Month: February 2022

DEBBIE KURUP, DANIELLE STEERS & MILLIE O’CONNELL

TO PLAY CHER IN

THE CHER SHOW

UK & IRELAND TOUR TO OPEN APRIL 2022

“All of us invent ourselves.

Some of us just have more imagination than others.”
CHER

The producers of the brand new production of The Cher Show are delighted to announce that the role of Cher will be played by Debbie Kurup, Danielle Steers and Millie O’Connell. The production features the actresses portraying Cher in three different ways throughout her iconic career, with Debbie as ‘Star’, Danielle as ‘Lady’ and Millie as ‘Babe’.  Further casting is to be announced.

With book by Tony and Olivier Award-winning Rick Elice (Jersey Boys, The Addams Family, Peter and the Starcatcher), direction by Arlene Phillips (Saturday Night Fever, Starlight Express, Grease), choreography by Oti Mabuse (two-time Strictly Come Dancing champion) and costume design by Gabriella Slade (Six, In The Heights, Spice World 2019 Tour), the UK & Ireland Tour will open at Leicester’s Curve on 15 April 2022 and will continue through to 1 April 2023.

Debbie Kurup’s theatre credits include Bonnie & Clyde (Theatre Royal, Drury Lane), Queen Tuya in The Prince of Egypt (Dominion), Blues in the Night (Kiln), Sweet Charity (Donmar Warehouse), Mrs Neilsen in Girl From The North Country (Old Vic/ Noël Coward), The Threepenny Opera (NT), Anything Goes (Sheffield Crucible/UK Tour), Nikki Marron in The Bodyguard (Adelphi – Olivier Award nomination for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical), Velma Kelly inChicago (Cambridge/Adelphi), Sister Act (London Palladium), East (Leicester Curve), West Side Story (Prince of Wales), Tonight’s The Night (Victoria Palace), Rent (Prince of Wales/UK Tour), Fame (UK Tour), Guys And Dolls (Sheffield Crucible), Pal Joey (Chichester) and Boogie Nights (Savoy).

Danielle Steers’s theatre credits include The Empress in Aladdin (Theatre Royal, Plymouth),  Catherine Parr in Six The Musical (London), Zahara in the original cast of Bat out of Hell: The Musical (Manchester Opera House, London Coliseum, Ed Mirvish Theatre, Toronto, Dominion Theatre, New York City Centre), Carmen in Sweet Charity (Donmar Warehouse), Lead Shirelle in the original London cast of Beautiful – The Carole King Musical (Aldwych Theatre), swing and cover Nikki Marron in The Bodyguard (Adelphi Theatre) and cover Killer Queen in We Will Rock You (International Arena Tour). Her debut album, The Future Ain’t What It Used To Be, was released in 2021.

Millie O’Connell’s theatre credits include Maureen in Rent (Hope Mill Theatre – WOS Award Nomination), Jeanie in Hair (Turbine Theatre), Chloe Valentine in Be More Chill (Shaftesbury Theatre and The Other Palace), Anne Boleyn in SIX: The Musical (UK Tour and Arts Theatre, London – Olivier Award nominated), Ensemble/cover Millie in Thoroughly Modern Millie (UK Tour), Ensemble/Understudy Annie in 42nd Street (Theatre Royal, Drury Lane), Ensemble/Understudy Peggy Sawyer in 42nd Street (Theatre Du Chatelet).

From a young child with big dreams, the shy daughter of an Armenian American truck driver, to the dizzying heights of global stardom, The Cher Show tells the incredible story of Cher’s meteoric rise to fame.  Cher takes the audience by the hand and introduces them to the influential people in her life, from her mother and Sonny Bono, to fashion designer and costumier Bob Mackie.  It shows how she battled the men who underestimated her, fought the conventions and, above all, was a trailblazer for independence. 

The musical is packed with 35 of her biggest hits, including ‘If I Could Turn Back Time’, ‘I Got You Babe’, ‘Strong Enough’, ‘The Shoop Shoop Song’ and ‘Believe’.  

With over 100 million record sales, an Academy Award®, an Emmy®, a Grammy®, three Golden Globes® and an award from The Council of Fashion Designers of America, Cher has influenced popular culture more than most.  Her on-screen career started in 1971 with her weekly television show that attracted 30 million viewers a week, and went on to include starring roles in iconic films from Moonstruck, for which she won the Oscar for Best Actress, to Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again!, which prompted the New York Magazine to realise “every single movie—no matter how flawless—would be infinitely better if it included Cher.”  Her ‘Farewell Tour’ became the highest grossing music tour in history – in true Cher fashion, she followed up her ‘Farewell Tour’ with two further sell-out, worldwide arena tours.  She is the only artist in history to have a number one hit in the Billboard chart for six consecutive decades; an achievement that caused Vogue to deem her “eternally relevant and the ruler of outré reinvention”.  She became known as the Queen of Reinvention. 

In the 1990s, she established The Cher Charitable Foundation to support causes around the world.  She has been a long-time donor and supporter of Habitat for Humanity, The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund and Keep A Child Alive, an organisation that helps to combat the AIDs epidemic.  Most recently, she co-founded Free the Wild to help rescue Kaavan the Asian elephant from Islamabad zoo.

