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LEA YPI ANNOUNCED AS WINNER OF THE 2022 RSL ONDAATJE PRIZE FOR FREE

The Royal Society of Literature (RSL), the voice for the value of literature in the UK, has this evening announced Lea Ypi as the winner of the 2022 RSL Ondaatje Prize for Free(Allen Lane, 2022), an engrossing coming of age memoir set amid political upheaval. An annual prize of £10,000, the RSL Ondaatje Prize is awarded by the RSL to an outstanding work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry that best evokes the spirit of a place. 

Lea Ypi was announced as the winner of the prestigious prize by RSL President Emeritus Colin Thubron – who was involved with the Prize from its very beginnings – on behalf of the Prize founder and funder, Sir Christopher Ondaatje. The winner was announced at an event on Wednesday evening held at Two Temple Place.

Lea Ypi said: “This started as a book about concepts and so it is incredible to receive this prize for the best book that evokes the spirit of a place. It goes to show that concepts and places are connected to each other. It is really important to me because the place whose spirit is evoked is Albania, a place people don’t usually think about – it’s not somewhere that makes headlines unless there is something problematic happening. I hope that it will make people have an interest in the history of this country, which is also a history of universal significance. The book is about the transition from communism to liberalism in Albania and also the dilemmas of freedom that arise as people navigate these different systems. It connects these ideas with ordinary lives, the conflicts, hopes and tragedies that people lived through. I hope this book will make people more sensitive to the realities that  should be paid attention to, regardless of whether there is a recognised crisis in a place or not.”   

The judges of this year’s Prize, Chair Sandeep Parmar, Patrice Lawrence and Philippe Sands, said: “Reading and re-reading Lea Ypi’s ‘Free’ we felt very strongly that the book’s central concerns—politics, personal history, the very meaning of freedom—spoke so resonantly to our lived moment. How do nations dream about themselves; how do individuals think of themselves within these fantasies? How do we feel within histories and how they are institutionalised? Ypi is a master at the juxtaposition of these grand and personal narratives–of family secrets and political crises–and repeatedly we returned in our judging conversations to history’s long shadow, asking what darkness lies where things remain unquestioned. Ypi’s both darkly humorous and deeply serious work made us reflect forcefully on the need for truthfulness about the stories we are told and how we negotiate our own lives within them.”

Lea Ypi is Professor of Political Theory at the London School of Economics, and Political Science and Adjunct Professor in Philosophy at the Australian National University. A native of Albania, she has degrees in Philosophy and in Literature from the University of Rome La Sapienza, a PhD from the European University Institute, and was a Post-Doctoral Prize Research Fellow at Nuffield College, Oxford University. Her work has been recognised with several prizes such as the British Academy Prize for Excellence in Political Science and the Leverhulme Prize for Outstanding Research Achievement. She speaks six languages and lives in London. She was selected by the judges from a shortlist of six authors, made up of A.K. Blakemore (The Manningtree Witches), Cal Flyn(Islands of Abandonment: Life in the Post-Human Landscape), Yousif M. Qasmiyeh (Writing the Camp), Sathnam Sanghera (Empireland) and Elif Shafak (The Island of Missing Trees).

First awarded in 2004, the premise and broad remit of the prize creates unique lists of outstanding works and authors that you would not usually find sitting side by side. Previous recipients of the prize have included Aida Edemariam, Ruth Gilligan, Alan Johnson, Hisham Matar, Pascale Petit, Peter Pomerantsev, Roger Robinson, Francis Spufford, Edmund de Waal and Louisa Waugh. 

The RSL Ondaatje Prize is one of 10 annual awards and prizes presented by the RSL, which bring the widest possible community of writers and readers together in celebration of the breadth of literature today. From debut works and unpublished short stories, through to the notoriously challenging second novel and outstanding contributions to literature, the RSL’s awards and prizes celebrate the value of writing in all its forms, whilst supporting emerging and established writers at some of the most challenging moments of their careers. The RSL’s other annual awards and prizes are: RSL International Writers awards, Companions of Literature, the Encore Award, the RSL Christopher Bland Prize, the RSL Giles St Aubyn Awards for Non-Fiction, the V.S. Pritchett Short Story Prize, the RSL Literature Matters Awards, the Sky Arts RSL Writers Awards and the Benson Medal.

