It’s perhaps less well known that Alan Bleasdale’s greatest dramatic achievement was spun off from The Blackstuff, a one off drama, screened during Christmas 1980. Whilst the latter was larky in tone, the subsequent five episode series (first screened in October 1982) was angry and pessimistic, shot through with gallows humour. Less a regular drama, more like a hand grenade lobbed into the living room. 

For years, Alan Bleasdale resisted requests from the Liverpool Royal Court to adapt the series for the stage, believing it would be technically impossible, and also beyond his abilities. The deadlock was broken when director Kate Wasserberg wrote Bleasdale a passionate, personal letter, and suggested writer James Graham (probably best known for the TV series Sherwood) would be a safe pair of hands.

For those unfamiliar with the original, it’s the story of five men – Chrissie, Loggo, Yosser, George and Dixie – whose lives are blighted by unemployment. ‘Unemployment is a growth industry’, quips DHSS snoop, Ms Sutcliffe (a droll Sian Polhill-Thomas). Not only are they battling economic strife, but wounded pride; working class men are taught at a young age that their value is entwined with the role of hunter/gatherer. 

Anyone who signed on in the 80’s might get a trauma flashback from this production; Amy Jane Cook’s complex set features a grim Orwellian ‘holding pen’ where the main  characters stand, and declare they haven’t been employed during the past fortnight. Not completely true of course because survival in Thatcher’s Britain invariably meant doing work on the sly. Here it’s a gig on a building site for a foreman not too fussed about health and safety regulations, leading to a tragedy which hangs over the survivors for the duration of the drama. 

How to compress 300 minutes of television into a two hour stage play? James Graham chooses the best bits from the original, and most of it gels together surprisingly well (Kate Wasserberg makes the dozens of scene changes as fluid as possible). Some dopy comedy bits – Yosser chasing a milk man and a lollipop lady, shouting ‘Gizza job’ – feel like a feeble Benny Hill spoof. Likewise, a slapstick through-the-letterbox conversation with a government inspector might have worked in Rentaghost, but looks oddly out of place here.  

Mark Womack is fantastic as Dixie, hitting exactly the right note of melancholy as a man who has no ideas left. ‘I wish I’d done better for you’, he says to his son in a scene which feels almost painfully archetypal. George Caple is a fine, heart on sleeve Chrissie (everyone says he’s too nice), whilst Jurell Carter is similarly impressive as Loggo, a character who has grown too cynical too soon but clings to a slender thread of hope (which informs his decision to leave Liverpool for pastures new). 

Yosser’s Story was the episode that hit hardest; the final image of Bernard Hill’s mentally deteriorating hard man being yanked out of a shopping centre fountain by a copper, something which seered itself into the pop culture psyche. A hard act to follow, and it’s fair to say Jay Johnson is slightly intimidated by the opportunity he’s been given. Most of the time he is great but some eager to please sentimentality creeps in during his vulnerable moments – an unnecessary distraction. All the requisite emotion is discharged in the penultimate scene, a slow motion battle with a bunch of coppers, well choreographed by Rachael Nanyonjo (the movement sections add a welcome colour to the palette of this production). 

It’s rare to see a stage play with a cast this big (I almost did a double take when 14 people appeared for the encore). Minor faults aside, Boys from the Blackstuff is a bold piece of theatre, and one which probably requires a second viewing to absorb all the details. Who knew a 40-year-old TV drama could still be so frighteningly relevant.  

Boys From the Blackstuff is at Lowry, Salford from 22 to 26 April 2025.

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The adventure starts from first entering the intimate Quays theatre with cast members pulling ropes of fabric across the audience and encouraging little ones to bang sticks or dance with the cast. This sets the scene for an energetic and interactive show, but once it starts, it’s clear this show is never going quite the way we expect.

The story is based on the 1902 children’s book, The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum – better known for his classic, Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Like Oz, this tale is set is a fantasy land that has some link to reality, with the characters moving between their home in the magical Forest of Burzee and earth.

