Month: September 2019

FULL CAST ANNOUNCED FOR TRANSLATIONS

After a sold-out run, Ian Rickson’s acclaimed production of Translations returns to the NT in October 2019. Brian Friel’s modern classic is a powerful account of nationhood, which sees the turbulent relationship between England and Ireland play out in one quiet community. Dermot Crowley, Ciarán Hinds, Seamus O’Hara, Judith Roddy, and Rufus Wright return to reprise their roles, with Jack Bardoe, Liádan Dunlea, Fra Fee, Amy Molloy and Julian Moore-Cook joining the cast. Previews from 15 October.

Owen, the prodigal son, returns to rural Donegal from Dublin. With him are two British army officers. Their ambition is to create a map of the area, replacing the Gaelic names with English. It is an administrative act with radical consequences.

Directed by Ian Rickson, with design by Rae Smith, lighting design by Neil Austin and music by Stephen Warbeck sound design by Ian Dickinson, movement director Anna Morrissey.

NEW ‘DANCE FUSION’ COMPANY LAUNCHES IN MANCHESTER

Z BO JACKSON DANCE GALA

HOSTED BY KIMBERLY WYATT

PALACE THEATRE, MANCHESTER

TUESDAY 10^TH SEPTEMBER 2019

Z Bo Jackson, in partnership with the Palace Theatre, Manchester, are proud to announce a gala night of dance- hosted by Kimberly Wyatt – to launch The Z Bo Jackson Company – the UK’s first dance fusion theatre company.

From free runners to hip hop, ballet to street dance, the Z Bo Jackson Company will combine a diverse mix of dance styles with compelling storytelling and magnetic physicality.

The mix of dance styles on display, combined with stunning visuals, means the company’s performances will appeal to dance fans and musical theatre-lovers alike, as well as today’s YouTube and Insta-audiences.

The company launches on Tuesday 10^th September with a star-studded gala night of dance at the Palace Theatre, Manchester.

Hosted by the amazing Got to Dance judge and Pussycat Doll Kimberly Wyatt, with guest artists Flawless(Britain’s Got Talent and Street Dance 2), ballet star Brandon Lawrence (Principal Dancer with the Birmingham Royal Ballet) and West End star Chrissy Brooke (winner of ITV’s Dance Dance Dance.)

Singer, dancer and choreographer Kimberly Wyatt will perform alongside Flawless in one number, while BRB’s Brandon Lawrence will perform a solo choreographed by the award-winning George Williamson. Chrissy Brooke will perform with the Z Company ensemble.

Innovative and respected choreographer and director Bo Jackson has created the vision behind the thrilling new company and is excited to launch in Manchester at the Palace Theatre.

Said Bo: “Manchester is the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution and as such the perfect international city in which to launch a new dawn in dance for the 21st Century.

“The gala will provide a taste of Z’s future ambitions and celebrate Manchester’s unique placement as a Northern Powerhouse in theatre and dance.

“The Z brand will break down the walls of dance to create a uniquely diverse dance experience, as free runners mix with elite dancers, and ballet cross-pollinates with hip hop. Dance is a universal language and as Einstein observed ‘Dancers are the athletes of God’.

“As with this gala, the Z brand will invite celebrities and well-known dancers to appear alongside our main ensemble moving forward. We can’t wait to unleash our brand at the Palace Theatre next month.”

Host of the gala, Kimberley Wyatt, said: “I’m very excited to be part of this unique evening of dance in Manchester to celebrate the launch of Z Bo Jackson Company. It will be a spectacular night of celebrating all things dance, with street dance superstars Flawless, principal dancer of the Birmingham Royal Ballet Brandon Lawrence and Dance, Dance, Dance Star Chrissy Brooke. Prepare to be amazed!”

Get ready for an explosive night of entertainment at the Manchester Palace Theatre on Tuesday 10th September at 7.30pm. Tickets from £13.

To book tickets, please visit https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/z-bo-jackson-dance-gala/palace-theatre-manchester/

BIRTHDAY GIFTS GALORE FROM DARLINGTON HIPPODROME

To celebrate their 112th birthday, Darlington Hippodrome has unwrapped some special presents for the Autumn 2019 theatre season

With the theatre celebrating its 112th birthday today, Monday 2 September, there is a new autumn season brochure available including some thrilling drama, a hand-picked selection of the world’s most dazzling musicals and some truly magical family shows, alongside some huge household names to grace the Hippodrome stage

Drama lovers are in for a treat with a fabulous selection of plays. The classic Miss Marple tale A Murder is Announced, starring Sarah Thomas, Kazia Pelka and Tom Butcher (September 10-14) will have audiences on the edge of their seats as will The Lady Vanishes, a new stage adaptation based on the classic Hitchcock film, which stars Gwen Taylor, Andrew Lancel, Denis Lill and Mark Wynter (October 15-19). For those who like a really chilling night at the theatre The Woman in Black returns to Darlington (November 18-23). Kay Mellor’s smash hit TV drama Band of Gold has been adapted for the stage and stars Gaynor Faye and Shayne Ward (Jan 27 – February 1). National treasure Gwen Taylor stars in The Croft (February 11-15) a thriller by Ali Miles and we welcome back our pantomime dame Eric Potts but this time in a more serious role in By The Waters of Liverpool (April 9-11). Completing the season of drama is The Kite Runner (May 12-16)

There are gifts galore for musical theatre fans too

Celebrating 30 terrific years, Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story will have you dancing in the aisles (September 17 – 21). The entire family will simply love Madagascar The Musical (October 9 – 13) and there will be chills abound when DarlingtonOS presents Jekyll & Hyde The Musical (October 23 – November 2). Jason Manford heads a star-studded cast of West End theatre performers in the musical comedy / murder mystery Curtains (November 12 – 16). Joining Jason will be Carley Stenson, Rebecca Lock, Samuel Holmes, Leah West and Alan Burkitt. Catch up with ‘the girls’ as Menopause The Musical 2 stops off in Darlington (February 5-7)

For younger visitors and families there is a whole host of goodies.

