Pantomime Review: Beauty and The Beast (St. Helens Theatre Royal)

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Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Pantomime
Genre: Comedy
Date: April 1 2017
Location: St. Helens Theatre Royal

Beauty and The Beast is all the rage right now, given the recent cinematic release of the newest Disney adaptation, and so it's very good timing to see a good old-fashioned pantomime version of the classic tale for the Easter season.

The St. Helens crowd was treated to plenty of comedy capers with this Beauty and The Beast performance. Belle (Amy Thompson) rejects the advances of Gaston (Philip McGuinness), who is supported by his evil mother Madame Botox (Hannah Potts), and instead wishes to fall in love with the handsome Prince (Richard Hazlewood). However, the wicked Madame Botox uses poison to turn the Prince into a Beast, who becomes a hideous and terrifying creature.

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Little Red and The Big Bad Wolf

Image Source: Unity Theatre

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Pantomime
Genre: Comedy
Date: December 3 2016
Location: Unity Theatre, Liverpool, England

The fairytale of Little Red Riding Hood is known by virtually everyone, with the target audience obviously being young children. The story has slight differences in some versions, but needless to say, the core elements remain the same, including the relatively short time it takes to tell the tale.

Therefore, Little Red and The Big Bad Wolf was an intriguing prospect. How do you take a story which everybody will know, and which doesn't last too long, and create a theatre show out of it that will maintain interest and provide entertainment for attendees of all ages? Well, anybody who feels that this is an impossible task would be surprised, because Little Red ... ticks all the boxes, whilst adding some unique layers which ensure that it stands out from the classic fairytale.

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The Full Monty

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Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Play
Genre: Comedy Drama
Date: November 7 2016
Location: Liverpool Empire Theatre

A production which brings the original 1997 movie to the theatre stage, the story of The Full Monty will be familiar to anybody who has seen the film. To those who haven't seen the flick, though, the prospect of watching this show could potentially be a little awkward. After all, it's about a group of wannabe male strippers; assuming that you don't fit into the target audience, how awkward will it be sitting through a show that focuses on half a dozen men preparing to bare all?

Well, you need not worry, because the show is about more than stripping. A lot more, in fact, to the point where the clothes-shedding scenes are at a minimum. The story is actually an examination of British society during Thatcher's problematic reign as Prime Minister, which led to job cuts, declining industries (such as the steel industry, which had previously provided jobs for the central characters here) and general malaise amongst the fortunes and morale of the working-class British people. The knock-on effect included the likes of proud men being unwilling to admit to their partners that they were now jobless (Gerald, played by Brian Dunn), fathers whose hearts were in the right place as opposed to their brains being involved in dodgy deals to try and keep their father-son relationships alive (Gaz, the main character who is played by Gary Lucy) and young men who had yet to achieve any real success, and whose gloomy thoughts convinced them that they never would (Lomper, played by Anthony Lewis).

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The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Image Source: Ents 24

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Musical
Genre: Comedy
Date: October 18 2016
Location: Liverpool Empire Theatre, Liverpool, England

So, I walk into the theatre for the show. I get a drink to see me through the night, I go the loo to make sure I don't need to get up during the performance, and I take my seat as I see people walking past in fishnet tights ... and leopard-print Speedos ... and, in one case, a gentleman of several decades walking his presumed-wife to their seats whilst keeping her attached to a dog collar, wrapped around their wrists. (To which I remarked to my guest, "Imagine walking around Asda like that!")

Welcome to The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

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Sister Act

Image Source: ATG

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Musical
Genre: Comedy
Date: October 10 2016
Location: Liverpool Empire Theatre, Liverpool, England

Based on the 1992 film, the musical version of Sister Act tells the same story as the movie, with only some minor changes at certain points. After Deloris Van Cartier (Alexandra Burke), a singer as part of an up-and-coming band, witnesses her former boyfriend and band mate Curtis (Aaron Lee Lambert) shoot a fellow band member to death in anger and frustration, Deloris confesses about the incident to the local police department. In order to protect her safety and identity, she is sent to the local church, with the idea of her simply hiding out there for a period of time. But her loud, boisterous and outspoken, yet largely positive, nature riles up Mother Superior (Karen Mann), whose quiet, conservative and traditional approach to the running of the church and the guidance of the nuns is a great contrast to the lifestyle of Deloris. Partly to protect her and partly in an attempt to try and change her ways, Mother Superior transforms Deloris into Sister Mary Clarence.

