The Girls Extends Booking Period

THE GIRLS BREAKS BOX OFFICE RECORD AT THE PHOENIX THEATRE

DUE TO PHENOMENAL DEMAND AND A RAPTUROUS RECEPTION

AT THE OPENING OF THE GIRLS

ADDITIONAL TUESDAY MATINEES ARE NOW BEING PUT ON SALE

AND BOX OFFICE EXTENDS THROUGH TO 15 JULY 2017

From Monday 27 February, the booking period for Gary Barlow and Tim Firth’s award-winning new British musical, THE GIRLS, will extend to 15 July 2017.  A Tuesday matinee will be introduced from 25 April.

 

THE GIRLS, based on the true story, the film and the award-winning play by Tim Firth, Calendar Girls, opened last night, Tuesday 21 February, at the Phoenix Theatre in London’s West End, where it had previewed from 28 January 2017.  The West End premiere follows sold-out runs at the Grand Theatre Leeds and the Lowry Salford late 2015/early 2016.  In the West End, the producers have made a commitment to there being no ‘premium-rated’ seats and no booking fees if tickets are purchased via the official show and theatre websites or direct from the theatre. 

 

The ‘Girls’ will be played by Debbie Chazen as Ruth, Sophie-Louise Dann as Celia, Michele Dotrice as Jessie, Claire Machin as Cora, Claire Moore as Chris and Joanna Riding as Annie.  Also in the cast will be Joe Caffrey as Rod, Jeremy Clyde as Denis, John Davitt as Doctor, Soo Drouet as Brenda, James Gaddas as John, Jenny Gayner as Miss Wilson (coffee), Steve Giles as Lawrence, Maxwell Hutcheon as Colin, Shirley Jameson as Miss Wilson (tea), Marian McLoughlin as Marie, Judith Street as Lady Cravenshire and Jane Lambert, Rebecca Louis, Victoria Blackburn and Frazer Hadfield, and introducing Josh Benson as Tommo, Ben Hunter as Danny and Chloe May Jackson as Jenny.

 

THE GIRLS is inspired by the true story of a group of ladies, who decide to appear nude for a Women’s Institute calendar in order to raise funds to buy a settee for their local hospital, in memory of one of their husbands, and have to date raised almost £5million for Bloodwise.  This musical comedy shows life in their Yorkshire village, how it happened, the effect on husbands, sons and daughters, and how a group of ordinary ladies achieved something extraordinary. 

 

THE GIRLS is directed by Tim Firth, with musical staging by Lizzi Gee, comedy staging by Jos Houben, design by Robert Jones, lighting design by Tim Lutkin, sound design by Terry Jardine and Nick Lidster, musical direction and orchestrations by Richard Beadle, with casting by Sarah Bird, and associate producer is U-Live.

 

THE GIRLS is produced by David Pugh & Dafydd Rogers and The Shubert Organization.

 

Bloodwise, the UK’s specialist blood cancer charity, will receive monies from this production.

 

Website            www.thegirlsmusical.com

Twitter               @thegirlsmusical

#TheGirls

Facebook         www.facebook.com/TheGirlsMusical

 

LISTINGS INFORMATION

 

Phoenix Theatre

110 Charing Cross Road

London WC2H 0JP

 

Box Office:  0844 871 7629

 

Ticket Prices: 

Previews: £25 / £35 / £45 / £55

After 24 February: £29.50 / £49.50 / £59.50 / £69.50

Group Rates: 6+ from £29.50

 

Performances until 22 April 2017: Monday to Saturday at 7.30pm, Thursday and Saturday matinee at 2:30pm

Performances from 25 April 2017: Tuesday to Saturday at 7.30pm, Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday matinee at 2.30pm

 

Running Time: 2½ hours including interval

Caroline Flack at Leeds Grand Theatre

STRICTLY COME DANCING WINNER CAROLINE FLACK AT LEEDS GRAND THEATRE

Winner of Strictly Come Dancing Caroline Flack will make her stage debut as Irene in the national tour of the acclaimed production of Crazy For You which is at Leeds Grand Theatre in August this year. Caroline joins the previously announced Tom Chambers as Bobby.

