Month: October 2016

Wind in the Willows

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Rufus Hound as Toad. Photo by Marc Brenner

Step into the glorious English countryside and encounter the delights of woodland and water bank characters in this all new musical Wind in the Willows. Based on the 1908 much-loved children’s classic by Kenneth Grahame the story of Ratty, Mole, Badger and Toad has transformed from book to stage, adapted by Downton Abbey creator and Oscar winner Julian Fellowes with music and lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe.

It’s always a big ask for an audience to buy into a new musical yet this one managed to get the crowds flooding in as it opened at The Lowry, Salford this week where it runs until 6th November. Whether it was the adults craving some childhood nostalgia or introducing their own little ones to the charming tale it certainly struck the right chord on all levels.

From the opening bars we are welcomed into a world where creatures talk, dance and sing as they go about their day to day business. There’s families of foxes, otters, hedgehogs, squirrels and more as the cast of thirty plus perform a number of roles to bring the woodland to life. What the show is essentially about though are the friendships and bonds between these creatures and how they support each other through thick and thin. After a chance meeting by the riverbank, Ratty (Thomas Howes) invites Mole (Fra Fee) to come stay with him and they soon become great pals Messing About in A Boat. On the other side of the water the wise Badger (David Birrel) comes out of his sett to make his old friends’ son, Toad, keep on the straight and narrow.

Rufus Hound (Toad) is fast becoming a musical theatre name, having had successful roles in One Man, Two Guvnors and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels previously. The actor, presenter and comedian comes to this production with a much improved singing voice than ever before and seems perfectly cast as the erratic speed-loving Toad, letting loose on his outrageous behaviour. Having seen Hound previously in action I felt he could have made his portrayal of Toad even wilder especially in the show-stopping number The Amazing Mr. Toad, and really used his zaniness to full effect. Having said that he delighted the crowds and guaranteed lots of laughs as he ‘Poop Poop’d his way through endless scrapes!

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Fra Fee as Mole. Photo by Marc Brenner.

Fra Fee was adorable as the well-meaning Mole, with a heart of gold and a trusting nature. Fee’s lovely Irish lilt added an endearing quality to the character and his voice was full of real emotion for his home as he sang the solo A Place To Come Back To. Other notable performances came from Sophia Nomvete as Mrs Otter-bounding with energy and lighting up the stage with her charisma as the doting Mum looking out for her brood, plus Neil McDermott as Chief Weasel who brought a ‘Del Boy’ quality to the mischievous and downright dirty Wild Wood bunch.

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Neil McDermott as Chief Weasel and the company. Photo by Marc Brenner.

This is a big budget production with some massive ‘showy’ numbers but for me it wasn’t those which left a mark after the curtain fell, it was the scenes that touched your heart for their sweet innocence. By far the best moments were when the extremely cute Hedgehog family lamented the trials of The Hedgehog’s Nightmare of crossing the road without getting squashed by a car and the Door mice choirs beautiful singing.

The true star of the show of Wind in the Willows is the set, a stunning masterpiece by Peter McKintosh. It’s hard not to be blown away by the attention to detail he has gone to in creating the homes of the main characters, from the impressive circular bookcase in Badger’s den to the intentionally frog shaped frame of Toad’s mansion he really does the production proud and sprinkles a bit of magic in every scene.

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Badger’s den. Photo by Marc Brenner.

This quintessentially British production is well worthy of a West End transfer, which is definitely on the cards, although a tweak or two to some of the songs and a bit more action from the script wouldn’t go a miss before it gets there.

Wind in the Willow runs at The Lowry, Salford until 6th November

www.thelowry.com

Elf – The Lowry 2017

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elfWe’ve had some very exciting news for you today here at Opening Night, for the first Christmas Season since its record-breaking run at the West End’s Dominion Theatre, Elf will be heading to The Lowry!

Elf will run for a strictly limited season from Sat 25th November 2017 to Sun 7th January 2018.

Based on the beloved 2003 New Line Cinema hit starring Will Ferrell, Elf is the hilarious tale of Buddy, a young orphan child who mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported back to the North Pole. Unaware that he is actually human, Buddy’s enormous size and poor toy-making abilities cause him to face the truth. With Santa’s permission, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father, discover his true identity, and help New York remember the true meaning of Christmas.

