Friday 26 September 2008

A busy week ......

Three visits to the theatre this week - a bit like buses, none for ages and then 3 come along. Tuesday was Eric's at the Everyman which was about the Liverpool club, famous for Punk, Echo & the Bunneymen and Teardrop Explodes. Unfortunately I missed the first half, due to a meeting, but the interaction of the music with the play was excellent and very enjoyable.
Wednesday saw Mel and I at Southport Arts Theatre for The Death & Life of Sherlock Holmes. One man took all of the parts including Holmes, Conan Doyle, Moriarty etc. Again very good theatre. Back to the Arts Theatre on Thursday for poet Luke Wright. He lives is Norwich, went to school in Colchester and is 26 although looks much younger. He was a cross between a stand up comedian and a poet - he did 8 'chapters' from his life as a man which spanned things such as love, camping dad and death. An amusing evening made better by a meal at Cloisters beforehand!
Next week we are back to no bus at all.

Tuesday 8 July 2008

Once upon a time at the Adelphi

1930’s Liverpool, and the glitz and glamour of Hollywood pour off the luxury liners for their first taste of England; a night in the city’s most fashionable hotel. Amidst the chaos and decadence, no-nonsense Alice from Reception has fallen for the dashing Thompson from accounts – but fate, Hollywood, World War Two and a dizzying array of staff and guests intervene in an epic Liverpool love story spanning sixty years. Writer/Director Phil Willmott is well known for his imaginative musical productions such as Around the World in Eighty Days and Dick Barton-Special Agent. With a toe-tapping score and a host of exuberant characters this romantic musical journey is a joyful celebration of one of Britain’s most renowned hotels.

A thoroughly enjoyable evening with good music, excellent choreography, a bit of a corny storyline and excellent acting - definitely a feel good trip to the Playhouse. Nothing on at the theatre now until after THE wedding! Watch this space.

Friday 20 June 2008

Ten Tiny Toes

Everyman Tuesday 17 th June. Quite a moving and thought provoking play about young men going to Iraq as soldiers and the effects and interrelationships with their families. Summary below.


Like every mother Gill wants the best for her sons. Raise them well, keep them safe, clean and out of trouble. But for Michael and Chris the choices are few and far between. The only way to have the best is to be the best - join the army.

As the brutal business of war unfolds, the boys become men their mother doesn't recognise and maternal love is put to a gruelling test. Glued to the news and linked from their sofas to the battlefield by satellite, the mothers join forces. As the body count rises they find a political voice that is hard to hear but impossible to ignore.

Award-winning director Polly Teale visited the Playhouse previously with landmark productions for Shared Experience including Bronte, Jane Eyre and Kindertransport. Esther Wilson, lead writer on the multi-award-winning Unprotected, brings us an uncompromising account of the heart-breaking choices faced by mothers today and what happens when a distant war comes home.

Tuesday 20 May 2008

Tartuffe and a rabbit

Mel and I went to One Step Forward, One Step back which I think could be described as an ‘experience’ at the Anglican cathedral. Not sure what to expect as people were admitted six at a time at 5 minute intervals and walked along a route which took in numerous rooms and passageways around the cathedral. We went in the lift twice and ended up overlooking the bells then climbed a lot more steps to end up on the roof! Magnificent views and well worth the experience but not sure what it was all about! The programme that we were given at the end didn’t help too much but made reference to Dantes Inferno. The following is from the Guardian review.

The man in the library is distressed. He arranges and rearranges the cut out words on the desk, trying to create sense out of chaos. From the fireplace comes a noise that sounds as if someone is trying to get down the chimney. Already I've encountered three angry Santa Clauses frantically typing Christmas lists, I've gazed up through the legs of shoppers in a supermarket, I've shivered on a snow-covered hillside and heard birds sing. Later, I will glimpse alphabets of stars peeping through an indigo night sky.

Dreamthinkspeak is an extraordinary company, creating site-responsive theatrical experiences that send the audience on individual journeys through buildings and make you feel as if the bricks are speaking to you. Inspired by Dante's Divine Comedy, Milton's Paradise Lost, William Blake's poem Milton, and the city of Liverpool itself, this commission for the Year of Culture is architectural and meditative rather than immersing, as in the work of Punchdrunk, or narrative, as is often the case with Grid Iron. You bring yourself to it, your tarnished soul is gently massaged, and you emerge feeling shiny and brand new.