After a near-miss when Deloris/Clarence ventures to a local bar, with several nuns following her as back-up and with her arch-nemesis and co in attendance (she only avoids disaster when her identity is confused with that of a local drag queen), Mother Superior is furious, and feels that the only way to keep an eye on Deloris/Clarence is to take advantage of her musical skills and have her join the choir band with her fellow nuns. I should mention that the vocal skills of the nuns are like hearing cats screaming, or something akin to a bad X-Factor audition (sadly for the X-Factor hopefuls, the performers in this show are deliberately singing badly). That all changes when Deloris/Clarence joins them and, soon, they become a genuinely talented and exciting choir band, although Mother Superior is further ruffled by the fact that the band use not-so-religious dance moves and the use of funky instruments, which is far from the gentle, holy nature of regular choir music. Yet it brings in larger attendances for masses than ever before, so much so that they are set to perform in front of the Pope. However, Curtis and friends are edging ever closer to finding Deloris, due to her fame rising, and Mother Superior looks to seize any opportunity she can to remove Deloris/Clarence from the church, which helps to set up a climactic finale. Oh, and there's "Sweaty" Eddie (Jon Robyns), a local police officer who helps to protect Deloris, but who also has a secret to tell her, dating back to their days together in college.

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Blood Brothers

Image Source: Liverpool
Empire Theatre

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Musical
Genre: Comedy Drama
Date: September 20 2016
Location: Liverpool Empire Theatre

"Did you ever hear the story of the Johnstone twins?"

The narrator of Blood Brothers, played by Dean Chisnall, opens and closes the show with this statement. When it begins, we're not to know the true details of the highs and lows of the Johnstone twins, although we are given a visual clue as to what lies ahead. Unusually, the narrator tells us the outcome at the beginning, with the show acting almost as a biography of how the Johnstone twins would meet their fate. By the time we hear this statement repeated, we know their story. Oh, do we know their story. And their story is one of manipulation, humour, heartbreak, triumph, sadness and ultimately tragedy. It's incredibly compelling, and the show as a whole is simply incredible.

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Singin' In The Rain

Image Source: At The Theatre

Written By: Rob Stanway

Format: Musical
Genre: Musical
Date: July 6 2016
Location: New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-Under-Lyme

Singin’ In The Rain is one of the most well-known musicals of all-time. After being adapted from the 1952 movie of the same name it has been performed to audience countless times. This brave new adaptation by The New Vic Theatre, Octagon Theatre Bolton and Salisbury Playhouse puts a fresh spin on the classic musical.

In fact this is a rare opportunity to see a musical in the round, which is always an engaging and highly enjoyable experience.

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Cats

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Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Musical
Genre: Musical
Date: July 11 2016
Location: Liverpool Empire Theatre

One of the most famous musicals across the globe, Cats has made its way into the Liverpool Empire Theatre. The reputation of the show, which dates back decades and is amongst the biggest theatre shows on Earth (a longtime prominence on Broadway), ensures that attendees are expecting something special. Fortunately, Cats came through by delivering a great experience with plenty of special effects and unique nuances, all of which ensured that this production was the cat's meow, as I will now explain in more depth.

Cats tells the story of a series of cats roaming the streets at night, when everybody is asleep and the feline animals are able to live a little; the creatures come out at night, you might say. But this is no ordinary night; tonight, it is the annual Jellicle Ball, whereby the cats come together for a celebration, during which one of the Jellicle cats will be lucky enough to be chosen for a "rebirth" of sorts. Along the way, we are introduced to many different cats (one of whom facially resembled Gareth Bale), each with a unique personality trait; there's Jennyanydots (Lucinda Shaw), the Old Gumble Cat, who generally lazes around and enjoys a good rest; there's The Rum Tum Tugger (Marcquelle Ward), who is the joker in the pack; and then there's Bustopher Jones (Greg Castiglioni) who enjoys eating and eating; you may say that he is a fat cat!

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That's Entertainment

Image Source: British Theatre

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Musical
Genre: Musical
Date: June 14 2016
Location: Liverpool Empire Theatre

From the same production team that brought us Puttin' On The Ritz (which you can see my review for by clicking here), That's Entertainment again adheres to the format of showcasing the most memorable musical hits from the mid-20th century - and the show does a very good job of rekindling fond memories for the older generation and introducing a younger audience to these classic songs.

That's Entertainment is enhanced by the involvement of The Overtones, who have firmly established themselves as one of the UK's leading vocal harmony groups. Whilst the other singers perform to a high standard, it is The Overtones who many theatregoers will head over to the Empire Theatre to see, and based on this showing, those spectators won't be disappointed: The Overtones provide unique and powerful renditions of some very popular songs, amongst them Runaround Sue, Can't Take My Eyes Off You and Give Me Just A Little More Time. The already-strong performances take a step up whenever The Overtones are on the stage, and those impressed will certainly be looking to see them when they go back on their own tour in the near future.

