Month: April 2018

David King for Summer Holiday Theatre Ltd presents

FULL CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR BRAND NEW STAGE MUSICAL

 

SUMMER HOLIDAY

2018 UK TOUR

 

TV/STAGE FAVOURITE AND DANCING ON ICE STAR RAY QUINNPLAYS DON, THE ROLE MADE FAMOUS BY CLIFF RICHARD

 

MUCH LOVED ENTERTAINER BOBBY CRUSH IS LONG-SUFFERING AGENT, JERRY

Brand new stage musical Summer Holiday is set to tour the UK from May 2018, with the famous red double-decker bus making its first stop at the Liverpool Empire on Tuesday 8^th May.

Based on the iconic 1960’s film of the same name, starring Cliff Richard and The Shadows, Summer Holiday will include all of the number one hits from the movie, plus some additional Cliff Richard classics.

Taking on the lead role of Don made famous by Cliff Richard, is singer-songwriter Ray Quinn. Ray shot to fame as the runner-up in ITV1’s The X Factor in 2006. This spurned a career in both music and of late musicals, with his debut album ‘Doing it My Way’ entering the charts at Number 1, and quickly gaining platinum status. Ray is perhaps best known of late for ‘doing the double’ on ITV1’s hugely successful show Dancing on Ice, winning for the first time in 2009, and then again on Dancing on Ice: Champion of Champions in 2014. Ray’s theatre credits include Danny Zuko in Grease (West End), Dirty Dancing (West End), Legally Blonde (UK Tour) and most recently, The Wedding Singer (UK Tour).

The role of Jerry, the long-suffering agent, will be played by Bobby Crush for the first eight weeks of the tour. Famous in the UK for 45 years primarily as a pianist, but also as a songwriter, actor, broadcaster and television presenter, Bobby rose to fame after six winning appearances onOpportunity Knocks (ITV). West End successes include three seasons at the London Palladium alongside Jack Jones, Vic Damone and Dame Julie Andrews. He also spent a year with Max Bygraves in SwingalongaMax at the Victoria Palace and was chosen to appear for Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother at The Royal Variety Performance. Bobby has also appeared in four musicals starring as Dr. Frank N. Furter in The Rocky Horror Show, Vernon Gersch in They’re Playing Our Song, L.M. in Pump Boys and Dinettes and Billy Flynn in Chicago at top theatres around the United Kingdom. Bobby’s debut album ‘Bobby Crush’ reached the UK top 20, and he plays the role of Pharaoh on Pickwick’sJoseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. TV credits include two series of Sounds Like Music(ITV) as the show’s host, and most recently, Bobby has been playing Billy Sparkle in the popular TV comedy Benidorm (ITV). Bobby can currently be seen on a major new series for ITV called Last Laugh in Vegas, which documents Bobby’s American debut alongside 7 other legendary British acts and their adventure to star in a Las Vegas show.

Sophie Matthew plays runaway singer, Barbara, with Taryn Sudding taking on the role of Stella, her controlling fame-hungry mother. Sophie is best known for playing the role of Sarah in Our House (UK Tour), and also played the role of Ginny in Humans (Channel 4). Taryn Sudding played Angie in the 1997 production of Summer Holiday. She is most well-known for playing Bombalurina in Cats across the world over a fourteen-year period, including in the original South African production. Other notable roles include Grace Farrell in Annie (South African Production), and Elsa in The Sound of Music (SA and international tour).

Billy Roberts (Steve), Joe Goldie (Edwin) and Rory Maguire (Cyril) play Don’s fellow London Transport mechanics. Billy Roberts is best known for playing Emmo in Our House (UK Tour); Joe Goldie’s credits include playing Scooby-Doo in Scooby-Doo Live! Musical Mysteries (London Palladium; UK Arena Tour) and Rory Maguire played Peter Pan/Ensemble in Shrek The Musical (UK and Ireland Tour), and 2^nd cover Pepper in Mamma Mia! (UK Tour).

