The Coronavirus pandemic has put a temporary stop to all live performances. However, a silver lining has come in the form a collection of free to stream productions, including an early release of Hamilton’s 2016 original cast recording, which is now available on Disney+. As we cross our fingers and desperately hope our favourite theatre haunts make it through the pandemic, Hamilton’s filmed performance serves as a beautiful reminder of theatre’s necessity, its lack of diversity and the films ability to touch a broader audience, previously unable to afford the price of admission. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s music and lyrics serve the audience an absorbing and imaginative rewrite of America's origin story. Performing as Founding Father, Alexander Hamilton, the hip-hop biography is partly narrated by Aaron Burr (Leslie Odom Jr.), reflecting on their mirrored lives, distinctly opposing principles and ties, throughout their clashing careers. Mixing tradition with innovation, the tumultuous life and death of Hamilton is surrounded by a glorious hip-hop, soul and R&B heavy soundtrack. Not confined to the aesthetics and stylings of the 17-1800s, each character’s personality is reflected through the musical genre they deliver their solos, emphasised in the speed of their delivery and underscored by their movements across the stage. Fugees, The Notorious B.I.G, and an autotuned upgrade to The Reynolds Pamphlet makes the show rich in lyrical detail, youthful in energy and painless for a repeat viewing of its 2 hour and 55-minute experience. Director, Thomas Kail brings a fresh-faced production with a set that showcases the humble beginnings that the country was founded on, while Paul Tazewell’s romantic costumes embrace the period without feeling overproduced with unnecessary wigs and props. Relatable in its visceral approach, the shows broad remit to engulf its audience in historical references and introduce a large cast of characters brings unexpected and powerful theatrical moments. Casting her spell further than Elsa, Angelica Schuyler (Renée Elise Goldsberry) freezes time on her audience with a striking effect that reverses part of the narrative and allows her to retell the story from her perspective. Alongside duels and rap battles, the narrative remains timely and relevant with its universal themes of betrayal, love, ambition, senseless gun violence and activism. With its minimalist, scaffolding set depicting the foundations of a new nation, live audiences aren’t forced to wrestle their focus away from the actors whose often centre stage performances are circulated around each other. However, the recording of the film does have some sound mixing issues, along with a few distractions and unnecessary liberties taken with its edited edition. Generous close-ups, side shots and some of the more frustrating crane shots play out performances from so far afield its casts expressions are unreadable. Hamilton’s filmed production is sensational, but nothing beats live theatre. Hopefully, we will see Victoria Palace Theatre reopen next year with its 2020 Hamilton cast, led by the remarkable Trevor Dion Nicholas, who moved from playing the Genie in Disney’s live production of Aladdin to lead as Hamilton. In the meantime, the film is a fantastic substitute. Much of the criticism surrounding Hamilton comes from its removal of the problematic parts of history, seen as a whitewashing of slavery and genocide despite this shows unique opportunity to layer different voices and new perspectives into the story. However, Hamilton is not a documentary, and as its production moves outside of the exclusive enclosures of the theatre, straight into our living rooms, it should spark enough joy to inspire a personal history lesson. One that this restricted musical rendition and its soulful, self-serving characters are restricted in retelling. Hamilton is available to watch on Disney+ #Hamilton #DisneyPlus VictoriaPalaceTheatre Manchester #HamiltonFilm

Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers are taking to the Palace theatre stage in a traditional production of Romeo and Juliet the ballet. The Moscow City Ballet have reinterpreted the 1597 text to charming effect, revelling in the couple’s battle with family rivalries and forbidden love through classical dance. The Shakespeare inspired piece is set far away in Verona, where the two fated lovers from feuding families marry in secret. Despite relocating the couple’s untimely death to the first scene of the first act, the show carries a suspenseful and lively atmosphere throughout its production. Evidence of destruction and prosperity lay in the distinctive weighty dance style of choreographer Victor Smirnov-Golovanov, that is heightened by the live Moscow City Ballet Orchestra. With an extensive history representing and updating the narrative through film and theatre, the Moscow City Ballet flourishing with a naturalistic celebration of their love. The old-school romance is given a classic look with the Palace theatre stage adorned with static painted backdrops of stained-glass church windows, the streets of Verona and Juliet’s night garden. The company’s sizable ensemble brings surges of energy and drama through visually exciting swashbuckling duels and conflicts that move between the couple’s personal journey. The passionate Dmitry Lazovik (Romeo) and angelic Ksnia Stankevich (Juliet) soak the audience in light, sumptuously love scenes. After barely touching from their first encounter, the lovers gradually merge their routines into more intense and enduring duets. Leaving lavish set pieces aside, Moscow City Ballet’s emotional performances bring the tragic romance to life with gentle and venerable routines. Stankevich solos feel dynamic alongside the beautiful score that supports and holds the character in her forbidden love. Moscow City Ballet has simplified the complex layers of Shakespeare’s narrative of feuding families, religious barriers and fate into a style that is accessible. Reaching out to encourage a younger audience to engage with the story, the production has toured with the company for over twenty-five years and remains a staple in their repertoire. Pulling focus on the emotion from the dancers in their open and simplic interpretation, the show relishes in the feelings Shakespeare forms through words. Here the feelings are as strong as ever, harmonised with the rousing music of Sergey Prokofiev including the familiar BBC’s The Apprentice theme tune, Dance of the Knights that is played as Tybalt (Kozhabayev Talgat) parades his power alongside the Capulets. The playful Moscow City Ballet production evokes the universal themes of Shakespeare’s most famous love story through an inviting production that should be relived. MoscowCityBallet RomeoandJuliet #Manchester PalaceTheatre

Following in the same vein as its captivating 1977 film starring John Travolta, Saturday Night Fever the musical shadows paint store clerk and dance fanatic Tony Manero, as he enters his local discos dance competition and convinces an energetic new partner to help him win. Fixed firmly in the seventies, Manero’s philosophy of family, friends and living for the weekend has been morphed into a musical surrounded by the Bee Gee’s greatest hits. The edgy story promoting the intriguing disco nightlife presents all the fans favourite tracks in snappy succession and performed live by Bee Gee impersonators hovering above the action of the dance floor. Supported by fun-loving songs like Staying Alive, Tragedy and More Than a Woman the light-hearted backdrop of fashion, killer choreography and alluring music hides Monero’s uncompromising working-class reality. Tapping into the racist, sexist, drug-induced dance culture, nineteen-year-old Manero and friends highlight an inescapable pain of poor, working-class families. Bill Kenwright’s production turns the Palace theatre into a club that shines its disco lights onto the crowd and makes the audience a part of the night scene. With one of the best-selling movie soundtracks of all time, seventeen songs lace the show, allowing characters to express themselves through the lyrics and the story to be taken into fantasy sequences that play out more of the hits. Unfortunately, Kenwright’s production has been heavily sanitised in comparison to the original 41-year-old film. What was originally a gritty look into the working class, Italian-American life is lost through its glossy staging and vague gestures. Underlining that the dance scene is not all glamour and glitz, the Palace theatre set by Gary MacCaan builds a multicoloured disco ballroom around its cast that unravels as our antihero goes about his daily routine. Stairs to nowhere, lowered backdrops and a dank family kitchen bring a drastic contrast to the glittering dance world, but too much of the story has been hollowed out with it. Manero, played by the quick-footed Richard Windsor, carries the enduring crossover choreography by Olivier Award winner Bill Deamer to the stage. With an undeniably talented dancer at the helm, it is the atmosphere cultivated around the disco community and Manero’s singular worldview that makes this show entertaining. Winsor, who previously worked as a principal dancer for Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures, brings the desired energy to the