Hull New Theatre Hull – until 12 October 2019

Reviewed by Dawn Bennett

5*****

Having read the book and seen the film I was very much looking forward to seeing the stage production. Everything from the very clever set (designed by Jacqueline Trousdale) which was moved around by the cast and transformed into multiple things (Joes house, Raj’s shop and Ruffington School to name a few) to the fabulous singing made it a very good night out.

The story is about Billionaire boy Joe (Matthew Gordon) who’s dad (Jason Furnival) invented Bum Fresh toilet roll and made him into a billionaire. All the money in the world should have made Joe are very happy boy but Joe just wanted to be normal and asked his dad to move him to the local comprehensive from his private school. Joe wanted a friend who didn’t want to be his friend just because he had money. He met Bob (Davy Bell) and they bonded over their love of chocolate and their dislike of cross country running and bullies! The story moved along quickly from Raj’s (Aosaf Afzal) shop to their school, to Joes house, to the school canteen with Mrs. Trafe (Emma Matthews) and her strange school lunch concoctions!

The truth soon gets out as to who Joe is and the arrival of his Dad’s girlfriend Sapphire (Rosie Coles) and new boy Jayden (Bernard Mensah) makes life a bit more difficult for him.

The adaptation (by Neal Foster) is very well done, it kept the story moving and the songs (Jack Poore/Neal Foster) and dances (Paul Chantry/Rae Piper) kept the young audience’s attention.

A number of the cast (including the ensemble Mared Lewis and Joe Sangha) played differnt characters, swapping and changing clothes, ages and in some cases hair!

David Walliams books transfer well to stage and with this talented cast it made it a very watchable and enjoyable couple of hours.

KING’S HEAD THEATRE’S

REVIVAL OF KEVIN ELYOT’S

COMING CLEAN

RETURNS TO PLAY TRAFALGAR STUDIOS 2

FROM 8 JANUARY TO 1 FEBRUARY 2020

Following a critically-acclaimed sell-out run, the King’s Head Theatre, Making Productions and RGM Productions are delighted to announce the smash-hit play, Coming Clean by Kevin Elyot will return to Trafalgar Studios 2. Adam Spreadbury-Maher, Artistic Director of the King’s Head Theatre, will direct the production, which will run for a strictly limited four week season from 8 January to 1 February 2020.

In 2017, Adam Spreadbury-Maher directed the 35th anniversary production and the first London revival of Coming Clean, Kevin Elyot’s first play, which transferred to Trafalgar Studios 2 earlier this year.  The play premiered at the Bush Theatre on 3 November 1982. Coming Clean looks at the breakdown of a gay couple’s relationship and examines complex questions of fidelity and love.

The play is set in a flat in Kentish Town, north London, in 1982.  Struggling writer Tony and his partner of five years, Greg, seem to have the perfect relationship.  Committed and in love, they are both open to one-night stands as long as they don’t impinge on the relationship.  But Tony is starting to yearn for something deeper, something more like monogamy.  When he finds out that Greg has been having a full-blown affair with their cleaner, Robert, their differing attitudes towards love and commitment become clear.

In his foreword to Kevin Elyot: Four Plays (Nick Hern Books, 2004), Elyot writes, “From 1976 to 1984 I’d acted in several productions at the Bush Theatre, and Simon Stokes, one of the artistic directors, had casually suggested I try my hand at a play.  I presented them with a script entitled Cosy, which was passed on to their literary manager Sebastian Born.  He responded favourably and, largely through his support, it finally opened on 3 November 1982 under the [new] title Coming Clean.”

Written 12 years before his most famous play, My Night With Reg, Coming Clean won Elyot the Samuel Beckett Award for writers showing particular promise in the field of the performing arts.

Theatre critic Michael Coveney wrote of Elyot in his obituary for The Guardian in 2014, “In writing about the human heart and the art of living… Elyot transcended categorisation and produced a small body of stage plays that will reward revival, and not just as period pieces.”  Coveney goes on to describe Coming Clean as “an elegiac play about sexual relationships at a time when Aids was still a barely credible rumour in Britain, but there was a sense of foreboding in the final scene.”

