This week has seen the superb The Rainbow Connection come to The Unity Theatre. A play that deals with the relationship between a gay man and a straight woman of whom both have suffered hurt in one form or another and who through time come to realise they need each other in their lives.
The Lomax has history, great bands have performed there, some iconic, others are part of the music heritage that Liverpool celebrates justifiably. It disappeared for a while and as other venues sprang up, it seemed that The Lomax, like many others up and down the country, was gone forever. Then like some phoenix arising out of the ashes, The Lomax returned and music has been playing on its stage once more. One of the young acts that has recently performed there is the band Chasing Infinity.
In a city dominated by musicians who were either born within reach of the lifeblood that feeds the city, The River Mersey, or those that came to Liverpool to study at L.I.P.A. or any other of the institutions that makes Liverpool the cultural hub of the country, too come across a man from Stechford in Birmingham who has become part of the music scene is a thrill.
Carrianne Hayden is one of the many musicians/actors that have made Liverpool their home after finishing at L.I.P.A. She has contributed to the ever burgeoning and diverse music scene in Liverpool and has a distinctive voice that has the ability to send appreciative shivers up and down the spine as each note she plays grabs the listener in ways they never thought of.
Hailing from the Worcestershire town of Bewdley, Carrianne spent time abroad recently in which to stock of what she had achieved and where she was going musically. Now back in Liverpool it seems there is no stopping this talented and friendly musician. I was able to catch up with her at the University of Liverpool radio station as she prepared to perform a number of songs including the incredible Run Rabbit Run.
Birkenhead playwright Brian McCann is a busy man. So busy in fact that I appreciate that I am fortunate to have time with him at the Leaf tea shop on Bold Street in which to chat to him about his play, Down Our Street, which is coming to the Royal Court Theatre in April. The story of Birkenhead and the Cammell Laird ship building company is intertwined with each other, with many generations of families being employed by the firm.
The play was well received when performed at the Unity Theatre and was one of the delights of the season when performed.
One of the huge delights of the Liverpool theatre calendar is the appearance of the Big Wow team at the Unity Theatre. Their physical comedy performances delight and astound audiences no matter what show they have put on and are firm favourites in Liverpool.
Big Wow consist of three incredible talents that are made up of performers Tim Lynskey and Matt Rutter and the writer Robert Farquhar. Sitting in the Unity theatre before one of their shows and talking to a team that not only thrill audiences but can make them question the world through the use of physical comedy is slightly nerve racking and completely inspiring.
In 1993, theatre-maker Mark Smith came to Liverpool to study Drama at John Moores University. A native of the Bedfordshire town of Luton; notably famous for its hats, Eric Morecambe’s football team Luton Town, of which Mark fondly talks about his trip to Wembley as a ball boy when they won the League Cup in the 1988 and two of the members of Jethro Tull, it seems that Mark was destined to stand out from the crowd.
Jamie Hampson is currently part of the cast that is thrilling Royal Court theatre goers that have been going in their droves to see Fred Lawless’ latest monster smash hit A Nightmare on Lime Street. Originally from Halewood she was bitten by the acting bug before she hit her teenage years.
Having completed her training at the famous Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (L.I.P.A.) she has gone on to become one of the rising stars of Liverpool theatre with superb performances in A Midsummer’s Night Dream, Macbeth and in Nicky Alt’s You’ll Never Walk Alone to her name. Multi-talented and enjoyable company, there is seemingly nothing that will stop this young actor becoming a house-hold name in years to come.
Kaya Herstad Carney is part of the tremendous band Science of the Lamps. Born in Norway, a six hour drive north of the Arctic Circle, she came to Liverpool to study at L.I.P.A. and graduated in 2003. Her band Science of the Lamps released a self-titled E.P. a few weeks ago and it has captured the imagination of all those have listened to it. I was able to catch up with this hugely likeable, talented and enthusiastic musician for a short while after one of her Threshold meetings at the Bridewell.
Alan Stocks is one of Liverpool’s most easily recognised actors. His time in plays as diverse as Dead Heavy Fantastic, The Flint Street Nativity, Tartuffe and Scouse Pacific has made him a firm favourite with theatre audiences.
For the last few weeks he has been in the outstanding play by Joe Ward Munrow, Held, at The Liverpool Playhouse Studio Theatre with the superb Pauline Daniels and the inspiring Ged McKenna. Alan’s performance in the production is arguably the finest of his career to date. Alan will soon be seen in the musical Mam! I’m ‘Ere! at The Dome alongside Stephen Fletcher, Eithne Browne, Drew Schofield, Helen Carter, Rachel Rae, Paul Duckworth and Keddy Sutton.