YOUTH THEATRE REVIEW: Dream Team - The Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool.

Workshopped, devised, and performed by The Royal Court Theatre's Youth Theatre, their summer production this year is, 'Dream Team', a story about the inhabitants of Happy Valley - a place where everyone is happy and they all live the catalogue-perfect lifestyles and have the perfect life; that is, until, The Sandman mysteriously disappears, and the children, due to lack of sleep, start turning against their parents in scenes that could have been taken from 'Children Of The Corn'. Thank goodness for Dr Morpheus and his bedtime milk solution!

The stage was bare, and the only set was created by a huge screen filling the whole back wall, upon which computer generated images were shown. The large cast (55 in all) ranged in age from preteen to late teens (I would imagine), as the adult characters were taken by the older members, and the children were, well, the children!

The show itself was an odd affair, obviously utilising the students' individual talents, but the style /genre was forever-changing and thus obfuscated the storyline and the characterisations. The first ten minutes of the show was presented entirely in dance (with some simplistic mime), until this idea suddenly stopped and we were watching a comedy play, as humorous dialogue ensued; in turn this turned ever camper and ever mono-dimensional, meaning that the characterisations of the cast needed to change from rounded, quasi-realistic portrayals to mono-dimensional OTT ridiculous cardboard cut-out caricatures. - The continual and high-pitched screeching and screams from the cast every time they were scared or jumped was most annoying however! We were now watching a quasi-pantomime! By the end of the first act however we had strayed into Musical Theatre territory, as Ilaria, the Fairy of Sleep (?) sang a solo most competently. The whole was 'narrated' by a male voice-over speaking in Jamaican patois...why, I have no idea, but this had no relevance to the English inhabitants of Happy Valley. The dancing (and acrobatics) was executed well and enjoyable, and the dialogue was punchy and highly humorous; but some of the cast did not know how to deliver such dialogue, sadly letting most of the humour and the jokes fall flat and miss their targets. More rehearsal / training was required in this area. 

Clearly, this large cast had worked extremely hard to bring about this show, giving 100% the whole time, and performing as they had been directed to do so. They were obviously enjoying themselves immensely too, which is, one has to admit, half the battle! The show was too long though. A one-hour presentation more solidly crafted would have been more preferable.

In all honesty, I would have enjoyed the presentation on stage far more if this afternoon's audience had followed the rules and etiquettes of being an audience member. Adults were on mobile phones, adults were chatting (loudly) and laughing with their children throughout; children were talking, restless, and making noises throughout; comestibles were being consumed and drunk throughout, and the noise from one particular group nearby was so loud I had to cough loudly to try and shush them... to no avail! Most rude and inconsiderate. As I left the auditorium, the detritus left on the floor was unbelievable! Popcorn, wrappers, sweets, drink cartons, plastic glasses, and goodness knows what else on the floors and on the seats! Bravo to the young cast on stage for carrying on despite the audience!

Reviewer - Matthew Dougall

on - 30.8.23

AMATEUR THEATRE REVIEW: Spirit Level - The Little Theatre, Wigan.

'Spirit Level' is a situation comedy from the pen of Pam Valentine, and centres around the ghosts of fiction writer Jack Cameron and his wife, who, due to his atheism, were turned away from the Pearly Gates, and condemned to stay, and haunt, their own country residence. It is only when a young couple come to rent the property, do the Camerons have a change of heart. There is high farce, pathos, and everything in between during this 2 hour production (including interval), and the seven strong cast pull out all the stops to bring about a humourful and entertai9ning evening.

The opening was a little slow, and the pace needed to be picked up generally in order to wring every ounce of the comedy from this script; as we all know, the essence of comedy is in the timing, and sadly, in this regard, the performance needed to be moved up a gear or two, especially in the comedic interchanges with the Guardian Angel and the hilarious happenstances of Act 2 Scene 2. However, the pathos of the final scene was handled beautifully, and the cast gave us solid and fully-rounded characters throughout, making us sympathise and enjoy.

Taking the roles of the poltergeist spirits were Peter Hall as Jack Cameron and Erinna Delaney as his long-suffering wife Susie. Young couple with financial difficulties and a baby on the way were Simon (Alex Lafferty) and Felicity (Fiona Stewart), and the smaller cameo roles were taken by Tom Phillips, as the house letting agent Mark Webster, becoming more and more frightened by the friendly poltergeists who keep moving things in his presence; Maureen Schofield as the Lady Bracknell-esque mother of Felicity, Marcia Bradshaw, who still wears black despite her husband passing away three years' ago; and a most un-guardian angel-like Guardian Angel Patricia Ashurst. 

The set was impressive, and the lighting design  trying hard to create the different times of day and lights from outside and interior. Costuming was lovely and worked superbly, and sound levels were perfect. The seven high-spirited (a-hem!) cast worked excellently together and a very entertaining evening was had by all!

Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 30.6.23

OUTDOOR CHILDREN'S THEATRE REVIEW: Secret Summer - Dunwood Park, Shaw. Oldham.

Presented by Sheffield-based Stand And Be Counted Theatre Company in conjunction with Oldham's Coliseum Theatre, this was an outdoor promenade production for children.

Sadly, the rainy British weather notwithstanding, this event proved to be something of a wet blanket. There were several reasons for my saying this, which I hope to clarify as I write. My first concern with this "event" is that it relied far too heavily on modern technology. This theatrical experience should have been just that... a theatrical experience, and yet, instead, parents and young children found themselves encumbered with having to wear earphones and listen to pre-recorded dialogue on their own mobile phones at each of the 'stations' along the route. There was no interaction or live action of any sort, and so they could easily have stayed at home and listened to this whilst watching a computer screen show a few pertinent images. The "live" part of the show was a complete waste of time. I was rather hoping / imagining that actors dressed in animal costumes might have been at each 'station' and improvised conversations with the youngsters, or played games with them, or taken them to the next station to meet the next woodland animal etc.. but of course, no such thing happened. The people employed to man each 'station' were not actors at all; when in fact they should have been in the same mode as summer school animators. Furthermore, the voices were were given to listen to were at times sadly unintelligible and had no relevance to Oldham and the children who were listening to them. The voices were young people - children - from Stand And Be Counted theatre workshops in Sheffield, and therefore these youngsters spoke in Sheffield dialect and accents, and their stories were not brought to life listening to them in a park on the outskirts of Oldham. If these narratives had to be used, instead of using live actors, then why not have Oldham children invent their stories and have them speak these stories about the environment and the animals who live in the parks.. this would have had more relevance and the children would have been be able to accept it more readily. As a theatre company however, I would have thought that teaching children to think for themselves, improvise and interact with the world and people around them, and build their confidence with their surroundings etc would have been of paramount importance, and in relying on technology and having them introvertly listen to these dialogues is the exact opposite of what the ethos of the company seems to be. Further, I was confused as to what age group this company were aiming this walk at. Each station had been decorated with pictures of animals (drawn by the youngsters from Sheffield... why not Oldham??!) and other artificial animals etc as well as a 'game' to play, but these decorations - as well as having a strip of paper stamped and given a colourful sticker at each 'station - seemed to be geared for the 5- 6 year olds - pretty but impractical; whilst the dialogue on the phone-app was certainly not suitable for that age and would be more appropriate for 10 year olds. I know that both my niece (9 years old) and my nephew (12 years old) would have scoffed heartily at this set-up and left after the first station

Admittedly each station offered an 'activity' or 'game' for the children to play, [Connect Four, chalk pavement drawing, throwing beanbags into a hole etc], but due to the rain and bad weather, none of the activities were suitable. There was one station that was completely unmanned which offered hoola-hoops for them, but they were sitting in the mud and no-one wanted to play with a dirty hoop! Each station was far too similar to the next, and so we knew exactly what to expect before we arrived, and at 45 minutes to simply complete the route and listen to all the dialogues, without even doing any of the activities offered at each station was perhaps too long. It was also very disappointing to find that the route for this event was in one long line. Why could this have not been made into a circular tour? Once at the end we had to walk the entire route in reverse to return to our car! If the stalls had been closer together, and more (and more varied) activities offered for different age ranges then it would have made more of an impact. There was little or nothing to do in inclement weather. 

