All stories by Neil Norman on BroadwayStars

Wednesday, December 19, 2018

Les Patineurs/Winter Dreams/The Concert review at Royal Opera House – ‘a very mixed bill’ by Neil Norman

This Royal Ballet triple bill is a classic example of ‘Chequers Deal’ programming. The attempt to please everyone results in a deeply

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 08:43AM
Thursday, December 6, 2018

Aladdin review at Hackney Empire – ‘Drop dead fabulous’ by Neil Norman

Pantomime is a uniquely British institution. A panto that isn’t rude, vulgar, raucous, smutty and mildly offensive isn’t a panto, it’s anaesthetised

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 10:02AM
Thursday, November 15, 2018

Layla and Majnun review at Sadler’s Wells, London – ‘decorous and expressive’ by Neil Norman

Originating around the ninth Century in Persia the story of Layla and Majnun was described by George Gordon, Lord Byron as “the

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 11:53AM
Wednesday, October 3, 2018

Carlos Acosta: A Celebration review at Royal Albert Hall – ‘immaculately danced’ by Neil Norman

Carlos Acosta may have retired from classical ballet but he is still restlessly inventive. Following the disappointing debut of his dance version

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 08:35AM
Thursday, September 13, 2018

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo review at Peacock Theatre, London – ‘impressive pastiche’ by Neil Norman

It’s a cold heart that doesn’t warm to the Trocks. The company’s singular brand of pastiche has been refined and honed over

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 10:46AM
Friday, August 24, 2018

Swan Lake review at London Coliseum – ‘pedestrian trot through Tchaikovsky’s most popular ballet’ by Neil Norman

Thank God for the orchestra. Tchaikovsky’s blazingly inventive ballet score receives a well-rounded interpretation by the English National Opera orchestra under the

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 07:44AM
Monday, August 6, 2018

Club Swizzle review at Roundhouse, London – ‘a heady cocktail of cabaret and acrobatics’ by Neil Norman

The bastard child of Joel Gray and Liberace, Reuben Kaye is the Blizzard from Oz. There must be something about Australia that

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 06:35AM
Friday, July 20, 2018

East Wall: Storm the Tower review at Tower of London – ‘an extraordinary event’ by Neil Norman

A thunderous, hypnotic drumbeat. The scalp-prickling drone of cellos. The low voices of a choir as they intone the lyrics of Space

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 10:03AM
Friday, June 29, 2018

Gifford’s Circus: My Beautiful Circus review at Chiswick House, London – ‘unadulterated charm’ by Neil Norman

1930s glamour, songs from Cole Porter, Gershwin and Arthur Freed plus prancing Shetland ponies and dancing Dachshunds. Those of you seeking dangerous,

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 10:28AM
Friday, June 22, 2018

Semperoper Ballett review at Sadler’s Wells, London – ‘breathtaking precision’ by Neil Norman

For their first appearance at Sadler’s Wells, Dresden’s Semperoper Ballett make a judicious selection of William Forsythe works. His classical-based modernism is

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 08:10AM
Monday, June 4, 2018

Ballet Now: the Birmingham trailblazer boosting new dance works by Neil Norman

Ballet Now will launch 10 new works in five years, pledging to expand its classical repertoire with fresh offerings. Neil Norman finds

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 07:54AM
Friday, June 1, 2018

Akram Khan’s Xenos review at Sadler’s Wells, London – ‘a work of incredible potency’ by Neil Norman

Akram Khan claims that this will be his final solo work. At 43, the artist/performer – dancer/choreographer seems too limiting – confesses

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 06:06AM
Thursday, May 24, 2018

Life Is a Dream review at Sadler’s Wells, London – ‘fragments of brilliance’ by Neil Norman

Milton’s line: “No light, but rather darkness visible” is as good a description of Kim Brandstrup’s new work as any. The first

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 11:46AM
Friday, May 18, 2018

Swan Lake review at Royal Opera House, London – ‘Liam Scarlett’s admirable new staging’ by Neil Norman

I do like a little dry ice with my Swan Lake. Of the many alterations Liam Scarlett has made to this remodelling

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 10:01AM
Thursday, May 17, 2018

Elizabeth review at the Barbican Theatre – ‘enervating depiction of Elizabeth I’ by Neil Norman

Elizabeth I was an astonishing woman and an enduring royal icon. Not that you’d know it from Will Tuckett’s chamber ballet, first

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 08:33AM
Monday, April 16, 2018

Obsidian Tear/Marguerite and Armand/Elite Syncopations review at the Royal Opera House, London – ‘idiosyncratic mixed bill’ by Neil Norman

For the final triple bill of the Royal Ballet season, the only connection between the pieces is that their makers have been

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 07:56AM
Friday, April 13, 2018

