Review
Richard, My Richard
Shakespeare North PlayhouseRichard III is one of the most infamous Kings of England. Known as a tyrant, a usurper, and portrayed by Shakespeare as a hunchback, Richard III is often synonymous with the murder of his nephews, The Princes in the Tower. But what if everything that you think you know about Richard III isn’t actually true? With history written by the victors, what if Richard was actually a loyal brother, a loving husband and a victim of the historical record being incorrect?
Come From Away
Liverpool EmpireWelcome 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.
Unfortunate
Liverpool PlayhouseSo 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.
Pride and Prejudice
Shakespeare North PlayhouseImaginarium 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.
Wizard of Oz
Liverpool EmpireFlying 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.
Cinderella Rock 'n' Roll Panto
Liverpool Everyman TheatreThe 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.
Hamilton
Palace TheatreHe is the A-L-E-X-A-N-D-E-R we are here to see, and for the first time we are doing so outside of London as the show embarks on it’s first ever UK tour which kicked off in Manchester. We went to two performances before writing this review; opening night and then the Saturday night performance a week later. We wanted to wait before writing this review as we know opening night may not be reflective of the full show, but if you want to see our opening night thoughts our YouTube channel has a review of that performance.
I Should Be So Lucky
Manchester Opera HouseStock 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.
The Book of Will
Shakespeare North PlayhouseAs part of the celebration of the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s First Folio, Shakespeare North Playhouse are staging Lauren Gunderson’s The Book of Will. Telling the tale of how the First Folio came to be, and how so many of Shakespeare’s plays only survive due to the efforts of those who knew him best, The Book of Will is a fantastic co-production with Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch and Octagon Theatre Bolton.