Category Archives: Theatre

Absolute Certainty, Theatre Review. Tribeca Bar, Manchester.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Cast: Dafydd Shalders, Benjamin Longthorne, Barney Thompson.

Stewart Campbell’s Absolute Certainty at the Tribeca Bar is part of the Manchester Fringe events. The venue is situated in the LGBT quarter around Sackville Street in Manchester. It is an urban tale of an 18-year-old Finn (Dafydd Shalders) who is finishing off his ‘A’ Levels under the watchful eye of his elder brother, the club surfing Dean (Barney Thompson) and his ever-present work mate Lee (Benjamin Longthorne).

Absolute Certainty, Theatre Review. Tribeca Bar, Manchester. full post

(555 words, estimated 2:13 mins reading time)

The British Idles, Theatre Review. Unity Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Nick Sheedy, Adam Nicholls, Callum Forbes, Faye Caddick, Samantha Walton.

There are two ways to look at the situation imposed on students graduating from University as we stumble headlong along the 21st Century road, one train of thought regarded by those who perpetuate the myth that education should be paid for in excess of debt by those receiving it and the more honest approach of those who understand that by burdening the individual with liability that far outweighs the gain, is utterly and irresponsibly wrong.

The British Idles, Theatre Review. Unity Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(453 words, estimated 1:49 mins reading time)

Church Blitz, Theatre Review. Unity Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Cast: Samantha Walton, Adam Nicholls, Niall Hogan, Warren Kettle, Megan Bond, Callum Forbes, Nick Sheedy.

Be careful who you let in, that knock at the door as you hide in safety in a sanctuary, huddled together with strangers as mysterious lights and deadly rays fill the sky; when the world experiences a phenomena it cannot explain, not only does life’s companion Death come to take you by the hand, but the nagging thought that the mischievous, malicious and malign could call round to join in the fireworks is very much a certainty.

Church Blitz, Theatre Review. Unity Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(414 words, estimated 1:39 mins reading time)

Not The Horse, Theatre Review. Unity Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Nick Sheedy, Michael Hawkins, Warren Kettle, Tom Silverton, Freddie Johnson, Adam Nicholls, Michael J. Treanor, Niall Hogan, Phil Bulman, Calen Griffin, Callum Forbes, Daniel Carmichael.

Straight up black comedy has the major issue of sometimes alienating those that dare take in a night of theatre; the unsuspecting audience not quite aware of what to expect, the references, the journey to a different place and one in which darkness prevails, the under culture of which many are drawn because it allows for a different kind of narrative to be explored.

Not The Horse, Theatre Review. Unity Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(429 words, estimated 1:43 mins reading time)

And Here I Am, Theatre Review. Unity Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

Cast: Ahmed Tobasi.

It is perhaps possible to watch the news and see an item, a report on a camp somewhere in the world, and feel more than moved, beyond horrified at the images of the refugees caused by war, famine and any number of natural and man-made disasters. For a while you feel their pain, you write social media messages of support, tweet angry messages which all boil down to the same thing, something must be done, and then you move on, you don’t forget entirely but human existence as it is, it just goes to the back of the mind and stays there till the next humanitarian disaster comes along.

And Here I Am, Theatre Review. Unity Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(503 words, estimated 2:01 mins reading time)

The Crows Plucked Your Sinews, Theatre Review. Unity Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Cast: Aisha Mohammed.

Time is perpetually offering the same kind of scenario to people, to humanity, it is just the view point and the way it is observed that changes, History doesn’t so much as repeat itself but has the hallmarks of constant rehashing and frightening ability to make us understand that as a species with so much going for us, so much potential to grow and bond, we keep making the same mistakes and wondering why our planet is ultimately doomed.

The Crows Plucked Your Sinews, Theatre Review. Unity Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(419 words, estimated 1:41 mins reading time)

Another Story From Another Place, Theatre Review. Unity Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

Cast: Lucy Fiori, Austin Hewitt.

The art of entertaining children, let alone an audience, is one that is vastly underrated. The minds of the young crave knowledge and yet they will not allow themselves to put up with the half baked or the condescending; for them a tale worth telling is a tale worth telling well, it is after all how we as a society get them to appreciate their imagination and treat it with respect and sanctity.

Another Story From Another Place, Theatre Review. Unity Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(356 words, estimated 1:25 mins reading time)

Pippin, Theatre Review. Unity Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

Cast: Chris Walsh, Pete Fendall, Matthew Sheffield, Tom Loughlin, Steph Scrutton, Heather Burns, Eilish Mulvihill, Thomas Wiggins, Eugene Chong, Megan Key, Andrew Abrahamson, Kate Rugen, Andy Walker, Lizzie Paes, Charlotte Wilson, Steph Longmuir, Lily Maketansky.

Musicians: Josie Conti, Mark Newberry, Amy Fazakerley, Holly Burrows, Abigail Morris, Chloe Farrington, Tom Crowley, Xana Davies, Joe Barnes, Laura Copestake, Ben Dyer, Jonny Knight, Luke Thomas.

Pippin, Theatre Review. Unity Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(516 words, estimated 2:04 mins reading time)

In The Millennial Dome, Theatre Review. Fredericks, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Alex Ferguson, Geraint R. Williams.

Much is made of the Millennial, to some this group of people who have come into the world after the nihilism and cynicism of Generation X are to be seen with a sneer and not so positive attitude or recommendation appearing on the corners of the mouths of those who came after the end World War Two, the so called Baby Boomers, and those to whom the Counter Culture was not just grasped for but willingly so. However, rather than the strident pessimism of the Generation X and the awkward suspicion of the baby boomer, for those immersed in the unhinged times of the 21st Century, being In The Millennial Dome is perhaps the hardest times of all, and those who fight within should be applauded rather than condemned.

In The Millennial Dome, Theatre Review. Fredericks, Liverpool. full post

(516 words, estimated 2:04 mins reading time)

Cartoonopolis, Theatre Review. Unity Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

Cast: Lewis Bray.

To compare the same play by the same performer two years apart is to open yourself up to folly and yet as audience member rose in appreciation at the end of Lewis Bray’s magical return of his play Cartoonopolis, as they revelled as one in the life of boy to whom cartoons are a special friend, there can be no doubt that this is one of the most exceptional plays crowds are likely to see this year.

Cartoonopolis, Theatre Review. Unity Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(425 words, estimated 1:42 mins reading time)