Month: October 2018

Theatre Royal Bath Productions and Jonathan Church Productions present the West End transfer of 
THE PRICE
By Arthur Miller

• CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED 50TH ANNIVERSARY PRODUCTION OF THE PRICE, DIRECTED BY JONATHAN CHURCH, TO ARRIVE IN THE WEST END FOR SPRING 2019
• DAVID SUCHET AND BRENDAN COYLE WILL REPRISE STAR ROLES AS GREGORY SOLOMON AND VICTOR FRANZ WITH ORIGINAL CAST ADRIAN LUKIS AND SARA STEWART
• AT WYNDHAM’S THEATRE FROM 5 FEBRUARY TO 27 APRIL WITH OPENING NIGHT FOR PRESS ON 11 FEBRUARY
• TICKETS ON SALE FROM WWW.DELFONTMACKINTOSH.CO.UK 

The 50th anniversary production of Arthur Miller’s riveting drama The Price is today announced for a West End transfer in February 2019 following a critical and publicly acclaimed reception in Bath earlier this summer. Eminent British actor David Suchet and Olivier Award winner and BAFTA and Emmy nominated Brendan Coyle will both reprise their star roles, as furniture dealer Gregory Solomon and New York cop Victor Franz, respectively, in Jonathan Church’s exemplary revival with Adrian Lukis and Sara Stewart. The Price will run at Wyndham’s Theatre from 5 February to 27 April with opening night for press on 11 February 2019.

Two brothers, Victor and Walter Franz, one a New York cop nearing retirement, the other a successful surgeon, meet for the first time in sixteen years to sell their family furniture stored in the attic of a condemned New York brownstone. Revelation follows stunning revelation as each brother realises the price they have paid for heart breaking decisions made decades earlier. Overseeing the psychological battlefield is the wily veteran appraiser, Gregory Solomon, who has his own demons to conquer as well as securing the best possible price for the Franz family possessions.

David Suchet, revisiting the work of Arthur Miller after his legendary award-winning performance in All My Sons, plays Gregory Solomon. Brendan Coyle, well known as Mr Bates in Downton Abbey,will reprise his role as Victor Franz, and will return to the stage straight from his hit one-man show St Nicholas. Original cast member Adrian Lukis will return to play Victor’s brother, Walter Franz, with Sara Stewart as Esther Franz, Victor’s wife.

First seen on Broadway in 1968, The Price was nominated for two Tony Awards including Best Play. It was also recently revived in New York in 2017, starring Mark Ruffalo and Danny DeVito. This 50th anniversary production of Arthur Miller’s richly affecting play – which, like his better known works, mines his preoccupation with the pleasures and perils of the American Dream – transfers from a sell-out run at the Theatre Royal Bath where it was hugely acclaimed by critics and audiences alike.

Arthur Miller’s plays include All My Sons, Death of a Salesman, The Crucible, A View from the Bridge, After the Fall, The Price and Finishing the Picture. Other works include Focus, a novel, The Misfits, a screenplay, Timebends, an autobiography and the novella, Homely Girl. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1949 for Death of a Salesman.

David Suchet, well known for playing Hercule Poirot in Agatha Christie’s Poirot, has credits across film, television and theatre, most recently seen in the BBC 1 drama Press and on stage in the Pinter at the Pinter season.  Theatre highlights include Long Day’s Journey Into Night (Apollo Theatre), All My Sons (Apollo Theatre), as well as The Last Confession (West End, Chichester Festival Theatre) andAmadeus (West End, London and Broadway).  Film credits include Effie, The Bank Job, Act of God, Foolproof, The In-Laws, Live From Baghdad, Sabotage, Wing Commander, A Perfect Murder andSunday. Additional television credits include Great Expectations, Richard II, Hidden, Going Postal, Flood, Henry VIII, Victoria & Albert, RKO281, Seesaw and Solomon.

Brendan Coyle’s extensive television credits include John Bates in Downton Abbey, for which he won 3 SAG Awards for Outstanding Ensemble and received Emmy, BAFTA & IFTA nominations for Best Supporting Actor. Most recently, Brendan starred in BBC and Netflix series Requiem, and on stage in Conor McPherson’s chilling one-man show St Nicholas for the Donmar Warehouse and Dublin Theatre Festival. Other television credits include Spotless, Starlings and Lark Rise To Candleford. Brendan starred in the original production of The Weir (Royal Court, West End and Broadway); winning both the Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actor & New York Critics’ Circle Award for Outstanding Broadway Debut and has also appeared in Mojo (Harold Pinter), The Late Henry Moss (Almeida) and Buried Child (National Theatre). His film credits include upcoming Working Title epic Mary Queen of Scots and Me Before You.

Adrian Lukis has appeared in several television series, including BBC dramas Collateral, Silk, Silent Witness, Doctors and Spooks. His stage credits include The Seagull (National Theatre), Versailles(Donmar Warehouse), Taming of the Shrew (Royal Shakespeare Company), Pygmalion (Theatre Royal Bath) and Arthur and George and The Winslow Boy at Birmingham Repertory.

Sara Stewart has appeared on screen in Channel 4’s Fresh Meat, the Emmy Award Winning seriesSugar Rush, and most recently in BBC dramas Doctor Foster and The Night Manager. Her film credits include Face of an Angel, Philomena, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Sightseers and the latest Transformers film. Her most recent theatre credits include The Cherry Orchard (Nottingham Playhouse) and Collective Rage: A Play in Five Betties (Southwark Playhouse).

