Author: FairyPoweredProductions

A New Adventure is About to Happen…

Winnie the Pooh The Musical comes home to the UK in Spring 2023!

UK premiere of Disney’s WINNIE THE POOH

Created and directed by Jonathan Rockefeller

Featuring music by The Sherman Brothers

with additional songs by A.A. Milne

Disney’s Winnie the Pooh will be coming to the UK for the first time in Spring 2023. The UK premiere will be presented by Rockefeller Productions, in partnership with ROYO, and in association with Disney Theatrical Productions. Theatre, dates and casting are to be announced.

Audiences can sign up at winniethepoohshow.co.uk to be the first to hear more!

Deep in the Hundred Acre Wood, a new adventure is about to happen.  A.A. Milne’s beloved characters, Winnie the Pooh, Christopher Robin and their best friends Piglet, Eeyore, Kanga, Roo, Rabbit and Owl (and Tigger too!), will all arrive on stage in a beautifully-crafted musical stage adaptation.

In a new story from the Hundred Acre Wood, this fresh stage adaptation is told with impressive life-size puppetry, exciting new stories and featuring characters that have played iconic roles in the lives of children for generations. Accompanying the modern narrative is an original score by Nate Edmondson, featuring some of the Grammy award-winning songs written by the Sherman Brothers for the original animated features, including Winnie the Pooh, The Blustery Day, The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers and Whoop-De-Dooper Bounce, plus A.A. Milne’s The More It Snows (featuring music by Carly Simon) and Sing Ho in a new arrangement.

Winnie the Pooh: The New Musical Adaptation is developed and presented by renowned family entertainment creator Jonathan Rockefeller (whose spectacular puppetry is omnipresent in the acclaimed productions of The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show and Paddington Gets in a Jam).

“The music, the life-size puppets, and the charming performances are the perfect way to introduce (or re-introduce) audiences to live theatre, and this is a must-see show for Winnie the Pooh fans of all ages. I am thrilled to be entrusted to bring this celebrated character to the stage for new audiences as they join our adventure into the Hundred Acre Wood,” said Jonathan Rockefeller, creator of Winnie the Pooh: The New Musical Adaptation.

Inspired by the beloved books by A. A. Milne and the classic Disney featurettes, the production was welcomed in New York in 2021, where it broke theatre box office records for the largest advance, with rave reviews where it was called “Enchanting!” (Time Out); “Winnie the Pooh: The New Musical Stage Adaptation is magical, sweet as honey, and full of humor. It’s a wholesome, delightful, enchanting piece of theatre,” (BroadwayWorld); “A perfect reintroduction to live theater. It’s a captivating adventure with spectacular puppetry,” (Mommy Poppins); “Charming and whimsical stage show that Pooh surpasses every expectation I had for it,” (The Laughing Place); “Winnie the Pooh is delightfully first-rate,” (Theatre Pizzazz); “Irresistible. ‘Winnie the Pooh’ is sweeter than honey,” (DC Metro Arts); “An hour of bountiful joy,” (New York Theatre Guide); “Mesmerizing and lifestyle puppets and original Sherman Brothers tunes, the beautiful new Winnie the Pooh musical is must-see,” (Theatrely); “The wonderful thing about musicals is that musicals are wonderful things. The New ‘Winnie the Pooh’ Musical Is Sweeter than Honey,” (Toy Insider).

Website: winniethepoohshow.com

Facebook: @WinnieThePoohShow

Twitter: @WinnieThePooh

Instagram: @WinnieThePoohShow

Full company announced for
LOCAL HERO at Chichester Festival Theatre

Book by David Greig, Music and Lyrics by Mark Knopfler

Based on the Bill Forsyth film

Directed by Daniel Evans

Minerva Theatre, Chichester
8 October – 19 November

The full cast has been announced for LOCAL HERO, running at Chichester’s Minerva Theatre from 8 October – 19 November. Based on the Bill Forsyth film, with book by David Greig and music and lyrics by Mark Knopfler (formerly of Dire Straits), it will be directed by Chichester Artistic Director Daniel Evans, whose production of South Pacific is currently playing at Sadler’s Wells before embarking on a UK & Ireland tour.

