Month: January 2019

THE BOB DYLAN STORY

ISLE OF WIGHT FESTIVAL 50^th ANNIVERSARY – GREATEST HITS SHOW

Wednesday February 20th   7.30pm

GRAND OPERA HOUSE YORK

CELEBRATING THE GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY OF DYLAN’S FESTIVAL FOLKLORE PERFORMANCE – THE BOB DYLAN STORY

The year 2019 marks the golden anniversary of Bob Dylan’s famous comeback performance at the Isle of Wight Festival.

Fifty years ago, resplendent in a sharp cream suit, Dylan strode on to the stage before more than 150,000 music fans to deliver a performance that would go down in rock music history.

This special moment in time is celebrated in The Bob Dylan Story’s Isle of Wight 50^th Anniversary Greatest Hits Show, which hits town in the coming weeks.

The authoritative production is described as a “stunning and definitive live concert celebration of rock music’s greatest icon” by the star of the show Bill Lennon.

“Music lovers are invited to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of Dylan’s famous comeback appearance and relive the moment as we feature classics performed on that heady late summer evening,” he says.

“There’s the joyous romance of I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight, the whimsy of Quinn The Eskimo, and the trademark venom of Maggie’s Farm.”

The aural and visual spectacular, which features visual projections and the fascinating stories behind the songs, was written by Bill, a self-confessed Dylan fanatic.     

“You can join ‘Bob’ and ‘The Band’ on a nostalgic trip through and beyond 1960s America as we bring to life all the hits including Like A Rolling Stone, Mr Tambourine Man, Blowin’ In The Wind, Knocking On Heaven’s Door, All Along The Watchtower, The Times They Are A-Changin’, Lay Lady Lay and many more,” says Bill.

Attention to detail is promised as the production presents a specially-written homage to Dylan’s Isle of Wight performance.

“By the summer of 1969 little had been heard from the folk music legend for more than three years,” says Bill. “Following a motorcycle accident, Bob had gone into semi-retirement.

“He was reportedly lured to the UK to appear at the festival with the promise of visiting ‘Tennyson country’ and what occurred was one of the most famous festival performances of all time.”

Four festival recordings were included on his Self Portrait album including Like a Rolling Stone, The Mighty Quinn, Minstrel Boy and She Belongs to Me.

The Bob Dylan Story recreates the hits, along with the tales behind many of the songs, with a story arc that starts with JFK’s inauguration speech and returns almost full circle to his tragic assassination in 1963.

​“You can experience the thrill and energy of a full-blown electric Dylan concert,” he says, “planted firmly in the 1960s, a time when anything seemed possible, in a show that will remind you what REAL nostalgia feels like, and have you digging out your old vinyl to sustain the pleasure just that little bit longer.”

Bill concludes with a reference to the Dylan’s famed Manchester Free Trade Hall concert – when the folk hero plugged in his electric guitar to the chagrin of “folk purists” in the audience: “Oh, and don’t forget to shout Judas!”

Tickets from £20.15

Box Office: 0844 871 3024

Online: www.atgtickets.com

STRICTLY CHAMPION TO STAR IN ROCK OF AGES AT LEEDS GRAND THEATRE

• Strictly Come Dancing champion Kevin Clifton to star in Rock of Ages

Leeds audiences are encouraged to get their ‘rock’ on as the award-winning musical Rock of Ages makes its first ever visit to Leeds Grand Theatre from Monday 29 July to Saturday 3 August 2019.

Now a global smash with hit seasons on Broadway, London’s West End and Las Vegas, and a star-studded Hollywood movie version starring (amongst others) Russell Brand, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Tom Cruise, Rock of Ages is an LA love story lavished with over 25 classic rock anthems, including The Final Countdown, I Want To Know What Love Is and We Built This City.

Starring in thelead role of Stacee Jaxx is Strictly Come Dancing champion Kevin Clifton who will swap the ballroom for the ‘Bourbon Club’ when he plays alongside Kevin Kennedy (Coronation Street, Fat Friends The Musical), Zoe Birkett (Pop Idol), Jodie Steele (Heathers The Musical) in the ultimate 80s rock ‘n’ roll musical.