Written by Tony Award-winning Rick Elice, The Cher Show made its debut on Broadway in 2018 in a production that earned two Tony Awards and delighted fans from around the world.  This new production will be the European premiere.

The Cher Show UK & Ireland Tour will have set design by Tom Rogers, musical supervision by Rich Morris, lighting design by Ben Cracknell, sound design by Dan Samson, music production by Gary Hickeson, wigs, hair and make-up design by Sam Cox, associate direction by James Cousins, associate choreography by James Bennett and casting by Will Burton CDG.

The Cher Show UK & Ireland Tour is produced by ROYO with Fiery Angel, Cuffe & Taylor/LIVE NATION and Playing Field in association with Tilted, Aria Entertainment and JONES Theatrical Group.

Website: www.cheronstage.com

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram: @TheCherShowUK

TOUR SCHEDULE

15 – 23 April 2022                 Leicester Curve                                                                       0116 242 3595

                                             www.curveonline.co.uk                                                             on sale

26 – 30 April                          Sunderland Empire Theatre                                                    0844 871 7615*

                                             www.atgtickets.com/venues/sunderland-empire                       on sale

3 – 7 May                              Hull New Theatre                                                                     01482 300 306

                                             www.hulltheatres.co.uk                                                             on sale

10 – 14 May                          Sheffield Lyceum Theatre                                                       0114 249 6000

                                             www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk                                                    on sale

17 – 21 May                          Manchester Opera House                                                       0844 871 7615*

                                             www.atgtickets.com/venues/opera-house-manchester             on sale

24 – 28 May                          Belfast Grand Opera House                                                    02890241919

                                             www.goh.co.uk                                                                         on sale

31 May – 4 June                   Blackpool Opera House                                                          0844 856 1111

                                             www.wintergardensblackpool.co.uk                                          on sale

7 – 11 June                           Nottingham Theatre Royal                                                      0115 989 5555 

                                             www.trch.co.uk                                                                         on sale

14 – 19 June                         Canterbury Marlowe Theatre                                                   01227 787787

                                             www.marlowetheatre.com                                                       on sale

21 – 25 June                        Plymouth Theatre Royal                                                          01752 267222

                                             theatreroyal.com                                                                       on sale

19 – 30 July                          Dublin Bord Gáis Energy Theatre                                            0844 847 2455*

                                             bordgaisenergytheatre.ie                                                          on sale

2 – 6 August                         Birmingham Hippodrome                                                        0844 338 5000*

                                             www.birminghamhippodrome.com                                            on sale

9 – 13 August                        Milton Keynes Theatre                                                           0844 871 7615*

                                             www.atgtickets.com/venues/milton-keynes-theatre                   on sale

16 – 20 August                     Southend Cliffs Pavilion                                                          01702 351135

                                             southendtheatres.org.uk                                                          on sale

23 – 27 August                     Cardiff New Theatre                                                                07925 659065

                                             www.newtheatrecardiff.co.uk                                                   on sale

30 August – 3 September      Stoke Regent Theatre                                                             0844 871 7615*                                             

                                              www.atgtickets.com /venues/regent-theatre                             on sale

6 – 10 September                  Woking New Victoria Theatre                                                  0844 871 7615*

                                             www.atgtickets.com/venues/new-victoria-theatre                      on sale

13 – 17 September               Cheltenham Everyman Theatre                                               01242 572573 

www.everymantheatre.org.uk                                                   on sale

20 – 24 September               Dartford Orchard Theatre                                                        01322 220000

                                             orchardtheatre.co.uk                                                                on sale

27 September – 1 October    Glasgow King’s Theatre                                                          0844 871 7615*

                                             www.atgtickets.com/venues/kings-theatre                                on sale

4 – 8 October                       Aberdeen His Majesty’s Theatre                                             

                                             aberdeenperformingarts.com                                                   on sale soon

11 – 15 October                   Edinburgh Festival Theatre                                                     0131 529 6000

                                             www.capitaltheatres.com                                                          on sale

18 – 22 October                   Wolverhampton Grand Theatre                                              01902 429212

                                             www.grandtheatre.co.uk                                                           on sale

25 – 29 October                   Bradford The Alhambra Theatre                                              01274 432000

                                             www.bradford-theatres.co.uk/venues/the-alhambra-theatre     on sale soon

1 – 12 November                   Brighton Theatre Royal                                                           0844 871 7615*

                                             www.atgtickets.com/venues/theatre-royal-brighton                   on sale

15 – 19 November                 York Grand Opera House                                                        0844 871 7615*

                                             www.atgtickets.com/venues/grand-opera-house-york              on sale

22 – 26 November                Ipswich Regent Theatre

                                             ipswichtheatres.co.uk                                                               on sale

3 – 7 January 2023                Southampton Mayflower Theatre                                           02380 711811

                                             www.mayflower.org.uk                                                             on sale

10 – 14 January                    Northampton Royal & Derngate                                              01604 624811                                                

                                                      www.royalandderngate.co.uk                                                    on sale

17 – 21 January                     Liverpool Empire Theatre                                                       0844 871 7615*

                                             www.atgtickets.com/venues/liverpool-empire                           on sale

24 – 28 January                     Bristol The Hippodrome                                                          0844 871 7615*

