Month: July 2015

Following in the footsteps of Wilton’s sell-out success with The Great Gatsby in 2012 and 2013, Peter Joucla returns to Wilton’s Music Hall to direct The Sting this autumn. The cast will be led by Bob Cryeras Gondorff alongside Ross Forder as Hooker and John Chancer as Lonnegan.

Opening the season for the newly repaired Wilton’s Music Hall, The Sting will run from 9 September to 17 October 2015. Based on the iconic 1973 caper film of the same name, in which two small-time con men, played by Paul Newman and Robert Redford, set out to outwit a powerful mob leader.

From the moment they enter the newly refurbished building, audiences will be transported back to 1930’s Chicago. With a charismatic cast to lure you into this sleazy, sharp-suited underworld of con men, scams and twists, with surprises at every turn, you won’t know who’s on the level and who’s on the take as you watch this ingenious and comic deceit played out.

Bob Cryer has previously appeared on stage in Party Lines – Five Short Political Plays (Ardent Theatre),The Tempest (Jericho House) and Into Thy Hands (Wilton’s Music Hall). In addition to his work on stage, Bob has also appeared in The Interceptor, Outnumbered, Eastenders and Victoria Wood’s Christmas Special. Later this year Bob will appear in Legend, a film about the Kray Brothers, starring Tom Hardy. Bob recently worked at Wilton’s Music Hall as his book Mrs Hudson’s Diaries was adapted for the Wilton’s stage last winter.

Ross Forder has been working as a director and actor since 2005. His previous stage credits include The Bear (The London Theatre), Chelinot (The Union Theatre), The Bite-Size Breakfast Show (Edinburgh Fringe) and Recycled Dreams (National Tour). Ross has also appeared on screen as the lead in two independent feature films collaborating with Matthew J Keats and Van Poynton of The Executive Branch.

John Chancer’s previous stage credits include Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (Edinburgh Festival & Vault Festival), The White House Murder Case (Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond), Desire Under The Elms (Glasgow Citizens) and Driving Miss Daisy (Stratford Circus & National Tour). In addition to his work on stage, John has appeared on television in the comedy series Episodes, the television adaptation of Any Human Heart and Spooks. He has appeared on film in Ridley Scott’s The Counselor and Casino Royale.

The full cast includes Tom Berish (Kid Twist & Combs), Hannah Brackstone-Brown (Billie), Peter Case (Floyd), John Chancer (Lonnegan), Bob Cryer (Gondorff), Ross Forder (Hooker), Kevin Golding (Luther),  Ashley Henry (Pianist), Kevin James (Mottola), Nina Kristofferson (Mrs Vanderkrieft), Kate Quinn (4 Star Girl), Amy Reitsma (Ginger) and Simeon John Wake (Erie).

 

Further information on Wilton’s can be found here: www.wiltons.org.uk

NOTES TO EDITORS

THE STING

A full length play by David Rogers
Based upon the screenplay “The Sting” by David Ward
Press Night:       Monday 14th September at 7pm
Dates:               9th September – 17th October 2015
Times:              7:30pm Tuesdays to Saturdays (press night will be at 7pm on a Monday)
Prices:               Previews (9th, 10th, 11th & 12th Sept): £32.50 for seats at tables, £25 standard seating, £20 restricted view. Main Run: £35 for seats at tables, £27.50 standard seating, £22.50 restricted view

CREATIVE TEAM

Director                        Peter Joucla
Co-Designer                   Claudia Mayer
Co-Designer                   Hilary Lewis
Lighting Designer           Jody Kelly
Production Manager       John Page
Set Builder                    Giorgio Ritucci
Deputy Stage Manager    Dominic Jones
Produced by                   Frances Mayhew and the Wilton’s Team

 

FREDDIE FLINTOFF: 2ND INNINGS

AT LEEDS GRAND THEATRE

 

A decade after England’s legendary 2005 Ashes victory, cricket icon Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff is set to share his memories at Leeds Grand Theatre on Sunday August 30^th.

