The Wedding Singer Review

KING’S THEATRE, EDINBURGH – UNTIL SATURDAY 23RD MARCH.

REVIEWED BY SIOBHAN WILSON

5*****

Classic Adam Sandler film from the 90’s lends itself perfectly to the stage.

A wedding singer who is jilted at the alter then proceeds to fall in love with a local waitress who works the wedding scene. Unfortunately, she is in a relationship with a big city type. This timeless story of will they won’t they leaves you ever hopefully that the right couple will end up together.

Fraser Jamieson is a natural as Robbie heart, makes you fall for the lovable romantic and plays the part as if it was written for him.

Katherine Croan as Julia Sullivan captures the audience attention form the get go with her glorious voice.

Ross MacPherson as George has the whole audience in the palm of his hand with his effortless humor be it center stage strutting is stuff or up stage left just miming, he is captivating.

Cathy Geddie as Rosie is an inspired casting. Not only showing off her impressive dance and singing talents but her amazing acting skills meant that you could really believe she was the hip Grandmother that she was portraying.

The design team have outdone themselves transporting you straight into the 1980s from curtain up.

The Score has you tapping, clapping and singing along the whole night through.

While the chorography makes you want to get up and “move your thang” along with the cast.

If you don’t have your tickets yet ‘shake your shimmy’ and get down to see this feel good hit.

English Youth Ballet present The Nutcracker with audition opportunities

English Youth Ballet present: The Nutcracker

Thursday 11th & Friday 12th July

Plus auditions on Thursday 25th April

Tyne Theatre & Opera House are thrilled to welcome the superb English Youth Ballet back to their stage. The company were last at Tyne Theatre in 2016 with their stunning performance of Giselle.

English Youth Ballet present a dazzling, colourful and appealing interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s famous ballet, The Nutcracker, featuring an impressive cast of up to 100 young dancers.

The ensemble of dances, Tchaikovsky’s beautiful music and the magic of the sets and beautiful costumes create Clara’s dream of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Godfather Drosselmeyer gives Clara the Nutcracker Doll and her love for him transforms him back to the Nutcracker Prince. He takes Clara through the land of Snow to the Kingdom of Sweets where dances are celebrated in her honour.

Now in its twenty first year, English Youth Ballet has gained in popularity and has an established reputation for classic and dramatic productions of the famous full length classical ballets. With professional dancers dancing the leading roles, the company gives young dancers throughout the UK a wonderful performance opportunity to dance alongside the principals in solo and corps de ballet roles.

Theatre Director Joanne Johnson said: “It’s an absolute pleasure to welcome the English Youth Ballet back to our stage. This wonderful company is led by Janet Lewis MBE who had a distinguished career with The Royal Ballet, and they always guarantee stunning productions. The auditions will give young dancers a chance to perform in our beautiful Victorian Theatre alongside professional dancers, which is an excellent opportunity.”

Auditions – Thursday 25th April

English Youth Ballet is offering an exciting opportunity for 100 boys and girls aged 8-18 to perform in The Nutcracker. Auditions will take place at Tyne Theatre & Opera House.

Ages 8 – 11 years: 4.30pm – 6.00pm

Ages 12 – 18: 6.30pm – 8.00pm

This is a fabulous opportunity for young dancers to take part in a professional ballet.

Dancers must arrive at the start time as the audition will take the full time. Registration prior to the audition is recommended, but you may also attend on the day.

For audition pack and registration form please contact English Youth Ballet.

Email: [email protected]

Telephone: 01689 856747 www.englishyouthballet.co.uk

Tickets are priced £13.50 – £21.50 (concessions available) Group booking deal: 9 tickets at concession price plus 1 free.

Tickets are available now via www.tynetheatreandoperahouse.uk

Spark Plug Review

Hull Truck Studio – until 22nd March 2019

Reviewed by Catherine McWilliams

4****

Spark Plug is a remarkable piece of writing and performance. David Judge is both playwright and performer in this emotional play exploring family, love and most of all belonging, and it is inspired by autobiographical events.

Set in the early 1980’s, the story follows “Big Dave” as he tells us how his son “little Dave” came into his life. “Little Dave” has two Dads, his step Dad Dave and his real Dad who left his Mum in the early stages of her pregnancy. His real Dad is black and Dave says “That makes him black. I suppose”, to others this is a problem, but to Dave all he sees is his son who he loves with a raging fierceness.

The stage is set in a workshop/ garage with the cars changing as Dave’s story unfolds from his early Ford Capri to a Fiat 126 as things begin to unravel. The set, lighting and music are very effective in helping to build the story.

David Judge holds the stage for well over an hour as he tells the story and it is impossible to keep your eyes off him, as raw emotion pours out. The language is poetic, yet realistic, Dave could be telling this story over a pint. Tender one minute as he talks about the birth of his son to raging with anger the next as life falls apart around him. There are telling little comments about his Mum and his sister, life has clearly never been easy for Dave. There is humour as Dave tells stories about his son, but Dave never wants us to feel sorry for him, he is a proud man.

David Judge seamlessly slips between playing Big Dave to Little Dave, to his wife Joanne, throwing in his Irish mum and various others characters along the way. He is a very physical actor, and this adds to the tensions that he so successfully builds up along the way, an awe inspiring performance.

The intimacy of The Studio at Hull truck was ideal for watching this heart rending yet heartwarming story, a story deserving to be told. For me the part that has stuck with me is just near the end as little Dave talks about his Dad and he says several times “my Dad”, the pride , the love , the emotion that was in those two words still take my breath away.

This is an intelligent, thought provoking look at life – one to see.

SHEFFIELD THEATRES ANNOUNCES NEW SEASON TO COMPLETE PROGRAMMING FOR 2019

SHEFFIELD THEATRES ANNOUNCES NEW SEASON TO COMPLETE PROGRAMMING FOR 2019

As his production of Richard Hawley and Chris Bush’s Standing at the Sky’s Edge opens in the Crucible, Artistic Director of Sheffield Theatres, Robert Hastie, announces programming for 2019.

The new season sees two additional world premières with two adaptions of bestselling books – Matt Haig’s Reasons to Stay Alive presented in a co-production with English Touring Theatre, and Giles Foden’s The Last King of ScotlandReasons to Stay Alive is imagined for the stage and directed by Jonathan Watkins who returns to Sheffield Theatres following the success of Kes, with text by April de Angelis. Following performances at Sheffield Theatres, the production embarks on a national tour. For The Last King of ScotlandGbolahan Obisesan, directs Steve Waters’ adaptation. Full casting is announced for Lolita Chakrabarti’s adaptation of Yann Martel’s Life of PiMax Webster directs Hiran Abeysekera (Pi), Mina Anwar (Ma, Orange Juice), Kate Colebrook (Richard Parker), Kammy Darweish (Pi’s Father), Fred Davis (Richard Parker), Tara Divina(Rani), Tom Espiner (Father Martin, Commander Grant-Jones), Raj Ghatak (Mamaji, Pandit-Ji), Owain Gwynn(Richard Parker), Syreeta Kumar (Mrs Biology Kumar, Zaida Khan), David K.S.TSE (Mr Okamoto), Habib NasibNader (Cook), and Gabby Wong (Lulu Chen).

