Month: February 2019

REGENT’S PARK OPEN AIR THEATRE ANNOUNCE MOREoutdoor EVENTS FOR 2019

• MOREoutdoor COMEDY INCLUDES:
  • ADAM KAY – THIS IS GOING TO HURT (SECRET DIARIES OF A JUNIOR DOCTOR)
  • COMEDY STORE PLAYERS
  • SHAPPI KHORSANDI
• MOREoutdoor MUSIC FEATURES NICK MULVEY IN A SPECIAL ONE-OFF SOLO SHOW
• MOREoutdoor FILMS PRESENTED BY THE LUNA CINEMA INCLUDE:
  • MARY POPPINS RETURNS (SING-A-LONG)
  • A STAR IS BORN
  • 40^TH ANNIVERSARY SCREENING OF MONTY PYTHON’S LIFE OF BRIAN
• PRIORITY BOOKING OPENS 11AM, 1 MARCH /

PUBLIC BOOKING OPENS 11AM, 8 MARCH

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre have today announced their full programme of MOREoutdoor events to complete their 2019 season. The one-off music, comedy and film events take place on Sunday evenings during the summer.

Adam Kay – This is Going to Hurt (Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor)

Sunday, 2 June | 7.45pm (recommended ages 12+)

An absolute sell-out at the Edinburgh Fringe 2016, 2017 and 2018, Soho Theatre 2017, UK tour and West End 2018, award-winning comedian Adam Kay shares entries from his diaries as a junior doctor in this “electrifying” (Guardian) evening of stand-up and music. His accompanying book, This is Going to Hurt is a Sunday Times bestseller, and is being turned into a major BBC series.

Comedy Store Players

Sunday, 14 July | 7.45pm (recommended ages 15+)

With ingenuity and inimitable improvisational dexterity, the Comedy Store Players are back! With no idea of what you, the audience, will suggest for their sketches, skits and songs, be prepared for literally anything! 

Shappi Khorsandi

Sunday, 15 September | 7.45pm

Shappi established herself as one of the country’s finest comedians in 2006 with her sell out Edinburgh show, Asylum Speaker. A regular on Live At The Apollo and countless TV and radio shows – including Mock The Week, 8 Out Of 10 Cats, Have I Got News For You, QI and Just a Minute, she also spent time in the jungle in I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here. Whilst this is Shappi’s stand-up debut at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, one of her favourite things is pulling on her wellies, trudging through muddy fields, and performing at every music festival that has a comedy tent – from Glastonbury to Secret Garden Party.

Nick Mulvey

Sunday, 18 August | 7.45pm

Following his UK solo tour last autumn, singer-songwriter Nick Mulvey plays a special one-off solo show at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre this summer.

Nick says “being up there on my own has brought me closer to my fans as they own the material too and sing along with me. They are my bandmates.”

On the back of his Mercury Prize nominated album First Mind, Nick released his second solo album, Wake Up Now, in September 2017, selling out shows at the Royal Albert Hall and two solo shows at Hackney EartH. 

The Luna Cinema presents:

Mary Poppins Returns (sing-a-long) 2018 (U): Sunday, 25 August | 8pm

A Star is Born 2018 (15): Sunday, 1 September | 8pm

Monty Python’s Life of Brian 1979 (15): Sunday, 8 September | 8pm

Following last year’s sell out screening of The Greatest Showman, The Luna Cinema returns to the Open Air Theatre with three outstanding cinema screenings:

The long awaited sequel to Disney’s musical masterpiece, Mary Poppins Returns bringsthe magical nanny to a whole new generation of children. It’s the perfect family film to enjoy – and sing-along to – on a summers evening ‘underneath the lovely London sky’. Reduced price tickets available for under 16s.

A story of love in the face of adversity, the smash hit movie musical, A Star is Born stars Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. Its incredible score includes Shallow, which recently won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Celebrating its 40^th anniversary, Monty Python’s Life of Brian is back on the big screen.With a star-studded cast, including John Cleese, Michael Palin, Eric Idle and the rest of the Python gang, ‘always look on the bright side of life’ in this hilarious British film.

