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Director: Gary Reich, Mike Nicholls, David Hoyle Reviewer: Cathy Crabb The Public Reviews Rating: An out of season and empty caravan park on the Isle of Sheppey is the setting for the Avant-Garde Alliance’s surreal romance/desolate tragedy Uncle David. World weary and exasperated by humanity, Uncle David (David Hoyle)has made a promise to save nephew Ashley (Ashley Ryder) from a world of idiots who would never allow him to achieve his full potential. It could all have been a game, and sympathy or compassion, though they grapple, has no secure hold in this incredibly close and cruel tale. I thought Ashley was a child, though physically it is very clear he isn’t, the interaction between the characters is a lesson in grooming, but also this could be role play or a manipulation of a man with learning difficulties. One way or another, the character of Ashley truly believes and is at the command of Uncle David. Another level, which I found really interesting, was Uncle David’s teachings of Ashley. His passionate and patronising poetics seem wasted on Ashley yet this doting brain washed boy child whisked away to a desolate caravan park, has become his only audience I really liked this about the film, because though we as voyeurs were helpless to intervene and had to watch the terrible conclusion at such a slow pace, we knew that we were okay because we were laughing at and not living with Uncle David who can make you do anything, sometimes just to humiliate you for fun. This film was improvised and shot in three days which is an amazing fete considering the many pictures being painted here and the beautiful way it has been realised. The foggy landscape of the seaside here lends itself entirely to the cut off and blurry relationship that has [...]

Creator: Roger Bernat Reviewer: Katherine Kirwin The Public Reviews Rating: Domini Public is a performance with a twist; the audience becomes not only the spectator of the piece but also participant, performer and pawn. Initially. the audience/cast of Domini Public as they enter The Lowry are told to take a pair of headphones and follow instructions. We entered the theatre space and congregated on the stage of the Main Theatre. The space is completely bare apart from two giant red signs at either side of the stage marking ‘left’ and ‘right’. As the performance begins the soothing Mozart music which had been piping through our headphones is replaced by an authoritative voice with the slightly unusual greeting of ‘Welcome to the Lowry, switch off your phones. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?’ Thus, followed a 3D poll of the audience discovering our reasons for attending, the city we’ve travelled from, and our relationship to each other by use of the space on the stage. The questions varied widely from the mundane to the philosophical and indoctrinated us to answer them honestly. For example, by following up an easy-to-answer question such as ‘Who looked at themselves in the mirror before they came out? Place a hand on your head’ with ‘If you believe that your appearance improves your social cohesion, place a hand over your eyes’, I found myself answering the second question more truthfully because my mind was already engaged in factual information about myself. The movements across the stage of the 40 or so members of the audience created a kind of life-size board game, highlighting our relationships to each other through differences of opinion or facts. It also indulged our spectator, voyeuristic instinct as you found yourself craning to see who had cried at the last Olympics. [...]

Writer/Director: Mike Heath Reviewer: Richard Hall The Public Reviews Rating: The one professionally run venue in Greater Manchester that can truly say it opens its doors to home grown talent is the studio at The Lowry. On average during each season it hosts upwards of 10 local theatre companies. Plus One…?  is written by Salford playwright Mike Heath, who with a small dedicated band of supporters is the driving force behind Studio Salford, based at the nearby Kings Arms, one of the leading producers of fringe theatre in the North West. Mike Heath has been at the forefront of new writing in Greater Manchester for almost a decade. In 2006 he won a coveted MEN award for his comedy, The Game of Two Halves. With this ably performed and well written revival it is easy to see why. When gay singleton, Jay receives an invitation to his cousin’s wedding, he decides that at all costs he cannot go alone. In order to attract a significant other he realises he’ll have to make some considerable changes in his life to do so. Hampered by an alcoholic mother who is unable to keep anything to herself, secrets and lies from the past come to hinder Jay, as he sets out to find a perfect partner to be his plus one. The plot is reminiscent of many late 90’s TV sitcoms and the early plays of Gimme, Gimme creator Jonathan Harvey. Heath’s characters are well drawn and go beyond the usual stereotypes so often depicted in contemporary working class comedies. Ste Myott as Jay leads the cast brilliantly and is given wonderful comic support by Sarah Adams and Peter Carruthers as his two hapless flatmates. Jokes run thick and fast and Heath’s sparking dialogue provides some great one liners. Heath also directs and the best comic [...]

