Theatre, Dance & Performance

Comedy legend Tommy Cooper visited Blackpool many times during  a long and illustrious career – including summer seasons here . He even mentioned us in one of his jokes: I went to Blackpool on holiday and knocked at the first boarding house that I came to.  A woman stuck her head out of an upstairs window and said 'What do you want?'.  'I'd like to stay here'  'Ok. Stay there'. OK, so it doesn't sound so funny in print, but told in the man's deadpan voice, it would be hysterical – honestly! Now the legend returns, with The Tommy Cooper Show playing at the…

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s longstanding musical Cats is playing a summer season at The Winter Gardens and although it’s been around for a few years, this new ensemble company with Jane McDonald as the obligatory celebrity cast member bring a beautiful modernity to the piece. On arrival into the auditorium, the stage is set with a complex fabrication of giant-sized junk. We are immediately dwarfed by old coke bottles, sardine tins and other detritus that pings us into a place where we can identify with human-sized cats; we are cleverly made complicit with them from the start.  This is a useful…

Hot enough for you? It's about to be a few degrees hotter at West Coast Rock Cafe this Saturday. And what better way to salute Independence Day than by basking in the glow of one of the best independent theatrical events in town. Kosmic Kitty's burlesque nights are always packed out. That's because Kosmic Kitty goes out of her way to procure the best and most entertaining acts from across the national scene. Blending humour, drama, dance and oodles of charm, this is risqué theatre doing what it does best - surprising audiences and daring to be different. This time…

Stories about the gods, called myths, were made up thousands of years ago. Was there a real Hercules, a man behind the stories? We will never know. Yet, his story is of a man who was so strong and courageous and in this case so footloose. Hercules was both the most famous hero of ancient times and the most beloved. More stories were told about him than any other hero. Hercules was worshipped in many temples all over Greece and Rome and now in Blackpool Grand Theatre. Never have I seen an interpretation of Hercules that was so courageously different…

Rehearsals are now underway for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s record breaking musical Cats arrival at Blackpool Opera House on Thursday 9 July for eight weeks. Jane McDonald has already been announced to play Grizabella but as The Winter Gardens gets set to receive the felines, the full cast has now been confirmed; to celebrate, here’s the full line up, where possible, in the words of the source text Old Possum’s Book of Practicle Cats by TS Eliot (aka Old Possum). Adam Linstead will play Old Deuteronomy: “Old Deuteronomy’s lived a long time; He’s a Cat who has lived many lives in…

Everyone's favourite Greek superhero is set to grace the Grand Theatre stage tonight with New Art Club's family friendly take on Hercules - and he's joined by some of the regions most enthusiastic performers from the community. New Art Club are Pete Shenton and Tom Roden, often described as the Morecambe and Wise of dance, renowned for creating unique work that brings together the worlds of dance and comedy. Now they bring their unique comic style and sense of the absurd to the story of the 12 Labours of Hercules in a hilarious and outrageous family friendly show that’s ideal entertainment…

He is a clever man this Milton Jones. His show at the Grand isn't your run of the mill stand up. Instead, Milton gives us a surreal jaunt through his blustering and brilliantly sharp imagination as he takes on the subject of exploration and adventure. He is best known for trouncing the opposition on TV panel shows like Mock The Week and all those dreadful 'banter' shows on Dave etc. I hate banter comedy but know and love Jones from his many radio shows so was eager to see what he had to offer on stage.On he wandered as his…

In 2007 Ben Rogers, along with production company Junction 15 Films, was making a documentary film, Sick and Tired of Feeling Sick and Tired. The film was intended to help drug addicts and was made in conjunction with the probationary services. Unfortunately, Ben was unable to complete the film as he succumbed to his own heroin addiction and died from an overdose before the project finished. The film was concluded in Ben’s absence and later discovered by Olly Lambert at Sky Films who used excerpts for his own documentary; Ben, Diary of a Heroin Addict (which was screened several times…

It was with great excitement that I attended the recent production of 'The Complete Works of Shakespeare. Abridged [Revised]' which promised to deliver all 37 of Shakespeare's plays in just 97 minutes. I have been wanting to see this production for some time, having heard great reviews from others who had witnessed this theatrical feat. I was most intrigued to see how it was done! Firstly, I must applaud the mix of Shakespearean prose with modern references and slang terminology. For those fearing this would be a stuffy production aimed at the most avid Shakespeare lovers, then please think again.…