North East & Yorkshire

Writer: Anders Lustgarten Director: Rod Dixon Reviewer: Jay Nuttall I wouldn’t say I was the best manager in the business. But I was in the top one. Just one of many quotes from the bullish, brash and brazen football manager Brian Clough. The Damned United charts the turbulent 44 days he found himself in charge of high flying Leeds United ...

Adapted for the stage by Margaret May Hobbs Director: Michael Lunney Reviewer: Mark Clegg Prior to curtain up on press night of this play at Darlington Hippodrome, the audience were mildly entertained by a stray pigeon that had somehow got into the theatre and proceeded to flutter around the auditorium. Sadly, what followed on stage in this kidnap-themed potboiler failed ...

Reviewer: Laura Stimpson Since 1997 the Teletubbies have been delighting pre-schoolers on television screens across the world, so it’s quite unbelievable that it’s taken 20 years to produce their first live show.  Dubbed as ‘my first theatre show’ the theatre was indeed packed with children visiting the theatre for the very first time, from babes in arms to pre-schoolers. The ...

Reviewer: Ron Simpson Opera North’s programme in the Howard Assembly Room is nothing if not varied. After last week’s venture into American Gothic with the Handsome Family – The Reviews Hub’s review sadly aborted because of the foul weather – the following Saturday focussed on the deliciously melodic world of the French chanson with accordion player Richard Galliano and guitarist ...

Music: Dirk P Haubrich, Johannes Brahms, Ori Lichtik Artistic Director: Emily Molnar Reviewer: Dawn Smallwood Dance Consortium is presenting Ballet British Columbia who are embarking on their first ever UK tour including a stop at Bradford’s Alhambra Theatre.  Following their successful performances at the 2016 Birmingham International Dance Festival, the opportunity for a tour arose.  The company is reputed for ...

Writer: Lola Arias Director: Lola Arias  Reviewer: Anna Ambelez Minefield? It certainly is, a minefield of real raw intimate personal revelations. Argentinian artist Lola Arias worked with six veterans from the 1982 Argentinian War to produce this multi-media show. It begins with each veteran introducing himself giving details of when and how he joined up. As these are not actors ...

Writer/Director: Elton Townend Jones Adapted from: Charlotte Bronte Lighting Designer: Martin Tucker Sound Designer: Danny Bright Reviewer: Ron Simpson Dyad Productions, founded in 2009, now has an enviable reputation for producing high-quality work on the smallest of scales. Jane Eyre – An Autobiography, touring nationally after its success on the Edinburgh Fringe, is essentially the work of the two founders ...

Music & Lyrics: Sting Book: Lorne Campbell Musical Director: Richard John Director: Lorne Campbell Reviewer: Mark Clegg Sting’s musical The Last Ship premiered in 2014 in Chicago before transferring to Broadway. A passion project for Sting who was born and raised in Wallsend, Newcastle - the heartland of the shipbuilding industry, an original story of the decline of British industry ...