Leading Panto Producers, Regal Entertainments have announced they are bringing back their recent successful online panto to the stage at St Helens Theatre Royal to be enjoyed by audiences and performed LIVE on stage.
The lavish fairy-tale production of Jack and the Beanstalk will be live at the theatre for15 performances from Thursday 21 October – Sunday 31 October 2021 and tickets are now on sale!
A cast of St Helens Theatre Royal favourites are coming together again to perform in the family favourite.
Timothy Lucas will reprise his role of Jack,Catherine Cunningham as Mrs Fleshcreep,Olivia Sloyan as Princess Jill,Reece Sibbald as Simple Simon, Mark Two as Dame Trott, and Jenna Sian O’Hara as Fairy Mary.
The creative team includes director Chantelle Nolan, musical supervisor Callum Clarke, choreography by Nazene Langfield, and written by Reece Sibbald.
Jack and the Beanstalk tells the rags to riches story of a boy who sells the family’s cow for a handful of beans, getting him into a lot of trouble with his poor mother. But the story takes a magical twist when the beans sprout into a magnificent beanstalk that reaches up to a mystical land high in the sky.
Audiences will join Jack on his gigantic journey up the beanstalk as he discovers geese with golden eggs, a magic harp, and not forgetting a close encounter with a very hungry giant. But Jack needs to tread carefully, as the villainous Mrs Fleshcreep is hot on his heels, determined to stop him.
Theatre Manager Chantelle Nolan said: “It’s not long now before we allow our family audiences back in to the theatre to watch our spectacular pantomimes, we can’t wait. We had so much fun creating the lavish production of Jack and the Beanstalk over Easter, so much so, that we will bring it back for October half-term. Some of our audience members may have watched and enjoyed it online, now they have the chance to see it live at the theatre. But we also want to make sure that those who didn’t manage to catch it, can now see it live.
“There is no feeling like live theatre, the overall experience of going to a theatre to watch a show is unbeatable – Pantomime is an interactive show in its traditions and we are ready to welcome back our panto audiences.”
You may have seen it online, but now you can see it LIVE!!
Royal & Derngate, Northampton and Theatre Royal Bath Productions present
Ralph Fiennes
in the world premiere stage adaptation of
FOUR QUARTETS
By T.S. Eliot
Directed by Ralph Fiennes
Designer Hildegard Bechtler
Lighting Designer Tim Lutkin
Sound Designer Christopher Shutt
Ralph Fiennes creates a brand-new stage adaptation of T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets this summer. This world premiere production will re-open the Theatre Royal Bath from 25 May – 5 June, and launch Royal & Derngate’s Made in Northampton season in the venue’s Royal auditorium from 8 – 12 June in a co-production between both venues, before embarking on a regional tour.
Nobel Prize winner T.S. Eliot is one of the giants of modern literature. Compelling, moving and symphonic, Four Quartets was the culminating achievement of his career as a poet, offering four interwoven meditations on the nature of time, faith, and the quest for spiritual enlightenment. Mostly written before WWII when the closure of playhouses during the Blitz interrupted Eliot’s work in theatre, the Four Quartets (Burnt Norton, East Coker, The Dry Salvages and Little Gidding), contain some of the most exquisite and unforgettable reflections upon surviving periods of national crisis.
Ralph Fiennes’ distinguished stage work is matched by performances in some of the greatest films of our time. The winner of a Tony Award for playing Hamlet, he has worked extensively in theatre, where his recent credits include Antony and Cleopatra, Richard III and The Master Builder. His numerous film roles include a BAFTA award winning performance in including Schindler’s List; The English Patient; The Grand Budapest Hotel; The Constant Gardner; Skyfall; In Bruges; The Dig and The Harry Potter series.
Four Quartets is directed by Ralph Fiennes who will be joined by a remarkable creative team including Hildegard Bechtler (Designer) who won an Olivier Award for After the Dance at the National Theatre and received nominations for Top Hat and Oresteia; Tim Lutkin (Lighting), winner of an Olivier Award for Chimerica and Christopher Shutt (Sound), winner of a Tony Award for War Horse. The Assistant Director is Eva Sampson and the Movement Director is Fin Walker.
Four Quartets is presented by Royal & Derngate, Northampton and Theatre Royal Bath Productions. Tickets for the Northampton run can be booked by visiting www.royalandderngate.co.uk or calling Box Office on 01604 624811.
THE MONO BOX in collaboration with APATAN PRODUCTIONS
PRESENTS
RESET THE STAGE:
7 NEW FILMED MONOLOGUES WRITTEN BY 7 DIVERSE EMERGING WRITERS
PERFORMED ON THE STAGES OF 7 EMPTY LONDON THEATRES
The Mono Box is delighted to announce RESET THE STAGE, a collection of 7 filmed monologues written by 7 emerging, ethnically diverse writers performed by established actors on the empty stages of 7 London theatres in lockdown will stream live online on Thursday 17th June at 7.30pm.
