Alexandra Palace Website / Twitter / Facebook / Instagram
Gruffalo’s Child Website / Twitter / Facebook
Tall Stories Website / Twitter / Facebook / Instagram

THE HIT MUSICAL ADAPTATION OF THE PICTURE BOOK
BY JULIA DONALDSON AND AXEL SCHEFFLER 

IS READY TO WELCOME BACK AUDIENCES TO ALEXANDRA PALACE THEATRE THIS CHRISTMAS

• THE GRUFFALO’S CHILD WILL BE ARRIVING AT ALEXANDRA PALACE THEATRE THIS WEEKEND AS PART OF THE ALLY PALLY CHRISTMAS SEASON
  
• ALLY PALLY FESTIVITIES WILL ALSO INCLUDE SANTA’S GROTTO, CHRISTMAS MOVIE SEASON, ICE SKATING & MORE

The Gruffalo said that no gruffalo should
Ever set foot in the deep dark wood…

Today Tall Stories have released a first look at The Gruffalo’s Child which will be arriving at Alexandra Palace Theatre for a limited Christmas season this weekend 5 December 2020 – 3 January 2021.

One wild and windy night the Gruffalo’s Child ignores her father’s warning and tiptoes out into the snow. After all, the Big Bad Mouse doesn’t really exist… does he? Join the Gruffalo’s Child on her adventurous mission in this magical musical stage adaptation, of the much-loved picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.

Tall Stories’ hit musical adaptation of the award-winning sequel to The Gruffalo, published by Macmillan Children’s Books, is ‘everything good children’s theatre should be’ (The List) featuring songs, laughs and lots of fun for children aged 3 and up, and their families.

The Gruffalo’s Child is produced by award-winning theatre company Tall Stories – a creative force whose productions include The Gruffalo, the Olivier Award Nominated Room on the Broom, The Snail and the Whale and The Snow Dragon. The creative team includes Director Olivia Jacobs, Creative Producer Toby Mitchell, Designer Isla Shaw, Composers Jon Fiber & Andy Shaw of JollyGoodTunes and Lighting Designer James Whiteside.

Christmas doesn’t stop there as the Palace’s East Court will also host Santa’s Grotto. This year we have made some adjustments to the experience and a safe and suitable distance will be maintained between Santa and the children as well as a one-way system. Santa will be in residence on selected dates between 5-23 December, with full information available via the Alexandra Palace website. Skating is a year-round activity at Ally Pally, but the Ice Rink feels particularly celebratory and joyous at Christmas time, giving everyone yet another reason to make this iconic venue a destination for a full-on-festive day out. The Theatre is also the venue for the Ally Pally Christmas Film Season. The programme runs over three weeks, starting on the 5 December. Festive classics on show include, Miracle on 34th Street, Elf, Santa Claus the Movie and Die Hard, among a host of others.

THE TURBINE THEATRE WILL RE-OPEN ITS DOORS

TO PRESENT ITS FIRST CHRISTMAS PANTOMIME

CINDERELLA: THE SOCIALLY DISTANCED BALL

RUNNING FROM 3 – 23 DECEMBER

WRITTEN BY JODIE PRENGER & NEIL HURST

AND DIRECTED BY LIZZY CONNOLLY

The Turbine Theatres reopens its doors with its first ever adult pantomime, Cinderella: The Socially Distanced Ball. This hilarious panto has been written by Jodie Prenger and Neil Hurst, and is being directed by Lizzy Connolly.

The cast are Oscar Conlon-Morrey, Rufus Hound, Debbie Kurup, Scott Paige, Sean Parkins and Daisy Wood Davis.

Prepare to have your Christmas socks blown off with this all-star cast, celebrating theatre at its naughtiest.  Glittery anti-bac will be at hand, and we promise to get home before midnight. 

Please note: This is not for the faint hearted or those easily offended by smut.

