The Lowry, Salford

George Egg is an anarchist, now I’m not saying he’s currently plotting to overthrow the Government (although what he does in his spare time is quite frankly none of our business) but when it comes to the rules and restraints of a hotel room, George Egg most certainly likes to bend, boil and slap them in between a Corby trouser press!

Having spent many years on the comedy circuit George has become more than familiar with both hotel rooms and the ridiculously overpriced room service that comes with them, I mean £10 for a cheese and pickle sandwich?! Really?!! So, he decided to take a stand and do something about it, thus his show was born. George sees past the traditional uses of your average hotel room’s equipment and with a little bit of thought, creativity and lashing of sachets of malt vinegar, somehow not only manages to create a three course meal (and an impressive one at that) but delivers a highly entertaining comedy show throughout.

Where we might see a small and a little bit useless travel kettle, George sees an opportunity to create his own tasty ricotta before gently poaching a fresh seabass to perfection, and don’t even get me started on his use for a Gideon Bible!

George is a total foodie, his knowledge and creativity are exceptional, add to this the fact he can make you laugh too and you’ve got a pretty marvellous all-rounder. Multi-tasking his way through first, second and third courses, George entertains with jokes, comedy stories and fun foodie facts along the way, all while doing things with a hotel iron you never thought possible! The show is fast paced and highly entertaining, made even better when you realise you get to try the food at the end of the show! There was even a guest appearance from Great British Bake Off finalist and owner of The Hive Bakery, Luis Troyano. Innovative, creative and engaging, you’ll leave the show with a smile on your face and the burning ambition to stay at a Premier Inn!

http://www.georgeegg.com/

https://thehivebakery.com/

Birmingham Royal Ballet, The Lowry, Salford

Ahead of their full length interpretation of The Tempest this Autumn, Birmingham Royal Ballet bring their Shakespeare triple bill to the Lowry, opening with American choreographer Jessica Lang’s elegant and contemporary, Wink, which takes its name from the first line of sonnet 43, ‘When most I wink, then do mine eyes best see’. Inspired by Lang’s favourite sonnets, the five poems, read in reflective and brooding voiceover, compliment the expressive and emotive choreography.

The large expanse of the Lyric stage is perfect for Mimi Lien’s minimalist yet striking set, individual dancers stand behind chest height square panels, which swivel round and change from black to white, in effect winking at the audience. Peter Teigen’s lighting mirrors the changing colours and helps set the dramatic and intense mood creating together the perfect staging for Lang’s powerful piece. The dancers give faultless performances, Brandon Lawrence’s movement is seamless, Lang has worked closely with composer Jakub Ciupinski to ensure the themes and feelings of each piece echoes the mood of the sonnets. Whilst there are many elements of classical ballet, Wink delivers something fresh, exciting and delightfully contemporary.

Next we have José Limón’s The Moor’s Pavane – Variations on the theme of Othelle created in 1949 it remains to this day a classic of American modern dance. Stripped back to just four principal characters; The Moor, Iago, Emelia and Desdemona, Othello’s tragedy is beautifully told in this 20 minute quartet. Limón through his delightful descriptive choreography tells the tale of the unfortunate Moor, his wrongfully suspected wife, and the Moor’s devious friend and wife.

The quartet move fluidly in a close circle, Othello’s precious handkerchief being passed from hand to hand, the niceties and decorum of the stately court dance soon exposed to be merely a façade for the passion and jealously bubbling away underneath. There is no set, just our four dancers as the focal point on a darkened stage; they succeed beautifully in drawing our attention as the glide effortlessly with purpose and heartfelt meaning, expressive, passionate and exquisite.

The final piece of this Shakespeare celebration is Frederick Ashton’s flirty and fun, The Dream. A 1964 one-act ballet telling the story of A Midsummer Night’s Dream all set to a delightful Mendelssohn score. In stark contrast to Wink and The Moor’s Pavane, The Dream has a full and detailed set, we are transported to Peter Farmer’s magical forest and ushered into Oberon and Titania’s enchanted Kingdom, gently and beautifully lit by John B. Read.

