Month: June 2017

Richmond Theatre 27th June – 1st July.  Reviewed By Jessica Brady 

The Jukebox musical is often a chance for audiences to experience getting up close and personal with a musician or group of musicians they admire and never got the chance to see perform. Although the real artist isn’t performing on stage, their spirit is and BUDDY; The Buddy Holly Story is no exception.

The plot follows the incredibly talented Buddy Holly at the beginning of his career breaking into the music industry and ends with his tragic death at the young age of 22 in a plane crash near Clear Lake Iowa. Buddy [played by Alex Fobbester] is a musician who has been pigeon holed as a country singer from Texas but he has a lot more up his sleeve than that and defies the rules of his generation by bringing a strong rock and roll sound to his music but is met with resistance to begin with. Despite this, Buddy remains true to his band ‘The Crickets’ and his sound and gains huge success after a string of hits becoming one of the originators of rock and roll! It’s a show that allows you to get to know the man behind the hits, his intelligence and staying true to himself despite not looking like a rock and roller.

The versatile set was used as a recording studio, radio station and stage for Buddy and the Crickets performances amongst other things and if you close your eyes, it would be like you were listening to the old radio shows of the 50’s! This was a great way to make the show about the music and the quality Buddy Holly produced at a young age.

The multi-talented cast play instruments live on stage which brings the audience into the heart of the action and gives the feel of being at a real show of Buddy Holly. Alex Fobbester shares an uncanny resemblance to Buddy with the dark black rimmed glasses and is vocally identical giving a really authentic and incredible performance for the audience.

This show is perfect for anyone who loved Buddy Holly, the age of Rock and Roll, the fabulous 50’s and is a wonderful tribute to an incredible man. You will hear all your favourite tunes and be drawn into the charisma of a musician who had so much more to offer the world but the legacy he left behind is still very much alive and unlikely to be forgotten. Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story is going to have you toe tapping and singing along from start to finish so go see it at The Richmond Theatre before it ends or that’ll be the day that you’ll say goodbye at the chance to catch it!

Above The Arts Theatre 16 – 28 May.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

The Quentin Dentin Show is a wonderfully weird rock musical that takes a skewed and scathing look at the foibles of modern life.

Stagnating in a dead end relationship, Nat and Keith accidently summon the supernatural therapist Quentin Dentin to their flat. His methods are unusual to say the least, and just what is his hidden agenda?

The show starts quietly – as the audience takes their seats, the 3 piece band (led by Henry Carpenter – writer, composer and musical director) plays waiting room muzak while 3 eccentric white clad characters explore the place like childlike robots. The Voice (Freddie Fullerton) chooses one of the friends to be the next Quentin Dentin and get 2 humans to sign up to “The Programme”, and Nat and Keith are introduced. They find a magical golden microphone, Quentin Dentin appears and the show explodes into two of the most unpredictable and insane two hours of your life.

Quentin finds the couple two friends and makes them live out their fantasies – using only a sofa as a prop, we are taken to art galleries, under the sea, and outer space – but nothing makes them happy, and nobody likes you if you’re not happy!

The story is basically bonkers, but brilliant – any show that includes songs about lemons, space (“there’s literally no pressure!”) and the ocean (that plays like “Under the Sea” on a bad acid trip), showcases the worst gold lamé suit ever created and makes everything that happened to Alice in Wonderland seem completely logical is a sure fire hit. Since I first saw this show, Henry Carpenter and Tom Crowley have added extra songs and scenes and made a tight one hour production into a more meandering show. Yes, it’s interesting to see more of Quentin’s initial conflict, but the best lines and songs were already there, and the extra material doesn’t really add that much that is different to the story in my opinion. It’s still brilliantly entertaining though, and the audience members who hadn’t seen the previous version loved it.

Luke Lane is still phenomenal as Quentin. It’s as if someone distilled John Barrowman, Edmund Blackadder, Billy Graham, Jerry Springer and Marge Proops, added a gazillion blue Smarties and shook vigorously. He belts out his songs and is hysterical as he becomes more and more manic when his methods keep failing. His lines are delivered with sly and oily charm at first but soon he is threatening to insert stress eggs into Nat and Keith’s bodies, twitching and shouting “It’s not fascism if it’s good for you!”

Shauna Riley and Max Panks are great as Nat and Keith – more an owner/pet relationship than two adults as he bounds around the set like a puppy. Freya Tilly and Lottie-Daisy Francis as Friends 1 and 2 are full of energy, very funny and pop up all over the place.

A fantastic production. You don’t need therapy to be happy, just go see The Quentin Dentin Show.

