Ahir Shah is one of those comics with a burgeoning reputation, his current show, Duffer, which I caught at The Lowry, was nominated for the 2017 Edinburgh Comedy Award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (where else I hear you ask) and is a set that deals with the thorny subjects of mortality, religion and .. well Bohemian Rhapsody.
The good old review. For me, you can either take them or leave them. Sometimes they are glorified meanderings from people who overthink things and present an over indulgent opinion piece. Sometimes they are insightful, thought provoking features that adds another dimension to what you are reviewing. Sometimes, simply put, they are the difference between you going or not. In the case of The Band, the musical set to Take That’s back catalogue and currently playing at The Lowry, it was enough for me to change my views and see what the fuss was all about.
Christmas always sees theatre houses up their game a little bit. Their productions become a little bit grander. There’s a lot more lavishness, a lot more pizazz and a lot more bang for your buck. This is no surprise given how pantomimes become star studded attractions to pull in more than the usual theatregoer. With such demand for family orientated shows at this time of year, theatres have become adept at putting on productions that have a broad appeal. In Dr Dolittle, currently playing to packed auditoriums at The Lowry, we have one such hit show.
It’s already the hottest ticket in town. The buzz on the streets started almost a year ago when The Lowry announced that it was bringing Elf the Musical to Salford as part of their Christmas program for 2018. The Broadway show debuted in the West End in 2015 and became the fastest selling show at the Dominion Theatre in its history. That fever, it would seem, has been caught by the folks up north making Elf the Musical this season’s must watch production.