North East & Yorkshire Reviews

Writer: Sebastian Faulks Adapation: Rachel Wagstaff                       Directors: Alistair Whatley/Charlotte Peters Reviewer: Dawn Smallwood Birdsong first opened in London’s West End in 2010 to much acclaim and subsequently, went on a UK tour from 2013-15.  Birdsong is currently embarking on another tour during 2018 and is stopping at many venues including York’s Theatre Royal. Sebastian Faulks’ Birdsong (1993) is adapted for ...

Artistic Director: Damien Barber Script Writer: Stacey Sampson Lighting & Projection Designer: Will Monks Set & Costume Designer: Sarah Mills Reviewer: Rich Jevons When you talk about fusion in the theatrical world, you tend to think of perhaps combining jazz and hip-hop, or folk and theatre. But for Breaking Tradition's Quest, there is a whole potpourri of mixing and matching ...

Music: Giacomo Puccini Text: Giuseppe Adami (Tabarro), Giovacchino Forzano (Schicchi) Director: James Conway (Tabarro), Liam Steel (Schicchi) Conductor: Michael Rosewell Designer: Neil Irish Reviewer: Ron Simpson Puccini’s Il Trittico consists of three short operas, each coming in at just short of an hour, which provide a contrasting evening in the theatre: a realistic and tragic drama, a study of religious ...

Music: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Text: Lorenzo da Ponte, after Beaumarchais’ play Director: Blanche McIntyre Conductor: Christopher Stark Designer: Neil Irish Reviewer: Ron Simpson One of the many reasons The Marriage of Figaro is, for many of us, incomparably the greatest of comic operas is that the libretto is based on a great comic play. Thus, whilst there are plenty of ...

Writer: Ray Castleton Director: Charlie Kenber Reviewer: Ron Simpson On Behalf of the People began as a commission from the National Coal Mining Museum and followed its performance there with a short tour. Now The Melting Shop has put together an impressively lengthy tour of mostly one-nighters, covering nearly 20 venues in Yorkshire (from theatres to church halls) and forays ...

Writer: W.S. Gilbert Composer: Arthur Sullivan Director: Sasha Regan Choreographer: Mark Smith Musical Director: Richard Baker Reviewer: Ron Simpson The full title of this production is evidence of a distinctive – indeed, unique – brand, Sasha Regan’s All Male Iolanthe, a guarantee of a highly inventive and tirelessly energetic approach to Gilbert and Sullivan, with high camp colliding with more ...

Conductor: Howard Shelley Soloists:      Andrew Long (violin)                     Kevin Gowland (flute)                     Richard Hewitt (oboe) Reviewer:   Ron Simpson The first appearance of the Orchestra of Opera North at CAST in Doncaster was supposed to be an occasion, but initially, it ...

Book writer: Douglas McGrath Lyrics and Music: Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Barry Man, Cynthia Weil Director: Marc Bruni Choreographer: Josh Prince Reviewer: Laura Stimpson Beautiful - The Carole King Musical is a biographical jukebox musical about the life and songs of American singer-songwriter Carole King.  You might not think you know many of King’s songs, but believe me, you do, ...