BLAKE are proud to announce their brand-new UK tour for 2019; Movies and Musicals.
With their latest (and seventh) album going straight into the charts at number one, BLAKE really stand out as Britain’s number one harmony group.
For over 10 years BLAKE have performed Classical, Opera and Crossover giving each song a beautiful and unique BLAKE sound.
2019’s exclusive new tour will see them choose music from their favourite movies and musicals and arrange them with their own exclusive harmonies. Songs from all the greats like Morricone, Barry, Bernstein and Bizet will be amongst many that feature in this brand-new tour. Add to this a beautiful backdrop, incredible choirs and some hilarious stories and it all adds up to the perfect night out.
“This new tour is a tribute to some of the very best that Stage and Screen has to offer”
Since coming together in 2007 BLAKE have had enormous success throughout the World with over a million albums sold, No.1 hits in ten countries and approaching 150 TV appearances around the globe. Their career has seen them work with some of the industry greats including the magnificent Katherine Jenkins and the spectacular Dame Shirley Bassey.
BLAKE continue to delight audiences with their astounding singing and magnetic stage presence. Their friendship dates back to their school years and because of this their performances are natural and instinctive, which is why audiences come back to see them year after year.
Theatre Royal Bath Ustinov – until 26th Jan Reviewed by Nicky Wyatt 5*****
My first time at the Ustinov , what a lovely theatre space and also my first New Old Friends production. Absolutely brilliant! Crimes on the Nile is a superb comedy theatre with the story of Agatha Christie Death on the Nile rescripted to a cleverly written laugh out loud comedy.
With just 4 actors playing 12 roles it is a fast quick humoured show with some very clever word play. I can only imagine the fun these 4 have off stage rehearsing it.
The infamous lady detective Artemis Ariane (Kirsty Cox) having to use her grey matter to unravel the crimes. She is a cross between Miss Marple and Poirot she even has a Belgium accent. Although on holiday and despite her refusals to get involved she is soon at work trying to solve the mystery.
The quick and clever accent changes are reminiscent of the much loved Allo Allo style comedy complete with innuendo and many double entendres. Along with the amazing use of stage space including clever props, I mean you would never expect to see a Crocodile and a Camel race on stage!
These actors and their quick changes of voice and clothes are hilarious. Heather Westwell was my favourite with her Mimi, Aurora, Luna and Temperance so very clever. I particularly loved the room scene she must have been shattered. Temperance with her novels and writings had me in stitches especially when her son Feargus Woods Dunlop as Colossus was in the room , such an embarrassing mum!
Feargus so good as the Dr a bit odd and gawky very funny but as Simpkins he was brilliant the mans that sees all and no one notices.
Fergus Leatham the loveable rogue of ships captain , Kirk and Marty was so funny throughout, from hiding his drinking to wooing Temperance.
In Bath for another week or so I urge you to go and laugh the January Blues away – James Farrell director just brilliant!
· BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND THE WORLD RENOWNED TAIKO DRUMMERS COMBINE TRADITIONAL MUSIC WITH STYLE AND AGILITY
· NOW IN THEIR 25TH YEAR YAMATO WILL PRESENT THE UK PREMIERE OF “JHONETSU” or “PASSION”, BEGINNING ON 15TH FEBRUARY AT THE BRIGHTON DOME
· YAMATO WILL THEN TOUR TO 18 VENUES IN THREE WEEKS INCLUDING MILTON KEYNES, LIVERPOOL, YORK, COVENTRY, STOKE, MALVERN, POOLE, TORQUAY, OXFORD, FOLKESTONE, READING, GUILDFORD, HIGH WYCOMBE, BIRMINGHAM, MIDDLESBROUGH, SUNDERLAND BEFORE A RUN AT LONDON’S PEACOCK THEATRE
Yamato: the Drummers of Japan will return to the UK following their hugely successful 2017 tour. From February 2019 audiences across the country can experience Yamato’s innovative style; combining traditional Taiko drumming with spectacle and athleticism.