Jonathan Church is Artistic Director of the Theatre Royal Bath Summer Season where his directing credits include the upcoming In Praise of Love and, recently, The Price, An Ideal Husband as seen in the West End, Racing Demon and The Lady in the Van. He was previously Artistic Director for the Salisbury Playhouse (1995-99), Birmingham Rep (2001-05) and Chichester Festival Theatre (2006-16). His directing credits include acclaimed productions such as Singin’ in the Rain (Chichester, West End), The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (Chichester, West End) and Taken at Midnight (Chichester, West End). He received a CBE for Services to Theatre in 2015.

The Price is presented by Theatre Royal Bath Productions and Jonathan Church Productions, and directed by Jonathan Church with design by Simon Higlett, lighting design by Paul Pyant, sound design by Mike Walker, composition by Matthew Scott, associate direction by Emma Butler and casting by Gabrielle Dawes CDG.

LISTINGS

THE PRICE
By Arthur Miller
Directed by Jonathan Church
Designed by Simon Higlett
Lighting Design: Paul Pyant
Sound Design: Mike Walker
Composer: Matthew Scott
Associate Director: Emma Butler
Casting: Gabrielle Dawes CDG

Wyndham’s Theatre, Charing Cross Rd, London WC2H 0DA

First performance: Tuesday 5 February
Opening Night: Monday 11 February
Final performance: Saturday 27 April

Monday – Saturday at 7.30pm
Wednesday and Saturday at 2pm

Box Office details:
Website: www.delfontmackintosh.co.uk 
Box office number: 0844 482 5151
Prices from £20

Twitter: @TheatreRBath
Facebook: TheatreRoyalBath

PHOENIX DANCE THEATRE COME HOME THIS WEEK

 

Phoenix at Home Thursday 18^th – Saturday 20^th October

 

Phoenix Dance Theatre’s annual production Phoenix at Home opens this Thursday at the Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre in Leeds for three nights only.

The Leeds-based company tour internationally, but for eight years have kept a date in the diary for a performance in their home city.

“This last year has been amazing for Phoenix,” says Artistic Director Sharon Watson. “We have toured around the country with Windrush: Movement of the People, been nominated for several awards, we met the Prime Minister, performed at Tilbury Docks, visited China to promote Leeds and Yorkshire as a cultural powerhouse, and now we’re preparing to head home where we always enjoy performing – we were born in Leeds, we live in Leeds and we’re very proud of Leeds.”

This year’s production is a reworked version of a classic, an excerpt from a new piece by Sandrine Monin and a brand new comedic work about modern living.

Described by the New York Times as a ‘funny and sexy romp’ Robert North’s world-renowned Troy Game is a tongue in cheek parody of male machismo. It was originally an all-male cast, but Phoenix have re-worked the piece to include female dancers – the steps remain the same.

Company dancer and choreographer Sandrine Monin makes a welcome return with an excerpt from her new piece Kirke, inspired by the first sorceress in Greek Mythology. Monin has again teamed up with Italian composerRoberto Rusconi with whom she created the much-lauded piece Calyx.

Phoenix Youth Academy take to the stage with colourful and comedic new work Spam choreographed by company dancer Michael Marquez. Billed as ‘a mirror to the complexity of the cluttered world’, Spam relates to the perpetual need and desire to satisfy a temporary sense of happiness.

Phoenix at Home is at Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre, Quarry Hill, Leeds

Thursday 18^th to Saturday 20^th October 2018 at 7.30pm

2pm matinee on Saturday 20th

 

Tickets: £16 & £13

 

www.phoenixdancetheatre.co.uk / 0113 220 8008

PRINCIPAL CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR

MENIER CHOCOLATE FACTORY’S

MAJOR REVIVAL OF FIDDLER ON THE ROOF

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF

Music by Jerry Bock          Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick          Book by Joseph Stein

Directed by Trevor Nunn; Choreographer Matt Cole; Set Designer Robert Jones

Costume Designer Jonathan Lipman; Hair and Make Up Design Richard Mawbey

Lighting Designer Tim Lutkin; Sound Designer Gregory Clarke

Musical Supervisor & Director Paul Bogaev; Orchestrations Jason Carr

The Menier Chocolate Factory today announces principal company for its major revival of one of the world’s most-beloved musicals of all time, Fiddler on the Roof, in a new staging by Trevor Nunn. Joining the previously announced Andy Nyman (Tevye) is Judy Kuhn as Golde, with Harriet Bunton (Hodel), Dermot Canavan (Lazar Wolf), Stewart Clarke (Perchik), Matt Corner (Fyedka), Joshua Gannon (Motel), Louise Gold (Yente), Kirsty MacLaren (Chava) and Molly Osborne (Tzeitel).

The production opens on 5 December, with previews from 23 November, and runs until 9 March. Booking is open for supporters of the Menier with public booking opening on 5 September.

This joyous and heart-breaking story of the travails of Tevye the milkman, his wife and five daughters features such classic songs as “Sunrise, Sunset,” “If I Were a Rich Man” and “Matchmaker, Matchmaker” and remains a heart-warming celebration To Life – L’chaim!

Fiddler on the Roof sees Trevor Nunn renew his collaboration with the Menier – he previously directed Lettice and Lovage, Love in Idleness (also West End), A Little Night Music (also West End and Broadway) and Aspects of Love for the company.