LISTINGS

Paul Taylor-Mills presents

Cinderella: The Socially Distanced Pantomime

Dates: 03 – 23 December

Address: The Turbine Theatre, Arches Lane, Circus West Village, London, SW11 8AB

Box Office/Tickets: TheTurbineTheatre.com

The Theatre Cafe:  The Turbine Theatre ticketing will be powered by The Theatre Cafe, West End’s stagiest destination and social platform. 

Website: www.theturbinetheatre.com/whatson

Facebook/Twitter/Instagram: @TurbineTheatre

#PoweringTheImagination

Kenneth Branagh, Bertie Carvel, Olivia Colman and
more lead an all-star audio adaptation of Peter Pan
Available from Sunday 20th December 2020

An incredible all-star cast have come together to create a unique digital retelling of JM Barrie’s enchanting classic, Peter Pan, in support of Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity (GOSH Charity). The world premiere audio adaptation will feature the vocal talents of Academy Award winner Olivia Colman, Olivier Award winners Sharon D Clarke, Joanna Riding and Bertie Carvel, five-time Academy Award nominee Kenneth Branagh, alongside Jane Horrocks, Jason Flemyng, Clive Rowe, and many more.

Adapted by acclaimed dramatist Shaun McKenna (The Lord of the Rings, West End; The House on Cold Hill, UK Tour), with an original musical score by Annabelle Brown, this imaginative production revitalises the art of story time with four 30-minute chapters. Rehearsed over Zoom, recorded remotely, then mixed and mastered together with a fantastic score, Peter Pan is perfect escapism for the whole family, to be enjoyed with a large cup of cocoa before bed.

Members of the Great Ormond Street Hospital Young People’s Forum, including patients currently undergoing treatment and former patients, will perform alongside the professional cast to sprinkle a little fairy dust this Christmas. Further casting includes Bobby Beynon, Norman Bowman, Charlie Cameron, Craig Lauzon, Sera-Lys McArthur, Katie Moore, George Neilly, Steffan Rhodri, Ben Starr, Zubin Varla, and Matthew Woodyatt.

Liz Tait, Director of Fundraising at GOSH Charity said, We are so grateful to the many stars who lent their voices to this creative audio adaptation of the timeless story of Peter Pan, alongside children and young people from the hospital whose contribution helped bring this tale to life in such a unique way.

100% of proceeds from the downloads of this adaptation will help us support seriously ill children from across the UK who are cared for at Great Ormond Street Hospital, and we truly hope that the families listening in the lead up to Christmas enjoy the comfort of storytelling together, after the challenging year everyone has faced. Thank you to everyone who downloads this adaptation, and to all those involved in its creation.

All proceeds from sales of the online adaptation will be donated to GOSH Charity to enable
them to continue supporting seriously ill children and young people across the UK. JM Barrie presented GOSH with the rights to Peter Pan in 1929 but with theatres closed and Christmas shows on hold this year, the charity is missing out on the annual royalties and charitable audience contributions from stagings around the country. Money raised through this starstudded adaptation will help GOSH Charity to fund pioneering medical research, state of the art equipment, support services for children and families like the hospital’s dedicated play team, and the vital rebuilding and refurbishment of the hospital.

Mumsnet are proud to partner with the production. Mumsnet founder and CEO Justine Roberts comments, We’re really happy to support this production. It’s been a tough old year and we know lots of our users have missed live performances and trips out with their families. Hopefully this will go some way towards filling the rather sad pantomime-shaped gap, and raise funds for a vital charity.

Birmingham Royal Ballet to go ahead with live streaming adapted version of The Nutcracker at Birmingham Repertory Theatre 

Following news of Birmingham’s Tier 3 status last week, and ongoing uncertainty about what will be possible post 16 December, Birmingham Royal Ballet has taken the difficult decision to move their 2020 adapted version of The Nutcracker online. The magical Christmas production will be streamed live from The Birmingham Repertory Theatre on Friday 18 December at 7.30pm, giving audiences an experience as close to watching it live in the theatre as is possible. 

