Candoco return to The Lowry

CANDOCO, a dance company featuring performers with and without disabilities, are bound for Salford with two productions, Set and Reset/Reset and Shelter on May 10 and 11.

This is an exciting and dynamic company that prides itself on challenging any preconceptions concerning the art form in which they work and this is a must see, for dance fans and those who are still to be converted. Take it from one whose seen and reviewed their work before.

For tickets call 0343 208 6000 or book online at www.thelowry.com.

George's Marvellous Medicine - Altrincham Garrick

WHILE I’m not one of those irritating people who witter on about ‘the good old days’, it was really refreshing to see children completely immersed in a form of entertainment that wasn’t screen based.

And big kids like me enjoyed it, too.

I been reviewing theatre for 30 years and this was the first time I’d ever seen - well, I’m not going to spoil the surprise for you.

This production is also a triumph for the director/designer Sean Duvall for has designed a set that smacks of fairytale charm and a talented team of puppeteers who successfully transport the audience to a world in which anything is possible.

Poor George - played by an engaging Andy Withers - has his school holiday ruined when his grouchy old grandma comes to stay at his family’s farm.

She really is a grump, snarling her orders at George and his oh so patient parents, played by Michael Gallagher and Christine Perry.

Withers is an engaging and likeable George and instantly won over the youngsters in the audience as he hatches a plan to put the old battle axe well and truly in her place.

The panto season may be eight months away but this show has that well known staple ingredient of the panto. Audience participation.

But take comfort folks - the jokes are an awful lot better.

Hannah Collman, far, far, far younger than the role she is playing, is really good value as Grandma, perfectly capturing her mannerisms and with a voice that could, quite easily, curdle milk.

The world may be a bad place at the moment so what better than 90 minutes of good, clean fun to whisk us away from these unprecedented times?

Until April 24. Tickets are available from 0161 928 1677 or www.altrinchamgarrick.co.uk. Star rating - 3.5 out of 5.

Photo - Martin Ogden.

Definitely not for the tots - macabre fairytale comes to Sale

THE Waterside Arts Centre in Sale presents Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber on April 9 at 7.30pm.

The show is suitable for the over 12’s and tickets are available from 0161 912 5616 or www.watersideartscentre.org.

Image - Russ Francis Photography

Just what the doctor ordered - Dahl classic at the Garrick

ALTRINCHAM Garrick is serving up an Easter treat when it presents the Roald Dahl classic George’s Marvellous Medicine from April 7-24.

George’s half-term holiday plans are thrown into turmoil after his gran, who delights in making his life a mystery, comes to stay.

But our hero has a cunning plan up his sleeve.

Performance times vary and tickets are available from 0161 928 1677 or www.altrinchamgarrick.co.uk.

The production is suitable for children aged five and over.

Photo - Martin Ogden.

Piaf - Lauriston Studio Altrincham Garrick

WHEN Emily Leeland sings Piaf in this warts and all portrayal of the iconic French star my top lip quivered with emotion and my insides turned to jelly.

More than once.

Leeland is also every inch the diva in Pam Gems’ captivating play, not holding back when it comes to getting exactly what Piaf wants. Top of Piaf’s list are a career and a man, a man who can live up to her exacting demands. She gives a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘high maintenance.’

What makes Piaf’s story so captivating is it’s a story of success against all odds, how a young girl abandoned by her mother and raised in a brothel ended up having an audience with a US President.

For me, there were echoes of Evita, reminding us that yes, it’s still possible to triumph in the face of adversity.

You should feel very jealous of anyone lucky enough to have a ticket for tis because director Charlie Tomlinson and his creative team serve up a theatrical treat here. The production is just over two hours long and it feels like you’ve been in the theatre no more than around 20 minutes.

But Leeland’s performance is by no means the only one to enjoy here. Olivia Riley is seriously funny as Piaf’s long suffering and loyal friend Tonie with the two actresses establishing an effortless camaraderie from the start.

The velvety voiced Steven Finney is excellent as the plain speaking nightclub owner Louis Leplee and I can’t wait for the next production in which he has a bigger singing part.

Sam Evans is sure to have you swooning as the silky smooth French singer Charles Aznavour.

