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2008

WATCH THIS SPACE FOR FUTURE NFO EVENTS

Encore! 17th September 2006 © Richard Tatham

Past Productions

28th June 2008 - Encore! An Evening of Midsummer Madness

9th December 2007 -

9th June 2007 -

17th September 2006 - Encore!

PRESS REVIEWS

FROM THE CONCERT PLATFORM

NINE FABULOUS SOLOISTS HIT THE HEIGHTS DURING A PROGRAMME WHICH SPARKLED FROM BEGINNING TO END.  BACKED BY THE MAGNIFICENT NOTTINGHAM FESTIVAL OPERA ORCHESTRA, CONDUCTED BY THE INCOMPARABLE ANDREW NICKLIN, AND SUPPORTED BY A CHORUS OF MORE THAN 60 VOICES, THE SOLOISTS CAPTIVATED THEIR AUDIENCE IN THIS GALA CHARITY CONCERT.

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WHEN NOTTINGHAM FESTIVAL OPERA PLANNED THEIR MAGIC IN SEPTEMBER CONCERT, THEY COULD HARDLY HAVE IMAGINED THAT SEPTEMBER 2001 WOULD NEED SUCH A HEAVY DOSE OF MAGIC TO OFFSET THE MONTH’S EVENTS.  THERE WAS NO STINTING ON ENERGY. THE PERFORMERS DISPLAYED HUGE TALENT AND ALSO THE PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS FOR WHICH THEY ARE RENOWNED.  THIS WAS A CONCERT FOR EVERYONE SPANNING CENTURIES AND CONTINENTS, A TEAM EFFORT PAR EXCELLENCE.

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THE MAGIC CONCERT WAS GRACED BY A SUPERB ORCHESTRA WHO PLAYED THROUGHOUT WITH PRECISION AND FEELING, SPELLBOUND BY THE CHARISMATIC, ALMOST ATHLETIC, ANDREW NICKLIN. THE FESTIVAL OPERA CHORUS ROSE TO ALL CHALLENGES WITH STYLE AND FIRM TONE, THANKS NO DOUBT TO CHORUS MASTER, STEPHEN GODWARD.  SPECIAL MAGIC WAS DELIVERED BY THE VOICE OF DEBORAH NORMAN WHOSE RICHLY VARIED TONES, LONG-BREATHED PHRASING AND INSTINCT FOR DRAMATIC SUGGESTION WAS OUTSTANDING.  SHE WAS PARTNERED IN A STUNNING SEQUENCE FROM LA BOHEME BY THE LOVELY LYRIC TENOR OF NICK SALES.  THIS JOYOUS VARIETY-PACK SENT PATRONS HOME ARGUING THEIR PERSONAL FAVOURITES.

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SWEENEY TODD

ANDREW NICKLIN’S PRODUCTION, SNAPPY YET SENSITIVE, CAPTURED THE VARIOUS FACETS OF STEPHEN SONDHEIM’S MUSICAL THRILLER.  THREE LEADING PRINCIPALS WON TOP AWARDS FOR THIS PRODUCTION AT THE WATERFORD FESTIVAL, INCLUDING SIMON THEOBALD WHO WAS IN IMPERIOUS FORM AS THE DEMON BARBER.   FROM THE PIT, MIKE PALIN KEPT THE INTRICATE, ALMOST CONTINUOUS SCORE PIPING HOT. THE CHORUSES WERE RAZOR-SHARP AND THE ORCHESTRAL PLAYING ADDED LASHINGS OF ATMOSPHERE. IT CAN PUT YOU OFF YOUR FOOD THOUGH!

WATERFORD AWARDS ALSO WENT TO ANDREW NICKLIN, MIKE PALIN, THE CHORUS AND FOR LIGHTING.

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PACIFIC OVERTURES

NOTTINGHAM ENTRY WINS WATERFORD LIGHT OPERA FESTIVAL.

GILLIAN HUMPHRIES IN HER ADJUDICATION PRAISED A SPECTACULAR PRODUCTION THAT MOVED HER TO TEARS AT TIMES.  THE ATTENTION TO DETAIL IN ALL ASPECTS IMPRESSED HER AND SHE WAS OVERWHELMED BY THE RESEARCH AND THE REAL DEVOTION TO THE WORK BY A TOP CLASS COMPANY.

WINNING AWARDS WERE PRESENTED TO ANDREW NICKLIN, SIMON THEOBALD, MIKE PALIN AND THE COMPANY ALSO CAME OUT TOP IN COSTUMES AND THE BEST-CONCERTED ITEM.

THE MUNSTER EXPRESS

THIS WAS BY ANY STANDARDS A FLAWLESS PRODUCTION WITH THE AUTHENTIC COSTUMING PERFECT TO THE MINUTEST DETAIL ALONG WITH EXCELLENT CHOREOGRAPHY AND LIGHTING.  AND THE NOTTINGHAM FESTIVAL OPERA ORCHESTRA, DIRECTED BY LIKE PALIN, WAS SIMPLY MAGICAL.  IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO CREDIT THE HUGE CAST INDIVIDUALLY, SUFFICE IT TO SAY THEY WERE ALL BRILLIANT IN THEIR VARIOUS ROLES.  THE ADJUDICATOR WAS CLEARLY IMPRESSED WITH WHAT SHE DESCRIBED AS ‘A BRILLIANT SHOW’, ‘A SPECTACULAR PRODUCTION,’ WHICH WAS ‘SO EVOCATIVE’.