Gabby Antrobus (Mimsie), Alice Baker (Alma) and Laura Marie Benson (Angie) play girl singing group ‘Do-Re-Mi!’. Gabby was in the ensemble for Monty Python Live (Mostly): One Down Five To Go, choreographed by Arlene Phillips at the O2 arena, and broadcast around the world. Other credits include Dirty Dancing (UK Tour) and most recently Olga Mara/ensemble in Singin’ In The RainRevival (Theatre Musical de Paris-Chatelet). Alice Baker is best known for playing Gloria and Millie inThoroughly Modern Millie (UK Tour). Alice also played Baby in Secret Cinema’s production of Dirty Dancing. Laura Marie Benson is best known for playing Alice and Miss Flannery in Thoroughly Modern Millie (UK Tour).

The cast is completed by Hannah Barr (Female Ensemble), Becky Bassett (Female Character),Caroline Bateson (Resident Choreographer); William Beckerleg (Male Character); Adam Crossley(Male Ensemble, Dance Captain); Sam Gallacher (Male Ensemble); Leanne Groutage (Female Ensemble) and Matt Trevorrow (Male Ensemble).

Summer Holiday tells the story of Don and his fellow London Transport mechanics as they journey together in a red double-decker bus through Paris, the Alps, Italy and Greece. Along the way they pick up a girl singing group and a young American pop star who is on the run from her domineering mother!

This hit – filled musical features many of 1960’s biggest songs including In the Country, Summer Holiday, Travellin’ Light, Bachelor Boy, Move It, Living Doll, The Young Ones and On the Beach.

Tickets for Summer Holiday are on sale now and can be purchased atwww.summerholidaythemusical.co.uk

WEBSITE| TWITTER

 

SUMMER HOLIDAY

 

Stage Adaptation by Michael Gyngell and Mark Haddigan

 

Based on the film SUMMER HOLIDAY, Directed by Peter Yates

Screenplay by Ronald Cass and Peter Myers

By special arrangement with StudioCanal

 

Orchestrations by Keith Strachan

 

Presented by arrangement with

Music Theatre International (Europe) Limited

On behalf of Josef Weinberger Limited

 

Executive Producer

David King

 

Director and Choreographer

Racky Plews

Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford – until 14 April 2018.  Reviewed by Heather Chalkley

4****

The shock of the opening scene set the pace and tone for the rest of the play. The combination of a clever set, hearing the loud voices in his head and the performance of Dean Smith as Joe Herbert, immediately locked you into his character. His loneliness and sense of being lost was tangible and you knew he was going to jump in front of the train. All that without him speaking a word! Followed swiftly by the rescue of Joe by Sandor Wincanton, played by Joe Eyre. The scene completed dramatically with the dark and cold announcement that Joe Herbert’s life now belonged to Sandor. He had become the Gallowglass or ‘chieftains slave’. The change in demeanor of Joe Eyre’s Sandor was swift and the acceptance by Dean Smith’s Joe Herbert instant.

The story is about a kidnapper that fell in love with his victim and wants to recreate the perceived love they shared, including the crime! You realise that Ruth Rendell has written into the storyline hostage victims on more than one level: Joe Herbert as The Gallowglass; the wife, Nina Abbott, is the princess in her fortress; Sandor Wincanton trapped in his own delusion of love. It would take a sharp mind to keep up with the pace of the piece and solve the plot line before it unfolds.

Joe Eyre portrayed a controlling, maniacal character, using an unhinged laugh and cut throat razor to full effect. His character Sandor was a frightening caricature in direct contrast to a believable, likeable Joe Herbert by Dean Smith. Despite being written in 1990 the storyline has a relevance today, mirroring the rise in serious crime committed by young males suffering issues with mental health. It opens the debate anew.

Florence Cady gave her character Nina Abbott, the grace and confidence of a wealthy woman who will never want for anything. She added a realistic vulnerability and desperation, searching for a way out of the hell she was living, using her sexuality as a means of escape in the way she always had.

Humour was injected into the play by two characters. Firstly Tilley, played by Rachael Hart with a keen sense of survival, hard, brash and who loved her brother Joe. One of my favorite moments was the dynamic scene where Sandor is holding the cut throat to Nina’s neck and Tilley is asking for the phone number, so she can make sure they get their money before Sandor commits murder! More humour comes from Karen Drury’s Diane, the well healed mother of Sandor. Her selfishness and inappropriate behaviour is both shocking and funny, delivered with spot on timing.