This series of short films featuring actors Sharon Duncan-Brewster (Star Wars: Rogue One, Sex Education), Ken Nwosu (Killing Eve, Sticks & Stones) and Danny Kirrane (Don’t Forget the Driver, Peterloo) The evening will be introduced by Patrons of The Mono Box, Sir Derek Jacobi, Youssef Kerkour, Susan Wokoma and James Norton. All ticket sales will raise money for the continual work of the company nurturing and providing opportunities to emerging theatre talent.
RESET THE STAGE was created during COVID-19 as a platform for ethnically diverse writers’ voices to be heard at a time when we need them the most. Through mentorship with leading playwrights including Duncan Macmillan, Alice Birch, Lucy Prebble and Theresa Ikoko these 7 young writers have been encouraged to speak boldly about where they are and where they would like to be. All the pieces have been directed by Roberta Zuric, who was part of The Mono Box’s PLAYSTART new writing programme in 2018 and was mentored by Ned Bennett. RESET THE STAGE also partnered with creator of photographic series Our Empty Theatre – Helen Murray.
QUOTES
‘After the events of last summer, and in response to the lack of opportunities for emerging talent during Covid-19, we got to work. We invested in 7 ethnically diverse writers from our PLAYSTART new writing scheme, offering them a commission, mentorship, actors, a theatre and a film crew to help realise their vision. All in lockdown, when the theatres were empty. The films within RESET THE STAGE have been achieved to an exceptionally high standard, by a small but mighty team. We are so excited to share them with the world and to show what can happen when new voices are given a platform to showcase their work.’ Polly Bennett and Joan Iyiola, Co-Founders of The Mono Box
‘I love The Mono Box. They are a lifeline to young creatives, offering inspiration, practical support, and opportunities.’ Duncan Macmillan (RESET Writer Mentor & writer Trigonometry, People, Places and Things)
THE PIECES:
THE MADNESS written by Dipo Baruwa-Etti, mentored by Alice Birch
Performed by Sharon Duncan-Brewster at Almeida Theatre
An actress breaks into an empty theatre, where she is forced to confront her relationship with fiction, reality, and how their overlap has impacted her life.
SCREAMS written by Kiran Benawra, mentored by Duncan Macmillan
Performed by Thalissa Teixeira at Arcola Theatre
Grieving the start, middle and end of her first meaningful romantic relationship, a woman struggles to let out her true emotions surrounding the break-up.
DANIEL written by Charles Entsie, mentored by Nathaniel Martello-White
Performed by Ken Nwosu at Bush Theatre
Set within the bounds of a toilet cubicle, a man in a moment of existential crisis finds himself reliving what’s been and what could be.
JOY written by Roberta Livingston, mentored by Theresa Ikoko
Performed by Joan Iyiola at Young Vic
It’s a Saturday night in East London and a recently dumped Joy is at a rave with her girls. But when she’s pulled in by an alluring woman on the dancefloor her night takes an unexpected turn.
SHARIA’S LAW written by maatin, mentored by Inua Ellams
Performed by Shane Zaza at Lyric Hammersmith Theatre
A man looks back on past encounters as he contemplates his relationship to faith and to the theatre.
RUSH written by Sid Sagar, mentored by Bijan Sheibani
Performed by Danny Kirrane at Southwark Playhouse
After a roadside altercation, Chris prepares to face the legal consequences and ponders the events which led him to this moment. Rush asks what it is to be good in a world that feels increasingly divided
CYNTHIA written by Vivan Xie, mentored by Lucy Prebble
Performed by Isabella Laughland at Soho Theatre
As she struggles to form an online tribute to her deceased childhood friend, a young woman must reconcile her past actions and the complicated relationship they shared.
LISTINGS / TICKET INFORMATION:
DATE: Thursday 17th June
TIME: 7.30pm
TICKETS: Limited £10 Early Bird tickets on sale Friday 21st May
NEW DIORAMA THEATRE AND BRITISH LAND LAUNCH NDT BROADGATE, A 20,000 SQ FT REHEARSAL COMPLEX OFFERING FREE SPACE TO INDEPENDENT ARTISTS FOR A YEAR IN WORLD FIRST
NDT Broadgate will be one of the biggest rehearsal complexes in London: 20,000 sq ft, 29 high quality rehearsal spaces, meeting rooms, design studios and communal areas – designed by artists, fully staffed and equipped.
The first of its kind in the world, NDT Broadgate will be totally free of charge for artists to use, attracting footfall of over 80,000 creatives to Broadgate over the year, providing independents and freelancers with free space, resources and training, and supporting hundreds of new theatre productions.
This project supports the renewal of London’s arts and culture industry post-pandemic, creating a blueprint that can be replicated across the UK and globally.
A partnership with the Culture & Commerce Taskforce (Chaired by the Lord Mayor of the City of London and led by the City of London Corporation with Culture Mile), NDT Broadgate will be a testbed for how culture and commerce can work together for mutual benefit to accelerate London’s recovery.
New Diorama Theatre in partnership with British Land today announce NDT Broadgate – a major new artist development complex opening in the City of London this July. Based at British Land’s Broadgate campus, London’s largest pedestrianised neighbourhood, NDT Broadgate will comprise 29 high-quality, fully resourced rehearsal rooms, large design studios, presentation spaces and offices for independent artists to use throughout the year.