 

The 2005 Ashes victory propelled Freddie Flintoff to sporting legend status making him one of England’s most admired cricket stars of all time. Famed for his record-breaking performances and well deserved legacy as one of the game’s greats, hitting the ball harder than any other cricketer and being able to bowl accurately at 90mph, he became the most feared all-rounder of his generation.

 

The 2005 Ashes saw his pinnacle career performance and won him the title of ICC and PCA’s player of the year as well as the BBC’s Sport Personality of the Year.

 

To celebrate this sporting milestone – and to share his memories of that long, hot summer –  Freddie and his TV producer & writer friend Clyde Holcroft will take to the stage with a brand new live show.

 

Last year Freddie and Clyde launched a new sporting podcast. Recorded on Freddie’s phone, each episode is an unscripted, unedited and unguarded conversation between the two – this live show brings that podcast to life, allowing Freddie to share his take on a wide range of topics; it is a chance to see one of British sport’s most revered personalities talk about his experiences, on and off the pitch, in a refreshingly honest way.

 

Talking about the show Freddie said: “Clyde and I have had such a great response to the podcast so we thought it would be a fun idea to turn it into a live show. Like the podcast we hope that the tour will be a lot of laughs and an excuse for us to talk about life and the lighter side of cricket.”

 

Freddie Flintoff: 2^nd Innings is at Leeds Grand Theatre on Sunday August 30^th at 7.30pm

 

Tickets are on sale now priced at £28 or £53 for a premium ticket which includes a meet & greet after the show

 

Book online at leedsgrandtheatre.com or call box office on 0844 848 2700

 

 

IMPOSSIBLE: WEST END PREMIERE

IMPOSSIBLE RUNS FOR 5 WEEKS ONLY UNTIL 29 AUGUST 2015, AT THE NOËL COWARD THEATRE, LONDON

IMPOSSIBLE, London’s magic spectacular, has released new production images giving a hint of what audiences can expect to see when the new production opens this Thursday at London’s Noel Coward Theatre, running for 5 weeks only until 29 August 2015.

The production demonstrates a stunning range of magical artistry from death-defying stunts involving fire, water, knives and crossbows, through to mind-blowing mind-reading and dumbfounding sleight of hand. Fusing technological trickery, grand stage illusions and close-up magic in a fast-paced breathtaking show – it is a unique live magic experience for all ages.

The stellar line-up of the best magicians and illusionists from around the world includes: Jamie Allan; Ali Cook; Chris Cox; Jonathan Goodwin; Ben Hart; Luis de Matos; Katherine Mills and Damien O’ Brien.

 

 

 

IMPOSSIBLE is produced in the West End by Jamie Hendry Productions, with creative direction by Anthony Owen, stage direction by Lloyd Wood, scenic design by Andrew D. Edwards, lighting design by Tim Lutkin, video design by Duncan McLean, sound design by Gareth Owen and music by Michael Bradley.

LISTINGS INFORMATION

IMPOSSIBLE
Noël Coward Theatre, St Martin’s Lane, London WC2N 4AU

Until Saturday 29th August 2015
Monday – Saturday evenings at 7.30pm
Matinee performances: Tuesday and Saturday at 3.00pm
Booking details:  0844 482 5141
Access bookings: 0844 482 5137
Press Night: Thursday 30 July, 7.30pm
Website: www.ImpossibleLive.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ImpossibleTheShow
Twitter: @ImpossibleShow

Ticket prices: £10, £20, £40, £60. Premium tickets are also available

 

THE ROYAL COURT THEATRE BRINGS SEXUAL DESIRE TO PAINES PLOUGH’S EARLIER/LATER AT ROUNDABOUT @ SUMMERHALL, EDINBURGH

The Royal Court Theatre will be joining Paines Plough’s EARLIER/LATER Edinburgh Festival Fringe programme at Roundabout @ Summerhall with Manwatching, an explicit insight into heterosexual female desire.

Manwatching has been developed in collaboration with an anonymous female writer.

