‘If we love, we grieve. That’s the deal. That’s the pact. Grief and love are forever intertwined.’ So says Nick Cave, a man writing about grief more vividly and eloquently than anyone else currently alive (for my money, at least.) A similar sentiment is the ultimate destination and realisation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Notes on Grief, one of the flagship performances as part of the 2021 incarnation of the Manchester International Festival.
The text of the piece is taken verbatim from a New Yorker written by Adichie in the aftermath of her father’s passing in 2020. Whilst the death itself was not covid related, the grieving process for a family spread over several continents was inevitably seriously hampered by the ongoing pandemic.
One of the most timely commissions in the history of the festival.
Whilst a magazine article about grief may not sound like fertile ground for a compelling piece of theatre, Rae McKen’s staging of the text converts the extremely personal events detailed into something more universally recognisable, especially after an 18-month period in which so many of us have lost loved ones and been denied the catharsis of communal grief. In this way, this is one of the most timely commissions in the history of the festival.
Michelle Asante’s central performance representing Adichie is strong, natural, and allows easy empathy from the audience.
Michelle Asante’s central performance representing Adichie is strong, natural, and allows easy empathy from the audience, which is essential to the function of a piece this intimate. However, the frequency of stumbled lines makes it difficult to remain entirely immersed at times. The supporting multi-roling of Uche Abuah and Itoya Osagiede is a great boon to the world building, and their changing dialects (coached by Mary Howland) are remarkably strong.
The sound design (Edward Lewis) is sparse yet emotive and impactful and augments the text beautifully. It blends well with the movement (Yami Löfvenberg), however some sections of movement feel contrived and almost amateurish, especially towards the beginning of the piece.
So Notes on Grief is not without flaws, but its heart shines through – bruised and beaten by the cacophony of grief but not dimmed, and able to outshine any of the imperfections which might have a greater impact on lesser work.
-Daniel Shipman
Notes on Grief plays at Manchester Central until 17 July 2021.
The Global Playground is a joyful exploration of interconnectivity and playfulness that is bound to bring a smile to your face – whatever your age. It follows the turmoil of cameraman Sean (Sean Garratt) as he tries to put together a film despite the mischievous antics of the cast members. Dancers Jahmarley (Jahmarley Bachelor), Annie (Annie Edwards), Kennedy (Kennedy Junior Muntanga) and Charmene (Charmene Pang) consistently divert the recording with their escapades as they explore the stage with childlike wonder – reminding Sean that sometimes we all need to let loose and have fun.
The cast command every inch of the stage that they occupy with their captivating, natural fluidity of movement.
In doing so, the cast command every inch of the stage that they occupy with their captivating, natural fluidity of movement and motion. Gregory Maqoma’s choreography is the perfect blend of effortless fun and spectacular physicality, with the cast moving in unison to create beautiful, joyful dance sequences interspersed with everything from puppetry and ventriloquy to physical comedy to keep the youngsters in the audience engaged. And each of these elements is seamlessly incorporated by the magnificent cast. Sean Garratt is also fantastic as both the cameraman and the voice behind Terry the puppet and the camera itself, making their characters just as vibrant and lively as the rest of the cast. His comedic timing and physical comedy are excellent, particularly for younger audience members.
Although, some children may struggle to engage with the longer sequences without an interest in dance. While captivating for older audiences, the contemporary elements may not be as engaging for younger, non-dance fans. However, for those interested in dance, this piece is the perfect blend of entertainment for both adults and children, combining stylised elements such as vogue with a fuzzy orange puppet called Terry. There are even educational elements, allowing children to learn about how films are made through watching the cast incorporate equipment such as lightboxes, tripods and reflectors.
A carefree, bubbly performance for all ages.
The ways in which Guy Hoare’s light design and Maqoma’s choreography involve these in the dance sequences is truly mesmerising, with dancers using the reflectors to create dazzling displays that flood the theatre space with light. Each time, the cast interacts with the equipment in new and exploratory ways, whether it’s wearing lightboxes or turning the camera into a sinister monster. And all of this is tied together flawlessly by Ayanna Witter-Johnson’s music and the musical performance of Merlin Jones, providing the perfect connection between such stunning visuals and styles of movement.
Every child will be able to see themselves represented on stage in a joyful way.
Most of all, The Global Playground reminds us that we could all benefit from returning to the wonder and playfulness with which we explored the world as children, as well as the freedom that it gave us. It is a carefree, bubbly performance for all ages that shows we are far better when we work together than apart – though does not fail to showcase the extraordinary individual talents of its cast. And with such a diverse cast and range of dance styles, it ensures that almost every child will be able to see themselves represented on stage in a joyful way.