Paul Garnett is the lonely father, trying to do the best by his daughter. A solid believable, if not slightly mysterious character, played by Paul Opacic. His interaction with Eva Sayer as his daughter Jessica was a well balanced performance. I was impressed with Eva Sayer’s portrayal of Jessica, forgetting that she was not actually an 11 year old school girl!

Michael Lunney’s direction and design, cleverly used projected backdrops of real scenes, alongside spot on sound effects, that together built the tension and atmosphere. Scrims enabled him to create more than one scene on stage at a time, sustaining a fast paced tempo.

I believe Ruth Rendell would be pleased with the twist in the final scene, delivering a macabre end to a suspense filled, desperately gloomy storyline.

Leeds Grand Theatre – Until 14th April 2018.  Reviewed By Dawn Smallwood

4****

Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace, successful tango performers, are well known for their roles in the very popular BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing and also on the Strictly Come Dancing Live tour. Since then, for the past few years, they have been involved with three well received shows, nominated twice for national awards, Midnight Tango, Dance ‘Til Dawn and The Last Tango.

Vincent and Flavia are starring in and co-choreographing Tango Moderno, a new show which is doing a national tour this year with the last stop being made at the Leeds Grand Theatre. Tango Moderno, under the direction and choreography of Karen Bruce, is a production that explores deeply how tango has evolved and dance revolved since its creation in Buenos Aires in the 1930s. Tango certainly hasn’t looked back since.

The production opens up with the backdrop of the neighbourhood street and a nightly ambience with James Whiteside’s lighting ingenuity. It introduces the concept of the tango and how expression and passion can be expressed this way and how universal this dance is.

The pulsating energy from the dancing with Vincent and Flavia leading the company transfixes the audience from beginning to end. The synchronised dancing is choreographed harmoniously in a number of scenes. With Morgan Large’s innovative, creative and colourful stage set, each scene opens up either with a social or a personal theme and the dancing demonstrates how versatile and adaptive tango is. Each of the scenes shows how the social and technological landscape changes and how people’s life evolves and revolves around them. This is the same vein with the tango and how the times has kept the dance genre afresh today with added renaissance.

With an on live band on stage and talented singers, Tango Moderno, is sung and danced to a variety of musical hits ranging from classical to modern reflecting the versatility of the tango. The stand out performance must be the incredible passionate finale by Vincent and Flavia at the end of the show with Oliver Lewis’ live violin accompaniment of Vittorio Monti’s Czardes.

Tango Moderno is not just a handful of ballroom tango sequences but it explores broader and deeper. The production is a testimony to how tango has evolved from its origins back in the 19th Century and continues to revolve into the 21st Century. It is successfully delivered by a group of very talented dancers and singers and of course the main attraction is Vincent and Flavia. It is a very enjoyable and entertaining production which should embark on another tour.

New Wimbledon Theatre, London – until 14 April.  Reviewed by Nicky Wyatt

4****

Transported back to the golden era of film for this production. A story which encompasses feelings of passion, power, desperation, love and sadness.

Joe Gillis (Danny Mac) is an average writer, scratching around for his next job. He looks the part, even talks the part but no one is giving him the part. After knocking on doors and narrowly evading the debt collectors he heads off in his car, which happens to break down outside this old mansion. Knocking the door for some assistance he is mistaken for an undertaker and invited inside. It soon becomes clear that the mansion is in fact the home of silver screen star Norma Desmond (Ria Jones) who lives there with her ex husband who is now her butler Max Von Meyerling (Adam Pearce)

Not only is Max her butler but also her protector, biggest fan and fixer, he sorts everything for her. He is a man with an amazing voice and a huge presence on stage with the ability to produce some great one liners.

The untimely breakdown of Joe’s car leads him on a path he hadn’t expected, when Norma asks him to rewrite her own film. The film that she believes will relaunch her back to the No 1 status on the big screen. The reality is that both he and Max know it’s not the big hit she thinks it will be. However the offer of regular pay helps Joe overlook this and he moves in , initially into the spare room but eventually he stays with Norma.

