Month: August 2017

Book Story by MONSTRO Theatre
Learn to love your shelf
Little Angel Studios: Wednesday 27th September – Sunday 1st October 2017
Little Angel Studios Press Performance: Wednesday 27th September, 10.30am
Tour: Wednesday 27th September – Saturday 4th November

In this celebration of books, reading and libraries, the pioneers of the puppet musical MONSTRO Theatre and their talented band of performers use songs, puppetry and dynamic performance to tell the story of the story in the digital age.

This is the tale of some books, in a library. But these are no ordinary books and this is no ordinary library. It’s Brian’s library: a wonderful, magical place where the books like to flutter their pages and let their shelves go… Then one day Brian changes and the library goes quiet. What’s going on? The books had better stiffen their spines and get to the bottom of this mystery.

Book Story engages with the challenges of the digital age by exploring our deep fondness for the simpler age of the page. With singing books and shimmying librarians, it’s a production that’s funny, surreal, touching and completely unpredictable. As it celebrates our love of books, Book Story also celebrates the power of our imaginations and our human need to pass on all the stories of our lives: from mind, to page, to ear, to heart. It’s a tonic for the digital age.

Award-winning writer/director Ben Glasstone comments, This is a notion I’d had maybe ten years ago when sitting in a library and staring at a shelf of oversize books, thrown haphazardly together on a shelf. These books look like odd shelf-fellows. Why are they sitting next to each other on a shelf? Who put them there? How do they feel about it? Some years later, looking for an idea for a kids’ show for my theatre company I decided to pursue these questions further. Once you start to think about books as characters, you notice a lot of compelling analogies between people and books.

This is MONSTRO’s second full production, developed with support from The Arts Council, the Puppet Centre Trust, Little Angel Theatre, Worboys Productions and the House Network.

Little Angel:
Performance Dates Wednesday 27th September – Sunday 1st October 2017
Location Little Angel Studios, Sebbon Street Community Centre, Sebbon Street, N1 2EH
Box Office Tickets are available from www.littleangeltheatre.com or 020 7226 1787 priced from £10.

Tour Dates:
6th October Goodrich Village Hall, Goodrich
High Street, Goodrich HR9 6HX

7th October Spring Arts & Heritage Centre, Havant
56 East St, Havant PO9 1BS

8th October The Capitol Theatre, Horsham
North St, Horsham RH12 1RG

9th October Hook Library, Kingston
The Hook Centre, Hook Rd, Chessington KT9 1EJ

11th October Central Library, Redbridge
Clements Road, London IG1 1EA

13th October Trestle Arts Base, St Albans
Base, Russet Dr, St Albans AL4 0JQ

14th October Old Town Hall & Arts Centre, Hemel Hempstead
44A High St, Hemel Hempstead HP1 3AE

16th October Tooting Library, Wandsworth
75 Mitcham Rd, London SW17 9PD

18th – 21st Oct TakeOff Festival, The City Theatre, Durham
Fowlers Yard, 6 Back Silver St, Durham DH1

22nd Oct Gulbenkian, Canterbury
Gulbenkian, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NB

23rd Oct The Woodville, Gravesham
15A Wrotham Rd, Gravesend DA11 0PA

24th Oct Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds
Westgate St, Bury Saint Edmunds IP33 1QR

26th Oct Norden Farm Arts Centre, Maidenhead
Altwood Rd, Maidenhead SL6 4PF

27th Oct Arts Centre, Bridport
9 South St, Bridport DT6 3NR

29th Oct artsdepot, North Finchley
5 Nether St, North Finchley, London N12 0GA

4th Nov Astor Community Theatre, Deal
Stanhope Rd, Deal CT14 6AB

A Frantic Assembly and State Theatre Company South Australia production
Originally produced in collaboration with Warwick Arts Centre in association with Chichester Festival Theatre and the Lyric Hammersmith

THINGS I KNOW TO BE TRUE

• CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR 2017 UK TOUR OF FRANTIC ASSEMBLY’S CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED HIT PLAY THINGS I KNOW TO BE TRUE
• MATTHEW BARKER AND KIRSTY OSWALD TO RETURN TO THE PRODUCTION, ALONGSIDE NEW CAST MEMBERS CATE HAMER, SELINE HIZLI, JOHN MCARDLE AND ARTHUR WILSON

Full casting has been announced for Frantic Assembly and State Theatre Company South Australia’s critically acclaimed Things I Know To Be True ahead of its return to the UK from 27 September 2017.

Original UK cast members, Matthew Barker and Kirsty Oswald, return to reprise their roles as Mark and Rosie respectively. Joining them in the company will be Cate Hamer as Fran, Seline Hizli as Pip, John McArdle as Bob and Arthur Wilson as Ben.

As beautifully touching as it is funny and bold, Andrew Bovell’s Things I Know To Be True tells the story of a family and marriage through the eyes of four grown siblings struggling to define themselves beyond their parents’ love and expectations.

Featuring Frantic Assembly’s celebrated physicality, and co-directed by Frantic Assembly’s Tony and Olivier Award nominated Artistic Director Scott Graham and State Theatre Company’s Artistic Director Geordie Brookman, Things I Know To Be True is a complex and intense study of the mechanics of a family that is both poetic and brutally frank.

The production will tour to the Oxford Playhouse, The Lowry in Salford, Leicester Curve, Mercury Theatre in Colchester, York Theatre Royal, Chester Storyhouse, Nuffield Southampton, The Lighthouse in Poole and Lyric Hammersmith.

Matthew Barker reprises the role of Mark from the 2016 UK tour of Things I Know To Be True. Matthew trained at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. His theatre work includes Sweet Bird of Youth (Chichester Festival Theatre), Good People (Hampstead Theatre & Noel Coward Theatre) and Much Ado About Nothing (Derby LIVE). For the National Theatre he has appeared in Husbands and Sons, NT50, 13, Emperor & Galilean, Hamlet and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (also Gielgud Theatre). His work on television includes The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies, Doctors, EastEnders, Jericho: The Killing of Johnny Swan and No Angels.

