Tag: music

by Tricia Beddow

North West Theatre Arts Company – Hairspray

They couldn’t have timed it better. NWTAC’s production of Hairspray started on 20th July just one day after Covid restrictions were lifted and it was a sell-out. Moston’s very own theatre at maximum capacity for the first time in 18 months.

For those who haven’t seen the film, Hairspray is set in Baltimore during the early 60’s where schoolgirl Tracy Turnblad dreams of dancing on The Corny Collins TV show. School doesn’t fit in with her plans so, along with her friend Penny Pingleton, she teams up with fellow African American students when they get put in detention. Together, they oust the reigning prima donna from the TV show along with her domineering mother and win the day.

Hairspray is a light-hearted, fun-filled musical with an underlying theme promoting tolerance and integration.

It also happens to be one of my daughter’s favourite films. She knows it inside out; every scene, every song, every dance move. So I was a bit nervous when I took her and the rest of my family to see the show.

Would NWTAC’s version measure up to the award winning film starring the likes of John Travolta, Zac Efron and Michelle Pfeifer?

Answer: they smashed it!

The casting was inspired. Annabelle Cooke bounced out of bed as Tracy with a bright and energetic ‘Good Morning Baltimore’. She was pitch perfect and I knew straight away we were in for a treat.

Eva Carty played Penny Pingleton perfectly while Jonny Molyneux had Tracy’s mum Edna Turnblad down to a tee. Jonny mustn’t have been available when they cast the film so they settled for John Travolta instead! He and his stage husband Gareth Maudsley have comedy timing in their bones.

James Burke followed in the footsteps of Zac Efron playing Tracy’s heart throb. He has a voice that just oozes confidence and rose to the challenge. Meanwhile, Penny’s love interest, Owen Omoruyi-Garci as Seaweed Stubbs, danced his way into her heart while his sister Little Inez (aka Elim Ghebrehiwet) sang her way into ours.

The TV ensemble was led by Anthony Horricks who carried off Corny Collins with professional smoothness. He and the station manager Velma Von Tussle (played by Melissa Grimes) and her daughter Amber (Kate Bannister) were superb.

In the West End, Marisha Wallace as Motormouth Maybelle was described as a show-stopper when she sang ‘I know where I’ve been’. I can only say that NWTAC’s Toyin Lawal, with her wonderful voice and elegance, was equally mesmerising.

Dance routines and songs just kept coming. Not once did anyone’s American accent falter. The full cast of 37 young actors and actresses who train at the North West Stage School did themselves, Beth Singh (Musical Director) and Katie Gough (Choreographer), Prab and the rest of the production team proud. It is such an elaborate show, packed with entertainment, humour and joy.

The past year and a half have challenged everyone but for this company to come through it all and produce a show as good as this is awesome.

My daughter, the whole of my family, loved it!

For all things NWTAC including future shows, professional theatrical training, their fantastic theatre summer school for anyone age 4+, Gap year theatre course, venue/set/costume hire and much, much more just follow them on Facebook and/or on their website where you can sign up to join the mailing list.

by Tricia Beddow

North West Theatre Arts Company – Live, love, dream, believe

It seems an age ago but, on Thursday 12th March this year, I went to see Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ at NWTAC’s theatre on Lightbowne Road. Not for the first time, they took me by surprise.

I was late, distracted by news of the spreading virus, so I grabbed a drink at the bar and went to find my seat; through the doors and stopped – the entire auditorium was completely different.

Gone were the tiered rows of seats. The ‘stage’ was positioned in the centre rather than at the far end of the building. Seating was arranged around the edges, creating a true ‘theatre-in-the-round’.

The usher led me to a ring-side spot that put me inches from the performers, who were taking their positions. When the lights went down I could pick out the faces of my fellow audience and catch their expressions.

From start to finish there were clever connections to Manchester. Reflecting on the similarity between our own Piccadilly Gardens and the court of Athens, where Shakespeare opens his play. Queen Titania’s ‘cohort of fairies’ were portrayed as our famous worker bees.

They buzzed through their performance and I was mesmerised.

As ever, the acting was superb. The young performers slipped into character with ease and professionalism; engaging the audience, drawing them in. And, as the play unfolded, the stage was transformed into flower-covered woodland in front of our eyes as if by magic.

Two hours flew by. Before we knew it, we were leaving the theatre into the chilly night air. We left the dreamy world created by Prab Singh’s team behind us. Lockdown began just days later and, against all expectation, dragged on for months.

