The Lowry Archives - North West End UK

Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes – The Lowry

26Nov

By Abigail PendleburyNo Comments

North West

Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes – The Lowry

Matthew Bourne’s production of The Red shoes is a true masterclass in storytelling. Directed and choreographed by Bourne, it enchants audiences and speaks volumes without a single word being spoken. From the opening moment, the stage is charged with a dramatic intensity that pulls audiences in to a world of passion, ambition and a life in the 1940s. The staging is a work of art and a credit to designer Lez Brotherston, A single stage curtain on a proscenium arch creates the starting and ending backdrop to this story of a young dancer dreaming to make it, who’s passion for dancing becomes an obsession, torn between two men, her tragic fate was sealed the moment she put the red shoes on. It’s as if we are watching a ballet, but also a life imitation, and the revolving curtain is framing t...

14Nov

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

La Bohème – The Lowry

Phyllida Lord’s classic production, designed by Anthony Ward, is one of the longest running at Opera North having been in their repertoire since 1993. James Hurley’s current revival is big on the comedy but sadly fails to hit the high notes that this staple of the operatic calendar deserves. With the action transposed to late 1950’s Paris, we meet four struggling bohemians living in a garret: a poet, Rodolfo (Anthony Ciaramitaro); a painter, Marcello (Yurly Yurchuk); a philosopher, Colline (Han Kim); and a musician, Schaunard (Seán Boylan), who arrives having had some good fortune and they agree to celebrate by dining at Café Momus. They are interrupted by their landlord, Benoît (Jeremy Peaker), but cleverly trick him into revealing he has been playing around which allows them to throw ...

22Oct

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Albert Herring – The Lowry

English National Opera’s first official foray North sees director and designer Antony McDonald delightfully serve up Britten’s 1947 witty comic opera Albert Herring exposing the whimsy and hypocrisy at the heart of post-war British society. Lady Billows (Emma Bell) and her committee’s – aide Florence Pike (Carolyn Dobbin), headteacher Miss Wordsworth (Aoife Miskelly), vicar, Mr Gedge (Eddie Woods), Mayor, Mr Upfold (Mark Le Brocq), and Superintendent Budd (Andri Björn Róbertsson) of the local constabulary – attempts to identify a May Queen for the village come unstuck as they realise all the local girls are lacking the necessary virtuosity. The only option is the shy and reserved Albert Herring (Caspar Singh) who works at his mother’s (Leah-Marian Jones) greengrocers, where he is regula...

19Oct

By Harry AltyNo Comments

North West

Black Power Desk – The Lowry

Set with the backdrop of the Black British civil rights movement in the 1970s, Urielle Klein-Mekongo’s original musical Black Power Desk shines a light on the underrepresented figurehead activists of the time. This heart-felt, humorous and powerful piece showcases that although times have moved on, the struggles of our cast of characters are just as relatable today. Mixing in real news reports from the time, the musical quickly creates an authentic representation of the mistreatment of the Black community during this era of British history. Our story centres around two sisters, Celia and Dina, who must navigate their place in a world that seems poised to tear them down, whilst also discover who they are after the passing of their mother. From the moment Rochelle Rose enters the stage as...

10Oct

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

North West

Black Sabbath The Ballet – The Lowry

When you think about a rock band to soundtrack a ballet it's probable rock gods Black Sabbath wouldn’t be the first name that comes to mind. But when Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Director Carlos Acosta was looking for inspiration to commission locally based work, he was drawn to the doomy riffs created by four working class lads from the Black Country who basically invented Heavy Metal as a genre. Acsota clearly felt their huge riffs not only captured the long gone industrial might of Brum, where Sabbath members spent their teens, but also offered the dancers a broad palate to work with. Backed by the Birmingham Sinfonia this three-act show tries to encapsulate the band’s tempestuous five decade long career, and is a million miles away from the lighter music ballets are often performed ...

