Richard Alston Dance Company at Norwich Theatre Royal

On the evening of Saturday 22nd February 2014 I attended the Richard Alston Dance Company's performance of Contemporary Dance at Norwich Theatre Royal. For Richard Alston every dance is a love affair with his chosen music and this was a night full of wonderful dancing and music.

The programme at Norwich Theatre Royal matched the beauty of Mozart with the exhilaration of Benjamin Britten and the lightning energy of Bang on a Can All-Stars. Commissioned to celebrate the centenary of Britten, the brand new Rejoice in the Lamb was danced to Britten's superb setting of Christopher Smart, whose poetry is fuelled by both religious fervour and such eccentric details as the poet's cat Jeffrey!

The programme also featured the duet from Unfinished Business, to the adagio of Mozart's Sonata K533. Lachrymae, set to Britten's compassionate and tender music for viola and piano played live, spun emotional variations on a gentle song by John Dowland. The evening ended with Martin Lawrence's Madcap which was fast-paced, thrilling and set to the driven music of ultra-cool New York band, Bang on a Can All-Stars. This was a fantastic night of Contemporary Dance at Norwich Theatre Royal from the Richard Alston Dance Company which was greatly enjoyed by the enthusiastic audience. My favourite piece was Madcap.

Sleeping Beauty at Norwich Theatre Royal

On the evening of Monday 17th February 2014 I attended The Russian State Ballet and Orchestra of Siberia's performance of Sleeping Beauty at Norwich Theatre Royal. This is the classic story of love and innocence, mystery and magic set to Tchaikovsky's sublime score.

A wicked fairy places a fatal curse on the baby Princess Aurora, which the good Lilac Fairy softens to a sleep of one hundred years. Only a prince’s kiss can break the spell. This is every child's favourite fairy tale which The Russian State Ballet of Siberia brought magically to life on the stage at Norwich Theatre Royal.

This was a night full of stunning choreography, sumptuous costumes and wonderful sets that formed the fantasy world in which the Lilac Fairy struggles against the evil Carabosse. The sell out audience had a brilliant evening full of fairy tale magic and the sounds of Tchaikovsky. It was fantastic to see such an amazing Ballet in my home city of Norwich.

The Nutcracker at the London Coliseum

On Friday 20th December 2013 I attended the English National Ballet's matinee performance of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker at the London Coliseum. We took a journey back in time to a frost-covered, gas-lit London and joined Clara, her Nutcracker doll and the magician Drosselmeyer in this traditional, festive tale.

This production of The Nutcracker was based on a concept by Toer van Schayk and Wayne Eagling. There were fantastic performances from Elena Glurdjidze as Clara and Fabian Reimair as the Nutcracker. Gavin Sutherland conducted The Orchestra of English National Ballet.

On an enchanted Christmas Eve, under the heavy boughs of the candlelit tree Clara battled with the Mouse King and fell in love with a handsome stranger. As the air grew colder and snowflakes began to fall, Clara and her valiant Nutcracker took a hot air balloon ride across the frost-dusted London skyline to the glistening Land of Snow where her adventure really began.

In a world of Edwardian elegance, The Nutcracker brought to life the eternally popular Tchaikovsky score featuring the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Waltz of the Flowers. This classical production is a magical, memorable and unmissable Christmas treat. This was the third year in a row that I have seen this production at the London Coliseum and it is always a wonderful experience and performance.

Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake at Norwich Theatre Royal

On the evening of Thursday 21st November 2013 I attended the performance of Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake at Norwich Theatre Royal. Thrilling, audacious and totally original, Matthew Bourne's legendary production transforms one of ballet's best -loved stories into a stylish, witty, poignant, contemporary tale with extravagant, award-winning designs by Lez Brotherston.

Perhaps best-known for replacing the traditional female corps de ballet with a menacing male ensemble, Matthew Bourne blends dance, style, humour, spectacle, character comedy and mime to create a provocative and powerful Swan Lake for our times. Originally written by Tchaikovsky in the late 19th century, Swan Lake was staged at Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre in 1877.

