Theatre in Chester, Cheshire and the North West - from 30/7/09

Jul 30 2009 by Paul Mannion, Flintshire Chronicle

EVERYBODY LOVES A WINNER (Royal Exchange Theatre, St Ann’s Square, Manchester, until August 1)

IT WILL be eyes down for a full house at the Royal Exchange Theatre this summer when the building is transformed into a working bingo hall. This remarkably-devised show opens a door on a secret world – a world of dreams, dabbers, camaraderie and cash. Combining drama, comedy, music and choreography, the production deploys a tightly choreographed cast of 20 to delve beneath the surface of a day in the life of a Manchester bingo hall. Visit www.royalexchange.co.uk or ring 0161 833 9833.

THE RED SHOES (Library Theatre, Central Library, St Peter’s Square, Manchester, August 7-8)

TEENAGE theatre group the Young People’s Theatre Company, presents Hans Christian Andersen’s The Red Shoes, directed by Liz Postelthwaire.

Manchester’s leading young people’s theatre group, featuring 18 teenagers, performs only its fourth production at the Library Theatre in Manchester.

The story sees a heroine who can’t resist her magical red shoes. They make her dance with delight, but what happens when she can’t take them off? This dark and daring night of theatre, performed by some of the best young actors in Manchester, is ideal for anyone aged eight upwards.

The norfox Young People’s Theatre Company, supported by norfox, a regional charity supported by North West property companies, is the Library Theatre’s resident theatre company which gives young people aged 15-18 the opportunity to develop their skills as performers within a professional theatre environment.

Performances are on Friday, August 7, at 7.30pm and Saturday, August 8, at 3pm and 7.30pm. Tickets cost from £4. For more information ring 0161 236 7110.

ANGELS WITH MANKY FACES (Library Theatre, Central Library, St Peter’s Square, Manchester, August 18-22)

MUSIC personalities from Manchester’s past, present and future, make cameo-video appearances in Angels With Manky Faces.

Featuring Mike Joyce of The Smiths, Clint Boon of the Inspiral Carpets and the hotley-tipped Twisted Wheel, Rob Kees and Jill Hughes’ production is brought to life by Manchester actor John Henshaw and Coronation Street star Graeme Hawley, aka John Stape.

Inspired by the book The Gangs of Manchester, Angels With Manky Faces tells the story of the Scuttlers, regarded as Britain’s first youth cult, who roamed the sleazy gin joints and gritty Manchester streets in the 1890s.

Jimmy Johnson is the leader of scuttling gang the Bengal Tigers. Leading a life of gratuitous violence and casual sex, Jimmy is a lucky lad. But when a sultry Irish beauty arrives at his favourite brothel, trouble breaks out between the sheets and in the streets.

This play is packed with Mancunian humour and swagger, and complemented by a soundtrack of classic Manchester tracks.

Tickets cost £10.50 and shows are at 7.30pm every day, except Friday, August 21 at 8pm, and Saturday, August 22 at 3pm, followed by a post-show discussion. For more information ring 0161 236 7110.

A TALE AS OLD AS TIME (Empire Theatre, Lime Street, Liverpool, August 11-22)

DISNEY’S multi-award winning musical of the Beauty and the Beast, which has received rave reviews and played to capacity audiences across the UK, is back at the Liverpool Empire.

One of the most popular and enchantingly romantic fables ever told, this sumptuous, eye-popping theatrical phenomenon has wowed audiences worldwide.

Featuring Mrs Potts and Chip, the hilarious double act Lumiere and Cogsworth, Gaston the town hero and, of course, the beautiful Belle and fearsome Beast, this enchanting story takes audiences from a small provincial town in France, through the shadow-filled woods to the Beast’s mysterious castle, all accompanied by the well-loved songs from the show including Be Our Guest, Human Again and Beauty and the Beast.

Tickets cost £10-£30 and show times are 7.30pm and matinées on Wednesday and Saturday at 2.30pm. For more information ring 0844 847 2525 or visit www.liverpoolempire.org.uk.

CHICAGO (Venue Cymru, The Promenade, Llandudno, August 3-8)

STARS from stage and screen come to Venue Cymru for the award-winning musical Chicago, featuring Gary Wilmot as Billy and EastEnder Emma Barton as Roxie.