old-fashioned role. Working the audience one step at a time, Manero benefits from his new dance partners experience, eager to better his own situation. Much of the chauvinistic and racist dialogue from the original has been cleaned up for a wider audience, but it leaves the characters beliefs blurred. Alongside apathetic friends, Monero’s bigoted worldview cannot be solved through dance alone. The production would have benefitted from a few revealing scenes that balance the sexual abuse and passive racist comments. With all the drama replayed through upbeat Bee Gee tracks and no real consequences to face, Monero’s character barely scratches the surface. The sensationalised musical relies on its original 1979 film fans, failing to adjust for modern audiences. New members will struggle to identify with Monero as his transgressions are hastily forgotten and forgiven in an unsatisfying conclusion. Bringing the unsympathetic Monero to the stage with less time to explain his shallow choices, the production chooses to fall back on the hit films stupendous dance moves without making Monero’s unsettling backstory any easier to digest. Saturday Night Fever was about more than just the music but it’s not so modern remake may have forgotten its roots. SaturdayNightFever #Manchester PalaceTheatre

Expect rivalry, love and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to feature in the original rags to riches tale of The Four Seasons. The band known for their lead vocals sharp falsetto have recaptured their story in a jukebox musical, originally brought to the stage in 2005. Having been reworked into a film (2014) directed by Clint Eastwood, charting the bands rise and fall, the Jersey Boys have enticed the imaginations of a wider audience who want to hear how the rough-and-ready boys from Jersey became one of the best-selling musical groups of all time. The sixties tale begins by playing the 2000 French rap song, Ces soirées-là by Yannick. Their song December 1963 (Oh What A Night) that has been sampled by Yannick plays out as a reference to why the band remain relevant despite their breakup in 1977. The unconventional track is also the only case of the production referencing another artist outside of The Four Seasons. As the musical chooses to leave its sixties backdrop and the history of the period out of their personal tale, the production showcases The Four Seasons bubble gum songs against the boy’s private struggles. The four streetwise boys take it in turns to tell the story of the band’s history from their individual bubble, with the production splitting the small ensemble cast into several characters who rotate the props as swiftly as they switch wigs. Alongside the live stage drummer, director Des McAnuff has split the multi-use Palace theatre into two tiers, caging the boys into the centre of the platform and keeping the remaining live band members off stage. Offering a stripped back production, McAnuff’s dark staging places pop art, and vintage video on its backdropped screen to add a brighter pop of colour to the honest narrative and metallic set. Any newbie to The Four Seasons music should be forgiven for believing the band’s name was actually Jersey Boys, as the group skated through a multitude of incarnations in an effort to find a memorable title. Before their first claim to fame with Sherry in 1962, the boys were labelled as the Four Lovers until a failed audition in a bowling alley had them revamp again to the name that stuck. Michael Watson (Frankie Valli), Peter Nash (Tommy Devito), Declan Egan (Bob Gaudio) and Lewis Griffiths (Nick Massi) tend to deliver their concert performances or group discussions in slick, suited formations or simply stood at the front of the stage. With four seasons to travel through, the jukebox musical is surprisingly heavy in dialogue allowing for a real story to run between the hit songs. Lacking in some of the showbiz glamour you may expect from a musical, Sergio Trujillo’s choreography and the unique talent of Watson bring the crucial spirit to the show. Aided by the lovely musical performances of its cast, the shortened renditions of their songs follow the tough and charismatic Italian-American characters to their sweetened conclusion. Breezing through their criminal past and mob connections with the tracks Walk Like a Man and Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, Jersey Boys is a production peppered with humour. The show chooses to leave the romanticised image of pop success while surrounding its audience in sugar-coated hits, balancing an introduction to The Four Seasons for a younger audience and the dramatic collision of their egos to any hardcore fans. TheJerseyBoys #Manchester PalaceTheatre