Claus straddles both lands after being found as a baby by wood nymph, Necile who brings him up as her own. But once Claus grows and learns of his human connection, he is curious to find out more. Even with a pet lion in tow, leaving the enchanted forest brings its dangers and Claus is shocked to discover that life on earth isn’t always as joyful as life with the fairies, knooks and ryls.

Generous-hearted Claus wants to make the world a better place, but the villainous Awgwas have other ideas. Claus must overcome these battles to bring the miracle of Christmas to children around the world.

Stewart J Charlesworth’s multi-layered set fills the whole stage like an adventure playground, while director, Kate Golledge incorporates shadow puppetry to add an extra dimension to the characters’ travels. But at the moment it feels like the cast is yet to be let loose with the show’s playfulness.

Although there are some tough issues raised in Simon Warne’s adaptation, there is still much room for fun that hopefully will come once the cast feels more at home with this brand new show. The music is beautifully sung, but the musicians are hidden back-stage and there are no instantly catchy tunes to leave you singing all the way home. That said, I don’t want to be all bah humbug about it because there are some lovely messages for children, not least that kindness and generosity are the best gifts you can give. It’s also very early in its first run so there is time for Santa to work his magic yet.

Claus The Musical is at The Lowry from 14 December 2022 to 8 January 2023.

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Two 10-year-old girls – confident but grumpy Lisa and shy but stubborn Lottie – meet for the first time at a girls’ summer camp. To begin with, it’s not a happy encounter, made all the more fraught by their uncanny resemblance: “That girl’s got a nerve. Turning up here with your face!” exclaims one of Lisa’s cronies.

Soon, however, the truth dawns on them – they are twins, separated (they know not why) at birth. While Lisa has grown up with their father (a conductor/composer) in Vienna, Lottie has lived with their mother (a journalist) in Munich.

Overjoyed and overwhelmed to have found each other, they sing the show’s stand out number, “You’re My Sister” in a lovely, tear-jerking scene. (Hats off to Kyla and Nicole Fox, this evening’s Lisa and Lottie).

“My family tree just grew another twig.”

In a ploy to gain publicity for her summer camp, the forbidding Miss Mathesius (a marvellous Louise Gold) has a photo taken of the two girls, arm-in-arm. “Even their parents couldn’t tell them apart,” she says, prophetically. The twins hatch a plot.

Switching clothes, hairstyles and suitcases, they will trade identities, so that each can spend time with the parent she never knew existed.

Despite the differences in their personalities and aptitudes (Lisa is bold and good with words, Lottie is a musician and a scholar), no one guesses the truth. Each grows to love her “new” parent (those first encounters are genuinely moving). The sisters keep in touch via a weekly covert phone call.

All goes well until Johan (their father) proposes marriage to Miss Gerlach, a beautiful but ambitious ballerina (a multi-skilled role filled with grace and steel by Gabrielle Lewis-Dodson).

What can 10-year-old Lisa and Lottie do to save the day and reunite their family?

Director Trevor Nunn chooses to return the story to its original time (1949) and locations, allowing costume designer, Jonathan Lipman, some fun with lederhosen, while set designer, Robert Jones, moves us, with style and aplomb, from lakeside to mountainside, trackside and back street Munich to café and salon Vienna. Particular credit must go to Douglas O’Connell’s animated backdrops (it’s like watching one of Hergé’s Tintin books come to life) – a joy.

Your ticket gets you 16 songs, 3 reprises, 1 finale. It’s a lengthy show (almost 3 hours counting in the 20 minute interval) but, on this evidence, even quite young children seem to handle it. It’s pacy, with enough wit, intrigue and charm to hold the interest (90% of the time).

Matt Cole’s choreography is cosy and perhaps a little old-fashioned, but it works for the piece. Orchestral manager, David Gallagher, gees along George Stiles’s songs (orchestrated by Tom Curran) and keeps all on a tight rein. At their peak, Anthony Drewe’s lyrics prompt smiles and even occasional laughter.