Elf features a book by Tony Award winners Thomas Meehan (Annie, The Producers, Hairspray) and Bob Martin (The Drowsy Chaperone), with songs by Tony Award nominees Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin (The Wedding Singer). The production will feature direction and choreography by Morgan Young (Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), set design and costumes by Olivier Award winner Tim Goodchild, lighting design by Olivier Award winner Tim Lutkin, vocal arrangements by Phil Reno, dance arrangements by David Chase, orchestrations by Doug Besterman, video design by Ian William Galloway and sound design by Clement Rawling. Musical supervision will be by Stuart Morley. Phew what a line up!

Tickets will be available to Lowry members from Friday 28th October* with public sales beginning on Friday 4 November, get those dates in your diary as tickets will no doubt fly out for this magical production!

*First 50 members to buy tickets are entitled to a 2 for 1 offer. Once these have been claimed members can buy one ticket and get the second half price. Offers are only valid for the first performance on Sat 25th November.

http://www.thelowry.com/

Kill The Beast – Don’t Wake The Damp

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After delighting audiences (me included) with previews earlier this year before heading up to the Edinburgh Fridge and receiving 4 and 5* reviews like they were going out of fashion, not to mention the small matter of wining The Stage Edinburgh Award, glorious comedy quintet and Lowry Associate Artists Kill The Beast, return to The Lowry with their revamped and rebooted Don’t Wake The Damp.

Set in a crumbling concrete tower block, doomed for destruction by the almighty Council planning department due to the rising of some devilishly dangerous damp we find our heroin June (Natasha Hodgson). Former Science-Fiction screen siren now more at home cradling a casserole June is determined neither the Damp nor the Council will take her down. After kidnapping Council worker Terry Brambles (needs must….we’ve all been tempted right?) June is unwillingly thrust into the company of her nerdy and narcissistic neighbours to tackle the deadly damp that’s rising all around them.

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Directed by Clem Garritty who also co-writes with performers David Cumming, Oliver Jones, Zoe Roberts and Natasha Hodgson, Don’t Wake the Damp it a riotous jape full of glorious gags, bonkersly brilliant songs and electric performances. The team are fantastic, playing weirdly wonderful characters to perfection; their strong characterisation makes even the most deliciously daft totally lovable. The writing is brilliant; the speed at which the gags come is seriously quick, you’ve barely stifled your snorts from one joke and you’re laughing your socks off at the next. The use of projected animations designed by Alex Purcell displayed on three large moveable screens behind the performers allow this quick paced piece to move from scene to scene effortlessly and adds perfectly to the unique charm of this retro sci-fi comedy mash-up.

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There isn’t a more marvellous way to while away an evening than in the company of Kill The Beast, an absolute treat from start to finish, get yourself to The Lowry before the Damp overcomes us all! On until Saturday 29th October, tickets available below!

http://www.thelowry.com/event/dont-wake-the-damp1

Stick Man

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Scamp Theatre’s Stick Man – Live on Stage from Scamp Theatre on Vimeo.

If you know a little person say six years old or under then there’s no doubt you may have heard of a children’s book called the Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. In fact Julia has written a number of books for youngsters that have gone down a storm both in and out of the classroom. Stick Man is one of those well-loved tales and, like the Gruffalo before it, has also been made into an animation and now a stage play.

Packing out the Quays Theatre at The Lowry, Salford during the October half-term Scamp Theatre and Freckle Production’s Stick Man is a delightful show from start to finish. With just three talented actors at the helm (Jennifer Greenwood, Robert Jackson and David Shute) it provides 60 minutes of non-stop family entertainment involving, song, dance and puppetry.

The story is a simple tale to tell, of Stick Man (yes, a man who is a stick), his Stick Lady Love and their three little stick children. When Stick Man goes out for a jog one day he ends up in a number of dangerous situations; he gets picked up by a dog; played with by a little girl and gets pecked at by a swan – all of which, for Stick Man, is pretty terrifying! His pleas of “I’m Stick Man that’s me and I long to be back in the family tree” are ignored as he is left stranded and alone, struggling to find his way home.

The majority of the show is sung, accompanied by music and sound effects which bring Stick Man’s story to life. Combined with this the actor’s physical movements and miming are used to full effect to really engage with the children’s imagination, managing to create an array of characters with minimal costumes and props. There’s audience participation a plenty as the cast run out into the audience creating a panto-style chase that has the kid’s joyous voices crying out in unison ‘He’s behind you’ plus there’s even a game of bat and ball to get everyone involved.

