Opening Night verdict ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Promising to be a ‘musical adventure’ Selladoor Worldwide bring J.M. Barrie’s classic Peter Pan to Blackpool’s Opera House this festive season.
Starring X Factor, I’m A Celeb and soon to be Dancing On Ice favourite Jake Quickenden as Pan with Liverpool legend Jennifer Ellison as the villainous Hook and Maureen Nolan as Mrs Darling, Peter Pan is a magical, feel-good, re-telling of an all time classic.
Designer Jessica Curtis sets the action beneath a large eye catching & atmospheric draped tipi, a simple but effective set which lends itself well to scene changes and captivates audiences imaginations as we fly with Pan, Wendy, John and Michael through their bedroom window to Neverland.
Quickenden is on fine form as he makes his stage debut, he is hugely likeable and makes for a charismatic Pan, showcasing his vocal talents beautifully in each of the crowd pleasing musical numbers which include Uptown Funk, Can’t Stop The Feeling and We Are Family.
Ellison’s Hook perfectly compliments Quickenden’s Pan, she is fierce, feisty and boy does she know how to play a baddie……oh yes she does! She has the audience in the palm of her hand from the off as she revels in the boos and delights in the hisses, a glint of devilment in her eyes, she’s all about having fun with this role and giving the audience the great time they came for.
The strong supporting cast work incredibly hard doubling up as both the Lost Boys and Hook’s motley crew to great effect. Director Kirstie Davis ensures each character is clearly defined as they work together seamlessly, each and every cast member full of energy and enthusiasm, engaging the audience entirely. With an additional creative element of puppets taking on the role of Nanny the Dog and the ticking crocodile, both really add to the magic of the piece. Special mention must also go to Grace Osborn as Wendy, strong and sassy, her duet of Breakaway with Quickenden is a real highlight of the show.
The promise of a musical adventure is entirely accurate, while there are some of the fun elements of panto with audience interaction and great humour delivered by local Radio favourite Scott Gallagher as Smee, Robert Marsden’s adaptation of Peter Pan is a step up from the cheeky gags of panto and is more a musical dramatisation of a classic tale. Act One allows the audience to settle into the production before a fast paced all action second act keeps everyone engaged as they will Pan to win the day as he battles to save Wendy, John and Michael from walking Hook’s plank.
The production has something for everyone, an engaging story, well chosen musical numbers, lots of humour as well as strong individual performances. Let your heart be warmed by this magical adventure, highly entertaining, well delivered and jolly good family fun.
On at Blackpool’s Opera House until Saturday 7th January tickets available here.
Bob Tomson and Bill Kenwright’s Evita is full of life and energy: the story is so exhilarating, told at such a breakneck speed that you hardly have time to breath. Madalena Alberto plays Evita with a great deal of sass and attitude juxtaposed with beautiful elegance and grace. It’s little wonder the people of Argentina fell for her charms on the basis of this exceptional performance. Alberto’s rendition of Don’t Cry for me Argentina is simply spine-tingling. Alberto is supported by a great cast; Gian Marco Schiaretti is on fine form as Che, acting as our guide and the shows conscience his presence looms over the production providing humour and a certain degree of menace. In addition Jeremy Secomb is equally as good as Juan Perón; a stern imposing figure whom like the rest of us falls under Evita’s spell.
A special mention to for Cristina Hoey, whose rendition of Another Suitcase in Another Hall, very nearly steals the show. However what stood out most for me, was Bill Deamer’s fantastic and intricate choreography on the big ensemble numbers such as And the Money Keeps Rolling In (and out ) and A New Argentina: add into the mix the bright, colourful costumes and extravagant set design and you cannot help but be impressed by the energy and vibrancy of it all.
Evita is on at the Palace Theatre Manchester till the 9th December tickets available 
Paul is stuck in a failing school which doesn’t even rank high enough to receive an Ofsted rating while Gordon has progressed to headmaster at the nearby snooty Oakmoor Prep. Oakmoor excels every Christmas with the most extravagant of nativities while St Bernadette’s can’t even muster a one star review, cue head teacher Mrs Bevan (JemmaChurchill) instructing Mr Maddens to lead this year’s nativity with the help of clueless new classroom assistant Mr Poppy (Simon Lipkin). Daniel Boys is exceptional as Mr Maddens, delivering a perfectly judged performance, warm and charismatic yet enormously frustrated with his lot. Boys is endearing and hugely likeable as we see his character soften and develop under the influence of the bonkers but brilliant Mr Poppy.
Sidekick to Boys is Simon Lipkin who is perfectly cast as the brilliant Mr Poppy, a big kid with an even bigger heart, his enthusiasm and energy is infectious. He portrays the lovable Mr Poppy superbly; he is incredibly funny, demonstrating a very natural comedic ability that leaves the audience roaring with laughter every time he takes to the stage, an absolute joy.
Each character is so wonderfully defined from the camp and catty local theatre critic (Jamie Chapman) to the power obsessed Mr Shakespeare (Andy Brady), this is storytelling to perfection, with every cast member an absolute delight to watch. David Woodhead’s set as you would hope is a sparkling spectacular sight, versatile and inventive, beautifully lit by Tim Mitchell.
Nativity strikes the perfect balance between being a real show stopping spectacle and delivering genuinely real, relatable and honest theatre. It’s uplifting, hilariously funny and enormously entertaining. Your heart will be warmed and your funny bone well and truly tickled by this sparkly, joyful, festive treat. The standing ovations will no doubt be repeated night after night as this real gem of a production warms hearts with every performance, my only criticism would be that we only get to have it in Manchester for one week, please Nativity! The Musical, come back soon!
Kara Lily Hayworth more than succeeds in stepping into Cilla’s footsteps, having won the role through a tough open audition process, Hayworth belts out showstopper after showstopper with ease and oozes style. With stunning vocals, perfect Cilla like mannerisms and a flawless Scouse accent her performance is superb. When Hayworth closes Act I with Cilla’s 1964 number one hit ‘Anyone Who Had a Heart’ she literally brings the house down, goose-bump inducing brilliance, expertly delivered.
Cilla the musical has clearly been a labour of love for director Bill Kenwright, offering audiences a charming and nostalgic walk down memory lane, act one for me lingers slightly too long in the Cavern days, although the performances are exceptional (Michael Hawkins as John Lennon is fantastic) the pace becomes a little slow, shaving a couple of the songs from this section wouldn’t be of any detriment to the story and would keep the audience fully engaged for the duration. That said, Cilla the Musical is a fantastically fun show, which at its heart is ultimately a love story, not one love story but several, the love story of Bobby and Cilla, Cilla’s love for the music, Brian’s love for his artist, Brian and Bobby’s at times love/hate relationship with each other and even our love for the Scottie Road girl who rose from rags to riches but always remained true to her Liverpudlian roots.
Opening Night 