Indeed, if we didn’t know the same performers had recently opened a much more lavish, circus-themed staging at London’s Coliseum Theatre it wouldn’t feel like Manchester was getting second best in this dual-centre partnership.

That is something for the company to consider if it wants Manchester audiences to warm to it before ENO sets up a permanent base here in 2029.

That said, if we are going to believe two women don’t recognise their fiancés because they’re wearing different jackets and false moustaches, we don’t need fancy staging to be drawn into this farcical world.

Ruth Knight’s semi-staging puts ENO’s orchestra, so central to the enjoyment of the production, in clear view rather than hidden in the pit. Conductor Alexander Joel leads the orchestra from the same level as the singers, with ENO’s chorus coming in and out of the choir circle above, rather than joining the singers on the stage.

 It is performed in English with surtitles above the stage and the flimsy, comical story makes it easy to follow and accessible for audiences new to the genre.

The title Cosi fan tutte (women are all the same) is problematic if taken seriously. However, this 18^th century satire on love, lust and young romance is so extreme and preposterous that it pricks any bubble of seriousness or pomposity we might feel. There is also a flip at the end with tutte becoming tutti – so the men are equally satarised, if not more so, when they realise they’re not as in control of their childish scheming as they first thought.

Leaving us in no doubt of the tongue-in-cheek mischief in which we are to view this story is Irish soprano, Ailish Tynan, a whirlwind of energy as chambermaid Despina. Singing in a range of accents including her native Irish and broad Texan, her comic timing is impeccable and serves to add light to the darker meddling of Don Alfonso (Wigan-born bass baritone Andrew Foster-Williams).

The two naïve couples are sung by soprano Lucy Crowe and mezzo-soprano Taylor Raven as sisters Fiordiligi and Dorabella, British-American tenor, Joshua Blue as Ferrando and Indian baritone Darwin Prakash as Guglielmo. All singers are outstanding talents, with Crowe especially delighting the audience with the pureness of her vocals performing aria ‘per pieta’ from the choir seats above the orchestra.

In all, it is a world of silly escapism with world class singers and orchestra that doesn’t need to be juggled with circus tricks to keep us entertained.

Cosi Fan Tutte is at the Bridgewater Hall on 27 and 28 February 2026.

Under 21s can get free opera tickets to all ENO performances at the London Coliseum and at partnering venues in Greater Manchester.

Feature image: Lucy Crowe, Ailish Tynan, Taylor Raven, ENO’s Cosi fan tutte 2026, The Bridgewater Hall © Matthew Johnson Photographer

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Under guest conductor, Mark Wigglesworth the orchestra draw the audience in gently with Oliver Messiaen’s tribute to Mozart, Un sourire (A smile). Composed in 1989, Messiaen described writing the piece, ‘in the spirit of Mozart’ and here it starts with the melodic grace and beauty we associate with Mozart’s work. But this is more than an imitation and within this short piece there is much to admire in the cacophony of sounds, particularly the joyous birdsong of the woodwind and the playful percussion, notably the xylophone.

The second piece sees the orchestra welcome renowned German soprano Dorothea Röschmann to the stage for the Richard Wagner’s operatic Wesendonck-Lieder. Composed around five poems written by Mathilde Wesendonck during their affair, it enables the audience to experience Wagner’s passionate, soaring melodies on a much smaller scale.

The passionate theme continues after the interval with Hector Berlioz’s opium-induced obsession with unrequited love. As with any obsession there is an element of repetition in each of the five movements. Alongside the exaggerated romanticism are elements of nightmarish angst, unleashing the fierce energy of the brass and percussion sections, making for a rollercoaster of a ride.

Highlights include a wonderful, dreamy cor anglais solo from Drake Gritton. Both the sounds and sights of the strings playing pizzicato; the deep resonance of four harps; two sets of timpani and tubular bells make this live performance a sensory feast.

This eclectic finale described by the programmers as ‘mind-bending and transcendant’ leaves the audience on rousing high.

And if you want to hear more over the summer, the BBC Philharmonic are playing BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in London, before returning to The Bridgewater Hall to open their new season with Holst’s The Planets in September.

Ending on a High The BBC Philharmonic was at The Bridgewater Hall on 22 June 2024.

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Manchester Collective are aligning once again with South African cellist, composer and singer, Abel Selaocoe in a boundary-pushing concert, The Oracle, about connection through music.

