London Devised Theatre Intensive

October 15th – 27th 2017

Applications open May 15th 2017

The London Devised Theatre Intensive is a new two-week workshop for theatre makers to share and expand their practice of devising theatre. With masterclasses from guest artists including Bryony Kimmings, Kristine Landon-Smith (L’Ecole Philippe Gaulier; Tamasha Theatre), Tom Mansfield (Upstart Theatre), Nir Paldi (Theatre Ad Infinitum), and Lee Simpson (artistic director of Improbable), peer-to-peer practice exchange sessions, and creating performance, the Intensive aims to inspire theatre makers, raise the profile of devised theatre, and foster international connections.

The Intensive is created by Amy Clare Tasker Performance Lab (artistic director Amy Clare Tasker, executive director Susie Italiano), in partnership with Blue Panther Productions (executive producer Laura Lundy). With a diverse and cross-platform background, the creators want to use their experience of similar events in the US to bring the excitement, energy and enthusiasm of a 2 week intensive course in devising theatre to London.

They welcome applications from theatre makers in any discipline: directors, writers, performers, choreographers, composers, and designers. Each attending theatre maker will have the opportunity to share their favourite devising techniques, and add new ones to their creative toolbox. Over the course of two weeks, small groups will devise short pieces to be shared in an informal setting at the end of the programme.

The London Devised Theatre Intensive will run using Open Space Technology. A radical alternative to the traditional theatre model, Open Space creates an anti-hierarchical environment for rapid generation of ideas and shared ownership of the work. Amy Clare Tasker Performance Lab uses Open Space as a practical way to match their method to their values: equality, inclusivity, presence, surprise, and possibility.

The Intensive has only 18 places available and discount offers available to promote accessibility – please download an application form from http://www.devisedtheatre.com/.

 

WEST END BARES

RETURNS FOR 2017 ON

SUNDAY 29 OCTOBER

AT THE NOVELLO THEATRE

TICKETS ON SALE NOW

After last year’s two sold-out shows, WEST END BARES, theatre’s hottest annual fundraiser, is returning on Sunday 29 October 2017 to The Novello Theatre at 7pm and 9.30pm in aid of the Make A Difference Trust.

Tickets are now on sale with an Early Bird offer of 20% off the top three ticket prices available for one week only, until Sunday 21 May.

This year’s theme and celebrity guests will be announced in the summer. Previous celebrity supporters have included Eddie Izzard, Dame Judi Dench, Michelle Visage, Samantha Bond, Graham Norton, John Barrowman, Ramin Karimloo, Bianca Del Rio, Joe Lycett and Beverley Knight.

The event is based on the original concept ‘Broadway Bares’ by legendary Broadway and West End director and choreographer Jerry Mitchell to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids.

For highlights of last year’s sell out performances visit:

https://youtu.be/Nf2pNe3RdCw

The Make A Difference Trust is a UK based charity with a vision of a world free from HIV and AIDS. Building on the legacy of 25 years of fundraising by the Theatre industry, they continue to make the vision a reality having distributed over £1.6million in grants to support individuals experiencing hardship across the UK as well as over £1million to support projects with their UK and international partners. For further information about the Make A Difference Trust please visit www.madtrust.org.uk

Tickets for WEST END BARES are on sale from Monday 15 May at 2.00pm and are priced at £15 – £100. Early Bird tickets are available from Monday 15 May to Sunday 21 May with 20% off the top three ticket prices.

Tickets are available from www.delfontmackintosh.co.uk or the DMT WEST END BARES booking line 0844 482 5172 and in person at the Novello Theatre Box Office. Booking fees apply and calls to Delfont Mackintosh Theatres 0844 numbers cost 7 pence per minute plus your phone company’s access charge.

West End Bares are proud to be partnering with 100 Wardour St for this year’s exclusive After Party where you can continue to celebrate with the cast of the show. Tickets cost £10 and are only available when you buy a ticket for the 7pm or 9.30pm show.  Once again, there is limited availability for the After Party and when the tickets are gone, they’re gone – so don’t miss out!100 Wardour St is split between a laid-back Bar & Lounge and chic Restaurant & Club, offering great food from midday right through until 2am with classic and contemporary cocktails. As befits the venues history as the site of London’s iconic Marquee Club where artists like David Bowie and The Rolling Stones performed, there are DJ’s and live music five nights a week.

