All My Sons - Altrincham Garrick

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JOE Keller lives in comfort in a safe and sleepy small town. He epitomises the American dream, a successful businessman with a doting wife and a son who similarly looks up to him.

But peel back the veneer of respectability with which Keller surrounds himself and you discover his has a skeleton in his cupboard which is slowly unlocked in Arthur Miller’s fabulously thought provoking play.

The master playwright makes the audience question the morality of making money in wartime as only this master playwright, this giant of contemporary theatre, knows how.

It’s hard to believe All My Sons celebrates its 75th birthday this year for it feels as fresh and as relevant today in a troubled world still scarred by conflict.

This is David Beddy’s best Garrick performance to date for me, with the seasoned actor/director investing so much emotion into the role of Keller spontaneous combustion seems like a distinct possibility.

He and Tom Broughton, who plays his son Joe, are terrific together, especially during the scenes in which Joe tries to make his dethroned dad confront his past. To say these scenes are heated would be an understatement.

Even sitting on the back row of the auditorium I could feel the tension between the two of them.

Equally impressive is Brigid Hemmingway as Kate Keller, a devoted wife to Joe and fiercely proud of her son Chris. She’s still holding out hope for the safe return of her other son Larry from fighting in the war.

I really enjoyed Katie Cullen’s Annie, a bright and engaging and very watchable performance by a talented young actress.

And Joe Meighan swaps the director’s chair to serve up a very convincing performance as Annie’s brother George, a man with a very real fire in his belly.

You’ll understand why and have the uttmost sympathy for this fiery figure if you go to see this very emotional evening of theatre.

Carole Carr’s production is flawless throughout, compelling, absorbing, moving and funny in places, making the most of Miller’s intelligent and insightful script.

Until November 19. Tickets are available from 0161 928 1677 or www.altrinchamgarrick.co.uk

Star rating - ****

From Page To Stage - Sale and Altrincham Musical Theatre


Take a bow - the cast of From Page To Stage

STANDING ovations are like buses - you wait ages for one and three come along at once.

The Royal Exchange, The Lowry and now The Bowdon Rooms. The audience rose to its feet, applauding as if their very lives depended on it, in tribute to what had been the most memorable of musical journeys.

From Page To Stage was a highly ambitious project for all concerned, from the cast to director Sarah Clark to musical director Adam Garnett, featuring numbers from shows that started life as books.

But being boring when it comes to choosing their programme just isn’t in this company’s DNA and the cast rose to the challenge and then some, helped by an embarrassment of vocal riches that existed within its ranks.

The next generation of SAMT performers also left us in no doubt that the future of SAMT looks very bright indeed with its youth section treating us to a medley of classics from Oliver!

For me, highlights of the evening included The Color Purple Reprise, the riotous Since You’ve Been Gone from &Juliet and Defying Gravity from Wicked.

Then there was the captivating performance of The Ballad of Sweeney Todd by the mighty Steven Sondheim.

It feels wrong to pick out highlights as there weren’t any bad performances in a show played to an audience that gave a whole new meaning to the word ‘receptive.’

However, it was a real pity this show only played for one night as it deserves a much, much longer run.

But anyone who went to see it thinking musical theatre was all about tired old shows that have been around since Adam was a lad would surely have left that preconception at the door of this gorgeous Altrincham venue.

Fabulous - a much needed escape from these gloomy and uncertain times.

Let The Right One In - Royal Exchange Theatre


IF you thought theatre has lost its power to shock, look no further than Let The Right One In, a genuinely creepy and unsettling night out.

Based on a Swedish novel and adapted for the stage by Jack Thorne, it’s the dark and disturbing tale of teen love that is as far removed from the stereotypical, slushy stuff as you could possibly get.

Pete Metcalfe brings a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘inferiority complex’ as Oskar. Bullied and shunned by his peers at school, Oskar meets a kindred spirit in Eli, who like him, lives on the periphery of the cheerlessly bleak society in which both of them live.

Eli seems to understand Oskar and there’s a deeply touching chemistry between Metcalfe and Rhian Blundell that makes us ache for a happy ending.

