Paul Auster’s short story turned graphic novella is an unforgettable look at language, shrouded in the mist of a murder mystery. The visually impressive set designed by 59 Productions, morphs with the use of projectors. The stage is instantly transformed into an apartment, Grand Central station and an unravelling map of Manhattan with inventive trickery. Alongside the moving scenery, multiple cast members play the same role, which adds to the sense of confusion. The experimental direction of Leo Warner plays within the crime genre but without attaching any fixed rules that usually apply to detective fiction. Auster plunges audiences into a world where it is easy to lose track of reality, and while its stage adaptation allows you to follow the action, it does not simplify the story. As part of Auster’s three progressive narratives named The New York Trilogy , City of Glass is left to stand alone. As the first story in the series, this reworking becomes problematic on-stage due to its shallow caricatures, story resolution and the general sense that you're missing the bigger picture. Narrated by Daniel Quinn, the story follows William Wilson who now goes by the pseudonym Quinn. One evening Quinn receives a phone call from Peter Stillman Jr looking for private detective Paul Auster. Quinn decides to pose as Auster and accept a case in which he must protect Stillman Jr from his father Peter Stillman senior, soon to be released from jail. After accepting the case, Quinn then seeks the help of the real Paul Auster. While HOME is put to great use with unique staging, this abstract shifting of storylines didn’t hold the attention of its entire audience. The story itself is wordy, with writer Duncan MacMillan relying heavily on the book, the stage suffers for its lengthy observations narrated over every scene. Characters onstage become purposeless, dawdling in the darkly lit sets and standing aimlessly in the background through continuous monologues. The mystery is also fractured and unresolved, leading a literary rich production to an unsatisfactory conclusion. This Avant-garde construction poses ideological questions surrounding identity and the idea of losing oneself. Its themes will remain with you, especially as you witness a young man’s descent into madness. However poignant and intriguing, this post-modern mystery focuses on literary terms and writing itself. As a result, the intertextual imaginings of the real-life writer Paul Auster are better suited in paperback. CityofGlass #Manchester #HOMEmcr

I must resist the overwhelming urge to type Be Our Guest in continuous reams like a possessed character from The Shining because the deliciously hypnotising songs of Disney will do that to you. The soundtrack that would transport me straight to my happy place as a child is now accompanied by an orchestra and a cinema-sized screen. Expanding on the mesmerising melodies from lyricist Howard Ashman and composer Alan Menkenis is The Bridgewater Hall’s phenomenal Novello Orchestra . Led by David Mahoney; this live-action offers a take on Beauty and the Beast that shapes the memorable medleys with an animated musical performance. Included in the new-ish range of revisited animated Disney classics is the 2017 live action Beauty and the Beast . 26 years after the original animation and the rose-coloured glasses you popped on as a child will be left untainted. With a fresh coat of paint, this feature captures the magic of its 1992 animation by altering almost nothing from its original story or direction. The fairy-tale come to life may be a mature retelling, but the stupendous musical blends elements of CGI fantasy that are in keeping with the cartoonish spirit that captured the imagination of its older audience. With Emma Watson as the book-smart Belle and Dan Stevens as the Beast, the spellbinding story has become the highest grossing PG-rated movie of all time in the U.S. If you consider the live action film to be a step-up from the animated feature, then The Bridgewater’s live action with a live orchestra will have you on your tippy toes. Bringing the shared experience of the cinema back in a unique way, The Bridgewater has been able to engage a new audience that will hopefully continue to hold the love of a gifted orchestra regardless of the film attached. It is easy to get swept up in the Disney magic and forget about the incredible endurance of the orchestras members. Playing for over two hours, the show doesn’t offer many pauses for the team to rest their bows, flutes or horns. It is a collaboration that wraps up The Bridgewater’s spectacular setting and an outstanding orchestra to offer a double dose of drama. Future screenings of films with live orchestras appear to have become more integrated into The Bridgewater Halls regular programme. If Disney isn’t your cup of tea, then there is always a chance to fall in love with the Hunger Games , James Bond and Indiana Jones , all over again. BeautyandtheBeast #Film #Disney TheNovelloOrchestra BridgewaterHall #Manchester

