There’s a well know saying that, “Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder”, and that is very true. Beauty is subjective of course, as are all opinions. We all see the World slightly differently and our likes and dislikes are all different.
Wouldn’t the World be a terrible place if we all liked the same things. Apart from anything else, if everybody liked the same Musicals as I do, I’d never be able to get a ticket!
The great thing about living where we do is that we’re surrounded by a richly diverse selection of theatres and shows. In the professional World, the Opera House and Palace Theatre have such a varied programme of shows that there’s always something for everyone. It’s the same at the Lowry and the Royal Exchange.
In Am/Dram, where the tickets are cheaper but the quality can often be right up there with the professionals, there is also something for everyone. At the Romiley Forum, their version of “Six” will be on stage in late September, Dukinfield Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society are in rehearsals for “The Wiz” in October, there’s “School of Rock” by Mossley Next Generation in late November and many more.
I attend as many shows as I can and there’s never any question that the performers, the singers, the dancers and all those behind the scenes put their heart and souls, not to mention their talents into every production, but there are still shows I don’t enjoy as much.
Last week I saw one of those shows, “Heathers” and the Palace Theatre in Manchester. It’s the second time I’ve seen it. As always the talent on the stage in front of me was amazing. I’d interviewed one of the performers, Kingsley Morton, for my radio show ahead of watching her on stage. She played the part of Martha, the lifelong friend of the main character, Veronica. I’d seen Kingsley before in “The Adams Family” and she was great in that too. In the second half of Heathers she sang a solo, which was magnificent.
I can’t praise the talented cast enough, but I just didn’t enjoy the show. The story seemed all over the place and lacked soul. The main character was involved in murdering three other roles but suffered no consequences. Call me old fashioned, but I prefer to watch a show where I have empathy for at least some people within the story. Martha was the only one I felt that way about.
I suppose this show wasn’t aimed at me, but the audience, which was predominantly young women, loved it. They laughed and cheered and one or two were even dressed in school uniforms to match with the context of the story, which was set in a high school.
Another example of how tastes differ has been the reception “Back to the Future”, a show I love, which has only recently had it’s official premiere on Broadway. One or two of the reviews have been negative, most notably in the New York Times who said, “The time-warping, plutonium powered DeLorean is a crafty illusion, combining mechanical action, busy projections and a lot of distraction with fog, lights and sound – alas that describes the rest of the show”. I completely disagree with that review.
“Back to the Future” which launched at Manchester’s Opera House, just before Covid, is magnificent in my opinion. The moral of this story is, ignore what other people think, enjoy the joys of theatre, giving everything a try and make your own mind up!
My guests on Break-a-Leg on Tameside Radio this Sunday include two comedians, Justin Moorhouse, who’s on tour this autumn and Rachel Fairburn who’ll be at Manchester’s Opera House with “Showgirl” on Saturday 9th September, I hope you’ll join me on Sunday from 7pm.