The adult cast has fun, even playing second fiddle. James Darch’s Johan exudes boyish charm, while Emily Tierney as Lisalotte makes a Truly Scrumptious mum. Louise Gold switches from the sonorous Miss Muthesius to the long-suffering but dignified housekeeper, Roza, and we’re glad that she wins the heart of the noble Dr Strobl (Michael Smith-Stewart – like having your pulse taken by a young Trevor MacDonald: irresistible).

The evening, however, belongs to the young ‘uns, as it should.

“Children are a curse/ And twins are even worse!” chants the witch in Lottie’s nightmare.

Not a bit of it. Take a bow, Kyla and Nicole!

Identical is at The Lowry from 19 August to 3 September 2022 before continuing on tour. Age Guidance 8+

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Imagine an enchanted castle where you’re served dinner by dancing plates, entertained by a quick-fire candlestick, warmed by a mumsy teapot, and taken on a grand tour by wind-up clock who keeps everything running to time splendidly. It’s a magical escape for our quirky book-loving heroine, Belle, whose been longing to escape her provincial life. There’s only one snag – his Majesty of the Castle is not your usual Prince – he’s a scary, hairy, ear-splitting roaring Beast. There’s always a but, isn’t there?

The story of Beauty and the Beast needs little introduction. A Prince who dismisses an old woman on her appearance is put under a spell to live as a beast until he can find it in his heart to look beyond appearances, feel love and find it in return. As the years roll by it is clear no ordinary woman is up for the challenge of breaking the spell. Step-forward Belle, who is no ordinary woman.

Belle lives with her inventor father, Maurice – a pair of dreamers who are misfits in their town. Belle is the only girl in town whose head isn’t turned by the handsome but boorish and vain Gaston. In turn her lack of interest only makes him even more determined to make her his wife – tale as old as time indeed.

As for adventurers it’s easy to take a wrong turn, and Maurice ends up lost in the wood where he stumbles upon the hidden castle, becoming a prisoner of the Beast. Fearless Belle comes to his rescue much to the delight of the Beast’s unusual household. Could she be the one to break the spell?

The story is filled with drama, adventure, romance, and magic. Add a terrific score into the mix and it’s no wonder the show is an audience winner. The 1991 film, on which the musical is based, was the first animated feature to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Creating that same magic on the stage was a huge leap but four years later it opened on Broadway, becoming one of the top 10 longest running shows in Broadway history.

Disney is never a company to rest on its laurels. And this brand-new production pulls every theatrical trick out of the hat to make sure we’re not disappointed. Even before we’ve reached the end of the first act you can feel the audience itching to leap to their feet as Gavin Lee’s Lumiere, channelling all the glamour and glitz of Liberace, leads the cast in a spectacular extravaganza of Be Our Guest. Stanley A. Meyer’s innovative set design uses multiple layers and projections to make full use of the Palace Theatre’s deep stage – at times it seems to go on for miles. Illusion is piled upon illusion, with live filming of synchronised dance routines projected overhead. The tap-dancing finale to the number is contagious and ends with the audience cheering as they grab party streamers from the air. We’re having so much fun and it’s not even half-way through!

Courtney Stapleton’s Belle wows with her powerful vocals – another hidden strength of this feisty heroine. Opposite her, Shaq Taylor’s Beast is presented more of a minotaur than a towering monster, and the freedom from a fully masked costume leaves space for the character’s emotions, both rage and vulnerability, to be expressed.

Tom Senior brings bulging biceps and heaps of humour to the role of Gaston, milking the part for every inch of comedy with a camp interpretation of the chauvinistic hunter.

While there are some important messages about change and acceptance in the story, not everyone makes those choices. But we all get to cheer those who do, and the audience erupts with shouts of joy when young Rojae Simpson’s Chip runs across the stage freed from his tea-cup spell. It’s magical.

Beauty and the Beast is at The Palace Theatre, Manchester from 31 March to 4 June 2022.

