Matthew Eberhardt
Matthew Eberhardt, one of the UK’s leading stage directors, began his career with Opera North in 2013. His latest production is Rigoletto, which opened at Leeds Grand Theatre last month. He lives in Leeds.
What’s your first Yorkshire memory? Arriving at Leeds – into the old station, before it was revamped and reconfigured. I grew up in Surrey, so I must admit that I knew little of the North. The reason for the visit was that I’d been offered an interview with Opera North, to work on a revival of Midsummer Night’s in the version created by Benjamin Britten. It was fascinating for me to wander around all those beautiful arcades that the city has. There was a real buzz to the place and I sensed almost immediately that there was a far better quality of life here – in that you didn’t have to spend nearly two hours of your day getting to work, and then another two hours getting back again. Did I get the job? I am delighted to tell you that yes, I did.
What’s your favourite part of the county – and why? I do like cities (I think that I just enjoy being around people) and this county has an abundance of great ones, each with its own individual personality. The one I love the most, however, is York. It has a sense of great history, it is largely contained within those magnificent walls, and at its very heart is the great Minster. To top it all, it has so many independent shops and some great restaurants and bars.
What’s your idea of a perfect day, or a perfect weekend, out in
Yorkshire? A really good walk, followed by a piping hot roast dinner in good company. Some friends and I recently went over to Kirkham Priory in North Yorkshire, and we had a great stroll around those magnificent ruins, followed by a wonderful lunch at the nearby Stone Trough pub. The walk along the river definitely gave us a good appetite.
Do you have a favourite walk – or view? Friends took me over to Bolton Abbey not so long ago, which was another great day out, but nearer to home, there’s the Trans Pennine Trail, which – since I live very close to the Royal Armouries – runs almost past my front door. During lockdown I started walking the path alongside the canal and the river, and every day I tried to get a bit further. Not only was it great exercise, but also something of a voyage of discovery. I was doing two or three hours a day, covering about seven miles, and really loving it. It was also a marvellous way to meet people.
Which Yorkshire sportsperson, past or present, would you like to take for lunch? Sport passes me by, I’m afraid, but at the start of that walk I mentioned, there’s a huge mural of Nicola Adams, who seems to be quite a lady, by all accounts, someone determined, facing and conquering adversity, and fearlessly ploughing her own furrow. So, if she’d be prepared to explain to me what motivates her, and how, then I’d be very pleased to have my sporting ignorance at least partially lifted.
Which Yorkshire stage or screen star, or past or present, would you like to take for dinner? Someone told me that, as an opera director, I really ought to watch the video of Dame Judi Dench performing the late Stephen Sondheim’s Send in the Clowns, from his incredible
A Little Night Music .So,Idid,andIwas overwhelmed by her totally truthful and sincere performance. It is so beautifully understated, so honest. She understands it, and you believe her – and that is all a director, and the audience, want.
If you had to name your Yorkshire ‘hidden gem’, what would it be?
On a cold winter’s day, Staithes, when it is almost deserted. I was there for an open art studio weekend just recently, and it was an experience to go and talk to all those creative people.
What do you think gives Yorkshire its unique identity? The pride that the people have in their county, and what goes on here. People here genuinely want to
share it with you, and that is both genuine and delivered in the friendliest of ways.
Do you have a favourite restaurant, or pub? The Lamb and Flag, over the way from Leeds Minster, has become my local. It’s cosy, does great food and, on a lazy Sunday afternoon is a great refuge if you want to have a drink and sift through the papers.
Do you have a favourite food shop? If I’m over in York, then the Good Food Deli really is a winner.
How do you think that Yorkshire has changed, for better or for worse, in the time that you’ve known it? Cities are always changing, and it’s probably true that you must know one very well, and then move away for a while, to return and see what the changes are. There are now a lot of shops that are empty, which is worrying.
Who is the Yorkshire person that you most admire? The Brontës for what they achieved and for what they might well have achieved further, had they not all died so relatively young.
Has Yorkshire influenced your work? Very much so. I love the honesty that I get when the team and I are creating a new piece, the way that you get a straightforward response to an interpretation.
Name your favourite Yorkshire book/author/artist/CD/ performer.?The Offing, by Ben Myers. A boy goes off on a walk of discovery, finds himself in Robin Hood’s Bay, and starts to live in a garden shed, on the property of an old lady. It’s a spellbinding read, and it has won many awards.
If a stranger to Yorkshire only had time to visit one place, it would be? Leeds Grand Theatre, because you can feel the energy of everyone who has worked there over the years seeping out of the wall. It’s a place of history, but a place of the now. It’s such a privilege to work there, and, on performance days, to be in the company of our great audiences.
■ Rigoletto is on tour across the North. It concludes with a visit to Hull New Theatre on April 1.