NDT Broadgate will be the first of its kind in the world: a large complex completely free of charge for artists to use, focused on resetting the arts sector following the pandemic. Providing an adrenaline shot to independent and freelance creatives, NDT Broadgate will welcome a footfall of over 80,000 artists to Broadgate across the year, supporting hundreds of new theatre productions, providing artists with rehearsal and development space free of charge.
As part of the launch, New Diorama Theatre and British Land will publish a blueprint for this project so similar partnerships can be replicated globally, as artists return to creating live performances.
NDT Broadgate is the brainchild of London’s New Diorama Theatre, who won The Stage’s Innovation award for their support of artists in 2019. Alongside New Diorama, NDT Broadgate will be co-programmed and overseen by four NDT Broadgate Associate theatre companies Nouveau Riche, The Pappyshow, Migrants In Theatre and Chinese Arts Now. Supported by Jerwood Arts, each NDT Broadgate Associate will have dedicated office and rehearsal space at NDT Broadgate, gifting space at NDT Broadgate to their own networks.
NDT Broadgate will also provide a home for theatre designers, who have been among the worst-hit in the arts community. The interior spaces are being imagined and realised by freelance theatre design team Joshua Gadsby and Naomi Kuyck-Cohen. In collaboration with New Diorama’s Staff Associate Designer Shankho Chaudhuri will launch a design studio and make-space at NDT Broadgate, free for early-career designers to use.
NDT Broadgate is in partnership with the Culture and Commerce Taskforce, chaired by the Lord Mayor of the City of London and led by the City of London Corporation and Culture Mile, which will run a series of pilot projects as part of its Fuelling Creative Renewal report, published earlier this year. Working with the City Corporation, NDT Broadgate will be part of the City’s vibrant offer; creating the world’s most inclusive, innovative, and sustainable business ecosystem.
New Diorama Theatre Artistic & Executive Director, and NDT Broadgate founder, David Byrne said: “Through lockdown we’ve all been imagining what a better world could look like. NDT Broadgate will be an engine for change – a place where artists will come back together and catalyse a new wave of creativity, accessing free shared assets to make inspiring new performances that will energise the nation, while investing in new ways of working and a more inclusive future.
None of this would be possible without the generosity and insight of our partners British Land. Over the last decade they’ve stood shoulder-to-shoulder with NDT. When the pandemic struck, they were the first on the phone offering help, and now this historic investment in independent artists right in the heart of their Broadgate neighbourhood cements them as one of the UK’s most insightful supporters of the arts.
Everything we’re doing will be made completely free to the country’s artists, in a world-first act of radical generosity to support the return to live performance.”
David Lockyer, Head of Broadgate at British Land said: “Over the past 10 years we have built a strong partnership with the New Diorama Theatre at our Regent’s Place campus, so we are proud to welcome them to Broadgate. This exciting partnership in such a vibrant and diverse part of London will play an important part in supporting the UK’s cultural recovery, and will pave the way for similar projects across the country and abroad.
Ryan Calais-Cameron, Artistic Director of Nouveau Riche, and one of the NDT Broadgate Associates said: “Nouveau Riche are delighted to be one of the theatre companies to occupy the new NDT Broadgate spaces.
We aim to fill the rehearsal space with artists that want to bring change, to entertain and create lasting memories that will inspire other journeys. Like a huge majority of artists across the world we have struggled over the last year, we’ve had to cancel shows and postpone future projects.
NDT Broadgate has come at a time where Nouveau Riche are expanding and creating even more opportunities for new writing that is thought provoking, challenging and culturally inclusive. We are incredibly thankful to New Diorama Theatre for the in-kind support especially during these unprecedented times. We cannot wait to open more doors and push more boundaries. “
Lord Mayor of the City of London, William Russell, said: “The New Diorama Theatre and British Land should be applauded for this ingenious programme and we are proud to support it.
“COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on the capital’s cultural sector. But collaborations between the creative and commercial industries will boost London’s economic growth and help us build back better from the pandemic.
“We want to promote stronger collaboration between the culture and business sectors, and encourage owners, occupiers, and employers to make unused space available for creatives for mutual benefit.”
Policy Chair of the City of London Corporation, Catherine McGuinness, said:“The Square Mile is evolving in order to provide an ecosystem that remains attractive to workers, visitors, learners and residents. And a renewed creative sector, building on our existing cultural strengths, will play a leading role in this recovery.
“I am entirely confident that many independent artists will be tempted to take up this very generous offer – the opportunity to write, design, rehearse, and perform their work in free space here in the City.”
Lilli Geissendorfer, Director of Jerwood Arts, said: “The project has been designed with inclusion at its heart, working with not one but multiple artistic visions from the NDT Broadgate Associate Companies, creating a powerful and dynamic new approach to supporting early-career artists and creatives across the performing arts as we emerge from the pandemic.”