Coming Clean is directed by Adam Spreadbury-Maher with set designed by Amanda Mascarenhas, and lighting by Nic Farman.

This production is being produced in the West End by King’s Head Theatre, Making Productions and RGM Productions in association with DeVere Productions.

LISTINGS INFORMATION

8 January – 1 February 2020

Trafalgar Studios 2

14 Whitehall

London

SW1A 2DY

Performances: Monday-Saturday 7.45pm*, Thursday & Saturday 3pm (*7pm on Friday 10 January)

Previews: All £20

Monday – Thursday (& Saturday Matinees): £25 – £30

Friday & Saturday Evenings: £30 – £40

Box Office: 0844 871 7632

Website: www.atgtickets.com/shows/coming-clean/trafalgar-studios

Twitter: @KingsHeadThtr

Facebook: www.facebook.com/kingsheadtheatre

Instagram: @kingsheadtheatre

Ambassadors, London – until 4 January 2020

Reviewed by Serena Norgren

4****

Perhaps it was the above warning; or the theatre bedecked in construction lights, crime scene tape and nightmarish numbers graffiti-ed everywhere or the low level pulsating noises (can’t really call it music) but there was a palpable buzz in the theatre and a genuine nervous anticipation before curtain up.

Andy Nyman and Jeremy Dyson’s cult phenomenon, Ghost Stories, is reprised in the West End after a successful run at the Lyric, Hammersmith. It has been described as the ultimate twisted love-letter to horror. In it, we meet Professor Phillip Goodman, played brilliantly by Simon Lipkin. He is a Professor of Parapsychology delivering a lecture on ghost stories. He has spent much of his career debunking paranormal cases, explaining the apparently inexplicable and recounts three tales that have particularly perturbed him. Lipkin does a first class job – he is engaging, enthusiastic, slightly shambolic but articulate and believable.

Through these tales we are taken on a journey that is macabre, occasionally weird, occasionally funny, tense and often terrifying. The four cast members are all brilliant, the set is extremely clever with lots of surprises and technical wizardry and the writing excellent. Jon Bausor’s design does a great job of dialling up the tension enhanced by James Farncombe’s atmospheric lighting.

Reviewers have been asked not to give too much away about the story but suffice to say this is more than just a Thorpe Park-esque Halloween thrill ride, this is a well-crafted, genuinely chilling piece of theatre brilliantly done that will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and leave you sitting on the edge of your seat. Go see it, if you dare!!!

UK tour from the 7th January 2020

STRICTLY WINNER TOM CHAMBERS

AND NOT GOING OUT STAR SALLY BRETTON

LEAD THE CAST IN 2020 UK TOUR OF THRILLER CLASSIC

DIRECTED BY ANTHONY BANKS

Can you ever get away with the perfect crime?

A brand new production of the classic thriller, Dial M for Murder, tours the UK in 2020 opening at Richmond Theatre on Monday 13^th January 2020. The genre-defining thriller –  based on Frederick Knott’s stage and screen play, made world-famous by Hitchcock’s iconic 1954 film – will be directed by Anthony Banks.

TV and stage favourite, Tom Chambers, (Top Hat, Strictly Come Dancing) stars as the charismatic and manipulative Tony Wendice, a jaded ex-tennis pro who has given it all up for his wife Margot, played by Sally Bretton * (Not Going Out, Death In Paradise, The Office). When he discovers she has been unfaithful his mind turns to revenge and the pursuit of the ‘perfect crime’. Christopher Harper (Coronation Street, Strangers on a Train) performs in the dual roles of Captain Lesgate and Inspector Hubbard and Michael Salami (Hollyoaks) as Max Halliday, Margot’s American lover.

