First ever UK tour of La Cage Aux Folles stars John Partridge, Adrian Zmed and Marti Webb

At The Lowry Tue 13 – Sat 17 June

Bill Kenwright presents the highly anticipated first ever UK tour of the Tony and Olivier award winning La Cage Aux Folles, at The Lowry from Tuesday 13 until Sat 17 June.

John Partridge will play the iconic role of ‘Albin’, who moonlights as star drag act Zaza at the infamous La Cage aux Folles nightclub. Partridge’s extensive theatre credits include the West End productions of A Chorus Line at the London Palladium, Cats, Starlight Express and Chicago. He is also well known for playing the loveable Christian Clarke in BBC’s EastEnders and as a judge on TV’s Over The Rainbow.

Adrian Zmed will play ‘Georges’, partner of Albin and owner of the nightclub. Zmed co-starred with William Shatner as ‘Officer Vince Romano’ in the 80’s hit TV show T.J. Hooker, which ran for 90 episodes over 5 years, and for playing ‘Johnny Nogerelli’ in the cult classic film Grease 2. Adrian then went on to star alongside big screen legend Tom Hanks in comedy Bachelor Party. This will be his first stage appearance in the UK although he is no stranger to Broadway musicals having previously led the casts of Grease, no fewer than 3 times, Falsettos and Blood Brothers.

One of the West End’s most revered leading ladies’, TV star and recording artist Marti Webb will play ‘Jacqueline’, friend to ‘Albin’ and ‘Georges’, and owner of the restaurant ‘Chez Jacqueline’. Webb has played leading roles in numerous West End and touring musicals including Evita, Godspell, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Blood Brothers, Oliver, Oklahoma, 42^nd Street, and Half-a-Sixpence. She received huge critical acclaim for her unforgettable performance in Tell Me on a Sunday, which was written specifically for her by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black. She has recorded nine solo albums and had many hit singles, including Always There, the theme from the hit BBC series ‘Howard’s Way’ and the smash hit Take That Look off Your Face.

Dougie Carter will appear alongside them as ‘Jean-Michele’, Samson Ajewole as ‘Jacob’, Su Douglas as ‘Marie/Madame Renaud’, Alexandra Robinson as ‘Anne’, Paul F Monaghan as ‘Dindon / Renaud’, and Jon De Ville as ‘Francis’. Joining them on stage as Les Cagelles will beJordan Livesey, Matthew Ives, Louie-George Daniels, Liam Paul Jennings, Micah Holmes and Richard Leavey. Completing the cast areLuke Byrne, Jane Quinn, and Rachel Cumino.

Written by Harvey Fierstein and Jerry Herman, and based on the 1973 French play of the same name by Jean Poiret, La Cage Aux Folles follows the story of Georges, the manager of a Saint Tropez nightclub, and his partner, Albin, a drag artiste and the club’s star attraction. They live an idyllic existence in the south of France but behind the curtains of this sparkling extravaganza, all may be about to change when Georges’ son Jean-Michel announces his engagement to the daughter of a notorious right-wing politician determined to close down the local colourful night-life. Drama and hilarity ensue when a meeting of the parents forces them to cover up their vibrant lifestyle. Will Albin be able to play the role of his life to ensure that Jean-Michel can marry his love?

La Cage Aux Folles is a multi-award winning musical. The original Broadway production became an instant smash hit when it opened in 1983. It received nine nominations for Tony Awards and won six, including Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book. The success of the musical spawned a London Palladium production and several international runs. The 2004 Broadway revival won the Tony Award for Best Revival, and the 2008 London revival garnered the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival.

Setting out on its first ever UK tour, this brand new production is produced by Bill Kenwright, directed by Martin Connor, choreographed by Olivier Award Winning Bill Deamer, designed by Gary McCann, with Wigs and Make-up Design by Richard Mawbey, Lighting by Ben Cracknell and Sound by Dan Samson (the team responsible for the sumptuous current hit, The Sound of Music), and musical direction byMark Crossland. This lavishly funny tale of unconditional love and family values, will leave you feeling the need to celebrate that life’s not worth a damn ‘till you can say I am what I am.’