Chisato Minamimura: Mark of a Woman – The Lowry

6Oct

By Helen JonesNo Comments

North West

Chisato Minamimura: Mark of a Woman – The Lowry

At the start of the performance Chisato Minamimura introduces herself as a deaf Japanese woman. She is also a beautiful contemporary dancer and mime artist. Using dance, mime and sign language (with a pre-recorded audio) she explores and celebrates the history of women and tattooing. The show also uses something called woojer straps, a vibrating belt designed to offer an additional sensory experience. While the reviewer did not partake, her companion did and has offered their thoughts. During the performance Minamimura looks at various historic and often personal accounts of female tattooing. Starting with the Japanese practice of hajichi, a hand tattooing done by the Ryukyuan women on Okinawa island. Initially done as a rite of passage into adu...

3Oct

By Max EdenNo Comments

North West

Death on the Nile – The Lowry

Ken Ludwig’s stage adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile, directed by Lucy Bailey at The Lowry, is a real masterclass in theatrical storytelling, full of intrigue and suspense. From the very first moment, the audience is swept into Christie’s world of glamour and danger, all delivered with precision delivery that makes this show a genuine five-star triumph! What strikes you immediately is just how slick and cinematic the staging feels. Mike Britton’s ingenious two-tier set design brilliantly evokes the cabins and decks of the Nile steamer, offering the audience both intimacy and grandeur in equal measure. It’s this clever simple staging that allows the story to unfold with a fast pace, while Oliver Fenwick’s atmospheric lighting and a subtle, evocative soundtrack add layers ...

23Sep

By Katie LeicesterNo Comments

North West

The Buddy Holly Story – The Lowry

Written and produced by Alan Janes, The Buddy Holly Story has been delighting audiences worldwide since it first opened in 1989. Having toured across continents and played to more than 22 million people, the show has become a staple of jukebox theatre. Now, under the assured direction of Matt Salisbury, it arrives at The Lowry Theatre with a vibrant new cast who capture the energy, charm and tragedy of a legend of early rock ‘n’ roll. The production follows Buddy Holly’s short yet dazzling career between 1956 and 1959, classed as the golden years of rock ‘n’ roll. Starting out as a country musician in Lubbock, Texas, Buddy quickly realised his sound belonged to a new era. With The Crickets, he forged a distinctive style that blended country roots with rhythm and blues influences, produc...

Rambert x (LA) Horde: Bring Your Own – The Lowry

17Sep

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Rambert x (LA) Horde: Bring Your Own – The Lowry

(LA) Horde’s collaboration with Rambert, Bring Your Own, is an ambitious attempt to bottle the unruly energy of nightlife and stage it as contemporary performance. Over the course of several distinct pieces, the production draws on social dance, rave culture, and acrobatic spectacle, pushing the 14-strong Rambert ensemble into a space where technique meets abandon. The result is fast, furious, and undeniably compelling, though not always as coherent as it aspires to be. The opening section, Hopestorm, is a striking fusion of Lindyhop and rave. Dancers charge through fifteen minutes of relentless partnering and synchronised group work, with echoes of Broadway chorus lines interlaced with rock ’n’ roll. Snatches of Elvis Presley’s “Hound Dog” surface beneath a pounding rave soundscape, wh...

Ideal 20th Anniversary Live Show – The Lowry

10Sep

By Adam WilliamsNo Comments

North West

Ideal 20th Anniversary Live Show – The Lowry

Back in 2005, Tony Blair was the Prime Minister, Doctor Who returned to our screens, and another show, with a budget not quite as large, started on BBC Three called Ideal. Set in Salford, it revolved around Moz (Johnny Vegas), a small-time drug dealer, and the weird and wonderful characters who came to see him to buy cannabis. It was lo-fi, a bit of a sleeper hit, and a cult classic beloved by its fans. Twenty years later, it has been resurrected for the stage, and it is silly, surreal and just fun. You know everyone is up for having a good time when the actors are applauded when they come on stage. It had a pantomime feel, not least in those moments when things went wrong. Audiences always love it when this happens, and it was very entertaining watching the actors try to improvise them...