There were fantastic performances from Jonathan Ollivier as The Swan, Sam Archer as The Prince and Madelaine Brennan as The Queen on a magical and fun night at Norwich Theatre Royal. This is the Modern Dance version of Swan Lake and is a very powerful and inspired production.

Rambert at Norwich Theatre Royal

On the evening of Thursday 17th October 2013 I saw Rambert at Norwich Theatre Royal. They are the most distinctive and creative contemporary dance company working in Great Britain today.

Rambert, a powerhouse of dance since 1926, presented a spectacular evening of entertainment featuring terrific dancers, wonderful costumes and great live music from the Rambert Orchestra conducted by Paul Hoskins. The programme consisted of SUB, Dutiful Ducks, Sounddance and The Castaways.

Following the critically acclaimed and multi-award nominated A Linha Curva, Israeli choreographer Itzik Galili returned with his high energy work, SUB, a battlefield of relentlessly sparring testosterone. SUB is performed by seven men responding with full force to the rhythmic complexity of Michael Gordon's Weather One.

Using Charles Amirkhanian's tongue-twisting sound-text of the same name as a starting point, Richard Alston's short solo for a male dancer, first created for Michael Clark in 1982, is sharp and witty. Dutiful Ducks premièred as a solo in 1982. It premièred for four dancers by Ballet Rambert at Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury on 10 October 1986.

Made in 1975 by the late master of contemporary dance, Merce Cunningham, this ecstatic opus was inspired by the words of writer James Joyce and the tiny racing life seen under a microscope. Sounddance made its UK revival première at Sadler's Wells, London on Tuesday 16 October 2012. Sounddance was last performed in London July 1980.

American-born Barak Marshall, has presented work across the world but rarely in the UK. Arresting, original and fevered in style, Barak made his Rambert debut this October with The Castaways. Set to a vibrant mix of traditional Yiddish music and American popular tunes from the 1950s, Barak Marshall's The Castaways is a humorous and playful exploration of human nature. Celebrated for his inventive choreography and witty theatricality, Barak has a truly unique style, the way he brings together popular music, inventive dance and enthralling story lines which makes for an unmissable spectacle.

This was a fantastic night of Contemporary Dance at Norwich Theatre Royal with Rambert performing four wonderful works. The Castaways was my favourite piece which followed the journey of twelve souls trapped in a kind of no-man's land.

Northern Ballet's A Christmas Carol at Norwich Theatre Royal

On the evening of Wednesday 9th October 2013 I attended the Northern Ballet's performance of A Christmas Carol at Norwich Theatre Royal. Christmas arrived early this year as Northern Ballet's heart-warming and hugely popular adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic tale returned to the stage.

Colourful sets and costumes by Olivier Award winning Lez Brotherston (Northern Ballet's Romeo and Juliet, Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, Edward Scissorhands) conjured up a traditional Victorian Christmas, while Carl Davis' festive score blended classical music with traditional Christmas Carols, played live by Northern Ballet Sinfonia. A Christmas Carol has been an audience favourite for over 20 years and was a guarantee to get the festive season off to a magical start.

This adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic tale brought the magic of Christmas to Norwich Theatre Royal featuring three terrifying ghosts. There were fantastic performances from Sebastian Loe as Scrooge, Pippa Moore as Ghost of Christmas Past, Isaac Lee-Baker as Ghost of Christmas Present, Joseph Taylor as Ghost of Christmas Future and Jessica Morgan as Mrs Cratchit.

I will live in the Past, the Present and the Future!’ Scrooge repeated, as he scrambled out of bed. He was so fluttered and so glowing with his good intentions … the shadows of the things that would have been, may be dispelled. They will be. I know they will! This was such a magical evening to be in attendance at Norwich Theatre Royal as Northern Ballet put us in a festive mood. God Bless Us, Every One.

