FULL CAST ANNOUNCED FOR

PETER MORGAN’S THE AUDIENCE

A Nuffield Southampton Theatres production

The UK regional première of

THE AUDIENCE

by Peter Morgan

Directed by Samuel Hodges; Designer: Rosanna Vize; Sound Designer: Alexandra Faye Braithwaite

Lighting Designer: Jackie Shemesh; Movement Director: Tom Jackson Greaves

Casting by Annelie Powell CDG

Nuffield Southampton Theatres – NST City

24 May – 22 June 2019

With SS Mendi, a co-production with Isango Ensemble, opening this week at Royal Opera House, Director ofNuffield Southampton Theatres, Samuel Hodges, today announces the full cast for a new staging of Peter Morgan’s The Audience. Samuel Hodges directs Lizzie Hopley as Margaret Thatcher and Bobo MacDonald, Paul Kemp as all other Prime Ministers, Sharon Singh as The Equerry and Fay Burwell and Maddie Farmer share the role of Young Elizabeth, joining the previously announced Faye Castelow as Queen Elizabeth II. The production opens on 30 May, with previews from 24 May, and runs until 22 June.

65 Years. 13 Prime Ministers. One Queen.

For 65 years, the Queen has met her Prime Minister every week in an Audience at Buckingham Palace. Both parties agree never to repeat what is said. Not even to their spouses.

What is discussed? What secrets are shared? Does her Majesty have her favourites?

Sometimes intimate, often confessional, occasionally explosive, The Audience imagines the private moments that define a changing Britain. One head of state. Endless heads of government. This play asks where the real power lies. 

Nuffield Southampton Theatres Director Samuel Hodges directs an intimate and re-worked production of the smash hit play from Peter Morgan, the writer of the critically acclaimed TV series The Crown and the Oscar award winning film The Queen.

Samuel Hodges, Director of Nuffield Southampton, said today, “This is a play that interrogates where power lies. Is it in the parade of middle aged, almost entirely male prime ministers or the unchanging, unwavering woman they meet with? For that reason I knew I wanted to cast one actor to play all of the male PMs from the start.

I’m really pleased to have such a strong local presence in the cast with Sharon, who grew up minutes from our new theatre, and both of our young Elizabeths from the local area, one a member of our youth theatre.”

Peter Morgan’sother work for theatre includes Frost/Nixon. His television work includes The Crown, The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies, The Jury, The Special Relationship, Longford, Colditz, Henry VIII and The Deal; and for film, Rush, 360, Hereafter, State of Play, The Damned United, The Other Boleyn Girl, The Last King of Scotland and The Queen.

Faye Castelow plays Queen Elizabeth II. Her theatre credits include The Rover, The Witch of Edmonton, The White Devil, The Roaring Girl (RSC), Man and Superman, After the Dance, Time and the Conways (National Theatre), Nijinsky, The Deep Blue Sea (Chichester Festival Theatre), How to be Another Woman (Gate Theatre), Mountain Hotel and The American Clock (Orange Tree Theatre). Her television credits include Pure and Rellik.

Lizzie Hopley plays Margaret Thatcher and Bobo MacDonald. Her theatre credits include The Taming of the Shrew (US tour), Roaring Girls (RSC), Tis Pity She’s a Whore (international tour), Abigail’s Party, Twelfth Night (UK tour) and Six Characters in Search of an Author (Young Vic). For television, her credits include The Long Song, Little Boy Blue, Luther, Call the Midwife and Randall & Hoprick Deceased II; and for film, Day of the Flowers, Jane Eyre, Nowhere Boy and Pierrepoint: The Last Hangman.

Paul Kemp plays the Prime Ministers: Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Winston Churchill, Anthony Eden, John Major and Harold Wilson. His theatre credits include Imperium (Gielgud Theatre), Richard III (Arcola Theatre), Wendy and Peter Pan (RSC), Ghost Stories (Arts Theatre), The Lady in the Van (UK tour), Seven Year Twitch, How to be Happy (Orange Tree Theatre), The Lady form the Sea (Royal Exchange Theatre), The Crucible (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), My Wonderful Day (Stephen Joseph Theatre/59E59, New York/UK tour), Woman in Mind (Stephen Joseph Theatre/Vaudeville Theatre). For television his credits include Maxwell, The Trial of Tony Blair, Life on Mars; and for film, When Saturday Comes.

