Theatre and performance in Greater Manchester & other places.
1 June 2019. Oldham Coliseum. Kate and Adam were in a relationship. Now they're not. She's having a baby, and he's the father. Adam wants to be a parent to his son, but Kate just needs to move on with her life. She's refusing to allow him access to their child. Seeking contact with his [...]
18 April 2019. Oldham Coliseum. Two comfortable armchairs in front of the fire. Shelves housing collections of plates, books and china. Prize-winning rosettes proudly pinned to the wall. Family photographs jostling for space on the mantlepiece. A lifetime of memories all out on display. This is Edie and Arthur's home, and it's quickly established that [...]
Oldham Coliseum. 6 March 2019. Greg is a football mad fourteen years old. "Red through and through", his bedroom wall is covered with Liverpool memorabilia. It's 1989, and Kenny Dalglish jostles for space on that wall with footballers John Barnes and Jim Beglin. When Greg's not thinking about his beloved team, he's moaning about his [...]
Oldham Coliseum. 26 February 2019. Summer is on its way out, and rays of sunshine are in short supply in Martin McDonagh's darkly comic play set in a small community on the west coast of Ireland. There's plenty of heat generated by the endless chatter between gravedigger Mick, his assistant Mairtin, stoney-faced neighbour MaryJohnny and [...]
Oldham Coliseum. 2 February 2019. Jimmie Chinn's A Different Way Home unpicks a bitter estrangement between siblings Leslie and Maureen. Split into two monologues, the play tells one story from each of their perspectives, with actor Kenneth Alan Taylor playing both brother and sister. Leslie has lived with his mother all his life, and he [...]
Oldham Coliseum. 25 May 2018. Much has rightly been made of the legacy of Shelagh Delaney's A Taste of Honey, with its influence on new generations of women writers, the pioneering depiction of working class life and its lingering presence in popular culture. What's less clear is how much the play itself has to say [...]
Oldham Coliseum. 16 March 2018. For the inhabitants of two Scottish islands weary of wartime shortages of their favourite tipple, the arrival of a ship laden with 50,000 bottle of whisky is a dream come true. Especially as that vessel has run aground and is slowly sinking beneath the waves. While the authorities dispose of [...]
It's all change in Manchester this month, with lots of new theatre and performance. The following are three shows I'm particularly excited about. As well as these three choices, there are many more new openings and touring productions that are worth checking out in March, and I've included a brief overview of some of those. [...]
Oldham Coliseum. 9 February 2018. During one of the many Dolly Parton songs we are treated to in Chris Lawson's production of 'The Kitchen Sink', she exclaims "if I had wings I would fly away tomorrow". Wings are in short supply in Withernsea. Tom Wells’ slice of family life is a bittersweet confection - generous [...]
There's no shortage of new shows in Manchester this month. Here are three productions I'm looking forward to, all of which match strong contemporary writing with some amazing acting talent. The Almighty Sometimes Manchester theatre's big news this month is Kendall Feaver's 'The Almighty Sometimes' at the Royal Exchange. The play was a winner of [...]
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