Waterside Arts

The Bear

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Reviewed by Jodie Crawford

Opening Night verdict ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Waterside Arts in Sale, brings us another Christmas feast of entertainment for the family. This year it is The Bear, a stage adaptation of the wonderful Raymond Briggs book. The tale has similar themes to that of another beautiful story of Briggs’, the Snowman. 

This show, a Pins and Needles Production, features young Tilly, a girl with an imagination and a friendly Teddy Bear, who kept the children entertained while waiting for the show to begin. One blustery night a polar bear comes to stay, blundering through her bedroom window in the deep of the night. 

Tilly adores the Bear from the moment he arrives. She desperately wants him to stay. Together they play games such as hide and seek (he’s very good at it). Tilly quickly comes to realise that taking care of a bear is not the easiest of tasks.  

This story is one of friendship and love. You can’t help but be touched by the closeness and companionship these two characters create on stage. There are so many moments that give us, the audience, the complete warm and fuzzies. There is a woven thread through this whole story of the power of the imagination and the importance of closeness for a child. 

The heartwarming scenes are linked together with comedy, song and some good old fashioned dance moves. We are treated to bubbles and snow and even a blast of a water pistol (bad luck if you’re near the front). 

But what the most spectacular thing about this production is, is the Bear itself. The puppetry is divine, it’s carefully considered, gentle, dynamic and purposeful. The fact that we can clearly see the puppeteers does not distract from the way in which we are captivated by the bear, the characterisation from both actors allows us to simply see them as part of the bear. It’s very clever and powerful. 

We were mesmerised, transfixed and entertained through out the entire production, it’s one we will talk about for Christmases to come.

The Waterside always knows how to do Christmas, and this year they have excelled themselves by bringing this show to town.

The Bear is on at The Waterside, Sale until Sunday 29th December tickets available here.

The Snow Queen

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Reviewed by Jodie Crawford

Opening Night verdict ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


Often when you take the children along to children’s theatre you know that while a show might be enjoyable, it isn’t going to have a huge impact on you or your family. And that is where Snow Queen differs and why it’s so important that you go and see it with your children.

This beautifully constructed play is about a young girl called Luna, who is frustrated by the fact that the planet is warming up and no one seems to care. She dreams of being an activist and making a change in the world. She is definitely channelling her inner Greta Thunberg.

Worried by the length of time it has been since it snowed last, she begins by writing letters to the Snow Queen: the decider of the weather. But she receives no response. Frustrated yet undeterred, young Luna embarks on a quest to go and confront the Snow Queen herself and get some answer to her many, many questions. 

On her journey she meets different characters played by the wonderful Molly Grace-Cutler. She meets Horton, a hoarding tortoise, then my personal favourite, Frost, a gadget obsessed polar bear (giving of East 17 vibes) and finally Oops, an overworked elf who is tired of the impersonal workplace that the North Pole has become.

Molly Grace- Cutler is marvellous in all these roles, bringing many accents and characters to life. And some pretty good guitar playing skills too!

Luna, played by Amy Tara, is a wonderful role model to our children, her portrayal is thought provoking and empowering. She engaged the younger audience members and still managed to challenge our thinking throughout.

Then finally, the Snow Queen, themselves, what a breath of fresh air they are. An elegant and humorous delivery from Richard Priestly. It is no surprise that Richard has much experience in young people’s theatre. He is majestic in this role – I love that the role of the snow queen is represented as “they” and “them”, my child didn’t question the Snow Queen’s gender at any time during or after the performance. Because the Snow queen is just that…the Snow Queen-a being that is beautiful, powerful and mighty, but also vulnerable and having feelings of being fed up with the world and how the behaviour of its inhabitants is harming the planet and no-one really cares. But once Luna comes along and shows the Snow Queen that they have the power to help reverse things and save the planet, things change, and for the better.

I loved this. It was such a refreshing change from the familiar Christmas shows, the Waterside have made an excellent decision putting this on as their festive offering.

A musical tale, with much heart and hope, with a message for us all to take away – a chance for us all to change the world. Thank you Wrongsemble for inspiring my child through theatre.

The Snow Queen is on at Waterside Arts until Saturday 30th December tickets available here.