 

• DAVID WALLIAMS’ THE FIRST HIPPO ON THE MOON TO MAKE ITS EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FRINGE DEBUT AT THE PLEASANCE
• NUMBER ONE BESTSELLING CHILDREN’S AUTHOR’S ORIGINAL BOOK ADAPTED FOR STAGE BY ACCAIMED THEATRE COMPANY LES PETITS
• TICKETS ON SALE NOW VIA WWW.PLEASANCE.CO.UK & WWW.EDFRINGE.COM

@PetitsTheatre / #FirstHippo / www.lespetitstheatre.com

 

Impressively cheeky (TIMES)

Imaginative (STAGE)

3…2…1… Blast Off! Edinburgh Festival Fringe audiences will have the chance to experience an explosively funny space adventure as David Walliams’ stage adaptation of The First Hippo on the Moon touches down in Edinburgh this August.

Following a hugely successful 2016 Fringe run with Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs 2: The Magic Cutlass and fresh from an incredibly successful UK tour, The First Hippo on the Moon which has been adapted for stage by award winning theatre company Les Petits.

The fantastical adventure features puppetry, music, mayhem and a giant space race to the moon! Suitable for ages three and up the show provides an uproarious escapade the whole family will relish and delight in.

The production is based on David Walliams’ original children’s book with illustrations by Tony Ross, The First Hippo on the Moon is a hilarious and extraordinary space adventure which sees the enormously rich Hercules Waldorf-Franklin III and ingenious Shelia compete to be the first hippo to make it to the moon. The First Hippo on the Moon tells the tale of the importance of team work and dreaming big.

David Walliams has taken the literary world by storm and his brilliantly funny stories are adored by children the world over. He has achieved unprecedented critical acclaim and quickly developed a reputation as a natural successor to Roald Dahl. His books have been translated into over 45 languages and sold over 9.5 million copies in the UK alone. One of his most successful titles Gangsta Granny was adapted for the stage in November 2015 by Birmingham Stage Company and continued on tour until January 2017.

The production has been adapted for the stage by Les Enfants Terribles and Les Petits’ Artistic Director Oliver Lansley whose recent adaptations have included the immersive dining experience Dinner at the Twits and Olivier nominated Alice’s Adventure’s Underground. The puppets for The First Hippo on the Moon have been directed and designed by Nick Barnes andFinn Caldwell who have previously collaborated on Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax at The Old Vic and the National Theatre’s productions of Elephantom, War Horse and Raymond Briggs’ The Bear. Les Petits was set up as the sister company to Les Enfants Terribles whose work includes The Game’s Afoot, The Terrible Infants and The Trench.

CHARACTERS

Shelia is the protagonist of The First Hippo on the Moon. Her dream is to the first hippo in space and she is helped to achieve her wish by her group of animal friends Keith the giraffe, Scratch and Sniff the Porcupines and Derek the Ostrich. After an epic space race, she beats her old hipposchool friend Hercules to it and becomes the first hippo on the moon.

Hercules Waldorf-Franklin III is the antagonist of The First Hippo on the Moon. He is enormously rich hippo who paid for a gigantic Hippo Space Centre to be built to send him into space. He arrives on the moon just after Shelia, and she returns to Earth in his rocket.

Derek is an ostrich, often pessimistic about the scientific implications of building a rocket and flying it into space. We learn about Derek’s sadness in finding out that ostriches can’t fly. This spurs him on to helping Sheila in chasing her dream.

Scratch and Sniff are a porcupine double act. They are talented with power tools, and can even rub their porcupine quills together to make fire.

Keith is a kind hearted giraffe. He helps Shelia on her quest to become the first hippo on the moon by using his extremely long neck to keep a look out.

Silver Bob is a big hairy gorilla who first appears to Sheila as a disembodied voice in the jungle. He offers wisdom and enlightenment to Sheila, and loves to talk in mystical monkey metaphors. Bob educates Sheila in the best way to fuel a rocket (with poo), all in the fashion of a big song and dance routine.