The pace of the story telling is perfect as the ensemble cast usher us through the story charmingly, Mathias Dingman’s Puck is perfection, impish, playful and full of fun. Kit Holder makes for a delightful Bottom, comedic and as oafish as you could wish for. Special mention must also go to both César Morales and Momoko Hirata whose Oberon and Titania are quite simply enchanting.

The company excel in the utterly delightful and totally entertaining piece, fun, witty and classically beautiful. Birmingham Royal Ballet once again prove just what an exciting and dynamic company they truly are.

https://www.brb.org.uk/

Based on the story of the Rylstone & District branch of the Women’s Institute and their innovative way to raise funds, writer Tim Firth and long-time pal Gary Barlow have worked their magic and created a musical about those much loved WI ground breakers simply titled ‘The Girls’.

Most will be familiar with the story having seen either the smash hit film or much loved stage play, (both written by Firth). Yorkshire lass Annie, played by the fantastic Joanna Riding, loses her beloved husband John (James Gaddas) to cancer and is determined with the help of her WI family to do something special in his memory, the decision is made to raise funds to purchase a new couch for the relatives room in the hospital where John was treated and soon the seed for the ‘alternative’ calendar is planted.

Girls is an absolute joy from start to finish, tender moments where tears threaten are immediately followed by laugh out loud scenes that remind us in life we can’t have the highs without the lows.

As the idea of the nude calendar edges closer to a reality we see each of our ladies wrestle with their own issues and struggles in life, offering up even more opportunity to empathise with these wonderful women as we soon realise we all face similar battles in life.

Firth and Barlow’s pairing is a perfect one, the script is witty and warm with accompanying songs that flow seamlessly as an extension of the script. The melodies are wonderful and the lyrics clever and catchy, toe tapping amongst the audience is almost immediate.

Designer Robert Jones’ set is striking, green cupboards and cabinets and stacked on top of each other to create various levels, the centre of which is a hill that beautifully represents the rolling hills of Yorkshire.

The cast as a whole are fantastic, each and every character is portrayed with a deep affection, Girls works so well due to the love the cast clearly have for the story, each person on stage gives their absolute all. Special mention goes to Joanna Riding playing Annie and Claire Moore who takes on the role of Annie’s best mate Chris. Their chemistry is wonderful and their relationship as best friends through thick and thin is truly heart-warming. The icing on the cake of this delightful production is of course the photoshoot scene; it is absolutely hilarious and has the audience crying with laughter.

Girls is as charming as it is moving, as fun as it is touching and truly deserving of the standing ovation it received. I’ve no doubt Mr Firth and Mr Barlow have an absolute smash hit on their hands which will delight audiences for many years to come.

Some very, very exciting news has reached us here at Opening Night, Rufus Norris, director of the National Theatre, exclusively announced last night that the incredible War Horse will return to The Lowry in 2018. Speaking at a special ‘In Conversation’ event with The Lowry’s chief executive, Julia Fawcett OBE, Norris confirmed the acclaimed production will return to the Lowry on Tue 13th June 2018 and run until Fri 30 June. The dates will coincide with the national centenary commemorations of the end of the First World War.

The new dates follow two previous hugely successful runs at The Lowry – the first of which, back in 2013, was the most popular run of any show in The Lowry’s history, evidence of what a truly remarkable show this is.  Michael Morpurgo’s emotional story of courage, loyalty and friendship, about a young boy called Albert and his horse Joey, set against the backdrop of the First World War is the most successful play in the National Theatre’s history.  Featuring ground-breaking puppetry work by South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company, which brings breathing, galloping horses to life on stage.

Directed by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, adapted by Nick Stafford, War Horse received its world premiere on 9 October 2007 at the National Theatre, running for two seasons before transferring to the New London Theatre from March 2009 until March 2016.  War Horse, has been seen by over seven million people worldwide in 97 cities and 10 countries.  There have been productions in New York, Toronto and Berlin, and tours of the UK and Ireland, South Africa, North America, the Netherlands and Belgium, and most recently China.  It has received 25 awards including the Tony Award for Best Play.

It is the kind of production that really leaves it’s mark, emotional, captivating and utterly mesmerising. An absolute must see!

Tickets will go on sale in the New Year, Opening Night would recommend booking tickets asap as they will no doubt be in very high demand. They will be available direct from the Lowry Box Office and through their online booking system http://www.thelowry.com