Haunted at the Royal Exchange

This is a brand new play. We went in to this one with an air of excitement as quite by chance we bumped in to friend of the show, Sue Jenkins, who told up she had heard it was excellent. It would appear her sources were spot on. The stage was constructed out of a perspex allowing some interesting projections and uplighting. The theatre is set in the round at the Royal Exchange which must have set someo challenges as there is i full size door in the plot. They got around this by. . Yes you guessed it. . . Making it out of perspex. The outer ring of the stage revolved and proved very effective as a platform for introducing the characters to the right stage position. There are quite a few extra bits hidden but i will let you spot them yourself when you see it. The play itself has a great mix of comedy and serious moments. Brenda Blethyn is superb in her role as an ex housewife thats finds herself having to be the main bread winner. The story twists and turns right up to the last minute leaving you with the feeling that you understood it but dont ask me to explain it. All the cast were superb. This one is a must see.

Songs of sister act is nuntastic

Rowetta starred in this concert style musical. The london community gospel choir were outstanding. The whole show has had a revamp with more audience participation, including a rather funny segment where three nuns get up and sing from the audience. Ok maybe i should explain that you are encouraged to come dressed as nuns. Rowetta is a very generous performer. Costantly bigging up the whole cast but she does stand out with a superb voice that sent shivers down my spine. A word of warning. If you go expecting to be sitting down for most of the show you will be in for a shock. The audience was up on their feet before the first number was up. And the interval was a chance to sit down and rest. Madame Aries seemed to enjoy herself and i dont know who sang more. Her or the people on stage. Strongly recomended

High school musical at the lowry

It was cheesey kitch and a bit silly. But they do all of the above very well. The sound was a bit off but the audience of mainly youngsters loved it. Actually it was very entertaining. High energy wins over high art when disney comes to town. Go and see it and try not to smile.

Updating the Matinee technology

As part of our ongoing comittment to being the best and the first to bring you reviews, from monday we will be testing a remote solution to these blogs. Please bear with up as we implement this tech