Make a date with the Terrible Tudors and Awful Egyptians
In 1993 the first Horrible Histories books were published, and now Horrible Histories Live on Stage is coming to Storyhouse in Chester with a double bill this autumn.
The shows are coming to Storyhouse from Tuesday 5 November to Friday 8 November 2019, when there’s a chance to catch Terrible Tudors and Awful Egyptians in two hilarious shows featuring eye-popping 3D special effects. Tickets are on sale now.
In Terrible Tudors take a trip through the horrible Henrys to the end of evil Elizabeth and hear the legend (and the lies!) about the torturing Tudors. Find out the fate of Henry’s headless wives and his punch-up with the Pope. Meet Bloody Mary and see Ed fall dead in his bed. Survive the Spanish Armada as it sails into the audience! Terrible Tudors runs from Tuesday 5 November to Friday 8 November 2019.
Awful Egyptians invites you to meetthe fascinating Pharaohs, gasp at the power of the pyramids, and discover the foul facts of death and decay with the meanest mummies in Egypt. Are you ready to rumble with Ramesses the Great? Dare you enter through the Gates of the Afterlife? It’s the history of Egypt with the nasty bits left in! Awful Egyptians runs from Wednesday 6 November to Friday 8 November 2019.
A special feature of the productions are the amazing 3D effects called Bogglevision. Among an array of 3D-illusions the audience will see the Spanish Armada firing cannonballs into the auditorium or the Mummy reaching out to grab them!
Horrible Histories Live on Stage is written by Terry Deary from his bestselling Horrible Histories books. Terry Deary is the world’s bestselling non-fiction author for children and one of the most popular children’s authors in the country. He has written 200 books which have been translated into 40 different languages. Over the past 25 years, his 50 Horrible Histories titles have sold over 25 million copies worldwide from China to Brazil.
Horrible Histories Live onStage is directed by Neal Foster, design is by Jackie Trousdale, lighting byJason Taylor, sound by Nick Sagar, and music by Matthew Scott.
Birmingham Stage Company are also currently celebrating their 25th anniversaryand are one of the world’s top theatre companies for families. Their acclaimed productions include David Walliams’Gangsta Granny and Awful Auntie, and Roald Dahl’s George’s Marvellous Medicine. They have been producing Horrible Histories Live on Stage since 2005, including the record-breaking West End series of Barmy Britain.
These two hilarious historical journeys through the squelchiest and yuckiest moments in British and Egyptian history are perfect entertainment for anyone aged from 5 to 105!
Tickets are on sale now and range in price from £13.50 for children under 14 to £18.50 for adults. Each ticket is subject to a £1.50 booking fee.
Demystifying the most misunderstood phenomena of a woman’s body
Q&A and Post Performance Talk
THE BLOOD TALES, an experimental and empowering one-woman show, will receive its London and UK premiere on International Women’s Day (Friday 8 March) at the Chapel Playhouse, London’s newest fringe theatre run by the team behind the award-winning The Bread & Roses Theatre. The production will run for three performances until Sunday 10 March.
THE BLOOD TALES transports audiences into the mystical landscape of a woman’s blood through the lens of its narrator, a witty, funny and sensual witch who is not afraid to ‘tell it how it is’. The show seeks to dispel the outdated views across the globe of shame, taboo and disgust towards women and their menstrual cycle.
Conceived, written and performed by Birmingham-born experimental actress and spoken word poet Kate Joyner of The Silver Moon Theatre Co., THE BLOOD TALES re-wires the shamed based narrative of women’s moon blood into a tale of beauty and empowerment that is both deeply provocative and political in its delivery.
Kate Joyner commentated “I’m thrilled and honoured to premiere my one-woman show in London on International Women’s Day. The menstrual cycle, sadly, is still so misunderstood and too often a taboo subject in the home, workplace and places of education. I aim to challenge audience perceptions and promote the blood, quite rightly, as a celebration of the strength and mystical power of women.”
A post show Q&A will take place after the first performance on 8 March when audiences have the chance to discuss the production and its themes with performer Kate Joyner and Creative Producer Danja Burchard.
A special Post Performance talk will take place on Sunday 10 March inviting other artists, anthropologists and menstruation activists to discuss with the audience alternative and empowering visions for the female body in contemporary society.
