Ballet and the Bard at the Lowry

Sep 5 2008 by Michael Green, Chester Chronicle

FROM Calendar Girls and Le Grand Cirque to the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Romeo and Juliet – The Lowry packs a dramatic punch for all tastes in its Autumn/Winter season at the Salford Quays venue.

Following the success of Jimmy McGovern’s King Cotton in 2007, The Lowry finds drama on its own doorstep with Fireflies (November 14–29), a gripping tale of life on a Salford housing estate, written by Kevin Fegan and directed by Noreen Kershaw of hit Channel 4 series Shameless.

International star Lorna Luft, Judy Garland’s daughter, stars as the Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz (November 29 –January 4) this Christmas.

Youngsters will have the chance to create their own artwork in the galleries as part of a new hands-on family exhibition, So You Want to be an Artist? (July 26 –November 1).

The unconventional is embraced in the twilight world of a Nu-Burlesque (October 31–November 1) weekend.

The Australian Ballet, one of the world’s leading ballet companies, make their North West debut with Swan Lake (October 14–18). Leading choreographer Graeme Murphy’s transformation of Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece has been thrilling audiences all over the world.

Rambert return to their partner theatre with a powerful new programme including the world première of Eternal Light (September 25–27) by artistic director Mark Baldwin.

The knives are out in dangerous vendettas as rival factions clash to block the path of true love in West Side Story and the Shakespeare play that inspired it, Romeo and Juliet.

West Side Story (September 30–October 11), with the music of Leonard Bernstein and lyrics of Stephen Sondheim, has become one of the greatest musicals ever produced and the 50th anniversary version heading for The Lowry comes direct from London and sell-out successes in Paris, Tokyo and Bejing.

Romeo and Juliet (November 11–15) comes from the Royal Shakespeare Company with director Neil Bartlett and designer Kandis Cook, the driving force behind one of the Bard’s most loved plays.

The movie Calendar Girls (October 20–25) became a British movie classic and now, adapted by Frodsham writer Tim Firth, it’s hitting the boards in Salford with an all-star cast.

The masterful dramatic touch of Alan Bennett comes in Enjoy (September 1-6), a rarely performed dark comedy featuring TV favourites Alison Steadman and David Troughton.

The Lowry will be blowing up a storm for the kids with a blizzard finale in Slava’s Snowshow (October 28–November 1).

Keeping up the pace of eye-popping entertainment is one of the most spellbinding circus shows – Le Grand Cirque (August 27-31).

Shows from the new brochure go on public sale via the box office (0870 787 5793) or by visiting www.thelowry.com.