The Tony Award-winning American actor Gabriel Ebert will make his UK stage debut as Mac, with Lillie Flynn (as Stella), Paul Higgins (as Gordon), Hilton McRae (as Ben), Jay Villiers (as Happer), and Rodney Earl Clarke, Ali Craig, Julie Cullen, Liz Ewing, Murray Fraser, Craig Hunter, Rachael Kendall Brown, Joshua Manning, Jackie Morrison and Betty Valencia.

Daniel Evans said: ‘I came to Local Hero innocently; the film having passed me by in my childhood. However, the minute I read David Greig’s warm, witty book and heard Mark Knopfler’s seductive folk score, I fell hook, line and sinker. I then watched Bill Forsyth’s extraordinary film and appreciated its resonance immediately. It’s a story for our time where communities and corporations collide. It asks us to readdress how we look at the world by interrogating what we value.’

It’s 1983 and hotshot Texan oil executive Mac MacIntyre is dispatched to the tiny Scottish fishing village of Ferness with $30million in his pocket. The bay may have views to die for but it’s the only place that can take the tankers from an offshore oil field, so it’s up to Mac to seal a deal on the locals’ homes and put a refinery in their place.

The villagers aren’t averse to cashing in on the black gold and Gordon, the local hotelier-lawyer-accountant-ceilidh organiser, proves a surprisingly tough negotiator.

But they’ve all overlooked one very important person. And as the northern lights dance in the skies, Mac comes to realise that not everything of value is for sale.

The book by David Greig (Artistic Director of Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum Theatre), based on Bill Forsyth’s iconic film,features new songs by the legendary Mark Knopfler. This new musical version of Local Hero will win devotees from admirers of the beloved film as well as those coming fresh to this funny and enchanting story.

Gabriel Ebert (Mac)’s many Broadway and off-Broadway roles include Mr Wormwood in Matilda The Musical, for which he won the 2013 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical; The Misanthrope, Pass Over (Lucille Lortel Award), 4000 Miles (Obie Award), Thérèse Raquin and the title role in Peer Gynt. His screen work includes Dickinson, News of the World, Mr Mercedes and The Mandalorian.

Lillie Flynn (Stella) previously appeared at Chichester in Love Story; her many other musical credits include Sunny Afternoon and Wicked in the West End.

Paul Higgins (Gordon)’s extensive TV work includes The Ipcress Files, Line of Duty, The Thick of It and Utopia; his stage credits include the National Theatre of Scotland’s Caledonia and Black Watch, and Children of the Sun and The White Guard at the National Theatre.

Hilton McRae (Ben) returns to Chichester where he last appeared in My One and Only which transferred to London; his innumerable West End theatre credits also include End of the Rainbow (for which he was nominated for an Olivier Award), 1984, Mamma Mia!, Miss Saigon, and Timon of Athens at the National Theatre.

Jay Villiers (Happer)’s previous Chichester credits include Quiz (also in the West End), Arcadia, The Admirable Crichton and Mansfield Park; his screen work includes Outlander and Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool.

Daniel Evans’s previous Chichester productions include South Pacific, Quiz, Fiddler on the Roof and this season’s Our Generation.

Local Hero will be designed by Frankie Bradshaw, with lighting design by Paule Constable with Ryan Day, sound design by Paul Arditti, musical direction by Richard John, movement direction by Sasha Milavic Davies and video design by Ash J Woodward. The music producer is Guy Fletcher;with orchestrations and arrangements by Dave Milligan, casting by Charlotte Sutton CDG and US casting by Jim Carnahan.

The sponsors are itd Consultants and Genesis Town Planning.

Edinburgh Fringe Festival

The Space on the Mile (Space 3), Venue 39 – until 27 August 2022

4****

It’s the kind of fact that history skims over on the way to bigger things: Queen Anne had 17 pregnancies but all her children died. Nia Williams explores this searing story in her beautiful  short musical/opera Mrs Pack.

The real Mrs Pack was a wet nurse, who breastfed the only one of all those babies to survive into childhood. Pack was celebrated at the time for saving the heir to the throne (he died aged 11). We only know about her now because of a memoir written by a manservant, but for a while she was at the heart of court intrigue. The story is told from the servants’ point of view. The cast of four handles multiple parts and carries the story along, sometimes talking, sometimes singing Williams’s lovely interweaving harmonies.

 It’s short – 50 minutes. The set is minimal – some poignant little bundles of cloth and a washing line.