Tom Chambers plays Tony Wendice. Tom’s theatre creditsinclude: Crazy For You (UK tour); Private Lives (UK tour); White Christmas (Dominion); Top Hat (Aldwych); White Christmas (Sunderland Empire); The Rover (Young Vic Studio); Journey’s End (Courtyard Theatre); Bloody Poetry (Brockley Jack Theatre); Pendragon (City Theatre Broadway NYMT and Sadler’s Wells); October’s Children (NYMT and Hammersmith Lyric); Cyrano De Bergerac and Macbeth (Derby Rep Theatre); Damn Yankees (Yvonne Arnaud Theatre); The Innocents (Derby Playhouse) and Stepping Out (Electric GSA).Film includes: Fakers and Great in Britain: the Movie. Television includes: Midsomer Murders, Emmerdale, Casualty, Father Brown, The Great Train Robbery, Waterloo Road and Holby City. Radio includes: Mellow Magic every Saturday 10am-1pm.

Sally Bretton appears as Margot Wendice. Sally’s theatre credits include: An Ideal Husband (Classic Spring Company); King Lear, The Front Line and In Extremis (Shakespeare’s Globe); A Conversation (Manchester Royal Exchange); All My Sons (Library Theatre, Manchester); Present Laughter (Theatre Royal Bath and UK tour) and Hay Fever (Oxford Stage Company). Sally was nominated for Best Actress – Manchester Evening News Theatre Awards 2002 for her role in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at The Library Theatre, Manchester. Film includes: Outlaw, So Long Charlie Bright and Peaches. Television includes: Not Going Out, Death in Paradise, The Office, Green Wing, Absolute Power, Thanks for the Memories, Casualty, Lewis, How Not to Live Your Life, Hotel Babylon, Vincent, Open Wide, Blessed, Blackbeard, If…we eradicate violent crime, Wild West, Blue Murder, Happy Together, Dr Terrible’s House of Horrible, Beast, Armstrong and Miller and The People’s Harry Enfield.

Christopher Harper performs as Captian Lesgate and Inspector Hubbard. Christopher’stheatre credits include: Strangers on a Train (UK tour); Much Ado About Nothing (Shakespeare’s’ Globe); Slipping (Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough); The Wind in the Willows, Man of the Moment and Private Fears in Public Places (Royal & Derngate); I Know How I Feel About Eve (Hampstead Downstairs); The Night Before Christmas (Different Breed); The Village Bike (Sheffield Crucible Studio); A Kid Like Jake (Old Vic New Voices); OurCountry’s Good and Journey’s End (Original Theatre Company); Persuasion, After Miss Julie and People at Sea (Salisbury Playhouse); Saturn Returns (Finborough Theatre); Light Shining in Buckinghamshire and Lie of the Land (Arcola). Television includes: Holby City, Endeavour, Coronation Street, The Suspicions of Mr Whicher,Doctors, Upstairs Downstairs, The Bill, Heartbeat, The Roman Mysteries, Housewife 49,Life on Mars and Rosemary and Thyme. Chris also produced and voiced the award-winning charity animation The Mouse.

Michael Salami is Max Halliday. Michael Salami is a multi-award-winning actor. Born in America and raised in London, Salami discovered his passion for acting in 2007. Salami made his first on stage appearance at Oval Theatre in 2010 and has since then performed at The Old Vic, Soho Theatre, Lyric Hammersmith, Southwark Playhouse and Theatre503. Salami studied at Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York graduating in 2016 and since then has appeared in Hollyoaks; Catastrophe; The Temple and Magic Hour. His leading role in Just A Couple has landed him a number of nominations and awards such as a Screen Nation Award for Best Actor. Just A Couple is now in full development with Channel 4.

Anthony Banks directs Frederick Knott’s Dial M For Murder, adding another Hitchcock classic to credits that recently include Gaslight and Strangers on a Train. His production of the hit thriller, Girl on a Train, continues to tour the UK. The creative team is completed by David Woodhead, Designer; Lizzie Powell, Lighting Designer; Ben & Max Ringham, Sound Design; Betty Marini, Wigs Supervisor; Siobhan Boyd, Costume Supervisor,  Robin Morgan as Props Supervisor and Alison de Burgh as Fight Director.