We preview The Delightful Sausage ahead of the performance at Paines Plough Roundabout, Ordsall Park.
Surreal laughs from Yorkshire’s finest, meat-themed comedy duo.
The Paines Plough Roundabout is a truly magical performance space. An intimate, vivid in-the-round pop-up theatre. This space-ship style theatre lands in Ordsall Park from Thursday 6th – Sunday 9th September 2018. Along with comedy, spoken word and live music, Roundabout will bring the best in new writing from Georgia Christou, Simon Longman and Vinay Patel.
Island Town, written by Simon Longman is set in a dead-end town and tells a bittersweet story about friendship, hope and dreams of escape; BAFTA nominated Vinay Patel’s Sticks and Stones is an incisive satire on the modern condition and finding the right word, and families will love Georgia Christou’s How To Spot An Alien, a rip-roaring space odyssey suitable for space cadets aged five and up.
Produced by the Lowry, Roundabout also features a host of community events and comedy from Barbara Nice and The Delightful Sausage.
The Delightful Sausage
Our guest reviewer Gemma Hepworth visited Edinburgh Fringe and saw The Delightful Sausage at Monkey Barrel:
“It’s a madcap adventure through the crazed minds of two Yorkshire hopefuls who inexplicably expect their imaginary hamlet of Ickleton to be nominated as a city of culture.
What begins ostensibly as a village meeting of ‘P.W.I.C.S- Precinct of Wider Ickleton Community Saviours’, swiftly descends into a crazy mix of characters, audience interaction and abstract storytelling.
The purposeful lack of finesse, the superb OTT character costumes, absolutely bonkers content (adverts of pretend sponsors, songs, out of character interjections) and side-swipes at their craft and the fringe only serve highlight how much they understand their audience and how much this camaraderie builds empathy and humour. Like The Mighty Boosh but with humility!
I LOVED the daft-ness and delights of Delightful Sausage! I was laughing out loud for a good twenty minutes after walking out of the venue!”
The Delightful Sausage plays at Paines Plough Roundabout in Ordsall Park on Saturday 8th September 2018. Click here to find out more about the other events at Roundabout.
This Easter weekend, Heaton Park brings us a second series of Classical Family Concerts from Feelgood on the 1st and 2nd April. The brilliant cacophony of music will fill Heaton Hall once again after last year’s resounding success and will feature two classical concerts and the Music Box Children’s Show, for younger audiences.
Feelgood Theatre Productions was formed in 1994, and remains the Official Theatre Partner with Manchester City Council for Heaton Park, and are now well established for their unforgettable past performances.
The Classical Concerts will feature the Royal Northern College of Music’s singing stars (Jenny Carson as soprano, Thomas D Hopkinson as bass, and Dan McDwyer as tenor), along with the Vine Quartet, conducted by Alex Robinson, following their debut at the Cheltenham Festival.
The Classical Concerts will tell the tale of the Egerton family’s musical past at Heaton. Actress Fanny Kemble, a famous Hall visitor, will be played by Caroline Clegg as she unfolds the artistic musical storytelling of history. This also covers the infamous visitors of the Hall such as The Duke of Wellington, Charles Halle and Seymor Egerton’s Wandering Minstrels Orchestra that first opened at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
Audiences will gain the rare opportunity to wander the ‘closed’ Heaton Hall. Exploring the building, they will reach the elegant Music Room where they will be treated to an array of music from Handel and Verdi to Gilbert and Sullivan.
Caroline Clegg, Artistic Director of Feelgood Theatre Productions said: “Heaton has a distinguished musical heritage and I want to celebrate it and ensure that we can build a future legacy in the park… I know classical music is not everyone’s cup of tea but those who came last year were totally immersed in the combined beauty of the hall and the music – I urge you to give it a go.”
The Music Box – Three Stories About Home is a brand new show, for younger audiences aged 3-10 years, by the critically acclaimed Kate Romano. A world of wonder and curiosity unfurls around the tale of a fortune teller, three children and their extravagant adventures. The Vine Quartet combine, magicalstorytelling with shadow play and music from Bartok to Debussy. The perfect introduction to classical music perfect – with free cupcakes and an Easter Egg Hunt.
These Easter Concerts mark the beginning of Feelgood’s 2018 programme in the park. The proceeds Romeo and Juliet in the summer, a Halloween Show, a very special Manchester Peace Song Cycle in November, and a new Christmas extravaganza.
CLASSICAL CONCERTS:
Sunday 1st April 3 pm & Monday 2nd April 5 pm (Duration 1 hr 20 mins)
Tickets start at £16.00/ £12.00 conc.