Guest Speakers include Professor Chris Knight from the Department of Anthropology, University College London and author of the Blood Relations: Menstruation and the origins of culture. Joining Chris onstage is Lena Chen a San Francisco born artist and writer, named a Progressive Women’s Voices fellow at the Women’s Media Center, who has featured in numerous publications including The New York Times.
Since its conception in 2015 THE BLOOD TALES has been performed in the USA and Europe and has grown from a spoken word performance to a full-scale theatre production enjoying well received performances to diverse audiences in Spain.
THE BLOOD TALES receives its UK premiere on International Women’s Day at the Chapel Playhouse Theatre, 308-312 Grays Inn Road, London WC1X 8DP on Friday 8 March 2019 at 8pm and runs for three performances until Sunday 10 March. Tickets are priced at £10 and can be booked viawww.chapelplayhouse.co.uk
International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.
Suitable for 18+ Contains nudity, swearing and adult themes. Duration 60 mins no interval. www.thebloodtales.com
THE BLOOD TALES returns to the UK as part of the Brighton Fringe from 10-12 May 2019.
Bold retelling of Joseph Conrad’s timely novel ‘Heart of Darkness’ takes to the stage
Heart of Darkness
Tue 16 – Thu 18 April
imitating the dog, one of the UK’s most original and innovative performance theatre companies are set to bring their unique theatrical vision to the stage when they premiere a bold retelling of Joseph Conrad’s extraordinarily influential and timely novel – ‘Heart of Darkness.’ The production will be at The Lowry Tue 16 – Thu 18 April.
Following on from their popular and critically acclaimed adaptation in 2014 of Ernest Hemingway’s ‘A Farewell to Arms,’ imitating the dog will stage an exploration of Conrad’s classic novel filled with visually rich, multi-layered work that fuses live performance and digital technology.
Written more than 100 years ago, amid the optimism at the turn of a new century, ‘Heart of Darkness‘, which explored the journey of Conrad’s narrator Charles Marlow travelling up the Congo river into the Congo Free State in the heart of Africa, is a tale of lies and brutal greed and of the dark heart which beats within us all. Now retold as a journey of a Congolese woman through war torn Europe, the play explores a forsaken landscape lost to the destructive lust for power and emerges as a tale absolutely for our time.
Negotiating race, gender and the themes of exploitation, violence and nationalism, imitating the dog’s ‘Heart of Darkness’ is a searing parable for our times, created at a moment when versions of Britain’s colonial past are being held up as a golden era and when our relationship with Europe is being severely tested.
‘Heart of Darkness’ is retold and directed by imitating the dog founder members Pete Brooks and Andrew Quick (A Farewell to Arms and Kellerman, imitating the dog and The Carrier Frequency, Impact Theatre Co-operative). The production’s projection and video are designed by fellow original founder member Simon Wainwright (The Kid Stays in the Picture, Royal Court)
The production’s ensemble will feature Laura Atherton (A Farewell To Arms, imitating the dog); Morgan Bailey (In the Dark, BBC); KeichaGreenidge (In The Club, Bafta winning Three Girls and From Darkness, all BBC); Morven Macbeth (A Farewell to Arms, imitating the dog; Bring The Happy, Invisible Flock and Opening Skinner’s Box, improbable) and Matt Prendergast (The Train, imitating the dog)
The production’s other creative team will include regular collaborators, costume designerLaura Hopkins (Black Watch and Peter Pan, National Theatre of Scotland, The Divide, Edinburgh International Festival and The Old Vic), Lighting Designer Andrew Crofts(Trash Cuisine, Belarus Free Theatre and The Young Vic) and Composer Jeremy Peyton-Jones who previously worked with the company on A Farewell to Arms.
imitating the dog Co-Artistic Director Pete Brooks said: “As a result of recent political events we felt that the UK had become gripped with a nostalgia for our colonial past without really acknowledging what that past was. It felt like most people believe the British Empire was a reciprocal arrangement; we got rich, but they got to speak the best language in the world and have a functioning civil service. In Conrad’s novel he anticipated the horrors of twentieth century genocide and the problem of globalised capitalism. He also understood that their roots were in European colonialism. This was our starting point.
“Conrad’s novel deserves to be treated seriously, and his unconscious racism does not invalidate his work, although some people might say it diminishes it. For imitating the dog, it was important that we retold Conrad’s story for audiences today, and from a new perspective. Our production is now the story of the journey of an African woman into the darkness of a war-torn Europe.
