one’s own bodily autonomy within a world prejudiced by societal expectations and imposed limitations. Back in 2022, in line with its historical patterns of oppression and exploitation, the US revoked Roe v Wade, a piece of legislation which guaranteed the right to access safe abortion care. This reversal saw an assault on reproductive rights, resulting in a worrying reduction in healthcare choices, including those accessing IVF and surrogates, (as well as the people they’re carrying babies for, such as infertile couples, and members of the LGBTQ+ community). Borrowed deals with pregnancy from the perspective of the surrogate, and the choices available pre and post 2022, with our central protagonist Bella, at aged 17 (Sasha Georgette...

Derek’s Mojo: Questionable Behaviour – Unity Theatre

22Apr

By Andrew LeeNo Comments

North West

Derek’s Mojo: Questionable Behaviour – Unity Theatre

A much more adult addition to Liverpool Improv festival than the shows that had come earlier in the day, Questionable Behaviour was performed by the comedy duo Derek’s Mojo, made up of Monica Gaga, and Jodyanne Richardson. If I’m honest, I didn’t really understand what was going on, but the story did not seem to matter too much when there were two such likeable, funny performers on the stage. The improv work here was outstanding, the ability to take dialogue in one direction, and then another, and another, but do it with such synchronicity is a skill that only two people who have worked together for a long time can achieve. Gaga and Richardson have a chemistry that is simply unmatched, they clearly have so much respect and love for each other. They maintained a sense of realism even in ...

The Oickers: Fruit Smoothie – Unity Theatre

22Apr

By Andrew LeeNo Comments

North West

The Oickers: Fruit Smoothie – Unity Theatre

The Oickers performed a ‘Who’s line is it anyway?’ style game show as part of Liverpool Improv Festival. There is something truly remarkable about this kind of improv. You are not a character, you are yourself, and you are exposed. Hats off to The Oickers, who were brave and bold, and put it all on the line whenever they go out and do this. The performance was a resounding success. The audience spent 40 minutes in stitches, and such a huge percentage of the jokes were well received. Even the ones that fell flat were followed through, and the ability to laugh at yourself is absolutely crucial in this scenario. If anybody gets the opportunity to watch The Oickers at a future event, I would strongly recommend it. There is something extremely recognisable and likeable about them. We ...

The Story Forge: Make your own myths – Unity Theatre

22Apr

By Andrew LeeNo Comments

North West

The Story Forge: Make your own myths – Unity Theatre

Performed by a frightening pedigree of silliness, from Silly History Boys, Rubbish Shakespeare company, and Wing It Impro, The Story Forge is a family show, where myths and legends are improvised based on topics given to the actors by the audience. Historical experts (though I suspect not) Dr Professor Lee Hithersay, and Professor Doctor Robert Bond led us on adventures through time and space, educating us on the definitely accurate history of things like dog poo bags, and ointment. The performance was great fun, perfectly pitched, and exactly what one would expect from an improvised piece of theatre. The clown work is fantastic, and whilst the show was a family one, the focus was where it ought to have been, which was on the kids. There was a great understanding of the audience and ...

Rubbish Improvised Shakespeare: The Incomplete Works of Shakespeare – Unity Theatre

22Apr

By Miranda GreenNo Comments

North West

Rubbish Improvised Shakespeare: The Incomplete Works of Shakespeare – Unity Theatre

If it were done, when ‘tis done, then t’were well it were done wittily. Alack, ‘twas not. For prating merely “thee” and “thou” dost not the bard emulate. I could probably do this whole review in cod Shakespeare, but it’d soon become tedious, would’st not? Which pretty much describes last night’s performance of the allegedly improvised Rubbish Shakespeare: The Incomplete Works at the Unity Theatre. The audience were given the illusion of directing the action here but in fact were instructed to pick a year within Shakespeare’s lifetime (1550.) We had wider remit over location (Venice) and plot-hurdle (woodworm in the gondolas.) A chap near the front was awarded a circlet and crowned King James (anachronistically but lapses in history I can forgive) before being swiftly decoronated i...

Hardy and Webb: Mystery at the Museum – Unity Theatre

20Apr

By Miranda GreenNo Comments

North West

Hardy and Webb: Mystery at the Museum – Unity Theatre

There were a couple of mysteries surrounding this production for children. Part of the Liverpool Improvisation Festival, hosted at the excellent Unity Theatre, the first poser was: where was Becky Webb? The second: where were the children? No matter, the audience of adults thoroughly enjoyed this detective romp played with enthusiastic elasticity by Jen Hardy and Mike Burton, in place of Becky Webb. Improv for a beginner audience, the interaction was light but nonetheless introductory to the genre. An audience stooge was asked to play the role of the Chief who informed the detective duo that they were due a day off, whether they wanted it or not, and that they were to visit a museum. Mavis (possibly her real name) came up with the concept of a postal museum; my mate Jane came up with...