Theatres - 19/09/08

Sep 19 2008 by Michael Green, Chester Chronicle

STARTING NEXT WEEK

BORN IN THE GARDENS (Anthony Hopkins Theatre, Clwyd Theatr Cymru, Mold, September 22-27)

STEPHANIE Cole and Simon Shepherd star in Peter Nichols’ hilarious and observant play which was originally commissioned to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Bristol Old Vic in 1979. Maud and her son Mo live in a decaying mock-Tudor house in Bristol where she talks to the telly and he converses with the cat. But when relatives arrive, they try to persuade both of them to escape the confines of their crumbling home. Visit www.clwyd-theatr-cymu.co.uk or ring 0845 330 3565

DANGEROUS CORNER (New Vic Theatre, Etruria Road, Newcastle-under-Lyme, September 26-October 18)

JB PRIESTLEY’S play of psychological intrigue is both a thriller and an exploration of the question: how much truth can we bear in our lives? High-flying couple Freda and Robert Caplan are hosting a dinner party at their stylish country house. But a chance remark leads to the unveiling of a number of secrets surrounding the mysterious death of Robert’s brother. Visit www.newvictheatre.org.uk or ring 01782 717962

DAYDREAM BELIEVER (Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent, September 22-27)

THE latest pop group to have their back catalogue turned into a stage musical is The Monkees whose vast array of hits from the 60s form the backdrop to a flimsy story about four young men who become stand-ins for the most famous group in the world. Once on tour, mayhem ensues with singing nuns, a mysterious Russian impresario and an ill-fated love affair. Visit www.regenttheatre.co.uk or ring 0870 060 6649

ERIC’S (Everyman Theatre, Hope Street, Liverpool, September 19-October 11)

A NEW musical by award-winning Liverpool writer Mark Davies Markham whose previous work includes the musical Taboo. Joe’s in trouble. It’s not his time but the clock is ticking. The troops he rallies are from his past, the rebellious and creative fire of a small Liverpool club which sparked a cultural revolution. This the story story of one man’s fight for survival as he draws on the spirit of Eric’s. Starring Graham Bickley, Rosalie Craig and Mark Moraghan. Visit www.everymanplayhouse.com or ring 0151 709 4776

THE GLEE CLUB (Library Theatre, St Peter’s Square, Manchester, September 19-October 18)

IT’S 1962 and five hard-working hard-drinking Yorkshire miners and their pianist have a well-respected acapalla musical act on the northern working men’s club circuit. They raise a fortune for local charities but the swinging 60s are just around the corner. Will this cultural revolution render their act a thing of the past? Richard Cameron’s play is directed by Roger Haines. Visit www.librarytheatre.com or ring 0161 236 7110

RUN FOR YOUR WIFE (Lyceum Theatre, Heath Street, Crewe, September 22-27)

RAY Cooney’s farce comes to Crewe to celebrate the play’s 25th anniversary with a cast featuring Melvyn Hayes, Mark Wingett, Paul Henry, Barry Howard and Michelle Morris. Visit www.lyceumtheatre.co.uk or ring 01270 537333

SALFORD MACBETH (The Lowry, Salford Quays, September 24-October 4)

THIS year’s Community Rep brings Shakespeare to Salford. Three crack-head witches guzzle green and yellow WKD while over in a cul de sac, a gangland assassination rersults in a blood-soaked bedroom, for which two drugged bodyguards take the blame. Visit www.thelowry.com or ring 0870 787 5788

THE SUICIDE (Emlyn Williams Theatre, Clwyd Theatr Cymru, Mold, September 25-October 18)

SEMYON is unemployed and broke so he decides to learn the tuba - to do that he needs a piano which he can’t afford. So he decides to kill himself – which is where his problems really begin. Out of this dark situation, Nikolai Erdman, one of the 20th century’s greatest satirists, fashioned a comic masterpiece that is one of the jewels of the Russian stage. Visit www.clwyd-theatr-cymu.co.uk or ring 0845 330 3565

WAVES (The Lowry, Salford Quays, September 23-27)

THE National Theatre returns with a work devised from Virginia Woolf’s novel. A tale of friendship, loss, identity and love, it traces a band of friends from childhood to old age. The dreamlike narrative is evoked using live film and musicians. Visit www.thelowry.com or ring 0870 787 5788

YOU CAN SEE THE HILLS (Royal Exchange Theatre, St Ann’s Square, Manchester, Wednesday September 24 – Saturday October 11)

CRACKLING, candid and witty, the play revolves around teenager Adam on his journey through a Pennine town secondary school to discover if the boy can ever become a man. Recounting his life, loves, family and friends, this poignant monologue follows Adam growing up and dealing with the many adolescent problems, such as hormones, homework and lust-filled dreams.

Visit www.royalexchange.co.uk/bookonline or 0161 833 9833.

WHAT’S STILL SHOWING & WHERE

BRIEF LIVES (Anthony Hopkins Theatre, Clwyd Theatr Cymru, Mold, September 16-20)

ROY Dotrice recreates his acclaimed performance as John Aubrey in an hilarious masterpiece that earned him a place in the Guinness Book of Records. Aubrey lifts the lid on well known figures of his time, weaving a web of stories that unravel the way history has been told. Visit www.clwyd-theatr-cymu.co.uk or ring 0845 330 3565

HAUNTING JULIA (New Vic Theatre, Etruria Road, Newcastle-under-Lyme, September 20)

A GHOSTLY comedy by Alan Ayckbourn. Julia Lukin, a brilliant musician, is dead. Was it an accident, suicide or something even more sinister. Twelve years on, her obsessed father Joe will stop at nothing to discover the truth. Starring Ian Hogg. Visit www.newvictheatre.org or ring 01782 717962

LIFE AND BETH (New Vic Theatre, Etruria Road, Newcastle-under-Lyme, September 20)

A COMEDY of the supernatural by Alan Ayckbourn. Recently widowed Beth is trying to make it through her first Christmas alone. Even the cat has walked out. The family rally round but her alcoholic sister-in-law, accident prone son and his truculent girlfriend make it hard for her to maintain her welcoming smile. Starring Liza Goddard, Ian Hogg and Susie Blake. Visit www.newvictheatre.org or ring 01782 717962

MIRACLE (The Lowry, Salford Quays, September 18-20)

UNCOVERING the darkness of love - ex-rent boy turned porn star Will Hung is the miracle cure for all terminal diseases but only if he has sex with you. Set in 1995, before combination therapies helped save the lives of many gay men with HIV and Aids, this play contains strong language and adult themes. Visit www.thelowry.com or ring 0870 787 5788

OUR HOUSE (The Lowry, Salford Quays, September 15-20)

X FACTOR winner Steve Brookstein turns his hand to musical theatre in this fun-loving show dominated by the music of Madness which won an Olivier award in 2003 for Best New Musical. Although packed with the band;s greatest hits, this is more than just a trbute show as it focusses on a teenage boy faced with the dilemma of taking the wrong or the right path. Visit www.thelowry.com or ring 0870 787 5788

SNAKE IN THE GRASS (New Vic Theatre, Etruria Road, Newcastle-under-Lyme, September 19)

A COMEDY from the shadows by Alan Ayckbourn. Conscientious Annabel is keen to patch up old quarrels with eccentric younger sister Miriam after the sudden death of their father. But their sunlit garden is filled with deeply buried childhood memories. When night begins to fall, is it only the past which comes to haunt them? Starring Liza Goddard and Susie Blake. Visit www.newvictheatre.org or ring 01782 717962