“Four writers. One pub. One theme. No restrictions.”
This week sees the return of new writing collective the Annexe Writers, who are promising a free glass of wine alongside four new plays at Flanagan’s Apple pub on Mathew Street this Tuesday (March 26).
The one off event sees the writers responding to the theme of ‘home’, creating some unique stories ranging from two friends on a rooftop with no place left to run, a man desperate to rebuild his home life, three friends and the children’s home they share and a woman waiting for her lover to return.
The night will be scored by local musician Anthony Brown. Entry is £3 and the performances start at 7.30pm.
Home is the first of five varied productions for the Annexe Writers group over the coming months. Formed last year and comprising eleven graduates from the Liverpool Everyman
and Playhouse Young Writers programme, the group looks to utilize and unite the city’s burgeoning acting, writing and directing talent, to produce bold, exciting and affordable fringe theatre to the people of Liverpool.
Liverpool Network Theatre believes in theatre as a political force that should be accessible to all, a medium with the power to change society for the better. If that sounds heavy-going, don’t let that put you off.
Its latest production of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya was a shining example of this – a play with a real intensity at its heart, with moments of humour that prevent it descending into over-earnestness.
A superb introduction to the work of this long-established community group, the actors performed with an impressive confidence and grasp of the text.
Vanya (Darren Jones) is struggling to run a country farm with his niece Sonya (Jennifer Campbell). His older brother Serebryakov (Frank Kennedy), a professor, has come to convalesce from illness that has put an end to his career and city life; his beautiful, younger wife Yelena (Helen McGill) in tow.
Also in the mix is travelling doctor Astrov (Demian Stimson), who sets pulses racing by virtue of his otherworldliness. As each of the characters adjusts to their lot, will anyone be able to find the life they really want?
For a play heavy with political and social themes – town versus country, brain versus brawn, youth versus experience – this production was handled deftly and wasn’t short on laughs or moving moments. Neither of the two hour acts outstayed its welcome, and the long scenes flowed well.
Andy Kerr’s direction kept the action moving, and the warmth of secondary characters like nice-but-dim Waffles (Michael Leane) and nanny Marina (Eve Smith) helped build a convincing sense of community among the characters. Patrick Maguire’s simple but evocative set was the perfect backdrop for this stripped-back, yet thoughtful and thoroughly absorbing production.
More fun news from the Royal Court, as it was announced yesterday that John Power, he of Scousepop legends The La’s and Cast, will be taking on the role of John Lennon in a revival of Bob Eaton’s play Lennon.
The theatre announced its next three productions, all comprised of old favourites, starting with Ladies Day (June 14 to July 13), a comedy by Amanda Whittington which will be Ken Alexander’s first show as artistic director, and tells the story of a group of workmates hitting the racetrack for a day of fun, fizz and fine fillies – something that is sure to resonate with Liverpool audiences.
Speaking of which, following that will beNicky Allt’s One Night in Istanbul, which revisits Liverpool FC’s 2005 Champions League win and returns to the city for the first time since 2010, from July 19 to August 17. The show has already been watched by over 55,000 people and a film version is soon to be released.
Finally, Bob Eaton’s Lennon returns, from August 13 to September 14. It also had a hugely successful run in 2010, with Andrew Schofield in the title role. This time it will be John Power taking on the role of the Beatles legend.
Packed with the music of Lennon and McCartney, more than 40 hit songs drive the show from beginning to end, including All You Need Is Love, Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, In My Life, Hard Day’s Night and Imagine.
Power will be taking on the role of the older Lennon, who acts as the show’s narrator. Growing up near Penny Lane, Power went to the same schools as Lennon (Dovedale and Quarry Bank) before becoming a key member of the band The La’s (best known for the classic There She Goes). He then went on to form Cast who had huge Britpop success with hits such as Alright, Sandstorm and Walkaway. The band split in 2001 but recently reformed and released a fifth album, Troubled Times last year.
The show begins over August Bank Holiday Weekend which will tie in with the first Liverpool International Music Festival (the new alternative to the cancelled Mathew Street Festival). The Royal Court is currently in discussions with curator Yaw Osuwu to see how Lennon can be a part of the festival.
Tickets and information for all productions are available from www.royalcourtliverpool.com or on 0870 787 1866.
You’ve gotta love a bit of Cats. Old Cameron Mackintosh is on a roll this year, and the big budget producer will be bringing the Andrew Lloyd Webber classic – one of the longest-running shows in West End and Broadway history – back to the Empire this winter.
