Take That Announces tour dates

images (13)Take That

Invite you to experience

‘Wonderland Live’

The UK’s Most Successful Live Act announce 2017 tour

With Special Guests – All Saints

Metro Radio Arena

Monday 8th May & Tuesday 9th May 2017

Take That are set to bring fans their most exciting live experience to date when they hit the road in 2017 with ‘Wonderland Live’.  Gary, Mark and Howard today announce 22 dates across the UK and Ireland, in support of their brand new album ‘Wonderland’, scheduled for release in March 2017. And for the first time ever, the band’s main stage will be in the centre of the arena floor, giving their fans a truly unique and memorable experience like never before. They will be appearing at the Metro Radio Arena on Monday 8th & Tuesday 9th May 2017.

Take That are renowned for their incredible live shows and for pushing the boundaries of live production, having created some of the most memorable stage shows in UK music history. They are the only band in the world to have had a huge mechanical elephant as part of the cast for their Circus Tour, not to mention a 70 foot man named Om who rose out of the stage on The Progress Tour.  Walls of water, enormous holograms, circus performers, aerialists, a custom made flying machine and a huge ball of burning fire have all graced their stages and the Wonderland Live Tour will be no less spectacular.

Take That’s Wonderland Live is the first time that fans will see the band perform brand new material from their forthcoming studio album Wonderland, due out in March, as well as their much-loved classics, performed in the round. Pre order the album on Amazon before the 25th October and get priority access to an exclusive presale of tickets for Wonderland Live 2017.

Take That are one of the UK’s most successful acts with an enviable career spanning three decades.  The band have sold over 7.6 million concert tickets in their lifetime, setting the record for the  fastest selling tour of all time in UK history when 1.34 million tickets were snapped up for their Progress Live Tour in less than 24 hours.

In the UK alone, they have achieved seven UK Number One albums, 15 Number One singles, sold over 45 million records, won six Ivor Novellos, and eight BRIT Awards.  Internationally, they have scored an incredible 54 No.1 hits and 35 No.1 albums.  Their last album ‘III’, the first a newly created three-piece and went straight to No.1 upon its release in 2014, their seventh No.1 album, with the first single from the album ‘These Days’ also hitting the top spot.

Their brand new album Wonderland, is set for release in March 2017.

Tickets are on sale from 9.30am on Friday 28th October available online, from the booking hotline number 0844 493 6666 or in person from the Metro Radio Arena Box Office. 

Isolation in the digital age in debut piece for new company at Theatre N16

Vantage Point present:

THIS MIGHT BE IT
December 4th – December 8th 2016, Theatre N16

New theatre collective Vantage Point come to Theatre N16 with their daring debut show This Might Be It this December. In this exciting new devised piece, the company explore physical and emotional isolation in the digital age.

“It’s just something that’s thrown at you, and you can’t throw it back to anybody, you’ve got to just carry on.”

Everyone exists as a separate being. He cannot be her, and she cannot be him. Instant communication is at their fingertips, and the spaces they inhabit are densely overpopulated. They are closer to each other than ever before. So why do they feel more isolate than they’ve ever been?

Both Julie and Aidan are offered a way out – a way of freeing yourself from crippling social anxiety, a new method of communication… If you were given the opportunity to overcome your solitude, would you take it? Would you recognise it? Is it even worth trying?

Vantage Point Theatre is a collective of performers and artists from around the world, devising daring theatre about the wider picture. Collaborative curiosity is at the heart of the group. Everyone at Vantage Point has equal ownership over the work: they believe in a theatre that grapples with our collective experience of life.

The company have prior connections to Theatre N16, with both Gabrielle Lombardo and Matthew Coulton taking starring roles in Pigdog’s BOAT, which was the first major show at Theatre N16 when it moved to Balham. They are joined by fellow Royal Central School of Speech and Drama graduates Sundi Scott, Bart Suavek, and Emilio Iannucci. Using the skills they collectively gained during their time together at The RCSSD, they co-founded VPT in 2015 hoping to create compelling and relevant theatre that speaks to the times we live in. They are joined by stage manager Libbie Khabaza in her first production as producer.

RICHMOND THEATRE: SHAKESPEARE REVIEW OPENING MONDAY 7 NOVEMBER

Comedy classic celebrates Shakespeare’s
400th anniversary with a new UK tour
 
THE SHAKESPEARE REVUE
Based on the original Royal Shakespeare Company production
 
At Richmond Theatre from Monday 7 November – Saturday 12 November
 
 
 
The Shakespeare Revue, a comic concoction of hilarious sketches and show-stopping numbers written by comedy icons Victoria Wood, Alan Bennett, Maureen Lipman, Monty Python, Noël Coward, Cole Porter, Fry & Laurie and musical theatre favourites, Stephen Sondheim, Stiles & Drewe and many more, returns to the stage with a UK tour as part of the nationwide celebrations marking the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. The production will be at Richmond Theatre from Monday 7 November to Saturday12 November.
 
With contributions from over forty writers, this joyous words-and-music celebration gathers together some of the finest comic material inspired by William Shakespeare. Originally produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company, The Shakespeare Revue first premiered at the Barbican Theatre in 1994 where it received raptuous critical and public acclaim prompting a West End transfer to the Vaudeville Theatre in 1995. Since then the show has played off-Broadway and has completed five major tours of the USA.
 
