Current affairs
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Where shall we start. I had a really lovely, enlightening, informative, heart-warming and entertaining afternoon last Friday in Stockport. Less a frequent flyer than I used to be, this was my first time at the impressive Stockroom, the shared community-focused space which offers up areas for reading, studying, meeting, coffee-drinking, eating, exhibitions and, that day,
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Diana, Princess of Wales, punctuates my memories on occasion. Sporadically, but meaningfully. Occasion 1 – one of my earliest memories is of a humble plastic flag. A Union Jack plastic little flag on a plastic white stick, provided to me in 1981 to fervently and obediently wave inside my childhood home. 2 and a few
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Or Aviva Studios. But Factory International above all else. So I’m going to go in on this straight off, as I tried it out, once. Wizard of Oz and Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. The gig is that there’s an incredible synchronicity in theme, tone, tempo and narrative if player out simultaneously. Completed
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Art is food for the soul. There are different ways you can feel connected to art, if you feel so inclined, of course. There’s no pre-requisite for how you’re supposed to react or indeed feel when you experience a piece of art. That’s if you feel anything at all. And there are levels of immersion,
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It’s that time again, the popular PUSH festival has returned to HOME for a biennial celebration of North West creative talent. As HOME reliably (and accurately) tell us, over two weeks (our) stages, screens and spaces will be dedicated to showcasing fantastic works from around the region, as well as offering opportunities for creatives to
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Tis a strange thing. Strange but true. I get a frisson of excitement, a soupçon of a thrill, when I enter a theatre space and the set is sparse. There’s no particular science here but it usually equates to good, honest theatre. A statement as broad and sweeping as they come. But there’s nowhere to
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A sweeping state-of-the-nation play that embraces huge political and economic ideas in a magnificent gritty social drama. Nottage’s stunning writing pits friend against friend as social and racial tensions, once buried by a sense of solidarity, soon rise to the surface in this breathtaking drama. Divide and conquer. If it wasn’t for the accents, I
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The 1947 partition of India saw millions uprooted and resulted in unspeakable violence. The partition resulted in the formation of three countries: India, West Pakistan and East Pakistan – now Pakistan and Bangladesh. It would also shape modern Britain. Witnesses to this brutal moment in history live among us, yet the stories of that time
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Nostalgia ain’t what it used to be, goes the old witticism. Last night was pure nostalgia. A knowing nostalgia. A trip back to a 90s televisual treat none of us really expected was coming. But come it did, as Drop the Dead Donkey marks the 30th anniversary (yes 30) with The Reawakening! Starring the original
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A fairly frequent visitor to the Lake District and Cotswolds, each time my plus 1 and I are ambling down a country lane, gingerly (me. him- confidently) crossing a stream, roasting ourselves in front of an open fire in an aggressively cosy english pub, we ponder But why, the hecky peck, don’t we relocate and
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In a week where this was a snapshot of my search terms, it was time to get me off my phone and back out to the theatre. And this was a production I’d been particularly looking forward to. This is the story of how we met, fell in love, and f*cked it up. But it’s
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I in no mean belittle this advice, I’m here to report the facts. And by facts I mean points of interest that capture my attention… Allergen warning: there will be loose wheat as part of the set This was in the programme notes and outside the door to the studio. The warning went onto explain
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Forgotten Voices is something special. To listen to the story of somebody’s life experiences is already a privilege. For that story to be written by that person’s grandson, moreso. But when that story is important, powerful, heartfelt, beautifully written and acted, it’s a whole other level. Written by David Moorhouse, directed by Margaret Connell, and
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2020 heralds 75 years since the liberation of the Nazi death-camps. On Monday 27 January, Manchester Jewish Museum will mark Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD), with two premieres of musical and theatrical performances, staged at Manchester Central Library. Songs of Arrival During the afternoon, music by acclaimed Israeli composer Na’ama Zisser,the first to introduce cantorial music into
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Politics, eh? What larks. I heavily, heavily jest. But if like me, you’re fascinated by the goings on in that big White House across the pond, you can would have been equally fascinated by BBC North America Editor, Jon Sopel, as he talked about his new book A Year at the Circus. Given a foot
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If like me (I do miss Denis Norden – I interviewed him by fax once…) you are obsessed with all things West Wing (including The West Wing), you’ll be fascinated by the upcoming book by BBC North America Editor, Jon Sopel, A Year at the Circus. Not only that, you’ll be fascinated to get a
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It’s a topic that is never far from our minds (or sight) in Manchester: homelessness. Indeed it was only Sunday that I attended the play ‘Frozen Peas in an Old Tin Can’, about three rough sleepers – Review: Frozen Peas in an Old Tin Can (Greater Manchester Fringe) – raising both money and awareness of the issue.
honorary manc 