The Father - Altrincham Garrick


I CAN’T remember the last time I was so moved by a production of a play.

The Father gives us a heartbreakingly honest account of what living with dementia must be like for victims of this cruel and incurable condition as well as their families and friends struggling to care for them.

Director Charlie Tomlinson must have thought all his birthdays had come at once when the cast assembled for its first rehearsal and the end result is another Tomlinson triumph as all the actors give performances of a truly professional standard.

Nick Sample is perfect as the piece’s lead character, Andre, a study in vulnerability. Then we have Beverley Stuart Cole as Andre’s dedicated and loving daughter Anne and at the other end of the moral spectrum there’s a deeply affecting Steven Finney as Pierre, a truly hateful character with no empathy for Andre’s heart breaking, dementia driven plight.

So much so he subjects Andre to the snidest episodes of bullying and you’re sure to find yourself willing for him to be caught and reprimanded for his vile actions.

The Father comes from the pen of the French novelist and playwright Florian Zeller and translator Sir Christopher Hampton ensures none of the emotional impact of original has been lost.

While there aren’t many laughs in this frank, honest and uncompromising play it had a profound effect on me.

It’s richly deserving of bigger houses than the sparse audience it attracted on opening night, even if some members greeted the end of this powerful production with a richly deserved standing ovation.

A must see.

Until May 11. Tickets are available from 0161 928 1677 or www.altrinchamgarrick.co.uk.

Star rating - *****

Photo by Martin Ogden.

Sweat - Royal Exchange Theatre


Sweat - photo by Helen Murray.

IT was the seminal 80s TV drama Boys from the Blackstuff that shaped my politics by humanising the way our economic system can wreck the lives of those who turn to it for their livelihoods.

So it is with Lynn Nottage’s Pulitzer prize winning stage play Sweat, a powerful reminder about how the afore mentioned system is still wrecking lives and putting pay to long term friendships while allowing others thrive and prosper.

If people only go to the theatre to be entertained that’s fine. But when this emotional art form gives a voice to the voiceless as effectively as it does here the experience can be just as rewarding.

If unsettling at the same time.

The action takes place in your archetypal American bar in which a large number of its clients hail from a local steel factory facing an uncertain future. The bartender is a former factory employee, Stan, played by a very convincing Jonathan Kerrigan.

Good Teeth has designed a sparse, albeit authentic looking set, the sort of bar that’s a real antidote to cosiness much loved by say, American sitcoms. Let’s just say jokes are at a premium anyway.

Cynthia, a factory employee, has been promoted to a management role which sparks a certain resentment among her former colleagues and the always watchable Carla Henry is perfect in the role.

They say football is a game of two halves and it’s probably fair to say Jade Lewis’s production has more of an emotional impact in act two.

While Sweat is probably 10-15 minutes too long the play left me angry about the way in which people’s lives can be devastated once they’re viewed as “expendable” by the system even though Nottage’s writing resists the temptation to be preaching or political.

Until May 26. Tickets are available from 0161 833 9833 or www.royalexchange.co.uk.

Star rating - 3.5 out of 5.

A Taste of Honey - Royal Exchange Theatre


A Taste of Honey - photo by Johan Persson.

EVEN the weather seemed to be entering into the spirit of things, as grey clouds loomed overhead as I made my way to the theatre.

It seemed very fitting that this northern masterpiece, set against the backdrop of Salford’s long gone terraced streets, was about to be performed in a setting all too familiar to people in this area.

The world of A Taste of Honey is one of unrelenting gloom, a world in which every day is a battle for survival in which only the strong survive.

A world in which the sun never shines. Or so it seems.

It’s hard to believe Shelagh Delaney was just a teenager when she wrote this wonderful piece because she displays a wisdom and a foresight and a maturity way, way beyond her years. The play premiered in 1958 and Delaney also had the courage of her convictions to place what were then controversial issues, centre stage.

The afore mentioned issues include homosexuality, nearly 10 years before it was made legal in this country.

But I never feel lectured to or preached at. Delaney just makes you think as she tackles issues that wouldn’t raise many eyebrows today, and rightly so. Delaney just tackles them with an entertaining and intelligent manner that’s also distinctly matter of fact.

We follow the misfortunes of Jo and her promiscuous, alcoholic mother Helen. Playing these iconic roles are Rowan Robinson and Jill Halfpenny and the chemistry between them is so strong and so convincing it felt like I was watching a real life mother and daughter as they fought and argued with each other, Jo dipping into her well stocked arsenal of home truths as she puts Helen, as she calls her, in her place.

The role of Jo’s gay roommate Geoffrey is a gift for David Moorst, with poor Jeffrey fussing around the pregnant Jo with a devotion verging on the masochistic. He’s like the proverbial mother hen or as Jo put it with her characteristic lack of tact, “like an old woman.”

Director Emma Baggott has obviously nurtured her production with tender loving care and the cast do full justice to a script that is for me one of the best ever written. Some of the lines are just so good, so perfect any budding writers watching could well turn green with envy.

I enjoyed A Taste of Honey so much sitting through it again, on the same night, wouldn’t have been an ordeal. Fabulous.

Until April 13. Tickets are available from 0161 933 9833 or www.royalexchange.co.uk.