Multiple Olivier award-winning Producer Kenny Wax says: “In 1994 my Producer friend Edward Snape asked me to book some dates for The Shakespeare Revue –  a show that he was touring at the time. I fell in love with the performances, the sketches, the wonderful music and the sheer unadulterated fun that emanated from the stage. I’m delighted to be presenting the show with Cambridge Arts Theatre this time with a fresh, updated new version.”
 
Devised by Christopher Luscombe (director of the 2016 Best New Comedy Award winner Nell Gwynnstarring Gemma Arterton) and Malcolm McKee, The Shakespeare Revue is directed by Malcolm McKeewith choreography by Jenny Arnold and Nicola Keen and musical direction by Malcolm McKee. Cast to include*: Alex Scott Fairley, Alex Morgan, Anna Stolli, Lizzie Bea.
 
The UK tour is produced by Kenny Wax Ltd and Cambridge Arts Theatre.
 

NEW WIMBLEDON STUDIO THEATRE ANNOUNCE A CHRISTMAS CAROL

Brother Wolf presents

A CHRISTMAS CAROL – AS TOLD BY JACOB MARLEY (DECEASED)

Adapted and performed by James Hyland

Based on the novella by Charles Dickens by Chris Warner

Brother Wolf is proud to present the return of its award-winning one-man show, A Christmas Carol – As told by Jacob Marley (deceased), taking the stage for its eighth consecutive year. Adapted and performed by multi award-winning actor/writer/producer, James Hyland, this unique production portrays Charles Dickens’ classic tale from the perspective of Scrooge’s deceased business partner, Jacob Marley. Hailed as “a forcefully compelling masterpiece” (The Manx Independent) and the “definitive telling of A Christmas Carol” (Redditch Standard), the production has been rated as one of “the top Christmas Shows in London, Edinburgh and around the UK” (High 50 Culture), winning Best Performer in Theatre (Fringe Report Awards 2012) and a nomination for The London Theatre Award (London Awards for Art and Performance 2012), as well as Official Recognition from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace. A box office hit, its success is paralleled by Brother Wolf’s other ground-breaking shows: Fagin’s Last Hour, “truly astonishing… unforgettable theatre at its best” (The Courier), Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, “magnificently intense, riveting theatre from one man” (The York Press), winner of Best Male Act (Solo Fest 2013), and A Lesson from Auschwitz, “it’s important that plays like this are seen by as many people as possible” (London Theatre 1). By 2013, Everything Theatre described James Hyland as “a genius. He has to be. No one ‘ordinary’ could do what he did.”

Praise for A Christmas Carol – As told by Jacob Marley (deceased):

“a tremendous achievement… a wonder to watch” ★★★★★ (Plays To See)

“heart in the mouth theatre in its finest form” (Sheerness Times Guardian)

“a forcefully compelling masterpiece… outstanding” (Manx Independent)

“as Charles Dickens intended it… Imaginative and captivating” (High 50 Culture)

“an incredible one man performance… a master class in acting” (Lanelli Star)

“riveting acting… stunning voice work… unforgettable” (The Stage)

“thrilling… Hyland’s versatility and physicality are astounding” (UK Theatre Network)

“masterful storytelling… a production which enthrals at every point” (A Younger Theatre)

“a work of art, and one that must be seen… thoroughly recommended” (The Dr Bird)

“Wonderful storytelling… clever, funny and powerful” (Remotegoat)

“astonishingly powerful… extraordinary acting” (The Public Reviews)

“astonishing acting… a vibrant re-imagination of the classic” (Extra! Extra!)

“chilling, humorous, surprising… Powerful theatre indeed” (The York Press)

“Hyland is an immensely powerful actor… the kids were riveted” (The Independent)

“as Dickens intended… powerful, thought-provoking… definitive”

JAMES HYLAND made his professional acting debut in The North Pole, winning the Guardian International Student Drama Award in 1996. Since then he has appeared in over 60 productions, working with a variety of directors including Michael Boyd, Adrian Noble and Matthew Warchus as well as acclaimed companies such as the Royal Shakespeare Company and Brother Wolf (of which he is the Artistic Director), winning a further eight awards including Best Performer in Theatre (Fringe Report Awards, 2012) for his solo performance as Marley’s Ghost in A Christmas Carol – As told by Jacob Marley (deceased). This was followed by two more award-winning one-man shows: Fagin’s Last Hour and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde; also serving as adapter and producer. All of the shows have toured nationally including his most recent production A Lesson from Auschwitz, of which he is the writer, director, producer and lead actor. Recent screen credits include We Are Monster, nominated for The Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature Film (Edinburgh Festival, 2014) and the multi award-winning music videos from Grammy nominated musicians Kaskade and Tinie Tempah: A Little More and Disappoint You, for which he also served as writer and improviser of the dialogue. His very latest screen role sees him performing in Unstoppable Entertainment’s The Sound, alongside Joseph Mawle and Sienna Guillory.

Listings information

Synopsis: Jacob Marley is dead and condemned to an eternity of carrying a heavy chain, forged in life; a life to which he can no longer return except to recount the tale of his miserly business partner, Ebenezer Scrooge, and the path that lead to his redemption. Through Marley’s words, we learn how three magical spirits opened Scrooge’s eyes and made him realise the true value of love and forgiveness.

