Rapunzel at West Yorkshire Playhouse
February 25, 2008
Rapunzel may be a familiar enough fairy tale but given the Kneehigh treatment it takes on a magical life all of its own. Mother Gothel (camped up by Charlie Barnecut) finds a displaced baby left to survive alone. She brings her up amongst sprouting flowers and hanging herbs and intends to pass on all her knowledge as a herbalist.
But when Rapunzel (bravely played by Edith Tankus) becomes mature she is locked away in a tower. Here her hair grows long enough to hang down for a visiting prince (Patrizio, Pieter Lawman) to climb up to her and begin his wooing. This infuriates her surrogate mother who blinds the prince and banishes Rapunzel to the wilderness.
The Duke of Tuscany (James Traherne) offers his kingdom to whoever can find his son Patrizio, alive or dead, which encourages Paulo (doubled by Barnecut), to bribe Umberto to kill the lost prince. Clearly, the tale ends with a happy ending, but not without much sorcery, villainy and plain good fun on the way. Read more
Northern Ballet Theatre’s Hamlet at the Leeds Grand
February 19, 2008
Northern Ballet Theatre’s inventive and immersive take on Shakespeare’s Hamlet tragedy is set in Nazi-occupied Paris where Hamlet attempts to come to terms with his father’s death. In the dizzying intro scenes of ghostly visions of violence and cruelty occupy the young prince’s psyche.
There are martial aerobics acting out the horrific Nazi oppression and everywhere you look there are Nazi over-lookers ready to nip any resistance in the bud. Hamlet’s state of confusion and inner turmoil is represented in some stunning choreography while the Oedipal nature of his relationship with his mother is also convincingly portrayed.
When the obsessive Ophelia meets with cold antipathy from Hamlet the result is less one of suicide than of torture and murder.
Hamlet’s appearance at Claudius’ banquet in his father’s scarf and coat causes outrage and his murder of Polonius sets Laertes on a path of revenge. In the final conflict it becomes clear that Hamlet’s uncle, now father, is behind it all – alas too late. Read more
Halle at Leeds International Concert Season
February 15, 2008
The Hallé Symphony Orchestra crossed the Pennines to give a performance as part of the Leeds International Orchestral Season 2007/08.
Under the baton of Cristian Mandeal the audience were presented with William Walton’s Partita in three movements from 1958, followed by Maurice Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G. The pianist was Kirill Gerstein (pictured), in what was his Leeds International Concert Season debut. He gave an awe-inspiring rendition of the piece, which was greeted with such appreciation from the audience that we were treated to virtuoso encore – a passionate Schumann solo that was in parts dizzying.
After the interval, the Hallé played Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 in E Minor, written in 1888.
The whole orchestra were engaged with an energy that claimed the audience’s concentration completely, and was met with uproarious applause. Read more
Interview with Mike Shepherd, founder of Kneehigh Theatre
February 15, 2008
What were your original aims and intentions when you set up Kneehigh?
I called Cornwall my home and I’d been in the sharp end of the theatre business in London and got really jaded with it. So I went back to Cornwall as a place I believe you can make things happen and started Kneehigh as a company for children and their families. There aren’t really any theatres down here – there were quarries, old gunpowder works, some amazing places to tell stories. That was the original notion and if you see ‘Rapunzel’ I think it’s pretty close to those early shows.
They tell a good story, the use of music, colour, lots of humour – it’s quirky and witty as well. People recognise it as being immediate and it gives you a good night out. It’s the opposite of being in a black box studio theatre or behind a proscenium with a metaphorical fourth wall. We grew up playing in daylight and it’s embarrassing if you’re pretending the audience isn’t there, you can directly talk to the audience. Then the story can get darker and more emotional and take people on a journey. Read more
Orchestra of Opera North at Leeds Town Hall
February 3, 2008
The programme begins with Mozart’s Symphony No 36 in C (known as the Linz) from 1783. The Adagio has an elegiac introduction, then becoming more sprightly and majestic, stronger and deeper. As always with Mozart there is a gentle teasing and flirtatiousness in this melodious movement with an insistent repetition of the refrain. The rich harmonic textures of the Orchestra of Opera North are both vivacious and graceful.
In the Allegro spiritoso the pace shifts up a notch with a climatic series of false endings. The Poco Adagio sees a reworking of themes under the gentle but empowering leadership of conductor Richard Farnes (pictured) with some fine bow work from the strings and delightful transitions of mood.
After the short but lively Menuetto comes the vibrant and virulent finale of the Presto. Here Farnes’ conducting almost takes on the nature of a sublime ballet which receives a rich response from the orchestra. Read more