Month: April 2015

Richard Fleeshman   Summer Strallen

Desmond Barrit   Isla Blair   Nicholas Farrell   Sally Ann Triplett

A DAMSEL IN DISTRESS

Music and Lyrics by
George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin

Book by
Jeremy Sams and Robert Hudson

Based on the novel by
P.G. Wodehouse

and the play by P.G. Wodehouse and Ian Hay

Director and Choreographer Rob Ashford

30 May – 27 June
Festival Theatre, Chichester

Richard Fleeshman and Summer Strallen lead a stellar cast which also includes Desmond Barrit, Isla Blair, Nicholas Farrell and Sally Ann Triplett in a major new stage version of A Damsel in Distress at Chichester this summer.

This musical comedy will be directed and choreographed by the multi-talented Rob Ashford. Based on a novel by P.G. Wodehouse with songs by George and Ira Gershwin which include Nice Work If You Can Get It and A Foggy Day (In London Town), A Damsel in Distress is well-known from the popular 1937 film starring Fred Astaire.

Bringing together a world-weary American composer, a beautiful and irrepressible English socialite, a fierce aunt and lots of other delightfully eccentric characters, the action moves from the glamour of London’s Savoy Theatre to the charm of a castle in the country.

Richard Fleeshman plays the composer George Bevan. Theatre credits include West End productions of Urinetown,Ghost: The Musical (also Broadway) and Legally Blonde.

Summer Strallen plays Maud. Credits include West End productions of Top Hat, Love Never Dies, The Sound of Music, The Boy Friend and The Drowsy Chaperone.

Desmond Barrit plays Keggs. Credits include West End productions of The History Boys, and Wicked, as well as numerous productions for the RSC.

Isla Blair plays Lady Caroline Byng. Credits include West End productions of Made in Dagenham and The History Boys, as well as The Lyons (Menier Chocolate Factory).

Nicholas Farrell plays Lord Marshmoreton. Credits include South Downs and The Browning Version at Chichester (also West End), as well as screen roles in 37 Days, The Iron Lady and Chariots of Fire.

Sally Ann Triplett plays Billie Dore. Credits include West End productions of Follies, Anything Goes, Guys and Dollsand Acorn Antiques: The Musical! She has also represented the UK twice in the Eurovision Song Contest.

The cast features Richard Dempsey as Reggie Byng, whose credits include the West End production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Melle Stewart as Alice, whose credits include Assassins (Menier Chocolate Factory).

The cast also includes Mairi Barclay, Chris Bennett, Stephanie Bron, Sam Harrison, Chloe Hart, Matthew Hawksley, Kirby Hughes, Harry Morrison, David Roberts, Jonathan Stewart, Lucie-Mae Sumner, Laura Tyrer,Alan Vicary and Matt Wilman.

Rob Ashford’s numerous credits include staging for the recent film Cinderella, directed by Kenneth Branagh, and this year’s Academy Awards ceremony, as well as directorial credits for Shrek The Musical, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof with Scarlett Johansson and Macbeth with Kenneth Branagh and Alex Kingston.

Design is by Christopher Oram whose credits include Bring Up The Bodies and Wolf Hall (RSC and West End), The Cripple Of Inishman (West End and Broadway), as well as West End productions of Henry V, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Peter and Alice.

Musical Supervision is by David Chase whose credits include Broadway productions of Finding Neverland, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Anything Goes and How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.

Musical Direction is by Alan Williams whose credits include West End productions of A Chorus Line, Shrek The Musical, Monty Python’s Spamalot, as well as Passion and The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (both for Donmar Warehouse).

Orchestration is by Bill Elliot whose credits include Broadway productions of An American in Paris, Anything Goes, as well as arrangements for films such as Independence Day and Wedding Crashers.

Lighting Design is by Howard Harrison whose Chichester credits include An Ideal Husband, The Pajama Game (also West End), The Way of the World, Love Story (also West End) and Macbeth (also West End and New York) for which he won an Olivier Award.

Sound Design is by Paul Groothuis, Chichester’s Associate Sound Designer. Chichester credits include Festival 2014’sGypsy, Sweeney Todd, The Pajama Game, Private Lives, Kiss Me, Kate, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead,all of which transferred to the West End.

