Month: February 2019

ON SALE DATES ANNOUNCED FOR

SIX-TIME TONY AWARD-WINNING

D E A R   E V A N   H A N S E N

OPENING AT THE NOËL COWARD THEATRE AUTUMN 2019

PRIORITY ON SALE FROM 28 FEBRUARY 2019

PUBLIC ON SALE 8 APRIL 2019

Producer Stacey Mindich today is pleased to announce the on sale dates for the West End production of the Tony award-winning musical Dear Evan Hansen.  For those who have registered for priority booking, tickets will go on sale at 12noon (GMT) on Thursday 28 February 2019.  Public booking will follow at 10am (GMT) on Monday 8 April 2019.

Dear Evan Hansen will begin previews at the Noël Coward Theatre on Tuesday 29 October 2019 with opening night on Tuesday 19 November 2019 at 7pm.  Casting will be announced at a later date.

The winner of six Tony awards including Best Musical, as well as the 2018 Grammy award for Best Musical Theatre Album, Dear Evan Hansen is directed byfour-time Tony Award nominee Michael Greif and features a book by Tony award-winner Steven Levenson and a score by the Tony, Grammy and Academy Award-winning composers of The Greatest Showman, Benj Pasek & Justin Paul.

A letter that was never meant to be seen, a lie that was never meant to be told, a life he never dreamed he could have. Evan Hansen is about to get the one thing he’s always wanted: a chance to finally fit in.  Both deeply personal and profoundly contemporary, Dear Evan Hansen is a new musical about life and the way we live it.

Reuniting the original Broadway creative team for this West End production, Dear Evan Hansenfeatures scenic design by David Korins, projection design by Peter Nigrini, costume design by Emily Rebholz, lighting design by Japhy Weideman, sound design by Nevin Steinberg, and hair design by David Brian Brown.  Music supervision, orchestrations and additional arrangements are by Alex Lacamoire.  Ben Cohn is the Associate Music Supervisor.  Vocal arrangements and additional arrangements are by Justin Paul. Danny Mefford is the choreographer.  Casting by Jill Green Casting. Sash Bischoff, Adam Quinn and Danny Sharron are the Associate Directors.Judith Schoenfeld is the Production Supervisor. US General Management 101 Productions, Ltd.Adam Speers is Executive Producer.

Dear Evan Hansen has won the Drama League Award for Outstanding Musical Production and for the off-Broadway production, two Obie Awards, a Drama Desk Award, two Outer Critics Circle Awards and two Helen Hayes Awards.  The Grammy Award-winning Original Broadway Cast Recording of Dear Evan Hansen produced by Atlantic Records, was released in February 2017, making an extraordinary debut on the Billboard 200 and entering the chart at #8 – the highest charting debut position for an original cast album since 1961 – and went on to win the 2018 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album.  A new deluxe version of the cast recording, including six bonus tracks and a pop cover from Katy Perry of Waving Through a Window is now available digitally.

Dear Evan Hansen opened on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre to great critical acclaim on 4 December 2016 where it has broken all box office records and recently celebrated its two-year anniversary.   A record-breaking US national tour launched in October 2018 and in March this year a production will open at Toronto’s Royal Alexandra Theatre.

LISTINGS

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

Dates                                   from 29 October 2019

Opening Night                      19 November 2019 at 7pm

Box Office                            0844 482 5151

Performances                       Monday – Saturday at 7.30pm, Wednesday and Saturday at 2.30pm

Tickets                                 from £12.50

£2.50 booking fee applies

SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook                              facebook.com/DEHWestEnd/

Twitter                                 twitter.com/DEHWestEnd

Instagram                            www.instagram.com/DEHWestEnd

Youtube                            www.youtube.com/dearevanhansenmusical

Tumblr                                 dearevanhansenofficial.tumblr.com/

WEBSITE

Website                                www.dearevanhansen.com/london/

Laurie Sansom appointed new Artistic Director and CEO of Northern Broadsides

Northern Broadsides is happy to announce that Laurie Sansom will succeed Conrad Nelson as Artistic Director and CEO in June this year.

