Leeds
Ruddigore, Opera NorthSaturday, 01 October 2011
Revived with almost indecent haste, Jo Davies’s 2010 production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Ruddigore now feels even more polished and slick. Slickness is not a derogatory term here; this staging hits the spot in pretty much every way – musically,... Read more... |
Madam Butterfly, Opera NorthSunday, 18 September 2011
It’s easy to accuse opera companies in these straitened times of wanting to play safe. Opera North’s 2011-12 season is slightly slimmer than one would expect, but includes five new productions, and the revivals fully deserve their resurrection.... Read more... |
Opera North U-turn once "queer" is changed to "gay"Friday, 08 July 2011The Yorkshire aphorism, "There's nowt so queer as folks", might have been coined to describe the row. The alteration of a single word in a community opera wracked by furore over claimed homophobia has saved it from being banned. Opera North has... Read more... |
Das Rheingold, Opera NorthSunday, 19 June 2011
After years of planning, Opera North's Ring cycle gets under way. The orchestra pit at the Leeds Grand Theatre is too small for Wagner's oversized orchestra. So this is a concert staging, to be repeated in the coming months at The Sage Gateshead,... Read more... |
Cleopatra, Northern Ballet, Sadler's WellsTuesday, 17 May 2011
David Nixon has been artistic director of Northern Ballet for a decade, and it’s probably safe to say he is the king of the story ballet: Wuthering Heights, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Madame Butterfly, Dracula – if it’s got a story, he is, seemingly... Read more... |
The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, Leeds Town HallThursday, 12 May 2011
The trick is to transform something relatively easy into something dazzling and bewilderingly complex. Seeing the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain is like watching eight masters of close-up magic. You’re not quite sure where to look, unable to... Read more... |
Precocity of Vice: 'Tis Pity She's a Whore returnsMonday, 09 May 2011
John Ford’s tragedy‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore, set in the Italian city of Parma, tells the story of a young brother and sister, Giovanni and Annabella, who discover a mutual love for each other and embark on a passionate sexual relationship. The... Read more... |
From the House of the Dead, Opera NorthFriday, 06 May 2011
Janáček’s stark Prelude is a stunner: there’s no conventional beginning, no conventional thematic development; it simply starts, as if a light switch has been flicked on, and the baleful opening theme is distorted, repeated, squeezed until it leads... Read more... |
Fidelio, Opera North, Leeds Grand TheatreThursday, 14 April 2011
Unpleasant feelings of confinement and claustrophobia hit you when the curtain rises after Beethoven’s disconcertingly jolly overture; one small room is visible on stage, framed by black curtains. The sun shines oppressively through the barred... Read more... |
Cautionary Tales!, Howard Assembly Room, Leeds Grand TheatreSaturday, 12 March 2011
Trying to introduce children to classical music is a tricky business. The benchmarks are still Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf and Poulenc’s Babar – both characterised by witty, quirky music and strong storylines. Opera is a harder sell – there’s... Read more... |
Cleopatra, Northern Ballet, Leeds Grand TheatreSunday, 06 March 2011
Northern Ballet’s genes are rooted in the Royal Ballet’s narrative golden age of the Sixties, its most significant leader Christopher Gable having been the originally intended Romeo of Kenneth MacMillan’s iconic 1965 Romeo and Juliet. While the... Read more... |
The Deep Blue Sea, West Yorkshire PlayhouseTuesday, 22 February 2011
The clipped Fifties accents raise a smile for the first few minutes, but what’s startling about this new production of Terence Rattigan’s 1952 play is how universal, how timeless the story is. Director Sarah Esdaile wisely decides to play things... Read more... |
