Category: Uncategorized

The Grand Opera House, York – until 4 January 2020

Reviewed by Sara Garner

4****

One of the classic brothers Grimm tales, which has changed/evolved over time. Disney introduced the idea of the dwarfs and other changes to the tale. Chris Morenos version sees variations in elements of the story. The wicked Queen is Snow Whites auntie who is jealous of her youth and beauty. She plots to kill Snow White using her Lord Chancellor and soldiers but is thwarted by an array of characters all of whom are friends of Snow White and love her dearly in comfortably traditional pantomime.

Yes it was cliche but it was reassuringly so, with all the expected characters coming out of storage for the pantomime season. With the usual share of straight characters, funny characters and daft characters.

The first half meandered along at a bit of worryingly plodding pace with some of the humour falling a bit flat. Yes we were introduced to the main characters and there was the usual flurry of borderline gags. However despite some great characters, including Martin Daniels as Muddles and Steve Wickenden as Nurse Brexit, something did not sit right with the first half. Whether it was the odd fluffed line or the occasionally unbelievable characterisation, such as the apparently evil Queen who was just not nasty enough. Also at first I found the seven dwarfs just a bit too creepy to be likable and the voice overs used for them was like a badly synced martial arts movie.

The second half however was a revaluation, a tour de force of panto campness and silliness. Here the characters truly blossomed and the interaction with the audience was perfectly pantoesque. Even the adult groups around us sang and danced along when they could and the laughometer was working overtime with the endless bad gags and funny interactions.

Louise Henry in her professional debut as Snow White was excellent, if not a bit quiet at times. However her singing was stunning. As was Johnny Muirs as Prince Rudolph.

However as with all pantomimes it is the funny characters that carry the show. I’ve already mentioned the super Martin Daniels as Muddles and Steve Wickendens as Nurse Brexit. Ben Fry as the town crier was also very funny in only his second pantomime role and Mark Littles Lord Chancellor, once he settled into the role was very good. Despite my earlier reservation Vicki Michelle carried her role as the Wicken Queen really well.

Special mention of the dances and the youngsters in the cast who were flawless in their performances.

The way to judge a pantomime is how you feel when you leave the theatre. Well I felt thoroughly entertained and cheered up enough to feel quite festive, not my usual ‘Bah humbug’.

ADAM BLANSHAY PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS
LUCIE JONES
LIVE AT THE ADELPHI
SUNDAY 16 FEBRUARY 2020, 7PM

Musical theatre sensation Lucie Jones, star of hit musical Waitress, performs her first West End solo concert at the historic Adelphi Theatre on Sunday 16 February 2020 at 7pm. Accompanied by the 22-piece London Musical Theatre Orchestra, Lucie Jones Live at the Adelphi will be a celebration of all that Lucie has achieved to date across her multi-platform career.

Tickets for Lucie Jones Live at the Adelphi will go on sale at 10am on Wednesday 18 December via https://lwtheatres.co.uk/whats-on/lucie-jones-live-at-the-adelphi/

Lucie first came to prominence when she melted audiences’ hearts singing to millions on The X Factor in 2009. She represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017, where she placed 15th, the UK’s highest result since 2011.

She is now firmly at home on the stage, and over the last few years has played Elle in Legally Blonde, Holly in The Wedding Singer, Maureen in Rent, Molly in Ghost and Cosette in Les Misérables, before landing the much coveted lead role of Jenna in Waitress, which she currently plays 8 times a week at the Adelphi Theatre.

Lucie Jones Live at the Adelphi will be packed with old classics and modern hits, and Lucie will share stories from her remarkable career.

As Lucie’s time ‘at the diner’ draws to a close next summer, this is the perfect moment to celebrate all that she has done in a venue she now calls home.

Lucie Jones Live at the Adelphi is produced by Adam Blanshay Productions, and sponsored by Alpha Club.

STRICTLY WINNER TOM CHAMBERS

AND NOT GOING OUT STAR SALLY BRETTON

LEAD THE CAST IN 2020 UK TOUR OF THRILLER CLASSIC

DIRECTED BY ANTHONY BANKS

Can you ever get away with the perfect crime?

