Liverpool
Return of the Gods
World Museum LiverpoolWorld Museum Liverpool’s latest temporary exhibition is a family-friendly exploration into the earliest superhero tales; the mythology of the gods and goddesses of ancient Greece and Rome. Displaying the extensive collection of 18th Century antiquarian Henry Blundell of Sefton, statues over 2 metres tall have been combined with over 100 sculptures and objects to show how everyday life was influenced by mythology. This is the first time so much of Henry Blundell’s collection has been displayed in one exhibition.
Lights On Lights Off
Shakespeare North PlayhouseAs part of their programme to celebrate The Bard’s birthday, Shakespeare North Playhouse’s production of Lights On / Lights Off is a remarkable exploration of The First Folio. Utilising Elizabethan style rehearsals, local actors, and improvisation, Lights On / Lights Off is a production made up of a scene from each of the 36 plays that make up The First Folio; 18 of them with the theatre lights on, and 18 of them by candlelight with the theatre lights off.
Macbeth
Liverpool PlayhouseDouble, Double, toil and….yakuza? The Scottish play is possibly one of Shakespeare’s best known tragedies, telling the tale of Macbeth’s rise to power and his attempts to retain that power against a backdrop of murder. This production of Macbeth by Imitating The Dog was unlike any other production we have ever seen, and completely modernises the play in a way that Baz Luhrmann did for Romeo and Juliet in the 90’s.
Richard III
Liverpool PlayhouseSet against a backdrop of Morris dancing, and following her critically acclaimed production of Richard II at Shakespeare’s Globe, Bridgerton star Adjoa Andoh brings a powerful performance of Richard III to the Liverpool Playhouse for a limited time run. Given that Richard III is the second longest of Shakespeare’s plays, and that this was the first time we’d been to watch a performance of any of The Bard’s historical plays, there was a slight apprehension that we wouldn’t enjoy the performance.
Bingo Star
Liverpool Royal CourtWhat do you get if you cross a Henry hoover, an ageing hippie and three games of bingo during a musical theatre show? A classic night out at Liverpool’s Royal Court theatre for their latest Scouse comedy Bingo Star! For 50 years, Arthur (Alan Stocks) has ran the local bingo hall, but spiralling debts mean the hall is facing closure. Supported by his daughter Lesley (Keddy Sutton), granddaughter Bella (Paige Fenton), and bingo hall employees Debbie (Helen Carter) and Keith (Jonathan Markwood), Arthur thinks his prayers have been answered when Tony (Paul Duckworth) from the council claims a redevelopment of the area will provide an influx of new members to the bingo hall.
Comedy of Errors
Shakespeare North PlayhouseThe Comedy of Errors is one of Shakespeare’s earliest plays and features an almost Parent Trap style mix up of identical twins. In the original play, Antipholus and Dromio of Syracuse visit Ephesus and end up confused with the Antipholus and Dromio that live there, leading to a lot of slapstick, declarations of love and a commotion around a necklace. A new, modernised version produced by Shakespeare North Playhouse and Stephen Joseph Theatre transports the action to the 1980’s and the towns of Prescot and Scarborough where each theatre is located.
Six
Liverpool PlayhouseStarting life as a student show at the Edinburgh Fringe, Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss have created a cultural phenomenon that does for Tudor history what Hamilton has done for American history. Detailing - in a loose sense - how history has reduced the six wives of Henry VIII to a rhyme, Six delves into the life of each wife in a Horrible Histories meets The X Factor sassy pop-rock concert.