Conrad Nelson

REVIEWS

CYRANO

"It's a production which supplies all the expected braggadocio and swagger, but nonetheless displays a nose for the unexpected." (The Guardian)

THE WINTER'S TALE

"Conrad Nelson's powerful performance as Leontes is matched in the mastery and magic realism of his direction" (The Stage)

THE TEMPEST

"Northern Broadsides' latest production leaves no doubt that The Tempest is a rollicking jazz musical. The musical arrangements of Conrad Nelson have become Northern Broadsides' secret weapon." (The Guardian)

HAMLET

"Conrad Nelson's production is as physically and spiritually exhilarating as a cross between Alton Towers' wildest ride and Mozart's Requiem. An atmospheric battlements opening, shifts startlingly to the court where dinner-suited Claudius tinkles a piano while Ophelia in a flouncy frock belts out a big-band-style number and Gertrude shimmies in hip-hugging satin. It's the first of many shocks that jolt the play free from the weight of its past …daringly theatrical and heartbreakingly human." (The Observer)

"This is a high-energy, absorbing production of which the Bard himself would have been proud." (The Stage)

"…shot through with new ideas, new observations, new thoughts and it’s not to be missed." (BBC Radio)

THE CANTERBURY TALES

 “Nelson's direction is awe inspiring. He moves his sixteen players like a chess grandmaster.. Wonderful stuff. We see the stories flow by and are delighted by them, the ensemble and each actor as he or she takes the opportunity to shine. It shows our culture and national character in a good light. And it's a smashing night in the theatre.” (The British Theatre Guide)

…as invigorating as a high wind over the downs in spring.” (The Observer ****)

“…Nelson's production manages to become more than the sum of its entendres. The Clerk's Tale of patient Griselda– a complex allegory about the constancy of the Christian soul  done with such ravishing tenderness that it becomes a highlight.. Chaucer's work is all about the journey: Northern Broadsides make the arrival truly transporting as well.” (The Guardian ****)

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

"Conrad Nelson’s unique direction is impressive, as like Dawn Allsopp’s evocative clock-style set, it captures the spirit of the original but also adds so much more. This is a show which the whole family can enjoy as it is timeless, funny and poignant. The Octagon has done it again: this could be the show to beat this Christmas." (What’s On Stage ****)

LISA'S SEX STRIKE

"Director Conrad Nelson evokes the muses of Olympus and the ghost of Benny Hill in a knockabout synthesis of styles that incorporates music hall, brass bands, Bollywood and rap… Morrison's version is faithful to Aristophanes in that it is hysterically funny. The joyous conclusion - conceived as a slinky Berlin cabaret routine - left the audience, like the characters, gagging for more." (The Guardian ****)

A GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR

"Conrad Nelson’s production is sharply defined, full of original touches, immaculately paced…" (What’s on Stage *****)

"…the blunt expose of parochial paranoia is only part of the story – and the fun really starts when Conrad Nelson's production begins to treat Gogol's feverish vision as an early example of the theatre of the absurd…. it is the resounding music (in Nelson's own arrangements) that roots the action to a specific time and place." (The Guardian ****)

SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

"Conrad Nelson's joyous production proves once and for all that Northern Broadsides' approach to the classics is far more than Northernising speech and setting." (What’s on Stage ****)

"It’s a comic classic: and Conrad Nelson gleefully restores it to life for today. …Grand fun." (Libby Purves review ****)

BROKEN TIME

"Conrad Nelson's highly entertaining production should appeal to more than just rugby fans, making good use of music hall routines and a fine ensemble cast who bring cornets, euphoniums and tubas along. It's a stroke of genius to represent the matches as stirring band arrangements; but as they say around these parts, where there's muck there's brass." (The Guardian ****)

1984

“…an attention-riveting piece of pure theatrical magic.” (What’s On Stage *****)

"To praise Northern Broadsides's production for being drab, dreary and dispiriting might seem perverse; but the fact that 1984 is all of those things is not just good, it is "double good. The cast morph effortlessly, under Conrad Nelson's storytelling-inspired direction, between vivid characterisations and neutral narrator roles. Nick Haverson's Winston, now crushed, now defiant, finally defeated, is compelling and Kate Ambler manages to breathe raw life into the novel's unconvincing Julia, the love of his life, trampled by Big Brother." (The Observer)

I DON'T WANT TO SET THE WORLD ON FIRE

"Director Conrad Nelson has ensured that the play delivers the emotive and realistic social documentary genre which is essential for keeping history alive and accessible to the masses." (Chris Eldon Lee review)

ACCIDENTAL DEATH OF AN ANARCHIST

"In the hands of director Conrad Nelson, and a comically gifted cast, it is a reminder of the power of theatre. If this is the kind of alchemy it intends to keep creating, (Northern Broadsides) is set to be one of Yorkshire’s finest exports for years to come
." (Yorkshire Post *****)

"…up to the minute, politically sharp and hilarious." (The Observer)

THE GRAND GESTURE

"Conrad Nelson's ever-theatrical direction situations satisfyingly seesaw between gleeful absurdity and gut-wrenching gravity." (The Observer ****)

BALLROOM BLITZ

"…under Conrad Nelson’s direction - taking place on a set backed by a sparkling curtain - there’s also an elegance about the production. Scenes, including some intricate ballroom dancing sequences, glide together seamlessly under the patterned light of the glitter ball." (The Stage)