Chicago Review

Phoenix Theatre – until 6 October

Reviewed by Claire Roderick

4****

There isn’t much that’s new in this latest production of perennial favourite Chicago, with the original direction and choreography from the 1997 production being recreated and no major changes to the design. But then, if it ain’t broke, why fix it? This production’s latest cast change, with Alexandra Burke and Duncan James taking on the roles of Roxie Hart and Billy Flynn, is guaranteed to bring in a whole new audience.

Duncan James oozes mercenary charisma as Billy, manipulating the proceedings in a bravura performance – and boy can he sing! Laura Tyrer is a gutsy and snarling Velma and Mazz Murray is a brilliant Mama Morton. Alexandra Burke manages to portray Roxie’s cold hard ambition but sometimes overeggs the pudding with Roxie’s stylised mannerisms, so Roxie’s usual goofy screwball ditziness doesn’t quite come through.

The antics of fame-hungry female murderers and their slippery lawyer as they compete to grab headlines to feed the voracious and ghoulish fascination of the public still has a sharp satirical edge, and this is Kander and Ebb at their very best, with a score that is simply sublime, packed with familiar iconic numbers. The orchestra take centre stage, where they truly belong, receiving some of the loudest cheers of the night for their energetic Entr’acte performance.

The talented company handle the Ann Reinking choreography with sizzling energy, a sea of gyrating hips, kicks and flicks that is mesmerising and moody. The staging is deceptively simple, with Velma and the girls wowing the audience using only wooden chairs in Cell Block Tango. Other standout numbers include We Both Reached for the Gun (showcasing James’ and Burke’s comedy chops brilliantly), Mr Cellophane (Paul Rider winning the audience’s hearts as pathetically loyal Amos) and Hot Honey Rag, using Fosse’s original choreography.

It’s fantastic to have Chicago back in the West End, and this slick and sexy production is still a guaranteed crowd pleaser full of fierce razzle dazzle.

42nd Street Review

Theatre Royal Drury Lane – booking until January 2019

Reviewed by Claire Roderick

5*****

There’s something irresistible about 42nd Street, the audience leave with a spring in their step after experiencing such an uplifting and unashamedly old-fashioned musical.

The story of the talented dancer plucked from the chorus line to take the starring role in a Broadway musical is the Cinderella story of the American Depression, and this revival is injected with new energy by Bonnie Langford joining the cast as Dorothy Brock, the star of “Pretty Lady”.

The story is pretty cheesy, but that doesn’t matter when the musical numbers are so stunning. Under music director Jae Alexander, the orchestra belt out familiar tunes as the cast dance the audience’s cares away. Randy Skinner’s choreography is straight out of Hollywood musicals, with glorious costumes and staging that makes jaws drop. Keep Young And Beautiful, We’re In The Money and 42nd Street will just blow your mind.

Claire Halse is a powerhouse of tap, with unbelievable solos in 42nd Street, and nails Peggy Sawyer’s naivety and ambition. Ashley Day as cocky tenor Billy Lawler is the perfect dance partner, while Tom Lister as Julian Marsh marshals proceedings with convincing egotism and drive. But Bonnie Langford steals every scene, bubbling with energy and presence. Her first scene feels like a fabulous remake of her Bugsy Malone performance as a youngster, with great comic timing and lack of vanity. Whether she’s belting out Boulevard of Broken Dreams or swooning in I Only Have Eyes For You, Langford’s vast experience and huge talent lights up the stage.

42nd Street is simply phenomenal, with two stellar leading ladies lifting this wonderful production to unbelievable new heights.

COMPETITION

We have a fairypowered competition

If you would like to win a pair of tickets to see Calendar Girls on Thursday 9 October in Edinburgh, then just like and follow fairypowered on facebook and twitter, like and share or retweet the competition post and answer a little question

Which other film and musical did Anna Jane Casey and Julie Walters play the same role?

Competition closes and winners notified on Friday 5 October

SHREK THE MUSICAL REVIEW

Kings Theatre, Glasgow – until Saturday 6 October 2018

Reviewed by Linda McLaughlan

5*****

‘A favourite children’s Dreamworks Production ‘

The theatre was packed with excited children anxiously waiting for the show to begin. The show began with the introduction of a young Shrek being made homeless by his parents at the tender age of 7. But that’s okay because this is the age that Ogre’s become independent and set out into the wide world themselves.

So we get to meet Shrek (played by Steffan Harri) again as he grows up in his Swamp as we have all seen in the motion film.

Also introduced in the beginning was Princess Fiona (Played by Amelia Lily) locked away in her high tower which is guarded by a fire breathing Dragon (Voiced over by understudy Jennifer Tierney)

The story line follows the motion film quite closely however the introduction of the all the fairy creatures to the swamp introduced us to the talents of Pinocchio (played by Joseph Dockree) a character I have a soft spot for from my own childhood.  As the production continues we get to meet Donkey (played by Marcus Ayton) who comes across as a sassy character with attitude and he soon has the audience in stitches of laughter with his antics.

The next big character is Lord Farquaad (played by Samuel Holmes). Now he is the only criticism I have of the whole evening that despite a very convincing performance I felt that some of the scenes were a little too risqué for the young audience present. A feeling I think a couple of parents may have agreed with from the people’s faces around me at different parts of the production.