Don Quixote at The Royal Opera House

On Saturday 5th October 2013 I attended The Royal Ballet's matinee performance of Don Quixote at The Royal Opera House. I caught a early train from Norwich to London eagerly looking forward to this fantastic event.

Carlos Acosta presented his first work for The Royal Ballet, a dance adaptation of the classic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Acosta has already established himself as an exciting choreographic talent with Tocororo – A Cuban Tale, a semi-autobiographical work that draws on his childhood in Cuba and broke box office records at Sadler’s Wells Theatre in 2003.

The adventures of the bumbling knight Don Quixote and his ever-faithful squire Sancho Panza have been the inspiration for countless ballets, of which one of the most well-loved is the version by 19th-century Russian choreographer Marius Petipa. Acosta has danced the virtuoso role of Basilio many times, and now brings his unique and vibrant vision to the story, drawing on Petipa and with music by Ludwig Minkus, full of Spanish flair and atmosphere. Don Quixote, with its famously bravura Act III pas de deux and its infectious joie de vivre makes for a wonderfully entertaining experience.

There were fantastic performances from William Tuckett as Don Quixote, Roberta Marquez as Kitri, Alexander Campbell as Basilio and Laura Morera as Mercedes as The Royal Ballet brought this colourful Spanish novel to the stage. Don Quixote was a ballet full of emotions and amazing dancing. The costumes were sensational as this new production of this exuberant tale of friendship, love and loyalty gave us an afternoon to remember.

Rationale's In My Shoes at Norwich Playhouse

On the evening of Tuesday 1st October 2013 I attended Rationale's performance of In My Shoes at Norwich Playhouse. Through exhilarating and witty choreography, Rationale are set upon bringing hip-hop theatre into the community, inspiring its audiences, and bridging the gap between old and young. Rationale promises to transform the four walls of a theatre into an exciting melting pot full of passion, energy and street dance.

The Rationale mission statement is to produce high quality theatre productions that are accessible to all, both nationally and internationally. To push the boundary of hip hop theatre through innovative, unique and inspiring practices both on a professional and community level. In My Shoes centres on the troublesome relationship between a father and son. In a desperate attempt to confront their problems, they attend an extreme therapy session where they finally begin to understand how it feels to be in another person's shoes.

Rationale put on a performance which combined slick theatre and highly skilled, exhilarating dance. This was a story portraying life's challenges which got the Norwich Playhouse audience hand clapping combined with lots of laughter. This Was a fantastic night's entertainment at Norwich Playhouse.

Fragile at The Forum

It was a short walk from The Undercroft at Norwich Marketplace to Millennium Plain outside The Forum on Sunday 19th May 2013 to see Tilted Productions perform Fragile at the Norfolk and Norwich Festival. This performance featured Tightwire artists, dancers, a trampoline duo and a dancing clown searching for the beautiful in the fragile and the fragile in the seemingly beautiful.

Maresa von Stockert's latest work combined contemporary circus, dance and physical theatre. Fragile's architectural set created the illusion of the performance being on a rooftop. Imagine a flat concrete roof where someone has put up a garden with a few plants in pots and some grass.

One layer of the piece exposed the microcosm of human activity taking place in this garden. It looked at the lives of those who visited the roof terrace and explored what the garden meant to them. For the creator of the garden it may be an oasis or even an obsession. Others made it their hide-away; a place where they escaped reality.

Some saw it as a playground, others as a forbidden space. For one person it may have resembled paradise, for another a foreign world of green discomfort, bewilderment and fear. While intricate relationships tenderly and brutally entwine, a strange transformation happened to the garden itself enhancing the sense of a warped reality and other worldliness outside The Forum.

This Sixty minute performance at the Norfolk and Norwich Festival was incredible and created an amazing spectacle in Millennium Plain. The trampolining and tightwire walking thrilled the large crowd outside The Forum who were spellbound by the movement and the unique story of Fragile. I very much enjoyed this outside event at the Norfolk and Norwich Festival which proved to be a big hit in Norwich City Centre.