Rhiannon Williams is glorious as larger-than-life Mrs Pack and others; Olivia Baker performs with quieter intensity as her rival Atty; Isabella Jeffrey (excellent as the young prince) and Chris Johnson turn on a sixpence to cover all the other parts, and they all manage to make us laugh at the same time as telling a heartrending tale. Despite the subject matter this isn’t a glum show; it’s bright and lively but very moving, with a  sense of empathy for all the people caught up in this tangled web. This is a Three  Chairs and a Hat production, directed by Katie Blackwell.

James L. Nederlander, Jamie Wilson, Hunter Arnold, Crossroads Live, Playful Productions and the English National Opera
present
the Lincoln Center Theater production of

LERNER & LOEWE’S
MY FAIR LADY
Book and Lyrics by ALAN JAY LERNER
Music by FREDERICK LOEWE
Directed by BARTLETT SHER

www.myfairladymusical.co.uk
@MyFairLadyUK

• ALL STAR, AWARD-WINNING CAST TO LEAD UK AND IRELAND TOUR OF MY FAIR LADY
   
• FOLLOWING A CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED RUN AT THE LONDON COLISEUM BARTLETT SHER’S SUMPTUOUS PRODUCTION HITS THE ROAD THIS AUTUMN
   
• LED BY EASTENDERS ADAM WOODYATT AND OPERA SUPERSTAR LESLEY GARRETT, THE CAST INCLUDES MICHAEL D. XAVIER, CHARLOTTE KENNEDY, HEATHER JACKSON, JOHN MIDDLETON AND TOM LIGGINS

Today casting has been announced for the UK and Ireland tour of Bartlett Sher’s critically acclaimedand multi award-winning production of Lerner & Loewe’s much loved MY FAIR LADY. 

“A Rolls Royce of a revival”

Evening Standard

“A joyous musical” 

Daily Mail

“A reminder of why we go to West End shows”

Sunday Times

Award-winning West End and Broadway star and two-time Olivier Award nominee Michael D. Xavier will play Henry Higgins. Most recently Michael starred on screen with recurring roles in Grantchester (ITV), Outlander (Amazon), Gentleman Jack (BBC) and in The Blacklist (NBC). Michael spent an incredibly successful year on Broadway in 2017, reprising his role as Joe Gillis opposite Glenn Close in Sunset Boulevard and in Hal Prince’s hit show Prince Of Broadway. Michael was nominated for two Olivier Awards in 2011; ‘Best Supporting Performance in a Musical’ (Wolf/Cinderella’s Prince – Into The Woods at The Open Air Theatre) and ‘Best Actor in a Musical’ (Oliver – Love Story at The Duchess Theatre & Chichester Festival Theatre).

Charlotte Kennedy will star as Eliza Doolittle. Charlotte made her professional debut in Les Miserables in the West End and most recently played the role of Cosette.

Best known for playing Ian Beale in EastEnders, Adam Woodyatt will play Alfred P. Doolittle. Ian has played the character of Ian Beale since the programme started in 1985 appearing in over 3460 episodes. Before joining EastEnders as a 16 year old, Adam had enjoyed a successful start to his career in the theatre with roles in Oliver! (Albery Theatre now Noel Coward), On the Razzle (National Theatre) before playing Shiner in the Baker Street Boys (BBC) and Dave Firkettle in Witches and the Grinnygog (TVS).

Heather Jackson will reprise her role as Mrs Higgins which she is currently playing at the London Coliseum. Star of multiple roles all over the UK and Europe, Heather played the part of Madame Giry in the West End production of ‘The Phantom of The Opera’ for a total of nine years, leaving the show in 2009.

John Middleton will play Colonel Pickering. John is best known for his part in ITV’s Emmerdale as Ashley Thomas, a role which he remained in from 1996 to 2017. After this he starred in a highly successful theatre tour of Strangers on a Train where he appeared as the American detective Arthur Gerard, alongside Christopher Harper, Jack Ashton and Hannah Tointon.

Opera superstar Lesley Garrett will play Mrs Pearce. Lesley is Britain’s best-known soprano, regularly appearing in opera, musical theatre, concert, on television and CD. For more than 30 years she has enjoyed one of the most successful and idiosyncratic careers of any modern-day, classically trained soprano, winning both critical acclaim and the affection of many fans and music lovers through the breadth and diversity of her work. Internationally Lesley has performed throughout Europe, the USA, Australia, Russia, Brazil, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan and South Korea.

