Review:- "Matthew Bourne's Romeo and Juliet at The Lowry"
Review by Dariya Ibrayeva.

BRAVO, Sir Bourne, yet again you managed to surprise, excite and virtuously breathe new life into Shakespeare's classic story of forbidden love.

For those of you who're still not in the loop, last week the UK's most successful choreographer and extremely gifted director, Matthew Bourne, returned to The Lowry with his brand new ballet Romeo + Juliet. It's a contemporary, passionate and very smart production with an original twist to the plot, which is so typical of Sir Bourne and his New Adventures company.

Forget about the Montague and Capulet families, in this version, the action takes place in not too distant future, in a mental Hospital for young people called the "Verona Institute." I think the idea is brilliant! Living in a digital world, snapping endless selfies, chasing "likes" and getting addicted from social media, I believe we all might end up in a nuthouse in "not too distant future." Coming back to the plot, it's pretty much simple. Romeo (Paris Fitzpatrick) is placed into a psychiatric Hospital by his famous politician parents. Soon after he falls in love with fellow patient Juliet (Cordelia Braithwaite), but the star crossed lovers are not destined to be together. They are kept apart by a regimented system in which boys and girls are strictly separated, only occasionally seeing each other. Will the story lead through to its familiar fateful end? Oh yes! But before this happens, you'll be taken into a truly beautiful journey that will make you feel butterflies in the stomach and pheromones in the air.

If you are a loyal fan of Matthew Bourne, you already know he is a master of an alternative ballet and all his productions are speechless! I mean "speechless," both literally and figuratively. He manages to tell a story with colours and full details without saying a single word. Romeo + Juliet is not an exception. The storytelling is so clear and precise you totally forget about the absence of words.

All this of course couldn't be done without stunning dancers. They are the ones who do the talking through the dance. The way the cast communicate their character's feelings using just body language and facial expressions deserves the highest praise.

Photograph with thanks to:- Johan Persson.

All dancers were flawless, but my favourite character was a sadistic Hospital Warden, Tybalt, portrayed by Dan Wright. Apart from being a highly professional dancer, his acting skills were incredible. He was so formidable and at the same time so vulnerable; an insane asylum guard, suffering from mental illness at heart.

Of course I cannot forget to mention the heroes of the show, stunning Cordila Braithwaite as Juliet and Paris Fitzpatrick as Romeo. The couple was so captivating that you just want to constantly watch them blending together.

Another memorable duo was Mercutio (Reece Causton) and his boyfriend Balthasar (Jackson Fisch). The fact Sir Bourne raised the theme of sexuality has undoubtedly brought novelty and spiciness to the take.

Prokofiev's iconic score remains, but in this version it is slightly modernised. Attempting to bring it to a more intimate scale, the Olivier Award winning composer, Terry Davies, has re-created the score for a small Chamber Orchestra. As a result, the score is performed live by only 15 musicians, many of them playing 2 or 3 different instruments each.

All in all, Romeo + Juliet by Matthew Bourne is not for the faint hearted. Expect a lot of blood... a lot of violence... a lot of raw passion! And you know what? I thought I will never say this, but don't forget to take kids with you (unless they are too little). At the end of the day it's a tale of youth, and youth must see it!

The show is now heading to London and will be on tour in UK until October 2019.  For more in formation and tour dates please visit:- New-Adventures.Net

Our overall verdict:- 5 out of 5.

Hairy Biker Dave Myers rides into Southport Flower Show

HAIRY Biker Dave Myers is set to ride into the 2019 Southport Flower Show to share some of his top tips for outdoor cooking. The celebrity chef will be revving up some of his favourite summertime recipes as he appears in the Cookery Theatre, at Southport, on Sunday, 18 August 2019. Dave is known to millions of TV viewers for his t2 wheeled culinary tours of the globe as 1 ½ of the Hairy Bikers. Along with his co-presenter Si King, Dave has fronted over 30 top rated TV series, hosted Saturday Kitchen and appeared on a number of prime time shows including This Morning, The One Show and Lorraine. As well as being a regular feature on cookery shows, Dave has also participated in a number of game shows including Celebrity Mastermind which he won. He was also a contestant on the 2013:- 'Strictly Come Dancing.'

