Theatre Review:- "Sea Hawk Pirates at Hope Street Theatre, Liverpool"

WE headed to Hope Street Theatre, in Liverpool, on 15 September 2022 to see the brand new family musical, Sea Hawk Pirates, written by Barry Levy and preformed by City Theatre Rep Company. We held back the report about the show, that ran from 15 September to 17 September 2022, due to the Queen's death,

This was our 1st time we had visited this Theatre, located within the Grade II listed Masonic Hall, across the road from the more well known The Everyman Theatre. This venue might not be as well known, but it has quickly built a reputation high quality, small productions, and is well worth checking out. But this is not a review about the venue, but it does play a major part in our view of this show.

Sea Hawk Pirates is a comedy drama, that uses well known songs that the audience can easily recognise. It has a very simple stage set, using projections more than props, meaning most of the attention is fixed on the cast, who have to act to set the scenes. To be honest, this production really doesn't require huge elaborate sets. Its a script that is perfect for this type of theatre setting. It just requires basic lighting and basic sound effects to help the audience to imagine the location. It would be fantastic for the show to have had massive sets, but the venue itself could not accommodate them, even if they did have them.

The story is a simple idea, that is set within the golden age of Pirates. It sees 2 gangs of Pirates taking to the high seas to find a treasure, lead by a rogue pirate. What could possibly go wrong? As the story unfolds, after the ship is hit by a ferocious storm, we find the crew on a mysterious island called Pirates Rock, as they hunt for a mysterious jewel. As this is a family friendly show the twists and turns are not hard to follow, and the story progresses at a sensible pace that continues to entertain audiences throughout. The cast was full of young talent, that have been given a fantastic opportunity to shine. The acting by all the members of the cast was professional and with good delivery of lines. Elisha Mai Curry, the youngest member of the cast, aged 18, is a good example of this. Despite not having microphones, both the venue and her voice allowed the audience to easily hear her throughout the play. Other strong performances came from both Molly Riley and Sean Campbell.

Unlike other shows we have reviewed, we will be allowing you to watch the full show very soon, so if you did not go, you can make up your mind as to what you think of it. But our view this was a resounding success based on the laughter and the applause at the end of the show. As a result we have opted to give the theatrical performance 4½ starts out of 5. We also noted that it was nearly a sell out on all 3 nights. With the cost of living crisis and with an unknown cast, at a lesser known theatre, this is quite an achievement in itself.

The choreography by both Lydia Pearl and Rebekah Moreland let the performers used the stage area to the best of their ability.

Keep an eye out for Sea Hawk Pirates cast member in other productions.  All of them put a lot of time an effort into this production and it differently showed.

A big well done to all the cast:-

Pirate Grace Avery - Elisha Mai Curry

Pirate Manson Kidd - Graham Lyne

Sir T Lansdale - Joe Gorden

Pirate Finn Roberts - Leo Hewitson

Wreck - Molly Riley

Plank - Sean Cambell

Pirate G-Gunn - Lucy Walters

Ripp Bonehead - Scott Lewis

Pipp Skull - Alexandra Rochford

Pirate Cannon - Katie Homes

Rockstar Rebel - Gabrielle McCabemt

Merchant / Tiger Rebel - Eli Morgan

The Leader - Verona Gashi

Lisha - Emma Goult

For us, it lost ½ a mark due to a few minor things, such as a strange number being sung at the end, that did not seem connected to the show. it would also be fantastic if the show had its very own music, but realistically, for the size of the venue, and the type of theatre audience, we don't think it would not make commercial sense at this point to do such a thing.

We will let you discover who will survive and who will die and see if you agree with us when it goes live on YouTube, and on here very soon...!

If you want to find out more about City Theatre Rep and how you can join them, please go to the production company's website at:- CityEntertainmentGroup.Co.UK or follow them on Facebook.

4½ out of 5

A free Military Vehicle Display is set to help Formby Royal British Legion's 100th Anniversary Year

DID you see the convoy of former military vehicles around Hightown and Crosby on Saturday, 1 October 2022? The Mid Lancashire MVT members where on an outing to visit Altcar Training Camp, during an outing from their annual pre-winter meet up at the Heatons Bridge Inn, Scarisbrick. Some of the group also visited The Hightown Pub and Kitchen, along a few others taking in a diversion to see Anthony Gormley's Another Anthony Gormley's Another Place. If you missed them, don't worry as they will be returning to our part of Sefton for a Military Vehicle Display in association with Formby Royal British Legion, as part of the Formby Branch's 100th Anniversary Year Celebrations. The FREE event will be held on Saturday, 15 October 2022, from:- 10am to 3:30pm, on the National Trust Formby's, Lifeboat Road Car Park, but please note that charges will still apply if parking on site at Formby National Trust. The 15 October event of Formby Point's Car Park is being run in conjunction with the Military Vehicle Trust, National Trust and with support from ourselves at Southport and Mersey Reporter. These are a few photos we took of the MTV group's visit to Hightown and Crosby, on Saturday, 1 October 2022, and give you an idea of a few of the smaller vehicles that are set to exhibit at Formby Point, for the Formby Royal British Legion...