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Save The Last Dance For Me

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Liverpool Empire Theatre

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Musical
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Date: June 6 2016
Location: Liverpool Empire Theatre

At a time when there is uncertainty about Britain's future in the European market via the EU vote and when holiday prices can make even the simplest break seem like an expensive trip, there's nothing better than a good trip down memory lane. Nostalgia can be a wonderful thing at times, and especially for an older generation, it's often good to sit back and discuss the way that things used to be, back when life was so much simpler, and when you made the most of whatever you had.

It is this vibe of the "good old days" which this show, Save The Last Dance For Me, attempts to recapture, and it does so very well. People of a certain age will remember a time when a big holiday meant travelling for several hours to a bread-and-butter caravan site with one or two nearby attractions, with the odd use of a singular telephone box being your only link to life back home, and with the success of the holiday dependant on who, if anybody, that you met and befriended during your trip away. Sure, you couldn't Tweet what you were up to each night and your memories are confined to your memory and to a couple-dozen printed photographs on an oversized camera rather than having hundreds of pics on your iPhone, but that represented the simplicity of holiday life a few decades ago; some would say that things were a lot better back then for that very reason.

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The Night Watch

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At The Theatre

Written By: Kath Walton

Format: Play
Genre: Drama
Date: May 19 2016
Location: Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester

After the carnage of world war two, five people are left picking up the pieces of a fragmented life left scattered amongst the debris of post-war London.

Sarah Waters’ harrowing historical fiction novel has been adapted by Olivier-nominated Hattie Naylor into a two act play that tells the stories of Kay, Helen and Julia, three lesbians, Viv, a straight woman, and her brother Duncan, a gay man. Told backwards from the ending to the beginning the plot reveals how their lives are interconnected through their relationships, their misfortunes and their secrets.

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Footloose

Image Source: Ents 24

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Romantic Drama
Genre: Musical
Date: May 9 2016
Location: Liverpool Empire Theatre

Rocking and shuffling its way into the Liverpool Empire Theatre, Footloose follows the lead of its motion picture predecessors by presenting a story that is part-drama, part-romance and part-musical. The cast consists of many young talents, and as with the movies, the stage show is clearly aimed at the teenage market given the tone of the show and the relationship-based storylines.

Footloose tells the story of Ren McCormack (played here by Luke Baker), who having previously enjoyed life as a Chicago resident, is sent to live with his aunt and uncle in the much smaller town of Bomont, West Virginia. As he struggles to fit into his new surroundings, matters aren't helped by the fact that his Chicago background, his previously carefree attitude and his propensity to dance make him enemies very quickly, from the almost zealot-esque Reverend Shaw Moore (Nigel Lister) to the unpredictable yet generally harmless Willard (played here by 911 member Lee Brennan). But whilst a group of high school girls also take the time to regularly taunt Ren, one of those girls, Ariel Moore (Hannah Price) is clearly teasing Ren because she is developing a crush on him, much to the chagrin of her current boyfriend, the more rebellious and sinister Chuck (Matthew Tomlinson).

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The Bodyguard

Image Source: Liverpool
Empire Theatre

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Romantic Thriller
Genre: Musical
Date: April 27 2016
Location: Liverpool Empire Theatre

The Bodyguard left a lasting impression within seconds of the show beginning.

Unlike most shows, which have a slow and gradual opening - the type where the audience knows "Oh, the show is about to start" - The Bodyguard quite literally kicks off with a bang. I won't spoil it too much for those who plan to see the show, but I will simply advise potential attendees to be on guard, as you may be in for a bit of a shock. I know I was because I was drinking water at the time and ... well, let's just say that there was a lot less water in the bottle after the show's opening moments!

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Thriller Live

Image Source: Thriller Live

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Musical
Genre: Musical
Date: April 11 2016
Location: Liverpool Empire Theatre

A Michael Jackson show is always likely to be a Thriller, but there is a chance it could be Bad. You'd probably enjoy it whether you're Black Or White, but if you wouldn't, you might Blame It On The Boogie. Understanding the plot of such a show is as easy as ABC ... okay, I'll dispense with the awful Jacko puns now. (Especially since it would have been nearly impossible to find one for Earth Song.)

Thriller Live takes an energetic, entertaining and exciting look at the career of the legendary Michael Jackson. Beginning with his time in The Jackson 5 with early Motown songs, it moves onto his shift to disco music before focusing on his most famous hits (and there were many) from the 1980s and 1990s. Of course, Michael is no longer with us, so for this tribute to MJ, the songs are provided by a range of singers, along with extensive dance teams to ensure that the performances are as authentic and true to Michael's memory as possible.

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Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Pantomime
Genre: Comedy
Date: March 25 2016
Location: Epstein Theatre, Liverpool, England

It's Easter time, which can only mean one thing: it's panto season!