Performance: NOV 26 @ 7.45pm LONDON – NEW WIMBLEDON STUDIO 93 The Broadway, SW19 1QG 0844 871 7646

www.atgtickets.com/shows/a-christmas-carol/new-wimbledon-studio

Age Recommendation: 7+

FULL CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR PRINT ROOM AT THE CORONET’S THE TEMPEST

FULL CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR
PRINT ROOM AT THE CORONET’S
THE TEMPEST 

  • Kevin McMonagle and Charlotte Brimble to lead cast as Prospero and Miranda
  • Further cast: Steven Beard, Callum Dixon, Paul Hamilton, Hugh John, Billy Seymour and Kristin Winters
  • The cast will be supported by a community chorus
  • Directed by Simon Usher, this production will mark the end of Shakespeare’s 400th anniversary year
  • Runs 21 November to 17 December

The full cast for Print Room at the Coronet’s The Tempest is today announced. Directed by Simon Usher, who garnered critical acclaim for his Hamlet at Belgrade Coventry and hisTimon of AthensPericles and The Winter’s Tale at Leicester Haymarket, this is the first staging of Shakespeare by the Notting Hill Gate venue. Design is by Lee Newby.

Artistic Director Anda Winters said: “We always aim to offer an ambitious and varied repertoire of work. Our choice to stage The Tempest, Shakespeare’s most experimental play, is an exciting new expression of this ethos.”

Kevin McMonagle (People, Places and Things, Twelfth Night, The Tempest and The Comedy of Errors) will play Prospero alongside Charlotte Brimble (She Stoops to Conquer, Posh and Terms and Conditions) as Miranda.  The principal cast will be supported by a community chorus.

The Tempest is for and about people; what are we human beings like? Shakespeare’s final masterpiece is his mature summary of the subject, reprising all his plays in their essential aspects. It is therefore not only a culmination of, but also a perfect two hour introduction to his work. The play’s diagnosis of existence, of the problem of being in the world, feels as sharp today as it would have been in 1608 when it first appeared.

In The Tempest, Shakespeare holds a mirror up to nature, exploring the problems of living from childhood to old age through some of his greatest poetry. His superb range of characters at the extremes of good and evil gives us an extraordinary reflection of humanity: from the growing pains of adolescence and late middle age, to masters and servants, to bullies with and without a conscience, and our fear of loneliness and the future. The Tempest ultimately outlines the struggle to remain idealistic, and the hope that the younger generation can do better.

Steven Beard’s (Gonzalo) extensive theatre credits include The Trial and The Good Soul of Szechuan (both Young Vic); The Crucible (West Yorkshire Playhouse); Hamlet, Who’s There?(Flute Theatre); Teenage Bodies (Opéra Louise); Minetti (Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh); A Little Hotel on the Side (Theatre Royal Bath); The Importance of Being Earnest (Opéra National de Lorraine); If So, Then Yes (Jermyn Street Theatre); Paradise Moscow; Of Thee I Sing; Let ‘em Eat Cake (Opera North); The Hypochondriac (Almeida Theatre); Romeo and Juliet; King John;Much Ado About Nothing; Ivanov; Devil’s Disciple (RSC). On screen he has appeared inShakespeare in Love; Hoff the Record; Chalk; Cadfael; Requiem Apache; Frank Stubbs andInspector Morse.

Charlotte Brimble (Miranda) trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama has appeared on stage in She Stoops to Conquer (Theatre Royal, Bath); Posh (Nottingham Playhouse); Terms and Conditions (The White Bear). For television, her credits include Spotless;Crime Stories and See it Saw it.

Callum Dixon (Antonio/Stefano) has appeared at the National Theatre on numerous occasions inThe Hour We Knew Nothing of Each Other; Market Boy; Sing Yer Heart Out For The Lads; The Day I Stood Still; The Wind in the Willows; Somewhere; The Recruiting Officer and Rosencrantz and Gildenstern Are Dead. Further recent theatrical credits include The Hairy Ape (Old Vic);Between Us (Arcola); The Complaint (Hampstead Theatre); Hamlet and The Government Inspector (Young Vic). His television credits include : Dr Foster; Father Brown; A Touch of Cloth; Random; Casualty; Doc Martin; Doctors and Ashes to Ashes.

Paul Hamilton (Alonso) is a seasoned Shakespearean actor having appeared in Anthony and Cleopatra; King Lear; Julius Caesar; The Winter’s Tale; Henry VI Parts I, II & III and Richard III(RSC). His other stage credits include The Sisterhood (Belgrade Theatre); Secret Cinema: Star Wars (Secret Cinema); Holy Warriors; Anthony and Cleopatra; The Southwark Mysteries(Shakespeare’s Globe); Life of Galileo (Birmingham Rep / RSC Tour); Boris Godunov (RSC); The Sound of Loneliness (Actors Touring Company). His screen work includes New Worlds; 55 Degrees North; Heartbeat; Tarzan: The Untamed and Bridget Jones’ Diary.

Hugh John (Ferdinand) trained at Drama Centre London and has appeared in Romeo and Juliet(Sheffield Crucible); The Picture of Dorian Gray; The Dead Shepherd (White Bear Theatre); The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (Chichester Festival Theatre / West End); Deathwatch(Roundhouse); In the Beginning (Theatre Uncut); Our Brother David (Watford Palace Theatre.

