THEATRE REVIEW: Blue Beard - HOME, Manchester.

 

Wise Children’s latest production is a funky, musical, and heartrending update of the gory Perrault fairytale. Written and directed by Emma Rice, this performance was at HOME, Manchester.

The production began with a song by some very fearsome nuns in long patchwork robes. They are the Sisters Of The Three F's (the definitions of the initials cannot be given on a family theatre blog like this one!), and they guard vulnerable women. A teenage boy wandered into their space looking for help, and before he got pulverised, the petite yet fearsome Mother Superior stepped in and began to tell him the story of “Blue Beard.”

Several stories were intertwined. “Blue Beard” himself was presented as a successful modern day magician, very fond of doing tricks like throwing knives at beautiful assistants and sawing women from the audience in half with lots of flashing blades. A family of women had just lost the man of their household: beloved husband of Treasure, and much-missed father of Lucky and Trouble. In little black mourning dresses, they go for a night out, see the magic show, and Lucky falls under the influence of Blue Beard’s charm. He proposes marriage. He has a big house with lots of rooms full of beautiful clothes. She accepts. What can go wrong? Then he goes away on a business trip, and leaves her with a big bunch of keys. Just don’t use the key hanging from the silver disco ball…..

In counterpoint, a separate story is played out about the teenage boy’s older sister. She is a tough and independent young woman who always dresses in black, and she’s a gigging musician. One night she’s overstimulated after a performance, and decides to walk home to clear her head. Just don’t walk out of view of the CCTV cameras…..

Weaving her way in and out of everybody else’s dramas was the Mother Superior, like a frenetic soothsayer. Sometimes the jeans she was wearing under her habit got revealed. Just don’t be a loving mother……

The cast were phenomenally talented, and a tight-knit ensemble. Every one of them could play a musical instrument, as well as act, sing, and do the occasional bit of dancing. Patrycja Kujawska was a centrifugal force as the widow Treasure, able to get down and party with her daughters with youthful vigour, then with her violin go into soft melancholy. Stephanie Hockley sparkled as the daughter Trouble, jamming on the piano with a glass of wine in her hand. Robyn Sinclair, as the bride Lucky, really had to hold the story in the twenty first century; and her strong performance, when confronting Blue Beard about the contents of the last room, brought modern day domestic violence and male narcissism into sharp relief.

Mirabelle Gremaud proved ridiculously multi-skilled as the Sister, able to dance en pointe, do back walkovers, sing, play guitar, and bring brittle vulnerability to a resilient exterior. Adam Mirsky, as the Brother, was sweetly plaintive and also played guitar. Tristan Sturrock was suave and magical as Blue Beard: quite believably he could lure lovely women into his lair. And Katy Owen ruled from beginning to end as the Mother Superior: a tightly-coiled elastic energy that never switched off.

Emma Rice’s direction and script featured a lot of stylised group movement, and plenty of noise and naughty humour (the bit about the Kit Kat fingers was classic). Yet in the second half it led up to a series of hard-hitting emotional punches, and a genuine feminist anger that roared at the world. This is not a children’s fairy story. And it’s still happening now.

Reviewer - Thalia Tetosichore

on - 15.2.24

THEATRE REVIEW: Abigail's Party - The Hope Street Theatre, Liverpool.

Welcome to 1977 in all its glory. The curtains open and we are transported into a sitting room straight out of the '70s, brown and orange form the main colour theme, from the brown walls to the lovely leather couch and orange cushions. Pride of place is the mahogany entertainment cabinet with the pull-down drinks shelf and hideous glass ornamental clowns that were popular in the day.

In waltzes Beverley (Kathryn Chambers) one of our hosts of the evening in her fuchsia pink long evening dress with matching hair. She’s finishing the last minute preparations for the evening and is clearly trying to set the mood, a drink in one hand, music playing, spraying a last bit of furniture polish about to assume an air of cleanliness around the room. Beverley encapsulates the aura of someone that’s brash but thinks they have a bit of class, a “hostess with the mostess”. She wants to give an air of sophistication where there really isn’t any, sashaying around the room and full of love for herself and singing along to "Love To Love You Baby".

In enters her workaholic estate agent husband Lawrence (Franklyn Jacks) who it appears never seems to switch off even though they are about to be hosting a small get-together with some of the neighbours. Lawrence appears to be disinterested in the evening's events as he’s still making work calls as he gets in from work. His character switching from someone who will stop at nothing to retrieve some keys from a client to sickeningly charming to another client he is trying to impress. He seems quite oblivious and almost docile to the demands of his wife to collect more drinks as he has to go back out in connection to work. Lawrence clearly wants to appear more middle class and cultured than he is and there are moments of conflict as his wife clearly doesn’t have the appreciation for the more cultured things he likes such as art and olives for nibbles.

The first guests to arrive are Angela (Cate Leight) the new neighbour on the street, and she clearly looks up to Beverly and her sophisticated ways, and is impressed by the height of fashion interior of the time and that her and Laurence have a real leather sofa. Susan, a nurse, appears a bit dipsy and her tactless remarks are delivered with maximum impact, very funny to the audience but quite derogatory to her husband. Her mundane topics of conversation and eagerness to show how much she admires her hostess’s sophistication is really quite amusing, as well as her dress sense.

Tony (Steven Arnold) was really very good in his role as Angela’s husband. A man of few words, you get the feeling he isn’t one for conversation and perhaps it’s because his wife is such a talker but there is another layer to his personality. There is a hostility and unease in his mannerisms at first as he looks uncomfortable and out of his depth but his expressions when his wife makes tactless remarks are hilarious and his silent actions as he fends off the unwanted advances of an extremely flirtatious Beverly are firm and delivered to the audience with much amusement. As the play progresses you see his personality emerge and although he still has little to say his interaction with Susan as she gets progressively drunk is hilarious.

