Liverpool Echo - Culture Chattag:culturechat.merseyblogs.co.uk,2008-12-09://4992013-06-06T14:05:01ZCatherine Jones on the Capital of Culture....Movable Type Enterprise 4.35-enauditions for peter pan's lost boys at liverpool empiretag:culturechat.merseyblogs.co.uk,2013://499.4110962013-06-06T14:03:45Z2013-06-06T14:05:01ZCalling all Lost Boys! The Empire is trying to find you. The theatre, together with panto company First Family Entertainment, will hold auditions later this month to find young performers to join this year's Christmas production....Catherine Jones
Calling all Lost Boys! The Empire is trying to find you.
The theatre, together with panto company First Family Entertainment, will hold auditions later this month to find young performers to join this year's Christmas production.]]>
They are looking for enthusiastic and talented boys aged between six and 16 who can act and dance to star alongside the city's Ray Quinn as Peter Pan and Louis Emerick as Captain Hook.
Anyone wanting to audition must be between 4ft 2in and 5ft 3in tall, and height restrictions will be strictly adhered to.
Auditions take place on Sunday June 30 and are free, but anyone wanting to be considered must register first by completing and returning an application form.
The closing date for applications is June 17.
Empire general manager Diane Belding said: "Christmas may seem a long way off but we are already well underway with our preparations for this year's panto. It's going to be even better than last year's with more glitter and magic than ever."
Application forms are available from the box office or download one online by visiting www.atgtickets.com/liverpool and clicking on the Creative Learning page.
The panto runs from December 13 to January 5.]]>
vasily petrenko at the promstag:culturechat.merseyblogs.co.uk,2013://499.4098452013-04-24T13:22:24Z2013-04-24T13:31:58ZHave you managed to have a good look at the BBC Proms season concert list yet? I admit I'd been a bit tardy. But today I noticed, interestingly, that while the RLPO hasn't been given an evening concert slot this...Catherine Jones
Have you managed to have a good look at the BBC Proms season concert list yet?
I admit I'd been a bit tardy.
But today I noticed, interestingly, that while the RLPO hasn't been given an evening concert slot this year - although it is true the orchestra has been invited to perform a Sunday matinee with Everton's In Harmony youngsters - chief conductor Vasily Petrenko is appearing at the Royal Albert Hall on no fewer than THREE occasions.
One, free, Prom is with the National Youth Orchestra, and the other two concerts are with his newest musical 'squeeze' the Oslo Philharmonic.
I know it's unbecoming, but dear BBC, I can't quite help a mini "harrumph" escaping my lips on behalf of the city of Liverpool!]]>
in other words liverpool literary festivaltag:culturechat.merseyblogs.co.uk,2013://499.4098432013-04-24T13:14:04Z2013-04-24T13:22:15ZAnd they're off.....Liverpool's inaugural In Other Words literary festival opened last night with a fanfare and with World Book Night's flagship event which left London for what I believe might be the first time ever. Hopefully the likes of Jeanette...Catherine Jones
And they're off.....Liverpool's inaugural In Other Words literary festival opened last night with a fanfare and with World Book Night's flagship event which left London for what I believe might be the first time ever.
Hopefully the likes of Jeanette Winterson, Jasper Fforde (a personal favourite of mine - if you haven't read the Thursday Next series, you're missing out) and Philippa Gregory were impressed with not just the book night crowds but also the splendour of St George's Hall and the newly refurbished Central Library.
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I didn't catch breakfast time TV yesterday but I understand the lovely Frank Cottrell Boyce described the library's refurbishment as like "going to visit your grandmother and finding she looks like Beyonce".
What a wonderful description.
There are hundreds of events between now and May 19, and the festival also wraps around the annual Writing on the Wall literary festival which runs throughout May.
And don't forget there's still time to enter the Echo short story writing competition on the subject of 'the journey'. Closing date is April 30 and there are categories for adults (1,000 words) and children (500 words).
All the events are listed in a booklet or online at www.itsliverpool.com/culture]]>
vasily petrenko commits long-term to the RLPOtag:culturechat.merseyblogs.co.uk,2013://499.4085612013-03-13T09:52:09Z2013-03-13T09:58:56ZGreat news for all classical music fans - and Liverpool in general - this morning that Vasily Petrenko has signed a new contract with the RLPO. Whereas the past contracts have been for three years at a time, this one...Catherine Jones
Great news for all classical music fans - and Liverpool in general - this morning that Vasily Petrenko has signed a new contract with the RLPO.
Whereas the past contracts have been for three years at a time, this one is a rolling, open-ended one where he has to give at least three years' notice if he wants to leave.]]>
Technically of course it could mean we lose our chief conductor as early as the end of 2016, but in practice (hopefully) it will see him stay for at least a few more years after that.
