Itâs a mad, mad world â and sometimes feels increasingly so as we head towards the festive season â but none more so than in Wonderland, the magical underworld kingdom created by Lewis Caroll more than 150 years ago. Carollâs classic tale has been...
The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra: The Sound of Gaming was an ambitious and innovative classical musical event catering for three separate audiences simultaneously. The first, of which I was a part, was the in person audience in the BBC Philharmonic...
After 30 years of accolades, Matthew Bourneâs Swan Lake still has audiences on their feet at the end, enthralled, moved and wanting more. This deconstructed and thematically enhanced version of the original ballet is an unflinching look at royalty...
Seven-(almost eight)-year-olds, Mickey and Eddie form an immediate bond when they meet by chance in a Liverpool park in the 1960s. Unruly, foul-mouthed Mickey thrills and appalls Eddie (âEdwardâ to his parents) with his unfettered language and...
Mozartâs The Magic Flute is enduringly popular because it is the perfect mix of fantasy and fabulousness in an accessible opera that entertains and enchants regular opera-goers and those new to opera alike. Indeed, this Opera North autumn season at...
Whenever âthe great and the goodâ turn out in numbers for a show, it is more likely they are anxious to be seen rather than to see. Laurie Andersonâs remarkable ARK: United States V provides a notable exception to this rule. Familiar faces are much...
There are likely many reasons why Ruddigore is one of the lesser performed works of Gilbert and Sullivan. But audience enjoyment is not one of them. There was a palpable lightness in the Lowryâs large Lyric auditorium for Opera Northâs high energy...
I come away from Opera Northâs revived production of Benjamin Brittenâs adaptation of A Midsummer Nightâs Dream still trying to work out whether or not I enjoyed it. Those things that ON, almost without exception, do well, were a triumph. The...
There was no shortage of Elf devotees in Manchester this week for an early slice of Christmas fun. We could tell by the amount of elf hats, Christmas sparkles and Elf merch adorning the crowds outside the Palace, that this show has a serious...
Being on the cusp of teenage years is often difficult enough without adding a whole host of other challenges facing 12-year-old Sonny. We meet him as he joins a new school, shadowed by his imaginary friend, Captain Chatter â a superhero of his own...
Dave Porter
Paul Thomason
Cathy Crabb
Martin Thomasson
Carmel Thomason
Nic Dowling