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Fantastically Great Women who Changed the World is a new musical directed by Amy Hodge and based on the picture book by Kate Pankhurst (who is, in fact, a very distant relative of the legendary Emmeline Pankhurst) and it has a brilliantly simple concept that means it can be executed incredibly on stage.

Jade (played by Kudzai Mangombe) is an 11-year-old girl who feels like she’s not being heard by anyone in her life and while on a school trip, she stumbles into a closed area and ends up meeting many inspirational women from across the globe who try to make her realise that every woman can change the world just by being in it.

This musical has a truly fantastic message and theme for young children and adults alike. And the catchy songs (written by Miranda Cooper and Jennifer Decilveo) have a popstar and girl band vibe, which of course appeals even more to the young members of the audience. These songs include an abundance of information in easily remembered tunes – which only adds to the show’s educational value for schools and children.

It shouldn’t have been surprising to see an all female band (Audra Cramer, Rhiannon Hopkins and Chloe Rianna) playing above the cast, but unfortunately it is still rare to see women in these roles. This musical showcases women as pioneers but also as people who can do whatever they want, just the way men can. And that is such an important message for all generations.

The choreography by Dannielle ‘Rhimes’ Lecointe is synchronised, not too much to distract from the lyrics of each song but enough to make them all the more memorable. A standout moment is when Gertrude Ederle (played by Christina Modestou) demonstrates swimming the English Channel and the other cast members let a blue sheet rip through her to create more of an illusion to make it feel likewe’re really there with her in the moment.

Frida Kahlo, Rosa Parks, Amelia Earhart, Marie Curie, Emmeline Pankhurst are just a few of the famous women portrayed. All led such different lives and yet their common trait is that they made a difference for other women and inspired so many. This musical combines education and performance as well as giving the audience the true stories of how women were treated differently in the past and in many ways still are.

For a small cast, the production was impeccably executed and there were many clever decisions that made it even more engaging and exciting. This included incorporating the set into a lot of the songs and having the cast members use their costumes during songs to display their characters even more.

This is a show that truly deserves to grow and take over the theatre world – not only is it important it’s so fun at the same time. Isn’t that exactly what every musical needs?

Fantastically Great Women who Changed the World is at The Lowry from 2022 before continuing its UK tour.

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I’ve seen this musical many times and I never get tired of it. It’s an epic story based on Victor Hugo’s novel of the same name, with Boublil and Schönberg’s equally epic score. There always feels to be something new to focus on when watching it and this sensational new touring production feels more of everything – it’s louder, bawdier, more brutal, and more immersive than I remember.

Laurence Connor and James Powell’s direction doesn’t shy from the harsh realities of the poverty in early 19th-century France and false morality, which sees young Fantine banished from her workplace when the boss learns she has a young daughter with a man who later deserted her. Jean Valjean understands what it’s like to be on the wrong side of public judgement and holds secrets of his own. He is the voice of mercy, rescuing Fantine’s child, Cosette from the clutches of swindling publicans, Monsieur and Madame Thenardier. But despite his willingness to change Valjean is haunted both mentally and physically by Inspector Javert whose vengeance knows no bounds. It’s high drama and being completely sung only heightens the emotion. It’s the theatrical equivalent to a good weepy movie. Don’t even try to hold it in because no-one else is – it feels like people are ready to let go of too many pent-up emotions and this is the perfect opportunity.

The 2012 film starring Hugh Jackman as Valjean has set the bar high for those seeing the musical for the first time after watching the movie version. This stage version takes account of the sophistication of audiences today and designer Matt Kinley uses all the stage effects in his armoury to place the audience at the heart of the action. The set is huge and constantly changing, with the movement so slick it feels filmic. The scenery is overlayed by a series of projections inspired by paintings of Victor Hugo, which add deeper layers of interest to draw us further and further in. As they march in revolution, I’m with them every step of the way.

