by Tricia Beddow

Trench – An Original World War I Musical

Six years ago, in November 2018, I walked through the door at NTWAC (North West Theatre Arts Company) for the first time. The theatre is situated on Lightbowne Rd, Moston and I’ve been through that same door many times since.

I was there that evening to watch a musical called ‘Trench’. I had no idea what to expect but the performance moved me so much I wrote my first ever review at 5am the following morning.

This week, to coincide with remembrance, NTWAC performed Trench for a second time and I jumped at a chance to see it again. Would it, could it be as good?

It might be worth at this point explaining who NWTAC are and what they do. So, in their own words…

About NWTAC: Formed in 2009, in north Manchester, to continue to encourage young people in the performing arts, the North West Theatre Arts Company CIC (NWTAC) delivers a full and varied programme of productions throughout the year. 

Based at NWTAC Theatre in Moston, NWTAC runs the North West Stage School (NWSS), training young people from the ages of 7 to 24 in the performing arts; in preparation for academic drama courses, a career in the industry, or simply as a hobby. 

Since the company was formed, it has staged a considerable number of well-received productions, gaining a reputation for a unique style and professional experience from beginning to end. 

NWTAC aims to create a creative arts ‘hub’ for the north providing affordable working space, productions, classes, and sessions for all within the community.

The Managing Director, Prab Singh, wrote the story himself following conversations his wife’s grandmother, Peggy. It’s not about war but rather a love story. The words, lyrics, thoughts and feelings are taken from true accounts from letters, journals and factual recollections.

Trench is in honour of Peggy, her friends, their boyfriends and husbands whose lives were changed forever fighting for a cause that wasn’t theirs. It was written so that we would never forget what they went through and what they sacrificed.

Was the performance as good this time around? Of course it was. This is NWTAC! It’s what they do, train young people to act, sing, move, perform and they’re brilliant at it.

Tempany Windsor and Melissa Grimes took the lead female roles while Anthony Horricks and Billy Morrison played the leading male roles. They’re all strong vocalists with plenty of experience under their belts and they excelled themselves. Tempany and Melissa sounded like nightingales when they came together for the duets. Anthony and Billy, likewise, sang their hearts out, whilst breaking ours. A love story played out with genuine sensitivity from the whole cast.

One or two cheeky moments lighten the mood a little and make you smile but the backdrop is a horrible war and the final scene is as shocking as it should be. When they cried, we cried.

The lyrics (by Prab Singh) and music (by Ross Johnson) are inspired.

The supporting cast, the set and lighting design (Mark Beaumont), choreography (Tempany Windsor) with Bethany Singh as the Choir Mistress all bring their amazing talent to produce a wonderful musical that deserves a place in the West End. Wardrobe, sound, make-up and stage staff play their part too and it wouldn’t work without them.

Trench runs until 16th November. Remaining tickets can be purchased via NWTAC’s website here where you can find details of upcoming shows. They can also be found on the following social media platforms:

Facebook: North West Theatre Arts Company

Instagram: @NWTAC

Tiktok: @NWTAC

In 2018 Trench was my first attempt at a review, this review will probably be my last. I’m not going anywhere but like to think I’ve come full circle since joining Another Music in 2017.

Well, when I say ‘I’m not going anywhere’ I will be going to NWTAC. I’ve got eyes on tickets to next months panto and later this month there’s a two night tribute especially for Taylor Swift fans.

by Tricia Beddow

North West Theatre Art Company – The Addams Family

They’ve only gone and done it again! Last month’s performance of ‘The Addams Family’ at NWTAC’s theatre on Lightbowne Road, Moston was yet another sell-out.

I went to the opening night with my family, we had a fantastic evening and were still laughing the next day.

Some of you may remember the original 1960’s TV series. Or, like my daughter and son-in-law, you’ve seen later movie or Netflix versions. If you are not familiar with the creepy, spooky and mysterious Addams family then you’re missing out and need to get a grip.