THE MUSIC BOX CHILDREN’S SHOW
Monday 2nd April 12 noon and 2 pm (Duration 50 mins)
Tickets start at £15.00 for 1 child and 1 adult.
Free cupcakes for all children.
Tickets for both events are also available in person from Heaton Farm Centre Café (cash only). Children must be accompanied by an adult. Children, please bring a cushion to sit on so you can sit at the front.
THE WORLD HAS CHANGED, BUT SOPHIA IS DESPERATE TO MAINTAIN NORMALITY. SO WHEN THE CARROT IS DANGLED, SHE GRABS IT – IF THINGS CAN GO BACK TO HOW THEY WERE.
This year, Mike Heath brings us a corporate comedy, inspired by Erving Goffman’s Total Institution. The play debuts in Stockport’s Studio Salford, as a product of Viaduct Theatre, fronting Stockport’s independent theatre scene.
Directed by Leni Murphy and starring Antonio Whitehead, Greg Kelly, John Tuert, and Helen O’Hara, this Maureen O’Neil produced piece explores the entrapment of our corporate world, and how this can stifle identity.
After five years of development, ‘Playing God’ has shifted from a devised rehearsal room project to being granted ‘Arts Council’ funding and into a fully-fledged play. The team aim to communicate the themes and situations that creeping corporation leads us to in our everyday working lives.
Mike Heath said: “The piece explores the way in which we’re sleepwalking into a corporate world that is subtly eroding our rights – the spin, and the corporate bullshit that has invaded our verbal palette, reducing the individual into a number who no longer has human needs.”
The painful resonation is sure to hit home, as a happy workforce are forced into change my a mystery take over of their company by a powerful company. It explores the blind acceptance to corporate regime that erodes identity and understanding of the world around them in a workplace context.
The play explores how corporation has changed our lives. However the narrative also explores physical comedy in a dark context. The fun that Heath clung onto during production creates an articulate black comedy that may be just a little too close to home.
‘Playing God’ seems to promise a treat for the working classes in a beautiful, arguably Marxist production that explores what most of those working have probably thought about before.
Playing God runs from Wednesday 28th February until Saturday 3rd March 2018 at the HatWorks Museum, Wellington Mill, SK3 0EU.
This month, the Funny Women Awards: Regional Finals returns for its fifteenth year of running, with a Manchester date of 28th February
at Tribeca at 7:30 pm.
Funny Women Awards 2018
Written by Freya Lewis
The staggeringly popular ceremony, with 400 applicants for the Stage Award alone, has now whittled down to 70 female comedians of to compete at the regional final stage. Previous winners include Katherine Ryan, Sarah Millican and Harriet Braine, and the search for the next female comedy icon promises to be a real showstopper.
Funny Women founder, Lynne Parker said, “Women have such a strong and important voice in the comedy industry and so many of today’s big names have taken part in the awards at the beginning of their careers. I am excited to see who comes next!”
The regional finals with produce six winners, with two ‘wild card’ acts to make it to the Grand Final of the competition, leaving eight finalists in total.
Funny Women is also now partnered with UN Women National Committee UK, inspired by the renowned HeForShe solidarity movement for gender equality, and the monitoring board will be composed of male and female comedians together. This follows 2016’s successful pairing of the finalists with celebrity female comedians, including Sara Pascoe, Ellie Taylor, Jan Ravens, Zoe Lyons, Tiffany Stevenson and Shazia Mirza.
Laura Haynes, Chair, UN Women National Committee UK said: ”We are delighted to confirm the Funny Women Awards as one of our signature events for HeForShe London Arts Week 2018 in support of UN Women… The arts guide and reflect culture by helping people to re-think established norms and explore challenging topics in a thoughtful way.”
Funny Women promises to be a hilarious, amazing night to perfectly encapsulate the hilarity and positivity that women possess. It encourages a brilliant message to help adapt a male-dominated industry. Only 25% of comedians are women, and so for this ceremony to shed light on some of our countries most uproarious female characters promises to be a treat for those wanting a change for the better.
The 2017 Funny Women Awards are sponsored by Comedy Central, Why Did the Chicken, Women in Comedy Festival, Soho Theatre, Women’s Radio Station, Oliver Bonas, Starling Bank and MOO.
-Freya Lewis
To find out more and book for Manchester’s Funny Women regional final click here.
Tom Wells’ The Kitchen Sink opens at Oldham Coliseum this Friday
CREDIT: Oldham Coliseum
Written By Freya Lewis
The Kitchen Sink Runs at Oldham Coliseum from Friday 9th February –Saturday 24th February.