High energy, high kicking and gloriously glamorous, Crazy For You is the ultimate feel-good musical with a fabulous score from the Gershwin brothers’ songbook. Mistaken identities, plot twists, heartbreak, happiness and a wealth of memorable tunes including I Got Rhythm, They Can’t Take That Away From Me, Nice Work If You Can Get It and Embraceable You all feature in this exhilarating celebration of the great Broadway musicals.

Caroline Flack won the 12th season of Strictly Come Dancing in 2014. She currently presents ITV’s Love Island; her previous presenting credits include I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here NOW!, The Xtra Factor and The X Factor but before presenting, Caroline trained in musical theatre.

Tom Chambers created the role of Jerry Travers in the West End musical Top Hat, for which he was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical. In 2008 he won the 6th season of Strictly Come Dancing. He can currently be seen in the hit BBC drama Casualty; his other TV credits include Holby City and Waterloo Road. His recent stage credits include Private Lives and White Christmas in the West End.

Crazy For You is at Leeds Grand Theatre from Tuesday 29th August to Saturday 2nd September

 

Ticket are on sale now priced from £24.50 to £46.50

 

Book online at leedsgrandtheatre.com or call Box Office on 0844 848 2700

 

Fast-paced, bizarre “ultra-sound” comedy about pregnancy comes to Theatre N16

Full Pelt Theatre presents:


WOMBMATES
March 7th – March 11th 2017, Theatre N16

Full Pelt Theatre present their new show, Wombmates, a fast paced, bizarre new ultrasound comedy about two brothers, Eric and David, from conception to birth.

“I want to celebrate this young company’s ability to assault an audience with so much (…) they achieve what they need to just by performing the tension & hostility (& humour, & vulnerability) that comes before that violence” Meg Vaughan

The age old story of boy meets girl. Well boy meets boy – they’re brothers, in a womb. So more like sperm meets egg, becomes foetus and then a baby… or babies in this case, and one mother is in for a big surprise. All of that time in the womb gives these two little Geordies a chance to explore, discover and some questions to ponder. When their 9 months are up, is their really life after birth?

Using clowning, shadow puppetry and physical comedy, Full Pelt Theatre show pregnancy in a whole different light. With a lot of time together, full bellies from “womb” service, and the impending doom of birth, these two boys don’t quite know what is outside for them.

“Dart and Napier’s contribution can be held up as a credible mirror to this blight on British society. Names and faces to watch for” Paul Couch, The Reviews Hub

Full Pelt Theatre is a graduate company from East 15 Acting School, Winner of the BA Graduate Award 2016. They combine traditional and contemporary techniques to create and offer an exciting new brand of dynamic theatre with the aim of attracting new audience members. Their first show, The Going Away Days, written by Aaron Dart and directed by Aidan Napier, was selected for the Pulse Festival in Ipswich and the Plymouth Fringe Festival in May 2016. In November 2016 they had a sell-out run at The New Diorama Theatre as part of their Two-Night Stand scheme, supported by the Emerging Companies Fund.

Theatre N16 is a trailblazing theatre company, dedicated to creating a creative hub where new and existing works can be explored and pushed into new realms. Theatre N16 is proud of their commitment to the welfare of creatives, operating under an Equity Fringe Agreement. This promoting and nurturing of talent means that Theatre N16 is a bastion for development within the context of a society in which the arts are increasingly struggling to stay afloat

Celebrations at The Grand Theatre

A CELEBRATORY YEAR FOR LEEDS GRAND THEATRE

As National Theatre’s Olivier and Tony Award-winning production The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time takes to the stage at Leeds Grand Theatre next week, so begins a year of celebrations, firsts and winners for the venue as it prepares to welcome a wealth of entertainment to its stage.