Cate Hamer plays Fran. With extensive credits across stage and television, her theatre work include Machinal (National Theatre), The Love of the Nightingale, Mary & Lizzie, The Tempest (RSC), Dona Rosita, The Tower, Volpone (Almeida Theatre), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare’s Globe Tour),  A Bed Amongst the Lentils (West Yorkshire Playhouse), Indian Ink (Salisbury Playhouse), Scenes From An Execution (Hackney Empire Studio), A Christmas Carol and Crime and Punishment (Glasgow Citizens) amongst many others. Her television credits include Eastenders, Holby City, The Town, Doctors, The Bill, Coronation Street, When I’m 64, Casualty, Inspector Lynley and Without Motive.

Seline Hizli plays Pip. Seline trained at RADA. Perhaps best known for playing Margaret in ITV’s Grantchester, her other television credits include Land Girls, Appropriate Adult, Call the Midwife, Luther and Mum. Seline’s theatre credits include One Night in November, Blood Wedding (Royal & Derngate), The House of Bernarda Alba (Almeida Theatre), Jumpy (Royal Court & Duke of York’s Theatre), The Republic of Happiness (Royal Court), Dirty Butterfly (Young Vic) and Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Playhouse Theatre).

John McArdle plays Bob. With credits across stage and screen from the past 37 years, John is known best for his work on telelvision, including the roles of Billy Corkhill in Brookside and Ronnie Hale in Emmerdale. Other screen credits include Mersey Beat, New Tricks, Waterloo Road, Prime Suspect 5, Waking the Dead, Law and Order UK, Vera, Casualty and Holby City amongst others. His extensive theatre credits include Lennon (Liverpool Everyman), Our Country’s Good (Liverpool Playhouse), The Crucible (Sheffield Crucible), Brassed Off (York Theatre Royal & UK Tour), The Arbour (National Theatre), with film credits including There’s Only One Jimmy Grimble, Charlie Noades R.I.P, Through My Eyes and The Rochdale Pioneers. For BBC Radio 4, his work includes A Clockwork Orange, The Spire, King of the Hill, and Stockport, So Good They Named It Once. John has also written and published his autobiography titled You Never Said Goodbye.

Kirsty Oswald plays Rosie. Her previous work with Frantic Assembly has included Desdemona in Othello and last year’s production of Things I Know to Be True (UK Tour). Other theatre credits include The Father (Duke of York’s Theatre), The Judas Kiss (Hampstead Theatre &  Duke of York’s Theatre), The Winter’s Tale (Sheffield Crucible) and We Are Proud To Present… (Bush Theatre). Her television credits include The Coroner, Beowulf, Ripper Street, Holby City and Doctors, and film credits include Gutterdammerung, A Little Chaos and Dirty Weekend. She has also worked extensively across BBC Radio. Training at Rose Bruford, she won the prestigious Highly Commended Award at the Spotlight Prize.

Arthur Wilson plays Ben. His theatre work includes Man and Superman (National Theatre), Richard II (Shakespeare’s Globe), Home – Edinburgh (National Theatre of Scotland), Peter Pan (Kensington Gardens, 02 & US Tour), Persuasion (Manchester Royal Exchange), The Crunch (Look Left Look Right), Project Space (Secret Cinema) and The Borrowers (Citizens Theatre). His television credits include Call The Midwife, Law and Order,20 Anything, The Academy and Sea of Souls.

LISTINGS

27 – 30 September 
Oxford Playhouse
11-12 Beaumont Street, Oxford, OX1 2LW
01865 305 305
www.oxfordplayhouse.com

3 – 7 October
The Lowry (Quays Theatre)
Pier 8, The Quays, Salford, M50 3AZ
0843 208 6000
www.thelowry.com

10 – 14 October
Leicester Curve
60 Rutland St, Leicester LE1 1SB
0116 242 3595
www.curveonline.co.uk

17 – 21 October 
Mercury Theatre, Colchester
Colchester CO1 1PT
01206 573948
www.mercurytheatre.co.uk

31 October – 4 November
York Theatre Royal
St Leonard’s Pl, York YO1 7HD
01904 623568
www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk

7 – 11 November
Chester Storyhouse
Hunter St, Chester CH1 2AR
01244 409113
www.storyhouse.com

14 – 18 November
Nuffield Southampton
University Rd, Southampton SO17 1TR
023 8067 1771
www.nstheatres.co.uk

21 – 25 November
The Lighthouse, Poole
21 Kingland Rd, Poole BH15 1UG
01202 280000
www.lighthousepoole.co.uk

11 January – 3 February 2018
Lyric Hammersmith
Lyric Square, King Street, London, W6 0QL
020 8741 6850
www.lyric.co.uk

Running time approx 2 hours, including an interval
Contains strong language
Suitable for ages 14+

Theatre Royal Bath Productions, Cambridge Arts Theatre and Rose Theatre Kingston present
THE REAL THING
Starring Laurence Fox

• FULL CASTING IS ANNOUNCED FOR TOM STOPPARD’S THE REAL THING, WHICH TODAY BEGAN REHEARSALS
• AS PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED, LAURENCE FOX WILL LEAD THE CAST UNDER THE DIRECTION OF STEPHEN UNWIN
• PRODUCTION WILL EMBARK ON LIMITED UK TOUR, INCLUDING TO CO-PRODUCING VENUES CAMBRIDGE ARTS THEATRE, THEATRE ROYAL BATH AND ROSE THEATRE KINGSTON FROM WEDNESDAY 6 SEPTEMBER

Theatre Royal Bath Productions, Cambridge Arts Theatre and Rose Theatre Kingston are delighted to announce full casting for Tom Stoppard’s poignant classic The Real Thing, directed by Stephen Unwin, which today began rehearsals ahead of its limited UK tour from 6 September.