In a progression of their highly popular Sirocco collaboration, and backed by the beat of African percussion, Abel is joined by the Collective at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall, to present a life-affirming, musical journey across space and time – spanning continents and generations, past and future.

“My journey with Manchester Collective started quite some time ago and our relationship has now matured into something extremely beautiful,” says Selacoe. “The Collective has served as one of my homes to create without any inhibitions – something special always seems to come out of this environment they’ve created. Our latest collaboration will see us explore the sound worlds between classical music and African music, and beyond”.

The title of the show is inspired by the concept of oracles – characters from different communities who impart wise and insightful counsel – transcending space and time to bring a message that is important for everybody’s wellbeing. Exploring a whole new musical connection, the evening will feature four new works on this theme by Selaocoe, (commissioned by Manchester Collective and the Southbank Centre in partnership with the Royal Philharmonic Society), alongside masterpieces by Jean-Philippe Rameau, Igor Stravinsky, Mica Levi and Oliver Leith.

The music incorporates electric bass, African percussion, solo cello and a string orchestra. From Baroque to Mbaqanga music from South Africa, it promises to transcend the boundaries of genre, reimagining classical instruments’ sound worlds, and inviting audiences to jump into different worlds of expression.

“Audiences can expect to be thrown into a world of both the familiar and unfamiliar,” says Selaocoe. “They will be taken on a journey that explores the types of sounds an instrument can make outside of itself, just like an oracle – somebody who can transcend their community and tell a story so that people can understand their purpose.

“Another theme that will bind everything together is Afrofuturism. This has been a very personal journey for me, exploring a topic that speaks to me as a Black person and my idea of where my journey goes in the future – the use of technology, the idea of space, and of transcending what was before to look further ahead. For me, The Oracle is all about finding a universal idea of spirit that can take us to another world.”

Since co-founding Manchester Collective in 2016, Rakhi Singh (Musical Director) and Adam Szabo (CEO) have championed the organisation’s experimental programming and collaborations. In a relatively short time, the Collective has staged around a hundred live shows that have spread over six seasons; integrating classical and electronic music, as well as commissioning new work from contemporary composers including, Edmund Finnis, Hannah Peel, Lyra Pramuk, and Laurence Osborn.

Szabo is led by personal inspiration in seeking exciting collaborations. ‘We tend to find artists that we are blown away and inspired by. They often work in different kind of areas but generally, they have a very strong distinctive artistic personality. Their work has a certain flavour which is absolutely individual,” he says.

“Working with Abel has been interesting as it’s been evolving for many years now. We worked together the first time in 2018 and we have done work together almost every year since that time. A lot of classical musicians are trained to just interpret what they’re given, but Abel always brings something new. There are not many musicians who have that kind of energy; an inexhaustible well of creativity.”

The show aims to create an uplifting atmosphere with joy woven through it. Szabo emphasises it is an event for everyone: “There can be two types of audiences,” he explains. “One of those audiences are people who don’t normally find themselves in concert halls and it will be cool to blow their minds and show them what is possible and how exciting live music can be. The other audience is an artistic community of artists who work in a classical tradition and then it’s about expanding their ideas of what is possible with these instruments”.

The event has been designed to inspire a rush of energy into the audience. Selaocoe has been known for creating a type of atmosphere where you don’t know what could happen next. But Szabo is certain about one thing: “Music is something that should be a shared experience.’ So, if going along to The Oracle, expect the unexpected, alongside a mixture of listening and sense of togetherness.

Those who love live music know the euphoric atmosphere and togetherness that can be experienced at a gig. We could all do with more connection and for some, The Oracle may be the missing piece that can bring a sense of belonging.

The Oracle comes to Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall on 15 April before continuing on its UK Tour. Manchester Collective is also collaborating with Hannah Peel and Lyra Pramuk in Neon which will be held at The White Hotel in Salford on 20 May 2022. This event is minimalistic and includes evolving trance rhythms.

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But while the German singer and his 12-piece orchestra may be relatively unknown to British audiences, their music is nostalgically familiar.

Taking inspiration from the sounds of the 1920s and 30s, the evening creates a sense of not just another era but almost another world. In many ways for the audience it is. There is no older generation that it is aimed at who are alive to say, this is the music of my hey-day. Yet so many of us have memories of the songs like ‘Singing in the Rain’, ‘Happy Days are Here Again’, ‘Cheek to Cheek’ and Mack The Knife (here sung in German), because they’ve been kept alive through both musical theatre and the swing era.

