Month: July 2018

Guy Slater in association with Tara Arts presents the World Premiere staging of

 

Eastern Star

By Guy Slater

A powerful play about the tortuous relationship between two men during a momentous time in Myanmar that questions

Who writes history – the activist or the journalist

 

 

11^th – 29^th September 2018 | Tara Theatre

Ahead of the 30^th anniversary of the 1988 student uprising against the military dictatorship in Burma (now Myanmar) on 8^th August, Guy Slater in association with Tara Arts is proud to announce the World Premiere production of Eastern Star, to be performed at Tara Theatre from 11^th – 29^th September.

Eastern Star is based on the true story of the relationship between a BBC World Service journalist, Christopher Gunness and a Burmese human rights lawyer, U Nay Min, with the latter acting as the ‘architect’ of the revolution, and the former serving as its ‘voice’.

After the revolution was brutally suppressed Chris went on to comparative fame and fortune (he is currently director of communications with UN in the Middle East) while U Nay Min was arrested, imprisoned for 16 years and tortured. Set around their fraught and painful reunion 25 years after the revolution, Eastern Star examines the responsibility of global news corporations towards their sources, touching on the theme of news manipulation and fake news. The piece shines a light on what happens when a journalist walks away from the subject of their story. At its heart, the play questions who writes history – the activist or the journalist?

 

Eastern Star is written and directed by Guy Slater, who was struck by Chris’ story after hearing him speak at a fund-raising event, and with his permission set about adapting this fascinating story for the stage. Guy has had a long and successful career in theatre and television. He ran the Horseshoe Theatre Company, mainly operating out of the Haymarket Theatre, for seven years. He has directed plays in many parts of the world – London, California, Edinburgh, New York and India. Actors he has worked with include Derek Jacobi, Gwen Watford, Timothy West, Paul Scofield, Zoe Wanamaker, Wendy Hillier, George Cole and David Morrissey.  He has also written many plays for radio and television.

Guy Slater said:

“Christopher and U May Min’s story is a moving and resonant one. I am delighted to be bringing it to the stage for the 30^th anniversary of the 1988 student uprising. People rarely stop to think about the relationship between a reporter and his/her subject. Its been a challenge and a delight to look at the story from both – very complex and painful- perspectives.”

 

Christopher Gunness said:

“It’s surreal to have started a revolution by mistake without even realising it, but as a cub reporter at the BBC that’s just what I did. I never imagined that my reporting would play a part in shaping the fate of a nation and writing the first draft of its history. And with the Rohinga crisis deepening, that history is still being written. The true hero of this story is U Nay Min, and I am delighted that this story is being brought to the stage on this momentous anniversary.” 

Casting will be announced in due course.

 

www.tara-arts.com/

Box office: 020 8333 4457

LISTINGS

Eastern Star

Venue: Tara Theatre

Dates: 11 – 29 Sept 2018

Performances: Tues 11 to Sat 29 Sept, 7.30pm, Matinees Sat 22 & 29 Sept 3.30pm; and Thurs 27 Sept 3.30pm

Prices: £13.50 (concessions) and £17.50 (standard)
Booking: www.tara-arts.com / 020 8333 4457

 

POST SHOW DISCUSSIONS

Wednesday 19 September: The Reporter & The Activist with Lyse Doucet (BBC Chief International Correspondent) and Christopher Gunness

Wednesday 26 September: Myanmar Today: How did the student uprising of 1988 change history with Martin Smith (Project Burma)

LORDS WARN UK CULTURAL SECTOR MAY SUFFER AFTER BREXIT WITHOUT RECIPROCAL VISA AGREEMENTS WITH THE EU

Without effective reciprocal arrangements for movement of people between the UK and EU, the UK may see a decline in skilled cultural sector workers coming to the country. Such a development would be to the detriment of the sector, and represent a significant loss to the audiences that enjoy seeing talent from across Europe performing in the UK.

In its report published today, Brexit: movement of people in the cultural sector, the House of Lords EU Home Affairs Sub-Committee highlights that bringing EU cultural workers under the same restrictions as currently apply to third country nationals could harm the sector, because existing visa rules require a minimum salary in excess of what many cultural organisations can offer. As a result, the UK may struggle to attract talent.

The ability to move between the UK and EU27 at short notice is integral to the business model of many cultural sector organisations, which are often built on the services of consultants and freelance workers working on a project basis, or working on multiple projects at one time.