This show-stopping score includes The Best of Times, Song on the Sand and the iconic I Am What I Am, which has been recorded by musical legends Gloria Gaynor, Shirley Bassey and Tony Bennett.

SON OF A PREACHER MAN

 

THE FIRST EVER UK TOUR OF THE NEW MUSICAL SON OF A PREACHER MAN WILL COME TO GRAND OPERA HOUSE YORK FOR A ONE WEEK RUN FROM TUESDAY 3 TO SATURDAY 7 OCTOBER  

 

TICKETS ON GENERAL SALE NOW

Son of a Preacher Man, a heart-warming new musical featuring the soulful music of Dusty Springfield, with a book by Warner Brown and directed and choreographed by Craig Revel Horwood, embarks on a national tour starting at Bromley’s Churchill Theatre from Monday 4 September 2017.

Three broken hearts, one Soho hang-out, and the only man who could ever help them…

Welcome to the Preacher Man, the swinging 1960s Soho joint where the kids danced the night away to the latest crazes and dared to dream of love, while the legendary owner, The Preacher Man himself, dispensed advice to cure the loneliest of hearts.

Only, that was a long time ago and all that remains are the memories, the stories and the myths. Until now, that is, when three random strangers, generations apart but all in need of help with their hopeless love lives, are inexplicably drawn to the site of the original venue. The Preacher Man is long gone, but his son, with help from the wonderful Cappuccino Sisters, might just find it in himself to channel the spirit of The Preacher Man and once more give these three lovesick strangers the look of love.

Featuring the greatest hits of Dusty Springfield, including “The Look Of Love”, “I Only Want To Be With You”, “Spooky” and of course, the classic “Son Of A Preacher Man”, this sparklingly funny and sweetly touching new musical play by internationally renowned writer Warner Brown will have you laughing, crying and singing your heart out to some of the greatest songs ever written.

Directed and choreographed by Strictly Come Dancing’s Craig Revel Horwood, Son of a Preacher Man comes to Grand Opera House York for one week only. You only want to be with us!

Choreographer Craig Revel Horwood said:  

 

‘I am delighted to bring to life for the very first time this wonderful story created by Warner Brown, with soulful songs from the legendary Dusty Springfield’s iconic music catalogue. I hope that audiences in York will come to love this warm-hearted and uplifting new musical as much as I do.’

General Manager Lizzie Richards at Grand Opera House York, said:

‘Son of a Preacher Man’ will feature many of the greatest hits of Dusty Springfield, including “The Look Of Love”, “I Only Want To Be With You”, “Spooky” and the classic “Son Of A Preacher Man”

It will be the perfect way to start this October.’

Warner Brown works internationally and is well known for his work in musical theatre and straight plays, encompassing both traditional and avant-garde forms.

He wrote ‘the most popular family show of all time’, the arena production Walking With Dinosaurs, creating an entirely new genre of theatrical presentation and winning many international awards.  Currently playing in venues from Madison Square Garden to the Mercedes Benz Arena in Shanghai, an episode of CSI: Las Vegas has been based upon the show and it has even been parodied on The Simpsons.

Warner is currently working on multiple developing projects, including the Broadway musicals The Gold Room and The Thomas Crown Affair, both with composer Michael Feinstein; the opera Empty Spaces, with composer Joshua Schmidt, for Florentine Opera in the USA; the musical A Little Danger, with composer Michael Reed, for the St Petersburg Theatre in Russia; and the screenplay for the movie A Minute To Midnight for Bill Kenwright Films. He is part of the consortium, including choreographer Arlene Phillips and musical director Mike Dixon, for the new internet-based project Reality.

Writing credits include Half A Sixpence (UK Tour), The Biograph Girl (Phoenix Theatre), Cinderella (London Palladium), The Black and White Ball, which opened in London and for which The Cole Porter Trusts granted Warner stage rights to the songs of Cole Porter, Flickers (Broadway’s Circle-In-The Square Theater), The House on the Corner (Edinburgh International Festival) and, in addition, Tallulah For A Day and Sleep With Friends. Plays include Laughing Dove, Wavelength and The Prospero Suite, directed by John Doyle.

