A couple of years ago I saw a terrific version of this emotive Alan Plater play-with-music produced by Newcastle-based Northern Stage which I thought could well be unsurpassable. But Kevin Shaw’s irresistibly energized...
Read MoreInstead of hiring a soap star, Oldham Coliseum took the bold step of recruiting an ensemble cast of unknowns for the first revival of Chicago in a decade – and the gamble paid off. This intimate space reminds you that this...
Read MoreThe movie of Bob Fosse’s Broadway epic Chicago picked up numerous Oscars and the live version has toured endlessly with, to my mind, a series of soap actors blunting its cynical edge. Now it is being revived for the first time...
Read MoreIsn’t it always the way? You wait for one Northern comedy hero and then two come along at once. I was at Oldham Coliseum to see one of Sheffield’s greatest exports, John Shuttleworth, and, as I got settled into my seat,...
Read MoreI really wish I liked Noel Coward. I mean, I get that he is witty and most of his plays are beautifully crafted. I also understand that he was an extraordinary actor, commentator, screenwriter, film star, songwriter, socialite,...
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