Outside of the late Kevin Elyot’s superb canon, it’s hard to think of any other British plays that deal with the devastating effects of HIV and AIDS upon the gay community. The USA has the NYC-centric The Normal Heart, As Is, and Angels In America, and, more recently, New York-based writer Mathew Lopez’s extraordinary epic The Inheritance, which premiered at The Young Vic but always had its spiritual home on the other side of the pond, where it’s Broadway run was curtailed by the current pandemic. But over here, not so much.
That balance is magnificently redressed by this accomplished, scintillating almost-monologue by Jack Holden who also performs his own challenging, transporting script. It’s brilliant.
Holden proves a true chameleon, switching from unassuming present-day good guy to outrageous Soho denizens of yesteryear, to edgy, but not unsympathetic, gay movers-and-shakers, with an astonishing fluidity. At the top of the show he might seem likeable if nondescript, but by the end of it you’re unlikely to forget him.
Part confessional, part salacious fun, with a large dose of pain and guilt, yet always entirely engaging, Cruise conjures up a lost Soho that marries sleaze with a sense of gleeful community that may be gone forever but fairly bursts with vitality. The juxtaposition of this vibrant gay milieu decimated with AIDS, and our present global situation where Covid-19 affects literally everybody, devastatingly hits home but never feels preachy.
From Bronagh Lagan’s deceptively sophisticated direction, so seamlessly natural you almost don’t appreciate how clever it is, to the exquisite sound design of John Elliot (who also performs as a musician/extra character and is at once unobtrusive yet magically indispensable) and Max Pappenheim, and Jai Morjaria’s frequently stunning, neon-etched lighting, this is one of those rare productions that seldom puts a foot wrong. It evokes a 1980s Soho that is (was) simultaneously full of joy, kindness, eccentricity and danger.
Cruise covers a similar recent-historical period as Russell T. Davies’s epoch-making It’s A Sin. It’s not an exaggeration to say that this is just as impressive. If you enjoyed that, you’re probably going to adore this. It’s currently booked in for a month at the Duchess in the West End….. I strongly suspect this will be around for a lot longer than that. It’s terrific.
Part of Hull Theatres The Prologue Series, a socially distanced event.
I was so pleased to be back in a theatre and to see this absolute gem of a play by John Godber.
April in Paris starring Joe Pasquale as Al and Sarah Earnshaw as Bet. It was wonderful casting with them playing the parts so well. The chemistry between them made you believe that they were a couple stuck in a rut after being married for years.
Her shifts at work had been cut, with not many customers coming in and his building jobs hadn’t been happening either. Conversations between them had also dried up and they seem to have very little to look forward to. With Al trying to persuade Bet that going out with her sister was a much better option than going out with him.
Bet longs for holidays abroad, sun kissed beaches and exciting city breaks, she tries to follow her dreams by entering competitions in magazines, much to Al’s dismay to the amount she enters. But it all pays off when she wins a holiday to Paris, in April out of Hull with P&O Ferries.
We follow the characters from their small Hull home to the capital of romance, we see them enjoying the all inclusive buffet on the ferry, the walks around Paris, the architecture and the art. Also they begin to talk to each other and enjoy each other’s company again.
Godber’s ability to write about real life with such style and accuracy makes the audience empathise with characters and the humour caused lots of belly laughs!
Joe Pasquale and Sarah Earnshaws acting made this play for me, the glances, the pauses, the timing was brilliantly done.
Definitely a five star performance and Hull New Theatre deserves five stars too for its organisation to enable everyone to have a night out at the theatre for the first time in well over a year!
After 14 months of closure the Shaftesbury theatre threw open its doors and welcomed a socially distanced crowd to fill the place with singing, dancing and humans.
Could there be a better performance to kick start the reopening of London’s theatre land than Abba Mania? I think not.
Abba first came to the public’s attention when they won the Eurovision song contest back in 1974 with Waterloo, 47 years ago. They went on to become one of the greatest bands the world has ever seen and even though they have not performed together since 1982, when they said good-bye to the band and each other, their music is still captivating generations of dancing queens.
With 9 UK number ones and selling an estimated 200 million records world wide every one knows their sound so you had better be good if your taking the ABBA baton and running with it.
Congratulations cast you nailed it.
Tamsin Stewart, Agnetha, the blonde one, had an amazing soprano voice that gave me goose bumps after her rendition of a beautiful love song I had not heard before and her cheeky interaction with husband, Bjorn.
Jojo, Frida, the dark one, had an infectious way with the audience getting them all up on their feet, singing at the top of their voices. Remarkable harmonies that you don’t usually appreciate on a sound track.
Edward Handoll, Bjorn, played a mean lead guitar with same groovy dance moves.
Duncan Walsh-Atkins, Benny, stayed mainly behind the piano with a few glimpses when he rose from his seat but played piano like a demon.
The supporting band were truly talented musicians and demonstrated their skills in a couple of solo performances.
The wigs were a bit dodgy but that’s the only dodgy thing about this polished performance. There was more than just an essence of Abba playing at the Shaftesbury Theatre last night Abba had taken the stage in London’s West End one more time.
Fab evening for all Abba fans, old and new and those who have yet to discover the magic of ABBA.
So brush off your lycra trousers and stain shirts. Pull on your platform boots, apply your blue eyeshadow and get yourself to this up-lifting, fun and fabulous spectacle.