Forum Theatre, Malvern – 3rd May 2022

Reviewed by Courie Amado Juneau

5*****

Seven Drunken Nights is quite simply a joyous celebration of that great Irish folk band, The Dubliners.

The set evokes the bar room at O’Donoghues where the band first got together to enjoy music and drinking. A wonderfully authentic way to tell the story as it is just like it must have been at those early get togethers. It is also very familiar to anyone who has visited Dublin (or even spent time around an Irish family).

The show opens with a recreation of The Dubliners appearance on the Late Late Show to celebrate their 25th anniversary and then the musicians settle down (in the intimate pub setting) to regale us with tales of the band. The stories were fascinating (I always love hearing how and why bands form) and it was all punctuated by plenty of tunes that showcased where the band were at at each point in their history. This allowed us to hear the development of the band’s material during their long, illustrious career. There were many surprises along the way too; like hearing they were no 8 in the pop charts in 1967 with the title tune from the show! Timely reminders of just how popular this great group was! As with any Irish gathering, humour plays a massive part and this show is enormous fun from start to finish. This is no evening for sitting on your hands as there is constant audience participation and clapping throughout. My arms and hands were quickly aching but I didn’t care, the music was too infectious to worry about such small considerations.

As you would expect from a celebration of a band with this level of passionate following and longevity, it was an emotional evening especially when recounting the difficult times such as health problems and deaths. Various songs heightened the emotion at these points with “The Fields of Athenry”, “The Town I loved So Well” and especially “Raglan Road” being especially poignant.

The celebration continued unabated until the culmination, on three massive hits known and loved by everyone – “Whiskey In The Jar”, “Dirty Old Town” and “Molly Malone”. I was amazed how many knew all the words – and I mean all the words to every song throughout the show! This is no mere tribute act running through the hits. It is genuinely friends of the band continuing the rich legacy through their music and stories. And there can’t be anything more authentic (or fitting) than that as a true and proper tribute to a folk band.

This was the kind of evening to make one long for some Irish ancestry. A fantastic show, full of love, affection and genuine admiration, with stunning music that warms the heart and sets the soul alight. A pleasure that I won’t feel in the least bit guilty reveling in and one I cannot recommend highly enough. Do yourself a favour and get down to O’Donoghues to join in the fun

Park Theatre, Finsbury Park – until 28th May 2022

Reviewed by Bobbi Fenton

5*****

Based on the incredible true story, ‘The End of the Night’ takes place in the house of Felix Kirsten (Michael Lumsden), who has invited Nazi Heinrich Himmler (Richard Clothier) to meet with Jewish Norbert Masur (Ben Caplan) who serves as a representative of the Jewish people. Norbert Masur was raised in Germany, however he explains that he has lived in Sweden for the last twenty years. In this meeting, Masur tries to negotiate with Himmler, with the help of Kirsten, to release some concentration camp prisoners to a neutral country, such as Sweden, with the promise that it will boost Himmler’s reputation. Kirsten has somewhat of an upper hand with Himmler, as his personal masseuse, and has negotiated in the past for his house to be officially not on German land to protect himself. This story is full of suspense, with moments of such palpable tension, it feels like we, the audience, are in the room with them. However, it also includes some unanticipated but well-timed comedic moments, which make reference to the lies and the failings of the Nazi party towards the end of the war.

Richard Clothier’s performance as Heinrich Himmler is incredibly gripping, leaving the audience fully absorbed in the play. This alongside Ben Caplan’s profound performance as Norbert Masur makes for a truly captivating show. Not forgetting the remarkable performance by Olivia Bernstone, who delivers an incredibly powerful monologue towards the end of the play, as concentration camp prisoner Jeanne Bommezjin recalling the day the red cross vans arrived to rescue the prisoners from the camp.