When mama’s boy Bruno strikes up a conversation with a stranger in an opposing carriage, audiences are shielded from the ominous tones of a generic villain. While speaking to his new friend, a young architect named Guy, Bruno devises the best way to beat the rap for murder. Suggesting that if the two exchange nuisances, they would both avoid any suspicion from the police. But what becomes an uncomfortable joke for Guy soon becomes his reality as Bruno commits the first murder and stalks Guy to complete their transaction. Coronation Street’s baddie, Christopher Harper (Charles) and Call the Midwife’s Jack Ashton (Guy) play against each other in the crisscrossing psychological thriller. Based on the 1950s novel by Patricia Highsmith and made famous by its Oscar-winning Alfred Hitchcock screen adaptation. Here, director Anthony Banks has opted to play with some film noir aesthetics, with the use of projections, and a memorable smoke-filled finale, but it is largely refashioned for the stage. In the Opera House, sky-scraping shadows are not used to structure the characters as opposites and drum up suspense. Although Charles often operates in the darkness, the two men are mainly exposed to the elements, lit up for the audience as they pace through their monologues. The menacing Bruno holds some troubling characteristics, peeling his veneer of respectability throughout the production. However, any blurred lines that linked the two men are completely vanquished in this adaptation. The show frames the characters simply as good verses evil, with staging more diabolical than Bruno’s plot. If you don’t have a centre seat, too bad, you just have to miss a few scenes. The set, however technically brilliant, doesn’t work from all angles. Splitting several scenes into the four corners of the stage with bulky sliding doors that restrict your viewing. Watching shoe box size structures switch from Bruno’s mansion, to Guy's apartment, to a train and an office is impressive. But you can also literally peek behind the curtains to see the inner workings of its cast and crew. There are no hidden depts to Guy, no grey areas. It has all been a terrible mistake, and as a withdrawn and unwitting accomplice, he becomes a dreary character. Its female leads including Hannah Tointon (Mr. Selfridge) are left to float aimlessly, offering little impact to the story besides their comic relief. While elements of its stylistic set could have been the foundation for a shadowy neo-noir movie brought to life, the illusion of danger lurking around every corner isn’t present in this production. The tensions of the play build through conversations and interrogations, but with both murders taking place off stage there is little to no pay off for the audience. #StrangersonaTrain #Manchester TheOperaHouse

Inside Manchester Central Library, Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Khan-Cullors and award-winning author, Jackie Kay ask, ‘what does freedom look like to you?’ In a show that raises more questions than it answers, Patrisse begins by examining the systems in place that continue to keep people of colour (POC) under surveillance and under suspicion. Reports of racial hate crimes have risen since the Brexit vote, and the “post-racial” America that Obama put in place, has since been erased. We appear to have become accustomed to generalising and labelling communities with a presumption of guilt attached to POC. Patrisse’s memoir, When They Call You A Terrorist, allows the reader to enter a world unexplored. A real-world story that follows the shared experience of many POC whose families grew up in poor communities. It is also a unique story of punishment and containment that shaped the push for a political movement. Trained as a community organiser from the age of sixteen, as a black queer woman, Patrisse was viewed as living outside of the margins of even the black community. Faith-based discrimination and a constant police presence has forced her to the frontlines to fight discrimination. Speaking about how schools equipped with metal detectors, guards and bars have become indiscriminate from prisons, Patrisse plays with the language used to stigmatise her family at an early age. The memoir is split into two parts, with the first half exploring her childhood in dept. Patrisse describes how mass incarceration left few behind to nurture, protect and defend families. In a community with limited resources and programs in place, people-powered campaigns become vital. Destigmatising mental illness, Patrisse also addresses overlapping forms of discrimination. Her brother Monty was arrested and charged with terrorism after getting into a car accident. At eighteen he was diagnosed as having Schizoaffective disorder by a prison doctor but was reported to have been stripped, beaten and starved by prison staff for the years he remained behind bars. The second half of the book, focuses on Patrisse’s activism and adulthood where Black Lives Matter has been labelled a terrorist organisation and her home raided in response to her push for justice. The Black Lives Matter movement appeared in 2013, rallying communities into action after George Zimmerman had been acquitted of the murder of Trayvon Martin. The question of self-defence was raised over racial profiling, and in the end, it was a Stand Your Ground statute that made it legal for Zimmerman to follow the seventeen-year-old high school student home and fatally shoot him. The hashtag #BlackLivesMatter spread organically, and Patrisse continues to work with founders Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi to fight discrimination. For women, there remains a larger issue of a lack of representation in leadership and social equality, but Patrisse’s memoir shines some light on the women typically forgotten from their own narratives. Offering a platform for inclusivity and a recognition of shared trauma, this is a movement that has helped the rise of #SayHerName and #MeToo. Organisations started by black women who have strategised and shaped the way for everybody to raise their voice. When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir by Asha Bandele and Patrisse Cullors - Available now This review was originally written for Northern Soul WhenTheyCallYouATerrorist BlackLivesMatter #Manchester