Tom Liggins made his professional debut in the West End run of My Fair Lady at the London Coliseum. On tour he will play the role of Freddy Eynsford-Hill

They will be joined by Dammi Aregbeshola, Bernadette Bangura, Joseph Claus, Jordan Crouch, Jamie Cruttenden, Francessca Daniella-Baker, Barry Drummond,  Bethany Huckle, Emma Johnson, Sinead Kenny, Jenny Legg, Rebekah Lowings, Carl Patrick, Tom Ping, Dominique Planter, Joseph Poulton, John Stacey, Joshua Steel, Oliver Tester, Adam Vaughan, Annie Wensak and Paul Westwood as the ensemble. Further casting will be announced in due course.

My Fair Lady will open in Bradford (22 September – 2 October) before going on to visit Dublin (6 – 30 October), Cardiff (8 – 26 November), Edinburgh (14 December – 7 January), Southampton (12 – 29 January), Birmingham (7 – 26 March), and Canterbury (20 June – 1 July) with more cities to be announced. All tickets are on sale now. Some casting may be subject to change in some venues.

Directed by Bartlett Sher, this sublime production, which premiered in the spring of 2018 at Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater, was the winner of the Tony Award for Best Costume Design,  5 Outer Critics’ Circle Awards including Best Musical Revival, the Drama League Award for Outstanding Musical Revival, and the Drama Desk Awards for Best Musical Revival and Costume Design.

Bartlett Sher’s spectacularly well-dressed production

The Times

My Fair Lady tells the story of Eliza Doolittle, a young Cockney flower seller, and Henry Higgins, a linguistics professor who is determined to transform her into his idea of a “proper lady”. But who is really being transformed?

With a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe, MY FAIR LADYboasts a score including the classic songs “I Could Have Danced All Night,” “Get Me to the Church on Time,” “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly,” “On the Street Where You Live,” “The Rain in Spain,” and “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face.” 

“Thrilling! Glorious and better than it ever was! A marvellous and transformative revival.”
New York Times

Adapted from George Bernard Shaw’s play and Gabriel Pascal’s motion picture Pygmalion, Lerner & Loewe’s MY FAIR LADY premiered on Broadway in March 1956, winning 6 Tony Awards including Best Musical, and becoming the longest-running musical in Broadway history at the time. Following this success, the production transferred to London in 1958, where it played in the West End for five and a half years. 

MY FAIR LADY has seen many notable revivals and adaptations, including the acclaimed 1964 film starring Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison, which won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Most recently on the London stage, Cameron Mackintosh’s 2001 revival at Theatre Royal Drury Lane won three Olivier Awards, and later toured across the UK and Ireland in 2005.

James L. Nederlander, Jamie Wilson, Hunter Arnold, Playful Productions and the English National Opera present the Lincoln Center Theater production ofLerner & Loewe’s MY FAIR LADY. Book and Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, Music by Frederick Loewe, sets by Michael Yeargan, costumes by Catherine Zuber, lighting by Donald Holder, sound by Marc Salzberg, hair & wigs by Tom Watson, UK music supervision by Gareth Valentine, UK musical direction by Alex Parker, musical supervision by Ted Sperling, choreography by Christopher Gattelli, directed by Bartlett Sher.

MUSICAL THEATRE RAVE: THE AFTER PARTY

RETURNS TO HEAVEN NIGHTCLUB ON SUNDAY 4 DECEMBER

After a roaringly successful launch last weekend, Musical Theatre Rave: The After Party is back by popular demand at the iconic Heaven nightclub under Charing Cross.

The After Party: Act 2, returns on Sunday 4 December from 9pm Sunday evening running through to 3am the following morning. Returning to host the evening will be Oscar Conlon-Morrey, who is currently starring in the West End production of Only Fools and Horses.

The first part of the evening features fan-favourite musical hits performed by West End stars, after which the DJ takes charge, blaring musical theatre classics until 3am. With cosplay highly encouraged, special guests making cameos and musical themed cocktails and mocktails – it’s the stagiest rave in town! Previous guests have included Olivia Moore, Vicki Manser and the cast of Heathers the Musical.

Event producer and West End Marketer, Willy says, “The first event was a magical moment for everyone involved! It exceeded our expectations and it was truly a pleasure to see the community so happy. We can’t wait to do it all over again.”

Heaven representative, Jack Downs says ‘‘After the success of the first Musical Theatre Rave at Heaven, we can’t wait to have booked in the second After Party, grab your tickets now.”