Finally Susan, (Judith Martindale), mother of Abigail, (who we never see), enters the scene, and she is a very effective contrast to the other characters in the street. One of the original neighbours and is obviously much more middle class. Her dress and mannerisms are more refined and although she remains seated during much of the play her facial expressions and actions are comic as she is subtly defiant to the barrage of alcohol and nibbles that are pressed upon her. She appears nervous and strained in their company as she obviously doesn’t really fit in with them and is on tenterhooks because of the party going on back at her house.

The play is very clever in the way it looks at the characters and how different personalities interact, I felt as though I had met Susan before. It focusses on prejudice and snobberies of the time. The theatre itself is small and intimate so as the audience you actually felt like you were in the sitting room with them. An enjoyable evening out.

Reviewer - Catherine Gall

on - 16.2.24

THEATRE REVIEW: Haunted Scouse - The Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool

'Haunted Scouse', penned by writer, Gerry Linford who also wrote Yellow Breck Road and Ellen & Rigby is a comedy ghost story dealing with love, life, and the afterlife, directed by Emma Bird.

The story revolves around Molly (Lynn Francis), a year after the death of her husband, Charlie

(Michael Starke); Molly is missing Charlie dreadfully and has convinced herself that she is responsible

for his death, whilst Charlie needs to solve the riddle of his death before he can move on to the next

world.

The set, (Set and Costume Designer, Ellie Light), stays constant throughout the production; it depicts

Molly’s comfortable living room in the house she shared with Charlie. His large, framed portrait

hangs above a small cabinet on which an urn containing his ashes are placed; the portrait changes

colours when Charlie’s ghost appears on set. The French windows to the back of the set are used by

the cast for entrances and exits throughout the play and a small staircase leads up to the top floor of

the house; the roof remains open exposing the sky.

Each act is interspersed with familiar pop songs from the 1960s and Peggy (Helen Carter) also

performs songs exceptionally throughout. She has a credible singing voice and commands the stage

at each entrance dressed in gold lamé with her blonde hair piled up into a beehive, smoking a

cigarette using a long cigarette holder; she is reminiscent of Paul O’Grady’s alter-ego Lily Savage.

The plot is awash with expletives, double entendres, innuendo and Liverpudlian colloquialisms along

with mentions of local landmarks and well-known shops and restaurants which the audience showed

their appreciation for by clapping and whistling as they were mentioned.

Clever use of flashing lights (Ian Scott, Lighting Designer) and sound effects (Kate Harvey, Sound

Designer) such as thunderclaps were used along with dry ice and video projections of Charlie from

when he was alive.

The small cast of five played their roles exceptionally well; Paul Duckworth is worth a special

mention for his comedic timing and portrayal of slimy neighbour, Gordon, and Julie Glover as Linda,

the posh, crystal-gazing hippie with her love of auras and psychic healing powers from next door was

a treat.

The production steadily morphed into a comedic farce and is an enjoyable piece of escapism splendidly performed by the talented cast.

The show runs until 9th March 2024. 

Advisory 14+ some strong language

Reviewer - Anne Pritchard

on - 15.2.24

CHILDRENS GYMNASTIC EVENT REVIEW: Gymfusion - The Lowry Theatre, Salford.

 

This popular annual event held on the main stage of Salford's Lowry Theatre sees young gymnasts from all over the UK come together to not only perform their routines on the stage in front of a live audience, but to also learn from each other and gain invaluable insight into the sport from guest gymnasts. This year's star guests were the Olympic medalists twins, Jessica and Jennifer Gadirova. 

Gymnastics, as indeed all team sports, promotes a wealth of positive factors including confidence-building, team-building, friendships, commitment, and health / fitness. I am in no way sporty, but instead I have a dance / theatrical background, and so see this sport of Rythmic Gymnastics as much more akin to contemporary dance than sport. Indeed, the boundaries between rhythmic gymnastics and the dance styles of our contemporary era are very blurred indeed. 

This year the theme for the presentations was "Find Your Amazing" and each team or group prepared a short routine to perform on stage. There were two shows, but I was present only at the afternoon one at 2:30pm. Sadly, there were no programmes available, and so if I have any information wrong, apologies. 

All the groups performing this afternoon were very good, and of course I am totally unable to comment on their technical skill. However, as a dancer and perfomer, I did look at their presentational skills, and so such things as use of space, timing, togetherness, focus, pictures, suitability, etc were things I was looking for in each group. There were several teams performing this afternoon to impress, but I cannot mention them all, but I would like to mention those teams / groups, who for me - coming from a theatical background - I found the most enjoyable / proficient in terms of presentation (not technique!). 

Those groups who entered with the correct attitude in a professionally drilled manner were instantly far more interesting to watch than those who walked on willy-nilly to take their places. Those groups whose costumes (and in one case even hair styles) were all regimented and correct for the theme of their piece automatically made me want to watch them more. And those groups whose choreography was pertinent and clever, I obviously found more interesting than those who simply stuck to nothing but gymnastics. But these are personal preferences, and so it does not mean these groups are better gymnasts than the others, it is just my personal take on the performances. My favourites therefore were Epping Sports Centre Gym Club's "Believe In You", Erewash Valley Gym Club's "Lion King", Tolworth Gym Club's "In A Forest", Everton Park Junior Gym Club's "Madagascar", Birkenhead Academy Gymnastic Display Team's "Michael Jackson", South Essex Senior Gym Club's "Skyfall", Fusion Gymnastic And Cheer Team's "Unstoppable", and Leeds Junior Gym Club's "Leeds". 

A few things this afternoon would have made the event far more aurally and visually pleasing too. First, the music levels were too loud throughout and the volume needed turning down several decibels. Second, there was a large screen to the rear of the stage, omnipresent, and continually showing images of gymnasts or places with the Gymfusion logo. This continued throughout the whole show, including the gym teams' performances. This was extremely distracting, extremely ill-fitting, and obfuscated our attention and focus. This should either have been turned off completely during this time or shown images pertinent to each group's individual theme. To make these routines a little more theatrical (they are performing on the stage of one of Europes' largest theatres afterall!), then perhaps also some attention to different effects which can be created by lighting and haze etc. 