Norma the quite sad delusional star of yesteryear that just can’t let go of the past. Is also clever in a controlling way, flattering the much younger Joe with gifts she keeps him at home working and living with her. Meanwhile he is missing the buzz of his old life and still hankers after it. Meeting up with old friend Artie (Dougie Carter) and his fiance Betty ( Molly Lynch) sparks a new trail for him, when Betty wants to rework one of his scripts . He agrees and leaves her to it . Their working relationship develops into a more personal relationship which Joe decides to pursue with devastating consequences.

I felt this to he quite a sad story but this exceptional cast tell it so well with an amazing energy. The cleverly designed set which shows how grand it once was is moved by the cast and crew effortlessly. Everyone on the stage hit every note in every song and they were led by the brilliant orchestra and musical director Adrian Kirk. Rapturous applause throughout and a well deserved standing ovation at the end.

Yesterday saw the official launch of Elliott & Harper Productions’ Company at Joe Allen in Covent Garden. Director Marianne Elliott, Rosalie Craig (Bobbi), Mel Giedroyc (Sarah) and Broadway legend Patti LuPone (Joanne) talked about the show with Stephen Sondheim’s official biographer David Benedict, and their respect and love for Sondheim was clear from the outset as they described how they first discovered Sondheim’s work, with Giedroyc and LuPone sharing a bonding moment as they waxed lyrical about their love for West Side Story.

Elliott explained that in her search for shows with older female protagonists, the re-gendering of Bobbi was something that didn’t immediately appeal to her; but after revisiting Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s musical, she realised that the relationship issues the male Bobby is dealing with in 1970 don’t apply anymore and have shifted to women in the 21st century. After watching footage of Rosalie Craig workshopping the show, and hearing that a young male camera operator’s bemused comment when told that Bobbi was originally male was “How would that work?”, Sondheim was sold on the concept.

Patti LuPone explained that the only reason that she had come out of self-imposed retirement from musicals was the chance to work with Marianne Elliott. Mel Giedroyc was on top irreverent and self-deprecating form, obviously slightly in awe of LuPone, joking that as soon as she was told that she would be eating a brownie on stage, she was in.

There was a hairy, but hysterical, moment when Ms LuPone was interrupted mid answer by a mobile phone, with Mel rushing to help the mortified owner switch it off, but LuPone took it in good grace “We’re not in a theatre!” and revealed that she thought audiences in New York were becoming more aware of their fellow theatre goers and behaving more appropriately.

Elliott shared her ideas about the changed dynamics of couples in the show, with some gender swapped, but no same-sex couples (but it’s a few months before the show opens – things could change) and stressed that Sondheim will be involved at every stage of the production.

Rosalie Craig ended the morning with a stunning rendition of Being Alive that left me, and I’m pretty sure the entire room, wishing for September to arrive so that we can see exactly what these talented women and the rest of the company have up their sleeves. Company is going to be THE show to see this Autumn.

Box Office information:

Address: Gielgud Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, London

Dates: 26 September – 22 December 2018

Performances: Monday to Saturday at 7.30pm, Thursday and Saturday at 2.30pm

Ticket prices from £25

Gielgud Theatre Box Office – Booking 0844 482 5130 Online from www.delfontmackintosh.co.uk

YORKSHIRE DANCE TO WORK WITH PEOPLE LIVING WITH PARKINSON’S FOR A NEW PROJECT

 

#ParkinsonsAwarenessWeek

 

 

This week is Parkinson’s Awareness Week and in celebration Yorkshire Dance, the dance development organisation for Yorkshire, is calling for people living with Parkinson’s to join them this weekend as part of a new training programme.

 

 

An Introduction to Dance for Parkinson’s runs this Saturday 14^th and Sunday 15^th April and is designed for professional dance artists to learn how to structure dance classes for people living with Parkinson’s.

 

“We know through research and practice that dance can be extremely beneficial for people living with Parkinson’s,” explains Adie Nivison, Project Manager at Yorkshire Dance.

 

“This course aims to assist Yorkshire dance professionals in their work and naturally we want to involve the very people that will ultimately benefit to join us for part of the course.”

 

Anybody with Parkinson’s is invited to join the session at Yorkshire Dance’s home on Quarry Hill in Leeds city centre on Saturday from 2pm to 4.30pm.