“Heart of Darkness is simply too important a work to be avoided because it’s a political minefield and when you take on a text as tricky as Conrad’s novel you have to tread carefully.”
imitating the dog have been making ground-breaking work for theatres and other spaces for 20 years. Their work, which fuses live performance with digital technology, has been seen by hundreds of thousands of people in venues, outdoor festivals and events across the world.
As a company, they are most interested in telling stories and creating beautiful, memorable images for audiences. The company strive to tell stories which are important, and which contain important ideas.
Recent acclaimed productions have included ‘The Zero Hour,’ ‘Six Degrees below the Horizon,’ ‘Hotel Methuselah’ and ‘A Farewell to Arms.’ The company created the sited work ‘Arrivals and Departures’ for the launch of Hull City of Culture 2017. Earlier this year the company became an Arts Council England NPO.
‘Heart of Darkness’ is co-produced with Marche Teatro (Italy) and Cast, Doncaster. It is supported by Arts Council England, Lancaster Arts at Lancaster University and Theatre by the Lake.
Listings Information Heart of Darkness Dates: Tue 16 – Thu 18 April Times: 7.30pm. Wed 1.30pm. Tickets: £13.50 – £19.50. Website
debbie tucker green’s random first premiered at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in 2008 and is making its debut up North at the Leeds Playhouse’s Pop-Up theatre. Kiza Deen (Sister) stars in this one person play and shares a typical ordinary day in a typical West Indian household until, unbeknown at the time, that a tragedy will change their lives forever.
The script predictably depicts the family’s daily routine including the Sister’s day at work and her sparring relationship with the office. The routine continues until mid-afternoon when an unexpected telephone call prompts the Sister to “Come home, now” and learns the tragedy of her brother who was fatally stabbed.
With knife-crime on the rise in this country it concerns many particularly among young people and this production contextually highlights the personal and social perspectives about it. random is staged centring intimately on the family and the fateful tragic story is told first hand.
tucker green’s poetic and colourful script takes in the account how the media portrays this crime. Sister shares her family’s relationship with the Police (also indirectly to the media) and there seems to be silences, probably of distrust, from the family. The media are wanting a headline story and the authorities is wanting the crime to be systematically solved. Families seemingly aren’t given a timely opportunity to truly express or share how they really feel and how much those tragedies are affecting them.
Deen powerfully and emotively delivers random constituting the family from their monotonous energy of their daily routine to the compelling and changed up emotions from learning about her brothers’ fate and consequential grief. random certainly gives the audience to re-evaluate their conceptions on this ever growing social problem and the deep personal impact it brings.
Twirlywoos Live! cast to includefirst actor job-share
between two parents on a touring production
MEI Theatrical are delighted to announce casting for their brand-new stage adaptation of Twirlywoos – as seen on CBeebies – opening at Churchill Theatre, Bromley on Tuesday 12 February before setting sail around the UK.
For the first time on a touring production, one role has been cast as a job-share between two actors, both of whom are parents with young children. Lizzie Wort and Ruth Calkin will each perform half the weekly schedule of performances throughout the tour, in order to support their needs as working mothers.
Actor-Puppeteer Ruth Calkin said: “When this job offer came through,I knew right away that I wanted to be able to accept. But the intensity of the tour would have been too punishing for us as a family. It never occurred to me that my tentative suggestion of a job share would even be considered, let alone that it would evolve in the way that it has. It took courage to push the issue but to be met with such support from the producers was incredible, and it has been amazingly empowering to know that we, not only as performers but also as mums with young children, have been able to negotiate with honesty and understanding the complex logistics necessary to make this happen. I really hope we will see the start of more new ways of working in theatre, to open up possibilities not just for performers with children but for all of us with commitments and responsibilities needing to run in tandem with professional life.”
Cassie Raine, co-founder of Parents and Carers in Performing Arts (PIPA) added: “On-stage job sharing has the potential to revolutionise the way we approach touring and increase access for so many who may not consider touring as a viable option. We need to move towards a more people-centred culture, on and off stage, in order to increase business resilience and remain competitive. More and more we are seeing these innovative developments that mark an important shift towards more dynamic working practises. This will be invaluable as the sector is increasingly required to respond effectively to the challenges and opportunities of the future.”