The season is completed with two major revivals – Charlotte Keatley’s My Mother Said I Never Should, in a co-production with fingersmiths, presented in British Sign Language and spoken English; and for Christmas, Guys and Dolls directed by Hastie.

Also announced today, is the return of Sheffield Theatres’ award-winning musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie. Currently also running in the West End – at the Apollo Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue, Dan Gillespie Sells and Tom MacRae’s musical, directed by Jonathan Butterell, will start a new UK tour at Sheffield Theatres, running from 8 to 29 February 2020.

Robert Hastie said today, “This year at Sheffield Theatres shows the scale of our ambition and the strength of our commitment to home-grown, far-reaching new work. Standing at the Sky’s Edge is followed by Lolita Chakribati’s adaptation of Life of Pi, and by a new season that brings together some of the country’s most exciting theatre artists to tell stories from all over the world. I’m thrilled that Sheffield-born Matt Haig’s inspirational story – Reasons to Stay Alive, will be told with searing physicality in a première by Jonathan Watkins and April de Angelis, and it’s fantastic to be working with ETT to take this ground-breaking piece to audiences around the country. Gbolahan Obisesan and Steve Waters have both made memorable theatre out of modern history, and their take on the Idi Amin story in The Last King of Scotland promises to deliver a powerful dramatic punch. And Charlotte Keatley’s reimagining of her contemporary classic My Mother Said I Never Should to focus on the experience of a family of deaf women is perfect material for the pioneering work of Jeni Draper and fingersmiths. Rounding off the season, I am looking forward to bringing the timeless joy ofGuys and Dolls to the stage, and the return of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie to its Sheffield birth place, completing a season that gives Sheffield audiences a world of theatre on our three iconic stages.”

CRUCIBLE

A Sheffield Theatres Production

LIFE OF PI

Based on the novel by Yann Martel

Adapted by Lolita Chakrabarti

Director Max Webster; Designer: Tim Hatley; Puppetry and Movement Director: Finn Caldwell Puppetry Designers: Nick Barnes and Finn Caldwell;Lighting Designer: Tim Lutkin

Composer: Andrew Mackay;Sound Designer: Carolyn Downing; Video Designer: Andrzej Goulding Casting Director: Polly Jerrold; Associate Designer: Ross Edwards

28 June – 20 July 2019

After a cargo ship sinks in the middle of the vast Pacific Ocean, there are five survivors stranded on a single lifeboat – a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan, a sixteen-year-old boy and a hungry Bengal tiger. Time is against them, nature is harsh, who will survive?

Based on one of the most extraordinary and best-loved works of fiction – winner of the Man Booker Prize, selling over fifteen million copies worldwide – Life of Pi is a dazzling new theatrical adaptation of an epic journey of endurance and hope. A film of the book, adapted by Ang Lee, was released in 2012.

Award winning writer Yann Martel’s works include The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios (1993), Self(1996), We Ate the Children Last (2004), Beatrice and Virgil (2010) – a New York Times Bestseller and a Financial Times Best Book, 101 Letters to a Prime Minister (2012) – a collection of letters to the prime minister of Canada; and The High Mountains of Portugal (2016).

Lolita Chakrabarti is an award-winning actress and playwright. Her writing credits include Red Velvet which opened at the Tricycle Theatre in London in 2012 before returning there in 2014, transferring to New York and the West End. Red Velvet was nominated for nine major awards including two Oliviers. She won the Evening Standard Theatre Award for Most Promising Playwright, the Critics’ Circle Award for Most Promising Playwright and the AWA Award for Arts and Culture. She has adapted Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino for Manchester International Festival 2019 working alongside digital projection company 59 Productions, Ballet Rambert and Sidi Larbi Cherkhaoui. She recently curated and wrote for The Greatest Wealth, a salute to the NHS on its 70th birthday, at The Old Vic.  She produced Of Mary, a short film directed by Adrian Lester which won Best Short Film at PAFF, Los Angeles in 2012. As an actress she has worked on stage and screen for the last thirty years.  Recent credits include Fanny and Alexander at The Old Vic, Hamlet at RADA directed by Kenneth Branagh, Born to Kill (Channel 4), The Casual Vacancy (BBC/HBO), and she is soon to be seen on Riviera (Sky Atlantic) and Defending the Guilty (BBC).

Hiran Abeysekera plays Pi. His theatre work includes The Prisoner (Théâtre Des Bouffes Du Nord), Cymbeline, Hamlet (Royal Shakespeare Company), Peter Pan (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), and Behind The Beautiful Forevers, War Horse Prom (National Theatre). For television his work includes Find Me in Paris and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Mina Anwar returns to Sheffield Theatres to play Ma, Orange Juice – she previously appeared in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (also West End) and King Lear.  Her other theatre work includes Oats (RSC), Birth International Theatre Festival (Royal Exchange), The Infidel – The Musical (Theatre Royal Stratford East) and The Iron Man (Young Vic). Her work for television includes Damned, The A Word, In the Club, Upstart Crow, Cuffs, Marley’s Ghosts, Scott and Bailey, Moving On, Happy Valley, House of Anubis, A Passionate Woman, Scoop, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Shameless and Love Soup; and for film, The Infidel and Maybe Baby.

Kate Colebrook plays Richard Parker. For theatre, her work includes La Princesse Légère (Opera Comique Paris), Don Q (Flintlock Theatre Company), Ariodante (Festival D’Aix-en Provence), War Horse (National Theatre) andFlare Path (Theatre Royal Haymarket). For television, her work includes Call My Agent and Versailles; and for film, Retour à Bollène.

Kammy Darweish plays Pi’s Father. His theatre credits include Approaching Empty (Kiln Theatre and national tour), All My Sons (Nottingham Playhouse), East is East (Nottingham Playhouse/Northern Stage/UK tour), Wild Honey (Hampstead Theatre), Antony and CleopatraHoly Warriors (Shakespeare’s Globe), City MadamA Midsummer Night’s DreamMarat Sade (RSC), Blood and Gifts, Conduct UnbecomingRomeo and JulietHiawathaPeer Gynt (National Theatre), Mirror for PrincesThe BottlePericles, Midnight’s Children (Cardboard Citizens/RSC), Dance Like a Man (Tara Arts), The Merchant of Venice (Phoenix Theatre), The Snow QueenDon’t Drink the WaterJulius Caesar, Woyzeck (Bristol Old Vic). His television credits include Ackley BridgeSaddam’s TribeBound by BloodWhite Teeth; and for film Skyfall31 North 62 EastThe Omen and Colour Me Kubrick.