This new production is based on a novel and subsequent play by much-loved comic author P.G. Wodehouse. Although best known today for his Jeeves and Wooster stories, Wodehouse was also a playwright and lyricist who collaborated with Jerome Kern and Cole Porter among others.

The book for A Damsel in Distress has been co-written by Jeremy Sams who is acclaimed for his work across a range of disciplines as a director, writer and musician. He already features in Festival 2015 as the director and translator of The Rehearsal by Jean Anouilh.

The co-writer is Robert Hudson whose work includes Warhorses of Letters, co-written with Marie Phillips for Radio 4, as well as the novels The Kilburn Social Club and The Dazzle.

Music and Lyrics are by the brothers George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin whose partnership was widely regarded as a major force in American musical theatre. Their songs for the stage and screen include The Man I Love, I Got Rhythm andThey Can’t Take That Away From Me.

A Damsel in Distress is sponsored by Covers, Jackson-Stops & Staff, Oldham Seals Group and Reynolds Fine Furniture.

Events
Join dancing and singing workshops inspired by A Damsel in Distress on 20 and 21 June, 10am – 5pm. Tickets £100 (includes matinee ticket).

Director and choreographer Rob Ashford will be in conversation with novelist and CFT biographer Kate Mosse on Monday 8 June at 5.45pm. Tickets free but advance booking essential.

There will be the chance to meet some of the A Damsel in Distress company at a post-show discussion hosted by author Simon Brett on Monday 22 June.

Booking information
A Damsel in Distress is at the Festival Theatre, Chichester from 30 May – 27 June. Evenings 7.30pm (except for Press Night, Wednesday 10 June at 7pm), matinees 2.30pm. Tickets: Previews/Press Nights from £10, all other performances from £15. To book, visit cft.org.uk or contact the Box Office on 01243 781312.

Special Prices for 16 – 25s
An allocation of tickets for 16 – 25 year olds priced at just £8.50 for all performances of A Damsel in Distress will go on sale on 30 April. These may be booked on 01243 781312, online at cft.org.uk/850 or in person.

Listings

A Damsel in Distress
30 May – 27 June
Festival Theatre, Chichester

Richard Fleeshman and Summer Strallen lead a stellar cast which also features Desmond Barrit, Isla Blair, Nicholas Farrell and Sally Ann Triplett in Chichester’s new stage musical.

Performance times
Evenings: 7.30pm
Matinees: 2.30pm

Tickets
Previews/Press Night: from £10
All other performances: from £15
16 – 25 year olds: £8.50 – on sale for all performances from 30 April

Images from rehearsals of the upcoming production of American Buffalo starring Damian Lewis, John Goodman and Tom Sturridge are released today. The production, which is directed by Daniel Evans, will play for a strictly limited season at Wyndham’s Theatre, with previews from 16 April.

Winning the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for best play, David Mamet’s explosive drama examines the fickle nature of honour among thieves. As three small-time crooks, Walter “Teach” Cole (Damian Lewis), Don Dubrow (John Goodman) and Bobby (Tom Sturridge), plan one big-time heist, a tragedy of errors spins this razor-sharp and darkly funny play into a blistering account of divided loyalties, insatiable greed and a coveted Buffalo nickel.

Considered a classic of the American canon and recognised as one of Mamet’s masterpieces, American Buffalo premiered at the Goodman Theatre, Chicago and opened on Broadway on 16 February 1977. The play was also adapted into a 1996 film starring Dustin Hoffman (Teach), Dennis Franz (Don), and Sean Nelson (Bobby).

American Buffalo is produced in the West End by Matthew Byam Shaw, Nia Janis and Nick Salmon forPlayful Productions, Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel, Will Trice, Steve Traxler, Bob Bartner andGeorgia Gatti.

LISTINGS INFORMATION:

AMERICAN BUFFALO
16 April – 27 June 2015
Press night 27 April 2015 at 7pm
Wyndham’s Theatre
Charing Cross Road
London
WC2H 0DA

www.AmericanBuffaloThePlay.com

Monday – Saturday 7:30pm
Wednesday & Saturday 2:30pm
No Wednesday matinees W/E 19 April & W/E 26 April
Tickets from £20.00 (booking fees apply to online and telephone bookings).