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To accompany MOREoutdoor events, there is a choice of pre-event dining options, including The Regent’s Park Burger served from The Grill, Picnics and Luxury Hampers for Two. The Gin Experience for Two, includes reserved seating before the event and ingredients for two double Sacred Gin G&Ts each.

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The 2019 season at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre also includes productions of Our Town, Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play (16 May – 8 June), the opera Hansel and Gretel (14 – 22 June) in a co-production with English National Opera, Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (28 June – 27 July) and                         Evita (2 August – 21 September), lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

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MOREoutdoor Priority Booking for Open Air Theatre members opens 11am, Friday 1 March 2019;                Public Booking opens 11am, Friday 8 March 2019.

For more information visit: openairtheatre.com

More information of Open Air Theatre memberships visit: openairtheatre.com/join

Birmingham Repertory Theatre and Adam Blanshay Productions present
EDMOND DE BERGERAC
By Alexis Michalik
Translated by Jeremy Sams
Directed by Roxana Silbert

• EDMOND DE BERGERAC WILL STAR FREDDIE FOX, HENRY GOODMAN, JOSIE LAWRENCE AND CHIZZY AKUDOLU
• THE MOLIÈRE AWARD-WINNING COMEDY OPENS AT THE BIRMINGHAM REPERTORY THEATRE FROM FRIDAY 15 MARCH UNTIL SATURDAY 30 MARCH
• FURTHER TOUR DATES HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED: YORK, NORTHAMPTON, CAMBRIDGE AND RICHMOND.
• THE PLAY HAS BEEN TRANSLATED BY JEREMY SAMS AND WILL BE DIRECTED BY ROXANA SILBERT
• TICKETS ARE ON SALE

Edmond de Bergerac, Alexis Michalik’s hilarious comedy and French theatre phenomenon, will have its UK première at Birmingham Repertory Theatre from 15 – 30 March with a star cast led byFreddie Fox as Edmond Rostand, alongside Henry Goodman as Constant Coquelin, Josie Lawrence as Sarah Bernhardt and Chizzy Akudolu as Maria.

The five-time Molière Award winning comedy will then tour to York Grand Opera House, Northampton Theatre Royal, Cambridge Arts Theatre and Richmond Theatre.

This English language première has a new translation by Jeremy Sams and is directed by the current Artistic Director of Birmingham Rep, Roxana Silbert.

The cast also features Delroy Atkinson as Monsieur Honoré; Gina Bramhill as Jeanne; Nick Cavaliere as Ange Floury; Simon Gregor as Marcel; Harry Kershaw as Jean; David Langham as George Feydeau; Robin Morrisey as Léo and Sarah Ridgeway as Rosemonde. 

Edmond de Bergerac is the hilarious story behind Cyrano de Bergerac. Set in Paris in 1897, playwright Edmond Rostand (Freddie Fox) is approaching his thirtieth birthday with no new plays but a whole lot of worries. He has not written anything in two years and in desperation has promised a new play to the acting superstar, Constant Coquelin (Henry Goodman).

A desperate Edmond draws on his problems to write a new comedy. It will be an unbelievable tale about the demands of his producers, the whims of the actresses, the jealousy of his wife, his doubting colleagues and the romantic adventures of his best friend. It shall be called Cyrano de Bergerac!

The original production of Edmond continues to play to packed houses in Paris at the Theatre du Palais-Royale.

Alexis Michalik will receive two UK premières of his work this season. Alongside Edmond de Bergerac at Birmingham Rep and on tour, Intra Muros will open at the Park Theatre, London from 3 April – 4 May, directed by Ché Walker. Michalik is an author, actor and director with previous writing credits including Le Porteur d’Histoire which has run for over 1500 performances to date and played around the world, as well as Le Cercle Des Illusionnistes. For these two pieces, Michalik received the Beaumarchais du Figaro Prize, the Jeune Théâtre de l’Académie Française Award and two coveted Molière Awards. He wrote and directed Edmond in 2016, winning five Molière Awards, having just celebrated its 800th performance in Paris and recently released as a feature film. Intra Muros is his most recent work, having opened in Paris, 2017 at the Théâtre 13 before transferring to the larger Théâtre La Pépinière, where it continues to sell out today.

