Venue: The Lowry
Date Reviewed: 31st October 2007

When I first heard about Tim Supple’s Dream, I was unsure of how it would work on stage. As, it is at times faithful to the original text but also features music, dance, dialogue in several languages and has a strong eastern flavour. Highly ambitious and epic in scope, maybe but it achieves its goal, despite your preconceptions.

Whatever you have read about this piece, you cannot prepare yourself for the visually arresting backdrop in which the scenes are set. Quite simply, you will not see a better looking or sexier production of a Shakespeare play on any stage!

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Writer Willy Russell talks about Blood Brothers… The Movie, Liverpool and the capital of culture celebrations, his love of Slava’s Snow Show and his future plans, including his forthcoming date in Manchester.

Willy Russell has been a hairdresser and teacher before going on to pen both the score and lyrics for the much loved musical Blood Brothers. He has also written a novel, The Wrong Boy and many plays including, Educating Rita, Shirley Valentine and Breezeblock Park. Recently he played at the Edinburgh Festival with Tim Firth in a show called The Singing Playwrights. Willy’s current album Hoovering The Moon features Kate Rusby amongst many other special guests.

Russell is about to play Manchester for one night only in his show An Audience With Willy Russell at the Lowry.

Date & place of birth
August 23rd, Whiston, Lancashire.

Lives now in
Liverpool and partly London & Portugal.

Training
At age of 15 trained to be ladies Hairdresser. At 21 trained to be a teacher – (more…)

Venue: The Royal Exchange
Date Reviewed: 26th October 2007

The Flags began life in the Royal Exchange studio, garnering rave reviews and audience approval. The company now bravely brings the piece back to their bigger space, the theatre, in the round. The gamble has paid off if the opening night audience reception was anything to by, as they roared with laughter, throughout.

JJ (Francis Magee) and his friend Howie (Eamonn Owens) are lifeguards on a dirty, run down beach. They spend their days dressed in their Baywatch style attire, looking the part but not acting it. Neither of them could save a fly. But they both dream of finding work on the better beach, minus the dog ends and dead seagulls.

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The highly acclaimed playwright, author and songwriter, Willy Russell returns to Manchester following his In Other Words tour with Tim Firth (pictured left).  The man of many talents will star in his one man show An Audience With Willy Russell at the Lowry (Studio) on Wed 28 November.

Russell is well known as the writer of plays and films such as Educating Rita, Shirley Valentine, Our Day Out, and the musical Blood Brothers.

His first novel, The Wrong Boy, was published in 2000, has been translated into fifteen languages and is currently being adapted for a major television series.

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Venue: The Lowry
Date Reviewed: 24th October 2007

The Comedy Of Errors may be Shakespeare’s earliest comedy but it is also one of his most accessible. The Royal Shakespeare Company present such a fast paced and rollicking version that there truly is something for everyone; regardless of your knowledge of the Bard and his work.

Focusing on the idea of mistaken identity and the theme of family, the play has slapstick comedy but also the odd heartfelt moment, if done well. Here, the RSC have gathered a fine cast of athletic performers who not only embrace the language but also thrive during the comedic elements. At times the frantic scenes are so fast, the play has the effect of a relay race as each actor passes the baton breathlessly onto the next.

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