Georgie Burgess reviews Opera North’s production of Katya Kabanova, on at the Leeds Grand on select dates until the 27th of February. Here I was, back again to see my second opera and it was […]
Haunting and Heartwarming: Opera North’s Silent Night at Leeds Town Hall
The Christmas truce of 1914 has to be one of the most remarkable events in the history of mankind; we’re talking about a story in which thousands of valorous men left their trenches to unite […]
Not Such Quiet Girls: A Contemporary Opera
Opera North’s Not Such Quiet Girls is a contemporary story of the first world war and a contemporary stance on opera. It completely subverted my expectation of the art form, of the singing in a […]
The Merry Widow Will Delight Opera Fans Old And New
Giles Havergal’s version of Franz Lehár’s operetta ‘‘The Merry Widow’’ performed at the Opera North has an easy and light plot to follow, and is interweaved with opera singing, making it great not only for […]
Tosca: An Opera for Right Now
Georgie Burgess reviews Opera North’s production of Tosca, an opera written by Giacomo Puccini that first premiered in 1900. Too many people assume the Opera is not for them. I believe Tosca will prove them […]
The Music Of Burt Bacharach at Leeds Town Hall
“It makes you proud of the city. They don’t build things like this anymore,” says an elderly man gazing up in wonder at Leeds Town Hall’s magnificently decorated ceiling. He’s right. Architecture is on its […]
The Bartered Bride is a perfect introduction into opera
A refreshingly unusual Czech opera sung in English, The Bartered Bride tells the comic story of two small-town lovers whose families seek to marry them off to opposing partners. But don´t be fooled – this […]
Theatre | La Boheme Launch – A night on the town
Image: Opera North Last week Opera North held the launch event for their new Under 30’s membership scheme at the Leeds Grand Theatre with a performance of Puccini’s famous opera La Bohème, aiming to inspire […]
Theatre | La Boheme – This 1950's set production has it all
Image: Opera North La Bohème Opera North 29th April – 17th May Leeds Grand Theatre Puccini’s La Bohème is perhaps one of the best known opera: an heartbreaking tale of young love and loss set […]
Opera|Girl of the Golden West – The very first spaghetti western
Image: Opera North Critic Sir Christopher Frayling said that ‘…it was Giacomo Puccini who wrote the first Spaghetti Western worthy of the name…’ and it’s a proper old fashioned western of saloon brawls, poker games […]
Opera | Otello
4/5 Stars Tastefully set in a more contemporary era of naval warfare, the set and costumes suggesting Second World War, Opera North’s staging of Verdi’s Otello was in many ways a traditional playing of one […]
Opera | Faust
3/5 Stars Opera North’s triumphant Don Giovanni set high hopes for the autumnal opera season at the Leeds Grand Theatre. Sadly, Faust doesn’t deliver. Director Rob Kearley has taken a big gamble by going for […]