It’ll be in town from November 26 to December 7.
Based on the poems of TS Elliot, Cats continues to be a worldwide musical phenomenon; they claim it has been seen by over 50 million people in more than 300 cities in 26 countries around the world, and has been performed in at least 10 different languages. Cats was last seen in the UK in 2007 – where does the time go – and will be at least the fourth major tour of an Andrew Lloyd Webber show in Liverpool this year, following on from last month’s lavish Phantom of the Opera; Evita, which comes back to the Empire in June with Marti Pellow as Che; and the autumn return of the Jesus Christ Superstar arena tour.
Tickets go on sale today, available from Liverpool Empire Box Office, by calling 0845 871 3017, online.
They’ve staged a brilliant production of 1984, imagined what would have happened to the characters of Trainspotting in last year’s Users, and are now tackling a classic of American drama with The Crucible.
Tell Tale Theatre will be staging one of Arthur Miller’s best-loved plays at the Static Gallery next month – and their past form would indicate it will be well worth a look.
Miller’s play is set during the Salem witch trials of the 1690s, but serves as an allegory of 1950s McCarthyism, demonstrating sympathies that later saw the playwright up before the Senate amidst accusations of Communism.
Director Emma Whitley says: “The play is all about power, and explores the lengths humans will go to in order to achieve it. This is a timeless idea, and still resonates within society today. Our intention is to bring a fresh take on a classic masterpiece, creating an immersive, multimedia audience experience from the moment they enter the venue.”
Tell Tale Theatre is a community theatre group that was only set up three years ago, but its achievements so far have included reaching the semi-finals of Sky Arts’ Nation’s Best Am Dram competition. The company’s mentor was the actor Martin Shaw, who said: “I loved the openness and willingness of the people in Tell Tale Theatre and their absolute desire to learn.”
Not only have the cast been dedicated to The Crucible’s rehearsal schedule, but they have also been fundraising to ensure that the show’s success. One member of the group raised over £250 by writing a novel in a month, another group of actors did a sponsored day of improvisation, and one performer raised funds by providing Reiki sessions to family and friends.
Leanne Jones, producer and assistant director said: “Our group of actors have thoroughly enjoyed exploring the play’s dramatic themes, challenging our notions of good and evil. It is not only suspenseful and moving but it compels the audience to ask some difficult questions. That is the ambition of Tell Tale Theatre … creating challenging, engaging performance.”
Catch The Crucible at Static Gallery, Roscoe Lane, from 10–13 April. All performances start at 7.30pm plus a matinee on Saturday 13 April. Tickets are £6 on Wednesday, April 10, and £8/£10 all other dates, availableonline or by calling 0871 220 0260.
Liverpool Cathedral is to produce a series of Passion Plays re-enacting the events of Christ’s last supper, trial and crucifixion during Holy Week.
The Liverpool Passion Plays – This is Our Story will take place over three nights from March 25 to 27 at 6.30pm. The free performances will combine drama, liturgy and music, and will use the whole cathedral, guiding audience members around the great space of the building to watch, and at many points even become part of, the re-enactment of Christ’s Passion.
Scenes depicting the entry into Jerusalem, Judas’s betrayal, the carrying of the cross and the crucifixion will be carefully constructed around the cathedral’s own architecture, light, and works of art. Audience members can also choose to attend Evensong which starts at 5.30pm and leads into the performance.
The Liverpool Passion Plays are bringing together the traditions of both church drama and medieval mystery plays by being produced by the Overcrofters, the cathedral’s own youth group, in collaboration with the cathedral’s music department. Associate organist Dan Bishop will direct the performances, which will include new music specially composed for parts of the story.
Dan said: “Christ’s Passion is everyone’s story, and these plays are a chance to experience being part of the crowd that welcomes Christ into Jerusalem, that witnesses his crucifixion and that gains a sense of hope from his resurrection. It will be a very visceral performance that also feeds off the audience and draws them in to the action at close range.
“The tone has been very carefully considered for each performance and the music, script and words from the liturgy are being carefully worked together to make links between Christ’s suffering and resurrection and what that means for us today.”
It’s that time of year again, and our chums of improvised comedy theatre group Impropriety are inviting varmints to “saddle up and come on the ride of your life through the wild wild west”, as they present their 4th Annual Liverpool Improvathon.