Music: Sergey Prokofiev Director: David Bintley CBE Choreography: Kenneth MacMiIllan Reviewer: Peter Jacobs The Public Reviews Rating: I’m sure enough people are sufficiently familiar with the tale of the star-crossed lovers across the socio-political divide whose simple desire to be together is thwarted at every turn for me not to need to recount the story of Romeo and his Juliet. One of the great romantic tragedies, there are several versions of Romeo and Juliet in the repertoire of the large-scale classical ballet companies. Manchester audiences were treated to the Northern Ballet Theatre’s version at the Opera House in May 2009 and the English National Ballet bring their Nureyev-created 1977 version to the Palace in October 2010. The Birmingham Royal Ballet’s production was originally choreographed by Kenneth MacMillan in 1965 and was overhauled in 1992 with a completely new production design by Paul Andrew, shortly after the company relocated from London to Birmingham and changed their name. Blessed with one of the all-time great ballet scores courtesy of Prokofiev – although it was considered undanceable when presented to the Bolshoi by the composer in 1935 – how does this version play today? This production makes the most of the Birmingham Royal Ballet’s strengths: massive staging, sumptuous costumes, an enormous ensemble cast and a depth of talent in their principals, soloists and artists that enables them to present different casting for each performance at The Lowry. That’s no fewer than six Romeos and Juliets, Mercutios, Tybalts, Benvolios etc., all supported by that tremendous music superbly played by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, conducted by Paul Murphy. The production design is complex and stunning, at times breathtakingly beautiful with the appearance of a Renaissance painting come to life so rich is the use of style and colour in the costumes, the positioning of the artists and the [...]

Music: Giacomo Puccini Librettists: Giacosa and Illica Director: Phyllida Lloyd Reviewer: Richard Hall The Public Reviews Rating: Adapted from the German book, Scenes of Life With The Bohemians by Henry Murger, La Boheme is undoubtedly one of the best loved and most frequently performed of all Italian operas. Like Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, its story is timeless and has been adapted many times, most recently by Jonathan Larson, the composer of the 1990’s hit Broadway musical, Rent. Indeed, the Lord himself, Andrew Lloyd Webber has openly spoken of his admiration for both Puccini and this opera in particular. In this production, director Phyllida Lloyd imaginatively moves the original setting of mid nineteenth century Paris to the early 1950’s. This is a brilliant invention that instantly conjures up images of Fellini’s masterpiece La Dolche Vita and the iconic French films of Jean-Luc Godard. The plot and the interplay between the central characters benefits enormously from the updating, especially the tragic love story of poet, Rodolfo and his lover, Mimi. A superb young cast led by Sarah Cox as Mimi and Aldo Di Toroa, sing their roles faultlessly. Cox and Di Tora are particularly outstanding combining exquisite singing with expressive and powerful acting. They are matched for quality by Jeni Bern as good time girl, Musetta and Marcin Bronikowski as the long suffering, Marcello. Phyllida Lloyd, whose previous work includes the hit musical Mama Mia! directs with military like precision. Every aspect of this magnificent production is thought through in great detail; the chorus in particular are clearly delineated and create some thrilling ensemble moments. 1950’s Paris is vividly brought to life on stage by Anthony Ward’s bold designs, brilliant period costumes and Rick Fisher’s atmospheric lighting. Tobias Ringborg, conducts with authority and feeling. His phrasing is clear; he develops the musical and dramatic tension [...]