The Committee suggests the Government consider two possible visa options that would recognise the two-way benefits that accrue from allowing artists, entertainers and other cultural sector workers to move freely between the UK and EU:

• Extending the permitted paid engagement and permit-free festival arrangements to EU citizens;
•  Offering a multi-country, multi-entry short-term ‘touring visa’ for EU citizens, and seek a reciprocal commitment for UK citizens travelling to the EU.

The Government’s recent White Paper acknowledges that “the UK and the EU will … need provisions that allow for mobility” to facilitate the proposed “cooperative accord” with the EU on culture and education. However it is unclear how this accord would relate to wider immigration policy, or the existing visa system. Given the cultural sector’s concerns about how it will be affected by any agreement with the EU on migration, the Government should urgently provide more detail on this proposal.

Lord Jay of Ewelme, Chairman of the Committee, said:

“Individuals working in the UK cultural sector are highly mobile, and have thrived on collaboration with people from all over the world. The country benefits enormously from the sector’s contribution to its economy and society, and it makes  an important contribution to the UK’s international image and influence.

“If the Government is to achieve its wish to establish an immigration system that meets the needs of the post-Brexit economy, the UK’s negotiators will need to be flexible. This means recognising that any restrictions on EU citizens wishing to enter the UK to work may be matched by reciprocal restrictions on UK workers in the EU.”

Bradford Alhambra – until Saturday 28 July

5*****

I was lucky enough to see the start of the Titanic tour in Southampton and thought it was magnificent then, but seeing it again, as it makes its penultimate stop in Bradford, I see just how magnificent it has really become.

The original cast have grown into their roles, adding nuances, emotions and real personalities to their characters.  These are real people, who really suffered and you care about the fate of every single one of these people.

This is one of the best examples of an ensemble piece, and it’s hard to single any one person out for praise when all are outstanding.  But I must mention Jacinta Whyte, who is newly playing my favourite character Alice Beane. Alice wants excitement and to rub elbows with millionaires.  Her self prophetic exclamation that getting in to the First Class salon maybe the last thing they ever do is heartbreaking.

Watching Kieran Brown fall apart as William Murdoch, and his needless suicide pulls at the heartstrings too.  Although I must admit I love this show and I tend to start crying from the opening bars of In Every Age to the standing ovation of the reprise of Godspeed Titanic due to Maury Yeston’s highly emotive music and lyrics played by the band under the direction of Mark Aspinall

Danielle Taranto has produced a masterpiece of musical theatre and I can only hope and wait for the West End transfer that this undoubtedly deserves

Lowry, Salford – until 28 July 2018

Reviewed by Lottie Davis Brown

5*****

March 2019 will mark the tenth anniversary of the tragic death of 60’s legend Dusty Springfield – another international icon gone far too soon.

I may not have been around in the sixties but I remember my parents playing Springfield’s records in the eighties and me then being able to spot her on TV in 1987 when she featured on the hit single What Have I Done To Deserve This? with the Pet Shop Boys which became a favourite song of mine for decades to come.

Johnathan Harvey’s musical adaptation of the life and biography of Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O’Brien aka Dusty Springfield as she was professionally known as (afterall, even on a 12” record it would be difficult to squeeze her full real name on!) opens not at the birth of Dusty, but at the start of her solo career in the Sixties, following her departure from pop-folk trio The Springfields (with her brother Tom Springfield and Tim Field) stating that she wanted to explore other types of music than folk. It’s 1963 and Dusty is about to launch her solo career with I Only Wanna Be With You on TV’s “Ready, Steady, Go”, however she suffers terribly with stage fright and as the audience early count down to her debut solo performance, Dusty is nowhere to be seen – she’s hiding out in the bathroom and has to be calmed down and pursuaded to go on stage by her two best friends Pat (Esther Coles) and Ruby (Ella Kenion) to perform.

Having had a strict Catholic upbringing, witnessing the constant bickering of her parents (which drove Dusty to outburst of anger and self harm) and being a self-confessed perfectionist, even when her records were at the top of the charts, Dusty was filled with self-loathing and doubt, aspiring to be like Mowtown sensations such as Aretha Franklin and never feeling she was quite good enough. This was only made worse by her mothers constant digs at her. However by 1965, Dusty was the best selling female singer with international success and soon embraced on a tour, where she was went down in history for refusing to sing in front of a segregated audience, resulting on being asked to leave that country.