Leeds Playhouse/Online At home until 29th May 2021
Reviewed by Dawn Smallwood
5*****
It is exciting for the Leeds Playhouse to reopen its doors and start proceedings with a 50th anniversary celebration courtesy of Decades: Stories From The City. This production, written by writers who are linked to the theatre, hosts six monologues set in the North and the characters tell their stories over the decades of the playhouse’s existence.
The evening’s programme stages three monologues set in the 1990s, 2010s and 2020s. Don’t You Know It’s Going to be Alright is the first monologue being shown. Written by Maxine Peake and directed by Amy Leach, this story is set in the 1990s with Danny (Eva Scott) sharing her down to earth experiences with 1997 being a year like no other with the change of political language with New Labour coming into power, the death of Princess Diana and the iconic rise of The Spice Girls. With satiric and wit and over a can of lager, Danny, tells the story as it is and shares her experiences of going to illicit parties and her sparring family’s loyalties. Everyone is familiar with the many cliches and innuendos shared, whether assumed or diminished, in this contented monologue.
The next monologue is Stan Owens’ Pie in the Bus Stop. Directed by Tess Seddon, one is introduced to Jamie (Akiel Dowe) who has a lot on his hands from being a holder of two jobs and a carer for his demanding mother. He questions and ruminates, from his predicament and lockdowns, how he can go about having the independence he yearns and yet at the same time consciously reflect on the needs of his mother. Choosing to sit and contemplate at a bus stop, which he considers a good place, he opens up and invites the audience to be drawn in his self-analysis and assessment from his childhood experiences to today.
The final monologue for the evening is, and after we sailed a thousand skies. Kamal Kaan’s monologue, under the direction of Sameena Hussain, is poignantly and beautifully retold by Cassie Layton, as Layla, who questions if the city she lives in is for her. Poetically and musically, Layla, reminisces her motherland she had to leave behind and emotively questions if where she lives will accept and embrace her for who she is. “Where is home” is melancholy reminded throughout the monologue in song and voice.
Decades: Stories From The City marks a celebratory and welcome return to the Playhouse and these well performed and creatively staged monologues can resonate how our lives are influenced and impacted by where we live and where we consider home.
The 2021 festival runs from 17-29 May atThe Turbine Theatre, London, before embarking on a ‘digital’ UK Tour from the 31 May – 4 July. The full list of venues and touring dates are as follows:
The Turbine Theatre, Battersea
(Monday 17 May – Saturday 29 May)
Norwich Theatre Royal, The Belgrade Theatre, Coventry&Birmingham Hippodrome(Monday 31 May – Sunday 6 June)
Royal & Derngate, Northampton, Sheffield Theatres&The Lowry, Salford
(Monday 28 June – Sunday 4 July)
The Festivalsets out to promote quality artistry, showcasing new musicals to UK audiences with a view to elevating them to full production, and giving audiences an insight into the process of creating new work and the art of collaboration. Paul Taylor-Mills launched the inaugural MTFestUK season at The Other Palace in 2019, followed by a 2020 season in February last year, at The Turbine Theatre.
The 2021 festival line-up includes an exciting and diverse selection of eight new musicals: Far From Heaven,#50days,The Man In the Ceiling, Millennials, HouseFire, Cake,Proud and Tony! (A Tony Blair Rock Opera).
Featuring a truly spectacular company of international stars, with a number of Tony and Olivier Awards to their names,the full line up of world class performers includes:
Tori Allen-Martin, Stephen Ashfield, Alex Austin, Charlie Baker, Luke Bayer, Jenna Boyd, Alex Cardall, Matthew Croke, Allie Daniel, Trevor Dion Nicholas, Chris Draper, Cory English, Aminita Francis, Jordan Luke Gage, Scott Garnham, Tiffany Graves, Beth Hinton-Lever, Aimee Hodnett, Jazz Jenkins, Nadine-Rose Johnson, Reuben Joseph, Eleanor Kane,I driss Kargbo, Freddie King, Emma Kingston, Gemma Knight Jones, Melanie La Barrie, Marie Lawrence, Simon Lipkin, Andrew Lippa, Rebecca Locke, Nathan Lorainey-Dineen, Tim Mahendran, Carl Man, Nicholas McLean, Ako Mitchell, Kyran Mitchell-Nanton, Grace Mouat, Phoebe Panaretos, Bryce Pinkham, Sharon Rose, Robert Saunders, Cleve September, Robin Simões da Silva, Nicola Sloane, Jodie Steele, Scarlett Strallen, Sebastien Torkia, Rebecca Thornhill, Paul Thornley, Gary Trainor and Obioma Ugola.*
In addition to the highly talented performers, the festival also includes a huge mix of exciting creative talent including:Tasha Taylor-Johnson,Morgan Lloyd Malcolm,Jack McManus,Drew McOnie,Matt White,Thabo Stuck,Scott FrankelandPoppy Burton Morgan.