The Aurora Orchestra declares war!

On the evening of Saturday 18th May 2013 I was back at St. Andrew's Hall, Norwich to see the Aurora Orchestra at the Norfolk and Norwich Festival performing their Battle programme which combined break dancing and orchestral music. The Aurora Orchestra were conducted by Rory MacDonald with Thomas Gould - Leader and Max Baillie - Viola. The Dancers were from Bboy's Attic and Company Decalage.

The programme consisted of Battalia A 10 - Biber, Chamber Symphony Op.73A - Shostakovich arr. Barshai, Venus from The Planets - Holst arr. Farrington, Maxamorphosis - Julian Phillips and This Means War - Chris Willis. The Bboy's Attic and Choreographer Mickael 'Marso' Riviere joined the Aurora Orchestra for this adventurous cross-art project as part of the Orchestra's New Moves series.

Battle featured a playlist linked loosely by the theme of conflict or struggle. There is the baroque fireworks of Biber's Battalia, Shostakovich's third string quartet whose original guise as a straightforward 'war narrative' in fact masked more complex beginnings and Chris Willis' radical re-imagining of Holst's Mars, the Bringer of War. At the heart of the programme was Maxamorphosis, a major new work composed by Julian Philips and choreographed by Marso for chamber orchestra, dancers and solo viola.

This was an amazing night at St. Andrew's Hall with the Aurora Orchestra giving us a brilliant unique programme of break dancing and orchestral music which was greatly enjoyed by the enthusiastic audience. Maxamorposis not only featured breakdancers and a contemporary dancer, but the soloist, Baillie, danced as well as played the viola. He is trained in Capoeira, the Brazilian martial arts danceform. The Norfolk and Norwich reached another level of excitement with the stage being filled with break dancers as well as the orchestra.

Hot dancing at The Forum

On Saturday 11th May 2013 I attended the Bad Taste Company's performance of Faust on Millennium Plain outside The Forum, Norwich. This Norfolk and Norwich Festival event was a unique fusion of breaking combined with Lindy Hop, Charleston and big-band music of the roaring Twenties.

Faust is based in the Twenties prohibition era and re-imagines Goethe's classic tale, where our hero is in danger of losing his soul to the devil. This fantastic show featured flaming cocktails and burning boxing rings.

The Bad Taste Company gave us a set full of amazing dancing which thrilled the large crowd outside The Forum. This was a fast paced show with lots of imagination. The temperature was raised on Millennium Plain with the hot moves and flames of Faust.

The Great Gatsby at Norwich Theatre Royal

On Thursday 2nd May 2013 I attended the Northern Ballet's performance of The Great Gatsby at Norwich Theatre Royal. This production with choreography by David Nixon and music by Sir Richard Rodney Bennett CBE brought F Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel to the stage. We were taken to to the heady, indulgent days of New York's Long Island during the glamorous Twenties.

Nick Carraway comes to know his infamous neighbour Jay Gatsby, a mysterious millionaire with a secret past and a penchant for lavish parties and beautiful women. As the sparkling facade of Gatsby’s world begins to slip, Carraway comes to see the loneliness, obsession and tragedy that lies beneath. This era was brought to the Norwich Theatre Royal stage by designers Tim Mitchell and Jérôme Kaplan.

The Northern Ballet are great at story ballets and this is one that they can be very proud of. The costume design was absolutely stunning and beautiful. The ballet score played by the Northern Ballet Sinfonia contained all four elements of Sir Richard Rodney Bennett's diverse expertise: his symphonic work, film music, jazz and popular song.

I very much enjoyed this stylish and wonderful performance of The Great Gatsby from the Northern Ballet at Norwich Theatre Royal. This was a classic story told by dance as the magic of the Twenties, full of the sound of Jazz gave us a night of memories to treasure.

