Mlindi Kulashe

The Great Gatsby

Leave a comment

The Great gatsby, NORTHERN BALLET:Jay Gatsby; TOBIAS BATLEY,Daisy Buchanan; MARTHA LEEBOLT, Myrtle Wilson; VICTORIA SIBSON, Tom Buchanan; KENNETH TINDALL,Nick Carraway; GIULIANO CONTADINI, Jodan Baker; HANNAH BATEMAN, George Wilson; BENJAMIN MITCHELL, You

Reviewed by Nikki Cotter

Opening Night verdict ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel The Great Gatsby, Northern Ballet bring the roaring twenties to the Lowry’s lyric stage this week in all it’s seductive, extravagant glory.

David Nixon OBE’s ballet which first premiered in 2013 uses all the ingredients of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s lively novel to tell this vibrant narrative through impressive and expressive choreography. One thing Northern Ballet do exceptionally well it is tell a story & this exhilarating production further rubber stamps their status as dynamic and creative storytellers.

The Great gatsby, NORTHERN BALLET:Jay Gatsby; TOBIAS BATLEY,Daisy Buchanan; MARTHA LEEBOLT, Myrtle Wilson; VICTORIA SIBSON, Tom Buchanan; KENNETH TINDALL,Nick Carraway; GIULIANO CONTADINI, Jodan Baker; HANNAH BATEMAN, George Wilson; BENJAMIN MITCHELL, You

Sir Richard Rodney Bennett CBE’s musical score adds a cinematic feel to this piece offering a rich variety of sounds and styles which the Northern Ballet sinfonia deliver to perfection under the expert guidance of conductor John Pryce-Jones. So sublime is this score it feels like the dancers float from scene to scene as one delicious arrangement rolls into another.

Jérôme Kaplan’s minimalist set is lit to atmospheric perfection by Tim Mitchell as shafts of light cast dancing shadows across the stage.

This fast paced & vibrant piece does not scrimp on the spectacular, Gatsby’s soirées are the ultimate in elegance with slick delivery of tangos and charlestons from the company while the intimate pas de deux’s between Daisy and Gatsby are delivered with precision and passion by Antoinette Brooks-Daw and Ashley Dixon.

The Great gatsby, NORTHERN BALLET:Jay Gatsby; TOBIAS BATLEY,Daisy Buchanan; MARTHA LEEBOLT, Myrtle Wilson; VICTORIA SIBSON, Tom Buchanan; KENNETH TINDALL,Nick Carraway; GIULIANO CONTADINI, Jodan Baker; HANNAH BATEMAN, George Wilson; BENJAMIN MITCHELL, You

Minju Kang and Mlindi Kulashe also impress as Myrtle and her husband George while Abigail Cockrell and Harris Beattie bring a genuine poignancy to proceedings as young Daisy and young Gatsby respectively.

Northern Ballet succeed beautifully in capturing the emotion and passion of the determined Gatsby all set against a backdrop of whirling jazz, bubbling corruption and sizzling encounters. A triumphant, emotive retelling of an American classic.

The Great Gatsby is on at The Lowry until Saturday 11th May tickets available here.

There will be a post-show talk in the theatre on Fri 10 May

Northern Ballet | Jane Eyre

2 Comments

26100554537_84e513a073_k

Opening Night verdict ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Writer Nikki Cotter

Jane Eyre has been reimagined many times, Northern Ballet’s challenge is telling this familiar story without a single word of Charlotte Brontë’s famous text being uttered. A challenge acclaimed choreographer Cathy Marston undoubtedly rises to as the key details of Brontë’s masterpiece unfold in this dynamic and visually stunning production.

Marston focusses firmly on the female characters within the piece; Jane is indisputably the heroine of the production as Abigail Prudames encompasses the passion and determination of the trailblazer through the most exquisite and precise of performances. Tested to the point of self-betrayal before her belief in love and the fierceness of her own integrity saves her, Prudames tells a story with every slight movement she makes, delivering elegance, drama and emotional depth.

40930168902_76033dbe91_k

Rochester is brought to life by a brooding Mlindi Kulashe, the chemistry between Prudames and Kulashe is electric, full of passion and intensity. Kulashe capturing the complexity of Rochester’s bruised soul effortlessly, the duo glide from awkward to playful with ease before passion and intensity takes hold.

Adding further layers to the piece is Hannah Bateman’s Bertha Mason, often described as the ‘mad woman in the attic’ she is wild, highly-sexualised and unpredictable as she prowls across the stage barefoot, bathed in red.

40262845224_7c0350ff27_k

The production feels fresh and inspired as the pace dances through Jane’s life from tragic childhood to complex adulthood, her search for fulfilment never wavering.

An ensemble of male dancers, known as the D-Men, symbolise Jane’s inner demons, creating a clear visual image of the orphan girls emotions and inner turmoil, a superb creative decision which visually portrays the constant tug-of-war between Jane’s intensely passionate feelings and her outer reserve.

Young Jane is portrayed to perfection by Ayami Miyata, agitation and frustration depicted in her defiant, energetic movements.

40930167052_05a0c53737_k

The adaptation does absolute justice to Brontë’s work, bringing the novel to effervescent life with incredible skill and creativity.

Phillip Feeney’s emotive score blends a mixture of both original and 19th-century music which compliments the contemporary feel of this piece superbly. Patrick Kinmonth’s set is sparse moving screens, muted in colour allowing the performers to really be at the centre of this piece, all lit to atmospheric perfection by Alastair West’s lighting design.

The fusing of the traditional and the contemporary ensures this is a performance packed with intensity as well as originality, a beautiful and expressive tribute to both Jane herself and author Charlotte Brontë.

On at the Lowry until Saturday 9th June tickets available here.