Liverpool

Come From Away

★★★★★

Welcome to the Rock, specifically to the town of Gander in Newfoundland, the easternmost province in Canada. The town is small and only has around 10,000 inhabitants, but there is an international airport; a leftover from the days when flying transatlantic involved refuelling mid-flight.

Come From Away tells the story of how this small town in Canada welcomed 38 planes full of people (approximately 7,000 people)when the United States airspace was closed in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. For 5 days, the people of Gander provided food, showers, comfort and friendship to the Come From Aways (a term used in Newfoundland to describe people who aren’t from the island) until the flights could leave again.

Unfortunate

★★★★☆

So you think Ursula is the villain of The Little Mermaid? How unfortunate, you’re about to discover you have been lied to your entire life!

Written by Robyn Grant and Daniel Foxx, Unfortunate is part origin story, part redemption arc and a whole lot of chaotic, camp brilliance.

In a similar way to how Wicked re-wrote the tale of the Wicked Witch, Unfortunate takes audiences through Ursula’s life to show that she isn’t all bad. A childhood of bullying and hiding her dark magic, a forbidden love and a parental betrayal that leaves Ursula banished and a sea cucumber in bits (RIP Kirsty) all contributed to the events in The Little Mermaid. Though even those events aren’t strictly accurate, and with a different perspective we see what really happened to Ariel and what the true happy ending was.

Pride and Prejudice

★★★★☆

Imaginarium Theatre are a community arts organisation who deliver educational programmes, schools outreach and free youth theatre classes across the Merseyside region. Every year, their Community Ensemble stage a production in The Cockpit Theatre at Shakespeare North Playhouse. This year’s production was a modern adaptation of Pride and Prejudice by playwright Rob Brannen.

The basics of the story remain unchanged; Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy meet and overcome their initial dislike for one another to eventually fall in love after putting their individual preconceptions aside. The story though is set in a Northern town, with the Bennet family living paycheck to paycheck and feeling the pinch in the cost-of-living crisis. Mrs Bennet wants her 5 daughters to leave home and really start their lives, but they can’t afford to and Elizabeth (renamed to Lizzy throughout this production rather than just called Lizzy by her loved ones), has absolutely no interest in finding a partner. All that changes though when the big house on the edge of town is sold, and the Bennet sisters are introduced to Mr Bingley and his handsome friend Mr Darcy.

2024 Upcoming Shows

Happy New Year!

With a new year comes a new set of productions within the local area, so we thought we’d share details of some of the productions which will be coming to the local area in 2024 that we are most excited about.

With a few productions, particularly those at ATG Theatres, the touring productions are on in both Liverpool and Manchester at different times of the year. This means we’re able to look at what dates work best for us, or to see productions multiple times. We’ll list the dates under each of the venues a tour is visiting, but we may only see them at one of the venues listed. We’ve also tried to group the venues based on the city they’re in, starting in Liverpool and moving eastwards to Manchester.

Wizard of Oz

★★★☆☆

Flying into Liverpool from sell out performances at the London Palladium, musical classic The Wizard of Oz has been given a contemporary twist complete with additional songs by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice.

Starring Aston Merrygold of JLS fame as Tin Man and local legend / RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner The Vivienne as the Wicked Witch of the West, this is a colourful, technological masterpiece with stunning sets and costumes.

The key elements of the story are all unchanged. Dorothy (Aviva Tulley) and her dog Toto run away from home just as a tornado hits her Kansas farm. Her and Toto end up transported to Munchkinland in the land of Oz, with the only hope of getting home lying with the Wizard of Oz in Emerald City at the end of the Yellow Brick Road. Along the way, Dorothy meets The Scarecrow (Benjamin Yates), The Tin Man (Aston Merrygold) and The Cowardly Lion (Nic Greenshields). Together, they all embark on a journey of self-discovery whilst battling the Wicked Witch of the West (The Vivienne) who wants nothing more than to take the ruby slippers from Dorothy’s feet.

Cinderella Rock 'n' Roll Panto

★★★★★

The yearly rock ’n’ roll panto at the Everyman has become an institution of Liverpool in the same way as the Superlambbanana and purple wheelie bins are icons of the city. This year’s panto is Cinderella, but with a clever twist. Written by Luke Barnes and directed by James Baker, the show is a refreshing interpretation of the traditional fairytale. This Cinderella isn’t a damsel in distress, she’s her own comic book hero delivering a message of self-love and how being true to yourself is the most important thing.

I Should Be So Lucky

★★☆☆☆

Stock Aitken Waterman are synonymous with the music of the 80’s. In 1989 alone, they were responsible for 27% of the UK music singles market sales! They are even responsible for the global phenomenon that is Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give You Up. Now, Debbie Isitt who is best known for creating The Nativity films and musical has taken some of Stock Aitken Waterman’s best loved works to create the new musical I Should Be So Lucky.

First Folio Talk by Ben Crystal

★★★★★

As part of the First Folio exhibition currently on at Shakespeare North Playhouse, Associate Artist Ben Crystal has delivered an absolutely fascinating insight into how the First Folio was made, and what makes the First Folio such an important piece of both literature and history.

During the Lights On / Lights Off shows which Ben directed and performed in, he gave brief background details into each of the excerpts of the plays which we both really enjoyed. Ben is not only hugely knowledgable and passionate about Shakespeare, but he is also a very engaging public speaker. You cannot help but be swept up in his enthusiasm for The Bard. So with tickets available for just £3 per person as part of Shakespeare North’s Pay What You Decide scheme, attending this event felt like an absolute no brainer.

First Folio Exhibition

★★★★★

400 years ago, just 7 years after Shakespeare’s death, the First Folio containing 36 of Shakespeare’s plays was published. Now, to coincide with the European premiere of ‘The Book of Will’, Shakespeare North Playhouse have an exhibition all about the First Folio, which includes an actual copy of the First Folio which is on loan from The British Library.

Forming part of The British Library’s Treasures on Tour programme, the First Folio on display is The Grenville First Folio which was bequeathed to the library by Thomas Grenville in 1846. Unlike many copies of the First Folio, all of the pages are present in this one including the iconic portrait of William Shakespeare.