Early bird tickets are available from £7.50, with later tickets available from £12.50 and can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-afterparty-act-2-musical-theatre-rave-tickets-406511897027

Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre

New season of dance at Leeds’ 

The Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre in Leeds has announced a new season of dance opening in October 2022. The season will include performances by returning dance companies James Wilton Dance and Ballet Cymru, alongside a new collaboration between the United Strings of Europe and Gandini Juggling and the return of Northern Ballet’s hugely popular children’s production, Ugly Duckling. 

To kick off the season, James Wilton Dance returns to Leeds with a new production, LORE on 11 October 2022. Inspired by a folklore journey into a pagan world of gods, demons and humans, the show is embodied through the otherworldly athleticism of James Wilton’s dancers. The energy-filled evening explores our connection to nature, showing how we are made from the soil that we walk on and the air that we breathe. With a specially composed soundtrack by Michal Wojtas, influenced by Viking, Celtic and Slavic folk music, LORE is like listening to the tales our ancestors told while sat in a clearing in the woods, and hearing the ancient stories that bind humanity together. 

Families can look forward to the return of Northern Ballet’s hugely popular, Ugly Duckling between 24 – 27 October. Retelling the famous Hans Christian Andersen fairytale, Ugly Duckling is lonely and fed-up, ignored by those around her who think she is too ugly to fit in. Follow the duckling on her journey as she overcomes her troubles and realises that she was beautiful all along. This short ballet is the perfect opportunity for your little ones to enjoy live ballet, music and theatre for the first time this October half-term.  

In a special collaboration between United Strings of Europe and the Gandini Juggling, Stravinsky’s ballet, Apollo and His Muses is restaged as Apollo Resurrected on 3 November. Exploring the essential role art has to play in a world recovering from tragedy and isolation, the new narrative, by theatrical director Bill Barclay, re-casts Apollo as an artist recovering from personal tragedy who must learn how to fall in love with life, and art, again. Alongside Stravinsky’s sumptuous score for Apollon Musagete, the hour-long show includes music by Osvaldo Golijov and a new commission from British composer Joanna Marsh. This performance is presented in collaboration with Leeds International Concert Season. 

Ballet Cymru returns to Leeds for two nights on 11 – 12 November with a vibrant, fresh, and innovative new full-length ballet based on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. DREAM is a sparkling re-interpretation in ballet, creating a magical world of fairies, lovers, and bewitching enchantment for those watching. Featuring Ballet Cymru’s groundbreaking dancers, stunning video projection, and innovative choreography from Artistic Directors Darius James OBE and Amy Doughty, the show is accompanied by music from award-winning instrumentalist and composer Frank Moon.  

The Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre’s Autumn season is a great opportunity to see high quality dance at great value, performed in a local intimate setting. Tickets can be booked online at theatreleeds.com, by calling the Box Office on 0113 220 8008 or in person at the Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre, Northern Ballet, Quarry Hill, Leeds LS2 7PA.  

Finalists revealed in search for the UK’s Most Welcoming Theatre ahead of

UK Theatre Awards 2022

Dundee Rep and Scottish Dance Theatre, Leeds Playhouse and New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich have been unveiled as the shortlisted venues for this year’s UK’s Most Welcoming Theatre Award at the UK Theatre Awards, which returns on Sunday 23 October for the first time since 2019.

The venues have been judged by an industry panel on how welcoming they are in the areas of ‘place’, ‘people’ and ‘programme’ – everything from their building design, the array of refreshments on offer and how audiences are greeted upon arrival, to the work programmed, outreach projects and other interactions with theatregoers, staff, freelancers and the local community.

Having scoured the whole of the country and selected the three finalists from a large number of online submissions, the panel will now visit the venues in person to determine the overall winner. Visits might involve meeting staff, having a tour of the building, taking part in a scheduled activity, speaking to audience members or visiting the onsite café or restaurant.

The winner of the UK’s Most Welcoming Theatre 2022 will be announced at the UK Theatre Awards on Sunday 23 October at London’s Guildhall. The last ceremony took place before the pandemic in 2019, with Storyhouse in Cheshire crowned that year’s Most Welcoming Theatre.