Warner has worked extensively in Europe, most recently writing the musical Garbo, with music by ‘Meatloaf’ rock legend Jim Steinman. He also has extensive writing credits for the BBC and was Script Associate of the BBC Classic Musicals Series, for which he adapted fourteen musicals featuring many international stars.  Warner was the subject of the BBC Two TV documentary The Making Of A Musical. Warner is co-sponsor of the international music prize The S&S Award, named in honour of his late parents.

Craig Revel Horwood is a well-known face on television in the UK and now internationally for his role as a judge on all fifteen series of BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing and for directing and appearing as a judge in the Live Tour.

Craig’s recent credits as director and choreographer include the current UK tour of Sister Act, the previous UK tours Brother Love Travelling Salvation Show and Chess; for television, How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? and Just the Two of Us; and for film, the feature film Paddington 2. In addition, he recently directed the all-star concert version of Stephen Sondheim’s Follies at the Royal Albert Hall. Other credits as a theatre director and choreographer are: West Side Story (Prince Edward), Miss Saigon (Drury Lane), Hey, Mr Producer! (Lyceum), Spend Spend Spend! (Piccadilly Theatre; Olivier nomination for Best Choreography), Pal Joey (Chichester Festival Theatre), Guys and Dolls (Sheffield Crucible), Paradise Moscow (Opera North), Carmen (Holland Park), My One and Only (Piccadilly Theatre; Olivier nomination for Best Choreography), Beautiful and Damned (Lyric Theatre), Arms and the Cow (Opera North), The Ballet Boyz: Yumbo Vs Nonino (Festival Hall, Sadler’s Wells, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden), The Hot Mikado (Watermill Theatre and UK Tour; Martin Guerre (Watermill Theatre), Sunset Boulevard (Watermill Theatre and Comedy Theatre, West End), Spend Spend Spend! (Watermill Theatre and UK Tour) and Copacabana (Watermill Theatre).

He recently returned to his roots as a performer in musical theatre, starring as Miss Hannigan in the UK national tour of Annie, and in Christmas 2016 as Captain Hook in Peter Pan at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley. Other performing credits include Captain Hook in Peter Pan at the Orchard, Dartford in 2014 and at the Swan, High Wycombe in 2015. Previously, Craig starred as the Wicked Queen in Snow White at Venue Cymru, Llandudno in 2009, The Hawth, Crawley in 2010 and The Orchard, Dartford 2011. He reprised his role at The Swan Theatre, High Wycombe in 2012 and the Cliffs Pavilion, Southend in 2013.

Amongst his numerous TV credits, highlights include winning the BBC Two series Maestro at the Opera, the final of which saw him conduct Act II of La Bohème at the Royal Opera House. He was also a grand finalist on the hit cooking show, Celebrity MasterChef and participated in and won Ready, Steady, Cook.

 

Book                                                                      Warner Brown

Director & Choreographer                           Craig Revel Horwood

Set & Costume Designer                              Morgan Large

Musical Supervisor & Arrangements      Paul Herbert

Lighting Designer                                            Richard G Jones

Sound Designer                                                Richard Brooker

Associate Director & Choreographer      David James Hulston

Casting Director                                               Anne Vosser

Son of a Preacher Man is produced by Brian Berg, John Sachs, Andrew Berg & Kimberley Sachs for

Eclipse Live, Michael Park for The Infinite Group, Paul Tyrer & Jamie Clark for TBO Productions,

Churchill Theatre Bromley and executive producers Andrew Green and Ben White, all on behalf of Dusty Touring Ltd.