As previously announced Laurence Fox will star as Henry in the production. He will be joined by Adam Jackson-Smith as Max, Rebecca Johnson as Charlotte, Santino Smith as Brodie, Flora Spencer-Longhurst as Annie, Venice Van Someren as Debbie and Kit Young as Billy.

The production will open on Wednesday 6 September in Cambridge before touring to co-producing venues Bath and Kingston, with national press night on Wednesday 20 September at Theatre Royal Bath. It will then visit Malvern, Edinburgh, Brighton and Guildford.

Henry is the smartest and sharpest playwright of his generation. His wife, Charlotte, an actress has been appearing in a play by Henry about a couple whose marriage is on the verge of collapse. Max, her leading man, is also married to an actress, Annie. When Henry’s affair with Annie threatens to destroy his own marriage, he realises life has started imitating art. But are they really in love? Is it the real thing?

Laurence Fox is best known for his role as DS James Hathaway for seven series of Lewis. Other television roles include A Room With A View and Wired with film credits including Gosford Parkand Becoming Jane. Fox’s theatre credits include Strangers on a Train (Gielgud Theatre) and Our Boys (Duchess Theatre).

Adam Jackson-Smith recently starred in The Dresser (UK Tour; Duke of York’s) alongside Ken Stott and Reece Shearsmith. Other stage credits include The First Man (Jermyn Street Theatre) and Richard Hannay in The 39 Steps (Criterion Theatre).

Rebecca Johnson’s extensive theatre credits include All Our Children (Jermyn Street Theatre), Present Laughter (Theatre Royal Bath), Wendy and Peter (RSC) and Twelfth Night (Sheffield Theatres / ETT).

Santino Smith trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama where credits included All That I am, The Narrative, The Rover and The Taming of the Shrew.

Flora Spencer-Longhurst’s stage credits include A Christmas Truce and Much Ado About Nothing & Love’s Labour’s Lost (RSC), Once (Phoenix Theatre) and Titus Andronicus (Globe Theatre).

Venice Van Someren most recently starred in Gabriel (UK Tour). Other credits include Can’t Stand Up for Falling Down (Theatre N16), Punk Rock (Theatro Technis) and The Cherry Orchard (Boris Shchukin Institute).

Kit Young recently graduated from RADA where credits included The Oresteia, Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Tom Stoppard is a multi-award winning playwright with many notable plays includingRosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Arcadia, The Coast of Utopia, The Hard Problem andThe Invention of Love. Stoppard also co-wrote Shakespeare in Love which won the Academy Award for best screenplay.

Stephen Unwin founded English Touring Theatre (ETT) in 1993 prior to becoming Artistic Director of Rose Theatre Kingston for five years. Unwin’s credits for Theatre Royal Bath include Moon Tiger starring Jane Asher and Present Laughter starring Samuel West and Phyllis Logan.

The Real Thing was first staged in London’s West End in 1982 and subsequently transferred to Broadway where it went on to win multiple awards including the Tony Award for Best Play in 1994 and, 16 years later, the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play. Stoppard’s poignant classic offers an intellectual and entertaining examination of infidelity.

The production will have set and costume design by Jonathan Fensom (Farinelli and the King, Duke of York’s; Journey’s End; West End Broadway – Tony Award nomination for Best Scenic Design) and lighting by Tim Mascall (I Loved Lucy, Arts Theatre; The Importance of Being Earnest, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre).

LISTINGS

Cambridge Arts Theatre 
Wednesday 6 – Saturday 16 September 2017
Box Office: 01223 503 333
Website: www.cambridgeartstheatre.com
Performance schedule: Evenings 7.45pm, Thu & Sat mats 2.30pm (No performance Sunday 10 September)
Prices: £23 – £42

Theatre Royal Bath
Monday 18 – Saturday 30 September 2017
Box Office: 01225 448 844
Website: www.theatreroyal.org.uk
Performance schedule: Mon – Wed 7.30pm, Thu – Sat 8pm, Thu & Sat mats 2.30pm
Press Night: Wednesday 20 September, 7pm 
Prices: £19.50 – £35.50

Rose Theatre Kingston 
Tuesday 3 – Saturday 14 October
Box Office: 020 8174 0090
Website: www.rosetheatrekingston.org
Performance schedule: Mon – Thu & Sat 7.30pm, Fri 8pm, Thu & Sat mats 2.30pm
Prices: £10 – £45

Malvern Festival Theatre
Monday 16 – Saturday 21 October
Box Office: 01684 892277
Website: http://www.malvern-theatres.co.uk
Performance schedule: Mon – Sat 7.30pm, Wed & Sat mats 2.30pm
Prices: £22.96 – £33.04

Edinburgh King’s Theatre
Tuesday 24 – Saturday 28 October
Box Office: 0131 529 6000
Website: http://www.edtheatres.com/
Performance schedule: Tue – Sat 7.30pm, Wed & Sat mats 2.30pm
Prices: £18 – £31.50

Brighton Theatre Royal
Monday 30 October – Saturday 4 November
Box Office: 0844 871 7650
Website: www.atgtickets.com/brighton
Performance Schedule: Mon – Sat 7.45pm, Thu & Sat mats 2.30pm
Prices: £16.90 – £48.90

Yvonne Arnaud Theatre
Monday 6 – Saturday 11 November
Box Office: 01483 44 00 00
Website: www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk/
Performance Schedule: Mon – Thu 7.45pm, Fri – Sat, 8pm, Thu & Sat mats 2.30pm
Prices: £23 – £33.50

HOME TO LONDON’S NEW HIT MUSICAL

AN AMERICAN IN PARIS

THE BEAUTIFUL DOMINION THEATRE

COMPLETES £6M RESORATION

London’s Dominion Theatre, home to Christopher Wheeldon’s stunning reinvention of the Oscar® winning Hollywood musical An American in Paris, has completed a £6 million restoration and unveils a brand new double-sided LED screen on Tottenham Court Road, the largest and highest resolution projecting screen on the exterior of a West End theatre.