Jon Gilchrist and Stephanie Sirr, Co-Presidents of UK Theatre, said:

‘The UK’s Most Welcoming Theatre Award is a fantastic platform for celebrating the UK theatres which provide an inspiring, accessible and inclusive creative hub for everyone who crosses their threshold. This year’s finalists are three very different venues from different parts of the country, but what they have in common is a mission to take high quality work beyond their walls and out into their local communities, as well as making their physical spaces as outward-looking and easily navigable as possible. We know the panel are looking forward to visiting the finalists next month, and to crowning the overall winner in October.’

For 30 years, the UK Theatre Awards have been the only nationwide awards to celebrate the outstanding achievements of theatre across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Further details of this year’s UK Theatre Awards will be announced in due course.

About the UKs Most Welcoming Theatre finalists:

Dundee Rep and Scottish Dance Theatre recently celebrated its 80^th year at the cultural heart of Dundee, as home to the Dundee Rep Ensemble – the only permanent full-time company of its kind in Scotland – and Scottish Dance Theatre, one of the few full-time dance companies in the UK. Together, these twin ensembles have created many award-winning national and international productions, establishing a reputation as one of the UK’s leaders in theatre and dance production. At the heart of the organisations’ vision is the belief that world-class artistic and creative experience should be open to all. An extensive engagement programme works with people of all ages within the building, across Scotland and internationally.

Leeds Playhouse opened in 1970 as a new repertory theatre for Yorkshire, originally housed in a temporary Portacabin. With a mission to seek out, support, develop and produce vital theatre at all scales – from a debut play by a local writer to a large-scale musical for international touring – it often takes work out into the local community and beyond. In recent years, the Playhouse has undergone an extensive £16m redevelopment to make it more accessible to everyone, reopening in 2019 with an entrance that embraces the city and a new space, the Bramall Rock Void Studio, enabling the Playhouse to create work across three scales, generate more income and reduce its environmental impact.

New Wolsey Theatre, based in Ipswich since opening in 1979, aims to create work that is welcoming, inclusive and open to all sections of the community, contributes to the cultural life of the surrounding area, and offers opportunities to young people and under-represented groups to develop their theatre and performance skills. Central to the organisation’s ethos is high quality collaborative work – both in-house and touring – with maximum diversity and accessibility. The New Wolsey Theatre is a founder member of Ramps on the Moon, a consortium championing D/deaf and disabled people in on and off-stage roles.

@UK_Theatre               #UKTawards

TuckShop & Trafalgar Theatre Productions present

DEATH DROP IS BACK IN THE WEST END!!!

WITH A NEW KILLER DRAG MURDER MYSTERY

NUN OF YOU EXPECTED…

GARRICK THEATRE 8 – 20 NOVEMBER

PRIOR TO 2022/2023 UK TOUR

PRIORITY SALE – WEDNESDAY 24 AUGUST

FROM NIMAXTHEATRES.COM

GENERAL SALE – THURSDAY 25 AUGUST

FROM DEATHDROPPLAY.COM

BASED ON AN ORIGINAL IDEA BY CHRISTOPHER D. CLEGG

WRITTEN BY ROB EVANS

DIRECTED BY JESSE JONES

The smash-hit sold-out killer comedy Death Drop is back and will return to the West End this autumn with a brand-new production: Death Drop: Back In The Habit. Opening at the Garrick Theatre for a limited run from 8 – 20 November, this residency follows three sold-out West End runs and a smash hit UK tour. Tickets are on priority sale from NimaxTheatres.com on Wednesday 24 August, and general sale from DeathDropPlay.com on Thursday 25 August.

From the producers who brought Courtney Act, Monet X Change, Willam, Jujubee and Latrice Royale to theatres across the country, Death Drop: Back In The Habit promises to be another “killer show…that absolutely slays“. The new play is written by Rob Evans and directed once again by Jesse Jones. Casting will be announced soon.

This run at the Garrick Theatre is part a five month UK tour for Death Drop: Back In The Habit, which opens at Bromley’s Churchill Theatre on 27 October. This laugh a minute show will then sashay into Dartford, Wycombe, Cardiff, Crewe, Brighton, Blackpool, Sheffield, Leicester, Aberdeen, Nottingham, Glasgow, Manchester and Birmingham.

TuckShop Creative Director and Producer Christopher D. Clegg said: “We cannot wait to return to the Garrick Theatre with an all new Death Drop this Autumn. Audiences have truly fallen in love with TuckShop’s special mix of theatre and drag, and to bring our brand of Murder-Mystery ridiculousness back to the West End with an all new twist, is so exciting.”