Andy Nyman is an award-winning actor, director and writer who has earned acclaim from both critics and audiences for his work in theatre, film and television. He returns to the Menier Chocolate Factory having previously performed in Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins and Abigail’s Party (also Wyndham’s Theatre). Other theatre work includes Martin McDonagh’s Hangmen (Wyndham’s Theatre), and the original production of Ghost Stories (Duke of York’s Theatre/Arts Theatre) which he starred in, co-wrote and co-directed with Jeremy Dyson. His extensive television credits include Wanderlust, The Eichmann Show, Campus, Crooked House, Dead Set as well as his highly acclaimed performance as Winston Churchill in Peaky Blinders. This year he will be seen in the up and coming series Hanna. Nyman’s extensive film credits include The Commuter, Death at a Funeral, Kick-Ass 2, Black Death, The Brother’s Bloom, Severance and Shut Up & Shoot Me, for which he won the ‘Best Actor’ award at the Cherbourg Film Festival in 2006. Upcoming films include Jungle Cruise and playing opposite Renee Zellweger in Judy. This year saw the release of the film version of Ghost Stories. Based on their own play, the film was written and directed by Nyman and Jeremy Dyson. Nyman also stars alongside Martin Freeman and Paul Whitehouse. In addition, he has collaborated with Derren Brown for almost 20 years, co-writing and co-creating much of Brown’s early TV work, he has also co-written and directed six of Brown’s stage shows winning the ‘Best Entertainment’ Olivier Award for Derren Brown – Something Wicked This Way Comes and recently a New York Drama Desk Award for ‘Best Unique Theatrical Event 2017’ for Derren Brown – Secret.

Judy Kuhn plays Golde. A four-time Tony Award nominee, she has released four studio albums, and sang the title role in the 1995 film Pocahontas, including her rendition of the song “Colors of the Wind”, which won its composers the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Her theatre credits include Fun Home (Public Theater/Circle In The Square Theatre), She Loves Me (Brooks Atkinson Theater), Chess, The Mystery of Edwin Drood (The Imperial Theatre), Les Miserables (Broadhurst Theatre), Rags (Mark Hellinger Theatre),Two Shakespearean Actors (Lincoln Center Theatre), King David (New Amsterdam Theater) and Metropolis(Piccadilly Theatre – Olivier Award Nomination), The Visit (The Williamstown Theater Festival), Passion, The Cradle Will Rock (City Center), Three Sisters (Intiman Theatre), Passion (Kennedy Center), Sunset Boulevard, Eli’s Comin’ , Dream True (Vineyard Theatre), The Ballad of Little Jo (Steppenwolf Theater), The Glass Menagerie(McCarter Theatre), Martin Guerre (Hartford Stage) and Endangered Species (BAM). Her film credits include Enchanted, Day on Fire, Pocahontas and Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World.

Harriet Bunton plays Hodel. Her theatre credits include Mamma Mia! (Novello Theatre), Sunny Afternoon(Harold Pinter Theatre), The Rocky Horror Show (European tour) and We Will Rock You (Dominion Theatre).

Dermot Canavan plays Lazar Wolf. His theatre credits include Oklahoma! (Gordon Craig Theatre), Rehab (Union Theatre), The Last Tango (Phoenix Theatre), West Side Story (Kilworth House), The Ladykillers (The Watermill Theatre), Annie Get Your Gun (UK tour), The Tempest, The Taming Of The Shrew, The 39 Steps (Criterion Theatre), Hairspray (Shaftesbury Theatre), and In The Club (Hampstead Theatre); and for film Like Crazy.

Stewart Clarke plays Perchik. He returns to the Menier Chocolate Factory having previously performed in Assassins. Other theatre credits include The Rink (Southwark Playhouse), A Streetcar Named Desire (Curve), The Return of the Soldier (Jermyn Street Theatre), Godspell in Concert (Lyric Theatre), Cool Rider Live (Duchess Theatre), Ghost the Musical (UK tour) and Loserville (Garrick Theatre). His television credits include The Moonstone; and for film Easy Virtue.

Matt Corner plays Fyedka. His theatre credits include Jersey Boys (Piccadilly Theatre/UK tour), A Day at the Races/A Night at the Opera (Ireland), Jim Caruso’s Cast Party (Birdland Jazz Club, New York). His film credits include Les Miserables and You’re A Musical Star.

Joshua Gannon plays Motel. He graduated from Guildford School of Acting 2017. Since graduating, his credits include Oklahoma! (Gordon Craig Theatre), Cilla – The Musical (UK tour) and The Wind in The Willows (London Palladium).

Louise Gold plays Yente. Her theatre credits include Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (London Palladium), Follies (Royal Festival Hall), Mamma Mia!, Mary Poppins (Prince Edward Theatre), Oliver! (Theatre Royal Drury Lane), Gypsy(Chichester Festival Theatre/Savoy Theatre), Our Country’s Good, The Caucasian Chalk Circle (Royal Lyceum Theatre), The Cherry Orchard (RSC), Noises Off (Piccadilly Theatre), The Good Person of Szechwan (Young Vic) and The Nap (Sheffield Theatres). Her television credits include Strike Back, The Alan Clarke Diaries, Spitting Image and The Muppet Show; and for film, Muppets Most Wanted, The Muppet Christmas Carol, The Great Muppet Caper, The Dark Crystal, Muppet Treasure Island, The Pirates of Penzance, Billy the Kid and the Green Baize Vampire, Topsy Turvey and Crush.

Kirsty MacLaren plays Chava. Her theatre credits include the Olivier Award-winning Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour (international tour/National Theatre/Duke of York’s Theatre), The Crucible (Royal Lyceum Theatre), Rapunzel (Platform Theatre), Miracle on 34th St, The Admirable Crichton, Mr Bolfry, Yellow on the Broom (Pitlochry Festival Theatre) and Freak Show (Noisemaker Productions).

Molly Osborne plays Tzeitel. She recently graduated from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. This marks her professional stage debut.