As a child of the 80’s the talented Stick Man trio of Robert, Jennifer and David reminded me of a Rod, Jane and Freddy for today (without the mad perms and bad dress sense and with 100 times more talent and panache). The kids loved them, the adults adored them too and by the end they made sure everyone had fallen in love with Stick Man and his family.

Stick Man runs at The Lowry until 30th October. Performances at 11am, 2pm and 4pm daily.

www.thelowry.com

 

 

 

Ghost – The Musical

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Based on Bruce Joel Rubin’s 1990 smash hit film starring screen legends Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg, and following the original musical interpretation which premiered at Manchester’s Opera House back in 2011, Bill Kenwright brings his new production of Ghost the Musical to the Palace Theatre.

With music by Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart, and lyrics from Grammy Award winner Glen Ballard (whose previous credits include Alanis Morrissette’s album Jagged Little Pill) Ghost tells the story of young, loved up New Yorkers Sam (Andy Moss) and Molly (Sarah Harding). Sam is tragically murdered in the street in a robbery gone wrong, which we soon learn was organised by his close friend and work colleague Carl (Sam Ferriday). As Sam takes his last breaths he soon realises he has become stuck between two worlds, ripped away from his love too soon he realises she too is in danger and he must find a way to connect and protect her. This connection comes in the form of Oda Mae Brown (Jacqui Dubois) so called psychic and spiritual healer, or more accurately fraudster and dodgy dealer.

Harding has come under heavy criticism for her performance in the role, most notably in the opening stops on the tour, but I’m happy to say Manchester’s audience welcomed her with open arms and she gave a touching and enjoyable performance. At times her acting was a little breathy but there is no denying she has a sweet and soulful voice and the chemistry between her and Andy Moss was moving. Fair play to her for getting up on stage night after night when even the most confident of us would be hiding under a blanket eating a vat of ice cream if we’d had even half of the criticism she’s received. She has clearly worked hard to improve her performance and is determined to silence her critics.

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Andy Moss makes for a very likeable and playful Sam making his death seem all the more tragic, his commitment to protecting Molly from danger is moving and his interactions with Oda Mae (Jacqui Dubois) are brilliant. Moss portrays Sam’s highs prior to his death with warmth and excels when the lows of the afterlife take hold. Dubois was born to play Oda Mae Brown, if ever they remake the film she should be first in line at the auditions, outrageous, hilarious and full of sass, she shines in this production and her fun interactions with both Sam and Molly are a joy to watch.

With a strong supporting cast including a fine performance from Sam’s sly former friend Carl (Sam Ferriday) Ghost is a highly entertaining show, with beautiful music and some clever effects you’ll laugh, quite possibly cry and definitely come away from the production wishing you’d kept up with those pottery classes!

On at the Palace Theatre until Saturday 29th October, tickets available here!

http://www.atgtickets.com/shows/ghost-the-musical/palace-theatre-manchester/

Richard O’Brien’s Rocky Horror Show

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Heading into the Opera House on a cold Monday night surrounded by burly boys in stockings and suspenders and gorgeous girls in teeny tiny French maid’s outfits can only mean one thing; the fabulous Rocky Horror Show is back in town!

An unbelievable 43 years old now, Rocky Horror shows no signs of ageing as this bright, bold and brilliant production burst into life. There is a buzz in the air from the many audience members dressed up for the occasion and the cheers and whoops begin as soon as the curtain rises. If you don’t know the story…(Really?! Where have you been!) then here’s a brief overview; conservative kid Brad (Richard Meek) and his straight-laced fiancé Janet (Hayley Flaherty) are on their way to visit their old science teacher Dr Scott (Paul Cattermole). Their car breaks down on a dark windy road in the middle of nowhere; the only thing in sight is a creepy looking castle, of course they decide to knock on the door and ask for help, and so the fun begins as we meet Frank-N-Furter and his debauched gaggle of a gang.

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Taking on the part of Narrator is Charlie Condou, well known for his recent role in Corrie, Charlie makes for a witty and cheeky narrator, he gives as good as he gets with the notoriously quick audience heckling and is immediately likeable with his relaxed and fun approach to telling the tale. Before you know it you’re up on your feet doing the Time Warp much to the delight of the audience and screaming with pleasure as Frank-N-Furter (Liam Tamne) makes his entrance. Tamne makes for a delicious Frank, sassy, strutting and completely debauched, exactly as he should be!