                                             www.atgtickets.com/venues/bristol-hippodrome                       on sale

31 January – 4 February       Wimbledon New Wimbledon Theatre                                      0844 871 7615*                                            

                                                      www.atgtickets.com/venues/new-wimbledon-theatre                on sale

7 – 11 February                    Darlington Hippodrome                                                           01325 405405

                                             www.darlingtonhippodrome.co.uk                                             on sale

14 – 18 February                   Torquay Princess Theatre                                                       0844 871 7615*

                                             www.atgtickets.com/venues/princess-theatre-torquay              on sale

21 – 25 February                   Oxford New Theatre                                                                0844 871 7615*

                                              www.atgtickets.com/venues/new-theatre-oxford                     on sale

28 February – 4 March         Llandudno Venue Cymru                                                        01492 872000

                                             www.venuecymru.co.uk                                                            on sale

7 – 11 March                        Norwich Theatre Royal                                                            01603 630 000

                                             norwichtheatre.org                                                                   on sale soon

14 – 18 March                      Carlisle The Sands Centre                                                      0333 33 55055

                                             www.thesandscentre.co.uk                                                       on sale  

Further dates to be announced

*Calls cost 7p per minute plus your phone company’s access charge

DANIELLE DE NIESE TO STAR AS ‘ELLE’ IN

LA VOIX HUMAINE

(THE HUMAN VOICE)

A FILM OF JEAN COCTEAU’S ONE-WOMAN PLAY SET TO MUSIC BY FRANCIS POULENC

PREMIERING ON BBC TWO THIS SPRING

“In spite of it all, we are connected by this telephone… this line is the last thing tying me to us”

Actor, singer and television personality Danielle de Niese will star as ‘Elle’ in a new film of LA VOIX HUMAINE, Jean Cocteau’s one-woman drama set to music by Francis Poulenc, shot on location in London and Paris.  Directed by James Kent (Aftermath, Testament of Youth), with Cinematography from Laurie Rose (High Rise, Rebecca) and designed by Peter Francis (The Father, The Children Act) the film will have its UK premiere on BBC Two in the spring.

With an orchestral score recorded at the Royal Opera House, conducted by Antonio Pappano, the film breaks new ground, with de Niese singing her entire role live on location for her film debut.  This technique allowed de Niese – a performer already known for her high calibre dramatic performances – the freedom to approach the work in a way that no live stage performance could ever allow, resulting in an innovative cross genre work of art.

La Voix Humaine is a theatrical tour de force – a work of less than one hour featuring only one performer, the character known only as ‘Elle’.  De Niese’s performance, captured in the intimate and claustrophobic setting of a single apartment, is the entire focus of the film. A silent observer of her desperate conversation, we witness her decline; a journey from hope and nostalgic memory of her love, to despair and finality of love’s end, over the course of one late afternoon via a single, suspenseful, often interrupted, telephone call with her departing lover.

Visceral, heart-breaking, and with extra ordinary intimacy and emotion, she takes us deep into her personal grief supported by some of Poulenc’s most beautiful and emotionally telling music.

Written originally in 1928, Cocteau was examining change that the technology of the telephone was to bring to humans and how they conducted their relationships.  Regarded as a career defining challenge, it has attracted many actresses and singers since it was premiered as a play in Paris in 1930, and then reimagined by his friend Francis Poulenc as an opera in 1959. Both had suffered relationship breakdowns in their lives and channelled their emotions into this work. It is now edging towards cult status with recent film versions starring Rosamund Pike (The Human Voice directed by Patrick Kennedy in 2018), Tilda Swinton, (The Human Voice directed by Pedro Almodóvar in 2020) and the stage version featuring Ruth Wilson (directed by Ivo van Hove), opening in the West End in 2022.

Danielle de Niese said, “I am thrilled to bring Elle to life for the cinema screen and to be collaborating with such a wonderful team of world class award-winning creatives. The piece, which is focused on a single psychological trajectory, feels like it was born for the film lens, not least because the entire work centres solely around the heroine. 

One of the most frightening lines in the film is: “If you didn’t love me and if you were clever, the telephone would become a terrifying weapon, a weapon that leaves no trace…that makes no noise.” This has never been more relevant than today where technology can be both a blessing and a curse- it can connect us but also isolate us. If you have ever felt isolated, misunderstood, led on, heart-broken, hopeful, desperate, desolate, nostalgic… I hope this unique film will resonate.”

Director James Kent said, “I want the audience to experience this opera in a unique way. La Voix Humaine’s searing emotion when viewed through the cinema lens is astonishingly powerful. Every moment of Elle’s thought process is inescapable. We become witnesses to her tempestuous evening as it heads towards its heart-breaking climax. The vulnerability of Danni’s performance was an extraordinary revelation to me and a testament to the intense preparation she undertook for this most demanding of roles. I am thrilled that such a large audience will feel the power of opera when devised for film – the harmonious marriage of concentrated emotion with the everlasting power of the movie close up.”