The Hairy Bikers have also published more than 20 cookery books during a career spanning more than 20 years. Dave and Si have recently been filming their latest TV series, in the USA, called:- 'The Hairy Bikers Ride Route 66,' which will be screened on BBC2 later in the year. But Lancashire born Dave will be much closer to home when he heads to Southport, where he often used to holiday as a child. Southport Flower Show is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year with one of the biggest garden parties in Britain and Dave will join the fun in the Cookery Theatre. He said:- "I'm really looking forward to my 1st Southport Flower Show in August. It's slap bang in the middle of British BBQ season so I'll be demonstrating some of the best ways to cook fresh and tasty summery dishes."

The Food Village, at Southport, will feature over 50 gourmet producers offering the opportunity to sample and buy organic and artisan produce. The full working kitchen where celebrity chefs demonstrate their skills and signature dishes is compared by Brian Mellor. General Manager Ray Roukin said:- "We are very excited to welcome Dave Myers to Southport this summer. He brings a wealth of experience, skill and expertise gained from touring the world filming the hugely popular Hairy Bikers shows.  We are sure Dave's cookery demonstrations will be a highlight of the show for visitors this year."

For further information on Southport Flower Show please visit their website.

Flying the flag for Armed Forces Week

MONDAY, 24 June 2019 marks the start of Armed Forces Week and, as is now traditional, the Armed Forces Day flag will be flown from the Liverpool Town Hall. This year, Lord Mayor of Liverpool Cllr Peter Brennan will be joined by Lieutenant Colonel Matt Churchward, Commanding Officer Royal Marines Reserve Merseyside, to hoist the flag. From Monday, Civic Buildings will also be lit up red, white and blue.  Lieutenant Colonel Matt Churchward Royal Marines said:- "It is a real honour to be raising the flag to officially launch Armed Forces Week.I know I speak for everyone in the Armed Forces community when I say it is humbling how the public has taken Armed Forces Day to its heart and especially in Liverpool where Armed Forces Week is now such a feature of the calendar. We'll be looking forward to seeing everyone at the Royal Albert Dock on Saturday."
 
On Wednesday, the Liverpool Town Hall will host HMS Eaglet's annual awards ceremony with a Ceremonial Divisions at Exchange Flags at 7.30pm which the public is welcome to watch. Also, for the 1st time, more than 50 businesses are supporting the City to say an extra special:- "thank you" to regular and reserve forces and veterans with a whole host of special offers in stores, restaurants and attractions; including many in Liverpool ONE. Lord Mayor of Liverpool Cllr Peter Brennan said:- "Every year, Armed Forces Week lets us celebrate the commitment of the men and women who are serving and who have served their country. In Liverpool, we have always had strong connections with the military and have acknowledged this over many years by honouring local regiments and associations as well as the Merchant Navy with the Freedom of the City. I'm very much looking forward to welcoming Lieutenant Colonel Churchward on to the roof of the Town Hall to hoist the Armed Forces Day flag and officially launch Liverpool's celebrations."

The timetable for Armed Forces Day, Saturday, 29 June 2019, is:-

► 10.30 to 11am; Drumhead Service at Our Lady and St Nicholas Parish Church (attendance is by invitation only)

► 11.15am; Tri-service parade led by the Band of Her Majesty's Royal Marines Scotland to the gates of the Royal Albert Dock Liverpool where the event will be officially opened by Lord Mayor of Liverpool Cllr Peter Brennan

► 10am to 4pm; Military exhibition at Royal Albert Dock Liverpool as well as other entertainment and activities.

For a full list of offers please visit:- ArmedForcesDayLiverpool.Com, also to keep up to date follow:- @CultureLPool or use:- '#ArmedForcesDayLiverpool' and '#saluteourforces.'