From 1968 to 1986, Trevor Nunn was the youngest ever Artistic Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, directing over thirty productions, including most of the Shakespeare canon, as well as Nicholas Nickleby and Les Misérables.  From 1997 to 2003, he was Artistic Director of the National Theatre, where his productions included Troilus and Cressida, Oklahoma!, The Merchant of Venice, Summerfolk, My Fair Lady, A Streetcar Named Desire, Anything Goes and Love’s Labour’s Lost. He has directed the world premières of Tom Stoppard’s plays Arcadia, The Coast of Utopia and Rock n Roll; and of Cats, Sunset Boulevard, Starlight Express and Aspects of Love by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Other theatre includes Timon of Athens, Skellig (Young Vic); The Lady From The Sea (Almeida Theatre); Hamlet, Richard II, Inherit the Wind (The Old Vic), A Little Night Music (Menier Chocolate Factory, West End and Broadway), Cyrano de Bergerac, Kiss Me Kate (Chichester Festival Theatre); Heartbreak House, Flare Path, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, The Tempest (Theatre Royal, Haymarket); Scenes from a Marriage (Coventry & St James), All That Fall (Jermyn Street & New York); A Chorus of Disapproval and Relative Values (West End).  Work for television includes Antony and Cleopatra, The Comedy of Errors, Macbeth, Three Sisters, Othello, The Merchant of Venice and King Lear, and on film, Hedda, Lady Janeand Twelfth Night. 

Listings Information

Fiddler on the Roof

Venue:                                Menier Chocolate Factory

Address:                             53 Southwark Street, London, SE1 1RU

Press performance:         5 December at 8pm

Dates:                                 23 November 2018 – 9 March 2019

Times:                                For the performance schedule, please see the website

Box Office:                         020 7378 1713 (£2.50 transaction fee per booking)

Website:                        www.menierchocolatefactory.com (£1.50 transaction fee per booking)

Tickets:                               Prices vary, as below from discounted preview tickets to premier seats. With the emphasis on ‘the sooner you book, the better the price’:

A meal deal ticket includes a 2-course meal from the pre-theatre menu in the Menier Restaurant as well as the theatre ticket.

www.menierchocolatefactory.com

Twitter: @MenChocFactory

THE LEHMAN TRILOGY WILL TRANSFER TO THE WEST END

Following a sold-out run at the National Theatre, the NT and Neal Street Productions’ critically acclaimed The Lehman Trilogy will transfer to the Piccadilly Theatre in May 2019.

Simon Russell Beale, Adam Godley, and Ben Miles will reprise the roles they originated at the National Theatre in The Lehman Trilogy by Stefano Massini, adapted by Ben Power and directed bySam Mendes, when it transfers to the West End from 11 May 2019, for a limited 12-week season at the Piccadilly Theatre.

Tickets for the transfer go on sale to the public from 2 November following a members’ booking period. The Lehman Trilogy is produced in the West End by the National Theatre and Neal Street Productions.

The story of a family and a company that changed the world, told in three parts on a single evening.

Directed by Sam Mendes (The Ferryman, Skyfall), The Lehman Trilogy weaves through nearly two centuries of Lehman lineage. On a cold September morning in 1844 a young man from Bavaria stands on a New York dockside. Dreaming of a new life in the new world. He is joined by his two brothers and an American epic begins. 163 years later, the firm they establish – Lehman Brothers – spectacularly collapses into bankruptcy, and triggers the largest financial crisis in history. Simon Russell Beale, Adam Godley, and Ben Miles play the Lehman Brothers, and a cast of characters including their sons and grandsons, in an extraordinary feat of storytelling.

The Lehman Trilogy features set designs by Es Devlin, costume design by Katrina Lindsay, video design by Luke Halls, lighting design by Jon Clark, and music and sound design by Nick Powell. The music director is Candida Caldicot, with movement by Polly Bennett.

The world premiere of Stefano Massini’s The Lehman Trilogy opened at the Piccolo Teatro in Milan in 2015. It turned out to be Artistic Director Luca Ronconi’s final production before his death. A long-term admirer of Ronconi’s, Sam Mendes was inspired to begin planning an English adaptation for Neal Street Productions. Ben Power, Deputy Artistic Director for the National Theatre, was commissioned to create a new version of this epic play, using a literal English translation by Mirella Cheeseman.

Director Sam Mendes said: “The Lehman Trilogy was developed over three years without the constraint of a schedule, or even a destination – I was allowed time to find its form, and to build a wonderful team with which to make it. One of the chief joys has been to work across borders with two great writers, and to invite three of the finest actors of their generation to work with us. We are indebted to the National Theatre and the Park Avenue Armory for their unstinting support throughout, and I couldn’t be more excited to show it to New York audiences and to be extending our London life in the West End.”

Lisa Burger, NT Executive Director said: “The Lehman Trilogy’s West End transfer, with all three of the Lehman brothers – Simon Russell Beale, Adam Godley and Ben Miles – continuing their extraordinary feat of storytelling, is a wonderful development in the life of this spell-binding production and a testament to the work created by Stefano Massini, Ben Power and Sam Mendes. The show has been a complete sell-out here, so it’s great to be working with Neal Street Productions to make sure that more people will have the chance to see it at the Piccadilly Theatre next year.”

The Lehman Trilogy transfers to the West End direct from the production’s New York debut, complete with the original cast, at the Park Avenue Armory. The Lehman Trilogy previews at the Piccadilly Theatre from 11 May 2019 and follows the National Theatre’s production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time at the venue, which opens in November 2018.

For further information contact Susie Newbery on 020 7452 3155 / [email protected]

ENDS
Notes to editors

The Lehman Trilogy
Piccadilly Theatre, 16 Denman St, Soho, London W1D 7DY

From 11 May 2019

Tickets from £18

Tickets go on sale to National Theatre members on 23 October, and to the general public on 2 November.
Book via nationaltheatre.org.uk / 020 7452 3000 or via ATG on 0844 871 7630*. 
*Calls cost 7p per minute, plus your phone company’s access charge.