Dial M For Murder is produced by Simon Friend and Gavin Kalin. 

DIAL M FOR MURDER 2020 TOUR DATES

   *Sally Bretton performs as Margot Wendice until Sat 11^th April

Richmond Theatre, Richmond                               Box Office: 0844 871 7651          

Mon 13^th – Sat 18^th Jan                                           www.atgtickets.com

Theatre Royal, Norwich                                           Box Office: 01603 630000

Mon 20^th – Sat 25^th Jan                                            www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk

Orchard Theatre, Dartford                                      Box Office: 01322 220000                           

Mon 27^th Jan – Sat 1^st Feb                                        www.orchardtheatre.co.uk

Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford                       Box Office: 01483 440000

Mon 3^rd – Sat 8^th Feb                                                 www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk

Theatre Royal, Bath                                                  Box Office: 01225 448844

Mon 10^th – Sat 15^th Feb                                            www.theatreroyal.org.uk                           

His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen                           Box Office: 01224 641122

Mon 17^th – Sat 22^nd Feb                                           www.aberdeenperformingarts.com

King’s Theatre, Edinburgh                                        Box Office: 0131 5296000

Mon 24^th – Sat 29^th Feb                                            www.capitaltheatres.com

Theatre Royal, Glasgow                                           Box Office: 0844 8717647

Mon 2^nd – Sat 7^th Mar                                                www.atgtickets.com

Salisbury Playhouse                                                   Box Office: 01722 320333

Mon 9^th – Sat 14^th Mar                                              www.wiltshirecreative.co.uk

Churchill Theatre, Bromley                                     Box Office: 020 32856000

Mon 16^th – Sat 21^st Mar                                            www.churchilltheatre.co.uk

Palace Theatre, Southend                                        Box Office: 01702 351135

Mon 23^rd – Sat 28^th Mar                                           www.southendtheatres.org.uk

Milton Keynes Theatre                                             Box Office: 0844 871 7652

Mon 13^th – Sat 18^th Apr                                            www.atgtickets.com

New Alexandra, Birmingham                                  Box Office: 0844 871 3011

Mon 20^th – Sat 25^th Apr                                             www.atgtickets.com

New Theatre, Cardiff                                                Box Office: 029 2087 8889

Mon 27^th Apr – Sat 2^nd May                                    www.newtheatrecardiff.co.uk   

Curve Theatre, Leicester                                          Box Office: 0116 242 3595

Mon 4^th – Sat 9^th May                                               www.curveonline.co.uk

Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield                                       Box Office: 0116 242 3595

Mon 11^th – Sat 16^th May                                          www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk

Playhouse Theatre, Liverpool                                 Box Office: 0151 709 4776

Mon 18^th – Sat 23^rd May                                           www.everymanplayhouse.com

Theatr Clwyd, Mold                                                   Box Office: 01352 344 101

Mon 25^th – Sat 30^th May                                           www.theatrclwyd.com

Theatre Royal, Brighton                                           Box Office: 0844 871 3011

Mon 1^st – Sat 6^th June                                               www.atgtickets.com

Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury                                   Box Office: 01743 281 281

Mon 8^th – Sat 13^th June                                            www.theatresevern.co.uk/

The Lowry, Salford                                                    Box Office: 0843 208 6000

Mon 15^th – Sat 20^th June                                          www.thelowry.com

Royal & Derngate, Northampton                           Box Office: 01604 624811

Mon 22^nd – Sat 27^th June                                          www.royalandderngate.co.uk    

Theatre Royal, Plymouth                                          Box Office: 01752 267 222

Mon 29^th June – Sat 4^th July                                    www.theatreroyal.com/

Grand Theatre, Leeds                                               Box Office: 0844 848 2700          

Mon 6^th – Sat 11^th July                                              www.leedsgrandtheatre.com

Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton                            Box Office: 01902 429212

Mon 13^th – Sat 18^th July                                            www.grandtheatre.co.uk/

MAMMA MIA! ANNOUNCES A COLLABORATION TO RAISE AWARENESS FOR OVARIAN CANCER

#DynamosBeAware

MAMMA MIA! is delighted to announce a collaboration with Target Ovarian Cancer to raise much-needed funds to transform the future for women with ovarian cancer. 11 women die every day in the UK from this disease and ovarian cancer faces chronic underfunding compared with other cancers.