BUT I’M A CHEERLEADER: THE MUSICAL – PRODUCTION IMAGES

PHOTOS BY MARK SENIOR

THE WORLD PREMIERE OF

BUT I’M A CHEERLEADER: THE MUSICAL

WITH BOOK & LYRICS BY BILL AUGUSTIN AND MUSIC BY ANDREW ABRAMS

AT THE TURBINE THEATRE FROM 18 FEBRUARY – 16 APRIL 2022

Grabbing the pom-poms and playing the high school senior who just loves cheerleading, Megan Williams, will be Alice Croft. The rest of the cast is completed by Oliver Brooks (Dad/Larry), Edward Chitticks (Jared/Rock), Damon Gould (André), Tiffany Graves (Mary Brown), Jodie Jacobs (Mom/Lloyd), Lemuel Knights (Mike), Evie Rose Lane (Graham), Harry Singh (Jalal), Jodie Steele (Kimberly/Hilary), Aaron Teoh (Dolph) and Kia-Paris Walcott (Sinead).

Paul Taylor-Mills & Bill Kenwright, in association with Adam Bialow, by special arrangement with LIONSGATE® present But I’m A Cheerleader: The Musical, based on the LIONSGATE® motion picture, directed and story by Jamie Babbit and screenplay by Brian Wayne Peterson. First presented as part of MTFestUK 2019, this will be the first fully commissioned musical discovered at the new musical festival, to be presented on stage.

But I’m A Cheerleader: The Musical, has book and lyrics by Bill Augustin, music by Andrew Abrams and direction by Tania Azevedo. Musical direction and orchestration by Josh Sood with choreography by Alexzandra Sarmiento and set and costume design by David Shields.  Lighting by Martha Godfrey, sound design by Chris Whybrow and projection design by George Reeve.  This new musical will run at The Turbine Theatre from 18 February – 16 April.

But I’m A Cheerleader: The Musical is the story of Megan, an all-American high school cheerleader who has the perfect life.

That is, until she finds out her friends and family suspect her of being a lesbian and send her packing to ‘True Directions,’ a rehabilitation camp to set her straight. It is at this camp, under the strict tutelage of headmistress Mary Brown that Megan meets Graham, a sexy tomboy who shows her exactly what her ‘true direction’ is. Hilarious, irreverent and full of heart, But I’m A Cheerleader: The Musical is a quirky coming-of-age comedy about sexual awakening and self-realization.

In celebration of the 20^th Anniversary of the motion picture, LIONSGATE® has released But I’m a Cheerleader: Director’s Cut with special features that include never before seen deleted scenes, an audio commentary, Jamie Babbit’s student film Discharge, and three new featurettes, including the “But I’m a Cheerleader Class Reunion” reuniting the cast for the first time in 20 years. The motion picture cast included RuPaul Charles, Clea DuVall, Natasha Lyonne, Cathy Moriarty and Michelle Williams. The Director’s Cut is available on Blu Ray and video on demand for rent or purchase (UK rating of 15 and US rating of Not Rated).

ALEXANDRA THEATRE, BIRMINGHAM – UNTIL SATURDAY 26TH FEBRUARY 2022.

REVIEWED BY NADIA DODD

4****

With a rocky start to their tour in Birmingham as some of the cast have been ill, so two performances were cancelled, it was great to see the actors on their first evening showing of the stage adaptation of the book by Peter James.

Fantastic to see the lead roles Tom Bryce (Adam Woodyatt, Eastenders) and Kellie Bryce (Laurie Brett, Eastenders) being reunited on the stage after being out of their Eastenders partnership for a while now. The story and action takes place at the Bryce household and the surrounding areas of Brighton, Sussex.

The family are having problems. Tom has over–extended the business to almost bankruptcy. This pushes the stress levels up of wife, Kellie, who we learn is a recovering alcoholic, compulsive cleaner and can quite easily spend money that the family don’t have. Teen son Max (Luke Ward-Wilkinson) is dreaming of getting away from the family rows to join his half brother who is currently on a gap year travelling the world.

When Tom brings home a USB stick that a passenger on the train ride home left behind one evening, he and son Max watch a crime unfold on the laptop that they then get deeper involved in as the days go by…. but is it all as accidental as it first seems?

The stage set up is basic and minimal as we jump between the Bryce house, the local police station and what appears to be a derelict warehouse where the crimes take place. Yes basic, but very clever how the stage is easily adapted to take the audiences mind to exactly where they want us to be led.

Peter James is the UK’s number one bestselling author of crime and thriller novels. I wouldn’t class this adaptation as a ‘thriller’ although there’s plenty of crime involved and would be suitable for teenagers to attend. There are some attempts to bring some humour into the script, mainly between the detectives investigating the crime, led by Roy Grace who fans of the novel will remember.

A gripping crime drama that does have a few twists at the end that you wouldn’t have been expecting, worth a visit to experience for yourself.

Katy Lipson for Aria Entertainment and
Glass Half Full Productions present

THE RISE AND FALL OF LITTLE VOICE

• REHEARSALS BEGIN FOR THE NEW UK TOUR OF ‘THE RISE AND FALL OF LITTLE VOICE’, WHICH OPENS ON 23 MARCH IN SOUTHAMPTON
   
• TWO-TIME DRAMA DESK AWARD NOMINEE AND YOUTUBE SENSATION, CHRISTINA BIANCO STARS AS LITTLE VOICE, ALONGSIDE SHOBNA GULATI AS MARI HOFF, IAN KELSEY AS RAY SAY, AKSHAY GULATI AS BILLY, WILLIAM ILKLEY AS MR BOO AND FIONA MULVANEY AS SADIE
   