Director Christopher Luscombe has done a fine job of making this production an absolute must-see, the whole cast are exceptional. Both Hayley Flaherty (Janet) and Richard Meek (Brad) are superb, their transformation from prim and proper to debauched and dirty is fabulous. Paul Cattermole takes on two roles Eddie and Dr Scott and does a fine job with each. Special mention also must go to Kristian Lavercombe Riff Raff, Kay Murphy Magenta and the brilliant Sophi Linder-Lee Columbia flirty and frivolous, complementing our leads perfectly.

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Added to the superb cast, the creative team have delivered a visually stunning show, costumer designer Sue Blame has kept things traditional which is exactly what the audience want to see, whilst set designer Hugh Durrant wraps the stage in a giant celluloid movie reel perfectly lit by Nick Richings tremendous lightening design.

The show is sharp and without doubt the most fun you can have on a Monday night in Manchester, fun, filthy and totally fabulous! On at the Opera House until Monday, tickets available here!

http://www.atgtickets.com/shows/the-rocky-horror-show-2/opera-house-manchester/

Shirley Valentine 2017 tour

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In celebration of Shirley Valentine’s 30th Anniversary, Willy Russell’s heart-warming comedy will embark on a UK tour in 2017, arriving at The Lowry on Monday 19th until Saturday 24th June, starring fans favourite, actress Jodie Prenger as our Shirley.

Undoubtedly one of the UK’s most successful playwrights, Russell’s award-winning work including Educating Rita, Blood Brothers, Our Day Out and Shirley Valentine has been performed all over the world. Talking about the new tour Russell says; “It’s now thirty years since Shirley Valentine first walked onto the page, into my life and the lives of so many others. Shirley cooked her first meal of egg and chips on the stage of the Everyman Theatre Liverpool before then hoofing it down to London where along with the cooking and talking to the wall she started picking up the string of awards she’d win in the West End, on Broadway and in the film that earned both BAFTAs and Academy Award Nominations.”

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Talking about the reasons for deciding to take Shirley on tour now on her 30th anniversary, Russell explained, “The one thing Shirley Valentine has not done of late is extensively tour the UK. There have been approaches and plans mooted but, somehow, it’s just never quite felt right and so I’ve resisted such efforts – until now! When producer Adam Spiegel introduced me to Jodie Prenger I knew in an instant that here was a formidable actress, one who possessed the grit and the warmth, the drive and the vulnerability, the energy and the heart to make Shirley Valentine really live again. How could any playwright resist that or deny the whole of the UK the chance to see Jodie bring Shirley to life?”

No stranger to the theatre having appeared in numerous West End productions, UK tours as well as being a regular on our TV screens and radios, Prenger will no doubt relish the challenge of bringing to life such a beloved and treasured character, warm, witty and at times achingly vulnerable, Jodie is the perfect choice for the role.

The tour will be directed by Glen Walford who directed the original production and produced by Adam Spiegel Productions (Motown, The Last Tango, The Producers, Dance ‘Til Dawn, Midnight Tango, Love Me Tender, The Mousetrap on Tour). Tickets are on sale now via the link below

http://www.thelowry.com/event/shirley-valentine

 

To a Simple Rock’n’Roll … Song – Michael Clark

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Commissioned by the Barbican, London, To a Simple Rock’n’Roll … Song is a three act work showcasing Michael Clark’s signature choreography, precise, clean and always meticulous.

Act I: Satie Studs/Ogives Composite is set to the piano music of Erik Satie. The dancers execute the intricate choreography well and the piece flows as individuals contort themselves into complex and arresting positions. Each chord is matched by uniform movement complemented by the body hugging white and black bodysuits adorned by each dancer.

In Act II: Land, Clark sexes things up with PVC flares and pelvic thrusts all set to the Punk tunes of Patti Smith. The piece is sharp and sassy, with the strength and agility of the dancers on full display. Gritty and suggestive, fully of confidence and swagger, Act II is greeted with whoops and cheers from the audience.