National History Museum – until 30 December

Reviewed by Claire Roderick

4****

Dead Puppet Society’s acclaimed production about the voyage of the Beagle has found the perfect home in the Natural History Museum. Entering through The Darwin Centre, and past a booth selling the familiar gruff bearded image familiar to the world, The Wider Earth presents Darwin as a scientific ingenue, with the wonders that he sees as he journeys across the globe sowing the seeds of his great theory of evolution. Bradley Foster gives Darwin just the right amount of brilliance and naivety in a charming performance, making his conflict and friendship with the prickly Captain FitzRoy (Jack Parry-Jones) believable, and the play is book ended by entertaining scenes establishing Darwin’s relationships with his father and Emma Wedgewood (Melissa Vaughan).

The set consists of a rotating block that serves as a range of rock features over which Darwin clambers looking for specimens, and the hull of the Beagle, which the crew cling to in storms. The hollow reverse side is the deck of the ship and other interiors. The speed at which the sets are redressed as it rotates is awesome and it is a brilliant design choice – the only slight down side is that views of the screen are obstructed from at least the first 10 rows of the flat seating area. Using projections, the huge backdrop shows glorious images of stars and ocean skies, and becomes a sketchbook reminiscent of Warhorse, with ink drawings of maps and colourised views of ports of call on the Beagle’s voyage.

The focus of the play is the clash between the idealistic, open minded abolitionist Darwin and the religious views of FitzRoy and missionary Richard Matthews. The play doesn’t shy away from the distasteful colonial views of the era, with lots of debates about the plight of savages before Christian men of the Empire “saved” them. The fate of Jemmy Button (Marcello Cruz), bought by FitzRoy for a brass button and educated before being returned to Tierra del Fuego as a missionary, allows the audience to discover more about FitzRoy’s character, and also allows Parry-Jones to let rip with a powder keg performance. The whole cast give wonderful performances but, in the end, they are upstaged by the BRILLIANT puppets. As Darwin tries to tempt an armadillo with grass, flicks butterflies and finches off his shoulders and feeds giant tortoises – the beauty and purity of the puppets ensures that the audience experiences the awe and wonder that Darwin must have felt. You are transported back to childhood and opening an intricate pop-up book – I wanted to take the platypus home with me.

The glorious puppetry may attract some parents, but a show with puppets isn’t automatically aimed at young children. The NHM’s website says that “The show is suitable for ages 10+. The puppetry and visual elements will appeal to younger people, but some of the scientific content may go over their heads.” It’s not just the science though; the colonial and religious mindsets and arguments will baffle and possibly bore children. Speaking as a primary school teacher, there is a HUGE difference between a child sitting through something and them being engaged, and most children under 12’s experience of this production would probably be “He’s eaten a beetle!… sailors… rocks… can I go to the loo?… shouty bits about god… PUPPETS!!!!!!… more god stuff… and a notebook.”

The play ends with Darwin in a bit of a pickle about the implications of his developing ideas, and lots of knowing lines about it being the work of a lifetime. Perhaps Dead Puppet Society could work on a companion piece about Alfred Russel Wallace next? I’d love to see their version of Wallace’s flying frog!

The Wider Earth takes the audience on a spell-binding voyage of storytelling and scientific discovery – a thrilling introduction to the wonders of the world and the rewards and joy of curiosity and freethinking. This is like watching Monkman and Seagull travel back in time. A fantastic night at the museum for science geeks, history buffs and theatre lovers.

Jack Studio Theatre until 27 October

Mill Studio, Yvonne Arnaud 1 -3 November

Reviewed by Claire Roderick

5*****

Whether it’s Bela Lugosi, Christopher Lee, Gary Oldman, Leslie Nielsen or the Sesame Street Count, everyone has a favourite version of Dracula. Bram Stoker’s novel is still ripe for adaptation, with the vampiric mix of seduction and repulsion irresistible to new audiences and creating a tourist boom for Transylvania. (Top travel tip: don’t bother going to Bran Castle if you’re Welsh – it’s like being on the tube during rush hour and makes Castell Coch feel authentic.) After creating magic with Frankenstein, the prospect of Arrows and Traps getting to sink their teeth into Dracula (sorry, I promise that’ll be the only one) was pretty damn exciting. And Ross McGregor hasn’t disappointed – everything about this production screams quality.

Francine Huin-Wah’s set, full of arches and trapdoors out of with vampires can slink, Ben Jacobs’ eerie lighting design and Alistair Lax’s sound design create a gothic and intense atmosphere that is guaranteed to make you a little jittery before anything spooky actual happens. Ross McGregor’s masterful adaptation keeps some of the epistolic style of the novel in the opening scenes, with wonderful comic timing from Beatrice Vincent, Conor Moss and Lucy Ioannou as Mina, Jonathan and Lucy establishing their relationships and character clearly and quickly.

From the moment he appears, you can’t take your eyes off Christopher Tester’s Dracula – magnetic and mesmerising, but with subtle hints of the underlying repulsiveness and pitiful need – Tester just nails it. McGregor cuts the number of men in Van Helsing’s unwilling gang of vampire hunters, and alters the dynamic of the story wonderfully, with the men – Jack (Alex Stevens), Arthur (Oliver Brassell) and Jonathan all becoming even more bumblingly stereotypically “English” than in the novel, while Van Helsing (Andrew Wickes) is a gentle old soul and Mina and Lucy strong women completely comfortable with who they are. McGregor’s masterstroke is casting the ever-brilliant Cornelia Baumann as Renfield – lurching from giggling, insect-gobbling coyness to full-on demonic possession with consummate ease, Baumann’s Renfield is complex and compelling. Baumann’s spellbinding performance ensures that the ease with which Dracula controlled her, and her finding the strength to deny him are completely believable, understandable and relatable.