Katherine Kingsley captures the sultry vocals, peroxide beehive and kohl-eyed persona of Springfield with ease, showing the “behind-the-scenes” less-seen side of Dusty – the insecure, perfection driven icon who soon became addicted to drugs and alcohol, being at the brink of self-destruction until the opportunity to reboot her career in the late 1980’s when following Pat and Kay going grovelling to her old manager Billings (Rufus Hound) which led to the recording with the Pet Shop Boys. Whilst act one is centred around her rise to fame as an international solo artist, act two shows the steady decline of her long term relationship with Lois (Joanna Francis), the impact this had on her drink and drugs addiction and her music career hiatus and leads up to her tragic death from breast cancer in early 1999.

The stage set, along with the lighting and video production take the audience through the swinging psychedelic Sixties London to the groovy “free love” Seventies, electro Eighties (with a fabulous homage to the PSB and Dusty collaboration of What Have I Done To Deserve This? in a mock electro discotheque-esque music video (which took me back to my childhood era and first memories of Dusty in the charts – which reached no.2 in the UK charts to the nineties with ease, so much so the show really did feel as if one was watching a television documentary of old Dusty footage to mark her career, even the funeral recordings from 1999 were played on video screens as the audience shed several tears as Kingsley gave a moving performance of Dusty’s final hour, surrounded by friends Pat, Ruby and ex-lover Lois.

A full standing ovation with raucous applause soon followed. Dusty Springfield may be gone but she certainly isn’t going to be forgotten in a hurry. Although the production features some darker moments, the wit is fast-flowing and there’s plenty of laugh out loud moments. There is literally nothing I can fault on this production.

Award-winning Antic Disposition present the
largest theatrical tour of English Cathedrals
UK Cathedral Tour: 8th October – 10th November 2018
Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon: 12th – 16th November 2018

Returning for its fourth year to delight audiences around the UK, Antic Disposition’s critically acclaimed production of Shakespeare’s Henry V will embark on a historical tour of ten of the most beautiful and significant cathedrals. Coinciding with the centenary of the First World War Armistice on 11th November, Henry V will conclude with a special run at William Shakespeare’s burial place, Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon

As the largest theatrical tour of English cathedrals ever undertaken, this will be Antic Disposition’s longest and most wide-ranging UK tour to date. By the end of 2018, the production will have visited twenty of England’s forty-two cathedrals, from Durham in the north to Winchester in the south, Norwich in the east to Exeter in the west

Antic Disposition’s reimagining is set in a French military hospital in 1915 – 500 years after the Battle of Agincourt – where two groups of wounded French and British soldiers decide to raise their spirits by staging their own production of Henry V. Performed by an international cast of twelve British and French actors, this production celebrates the rich and often turbulent historical relationship between England and France, from the Hundred Years War to the Entente Cordiale

In a powerful tribute to the young soldiers caught up in conflicts five centuries apart, Antic Disposition’s Henry V moves effortlessly between 1415 and 1915. This adaptation combines Shakespeare’s epic history play with original songs and live music inspired by the poetry of A E Housman, specially composed by Christopher Peake. This production also features an arrangement of Housman’s The Lads in their Hundreds by George Butterworth, a young English composer who was himself killed in the Battle of the Somme in 1916

Directors Ben Horslen and John Risebero comment: Over the last four years this production has been a constant feature in our lives, and as the centenary of the Great War comes to a close, it feels fitting that we revive it once more to mark the end of the conflict. Henry V has been a very special project, not least the experience of working with the amazing ͚band of brothers͛ – and sisters – who have joined us on the journey. We are very excited to be sharing the production with new audiences across the UK on our largest tour to date, and hugely grateful to our cathedral hosts for the opportunity to be part of their commemorative programmes

Antic Disposition’s production of Henry V was first staged in August 2015, marking both the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt and the centenary of the First World War. The production was performed in ten open-air locations in France, followed by a run in Temple Church in London. Henry V was revived in spring 2016 to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, where it was performed in Middle Temple Hall in London followed by a tour of eight cathedrals and major churches around the UK. A second cathedral tour took place in February 2017, visiting a further eight cathedrals around the UK. Additionally, in January 2018 Antic Disposition’s Henry V was performed at the Théâtre National de Nice in France, as part of the annual ShakeNice! Festival – one of only a handful of productions of Shakespeare’s play ever
to be performed in a major French theatre

Antic Disposition͛s Henry V deserves its revival tour of British Cathedrals. It is a slick theatrical operation, well-acted, well-designed and well-conceived (★★★★★, British Theatre)