Clifton or ‘Kevin from Grimsby’ is an international Ballroom and Latin dancer having won numerous titles across the world, including the Britain Latin Championships four times. He is best known as a Pro Dancer on BBC One’sStrictly Come Dancing, and having reached the final in four consecutive series, was finally crowned Strictly champion in 2018 with television presenter and journalist Stacey Dooley. Kevin made his musical theatre debut in Dirty Dancing the Musical at the Aldwych Theatre in London’s West End before going on to become a principle dancer for the Burn The Floor Dance Company, performing in the show’s record breaking Broadway run, in London’s West End and across the world. Kevin also toured nationwide with Karen Clifton in 2017 and 2018 in their theatre show Kevin and Karen Dance.

Warning: contains serious rock ‘n’ roll debauchery!

Rock of Ages is at Leeds Grand Theatre from Monday 29 July to Saturday 3 August. Priority Membership tickets onsale from Wednesday 16 January. General onsale is Wednesday 23 January.

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

Night Caps concert series announced for

MT FEST UK

A two-week festival of new musical theatre

Presented by Paul Taylor-Mills

At The Other Palace

From Monday 11 to Saturday 23 February 2019

Paul Taylor-Mills is delighted to announce Night Caps, an informal late-night concerts series as part of MT Fest UK at The Other Palace. These informal and intimate solo concerts will take place in the Studio nightly throughout the festival, and will be an opportunity to get to know some of the country’s eminent musical theatre stars through the songs that shaped them, songs they might never get to sing, and songs from new works.

The Night Caps lineup features Nathan Amzi, Luke Bayer, Louise Dearman, Victoria Hamilton-Barritt, Evelyn Hoskins, Rob Houchen, Sophie Isaacs, Emma Kingston, Claudia Kariuki, Jordan Luke Gage, Laura Pitt-Pulford and Tosh Wanogho-Maud.

Nathan Amzi’s West End credits include Heathers (Haymarket Theatre), Aladdin (Price Edward Theatre) and Urinetown (Apollo Theatre). Luke Bayer is currently appearing as Alternate Jamie in Everyone’s Talking About Jamie (Apollo Theatre). Louise Dearman is best known as the only actress to have played both Glinda and Elphaba in Wicked (Apollo Victoria Theatre). Victoria Hamilton-Barritt has recently been seen in Murder Ballad (Arts Theatre), for which she received and Olivier Award nomination, and In The Heights (King’s Cross Theatre). Evelyn Hoskins has starred as the title role in Carrie The Musical (Southwark Playhouse) and Liesl in ITV’s The Sound of Music Live. Rob Houchen returns to The Other Palace having starred as Eugene in Eugenius!. Sophie Isaacs most recently starred as Heather McNamara in Heathers The Musical (The Other Palace and Haymarket Theatre). Emma Kingston most recently played the Evita in the Evita International Tour. Other roles include Vanessa in In The Heights(Southwark Playhouse and King’s Cross Theatre). Claudia Kariuki is currently appearing in School of Rock (New London Theatre), with other recent credits including Ragtime (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre) and Hairspray (UK & Ireland tour). Jordan Luke Gage has just completed his run starring as Strat in Bat Out Of Hell (Dominion Theatre). Laura Pitt-Pulford recently appeared in Flowers for Mrs Harris(Chichester Festival Theatre) and was Olivier Award nominated for Seven Brides for Seven Brothers(Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre). Tosh Wanogho-Maud recently starred as Jimmy in Dreamgirls, with other West End credits including Show Boat and The Book of Mormon.

MT Fest UK is a two-week festival of new musical theatre at The Other Palace from Monday 11 to Saturday 23 February 2019. The festival will present new work by both emerging and established writers, as well as programming talks and concerts from some of the most celebrated performers, writers and producers currently working in musical theatre. All tickets to events and performances will be between £10-15.

At the centre of the festival is a previously announced Taster Menu series of eight new musicals; AA,Nerds, First Date, Porn the Musical, But I’m a Cheerleader, Bloody Bloody Jessica Fletcher,The Astonishing Return of… The Protagonists and Killer Queen. Ranging from brand new commissions from Paul Taylor-Mills, to re-worked Broadway shows and brand-new musicals that Taylor-Mills has developed in his role as Affiliate Producer at The Other Palace, these will each be presented as a 45-minute semi-staged sharing in the Studio at The Other Palace.