These gymnasts were all aged between 5 years to 18 years old, and some had come extremely long distances to be a part of this Gymfusion event. It is undoubtedly a highlight in these young gymnasts' calendar and the energy, enthusiasm, and dedication needed to perform such routines is astounding. Each one deserves the highest praise. A very enjoyable afternoon, and I look forward to seeing what 2025's Gymfusion has to offer.

Reviewer - Matthew Dougall

on - 18.2.24

 

AMATEUR THEATRE REVIEW: School Of Rock - The Grand Theatre, Blackpool.

 

It seems hard to believe that Blackpool has been bereft of the Lloyd-Webber hit, 'School Of Rock' until now. And yet, this was the Blackpool premiere of this popular musical. The company responsible for this were Crea8iv Theatre Company, and this was a reworking of the show that they performed a few miles down the road at The Lowther Pavilion in Lytham in March last year. I have to say that I was lucky enough to see that show and absolutely loved it, and so couldn't wait to see these talented performers in action again.

Where the Lytham show lacked technical expertise and flown-in sets etc, the Grand Theatre in Blackpool was happy to oblige and so this aspect of the show changed. This sadly however had the effect of slowing the show down and there were long periods of nothing (orchestral vamp) whilst waiting for the scenes to change. Stage hands were visible almost all the time, and the sets and scenes did not flow seamlessly unfortunately. Where the Lytham show excelled, with the immediacy and visceral nature of the show, then sadly the Grand was too, well, grand. The spontaneity and freshness of this piece was lost as it was no longer a small theatre with the audeince close by, but a large prosc arch theatre with a definite them / us feel. In fact, the production felt a little tired if I am completely honest. The show had lost its mojo / its WOW factor.

The lighting design was awful sadly. There was never full stage coverage, and many times performers were singing and / or acting in unlit areas of the stage. The lighting was insufficient in most cases and was often late on cue too. 

The directing was a little haphazzard in this production too sadly, as we saw characters enter one way and exit through the wings (ie a wall!) etc. The directing was unimaginative too. Sadly the children were left standing and unsure of what to do or where to go when there were not enough desks for them in the classroom. It looked awkward. 

As previously, the lead role of Dewey Finn was played by Chris Higgins, reprising this role 12 months on he has lost some of the sparkle he had, and he also seemed to be struggling a little vocally too. However, that being said, he still impressed, and was still much better than the professional actor playing the role on the UK Tour! Cassie Mochan was a creditable head of school, Rosalie Mullins, whilst the smaller adult roles of Ned Schneebly and his bitchy girlfriend Patty were played this evening by Rowan Keane and Evie Hill.

However, as always in this musical, it is the children who steal the show! They sing, dance, act, and play instruments... they are uber-talented and all deserve credit and praise. Reprising her role as Summer was the very watchable and very bossy Tilly Musson. Other children reprising roles included the drumming whizz-kid Freddie Butler as Freddie Hamilton, and the two backing singers Marcy and Shonelle (Caitlyn MacLean and Heidi Dawson). Newcomers to this production saw a talented Annabelle Fairhurst portray the reserved new girl with two dads, Tomika, and blow us away with her 'Amazing Grace'. Mia Gisslow performed the keyboard-playing Lauren with relish. The lead guitarist (Zack) and the bassist (Katie) were performed by Sheldon Walls and Willa Johnson; but the one to make me laugh the most this evening was the stylist Billy (Henry Ratcliffe).

Despite my misgivings on things technical, this was a very enjoyable show, and once again proves that "there is no way you can stop, the School Of Rock!"

Reviewer - Matthew Dougall

on - 16.2.24   

SCHOOL / CHILDRENS THEATRE REVIEW: Little Shop Of Horrors - The Co-Op Academy, Blackley, Manchester.

 

This year's in-house musical production from the young teenagers of North Manchester's Co-Op Academy in Blackley was the well-known spoof of the Hollywood horror B-Movie genre about an unsuspecting young man who loves plants, and, after coming across this "strange and ununsual plant" in the Chinese District, takes it back to the florist on Skid Row where he works, and tends for it by feeding it human blood!

The youngsters coped well with their understanding and portrayal of these characters with whom they have little incommon. The 1950s is ancient history to them, and the mores and dictates of the society in which the musical is set is literally quite foreign to them. Not only that but they all had to act much older than their young selves too!

The Academy is blessed with a large and professional stage, and so they also had the opportunity to have a realistic looking set, and set the whole thing off with a live band, lighting effects, and costumes. To be completely honest, the set was a little bit of a let down. The florist shop was omnipresent, but even in the lean years there was not a single flower on display at all, and then suddenly they were able to produce $100 worth of red roses - a single bunch of artificial white and red roses - which did not cut it sadly. The growth of the plant, named Audrey II however, was excellent, and worked superbly.

For a school production this was not a show which had much chorus work. In fact, the chorus appeared only once in each of the acts, which I found rather dispiriting. Surely there were many more places throughout where the chorus could have been and had a little more to do. This production was very much a small ensemble piece, and although the ensemble chosen worked excellently to create their characters and the story, it did not feel like a school show.

William Hall was a very secure insecure plant-geek, in love with co-worker Audrey, and handled his characterisation and stage time well. The put-upon "doll" Audrey was given a slightly more mature make-over then normal as portrayed by Leyli Khajeh. This worked in Khajeh's favour although her very dowdy and uninspiring brown dress was not fitting for the character of Audrey at all. The flower-shop owner, a New York Jew by the name of Mushnik is usually portrayed by a male, however here it was Mrs. Mushnik, and a no-nonsense, businesswoman she was too, played by Ruby Mills. 

