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Comedy | Drama | Tragedy | Thriller | Comedy /Drama |
Mystery | Musical | Opera | Ballet | Dance | Ice Dance |
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Comedy | Drama | Tragedy | Thriller | Comedy /Drama |
Mystery | Musical | Opera | Ballet | Dance | Ice Dance |
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| Production | Genre | Date / Venue / Principal Cast Members | Score | Verdict | ||||
| Click on the production title for a detailed review | ||||||||
| Dead Funny | |
16th December 2005 WY Playhouse, Leeds Lysette Anthony, Nicholas Tennant, Derek Hutchinson, Natalie Walter, Andrew Frame |
 90% |
A bawdy, sexy comic farce. Hugely entertaining but certainly not for the narrow minded. | ||||
| Peter Pan | |
1st December 2005 Alhambra Theatre, Bradford Northern Ballet Theatre |
 70% |
A colourful musical spectacular with more emphasis on pantomime than ballet. A great treat for children but perhaps less so for adults. | ||||
| Nutcracker | |
22nd November 2005 Victoria Theatre, Halifax Chisinau National Ballet |
 80% |
A slow starter but well worth waiting for. Some excellent individual performances from the soloists, particularly the two leads. | ||||
| The Deranged Marriage | |
17th November 2005 WY Playhouse, Leeds Pooja Shah, Rupi Lal, Goldy Notay, Harvey Verdi, Simon Nagra, Shaheen Khan. |
90% |
A colourful, comical, indian song and dance fest. Bombay Nights meets the Kumars in a riotous enjoyable farce with an eastern twist. | ||||
| The Lion and The Jewel | |
10th November 2005 WY Playhouse, Leeds Anthony Ofoegbu, Omonor Imobhio, Toyin Oshinaike, Shola Benjamin |
 60% |
A colourful production with many genuinely funny moments, but which fails to capture the acerbic edge of the original play. | ||||
| Diaghilev and the red Shoes | |
3rd November 2005 Theatre Royal and Opera House, Wakefield Ballet Ireland. |
70% |
Contains something for ballet lovers everywhere. | ||||
| My Mother Said I Never Should | |
28th October 2005 WY Playhouse, Leeds Deirdre Doone, Janice McKenzie, Sukie Smith, Katie Wimpenny. |
80% |
A polished and finely balanced production of a moving and rewarding play. Magnificent performances, witty dialogue, a great evenings entertainment. | ||||
| Twelfth Night | |
21st October 2005 Alhambra Theatre, Bradford Matthew Kelly, Honeysuckle Weeks, Bob Cryer, Rebecca Egan, Roger Barclay, Christopher Benjamin. |
80% |
A talented cast in a splendidly staged production of Shakespeare's immortal work. Genuinely funny, touchingly romantic. | ||||
| Sherlock Holmes: The Athenaeum Ghoul | |
14th October 2005 Theatre Royal and Opera House, Wakefield Jonathan Keeble, Keith Drinkell, Luke Shaw, Angela McGowan. |
70% |
A well crafted but ultimately rather predictable story. | ||||
| Hobson's Choice | |
12th October 2005 The Hippodrome, Birmingham Birmingham Royal Ballet. |
100% |
A joyous production bursting with memorable scenes and characters and dancing of the very highest calibre. | ||||
| Twelfth Night | |
7th October 2005 WY Playhouse, Leeds Hattie Morahan, Susie Trayling, Charles Abomeli, John Lightbody. |
60% |
William Shakespeare meets P.G. Wodehouse. Whilst there is much to be admired in the individual performances the whole is ultimately unsatisfying. | ||||
| Carmen | |
4th October 2005 Bradford St. Georges Hall Chisinau National Opera (Moldova) |
80% |
Visuellement impressionnant avec remuer des exécutions vocales et des points orchestraux suscitants (Visually impressive with stirring vocal performances and a rousing orchestral score). | ||||
| Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake |
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29th September 2005 Alhambra Theatre, Bradford New Adventures directed by Matthew Bourne |
100% |
Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake is to ballet what Gilbert and Sullivan's HMS Pinafore is to high opera. Funny, entertaining, magnificent! | ||||
| Annie Get Your Gun | |
23rd September 2005 Alhambra Theatre, Bradford Rebecca Thornhill, Stephen Houghton and Charles Lawson |
70% |
More a Derringer pocket pistol than a Winchester rifle, but ultimately worth a shot. | ||||
| Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre |
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17th September 2005 Alhambra Theatre, Bradford A Dance Consortium Tour |
60% |
A treat for lovers of modern dance, but overall little more than an interesting diversion for those with more classical tastes. | ||||
| Dracula | |
5th September 2005 WY Playhouse, Leeds Northern Ballet Theatre directed by David Nixon |
90% |
Raw and sensual, a treat for the senses (though with less dance than one might normally expect from a full length ballet). | ||||
| Wait Until Dark | |
26th August 2005 Alhambra Theatre, Bradford Susie Amy, Derren Nesbitt, Michael Melia and James Carlton |
80% |
Few surprises, but a tense and atmospheric thriller. | ||||
| The 39 Steps | |
17th June 2005 WY Playhouse, Leeds Mark Hadfield, Simon Gregor, Lisa Jackson, Robert Whitelock |
80% |
Hilarious retelling of a classic adventure story | ||||
| Cinderella | |
21st April 2005 Victoria Theatre, Halifax European Ballet directed by Stanislav Tchassov |
80% |
Superb performances from talented soloists and a strong corps de ballet | ||||
| Elmina's Kitchen | |
8th April 2005 WY Playhouse, Leeds Kwame Kwei-Armah, Shaun Parkes, Don Warrington, Dona Croll |
90% |
Gripping drama with a strong plot and excellent characterisations. | ||||