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Music: Andrew Lloyd-Webber Lyrics: Tim Rice Director: Bob Thomson & Bill Kenwright Reviewer: John Roberts The Public Reviews Rating: It is arguably Lloyd-Webber & Tim Rice’s best collaboration, with wonderful music and some of musical theatre’s most haunting lyrics, but this production which has been touring the country for almost a year is now is looking and feeling as week and as fragile as the dying days of Eva Peron herself. Evita is the story of Maria Eva Duarte de Peron, the wife of President Juan Peron, who rose from poverty to become the most famous Argentine woman in History. Having had huge political influence, her input and charity work earn’t her nothing but scorn and hatred from the military and middle-classes but nothing but adoration and love from the workers and descamisados. Evita is the story of her rise to fame and how she came to shape a country. It must be said that visually this production designed by Matthew Wright is exquisite, from the marble pillars that move around to convey different locations, the wrought cast iron staircases and balconies to the Gold gilded picture frames that adorn the proscenium arch, and the stunning costumes that are so precise really does make Evita the best looking show in town…unfortunately for this production the set and costumes was Evita’s strongest suit. Abigail Jaye as the heroine Evita looks every bit the strong minded power driven first lady, however despite a strong voice there was very little in her performance in the way of acting the role. Mark Heenehan as Peron was strong in stature with an overly menacing glare in his eyes, but his deep bass/baritone voice seemed to struggle at times with the music. Mark Powell was a charming Che, the guerrilla activist leader, but his silky smooth voice and charismatic [...]

Writer/Director: John Godber Reviewer: Cathy Crabb The Public Reviews Rating: John Godber’s play within a play about the effect of teaching drama in mainstream school is particularly resonant because of the current climate within the arts and to watch and hear the audience- who were mainly teenagers- laughing along and revelling in the opportunity to poke fun at teachers and themselves, was a huge part of what made the production work. Rather than the awful trudge to another production of Shakespeare, where the trip to the toilet or the interval fag is the only interesting thing for 80% of a school outings, Teechers- as last night proved- is still relevant and engaging for its target audience. In the play within a play where the real teachers names have been changed, the three soon-to-be-leaving students of the soon-to- be- leaving drama teacher (Mr Harrison but name changed to Mr Nixon) Salty (Peter McMillan), Hobby (Claire Eden) and Gail (Zoe Lister) play all the roles. The play they have devised tells the story of a disillusioned teacher finding a comprehensive school hard going due to lack of facilities, consideration and an abundance cheeky kids, he eventually leaves to go and work at the grammar school where the students are well mannered, eager to learn and have a drama studio. The play without, shows the commitment, intelligence and talent of the kids at the comprehensive, their knowledge and cynical approach to the school system and how they have thrived and have appreciated their time with a great drama teacher. The set – designed by Pip Leckenby-is actually the stage in the school assembly hall and desks on the stage held various props and characters costumes- usually a wig or scarf or for Mr Basford (the bastard teacher)one of those Groucho disguises. If I was sixteen I [...]

Director: Gary Reich, Mike Nicholls, David Hoyle Reviewer: Cathy Crabb The Public Reviews Rating: An out of season and empty caravan park on the Isle of Sheppey is the setting for the Avant-Garde Alliance’s surreal romance/desolate tragedy Uncle David. World weary and exasperated by humanity, Uncle David (David Hoyle)has made a promise to save nephew Ashley (Ashley Ryder) from a world of idiots who would never allow him to achieve his full potential. It could all have been a game, and sympathy or compassion, though they grapple, has no secure hold in this incredibly close and cruel tale. I thought Ashley was a child, though physically it is very clear he isn’t, the interaction between the characters is a lesson in grooming, but also this could be role play or a manipulation of a man with learning difficulties. One way or another, the character of Ashley truly believes and is at the command of Uncle David. Another level, which I found really interesting, was Uncle David’s teachings of Ashley. His passionate and patronising poetics seem wasted on Ashley yet this doting brain washed boy child whisked away to a desolate caravan park, has become his only audience I really liked this about the film, because though we as voyeurs were helpless to intervene and had to watch the terrible conclusion at such a slow pace, we knew that we were okay because we were laughing at and not living with Uncle David who can make you do anything, sometimes just to humiliate you for fun. This film was improvised and shot in three days which is an amazing fete considering the many pictures being painted here and the beautiful way it has been realised. The foggy landscape of the seaside here lends itself entirely to the cut off and blurry relationship that has [...]