NWTAC’s cast were up there with the best of them and put on a hilarious version of the Broadway Musical.

The story-line centres on Wednesday Addams’ invitation to her boyfriend’s ‘normal’ American family to meet her distinctly ‘abnormal’ family for dinner. The Addams home is located deep in Central Park woods. It has a great banqueting hall, torture chamber and its own spooky graveyard full of Addams’ ancestors who have a knack of turning up all over the place.

Wednesday and her boyfriend, Lucas Beineke, are in love but she begs her father Gomez to keep it a secret from his beloved wife, Morticia, to ensure the evening goes smoothly. That’s quite a challenge for this household!

Poor, poor Gomez. He connects with the audience immediately, gains their sympathy for his situation and our toes curl when his wife Morticia gets suspicious. Plenty more secrets are thrown into the pot to be winkled out as the fateful evening unfolds.

It’s fair to say the Addams Family characters are iconic. This must have inspired the casting at NWTAC as each part was perfectly matched. Gomez and Morticia, played respectively by Anthony Horricks and Evie Lucas, were simply delicious and brilliant.

Rehearsals with Anthony Horricks and Evie Lucas in the centre

I couldn’t keep my eyes off ‘the eyes’ of Uncle Fester played by Olivia Hollamby. The expression on his, or rather her face, was astonishing and her comic timing gifted. I think I gasped when she first entered the stage. She looked amazing and I had to check my programme to make sure I’d read it right.

Poppy Evans, who took the part of Wednesday, delivered wile and sass in equal measure and was wonderfully wicked. She wrapped her parents around her little finger and oozed confidence. However, when the prim mother of Lucas, Alice Beineke (aka Paige Garth), went wild and passionate on the night of the dinner, on the table no less, Wednesday’s hopes for ‘normal’ flew out the door.

Entwined throughout the story are the Addams Ancestors. They complement the production with their own comedy input, sweeping dance moves and choral contributions. It was a brilliant show with a happy ending. Relationships get their ‘zing’ back while Gomez and Morticia celebrate success with a romantic weekend at the worst hotel in France. Perfection!

Gomez and Morticia (original 1960’s TV series)

Too many to mention individually, every single member of the cast gave it their all and shone.

The script was hilarious, the vocals and dance routines swept the audience along. Sitting quietly at their stations either backstage or in the tech area of the theatre are the production crew. They work their magic to create an experience and atmosphere that’s quite special. Do not under-estimate their skill. The sound, lighting, sets, costumes and make-up play an essential part while Front of House staff complete the package.

My utmost respect to the management team and directors, this has to be one of the best musical comedies I’ve ever seen.

NWTAC are committed to entertain you with a range of performances throughout the season and they’re working on 2023/2024 right now. Tickets are all reasonably priced so keep an eye on their website and social media so you don’t miss out.

Related Stories

by Carole Gausden

Moston Brook – Then and Now

Moston Brook is a 3.7 mile long tributary of the River Irk, and my family have lived close to it for four generations.

My mother grew up in a house built on top of one of the brook’s many culverts. After number 2 Culvert Street was scheduled for demolition, the family moved to a road off Church Lane in Moston, where the brook then still ran above ground.

When I was 9 we moved from my grandparent’s house to New Moston and a couple of minutes walk took you to the Brook. Where it ran under Broadway, I was fascinated to find sprinklers spraying water on slag heaps. Our belief was that they prevented the re-ignition of smouldering coal from a fire in the disused Moston pit. Although the tale seems to be apocryphal, it does illustrate the brook’s close connection to the area’s industrial history.

From its beginning in Chadderton/Failsworth, Moston or Morris Brook flows through Moston, Harpurhey and Collyhurst before reaching the River Irk.

Due to the coal and coke waste from industrial processes nearby, the stretch of water running alongside Church Lane was known as the Black Brook. In the terrible winter of 1947, local people picked waste coke/coal from the Black Brook to supplement their fuel ration. So much culverting had taken place that the scavengers didn’t realise the water was the Moston Brook.