Laurie Sansom, said about his appointment:

“I’m thrilled to be joining Northern Broadsides at a moment when the companies who champion regional and diverse voices couldn’t be more crucial. I spent many of my years as a young director working at The Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough and other theatres across the region, where the work of Northern Broadsides is so valued by audiences and artists alike. The company’s bold and accessible take on classic and new plays has long been at the heart of the region’s cultural life, and I’m looking forward to working closely with local communities and partner theatres to develop its role making popular, radical work that reflects the rich diversity of today’s world.”

Rachel Harris, Chair of Board of Trustees of Northern Broadsides added: 

“I am pleased to announce the appointment of Laurie Sansom as Artistic Director/CEO. Laurie brings boundless energy, vision and creativity to his work. He shares our vision to build on our position of strength as a producer and leading touring company in the UK. We look forward to an exciting future together. “

Laurie was the Artistic Director of the National Theatre of Scotland 2013-16, for whom he directed The James Plays trilogy by Rona Munro in an unprecedented collaboration with the Edinburgh International Festival and the National Theatre of Great Britain. They were then seen across the UK and in Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Whilst in Scotland he also directed his own adaptation of Muriel Spark’s The Driver’s Seat, and The 306:Dawn, a new site-specific piece of music theatre for the 14-18 NOW’s cultural programme to mark the centenary of the First World War.

Previously he was Artistic Director of Royal & Derngate, Northampton where he directed the European premier of Tennessee Williams’ Spring Storm and Eugene O’Neill’s Beyond the Horizon, which both transferred to the National Theatre, London, and won him the 2010 TMA Award for Best Director. He also directed new versions of The Bacchae, Blood Wedding and Hedda Gabler as part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad, Frankenstein (with Frantic Assembly), The Duchess of Malfi, Follies and The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.

At the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, he was the Associate Director to Alan Ayckbourn, where he directed over twenty new plays including Villette (with Frantic Assembly) and a season comprising of three new micro-musicals. 

He has directed for theatres around the UK. His production of Dangerous Corner for the West Yorkshire Playhouse transferred to the Garrick Theatre, West End and he has also made work for the New Vic, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Birmingham Rep, Salisbury Playhouse, The Lyric Hammersmith, the National Theatre, The Bridge, Hampstead Theatre, The Menier Chocolate Factoryand the Watford Palace Theatre where he was the Arts Council Trainee Director.

Laurie Sansom’s first production for Northern Broadsides will be in Spring 2020 and will be announced later in the year.

Northern Broadsides Artistic Director and joint CEO Conrad Nelson will leave the company on the 31^st March. His final production with the Halifax based theatre company will be their forthcoming touring co -production with the New Vic Theatre of William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. The production will run in Newcastle-Under-Lyme from the 8 February – 2 March and then tour till the 25 May. For full tour dates www.northern-broadsides.co.uk

AVENUE Q TOUR ARRIVES AT

STORYHOUSE IN TWO WEEKS

Expect musical mischief and bad behaviour aplenty when the stars of the Tony Award-winning Avenue Q arrive at Storyhouse in Chester later this month.

The countdown is on until the stage’s naughtiest puppets set up home in Chester for one anarchic week.

Avenue Q comes to Storyhouse from Monday 25 February to Saturday 2 March 2019, including matinee performances on Wednesday and Saturday. Tickets are on sale now.

Hilarious, cheeky and uproariously entertaining, with a cast of 11 hugely talented performers and puppets, Avenue Q is a musical like no other.

Following five years in the West End, sell-out runs worldwide and smash hit tours in 2014, 2015 and 2016, the show, written by Jeff Marx and Robert Lopez – co-creator of Book of Mormon and writer of the songs for Disney’s Frozen, is an irresistibly charming tale of the loveable characters on a downtown New York street trying to make sense of life’s burning issues.

