REVIEWS Archives - Page 115 of 578

Simon Boccanegra – Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

13May

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Simon Boccanegra – Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

Director PJ Harris’ dramatic concert staging of Verdi’s 1881 version of Simon Boccanegra for Opera North is an absolute joy, a true sensory delight for the ear and eye. A Prologue establishes that Boccanegra (Roland Wood), a plebeian, is about to become the first elected Doge of Genoa. But he loves – and has secretly had a child with – Maria, the daughter of his political rival and sworn enemy, Jacopo Fiesco (Vazgen Gazaryan), a patrician. When Maria dies, the baby disappears. Fast forward 25 years and Fiasco is in hiding under the alias Andrea Grimaldi and plotting his revenge against Boccanegra who is still in power. He has become guardian to an orphan girl named Amelia (Sara Cortolezzis) who it later transpires is his missing granddaughter. She wants to marry Gabriele Adorno (Andr...

Cavalleria rusticana / Pagliacci – St George’s Hall, Liverpool

13May

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Cavalleria rusticana / Pagliacci – St George’s Hall, Liverpool

North Wales Opera Studio’s welcome return to Liverpool to perform a one-act verismo pairing became a little disjointed as director Anne Williams-King was unable to take full advantage of the venue’s performance space. Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci or, more familiarly, Cav and Pag is an archetypal one-act opera pairing, and it’s hard to imagine two more closely matched pieces even though it was not the result of any concerted strategy on the part of the two composers, Mascagni and Leoncavallo. Composed just two years apart, these two dramas of jealousy, passion, and murder, show obvious similarities as early exponents of Italian Opera’s Verismo movement towards greater theatrical reality involving supposedly realistic settings and the dramas of ordinary people as an...

10May

By Michelle KnightNo Comments

London

Marie & Rosetta – Rose Theatre Kingston

The story of sister Rosetta Tharpe and Marie Knight is not a well-known one. Rosetta played by Beverley Knight was known as the ‘Godmother of Rock and Roll’ in the 1930’s and 40’s taking Gospel music to a whole new level. Donned with an electric guitar she moved with swing and soul influencing artists like Chuck Berry, Little Richard and well before the uprising of Elvis, Hendrix and other rock roll greats. Rosetta’s drive was to be true to herself with her music creating a fusion of her faith and soulful blues rock. Ntombizodwa Ndlovu debuts as Marie Knight a young woman married to a preacher man with two children who teams up with Rosetta to create a partnership that would prove to be more than just creating music. The women become aligned to each other’s strengths,...

Ní Liomsa an Teach Álainn Seo (This Is Not My Beautiful House) – Shakespeare North Playhouse

10May

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Ní Liomsa an Teach Álainn Seo (This Is Not My Beautiful House) – Shakespeare North Playhouse

Described as a story of myth, legend, and identity, whilst Anna Ní Dhúill's play is certainly ambitious in exploring what it means to be non-binary, it ultimately comes up short. Cult Collective’s show revolves around an unnamed artist (Seoirsín Bashford) as they wait in their studio for their partner to come home so that they can reveal their secret and finally come out as non-binary. As they wait, they begin to delve into their recent obsession with an old Irish legend about a bull that caused an all-island war many centuries before. When the bull comes alive, a battle of monologues begins, as they fiercely debate whether it is better to live as your true self and potentially be alone for it, or to exist only in other people’s expectations and remain a legend. Whilst the pre...

10May

By Carole BaldockNo Comments

North West

Hamilton – Liverpool Empire

I had intended to open with a merry quip: who has my eye-teeth? Unfortunately, although that did apply, this show ultimately left me somewhat underwhelmed. Unlike the rest of the audience, at one point, the girl behind us got so excited, her drink flew out of her hand down my companion’s back. But I remained confused: history, story and characters; it’s not as if Mr Google is a new acquaintance, I just didn’t expect to have to call on him quite so much and still can’t match some of the name and faces from the cast list. Yes, there’s no denying Lin-Manuel Miranda’s was a brilliant idea, so original it’s like a beautiful, expensive, brand new sportscar compared with yet another weary, worn out bandwagon. He does justice to the under-rated man who was one of the founders of America, and wi...