• DIRECTED BY BRONAGH LAGAN, THIS BITTERSWEET COMEDY FEATURES MUSIC FROM THE GREATEST DIVAS OF ALL TIME INCLUDING EDITH PIAF, JUDY GARLAND, BARBRA STREISAND, MARILYN MONROE AND SHIRLEY BASSEY
   

Rehearsals have started this week for the new UK touring production of The Rise and Fall of Little Voice by Jim Cartwright. Directed by Bronagh Lagan (Cruise, West End) and starring international YouTube sensation Christina Bianco (Funny Girl, Theatre Marigny Paris) in the title role alongside Shobna Gulati (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Coronation Street, Dinnerladies) as Mari Hoff, Ian Kelsey (Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Doctors) as Ray Say, Akshay Gulati (East is East; The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, Bolton Octagon) as Billy, William Ilkley (War Horse, UK/ International Tour, The Full Monty, UK Tour) as Mr Boo, Fiona Mulvaney (The Ferryman, West End; Silent Witness, BBC) as Sadie, and James Robert Moore (All That, Lion and Unicorn; Fanny & Stella, Above the Stag) as Phone Man. The company is completed by Anna Hale (London Road, Cuba Pictures/BBC Films) as understudy LV and Sadie.

The national press night for The Rise and Fall of Little Voice will be on Monday 11 April at Malvern Theatres.

In a role she was born to play, two-time Drama Desk nominee Christina Bianco will perform beloved ballads by icons such as Judy Garland, Shirley Bassey and Cilla Black live on stage, capturing their unique style through her extraordinary impressions. Just like LV, Christina is ‘the girl of a thousand voices’ and has performed to sold out crowds in New York and across the US. In the UK, she’s enjoyed extended runs headlining at London’s Hippodrome, Royal Albert Hall’s Elgar Room, Live at Zedel’s and The Charing Cross Theatre.  In 2019 Christina won great critical acclaim in the role of Fanny Brice in Stephen Mear’s production of Funny Girl at Theatre Marigny Paris, for which she was awarded the Trophees De Le Comedie Musicale.

Meet Little Voice and Mari Hoff. A mother and daughter central to the heart of this Northern fairy-tale, but as far apart in character as can be. Left to her own devices, Little Voice starts to embody the famous divas she plays on repeat, from Judy Garland to Shirley Bassey, and becomes an overnight sensation. With humour, heart and countless timeless classics all performed live on stage, ‘The Rise and Fall of Little Voice’ explores the highs and the lows of small-town dreams, family rivalry and finding your voice in a noisy world.

Cartwright’s tender and life-affirming play won both the Olivier award and Evening Standard award for Best Comedy when it premiered at the National Theatre in 1992 in a production directed by Sam Mendes which transferred to the Aldwych Theatre, starring Jane Horrocks and Alison Steadman. Horrocks later reprised the role of LV in a film adaptation also starring Brenda Blethyn, Michael Caine, Ewan McGregor and Jim Broadbent.

With Musical Director and Associate Sound Designer Eamonn O’Dwyer, The Rise and Fall of Little Voice will feature set and costume design by Sara Perks, casting by Jane Deitch, lighting design by Nic Farman, Andrew Johnson as Sound Designer and Chris Matanlé as General Manager. The Rise and Fall of Little Voice is co-produced by Bonnie Comley and Stewart F Lane, Neil Gooding Productions and Tiny Giant Productions.

The Rise and Fall of Little Voice will open at MAST Mayflower Studios in Southampton on 23 March 2022 and tour to The Capitol Horsham, Exeter Northcott, Malvern Theatres, Theatre Clwyd, Theatre Royal Brighton, Derby Theatre, Salisbury Playhouse, Liverpool Playhouse, Theatre Royal Wakefield, Crewe Lyceum Theatre, The Lowry Salford, Blackpool Grand, Mercury Theatre Colchester, Richmond Theatre, York Theatre Royal and Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham

DOMINIC POWELL’S MUSICAL REVUE THE LOVE REVUE TO RETURN TO LONDON’S PHOENIX ARTS CLUB ON 6 MARCH

STARRING MAIYA QUANSAH-BREED, BILLY LUKE NEVERS, NATALIE PARIS & KATIE RAMSHAW

Due to popular demand, Dominic Powell’s musical revue The Love Revue will return to London’s Phoenix Arts Club next month for a second performance on 6 March at 2pm.

The Love Revue stars Olivier Award-nominee Maiya Quansah-Breed (Six, Rent) and Billy Luke Nevers (& Juliet, Jesus Christ Superstar) with Olivier Award-nominee Natalie Paris (Six) and Katie Ramshaw (Scrubs to Sparkles).

The Love Revue is an eclectic collection of songs questioning and exploring fundamental contemporary beliefs surrounding love, relationships and identity curated by stage and screen creative Dominic Powell from works within his musical theatre repertoire.

Reworking elements of Powell’s original musical Date 1 to 10 (Landor Theatre), the musical revue is a melting pot of pop, R’n’B and musical theatre are stirred with dynamic poetry and readings as lovers Peter and Ruth encounter a sizzling adventure of heartbreak and discovery confronting fears from their past.

Tickets for the performances, from £15, are now on sale at the Phoenix Art Theatre’s website and box office.