WATERFORD NEWS AND STAR

AIDA, SWEENEY TODD AND PATIENCE

THE GAP BETWEEN OUR PROFESSIONAL COMPANIES AND THE BEST AMATEURS IS NARROWING. THAT WAS THE INESCAPABLE CONCLUSION FROM A WEEK IN NOTTINGHAM WHERE TWO PRIZE WINNING REVIVALS FROM LAST YEAR AND A NEW PRODUCTION OF AIDA ADDED UP TO A SENSATIONAL SHORT FESTIVAL.  SWEENEY TOOD – EVERYTHING ABOUT IT SPOKE OF A CAST AT THE PEAK OF MORALE REVELLING IN THE DASH AND SLICKNESS OF A PRODUCTION THAT KNEW EXACTLY WHERE IT WAS GOING.  PATIENCE REVERTED TO THE FLOWER POWER OF THE 1960’S WITH THIS PRODUCTION WINNING THE TOP AWARD AT LAST YEAR’S INTERNATIONAL G&S FESTIVAL AT BUXTON.  BUT MUSIC AND TEXT WERE TAKEN STRAIGHT. DEBORAH NORMAN HANDLED THE TITLE ROLE AS TO THE MANOR BORN – A CLEAR SPARKLING TONE ALLIED TO A VIVACIOUS PERSONALITY AND A NATURAL STAGE PRESENCE MADE IT NO SURPRISE TO DISCOVER LATER THAT SHE IS NOW MAKING TRACKS TOWARDS A FULL-SCALE OPERATIC CAREER.  AIDA IS NOT A WORK UNDERTAKEN LIGHTLY BY AMATEURS.  SHARON SKEGGS PORTRAYED A RESONANT AIDA, A POWERFUL TESTIMONY TO HER CONFIDENT TECHNIQUE AND SUREFOOTED MUSICIANSHIP.  RAMON RAMEDIOS KNOWS HIS WAY ROUND RADAMES AND ALWAYS HAD SOMETHING IN RESERVE AND WAS ADMIRABLY CONTROLLED AT THE DEATH.  HELEN BEECHINOR TURNED IN A PROMISING AMNERIS WITH PLENTY OF BITE TO HER ATTACKS.  ALAN JACKSON’S SET ALLIED TO DAVID MARSDEN’S LIGHTING CONJURED ATMOSPHERE TO SPARE WHILST BEING SPACIOUS ENOUGH TO ALLOW SENSIBLE MASS-MOVEMENT.  THE LARGE CHORUS IMPRESSIVELY GATHERED FROM SURROUNDING COMPANIES BLENDED AS IF IT HAD BEEN TOGETHER FOR SOME TIME.  JACKIE O’BRIEN’S CHOREOGRAPHY ADDED ETHNIC COLOUR TO SUPERB COSTUMES.  BUT THIS PRODUCTION WAS FURTHER EVIDENCE OF A FLEDGLING COMPANY THAT LOOKS SET TO BE A CONSIDERABLE FORCE IN THE PROVINCIAL FIRMAMENT.

 OPERA MAGAZINE

AIDA

MUSICALLY AND VISUALLY SPECTACULAR, NFO’S PRODUCTION WAS A TRIUMPH FOR ALL CONCERNED.  THE OPERA WAS QUITE WONDERFUL TO LOOK AT.  THE COSTUMES, SETS AND PROPS HAD BEEN LOVINGLY CREATED WITH ASTONISHING ATTENTION TO DETAIL.  ALL THE MANY ARTISTS WHO WORKED ON THIS PRODUCTION SHOULD BE PROUD OF THEIR ACHIEVEMENT.

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CAROUSEL

EMOTIONS RUN HIGH IN THIS SPLENDID REWORKING OF RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN’S TIMELESS CLASSIC.  SIMON THEOBALD (BARKER, BILLY BIGELOW) AND LIZ BRUCE (JULIE JORDAN) COMBINE A TALENT FOR ACTING WITH SOME IMPRESSIVE SINGING.  IT IS THE EMERGING STAR MARK POLLARD, AN ENDEARING ENOCH SNOW, AND THE DELIGHTFUL CATRINA MCWILLIAMS WHO STEAL THE HONOURS.  DAZZLING DANCE ROUTINES ARE A FEATURE OF THIS HEART-WARMING MUSICAL WHICH OWES MUCH TO THE PRODUCTION TEAM OF ANDREW NICKLIN, FRASER GOULDING AND FIONA SIMPSON.

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FINE COSTUMES AND A STRILING SET ADDED TO THE VISUAL EFFECT AND THE OVERALL FEEL GOOD FACTOR.

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LA TRAVIATA

BOTH AS DIRECTOR AND MUSICAL DIRECTOR ANDREW NICKLIN CAN BE PROUD OF THIS PRODUCTION.  GOOD SETS, WELL UTILISED, PROVIDED THE BACKGROUND, WHILE THE FOREGROUND HAD AN EXCELLENT TEAM OF PRINCIPALS COMBINING VOCAL AND ACTING ABILITY, ESPECIALLY DEBORAH NORMAN AS VIOLETTA AND NICK SALES AS ALFREDO. THE CHORUS PLAYED THEIR PART WELL PROVIDING FINE ENSEMBLES, WHILE THE ORCHESTRA GAVE FINE BACKING TO THE STAGE, BALANCING WITH THE SINGERS AT ALL TIMES.  UPDATING TO THE 1920’S CAME OVER WELL WITH THE LASIES TAKING FULL ADVANTAGE OF THE PERIOD COSTUMES TO GOOD VISUAL EFFECT.  A VERY GOOD NIGHT FOR OPERA ENTHUSIASTS.

NODA