Mark Davoren, Author at North West End UK

Who’s Afraid of Mikey Garland? – Hope Street Theatre

12Feb

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Who’s Afraid of Mikey Garland? – Hope Street Theatre

Drawing upon his own experiences of homelessness from the age of five, Liverpool-based rapper Mikey Garland narrates the course of his life around his debut album of the same title in this production from ArtsGroupie CIC. The show carries a content warning relating to themes which may be triggering to some people, so audience discretion is advised. Garland employs a simple set with minimal props to support the stages of his journey over the course of the last twenty-eight years and this works well given he is a visually engaging performer with numerous costume changes supporting the performance of each of the twelve songs. The stage descends to darkness between songs with a voice over detailing the background experiences in Garland’s life at each point in time. Whilst this effectivel...

<strong>Closure – HOME Manchester</strong>

30Jan

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Closure – HOME Manchester

Alex (Conor Burns) and Laura (Nina Holland-Smith) arrive at a dinner party hosted by Laura’s friend Mia (Faye Draper) where they soon discover that all is not as it seems, in fact they may not even leave alive… Written by Draper and directed by Maz Hedgehog, Closure takes black comedy into its darkest corner as it unravels women’s rights, wrongs, and feminine rage. Understandably there is a trigger warning as the piece contains scenes of violence and drowning, strong language, and distressing themes including reference to rape and sexual assault. First and foremost, this is a play dealing with subjects that are far too often glossed over or avoided so I wholeheartedly welcome it for that alone. It does however need longer than the scheduled hour because the set-up was somewhat hurrie...

<strong>Singing with Friends – Rainhill Village Hall</strong>

21Jan

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Singing with Friends – Rainhill Village Hall

A simple title yet, as director Paul Robinson says in his notes, full of meaning. This was so much more than a show: it was the history of a company that goes back over seventy years; it was the meaning of family that the company has come to embrace; it was the tale of putting on many a production; but most importantly it was the journey and story of many individuals whose combined whole is so much more than these words can do justice. A Broadway musical medley from the entire ensemble with live band accompaniment consisting of Paul Taft (guitar), Kevin Bates (bass) and Amy Gray (drums) led by musical director and maestro on the piano, Wayne Oakes, got the evening off with a bang, with Charlotte Orme injecting some real energy into Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Bet Davies’ pron...

<strong>Fedora – Metropolitan Opera Live in HD</strong>

16Jan

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

REVIEWS

Fedora – Metropolitan Opera Live in HD

All artistic organisations need to make money to survive, and New York’s Metropolitan Opera is no exception, with its more recent challenge being that of an audience turning from the renowned classical productions to newer, more modern operas, despite these often lacking the depth in both libretto and orchestra of the established repertoire. The return of Giordano’s exhilarating Fedora – a new production directed by David McVicar rather than a revival – after a 25-year absence may reflect the perfect balance in its appeal to audiences old and new; it was certainly one of the most enjoyable productions I have seen and which at the time of its own writing would have been considered very modern and radical. Princess Fedora Romazoff (Sonya Yoncheva) has only just arrived at the home of her ...

<strong>Sofokles Oidipus – Štátne divadlo Košice</strong>

18Dec

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

REVIEWS

Sofokles Oidipus – Štátne divadlo Košice

Great theatre stands the test of time and so it is with this production, translated by Vojtech Mihálik, and which in the capable hands of director Anton Korenči, crossed all barriers with ease, a testament to the professionalism and craft of its creative team and cast. Plague and war are raging in Thebes and the people (chorus: Martin Stolár, Beáta Drotárová, Katarína Horňáková, Lívia Michalčík Dujavová, Juraj Zetyák, Adriana Ballová, František Balog and members of the ŠDKE Opera Choir) are desperate, and they look to their ruler, Oedipus (Matej Marušin), for help. When his brother-in-law, Creon (Jakub Kuka), returns from consulting the priest (Róbert Šudík) at Delphi to tell him that it is because the murderer of Laius, the former king, has never been found, Oedipus takes it upon himse...