The 36-year-old admits he's been getting a bit fed up with having to field constant questions about whether he's going to up sticks and move on and he hopes this commitment will solve that.
He's also still got ambitions for the orchestra, while there are exciting times ahead in the next few years with the 175th anniversary, the hall refurbishment and some proposed foreign tours that will continue to spread the word about the RLPO globally.
Added to which, the Petrenko family are settled on Merseyside, and as he hurtles towards 40 (sorry Vasily but it gets us all in the end!) one suspects maestro Petrenko is looking for a little more stability in what is an internationally peripatetic lifestyle. Hence the new base in Oslo from this autumn.
Anyway, it all means good news for Liverpool and Liverpool audiences. I can imagine the audience at tonight's concert at Hope Street will be suitably appreciative when the announcement is made from the stage before the concert.
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rufus wainwright heading for the philharmonic halltag:culturechat.merseyblogs.co.uk,2013://499.4083112013-03-05T15:19:58Z2013-03-05T15:25:19ZLast time I saw Rufus Wainwright he was dressed as Verdi (or perhaps it was Puccini?) and holding court in the bar of the Palace Theatre over in Manchester where his opera Prima Donna was being premiered. Now he's on...Catherine Jones
Last time I saw Rufus Wainwright he was dressed as Verdi (or perhaps it was Puccini?) and holding court in the bar of the Palace Theatre over in Manchester where his opera Prima Donna was being premiered.
Now he's on his way back down the M62 to Liverpool to play a gig here for the first time in six years.
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And a lucky 100 fans will have the chance to get up close and personal with the performer, with choir stall seats, just behind his piano, being on sale alongside those in the main auditorium.
As singer, songwriter, author, composer, and even screen actor - appearing in Martin Scorsese's The Aviator, the 39-year-old has carved out his own singular place in the worlds of rock, opera, theatre, dance, and film.
But he is best-known as what Elton John dubbed 'the greatest songwriter on the planet'.
He last appeared at the Philharmonic Hall in 2007, and since then he has written an opera, picked up a Grammy and won a BRIT Award for Best International Male Artist.
The July 1 gig comes six weeks after Wainwright's father, Loudon Wainwright III, appears at the Hope Street hall with his own show, supported by his daughter (and Rufus's half sister) Lucy Wainwright Roche.
Tickets for Rufus Wainwright, priced £29.50-£50, go on sale this Friday on www.liverpoolphil.com or 0151-709 3789.]]>
Ralf Little heads cast of new Liverpool Playhouse showtag:culturechat.merseyblogs.co.uk,2013://499.4082142013-03-01T13:38:27Z2013-03-01T13:40:25ZROYLE Family and Two Pints of Lager actor Ralf Little is set to appear at the Liverpool Playhouse. He leads the cast of Peter Nichols's comedy A Day in the Death of Joe Egg which will open at the Williamson...Catherine Jones
ROYLE Family and Two Pints of Lager actor Ralf Little is set to appear at the Liverpool Playhouse.
He leads the cast of Peter Nichols's comedy A Day in the Death of Joe Egg which will open at the Williamson Square theatre next month.
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The play, directed by Stephen Unwin, is a co-production between the Playhouse and the Rose Theatre Kingston.
A Day in the Death of Joe Egg portrays the love and pain, anger and strain of a young couple raising a disabled child and is widely regarded as one of the great plays of the modern era.
It runs from April 5-27.]]>
Francis Tucker stars in Di is Dead at the Playhouse Studiotag:culturechat.merseyblogs.co.uk,2013://499.4081452013-02-28T09:19:13Z2013-02-28T09:27:29ZHe last appeared at the Playhouse wearing his trademark panto dame frock and wig. Now comedy favourite Francis Tucker is returning to the Williamson Square theatre to appear in Robert Farquhar's new play Di is Dead which got its premiere...Catherine Jones
He last appeared at the Playhouse wearing his trademark panto dame frock and wig.
Now comedy favourite Francis Tucker is returning to the Williamson Square theatre to appear in Robert Farquhar's new play Di is Dead which got its premiere at the Lantern last autumn.]]>
It's September 1997 and Diana, Princess of Wales, is dead - killed in a car crash in a Paris tunnel.
The ensuing grief and frenzied meltdown of the British public which followed the tragedy forms the backdrop for Di is Dead, a story about a Brit pop has-been hanger on whose life is in terminal free fall.
Francis says: "I'm very excited we are bringing Di Is Dead to the Playhouse Studio and working with Bob Farquhar again.
"We performed it last year at The Lantern Theatre and each night was a fantastic unique experience so hopefully we can repeat the same at in the Playhouse Studio."
The show runs from April 17-27.