Follow the MT Fest UK Twitter and Instagram pages from 10.00am on Monday 21 January when details of BEAM Brunches will be announced. These will be morning songwriter showcases shining a light on some of the most exciting new creators of musical theatre in the UK. Presented by Musical Theatre Network and Mercury Musical Developments, they will feature writers discovered via BEAM2018.

Further events and casting details will be announced over the coming weeks.

Tickets for all Night Caps concerts go on sale on Monday 21 January at 12.00pm

www.MTFestUK.co.uk

Twitter @Fest_MT

Instagram MTFestUK

NIGHT CAPS  LISTINGS

Monday 11 to Saturday 23 February 2019

THE OTHER PALACE

12 Palace Street, London, SW1E 5JA

Performances: 9.00pm Monday – Saturday

Tickets: All tickets £15.00

Box Office: 020 7087 7900 | www.theotherpalace.co.uk

TICKETS ON GENERAL SALE MONDAY 21 JANUARY, 12.00PM

Priority tickets on sale to Friends of The Other Palace Thursday 17 January, 12.00pm

NIGHT CAPS  SCHEDULE

Monday 11 February:               9.00pm            Tosh Wanogho-Maud

Tuesday 12 February:              9.00pm            Evelyn Hoskins

Wednesday 13 February:         9.00pm            Sophie Isaacs

Thursday 14 February:             9.00pm            Luke Bayer

Friday 15 February:                  9.00pm            Louise Dearman

Saturday 16 February:             9.00pm            Rob Houchen

Monday 18 February:               9.00pm            Victoria Hamilton-Barritt

Tuesday 19 February:              9.00pm            Claudia Kariuki

Wednesday 20 February:         9.00pm            Laura Pitt-Pulford

Thursday 21 February:             9.00pm            Emma Kingston,

Friday 22 February:                  9.00pm            Nathan Amzi

Saturday 23 February:             9.00pm            Jordan Luke Gage

The Lowry, Manchester – until Saturday 26th January 2019

Reviewed by Julie Noller

5*****

The Band has arrived in Salford Quays smooching us into 2019 with it’s singalong pop music show tunes, courtesy of Take That, who are also producers. Beating away those January blues. It’s a musical of many angles, foot stomping dance moves, thigh slapping, hand clapping pop songs. But then there’s the stories that interweave alongside, showing us how music doesn’t define us, more it locks moments in time within us which like a sun going supernova can suddenly and unpredictably burst out of us and have us grinning like a Cheshire cat whilst pushing the supermarket trolley up aisle 10.

Arriving at The Lowry it was cold and damp outside but inside it was bustling and brimming with excitement, groups of people were chatting with strangers looking glad to be inside. Women were stripping in the toilets pulling on their Take That tour tshirts, obviously a birthday night of surprises. The auditorium was playing that soft gentle music that twinged in my head as I looked for our seats until my friend blurted ‘OMG Ceefax’ we squealed remembering those dating pages, word searches and not forgetting the holidays! This is all setting the scene 1993; what were we doing? Both of us were in college albeit different ones but we had already been friends for a few years. I hadn’t realised how apt bringing my oldest and closest friend would be until curtain down.

It would be easy to tell the story of The Band but there’s so many parts to dissect I couldn’t do it justice. Instead I’ll sing the praises of the cast, all who do an amazing job and gel together as only best friends do. They say if you find a friend no matter how long you spend apart those years melt away in minutes and this is what we see on stage. It’s 1993 and five young girls are living as we all did posters, pop music and dreams Rachel (Faye Christall) has a group of friends but only one BFF who she shares her fears, hopes and dreams with the engaging Debbie (Rachelle Diedricks) encouraging her with infectious energy and raising many a smile from me especially taping those pop songs. We see the hopes and dreams of each sixteen year old the world is their oyster, dreams are there just within reach Heather (Katy Clayton) wants to be defined as a fashion designer not as a name to be linked with many numerous boys, Claire (Sarah Kate Howarth) as an Olympic Diver looks like Sporty Spice bouncing around continuously and then there’s petite little swot Zoe (Lauren Jacobs) who the girls say will be doing homework for the rest of her life at University. The naming of the pop group as The Band or as Rachel calls them Boys, is a clever move from writer Tim Firth it keeps our focus on the story making the music and songs as secondary more of a backdrop to the lives unfolding. The five boys in The Band who regardless of time never age, remaining stuck in memories forever young. They pop up around the girls linked in memories, helping with laundry, clearing up broken dishes, smoothing worries away, roadsweepers and baggage handlers, just reminding us they are not just pop royalty and superstars but ordinary people too. AJ, Curtis, Yazdan and Nick are joined by understudy Harry Fabulous Brown for tonight’s performance and they do a great job even making me laugh as they dress as statues in Prague.