ORESTEIA
Aeschylus
A new version created by Robert Icke

29 May – 18 July 2015
Press Performance 5 June

Casting is today announced for Oresteia, reimagined for the modern stage by Almeida Associate DirectorRobert Icke (The Fever, Mr Burns, 1984), in its first major London production in more than a decade. 

The cast will include Amelia Baldock, Lorna Brown, Jessica Brown Findlay, Rudi Dharmalingam, AnnFirbank, Ilan Galkoff, Joshua Higgott, Cameron Lane, John Mackay, Clara Read, Eve Salama, Bobby Smalldridge, Luke Thompson, Lia Williams (previously announced), Angus Wright and Hara Yannas.

Orestes’ parents are at war. A family drama spanning several decades, a huge, moving, bloody saga, Aeschylus’ greatest and final play asks whether justice can ever be done – and continues to resonate more than two millennia after it was written.

Oresteia will be directed by Robert Icke, designed by Hildegard Bechtler, with light by Natasha Chivers, sound by Tom Gibbons and video by Tim Reid. Casting is by Julia Horan CDG.

Almeida Associate Director Robert Icke most recently directed the The Fever and Mr Burns.  Other Almeida credits include 1984, a co-production with Headlong and Nottingham Playhouse co-created with Duncan Macmillan, which enjoyed a successful West End run and two UK tours. Robert was previously Associate Director at Headlong where he worked with Rupert Goold to conceive and develop Decade, directed Boys by Ella Hickson and a UK tour of Romeo and Juliet.

Almeida Questions is an eclectic programme of pre-show discussions which consider some of the questions raised by the work on our stage. In each discussion, invited panellists dig into the key issues and ideas emerging from the show. More details to be announced soon.

LISTINGS INFORMATION

Access            Oresteia Audio Described performance by VocalEyes Saturday 27 June at 1pm, Touch Tour 11.15am and Friday 10 July at 7pm, Touch Tour 5.30pm
                         Oresteia Captioned performances Friday 3 July at 7pm
Address           Almeida Theatre, Almeida Street, London, N1 1TA

Café Bar          The Almeida Café Bar is open from 11.30am -11.00pm, Monday to Saturday

Box Office       Phone 020 7359 4404 (10am – 7pm Monday – Saturday)
Online almeida.co.uk/event/oresteia
In person 10am – 7pm, Monday – Saturday
Prices £10 – £38, concessions available
Preview prices £10 – £30
Islington First* (if you live or work in Islington) £23, 29 May – 6 June
Under 30s* £19 available for every Monday of the run
*Conditions apply – check website for details

Performances Monday – Saturday at 7pm
Saturday matinees at 1pm from 13 June
Wednesday matinees at 1pm on 24 June & 8 July

Talkback          Post-show discussion with members of the company
Free to same day ticket holders
Wednesday 1 July

Website          almeida.co.uk/event/oresteia

PRAISE FOR
GODSPELL IN CONCERT

“an inspiring, inspirational score, delivered by some powerful voices”

Mark Shenton, The Stage

“within five minutes, the company are blasting through the roof with vocal talent and confidence.”
Lastminutetickets.com

“Everything about this show is uplifting.”
A Younger Theatre

“I left the theatre feeling uplifted as it would be impossible not to be inspired by the talent and energy of the company.”

West End Frame

watch

One of the UK’s best-selling novels, from chart-topping author Peter James, has been turned into a gripping play set to thrill audiences at Newcastle Theatre Royal next month.

Dead Simple features an all-star cast led by Tina Hobley, who returns to the stage having graced TV screens for the last 12 years as ward sister Chrissie Williams in the BBC 1’s Holby City as well as roles in Coronation Street and Harbour Lights before that and was seen earlier this year in Celebrity Master Chef. She currently presents the prime time Sunday morning programme on Smooth Radio.

Tina leads the cast in an edge-of-your-seat plot, where a stag-do prank goes wrong, leaving the groom buried in a coffin with everyone who knows his whereabouts dead. Everyone but one person… and Detective Roy Grace must race against the clock to find that person and rescue the victim before it’s too late!