Commenting on the project the anonymous female writer states;

“I have been thinking about what it means to be objectified, and whether or not that is really tied to desire or power. Although men are objectified by other men, I was at a loss to think of many examples of men being objectified by women, and the examples I could think of were quite complicated – frequently involving the man’s profession rather than appearance (in Sex and the City, for example, men are usually referred to in shorthand by whatever job it is they do rather than how they look or act), or their dominance was the source of objectification. Even though many women desire men, the most basic elements of that desire seemed oddly unexplored.
So I thought, who better to give the words of a woman desiring men to, than the voice of a man, as it’s so much more comfortable and familiar for us to hear about desire through the male perspective?”

 

Manwatching
Written by an anonymous woman
Performed by an unprepared man
EARLIER: 10am on 14 and 21 August

LATER: 10.30pm on 10, 15 and 19 August
Roundabout @ Summerhall, EH9 1PL

 

So I think it’s fair to say that most women almost definitely do masturbate.  We just wait to discuss it until we’re in an oddly anonymous but public situation like this one.

A funny, frank, and occasionally explicit insight into heterosexual female desire, read out loud by a man.

Each show begins with a male comedian being given a script they have never seen before. They then go onto read said script for the first time live in front of an audience which explores what one woman thinks about when she thinks about sex and men.

Performers will include comedians James Acaster, Marcus Brigstocke and Nick Helm. More to be announced.

With direction and dramaturgy by Royal Court Theatre Associate Director Lucy Morrison, and dramaturgical input from Ryan Nobel, Lisa Heledd Jones, and Christopher Brett Bailey.

Manwatching is a work-in-progress being piloted at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It is being developed by an anonymous female writer in collaboration with the Royal Court Theatre.

Anonymous female writer’s work includes a lot of stuff that can’t be disclosed as she chooses to remain anonymous.

Lucy Morrison is Associate Director at the Royal Court where her credits include Hidden (Live Lunch), Who Cares, Pests and Product (also at Traverse and European tour). 

EARLIER/LATER is a series of early morning and late night one-off shows, featuring brand new theatre, poetry, comedy and music, programmed by Paines Plough in its Roundabout theatre at Summerhall.

Tickets can be purchased through the Summerhall Box Office.

Listings Information:

Manwatching
Written by an anonymous woman
EARLIER: 10am on 14 and 21 August
LATER: 10.30pm on 10, 15 and 19 August
Roundabout @ Summerhall, EH9 1PL
Age Guidance 15+
Tickets £10 on the door www.summerhall.co.uk
Running time 50 mins approx.

Paul Taylor-Mills presents

Willemijn Verkaik

In Concert at The Ambassadors Theatre

On Tuesday 25 August 2015

 

Dutch vocal powerhouse Willemijn Verkaik will play a one-off solo concert at the Ambassadors Theatre on Tuesday 25 August 2015.

 

Accompanied by a live band and joined by some to-be-announced special guests, Willemijn will take a journey through some of the greatest classic and contemporary musicals of all time, as well as celebrating some of the iconic songs that have defined her career so far.

 

Willemijn Verkaik is best known for playing the role of Elphaba in Wicked, having performed the role in the West End, on Broadway, in Germany and the Netherlands. Willemijn is also the only actress to have performed the role in multiple languages. Other stage credits include Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown in the West End, and Mamma Mia!, Aida and We Will Rock You in Germany. Willemijn also voiced Elsa in the Dutch and German versions of Disney’s smash hit animated film Frozen. Recordings include the German cast recording of Wicked, and appearances on Scott Alan’s albums What I Wanna Be When I Grow Up and Live.

 

This one-off UK concert promises to be a magical and intimate evening with one of theatreland’s greatest contemporary vocalists.

 

Willemijn will also be bringing her concert to New York for two performances only, playing at 54 Below on Thursday 27 and Friday 28 August 2015 at 7.00pm.