 

Four taster sessions for people living with Parkinson’s and their carers have already been delivered in Woodlesford, Moor Allerton, Otley & Middleton, and from May Yorkshire Dance will roll out Dance For Parkinson’s – a 12-week pilot programme in Leeds.

Dance For Parkinson’s will take place at Middleton Community Centre every week from Wednesday May 9th and is free, thanks to funding from Leeds Let’s Get Active

 

“Leeds Let’s Get Active aims to provide more opportunities for inactive people to become active,” says Sam Coupland, Development Officer at Active Leeds.

 

“Our aim is for Leeds to be the most active city in the UK and projects such as Dance for Parkinson’s go a long way to ensure that we reach the people that other programmes don’t; it’s a great example of how working in partnership with organisations such as Yorkshire Dance and Parkinson’s UK can help overcome the barriers that stop people getting active.”

 

 

To join An Introduction to Dance for Parkinson’s this Saturday from 2pm to 4.30pm, and for more information on Yorkshire Dance’s work in this area, call Adie Nivison on 0113 243 9867

Following the accidental omission of Sir Peter Hall from the In Memoriam section of Sunday’s Olivier Awards, the Society of London Theatre apologises unreservedly for this serious error. Sir Peter, as founder of the Royal Shakespeare Company and a Director of the National Theatre, was a giant of British Theatre and is sorely missed in the industry.

In recognition of Sir Peter’s phenomenal contribution to British theatre over many decades, and in close consultation with the Hall family, SOLT has taken the decision to rename the Olivier Award for Best Director the “Sir Peter Hall Award for Best Director” from next year’s ceremony and in perpetuity thereafter.

SOLT is also reviewing the process by which people are included in the In Memoriam segment for future ceremonies.

You can view an updated In Memoriam video at this link: https://youtu.be/CV6K39ZCwds

WICKED FLIES INTO EDINBURGH IN JUST 4 WEEKS
FOR EXCLUSIVE SCOTTISH ENGAGEMENT
AN INCREDIBLE 65,000 TICKETS ALREADY SOLD
AS SPECTACULAR PRODUCTION RETURNS
TO EDINBURGH PLAYHOUSE FROM 8 MAY

WICKED, the spectacular West End and Broadway musical that tells the incredible untold story of the Witches of Oz, will begin performances in just 4 weeks at Edinburgh Playhouse. With an incredible 65,000 tickets already sold for the tour’s only Scottish engagement, best availability is currently at Monday-Wednesday performances

“The gravity-defying ‘Wizard of Oz’ prequel” (Time Out) will play for five weeks only from Tuesday 8 May to Saturday 9 June 2018. Tickets can be purchased in person at the Edinburgh Playhouse Box Office, online at www.atgtickets.com/shows/wicked/edinburgh-playhouse or by phone on 0844 871 3014.

The 2018 UK & Ireland Tour of WICKED has already played record-breaking engagements in Bristol and Liverpool and is currently playing a sold out run at the Birmingham Hippodrome. The production has won five-star rave reviews: “you could be in a Broadway theatre! Wicked is one of the best touring productions ever to come to the city” (Bristol Post), “if you want a show to send you soaring into the night, leave you feeling completely bewitched and totally under a spell of musical theatre perfection, then you’d better catch this Wicked tour before it sells out!” (The Reviews Hub, Liverpool) and “it is, by far, the best show on tour in the UK at the moment” (Black Country Radio)

The “fantastic cast” (Birmingham Express and Star) features Amy Ross as Elphaba, Helen Woolf as Glinda, Aaron Sidwell (best known as ‘Steven Beale’ in EastEnders) as Fiyero, Steven Pinder (best known as ‘Max Farnham’ in Brookside) as The Wizard & Doctor Dillamond, Kim Ismay as Madame Morrible, Emily Shaw as Nessarose and Iddon Jones as Boq. Nikki Bentley is Standby for Elphaba

WICKED is already the 15th longest running show in West End theatre history and is now in its 12th year at London’s Apollo Victoria Theatre, where it continues an open-ended run. Around the world, WICKED has been seen by 55 million people in 16 countries and won over 100 major awards, including ten theatregoer-voted WhatsOnStage Awards (winning ‘Best West End Show’ on three occasions) and two Olivier Audience Awards. The song ‘Defying Gravity’ was also recently voted the UK’s No.1 favourite musical theatre song by
listeners of Encore Radio