Manufacturers who were at the forefront of industrialisation were quick to realise the brook’s potential. Some of the first industries to exploit it as a water supply were dyers and finishers of textiles, closely followed by coal and clay extraction.

The names of terraced streets springing up around the brook, soon began to reflect aspects of the industries nearby. For instance, Turkey Lane was named for the first colour fast, true red dye used on yarn and cloth. Angel Delaunay wasone of the pioneers who developed Turkey red dye in England. Delaunay’s Road in Blackley bears his name to this day.

It was inevitable that mills, pits and ‘diggies’ would utilize the brook as a means of disposal for the waste they created.

A late 18th century gazetteer described Collyhurst as ‘picturesque, with wooded slopes running down to the River Irk’. The brook ran through this pastoral idyll, but soon it would be changed by the Turkey Red dye, bleach from cotton finishing and black from the logwood rasping mills.

By 1838, the gazetteer’s wooded slopes had been replaced by the courts and alleys inhabited by a population of 38,000. These dwellings were mostly hastily built without access to a clean water supply or any regard for the disposal of sewage. As a result, the unculverted sections of the Brook became a repository for all manner of organic material. This cocktail of industrial waste and domestic refuse was carried by the brook until it merged with the toxic effluent discharged into the Irk by tanneries, boneyards, gas and ammonia works.

Conditions for the poor in Manchester were at their very worst when the 1832 cholera pandemic swept the world. Medical science was more inclined to attribute cholera to bad air (sometimes called miasma) than poor sanitation. It was only later that bacteria in untreated sewage was discovered to be the real culprit. Unsurprisingly, the deadly disease visited many families living in Collyhurst’s overcrowded courts bordering the Irk.

Henry Gaulter, a Manchester doctor, embarked on a mission to discover how cholera was spread. Disregarding the personal danger, the doctor set out to inspect the streets and houses of the very poorest. He entered their homes with questions about their previous illnesses, their occupations and the food they ate.

Even though the cause of cholera eluded Dr. Gaulter, his researches have left us a unique eye witness account of the depravation and hardship Manchester’s workers endured in their everyday life. Of the township itself, Gaulter reported, ‘In the greater part of Manchester there are no sewers at all. And, where they do exist, they are so small and badly constructed that instead of contributing to the purification of the town, they become themselves nuisances of the worst description’.

Soap and offal boiling , as well as the dressing of hides, were classed as ‘nuisances’ in bye-laws. However the authorities did little or nothing to prevent the waste from such processes being discharged into the river, along with untreated sewage.

One of the most infamous outbreaks of disease occurred in Allen’s Court which, due to its high death rate, became known as Cholera Court. According to Dr. Gaulter, Allen’s Court was populated by ‘decent and reputable silk weavers’. Regardless of their respectability, he described where they lived as ‘..a tripe boiler’s works are on one side of the court. A catgut manufactory on the other: in front is the Irk flowing close under the houses, dyed and defiled by impurities of every kind.… A sewer runs above ground…. A bone boiler has his place a little higher up, and it was said that he had just thrown several tons of rotten salmon into the river’.

Conditions in and around the brook were much improved in the 120 years since the cholera epidemic. Nevertheless, we kids were told you could catch ‘the fever’ from playing near the brook. For 30 years we lived in a house on Belgrave Road where the Brook ran along the boundary of the back garden. During that time, the ‘white stuff’ was grassed over and the slag heaps disappeared. But my children grew up never knowing what colour the brook would run from one day to the next.

Today, this once unlovely repository of industrial waste has been transformed. It is now a woodland corridor providing a haven for wildlife, as well as flower and tree species. And the formerly toxic River Irk described by Henry Gaulter, once again supports fish.

We owe a huge debt of gratitude to all the people whose amazing vision and hard work has created an amenity providing so much pleasure for those of us who have discovered its delights.

June 2022

Related Stories