Gentleman Jack
- Steve Griffiths
- 8 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Anabelle Lopez Ochoa, Peter Salem, Clare Croft, Sally Wainwright
Northern Ballet, Finnish National Ballet co-production
Lowry, Salford
June 4-6, 2026; 1hr 40 mins
(also at the Alhambra, Bradford, September 3-5)
Those who saw Sally Wainwright's Gentleman Jack TV series might be disappointed in some ways by this dance version, which has some excellent dancing, but little of the sex and flamboyance we might have expected from the story.
Choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and dramaturg Claire Croft have taken the story of an openly gay, Regency period female Yorkshire landowner, Anne Lister, and made a message for the modern world. The problem is that messages are, by their nature, complex and easy to misinterpret.
In an effort to ensure intentions are clear, the staging uses a lot of furniture and video. Which means the most active dancers are the ones bringing in and taking out the props. In fact the most visible dancers are the scene changers. Fortunately they are so good, they get their own part, The Chorus of Words - a reference to Lister recording in her coded diary all her encounters with other women.
A key part of dance is the music that accompanies it. Here composer Peter Salem uses the skills of his orchestra to good effect. The only problem is that the action is so episodic - set the scene, do the dance, move on etc, that the audience is rarely given the chance to feel there is a unifying concept. Except the message: Men are bad and women are not, unless they support the men.
Company artistic director Federico Bonelli sets out the main issue with the production in his introduction
to the piece. All of the creators are name-checked, but not the dancers.
As Lister, Heather Lehan is wonderful to watch - all swagger and thrust. Her partnership with her two lovers sets the pulse alight. If you ever wondered why people watch female pornography, this is a chance to learn, in a civilised setting. Saeka Shira as the first lover, and Rachael Gillespie as the second, give their
all and it shows.
The men are poor creatures, but what dancers. On and off with the furniture - one worthwhile reason for the constant scene changing - they show off the ensemble's skills to perfection Pity they are not used more, but this is a production that wears its views on its toes. And as it is a Northern Ballet production, the men must wear cloth caps. No whippets though.
The audience loves it, of course, so a clear success not just in dance, but also in getting the message across.
More info and tickets here
