THEATRE

THEATRE VISITS - 2013

NEXT

I have continued to enjoy National Theatre Live shows at the local Odeon: The Magistrate and This House were excellent and the performances by Branagh in Macbeth and Kinnear & Lester in Othello were amazing. In La Voix Humaine for Opera North, Lesley Garret was superb in a very demanding role. I think Cush Jumbo is the best young actress around and it was great to see her again - in A Doll's House. I was unimpressed by One Man, Two Guvnors and can't understand it's great success. George Critchley - who I first shared the stage with in 1986 - co-produced his first major national tour with Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and what an excellent production it was. The highlight of my year was seeing Roddy Frame (aka Aztec Camera) in concert again. I'm a long time fan (see my Collectors pages) and he gave a stunning performance including the whole of the album High Land, Hard Rain which he wrote as a teenager 30 years ago. The man is a genius. I rarely go to see tribute acts but Michael King as Billy Fury at my local Thwaites Empire Theatre was terrific. Also at the Empire, the best amateur shows of the year were Me and My Girl by Blackburn Musical Theatre Company and Bronte by Blackburn Drama Club. The comedian Jimmy Cricket - a lovely man - wrote a very tuneful musical, Maloney's Big Moment, which he produced at the Empire (with me in it as an 'extra'!).  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rats Tails

Duffy

Royal Ex. Manchester

****

One Man, Two Guvnors

Bean

Lyric, Lowry, Salford

**

The Magistrate

Pinero

NT via Odeon, Preston

*****

The Billy Fury Show

Tribute

Empire, Blackburn

****

David Coperfield

Dickens/Cording

Oldham Coliseum

****

Patience

G & S (Am)

Empire, Blackburn

***

Bronte

Teale(Am)

Empire, Blackburn

****

La Voix Humaine

Poulenc/Cocteau

Lyric, Lowry, Salford

****

Dido and Aeneas

Purcell/Tate

Lyric, Lowry, Salford

**

Pirates of Penzance

G & S(Am)

Guild Hall Derby

***

People Bennett

NT via Odeon, Preston

***

Sleeping Beauty

Tchaikovsky

K. George's, Blackburn

***

Private Lives Coward P & O Adonia

****

 

 

 

 

Me and My Girl

Gay/Fry (Am)

Empire, Blackburn

****

This House

Graham

NT via Odeon, Preston

*****

A Doll's Hpouse

Ibson

Lyric, Lowry, Salford

*****

Save the Last Dance  Me

Marks/Gran

Palace, Manchester

****

Me and My Girl

Gay/Fry (Am)

Charter, Preston

***

Blood Brothers

Russell(Am)

Empire, Blackburn

***

Macbeth

Shakespeare

NT via Odeon, Preston

*****

Othello

Shakespeare

NT via Odeon, Preston

*****

Variety

Cricket

Empire, Blackburn

****

7 Brides for 7 Brothers

De Paul/Mercer

Opera H. Manchester

*****

Cinderella

Panto (Am)

St. Ives Com. Centre

***

Maloney's Moment

Cricket

Empire, Blackburn

***

Roddy Frame

Concert

Bridgewater Hall M'ch.

*****

 

  

 

& on Adonia:  9 Cabarets

 5 Musical Shows 6 Clasical Concerts

 

 

 

 

For theatre visits in previous years please click on the 'NEXT' box