THEATRE REVIEW - Irish Annie's - Olympia Theatre, Liverpool

 

This production, produced by Bill Elms Productions and Asa Murphy is a festivity of Irish culture, from the music to the comedy, starring a live five-piece band, The Shenanigans. Landlady Annie (Catherine Rice) and her zany regulars lead the mayhem, with stories from Ricky Tomlinson (Celebrity guest) performing as himself, and songs from Asa Murphy (Seamus). New to this production are Michael Alan-Bailey (Porky the Postman and Joe), Richard Barry (Noel Singen-Smithe) and Maria Lovelady (Moira the Money Lender and May).

Murphy has created this show as a celebration of everything that makes Irish culture and the people of Ireland so special. His family originated from Cork and Tralee and many members still live in Ireland, so it has a special fondness for him.

The show features original tracks written by Murphy, and singalong song sheets of all-time favourite Irish tunes including Galway Shawl, Tell Me Ma, Dirty Old Town, Whiskey In The Jar and Danny Boy are handed out to the audience so that they can join in. 

Tomlinson basically plays himself with his lank grey hair, dressed like Jim Royle from TV’s Royle Family in a mustard T-shirt and slip-ons; the 84-year-old interacted with the audience and recalled events during his Brookside TV show playing Bobby Grant, encounters with Ken Dodd, Robert de Niro, and his time on the set with The Royle Family with Caroline Ahern, Ralf Little and cast, and his imprisonment after a 1972 strike; the recollection of the overturning of his conviction in 2021 got a loud cheer from his army of fans in the audience. It felt as though he was just getting into full anecdote mode and could go on all evening when he was interrupted by Murphy who was ready to sing another song. 

The show falls somewhere between TV’s Mrs Brown’s Boys and an adult panto which depicts the acting style and type of humour on offer. It is a fun, light-hearted show about fostering community spirit with a message of looking out for one another which a certain type of Liverpool audience will enjoy. Murphy keeps the show moving along with his narrative and singing whilst playing the guitar; he seems to know what certain Liverpool audiences desire and delivers it convincingly.

Rice portrayed a fun-loving matriarchal stereotypical pub landlady and engaged with the pub regulars convincingly.  She is energetic whilst leading the Irish jigs encouraging fellow actors and the audience to become involved with the singalongs and have a good time at her pub’s party.

A rendition of Danny Boy by Richard Barry (Noel) deserves a mention, and he was deservedly given a standing ovation by the audience, as does Maria Lovelady who has a lovely voice. Local radio DJ Billy Butler played himself and delivered a very funny performance; the audience particularly enjoyed a recital of an entertaining poem which received enthusiastic applause.

The band, appropriately called Shenanigans were quality musicians befitting for the show.

Embracing the traditions of music hall, variety and pantomime, the gags come thick and fast, some rather risqué as expected and it’s recognisable that some might be older than the Blarney Stone itself. 

The show is directed by Stephen Fletcher with larger-than-life characters; this was a special homecoming night after touring UK and Ireland after premiering to Liverpool audiences a few years ago.

Reviewer - Anne Pritchard

on - 4.5.24

AMATEUR YOUTH THEATRE REVIEW - Moana Jr - The Art Theatre, New Mills.

 

Not having any children of my own, Disney films such as this passed me by a long time ago, and I was therefore, this evening, watching a completely new-to-me story unfold in front of me with the music and lyrics of "Hamilton" composer, Lin-Manuel Miranda to boot.

A bare stage and pre-recorded backing tracks were suffice to bring this story to life, since the directing and mise-en-scene were absolutely stunning. The pictures, colours, choreography, cardboard cut-outs, etc... were delightful, and I am definitely pinching the ideas of extended fans and umbrellas!!! Genius!

Several groups of differing ages were given different characters and costumes, and they all came together superbly filling the stage with the sights and sounds of the South Pacific, an island tribe in peril, a plucky, adventurous girl journeying into the unknown to save her people and return the heart to its rightful owner, some scary bits which she navigates with ease (and a little help from a demigod!), and of course, a happy ending!

There were a couple of issues with inaudibility of the spoken dialogue this evening, but sound levels in general were good, and the lighting was creative and effective. 

Moana was played by a very secure and unswerving Amelia Dunne, with Finn Derbyshire playing the rather arrogant, slightly inept, self-effacing Demigod Maui with skill. A whole cast of smaller roles, ancestors, sea creatures, monsters, and even a personified ocean, all helped to create a most visually creative and extremely enjoyable production from these youngsters. 