 

LISTINGS

 

Willemijn Verkaik – In Concert

 

TUESDAY 25 AUGUST 2015, 8.00pm

THE AMBASSADORS THEATRE

West Street, London, WC2

Tickets: £17.50 and £29.50

Box Office: 08448 112334 | www.theambassadorstheatre.co.uk

ON SALE NOW

THURSDAY 27 and FRIDAY 28 AUGUST 2015, 7.00pm

54 BELOW

254 W 54th St, Cellar, New York, NY 10019

Tickets: $40, $45, $50, $80

Box Office: (646) 476-3551 | www. 54below.com

ON SALE NOW

Hackney Empire presents
JACK AND THE BEANSTALK
2015 Pantomime

HE’S BEHIND YOU! GRANDE DAME OF PANTO CLIVE ROWE RETURNS TO HACKNEY EMPIRE ALONGSIDE OLIVIER-NOMINEE DEBBIE KURUP FOR JACK AND THE BEANSTALK

LONDON’S NO.1 PANTOMIME WILL RUN FROM 21 NOVEMBER 2015 TO 3 JANUARY 2016

He’s back! Clive Rowe is to tread the boards at Hackney Empire once again starring as Dame Daisy Trott in their 2015 pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk, from 21 November 2015 to 3 January 2016.

Starring as Jack will be Olivier Award-nominated Bodyguard actress Debbie Kurup. She is new to the Hackney family, having most recently appeared in the UK tour of Anything Goes, following her Olivier-nomination for her role as Nicki Marron in The Bodyguard in London’s West End. Hackney Empire favourite Kat B will join the pair on stage as Snowman with further casting still to be announced.

Rowe returns to the home of London’s number one pantomime after reprising his Olivier-nominated title role in Mother Goose in 2014. The production was Hackney Empire’s most successful pantomime to date and was seen by over 50,000 people from all over London.

AFTER THEIR RECORD BREAKING PANTOMIME OF 2014 WAS SEEN BY OVER 50,000 PEOPLE, WRITER AND DIRECTOR SUSIE MCKENNA AND COMPOSER STEVEN EDIS RETURN WITH A NEW TAKE ON THE JACK AND THE BEANSTALK STORY

Jack and the Beanstalk will be written and directed by the theatre’s Artistic Director Susie McKennawith music by Steven Edis. The team has been the creative force behind London’s number one pantomime for over a decade.

JON SNOW AND DAVID LAMMY STAR IN BRAND NEW TRAILER AVAILABLE HERE

In true Hackney style the production will feature a break dancing cow, bonkers baddies and the scariest giant ever, outlandish costumes and glittering sets by Lotte Collett, buckets of silliness, tons of audience participation and full-on show stopping songs performed by a kickin’ live band.

After 15 years of perpetual winter the kingdom of Hackneydale is really feeling the pinch of austerity cuts. McKenna’s production follows two stories, that of young and earnest Jack and of the HUGE scary giant. Whilst Jack is tempted by a mysterious stranger into swapping the family’s trusty old cow for a handful of magic beans, the Giant’s inventions for making gold are destroying the Earth… Can Jack and his crazy mates save the day?

Clive Rowe (Dame Daisy Trott) was nominated for the 2008 Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre for his role as Mother Goose at Hackney Empire. Rowe’s extensive theatre credits include his Olivier Award-winning performance in Guys and Dolls (National Theatre), The Light Princess, Carousel (for which he was nominated for an Olivier Award), Fuente Ovejuna, Caroline or Change, The Villains Opera, Money, Candide, Peter Pan (all National Theatre), Kiss Me Kate (Chichester and Old Vic Theatre) and The Ladykillers (West End and UK Tour). He is well known for his role as ‘Duke’ in the BBC’s The Story of Tracey Beaker. Other television credits include All the Small Things,Doctor Who, Dalziel & Pascoe, and The Harry Hill Show. Rowe returns to Hackney Empire for his eleventh pantomime appearance.

Debbie Kurup (Jack) most recently played the role of Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes (UK/Ireland Tour). Prior to this, she played Nicki Marron in the World Premiere of The Bodyguard at the Adelphi Theatre, London(2013) for which she was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical. Kurup has also appeared in Chicago (Adelphi), Ben Elton’s Tonight’s The Night (Victoria Palace), Rent (UK Tour and West End), Sister Act (Palladium) and West Side Story (Prince of Wales).

