Hurrah! For The Pirate King Children's Opera Tours During February ˝ Term
Photograph by:- David Munn

BILL Elms Productions and Absolute Children's Opera have collaborated to develop a funfilled show which introduces children of all ages to the world of Opera. Hurrah! Follow the great Pirate King's swashbuckling adventure, as he takes us on a 5 star, critically acclaimed, magical musical journey to find a treasure beyond gold and jewels. On his journey, mysterious creatures shall ye see from the Queen of Cats, to the beautiful, bedazzling singing Mermaid, but can the Pirate King, defeat the evil Colonel Crab and win the legendary Unicorn Diamond?

Hurrah! For The Pirate King, is co-produced by Bill Elms Productions (Epstein - The Man Who Made The Beatles) Jerry Springer The Opera, Swan Song, Something About Simon) and Absolute Opera (Music Of The Night and Opera Under The Stars). The show is performed by leading musical and operatic stars including Roy Locke, Leigh Rhianon Coggins and Craig Price.

Producer Bill Elms commented:- "This show is fun, it's silly and it's beautifully sung by world-class professional singers and kids and families will love it, the show is filled with songs everyone knows and can sing along to. I am delighted to be developing the show along with Absolute Opera to tour the show, which started off on the festival circuit and building to a full-scale production. It's the perfect ˝ term treat."

Absolute Childrens Opera added:- "We created Hurrah! for the Pirate King! as a fun and engaging way to introduce children and families to the magical world of Opera. We realize that children are unique and that every child will interact and enjoy our show in a different way, thus our show has been designed to be as inclusive as possible. For us, that means your children are free to wriggle, fidget, bounce, sing or clap their way through our show. If you put opera, pantomime and world-class singing into a blender; you would get a PIRATE KING SMOOTHIE!"

Join Hurrah! For The Pirate King for the perfect, fun filled, ˝ term treat! A family show like no other, specially created for young, Wriggly families! Squirming, fidgeting, singing, dressing up and clapping are highly encouraged in this unique take on a family Pantomime.

For The Pirate King will entertain young and old on a mini tour in February 2022 during the School ˝ term, visiting:- The Atkinson, Southport, on Friday, 18 February 2022, The Old Courts, Wigan, on Sunday, 20 February, The Old Rep, Birmingham, on Wednesday, 23 February, Square Chapel Arts Centre, Halifax, on Thursday, 24 February, Millgate Arts Centre, Saddleworth, on Friday, 25 February, and Epstein Theatre, Liverpool, on Sunday, 27 February 2022. Tickets are now on sale! Experience an operatic singing adventure created especially for children, wrigglers, fidgeters and music lovers, aged:- 0 to 99 in a fun and inclusive way... For more information please visit:- AbsoluteOpera.com.

Bakery rises to the challenge with new City Centre home

A local business with community at its heart is taking over the café at 1 of Liverpool's most iconic buildings, St George's Hall, bringing their delicious award winning pies to the sought after City Centre location. Since opening their shop in Anfield in 2013, they have become renowned not only for their tasty treats, but also for their commitment to giving something back to their community, from creating job opportunities for local people and supporting foodbanks right through to providing food parcels for keyworkers and School children during the Pandemic and raising awareness of mental health charities. It is hoped the new City Centre venture will attract a new customer base who will be able to enjoy high quality, locally sourced goods; all in the stunning surroundings of the Grade I listed building. It will be open:- Tuesday to Saturday, from:- 8.30am to 4pm. To find out the latest menu information and news about events and activities, follow:- @HomebakedBakery, on both Twitter and Instagram. Products on sale include:- pies, sausage rolls, freshly baked bread, sandwiches, homemade soups, cakes and freshly ground coffee.

Alan Smith, Head of Heritage Preservation and Development and Acting General Manager of St George's Hall, said:- "We're absolutely thrilled to finally be announcing Homebaked Bakery as our new café supplier. Over the years, the Homebaked Bakery team have built a stellar reputation within Liverpool; due in part to their tasty range of award winning pies, but also because of their values as a community-owned bakery. St George's Hall has stood at the forefront of community matters since its inception over 160 years ago. As we often say, it's a place where people congregate, celebrate and commemorate. So, to be welcoming a team which embraces the community and gives back on the level that Homebaked Bakery does is completely befitting. We look forward to having a top class café offer to complement our innovative attraction, The History Whisperer, and we hope that this will be a huge draw in attracting more visitors into St George's Hall."

Angela McKay, Homebaked Bakery's Operations Manager, said:- "We are immensely proud to have the opportunity to bring Homebaked Bakery to 1 of our City's most beautiful buildings; St George's Hall. We pride ourselves on constantly moving the goalposts for what a community that comes together can achieve, and bringing our community business to the heart of our City Centre is the next step. We look forward to what the future holds for the space."

Liverpool City Council's Cabinet Member for Culture and Visitor Economy, Councillor Harry Doyle said:- "Homebaked Bakery is a business with purpose; they go above and beyond to improve the lives of those around them and really strive to make a difference to Liverpool. We are delighted to provide them with a new home in 1 of the City's most prestigious buildings, and I'm sure as soon as word spreads about the new café; they will be inundated with visitors who want to enjoy the locally-sourced, delicious food on offer."

For more information about St George's Hall, visit the official website:- StGeorgesHallLiverpool.Co.UK.