The full cast bringing the colourful world of the animated series to life on stage will be actor-puppeteers Aya Nakamura (Sarah and Duck’s Big Top Birthday, UK Tour), Daniel Harlock (Charlie and Lola, Polka Theatre), Lizzie Wort (Potted Sherlock, Vaudeville Theatre), Mark Esaias (In the Night Garden Live, UK Tour) and Ruth Calkin (Horrid Henry – Live and Horrid, Trafalgar Studios).
Featuring all the favourite characters from the hit TV show, expect mischief, music and plenty of surprises as the Twirlywoos embark on a new adventure onboard their Big Red Boat. With beautifully inventive puppetry, Twirlywoos Live! promises to be a laugh-out-loud treat for little ones.
Twirlywoos Live! is brought to the stage by MEI Theatrical, whose recent productions include Sarah and Duck Live on Stage (Polka Theatre and UK Tour) and The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show (West End). It is written by Zoe Bourn, who has brought to life some of the world’s best-loved children’s titles including Thomas and Friends andFireman Sam Live!.
Twirlywoos was first broadcast on CBeebies in 2015, and in 2017 celebrated its 100th episode. It is co-created byAnne Wood, who has devised shows including Teletubbies, and Steve Roberts, who with Anne co-created the Bafta-winning CBeebies series Dipdap.
Twirlywoos Live! is recommended for ages 1+, with babes in arms welcome. The running time is 55 minutes with no interval.
DINOSAUR WORLD LIVE ANNOUNCES NEW CAST FOR A MAJOR 2019 UK TOUR
UK Tour: 12 March – 7 July 2019
Direct from the West End, DINOSAUR WORLD LIVE, the interactive children’s theatre show that brings dinosaurs to life on stage, today announces a brand new cast for its 2019 UK Tour.
Following a hugely successful national tour last year, including a smash-hit summer season at London’s Regent’s Park Theatre, DINOSAUR WORLD LIVE is back due to popular demand. The 2019 UK tour opens on 12 March at The Winter Gardens in Margate, visiting a further 32 venues nationwide. The 2019 cast includes: Lucy Varney (Miranda), Romina Hytten (Puppeteer / Understudy Miranda), Darcy Collins (Puppeteer / Puppet Captain), Gary Mitchinson (Puppeteer), Peter Twose (Puppeteer), Emily Cooper (Puppeteer / Puppet Technician).
Using stunning puppetry to bring remarkably life-like dinosaurs to the stage, DINOSAUR WORLD LIVE presents a host of impressive pre-historic creatures including every child’s favourite flesh-eating giant, the Tyrannosaurus Rex, along with a Giraffatitan, Microraptor, Segnosaurus and Triceratops. The show introduces Miranda, daughter of palaeontologists, who grew up surrounded by dinosaurs on a far-away island off the coast of South America. She has brought her pre-historic pals to your local theatre and would love you to meet them. Warning: some of these dinosaurs aren’t as docile as they seem!
If looking for fun things to do with the kids, DINOSAUR WORLD LIVE delivers an entertaining and educational live show that promises to delight the whole family. Each performance is followed by a post-show meet and greet where audience members have the opportunity to meet some of the dinosaurs in person.
Due to incredible demand, some performances are already sold out, so dino-lovers are urged to book fast before tickets become extinct!
DINOSAUR WORLD LIVE is written and directed by Derek Bond (Sweet Charity, Manchester Theatre Awards 2017 winner, Little Shop of Horrors Manchester Royal Exchange). The creative team includes: Puppet Designer Max Humphries (National Theatre, Royal Opera House, Cirque de Soleil); Puppet Director Laura Cubitt (Running Wild, Chichester Festival Theatre; Don Quixote, RSC; War Horse NT Berlin); Puppetry Consultant Toby Olié (for the National Theatre: Elephantom, Peter Pan, The Light Princess, Hansel & Gretel, NT: 50 Years on Stage and also the original hind puppeteer of Joey in War Horse); Set & Costume Designer James Perkins; Lighting Designer John Maddox and Sound Designer Tom Mann. Produced by Nicoll Entertainment.
Website: www.dinosaurworldlive.com Twitter: @dinoworldlive Running Time: 50 minutes + 15 min post show meet and greet Suitable for ages 3+
Tour Listings Information: DINOSAUR WORLD LIVE UK TOUR 2019
MARGATE Winter Gardens Fort Crescent, Margate, Kent CT9 1HX Tuesday 12 – Wednesday 13 March Tue & Wed: 4.30pm Box Office 01843 292795 | margatewintergardens.co.uk
Frozen Light present The Isle of Brimsker UK Tour: January – June 2019 Multi-sensory, immersive theatre show for audiences with profound and multiple learning disabilities to tour nationally
The Isle of Brimsker is the latest bold and exciting production devised specifically for audiences with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) from Frozen Light theatre company. Premiering in 2018, The Isle of Brimsker now embarks on a much extended tour, seeking to engage with new audiences and enable more people with PMLD the chance to experience the theatre.