MAMMA MIA! was created by three women, is all about female friendship and support, and is embraced and loved by women of all ages all over the world so where better to start raising awareness of ovarian cancer than to make even more women aware of the signs and symptoms.

To kickstart the partnership, the distinguished couture designer Elizabeth Emanuel – of Atelier Elizabeth – has exclusively designed a t-shirt in her own distinctive style featuring an iconic image of a MAMMA MIA! Dynamo in both gold and silver foil etched with Elizabeth’s renowned elegant calligraphy. The Dynamo t-shirt comes in both gold on black and silver on white. And there is a very special limited edition of each with exquisite Swarovski crystal embellishment. Each t-shirt comes with a special hangtag, sharing the symptoms of ovarian cancer to raise awareness of this devastating disease.

The t-shirts are available online and at the London and UK & International tour productions’ theatres’ of MAMMA MIA! for £20, with £9 going directly to Target Ovarian Cancer from each sale. 

MAMMA MIA! creator and producer Judy Craymer said;

“I’ve seen at first hand the devastation of this disease and the work of Target Ovarian Cancer is essential to save more lives. As the show has such a strong female audience and cast, I thought it would be an ideal collaboration for MAMMA MIA! to work with Target Ovarian Cancer. We are delighted to be working together and to in some small way help to raise awareness. Every t-shirt sold will help fund life-saving awareness, research and support, spreading the word a little further to save lives in the future.”

Target Ovarian Cancer Chair Emma Kane said: “Survival rates from ovarian cancer in the UK are among the worst in Europe. Target Ovarian Cancer is transforming the lives of women with ovarian cancer now and in the future. Working in partnership with MAMMA MIA! will help us to reach thousands more people, to raise awareness, offer support and save lives.”

To buy a Dynamo t-shirt go to https://www.theatre-shop.com/mammamia/shop/

@MammaMiaMusical @TargetOvarian #DynamoBeAware #OvarianCancer

THE GRIT & GLAMOUR OF SHOWBIZ – ON STAGE AT THE EXCHANGE THIS CHRISTMAS   

A Royal Exchange Theatre Production 

GYPSY  

A Musical Fable, Book by Arthur Laurents, Music by Jule Styne, Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Suggested by memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee.Original Production by David Merrick & Leland Hayward. Entire production originally directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins. 
Directed by Jo Davies

With Ria Jones

30 November 2019 – 25 January 2020 

The exuberance, grit and glamour of Burlesque finds a home in the Exchange’s unique in-the-round theatre this Christmas in director Jo Davies’ sizzling GYPSY. With Ria Jones as the tour-de-force that is Momma Rose, the wonderful world of show business is brought to life by Jo and her creative team: Choreographer Andrew Wright, Musical Supervisor Joel Fram and Designer Francis O’Connor. Ria Jones is joined by Melissa James as Louise, Melissa Lowe as June and Louis Gaunt as Tulsa in this production of the extraordinary musical GYPSY which can be seen in the theatre from 30 November 2019 – 25 January 2020.

Choosing the bright lights of the stage over putting her girls though school, Momma Rose is resolute in her desire to see her daughters, Louise and June, realise her dreams of stardom and adoration. But how are these young women shaped by her actions, what is passed down from generation to generation, and what new opportunities are afforded to one but denied to another?