Well, okay, that's usually around Christmas time, but over the last few years, Easter has become an additional point of annual pantomime, led on a local level by the Epstein Theatre and their latest production (well, as created by LHK Productions), Snow White.

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Guys and Dolls

Image Source: Guys and Dolls

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Comedy Drama
Genre: Musical
Date: March 17 2016
Location: Liverpool Empire Theatre

Sometimes, prior to a theatre show, the title of the production conjures up a particular image. For instance, The Sound Of Music shows initially makes one think about the classic movie version. And Jersey Boys reminds you of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. These are interlinked, of course, so the comparisons are understandable if not obvious.

However, as a 27-year-old theatre reviewer, when I heard that Guys and Dolls was imminent for the Liverpool Empire Theatre, there was one image, one scene, or perhaps even one man, which immediately sprung to mind.

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Last Night A DJ Saved My Life

David Hasselhoff

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Musical
Genre: Comedy
Date: January 19 2016
Location: Liverpool Empire Theatre

Sun, sea, sand and sex ... and The Hoff - what more could you want off a holiday-themed show?

Yes, The Hoff himself, David Hasselhoff, was a leading cast member in the show Last Night A DJ Saved My Life, a comedy musical which detailed the trials and tribulations off a teenage girl named Penny (Stephanie Webber), who is looking to connect more with her father Ross (played by Hoff) whilst also taking the first big steps in learning about love, all amidst an eventful couple of days in Ibiza, and with dad's workplace Club Nirvana acting as a setting for many of the show's key events.

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Dick Whittington

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Pantomime
Genre: Comedy
Date: December 15 2015
Location: Liverpool Empire Theatre

The Liverpool Empire is in panto season, and its festive production this year is Dick Whittington, starring a good number of famous faces and featuring plenty of funny scenarios and eye-catching moments to ensure that theatregoers of all ages would love this show.

The plot is a little less clear than in other shows, as the story takes some unexpected twists and turns, but the main story arc is that Dick Whittington (played by Kurtis Stacey) and his cat Tommy (Hayley Goold) have arrived in Liverpool looking for work, and not only do they find a job quickly working at a shop belonging to Alderman Fitzwarren (Pete Price), but he also finds love in the form of the shop owner's daughter Alice (Leanne Campbell). The city has a problem with rats, hence why the cat is of great use to Alderman, but King Rat (Warren Donnelly) still has plans to spoil everybody's plans.

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Cinderella

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Pantomime
Genre: Comedy
Date: December 14 2015
Location: Epstein Theatre, Liverpool, England

It's Christmas time, which means that it's panto season! ("Oh, no it isn't! Oh, yes it is!")

The Epstein Theatre served up a fun and at times unpredictable night of yuletide entertainment with its incarnation of Cinderella, the story of a girl who finds her true love in the form of Prince Charming, but is denied the opportunity to be with him by her two ugly sisters and her evil mother. However, with the assistance of some friends (including a Fairy Godmother, played by Beryl Marsden), Cinders finds her way to Prince Charming's Ball (which he holds solely to try and meet Cinderella again), but a midnight exit and a forgotten shoe lead to the show's big question mark: can Prince Charming locate Cinderella, and will they be married and live happily ever after?

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Shrek: The Musical

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Musical
Genre: Comedy
Date: November 26 2015
Location: Liverpool Empire Theatre

The latest big-budget production to hit the Liverpool Empire stage, in this case produced by Dreamworks, Shrek: The Musical tells the story of Shrek (played by Dean Chisnall), a large ogre, a friendly ogre, but one whose visual appearance and intimidating size makes him horrifying to many who encounter him. Having been abandoned at the age of seven, and eventually finding his home in a swamp, one day he was startled to learn that his home had been taken over by a group of fairy-tale characters, including Pinocchio, the Gingerbread Man (who is presented on a board), the Three Bears and the Three Little Pigs, by orders of Lord Farquaad (Gerard Casey). As Shrek makes it a personal mission to meet Farquaad and reclaim his home, along the way he meets Donkey (Idriss Kargbo), who despite his overly-excitable nature and occasional annoying behaviour, becomes a true friend to Shrek, and joins him for the journey.

When they meet Farquaad, though, they are informed that to get back his home, Shrek must complete a separate quest; that being, to rescue Princess Fiona (Bronté Barbé) from being trapped in a castle by a dragon. As Shrek makes his way to the castle, Donkey is held captive by the dragon, and we see Fiona grow up as she wishes to one day be rescued by her Prince Charming. When the moment finally comes, though, her joy at being set free is offset by her dismay from her rescuer being the big ogre that is Shrek. In the meantime, Donkey is saved from the dragon, although there appears to be something of a bond formed which has relevance later in the story.

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