Next spring Yamato will bring their unique style of performance back to Britain for a 18 venue tour – from 15th February to 31st March – presenting a production never before seen in the UK. The 12-strong Taiko troupe will make a return visit to some venues as well as stopping off in new cities spanning the country. Press night will be held at the Brighton Dome on 15th February.
Yamato formed in 1993 with the aim of preserving the tradition of Taiko drumming whilst exploring new possibilities for the majestic instrument, the wadiako, and to create endless opportunities for the rich reverberations to be heard worldwide. Recognised as trailblazers in the Taiko world, Yamato has broken from the patriarchal confines of the style by including female drummers in the troupe from inception. Since then, the troupe has performed in front of 7 million people in more than 54 countries across the globe.
Perhaps more physically demanding that any other drumming style, performers must not only learn the traditional technique but also engage in an intensive endurance training programme. Taiko drums can weigh up to half a ton and to strike them effectively requires the full strength of a well-trained body. Yamato’s troupe starts each day with a 10km run and vigorous weight training to keep themselves in peak physical condition and maintain the fitness needed for their nightly 2 hour performances.
In this brand new show “Passion” or “Jhonetsu”, the drummers will challenge themselves to their absolute limits both musically and physically. With a show designed to instil audiences with the exhilarating and explosive energy of Taiko, this promises to be their most ambitious and spectacular show to date.
Let It Be returns this Spring due to popular demand
New Act Two features ‘must see’ reunion
Let It Be: A Celebration Of The Music Of The Beatles is returning to the stage in 2019 with a series of new tour dates announced in a year that marks key anniversaries in Fab Four history.
The acclaimed theatrical concert, which features an all-new Let It Be Part II reunion concert, proved such a hit with audiences and critics alike when it was premiered last year and a sell out European Tour, that it is now returning for a new UK Tour through Spring 2019.
After opening in Portsmouth on 22 April, Let It Be will then visit Inverness, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Blackpool, Bath, Bradford and Norwich.
Let It Be is a celebration of the iconic music of The Beatles and has already been seen by more than two million people worldwide, including a run in the West End and two UK tours.
Beatles fans are invited to join John, Paul, George and Ringo for an unforgettable night of live music. The cast will be announced shortly.
Act One takes audiences through the early days of the band as they embarked on theirmusical journey and onwards to the heights of global Beatlemania. The historic Royal Variety Performance, Shea Stadium and those iconic Sergeant Pepper costumes all feature. The first half of the evening features many of their most famous songs including I Want to HoldYour Hand, Day Tripper, Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Penny Lane, A Day In The Life, Come Together, Get Back, and The End.
In a twist from the original Let It Be show, Act Two is set a decade after The Beatles went their separate ways. It gives fans a rare glimpse of how the Fab Four could have Come Together once again to perform – and is not to be missed.
Audiences are taken on a memorable and unique step back in time to the reunion concert taking place on 9 October 1980 – it’s John Lennon’s 40th Birthday. This is the ultimate concert that never was. The band reunite for one night only, just Imagine.
The band’s solo material featured includes Starting Over, Band On The Run, Black Bird, Got My Mind Set On You, My Sweet Lord, Live and Let Die, and Imagine.
The new tour coincides with a number of iconic anniversaries in the history of the most successful band of all time, The Beatles – who started out as just four young lads from Liverpool.
This year marks 50 years since The Beatles took those infamous steps across the pedestrian crossing outside EMI’s Abbey Road Studios in London, which went on to become one of the most famous album covers of all time.
Sadly, it also marks the 50th anniversaries of the group playing together for the final time with a rooftop performance on top of the Apple Corps building in London’s Savile Row. They also finished recording Abbey Road – and this year also marks half a century since the album was released.
Let It Be producer Jeff Parrysaid: “The original Let It Be was a hit with Beatles fans all over the world, but UK audiences’ reaction to the new show and the new Act Two reunion concert that never was, has been nothing short of phenomenal.
