Moston’s North West Theatre Arts Company delivers a deeply moving, beautifully unified production of the much‑loved 9/11 musical, capturing its message of compassion, connection and shared humanity with remarkable sincerity. Ian Cheeseman reviews…
Amateur Dramatics is not just about staging a play or a Musical, it’s about sharing stories, understanding and empathy and the North West Theatre Arts Company (NWTAC) is a perfect example of this. Their unobtrusive base, which includes a 100 seat venue, is on Lightbowne Road in Moston, an area I know well from by time at the BBC, when I used to do interviews at the nearby Collyhurst Boxing Club, with trainer Brian Hughes.
Brian was awarded an MBE for his services to the community. He was so proud of the fact he helped mould the careers of fighters like Tyson Fury and Scott Quigg, but he was also keen to emphasise that even those who would not go on to make it professionally, were taught self-discipline, punctuality and to feel they had a value and purpose.
Prob Singh, the director and “Chairographer” of NWTAC’s latest production, Come From Away, is another man of great integrity and with great passion for what he does. I’ve seen a few different iterations of this musical, that tells the story of those aeroplane passengers who ended up stranded, for a few days, in Gander Newfoundland during the tragedy of 9/11. It’s a favourite show of mine and this one didn’t disappoint. Prob reminds me of Brian Hughes; a charismatic an dedicated mentor.
It’s an ensemble cast with everyone playing multiple characters, based on the real people who lived through it. Mark Barnes-Moran, who played Kevin, summed up the show perfectly when he wrote, “a show whose message of compassion and human connection feels more important than ever”, in the programme.
Among the characters, played by Anthony Horricks, was an Asian chef who was initially seen as a potential terrorist threat by other passengers. Anthony nailed the subtleties of the story perfectly. Olivia Amson-Orth and Katie Gough were other standout performers, but the truth is that Come From Away is a show that relies on teamwork and can have no weak links. The cast achieved that and all deserve credit.
Prob Singh told me, “We create together. We have a group of actors who trust me as the director and I trust them as actors. You’re on a level playing field at the start. We’re a team off the stage as well as on it, which mirrors what the story is. It’s a whole community coming together to put this production on.
“Because people often drive past us but never notice us, it’s probably the nicest, but also not nicest thing, people say when we’re described as Manchester’s hidden gem. We don’t want to be hidden. The building we’re in was actually the old Barrs Tizer factory.” That should surprise anyone who remembers the old Tizer slogan!
Well I can certainly confirm that Moston’s NWTAC are a very talented bunch. Check them out and support them if you can. If you miss out on Come From Away, they have many more productions on the way soon.
COME FROM AWAY by NWTAC runs until Saturday 23rd May