... Cosi fan tutte Holland Park Theatre London's answer to Garsington provides an opportunity for upcoming artists to perform with a full orchestra in a semi-alfresco setting. The cast of Tom Hawkes' playful Mozart revival are doubly blessed by Turkish maestro Cem Mansur whose light, elegant accompaniment is never in contention. Set in a sumptous, louvred garden room designed by Peter Rice, the ...

... Comedy Bonanza 2000 Blackpool For his 13th consecutive Grand Theatre summer show director/ producer Jon Conway has opted to preserve a fast dying form of variety- the traditional seaside show Twenty years since last top ping a Blackpool summer bill, John Inman has returned to his adopted home. His roots are in the type of entertainment this show strives to re-create, his name is synonymous ...

... Peter Grimes Glyndeboume Glyndeboume has revived Trevor Nunn's harrowing staging of Britten's opera for a second time. Its impact is devastating. John Gunter's designs of heightened realism are wonderfully evocative, notably the Borough church tucked up an alley. They catch the ii fe^ 1 1 Rn kjue ui vax i ii i iui i ...

... Nowt queer about Harding's folk show It has been more than two years since Mike Harding (Smooth Operations for R2. Wednesday, July 12) took over from Ralph McTell in the weekly Radio 2 slot, which features the best of roots, folk and acoustic music. During that time his long and varied experience as a musician, coupled with a natural, friendly presenting style, has won him a lot of friends ...

... Nuit des Hommes Almeida An air raid siren wail which rises and falls, varies in intensity, takes on the quaver of a musical saw, prefaces the entry of young Wilhelm and Alice wearing head mics. As chorus they top and tail their odyssey. A last supper, durine which he vearns for her body, presages their eager entry into the arena of war. He becomes soldier, she war corre spondent and Kali. ...

... The Snow Maiden Royal Opera House Any chance to penetrate further into Rimsky-Korsakov's magical operatic universe is always an excitement. The Kirov gave a single concert performance of this, his third opera. Bom with an icy heart incapable of love, the Snow Maiden, daughter of Father Frost (sung at the premiere by Stravinsky's father, Fyodor) and Beautiful Spring, has intimations left among ...

... I'Amico Fritz Holland Park Theatre After the tremendous success of Cavalleria Rusticana (1890), Mascagni next sought a simple libretto, with a flimsy plot, so the opera could be judged on the music alone. The result is an opera with a story that is simplicity itself. When wealthy Alsace landowner Fritz Kobus declares he will never marry, his friend Rabbi David wages he will. Fritz ...

... Encores for French legend Barbican Hall Juliette Greco France's great icon Juliette Greco walked on stage still pale as snow, a fairy tale queen clad in black velvet with shiny black hair and her famous fringe. Accompanied by Brel's musical collaborator and her husband Gerard Jouannest on piano, with a quartet including Sergio Tomassi on accordion, Greco whispered, hissed, shouted and moaned ...

... Sign up for Service memories BY JOHN MARTLAND Exactly 55 years ago this month, and only a few weeks after Germany's surrender brought an end to the war in Europe, the Labour Party swept to a landslide victory in the General Election. One of the first decisions made by Clement Attlee's government was to affect the lives of two and a half million young men during the next 18 years. These were ...

... Variety--the final Frontier Pamela Watford discovers a Yorkshire club which defies the industry's recent bad fortunes Compiled By Peter Hepple Most of the big glittering nightspots of yesteryear have long gone, but one of the most famous Yorkshire venues, Batley Variety Club, is still going after 19 years as the Frontier. Owner of the club, Derek Smith, has seen many changes since the early ...

... That's Entertainment 2000 Weymouth Weymouth Pavilion's summer show is among the best seen along this coast in recent decades. Cnsply directed by Frank Woodruff, it replicates the format of 40 years ago with three star names heading a strong supporting company. On stage throughout is Anthony English's accomplished five-piece band; there are the four excellent Showtime dancers choreographed by ...

... Flattering imitations Blackpool Legends 2000 One of last summer's surprise Blackpool success stories has this season replaced the ill-fated Comedy Zone to take over Central Pier's revamped auditorium and looks perfectly at home in the cabaret surroundings. The formula itself is just the same a rotating bill of acts who have made their own names through adopting other people's, a backing band ...