+ 24 I CinHEROEADVERTISERfiTIMES


wvw.clilheroeadvertiser.co.uk Thursday. February 19, Z015


Thursday,February 19.Z015 www.ditheroeadvertiser.co.uk


VALLEY ENTERTAINMENT


Warfare on streets ofAncoats


Review:“Scuttlersn,attheRoyal Exchange,Manchester,until


March2nd. Box office:01618339833Website: www.royalex* changexo.uk


Morthcota chef patron


f f Nigel Haworth inthe . i«- .’ kitchen.'


., - .-.a m m & sM H b* Obsession


byTonyDewhurst tony.dewhirst@jpress.co.uk @ClithAdvertiser


Nolessthan25guestchefc withacombinedtotalof27 Michelinstarspassedthrough thekitchenatMichelin-starred restaurant andcountry-house hotelNorthcotewhenithosted the0bsession15event


The highly-anticipated anni­ versary edition of Northcote’s annual gourmet extravaganza


surpassed all expectations and provedahugesuccess,with the Ribble Valley venue described as the “epicentre of world gas­ tronomy” for the duration of the 15-day event.,


: Northcote’s Managing Di­


rector and Chef Patron Nigel Haworth, Managing Director and Director of Wines Craig Bancroft, and Head Chef Lisa Allen, along with the rest of the award-winning restaurant team, worked tirelessly across


. the 15 days to serve showstop­ ping dinners to no less than


1,500 guests in the restaurant and in the Louis Roederer Pri­ vate Dining Rooms. Nigel said: “This year’s Ob­


session was a real team event and goes to show that if you re­ ally work hard at something, anything is possible! Justlook atallthestar chefs wehave wel­ comed thisyearfromeachcor- ner of the world - it has been quite a mind-blowing experi­ ence for us all.” Chefs tohavejoinedNigelin


the kitchen during Obsession 15 included the best of British


such as Shaun Rankin, Kenny Atkinson, Glynn Purnell, An­ gela Hartnett, Ken Horn OBE and the Galvin brothers, as well as a raft of international talent such as three-starred chefs Klaus Erfortj Jacob Jan Boerma arid Enrico and Rob­ erto Cerea. Nigel added: “One of our


proudest achievements this year has been the experience of working with all of these chefs and their wildly vary­ ing cuisines - it has been like a university for our chefs with


a conveyor belt of talent pass­ ing through! I believe the visit­ ing chefs have left sharing the incredible spirit of the place andthefantastichospitalityof the Northcote team. 1 am very proud and thankful to them all.”


Obsession 15 also raised a


total of £40,000 for this year’s chosen charities - Spring­ board, Prince’s Trust and Hospitality Action - through a series of silent auctions that offered exclusive, one-of-a- kind prizes.


Chance to hear of Mark’s musical life


Writer and broadcaster Mark Ellen, the man who presented Live Aid to the world, will talk . about his colourful life in the music business at a special one-off show at The Grand,' Clitheroe, on May 6th.


. Ellen, who also presented the Old Grey Whistle Test for the BBC for five years, said: • “My new book - Rock Stars Stole My Life - is hilarious­ ly indiscreet in places, so if you want to find out which rock star spent half-a-million poundsaweekhiringaprivate


jet or what it was like to inter­ view Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Phil Spector or Lady Gaga it would be great to see you at The Grand. • “I love meeting people


with a passion for music, so the evening will be about all the daft, romantic and earth- shaking things music makes us feel, think and do when it’s the glorious soundtracks of


Ellen began his musical voyage' on the now defunct


ourlives.” V ■ ■ Sounds of Scots jazzmen


Millar and Spencer, a topjazz duo from Scotland, are play­ ing at Ribchester Village hall tomorrow (Friday February 20th), on their “Jazz in the Vil­ lage” tour. TheEdinburgh-basedduo,


with Ian Millar on sax and Do­ minic Spencer on keyboard, havebeenplayingtogetherfor anumberofyears,playingme- lodic improvisations on jazz standards and original com­ positions. They have extensively


Record Mirror at the height of the punk rock revolution in 1977, where, he says, he was “rightly beaten up for hisyards of unconditioned hair”. He even plucked bass


guitar in Tony Blair’s band at university. He went on to meet “every singer I’ve ever admired” during stints at the NME, Smash Hits, Q and The Word magazines. • Mark Ellen, Rock Stars


Stole My Life, May 6th, £9-50. 01200 421599 or www.the-. grandvenue.co.uk ’


toured Scotland.and em­ barked on many rural tours, oftenbringingjazzforthefirst time to remote communities, performing in intimate set­ tings. The beautiful Scottish scenery thattheyhaveseenon their travels has inspired the writing of many pieces of mu- sicbylan. Morerecentlytheyhaveex-


tended their tourssouthofthe border to jazz clubs, villages, smalltheatresandartsvenues, also making a European trip


■ to Brussels and The Music Vil­ lage Jazz Club there.