Southampton’s Sharon Singh plays The Equerry. Her theatre credits include Arabian Nights (Hoxton Hall), The Game of Love and Chai (Tara Arts/UK tour), Death of Kings, The Misanthrope (Conservatoire National Supérieur D’art Dramatique), Cyrano de Bergerac (New Vic Theatre), Hamlet (Bussey Building), Titus Andronicus,Othello (UK tour) and Holes (Arcola Theatre); and for television, Vera.

Samuel Hodges is Director of Nuffield Southampton Theatres (NST). His productions for NST include The Shadow Factory, Dedication – Shakespeare and Southampton, and The Glass Menagerie. Previously he founded the HighTide Festival Theatre in 2007 and was the Artistic Director for five years, during which time he produced over 25 new plays, co-producing with the National Theatre, The Old Vic and the Bush Theatre, amongst others. Between 2012 and 2014, he ran the Criterion Theatre in London’s West End, for whom he curated a late-night programme and a one-off summer season of new work to celebrate the London Olympics.

Nuffield Southampton Theatres is one of the UK’s leading professional theatre companies. The company is led by Samuel Hodges, supported by a team of associates: directors Blanche McIntyre, Natalie Abrahami and Michael Longhurst, playwright Adam Brace, choreographer Drew McOnie and poet Inua Ellams. NST develops and produces work with some of the UK’s most exciting and dynamic regional theatres. NST’s awards include Best Director at UK Theatre Awards 2013 for The Seagull, Regional Theatre of the Year at The Stage Awards 2015, Best Design at UK Theatre Awards 2015 for The Hudsucker Proxy and the 2017 Renee Stepham UK Theatre Award for Best Presentation of Touring Theatre for Fantastic Mr Fox. In 2018 NST was nominated for three awards in the UK Theatre Awards 2018 – Best Design for The Shadow Factory; The Renee Stepham Award for Best Presentation of Touring Theatre for A Streetcar Named Desire, and Achievement in Marketing and Audience Development for the NST City opening campaign. 

NST City is Nuffield Southampton Theatres new venue which opened in Southampton’s city centre in 2018. The theatre’s programme runs alongside NST Campus situated on the Highfield Campus at the University of Southampton.

Nuffield Southampton Theatres is an Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation and a registered charity, receiving additional core funding from the University of Southampton and Southampton City Council.

www.nstheatres.co.uk

@NSTheatres

Listings                                                                                                            Nuffield Southampton Theatres

NST City, Above Bar Street, Guildhall Square, Southampton, SO14 7DU

www.nstheatres.co.uk

Twitter:                @nstheatres

Facebook:           /nstheatres

Box Office:          023 8067 1771

                              Monday – Friday: 10am – 6pm

                               Saturday: 10am – 4pm

NST AT A GLANCE

The Audience

NST City

24 May – 22 June 2019

Press night: Thursday 30 May, 7pm

A Thousand Splendid Suns

NST City

25 June – 6 July 2019

Press night: Wednesday 26 June, 7pm

One Man, Two Guvnors

NST Campus

1 – 12 October 2019

Guest Night: Tuesday 1 October

Press Night at New Wolsey Theatre: Tuesday 10 September, 7pm

Cinderella The Musical

NST City

23 November 2019 – 5 January 2020

Press Night: Friday 29 November, 7pm

Pride and Prejudice* (*Sort Of)

NST City

16 – 28 March 2020

Guest Night: Tuesday 17 March

Press Night at Bristol Old Vic: 12 September 2019

All-female cast announced for the stage premiere of Adelle Stripe’s novel Black Teeth and a Brilliant Smile

Freedom Studios are delighted to announce full casting for the premiere of Lisa Holdsworth’s new stage adaptation of Adelle Stripe’s novel about the defiant life of the celebrated playwright Andrea Dunbar – Black Teeth and a Brilliant Smile.

The production’s all-female cast will feature Emily Spowage (Eaten by Lions, Mecca Films) as Andrea Dunbar; Lucy Hird (The Funfair, HOME) as the younger Andrea Dunbar, Claire- Marie Seddon (Tarzanne, Interplay) as Eileen/Sophie/cast; Balvinder Sopal (Partition, Leeds Playhouse) as Mo/Patsy/cast; and Laura Lindsay (Partus, Third Angel and Sheffield Theatres) as Alma/Liane/cast.

The Beacon, Buttershaw, Bradford, 1990. Andrea Dunbar, acclaimed writer ofRita, Sue, and Bob Too, mum, sister, best friend, is struggling with her latest work. Her aching head is full of voices, stories from her past which have to be heard.