Ushered in small groups through a side door in the cathedral, you head off down dark corridors, surprised at every turn as you encounter tiny villages nestling on mountainsides, or glimpses of different kinds of paradise. From the top of the cathedral you gaze down on the city spread out below in all its ragged beauty. This is cunningly put together, always offering clues rather than answers. One scene or room almost always references another you will see or have seen; sound (ghostly church music and howling winds) and film are part of the textured fabric of the piece, and you must always look up and down as well as straight in front of you.

Perspective is used brilliantly. In the moment you look over the entire city you can also peep right inside a house. There is an extraordinary point when you emerge mole-like out of the dark into the great cavernous body of the cathedral, with its massive stained-glass windows. Below in the gloaming a Madonna-like angel walks, her dress trailing behind her like a puddle of spilled milk. The journey takes about an hour; it will sustain you for a lifetime.

Last week was Tartuffe at the Play house. Originally in French by Moliere it had been rewritten by Roger McGough in rhyming couplets, some of which were excruciatingly bad for extra comic effect. Whenever they used the line ‘as they say in English’ they used an ‘ello,ello’ mock French accent as of course it should have been in French not English! Summary below.
Tartuffe is a beacon of piety and in the home of wealthy merchant Orgon he has his feet firmly under the table. But all is not as it seems and as Orgon becomes more enraptured with his new companion the whole city is chattering. Is he a friend, a fraud, a miracle or a hypocrite? The family smell a rat and amidst the frills and frivolity of Seventeenth Century society they hatch a cunning plan to outwit the wily deceiver before he brings their house crashing down.

On Tuesday we went to see Hugh Hughes in the Story of a Rabbit at the Everyman. Hugh is a softly spoken Welshman who we saw last year in his own production of Floating which J particularly liked and was looking forward to this new play. It lasted about 1hr 15 mins during which time Hugh was on stage the whole time with a colleague who provided the multi media back up. As the title suggests it is about a rabbit that dies but is mainly about the death of Hugh’s father. Funny and touching. Summary below.
When Hugh finds his neighbour’s rabbit lying dead in his garden, the only sensible thing to do is to put it in a box. But it doesn’t fit. As he puzzles over what to do he starts to wonder how much of life disappears once we die...

Last June, Hugh Hughes delighted Liverpool audiences with Floating. His new show Story of a Rabbit lifts the lid on life’s final mystery.


Last Sunday we called at the Rigbye Arms near Parbold for a drink en route and decided that as the menu looked good that we would try it out on Wednesday. The menu looked really good - J chose steak and kidney pie (of course) with chips and mushy peas and I had sea bream with celeriac mash, buttered carrots and courgettes and pesto. The food seemed to arrive amazingly quickly and was not anything special, although the pastry was good (J) and the buttered courgettes (C). We then had a cheese platter to share which didn’t have the promised grapes or chutney and was certainly not as good as I have had elsewhere for the same price. Disappointing but another experience!

Saturday 19 April 2008

Catch up time ...

A couple of weeks ago we saw Northern Broadsides in Romeo & Juliet at the Playhouse. I think it was probably one of the poorest productions I have seen. One of the actors was losing his voice and quite a few of them were wooden and really didn’t do it justice. Perhaps I have been spoilt by seeing the film. A couple of nights later Mel and I went to see an amateur production of Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca at the Southport Arts Theatre. That was pretty good with some professional performances and a nice glass of wine in the interval!

On Monday this week we went to the Everyman to see Samuel Becket’s play called Endgame, starring Matthew Kelly and his son also called Matthew. According to my book it is one of the greatest dramas ever written. I beg to differ. Matthew Kelly was blind and in a wheelchair where he sat for the whole performance. It was set post-apocalypse and consisted of conversations with his companion who had a silly walk and spent a lot of time repositioning a ladder and looking out at the wasteland beyond. Matthew’s parents lived in 2 dustbins and came out to talk to him occasionally. Very odd. Some excellent acting but a bizarre play.

Not deterred we went to the Playhouse on Tuesday to see Arthur Miller’s The Man Who Has All the Luck. At least a play with a story that was well acted.

Blessed with good fortune, David Beeves’s life can’t get much better. But as the lives of those around him begin to crumble, he starts to question his own destiny.

Miller’s great American fable follows one man’s struggle to change his fate, and asks the question – is there such a thing as too much luck?