 

 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT:

               

www.sonofapreachermanmusical.com/

PERFORMANCE DETAILS

Theatre: Grand Opera House York

Dates: Tuesday 3 – Saturday 7 October

Performance days/times: Evenings 7.30pm, Wed & Sat matinees 2.30pm

Ticket prices:  From £18.00

Booking details (Box Office/website): ATG box office 0844 871 3024  www.atgtickets.com/york

 

 

STOCKARD CHANNING

Tony and Emmy Award Winner

 

stars in

APOLOGIA

“Sharp, funny, wise and humane”
Sunday Telegraph

By ALEXI KAYE CAMPBELL

Olivier Award Winner

 

Directed by JAMIE LLOYD

 

Trafalgar Studios

29^th July – 18^th November 2017

Hollywood and Broadway icon Stockard Channing will return to the London stage this summer, to star in a new production of Olivier Award winner Alexi Kaye Campbell’s acclaimed drama Apologia, directed by the multi-award winning Jamie Lloyd.

Opening at the Trafalgar Studios on 29^th July, Apologia will see the Tony and Emmy Award winning actor performing in the West End for the first time in over a decade.  Channing’s hugely popular film and TV credits include starring roles in The West Wing, The Good Wife, her Oscar® and Golden Globe nominated role in Six Degrees of Separation, and the iconic role of Rizzo in the film Grease. An acclaimed Broadway and West End star, Channing’s most recent performances on Broadway, It’s Only a Play and Other Desert Cities (a “peerless” performance – NY Times, for which she was nominated for her seventh Tony Award), have affirmed her position as a true theatrical legend.

Channing says: “I’m excited to be returning to the West End – my first time both working with Jamie Lloyd and performing at the Trafalgar Studios. I was so drawn to this unforgettably bold and uncompromising character in such a rich, moving and witty play. I can’t wait for us to bring Apologia to life for the audiences.”

 

This production also marks the return to the Trafalgar Studios of Jamie Lloyd, following his critically acclaimed productions of The Ruling Class and Macbeth starring James McAvoy and his hit production with Martin Freeman of Richard III.

 

Alexi Kaye Campbell’s play is a compelling drama about the importance of family and the pressures commitment and principles exert on it.  Apologia follows his critical success with The Pride and his acclaimed plays Sunset at The Villa Thalia at the National Theatre and The Faith Machine at the Royal Court Theatre.

 

Stockard Channing plays Kristin Miller, a firebrand liberal matriarch of a dynamic family, who is presiding over her birthday celebrations. An eminent art historian, Kristin’s almost evangelical dedication to her career and her political activism has resulted in her sons – Peter, a merchant banker, and Simon, a writer – harbouring deeply rooted and barely suppressed resentments towards her. The fissures in her relationship with them are brought to the fore by the recent publication of her memoir.

As the evening progresses through barbed humour, Kristin’s family and friends, and ultimately Kristin herself, question their achievements and choices, and whether they were worth the sacrifices they made. In the increasingly fragmented political turmoil of today’s landscape these questions have never seemed more relevant, and will strike a chord with audiences.

The producers of Apologia are also delighted to continue Jamie Lloyd’s pioneering commitment to ensuring that tickets to the highest quality West End dramas remain affordable and accessible, particularly to younger audience members. As such two exciting new ticketing initiatives are announced for the production:

·         TODAYTIX £15 RUSH EXCLUSIVE: In partnership with TodayTix, a daily rush scheme will see the front row for every performance sold at £15, allowing people access the best seats. The theatre ticket app provides access to the best prices for theatre tickets booked same day or within 30 days. TodayTix have a great track record of running highly successful access programmes for high-profile productions, including No Man’s Land, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead and Kenneth Branagh’s ‘Plays At The Garrick’ season. 

 

Merritt Baer CEO of TodayTix, said: “We are delighted to work in partnership with Jamie Lloyd and Trafalgar Entertainment, as part of our ground-breaking efforts to ensure tickets to the most prestigious West End shows are accessible and affordable. This is part of our ongoing mission to connect the next generation of culture lovers to theatre. Jamie Lloyd’s previous productions have been consistently popular with our customers so we’re thrilled to work with him on Apologia, offering exclusive access to this amazing play.”

·         £25 UNDER 25 RATE: A general under 25s rate of £25 (redeemable for any standard-priced seat, subject to availability at time of booking) will also be available throughout the run forevery performance Monday – Thursday inclusive meaning that anybody under 25 will be able to see the show during the week at this special accessible rate. This rate will be available through ATG Tickets, the principal ticketing provider for Trafalgar Studios.