The theatre’s year ahead includes the World Premiere of Northern Ballet’s Casanova, the first tour forcomedian Joel Dommett since he starred in I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, the first UK tour ofNational Theatre’s Jane Eyre (it’s also the 170th anniversary of the book’s publication), the first ever UK tour of La Cage aux Folles (many will remember the 1996 film version, The Birdcage, starring Robin Williams, Nathan Lane and Gene Hackman) and the first UK tour of Nativity! The Musical which lands, with perfect timing, in December.

There’s also last year’s Strictly Come Dancing Winner Joanne Clifton in Thoroughly Modern Millie, another two Strictly winners – Caroline Flack and Tom Chambers – in Crazy For You; it is the only Yorkshire venue for the West End smash-hit Mamma Mia! and it will host the World Premiere of Leeds’ own Kay Mellor’s Fat Friends The Musical.

It’s a very exciting programme for our audiences in 2017,” says The Grand’s General Manager Ian Sime. “We’re very proud to bring such a variety of entertainment to Yorkshire and be a part of the region’s cultural offering.”

Among the firsts and premieres, audiences can also see David Walliams’ Gangsta Granny, Evita, Count Arthur Strong, Shirley Valentine, Jon Richardson, The Play That Goes Wrong, Dirty Dancing and much more.

Philip Ridley’s dark 21st century fairytale comes to Theatre N16 in March

Second Sons presents:


DARK VANILLA JUNGLE
March 21st – March 31st 2017, Theatre N16

Philip Ridley’s magnificent, award-winning Dark Vanilla Jungle heads to Theatre N16 in March 2017, produced by Brighton Fringe Award nominated Second Sons. In this dark, 21st century fairytale, a lone actress tells the audience her story.

**** “ingenious” Broadway Baby on Swan Bake

Andrea keeps getting asked if she’s ashamed. Ashamed of what she did to the soldier. Of what she did to the baby. But Andrea’s not ashamed at all. And she wants to tell you why… A beautiful, breath-taking drama about a young girl’s quest for the perfect family & home revealing a biting commentary on abuses of power in a patriarchal society.

Actress Emily Thornton hails from Bradford, but moved down south to train at Italia Conti, and was recently a finalist of Monologue Slam UK. Her theatre credits include Ruth in Sex with a Stranger at The Pleasance Theatre and The Sanctuary at The Bread and Roses Theatre.

Samson Hawkins is a theatre maker from Northamptonshire who trained as an actor at both East 15 & Italia Conti. After graduating, he formed Second Sons Theatre Company to make “theatre for people who don’t like theatre.” Second Son’s first production, Swan Bake – the story of a drug-addicted ballerina – premiered at Sutton Theatres and was transferred to The Otherplace as part of the Brighton Fringe, where it was nominated for a Brighton Fringe Award for Excellence.

Samson directed Stephan Golaszewski’s Sex with a Stranger at the Pleasance Theatre in 2017. His other writing work includes Olympic Fencing, which was shortlisted for Soho Theatres Young Writer Award, and Death is Wasted on The Old, which was produced for The Scribble Festival. He is a member of Soho Writers Lab and The Royal Court Writers Group.

**** “a damn fine piece of theatre” London City Nights on Swan Bake

Sunny Afternoon Review

Grand Opera House York.  Reviewed by Michelle Richardson

The hit musical based on the music of The Kinks, Sunny Afternoon, music and lyrics written by Ray Davies, now playing at the Grand Opera House, York, running until Saturday 25th February.

Before I went I’d obviously heard of the Kinks and several of their songs, but I had no idea of their story, this show has made we want to find out. Playing to a packed audience, this musical tells the story of four raw and scruffy working class boys, brothers Ray and Dave Davies, Mick Avory and Pete Quaife, forming a band. From their beginnings in Muswell Hill to eventually conquering America. It is told through Ray Davies’ lyrics throughout the evening.

It is the classic story of a group making it into the big time but struggling under the pressure of touring, writing and recording. We see the infighting within the group, especially the brothers, with Dave’s descent into sex, drugs and rock’n’roll and his penchant for wearing women’s clothes. We are even treated to him swinging from a chandelier in a dress. After effectively getting kicked out of America by the unions, we see it all seemingly go pear shape, with squabbling, homesickness and resentment.