Performance Dates
8th – 9th October Winchester Cathedral, Hampshire – 7.30pm

11th – 13th October Leicester Cathedral, Leicestershire – 7.30pm

15th – 16th October Durham Cathedral, County Durham – 7.30pm

18th – 20th October Chester Cathedral, Cheshire – 7.30pm

22nd – 24th October Manchester Cathedral, Greater Manchester – 7.30pm

26th – 27th October Wells Cathedral, Somerset 7.30pm

29th – 31st October Exeter Cathedral, Devon – 7.30pm

5th – 7th November Salisbury Cathedral, Wiltshire – 7.30pm

8th – 10th November Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford – 7.30pm

12th – 16th November Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon 7.30pm

 

MICHAEL GRANDAGE’S CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED PRODUCTION OF JOHN LOGAN’S RED TO BE SCREENED IN CINEMAS IN THE UK AND NORTH AMERICA

‘A phenomenal production’ The Independent

★★★★★ The Times

MGC today announces that Trafalgar Releasing will present the company’s critically acclaimed production of John Logan’s Red with Alfred Molina and Alfred Enoch in selected cinemas across the UK and North America on 7 November 2018. Tickets will go on sale from 15 August.

“Exhilarating. A modern classic” Daily Telegraph

Filmed at the Wyndham’s Theatre, where it completes its run on 28 July, the production is based on Grandage’s original 2009 Donmar Warehouse production, that went on to win six Tony Awards including for Best Play and Best Direction of a Play.

“I am delighted that the original production of Red will be screened worldwide for all to see as part of MGC’s commitment to reach as wide an audience as possible. It has enjoyed a long life that has included the Donmar, Broadway, LA and finally the West End, so it is particularly wonderful that it will be broadcast in cinemas later this year with Alfred Molina and Alfred Enoch on stage at the Wyndham’s Theatre.” Michael Grandage

 

“To me the release of the original production of Red in cinemas feels like a natural conclusion to a run that began a decade ago in London. I’m thrilled that a wider audience will get to share in the work of these two extraordinary actors – especially the towering presence of Alfred Molina, who began this journey with Michael Grandage and me so long ago. Working on Red has always been a joy and privilege, and I’m thrilled to have this consummate production of my play preserved on film.” John Logan

 

“The richness of Red is illustrated by the fantastic acclaim from press and audiences alike and we cannot wait to bring this outstanding production starring Alfred Molina and Alfred Enoch to cinemas across the UK and USA. We are excited to collaborate with Michael Grandage and the team at MGC for the release of one of the most important theatre events of the decade.” Alice De Rosa, Director of Distribution, Trafalgar Releasing

 

Under the watchful gaze of his young assistant, and the threatening presence of a new generation of artists, Mark Rothko takes on his greatest challenge yet: to create a definitive work for an extraordinary setting.

Red reunites John Logan and Michael Grandage following Peter and Alice with Judi Dench and Ben Whishaw which formed part of MGC’s inaugural season in the West End in 2013, and their feature film Genius.

John Logan is a playwright and screenwriter. His numerous plays include Peter and Alice, Never the Sinner, Hauptmann, Speaking in Tongues, Scorched Earth and Riverview. His adaptation of The Master Builder was in the West End in 2003. He has written the book for the stage adaptation of Moulin Rouge! which is currently running at Boston’s Emerson Colonial Theatre. For television, his work includes Penny Dreadful. As a three-time Academy Award nominated screenwriter, his work includes Alien Covenant, Spectre, Genius, Noah, Lincoln, Skyfall, Hugo, Rango, Coriolanus, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Golden Globe Award), The Aviator, Gladiator, The Last Samurai, Any Given Sunday and RKO 281 (WGA Award).

Alfred Enoch plays Ken. For theatre his work includes King Lear (Royal Exchange Manchester), Coriolanus(Donmar Warehouse), Timon of Athens, Antigone (National Theatre). For television, his credits include Troy, How To Get Away with Murder, Sherlock and Broadchurch; and for film, Enoch played Dean Thomas across seven of the eight Harry Potter films.