The production as a whole was well presented and very enjoyable for all the ages present as we would expect from a Dreamworks Movie. I would go see this again and would recommend it to everyone to see

The Nether Review

Hope Street Theatre, Liverpool – until Saturday 29th September 2018

Reviewed by Julie Noller

5***** 

The Nether, a play written by Jennifer Haley and set in the not so distant future of 2050 it’s about a virtual reality cousin of the internet. To conceive this be a gritty crime thriller, where a young detective uncovers the disturbing truth behind its so called brand of entertainment will have you as confused as I was. In fact to say I left the theatre well and truly with my mind blown is an understatement. How can one play amaze and dazzle you yet repulse you at the same time?

This version of The Nether is the work of Falling Doors Theatre, a young yet talented group producing revamped classics and newer works, locally within Liverpool City Centre. Using local talented actors who may not yet be household names but are the stars of tomorrow. Directed by Sarah Van Parys who brings her experience of bigger stages to great use in this small intimate setting.

The characters and story unfolding before you, some will be clever enough to foresee what is happening, it is not necessary. You can just sit back and try to take in every little step, every poetic line. From the outset you feel you are pitted against good verses bad, characters you know you shouldn’t like, somehow draw you in and the further the play progresses you find depth and likeability.

The Nether is intelligent and you find humour in totally unexpected places. Some would say inappropriate. There’s charm and respect where you should if you listen to today’s society detest. It dissects a society format we all know and follow and leaves you asking many many questions of what you have witnessed and what you have in your short or long life been told to believe and behave. To retell the story in the means of reviewing would in my opinion ruin the whole illusion and spell cast by this wonderful play. It’s been simply and wonderfully produced by a small theatre company which shows you don’t need big bucks or lavish productions to entertain and they certainly managed that; just a simple set and simple costumes, your imagination can fill up the blanks. With a small cast of just five actors, there’s 90 minutes of lines and action to remember, well done all. I couldn’t choose a favourite, I loved and equally hated all the characters in one big messy loop.

Detective Morris (Catherine Devine) with her issues and drive to rid the world of reality shades. Questioning and interrogating Sims aka Papa (Lee Burnitt) He knows his urges are wicked and wrong (something you don’t expect to hear) We never actually see him carry out any wrong doing only what we hear from Inspector Morris. Papa the facilitator of The Hideaway his virtual domain where guests are entertained by a young girl of 12 named Iris (Kimberley Athawes). Papa is the manager, the solicitor allowing others to carry out their perverse acts and somehow live without their demons. Mixed in to this somewhat confusing unreality universe we have Doyle (Andrew AB) an elderly science professor, who is attempting to leave his body behind and call the Hideaway his home on a permanent basis. You wonder what he has been up to, this pathetic snivelling little man. Then there’s Woodnut (Grant Ryan Lenton) obviously an undercover police agent. Too squeaky clean in his appearance to do any wrong. But this is the strength of The Nether; to turn everything on it’s head and plonk it down as if you’ve been hit by an earthquake. You ask questions especially how can the police live under the protection the law offers, when it is one of their officers who has carried out deeply disturbing acts all in the name of information gathering. That is in itself shameful.

Ultimately we are left looking upon a scene of deeply disturbing distrust. In Sims own words how can they release him into the here and now and remove his online access, destroying The Hideaway. Knowing what he may do with his urges, for who knows where they may lead. The ending is a replay of an earlier scene that sees Papa and his (we assume) 12 year old daughter Iris, share a tender moment. As a parent you think nothing of a parent cuddling a child allowing them to rest their head upon your shoulder or lap. Yet here we have the reality a elderly man in Doyle resting his head upon Sims for comfort. The scene becomes twisted and distorted, so which reality is wrong?

The Nether does come with a warning regarding it’s content. It contains strong language and explores so called sensitive issues, abuse, sexual abuse, child abuse, self harm, suicide, violence and even murder and paedophilia. That’s a long list of warnings and it’s gut wrenching yet compelling and despite all those warnings this type of hard gritty drama makes theatre going such a wonderful experience.

LONDON PRODUCTION OF HAMILTON WELCOMES NEW CAST MEMBERS FOR SECOND YEAR AT THE VICTORIA PALACE THEATRE

NOW GOING INTO ITS SENSATIONAL SECOND YEAR

THE AWARD-WINNING LONDON COMPANY OF

H A M I L T O N 

WELCOMES 10 NEW CAST MEMBERS AT THE VICTORIA PALACE THEATRE

BOOKING TO MARCH 2019

 

Producers Jeffrey Seller and Cameron Mackintosh announce full casting for the London company of HAMILTON which is going into its second year at the Victoria Palace Theatre. The production is booking to 30 March 2019.

Jamael Westman continues as Alexander Hamilton, Tarinn Callender as Hercules Mulligan/James Madison, Rachelle Ann Go as Eliza Hamilton, Jason Pennycooke as Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson and Cleve September as John Laurens/Philip Hamilton.

From 3 December, original London cast members Sifiso Mazibuko will play the role of Aaron Burr and Courtney-Mae Briggs will play Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds.  Also continuing are Jade Albertsen, Curtis Angus, Stephenson Ardern-Sodje, Johnny Bishop, Jack Butterworth, Kelly Downing, Leslie Garcia Bowman, Gregory Haney, Leah Hill, Barney Hudson, Waylon Jacobs, Aaron Lee LambertPhoebe Liberty, Sharon Rose, Alexzandra Sarmiento and Lindsey Tierney.