Set entirely to the music of David Bowie titled, “my mother, my dog and CLOWNS!” (lyrics from the much loved Life On Mars), Act III is vibrant, exciting and a fitting climax to the works. Dancers dash around the stage in firstly gleaming gunmetal bodysuits to the sounds of Bowie’s last work Blackstar then later fiery vibrant orange ombre suits to the iconic 1973 sounds of Aladdin Sane. The piece is packed with energy, the choreography bold and engaging, a befitting end to the night.

http://www.michaelclarkcompany.com/

 

All or Nothing – The Mod Musical

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We’ve been celebrating Mod culture for well over 50 years: the influence this movement has on music and fashion still prominent today. You only had to look at the Lambretta scooters outside the Manchester Opera House or take a look at the nifty threads some of the audience members were wearing to see how apparent this is. Clearly there is a great appetite for nostalgia and a trip down memory lane so it seems right that one of the leading lights of the Mod scene get the musical treatment.

The Small Faces were a seminal band during the mod movement, members Kenny Jones, Ronnie Lane, Ian McLagan, and lead singer Steve Marriot formed the group in 1965, and went on to have chart success in the UK and the States: All or Nothing – The Mod Musical, not only charts the bands rise and fall but celebrates the music and culture of the swinging sixties.

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The story opens with the bands demise at an infamous gig on New Year’s Eve at Alexandra Palace. It is here we are introduced to an older middle aged and tragically deceased incarnation of Marriot (Chris Simmons). Older Steve is our guide through the ups and downs of the band. Simmons is in full cheeky chappy cockney geezer mode, he is outstanding in the role of the beer socked narrator. His energy and enthusiasm shine through when the band is on the rise, which makes his decline all the more poignant, as we see the drink and drugs take hold.

Simmons performance is mirrored by Tim Edwards, who play the young Marriot, full of zest, but then with the wheels falling off begins to spiral into his own madness matching Simmons tortured performance. Edwards is ably supported by Joshua Dowen, Josh Maddison, and Drew-Levi Huntsman: fully encapsulating the spirit of being in a band, all talented musicians in their own right.

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Carol Harrison, who plays Steve’s Mum also wrote and produced the production, a self confessed Mod this certainly is a love letter to this period in history; the story of success/failure being a well-worn path, the script certainly has more than enough pathos to keep you engaged. Despite the tragic tale at the heart of the production there are also some moments of comic brilliance, the sending up of Juke Box Jury and Top of the Pops being the highlights.

This is an ambitious production well matches its own lofty ambitions. From the offset the Small Faces back catalogue including All or Nothing and Tin Soldiers, as well as numbers by artists including Dusty Springfield and PP Arnold are performed with so much life and energy it’s difficult to single anyone for particular praise as they all work their socks off: however special praise must go to Daniel Beales and Russell Floyd who seem to relish playing the multiple roles done with great comic timing.

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Overall this relatively new production has the perfect blend of humour and nostalgia to make for a fantastically fun night out. The show draws to a close with the cast performing a medley of The Small Faces greatest hits: which had the audience dancing in the aisles and a few lucky punters up on stage. The “Mod” culture was certainly alive and well at the Manchester Opera House tonight!

All or Nothing – The Mod Musical is at the Manchester Opera House till 22nd October.

http://www.atgtickets.com/shows/all-or-nothing/opera-house-manchester/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Relatively Speaking

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Relatively Speaking copyright: Nobby Clark

Alan Ayckbourn delivers a rip roaring comedy of errors in one of his early plays, Relatively Speaking. Currently on tour around the UK, the King of Farces work is a genius piece of writing that doesn’t fail to amuse almost 50 years after it first took to the stage.

The latest production stars famous faces Robert Powell and Liza Goddard as middle-class husband and wife Phillip and Sheila whose leisurely Sunday afternoon gets interrupted by a young man with a huge case of mistaken identity.

Set in the 60s the play opens to reveal a cramped bedsit where we find new lovebirds Ginny (Lindsey Campbell) and Greg (Anthony Eden).  Ginny is busy getting ready to visit her parents, whilst boyfriend Greg becomes increasingly annoying as he quizzes her over mysterious phone calls she has been getting, along with deliveries of flowers and chocolates.

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Ginny and Greg copyright: Nobby Clark

Lindsey Campbell and Anthony Eden are superb as the young couple both creating well rounded characters and delivering huge dualogues with ease. It’s often hard to keep the audience’s attention when there are only two actors onstage for such a lengthy time but Campbell and Eden manage to keep you transfixed and eager to find out what is going to happen next.

