Theatres - 20/8/09

Aug 20 2009 by Michael Green, Flintshire Chronicle

STARTING THIS WEEK

THE BFG (Palace Theatre, Oxford Street, Manchester, August 25-29)

ROALD Dahl has enchanted young minds for decades with stories that still fire the imagination. Here is one of his most popular, adapted for the stage by David Wood who has specialised in bringing Dahl’s works to a live audience. A young girl ends up befriending a big friendly giant who takes her on an adventure that results in her meeting the Queen. Visit www.palaceandoperahouse.org.uk or ring 0844 847 2484.

F...ING MEN (The Lowry, Salford Quays, August 27-29)

FREE-wheeling comedy of sexual manners which has been one of London’s biggest fringe successes of recent years. Inspired by La Ronde, this is a portrait of 10 men searching for love, sex and intimacy in modern day America. The insightful drama looks at a succession of male couples and strangers as they negotiate the before and after of lust, love and betrayal. 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.

STILL SHOWING

ANGELS WITH MANKY FACES (Library Theatre, St Peter’s Square, Manchester, August 17-22)

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.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (Empire Theatre, Lime Street, Liverpool, August 11-22)

DISNEY’S multi-award winning musical 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.

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. Visit www.royalcourtliverpool.com or ring 0870 787 1866.

CARRY ON UNCLE ERIC (New Vic Theatre, Etruria Road, Newcastle-under-Lyme, August 18-29)

BACK for a 10th anniversary visit, Uncle Eric and the rest of the gang are carrying on in the latest musical instalment in the life of the ultimate dysfunctional family. When Eric goes to the cinema to see Carry On Camping, he finds himself inspire – a camping holiday at a nudist camp. He’s soon made a booking at the Paradise Camp site but when Madge finds out and tags along, all his plans start to go wrong. Filled with comedy, nostalgia and loads of great 60s music. Visit www.newvictheatre.org.uk or ring 01782 717962.

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.

WALKING WITH DINOSAURS (Echo Arena, Liverpool, August 19-23)

AFTER 65 million years, the most fearsome creatures to have lived on Earth are back – and are heading for Liverpool. More than 2.4 million audience members across the continent and almost three million people worldwide have experienced this £10m arena spectacular. Based on the award-winning BBC television series of the same name, audiences will see 15 real size dinosaurs come to life, including the three storey tall brachiosaurus, and learn about their journey on Earth through paleontologist Huxley. Visit www.echoarena.com or ring 0844 8000 400.

COMING SOON

ABSURD PERSON SINGULAR (Anthony Hopkins Theatre, Clwyd Theatr Cymru, Mold, August 31-September 5)

ONE of the West End’s biggest comedy hits is set to take the UK by storm as Bill Kenwright’s acclaimed production of Alan Ayckbourn’s play goes on tour. Lisa Kay from Heartbeat, Elizabeth Carling from Casualty, Coronation Street’s Stephen Beckett and Robert Duncan from Drop The Dead Donkey head the all-star cast. It’s party time at the Hopcrofts’ and the only present they want is to succeed in scaling the social ladder. Havoc ensues at the drinks party they hold to impress their high-powered friends but that’s nothing compared to what happens over the next two years when the friends return their hospitality. Visit www.clwyd-theatr-cymru.co.uk or ring 0845 330 3565.

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.

CANRIF/CENTURY (Anthony Hopkins Theatre, Clwyd Theatr Cymru, Mold, September 8-9)

FOLLOWING the huge success of the National Youth Theatre of Wales’ 2008 production Magnificent Myths of the Mabinogi, writer Manon Eames once again brings her remarkable ability to combine both the epic and the intimate with her new play for the company. Directed by NWTW artistic director Tim Baker, this is a portrait of Wales and beyond through the turbulent, traumatic and triumphant years of the 20th century. Visit www.venuecymru.co.uk or ring 01492 872000.

MILKSHAKE! LIVE (The Lowry, Salford Quays, August 28-30)

FOR the first time ever, children can join their favourite TV characters and Milkshake! presenters in a new musical extravaganza. Fifi and Bumble, Peppa and George, Rupert Bear, Little Princess, Noddy and Tessie Bear and Mr Bump and Little Miss Daredevil will be demonstrating the tunes and dance steps that have made Milkshake! one of the most successful children’s TV experiences ever. Visit www.thelowry.com or ring 0870 787 5793.

NEVER FORGET (Pavilion Theatre, Rhyl, September 1-5)

ONE of the big success stories of recent musical theatre history. The producers have gone out of their way to point out this is not just a hastily strung together list of Take That hits and with a script by Shameless writer Danny Brocklehurst, they may be right. The story is not Take That’s but of a group of aspiring musical stars who find themselves forced to take the tribute band route. Visit www.rhylpavilion.co.uk or ring 0870 060 6649.

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.

RAINBOW LIVE! - ZIPPY SUPERSTAR DJ (Floral Pavilion, New Brighton, Wirral, August 30)

ZIPPY’S life suddenly changes when he wins a record contract with Yellow Peril Records. His record is a huge hit and earns him superstar status but when Zippy starts to miss his Rainbow friends, he has to decide where and who he would rather be. This live show features all the fun ingredients from the famous TV series and includes lots of sing-a-long songs and games. Visit www.floralpavilion.com or ring 0151 666 0000.

THE RAPE OF LUCRECE (Emlyn Williams Theatre, Clwyd Theatr Cymru, Mold, September 7-8)

FOLLOWING a five-star winning run at the 2008 Edinburgh Fringe and countless sell-out shows elsewhere, Olivier Award nominee and RSC actor Gerard Logan presents his tour de force solo performance of Shakespeare’s great narrative poem, bringing emotional intensity to this account of the terrible crime of rape and its dreadful consequences. Visit www.clwyd-theatr-cymru.co.uk or ring 0845 330 3565.