Grant Olding Archives - North West End UK

After a critically acclaimed National Theatre premiere, a UK tour, an award-winning West End transfer and a Broadway run which kickstarted James Corden’s stratospheric stateside success, there can’t have been many people left who hadn’t seen the original production of One Man, Two Guvnors. And then the pandemic struck. Another 200,000 tuned in to the NT Live performance. One of the theatrical highlights of lockdown. It’s a brave programmer then who opts to revive Richard Bean’s adaptation of Goldoni’s commedia dell'arte classic The Servant of Two Masters. It’s a gamble that’s largely paid off. For anyone unaware, 1700s Venice has been replaced by 1963 Brighton. That aside, Bean’s adaptation is surprisingly faithful. Both to the plot and themes of upper-class stupidity, gender equa...

I wonder if professional ballet dancers, after a performance, head straight for the Voltarol to rub on to their aching limbs. Well, after watching the ballet Merlin, on Wednesday night, at Hull New Theatre, I really felt I, too, would be heading for the Voltarol, to rub onto my aching arms - so vigorously had I applauded. Luckily for me, pain relief wasn’t needed, but my goodness, the Northern Ballet company has really gone to town with this production. A read through the programme informs us Merlin brings together a creative team working with Northern Ballet for the first time. And, with no disrespect to any of the company’s other productions, this new input really has worked its magic. The story of the mythical wizard is told in such a way, I didn’t know what to concentra...

Tag: Grant Olding

One Man, Two Guvnors – Octagon Theatre

Northern Ballet: Merlin – Hull New Theatre