Peter McKintosh does a great job of the set design, capturing the period with garish yellow print wallpaper that wouldn’t look out of place on a sixties record sleeve and posters highlighting the popular films of the time like Breakfast at Tiffany’s and A Hard Day’s Night. There is an awkward scene change when we move from crammed city bedsit to the picturesque countryside involving a full curtain closure and music for at least a couple of minutes, so much so you feel it might be an early interval. It’s quite a dramatic move for director Robin Herford to make and does jar the action. However, as the curtains eventually re open, you can appreciate why this is necessary as there’s an impressive backdrop of a detached house complete with French doors, patio, and garden furniture.

This signals the action moving to the upmarket home of Philip and Sheila who are enjoying reading the Sunday papers in the garden.

On press night Liza Goddard was unable to play the role of Sheila so understudy Sarah Simpkins stood in for her, doing a sterling job. It’s not often nowadays to see productions that have understudies for every role but Relatively Speaking does just that with a full set of actors available should the need arise. Simpkins facial expressions are priceless as she tries her best to fathom why young Greg has turned up on their doorstep and even more so when Ginny follows soon after. The laughter from the audience is constant, especially as you move into the second half of the play and the farcically action reaches its heights. Robert Powell demonstrates his acting prowess playing the ageing businessman who delights in winding up both his wife and those around him with dry wit and amusing frustration. There’s a moment when it looks as if Powell will corpse at the hilarious antics on display but the Salford born actor shows his professionalism and manages to hold it together.

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copyright: Nobby Clark

Watching Relatively Speaking was the most fun I have had at the theatre in ages. Prepare to leave with sore sides from all the laughing you do during the two hours it is on stage. Thoroughly enjoyable, the play runs at The Lowry until Saturday 22nd October.

www.thelowry.com

 

The Wanted star joins Grease UK Tour

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From the pop world to treading the boards…The Wanted’s Tom Parker is set to embark on his first ever theatrical role as heart throb Danny Zuko in Grease. 

The original West End production of the iconic musical Grease heads out on tour next year, opening at the Palace Theatre Manchester on Friday 10 March 2017.

The original high-school musical features everyone’s favourite characters- Sandy, Danny, the T Birds, Pink Ladies and the whole gang at Rydell High – plus all the unforgettable songs from the hit movie including You’re The One That I Want, Grease Is The Word and Summer Nights.

Pop star Tom joins the cast of Grease after amassing worldwide success with his band The Wanted, achieving three platinum albums, two sold out arena tours, and 3 million singles sold in America. After The Wanted split in 2014, 28 year old Tom continued his music and more recently reached the final of Channel 4’s The Jump. Grease will be the word for Tom as he starts rehearsals for the 2017 UK tour of the musical with further casting to be announced soon.

 

For more information, visit www.greasethemusical.co.uk

Or follow them on twitter @greasemusical

For Palace Theatre tickets go to : www.atgtickets.com

 

Interview with Kill the Beast’s Natasha Hodgson

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Ahead of Multi-award winning Kill The Beast’s (no doubt) triumphant return to the Lowry with the deliciously dark and brilliantly balmy Don’t Wake The Damp, we spoke to Natasha Hodgson, 1 fifth of the team and all round comedy genius, about competitive pumpkin carving, comedic inspirations and the sheer terror of the Silent Singer.

–          Your return to The Lowry around Halloween seems perfect timing for the show, are you a fan of Halloween? If so how will you be marking the occasion?

I’ve always been a massive Halloween fan – it’s essentially an international competition to see who can look the stupidest and who can eat the most teeth-meltingly terrible sweets. There’s nothing not to love about it. Pumpkin carving is probably on the cards this year – Lidl do an absolutely barnstorming deal on pumpkins, and I get very competitive about creating a pleasing design. I’ll probably do a couple of practice pumpkins, just so that when I get to Pumpkin 2.0, I don’t embarrass myself. Or Lidl.

–          How did your partnership with The Lowry come about?

We first approached The Lowry back in ye olde 2011, with a small, horrible children’s book called The Boy Who Kicked Pigs. We explained that we wanted to adapt it, as it ended with a small boy being impaled by spikes and then getting eaten to death by rats. Naturally, they had to have it. They offered us a position on their amazing ‘Developed With’ programme, and the rest, as they say, is getting eaten to death by rats.

–          As well established performers at the Fringe how did you find the transition to performing in theatres?