<strong>The Hours – Metropolitan Opera Live in HD</strong>

12Dec

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

REVIEWS

The Hours – Metropolitan Opera Live in HD

The world-premiere staging of Kevin Puts’ The Hours, adapted from Michael Cunningham’s acclaimed novel, which also served as the inspiration for the Oscar-winning film, arrives in cinemas worldwide this December. In her highly anticipated return to the Met, soprano Renée Fleming joins soprano Kelli O’Hara and mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato to portray three women from different eras who grapple with their inner demons and their roles in society. As Virginia Woolf (DiDonato) tinkers with the opening line of her new novel – Mrs Dalloway – in 1923 England, 1999 New York sees Clarissa Vaughan (Fleming) throwing a party for her friend Richard (Kyle Ketelsen), who is dying of AIDS, whilst in 1949 Los Angeles, Laura Brown (O’Hara) reads Mrs Dalloway in bed whilst dreading her duties as wife and m...

<strong>Quatuor Danel – Manchester Jewish Museum</strong>

11Dec

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Quatuor Danel – Manchester Jewish Museum

The University of Manchester’s internationally acclaimed string quartet in residence, Quatuor Danel, brought their lively repertoire to Manchester Jewish Museum’s historic synagogue with two quartets from composers of Jewish descent, who despite living a century apart, shared a complex yet strong relationship to their Jewish faith, as well as writing pieces in memory of lost sisters. Following an introduction from The University of Manchester’s resident Mendelssohn expert, Professor Thomas Schmidt, the first piece was Felix Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No.6 in F Minor, Op.80, which was the composer’s last major piece, completed just two months before his death in 1847. It was written in tribute to his sister, the composer Fanny Mendelssohn, who herself died earlier that year. Mendels...

<strong>The Marriage of Figaro – Liverpool Empire</strong>

25Nov

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

The Marriage of Figaro – Liverpool Empire

Mozart’s classic four-act comic opera, an adaptation with Da Ponte of Beaumarchais’ banned 1778 play about warring masters and servants, is delightfully brought to life as Glyndebourne’s 2022 tour reaches the Liverpool Empire with this satirical and deeply human drama. As the day of Figaro (Alexander Miminoshvili) and Susanna’s (Soraya Mafi) wedding arrives, it becomes clear that their master, Count Almaviva (George Humphreys), is keen to exercise his ‘droit du seigneur’ – his right to bed a servant girl on her wedding night – and they conspire with the forsaken Countess, Rosina (Nardus Williams), to outwit her husband and teach him a lesson in fidelity. Plans however are thrown awry when Bartolo (Henry Waddington), seeking revenge against Figaro for thwarting his own earlier plans to m...

<strong>Opera North: Orpheus – The Lowry</strong>

20Nov

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Opera North: Orpheus – The Lowry

Opera North’s latest venture into Orpheus is a collaboration with Leeds-based South Asian Arts as their respective musical directors’ fuse Monteverdi’s operatic masterpiece, led by Laurence Cummings, with original compositions composed by Jasdeep Singh Degun reflecting the Indian classical tradition. Whilst the individual parts entertained and demonstrated some great musicianship and singing, it didn’t really add up to a satisfying whole which was often confusing on the eye and ear with its interrupted flow. Whilst billed as a reimagining, the story of Orpheus (Nicholas Watts) the musician trying to retrieve his dead wife, Eurydice (Ashnaa Sasikaran), from the underworld remains the same as does the devastating conclusion when he looks back too soon and loses her forever. The interpreta...

<strong>Opera North: Orfeo ed Euridice – The Lowry</strong>

19Nov

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Opera North: Orfeo ed Euridice – The Lowry

First recorded in April 2021 for BBC Radio 3 when Covid restrictions prevented live performance, Opera North present a concert performance of one of Gluck’s key works in his reinvention, in conjunction with librettist Calzabigi, of opera for his own time, as part of their wider celebration of the Orpheus myth which makes up their autumn season. Orfeo’s (Alice Coote) wife Euridice (Fflur Wynn) is dead, and a chorus of nymphs and shepherds mourn her. Orfeo is inconsolable but Amore (Daisy Brown) appears to tell him that Jupiter has taken pity on him and will grant him safe passage to the underworld where he can return Euridice to the land of the living. There is one condition however: he must not look at Euridice until they have reached the light of day. If he does, he will lose her again...