NWTAC has 10 years’ experience of adapting to change. It’s made them resilient. Their doors were closed but not all the ‘lights’ went out. Almost straight away they launched a series of on-line activities; fitness sessions with choreographer Katie Gough called ‘Dance Along with NWTAC’. Musical Director, Beth Singh, began ‘Story Time with Beth’ reading out Roald Dahl books. And on Friday evenings she ‘wowed’ us with her ‘Lockdown Live’ concerts.Rehearsals continued remotely for the theatre’s students using the on-line meeting platform, Zoom. The empty theatre was re-painted and steam cleaned in readiness.

In August, term-time resumed in line with government guidelines and a month later NWTAC re-opened its doors to the public to perform Factory Fest, a show originally scheduled for May…and I had a ticket!

Once more I arrived to find a transformed auditorium, only this time to make it Covid secure. Socially distanced tables had replaced the tiered seating, with waiter service only taking orders from the bar. Temperatures were checked prior to entry and all the doors were open so you could go straight to your allotted table without touching a thing. Masks were mandatory. Even the performers kept within their peer groups to avoid mixing.

Factory Fest was a full on indoor festival concert, a dizzying compilation of hits and routines, all brilliantly performed. Harmonies, choreography, variety, comedy. New students performed for the first time alongside the more experienced and together they knocked our socks off. Lockdown and six grim months had gone by but it was worth the wait; for the second time this year all thoughts of Coronavirus were left behind.

So many industries have been hit hard in recent months, performing arts is just one of them. We need it though, now more than ever and it needs us.NWTAC are continuing to work on projects including ‘The Sound and Soul of Hitsville Mowtown’ to be staged in November and the pantomime ‘Puss in Boots’ throughout December. This weekend, for two nights only on 16th and 17th October, Beth Singh will perform live at the theatre.

Keep an eye on social media for updates and, if you missed them first time around, you can still access Dance Along, Story Time and Lockdown live through NTWAC’s Facebook page.

Tickets for this weekend and future shows can be booked by calling the box office on 0161 207 1617.

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by Tricia Beddow

Puss in Boots at North West Theatre Arts Company

I’m at NWTAC’s theatre on Lightbowne Road, Moston settling down and soaking up the atmosphere. It’s January, bleak and I need cheering up.

Our story is set by the Blind Cobbler, aka Harry Gardner, displaying a magical pair of boots and how they will work wonder on anyone who wears them. Harry’s portrayal was spot on, as it was each time he appeared on stage, and I rather warmed to the chap.

The multi-talented Jonny Molyneux swapped his assistant director’s chair (Scrooge the Musical) for a variety of tree-mendous, resplendent Dame costumes. He had us in stitches from the moment he arrived on stage, with great comedy timing, ad libs and the ability to engage an audience with skill and confidence. He was ably supported by Alfie Cook, Lois Dibden and Erin Carty playing the hapless trio Muddles, George and a very comical Esra.

The magical boots transformed the delightful cat (Shannon Ryan) into ‘Puss in Boots’, played by Poppy Evans. This purrfect casting really paid off. Poppy and Kate Bannister, as her master/Principal Boy Colin, worked so well together. Both have fabulous voices, they nailed their routines and were a delight to watch.

Kate also sang duets with the Principal Girl, Princess Rosalind, played by Grace Donohue. Her parents were inspired when this young lady was born. She literally graced the stage and when she sang a solo, she owned it. I’m not biased by the fact the song was one of my favourite Lewis Capaldi tracks – honestly, she just delivered it so well.

A special mention has to go to James Burke. James’s characterisation of a ‘camp’ Spanish court chamberlain was fabulous. His accent and mannerisms were superb. Most of his appearances on stage were shared with a convincingly ‘spaced-out’ dizzy-minded King Phillip (Gareth Maudsley) making a great comedy duo.

The main characters were supported by a cast of nimble dancers and an ensemble that had me wondering just how big the area behind the stage must be. They arrived on stage and exited again with their own air of professionalism, working their routines to deliver a memorable and slick performance. They all looked and sounded amazing.

It’s easy to take the passage from one scene to the next for granted. The plot unfolds in various locations including a woodland copse, a palace, castle, dungeons and cat world but each transition is seamless. Scenery glides about silently, with not a bump or wobble to be heard or seen. It’s all part of the magic and the NWTAC production team pull it off perfectly. They deserved the applause at the end as much as stage performers.

Preparations will already be underway for the next project, Bouncers and Shakers so, if you’ve no plans for Valentine’s Day, look no further. Performances take place on Friday 14th and Saturday 15th February. Tickets are in demand and will sell out fast, so best book early.

A few short weeks after that NWTAC will be performing Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, running from Thursday 12th March to Saturday 14th March.

Productions planned later in the year include Factory Fest, Hairspray and High School Musical.

Full details including dates and how to book can be found on NWTAC’s website, just click here.  You can even sign up to join their mailing list.

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