I think we saw another Arthur Miller at the Playhouse with Madeline & Ben a couple of years ago!

Wednesday was shopping and we both felt exhausted with 2 nights out already so we went to Somerfield and then the Hare & Hounds. I attempted to have the cheesy pancake again but it was sold out again so had to settle for chicken breast with spicy bean cassoulet with glue mash. John had game pie with root vegetables, sugar snap peas and also glue mash (my interpretation). Not bad really for a quick meal and not far to get home!

I have recently booked up to see Paul Simon at the new Liverpool arena in the summer so looking forward to that. Off to Cyprus next weekend so spent the morning buying a few essentials!

Wednesday 26 March 2008

The Doubtful Guest

This started at 7 pm so was bound to be for the younger element in society! However, undeterred we went, saw and enjoyed. I thought it was acted extremely well and very funny, other people obviously didn’t agree and 3 couples walked out part way through it – how rude! It was based on a book by Edward Gorey which I haven’t heard of but from the play I suspect it is a children’s book written in rhyme. A bit like ‘Old friend Toad’ for those who remember him ‘walking down the road’.

When an uninvited and strangely fantastical creature finds its way into a very normal household, its pure existence wreaks havoc. As it challenges their strict routines and descends the family into chaos, they search desperately for ways of dealing with the peculiar behaviour of their doubtful guest. A humorous and sinister tale of adolescence and mayhem; this is a conveniently curious comedy for anyone who is (or knows!) a mischievous misfit. I think I will look out for it and others by him in second hand bookshops. He wrote around 70 books, not all for children, and died in 1999. His house is open to the public in Cape Cod.

As J and I are on holiday this week we went to the Owld Barn (no, Mandy it is not a spelling mistake) for lunch. Toasted ham & cheese for J and home made mushroom & onion soup for me. Followed by date and walnut loaf (homemade) and hot chocolate with cream/coffee for afters! We felt so full that we didn’t have tea until we returned from the theatre!

Saturday 8 March 2008

The Side Door...

Firday was, of course, Mel's birthday (33!!!) so as we were already booked for the Everyman on Thursday we decided to try The Side Door restaurant ,which is just a few doors away from the theatre, as a birthday treat. We had tried to get in before but it had always been full - this time I booked.
We got there at 6 pm and Mel and I ordered a bottle of Rose with Raisin beer for J . This is Cain's official Capital of Culture beer which J thought was good but it didn't taste of raisins. The early doors menu was quite limited - only 3 starters and 3 main courses but what they lacked in quantity they made up for in quality. J & M had mince Moroccan lamb with hummus and pita bread for starters whilst I stuck to fish with Welsh rarebit on smoked haddock - delicious! We all opted for the lamb steak with couscous and yoghurt for the main course and I had cheese and biscuits (well mainly cheese and fruit, I passed on the biscuits) and J & M had a tarty thing with ice cream. All in all a very nice meal, good service and a pleasant experience. One to go back to!
It was then off to see John Shuttleworth who is a Sheffield comedian who talks, sings and plays the organ. The only song of note that I had heard before was about his Austin Ambassador Y reg! It was OK with the second half much better than the first but nowhere near as good as John Hegley. Finished about 9.30 but a good night and a pleasant way to spend someone else's birthday!

Wednesday 27 February 2008

War & Peace

On Sunday, Mel and I set off from Kirby station (what a start to an adventure!) and arrived in good time for the 1.30 start of the first part of War and Peace at the Playhouse. The play was performed by Shared Experience who have done various other plays that we have seen such as Jane Eyre. The first play lasted just under 3 hours including a 20 minute interval and is the story of various families set against Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in the early 1800s. Very good and just the kind of ‘proper’ theatre that I like. It was then off to Bella Italiano for pasta and pinot grigio which were both excellent and then back for the second installment from 6 to 9 pm. What a wonderful way to spend a Sunday. I think my birthday money could be spent on the book but will I ever stay awake to read it??

Last night it was back to the Play house for Noughts and Crosses. Had no idea what to expect but again it was an excellent play brilliantly acted by the RSC.

Brought to the Liverpool Playhouse by the Royal Shakespeare Company and inspired by William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Noughts & Crosses dramatises the thrilling love story of two young people kept apart by prejudice and injustice.

Sephy, a Prime Minister's daughter from the powerful Crosses, falls for rebel Callum, son of a dangerous Nought agitator. Their desire to be together threatens family loyalties and sparks a growing political crisis.