Midnight Tango at Norwich Theatre Royal

On the evening of Thursday 21st March 2013 I attended the Midnight Tango performance from BBC Strictly Come Dancing's Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace at Norwich Theatre Royal. The night was set in a late night bar in downtown Buenos Aires and featured some of the finest Tango dancers in the world.

Midnight Tango took us on a journey into the heart of this intoxicating city. This was a combination of danger and excitement, joy and jealousy and pain and passion. Vincent and Flavia filled the Norwich Theatre Royal stage with explosive tango routines, gravity-defying moves and feather-light footwork. In 2012, Vincent reached the finals of Strictly Come Dancing, performing with Dani Harmer, whilst Flavia and Louis Smith won the series and took home the much-prized glitter ball.

Vincent and Flavia were fantastic as were the Bar Owner and his wife who added some wonderful humour and singing to the night. This was a spectacular and fun night at Norwich Theatre Royal which was full of Latin flavour. Great dancing and Tango music made for the perfect combination as Vincent and Flavia brought the magic of Strictly Come Dancing to the Fine City of Norwich.

See the Music, Hear the Dance!

On the evening of Wednesday 13th March 2013 I attended the Richard Alston Dance Company performance at Norwich Theatre Royal. The meeting of movement and music remains Richard Alston's unswerving inspiration. See the music, hear the dance.

The programme consisted of Buzzing Round the Hunisuccle, Shimmer and The Devil in the Detail with pianist Jason Ridgway. The Richard Alston Dance Company has grown into the UK's most avidly followed contemporary dance company.

Inspired by the music of Jo Kondo, Buzzing Round the Hunnisuccle puts your mind into the stillness of a Japanese minimal garden with the hunnisuccle being a cool oasis of calm. An Elder's Hocket is full of brass sonorities hovering around the quietest of piano chords.

Shimmer was danced to Maurice Ravel's Sonatine and music from Miroirs. The dancers were wearing jewel-encrusted cobweb costumes giving a wonderful sense of theatre. The music of Ravel moves from beautiful to strange giving an contrasting atmosphere to the piece.

The final piece was The Devil in the Detail which was inspired by the music of Scott Joplin, the King of Ragtime. Music like the Maple Leaf Rag and The Entertainer are always uplifting and a pleasure to listen too. The dances were full of stylish swagger with pianist Jason Ridgway playing live onstage.

The was an inspiring night at Norwich Theatre as we were treated to some amazing dancing complimented with great music. The Company gave it's unique combination of the innovative and the entertaining from it's Artistic Director, Richard Alston.

The Nutcracker at the London Coliseum

On the evening of Saturday 29th December 2012 I attended a traditional London Christmas performance of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker. My festive destination was the London Coliseum for the English National Ballet's production of this timeless classic.

A combination of Wayne Eagling's choreography and Peter Farmer's designs brought us the magic of Christmas while showing a darker version with the threatening presence of the Mouse King being felt throughout the ballet until finally good triumphs over evil. The Orchestra of English National Ballet played beautifully at this historic London Theatre while Tamara Rojo as Clara and Esteban Berlanga as the Nephew were outstanding. Tamara Rojo is in her first season as Artistic Director of English National Ballet.

The audience at the London Coliseum were taken on a journey back in time with the English National Ballet to a frost-covered, gas lit world with Clara, her Nutcracker doll and the mysterious Drosselmeyer in this traditional, festive tale full of Edwardian elegance. On Christmas Eve under the candlelit tree Clara battles with the Mouse King and falls in love with a handsome Prince. As the snowflakes begin to fall Clara and her Nutcracker take a balloon ride across the frosty skyline to the Land of Snow where her adventure really begins.

This was a magical and memorable treat not to be missed and showed us all the magic of Christmas combined with wonderful ballet and music. The setting was perfect as we were all enchanted by this perfect festive story. Christmas is not complete without The Nutcracker.