The hard working cast were faultless in their performances, both as actors and musicians. The choreography flowing seamlessly whilst singing and playing their instruments.

Both Ryan O’Donnell and Mark Newnham as Ray and Dave were compelling to watch. O’Donnell gives a strong performance as Ray, with his great vocals and portraying his sensitive side as he becomes disillusioned. Newnham delivers an outlandish portrayal of the younger brother, with his wild partying, all the while playing a mean guitar. They were both the stars of the show for me, though the rest of the cast were great.

The audience are dragged to their feet, though not much force was needed, as the band triumphantly returns to America and plays Madison Square Gardens and are treated to great performances of, amongst others, You Really Got Me and Waterloo Sunset. What a way to go out.

What an absolutely brilliant, amazing show! There was so much energy and at times the music felt like it could blow the roof off.

Get your tickets whilst you can, you will not be disappointed!

My Land’s Shore Review

Ye Olde Rose & Crown Theatre 7 – 26 February.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

The world premiere of My Land’s Shore attempts to bring the story of Dic Penderyn to an audience wider than the Welsh and trade unionists. It is a tale of injustice worth telling, with lessons about social injustice and class division still relevant today; but, in this form, sadly, I don’t think many will take notice. I come from stereotypical Welsh Labour stock, so really wanted to love this show, but was left underwhelmed.

Dic Penderyn was hanged after the Merthyr Rising of 1831. Protesting the lowered wages and unemployment among the workers as their masters lived lives of luxury, the Rising was put down by troops, and leaders Penderyn and Lewis Lewis were sentenced to death as a warning to future rebels.

Robert Gould’s book unfortunately gets bogged down in fitting the story into a traditional musical theatre arc, with clunky dialogue and exposition in between drinking songs, hidden secrets and red flag waving anthems. It’s been described as the Welsh Les Miz, and that’s is the show’s HUGE problem. The wooden set, all planks and doors to represent the pit and the miner’s hovels resembles the barricades, there’s even a dogged lawman determined to bring the men to justice, whatever the cost, who has a moment of doubt and conscience over the death of a young boy.

Christopher J. Orton’s music is rich and full of lovely themes, but begins to sound very familiar as the story progresses. The standout songs are Air for a wise Celtic fool (hauntingly sung by both Raymond Walsh and Aidan Banyard) and My land’s shore. The trial is also fantastic, if you block out the ridiculous voice over track. Why they didn’t stick to the idea of the masters and judge looking down on the workers from their scaffolds is a mystery. There is also, in my opinion, slightly too much blasting out one line and whispering the next in lots of the songs. I’m all for a bit of light and shade, but this is high noon in the Sahara and total eclipse in Siberia. It gets a little tedious and detracts from the emotion of the number.

The cast do well with what they’re given – Aidan Banyard and Rebecca Gilliland make a fine couple, and Taite-Elliot Drew is phenomenal as Sheriff Javert (sorry, Jenkins) in what is unbelievably his professional debut. Fine voices all round, and their march behind the red flag of revolution sends shivers down your spine.

There are some very entertaining sequences and the intent and passion of the writers and director Brendan Matthew is clear, but My Land’s Shore makes it seem as if the riots were suppressed very quickly, rather than showing the rioters take over the town and repel repeated attempts over the week to overthrow them as the insurrection spread amongst the valleys. In the show, it seems like a little localised spat, with an overreaction by the authorities – perhaps less focus on the women and more on the actual uprising would have created a show that Penderyn and his comrades deserve.

Beau Brummell an elegant madness Review

Jermyn Street Theatre 13 February – 11 March.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

The Beau Brummell of this play is a far cry from the image of the young dandy immortalised nearby in Jermyn Street. Bankrupt, insane and dependent on the charity of nuns, Brummell is living in a madhouse in Calais with valet Austin. Austin ushers in noble visitors for imaginary conversations with Brummell, full of repeated stories of his triumphs and theories. On the day the (real) king is visiting Calais, Brummell waits in deluded expectation for a personal visit and reunion after the very public end of their friendship years before.

