Category Archives: Theatre

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.

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

(375 words, 1 image, estimated 1:30 mins reading time)

Antony And Cleopatra, Theatre Review. Liverpool Playhouse

Picture from bbc.co.uk

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.

Antony And Cleopatra, Theatre Review. Liverpool Playhouse full post

(384 words, 1 image, estimated 1:32 mins reading time)

Lennon, Theatre Review. The Royal Court.

Cast: Stephen Fletcher, Chris Grahamson, Daniel Healy, Adam Keast, Maria Lawson, Paul Mannion, Jonathon Markwood, Andrew Schofield, Nicky Swift.

In 1981 the Everyman Theatre staged a show that at the time could have been considered evocative and pouring oil onto a very raw and passionate flames. The timing couldn’t have been worse, coming soon after the worst riots to hit parts of the city in generations and so soon after Liverpool lost one of its famous, iconic and much loved sons. Looking back with the benefit of thirty years since the death of John Lennon, the musical has become more of a celebration of the man’s life, rather than the wake it would have been in 1981.

Lennon, Theatre Review. The Royal Court. full post

(412 words, 1 image, estimated 1:39 mins reading time)

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.

House of Ghosts, Theatre Review. Wolverhampton Grand Theatre. full post

(447 words, 1 image, estimated 1:47 mins reading time)

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

picture from everymanplayhouse.com

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.

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

(343 words, 1 image, estimated 1:22 mins reading time)

Scouse Pacific, Theatre Review. Royal Court Theatre.

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

Cast: Paul Duckworth, Stephen FRletcher, 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.

Scouse Pacific, Theatre Review. Royal Court Theatre. full post

(391 words, 1 image, estimated 1:34 mins reading time)

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

Picture from hopestreet.co.uk

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.

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

(314 words, 1 image, estimated 1:15 mins reading time)

No Wise Men, Theatre Review. Playhouse Theatre, Liverpool.

picture from everymanplayhouse.com

Originally published by L.S. Media. December 9th 2010.

Cast: Helen Carter, Annabelle Dowler, Javier Marzan, John Nicholson, Clare Thomson, Milo Twomey.

Take a pinch of Frank Capra’s It’s A Wonderful Life, mix it up with lashings of Hans Christian Anderson’s tale of The Little Match Girl and add the very best of humour from theatre company Peepolykus you end up with a compelling, sometimes heartstring pulling and totally absorbing production of No Wise Men.

No Wise Men, Theatre Review. Playhouse Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(331 words, 1 image, estimated 1:19 mins reading time)

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.

Aladdin, Theatre Review. Empire Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(435 words, 1 image, estimated 1:44 mins reading time)

The Friendship Experiment, Theatre Review. Unity Theatre, Liverpool.

Originally published by L.S. Media. January 15th 2011.

Cast:  Matt Rutter, Tim Lynskey.

It takes two brave men to create the genuinely superb insanity that is portrayed on stage in the form of The Friendship Experiment. From the moment Matt Rutter and Tim Lynskey bound on stage, the audience is in for over an hour of mayhem which will lead them down several rabbit holes and coming out the other side asking “what the hell just happened”.

The Friendship Experiment, Theatre Review. Unity Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(297 words, estimated 1:11 mins reading time)