Kafka's Monkey is based on Franz Kafka's short story entitled "A Report to An Academy". It is a solo show featuring Kathryn Hunter in which her character - an ape - tells his story of how he was captured, gradually transformed into a man and became a music hall entertainer.
Mystified? Read on...
After a successful premiere at the Royal Court Theatre in January 2012, Manchester was in for a real treat with the arrival of this new, astonishing play. Nick Payne's writing is very gripping and although the show is just over an hour you will leave very satisfied with the journey our two main characters embarked on, not realising it was possible to include so much plot into only a short play.
Joe Armstrong and Louise Brealey very much brought justice to their roles as not only were they portraying our main plot but they were also demonstrating the various ways a situation can be dealt with and the reactions to them. The contrast between each scene was very clear with the cleverly constructed lighting and sound designed by Lee Curran and David Mcseveney; these were really handled sensitively and adapted to each theme this play explored.
Love me Tender had its UK Premiere at the Opera House tonight following a name change after a run on Broadway in 2005. Whilst we are not aware of the Broadway productions content we can safely say this incarnation is a superb night of Elvis classics performed by an energetic and dedicated cast.
Love me Tender is possibly the best ‘Juke Box’ musical since Mamma Mia and ‘We Will Rock You’ with the songs of Elvis Presley interwoven into the fabric of the story with ease. Yes there are some very corny links into the songs, but that is what makes this genre of musical theatre fun.
After selling almost 1.5 million tickets during its near two year flight around the UK and Ireland Wicked has landed in Salford to conclude the tour. It seems hard to believe that almost two years have passed since the tour began in a fanfare of emerald down the road at the Palace Theatre.
Telling the untold story of the Witches of Oz this production is equal to, if not better than the current version in the West End. A lot of UK tours that have begun their life in London are often scaled back to endure the rigours of touring from theatre to theatre, but Wicked has embraced the challenge of maintaining the original conception and design. Add to this a cast of West End stars and it is easy to see why this show has enjoyed such success on the road.
From the very beginning of this show, you are transported in Pasha's world of dancing, with illuminating insights into his passion for dance which is shown in short video clips along the way.
Pasha's supporting dancers, Marcella Solimeo, Ryan Hammond, James Wilson and Leila Stewart opened the show with a fast paced Cha Cha, at the end of which the lights went down and then suddenly back up and there was Pasha centre stage, beautifully spot lit and raring to go. He danced quite a saucy Cha Cha with his dance partner, Anya Garnis which certainly captured the audience's attention.
The first and only other time I have attended Joshua Brooks (in case you were wondering, the name it derives from a Victorian novel called The Manchester Man, written by Mrs G. Linnaeus Banks in 1876) - currently the 'Best Venue' in the Manchester Evening News and has also been nominated as 'Best Small Club' in DJmag in the last few years, after its establishment in 1993 - was for one of their regular JB Shorts sessions, held bi-annually in the basement theatre.
Since then I have wanted an excuse to pop back to the urban underground theatre to experience another offering of ingenious theatre performed by talented actors and actresses who are between professional jobs.
Fans of Judy Garland should hot foot it down to the Palace Theatre tonight or tomorrow because this show does exactly “ what it says on the tin.” With accolades, recordings and never-before-seen film clips and interviews - such as “I had to sing with a moth in my mouth during an open-air performance” - it charts the extraordinary career of the iconic star.
Following the success of You Can't Take It With You (2011) and Too Clever by Half (2013) Told by an Idiot have returned to the Royal Exchange Manchester for a third year running with this classic ghost story, done (of course) with an Idiot twist!
A group of passengers are left stranded at remote Fal Vale railway station, facing the prospect of a night in the waiting room. But when the old stationmaster (Amanda Hadingue) warns them about the phantom train that haunts the tracks after dark, the evening starts to take one chilling turn after another.
The Car Man tells the story of the arrival of Luca in the town of Harmony and the events which subsequently unfold. Set in Dino Alfano's Diner and Garage, we see Dino's wife, Lana, set out to seduce The Car Man and the consequences this brings. Dino's hired help, Angelo, becomes romantically involved with Lana's sister, Rita but this relationship is heavily affected by the chain of events set in motion by Lana and Luca's liaison. However, Lana is not the only who is cast under Luca's spell...
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is based on the classic comedy film starring Sir Michael Caine and Steve Martin. The show which was one of the biggest new West End musicals of 2014 has already been seen by over half a million people. It is a fantastic collaboration between Jeffrey Lane (writer) and David Yazbek (composer) who both approached MGM at around the same time and destiny took over.
Set in Beaumont Sur-Mer the story of conmen unfolds, starting with the Overture with music from the Orchestra beautifully directed by Ben Van Tienen. With wonderful dancing by the talented ensemble.
Manchester has a new central arts hub and we couldn’t be happier. HOME opened last night with the World Premiere of The Funfair. With the auditorium of the main theatre still having that ‘new’ aroma the cavernous stage does not detract from the intimacy of the venue.
The Funfair, adapted from Ödön Von Horváth's Kasimir and Karoline, local lad Simon Stephens has moved the setting from the Munich Beer Festival at the end of the 1920’s to a travelling fairground in Manchester. Set over the course of one night this play follows Cash (Ben Batt) and Caroline (Katie Moore) as their relationship disintegrates after Cash loses his job as a chauffeur.
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