Showing the small picture of war and it’s harsh realises, Anna Fierling a.k.a. Mother Courage is navigating herself through a dystopian world with her three children in tow. Originally based in 1624 around the Thirty Years War, director Amy Hodge has updated Bertolt Brecht’s play to offer an amalgamation of his vision that sees Courage confront the challenges of a futuristic conflict. Courage hauls her canteen wagon alongside daughters Kattrin (Rose Ayling-Ellis) and two sons Eilif (Conor Glean) and Swiss Cheese (Simone Blake-Hall), surviving by following the armies and selling her wares to the officers, sergeants and cooks. Brecht reveals that no sacrifice is too great to stop the war through the retelling of Courage’s uncompromising and visceral tale. Courage, played by Julie Hesmondhalgh (Coronation Street and The Almighty Sometimes) relentlessly haggles and carries the candid commentary of how to survive. Adapting to her audience by morphing her wagon into a burger bar, ice cream stand and night club, the Exchange’s circular stage has hollowed-out her van, allows the cast to climb on top, inside and around the vehicle as it is pushed around by the family. Courage’s shrewd business mind should be enough to keep her and her children out of harm’s way as she exposes the real profiteers of war and highlights how aptitudes such as bravery, selflessness and truthfulness are burdens in times of senseless violence. The Royal Exchange places the audiences in the combat without showing any of the action as Courage plays out the afflictions of war on a smaller scale. With a live musician on the first floor above the stage, Nick Pynn breaks out a tailored folk soundtrack that underscores the simpler themes and severe truths of the plot. Original songs like The Great Capitulation have been reworked to reflect on what the powerless can do against forces beyond their control, which despite originally being written in 1939 around growing Nazi terror, needs little more than a fresh coat of paint to bring it up-to-date. Anna Jordan’s new production of the silencing, trauma and resilience of the working-class revolve around a small ten-person cast where the conflict is captured through Courage’s conversations and losses. Despite the shows attempts to capture light relief in Brecht’s pitiless plot, it is jarring to witness central cast members reappear in minor roles, out to perform one liners or included in a surreal dance scene combined with the horrors of war. Brave enough to bring children into this world and ride the waves of war for her family, Courage pulls her makeshift, fragile home as a humble reminder of what is worth fighting for. Hesmondhalgh heads us through a litany of losses in a production that challenges audiences to think about what self-preservation and sacrifice really mean in times of war. Through its modern perspective, this adaption of Brecht's narrative returns the Exchange to its bare bones, settling on a sense of danger that remains outside the theatre doors. MotherCourage #Manchester #TheRoyalExchange

Tom Stoppard’s high seas adventure combines the colourful comedy and witty writings of the Academy and Tony Award-winning writer. Inspired by the Hungarian author Ferenc Molnar’s work, The Play’s the Thing (1926), Rough Crossing splashes about with absurdist comedy, musical musings and a whirlwind romance to bring some stylish and light-hearted antics to the Lowry stage. We follow longtime collaborators, Turai (John Partridge) and Gal (Matthew Cottle) as they attempt to finish writing their latest play while travelling on board a luxury transatlantic liner heading to New York. Along with their composer Adam (Rob Ostlere) and the play’s stars, an enraptured love triangle threatens to unravel the production before a script has even been completed. Stoppard crafts a straightforward story which relies on misunderstandings, mistrust and improbable circumstances to drive this language-rich plot. When composer Adam overhears his Eastern European fiancé and English actor Ivor declare their lust for each other, it is left to the playwrights to rework the scripts ending to convince Adam that their conversation was a part of their rehearsal. No real danger wades in these waters and with the stakes of the passengers so low the witty language in between begins to slow the pace of the show, extending the audience's journey until we reach its expected conclusion. While the story is told with passion by the energetic cast, the conservatively crafted narrative spends the first act setting up punch lines that are too old-fashioned and repetitive to pack a real punch. Scenes do feel refreshed