... Les Contes d'Hoffman Antwerp Offenbach, who always revised his work in the light of public performance, left this piece unfinished at his death. No one knows what form it may eventually have taken, but that has not discouraged musical meddling nor the mandarin pronouncements of musicologists, especially as autograph fragments pop up. Offenbach originally intended to use sung recit but, just ...

... Turandot Cardiff/Touring Visual and vocal, the impact of Christopher Alden's 1994 updating of this piece for Welsh National Opera ensured that it had to be revived. And it has been to even greater effect, bringing together the outstanding talents of Dennis O'Neill as Calaf and the thrilling Anna bnatajinskaya, making her British debut in the title role. The heroic warmth of the Prince ...

... Here Come the Girls Wakefield When this show was first staged, its premise was to feature cabaret spots from a female cast of Yorkshire performers. Since then, it has developed into a high quality presentation. Clubland star Michaela May, who is also commere for this evening at the Frobisher Suite in the Millhouse Complex, is the first of the cast of four onstage. She has a dramatic, throaty ...

... Ronnie Scott's Stacey Kent Relaxed and classy, vocalist Stacey Kent's approach is ideally suited to her favoured repertoire, which consists largely of classic vintage American songs. Her refined interpretations, backed by an equally stylish band, serve to illustrate both what an excellent voice she has and how good the standard of popular songwriting was in the twenties, thirties and ...

... Danny Brown Edinburgh/Touring On a dreary Tuesday, the news that several venues on Danny Brown's tour had already cancelled him was not promising. But the Stand Comedy Club has not survived in the city without building a strong reputation for itself, and there was a good turn out for the host of Channel 4's cooking and dating show, Dishes. With a main course promis ing to be hot and spicy, ...

... The Sara Jory Band Brierley Hill What can you say about an act who has Buddy Hemmings as one of her biggest fans? After her debut at Showcall Showcase in Stratford-upon-Avon last year and signing to new manager Malcolm Feld, the band certainly have been busy on the road. Even after playing recently to 36,000 people in Holland and soon to tour in Switzerland, Jory's loyalty to British ...

... Los Excentricos Purcell Room It has to be said. Some clowns are just not funny. So hurrah for this wonderful trio from Barcelona who had the entire audience in stitches with their show Rapsodia in Clown. Like all great clowns, Marceline Kahn (Marceline), Josep Ventura (Sylvestre) and Didier Armbruster (Zaza) have the ability to engage all age groups, and the parents at this half-term ...

... Pushing back the boundaries Leeds/Touring Circus Oz Gone are the days of red-nosed clowns, glamorous trapeze artists and tamed big cats-and this show, at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, could not stress the point more strongly. It is a circus of tattooed, multi-skilled gymnasts, jugglers and musicians, all driven by a politicised mission to change the world. Unlike their politics, the ...

... Something Wonderful Wimbledon Theatre/ Touring Conceived by Walter Bobbie, director of the Broadway and West End revivals of Chicago, this classy musical celebration of Rodgers and Hammerstein was entitled A Grand Night for Singing when it played Off-Broadway in 1993. Its current tour is headed by Liz Robertson and Dave Willetts, supported by Geoffrey Abbott, Louise Davidson and Shona ...

... II Barbiere de Siviglia Cardiff/Touring Giles Havergals 1986 production of Rossini's comic masterpiece for Welsh National Opera continues to wear well, its timely revival at the New bringing forth well-earned laughter and applause throughout. Commedia dell arte staging, designed by Russell Craig, has been meticulously reproduced with a rollicking sense of fun by Aidan Lang. There is much ...

... Diverse menu of fine acts Wimborne BFP Entertainments Scene Showcase 2000 This event at Cobham Sports and Social Club had been rescheduled from the autumn due to a fire. In truth one speculated whether it was still smouldering, for the temperature in the packed cabaret room was such that jackets were soon divested and programmes vigorously utilised as fans. Fortunately, discomfort was to be ...

... Hawthorn Entertainments Trecco Bay, Porthcawl Neville and Anita Williams, the principals of Hawthorn Entertainments, welcomed their many guests to the spacious surroundings of the Show Dome to see a selection of managed and touring artists. Compere Steve Saint really had the most difficult of tasks. The enormous audience was largely made up of revellers from the South Wales clubland fraternity ...