Birmingham Royal Ballet’s The Nutcracker at The REP will be available to watch as a  livestream event at 7.30pm on Friday 18th December.  It will then be available to view as a video-on-demand recording from Saturday 19th to Thursday 24th December.  Video-on-demand sales close at midnight on 21st December, but can be viewed until midnight on Christmas Eve.

Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet Carlos Acosta said ‘I guess you could say we’re trying to look on the bright side at the moment! By live streaming this new adapted version of our famous and much-loved production we can proceed with confidence and focus on making the event as special as possible for our wonderful audiences and now, wherever you are in the world, you can be part of it. I can’t deny it’s disappointing not to see everyone’s happy faces in the theatre, but we will plan to end the year on a Christmas high, finding ways of celebrating is important right now.’

Sean Foley, Artistic Director at The REP said: ‘We hope this newly announced Live Stream performance of The Nutcracker at The REP will bring a flurry of theatrical magic and seasonal warmth into families’ homes this Christmas. Teams at The REP and Birmingham Royal Ballet have been working tirelessly since new safety measures were announced to make this very special, one-off adaptation of the classic festive tale. We are tremendously excited to share it with thousands of people across the world at the same time – the first time ever a performance has been streamed ‘Live from The Birmingham REP’.

In light of the performances being cancelled the Company has again focused on finding solutions and decided to tackle uncertainties by enabling audiences to enjoy the world premiere of this new adaptation from home. After the cancellation of this year’s full production at the Royal Albert Hall, this will be the one chance to experience Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Christmas classic this year.

The full-length Nutcracker will be shortened to an 80-minute magical experience that will retain all of the most enchanting moments and characters you would expect and hope for –  Snowflakes, Drosselmeyer, Fritz and Clara’s Christmas Eve party, King Rat’s battle, the Kingdom of Sweets dances from around the world, the iconic Sugar Plum Fairy and, of course, The Nutcracker Prince – and features the cherished Tchaikovsky score performed live by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia conducted by Paul Murphy. 

Ticket holders for this pay per view production will also be able to enjoy some extra treats the Company have tied together with a seasonal red bow to make the experience as special as possible.

People who have bought tickets for the original live performances The REP will be contacted by the box office.

This year’s performance will ensure the safety of all performers, technical crew and staff. 

Two performances featuring two different casts will be captured at The REP. The second film will feature three third year students from The Royal Ballet School performing Trepak, the Russian dance, and students from Elmhurst Ballet School dancing Snowflakes will be available for audiences to watch online in early 2021.

Birmingham Royal Ballet is committed to offering performance opportunities for students of the Royal Ballet School and Elmhurst Ballet School, especially at this time when such opportunities are so rare for students starting out in their careers.

Birmingham Royal Ballet and Birmingham Repertory Theatre’s social media pages will reflect a celebration of The Nutcracker throughout the run, including exclusive new dance footage, ballet lessons for the very young and behind-the-scenes insights and the premiere of a new animated film inspired by The Nutcracker created with Birmingham Royal Ballet’s second company, Freefall, whose exceptionally talented dancers have learning disabilities.

SAM FENDER LEADS LINE-UP FOR SAGE GATESHEAD SPECIAL STREAMED CHRISTMAS CONCERT

Sage Gateshead announces a special streamed Christmas concert, Sage Gateshead Christmas Cracker, featuring some of the North East’s most illustrious musicians and rising stars including local hero Sam Fender.

The concert, which premieres on YouTube on Friday 18 December, promises to be a one-off Christmas spectacular featuring some of the North East’s favourite musicians performing original songs and festive favourites.

Sage Gateshead, which is looking forward to safely welcoming audiences back into the venue in 2021, is streaming the concert free of charge as a Christmas gift for its community. Audiences, donors and friends have rallied behind the organisation in recent months, sending in messages of support, tuning into live streams, taking part in online classes, and of course by making much-needed donations.

