Last night, we checked out the latest edition of JB Shorts at 53Two, featuring six super relevant and often hilarious short plays right here in Manchester city centre.
Covering everything from grief and UK politics to AI, each story had its own unique spin and definitely made you think.
Joyce Branagh’s Isobel Openshaw Saves the Day kicks off JB Shorts with a bang. This political comedy, directed by Alyx Tole, had a proper feel of old British sketches. Branagh, who also plays Isobel, nails it with her sharp, witty character who sees through political BS.
With Joanne Dakin as Jenny Legohead and Callum Sim in multiple roles, the cast’s comic timing is spot-on. The plot follows Isobel’s wild rise in politics, poking fun at British political antics and media hype. This had stellar performances all around and the lively humour made it a great opener.
We had the pleasure of reviewing JB Shorts 24 last week – and it didn’t disappoint. (Credit: 53two/The Manc Group)
Next up was Maz Hedgehog’s Aftercare, directed by Justina Aina, which shifted the mood with a more introspective tone. This piece is set outside a sex party and explores the emotional aftermath of an intense encounter relating to BDSM, in an attempted playful manner.
Meg Narongchai as Bree and Trayvaughn Robins as Tobi could potentially have done with polishing this a little more; we sometimes struggled to understand the purpose and meaning of the story as the delivery and performances weren’t quite up to scratch – all effort though.
It wasn’t until Macaulay Cooper burst onto the stage that we understood what they were going for a little more, bringing his infectious and playful energy to a story that certainly needs some work/tweaking. The play struggles to find its footing; the dialogue, though sassy and heartfelt at times, just didn’t quite land, leaving myself and the audience wanting more from this.
Food Fight, by Lindsay Williams and Cathy Crabb, directed by Miranda Parker, brings back the energy with a comedic yet touching look at food banks and poverty. Jenny Williams is great as the bossy Davina, who has her own biases about food distribution.
Jessica Ellis’ Amy challenges these ideas, adding real conflict. The supporting cast, including Chris Brett and Emily Ash, were a great addition who brought lots of camaraderie, I especially loved the line about the tins of beans. The ending felt slightly rushed however the play’s timely social critique and charming characters make this a solid piece.
Dave Simpson’s Life Is No Joke, directed by Robert Marsden, this one plucked those heartstrings – A heartfelt look at fatherhood and unfulfilled dreams. Darren Jeffries shines as Mike, an accountant dreaming of a comedy career, while Manc acting veteran John Henshaw is perfect as the old-school comedian father, Kenny.
I absolutely fell in love with all three of these characters and their sheer vulnerability. Amy Du Quesne narrates and plays Kathy (Mike’s love interest) so well, while Darren and Amy oozed chemistry, making the sad moments hit even harder. The play balanced laughs with touching moments, getting the audience involved from the start to create a strong connection and make this an emotional highlight.
James Quinn and Trevor Suthers’ This is Not a Play – directed by Quinn himself – tackles the complex and timely issue of AI and its impact on reality and creativity. John Tueart and Victoria Tunnah play siblings entangled in a narrative about deepfakes and career sabotage.
And a massive thank you to our sponsors @motorsolicitor and David Rutherford and Diana Hamilton Fairley. Steve Jones and Manchester City Council. We really appreciate your ongoing support at this difficult time for the arts.
With a standout performance from Tueart, particularly, the dialogue is sharp and thought-provoking, though it occasionally veers into verbosity. The play’s meta-theatrical twist adds a clever layer but also highlights the limitations of AI in creative storytelling, ultimately reassuring the audience that the human touch remains irreplaceable.
The night ends with Debbie Oates’ Mrs Proops, directed by Ellie Rose. Isabel Ford and Toby Hadoke lead this touching story about grief and inheritance, with Marc Parrett’s cat puppet, brought to life by Kery Elly, stealing the show.
The plot revolves around Gaz’s struggle with his sister’s death and the quirky terms of her will. Despite a slow pace, the play’s emotional depth and charming performances provide a thoughtful end to the evening, leaving the audience pondering themes of loss and family.
The reviews for the night as a whole have been pretty strong across the board.
All in all, this turned out to be a great way to spend a Friday night.
JB Shorts is a great platform for new writing, offering an affordable and diverse night of theatre. Even with some unevenness, the collection of plays brings humour, insight, and heartfelt moments, ensuring there’s something for everyone.
We’ve also got a lot of love for 53Two, which remains an important theatre space, cultural site and charity here in Manchester city centre.
Since taking over the reins from founding venue Joshua Brooks in 2016, this low-key theatrical event has gone on to become a real returning cult favourite year after year and one that’s well worth going along and giving a try.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat – a masterclass in comedy, colour and movement
Danny Jones
To start with, we’re going to begin this review by advocating for going into stage shows with as little knowledge as possible because it only dials up the already exaggerated nature even further – we knew next to nothing about Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat before seeing it in Manchester.
And we truly think it helped.
Now, when we say nothing, we’ve obviously heard the title plenty of times over the years as it remains one of the most celebrated musical productions on the planet, and you don’t need to be an avid theatre buff to know who Andrew Lloyd Webber is. The point being is that all we knew was its reputation.
Going along with a second party several decades older than us who shared the same blindspot and just never quite understood what all the fuss was about makes the next part even funnier: we both loved it.