It all comes together with a top-notch cast. Both Dean Chisnall as Valjean and Nic Greenshields as Javert bring gravitas to their performances, reprising roles they’ve both played in previous productions. Ian Hughes and Helen Walsh also return to the roles of Monsieur and Madame Thenardier and have the comedy of the inn-keepers timed to perfection. Young lovers Cosette and Marius are both played by actors at the very start of their careers. Making their professional debuts in the production Paige Blankson and Will Callan bring a freshness and vulnerability that adds to the raw emotion of the evening. While the sweetness of Katie Hall as Fantine and desperation of Nathania Ong’s Eponine are both pitch perfect.

If you haven’t seen Les Misérables before – go. If you have seen it before – go again. It’s rousing, it’s passionate, it’s everything we need from theatre right now. It’s terrific.

Les Misérables UK Tour is at The Lowry from 29 March to 23 April 2022 before continuing its tour.

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It must be a lovely feeling for actors in a comedy to get welcoming laughs for their opening (moderately amusing) antics. The crowd here is laughing out loud as, one by one, Sheila (the nominal leader), Denise (the acid-tongued malcontent), Julie (the massively over-prepared), and Faye (the blessedly religious) scramble ashore on a tiny island in Derwent Water; soggy but otherwise unharmed, having sunk the boat they unwittingly stole.

Despite this setback, Sheila is adamant that her team is now strides ahead of the competition – until Faye delicately points out that what Sheila took as cunningly disguised hints that only she (a cryptic crossword buff) could decipher, were actually fairly straightforward directions. Rather than shivering and drying out here, they should be with the other teams, in a warm pub, a couple of miles in the opposite direction.

Never fear; Julie has a super-duper mobile. She calls her husband, Angus, who “never goes out”. Unusually, Angus is out. Undeterred, Julie uses virtually all her battery power leaving a lengthy message for him, regarding their predicament and what to do about it. No doubt Angus has nipped to do the shopping at Aldi. Help will soon be on its way… or not.

Despite Sheila’s attempts to lift morale by organising a game of French cricket, and Faye’s determined Christian optimism and joyful appreciation of the local birdlife, as the four begin to accept that rescue might not be all that imminent, tempers flare more readily than Sheila’s camp fire. Even the emergency flare they dig from Julie’s enormous backpack doesn’t offer genuine hope of salvation – it’s November 5th and there’s a deluxe firework display in nearby Keswick.

Act One closes with a screaming Julie rushing back to camp, her hands covered in blood. Could our four hapless women be trapped on a tiny island with a crazed killer? Well…

It’s a genuine ensemble piece and no one lets the side down. Abigail Thaw relishes Denise’s withering way with words: when Julie apologises for “murdering” a joke, Denise tells her: “Murder would have been more humane. You shot it in the kneecaps.”

Rina Fatania has a ball as Julie, clowning it to the max (there are some brilliant comic revelations from her apparently bottomless backpack). Sara Crowe’s Faye is sweet and warm enough to overcome the somewhat heavy-handed mockery of her Christianity. Judy Flynn oozes desperate common sense and decency in a largely straight-woman role.

The more dramatic aspects of Act Two are underwritten and less successful. This is a shame as the audience is open to something more profound – gasping audibly when it looks like Faye might be on the point of self-harm. The story also cries out for a moment of redemption after the increasingly bullying Denise is taken to task by Sheila. (Modern comedy audiences seem to prefer redemption to comeuppance).

The set up is a gift to the writer, in that it permits a deus ex machina finale at any point he feels he’s written enough. Come on: this is an island in Derwent Water, not some remote spit in the deep Pacific – it’s no spoiler to say help eventually arrives.

The resourceful Firth may now seize on the opportunity to create a franchise. What next? Devil’s Island – Papillon and the Laughing Lepers? Crocks and Frocks – Sheila’s Island (Down Under)?

Why not? As long as it keeps being funny, people will buy tickets. Rightly so.

Sheila’s Island is at The Lowry from 29 March to 2 April 2022.