Sam Fender will perform with Royal Northern Sinfonia, orchestra of Sage Gateshead in a special collaboration. Joining them on the bill are Newcastle-based alt-pop musician Martha Hill, in a new big band style collaboration with “brilliant young jazz pianist” (The Guardian), Paul Edis; three-time BBC Radio 2 Folk Award-winning Teesside trio The Young’uns; Voices of Virtue Gospel Choir, who performed for Prince William in 2019; and Chorus of Royal Northern Sinfonia with Chorus Director Timothy Burke, featuring more than 50 amateur singers from all walks of life.

Presented by award-winning saxophonist Jess Gillam and The Futureheads’ Ross Millard, Sage Gateshead Christmas Cracker, which will be filmed in the iconic building, promises plenty of festive fun and some magical Christmas collaborations.

Sam Fender said:

“So excited to play The Sage with Royal Northern Sinfonia! It’s one of my favourite venues, I can’t wait to hear and perform a couple of songs with a full orchestra! A free live stream for fans is going to be a nice way to end the year.”

Abigail Pogson, Managing Director of Sage Gateshead said:

Sage Gateshead Christmas Cracker is a celebration of music and musicians from the North. We want to showcase amazing musical talent and offer a fun-filled Christmas event to the North East  – it’s a way for Sage Gateshead to say a special thank you to everyone who has supported us this year. We’re so grateful for the support we have had and want to say thank you with this magical online event.”

The charity’s Crisis, Recovery and Renaissance campaign aims to raise £3 million over three years to help meet the challenge the pandemic has created, and to serve communities and audiences in the North East and wider North for the long term. They are aiming to reach the first £1m by March 2021 – the first year of the campaign – and are delighted to announce that the public have already helped to raise £700,000. 

Sage Gateshead Christmas Cracker premieres on Sage Gateshead’s YouTube channel at 7.30pm on Friday 18 December and will be available to watch free of charge throughout the festive season until 4 January 2021.

For more info visit sagegateshead.com

Christmas with the Hobs

New Christmas show from Alnwick Playhouse, Maltings Berwick and Queen’s Hall Arts streaming online from 12-31 December 2020

This December, three Northumberland venues are teaming up with CaroleW Productions to create Christmas with the Hobs, a brand new festive animation made in Northumberland for audiences everywhere to experience at home, and in schools, hospitals and care homes. 

It’s Christmas Eve at Nana’s house and Tyler and Eliza are waiting for Dad to pick them up to start the celebrations. But when plans change, they must work together to create a Christmas to remember, with the help of their newfound friends, the Hobs! Join them as they discover what really makes Christmas special, with mishaps and mayhem along the way.

Written by Becci Sharrock, Christmas with the Hobs is illustrated by Sheila Graber who animated the children’s TV series Paddington in the 1980s, withoriginalmusic by North East singer songwriter Bridie Jackson. The cast are Joseph Casling, Jude Nelson, Lewis Jobson, Viktoria Kay and Jacqueline Phillips, who will also direct.

Katy Taylor, Queen’s Hall Arts Artistic Director said, “We’re delighted to be working in partnership with Alnwick Playhouse and Berwick Maltings to create a wonderful new animation for Christmas. This is the first time we’ve commissioned an animation and we are so lucky to be working with a fantastically talented team of artists and performers. All three venues in Northumberland were successful in our applications for emergency funding from Arts Council England last month and this has enabled us to try something new and make something truly magical for our audiences this Christmas. 

“We know that freelance performers, technicians and artists have really struggled while venues have been closed, and many people have been unable to access government financial support so it’s vital that we do our bit to help. Christmas with the Hobs gave us an opportunity to bring together North East arts professionals to create a magical Christmas gift from Northumberland. We hope you enjoy it!”