Saying that, Raabe’s unique style fits neither with a musical theatre performer or a crooner. Impeccably presented in black-tie pre-interval and refreshed in white-tie on his return, he is a dapper mix of 1920’s starch-collar and 2020’s cool reserve.
His original versions of familiar tunes are light, breezy and reserved in a way that makes the audience rush to fill the gap with their own emotion. In many ways it is hard to understand why in their 30 years together this orchestra hasn’t played the UK outside of London, because the reserve, irony and dry humour of the performance feels very British – the Bridgewater Hall audience were quickly transfixed.

Raabe’s pure tones appear almost effortless and at times his whistles a tune while barely moving his lips. At the same time the show is cleverly choreographed as Raabe steps forward to introduce each song and, when not singing, a swift lighting change sees him retreat into the shadows. He sings at the mic, almost expressionlessly still. When he sings, ‘I Won’t Dance’ we believe him whole-heartedly.

But the performance while relaxed and glamorous is not without fun. Raabe’s introductions are delivered with dead-pan comic timing. He jokes that perhaps when King Herod’s daughter asked for John the Baptist’s head on a plate instead of thinking whether he had the power to do that, perhaps should have asked: “What went wrong in her upbringing that she wants that as a birthday present?”

In a similarly surreal leap from 20s lyrics to Biblical tales of Samson and Delilah, Raabe manages to squeeze in an oblique reference to Donald Trump.

His multi-talented orchestra are full of surprises too, particularly in their versatility. Bernd Dieterich plays both the double-bass and its size equivalent in brass, the sousaphone. Jörn Ranke plays trombone, before coming to the front on viola, as part of a string trio, and later joins Raabe centre stage on vocals.

Raabe has led his dance band since 1986 with more or less the same line-up for most of that time. Together they deliver a polished, assured performance that is utterly absorbing. The evening is two-and-a-half hours of very welcome escapism, with a charm that is both relaxed and sophisticated. Hopefully this visit to Manchester will be their first of many.

Max Raabe & Palast Orchester was at The Bridgewater Hall on Friday 6 March 2020.

Read our interview with Max Raabe.

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In just three weeks, million selling crooner Max Raabe and the hugely talented Palast Orchester from Berlin will present their debut UK Tour.

The internationally acclaimed singer and musicians promise to take audiences back in time on a musical journey of romance and sophistication, revisiting the ‘Roaring Twenties’ a century on from what was an exciting new era for music, dance, style, and fashion.

Now it’s the turn of the UK to experience the warmth, charm and elegance of Max Raabe & Palast Orchester first-hand with tour dates in Eastbourne, London, Birmingham, and Manchester which form part of a wider international tour.

Max Raabe & Palast Orchester open their UK tour on Tuesday 3 March 2020 at the Congress Theatre in Eastbourne; followed by London’s Cadogan Hall on Wednesday 4 March 2020; Symphony Hall in Birmingham on Thursday 5 March 2020; and Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall on Friday 6 March 2020.

Formed in the 1980s, the then group of college friends have since grown into a hugely successful 13-piece ensemble – becoming one of Germany’s biggest selling acts, winning praise, rave reviews, and a legion of fans across the globe.

Max Raabe & Palast Orchester are well-respected in Germany, having dominated the music charts for many years while staying true to their unique style and genre.

They recently released a new MTV Unplugged album which went straight into the Top 10 in the German pop charts – reaching Number 2 in early January 2020, alongside Robbie Williams, Coldplay and Leonard Cohen with places at the top of the charts.

Stylish 57-year-old Max Raabe is famous for performing while impeccably dressed in white tie and tails, and is joined by 12 musical maestros from the Palast Orchester.

Dashing, dapper and debonair, Max believes the timeless melodies and songs of the 1920s and 1930s have an inherent magic. He combines nostalgic flair with pop-star appeal, along with a good dose of self-irony and dry comedy.

The tour is timely given the nation’s fascination with all things vintage, including Downtown Abbey, Gosford Park and Brideshead Revisited.

Together, Max and the orchestra present the most stunning classic and timeless repertoire in their original arrangements. With a distinctive sound, audiences will be captivated by Max Raabe & Palast Orchester as they are transported to yesteryear to experience high style and musical glory in the most sumptuous way – making this show one of a kind, and the hottest ticket in town.