The producers are also committed to a number of other initiatives during the course of the run to ensure that tickets are accessible to a broad cross-section of theatre-goers as well as aiming to attract new audiences to the West End.

 

Further casting will be announced shortly.

Dates:                                   Saturday 29^th July – Saturday 18^th November
Press night:                        Thursday 3^rd August
Performances:                  Monday – Saturday at 7:30pm, Thursday and Saturday matinees at 2:30pm

Access Performances:  Wednesday 13^th September and Wednesday 4^th October
Box Office:                         www.atgtickets.com/trafalgarstudios / 0844 871 7632
Ticket Prices:                     From £15
Twitter:                               @ApologiaPlay  @TrafStudios

AWARD WINNING COMEDY HEADS TO NEWCASTLE THEATRE ROYAL

 

 

Well known faces from British comedy are set to take to the stage as the Olivier Award-winning Out of Order directed by playwright Ray Cooney heads to Newcastle Theatre Royal (Tue 23 – Sat 27 May ’17).

 

Arthur Bostrom, best known for his iconic role as ‘Officer Crabtree’ in classic sitcom ‘Allo ‘Allo  joins the cast as the ‘Hotel Manager’, alongside Shaun Williamson (EastEnders, Extras) as ‘George Pigden’; Sue Holderness (Only Fools & Horses, Green Green Grass) as ‘Mrs Willey’; Jeffrey Harmer (Diana Her True Story) as ‘Richard Willey’; Susie Amy (Footballers’ Wives) as ‘Jane Worthington’; James Holmes (Miranda) as the ‘Waiter’; Elizabeth Elvin as ‘Nurse Foster’; Jules Brown as ‘Ronnie Worthington’, and David Warwick as ‘The Body’. Completing the cast are Raphael Bar, Simon Murray, and Kate Sawyer.

When Tory Junior Minister Richard Willey tries to spend the evening with Jane, one of the Opposition’s secretaries, in the Westminster Hotel, things don’t exactly go according to plan – starting with the discovery of a body trapped in the hotel’s only unreliable sash window… Enlisting the help of his hapless private secretary George Pigden, Willey’s sticky situation goes from bad to worse, and with the arrival of Jane’s distraught young husband and with the addition of an unscrupulous waiter, Mrs Willey and Nurse Foster things really come to a head!

Ray Cooney’s credits include Run For Your Wife, Funny Money and Two Into One, Caught in the Netand It Runs in the Family. Out of Order was first produced regionally in 1980, under the original title ‘Whose Wife is it Anyway’, with Cooney playing ‘George Pigden’. The show was subsequently produced in the West End in 1990 starring Donald Sinden, Sandra Dickinson and Michael Williams, with Cooney directing.

Ray Cooney said, “Having directed my Olivier Award-Winning play in London and all over the world, and hearing all that wonderful raucous laughter from audiences, it has become one of my favourite plays. I’ve up-dated it to present day and, fortunately, the basic premise of a philandering MP is as likely today as it was when the play was originally written!”

Out of Order is produced by Tom O’Connell Productions, with design by Rebecca Brower, Lighting by Jack Weir, Sound by James Nicholson and casting by Marc Frankum CDG.

Out of Order appears at Newcastle Theatre Royal from Mon 22 – Sat 27 May’17. Tickets are available from £14.50 and can be purchased from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 08448 11 21 21 (calls cost 7ppm plus your phone company’s access charge) or book online at www.theatreroyal.co.uk.

The Bunker 15 May – 3 June.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

Adam Scott-Rowley’s one man show is bloody brilliant. Transferring to The Bunker after wowing audiences at the VAULT Festival, this feels perfect for an underground venue. Performing nude, with his body daubed with white paint, Scott-Rowley does at times resemble the weird cave creatures from The Descent or Gollum having a psychotic break when he brings to life characters that make the inhabitants of Royston Vasey look like they belong in Ballamory.