CREATIVE: BIOGRAPHIES

DAVID WALLIAMS – WRITER OF THE BOOK

David Walliams is one of Britain’s most popular writers and comic actors.

As a children’s author David is one of the most popular writers for children today selling over 11 million books around the world. His books have been translated into over 45 languages. The World’s Worst Children, his first collection of short stories, is a number one bestseller across all books having sold over 250,000 copies in 7 weeks. Grandpa’s Great Escape, his latest novel, was the overall number one and remained at the top of the charts for four weeks having sold over 700,000 copies to date.  Awful Auntie has now sold over 657,000 copies and was the biggest selling book, across all categories, published in 2014. It also won both the National Book Awards ‘Children’s Book of the Year’ and ‘Audiobook of the Year’.

Little Britain, which he co-created with Matt Lucas, started on Radio 4 and soon progressed to BBC1. The show has won numerous international awards including three BAFTAs, and now plays in over 100 countries. Little Britain Live performed to a million people in the UK, Ireland and Australia. David and Matt followed Little Britain with the hugely popular spoof airport documentary series Come Fly With Me.

David has proved himself as a dramatic actor in BBC2’s Capturing Mary with Dame Maggie Smith, in BBC1’s Agatha Christie series Partners In Crime, as Frankie Howerd in the biopic Rather You Than Me for BBC4, and on the stage in Harold Pinter’s No Man’s Land starring alongside Sir Michael Gambon. He received the Comedy Award at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards for his performance as Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream directed by Michael Grandage.

His film credits also include The Look of Love, directed by Michael Winterbottom, Great Expectations directed by Mike Newell, Dinner For Schmucks with Steve Carell and Paul Rudd and directed by Jay Roach, Run Fat Boy Run directed by David Schwimmer and starring Simon Pegg, and Stardust directed by Matthew Vaughn.

Currently David is writing a screenplay for Dreamworks Animation with the director Edgar Wright.

Since 2012 David has appeared as himself as a judge alongside Simon Cowell on one of the biggest shows on TV, Britain’s Got Talent.

David is proud to be a trustee of Comic Relief, a charity he has personally raised over £7m for.

 

TONY ROSS – ILLUSTRATOR OF THE BOOK

Born in London, Tony Ross went to art school in Liverpool and has since worked as a typographer for design and advertising agencies. His cartoons have appeared in famous publications the world over. His first book Hugo and the Wicked Winter was published in 1972. Tony has since written over 100 books and illustrated over 2000!

David and Tony’s other two picture books together, The Slightly Annoying Elephant and The Bear Who Went Boo! were both number one bestsellers. David and Tony have also worked together on six of David’s phenomenally successful children’s novels – Billionaire Boy, Gangsta Granny, Ratburger, Demon Dentist, Awful Auntie and Grandpa’s Great Escape.

 

LES PETITS – THEATRE COMPANY

Award-winning children’s theatre company Les Petits was established in 2013 as the children’s arm of critically acclaimed parent company Les Enfants Terribles (ALICE’S ADVENTURES UNDERGROUND, THE TRENCH, THE TERRIBLE INFANTS, THE VAUDEVILLIANS). Using well-known and loved children’s literature, we aim to take stories from the page and bring them to life on the stage in creative and exciting ways.

The company is run by James Seager and Oliver Lansley and has become known for its striking design aesthetics, use of puppetry and song and immersive approach to storytelling.

Les Petits’ work includes the hugely successful ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND, an immersive experience for children aged 5 – 10 years, currently playing at The Vaults, Waterloo this summer.

Les Petits is also known for their adaptions of CAPTAIN FLINN AND THE PIRATE DINOSAURS based on the popular book by Giles Andreae and Russell Ayto.  FLINN has toured to venues across the UK between 2012 and 2015, won the Primary Times Award and had runs at the Underbelly at The Edinburgh Fringe and Queen Elizabeth Hall at The Southbank Centre as well as touring abroad to Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

 

OLIVER LANSLEY – ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF LES PETITS / WRITER

As well as a founder of Les Petits, Oliver is an actor, writer, director and Artistic Director of Les Enfants Terribles, which he founded in 2002.

