Curtain Up - Altrincham Garrick

CURTAIN UP is sure to remind fans of live entertainment just what they’ve been missing

during the Covid crisis, providing an uplifting, emotional and unforgettable journey into the

world of musical theatre.

Old favourites sit comfortably alongside the new stuff, with a talented and close knit cast

putting their heart and soul into ever number that they sing.

Some of the company would not sound out of place on a professional stage and I applaud

director Joe Meighan and musical director Neil G Bennett for their ambition when choosing

the courses for this sumptuous theatrical feast.

I’ve been reviewing theatre for more than 30 years and I’d no idea Little Women had been

turned into a musical. But Caitlin Vineyard and Emily Leeland’s rendition of the gorgeous

Some Things Are Meant To Be was the highlight of the evening for me.

Equally memorable was All I Ask of You from Phantom of the Opera always set me off and

Lottie Warburton and Lewis Sewell’s rendition certainly does it justice, and then some.

Similarly impressive is Kat Rawling’s Another Suitcase In Another Hall, from what is for me

the best Lloyd Weber/Tim Rice show, Evita.

Then there’s Suddenly Seymour, from one of my favourites, the wonderfully wacky Little

Shop of Horrors and the strangely haunting and hypnotic Feed The Birds from Mary Poppins.

It feels unfair to single out individual performers for praise because this implies there are

weak links in the cast, and they’re aren’t.

For decades I’ve always praised Trafford as a centre of excellence for producing top quality

musical theatre.

With Curtain Up, though, Altrincham Garrick has raised the bar even higher.

Until September 25. Star rating - ***** The box office is on 0161 928 1677.. Photo by

Martin Ogden