Carmel Thomason“Where did all the happy endings go? Where can all the good times be?” asks Eglantine Price. Is there an adult in the audience who isn’t thinking the same? As the song goes, many of us are at ‘The Age of Not Believing’ but Disney always has the...
Martin ThomassonAlcina’s love island casts its spell on Martin Thomasson You all, of course, know the story of Alcina. She (disguised as a he) is in love with him (who sings a bit like a she), but he (who sings a bit like a she) is bewitched by her (not her...
Carmen is one of the most popular operas of all time, so it’s perhaps not surprising that Opera North chose to stage it for its comeback production after nearly two years of darkness during the Covid pandemic. As this bold new envisioning from...
Steve TimmsSteve Timms finds Nora: A Doll’s House to be a bold, impassioned piece of work and the most thrilling Exchange production he’s seen in a long time. Patriarchy is a word most people are familiar with, though may struggle to describe. So let’s...
The clown/jester Rigoletto is not well-liked, but is good at his job – essentially, to make fun of the vulnerable for the amusement of his boss, the Duke of Mantua, and the duke’s hangers-on. The Duke is a ruthless and incorrigible womaniser...
Georgina WellsNorthern Broadsides’ As You Like It is the first production I’ve seen staged in the round at The Lowry’s Quays Theatre, and it’s a layout that certainly suits both venue and play. It feels more novel and intimate than a proscenium arch staging...
Paul ThomasonAnyone for snot macaroni and toenail ice-cream? Paul Thomason experiences the gross-out fun of watching David Walliams’ story live on stage. Less than a week after children all over the land have been going to school dressed as one of many of...
Liz RatcliffeLiz Ratcliffe laughs and cries at The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time which she finds to be a masterpiece of acting and choreography, wrapped in a high-tech set I enjoyed reading Mark Haddon’s best-selling novel, The Curious Incident...
Saxophonist Jess Gillam kicks off Manchester Camerata’s 50th anniversary year with a special programme which explores the unexpected and winding path of creative endeavour. Jess found fame aged just 17 when she became the first saxophonist to reach...
Carlos Acosta’s energetic, vibrant production of this classic ballet is guaranteed to make you smile, writes Georgina Wells In his programme notes, Carlos Acosta calls Don Quixote ‘the sunshine ballet,’ and certainly Birmingham Royal Ballet...