The extensive restoration of this landmark Grade II listed building, which sits majestically at the junction of Tottenham Court Road, Oxford Street and Charing Cross Road, was started in 2014 and is now finally complete with the unveiling of the beautifully restored theatre façade and brand new digital screen. All areas of the theatre were involved in the full renovation, including the installation of a new flying system and the enlargement of the orchestra pit to facilitate large scale productions, and a full refurbishment of all five bars and ninety-five toilets front of house.  Nearly 1.2 acres of bespoke carpets were laid front of house and over 400 gallons of paint used in the reconditioning of the gold detailing and plasterwork of the proscenium arch, auditorium ceiling, foyers and hospitality suites.  All of the theatre’s seats were reupholstered and additional French polished handrails added to aid accessibility inside the auditorium. The electrics and lighting fixtures also received an overhaul with the use of enough cable to stretch 4500 times the length of the Eiffel Tower.

The historic Dominion Theatre first opened in 1929 and during its illustrious history has operated successfully as both a theatre and cinema, including a record-breaking 4 years and 22-week continuous run of Joshua Logan’s film of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific, starring Mitzi Gaynor. Other blockbuster films have included Cleopatra, which starred Elizabeth Taylor; The Sound of Music (which ran from March 1965 to June 1968); the Gertrude Lawrence bio-pic Star!, with Julie Andrews; David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia and, in 1977, the UK premiere (simultaneously with the Leicester Square Theatre) of George Lucas’ Star Wars.

The Dominion Theatre has played host to countless legendary stars (including Judy Garland, Shirley MacLaine, Maurice Chevalier, Sophie Tucker, Jeanette Macdonald and David Bowie) and seven Royal Variety Performances. In 1931, Charlie Chaplin made a personal appearance at the UK premiere of City Lights (the classic silent film he directed, wrote and starred in).  Over the years, the theatre has also welcomed many prestigious companies, lavish stage productions and long-running shows including: Disney’s Beauty and the Beast; Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake; London Festival Ballet (now English National Ballet); Welsh National Opera and the Olivier Awards.

An American in Paris has been ecstatically received by audiences and critics, earning an incredible 28 five star reviews when it opened at the Dominion Theatre in March this year. It has now extended booking though to the end of January 2018.

The sumptuous new musical about following your heart and living your dreams is written by Craig Lucas and features the timeless music and lyrics of George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin, including the songs I Got Rhythm, ‘S Wonderful, I’ll Build a Stairway To Paradise and They Can’t Take That Away from Me, together with George Gershwin’s sweeping compositions including ‘Concerto in F’ and ‘An American in Paris’.

Jerry Mulligan is an American GI pursuing his dream to make it as a painter in a city suddenly bursting with hope and possibility. Following a chance encounter with a beautiful young dancer named Lise, the streets of Paris become the backdrop to a sensuous, modern romance of art, friendship and love in the aftermath of war…

The cast of An American in Paris is led by Leanne Cope (as Lise Dassin) and Ashley Day (as Jerry Mulligan) with Haydn Oakley as Henri Baurel, Zoë Rainey as Milo Davenport, David Seadon-Young as Adam Hochberg and Jane Asher as Madame Baurel*. The company also features Julian Forsyth and Ashley Andrews, Sophie Apollonia, Zoe Arshamian, Sarah Bakker, James Barton, Alicia Beck, Chrissy Brooke, James Butcher, Jonathan Caguioa, Jennifer Davison, Katie Deacon, Rebecca Fennelly, Sebastian Goffin, Alyn Hawke, Nicky Henshall, Genevieve Heron, Amy Hollins, Frankie Jenna, Justin-Lee Jones, Robin Kent, Kristen McGarrity, Julia J. Nagle, Daniela Norman, Pippa Raine, Aaron Smyth, Todd Talbot, Max Westwell, Jack Wilcox, Carrie Willis, Stuart Winterand Liam Wrate. *From Monday 4 September, the role of Madame Baurel will be played by Julie Legrand.

The new musical An American in Paris premiered in 2014 at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris to ecstatic reviews before transferring to the Palace Theatre on Broadway, where it became the most awarded musical of the 2015/16 season, including four Tony® Awards. A major North American tour is currently playing.

With music and lyrics by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin and a new book by Craig Lucas, the new musical An American in Paris is directed and choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon with set and costumes designs by Bob Crowley, lighting by Natasha Katz, sound by Jon Weston and projection designs by 59 Productions. The musical score is adapted, arranged and supervised by Rob Fisher with orchestrations by Christopher Austin and Bill Elliott, dance arrangements by Sam Davis and musical supervision by Todd Ellison. The UK Musical Director is Steve Ridley.

An American in Paris is produced in London by Stuart Oken, Van Kaplan, Roy Furman,Michael McCabe and Joshua Andrews.

LISTINGS

Now booking to Saturday 27 January 2018

Dominion Theatre, 268-269 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 7AQ

Box Office: 0845 200 7982

@AmericanParisUK

Official UK Website: AnAmericanInParisTheMusical.co.uk

Twitter: twitter.com/AmericanParisUK

Performance schedule:

Monday to Saturday 7:30pm

Wednesday & Saturday matinees 2:00pm until Saturday 30th September

From Wednesday 4th October: Wednesday & Saturday matinees at 2:30pm

Running time: 2 hours and 35 minutes, including a 20-minute interval.

Manchester’s LipService go all regency celebrating 200 years of Jane Austen.

Mr Darcy Loses the Plot
Wed 6 – Sat 9 September
Press Night: Wed 6 September, 8pm

Celebrating 200 years of Jane Austen, Manchester’s LipService will start their UK tour of Mr Darcy Loses the Plot at The Lowry Wed 6 – Sat 9 September.

The Jane Austen inspired comedy stars award-winning local performers Sue Ryding (Chorlton) alongside Maggie Fox (Whalley Range).