Noah Plaiter completely understood his character of the sadistic laughing-gas-loving dentist Orin, and he tried really hard to bring out the best (or is that the worst) of this person, however, due to his diminutive size, this was not an easy ask. What would have worked much better would have been to use his tinyness to the show's and character's advantage, and since Plaiter obviously had the ability to create humour, make the part a comedy role rather than the traditional bad-guy. 

The Ronettes, a group of close-harmony singers narrate the show in a very Greek Chorus sort of way. Here there were four girls, Elektra Day, Gabriella Taiwo, Boluwatife Bello, and Leona Aghayere. Again working well together. Their individual solo singing was excellent, and it was clear that all four were good singers, however, this evening, their harmonies were not at all secure and would have benefitted from a little more rehearsal. 

The voice of Audrey II was provided for by Victoria Oja, whilst the plant's movement was done by Darcey Allen. The three cameo roles towards the end of the show were played with real gusto and relish by Karter Brogan, Amelia Dominiak, and Harleen Sidana. 

The live band was comprised of both school students and teachers, and the sound levels were good all evening, despite the occasional microphone hiccup. The lighting design could have been a little more creative perhaps, as indeed could the directing. But what was produced worked, and once again the school has shown that they encourage and support the Arts and provide a wonderful annual experience for their students.

Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 15.2.24 

THEATRE REVIEW: Bouncers - Shakespeare North Playhouse, Prescot. Liverpool.

 

Playwright John Godber first premiered “Bouncers” in 1977 as a contemporary piece. It was still being presented as a contemporary piece in 1991, when this reviewer first saw it as a student. Now, in the current production by the John Godber Company, it is an historical comedy fixed in the 1980s: filled with Margaret Thatcher graffiti, references to condoms that look like “dead Smurfs”, and a thumping 1980's pop soundtrack. This performance was at Shakespeare North Playhouse, Prescot.

Four actors, dressed in black suits, play all the characters, and the combination of “Bouncers” with the wooden Elizabethan inn courtyard interior of Shakespeare North Playhouse actually worked really well: “Bouncers” is the modern descendant of Ben Jonson; and the endless events of drinking, attempts to have sex, fisticuffs, and dancing have not really changed that much over the centuries.

There are four bouncers gathered around a Northern nightclub, four young men out on the lash, four young women dancing around their handbags, a lascivious DJ called Mr Cinders, and various guest appearances by other nightclub patrons and a couple of Swedish porn actors. The only set was two sets of velvet ropes, and a couple of steel beer casks. Graham Kirk’s lighting design, with spotlights, hazes, and speckles, did the rest.

Frazer Hammill was the lead bouncer Lucky Eric. He was the oldest, the most world-weary, the one whose wife and children have deserted him, and who has no joy in life. Hammill’s performance was dramatically solid, and in sharp contrast to his other characters: young Baz, a nifty dancer but with no sense of appropriateness in any situation; Maureen, a cuddly young woman of an undemanding nature; and the female porn star, miming her video scene first slowly in forward motion, and then very quickly in reverse when the tape is messed with – Hammill is a very sharp and clever mover, and the reverse-action porn scene was hilarious.

Tom Whittaker was a scene-stealer as Mr Cinders, all smarmy charm and faux American accent. He writhed sultrily as sexy young woman Susie, was impressively endowed in the mens’ room as Jerry, which carried over to being the male porn star in the video, invented an insulting punk rock song on the spot as a rejected patron, and was a sharp turn on the dance floor as bouncer Ralph.

Nick Figgis had the most interesting of the young women: Elaine, the plain one who was determined not to be overlooked. Her attempts to score with Kev, in a very unpolitically correct way, drew guilty applause from the audience (but are not recommended.) Figgis openly enjoyed himself as the rather weaselly Terry, and the hoarse-voiced bouncer Judd.

George Reid, the tallest and toughest-looking, was Elaine’s unlucky love interest Kev – but he did manage to escape. He sparkled as the vivacious birthday girl Rosie, gurned as the other punk rocker denied entry, and was the most traditionally intimidating of the bouncers as Les.

Choreographer Lynette Linton regularly inserted all four into group dance routines, performed with masculine panache. Director Jane Thornton brought out clear multiple characterisations, and relished John Godber’s colourfully comic language.

Reviewer - Thalia Terpsichore

on -  13.2.24

STUDENT THEATRE REVIEW: Mr. Wroe's Virgins - The Grosvenor East Theatre, Manchester School Of Theatre, Manchester.

 

Jane Rogers’ adaptation of her own novel, “Mr Wroe’s Virgins”, brings a rather grim but quite interesting aspect of Greater Manchester history to life. This performance was by the Manchester School of Theatre at their own venue.

Chloe Wyn’s set design was a series of 19th century rooms, dark and sparsely furnished, spread out across the stage simultaneously. Candles burning real flames were everywhere, and the unlit spaces showed just how dark interiors were before gas and electricity. Tracey Gibbs’ lighting design put softly luminous shafts of light on featured points, but overall the effect was of stern religious austerity.

In the title role was James Newman as John Wroe: an evangelical preacher who had founded the Christian Israelite Church and was now trying to turn Ashton-under-Lyne into a new Jerusalem. Newman didn’t have a large amount of stage time – the focus of the play was on the women – but he did create a quixotic and quietly intense presence. He was the ruler, but he was unexpectedly relaxed about the women’s chequered pasts; he upheld religion but also debased his position to have as much sex as possible, and to give Newman’s performance credit, he didn’t go into cliché on what are some quite routine practices among cult religious leaders. The story itself is a little well-worn: we have such practices in the modern day, but Mr Wroe himself did have some surprises.

The play opened with a group of young women, described as “virgins”, being awarded to Mr Wroe to run his household and assist him with his religious work. In reality, they were young women unwanted by their families and 1830's society, who just needed somewhere to be dumped. Director Seb Harcombe really had done a thorough job in ensuring every young actor had a different characterisation, right down to the way they moved, and the little bitchy power dynamics between a group of girls thrown together were handled with scrappy energy.