Adapted for the stage by Screenwriter Lisa Holdsworth (Ackley Bridge, Waterloo Road and Call the Midwife) and directed by Kash Arshad (Airplays, Leeds Playhouse and Memories of Partition, Royal Exchange), Black Teeth and a Brilliant Smile, will open at The Ambassador in Bradford from the 30 May – 8 June and then tour till the 30 June including performances at The Constitutional in Farsley, Buttershaw Youth Centre; Cast in Doncaster; Harrogate Theatre; Oldham Coliseum and The Holbeck in Leeds.

To book tickets and for more information on Black Teeth and a Brilliant Smile visit https://www.freedomstudios.co.uk/production/black-teeth-and-a-brilliant-smile/

A co-production between The Wardrobe Ensemble, Royal & Derngate, Northampton, and Shoreditch Town Hall
Presented in the West End by Trafalgar Theatre Productions and Eilene Davidson

THE WARDROBE ENSEMBLE’S HIT COMEDY
EDUCATION, EDUCATION, EDUCATION
ARRIVES IN THE WEST END FOR STRICTLY LIMITED 4 WEEK RUN AT TRAFALGAR STUDIOS, 31ST MAY – 29TH JUNE

Acclaimed theatre company The Wardrobe Ensemble, in co-production with Royal & Derngate, Northampton and Shoreditch Town Hall, will bring the The Scotsman Fringe First Award andThe Stage Edinburgh Award winning, smash-hit production Education, Education, Education to London’s West End this summer.

“We in Germany, and Europe, have been watching somewhat envious as your country’s been undergoing a resurrection… Your newfound pride in your culture and your heritage… It’s so wonderful to see a country wearing its identity so proudly on its sleeve”

It’s May 1997.

The iPhone doesn’t exist, no one knows who Harry Potter is, Titanic is on the shelves of every Blockbuster and we have just won Eurovision. Britain is the coolest place in the world.

 “First a Eurovision win and now Tony’s our new Prime Minister. I can barely recognize this country; you know I actually saw people smiling on the train this morning.”

At the local secondary school it’s a different story. It’s the last week of term and Tobias, the new German language assistant has just arrived in the UK. While political change occurs outside of the classroom, a revolution slowly starts to take place within it. Tobias is greeted by a group of eccentric schoolteachers just trying to make it through the day, including Miss Belltop-Doyle who can’t control her year 10s and Mr Pashley who is trying to keep a confiscated Tamagotchi alive.

Speaking on this momentous day the Prime Minister, Tony Blair said: “At a good school, children gain the basic tools for life and work. But they ought also to learn the joy of life: the exhilaration of music, the excitement of sport, the beauty of art, the magic of science. And they learn the value of life: what it is to be responsible citizens who give something back to their community.”

This whip-smart show is a love letter to education in the 90s and is jam-packed with more hits than ‘Now That’s What I Call 1997’ including Oasis, Katrina and the Waves, The Spice Girls. Crammed with Teletubbies references, jokes about Take That and the Macarena, Education, Education, Education plays a strictly limited 4 week season at the Trafalgar Studios.

The Wardrobe Ensemble uses its singular style of irreverent humour and inventive theatricality to dissect education and responsibility at the dawn of Blair’s Britain in 1997. In Education, Education, Education audiences are thrown back to the 90s; the music, the fads and the icons as well as issues that remain pertinent to the twenty-first century experience.

The cast of Education, Education, Education will include: Tom Brennan (Paul McIntyre), Ben Vardy (Tim Pashley), Jesse Meadows (Susan Belltop-Doyle), Emily Greenslade (Emily Greenslade), James Newton (Tobias) and Tom England (Hugh Mills). Education, Education, Education has been devised by The Wardrobe Ensemble and directed by Jesse Jones and Helena Middleton. Further casting will be announced in due course.

​Education, Education, Education is a co-production between The Wardrobe Ensemble, Royal & Derngate, Northampton, and Shoreditch Town Hall, presented in the West End by Trafalgar Theatre Productions and Eilene Davidson.