In Mr Darcy loses the Plot, multi-award winning actors Maggie Fox and Sue Ryding play an array of characters, moving effortlessly – well, almost – from frock to frock coat in their inimitable style on an entirely quilted set. 

Sue Ryding plays Jane Austen, sitting at her tiny writing desk, dreaming up Mr Darcy. But when a neighbour visits, Jane has to hide her work and take tea, leaving poor old Mr Darcy dangling in the ether.

Darcy, played by Maggie Fox, gets bored with his storyline, (endless balls and country houses) and decides to make his plot line more exciting, diving into lakes, wrestling carp and dancing the Berserka (a more extreme sports version of the Mazurka)

LipService explore the world of women writers, scribbling in secret or under pseudonyms, squeezing in their writing amongst the hustle and bustle of taking tea, choosing chintz and having the vapours.

Listings Info 
Mr Darcy loses the Plot
Dates: Wed 6 – Sat 9 September
Times: 8pm. Sat 2.30pm
Tickets: £16.50 – £22.50
Access: Captioning/BSL interpretation 8 September. Audio description on 9 September (matinee).
Box Office: 0843 208 6000
Website

Front man of Noah and the Whale stars in his own theatre show featuring new music

Cover My Tracks 
Thu 14 – Sat 16 Sept 
Press Night: Thu 14 Sept, 8pm 

Songwriter and lyricist Charlie Fink, former front man of the highly successful band Noah and the Whale, will present Cover My Tracks at The Lowry Thu 14 – Sat 16 Sept.

Multi-award winning playwright David Greig and director Max Webster team up to present Cover My Tracks, a unique production intertwining music and theatre set to captivate audiences in Salford this September.

A two-hander starring Fink himself, Cover My Tracks tells the tale of an idealistic young songwriter attempting to write a 21st century pop masterpiece, who suddenly vanishes without a trace. Might his personal songbook be the key to unlocking the mystery?

In an interconnected, digital world, what does it take to disappear?

As the lead singer-songwriter for the band Noah and the Whale, Charlie Fink sold over a million albums and headlined at notable venues around the world, including a sold-out show at the Royal Albert Hall. He was the producer of Laura Marling’s Mercury Prize nominated album ‘Alas, I Cannot Swim’ and has written and produced music for artists including Charlotte Gainsbourg, Foxes, Rhodes and Eliot Sumner.

Fink’s initial foray into the theatre was also a collaboration with David Greig on their production of Dr. Seuss’s ‘The Lorax,’ which debuted at The Old Vic in 2015 and was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Family Show.

Now returning with a brand new production that brings together the experience of a live gig and a modern folk tale, Cover My Tracks will showcase the artistic versatility of its protagonists, bringing a truly entertaining show to lovers of music, theatre and the arts nationwide.

Cover My Tracks is presented by The Old Vic in association with Fane Productions.

Listings Information
Cover My Tracks 
Date: Thu 14 – Sat 16 Sept
Time: 8pm
Tickets: £19.50 – £21.50. Conc £2 off.
Website

Blackeyed Theatre, in association with South Hill Park, presents
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Adapted by Nick Lane
UK Tour: September 2017 – March 2018
Press Night: Wednesday 4th October, 7.30pm, Greenwich Theatre

This September, a thrilling new adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s dark psychological fantasy, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, will be embarking on a five month UK tour, immersing audiences in the myth and mystery of 19th century London. The production, which is adapted and directed by Nick Lane, presents a unique take on the classic Gothic horror story.

Doctor Henry Jekyll is a good man. Successful within his field and respected by his peers, he’s close to a neurological discovery that will change the face of medical science forever. However, his methods are less than ethical and when a close friend and colleague threatens to expose and destroy his work, Jekyll is forced to experiment on himself, whereupon something goes very wrong…or very right. Suddenly Jekyll has a new friend, the brutal Edward Hyde.

This gripping production takes inspiration from Lane’s own personal journey. Injured by a car accident at the age of 26 that permanently damaged his neck and back, Lane imagines Jekyll as a physically weakened man who discovers a cure for his ailments, a cure that also unearths the darkest corners of his psyche. Lane says, If someone offered me a potion that was guaranteed to make me feel the way I did before the accident, but with the side effect that I’d become ruthless
and horrible – would I drink it?

Combining ensemble story-telling, physical theatre, movement and Lane’s razor-sharp script, alongside a new musical score by Tristan Parkes, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde remains true to the spirit and themes of the original novella while offering modern audiences one or two surprises, including a major female character, Eleanor, who drives Jekyll on in the same way Stevenson’s wife urged her husband to complete the novel.

Lane, who was Associate Director and Literary Manager at Hull Truck from 2006 to 2014, comments, I’m incredibly excited to be working with Blackeyed Theatre on The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. To be given the opportunity to revisit a book that I love and adapt it for four terrific actors is an absolute gift for me, and I couldn’t think of a better venue to launch the tour than the Wilde Theatre. I hope people book their seats, and then spend the entire show on the edge of them!

The cast comprises Jack Bannell as Henry Jekyll/Edward Hyde (The Comedy of Errors, Tobacco Factory; Antony and Cleopatra, Chichester Festival; Beggar’s Opera, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Paige Round as Eleanor Lanyon (Hurling Rubble at the Moon, Park Theatre; A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Watch Your Head; Nobody, Hanyong Theatre/National Theatre Company of Korea), Zach Lee as Gabriel Utterson (Bouncers, Glass Menagerie, Hull Truck; The Derby McQueen Affair, York Theatre Royal; Treasure Island, Harrogate Theatre) and Ashley Sean-Cook as Hastings Lanyon (Frankenstein, Blackeyed Theatre; Might Never Happen, King’s Head).