Joining the company are Allyson Ava-Brown as Angelica Schuyler, Dom Hartley-Harris as George Washington and Jon Robyns as King George. At certain performances the role of Alexander Hamilton will be played by Karl Queensborough. They are joined by Robson Broad, Lisa Darnell, Joe Griffiths-BrownSinead LongEmile Ruddock and Ellena Vincent.

Between 17 December 2018 and 12 January 2019 the role of Alexander Hamilton will be played by Ash Hunter.

The Olivier, Tony and Grammy award-winning production of HAMILTON originally opened at the Public Theater in New York in 2015. Later that year, the Broadway production opened and, in December 2017, the London production opened at the newly re-built and restored Victoria Palace Theatre.

HAMILTON has book, music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, is directed by Thomas Kail, with choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler and musical supervision and orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire and is based on Ron Chernow’s biography of Alexander Hamilton.  HAMILTON features scenic design by David Korins, costume design by Paul Tazewell, lighting design by Howell Binkley, sound design by Nevin Steinberg and hair and wig design by Charles G. Lapointe.

HAMILTON is the story of America’s Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, an immigrant from the West Indies who became George Washington’s right-hand man during the Revolutionary War and helped shape the very foundations of the America we know today. The score blends hip-hop, jazz, blues, rap, R&B and Broadway – the story of America then, as told by America now.

 

Allyson Ava-Brown played Fantine in Les Misérables at the Queen’s Theatre.  Her other theatre credits include A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Aladdin at the Lyric Hammersmith, Etienne Sisters, Beauty and the Beast, Crowning Glory and Jack and the Beanstalk all for Theatre Royal Stratford East,The Villain’s Opera and Honk! The Ugly Duckling both for the National Theatre, Simply Heavenly at the Trafalgar Studios and Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra for the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Dom Hartley-Harris’ previous theatre credits include Moonfleet at the Salisbury Playhouse, Tiger Bay at the Wales Millennium Centre, Bat Out Of Hell at Manchester Opera House and the London Coliseum, Beautiful – The Carol King Musical at the Aldwych Theatre, Accidental Brummie for Birmingham Rep and Macbeth and Billy Young: A Life on Death Row for The Old Joint Stock.

Jon Robyns created the roles of Princeton and Rod in the London production of Avenue Q and played Marius and Enjolras in Les Misérables on stage at the Queen’s Theatre as well as taking part in the 25th Anniversary Concert at the O2 and the 25th anniversary Cast Recording.  He was last on stage in the UK tour of The Wedding Singer and his previous theatre credits include Legally Blonde at the Curve Theatre, Road Show for the Menier Chocolate Factory, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at West Yorkshire Playhouse, Spamalot at the Harold Pinter and Playhouse Theatres and Memphis at the Shaftesbury Theatre.

 

Karl Queensborough has recently appeared on stage in Sylvia at The Old Vic and can next be seen in White Teeth at the Kiln Theatre.  His previous theatre credits include The Little Matchgirl for Shakespeare’s Globe/Bristol Old Vic, Aladdin, Cinderella, Dick Whittington and Jack and the Beanstalkfor the Lyric Hammersmith,  A Wolf in Snakeskin Shoes for the Tricycle Theatre, The Machine Stops for the Theatre Royal York/Pilot Theatre, Only the Brave  for Soho Theatre/Wales Millennium Centre/Bird Song, Morning for the Lyric Hammersmith/Traverse Theatre, Student 365 for the National Theatre of Scotland and Ignition Out of Reach for Frantic Assembly.

Full ticketing information can be found on the official website at hamiltonmusical.com which includes details of the HAMILTON West End £10 daily Lottery. Patrons are advised to check the official HAMILTON channels for news of late release seats which may become available at short notice.   The producers of HAMILTON are working to combat the unauthorised profiteering of third-party resellers and ticket touts.  Delfont Mackintosh Theatres has pioneered for the West End a paperless ticket system for this production – HAMILTON Paperless Ticketing, powered by Ticketmaster.

HAMILTON is produced in London by Jeffrey Seller, Sander Jacobs, Jill FurmanThe Public Theater and Cameron Mackintosh.

LISTINGS INFORMATION

Dates                               booking to 30 March 2019

Theatre                            Victoria Palace Theatre, Victoria Street, London SW1E 5EA

Performances                    Monday – Saturday at 7.30pm, Thursday and Saturday at 2.30pm

                                      For Christmas schedule check website

Website                            hamiltonmusical.com

Social Media                      facebook.com/HamiltonWestEnd

twitter.com/HamiltonWestEnd

instagram.com/HamiltonWestEnd

                                      #HamiltonLDN

A Christmas Story, The Musical premiers at Waterloo East Theatre this Christmas

Pasek and Paul’s A Christmas Story, The Musical receives its European Premier at Waterloo East Theatre this Christmas.

From the songwriting team behind the smash-hit Tony Award-winning musical Dear Evan Hansen and the Academy Award-winning films La La Land and The Greatest Showman, – A Christmas Story, The Musical brings the classic perennial 1983 holiday movie to hilarious life on stage!