Writer: Jonathan Harvey Director: Fiona Buffini Reviewer: Malcom Wallace The Public Reviews Rating: In December 1960 Coronation Street premiered on ITV and quickly became an institution. Fifty years on the soap has not lost any of its appeal and still attracts the best of best in terms of actors and writers. To celebrate this milestone, and following the success of other TV to stage successes such as Dad’s Army and Dinnerladies, Jonathan Harvey, prolific playwright and Coronation Street writer, has followed suit and written Corrie!, a new comedy. And with such an abundance of material to work with, one can barely imagine how he has managed to condense it into two hours. But manage it he has and the result is an affectionate and amusing romp through all five decades of the soaps history in a style similar to that of the Reduced Shakespeare Company. A great many famous scenes are recreated, mostly poking good natured fun at the absurdity of some of the storylines. The death of Mike Baldwin, Alan Bradley’s dramatic death by tram, murderous Richard Hillman’s last evil act and other iconic scenes are amusingly played out, which all contrasts nicely with the moving scene where widowed Hilda Ogden breaks down clutching her late husband’s glasses, an unexpected moment of poignancy. Much is made of the many marriages and tribulations of long suffering Gail, whilst the dysfunctional Barlow family provide endless amounts of material ripe for mockery. The cast meet with mixed success and some characterisations are much better than others, but this is totally forgivable when one considers that between the six actors well over 50 recognisable Corrie characters are portrayed. Leanne Best is particularly good as Gail, along with also playing, amongst others, Tracey Barlow and battleaxe Blanche. Katherine Dow Blyton plays Deirdre to a tee …

Author/Dramatist: Alain Boubil Book/Music: Claude-Michel Schonberg Lyrics: Herbert Kretzmer Adaptors: Trevor Nunn & John Caird Director: Laurence Connor & James Powell Reviewer: Poppy Helm The Public Reviews Rating: Les Miserables is one of those shows that makes most regular theatre-goer’s eyes light up by mere mention; it’s something people enjoy time and time again. So I found myself slightly embarrassed to be in the audience for the first time during it’s current run at The Lowry, a whole quarter of a century since it first opened at the Barbican. Thankfully, it was well worth the wait. The story, based on Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel, is more sophisticated than the average West End musical; Jean Valjean is released from jail after serving nineteen years for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his nephew. Forever marked as a criminal, Jean finds his supposed freedom as difficult as his incarceration, until a kindly Bishop shows him mercy and he vows to be a better man. Jean’s journey is difficult and interwoven with those of his fellow ‘miserables’ as they struggle for survival, love and redemption. This large cast are excellent performers across the board, there isn’t a weak moment or wobbly note during the whole show, which runs to almost three hours in total. Connor and Powell’s direction makes the most of the numbers, set and props are often moved around in clear view but almost without being noticed because there’s so much else to look at. Jean (John Owen-Jones) is more engaging with every scene as we watch him wrestle with his past. He also has an impressive vocal range, particularly when singing ‘Bring Him Home’. Madalena Alberto’s petite Fantine fills the stage effortlessly with her big rendition of ‘I Dreamed A Dream’. The set itself is the most inventive I’ve ever seen; huge [...]

