This is not Beauty and the Beast. This is a different Beast. A Paradise Heights Bogey Man, a monster of a man, a Cyclops, the war horse of Paradise Heights, the terrifying doorman of the Ace of Spades Club owned by gangster Frank Morgan.

But something is haunting Jack, and it’s not just The Angel of The Heights.

‘Deuces are wild, not one eyed Jacks…’

Strawberry Jack Grundy was a wild child that grew into a ferocious man. Once the War Horse of Paradise Heights, recent events have stacked the deck firmly against the One Eyed Jack of The Ace of Spades Club. He is now a fading shadow of the warrior and street fighter he once was.

But the rescue of a woman on the mean streets of Paradise Heights thrusts Jack into a situation he has never faced before, untapped feelings stir and a frozen heart begins to melt. But One Eyed Jacks aren’t always lucky; someone wants Jack dead by Christmas.

They say Christmas is a time for angels, a time for miracles. Well Jack may have found his angel. Now all he needs is a miracle…

Following on from the fabulous success of The Haunting of Blaine Manor and The Bench: A Tale from Paradise Heights at The Platform Theatre, award winning writer and director Joe O’Byrne returns with the next tale in his critically acclaimed series Tales from Paradise Heights.

You don’t have to have seen the previous plays to enjoy, Strawberry Jack: A Tale from Paradise Heights a gritty urban thriller with a rich vein of the supernatural.

The show premiered in 2011 and had one run before Joe got busy doing other projects, or life got in the way. It garnered fabulous reviews and out of over 2000 shows that The Public Reviews (now The Reviews Hub) reviewed that year it finished in the Top 50, that included many West End shows.

‘This is my Red, Black and White play, even down to the wonderful posters and trailers from the brilliant Darren McGinn. This is my throw back to the Greek Tragedies and it tells a tale on a par with them; a living myth, a fairy tale freak, a dark legend who is struggling to fill the scarred skin of the beast he once was. I’m really proud of what the cast and crew are doing on this one. We’re creating a living nightmare world, a world that could be in permanent night such is the atmosphere. It’s Christmas here too, but it’s a nightmare Christmas as it is for so many each year, and I wanted to reflect that too, but at the same time keep a light burning for hope. That’s not to say you won’t find plenty of humour here, gloriously black humour swirling around these extraordinary characters – the ‘Bad Batch’ – the worn in villains and worn out heroes, that will thrill you, make you laugh and yes, make you cry. Oh, and look out for Shirley, The Angel of The Heights – seen in The Bench and talked about in Diane’s Deli. The show again has an original soundtrack and design from the brilliant Justin Wetherill. This one is really evocative of a world caught between waking and sleeping, set in the hours of the night club but at the same time that supernatural edge is there again.

‘This one is quite ambitious in what I’m aiming for, achievable I think – and if this works I’ll build even further on it. The work everyone is putting in though is amazing, showing a real love for theatre, characters, sound, vision and storytelling – all we need now is an audience.’ Joe O’Byrne

Six actors play eight colourful parts, talented Paradise Heights regulars Ed Barry, Jeni Williams, Peter Slater and Joe O’Byrne feature as do two dynamic new talents, Susan McCardle and Liam Grunshaw – absolute forces of nature both of them, it’s fabulous what they are bringing to this super talented cast.

Reviews:

The dialogue is pungently, darkly witty, shot through with unforced pathos and flashes of real poetry. But it’s also Paradise Heights and even Charles Dickens wouldn’t go there without someone riding shotgun. With a master storyteller’s skill, O’Byrne sets up all of the mechanisms that we know will damn and destroy his protagonist, then puts them into motion…Strawberry Jack finds Joe O’Byrne at the top of his (considerable) game… 5 STAR Review Steve Balshaw, Grimmfest

How does he keep doing it? I ask myself this question every time I have the great pleasure to witness the birth of yet another classic piece of theatre from the mighty Joe O’Byrne. The Bolton-based writer/director/actor unleashed his latest creation, ‘Strawberry Jack’ this week, and delivered yet another 5 star effort. Strawberry Jack: A Tale from Paradise Heights is the latest instalment in O’Byrne’s series of plays located on the fictional northern England estate of Paradise Heights…more twists and turns than Tarantino, a good deal more originality than any Guy Ritchie geezer-fest, and comes straight from the heart. Brian Gorman. The Public Reviews

And the next Tale from Paradise Heights arrives the following week, 14/15 December.

Please call the Box Office on 01253 290190 or visit www.BlackpoolGrand.co.uk for bookings and further information. Matinee and evening performances available.