Kevin McMonagle (Prospero) recently appeared in the critically-acclaimed People, Places and Things (National Theatre/West End), his further credits include ); The Divided Laing (Arcola Theatre); No Nothing (Lemon Tree / Oran Mor); The Flouers O’ Edinburgh (Finborough Theatre);A Doll’s House (National Theatre of Scotland); Twelfth Night; The Tempest; The Comedy of Errors; Richard III (RSC); Kin; Ladybird; Thyestes (Royal Court); Pieces of Vincent (Arcola Theatre / Paine’s Plough); The Girls of Slender Means (Assembly Rooms / Stellar Quines);Ghosts; Waiting for Godot and Therese Raquin (Glasgow Citizens).

Billy Seymour (Caliban) credits for stage include Secret Theatre; Saved (Lyric Hammersmith);Pornography (Tricycle Theatre / Tour); Pretend You Have Big Buildings (Royal Exchange);Christmas (Bush Theatre); Sing Yer Heart out for the Lads (National Theatre); Herons (Royal Court). For screen he has appeared in Crazyhead; Ripper Street; Privates; Rock and Chips; Any Human Heart; A Christmas Carol; Vera Drake and Mrs Henderson Presents.

Kristin Winters (Ariel) has trained at Tisch School of the Arts, the British American Drama Academy, École Jacques LeCoq and the National Youth Theatre. She has appeared in Richard II(Shakespeare in the Square); Bloody Poetry (Brooklyn Arts); Eurydice (Columbia Stages); The Love of the Nightingale (Insomnium Theatre) and Zanna Don’t (Edinburgh Fringe). For film she has appeared in Essex Stargate and Good Knight.

Footloose: The Musical returns in a new tour for 2017

FOOTLOOSE: THE MUSICAL

RETURNS IN A NEW TOUR FOR 2017

PLAYING AT THE GRAND OPERA HOUSE YORK FROM TUESDAY 2nd TO Saturday 6 MAY 2017

WITH GARETH GATES AS WILLARD

AND MAUREEN NOLAN AS VI MOORE

 

 

Following an acclaimed 2016 UK Tour, worldwide smash hit musical Footloose: The Musical will burst back onto the stage in 2017, playing at the Grand Opera House York from Tuesday 2 to Saturday 6 May 2017.

 

Based on the 1984 screen sensation starring Kevin Bacon, Footloose: The Musical tells the story of city boy Ren, who has to move to a rural backwater in America where dancing is banned. All hell breaks out as Ren breaks loose and soon has the whole town up on its feet. Featuring classic 80s hits including Holding Out for a Hero, Almost Paradise, Let’s Hear it for the Boy and the unforgettable title track, Footloose: The Musical is set to take the world by storm once again in this brand new production, bursting with youthful spirit, dazzling dance and electrifying music.

 

When the film was released in 1984, it became the highest-grossing February release in US film history.  The soundtrack album ended the year-long reign of Michael Jackson’s Thriller at number one and went on top album charts all over the world, eventually selling in excess of 17 million copies.  Footloose was nominated for a Golden Globe, and both the title song and Let’s Hear It for the Boy received Academy Award nominations. Footloose: The Musical first opened on Broadway in 1998 where it ran for 709 performances, with a London production following in 2006, opening at the Novello Theatre following a UK Tour.

 

The cast will include Gareth Gates as Willard and Maureen Nolan as Vi Moore.

 

Gareth Gates rose to fame through the inaugural series of Pop Idol in 2001, going on to sell over 5 million records worldwide and have hits across the globe. His version of Unchained Melody sold over a million copies in the UK and is the 3rd best-selling single of the Noughties. Gareth is also the youngest ever-male solo artist to debut at number 1.  More recently Gareth has enjoyed a successful career on stage, with credits including Les Misérables, Legally Blonde and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. In 2014 Gareth appeared in the final series of Dancing on Ice, and joined boyband 5th Story as part of ITV’s second series of The Big Reunion, touring arenas with bands including Blue and Five.

 

Maureen Nolan has been singing with her sisters since she was nine years old, when they became one of Europe’s first girl bands, The Nolans. Best known for their smash hit single I’m in the Mood for Dancing, The Nolans enjoyed phenomenal record sales worldwide, and worked with some of the world’s most respected artists including Frank Sinatra. On stage, Maureen has played Mrs Johnstone in Blood Brothers in the West End and on tour to critical acclaim. She was the fourth Nolan sister to play the role, earning them entry into the Guinness Book of World Records. Other credits include Sadie in Girl’s Behind, Jill in Mum’s the Word and Sarah in The Naked Truth.

Further casting is to be announced.

 

Footloose: The Musical has music by Tom Snow and lyrics by Dean Pitchford, and is adapted for the stage by Dean Pitchford and Walter Bobbie. It is based on the original screenplay by Dean Pitchford. It is directed by Racky Plews (American Idiot, West End) with choreography by Matthew Cole, design by Sara Perks and musical supervision by Mark Crossland. It is produced by David Hutchinson and Phillip Rowntree for Sell A Door Theatre Company, Tristan Baker and Charlie Parsons for Runaway Entertainment, Jason Haigh-Ellery and Stephen McGill Productions. It is presented by arrangement with R&H Theatricals Europe.