A brand new production of the classic thriller, Dial M for Murder, tours the UK in 2020 opening at Richmond Theatre on Monday 13^th January 2020. The genre-defining thriller –  based on Frederick Knott’s stage and screen play, made world-famous by Hitchcock’s iconic 1954 film – will be directed by Anthony Banks.

TV and stage favourite, Tom Chambers, (Top Hat, Strictly Come Dancing) stars as the charismatic and manipulative Tony Wendice, a jaded ex-tennis pro who has given it all up for his wife Margot, played by Sally Bretton * (Not Going Out, Death In Paradise, The Office). When he discovers she has been unfaithful his mind turns to revenge and the pursuit of the ‘perfect crime’. Christopher Harper (Coronation Street, Strangers on a Train) performs in the dual roles of Captain Lesgate and Inspector Hubbard and Michael Salami (Hollyoaks) as Max Halliday, Margot’s lover.

Tom Chambers plays Tony Wendice. Tom’s theatre creditsinclude: Crazy For You (UK tour); Private Lives (UK tour); White Christmas (Dominion); Top Hat (Aldwych); White Christmas (Sunderland Empire); The Rover (Young Vic Studio); Journey’s End (Courtyard Theatre); Bloody Poetry (Brockley Jack Theatre); Pendragon (City Theatre Broadway NYMT and Sadler’s Wells); October’s Children (NYMT and Hammersmith Lyric); Cyrano De Bergerac and Macbeth (Derby Rep Theatre); Damn Yankees (Yvonne Arnaud Theatre); The Innocents (Derby Playhouse) and Stepping Out (Electric GSA).Film includes: Fakers and Great in Britain: the Movie. Television includes: Midsomer Murders, Emmerdale, Casualty, Father Brown, The Great Train Robbery, Waterloo Road and Holby City. Radio includes: Mellow Magic every Saturday 10am-1pm.

Sally Bretton appears as Margot Wendice. Sally’s theatre credits include: An Ideal Husband (Classic Spring Company); King Lear, The Front Line and In Extremis (Shakespeare’s Globe); A Conversation (Manchester Royal Exchange); All My Sons (Library Theatre, Manchester); Present Laughter (Theatre Royal Bath and UK tour) and Hay Fever (Oxford Stage Company). Sally was nominated for Best Actress – Manchester Evening News Theatre Awards 2002 for her role in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at The Library Theatre, Manchester. Film includes: Outlaw, So Long Charlie Bright and Peaches. Television includes: Not Going Out, Death in Paradise, The Office, Green Wing, Absolute Power, Thanks for the Memories, Casualty, Lewis, How Not to Live Your Life, Hotel Babylon, Vincent, Open Wide, Blessed, Blackbeard, If…we eradicate violent crime, Wild West, Blue Murder, Happy Together, Dr Terrible’s House of Horrible, Beast, Armstrong and Miller and The People’s Harry Enfield.

Christopher Harper performs as Captian Lesgate and Inspector Hubbard. Christopher’stheatre credits include: Strangers on a Train (UK tour); Much Ado About Nothing (Shakespeare’s’ Globe); Slipping (Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough); The Wind in the Willows, Man of the Moment and Private Fears in Public Places (Royal & Derngate); I Know How I Feel About Eve (Hampstead Downstairs); The Night Before Christmas (Different Breed); The Village Bike (Sheffield Crucible Studio); A Kid Like Jake (Old Vic New Voices); OurCountry’s Good and Journey’s End (Original Theatre Company); Persuasion, After Miss Julie and People at Sea (Salisbury Playhouse); Saturn Returns (Finborough Theatre); Light Shining in Buckinghamshire and Lie of the Land (Arcola). Television includes: Holby City, Endeavour, Coronation Street, The Suspicions of Mr Whicher,Doctors, Upstairs Downstairs, The Bill, Heartbeat, The Roman Mysteries, Housewife 49,Life on Mars and Rosemary and Thyme. Chris also produced and voiced the award-winning charity animation The Mouse.

