247 stories by "Neil Norman"
Jacksons Lane, London: A blend of physical theatre, mime, dance, music and illusion, Theatre Re's latest work is a heady concoction - it looks like a Samuel Beckett play designed by Mag…
Sadler's Wells, London: Yet another depiction of wartime combat, Ivan Perez' full-length ballet fails to discover a new language for a theme explored by every choreographer from MacMill…
Linbury Studio, Royal Opera House, London: As the eight performers weave intricate physical patterns via their respective skills, it is hard to tell where juggling ends and dancing begins.
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Purcell Room, Southnbank Centre, London: Part acrobat, part contortionist, part dancer, Iona Kewney is a leader in the field of extreme movement. She is not so much supple as boneless, seemi…
Royal Albert Hall, London: Returning to the Royal Albert Hall after its UK debut in 2013, this Cirque du Soleil show is clearly one of the company's most successful.
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Neil Norman charts the highs and lows of dance in 2014, which included a radical interpretation of The Tempest and a disappointing production of aerial ballet Shadows of War. While it may no…
Lilian Baylis Studio, Sadler's Wells, London: The story of The Little Match Girl never failed to move me to tears as a child, not least because she ends up matchless. And matchless is the on…
Richmond Theatre, London: A traditional panto rerouted from the Walt Disney animation, this is a jolly romp peppered with references to the local community.
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Sadler's Wells, London: Matthew Bourne's latest version of Tim Burton's bittersweet fairytale is closer to a living cartoon than a living, breathing creature. Although Bourne'…
Linbury Studio Theatre, London: While the Royal Ballet's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland replaces The Nutcracker on the main stage of Covent Garden this Christmas, something is af…
New Wimbledon Theatre, London: With an impressive track record of luring American stars to the London suburb, Wimbledon's New Theatre has done it again this year with the ageless Linda …
Hyde Park Winter Wonderland: Following last year's Amazon jungle-styled Tiki show, the trad Zippo folks have moved into SF robotics, although the concept is similarly half-baked. With m…
Royal Opera House, London: Never my favourite ballet, Marius Petipa's Don Quixote has always struck me as inexpressibly dull. So three cheers for Carlos Acosta, whose revisions and addi…
Leicester Square Theatre, London: Derived from 'Siro', the Japanese word for 'white' or 'colourless', Siro-A means 'belonging to no group' or 'un…
Sadler's Wells, London: The good thing about Jasmin Vardimon is that she has developed a distinctive and identifiable movement language. The bad thing is that she doesn't always know wh…
Royal Opera House, London: Liam Scarlett continues to explore the outer reaches of narrative ballet in <b>The Age of Anxiety</b>, which here receives its world premiere. Based on…
National Theatre, London: John is a cri de coeur from the lower depths. Based on an extended interview with the eponymous character, Lloyd Newson's latest work addresses issues of abuse…
Lilian Baylis Studio, Sadler's Wells, London: Using the stage as a blackboard, the two performers of Chalk About write words, draw outlines of their bodies like crime scenes of the old cchoo…
Peacock Theatre, London: Imagine a cross between a Jackie Chan comedy and a Tom and Jerry cartoon and you are halfway to the physical slapstick of Yegam Theatre's mad Korean panto.
Rea…
Sadler's Wells, London: The triumph of Birmingham Royal Ballet's triple bill is in the way it sketches in the reaction of different societies as war approaches. The big news here is Gil…
Royal Opera House, London: Ashtonian is the term now used to describe the singularly British form of ballet and there are no better practitioners of the style than the Royal Ballet whose ass…
Wycombe Swan, High Wycombe: Richard Alston has been making dance since 1968, and some have criticised him for sticking to his classical/contemporary roots. Yet, surrounded by the flashy pyro…
Sadler's Wells, London: The literal translation of Grupo Corpo is Body Group; but it also carries the word 'corporation' within its shadow. A family affair, it applies classical ba…
Birmingham Hippodrome: David Bintley's big beast of a ballet is a thing of beauty. From the astonishing set designed by Philip Prowse, including a sumptuous gothic library and a genuine…
New Victoria Theatre, Woking, then touring until April 28: Designed with elegance and flair from top to toe, David Nixon's ballet of F Scott Fitzgerald's immortal novel transports …