Just to complicate things for them, a series of grisly murders take place on their doorstep and Andrew Sheridan, who comes from Timperley, is a genuinely scary Hakim, sporting slicked back blonde hair and round glasses he’s hugely convincing as the man from your worst nightmares. And then some.

I also really liked Stefan Race as the self-appointed school bully in chief Jonny, as he takes every chance that comes his way to make Oskar’s life a misery, re-naming him ““piggy” with a sneering contempt.

The convincingly authentic nature of the performances is testament to the skill of director Bryony Shanahan and designer Amelia Jane Harkin who between them take us to a world in which the sun never seems to shine. The swimming pool scene in which poor, nice Oskar meets Jonny’s intimidating older brother Jimmy is particularly good.

Let The Right One In is definitely different. But is it worth the age restriction that’s been slapped on this production? Yes, it is. While the play is performed by a group of exciting and exuberant young actors, it definitely isn’t one for the kids.

Until November 19. The box office is on 0161 833 9833 or www.royalexchange.co.uk. Suitable for over 14s only.

Star Rating - ****

Photo - Johan Persson

The Sound of Music - Altrincham Garrick


Musical magic at Altrincham Garrick.

DIRECTOR Joe Meighan must have thought all his birthdays had come at once when he heard Natalie Hayes sing for the first time.

Hayes treats us to a flawless and engaging and highly likeable Maria in this Rodgers and Hammerstein classic The Sound of Music and she’s blessed with one of the purest voices I’ve ever heard in more than 30 years reviewing productions on the amateur stage.

There’s also an effortless chemistry between her and Steven Finney. Finney cuts a commanding figure - no pun intended - as the disarmingly decent Captain Von Trapp. He is a man of principle, a man brave enough not to cow tow to the Nazis as the evil regime encroaches further and further into his beloved Austria.

If the two leads are outstanding - Hayes is making her Garrick debut here - the Von Trapp children are a delight from start to finish, full of life, full of gentle mischief and full of love for their father.

I also liked Helen Swain as Baroness Elsa Schrader, Maria’s more worldly rival, initially at least, for the affections of Von Trapp.

The Sound of Music is a great way to introduce children to the theatre even though it’s set against the backdrop of a looming Second World War.

We also have Rodgers and Hammerstein’s wonderful score to enjoy, packed with musical delights like the rousing Climb Every Mountain to the soothing and sensual Edelweiss.

I also loved the playful So Long, Farwell perfectly sung by the Von Trapp children.

They don’t write them like this anymore - do not miss this dose of musical magic. It’s just what we need in these gloomy times.

Until October 30. The box offoce is on 0161 928 1677 or visit www.altrinchamgarrick.co.uk

Star rating - *****

Blue Stockings - Altrincham Garrick


Blue Stockings.

IT’S hard to believe it nowadays, but it wasn’t until 1948 that Cambridge University finally allowed female students to graduate.

And this in a country that likes to set itself up as a bastion of decency and fair play.

This compelling subject forms the basis of Jessica Swale’s brilliant piece of work - the best production to grace the Garrick stage in 2022.

I really liked the way Swale tells the compelling story of four women, academically as able as their male peers, battle against the dismissive attitudes of their male peers and academics who wield all the power at the famous university.

An evening of man bashing this most definitely is not but there were occasions when I felt ashamed of my gender.

Blue Stockings is set in 1896, more than a century before terms like ‘sexism’ had become part of the vernacular and I really like the way in which Pippa Lane, Bronte James, Madeleine Healey and Olivia Brindley bring their characters so vividly and engagingly to life.

You’ll find yourself quietly rooting for their characters, Tess, Celia, Carolyn and Maeve, a tribute to their considerable acting ability and the skills of Sue Mowat, who makes her debut at Altrincham Garrick as director of a production packed with performances of a professional standard.

It feels wrong to single out individual performances because there aren’t any weak links in this cast. But I did really enjoy Nick Sample as Banks and Sam Evans as the disarmingly decent Ralph Mayhew.

Add some gentle and captivating original music by Mark Goggins and you have a perfect evening’s theatre that’s simply far too good too miss.

As for me. I would quite willingly, watch this again. Highly recommended.

Until October 8. Star rating - *****

For tickets, call 0161 928 1677. For tickets, call 0161 928 1677 or visit www.altrinchamgarrick.co.uk.