This is a production that simply must be experienced. A joy and a major triumph for all concerned.

Star rating - ***** Tickets are available from 0161 928 1677 or www.altrinchamgarrick.co.uk. Good news - the Garrick is planning to put on a Saturday matinee to meet demand for tickets. Call the box office for details.

Photo - Martin Ogden.

Nora A Doll's House - Royal Exchange Theatre

IT’S really depressing when you think about it.

Just how an adaptation of Ibsen’s classic, still has relevance today, a play about the way women are still expected to play a certain role in society and are forced to dilute their dreams and aspirations or abandon them altogether.

Stef Smith’s engaging and thought provoking adaptation makes us question just how much has changed for women in our society by flitting between 1918, when women of a certain age were first allowed to vote, 1968 and 2018.

This piece works quite brilliantly because it reminds us how far we’ve progressed and how far we still have to go before full gender equality is achieved.

While this may sound like heavy going, it’s not. While this play is sure to fuel a debate or two over a post performance drink it certainly isn’t an evening of man bashing even though Thomas, the husband figure played by William Ash, is incurably condescending.

His control over Nora/Christine reduces over time and you’re sure to find yourself rooting for her as she thinks about fleeing her domestic prison.

In this adaptation the role of Nora is shared between three very different actresses. Different in the sense they Yusra Warsama, Jodie McNee and Kirsty Rider bring something very different to the part.

This is very thought provoking, intelligent theatre that remains true to the spirit of a play that’s more than a century old and director Bryony Shanahan and a gifted and close knit cast ensure not a single word of Stef Smith’s dialogue is wasted.

Highly recommended - theatre with a brain and a heart.

Until April 2. Star rating - ****

Tickets are available from www.royalexchange.co.uk.

Photo - Helen Murray

Time to grow up - remembering the teenage years at the Waterside

THE Waterside Arts Centre in Sale presents Sleepover, on March 25 at 6pm and 8.30pm.

The play, set in 1990, explores the highs and lows of being a teen and tickets are available from 0161 912 5616 or www.watersideartscentre.org,

Still making music 40 years on - Ian Mc Nabb bound for Waterside

LEAD singer of The Icicle Works, Ian Mc Nabb, brings his latest tour to Sale’s Waterside Arts Centre on March 11 at 7.30pm.

Ian formed The Icicle Works in 1981 in Liverpool and the band were soon established as one in a long line of exports from that famous musical city, acts ranging from Echo and the Bunnymen to OMD and Dead Or Alive.

And of course the most famous acts of all, The Beatles.

For tickets, call 0161 912 5616 or visit www.watersideartscentre.org

Music icon at the Waterside - well sort of

THE Waterside Arts Centre in Sale presents An Evening Without Kate Bush on March 26 at 7.30pm.

A critically acclaimed show, it takes an alternative look at the music of a woman who tasted success for the first time when she was just a teenager, with the haunting classic, Wuthering Heights.

For tickets call 0161 912 5616 or visit www.watersideartscentre.org

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest - Altrincham Garrick

WHEN the criminal Randle Patrick Mc Murphy is admitted to a cheerless psychiatric hospital, he doesn’t simply rock the boat.

He capsizes it.

This American classic, from the pen of Ken Kesey, has lost none of its power to shock, move or captivate in a stage adaptation that certainly succeeds in capturing the spirit of the original, rather wonderful novel.

Mc Murphy, in a bid to avoid a jail sentence, pleads insanity and ends up in a grim institution presided over by one of contemporary literature’s most horrendous baddies, the notorious Nurse Ratched.

She hides behind a veneer of care and compassion. In reality of course, she has no concept of either is particularly cruel to the stammering Billy, knowing exactly which buttons to press when it comes to making him feel guilty when this sad and sympathetic character has a glimpse of normality courtesy of the rebellious new arrival Mc Murphy.

In him she finds a formidable adversary, as he reminds his fellow patients what it feels like to live again, organising a number of events that fly in the face of the hospital’s draconian rules. For those of you who are new to this tale I won’t be a party pooper. Let me just say Mc Murphy’s antics lead to a number of unforgettable scenes on the Garrick stage.