Kat B (Snowman) returns to Hackney Empire after his role as Billy Goose in last year’s production ofMother Goose. He also starred in the title role of Puss in Boots in Hackney Empire’s 2014 production. Previous credits include Dick Whittington, Cinderella, The Wiz, Mother Goose, A Christmas Carol, Aladdin, Jack and the Beanstalk and The Kat and Tameka Show. Kat is best known for his antics on MTV Base where he has presented numerous shows around the world. His film and television credits includeWaterland and Street Wise (BBC) and The Richard Blackwood Show (Channel 4). Kat is also the Artistic Director of Real Deal Comedy Jam and a regular on the Jongleurs Circuit.

Susie McKenna (Writer /Director) has worked as an actress and director touring nationally and in the West End for over 25 years and is currently Creative Director of Hackney Empire. Her directing credits include the critically acclaimed Blues In the Night ( Hackney Empire 2014)  A Midsummer Night’s Madness (Hackney Empire, New York and Edinburgh Festival), La Varieté, Once on This Island (Hackney Empire), Sit and Shiver (assisting Steven Berkoff), A Christmas Carol (Arts Theatre, London) and Once on this Island (Hackney Empire, Birmingham Rep, Nottingham Playhouse). Her acting credits includeChicago, Ragtime, Cats and The Witches of Eastwick in the West End and national tours of Hair, The Rocky Horror Show and Jesus Christ Superstar.

Steven Edis (Musical Composer) returns once again to create a magical mix of musical mash-ups, chart remixes and an original score. Steven has worked with the National Theatre, in the West End and on a variety of prestigious projects as composer, arranger and orchestrator. Credits include Volpone (RSC),The Captain of Köpenick (National Theatre), She Loves Me and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead(Chichester Festival Theatre), A Chorus of Disapproval, Flare Path and Birdsong for the West End. Steven brings his vast experience to create a musical score that rivals a West End musical.

Tickets are now on sale.

LISTINGS

JACK AND THE BEANSTALK
A Hackney Empire Pantomime
Press Night: Thu 26 Nov, 7pm

Written and Directed by Susie McKenna
Music: Steven Edis
Design: Lotte Collett
Musical Director: Mark Dickman
Choreographer: Carl Parris
Lighting: David W Kidd
Sound Design: Andy Hedges
Assistant Director: Tony Whittle
Creature Design: Scott Brooker

Performances
Sat 21 Nov 2015 – Sun 3 Jan 2016

Tickets prices
Tickets from £34.50 – £10, concessions available
Groups of 10+ discount available at certain of performances
Early Bird offer: Book and pay before 30 Sept and receive best available seats for just £17.50 per ticket. Available at certain performances.

Signed Performances
Sat 5 Dec at 2.30pm & 7pm.
Thu 17 Dec at 1.30pm (schools performance) & 7pm.

Relaxed Performance
Sat 5 Dec at 2.30pm (pre-show meet and greet, 12.45 – 1.15pm)

Box Office: 020 8985 2424

www.hackneyempire.co.uk

 

McQUEEN

TO TRANSFER TO

THEATRE ROYAL HAYMARKET

FROM 13 AUGUST TO 7 NOVEMBER

PRESS NIGHT ON 27 AUGUST

McQUEEN, which received its world premiere in May at St. James Theatre, where it broke box office records, will transfer to London’s West End, opening at the Theatre Royal Haymarket on Thursday 27 August, following previews from 13 August, for a strictly limited season until 7 November.

Written by James Phillips and directed by John Caird, the production stars award-winning actor Stephen Wight in the title role. Janet McQueen, one of Lee Alexander McQueen’s sisters, said of the play and the production at St. James Theatre, “It was as though the play and Stephen’s performance brought Lee back to me again. I felt as though he was real again for me.” Gary McQueen, Lee’s nephew, added, “It does really hit something in your heart.”

Joining Stephen in the West End run will be Carly Bawden in the role of Dahlia. The role was originated by Dianna Agron who is not participating in the transfer due to filming commitments. Reprising their roles as Isabella Blow and Arabella will be Tracy-Ann Oberman and Laura Rees respectively. Michael Bertenshaw will be joining the cast as Mr Hitchcock. Further casting for the West End transfer to be announced.

