It is somewhat apt that Handbagged is currently playing at the Oldham Coliseum, a story that centres on the supposedly fractious relationship between Margaret Thatcher and Queen Elizabeth II during the time of the former Tory leader’s tenure as Prime Minister. Apt because it is 40 years since the Iron Lady was swept into power and with it began one of the most influential and significant periods of British history.
Where did the Summer go? It’s been a whirlwind few months that has encapsulated the joys of a typical British season. A cornucopia of malevolent weather, heroic sporting triumphs and a calendar chock-a-block with festivals that cater for every whim and fancy. So, here we are at the start of September and the onset of Autumn, when the nights start to get longer, the days become colder and it all feels less hazy than it once was. Therefore, its with keen feverishness that we welcome Hive City Legacy, currently playing at HOME Manchester, for one last chance to enjoy that feeling that only the Summer months can bring. That outlandish splash of colour, the base-thumping grooving beats and the lyrical machinations that let me have one last chance to be utterly indulgent.
I was reminded of something that my mam told me whilst I watched The Funeral Director play out at Home Manchester: “Death comes to us all. Whether we are Muslim, Hindu, Jew, or Christian. Whether we are white, brown or black. Whether we are straight or not. Whether we support City or we support the other lot. Yeah even them. Death does not discriminate”. The Funeral Director deals with death and discrimination, it’s challenging, provocative and a must see production this spring.
As an honorary member of the Fat Blokes club I was particularly looking forward to Scottee: Fat Blokes at HOME Manchester and giving it the rebellious middle finger to the world for all fat blokes everywhere. However, what I thought would be light hearted was anything but. Indeed this turned into a show that championed those men who are fat, through the personal testimony and killer dance moves of four ordinary blokes who ‘appen to be on the chubby side.
Sometimes something comes along that is so wonderfully staged and totally blows you away that somehow the critic in you wants to focus on not what’s so great about it but what it lacks in perfection. The Barber Shop Chronicles, currently playing to rapturous audiences at the Royal Exchange Theatre, is such a production. A wonderfully captivating show that is utterly beguiling and has everyone completely transfixed from the moment that they set foot in the auditorium. There are very few that can command such dedication and as such should be celebrated whilst it continues its run in Manchester.