Star rating - *****

The Vicar of Dibley - Altrincham Garrick


THE sense of affection for this classic sitcom was so strong in the Garrick auditorium I felt I could reach out and touch it during a production that was a joy from start to finish, offering us audience members a brief and much needed escape from these miserable times.

When the original TV version was shown for the first time it felt like a breath of fresh air as the central character, a female vicar, was a far cry from the clergy I’d come across previously in the genre.

But not once during Peter Brassington’s production was I tempted to compare this version with the one millions of us took to our hearts on the small screen. Brassington’s production more than stands on its own merits with a very fine cast each putting their own stamp on roles initially made famous by Dawn French and company.

It probably helps if you are familiar with the BBC original but that’s not essential. The script if it were a meal would be Michelin star with top quality gags coming thick and fast. While there is a smattering of naughty words there’s nothing to offend anybody here.

The relationship between the new vicar Geraldine Granger and the parish’s disarmingly dim and oh so lovable verger Alice is comedy gold thanks to exquisite timing from Meg Brassington and Helen Swain. Equally hilarious is the blossoming romance between Alice and the downtrodden Hugo Horton, a perfect role for Dan Ellis.

Watching Hugo and Alice cavorting around the stage is like watching two adult children who occasionally flirt with the grown up stuff while retaining a child like innocence.

Who could forget Letitia Cropley - Christine Perry - a woman with a unique approach to home cooking.

Other acting treats include Andrew Higson as the farmer Owen, a man with manners to make you wince and Hugh Everett as the buttoned up father of Hugo, David, a man for whom tact is a dirty word.

I feel I’ve just watched the best comedy to grace the Garrick stage for the past five years. Flawless and outstanding - in every respect.

Until March 2. Tickets are available from 0161 928 1677 or www.altrinchamgarrick.co.uk.

Star rating - *****

Photo - Martin Ogden.

Shed: Exploded View at the Royal Exchange Theatre


Devoted - Hayley Carmichael and Wil Johnson as Lil and Tony - photo by Johan Persson.

DESPITE its seemingly innocuous title, Phoebe Eclair Powell’s play is one of the most intense and emotionally charged pieces of theatre I’ve sat through for a very long time.

It’s a painful and powerful watch due to the themes it covers, from dementia to domestic violence to the perennial conflict between the generations.

But Powell’s writing infuses familiar themes with a freshness and vigour that holds our attention throughout and it’s easy to see why this piece of writing, full of heart and free from cliches, won her the Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting.

I found myself caring about the plight of the three couples we follow over 30 years, despite spending just over 90 minutes in their company.

As well as the writer, director Atri Banerjee must be credited for ensuring there’s no point in the evening you feel insulated against the emotional impact of what unfolds on stage.

But he has a terrific cast at his disposal and I was especially moved by Wil Johnson’s portrayal of dementia sufferer Tony and so touched by the love and dedication of his wife Lil, played so convincingly by Hayley Carmichael.

Having personal experience of the devastating impact of this wicked disease it really struck a chord with me.

Thankfully I can’t say the same about domestic violence. But I’m in no doubt just how devastating the impact can be after watching this.

The relationship between Naomi and her daughter Abi also felt effortless and natural thanks to Lizzie Watts and Norah Lopez Holden. Any parent, son or daughter will be able to identify with this clash of opinions.

Thoughtful, thought provoking, a must see.

Until March 2. For tickets, call 0161 833 9833 or visit www.royalexchange.co.uk.

Star rating - ****

Drop The Dead Donkey The Reawakening - The Lowry


THE writing of creators Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin, full of humour and topical bite and perfect casting, made Drop The Dead Donkey one of the greatest TV comedies ever made.

It’s 25 years since this multi-award winning show last graced the small screen so, as a member of the leave them wanting more club, I was somewhat surprised when I discovered a new stage version was planned for 2024.

But the good news is The Reawakening is just as hilarious, cutting and irreverent as the original even if the laugh out loud bits don’t come quite so rapidly in this new incarnation. However, if like me, you enjoy a dose of establishment baiting, you’re sure to enjoy this.

We meet former Globe Link colleagues George, hilariously upstaged by a self service coffee machine at the start, Gus, Helen, Dave, Damien, Sally and Joy as they begin work at the fledgling Truth News.

In this hi-tech world 24 hour news is king.

Damien - a great vehicle for Stephen Tompkinson - was Globe Link’s unashamedly amoral roving reporter who wouldn’t think twice about using any means at his disposal to increase the emotional impact of his reports.

The word ethics isn’t a dirty word for Damien Day. It just isn’t a part of his vocabulary.

So how ironic he’s ended up working for an organisation called Truth News.

Then we have Globe Link’s notorious womaniser and gambler Dave - Neil Pearson who claims to be a changed man and George who never changes. He still wears cardigans.

Having spent nearly 25 years working in a newsroom I had the pleasure of working with people who reminded me of several of these colourful characters however this is much more than one long in joke for journalists.

This is sharply observed comedy from the pens of two of the genre’s undisputed heavyweights.

Great fun.

Until February 17. Tickets are available from 0343 208 6000 or www.thelowry.com.

Star rating - 3.5 out of 5.