Maiya Quansah-Breed reunites with Dominic Powell having been featured on the Original Studio Cast Recording of Powell’s musical CASES and performed in the Barn Theatrein Cirencester’s virtual concert, The Barn Presents: The Music of Dominic Powell, celebrating Powell’s work. Maiya Quansah-Breed received an Olivier Award nomination for her performance as Catherine Parr in the original cast of the musical smash-hit Six and has since gone on to appear as Mimi in Rent (Hope Mill Theatre), Laura in the West End premiere of Scott Alan’s song cycle The Distance You Have Come and the West End premiere of Drew Gasparini’s I Could Use A Drink (Garrick Theatre).

Billy Luke Nevers is currently a cast member of & Juliet in the West End and also recently appeared in Jesus Christ Superstar at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, Dr Seuss’ The Grinch Musical! Live on Sky & NBC and I Could Use A Drink at Garrick Theatre. Further credits include: Bring it On (Southwark Playhouse), Spring Awakening (Curve, Leicester), The Color Purple in Concert (Cadogan Hall), An Intimate Evening with Kristin Chenoweth (London Palladium).

Quansah-Breed and Nevers have previously performed together in the West End in I Could Use A Drink at the Garrick Theatre and Roles We’ll Never Play at Vaudeville Theatre. The duo also performed their first joint cabaret at the Phoenix Arts Club in June 2021.

Maiya Quansah-Breed and Natalie Paris were both nominated for Olivier Awards for their performances in the original West End cast of Six. Katie Ramshaw and Maiya Quansah-Breed both performed in the Barn Theatre’s digital concert The Barn Presents: The Music of Dominic Powell.

Dominic Powell is a creative and producer for stage and screen with recent credits including CASES The Musical (The BRIT School), the CASES Original Studio Cast Recording and “The Barn Presents: The Music of Dominic Powell” (Barn Theatre). Dominic also curated interview series “In The Room” and concert “The Road to Prominence” for thespie.com and he has produced and premiered new writing across London in venues such as The Other Palace, Phoenix Artist Club, The Vaults, Cockpit Theatre, Park Theatre, Landor Theatre, Above the Arts and the Theatre Café. Dominic’s musical theatre repertoire is featured as part of New UK Musicals.

Ten new productions added to the National Theatre Collection for schools, colleges, universities and libraries to access worldwide

Available for FREE to state schools and colleges across the UK

With 75% of UK state secondary schools signed up to the National Theatre Collection, ten additional productions will now be available to schools, colleges and educational establishments from today in partnership with Bloomsbury Publishing and ProQuest, part of Clarivate. These ten new productions will complete the second Collection, making 50 titles available to the education sector worldwide.  

 The new titles include:

• The multi-award-winning new staging of Tony Kushner’s two-part play Angels in America (Parts 1 and 2) starring Andrew Garfield, Nathan Lane, Denise Gough, Russell Tovey and James McArdle
• Award-winning one-woman play Chewing Gum Dreams written and performed by Michaela Coel
• Award-winning original film Romeo & Juliet directed by National Theatre Associate Simon Godwin and starring Jessie Buckley and Josh O’Connor
• Jack Thorne’s adaptation of Hirokazu Kore-eda‘s award-winning film, After Life in a new co-production with Headlong, a surreal and powerfully human look at the way we view our lives
• Nadia Fall’s verbatim play Home about people living on the margins of society featuring performances from Michaela Coel, Antonia Thomas and Kadiff Kirwan
• Kae Tempest‘s epic new take on Greek legend Paradise directed by Ian Rickson and performed by an all-female company
•  Fiercely political play Rockets and Blue Lights directed by Miranda Cromwell in a co-production with Manchester Royal Exchange Theatre
• Landmark twentieth-century musical The Threepenny Opera adapted by playwright Simon Stephens, starring Rory Kinnear  
• Caryl Churchill’s wildly innovative play Top Girls about a country divided by its own ambitions, directed by Lyndsey Turner

Free for UK state-funded schools and FE colleges, the NT Collection celebrates the best of British theatre and provides access to high-quality recordings of world-class productions from the NT and other leading UK theatres, alongside learning resources.  Available productions range from Greek classics to literary adaptations and since the digital resource was launched in September 2019, these have been streamed over 2.4 million times reaching educational institutions in 57 countries including Sweden, USA, Peru and Indonesia.  

 Accompanying written and filmed learning resources complement the school curriculum and include rehearsal diaries, archive materials and interviews with cast and creative team members to explore the craft behind the stage.  A new video series now available on the platform and on the NT’s YouTube channel, In Search of Greek Theatre, in association with Durham University, explores how classic Greek plays were communicated and interpreted through performance in a virtual visit to the NT’s Archive.

Alice King-Farlow, Director of NT Learning said, “So many teachers and students in the UK and across the globe are using the National Theatre Collection to enrich their learning and bring these plays to life in the classroom and so we’re delighted to expand this rich collection of resources in partnership with Bloomsbury Publishing and ProQuest. By sharing these world-class productions and vast array of learning materials, we hope to open up access to the arts and inspire students to explore the world of theatre in new ways”.

A teacher at Hollingworth Academy in Rochdale said, “For many of our students, the National Theatre can feel a long way away. But, by being able to watch these productions here, now, in their classroom, they feel it is their National Theatre.”