Exploring friendship, isolation and how we react to change, The Isle of Brimsker immerses audiences with PMLD in a multi-sensory story of discovery. People with PMLD are among the most excluded in society with over 16,000 people in England living with PMLD (Lancaster Centre of Disability Research). The Isle of Brimsker has been developed specifically for these audiences and this performance has been structured to provide an accessible and theatrical environment which responds to the needs of this group by being performed at a close proximity, to small groups and with strong sensory and participation elements.
The play follows a lighthouse keeper who lives on a desolate outcrop surrounded by stormy seas. Duty bound to maintain the light that guides boats away from danger, she lives a solitary existence. One day a runaway lands on the shore, together they face the inevitable. Change is on the horizon but not in the form she expects. How do you survive when faced with the biggest decisions of your life? Would you change the world or change yourself?
The way the show is so carefully tailored to the audience’s needs provides a vital reminder that theatre can accommodate everyone (The Stage ****)
There are only a small number of theatre companies worldwide who make work designed for people with PMLD, so for many in the audience seeing Frozen Light’s work will be their first time in a mainstream theatre venue. Performing to an intimately sized audience, the three-strong cast accompanies the audience from the foyer into the performance space, ensuring a smooth transition into the theatre environment.
Frozen Light Co-Artistic Director Amber Onat Gregory, says, The theatre should be for everybody, and more and more venues are starting to look at their programme to see how they can be more accessible, how they can reach all sections of society. With this tour we will be reaching more people with PMLD than ever which we are really excited about.
Lucy Garland, Frozen Light’s other Co-Artistic director, added, We are really thrilled about ou new show The Isle of Brimsker. With this production we have pushed the sensory exploration further than ever before and can’t wait to see what reactions our audience have to the show. The show explores themes of transition and friendship and we hope this resonates with our audience. We have worked with some exciting commissioning partners on this project and, now we have premiered the show, are excited to take it to audiences throughout the country.
Frozen Light launched in 2012 as a response to the fact that arts venues rarely cater for audiences with complex disabilities. In 2016 they presented the first ever Edinburgh Fringe show specifically made for audiences with PMLD, to sell out audiences. They returned to the Fringe in 2017 as part of the British Council Showcase.
ADDS ANOTHER BEE GEES CLASSIC TO THE SCORE FOR THE FIRST TIME
Having already put the Bee Gees front and centre for the first time in the musical’s stage history with the famous trio bring portrayed live on stage by Ed Handoll, Alastair Hill and Matt Faull, Bill Kenwright’s new production of Saturday Night Fever continues to bring audiences never-before-seen elements to this classic musical, which now includes another Bee Gees classic that is not featured in the film.
After the addition of Too Much Heaven in 2018, this year Words makes its first appearance, with a totally new dance sequence choreographed by the Olivier Award winning Bill Deamer and performed by an all-star cast led by Richard Winsor.
Voted number four in the Nation’s Favourite Bee Gees Songs Of All Time, Wordswas first recorded on 3 October 1967, and has been covered by some of the world’s biggest artists from Roy Orbison to Elvis and gave Boyzone a number one hit.
Barry Gibb famously said the song was written for the Bee Gees’ manager, the late Robert Stigwood, when he was staying at his home. Robin added later that the song ‘was written after an argument – about absolutely nothing! And simply reflects a mood; words can make you happy or words can make you sad.’
Bill Kenwright said: “I fell in love with the Bee Gees way, way back then, when my brother brought home their recording of ‘Spicks and Specks’ after he had lived in Australia for several years.
All of the tracks on the best-selling album are classics, but I was originally anxious to get ‘Too Much Heaven’ into our soundtrack primarily because I felt it fitted and also because it’s one of my favourite ever Bee Gees’ hits, and came out roughly at the same time as Saturday Night Fever. It was actually Robert Stigwood’s managing director, Patrick Bywalski, who suggested I take a look at ‘Words’ as I was keen to find one more song for the first half of the show. We rehearsed it during the Christmas break, and everyone believes it’s a wonderful addition.”