Edmond de Bergerac will be designed by Robert Innes Hopkins. The movement director isLiam Steel and the composer is Dave Price. Sound design is by Dan Hoole and lighting design by Rick Fisher. Voice director is Stephen Kemble, casting director is Amy Ball and Jack McMahon is the assistant director. 

Produced in association with Nicolas Talar. 

LISTINGS

Birmingham Repertory Theatre and Adam Blanshay Productions present the UK première of
EDMOND DE BERGERAC
By Alexis Michalik
Translated by Jeremy Sams
Directed by Roxana Silbert

Birmingham Repertory Theatre
15 – 30 March
0121 236 4455 / birmingham-rep.co.uk

York Grand Opera House
1 – 6 April
0844 871 3024 / atgtickets.com/venues/grand-opera-house-york/

Northampton Theatre Royal
8 – 13 April
01604 624811 / royalandderngate.co.uk

Cambridge Arts Theatre
15 – 20 April
01223 503333 / cambridgeartstheatre.com

Richmond Theatre
29 April – 4 May
0844 871 7651 / atgtickets.com/venues/Richmond-theatre

Crucible Theatre, Sheffield – until 9th March 2019

Reviewed by Charleigh Christmas

5*****

An amazing play with spectacular build up and characterisation.

As I walked in I noticed the set was amazing straight away. Set in one room, with an unassuming fish swimming around in the corner, the set was perfect for the tone of the play.

It follows the story of a woman and two detectives, over the course of an hour on an important day.

The cast consisted of only three characters. One “Marianne Oldham”, Two played by “Sid Sagar and Three played by “Diveen Henry”. All three actors were superb. Diveen Henry brought the emotion, while Sid Sagar brought some much needed comic relief. I was particularly impressed with Marianne Oldham, who I think carried the show really well and drove the story forward. I left the theatre feeling like I’d connected well with the characters “One” and “Three”.

The play was a slow build, leading you through numerous twists and not revealing much of anything for a while, building up the tension. Although some people may find this slow going and certain aspects are drawn out, more than they needed to be, I think the style of this was perfect for such a play.

The ending of the play was ambiguous but perfect, leaving you with just enough knowledge to have you feeling satisfied.

The sound and lighting effects were brilliant. Once again being subtle enough to not over power, but leave a big impact. The sound was particularly effective, providing enough suspense to keep people on the edge of their seat.

I don’t want to reveal too much of the plays plot, as I feel it needs to be seen to appreciate the nuances, however I can really recommend going to see this play!

The Lowry, Salford – until Saturday 2nd March 2019.  

Reviewed by Sarah Cockerill

5*****

Malorie Blackman’s award winning novel is brought to life as Noughts and Crosses comes to the Lowry, Salford, as part of Pilot Theatre’s nationwide tour.

This is a Classic Romeo and Juliet story of forbidden love with a modern day twist, exploring racial segregation, extremism and class divide in this stage adaptation of the staple novel found on many teenagers’ bookshelves since 2001.

In a world that upon first glance seems not unlike our own, Noughts & Crosses is set in a dystopian society where one race is superior to the other in every possible way. The audience are introduced to Sephy (Heather Agyepong), of the dark skinned upper ruling class otherwise known as a Cross, and Callum (Billy Harris), a Nought, the lighter skinned lower class whose ancestors were once slaves to the Crosses. Sephy and Callum are keen to show the world that they can and will be friends, and perhaps naively, are desperate for Noughts and Crosses to be treated as equals. 

All of the cast should be applauded for their commendable performance, but Harris’ masterful character development was truly outstanding – from his portrayal of an optimistic, bright boy, who would love nothing more than to live in a democratic, egalitarian society in the first act, to evolving into a pained young man who is living a self fulfilling prophecy of the shameful branding he and his family have been stamped with. 

Having heard of Noughts and Crosses as simply a book that I really should have picked up by now, I honestly didn’t know what to expect from this stage adaptation, but I was stunned. What we got was a thought-provoking, harrowing performance that left the audience in tears, teenagers and adults alike which I suspect will keep people thinking long after leaving the theatre, and rightly so.