Michael Salami is Max Halliday. Michael Salami is a multi-award-winning actor. Born in America and raised in London, Salami discovered his passion for acting in 2007. Salami made his first on stage appearance at Oval Theatre in 2010 and has since then performed at The Old Vic, Soho Theatre, Lyric Hammersmith, Southwark Playhouse and Theatre503. Salami studied at Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York graduating in 2016 and since then has appeared in Hollyoaks; Catastrophe; The Temple and Magic Hour. His leading role in Just A Couple has landed him a number of nominations and awards such as a Screen Nation Award for Best Actor. Just A Couple is now in full development with Channel 4.

Anthony Banks directs Frederick Knott’s Dial M For Murder, adding to credits that recently include Gaslightand Strangers on a Train. His production of the hit thriller, Girl on a Train, continues to tour the UK. The creative team is completed by David Woodhead, Designer; Katy Osborne, Resident Director; Lizzie Powell, Lighting Designer; Ben & Max Ringham, Sound Design; Betty Marini, Wigs Supervisor; Siobhan Boyd, Costume Supervisor, Luke Child as Production Manager and Alison de Burgh as Fight Director.

Dial M For Murder is produced by Simon Friend and Gavin Kalin. 

Controversial literary classic Lady
Chatterley’s Lover adapted for UK tour
UK Tour: February – April 2020

A Tilted Wig and Churchill Theatre, Bromley production

TV regular Rupert Hill (Casualty, BBC; Coronation Street, ITV) will star alongside Phoebe Marshall (Witness for the Prosecution, London County Hall) in a sensual new stage adaptation of D.H. Lawrence’s controversial masterpiece, Lady Chatterley’s Lover, directed by Ciaran McConville (The Snow Queen, The Creature [Frankenstein Retold], Rose Theatre Kingston) as part of a UK tour.

Considered sensationalist erotica when first published and banned worldwide, Lawrence’s text caused outrage not just because of the explicit language, but also because it bridged social and class divides. This impassioned tale of female agency and the desire to live more than a half-life changed the literary landscape of Britain.

Sixty years after the scandalous trial of the unexpurgated publication, this beautiful new production reflects the monumental changes in attitude towards female sexuality. It is also an exploration of the scars of war and the dangers of toxic masculinity. Above all, Lady Chatterley is a passionate and optimistic love story.

Trapped in a sexless marriage following her husband’s disability, Connie is burdened with her female duty of care and an increasing sense of isolation. She instigates a physically charged love affair with the gamekeeper, Mellors, flouting expectations and obligations in the name of selflove.

Ciaran comments, It’s a privilege to bring this book to the stage. I’ve loved Lawrence’s writing since I was a teenager, but revisiting Lady Chatterley, I’m struck by how modern so much of it feels. It’s a comment on the fragility of masculinity and the need for an honest approach to our physical life. And it’s beautiful, too. I’m really excited to be working with Tilted Wig, whose values and ethos make for wonderful tours

DARREN DAY TO STAR

ALONGSIDE TRACIE BENNETT & HARRIET THORPE

IN FIRST UK PROFESSIONAL REVIVAL OF

MAME

IN NORTHAMPTON & SALISBURY

Katy Lipson for Aria Entertainment, Hope Mill Theatre and Ray Rackham Theatrical are delighted to announce that Darren Day will star as Beauregard, alongside Tracie Bennett in the title role and Harriet Thorpe as Vera, in the critically acclaimed first professional UK revival of Jerry Herman’s much loved musical MAME.  The production opened at Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester earlier this year to rave reviews, and will play Royal & Derngate, Northampton from 7 to 11 January 2020 and Salisbury Playhouse from 21 to 25 January 2020.

MAME recently received 7 WhatsOnStage Award nominations including Best Regional Production, Best Musical Revival and Best Actress in a Musical.