Fred Davis plays Richard Parker. His work with Gyre & Gimble includes puppeteer of Napoleon the chimpanzee in The Hartlepool Monkey (UK Tour), Mani and Tonk the orangutans in Running Wild (Chichester Festival Theatre, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and UK Tour).

Other work as a performer includes Peter Pan (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Pass It On and Rattigan’s Nijinsky (Chichester Festival Theatre), Peter Pan, A Christmas Carol, The Hundred and One Dalmatians, The Witches and The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe (Chichester Festival Youth Theatre), The Tempest (Petersfield Shakespeare Festival) and Experiment (Nuffield Southampton Theatres).

Tara Divina plays Rani. She recently graduated from Mountview. Her stage work includes Not Such Quiet Girls(Opera North); and for film, the forthcoming Blinded by Light.

Tom Espiner plays Father Martin, Commander Grant-Jones. His theatre work includes Berberian Sound Studio(Donmar Warehouse), Peggy For You (Hampstead Theatre and West End), Tombstone Tales (Arcola Theatre), The Caucasian Chalk Circle (Unicorn Theatre), Twelfth Night, The Winter’s Tale, Macbeth (Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory and Barbican Pit), Anything Goes, Love’s Labour’s Lost (National Theatre), The Firework-Maker’s Daughter (Told By An Idiot / Lyric Hammersmith), Jason and the Argonauts (BAC), and for Sound&Fury, Kursk (also Young Vic and Sydney Opera House), War Music, The Watery Part of the World, and Ether Frolics. His television work includes Anybody’s Nightmare and The Jewish Revolt; and for film, Stoned.

Raj Ghatak returns to Sheffield Theatres to play Mamaji, Pandit-Ji – he previously appeared in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie. His other theatre work includes The Kite Runner, Miss Meena and the Masala Queens (UK tours), Drones Baby Drones (Arcola Theatre), The Low Road, The Spiral, Free Outgoing, Shades/Unheard Voices(Royal Court Theatre), Free Outgoing (Traverse Theatre), The Bad, Sad and Broken Hearted, Soho Cinders (Soho Theatre), The Secret Garden (Edinburgh Festival Theatre/Toronto), and Bombay Dreams (West End). His television work includes Hetty Feather, Taboo, Dead Set, The 7:39 and Synchronicity; and for film, Christopher Robin, Mrs Brown’s Boys D’Movie, Starter for 10, and Birthday Girl.

Owain Gwynn plays Richard Parker. His theatre credits include War Horse, The Light Princess (National Theatre), The Lorax (The Old Vic), Peter Pan, Porgy & Bess (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Deffro’r Gwanwyn (Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru), and Hamlet, Not About Heroes, Ghosts, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog(Theatr Clwyd). Television credits include Britannia; and for film, Apostle.

Syreeta Kumar plays Mrs Biology Kumar, Zaida Khan. Her theatre credits include Equus (Theatre Royal Stratford East and national tour), The Breakfast Plays (Traverse Theatre), Made in India, The Husbands (Soho Theatre), Twelfth Night, Midnight’s Children, Hamlet, Camino Real, Much Ado About Nothing (Royal Shakespeare Company) and Little Red Riding Hood (Theatre Royal Stratford East). Television credits include Coronation Street as series regular D.C. Leslie

David K.S.TSE plays Mr Okamoto. For theatre, his work includes From Shore to Shore (On the Wire/UK tour), Chimerica (Almeida Theatre and Harold Pinter Theatre), The Arrest of Ai Wei Wei (Hampstead Theatre), Yellow Gentlemen (Oval House), Cross-mopolitan (Chung Ying), Play Stars (Soho Theatre), and Rashomon (Riverside Studios). For television, his work includes Tokyo Trial, Chimerica, Devs, DCI Banks and Cracker; and for film, Deus in Machina, Paradise War, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Spy Game and Bhaji on the Beach.

Habib Nasib Nader plays Cook. His theatre work includes Secret Cinema: Star Wars (The Empire Strikes Back), Downtown Paradise (Welsh Fargo Theatre Company), The Grouch (West Yorkshire Playhouse), and White Open Spaces (Sweden National Touring/Pentabus Theatre and Soho Theatre). Television work includes Zapped, Law and Order UK, Come Fly With Me, Beehive, Mistresses and Little Britain; and for film, Four Warriors, Under Milk Wood, The Golden Compass, Revolver and The Libertine.

Gabby Wong plays Lulu Chen. For theatre, her work includes Pah La (Royal Court Theatre), Dear Elizabeth (Gate Theatre), ManCoin (Vault Festival), Troilus & Cressida, The Jew of Malta, Love’s Sacrifice, Volpone (RSC), The Winter’s Tale, Macbeth (National Theatre), and Doctor Faustus (Duke of York’s/ Jamie Lloyd Company). For television, her work includes Strangers; and for film, Rogue One – A Star Wars Story.

Max Websterwas the inaugural Baylis Director at the Old Vic and is now an Associate Director at the theatre where his work includes Fanny and Alexander, Cover My Tracks and Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax. His other stage work includes the forthcoming The Merry Widow (ENO), The Jungle Book (Northampton/Fiery Angel UK tour), The Winter’s Tale (Lyceum, Edinburgh), King Lear (Royal & Derngate, Northampton/UK tour), Mary Stuart (PARCO Productions, Tokyo), The Twits (Leicester Curve/UK tour), Much Ado About Nothing (Shakespeare’s Globe/International Tour), Orlando, To Kill a Mockingbird, My Young and Foolish Heart (Royal Exchange Manchester), Shostakovich’s Hamlet

(City of London Symphonia), James and the Giant Peach, My Generation (West Yorkshire Playhouse), Twelfth Night (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Anna Karenina (Arcola Theatre), The Chalk Circle (Aarohan Theatre, Nepal), Carnival Under the Rainbow and Feast Kakulu (Hilton Arts Festival, South Africa).

STUDIO

A Sheffield Theatres and English Touring Theatre production

World Première

REASONS TO STAY ALIVE

By Matt Haig

Imagined for the stage by Jonathan Watkins

Text written by April de Angelis

Director Jonathan Watkins

13 – 28 September

‘Life is waiting for you. Hang on in there if you can. Life is always worth it.’