by Dvornicher character (Charlie Stemp) whose charming performance eases drawn-out scenes. Director Rachel Kavanaugh pairs the vintage comedy stylings with a glamourous set. With the story based around the 1930s RMS Queen Elizabeth, Kavanaugh showcases elaborate costumes, art deco design and beautiful silver-plated set pieces that keep the interior of the ship bright and lustrous. It’s clever slotting of stage doors and slick design is one of the highlights of the production as the cookie cutter comedy uses a heavy-handed blend of excessive overacting and nonsensical scenarios to keep the plot afloat. As the play-within-a-play moves along with demanded absurdity, including music with lyrics written by Stoppard, the excessive for excessive sake story begins to wear thin. While the show hardly conquers new ground, the laughably easygoing production plays out an inconsequential, throw away comedy for anyone looking for a laugh that centres around a love of language. #RoughCrossing #Manchester TheLowry

Layering class, duty and passion, Opera North’s Katya Kabanova plunges audiences into her turbulent love life with an intense operatic performance. Trapped in a small town, a loveless marriage and under the watchful eye of her overbearing mother in-law, Katya unmasks her repressive surroundings in a story embracing love and loss. The tale centres around a Russian family living in Kalinov besides the river Volga. Based in the 1860’s within a community built on old-fashioned traditions, the families settle in on opposing sides of convention, symbolising and rebelling against societal pressures. With no intermission, the uninterrupted 1 hour 40-minute production brings a weighty drama that pulls focus on Katya’s natural, human desired for love. Played alongside the river Volga that draws on folklore and myth, composer Leoš Janáček portrays an intensifying storm that embodies Katya’s repressed emotions. Influenced by Alexander Ostrovsky play The Storm (1859), the themes that centre around social reform condemn the damaging and controlling consequences that traditional customs can have on individuals. With the Kabanova household framed in a solid rock on stage, Opera North’s production calves the conflict into the environment, caging Katya in the centre of the conflict throughout the performance. With exterior set pieces incorporated within households, director Tim Albery transforms The Lowry stage into a haunted and claustrophobic space that cloaks Katya in an inescapable darkness. Despite the beautiful handcrafted oak props and intricate Edwardian costumes, Katya is imprisoned within the landscape, with her red hair visibly searing against the grey backdrops. When Katya discovers her freedom and pleasure lies with her neighbour, she turns to her educated friend Boris to escape from her constrictive life. Her dejected, alcoholic husband Tichon and his controlling mother Kabanicha played by Heather Shipp, effortlessly illustrates the ridged world that Katya faces within the few scenes she appears in. After urging her son to take a trip without his wife she imposes a list of rules for him to deliver, including not staring out of the window all the live long day. In a searing juxtaposition to Katya’s overwrought life, her sister Varvara and her boyfriend parade their love proudly choosing to leave their small village and head to Moscow. While Boris and Katya’s intimate connection soon leads to an affair, the stifled Katya is quickly consumed by the guilt and shame with the superb score carrying the god-fearing heroines compelling pleas for forgiveness. In the title role, Rebecca de Pont Davies’ high emotional performance unfolds from passionate solos to heated duets that spill out into a mournful finale. Conductor, Sian Edwards steadily builds Katya’s unrest alongside a developing thunderstorm with a forceful soundtrack performed by the live orchestra. The world she inhabits incorporates folksy melodies that integrate the community and customs passed down from one individual to another. The final scene in which the village come together for their closing send-off is particularly striking. Performed entirely in English with subtitles on stage, Opera North’s production offers a wholly accessible launch into the opera world. For anyone who wishes to dip their toe in the river Volga, this short and sweet feature makes the perfect introduction. This review was originally written for Frankly My Dear #OperaNorth KatyaKabanova #Manchester TheLowry