Based on the 1930’s musical, Girl Crazy , this Tony Award winning script has been revived by Paul Hart for an earthy rendition of the old-school Hollywood hit. Based between New York and the sleepy town of Deadrock Nevada, a catalogue of Gershwin songs capture the passion of performing, in an upbeat production baring behind the theatre curtain. Bobby Child (Tom Chambers) is the son of a banking family and a wannabe showman. Failing to light New York ablaze with his toe-tapping skills, Bobby opts to help his mother foreclose on a theatre in Nevada. Whilst in Bedrock he falls for the pretty Polly (Charlotte Wakefield), whose father owns the failing Everett theatre. Although Polly resists the “bankers” advances, Bobby disguises himself as a popular producer, Bela Zangler in order to try his luck again. His disguise comes complete with a questionable accent (possibly Hungarian, possibly German) as he puts on a play to save the old theatre and his new love. The shows rustic staging tightly packs the supporting cast who outperform the material with phenomenal musical feats. The cast switch impressively between dancing, singing and playing multiple instruments in a light-hearted production that includes a multitude of props and difficult choreography. In one musical number, the cast actually play their saxophone, trumpet and plethora of other instruments whilst lying on the floor, using their feet as props. There are also enjoyable physical performances by Chambers who drunkenly stumbles from the first-floor level staging to an audience members seat. However, the narrative isn’t quite as organic. With a story so farfetched, a lax timeline and frustratingly flimsy characters, it fails to convince of the immense allure of the stage. Taking a nostalgic look at the golden age of Hollywood also includes painfully dated jokes and long-winded routines that don’t always pay off. After leaving New York the audience are stranded in Nevada, with little sense of Hollywood glamour until its final performance. With little also sticking the scenes together, the live musical direction is the winning feature of this dividing production. CrazyForYou #Manchester PalaceTheatre

Talking about a revolution Josette Bushell-Mingo is a London born, Swedish based singer and Laurence Olivier Award-nominated actress (for the role of Rafiki in The Lion King ). Against a tasselled silver backdrop in the Lowry’s intimate Quays Theatre, she navigates through a personal and political message of hope. Beginning with Revolution , alongside renditions of Nina Simone’s classics, Feeling Good , and Ain’t Got No (I Got Life) are stories interlinked with Josette’s life, asking how we make sense of the racism of the past and continue to tolerate injustices. At a time where the media have fueled racism and bigotry with little resistance for change or accountability, the production layers ten of Simone’s tracks to reminds audiences of the protest songs of the past. It is a beautifully simple vision that highlights Simone and Josette’s connection as one that gives her work purpose and inspires resistance. Josette performs Mississippi Goddam , a political protest song written in response to the murder of civil rights activist Medgar Evers (1963) and the 16th Street African American Baptist Church bombing that killed four children. With Simone’s lyrical resurgence mixed with images of violence and police brutality against black bodies. It is a fresh reminder of how slowly change has come, if at all. Mississippi Goddam was banned in several Southern states, with boxes of Simone’s single returned by stations broken in half. At the Lowry, Josette emphasises what progress has been made, inserting numerous new states at the end of the song. The audience at the Lowry are also put under the spotlight during parts of Josette’s forceful show. Raising the house lights, she scolds the audience out of complacency, it is not needlessly hostile, but her language is meant to shock. As high-powered racists are once again emboldened by the likes of Brexit and the Trump administration, she amplifies why rhetoric matters. Challenging biases in a way that shifts the audience into an awakening. It is an uncomfortable conversation to have, and the atmosphere feels tense, but this hopefully brings about a sense of understanding for how minorities are often treated as second-class citizens. Referencing the #BlackLivesMatter movement, Josette frustration is that this movement is needed in 2018. The plight of minorities remains far from the average Brits daily conscious, and Josette’s performance allows audiences to see the issue personalised. The exercise should lead viewers towards an unnoticed perspective, helping them empathise with her personal story rather than see her criticism as an attack on themselves. Commanding the stage throughout the 90-minute show, Josette is spirited and enthralling. The music constructs a compelling narrative alongside her own life story, and Josette has the ability to keep her audience both uncomfortable and inspired. Shaped around empowerment, this performance is energising, poignant and powerful, and with her finale, Revolution bursting with emotion, the show ends as she began it. Nina #NinaSimone #Manchester TheLowry