Alfred Molina plays Mark Rothko. His most recent theatre work includes A Long Day’s Journey into Night(Geffen Playhouse) and No More Shall We Part (Williamstown Theatre Festival). He first starred in Red at the Donmar Warehouse in 2009, which later transferred to Broadway and for which he received a Tony Award nomination for Best Leading Actor in a Play. His other theatre work includes Fiddler on The Roof (Minskoff Theatre – Tony Award nomination), Art (Royale Theatre – Tony Award nomination), Molly Sweeney(Roundabout Theater – Outer Circle Critics’ Award for Most Outstanding Debut Performance), The Cherry Orchard (Mark Taper Forum), The Night of Iguana, Speed the Plow (National Theatre), Serious Money (Royal Court Theatre), Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay! (Criterion Theatre), Oklahoma! (Palace Theatre) and The Taming of the Shrew (RSC). For television, his work includes I’m Dying Up Here, Angie Tribeca, Bette and Joan (Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor), Close to the Enemy, Sister Cities, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, The Normal Heart (Emmy nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor), Show Me a Hero, Monday Mornings, Roger and Val Have Just Got In, Law and Order: LA and The Life and Times of Tim; and for film, Love is Strange, The Pink Panther 2, An Education, The Lodger, Spider-Man 2, The Da Vinci Code, Silk, Frida, Chocolat, Magnolia, As You Like It, The Hoax, Anna Karenina, Boogie Nights, Species, Maverick, The Perez Family, Hideaway and Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Michael Grandage is Artistic Director of the Michael Grandage Company in London. For the company he directed Henry V, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Cripple of Inishmaan, Peter and Alice and Privates on Parade, Dawn French: 30 Million Minutes Photograph 51, and the feature film Genius with Colin Firth. He was Artistic Director of the Donmar Warehouse (2002–2012) and Artistic Director of Sheffield Theatres (2000–05). He is the recipient of Tony, Drama Desk, Olivier, Evening Standard, Critics’ Circle and South Bank Awards. He has been awarded Honorary Doctorates by the University of London, Sheffield University and Sheffield Hallam University and is President of Central School of Speech and Drama. He was appointed CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2011. His book, A Decade At The Donmar, was published by Constable & Robins in 2012. His work for the Donmar Warehouse includes directing Eddie Redmayne in Richard II, Felicity Jones in Luise Miller,Derek Jacobi in King Lear, Red (also New York, Tony and Drama Desk Awards Best Director), Jude Law in Hamlet (also Elsinore and New York), Ivanov (Evening Standard and Critics Circle Award Best Director), Madame de Sade, Twelfth Night, The Chalk Garden (Evening Standard and Critics Circle Awards Best Director), Don Juan in Soho, Frost/Nixon (also Gielgud, New York, USA tour, Tony Nomination Award for Best Director), Othello (Evening Standard and Critics’ Circle Awards for Best Director), The Wild Duck (Critics Circle Award Best Director), Guys and Dolls (Olivier Award for Outstanding Musical Production), Grand Hotel (Olivier Award for Outstanding Musical Production and Evening Standard Award Best Director), The Cut, After Miss Julie, Caligula (Olivier Award Best Director), Merrily We Roll Along (Evening Standard Award Best Director), Passion Play (Evening Standard Award and Critics Circle Award for Best Director). For Sheffield Theatres he directed many productions including Don Carlos (Evening Standard Award Best Director). He mostly recently directed Disney’s Frozen which opened at the Buell Theatre, Denver, ahead of the current run at St James Theatre on Broadway.

For more information or to find a cinema screening Red please visit: www.redincinemas.com

Twitter: @RedThePlay

Instagram: RedThePlay

Facebook/RedThePlayLondon

ALEXANDRA BURKE TO STAR AS ROXIE HART IN CHICAGO

AT THE PHOENIX THEATRE, LONDON

FROM MONDAY 13 AUGUST 2018

JOINING MARTIN KEMP, MAZZ MURRAY, JOSEFINA GABRIELLE & PAUL RIDER

Alexandra Burke will join the West End cast of CHICAGO at the Phoenix Theatre, playing the role of Roxie Hart from Monday 13 August through to Saturday 14 October 2018. She will join Martin Kemp as Billy Flynn, Mazz Murray as Mama Morton, Josefina Gabrielle as Velma Kelly and Paul Rider as Amos Hart. Martin Kemp will be staying in the London production of CHICAGO until 1 September 2018.

CHICAGO is booking at the Phoenix Theatre in London’s West End until Saturday 5 January 2019.

Alexandra Burke rose to fame in 2008 after winning the 5th series of ITV’s The X Factor. Her winner’s single, Hallelujah, reached number one in the UK Christmas Chart and went on to be crowned the top-selling single of 2008 and sold over 1 million copies in the UK alone. Her theatre roles include Rachel Marron in The Bodyguard (London & UK tour), Deloris Van Cartier in Sister Act (UK Tour), and, most recently, Svetlana Sergievsky in the five-week revival of Chess at the London Coliseum. In 2017, Alexandra was a finalist in BBC 1’s Strictly Come Dancing. Earlier this year, Alexandra released her third album, The Truth Is.