“It may be almost half a century since The Beatles split, but their popularity and their influence just seems to keep growing, with their incredible and creative catalogue of music attracting a whole new generation of fans. And with so many important anniversaries during 2019, we’re delighted to take this special show to thousands more Beatles fans here in the UK.”
WHAT THE CRITICS SAY ABOUT LET IT BE
‘A masterstroke’
British Theatre Guide
‘A rare glimpse of how the Fab Four could have Come Together once again’
Theatre News UK
“A joy to hear these beloved songs live”
The Mail on Sunday
‘The cast left me in complete awe during the second half of Let It Be’
ISLE OF WIGHT FESTIVAL 50th ANNIVERSARY – GREATEST HITS SHOW
Wednesday February 20th 7.30pm
GRAND OPERA HOUSE YORK
CELEBRATING THE GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY OF DYLAN’S FESTIVAL FOLKLORE PERFORMANCE – THE BOB DYLAN STORY
The year 2019 marks the golden anniversary of Bob Dylan’s famous comeback performance at the Isle of Wight Festival.
Fifty years ago, resplendent in a sharp cream suit, Dylan strode on to the stage before more than 150,000 music fans to deliver a performance that would go down in rock music history.
This special moment in time is celebrated in The Bob Dylan Story’s Isle of Wight 50th Anniversary Greatest Hits Show, which hits town in the coming weeks.
The authoritative production is described as a “stunning and definitive live concert celebration of rock music’s greatest icon” by the star of the show Bill Lennon.
“Music lovers are invited to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Dylan’s famous comeback appearance and relive the moment as we feature classics performed on that heady late summer evening,” he says.
“There’s the joyous romance of I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight, the whimsy of Quinn The Eskimo, and the trademark venom of Maggie’s Farm.”
The aural and visual spectacular, which features visual projections and the fascinating stories behind the songs, was written by Bill, a self-confessed Dylan fanatic.
“You can join ‘Bob’ and ‘The Band’ on a nostalgic trip through and beyond 1960s America as we bring to life all the hits including Like A Rolling Stone, Mr Tambourine Man, Blowin’ In The Wind, Knocking On Heaven’s Door, All Along The Watchtower, The Times They Are A-Changin’, Lay Lady Lay and many more,” says Bill.
Attention to detail is promised as the production presents a specially-written homage to Dylan’s Isle of Wight performance.
“By the summer of 1969 little had been heard from the folk music legend for more than three years,” says Bill. “Following a motorcycle accident, Bob had gone into semi-retirement.
“He was reportedly lured to the UK to appear at the festival with the promise of visiting ‘Tennyson country’ and what occurred was one of the most famous festival performances of all time.”
Four festival recordings were included on his Self Portrait album including Like a Rolling Stone, The Mighty Quinn, Minstrel Boy and She Belongs to Me.
The Bob Dylan Story recreates the hits, along with the tales behind many of the songs, with a story arc that starts with JFK’s inauguration speech and returns almost full circle to his tragic assassination in 1963.
“You can experience the thrill and energy of a full-blown electric Dylan concert,” he says, “planted firmly in the 1960s, a time when anything seemed possible, in a show that will remind you what REAL nostalgia feels like, and have you digging out your old vinyl to sustain the pleasure just that little bit longer.”
Bill concludes with a reference to the Dylan’s famed Manchester Free Trade Hall concert – when the folk hero plugged in his electric guitar to the chagrin of “folk purists” in the audience: “Oh, and don’t forget to shout Judas!”
STRICTLY CHAMPION TO STAR IN ROCK OF AGES AT LEEDS GRAND THEATRE
Strictly Come Dancing champion Kevin Clifton to star in Rock of Ages
Leeds audiences are encouraged to get their ‘rock’ on as the award-winning musical Rock of Ages makes its first ever visit to Leeds Grand Theatre from Monday 29 July to Saturday 3 August 2019.