As an actor he’s best known for playing Kenny Everett in the BAFTA-winning The Best Possible Taste which earned him a Best Actor nomination at the RTS Awards. Other credits include The Wrong Mans, Sherlock and Misfits.

Oliver’s first published play Immaculate was listed in the top ten best-selling plays at Samuel French London in 2010, other published works include Les Enfants Terribles: Collected Plays, Flies and The Infant.  Oliver has since seen his work produced all over the world and translated into several languages.

LET’s work includes The Terrible Infants, The Trench, Earnest and the Pale Moon, The Vaudevillians and most recently, the Olivier Award nominated Alice’s Adventure’s Underground– Oliver writes and is directly involved in all aspects of the company’s output, often also as Director.

A past winner of Channel Four’s Multi-Talented Award and also a Broadcast magazine Hotshot. Oliver co-created BBC 2 series Whites, and Rose d’Or nominated ITV2 series FM.  He has written on numerous other productions including Nick Frost series Mr Sloane, Rotters starring Comedy Award Winners Dr Brown, Sam Simmons, Jon Kearns and Frank Skinner; and Alan Davies’s Little Cracker for Sky, which he also directed.

He’s currently developing new television projects for HBO, FX and the BBC.

 

NICK BARNES – DIRECTOR AND DESIGNER

Nick is a puppet designer and maker. He studied drama at Hull University and theatre design at the Slade School of Fine Art. Whilst at the Slade he won a scholarship to travel to France and train with Philippe Genty at the International Institute of the Marionette. There he became fascinated by bunraku style human puppets and in particular the interaction between puppet and puppeteer.

In 1996 he founded Blind Summit Theatre, and was the co-artistic director for many years. During that time he performed, designed and directed for the company. Productions include The Table, Low Life, Martin’s Wedding, 1984, and Mr China’s Son. The company also created the puppetry for Madame Butterfly, (ENO, Metropolitan Opera), Shunkin, A Dog’s Heart, The Master and Margarita (Complicite), Faeries (ROH Covent Garden), Kommilitonen! (Royal Academy of Music), El Gato Con Botas (Tectonic Theatre) and His Dark Materials (Birmingham Rep). In 2012 Blind Summit directed the puppetry in the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. Nick left the company in 2013 and remains an associate artist.

Nick now works as a freelance puppet designer, director and maker. Projects with Finn includeThe Lorax (Old Vic, London), and Ariodante (Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, DNO), for which he was co-puppet designer and Running Wild (Chichester Festival Theatre/Regents Park) for which he was associate puppet designer. He is an associate artist of Gyre and Gimble. Other recent puppetry work includes a giant firebird for the BBC proms and puppet design/direction for Mr Popper’s Penguin’s (Kenny Wax Ltd).

 

FINN CALDWELL – DIRECTOR AND DESIGNER

Finn is a director, designer and performer; he is co-artistic director of Gyre & Gimble, a theatre company specialising in puppetry.

As director of puppetry and movement, Finn’s work in theatre includes Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax (Old Vic), The Bear (Puppetry Director – Pins & Needles), Running Wild (Regents Park Open Air and Chichester Festival Theatre), The Tempest (Birmingham Royal Ballet), Alice’s Adventures Underground and Adventures in Wonderland (Les Enfants Terribles),  Ariodante (Festival d’Aix-en-Provence), The Light Princess (NT), War Horse (NT, West End & internationally), Dream Space (Globe Theatre), Rubies in the Attic (Riverside Studios), Shrek: The Musical (West End), Climate (Guildhall School of Music and Drama) andEdinburgh Fringe First Award winner Tom Thumb (Edinburgh Festival & tour).

As a director Finn’s work includes Lardo (Old Red Lion) and The Elephantom (Co-director – NT & West End). As a performer he has appeared in Saint Joan, War Horse, Or You Could Kiss Me and Punchdrunk’s Every Good Boy Deserves Favour (all National Theatre), Hamlet and Julius Caesar (RSC), Complicite’s A Dog’s Heart (La Scala), Blind Summit’s Lowlife (LIMF), Madam Butterfly (ENO), Brighton Rock (Almeida), Elephant (BAC), Antigone (Old Vic), and Macbeth (Albery). Films include Alice and The Suicide Brothers. His upcoming work includes the new musical production The Grinning Man (Bristol Old Vic) and additional movement direction on the new musical Groundhog Day (Old Vic Theatre).