Director Joe Meighan must have thought all his birthdays had come at once when Joseph Morgan auditioned for the role of Randle P Mc Murphy. Morgan brings a freshness and an individuality to the part immortalised on the big screen by the legendary Jack Nicholson.

Matthew Spilsbury is simply outstanding as the towering Chief Bromden, offering us a heart breaking reminder of the appalling treatment meted out to the native Americans in ‘the land of the free.’

Returning to Ratched, I really admire Madeleine Healey for the way she resisted the temptation to take the pantomime villainess route when playing the role and I challenge anyone not to be moved by the scene with Billy - an excellent Charlie Gallagher - in which she crushes him by re-visiting the character’s innate sense of guilt.

One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest is yet another triumph for this theatre’s dynamic and exciting young actors group, the Garrick Ensemble.

This a production not to be missed. Boy, how I wish I could write like Ken Kesey.

Flawless - in every respect.

Tickets are available from 0161 928 1677 or www.altrinchamgarrick.co.uk. Star rating - *****

Photo - Martin Ogden

IT’S the ultimate irony – only a blind man sees The Creature as a human being in Frankenstein.

The rest of the world in which he strives to survive sees him as a freak, incapable of thought or feeling and the children he comes into contact with pelt him with stones.

Sadly, we still live in a society obsessed with appearances which gives Mary Shelley’s classic chiller a resonance that still rings true today.

This timeless tale also offers a salutary reminder, if it was needed, of scientists trying to ‘play God.’

In 30 years of reviewing amateur theatre I can’t remember a performance as deeply affecting as that of Rhys Nuttall who plays The Creature.

Now I challenge anyone in the audience not to be moved by Nuttall, as he totters to his feet in the opening scene and begins a life of unmitigated torment and rejection.

It may only be January but I can say this performance will not be bettered on the amateur stage for many years to come, for both its searing intensity and unbridled physicality.

The scenes in which The Creature learns to speak and read and appreciate the great works of literature thanks to the patient and kindly De Lacey, his only friend in the world are beautifully played by Nuttall and Hugh Everett are perfectly played.

This exceptional and deeply disturbing production by Barry Purves transports us to a world that whips away our collective comfort blanket, a world where the sun never seems to shine. Bad productions just aren’t in this man’s DNA, are they?

Nick Dear’s adaptation refreshes Shelley’s wonderful novel and while it gives the original a contemporary feel it also remains faithful to it.

The production contains a very disturbing scene of sexual violence.

You simply must not miss this production which will move you and scare you. But the scariest thing for me was how people reacted to The Creature, for me that was the truly monstrous thing.

Once again the Garrick delivers – and then some. Quite brilliant.

Until January 22. The box office is on 0161 928 1677 or www.altrinchamgarrick.co.uk

Star rating - *****

A Streetcar Named Desire - Altrincham Garrick

DIRECTOR John Cunningham and his cast take the audience on an emotional journey in a captivating and at times touching and deeply moving production of this American classic.

Unless you don’t have a heart, it’s impossible not to be affected by what unfolds on stage, in this absorbing piece of theatre from the pen of the great Tennessee Williams.

Watching the play is draining at times, so goodness knows what performing it must be like for a tight knit and talented cast who make it their mission to make sure not a word of the wonderful Williams dialogue isn’t wasted.

Blanche goes to stay with her sister, Stella, in the seedily seductive French quarter of New Orleans where she finds her sibling living in a dingy two bedroom flat with her husband, Stanley. It’s a strange set up because the family has known the meaning of the word ‘affluence’ in the past and mystery surrounds just what happened to the former family home.

Stanley quickly resents having Blanche around, with what he sees as her dubious past and irritating airs and graces. She compares the self-proclaimed king of his castle to an ape, branding him ‘common.’ But that really is an insult to our closest relatives.

While I was naturally repulsed by the way Stanley treats his visitor and women in general, maybe I’m being a little too 21st century about it and ignoring the fact there were and surely still are many men like him who make the lives of those around them utterly miserable.

Cunningham’s accomplished direction has drawn out fine performances from Matthew Banwell as Stanley and Kathryn Worthington and Fiona Primrose as Blanche and Stella, who evoke an authentic and endearing sisterly bond on stage.