Catch Noughts and Crosses at The Lowry, Salford, until Saturday 2nd March

Festival Theatre Edinburgh – until 2 March 2019

Reviewed by Manetta McIntosh

4****

For anyone who is familiar with the classic movie version, you can be forgiven for attending with some trepidation. It is hard to imagine that the stage version would be able to reproduce the cinematic tricks which made the movie the classic it became. The storyline relates very closely to the movie, Sam and Molly are a young professional couple who are beginning their life together when tragedy strikes. Sam is killed in an apparent robbery gone wrong and he returns as a ghost to seek justice with the help of a seemingly fake psychic.

As the lights dimmed a haunting arrangement of Unchained Melody began to play and the audience were completely drawn in. Rebekah Lowings who played Molly did bear a resemblance to Demi Moore which made her character feel familiar yet suitably different. There were subtle echoes of the movie throughout, small things that fans will recognise immediately such as Sam’s shirt, Molly’s dungarees, things that set you at ease.

The staging was cleverly introduced; the changing of scenes was seamless and how they recreated the subway was delightful. Lighting was skilfully utilised to draw the eye to where they wanted you to look which allowed for elusive changes to the set. Whilst it felt it was too early in our relationship with the characters to have them disrobing each other only ten minutes in to the show, by the end of the first half you were completely invested in Sam and Molly as a couple.

It is difficult to review this show without making comparisons to the movie, but one of the most iconic scenes has to be the pottery wheel with Unchained Melody playing in the background. This was delicately reproduced to pay homage to the movie but presented in such a way that made it feel like a scene in its own right.

Rebekah Lowings has an incredible voice, when she sang With You I had goosebumps. Niall Sheehy singing Unchained Melody (when Sam utilises Ode Mae’s body to be close to Molly) was another goose bump moment. And try as I might to dislike him, when Carl (Sergio Pasquariello) was singing with Molly I was totally transfixed by his voice. Not all the songs hit the mark but this was not the fault of the singers, the vocals were incredible.

Jacqui Dubois as Ode May Brown deserves a paragraph all to herself. Her version of the character was superb, her pizazz and humour boldly punctuated an otherwise emotional storyline. Ode Mae brings a welcom spark to the show and her comedy timing is spot on. Her efforts were repaid in buckets during the encore when she, by far, got the loudest cheering applause.

A must see show for fans of the movie or newbies alike, if you like musical adaptations you will love this.

2019 SALISBURY FESTIVAL MARKS GLOBAL ANNIVERSARIES WITH A PACKED 16-DAY PROGRAMME

Fri 24 May – Sun 9 June 2019

General booking opens 15 March

www.wiltshirecreative.co.uk

Gareth Machin, Artistic Director of Wiltshire Creative, and Guest Festival Director Jonathan Dove today announce the programme for the 2019 Salisbury International Arts Festival (24 May to 9 June) which will mark two global anniversaries – the 1969 moon landings and the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall – with an ambitious mix of music, spoken word, film, dance, circus, theatre, comedy and family events.

The Festival features more than 120 events across 16 days.

Guest Festival Director Jonathan Dove is one of our leading contemporary composers and several of his works will be performed during the Festival, including two new commissions: Moon Songs, with words by Alasdair Middleton, performed by hundreds of Wiltshire school children in Salisbury Cathedral, and Vertue, a setting of words by George Herbert performed by a capella favourites Voces8.

Central to the Festival will be a dramatic installation inside Salisbury Cathedral. Luke Jerram’s Gaia is a huge, seven-metre wide sculpture featuring detailed NASA imagery of the earth’s surface which will be displayed under the spire crossing in the Cathedral for the duration of the Festival.

Music

With Gaia as a stunning backdrop, events in the Cathedral will include the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestraplaying Holst’s The Planets; Harriet Mackenzie leading a glorious, nature-inspired concert with the London Chamber Orchestra including Ralph Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending; and the Festival Chorus performing Alec Roth’s beautiful choral work Earthrise.