Malorie Blackman is a best-selling author of books for children and young people. Her novel is adapted for the stage by Dominic Cooke, Artistic Director of the Royal Court Theatre.

Have just booked up for 4 more plays between May and July and still lots to come in this season. Certainly an excellent start to Capital of Culture year at the theatre.

Sunday 24 February 2008

An evening with John Hegley

Went to see John Hegley last night at the Everyman. Very good, very funny and the resume below sums it up!

Songs, poems and joining in's. For audiences new (but not newer than seven) and old.

Observations on insects, people and potatoes. John Hegley is an Edinburgh Festival regular who has also appeared in Australia, Canada, Columbia, Zanzibar and Luton - the small town of his upbringing. He has nine books to his name, two albums and one mug.

Warning: Contains Rhyming Language.

The poem below is not one he read last night but the only one I could find on the web. He is also a spectacle wearer and despises people who opt for contact lenses! It is very clever how he makes his poems rhyme and they really have to be read out loud to get the proper effect of the rhymes.

Poem de terre
I'm not a normal person
whatever that may be
there is something very very vegetable
about me,
this human skin I'm skulking in
it's only there for show,
I'm a potato.
When I told my father
it was something of a blow,
he was hurt
and he called me a dirty so-and-so.
He kicked up a racket
and he grabbed me by the jacket;
I said, 'Daddy will you pack it in
I need you for my father not my foe
Daddy, will you try and help me grow,
won't you love me for my blemishes
and look me in the eye
before one of us is underground
and the other says goodbye?'
And he said 'No'.

When I was a schoolboy
I never knew why
I was so crap at cross-country running
but now I know
why I was so slow.
I'm a potato.

Later today Mel and I are off to see a double bill of War and Peace at 1.30 and 5.30 so watch this space.

Thursday 7 February 2008

Only 90 minutes!!!

Metamorphosis was the play on Tuesday at the Playhouse. Well done but weird! Basically the son of the house turned into an insect and John explained the deep significance of it on the way home. Summary below and I must admit that the insect was extremely agile!

Franz Kafka’s eerie and fantastical story sees the unremarkable life of the Samsas turned upside down when their son, Gregor, emerges one morning inexplicably transformed into a monstrous insect. As revulsion turns to resentment, strange things start to happen to the Samsa family….

This hugely acclaimed and imaginative production combines jaw-dropping aerial action, a gravity-defying split level set and a mesmerising score by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis.

Home by 9.30 so not good value for money but it was preview night soonly £8 each. It was also press night so the front row was reserved for them - they didn't turn up and we had to sit on row C - not amused!
Shopping last night but as it was England v Switzerland at football on the TV we went to the chippy insted of out for a meal. We went to the Ceylon Spice Box in Waterloo for J's birthday last Friday - interesting food and the only Sri Lankan restauant outside London. Thought it was pricey for what we had and not as good as Shanti in Formby. The worst part was that it was really cold and every time the door opened we were in a draft!

Thursday 31 January 2008

It must be the new theatre season..

Good to have proper theatre back after the panto season. The 3 sisters on Hope St is based on Chekov's 3 Sisters. Quote form J - 'the most boring play I have ever seen'. I thought it was good, an old fashioned play which was good value for money! Nearly 11 pm before it finished - some we have seen have been barely an hour. Summary from web site below.

A year after the sudden death of their father, sisters Gertie, May and Rita Lasky share their once grand home with their asthmatic brother Arnold, irascible Auntie Biel and old family friend Dr. Nate Weinberg.
Within the house life is a comforting hive of familiar activity, but outside their city is shattered. And now a new sister-in-law is moving in. The world is changing and the sisters have to find their place in it.
Sometimes moving, sometimes funny, this is the world premiere of a vibrant new version of Chekhov's classic drama.

Wednesday was a quick trip to Somerfield then over to the Hare and Hounds as I was feeling lazy. J had mixed grill (steak not rare but otherwise OK). I had haddock in lemon and chilli breadcrumbs with mixed root vegetables and sugar snap peas. My first choice was cheese pancakes but they had run out! J is in Nottingham today so am going to meet him at the station soon. Don't have time to go to the gym, that is twice this week that I haven't made it - life is just one whirl of activity!! Not quite as exciting as Mandy and Dave's hectic life but not far off!!