Meet Princeton, a bright-eyed graduate who comes to New York City with big dreams and a tiny bank account; Brian the out-of-work comedian and his therapist fiancée Christmas Eve; Nicky the good-hearted slacker and his closet gay Republican room-mate Rod; an Internet ‘sexpert’ called Trekkie Monster; Lucy the Sl*t (the name says it all!); and a very cute kindergarten teacher named Kate Monster.

Avenue Q first opened Off Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre in 2003, before transferring to Broadway later that year where it won three Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book. In 2006, it transferred to the West End where it ran for five years before touring the UK. It has appeared in more than 10 countries all over the world.

Avenue Q is produced by Selladoor Worldwide (producers of Footloose, Little Shop of Horrors, Flashdance – The Musical and Fame – The Musical), Showtime Theatre Productions, and in association with Richard Darbourne Limited. Avenue Q is directed and choreographed by Cressida Carré, designed by Richard Evans, lighting designed by Charlie Morgan Jones, and sound designed by Chris Bogg.  Puppets are designed by Paul Jomain of Q Puppets with puppet coaching by Nigel Plaskitt.

Please note the show is suitable for aged 14 upwards, and contains adult content and strong language.

Tickets for Avenue Q range in price from £20.50 to £35. Each ticket is subject to a £1.50 booking fee.

Storyhouse has a dynamic pricing policy on the majority of shows, ensuring the earlier you book your tickets, guarantees the best seats at the lowest price.

Find us on Facebook/Instagram and Twitter:

@AQUKTOUR #WhatTheFuzz #AvenueQUK

LISTING INFORMATION

AVENUE Q

Monday 25 February 2019 – Saturday 2 March 2019

STORYHOUSE

Hunter Street, Chester, CH1 2AR

Monday 25 February 2019 at 7.30pm

Tuesday 26 February 2019 at 7.30pm

Wednesday 27 February 2019 at 2.30pm

Wednesday 27 February 2019 at 7.30pm

Thursday 28 February 2019 at 7.30pm

Friday 1 March 2019 at 7.30pm

Saturday 2 March 2019 at 2.30pm

Saturday 2 March 2019 at 7.30pm

Running time 2 hours 10 minutes including an interval

Tickets from £20.50 to £35 – each ticket is subject to a £1.50 booking fee

Dynamic Pricing: Book early to guarantee cheapest and best seats

HOW TO BOOK

Online:            Visit www.storyhouse.com

By Phone:       Call 01244 409 113

In person:       Visit the Ticket Kiosks at Storyhouse, Hunter Street, Chester, CH1 2AR

Website:         www.storyhouse.com

Facebook:       www.facebook.com/storyhouselive/

Twitter:           @StoryhouseLive

EMMA RICE ANNOUNCED AS NORA CHANCE
IN RICHMOND THEATRE RUN OF WISE CHILDREN

Wise Children today announce that Artistic Director, Emma Rice will be stepping into the role of Nora Chance in the critically acclaimed West End production of WISE CHILDREN direct from The Old Vic. Rice will be taking over the role from Etta Murfitt, for all performances at Richmond Theatre from Tue 26 – Sat 30 Mar. Press are invited to attend for review on Tuesday 26^th March at 7.30pm.

‘What a joy it is to dance and sing!’

In Brixton, Nora and Dora Chance – twin chorus girls born and bred south of the river – are celebrating their 75th birthday. Over the river in Chelsea, their father and greatest actor of his generation Melchior Hazard turns 100 on the same day. As does his twin brother Peregrine. If, in fact, he’s still alive. And if, in truth, Melchior is their real father after all…

A big, bawdy tangle of theatrical joy and heartbreak, WISE CHILDREN is a celebration of show business, family, forgiveness and hope. Expect show girls and Shakespeare, sex and scandal, music, mischief and mistaken identity – and butterflies by the thousand. Emma Rice brings her unique, exuberantly impish vision to Angela Carter’s great last novel, Wise Children, launching her new theatre company of the same name.

Emma Rice comments, “We’ve been on such a glorious adventure with our company Wise Children, and I can’t think of a better way to finish our debut tour than stepping into the limelight alongside our wonderful cast to perform in Richmond and Coventry. It’s an honour to share the stage with them and I’m very much looking forward to it!”