Elsewhere, music lovers can enjoy international pianist Melvyn Tan performing Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata and Debussy’s Clair de Lune alongside Jonathan Dove’s Catching Fire; the acclaimed Sacconi Quartet who will be joined by tenor James Gilchrist to perform Jonathan Dove’s In Damascus and music by Arvo Part and Shostakovich; and the Pavel Haas Quartet playing Schubert’s Trout Quintet.

Other music includes the internationally renowned Tim Kliphius Trio with their infectious blend of gypsy, jazz and classical; folk singer Grace Petrie’s unique take on life, love and politics and Radio 2’s Claire Teal making a welcome return. Salisbury Live also returns with great live music for free in Salisbury’s pubs and clubs.

Unusual venues

Unusual locations for Festival events include Zizzi’s Italian restaurant in Salisbury for a Binaural Dinner Date; apop-up city centre secret location for Collisions, a virtual reality journey into the homeland of a remote tribe in Western Australia whose first experience of the developed world was witnessing an atomic test in the 1960s;Five Rivers Leisure Centre for Zvizdal, a multimedia performance about a real life couple who refused to leave Chernobyl; and The Chapel nightclub for an evening of flamenco music and dance.

Festival of Ideas

The central weekend of the Festival will see a new Festival of Ideas, a programme of discussion and debate about the fragility of our planet. Our Fragile Home: A Festival of Ideas is curated by Rebecca Johnson, long-time campaigner and founding co-chair of ICAN (The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons), which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017. Speakers will include leading climatologist Chris Rapley and best-selling author Tim Marshall with the full programme to be announced in April.

Spoken word

In addition to the Festival of Ideas, other spoken word events within the Festival will see visits from David Lammy MP, international cricketer Vic Marks, former Guardian editor-in-chief Alan Rusbridger and news anchor Mark Austin. Other names speaking at the Festival include authors Victoria Hislop, Minette Waltersand Alison Weir as well as naturalist Stephen Moss and retail champion Mary Portas.

Theatre

Theatre includes the return of The Lord Chamberlain’s Men with A Midsummer Night’s Dream performed outdoors in the Cathedral Close, following their performances of A Comedy of Errors in 2017, and Theatre Rebring The Nature of Forgetting, a powerful and joyous performance about what is left when memory is gone. Meanwhile, award-winning artist Rachael Young is inspired by Grace Jones to imagine a different future for women of colour in Nightclubbing.

Film

There is a full film programme throughout the 16 days, including The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, documentary Being Neil Armstrong, When the Wind Blows by Raymond Briggs, Dr Strangelove, Ryan Gosling inFirst Man, Ralph Fiennes in The White Crow and Judi Dench in Red Joan.

Comedy

One of the UK’s most beloved and thinnest acts, Mark Watson, delivers a stand-up show about empathy with his usual, high joke-and-rant-per-minute rate and the undisputed masters of off-the-cuff comedy Noise Next Door will transform audience suggestions into ferociously funny scenes in Remix, while also performing their shiny new family show All At Sea.

Family

Celebrating Wiltshire Creative’s ongoing relationship with Bemerton Heath, Salisbury International Arts Festival will present a Family Fiesta at Bemerton Heath including performances, music and participatory arts activities. Other family events include literature and theatre, a disco for very young children and a beatboxing show.

Dance

Following sell-out performances in The Salberg last year, Old Kent Road take to the Main Stage of Salisbury Playhouse with their ground-breaking tap dance show; Ballet Central presents a varied programme of classical ballet and contemporary dance; and Swing Circus will dazzle with world-class circus skills that include the cyr wheel and acrobatic dance.

Visual art

The key Festival exhibition is Insatiable Mind at Salisbury Arts Centre which explores the theme of curiosity with seven international artists shortlisted from 400 submissions. Salisbury International Arts Festival is also hosting a community graffiti project on panels to be displayed around the city.

Wiltshire Creative Artistic Director Gareth Machin said: “Since its founding in 1973, the International Arts Festival has provided an annual celebration of the vitality, distinctiveness and diversity of Salisbury’s cultural offer. This year is no different with the anniversaries of the moon landings and end of the Cold War inspiring artists from across the world to animate the buildings, spaces and streets of our wonderful city with a thrilling artistic programme.”