Max Raabe was born 1962 in Lünen and has always sung – from the youth choir to even on his bicycle. He moved to Berlin in his early twenties to study opera. He financed his studies with small performances, and in 1986 he founded the Palast Orchester with a number of fellow students. They are now the worldwide leading band of music from the era of the Weimar Republic.

Max has received numerous awards for his commitment to remembering the music of the 1920s and 1930s, including the ECHO Classic in 2000 for his interpretation of Mack The Knife; Paul-Lincke-Ring Of The City Of Goslar in 2005; the cultural prize of his hometown Lünen in 2007; and the Order Of Merit Of The State Of Berlin in 2012.

Their appeal is diverse and far reaching. Max Raabe and the Palast Orchester performed at the star-studded wedding of singer Marilyn Manson and model Dita Von Teese at a castle in Ireland in 2005.

The show will feature diverse range of music and songs including the hilarious Rosa, Reizende Rosa (Rosa, Ravishing Rosa); romantic tune Tonight Or Never; the classic Kurt Weill’s Mack The Knife; alongside standards including I Won’t Dance, Night And Day, and Sweet Sue.

These first UK tour dates will give music fans the opportunity to experience the sights, sounds and atmosphere of this very special show and era before Max and the musicians continue on a worldwide international tour visiting Austria, Canada, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and the United States Of America – including the iconic Carnegie Hall in New York this April.

For a chance to win simply email your name and address to competitions@quayslife.com with Max Rabbe in the subject line before 5pm on Thursday 27 February 2020.

The winner was Gillian Hitchen.

Read our interview with Max Raabe.

Competition terms and conditions:

1. This competition is run by Quays Life in partnership with Max Raabe & Palast Orchester.
2. The Prize: Two tickets to see Max Raabe & Palast Orchester at the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester on Friday 6 March 2020.
3. The prize is as stated and no cash or other alternatives will be offered. The prize is not transferable and subject to availability.
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How would you describe Max Raabe and the Palast Orchester?

Max: “We’re a 13-piece orchestra playing the music of the 1920s and 1930s. We have four saxophones, two trumpets, one trombone, rhythm section with sousaphone, double bass, drums, guitar, banjo, and a violin player – she’s the only lady in the orchestra. This is by chance.

“Our first violin was played by the girlfriend of one of our saxophone players. And when he left, we asked a student of ours to play for a concert and he said: ‘For one concert I will do that, but I have no time to come with you to play concerts and stay in your band’. But then we realised how wonderful it is to have a woman in the orchestra. Our current violinist Cecilia Crisafulli has been with us for 13 years”.

How many players have been with the orchestra since it was founded in the mid-1980s?

Max: “There are still eight people from that time. But since the mid-90s we’ve had the same line-up. We’re a student band – an old one!”

This is being described as your first UK tour. The Palast Orchester has been together more than 30 years so why has it taken so long?

Max: “We have played some concerts, at the Cadogan Hall in London and Shepherd’s Bush Empire, and invitations to festivals like Twinwood (in 2012) and the Secret Garden Party. We had wonderful concerts and it was always very successful. In Spring, I have my second solo concert at Wigmore Hall in London, which is a wonderful concert hall. It’s not so easy to go to your island for artists from Europe. I think you have incredible artists and musicians – maybe that’s the reason why”.

What was it that first interested you in this specific style of music?

Max: “The music was always there when I was a child. On each Sunday there were black and white films on TV. Not only German and Austrian films from the 1920s and 1930s, but also from the United States with Fred Astaire. There was always a scene where somebody was singing, and a band was playing in a big hotel.

“In my father’s record collection there was an instrumental song called Crazy About Hilde. It was funny and fast, but there was a melancholy sub-note in that song by the saxophones and the vibrato of the trumpet – it was like listening through a pipe into another room, another era. So, I went to flea markets in the next big town, Münster, and bought some of these 78 records, not only German but also sometimes English songs”.

You started performing the songs as a teenager. What was the reaction from friends and family?

Max: “My parents were shocked and friends, they loved it. We had a very active church and every family and friend went there. Once a year there was a big party and they asked us to do some sketches or play some music – and that was the first time I put on my father’s top hat and sang these songs. It was wonderful, they loved it and it was fun for me. Possibly just a joke, I never thought I’d be a musician one day”.

You went on to study classical singing at college in Berlin, where you and your friends formed the orchestra.