At 24 Matt’s world collapsed under the weight of depression. This is the true story of his journey out of crisis; a profoundly uplifting exploration of living and loving better. The first theatrical adaptation of Matt Haig’s frank and funny bestseller. This play with music and movement, imagined for the stage by Jonathan Watkins, celebrates what it means to be alive.

Matt Haig is a British author for children and adults. His memoir Reasons to Stay Alive was a number one bestseller, staying in the British top ten for 46 weeks. His children’s book A Boy Called Christmas was a runaway hit and is translated in over 25 languages. His novels for adults include the award-winning The Radleys and The Humans. He won the TV Book Club ‘book of the series’, and has been shortlisted for a Specsavers National Book Award. The Humans was chosen as a World Book Night title. His children’s novels have won the Smarties Gold Medal, the Blue Peter Book of the Year, been shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize and nominated for the Carnegie Medal three times.

April De Angelis’ work includes Wild East (Young Vic), The Village adapted from Lope de Vega’s Fuenteovejuna(Theatre Royal Stratford East), My Brilliant Friend adapted from Elena Ferrante’s novels (Rose Theatre Kingston), Rune (Old Vic Stoke), After Electra (Plymouth Theatre Royal and Tricycle Theatre), Jumpy (Royal Court and Duke of York’s), Catch (a collaboration with four other female playwrights) and Wild East (Royal Court), A Gloriously Mucky Business (Lyric Hammersmith), Calais (Paines Plough/Oran Mor), Country (Terror Season, Southwark Playhouse), an adaptation of Wuthering Heights (Birmingham Rep Theatre), A Laughing Matter (Out of Joint Theatre Company, National Theatre), The Warwickshire Testimony (RSC, The Other Place),The Positive Hour (Out of Joint Theatre/National Tour) and Playhouse Creatures (Sphinx Theatre Company, later revived by The Old Vic Theatre).

Jonathan Watkins directed and adapted KES (Sheffield Crucible Theatre, UK) a full-length dance-theatre production of the book ‘A Kestrel for a Knave’ by Barry Hines and created the first dance adaptation of George Orwell’s modern classic 1984 for Northern Ballet (UK Tour and Sadler’s Wells Theatre, May 2016). 1984 won Best New Dance Production at The Southbank Sky Arts Awards 2016 and was broadcast on the BBC with a DVD release by Opus Arte. Other credits include; Silent Vision, Stop Me When I’m Stuck, In The Presence of Others(Royal Ballet at Linbury Studio Theatre), As One (Royal Ballet), Diana and Actaeon for the productionMetamorphosis: Titian (Royal Opera House/BBC Imagine film), Beyond Prejudice, Free Falling (Curve Foundation, Edinburgh Fringe Festival), NOW (New York City Ballet), Anger Fix (Sadler’s Wells), From Within andOnwards (Royal Ballet School), Push, Pull and all in-between and Osmosis (Hong Kong Performing Arts Centre),Together Alone (Ballet Black), Eventual Progress (Ekaterinburg Ballet Theatre, Russia),  Present Process (Ballet Manila, Philippines), A Northern Trilogy (Northern Ballet), and Crash (Texas Ballet Theatre). He also worked as Movement Director on Road by Jim Cartwright (Royal Court Theatre), People by Alan Bennett (National Theatre), The Machine (Manchester International Festival/Donmar Warehouse/New York Park Avenue Armoury), Aristocrats and Coriolanus (Donmar Warehouse). On film Route 67 for The Slice Project. Sofa, which he also directed, and Bunker for Channel 4’s Random Acts series. He produced and directed the Iphone Dance Series, a collection of Iphone shot dance films and recently directed the Saint-Petersburg Film Festival selected short Imperfect Perfection. 

CRUCIBLE

A Sheffield Theatres Production

World Première

THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND

Based on the novel by Giles Foden

Adapted for the stage by Steve Waters

Director Gbolahan Obisesan

27 September – 19 October

‘He is the sickness and you maintain that sickness’

Idi Amin is the self-declared President of Uganda. When Scottish medic Nicholas Garrigan becomes his personal physician, he is catapulted into Amin’s inner circle. A useful asset for the British Secret Service, is Garrigan the man on the inside, or does he have blood on his hands too? The first stage adaptation of the award-winning novel that inspired the Oscar-winning movie, The Last King of Scotland is an electrifying thriller about corruption and complicity.

Giles Foden was assistant editor of The Times Literary Supplement and deputy literary editor of The Guardian. His first novel, The Last King of Scotland, won the 1998 Whitbread First Novel Award, a Somerset Maugham Award, a Betty Trask prize and the Winifred Holtby Memorial Award. It was made into a feature film, starring Forest Whittaker (who won an Oscar for Best Actor for his performance) as Idi Amin, and directed by Kevin McDonald. His other books include LadysmithZanzibar and Turbulence, and non-fiction book, Mimi and Toutou Go Forth.

Steve Waters’ plays include Limehouse (Donmar Warehouse, 2017), Temple (Donmar Warehouse, 2015), Why Can’t We Live Together? (Menagerie Theatre/Soho/Theatre503, 2013), Europa, as co-author (Birmingham Repertory Theatre/Dresden State Theatre/Teatr Polski Bydgoszcz/Zagreb Youth Theatre, 2013), Ignorance/Jahiliyyah (Hampstead Downstairs, 2012), Little Platoons (Bush Theatre, 2011), The Contingency Plan (Bush Theatre, 2009), Fast Labour (Hampstead, in association with West Yorkshire Playhouse, 2008), Out of Your Knowledge (Menagerie Theatre/ Pleasance, Edinburgh/East Anglian tour, 2006-8), World Music (Sheffield Crucible, 2003, and subsequent transfer to the Donmar Warehouse, 2004), The Unthinkable (Sheffield Crucible, 2004), After the Gods (Hampstead Theatre, 2002), and English Journeys (Hampstead Theatre, 1998). His writing for television and radio includes Safe House (BBC4), The Air GapThe Moderniser (BBC Radio 4), ScribblersBretton Woods (BBC Radio 3), and Fall of The Shah (BBC World Service 9-part series).

Gbolahan Obisesan directed four plays as part of The Bush Theatre’s 66 BOOKS project which ran at the Bush and Westminster Abbey. Other directing credits include SUS (Young Vic and UK tour – Jerwood Award for directing) and he was Director in Residence at the National Theatre Studio and resident director for the Fela!(National Theatre). Associate Director credits include The Way of The World, and Julius Caesar (RSC). He is Genesis Fellow of the Young Vic Theatre and is under commission to Eclipse Theatre Company. Previous credits include SS Mendi: Dancing the Death Drill (Nuffield Southampton Theatres), How Nigeria Became: A Story, And A Spear That Didn’t Work (Unicorn Theatre), We Are Proud To Present… (Bush Theatre), Pigeon English (Bristol Old Vic / Edinburgh Festival) and Mad About The Boy (Edinburgh Festival and UK tour). He was one of the six writers and the only British writer on Rufus Norris’ Feast, commissioned by the Royal Court and The Young Vic for their World Stages London which was produced at The Young Vic.