***
MTFestUK 2021
FAR FROM HEAVEN
17-19 May 2021
Book by Richard Greenberg
Music by Scott Frankel
Lyrics by Michael Korie
Directed by Matthew White
Musical Direction by Alex Parker
CAST:
Elliot Burges – David
Cory English (Guys & Dolls/Young Frankenstein) – Stan/Maurice
Tiffany Graves (Chicago/We Will Rock You) – Mrs Leacock/Mona Lauder/Doreen
Ako Mitchell (Caroline, Or Change/Guys & Dolls) – Raymond
Bryce Pinkham (A Gentleman’s Guide To Love & Murder/The Heidi Chronicles) – Frank
Scarlett Strallen (Singin’ In The Rain/Mary Poppins) – Cathy
Rebecca Thornhill (Matilda/From Here To Eternity) – Eleanor
Based on the Focus Features/Vulcan Productions motion picture written & directed by Todd Haynes.
Cathy Whitaker seems to be the picture-perfect wife and mother in 1957 suburban Connecticut. But roiling beneath the surface, secret longings and forbidden desires cause her world to unravel, with incendiary consequences.
With a score that is both jazz-inflected and hauntingly lyrical,Far From Heavenis a powerful story of romance, betrayal, and intolerance, as a woman grapples with her identity in a society on the verge of upheaval.
#50DAYS
17 – 19 May 2021
Created and Written by Thabo Stuck
Directed by Ajjaz Awad-Ibrahim
Musical Direction by Amiir Saleem
CAST:
Aminita Francis (Frankenstein – How To Make A Monster) – Digby/Prince of Wales
Nadine-Rose Johnson (Frankenstein)– Queen Henrietta
Reuben Joseph (Rapunzel/Midsummer) – King Charles
Kyran Mitchell-Nanton (Karma) – Pym
Robert Saunders (Grandpa’s Great Escape Live)– Lillburn/Lucy Haye
Cleve September (Hamilton/Jesus Chris Superstar)– Manchester
#50daysis a Grime Musical which tells the story of the period when the very foundations of England were shattered. It is December 1641 and King Charles is about to be formally challenged by a handful of MPs and radical commoners, who share the belief that ALL men are born equal. Many in England, now a Protestant country, are enraged by the notion that the French-born Catholic Queen Henrietta and King Charles are ruling over them. One of these critics is John Pym, a Member of Parliament and prominent opponent of Kingship, who issues a challenge to the King’s power. In a world ruled by men, who are the women in this story? What are they fighting for? Through propaganda and shrewd political manoeuvring, the nation is about to be plunged head first into a conflict that pitted neighbour against neighbour and shattered the very core of our constitution.
#50days creator Thabo Stuck, challenges the notion of how history is discoursed.
“This is an interpretation of British history told through the eyes of underrepresented Brits today.”
THE MAN IN THE CEILING
20 – 22 May 2021
Music and Lyrics by Andrew Lippa
Book by Jules Feiffer
Directed by Annabel Mutale Reed
Musical Direction by Richard Beadle
CAST:
Alex Austin – Jimmy Jibbett
Matthew Croke (Aladdin/Hair) – Father
Trevor Dion Nicholas(Aladdin) – Uncle Lester
Jazz Jenkins (Live – A Viral Short Film) – Lisi
Obioma Ugola (Hamilton/Motown The Musical) – Older Jimmy
Sharon Rose (Hamilton/Motown The Musical) – Mother
12-year old Jimmy Jibbett would rather be a successful cartoonist than be in 7th grade. His father disapproves. His mother is busy. His uncle tries to understand but is too wrapped up trying to write a love song for his next flop musical. Where can Jimmy turn for inspiration and hope? Maybe THE MAN IN THE CEILING can lead him to his true destiny…If only Jimmy would look up!
A collaboration between Jules Feiffer, the Pulitzer-Prize-winning cartoonist and celebrated author, and Tony-nominated composer-lyricist Andrew Lippa,The Main In The Ceilingis an uplifting tale about following your creative passion against all odds.
CAKE
20 – 22 May 2021
Music and Lyrics by Jack McManus&Tasha Taylor-Johnson
Book and Lyrics by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm
Directed by Drew McOnie
CAST:
Tori Allen-Martin (Rock Of Ages) – Judge/Nicole
Emma Kingston (Fiddler On The Roof/In The Heights) – Jeanne
Phoebe Panaretos (Strictly Ballroom/Lazarus) – Marie Antoinette
Sebastien Torkia (Matilda The Musical/The Wild Party) – The Cardinal
Cake* combines rap and RnB with 18th century France to retell a story that sparked a revolution. When Marie Antoinette married King Louis, her reputation was already tarnished by gossip. But when she is implicated in a crime to defraud the crown jewellers of a diamond necklace, it is not just her reputation at stake, but the monarchy and France itself.
*Cake was commissioned by Paul Taylor-Mills whilst he was Artistic Director of The Other Palace where it appeared under its former title; Killer Queen.
