Liverpool Theatre's Best of 2012
And so here it is, the end of another year in Liverpool theatre. There have been all sorts of treats to be found throughout 2012, from giant productions to the ever-remarkable resilience and vibrancy of the grass roots arts scene. Here are some of...
Big Top's Sleeping Beauty axed
There had to be a loser in the festive entertainment onslaught that has been dubbed 'panto wars', and the plan to revive the Summer Pops's big top tent to stage a pantomime and family fair at the arena site was up against it from the start. After ...
REVIEW: Twisted Christmas, Playhouse Studio
"Christmas is coming, the arts are getting cut/ If you're not doing panto, the stage door's shut" - so gamely began the premise at the heart of Twisted Christmas; that the players had snuck into the Studio out of desperation to find a stage, any s...
Sink or Swim for Spike Theatre
Great news for Spike Theatre, which now has everything in place to tour its latest show, Sink or Swim, early next year. The show was performed as a work in progress as part of the Everyword festival a few months back, and will return to the Playho...
X Factor star bares (nearly) all as Rocky Horror
Who'd have thunk it? We'll be seeing a whole new side to clean-cut Welsh opera-lite star Rhydian Roberts as he pops up at the Empire early next year wearing naught but leopard print speedos and a smile. Here's the first pic of Rhydian, who came ru...
Royal Court's Hitchhiker's Guide to Fazakerley
Christmas ??? a time for forgiving and forgetting, and at least one of those applies at the Royal Court, where patience finally snapped with no-show star David Gest last week and lawsuits are now a possibility*. Never mind all that - on to the next ...
Alligator Club's Twisted Christmas
Following hot on the heels of their debut production earlier in the month, playwrights collective The Alligator Club present a last-minute addition to the city's festive theatre schedule next week with Twisted Christmas. The two performances at th...
Cinderella at the Epstein
If you still haven't had your panto fix, I'm hearing good things about Cinderella, the first panto at the new Epstein Theatre. In its former guise as the Neptune, the venue was well known for its annual festival family show. Eighties pop star Soni...
REVIEW: Mam! I'm 'Ere!, The Dome
City actor Stephen Fletcher???s Life in Theatre Productions has had a good first year, and rounds off 2012 with its biggest show to date, the irrepressibly feelgood Mam! I???m ???Ere!. Reversing the plot of the Abba-themed musical from which it cheekily...
Actor Scot Williams brings Hope to the Royal Court
He???s been teasing his Twitter followers for a while now, and finally Liverpool actor Scot Williams can reveal all about his latest project. Hope is a brand new stage play that will receive its world premiere at Royal Court Liverpool in March 201...
REVIEW: A Christmas Carol, Lantern Theatre
A two-man Christmas Carol might seem a bit of a gimmicky thing, especially when the famous film and musical versions rely on large casts to create the bustle of Dickensian London. But once Mark Smith and Lewis Bray get into action, the idea works ...
20 Stories High's Tales from the MP3
20 Stories High Young Actors have been on a mission to find out the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth??? about each other. And you can see the results for yourself in Tales From The MP3, a new work being performed at the Bluecoat unti...
REVIEW: Jack and the Beanstalk, Liverpool Playhouse
Panto. Same thing every year, right? Yet somehow, the Playhouse has managed to take the festive art form to another level yet again. If you're going to see a big Christmas show in Liverpool this year, it has to be this one. The traditional Everyma...
REVIEW: Nightmare on Lime Street, Royal Court
Week two of Nightmare on Lime Street, and star of the show David Gest still hasn't checked in with his paying public. The Royal Court, seemingly lacking a plan B, have handled the situation in an unusual way and chosen not to really acknowledge th...
REVIEW: 100 Seel Street: The Shadows Speak
Before entering 100 Seel Street, the brief was to wrap up warm, wear sensible shoes and make sure we???ve been to the loo before it started. Words of wisdom for promenade theatre and life itself indeed; and in a small group of no more than a dozen, ...
PurpleCoat's Little Voice
It's been a busy year for Liverpool based PurpleCoat Productions, following on from their collaboration with the Royal Shakespeare Company at the CUC last year. Their production of Titus Andronicus prompted none other than Stephen Fry to donate to...