Based on real events in the roaring 1920s, nightclub singer Roxie Hart shoots her lover and along with Cell Block rival, double-murderess Velma Kelly, they fight to keep from death row with the help of smooth-talking Billy Flynn.

The classic sassy score includes songs such as Razzle Dazzle and All That Jazz, which would be a crime to miss it.

Emma Barton is best known for her role as Honey Mitchell in BBC1’s EastEnders.

The National UK Tour of Chicago is

produced by David Ian Productions in association with the Broadway producers Barry and Fran Weissler.

Tickets for the Broadway production cost from £15-£29.50 and are available now from the box office on 01492 872000 or by visiting www.venuecymru.co.uk.

TWOPENCE TO CROSS THE MERSEY (Empire Theatre, Lime Street, Liverpool, October 6–17)

SMASH hit musical Twopence to Cross the Mersey returns to the Liverpool Empire this October, starring former Shameless star Ciaran Kellgren.

Twopence to Cross the Mersey, which chronicles an author’s early life during the Great Depression, has already taken an astonishing £1.5m at the box office and, with Helen Forrester’s readership breaking into the multi-millions, the producers are working towards a tour of the UK and Ireland.

Twopence to Cross the Mersey opens at the Empire Theatre Liverpool from October 6–17.

For details, call 0844 847 2525 or visit www.LiverpoolEmpire.org.uk.

SCOOBY-DOO AND THE PIRATE GHOST (Empire Theatre, Lime Street, Liverpool, until August 26)

SCOOBY-Doo and the gang are back in Scooby-Doo And The Pirate Ghost.

The ultimate cartoon classic bursts on to the stage at Liverpool’s Empire Theatre with a new show to entertain the whole family.

Join Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, Velma, Daphne and Fred as they encounter a new case to solve in their trademark Mystery Inc style.

They will be mixing their familiar blend of classic physical comedy, popular tunes and special effects into a theatrical experience that will appeal to the kids and their parents who grew up with the TV show.

Tickets cost from £16.50-£18.50, for further information, telephone 0844 847 2525 or visit the website www.LiverpoolEmpire.org.uk.

BRICK UP THE MERSEY TUNNELS (Royal Court Liverpool, Roe Sreet, Liverpool, until August 22)

DICKIE Lewis, Nick Walton, and Gerard ‘Gelignite’ Gardner are three men who’ve had enough.

Fed up with being looked down on and mocked by the self-proclaimed upper class from the Wirral, the Kingsway Three decide to take the law into their own hands and refuse to be tolled.

Tickets cost from £10 to £30 and are available on 0870 787 1866 or www.royalcourtliverpool.com.

PRICK UP YOUR EARS (The Lowry, Salford Quays, Manchester, from Monday, August 31-September 5)

SET in the 1960s Kenneth Halliwell (Matt Lucas) and Joe Orton (Chris New), aspiring playwrights and sometime lovers, plot their rightful place at the centre of London’s literary scene while engaged in a secret crusade to improve the local library books, all in the worst possible taste of course, and acting out their own versions of popular radio dramas.

But after a short interlude at Her Majesty’s pleasure, Joe is about to become the greatest and most notorious comic playwright since Oscar Wilde, while Ken stays indoors redecorating, reduced to sharing Joe’s success with their neighbour, Mrs Corden (Gwen Taylor), over tea and a slice of Battenburg.

Tickets cost £18-26 and performances are at 8pm and a Saturday matinée at 2.30pm. For more information ring 0870 787 5793 or visit www.thelowry.com.

NODDY AND FRIENDS (Venue Cymru, The Promenade, Llandudno, August 11-12 )

ENTERTAINING children for generations and with a cast of fun and memorable characters, good morals and a sprinkling of fun and magic, Noddy is a world full of charming characters who love to help each other play and learn.

See Noddy and his Toy Town friends playing, laughing and learning about the world around them in this brand new, anniversary, live tour from Premier Stage Productions.

Shows start at 2.30pm on Monday and 11am and 2pm on Tuesday.

Tickets cost £12 adults, £10 children and family tickets cost £40. For more information ring 01492 872000 or visit www.venuecymru.co.uk.