An aging porn star, one of her fans and his abused wife, a homeless Glaswegian woman desperate to see her children, a Spiritualist lecturer (scolding latecomers creepily in character), a West End producer and others all have satisfyingly strong narrative threads and emotional heft in the short running time.

The storylines cross with increasing pace and erratic rhythm keeping the audience on edge and ricocheting between laughter and nervous silence, with the lighting and sound design racking up the tension brilliantly. There are surreal, playful and moving moments interspersed between uncomfortable and brutal events, with Scott-Rowley transforming himself physically and vocally in an astounding performance.

The dark and grotesque humour isn’t for everyone, and there are some WTF moments that are deeply disconcerting. This is a show that leaves the audience shell shocked and euphoric – a rollercoaster theatrical experience that is not for the faint-hearted, but one that is unforgettable.

THE WORLD’S BIGGEST PANTOMIME PRESENTS

PETER PAN, AN ARENA SPECTACULAR

STARRING BRADLEY WALSH, MARTIN KEMP & MATT KNIGHT

AT THE SSE ARENA, WEMBLEY FOR FOUR PERFORMANCES ONLY ON FRIDAY 29 & SATURDAY 30 DECEMBER 2017

 

For the first time ever, The World’s Biggest Pantomime Ltd will play in London, presenting PETER PAN, a stunning new arena spectacular, at The SSE Arena, Wembley for four performances only, on Friday 29 and Saturday 30 December 2017.

Starring Bradley Walsh as Mr Smee, Martin Kemp as Captain Hook, and Matt Knight as Peter Pan, J.M. Barrie’s original story and characters will be brought to life by a cast of over 100 performers, including a thrilling team of BMX riders, stuntmen and trapeze artists, along with a 7m-long animatronic crocodile!  This amazing new show will be performed across three arena stages on a stunning movie-style Neverland set.  The Jolly Roger galleon will sail around the arena in front of a 10,000-gallon water wall.  Wherever someone is seated, they will be close to the action with a giant 60 feet-wide LED screen, computer graphic imagery and a live close-up TV-relay ensuring never a moment is missed.

Bradley Walsh’s acting credits include DS Ronnie Brooks in Law & Order: UK, Danny Baldwin in Coronation Street (won Best Actor at The Royal Television Society Awards) and Dave Dodds in the feature film Mike Bassett: England Manager.  As a presenter, his shows have included, most recently, ITV’s The Chase and Tonight at the London Palladium. In November 2016, he released his debut album, Chasing Dreams, which became the biggest-selling debut album by a British artist in 2016.

Bradley said, “I’m so excited to be appearing in PETER PAN.  It really is an extraordinary production, the like of which Wembley has never seen before!  It has a life-size galleon, a twenty-five-foot crocodile, plus a cast of over a hundred!  It’s a big, bold arena extravaganza and festive treat with something for everyone.”

Martin Kemp’s acting credits include Reggie Kray alongside his brother Gary as Ronnie Kray in the film The Krays, Steve Owen in EastEnders, Sam Phillips in the UK tour of Million Dollar Quartet and The Child Catcher in the UK tour of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.  He is also, of course, one quarter of the band Spandau Ballet, and his book, True – An Autobiography of Martin Kemp, spent several months in The Sunday Times best sellers list.  He also appeared as a judge on the BBC’s Let It Shine, alongside Dannii Minogue and Gary Barlow.

Martin said “What an amazing opportunity to be playing Captain Cook at Wembley Arena this Christmas!  I can’t wait to work with all these wonderfully talented actors, stuntmen and trapeze artists and I know the audience is going to be treated to a real visual feast.”

 

Matt Knight was in the band Iron Sun, who were semi-finalists in the BBC entertainment series Let It Shine.

Prior to London, PETER PAN An Arena Spectacular will appear at the Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham from 20 to 24 December 2017.

PETER PAN An Arena Spectacular is directed by Jon Conway, designed by Wellington Scenic, with lighting design by Jamie Corbidge and sound design by Dave Shepherd, and is presented by arrangement with Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity & Samuel French Ltd.