Arts Theatre 22 June – 15 July.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

No red carpet for Rotterdam’s opening night, but a Pride rainbow instead as the Olivier award winning play returns to the West End.

New Year’s Eve in Rotterdam, and after painstakingly drafting and redrafting an email to her parents to finally come out after being with her girlfriend Fiona for 7 years, and finally summoning up the courage to press send, Alice is stopped in her tracks by Fiona’s sudden announcement that she knows she’s a man and needs to transition. Fiona begins the journey to becoming Adrian, with Alice’s apparent support, but their relationship comes under pressure as Alice begins to question her own feelings and identity.

This phenomenal play tells a transgender story with heart and honesty, but it doesn’t matter whether you’re gay, straight, trans or cis; the question of who we are, and how we want the world to see us and accept us is universal, and Rotterdam strikes a chord with the entire audience. Jon Brittain has created wonderfully rounded and layered characters that are relatable, funny and sympathetic. Although the laughs come thick and fast, the scenes where characters talk seriously about their emotions are wonderfully written. The scene where Fiona describes how it feels to be trapped in that body is brilliantly written and performed, and had a few people around me reaching for their hankies. No histrionics, just eloquent sadness and pain. When Fiona tells her parents over the phone, you could have heard a pin drop in the theatre as we waited for her reaction to their (unheard) reply – the audience is invested in these characters lives wholly and quickly thanks to the inspired writing and performances.

Alice McCarthy gives a beautifully nuanced performance as Alice. Uptight and thoroughly British, and stuck in a self-imposed rut, Alice hides behind politeness and will do anything to avoid confrontation. McCarthy’s posture, sideways glances and pursed lips allow glimpses of the fire beneath, and when she finally lets rip, you almost want to cheer. Anna Martine Freeman is stunning, brilliantly convincing as Fiona/Adrian with subtle changes to her performance as Adrian transitions that are fantastically judged. As Alice sees the woman she loves become a man, her confusion and anger are given an outlet by workmate Lelani (Ellie Morris). Loud, gay and hedonistic, Lelani tempts Alice to finally try new things. Morris is a hoot as Lelani, with a fantastic Dutch accent and OTT mannerisms that manage to keep this selfish character likeable. Lelani’s judgemental pronouncements about life are in stark contrast to Josh (the fantastic Ed Eales-White), a delightfully well-meaning and loveable character who acts as the voice of reason and reconciliation in the play. He is the one both Alice and Adrian turn to, and although he cannot say anything without putting both feet in his mouth, Josh understands them better than they do, and his love for them both is cleverly written, with his stupendously silly metaphors and jokes being a real treat.

Director Donnacadh O’Briain keeps the pace brisk without rushing important quieter moments, and the inspired set design, full of hidden doors and shelves that feels a little like an Ikea display, allows fast scene changes and prop movement by the cast, in character, accompanied by a stonking soundtrack.

Rotterdam is a simply brilliant play that deserves a long run. It begins conversations and helps fight prejudices without ever becoming preachy and self-important. It is basically a clever, funny and emotional story about the power of love – people NEED to go and see it.

THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE CANNOT BE DENIED

BILL KENWRIGHT PRESENTS FOR A STRICTLY LIMITED SEASON

The West End return of TIM RICE and ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER’S

MUSICAL MASTERPIECE

EVITA

The story of an ordinary woman’s meteoric rise to power at a time of extraordinary political unrest, Evita is set to captivate West End audiences again as it makes a much anticipated return to London, playing 12 weeks at the Phoenix Theatre from 28 July – 14 October 2017, with a press Gala performance on Wednesday 2^nd August at 7pm.

The season marks the 65^th anniversary of the death of Eva Perón which will be commemorated in Argentina in July. This enigmatic figure, whose rise from humble beginnings to extraordinary wealth and power is immortalised in the musical Evita, passed away on 26 July 1952 and was laid in state exactly 65 years prior to the commencement of this latest West End season.

Taking on the iconic role of Eva Perón is one of musical theatre’s most exciting young leading ladies Emma Hatton, who has performed the lead role of Elphaba in the West End production of Wicked, the principle roles of Scaramouche and Meatloaf in We Will Rock You at the Dominion Theatre, and Donna in the West End production of Dreamboats and Petticoats.

Leading Italian performer Gian Marco Schiaretti plays Che, a character who reflects the voice of the Argentine people. Linked to Eva by destiny; he brings balance to the story of Eva’s rise to fame. Gian Marco Schiaretti most recently played the title role of Tarzan in Disney’s Musical Tarzan, in Stuttgart. Prior to this he played Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet across Italy.