 

LISTINGS INFORMATION

Les Petits presents

David Walliams’ The First Hippo on the Moon

Venue: Pleasance Beyond, Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2017

Dates: Wed 2 August – Sun 20 August, (not 15th), 12pm
Prices:

Aug 2, 3, 4 £7

Aug 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20 £12 (£10.50)

Aug 9, 10, 16, 17 £11 (£9.50)

Aug 14 £9 (£7.50)

 

Running time: 60mins

Tickets available at www.edfringe.com or www.pleasance.co.uk

 

TWO WEEKS AT LEEDS GRAND THEATRE

 

Leeds Grand Theatre continues to bring an multitude of musicals, drama, dance, comedy and concerts to Leeds for 2017. Recently announcing Nativity! The Musical for Christmas and a World Premiere with Kay Mellor’s Fat Friends,  it will soon welcome the first UK tour of Mamma Mia! for a six week run (Tuesday May 30^th to Saturday 8^th July).

“With drama from The National Theatre’s, Jane Eyre musical classics like Cabaret and comedy from the great Adam Hills we really do have something for everyone,” says Ian Sime, General Manager of the theatre. “Today we are preparing to welcome the much-loved Evita.”

Telling the story of Eva Perón, the wife of former Argentine dictator Juan Perón, the classic musical Evita opens at Leeds Grand Theatre tomorrow, Tuesday 16^th May, for one week only.

Evita follows Eva’s journey from humble beginnings through to extraordinary wealth, power and iconic status which ultimately lead her to be heralded as the ‘spiritual leader of the nation’ by the Argentine people.

Featuring some of the best loved songs in musical theatre, including Don’t Cry for Me Argentina, On This Night of a Thousand Stars, You Must Love Me, and Another Suitcase in Another Hall Evita continues to entertain audiences 40 years on.

Evita is at Leeds Grand Theatre from Tuesday 16th to Saturday 20th May

On Sunday May 21^st – the platinum-selling Welsh rock and roll singer and songwriter Shakin Stevens takes to the Leeds stage. Stevens holds the distinction of being the UK’s biggest-selling singles artist of the 1980s; unforgettable chart toppers included such multi-million selling hits as This Ole House, Green Door and Oh  Julie in a dizzying career that stockpiled 38 hit singles in the  ’80s and early ’90s.

He brings his new album Echoes Of Our Times to The Grand for one night only.

Shakin Stevens is at Leeds Grand Theatre on Sunday 21^st May

The West End’s Olivier Award-winning box office hit, The Play That Goes Wrong, makes welcome return to Leeds from Monday 22^nd May.

Co-written by Mischief Theatre company members Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields, The Play That Goes Wrong is a highly physical comedy packed with finely-tuned farce and Buster Keaton inspired slapstick delivered with split-second timing and ambitious daring. The play introduces ‘The Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society’ who are attempting to put on a 1920s’ murder mystery, but as the title suggests, everything that can go wrong does, as the accident-prone thespians battle on against all the odds to get to their final curtain call.

The Play That Goes Wrong is at Leeds Grand Theatre from Monday 22^nd to Saturday 27^th May.

For ticket prices and to make a booking visit leedsgrandtheatre.com or call Box Office on 0844 848 2700

 

THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS
ORIGINAL CAST RECORDING
ON SONY MASTERWORKS BROADWAY

NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER

THE NEW WEST END MUSICAL
PREVIEWS FROM 16 JUNE AND OPENS 29 JUNE
AT THE LONDON PALLADIUM

 

Producer Jamie Hendry and Sony Masterworks Broadway are pleased to announce the release of the original cast recording of new musical The Wind in the Willows with book by Julian Fellowes, music by George Stiles and lyrics by Anthony Drewe. The cast of the new West End musical, which begins previews on 16 June prior to an official opening on 29 June at the London Palladium, headed to the studio earlier this month to record the 20-track album.

