Quirijn de Lang
Stephanie Corley
Justin Hopkins*
Themba Mvula
Will Hopkins
Joshua Da Costa
Andrew Randall
Masimba Ushe
Holly Saw
Max Westwell
Tilly Baker
Louie Stow
Felicity Moore
Amber Midgley
Lottie Gray
Sam Cooper
Susan Cooper
Hobo
Magician / Vaudevillian
Quartet
Quartet
Quartet
Quartet
Magician Assistant
Dancer
Elizabeth
Johnny
Tot 1
Tot 2
Tot 3
Two worlds on stage.
A fully realized vaudeville world, rich with color, costume, and spectacle, contrasts with a stripped-back stage where the mechanics of performance are deliberately exposed. Lighting rigs, scaffolding, and shifting structures evolve to echo the work’s central theme: the relentless march of progress.
The result is a staging that is both visually dynamic and conceptually clear, captured in a way that makes it as compelling on screen as it is on stage.
Critical Acclaim
★★★★★
“Rescued! Love Life is the musical that got away…
This rip-roaring revival… reinvents a genre.”
— The Daily Telegraph (Nicholas Kenyon)
★★★★½
“Comedy, music, dancing, and even magic… this show has it all… It is absolutely
clear that this musical laid the foundations for Cabaret, Follies, and Chicago.”
— The Reviews Hub (Jennie Eyres)
★★★★
“Vocally immaculate and physically stylish.”
— The Stage (George Hall)
New York Times
“Weill’s music is — no shock here — great Weill music. The cast, alongside
Opera North’s orchestra and chorus, does justice to Weill’s feel for Americana.
And the composer’s orchestrations for the snazziest ensemble numbers;
‘Progress,’ ‘Economics,’ ‘Women’s Club Blues’ — deserve to be savored.”
(Seth Colter Walls)
The Times
“An ingenious revival of Kurt Weill’s forgotten musical!”
(Richard Morrison)
"It is the start of something new. Opera North deserve a Tony for this achievement.”
WINNER
German Record Critics Award for Outstanding "Opera" Recording
2026
__________________________________
Legacy & Influence
Boris Aronson
“There were enough ideas in this show for twenty musicals…
the forerunner of today’s so-called ‘concept’ musical.”
Fred Ebb
“… a marvelous piece and a major influence."
Stephen Sondheim
“… a useful influence on my own work.”
A Lost Landmark of American Musical Theater
Filmed Live for Broadcast
LOVE LIFE (Film)
A Vaudeville in Two Parts
Music and lyrics by Kurt Weill and Alan Jay Lerner
Book by Alan Jay Lerner
A live performance by Opera North in Leeds, England, recorded in January 2025, broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and now available as a film. The production was nominated for a 2025 International OperaAward in the inaugural Musical Theatre category.