This suspenseful play is absolutely brilliant, and is the perfect play for anyone who has an interest in World War Two history

Bristol Hippodrome – until 7th May 2022

Reviewed by Lucy Hitchcock

3***

A piano adorns the stage and is quickly played by a soldier to quiet the audience, and we are transported into the play, with a lovely immersive start to the show. Michael Fentiman directs this cast through the world of Narnia, along with Shannelle Fergus’s choreography and composer Benji Bower.

The show was eagerly anticipated by the crowd, but ultimately fell flat. It seemed to be very rushed and we didn’t have time to connect with the characters before a new twist in the story. This is not to detract from the brilliant music and dance that entwined with the show, in fact, this was what I looked forward to most! The constant music and singing from the cast was superb and was beautifully accompanied by Christina Tedders on violin, whilst also portraying Mrs Beaver. To me, Tedders was the stand out of this piece with an excellent stage presence and stunning vocals and musicality-she really made the piece special.

There were some good illusions and flying sequences, but they seemed very few and far between and seemed not to add much to the progression of the story. As a lover of the original books, this did feel as though it just fell short of the original magic C S Lewis provides. There were however, many children that seemed to love the performance and it was greeted with lots of oohs and ahhs-really captivating it’s true demographic -unfortunately,that wasn’t myself.

ADDITIONAL PRODUCTION IMAGES RELEASED FOR RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN’S OKLAHOMA!

The Bard SummerScape production of 

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s  

Oklahoma!  

In association with Eva Price, Sonia Friedman Productions and Michael Harrison  

Music by Richard Rodgers 

Book and Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II  

Based on the play Green Grow the Lilacs by Lynn Riggs  

Original Choreography by Agnes de Mille  

Directed by Daniel Fish and Jordan Fein 

27 April – 25 June 2022  

The Young Vic today releases a second selection of production images for the UK premiere of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! Daniel Fish’s striking revival of the classic musical which originally premiered at the Richard B. Fisher Center in 2015 ahead of its New York premiere at St. Ann’s Warehouse in 2018. 

This is Oklahoma! as you’ve never seen it before, re-orchestrated and reimagined for the 21st century. Winner of the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical, Daniel Fish’s bold interpretation transfers to the Young Vic, direct from an acclaimed run on Broadway and a U.S. tour. Oklahoma! tells a story of a community banding together against an outsider, and the frontier life that shaped America. Seventy-five years after Rodgers and Hammerstein reinvented the American musical, this visionary production is funny and sexy, provocative and probing, without changing a word of the text.  

Arthur Darvill plays Curly McLain, with James Davis as Will Parker, Stavros Demetraki as Ali Hakim, Anoushka Lucas as Laurey Williams, Olivier Award nominee Liza Sadovy as Aunt Eller, Patrick Vaill as Jud Fry and Marisha Wallace as Ado Annie. The cast is complete with Raphael Bushay as Mike, Greg Hicks as Andrew Carnes, Rebekah Hinds as Gertie Cummings, Ashley Samuels as Cord Elam, and Marie Mence as the lead dancer. 

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! is Co-Directed by Daniel Fish and Jordan Fein, with Orchestrations, Arrangements  by Daniel Kluger and Co-Music Supervision by Daniel Kluger and Nathan Koci, Choreography by John Heginbotham, Co-Set Design by Laura Jellinek and Grace Laubacher, Costume Design by Terese Wadden, Lighting Design by Scott Zielinski, Sound Design by Drew Levy, Projection Design by Joshua Thorson, Musical Director Tom Brady and Casting by Jacob Sparrow, with Associate Choreographer Shelby Williams, Assistant Director Nimmo Ismail, Associate Costume Designer Rachel Townsend, Associate Lighting Designer Fiffi Thorsteinsson, Associate Musical Director Huw Evans, Dialect Coach Sam Lilja and Orchestral Manager David Gallagher.  

