Category Archives: Theatre

Menlove Avenue Murder Mystery, Theatre Review. Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Cast: Paul Duckworth, Pauline Fleming, Gillian Hardie, Michael Peace, Olivia Sloyan, Liam Tobin.

The seductive reasoning of being an armchair detective are honed and always alert, we are spurred in our efforts by the clues and chain of suspicion, and once we have narrowed down the suspects due to our insight and belief, we feel as though we could easily give the likes of Poirot, Morse, Tennison and Vera Stanhope a run for their money and give our friends and neighbours a reason to breathe easy as they drift off to sleep at night.

Menlove Avenue Murder Mystery, Theatre Review. Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(404 words, estimated 1:37 mins reading time)

Scouse Pacific, Theatre Review. Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool. (2019).

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Cast: Jake Abraham, Jamie Clarke, Guy Freeman, Stephen Fletcher, Lindzi Germain, Abigail Middleton, Mia Molloy, Michael Starke.

Band: Howard Gray, James Bretton, Mike Woodvine, Greg Joy.

Billy Riley is the hero you may not have heard of but because of his ingenuity, his fortitude and love of a fish and chip supper, there is forever a part of the South Pacific that is Scouse, where bananas are abundant, where a certain newspaper gets used for its rightful position as a cleansing aid, and where the descendants of the ship-wrecked, press-ganged mariner burst into song as a right; some enchanted evenings are always worth remembering, especially in Scouse Pacific.

Scouse Pacific, Theatre Review. Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool. (2019). full post

(407 words, estimated 1:38 mins reading time)

American Idiot, Theatre Review. Playhouse Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

Cast: Tom Milner, Luke Friend, Sam Lavery, Alexandra Robinson, Christian Tyler Wood, Daniel Law, Glen Adamson, Jennifer Caldwell, Joshua Dowen, Laura Marie Benson, Lucas Rush, Raquel Jones, Rory McGuire, Ross William Wild, Samuel Pope, Shekinah McFarlane, Siobhan O’ Driscoll, Amy Anzel, David Brooks.

Band: Robert Wicks, Chris George, Nick Kent, Charlie Maguire.

American Idiot, Theatre Review. Playhouse Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(590 words, estimated 2:22 mins reading time)

Kill A Witch Or Die Trying, Theatre Review. Physical Fest 2019. Unity Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Laura Edwards, Shannon Walbrooke, Emilie Lahouel.

History recalls how the strength of women has been viewed by those with weak minds and suspect agendas, throughout time a woman’s sexuality, her power has been used against her to the point where the most base of accusations have held sway and in the minds of public opinion have condemned her to be branded many names, not least one that holds emotive historical value, that of a witch.

Kill A Witch Or Die Trying, Theatre Review. Physical Fest 2019. Unity Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(394 words, estimated 1:35 mins reading time)

Lost Soul 2: Smigger’s Wrecked Head, Theatre Review. Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Cast: Jake Abraham, Gemma Brodrick, Lindzi Germain, Catherine Rice, Andrew Schofield, Bobby Schofield, Lenny Wood.

There is a clock that starts ticking in all of us at some point or another, it is inevitable, and it is folly to resist; of course, though it is fun to try. They say that women grow up quicker than men, the responsibility of the world hitting home with such force that the fun that once seemed wicked and alluring, is now but a distant memory, one still remembering the fondness of the late night fondle and chip supper, but now concerned with making sure the family that once played together, stays together.

Lost Soul 2: Smigger’s Wrecked Head, Theatre Review. Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(561 words, estimated 2:15 mins reading time)

Cooped, Theatre Review. Playhouse Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

Cast: Aitor Basauri, Stephen Kreiss, Petra Massey, Toby Park.

Twenty glorious years in the making, and still the riotous laughter keeps coming, for Brighton-based theatre company Spymonkey; there is no sitting delicately on laurels, resting in the plumped up leather chair beside the roaring fire and passion of the audience, even returning to one of the foursome’s early successes means being match fit, confining themselves to the bird house until the pen sparks life once more.

Cooped, Theatre Review. Playhouse Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(411 words, estimated 1:39 mins reading time)

Rosmersholm, Theatre Review. The Duke Of York’s Theatre, London.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Cast: Hayley Atwell, Tom Burke, Lucy Briers, Jake Fairbrother, Giles Terera, Peter Wight, Gavin Antony, Ebony Buckle, Piers Hampton, Maureen Hibbert, Robyn Lovell, Alice Vilanculo.

Love and grief go hand in hand, without one, arguably, you cannot have the other, both are so intrinsic to the human condition that our aspirations to find purpose, to propose revolution and swim against the tides and fears that are continuously placed before us, that threaten to drown us, are instead the welcoming release when all is lost.

Rosmersholm, Theatre Review. The Duke Of York’s Theatre, London. full post

(439 words, estimated 1:45 mins reading time)

All My Sons, Theatre Review. The Old Vic, London.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Cast: Bill Pullman, Sally Fields, Jenna Coleman, Colin Morgan, Sule Rimi, Gunnar Cauthery, Kayla Meikle, Bessie Carter, Oliver Johnstone, Theo Boyce, Ruth Redman, Russell Wilcox.

For those that seek the truth, the shame of it is that it ends in tragedy. If there is any 20th Century playwright to whom tragedy is a gift that deserves to be exposed into the broad light of day, it is Arthur Miller, an expert who saw the American dream as a symbol, not of goodness and righteousness, but of fear, perhaps corruption, of the willingness to do whatever it took to keep humanity locked in a cycle of calamity, of refusing to see that the recklessness of one simple action would be visited upon our children forever.

All My Sons, Theatre Review. The Old Vic, London. full post

(482 words, estimated 1:56 mins reading time)

Betrayal, Theatre Review. The Harold Pinter Theatre, London.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Cast: Tom Hiddleston, Zawe Ashton, Charlie Cox, Eddie Arnold.

The act of infidelity is one that causes infinite pain, but also brings a state of war within the soul of the people affected, regardless of whether they are the instigator of the close-knit treachery or the one left behind, unknowing, blissful in their ignorance, loyal to the ideal that they have in their mind that their world is safe from such corruption.

Betrayal, Theatre Review. The Harold Pinter Theatre, London. full post

(488 words, estimated 1:57 mins reading time)

Admissions, Theatre Review. Trafalgar Studios, London.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

Cast: Alex Kingston, Margot Leicester, Sarah Hadland, Andrew Woodall, Ben Edelman.

We want the world to be a fairer place, the new demand for the 21st Century has to be in keeping with the way we reject the old established ways of doing things, the future is not all about the stereotypical white male view point that history has been defined by, it is about the best person being able to tell the story, regardless of creed, colour, orientation and gender. However, we also want the very best for our children, we arguably will sacrifice our noble intentions if it means we will look back on the moment in which they reach their potential with pride.

Admissions, Theatre Review. Trafalgar Studios, London. full post

(418 words, estimated 1:40 mins reading time)