Now a global smash with hit seasons on Broadway, London’s West End and Las Vegas, and a star-studded Hollywood movie version starring (amongst others) Russell Brand, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Tom Cruise, Rock of Ages is an LA love story lavished with over 25 classic rock anthems, including The Final Countdown, I Want To Know What Love Is and We Built This City.
Starring in thelead role of Stacee Jaxx is Strictly Come Dancing champion Kevin Clifton who will swap the ballroom for the ‘Bourbon Club’ when he plays alongside Kevin Kennedy (Coronation Street, Fat Friends The Musical), Zoe Birkett (Pop Idol), Jodie Steele (Heathers The Musical) in the ultimate 80s rock ‘n’ roll musical.
Clifton or ‘Kevin from Grimsby’ is an international Ballroom and Latin dancer having won numerous titles across the world, including the Britain Latin Championships four times. He is best known as a Pro Dancer on BBC One’sStrictly Come Dancing, and having reached the final in four consecutive series, was finally crowned Strictly champion in 2018 with television presenter and journalist Stacey Dooley. Kevin made his musical theatre debut in Dirty Dancing the Musical at the Aldwych Theatre in London’s West End before going on to become a principle dancer for the Burn The Floor Dance Company, performing in the show’s record breaking Broadway run, in London’s West End and across the world. Kevin also toured nationwide with Karen Clifton in 2017 and 2018 in their theatre show Kevin and Karen Dance.
Warning: contains serious rock ‘n’ roll debauchery!
Rock of Ages is at Leeds Grand Theatre from Monday 29 July to Saturday 3 August. Priority Membership tickets onsale from Wednesday 16 January. General onsale is Wednesday 23 January.
Book online at leedsgrandtheatre.com or call Box Office on 0844 848 2700
Paul Taylor-Mills is delighted to announce Night Caps, an informal late-night concerts series as part of MT Fest UK at The Other Palace. These informal and intimate solo concerts will take place in the Studio nightly throughout the festival, and will be an opportunity to get to know some of the country’s eminent musical theatre stars through the songs that shaped them, songs they might never get to sing, and songs from new works.
The Night Caps lineup features Nathan Amzi, Luke Bayer, Louise Dearman, Victoria Hamilton-Barritt, Evelyn Hoskins, Rob Houchen, Sophie Isaacs, Emma Kingston, Claudia Kariuki, Jordan Luke Gage, Laura Pitt-Pulford and Tosh Wanogho-Maud.
Nathan Amzi’s West End credits include Heathers (Haymarket Theatre), Aladdin (Price Edward Theatre) and Urinetown (Apollo Theatre). Luke Bayer is currently appearing as Alternate Jamie in Everyone’s Talking About Jamie (Apollo Theatre). Louise Dearman is best known as the only actress to have played both Glinda and Elphaba in Wicked (Apollo Victoria Theatre). Victoria Hamilton-Barritt has recently been seen in Murder Ballad (Arts Theatre), for which she received and Olivier Award nomination, and In The Heights (King’s Cross Theatre). Evelyn Hoskins has starred as the title role in Carrie The Musical (Southwark Playhouse) and Liesl in ITV’s The Sound of Music Live. Rob Houchen returns to The Other Palace having starred as Eugene in Eugenius!. Sophie Isaacs most recently starred as Heather McNamara in Heathers The Musical (The Other Palace and Haymarket Theatre). Emma Kingston most recently played the Evita in the Evita International Tour. Other roles include Vanessa in In The Heights(Southwark Playhouse and King’s Cross Theatre). Claudia Kariuki is currently appearing in School of Rock (New London Theatre), with other recent credits including Ragtime (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre) and Hairspray (UK & Ireland tour). Jordan Luke Gage has just completed his run starring as Strat in Bat Out Of Hell (Dominion Theatre). Laura Pitt-Pulford recently appeared in Flowers for Mrs Harris(Chichester Festival Theatre) and was Olivier Award nominated for Seven Brides for Seven Brothers(Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre). Tosh Wanogho-Maud recently starred as Jimmy in Dreamgirls, with other West End credits including Show Boat and The Book of Mormon.