Guest Festival Director Jonathan Dove said: “Salisbury has always been a significant part of my cultural landscape. My career as a full-time professional composer began here 30 years ago, when I was invited to be Musician in Residence at the 1989 Salisbury Festival and I’ve continued to write music for Salisbury ever since. So it feels both natural and exciting to be Guest Festival Director for the 2019 Salisbury International Arts Festival, working with the Wiltshire Creative team to bring excitement and inspiration of all kinds to Salisbury and beyond.”

Salisbury International Arts Festival has been enabled through wide charitable support, including sponsorship from Scala Radio, Wilsons Solicitors, Smith & Williamson, Richard Griffiths Solicitors, Wiltshire Life, Bill’s, Byron Burger, Côte Brasserie, Zizzi and Sarum College.

General booking for the Festival opens on 15 March. For more, visit www.wiltshirecreative.co.uk or call 01722 320333.

Darlington Hippodrome – until Saturday 2 March 2019

2**

Branded a new farce, Octopus Soup arrived into Darlington on its first UK tour.

With a host of familiar faces, this comedy is a tale of two acts – with one much funnier than the other.

Insurance Consultant Seymour (Nick Hancock) is hoping to pitch his ideas to head of a global insurance firm, Virginia (Gillian Bevan).  His attempts to do this are stopped by bungling burglar Marvin (Paul Bradley). But Marvin comes up with an idea to combine insurance and burglary.  Throw in Seymour’s actress wife Gloria (Carolyn Backhouse) and Marvin’s criminal mastermind boss Alan (Eric Richard) and a pet octopus named Terry and you have your plot.

Bradley is the star turn, mispronouncing words but charming all around him.  But Hancock works well with him, getting frustrated at the ensuing stupidity surrounding him.

The tale does cover the ethics of good versus bad, the idea that insurance and bankers are as much crooks as the burglars and robbers and there is a lot of swearing – and I do mean A LOT!

The clear star of the show is Anthony Lamble’s set, depicting Seymour’s living room in his bungalow.  

This is only the beginning of the tour for this new show, so it may still be finding its way and may be worth a return visit towards the end of this run.  If you enjoy a gentle comedy then this may be the show for you.

In Darlington until Saturday 2 March and on tour around the UK

The new Opera North Season 2019/20

By Dawn Smallwood

One always anticipates waits for Opera North’s announcements about their next seasons’ repertoires and the announcement of the 2019/20 season is no exception. Opera North is reputed for their new exciting productions, revivals and more recently collaborative work.

Bohuslav Martinů’s The Greek Tragedy, an opera rarely performed but its themes are so paramount today, and Kurt Weill’s Street Scene, one of America’s great operas today, are the repertoire’s new productions. There is Handel’s baroque style Giulio Cesare and the ever popular La bohème and The Marriage of Figaro. Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw, composed by Britten, will also feature after it being performed back in 2010.

Opera North continues to make opera accessible for everyone with launching Try it ON where the first time attendees can see any of the season’s operas for £20.00 and of course there is the popular Under 30s scheme. For the first time a dementia friendly performance of La bohème will be given and any needs will be accounted for.

There will be a concert staged Bartok’s Bluebeard’s castle and a large scale people’s opera in County Durham which is in partnership with Northern Heartlands and involve communities in South and West Durham. Opera North will have their Leeds home transformed through Music Works, from spring 2019 to 2020, to what promises to be a home for welcoming artists, developing talent, aiding one’s learning and participation, and inspiring audiences.

The Greek Passion will mark the new season on the 14th September at the Leeds Grand Theatre.

Eleanor Lloyd Productions and Rebecca Stafford Productions present
Witness for the Prosecution
By Agatha Christie

• Witness for the Prosecution to release tickets for performances until 29 March 2020.
   
• The site-specific production extends into its third year in the magnificent ‘courtroom’ setting inside London’s County Hall.
• Tickets for the new booking period go on general sale from Thursday 28 February 2019 at 10am via www.witnesscountyhall.com 

• New cast members will join the company from 28 May 2019, including Carolin Stoltz as Romaine Vole, Lewis Cope as the accused Leonard Vole, Simon Dutton as Sir Wilfrid Robarts, Giles Taylor as Mr Myers QC and Michael Cochrane as Mr Justice Wainwright.
  