Very uninspiring.

Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 27.8.23

YOUTH THEATRE REVIEW: Oliver Jr! - The Lyceum Theatre, Crewe.

The culmination of a children's summer school hosted by Crewe's Lyceum Theatre was a performance of the one-hour junior version of Lionel Bart's seminal musical, 'Oliver!'

The children aged I would estimate between 9 and 18, and were not only tasked with acting, singing and dancing this well-loved story (based of course of Dickens's 'Oliver Twist), but had to cope with performing on a stage with the deepest rake in the UK! (not easy!)

A simple multi-purpose set of two low-level rostra formed the basis of the set. Other  smaller items were brought in and out as necessary. A railing and effective lighting to the rear. Sound levels were generally good, and the lighting helped to create the correct mood and setting for each scene. Costumes were, on the whole, in period, and looked appropriate; but some were distinctly far too modern and not in keeping with the show at all sadly. [...and can somebody please pin Fagin's scarf to his shoulder?!]

The whole cast worked well with what they had been given, and of course gave their cumulative alls to this show. And of course, all the cast should be highly praised for their efforts. I would have preferred more in the way of original and demanding choreography, but what they did was solidly and easily completed. The singing was in general good, and their chorus songs performed with vim. 

Oliver was performed by a plaintive James Langan with a sweet singing voice, whilst The Artful Dodger was was the traditional cockney wide-boy as performed here by Emily Lavin. Putting in a truly heartfelt performance (backing tracks and scarf notwithstanding) was Alex Hricko as Fagin. Special mentions should be made of Grace McQuillan's interpretation of the role of Mr. Bumble, changed here to Miss Bumble. Her stern, upright gait and presence was impressive, and her operatically trained voice was a joy to listen to. Whilst Hannah Pascall made sure that despite her diminutive stature, she was not going to be forgotten with her nasty and powerful voice and demeanour.

The unfortunate thing with this show was the choice to use pre-recorded backing tracks. These children were ill-equipped to cope with these tracks, as they did not give the soloists enough help in finding their notes or entrances. It takes an experienced singer to be able to use backing tracks, and then only when those tracks have been played and recorded especially for that singer. Mostly the tracks will be in the wrong tempo, the wrong key, not play the music the way you have rehearsed it, not play the full song, or play only a running bass line and not give any help with the soloist's entry etc....  I mention all of this here simply because all of this was true of this evening's performance, and there were several occasions where the singers were caught out by the tracks, which seemed unfair.

Congratulations to all.. especially when having to cope with a fire alarm just ten minutes before the end of the show!

Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 27.8.23

THEATRE REVIEW: Coke, Machines, Stars And Kisses - 53Two, Manchester.

It’s Pride! And what better way to kick things off than the gala night of John O’Neill’s new play, ‘Coke, Machines, Stars And Kisses’ at 53Two.  Directed by Chris Hoyle, the piece is exactly what it says n the title only much much more! It’s a two-hander (oh missus) with O'Neill starring as ‘Dale’ and Alexander Townson as ‘Lewis’.

The premise:

It’s the end of the night (3am), Lewis and Dale are the last two standing after a party at Dale’s mum’s - Lewis was never invited to but climbed over the wall anyway. They have known each other since school, they grew up on the same estate, around the same people, with the same lack of opportunity, but they were never friends. Lewis (a mechanic, inspired by his granddad’s help with his first bike) never left. Dale, however, got out and pursued a degree, securing a job as computer software engineer - there are some similarities.

One more drink and one more line leads them to both look up, admire the sky full of stars - something Lewis is very knowledgeable about - and the strawberry moon, under which it’s said you can fulfil your secret desires, let down their guards and unspoken urges take hold. Their real selves allowed to be thrust into the night sky and here in this moment together, the world looks beautiful. But as the sun rises and the stars fade, will they live in this new found freedom or be forced to go back to the lives they lead? 

'Coke, Machines, Stars And Kisses' examines the fragile relationships we have with ourselves, our community, school mates who were once feared bullies and the future we really want to create. Dale is somewhat shy and nerdy and not outlandishly gay whilst Lewis is a proper chavvy council estate lad who always had thoughts of curiosity about the gay world - something he is wholly accepting of - but hid it all behind his cocky confidence. More drinks, shared coke, a few jumps on the trampoline and they let the world fall away in one moment of passion, shared only by them, before they take things inside.

It’s gritty, raw, honest, highly relatable and emotionally empathetic to the burdens we hold whilst accepting ourselves and the things that have come before which impact who and how we are.

With humility, hilarity and exceptionally good writing, this show has to go places… to fringe, to schools, to youth clubs on council estates. It’s just beautiful and a story that needs to be shared.

Reviewer - John Kristof
on - 25.8.23

GASTRONOMY EVENT REVIEW: Festa Italiana, Manchester.

It seems rather unfortunate that during a weekend where so much is going on in and around Manchester, we should be impacted by rail and bus strikes. At least the Metrolink is running... unless you're in Eccles. However I am not in Eccles, but Bolton, and also taking place this weekend is the Bolton Food Festival. I did instead go to Festa Italiana, a wonderful, charming food and drink festival dedicated to the food of our boot-shaped-country-living European friends. 

Do not let the perimeter fencing and security put you off as you walk around to find your entrance (just off the Corn Exchange side of Cathedral Gardens if you must know). All this really does ensure an incredibly friendly and safe area where one can stroll around at their leisure taking in the smells and sights of various Italian and Sicilian delicacies, as well as hear the foot-tapping-hand-clapping inducing music which range from operatic classics, traditional folk songs as well my personal favourite, Neapolitan songs. 

Occupying a relatively small space, Festa Italiana offers, with considerable success, everything you possibly need from an Italian food and drink festival.  You have pizza, you have pasta, you have arancini, sandwiches, biscuits, cannoli, gelato... the list is endless. On top of this concentrated group of fine vendors, one can also experience various cookery master classes, with the likes of Sofia Gallo and Gennaro Contaldo (to name but two) making appearances over the weekend. There’s something for the bambinos (or should that be bambini) too in the form of Carmela’s Kitchen where you can learn to make fresh pasta and take it home with you. It is such a fantastic little festival which really caters for everyone!

Additionally, due to the size of the festival, Festa Italiana seems to be brimming with atmosphere. There is a reason I mentioned the Bolton Food Festival before, and that is because there is something to be said about size and atmosphere not going hand in hand together. At the risk of being dragged into the street and beaten up by an angry mob of my fellow townspeople, I’ve never particularly enjoyed Bolton Food Festival. Being the biggest certainly does not mean being the best, and it has to be said that if these bigger festivals (looking at the Manchester Christmas Markets too) took a good look at Festa Italiana, and scaled everything back, focussed on atmosphere and the quality and appeal of the vendors, then perhaps the public would be more willing to go to these events. It is a perfect example of quality over quantity.

One usually goes to these events and find the vendors and other staff looking bored out of their minds, giving you the filthiest of looks because you dare ask for some food. That is not the case here, as everyone seems incredibly friendly and happy to talk to you about their craft and passion for whatever it is they do. It is that warm Italian embrace and pride that has become ever so romanticised in recent times which again makes this festival worth visiting over others.

The location too is another positive, nestled between the Corn Exchange, Cathedral and Cheetham’s school, it is close by to the Arndale should you wish to go shopping before or after, and is only a couple of minutes walk from Victoria Station as well as Exchange Square tram stop. This could have easily have been hosted elsewhere in the city but it most definitely would not have the same positive feeling that it does have in Cathedral Gardens. It is apparent that serious thought has been put into this. 