The queen has returned to the UK, and she’s brought her British accent with her. Forgoing Corgis for an enormous unicorn that carries her into her Manchester Arena show, Nicki Minaj kicks off her open performance with the track Majesty featuring Eminem and fellow Brit Labrinth. With a new album celebrating the female rappers’ power within an industry and avenue dominated by men, Minaj is back in the UK to show why she reigns supreme in the rap world. In a live show that merges an assembly line of hits, her production is interrupted by guest performances that include homegrown talent and many costume changes. The glamorous and graphic stage show from the Trinian born rap artists lives up to the hype, framing the stage with an eye-catching multicoloured aesthetic, together with elaborate performances from Minaj and her five backing dancers. The illuminated, confetti filled stadium complete with giant unicorn structure struck a chord with Manchester’s crowd who were all too ready for a sing-along after RnB supporting act Ray BLK had hyped up the masses. Playing her tracks Run Run, Got My Own and Hood from her debut album Empress, the British songwriter and winner of the BBC’s Sound of 2017 opened the tour with her own dazzling 30-minute set. Having already launched into her European leg of her world tour, Minaj’s latest live show featuring Juice Wrld comes off the back of her anticipated fourth studio album, Queen. With performances that plucked tracks spanning her entire back catalogue, the Chun-Li heavy hitter was forced to harken back and unpack tracks from the We Are Young Money (2009) and Pink Friday (2010) albums, up until her present. Dancing in heels and eventually lying in an enormous bed with her dancers bopping around her, the 36-year-old rapper continues to champion her girl power roots with hits ranging from Anaconda to the Beyoncé featured 2014 sensation, Feeling Myself. Bringing black British artists out in support, the rapper Lady Leshurr, Lisa Mercedez and Ms Banks mixed up the set with fantastic features including Leshurr’s Brush Your Teeth alongside a DJ mash-up of Stylo G’s track, Touch Down featuring Nicki. The Nicki WRLD tour hits its audience with a barrage of exciting performances played out by a titan in the hip hop arena. In a show that worked on lifting all the queens in the game, Minaj stayed true to her album title. The spectacle in Manchester’s Arena elevated original and unsigned British artists, merging them with America’s celebrated staple for an eccentric show of classic hits. TheNickiWRLDTour #Manchester #ManchesterArena Ticketmaster

The Birmingham Royal Ballet’s spectacular production of the classic fairy tale draws from the gothic but preserves the blossoming and passionate relationship between Belle and the Beast. Philip Prowse’s designs haunt the Lowry stage with a melancholy reimagining of the legendary tale that absorbs its audience into a breathtakingly macabre world. The atmospheric and ambitious production choreographed by David Bintley brings an intimate portrayal of love and loss that unravels the story of the beast and his desperate search for love. After heartlessly hunting animals for his entertainment, the Prince is cursed by a Woodsman to spend his life in solitude, stripped of his humanity until he can foster the love of another. Meanwhile, Belle whose father has been caught stealing a rose from the sullen Beast’s castle is caged alongside the life-size embodiments of the Beasts once chased and disgruntled creatures. Over 70 masked dancers grace the Lowry stage as the Beasts house staff are transformed into a flock of ravens. Sweeping choreography by Bintley cuts through the expected Disney colour pallet and singing candelabra that may be envisioned in the title. In contrast, the refreshingly dark take on the classic places specific, large-scale set pieces within its negative space. The pas de deux in the west wing of the Beasts mansion includes a grandiose throne and desk that tower compared to the petite Belle, who appears consumed by the Beasts world. The flat colours of the scenes pull focus on the extravagant details of the companies lavish corsets, laced costumes and bespoke furniture with the moody staging bringing the mesmerising tale to life. Alongside the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, the whimsical music of Glenn Buhr forms a soundtrack that conveys the passion and playfulness of the story. Buhr’s lifting soundtrack travels between the strings of Belle’s isolated solos, dreamy duets and the ensembles animated party pieces amid the higher and hidden class. With the story condensed into two acts of 47 minutes each, Birmingham Royal’s heavily masked ensemble sprinkle extra dramatic flair into their movements to carry the story across to their audience. The company always promise complex choreography and the Beast and Belle’s relationship includes a stunning finale with first soloists, Yvette Knight and Brandon Lawrence exhaustingly expressive conclusion. With a moving score that blends with the productions isolated solos and rich ensemble sequences, Birmingham Royal’s Beauty and the Beast will delight a diverse audience attracted to the shows mature vision and chilling scenic staging. This is not your typical fairy tale but the wild, weird and wonderful production that first graced the Lowry stage a decade ago, brings the spirit of the classic tale to with a delightfully forceful reimagining. BeautyandtheBeast #BirminghamRoyalBallet #Manchester TheLowry