I must applaude Andy Williams though who plays a great comic role as Every Dave, from school caretaker, bus driver, to Czech Policeman each time badly humming and trying to sing one of those great songs like my Dad would’ve done back in 1993.

It’s not all memories and great music there’s sadness too that takes your breath away. Those moments that make or break us like the death of a very dear friend and how we cope or don’t in some cases. Rachel explains how life dealt her a double blow and she moves separating her from friends and the girls just move on with life. Until 25 years later and a freak chance sees her winning a competition to see The Band in Prague and what would the chances be; she can take 3 friends. What makes her want to share this moment with friends she hasn’t seen since they were sixteen? Would we all try reaching out this way, do they have unfinished friendships and issues to resolve? Rachel is the lynch pin bringing everyone back together but her life is not as rosy inside as she hopes. Martin Millar plays her partner Jeff, steady dependable Jeff who wants to get married, should come with a mascara warning when Rachel explains to him why she won’t. Our young girls are now all older girls brilliantly portrayed with their own strengths and fears; Rachel Lumberg (Rachel), Alison Fitzjohn (Claire), Emily Joyce (Heather) and Jayne McKenna (Zoe). What draws them back together? The Band and those memories. Music doesn’t define us as much as youth doesn’t define us, we may all share our hopes and dreams.

The Band encourages you gently to look inside, did I follow that path my sixteen year old expected, NO. Am I sad for the path I eventually took, absolutely not for this is me, who I am. Memories are fantastic but they just that memories as much as when I was sixteen I was going to marry whoever took my fancy on the cover of Smash Hits, realistically it was never going to happen but without dreams we are nothing life is boring. Life is defined by who we become, never look back with regret… you absolutely won’t get the chance if you’re watching The Band for you will be waving your mobile phone torch feeling like you’re at a pop concert, you may have to squint to imagine Gary, Mark, Robbie, Howard and Jason up onstage but the boys who were discovered via reality TV competition all do a fabulous job in keeping our attention and also blending into the background when times call for subtleness.

But I can guarantee you will end the night up on your feet, clapping and stomping and singing your heart out, what are you waiting for gather your friends and get your funk on.

DAMSEL PRODUCTIONS ANNOUNCE

THE WORLD PREMIÈRE OF THE AMBER TRAP

Damsel Productions presents

The World Première of

THE AMBER TRAP

By Tabitha Mortiboy

Theatre503

24 April – 18 May

Director: Hannah Hauer-King; Designer: Jasmine Swan; Lighting Designer: Lucy Adams

Sound Designer: Annie May Fletcher

Damsel Productions today announces the world première of Tabitha Mortiboy’s The Amber Trap.Hannah Hauer-King directs the production which opens on 29 Aprilat Theatre503, with previews from 24 April and runs until 18 May.

“Some bones are like ice. They’re weaker than you’d think.”

Katie and her girlfriend Hope work at their local corner shop, where the days pass in quiet, comfortable rhythms. For Katie, the little shop is a sanctuary. A place where she can hold onto Hope without anybody watching.  But when new employee Michael arrives, the sands start to shift and the air begins to thicken.

Producing their fifth UK première, all-female theatre company Damsel Productions presents The Amber Trap, an unsettling portrait of devotion and control.

Playwright Tabitha Mortiboy said, “I’ve been collaborating with Damsel since the conception of this play – it’s inspired by a fascination with gender politics, and a drive to put authentic stories about queer women on stage, which is at the heart of Damsel’s company ethos. I’m thrilled to be able to share this story with characters so close to my heart, and hope that it will become a part of the critical conversation about the dynamics of power in sex and relationships.”

