ALL ACROSS THE ARTS
● TLC October with Voices Galore, Classical Guitar and Piano
REVIEW BY DR JOE DAWSON ●●OCTOBER 04: London-born baritone John Powell studied music at Cambridge, before settling in Manchester.
He initially ran the choirs at Chetham’s for many years.
He now teaches privately and directs several choirs and large-scale performances.
Welsh pianist and organist Elin Rees is an accompanist at the RNCM, where she had studied.
Songs by Beethoven and English Art-songs were all worthy of a professional CD recording.
A sophisticated and satisfying recital, beautifully sung and played by these two distinguished northwest performers.
●●OCTOBER 11: Richard Haslam guitar (Hull University and RNCM) played Ferdinando Sor’s Mozart variations and Birds and Benga Beat by Gary Ryan then joined by Anna Chiu piano (Hong Kong and RNCM) for the iconic Concierto de Aranjuez by Joaquín Rodrigo.
Fantastic performances from two stunning players.
●●OCTOBER 18: Oldham Community Choir conducted by Jonathan Gibson (RNCM) and accompanied by J Edward Rigg.
A popular varied programme of songs from the shows and some serious and not so serious. The mixed voice choir continued their mission to sing for fun, give pleasure and to entertain.
●●OCTOBER 25: Freda Farnworth soprano (Guildhall) has performed professionally and been a pillar of music-making in the borough for many years, as soloist, teacher, conductor, and producer.
She was accompanied by another local music bastion, Wardle-born J Edward Rigg, who additionally contributed a solo piano interlude. My Favourite Things was an appropriate introduction to a variety of vocal gems in Freda’s diverse range all rounded off with a Gracie Fields tribute singalong that included the Co-op shop, with the original right across the way in Toad Lane.
The Queen’s Award-winning Toad Lane Concerts are every Wednesday at 12.30pm at St Mary in the Baum, Toad Lane, Rochdale, OL16 1DZ. Entrance fee is £6. No refreshments available. Contact 01706 648872 for further information. ●●ROMEO and Juliet – Manchester Royal Exchange Theatre
REVIEW BY SEAMUS KELLY
IDON’T usually start a review with a strong recommendation, but for this production of Romeo and Juliet I am glad to make an exception.
This is an excellent show and well worth seeing if you can before the run ends on 18th November.
This new production directed by Nicholai La Barrie and starring Shalisha James-davis (Juliet) and Conor Glean (Romeo), takes Shakespeare’s tragic tale and places it into a Manchester with all of its modern sensibilities, its swagger, and its language.
The cast speak with authentic Manchester accents throughout and it effectively brings the story home to a modern audience in a northern city.
When members of the Capulets, and Montagues, speak to their cousins the pronunciation “cuz” (with typical deep uh sound) feels very natural.
We began with a comic moment as the friar, apparently an audience member with ticket issues, argues with an usher before staggering onto the stage, shopping bags and all, to deliver the opening speech.
The audience clearly enjoyed the small changes to the script to reference Manchester and when directions to Ashton Road were given there was lots of laughter.
The aggression and violence between the two families was portrayed with some gusto and weapons ranging from traditional swords to the more modern kitchen knives, baseball bats and even a Stanley knife.
When delivering soliloquies the actors addressed the audience directly, making eye contact and really engaging with them.
The audience were also engaged in the scene where Romeo sees and finally meets Juliet at a party in the Capulet’s castle, when audience members joined in with the dancing as Juliet acted as DJ and singer.
The mood and action would have been in keeping with any present-day party or club in Manchester.
Romeo meanwhile is the only one in the room who doesn’t want to dance and party,
at least not until he has the chance to meet Juliet. In the original Shakespeare version Romeo goes to a poor and somewhat desperate apothecary to illegally buy his poison. Here, in a stroke of genius, Romeo goes to street drug dealers, dressed all in black as they circle the stage on their BMX bikes.
The funeral scene was extraordinarily powerful with sombre lighting, thunder and lightning flashes and water falling on stage as rain as the mourners gathered around the “dead” Juliet, protected by black umbrellas.
The story is tragic but there were times of absolute joy and comedy, and the director and actors hope to bring something new out of the story with hope and understanding.
Romeo actor, Conor Glean, asked about what he’d like audiences to take away with them, said: “I want them to come away and see a young couple walking down the street, holding hands, smiling at each other and I want them to be moved by that.
“I want them to look at the softness in the world and think ‘yo,’ let’s give some more time to that, please’”.
As a no-longer-young couple walking back to the station, holding hands, and smiling at each other, I’d say we agree with that sentiment completely.
The cast as a whole put on a great show and the outstanding performances for me included Conor Glean, who portrayed Romeo as a rough around the edges, thuggish young man who is changed when he falls in love with Juliet.
His delivery of lines like “Love is heavy and light, bright and dark, hot and cold, sick and healthy, asleep and awake – it’s everything except what it is!” was direct and powerful, perhaps not the typical dramatic performance we might expect, but very effective indeed.
Lady Capulet, brilliantly played by Kate Hampson, as a female head of the family rather than the traditional patriarch, is exactly what you would expect from the matriarch of a Manchester gangster family, pushy and strong and able to switch from supportive to oppressive in an instant.
This Lady Capulet is the kind of Manchester mum you wouldn’t cross.
The character of a dark and moody Mercutio from David Judge was delivered superbly. Judge became an intimidating gangster, with an attitude much larger than his stature, and could turn on a kind of sinister charm that in turn was even more unsettling. The play runs until November 18, at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester. ●●CELEBRATING creative arts and artists – an oasis of positivity supporting individual and community wellbeing – www.allacrossthearts.com.