Festa Italiana is free to enter, and if there has to be anything to grumble about it would be the prices (then again, grumbling about the price of things has become the new national pastime (for good reason, of course)). However they’re not bank breaking or extortionate, do not let that put you off. You can still enjoy the festival and there is great food and drink to be had if you take time to pick where and what you’ll eat. Prices are what one can expect for a food festival in central Manchester. 

If there has to be a highlight, or special pick that is worth going to the festival for though, it has to be Cafe Cannoli. The Sicilian sweet treat is a personal favourite and having tried cannoli seemingly all over the region and further a field, the friendly folk at Cafe Cannoli have mastered the cannolo to the extent that it makes you wonder how you coped in life before having one (or six) of theirs.

Of course the great British weather means that it is due to rain this weekend, but don’t let that dampen matters. If you can only make one event this bank holiday weekend, then make it Festa Italiana. 

Reviewer - Daryl Griffin

YOUTH THEATRE REVIEW: School Of Rock - The Theatre Royal, Wakefield.

Andrew Lloyd-Webber is no stranger to plagiarism and reinvention, and so it seemed like a gift horse for him when he bought the rights to turn a film - already with lots of music - into a Musical! The 2003 American comedy film would be the perfect vehicle he needed to turn his dwindling superstar status around; his last couple of ventures had been box office flops. 

In the end however, precious little in terms of music has been "kept" from the film. The 'buff' will recognise a couple of the film's melodies, somewhat changed and obfuscated, but they are there. What Lloyd-Webber does do however, is plagiarise from himself in this musical, and does so shamelessly throughout! And when the tunes he does use are such good ones, who can blame him? Cole Porter was the Grand Master in this regard, but that was in the days of the Book-Musical, when songs could be used in their entirety, unchanged, in any musical they wanted. These days, when the songs progress the narrative then it isn't quite as easy. The one song however in this musical which really should be the showstopper / stand-out piece, the competition entry, 'School Of Rock' song, is actually, in my humble opinion, the weakest song in the whole show. Although again, in my humble opinion, this particular production performed it the best I have ever heard it done (and that includes the pro tour!).

The show tells the story of a rock guitarist Dewey Finn, lead guitar in a group of not-so-talented Rock Band members, who continues to outshine the lead singer with his clever riffs and technical expertise. The band realise they are being continually upstaged and so decide they should sack him, despite the band being his idea in the first place. He currently "boards" at an ex-band member's house, who has 'moved on' from his heady days of drugs and rock'n'roll and become 'respectable' with an irritating girlfriend. Of course there are comedic tensions in this situation, but it also means that Dewey has no job, no money and cannot pay his rent. The girlfriend is at the end of her tether, when, a Deus-ex-Machina arrives in the form of a telephone call from an elite prep school asking if Ned Schneebly (Dewey's ex-band member buddy) would be available to be a substitute teacher at the school for a few weeks. Dewey pretends to be Ned, accepts the job, and totally unfit to teach, never mind at an elite public school, turns up late and hungover on the first day! But this is a fable and a comedy, and so of course, everything works out right in the end, and the young children in his charge turn out to be exceptional musicians, and after forming a band - the School Of Rock - with them, takes them to the 'Battle Of The Bands' competition. 

The musical is full of subliminal messages about parenting, mental health, and the power of music, but all is wrapped up in a hugely feel-good show with earworm music and American humour.

Taking the lead role of Dewey Finn in this production by Wakefield Youth Music Theatre was Jacob Birch. A hugely charismatic performer, Birch proved to be a superb choice for this role. Having seen the latest professional tour when it came to Manchester's Palace Theatre last June, I can say, hand on heart, that Birch outshone their Dewey easily. Here Birch presented a fully-rounded and believable character, and his journey was measured and sympathetically played; unlike the professional actor who hammed the role up for all it was worth, becoming mono-dimensional and abrasively OTT. Not only that but Birch was a super singer too, hitting all the high notes (of which there are many) with Rock-style perfection.  

Birch was aided and abetted by a sturdy group of older youths playing the adults, most of whom make small or cameo appearances throughout. The only other adult who really stands out in this show is the Principal of the school, Rosalie Mullins. Here this role was taken by a statuesque Olivia Reid. Again, a nicely measured performance saw her change almost imperceptibly at first from stiff and aloof to a more relaxed and happy ex-rock chick as she warms to the childish charms of Dewey. Her solo in the cafe 'Where Did The Rock Go' was one of the show's highlights.  

A smaller group of the older youths (all female I think) provided us with some upbeat and funky choreography during a couple of the songs too. A nice touch. The singing from the entire cast - both younger and older - was superb the whole evening and I loved all the lush harmonies coming through.

This show however, belongs to the children. A class of young prep school students who have to change from upperclass nerds through understanding, acceptance and warming to Dewey (each in their own way) to "rockers" in the space of the evening, and all need to be excellent all-rounders: acting, singing, dancing, and playing at least one musical instrument, is a prerequisite for them all. Where could such a cast be found? Well, I don't know the answer to that, other than to say, found it was, and these youngsters were absolutely brilliant! Easily holding their own with the professional cast I saw last June, these youngsters, simply, and quite rightly stealing the show.

Eva Thornton was a superb choice for the bossy 'manager', Summer; Isabella Chidlaw's 'Amazing Grace' as Tomika was simply, well, amazing, and her shy and reserved characterisation was spot-on; Milo Neale (Zack) and Molly Jasper (Katie) both impressed and their guitar-playing knew no bounds; the diminutive Charlie Burgess-Dawson was just fabulous, and played the keyboards as if he was born to do so; and young Millie Sheppard as Freddie absolutely knew her way around a drum kit! Fun was had with the four brilliant 'backing singers, bopping and singing with glee working well together; whilst Olli Blakeley's camping-up of his role as Billy was superb. Together with several others playing ensemble and smaller cameos within the class, the entire team  are deserving simply of the highest praise. 

This show though didn't just simply succeed with the actors alone; the set, the costumes, the lighting design etc all worked well and gave the show its time, place, and feel with ease. The scene changes were sometimes a little 'obvious', but were always swift and unobtrusive. The music was at times a little to loud (but then again, it is a Rock concert...!), but was performed with style from the pit by Jim Lunt and his musicians when the music was not being played live onstage by the talented cast.

Directed by Louise Denison, this show was given a little more gravitas than other versions of the show I have thus far seen, and this worked very much in the show's favour. Denison also added some lovely little directorial touches which were a joy to watch as these things makes each production unique and showcases the director's own ideas and skill (so long as the ideas work... and here they did superbly!). This was a truly upbeat and professionally produced show, which oozes talent and energy from the opening and is full credit to a society I had hitherto never heard of. 

School Of Rock, rocks!

Reviewer - Matthew Dougall

on - 24.8.23

MUSIC REVIEW: Public Concerts as part of the 22nd International Piano Summer School at Chetham's School of Music, Manchester. Week 2 #4

Chetham's School Of Music in Manchester have been running International Piano Summer Schools for the past 22 years, and this year they have opened many of the concerts given by the working professionals tutoring the courses up to the public. What a lovely idea; during a month of when traditionally, the theatre and music worlds estivate for the month, music-lovers are now given the opportunity of seeing world-class artistes performing short concerts at a world-class venue for a fraction of the cost of a standard concert.

The final day of the summer school, and sadly I was only able to see one of the concerts, and did not stay for the evening recitals. However, this afternoon was a real treat. Having already watched Murray McLachlan several times, it was now time to introduce his daughter, Rose. Already a renowned pianist in her own right and a very bright career and future ahead of her; she presented a very mature and elegant figure this afternoon.

He programme started with Scriabin. His Piano Sonata in C# minor. It has been said of Scriabin that there is so much decoration in his piano writing that the melody can often get lost. Or to put it another way, and quote directly from Peter Schaffer's 'Amadeus': "too many notes!" Not here; McLachlan's playing was light and assured, handling the changing dynamics with skill and precision, and the melody always clear.

