Georgina WellsThe night of Opera North’s performance of The Turn of the Screw at The Lowry was a dark and stormy one, fitting weather conditions for the Benjamin Britten opera based on Henry James’ ghostly short story. The set up is, to an extent, familiar: a...
Lorraine Worsley-CarterIt’s Figaro’s wedding day – or is it? Poor, honest to the core, Figaro, is as a happy man, as any prospective groom would expect to be on his wedding day. That is, until he realises his master, Count Almaviva, to whom he is deeply loyal, holds...
Moses KabungaCrongton Knights is a modern-day quest story akin to The Wizard of Oz but with all the innocence and Hollywood Technicolour removed. It’s based on the second book of the trilogy of YA stories written by Alex Wheatle, MBE. And follows a group of...
Augmented is an intimate one woman play, written and performed by Sophie Woolley, about her experience of hearing loss during her 20s. Trailer It opens in a near future; Sophie sports a blonde bob and is dressed head-to-toe in silver. As she begins...
Carmel ThomasonMax Raabe and his Palast Orchester arrive in Manchester on the final date of their first ever UK tour. But while the German singer and his 12-piece orchestra may be relatively unknown to British audiences, their music is nostalgically familiar...
Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Swan Lake – conceived by Sir Peter Wright and Galina Samsova – first premiered at the Palace Theatre back in 1981, but this is not a production that looks nearly 40-years-old. The curtain rises on a striking funeral scene...
One of the best things about seeing a brand-new work, is just that – it’s brand new. And after watching the premiere of Bourgeois and Maurice’s new musical, ‘Insane Animals’ I can tell you, knowing very little about the performance...
Steve TimmsDon De Lillo’s mid-80’s novel ‘White Noise’ featured a married couple who were as happy as two people can be. Yet both had a distressing secret neither felt brave enough to share with the other; they were terrified of death. Super Duper...
Like the yew tree at its centre, A Monster Calls is a story that twists and turns, with multiple layers of fantasy and reality; its roots stretching deep into the pain of grief. The original idea came from author, Siobhan Dowd who died from breast...
It’s a little-known fact that Quality Street chocolates – that staple of Christmas in the UK – is named after J.M. Barrie’s play from 1901 (before he wrote Peter Pan). A comical tale of love, identity and misunderstanding set during the Regency...
