Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Librettist: Lorenzo Da Ponte translation by Jeremy Sams Director: Ruth Knight Conductor: Alexander Joel Despite bitter arguments the English National Opera (ENO) was forced to comply with the instruction to relocate from London to Manchester. However, as opera companies plan their schedules years in advance there are practical limitations on how quickly the change in location can be implemented. So far, therefore, the company has been able to make only quick visits to the region. At least this gives the ENO the chance to sample the features of the various venues in the area. The Bridgewater…
Author: The Reviews Hub - North West
The Reviews Hub - North West
The North West team is under the editorship of John McRoberts. The Reviews Hub was set up in 2007. Our mission is to provide the most in-depth, nationwide arts coverage online.
Writer and Director: Stewart Campbell Set against the charged political backdrop of late-90s Britain, Kind of Love arrives at Hope Mill Theatre with a spirited mix of nostalgia, hedonism and emotional reckoning. With Tony Blair’s New Labour in full swing and Parliament debating the gay age of consent, Stewart Campbell’s new play reminds us that for most young people during this time, life continued much as it did before – with all its messiness and impulse. Written and directed by Campbell, Artistic Director of Manchester-based company Qweerdog, the play centres on four friends whose lives are forever altered following a…
Book, Music and Lyrics: David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, Zoë Roberts Director: Robert Hastie, Georgie Staight They say that truth is often stranger than fiction, but it’s not every day you find yourself at a production about the true story of a corpse that helped win World War Two and it’s a musical… Operation Mincemeat tells the extraordinary tale of a real British intelligence operation in 1943 that sought to deceive Hitler using a stolen body and some falsified invasion plans. What could possibly go wrong?! The unbelievably barmy idea, thought up by Britain’s finest at MI5, involved procuring…
Writer: Jim Cartwright Director: Selina Cartmell Jim Cartwright’s Road is the first production in the Royal Exchange’s 50th anniversary season so there is a determination to make a strong impression. Director Selina Cartmell designs close to a promenade production. The foyer of the theatre is littered with shabby props – a van that has seen better days, a shambolic garage- and the theatre’s Rivals Bar is converted into The Millstone Pub complete with 1980’s style glitter curtains and a cockeyed nameplate. Members of the cast perch on seats erected high above the floor and greet patrons as if they are…
Creators: Daphna Attias & Terry O’Donovan Writer: Chloe Moss Have you ever wanted to gatecrash a wedding? Have you ever wanted to be a fly on the wall inside a hotel room? Have you ever wanted to be invisible and eavesdrop on a relationship? I Do gives you just those opportunities. In 1999, Alan Ayckbourn wrote a convention breaking piece of theatre. House & Garden were two plays, performed simultaneously in neighbouring theatres sharing cast and story arcs. They could be experienced singularly or as companion pieces. Technically ambitious, it requires expert timing to perform. For their twentieth anniversary, site-specific theatre company Dante or Die have achieved something similar but ramped up the complexity and exquisite precision with I Do. The premise is glorious. Performed…
Writer: Julia Donaldson Adaptor: Barb Jungr and Samantha Lane. Music/Lyrics: Barb Jungr Director: Samantha Lane A show about animals in a small house? What a curious plan! But what a delight! When audiences and young reviewers watch a stage adaptation of their favourite books, they can often come away feeling like the original magic of the book is missed and adapted too far. However, Olivier-nominated duo Barb Jungr and Samantha Lane’s adaptation of Julia Donaldson’s A Squash and a Squeeze not only portrays the morals of the tale, but also exaggerates and arguably improves the comedic turn of events. The plot…
Writer: Regal Entertainment Director: Chantelle Joseph Theatre Royal St Helens continues its tradition of high-quality seasonal entertainment with its latest half-term pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk. Under the sharp direction of Chantelle Joseph, the production proves to be a towering achievement that never lets the grass grow under its feet. At just under two hours, including an interval, the show is a fast-paced, polished spectacle that manages to climb to new heights of family fun without ever outstaying its welcome. The production design is a visual treat. The sets are bright and bold, perfectly complemented by Joe Sanderson’s creative lighting,…
Writer: Tim Firth Director: Colin Connor Tim Firth’s play, having previously been enacted on film and the mainstream stage, now moves to the fringe in gender-swapped form – Neville’s Island becoming Sheila’s Island. Not content with staging the play in the round director Colin Connor moves towards an immersive atmosphere so successfully there is concern water might start lapping around one’s ankles. The audience enters to a stage covered in rough matting and scattered wood chips with dry ice hovering like a thick fog. The cast, being troupers, first appear in dripping wet clothes their characters having just abandoned a…