Socially Distanced performances: 24, 25 May 7.30pm, 25 May, 2.30pm, and 9, 10 June, 7.30pm  

Audio Described performance: 24 May, 7.30pm 

Captioned performance: 9 June, 7.30pm 

Relaxed performance: 10 June, 7.30pm 

This production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! was originally developed, produced and premiered at the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College in July 2015. It was subsequently developed and produced by St Ann’s Warehouse and Eva Price at the Joseph S. and Dianna H. Steinberg Theatre, Brooklyn in 2018. 

New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham – until 7th May 2022

Reviewed by Emma Millward 

4****

A new play based on the classic ‘Whodunnit’ board game (first devised in Birmingham) and the Paramount Pictures movie ‘Clue’ has quite a legacy to live up to. From the moment the audience enters the auditorium, they are greeted with the familiar sight of the ‘Hall’ and the doors leading off to the other famous room from the game.

The show starts with the introduction of Yvette the Maid (Laura Kirman) and Wadsworth the Butler (Jean-Luke Worrell). With Yvette’s faltering French/Cockney accent and Wadsworth’s eccentric but instantly amusing mannerisms, they set the scene for the silliness and madcap behaviour we can expect throughout the show. 

One by one, we are introduced to the main players in the ‘game’, who are all being blackmailed by the mysterious Mr Boddy for their various indiscretions. Daniel Casey (of Midsomer Murders fame) as Professor Plum and Michelle Collins as the alluring Miss Scarlett are perfectly cast. Although a little part of me was secretly hoping there might be an Eastenders ‘duff duff’ moment at some point, as a sly nod to Michelle Collins. But that was probably just wishful thinking on my part.

The fully assembled guests then sit down for dinner and chaos ensues. This is when the clever staging of the rooms suddenly becomes apparent. Not only do the doors open, but the whole walls around them are pulled back by Wadsworth, so we can follow the cast into each adjoining room. The Cast all move props around to create the backdrop for each particular space too. It was a surprising but very clever way to keep the story moving along.

The storytelling is fast-paced, at times a little manic, but always hilarious. The tension between the main characters builds as the body count rises at Boddy Manor. The hysteria and slapstick grows along with it. Certain cast members end up being repeatedly knocked over by opening doors and thrown punches. 

Special mention has to be given to Jean-Luke Worrell as Wadsworth. Having to follow in the footsteps of the amazing Tim Curry in this role is no easy feat, but he more than achieves it. His facial expressions and body movements are slick, slapstick and your eyes are definitely drawn to him. His recap of the entire play in just a few minutes towards the end of the show really is a sight to behold. I will never hear the name ‘Larry’ in the same way again!

Whodunnit? Well, that would be telling! You will just have to go and see the show while it is still in Birmingham until the 7th May. 

The Royal & Derngate, Northampton – until 7th May 2022

Reviewed by Ely King

3***

One family, one hundred million records, everyone has heard of the Osmonds one way or another.

Whether you know the name from Jimmy, The Donny and Marie show, or The Osmonds group themselves, the family are worldwide superstars in their own right.

Written by Jay Osmond, this new musical follows the family from the quartet of young boys up to their legendary 2007 reunion. This includes all from the addition of young Donny, introduction to Jimmy and through to the Donny and Marie show before the catastrophic bankruptcy crisis.

In the performance, there were a few different understudies onstage, all of which were amazing in their roles.

For this performance the roles of The Osmonds were:

Alan: Young – Charlie Stripp / Adult – Alex Cardall

Merrill: Young – Joey Unitt / Adult – Ryan Anderson

Jay: Young – Charlie Tumbridge / Adult – Alex Lodge

Wayne: Young – Thomas Ryan / Adult – Danny Natrass

Donny: Young – Nicholas Teixeira / Adult – Tristan Whincup

Jimmy: Young – Harrison Skinner / Adult – Sam Routley

Throughout the entirity of the show, Alex Lodge is easily the shining star in this production as Jay Osmond. Whilst it’s expected he be at the forefront, as the show is written by Jay, he positively gives his all from beginning to end.

