You don’t have to be a ballet aficionado to be enthralled by what I witnessed at the Hull New Theatre, on Tuesday night, when the Russian State Ballet of Siberia brought its production of Coppélia to the stage.
Just a few minutes drive from Hull, I enjoyed my first snowfall of the season – inside Beverley’s atmospheric East Riding Theatre.
On Wednesday afternoon, the theatre was the venue for a production of Little Women, and the regular on-stage snowfalls were, literally, the icing on an amazing theatrical cake.
It might be tempting for Northern Ballet Artistic Director David Nixon to turn their annual winter extravaganza into a bit of crowd-pleasing festive fun but the reality is very different.
Sheffield Theatre's classy production of Guys and Dolls impresses before the overture starts with its intriguing set design. Directed by Robert Hastie and designed by Janet Bird, the below street level perspective with its multiple revolve stages is towered above by the sidewalk level skeletal building's which house the large band.
Yorkshire’s best writer Kay Mellor is on a mission to turn her TV hits into theatre pieces, but this is a risky revival of a gritty tale that attracted 15 million viewers back in the day when there were only four channels making stars of its A List cast.
My heart melted at the sight of sad little children sitting among us at the Hull Truck Theatre, on Tuesday night, prior to the start of its Christmas production of Peter Pan.
Dressed as Second World War evacuees, with their name tags and gas mask holders slung across their bodies, these cuties were cast members, planted among us to give us a hint of what era the forthcoming action would take place in.
When James Brining took over at the Playhouse he totally revamped their big festive family show that isn’t a panto and this joyous musical version of one the greatest films ever made is top class entertainment for all ages.
Theatre at its very best not only entertains but offers a window into worlds outside your own experiences in exactly the way this lively ensemble piece does.
Inua Ellams travelled the world picking up stories from barber shops where black men traditionally gather to have their hair cut as well as taking the opportunity to banter, talk, debate and to without really knowing they are doing it be honest about how they really feel.
Nigel Slater’s Toast is a heart-wrenching and superbly performed piece of theatre. Directed by Jonnie Riordan and adapted from Slater’s memoir by Henry Filloux-Bennett, Toast follows Nigel’s recollections of his childhood and coming of age through the medium of food and assorted senses of taste, smell and touch.
Stiletto-heeled, knee-high boots were much in evidence on Wednesday night – and I take my hat off to the young man who tottered into the Hull New Theatre unashamedly wearing a pair.
STOS Theatre Company production of Shrek The Musical opened to a full family audience and it was so nice to see the diversity of ages within the audience. Directed by Mark Feakins this production brought all the familiar features from the Dreamwork's 2001 modern classic to the stage from the fast talking Donkey to the small of stature Lord Farquaad and Princess Fiona's fast changes from Ogre to Princess and back.
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