Reviewed by Richard Stamp
The Old Clubhouse
Theatre
Run ended; next appearing at the Greater Manchester Fringe Festival, 17-20 July

Across the road from the opera house, in front of a grand bay window, stands a plain wooden table. On the table lies a chessboard. At the chessboard sits a man. He’s sitting silently, morose and distracted, waiting for a guest: an opponent he’s been avoiding for the last 25 years.

Reviewed by Richard Stamp
United Reformed Church, Blue Room
Theatre
6-7 & 12-13 Jul, 7:30pm to 8:30pm

Written by its cast and “the folk of Nottinghamshire”, Arletty Theatre’s Patchwork Lives was always destined to be a rewarding, multi-faceted play. There’s a literal patchwork quilt hanging at the back of the stage, and as you wait for the show to start you might find yourself scanning the dedications written on each square: to “my mum, the leather worker” for example, or simply “my gran”. Each fragment of fabric represents a remembered life… and soon, the homely Quilter and her friend the Ghost step forward to tell these tales.

Reviewed by Richard Stamp
Underground Venues
Comedy
5 Jul 5:30pm to 6:30pm, 6 Jul 4pm to 5pm, 9 Jul 8:30pm to 9:30pm

“My name’s Alfie Moore, and I’m a compulsive gambler,” says the thick-set man walking onto the stage. It’s a surprising opening for a stand-up routine, but it proves a rich jumping-off point for an hour of gentle laughter, which tackles a handful of important topics in the context – so Moore says – of his own sometimes-poignant life story.