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new exhibition by Bryn Davies at Liverpool's Clove Hitchtag:culturechat.merseyblogs.co.uk,2013://499.4081442013-02-28T09:12:15Z2013-02-28T09:17:50ZPhotographer Bryn Davies opens his new exhibition at the Clove Hitch Gallery in Bold Street tonight. Beyond Another Place is a landscape photography project exploring the beauty and industry of the mouth of the Mersey up and down the Sefton...Catherine Jones
Photographer Bryn Davies opens his new exhibition at the Clove Hitch Gallery in Bold Street tonight.
Beyond Another Place is a landscape photography project exploring the beauty and industry of the mouth of the Mersey up and down the Sefton coastline.]]>
Bryn Davies is a freelance photographer, videographer and designer based in Liverpool.
He has worked and travelled extensively across three continents and eight countries,
including three years living in the Netherlands, and trades under the name Indigenous.
The first series premiered in this exhibition takes the initial steps "beyond another place".
Starting in Crosby, but without ever covering the location or its famous Antony Gormley
statues, Beyond Another Place focuses on natural cycles, landscape, light and texture to
capture the essence of the land without the iconography.
Bryn says: "With so much iconography about the city I wanted to create a series that represents the essence of Liverpool and Merseyside.
"It was amazing revisiting places I haven't been to since I was a child with fresh and (hopefully) more mature eyes.
"This exhibition gives me a chance to reconnect with the area. Sharing a fresh perspective from my experiences and travels while maintaining a child like enjoyment."
The exhibition, curated by ArtLa, runs until March 14.]]>
long time awaytag:culturechat.merseyblogs.co.uk,2013://499.4081432013-02-28T09:06:31Z2013-02-28T09:10:51ZHello to everyone interested in arts and culture in Merseyside, which by the healthy state of audiences at most of our theatres would appear to be a lot of you. I've been very tardy at keeping this culturechat blog up...Catherine Jones
Hello to everyone interested in arts and culture in Merseyside, which by the healthy state of audiences at most of our theatres would appear to be a lot of you.
I've been very tardy at keeping this culturechat blog up to date, but with the alleged arrival of spring tomorrow (in name if not in temperatures) I am pledging to reinvigorate it and attempt to keep you all up to date with the latest goings on on the Liverpool and Merseyside entertainment scene!
That's the plan at least.]]>
deadline game by hope street ltd for the Liverpool Biennialtag:culturechat.merseyblogs.co.uk,2012://499.4037762012-10-10T13:42:42Z2012-10-10T13:43:53ZLIVERPOOL theatre and arts company Hope Street Ltd is looking for teams of players to take part in a Biennial-themed action game next weekend. Deadline is all about beating the clock, solving the clues and saving the city....Catherine Jones
LIVERPOOL theatre and arts company Hope Street Ltd is looking for teams of players to take part in a Biennial-themed action game next weekend.
Deadline is all about beating the clock, solving the clues and saving the city.]]>
The October 20 event is described as a "day long, exhilarating, interactive, team game, played around the city" and is strictly for adults.
An 'unexpected guest' (the title of the 2012 contemporary art show) has thrown the Liverpool Biennial into peril, and it is up to the game's players to help save the day.
Teams of 10 people will receive an online clue to first starting point.
The game is then played across the Liverpool Biennial sites with teams racing against each other and against the 'forces' who are trying to stop them completing the task.
Anyone interested in taking part should pre-book on www.biennial.com. The cost of entering is £5.]]>
josh widdicombe cancels tonight's liverpool gigstag:culturechat.merseyblogs.co.uk,2012://499.4035902012-10-05T10:02:26Z2012-10-05T10:15:52ZNews just in that rising comedian Josh Widdicombe has had to cancel his Liverpool shows tonight because of illness. The Stand Up for the Week star was due to play not one but two gigs at the Unity (the first...Catherine Jones
News just in that rising comedian Josh Widdicombe has had to cancel his Liverpool shows tonight because of illness.
The Stand Up for the Week star was due to play not one but two gigs at the Unity (the first having long ago sold out) this evening as part of Liverpool Comedy Festival and Is, apparently, devastated that he's not well enough to take to the stage.
I was looking forward to reviewing him, so hopefully he can reschedule a Liverpool date in the near future]]>
a day of pleasure postponed and top of the pops cancelledtag:culturechat.merseyblogs.co.uk,2012://499.4034162012-10-02T10:51:29Z2012-10-02T10:55:57ZNews this week of two shows not going ahead. Firstly, A Day of Pleasure which was due to be performed at the Playhouse Studio this week, has been postponed until the New Year. Apparently those who had already bought tickets...Catherine Jones
News this week of two shows not going ahead.
Firstly, A Day of Pleasure which was due to be performed at the Playhouse Studio this week, has been postponed until the New Year. Apparently those who had already bought tickets have been contacted.
And secondly, the Top of the Pops musical tour which was due to come to the Liverpool Empire in January, has been cancelled.]]>
Derek Nicol, the Top of the Pops show's producer and joint managing director, said: "We have taken the difficult decision to cancel the tour.