For the transfer to the West End, scenes have been rewritten and an interval has been added. James Phillips said, “I’m so delighted to have McQueen in the West End, and to take this opportunity to refine some things from the original production. For me, it’s also thrilling that we’re going into the Theatre Royal Haymarket, as it was in this theatre that I had my first ever professional job, a few months after leaving college. I was a peasant – a silent role! – in Miss Julie starring Christopher Eccleston, Aisling O’Sullivan and Maxine Peake that Thelma Holt produced. It really is one of the most beautiful theatres I’ve ever been in.”

McQUEEN is a journey into the visionary imagination and dream world of Alexander McQueen, fashion’s greatest contemporary artist. Set on a single London night, it is more than a bio-play. It is stepping into the fairy story landscape of McQueen’s mind, the landscape seen in his immortal shows, where with a dress an urchin can become an Amazon, where beauty might just help us survive the night. A girl has watched McQueen’s Mayfair house for eleven consecutive days. Tonight she climbs down from her watching tree and breaks into his house, to steal a dress, to become someone special. He catches her,

but, instead of calling the police, they embark together on a journey through London and into his heart.

Lee Alexander McQueen died on 11 February 2010 aged 40. Born in Lewisham and raised in Stratford, East London, at 16 he served an apprenticeship with Savile Row tailors Anderson & Sheppard. Later, he studied at Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design and his graduation collection was bought in its entirety by influential fashion stylist Isabella Blow. He was appointed head designer at Givenchy in 1996, where he remained until 2001. He founded his own Alexander McQueen label, and the Gucci Group acquired 51% of his company in 2000, with McQueen serving as Creative Director. McQueen achieved the title British Designer of the Year four times between 1996 and 2003, and was also awarded the CBE and named International Designer of the Year by the Council of Fashion Designers in 2003. New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art hosted a posthumous exhibition of McQueen’s work in 2011 titled Savage Beauty. The exhibition is currently being shown at the V&A until 2 August.

Stephen Wight was named Outstanding Newcomer at the Evening Standard Awards for his performances in Michael Grandage’s production of Don Juan in Soho and Samuel West’s production of Dealer’s Choice. Other theatre includes Nicholas Hytner’s production of The Habit of Art at the National and Sean Foley’s production of The Ladykillers in the West End. On television, he has played Simon in Bluestone 42 (BBC 3), Sam in The Paradise (BBC 1), Mitch in Threesome (Comedy Central), Fletcher in Sherlock and Charles in the BBC mini-series Fingersmith. His films include Wilderness, Highlander: The Source, Weekender with Jack O’Connell, Henry Lloyd-Hughes and Zawe Ashton and Ashes with Jim Sturgess and Ray Winstone.

Carly Bawden’s theatre credits include Assassins (Menier Chocolate Factory), Dead Dog in a Suitcase, Tristan & Yseult and The Beggar’s Opera for Kneehigh, My Fair Lady with Dominic West (Sheffield Crucible), Pippin (Menier Chocolate Factory), The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (Leicester Curve and Gielgud Theatre), and the tours of Whistle Down the Wind and Evita, for which she was nominated for TMA Award for Best Supporting Actress 2009.

Tracy-Ann Oberman played Chrissie in EastEnders, Yvonne Hartman in Doctor Who, Lizzie Clapham in Monroe, Aunty Val in Friday Night Dinner, Mrs Purchase in Toast of London and Diana in the film Filth starring James McAvoy and Jamie Bell. In theatre, she has acted with the Royal Shakespeare Company and at the National, including playing opposite Kenneth Branagh in Edmond.

Laura Rees’s theatre credits include Ophelia in Ninagawa’s Hamlet at the Barbican, Christopher Luscombe’s Comedy of Errors, Lucy Bailey’s Titus Andronicus and Kathryn Hunter’s Pericles at Shakespeare’s Globe, and Rupert Gould’s Macbeth and Philip Franks’s Twelfth Night at Chichester.

Michael Bertenshaw’s recent theatre credits include The Merchant of Venice, The Taming of the Shrew, All’s Well That Ends Well and Anne Boleyn, all for Shakespeare’s Globe. His many television credits include playing Ralph Miliband in the documentary drama Miliband of Brothers, two three-part thrillers Murderland and Oktober, and regular appearances in the drama series Seaforth and in the children’s drama series C.A.B..