The album is available for pre-order today here and will be released by Sony Masterworks Broadway mid–June (catalogue number: 88985447482).

With music and lyrics by Olivier Award-winners George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, the album features the original West End cast of THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS, accompanied by a fourteen-piece band. The album is produced by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe and co-produced by Simon Lee. Tris Penna is the executive producer.

The original London cast is led by actor, comedian and presenter Rufus Hound as the amazing ‘Mr Toad’ with West End stars Simon Lipkin as ‘Rat’ and Craig Mather as ‘Mole’; EastEndersactor Neil McDermott as ‘Chief Weasel’; Coronation Street and Boy Meets Girl star Denise Welch as ‘Mrs Otter’ and West End legend Gary Wilmot as ‘Badger.  Also included are Chris Aukett, Joel Baylis, Jenna Boyd, Abigail Brodie, Abigail Climer, Jorell Coiffic-Kamall, Nicole Deon, Emilie du Leslay, Joshua Gannon, James Gant, Evan James, Michael Larcombe,Bethany Linsdell, Ryan Pidgen, Adam Vaughan, Georgie Westall and Natalie Woods. The cast album also features Dylan Mason, Patrick Sullivan and Karli Vale who recently appeared in the show’s pre-London tour.

Based on Kenneth Grahame’s treasured novel which has captivated generations of readers for over a century, THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS has been adapted for the stage with a book by Academy Award-winning screenwriter and Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes.

Tickets are on-sale from £15, with reduced price preview performances. Kids go free on Monday to Friday performances – terms and conditions apply. No additional booking fees or charges are applied to tickets booked via www.WillowsMusical.com.

Produced by Jamie Hendry, MJE Productions and Josh Gilinski, in association with Theatre Royal Plymouth, THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS is directed by Rachel Kavanaugh with choreography by Aletta Collins, set and costume design by Peter McKintosh, lighting design byHoward Harrison, sound design by Gareth Owen, wig and makeup design by Linda McKnight, orchestrations by Chris Jahnke and David Shrubsole and musical supervision by Simon Lee.

This riotous comedy follows the impulsive Mr Toad whose insatiable need for speed lands him in serious trouble. With his beloved home under threat from the notorious Chief Weasel and his gang of sinister Wild Wooders, Toad must attempt a daring escape leading to a series of misadventures and a heroic battle to recapture Toad Hall. Featuring eye-poppingly beautiful design, exuberant choreography and a gloriously British score, The Wind in the Willows brings an explosion of anarchy, humour and heart to the world-famous London Palladium.

 

LISTINGS
THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS
The London Palladium
Argyll Street, London W1F 7TF

First Preview:                            Friday 16 June 2017
Opening Performance:                Thursday 29 June 2017
Booking Until:                           Saturday 9 September 2017

Performance schedule:               Monday at 7pm
                                                 Tuesday – Saturday at 7:30pm
                                                 Tuesday & Saturday at 2:30pm

Tickets from:                             £15 *NO BOOKING FEES*

Kids Go Free:                            Subject to availability, valid Mon-Fri performances 16 June – 8 September. Band A, B and D only. 1 Free Kids ticket (16 and under) with every full price Adult ticket and up to 2 additional Kids (16 and under) at half price. Excludes tickets already purchased.

Book online:                             www.WillowsMusical.com
Book by phone:                         0844 874 0665
Groups:                                    0844 412 4650
Website:                                 www.WillowsMusical.com
Facebook/Twitter/Instagram:   WillowsMusical

York Theatre Royal – 12 May 2017.  Reviewed by Marcus Richardson

The Prestigious Birmingham Royal Ballet came to the York Theatre Royal, bringing three dances with themes of comedy and sensuality. The order of dances was the Solitaire first, then 5 Tangos and to finish the Pineapple Poll.  With a twenty minute interval between each dance you feel that you are spending a lot of time at the bar, instead of watching the ballet, but this is common with dance shows.

The first dance, Solitaire opened up the performance with a tale of one women wanting to fit in and find love. The dancing set the bar high and with such dedication and perfection it can be understood that they had to take that twenty minutes for the next dance. The quality stood up to name of the company.  I have to give a lot of note to the main dancer Arancha Baselga, who was dancing on stage for 28 minutes straight.