Want to hear countless Motown classics in one musical? Of course, you do. In a production of glittering proportions, the barrier-shattering, record-breaking Detroit label brings its artists to the Opera House to relive the birth of its legendary hit factory. With an infectious repertoire of songs that run throughout its marvellous musical, Motown brings out its heavy hitters to unpack the artistry behind the label’s success. Playing out the personal story of Berry Gordy (played by Edward Baruwa), the show highlights the seminal moments that formed the unique studios sound and shaped the careers of artists including Smokey Robinson, Rick James and Diana Ross. We follow founder Berry Gordy, who fashioned his independent label from a dream and an $800 loan borrowed from family members. Created in 1959 with the young African American songwriter at its helm, the story skims the surface of the black sixties’ rebellion. As the by-product of racism, segregation and economic disadvantages brought a strong resistance from the civil rights movement, the show touches on the difficulties of the time but keeps focused on Gordy’s American Dream and professional relationships. Writer, Berry Gordy has based his musical on his autobiography To Be Loved; The Music, the Magic, the Memories of Motown (1994). As a result, the rhythm and blues jukebox musical is honestly about showcasing the label's talent. Here the artist's stronghold on pop music meant their uplifting spirit could be spread by the bright, pageantry of his prevalent artists. As the stars continued to reign supreme in the charts, a positive representation of African American’s swept through to a greater TV and radio audience who couldn’t resist the Motown sound. As the labels conveyer belt of safe, glossy artists were shaped by Maxine Powell’s charm school, the songs remained rooted in love and unity, channelled by polished performers. For the music alone, this show has a lot of heart, performed by an enormous cast of gifted musicians with a marvellous mixture of hits. Audiences are treated to Shak Gabbidon-Williams' (Marvin Gaye's) stunning rendition of his classics alongside the charismatic Daniel Haswell as Stevie Wonder. However, booming successes Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours) and What’s Going On without delving into the real difficulties of the period or what caused Motown's broken relationships and losses leaves the story somewhat thin. Embracing the soulful sounds of its talented cast through over fifty songs, this real tale of unfathomable success does not deny you any of the classics you want to hear. Gordy’s upbeat story brings multicoloured projected backgrounds, twisting choreography and a rich selection of costumes to ensure audiences relive the golden sixties with him. With a universality to their music, the prolific songs from its seasoned artists are likely to have connected to its audience, at the very least through osmosis and when the live band begin the beat to The Jackson Five’s I Want You Back, the draw of its instantly recognisable classic is too hard to resist. MotowntheMusical #Manchester TheOperaHouse

The Girl on a Train’s character-focused narrative brings an eerily silent production to the Lowry stage. Mixing a void black background, swooping set pieces and involving the use of projectors, audiences follow antihero, Rachel Watson as she retraces and reimagines her steps through a missing person case. The shows driving force is an unlikely and unreliable observer who appears to be the last eyewitness to a possible abduction. The story is fleshed out through the eyes of Rachel, an alcoholic commuter who catches daily glimpses of a picture-perfect couple from the window of her train. Rachel begins her own investigation after discovering the vicarious couple she spies on require her help. The alcoholics unlikely adventure combines detective skills more questionable than Scrappy-Doo as scattered clues into her own life and revelations surrounding the case are eventually revealed through