Death Drop Back In The Habit sees a gaggle of fabulous Nuns trapped in their Convent with a serial slayer slashing their way through the Sisters. As the clues are unearthed by Sis Marple, you’ll be laughing in the pews as the hilarious, fierce, all-drag killer comedy comes to its thrilling and uproarious conclusion.

Death Drop: Back In The Habit – UK Tour 2022/23

27 – 30 October Bromley: Churchill Theatre

1 – 5 November Dartford: Orchard Theatre

8 – 20 November London: Garrick Theatre

22 – 26 November High Wycombe: Swan Theatre

29 November – 3 December Cardiff: New Theatre

6 – 10 December Crewe: Lyceum Theatre

13 December – 24 December Brighton: Theatre Royal

3 – 7 January Blackpool: Grand Theatre

10 – 14 January Sheffield: Lyceum Theatre

17 – 21 January Leicester: Curve Theatre

23 – 28 January Aberdeen: Her Majesty’s

14 – 19 February Nottingham: Theatre Royal

23 – 25 February Glasgow: King’s Theatre

9 – 12 March Manchester: Opera House

13 – 18 March Birmingham: The Alexandra

West End Listings Information

Garrick Theatre

First Performance: 8 November 2022

Final performance: 20 November 2022

Performances: Tuesday – Thursday at 8pm, Friday & Saturday at 5pm & 8.30pm and Sunday at 4pm

Tickets from £19.50

Website: www.deathdropplay.com

Twitter: @deathdropplay

Instagram: @deathdropplay

Facebook: Facebook.com/deathdropplay

Grandad Anansi is a new co-production from Z-arts and Half Moon Theatre, the team behind Dust, winner of a 2022 Off West End Theatre award.

It is written by emerging writer 52-year-old Elayne Ogbeta, who is mum to Commonwealth bronze medal winner Naomi Metzger and Swansea City defender Nathanael Ogbeta.

Grandad Anansi

A Half Moon and Z-arts co-production for ages 4-9

Touring throughout October 2022 to celebrate Black History Month

Touring from 29 September 2022, with its premiere at Z-arts in Manchester, is a brand new children’s show for Black History Month. Grandad Anansi is a playful celebration of the love between generations and the joy of storytelling. Written for children aged 4-9, it shines a light on Jamaican culture and the Windrush generation.

Abi and her beloved Grandad tell each other stories as they enjoy half term together on his allotment. They play games and sing songs as they work among the beautiful flowers and tasty vegetables.

As they plant seeds – and memories -they share secrets and develop a bond that nothing can break.

Ten-year-old Abi thinks Grandad is as smart and mischievous as wily Anansi; part human, part spider and the subject of many West African and Caribbean folk stories. She gives him the nickname Grandad Anansi.

But as they romp amongst the rhubarb, okra and cauliflowers, Abi suspects crafty Grandad is hiding something from her.

Can Grandad find a way to tell Abi about his plans to return to his Jamaican homeland?

Grandad Anansi is the latest co-production from Half Moon and Z-arts, the team behind Dust, winner of a 2022 Off West End Theatre Award. It is an uplifting tale of love, courage and letting go.

Featuring live music, singing and dancing, it is touring throughout October 2022 for Black History Month.

Grandad Anansi is a contemporary re-telling of traditional folktales, which has particular resonance after the Windrush scandal and conversations brought about by the Black Lives Matters debate. The 40-minute show makes use of a mix of English and Jamaican Patois.

Grandad is played by stage and TV actor Marcus Hercules (Coronation Street, Brookside, Holby City, Casualty, Shameless) who shares his character’s Jamaican heritage. Whilst Jazmine Wilkinson takes on the role of his preteen grandchild Abi. Grandad Anansi is directed by Chris Yarnell (The Outbound Project, Haste Theatre Company) and musical director is Tayo Akinbode, who has created work for The National Theatre, The Royal Shakespeare Company and New York Public Theater.

Grandad Anansi is the first piece of children’s theatre by Elayne Ogbeta, a Greater Manchester writer of Jamaican heritage. Elayne, a former ESOL tutor, lives in Salford with her high-achieving family. Daughter Naomi Metzger is triple jump 10 times British champion and Commonwealth bronze medallist and son Nathanael Ogbeta was signed by Manchester City aged 10 and is currently a defender for Swansea City.