Performance Dates
20th – 22nd Sept Wilde Theatre, Bracknell – 7.45pm (2pm, Thurs)
www.southhillpark.org.uk

25th Sept EM Forster Theatre, Tonbridge – 7.30pm
www.boxoffice.tonbridge-school.co.uk

26th – 27th Sept Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds – 7.30pm (2pm, Wed)
www.theatreroyal.org

29th Sept Auden Theatre, Holt – 7.30pm
http://audentheatre.co.uk/

3 rd October The Haymarket, Basingstoke – 2pm and 7.30pm
www.anvilarts.org.uk

4th – 7th Oct Greenwich Theatre, London – 7.30pm (2.30pm, Thurs and Sat)
www.greenwichtheatre.org.uk

9th – 10th Oct Norwich Playhouse, Norwick – 7.30pm (1pm, Tues)
www.norwichplayhouse.co.uk

12th – 13th Oct Waterside Arts Centre, Sale – 7.30pm (1.30pm, Fri)
http://watersideartscentre.co.uk

14th Oct The Atkinson, Southport – 7.30pm
www.theatkinson.co.uk

17th – 19th Oct Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne – 7.45pm (2.30pm, Wed)
www.eastbournetheatres.co.uk/venue/devonshire-park-theatre

20th Oct Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury – 7.30pm
www.rosestheatre.org

24th Oct Queen’s Hall Arts, Hexham – tbc
www.queenshall.co.uk

26th Oct Adam Smith Theatre, Kirkcaldy – 7.30pm
www.onfife.com

27th Oct Gaiety Theatre, Ayr – 7.30pm
http://ayrgaiety.co.uk/

28th Oct The Brunton, Musselburgh – 7.30pm
www.thebrunton.co.uk

30th Oct Eastwood Park Theatre, Giffnock – 7.30pm
www.eastwoodparktheatre.co.uk

1st Nov The Majestic Theatre, Darlington – 7.30pm
www.majestic-theatre.co.uk

2nd Nov Kings Theatre, York – 2pm
www.kingstheatre.com

7th Nov The Lights, Andover – 7.30pm
www.thelights.org.uk

8th Nov Cornerstone, Didcot – 7.30pm
www.cornerstone-arts.org

9th Nov New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth – 7.30pm
www.newtheatreroyal.com

10th Nov The Berry Theatre, Hedge End – 7.30pm
www.theberrytheatre.co.uk

13th – 14th Nov Garrick Theatre, Lichfield – 7.30pm
www.lichfieldgarrick.com

15th – 17th Nov Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton – 7.30pm (1pm, Fri)
www.wlv.ac.uk/arena-theatre

20th Nov Stahl Theatre, Oundle – 7.45pm
www.oundleschool.org.uk/Stahl-Theatre

21st – 22nd Nov Stanbury Theatre, Milton Keynes – 7.30pm
www.stantonburytheatre.co.uk

23rd Nov Lincoln Performing Arts Centre, Lincoln – 7.30pm
http://lpac.co.uk/

24th Nov Bridge House Theatre, Warwick – 7.30pm
www.bridgehousetheatre.co.uk

27th – 29th Nov Mumford Theatre, Cambridge – 7.30pm
www.anglia.ac.uk/arts-law-and-social-sciences/mumford-theatre

KEY CAST CHANGES

IN THE SMASH HIT ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER MUSICAL

“THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA”

AT HER MAJESTY’S THEATRE, LONDON

FROM 4 SEPTEMBER 2017

As the musical heads into its 32^nd year, the producers are delighted to announce key cast changes for “THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA”. Joining the cast from 4 September are Ben Lewis who will play the title role of ‘The Phantom’, Kelly Mathieson as ‘Christine Daaé’ and Jeremey Taylor as ‘Raoul’. Joining them is Amy Manford as the alternate ‘Christine Daaé’,

Ben Lewis played ‘The Phantom’ in the original Australian production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s, “Love Never Dies”. Ben’s most recent theatre credits include the role of Frank Butler in the Crucible’s production of “Annie Get Your Gun”. He was also in the original UK cast of “Love Me Tender” and starred in “Forbidden Broadway” and “Candide” at the Menier Chocolate Factory.

Kelly Mathieson will be making her West End debut in the production. Previously Kelly trained at the Scottish Ballet Company and the Royal College of Music. Previous Opera credits include “Le Nozze de Figaro”, “Agrippina”, “Orpheus and the Underworld”, “Die Zauberflöte” and “Carmen”.

Jeremy Taylor’s previous theatre credits include, ‘Fiyero’ in “Wicked” and ‘Galileo’ in  “We Will Rock You”, both in the West End. He also starred in the UK tours of “Evita” and “The Sound of Music”, as well as appearing in the Palladium production.

 

Amy Manford has sung internationally as a soloist with the London Handel, London Cello and the Perth Symphony Orchestra’s. Amy recently graduated with a Masters of Performance in Vocal Performance from The Royal College of Music and she will be making her West End debut.

The above join Lara Martins as ‘Carlotta Giudicelli’, Siôn Lloyd as ‘Monsieur Firmin’, Mark Oxtobyas ‘Monsieur Andre’, Jacinta Mulcahy as ‘Madame Giry’, Paul Ettore Tabone as ‘Ubaldo Piangi’,Georgia Ware as ‘Meg Giry’ and Scott Davies as the standby ‘Phantom’.

New to the cast this September is Matt Bateman, Jade Davies, Hannah Grace, Andrei Teodor Iliescu, Jordan Simon Pollard, Una Reynolds, Emily Smith, Rachel Spurrell and John Stacey.

From the 4 September the full cast will be Matt Bateman, James Roxby Brown, Bridget Costello, Scott Davies, Jade Davies, Hadrian Delacey, Morven Douglas, Hannah Grace, Lori Gilchrist, Philip Griffiths, Hettie Hobbs, Grace Horne, Lily Howes, Andrei Teodor Iliescu, Ellen Jackson, Richard Kent, Adam Robert Lewis, Ben Lewis, Siôn Lloyd, Amy Manford, Kelly Mathieson, Lara Martins, Luke McCall , Leo Miles, Tim Morgan, Fiona Morley, Jacinta Mulcahy, Mark Oxtoby, Danielle Pullum,  Jordan Simon Pollard, Una Reynolds, Emily Smith, Rachel Spurrell, John Stacey, Tom Sterling, Paul Ettore Tabone, Jeremy Taylor, Claire Tilling, Victoria Ward and Georgia Ware.

