London

The brand-new Aviva Studios in Manchester are factory-style spacious and The Law Family Hall is a large auditorium with plush seats and good sight-lines. A Single Man is the first collaboration between the Royal Ballet and the Manchester International Festival and is an ambitious work based on Christopher Isherwood’s novella of the same name. The imaginative set by Chiara Stephenson creates an early 1960’s home for the central character, George, featuring open shelving through which cast members make their discreet entrances. A huge human head is outlined in neon, containing the elevated platform for the singer-songwriter John Grant; and a normal sized human body shape is outlined in neon in which Edward Watson stands for the opening moments. These are the most striking elements of the ...