I also liked Paul Cuddy as Mitch, one of Stanley’s poker player pals who is by far the most gentlemanly of a motley crew. Cuddy ensures you feel for Mitch as he attempts to woo Blanche as she toys with his affection.

Don’t miss this memorable production of an all American classic. Exceptional.

Until November 20. The box office is on 0161 928 1677 or online at www.altrinchamgarrick.co.uk. Star rating - ****

The Shape of Things - Lauriston Studio

IF there was such a thing as a degree in emotional cruelty and how to be a control freak, the cold and scheming arts student Evelyn is sure to walk away with first class honours.

And the way in which she turns her doting lapdog boyfriend Adam from bumbling dweeb to fashion conscious cool dude is deeply, deeply disturbing when her real motivation for doing so emerges near the end of Neil La Bute’s exceptional and thought provoking play.

Like probably the majority of the audience, I was repulsed and yet fascinated by and drawn to Evelyn, mainly in the hope she would pay for her actions.

Altrincham Garrick’s intimate Lauriston Studio is the perfect setting for this wonderful piece which is a feast for the intellect while at the same time, not being smugly intellectual.

The play covers everything from society’s obsession with physical perfection to love and relationships, minus the slushy stuff. Love hurts, the old saying goes. But after sitting through this I’m certain it should I’m sure you agree, come with a Government health warning.

I had a chance meeting with director Geoff Holman at the theatre’s box office recently and he waxed lyrical about his very gifted young cast.

Sam Evans as Adam, Annie Rogers as Evelyn, Sophie Cain as Jenny and Daniel Molnar as Philip give performances of a professional standard, thanks to both their considerable talent and that of Holman, who I’ve always rated as a very capable occupant of the director’s chair.

All four actors are engaging and believable and I hope for very selfish reasons they don’t plump for a career on the professional stage.

Make sure you don’t miss this, the Garrick’s best production of the season so far.

Photo by Martin Ogden.

Book tickets on 0161 928 1677 or online at www.altrinchamgarrick.co.uk.

Star rating - *****

The Little Mermaid - Altrincham Garrick

IF ever we needed a dose of Disney magic, it must surely be now, as we continue to live in unprecedented times.

One little girl, sitting close to the stage, was so captivated by Emily Leeland’s Ariel it prompted her to say with childlike spontaneity, “Hi Ariel” during one of the scenes in this colourful, upbeat, feel good family show.

But rest assured, she was not the only one to be captivated for, as the lovesick mermaid pining for her Prince, Leeland plays the part brilliantly and has a voice that wouldn’t sound out of place on a professional stage.

We really root for her as she desperately seeks to find her Prince Eric, played by Shane Gibb who furthers his reputation as one of the most exciting talents around.

If Ariel is the heroine of the piece, inspired by the classic fairy tale, Dawn Flint is absolutely perfect as its villainess, the scheming and wicked Ursula.

Flint’s sense of timing is as flawless as her singing voice ensuring that her character’s comic barbs hit their target with pinpoint accuracy.

What impressed me about this musical - which I was seeing for the first time - was how the songs were far more sophisticated than shows of a similar kind. I’m referring to musicals like Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat which families tend to flock to see because of the hum along appeal of its score.

While the numbers are one step up from Joseph, they remain very accessible. There are echoes of pantomime in The Little Mermaid, minus the cringeworthy jokes that make the “gags” we find in Christmas crackers every year sound side splitting.

Then there’s musical director Mark Goggins whose involvement with any production guarantees it will always be well worth watching.

Together with Joe Meighan, the production’s director, serve up a show that will leave audiences floating on air as they leave the theatre.

Photo by Martin Ogden.

Until October 31. The box office is on 0161 928 1677. Star rating - *****

The Mountaintop - Royal Exchange Theatre

DR King’s world famous “I Have A Dream” speech still sends a shiver down my spine and my eyes still fill up with tears every time I hear it, and I’ve heard it many, many times.

Not to be moved by this brilliant piece of oratory is not to be human and Adetomiwa Edun certainly captures the essence of the great man in Katori Hall’s extraordinary play.