The cast is completed by Oscar Balmaseda, Sarah O’Connor, George Arvidson, Lewis Barnshaw, Jessica Ellen, Callum Fitzgerald, Kellie Gnauck, Dominic Adam Griffin, Joe McCourt, Jude Neill, Jordan Oliver, Chrissie Perkins, Oliver Slade, Matias Stegmann and Yuval Zoref.

Telling the story of Eva Perón, wife of former Argentine dictator Juan Perón, Evita follows Eva’s journey which ultimately lead her to be heralded as the ‘spiritual leader of the nation’ by the Argentine people.

With more than 20 major awards to its credit, and an Oscar winning film version starring Madonna and Antonio Banderas, Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita is iconic. Featuring some of the best loved songs in musical theatre, including Don’t Cry for Me Argentina, On This Night of a Thousand Stars, You Must Love Me, and Another Suitcase in Another Hall, this spectacular production promises to be the theatrical event of the summer. Don’t miss the chance to see Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s extraordinary musical Evita in the West End.

www.kenwright.com

‘DOWNTON ABBEY’ ACTRESS LAURA CARMICHAEL

TO CO-STAR WITH

 

STOCKARD CHANNING

Tony and Emmy Award Winner

in

 

By ALEXI KAYE CAMPBELL

Olivier Award Winner

Directed by JAMIE LLOYD

Olivier Award Winner

TRAFALGAR STUDIOS

29^th July – 18^th November

 

Final casting has been announced for Apologia, which will begin previews on 29^th July at Trafalgar Studios. Laura Carmichael will join previously announced Tony and Emmy award winner Stockard Channing, Freema Agyeman, Joseph Millson and Olivier Award winner Desmond Barrit in a new production of Alexi Kaye Campbell’s darkly funny and haunting play about family and its secrets, directed by Jamie Lloyd.

 

Laura Carmichael is best known for her hugely popular portrayal of ‘Lady Edith Crawley’ in ITV’s award winning series DOWNTON ABBEY.  She was last seen on stage at the Trafalgar Studios playing ‘Mistress’ in the Jamie Lloyd adaptation of THE MAIDS, Jean Genet’s intense psychological thriller.  Laura’s most recent film appearance was her portrayal of ‘Muriel Williams’ in Amma Asante’s feature A UNITED KINGDOM.

 

Laura says: I’m thrilled to be joining this wonderfully talented cast of Apologia. Alexi Kaye Campbell’s play deeply moved me, as well as making me laugh; it really took me through every emotion, so I think audiences will be in for a treat. I know what a brilliant experience it is to have Jamie Lloyd as a director, so I’m delighted to be working with him again, and to be returning to Trafalgar Studios.”

 

Carmichael will play the role of Trudi, the American partner of Peter (Joseph Millson), who is the older son of Kristin Miller (Stockard Channing).  Miller is a firebrand liberal matriarch and eminent art historian. A birthday gathering should be a cause for celebration but the cracks in her family relationships are brought to the surface by the recent publication of her memoir. As the darkly funny evening progresses, secrets emerge about the sacrifices she has made and about the price paid by those she loves.

 

 

Apologia follows Olivier Award winning Alexi Kaye Campbell’s critical success with The Pride and his acclaimed plays Sunset at The Villa Thalia at the National Theatre and The Faith Machine at the Royal Court Theatre.

 

This production marks the return to the Trafalgar Studios of the multi-award winning Jamie Lloyd,following his critically acclaimed productions of The Ruling Class and Macbeth starring James McAvoy and his hit production with Martin Freeman of Richard III.

 

Apologia is produced by Howard Panter for Trafalgar Entertainment Group, DB Productions and Broadway’s Dodger Theatricals.

 

The producers of Apologia are also delighted to continue Jamie Lloyd’s pioneering commitment to ensuring that tickets to the highest quality West End dramas remain affordable and accessible, particularly to younger audience members. As such two exciting new ticketing initiatives are announced for the production:

 

·         TODAYTIX £15 RUSH EXCLUSIVE: In partnership with TodayTix, a daily rush scheme will see the front row for every performance sold at £15, allowing people to access the best seats via the app.

 

·         £25 UNDER 25 RATE: A general under 25s rate of £25 (redeemable for any standard-priced seat, subject to availability at time of booking) will also be available throughout the run forevery performance Monday – Thursday. This rate will be available through ATG Tickets.