Marisha Wallace | Live

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Reviewed by Nikki Cotter

Opening Night verdict ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Hot on the heels of her final Waitress performance and ahead of opening as Motormouth Maybelle in the London Coliseum production of Hairspray this April, Marisha Wallace has embarked on her first ever UK tour; launching with a bang last night at Sale’s Waterside Arts venue.

Bursting onto the stage looking spectacular in silver sequins and white marabou feathers Marisha proves she means business opening with a stunning rendition of Etta James’ Something’s Got A Hold on Me.

Accompanied by a four-piece band led by musical director Ross Stanley and two soulful backing singers, Marisha’s warm personality and magnetic charisma shine through as she opens up to her audience through frequent heartfelt exchanges between songs. Announcing that when she first performed in public aged just 5 years old she forgot all the words, it’s safe to say she had no such problem last night as she promptly treated the excited audience to a superb rendition of Stevie Wonder’s I Was Made To Love Her.

It’s clear to see that soul runs through her veins and the music she listened to growing up as a child in North Carolina has really shaped her as an incredibly expressive performer who communicates not only with her voice but with her whole being. She is an absolute natural on stage, incredible to think at aged just 17 she was told she may never sing again due to a cyst on her vocal chords which following the prayers of her parents miraculously disappeared when she went for surgery leaving scar tissue in its place.

The varied set list has been lovingly created catering perfectly for all tastes, Act 1 is made up largely of soul classics with a lively rendition of Tina Turner’s River Deep Mountain High ensuring this party gets well and truly started while Marisha’s version of The Bee Gee’s How Deep Is Your Love is as emotional as it is pure.

There’s well-chosen tracks from musical theatre with a heartbreakingly beautiful performance of Heart of Stone from musical theatre phenomenon SIX which is given a goose-bump inducing gospel spin while Marisha explains to the audience how the lyrics speak to her, “A heart of stone to me means that love is resilient, that I have loved before and I truly believe my resilient heart means I have the capacity as we all do to love again”. This level of honesty combined with her unquestionable talent endear her to her audience so completely they literally hang on her every word.

She closes Act 1 will a sensational Aretha Franklin medley, a tribute to the legendary singer whom she met backstage when the star came to watch Disney’s Aladdin on Broadway, you can’t help but think how much joy her performance would bring to the late great Aretha.

Act 2 opens with Marisha’s catchy new single Fight Like A Woman, a sassy, strong pop anthem entirely fitting for International Women’s Day; she then continues her celebration of iconic performers with a high-energy tribute to the woman she describes as ‘The Voice’ the one and only Whitney Houston. Lapping up this upbeat medley the audience leap to their feet in approval before Marisha silences the room with a powerhouse performance of I Will Always Love You, nothing short of phenomenal, the audience once again up on their feet.

A rousing rendition of I Know Where I’ve Been from Hairspray gives the audience a hint of what they can expect from the forthcoming West End production while Marisha gives us an insight into just how much of a life changer her roles in the West End have been. As her career soared, she faced heart-breaking times in her personal life and through the roles she’s undertaken has developed an optimistic resilience which leads her beautifully into a special version of Tomorrow from Annie blended with Chaka Chan’s moving Love Me Still.

Inviting children from Stagecoach Salford and Manchester Contemporary Youth Choir to join her in an empowering performance of This Is Me from The Greatest Showman allows an opportunity for another inspiring reminder that, “anything is possible, if you just believe in yourself” and of course another standing ovation, the forth or fifth of the show at least, we lost count!

Of course, no performance would be complete without Marisha treating the audience to her jaw-droppingly perfect delivery of And I Am Telling You from smash-hit musical Dreamgirls, this one song is without doubt worth the ticket price alone, stunning from start to finish.

As cries of ‘More’ ring out from the audience Marisha returns to the stage treating us to one final classic, ending the night on the most joyful of highs with a fabulous rendition of Proud Mary, there’s strutting, sass and even an opportunity for some great fun audience participation.

Marisha Wallace’s genuine warmth and incredible talent ensure this is an unforgettable night. Her voice is sublime, smooth as honey and strong as hell. She takes you on an emotional journey with her refreshing honestly while her note perfect delivery will completely blow you away. Talent like hers is rare, so grab your opportunity to witness it while you can!

Tour dates for Marisha Wallace can be found here.