Even during flashback scenes where Lodge stands at the back, he can be seen mimings and mimicking the moves the youngsters are doing, as if he is genuinely reliving those memories himself, it’s those little details that make his portrayal so successful.

Whilst all of the American accents were iffy at times, Alex seemed to take it in his stride – though you could definitely tell he has time as ‘Elder Price’ by his tone.

Vocally, another standout was Ryan Anderson as Merrill. His vocal range is astounding.

From the rough gravelly tone to the incredible high notes, he took every single opportunity to show off his phenomenal talent. Anderson’s solo track ‘Traffic In My Mind’ featured some haunting notes and was a genuinely captivating performance.

He and Lodge were the backbone of the entire production.

Though the other siblings weren’t shining stars, that doesn’t mean they were inherently bad, they just didn’t have the same charisma as the other duo. Tristan Whincup and Danny Natrass certainly had their odd moment to shine, it’s a shame they weren’t given more of an opportunity to do so.

The scripting definitely favours Jay and villainises Merrill and Alan, for sure.

Not to be forgotten, their kid sister Marie, played by Georgia Lennon, had some good moments in the show also, but for the most part she was just awkwardly dancing behind the brothers, and when she was up front it seemed as if she over-acted to make up for lack of time in the spotlight.

As a whole, the brothers were the main focus in the costuming department, every single scene they were in they were dressed impeccably, it’s just a shame that level of care and detail wasn’t maintained throug the rest of the cast like they deserved.

Saving the best till last, the young Osmonds are absolutely adorable, and incredibly talented. Young Donny Osmond is a cheeky lil chap and a true star. If the six kids are all so talented already, they are going to go very far in the industry and I can’t wait to see where they end up.

Whilst the show wasn’t a hit for me, that shouldn’t deter fans of The Osmonds. You will probably understand a lot more of the hints and sly digs than a non-Osmond fanatic like myself.

Hull New Theatre – until 7th May 2022

Reviewed by Catherine McWilliams

5*****

The Cher Show is the best show you will see this year, to put it simply – WOW! Broadway arrived at Hull New Theatre last night. If 6 stars were available, this would be the show that I gave them for. I was not alone in my views either, at the end of the performance the audience were on their feet and the roar of approval was the loudest I can remember at Hull New Theatre.

The Cher Show charts the early years and career of Cher and with a book written by Rick Elice, it takes a rather novel approach to the story. There is not one Cher but three fabulous Chers, each one telling her story at a different stage in her career. I loved this concept as the three Chers interacted with one another, offering advice (with the wisdom of age!), bickering and singing together. The music was also used very cleverly, with songs not being in chronological order of release, parts of songs being sung or reprised, and songs being sung at a slightly different tempo.

Millie O’Connell plays Babe, the very young Cherilyn Sarkisian who is bullied for being different but discovers a love of singing. She plays her with just the right amount of naivety and gaucheness, capturing the early Cher’s gawkiness and shyness beautifully. Her performance of “I Got You Babe” with Sonny (Lucas Rush) was absolutely spot on. Her singing voice is fabulous, whether she was singing solo or singing with the other Chers.

Danielle Steers takes over the story as Lady when Cher has divorced Sonny and is beginning to take control of her life. She was absolutely outstanding and has the most incredible voice, this is a part that could have been written especially for her.

Debbie Kurup brings us up to date as Star, and her success as an actor, despite her dyslexia, her illness and yet again her reinvention as a singer. She plays the part with the older Cher’s self-belief and confidence together with a despair as she watches her younger self. She has a fabulous voice and this was another outstanding performance.

Whilst the Chers are the stars of the show, the entire cast are outstanding. Lucas Rush was wonderful in their role as Sonny and Tori Scott plays Georgia, Cher’s mother, perfectly. Jake Mitchell was fabulous as Cher’s dress designer Bob Mackie. Special mention must go to Sam Ferriday who very convincingly took on four very different roles Greg Allman, Rob Camilletti, Phil Spector and John Southall.

