Review: Murder, Mayhem & Magic - Little Liverpool Theatre Festival

 The Little Liverpool Theatre Festival returned to the city for a second year following the successful inaugural staging in September 2020. The festival is the sister event of the award-winning Liverpool Theatre Festival which was born as a response to the pandemic and the demand for live entertainment.

The festival ran over 6 days and showcased new writing, whilst celebrating new talent from across the North West. The location was St Luke's Bombed out church.  I had the privilege of attending five performances over the weekend and the first show that I watched on Saturday afternoon was one for all the family. As a Shakespeare buff, I was in my element.

Presented by A Place For Us Theatre Company The cast was made up of Colin Kiyani, Roz Norbury and Katie Fry.

The synopsis:

Shakespeare's lost his script, his cast and his mojo. There's gonna be murder & mayhem in the Elizabethan court. He needs some theatre magic and a LOT of help from his friends! Shakespeare arrives to stage his latest play for 'Queenie' only to realise the actors aren't coming. The plays have been misplaced and the only two people to help are WOMEN - who were banned from acting! Over an hour, audiences experience some of The Bards most iconic scenes as the trio create a show from what they remember. Anything to not lose their heads!

The self-aggrandising Shakespeare or Will-I Am as he refers to himself is full of energy and misogyny as he outlines his plan to turn a chaotic situation around. The audience acquiesce and get involved with being extras for excerpts of some of the popular scenes from Macbeth, Twelfth Night, Hamlet and Midsummer Night's dream.

From Witchy scenes where the audience repeat "Foul is fair and fair is foul" to donning fairy wings and holding up illuminated tea lights, there were plenty of opportunities for audience participation regardless of the age. It was a fantastic mix of serious soliloquy to farcical tomfoolery. The energy of the cast was second to none. Despite the audience being so small, they managed to keep the engagement and energy of the whole performance flowing perfectly. Kudos to the cast for giving the performance their all. It would have been so easy to be demoralised by the poor turnout, but they seemed completely un-phased.

My favourite Shakespearean play is undoubtedly Hamlet, so I was particularly pleased to see its inclusion. Colin Kiyani was exceptional as he performed the scene where he and Horatio witness the ghost of his late father.

It was a show for the whole family, with modern references, humour and high levels of engagement with the audience, it was a very accessible performance and one which I smiled through from beginning to end. 

Kudos to the cast and congratulations to Bill Elms - Liverpool Theatre Festival Director. It was a great addition to the programme.