Voices of America review at Sadler’s Wells, London – ‘potent stuff’ by Neil Norman

The Royal Ballet could learn a lot from English National Ballet about programming mixed bills. This well-balanced selection of works by American

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 07:02AM
Saturday, March 31, 2018

Manon review at Royal Opera House, London – ‘succulent depravity’ by Neil Norman

Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon skims across a lake of darkness before plunging into its depths. The Abbe Prevost’s story of a girl whose

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 06:49AM
Friday, March 16, 2018

Bernstein Centenary review at Royal Opera House, London – ‘fabulous dancing’ by Neil Norman

Two world premieres and a revival from all three associate choreographers of the Royal Ballet whets the appetite. Wayne McGregor’s opener, Yugen,

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 09:22AM
Friday, February 9, 2018

Pina Bausch’s Viktor review at Sadler’s Wells, London – ‘mesmerising melancholy’ by Neil Norman

There is no place like Rome for Pina Bausch. Premiered in 1986, Viktor is the first of her series of city-inspired works

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 06:13AM
Friday, February 2, 2018

Jakop Ahlbom Company: Lebensraum review at Peacock Theatre, London – ‘acrobatic surrealism’ by Neil Norman

The photo of Buster Keaton on the wall is a clue. Jakop Ahlbom’s inspiration for Lebensraum derives from silent comedies and cinematic

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 12:41PM
Thursday, January 11, 2018

Cirque du Soleil’s Ovo review at Royal Albert Hall, London – ‘spectacular acts’ by Neil Norman

I would like to say that with Ovo, Cirque du Soleil have laid an egg, but that would give the wrong impression.

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 07:54AM
Friday, December 29, 2017

The Nutcracker review at Royal Albert Hall, London – ‘beautifully executed’ by Neil Norman

For a 20th century adaptation of a 19th century ballet, Peter Wright’s Nutcracker has endured remarkably well. Created in 1990 for Sadler’s

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 07:58AM
Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella review at Sadler’s Wells, London – ‘spectacular’ by Neil Norman

Set in 1940 in London and combining Hollywood glitz with wartime drab, this Blitz-era ballet is steeped in tenebrous nostalgia and inspired

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 06:17AM
Thursday, December 7, 2017

Project Polunin – Satori review at the London Coliseum – ‘a messy affair’ by Neil Norman

Satori is the Japanese Buddhist term for ‘awakening’ or ‘seeing into one’s true nature’. And if anyone needed a lesson in self-awareness,

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 05:02AM
Wednesday, December 6, 2017

The Nutcracker review at Royal Opera House, London – ‘skips along’ by Neil Norman

Is it my imagination of have there been some excisions in this venerable Nutcracker? I missed the naughty boys wielding wooden swords

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 09:21AM
Thursday, November 23, 2017

Ivan Putrov’s Men in Motion review at London Coliseum – ‘an incoherent programme’ by Neil Norman

Thirteen dance works in one evening may seem like a bargain. But for this latest programme curated by Ivan Putrov to explore

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 06:08AM
Wednesday, November 22, 2017

A Linha Curva/Symbiosis/Goat review at Sadler’s Wells, London – ‘a masterpiece’ by Neil Norman

Rambert’s latest triple bill delivers on many fronts. The louche-limbed La Linha Curva is a riot of Brazilian-inspired carnival movement set to

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 08:29AM
Tuesday, November 7, 2017

The Illustrated Farewell/The Wind/Untouchable review at Royal Opera House – ‘a variable triple bill’ by Neil Norman

There are two ways of programming mixed bills: either locate a common theme and encourage choreographers to riff around it or take

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 08:19AM
Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Twyla Tharp: ‘My first language is ballet’ by Neil Norman

In a career spanning more than 50 years, the acclaimed choreographer has been tireless in her pursuit of excellence and pushing the

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 08:01PM

Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Aladdin at Sadler’s Wells, London – ‘full of Eastern promise’ by Neil Norman

Originally made for the National Ballet of Japan, David Bintley’s Aladdin is an efficacious antidote to the panto versions at this time

SOURCE: The Stage Registration at 08:44AM

All that Chat

2023-2024 BROADWAY SEASON
May 30, 2023: Grey House - Lyceum Theatre
Jun 26, 2023: Just For Us - Hudson Theatre
Jul 24, 2023: The Cottage - Hayes Theater
Nov 16, 2023: Spamalot - St. James Theatre
Dec 18, 2023: Appropriate - Hayes Theater
Mar 07, 2024: Doubt - Todd Haimes Theatre
Apr 14, 2024: Lempicka - Longacre Theatre
Apr 17, 2024: The Wiz - Marquis Theatre
Apr 18, 2024: Suffs - Music Box Theatre
Apr 25, 2024: Mother Play - Hayes Theater
Jun 10, 2024: The Drama Desk Awards