North West Archives - Page 73 of 128

<strong>Noughts and Crosses – Liverpool Playhouse</strong>

23Nov

By Jenn McKeanNo Comments

North West

Noughts and Crosses – Liverpool Playhouse

A new baby signals hope, as does an unopened letter. Hope that things will be better. Fans of Malorie Blackman’s Noughts and Crosses series are sure to love the stage adaptation of the book, which was also turned into a BBC series a couple of years ago. Sephy Hadley is a Cross, and her father is also the Home Secretary, Callum McGregor is a Nought, and his mother was the housekeeper to Sephy’s family, until she refused to lie for Sephy’s mother and got sacked. Having grown up together, Callum and Sephy continue their friendship in secret as in their world Crosses can’t be seen to be mixing with Noughts, especially not one from a high-profiled family. Things appear to be changing when Callum is one of three Noughts who have won a scholarship to be allowed to go to the same school as Seph...

<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>Variations – Liverpool Philharmonic Hall</strong>

20Nov

By Kiefer WilliamsNo Comments

North West

Variations – Liverpool Philharmonic Hall

This concert performance by one of Europe’s leading orchestra’s The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra is conducted by the recently appointed Domingo Hindoyan. Hindoyan exudes a great deal of passion throughout tonight’s eclectic and varied programme of classical music. The programme consisted of four pieces of exquisite music from three of the most outstanding composers of their generation – Bartok, Dohnanyi and Dvorak. Dvorak’s Slavic Dance op.72 no 2 is performed as a heartfelt tribute to former principal conductor Libor Pesek (1987 until 1997.) This is a short but sweet piece of melodious classical dance with sweeping strings and delicate lightness of touch. It is performed to perfection by the orchestra. Dohnanyi’s Variations on a Nursery Tune is a delightful and wi...

<strong>Stuffed – unity Theatre</strong>

19Nov

By Andrew LeeNo Comments

North West

Stuffed – unity Theatre

‘Stuffed’ is a fantastic piece of theatre, there is absolutely no doubt about that. A series of coherent physical theatre and clown sketches serving to highlight food poverty in this country, social attitudes to it, and the regime’s lack of meaningful action. A concept that seems so important, and something we expect the viewing public to be aware of but told in a way that changes everything we think we know about food poverty and the use of food banks. Every bit of the piece made sense and felt meaningful. There were moments where laughter was closely followed by guilt - how can we as an audience make light of such a dire situation? However, when the piece was ready to get serious you could hear a pin drop in the furthest corner of the room. ‘Stuffed’ is very well choreographed and ...

<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...

<strong>Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella – Hope Mill Theatre</strong>

18Nov

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella – Hope Mill Theatre

Eight years before Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein famously collaborated on screen with Dame Julie Andrews in 'The Sound of Music', she starred in a 1957 musical version of 'Cinderella' written by the iconic duo specifically for US television. It was a smash hit, during the broadcast the streets of New York were reportedly deserted as around 107 million people tuned in to watch, garnering both critical and public acclaim. Fast forward 65 years and we find another pair of estimable creatives, William Whelton and Joseph Houston the driving forces behind Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester, have sprinkled their special brand of fairy dust over the piece, giving us a pre-Christmas treat to brighten a bleak November night. The time honoured story of Cinderella has many variations and can r...

<strong>Scouse Jack and the Beanstalk – Liverpool’s Royal Court</strong>

17Nov

By Luke StephensonNo Comments

North West

Scouse Jack and the Beanstalk – Liverpool’s Royal Court

It’s the beginning of the pantomime season up and down the country and I’m pleased to be welcomed back at the Royal Court Theatre in Liverpool to review this year’s pantomime of Scouse Jack and the Beanstalk written by Kevin Fearon and directed by Stephen Fletcher. Deep in Crosby Jack Jones (Micheal Fletcher) is a lazy lad he gets high and wants to find treasure on an adventure, his mum Mrs Jones (Lindzi Germain) is fewmin. The bills are sky high and the milk from daisy the cow (Jake Abraham) is barely enough to cover the rising costs. So, she sends Jack out to get a job. So, he goes off to the Greatie Market. The council have their share of problems to as the city is broke there is no money and the mayor (Liam Tobin) has to make drastic cuts to make the big Eon in the sky happy, with t...

<strong>A Christmas Carol – Buxton Opera House</strong>

17Nov

By Max EdenNo Comments

North West

A Christmas Carol – Buxton Opera House

Charles Dicken’s famous ‘Christmas Carol’ is one of the most memorable and most loved Christmas stories of all time and the Chapterhouse Theatre’s latest touring production of Dicken’s famous festive offering is a true to the book recount. Staged inside the Smaller Pavilion Theatre at Buxton Opera House, The Chapterhouse Theatre have returned once again with their Christmas Carol Production for another year keeping true to the 19th century tale and as a result; it’s the perfect production to go and see if you’re studying Christmas Carol at school or college. It’s quite a stripped back production with quite sparse hand painted props and backdrops which may seem reminiscent of a school production, but this adaptation has real heart and the team use what props and sets they have to get ...

<strong>Opera North: La Traviata – The Lowry</strong>

17Nov

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Opera North: La Traviata – The Lowry

Director Alessandro Talevi’s production is much aided by Madeline Boyd’s sumptuous set and costume design as it relishes its traditional 19th Century roots. At its heart lies a love story which draws upon Alexandre Dumas the Younger’s real-life doomed love affair with well-known courtesan, Marie Duplessis. We open with Violetta (Alison Langer) aided by her friend Flora (Victoria Sharp) hosting a lavish party where she is introduced by Gastone (Gavan King) to his friend, Alfredo Germont (Nico Darmanin), a fervent admirer, who is more concerned for her failing health than her escort, Baron Douphal (James Cleverton). When Alfredo declares his love for her she wonders if he could be the one amidst her desire to be free to live her life. A year on and Alfredo (Oliver Johnston) and Violett...

<strong>Beautiful: The Carole King Musical – Liverpool Empire</strong>

16Nov

By Jenn McKeanNo Comments

North West

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical – Liverpool Empire

It actually felt like I spent an evening at Carnegie Hall, instead of the Liverpool Empire last night. Beautiful tells the story of Carole King. How she became who she was, the peaks and troughs of her career as a songwriter and how that led to her becoming one of the most instantly recognisable artists of all time. The show starts with her famous performance at the prestigious Carnegie Hall, in New York City in June of 1971. We then get taken back to a teenage Carole Klein, writing songs and begging her mother to allow her into the city (from their home in Brooklyn) to try and sell her songs. She manages to sell the song which makes it to number 106 on the Billboard Charts when sung by Bobby Vee. We go through her career and relationship with Gerry Goffin, their friendship and competit...