McGregor’s direction keeps the story rolling, with the necessary exposition not dragging the pace. There are shocks aplenty, but a laugh follows quickly, which is just what you need in a spooky tale, and this is theatrical storytelling of the highest calibre.

Dracula is the perfect spinetingling treat for chilly autumn nights. Arrows and Traps have, once again, breathed wonderful new life into a classic with a production full of surprises, thrills and chills. Get a ticket while you can.

Action for Children’s Arts present Stuart and Kadie Kanneh-Mason with lifetime achievement award

 

On 11 October 2018, the charity Action for Children’s Arts (ACA) presented Stuart and Kadie Kanneh-Mason with the 2018 JM Barrie Award, recognising a lifetime’s achievement in children’s arts. ACA decided to honour Stuart and Kadie in recognition of all parents who selflessly dedicate themselves to their children’s artistic education; in this case Sheku Kanneh-Mason, ‘cellist at the Royal Wedding, and his six talented brothers and sisters.

The award was presented by Principal of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Julian Lloyd Webber, who talked about the importance of arts education and why he believes cuts to music in schools ‘do not make sense’. Of the Kanneh-Mason family he said, ‘They have defied the idea that playing music is something only posh kids do’.

ACA also presented an Outstanding Contribution Award to Sticky Fingers Arts, a ground-breaking early-years arts provider in Newry, Northern Ireland. Members’ Awards were given to Caroline Moore and Susie Hall, who deliver the inspiring arts programme at Great Ormond Street Hospital; and conductor Helen Smee, who also gave a rallying cry for saving the arts in schools.

Alongside this campaigning talk was an atmosphere of celebrating children, young people, and the artists who inspire them. The audience was treated to performances from the Kanneh-Mason family ensemble, as well as young ‘cellist Hannah McFarlane. The ceremony was compered with great skill by BAFTA Young Presenter 2016 Tianna Moore.

The awards were hosted by the Prince of Wales Theatre, a Delfont Mackintosh Theatre. ACA has been presenting the JM Barrie Award since its foundation twenty years ago. Previous winners include Michael Morpurgo OBE (2016), Dame Jacqueline Wilson (2015), Bernard Cribbins OBE (2014) and Baroness Floella Benjamin OBE (2012)

The Wider Earth opens at the Natural History
Museum and announces their support of
The Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy
Playing until Sunday 30th December 2018

Tonight the award-winning Darwin drama The Wider Earth officially opens in the first performance theatre ever to be built at the Natural History Museum. To mark the occasion, the Australian High Commissioner will announce the official charitable partner of the show, The Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy (QCC).

The QCC is a unique network of forest conservation initiatives that marks Her Majesty The Queen’s service to the Commonwealth and conserves indigenous forests across the globe. Through their voluntary commitment to this pan-Commonwealth initiative, the nations of the Commonwealth are acting together to address climate change and protect habitats and biodiversity for the future.

This fantastic initiative is a fitting partner for The Wider Earth which is the coming-of-age story about the rebellious young Darwin who, inspired by a love of the natural world, set out on the adventure of a lifetime on HMS Beagle to the far side of the world. From tiny Galápagos finches, to giant tortoises and a fossilised glyptodon, this beautifully intricate production uses remarkable puppetry to introduce the audience to the tropical wildlife Darwin encountered. The Wider Earth has found its perfect home at the Natural History Museum as both marvel at the world that surround us and seek to capture the curiosity of all who come through the doors.

QCC partner Cool Earth is an award-winning UK-based charity that works alongside indigenous villages to halt rainforest destruction. Project Coordinator Sophie Kisnorbo comments, The Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy is honoured to have been chosen as The Wider Earth‘s official charitable partner. It is a real privilege to work with The Wider Earth to continue Darwin’s legacy.

LEGENDARY MUSICAL EXTRAVAGANZA

RETURNS FOR MAJOR 12 MONTH UK TOUR

DECEMBER 2018 – NOVEMBER 2019

 

STARRING

 

DUNCAN JAMES, JOANNE CLIFTON, BEN ADAMS & STEPHEN WEBB

 

Since it first opened in London in June 1973 at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show has become the world’s favourite Rock ‘N’ Roll musical, having been performed worldwide for 45 years in more than 30 countries and translated into over 20 languages. This critically-acclaimed stunning new production is now back by public demand and returns for a 12 month UK tour starting at Theatre Royal Brighton on 13 December 2018 and landing in Manchester from 9-26 January 2019.

 

This classic musical extravaganza will star Blue singer and Hollyoaks actor Duncan James* and West End star Stephen Webb* as Frank, Strictly Come Dancing Champion Joanne Clifton* as Janet and a1’s Ben Adams* as Brad. Kristian Lavercombe will also be reprising his role as Riff Raff, following more than 1300 performances in The Rocky Horror Show around the world. Directed by Christopher Luscombe, the smash hit show features all of the famous musical numbers which have made The Rocky Horror Show such a huge hit for over four decades, including “Sweet Transvestite”, “Science Fiction/Double Feature”, “Dammit Janet” and, of course, the timeless floor-filler, “The Time-Warp”.

 

Duncan James said: “Frank is such an iconic role, it’s an honour to be able to play him and a role that I have always wanted to do. I’m so excited to be touring with such a fun and vibrant show, and to be working with this fantastic cast.”

