Author: Kevin Bourke
Theatre Review: There Is A Light That Never Goes Out: Scenes From the Luddite Rebellion, Royal Exchange, Manchester
There was no little irony in the fact that the press night opening for a play about the luddites should be delayed by a malfunctioning microphone.
“If you want to see the movie, see the movie.” Bob Gale talks to Northern Soul about Back to the Future – The Musical
Here’s the thing. The blockbuster film Back To The Future was first released in 1985, starring Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly, a rock ‘n’ roll-loving teenager who is accidentally transported back to 1955 in a time-travelling DeLorean (ask your parents) invented by his friend, Dr Emmett Brown, played by Christopher Lloyd.
Review: A Drunk Pandemic, Manchester International Festival, Victoria Station
Even by the wild and woolly standards of Manchester International Festival, the Manchester cholera epidemic of the 1830s might be considered an unlikely inspiration for a project, let alone one for the first major UK project from a Tokyo-based art collective.
Review: The Book of Mormon, Palace Theatre, Manchester
Written by the South Park team of Trey Parker and Matt Stone with Avenue Q’s Robert Lopez, The Book Of Mormon arrives at Manchester’s Palace amid the sort of hype that has made it a very hot ticket indeed, with most of the fuss seeming to be about how ground-breakingly outrageous, but hilariously funny, the show is.
Theatre Review: Home, I’m Darling, The Lowry, Salford
Laura Wade’s Posh from 2010 was a riotous and righteous savaging of the English class divide.
Theatre Review: Kingdom, HOME, Manchester
Barcelona-based theatre company Señor Serrano, contributing to the theatre element of this year’s year’s ¡Viva! Spanish & Latin American Festival 2019 at Manchester’s HOME, create what they call “cinema-in-real-time”, in this case using a live-feed camera, keyboard, guitar, microphones, drum kit, amplification and a huge number of smaller props carefully arranged across three large tables, as well as a willingness to show off their manly bodies.
Theatre Review: West Side Story, Royal Exchange, Manchester
West Side Story, conceived and nursed through a troubled birth in the 1950s by the powerhouse team of Jerome Robbins, Arthur Laurents and Leonard Bernstein with a bit of help from a youthful Stephen Sondheim, changed the face of musical theatre.
Music Review: Lines – Parts One, Two and Three, The Unthanks
Say what you like about The Unthanks, but I love them. Just to be clear, they’ve never been afraid of pushing boundaries, embracing challenges and kissing ambition on both cheeks.
Review: JB Shorts Reloaded, 53two, Manchester
I remember being invited to the first JB Shorts a decade ago and having little idea what to expect from a notion that had begun as a conversation over a few drinks between two writers, let alone imagining that it would blossom into one of the highlights of Manchester’s theatrical landscape.
Theatre Review: Barber Shop Chronicles, Royal Exchange, Manchester
Written by poet, playwright and performer Inua Ellams, Barber Shop Chronicles comes to Manchester’s Royal Exchange where it’s co-presented by Contact and credits Fuel, the National Theatre and Leeds Playhouse as co-producers (that being the nature of theatrical productions these days) following not only two sell-out runs at the National but also a world tour.
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