For a sneak peak of their rendition of ‘Words’ click herefor an authorised excerpt from a live performance…
40 years since its famous UK cinema release, Saturday Night Fever is a reimagined and revitalised music and dance spectacular. The 70’s classic Paramount/RSO movie, with story by Nik Cohn, was an instant hit when it was released in cinemas. The album remains the best-selling movie soundtrack of all time. The musical features the Bee Gees’ greatest hits including Stayin’ Alive, How Deep Is Your Love, Night Fever, Tragedy, More Than a Woman and now Words, as well as 70’s favourites Boogie Shoes and Disco Inferno.
Whilst paying homage to the movie, this new stage version delivers added music and hot new choreography. It is directed and produced by Bill Kenwright, with choreography by Olivier Award winning Bill Deamer, designs by Gary McCann, lighting by Nick Richings, and sound by Dan Samson. The stage adaptation is by Robert Stigwood in collaboration with Bill Oakes.
LISTINGS
SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER
UK TOUR
Canterbury Marlowe Theatre 5 – 9 February
marlowetheatre.com01227 787787
York Grand Opera House 12 – 16 February
atgtickets.com/grandoperahouseyork0844 871 3024
Carlisle The Sands Centre 19 – 23 February
thesandscentre.co.uk01228 633766
Sheffield Lyceum Theatre 26 February – 2 March
sheffieldtheatres.co.uk0114 249 6000
Newcastle Theatre Royal 5 – 9 March
theatreroyal.co.uk08448 11 21 21
Leeds Grand Theatre27 – 31 August
leedsgrandtheatre.com0844 848 2700
Chester Storyhouse 10 – 14 September Aberdeen His Majesty’s Theatre 8 – 12 October
THE NATIONAL THEATRE WILL TOUR A TASTE OF HONEY BY SHELAGH DELANEY IN AUTUMN 2019
A TASTE OF HONEY IS DIRECTED BY BIJAN SHEIBANI AND DESIGNED BY HILDEGARD BECHTLER
JODIE PRENGER WILL PLAY HELEN
A TASTE OF HONEY WILL TOUR TO NINE VENUES FROM SEPTEMBER, OPENING AT THE LOWRY, SALFORD
The National Theatre today announced a UK tour of Bijan Sheibani’s production of A Taste of Honey, Shelagh Delaney’s remarkable taboo-breaking 1950s play, which was first produced in the Lyttelton Theatre in 2014, designed by Hildegard Bechtler and reconceived in an exciting new production, featuring a live on stage band, for the tour.
Jodie Prenger (Oliver!, One Man, Two Guvnors, Abigail’s Party UK tour) plays Helen, with further casting to be announced.
Written by Shelagh Delaney when she was nineteen, A Taste of Honey offers an explosive celebration of the vulnerabilities and strengths of the female spirit in a deprived and restless world.
When her mother Helen runs off with a car salesman, feisty teenager Jo takes up with Jimmy, a sailor who promises to marry her, before he heads for the seas leaving her pregnant and alone. Art student Geoff moves in and assumes the role of surrogate parent until, misguidedly, he sends for Helen and their unconventional setup unravels.
An exhilarating depiction of working-class life in post-war Salford, A Taste of Honey will open there at The Lowry from 13 – 21 September, with a press night on Friday 20 September.
The tour will also visit the Kings Theatre, Edinburgh (24 – 28 September); the Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury (1 – 5 October); Richmond Theatre (7 – 12 October); Grand Opera House, Belfast (15 – 19 October); Leicester Curve (22 – 26 October); Theatre Royal, Bath (28 October – 2 November); Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton (5 – 9 November); and the Norwich Theatre Royal (12 – 16 November). Tickets will go on sale in venues from mid-February, check theatre websites for specific details.
The sound designer will be Ian Dickinson for Autograph, the composer will be Paul Englishby, the movement director will be Aline David.