  

www.footloose-musical.com

@FootlooseTour

 

LISTINGS

 

Footloose

Grand Opera House York

2 – 6 May 2017

Performances eves 7:30pm Wed & Sat mats 2.30pm

Tickets £13.75 – £37.75

Box Office 0844 871 3024

Online Booking  www.atgtickets.com/york

John Tiffany’s production of The Glass Menagerie to open in West End on 26 January

Sonia Friedman Productions and Colin Callender present
the American Repertory Theater production of

The Glass Menagerie
By Tennessee Williams
Directed by John Tiffany

  • Broadway and Edinburgh International Festival hit production will preview in the West End from 26 January 2017
  • Universally acclaimed creative team, including John Tiffany & Steven Hoggett (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts One and Two)
  • Tennessee Williams’ classic play features Broadway star Cherry Jones alongside Michael Esper, Kate O’Flynn and Brian J. Smith
  • John Tiffany’s production will run for 13 weeks at the Duke of York’s Theatre
  • Over 20,000 seats available for £20 or less
  • Preview Pricing from 26 January – 1 February 2017
  • Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday 21 October at 12pm

John Tiffany returns to the West End for the first time since the international critical hitHarry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts One and Two, to bring his acclaimed production ofThe Glass Menagerie to the Duke of York’s Theatre for a limited season.

Following its premiere in 2013 at the American Repertory Theater at Harvard University, a multi Tony Award-nominated run on Broadway at the Booth Theater and a European premiere at this year’s Edinburgh International Festival, John Tiffany’s fresh staging of Tennessee Williams’ classic play will begin previews on 26 January 2017 with Opening Night on 2 February 2017.

Cherry Jones will reprise her Tony Award-nominated Broadway role as Amanda Wingfield, with fellow Edinburgh International Festival cast members Michael Esper (Tom) and Kate O’Flynn (Laura). Brian J. Smith reprises his Tony Award-nominated Broadway role as the Gentleman Caller.

Alongside this stellar cast, the Duke of York’s Theatre will be transformed into Tennessee Williams’ St Louis of the 1930’s by a universally acclaimed creative team. The Glass Menageriefeatures movement by the Olivier Award-winning Steven Hoggett, who has collaborated withJohn Tiffany on numerous previous productions including Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Once and Let the Right One In. It is designed by seven-time Tony Award-winner Bob Crowley, lighting design is by six-time Tony Award-winner Natasha Katz with sound design from Olivier and Tony Award-winning Paul Arditti with music by celebrated composer Nico Muhly.

Time is the longest distance between two places.

A domineering mother. A daughter lost in a world of her own. A son determined to leave.

Former Southern Belle, Amanda Wingfield, is desperate to find a husband for her fragile daughter Laura, whilst son Tom dreams of breaking free from their faded St. Louis home. But will the long-awaited ‘gentleman caller’ fulfil or shatter the family’s delicate dreams?

Michael Esper and Brian J. Smith are appearing with the support of UK Equity, incorporating the Variety Artistes’ Federation, pursuant to an exchange program between American Equity and UK Equity

Listings:

Sonia Friedman Productions and Colin Callender in association with
1001 Nights Productions, Rupert Gavin, Just For Laughs Theatricals, Richard Winkler, Brian Zeilinger present
the American Repertory Theater production of
The Glass Menagerie
By Tennessee Williams

Directed by John Tiffany

Steven Hoggett Movement
Bob Crowley Set and Costume Design
Natasha Katz Lighting Design
Paul Arditti Sound Design
Nico Muhly Music
Jim Carnahan, CSA Casting

Duke of York’s Theatre

Duke of York’s Theatre, St Martin’s Lane, WC2N 4BG
26 January 2017 – 29 April 2017
Opening Night Thursday 2 February

Audio Described Performance: Tuesday 21st March 7.30pm
Captioned Performance: Tuesday 7th March 7.30pm

Box Office: 0844 871 7623 (Calls cost 7p per minute, plus your phone company’s access charge.)
Online: www.theglassmenagerie.co.uk

Monday to Saturday 7.30pm, Thursday and Saturday matinees 2.30pm

Tickets from £15 (Premium tickets are available)

Preview Pricing £10 off top 3 price bands from 26 January – 1 February 2017

20th anniversary production of RENT on sale now at York Theatre Royal

THE NEW 20TH ANNIVERSARY PRODUCTION OF JONATHAN LARSON’S PULITZER PRIZE- & TONY AWARD-WINNING MUSICAL

RENT

IS ON SALE NOW AT YORK THEATRE ROYAL.

 

York Theatre Royal is thrilled to be a venue from Tuesday 18 – Saturday 22 April 2017 for Robert Mackintosh and Idili Theatricals Limited, in association with Theatr Clwyd, 20th Anniversary production of Jonathan Larson’s ground-breaking Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning musical RENT.  After opening at Theatr Clwyd for a limited season from 21 October to 12 November 2016, RENT will go on a three-week tour, prior to a Christmas Season at St. James Theatre, London from 8 December 2016 to 28 January 2017 followed by a national tour. The new production will be directed by Bruce Guthrie.

Jonathan Larson’s musical, inspired by Puccini’s opera La Bohème, won four Tony Awards, six Drama Desk Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1996.  Ben Brantley’s New York Times review was a love letter to the show, calling RENT an “exhilarating, landmark rock opera”.  RENT ran on Broadway for 12 years, from 1996 to 2008.  The show premiered in London’s West End in 1998 at the Shaftesbury Theatre, where it ran for 18 months.  It was adapted into a film in 2005.

