... Cirque du Soleil Orlando, Florida Since its creation in Quebec in 1984, Cirque du Soleil writer and director Franco Dragone has seen his mission to combine circus with other areas of performing arts take flight. The seven different shows to have found their way out of Dragones head and on to the stage are presented across the globe, including this version, La Nouba, playing in the Cirque du ...

... Conchita Wexford Wexford Festival uniquely features operatic rarities. Inevitably, therefore, some may turn out to be ropier than expected, and Ric- cardo Zandonai's excursion into Spanish territory is about as dire as it gets. Puccini, no fool, turned down the libretto based upon a Pierre Louys novel which was thought steamy in its day. Handsome young nobleman Mateo falls for free-spirited ...

... Divertissements/ The Two Pigeons Sunderland/Touring The second section of the Birm ingham Royal Ballet's offering at the Empire was simply stunning. Divertissements threw up four short works emphasising Fred erick Ashton's imagination and range of styles. Voices of Spring was quiet, moving and full of passion. Five Brahms Waltzes in the manner of Isadora Duncan was sensual, evocative and at ...

... Scottish Dance Theatre Edinburgh In these two newly-commissioned works at the Traverse, Dundee Rep's associated dance company has stepped away from the narrative linearity of recent works, while retaining a strong sense Of the theatrical. Plunge, choreographed by Janice Garrett to a score by Chris topher Bernstead, was the easi est on the eye. The slinky costume design by Craig Givens ...

... Krazy Spirit Manchester Congratulations to the Contact Theatre on its first anniversary and to RJC Dance, the popular black contemporary group who helped with the theatre's launch and returned to perform at the new celebrations. RJC s individual blend of con temporary dance mixed with jazz, reggae and club culture brought a packed house to see the specially commissioned Krazy Spirit. This ...

... Si J'Etais Roi Wexford If I were king the fisherman Zephoris scrawls in the sand, heartbroken that Nemea, the young woman he has saved from drowning and loves, is a princess above his station. As a joke, the Goan King real ises the wish. Thus empowered, Zephoris rights wrongs, unmasks Prince Kadoor's treacherous involvement with invading Portu guese, whose attack he foils, gains advancement ...

... Birmingham's triple thrills Sunderland/Touring Triple Bill A delightful threesome to get the pulses racing, Birmingham Royal Ballet's Triple Bill at the Sunder-land Empire combined the best of classical and modem dance and thrilled an appreciative audience. The first element, Scenes de Ballet, provided a breath of light ness, a gentile offering in the classic style with the movement measured ...

... Back to the old routine Apollo, Hammersmith French and Saunders - Live in 2000 To call this performance, the first of French and Saunders' 18 sellout London shows, star-studded would be an understatement. Ben Elton and Lord Lloyd-Webber were spotted and- at the risk of sounding like Jennifer Saunders' AbFab alter-eeo- Lulu was in the building. To up expectations further Theatre de ...

... Harry tickles his darker side Palace Harry Hill--Birdstrike 2000 Championed by his peers as the natural successor to comic luminaries as diverse as Harry Worth and the Goons, Harry Hill has a lot to live up to. Happily his latest show, a back-to-basics return to the dizzying, stream of consciousness up style he had honed before television claimed him, delivers in spades. Where his previous ...

... English Literature--the Musical British Library Shows, films and songs inspired by, or based on the work of, William Shakespeare and many other distinguished authors, were featured in this final event in the British Library's season of Chapter& Verse--1000 Years of English Literature. Nicholas Parsons introduced a programme which began with The Beggar's Opera Prologue and Overture, and blended ...

... Disney On Ice--Jungle Adventures London Arena/Touring Feld Entertainment has cracked the ice spectacular yet again--this time taking us to the vibrant lands of the jungle where we meet some of our favourite Disney characters. Robert Smith's realistic set and LeRoy Bennett's stunning lighting easily draw us into the dense woodland setting where the action never stops. Rafiki, the wise mandrill, ...

... Voice of Musical Theatre 2000 Cardiff Before a packed audience at the New Theatre, a 19-year-old from the Isle of Wight, Laura-Michelle Kelly, beat off the challenge of young professional singers from all over the world to become BBC Radio 2's first Voice of Musical Theatre. Kelly, currently starring in the West End production of Whistle Down the Wind, charmed audi ence and judges alike in ...