Dead Simple also stars award-winning TV heartthrob, Jamie Lomas who appeared recently in EastEnders as the murderous Jake Stone and before that played bad boy Warren Fox for five years in Channel 4’s Hollyoaks. Jamie plays alongside Rik Makarem who played Nikhil Sharma in Emmerdale and previously appeared in Torchwood and Michael McKell who played Dr Nick West inDoctors as well as DC Nick Henshall in Emmerdale.

The role of the famous Detective Roy Grace is played by Gray O’Brien, the award-winning star of Coronation Street, TV seriesTitanic, Peak Practice and Casualty as well as Sleuth in the West End. He will follow up his critically acclaimed performance in previous Peter James adaptation, The Perfect Murder, by playing the detective in this gripping, chilling, thriller that has all the classic suspense, twists and turns of a best-selling Peter James novel.

Peter James has gone straight in at number one in the Sunday Times bestseller charts seven times in the last four years with his Roy Grace series. The international bestselling crime thriller novelist has won numerous awards both in the UK and in the USA, Peter has sold over 15 million books of his Roy Grace series, and is published in 36 languages. Dead Simple has itself sold over 2 million copies around the word and has been a number one best seller in the UK, Germany, Italy, France, Holland and Russia

Dead Simple is the second of James’ novels to be adapted for the stage and Peter said: “From the age of eight, when my parents first took me to the Theatre Royal in Brighton, it had been my dream that one day the curtains would rise in a theatre and a play of my work would be performed.  That dream came true after a chance meeting with my old friend, producer, Joshua Andrews, at a party in November 2012.

“Josh had seen first-hand the success of the recent Agatha Christie stage productions and he joked that I was the nearest thing to a living modern day Agatha Christie – so he asked if I had any novels that I felt might adapt well to the stage. The result was the first run of The Perfect Murder, over 16 weeks from early January this year, and to my delight it played to packed houses, enthusiastic audiences and a great critical response around the country and has just started its second tour this autumn!

“It is a real thrill now for Josh and I to be launching our second collaboration, an adaptation by the brilliant Shaun McKenna, of my first Roy Grace novel, Dead Simple. It’s a tale of treachery and deceit, which seems to touch a nerve in everyone who reads it and has been one of my best-selling books to date.”

“I had myself locked in a coffin for 30 minutes as part of my research, and it was one of the scariest moments of my life. It’s so many people’s worst nightmare to be buried alive and I’m looking forward to recreating some of that terror in the theatres soon with another incredible cast of actors!”

Dead Simple appears at Newcastle Theatre Royal from Tue 26 – Sat 30 May 2015 (Evenings: 7.30pm, Matinees: Wed and Thur 2.30pm). Tickets from £14 (online price) Tickets can be purchased from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 08448 11 21 21 or select your own seat and book online at www.theatreroyal.co.uk.

DUE TO UNPRECENTED DEMAND, THE RECORD-BREAKING 60TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR OF THE MOUSETRAP CONTINUES THROUGH TO NOVEMBER 2015

Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap will continue its record-breaking, and first ever, UK tour into 2015. The beloved murder mystery will begin the 2015 leg of its tour at His Majesty’s Theatre in Aberdeen on 28 April. The show will then visit over 25 venues across the UK including a return visit to The Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury in September 2015 where the record-breaking tour began in September 2012.

The cast for the 2015 tour includes Hester Arden (Macbeth, Orange Tree Theatre) as Miss Casewell,Edward Elgood  as Christopher Wren, Mark Homer (Eastenders’ Tony Hill) as Giles Ralston, Esther McAuley (I Promise You Sex and Violence, Northern Stage) as Mollie Ralston and Jonathan Sidgwick(Hollyoaks; Coronation Street) as Mr Paravicini. William Ilkley joins from the West End production ofThe Mousetrap as Major Metcalf alongside Luke Jenkins and Anne Kavanagh who will reprise their roles from the record-breaking 2014 tour as Sgt Trotter and Mrs Boyle respectively.

