Opera North Archives - Page 3 of 3

Opera North: Trouble in Tahiti – The Lowry

13Nov

By Amanda HodgsonNo Comments

North West

Opera North: Trouble in Tahiti – The Lowry

Trouble in Tahiti is a one-act opera in seven acts, composed by Leonard Bernstein, who is perhaps best known for his musical West Side Story. It is one of Bernstein’s darker and more autobiographical works, based on the relationship between the composer’s parents, combining themes of domestic struggle and breakdown with operatic melodrama, performed here by Opera North at The Lowry in Salford. The opera is set in the 1950s, and opens with a jazz trio (Laura Kelly-McInroy, Joseph Shovelton, Nicholas Butterfield) singing about domestic bliss in an unspecified suburb in the form of a radio advertisement for the American Dream. The reality, however, is very different, as we soon follow the story of Sam (Quirijn de Lang) and Dinah (Sandra Piques Eddy), a young couple whose marriage is colla...

11Nov

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

Opera North: Carmen – The Lowry

Hard on the heels of 'Waitress' at the Opera House this week, another musical tale of female lust and empowerment comes to Manchester, with the arrival of Georges Bizet's 'Carmen' from Opera North playing at The Lowry. Unfortunately, whilst this production promises 'desire and hot-blooded passion', what we are served is a reheated dish that attempts to be innovative and succeeds only in being lacklustre and imitative. Carmen was hugely controversial upon its initial staging in 1875 with its story of immorality amongst the proletarian class of Andalucia; the eponymous heroine being both lawless, amoral and (spoiler alert) suffering a brutal on stage death at the denouement. Bizet died less than three months after the premiere of his final work, never getting to see it staged to internat...

15Jul

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

A Little Night Music – Leeds Playhouse

A hot July evening in West Yorkshire proved to be the perfect backdrop for a musical set at the Scandinavian midsummer, as the theatregoers of Leeds joyfully returned to a stunning adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's puckish, satirical operetta from Leeds Playhouse and Opera North. Written in 1973, during a golden period of his gilded career, 'A Little Night Music' shows Sondheim at the peak of his powers, utilising his tongue twisting lyricism and complex musicality to stunning effect, against the backdrop of a country weekend in 'fin de siecle' Sweden. Sondheim always chooses arcane subject matter around which to base his work, everything from a Seurat painting (Sunday in the Park with George) to homicidal pie making (Sweeney Todd), have been used by him as source material and 'Night Mu...

Leeds Playhouse’s James Brining talks about staging A Little Night Music with Opera North

27Jun

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Interviews

Leeds Playhouse’s James Brining talks about staging A Little Night Music with Opera North

Most people have heard the haunting Send In The Clowns but how many could say which musical it is from? Well, it’s just one of a bunch of brilliant tunes penned by Oscar and multiple Tony winner Stephen Sondheim for A Little Night Music that traces the complicated and interlocking relationships of several Swedish couples at the dawn of the twentieth century. Inspired by Bergman’s film Smiles of a Summer Night, Sondheim’s challenging score and an intelligent book by Hugh Wheeler offers genuine insights into the high and lows of human relationships. Leeds Playhouse’s Artistic Director James Brining was gearing up to direct A Little Night Music as his latest coalition with Opera North, but then the pandemic struck. Now the company including the legendary Dame Josephine Barstow ar...

Opera North: A Night at the Opera – The Lowry

17Jun

By Adam WilliamsNo Comments

North West

Opera North: A Night at the Opera – The Lowry

The last performance Opera North gave before lockdown in March 2020 was at The Lowry so it seems somehow appropriate that they should come out of their enforced hibernation to perform an evening of popular opera classics at the same venue. Also, this was the first time I have seen anything live since then and I have to say it was absolutely wonderful to see performers in the flesh, to feel their emotions and admire their talent. Online performances have got us through this terrible time but there is nothing like the real thing. The cavernous auditorium of the Lyric theatre was, because of Covid restrictions, mostly empty. Even though the audience was small it was extremely appreciative of a wonderful night’s entertainment. Paul Daniel, the conductor, was a charming and witty tour...

16Jun

By Harriet AndrewsNo Comments

North West

Opera North: Fidelio – The Lowry

The story of Fidelio is a simple one. Leonore (Rachel Nicholls) under the guise of a man (Fidelio) infiltrates a Spanish prison in order to free her husband Florestan (Toby Spence), who is a political prisoner. Meanwhile Don Pizarro (Robert Hayward), the governor of the prison and very man responsible for the wrongful imprisonment of Florestan intends to kill him before Don Fernando (Matthew Stiff) can arrive and uncover the cruelty taking place within the prison walls. The orchestra, conducted by Paul Daniel, was magnificent. Being socially distanced and taking up most of the stage, it was a different setup, and one which the musicians will have grown accustomed too, but the sound was rich, textured and balanced, and I would have been quite content to listen to it all night. ...

Orpheus In the Record Shop wins BBC Lights Up slot

12Mar

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Orpheus In the Record Shop wins BBC Lights Up slot

Leeds Playhouse and Opera North’s innovative co-production of beatboxer Testament’s Orpheus in The Record Shop has won a slot in the BBC Lights up programme. Orpheus In the Record Store was originally staged at Leeds Playhouse in October 2020 as part of the Connected Voices co-production season with Opera North fusing classic and contemporary theatre on the themes of isolation, connection, resilience and reflection. Leeds-based rapper, writer and world record holding beatboxer Testament was commissioned to explore the power of the solo voice, within a communal space and the relationship between performer and audience. Testament’s beatboxing weaved round musicians from the Orchestra of Opera North that gave the Greek myth of Orpheus a contemporary Yorkshire twist. There was someth...

Leeds Playhouse and Opera North join forces for socially distanced live shows

13Sep

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Leeds Playhouse and Opera North join forces for socially distanced live shows

It’s now six months since live theatre was first locked down but Leeds Playhouse are back joining forces with Opera North for a series of socially distanced live events over three weekends. Connecting Voices will take place across the various stages within the Playhouse bringing together artists and audiences safely to examine the power and expression of the solo voice as they re-engage people in communal creative activity. Orpheus in the Record Store is a newly commissioned piece by Leeds based beatboxer Testament and director Aletta Collins fusing spoken word and beatboxing with players from the Orchestra of Opera North that gives the Greek myth of Orpheus a contemporary Yorkshire twist. "There is much to say and share right now, and I passionately believe theatre has an ...

Opera North Postpones Autumn / Winter Seasons

2Jul

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Opera North Postpones Autumn / Winter Seasons

As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and the government’s advice regarding social gatherings and live performance, Opera North are very sorry to announce the postponement of all mainstage productions due to tour in Autumn 2020 and Winter 2021. The following productions are postponed and will be rescheduled over the next two years: La traviata, Jack the Ripper, Trouble in Tahiti / West Side Story Symphonic Dances, Carmen, Alcina and The Girl of the Golden West. Ticket holders for performances at Leeds Grand Theatre will be contacted as soon as possible by Opera North to refund all bookings. If you are a ticket holder for these events at The Lowry in Salford Quays, Theatre Royal Newcastle or Theatre Royal Nottingham, the venue box office will contact you directly to arrange a re...