STUDIO

A Sheffield Theatres and fingersmiths Production

MY MOTHER SAID I NEVER SHOULD

By Charlotte Keatley

8 – 23 November

Director Jeni Draper

‘You are always your Mother’s child, my Mother used to say’

A moving and funny exploration of the lives of four generations of women in one family. Shifting back and forth in time, we see their loves, expectations and choices play out against the huge social changes of the past century.

A contemporary classic, Sheffield Theatres is delighted to work with fingersmiths (Up ’n’ Under) to present this multi-award-winning play in British Sign Language and spoken English. Featuring a cast of d/Deaf and hearing actors, this production’s visual, physical storytelling style captures the power of a timeless story which shows it’s never too late to change.

All performances are in spoken English and British Sign Language (BSL) and are accessible for hearing and Deaf audiences.

Charlotte Keatley is an award-winning playwright and My Mother Said I Never Should is the most widely performed play ever written by a woman, having now been translated or produced in 31 countries from Japan to Peru. in 2000 the National Theatre named it one of the Significant Plays of the Twentieth Century, and it is a GCSE set text. Other credits include The Iron Serpent, An Armenian ChildhoodWaiting for MartinFears and Miseries in the Third TermThe Ringing Singing Tree, The Sleep of ReasonI am Janet, and Our Father (published by Methuen). Keatley has also written for radio, television and film. She was co-winner of an EMMY for filming in children’s prisons in Georgia, East Europe, for a the C4 documentary Kids Behind Bars. She has run playwriting workshops from Burnley to Shanghai, and continues to run workshops in theatres, schools, universities and for community groups of all ages.

Jeni Draper directs. For fingersmiths, Jeni Draper has directed War Crimes for the Home (R&D commission Pulse Festival), Frozen (Birmingham Rep co-pro and national tour), Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (R&D) and In Praise of Fallen Women (co-creator with Kaite O’Reilly and Jean St Clair). Her other directing credits includeInvisible Women (Writer: Nicky Werenowska in development 2018), Don’t Leave Me Now (rehearsed readings ongoing), War Crimes for the Home (tour), Inheritance (R&D), Merry Wives of Waltham (London fringe), Silence(R&D Mercury Colchester) and Counting the Ways (Face Front Theatre, national tour). Jeni also works as a consultant for individual artists and companies. fingersmiths is an Associate company at New Wolsey Theatre and Jeni is an Associate Artist at Prime Youth Theatre Swindon. She is a qualified sign language interpreter and trainer.

A Sheffield Theatres Production

CRUCIBLE

GUYS AND DOLLS

A Musical Fable of Broadway Based on a story and characters of Damon Runyon

Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser Book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows

Performed by arrangement with Music Theatre International (Europe) LTD

Director: Robert Hastie

7 December 2019 – 18 January 2020

‘Luck be a lady tonight!’

It’s time to roll the dice and fall in love under the bright lights of New York city! To settle a bet, high roller Sky Masterson pursues straight-laced Sergeant Sarah Brown, only to fall head over heels for his unlikely love. This spectacular musical comedy is a high energy riot of breathtaking dance and features all-time favourites Luck be a LadyGuys and Dolls and the irresistible Sit Down, You’re Rocking the Boat.

Robert Hastie’s recent productions as Artistic Director of Sheffield Theatres include Standing at the Sky’s Edge, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The York Realist (co-production with the Donmar Warehouse – Evening Standard Theatre Award nomination for Best Director), The Wizard of OzOf Kith and Kin (co-production with Bush Theatre) and Julius Caesar. Previous directing credits include Macbeth (Shakespeare’s Globe), Breaking the Code (Royal Exchange Manchester), Henry V (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre) and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Theatr Clwyd). As an Associate Director of the Donmar Warehouse, his work includes My Night with Reg by Kevin Elyot (Donmar Warehouse/West End – Best Newcomer nomination at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards, and Best Revival nomination at the Olivier Awards) and Splendour by Abi Morgan. His other directing credits include Carthage and Events While Guarding The Bofors Gun (Finborough Theatre), Sunburst (Holborn Grange Hotel),Sixty-Six Books (Bush Theatre) and A Breakfast of Eels (Print Room).

ENGLISH TOURING THEATRE ANNOUNCES AUTUMN 2019 SEASON

ENGLISH TOURING THEATRE ANNOUNCES

AUTUMN 2019 SEASON

With the critically-acclaimed Equus and The Funeral Director currently touring the UK, English Touring Theatre today announces the full tour dates for its Autumn 2019 Season. The company, in a co-production with Royal & Derngate, present the revival of August Wilson’s Two Trains Runningdirected by the 2018 winner of the RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award, Nancy Medina. Then, in a co-production with Sheffield Theatres, they present the world première stage adaptation of Matt Haig’s Reasons to Stay Alive.

Two Trains Running opens at Royal & Derngate on 4 September, with previews from 31 August, and runs until 14 September. Following this it tours to Southampton, Oxford, Doncaster, Ipswich, Guildford and Derby

Reasons to Stay Alive opens at Sheffield Theatres on 18 September, with previews from 13 September and runs until 28 September. Following this it tours to Bristol, Huddersfield, Newcastle, Manchester, York and Leeds.

Richard Twyman, Artistic Director of ETT, and Sophie Scull, Executive Producer, said today, “We’re looking forward to an Autumn Season that will see us produce two important and iconic pieces of work for audiences across the country, while deepening our partnerships with Royal Theatrical Support Trust (RTST), Royal & Derngate and Sheffield Theatres.

Firstly, we will be working with Royal & Derngate and the RTST to produce August Wilson’s seminal American classic of injustice and social upheaval, Two Trains Running. Nancy Medina one of our brightest talents will direct the first UK production in over 20 years, a play that deserves its place in the canon, as one of the great American plays of the 20th century.

We’re also incredibly proud to be collaborating with Sheffield Theatres and the uniquely brilliant talents of choreographer Jonathan Watkins and playwright April de Angelis to bring Matt Haig’s beautiful and astonishing book, Reasons to Stay Alive, to theatrical life for the first time.