MILLENNIALS
24 – 26 May 2021
Written & Composed by Elliot Clay
Directed by Luke Sheppard
Musical Direction by Katy Richardson
CAST:
Luke Bayer (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie/Les Misérables)
Allie Daniel (RENT)
Beth Hinton-Lever (West Side Story/Hadestown)
Nathan Lorainey-Dineen (& Juliet/Motown The Musical)
Tim Mahendran (& Juliet/The Midnight Gang)
Grace Mouat (& Juliet/Six)
Jodie Steele (Six/Heathers)
MILLENNIALSturns up the microphone on the lives, the losses and the frustrations of young people in the modern world. A generation that is so often defined by tabloid headlines, tweets and of course, avocados, pick up the mic and transport us inside their extraordinarily ordinary lives. Written and composed by Elliot Clay, this powerful and uplifting collection of songs runs the gamut of modern pop-music and sends musical theatre hurtling into the 21st Century.
HOUSEFIRE
24 – 26 May 2021
Book & Lyrics/Directed by P Burton-Morgan
Music by Felix Hagan
Musical Direction by Chris Poon
Musical Supervision by Mark Collins
An Eco Rock Musical
CAST:
Alex Cardall (Evita) – Alan
Eleanor Kane (High Fidelity/Fun Home) – Ginger
Robin Simões da Silva (Spring Awakening) – Leo
“I want you to act as you would in a crisis. I want you to act as if our house is on fire. Because it is.”– Greta Thunberg 2019
A trio of endangered animals form a rock band to protest against the climate crisis. Leo, the snow leopard lead singer, rages against the annihilation of their world, Ginger the Orangutan, on keys, has her own tale to tell about the traumas of deforestation, while Alan the elephant is keeping time on the drums. But their newly rebranded group ‘HouseFire’ is under threat from their corporate manager getting them to pander to the very capitalist system they want to destabilize. Entering Britain’s Got Talent is a great way to reach more people with their message, but it puts a strain on their already fractious relationships, and is it all just too little too late… Fierce, frenetic and fun – this gig-theatre musical will set your world on fire.
PROUD
27 – 29 May 2021
Music by Lee Freeman
Lyrics by Mark Anderson
Book by Graham Lappin & Mark Anderson
Directed by Jonathan O’Boyle
Musical Direction by Ellie Verkerk
CAST:
Stephen Ashfield (The Book Of Mormon) – Clarke/Donald
Chris Draper (School Of Rock) – Father Frederick/Thomas
Jordan Luke Gage (& Juliet/Bat Out Of Hell) – David
Idriss Kargbo (Five Guys Named Moe) – Cooper/Gabriel
Freddie King (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes) – Brett/Mrs Bailey/Swim Team
Rebecca Locke (Heathers) – Diana/Bernice
Carl Man (Wicked) – Mr Maplewood/Swim Team/Rory
Nicholas McLean (Wicked) – Swim Team/Mason
David has always been different. He really wishes he wasn’t. Despite the acceptance and unconditional love of his parents, his prayers are answered when he discovers the existence of ‘Reality Trek’, a conversion camp for gay men run by ex-gay Donald and his lord-abiding wife, Bernice. With faith on their side, they guide David and his camp campmates through the programme, but when the illegally-handsome Rory arrives late, David faces the ultimate test on the path to the straight and narrow.
TONY! (A TONY BLAIR ROCK OPERA)
27 – 29 May 2021
Book and Lyrics by Harry Hill & Steve Brown
Music by Steve Brown
Directed by Peter Rowe
Musical Direction by Sarah Travis
CAST:
Charlie Baker (The Hit Polisher/I Can’t Sing) – Tony Blair
Jenna Boyd (Come From Away/Wind In The Willows) – Prescott
Scott Garnham(Nativity The Musical/Billy Elliot) – Tony
Gemma Knight Jones (Falsettos/The Lion King) – Princess Di
Marie Lawrence (Toast/The Understudy) – Cherie
Simon Lipkin (Nativity The Musical/Guys & Dolls) – Mandy
Nicola Sloane (Our Town/Love In Idleness) – Mrs Blair
Paul Thornley (Harry Potter & The Cursed Child) – Kinnock
Gary Trainor (School Of Rock/Rothschild & Sons) – Gordon Brown
A reckless reappraisal of the life of former Bad Rumours front man and Britain’s first pop Prime MinisterTony Blair.
The story of how one man went from peace loving, long haired hippy and would-be pop star to warmongering multimillionaire in just a couple of decades.
An hilarious tragedy of political intrigue, religion, power and romance that plays fast and loose with the facts, owing as much to Citizen Kane as it does to The Marx Brothers – Karl and Groucho.
Throw in a cast of larger-than-life characters – Cherie Blair, Princess Diana, John Prescott, Peter Mandelson, Alistair Campbell, Osama Bin Laden, George W Bush, Saddam Hussein, Gordon Brown and of course that dodgy dossier.
NEW DIORAMA THEATRE ANNOUNCE RESET SEASON, INCLUDING CENTRAL LONDON TRANSFER OF FIVE STAR POLITICAL IMMERSIVE THRILLER CRISIS? WHAT CRISIS?
New Diorama Theatre announce their Reset Season: a summer programme of ambitious ensemble shows.
Headlining the season is a Central London transfer of Parabolic Theatre’s ★★★★★ (The Stage, The Telegraph) hit show, CRISIS? WHAT CRISIS? and a long-overdue London premiere of Antler Theatre’s CIVILISATION (★★★★ The Guardian).