Emily Yendell was radiantly pure and truthful as the genuinely devout Joanna, who wants to found a new church for women only. Pippa Hinds was tough and intelligent as the non-believer Hannah, finding her way to becoming a teacher of night school classes to the local working classes. Lily McClatchey, who would have been a courtesan in a royal court in a different century, pouted her way as the sultrily pretty Leah, running more power plays in the kitchen than anything Versailles could have come up with. Agathi Georgiou limped about as Dinah, a good but dull woman, displaced owing to a lame leg and poor health. (There would have been so many unwanted Dinahs at that time.) Tsen Day-Beaver did a very noteable job as Martha, horribly abused and bruised and speechless when she first arrived, but over time developing into a character that, though having some learning disabilities, could also take care of herself.

Julia Rogers doubled as both Leah’s sister Anne, with sharp shrewdness; and Catherine, a local do-gooder who brought education to the uneducated with earthy kindness. Aaron Shaw was Mr Wroe’s peer Tobias, the face of Victorian patriarchy in his occasional visits to the household; and Shaw gave him full, bluff, Northern entitlement.

While feeling thankful that there has been two hundred years of pushback on lives like this, this reviewer did appreciate dwelling in a piece of local history for the evening.

Reviewer - Thalia Terpsichore

on - 8.2.24

STAND-UP COMEDY REVIEW: Ed Byrne: Tragedy Plus Time - The Plaza Theatre, Stockport.

 

A show that proved Mark Twain's assertion that humour is tragedy plus time. Audiences left the theatre with contented sighs, having shared in the story of Bryne's loss and how he found precious moments of joy during a horrific time. 

The night was made up of two comedians, Bryne came out for a very quick greeting and to introduce the warm-up act to the stage. Michelle Shaughnessy was hyped as an Edinburgh Fringe Festival discovery, I could imagine her style in an intimate comedy venue being enjoyable, but on a stage with a good distance from the crowd, the lack of engagement to her to questions and her repetitive responses were somewhat disappointing. Shaughnessy spoke about her beauty enhancements as part of her act, but took to wearing a turtleneck, jumper and sweatpants, it was the look of someone very casual, which when compared to the suited semi-formal Bryne in the glittering historic theatre that is the Plaza was a stark contrast. 

After the interval Bryne came out and began his set, a well-known likeable character, his twinkling charisma and most often positive delivery seemed like they might have met their match in trying to deliver a show about the death of his brother Paul to liver failure. Bryne began with several light anecdotes about being the victim of car vandalism, theft and the usual comedic banter about different towns and cities, but often alluding to Irish Goodbyes, foreshadowing his brothers fate. 

He didnt shy from giving a rounded picture of Paul, From a brotherly fall out that lasted a year to their reconnection when they found out how ill he was, there were several mentions of the positive impacts Paul had on others in comedy circles, with Byrne sharing WhatsApp messages projected on a screen to show his caring nature to his clients. Through his heart-felt stories we felt the true sense of the loss he and his family must have had. The loss of loved ones too soon is a uniting experience for all of humanity, the audience were all behind him and his story, no heckles to be heard, it felt more like a theatre piece than stand-up. 

A poignant story that moved its audience, Bryne rounded up his show urging everyone not to hold grudges against loved ones. Though the show had a moving message and covered in detail his brother's death, there was much laughter throughout the night, I laughed and clapped many times. Bryne's comedic skills in engaging his audience, great call-backs at moments that were very funny and his spritely energy make him a great watch, I would recommend to lovers of comedy and theatre. I hope his agent is pushing him for acting work! 

A superb show, full of emotion and laughter, Bryne knocked this one out of the park. 

Reviewer - Kerry Ely

on - 8.2.24

THEATRE REVIEW: And It Rains - Salford Arts Theatre, Salford.

 

This play won the 2023 Shelagh Delaney Award, certainly following in the tradition of ‘A Taste Of Honey’, taking a tough look at contemporary urban life. The rented flat in this story may have actually been built on the site of the terraced street in Delaney’s celebrated play. Young people, 60 years on, in the same place but with different issues, a flat replacing a terrace but life as complicated as ever.

New playwright Joanna Nicks chose the medium of a two-hander to show a picture of contemporary urban life which certainly helped create the feeling of isolation that can be sometimes a factor in modern life. The two friends Liv and Nadz who share the flat seemed at times to be in a partial state of comatose through the saturation of trash TV games shows, alcohol, social media and other elements of today’s world. It was not hard to imagine a block of flats of countless people not knowing each other but living in close proximity, all sitting watching the same programme or following the same meme on YouTube, drinking the same cheap wine. These two young women certainly wanted and deserved more but were just not quite sure how to find it.

A two-hander show brings its own challenges only exacerbated by the restrictions of a one-room single-set. The play imaginatively got around these restrictions through the device of frequent soliloquies, sometime alternating between the characters on either side of the stage. This worked very well in letting the audience know how the characters felt in view of their inability to communicate on a deep level with each other (to begin with at least). The large amount of stage space was used to the full, and considering this was just about two women in a flat, there was also a lot of movement. The direction ensured there were never any prolonged static scenes of Liv and Nadz just sitting at a table and it all looked very natural.

The extensive physical movement was mirrored by the full range of emotions displayed in this powerful play. Seeing Liv and Nadz’s inner feelings and tensions slowly emerge was akin to the peeling of an onion as the audience was taken into these women’s internal feelings and angsts. Peeling an onion brings tears, but there was hope as well (but no spoilers!), and the story was not without some humour either. The atmosphere was aided by a very effective set with plenty of attention to detail such as glitter light strips on the wall and lots of bric-a-brac around a few brightly coloured items of furniture. The use of emotive electronic music to denote the passing of time helped create a sense of urgency too. This was not Ayckbournesque suburbia!