LISTINGS

Education, Education, Education
Trafalgar Studios 1, 14 Whitehall, London, SW1A 2DY
31 May – 29 June 7.30pm, matinees at 2.3opm on Thursdays and Saturdays*
Press Night: 5th June
Box Office: 0844 871 7632/ www.educationplay.com
*No matinee performance on Sat 22 and Thu 27 June

Directed by Jesse Jones and Helena Middleton
Written by The Wardrobe Ensemble
Design: Lucy Sierra
Lighting Design: Katharine Williams
Sound Design: Ben Grant
Dramaturg: Bea Roberts 
Associate Sound Design: Daniel Balfour
Wardrobe Supervisor: Felicity Jones

Cast List:

Tom England- Hugh Mills
Emily Greenslade- Emily Greenslade
Jesse Meadows- Susan Belltop- Doyle
James Newton- Tobias
Tom Brennan- Paul McIntyre
Ben Vardy- Tim Pashley 

Coronation Street’s Sonia Ibrahim joins the cast of #BeMoreMartyn

Sonia Ibrahim, best known for playing Coronation Street’s Mel Maguire, has joined the cast of Hope Theatre Company’s ‘#BeMoreMartyn: The Boy with the Deirdre Tattoo.’ The play about Martyn Hett, who lost his life in the Manchester Arena bombing, is embarking on its second UK tour which finishes with a homecoming run at The Lowry Thu 20 – Sat 22 June.

The production is verbatim and all of the words spoken on stage are taken word-for-word from interviews with eight of Martyn’s closest friends. They will take audiences on a journey from the cobbles of Canal Street to his legendary Eurovision parties celebrating Martyn’s favourite divas along the way.

Coronation Street star Sue Nicholls (Audrey Roberts) and Pop Idol winner Michelle McManus are among those celebrities that feature in stories recounted by Martyn’s closest friends.

Nicholls’ portrayal of Coronation Street’s Audrey Roberts and the so-called ‘Audrey Roberts Noise’ was the focus of one of Martyn’s biggest social media hits – with over 580,000 views on YouTube. McManus, meanwhile, was one of Martyn’s favourite performers, the focus of a number of his social media posts, and one of the celebrities to perform at his funeral in June.

Michael Keating, one Martyn’s friends portrayed in the play, said: “This play beautifully encapsulated the legacy we’re left with and the message we want people to remember”

Ibrahim will take over the part of Rachel from Corrie alumni Paula Lane who is currently starring in the national tour of Kinky Boots. Rachel, Martyn’s school friend, talks of their first night out in the gay village, Martyn’s coming out and his idolisation of Coronation Street.

Commenting on the role, Sonia said; “I am truly excited to be joining the talented cast of #BeMoreMartyn. It is an honour and a privilege to share the story of this amazing young man’s life.

“The memories and legacy of Martyn and the other beautiful souls who we lost that day are proof that love will always endure against evil. I am thankful for the opportunity to share Martyn’s story with the world” she concluded.

The production will open in London during the second-year anniversary of the Arena bomb, prior to visiting Brighton, Newcastle and Sheffield. The tour will close at The Lowry, Salford with a special matinee performance specifically for schools.

Talking about the production Adam Zane, Artistic Director of Hope Theatre Company said; “Martyn’s family have been overwhelmingly supportive of the project from the very beginning, they put us in touch with the eight incredible friends that audiences get to know throughout the production. After hours of interviews with them, we are in awe of how Martyn transformed people and could have listened to them talk of how he changed the life of everybody he met over and over again.

“Rachel’s stories are just fantastic; heart-warming and funny so we’re absolutely delighted that Sonia is joining the cast and will be sharing them with our audiences” he added.

‘#BeMoreMartyn: The Boy with the Deirdre Tattoo’ is supported by Arts Council England and Manchester City Council.

Listings Information
#BeMoreMartyn: The Boy with the Deirdre Tattoo
Dates: Thu 20 – Sat 22 June
Times: 8pm
Tickets:£21.50 – £18.50. Concessions £2 off.
Website

PRESENT THE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED UK PREMIERE OF

THE MULTI AWARD-WINNING MUSICAL

BY WILLIAM FINN & JAMES LAPINE

RUNNING AT THE OTHER PALACE

FOR A STRICTLY LIMITED SEASON FROM 30 AUGUST – 23 NOVEMBER

LOVE CAN TELL A MILLION STORIES

Selladoor Worldwide (producers of 9 to 5, Big Fish, American Idiot and Avenue Q) present the long awaited European premiere of the multi award-winning musical, Falsettos, which arrives in the UK from 30 August 2019.