Darren Day was well known in the 90s for presenting several popular children’s TV shows, and since then has been a regular presenter on mainstream television, notably, as the host of You Bet!. He was in the very first series of I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! in 2012 and was a finalist in the 2016 series of Celebrity Big Brother. As an actor, some of Darren’s television roles include Danny Houston in Hollyoaks (Channel 4) and Stella alongside Ruth Jones (Sky One). Darren’s first starring theatre role was as Joseph in Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the London Palladium and on tour internationally. Some of his other leading theatre credits include Don in Summer Holiday, Tony in Copacabana and Danny in Grease (all West End).On tour, he has played the title role in Alfie, Billy Bigelow in Carousel, Pip in Great Expectations, Jesus in Godspell, FranknFurter in The Rocky Horror Show, Cornelius Hackle in Hello Dolly and Khashoggi in We Will Rock You.

Also in the cast are Chase Brown as Older Patrick, Grace Chapman as Gloria Upson, Lauren Chia as Pegeen Ryan, Soo Drouet as Mother Burnside/Madame Branislowski, Mark Faith as Mr Upson/Uncle Jeff, Jessie May as Agnes Gooch, Hugh Osborne as Dwight Babcock, Lewis Rae as M Lindsay Woolsey, Pippa Winslow as Mrs Upson/Sally Cato, Benjamin Wong as Ito and Liam Wrate as Junior Babcock. Harry Cross, Isaac Lancel-Watkinson and Lochlan White will alternate the role of Young Patrick. Completing the cast are Jabari Braham, Aston Newman Hannington and India Thornton.

MAME, a classic 1960s musical, with book by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee and music and lyrics by Jerry Herman, has not been seen in the UK since the original West End production in 1969 starring Ginger Rogers. Set in New York City and spanning the Great Depression and World War II, the musical focuses on eccentric bohemian Mame Dennis.

The madcap life of Mame Dennis and her intellectual, arty clique is disrupted when her deceased brother’s 10 year-old son Patrick is entrusted to her care. Rather than bow to convention, Mame introduces the boy to her free-wheeling lifestyle, instilling in him her favourite credo, “Life is a banquet, and most poor sons-of-bitches are starving to death.” Mame loses her fortune in the Wall Street Crash of 1929 and tries her hand at a number of jobs with comically disastrous results, but perseveres with good humour and an irrepressible sense of style, before marrying the Southern aristocrat and plantation owner, Beauregard Jackson Pickett Burnside. 

MAME is directed and choreographed by Nick Winston, assisted by Ben Stock, with musical direction by Alex Parker, set design by Philip Witcomb, lighting design by Tim Mitchell, sound design by Ben Harrison, orchestrations by Jason Carr, casting by Jane Deitch, children’s casting by Emily and LJ Keston and wigs by Richard Mawbey.

MAME is presented by arrangement with Tams Witmark and is produced by Katy Lipson for Aria Entertainment, Hope Mill Theatre and Ray Rackham Theatrical with associate producers Evan Sacks and Adam Mackie.

hopemilltheatre.co.uk

www.facebook.com/HopeMillTheatre

@hopemilltheatr1 / @HopeAria2019

www.instagram.com/hopemilltheatre

LISTINGS INFORMATION

7 – 11 January 2020                   Royal & Derngate, Northampton                         01604 624 811

                                                   www.royalandderngate.co.uk                              

 21 – 25 January 2020                Salisbury Playhouse                                           01722 320 333

                                                    www.wiltshirecreative.co.uk                               

THE REUNION WE’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!

THE PARODY MUSICAL INSPIRED BY THE ICONIC TV SHOW FRIENDS

ONCE “ON A BREAK” NOW RETURNS FOR AN EXTENSIVE 2020 UK TOUR

The 2019 Edinburgh Festival smash-hit, Friendsical, returns to the stage in 2020 on an extensive UK tour, opening at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley on 20 February.

This original and unique parody musical inspired by the gang in Friends, the iconic TV show, premiered at the 2019 Edinburgh Festival Fringe as part of Assembly Festival’s programme, before going on tour. The show opened to a rapturous response from audiences, becoming one of Assembly’s top 10 best-selling shows of the festival.

With updates to the script and further developments to the design, Friendsical returns bigger and funnier than ever before. 

When Ross’ wife leaves him for another woman, he fears he will never find love again. But then Rachel runs back into his life… will he end up with his one true love?

Featuring original songs such as ‘(He’s her) Lobster!’, ‘Richard’s Moustache’ and ‘You’re Over Me, When Were You Under Me?’.