But this fabulous piece also reminds us the American civil rights leader had frailties and worries just like the rest of us.

We’re in a Memphis motel room the night before Dr Martin Luther King Jr was shot dead by an assassin and he strikes up a conversation with the forthright maid Camae, a vivacious, fun loving lady who speaks first and asks no questions later.

They become close and there’s even the subtlest of hints they could be falling for each other during a particularly playful pillow fight.

Of course it’s all in Hall’s imagination and Ntombizodwa Ndlovu plays the part with perfect poise and humour. There’s plenty of humour to be had in a play that, despite the seriousness of the subject matter, is anything but a doom and gloom fest.

Edun gives a stunning performance as King and marks the debut of the RET’s joint artistic director Roy Alexander Weise. Judging by this production, audiences at this theatre can look forward to some very exciting times ahead.

The play is timely though, with movements like Black Lives Matter reminding us, if a reminder was needed, that Dr King’s “dream” isn’t reality just yet.

We critics love nothing better than diving into our big box of superlatives to sum up a production. But theatre as good as this has to simply be experienced. Unmissable.

Until October 27. The box office is at www.royalexchange.co.uk. Photo by Marc Brenner. Star rating - *****

The Lady In The Van - Altrincham Garrick

AS I left the Garrick on Monday night one question was running through my mind - why doesn’t Celia Bonner do more acting?

She gives a captivating performance as Miss Shepherd, the enigmatic down and out taken in by Alan Bennett and who lived on his driveway for what was supposed to be a temporary basis.

But “temporary” turned into 15 years and an unlikely friendship grew between the genius playwright and an old woman whose outlook on life was, to put it mildly, unique.

It soon emerges that Miss Shepherd has a past, psychologically she’s damaged goods and her unapologetic attitude to personal cleanliness had the audience wincing with disgust when I saw this on opening night.

Celia’s sense of timing is flawless and, under the astute direction of Carole Carr, she’s ably supported by Mike Shaw and Jonathan Black, who share the role of Bennett himself.

Nobody tells a story quite like this national treasure and has turn of phrase is quite brilliant. But you have to be prepared to listen. It’s a case of blink and you’ll miss his priceless witticisms.

Barry Purves’ and Amanda Cooke’s spartan set captures perfectly the suburban London in which this remarkable story unfolds, a tale which can be summed up in the phrase “you couldn’t make this up.”

While Miss Shepherd’s lack of personal hygiene repulsed me at times, I found myself drawn to someone who refused to live by society’s rules.

Alan Bennett was similarly drawn and he got a play out of it.

Until Oct 9. The box office is on 0161 928 1677. Star rating - 3.5 out of 5. Photo by Martin Ogden.

Curtain Up - Altrincham Garrick

CURTAIN UP is sure to remind fans of live entertainment just what they’ve been missing

during the Covid crisis, providing an uplifting, emotional and unforgettable journey into the

world of musical theatre.

Old favourites sit comfortably alongside the new stuff, with a talented and close knit cast

putting their heart and soul into ever number that they sing.

Some of the company would not sound out of place on a professional stage and I applaud

director Joe Meighan and musical director Neil G Bennett for their ambition when choosing

the courses for this sumptuous theatrical feast.

I’ve been reviewing theatre for more than 30 years and I’d no idea Little Women had been

turned into a musical. But Caitlin Vineyard and Emily Leeland’s rendition of the gorgeous

Some Things Are Meant To Be was the highlight of the evening for me.

Equally memorable was All I Ask of You from Phantom of the Opera always set me off and

Lottie Warburton and Lewis Sewell’s rendition certainly does it justice, and then some.

Similarly impressive is Kat Rawling’s Another Suitcase In Another Hall, from what is for me

the best Lloyd Weber/Tim Rice show, Evita.

Then there’s Suddenly Seymour, from one of my favourites, the wonderfully wacky Little

Shop of Horrors and the strangely haunting and hypnotic Feed The Birds from Mary Poppins.

It feels unfair to single out individual performers for praise because this implies there are

weak links in the cast, and they’re aren’t.

For decades I’ve always praised Trafford as a centre of excellence for producing top quality

musical theatre.

With Curtain Up, though, Altrincham Garrick has raised the bar even higher.