The musical, by William Finn (Music, Lyrics & Book) and James Lapine (Book), opens at The Other Palace from 30 August – 23 November for a strictly limited season, with press night on Thursday 5 September. Casting and creatives will be announced in due course.

David Hutchinson, CEO, Selladoor Worldwide, said, “This is a show we have wanted to bring to London since we embarked on our careers as producers. We’ve been exploring and planning this one for nearly a decade, and I am delighted that today we can tell the world that this beautiful, critically-acclaimed musical – is finally coming to the capital.”  

The double Tony Award-Winning Falsettos is a hilarious and poignant look at a modern family revolving around the life of a gay man Marvin, his wife, his lover, his soon to be bar mitzvahed son, their psychiatrist, and the lesbian neighbours.

Originally created under the spectre of the AIDS crisis, this ground-breaking musical about family dynamics manages to remain buoyant and satirically perceptive even as it moves towards its heartbreaking conclusion.

William Finn (Music, Lyrics & Book) is the writer and composer of Falsettos, for which he received two Tony Awards, Best Book of a Musical (with James Lapine) and Best Original Score.  He has also written and composed In Trousers, March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland (Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, two Los Angeles Drama Critic’s Awards, two Drama Desk Awards, the Lucille Lortel Award, and Guggenheim Fellowship in Musical Composition).  Mr. Finn wrote the lyrics to Graciela Daniele’sTango Apasionado (music by the great Astor Piazzolla) and, with Michael Starobin, the music to Lapine’s version of The Winter’s Tale.  His musical, Romance in Hard Times, was presented at the Public Theater.  Recently, he wrote Painting You for Love’s Fire, a piece commissioned and performed bye the Acting Company, based on Shakespeare’s sonnets.  For television, Mr. Finn provided the music and lyrics for the Ace Award-winning HBO cartoon Ira Sleeps Over, Tom Thumb and Thumbelina,Pokey Little Puppy’s First Christmas, and, with Ellen Fitzhugh, two Brave little Toaster cartoons.  Mr. Finn has written for Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and The New Yorker.  A graduate of Williams College where he was awarded the Hutchinson Fellowship for Musical Composition, Finn now teaches a weekly master class at the NYU Tisch Graduate Program in Musical Theatre Writing.  His most recent projects include Elegies, A Song Cycle (Lincoln Center) and The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, which ran on Broadway and has been produced nationally and internationally, and the musical adaptation of the film Little Miss Sunshine which opened at Second Stage Theatre in October 2013.

James Lapine (Book) has written the book for and directed Stephen Sondheim’s  Sunday In The Park With George, Into The Woods and Passion, as well as the recent Broadway show,Sondheim On Sondheim. He also directed the first revival of Merrily We Roll Along at LaJolla Playhouse in 1985. With William Finn he has collaborated on March Of The Falsettos andFalsettoland, later presented on Broadway as Falsettos and recently revived in 2016, A New Brain, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Little Miss Sunshine. James’ other Broadway credits include The Diary Of Anne Frank, Golden Child, and Amour. He has written the plays Table Settings, Twelve Dreams, Luck, Pluck & Virtue, The Moment When, Fran’s Bedand Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing. He has been nominated for twelve Tony Awards, winning on three occasions and has received five Drama Desk Awards and the Pulitzer Prize.

Selladoor Worldwide began its life as Sell a Door Theatre Company in 2009, developing rapidly under co-founders David Hutchinson (CEO) and Phillip Rowntree (CFO) into an integral player in the UK and Ireland’s regional theatre landscape. The company has since established itself as a leading producer of mid- and large-scale touring theatre, with an ever-increasing international presence.

From the very outset, Selladoor Worldwide’s aim has been to make accessible work for our audiences, and their experience is at the heart of the company’s artistic planning. Our objective is to continue to encourage the next generation of theatregoers, primarily young adult audiences, and first-time attendees. Our education programmes and online presence endeavour to provide the most comprehensive experience of our productions possible.

Our origins lie in re-imagined classics and new commissions, which we continue to champion to this day. We are able to create a varied and distinctive programme; large-scale commercial touring is complimented by the company’s not-for-profit roots and ongoing investment and development of new work. As a company operating across a range of scales we continue to deliver and invest in our regional and international patron base, as well as our product.