 

Joanne Clifton said: “I’ve always loved Rocky Horror. I learnt the Time Warp in my dance classes in Grimsby when I was 4 years old … 30 years later and I’ll be jumping to the left on the actual Rocky Horror stage, I can’t quite believe it!”

Ben Adams added: “Performing in Rocky Horror is a dream come true – I love the show so much it inspired me to write my own musical Eugenius! Joanne and I make quite a team and I’m sure that the whole cast will be raising the roof night after night as we perform for all the amazingly devoted Rocky fans. Bring on the stilettos!”

 

Stephen Webb said: “What an incredible opportunity to bring such a bold, energetic show across the UK. Frank is a dream role! I’m so pleased to be a part of the Rocky team, and can’t wait to give it everything I’ve got.”

 

The Rocky Horror Show tells the story of Brad and his fiancée Janet, two squeaky clean college kids who meet Dr Frank’n’Furter by chance when their car breaks down outside his house whilst on their way to visit their favourite college professor. It’s an adventure they’ll never forget, with fun, frolics, frocks and frivolity, bursting with timeless songs and outrageous outfits.  The Rocky Horror Show is a guaranteed party, which famously combines science-fiction, horror, comedy and music while encouraging audience participation meaning, of course, getting dressed in the most outrageous fancy dress.

 

The Rocky Horror Show first began life in 1973 before an audience of just 63 people in the Royal Court’s Theatre Upstairs.  It was an immediate success and transferred to the Chelsea Classic Cinema, before going on to run at the Kings Road Theatre, 1973-79 and the Comedy Theatre in the West End, 1979-80.  In 1975 it was transformed into a film called ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’. This film adaptation took over $135 million at the Box Office and is still shown in cinemas around the world more than 40 years after its premiere, making it the longest running theatrical release in cinema history. Many stars including Russell Crowe, Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Jerry Springer, Jason Donovan and Meatloaf have appeared in The Rocky Horror Show over the past 45 years.

 

In 2015, as part of a sold-out season at London’s Playhouse Theatre, a special star-studded Gala charity performance in aid of Amnesty International was broadcast to over 600 cinemas across the UK and Europe. The live screening – featuring a host of celebrities playing The Narrator including Stephen Fry, Mel Giedroyc, Emma Bunton, Ade Edmondson, Anthony Head and Richard O’Brien – smashed box office records and was the biggest grossing film in cinemas across the UK.  The performance was subsequently screened on the Sky Arts channel.

 

Ready to thrill you with fun and naughty moments, The Rocky Horror Show is the boldest bash of them all. But be warned, this show has rude parts!

 

What the press have said about The Rocky Horror Show:

 

“Panto for grown-ups – colourful, in your face, relentlessly energetic and high on audience participation” – The Times

 

“Hard to think of another musical quite as unique as this. Christopher Luscombe’s affectionate production feels like a genuine blast from the past” – Mail on Sunday

 

“As delightfully naughty as ever!” – Daily Telegraph

 

“So fast, so funny, so sexy” – Daily Mail

 

“Still the sexiest and funniest show in town” – Evening Standard

Duncan James performs at Oxford, Southampton, Liverpool, Birmingham, Bristol, Stoke-On-Trent, Blackpool, Glasgow, Leeds, Nottingham, Edinburgh

Stephen Webb performs at Brighton, Manchester, Sunderland, Milton Keynes, Wimbledon, Sheffield, Torquay, Woking, Belfast, Bromley, York, Dartford

Joanne Clifton performs until 25 May

Ben Adams performs until 25 May

Further cast includes:

Columbia – Miracle Chance

Eddie/Dr Scott – Ross Chisari

Rocky – Callum Evans

Magenta/Usherette – Laura Harrison

Phantom – Reece Budin

Phantom – Shelby Farmer

Phantom – Katie Monks

Phantom – Jake Small

Swing & Resident Choreographer – Andrew Ahern

Swing & Dance Captain – Maddie Hope Coelho

 

Website: www.rockyhorror.co.uk

Twitter: @rockyhorroruk

Facebook: /rockyhorrorshow

 

LISTINGS INFORMATION

 

Wednesday 9^th January – Saturday 26^th January 2019
Opera House, Manchester – www.atgtickets.com/Manchester

CHARLIE STEMP AND DANIELLE HOPE

TO PLAY THE PRINCE AND SNOW WHITE IN

S N O W   W H I T E   AT   T H E   L O N D O N   P A L L A D I U M

 

Qdos Entertainment today (12 October 2018) announced that Charlie Stemp will return to the London Palladium to play The Prince in this year’s Pantomime, Snow White at the London Palladium along with Danielle Hope who will play the title role of Snow White.  They join the previously announced Dawn French as The Wicked Queen, Julian Clary as The Man in The Mirror,Paul Zerdin as Muddles, Nigel Havers as The Understudy, Gary Wilmot as Mrs Crumble with Vincent and Flavia as The King and The Queen for this strictly limited 5 week run.

They are joined by Josh Bennett, Simeon Dyer, Craig Garner, Ben Goffe, Jamie John, Blake Lisle and Andrew Martin as The Magnificent Seven and ensemble members Faye Best, Myles Brown, Darragh Cowley, Ivan De Freitas, Scott English, Liz Ewing, Ross Finnie, Diana Girbau, Matt Holland, Abigayle Honeywill, Stevie Hutchinson, Jemima Loddy, Megan Louch, Mollie McGugan, James Paterson, Leanne Pinder, Oliver Roll, Jordan Rose, Aaron J Smith, Lucie-Mae Sumner, Carrie Sutton, Grant Thresh and Charlotte Wilmot along withThe Palladium Pantoloons.