 

LISTINGS INFORMATION

The SSE Arena, Wembley

Arena Square

Engineers Way

HA9 0AA

Performances:  Friday 29 & Saturday 30 December at 3pm & 7pm

 

Ticket Prices:  £75, £52.50, £43.50 & £25, plus a ‘Family Offer’ of 4 tickets for £199 (and subsequent child tickets for £50 each)

 

Box Office:  0844 815 0815 or 0844 824 4824

 

Website:  www.worldsbiggestpanto.com

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/biggestpanto

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Biggest_Panto

DAVID BADDIEL RETURNS TO NEWCASTLE WITH HIT ONE-MAN SHOW

 

Following a sold out run at London’s Menier Chocolate Factory and two critically-acclaimed West End runs, David Baddiel is bringing his Olivier-nominated one-man show My Family: Not the Sitcom to Newcastle Theatre Royal for one night only on Sunday 11 March 2018.

 

Last seen at the Theatre Royal in December 2014 with his critically-acclaimed show Fame: Not The Musical, accomplished comedian, author, screenwriter and television presenter Baddiel is back with a show about memory, ageing, infidelity, dysfunctional relatives, moral policing on social media, golf, and gay cats!

 

Opening to a wealth of glowing reviews, the show has been described as ‘Baddiel launches himself into the Louis CK league of no-holds-barred comedy’ (The Metro), ‘This is a rare production that boasts side-splitting laughs and also moves people to tears’ (Evening Standard), ‘Universally joyful’ (Chortle) and ‘Compelling to watch both for its unvarnished truth and complicated affection’ (The Guardian).

 

Celebrities have been raving about the show too; Russell Brand tweeted ‘Go see Baddiel’s beautiful show. Sex, death, dementia, golf memorabilia, grammar nazis and actual nazis. I “loved” it’ while David Walliams posted ‘I was lucky enough to see Baddiel’s new comedy show… Hilarious & incredibly moving’.  Ross Noble said ‘if u can get a ticket do it such a great show. genuinely touching as well as funny’ while Bill Bailey tweeted ‘terrific show by Baddiel…deeply personal , hilarious and touching in equal measure. See it while you can’.

 

David Baddiel comes to Newcastle Theatre Royal for one night only on Sunday 11 March 2018 at 7.30pm. Tickets £29, no concessions or Friends Discount. Booking opens on Friday 19 May 2017 at 10am, become a Friend of the Theatre Royal and book now.  To find out about becoming a Friend visit theatreroyal.co.uk/support/become-a-friend. Tickets can be purchased from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 08448 11 21 21 (Calls cost 7ppm plus your phone company’s access charge) or book online from 19 May at www.theatreroyal.co.uk This show has a recommended age of 12+.

New Wimbledon Theatre, 16th- 20th May.  Reviewed By Jessica Brady

The Addams Family musical holds a very special place in my heart, it’s one of my favourite modern musicals and I know this show very well so I was excited that I got to an opportunity to review it at the New Wimbledon Theatre.