IanMillarand Dominic Spencer. They have played the jazz


festivals at Edinburgh, Glas- goWf Fife, Callander, Bor­ ders, Bath Fringe and Buxton Fringe.


Reviewsoftheirworkhave


included “beautiful soaring magic”, “a lovely arid exhila­ rating performance”, “warm, intelligent, reflective, human music” and “lovely sinuous melody”. Dominic said: “We have been very successful at trans­


Bring it on Manchester! There’s nowtyou can tell me about gangs (forgive the vernacular). I am a bom and bred Glaswegian. I am very proud of my city but I ac­ knowledge that my home town had probably the worst reputa- tionforgangsofanycityintheUK. •I grew up hearing tales of


men who had razor blades sewn intothepeaksoftheir“bunnets”; some of my memories of child­ hood include images of “tongs ya bas”grafltti. Buttheviolence was confined to specific areas and in my teen years I walked miles through thecitywithoutfear. Rona Munro (my namesake


andpossiblefellowclanmember) has written an interesting play about the 19th century gangs of Ancoats, called “Scuttlers” after the word used by thegangsfora fighLHerdramaisasearingrep-


. resentationofthebrutalityofthe , gangs,exemplified bytheantago- nism between the Tigers of Ben­ gal Street and their enemies of Prussia Street. I enjoyed this production


more thanlthoughtlwould. The plotis,inevitably,predictable,but the energy and skill of the young cast is infectious andgripstheat- tention. The opening sequence, with the strands of cotton being inspected by endless series of


workers, sets the scene for the monotony of the work and the poverty which almost always leads to a gang culture. In addition the sound direc-


tionbyPeterRiceadds immense­ ly to the atmosphere, almost like a kind of scenery. The inclusion of a community ensemble also


makes this a memorable pro- duction.Theirmovementaround


and across the stage is clever. My praise for this goes to Eddie Kay, onbehalfofFranticAssembly. Ms Munro’s female charac­


ters are more fully defined than the males. She, perhaps, care­


fully avoids any reference to the underlyingreasonsforgangwar- fare - unemployment, sectarian divisions and, sadly, now ethnic


divisions. She brings her char- acters up to date in one way. But


forming the village halls into an - intimate cabaret stylejazzclub setting with low lighting and candles on the tables. We now have very manyfondmemories of wonderful evenings in halls around the country where the reception wehavereceivedarid


audiencecommentshavebeen fantastic.” Tickets for the Ribchester


gigare£8,availablefromoi254 820458. Doors open at 8pm, and soft drinks are available.


■ there is a whole new way to look at the young gangs of the future.


Ifyou dislike bad language and


; violence, this is not for you, but if ' youlovedramaasareflectionand


interpretation of our age, this is worth seeing. I look forward to


. seeing Ms Muriro's next play. And finally go and visit Glas­ gow, especially the Burrell Col-


. lection built in the park where 1 played asalittlegirlorgoontothe


Royal Exchangewebsiteandfind aboutwalksaroundAncoats.


After eight petforinances that have embraced almost every family in Ribchester - either in the audience, on the stage or backstage - the R.A.T.S. pantomime for the year has closed its curtains until this


time next year. It has been a great success


for the society’s policy of giv­ ing its younger members the


opportunity and responsibil­ ity for perpetuating its illustri­


ous history. This year, the panto was


written and directed by 23-year-old William Thomas, • newlyqualifiedforthisroleby.


his university course.


The production has been ters to make it as relevant as admirable voracity by Steven shared with other more sen- possible to all.


ior members, but the line-up Like all pantomime, he lainous colleague, Young Wolf on the stage has been largely used some stock characters. (PaulBell).


Procter, who arrived looking theWolf.withhisScoutingas-


on local events and charac- ravenous Wolfie, played with Johnson, and his equally vil- , .


drawnfromitsyoungermem- The cross-dressing Dame, RobinSimmonswasthein- bers, who have contributed Ms Bakewell-Tart, was played eptexplorer.SirCharlesBain- their’energiesandenthusiasm with natural brio by Mr David bridge, hired to find and kill withcorivincingskill.


William used the tradi- like a Christmas cracker and sistant, Mortimer,


tional formula for a panto- mutatedwithavarietyofwigs The essential love-inter- mime but gave it a new twist through each comic scene to est was provided by Emma by selecting the unusual The Epitome of Fashion in Smith in the title role, with theme of Little Red Riding the final scene in Grandma’s Lewis Reed as Mortimer, plus Hood, with the sub-title of bedroom, where Granny, Frances Lamburn as Delilah “The Wolf of Water Street”, • .played by Tony Woolming- and Daniel Riding as Eugene, to set the action in the village ton, emerged as a Black-Belt Ms Tart’s dim assistant. There and by drawing extensively judo expert to overcome the werecameoperformancesby


VALLEY REVIEWS \ .a


Audience are left wanting more as Oliver! production thrills all


A brilliant production of the smash;hitmusical“Oliver!"is packing them in at St Mary's Centrethisweek-andde- servedlyso.