To follow was the 5 Tangos, this is where the lighting grew darker and the dancing became more personal and sensual.  To fit in the middle of the 3 dances it separates and creates the contrast very well.  A lot of the audience preferred the other dances, as they were much more upbeat and heartwarming, to say this doesn’t diminish the 5 Tangos as it was performed with just as much power and was as pristine as its previous partner.  At points during the dance the lighting felt too dark and it was hard to see the dancer in these times.

After the second interval we were greeted with the gem of the night, the Pineapple Poll, with a much more visual set of a coastal town and a ship, you can see why this was saved to last.  The dance would appeal to even those who dislike ballet, with women falling love with the ship captain so much, that they are willing to go to sea for him.  Now, I wouldn’t want to ruin this dance or the plot, but there is a moment on the ship which will make you jump out of your seat.

I loved spending my evening at the ballet, and I’m sure you will as well.  I would say bring some money for a drink, since the intervals may seem long.  I have to say a huge well done to all the dancers, as to have that level of commitment and finesse is beyond my mind and I can only think about how dedicated they are to their craft and the arts.



Dont miss your chance to have a taste of this larger than life show which will leave you happier then when you see an offer for Ben and Jerrys Ice Cream. It promises an abundance of belly laughs so what are you waiting for? ‘Come on in’ and witness this new British musical.

Have you ever looked at a cheese cake and put on half a stone? Do you ever wonder why diets can only ever start on Mondays? Have you ever been described as: bubbly, bonny, voluptuous or well? Helen has! One New Years Eve she decides enough is enough and proves that her heart is ¬one size fits all!`Join Helen and her `Fatbuster` pals on their quest to believing in themselves and achieving their dreams 0ne thing is for sure: You shall walk away with a warm heart, sore cheeks and a few new tunes to hum as you walk to your fridge. A real guilty treat!

The team that brought you the UK revival of Personals is staying true to its ethos and is bringing you something new and exciting! Ain`t No Other productions has teamed with writer Joshua Coley to bring FatBusters to life. This new British comedy springs to the stage at St. Giles in the Fields Church in Tottenham Court Road from the 29th of May. After all, what says weight loss group more than a church hall! We believe that this is a show for everyone. Everyone can relate to this story. Whether it is you that has been to Weight Watchers, or you’ve sat in the hairdressers listening to Linda discussing the sin level of the Indian take away she had last night.

Venue – St. Giles in the Field Address – 60 St Giles High St, London WC2H 8LG Dates – 29th of May to 10th of June 7.30pm. Saturday Matinees at 2.30pm. No show Sundays. Opening night 31st of May. Last show 10th of June 7.30pm. First preview 29th of May

The Cast (in order of appearance)

Fiona – Yvette Robinson

Patricia – Christina Meehan

Sue – Kate Playdon

Nigel -Ian Parkin

Lyn – Frankie Jones

Barry – Mark Bools

Greg – Paul Bradshaw

Saskia – Shani Cantor

Helen – Tiffany Parker

Tom – Danny Knott

Ensemble – Joanna Gregory, Samuel Bailey

Creative Team

Rebecca Westberry – Director

Cameron Hall -Choreographer

Writer/co Director-Joshua Coley

Musical Director/Orchestration Sonum Batra

Set Designer – Justin Williams

Lighting Designer-Hector Murray

Casting – Harry Blumenau at Debbie O’ Brien

Producer – Ain’t No Other Production

Please find the link for tickets to FatBusters the Musical : https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/fatbusters-the-musical

Ye Olde Rose and Crown Theatre 9 – 28 May.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

If you don’t leave All Star Productions revival of 110 in the Shade with a soppy smile on your face, you must have a heart of stone. Director Randy Smartnick has ensured that this musical gem, last staged in the West End in the 1960s, is still full of warmth and joy.

As the townsfolk wilt and worry about the drought, one family has more important things on their mind – finding a husband for Lizzie. Although she loves Sheriff File, neither of them will risk admitting their true feelings; and, brought up by her father to be forthright and honest, and unable to flirt and fuss like the other girls, Lizzie fears becoming an old maid. When conman Starbuck rolls into town with promises of ending the drought, his razzamatazz brings hope to the people, but Lizzie sees right through him.