The multi award-winning Kander & Ebb musical CHICAGO, winner of six Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards and a Grammy, returned to London’s West End on Monday 26 March 2018, with a press night on Wednesday 11 April at the Phoenix Theatre in London.

CHICAGO originally ran in London for 15 years, making it the West End’s longest running revival. It first opened at the Adelphi Theatre on 18 November 1997 to rave reviews and immediately became a sell-out hit. CHICAGO won the 1998 Laurence Olivier Award for ‘Outstanding Musical Production’ as well as the 1998 Critics Circle Drama Award for ‘Best Musical’. CHICAGO transferred from the Adelphi Theatre to the Cambridge Theatre in April 2006, where it ran for five years until 27 August 2011. The show then opened at the Garrick Theatre on 7 November 2011, where it ran until 1 September 2012.

Since it opened in New York in 1996, CHICAGO has played in 36 countries worldwide, and been performed in English, Dutch, German, Swedish, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Italian, French, Danish, Japanese and Korean. It has grossed over $1.5 billion worldwide and has played over 32,500 performances worldwide, with an estimated 31 million people around the world having seen CHICAGO. CHICAGO continues to play on Broadway, where it celebrated its 21st birthday last year, and around the world in multiple languages. It is the world’s longest running American musical.

CHICAGO, which is based on the play by Maurine Dallas Watkins, has a book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb. The 1996 Broadway revival of CHICAGO was choreographed by Ann Reinking in the style of Bob Fosse, directed by Walter Bobbie, and produced by Barry and Fran Weissler.

LISTINGS INFORMATION

Phoenix Theatre

110 Charing Cross Road

London WC2H 0JP

Box Office: 0844 871 7629 / www.atgtickets.com/shows/chicago/phoenix-theatre

Ticket Prices: From £20.00

Performances: Monday-Saturday 7.30pm, Wednesday & Saturday 2.30pm

Booking Period: Booking Until 5 January 2019

Running Time: 2 hours, 25 minutes (with interval)

Website: ChicagoWestEnd.com

Twitter: @ChicagoOnStage

Christmas 2018/19 Performance Schedule

Monday 24 December NO PERFORMANCE

Tuesday 25 December NO PERFORMANCE

Wednesday 26 December 7.30pm

Thursday 27 December 2.30pm and 7.30pm

Friday 28 December 2.30pm and 7.30pm

Saturday 29 December 2.30pm and 7.30pm

Monday 31 December 2.30pm

Tuesday 1 January 2019 7.30pm

Wednesday 2 January 2.30pm and 7.30pm

Thursday 3 January 2.30pm and 7.30pm

Friday 4 January 7.30pm

Saturday 5 January 2.30pm and 7.30pm

Leeds Grand Theatre – until 28 July

3***

Murder, intrigue and red herrings aplenty arrive in Leeds this week as Bill Kenwright’s Classic Thriller Theatre Company arrive to tell the tale of Edgar Wallace’s The Case of the Frightened Lady.

It is very dated, but the old fashioned quaintness add to the charm.  With two murders, an attempted murder, a suicide and the discovery that the Frightened Lady was someone different indeed, but if you are a fan of this genre then you will enjoy trying to solve the crime.

Deborah Grant is the aristocratic Lady Lebanon, keeping her upper lip very stiff as she tries to stop the police finding all the skeletons in the closet.  Ben Nealon is Lord Lebanon, her son, very foppish and after a good time. He doesn’t want to marry his cousin, Isla (April Pearson) but she wants to marry for love and not for some familial duty.

Denis Lill is the odious Dr Amersham, who I had down as the murderer until he became the second victim!  Simon Desborough and Callum Coates add humour as Gilder and Brook, always listening and spying.

Rosie Thomson steals all her scenes as Mrs Tilling the maid who drops some heavy hints as she goes about her duties.

Solving the crimes are Chief Superintendent Tanner, Gray O’Brien, and Detective Sergeant Totti, Oliver Phelps.

This is an ensemble piece with some acting excellence in it, but the problem with adapting huge thrillers into plays means that so much gets cut, and in order to fit The Case of the Frightened Lady into around 2 hours, the nuances, emotions and rising terror get lost leaving more cliches than suspense.

I didn’t guess the murderer or the motive – so if you fancy yourself as an amateur detective The Case of the Frightened Lady is in Leeds until Saturday and on tour around the UK