Now in its 17th year of touring, Beyond The Barricade returns to Manchester with an evening of classic musical theatre hits, performed by Rebecca Vere, David Fawcett, Andy Reiss and Katie
Leeming. The team have an astounding set of West End credits between them, and put on a wonderfully slick and professional production this evening.
Northern Stage, a Newcastle-based Theatre Company famed for their adaptations of classic plays and films, makes the perfect choice when looking for an adaptation of 1960's iconic film Get Carter starring Michael Caine. Only this is not an adaptation of the film, but actually an adaptation of the book from which the film was also taken.
The story, in a nutshell is really simple. Gangster Jim in London travels up to Newcastle, his hometown, for his brother's funeral. Realises that he had been killed by the local mafia, and so spends the rest of his time uncovering the truth, wreaking his revenge and paying the ultimate price for so doing.
As I sat in the Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield last night I quickly realised I was one of the few audience members that hadn’t seen Guys and Dolls previously, either on stage or in film. The impression I had of the famous musical was that it fell into the genre of American Classic, with elaborate chorus numbers, exaggerated accents and predictable plot lines. However, looking around me it was obvious the musical has gained a strong following since it opened on Broadway in 1950 so I was considering that perhaps I had assumed too much, too soon. Guys and Dolls has been revived six times over the years, both on Broadway and in the West End, but it was a 1955 film adaption of the musical really attracted the audiences with big names involved in the production, such as Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra.
Jackie Magazine was a mythical place that my mother had told me about and for one night only I was able to live in that teenage bubble of the 70’s as Jackie The Musical came to town.
From the choice of songs, to the stage setting through to the choreography, this is a seamless production that brings to life the essence of the first teenage magazine for girls
Starting at where one of the reader’s lives is today - divorced, lonely, however with strong female friendships, the lead character Jackie reconnects with her teenage self after finding her old mags in the attic when clearing out of her old martial home.
Naughty Corner Productions came to the Unity tonight with not one but two of their pieces, a double bill show consisting of "The Bastard Queen" and "Not The Horse"
Kicking off the night was the show titled "Not the Horse", a comedy about a 20 year old boy Tony who finds himself in a 250,000 debt to a London Gangster - Dom Juan, after an illegal horse race. Tony and his friends Paul and Stan are then faced with the dilemma of finding a way of coming up with the money to pay off his debt, which only produces them with more challenges when they accidently steal from the person Tony is in debt to.
A show not quite a concert, not quite a play, but more like poetry, last night returned to its spiritual home, the Liverpool Epstein Theatre.
Lennon Through a Glass Onion has enjoyed success off Broadway in New York and now celebrates the music of legendary John Lennon in his hometown.
“There was no disputing the stage was alive with talent tonight”
Cathedral Academy of Performing Arts, or CAPA as it is known more commonly, has a solid reputation in the area as a quality post-16 college and attracts young people from across the region to its Drama, Dance and Musical Theatre courses. This evening’s entertainment was a celebration and showcase for the 2nd year students who for many would be appearing in this as their final show at the college, before many head off to continue their training at some of the UK’s most prestigious Performing Arts schools. There was no disputing the stage was alive with talent tonight, some of these young people were exceptional and I am confident will enjoy success beyond their time at “Wakefield’s School for the Arts”.
Tessa Bide brought her show to Salford, mesmerising the audience with her one woman performance.
The tap dancing mermaid was Tessa’s first show, that she made back in 2013 and it has been touring ever since. Apparently she got the idea for this story when she walked down a rickety old boardwalk in Bulgaria in 2011 and thought how lovely it would be to tap dance on it. In August 2015 she self-published the book of her story that she now sells after each show or can be purchased from her webpage www.tessabide.com
In May 2002, Miguel de Cervantes' novel Don Quixote was voted by around 100 renowned authors in 54 countries as "the most meaningful book of all time."
Written over 400 years ago, it tells the tale of a middle aged Spanish gentleman who reads so many chivalric romances he goes insane; he then sets out to bring back chivalry to the world, undo wrongs and rectify injustices.
Britain; the land of sarcasm, reservation and politeness. Short Scenes About Britain is exactly what it says on the tin - a few short scenes about life in Britain by Grand Dame Theatre Company; a new theatre company.
Anyone who knows Bandit, Mugger and Thief (formerly Taurus) will know that it is an incredibly small space. However, the cast did well and used the space to their advantage. It was almost like they were playing a game of musical chairs between the scenes.
This was a very interesting and indeed quite extraordinary production of Eugene Ionesco's absurdist masterpiece, The Chairs. Presented by Extant, the leading theatre company in the UK to promote the arts and culture for the visually impaired and indeed both of tonight's actors were just that. With an exceedingly clever use of different textured floor coverings and sounds coming from different areas, the two actors were able to use the stage and move the props, entering and exiting from different places etc, just as sighted people would have been able to. That in itself was something utterly remarkable and amazing.
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