Based on his own 1954 play, The Rainmaker, N. Richard Nash’s book is full of sharp and funny lines, and Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones’s songs are full of charm and wit. Under Aaron Clingham’s assured musical direction and with Kate McPhee’s well-judged choreography; from the haunting “Everything Beautiful Happens at Night” to the down-home country “Poker Polka”, there are no duds in this production. The standout comedy number is “The Little Red Hat” with the fantastic Julian Quijano and Rebecca Withers almost stealing the show.

Laurel Dougall is full of ticks and frustration as Lizzie, in a wonderful performance that adds real emotional punch to her songs. Daniel Urch gives Starbuck a real sense of loneliness behind the slick bravado, and Nick Wyschna is in fine form as the stiff and reserved File.

This is a story about loneliness, love, and having the faith to follow your dreams – no matter how big, or small, they may be. The music and innocence of 110 in the shade may have fallen out of fashion, but this show still has a lot to offer modern audiences. Any show that makes you feel this good deserves a wider audience. Funny, warm and ridiculously entertaining, this is well worth a look.

Hull Truck Theatre – until 27 May 2017.  Viaduct Theatre, Halifax  30 May to 3 June.  Reviewed by Marcus Richardson

 

In the 2017 City of Culture the famous Shakespeare play Richard III is being performed at Hull Truck theatre. The play follows the life of Richard III a villain who works his way up into power using betrayal and lies. Now we all know the story and where he ends up, and if you don’t, history is a fun thing to learn. We are given this deformed figure who is described as the devil and is constantly mocked for his appearance, shouldn’t we feel sorry for this man? Not with the acts he commits, killing boys and his brother.

The original story has him with a hunchback, but our actor Mat Fraser, has underdeveloped arms from thalidomide, lending to this attribute he owns the role bringing a comical aspect that a lot of the times you wouldn’t normally see in the play. We see him commit these horrific acts yet I couldn’t find myself hating him with a passion, even until the end he still had a joke or two, he took on the role with such passion and made it his own. Through out the play there is comedy which I really liked as most of his historical play are political and can become a drag, however with the added element of comedy I found that I wasn’t bored at any point in the play. The whole cast was absolutely amazing with various actors taking different roles and reacting to tragic events, which believe me they did very well, mostly on the female part with Ruth Alexander-Rubin being the poor Elizabeth who has bad news every scene pretty much.

The stage and audience was very much like the classic amphitheatre seat and you felt very close to the stage and action, I loved how close we were as none of the actors had microphones and relied on the power of their voices. The stage was incredibly large and the actors made great use of this aspect. If I could sum up the play without talking about the actors I would say drums, this is a play of many drums, and this was absolutely chilling and blows you away.  In the final scene where Richard III goes to war and the stage opens up to its full potential and we are given this drumming band that controls the whole tempo and feel of the scene.

If you love Shakespeare and even if you’ve seen this play before, I would urge you to see this play and experience the power of the drums, the corruption of Richard and the tragedy of every character. If you’re scared that you don’t understand the classical text, don’t worry the actors do an amazing job of making sure you know what is happening, and the language isn’t an issue whatsoever. The show will be at Hull Truck theatre until 27th May, I would say go and see this show and even spend a day in the City of Culture, where arts is booming and spirits are high.

PARK90

Buckland Theatre Company in Association with Park Theatre presents

THE UGLY ONE

By Marius Von Mayenburg

Translated by Maja Zade

Directed by Roy Alexander Weise

1 – 24 June 2017

Press Night: 9 June,

7pm www.parktheatre.co.uk/whats-on/the-ugly-one

Tue – Sat Evenings: 7.45pm

Thu and Sat Matinees: 3.15pm

ABOUT BUCKLAND THEATRE COMPANY

The Ugly One is Buckland Theatre Company’s third production at The Park Theatre. Buckland was formed in 2015 by Charlie Dorfman to create high quality productions in intimate spaces.

www.bucklandtheatreco.com

Twitter: @BucklandTheatre

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