"We apologise for any inconvenience caused and wish to reassure anyone who has purchased a ticket that they can obtain a full refund from the point of purchase."
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stand out comedy final at liverpool comedy festivaltag:culturechat.merseyblogs.co.uk,2012://499.4033082012-09-28T12:06:44Z2012-09-28T12:20:31ZCongratulations to the young contestants in last night's Stand Out final which was held at Radio Merseyside - and particularly to the winner Lewis Maxwell. I was one of the judges at last night's event and boy was it a...Catherine Jones
Congratulations to the young contestants in last night's Stand Out final which was held at Radio Merseyside - and particularly to the winner Lewis Maxwell.
I was one of the judges at last night's event and boy was it a tough decision to choose one winner.
In fact, it wasn't easy to pick just two runners up as well.]]>
Even more amazingly, all but two of the 10 finalists were only 12 years old, and whether it was sheer guts or genuine confidence, they were so self-assured up there on stage where they had to deliver a three-minute routine in front of family, friends and of course us the judges.
Sam Avery, from Liverpool Comedy Trust, said afterwards that some of them had better material than some of the adults he works with on the circuit. And I believe him!
Lewis's winning routine was a perfect arc of a comedy story which he delivered in an assured and accomplished fashio without looking as if was remotely memorised.
Rummer up Jack Freeman is a born showman, and had the audience rocking in their seats, and his fellow runner up Hannah Gough was fearless in her subject matter and reminded me of a young Sarah Millican.
Anyway, I want to pay tribute to all the finalists, so here are their names:
Jamie Lavelle, Mollie Davies, Lewis Maxwell, Jamie Hilton, Hannah Gough, Conor Equizi, Jack Freeman, Anna Rogan, Callum Crook and Beth Bowen.
Well done all.
You can hear some of them on Radio 4 Extra next week on Mel Giedroyc's 4 O'Clock Show each afternoon. Mel was compering last night's event (well, you have to take a break from The Great British Bake Off occasionally!) and seemed genuinely amazed and moved by the youngsters.
Incidently, I see from a glance at the schedules that tomorrow on Radio 4 Extra you can hear Paul O'Grady's homage to our city's comedians in Paul O'Grady Stands Up for Liverpool, broadcast at 9am and again at 7pm when he will celebrate everyone from Arthur Askey and Doddy to John Bishop.
And you can read more about the Stand Out final in tomorrow's Echo]]>
Liverpool Love exhibition and artists' talk tonighttag:culturechat.merseyblogs.co.uk,2012://499.4032882012-09-27T14:29:47Z2012-09-27T14:43:41ZThe Museum of Liverpool is hosting a new exhibition of work by world-famous and emerging artists capturing the spirit of Liverpool. And tonight a group of those taking part (including curator Christian Furr - the youngest person to ever paint...Catherine Jones
The Museum of Liverpool is hosting a new exhibition of work by world-famous and emerging artists capturing the spirit of Liverpool.
And tonight a group of those taking part (including curator Christian Furr - the youngest person to ever paint the Queen) are set to give a talk at the Hope Street Hotel at 7.30pm.]]>
Liverpool Love runs at the Mann Island Museum until November 17 when all the artworks (and we're talking about originals by people like Sir Peter Blake, Yoko Ono, Stuart Sutcliffe, John Squire of Stone Roses fame and Terry de Havilland - who has created a pair of Liverpool shoes) will go up for auction to raise funds for Claire House Children's Hospice.
See tomorrow's Echo for photos and the full story]]>
leanne best nominated for theatre awards UKtag:culturechat.merseyblogs.co.uk,2012://499.4032802012-09-27T11:26:56Z2012-09-27T11:32:46ZCongratulations to Leanne Best who has been nominated for a best performance in a play gong in the Theatre Awards UK. The shortlisting is for her searing role in Frank McGuinness' The Match Box which was premiered at the Liverpool...Catherine Jones
Congratulations to Leanne Best who has been nominated for a best performance in a play gong in the Theatre Awards UK.
The shortlisting is for her searing role in Frank McGuinness' The Match Box which was premiered at the Liverpool Playhouse Studio in June.]]>
Leanne is up against Tim Pigott-Smith and Henry Goodman in her category, with the winner being announced at the end of October.
Meanwhile she impressed playwright McGuinness so much (as well as the rest of us) that she's also set to appear in his new production, Damned by Despair, which is being staged at the National Theatre this autumn.
Theatre Awards UK, for those who don't know, is the only nationwide awards scheme to honour creative excellence and the outstanding achievement seen on and off stage throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The last Everyman and Playhouse nomination came in 2009 when Jonathan Pryce was nominated for his role as the old tramp in The Caretaker.
I would say fingers crossed for Leanne, but she's so damned good I don't think she needs any luck!]]>