To sign up and for more information visit www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/ntcollection 

The National Theatre Collection is available both via Bloomsbury Publishing’s award-winning platform Drama Online and the Alexander Street platform from renowned EdTech leader ProQuest, part of Clarivate.

Supporters

The National Theatre Collection has lead philanthropic support from Richard and Kara Gnodde.

Additional philanthropic support is from Sidney E Frank Foundation, Attwood Education Foundation, Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), The Michael Marks Charitable Trust, and The Oakley Charitable Trust.

New York City Public Schools access is generously supported by The Jerome L. Greene Foundation.

RAYMOND GUBBAY LIMITED PRESENTS

THE RETURN TO LIVE PERFORMANCE FROM

SIR KARL JENKINS

LIVE IN CONCERT

VISITING LONDON, MANCHESTER, CARDIFF, NOTTINGHAM, AND BIRMINGHAM THIS SPRING

Raymond Gubbay Limited is pleased to present Sir Karl Jenkins OBE in Concert, as he returns to live performance this spring.

Sir Karl will launch his tour at St David’s Hall, Cardiff at 3pm on Sunday 13 March, conducting a selection of his most popular works including THE ARMED MAN: A MASS FOR PEACE, and excerpts from SYMPHONIC ADIEMUS and PALLADIO.

He will then play at the Royal Festival Hall in London on Friday 18 March at 7.30pm, accompanied by the London Concert Orchestra and the Crouch End Festival Chorus; at the Symphony Hall in Birmingham on Sunday 20 March at 2.30pm; at The Bridgewater Hall in Manchester on Saturday 16 April at 7.30pm, accompanied by the Manchester Concert Orchestra and Manchester Chorale; and finally at the Royal Concert Hall Nottingham on Tuesday 26 April at 7.30pm.

A global survey in 2011 showed Karl Jenkins to be among the most performed living composers. Raised in Penclawdd on the Gower Peninsula, and educated at Gowerton Grammar School, he read music at Cardiff University (B.Mus) and the Royal Academy of Music, London (LRAM).

Together with the global ‘cross-genre’ phenomenon Adiemus, The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace is perhaps his best-known work, approaching 3000 performances since its millennium premiere, while his recording of the piece has the unique status of having been in the UK Classical charts for 18 years. Personal highlights include his commemorative performances in New York on the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and the 2000th performance at the Royal Albert Hall in 2016.

Resisting categorization, his style and integrity has transcended musical boundaries over the years: recording sessions with Elton John, George Harrison & Andrew Lloyd Webber; jazz at Ronnie Scott’s Club; jazz-rock-fusion with Soft Machine; award-winning ad soundtracks (Levis, Boots No7, Audi.); scoring a Kiefer Sutherland movie; ‘cast-away’ on the iconic BBC “Desert Island Discs”; featured by Melvyn Bragg on the seminal ITV South Bank Show; awarded the Freedom of the Cities of London and Swansea.

Adiemus (1995) and The Armed Man (2000) were pivotal to his future oeuvre in that he continued to progress ideas seen in these works; peace, multiculturism and the use of indigenous or ethnic text and instrumentation, alongside the traditional sacred Latin text and western orchestra: Requiem, Stabat Mater, Gloria, Te Deum, Miserere, The Peacemakers.

Other works include the popular piece for strings orchestra, Palladio, Quirk, Cantata Memoria (for the 50th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster) and Miserere. All the works above, now available on Decca, attained number one status in the UK Classical chart. He has 17 ‘gold and platinum’ discs for his output overall.

He has been invited to compose music for HRH The Prince of Wales, Sir Bryn Terfel, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Dame Evelyn Glennie, Lesley Garrett CBE, Rolando Villazon, Milos and the London Symphony Orchestra.

He has released albums on all major classical labels and is currently a Decca Records artist, while he has performed regularly with major UK orchestras (LSO, LPO, RPO, Philharmonia) and The World Orchestra For Peace. His music has taken him to such far flung venues as: The Royal Albert Hall, London; Zaryadye Concert Hall, Moscow; Carnegie Hall, New York; The Forbidden City Concert Hall, Beijing; The National Centre of Performing Arts; Mumbai; Buckingham Palace.

A Doctor of Music (D.Mus), he has held Fellowships, Honorary Doctorates and Professorships at five universities or conservatoires, including the Royal Academy of Music (FRAM), where a room has been named after him.

Among the many honours he has received, in the UK and internationally, are: OBE 2005, CBE 2010, two BAFTA Cymru awards. The Hopkins Medal (St. David’s Society of the State of New York), Cymru For the World, and he has been personally decorated by the Presidents of Hungary and Kosovo. He received a knighthood in The Queen’s 2015 Birthday Honours List.

In 2004 he entered Classic FM’s ‘Hall of Fame” at No8, the highest position for a living composer, as well as in 2006 ranking No4 amongst all time British composers. In 2015, he was confirmed as the most popular living composer in Classic FM’s ‘Ultimate Hall of Fame’.

“As a composer he recognises no boundaries – musical, commercial, geographical, or cultural. His is a way of thinking and composing that is perfectly in tune with the spirit of the times” – citation on receiving CFM’s ‘Red f ‘award for ‘outstanding service to classical music’

2014 saw the inaugural ‘The Arts Club – Sir Karl Jenkins Music Award in association with Classic FM’, established to help young musicians entering the profession.