Reviewer: Helen Jones The Public Reviews Rating: Jo Caulfield, a regular guest on TV shows such as Mock The Week, Have I Got News For You and the star of her own radio shows, brings the penultimate performance of her nationwide tour to Salford. She freely admits that the title is an apt one – and, after all, who would pay to see her stand there silently? From start to end, the show is witty and acerbic. Her comedy is more about observation than jokes, but her caustic commentary on life is always on the mark. People in the front rows are marked as attention seeking, and those at the back as would rather be somewhere else. She quickly “identifies” the gay couple as they are ‘too good looking to be straight’, and then progresses along the front row pairing people up and finding out their relationship to each other. With just herself, a microphone and occasionally a clipboard, Ms Caulfield keeps her audience entertained throughout. The first half of the show is more of an organised ramble through the musings of a woman. From politics and current affairs to domesticity and her friends, all are treated with the same sharp humour. She is also delightfully prone to going off at a tangent when something else occurs to her. However the matters she talks about are all down to earth – there’s no showbiz parties, just girls’ nights out with friends – making it feel relevant to the majority of her audience. In fact, at several of her questions to the audience, there is definitely a knowing murmur in response. Her interaction with the audience is effortless and engaging to watch. As part of the second half of the show, she tries out “new jokes” on the audience and takes their reaction, marking [...]

Director: Alicia Alonso Choreographer: Alicia Alonso Reviewer: Ruth Lovett The Public Reviews Rating: The Ballet Nactional de Cuba presents its version of Swan Lake. Under the direction of Alicia Alonso in her 90th year, the arrival of this company at the Lowry has been greatly anticipated. Staged in three Acts with an epilogue, disappointingly this performance is done to a backing track rather than with a live orchestra which detracts somewhat from the piece and does not do justice to Tchaikovsky’s beautiful score. Swan Lake tells the story of the handsome Prince Siegfried (Javier Torres) who must chose once of the local princesses to be his wife. Searching for the perfect love, Siegfried is enchanted by flock of swans, notably one particular swan who turns in to a beautiful woman, Odette (Anette Delgado) who has been turned in to a swan by the evil sorcerer, Von Rothbart (Leandro Perez). To break the spell, Siegfried must pledge his eternal love to Odette. A ball is held the next day for Siegfried’s birthday which is interrupted by a stranger with his daughter, Odile who seduces Siegfried, breaking his oath to Odette in the process. Realising his error, Siegfried rushes to find Odette and atone for what he has done. Based on the original choreography by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, this production seeks to follow in the footsteps of the original production staged in 1877 and has distinctly Russian overtones and has been adapted by Alicia Alonso however the production feels somewhat outdated. The staging is very old fashioned and the costumes are not the finest ever seen and could do with revamping however they are certainly colourful which is appreciated. The lighting design leaves little to be desired and is over-simplistic and does little to highlight the performers or lift this at times drab [...]

Writer: Spike Milligan Adaptor: Ben Power and Tim Carroll Director: Tim Carroll Reviewer: Laura Wilson The Public Reviews Rating: Spike Milligan is remembered as one of the country’s greatest comics, indeed he was voted ‘the funniest person of the last 1000 years’ in a 1999 BBC poll. Having only experienced the work and style of Spike Milligan on a few you tube videos I didn’t know what to expect from Spike Milligan’s Adolf Hitler: My part in his downfall. However, after the first couple of lines I understood what all the fuss was about. Adolf Hitler: My part in his downfall brings to life the war memoirs of a young Spike, adapted for stage by Ben Power and Tim Carroll. It cleverly and effortlessly combines wit and tragedy, one minute the audience is in stitches, the next silence. With the authentic set in place we were ready to witness the journey Spike was to take in the next 5 years. The show cleverly weaves together numerous short sketches chronicling Spike’s life in the army. One minute we are in Kent, the next Tunis, then Italy. The Major, played brilliantly by Matt Devereaux, introduces the evening as the talent show of Battery D, this is where TV producers need to sit up and take note. The audience were then treated to 2 hours of breathtaking talent. Comic timing was effortless by all five actors, the musical interludes featuring jazz classics such as “One o’clock jump”, “In the mood”, and “Ain’t misbehavin’” were all brought to life through the fine musicianship of all on stage, frequently swapping instruments. Their four part harmony in “O god our help in ages past” was so touching and sensitive you would have heard a pin drop in the theatre. Was it all fun and games in the second world [...]