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Any Dream Will Do: Seamus

April 29, 2007

The show Any Dream Will Do is compulsive viewing, it has to be said. I sat glued to the set yesterday as the villain of the piece, Seamus was sent home. Reality TV is an odd phenomenon, in that it has a narrative and Seamus was definitely used and then thrown away. His arrogance was criticised until he became more arrogant and subsequently got voted off. And what of Antony? Every week he has been brilliant and then he gets given a song which did not suit his voice. Was it deliberate so that they could have a shock exit; you decide!

I am writing a weekly review of the show and you can read last night’s happenings here.

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Unexpected Guest - totally predictable

April 25, 2007

I have been praising the Manchester Theatre scene for so long now. So it had to happen - two poor productions in as many days. On Mon, I sat looking miserably at my watch throughout most of The Triumph Of Love at the Royal Exchange. Last night, I joined hundreds of Agatha Christie fans at the Manchester debut of The Unexpected Guest. I can watch an Agatha Christie play and suspend disbelief if it’s done right. But this production was way off the mark. Bad acting, stilted movement, awful set and distracting music- all this provided lots of unintentionally funny moments. Read the review here for more details.

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Disappointing Triumph Of Love

April 24, 2007

After a run of good plays and musicals, there has to be a down turn. It has happened to me this week. Last night I went to review The Triumph Of Love at the Royal Exchange. Still on a high from Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf, I was really looking forward to seeing this farce. But the play itself is below average. It’s hard to put your finger on what went wrong but it feels clumsy. The audience found many of the ‘jokes’ amusing but as I mentioned in my review - the original piece is merely insubstantial and you wonder why it has been revived. So a slight chink in the RE armour. With The Tempest on the way, you are better off saving your money for that.

Off to see The Unexpected Guest at the Lowry. Review will follow.

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Something For The Weekend: Jump

April 20, 2007

If you are stuck for somewhere to take the kids this weekend, I cannot recommend the show Jump highly enough. A hit at the Edinburgh festival and fresh from a stint in London, this show has so much energy and humour – that you cannot help smiling. The premise – a family literally fighting to stay together might be slim, but there is no shortage of laughs and eye catching stunts. Combining martial arts with slapstick comedy works and the result is a unique night out.

Jump is one of those productions best suited to an evening where you really want to wind down. The kids in the audience last night - when I attended adored this show and I left the Lowry equally as charmed. All you need to do is just sit back, relax and let the magical qualities of the show unfold.

I have written a full review here.

Jump is on at the Lowry until tomorrow night. It then moves to Cardiff – so catch it whilst you can. To book - click here.

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Blood Brothers - Still Shines after 20 years

April 18, 2007

The show Blood Brothers is 20 years old. Yet if you have been to the UK tour at the Opera House in Manchester, it does not look staid or dated. The show has enduring appeal and continues to pack ‘em in. I was at the Opera House last night and the audience rose to their feet at the end. I know this is something that takes place at the Phoenix in London and ‘fans’ expect this and rise to their feet accordingly. But the great thing about last night is that there were masses of school children watching. The play is studied as part of their English courses. They all stood up the end, whooping with delight. This was really nice to see as I am sure that many patrons presumed that they would muck about all evening.

Linda Nolan is tremendous in the role of Mrs Johnston and really gives it her all. If you get the chance to catch this show on tour- it finishes at the Opera House next week but continues touring the country. For further details, click here. If you would like to read my review, click on this link.

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