CityLife

Ten out of 10 for new Lowry season

The cast of Calendar Girls

THE Lowry first opened its doors to the public on April 28, 2000, and it’s a measure of its immense success that it is hard now to even imagine an artistic landscape that doesn’t include this adventurous and ambitious venue.

“The first 10 years of The Lowry has passed in something of a blur!” admits artistic director Robert Robson, some of whose personal drama favourites during that time include Sir Peter Hall’s epic Tantalus; Robert Lepage’s extravagantly brilliant Dragon’s Trilogy; the national Theatre of Scotland’s extraordinary Black Watch; the work of the legendary Peter Brook; the RSC’s contribution: the touring shows from the Donmar Warehouse; Kneehigh; the Maly company from St Petersburg; and the hits Calendar Girls and The History Boys.

Robert also highlights The Lowry’s partnership with Opera North, Birmingham Royal Ballet and Rambert, as well as their own productions including the community-based Love On The Dole, Jimmy McGovern’s King Cotton, the recent Fireflies, and the site specific Beyond The Frontline from Slung Low.

So the announcement of their new season, kicking off their 10th anniversary year, takes on even more than usual significance. The season boasts both new and familiar faces. In the latter category, there’s the one-off return of the sensational MEN Theatre Award nominee Carlos Acosta; a world premiere from the unique Candoco, who performed in that opening season; the reappearance of Matthew Bourne’s modern classic, his all-male Swan Lake; and, apparently for one last time, the hugely-popular Calendar Girls.

You won’t want to miss, either, the return of Donmar Warehouse with Serenading Louie. Making a first visit, meanwhile, is the acclaimed choreographer Akram Khan, who’ll be bringing together dancers from the National Ballet of China and music from Nitin Sawhney.

North west premiere

The seven Spanish brothers Los Vivancos will be making their only UK appearance and there’ll also be an opportunity to experience the worldwide festival hit Traces, combining traditional circus skills with basketball, skateboarding, street and contemporary dance.

The hit show La Cage Aux Folles is also visiting, as is that showbiz legend Count Arthur Strong (January 22-23) while there’s a strong Studio season to look forward to from the very start of the year.

Carlos Acosta will be making a special appearance on Thursday April 15 as part of a visit from his old company Ballet Nacional de Cuba. They’ll be bringing two programmes, Magic de la Danza and Swan Lake between April 14 and 17.

In February, Opera North are back with La Boheme (February 23 and 26), Gilbert and Sullivan’s Ruddigore (February 24 and 27), and Cosi Fan Tutte (February 25), while Opera de la Luna turn their hand to Die Fledermaus (February 15-20).

La Cage Aux Folles comes direct from its hit West End season for its north west premiere from March 15 to 20, while the enormously successful The Woman In Black (now in its 21st year in the West End) will be making the audience jump out of its seats from January 18 to 23.

Make a date with Calendar Girls, with a cast including local girls Gemma Atkinson and Judith Barker alongside Lynda Bellingham, Debbie Chazen, Letitia Dean and Jan Harvey, from February 9-20 and tap along to the Pele Productions version of A Chorus Line from April 29 to May 8.

Timeless

British comedy legends Tommy Cooper, Kenneth Williams and Spike Milligan are celebrated with a mini-season including Jus’ Like That – A Night Out With Tommy Cooper (February 22-27), Stop Messing About – The Kenneth Williams Extravaganza (March 17-20), and Spike Milligan’s Adolf Hitler: My Part In His Downfall (April 6-10).
 
The Lyric Hammersmith and Filter bring their version of Three Sisters on March 2-6, while the mighty Donmar Warehouse are back with Serenading Louie (March 30-April 3), Lanford Wilson’s timeless portrait of two suburban American couples. You don’t get much more passionate, though, than the blisteringly intense Medea. Northern Broadsides’s take on the classic runs from April 13 to 17.

Northface’s Be My Baby (January 8-10) opens a strong Studio season, that boasts some especially fine work, including the splendid Meeting Joe Strummer (February 24), Fencing For Losers (January 29-31), Beating Berlusconi (March 7), Maine Road (March 18-20), and Me, Mum And Dusty Springfield (February 12-13).

Akram Khan’s hotly anticipated Bahok comes to the Lyric on February 4, with Matthew Bourne’s all-male Swan Lake (as glimpsed in the film Billy Elliott) returning from March 1-6). More traditional dance comes courtesy of Birmingham Royal Ballet’s The Sleeping Beauty (March 30-April 3) but anyone on the look out for the next big thing should check out the frenetic flamenco/ballet/street dance fusion of Los Vivancos – 7 Hermanos (March 25-27) or there’s more dance from Motionhouse with Scattered (February 9-10), the always-entertaining Balletboyz with The Talent (March 8) and Scottish Dance Theatre with NQR (March 23-24), as well as a Candoco Triple Bill (April 27) and David Toole and Lucy Hind in Extra-Ordinary (April 28-30).

Traces, the thrilling show which took the 2007 Edinburgh Festival by storm before wowing them in London’s West End, New York, Paris and Montreal, exploding on to The Lowry stage from March 8 to 10, and there is a more traditional, if still exhilarating, celebration of circus skills from the Chinese State Circus (January 27-31).

Among the highlights for children and families are the first-ever stage adaptation of the Bafta-winning Peppa Pig’s Party (February 4-7) and the songs, laughs and scary fun of The Gruffalo (April 6-8).

You can book or get more information from 0843 2086005.