Lionel Bart’s masterpiece is the greatest British post-war musical - no “probably” or “possibly” about it - and it’s wonderful to see the hugely talented members of Clithe­ roe Parish ChurchAmateur OperaticandDramaticSociety throw themselves into it with such infectious enthusiasm. Every song is a hit, every


dance routine a belter, and everyprincipalisastrongone


as the story takes us back to the cruelty, squalor, grim hu­ mour and indomitable human spirit of Dickens’ 19 th century London. At the centre of it all, play­


ing the hapless Oliver Twist, is AlistairBlack.aPendlePrima- ry School pupil who is smallin stature but big on talent. It’s been a big leap from


school productions to the adult stage, but Alistair looks and sounds just right for this title role, with his small but clear voice and his wide- eyed vulnerability shining - through. Thankfully, director David


Hulme has stayed true to the originalandkeepstheproduc-


tion going at a fast pace with no wasted seconds or clunky scene changes. It was an unusual opening


when the curtains parted on the adult chorus in a frozen position with staring eyes and an eerie “aa-aa-ah” cho­ rus - very Jekyll and Hyde-ish - but before long we were into “Food, Glorious Food” with the


workhouse boys in the first rollicking routine. These lads, who later be­


come Fagin’s band of pick­ pockets, are an absolute boon to this production; none of them too old and all of them happy in their roles. They are a grand bunch of singers, too, with the boost of a few strate­ gically allocated personal mi­ crophones. Myles Sutcliffe, already a


seasoned young performer, relishes his role as The Artful Dodger, full of confidence in every scene and leading the chorus in a rousing “Consid­ er Yourself” as if he owns the place.


Along the adult principals


there isn’t a single weak link. Richard Hubbard, as Fagin, has the physicality of the scuttling crook off to perfec­ tion and makes him a sympa­ thetic rogue, if not entirely a loveable one. Maria Masterman is per­


fect as ill-fated Nancy, the tart with a heart who defies her brutal lover, and her big emotional number “As Long As He Needs Me” couldn’t be bettered. Violent thug Bill Sykes is


skilfully and believably de­ livered by the growling Dam­ ian Marsh, who enjoyed some well-meaning panto-style


boos while taking his bow. .Workhouse beadle Mr


Bumble, a role forever asso­ ciated with Harry Secombe, becomes a flustered comic Yorkshireman withsomefine vocal touches in Paul Heyes's portrayal, in an entertain­ ing double act with Lesley Haworth as Mrs Corney, the widow he woosand lives to re­ gret it. Bob Cleeve and Geralyn


Lambert add some splendid lugubrious humour, and some knockaboutstuff.astheghast- ly pale-faced undertakers Mr and Mrs Sowerberry. Milly Wardle, an excellent dancer, does a light-footed


turn as Nancy’s best friend Bet, and there are well-inter­ preted support roles from Kim Croydon as the kind-hearted Mr Brownlow, Kane Taylor as the undertakers’ bully­ ing assistant Claypole, Amy Prendergast as Charlotte, Jean Croft as Mrs Bedwin and Trevor Lord as Dr Grimwig. The orchestra in too many


amateur shows drowns the players, but Chris Andrews’ musicians are never over­ powering in this show, and one particular musical gem deserving special mention is the street vendors’ song “Who Will Buy”, in which four su­ perb voices from the chorus


a youn


Martin Smith, Malcolm Lan- scene. Epic work, team, gley, Anne Lang and Emily Chris Freeman, the R.A.T.S. Watts, plus spirited dancing former musical director to and singing by the corps-de- whom the production was ballet of teddy bears, dwarfs dedicated, would have been and villagers.


- very proud of all of you. The huge production team Post Script: After last


of 42 people made a vast con- Thursday’s performance, the tributiontothesuccessofthe National Operatic and Dra- enterprise, but special men-" matic Association (NODA) tion must be made of the set presented Steven Johnson production team who creat- with its annual award for his ed a crazy version of the vil- performance as the MC in the' lage square, Ms Tart’s Sweetie R.A.T.S. “Olde Time Music Shop, a woodland glade, and Hall” in 2014. So the society’s Grandma’s bedroom, and the reputation goes far beyond its Stagehandswhochangeditall localfame. round, silently, between each


Christopher Ratcliff


0 IN


X


combine in well balanced har­ mony. The adult chorus has a


great time on a somewhat . crowded stage, and is obvi- ..... ously confident in every move, testament to choreographer Lindsay Pollard’s work with them. Will this show scoop five _


NODA awards as last year’s ® “Jekyll and Hyde” did? Well, “Oliver!” is not as edgy or risk-taking as that produc­ tion, but it’s much more than a stock seat-filler and deserves some re co gn i­ tion when the silverware is dished out next year.


, Eric Beardsworth ‘

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