Becci Sharrock was inspired to start writing after her first experience of working in theatre, ushering on The Pitmen Painters at Live Theatre. Her first producing commission – Waiting for Angus – was a co-commission from Maltings Berwick, Theatre Royal Newcastle and ARC Stockton, through the Bridging the Gap programme.  She has since worked with Northern Stage, Theatre Sans Frontières and New Writing North. She also runs the Hexham young writers’ group in partnership with Queen’s Hall Arts and Hexham Book Festival, which Joseph Casling who plays Tyler in the show took part in.

Becci said, “I was so excited to be asked to write Christmas with the Hobs. It feels like a chance to spread a little bit of Christmas magic, which we need this year more than ever. With such a crack team of creatives working on the production, audiences are in for a real treat. I hope they enjoy meeting the Hobs as much as I enjoyed writing them and fall in love with their cheeky personalities, the naughty and the nice sides!” 

Christmas with the Hobs will be streamed online from 12-31 December. Tickets are free but must be booked via venues’ websites. Donations to support future commissions and creative projects in Northumberland are welcome.

BBC ARTS ‘LIGHTS UP’ BRITISH THEATRE

FOR NEW CULTURE IN QUARANTINE SEASON

BBC Lights Up

February/March 2021

• BBC Arts comes together with theatres across the UK in a celebration of British theatre, bringing newly-recorded staged productions to audiences across television, radio, iPlayer and BBC Sounds.

• Highlights includefour extraordinary one-woman shows (including actress Lisa Dwan in Pale Sister and Dorcas Sebuyange’s Buttercup from Liverpool-based theatre company, 20 Stories High) and Sadie from Northern Ireland’s Lyric Theatre, directed by Conleth Hill (Lord Varys, Game of Thrones), in association with Stephen Rea’s Field Day Theatre Company.

• New radio plays include Nick Payne’s Constellations and a new adaptation of The Fishermen based on the novel by Chigozie Obioma.

• Programming across BBC platforms, from Imagine to Front Row and local radio reflecting the views of theatres and theatre-makers across the country, as we approach the anniversary of the beginning of lockdown.

BBC Arts turns the spotlight on theatre as it continues its Culture in Quarantine initiative – bringing arts and culture into the nation’s homes – by partnering with theatres across the country to produce an unprecedented season of plays for audiences at home.

BBC Lights Up begins in February 2021, following what has been one of the most difficult winters for the performing arts in history. The season will ‘light up’ stages and studios across the UK by supporting hard-hit organisations and artists, and ensuring that audiences at home continue to have the opportunity to enjoy theatre across BBC platforms.

Working with more than 12 theatres and theatrical producers across the UK and running for three weeks the season includes more than 15 newly-recorded plays which will be broadcast across BBC Four, BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4, iPlayer and BBC Sounds. Each play will be a collaboration between BBC Arts and a theatre or producer and many productions will be recorded on the stages of empty theatres. 

Jonty Claypole, Director of BBC Arts said: “This has been the hardest year in living memory for the performing arts – and the crisis is far from over. It is only right that the BBC – which has worked arm-in-arm with writers, performers and off-stage talent day-in day-out over the last 100 years – should support and celebrate our performing arts at this time. This is why BBC Culture in Quarantine is launching Lights Up: a major season devoted to theatre, celebrating the UK’s stages, its artists, the shows that we cannot see, for millions at home around the country. The shows come from every corner of the UK – from Belfast to Glasgow, Cardiff to London. And, as well as broadcasting new and recent productions, we are also using our broadcast and digital platforms to celebrate all that theatres do for our society. Theatre has been at the heart of our culture for centuries and will continue to be so for many to come.”

BBC Lights Up includes plays which are being recorded for television and radio for the first time and premieres of new plays, including plays which have not been seen by an audience. All of the televised plays will be broadcast on BBC Four.