Writer: Ian Winterton Director: Trevor Macfarlane Reviewer: Dave Cunningham The Public Reviews Rating: Theatrical productions can provoke and even shock audiences. This is usually achieved by referring to, or describing, events that occur off-stage either in the past or the future because actually portraying them runs the risk of seeming to endorse actions that should be condemned. It takes a writer of real skill or talent to show distasteful actions without being actually offensive. Where’s Martin McDonagh when we need him? In Wednesday psychopathic Curtis (Simon D. Bates) kidnaps Daniel (Garry Graham-Smith) and Rose (Ruth Middleton) to re-enact an atrocity that occurred in the past. This is not to exorcise old ghosts but rather to enjoy repeating the offence. The play is entirely driven by the plot and writer Ian Winterton makes no effort to explore the psychological undertones. Rose spends the entire play tied to a bed and abused by her captor but the erotic subtext is ignored. The fact that some people find bondage and even ritual humiliation erotically satisfying is disregarded. As a result the character of Ruth is never more than a victim. Worse the tone of the play gives the impression that her past actions somehow justifies her fate. The offensive comment ‘That’s what got you raped before’ is never refuted or even challenged. Concentrating on the plot inevitably results in parts of the play seeming contrived – a character walks around barefoot because at some point the plot requires him to step on broken glass. This is acceptable in a thriller but in Wednesday the approach is so heavy-handed it limits the range of the actors. We are given no hint in the actor’s performance that the motivation of one character is unrequited love for another until the plot calls for this to be revealed. No matter [...]

Writer:  Siobhan Nicholas Director: John Ramm Reviewer: Jo Beggs The Public Reviews Rating: In their younger days The Great Tourrinos toured the land, delivering magic, clowning and mind reading to audiences from Plymouth to Portree. It’s a hard life but tinged with just enough glamour to keep these two, Freddie (Chris Barnes) and his wife Grainne (Siobhan Nicholas) on the road. But the glamour suddenly turns to tragedy when a circus trick goes horribly wrong and their young son, a naïve accomplice in their William Tell apple-shooting spectacle, fails to avoid the bullet. And with that the Tourrinos are no more, as Grainne walks off stage and out of Freddie’s life forever. Or so he thinks as, alone, he tours second rate stages up and down the country, now a sour old man telling bad jokes and crooning gloomy songs. But tonight is the night he’s dreamed of. The night she walks back into his life to resurrect the old act, to do the show one more time. It should have stayed where it was. A glittering memory in an old man’s mind. Dolce Via is an hour and a half of dull, uninspired tricks, lacklustre clowning and stilted drama. It fails both to entertain with its showbiz turns or affect with its tragic story. In short, it’s a wearisome piece of theatre, which fails to live up to its enticing publicity or the company’s credentials. Chris Baines spent two years in America working with Barnum and Baily’s circus. Doing what? Here we get just five seconds of unicycling and a couple of predictable, poorly delivered magic tricks. Siobhan Nicholas’s previous drama, Hanging Hooke attracted critical acclaim as captivating drama. There’s little sign of that here. Nicholas claims that Dolce Via is inspired by the films of Fellini and Charlie Chaplin yet it [...]

Writer: Susi Wrenshaw Director: Matthew Ganley Reviewer: John Roberts The Public Reviews Rating: I am a strong believer in supporting new writing and seeing new theatre companies thrive and blossom and nothing pleases me more than seeing a new theatre company fledge it’s wings, especially in areas where theatre can become a hub of activity in certain areas. So credit and praise must be given to Happystorm Theatre Company and their ethos to be an integral part of the Salford community. Be Rain for Me is the début play of co-founder of Happy Storm; Susi Wrenshaw, the title and original inspiration coming from the last words her dying grandfather said to her “Be rain for me’ a nod to the ever circular notion of life from ground to sky and back again. Loosing a child is never easy and the traumatic and lasting effects of such an event can cause rifts in our relationships, and in our own mental state. Moth is suffering from long term mental illness following her involvement in the suffocating of her young daughter Willow. Ray is Moth’s put upon husband and carer – or so we are led to believe, and is evidently morning the loss of his mother; whom he has been estranged too. What transpires through this 75 minute drama is Willow isn’t dead, instead she was in fact living with her grandmother (Ray’s mother) and living her family memories  through the diaries of Moth. Ray is in fact not the caring type we originally thought, instead showing himself as a selfish and manipulative man who wants to control everything and everyone in his life, but the only thing he ends up controlling is his own demise. Wrenshaw’s text is without a doubt strong and shows real talent in creating believable dialogue something that seems to [...]