Dates:                                   Saturday 29^th July – Saturday 18^th November
Press night:                        Thursday 3^rd August at 7.00pm 
Performances:                  Monday – Saturday at 7:30pm, Thursday and Saturday matinees at 2:30pm

Access Performances:  Wednesday 13^th September (Captioned performance)

Wednesday 4^th October (Audio described)

Box Office:                         www.atgtickets.com/trafalgarstudios / 0844 871 7632
Ticket Prices:                     From £15
Twitter:                               @ApologiaPlay  @TrafStudios      

York Theatre Royal – until 1 July 2017.  Reviewed by Michelle Richardson

Written by Bridget Foreman and directed by Julie Forster and Katie Posner, Everything is Possible – The York Suffragettes is York Theatre Royal and Pilot Theatre’s latest large scale community production. In total 350 volunteers gave up their time to bring the story to the stage, with a cast of around 150.

We started with being directed to the Piazza outside The York Minster where we were confronted by a mass of people demonstrating, all dressed in modern clothing. Amongst the demonstrators, holding placards, people were singing and playing musical instruments, the energy was palatable. It was all very confusing but we all got carried away, especially with the singing, and joined in with the chanting and demonstrating. I believe the majority of us were either cast members or audience, but there were certainly some tourists thrown into the mix, probably thoroughly confused by what was going on. Suddenly the suffragettes appear, giving a speech and making their stand, before being moved on by the police of the early 20th century and we march back to the theatre. This was certainly a novel introduction to the show and heightened the anticipation for what was to come. I must admit that it has probably been 30 years ago since I last demonstrated, very nostalgic.

The story is about Anne Seymour Pearson and her journey with the suffragettes. She is played by Barbara Marten, most noted for her role in Casualty. We see her getting sucked into the movement by injustice inflicted upon others. After being jailed she becomes more involved and we are treated to the general history of the suffragettes and Emmeline Pankhurst. At times this was quite harrowing, especially the force feeding scene. Amongst the acting we are treated to several newsreels from the day, even Emily Davison’s death at the Derby where everything seemed to change in their favour. Unfortunately that took a lot longer because of the Great War. But change it did, with women getting the right to vote in 1918, but only if they were over the age of 30, women over the age of 21 did not get to vote until 1928.

We are left with a polling station from the present day with all being able to vote.

Marten was the definite star, but the community actors were excellent. Even though the cast was huge, I did not feel that there were too many and it was easy to follow. The first act was actually quite gripping, the second, not so much so, it seemed quite hurried and rushed. In the second act there is what I can only describe as a comedy sketch and although it was quite humorous I am not convinced that it needed to be there, I suppose it did lighten the mood.

I’m glad to see that at the end we got to see the whole cast including the choir, who had been hidden from our view the whole time, providing us with some fantastic singing.

This was such a powerful production and amazing to think this is a community collaboration. All that is left for me to say is well done and thank you to everyone involved and I thoroughly recommend that you catch it whilst you can.

Showing at York Theatre Royal until Saturday 1st July, only the evening performances start outside.

London Coliseum 20 June – 22 August – Reviewed by Claire Roderick

Loud and gloriously OTT, this is one hell of a musical. Featuring classic songs from Meatloaf’s Bat Out Of Hell albums, this isn’t just a jukebox musical. The songs on the original album were all from Jim Steinman’s rock musical based on Peter Pan, and now 40 years on, Bat Out Of Hell comes to the stage as a fully formed and furiously entertaining show.

In 2100, Manhattan (Obsidian) has been shorn from the USA and is ruled by billionaire, and Commander-in-Chief, Falco. He lives in a tower with his name plastered over it in huge letters, has ostentatious taste in interior design, but doesn’t appear to be on Twitter. Falco’s plans for improving Obsidian are constantly thwarted by the Lost, a gang of teenagers who never age (the cause of their mutation and a little flavour of Obsidian is revealed in a copy of The Obsidian Times, placed on each seat and well worth a read before the show starts). Falco’s daughter, Raven, falls in love with the leader of the Lost, Strat, but Falco will stop at nothing to keep his daughter safely locked in his tower.