With a charismatic cast, sharp humour and a moving backdrop of Harlem’s streets, director Michael Buffong’s Guys and Dolls rivals its silver screen predecessor. Some stories play better live. Here the Royal Exchange’s round theatre inhabits a kaleidoscope of colours as the peacock suited men all bring characteristics as memorable as their names. The story overlaps between Nathan Detroit and Sky Masterson. Nathan’s famous floating craps game is in jeopardy if he can’t front the money for the venue or if his fiancé of 14 years (Miss Adelaid) finds out he’s still running it. Wagering the money against Sky, the two men stake Sky’s ability to win the heart of a local missionary named Sarah Brown. Two of the most compelling antiheroes, Ray Fearon (Nathan Detroit) and Ashley Zhangazha (Sky Masterson) smoothly seduce their associates and their audience with their sublimely timed comedic delivery. Notably, Lucy Vandi (Miss Adelaide) masterfully juggles her comedic scenes and skilled vocals during her quest for an official husband. Being bad has never looked so good as we are introduced to the “lovable lowlifes” as risky, gun-toting sinners who only truly fear the loss and respect of their ladies. The shows shiftable narrative has been placed in Harlem, inserting a helping of gospel, jazz and soul into the long-running 1951 musical. The Royal Exchange is presenting the first all-black Guys and Dolls in Britain and unsurprisingly, it has been extended for a further two weeks following mounting praise and popularity. Designer, Soutra Gilmour has shaped one of the most intricate designs I have seen at the Royal Exchange. Its street lights decent from the ceiling and span across the stage floors and its club quarters quickly pivot into church pews. An enticingly energetic production is also helped by the gifted cast who sing alongside a 9-piece band. The hits, Sit Down You’re Rockin’ the Boat and Luck Be a Lady Tonight have been delicately handled as the round requires fluid movements and continuous action to be viewed on all of its three circular tiers. Michael Buffong brings a new flare to the familiar, highlighting that we needn’t mothball the oldies but rather create a space for new directors to present their vision of the classics. This is a superb production of Guys and Dolls that will leave a lasting impression on its audience due to its well-mixed medley of drama, comedy and music. GuysandDolls #TheRoyalExchange #Manchester

The unpredictable magic of the 1992 animation, the high-energy stylings of Robin Williams and a memorable musical number on-top a flying carpet, is not easy to replicate live. Disney however, has a live action, fool proof formula that miraculously leaves the legacy of its animated counterpart intact whilst it rehashes a Whole New World . No Disney dollars have been spared in this production. The multicoloured sets and a revolving door of cast and costumes will propel each scene into a party, in which the audience will (at the very least) be toe tapping to unfamiliar tracks. As you enter Agrabah, a place of “more glitz and glamour than any other fictional city in the world” it is clear that the point of Aladdin is to dumfound its audience with spectacle. Its plot is secondary. Thanks to the common place pantomime, audiences are well versed in Aladdin’s story. Ragamuffin Aladdin (Dean John-Wilson) falls in love with princess Jasmin (Jade Ewen) and attempts to win her heart with the help of a genie. Meanwhile, the sultan's Grand Vizier (Don Gallagher) plots to take over Agrabah. Unlike the animation, Jafar's pet parrot, Lago has been switched for a Weasley human sidekick. While Aladdin’s monkey, Abu has been replaced with three friendly thieves of Agrabah. The human counterparts have a few gags to remind die hard Disney fans of the exchange but overall is not a huge sacrifice. Aladdin’s new crew bring the old school, pantomime-esque jokes to the big budget production and their new musical number, High Adventure is a bonus to the movies original score. Overall, what is meek in terms of its story is made up for in pure magic. Director and choreographer, Casey Nicholaw build multiple memorable sequences that make this show an unbridled hit. Ultimately, it is Trevor Dion Nicholas who steals the show. When Aladdin’s genie pops up through the floor to sing the iconic Friend Like Me number, you will be inundated with glee. Whilst Robbin Williams brought the zany fun to the fast-paced animation, Trevor Dion Nicholas is an incredible singer and entertainer. His physical performance teamed with his honey-toned voice shapes a joyous production that could not disappoint the most jaded Disney fan. The visual stylings of Bob Crowley paired with illusion designer, Jim Steinmeyer sees that Aladdin’s cave and carpet keep audiences suspended in Disney magic. It is hard to fault a production that sticks to the script and bombards you with glitz and glamour. Aladdin remains a class act throughout his journey from the ghetto to the palace and if you favour musicals, this is not one to miss. Aladdin #Disney #London

