Theatre feature: Review of the Year 2019

Review of the Year 2019 - The North West Stage

Date: 31 December 2019
Reporter: David Chadderton

David Ricardo-Pearce in The Last Yankee at Bolton Library Credit: Joel Fildes

David Judge in SparkPlug Credit: Alex Mead, Decoy Media

Tracie Bennett with the cast of Mame at Hope Mill Theatre Credit: Pamela Raith

Phelim McDermott in Tao of Glass in MIF at the Royal Exchange Credit: Tristram Kenton

Ria Jones in Gypsy at the Royal Exchange Credit: Johan Persson

Wise Children at HOME Credit: Steve Tanner

Malory Towers from Wise Children at HOME Credit: Steve Tanner

Barber Shop Chronicles at the Royal Exchange Credit: Marc Brenner

Gabriela Garcia (Maria) and Andy Coxon (Tony) in West Side Story at the Royal Exchange Credit: Richard Davenport of The Other Richard

Ethan Kai and Zubin Varla in Equus from ETT at The Lowry Credit: The Other Richard

Other theatres

I was introduced to a new venue at the start of the year—one I was to return to a few more times—when former Octagon Artistic Director David Thacker brought Arthur Miller’s The Last Yankee to Bolton Library’s intimate theatre space, which was ideal for this play. Thacker was clearly in his element directing a top-class cast in his specialist area and it resulted in one of the theatrical highlights of the year.

At 53two, Reallife Theatre Company celebrated hitting the big two-o last year with its popular biannual evenings of new short plays with a JB Shorts 21 that featured an interesting and varied selection of the 120 pieces that it has debuted over the last decade.

From Shore To Shore by Mary Cooper and M W Sun took place in Manchester Chinatown’s acclaimed Yang Sing Restaurant and told a series of interconnecting migrant tales based on genuine accounts from Chinese communities around the UK, an interesting piece theatrically that was also accompanied by a very nice Chinese meal.