Birmingham Royal Ballet present Don Quixote

 

Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Director Carlos Acosta promises entertainment for all ages when he brings an explosion of Spanish sunshine, spectacular dance and vivacious comedy to Sunderland Empire March 10^th – 12th.

In a new production created especially for Birmingham Royal Ballet and featuring all-new designs by Tim Hatley, Don Quixote introduces us to Cervantes’ famous knight himself, lovers Kitri and Basilio, and a host of supporting characters. As the Don sets out on a quest to track down his true love, with his loyal friend and servant Sancho Panza at his side, he finds himself embroiled in an unlikely adventure of love and dreams.  Steeped in literary references, Don Quixote is a tale of love, lust, laughter and longing for better things, most of which seems to only be present in our hero’s mind.

Don Quixote on stage has been played by some true greats including the famous Rudolf Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov – usually a traditional production, Director Acosta promises this updated version will wow audiences whose tastes and expectations are now more keenly attuned with Strictly and Dancing on Ice.

“For this new production, I wanted to give it a completely new take and a new look to the one that I gave to the Royal Ballet so that Birmingham has its own. It’s a new production with new concept and designs, re-orchestration, new elements of the choreography, new colours, a whole new palette. “Don Quixote is the best ballet to attend if you are not a ballet connoisseur,” Carlos says. “If you don’t know anything about ballet this is a great chance to learn something about it by watching Don Quixote. It appeals to family audiences; it is great for children because the story is easy to follow.

"It’s very sunny and people will laugh a lot. The world of ballet is so full of tragedies, Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet etcetera, they are all tragedies but in Don Quixote nobody dies, it’s a happy tale.

“The ballet is very exotic; it provides escapism into this amazing world of colour and the music has an amazing Spanish flavour.  When it’s raining and cold then you want to come and see Don Quixote because it’s a sunshine ballet. It’s a great show - when you’ve seen it, you leave on a high.”

This promises to be a wonderful new version for the discerning connoisseur but perhaps just as importantly, a brilliant introduction to anyone who has not yet been captured by the magic of live ballet – funny, witty, amazing and enthralling.

Tickets are available from https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/birmingham-royal-ballet-don-quixote/sunderland-empire/

Gary in Punderland

 

A Pun - a joke exploiting the different possible meanings of a word or the fact that there are words which sound alike but have different meanings. A Pun Meister – an expert at telling puns, making people smile, aching their ribs and filling evenings with much laughter.  Gary Delaney – a Pun Meister General – one of the very best.

Playing in the round of Darlington Hippodrome’s Hullabaloo is a perfect venue for stand up – it is intimate, the act can clearly see the faces of the audience and the laughter is infectious.  By his own admission, this is what Gary has been missing, craving and his enjoyment of performing is matched by the audiences non-stop laughter.

Packed full of one liners, Gary’s very personable approach make this feel like a really good friend holding court at a family party – he begins by testing the levels to which the audience will allow his jokes to rise (or stoop) and with that, we’re off.  Cleverly breaking up the non-stop punning, we are treated to big screen examples of his spurious Amazon reviews, Wikipedia entries and hilarious observations of the everyday world.  For those of a certain age, there’s a lot of ‘That’s Life’s Doc Cox’ (and a little of Cox’s alter ego Ivor Biggun) combined with puns ranging from the ‘safe to repeat at work’ to the ‘wouldn’t dare in a month of Sundays’.  No topic is really off limits (albeit Jimmy Carr has probably closed the door on a few more by now) so it all makes for a deliciously naughty evening; a brilliant show for adults to kick back, relax and laugh without caring who knows what you find funny.

Supporting Gary on this tour is Steve Day – one 1/3 of the infamous ‘3 wise monkey’ comedy troupe.  Bringing his own unique take on comedy (Steve is the best deaf comic he’s never heard) this South London Brummie is very funny, lots of great anecdotes and someone who I’d love to see much more from.

Gary’s tour continues throughout 2022 with North East dates in Helmsley, Sunderland, Newcastle, Carlisle and Alnwick (and potentially more dates being added).  Check out his website for full details - https://www.garydelaney.com/live/

The Addams Family Musical Comedy

 

Spellbinding masterpiece of modern musical theatre which is sure to last as long as its famous TV counterpart, this current show is drawing crowds back to the theatre and leaving them in howls of laughter.

Based on the original Charles Addams comic strips and latterly on the book by Rick Elice and Marshall Brickmand, Andrew Lippa’s music and lyrics tell the tale of Wednesday Addams (Kingsley Morton), now a teenager, who is ready to spread her wings and fly into the arms of a ‘normal’ boy, Lucas Beineke (Ahmed Hamad).  

Of course, Wednesday being an Addams means when the two families get to meet one and another, things aren’t exactly plain sailing.  (Quick note – look out for Kingsley in any future shows, she is a powerhouse of a singer, wonderful actor and has impeccable comedy timing).

Head of the house Gomez (Cameron Blakely) is part suave sophisticate and part ‘light on his feet’ fop – Cameron oozes charisma and charm and no little in the funny bones.  Torn between keeping Wednesday’s impending announcement a secret and honouring his Mi Amore Morticia’s expectation of complete honesty, Gomez tip toes through the tulips of duplicity.  His "Two things/Three Things" is hilarious, his "Happy/Sad" will resonate with any father watching his daughter grow up (and I've done it twice).