Highlights include:

• The National Theatre of Scotland’s multi award-winning stage play Adam will be made into a theatrical television drama for the first time, in a play inspired by the life of Adam Kashmiry who also plays the role of Adam. Written by Frances Poet and co-directed by Cora Bissett and Louise Lockwood, it tells the story of a young transgender man and his journey to reconciliation.

• International premiere of new play Buttercup from Liverpool-based theatre company 20 Stories High, written and performed by Liverpool-Congolese multidisciplinary artist Dorcas Sebuyange, will be made into a television production, in a story about survival and coming to terms with childhood trauma.
• International premiere of new dark comedy Harm, a Bush Theatre commission written by British playwright Phoebe Eclair-Powell and filmed exclusively for television, in a play about the corrosive effect of social media and isolation.

• Writer and performer Natasha Marshall’s semi-autobiographical darkly comic play Half Breed from Soho Theatre will be televised for the first time, in a story about finding your voice, directed by Olivier Award-winning theatre director Miranda Cromwell.
• Pale Sister, written by celebrated author Colm Tóibín for award-winning actress Lisa Dwan, will be made into a television production for the first time. The play recounts Sophocles’ Greek tragedy of Antigone from the viewpoint of her sister, Ismene, with a contemporary twist.

• International premiere of The Lyric Theatre’s new play Sadie starring award-winning actress Abigail McGibbon filmed exclusively for television, in a play written by David Ireland about a dysfunctional relationship. Directed by Conleth Hill (Lord Varys, Game of Thrones) and in association with Stephen Rea’s Field Day Theatre Company.

• BAFTA Award winning actor Katherine Parkinson’s(Home, I’m Darling, The IT Crowd) debut play Sitting has been adapted to the screen by Avalon. Starring Parkinson for the first time and directed by Oliver Award nominated Jeremy Herrin (People, Places & Things, Talking Heads), this new production follows three characters as they sit for a painter revealing themselves in the process.

• New Perspectives Theatre Company’s  award-winning production of The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma, adapted by Gbolahan Obisesan. This tale of brotherhood, vengeance and fate is being produced for BBC Radio 3 featuring the stage cast, reuniting in an exclusive performance for radio, including Valentine Olukoga, winner of Best Actor at the Black British Theatre Awards 2020.

• A double-bill of new BBC Radio 3 productions of Nick Payne’s award-winning stage play Constellations and Elegy.

• New productions from BBC Radio 4 will include collaborations with Chichester Festival Theatre and the National Theatre of Wales.

In addition to the newly recorded plays, other programming will be broadcast across BBC Platforms which will shine a spotlight on the theatre sector. BBC Arts flagship documentary series Imagine will broadcast a special on how performers have responded during lockdown and on BBC Radio 4, Front Row broadcasts a special week-long focus on British theatre and talks to theatre-makers across the UK about how Covid-19 has affected the Industry and changed the way plays are written, performed and consumed. Plus broadcasts from local radio will reflect the views of theatres across the nation, as we approach the anniversary of the beginning of lockdown.

Full details of BBC Lights Up will be announced in due course.

LEE MACK JOINS THE CAST OF

THE UNDERSTUDY

PALACE THEATRE LONDON

MONDAY 7^TH – TUESDAY 8^TH DECEMBER 2020

Everyone needs an understudy, right? Stepping into the role of narrator, replacing Stephen Fry, is BAFTA and British Comedy Award winning legend Lee Mack. The full cast of The Understudy, now includes Matthew Horne, Emily Atack, James Norton, Mina Anwar, Natalie Casey, Adelayo Adedayo, Lucy Briggs-Owen, Sasha Frost, Marie Lawrence, James McNicholas, Lizzie Muncey and Jake Ferretti.

Stephen Fry comments: “Circumstances have forced me to be in the US from Dec 4th to late January which means, despite my highest hopes and confident promises, I won’t be able to be a part of The Understudy this year, as so fervently hoped. I am very, very sorry to let you down at the last minute. I am cheering you on from the sidelines.”