In 2017-18 Selladoor Worldwide’s slate of productions included: Big Fish The Musical (The Other Palace, London); The Crucible (UK Tour); Fame The Musical (30^th Anniversary Tour); Flashdance The Musical (UK & International Tours); Footloose The Musical (2^nd UK Tour); Kindertransport (25^thAnniversary Tour); Guess How Much I Love You (UK & International Tours); Jersey Boys (International Tour); Madagascar The Musical (UK Tour); Of Mice and Men (UK Tour); The Producers (International Tour); Rock of Ages (UK Tour); Spamalot (UK Tour); The Very Hungry Caterpillar (DR2 Theatre, New York City); The Wizard of Oz (Winter Gardens, Blackpool).

2019 will see the return of Flashdance The Musical to Asia following a commercially and critically successful engagement in South Korea. Both Fame and Madagascar The Musical continue their popular UK tours, with the former due to land in the West End for a strictly limited 6-week engagement at the Peacock Theatre in September, and the latter touring extensively in international markets. American Idiot has been revived for a 10^th Anniversary Tour, and Avenue Q has embarked on its 3^rd UK Tour. Presenting in the UK will also be the first West End production of Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5The Musical at the Savoy Theatre, as well as European premieres of Amelie and Little Miss Sunshine, both award-winning musicals based on cult classic films. Finally, Selladoor Family will launch new stage adaptations of two beloved children’s properties for UK touring: Elmer The Patchwork Elephant Show and The Mr. Men & Little Miss Show. Selladoor are thrilled with the variety of work in production, and remain committed to creating daring, diverse and dynamic productions that are accessible to all.

Selladoor Worldwide now have offices in Bangkok, New York and Shanghai in addition to our headquarters in London, as we continue to produce and tour theatre worldwide. In 2018 Selladoor Creation was launched, which is a brand new platform for new writers to showcase and develop their work with the backing of one of the UK’s leading theatre producers, and bring innovative new work to the national and international stage, making it accessible for all audiences. 2019 brings another exciting venture to the Selladoor Worldwide group, with the announcement of Selladoor Venues. Selladoor Venues are the current operators for the Queen’s Theatre, Barnstaple, The Landmark Theatre, Ilfracombe and Peterborough New Theatre.

CURVE, BELGRADE THEATRE COVENTRY, EVERYMAN THEATRE CHELTENHAM AND LEEDS PLAYHOUSE ANNOUNCE NEW CO-PRODUCTION OF

Hanif Kureishi’s

MY BEAUTIFUL LAUNDRETTE

Directed by Nikolai Foster

Opens 20 Sep – 5 Oct 2019 at Curve, Leicester

“Could anyone in their right mind call this silly little island off of Europe their home?”

Curve, Belgrade Theatre Coventry, Everyman Theatre Cheltenham and Leeds Playhouse have today announced that they are joining forces to co-produce a new stage production of Hanif Kureishi’s screenplay My Beautiful Laundrette.

This bold new production of Hanif Kureishi‘s ground-breaking 1985 Oscar-nominated film of the same name will be directed by Curve’s Artistic Director Nikolai Foster (Memoirs of an Asian Football Casual and Joe Orton’s What the Butler Saw, both at Curve). Presented against a funky backdrop of 80s music and culture, this drama will explore cultural conflict, gender equality, class and generational strife.

The production will open at Curve in Leicester 20 Sep – 5 Oct, before touring to Everyman Theatre Cheltenham (8 – 12 Oct), Leeds Playhouse (15 – 26 Oct), Belgrade Theatre Coventry (29 Oct – 2 Nov) and Birmingham Repertory Theatre (5 – 9 Nov).

Set in London during the Thatcher years, My Beautiful Laundrette tells the story of young British Pakistani, Omar, who transforms his Uncle’s run-down laundrette into a thriving business. After being confronted by a fascist gang, Omar recognises school-friend Johnny and uses their history to diffuse the situation. As they renovate the laundrette together, love blossoms between them. This culture clash comedy is also a subversive work of social realism, sprinkled with magic and joy running through the rich veins of Kureishi’s writing.

Speaking about the announcement, Curve’s Chief Executive Chris Stafford and Artistic Director Nikolai Foster said

“We are thrilled to be presenting Hanif Kureshi’s astonishing adaptation of his Oscar-nominated film My Beautiful Laundrette. 

“Hanif surfs a multitude of strikingly relevant issues in his 1985 masterpiece – from the journey of the immigrant, English working class society, women’s roles in the family and the results of Thatcher’s policies. Kureishi does all of this with bucketloads of wit, openness, compassion and a sense of mischief at the absurdity of it all. 

