When the 26-year-old Bellini was asked to write an opera for the new theatre in Genoa, time was short so he adapted his previous opera Bianca e Gernando. It would be amusing to suppose that by changing one letter in the title he hoped that no-one would notice the difference. In fact, the previous one had… Continue reading Bianca e Fernando
Month: December 2022
Paradise Now!
Employment can be difficult and precarious. Many of the strikes now taking place are about employers trying to increase profits by changes to working practices, whether that means driverless trains or delivering postal mail by gig workers rather than permanent staff. Margaret Perry’s gentle satirical glimpse of some women caught up in an exploitative sales… Continue reading Paradise Now!
Christmas Eve
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Christmas Eve premièred in 1895 and is based on a short story by Gogol called The Night Before Christmas. It’s a warm, optimistic, family, Christmassy entertainment. It’s rarely performed in the UK and hasn’t been seen in London since 1988, when it was performed by ENO. The opera, a mixture of fantasy and… Continue reading Christmas Eve
Who’s Holiday
Drag Race star Miz Cracker has forsaken her native New York City drag scene to make her UK acting début in the European première of Who’s Holiday. I do like adults-only seasonal comedy and was hugely relieved that this 2017 solo show isn’t peppered with references to Drag Race which I’ve never watched—and no, I don’t live under a… Continue reading Who’s Holiday
Is That A Bolt In Your Neck?
Take sinister goings-on at the castle on the hill above an Eastern European village, a mad professor, locals brandishing pitchforks (and rabbits), misogyny, a Cambridge dandy, love interest, a ghostly face at the window and all that jazz and it’s Hammer Horror for all the family. Following hits with Grimm And Grimmer, The Thing That… Continue reading Is That A Bolt In Your Neck?
Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty
Summery elegance set off by vampish hellishness and strange puppetry makes for an unconventional plunge into the dark arts through the lens of a well-loved fable in Matthew Bourne’s gothic take on The Sleeping Beauty, an acrid departure from sugary Christmassy dance fare. As the familiar classical score of Sleeping Beauty strikes up (cut and… Continue reading Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
There has hardly been a more essential time to have a good laugh. The cost-of-living crisis and increased energy bills mean that the number of people who want a good night out with plenty of laughs—if they can afford it—is increasing by the day. Step forward Joe Pasquale. He has been making people laugh on… Continue reading Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Jack, Mum and the Beanstalk
I’ve always been a fan of the children’s Christmas shows at Hull Truck. The problem is that my kids are now all grown up and I don’t have grandchildren yet. So, I tend to feel a bit awkward taking my seat among myriad tiny tots all eager to see the entertainment. But what the hell?… Continue reading Jack, Mum and the Beanstalk
All New Adventures of Peter Pan
York Theatre Royal’s pantomime has undergone a transformation in the last couple of years, with the new team of director Juliet Foster and writer Paul Hendy reuniting after last year’s well-received Cinderella. I’m pleased to report that it’s a winning partnership, and the result is a gloriously vibrant romp through some well-loved tropes and jokes,… Continue reading All New Adventures of Peter Pan
Mavra/Iolanta
Tchaikovsky was one of the dedicatees of Stravinsky’s mini-opera Mavra and the 30-minute folk tale from Pushkin is a perfect companion piece for the earlier composer’s last opera, the one-act Iolanta. It’s not the first time these two rarities have been staged as a double-bill, but what’s new about this excellent Bavarian production is that… Continue reading Mavra/Iolanta