Tom Wells is one of the UK’s most innovative and intriguing young writers, and The Kitchen Sink is what struck him into status in the theatre world, leading to his Most Promising Playwright Award at the Critics’ Circle Awards and the George Divine Award for Most Promising Playwright, plus a nomination for Most Promising Playwright at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards.
Sponsored by the New Charter group, this follows, from the same team, Tom Wells’ Jumpers for Goalposts in 2016; Director Chris Lawson and Designer Anna Reid.
The play presents us with a wild look into an unusual family situation, along with an amazing northern cast. A hilarious, modern family drama that makes us think what family really means when one has huge dreams in a little town. Chris Lawson commented: “Tom Wells writes stories that matter; we relate to them because they reflect real life.”
Sue Devany, star of Dinnerladies, Casualty and Coronation Street maintains her Oldham roots as Kath. She said “When I knew my favourite local theatre, Oldham Coliseum, was doing The Kitchen Sink by Tom Wells I was over the moon… It’s a play full of hope, humour and love.”
The play also features This Is England’s Will Travis, Hollyoak’s David Judge, alongside the outstanding young talent of Sam Glen and Emily Stott.
Here we have a Japanese Christmas Dinner and a gangster gran, along with maybe a little too much of Dolly Parton. And, of course, the kitchen sink.
The Kitchen Sink follows Kath, working two jobs with an interesting cooking passion as she attempts to keep her family on track. Her husband, Martin’s milk float is falling apart along with his business. Billy’s lost confidence in his painting and Sophie’s dreams of becoming a Ju Jitsu teacher have crumbled after punching her sensei in the face.
This charming Oldham theatre is sure to impress, and this beautiful Northern tale of a regular, extraordinary family is unmissable.
This Saturday 21st October, to add to an already exciting season, The Contact Theatre, renowned Mancunian creative space and home of the arts and young people, hosts the WHY? Festival in its third year of production. What’s Happening for the Young?
Jude Kelly, Artistic Director of Southbank Centre, London, brings her creation inspired by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Children, to Manchester, offering our young people a celebration of their rights and capabilities, offering inspiration: we can make change in our world.
This hosts a range of events, involving workshops, talks, activities and debates, all discussing the rights and lives of young people. Meet activists, policy makers, inspiring young people, artists and journalists as creativity meets a hunger for social change.
This year, WHY? explores the history of protest songs and offers the opportunity to write one. It hosts a beatboxing workshop discussing gender bias. Thirty Pound Gentleman will also attend, hosting a debate surrounding Manchester’s politically radical heritage, from Anarchist-Punks to the Suffragettes.
This includes a forum for children, young people, parents, teachers and professionals to learn about and celebrate the rights of young people everywhere.
To finish the day with a bang, BAC Beatbox Academy will perform ‘Frankenstein’ exploring what it takes to make a monster in 2017 in a suitably named compilation of music and theatre. Or, Young Identity, a group of fierce Mancunian poets, will perform ‘Hatch’ perfectly capturing the fears of existentialism and our world coming to an end.
The Contact Theatre is renowned for its amazing work with marginalised groups, and it’s important to remember that the youth today are a large part of this demographic, who WHY? encourages to be excited and savvy about their environment and lifestyle.. Since the Theatre’s reinvention in 1999, the people there have worked incredibly hard to make the work better for the 13-30 year olds of Manchester.
Please visit the website below for more information, which will provide you information on the (often free) events it involves.
‘Hatch’ features at £10/£6 conc. at 7:30pm
‘Frankenstein’ features at £7/£4 conc. at 6pm
Both performances can be booked at the Contact Theatre’s box office, or from calling 01612740600 or through the Contact Theatre website.
There is just over twenty-four hours to go until the most eagerly awaited new musical – written by the award-winning Tim Firth (The Girls- Musical 2015) and featuring the music of Take That – goes in front of The Manchester Opera House audience for the first time.
The show begins in Manchester tomorrow, 8th September with national press night on Tuesday 26 September.
THE BAND is a new musical about what it’s like to grow up with a boyband. For five 16-year-old friends in 1992, ‘the band’ is everything. Fast forward twenty-five years on and we are reunited with the group of friends, now 40-something women, as they try once more to fulfil their dream of meeting their heroes.
The Band is being played by young performers AJ Bentley, Nick Carsberg, Curtis T Johns, Yazdan Qafouri and Sario Solomon, who, as Five to Five, won BBC’s Let It Shine and the chance to star in the musical.
The Band will be running at The Manchester Opera House from Friday 8th September all the way through till 30th of September, before embarking on a major UK tour until July 2018. Excitement is building fast with advance box office sales already topping a record-breaking £10MILLION.