We are so looking forward to continuing our commitment to touring bold, finely crafted and utterly unique work nationally: collectively these shows will be seen by audiences in Bristol, Derby, Doncaster, Guildford, Huddersfield, Ipswich, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Northampton, Oxford, Sheffield, Southampton and York.”

English Touring Theatre and Royal & Derngate Northampton present

Two Trains Running

by August Wilson

Directed by Nancy Medina

UK tour: 31 August – 27 November 2019

There’s a controversial new president in the White House, and racial tensions are on the rise.

It is Pittsburgh, 1969, and the regulars of Memphis Lee’s restaurant are struggling to cope with the turbulence of a rapidly changing world. The diner is in threat of being torn down, a casualty of the city’s renovation project that is sweeping away the buildings of a community, but not its spirit.

The iconic American playwright August Wilson paints a vivid portrait of everyday lives in this defining moment of American history. When Two Trains Running opened on Broadway in 1992, its legendary première won TONY and Drama Desk Awards.

Directed by the 2018 winner of the RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award, Nancy Medina, this major revival will introduce this Pulitzer Prize shortlisted modern classic to UK-wide audiences for the first time.

#TwoTrains2019

Supported by a grant from The Royal Theatrical Support Trust.

August Wilson (1945–2005) was an American playwright. He won a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award for his playFences and earned a second Pulitzer Prize for The Piano Lesson. His other notable works include Seven Guitars, Gem of the Ocean, Jitney and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.

Nancy Medina was the 2018 winner of the RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award and the 2017 Genesis Future Director Award winner for the Young Vic. She is an acting tutor at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and Course Leader for a post-16 Professional Acting Diploma at Boomsatsuma. Her Directing credits include Collective Rage: A Play in 5 Betties (Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama), When They Go Low (NT Connections/Sherman Theatre), Yellowman (Young Vic), Curried Goat and Fish Fingers (Bristol Old Vic), Dogtag (Theatre West), Strawberry & Chocolate (Tobacco Factory Theatres), Dutchman (Tobacco Factory Theatres), Persistence of Memory (Rondo Theatre) and the forthcoming Half a God of Rainfall at Kiln Theatre.

English Touring Theatre and Sheffield Theatres present

The World Première of

Reasons to Stay Alive

By Matt Haig

Imagined for the stage by Jonathan Watkins

Text written by April de Angelis

Directed by Jonathan Watkins

UK tour: 13 September – 16 November 2019

‘Life is waiting for you. Hang on in there if you can. Life is always worth it.’

At 24 Matt’s world collapsed under the weight of depression. This is the true story of his journey out of crisis; a profoundly uplifting exploration of living and loving better. The first theatrical adaptation of Matt Haig’s frank and funny bestseller. This play with music and movement, imagined for the stage by Jonathan Watkins, celebrates what it means to be alive.

#ReasonsPlay

Matt Haig is a British author for children and adults. His memoir Reasons to Stay Alive was a number one bestseller, staying in the British top ten for 46 weeks. His children’s book A Boy Called Christmas was a runaway hit and is translated in over 25 languages. His novels for adults include the award-winning The Radleys and The Humans. He won the TV Book Club ‘book of the series’, and has been shortlisted for a Specsavers National Book Award. The Humans was chosen as a World Book Night title. His children’s novels have won the Smarties Gold Medal, the Blue Peter Book of the Year, been shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize and nominated for the Carnegie Medal three times.

April De Angelis’ work includes Wild East (Young Vic), The Village adapted from Lope de Vega’s Fuenteovejuna(Theatre Royal Stratford East), My Brilliant Friend adapted from Elena Ferrante’s novels (Rose Theatre Kingston), Rune (Old Vic Stoke), After Electra (Plymouth Theatre Royal and Tricycle Theatre), Jumpy (Royal Court and Duke of York’s), Catch (a collaboration with four other female playwrights) and Wild East (Royal Court), A Gloriously Mucky Business (Lyric Hammersmith), Calais (Paines Plough/Oran Mor), Country (Terror Season, Southwark Playhouse), an adaptation of Wuthering Heights (Birmingham Rep Theatre), A Laughing Matter (Out of Joint Theatre Company, National Theatre), The Warwickshire Testimony (RSC, The Other Place),The Positive Hour (Out of Joint Theatre/National Tour) and Playhouse Creatures (Sphinx Theatre Company, later revived by The Old Vic Theatre).

Jonathan Watkins directed and adapted KES (Sheffield Crucible Theatre, UK) a full-length dance-theatre production of the book ‘A Kestrel for a Knave’ by Barry Hines and created the first dance adaptation of George Orwell’s modern classic 1984 for Northern Ballet (UK Tour and Sadler’s Wells Theatre, May 2016). 1984 won Best New Dance Production at The Southbank Sky Arts Awards 2016 and was broadcast on the BBC with a DVD release by Opus Arte. Other credits include; Silent Vision, Stop Me When I’m Stuck, In The Presence of Others (Royal Ballet at Linbury Studio Theatre), As One(Royal Ballet), Diana and Actaeon for the production Metamorphosis: Titian (Royal Opera House/BBC Imagine film), Beyond Prejudice, Free Falling (Curve Foundation, Edinburgh Fringe Festival), NOW (New York City Ballet), Anger Fix (Sadler’s Wells), From Within and Onwards (Royal Ballet School), Push, Pull and all in-between and Osmosis (Hong Kong Performing Arts Centre), Together Alone (Ballet Black), Eventual Progress (Ekaterinburg Ballet Theatre, Russia),  Present Process (Ballet Manila, Philippines), A Northern Trilogy (Northern Ballet), and Crash (Texas Ballet Theatre). He also worked as Movement Director on Road by Jim Cartwright (Royal Court Theatre),People by Alan Bennett (National Theatre), The Machine (Manchester International Festival/Donmar Warehouse/New York Park Avenue Armoury), Aristocrats and Coriolanus (Donmar Warehouse). On film Route 67 for The Slice Project. Sofa, which he also directed, and Bunker for Channel 4’s Random Acts series. He produced and directed the Iphone Dance Series, a collection of Iphone shot dance films and recently directed the Saint-Petersburg Film Festival selected short Imperfect Perfection. 