A change of pace, time, and place came next. We travel to central Spain to hear the folk music and idioms of the locals as described and transmuted by Spanish pianist and composer, Isaac Albeniz. In his 'Iberia Book Part 1', there are three dances, each as connected to the Andalusian soil as the soil itself, and McLachlan played these pieces with a prescience and understanding way beyond her years. Her final piece took us yet another change, as we are transported to contemporary England with Stephen Hough's rather jolly 'Fanfare Toccata'. McLachlan kept the piece light and flowing, almost like a waterfall, there were cascades of sound.

Unsure what her encore piece was, her announcement went completely unheard. However I did seem to detect a certain Star Wars theme within it...!

At just 21 years' old, Rose McLachlan's world is certainly her oyster, and I look forward to hearing much more of her over the years to come.

Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 23.8.23 

MUSIC REVIEW: Public Concerts as part of the 22nd International Piano Summer School at Chetham's School of Music, Manchester. - Week 2 #3

Chetham's School Of Music in Manchester have been running International Piano Summer Schools for the past 22 years, and this year they have opened many of the concerts given by the working professionals tutoring the courses up to the public. What a lovely idea; during a month of when traditionally, the theatre and music worlds estivate for the month, music-lovers are now given the opportunity of seeing world-class artistes performing short concerts at a world-class venue for a fraction of the cost of a standard concert.

The penultimate day of the course, and two excellent concerts have been scheduled. First to grace the stage was John Lenehan, whose speciality is film music. For today's concert his programme included piano music for films from two different categories. Lenehan explained that there were two types of film out there which rely entirely on music. First is the silent film, a "moving picture" without dialogue (save the occasional storyboards); and then the second type, films which have been made to be played with a specific piece of music in mind, and only work when that particular piece is played to accompany the film. He further enlightened us that in the former category, the pianist (or instrumentalist), had three choices when finding music suitable to accompany the film, since the studios or producers never gave any help in this regard. First was finding an already written piece of music and either playing it in its entirety or adapting it for the film. Second, composing the music for the film yourself. And finally, the third option would be to improvise as you went along!

His concert this evening showed examples of all of these, as well as a few nice surprises too. With a large screen above the stage, the films, or excerpts of the film, were shown, whilst Lenehan expertly accompanied them on the piano. Highlights included, Fischinger's 'Composition In Blue' (Germany 1935), to the music of Nicolai's 'Merry Wives Of Windsor'; Rudolph Valentino's 1922 film, 'Blood And Sand', to a tango by Albeniz; Greta Garbo's 1926 epic, 'The Temptress' to improvised music by Lenehan; an amazing cardboard cut-out silhouette film from Germany by Lotte Reineger from 1935 called 'Papageno', made especially to be filmed alongside Mozart's 'The Magic Flute'; and another stop animation film this time from Russia, made in 1973 and to be filmed to the music of Tchaikovsky's 'Waltz Of The Flowers'. The concert ended with a firm favourite, as we saw Charlie Chaplin in the Lion's Cage, from 'The Circus' (1928) to music composed by Lenehan. A lovely surprise encore followed.... Mickey Mouse and a wayward keyboard! Superb!

The second concert this evening was far more down-to-earth and traditional, as we welcomed veteran concert pianist genius, Peter Donohoe, on the occasion of his 70th birthday, to delight us with Busoni {Variations On A Theme Of Chopin Op 22}, Chopin {Sonata No 2 in Bb Minor - which includes the famous 'Funeral March'}, and Rachmaninov {Variations On A Theme Of Chopin Op22}. So we heard a true Chopin sandwich if you like, and of course no-one was disappointed with Donohoe's playing. There is little or perhaps nothing I can say or add to his long list of accolades and praises over the years. We just simply sat in awe and lapped it all up!

Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 22.8.23

THEATRE REVIEW: Qweer Shorts - The Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester.

“Qweer Shorts” is a greatest hits collection of short LGBT+ theatre pieces that have grown out of the scratch nights that Qweerdog have been holding over the last few years. Now fully staged and with production values, taking place at the Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester.

“Pride Of Place” by Jack Horsefield and Martin Johnston opened the evening. In the office of a small company that supplies gravel to the construction industry, Amber the harried HR manager is trying to sort out two complaints that have been made. Melvin – older, uptight, scrawling everything into a notebook, and straight – wants the rainbow flag on all corporate material during Pride to show solidarity. Jeff – younger, acidly charming, very rude, and gay – doesn’t. His reasons are that it is virtue-signalling, futile and patronising. Then it went a bit Pirandello, with the actors breaking out of the story to ask the audience what they thought, and the director – a gruff Stewart Campbell – bawling them out from the lighting box, and telling them to get back to doing the play. The results of the audience poll were fascinating, and these are themes and characters that can be used for a much longer play. Patrick Jeffries stole the show as Jeff. John Joyce O’Keeffe fenced him as Melvin. Michelle Kelly was the tired referee as Amber.

“Body Positively Fine” by Caitlin Magnall-Kearns is the early romance of two young women who first meet via the internet. A rapid sequence of dating scenes show the progression of the relationship – but something is causing Carla to delay the moment when she and Jill get their clothes off with each other for the first time. And it’s the prospective nudity itself that is the issue. Delicately directed by Hannah Ellis Ryan, there were beautiful performances from both actors. Jess Perillo, as Jill, had the surface of a wholesome primary-school teacher, and the undercurrent of passionate lust. Elizabeth Meadows, as Carla, was a nervy collection of ethereal energy, with a stage presence that flooded the space.

“Moneybags” by Victoria Tunnah is an inverse crime comedy. Friends-with-benefits Tony and Emma have stumbled on a large sports bag of cash, and believe it to be the takings of a dangerous drug dealer. On the one hand, they want to keep it and spend it; on the other, they don’t want a drug dealer breaking their fingers. The ensuing squabble reveals various other aspects of Tony’s rather freeloading relationship with Emma, and leads to a lot of cake and alcohol being sprayed around the stage. Directed with energy by Adam Cachia, Riah Amelle was sunnily irresponsible as Tony, and Leni Murphy was more cautious and quietly desperate as Emma.

“Biters” by Eytan Deray trades on that visceral fear of what if you go back with a stranger to his home, hoping romance, and it all goes horribly wrong? In this case, it is because Rory is a murderous sex-crazed vampire, and Kurt is a very nervous virgin. Director Stewart Campbell got a good balance between the power imbalance and use of force, and the moments of black comedy that relieved it. Brandon McCaffrey relished in being Northern vampire Rory, with a lair that looked like a squat in Salford. Joey Ethan held his own as Kurt, and brought some genuine tenderness to the piece.

“Parental Guidance” is a monologue written and performed by Jude Leath. The Parent, dressed in colourful yet maternal-looking clothing, is waiting at the school gate for afternoon pick-up and sharing a series of internal thoughts and fears. This is a new Parent: the children were only adopted a few months ago. Most of the time the Parent is their dad, but at times becomes their mum. This is the first time the Parent has come to the school gate dressed as mum. What are the other parents thinking and feeling and judging on? Director Adam Cachia handled the piece with sensitivity, and Jude Leath gave a very moving performance.

“Natter” by Joe Henry-Evans is two young men playing two older women in a Monty Python highly-characterised style. Helen and Linda wear head-scarves and cardigans, and appear to be from somewhere in the late twentieth century, judging by the pop culture references and vague references to a new nasty disease. Over tea and biscuits, the conversation turns to Linda’s forty-year-old son, and Helen’s gentle suggestions that he might possibly be gay. This is a thought that Linda actively resists. “Natter” is a very two-dimensional portrayal of older women of the late twentieth century, but it did give Joe Henry-Evans a chance to show off his considerable comic acting skills as Linda – even when not speaking, every twitch of his face was loaded with energy. John Thacker, as Helen, was the perfect calm and sweet foil. Director Stewart Campbell kept a crisp pace, and the audience found it uproarious.