A whole group of tiny tots, possibly only three years old, came on at certain points to fill the stage-scape, helped by two or three adults. My only comments here are that the choreography given them was a little too ambitious and they were sadly lost for majority of it, and it would have been more visually pleasing if the helpers had been in costume too.

My first Moana has inspired me now to watch the Disney cartoon, and learn more about this musical. Congratulations all!

Reviewer - Matthew Dougall

on - 3.5.24

STUDENT THEATRE REVIEW - Neon Dreams And Power Schemes - City College, Manchester.

 

A cast of 12 aspiring actors and actresses currently attending the Arden Theatre School's Theatre And Performance degree course had devised an hour-long homage to an influential and busy decade, the 1970s.

Starting with a funeral.... we mourned and celebrated the life and legacy of the 1970s. This hour was a tongue-in-cheek, comedic, but nostalgic look back at some of the best, and worst, that decade offered. 

The production took the form of small vignettes or sketches which ended as it began, a funeral.... only this time it was for the 1980s and left the group scope to do a second act in similar vein for that decade. We learned that the 1970s heralded the start of the now famous Glastonbury Festival, it was the decade of The Berlin Wall, Thatcher, the romance between Lady Diana Spencer and Prince Charles, The Miners'strikes, our fascination with the moon, etc, but some of the things mentioned in this production were not true to the decade, such as the Gay Rights Act (1967), the first lunar landing (1969), AIDS crisis (1980s), and Chernobyl (1986). So perhaps it was a feeling of the era rather than being truly specific to ten years. The music was accurate, as was the zeitgeist.

Directed by Lauren Greer, not only the stage, but parts of the auditorium were used too, although perhaps throwing a weighted packet of cigarettes from one end to the other was not a particularly good idea, especially when the actress concerned had to come out of character to tell audience members to be careful as she was about to throw it over their heads!

Audibility was an issue sadly in the sections of letter writing, since these were done with the actresses backs to the audience with no vocal compensation made.

An interesting, if not wholly satisfying, look back at a decade that I and other audience members remember. I wonder how much of what was performed this afternoon though will be familiar and understandable to the performers' peers.

Reviewer - Matthew Dougall

on - 3.5.24

THEATRE REVIEW - Come From Away - The Grand Theatre, Leeds.

 

'Come From Away' is, quite literally, a musical that seems to have come from away. When the air disasters and terrorist action that will forever be known as 9/11 were taking place, all other aircraft in the sky had to be diverted and sent elsewhere until it was safe to fly again and US airspace open. It is something that one until just now, I simply did not consider. This musical tells the story of the passengers of one such diverted aeroplane which was sent to a small town in Newfoundland , and their incredible welcome and reception by the townsfolk. Make no mistake, this is not a fantasy or fable, but absolutely real. All the characters portrayed on stage are real, and all the things which happen on stage, happened to their real counterparts during the long days during and following 9/11. Admittedly, some of the characters are amalgams of two or more people in real life, and a little theatrical magic does the rest, but this is a documentary of a small town community coming together and showing solidarity and support, with the very best the human spirit has to offer without thought of self, and, as such, is truly heartwarming in a way that a fantasy story could never be.

Book, music and lyrics are by Irene Sankoff and David Hein, and their show is a winning formula of upbeat Irish-based folk music, heart-rending ballads, and a condensed version of the unlikely events that took place in Gander, Newfoundland. It tells of the bonds and friendships made, of a community coming together to help their fellow humans (and animals!), and of the resilience of those facing the unknown. It is far from maudlin however, as there is also some excellently placed humour within the score too, making this the perfect mix and a true rollercoaster ride of the emotions. The script also cleverly probes ideas of and reactions to race, sexuality, gender, and religion... things which undoubtedly came from both a reaction to knowing who the terrorists were and being housed with hundreds of other unknown and multifarious passengers of all ages, genders, nationalities etc.

The musical is a fully ensemble production. There are just 12 actors / actresses but somehow it felt like more, since they are all tasked into multi-rolling; yet the character switches are not contrived, and feel totally natural, with each performer switching seamlessly with just a change of body language, hat, or accent. The band, placed mostly at the stage's edges, also gets involved a couple of times too, and under the musical direction of Andrew Corcoran, it is immersive but not intrusive and sounded superb.

Directed by Christopher Ashley, this is a truly wonderful musical. The 12 cast simply could not put a foot wrong the whole evening, and despite it having a running time of 100 minutes without interval, it did not feel long and I could easily have stayed for more! 