Rachel’s hazy, intoxicated memories. Fresh delights are brought into the new theatre adaptation as director Anthony Banks concentrates on the emotional and gripping performances from the fantastic cast. Its bare bones staging with minimal music cues deepens Rachel’s surroundings and keeps the atmosphere tense throughout the production. EastEnders alumni, Samantha Womack (Rachel Watson) barely has a moment off stage throughout the entire performance, but as the production has removed the novels drawn out and judgemental monologues the audience is offered an insecure and slimline representation of Rachel’s behaviour. Highlighting her temperamental and warped mindset, the production plays with digital projections of faces within her mirror, unravelling black holes on her walls and drop-down set pieces to manipulate her whereabouts. Effective in its slow and steady reveals, the slimline designs allow the story to focus on character flaws as the ghostly Rachel floats in and out of scenes with questionable motives. Twenty million copies of Paula Hawkins’ The Girl on a Train have already been sold alongside the popular adapted film starring Emily Blunt, so its ending is not likely to be a mystery to many. However, the stage production is a standalone story that offers a bumper pack of whodunnit fun for fans. Taking on themes of Hawkins’ novel in interesting and unexpected ways, fans and the unfamiliar of the narrative will be kept engaged in this slow-moving and suspenseful thriller. GirlonaTrain #Manchester #TheLowry

Sex, drugs and rock and roll take centre stage this week at the Palace theatre as American Idiot’s spirited rock opera is back in Manchester to celebrate its 10th anniversary. Merging the dingiest Crayola coloured set pieces, confetti canons and a compelling soundtrack, American Idiot expands on Green Day’s 2004 concept album to form a two-hour theatrical rock concert. The show weaves together three disillusioned friends, Johnny (Tom Milner) Will (Samuel Pope) and Tunny (Joshua Dowen), who are looking to flee their suburban lives the day after 9/11. All three have dreams to carve out their own space away from their parents’ basements but find their plans are all swiftly side-lined for babies, drugs or the military. The Grammy Award-winning album captures the disaffected youths of the post 9/11 world with a production fuelled around the bands rallying hits. Audiences will appreciate hearing the chants of Holiday / Boulevard of Broken Dreams and Are We the Waiting by the multitalented performers who switch between moshing, singing and strumming their guitars live. With honest lyrics written by the band leader Billy Joe Armstrong confronting the painful reality of a lost generation, the production chooses to add only a handful of spoken lines between the tracks, developing the entire plot through Green Days songs. Plastering a giant television in the centre of the stage as a direct line of communication to the youths and its audience, the drama-filled production is full of memorable moments and playful staging. Using a mesh screen to hide a solo violinist and a destructible papier-mâché set, the familiar songs are given a raw and fresh revival. Comprised of the entire American Idiot album, tracks from 21st Century Breakdown (2009) and a previously unrecorded song, When its Time, the show looks at the perils of war, love, censorship and misplaced anger through an ambivalent lens that is difficult to pin down. The first act of the production stays in full concert mode with experimental dancers throwing everything at the audience from blinding stage lights to simply throwing water at people in the front row. But the chaotic lives of the three young men are driven to shoehorn songs into its second act as the show balances the boys attempt to grow up through the remaining Green Day tracks. For diehard fans of Green Day, the new arrangements of songs and the shows charismatic and enduring cast carry the production. It is an attention-grabbing and entertaining concert from its American Idiot opening to its Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life) finale, with its driving lead Milner barely taking a moment to breathe between performances. While the album follows Milner’s characters rebellious discoveries in and out of suburbia, the remaining members are often left to couch tour throughout his story. Despite its abrupt ending, this is a show that focuses on the music audiences want to hear, and the casts infectious energy during the gripping production of its live concert makes it worth the journey. This review was originally written for Frankly My Dear AmericanIdiotTheMusical #Manchester PalaceTheatre