Larson’s world is inhabited by a group of bohemian artists who struggle to maintain their friendships and their non-conformist ideals in New York’s East Village.  Facing their problems head on, they make personal self-discoveries and find what really matters most in life.  The poignancy of the story was heightened when Jonathan Larson died of an aortic dissection on 25 January 1996, the night before the show’s first off-Broadway performance at New York Theatre Workshop.

The much-loved score features songs such as Seasons of Love, Take Me or Leave Me, One Song Glory, La Vie Bohème, Without You, I’ll Cover You, Out Tonight, I Should Tell You and the title song.

Director Bruce Guthrie said

I am delighted to be working with a truly world-class creative team on this new production of Jonathan Larson’s classic musical.  Our aim is to serve the fans of the show who have loved it so passionately since its ground-breaking premiere Off Broadway in 1996, while introducing it to a new generation of musical theatre fans.  We want to capture the essence of bohemian New York City at the height of the AIDS epidemic.  It’s a place of grime and excitement, where voices are fighting to be heard and the inhabitants are fighting to connect with one another, as well as fighting for their lives.  The musical is a celebration of life and living in the moment.  It’s blood and bone, sweat and tears, laughter and joy, despair, hate and love, all in this one remarkable year shared by a group of friends.  It is a privilege to be working on one of the great ‘moment’ musicals and to celebrate 20 years of RENT.

Tamara Harvey, Artistic Director of Theatr Clwyd, said,

RENT is a powerful and passionately life-affirming musical and we’re delighted to be working with Robert Mackintosh and Idili Theatricals Limited to bring it to a new generation in this, its 20th Anniversary year.

The new production of RENT will have Choreography by Lee Proud, Set Design by Olivier Award-winner Anna Fleischle and Costume Design by Loren Elstein, with Lighting Design by Olivier and Tony Award-winner Rick Fisher, Sound Design by Olivier Award-winner Mike Walker, Video Design by Andrzej Goulding, Musical Direction by Phil Cornwell and Casting by Will Burton Casting.

RENT has Book, Music and Lyrics by Jonathan Larson, Musical Arrangements by Steve Skinner, Original Concept and Additional Lyrics by Billy Aronson, Music Supervision and Additional Arrangements by Tim Weil, and Dramaturg is Lynn Thomson.  RENT was originally produced in New York by New York Theatre Workshop and on Broadway by Jeffrey Seller, Kevin McCollum, Alan S. Gordon and New York Theatre Workshop.

RENT is presented by arrangement with Music Theatre International (Europe) Ltd.

Tickets for RENT are on sale now priced £32 – £12 (£1.50 transaction fee per booking) from the York Theatre Royal box office in person, by phone on 01904 623568 or securely online at yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Sophie Okonedo will join Damian Lewis in Albee’s black comedy about a family in crisis

Matthew Byam Shaw, Nia Janis and Nick Salmon for Playful Productions,
Tom Kirdahy and Hunter Arnold present

Edward Albee’s The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?
Directed by Ian Rickson

  • Sophie Okonedo will join Damian Lewis in Albee’s black comedy about a family in crisis
  • Ian Rickson’s production will play at the Theatre Royal Haymarket with a first preview on 24th March 2017 and opening night on 5th April 2017

It is announced today that the Tony Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated actor Sophie Okonedo will join Damian Lewis in a new production of Edward Albee’s The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?  Directed by Ian Rickson, the production will play a strictly limited 12 week season at the Theatre Royal Haymarket from 24th March to 24th June 2017.

A darkly comic and disturbing view on the collapse of familial relationships, Edward Albee’s The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? has all of Albee’s characteristically witty tones as well as being a deeply tragic portrayal of a married couple Martin and Stevie (Lewis and Okonedo) and their teenage son in crisis when the father embarks on an improbable and impossible love affair from which there is no return. Widely regarded as his late masterpiece, Edward Albee’s The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? is brought back to the London stage following Albee’s recent death.

SOPHIE OKONEDO OBE was born in London and trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. She has worked in a variety of media including film, television, theatre, and audio drama. Okonedo began her film career in 1991 in the British coming-of‐age drama Young Soul Rebel before appearing as Wachati Princess in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls(1995) and Stephen Frears’ Dirty Pretty Things (2002). She received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Tatiana Rusesabagina in the 2004 film Hotel Rwanda, a Golden Globe nomination for the miniseries Tsunami: The Aftermath(2006) and BAFTA TV Award nominations for the drama series Criminal Justice (2009).

Okonedo made her Broadway debut in the 2014 revival of A Raisin in the Sun for which she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play. In 2016 she received a second Tony nomination for her portrayal of Elizabeth Proctor in Ivo van Hove’s Broadway production of The Crucible which also starred Ben Whishaw, Saoirse Ronan and Ciarán Hinds.

Okonedo was last on the London stage in Jeremy Herrin’s Haunted Child at the Royal Court in 2011. Previous work at the Royal Court includes Katie Mitchell’s Nightsongs, I Just Dropped Off to See the Man, Been So Long and Women and Sisters. At the National Theatre Okonedo has appeared in Troilus and Cressida and Money, and has had roles in numerous productions for the Royal Shakespeare Company including Tamburlaine The Great, The Changeling, A Jovial Crew and The Odyssey.

Film work includes Hotel Rwanda; Tom Harper’s drama War Book; After Earth with Will Smith; The Secret Life of Bees alongside Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys and Dakota Fanning; Stormbreaker and Skin opposite Sam Neill and Alice Krige.

