Category Archives: Theatre

They Call Her Natasha, Theatre Review. Everyman Theatre, Liverpool.

Originally published by L.S. Media. February 23rd 2011.

Cast: Lou Dalgleish, Michael Weston King, Gladstone Wilson.

We are all familiar with the idea with obsession, so much so that in a way we can all claim to have one, but what happens when the fixation takes over your life and takes you to places that should be well left alone. In the Everyman Theatre’s new season of productions They Call Her Natasha looks at this obsession from the point of a fan gripped with Liverpool raised musician Elvis Costello.

Oedipus, Theatre Review. Playhouse Theatre, Liverpool.

Originally published by L.S. Media. February 23rd 2011.

Cast: Anthony Barclay, Sean Buckley, Ian Drysdale, Mark Frost, Christopher Hogben, Louise Jameson, Eoin McCarthy, Alex McSweeney, Simon Merrells, Vincenzo Nicoli, Anthony Ofoegbu.

If you’re going to start off a new season of plays then they don’t come much bigger in terms of minimalist style and historical significance than the first true great piece of tragedy performances, Sophocles’ Oedipus.

Aladdin, Theatre Review. Empire Theatre, Liverpool.

Originally published by L.S. Media. December 15th 2010.

Cast: Pamela Anderson, Les Dennis, Mark Moraghan, Pete Price, Dani Rayner, Marc Mulcahey, Sean Kearns, Djalenga Scott, Conleth Kane.

For the second year running the Empire Theatre pulled off a masterstroke of casting and persuaded one of the Hollywood glitterati to be the main draw at their Christmas spectacular pantomime. Last year, Liverpool was treated to the sight of Henry Winkler playing Captain Hook to great acclaim; this year treading the boards of the Empire was Baywatch star Pamela Anderson in the wonderful story of Aladdin.

The Red Shoes, Theatre Review. Unity Theatre, Liverpool.

Originally published by L.S. Media. December 4th 2010.

Cast: Holly Wilson-Guy, Julie Langford, Harriet Leah Preston, Aiden Lee Brooks, Graham Geoffrey Hicks, Mike Idris.

The Unity Theatre may be one of the smaller theatres in Liverpool but the productions it puts on are as big as the heart at its core. Groundbreaking and enthusiastic, its successes are numerous and with The Red Shoes it looks as though they can chalk up another much loved production to their expanding list of theatre accomplishments.

Scouse Pacific, Theatre Review. Royal Court Theatre.

Originally published by L.S. Media. December 4th 2010.

Cast: Paul Duckworth, Stephen Fletcher, Lindzi Germain, Rachel Rae, Andrew Schofield, Alan Stocks, Zoei Cozens, Niamh Fitzgerald, Kay Staunton, Sarah Walker.

Gambling, swearing nuns, a lost tribe of Scousers, a Catholic Father who is more uncouth than clean cloth and more bananas than you can shake a banana tree at are just some of the elements in this year’s Christmas stunning production by The Royal Court, the epic Scouse Pacific.

Sleeping Beauty, The Rock And Roll Panto. Theatre Review. Everyman Theatre, Liverpool.

Originally published by L.S. Media. December 2nd 2010.

Cast: Jonny Bower, Adam Day Howard, Catherine Henderson, Adam Keast, David McGranaghan, Nicky Swift, Francis Tucker, Sarah Yezmar, Matthew Wycliffe.

To a lot of people in Liverpool, Christmas is nothing without the chance to visit the Everyman Theatre and attend their much talked about Rock and Roll Panto. This year’s production of Sleeping Beauty lived up to all that had been promised and added just a few sprinkles of fairy dust into the mix to deliver a stand out family night of good music, wonderful use of double entendres and wonderfully crafted tale of jealousy, love and water spraying gnomes.

House of Ghosts, Theatre Review. Wolverhampton Grand Theatre.

Originally published by L.S. Media. November 7th 2010.

Cast: Colin Baker, David Axton, Andrew Bone, Paul Clarkson, Lynette Edwards, Gregory Finniegan, John Fleming, Caroline Harding, Christopher Heyward, Rachel Logan, Judith Rae, Gay Soper, Glynn Sweet, Nicole Ashwood, Richard Stirling.

When Inspector Morse finally solved his last case in The Remorseful Day, television and crime literature lost one of the greatest fictional detectives. Portrayed with aplomb by John Thaw on the small screen, he made the character that Colin Dexter created, seem entirely and wonderfully human. With faults that we all carry, namely, arrogance in our own belief, prone to falling in love with the wrong person and a liking for the odd pint, Morse is quite arguably the best fictional detective of the last 100 years.

Antony And Cleopatra, Theatre Review. Liverpool Playhouse.

Originally published by L.S. Media.

Cast: Kim Cattrall, Jeffrey Kissoon, Ian Hogg, Martin Hutson, Martin Herdman, Aicho Kossoko, Gracy Goldman, Muzz Khan, Offue Okegbe, Bhasker Patel, Simon Manyonda, Mark Sutherland, Alex Blake, Robert Orme, Ross Armstrong, Mark Gillis.

If ever there was a title contender for most eagerly awaited play to hit Liverpool, then surely Janet Suzman’s directorial adaption of William Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra would sweep everything else aside.

The Sound of Music, Theatre Review. Empire Theatre, Liverpool.

Originally published by L.S. Media. October 14th 2010.

Cast: Marilyn Hill Smith, Connie Fisher, Jennifer Owen, Suzanne Richardson, Ashleigh Richardson, Jenna Boyd, Michael Praed, Tony Kemp, Claire Fishenden.

Everything about The Sound of Music screams success. From the set design, the musicianship, the much loved songs and the choreography, everything that you could want from a musical, The Sound of Music delivered in spades.

For some The Sound of Music will only ever be about Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer’s dynamic in the 1965 film release but there is so much more to this story than the sight of nun’s and Nazis in pre-war Germany.

Gold Mountain, Theatre Review. Unity Theatre, Liverpool.

Cast: David Yip, Eugene Salleh.

What is never in doubt about Liverpool is how the city has survived and thrived as a hotch-potch of different cultures and ideals. From the Irish who disembarked at Liverpool docks during the potato famine and who arrived with not the slightest idea of what was going to happen to their lives or culture, to the Chinese who had to cross oceans and the thoughts of internal tyranny to arrive in Liverpool to face prejudice and suspicion at every corner.