A Christmas Story, The Musical with book by Joseph Robinette and music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paulis based on the movie classic that runs round-the-clock on US television every Christmas. Set in the 1940s in the fictional town of Hohman, Indiana, we follow young and bespectacled Ralphie Parker as he schemes his way toward the Christmas gift of his dreams, an official Red Ryder Carbine-Action 200-Shot Range Model Air Rifle. Rebuffed at every turn, Ralphie plots numerous schemes to achieve his desperate desire for the coveted BB gun.

With a delightful versatile score ranging from gentle ballads to show-stopping numbers A Christmas Story, The Musical will bring an exciting new dimension to those who have seen the movie and will certainly stand on its own for those who haven’t. – A Christmas musical for all the family.

A Christmas Story, The Musical successful 2013 Broadway run garnered three Tony Award nominations including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical (Joseph Robinette) and Best Original Score (Benj Pasek and Justin Paul), along with six Drama Desk nominations, and two Outer Critics Circlenominations.

Benj Pasek & Justin Paul are Oscar, Grammy, Tony, and Golden GlobeAward-winning songwriters best known for their work on Dear Evan Hansen, La La Land, and The Greatest Showman. Their songs “City of Stars” and “Audition (The Fools Who Dream)” from La La Land (with collaborator Justin Hurwitz) were both nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song, and “City of Stars” garnered both the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Original Song in a Motion Picture. Pasek & Paul most recently won the 2018 Golden Globe for Best Original Song for “This Is Me” from The Greatest Showman, which was also nominated for the 2018 Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Waterloo East Theatre is thrilled to finally be able to make this announcement after being granted the rights earlier in the year and the many months of discussions that followed with the original creatives of how best to adapt the show for a small stage, and is looking forward to bringing this wonderful musical to the UK for the first time.

Cast TBA

Listings Information:

28h November to 23rd December 2018 

Tues to Sat at 7.30pm. Sun at 4pm 
(No Monday performances) 
Running time approx 110 mins with an Interval
Tickets: £23 / £20 (Cons) / £13 (Under 16)
£55 (Family Ticket) (
Minimum group of 4 must include 1 under 16)
Previews: Nov 28th & 29th All Tickets £16 Adults / £11 Under 16
Allocated seating. Strictly No Latecomers Admitted
Waterloo East Theatre Brad Street London SE1 8TN
Book Online www.waterlooeast.co.uk  Box Office 0207 928 0060

Sandi Toksvig adapting story for MAMMA MIA! THE PARTY in London

MAMMA MIA! THE PARTY

TO OPEN AT LONDON’S THE O2

THURSDAY 19 SEPTEMBER 2019

PREVIEWING FROM 29 AUGUST 2019

TICKETS ON SALE FROM 09:00 ON TUESDAY 2 OCTOBER 2018

 

Tickets for MAMMA MIA! THE PARTY will go on sale at 9.00am on Tuesday 2 October.  This new immersive theatrical and dining experience will open in a specially-adapted venue within London’s The O2 on Thursday 19 September 2019, following previews from 29 August 2019.

MAMMA MIA! THE PARTY has music and lyrics by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus (some songs with Stig Anderson), and a story by Calle Norlén, Roine Söderlundh and Björn Ulvaeus, adapted for the UK by writer, comedian and broadcaster Sandi Toksvig.

MAMMA MIA! THE PARTY is set in a taverna on the island of Skopelos, where most exteriors of the first MAMMA MIA! film were shot. Nikos and his wife Kate run this exotic and wonderful restaurant together with their family and friends. Told through dialogue and ABBA songs, a warm, romantic and funny story evolves and unfolds during the evening and takes place around the guests as they sit at their tables enjoying a delicious Greek meal. The evening ends with the main floor transforming into a 1970s disco, where audience members are welcome to stay and  sing and dance to ABBA.

Led by Steve Tompkins of architects Haworth Tompkins, work has begun on transforming one of the venues within The O2, where guests will feel as if they’re right in the heart of a Greek island paradise, sitting around tables in the taverna’s courtyard complete with a fountain, olive trees and bougainvillea. 

Björn Ulvaeus, the Executive Producer of MAMMA MIA! THE PARTY, is delighted Sandi Toksvig has agreed to adapt the story for London:  “She has to be the funniest and brightest individual I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with!”

In return, Sandi said of her involvement, “This has been a dream job – writing this adaptation mainly because I want to go to it myself and I got to hang out with the legend that is Björn.”

As the official caterers for MAMMA MIA! THE PARTY, rhubarb has worked closely with the producers to devise an authentic and inventive menu.  The company was founded over 20 years ago and has grown from a solely event business into one of the leading international premium hospitality groups, with an expansive portfolio of iconic locations and restaurants, notably the world-famous Royal Albert Hall, Sky Garden, VIVI at Centre Point and Hudson Yards in New York.  Rhubarb events continue to cater and manage over 1000 events every year and rhubarb is the preferred food partner for over 70 premium venues in London.

Producer Ingrid Sutej said of the partnership with rhubarb, “Food is such a  crucial part of MAMMA MIA! THE PARTY.  I cannot imagine a better partner than rhubarb to offer our guests an unforgettable evening.”

The London version of MAMMA MIA! THE PARTY, which originally opened in Stockholm in January 2016 and is now in its third sold-out year, will be directed by Roine Söderlundh, with set designed by Bengt Fröderberg, costumes designed by Annsofi Nyberg, lighting designed by Patrick Woodroffe and sound designed by Gareth Owen.