Most recently on television, Okonedo starred in Peter Moffat’s political thriller Undercoverfor the BBC opposite Adrian Lester and played Queen Margaret in BBC One series The Hollow Crown: The War of the Roses alongside Benedict Cumberbatch, Judi Dench and Phoebe Fox. Other television credits include the role of Winnie Mandela in the BBC dramaMrs. Mandela; Clocking Off; the Doctor Who episodes “The Beast Below” and “The Pandorica Opens”; BBC series Extraordinary Women; miniseries The Slap; Sky1’s Sinbad; BBC One’s Mayday; and The Escape Artist.

EDWARD ALBEE was born on 12th March 1928 and began writing plays 30 years later. His plays include The Zoo Story (1958), The Death of Bessie Smith (1959), The Sandbox(1959), The American Dream (1960), Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1961-62, Tony Award), Tiny Alice (1964), A Delicate Balance (1966, Pulitzer Prize; 1996, Tony Award),All Over (1971), Seascape (1974, Pulitzer Prize), Listening (1975), Counting the Ways(1975), The Lady from Dubuque (1977-78), The Man Who Had Three Arms (1981), Finding the Sun (1982), Marriage Play (1986-87), Three Tall Women (1991, Pulitzer Prize),Fragments (1993), The Play about the Baby (1997), The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? (2000, 2002 Tony Award), Occupant (2001), At Home at the Zoo: Act 1, Homelife. Act 2, The Zoo Story. (2004), and Me, Myself & I (2008). Mr. Albee was awarded the Gold Medal in Drama from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters in 1980.  In 1996 he received the Kennedy Center Honors and the National Medal of Arts.  In 2005 he was awarded a special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement.

DAMIAN LEWIS OBE won unanimous international acclaim for his role in Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning drama Homeland. Lewis starred as ‘Sergeant Nicholas Brody’ opposite Claire Danes and was awarded the 2013 Golden Globe for ‘Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series’ and a 2012 Primetime Emmy Award for ‘Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series’ among other accolades for his role. Most recently Lewis has starred in Showtime series Billions. With an expansive list of diverse film, theatre and television credits Damian Lewis has evolved into one of this generation’s most respected and sought-after actors.

Prior to his role in Homeland, Lewis first came to the attention of international audiences in 2001 with his Golden Globe-nominated performance in the award-winning HBO miniseries Band of Brothers, directed by Steven Spielberg and produced by Tom Hanks. He also starred as Soames Forsyte in the acclaimed British production of The Forsyte Sagaand Charlie Crews in Life. In 2015 Lewis starred as Henry VIII in Wolf Hall opposite Mark Rylance in the BBC Two television miniseries adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s Booker-Prize winning novels Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies.

Prior to American Buffalo in 2015, Lewis starred as Alceste in Martin Crimp’s 2009 adaptation of The Misanthrope opposite Keira Knightley. After training at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Lewis joined the British theatre community and appeared in a number of plays between 1993-98, primarily as a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. During that time, he starred as Laertes in Jonathan Kent’s Broadway production of Hamlet opposite Ralph Fiennes. In 2003, Lewis returned to the London stage opposite Helen McCrory in Five Gold Rings at the Almeida Theatre. In 2005 he starred in the National Theatre’s production of Ibsen’s Pillars of the Community.

In addition to his illustrious work on stage, Lewis has appeared on film in Julian Fellowes’ adaptation of Romeo and Juliet which starred Douglas Booth and Hailee Steinfeld in the titular roles, The Sweeney, David Gordon Green’s Your Highness, and Werner Herzog’sQueen of the Desert opposite Nicole Kidman.

IAN RICKSON was the artistic director of the Royal Court from 1998 to 2006, where he directed Jerusalem (also West End at the Apollo Theatre), The Winterling, The Night Heron and Mojo (also Chicago), all by Jez Butterworth; Not Not Not Not Not Enough Oxygen and This is a Chair by Caryl Churchill; Dublin Carol and The Weir by Conor McPherson (also Dublin, Chicago, West End and Broadway); The Seagull by Anton Chekhov (also Broadway); Krapp’s Last Tape by Samuel Beckett; Alice Trilogy by Tom Murphy; The Sweetest Swing in Baseball by Rebecca Gilman; Fallout by Roy Williams; The Day I Stood Still by Kevin Elyot; The Lights by Howard Korder; Pale Horse and Some Voices by Joe Penhall; Ashes and Sand by Judy Upton; Killers by Adam Pernak; Sab by Michael Cook andWildfire by Jonathan Harvey.

In the West End Rickson directed Kristin Scott Thomas, Rufus Sewell and Lia Williams inOld Times by Harold Pinter (Harold Pinter Theatre); Betrayal by Harold Pinter, also with Kristin Scott Thomas, and Keira Knightley and Elizabeth Moss in The Children’s Hour by Lillian Hellman (both Comedy Theatre); and at the National Theatre, Evening at the Talk House by Wallace Shawn and The Red Lion by Patrick Marber. Productions at the Young Vic include Hamlet starring Michael Sheen, Now We Are Here and in autumn 2016 Rickson will direct The Nest by Franz Xaver Kroetz in a new translation by Conor McPherson.