The plot of the show follows all the characters we know and love from the Addams family and focuses on the now grown up Wednesday [Played by Carrie Hope Fletcher] who has fallen in love with a boy from Ohio, Lucas Beineke [Played by Oliver Ormson] and they are secretly engaged. Wednesday goes to her father, Gomez [Played by Cameron Blakely] and reveals the secret just as the Beineke’s are due to visit the Addams clan for the first time that evening for dinner. Wednesday begs her father to keep it a secret from her mother, Morticia [Played by Samantha Womack] leaving Gomez conflicted on who to stay loyal to. Wednesday is afraid that Morticia will ruin the evening and jeopardise the relationship she has with Lucas, as well as scaring off his parents Mal [Played by Dale Rapley] and Alice [Played by Charlotte Page] who are ‘normal people’ unlike the Addams Family. Uncle Fester [Played by Les Dennis] enlists the help of the Addams Family ancestors to ensure the night runs smoothly but this evening will run far from that. Wednesday’s Brother Pugsley [Played by Grant McIntyre] is worried his sister will desert him and not torture him the way they she always has now that she is being pulled in a new direction of happiness and rainbows with her new love interest. Pugsley’s jealously leads him to take drastic action and seeks wisdom from his Grandma [Played by Valda Aviks] who tells him he needs to move on and find his own happiness in life. This isn’t the advise he was hoping to hear so he sneakily steals some of his Grandma’s Acrimonium- a powerful potion that makes anyone who drinks it reveal their dark side, in the hopes that Wednesday, at the traditional family dinner game of ‘Full Disclosure’, will tell her secrets and ruin the relationship with Lucas. As the Beineke’s enter the Addams Family Mansion and are greeted by the butler Lurch [Played by Dickon Gough] the night escalates into ciaos with the Addams trying to act ‘normal’ for the sake of the highly strung Mal and reserved Alice. The dinner ends in total disaster as Gomez is found out to have lied to Morticia about Wednesday and Lucas’s engagement and the Acrimonium being drank by Alice as a result of Pugsley putting it in the sacred challis, not to mention Uncle Fester’s declaration of love for the moon! This comedy of errors does end happily but you will have to see it to find out how!

The set and lighting design is one of the best I have seen in any production and brings the gothic tone the Addams Family needs perfectly, along with some subtle tricks to have a moving picture and ‘The thing’ popping up in certain scenes. I was really blown away by it and the costumes were incredible particularly with the ancestors who all had intricate personalised characters ranging from a ballerina, a tudor, a jester and many more.

The whole cast was brilliant but my personal favourites were the incredibly talented Carrie Hope Fletcher who’s work I have admired for many years. Her characterisation of Wednesday was full of the sadistic energy it needs and her voice is incredible, each of her numbers in the show are effortless and powerful! Womack and Blakely play the iconic Morticia and Gomez wonderfully and their chemistry is electric, especially in their tango number. Les Dennis as Uncle Fester is such a great casting as he plays the bizarre, creepy and kooky nature of Fester down to a T!

This show is such a treat and absolutely hilarious with some cracking one liners and a fabulous musical score to enhance it! I love all the numbers in this show but we all know what to expect when we hear the familiar theme tune. So go along and *CLICK CLICK* for yourself, I promise you, you will not be disappointed!

Waterloo East Theatre 12 May – 4 June.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

Ballroom doesn’t have the greatest score, or book, but for all its flaws, this 1978 musical still has some charm. In its European premiere, Gerald Armin’s direction manages to capture the faded and slightly tawdry atmosphere of a 1970s Bronx dancehall, but the Starlight Ballroom never quite sparkles as it should.

The plot follows widowed Bea Asher, who is sleepwalking through life after her husband’s death. Persuaded by friend Angie, Bea goes along to the Starlight Ballroom to meet new friends. Al Rossi sweeps her off her feet and their affair gives her a new lease of life, but he is not all he seems.

Jessica Martin is strong as Bea, managing to make you almost forget the ridiculous wig she’s saddled with for the second act; and really nails Fifty Percent. Olivia Maffett shows great comic chops as Bea’s disapproving sister-in-law and as a dippy ballroom regular. Natalie Moore-Williams as Angie gives a stand out performance, all gum chewing brassiness with a heart of gold beneath, with a fantastically over the top Cagney and Lacey style accent. Colette Kelly almost steals every scene as another neurotic dancer, and the entire cast are obviously having a ball, especially Danielle Morris and Adam Anderson – acing the cheesy cabaret singer moves and grins.

It is wonderful to see such a mature cast take the stage, but this leads to a wider range of dancing ability than usually seen. Nancy Kettle seems to have accepted what she has to work with and opted for simple routines that never threaten to take your breath away. The characterisation by the cast saves the day, with some gloriously ridiculous posing from the dancers. The Tango competition and the Hustle are fantastic laugh out loud moments, and you really can’t help being swept away on the charm and energy blasting from the cast.

Yes, it’s dated, fluffy and cheesy, and feels a little like the 50th anniversary reunion of the Dirty Dancing cast, but Ballroom is a lot of fun and has some great comic performances.