An NDT & Rhum + Clay co-production EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED, supported by Camden Council, will play to thousands of young people in NDT’s first schools’ tour.
NDT also unveil a brand-new café/bar and public areas re-imagined by a team of theatre-designers to boost accessibility and provide space and free resources to encourage creative working.
Today, New Diorama announce their 2021 NDT Reset season, a return to ambitious large-cast ensemble work
Headlining the Reset Season is a five-week Central London transfer of Parabolic’s ★★★★★ hit show CRISIS? WHAT CRISIS? (20 July – 21 August). Following a whirlwind year of debating government legislation, Parabolic puts audiences in the political driving seat with their immersive production set in 1979. Jim Callaghan’s Labour Government has a working majority of zero. Parliament is deadlocked. The workers are on strike. And your advice and actions will change the country forever.
The production takes place in a 1970’s office setting minutes from New Diorama Theatre, where audiences will be engaged in the high-stakes world of 1970s party politics. With hundreds of possible scenarios, every decision will shape the outcome of the production as audiences work to end the deadlock, rescue the government, survive the vote of no confidence, keep the trade unions on side, and avoid plunging Britain into chaos.
With a range of invited political guests joining audiences the return of CRISIS? WHAT CRISIS? promises to be one of the most ambitious shows Off-West End this summer.
“As madly farcical as The Thick of It… memorable and riveting” ★★★★★ The Telegraph
Nationally-acclaimed youth company Company Threepresent EIGHTEEN (23 – 24 July). Eight ‘brand-new’ eighteen-year-olds invite you to the birthdays that got taken away by lockdown. Created by young people who all turned 18 during lockdown, working with director Philip Morris and theatre-maker Angie Peña Arenas.
‘Beautifully conceived….talent and passion.’ ★★★★ The Observer on Company Three’s Brainstorm
Acclaimed for its sell-out premiere at the Edinburgh Fringe, CIVILISATION (27 July – 7 August)by Jaz Woodcock-Stewart with Morgann Runacre-Temple, produced by Antler, now receives its long-overdue London run. A blazingly original, critically acclaimed collision of theatrical realism and contemporary dance – excavating a day in the life of a woman following a tragic eventWith music by ABBA and Bach.
“Thrilling… Complex, raw and insensibly smart…I could watch it forever” ★★★★ The Guardian
NDT Associate Ensemble The PappyShow return with their follow-up to their hit show BOYS. GIRLS (17 – 21 August) spans decades of lived experiences in a whole-hearted display of what it felt like to be a girl and a reclamation of all things loved, lost, desired, and fought for. Raucous, tender, and unapologetic. Someone else can tidy up.
‘Moving and beautiful’ ★★★★★ The Reviews Hub on The PappyShow’s BOYS
Finally, in response to the upset and uncertainty of the last year, New Diorama have commissioned NDT Associate Ensemble Rhum + Clay to create a show built for schools and community settings. The production will tour schools reaching hundreds of 7–11-year-olds to playfully explore the impact of change, why it happens – and how to deal with it. EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED (20 – 21 August) will also play two performances at New Diorama for local families this summer.
“A tour de force” ★★★★★ WhatsOnStage on Rhum + Clay’s MISTERO BUFFO
Alongside re-opening for live performance, New Diorama are also unveiling brand new public spaces. Supported by British Land, Camden Council, Viridor Credits, The Theatres Trust and Arts Council England, these major re-developments will make New Diorama’s public spaces more accessible, more creative spaces. With gallery space focused on the creative process of the shows on our stage, new fibre Wi-Fi, plentiful plug sockets, and subscriptions to creative, design magazines and journals, theatre designers Joshua Gadsby and Naomi Kuyck-Cohen have transformed New Diorama’s public areas into more inspiring, artists spaces to visit and work.
New Diorama Theatre’s Artistic & Executive Director, David Byrne, says “We’ve made it through the last year and now it’s time to make it count. Announcing these five ambitious ensemble shows is more than just a great programme of theatre it’s a statement of intent. More than ever before New Diorama is the home for the best new theatre companies that want a big canvas to re-imagine the world. Our stage may be small, but the scale of our artistic vision and impact is not.
Alongside this Reset programming, next week we are announcing the most ambitious artistic development programme we could imagine and then, later in the summer, we will reveal our full 10th Anniversary Season. In short: we are back, we are raring to go, we’re not going anywhere and we’re just getting started.”
NDT Reset Season 2021
Production Listings
Parabolic Theatre’s
CRISIS? WHAT CRISIS
20 July – 21st August 2021
Tues – Sat 19:30 / Sat Matinees 15:00
£18 / £3 JSA Previews (20 & 21st July)
Company Three’s
EIGHTEEN
23 – 24 July 2021
Fri @ 20:00 / Sat @ 15:30 & 20:00
£12 / £3 JSA Previews (23 July)
Jaz Woodcock-Stewart with Morgann Runacre-Temple, produced by Antler
THE MONO BOX in collaboration with APATAN PRODUCTIONS 