TOUR DATES

TWO TRAINS RUNNING

Royal & Derngate Northampton

31 August – 14 September 2019

Box Office: 01604 624811 / www.royalandderngate.co.uk

Nuffield Southampton Theatres

17 – 21 September 2019

Box Office: 023 8067 1771 www.nstheatres.co.uk

Oxford Playhouse

24 – 28 September

Box Office: 01865 305305 / www.oxfordplayhouse.com

Cast, Doncaster

1 – 5 October 2019

Box Office: 01302 303 959 / www.castindoncaster.com

New Wolsey Theatre 

8 – 12 October

Box Office: 01473 295900 / www.wolseytheatre.co.uk

Yvonne Arnaud Theatre

15 -19 October 2019

Box Office: 01483 44 00 00 / www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk

Derby Theatre

22 – 27 October 2019

Box Office: 01332 59 39 39 www.derbytheatre.co.uk

REASONS TO STAY ALIVE

Sheffield Theatres

13 – 28 September 2019

Press night: Wednesday 18 September, 7.45pm

Box Office: 0114 249 6000 www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk

Bristol Old Vic

1 – 5 October 2019

Box Office: 0117 987 7877 / www.bristololdvic.org.uk

Lawrence Batley Theatre

8 – 12 October 2019

Box Office: 01484 430 528 / www.thelbt.org

Northern Stage

15 – 19 October 2019

Box Office: 0191 230 5151 / www.northernstage.co.uk

HOME Manchester

29 October – 2 November 2019

Box Office: 0161 200 1500 / www.homemcr.org

York Theatre Royal

5 – 9 November 2019

Box Office: 01904 623 568 / www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk

Leeds Playhouse

12 – 16 November 2019

Box Office: 0113 213 7700 / www.leedsplayhouse.org.uk

Phil Daniels and Janie Dee to star in The Happy Prince, a new musical inspired by Oscar Wilde’s classic fairytale

Wilde Theatre Productions (WTP) presents:
THE HAPPY PRINCE

  • ‘THE HAPPY PRINCE’ – A NEW MUSICAL INSPIRED BY OSCAR WILDE’S CLASSIC FAIRYTALE, WILL BE PRESENTED IN THREE SHOWCASE PERFORMANCES AT THE PLACE THEATRE THIS MAY
  • PHIL DANIELS, JANIE DEE, SOPHIA HURDLEY AND SAM ARCHER LEAD THE CAST
  • WITH MUSIC, LYRICS AND DIRECTION BY HAL CAZALET AND BOOK BY MICHAEL BARRY, THE MUSICAL WILL RUN ON MAY 3rd & 4th
  • TICKETS NOW ON SALE FROM WWW.THEPLACE.ORG.UK

A new musical based on Oscar Wilde’s classic fairy tale will be presented in three showcase performances at The Place from 3 – 4 May 2019.  The Happy Prince stars Janie Dee as Mrs Bentley, Phil Daniels as The Mayor, Sophia Hurdley as The Swallow and Sam Archer as The Prince. This heart-rending story about a Swallow’s faithful love for the golden statue of a Prince is told through a seamless fusion of dance and song.

The rest of the cast includes David Burt, Louis Gaunt, Sammy Graham, Jessica Pardoe, Edwin Ray, Ronald Samm, Cilla Silvia, Gemma Wardle and Alfie Wickham.

Hal Cazalet said: “The Happy Prince is a fairy tale for today and as Oscar Wilde intended, for both adults and children alike.  I can’t help but feel that the Wildean themes of greed and corruption set against the redeeming power of love and sacrifice are every bit as relevant and urgent in our present world, as when Wilde wrote the story in 1888.”

This modern musical adaptation is set in an unpleasant 1920’s Laundry House from which the potent technicolour world of the fairy tale evolves. Dark humour, greed and corruption are at work as the malevolent designs of a despot Mayor drive a town into bankruptcy and ruin. Drawing parallels to the world today, walls are being built to divide societies, so the Statue of a Prince, trapped behind the walls of his own palace, must win over the heart of a Swallow to save his people.

Although outwardly beautiful, the omniscient Prince is troubled by the poverty and suffering surrounding him. He persuades the Swallow to become his messenger and distribute his treasures to the townspeople who are most in need. In a race against time, and as the Swallow gradually removes his sapphire eyes and his gold leaf, outwardly the statue looks dull and shabby but the Prince is inwardly renewed and freed of his torment.

Phil Daniels is an iconic actor who rose to fame through his roles in Quadrophenia and Scum(1979). Acclaimed television performances include Moonfleet, Holding On, Outlaws, Eastenders, Rock and Chips and guest leads in New Tricks and Poirot. His extensive theatre credits includeAnthony and Cleopatra and The Knight of the Burning Pestle at Shakespeare’s Globe, Monsieur Thénardier in Les Misérables (West End), This House (National Theatre, Garrick Theatre), Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (tour), and King Lear (Chichester Festival Theatre).  Recent credits include the feature film The Hatton Garden JobZapped (Dave) and Endeavor (ITV). Most recently Phil starred alongside Jim Broadbent in A Very Very Dark Matter (Bridge Theatre).

Janie Dee is an award-winning actress, singer and musical theatre performer characterised by her extraordinary versatility in acclaimed work on stage, film, television and radio. Best known for her performance as Jacie Triplethree in Comic Potential (1998) and as Carrie Pipperidge in Carousel(1993) at the National Theatre, her most recent theatre credits include Phyllis Rogers Stone inFollies at the National Theatre (2017). Janie has won three of the most prestigious awards in British Theatre; the Olivier Award, the Evening Standard Award and Critics Circle Awards for Best Actress in a Play.

Sam Archer is best known for his performances as a principal dancer in Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures, including creating the title role in Edward Scissorhands (2005). Sam has also performed in a number of musicals and plays in the West End and internationally, most recently in Emma Rice’s Wise Children.

Sophia Hurdley is in Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures company and dances leading roles in his repertoire. Her film credits include Cinderella and The Phantom of the Opera.

The creative team includes Hal Cazalet (Direction, Music and Lyrics), Michael Barry (Book and Movement Director), David Howe (Lighting), Sophia Hurdley (Choreography) and Sam Archer (Choreography). The original workshop for the production was developed alongside Maria Friedman and Drew McOnie.

FAYE TOZER STEPS INTO THE ROLE OF MISS HEDGE IN EVERYBODY’S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE FOR A STRICTLY LIMITED SEASON

FAYE TOZER STEPS INTO THE ROLE OF MISS HEDGE IN EVERYBODY’S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE FOR A STRICTLY LIMITED SEASON

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, the award-winning feel good musical sensation, is pleased to announce thatSteps star and Strictly Come Dancing finalist, Faye Tozer, will take on the role of Miss Hedge from Saturday 6 May 2019 to Saturday 3 August 2019.

Faye Tozer said:

I am extremely proud to be joining this ground-breaking, award winning production which is so fresh and current on the West End scene.

Nica Burns, Producer of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie said:

Faye is a terrific talent who will bring her own special qualities to the role. We are delighted that she is joining the company.

Faye Tozer is a singer-songwriter, dancer and stage actress who is best known for being a member of the Brit Award winning pop band StepsSteps have sold over 20 million records worldwide and performed sold out arena tours. Their most recent album, Tears on the Dancefloor, which saw the band reform to celebrate their 20th anniversary, went to #1 in the UK album charts in 2017.