A perfect pre-Christmas treat for theatre lovers, this exclusive semi-staged rehearsed reading of The Understudy will run for two nights only at London’s Palace Theatre. The play forms part of the initiative first launched by the Lawrence Batley Theatre in May, with proceeds once again being split between Acting For Others, the Equity Charitable Trust and The Theatre Development Trust, run by the Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre.

Directed by Giles Croft, The Understudy is written by Henry Filloux-Bennett and will be accompanied by Dusthouse’s wonderful animation from the play’s online version. Having previously recorded their lines in isolation, this will be the first time the actors will be performing together in the flesh as they swap their makeshift recording studios at home for the real life stage.

The Understudy  is based on the novel by the best-selling author David Nicholls, The Understudy tells the story of an underdog – a failed husband, a failing father, a failing actor, and the impossible choice he’s going to have to make between stealing the show and stealing another man’s wife.

The Understudy was originally commissioned by The Lowry, Salford.

TuckShop and Trafalgar Theatre Productions present

Starring

COURTNEY ACT

&

MONÉT X CHANGE

GARRICK THEATRE

PREVIEWS FROM: 4 DECEMBER 2020

WRITTEN BY HOLLY STARS

BASED ON AN IDEA BY CHRISTOPHER D. CLEGG

Murder can be such a Drag…! This brand new killer comedy, Death Drop, opening at the Garrick Theatre on 4 December 2020 is an historic West End first. Starring RuPaul’s Drag Race superstars Courtney Act and Monét X Change, along with a full drag cast in this new hilarious murder mystery – this show is like nothing you’ve seen on the West End stage ever before! Tickets are on sale now from www.deathdrop-play.com

In what will be their West End debuts, Celebrity Big Brother winner and current star of ITV’s Celebrity Kar-aoke Club, Courtney Act, will play the role of 80s pop sensation Shazza, starring alongside Monét X Change appearing as Summer Raines, a glamorous American weather girl living in London, in front of a socially-distanced theatre audience this festive season.

On announcing the show, Courtney Act says: “I can’t wait to get back onto a stage in front of real people this Christmas and I especially can’t wait to make my West End debut in Death Drop! It’s such a hilarious show and it’s just what we all need after months of being locked away. The Garrick Theatre, I’m coming for you!”

Monét X Change added: “Let’s see, you have Monét X Change, Courtney Act, and a full cast of drag stars!? Ms. Thing, Death Drop is an absolutely brilliant show and I am super excited to perform it in London’s fabulous West End!”

Starring alongside Courtney Act and Monét X Change are Kemah Bob, LoUis CYfer, Anna Phylactic, Holly Stars and Vinegar Strokes.

It’s 1991 and a gaggle of guests gather on Tuck Island for a soirée like no other. The tension rises as the outrageous guests reveal their suspicious and sordid pasts, and one by one they sashay away, until at the last, nerve-shredding, side-splitting moment the surviving guests find out who-dunnit!

This rampant, raucous, ridiculous romp of a murder mystery has gallons of gags, and more twists and turns than a drag queens wig.

TuckShop is the UK’s only specialist theatre production company devoted all things drag. In 2019 they presented Cinderella starring Baga Chipz, the UK’s first ever all drag pantomime in the West End which sold out its run. They also produce drag events across the country, and are the UK’s largest merchandise retailer for drag performers.

TuckShop Creative Director and Producer Christopher D. Clegg said: “We are very proud to present Death Drop this December at the Garrick! Bringing genuine drag to the West End on such a large scale, and in such a historic way has always been our goal with TuckShop. We have been developing this hilarious piece over the last year, and are delighted to be working with Trafalgar Theatre Productions to help this brand new piece of theatre find its legs, and then pop those legs in some large heels.”