MAMMA MIA! THE PARTY is produced by Björn Ulvaeus and Ingrid Sutej for MM! The Party Ltd.

LISTINGS INFORMATION

MAMMA MIA! THE PARTY

The O2
Peninsula Square
London SE10 0DX

Performances: Mondays & Wednesdays to Sundays at 7.30pm, Saturdays & Sundays at 1pm

Tickets:  From £135 (plus booking fees), to include admission and meal (drinks extra)

Box Office: www.mammamiatheparty.co.uk / 0844 844 9545

Currently Booking to 18 November 2019

Recommended Age:  5+

Website:  www.mammamiatheparty.co.uk
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram:  @mammamiapartyuk

First Major Stage Production of CAPTAIN CORELLI’S MANDOLIN

FIRST MAJOR STAGE PRODUCTION OF

LOUIS DE BERNIÈRES’ BEST-SELLING NOVEL

CAPTAIN CORELLI’S MANDOLIN

TO TOUR THE UK IN 2019

The first major stage production of CAPTAIN CORELLI’S MANDOLIN, based on the best-selling novel by Louis de Bernières will tour the UK in 2019, 25 years after the book was first published. CAPTAIN CORELLI’S MANDOLIN will be directed by Olivier and Tony Award nominee Melly Still and adapted by Evening Standard Award winner and Golden Globe and BAFTA Award nominee Rona Munro. Casting to be announced.

 

The play will preview at Leicester Curve from 13 – 20 April 2019 and will play Rose Theatre Kingston from 23 April – 12 May 2019, Theatre Royal Bath from 14 – 18 May 2019, Birmingham Repertory Theatre from 29 May – 15 June 2019, King’s Theatre Edinburgh from 18 – 22 June 2019 and Glasgow Theatre Royal from 25 – 29 June 2019. The national press night will be held on Thursday 25 April 2019 at the Rose Theatre Kingston at 7pm.

 

CAPTAIN CORELLI’S MANDOLIN is an epic love story set on the Greek island of Cephalonia. It follows the lives of Dr Iannis, his beautiful, strong-willed daughter Pelagia and the Italian Captain Antonio Corelli, during the Italian and German occupation of the island in World War II. For CAPTAIN CORELLI’S MANDOLIN, Louis de Bernières won the 1995 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize – Overall Winner for Best Book, the 1995 Lannan Literary Award for Fiction and the 1994 Sunday Express Book of the Year. In 2001, the novel was adapted into a film starring Nicolas Cage and Penélope Cruz.

 

Rona Munro has written extensively for stage, radio, film and television and most recently adapted Elizabeth Strout’s My Name is Lucy Bartonfor a new production at The Bridge Theatre, directed by Richard Eyre and starring Laura Linney. Rona received huge critical acclaim for The James Plays (National Theatre of Scotland, Edinburgh International Festival and National Theatre), which won Best Play at the Evening Standard Awards and Writers’ Guild Awards in 2015. Rona’s TV and film work includes Oranges and Sunshine, directed by Jim Loach and starring Emily Watson and Hugo Weaving, Aimee and Jaguar, which won a Silver Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival and also received a Golden Globe nomination, and the BAFTA-nominated Bumping the Odds for the BBC. Rona is currently working on the adaptation of Ian Rankin’s Rebus: Long Shadows for Birmingham Repertory Theatre.

 

Melly Still is currently directing the UK tour of The Lovely Bones. Melly received huge critical acclaim for having directed and co-designed Coram Boy (National Theatre & Broadway) and for which she was a Tony Award nominee for Best Director, Best Set Design and Best Costume Design, and an Olivier Award nominee for Best Director and Best Design. Melly’s other theatre credits for direction include April De Angelis’s adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s tetralogy of Neapolitan novels, My Brilliant Friend (Rose Theatre Kingston), Cymbeline (Royal Shakespeare Company), The Cunning Little Vixen (Glyndebourne Opera Festival), Warhorse Proms (Royal Albert Hall) and Tiger Bay The Musical (Wales Millennium Centre). Melly will direct the upcoming UK and Ireland tour and European stage premiere of Agatha Christie’s The Mirror Crack’d.

 

CAPTAIN CORELLI’S MANDOLIN will have set and costume designs by Mayou Trikerioti, lighting design by Malcolm Rippeth, sound design by Jon Nicholls, projection design by Dom Baker for OD Vision and music composed by Harry Blake.

 

CAPTAIN CORELLI’S MANDOLIN is produced by Neil Laidlaw, Rose Theatre Kingston and Birmingham Repertory Theatre.

