THEATREWORLD

This production of GREASE was an unexpected treat. This light and familiar musical can sometimes be marred by dodgy ‘celebrity’ casting, but this large, young, talented cast are uniformly strong and engaging.

TERRY PARSONS’ set design was effective and simple and enhanced the show. ANDREANE NEOFITOU’s costume was varied, bright, colourful and appropriate. The costumes in ‘Beauty School Drop Out’ were particularly stunning, enhancing RHYDIAN ROBERTS’ performance as Teen Angel.

The cast did a fantastic job with ARLENE PHILLIPS and STORI JAMES’ choreography, performing it crisply and with great energy. ‘We Go Together’ at the end of Act One is an excellent example of this. DANNY BAYNE (Danny) and SOPHIE ZUCHINI (Cha Cha) danced expertly at the High School Hop.

RICHARD VINCENT (Doody) made a charming job of ‘Magic Changes’. JOSH DENVER as Sonny and LAURA WILSON as Jan were comic, skilled and entertaining. RICKY ROJAS’ Kenickie, with his chorus of T-Birds made ‘Greased Lightening’ exciting and fun, despite the obligatory hip thrusting. ‘There Are Worse Things I Could Do’ sung by KATE SOMERSET HOW (Rizzo) was genuinely moving.

An excellent production – well worth seeing.

Reviewed by Gertie Whitfield for Theatreworld Internet Magazine

CRUCIBLE THEATRE

SHEFFIELD

BOX OFFICE: 0114 249 6000

www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk

Reviews by "The Whitfields" for Theatreworld Internet Magazine

CRUCIBLE STUDIO THEATRE

SHEFFIELD

BOX OFFICE: 0114 249 6000

Reviews by "The Whitfields" for Theatreworld Internet Magazine

ROYAL EXCHANGE THEATRE

St Anne's Square

Manchester

BOX OFFICE: 0161 833 9833

Web site: http://www.royalexchange.co.uk

Reviews by Colin Snell for Theatreworld Internet Magazine

LIBRARY THEATRE

Central Library

St Peter's Square

Manchester

M2 5PD

BOX OFFICE: 0161 236 7110

web address: www.librarytheatre.com

Reviews by Colin Snell for Theatreworld Internet Magazine

OCTAGON THEATRE

Howell Croft South,

Bolton,

BL1 1SB

BOX OFFICE: 01204 529407

www.octagonbolton.co.uk

THE QUEEN OF THE NORTH

by Ron Rose

Lynda Rooke as Pat Phoenix / Elsie Tanner

Directed by Elizabeth Newman

Now playing at the Octagon Theatre until 26th May

Billed as 'a new drama about the life of Pat Phoenix' writer Ron Rose and director Elizabeth Newman are charged with bringing the life of this iconic actress to the stage. Starting with Phoenix's collapse during a touring theatre performance after she had left Coronation Street the play chronicles her life up to her much publicised battle with cancer and her death-bed marriage to actor Tony Booth (she died in her sleep eight days later). Phoenix acts also as narrator describing her early life, her relationship with her parents, her father's bigamous marriage to her mother, her own early unsuccessful relationships, an abortion, her career, success in 'Coronation Street', her disastrous marriage to Alan Browning ('an intelligent man - rare as rocking horse s--t'), eventually finding love and happiness with Booth before her untimely death at the age of 62 from lung cancer.

It seems to me that Rose treats her life very much like a soap opera itself. Browning was an alcoholic and the marriage suffered terribly. Phoenix craved love (and attention) and she found both eventually in a highly successful career and in her relationship with Booth. Phoenix was two women - Patricia Frederica Pilkington (her step-father's name which she eventually changed to Phoenix) and Elsie Tanner, the feisty, red-headed single mother who battled with the likes of Ena Sharples and the world, bringing up her son Dennis and daughter Linda, and never really finding love. She personified northern grit, was down-to-earth, hard-working, and along with Ena and Annie Walker one of the matriarchs of the Street. Most of the soaps have them. James Callaghan, Prime Minister at the time described Phoenix as 'the sexiest thing on television'. And so we needed to feel that she truly deserved her title of Queen of the North, not only as Elsie but also as Pat. Episodes of Coronation Street certainly show her to be a fine actress.

On a set that is divided by a rather long and steep staircase Phoenix's hospital bed is situated above the main acting space in which designer Elizabeth Wright makes use of a revolve for various, and constant, scene changes. Lynda Rooke as Phoenix is required to hop in and out of bed, often for a few lines or a brief scene, before descending the stairs for another episodic moment. It all takes time as does the revolve (to revolve), resulting in some very tedious staging and directorial choices. I wanted more from this play. I wanted to know what made Elsie/Pat such an icon. And I came away disappointed. Not by Rooke's performance (she will grow in stature even more as the run progresses) but by the poor quality of the script - lacking in depth and real substance. There was really nothing in it that contributed to the drama of the woman's life with any degree of integrity or conviction. A laboured production which used four other actors to people Phoenix's world: Paul-Ryan Carberry (Harry Kershaw/Bill K/Consultant/Director/Bill N/Policeman/Mourner); Charlie Covell (Minnie/Jean/Paula/June/Nurse/Kathy/Stage Manager); Matt Healy (Tom Manfield/Alan Browning/Priest/Peter Adamson); Sally Hodgkiss (Adele/Violet Carson/Stage Manager/Anna/Mourner) with John McArdle playing Tony Booth - a performance that attempted to show their relationship, friendship, love, laughter in a supportive way but remained somewhat superficial as a result of the script. With just four actors playing so many significant roles in Phoenix's life it was always going to be difficult to create any real depth to the piece. Rooke, however, does create Phoenix in a sensitive, gritty way and convinces in her quest for love and happiness. It's all very episodic and bitty and without her skill in holding the whole together it would prove even more lacklustre.

Phoenix's life fused Pat and Elsie; even she must have wondered where the fantasy ended and the reality began. With her former husband in the first night audience, I left wondering what he had made of it all.

Reviews by Colin Snell for Theatreworld Internet Magazine

LIVERPOOL EVERYMAN

Williamson Square

Liverpool L1 1EL

Sales and Information: 0151 709 4776

Minicom: 0151 709 0534

www.everymanplayhouse.com

Reviews by Wendy Fairbank for Theatreworld Internet Magazine

LIVERPOOL PLAYHOUSE

Williamson Square

Liverpool L1 1EL

Sales and Information: 0151 709 4776