Labyrinth of Love at Norwich Theatre Royal

On Friday 30th November 2012 I attended the Rambert Dance Company's performance of the Labyrinth of Love at Norwich Theatre Royal. This is a brand new work by Irish choreographer Marguerite Donlon which is both heart-breaking and humorous. Her Rambert debut is a collaboration with one of America's most performed contemporary composers, Grammy award-winning Michael Daugherty, and includes designs from the visual artist Mat Collishaw, and set and costume designer Conor Murphy.

Rambert Dance Company also performed Monolith, L'Apres-midi d'un faune and What Wild Ecstasy at Norwich Theatre Royal on a night of brilliant dance which celebrated Mark Baldwin's ten years at the helm. Sarah Gabriel was soprano for the Labyrinth of Love which is inspired by love poetry and prose written by or about women spanning over two thousand years from Sappho to Elizabeth Taylor.

The Rambert Dance Company perform without boundaries which both challenges and entertains the audience. This was an evening of world class contemporary dance full of technique and artistry. The Rambert Orchestra provided the soundtrack to the wonderful diverse and beautiful dancing on stage.

Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty Magic!

Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty arrived at Norwich Theatre Royal in November as New Adventures' 25th Anniversary celebrations in 2012 culminated in the world premiere of Matthew Bourne's latest re-imagining of an iconic and beloved ballet classic. Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty sees the choreographer return to the music of Tchaikovsky to complete the trio of the composer's ballet masterworks.

I attended the matinee performance on Saturday 24th November 2012 as Matthew Bourne's gothic fairy tale brought the magic of Tchaikovsky to Norwich Theatre Royal. Perrault's timeless fairy tale about a young girl cursed to sleep for one hundred years, was turned into a ballet by Marius Petipa in 1890. Matthew Bourne takes this as his starting point, setting the christening of Aurora in the year of the ballet's first performance. This was a period when fairies, vampires and decadent opulence fed the gothic imagination.

As Aurora grows into a young woman we move forward to a mythical golden age of long summer afternoons, cricket and new dance crazes. Years later, awakening from her century long slumber, Aurora finds herself in the modern day. This haunting new scenario creates a supernatural love story across the decades, that even the passage of time itself cannot hinder.

This was a magical afternoon at Norwich Theatre Royal as once again Matthew Bourne has done something different and unique to a traditional classic ballet. There was lots of fun in this tale of good versus evil as Sleeping Beauty was turned into a gothic tales for all ages.

Swan Lake at The Royal Opera House

On Saturday 13th October 2012 I caught the early train from Norwich to London looking forward to a splendid day which included attending The Royal Ballet's matinee performance of Swan Lake at The Royal Opera House.

Swan Lake was Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky's first score for ballet which was premiered in 1877. Anthony Dowell's romantic interpretation returns the ballet to its 1895 origins by using the choreography of Lev Ivanov and Marius Petipa.

In the castle grounds Benno von Somerstein and other friends of Prince Siegfried are waiting for his arrival to celebrate his coming of age. A feast begins when the Prince and his tutor Wolfgang appear. The Queen reminds the Prince that tomorrow he must formally choose his bride at the ball. When the party finishes the Prince tells Benno and Wolfgang that he wants to remain for a little longer on his own.

Prince Siegfried is magically drawn to the banks of the lake where a flock of white swans are swimming. One of the Swans tells the Prince that she is Princess Odette and that she and her companions have been bewitched by the Evil Genius who in the form of a huge black bird is constantly guarding them. By day the girls are fated to take the form of swans and only at night are they restored to their human form. The spell will be broken when a man falls in love with the Princess.

They dance for the Prince who is captivated by Odette and swears to save her from the magic of the Evil Genius. Odette warns him that the Evil Genius can only be overthrown when a man is prepared to sacrifice his life for love. The Prince invites Odette to the ball.

The Master of Ceremonies gives his final orders as people arrive for the ball. The Queen and Prince Siegfried greet their guests and the brides appear and dance for the Prince. He finds them all charming and beautiful but none to whom he can swear eternal love.

