The Lowry Archives - Page 13 of 15

11Mar

By Adam WilliamsNo Comments

North West

Opera North: Carmen – The Lowry

Carmen is stuffed full of well-known arias and melodies, or as one audience member put it as she left the theatre, “I was surprised by how many songs I already knew.” From the Toreador’s song to the Habanera and the Seguidilla the music is easily recognisable by most people even if they have never been to an opera. This boisterous production by Opera North updated events from 19th century Sevilla to a border town in the late 1950s early 1960s. This was a clever idea as this was a time of rebellion, of counter-culture, where young people wanted to be free and do their own thing. To live and love on their own terms. For the character of Carmen love is transitory. She is open and honest in saying that she falls in and out of love with ease. She just wants freedom and is unconcerned with...

10Mar

By Louise KershawNo Comments

North West

As You Like It – The Lowry

Consistently one of Shakespeare’s most frequently performed comedies, this 30th anniversary Northern Broadsides production of As You Like It, by its’ own admission, attempts to provide the audience with an opportunity to consider ‘the transformative power of love and the natural world’ and the ‘crazy power of love to change the world’. Presented Arena style, square rather than in the round, and using a collection of hat stands and what looked like my Nana’s washing line to create the magical Forest of Arden, designer E M Parry has success in creating their ‘Narnia- like’ giant dressing up box in which the cast of 12 Northern actors were able to play. From naff shell suits to gorgeously coloured gypsy skirts, rigid bone corsets to shiny superhero capes and anything in between that glitte...

10Mar

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

Opera North: Rigoletto – The Lowry

Femi Elufowoju Jr’s interpretation of Giuseppe Verdi’s 1851 masterpiece for Opera North by and large works although I’m yet to be convinced about the zebra. We open as the Duke (Roman Arndt) leads his courtiers in drinking and debauchery whilst his jester, Rigoletto (Eric Greene) mocks all those around. The arrival of Count Monterone (Byron Jackson) in a failed attempt to save his daughter results in a curse on the Duke and Rigoletto. Rigoletto is tormented by the curse, and we discover he has a daughter, Gilda (Jasmine Habersham) whom he jealously guards, but the Duke has already spied and fallen for her – or has he? The courtiers have also tired of Rigoletto’s antics at court and under the steer of Marullo (Themba Mvula), they trick him before carrying Gilda off to the palace. R...

16Feb

By Max EdenNo Comments

North West

Private Lives – The Lowry

When you put Patricia Hodge and Nigel Havers on a stage together, you already know it’s going to be a great show. Noel Coward’s Private Lives by the newly formed Nigel Havers Theatre Company does just that, and it’s everything you hoped it would be and more! Set in the 1930s, the play tells the story of Elyot (played by Havers) and Amanda (played by Hodge) who were once married and find themselves in adjoining rooms at a French hotel with their new partners, with the unexpected happening and the couple reconnecting. Havers takes on the role taken by Noël Coward himself in the original production in 1930 with a Suaveness we’ve come to expect, the character being delightfully charming but also quite stubborn and obstinate. Olivier Award winning actress Hodge is effortlessly glamorou...

14Feb

By Rachel FosterNo Comments

North West

Kattam Katti – The Lowry

Pagrav Dance company comprises of a cast who have Indian heritage, have taken to the road on their latest tour (four musicians and four dancers) who bring their unique take on traditional Indian Kathak dance. Kattam Katti means ‘cutting through,’ and they do that with a mix of dance, singing, music composed especially for the performance and a splice of comedy. The setting is the frenetic energy of the Uttarayan Kite Festival which the performers deftly bring to life with expression and movement. The kites are left to our imaginations, the long strings are shown and woven across the stage creating a barrier or difficulty to dance. While the dancers use performance to illustrate the range of emotions that the kite festival incites. To put into context this festival is such a big deal ...

1Feb

By Max EdenNo Comments

North West

The Play What I Wrote – The Lowry

Morecombe & Wise are without doubt a British institution, with their Christmas specials drawing in over 20 million viewers in their day; delivering shows packed with laughter and jokes a plenty. To write a stage production on them must be a daunting task, but one which writers; Hamish McColl, Sean Foley and Eddie Braben have excelled at in this new play; The Play What I Wrote. With a cast of just three (well actually four but we’ll get to that), this isn’t a biographical piece about the famous duo, far from it. This is original, but yet still just as dynamic and very very funny! The story follows two performers; Dennis played by Dennis Herdman & Thom played by Thom Tuck. Dennis wants to do a play about the famous duo for the potential money, whilst Thom aspires to write serio...

The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe – The Lowry

10Dec

By Jo TillotsonNo Comments

North West

The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe – The Lowry

There can’t be many people who don’t know the story of the four Pevensie children and their adventures in Narnia, overcoming evil while learning about sacrifice and redemption. Edmund’s rescue from the thrall of the White Witch, Mr Tumnus’s bravery and Aslan’s triumphant return are some of the many key moments from the book that make it onto the stage in this vibrant adaptation of C.S. Lewis’s classic story. Condensing a whole book into 105 minutes is not an easy task, but director Michael Fentiman and his creative team met the challenge head on. The production succeeds particularly in its incredible design, and not only visually. Set (Tom Paris), lighting (Jack Knowles) and music (Benji Bower, Barnaby Race) are beautifully layered so that the audience can clearly understand exactly whe...

7Dec

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Eric and Ern – The Lowry

Anytime there is a poll on the public’s favourite comedy act, or a look back at the TV of yesteryear, one double act will feature, without fail – Morecambe and Wise. Icons of their era, they’ve left a legacy of classic comedy that is adored to this day. So, whilst modern-day comedians may attempt to push boundaries with their material, it’s a brave soul that attempts to re-visit the most-loved sketches of these titans of British comedy. Ian Ashpitel (as Ernie) and Jonty Stephens (as Eric) are those souls, having developed tonight’s variety show from their stage play of the duo’s enduring partnership. But it is quickly obvious that even the most die-hard fans will be breathing a big sigh of relief that the material is in very safe, and very funny hands. Soaking the audience with a ...

Matthew Bourne’s The Nutcracker – The Lowry

25Nov

By Max EdenNo Comments

North West

Matthew Bourne’s The Nutcracker – The Lowry

It’s endearing, magical and delicious - all in equal measure! Matthew Bourne’s The Nutcracker returns to the stage after almost 10 years delivering a show-stopping performance which engages all the senses and is a must see this festive season! It’s fascinating to witness such a reinvigorated and new adaptation of this traditional ballet; the score remains traditional but the costumes, the sets and the stage presence makes it something totally renewed and fresh and anything but traditional! I particularly loved the mise-en-scene of this reboot; starting with the stripped back - dark and cold orphanage for its opening scene and doing away with the grandeur of the traditional ‘throw everything we’ve got at it’ type of opening; it draws you in to the story and makes the transition to ...

17Nov

By Hannah WildeNo Comments

North West

Dial M For Murder – The Lowry

The Lowry Theatre’s production of “Dial M For Murder” is probably one of the best pieces of theatre I have seen in a long, long time. Having no prior knowledge of the storyline – past the intriguing title and the vaguest of recollections of a film made in 1954 by the king of suspense, Mr. Alfred Hitchcock – I came into the Lowry Theatre on a cold Monday night not knowing what to expect... but nothing prepared me for the theatrical brilliance that awaited me. The set was simple – one single set, designed to replicate art deco living room-cum-kitchen in London’s trendy Maida Vale that wouldn’t have looked out of place in a 1960s edition of House and Home Magazine. But even in its simplicity, the set was wonderfully dynamic. It was functional, believable, and helped set the scene of mid...