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA became the longest running show in Broadway history on 9 January 2006 when it celebrated its 7,486th performance, surpassing the previous record holder “Cats”. This coincided with the Broadway and the US national touring company celebrating an unprecedented 20,000 performances in the United States. On 26 January 2013 the Broadway production celebrated an amazing 25 years on Broadway and on 28 November 2016 it celebrated its 12,000^th performance. In October 2016 the London production celebrated its 30^th Anniversary with a special gala performance at Her Majesty’s Theatre. In October 2011 the London production celebrated its 25^th Anniversary with a spectacular staging of “The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall which was screened live in cinemas all over the world and subsequently released on DVD and in August 2015 the show celebrated 12,000 performances in the West End. The production has now been playing for over 30 years.

 

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA has won over 70 major theatre awards, including seven Tony’s on Broadway and four Olivier Awards in the West End. It won the ‘Magic Radio Audience Award’, voted by the public, in the 2016 Laurence Olivier Awards. THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, which opened at Her Majesty’s Theatre on 9 October 1986 starred Michael Crawford as ‘The Phantom’ and Sarah Brightman as ‘Christine.’ It is produced by Cameron Mackintosh and The Really Useful Theatre Company Limited.

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA became the first stage production to reach worldwide grosses of $6 billion. Revenues far surpass the world’s highest-grossing film “Avatar” (at $2.8 billion), as well as such other blockbusters as “Titanic”, “The Lord of the Rings”, “Jurassic Park” and “Star Wars”. Worldwide, over 140 million people have seen THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA in 37 countries and 172 cities in 16 languages.

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is currently showing in London, New York, Budapest, and on tour in the US.

Performance times for “THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA” are Mondays to Saturdays at 7.30pm, with Thursday and Saturday matinees at 2.30pm. Tickets are priced from £23.00 – £72.50 and are available from Her Majesty’s Theatre box office on 0844 412 2707 or visit “THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA” website www.thephantomoftheopera.com.

Natalie Dormer and David Oakes in 
Venus in Fur 
By David Ives 
Directed by Patrick Marber

• First image of Natalie Dormer and David Oakes in David Ives’ play Venus in Fur
• Royal Haymarket for a strictly limited run from 6 October.

• 200 seats at £15 for every performance. 

• Directed by Patrick Marber with designs by Rob Howell and lighting designs by Hugh Vanstone.

TRH Productions have released the exclusive first image of Natalie Dormer and David Oakes prior the West End premiere of David Ives’ hit Broadway play Venus in Fur which will run for a strictly limited nine week engagement at the Theatre Royal Haymarket run from 6 October to 9 December with opening night for press on 17 October.

Enigmatic actress Vanda Jordan appears unannounced for an audition with director Thomas Novachek. She’s determined to land the leading role in his new production – despite seeming wrong for the part. Over one evening in downtown Manhattan their charged meeting becomes a seductive dance to the end.

Directed by Patrick Marber, designed by Rob Howell with lighting by Hugh Vanstone and casting by Executive Producer Ilene Starger, Venus In Fur is an intoxicating dark comedy of desire, fantasy and the innate love of fur.

Natalie Dormer is to play Vanda Jordan. Dormer is known globally for film and television roles including Margaery Tyrell in HBO series Game of Thrones, Anne Boleyn in The Tudors for Showtime, Cressida in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Parts 1 and 2, Focus Features’ The Forest, Ron Howard’s Rush, and Ridley Scott’s The Counselor. Upcoming, Dormer stars opposite Sean Penn and Mel Gibson in The Professor and the Mad Man, and the independent thriller In Darkness, which she also co-wrote. She is currently in production on FremantleMedia’s Picnic at Hanging Rock in Australia. Venus in Fur sees Dormer reunite with Patrick Marber, who wroteAfter Miss Julie (Young Vic) for which she received widespread critical acclaim in the title role. Her other stage credits include Sweet Nothings (also at the Young Vic) and .45 (Hampstead Theatre).

David Oakes is to play Thomas Novachek. Oakes is best known for portraying Juan Borgia in the Emmy Award-winning Showtime Original series The Borgias, for playing William Hamleigh in Emmy Award-winning mini-series The Pillars of the Earth, for BBC’s The White Queen in the role of George, Duke of Clarence and, most recently, on screen as Prince Ernest in ITV’s Victoria, for which he is currently filming the second series. Stage credits include Kit Marlowe in Shakespeare In Love (Nöel Coward Theatre) and Mr Darcy in Pride and Prejudice (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre). Oakes will also appear in the film adaptation of Albert Sánchez Piñol’s thriller Cold Skinset for release later this year.

Patrick Marber is an award-winning playwright, screenwriter, actor and director. His productions of his own work includes Dealer’s Choice (NT & Vaudeville), After Miss Julie (BBC TV), Closer (NT, Lyric & Music Box NY) Howard Katz (NT), Three Days in the Country (NT) Don Juan in Soho (Wyndhams). His other directing credits include Travesties (Menier Chocolate Factory/ Apollo Theatre) The Caretaker (Comedy Theatre), Blue Remembered Hills (National Theatre), ‘1953’ (Almeida) and The Old Neighborhood (Royal Court Theatre). Other plays includeThe Red Lion, The Musicians, The School Film (all for NT) and Hoop Lane (BBC Radio 3). His film credits include Closer (directed by Mike Nichols), Notes on a Scandal (directed by Richard Eyre),Old Street and Love You More. For television his co-writing credits include The Day Today andKnowing Me, Knowing You With Alan Partridge. More recently Ivo van Hove directed Marber’s version of Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler for the National Theatre starring Ruth Wilson. His plays have won Evening Standard, Olivier, Time Out, New York and London Critics’ Circle and Writers’ Guild Awards. His TV work has received BAFTA, British Comedy and Royal Television Society Awards. His screenplays have been nominated for Golden Globe, BAFTA and Academy Awards. He received the British Independent Film Award for Notes on a Scandal.

