What does ‘making it’ really mean?
Backstage in a Liverpool social club, actress and cabaret diva, Bev, eagerly awaits a career- changing call from her London agent. As she prepares for her last ever gig, Bev shares stories of her search for stardom and her fight for survival. We learn about the lecherous managers, holiday-camp and cruise-ship mafia, and how a meeting with a famous director could mean the end of her days as a travelling social-club singer and a chance to ‘make it’. But at what cost?
For anyone who’s ever wanted to look behind the club-lounge starcloth, this new comedy two-hander shines a spotlight on how a working-class wonder woman survives in the tricky world of showbusiness.
Making It! began as a homegrown one woman show in 2018 called Our Bev’s Christmas Cracker, winning a Liverpool Echo Theatre Award, and played to sellout crowds. This time, writing duo Stephen Fletcher and Cath Rice have developed the show further and are proud to present this exciting comedy two-hander, now also starring the brilliant Andrew Schofield.
“A lot of heart, soul and Merseyside wit, you’ll be glad you popped down to see Bev” Liverpool Echo
Written by Stephen Fletcher & Catherine Rice with additional material by Andrew Schofield
Directed by Stephen Fletcher
Once a cult sensation, Rob Madge’s show has grown in stature to become WhatsOnStage Award winning and Olivier Award nominated and now due to public demand is set to embark on a brand new national tour visiting Liverpool Playhouse for the first time.
When Rob was 12, they attempted to stage a full-blown Disney parade in their house for their Grandma. As Rob donned a wig and played Mary Poppins, Ariel, Mickey Mouse and Belle, their Dad doubled as Stage Manager, Sound Technician and Goofy. Unfortunately, Dad missed all his cues and pushed all the floats in the wrong direction. Mum mistook Aladdin for Ursula. The costumes went awry and Ariel’s bubble gun didn’t work properly. Grandma had a nice time though.
My Son’s A Queer, (But What Can You Do?) celebrates the joy and chaos of raising a queer child and is testament to the power of unconditional familial love.
Originating at the Turbine Theatre in 2021, it had a sold-out season at the Edinburgh Festival in 2022, followed by a national tour and then two West End runs. Three years on join social-media sensation Rob Madge as they set out to recreate that parade – and this time, nobody, no, NOBODY is gonna rain on it!
Not many musical explosions define a generation and change music for ever. There was Rock and Roll in 1956, Beatlemania in 1963, Flower Power in 1967, The birth of Rock in 1970 and then there was… Punk and New Wave.
Between 1976 and 1979 the music world and popular culture was turned upside down as bands, musicians and fashion adopted a new and fresh ‘DIY’ approach to making music and expressing itself. From its birth in New York City to its adolescence in London and onto its maturity across the globe Punk and New Wave is most defiantly the music that defined a generation.
For the first time all the hits, attitude and fashion are brought to the stage by this incredibly talented cast of musicians, singers and dancers that will take you on a rollercoaster ride you will never forget.
“Behold Ye Ramblers!” – weaves poetry, song, wit, music and comedy in a performance revealing the history of the Clarion Movement that inspired the development of outdoor pursuits and leisure for ‘the many’ and established vital campaigns to claim the right to walk freely across the countryside; to protect, defend and connect with the land.
From about 1890 up to the 1930s, readers of the “The Clarion” newspaper formed clubs and societies dedicated to leisure and educational pursuits for the furtherance of health and wellbeing – Clarion Cycling, Clarion Rambling, Scouts, Vocal Unions (choirs), drama groups, brass bands – as well as the Clarion Van for the promotion of Socialism.
New, lively arrangements of songs from the Clarion Song Book (from such luminaries as William Morris, Edward Carpenter and Edith Nesbit) and popular songs amongst the cyclists and ramblers will be front and centre of the performance.
The year is 1916.
Drawn from two years of Sussex retirement for the funeral of his friend, Dr Watson, Holmes returns to Baker Street to resolve ‘the last act’ of his epic career.
A theatrical evening then unfolds, with fourteen characters, all played by Nigel Miles-Thomas in a tour de force performance.
Cross-examinations, heated arguments between Holmes and Watson, and all manner of comic and serious interactions, between many famous Conan Doyle characters.
As the play concludes the great detective reveals a shocking secret.
Written by Conan Doyle expert David Stuart Davies, directed by award-winning Gareth Armstrong.
Sherlock Holmes, the original and greatest literary detective of them all, tackles the most baffling case of his career in this cheeky but chilling adaptation.