The production, which originally opened in 1952 starring the late Richard Attenborough and his wife Sheila Sim, will visit: Aberdeen, Sunderland, Mold, Dundee, Preston, Newark, Eastbourne, Scunthorpe, Lowestoft, Wolverhampton, Sheffield, Weston-Super-Mare, Swansea, Bradford, Bournemouth, Oxford, Truro, Canterbury, Northampton, Durham, Gravesend, Dorking, Horsham, St Albans, Colchester, Hamilton, Buxton and Coventry.

Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap has been the world’s longest running stage production at its London home since 1958. The 60th Anniversary – and first ever – UK tour of this beloved murder mystery has been seen by over 600,000 people across more than 600 performances and breaking box office records in many of its venues.

Mousetrap Productions has also licensed 60 productions of The Mousetrap world-wide to mark the 60th year, and many of these have also broken their records, from Cape Town to Philadelphia, Singapore to Sydney.  During this period the world’s longest running show has been seen in every continent, with professional productions in Australia, China, Korea, Turkey, South Africa, Russia, Czech Republic, Hungary, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Poland, Spain, Scandinavia, Venezuela, and across the United States and Canada.

The Mousetrap continues its London run, after recently celebrating its 26,000 performance at St. Martin’s Theatre, London.

www.mousetrapontour.com

2015 TOUR DATES

28 April – 2 May
His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen
www.aberdeenperformingarts.com/venues/his-majestys-theatre
Box Office: 01224 641 122

5 – 9 May
Sunderland Empire Theatre
www.atgtickets.com/venues/sunderland-empire
Box Office: 0844 871 3022

11 – 16 May
Clwyd Theatr Cymru
www.clwyd-theatr-cymru.co.uk
Box Office: 0845 330 356

18 – 23 May
Dundee Rep Theatre
www.dundeerep.co.uk
Box Office: 01382 223530

26 – 30 May
Charter Theatre, Preston
www.prestonguildhall.com
Box Office: 0844 844 7710

1 – 6 June
Palace Theatre, Newark
www.palacenewark.com
Box Office: 01636 655 755

8 – 13 June
Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne
www.eastbournetheatres.co.uk
Box Office: 01323 412 000

16 – 20 June
Scunthorpe Baths Hall
www.scunthorpetheatres.co.uk
Box Office: 0844 854 2776

22 – 27 June
Marina Theatre, Lowestoft
www.marinatheatre.co.uk
Box Office: 01502 533 200

29 June – 4 July
Wolverhampton Grand Theatre
www.grandtheatre.co.uk
Box Office: 01902 429212

6 – 11 July
The Lyceum, Sheffield
www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk
Box Office: 0114 249 6000

13 – 18 July
The Playhouse, Weston-super-Mare
www.parkwoodtheatres.co.uk/theplayhouse
Box Office: 01934 645 544

20 – 25 July
Swansea Grand Theatre
www.swansea.gov.uk/swanseagrandtheatre
Box Office: 01792 475715

27 July – 1 August
The Alhambra Theatre, Bradford
www.bradford-theatres.co.uk/venues/the-alhambra-theatre
Box Office: 01274 432 000

3 – 8 August
Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre
www.bournemouthpavilion.co.uk
Box Office: 0844 576 3000

17 – 22 August
Oxford Playhouse
www.oxfordplayhouse.com
Box Office: 01865 305 305

24 – 29 August
Truro Hall for Cornwall
www.hallforcornwall.co.uk
Box Office: 01872 262 466

1 – 5 September
Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury
www.marlowetheatre.com
Box Office: 01227 787 787

7 – 12 September
Royal and Derngate, Northampton
www.royalandderngate.co.uk
Box Office: 01604 624 811

14 – 19 September
Gala Durham
www.galadurham.com
Box Office: 0300 026 6600

21 – 26 September
The Woodville Halls Theatre, Gravesend
www.woodville.co.uk
Box Office: 01474 337 774

28 September – 3 October
Dorking Halls
www.dorkinghalls.co.uk
Box Office: 01306 881 717

5 – 10 October
The Capitol Horsham
www.thecapitolhorsham.com
Box Office: 01403 750220

