December - 2019

Archive

Fantastic festivals in Liverpool during 2020

Liverpool is one of the UK’s leading festival cities with something happening almost every week of the year. From music events like Sound City, LIMF and International Beatleweek to arts festivals like Threshold and the Liverpool Biennial, from food and drink events to the spoken word and the psychedelic, there is something to suit every type of festival goer. Liverpool also lives up to its title of ‘World in One City’ with a host of events which celebrate the talents of diver

Liverpool Bluecoat reveals 2020 exhibitions

Liverpool’s Bluecoat has unveiled its programme of exhibitions for 2020. The School Lane centre for contemporary arts will be one of the venues for the Liverpool Biennial in the summer. And surrounding that it will stage a number of solo and joint shows by artists from home and abroad in its special exhibition spaces. The year opens in March with work by artists Jonathan Baldock and Warrington-born Frances Disley. Baldock is a former Bluecoat artist in residence, and his show

RLPO presents Downton Abbey Live in Concert

The sounds and stories of Julian Fellowes hit show Downton Abbey will be brought to life on stage at the Philharmonic Hall in 2020. Phyllis Logan, who played Mrs Hughes in both the TV series and recent film, will act as presenter at the concert on July 2. Downton Abbey - Live in Concert celebrates all the series’ favourite characters and goings on, through music and clips and the recollections of Downton’s housekeeper. Mrs Hughes will appear on stage at the request of her emp

Review: Peter Pan at Chester Storyhouse ****1/2

It should perhaps come as no surprise that a venue that calls itself Storyhouse should be committed to strong storytelling. And its 2019 Christmas offering – a new version of JM Barrie’s much-loved children’s classic - has an engaging clarity of narrative as well as being visually (and aurally!) striking. James Phoon’s Pan is a riot of self-regarding effervescence, certainly the cockiest kid on the block, as he flits about Neverland in jeans and a trackie top being fab-u-lous

Review: Spirit of Christmas at Philharmonic Hall ****

Joy to the world! And while there’s been precious little festive cheer around this year, there was plenty of seasonal bonhomie at the Philharmonic Hall’s opening Spirit of Christmas concert. “This is the start of Christmas,” I heard one audience member tell another, while others turned up in Santa hats clutching children’s selection boxes (and that was just the adults). And with the aroma of mulled wine wafting through the bar, and a pair of slim Christmas trees flanking the

Art comes in from the outdoors at Tate Liverpool

When in 2005 a tropical storm flooded her studio, Guatemala-based Vivan Suter feared her artwork would be ruined. But instead she became fascinated by the effect the mud and rainwater had on the canvasses. And from then on the 70-year-old Swiss-Argentinian artist started deliberately leaving her paintings outdoors – allowing the country’s climate to influence the finished works. Now 53 of those works have gone on show at Tate Liverpool in Suter’s first Solo UK display, titled

Magical musicals coming to Liverpool in 2020

Musicals fans are in for a treat with an all-singing, all-dancing abundance of top shows heading Liverpool’s way in 2020. Never mind sitting in your seat – you’ll be on your feet at some of the productions coming to a theatre near you over the next 12 months. From Liverpool premieres like the hotly anticipated Book of Mormon, Bat Out of Hell, Once, and the aptly titled On Your Feet! to old favourites like Grease and Mamma Mia, it’s a real triple threat of a season. There are

Review: Miracle on 34th Street at Liverpool Playhouse ***1/2

Do you remember when you stopped believing in Father Christmas, consigning him to never never land along with the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy? And be honest, does life feel better for it? There’s a reason Miracle on 34th Street remains such a much-loved tale, 70 years after the original film – on which this stage musical version by Meredith Willson is based - was released. Its central message is about faith and hope trumping cynicism and greed, and, as Tim Parker’s Kris

Theaster Gates stages first UK solo show at Tate Liverpool

Artist Theaster Gates was on the way to a lobster roll snack shack when he spotted a ‘beautiful’ uninhabited island that piqued his curiosity. And Malaga, that small chunk of land off the coast of Maine, went on to inspire an exhibition that explores ideas of race, territory and inequality in the United States. The thought-provoking work of the Chicago-based contemporary artist is on show at Tate Liverpool from tomorrow until May. Amalgam, which features installations combine

Review: Beasty Baby at Unity Theatre ****1/2

The Unity has long eschewed traditional pantomime in favour of magical tales designed to captivate younger audiences. This season it’s aiming at even younger theatre goers than usual, with Theatre Rites’ Beasty Baby perfect for pre-schoolers and kindergarten kids. The London-based company made a big impression when it collaborated with Liverpool’s 20 Stories High to present Big Up! – a mash up of beatboxer, singer and puppeteer – at the Hope Place venue earlier this year. And