 

Website: CaptainCorellisMandolin.com

Twitter.com/corellionstage / @CorelliOnStage

Facebook.com/corellionstage

 

 

TOUR SCHEDULE 2019

 

13 – 20 April                              Curve, Leicester                                               0116 242 359

                                                  www.curveonline.co.uk

23 April – 12 May                      Rose Theatre, Kingston                                    020 8174 0090

                                                  www.rosetheatrekingston.org

 

14 – 18 May                              Theatre Royal Bath                                           01225 448844

                                                 www.theatreroyal.org.uk

 

29 May – 15 June                     Birmingham Repertory Theatre                        0121 236 4455.

                                                 www.birmingham-rep.co.uk

 

18 – 22 June                             King’s Theatre Edinburgh                                0131 529 6000

                                                  www.capitaltheatres.com

 

25 – 29 June                             Theatre Royal, Glasgow                                   0844 871 7647

                                                  www.atgtickets.com/venues/theatre-royal-glasgow

 

Tickets for All About Eve go on sale Friday 28th September at 10am

@AllAboutEvePlay | AllAboutEvePlay.com
Sonia Friedman Productions and Fox Stage Productions present 
ALL ABOUT EVE 
by Joseph L Mankiewicz
Adapted and directed for the stage by Ivo van Hove

  • Tickets go on general sale on Friday 28th September at 10am
  • Gillian Anderson and Lily James to star in strictly limited run of All About Eve at the Noël Coward Theatre alongside Monica Dolan, Sheila Reid and Rhashan Stone with Julian Ovenden recently confirmed to join the cast. Further casting to be announced.
  • The iconic multi-Oscar winning film has been adapted for stage and will be directed by Olivier and Tony Award-winner Ivo van Hove.
  • All About Eve will run for 14 weeks with reduced priced previews beginning on 2nd February 2019.
  • Over 20,000 tickets will be available at £25 or under during the run.

Sonia Friedman Productions and Fox Stage Productions present the world premiere of Ivo van Hove’s highly anticipated stage production of the 1950 Twentieth Century Fox film All About Eve.

The much acclaimed film, based on Mary Orr’s original play “The Wisdom of Eve”, remains the only film to receive four female acting nominations.  The Emmy Award-winning Gillian Anderson (X-Files, The Fall, A Streetcar Named Desire) will return to the stage alongside Lily James (Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, Downton Abbey, Romeo and Juliet). BAFTA Award-winner Monica Dolan will join the cast in the role of Karen, alongside Sheila Reid as Birdie and Rhashan Stone as Lloyd with performances running from 2nd February at the West End’s Noël Coward Theatre. Recently it has been confirmed that Julian Ovenden will join the cast to play the part of Bill. Further casting to be announced soon.

Ivo van Hove’s direction will be accompanied by set and lighting design from Jan Versweyveld,costume design by An D’Huys and music from double Mercury Prize-winner PJ Harvey, alongside Tom Gibbons’ sound design. Casting is by Julia Horan CDG.

Tickets will go on sale from 10am on 28th September 2018.

“Fasten your seat belts. It’s going to be a bumpy night.”

Margo Channing. Legend. True star of the theatre. The spotlight is hers, always has been. But now there’s Eve. Her biggest fan. Young, beautiful Eve. The golden girl, the girl next door. But you know all about Eve…don’t you…?

 Ivo van Hove directs Gillian Anderson and Lily James in his new adaptation of All About Eve, a razor-sharp, unsettling exposé of the eternal obsession at the heart of show-business. Lifting the curtain on a world of jealousy and ambition, this new production, from one of the world’s most innovative theatre directors, asks why our fascination with celebrity, youth and identity never seems to get old.

GILLIAN ANDERSON (Margo) is an award-winning film, television and theatre actress who won an Emmy, a Golden Globe and two Screen Actors’ Guild awards for her role as ‘Special Agent Dana Scully’ in the TV series The X-Files.

Her further television credits include critically acclaimed Bleak House (BBC), BAFTA-winning mini-series Great Expectations (BBC), BAFTA-nominated thriller The Fall (BBC), Hannibal (NBC)American Gods (Starz) and the acclaimed mini-series War & Peace (BBC). In 2019 she will play Jean in Netflix’s 8-parter, Sex Education (Netflix).

On stage, Gillian performed at the Young Vic Theatre as Blanche Dubois in Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire, which relocated to St Ann’s Warehouse in New York and for which she was nominated for an Olivier Award and won Best Actress at the Evening Standard Awards.

Other UK theatre credits include What The Night Is For (Pinter Theatre); The Sweetest Swing In Baseball (Royal Court Theatre) and A Doll’s House (Donmar Warehouse) in 2009 for which she earned her first Olivier nomination.

Gillian’s film credits include The House of Mirth (Granada Productions); The Mighty Celt (BBC Films); The Last King of Scotland (Film 4); Johnny English Reborn (Universal); Shadow Dancer(Paramount); Sold (2016); Viceroy’s House (20th Century Fox) and Crooked House (Sony). Gillian’s latest films have been The Spy Who Dumped Me (Lionsgate) and The Sunlit Night which will be released in 2019.

LILY JAMES (Eve) graduated from Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 2010. Her breakout film role was the iconic ‘Cinderella’ in Disney’s award-winning worldwide hit adaptation directed by Kenneth Branagh.

Lily was most recently seen in Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! (Universal) alongside Meryl Streep, playing ‘Young Donna’. She also appeared in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (Studio Canal). Lily’s further film credits include ‘Elizabeth Nel’ in Darkest Hour (Working Title) opposite Gary Oldman, and ‘Debora’ in Baby Driver (Working Title) alongside Jamie Foxx and Jon Hamm.

Lily’s most notable TV credits include ‘Lady Rose’ in Golden Globe and BAFTA winning period drama Downton Abbey (ITV), and ‘Natasha Rostova’ in the much-heralded War & Peace (BBC).