Tickets for this hotly-anticipated show are available to book online from atgtickets.com/manchester or by calling the box office on 0844 871 3018 (fees may apply).
With all of the big Christmas shows in full swing, it feels like a good time to look back at the highlights of a busy year for theatre in Manchester. Here are Upstaged Manchester’s theatrical highlights of 2016. Which shows would make your list?
Wit at The Royal Exchange
Julie Hesmondhalgh’s portrayal of Dr Vivian Bearing, an American Professor who finds herself diagnosed with advanced metastatic ovarian cancer, was striking and raw – nothing short of magnificent. Cancer is a hard subject matter to tackle on stage, especially in a performance as honest as this. Wit had everything. Powerful enough to make some cry and poignant enough to make everyone laugh, think and discuss.
I am just so pleased that The Girls is on its way to the West End and is set to open at London’s Phoenix Theatre from January 2017. The collaboration between Gary Barlow and Tim Firth is a perfect recipe for success. Hilarious and heartbreaking all at the same time, I spent most of Act 2 looking through a blur because my eyes were so teary from laughing and crying at the same time. Just fabulous.
Husbands & Sons at The Royal Exchange
Husband’s & Sons had the perfect line-up of creatives and performers – all of the best in the field working together on one show. Director Marianne Elliott, of War Horse and Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, at the helm of a truly phenomenal cast – including Ann-Marie Duff and Louise Brealey. Fused with Bunny Christie’s ingenious design, Husband’s & Sons was heartfelt and gritty. So good, I wanted to watch it all over again.
The Encounter at HOME
A strikingly different theatre experience to anything that I have witnessed before. Every member of the audience is issued with a set of headphones and using cutting edge audio technology is transported to the Amazonian rainforest and into the head of Loren McIntyre, a stranded photojournalist. The Encounter is gripping, an adventure story which gets inside your head. Literally.
Parade at Hope Mill Theatre
I always enjoy James Baker’s productions massively – with every show he raises the bar of the Manchester Fringe Theatre scene a little higher. Parade was nothing short of a triumph. The dimly lit, eerie walls of Manchester’s newest performance space, Hope Mill Theatre added a further dimension to the production – intimate and powerful, something quite special.
Origins at The Lowry Theatre
Origins by Animikii Theatre. Developed with The Lowry.
An intense new piece of physical theatre by Animikii Theatre Company exploring the story of the world’s first murderer: the killing of Cain by his brother Abel. Captivating storytelling communicated only through movement and sound. Adam Davies and Charles Sandford are highly skilled performers and with every detail loaded to perfection, Animikii Theatre Company are certainly ones I’ll be watching out for in the future.
Rambert: A Linha Curva at The Lowry
Now in their 90th year and still leading the dance world with their innovative and exhilarating dance works. A Linha Curva is sensual, witty and terribly good. The dancers are faultless, moving alongside each other in a truly intoxicating display. Rambert may be 90 this year but they show no sign of standing still.
Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes at The Lowry
Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes ~Ashley Shaw as Victoria Page~
The Red Shoes is a breathtaking balletic display – a beautifully tragic tale poignantly told. Terry Davies’ musical score, using the music of golden-age Hollywood, and Lez Brotherston’s ornate set and dazzling costumes ooze 1940’s glamour. Following it’s sell out run in 2016, it returns again to The Lowry in July 2017. So if you didn’t catch it this time round, get your ticket booked for next year!
With its irresistible Cy Coleman musical score, supervised by Nigel Lilley and directed by Mark Aspinall, played superbly by a live band; an ensemble that dazzle and a top-notch central performance from Kaisa Hammarlund – Derek Bond’s Sweet Charity is an absolute must-see. At the Royal Exchange until 28th January 2018 – there is still plenty of time to bag a ticket. You’re welcome.
REVIEWER: CIARAN WARD
A Streetcar Named Desire at The Royal Exchange
Sarah Frankcom’s adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ modern domestic tragedy, ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’, was an exhilarating piece of theatre that warranted much more than a five-week run. Maxine Peake’s effortless performance as the fallen Blanche DuBois was every bit as riveting and worthy of acclaim as her predecessors, Vivien Leigh and Gillian Anderson.
REVIEWER: DEMI WEST
GM Fringe 2016: Fast Fringe at The Dancehouse Theatre
The ‘GM Fringe 2016: Fast Fringe’ show was by far the most memorable comedy that I have enjoyed this year. The selection box of comedians kept the show fresh, each offering a diverse style of comedy that was sure to please all audience members. The Fast Fringe is a brilliant way to sample and discover different comedians, along with guaranteed laughs.
Merry Christmas to each and every one of you – thank you for all of your support this year.