Rice is the proud and excited Artistic Director of her new company, Wise Children. As Artistic Director of Shakespeare’s Globe (2016/18), she directed Romantics Anonymous, Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Little Matchgirl (and Other Happier Tales). For the previous 20 years, she worked for Kneehigh as an actor, director and Artistic Director. Her productions for Kneehigh include: The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk, Tristan & Yseult, 946: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips, The Wild Bride, The Red Shoes, The Wooden Frock, The Bacchae, Cymbeline (in association with RSC), A Matter of Life and Death (in association with National Theatre), Rapunzel (in association with Battersea Arts Centre); Brief Encounter (in association with David Pugh and Dafydd Rogers Productions); Don John (in association with the RSC and Bristol Old Vic); Wah! Wah! Girls (in association with Sadler’s Wells and Theatre Royal Stratford East for World Stages); and Steptoe and Son. Other work includes: the West End production of The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Oedipussy (Spymonkey); The Empress (RSC); and An Audience with Meow Meow (Berkeley Repertory Theatre). Brief Encounter was revived this year at the Empire Cinema Haymarket.

MEET THE YOUNG ACTRESSES WHO WILL PLAY LULU IN THE WEST END PREMIERE OF

Music and lyrics by six-time Grammy Award-nominee Sara Bareilles
Book by Jessie Nelson
Based upon the motion picture written by Adrienne Shelly
Directed by Tony Award-winner Diane Paulus

• Fifi Christophers and Arabella Duffy are the youngest members to join the cast of Waitress and will share the role of Lulu  
• Smash star Katharine McPhee will play lead role of Jenna opposite 30 Rock’s Jack McBrayer, Laura Baldwin, Peter Hannah, David Hunter and Marisha Wallace
• Waitress will begin previews tomorrow evening, 8 February, ahead of its official opening night at London’s Adelphi Theatre on 7 March

It is announced today that the London production of Waitress has cast its youngest company members. At just four and six years old, Fifi Christophers and Arabella Duffy will make their West End debuts sharing the role of Lulu. The Tony-nominated musical by Sara Bareilles will have its official opening night on 7 March at the Adelphi Theatre.

Currently playing its third year on Broadway, Waitress brings with it an all-female lead creative team – a West End musical first. Waitress stars Katharine McPhee (Smash) as Jenna, Emmy-nomineeJack McBrayer (30 Rock) as Ogie, Marisha Wallace as Becky, Laura Baldwin as Dawn, Peter Hannah as Earl, David Hunter as Dr. Pomatter and Shaun Prendergast as Old Joe.

The full company includes Kelly Agbowu, Laura Baldwin, Piers Bate, Nicole Raquel Dennis, Michael Hamway, Peter Hannah, David Hunter, Stephen Leask, Jack McBrayer, Chris McGuigan, Katharine McPhee, Olivia Moore, Nathaniel Morrison, Sarah O’Connor, Leanne Pinder, Shaun Prendergast, Charlotte Riby, Marisha Wallace and Mark Willshire.

Meet Jenna, a waitress and expert pie-maker who dreams of a way out of her small town and rocky marriage. Pouring her heart into her pies, she crafts desserts that mirror her topsy-turvy life such as “​The Key (Lime) to Happiness Pie” and “Betrayed By My Eggs Pie.” When a baking contest in a nearby county — and a satisfying run-in with someone new — show Jenna a chance at a fresh start, she must find the courage to seize it. Change is on the menu, as long as Jenna can write her own perfectly personal recipe for happiness.

Waitress also recently announced the first of its “Cast Album Karaoke” nights in London, meaning that theatre lovers who have always dreamt of singing on the West End stage will soon be able to make their dream a reality. The first ever karaoke nights will be held post-show on Tuesday 19 Februaryand Monday 18 March 2019. For the chance to sing one minute of any song from the show – live on stage and accompanied by the show’s musical director Katharine Woolley – interested audience members just need to sign up in the theatre before the performance.