Eleanor Lloyd Productions and Rebecca Stafford Productions today announce further tickets for Witness for the Prosecution will go on sale to the general public on Thursday 28 February 2019. The production, which has now surpassed the original West End run in at the Winter Garden Theatre (now the Gillian Lynne Theatre), will be extending into its third year at London’s historic County Hall. Tickets will be available until 29 March 2020.

A new cast will be sworn in from 28 May 2019, including Carolin Stoltz (Shetland, Emmerdale) playing Romaine Vole, Lewis Cope (Billy Elliot) as the accused Leonard Vole, Simon Dutton(The Saint) as Sir Wilfrid Robarts, Giles Taylor (This House, Wolf Hall/ Bring Up The Bodies) as Mr Myers QC and Michael Cochrane (The Archers) as Mr Justice Wainwright, with Max Dinnen, Janet Fullerlove, Kara Grace-Paseda, Jessica Hole, Francesca Knight, Joe Shire, Paul Lancaster, Nicholas Osmond, Michael Weaver and Karl Wilson. 

Director Lucy Bailey (Switzerland, Love From A Stranger, The Graduate) thrillingly places the audience in the thick of the action, with some even watching from the jury box, as this gripping tale of justice, passion and betrayal unfolds around them.

Leonard Vole is accused of murdering a widow to inherit her wealth. The stakes are high. Will Leonard survive the shocking witness testimony? Will he be able to convince the jury of his innocence and escape the hangman’s noose?

Witness for the Prosecution will be booking until 29 March 2020.  The production is designed by William Dudley, with lighting by Chris Davey, sound design by Mic Pool and casting by Ellie Collyer-Bristow CDG.

STAND-UP AT CITY VARIETIES MUSIC HALL

Be seated for some of the funniest stand-up comedians in the UK today at City Varieties Music Hall.

Friday 1 March 2019

MARK WATSON

Cluster-bombed with yoghurt on Taskmaster, half-killed on Bear Grylls’ Celebrity Island, Watson returns to what he’s best at: being indoors.

Inspired by the mostly alarming state of the world his children are growing up in and a genuine urgent desire to do something about it, this show is about empathy. As scrawny and impassioned as ever, one of the UK’s most beloved and thinnest acts offers some suggestions with his usual notoriously high joke- and rant-per-minute rate. Age Guidance 14+.

Wednesday 6 March 2019

ARDAL O’HANLON; The showing off must go on

Ardal O’Hanlon (Death in Paradise, Father Ted, My Hero) continues to tour his acclaimed stand-up shows worldwide. Because he loves it. And it’s a compulsion. And the world is a funny place.

In an age of raging populism, MeToo, identity politics, the end of truth, the collapsing middle ground, peak avocado and £15 gin and tonics, terrified of being on the wrong side of history, and desperate to prove that his gender, race, age and class don’t necessarily define him, Ardal is forced to saddle his high horse again and ride fearlessly into the culture wars (with a white hankie in his pocket just in case), comedy as ever being the best emergency response mechanism to extreme events there is. Age guidance 16+.

Saturday 6 April 2019

MICKY P KERR

In June 2018 musical comedian Micky P Kerr was rocketed to stardom when he won the hearts of the nation and wowed both Simon Cowell and Andy Murray’s mum with his performances on Britain’s Got Talent.  Time has passed, and he’s now been brought safely back down to earth and back into his comfort zone as a Z-List Celebrity.

In this, his debut solo tour, the now semi-famous Micky invites you to join him for an evening of music, social commentary and, above all, lots of laughs.

Tuesday 9 April 2019

SEAN WALSH After this one I’m going home

Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee and the self-dubbed ‘Lie-In King’, Seann Walsh is ‘unquestionably the best observational comic of his generation’ THE GUARDIAN. 

Returning from his run in America, where he made his USA television debut appearance on Conan, Seann Walsh is back on tour in the UK. This dishevelled, fiery, animated, fiercely idle, millennial man-child is one of best live comedians to have come out of the UK.