Director Sally Cookson has stripped back the regal costumes and lavish surroundings of Charlotte Brontë’s 1837 classic. Instead, a rustic foundation resembling a climbing frame constructed of wood and metal is flooded with white, blue and red lighting to capture the atmosphere. Jane Eyre is a tale of self-discovery, where the strong-willed orphan Jane is tossed from her unloving aunt, to the disapproving Lowood school, before becoming a governess to Mr. Rochester’s illegitimate daughter at Thornfield Hall. Despite the large aesthetics, this laid-back, natural production seems better suited for a smaller venue like The Royal Exchange . The intimate, deliberately dismantled acts rely heavily on its cast to encompass scene changes, take on multiple roles and present live music along its actors. As a result, characters carry the burden of exposition alongside their lines. The duelling roles become far more effective in the second half. When the entrapped wife Bertha, played by Melanie Marshall sashays around the stage, providing the melancholy music for an abused Jane, it supports her ghostly, rejected and hidden character. However, Marshall barely interacts with characters, skirting past Jane’s repressed desires and the supernatural elements of the story. The versatile Nadia Clifford (Jane) is impressive as she carries Jane from childhood to adult. Her attitude amended by her environment and the growth in her character is emphasised by the slowly descending costumes that are placed on her by the surrounding cast. The falling costumes stress the continual roles Jane is forced to inhabit, alongside hanging windows/mirrors that reflect Jane’s life choices. Unfortunately, by the second half, Jane has not had the opportunity to grow as an independent woman, still appearing inexperienced despite the plays swift resolution from her failed marriage, to the mysterious calls of Mr. Rochester in need. The drawback of this moderate production is the loss of many of Bronte’s extraordinary elements. A key plot point of Jane’s financial independence, falls by the waist side to make room for live music which is used to carry scenes, however misplaced. When Melanie Marshall began to sing Gnarls Barkly’s Crazy it appeared to be an obvious choice but one far removed from the traditional sensibilities of the entire production. The scales balance more towards beauty than daring in this tamed production of Jane Eyre . Its reworking is not a modernised scandal but rather the Spark Notes edition, choosing to lose its supernatural elements and passion for realism. #JaneEyre NationalTheatre TheLowry #Manchester

“We are taught that silence will save us, but we will make noise.” The honeys are HOME for the Christmas period, offering magical realism in a show that converts anger into art. The 75-minute production merges traditional variety performances, including comedy, acrobatics and music in a subversive take on female stereotypes. This show does not allow you to be a spectator. It forces you to your feet and will have you thinking critically about the male gaze and the expectations it puts on women. When you first enter the theatre, the glow from the honeycomb hive is enticing. The women have created a collective colony that captures conventional thinking and critiques it in traditional routines. The pre-show playlist is back to back R&B/Hip-Hop tracks that are designed to get you in the party mood. Members of the Hot Brown Honey group were also buzzing amongst the audience, intermingling and selling raffle tickets. The raffle winners were ultimately too nervous to pick up their unknown prize, and it took three attempts before a random audience member was selected to drink milk from a Honey’s coconut bra. The show itself expands on light entertainment to offer its audience a new experience of prioritising women of colour in a celebration of identity and female empowerment. With backgrounds reaching from Aboriginal Australian, Samoan, Tongan, Māori, Indonesian and South African, the team confront prejudice through their satire. One surprising act was a performance of ‘Don’t touch my hair’ that ranged from a polite solo request into a heavy metal, headbanging, group assault at its audience. The sampling of various feminist authors such as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie were pocketed between performances to offer the audience a miniature TED talk that blanketed the Honeys perspectives with words from other strong women authors. The conversation about choice in terms of feminism and nudity are still in dispute. Here sexually charged clips that are associated with hip-hop and island girls are reversed in an impressive take that exposed Lisa Fa'alafi in a reverse strip tease and reworks burlesque into a liberation from submission. The Honeys pick and choose who wishes to bare all and nudity is purposeful as opposed to simply objectifying. Most notable was the final performance by the gifted Crystal Stacey as her areal act played a beautiful and harrowing message surrounding domestic violence. Hot Brown Honey encourages women to speak out, stand up and be aware of their own privilege. Its refashioned variety show is an impressive production that is impactful in its visuals, music and messaging. HotBrownHoney #Manchester HOMEmcr