Tabitha Mortiboy began her writing career at Bristol Old Vic’s Open Sessions scheme. Her writing credits include Billy Through the Window (The Wardrobe Theatre/Edinburgh Fringe, Udderbelly), Beacons (Park Theatre) and Bare Skin on Briny Waters (Edinburgh Fringe).

Hannah Hauer-King is a London based theatre director; her work lies primarily in new writing, adaptation and narratives with female-drive and/or LGBTQ themes. Her theatre credits include The Funeral Director (Southwark Playhouse & UK tour 2019), Fabric (Soho Theatre), Grotty, Breathe  (Bunker Theatre), Fury (Soho Theatre), Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again (RCSSD), Clay  (Pleasance Theatre), Witt ‘n Camp (Edinburgh Fringe, Assembly Rooms) Dry Land (Jermyn Street Theatre), Hypernormal (Vaults Festival), Dead Playwright (ORL Theatre). Associate credits include Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare’s Globe), Radiant Vermin (Soho Theatre) and Daytona (Theatre Royal Haymarket).

Damsel Productions

Hannah Hauer-King and Kitty Wordsworth co-founded Damsel Productions in 2015 to place women’s voices centre stage. Damsel Productions hopes to be one cog in a larger and crucial movement addressing both the misrepresentation and under-representation of women in theatre. The idea is simple: to bring together women directors, producers, designers and all other creatives to breathe life into scripts exclusively written by women. Damsel Productions aim to provoke, inspire and entertain with true and honest representations of the female experience. Critically successful productions include the UK première of Ruby Rae Spiegel’s Dry Land (Jermyn Street Theatre), Izzy Tennyson’s Brute (Soho Theatre), Phoebe Eclair-Powell’s Fury (Soho Theatre), Izzy Tennyson’s Grotty (The Bunker) and Abi Zakarian’s Fabric (Soho Theatre & London community centre Tour). Damsel also recently produced London’s first ever all women directing festival Damsel Develops at The Bunker.

www.damselproductions.co.uk

@DamselProd

#503AmberTrap

FULL CAST ANNOUNCED FOR THE

UK TOUR AND FIRST MAJOR STAGE PRODUCTION OF

LOUIS DE BERNIÈRES’ BEST-SELLING NOVEL

CAPTAIN CORELLI’S MANDOLIN

The 2019 UK tour and first major stage production of CAPTAIN CORELLI’S MANDOLIN features an ensemble cast of 15 with Alex Mugnaioni playing the title character and Madison Clare, Fred Fergus and Joseph Long playing Pelagia, Francesco and Dr Iannis respectively.  

Completing the cast are Graeme Dalling as Soldier, Ryan Donaldson as Carlo, Ashley Gayle as Mandras, Eliot Giuralarocca as Priest, Luisa Guerreiro as Goat, Kezrena James as Lemoni, Eve Polycarpou as Drosoula, John Sandeman as Soldier, Stewart Scudamore as Velisarios, Kate Spencer as Günter and Elizabeth Mary Williams as Psipsina.

CAPTAIN CORELLI’S MANDOLIN will be directed by Olivier and Tony Award nominee Melly Still and adapted by Evening Standard Award winner and Golden Globe and BAFTA Award nominee Rona Munro. 2019 marks 25 years since the book was first published.

The play will preview at Leicester Curve from 13 – 20 April and will play Rose Theatre Kingston from 23 April – 12 May, Theatre Royal Bath from 14 – 18 May, Newcastle Theatre Royal from 21 – 25 May, Birmingham Repertory Theatre from 29 May – 15 June, King’s Theatre Edinburgh from 18 – 22 June and Glasgow Theatre Royal from 25 – 29 June. The national press night will be held on Thursday 25 April 2019 at Rose Theatre Kingston at 7pm.

CAPTAIN CORELLI’S MANDOLIN is an epic love story set on the Greek island of Cephalonia. It follows the lives of Dr Iannis, his beautiful, strong-willed daughter Pelagia and the Italian Captain Antonio Corelli, during the Italian and German occupation of the island in World War II. For CAPTAIN CORELLI’S MANDOLIN, Louis de Bernières won the 1995 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize – Overall Winner for Best Book, the 1995 Lannan Literary Award for Fiction and the 1994 Sunday Express Book of the Year. In 2001, the novel was adapted into a film starring Nicolas Cage and Penélope Cruz.