MT Fest UK is a two-week festival of new musical theatre at The Other Palace from Monday 11 to Saturday 23 February 2019. The festival will present new work by both emerging and established writers, as well as programming talks and concerts from some of the most celebrated performers, writers and producers currently working in musical theatre. All tickets to events and performances will be between £10-15.
At the centre of the festival is a previously announced Taster Menu series of eight new musicals; AA,Nerds, First Date, Porn the Musical, But I’m a Cheerleader, Bloody Bloody Jessica Fletcher,The Astonishing Return of… The Protagonists and Killer Queen. Ranging from brand new commissions from Paul Taylor-Mills, to re-worked Broadway shows and brand-new musicals that Taylor-Mills has developed in his role as Affiliate Producer at The Other Palace, these will each be presented as a 45-minute semi-staged sharing in the Studio at The Other Palace.
Follow the MT Fest UK Twitter and Instagram pages from 10.00am on Monday 21 January when details of BEAM Brunches will be announced. These will be morning songwriter showcases shining a light on some of the most exciting new creators of musical theatre in the UK. Presented by Musical Theatre Network and Mercury Musical Developments, they will feature writers discovered via BEAM2018.
Further events and casting details will be announced over the coming weeks.
Tickets for all Night Caps concerts go on sale on Monday 21 January at 12.00pm
The Lowry, Manchester – until Saturday 26th January 2019
Reviewed by Julie Noller
5*****
The Band has arrived in Salford Quays smooching us into 2019 with it’s singalong pop music show tunes, courtesy of Take That, who are also producers. Beating away those January blues. It’s a musical of many angles, foot stomping dance moves, thigh slapping, hand clapping pop songs. But then there’s the stories that interweave alongside, showing us how music doesn’t define us, more it locks moments in time within us which like a sun going supernova can suddenly and unpredictably burst out of us and have us grinning like a Cheshire cat whilst pushing the supermarket trolley up aisle 10.
Arriving at The Lowry it was cold and damp outside but inside it was bustling and brimming with excitement, groups of people were chatting with strangers looking glad to be inside. Women were stripping in the toilets pulling on their Take That tour tshirts, obviously a birthday night of surprises. The auditorium was playing that soft gentle music that twinged in my head as I looked for our seats until my friend blurted ‘OMG Ceefax’ we squealed remembering those dating pages, word searches and not forgetting the holidays! This is all setting the scene 1993; what were we doing? Both of us were in college albeit different ones but we had already been friends for a few years. I hadn’t realised how apt bringing my oldest and closest friend would be until curtain down.
It would be easy to tell the story of The Band but there’s so many parts to dissect I couldn’t do it justice. Instead I’ll sing the praises of the cast, all who do an amazing job and gel together as only best friends do. They say if you find a friend no matter how long you spend apart those years melt away in minutes and this is what we see on stage. It’s 1993 and five young girls are living as we all did posters, pop music and dreams Rachel (Faye Christall) has a group of friends but only one BFF who she shares her fears, hopes and dreams with the engaging Debbie (Rachelle Diedricks) encouraging her with infectious energy and raising many a smile from me especially taping those pop songs. We see the hopes and dreams of each sixteen year old the world is their oyster, dreams are there just within reach Heather (Katy Clayton) wants to be defined as a fashion designer not as a name to be linked with many numerous boys, Claire (Sarah Kate Howarth) as an Olympic Diver looks like Sporty Spice bouncing around continuously and then there’s petite little swot Zoe (Lauren Jacobs) who the girls say will be doing homework for the rest of her life at University. The naming of the pop group as The Band or as Rachel calls them Boys, is a clever move from writer Tim Firth it keeps our focus on the story making the music and songs as secondary more of a backdrop to the lives unfolding. The five boys in The Band who regardless of time never age, remaining stuck in memories forever young. They pop up around the girls linked in memories, helping with laundry, clearing up broken dishes, smoothing worries away, roadsweepers and baggage handlers, just reminding us they are not just pop royalty and superstars but ordinary people too. AJ, Curtis, Yazdan and Nick are joined by understudy Harry Fabulous Brown for tonight’s performance and they do a great job even making me laugh as they dress as statues in Prague.