Ellena Begley and Aaliya Azam were well cast as Liv and Nadz. There was a naturalness in their relationship as friends with shared lives and experiences but very different personalities. Liv used expletives as a normal mode of expression but when Nadz swore, you knew there was something up. Liv’s harder edge ultimately masked inner hurts whilst Nadz was tougher than her softer demeanour suggested, but both women had issues and the two actors convincingly brought over the emotional complexity of their respective characters. This was a play that was constantly shifting character dynamics and the pace never let up as the audience were taken in to Liv and Nadz’s separate worlds.

This was a very engaging play that deserves to go further. Very much a realistic and punchy picture of life in our times, well acted, tightly directed and thought provoking.

Reviewer - John Waterhouse

on - 7.2.24

THEATRE REVIEW: Noises Off - The Storyhouse, Chester.

 

'Noises Off' by Michael Frayn, regarded as one of the world’s best farces, is still fresh, furious, and able to make an audience weep with laughter. This co-production of Theatre Royal Bath and Birmingham Rep was performed at the Storyhouse, Chester.

Designer Simon Higlett’s set was of the living room and upper hallway of an upper middle-class country house with a vague touch of chintz to suggest the 1980s, but not quite going there. There were a lot of doors, both downstairs and upstairs, and they spent a lot of time being slammed. The costumes were not quite modern dress, not quite twentieth century sex comedy, but very cheerful-looking and reflective of the characters’ personalities. Sound designer Gregory Clarke had a recurring motif of light-hearted music that was like the opening to every cosy sitcom made in the latter twentieth century. A happy company of actors were in dress rehearsal for their new tour of “Nothing On”, opening in Weston-Super-Mare in twelve hours’ time.

And then the subversion began.

Simon Shepherd was quite special as the director Lloyd Dallas. Having got through the dress rehearsal with hangdog patience, he became the backstage dynamo of the Ashton-under-Lyne performance, and finally the despairing saviour of the meltdown that occurred in Stockton-on-Tees. Acid was never far from his tongue, but it could be curdled with milk.

The ensemble of actors and stage managers that made up the rest of the company was a tight-paced ensemble that were on fire during the backstage depiction of Ashton-under-Lyne. This entire act was spent in dumbshow: actors were performing their lines to an invisible audience on the other side of the set, and we were backstage seeing a frantic silent-film-style display of jealous lovers; missing props; a whisky-seeking alcoholic; successions of bouquets of flowers, sardines, a cactus and a fire axe; and descents into nosebleeds and lost contact lenses. It was the best execution of “Noises Off”’s Act Two that this reviewer has ever seen. Huge, huge compliments to the cast.

Liza Goddard went from stock character cleaning lady Dotty Otley to Brechtian madwoman by the end of the play. Simon Coates was full of wet-eyed pathos as Frederick Fellowes, the actor who can never quite keep up with what’s going on. Lucy Robinson’s joie de vivre grew larger and more painfully exaggerated as her character Belinda Blair tried to be the mother hen to the rest of the company.

Mark Middleton, as Garry Lejeune, was a sleazy housing agent on the stage and built up to being a seethingly green-eyed Casanova off it. Lisa Ambalavanar showed herself to be a very clever actor playing the very fluffy-brained soubrette Brooke Ashton. Daniel Rainford had a deer-in-the-headlights expression as stage manager Tim Allgood. Nikhita Lesler brought a kooky edge to the put-upon stage manager Poppy Norton-Taylor. Paul Bradley amiably wandered through the chaos as elderly (and either tipsy or asleep) actor Selsdon Mowbray.

The real director, Lindsay Posner, has done a dazzling job of keeping so many technical elements in the air at once with a juggler’s precision, as well as using some beautiful scenography in Act Two. And the audience loved it.

Reviewer - Thalia Terpsichore

on - 6.2.24

AMATEUR THEATRE REVIEW : Let The Right One In - The Garrick Playhouse, Altrincham. Greater Manchester.

 

This reviewer has just spent the past few hours retrospectively researching background information about this new play currently running on the main stage at Altrincham's Garrick Theatre.

Titled, 'Let The Right One In', this is a play based on the 2004 horror fiction novel of the same name by Swedish author John Ajvide Lindqvist. There have been two film adaptations and the novel has been translated into many different languages, and has become something of a cult classic. Nevertheless, until this evening it had obviously passed me by! If my research is anything to go by, the play only truly touches the surface of the novel and its themes, and either makes assumptions that the audience are already up-to-speed on certain plot points and character background, or feels that their omission and / or ambiguity help to keep the main storyline clear and offer the audience member food for thought long after they have left the auditorium. I would agree with all of these hypothoses. 

In very simplistic terms, a young 12 year old boy named Oskar is, for reasons not made clear in the stage play, far more reserved and naive than his peers. Is he a little slow or what we would have classed as retarded? or is it that he has been accustomed to being both suffocated and abused by his mother that makes him the way he is. He is bullied by his classmates, and he dreams of wreaking revenge on them. Enter Eli, an androgynous girl of about the same age, and she recognises Oskar as being different. They form an unlikely alliance, nay friendship, which develops through the course of the play into something altogether more sexual and sinister, as we, and indeed he too, learns that Eli is a vampire. Deaths occur, police search, bullies are mutilated, and Eli and Oskar find solace in each other and leave together to parts unknown. However, we know that it will not end well for Oskar, he is simply being used by Eli as her next host and source of blood.

The production holds very little back. The effects are both superb and clever, and there is plenty of blood. The set works well for the most part, as a composite affair of swimming pool hidden under school or apartment steps, silver birch trees, lots of snow, and a children's climbing frame. My only concern here being that action taking place on the frame is obscured from view if seated on the far left of the auditorium. The scene changes are swift, although there are too many, and perhaps a different way if incorporating some more of the different locations into the composite set would have worked a little better. Like the novel and indeed the films, thhe scenes here are very short and many, each adding a different and new layer to the plot.