James Phillips’s first staged play, The Little Fir Tree, was commissioned by and performed, under his direction, at the Sheffield Crucible in 2004. He wrote and directed The Rubinstein Kiss at Hampstead Theatre in 2005. His most recent plays were Hidden in the Sand, which opened at the Trafalgar Studios in 2013, and City Stories, which was staged at the St. James Theatre Studio during the run of McQueen.

John Caird is an Honorary Associate Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, where his work includes over 20 productions of classic and new plays including co-productions with Trevor Nunn of Nicholas Nickleby, Peter Pan and Les Misérables. His National Theatre productions include Hamlet and Humble Boy, both with Simon Russell Beale, Stanley with Antony Sher, and his own new version of Bernstein’s Candide for which he won a Laurence Olivier Award.

McQUEEN has production design by David Farley, choreography by Christopher Marney, video design by Tim Bird, lighting design by David Howe, sound design by John Leonard, wigs designed by Linda McKnight and casting by Kate Plantin CDG & Jayne Collins CDG.

McQUEEN is produced at the Theatre Royal Haymarket by Robert Mackintosh, AMIR Ltd, Hilary A. Williams, Deborah Negri, with Julian Stoneman as executive producer, for and on behalf of McQ Productions Ltd.

LISTINGS INFORMATION

13 August to 7 November 2015

Theatre Royal Haymarket

18 Suffolk Street

London SW1Y 4HT

Box Office: 020 7930 8800

Performances: Monday to Saturday at 7.30pm*, Thursdays and Saturdays at 3.00pm**

*7.00pm on Thursday 27 August

**No 3.00pm performances on Thursday 13, 20 and 27 August

Ticket Prices: £15 – £65 (including booking fees); Premium Seats £85; Previews: £15 – £45

Running Time: 2 hours, including interval Website: www.mcqueentheplay.com

Facebook: facebook.com/McQueenThePlay

Twitter: @McQueenThePlay

 

National Youth Theatre, The Christmas TV and Film Company and Sky Arts present
GENERATION SEXT

Generation Sext, airing on 29th July at 10pm on Sky Arts, is an innovative new docu-drama exploring sexualisation and sexual consent  amongst young people, created by The Christmas TV & Film Company, in collaboration with the National Youth Theatre. Focusing in on the relatively recent and increasingly common phenomenon of ‘sexting’, sending explicit images or messages, the documentary follows the young members of the NYT as they develop their forthcoming West End play Consensual, based around similar themes.

An exploration of a particular issue facing young people today, told by those young people themselves, the enlightening 30 minute film has been made by The Christmas TV and Film Company in collaboration with NYT and was specially commissioned by Sky Arts for its Sex Season. The piece has been created as a mix of real-life testimony, documentary footage and dramatic scenes written on location as an immediate response to the issues generated by the workshops. The multi-layered film will star some of Britain’s best young acting talent.

Generation Sext is directed by Frances Dickenson (The Christmas TV & Film Company), and Paul Roseby (Artistic Director, The National Youth Theatre). It is produced by The Christmas TV & Film Company’s Caz Gorham and Jo McClellan is Executive Producer for Sky. The drama elements were written by Kirsty Swain.

Consensual is a brand new play written by Evan Placey (Girls Like That, Holloway Jones) and will be directed by Pia Furtardo (Dirty Great Love Story at Soho Theatre and L’Elisir D’Amore at Opera Holland Park).  Exploring teenage testosterone, teacher pupil relationships and the age of consent in the UK, Consensual will examine the relationship between PSHE teacher Diane and her class, specifically fifteen year old Freddie. “Think of Sexual Relationship Education as a war zone and you’re the journalist. Give the facts, show the photos, but don’t get too close unless you want your head blown off”. It will premiere at The Ambassadors Theatre in London’s West End this autumn.

The NYT’s rep season returns to the Ambassadors Theatre in London’s West End later this year with three new productions. The 10-week season will feature: Consensual; Wuthering Heights, a new adaptation of Emily Brontë’s novel and The Merchant of Venice – Shakespeare’s play abridged especially for schools by Tom Stoppard. Performances will start on 25 September 2015, with press performances on 6 and 7 October 2015.