Fanfares announce the arrival of Von Rothbart and his daughter Odile who resembles Odette. The Prince becomes captivated by her. Odette tries to remind him of the Evil Genius and his dangerous magic but the Prince does not see her.

Convinced that Odile and Odette are the same girl Prince Siegfried chooses Odile as his bride. He suddenly sees Odette and realises that he has been deceived. Von Rothbart and Odile disappear leaving Odette destined to remain forever in the powers of the Evil Genius.

The Prince begs Odette to forgive him for his unwitting betrayal swearing his love. He is ready to sacrifice his life to defeat the Evil Genius and rushes into the waves carrying the tyrant bird with him. Both die in the cold waters of the mysterious lake leaving Odette grieving for her beloved Prince.

Brilliant performances from Marianela Nunez as Odette/Odile and Thiago Soares as Prince Siegfried made for a wonderful time in Covent Garden at The Royal Opera House as The Royal Ballet performed the magic of Swan Lake. Fantastic costumes showed the contrast between human and spirit worlds, while glowing lanterns and shimmering fabrics designed by the work of Carl Fabergé created a magical setting. The Orchestra of The Royal Opera House conducted by Boris Gruzin combined with the outstanding dancing from The Royal Ballet made this the perfect afternoon in London.

Tap dancing along 42nd Street

I made my way to 42nd Street on the evening of Thursday 11th October 2012 as the magic of Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble's tap dancing musical made it's way to Norwich Theatre Royal. With starring roles from Dave Willetts as Julian Marsh and Marti Webb as Dorothy Brock, this was a night of glamour no one wanted to miss. Jessica Punch played the role of Peggy Sawyer as we were taken to Broadway.

This musical is set in New York City and Philadelphia in 1933 telling the story of a humble, naive young actress named Peggy Sawyer who has come to audition for a new Broadway musical called Pretty Lady. Unfortunately, due to her nervousness, Peggy arrives to the audition late and misses her chance to join the chorus. Luckily, Peggy soon catches the eye of the famous director, Julian Marsh, and he gives Peggy her big break. However, the shows ageing leading lady, Dorothy Brock, quickly grows to dislike Peggy. On opening night, Ms. Brock falls and breaks her ankle. Panic spreads through the company, as the show is doomed for closure, until it is suggested that Peggy take the roll. In only thirty-six hours, Peggy learns twenty-five pages, six songs and ten dance numbers and becomes a star.

I loved the wonderful singing and dancing which made for a jolly good time with an uplifting feel good factor. 42nd Street is the ultimate backstage musical where dreams can come true. Peggy Sawyer grabbed the moment and became a big star. Brilliant songs like Keep Young and Beautiful, Lullaby of Broadway and I Only Have Eyes For You filled Norwich Theatre Royal. The tap dancing was a pleasure to watch and brought lots of fun to the production. My visit to 42nd Street was an awesome experience.

Beauty and the Beast at Norwich Theatre Royal

A handsome Prince is transformed into a Beast as punishment for his ugly arrogance. Only true love can break the spell. A beautiful young woman is sent to live with the Beast though afraid at first she soon learns that she has nothing to fear except that the Beast longs for a love that she cannot return.

Beauty and the Beast is the stunning new production from David Nixon and the Northern Ballet. On Saturday 6th October 2012 I attended the matinee performance of this magical ballet which brings an enchanted world full fairies, sprites and goblins to the stage. The amazing score which included music from Saint-Saens, Bizet, Debussy, Poulenc and Glazunov was delightfully played by the Northern Ballet Sinfonia.

The dancers were dressed in haute couture style costumes which gave a wonderful look to this timeless fairytale. Fantastic performances from Pippa Moore as the Beauty, Tobias Batley as Prince Orian, Jessica Morgan as Chantelle, Michela Paolacci as Isabelle and Benjamin Mitchell as the Beast made this an afternoon to remember that proved that beauty is more than skin deep.