Waitress opened on 24 April 2016 at Broadway’s Brooks Atkinson Theater. Based on the 2007 motion picture written by Adrienne Shelly, Waitress was the first Broadway musical in history to have four women in the four top creative team spots, featuring original music and lyrics by 6-time Grammy®​ ​nominee Sara Bareilles (“Love Song”, “Brave”), a book by acclaimed screenwriter Jessie Nelson (​I Am Sam​), direction by Tony Award winner Diane Paulus (​Pippin​, ​Finding Neverland​) and choreography by Lorin Latarro. The production is currently touring the US and has also announced it will have its Australian premiere in 2020 at the Sydney Lyric Theatre.

On its Broadway opening, Waitress was nominated for four Outer Critics’ Circle Awards, including Outstanding New Broadway Musical; two Drama League Award Nominations, including Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical; six Drama Desk Nominations, including Outstanding Musical; and four Tony Award Nominations, including Best Musical.

King’s Theatre, Edinburgh – until 9^th February.

Reviewed by James Knight

4****

The Curve and Rose Theatre Kingston’s co-production of Dr Seuss’ classic The Cat in the Hat has begun its UK tour. Most people are familiar with the story of two bored children who, home alone and stuck inside on a rainy day, are visited by the enigmatic Cat in a Hat (Nana Amoo-Gottfried). The Cat promises them all sorts of fun, but perhaps not giving full disclosure on the mayhem he can wreak. Can Sally (Melissa Lowe) and her brother (Sam Angell) return the house to normal before their mother gets back?

First off, Isla Shaw’s set looks like it has been lifted straight from the illustrations of the book itself, and when the Cat unleashes his mischievous acrobatic accomplices Thing 1 and Thing 2 (Celia Francis and Robert Penny), there’s a lot of fun to be had as they scamper up shelves and avoid falling bookcases. One drawback on opening night was a faulty door, but hopefully this should be fixed soon, and didn’t detract too much from everything happening onstage.

The performers are all highly energetic, encouraging the audience, young or old, to get involved and on their feet, and there are plenty of moments where the cast gets in amongst the stalls to add to the madness. However, the pacing at the beginning felt a little off, particularly dangerous when showing two bored children to an audience that is predominately under-10s. That said, the different set-pieces throughout were imaginative, with both Lowe and Angell showing great rapport onstage. Special mention also goes to Charley Magalit as the disapproving Fish, whose song, while perhaps overlong for the attention spans of some in the audience, was definitely impressive, even while contained within a giant bubble. Her paso doble dance-off with the Cat was also a highlight.

The Cat in the Hat is a high energy production sure to delight audience members of all ages, even with the minor technical difficulties present on press night. ‘Did I like it?’ said the reviewer, ‘Why, yes I did, I did quite a bit.’

New Wimbledon Theatre – until 9th February 2019

Reviewed by Alexandra Sykes

5*****

Nothing beats a trip to the theatre on a cold, damp night, especially if the show involves non-stop laughing. Avenue Q is currently delighting audiences in Wimbledon and as all the seats were filled, laughter clearly is the best medicine.

Avenue Q follows a puppet named Princeton (Lawrence Smith) as he goes to live in New York after graduating college. Whilst looking for somewhere to live that is affordable he stumbles across Avenue Q where he meets Kate Monster (Cecily Redman), Rod (Smith), Nicky, Trekkie Monster (both voiced and operated by Tom Steedon) and humans Brian (Oliver Stanley), Christmas Eve (Saori Oda) and former child star Gary Coleman (Nicholas Mclean). Although they don’t live on Avenue Q, Princeton also meets the Band Idea Bears (Megan Armstrong and Tom Steedon) and Lucy The Slut (Cecily Redman), puppet characters who have a less than positive influence on Princeton’s life.

With many catchy songs in the show including Everyone’s A Little Bit Racist, The Internet is For Porn and Shadenfreude keeping audiences laughing a mention must be given to Dean McDermott who leads the band.