Based on the acclaimed, best-selling novel by Gregory Maguire that ingeniously re-imagines the stories and characters created by L. Frank Baum in ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’, WICKED tells the incredible untold story of an unlikely but profound friendship between two sorcery students. Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfil their destinies as Glinda The Good and the Wicked Witch of the West. Acclaimed as “a thrilling theatrical experience with brains, heart and courage” (Metro), WICKED transports audiences to a stunningly re-imagined world of Oz, providing wonders beyond the imagination…

WICKED has music and lyrics by multi Grammy and Academy Award-winner Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Disney’s Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Enchanted and, for DreamWorks, The Prince of Egypt) and is based on the novel ‘Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West’ by Gregory Maguire and adapted for the stage by Winnie Holzman (My So-Called Life). Musical staging is by Tony Award-winner Wayne Cilento and the production is directed by two-time Tony Award-winner Joe Mantello

WICKED is produced around the world by Marc Platt, Universal Stage Productions, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt and David Stone. Executive Producer (UK & Ireland) Michael McCabe.

Official website: www.WickedTheMusical.co.uk
Twitter: @WickedUK | Facebook: /WickedUK | Instagram: @WickedUK

LISTINGS INFORMATION
TUESDAY 8 MAY – SATURDAY 9 JUNE 2018
EDINBURGH PLAYHOUSE
18-22 Greenside Lane
Edinburgh
EH1 3AA
FOR THE BEST SELECTION OF SEATS AND PRICES, CHOOSE MON-WED PERFORMANCES
Performance Times: Mon – Sat @ 7.30pm / Wed & Sat @ 2.30pm / Thu 2.30pm on 10 & 31 May
Ticket prices: From £22.50
Tickets available from:
In person: Edinburgh Playhouse Box Office
Online: ATGtickets.com/Edinburgh*
By Phone: 0844 871 3014*
Groups: 0333 009 5388**
*Transaction fees apply. Calls cost up to 7ppm plus your phone company’s access charge.
**calls charged at local rate for group bookings only.

WICKED is suitable for a general audience. As a guide to parents, guardians and teachers, it is recommended for ages 7+. All persons entering the theatre, regardless of age, must have a ticket. Children under 3 years of age will not be admitted.

The producers cannot guarantee the appearance of any particular artist, which is always subject to illness, injury and statutory leave entitlement.

Gregory Maguire’s ‘Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West’ is published by Headline. The book is recommended for readers aged 16+
The Grammy Award-winning Original Broadway Cast recording on DECCA BROADWAY

The Cockpit, Gateforth Street, Marylebone, London NW8 8EH
Wednesday 23 May – Sunday 24 June 2018

After a sold-out run in 2014, All Star Productions – Winner of the Best Producer in the Off-West End Awards 2018 – team up with Trilby Productions and The Cockpit to stage a fresh new adaptation of James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods. Directed by Tim McArthur, this production has been given a 21st century twist that promises to both enchant and thrill. This darkly comic masterpiece invites audiences to journey into the middle of the forest where well-known fairy tales interweave to create a magical world

Into the Woods follows a childless baker and his wife as they dream of having a child. In a bid to undo the curse placed on them and other storybook characters, the witch sends them into the woods to reverse this. As act one unfolds, all the fairy tales reach the ending of their tales but does this mean everyone will be happy? This innovative production sees the giant’s wife from Jack and the Beanstalk come down to the kingdom to seek revenge, crushing many characters
on her way. Will the storybook people learn to work together to defeat her?

This wonderful adaptation of Into the Woods is performed in the round with an ensemble of seventeen larger-than-life characters drawn from modern day Britain. From the Jeremy Kyle Show to William and Kate’s royal wedding, this contemporary revival is complete with a drugusing Rapunzel, a paedophile Wolf and an evil stepmother straight from TOWIE

Tim McArthur comments, My love for Stephen Sondheim began in 1988 when I went to see a production of Follies at the Shaftesbury Theatre. As I grow older, I find myself unconsciously  relooking at Sondheim’s material; its complexity is vast and as an artist, I continue to discover new meanings and feelings about his storytelling. Into the Woods is a magnificent piece of theatre and storytelling and, young or old, it’s full of life and lessons that we can all learn from. When we got the rights to do the show back in 2014, I knew I wanted to do something different
and fresh with the production, now what Into the Woods meant to me 4 years ago has further evolved. The fairy tales are so strong and legendary, so I wanted to use that but reinvent the look of the show for a modern audience