Colour, colour and more colour.Some impressive yet superbly simple production value.Our review of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Opera House in Manchester. (Credit: Press Tristram Kenton)
We’re not going to dive too heavily into the story as we’re sure plenty of you who are more well-versed in the genre don’t need a synopsis regurgitating for the umpteenth time, but what we will say is that we’re somewhat glad we weren’t aware of its religious themes and numerous biblical references.
Not because we have any particular issue with Christianity nor adapting stories within theologies to turn them into entertainment, but because as atheists we probably would have been less keen to choose this particular text over another.
However, this is why we’re thankful for going in blind as we fear many others have missed out on this long-standing vibrant, energetic, all-singing, all-dancing twist on the tale of Genesis for decades simply due to being non-believers/agnostic.
That being said, we can confidently assure you that not only can you put your thoughts on faith to one side for the duration of the performance but, for us at least, it felt like it was more of an undercurrent than anything else and had little bearing on what a truly joyful evening for all ages.
You also get hand-held through it through the eyes of the children being retold the story right in front of you by the expert narrator, Christina Bianco, whose interventions and comic timing were lethal on a crowd already easily cracked up by a punchline or two – but she had the best of the lot.
Where else to begin than with Joseph himself, played by Adam Filipe, who although we’ll admit to being layman on the subject until last night, feels almost born to play the role.
Not only did he bring respite to an otherwise frenetic (in the best way possible) onslaught of singing with his ability to deliver certain lines as nothing more than perfectly enunciated and emotional speech, but his voice was on point throughout and the way he made full use of the stage from the start was great.
One particularly immature slide up the curved wall of the set in the opening five minutes and we knew all we needed to know about not just movement but the rest of the cast too; pretty much non-stop movement and expression virtually at all times.
The dancing – particularly a rather hilarious ‘can-can’ confusion – was top-notch throughout and no matter which bright, flowing costume he or the ensemble was wearing during a specific number, they all looked the part and didn’t put a foot out of place.
Even a more serious interlude was welcome.We’d have loved more yellow-forward moment and backdrops in the palette but that’s just us being picky…Credit: Press Images
But much to our delight, there really wasn’t one standout performance that stood head and shoulders above the rest, simply because they were all brilliant.
Whether it was the Jacobs and Sons company of brothers bringing both melodrama and some comic relief, or the score of female dancers delivering an elegance and added level of pageantry to proceedings, they all played their part.
However, every time one or more of the kids took to the stage a show-stealing moment was ripe for the picking and they all seized their opportunity, be it in unison or in the select few solo moments in the spotlight. An audience is always going to get up for youngsters shining front and centre.
But, we suppose if we absolutely had to give another special mention to another member of the production and single them out, there’s only one person it could be…
Having previously played the lead role back in 2016 following his X-Factor success, Joe McElderry returns to Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and the Manc crowd in the role of the Pharoah and boy was he good having passed the baton and shifted gears. So good and so funny.
As well as an expert command of light, colour and choreography, the one thing we were surprised by was just how well-placed the comedy was throughout.
Not too much, not too little and nothing too contrived – a hard balance to strike and one that helps ease in those rare typically theatre-goers prone to a touch of cringe.
All in all, we sincerely urge you to go and see this show for yourselves, especially if you’re like us and have never given it a chance before. You won’t regret it.
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is on in Manchester until Sunday, 9 March. You can still grab tickets HERE.
In case you were wondering who stole the show in @JosephMusical at the @PalaceAndOpera, they all did… but we'll admit the Pharoah is a bit of a legend. 😅👏
Hit theatre production set at a house party to visit Manchester on UK tour
Daisy Jackson
Alright then, 24 hour party people, we’ve found a theatre production you might like the sound of – it’s called The House Party, and it’s set in (you guessed it) a house party.
This smash hit production by pioneering theatre company Headlong is set to land at HOME in March as part of the arts venue’s 2025 theatre season.
It tells the tale of a wild 18th birthday party, where Christine is trying to pick up the pieces of her best friend, a newly-dumped Julie (who happens to be the birthday girl).
Themes of class, power and privilege are all explored with a raw intensity as the cast on stage plough through shots and dive head-first into a night that will change everything they know.
The House Party, which has received glowing reviews from previous showings, is filled with ‘privilege, desire and destruction’.
When it stops off in Manchester, its cast will include Bridgerton’s Sesley Hope as Christine, Synnøve Karlsen (Miss Austen, Last Night in Soho) as Julie, and Tom Lewis (Gentleman Jack, Patience) as Jon.
The ensemble of Frantic Assembly performers includes Ines Aresti, Oliver Baines, Cal Connor, Micah Corbin-Powell, Rachael Leonce, Jaheem Pinder and Jamie Randall.
The House Party is written by Laura Lomas and is a reimagining of August Strindberg’s Miss Julie for today’s generation.
It’s directed by Headlong’s artistic director Holly Race Roughan, who directed the Royal Shakespeare Company’s world premiere of David Edgar’s major new political play The New Real.
The House Party. Credit: Ikin YumThe production will be at HOME. Credit: Supplied
Movement direction will come from Frantic Assembly’s Scott Graham.
Prior to the UK tour of The House Party, Headlong celebrated its 50 year anniversary, including the hit production of A Raisin in the Sun which played nationwide.
The House Party will be at HOME in Manchester between 25 and 29 March, 2025 – you can get your tickets HERE.
Charlie Watkinson -
20th May 2024 