Work on screen includes Fallout by Roy Williams (Company Pictures for Channel 4) andKrapp’s Last Tape by Samuel Beckett (BBC4) and on radio includes In Therapy with Susie Orbach (BBC Radio 4). Rickson also works with PJ Harvey and Kate Tempest on their music and poetry shows.

Listings:

Edward Albee’s
The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?
Directed by Ian Rickson

Theatre Royal Haymarket, Haymarket, London SW1Y 4HT
www.TheGoatPlay.com  
Box Office: 020 7930 8800 

Twitter: @TheGoatPlay
Facebook: TheGoatPlay
Instagram: @TheGoatPlay

#TheGoatPlay

First preview: 24th March 2017
Opening Night: 5th April 2017 at 7pm
Final performance: 24th June 2017
Monday – Saturday at 7.30pm
Thursday and Saturday at 3pm

There will be no performances from 29th May – 4th June 2017

Tickets from £15

THE ENTERTAINER NOW IN FINAL WEEKS AS YEAR-LONG WEST END SEASON COMES TO TRIUMPHANT END

Fiery Angel presents
PLAYS AT THE GARRICK
KENNETH BRANAGH THEATRE COMPANY

THE ENTERTAINER NOW IN FINAL WEEKS AS YEAR-LONG
WEST END SEASON COMES TO TRIUMPHANT END

JOHN OSBORNE’S SEMINAL PLAY WILL BE BROADCAST LIVE
TO CINEMAS WORLDWIDE ON 27 OCTOBER

  • KENNETH BRANAGH, GAWN GRAINGER, SOPHIE MCSHERA AND GRETA SCACCHI STAR IN ROB ASHFORD’S PRODUCTION

  • BRANAGH THEATRE LIVE HAS NOW BROADCAST ITS PRODUCTIONS TO 340,000 PEOPLE ACROSS 37 COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD

  • THE ENTERTAINER IS THE FINAL PRODUCTION IN THE KENNETH BRANAGH THEATRE COMPANY’S SEVEN PLAY SEASON IN THE WEST END

The Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company in partnership with Picturehouse Entertainment invites dozens of countries around the world, including over 600 cinemas across the UK, to share one of The Entertainer’s final performances. John Osborne’s modern classic will be broadcast live to cinemas direct from London’s Garrick Theatre on Thursday 27 October, marking the final production in a year of unmissable theatre.

The Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company has staged seven plays at the Garrick over the past eleven months featuring a total of 64 actors wearing some 286 costumes and 36 wigs. Eighteen cast members made their West End debuts in the acclaimed productions, playing opposite actors such as Judi Dench, Derek Jacobi, Zoë Wanamaker, Lily James, Richard Madden, Adrian Lester, Rob Brydon and Meera Syal.

The Plays at the Garrick season has now sold more than 30,000 theatre tickets for just £15, which included seats in the front row of the stalls via the Today Tix mobile and online lottery. Around the world, over 340,000 people have seen the Branagh Theatre Live broadcasts of Romeo and Juliet starring Derek Jacobi, Lily James and Richard Madden in July 2016 and The Winter’s Tale with Kenneth Branagh opposite Judi Dench in November 2015.

Set against the backdrop of post-war Britain, John Osborneʼs The Entertainer conjures the seedy glamour of the old music halls for an examination of public masks and private torment. Rob Ashford directs Kenneth Branagh as Archie Rice alongside Phil Dunster as Graham, Gawn Grainger as Billy Rice, Jonah Hauer-King as Frank Rice, Crispin Letts as Brother Bill, Sophie McShera as Jean Rice and Greta Scacchi as Phoebe Rice. Further casting also includes Lauren Alexandra, Yasmin Harrison, Pip Jordan and Kate Tydmanas dancers.

The cinema broadcast of The Entertainer is directed by Benjamin Caron, who also directed the broadcasts of The Winter’s Tale and Romeo and Juliet, and recently collaborated with Kenneth Branagh on the final series of Wallander (BBC). Caron has also directed two episodes of the greatly anticipated new Netflix series The Crown by Peter Morgan.

The Plays at the Garrick season for the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company featured productions of The Winter’s Tale, Harlequinade / All On Her Own, Red Velvet, The Painkiller, Romeo and Juliet and The Entertainer.

Participating cinemas and screening dates can be found at branaghtheatrelive.com

For more information and to buy theatre tickets for The Entertainer please seewww.branaghtheatre.com

LISTINGS INFORMATION

The Entertainer
20 August 2016 – 12 November 2016
Performances Monday – Saturday with 2.30pm matinee performances on Wednesdays and Saturdays excluding 20 August.

Garrick Theatre Box Office: 0844 482 9673
Online Theatre Bookings: www.branaghtheatre.com
Tickets from £15

International cinema broadcast of The Entertainer: 27 October 2016
Cinema ticket bookings: branaghtheatrelive.com

No booking fees or transaction fees on any ticket booked direct through branaghtheatre.com, nimaxtheatres.com, direct telephone bookings at the Garrick Theatre and to personal callers at the Garrick Theatre.

 TodayTix run a £15 Front Row Mobile Lottery via the TodayTix App for all productions of the Plays at the Garrick season. The Front Row Lottery will open from midnight for performances that day and close four hours prior to the chosen performance. Customers who share their entry via Twitter or Facebook will gain an additional entry into the Lottery. Every entrant has the potential of three entries per performance.

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@BranaghTheatre
#BranaghTheatre

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Search: Branagh Theatre Live