In handing over his entire back catalogue (40 albums) with permission to âuse any songs in any way he likedâ, Bob Dylan dealt the gifted Irish writer, Conor McPherson a far better hand than, for example, Benny and Bjorn allowed Catherine Johnson...
Erich KĂ€stner was an exceptional writer of fiction for children (Emile and the Detectives is perhaps his best known work). Identical is a new musical adaptation of another of KĂ€stnerâs tales, Lisa and Lottie. If youâve seen any of the film versions...
Letâs pretend weâre contestants in that popular BBC quiz show, âPointlessâ. âIdentify these famous female vocalists, mimicked by LV in Jim Cartwrightâs hit play The Rise and Fall of Little Voice.â A: Parisian chanteuse, affectionately known as the...
Following the likes of Rebecca, Brief Encounter and Malory Towers, Emily BrontĂ«âs Wuthering Heights is the latest literary work to get the Emma Rice treatment, and arguably it wears it best of all. Wuthering Heights The passion, wildness and...
Carmen is one of the most popular operas of all time, so itâs 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...
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 âthe sunshine ballet,â and certainly Birmingham Royal Ballet...
Niamh Melody finds this innovative, graphic novel style retelling of Dracula a unique take on a familiar story Imitating the dog and Leeds Playhouse have successfully turned a classic horror story into a gripping, technologically advanced piece of...
Jeremy Sams, adapter and director of this stage version of the popular 1970s sitcom The Good Life, points out how current the central clash of ideas seems to be. On the one hand, we have careerist Gerry (played here by Dominic Rowan) and his...
The Play That Went Wrong is a relentlessly inventive, immaculately choreographed farce. For the first time ever, I have to begin a review with a health warning: please donât try drinking white spirit, and donât (for a joke) put it in anybody elseâs...
The nice woman working security at the Lowry approaches me with her metal-detecting device.âDo you have a pacemaker,â she asks. âI donât think so.â This is not to be found on anyoneâs list of Sensible Answers. What was I thinking? That some rogue...
Martin Thomasson
Georgina Wells
Carmel Thomason
Niamh Melody