12 – 17 October
Alban Arena
www.alban-arena.co.uk
Box Office: 01727 844 488

19 – 24 October
Mercury Theatre, Colchester
www.mercurytheatre.co.uk
Box Office: 01206 573 948

26 – 31 October
The Town House, Hamilton
www.sllcboxoffice.co.uk
Box Office: 01698 452 122

2 – 7 November
Buxton Opera House
www.buxtonoperahouse.org.uk
Box Office: 0845 127 2190

9 – 14 November
Coventry Belgrade
www.belgrade.co.uk
Box Office: 024 7655 3055

The Mousetrap
continues at
St. Martin’s Theatre
West Street
London
WC2H 9NZ

Box Office 08444 99 1515
www.the-mousetrap.co.uk

Performances
Monday to Saturday at 7.30pm
Matinee performances at 3.00pm on Tuesday and 4.00pm on Saturday

HEARTWRENCHING WARTIME TALE MAKES NEWCASTLE DEBUT

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, a world stage premiere of the bestselling novel by John Boyne, is set to make its Newcastle debut at the Theatre Royal in May.  Be prepared to be stirred, stunned and heartbroken 19-23 May 2015.

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is an emotive tale of an unlikely friendship between two innocent boys. Set during World War II, the story is seen through the eyes of Bruno, the eight-year-old son of the commandant at a concentration camp, whose forbidden friendship with a Jewish boy on the other side of the camp fence has startling and devastating consequences.

John Boyne’s 2006 novel has sold millions of copies around the world and has appeared on many bestseller lists including the New York Times where it reached number one. It was made into a Miramax feature film which was released in 2008.

This play is produced by The Children’s Touring Partnership, which is led by independent producer Fiery Angel and a consortium of major regional theatres. The Partnership has previously toured hit shows Goodnight Mister Tom (which won the Olivier Award for Best Entertainment and Family) and Swallows and Amazons.

Marianne’s Oldham plays Mother. Marianne recently appeared in The Musketeers for BBC One; Foyle’s War for ITV1 and was a lead regular role in The Crimson Field for BBC One. Her most recent film credit is Absolutely Anything, directed by Terry Jones and starring alongside Kate Beckinsale.

Phil Cheadle stars as Father.  Phil has extensive stage credits, including a local appearance in Blue Remembered Hills at Northern Stage.  His TV credits include Crimson Fields; New Worlds; Silent Witness and Inspector Lynley to name but a few, and he has appeared in films John Carter; Comes A Bright Day and To The Sea.

The role of Bruno during the Newcastle Theatre Royal run will be played by Jabez Cheeseman, and Colby Mulgrew will play Shmuel, both 9 years old.

Edward Snape for the Children’s Touring Partnership commented, ‘The Children’s Touring Partnership aims to produce and tour innovative, ambitious and engaging large scale theatrical productions for children and families. After two years of development we are very excited by this new commission which will bring this extraordinary story to life on stage for the first time’.

As the book is a Key Stage 3 level school text for 11 – 14 year olds, there will be an extensive education programme attached to this production and an additional matinee performance to accommodate school parties.

Born in Dublin, John Boyne has published nine novels for adults, including his most recent, A History of Loneliness (2014).  As well as The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas,  John has written three other novels for younger readers: Noah Barleywater Runs Away (2010), The Terrible Thing That Happened to Barnaby Brocket (2012) and Stay Where You Are And Then Leave (2013).

The production has been adapted for the stage by Angus Jackson, Associate Director of Chichester Festival Theatre. His Chichester credits include Neville’s Island (now playing in the West End) and King Lear (also New York), The Browning Version (also West End), Goodnight Mr Tom (also national tour), and Bingo (also Young Vic). For the National Theatre he directed Rocket to the Moon, The Power of Yes, Fix Up and Elmina’s Kitchen (also tour and West End). His film of Elmina’s Kitchen won him a BAFTA Best New Director nomination.

The director is Joe Murphy, the Artistic Director of nabokov, a new writing company which is dedicated to making work in response to immediately relevant social and political themes.  Joe’s 2010 production Bunny won the Scotsman Fringe First Award following its premiere in Edinburgh and went on to tour the UK.