Aaron Clingham, Musical Director of Into The Woods, adds, I am so thrilled to revisit Into the Woods four years after our original production. This show holds a special place for me as it was the show that first introduced me to the work of Stephen Sondheim almost 15 years ago. For a Musical Director, tackling any Sondheim score is always an exciting challenge – the lyrics are often complex with multiple internal rhymes and the musical motifs and melodies are technically challenging. But I can’t wait to share with audiences my newly reduced orchestration for the show which I have scored for Strings and Woodwinds which is based on Jonathan Tunick’s brilliant original parts

As with all fairy tales from the Brothers Grimm, Into the Woods imparts the valuable lesson that our actions can affect others and that we must take responsibility for their consequences. Be careful what you wish for!

You will not see a version like this anywhere else (unless the production transfers into the West End – which it certainly deserves to). (★★★★★ West End Wilma)

Into the Woods is performed by arrangement with Music Theatre International (Europe)Limited.

April 25th – May 12th, Hoxton Hall

Theatre Lab Company bring Molière’s Don Juan, directed by Anastasia Revi to Hoxton Hall. This follows their acclaimed Salome at Hoxton Hall in February 2017, and recent acclaimed production of Daphne du Maurier’s Jamaica Inn at the Tabard Theatre

There is nothing so sweet as to overcome the resistance of a beautiful woman; and, where they are concerned, I have the ambition of a conqueror…

Charming… egocentric… atheist… philanderer… recently wed, Don Juan is about to commit adultery against his new wife. Accompanied by his servant, Sganarelle, he sets out in pursuit of his next amorous conquest. Sganarelle challenges his master’s libertine views as the pair engages in a hilarious philosophical debate to defend their equally self-serving moralities. Don Juan is remorseless, unrepentant and has a voracious libido. Sganarelle is clever, pious but ambitious. Set against the backdrop of the Venice Carnival, DON JUAN is a black comedy that follows the last day of the legendary playboy’s life

“Anastasia Revi’s direction grips the attention from beginning to end through the ingenious use of props, movement, sound and character detail” Stage Review on Jamaica Inn

Anastasia Revi won the 2016 Theatre Award for Best Director of the Year for Shakespeare’s Macbeth at the National Theatre of Northern Greece, and the Women’s Award for Theatre in Athens. She was nominated for Greece’s Woman of the Year Award (2017) in the Director’s Category and a finalist in the Greek International Women Awards (GIWA, British Museum, London, 2017) in the Arts & Design category

“a hauntingly choreographed piece of intense physical theatre” The Stage on Salome

Theatre Lab Company is a London based international company renowned for mesmerising imagery, physical performance and visual storytelling. Sponsors include Arts Council England, Awards for All, Secretariat General of Greeks Abroad, and private foundations. The Company has participated in festivals in Avignon, Edinburgh, London, Greece, Belgrade, Dublin, Prague and New York. Recent credits include: Jamaica Inn (Tabard Theatre), Salome (Hoxton Hall & Tour), Dancing with the Devil: A Play about Rudolf Nureyev (Lilian Baylis, Sadler’s Wells), and ancient Greek classics Antigone, The Oresteia, Lysistrata and Medea (Riverside Studios). Their productions have been very successful with steadily growing audiences, sold out performances and some excellent reviews

Performance Dates May 16th 2018 – May 26th 2018, 7.45pm

Tuesday – Saturday, 7.45pm

matinee May 12th, 2.30pm

Running Time 90 mins (no interval)

Venue Hoxton Hall, 130 Hoxton St, London N1 6SH

Age Recommendation 12+/PG

Ticket Price £20 / £16 (concession)

Box Office Hoxton Hall (hoxtonhall.co.uk/don-juan), 020 7684 0060

Travel Hoxton station (6 min walk)

Haggerston station (13 min walk)

Links Company Website (theatrelab.co.uk) Director’s Website (anastasiarevi.co.uk)