Performances of Snow White at the London Palladium begin on Saturday 8 December 2018 with Gala Night on 12 December with the run concluding on Sunday 13 January 2019.

Produced by the Olivier Award-winning team behind last year’s Dick Whittington, Snow White at the London Palladium will again be directed by Michael Harrison, with choreography by Karen Bruce, scenery designed by Ian Westbrook, costumes designed by Hugh Durrant, speciality costumes designed by Mike Coltman, visual special effects by The Twins FX, lighting by Ben Cracknell, sound design by Gareth Owen, video and projection design by Duncan McLean, and original music by Gary Hind.

Award-winning Charlie Stemp most recently played Barnaby Tucker opposite Bette Midler and Bernadette Peters in the Broadway production of Hello, Dolly! and has recently been announced to play Bert in Cameron Mackintosh’s forthcoming West End production of Mary Poppins.  He previously played the title role in last year’s Palladium pantomime Dick Whittington, following his critically acclaimed performance as Arthur Kipps in Half a Sixpence at the Nöel Coward Theatre, a role he first performed at Chichester Festival Theatre.  His further theatre credits include Wicked at the Apollo Victoria and the international tour of Mamma Mia!

 

Danielle Hope is best known for having won BBC 1’s Over the Rainbow, which lead to her professional theatre debut in the lead role of Dorothy in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s production of The Wizard Of Oz at the London Palladium. Since then, she has starred as Éponine in the West End production of Les Misérables, as Maria in the UK tour of The Sound of Music, as Sandy in the recent UK tour Grease and is currently playing Sherrie in the UK tour of Rock of Ages.

Actor, writer and comedian Dawn French, who is making her pantomime debut as The Wicked Queen, is an original member of The Comic Strip and one half of the comedy duo French and Saunders.   She was last on the West End stage in October 2016 in her critically acclaimed one woman show 30 Million Minutes at the Vaudeville Theatre.  Her previous stage credits include A Midsummer Night’s Dream, An Evening with French and Saunders, French and Saunders Live, French and Saunders Still Alive, Le Fille du Regiment, Side by Side by Sondheim, Silly Cow, When I was a Girl I Used to Scream and Shout and Smaller.  Her extensive television credits include Delicious, Little Big Shots, The Wrong Mans, Roger and Val Have Just Got In, Girls on Top, Jam and Jerusalem, Lark Rise to Candleford, Let Them Eat Cake and the multi award-winning BBC comedy The Vicar of Dibley.  Her film credits include Coraline, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Maybe Baby and Milk.  Her best-selling books include Dear Fatty, A Tiny Bit Marvellous, Oh Dear Silvia, According To Yes and Me. You. A Diary.

 

Julian Clary returns to the London Palladium for the third year following his triumphant successes as The Spirit of the Bells in Dick Whittington and Dandini in Cinderella.  His television debut came in 1989 with ITV quiz show Trick or Treat and Channel 4’s Sticky Moments.  Clary is a best-selling author, a regular panelist on BBC Radio 4’s Just a Minute and in 2016 toured with his one man show The Joy of Mincing and in 2017 was seen in Le Grand Mort at the Trafalgar Studios.

Ventriloquist Paul Zerdin took the US by storm when he won America’s Got Talent, which was swiftly followed by his own residency at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas.  In the UK, Zerdin has appeared on The Royal Variety Performance, was seen on Michael McIntyre’s Big Christmas Show and has previously appeared at the Palladium as Idle Jack in Dick Whittington and as Buttons in Cinderella.

 

Nigel Havers’ film credits include Chariots of Fire, Passage to India and Empire of The Sun. His many television credits include Coronation Street, Downton Abbey, The Life of Rock and Benidormand his numerous West End appearances include Art, The Importance of Being Earnest touring productions of Rebecca, Single Spies and Basket Case.  Havers played Captain Nigel in Dick Whittington and Lord Chamberlain in Cinderella, both at the London Palladium.

 

Gary Wilmot’s multiple theatre credits include last year’s Palladium pantomime Dick Whittington,The Wind in the Willows also at the London Palladium, Big The Musical for the Theatre Royal Plymouth, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at the Savoy Theatre and on UK tour, The Pajama Game at the Shaftesbury Theatre, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the London Palladium, Copacabana at the Prince of Wales Theatre, Carmen Jones at the Old Vic, Pirates of Penzance for Regent’s Park Theatre and Me and My Girl at the Aldephi Theatre.

 

Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace-Mistry are one of the country’s most successful Ballroom, Latin American and Argentine Tango performers and choreographers.  After competing successfully together for many years, they gained a strong following after joining BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing in 2005.  Since leaving the show, they have starred in and co-choreographed productions including Midnight Tango, Dance ’til Dawn and The Last Tango.

 

Snow White at the London Palladium is produced by Nick Thomas and Michael Harrison for Qdos Entertainment. Nick Thomas is the founder and Chairman of Qdos Entertainment Group, one of the largest entertainment companies in Europe. Qdos Entertainment has produced 719 pantomimes over the past three decades, and is the UK’s second largest regional theatre and concert hall operator.  Michael Harrison has previously produced over 100 pantomimes for Qdos Entertainment where he is also Managing Director.  As a producer in the West End his credits include Gypsy, The Bodyguard, Annie and Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein.

LISTINGS INFORMATION

Theatre:                  London Palladium, Argyll St, London W1F 7TF

Dates:                    8 December 2018 – 13 January 2019, Gala Night 12 December 2017 at 7.30pm

Box Office:               020 7087 7747 (no booking fee)

Performances:           see website for performance schedule

Website:                 SnowWhitePalladium.com

Twitter:                   SnowWhiteLDN

Facebook:               Facebook.com/SnowWhiteLDN