Generation Sext airs on Wednesday 29th July at 10.00pm on Sky Arts as part of the channel’s Sex Season.

 

REP SEASON LISTINGS
Ambassadors Theatre, WC2H 9ND
18 September – 4 December 2015

Consensual Press Performances 6 & 7 October, 7:30pm
Matinee performance (2:30pm):18 September
Evening performances (7:30pm):, 29, 30 September; 6, 7, 13, 14, 20 October; 3, 4, 10, 11, 18, 24 November; 2 December

Wuthering Heights Press Performance 6 October, 2:30pm
Matinee performances (2:30pm):
25 September; 2, 6, 13, 14, 23, 30 October; 6, 10, 11, 24, 27 November; 1, 4 December
Evening performances (7:30pm):
27, October; 17, 25 November;

The Merchant of Venice
Press Performances 7 October (2:30pm) & 9 October (2:30pm)
Matinee performances (2:30pm):
29, 30 September; 7, 9, 16, 20, 26, 27 October; 3, 4, 13, 17, 18, 25 November; 2 December
Evening performances (7:30pm):
1 December

Box Office
www.theambassadorstheatre.co.uk
08448 112 334
or
www.nationaltheatre.org.uk
020 7452 3000

More information at www.nyt.org.uk

GARY MAVERS, NEIL STACY AND DEBORAH GRANT

JOIN

FRAZER HINES, MARK CURRY, BEN NEALON, ERIC CARTE AND KEZIA BURROWS

 

IN AGATHA CHRISTIE’S

 

AND THEN THERE WERE NONE

 

WORLD’S BEST-SELLING THRILLER WELCOMES NEW CAST MEMBERS

TO DOUBLE ANNIVERSARY PRODUCTION IN LEEDS

 

Three more famous faces from stage and screen are set to become Agatha Christie’s latest guests as they join the UK tour of And Then There Were None this summer, which marks the 10^th anniversary of The Agatha Christie Theatre Company and the 125^th anniversary of the author’s birth.

West End and TV stars Gary Mavers, Neil Stacy and Deborah Grant will join this production of the Queen of Crime’s most popular and best-selling thriller, when it comes to Leeds Grand Theatre from Monday August 17^th to Saturday 22^nd August.

Gary Mavers, best known as Peak Practice heart-throb Dr Andrew Attwood, will play retired police inspector William Henry Blore, Neil Stacy, who is best known for his role as Robert Cochran in the 80s ITV sitcom Duty Free, will play judge Sir Lawrence Wargrave, Bergerac and Peak Practice’s Deborah Grant will star as eccentric spinster Emily Brent, while Kezia Burrows, best known as junior doctor Cath Llewellyn in the 2009 BBC drama series Crash, joins the cast as secretary Vera Claythorne.

They join Frazer Hines, best known for his role as companion Jamie McCrimmon in Doctor Who, as Rogers, formerBlue Peter presenter and actor Mark Curry as Dr. Armstrong, Soldier Soldier’s Ben Nealon as Philip Lombard andBouquet of Barbed Wire’s Eric Carte as General Mackenzie.

 

A group of 10 strangers is lured to a remote island off the coast of Devon. Upon arrival it is discovered that their host, an eccentric millionaire, is missing. At dinner a recorded message is played accusing each of them in turn of having a guilty secret and by the end of the evening the 10 guests become nine. Stranded on the island by a torrential storm and haunted by an ancient nursery rhyme, one by one the guests begin to die. And with only the fallen believed to be innocent who amongst them is the killer?

And Then There Were None is the world’s best-selling mystery ever, with 100 million sales to date. Widely considered to be Christie’s masterpiece, her own stage adaptation of this dark and captivating tale will thrill and enthral, as murder unfolds.

And Then There Were None is at Leeds Grand Theatre from Monday 17^th to Saturday 22^nd August.

Tickets are still available priced from £18.50 to £35.

Book online at leedsgrandtheatre.com or call Box Office on 0844 848 2700