Salford bard at Brindley PUNK poet and self-styled Bard of Salford John Cooper Clarke brings his sharp tongue and wit to The Brindley in Runcorn on Friday, March 13. In a vain attempt at bourgeois credibility, the sharp-delivering punk poet Lenny changed his name to John Cooper Clarke and never looked back. Clad in the slum chic of the hipster, he issued the slang anthems of the zip age in the desperate esperanto of bop. Clarke has opened for such acts as the Sex Pistols, The Fall, Joy Division, Buzzcocks, Elvis Costello, and New Order (on the occasion of their May, 1984 Music for Miners benefit concert at London's Royal Festival Hall). Clarke enjoyed some chart success in the UK with the single Gimmix! Play Loud and subsequent album Snap, Crackle & Bop – which led to an incongruous appearance in two UK commercials for Sugar Puffs in 1988, taking second billing to the Honey Monster! More recently, Clarke has turned some of his stage act away from an emphasis on performance poetry and towards stand-up. ■ Tickets, priced £15, are available from the box office on 0151 907 8360 or at www.thebrindley.org.uk.
PUNK POET: Bard of Salford John Cooper Clarke.
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The big thrill
Boo hiss to Strictly judge
ichael Jackson may have fallen from grace over the past decade but a new show aims to celebrate the era when he could justifiably be deemed the King of Pop.
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BBC’S Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood is hot-footing it to Llandudno’s Venue Cymru this Christmas to appear in the theatre’s pantomime, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. With his reputation of being the harshest of the judges on the primetime television programme, Llandudno audiences will have their opportunity to boo Craig as he takes to the stage in the role of one of pantomime’s ultimate villains, the Wicked Queen! ■ The show runs from December 14-January 3. Tickets can be booked on 01492 872000.
Thriller Live – which comes to the Liverpool Empire from March 9-14 – is a spectacular, high-octane concert specially created to celebrate the career of the world's greatest entertainer. The show covers the early Motown years when The Jackson Five were a teenybopper phenomenon. They evolved into one of the groundbreaking acts of the disco era as The Jacksons before moving on to the 80s when Jackomania ruled the world. Throughout the show the non-stop hits just keep on coming, with I Want You Back, I'll Be There, Show You The Way To Go, Can You Feel It, Rock With You, She's Out Of My Life, Thriller, Beat It, Ben, ABC, Man in the Mirror, Dirty Diana, Billie Jean, Earth Song and many, many more. The cast includes Pop Idol finalist Hayley Evetts, who came to the nation’s attention in the same
SOMETHING WICKED: Craig Revel Horwood.
Thoughts of Mark Watson MOCK The Week comic Mark Watson brings his All The Thoughts I’ve Had Since I Was Born tour to The Brindley in Runcorn on Thursday, March 12. In 2008, Mark won Best Show at the Adelaide and Sydney Comedy Festivals, completed a 100-date tour of the UK, Australia and New Zealand, recorded the second series of his cult Radio 4 show, published his third book and continued his regular appearances on TV. He also recently won Best Show at the Adelaide and Sydney Comedy Festivals. ◆ Tickets are available from 0151 907 8360 at £15.
MOCK MARK: Mark Watson.
contest as Gareth Gates and Will Young. She was also a finalist on Popstars. Most recently she starred as Sandy in a UK tour of Grease and was a featured vocalist in an earlier tour of Thriller Live. To bring to life on stage the distinctive high-energy dancing and pulsating sound of many of pop’s greatest hits, Thriller – Live blends eye-popping video footage and effects together with dazzling choreography by the show’s award-winning director, Gary Lloyd. In a phenomenal, unparallelled career, Michael Jackson has, to date, sold more than 750 million records, had 13 number one singles – more than any other male artist – and is one of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice; once as a member of The Jackson Five in 1997 and later as a solo artist in 2001. His numerous other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records, including one for Thriller as the world's best-selling album of all time – 100 million copies and counting. ◆ For booking information, call the Empire box office on 0844 847 2525 or visit the website: www.LiverpoolEmpire.org.uk
JACKOMANIA: Thriller Live is a celebration of the music of Michael Jackson and The Jackson Five at the Liverpool Empire next week.
No holds bard as strong cast lights up theatre THE great bard would have been proud to witness the Harlequin Players’ adaptation of Henry V, at the group’s Queen Street theatre. Shakespeare’s play, written in 16th Century Elizabethan England, was crafted around real characters and real events. The story is of Prince Hal, forced to ascend the throne on the death of his father, Henry IV. Hal’s inheritance is bitter warring between arch enemies England and France. Prince Hal grows up fast, transforming from a irreverent,
Review by Tracey Clare
beer-swigging adolescent into a mighty leader, capable of slaying the French army in the bloody Battle of Agincourt. England’s success on the battlefield successfully brings to an end the Hundred Years’ War, and Henry’s prize is the hand of the beautiful Princess Katherine, daughter of the King of France, and the successful unification of the two countries, under his own crown.
The strong cast, superbly led by Richard Ellis as the victorious King, matched that of a professional performance. The dedication, energy and sincerity of Ellis and his fellow actors was evident throughout. Lucy Desmond and Sue Curran must also be congratulated on their excellent interpretation of Princess Katherine and her Lady-in-Waiting, respectively. Costumes were simple, but authentic, and all parts rehearsed to perfection. Director Gordon Hamlin, must feel very proud of a job well done.