I cannot end without crediting these 12 superb ensemble performers, all of whom gave their hearts and souls to this (hi)story, and the long standing ovation at the end of the performance, tells just how much we appreciated their telling of it. Natasha J. Barnes, Daniel Crowder, Mark Dugdale, Rosie Glossop, Amanda Henderson, Kirtsy Hoiles, Oliver Jacobson, Dale Mathurin, Nicholas Pound, Sara Poyzer, Bree Smith, and Jamal Zulfiqar.

Reviewer - Matthew Dougall

on - 30.4.24

THEATRE REVIEW: Twelve Angry Men - The Grand Theatre, Blackpool.

 

It's 1954 in a tired, old, grubby,  and stuffy New York County Supreme court where 12 random men gather as a jury to determine the fate of an inner-city teenager accused of murdering his father in Reginald Rose’s incredibly tense and compelling play, '12 Angry Men'. Is the boy guilty? Can these 12 strangers from varying backgrounds, each with their own perceptions and prejudices come together to form a unanimous decision? This is what Rose’s intelligently written play guides you through over a well structured and pacey 2 hours.

What first strikes you as you settle into the production is the attention to detail captured within the set. Using 4 different areas of the stage, the designers here have utilised space incredibly well to ensure the actors have plenty of space to move about in a natural fashion. The metal structure of the main room, along with the tired old wooden doors and window frames provided an effective frame for the main room and created an illusion of the jurors being boxed in, which only added to the tension. I also enjoyed the bathroom area, in particular the 2 basins which, from the audience's perspective, showed you the inner workings of the plumbing system. A metaphor perhaps for the play itself and inner workings of what goes on behind the jurors' door during deliberations. The production team also captured effective weather effects as the rain kicked in after the long hot baking day suffered by the characters. Whilst the rain effects on the window were very convincingly executed, I did feel the lighting switched rather quickly from hot weather to storm and could have been slowed down somewhat. Whilst the lightening effect was stark and captured attention as the storm kicked in, I feel it would have benefited from concealing the stage light used for this effect to keep the sense of realism captured elsewhere on the stage up to that point.  Both of these lighting cues took away slightly from the realism captured consistently in other areas of this production. 

Costumes were excellent and perfectly fitting to add to each characters' personality. From the well-chosen loafers, hats, and braces to the waistcoat or the dominating black suit wore by Juror 4, this showed careful consideration by the wardrobe department and was another strong contributing factor to the realism captured within this production. 

This particular production relies on an ensemble effort and here you can see the director had worked well with his individual cast, in the main to ensure each one was a fully developed character, different from the next but always ensuring movement and interactions were handled with authenticity. With a slow-moving revolve standardly utilised in this production, well-spaced-out chairs, benches and the water-cooler, the director ensured that movement was fluid and avoided being static which could have been be a real pace-killer in this production. As it was, the pace was excellent and kept the audience engaged throughout.  

Also great to see the director realising some of the humour within the script and pulling this out to provide some welcome breaks from the mounting tension. The horse-racing commentary delivered by Juror 7 was a highlight here. If I were to offer one area for consideration, it would be to suggest more realistic and authentic action “fight” sequences. The end of Act 1’s glimpse of the pot boiling over and one juror attempting to attack another was very slow and overly contrived and not at all consistent with the authenticity captured within the reast of the place. Moments like this were the only times the production felt staged and not realistic as captured for the rest of its part. 

Overall, the acting talent on display in this production was of a very high calibre and I particularly enjoyed the characters brought to life by Mr Greco and Mr Merrells. As mentioned before, this is an ensemble piece and all the working parts needed to be on point, however these 2 actors ripped every moment of their character arcs out with aplomb. Other roles were well formed, and you could see the attitudes and individual perspectives displayed well enough through body language and tonality, good use of pauses and some excellent background acting which only added further to both the atmosphere and the pace of the production; there was always something to watch wherever you looked.

However, I (along with a few people in the bar at the interval) found Juror 4’s diction hard to follow or understand at times, and whilst one could follow the gist of what was being conveyed, it required more effort to follow exactly what was being said. I also found Juror 10’s performance vere slightly into caricature and at times slightly less convincing than the other characters presented. Some of the outbursts and elongation of words along with the gravelly voice utilised at times felt over-played, where in moments such as the breakdown at the end of Act 2 and the realisation he is bringing his own prejudice of his own broken relationship with his son into his decision making, could have been played much slower and considered to produce a more empathetic and arguably authentic end to this characters arc.  

Despite a few minor criticisms (which should not distract anyone from this well put together production), the audience and myself thoroughly enjoyed this production which demonstrated excellent collaboration from all involved. 2 hours of live theatre well spent. Thank you as ever to the very welcoming staff at the Grand Theatre.

Reviewer - Jen O'Beirne

on - 29.4.24