The gang take on naked Thursdays, a power cut, and a dinosaur convention! What could possibly go wrong?

Following Bromley, Friendsical continues its 2020 nationwide tour visiting: Poole,Peterborough, Barnstaple,Cardiff, Guildford, Huddersfield, Leicester, Oldham, Bradford, Coventry, Dartford, Sheffield and Aberdeen. Further dates will be announced in due course.

Both Thomas Mitchells (Chandler) and Ally Retberg (Phoebe) will reprise their acclaimed roles in the hilarious show, and will be joined by a new set of friends for the 2020 tour. The new cast consists of Ewan Gillies (Ross), Alexandra Robinson (Rachel) Tanya Shields (Monica) and Joshua Steel (Joey). They will be joined by Calum Gulvin (Ensemble) and Stephanie MacGaraidh (Ensemble).

Friendsical is written and directed by Miranda Larson,with designs by Anthony Lamble, sound by Olly Steel, lighting by Dom Jeffery, musical composition by Barrie Bignold, choreography by Darren Carnall, associate choreography by Michael Vinsen, casting by Anne Vosser and is produced by Birdbrooke Entertainment ltd.

This is a loving parody not to be confused with the Warner Bros Entertainment Inc. series Friends.

Theatr Clwyd,

Mold, Flintshire, North Wales CH7 1YA

Theatr Clwyd’s Jack and the Beanstalk the Rock ‘n’ Roll Pantomime is to be screened live to six hospitals and care homes across North Wales.

Oh yes they can! People in hospital and care homes in North Wales over the Christmas period will be able to watch Theatr Clwyd’s Jack and the Beanstalk the Rock ‘n’ Roll Pantomime live from their beds.

The production will be live screened for free for 500 patients across six hospitals in North Wales on Tue 17 December at 2pm. Hospitals where participants can watch Jack and the Beanstalk live are – Wepre House, Llys Jasmin, The Neuro Therapy Centre Saltney, Ruthin Hospital, Denbigh Hospital and in Glan Clwyd Hospital’s EQ Seminar Room, Surgical Assessment Room and A&E. DVDs of the performance will also be given to Hydref Residential Home, Haf Nursing Home, Gwanwyn Care Home, Stansty House, Holywell Hospital and Deeside Hospital.

The live screenings are organised by Hester Evans of Theatr Clwyd’s Creative Engagement Team. Today Hester said “It is wonderful to be part of this initiative and be able to transport the magic of pantomime to adults and children too unwell to visit Theatr Clwyd during the festive period. The live screening is especially filmed so patients can see close-up shots of the actors as well as the whole stage, and the actors will be able to do ‘shout outs’ to those watching from their hospital beds. We can’t wait to help make special memories for those who might otherwise be missing out”.

The pantomime live screening forms part of Theatr Clwyd’s award-winning programme of arts, health and wellbeing projects which make a seismic difference to vulnerable people in the community. Work in 2019 in partnership with Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board has included Arts From The Armchair, for people with memory loss and Singing For Lung Health improving the wellbeing, health and breathing of those living with lung conditions. In June, Theatr Clwyd launched the Atgof Memory Arts Café for those living with dementia, their families and friends.

Jack and the Beanstalk the Rock ‘n’ Roll Panto is at Theatr Clwyd until Sat 18 January. Tickets are available from the Theatre Clwyd Box Office on 01352 344101 or at www.theatrclwyd.com

Jack Studio Theatre – until 4 January 2020

Reviewed by Claire Roderick

4****

The Christmas offering at The Jack is always a treat, and this year’s production of The Invisible Man is a silly but classy delight.

A mysterious stranger swathed in bandages turns up in the sleepy village of Iping and immediately raises the suspicions of the locals. Griffin’s experiments have led to his becoming invisible, and he soon takes advantage of his situation to exact revenge on the society that have always made him feel ignored and belittled. HG Wells’ classic has been adapted with great wit by Derek Webb, ramping up the comedy and keeping exposition to the minimum. Wells’ more serious themes of freedom, anonymity and immorality are still here, but the daft and deft theatrical tricks that surround them keep the production light-hearted.

