Liverpool, Capital Of Culture for 2008

Review : Ken Dodd and His Kings of Comedy

Posted by Stephen

COMEDY legend Ken Dodd paid tribute to Liverpool humour in his own unique contribution to the Capital of Culture celebrations.

The Squire of Knotty Ash recalled some of the city’s comedy greats last night in the first of two sell-out shows at St George’s Hall.

And he told his tickling stick-wielding audience: “Liverpudlians possess a laughter gene.

“Our favourite pastime is play time.”

In a show lasting almost four hours the 80-year-old king of comedy mixed songs and rapid fire gags from his legendary live act with his own recollections and tributes to more than a century of Liverpool comedians.

Source : Liverpool ECHO
Author : Catherine Jones
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Review : A Liver Bird Sang - Opening Night

Posted by Stephen

Wendy and I attended the opening night of A Liver Bird Sang this evening.

This operatic production, funded on a shoe-string because Capital of Culture wouldn’t support it, was a true Liverpool musical production.

The cast all performed for free, and some of them, like the magnificent Nick Hardy, and highly talented Jane Hamlet, Julie Davitt and Valerie Watts must surely have been professionals from time to time.

It is the story of the revival of a Liverpool night club - the Scouse ‘Ouse, and a love story between Ella McCabe, cabaret singer in the club and Matt Lightfoot, who wants to buy the club. The whole set against a backdrop of class differences and the striving of the working classes of Old Swan to achieve through education.

The music is by Schubert, arranged beautifully by Geoff Lavelle, with lyrics by John Dixon.

The opening song and regular refrain “The City passes by” was stunning, although there were so many actors performing in this busy city scene that it was hard to catch all of the action at the same time. We got used to the bustle in each scene though and it allowed for some wonderful pastiches and bursts of comic genius from the young Ashley Guidera in terrific form as the nightclub bouncer.

Source : Louise Baldock
Author : Louise Baldock
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Review - RLPO/Jenkins at Liverpool Cathedral

Posted by Stephen

One of the more unlikely Mersey sounds to emerge from Liverpool in its year as European Capital of Culture is a stream of very earnest, very mystical new choral pieces. John Tavener’s Requiem has already come and gone in a whirl of multi-faith chanting. Paul McCartney’s Ecce Cor Meum, a lament for Linda, arrives in his home city in May. And on Saturday Liverpool’s vast Anglican cathedral was packed - some achievement - for the premiere of Karl Jenkins’s Stabat Mater.

Source : TimesOnline
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Author : Richard Morrison

Review - Bahok, Liverpool Playhouse

Posted by Stephen

Bahok is a Bengali word meaning “carrier”, and it is also the title chosen by Akram Khan, the choreographer, for his latest work, which opened a British tour at the Liverpool Playhouse last weekend, following its world premiere in Beijing in January. The kudos is apt for Liverpool as European Capital of Culture. And why Beijing? Because Bahok is a new example of cross-cultural exchange with China - a first-time collaboration between Khan’s London-based contemporary dance troupe and the National Ballet of China, which is that country’s flagship classical company and here testing different waters.

Source : TimesOnline
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Author : David Dougill

Akram Khan Company