Max: “I financed my study with that music but told nobody about it. One of my teachers came to me and said: ‘Another professor told me that you sing songs from the 20s and 30s. Take care, it may ruin your voice and can be dangerous or difficult. I don’t like this idea that you sing other material’.

“He was then at a concert we did and said: ‘You do it well, you don’t stress your voice, you have a wonderful technique and I see you don’t mix it up. You have this classical way to sing and you have this Twenties light crooning way to sing. Don’t do it too much, but it’s OK with me’. So, I didn’t have to be a waiter or a taxi driver during my studies, I could start earning money with music”.

When did you know the Palast Orchester was going to be more than a hobby?

Max: “After a year we were invited to perform at a ball, playing in the foyer. People stood in front of our stage and asked us to play again and again. It was then we realised we were on the right track, it was absolutely amazing. Then we did our first concert, got some TV jobs and we said let’s go ahead – as long as people want to hear it and as long as we want to do it. And we’re still doing it!”

Where do you find all the original arrangements from the 1920s and 1930s?

Max: “The first we found in flea markets, then we found a big old publishing company in Berlin. There was a company who asked us to do a record and said: ‘We have so many records in our cellar and archives, let’s have a look and maybe you can find some’.

“A few years ago we had a tour through the States including a concert in Chicago, and a few weeks before somebody said: ‘Do you know there is a big library in Chicago with original stock arrangements from the Twenties and Thirties?’ We went and found around 30 arrangements and just had to pay the copy for them. It was like Christmas on one day, incredible”.

How do you decide what to perform for each concert? And what can UK audiences expect?

Max: “We have more than 600 songs in our repertoire. We mix it up with songs I compose and play songs of the countries we’re travelling through. When we have a tour through somewhere like Scandinavia we do one programme, when we go to Japan we sing some Japanese songs. Recently we had a concert in Milan and the programme had five Italian songs.

“One of the songs we’ll play in the United Kingdom is ‘I Won’t Dance’, a wonderful arrangement from 1935 which we found in Chicago. We have Noel Coward songs and some by Al Bowlly. We play in the way it was played in the early 1930s, the pre-swing era”.

How do you feel when you stand at the front of the orchestra singing these songs

Max: “It makes me feel lucky because I always discover new colours and variations. My aim is to entertain the audience and transport them out of reality. The music was written to take its audience away from their everyday problems. And it still works today”.

Max Raabe and Palast Orchester are touring the UK in March visiting the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester on 6 March 2020. See website for full tour details. See our competition for a chance to WIN TWO TICKETS to the show.

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This series of concerts may be Stripped Back in many ways, but there is certainly no shortage of glamour. Wearing a stunning knee-length, silver/blue, sequinned fringe dress designed by Jacques Azagury, Ms Paige makes a shimmering entrance.

The evening is all about reflecting and reminiscing, but unfortunately her opening banter falls flat when her comment about the BBC Breakfast move from Shepherd’s Bush to Media City comes out more like a slight on the area.

Still, Elaine Paige is our country’s musical superstar, so while the audience isn’t willing to indulge her with feigned laugher or false applause, it is quick to forgive a fumbled start.

The evening is one of a 23 date series of concerts, in which Ms Paige has decided to do something completely different. Supported by an accomplished five-piece band, led by Musical Director John G Smith with whom she’s worked closely for the past decade, she revisits the music of her youth, singing popular songs mainly from the 1960s and 70s, celebrating songwriters such as Harry Nilsson, Randy Newman, Jim Webb, Burt Bacharach, and Lennon & McCartney.

These songs hold strong memories for much of the audience too, and in this sense the evening is a huge trip down memory lane. Jamming alongside guitarist Zoltan Dekany to Bread’s Guitar Man, we see a new side to Elaine Paige. She is clearly enjoying herself and she still has a strength of voice that can turn itself to any tune.

However, there is a tangible lift in audience energy when she sings, I Know Him So Well – the song from Chess which won her four weeks at number one as a duet with Barbara Dixon. She has spent more than 50 years singing this kind of music, so you can understand that at 68-years-old she might want a change. But if something has worked for you for over half a century, why spoil a good thing?

It’s not that our musical heroine delivered something different from what she said she would. And she did throw in a couple of musical favourites fans expect to hear. Yet the atmosphere in the room when she sang a musical theatre number, gave the sense that her fans were willing to indulge her the rest for the pleasure of hearing her sing the songs they have come to love her for.