David Ives was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Play for Venus In Fur, which has been produced all over the country and the world, and was turned into a film by Roman Polanski. He is also well known for his evenings of one-act comedies All In The Timing and Time Flies. Other plays include New Jerusalem: The Interrogation of Baruch de Spinoza; The Liar (adapted from Corneille); The School For Lies (adapted from Molière); The Metromaniacs (adapted from Alexis Piron); Is He Dead? (adapted from Mark Twain); Ancient History, and Polish Joke. A Chicago native, he lives in New York City.

Rob Howell has worked extensively in costume and set design in theatre and opera within the UK and abroad including at the Royal Court, Almeida, Donmar Warehouse, National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, Welsh National Opera, Royal Opera House and Metropolitan Opera, New York as well as at numerous other West End and Broadway Theatres. Recent credits includeThe Ferryman (Royal Court) and Groundhog Day (UK and Broadway). He has received three Olivier Awards and multiple nominations for Tony and Olivier Awards for both Set and Costume Design, including the Olivier Award for Best Set Designer for Troilus and Cressida, Vassa andRichard III in 2000 and for Hedda Gabler in 2006. He received an Olivier Award in 2012 and a Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, Tony Award in 2013 and for his designs forMatilda the Musical in New York and London.

Hugh Vanstone has designed the lighting for over 200 productions and worked extensively with UK national companies and on Broadway. He has received many awards including three Oliviers, a Tony and a Molière. As associate artist at The Old Vic, he has recently lit Art, No’s Knife, Groundhog Day (UK and Broadway), The Caretaker, The Master Builder and Future Conditional. Other work includes: Dreamgirls (Savoy), Welcome Home, Captain Fox and Closer (Donmar);The Red Lion (National Theatre, Dorfman); Closer (Donmar and in New York); An Act Of God(New York & tour); Matilda (RSC and internationally); Strictly Ballroom (Australian tour); Don Quixote (Royal Ballet); Tanz Der Vampire (throughout Europe & Russia); Shrek The Musical(New York, West End & UK tour); Ghost (London and internationally).

Ilene Starger is a Casting Director and Producer. West End theatre credits include The Libertine(as Casting Director/Executive Producer for TRB and TRH); Breakfast at Tiffany’s (as U.S. Casting Director for 2009 TRH production; also for 2016 UK tour.) Broadway credits includeWaiting for Godot, No Man’s Land, Breakfast at Tiffany’s (Casting Director & Associate Producer), Marlene, The Elephant Man, Dance of Death, The Diary of Anne Frank, Dirty Blonde, Closer (Artios Award.) Film credits include Custody (also Associate Producer), The Rewrite, Pink Panther 1 & 2, Music and Lyrics, Two Weeks’ Notice, Night at the Museum (Artios Award), School of Rock (Artios Award), Sleepy Hollow, A Simple Plan, The Parent Trap, First Wives’ Club, Marvin’s Room, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, No Way Out. TV credits include: Witness to the Mob, The Great Gatsby, Earthly Possessions. Starger is a former VP of Casting for Walt Disney and Touchstone Pictures.

An adaptation of Leopold von Sacher-Masoch’s 1870 novel Venus in Furs that inspired the term masochism, Venus in Fur was first performed off-Broadway, New York in 2010 with Nina Arianda and Wes Bentley, before transferring to the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on Broadway with Nina Arianda reprising the role of Vanda Jordan alongside Hugh Dancy as Thomas Novachek. Both productions were directed by Walter Bobbie and won Arianda multiple awards including the 2011/12 Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play. In 2012, Roman Polanski directed a film version of the play, in French, starring Emmanuelle Seigner and Mathieu Amalric.

LISTINGS

Website: www.VenusOnStage.com
Twitter: @VenusOnStageLDN
Facebook: facebook.com/VenusOnStageLDN

Theatre Royal Haymarket, Haymarket, London SW1Y 4HT

www.trh.co.uk

Box Office: 020 7930 8800

First performance on 6 October
Final performance on 9 December
Opening Night for Press on 17 October

Performances Monday – Saturday at 7.30pm Thursday and Saturday at 3pm

Prices from £15
200 seats at £15 for every performance

For full details either visit www.trh.co.uk or call 020 7930 8800

Edinbugh Fringe Festival

Pleasance Beyond – until 28 August.  Reviewed by Jess Brady

4****

Sheila is an ambitious hippo, she has big dreams and an ever bigger bum!  The First Hippo on the Moon is a hilarious and extraordinary space adventure which sees the enormously rich Hercules Waldorf-Franklin III and ingenious Shelia compete to be the first hippo to make it to the moon. The First Hippo on the Moon tells the tale of the importance of team work and dreaming big.    

After being called a piggy by Hercules, Sheila enlists the help of her jungle friends;  Derek the scientifically clever ostrich, the hard working porcupines Scratch and Sniff, Keith the friendly and kind giraffe and we mustn’t forget the king of the jungle Silver Bob the gorilla who is the fountain of all knowledge, to help her in beating him to the moon! 

Silver Bob tells Sheila in order to fuel her rocket to the moon, the only fuel available in the jungle is POO! All the jungle friends donate their poo but it’s still not enough so  they enlist the help from the audience ! 

The team of five actors from Theatre company Les Petits do a brilliant job at engaging the young audience with their bundles of energy and impressive puppetry skills that will leave you feeling exhausted just watching them !

This show is perfect for your little ones as it has lovely story that is easy for them to follow as well as some more adult jokes that will keep the mums and dads entertained too.  There are some great songs that you can boogie too as well as an amazing set and dazzling costumes that look like they have been taken straight out of the book!