A to BUZZ

Not a theatrical presentation at all, but a rock concert. The stage was set with more cables and electronics than one usually sees on a film set, and with six musicians and one narrator, and the noise levels were also very rock concert-like. 'Peterloo In Rock' does not really tell the story of the Peterloo Massacre at all - despite it being performed on the 206th anniversary of that event, in a location only a few hundred metres away from the site of the massacre, and the event's title advertising such! What it does do however is tell the story of what happened as a result of the massacre; and how it was the catalyst for reform and change even to this day. To give you some idea, the Peterloo Massacre occurred on the 16th August 1819, and the end of the first half took us to 1839, with the second half bringing us to the present day.  The band were dressed mostly in contemporary garb, with the occasional hat nod to the period of their playing, and behind them a large screen s...

  In this one act play by Daniel Thackeray, we are witness to an imagined meeting / conversation of a real event - albeit not in a Japanese restaurant! - when Sir Clive Sinclair (notable technology inventor) sold his flailing company to a young hard-nosed businessman, (the then unknighted) Alan Sugar.  What ensues is a conversation, nay a battle, of wits, between the more idealistic and perhaps humane Sinclair, and the "in this for profit" ruthlessness of businessman Sugar. In the first half of this 70 minute production, it does come out as quite information and tech-spec heavy, as we hear about the Sinclair products which have both made and broken his name [everything from his first calculator, through to the now lauded ZX Spectrum, and his risible vehicular invention, the C5.] This, as well as the fact that they are seated at a table in a restaurant does make for a rather static production, and it is only when they start to leave towards the end that the dynamics and levels...

  Dressed smartly in DJs and evening gowns, the City Of Sheffield Youth Orchestra certainly looked the part this evening as they paraded onto the stage at Manchester's Stoller Hall. However, they seemed to forget to tune-up before the conductor came on, and as a consequence this evening's opening piece of music, Tchaikovsky's concert overture, 'Romeo And Juliet' was a little out of tune! They remembered for the second half though, and this made the world of difference to the overall soundscape. Whilst politically at least, Russia is not our favourite country in the world, their classical music is still alive and well, thriving in the hands of the CSYO. The concert was in two halves. Before the interval as already mentioned was 'Romeo And Juliet' (Tchaikovsky),and under Christopher Gayford's precise and dominant conducting the piece highlighted every new theme and transition with precision. They had obviously done much background and rehearsal in order to...