The entourage were superb and Oti Mabuse’s choreography added to the fabulousness of the show. Gabriella Slade’s costumes were wonderful, glitzy and glamorous and Tom Roger’s set design was deceptively simple but very effective.

Cher’s story is one of not giving up and of picking yourself up and starting again, and of hard work. A story of becoming her own person, a lesson for us all and it was very apt that “Believe” was not used as a blockbuster song but was sung between the Chers as encouragement to keep going.

When I arrived at the theatre last night, I have to admit that I was not excited by the thought of this show as I am not really a Cher fan. Now I am prepared to shout it from the rooftops that this is an utterly fabulous show that you miss at your peril. It is just beginning it’s UK tour so you really have no excuse – get yourself a ticket to the best show this year.

FULL CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR

BLEAK EXPECTATIONS

OPENING AT THE WATERMILL

FRIDAY 27 MAY – SATURDAY 2 JULY

BOOK ONLINE AT WATERMILL.ORG.UK OR VIA THE BOX OFFICE ON 01635 46044

Full casting and creative team have been announced for the world premiere of BLEAK EXPECTATIONS, a new stage adaptation of the award-winning hit BBC Radio 4 comedy written by Mark Evans and directed by Caroline Leslie (whose previous Watermill credits include Trial by Laughter, The Wipers Times, A Bunch of Amateurs, Thoroughly Modern Millie and Radio Times). Bleak Expectations will open at the Watermill from Friday 27 May and play until Saturday 2 July, in association with Anthology Theatre Productions and David Wolstencroft (creator of BBC One Drama Spooks).

Bleak Expectations is the story that Charles Dickens might have written after drinking too much gin. And, crucially, had lived for another 152 years. Two-time winner of the Best Radio Sitcom award and winner of a Sony Award, Bleak Expectations has captivated audiences and critics alike since its 2007 radio debut.

Hold on tight for a chaotic caper through Dickensian London with young Pip Bin: tragic half orphan, hopeless romantic and would-be-hero.

Follow Pip’s remarkable adventures with sisters Pippa and Poppy and best friend Harry Biscuit as they attempt to escape the scheming clutches of Mr Gently Benevolent, defeat the irrepressible Hardthrasher siblings and avert imminent disaster at every turn. Will evil be vanquished by virtue?

Can love triumph over hate? Well, can it? Immerse yourself in this joyfully anarchic comedy featuring hideous boarding schools, dastardly plans, devilish disguises, pulse-quickening romances, heart-rending death scenes, and definitely a happy ending.

Rose Basista (Eleanor Rising – BBC Audio Drama, Tom’s Midnight Garden – Theatre by the Lake) will play ‘Pippa Bin’, Colm Gleeson (This Be The Verse – Hen & Chickens Theatre, The Wife of Michael Cleary Songbook – Royal Court Liverpool) will play ‘Thomas Bin / Bakewell Havertwitch / Broadly Fecund’, J.J. Henry (Rapunzel – The Theatre Chipping Norton, Mother Courage and her Children – Blackeyed Theatre) will play ‘Harry Biscuit / Mr Parsimonious’, Dom Hodson (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical – Aldwych, West End, War Horse – New London, West End) will play ‘Pip Bin’. Simon Kane (The Busker’s Opera ­-Park Theatre, The Hound of the Baskervilles – Bolton Octagon) will play ‘Gently Benevolent’, Alicia McKenzie (Small Island – National Theatre, The Crucible – Pitlochry Festival) will play ‘Agnes Bin / Flora Dies-Early’, Nicholas Murchie (Trial by Laughter ­– The Watermill & Tour, A Chaste Maid in Cheapside – Almeida & Tour)) will play ‘Sir Philip Bin’, Caitlin Scott (2021 graduate, professional debut)will play ‘Poppy Bin / Ripely Fecund’ and Dan Tetsell (Brian in BBC2’s Lab Rats, Marion in BBC3’s Mongrels) will play ‘The Hardthrashers’.