For stage, Lily played ‘Juliet’ in Kenneth Branagh’s acclaimed Romeo and Juliet (Garrick Theatre). Further theatre credits include Vernon God Little (Young Vic Theatre) directed by Rufus Norris, and ‘Desdemona’ in Daniel Evans’ stage production of Othello (The Crucible, Sheffield).

MONICA DOLAN (Karen) is a BAFTA award-winning actress whose work spans stage, television and film. Highlights include Rosemary West in Appropriate Adult (ITV) for which she won a BAFTA, Janet in Witness for the Prosecution (Mammoth Screen), and Tracey Pritchard in W1A (BBC).

Most recently Monica has been seen as Peggy O’Dowd in Vanity Fair (ITV), and Marion in A Very English Scandal (BBC) opposite Hugh Grant.

Further TV credits include Inside No. 9 (BBC), The Casual Vacancy (BBC/HBO), Wolf Hall (BBC), and Call the Midwife (BBC).

For stage, Monica appeared in self-penned B*EASTS (Bush Theatre), Plaques & Tangles, The Twits, Birth of a Nation (Royal Court), King Lear, Seagull (Royal Shakespeare Company), Macbeth (Out of Joint), She Stoops to Conquer, A Laughing Matter (Royal National Theatre/Out of Joint) and The Walls (Royal National Theatre).

JULIAN OVENDEN (Bill) is widely recognised for his role as Charles Blake in season five of Downton Abbey (ITV). Further television work includes The Crown (Netflix); Knightfall (A+E Studios); Major Crimes (Warner Bros. Television); Death in Paradise (BBC) and Person of Interest (CBS/Warner Bros).  His extensive theatre credits include The Treatment (Almeida Theatre); My Night With Reg (Apollo Theatre/Donmar Warehouse); Showboat (New York Philharmonic); Finding Neverland (Leicester Theatre) and Marguerite (Theatre Royal Haymarket).

SHEILA REID (Birdie) spent 7 years in Laurence Olivier’s first permanent company at the Old Vic Theatre, playing, amongst many parts, Bianca in his Othello and Natasha in The Three Sisters – both subsequently filmed. She is a founder member of the Actors Company and spent two seasons with the RSC; notably as the nurse in Romeo and Juliet, Putana in Tis Pity She’s a Whore and Queen Margaret in Richard III.

Theatre credits also include an Olivier Award-nomination for When I Was A Girl I Used To Scream And Shout (Whitehall Theatre), My Mother Said I Never Should (Royal Court), The Importance Of Being Ernest (Haymarket), Pornography (Tricycle), Into The Woods (Donmar), Filomena (Almeida) and more recently Rasheeda Speaking (Trafalgar Studios), Silver Linings (English Touring Theatre), Pericles (Shakespeare’s Globe) and Maurice’s Jubilee (Edinburgh Festival / UK tour). She is currently in rehearsals for Troilus & Cressida at The RSC.

Ingmar Bergman cast her in his film The Touch, having directed her in Hedda Gabler at the National Theatre. Other films include BrazilThe Winter GuestFive Days One Summer and, most recently, the short multi award winning O Be Joyful.

She is probably best known on TV as Madge, in the comedy series Benidorm. Other television includes Call The Midwife Christmas special 2014, three series of Doctor WhoFather BrownHumans III, Psychobitches . She was most recently scene in Murder on The Blackpool Express, and has just wrapped on its sequel, Death On Tyne.

RHASHAN STONE (Lloyd) has appeared on stage in The Strange Death of John Doe and The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism & Socialism (Hampstead Theatre); Our Town (Almeida Theatre); Love and Information and Clubland (Royal Court Theatre); Southwark Fair, The Red Balloon, Sweeney Todd (all National Theatre). He has regularly performed for the Royal Shakespeare Company, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and the West Yorkshire Playhouse.

On screen he will appear in the second series of Killing Eve (BBC America) and the third series of Delicious (Sky) with further recent credits including Apple Tree Yard (BBC), Carters Get Rich (Sky 1), The A Word (BBC) and Ballot Monkeys (Channel 4).

IVO VAN HOVE has been director of Toneelgroep Amsterdam since 2001. From 1998 to 2004, he was Artistic Director the Holland Festival, presenting a varied selection of international theatre, music, opera and dance.

Ivo’s theatre credits include the upcoming theatrical adaptation of Hanya Yanagihara’s A Little Life (International Theatre, Amsterdam); Network (The Cort Theatre, Broadway); starring Bryan Cranston; Network and Hedda Gabler (National Theatre); A View from the Bridge (Young Vic/Wyndham Theatre/Lyceum Theatre, Broadway); The Crucible (Walter Kerr Theatre, Broadway);Lazarus (King’s Cross Theatre/New York Theatre Workshop, Broadway); and Visconti’s The Damned (La Comédie-Française, Paris/The Park Avenue Armory, New York).

Ivo has been awarded two Olivier Awards and two Tony Awards for A View from the Bridge; two Obie Awards for More Stately Mansions and Hedda Gabler. In addition, Ivo is also Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France and King Filip of Belgium awarded him Commander of the Order of the Crown.

Additional directing credits include Angels in America, Roman Tragedies, Kings of War, Opening Night, Taming of the Shrew, Scenes from a Marriage, Othello, The Miser, Mourning Becomes Electra, Long Day’s Journey into Night and The Fountainhead (all Toneelgroep Amsterdam).