Charlie Gallagher as Oskar is superb. His body language, voice and demeanor together creating a studied and realistic portrayal of a disturbed, bullied, abused, confused, often scared young teenager. His interactions with Eli, played again with great panache by Chloe Arrowsmith had superb chemistry, and Arrowsmith was simply electric as the youngster caught between childhood and the need for blood. Her body language and her lightning quick mood changes were precise and pitched perfectly.

The entire cast supported these two protagonists with skill, but a special mention must be given to Rhys Nuttall as Hakan, giving an intense and physically interesting show of his blood-collecting and love of Eli.

The play also features a searing contemporary score, as if we were actually watching a film, and this helped the production immeasurably. Deftly composed by Mark Goggins.

This was opening night and there were a couple of times when there was a dip, and the energy was lost slightly, but overall this is simply a superb production, and one that continues to keep Altrincham Garrick at the forefront of challenging and experimental amateur theatre. Their current season is a complete mix of old and new, familiar and unknown, standards and risks. This play I would imagine fell into the last category, but it was a risk well worth taking. I shall be thinking about this play for a long time to come.

Reviewer - Matthew Dougall

on - 5.2.24

OPERA REVIEW: La Boheme - The Grand Theatre, Blackpool.

 

Presented by Ukrainian National Opera, this was The Dnipro Opera Company's production of Puccini's famous and loved opera, 'La Boheme'.

The orchestra was in the pit (under the direction of Ihor Puchkov) and the house lights dimmed. As the curtain rose to a simplistic touring set, it was clear that this was a production that was watching its pockets. Costumes were mostly appropriate, but hairstyles were all over the place. (especially from the ensemble). However, the directing and production was true to the opera and Puccini's original scoring. 

The story is, as indeed all Grand Opera. a tragedy, but is one of love and hope too. A poet, Rodolfo, living in a rented garret with three other artistes, makes the acquaintance of his next-door neighbour, a silk-needle worker called Mimi. They immediately fall in love. Mimi however is consumptive, and after a brief love affair, it of course, ends in woe.  

Olga Perrier gave a studied and singular performance of our tragic protagonist, Mimi.  Rodolfo was the tenor Roman Korentsvit, whilst the role of his friend, baritone Marcello, was given a sincere and energetic make-over by Andriy Lomakovyth. 

The chorus work was stilted, unanimated and frankly amateurish sadly, and some of the voices, even amongst the principals, were showing signs of tiredness. It is very much to the company's credit that they chose to perform without microphones, and their voices were heard clearly in the circle without amplification, however, perhaps the demands of singing at that level every night and touring too is a little too demanding for some of the company members.  

A rather disappointing production, somewhat pedestrian and lacklustre, and very unimaginative direction. 

Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 4.2.24

STAND-UP COMEDY REVIEW: Ross Noble: Jibber Jabber Jamboree - The Lowry Theatre, Salford.

 

There are few comedians out there on the circuit currently of whom I would say I am a huge fan; and normally my comedy leanings go far more towards clever punnery and wordplay, and so it may come as a surprise to those who know me to learn that I am indeed a huge fan of the disordered and scatty brain-ramblings of Mr Ross Noble.

Ross Noble is indeed one of the country's foremost comedians whose style falls into the category "stream-of-consciousness". This, at least in Noble's case, is a rather apt description of his style. His brain works on several levels and several ideas all at the same time, and without filter, they all seem to come out at the same time, and amazingly, he even managed to return to his original point despite several detours and audience heckles. He is, according to his own intro, "the world's first all-inclusive comedian", which seeing him standing alone on one of the largest stages in Europe surrounded by disembodied monkey heads and blow-up vines seemed more than probable. 

He is brilliant mime artiste, physical performer, and even gave us creditable impersonations of other comedians too. His style is manic, animated, and combines lots of different things, cramming them into his two hours on stage (he does not use a warm-up comedian). In fact, like Ken Dodd, one has the feeling that if there wasn't someone in the wings controlling his stage time, he would quite happily just keep on going, and we certainly would not stop him!

This evening's jobber jabber took us through such completely off-the-wall subjects as combining dry-stone walling with King Charles's rectum (!!), a talking Arabian hawk, ADHD ("has he ever thought of checking with the doctor to see if he suffers from it??"), and my favourite routine of the evening was his interpretation of Barack Obama sings the hits of Abba from inside a Perspex box...!

Dealing superbly wit some rather insistent heckles, and remembering all his call-backs, Noble is still at the top of his game, and is a tour-de-force which demands to be seen to be believed. It has been a long time since I laughed so much in a theatre, and it felt good. 

Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 3.2.24

AMATEUR PANTOMIME REVIEW: Ali Baba And The 40 Thieves - The Art Theatre, New Mills. Derbyshire.

 

The annual panto season usually revolves around the same handful of regulars; Cinderella, Mother Goose and you can probably name all the others. News Mills Art Theatre has developed a reputation for offering something a bit different and ‘Ali Baba And The Forty Thieves’ certainly is in that category; a well-known story but rarely presented as a panto, written by Alan Frayne who has given his own take on pretty much every panto standard.

The show itself had everything you might expect from a panto with a villain aided by a couple of inept sidekicks, a pantomime dame, the roles of good and bad fairies represented by magical black and white cats, principle boy and girl from humble backgrounds and a king (or sultan, in this case) who is the father to a beautiful princess. The large cast boasted a few interesting additions however; notably Sheherazade, who of course is the main character in the source material from Arabian folk lore.

This was a confident production with all the cast appearing very much at home on the stage. There were a number of effective double acts, notably Charlotte Parry and Lisa Quinn as the Black and White Cats and Stephen Johnson and Kim Cooper as an amusing couple of inept villains. Isaac McElroy was funny in giving a splendidly clichéd impression of a Prince Charming (Haroun) and Samantha Provart provided a suitably romantic Princess Jasmine. Isaac Fletcher Shaw as Ali Baba gave the virtually the only serious performance of the night, but that was no bad thing in view of all the other zany characters. Jazz Lomas was very good as Marjana, Ali Baba’s ultimate love interest, again giving her role a serious take. At the other extreme, Darren Cooper was over the top as Dame Fatima Fandango, although none of his variously outrageous costumes appeared remotely middle-eastern. 