An enjoyable show however it is not suitable for everyone. Anyone who is easily offended shouldn’t see the show and most venues will not allow anyone under 16 in due to adult themes. Star of the show is easily Cecily Redman who voices and operates both Kate Monster and Lucy The Slut, two characters who are very different from one another but Redman brings them both to life and gives each character their own personality.  Although you notice the puppet operators on the stage it is the puppets you pay attention to although the actors will walk in the manner of their character when walking around the stage.

All in all a very good night out and well worth the laughs.

WE KNOW NOW SNOWMEN EXIST

5 Girls. 1 Tent. No Survivors.

With an all female, all Scottish cast, Highly Suspect Theatre present We Know Now Snowmen Exist – an original drama based on the true story of the unsolved Dyatlov Pass Incident of 1959

Cumbrian Theatre company Highly Suspect, are thrilled to be bringing their award-winning female driven original thriller We Know Now Snowmen Exist to London this March 19th-23rd at The Space.

We Know Now Snowmen Exist was the smash hit at the Carlisle Fringe Festival in 2018. It won the Creative Spark Commission for New Theatre in a sold out five stars run! It is now a finalist for the prestigious Cumbria Culture Awards Live Production of the Year. As a Cumbrian based theatre company, Highly Suspect are delighted to have this opportunity to stage the production in London. It has been developed in association with multi award winning producer Adam Morley (Greater Game, Billionaire boy, Inspector Morse).

We Know Now Snowmen Exist is based on the urban legends surrounding the Dyatlov Pass Incident in which a group of hikers died on a Russian mountainside in inexplicable circumstances. Events have been updated and set in modern day with an all-female, all Scottish cast portraying strong, fierce – and filthy – woman who set out on a charity hiking trip, and never return.

What really awaits the girls outside the relative safety of their tent – and more importantly, do they really know who’s inside it? This psychological horror transfers events to the modern day, exploring a mystery that has remained unsolved for 60 years. Why was the tent cut open? Why were the bodies partially dressed in each other’s’ clothing? And what was meant by the group’s chilling final journal entry; ‘We know now that snowmen exist’.

Director Lexie Ward says “We are incredibly excited to bring We Know Now Snowmen Exist to London. It is a play that mixes a terrifying urban legend (don’t google The Dyatlov Pass before bed!) with these raucous relatable Scottish characters, discussing everything from Netflix and Chill to the issues with shee-wees. As a company Highly Suspect passionate about working with and promoting regional voices, so are thrilled that Snowmen has an all Scottish cast, and that all of the cast and creative team are either natively Cumbrian, or were trained/reside there. ”

***** “Goosebump-inducing, powerful stuff, this is relevant, necessary theatre” & “90 minues if laughter, tension, goosebumps and tears.” – A Stagey Lady

“I have rarely seen a cast so strong and together.” -The Cumberland News

We Know Now Snowmen Exist will run from March 19th-23rd 7.30pm nightly at The Space, The Isle of Dogs ( 269 Westferry Road, London, E14 3RS). Tickets are £14/£10 and can be purchased at www.space.org.uk/event/we-know-now-snowmen-exist/

NEWPORT’S MILLENNIALS TAKE TO THE STAGE INNATIONAL THEATRE WALES’ RADICAL STORM.3: TOGETHER AND ALONE

National Theatre Wales’ The Storm Cycle continues in March with a typically innovative show. STORM.3: Together and Alone is both a philosophical stream-of-consciousness on personal freedom and, in keeping with the Cycle’s aims, a surprising theatrical experiment defying conventions and keeping audiences on their toes.

This brand new show created by Mike Brookes, made and performed in Newport, will juxtapose text inspired by The Ethics of Ambiguity, an extraordinary collection of essays written by Simone de Beauvoir amidst the desolation and optimism that followed WWII, with snippets of more familiar contemporary political statements and cultural soundbites.

Its remarkable cast of actors and spoken word artists are drawn from the increasingly vocal yet politically under-represented millennial generation of the area. They include Connor Allen, Justin Cliffe, Abigail Fitzgerald, Zaru Jonson, Rufus Mufasa, Seren Vickers, Poppy Rivers-Vincent and Alexa Jones-Young.