“We are looking forward to working with Hanif and our partners at Leeds Playhouse, Belgrade Theatre Coventry and Everyman Theatre Cheltenham very much.”

Hamish Glen, Artistic Director of Belgrade Theatre Coventry said:

“We’re really pleased to be continuing our ongoing partnership with Curve after the success of our previous co-productions Wipers and Pink Sari Revolution. My Beautiful Laundrette forms part of our ongoing efforts to reach and retain new audiences, and with the support of our co-producers, we hope to strengthen the relationships we have already begun to develop with the Midlands’ diverse communities, particularly as Coventry moves towards its year as UK City of Culture in 2021.”

Everyman Theatre Cheltenham Chief Executive Mark Goucher said:

“The 1985 film had a tremendous effect on me. It was radical, moving and very funny. The film launched the career of Daniel Day Lewis and made gay men of any race or class feel empowered and less frightened at a very difficult time. My theatre is delighted to be part of producing this exciting stage adaptation.”

Leeds Playhouse Artistic Director James Brining said:

“It’s really exciting to include the first major production of this contemporary classic as part of the first season in the newly refurbished Playhouse. The film broke new ground when it was released but its story still feels like a powerful and important statement about love, community and humanity. We are delighted to be co-producing with some excellent partners and sharing this incredible story with audiences throughout the UK.”

Further details and casting will be announced in due course.

Creative Team

Director – Nikolai Foster
Designer – Grace Smart
Lighting Designer – Ben Cracknell
Sound Designer – Tom Marshall
Casting Director – Kay Magson CDG

-ENDS-

Tour Listings:

Curve, Leicester
20 Sep – 5 Oct
www.curveonline.co.uk
Tickets on-sale from 16 Apr

Everyman Theatre Cheltenham
8 – 12 Oct
www.everymantheatre.org.uk
Tickets on-sale soon

Leeds Playhouse
15 – 26 Oct
www.leedsplayhouse.org.uk
Tickets on-sale from 15 Apr

Belgrade Theatre Coventry
29 Oct – 2 Nov
www.belgrade.co.uk
Tickets on-sale soon

Birmingham Repertory Theatre
5 – 9 Nov
www.birmingham-rep.co.uk
Tickets on-sale soon

THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW

GRAND OPERA HOUSE YORK

Monday 10 – Saturday 15 June

Starring Strictly Come Dancing professional champion JOANNE CLIFTON as Janet,STEPHEN WEBB as Dr Frank n Furter

and STEVE PUNT (Radio 4’s The Now Show) as The Narrator.

On the way to visit an old college professor, two clean cut kids, Brad Majors and his fiancée Janet Weiss, run into tyre trouble and seek help at the site of a light down the road. It’s coming from the Frankenstein place, where Dr Frank’n’furter is in the midst of one of his maniacal experiments…

Since its first appearance at The Royal Court Theatre in June 1973, Richard O’Brien’s  The Rocky Horror Show has become the world’s favourite rock ‘n’ roll musical.  It has been performed worldwide in over 30 countries in every continent and has been translated into more than 20 languages.  To celebrate the 40^th anniversary, Christopher Luscombe created a brand new production for a year-long UK National Tour. 

Ready to thrill you with its frothy, fun, and naughty moments, this is the boldest bash of them all, so sharpen those stilettos for the rockiest ride of your life! Follow squeaky-clean sweethearts Brad and Janet on an adventure they’ll never forget, with the scandalous Frank’n’Furter, rippling Rocky and vivacious Magenta. Get ready for a night of fun, frolics and frivolity in this thrilling production of Richard O’Brien’s classic original script! Bursting at the seams with timeless classics, including Sweet Transvestite, Damn it Janet, and of course, the pelvic-thrusting Time Warp, Richard O’Brien’s Rocky Horror show is a non-stop party!

DON’T DREAM IT – BE IT!

BE WARNED, THIS SHOW HAS RUDE PARTS!

Tickets from £13

Box office: 0844 871 3024

Online: www.atgtickets.com/york

Theatre Royal, Haymarket – until 28 April 2019

Reviewed by Alexandra Sykes

4****

Where is Peter Rabbit? is a show for people of all ages as the stories written by Beatrix Potter are timeless and will never get old.