JAN VERSWEYVELD is a set and lighting designer and one of the founders of Flemish theatre groups Akt/Vertikaal and Toneelproducties De Tijd. He has been Head of Scenography at Toneelgroep Amsterdam since 2001, has been a guest lecturer at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy and is one of the co-founders of the scenography training programme in Antwerp.

Theatre includes: Angels in AmericaCries and Whispers, Rocco and His Brothers, Antonioni Project,La voix humaine, TeoremaSummer Trilogy, Children of the Sun, And We’ll Never Be Parted, The MiserThe Russians!Husbands, Macbeth, Long Day’s Journey into NightDanton’s Death, The Fountainhead and Mary Stuart (all Toneelgroep Amsterdam; Network (The Cort Theatre, Broadway); NetworkHedda Gabler (National Theatre); A View from the Bridge (Young Vic/Wyndham Theatre/Lyceum Theatre, Broadway); Lazarus (King’s Cross Theatre/New York Theatre Workshop, Broadway);  Obsession, Antigone (Barbican).

Opera includes: Lulu, the complete Ring des Nibelungen (Flemish Opera); I due Foscari (Munt Opera); Fidelio (L’Opéra Palais Garnier); De zaak Makropulos, La clemenza di TitoIolanta (Netherlands Opera).

Versweyveld has been awarded the Bessie Award for Drumming Live, the OBIE Award for Hedda Gabler, and, in 2008, the Prosceniumprijs together with Ivo van Hove. In 2015 he received the Amsterdam Award for the Arts for Proven Quality (with Ivo van Hove) and in 2016 the Knight of Illumination Award for Song from Far Away.

AN D’HUYS studied fashion at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp and worked as a designer for fashion house Ann Demeulemeester for over 11 years.

An’s extensive list of theatre credits include Cosi fan tutteBoris Godonuv (Paris Opera); Network, Hedda Gabler (National Theatre); Obsession (London, Paris, Luxembourg) Lazarus (King’s Cross Theatre/New York Theatre Workshop); The Damned (Comédie-Française, Paris); A Little Life, Husbands and Wives, The Things that Pass, Othello, Opening Night, Medea, The Fountainhead, Antigone and Kings of War (Toneelgroep Amsterdam); A View from the Bridge (Young Vic/Wyndham Theatre/Lyceum Theatre, Broadway); The Three Sisters, Poquelin, Summerfolk andThe Cherry Orchard (TG STAN, Antwerp); The Misanthrope (Schaubühne, Berlin), Die Walküre, Siegfried and Götterdämmerung (Flanders Opera, Belgium) and Quartet, Bitches Brew andCassandra (Rosas, Brussels)

PJ HARVEY has released nine critically acclaimed albums, been nominated for six Grammy Awards, and is the only artist to have received the UK’s prestigious Mercury Music Prize twice. From the outset of her career she has commanded global attention as an accomplished multi-instrumentalist, song-writer and composer.

Harvey’s most recent album, The Hope Six Demolition Project, reached #1 in the UK Album Charts upon its release in April 2016. Her theatre collaborations include original scores for Hedda GablerHamlet, the 2014 production of ElectraThe Nest, and 2017’s The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?, all with director Ian Rickson. PJ Harvey has also contributed original music to soundtracks including Mark Cousins’ What’s This Film Called Love?, Tim Robbins’ The Cradle Will Rock, Julian Schnabel’s Basquiat and season 2 of the hit television series Peaky Blinders. Harvey’s first collection of poetry titled The Hollow of the Hand, in collaboration with photographer Seamus Murphy, was published by Bloomsbury UK in 2015.

TOM GIBBONS trained at Central School of Speech and Drama. Recent theatre includes: The Wild Duck (Almeida Theatre); The Woods (Royal Court); Home, I’m Darling (National Theatre/Theatr Clwyd); Oedipus (Toneelgroep Amsterdam); Hamlet (nominated for Best Sound Design, Olivier Award 2018) (Almeida Theatre/West End); Fanny and AlexanderThe Lorax (Old Vic) Hedda Gabler, Sunset At The Villa Thalia, The Red Barn, People, Places and Things (Winner for Best Sound Design, Olivier Awards 2016) (National Theatre/West End); A View From the Bridge (nominated for Best Sound Design, Olivier Award 2015) (Young Vic/West End), Life of Galileo, Happy Days, A Season in the Congo, Disco Pigs (Young Vic); Les Miserables (Wermland Opera, Sweden); The Crucible (Walter Kerr Theater Broadway); Oresteia (Almeida Theatre/Trafalgar Studios); Anna Karenina (Manchester Royal Exchange); The Moderate Soprano, Elephants (Hampstead Theatre);White Devil, As You Like It (RSC); Translations, Plenty (Sheffield Crucible); Mr Burns, 1984(Almeida Theatre/West End/Broadway); The Absence of War, Romeo & Juliet (Headlong); Lion Boy(Complicite); Henry IV, Julius Caesar (Donmar, St Ann’s Brooklyn); Grounded (Gate Theatre); The Spire (Salisbury Playhouse); London, The Angry Brigade, Wasted (Paines Plough); Roundabout Season (Shoreditch Town Hall, Paines Plough); The Rover (Hampton Court Palace); Love Love Love(Royal Court); Dead Heavy Fantastic (Liverpool Everyman).