The Ying to his Yang, Morticia (Joanne Clifton) is the epitome of a 50’s American ‘mom’ – only wants the best for her family, so long as that ‘best’ is her version on her terms.  Joanne is simply wonderful, she naturally glides around the stage effortlessly which just adds to her other-worldly persona.  Of course it would be remiss of the director Matthew White if having a ‘Strictly’ champion in the cast he didn’t show us the full range of ‘Morticia’s’ prowess – the Tango De Amor is possibly one of the best routines you’re likely to see on stage this year, I am certain the temperature in the auditorium went up 10 degrees while we watched.

The rest of the family are all afforded plenty of stage time to ensure we feel the whole familiar familial.  Grant McIntyre as Pugsley is a brilliant stooge to Wednesday’s torturings while their Grandma (well, ‘somebody’s’ Grandma) Valda Aviks is an ever present lurker just waiting to drop a potion or two.

The Beineke’s visit to the Addams household cumulates in them playing The Game (“the game, the game, the game”) – Full Disclosure, a kind of truth or dare whereby they each reveal a deep secret.  Aided by some of Grandma’s potions, Alice Beineke (the stunning Kara Lane) casts off her oppressed housewife shawl and challenges her stuck in his ways husband Mal (Sean Kingsley) to do the same or risk losing her forever.   Mirroring the same ultimatum that Wednesday has set Lucas (and for that matter Morticia sets Gomez) we are led into a brilliant musical battle of “Crazier than You” – warning, this is the one that will stick in your head and you will suddenly be singing at your partner, children, pets when you get home.

The final 2 main characters are possibly the two favourites from both TV & Screen – Uncle Festa (Scott Paige) and Lurch (Dickon Gough).  Scott’s Fester is brilliant – I was fortunate to watch this show twice, once from the circle and then from only 2 rows back in the stalls and to see Scott’s nuanced ‘Festerisms’ is genius; lovestruck by La Lune, devoted to his family and as mad as a box of frogs, he could easily carry a spin off show of his own.  As for Lurch, well, Dickon manages to portray the Addams’s butler as though he is 9 feet tall – ominous, broody, creepy and moody, but there are some fabulous stand out moments for which I will not issue any spoilers.

The ensemble all play deceased ancestors of the Addams’ throughout history, ever present as ghoulish onlookers and phantom friends.  Keep an eye out for the pictures at the back of the set, there’s almost as much going on there as there is front of stage.

As mentioned earlier we were sat 2 rows from the front in the stalls and as such we have a brilliant view of the band – led by Bob Broad who one can only describe as the Tasmanian Devil on a keyboard – Bob packs so much energy into his band leading (and clearly the band respond to that as could be seen by their laughs and smiles throughout)  - it is not only a joy to see but clearly why the performances are so hugely entertaining for everyone.

The Addams Family Musical is touring the UK – if you only go and see one show this year, make this the one, and then take your friends, and then your family, and then your neighbours – Everyone deserves to have a little Addams in their life.

The Invisible Man @ Northern Stage

 

A deep dark look into the conflict between societal norms and the human psyche, this is powerful, immersive theatre at its best.

Forget the Ian McCallum, Claude Rains or the recent Elizabeth Moss movies, this version concentrates the viewer towards questioning “can you be invisible in plain sight?” and "if you could be invisible, what would you do?".

With the ever present social media, news broadcasts, agencies and digital surveillance, it is nigh on impossible not to leave a footprint, yet there are many people who are still overlooked to the point of them feeling invisible.  This production tells the story of Griffen ( Daniel Watson) a troubled young man from the North East with violent thoughts and a chequered past who,  following his claims that he can make things invisible, is referred to a local psychiatrist, Dr Kemp (Kate Louise Okello) for evaluation.  Kemp, a media doctor, is intrigued by his claims, and whilst at first she is very sceptical she begins to understand that Griffen’s belief is so absolute that there must be something more than pure fantasy.

Challenged to explore his past and a tragic event for which Griffen blames himself, the audience is drawn deeper into his world.  This is not a sci-fi story, there is no mad professor or spooky lab, instead, and perhaps more frightening, we live for the most part in Griffen’s head as he slowly unravels; caught between wanting to be seen but desperate to disappear.  The similarity of his life with that of Dr Kemp's begins to create a kindred affinity between doctor and patient, slowly blurring the lines.  As she continues to be drawn closer, we find Dr Kemp ending up in front of a medical disciplinary panel.  Has she helped Griffen to finally become invisible, or has, by shining a spotlight in him ha she removed any hope he had of not 'being seen'.

With all other parts being played by Izzy Ions and Jack Fairley (who also provide the soundscape live on stage), this is a totally immersive experience which flew through the 90 minute running time.

A wonderful example of how brilliant writing (Phillip Correia) and really focussed Directing (Anna Girvan) can have a lasting impact on an audience, long after the final scene.

Northern Stage performance details and ticket information can be found here - https://www.northernstage.co.uk/event/the-invisible-man 

Tour information, including details of Durham Gala and Barndard Castle Witham can be found here - https://www.list.co.uk/event/1774299-the-invisible-man/