A bold move by Lowry Show Selections to bring this modern retelling of these two productions by award winning, Alex Wright and Phil Grainger to Eccles Town Hall which paid off with nearly a full house showing their appreciation.

Interestingly enough there was a runway type stage dividing the hall which gave the audience a close up and personal touch and it worked perfectly.

The retelling of Orpheus we find the hero, Dave living a humdrum colourless life until a chance visit to a karaoke bar, where he sings, Dancing in the Dark by Bruce Springsteen in a power cut and meets Eurydice who floods his life with colour and love and which will eventually end in tragedy,

The stage is dominated by the narrator Alex Wright who with effortless energy and a rapid fire delivery grabs your attention from the word, go… Dave who is played by Phil Grainger is not only a fine actor but a superb musician and singer who has the audience hanging onto his every word.

We follow Dave on his journey to Hades as he tries to regain Eurydice in what is a really moving yet hopeless task. if you have read your Greek classics you’ll know how this ends.

Part two saw the retelling of Eurydice from her point of view played by the magnificent, Meg Shandley who wishes to be known as Leni, who  demands to wear her Superman costume on her first day at school, no shrinking violet this girl. I was riveted by her powerful soliloquies as she raged about her failed teenage marriage and her lonely life until a chance meeting in a karaoke bar with Orpheus leads to another marriage, but will it end happily?

I have to mention, Awen Blandford on Cello and Elle Weaver on Violin who delivered a haunting and meaningful background music, Chapeau!

I do have a few niggles, I thought the production would have benefited by cropping some of the script which at 75 minutes was a tad too long and the use of the Midi organ? on stage in the sing and response was a tad cheesy but apart from that, a splendid evening out and well done to everyone involved on the night.