Reviewer - Thalia Terpsichore
on - 22.8.23

THEATRE REVIEW: Eric's Italian Job - The New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-U-Lyme, Staffordshire.

The twice-yearly return of David Graham’s beloved character Eric to the stage of Newcastle-Under-Lyme’s friendly New Vic Theatre has long since replaced the Stoke v. Port Vale derby match as the most eagerly-awaited fixture in the North Staffordshire cultural calendar. It is nine long months since we laughed at and sang along with Eric and friends in Eric’s Christmas Turkey and the crowds in the bar before the show were clearly ready for their latest fix. 

As any railway enthusiast will tell you, the night of August 8th, 1963, was a dark one for the driver and staff aboard a mail train from Glasgow to London which was hijacked by a gang of 17 criminals who stole over £2 million. It was also – by one of those dreadfully unfortunate coincidences – the night on which Eric got the first booking for his mobile disco. In, of all places, Leighton Buzzard, the nearest major town to the robbery site. When his van breaks down on the way home, Eric sees the train stopped with its lights on and goes to see if he can get a lift, encountering two of the robbers on the way. Back home Eric’s good-hearted but daft friend Gordon Bennett (David Lonsdale) persuades Eric to tell the Police what he knows about the robbery. This leads to the pompous and incompetent Detective Chief Superintendent Slapper (Stephen Chapman), aka Slapper Of The Yard, recruiting Eric to work undercover with him in Italy, posing as a notorious old lag known as “Scarface” in the hope of catching the robbers. What could possibly go wrong?

And so, the mayhem unfolds, interspersed as ever with some superb '60's music performed by the cast. Alan Howell as the villains’ leader Bertie is clearly channelling Michael Caine as they plot the robbery – it’s due to take place at a fancy-dress party too, which gives them all the opportunity to dress up and look ridiculous. Their performance of “Hey Hey, We’re The Monkees” dressed as gorillas is both brilliant comedy and a great technical achievement given the difficulty of playing musical instruments whilst wearing ape hands!

The music is an integral part of the Eric experience and it is performed with great gusto and joy with cast members taking turns to sing the lead vocals. Georgia Gagen who plays Julia gives a particularly good rendition of The Foundations’ 1968 hit “Build Me Up Buttercup” and I really enjoyed the four villains in their boiler suits singing The Beatles’ “Money (That’s What I Want)” from 1963. There were some songs I hadn’t heard before, and a song list would have been useful.

Back on stage, chaos reigns as the robbery is hilariously botched and a chase ensues. There are no Minis in this Italian Job, but pedal tricycles do the job just as well with the breathless Slapper in hot pursuit. Somehow it all ends happily – of course it does, this is an Eric show! – and order is restored in time for everybody to get up on their feet and clap, dance and sing along with a final selection of '60's greats including the crowd-pleasing finale, Jeff Beck’s “Hi Ho Silver Lining”. One thing about getting the audience up on their feet for the last songs is that it pretty much guarantees you a standing ovation at the end, but it was well deserved.

This is entertainment at its best, a touch of joy in troubled times. The cast obviously love every minute of it which brings an extra feelgood factor to the show, and many of the audience were clearly regulars who come back, time after time, to enjoy Eric’s antics. Next year it will be 25 years since Eric first graced the stage of the New Vic, and we look forward to many more happy times with our hero.

Reviewer - Ian Simpson
on - 21.8.23

MUSIC REVIEW: Public Concerts as part of the 22nd International Piano Summer School at Chetham's School of Music, Manchester. - Week 2 #2

Chetham's School Of Music in Manchester have been running International Piano Summer Schools for the past 22 years, and this year they have opened many of the concerts given by the working professionals tutoring the courses up to the public. What a lovely idea; during a month of when traditionally, the theatre and music worlds estivate for the month, music-lovers are now given the opportunity of seeing world-class artistes performing short concerts at a world-class venue for a fraction of the cost of a standard concert.

Today I watched two more concerts. The first, at 1:45pm, was given by 18 year-old Ukrainian Khrystyna Mykhailichenko. She performed Rachmaninov's Sonata no1 for the piano, and let me tell you, dear reader, I have heard this piece many times, and have never heard it played better! Mykhailichenko has seen and experienced much in her short life... leaving her home in the Crimea in 2014, when the Russians occupied the area, moving to a town close to Kiev. Unfortunately, the Russians did not stop at Crimea, and once war broke out in 2022, her mother and her fled Ukraine to Poland, before coming over to the UK., leaving her father and brother behind in her war-torn homeland. All these experiences, and all that emotion has to find an outlet somewhere, and I believe that it was found this afternoon in her piano-playing. Performing a piece of music from one of Russia's greatest piano exponents surely touched a nerve, and we were lucky, nay privileged, to have witnessed it. I don't mind admitting that during the final movement I had tears streaming down my face. This was a powerful, and highly emotional performance, and was played with passion, incredible skill, and a connection to the music that one rarely sees. I read that Mykhailichenko is now studying with Graham Scott at the RNCM and so hopefully I will be able to watch more of her now she is resident in the UK.

At 7pm, it was time for something a little more Romantic!  Welcoming the aforementioned Graham Scott himself to the stage, we were treated to his wonderful renditions of Rachmaninov {Variations On A Theme Of Corelli}, Chopin {Ballade No 4}, and Liszt {Variations on Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen}. Scott's interpretations were simply dreamy, bringing out much of his own emotion behind his playing but not letting this override the melody and thought processes behind the works themselves. The dynamics were handled with precision, although there were a couple of times, for me at least, where he tended to hold down the resonator pedal just a little too long, which had the effect of obfuscating the following melody. In between these highly Romantic works, he also performed a new work by contemporary composer Adam Gorb. Gorb was in attendance for this, the world premiere performance, and he told us that the piece had been inspired both by Chopin, and the death of his mother earlier this year who had a great love of Beethoven. The piece was modern but backward-looking - even in the close-harmony jazz chords, which belonged to a bygone era. Tuneful and enjoyable. 

Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 21.8.23

MUSIC REVIEW: Public Concerts as part of the 22nd International Piano Summer School at Chetham's School Of Music, Manchester. - Week 2 #1

Chetham's School Of Music in Manchester have been running International Piano Summer Schools for the past 22 years, and this year they have opened many of the concerts given by the working professionals tutoring the courses up to the public. What a lovely idea; during a month of when traditionally, the theatre and music worlds estivate for the month, music-lovers are now given the opportunity of seeing world-class artistes performing short concerts at a world-class venue for a fraction of the cost of a standard concert.

The concerts today, Sunday 20th, were many and varied. The first, in the afternoon, was a concert given by three current Chetham's students, and they absolutely blew us all away! First to take the stage was 12  year-old Julian Zhu, who played 2 works by Chopin. [Polonaise in C# minor and Etude Op10 no4]. Zhu had, for someone so young, an incredible connection to the music, allowing the music to come alive and sing under his fingers, whilst being able to bring a lot of his own personality and emotion into the piece as well. This was simply a bravura performance! Rebekah Yinuo Tan was second, and handled the changing dynamics and bombast of her chosen piece - Liszt's Rhapsodie Espagnole - with accustomed ease. At 17 years' old her knowledge and understanding of the work was incredible, and skilfully took us through all the different emotions and styles that Liszt crammed into this work. The third and final pianist this afternoon was a young man whom I have seen performing for quite a few years now, and had the privilege and pleasure of watching this uber-talented individual grow as he gets older and more experienced. At just 17 years' old, Edward Harris Brown is a name to watch out for, he is certain to make it big in whatever he turns his hand to... jazz, freestyle, composition, classical... such is his versatility  This afternoon he presented a long experimental mash-up; starting with Scarlatti's Sonata in A, and then extemporising a bridge between that and his own composition 'Wide Asleep', and again another impro bridge to his final piece, Fats Waller's 'Aint Misbehavin''.The Scarlatti was light, swift and elegant; his own composition was surprisingly mature and lyrical, owing a huge debt to the likes of Debussy and the Impressionist Movement, whilst the jazz was simply joyous and full of jazzmatazz. Fabulous!