An entirely off the hoof comedy epic that will run continuously for 2013 minutes (33 hours and 33 minutes), the Improvathon takes place at the Kazimier from lunchtime on Saturday, April 6 and runs into the evening of the next day. The cast will forgo the luxuries of scripts, planning and sleep to bring you an entirely improvised soap opera, about which only one thing is certain – it will be set in the Wild West.
The Improvathon is based on a format created and made popular by Canadian company DIE-Nasty, who have held an annual 50-hour ‘Soap-a-thon; for over 20 years. For the second year running, Impropriety will be joined by regular DIE-Nasty members Donovan Workun and Kory Matterson along with special guests from around the UK.
The first episode of Goin’ West will begin on April 6 at 1pm with doors opening every two hours until the final episode at 9pm on April 7. Audiences are free to join the story at any point and to stay for as little or as long as they wish. Each episode begins with the ‘story so far’ to catch up.
Parental guidance is advised – things do get a bit bonkers when you’ve been performing for a day and a half without a break – but as ever there will be a special family-friendly episode taking place between 11am and 1pm on Sunday, suitable for audiences of any age. Episodes begin on odd numbered hours and continue all through the night – you can even take a sleeping bag and your jim jams if you don’t want to miss any of the action.
Tickets are £5 per episode, available on the door; it is £25 for a weekend pass, leaving you free to come and go throughout the event, and £10 for a sleepover ticket valid from 11pm Saturday to 9am Sunday, both of which are available on the door or online at impropriety.co.uk.
Here’s my review of last year’s event over on Seven Streets.
“If you think Chekhov is too posh or too miserable for you then think again,” is the message from the community theatre group behind a new production of Uncle Vanya being performed in the city next week.
Uncle Vanya is the story of nine characters living on a country estate in 1890s Russia, struggling to come to terms with their own identities and the loss of social role, having regrets for the loves they never had and ambitions they never realised.
From financial struggle, social change and environmental danger the play tackles familiar themes and issues which are relevant even today more than 100 years on.
“The backdrop of social decline gives us the sense of a class of people struggling for purpose and even survival. It would all be completely unbearable if it wasn’t so funny,” say the members of Liverpool Network Theatre.
You can see the show at the Lantern Theatre next week, from March 21 to 23. Tickets are £7/ £5 concessions, with all performances start at 7pm. Bookings can be made by calling 0151 703 0000 or online at lanterntheatre.co.uk.
Liverpool Network Theatre Group, formally The Network, was founded in 1984 after the closure of the Merseyside Unity Theatre (part of a national leftist theatre movement, which in Liverpool did help to develop the Unity as we know it today). Its aim is encouraging and engaging the local community to participate in performance and new theatrical writing. It was born out of the idea of theatre as a political force, with the power to change society for the better.
Today Network hosts weekly informal workshops, open to all, teaching a variety of acting techniques; and stage three productions and a Christmas revue every year.For more information on what they do, visit their website at liverpoolnetworktheatre.org.uk.
There can’t be many stand up comedians whose CV boasts being movement director on a Glyndebourne operatic production, or choreographer at the Royal Opera House.
And there can’t be many contemporary dancers who can have an audience at the Edinburgh Fringe laughing their heads off (or at least not intentionally).
Tom Roden and Pete Shenton were both running contemporary dance companies when they started talking about working together, and decided to perform contemporary dance in a comedy club. You heard that right.
Tom explains: “It’s frustrating but most people look at the theatre, music and comedy listings, and ignore the dance. We want people who like the things we like to come and see our work. We want our work to be seen by people like our mates.”
The result is a mix of jokes and movement, standup and dance that has had audiences leap to their feet to give the pair a standing ovation. Apparently.
New Art Club come to the Bluecoat tonight (Friday, March 15) as part of the brilliant LEAP festival. They describe their new show, Feel About Your Body, as an uplifting, life-
affirming spectacle about how we see our bodies. An, ahem, “snippet of nudity” means the show is recommended for those over 16.
New dance and physical theatre company Luna present their latest show, Second Star to the Right, this week.
An original dance work inspired by the story of Peter Pan and with a modern day twist, it takes place at the Iosis Studio (above Elevator on Upper Parliament Street) this Friday and Saturday (March 15 and 16).
Choreographed and performed by students from LIPA and Liverpool Hope University, the show aims to explore ideas of childhood and growing up in a fun and engaging way, with Luna hoping to reach audiences who may not be used to watching dance.
For tickets and more information, visit their website.
MADE UP 