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Having directed a memorable adaptation of Nineteen Eighty-Four, (co-created with Duncan MacMillan in 2019) Robert Icke addresses his considerable talent to this adaptation of Animal Farm. In this production, he collaborates with Toby Olié (co-creator of the puppets for the iconic stage version of Michael Morpurgo’s War Horse). The ‘cast’ are a vivid and various collection of puppets, skilfully manipulated by 14 puppeteers.  The voices of the animals have been pre-recorded by a cast including Robert Glenister and Juliet Stephenson.

As the audience files in, the farmer, in his bloodstained apron, is making his weary way, stage left to right, lugging a succession of sizeable joints of meat. It’s hard work. He pauses to kneel and catch his breath at one point, and is that medicine or alcohol he is swigging from the bottle?

The animals of the farm gather to hear the venerable pig, Major tell them he has had a dream; a dream in which all animals are equal and free at last from the heartless exploitation of mankind. Soon after this inspiring address, Major is gone – his throat slit (as the farmer himself smugly reports in a mobile phone conversation) rather than stump up for vet’s bills for the sickly, old animal. Snowball, a younger pig, tells them the time for revolution (as dreamed of by Major) has come.

Working together (organised by Snowball) the animals drive out the farmer and even repel a concerted attempt (by him and his neighbours) to wrest back control of the farm. Freedom comes at a cost, though. Supertitles list the animals who ‘fell in combat’. The action also makes an ‘Animal Hero: First Class’ of two participants – Snowball himself, and the massive cart horse, Boxer. In what follows, the betrayal of the revolution plays out via the fate of these two exceptional beasts.

In a power struggle, another pig, the corrupt megalomaniac, Napoleon, drives out Snowball, and rewrites recent history, branding the hero a traitor, and condemning to death any animal said to have ‘conspired’ with him. Alongside this, the hens, rebelling against increased quotas for eggs, are ostracised and starved to death. Soon it appears that more animals have been starved and executed than fell in combat. Henceforth, the absent Snowball, will be blamed for every catastrophe that befalls the farm.

The noble Boxer, who refuses to glory even in the killing of a human, becomes the Stakhanovite of the newly renamed Animal Farm, whose determined response to every reversal is to work harder. It’s an impressive theatrical moment when this enormous puppet (requiring three operators) finally succumbs to exhaustion.

One by one, the eight key ‘commandments’ of the revolution are amended or deleted, until only the chillingly ironic, “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others” remains. Napoleon and his apologist, Squealer, now don clothes and the other beasts find it hard to tell which is the pig, which the human, as money and savage exploitation are re-established in the new regime.

There is a tremendously poignant episode when, following the purges, the animals try to rally their spirits with a rousing chorus of the revolutionary song (it’s a fine, uplifting piece, by the way). Napoleon’s stooge, Squealer interrupts to say the song is now banned; deemed irrelevant, as the revolution is complete. A heartbreaking interlude, which captures all that is best and worst about these creatures.

At the close, Clover (in this production a cow not a horse) tells her frolicking calf that she recalls there having a been a revolution, but can’t remember its purpose. We know what fate lies in store for the calf.

Bunny Christie’s set design is stark and effective – charcoal grey board speaking of a working farm and barn. Jon Clark’s lighting is unfussy and appropriately utilitarian, but never sacrifices clarity for mood.

The predominantly teenage audience gives a respectful ovation (and is attentive throughout – tantamount to a triumph, I’d say).

A thoughtful, unsentimental and bold piece of work from Icke and the company. Thoroughly recommended – all the more so in these troubled, deceitful times.

Animal Farm was at the Lowry from 24-26 March 2022 and touring until the end of May.

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The musical arrives at The Lowry on a nationwide tour that launched last year, bringing live theatre back with a sparkle of fairy dust after the lockdown. At the time the cast and crew couldn’t have known the current poignancy of their opening scene, which sees orphans evacuating after their parents are killed when bombs destroy their home during WWII air raids on the city.