This gripping show promises an irresistible blend of tension and wit. Performed in the great outdoors by Illyria, prepare for an unforgettable evening of mystery, intrigue and things that go ‘woof’ in the night!
This is an outdoor production, so please bring your own chair or blanket to sit on and dress for the weather!
Notes on Performance:
- Running time approx: 2hrs 20 minutes (inc interval)
- All ages welcome, recommended 8+, under 12 months go free.
- Gates open one hour before, so come and enjoy the beautiful surroundings. Please note that due to our license, only alcohol purchased on The Reader’s premises may be consumed at this event.
- New for 2024 – Premium Ticket includes a deckchair with a guaranteed great view of the performance.
- In case of rain, please don’t bring umbrellas as they block sight-lines for other audience members. Ponchos and raincoats are just as fetching, so please wear these instead.
- Our Garden Theatre is wheelchair and pram accessible.
- Only assistance dogs are permitted.
- We have a limited number of free essential companion tickets available, please contact the Box Office tickets@thereader.org.uk
Join The Lord Chamberlain’s Men in the Garden Theatre at Calderstones Park this summer, for an outdoor production of Hamlet.
With a history stretching back to William Shakespeare’s original company, they present this great play as he first saw it – in the open air, with an all-male cast and Elizabethan costumes, music and dance.
This is an outdoor production, so please bring your own chair or blanket to sit on and dress for the weather! If you don’t want to bring a chair, you can upgrade your experience and add a deckchair (subject to availability) when you checkout.
Notes on Performance:
- Running time approx: 2hrs 15 minutes (inc interval)
- All ages welcome, under 12 months go free.
- Gates open one hour before, so come and enjoy the beautiful surroundings. Please note that due to our license, only alcohol purchased on The Reader’s premises may be consumed at this event.
- In case of rain, please don’t bring umbrellas as they block sight-lines for other audience members. Ponchos and raincoats are just as fetching, so please wear these instead.
- Our Garden Theatre is wheelchair and pram accessible.
- Only assistance dogs are permitted.
- We have a limited number of free essential companion tickets available, please contact the Box Office tickets@thereader.org.uk
For more information and to find out more about The Lord Chamberlains Men, click here.
Join The Handlebards for a bicycle-powered production of Shakespeare’s ‘The Comedy of Errors’ like you’ve never seen before.
When two sets of estranged twins are brought together on the same island, this classic comedy takes hold, with mistaken identity, music and manic costume changes a plenty.
This is an outdoor production, so please bring your own chair or blanket to sit on and dress for the weather!
Notes on Performance:
- Running time approx: 2hrs (inc interval)
- All ages welcome, recommended 8+, under 12 months go free.
- Gates open one hour before, so come and enjoy the beautiful surroundings. Please note that due to our license, only alcohol purchased on The Reader’s premises may be consumed at this event.
- New for 2024 – Premium Ticket includes a deckchair with a guaranteed great view of the performance.
- In case of rain, please don’t bring umbrellas as they block sight-lines for other audience members. Ponchos and raincoats are just as fetching, so please wear these instead.
- Our Garden Theatre is wheelchair and pram accessible.
- Only assistance dogs are permitted.
- We have a limited number of free essential companion tickets available, please contact the Box Office tickets@thereader.org.uk
Two wealthy families, the Montagues and the Capulets, are at war. But when Romeo (Montague’s son) meets Juliet (Capulet’s daughter) they fall into a forbidden love with devastating consequences.
Performed by Illyria in the great outdoors, this Shakespearean classic is passionate, poetic, and utterly gripping.
This is an outdoor production, so please bring your own chair or blanket to sit on and dress for the weather!
Notes on Performance:
- Running time approx: 2hrs 20 minutes (inc interval)
- All ages welcome, recommended 8+, under 12 months go free.
- Gates open one hour before, so come and enjoy the beautiful surroundings. Please note that due to our license, only alcohol purchased on The Reader’s premises may be consumed at this event.
- New for 2024 – Premium Ticket includes a deckchair with a guaranteed great view of the performance.
- In case of rain, please don’t bring umbrellas as they block sight-lines for other audience members. Ponchos and raincoats are just as fetching, so please wear these instead.
- Our Garden Theatre is wheelchair and pram accessible.
- Only assistance dogs are permitted.
- We have a limited number of free essential companion tickets available, please contact the Box Office tickets@thereader.org.uk