Until September 25. Star rating - ***** The box office is on 0161 928 1677.. Photo by

Martin Ogden

Glee and Me - Royal Exchange Theatre

I WROTE my first review back in September 1987 and thought I’d seen it all.

However, I never imagined one day I’d be watching a play wearing a snood or that a play about a teen battling a terminal illness could be so outrageously funny.

Liv Hill plays Lola, a girl coming to terms with the fact her young life is certain to be cut short by a brain tumour.

She has a bucket list on which there only appears to be two items. The first, a determination not to die a virgin, the second, to discover the meaning of life before she shuffles off this mortal coil.

Helped by Stuart Slade’s prize winning script, Hill makes us care deeply about Lola, and she leaves us under no illusion the world will be a worse place without her.

Slade knows when to be funny and when to be serious and and poignant and you’re sure to be stifling a tear or two as you share with Lola the stark realisation that this spirited, fun loving 16 year old is destined to have her life so cruelly cut short.

It’s hard to believe Liv Hill is only in her 20s as she delivers a performance so authentic and powerful its sure to leave a lasting impression on those who see it.

Stuart Slade is the winner of the RET’s Bruntwood playwriting competition and has the talent to be a major theatrical force in the future if he desires it.

Strongly recommended.

Star rating - **** Online bookings only at www.royalexchange,co.uk. Photo by Helen Murray

Chatroom - Altrincham Garrick

I STILL haven’t worked it out.

Whenever I go to review a production of a play or a show with a small audience it invariably falls into the outstanding category.

Chatroom is no exception.

For me, live theatre and TV drama is always at its best when shining a light on difficult issues and dragging the audience or the viewer into a darker world, a world you’re relieved to escape when you leave the theatre or turn off the TV.

However shocked you feel it can also be an enlightening experience as this evening in the company of the Internet generation is.

It’s oh so tempting to envy teenagers as they’re largely free of responsibilities and live to just enjoy themselves.

That’s a myth of course. Just ask Jim, the central character in Enda Walsh’s deeply unsettling but ultimately hopeful play.

Pining for a dad who suddenly and mysteriously went AWOL and nursing the psychological and physical scars of a difficult home life, this troubled teen is contemplating suicide.

Walsh’s brilliant script doesn’t dilute the difficult nature of this difficult topic while at the same time refusing to sensationalise it.

Rather he tells this absorbing tale with quiet compassion and you find yourself caring deeply about Jim, forever the outcast..

A young and dynamic cast more than do justice to this exceptional piece of work, expertly brought to the stage by Joe Meighan, the Garrick’s young and dynamic artistic director.

Highly recommended.

Until July 24. The box office is on 0161 928 1677. Star rating -****

The Last Five Years - Altrincham Garrick

If ever a show deserved a packed house, it’s this one.

But with the current Covid restrictions it played to a mere sprinkling of an audience and I do hope a revival is on the cards when normality returns.

This is a musical love story but without the slushy stuff and with an engaging score that stretches the vocal talents of Shane Gibb and Ella Maria Danson to the limit.

A supremely talented duo, the play two young New Yorkers, Jamie and Cathy, who fall in love and with their considerable talent and the guidance of director Joe Meighan and musical director Simon Murray, the pass what is a tough vocal test with flying colours.

Lyrically, there are shades of Sondheim in this score and while it’s not packed with hum along Lloyd Webber instant crowd pleasers, there is plenty for the ears to enjoy.

The music and lyrics feel fresh and invigorating and the show offers a real alternative to others that are, let’s face it, performed to death.

I hope Gibb, Danson, Meighan and Murray do work together again for they make a potent creative force on the evidence of this.

While there’s no certainty that will happen of course, I do think other companies in and around Trafford will be clamouring for the musical services of Gibb and Danson when they’re casting leads in future shows.

And there’s no need to worry about setting foot in a theatre again as we slowly emerge from these “unprecedented times.”

For the Garrick has all the procedure in place to ensure your visit is a safe one, while a two strong cast ensure you’ll leave the venue well and truly entertained.

Until June 12. The box office is on 0161 928 1677. Star rating - **** Photo - Martin Ogden