The men’s relationship is like a Wildean Steptoe and Son, with Austin’s frantic calculations on his fingers of profit from a variety of potential money making schemes making you expect the man to start eating pickled onions in the tin bath. The ritual of dressing Brummell is given a holy treatment, as befitting his fixation with style, even in the soiled clothes he has left. Arms flung out in Messianic pose, with Austin shuffling around him on his knees, these scenes are funny and poignant.

Ron Hutchinson’s wordy and witty script is full of magical verbal interplay between the two characters, but not much happens, which may not be everybody’s cup of tea. There is more action and tension in the second act, when Austin’s true plans for the king are revealed, but the verbal sparring continues to great effect. The king’s arrival in Calais is treated with sly humour – Austin’s revolutionary fervour crumbling into dust in the face of English pomp and pageantry.

Seán Brosnan is perfect as Brummell, pompous and judgemental, pronouncing his words of wisdom about style and society like a preacher, but never allowing the audience to forget the underlying fear and madness with finely nuanced pauses and expressions. Richard Latham is full of contradictions as Austin, simmering resentment, tender care and self-preservation all swirling around in a complex and subtle performance.

A beautifully crafted play with wonderful sympathetic performances. Well worth a look.

A Clockwork Orange Review

Park Theatre 14 February – 18 March.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

Wow. Just wow.

Action To The Word’s production of A Clockwork Orange is a brilliant piece of theatre. A Clockwork Orange is one of those marmite novels/films that splits opinion, but director Alexandra Spencer-Jones has created a bold, raw and vital production that turns the ultra-violence into testosterone fuelled ballet.

Teenage Alexander DeLarge and his droogs terrorise society until Alex is finally arrested for murder. After two years in prison, he volunteers for a controversial new treatment that cures violence and criminality, and could see him released in two weeks. Broken society, disaffected youth, increasing violence and how the authorities deal with them are as relevant today as when Burgess wrote his novel, and this production takes a sideways view at frightening issues with humour and stylised violence that is stomach churning but fascinating, accompanied by a thumping soundtrack.

Performed in the round on a mostly bare stage, with black, white and orange accents being the only colours in the production, the acting style is almost Shakespearean – but this is Shakespeare on steroids, with a touch of Brecht thrown in (although that might just be the vests and braces). Jonno Davies is incredible as Alex – sizzling with animalistic energy and utterly credible as Alex veers between hedonism, viciousness, rage, compliance and fear, all fuelled by almost Messianic narcissism. His final monologue is perfection – seemingly reasonable and apologetic about his youthful misdemeanours, but ending with almost demonic laughter – reminding the audience of the unreliability of this horribly charming character. An unmissable and award-worthy performance. The all-male ensemble of 8 are fantastic, with Damien Hasson as Deltoid and the Prison Chaplain bringing the sole voices of reason in the play to life with a deft touch and Sebastian Charles’ lodger full of quiet menace.

This is a powerful and pulsating production that deserves a wider audience. It might even make you attempt to read the book.

Book of Mormon, Aladdin, RSC & their Audiences are 2016’s Bucket Champions!

Theatre MAD’s 2016 World Aids Day Theatre Bucket Collection nears £100,000

 

Book of Mormon, Aladdin, RSC & their Audiences are 2016’s Bucket Champions!

 

 

12/01/17 — TheatreMAD Make A Difference Trust today announced that it’s 2016 World AIDS Day bucket collection at West End theatres raised a record £93,359.29. The stars of this year’s collection were The Book of Mormonwhich raised a staggering £21,323.00 Disney’s Aladdin followed with £10,276.00 The Royal Shakespeare Company raised £7,201.00 Disney’s The Lion King were next with £5,896.00 and Les Miserables completed the top five with £5,814.00

Melanie Tranter, chair of the Make A Difference Trust said, “Thanks to the incredible generosity of the theatre going public and the hard work of the wonderful theatre community we had a record year.”

The money raised will allow the Trust to continue working with our partners in the United Kingdom and Sub Saharan-Africa to provide education awareness, care and support for those living with or affected by HIV and AIDS.