Photo - Martin Ogden

The Habit of Art - Altrincham Garrick


The Habit of Art - plenty to ponder in Bennett play.

BILL Platt and Jonathan Black deserves nothing but praise for their performances as the poet WH Auden and the composer Benjamin Britten in this play, which sees the Garrick embark on another memorable outing with Alan Bennett.

It centres around a meeting between the two cultural icons, a meeting which took place only in Bennett’s ridiculously fertile imagination and offers a thought provoking take on a range of issues, including culture and sexuality.

It’s fair to say the brilliant writer doesn’t spare the audience’s blushes when it comes to the pleasures of the flesh and the sex references were too much for a couple who voted with their feet and left after 20 minutes or so.

But regular readers of my reviews will know I think theatre is at its best when it challenges our way of thinking and while some of the dialogue may strike Bennett followers as a little fruity in places, it is counteracted by his trademark wit and wisdom.

Bill and Jonathan give what is for me, their finest performances to date on the Garrick stage, with both actors exuding a poise and a presence that made it impossible for me not to hang on their every word.

They play actors playing Auden and Britten in a play which begins with a classic case of mistaken identity, with Auden mistaking the man who has come to interview him for a rent boy he’s ordered.

As Humphrey Carpenter, Stuart Mathers is exemplary and his timing exceptional.

The Garrick’s designer par excellence Barry Purves has devised a set that perfect captures the clutter of Auden’s living quarters, rooms so disgusting they make Steptoe’s backyard look positively luxurious,

It’s fair to say that while The Habit of Art might not have the instant appeal of some of Bennett’s other hits, it is an important and engaging piece that’s well worth seeing.

Just make sure you go with your concentrating head on.

Until September 24. The box office is on 0161 928 1677 or you can book by visiting www.altrinchamgarrick.co.uk

Star rating - 3.5 out of 5.

Photo - Martin Ogden.

The Glass Menagerie - Royal Exchange Theatre


Joshua Jonas and Rhiannon Clements as Tom and Laura - photo by Marc Brenner

THEY say good things come to those who wait and that old saying certainly rings true for this production, originally planned for the Spring of 2020 when the country was plunged into lockdown for the first time.

From the pen of Tennessee Williams, this is American classic that’s given actors a verbal feast through the generations by putting some of the most exquisite lines ever written and the characters are strong and believable too.

This play first saw the light of day in the mid 40’s today and while the rules of social etiquette have invariably changed, domestic strife still forms a large part of our dramatic diet and from the soaps to the stage, we jjust can’t get enough of it.

Laura, young, pretty and hopelessly insecure as a result of disability, looks after her collection of miniature glass animals with a devotion that verges on that usually reserved for religious artefacts. She’s pining away, aching to find true love and Rhiannon Clements ensures by her fine performance we never feel sorry for Laura. We just ache for her to be happy.

Geraldine Sommerville is perfect as her mother, Amanda, trying to run Laura’s life and that of her other sibling Tom. Joshua Jonas is tailor made for this part and the spats between him and his stage mom Amanda are both heated and memorable.

We the audience feel empathy for Tom too, as he tries to plot his escape from the family’s purgatorial home.

But has Laura’s luck finally turned with the arrival of the silver tongued dinner guest Jim, played by Eloka Ivo? Ivo is wonderful as Jim, a character with an ego as big as the Eifel Tower and he and Clements treat us to a very memorable scene in the second act which had echoes of Hollywood in it. But I won’t spoil it for you.

Director Atri Bannerjee gives us a production that’s as engrossing as it is entertaining and so thoughtfully staged.

Highly recommended.

Until October 8. The box office is on 0161 833 9833. Star rating - ****

Devastating new take on classic launches new Exchange season

FOLLOWING on from his hugely popular production of the Lancashire classic Hobson’s Choice, director Atri Banerjee returns to the Royal Exchange with a devastating new take on The Glass Menagerie.

Tennessee Williams’ semi-autobiographical masterpiece launches the RET’s new season and runs from September 2 to October 8 at 7.30pm.

Matinees are also included in the run and tickets are available from 0161 833 9833 and the box office is open 11am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday or you can contact tickets@royalexchange.co.uk.