At 7pm this evening, we welcomed pianist and Chetham's Head of Keyboard, Murray McLachlan to the stage for him to play Chopin. McLachlan started with a curio, a piece that he had himself  transcribed and reworked as a piece for the left hand alone, called 'Homage A Godowsky', this was essentially Chopin's Nocturne no 2 (opus9). He then played all four of Chopin's Ballades together consecutively, which, apart from CD recordings I have never heard done before and listening to them performed live one after the other was a most interesting experience. There is no doubt at all that McLachlan understood these pieces and played them with both elan and skill. There was emotion, there was passion, and yet he never allowed these to spill over into the playing, keeping the melodies light and flowing, making the music sing.  McLachlan finished his concert with another 'homage'. This time it was a composition by Ronald Stevenson titled, 'Fugue On A Fragment of Chopin'. Written in 1949, this piece was very much in the late Romantic, early 20th century style, but had a couple of modern surprises in there too. A tuneful and enjoyable piece, quite dramatic in places. For his encore, we heard two short pieces, transcriptions of Scottish folk songs. 

Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 20.8.23

AMATEUR CHILDREN'S THEATRE REVIEW: Grease - Theatre Royal, St. Helens

Dream Academy, a local privately run centre for children to attend classes in musical theatre, were very proud and happy to present their version of the evergreen musical 'Grease' this afternoon at St. Helens' Theatre Royal.

The show presented was neither the stage musical nor the film version, but an amalgam of both, but it worked nicely for the cast. A single set, utilising the 'iconic' raked sports benches to the rear, whilst smaller items were brought in as necessary on the forestage. Lighting, sound, and costumes were all good.

The company chose to use pre-recorded backing tracks for this show, which also included a few chorus harmonies too. which helped to fill out the on-stage choral sound. 

The young cast, none of whom would be out of their teens, and some considerably younger, worked hard and obviously enjoyed bringing their long weeks of rehearsals to fruition. Lewis Canning worked hard to bring Danny Zuko to life. Not the traditional character. nut a slightly softer, and more 'human' characterisation, whilst Sandy (Alanna Brereton) impressed with her lovely rendition of 'Hopelessly Devoted To You'.  

The T-Birds were completed with Jack Jones (Kenickie), Em Drinkwater (Doody), Demi Moore (Sonny), and Reuben Singh (Roger), whilst their respective Pink Ladies were Charlotte Magowan (Rizzo), Alix Dixon (Marty), Amy Hurst (Frenchy), and Mia Hurst (Jan). All worked extremely hard to create different characters that worked well together within their groups without trying to simply replicate their all-too-famous counterparts from the film.

Smaller cameo roles did not go unnoticed, and Jacob Sayer's Eugene and Bethany Addison's Patty were both very enjoyable. 

Well done to all.

Reviewers - Matthew Dougall and Chris Benchley
on - 20.8.23

THEATRE REVIEW: Death Note: The Musical - The Palladium, London.

Wow! This show is sensational.

When I arrived at The London Palladium, I was shocked to see so many excited Manga fans waiting in the long queue outside, and so I spoke to many of these enthusiastic fans who knew the Manga Death Note story inside and out. It started life as a book series written by Tsugumi Ohba with the drawn artwork by Takeshi Obata and then adapted into an animated series. Having sold over 30 million copies worldwide it has a huge international following and naturally there was an excited anticipation amongst fans for its arrival in London. We all wondered how it could be condensed into a two hour show. Two girls had travelled all the way from Belgium, especially to see 'Death Note' which is only at The Palladium for two nights. But don’t fret you might be lucky enough to catch it just down the road at The Lyric Theatre for a short run.

I must admit that I did not know much about the story beforehand apart from some quick research. But this didn’t matter too much, as the show made complete sense. This is the first time it has been performed in London and in the English language, previously being staged in Japan, Korea and Moscow. This creative performance by all the characters is phenomenal, confirmed by a very loud standing ovation. The outstanding music score has been composed by Frank Wildhorn with lyrics by Jack Murphy. I loved every single song, and I loved the voices who had been cast so perfectly. 'Death Note' has a large cast who were all fantastic but I’m sure that we are going to see a lot more of the main characters. Joaquin Pedro Valdes plays the character Light – our hero/anti-hero. Valdes hails from the Philippines where he was originally in the boyband 17:28, with his charm, good looks and amazing voice it is easy to see why he was a success and will no doubt have a larger following in the UK after this performance. Dean John Wilson as L/ Detective L  and plays his character just as the image in the book. He has a swagger and confidence to match his antithesis Light, and an equally outstanding voice. He already has an excellent back catalogue of shows. Frances Mayli McCann already has many West End credits to her name and today wowed the audience with her Manga looking portrayal of Misa. Her voice was powerful, fun and really apt for the part of the cute pop star that falls in love with Light. The two Shinigami Characters on the stage are mesmerising both for their costumes, stage presence and vocal range. These Shinigami are the reason that Death Note falls into the hands of Light and Misa. Ryuk is portrayed by Adam Pascal in a raven-like way; the way he turns his head and his stance with the black feathers of his costume really make him appear bird-like and his actions meant that I couldn’t keep my eyes off him. Aimie Atkinson is almost unrecognisable in her costume, and playing Rem the other Shinigami is in complete opposition to her previous West End roles. She has an incredible voice and it’s easy to understand how she has already been a winner of the BBC Radio 2 Voice Of Musical Theatre. With such a talented cast this show can be nothing more than successful.

The set was static, but the different levels allowed movement and context, the lighting was more concert based than your typical stage lighting and the stage direction was excellent. My only criticism was that on a few occasions the mics weren’t always audible, but this is a technical issue that the crew can sort out for the next performance. After the show, Manga fans told me that the ending had been altered for this musical in comparison to the original book series but that had not made much difference to the appeal.

This is such a whirlwind of a show that I would recommend this to anyone with a love of musicals. A lot of the music is pop and would appeal to most ages, although some of the themes of 'Death Note' are not appropriate to a younger audience as it obviously touches on death, murder, and suicide. Also, be aware if you are likely to be offended or upset by these topics. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would really like to see it again. I hope it gets a longer run somewhere after The Lyric as audiences across the country will flock to it. There will also be a change to some of the cast at the Lyric, but I am sure that this will not detract from the amazing show that it is.

Reviewer - Penny Curran
on - 21.8.23

AMATEUR THEATRE REVIEW: Rent - The Little Theatre, Knutsford.

The newly-formed and Cheshire based company, Together For Theatre, are currently presenting their first production at Knutsford's bijou Little Theatre, and it is a very brave and bold choice of show for their debut... a full-scale Musical complete with live on-stage band. Not only that, but 'Rent' (their chosen show), is set in the USA at a time when the AIDS scare was all too real, and being 'artistic' or 'different' was seen as a curse and a scourge on society - and although societal attitudes have changed (and are still changing), the themes here still hold much relevance and poignance in our own contemporary society too.

Written by Jonathan Larson, and based (albeit loosely) on Puccini's 'La Boheme', 'Rent' tells the story of a group of 'bohemians' living in squalor in New York at 'the end of the millennium', and how they negotiate their daily lives trying to avoid the landlord and the 'disease'. Just as there is in the Grand Opera, the musical shows death and heartbreak, and doesn't pull any punches with use of and dependency on drugs, etc. That being said however, the musical is also full of hope and joy, and shows us that even the face of adversity there is still love, compassion, comradeship, and the human spirit will survive no matter what is thrown at it. 