Just when it looks like things can’t get much worse for the three youngsters – Charlie, Carrie and Paul – they find themselves in the reluctant care of the eccentric Miss Price, who horror upon horrors doesn’t even eat fried food! Charlie, the eldest at age-13, decides to take charge and organise their escape. But as the trio stare out of the window looking for a way out of their misery they spy trainee witch, Miss Price among the stars – flying on a broom. And so, the magic begins.

The 1971 film, starring Angela Lansbury and David Tomlinson, was one of a handful of films, like Mary Poppins, that mixed live action with animation. It also came with a terrific sing-a-long score from the Sherman Brothers, who also brought us classics like The Jungle Book and The Aristocats, as well as the more recent ‘It’s a Small World (After All)’.
The stage version gives us all the well-known tunes such as ‘A Step in the Right Direction’ and ‘The Beautiful Briny’ as well as some new numbers, making the running time a little longer than the film at 2hrs 35. The animated characters are brought to life with spectacular puppetry, which quickly draw us in to this fantastical world of talking animals and flying beds.

It is all delivered by a stellar cast and crew led by Dianne Pilkington as Eglantine Price, whose clarity of diction is a wonder. Pilkington brings true star quality that reaches the child in all of us. Her resilient Eglantine is a Mary Poppins for the misfits and the weary, her voice is dreamy and her performance bewitching. I feel 10-years-old again.

Bedknobs and Broomsticks has cast its spell. We leave singing all the way home without a care, as if bobbing along on the beautiful briny sea.

Disney’s Bedknobs and Broomsticks is at The Lowry from 15-19 March 2022.

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In Northern Broadsides’ 30th anniversary year, the company are returning to their roots, disrupting traditional expectations of Shakespeare by performing it in a variety of Northern accents. The diversity of the cast, not just visually, but also in the background and experience of the performers, adds to the richness and interest of the production. This is epitomised in the casting of a non-binary actor as Rosalind – EM Williams convinces as both the heroine and her disguise, Ganymede, exuding energy and strength of purpose.

The plot of As You Like It reads like a hybrid of several of Shakespeare’s other works. It has A Midsummer Night’s Dream’s anarchic forest setting, The Tempest’s political intrigue and of course, cross-dressing from Twelfth Night, all of which represent normal world order being turned on its head.

Nowhere is this topsy-turviness more apparent in this production than in the use of costume. E.M. Parry’s design is a dressing up box mixture of tracksuits, underwear, full skirts and tailoring, which becomes more outlandish and less gendered as the play progresses and the misrule of the forest takes hold.

Characters dress and undress onstage, garments are suspended overhead on wires, and Rosalind and Celia frequently exit the stage by diving through a crowded costume rail. The Forest of Arden is created with old-fashioned wooden hat stands, which move around the characters in staging reminiscent of Sally Cookson’s The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.

Every ounce of available comedy is squeezed from the action in this production; Corin’s flock of bleating sheep is played by members of the cast on all fours, and Jo Patmore puts in a hilarious turn as a swaggering, puffer-jacketed William. But it is Joe Morrow who, as the fool Touchstone, is the most natural comedian – unsurprising given his background in cabaret performance and compering. Morrow’s improvised asides and natural rapport with the audience lead to the play’s funniest moments; his faux-philosophical exchange with Corin (Claire Hackett) is a definite highlight.

Other performer’s talents feed into the tapestry of the play, from Jo Patmore’s gorgeous acoustic renditions of its famous songs to EM Williams’ brief aerial work using one of the hat stand ‘trees’ as a pole. This giant hat stand is also used in the finale as a maypole, an oddly traditional set piece for such an unconventional production, but something that is undeniably pretty to watch.

This production takes the blurring of the gender divide already inherent in Shakespeare’s work – with a boy actor playing a woman pretending to be a boy – and runs with it, proving that although society can get fixated on gender and outward appearance, it is the spirit within each of us that inspires and experiences love.

Northern Broadsides and New Vic Theatre’s co-production of As You Like It is at The Lowry from 8-12 March 2022 and touring. Age guidance: 12+

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