STORM.3: Together and Alone will be performed at the Neon in Newport, during the weeks leading up to the UK’s planned withdrawal from the EU. Tickets for this groundbreaking new show are on sale now.

This is the third instalment of National Theatre Wales’ The Storm Cycle; a non-linear series of experimental theatre productions conceived and directed by Mike Brookes (with Mike Pearson, for the first two). These multimedia works are made and performed at different locations across Wales, a radical mechanism for exploring two key themes; truth and testimony.

Listings Information

National Theatre Wales present

STORM.3: TOGETHER AND ALONE

PART OF THE STORM CYCLE

Conceived and created by Mike Brookes

Based on Pour une morale de l’ambiguïté by Simone de Beauvoir

Sound Designer: Mike Beer

Composer: Tic Ashfield

Associate Director: Julia Thomas

Emerging Director: Kyle Legall

Cast includes: Connor Allen, Justin Cliffe, Abigail Fitzgerald, Zaru Jonson, Rufus Mufasa, Seren Vickers, Poppy Rivers-Vincent and Alexa Jones-Young

Dates & Times: 21-23 March 2019, 7.30pm

Location: The Neon, Clarence Place, Newport NP19 7AB

Box Office

Online: nationaltheatrewales.org/storm-3-together-and-alone

By phone: 029 2037 1689 (Please note: £1 booking fee per ticket applies when booking by phone)

Tickets: £10, £7.50 conc inc. under 30s and local residents

Age guidance: 14+

SPRING 2019 CELEBRATIONS FOR ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER’S AWARD-WINNING

S C H O O L   O F   R O C K  –  T H E   M U S I C A L

PRODUCTION WELCOMES NEW KIDS CAST

SHOW CELEBRATES 1000^TH WEST END PERFORMANCE

2019 AUDITIONS SET FOR LONDON AND SHEFFIELD

WWW.SCHOOLOFROCKTHEMUSICAL.COM

On 23 February 2019 Andrew Lloyd Webber’s award-winning show School of Rock – The Musical will welcome a new kids cast to join Dewey’s band and embrace the power of rock!   The hit West End production, based on the iconic film of the same title which this month celebrated 15 years since its UK release, is now booking to January 2020 at the Gillian Lynne Theatre and on 6 March will celebrate 1000 performances.

Thee three teams of twelve kids who make up Dewey’s band, and play live at every comprise Sebastian Adams-Eaton (eleven years old from Suffolk) Jasper Bew (eleven years old from London), and Amos Mayland (eleven years old from Cornwall) who will play Zack; Nayan Gupta (eleven years old from Sheffield), William Harvey (eleven years old from Stockport) and Jack Manders (nine years old from Buckinghamshire), who will play Freddy; Daniel Chang (eleven years old from London), Noah Gupta-Wright (thirteen years old from London) and Caspar Lloyd (eleven years old from Colchester) who will play Lawrence; Millie-Jayne Evans (nine years old from Plymouth), Evie Lawley (ten years old from London) and Sofia Wilkinson Hill (eight years old from Merseyside) who will play Katie; Tommy Featherstone (ten years old from London), Jakub Kopec (eleven) years old from Surrey) and Will Tarpey (twelve years old from East Sussex) who will play Billy; Delilah Bennett-Cardy (ten years old from Hertfordshire), Amelie Green (eleven years old from London) and Nancy Hartley-Blake (eleven years old from Teesside) will play Summer; Kaylah Black (twelveyears old from London), Tallulah Byrne (twelve years old from Chelmsford) and Sara Sheen (thirteen years old from Manchester) who will play Tomika;  Ikechukwudi Machie (ten years old from London), Teni Taiwo (twelve years old from Hertfordshire)  and Stanley Voss (twelve years old from Buckinghamshire) who will play James; Calypso Bailey (twelve years old from Essex), Savannah Pages (eleven years old from Surrey) and Shani Roberts (ten years old from Essex) who will play Marcy; Maxwell Apple (ten years old from London), Todd Dachtler (eleven years old from London) and Vaughn Arthur Endraca (twelve years old from London) and  who will play Mason; Tia Belle Keilty (ten years old from Hertfordshire), Lily Jean Jackson (eleven years old from Essex) and Naniyah Owusu (nine years old from Essex) who will play Shonelle; Charlotte Breen(ten years old from Bromley), Chloe Marler (nine years old from Essex) and Ellie Pavitt (eleven years old from Essex) who will play Sophie.