A brand new stage show of In The Night Garden will enthral young visitors to the Hippodrome (September 28 & 29) and the David Walliams classic story Billionaire Boy will hit the stage later in the year (November 6 – 10). The annual festive family pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk stars Strictly Come Dancing head judge Shirley Ballas alongside dancing sensation George Sampson and comedian Phil Walker.

Operetta and Song & Dance fans have a selection of productions which will appeal to all tastes and ages.

The Russian State Ballet & Orchestra of Siberia present four spectacular ballets with Coppelia, Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake and The Nutcracker (January 23-26) and the spellbinding BalletBoyz return to Darlington with their new show Deluxe (March 5). In the autumn season, Darlington audiences will also be entertained by The English Youth Ballet, balletLorent, The Halle Orchestra, The London Mozart Players, The K&K Philharmonic and the Russian State Opera

There will be a number of fabulous ‘one night only’ appearances by some of the biggest names in entertainment including Brian Blessed (September 4), Julian Norton (September 16), David Harper (September 20), Frank Skinner (October 6), Alexander Armstrong (November 4), Alan Titchmarsh (January 8), Sir Michael Parkinson (February 9) and Jools Holland (May 23)

This is just a selection of the shows currently on offer at Darlington Hippodrome, additional shows are regularly being added to the schedule. To ensure you get the latest news visit the website and sign up to receive regular updates

Pick up one of the new Autumn 2019 season brochures and see for yourself what delights are in store at Darlington Hippodrome

For further information and to book contact the box office on 01325 405405, or visit www.darlingtonhippodrome.co.uk to choose your own seats online. Follow the theatre on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Grand Opera House York – Saturday 31 August 2019

Reviewed by Zoe Giles

5*****

Wow, simply wow, Elesha Paul Moses has an amazing powerful voice and commands the stage with her performance, she certainly has stage presence and had perfected her Tina Turner moves, and with costume changes she led us through Tina’s iconic music career.

Starting the show in the classic Tina look of black leather mini skirt and high heels, she opened to the sound of Steamy Windows along the way Elesha interacted with the audience which certainly loosened up the atmosphere and prepared us all for later in the evening.

The live musicians were hugely talented and did several solo pieces to showcase their individual musical skills, one of the backing singers also gave an extremely strong performance, again she had a powerful voice which had the audience spellbound. Throughout the evening you could tell everyone involved in the production was enjoying the evening as much as the audience via eye contact and interaction with one another.

Elesha in the second half of the show changed again and the audience really warmed up clapping along to Addicted to Love then singing to the title song What’s Love got to do with it by the time we got to River Deep Mountain High, Simply the Best and Nutbush City Limits 90% of the audience including myself were up on our feet dancing!!!

And if they were not up they were singing and clapping along we were all genuinely sorry to see the show end.

On the way out everyone was saying how much they’d enjoyed it and how good it was, true testament for anyone considering going to see it don’t think about it just BOOK IT!!

Underbelly Festival Southbank – until 15 September 2019

Reviewed by Claire Roderick

4****

This “Circus for Grownups” is a glorious night of escapism and joy. The tone is more cheeky than sultry, with the burlesque elements full of fun, and the male performers eagerly becoming the butt of jokes and laughter. With acts that appeal to everyone – Paul Westbrook welcomes “Ladies, gentlemen, and friends beyond the binary” – director Elena Kirschbaum has put together a titillating, high energy show that you can’t help but love.

Unfortunately, opera singer Issie Hart was unable to accompany the acts with her amazing voice on the night I visited, which would certainly have added an extra frisson to the risky acts on display. Paul Westbrook, Jessie Mckibbin and Lyndon Johnson deliver exciting aerial routines, and Madison Burleigh and Liam DeJong are a fantastic acrobatic team. Jessie Mckibbin and Lyndon Johnson’s duet on the cyr wheel is breath-taking, and her fire act had the entire audience whooping and clapping along (the musical choices throughout are eclectic and inspired).

With no introductions between acts, the show encourages the feeling that the cast are flying by the seat of their pants and just winging it, emphasised by the way some acts enter the stage. This adds to the jeopardy as the performers begin before the professionalism, strength and skill on display shines through, but there’s always a cheeky wink or wave just to make sure nobody is taking the show too seriously. The most memorable acts were also the funniest – the men ‘s OTT dance routine, a hilarious hula hoop act involving lamp shades that has to be seen to be believed, and Mckibbin’s routine keeping her 3 male unicorns in check with her whip. Fantastic filthy fun. Definitely not for children, but your gran will love it.