CAPTAIN CORELLI’S MANDOLIN will have set and costume designs by Mayou Trikerioti, lighting design by Malcolm Rippeth, sound design by Jon Nicholls, projection design by Dom Baker for OD Vision and music composed by Harry Blake.

CAPTAIN CORELLI’S MANDOLIN is produced by Neil Laidlaw, Rose Theatre Kingston and Birmingham Repertory Theatre.

Website: CaptainCorellisMandolin.com

Twitter.com/corellionstage / @CorelliOnStage

Facebook.com/corellionstage

TOUR SCHEDULE 2019

13 – 20 April                              Curve, Leicester                                               0116 242 359

                                                 www.curveonline.co.uk

23 April – 12 May                      Rose Theatre Kingston                                    020 8174 0090

                                                www.rosetheatrekingston.org

14 – 18 May                              Theatre Royal Bath                                           01225 448844

                                                www.theatreroyal.org.uk

21 – 25 May                              Newcastle Theatre Royal                                  0844 811 2121

                                                www.theatreroyal.co.uk

29 May – 15 June                      Birmingham Repertory Theatre                        0121 236 4455.

                                                www.birmingham-rep.co.uk

18 – 22 June                             King’s Theatre Edinburgh                                0131 529 6000

                                                www.capitaltheatres.com

25 – 29 June                             Theatre Royal, Glasgow                                   0844 871 7647

                                                www.atgtickets.com/venues/theatre-royal-glasgow

FANE PRODUCTIONS IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THE ACQUISITION OF JO HUTCHISON INTERNATIONAL LTD

Fane Productions Ltd (“Fane Productions”) are delighted to announce the acquisition of Jo Hutchison International Ltd (T/A JHI Marketing) (“JHI”), which joins a stable of literary and talent-based companies owned by Original Talent Ltd.

JHI provides creative marketing services for live theatre events, both nationally and on an international platform. Their client list includes Kenny Wax Ltd, Littlestar Services Ltd, Flying Music as well as many other theatre companies, venues and general management teams. Over more than 10 years JHI has worked on marketing campaigns for many shows, but most recently Mischief Theatre’s critically acclaimed productions The Play That Goes Wrong, Peter Pan Goes Wrong and The Comedy About A Bank Robbery. Other clients include MAMMA MIA! International productions across the world; Thriller Live, celebrating its 11^th Year in the West End; critically acclaimed SIX by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss; and with Birmingham Stage Company the stage adaptations of the legendary Horrible Histories and David Walliams‘ books Gangsta Granny and Awful Auntie and now Tom Gates by Liz Pichon.

Working alongside Fane Productions on recent tours with Stacey Dooley, Nigella Lawson, Gareth Malone and Grayson Perry, the synergies of the two companies and benefits of working closer together became obvious. Now with the support of Fane Productions and Original Talent, JHI Marketing can achieve its greater ambition more quickly; to provide bespoke and original marketing campaigns to more live entertainment clients.

Jo Hutchison, founder and managing director of JHI Marketing says…

“We are so excited to have the support and backing of Fane Productions and Original Talent so we can concentrate on the work we do and provide it more economically and effectively to our clients. That this support comes from such a prestigious and creative stable, assures us that we are in good and faithful company.

We are looking to recruit 4 new roles immediately in Campaign Management, Sales and Ticketing and Digital Media to provide more effective services for current and future clients.”

Alex Fane, of Fane Productions says…

“Jo Hutchison has developed a company that is ready to shake-up the marketing industry and we are thrilled that they have decided to partner with us for the next stage of their company’s development. Within the Original Talent Group they can keep doing what they do for their clients to the same standards, but with greater resources, greater creative freedom and greater commercial reach.”

