Theatre through the eyes of a Manc
Wuthering Heights is a literary classic harking back to the Romantic period in the nineteenth century. It has since become embedded into British culture and most people end up having to study it at some point. This was reflected by the number of school classes and young adults in the audience watching The Lowry's sold... Continue Reading →
Based on Victor Hugo's novel, the stage musical adaptation of Les Misérables has undoubtedly become a cultural phenomenon. Now entering its 37th consecutive year on the West End, it has been seen by over 120 million people across the world. It even got a major Hollywood adaptation, but the less said about that, the better...... Continue Reading →
Take a look around The Lowry on this sold-out press night and the evergreen popularity of Disney's 1971 film, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, is clear to see. There are multiple generations in the audience, including many children experiencing their first live theatre production. With its catchy songs, written by the Sherman Brothers, naturally the film would... Continue Reading →
Played in its entirety, Handel's Alcina is three and a half hours long. Thankfully, Opera North have heavily edited the opera to under three hours in length. However, this doesn't make its complex plot any easier to follow. Like The Tempest, Handel's opera is set on an enchanted island. The island belongs to a sorceress, Alcina,... Continue Reading →
Verdi's Rigoletto features one of opera's most famous pieces of music, 'La Donna e mobile', which is recognisable the world over, even if you've never seen an opera before. Other than that, I knew relatively little about Rigoletto, as I have never watched it before, and I make a rule of never reading the programme... Continue Reading →
Bizet's Carmen is the perfect opera for beginners, because of how familiar the music is. Even those who are completely new to opera will instantly recognise this opera's iconic songs 'Habanera', 'Les Toreadors' and the 'Toreador Song'. Conducted by Antony Hermus, hearing this famous music performed by a live orchestra really is something else. After two years... Continue Reading →
When Arthur Conan Doyle wrote The Hound of the Baskervilles, it was in response to public outrage when he killed off Sherlock Holmes in his previous story, The Final Problem. With no option but to bring back his famous detective, he wrote a completely absurd novel about a noble family being haunted by a demonic... Continue Reading →
There's no denying that the past two years have been incredibly difficult for the theatre industry. It has been battered and beaten by the Covid19 pandemic, but it remarkably still survives to fight another day. As we welcome in 2022, so too must we move into the new year with a renewed sense of optimism... Continue Reading →
Some of the earliest memories that I can remember are of my mum, sat with myself and my brother at bedtime, reading C.S Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia. I have, quite literally, loved the fantasy world of Narnia for as long as I remember. Therefore, it's no surprise that I got tickets to this stage... Continue Reading →
I first watched Trouble in Tahiti when Opera North streamed it over lockdown. They led the way in making opera accessible, by having captioned, BSL interpreted, and audio described performances available for their audience members to watch. It also gave many people a way to try watching opera for the first time for free without having... Continue Reading →
THE PLAY'S THE THING 