Conductor: Antony Hermus It says much for the Orchestra of Opera North that it is able to attract soloists of the calibre of Israeli pianist Boris Giltburg and, indeed, has secured the services of Dutch maestro Antony Hermus as Principal Guest Conductor. Together they produced a concert of remarkable virtuosity (from orchestra as well as soloist) to enthral a Huddersfield Town Hall audience far bigger than might have been expected for the performance of two Russian 20th century heavyweights, Prokofiev and Shostakovich. The programme note on Serge Prokofiev’s Third Piano Concerto points to the dichotomy in his musical personality between…
Author: The Reviews Hub - Yorkshire & North East
The Reviews Hub - Yorkshire & North East
The Yorkshire & North East team is under the editorship of Jacob Bush. The Reviews Hub was set up in 2007. Our mission is to provide the most in-depth, nationwide arts coverage online.
Writer: Steven Knight CBE Choreographer: Benoit Swan Pouffer Composer: Roman GianArthur Peaky Blinders in pointe shoes was likely not on many people’s 2023 Bingo Card, but Rambert Dance have brought this strange concept to reality in Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby. It’s even written by the original creator Steven Knight, meaning that fans of the critically acclaimed TV show don’t have to worry about what might be lost in translation; and newcomers can head home after a solid introduction to catch up on the rest of the story, should the ballet leave them wanting more. The tale told…
Music, Lyrics and Book: Richard O’Brien Director: Christopher Luscombe How to describe The Rocky Horror Show to a virgin? Part drag show, part homage to 50’s B-movie Sci-Fi, the decadent daydream of a stage show has been delighting fans since 1973, when writer and original Riff-Raff Richard O’Brien unleashed his manic creation onto an unsuspecting world, initially with little fanfare or acclaim, but building quickly into the very definition of a cult classic. The plot is really neither here nor there, as the audience are here for crass jokes, rock inspired sing-a-longs and the excuse to wear a corset regardless…
Music: Giacomo Puccini Director: Edward Dick Conductor: Garry Walker A mighty percussive chord, the curtain flies up and a ragged figure makes his entrance via a rope from the ceiling. So begins Opera North’s Tosca and from then on the pace never slackens, giving it at times the feel of a thriller. Joseph Kerman’s famous description of it as “a shabby little shocker” may be unfair, but for this production we could settle for “an opera noir”. The historical background to Tosca places it in Rome in 1800 over a period of 16 hours. The French army, having protected the…
Writer: Stephen King Adaptors: Dave Johns and Owen O’Neill Director: David Esbjornson The Shawshank Redemption is one of the most iconic and enduring films of 1990s. It was adapted from one of Stephen King’s short stories, which in turn was inspired by a Tolstoy short story from 1872. The performances of Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman are justly treasured but this production shows that the material stands up perfectly well without Hollywood star power, in the hands of an accomplished cast of seasoned actors. The plot concerns Andy Dufresne, a financier, wrongly convicted of murdering his wife and her lover,…
Writer and Director: Conor McPherson Music and Lyrics: Bob Dylan While there are similarities with the jukebox musical genre which has carpet-bagged so much theatre territory in recent years, there is a gulf of class between this touring production and the rest. The reasons for this lie primarily in the creative pedigree of Conor McPherson, and the genius of Bob Dylan. The actors and musicians who take to the stage of Sheffield’s Lyceum Theatre also deserve full credit for gracing those standards with performances of power and sensitivity. Dylan’s songs often tell their own story. MacPherson takes these and weaves them into…
Director: Matthew Xia Adapters: Matthew Xia and Vikki Stone Straight out of London, Duggee, Betty, Norrie, Roly, Tag and Happy arrived in Bradford this week, much to the delight of their young fans and parents alike. Anyone who’s been around young children in the last 10 years will be aware of BBC and Studio AKA’s Hey Duggee, based around Duggee (Benedict Hastings), a loveable brown dog who leads the Squirrel club, an activity club for children. The ‘Squirrels’ include Betty (Sarah Palmer), a chatty purple octopus, Norrie (Jane Crawshaw), a sweet brown mouse, Roly (Clarke Joseph-Edwards), an excitable grey hippo,…
Writer: Rob Evans Director: Jesse Jones Following successful West End runs, Death Drop: Back in the Habit, the second in the Death Drop franchise, is on the round and this week it visits Sheffield’s Lyceum Theatre. With an all drag cast it focuses on Father Alfie Romeo who gets sent to visit St Babs’ church to investigate some strange goings on. This comedy meets thriller is hugely entertaining, even for those (like your reviewer) who aren’t as familiar with modern drag. Rob Evans’ script is an absolute treat. It tells a gripping story, it’s funny with a few local references dotted…