For their first production as a company, Together For Theatre have created something which they can be proud of, and something which they can use to build on and continue to create theatre which inspires. Lewis Baron's direction was secure and intelligent; and the storyline was always excellently signposted. A couple of things which did not work quite so well however, were that because this musical is very fast-moving, it sometimes was not clear what the exact location of each vignette was, and since Baron had deliberately slowed things down a little in order for the dialogue to be fully understood by the audience, the pace of the musical as a whole was a little sluggish at times. This was also true of Ben Evans-Clarke's otherwise excellent musical direction, as a couple of the songs could easily have been given a more upbeat tempo, and so too, they kept the show at a rather pedestrian pace. 

Another concern was the heights of the three levels used for the set. A single composite base of rostra was utilised, giving the cast three levels upon which to work. The steps (height) between the levels however was too great and was causing cast members to worry too much about this and not their roles / singing etc. Smaller steps were needed to connect the heights to make it both safer and easier.

Characterisations were clear and secure from all, and it was clear that much thought and consideration had gone in to finding truthful and sympathetic human beings, all having their individuality, but all working well too as an ensemble. And whilst the acting was overall of a high standard, and we emoted with them, there were a couple who didn't really possess the requisite rock voices to carry off some of the singing demands. The choral singing however was lovely. There was a simplistic naturalism in the ensemble acting / movement which was quite compelling. What was abundantly apparent was that everyone on stage was fully committed to and giving everything to their roles and the show in general, and this gave the show energy and drive. 

Lighting, sound, and costuming were all good, but the scene changes were a little 'clunky' sadly. And I didn't see the need for the constant moving of the brown sofa. Why couldn't it simply find a place on stage where it could stay for the entire show without moving it?

An impressive debut from a new company - one to watch out for in the future!

Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 16.8.23

THEATRE REVIEW: Greatest Days - The Opera House, Blackpool.

Having seen the original Take That Musical in Manchester some years' ago, then called 'The Band', I was expecting this reworking to be something different, to pack a bigger emotional punch, to feature the Boy Band in a more biographical or revealing light etc. However in reality, this was essentially the same show with a couple of changes which did not work as well.

And although this is a Take That Musical, showcasing 18 of their hits, the band is very much a secondary feature of the show, and they never actually get to perform an entire song themselves as it would have been performed by the band themselves. The story, instead, centres around a group of 5 school girl friends, especially Rachel, who, at 16 years old, form a bond of friendship and travel from their home to Manchester to see the band perform live. But then they are forced to deal with tragedy as one of their member is killed [perhaps this is metaphor for Robbie Williams's departure from the band(?)]. Fast forward 25 years and the the 4 adults, now living very different lives, come together once again, as Rachel wins a radio competition to see the band perform live in Athens and takes her high school friends with her. - again perhaps another direct metaphor for the band's reunion and comeback. The final scene (plus balloons) confirms this idea, and is very touching.

The story is both comedic - in a very 'Dinner Ladies' or 'Loose Women' sort of way, but has heart and does pack an emotional punch. And the nine females who play both the teenagers and their adult incarnations all make their mark. It's 'Mamma Mia' with Take That's music, not Abba's!

For hardcore Take That fans though, this musical might prove a little bit of a let-down. Not once is the band ever mentioned by name, and so it actually could be ANY boy band, and, despite their dancing and ensemble skills, their singing is not up to the Take That standard, and they really only feature as a secondary part of the musical; with them even being tasked into moving the stairs and stage blocks which comprise the composite and simple set utilised for the show. They even have to wear morph suits and pretend to be Greek statues as act 2 opens! Songs are sung in the background or in shadow, and they rarely get their chance to 'Shine'! 

The show doesn't quite 'Rule The World', - this is not a Jukebox musical in the usual sense of the term; but much more a comedy play with heart, featuring some of Take That's hits - but it is definitely worth watching to enjoy the high quality acting, and energetic and precision nifty dance moves! It's upbeat and feelgood, and guaranteed to 'relight your fire'!

Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 15.8.23

MUSIC REVIEW: Public Concerts as part of the 22nd International Piano Summer School at Chetham's School of Music, Manchester. - Week 1.

Chetham's School Of Music in Manchester have been running International Piano Summer Schools for the past 22 years, and this year they have opened many of the concerts given by the working professionals tutoring the courses up to the public. What a lovely idea; during a month of when traditionally, the theatre and music worlds estivate for the month, music-lovers are now given the opportunity of seeing world-class artistes performing short concerts at a world-class venue for a fraction of the cost of a standard concert.

On the opening evening of the first of two week-long courses, two concerts were being given. The first was a solo piano recital by renowned pianist Leon McCawley, whose hour-long recital took us effortlessly through Haydn {his Sonata 36 in F), Chopin {2 Nocturnes opus 55}, Brahms {Rhapsody in G Minor OP 79}, and finishing with Beethoven {his Sonata in Eb OP 81a}.  McCawley's technique was precise and a joy to watch, as his hands seemed to glide over the keys. A superbly measured performance as he never allowed the emotion in the music nor his emotive connection to it, get in the way of allowing the music to sing and speak for itself. No over-sentimentality in his performance, and this was all to his credit. He played two short encores, which I wish I knew what they were... both were absolutely delightful, and both new-to-me pieces, but were actually more enjoyable and tuneful than the programmed music! I think one was a transcription of an orchestral piece by Rachmaninov, and the other had something to do with Spring.... but that's a s far as I can take it. A brilliant pianist and a superb opportunity to watch him close-up.

The second concert this evening was titled a Gala Faculty Recital. This was a pot-pourri of smaller items performed by members of the teaching staff on the course. In a concert that lasted about 80 minutes, we were treated first to Belen Navarro and Juan Lago playing piano-four-hands, two dances from 'La Vida Breva' by Manuel De Falla. This was followed by Murray McLachlan premiering a new solo piano piece introduced by the composer, Jeremy Pike, which was a homage to Rachmaninov. Pike built his melody around Rachmaninov's C# Minor prelude, and consisted of a series of ascending and then descending chord structures. Next was a change to the advertised programme, and sadly, due to Lithuanian pianist Lauryna Sableviciute not using the microphone to announce what she would now be playing, it went unheard sadly. All I understood was that it was a new piece by a British composer and had something to do with Gabriel. The piece relied heavily on the very top notes of the keyboard; those extremely high and usually quite tinny last few notes which rarely get played, and unfortunately, the piano keys sounded more than usually tinny this evening. A young male pianist was next, Siava Sidorenko, playing the stirring but rather repetitive Prelude no 10 in B minor by Rachmaninov. Next on the programme came Douglas Finch who took yet another Rachmaninov theme and performed a short improvisation around this, and then asked the audience to suggest a couple more composers or styles for him to play his second impro, and so he played a Beethoven's 5th Symphony and Bernstein's Candide mash-up impro! Sableviciute and Sidorenko both returned to the stage together this time to play Lutoslowski's two-piano version of his Variations On A Theme by Paganini. My personal favourite of this concert! The recitals ended with a trio; Icelandic soprano Hrafnhildur Bjornsdottir sang Schubert's 'Der Hirt Auf Dem Felsen' (D965), accompanied by Andrew Wilson on the clarinet and Martyn Parkes on piano.

Two interesting and diverse concerts which not only gave the course participants much to aspire to, but also allowed members of the general public to sit in awe at the standard of the teaching staff and the brilliance and versatility of the piano.

Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 14.8.23

THEATRE REVIEW: The Yeomen Of The Guard - The Opera House, Buxton.

As part of the annual Gilbert And Sullivan Festival held in Buxton each year, The National Gilbert And Sullivan Opera Company performed a pair of their Savoy Operas today in the surrounds of the truly beautiful Opera House. This evening's offering was, 'The Yeomen Of The Guard'.

Directed by Simon Butteris, we found ourselves in the reign of Henry V, with a nicely designed and authentic-looking set of The Tower of London and surrounds, whilst costuming etc all complemented this choice of setting. 

