‘... I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s thinking; hang on a minute; “I seem to have the knack of pleasing ladies.” In trousers? With short hair? In public? Was that allowed? Indeed it was.’

A cool and contemporary look at one of the most intriguing aspects of musical theatre – just what is it that makes a woman in trousers so appealing? Accompanied by a piano, mezzo-soprano Jessica Walker dons a few well-chosen items of male attire, giving a supremely well-sung performance that conjures up an entire world, from the swaggering cross-dressers of the Victorian Music Hall to the ambiguous boy-heroes of Mozart and Strauss, to the back-room bulldykes of the Harlem Renaissance. Commissioned and produced by Opera North Projects with the Southbank Centre touring partner Welcome to Yorkshire. The Girl I Left Behind Me is a provocative, flirtatious, personal one woman-guide which deliciously recalls a forgotten chapter of female performance.

The Girl I Left Behind Me will be performed at The Barbican Centre in November 2011 as part of the Bite Season.