“I guess some stories do not need telling” Before the show begins, Hamid Khan plays the tabla live on the Lowry stage, highlighting the rustic, natural performance that sets the tone of Giles Croft’s direction. Utilising the tabla throughout the narrative to underscore the actor’s gestures and keep the production grounded, the earnest stage creation offers audiences a heartfelt story of redemption. Published in 2003, The Kite Runner is about Afghan-American, Amir (David Ahmad) who relates how his life has been shaped by childhood trauma and political forces. Now living in California, Amir recalls his privileged childhood in Afghanistan where he was raised by his father, Baba and Hassan, the son of his father’s servant. Amir’s inseparable relationship with the persecuted Hazara, Hassan ( Jo Ben Ayed ) fuels the play's themes of betrayal, guilt and redemption, but its story is far from simplistic. The character-driven novel has an emotional pull that is broken into three parts and spins a small circle of characters that recurrently interlink with Amir’s personal tale spanning several decades. The Kite Runner is a complicated story to adapt as it balances an intimate first-person narrative alongside the conservative shifts that shape Afghanistan today. When The Kite Runner was released as a film in 2007 it removed its narrator, delivering scenes from the novel within a glossy montage. The child actors delivered dry performances of the few words spoken and the stories cutting commentary on the effects of war, family and culture were scarcely captured. Fortunately, Matthew Spangler’s adaption preserves Khaled Hossein’s novel, with director Giles Croft offering a more relatable and successful stage interpretation that relies on its adult leads maintaining their roles from children to adults. This stripped-back production delivers the story in a simplistic and honest portrayal using a silhouetted background that doubles as Afghanistan and California. Injecting projections to represent the wings of the kites, the productions use of live music, minimal props and its cast playing multiple roles, keeps the show fast-paced and honest. It is important that we understand and hear other perspectives and part of the joy in Spangler’s production is how easy the live show is to replicate. I can picture the complex narrative being told in schools and acted out by students who will gain a better understanding of the struggles of refugees. Unfortunately, this adaptation does not include much spoken dialogue and is heavily narrated by its lead, Ahmad who never leaves the stage. Considering the amount of action that takes place within the story, the production resembles an excellently narrated audiobook, but offers little in terms of visual spectacle. The Kite Runner is an important story to tell, capturing fragmented family bonds that can never truly be repaired. It is not a quixotic narrative and I respect the stage adaptation for not exploiting the emotional pulls of the novel’s darker scenes. It is a tasteful rendition that pulled focus on Amir’s personal struggle, the way the novel intended. But for those who already know the story, the play fails to vividly portray Amir’s city, the bazaars and the splendour of the kites. TheKiteRunner #Manchester TheLowry

“This Is For The Fools Who Dream” The love of La La Land has not died down since its January release date. Instead, it has built-in momentum, receiving a record-breaking seven Golden Globes, six Oscars and a devoted fanbase. The film is a feel-good factory of music and colour, designed to turn the harshest musical hater to a jazz aficionado before they exit the isles. La La Land revamps the musicals of yesteryear with a grittier realism but doesn’t fail to remind its audience that nothing is more alluring than the magic of movies. The Bridgewater Hall has teamed its classical acoustics with the film for its series of live concert showings. It is a classical meets contemporary medley that is extremely fitting for the hall and brings a diverse crowd of young and old alike. The Bridgewater places it huge projection screen above its 60-piece orchestra, offering great viewing from all angles of the auditorium. The film begins with a lengthy musical number that plunges you into the colourful, romanticised traffic of Los Angeles. There is an immediate appreciation for the Bridgewater’s immersive sound, as you are placed in a musical world that engulfs you. The story sees jazz pianist, Sebastian (Ryan Goslin) and aspiring actress, Mia (Emma Stone) compromise and sacrifice their dreams for love. Although the film plays with expectations of the Hollywood musical, its portrayal of the starry-eyed dreamers is teamed with a nostalgic love for Hollywood glamour. The film beautifully balances the fanciful world of LA with its working class leads and somewhat gritty surroundings. I will forgo the obvious issues surrounding a young white man saving traditional jazz from the clutches of his black contemporaries and instead accept the films overall love letter to its audience. It voices its audience through its revival of a dying art form that it enriches the spirit, speaks to you directly and brings out your passion. La La Land is a striking film that packs a harder punch when its music explodes off the screen. The Bridgewater’s orchestra mixes its luxurious tones to bring a story full of life, love, dreams and hope. It's much needed in our current climate so you should watch it on the largest screen available. LaLaLand #Film #Manchester BridgewaterHall