Author: The Reviews Hub - Yorkshire & North East

Composer: Hans Krasa Lyrics: Adolf Hoffmeister Conductor: Nicholas Shaw Director: PJ Harris It’s difficult to convey the impact of this short programme (barely an hour and a half, including interval), at once joyous and poignant, commemorating the past and looking to the future. It was also a fine example of co-operation between arts organisations. Co-producers Opera North provided the Youth Company, the Royal Northern Sinfonia the musicians. It is, however, the third arts organisation that is key to the whole enterprise. The Brundibar Arts Festival was founded by Sinfonia violinist Alexandra Raikhlina in 2016 and dedicated to the music and…

Writer: Willy Russell Directors: Bob Tomson & Bill Kenwright As theatres continue to work hard to persuade their patrons to leave their homes and sit in a big room full of strangers, it is testament to Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers that despite touring the UK almost constantly for what seems forever, it still has the power to pack an auditorium. And as other shows get reimagined, Blood Brothers seems to have remained largely unchanged in the nearly four decades since it debuted on the West End. But why fix what isn’t broken? Russell’s genius has always been in his ability…

Composer: Giacomo Puccini Libretto: Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica Director: Ellen Kent Conductor: Vasyl Vasylenko Three performances at Bradford Alhambra marked the beginning of a massive three-opera tour (finishing in May) by Ellen Kent’s Opera International in association with Senbla. The advance publicity rang alarm bells, with posters stressing non-musical attractions: an Andalusian stallion in Carmen, towering marble pillars in Tosca and an exquisite Japanese garden in Madama Butterfly. In the event any alarm was unjustified. This is a production with solid musical virtues (and one outstanding performance) and the garden set is indeed very attractive, even if the lack…