The character of ‘Grandad’ is partly based on Elayne’s own father, 89-year-old Ashley Malcolm, who moved from Jamaica to settle in Preston in the 1960s as part of the Windrush generation.

Elayne Ogbeta said: “I grew up listening to lots of wonderful stories about the roguish spider Anansi told by my dad. He is still a great storyteller to this day and has continued to delight all nine of his grandchildren with gripping versions of the classic Jamaican tales.

“Grandad Anansi takes these oral stories, which have been passed down through generations, and places them on the stage, in front of new audiences. The stories are framed within a wider, universal narrative about intergenerational love, growing up, growing older and the meaning of home.”

Liz O’Neill, principle producer, Z-arts, said: “Grandad Anansi is a story that will resonate with everyone who prizes their family ties.

“It is a show full of fun, laughter, silliness, music and movement, whilst still managing to touch on more serious issues, including the hopes and dreams of the Windrush generation and their families.

“Grandad Anansi is a must watch for children aged 4-9 and their parents and carers this Black History Month.”

Writer: Elayne Ogbeta

Grandad: Marcus Hercules

Abi: Jazmine Wilkinson

Director: Chris Yarnell

Producer (Z-arts): Liz O’Neill

Producer (Half Moon): Chris Elwell
Musical director: Tayo Akinbode

Grandad Anansi tour dates 2022

30 Sep – 1 Oct – Z-Arts, Manchester M15 5ZA
4 Oct – Montgomery Theatre, Sheffield S1 2LG
7-8 Oct – Half Moon Theatre, London E1 0ND
9 Oct – Hat Factory, Luton LU1 2EH
11 Oct – The Met, Bury BL9 0BW
12 Oct – Oldham Library, OL1 1AL (presented by Oldham Library Service)
13 Oct – Eccleston Library, St Helens WA10 5PJ (presented by Wonderarts and St Helens Library Service)
14 -15 Oct – Chester Lane Library, St Helens WA9 4DE (presented by Wonderarts and St Helens Library Service)
16 Oct – Astley Cheetham Gallery, Stalybridge SK15 2BN (presented by Tameside Libraries)
17 Oct – Worksop Library, Nottinghamshire S80 2BP & Mansfield Central Library, Nottinghamshire NG18 1NH (presented by Spark as part of Libraries across Nottinghamshire with Inspire: Culture, Learning, Libraries)
18 Oct – The Grand, Clitheroe BB7 2DL
19 Oct – Sutton in Ashfield Library, Nottinghamshire NG17 1BP (presented by Spark as part of Libraries across Nottinghamshire with Inspire: Culture, Learning, Libraries)
20 & 22 Oct – Theatre Hullabaloo, Darlington DL1 1SG
23 Oct – Beeston Library, Nottinghamshire NG17 1AE & West Bridgford Library, Nottinghamshire NG2 6AT (presented by Spark as part of Libraries across Nottinghamshire with Inspire: Culture, Learning, Libraries)
25 – 29 Oct – Lyric Hammersmith, London W6 0QL
30 Oct – Cambridge Junction, CB1 7GX

Malvern Theatre – until August 25th 2022

Reviewed by Kathie Hodges

5*****

The wonderful children’s book The Tiger Who Came To Tea by Judith Kerr, has been cleverly adapted to the stage by director David Wood, and this week it arrived at Malvern Theatre.

The Olivier Award nominated show comes direct from the West End was surely bound to be a hit.

As with any family show, expect a lot of excitement and audience participation.
The show is given the age recommendation of three plus, and it’s safe to say my seven year old was possibly a little old for it but it didn’t stop her joining in with the singing and dancing which is greatly encouraged, and also being a little anxious of the Tigers arrival.

No anxiety is needed though for no sooner has the doorbell rang, and the Tiger makes an appearance on stage, the audience are reassured that the Tiger is in fact extremely friendly and not scary at all just extremely thirsty and very hungry.

Gobbling up the entire contents of little Sophie’s larder and fridge, leaving no supper for Daddy.

The set is simple and eye catching for children, set in Sophie’s kitchen.
The children thoroughly enjoyed the tricks and watched in amazement as the food magically disappeared from the shelves.

The show is fifty five minutes long, with no intervals which is perfect timing for little ones, and all in all a wonderful show which holds the attention of the small viewer throughout.
Full to the brim with singing, dancing, a little ‘he’s behind you’ and a lot of magic.
It’s a wonderful hour spent.