I must applaude Andy Williams though who plays a great comic role as Every Dave, from school caretaker, bus driver, to Czech Policeman each time badly humming and trying to sing one of those great songs like my Dad would’ve done back in 1993.
It’s not all memories and great music there’s sadness too that takes your breath away. Those moments that make or break us like the death of a very dear friend and how we cope or don’t in some cases. Rachel explains how life dealt her a double blow and she moves separating her from friends and the girls just move on with life. Until 25 years later and a freak chance sees her winning a competition to see The Band in Prague and what would the chances be; she can take 3 friends. What makes her want to share this moment with friends she hasn’t seen since they were sixteen? Would we all try reaching out this way, do they have unfinished friendships and issues to resolve? Rachel is the lynch pin bringing everyone back together but her life is not as rosy inside as she hopes. Martin Millar plays her partner Jeff, steady dependable Jeff who wants to get married, should come with a mascara warning when Rachel explains to him why she won’t. Our young girls are now all older girls brilliantly portrayed with their own strengths and fears; Rachel Lumberg (Rachel), Alison Fitzjohn (Claire), Emily Joyce (Heather) and Jayne McKenna (Zoe). What draws them back together? The Band and those memories. Music doesn’t define us as much as youth doesn’t define us, we may all share our hopes and dreams.
The Band encourages you gently to look inside, did I follow that path my sixteen year old expected, NO. Am I sad for the path I eventually took, absolutely not for this is me, who I am. Memories are fantastic but they just that memories as much as when I was sixteen I was going to marry whoever took my fancy on the cover of Smash Hits, realistically it was never going to happen but without dreams we are nothing life is boring. Life is defined by who we become, never look back with regret… you absolutely won’t get the chance if you’re watching The Band for you will be waving your mobile phone torch feeling like you’re at a pop concert, you may have to squint to imagine Gary, Mark, Robbie, Howard and Jason up onstage but the boys who were discovered via reality TV competition all do a fabulous job in keeping our attention and also blending into the background when times call for subtleness.
But I can guarantee you will end the night up on your feet, clapping and stomping and singing your heart out, what are you waiting for gather your friends and get your funk on.
Damsel Productions today announces the world première of Tabitha Mortiboy’s The Amber Trap.Hannah Hauer-King directs the production which opens on 29 Aprilat Theatre503, with previews from 24 April and runs until 18 May.
“Some bones are like ice. They’re weaker than you’d think.”
Katie and her girlfriend Hope work at their local corner shop, where the days pass in quiet, comfortable rhythms. For Katie, the little shop is a sanctuary. A place where she can hold onto Hope without anybody watching. But when new employee Michael arrives, the sands start to shift and the air begins to thicken.
Producing their fifth UK première, all-female theatre company Damsel Productions presents The Amber Trap, an unsettling portrait of devotion and control.
Playwright Tabitha Mortiboy said, “I’ve been collaborating with Damsel since the conception of this play – it’s inspired by a fascination with gender politics, and a drive to put authentic stories about queer women on stage, which is at the heart of Damsel’s company ethos. I’m thrilled to be able to share this story with characters so close to my heart, and hope that it will become a part of the critical conversation about the dynamics of power in sex and relationships.”
Tabitha Mortiboy began her writing career at Bristol Old Vic’s Open Sessions scheme. Her writing credits include Billy Through the Window (The Wardrobe Theatre/Edinburgh Fringe, Udderbelly), Beacons (Park Theatre) and Bare Skin on Briny Waters (Edinburgh Fringe).