Design is by Robert Innes Hopkins, who renews his collaboration with Angus Jackson following several hit productions at Chichester Festival Theatre, and Lighting design is by Malcolm Rippeth, an Associate Artist of Kneehigh where his credits includeBrief Encounter, which was a sell-out success at Newcastle Theatre Royal in 2009.

The composer is Stephen Warbeck whose credits include the film Shakespeare in Love for which he won an Academy Award.

www.theboyinthestripedpyjamas.com

CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR REVIVAL OF

ELEGIES FOR ANGELS, PUNKS AND RAGING QUEENS

CRITERION THEATRE (PICCADILLY), 31 MAY 2015

RAISING FUNDS FOR THE MAKE A DIFFERENCE TRUST

Tickets are now on sale for a West End revival of the song cycle Elegies For Angels, Punks and Raging Queens, taking place at the Criterion Theatre on Sunday 31 May 2015.

More than 30 of the West End’s most talented performers will take to the stage for the special “one night only” performance in aid of The Make A Difference Trust, with direction by Stephen Whitson and musical direction by Dean Austin.

Cast members who are confirmed so far* include: Vivienne Acheampong, Simon Bailey, Paul Baker, Daniel Boys, Natalie Bush, James Charlton, Adam Colbeck Dunn, Michelle Crook, Fra Fee, Sarah French, Tom Gillies, Rachel Lea Gray, Victoria Hamilton-Barritt, Emma Hatton, Paul Hazel, Nick Hendrix, Graham Hoadly, Freddy Hutchins, Lauren Ingram, Kurt Kansley, Emma Kingston, Emma Lindars, Leon Lopez, Grace McKee, Matt McKenna, Ako Mitchell, Ursula Mohan, Katie Paine, Michael Pickering, Ella Marshall-Pinder, Kelly Price, Sophia Ragavelas, Grace Reynolds, Paul Riddiford, Joanna Riding, Oliver Saville, Adam Stafford, Alwyne Taylor, Izabella Urbanowicz, Miles Western, Emma Williams, Gary Wood, Matthew Wycliffe (*subject to availability; further names to be announced).

Elegies For Angels, Punks and Raging Queens is a song cycle with music by Janet Hood and lyrics and additional text by Bill Russell. The work features songs and monologues inspired by the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt and Edgar Lee Masters’ Spoon River Anthology. Each of the monologues is written from the perspective of characters who have died from AIDS and the songs represent the feelings of friends and family members dealing with the loss.

The piece was developed in the late 1980s and was originally titled “The Quilt.” It was produced first at the Ohio Theatre in Soho in NYC in 1989, where the new title was adopted. In 1992, it was produced at the King’s Head Theatre in London, where it played for several months. In June 1993, the production was transferred to

the Criterion Theatre in London’s West End.

Bill Russell has adapted the piece over the years and has kindly given the producers the permission to be the first people to produce this “new version for the 21st century”.

All profits will go The Make a Difference Trust. Originally founded as West End Cares in 1990 and later becoming Theatrecares, The Make A Difference Trust (www.madtrust.org.uk), raises funds for HIV and AIDS Projects that raise awareness and provide care, support and education in the UK and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Elegies For Angels, Punks and Raging Queens, produced by Leon Kay for First Light Theatre, in association with TheatreMAD, takes place on Sunday 31 May at 7.00pm (VIP reception from 6.00pm). Tickets, priced from £30-40 (£75 with VIP reception) are now on sale online*: www.ticketmaster.co.uk , by telephone*: 08448 471778 and in person at the Criterion Box Office (*booking fees may apply).

http://www.madtrust.org.uk/elegies.php
https://twitter.com/elegieslondon

LISTINGS

DATE: Sunday 31 May 2015

TIME: 7.00pm (VIP Reception from 6.00pm)

VENUE: Criterion Theatre, 218-223 Piccadilly, Piccadilly Circus, London, W1V 9LB.

TICKET PRICES: £75 VIP Champagne Reception, £40, £30

TO BOOK:

Phone: 08448 471778 *

Online: www.ticketmaster.co.uk *

In Person: Criterion Theatre Box Office

(* fees may apply)