Faye was most recently seen on television in the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, where she made it to the 2018 finals with her dance partner Giovanni Pernice.

Faye began her theatre career in 2004 starring in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Tell Me on a Sunday. Other theatre credits include Saucy Jack and the Space Vixens (The Venue Theatre, London), Tailor Made Man (The Arts Theatre, London) and UK tours of Love ShackMe & My GirlDial M for MurderOver the Rainbow,Rhinestone MondaysSingin’ in the Rain and The Naked Truth.

Faye will join current cast members: Layton Williams (Jamie New), Alex Anstey (Laika Virgin), Luke Baker (Dean Paxton), Courtney Bowman (Fatimah), Marvyn Charles (Swing), Marlon G Day (Dad), Momar Diagne, Zahra Jones (Becca), James Gillan (Tray Sophisticay), Ryan Hughes (Mickey), Daniel Jacob (Sandra Bollock), Melissa Jacques, Emily Kenwright (Vicki), Sejal Keshwala (Ray), Luke Latchman (Sayid), Jordan Laviniere (Cy), Rebecca McKinnis (Margaret New), Harriet Payne (Bex), Rachel Price (Swing), Sabrina Sandhu (Pritti Pasha), Biancha Szynal (Swing), Adam Taylor (Swing) and Ziggy Tyler Taylor (Levi).

Jamie New is sixteen and lives on a council estate in Sheffield.

Jamie doesn’t quite fit in.

Jamie is terrified about the future.

Jamie is going to be a sensation.

Supported by his brilliant loving mum and surrounded by his friends, Jamie overcomes prejudice, beats the bullies and steps out of the darkness, into the spotlight. With catchy songs by lead singer-songwriter of The Feeling, Dan Gillespie Sells, and book and lyrics by writer Tom MacRae, this funny, fabulous, feel-good, musical sensation has been wowing audiences and critics alike. Sixteen: the edge of possibility. Time to make your dreams come true.

Watch the Everybody’s Talking About Jamie trailer here.

Music by Dan Gillespie Sells

Book and Lyrics by Tom MacRae

From an idea by Jonathan Butterell

Directed by Jonathan Butterell

Design by Anna Fleischle

Choreography by Kate Prince

Lighting design by Lucy Carter

Sound design by Paul Groothuis

Casting by Will Burton

Musical Supervisor Theo Jamieson

Musical Director Richard Weeden

Video Design Luke Halls

Beauty and the Beast Review

The Lowry, Salford – until 23rd March 2019. 

Reviewed by Sarah Cockerill

5*****

The enchanting masterpiece that is Beauty and the Beast was welcomed by the audience at The Lowry, Salford this week. Whilst there’s no denying that the movie adaptations of Beauty and the Beast are magical, this spellbinding adaptation by Birmingham Royal Ballet was so entrancing it hooked us all – children and adults alike.

Yvette Knight’s performance as Belle was enough in itself to hypnotise the audience into a trance and it was impossible not to be always drawn to her when she took to the stage. When she opened the show in postcard-worthy freeze frame I couldn’t be 100% sure that she was a three-dimensional human being. Her performance throughout can only be described as utterly stunning.

The candelabra may not have been all singing and dancing, but the magic was still there, leaving the audience with that same feeling of fascination and joy that was felt as a child watching a Disney film which made this show all the better. I didn’t feel like I was watching a show for children, I was watching a world-class masterpiece that could be enjoyed by all.

The intricate detail in the set and costumes added to the magic. The Beast’s look was more feline than monstrous, but his grotesque mask meant his presence on stage was a chilling experience for the audience, a stark contrast to the presence of Belle.

The man behind the mask, Brandon Lawrence, was perfect for the role, and the chemistry between Lawrence and Knight was completely captivating. Their dances could have gone on all night and I wouldn’t have been able to keep my eyes off them.

Accompanying the cast was the live orchestra which was a glorious treat that plucked at the heartstrings at precisely the right moments during the show. The music of Glenn Buhr perfectly complemented the choreography of David Bintley, a collaboration I would be delighted to witness again.

Whilst this wasn’t the first production I’d seen from Birmingham Royal Ballet, it most certainly won’t be the last either.

Catch Beauty and The Beast at The Lowry, Salford until Saturday 23rd March.

Curve and Birmingham Hippodrome statement regarding ‘The Color Purple’

STATEMENT

On Friday 15 March a social media post dating from 2014, which was written by the The Color Purple cast member Seyi Omooba, was re-posted on Twitter. The comments made by Seyi in that post have caused significant and widely expressed concerns both on social media and in the wider press.

Following careful reflection it has been decided that Seyi will no longer be involved with the production. This decision was supported by the Authors and Theatrical Rights Worldwide.

The audition process, as ever, was conducted professionally and rigorously, led by an exceptional casting director with actors who are evaluated on what they present in the audition room. We do not operate a social media screening process in the casting of actors.

No further comment will be made at this time.

Chris Stafford and Nikolai Foster on behalf of Curve and Fiona Allan on behalf of Birmingham Hippodrome

Jersey Boys Review

Mayflower Theatre Southampton – until Saturday 30th March 2019.

Reviewed by Leanne Caplis

5*****

Dodger Theatricals and Ambassador Theatre Group present Jersey Boys who once again return to the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton.

Watch as you are taken through a musical extravaganza of one of the most successful bands in music history. Worldwide hits including Big Girls Don’t Cry, Walk Like a Man and Sherry tell the true-life story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.

The full cast have remarkable talent although the stands out stars, with their West End professionalism shining through were Simon Bailey (Tommy Devito), Declan Egan (Bob Gaudio) and Michael Watson (Frankie Valli). The voices of these three cast members were faultless with Simon Bailey taking my numbers one spot for star of the show.

Right from curtain up I found myself tapping my feet, clapping my hands and singing along with the music. I thought it clever how we saw a concert from the eyes of the Four Seasons although a warning to those in the dress circle – you might need your sunglasses at the end of the scene as the lights are extremely bright!

The staging is superb and continually changes from a bar to a car and even to a bedroom. The prop and scene changes are carried out seamlessly and although there are a lot of them they do not distract from the show which is testament to the talents of the cast and crew alike.

It was hard to find fault with most of this show which is to be expected with a show that has appeared in the West End. However, the continuous use of expletives is not required. This is a family show and those considering taking younger audience members might want to be aware of it.

The show doesn’t finish at curtain call as you will find yourself singing along with others to the songs of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons as you leave the theatre. If you like music this fast moving, hit after hit show is for you.