Plot wise then, nothing original, but a brilliantly cheesy and knowing riff on Romeo and Juliet meets Peter Pan (I would have been perfectly willing to clap on cue to revive poor Tink) that at times feels like Glee does Escape From New York. It’s hysterically melodramatic and daft, but that’s what makes it SO GOOD. Steinman’s songs are weaved into the story and his very cliched book feels like an extension of some of the overly dramatic lyrics. These characters only seem to show their true emotions through song – and that’s just fine with me. I never thought I’d be welling up at Objects In The Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are, but Patrick Sullivan, Giovanni Spanó and Dom Hartley-Harris are heart-breaking as the Lost sing about their past. Hartley-Harris and smoky voiced Danielle Steers are a fantastic double act as Jagwire and Zahara, with storming versions of Dead Ringer for Love and Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad. Rob Fowler as Falco and Sharon Sexton as his wife Sloane have incredible chemistry and provide most of the laughs. Christina Bennington is amazing as Raven, switching between full belt and pure simple notes in a heartbeat, and Andrew Polec as Strat is just phenomenal. Polec has the stage presence of a seasoned rock frontman, and how that tiny frame can produce such a huge voice is a mystery.

Every song is a joy, with the entire cast providing impeccable vocals, and the staging of Bat Out Of Hell and I Would Do Anything For Love as act finales was superb. Emma Portner’s quirky choreography might not be to everyone’s taste, but the routine to Paradise By the Dashboard Light is inspired lunacy, in fact that whole number is one of the best things I’ve seen on stage for a long time, with Fowler and Sexton almost bringing the house down as they writhed on the car. And what happens to the car is genius.

The set is dystopian, with banks of TV screens, tunnel mouths and industrial looking buildings. The lighting is wonderfully evocative, reminiscent of familiar rock videos and, at one point, The Adventure Game (I’m probably showing my age here, but we were hoping someone would wheel on an aspidistra). All the elements of this show fit together perfectly, creating an unmissable production that you will want to see again and again.

The Majestic are proud to present High School Musical from the talented students from Darlington College Performing Arts course

Disney Channel’s smash hit movie musical comes to life on your stage! Troy, Gabriella and the students of East High must deal with issues of first love, friends and family while balancing their classes and extracurricular activities.

 

Disney’s High School Musical is fun for the whole family. So buy your tickets now to avoid disappointment!

 

With Performances Thursday 29 June to Sunday 2 July

A message from the students below

 

“As we want to encourage more people to come and see our shows that are performed by our talented Darlington College Performing Arts students, our Thursday show will be priced on a Pay What You Decide basis. This means our audience will not have to pay until after you have seen our show.  This not only allows you to pay what you can afford, rather than a fixed ticket price, but also removes the financial risk of buying a ticket for a show in advance without knowing whether you are going to enjoy it or not”

 

Tickets are priced £10 on the other days are available from http://www.majestic-tickets.co.uk

Cast announced for Antic Disposition’s Richard III
UK Cathedral Tour: 14th July – 28th July 2017
Temple Church, London: 22nd August – 9th September 2017

This summer, award-winning theatre company Antic Disposition present a thrilling new production of Shakespeare’s Richard III, which will be staged in six of England’s most historic cathedrals and London’s ancient Temple Church this summer.

Joining Antic Disposition for the first time, Toby Manley (Alice’s Adventures Underground; Look Left Look Right’s The Caravan; Early Days at the Finborough) will take on the principal role of Richard III in this darkly comic drama. The cast also includes Antic Disposition regulars Chris Courtenay, William de Coverly, Alex Hooper, Charles Neville, Jill Stanford, Louise Templeton and Bryony Tebbutt, alongside company newcomers Joe Eyre, Robert Nairne and Jess Nesling.

The tour will include two special performances in Leicester Cathedral – the first production of Richard III to be performed in the building since the king’s remains were discovered buried under a nearby car park and reinterred in the Cathedral in 2015. Antic Disposition’s Richard III also visits Ely, Peterborough, Gloucester, Bristol and Salisbury Cathedrals.

The Wars of the Roses are over and King Edward IV rules England. But his brother, Richard, is in no mood to celebrate. With murder, deceit and dark humour as his weapons, Richard overcomes friends and foes alike to seize the crown. But as the body count rises, he soon learns that a throne founded on blood offers little security.

Richard III concludes at Temple Church in London for a run of fifteen performances. Located in the secluded and tranquil heart of London’s legal quarter between Fleet Street and the River Thames, Temple Church was built by the Knights Templar in the 12th Century and is one of London’s most beautiful and historic buildings. Known for its unusual circular design, Temple Church recently gained fame as a key location in Dan Brown’s novel, The Da Vinci Code.

Award-winning theatre company Antic Disposition, founded by director Ben Horslen and director/designer John Risebero, is best known for presenting innovative and visually striking productions of classic plays and stories in spectacular historic buildings. Past productions include A Christmas Carol in Middle Temple Hall, The Comedy of Errors in Gray’s Inn Hall and Henry V, which recently toured twelve UK cathedrals marking the centenary of the First World War and Shakespeare400.