9May

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

Einkvan – The Coronet Theatre

Einkvan by Jon Fosse was performed at the beautiful Coronet Theatre, a venue that perfectly blends period charm with a capacity for avant-garde staging. The ambience was evocative and well-suited to the abstract, meditative tone of the production. The performance centers around a family in emotional disarray, focusing on a son who refuses to speak or respond to his parents. Despite their desperate attempts to connect—pleading with him to talk, reminiscing about shared memories, or offering simple gestures like having a beer—he remains distant and unresponsive. His silence is both the emotional core and the great mystery of the piece. Visually, Einkvan is stunning. The entire performance unfolds behind a semi-translucent veil, rendering the actors as ghostly figures moving in slow...

Of Mice and Men – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

9May

By Harry AltyNo Comments

North West

Of Mice and Men – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse

A classic literary tale, often studied by many British students as part of the GCSE syllabus, Of Mice and Men tells the story of George and Lennie as they traverse California in search of work during the Great Depression. Based on John Steinbeck’s novel, originally released in 1937, this production spotlights a typical ranch filled with migrant farmworkers who simply needed to survive the economic landscape. Despite the historic setting, the play’s themes of hope, misunderstanding and brotherhood still resonate with a modern audience, making the piece as poignant now as it was when first performed nearly 90 years ago. Upon entering the theatre, audiences are immediately transported to the Salinas Valley, with a quote from Robert Burns acting as a precursor for the story due to follow. F...

The Marriage of Figaro – Birmingham Hippodrome

9May

By Peter KinnockNo Comments

West Midlands

The Marriage of Figaro – Birmingham Hippodrome

So what have Eddie Murphy and the Welsh National Opera got in common? Give in? I’ll tell you - the famous music at the beginning of his movie “Trading Places” is the overture to The Marriage of Figaro presented tonight by Welsh National Opera. See? We’re all connected in little ways and it only goes to show the manner in which Mozart has permeated our cultural DNA on nearly every level. I’m sure there are many other examples of his music seeping into films, TV and commercials, because they are a) cracking tunes and b) out of copyright. Mozart took up his quill in 1786 to match his music to the words of the eccentric Lorenzo Da Ponte (who himself deserves an opera all about his life) and between them presented a solid gold, 100% perfect classic full of melodies you don’t know you know but y...

8May

By Hannah EsnoufNo Comments

North West

Making It! – Liverpool’s Royal Court

You know what to expect when you take your seat in front of the Royal Court stage. As ever, this production was overtly scouse, laugh-a-minute and easy watching. If you weren’t looking closely at the show poster, you would be surprised to learn that the entire production is a duologue. A hefty feat for any actor, but a challenge Cath Rice and Andrew Schofield executed with ease and maturity. No matter what character he played, and various he did, Schofield always exudes charm and professionalism on stage. His versatility in this production was as hilarious as impressive as he had to juggle a mixture accents, costume changes and exuberant stage entrances. But I’d expect nothing less from him. Due to the two-hand nature of this production, it was at times extremely dialogue heavy, almo...

Jesus Christ Superstar – Festival Theatre

8May

By Jessie MartinNo Comments

Scotland

Jesus Christ Superstar – Festival Theatre

Edinburgh’s oldest amateur theatre company, Southern Lights brings us their original take on the classic Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, Jesus Christ Superstar. Featuring a huge ensemble, powerhouse vocals, and mixed media, this certainly went above and beyond my expectations of what amateur theatre is capable of. It is noted in Southern Light’s programme that each new production must not replicate any previous production by order of the show’s licensing. And what with Jesus Christ Superstar having first performed on Broadway in 1971, conjuring an original take on the show is no simple feat, with decades worth of adaptations having already been staged in every way imaginable. For me, the most interesting new directional concept, director Fraser Grant brought to t...