Where is Peter Rabbit? brings to life the stories of Mr Jeremy Fisher, Mrs Tiggy-Winkle, Mr Tod, Jemima Puddle-Duck and of course Peter Rabbit. The stories are beautifully narrated by Miriam Margoyles and Griff Rhys Jones whilst the characters themselves are brought to live by Charlotte Harrington, Samuel Knight, Grace Osborn and Matthew Whitby, with Beatrix Potter being played by Joanna Brown.

The puppets are life like and the detailing is impressive, with all the puppets being based on Beatrix Potter illustrations from the original books. The sets are simple but productive and each one represents a scene from a tale, be it Mrs Tiggy-Winkles, with all the washing that she does; the pond, where Mr Jeremy Fisher likes to go fishing or Mr McGregors garden, where Peter always steals vegetables from.

The stories are broken up by Beatrix Potter and Jemima Puddle-Duck looking for Peter, and Potter explaining things about the characters. The changing of scenery/items is done so it looks like it is part of the story, with each little prop appearing as the narrator describes it. A screen at the back of the stage helps to set the scene as well, especially when Jemima Puddle-Duck is flying around both in her own story and when helping look for Peter.

All in all it is a wonderful production which is fun for all the family and at an hour long is just the right length of time to keep small children entertained without them being bored.

York Theatre Royal – Friday 12th April 2019

Reviewed by Sara Garner

3***

High tide and Loose Tongue’s productions of The Trick was written by Eve Leigh whose previous work includes Stone Face and Silent Planet.

The idea behind the play is about loss and bereavement, and its affect on the elderly widow Mira (Lachelle Carl). After the death of her husband Jonah (David Verrey), Mira appears to be comforted by his ‘ghost’.

We are ‘treated’ to a magic show at the start of the production and, whilst interesting, these interludes come across as a bit tacky and the analogies patronising.

These sometimes strange interludes interrupt an otherwise effectively emotional story of Mira and her mental and physical decline after her husbands death.

What is not clear is whether the comforting apparition of Jonah is meant to be a ghost or just in Miras imagination. However both actors perform the roles well and the audience feel connected with them, until yet another frustrating interlude.

Yes of course death, dying and bereavement is still a taboo subject and theatre is an ideal medium to deal with it.

On the whole, the four actors are more than competent to deal with such an emotive subject, but the play fails to deliver and far too frequently goes off track and the play falter.

Above the Stag Theatre – until 28 April 2019

2**

Oh dear.

I REALLY wanted to love this musical and taking in the details of the exciting set full of screens as you enter the theatre, expectations were high.

But then the show began.

Barney Ashton-Bullock’s show, the third about Torsten, a gender fluid, polysexual semi-immortal is a hot mess. It may have helped if I’d seen the first two, but I doubt it.

Set in post-apocalyptic Britain, after an unfortunate blunder mistaking the nuclear button for the king’s g-spot, narcissistic diva Lady Domina Bizarre (Matthew Baldwin – the best thing about this show) presents the only TV show left from the ruins of the famous Queereteria nightclub. Lady D has Torsten (Andy Bell) captive in a Bell jar (yes, that’s the level of humour on display) sedated and performing on cue for the audience at home. Eventually Torsten is freed by his lover Daniel (Ashton-Bullock) and Lady D’s gentle sidekick Rupert (the fabulous Peter Straker) but that really doesn’t result in any huge changes, apart from Bell singing standing up rather than on a stool. Young Torsten and Daniel’s relationship is presented through dance by Tom Mann and William Spencer (who also choreographs), but the two are never quite in step with each other – something I desperately hope is an intended indicator of their doomed relationship, but maybe not.

Ashton-Bullock probably has some message about censorship and fame in modern media in mind, but this is completely lost amongst lots of self-indulgent and trite psychobabble and toilet humour. The whole thing feels like an under-rehearsed student skit that outstays its welcome. There are about 10 minutes of good material in this almost two-hour long show, and these passages of relief all involve Matthew Baldwin. There is a fantastically filthy cookery section which feels like Pam Ayres in A Chocolate Orange, and an inspired Dragons’ Den sketch, but the rest is all cock, arse, piss and poo jokes that become monotonous. Ashton-Bullock looks extremely uncomfortable onstage, and Andy Bell is basically just there to sing in between sketches. The musical numbers are a welcome relief, with Christopher Frost’s music pleasant enough, but the lyrics (from Ashton-Bullock) are woeful, and they could all lose a verse and a couple of choruses. Maybe they just wanted Andy Bell to sing for as long as possible.

A disappointing and misguided mess. Put Torsten back in his jar and listen to some Erasure instead.