'The Yeomen Of The Guard', as indeed all of Gilbert And Sullivan's operatic collaborations, are essentially comedic, lampooning the well-known statesmen of their time, and as such, were never meant to be given any real reverence or worthiness. Here, under Butteris's direction, we seemed to be more in Grand or Tragic Opera territory rather than Opera Bouffe or comique, with the start of the show being plaintive and miserable, a theme which continued throughout (with a few moments of light relief!)

The cast, especially the principals, were all well chosen, and I enjoyed their characterisations and voices. The ensemble feel created within the company was almost tangible, and the story told clearly and simply. The whole simply lacked oomph! 

The orchestra under the direction of Murray Hipkin sounded lovely, despite some of the songs this evening being taken rather slowly, adding to the feeling of languor in this production. 

All-in-all, a hugely proficient and enjoyable production of a G+S favourite, which would have benefited greatly from a upward swing of dynamism.

Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 9.8.23

THEATRE REVIEW: The Mikado - The Opera House, Buxton.

As part of the annual Gilbert And Sullivan Festival held in Buxton each year, The National Gilbert And Sullivan Opera Company performed a pair of their Savoy Operas today in the surrounds of the truly beautiful Opera House. This afternoon's offering was, 'The Mikado'.

Directed by Sarah Helsby Hughes, we found ourselves in an all boys' English-styled prep school in the 1950s, which was where the entire performance took place. It was a little too far to stretch one's disbelief that this was the town of Titipu in Ancient Japan, but it was an interesting and brave choice. I don't believe it worked quite as well as she was hoping it would. The singular set composed simply of flats enclosing a classroom with desks and chairs, moved into various positions for each scene, was perhaps a little too minimalist. The costuming mirrored this idea with chorus wearing school uniforms, and principals wearing costumes as befits their job titles / status. A caretaker, a school master, etc. 

Some comedy was found within this premise, although sometimes the choreography pulled focus from the principal singer [ideas such as skipping, boxing, and making potions for example]., and the pace of the show was certainly on the slow side.  The executioner's list - a part of the show which traditionally lampoons our current government, society and etc.. was delivered with style and was excellently done. Very enjoyable.

The cast, especially the principals, were all well chosen, and I enjoyed their characterisations and voices. The ensemble feel created within the company was almost tangible, and the story told clearly and simply. The whole simply lacked oomph! 

The orchestra under the direction of Murray Hipkin sounded lovely, despite some of the songs this afternoon being taken rather slowly, adding to the feeling of languor in this production. 

All-in-all, a hugely proficient and enjoyable production of a G+S favourite, which would have benefited greatly from a upward swing of dynamism.

Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 9.8.23

 

THEATRE REVIEW: The Verge Of Forever - The Other Palace, London

I am sure this show will launch three future stars of the West End stage, who will definitely go onto bigger and even more notable performances. 'The Verge Of Forever' is a two-person show using a very small set. The studio area of The Other Palace is an intimate place for this newly launched Musical which works so well within the space. Written by Olly Novello, who was himself due to perform the role of Leo, but his singing voice is currently incapacitated, could not perform this evening, instead introduced the show before handing over to his understudy Finlay McKillop. I would assume the musical was based on the life experience of Novello and his close friends. This is a story that appeals to anyone who suffered a broken heart in their late teens and also the worry of awaiting A Level results, upon which all future aspirations lie. 

Finlay McKillop has a fine voice and a wonderful stage presence, playing the sixteen year old Leo who struggles from the modern day issues of teenagers finding a partner and having to use social media to do so. Enter Marie, played by the lovely Scarlett Ayers. This is Ayers’s first major role, and I can say there will be many more. She also has an incredible voice and stage presence. Leo and Marie meet online and begin a teenage love affair full of innocent romance, unbeknown to them how life can get in the way of relationships. It is the two year journey through the pandemic, while studying for A Levels and auditioning for drama school. The seventy-minute performance is completely set to song, it is an amazing lyrical and musical show, musically directed by Niall Casserly. I was not sure what to expect and this evening, I have been pleasantly surprised at the ability of this set up of fresh-faced performers and young writer. If this is the future of stage, then we are in safe hands. Olly Novello has already been commissioned to write music for stage and screen, so he is already set for a bright future. 'The Verge Of Forever' is something to be proud of. I completely understood the worry of awaiting A Level results and the fact that your whole future life is hinged around these. Novello has woven all of this teenage angst and love into a story about the anticipation of being accepted into a drama degree course. The uncertainty of where you will end up, is the University the best place you can attend, the jealousy and how the competitiveness for these places takes over your mind and controls your feelings about yourself and others.

As with all things in life we suffer disappointment, joy, love and relief but these are the feelings that drive us forward. Never knowing what tomorrow will bring. All the best stories revolve around real life and the sympathy we feel for the characters that grow on stage in front of us. Novello has brought a charm and modern take to the London stage with 'The Verge Of Forever' and we all know that forever never really arrives. I hope this show goes into other venues and I wish all those involved much success for the future and I will be looking out for these fantastic new stars of tomorrow.

Reviewer - Penny Curran
on - 9.8.23

AMATEUR THEATRE REVIEW: The Sound Of Music - The Storyhouse, Chester.

Tip Top Productions are Chester's largest amateur theatre company, and their latest offering, showing at Chester's Storyhouse Theatre, is the evergreen and much-loved classic musical, 'The Sound Of Music'.

It was my birthday this evening, and I couldn't have wished for a better way to spend it; this was a professionally directed and produced production in every aspect (except the payment of cast), and thoroughly deserved its standing ovation at the end.

However, sadly, I am unable to credit any of the performers or creatives in this show. There were no programmes at all, and I could find only one piece of paper, sitting on the box office desk, which gave one a QR code in order to access their programme. Not everyone (myself included) owns a smart phone, and not everyone finds it convenient to download, read, and keep that information with them and access it during a performance. - It is VERY bad form to have a mobile phone switched on, to look at it in a theatre! Furthermore, it also means that cast and their families will have no souvenir of their stage performance. I still keep all my programmes from when I was younger, and these are cherished and bring back so many lovely memories. I would love to be able to credit this evening's cast - especially the children - but sadly, that is not possible.

After a rather slow and uninspiring start (the title song was played somewhat slower than normal this evening), this musical turned out to be a complete and utter joy. I truly enjoyed the little touches, mostly comedic, obviously directorial, which had been added to ameliorate scenes or highlight certain personality quirks, and these worked wonderfully. Characterisations from some, were not conventional, and this too was a sheer delight: Elsa Schraeder's dead-pan sarcasm, Max Detweiler's exuberance, strength, and slight campness, Butler Franz's more overt campery, and many of the almost unseen looks that passed between him and housekeeper Frau Schmidt, to name just a few. It also worked wonderfully that a slightly older than usual Captain Von Trapp was cast, this helped him to have authority and suavity in equal measure, and added more credence to being a retired naval captain and having 7 children! I also enjoyed his journey too, from an unwillingly stern master keeping his household in 'ship-shape' condition, to the mellowing on his each entrance after meeting Maria. Very well measured, honestly and sympathetically played.

The entire cast were superb. From a sweet, sincere, and loveable Maria to seven excellent Von Trapp children. (Gretl stole all our hearts!). 'How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria' quartet was joyous, and 'Climb Every Mountain' soul-stirring. The singing was of a very high standard throughout; harmonies lovely and secure. The band sounded excellent under the MD's direction this evening, and the choreography was always apt and both in character and style. The Laendler was (almost) the perfect Austrian steps. Sound levels were good, lighting worked well, and costumes were excellent and quasi-authentic, but always in period.

The one thing, for this reviewer at least, which let the side down just a little, was the set. The VERY modern stained glass of Nonnberg was not in keeping with the traditional conformism of one of the oldest and non-progressive orders in Austria in the 1930s, and a plain black tab used a few times for front-of-tab scenes during scene changes was insufficient, we needed a little more than that, especially when all other aspects of the set were so detailed. 

Competently, sensitively, and masterfully directed, this was a production of a truly high standard and our drive home was nothing but talk about the show and singing all the songs again!

Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 2.8.23