PRESS RELEASE – 16th January 2019

@AllAboutEvePlay | AllAboutEvePlay.com

Sonia Friedman Productions and Fox Stage Productions present

ALL ABOUT EVE 
by Joseph L Mankiewicz

Adapted and directed for the stage by Ivo van Hove

• First rehearsal images released of Ivo van Hove’s All About Eve starring Gillian Anderson and Lily James 
   
• All About Eve begins previews at the Noël Coward Theatre on 2nd February. Best availability from late March 2019
   
• Day Seats to be available from the Box Office throughout the run alongside a Front Row Lottery via Today Tix, both with tickets at £25

         Gillian Anderson and Lily James in rehearsals for All About Eve. Photography by Jan Versweyveld

With just under three weeks until previews commence at the Noël Coward Theatre, Sonia Friedman Productions and Fox Stage Productions have today released the first photography from rehearsals for the world premiere of All About Eve. Shot by Jan Versweyveld, these images give the first glimpse of Ivo van Hove’s highly anticipated stage production of the 1950 Twentieth Century Fox film.  

Led by Emmy Award-winning Gillian Anderson and Lily James, the cast includes Monica Dolan, Ian Drysdale, Tsion Habte, Jessie Mei Li, Julian Ovenden, Sheila Reid, Rhashan Stone, Stanley Townsend and Philip Voyzey. 

Merric Boyd, Fejiro Emasiobi, Charles Hagerty, Chanelle Modi, Stuart Nunn, Phillipa Peak, Grace Stone and Michael Warburton complete the Ensemble.

Ivo van Hove’s direction will be accompanied by set and lighting design from Jan Versweyveld,costume design by An D’Huys and music from double Mercury Prize-winner PJ Harvey,alongside Tom Gibbons’ sound design. Casting is by Julia Horan CDG.

Margo Channing. Legend. True star of the theatre. The spotlight is hers, always has been. But now there’s Eve. Her biggest fan. Young, beautiful Eve. The golden girl, the girl next door. But you know all about Eve…don’t you…?

 Ivo van Hove directs Gillian Anderson and Lily James in his new adaptation of All About Eve, a razor-sharp, unsettling exposé of the eternal obsession at the heart of show-business. Lifting the curtain on a world of jealousy and ambition, this new production, from one of the world’s most innovative theatre directors, asks why our fascination with celebrity, youth and identity never seems to get old.

Throughout the run of All About Eve, over 20,000 tickets will be offered at £25 or under. It is today announced that Day Seats will be available each day from 10am at the Box Office for performances on that same day, priced at £25. Audiences can also access front row seats through the Today Tix mobile and online lottery at the same price.–

LISTINGS

Sonia Friedman Productions and Fox Stage Productions present

ALL ABOUT EVE
by Joseph L Mankiewicz
Adapted and directed for the stage by Ivo van Hove
Set and Lighting Jan Versweyveld
Costume An D’Huys
Music PJ Harvey
Sound Tom Gibbons
Casting  Julia Horan CDG

Noël Coward Theatre

A Delfont Mackintosh Theatre
85-88 St Martin’s Lane, London WC2N 4AU

First performance: 2nd February 2019
Opening night: 12th February 2019
Final performance: 11th May 2019

Captioned performance:  12th March 2019
Audio Described performance: 19th March 2019

Monday to Saturday at 7.30pm
Thursday & Saturday matinee performances at 2.30pm

Box office details
http://AllAboutEvePlay.com 
0844 482 5151*
Access Bookings: 03444825137

Champagne and VIP: 08444825166*

Calls cost 7p per minute, plus your phone company’s access charge

Tickets from £15.00. Best Availability from 18 March 2019. Check daily for late-release and returned tickets.

Day Seats: Available in person at the Box Office from 10am on a first come, first served basis. Maximum x2 per person. Limited availability. £25.00 per ticket.

Front Row Lottery: In partnership with Today Tix. More information on how to enter will be announced on the All About Eve social media channels from Friday 25 January 2019. Maximum x2 per person. £25.00 per ticket.

Twitter/Facebook/Instagram @AllAboutEvePlay | AllAboutEvePlay.com 

KAY MELLOR RETURNS TO LEEDS GRAND THEATRE WITH TV GOLD

Leeds Grand Theatre is proud to announce that Leeds’ own Kay Mellor will return to The Grand in 2019 with the world premiere stage production of the multi award-winning ITV series Band of Gold.

Following the unprecedented sell-out success of Fat Friends The Musical,which premiered at The Grand in November 2017, Band of Gold, directed by Mellor and produced by Joshua Andrews,will run from Thursday 28 November to Saturday 14 December 2019. The gritty thriller tells the story of a group of women – Carol, Rose, Anita and Gina – as they battle to survive whilst working in Bradford’s red-light district.

