Carmel ThomasonI never had a nanny as a child, but if I did I imagine like all children, I’d have loved one like Mary Poppins. Now, what I’d give for a touch of her sparkle and ability to tidy up in a flash. Spit spot. I never tire of Mary Poppins – the quirky...
I never saw Michael Jackson live, but I imagine theatre was a large part of his concerts. Even his pop videos were events – think Thriller and Billie Jean, which were almost mini-movies. In this sense creating a stage show of his music makes perfect...
What a year it has been for Lucy O’Byrne. After becoming the first classical singer to get to the final of BBC1’s The Voice, she’s now back in Salford in one of the most iconic musical roles for the Lowry’s Christmas show, The Sound of Music. And...
When a children’s TV show has survived the generations, like Sooty, there has got to be some magic in it. The presenters have changed, of course. And after being in the Corbett family for 50 years (first Harry then his son Matthew), it’s now fronted...
There are many stories that have an element of shock value, but few that are so deeply shocking they stay with you a lifetime. William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies is one of them. It is decades since I read the novel as a young teenager yet I...
A story as well-known as, ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ has a lot to live up to in a stage-show retelling. Most people will know it from the 1946 Oscar-winning movie starring Natalie Wood, in which Santa Claus finds himself in court on Christmas Eve...
Commissioned to commemorate 100 years since the start of the First World War, Lest We Forget brings together the talents of three of the most sought after British choreographers to reflect, through dance, the lives and emotions of those who lived...
When even the smallest of theatre venues seems to rely on the draw of a household name to put bums on seats at panto time, it is a real credit to Oldham Coliseum that it fills the auditorium on the quality of the show alone. This is in large part...
You don’t need to be a child of the 40s to know the music of the Glenn Miller orchestra. You might not be aware that Miller won the first ever gold disc for Chattanooga Choo Choo and went on to win another 30 more, but you will associate his music...
The pile of trophies stacking up for Jersey Boys says it all – 57 major awards at the last count. To be fair, I’m not sure if there is anything left for it to win. This panel awarded the UK tour the MTA Brynteg award for best musical at last year’s...