In 2019 he was sculpted live by the Royal Sculptor, Frances Segelman, as a charity event for the RAM.

His memoir, “Still with the music”, is published by Elliott & Thompson and his music is exclusively published by Boosey and Hawkes.

Karl is married to composer/educationalist Carol Barratt (author of the Chester Piano Books) who has also written text for her husband (www.carolbarratt.co.uk), while their son is a film and media composer (www.jodyjenkinsmusic.com) whose wife, Rosie plays oboe in the LSO.

Karl has recently completed a saxophone concerto for Jess Gillam (yet to be premiered due to COVID) and during the pandemic, highlights from The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace and Adiemus were performed by the virtual ‘Stay At Home Choir’ with over seven thousand singers drawn from 73 countries.

www.raymondgubbay.co.uk

Empire Theatre, Liverpool – until Saturday 26th February 2022

Reviewed by Mia Bowen

5*****

Bedknobs and Broomsticks is flying into Liverpool for a short but sweet visit. This classic Disney movie has been adapted for the stage, taking the audience on a magical journey, on a flying bed! This brand new production, which I had the great delight of seeing alongside many small children, knew exactly how to grab and keep the attention of the audience.

The story is based on the two novels by Mary Norton, The Magic Bedknob (1943) and Bonfires and Broomsticks (1947), which in 1971 the Disney musical film took over. In short the plot sees three young siblings Charlie (Conor O’Hara), Carrie (Poppy Houghton) and Paul Rawlins (Jasper Hawes), evacuated during the Blitz and placed in the care of Miss Eglantine Price (Dianne Pilkington). As the plot plays out, the audience learns that Miss Price is an apprentice witch, learning witchcraft through a correspondence college, which Professor Emelius Browne (Charles Brunton) is the Headmaster of. It transpires that Miss Price hopes that she can use the spells in the British war effort against the Nazi’s. The story then follows their adventures to find the spell which makes it all happens.

Without giving away too much, there are a few changes between the original storyline and this new production. There are musical numbers aplenty with new material from Neil Bartram blended with the originals by the famed Sherman Brothers. Also brace yourselves for a heartbreaking twist of an ending, I had tears running down my face. I now know why the set stayed on stage the entire time, its purpose was given a greater meaning.

The cast worked the spectacular set, moving around the pieces to make it all work in perfect timing and relying on good old puppetry and talent to transport you into a world of fantasy. The most memorable part of the musical was of course the flying bed, followed closely by the flying broomstick.

By the end of the evening, I was chanting along to ‘Treguna Makoidees, Trecorum, Sadis Dee!’ at the back of my head, even doing a little air kick on my way to the train station. This production clearly worked their Disney magic on me!

Cambridge Arts Theatre, Cambridge – until 26th February 2022

Reviewed by Steph Lott

2**

Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise have been described as “the most illustrious, and the best-loved, double-act that Britain has ever produced”. They were one of the UK’s all-time favourite comedy acts and certainly as a child I adored their shows. I remember watching them as a family and was looking forward to a nostalgic visit back to that time and hearing the well-worn catch phrases once more that recurred again and again in their shows throughout their careers, and had us laughing again and again.

It’s nearly twenty years since the collaboration between Eric Morecambe’s son, Gary, Hamish McColl and Sean Foley resulted in The Play What I Wrote, directed at that time by Kenneth Branagh.

This show is a celebration of Morecambe and Wise’s comedy, and is this time directed by Sean Foley. It is named after Ernie’s “play wot I wrote”; these were a series of terrible plays, featuring a celebrity guest, which made up the finale to each Morecambe and Wise show.

While the show alludes to Eric and Ernie and a few of their catchphrases slip in, this is most definitely not a tribute act, at least in the first act. The story is about a failing comic double duo, played by Dennis Herdman and Thom Tuck. Thom wants to see his latest play staged and Dennis wants Thom back working with him on their double act. David Pugh, a “leading theatre impresario” wants to pay them £5,000 to do a Morecambe and Wise double act. And Arthur, the stage electrician, played by MItesh Soni, wants to play his harmonica solo, because he promised his mother.

I have to confess that, despite the rave reviews and the thunderous applause from my fellow audience members, I did not enjoy this show. Although it’s clear that everything in this production is done with love for the great men, to me it just didn’t hang together and flow as a show. The choreography from Ian West ensures that the physical comedy is fast-moving and fluid. The jokes fly thick and fast at startling speed; there are gags and slapstick a-plenty. But it just seemed like a stream of jokes one after the other, which were funny in isolation (and indeed I remembered some of them from Eric and Ernie’s shows) but it felt manic and pointless, like nothing was stringing them together. I also found some aspects of the show rather tasteless – a bloke in a dress and simulated sex on a chaise longue – we really can’t do better than that?

The show did pick up for me in the second half though when “the play what Ernie wrote” was actually performed. I found this part much funnier and really enjoyed what was clearly an affectionate homage to the two great comic geniuses. In addition, Sue Holderness of Only Fools and Horses and EastEnders fame took the guest star spot as the hapless actor duped into taking a role in Ernie’s play and she did an excellent job.

At the interval, my godson (who is twenty) and I were overheard discussing the play and trying to make sense of it, by a lady who commented, “This is nothing like their shows. Morecambe and Wise would be turning in their graves!” I’m afraid I have to agree with her.