Shelagh Delaney wrote her first play, A Taste of Honey in ten days after seeing Rattigan’s Variation of a Theme in Manchester. She sent the script to Joan Littlewood’s Theatre Workshop and the play opened at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East in 1958 before transferring to the West End. It was later made into a feature film with Rita Tushingham, Dora Bryan and Murray Melvin and the Broadway transfer featured Joan Plowright and Angela Landsury. Delaney’s other work includes The Lion in Love. For television she wrote The House That Jack Built and was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
Bijan Sheibani is an award winning theatre and opera director. His work for the National Theatre includes Barber Shop Chronicles, A Taste of Honey, Emil and the Detectives, The Kitchen, and Our Class (Olivier Nomination for Best Director). Other theatre includes Dance Nation and The House of Bernarda Alba (Almeida Theatre); Circle Mirror Transformation (Home, Manchester); The Brothers Size (Young Vic, Olivier Nomination); Giving (Hampstead Theatre); Moonlight (Donmar Warehouse); Gone Too Far (Royal Court Theatre, Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre). He was artistic director of Actors Touring Company from 2007 to 2010, and an associate director at the National Theatre from 2010 to 2015.
Jodie Prenger’s work for the NT includes One Man, Two Guvnors for the NT in the West End; Nancy in Oliver! (Theatre Royal, Drury Lane); Lady of the Lake in Spamalot (Playhouse Theatre and UK Tour); Calamity Jane in Calamity Jane (UK Tour); Tell Me on a Sunday (UK Tour); Miss Hannigan in Annie (New Theatre, Oxford); Shirley in Shirley Valentine (UK Tour); Kelly in Fat Friends The Musical (UK Tour) and Beverly in Abigail’s Party (UK tour). Television includes Years and Years, Citizen Khan, Wizards vs Aliens, Candy Cabs and Waterloo Road. She won the Theatregoers’ Choice Whats On Stage Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical.
Hildegard Bechtler is an Olivier Award-winning theatre and opera designer whose designs for the NT include Consent, Sunset at the Villa Thalia, Waste, A Taste of Honey, Scenes from an Execution, After the Dance, Harper Regan, The Hour We Knew Nothing of Each Other, The Hothouse, Thérèse Raquin, Exiles, Primo, Iphigenia at Aulis, The Merchant of Venice, Richard II, andKing Lear. For the RSC she has designed The Crucible and Electra. In London’s West End her designs include Oresteia (also Almeida Theatre), Top Hat, Passion Play, Old Times, The Sunshine Boys, Arcadia, The Lady from Dubuque, By the Bog of Cats, The Master Builder, Footfalls, Hedda Gabler, The Misanthrope, The Goat or Who is Sylvia?, The Crucible. On Broadway she has designedPrimo, Arcadia, and The Seagull.
A Taste of Honey is produced on tour by the National Theatre.
The Comedy About a Bank Robbery, is a comedy but you probably would’ve guessed that by the name. A play with laughs and gags from start to finish, with witty one liners and gags that will make the serious prunes belt out the most heinous laughs. This isn’t a show with jokes inserted in, this show is a joke. Set in Minneapolis in the late 1950’s, it follows a plan to steal a very big diamond worth a very big sum. With mishaps and confusing plots along the way, we witness the hilarious chaos unfold as characters fall into lies and tricks.
The cast does a phenomenal job of having perfect precision, which is needed for the slapstick being the funniest aspect of the play. From being smacked over the head many, many times throughout a scene, to being caught in a pull out bed. The best part of the comedy in this play was the physicality and energy of the cast, sure the jokes make you laugh but in a scene where Sam, expertly played by Seán Carey, pretends to be Caprice Freeboys father, as he know virtually nothing about him we watch him take hints from Caprice as his character get more and more angered and over the top. Another actor who stood out was Jon Trenchard who played Warren Slax, who seemed to take pretty much all of the beatings throughout the show, however in his moment of fame, being suspended against a wall as if to appear that we were looking down on him, we watch as he struggles and fails to work his way around the gravity defying set. This scene had the whole entire audience laughing at the bizarre and funny play on gravity.
The stage was cleverly put together with items being used as weapons and disguises. With the play being so physical we needed a stage to meet the energy and character of the actors, and this is something that once again proves that Mischief Theatre can do, just like the production of The Play That Goes Wrong. Costumes are used well and the use of some characters pretending to be other character without trousers really makes the audience laugh.
It’s an incredibly fun and playful show, however it doesn’t lack the creativity and intelligence that goes into creating a slick and innovative performance. You will be laughing and amazed at how cleaver this show really is. The jokes are cheesy, the plot is crazy and the characters are hilarious, all the things that make a good comedy. It’s no surprise that Mischief Theatre have stolen the limelight for creating comedies that are legendary, just watch this show to see why.