Actually our first ever performance as a group was on The Lowry theatre stage – so we’ve been very spoilt from the off! It’s ruined us, really. The strangest place we’ve ever performed was probably underneath a railway tunnel – you had to try and time your lines so that they didn’t get drowned out by the (extremely) regular trains overhead. It really added an interesting atmosphere (the atmosphere being that of many, many trains). 

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–          You’re sometimes labelled as one of the darker comedy collections, who would you say were your key influences?

All five of us grew up adoring dark comedy, and it probably still makes up about 95% of our conversation (the other 5% is The Apprentice, which thinking about it is just another type of dark comedy) – we grew up devouring The League Of Gentlemen, Garth Merenghi’s Darkplace, Nighty Night, The Mighty Boosh, I Am Not An Animal, Monkey Dust, The Office – all wonderful food for our dreadful little souls. The films of people like Ben Wheatley, Alice Lowe and Richard Ayoade are also massive inspirations – long may they reign.

–          As huge fans of The League of Gentleman and Psychoville, your work is right up our street, if you could beam any comedy character into your work which would you chose?

For me, personally, it would be the Silent Singer from Pyschoville – never has a character with absolutely no lines filled me with both pure terror and pure joy. You wouldn’t even need to do anything else to the scene. Just a couple of people having a normal conversation about trams or gout or chess or something, whilst in the background, Silent Singer writhes. What a creation. What dreadful people they are.

–          Following on from this, would you ever consider inviting guest performers? If so who would be your dream person to work with?

We’re far too insecure to allow anyone else on-stage with us. Please don’t try. If I absolutely had to, I’d say probably Julia Davis, creator of Nighty Night and Hunderby, among other things. She has a dark, genius brain and I would take any opportunity to see it up close.

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–          Do you write collectively as a group?

We do, it’s both highly enjoyable and extremely inefficient. We all go off and write first drafts of scenes on our own, bring em to the group, read them out and then we let battle commence. The good lines stay – there is usually about 3 good lines in any given draft, unless they’re written by me in which case every line is absolute gold – and everything else gets tossed out. We talk and talk and endlessly argue. And then the process begins again. You’d think there’d only be so much conversation you could have about the word ‘pamphlet’ and whether it is comically superior to the word ‘leaflet’. You’d be wrong. And it is.

–          Do you consider yourself primarily as an actor or comedienne?

I think I’d consider myself primarily a writer, who for financial reasons has to read out her own lines on-stage whilst wearing an imposing wig. I think that’s the technical situation we’re in. I enjoy creating comedy more than any other type of performance, though whether that enjoyment makes you a comedian or an actor I’m not sure. I think there’s an in-between space somewhere that we’re all happy to wriggle stickily into.

Only one of us trained formally as an actor (I’ll let you guys guess, answers on a fairly hurtful postcard please), the rest of us just really enjoy messing around, bellowing and creating horrid stories about dreadful people. 

–          As performing as a group works so well for you all do any of you ever perform alone?

Kill the Beast is getting really busy, which is lovely, but means we don’t have loads of time for other performancy commitments. Dave performs solo as his amazing drag character/beat poet Cheryl Dole (who you should check out, she’s incred) and I also perform as a backing singer in a theatre/rock band called Felix Hagan And The Family –we’re actually about to go on tour with Frank Turner, come along! Ollie and Clem also performed a duo show at the Edinburgh fringe last year, a series of comedy poems called The Tale Of The Twiddly Widdlies – in fact, what am I talking about, we do loads of stuff outside Kill the Beast, am I even in Kill the Beast?

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–          After a great 2016, what can we expect to see from you all in 2017?

 We’re hoping to do a bigger run of our new show Don’t Wake The Damp (though not sure we’ll bring it back to Manchester, so this Halloween is your last chance!) and we’re looking forward to starting a couple of new projects – a podcast, and a theatre project that DOESN’T involved projection screens (we can’t wait to leave the projector at home for a while). I don’t want to say too much, but currently Kill the Beast’s 2017 will involve detectives, bananas, lifeguards, estate agents and an inevitably high body count. We can’t wait.

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Kill The Beast will be performing Don’t Wake The Damp at The Lowry, Wednesday 26th-Saturday 29th October, if you haven’t seen them before then what the hell is wrong with you? If you have you’ll already have your tickets and be feeling delightfully smug about it.

Tickets are selling fast so be quick, available from the link below…

http://www.thelowry.com/event/dont-wake-the-damp1