First aired on ITV in March 1995,Band of Gold captivated over 15 million viewers each week and starred (amongst others) Geraldine James, Cathy Tyson, Barbara Dickson and Samantha Morton. The groundbreaking crime drama ran for two series after which Kay felt the series had run its course, but over 20 years on, Kay is thrilled to breathe life back into this iconic piece: “I get asked once a day if I’m going to bring Band of Gold back.” says award-winning writer and director Mellor: “My answer will now be yes, on stage at The Grand Theatre! I’m thrilled that it’s going to premiere in my home town.”

General Manager, Ian Sime, comments: “We are so excited to welcome our good friend Kay Mellor back to The Grand Theatre & Opera House with another hugely successful stage adaptation of one of her many iconic TV classics. Kay knows Leeds and Yorkshire audiences like no other and is one of the great writers of our time; this is going to be pure gold.”

Band of Gold is at Leeds Grand Theatre from Thursday 28 November to Saturday 14 December 2019. Priority Membership tickets go onsale on Wednesday 16 January. General onsale is Wednesday 23 January.

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

CARLOS ACOSTA CBE APPOINTED AS THE NEW DIRECTOR OF BIRMINGHAM ROYAL BALLET

Birmingham Royal Ballet is delighted to announce that internationally renowned Carlos Acosta CBE has been appointed as its new Director. He will take up his appointment in January 2020.

The appointment follows an open competition and extensive international search by Birmingham Royal Ballet Board, supported by an expert panel of leading figures in the dance world. It follows the news earlier this year that David Bintley CBE, the current Director, will be standing down as Director in July 2019 at the end of the current season. The new Director will work alongside the company’s Chief Executive, Caroline Miller OBE who was appointed on a permanent basis just before Christmas.

Carlos Acosta CBE, said: “It is a tremendous honour and privilege to have been appointed to lead Birmingham Royal Ballet. I am a great admirer of its heritage and of what David Bintley has done to establish it as one of the country’s leading classical ballet companies, following on from the wonderful foundations laid down by Sir Peter Wright. My ambition is to build on its classical traditions, to expand its repertoire and to reach out to new and more diverse audiences. I want to define what it is to be a world leading classical ballet company in the 21st century.”   

Chair of Birmingham Royal Ballet Sir David Normington GCB, said: “This is a great moment for Birmingham Royal Ballet. We have secured the greatest male dancer of his generation to be our new Director. I know he will bring us his legendary artistry, energy and charisma and enable us to connect with new audiences, particularly in Birmingham. It is a statement to the whole dance world that, building on David Bintley’s great legacy, Birmingham Royal Ballet intends to remain a major force for classical ballet in the UK and beyond.” 

Sir Nicholas Serota, Chair of Arts Council England, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Carlos Acosta CBE as the new Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet, with his wealth of experience and knowledge from the international world of dance. Birmingham Royal Ballet is an exceptional company, with an international reputation for the artistic quality of its work, and as Carlos takes to the helm, we’d like to pay tribute to the commitment, contribution and charisma of David Bintley, who leaves behind him an extraordinary legacy. We look forward to seeing Carlos build on this legacy, and to the company continuing to delight audiences with their array of classical and ground-breaking ballets.”

Born in Havana, the youngest of eleven children in an impoverished family, Acosta went on to train at the National Ballet School of Cuba, winning the prestigious Prix de Lausanne at the age of 16, before enjoying a celebrated thirty-year career in dance with many of the world’s leading ballet companies. He was a Principal with the Royal Ballet for 17 years and danced all the major classical, and many contemporary roles. He is the greatest male dancer of his generation and, in many people’s eyes, one of the greatest dancers of all time.

Since retiring from the Royal Ballet he has founded his Cuban dance company Acosta Danza and established his own dance academy in Havana which opened its doors to its first students in September 2017. His 2007 autobiography No Way Home told the extraordinary story of his progress from the poorest of beginnings in Cuba to world ballet star and became a UK bestseller. His many awards include an Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance, a Prix Benois de la Danse, an Outstanding Achievement Award at the Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards and the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Award from The Royal Academy of Dance in recognition of his standing as one of the most influential figures in dance today.