Now in its third year in the West End, the Australian production of School of Rock – The Musicalopened at Her Majesty’s Theatre in Melbourne last October and will then play at the Lyric Theatre in Brisbane and the Capitol Theatre in Sydney. The Australian production will also visit Shanghai in February 2019 and a version will also play in Seoul in May 2019. The Broadway production recently concluded its run at the Winter Garden Theatre with a US national touring production continuing.

Craig Gallivan leads the cast in the role of Dewey Finn with Laura Tebbutt as Rosalie Mullins,Alan Pearson as Ned Schneebly, Michelle Francis as Patty Di Marco and Jake Sharp who will play Dewey Finn at certain performances.  The remaining adult cast comprise John Addison, Nick Butcher, Rob Falconer, Martina Isibor, Claudia Kariuki, Jessica Louise Parkinson, Richard Morse, Andy Rees, Hannah Stratton, Alex Tomkins and James Wolstenholme with swingsPaul Kemble, Jessica Kirton, Billy Mitchell, Catherine Morris and Andy Prosser.

Based on the hit film, this hilarious new musical follows Dewey Finn, a failed, wannabe rock star who decides to earn a few extra bucks by posing as a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school. There he turns a class of straight-A students into a guitar-shredding, bass-slapping, mind-blowing rock band. While teaching these pint-sized prodigies what it means to truly rock, Dewey falls for the school’s beautiful, but uptight headmistress, helping her rediscover the wild child within.

School of Rock – The Musical features music from the movie, as well as new music written byAndrew Lloyd Webber with lyrics by Glenn Slater and a book by Julian Fellowes. School of Rock – The Musical is directed by Laurence Connor with choreography by JoAnn M. Hunter, set and costume designs by Anna Louizos,lighting design by Natasha Katz, sound design by Mick Potter, music supervision by John Rigby with Matt Smith as musical director.

Continuing the search for the opportunity to ‘join the band’, if you are between 8 – 12 years old and play a rock instrument (guitar, bass, piano, and/or drums) or sing, further kids open auditions will take place as follows in Sheffield on Saturday 9 March.  In London there will be Band First Round auditions on Monday 25 and Wednesday 27 March 2019 with Ensemble First Round auditions taking place Wednesday 8 and Monday 13 May 2019.  All children must be available for contract dates which are July 2019 – March 2020.  Registration and further details can be found by contacting Jessica Ronane Casting at [email protected] or at www.schoolofrockthemusical.co.uk/auditions.  

Produced by Paramount Pictures, the 2003 hit film School of Rock was directed by Richard Linklater and starred Jack Black in a career-defining performance.

School of Rock — The Musical is produced in the West End by Andrew Lloyd Webber for The Really Useful Group and Warner Music Group & Access Industries with Madeleine Lloyd Webber as Executive Producer.

LISTINGS INFORMATION

Theatre:                  Gillian Lynne Theatre, 166 Drury Lane, London WC2B 5PW

Dates:                    now booking to January 2020

Running time:          approximately 2 hours 30 minutes including interval

Box Office:                020 7087 7750

Performances:          Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7.30pm, Thursday and Saturday 2.30pm, Sundays at 3pm

                             Prices: from £15.00

Student rush tickets for £10 on Wednesday evening

All ticket prices include a £1.50 restoration levy.  No booking fee via official box office channels

Website:                 www.SchoolOfRockTheMusical.co.uk

Twitter & Instagram: @SchoolofRockuk

Facebook:               facebook.com/schoolofrockmusical