A New Mills panto is a celebration of talent of all ages, with a number of different dance groups in the large cast. Curiously, the various groups were colour coded, although it was clear by the average height of team that it represented a different age group. You can get away with anything in a panto so rather than try to represent tradition Arabian village costumes, all the dancers wore bright DayGlo outfits. This certainly gave a colourful vibrancy to the stage.

For this show, there was very little in the way of physical staging with the set for most scenes being just a back-cloth, although the scene paintings were impressively detailed and well chosen. The recurring market scene did have some effective stalls laden with wares and the cave scene worked well with good sound effects contributing to the image of an opening suddenly appearing in a rock face.

‘Ali Baba And The Forty Thieves’ was a bright, colourful evening interspersed with a number of pop songs from the 1960s, '70s and '80s, although interestingly the choice for the finale was the Spice Girls’s ‘Spice Up Your Life’. With most of the cast in tight fitting, fluorescent costumes, none could say this was not an appropriate number to finish on! The accompanying music was, once again provided by Claire Sweeny although for this show, it was just a piano and drums. For the most part, this worked fine but for certain rock numbers, such as Thin Lizzie’s ‘The Boys Are Back In Town’, a solo piano did not quite do it and a little brass or guitar would have certainly helped.

An interesting and colourful presentation by New Mills Art Theatre that ticked all boxes for a traditional panto.

Reviewer - John Waterhouse
on - 2.3.24

THEATRE REVIEW: 180° Chord - The King's Arms, Salford.

 

'180° Chord' is a new play written by Chris Leicester, and is a rather thriller-esque / Noir story of two convicts in a maximum security prison. The first, Connor (Vincent Fox) is a nasty piece of work, and despite his protestations to the contrary, oozes evil from his every pour. There is a riot, the inmates have found out that a rogue policeman is in their prison, and they want blood. John, (Paul Findlay), the ex-detective sergeant with a squeaky-clean record and an indefatigable desire to see the rotten rot behind bars, has killed his own wife, and is now, through some administrative mix-up, in amongst those he put away. He is currently being hidden and protected by Connor.   

The story is tense, but very wordy. The premise is tenuous, but we buy into it. The development of the plot however is somewhat predictable, and the ending (an 'epilogue') long and unnecessary. What should have been an edgy, suspenseful thriller, was, in this production at least, rather pedestrian, long-winded, and slow moving. This was not helped sadly by Findlay's internalising almost every speech. The King's Arms is a small, Fringe theatre, with only five rows of audience, and yet, he was so quiet that even on the third row, I lost at least 50% of his speeches. This was further compounded by the poor directing. The stage at The King's Arms is on floor level and the audience therefore are seated on the same level as the actors, and yet huge chunks of this play were delivered with either or bo9th cast members squatting on their haunches, seating on the floor or lying down. Once I was not able to see the actor, especially their face, I stopped engaging with the piece and lost audibility too. 

The play was non-linear and flitted back and forth, and yet the stage set remained constant and it was very difficult to ignore since the lighting did not accommodate different scenes or areas sufficiently. The play is ostensibly set in Manchester (Strangeways?), and yet both Fox and Findlay's accents were not consistent. Fox had Brummie undertones which were more prominent at certain times, whilst Findlay mixed his Manchester with London throughout.

This could have been a real nail-biter of a show having the audience on the edges of their seats, it has that potential, but sadly it wasn't.

Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 2.3.24

STUDENT THEATRE REVIEW: 43,200 - Main Theatre, City College, Manchester.

 

A revue musical celebrating the works of composer / lyricist Robert Purvis as performed by the third year Vocal Studies And Performance students at Arden Theatre School on the school's main theatre stage this afternoon was an aural treat indeed.

Purvis is (more or less) an unknown composer, and yet he has worked with the greatest and his music is full and lush, extremely singable, lyrical, tuneful, emotive, and infused with beautiful dance rhythms at the writing's core. In fact, complete with everything necessary for a Musical Theatre score. Why has the general populace never heard of him? Hopefully this revue of his works might change that.

The setting of this performed "song cycle" was backstage, in the wings and behind the curtain, during the run of a show seemingly set in the 1940s. The opening close-harmony full chorus entrance was stunning, and the live band (all ten of them!) hidden cleverly behind the reversed curtain (ie.. they were the audience!) sounded excellent throughout under the direction of Ben Attfield.

A long dance music sequence followed when the cast did absolutely nothing. This was a shame. We needed dance and movement here, and the sequence was too long for them to do nothing but simple mimes. It felt awkward and stilted. Where was the dancing?

However, once that was out of the way, and the cast allowed to do what they obviously do best - sing, the songs flowed and the music swelled, and we loved every single minute of it. At least until they came to a piece of music called, 'Ragtime', which was of course written in ragtime, and the cast danced.... a waltz! It was the first real dancing the cast had done, but sadly the waltz did not fit this style of music at all. Hey ho...  

Another irritating thing about this concert was the lighting design. In general there was simply insufficient light. Faces were obscured, in shadow, or only partially lit for the most part; whilst principal singers were tasked with singing their entire songs in shadow or half-light. Most annoying. 

The revue lasted about one hour without interval, and it was a superb introduction to some excellent tunes / songs, and tantalising new musicals which I would love to see in their entirety, and our 11 students tasked with performing these made a lovely ensemble, all obviously individually talented, but together, their harmonies were divine.  On a more personal note, my two favourite songs this afternoon were 'Angel Song' performed by India Watts, and 'Moon's Lament' sung by Bethan Chittenden.

Reviewer - Matthew Dougall

on - 2.2.24