With a cast of three playing 15 parts, there are a lot of quick changes, but each character becomes easily recognisable thanks to Martin Robinson’s costume design and the actors’ skill under Kate Bannister’s expert direction. The set and sound design (Karl Swinyard and Philip Matejtschuk) add to the magic, with Griffin’s disembodied voice sneering from all around the theatre, and a signpost that takes a starring role among the other prop gags.

The cast are tremendous, with Shaun Chambers hissably deranged as Griffin and hilarious as the three dim-witted policemen on his trail; Matthew Parker is a joy as landlady Mrs Hall, the gossiping Rev Bunting and a bizarre mariner who would be at home in an old Will Hay film and Scott Oswald throws himself around the stage as Griffin’s unwilling sidekick Marvel most convincingly as he is assaulted by the invisible man. They work together brilliantly, and the energy never drops in this fast-paced production. Witty, irreverent and charming, this Invisible Man is a must see.

The Turbine Theatre, London – until 11 January 2020

Reviewed by Donna Easton

3***

I was delighted to see The Turbine transformed into the unmistakable world of Dr Zuess. The colour palette of the set is one that is instantly recognisable and we are in no doubt where we are so I was feeling excited to see the much loved Cat in the Hat brought to life and so was my little daughter. 

I should say at the outset that my daughter (aged 4) loved the show. She gave it 5 stars but I on the other hand didn’t quite feel it. The story was clear, there were indeed some clever moments, great use of props, the odd little modernisation and some clever ad-libs but I felt it was lacking energy and somehow muted. The Cat in the Hat has to be one of the biggest characters in literary history but I felt Jonathan Ray’s performance seemed to be played down rather than heightened. I think this could have been down to the minimal script as he was clearly adept with the (seemingly off the cuff) one liners to the audience and the physical characterisation. 

Grace Kelly Miller’s Sally and Fish hit the right tone for me but I’m afraid the rest of the cast especially Thing 1 and Thing 2’s performances were a little too slapstick and relied on tongues poking out and raspberry blowing for the humour. It seemed a little obvious ‘naughty = blowing raspberries’ but again, I wonder if this was down to the minimal vocabulary? 

Now, ask my daughter and you would get a very different review, 5 stars! She loved it. She thought the Cat in the Hat was hilarious, loved Thing 1 and Thing 2, thought the fish was great and adored the bit when loads of beach balls flew into the audience. 

I get that I am not their target demographic but as a mum, I was filled with joy watching my daughter’s happy little face enthralled with the action. As a Sunday afternoon family trip, it was fun and hey, it’s the review of a 4 year old that matters here anyway, right? 

LAMBERT JACKSON PRODUCTIONS ANNOUNCE SEARCH FOR YOUNG PERFORMERS TO STAR IN

THE SECRET GARDEN

Lambert Jackson Productions today announce a search to find talented young people to star as Mary Lennox and Colin Craven in their concert performances of The Secret Garden, alongside Lucie Jones, Ramin Karimloo,and Jac Yarrow. The performances will take place at The London Palladium, on Saturday 4 April, 3pm and 7.30pm.

Frances Hodgson Burnett’s beloved Victorian classic novel, The Secret Garden, blossoms anew in this enchanting musical by Pulitzer Prize-winner Marsha Norman and Lucy Simon.

Jamie Lambert and Eliza Jackson today said “It is very important to us that we create opportunities for new, emerging talent in this industry. We have had huge success with these competitions for our past shows and we can’t wait to see what talented young people we find this time!”

All applicants must enter via video and must be available for rehearsals and performances in London, Monday 30^th March to Saturday 4^th April 2020. This is a paid opportunity.

The Secret Garden                                                                                                                            Listings

The London Palladium

Argyll Street, London, W1F 7TF

Box Office: 020 7087 7755

https://lwtheatres.co.uk/theatres/the-london-palladium/

Tickets from £26.50

Twitter: @secretgardenLDN

Instagram: @secretgardenLDN

On sale dates:
Wednesday 11^th December: Priority Lloyd Webber Theatre sign ups
Thursday 12^th December: Ticketmaster
Friday 13^th December: General