Art and Entertainment at The Lowry, Salford Quays May - August 2006
The Lowry sizzles into summer with a red-hot international programme of the very best in live entertainment and a series of stimulating exhibitions that includes a must-see life size baby mechanical elephant called Snowdrop!
Snowdrop features as part of Folk Archive: Contemporary Popular Art from the UK, a great new gallery display that also covers gurning, graffiti, tapestry and even sculptures made from vegetables. It’s fascinating and provocative and just one of our summer exhibition attractions, which also include A City’s Pride, in which the entire LS Lowry collection goes on show.
Our Drama bill features the post-London, pre-Broadway, heartbreaking and engaging hit play Festen, and Northern Broadsides’ epic three-play cycle, Shakespeare’s Wars Of The Roses, plus an all-star cast in the classic thriller, Strangers On A Train.
The big International Performance companies this season include the highly-acclaimed Cheek by Jowl, with their all-Russian Twelfth Night; La Cuadra de Sevilla, with their spectacular Carmina Burana - the choral masterpiece, adapted to include Flamenco, guitars and Andalusian stallions - and Companhia de Dança Deborah Colker, the hottest Brazilian dance company, with an entirely new, very adult, spectacular.
Dance also includes the also very adult Boys/Girls by Compagnie Pal Frenak, from Paris and Budapest, in a full frontal nudity double bill, and - for all the family! - Birmingham Royal Ballet’s enchanting story of young love in a long-gone rural England, La Fille mal gardee.
We’ve a hugely varied programme of Music that ranges from the Soweto Gospel Choir and the English National Brass Band Championships, to acclaimed cabaret star Barb Jungr; Nerina Pallot (hailed as the new Joni Mitchell); the legendary Geno Washington and his Ram Jam Band; Scottish songwriter John Martyn; Irish singer Frances Black, evergreen veteran Janis Ian, and many more.
On the Musicals front, we’re dancing in the aisles with the latest blast-off for award-winning sci-fi rock ‘n’ roll romp, Return To The Forbidden Planet and we’ve also got Annie, a perfect summer’s outing for all the family. Direct from a smash hit season in the West End, Acorn Antiques ‘The Musical’ written and directed by Victoria Wood is coming to The Lowry this Christmas for 4 weeks.
Opera North return with three productions - Arms And The Cow, a satirical operetta by Kurt Weill, Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro - the perfect introduction to opera and Puccini’s La Rondine, not as well-known as La Bohème or Madama Butterfly but just as tuneful and great entertainment for a summer’s evening.
Family shows include a new stage version of mouse Stuart Little and his adventures; Kensuke’s Kingdom, by Michael Morpurgo, an exciting around-the-world adventure story, and TV’s Fimbles Live, their first stage show. Plus, there’s a whole series of Studio attractions for all age ranges. Featuring the latest chart hits, wicked dance routines and a truly hilarious Widow Twankey, Aladdin, our pantomime this Christmas has all the ingredients for a very special festive treat.
The legendary Ken Dodd; Guv’nor Al Murray; Paul Merton’s Impro Chums; local lads Slaughterhouse Live and Justin Moorhouse, plus Mark Steel, Dylan Moran, Dara O’Briain and Sue Perkins, head a Comedy line-up that promises to have everyone laughing right through the summer.
And there’s more… the huge range of other events, includes the by-demand return of the fabulous Lady Boys of Bangkok, their fourth fantastic season; poetess Pam Ayres; the entertaining and uplifting Rabbi Lionel Blue; Salford Musical Theatre’s Oklahoma! and the National Theatre’s Shell Connections, one of the world’s biggest celebrations of Youth Theatre.
Then there are all the participatory events, such as Playhouse - Fun Games and Play and Make Your Own Art; Under 5s First Steps, a fun introduction to dance for toddlers; Stuart Little Family Fun Day and tea with cast; Ballroom Sunday and so on!
Add an excellent series of Asian dance and music performances from our special partners Milapfest, and we clearly have another packed season certain to include something for everyone.
Posted on Monday, 06 March 2006 under Press Theatre Press