Hannah Hauer-King is a London based theatre director; her work lies primarily in new writing, adaptation and narratives with female-drive and/or LGBTQ themes. Her theatre credits include The Funeral Director (Southwark Playhouse & UK tour 2019), Fabric (Soho Theatre), Grotty, Breathe (Bunker Theatre), Fury (Soho Theatre), Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again (RCSSD), Clay (Pleasance Theatre), Witt ‘n Camp (Edinburgh Fringe, Assembly Rooms) Dry Land (Jermyn Street Theatre), Hypernormal (Vaults Festival), Dead Playwright (ORL Theatre). Associate credits include Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare’s Globe), Radiant Vermin (Soho Theatre) and Daytona (Theatre Royal Haymarket).
Damsel Productions
Hannah Hauer-King and Kitty Wordsworth co-founded Damsel Productions in 2015 to place women’s voices centre stage. Damsel Productions hopes to be one cog in a larger and crucial movement addressing both the misrepresentation and under-representation of women in theatre. The idea is simple: to bring together women directors, producers, designers and all other creatives to breathe life into scripts exclusively written by women. Damsel Productions aim to provoke, inspire and entertain with true and honest representations of the female experience. Critically successful productions include the UK première of Ruby Rae Spiegel’s Dry Land (Jermyn Street Theatre), Izzy Tennyson’s Brute (Soho Theatre), Phoebe Eclair-Powell’s Fury (Soho Theatre), Izzy Tennyson’s Grotty (The Bunker) and Abi Zakarian’s Fabric (Soho Theatre & London community centre Tour). Damsel also recently produced London’s first ever all women directing festival Damsel Develops at The Bunker.
The 2019 UK tour and first major stage production of CAPTAIN CORELLI’S MANDOLIN features an ensemble cast of 15 with Alex Mugnaioni playing the title character and Madison Clare, Fred Fergus and Joseph Long playing Pelagia, Francesco and Dr Iannis respectively.
Completing the cast are Graeme Dalling as Soldier, Ryan Donaldson as Carlo, Ashley Gayle as Mandras, Eliot Giuralarocca as Priest, Luisa Guerreiro as Goat, Kezrena James as Lemoni, Eve Polycarpou as Drosoula, John Sandeman as Soldier, Stewart Scudamore as Velisarios, Kate Spencer as Günter and Elizabeth Mary Williams as Psipsina.
CAPTAIN CORELLI’S MANDOLIN will be directed by Olivier and Tony Award nominee Melly Still and adapted by Evening Standard Award winner and Golden Globe and BAFTA Award nominee Rona Munro. 2019 marks 25 years since the book was first published.
The play will preview at Leicester Curve from 13 – 20 April and will play Rose Theatre Kingston from 23 April – 12 May, Theatre Royal Bath from 14 – 18 May, Newcastle Theatre Royal from 21 – 25 May, Birmingham Repertory Theatre from 29 May – 15 June, King’s Theatre Edinburgh from 18 – 22 June and Glasgow Theatre Royal from 25 – 29 June. The national press night will be held on Thursday 25 April 2019 at Rose Theatre Kingston at 7pm.
CAPTAIN CORELLI’S MANDOLIN is an epic love story set on the Greek island of Cephalonia. It follows the lives of Dr Iannis, his beautiful, strong-willed daughter Pelagia and the Italian Captain Antonio Corelli, during the Italian and German occupation of the island in World War II. For CAPTAIN CORELLI’S MANDOLIN, Louis de Bernières won the 1995 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize – Overall Winner for Best Book, the 1995 Lannan Literary Award for Fiction and the 1994 Sunday Express Book of the Year. In 2001, the novel was adapted into a film starring Nicolas Cage and Penélope Cruz.
CAPTAIN CORELLI’S MANDOLIN will have set and costume designs by Mayou Trikerioti, lighting design by Malcolm Rippeth, sound design by Jon Nicholls, projection design by Dom Baker for OD Vision and music composed by Harry Blake.
CAPTAIN CORELLI’S MANDOLIN is produced by Neil Laidlaw, Rose Theatre Kingston and Birmingham Repertory Theatre.