Trafalgar Theatre Productions, produces new and classic plays and musicals in London and internationally including the Lincoln Center Theater’s award-winning The King and I at the London Palladium and now worldwide, The Rocky Horror Show worldwide, Peter Nichols’ A Day in the Death of Joe Egg starring Toby Stephens, co-productions of the National Theatre’s A Taste of Honey, Nine Night and the Australia and Asia tour of War Horse, Joshua Harmon’s Admissions starring Alex Kingston, the Bush Theatre’s Misty, new British musical Tom Morris’ The Grinning Man and Apologia starring Stockard Channing at Trafalgar Studios.

The capacity at the Garrick Theatre has been reduced to comply with COVID-19 Secure guidelines for social distancing with robust risk mitigation in place. In addition to hand sanitation, face coverings and track and trace, other measures will include contactless tickets, temperature testing and the deep clean and sanitation of the theatre.

Listings Information

Garrick Theatre

Previews: From 4 December 2020

Website: www.deathdropplay.com

Ticket prices: From £15

Twitter: @deathdropplay

Instagram: @deathdropplay

Facebook: Facebook.com/deathdropplay

Northampton Filmhouse to reopen from Friday 11 December

Following the end of the second national lockdown, Northampton Filmhouse, the two-screen cinema adjacent to Royal & Derngate, is reopening on Friday 11 December, offering some festive cheer with a line-up of classic Christmas films alongside brand new releases such as The Prom, starring Nicole Kidman and Meryl Streep

Cinema-goers will be able to return to the much-loved venue for the first time since March, with some extra measures in place to ensure everything is COVID-safe for audiences and staff. Measures include a limited capacity to allow socially-distanced seating, specified arrival times and a one-way system through the building. All tickets must be booked in advance and audience members will be required to wear masks except when eating or drinking. In line with Tier 2 regulations, customers can only be seated with people from their own household or support bubble.

Highlights of the season include the star-studded, spectacular film adaptation of hit Broadway musical The Prom, with a cast featuring Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman and James Corden, and the best of new independent releases such as Riz Ahmed’s raw and powerful Mogul Mowgli and award-winning documentary The Painter and The Thief. For family audiences, there will also be a chance to see the spellbinding and empowering animation Wolfwalkers.

Northampton Filmhouse’s programme of event cinema continues to prove popular, with additional screenings being added for NT Live production War Horse, the Royal Opera House’s festive ballet The Nutcracker, and soprano Katherine Jenkins’ Christmas Spectacular concert.

Christmas classics include perennial favourites It’s a Wonderful Life, Home Alone, Die Hard, Elf and The Muppet Christmas Carol.

More screenings continue to be added to the schedule so for more details and the most up to date information customers can visit the website, www.northamptonfilmhouse.com

Chief Executive Jo Gordon commented: “We’re delighted to be reopening the Filmhouse in time for Christmas. Our teams are working so hard to get everything in place to open our doors for a safe return to our cinema screens. We have received wonderful messages of support from customers while we’ve been unable to open and we can’t wait to welcome them back and provide a bit of festive cheer.”

For most screenings, tickets are priced at £10.50 with concessions available for over 60s, under 14s, students, receivers of Universal credit and disabled patrons. Prices for event cinema screenings are £15.50, with concessions available. From Monday to Thursday, tickets for 16 to 25 year olds are just £5.50 for standard screenings. Tickets must be booked in advance and will be sent as e-tickets. Bookings can be made online at www.northamptonfilmhouse.com. The Box Office phone line, 01604 624811, is operating reduced hours, and can be called from Tuesday to Friday, from 10am to 2pm

Some of the Filmhouse’s regular strands have been paused for now, including Silver Screen, Parent and Baby, and Relaxed, but these specialist screenings will be returning in the future

Northampton Filmhouse At Home, which was launched during the recent lockdown with sponsorship support from CityFibre, will also continue to offer a selection of films that people can stream on their own devices.