As a musical theatre performer Elaine Paige has starred in more smash hit West End and Broadway musicals than anyone else of her generation and continues to draw in more than 2.5 million listeners each week for her BBC Radio 2 show Elaine Paige on Sunday.

Isn’t this enough? This concert sadly made me feel that she doesn’t think so. She tells stories of a wild youth going back to a flats after shows with grass and a couple of bottles of wine, as if wanting to change the clean cut image many have of her. She has anecdotes about meeting Paul Simon and Paul McCartney that are interesting enough, but really who is going to be surprised that she has come across these singers – she is a big star too.

She didn’t have to work this hard to impress. It felt much more natural when she talked about returning to her childhood home and seeing the Bramley apple tree still standing in the garden her mother took so much pride over. There was a genuineness about that story that made us feel, this is Elaine Paige stripped back. She is the girl from Barnet who became a national treasure and whatever she chooses to sing we love her.

Elaine Paige in Concert was at The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester on 8 October 2016.

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In this show you celebrate contemporary songwriters from the huge musical numbers of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber that you’ve become synonymous with to Lennon and McCartney. With such a huge catalogue to choose from how did you compile the final set list?

I was making an album in New York with the late legendary producer Phil Ramone and he asked me who my favourite artists were and listing quite a few I finished with Harry Nilsson, Randy Newman and Jim Webb and I thought as I said it that sounds rather good – Nilsson, Newman & Webb.  So they were really my inspiration for the concerts – I looked back to that period in my life, the 60’s and 70’s, when I was listening to a lot of music.

How has your response to the songs and how you perform them changed at different stages of your life?

I’ve always been a fan of lyrics, in fact it was Jim Webb’s work way back then that made me start to take notice of lyrics and the stories behind them. So lyrically some of the songs I sing have taken on new meaning. Memory for example has taken on a completely new meaning to me now that I’m older.

Can you describe the moment when you first knew that you wanted to follow a career on the stage?

I think it must have been when my school staged The Boy Mozart, an operetta based on the composer’s life and work.  I sang the mezzo role, Bastienne, from the opera Bastien and Bastienne, the first of many emotional songs that have shaped my career.  When I sobbed at the end of the aria the audience gasped.  They thought I’d forgotten my lines!  Didn’t they know I was acting!  My father did, though, and duly asked “Would you like to go to drama school?”  A dream come true! I could hardly believe it.

Which people have influenced you most in your life and why?

I’ve been lucky enough to work with so many talented people, some of the very best. Such a privilege.  And I’ve made so many good friends who have supported me and encouraged me whom I love. So to pick out just a few would be unfair.

Who continues to inspire you today?

I try and go and see as much as I can – theatre, concerts, films. I read a lot and I’m always making lists of songs, ideas, etc.  There isn’t really one specific person or thing that inspires me I just see things that gets my brain ticking!

For The Elaine Paige Show on Sky Arts you took on a mentoring role for students. It’s a wonderful opportunity for the students to get the benefit of your experience but what, if anything, have you learned from the students?

I love their enthusiasm, their joie de vivre, their determination and lack of fear. I think once you start to perform and hone your craft you are far more aware of the pressures that come with that. You have to apply oneself.  Everything takes a lot of hard work, drive and energy to make sure you give 100%. Nothing worth having comes easily. As Bette Davis said “No guts, no glory.”

Two years ago you celebrated 50 years on the stage. What is your secret for a long-standing career in the competitive world of show business?

I think you have to try new ideas all the time. I’ve always love diversity and made an effort to try different things to challenge myself. It’s been an incredible journey and I’ve been lucky enough to go down many roads and in many different directions.

Is there anything you’d like to do career-wise as a one off, just for the fun of doing it?

I’d love to play Margo Channing in a stage or TV production of ‘All About Eve” – I love that film and Bette Davis is my all time favorite movie actress.  It would be such great role and fun to do.

Is there anything else you’d like the audience to know before they come along to the show?

Well that we have a bunch of classic songs from some wonderful composers such as Bacharach & David, Lennon & McCartney, Carole King, Jim Webb that they will hopefully love, interspersed with some of my hits and some stories and anecdotes about my life and career.

Thank you, Elaine. I, for one, can’t wait.

Elaine Paige Stripped Back is a series of weekend concerts from October to December 2016. She comes to The Bridgewater Hall on Saturday October 8 2016. Visit www.Elainepaige.com for details. 

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