Directed by Caroline Leslie with design by Kate Lias, BLEAK EXPECTATIONS is a stage adaptation of the hit BBC Radio 4 comedy written by Mark Evans with lighting by Andrew Exeter, sound by Yvonne Gilbert, assistant direction and fight direction by Joseph Reed, movement direction by Heriberto Montalban and composition by Tom Pigott-Smith. The Stage Management team consists of Natalia Kheldouni (DSM), Alastair Day (ASM), Alice Reddick (ASM Placement) with audio description by Charles Wiltshire.

Twitter: @BleakExpPlay

Instagram: @bleakexpectationsplay

Facebook: @BleakExpectationsPlay

The Watermill continues to follow measures to control the risk of Covid-19 and to ensure the safety and confidence of its audience members, staff, actors and creative teams. The wearing of face coverings continues to be requested in the auditorium. Enhanced cleaning procedures and an efficient ventilation system supplying conditioned and filtered fresh air also remain in place.

To help audience members to book with confidence, The Watermill are operating a flexible booking policy. In the event that their booking is affected by Covid-19, audience members will be offered a ticket exchange, account credit or refund.

DIGITAL THEATRE PARTNERS WITH ORIGINAL THEATRE FOR LIVE INTERACTIVE EVENT

“THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES – A DIGITAL THEATRE EXPERIENCE”

7^th May 2022 from 7.15pm

www.digitaltheatre.com/the-hound-of-the-baskervilles

Digital Theatre is delighted to announce a one off interactive live event with a streaming of Original Theatre’s critically acclaimed comedy ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’, combined with live studio interactive hosting by BBC Radio 4 comedian Pippa Evans and guests.

Original Theatre’s hit show was co-produced with The Octagon Theatre, Bolton and was recorded at Belgrade Theatre Coventry in February of this year and sees Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most celebrated adventure brilliantly farcically overhauled in Lotte Wakeham’s acclaimed production, directed on tour by Tim Jackson.

World-renowned detective Sherlock Holmes and his colleague Dr Watson are asked to unravel the mystery surrounding the untimely death of Sir Charles Baskerville. With rumours of a cursed giant hound loose on the loose moors, they must act fast in order to save the Baskerville family’s last remaining heir. This ingenious adaptation combines an exhilarating collision of farce, theatrical invention and wonderfully comic performances to offer a brand-new twist on the greatest detective story of all time.

In an innovative new approach – combining live streaming with pre-filmed content, the Digital Theatre version of the show will feature unique wraparound content with pre-show and interval entertainment in the form of hi-jinx with Mischief Theatre actor Niall Ransome (who plays Dr Watson in the production), a riotous “Baskerville Bingo” and a post-show Q&A – all with live interactive hosting by Showstoppers’ Olivier Award-winning comedian Pippa Evans. 

The show stars Jake Ferretti (The Kitchen, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, The Understudy) as Sherlock Holmes , Serena Manteghi (Welcome To Iran, To Build a Rocket, Mrs Wilson) as Sir Henry and Niall Ransome (Mischief Movie Night, The Comedy About A Bank Robbery, Fcuk’d) as Dr. Watson.

No strangers to impressive digital streaming, Original Theatre have been called “truly the connoisseurs of virtual theatre” by WhatsOnStage and were recent winners at the Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards. The Wall Street Journal called ‘The Habit of Art’ “One of the most impressive theatre webcasts” and The Telegraph called ‘Birdsong Online’ “the best online play of lockdown”.

Now “The Hound of the Baskervilles – A Digital Theatre Experience” will be broadcast on 7^th May 2022 from 7.15pm.

The event will then also be available On-Demand on Digital Theatre’s Events platform for two weeks.

www.digitaltheatre.com/the-hound-of-the-baskervilles