Tag Archives: Manchester

 Writers: Crystal Williams and Rachel Isbister Director: Chloe Patricia Beale Reviewer: Sam Lowe Getting the chance to walk through the set, in order to take our seats is not done often. This is executed to great effect in this play. It makes you feel like you are in Hannah’s living room in this intimate, 53Two theatre space - looking rather ...

Writer: Simon Beaufoy Director: Rupert Hill Reviewer: Helen Jones There can't be many people above a certain age who haven't seen the film The Full Monty, released in 1997 to great acclaim.  The story of unemployed Sheffield steelworkers resonated in the post-Thatcher era yet gave a feel-good factor to a dark time in modern history. Writer Simon Beaufoy has skillfully ...

Writer: Bertolt Brecht  Composer: Jim Fortune Adptor/Director: Amy Hodge Reviewer: Dave Cunningham Many people argue Mother Courage and Her Children is the best play of the 20thCentury but that doesn’t mean it is easy to watch. Author Bertolt Brecht regarded theatre as a means by which he could communicate his political views and treated niceties like set design, characterisation and even ...

Writer: David Judge Director: Hannah Tyrrell-Pinder Reviewer: Dave Cunningham You have to pay attention during the opening monologue in David Judge’s autobiographical single-person play SparkPlug. Mishear and it may take some time to appreciate that, although Judge is describing his childhood, he is doing so by performing in the role of his adoptive father ; confusingly also named David Judge. ...

Music: Lillian Henley Writer/Director: Suzanne Andrade Reviewer: Sam Lowe “Granny’s Gum Drop?” a mysterious woman asks walking around the auditorium handing out sweets to the audience. People are compelled to take them, even if they don’t end up eating them. This is no innocent gesture in kind as the sweets are for a political purpose. The performers tonight are: Felicity ...

Reviewer: Sam Lowe The lights come up on Switch Manchester. They are a young company of creatives made up of actors, writers, directors, designers, you name it… who present two plays tonight. Their intention is to foster the development of a variety of young talent (aged 17-29) which Manchester has to offer. What an amazing opportunity. An opening to create ...

Book: Thomas Meehan Music: Charles Strouse Director: Nikolai Foster Reviewer: Rebecca Cohen Direct from London’s West End, Annie- the much-loved tale of a red-headed orphan whose hard knock life is turned around in a twist of good fate - has officially opened as a touring production in Manchester. Set in the time of the Great Depression, this musical is anything ...

Music: Bob Gaudio Lyrics: Bob Crewe Book: Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice Director: Des McAnuff Reviewer: Helen Jones Jersey Boys tells the story of how the group The Four Seasons came to be, their success and eventual break-up of the founding members with Frankie Valli going on to front a band of new members. Starting in New Jersey where Tommy Devito, ...