Theatres - 6/8/09

Aug 6 2009 Chester Chronicle

STARTING THIS WEEK

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (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. Well-loved songs from the show include Be Our Guest and Beauty and the Beast.

Visit www.liverpoolempire.org.uk or ring 0844 847 2525.

BUGSY MALONE (Empire Theatre, Lime Street, Liverpool, August 6-8)

LIVERPOOL Empire is being taken over by more than 130 young people this summer for its annual Stage Experience project. They will take on all roles in a production of Bugsy Malone, as well as manning the lighting and sound desks. This year is the third year the Live Nation Stage Experience project has run at the Empire, with 2007’s Summer Holiday and 2008’s The Wiz being great successes.

MACBETH (St John’s Church, Vicars Lane, Chester, August 8)

SHAKESPEARE’S moody and magnificent tragedy is brought dramatically to life against the stunning backdrop of St John’s Church by Say Two Productions. Performance guaranteed and marquees are provided. Visit www.saytwo.co.uk or ring 01257 453956.

NODDY IN TOYLAND (Venue Cymru, The Promenade, Llandudno, August 10-11 )

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. Visit www.venuecymru.co.uk or ring 01492 872000.

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 famous fairy tale, directed by Liz Postelthwaire. Manchester’s leading young people’s theatre group, featuring 18 teenagers, performs only its fourth production at the Library. The story sees a heroine who can’t resist her magical red shoes. Visit www.librarytheatre.com or ring 0161 236 7110.

THE TWEENIES (Venue Cymru, Llandudno, August 11-12)

THE CBeebies favourites present Top of the Tots, an all-new music show, packed full of family favourites and includes tot-tastic tunes such as Gonna Build a House, Incy Wincy Spider, Wheels on the Bus and Do the Lollipop. Visit www.ambassadortickets.com or ring 0870 060 6649.

STILL SHOWING

BRICK UP THE MERSEY TUNNELS (Royal Court Liverpool, Roe Street, 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 Wirral, the Kingsway Three decide to take the law into their own hands and refuse to be tolled. Visit www.royalcourtliverpool.com or ring 0870 787 1866.

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

STARS from stage and screen come to Venue Cymru for the award-winning musical featuring Gary Wilmot as Billy and EastEnder Emma Barton as Roxie. Based on real events in the roaring 20s, nightclub singer Roxie Hart shoots her lover and along with 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. Visit www.venuecymru.co.uk or ring 01492 872000.

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.

TWO (Actors’ Studio, Seel Street, Liverpool, until August 8)

SET in a pub, Two by Jim Cartwright, is made up of a series of conversations between different regulars.

Maude is torn between dumping her aptly-named boyfriend, Moth, who is like one to a flame where other women are concerned, and persuading him to marry her. Then there’s Mrs Iger, Nana and Alice and Fred. Ring 0151 709 9034.

COMING SOON

ANGELS WITH MANKY FACES (Library Theatre, 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. Visit www.librarytheatre.com or ring 0161 236 7110.

BLOOD BROTHERS (Venue Cymru, Llandudno, September 7-12)

WILLY Russell’s deeply moving story of a mother’s haunting secret and the reunion of twin brothers, separated at birth, always guarantees a standing ovation on home ground. Visit www.venuecymru.co.uk or ring 01492 872000.

GEORGE’S MARVELLOUS MEDICINE (Theatr Stiwt, Broad Street, Rhos, November 5-7)

BIRMINGHAM Stage Company presents Roald Dahl’s amazing tale, adapted for the stage by David Wood. A young boy makes a marvellous medicine to cure his grandmother of her terrifying temper. But when his grandmother drinks the special new potion, the most incredible things start to happen. Visit www.stiwt.co.uk or ring 01978 841300.

KES (Playhouse Theatre, Williamson Square, Liverpool, September 18-October 10)

THE Playhouse has announced an acclaimed cast for its new production of Kes. It includes Daniel Casey, who played Sgt Gavin Troy in ITV crime drama Midsomer Murders, Katherine Dow Blyton, and Oliver Farnworth, both former Hollyoaks actors. The lead role of Billy Casper, the schoolboy who rescues a kestrel, will be played by Stefan Butler, who has just finished the UK tour of David Essex’s musical, All The Fun Of The Fair. And 120 pupils from Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School, Childwall Sports College, Halewood Arts College and St John Bosco Arts College will take on supporting parts. Visit www.everymanplayhouse.com or ring 0151 709 4776.

THE MISER (Royal Exchange Theatre, St Ann’s Square, Manchester, September 2-October 3)

THE penny-pinching Harpagon reckons there’s a mint to be made in marriage and intends to cash in on both his children and himself – but Elise and Cleante believe in love and have fallen head over heels for suitors of their own. as Harpagon plots to stop his credit being crunched, nothing and nobody is as it seems in Moliere’s rapid fire comedy. Visit www.royalexchange.co.uk or ring 0161 833 9833.

PRICK UP YOUR EARS (The Lowry, Salford Quays, 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. Visit www.thelowry.com or ring 0870 787 5793.

QUADROPHENIA (Empire Theatre, Lime Street, Liverpool, August 25-29)

SET in London and Brighton at the height of the Mod era, this story is told through the eyes of Jimmy, a hedonistic style-conscious teenager searching for a place to belong and a girl to love. Misunderstood by his parents and stuck in a dead end job, he sets off on a trip to Brighton that will change his life forever. The evocative world of Sixties Britain is emulated by the stunning Pete Townshend score. Visit www.LiverpoolEmpire.org.uk or ring 0844 847 2525.

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. The show chronicles an author’s early life during the Great Depression and 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. Visit www.LiverpoolEmpire.org.uk or ring 0844 847 2525.