Theatre through the eyes of a Manc
Harold Pinter's No Man's Land is a play in which not very much happens. There's no action, nor an exciting narrative. It is just characters talking and drinking. A lot. Deliberately ambiguous, you never really get to know any of the characters, and Pinter's dialogue is complex; packed full of metaphoric imagery. This is not an easy... Continue Reading →
With parliament suspended, and a no-deal Brexit looking more probable than ever, you could be forgiven for thinking that the country is going to the dogs. Our democracy is under threat. The Amazon Rainforest is on fire, as the effects of climate change are already becoming apparent. These are truly depressing times that we live... Continue Reading →
The Hired Man has been lauded as the best British musical in 40 years. Based on the novel by Melvyn Bragg, it tells the stories of the ordinary, working-class, rural community in Cumbria, during the turn of the 20th Century. The idyllic country life, with whippet racing, hunting, and country fairs, is set in stark... Continue Reading →
Moira Buffini's political satire, Handbagged, invents what happened during the infamous meetings between the Queen and Margaret Thatcher, during her term as Prime Minister from 1979 - 1990. We still feel the ramifications of Thatcher's hugely divisive policies today. The closure of coal mines and the introduction of poll tax devastated working-class families. With strikes... Continue Reading →
At the heart of Barney Norris' play is a beautifully rendered relationship of an ageing couple, Arthur and Edie. Childhood sweethearts, they come to terms with old age as they reminisce over times gone by. Along with a life time of nostalgic memories come regrets and missed opportunities. "I wish I had tried LSD" Arthur... Continue Reading →
'My mother said I never should, play with gypsies in the woods. If I did, she would say, 'naughty girls to disobey''. Charlotte Keatley's play is a powerful depiction of women's lives throughout the twentieth-century, told through a non-linear narrative that spans four generations of the same family. It is a play that holds a... Continue Reading →
"No life should ever be small". These words drive Boston attorney, Frank Galvin, to seek justice for his client, Debbie, after she is left in a coma by supposed medical malpractice, during a difficult labour. Filing a suit against St Catherine's Hospital, professional doctors, the church, and the country's best attorney, Frank certainly has a... Continue Reading →
"I had a drink and she had no seatbelt on... Pure drink driving is all it was"..... Or was it? Seven years ago, the wife of Mick Dowd, the local gravedigger, died under mysterious circumstances. Although he pleads innocence, claiming that it was a drink driving accident, it is not enough to stop the villagers... Continue Reading →