The GYPSY cast also includes Dale Rapley, Stephen Casey and Michael S. Siegel as Herbie, Uncle Jocko and Father; the roles of Tessie Tura, Mazeppa and Electra are played by Rebecca Thornhill, Suzie Chard and Kate O’Donnell (who returns to the Exchange following her performance as Feste in Jo Davies’ TWELFTH NIGHT); and the ensemble is Roshani Abbey, Alastair Crosswell, Amie Hibbert, Kody Mortimer, Bryan Mottram, Lizzie Nance and Marianne Phillips.

Ria Jones’ career spans over three decades as a leading lady in Musical Theatre, both in the West End and internationally. Roles as diverse as Eva Peron in EVITA, Norma Desmond in SUNSET BOULEVARD, to the iconic Mrs Overall in ACORN ANTIQUES, to name but a few. As well as T.V, Radio, and numerous recordings, Ria performs regularly as a concert soloist, frequently with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and major orchestras worldwide.

Also making their Royal Exchange Theatre debuts are Melissa James, Melissa Lowe and Louis Gaunt.

Melissa James trained at Arts Ed. theatre credits include WISE CHILDREN (The Old Vic/UK Tour), EUGENIUS! (West End), THE TWO NOBLE KINSMEN (Shakespeare’s Globe), ONE LOVE: THE BOB MARLEY MUSICAL (Birmingham Rep), ANNIE GET YOUR GUN (Sheffield Crucible), A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM (Theatre Royal Bath), THE BODYGUARD, CATS (UK tour), GUYS AND DOLLS (Chichester Festival Theatre) and WEST SIDE STORY (RSC).

Melissa Lowe trained at Arts Ed. Her theatre credits include THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST (Bolton Octagon), THE CAT IN THE HAT (Leicester Curve, UK Tour & Rose Theatre, Kingston), ME & MY GIRL (Chichester Festival Theatre) and JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR (Teatru Astra).

Louis Gaunt is the 2018 The Stage Debut Awards WINNER for Best Actor in A Musical – for OKLAHOMA! His theatre credits include: GREASE (National Tour), THE HAPPY PRINCE (The Place), STANDING AT THE SKY’S EDGE (Sheffield Crucible), KISS ME, KATE (Sheffield Crucible), SWEET CHARITY (Nottingham Playhouse), OKLAHOMA! (Grange Park Opera) and DICK WHITTINGTON (London Palladium).

Director Jo Davies returns to the Royal Exchange following her lavish production of TWELFTH NIGHT. She is an international theatre and opera Director and her most recent work includes THE FANTASTIC FOLLIES OF MRS RICH (Royal Shakespeare Company), CARMEN (Welsh National Opera), DON CARLO (Grange Park Opera) and THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO (Opera North / Tour). Other work includes THE ROARING GIRL (Royal Shakespeare Company), TWELFTH NIGHT (Royal Exchange) KISS ME KATE (Opera North / London Coliseum), OKLAHOMA (Grange Park Opera) and CAROUSEL (Barbican/ Chatalet Theatre Paris).  

The creative team includes Designer Francis O’Connor, Costume Designer Gabrielle Dalton, Lighting Designer Colin Grenfell, Sound Designer Carolyn Downing, Choreographer Andrew Wright, Musical Supervisor Joel Fram, Musical Director Leo Munby and Orchestrator Sam Davies.

Grand Opera House York – until 12 October 2019

Reviewed by Michelle Richardson

5*****

What’s in a Name is based on the French hit Le Prénom, written by Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre De La Patelliére, and has been translated and adapted by Jeremy Sams. This adaptation is now touring the UK.

Set in a flat in Peckham, Elizabeth (Laura Patch) and her husband Peter (Bo Poraj), have invited her brother Vincent (Joe Thomas), his pregnant partner Anna (Louise Marwood) and long term friend Carl (Alex Gaumond) to a dinner party. The gathering starts off well, with Vincent sharing the baby scan photo, whilst Anna is running late. This all descends into chaos once Vincent announces the name to be of the new born baby. I don’t want to put a spoiler in here, but the tour poster carries a strong hint. First disbelief, then shock, this revelation starts a chain reaction of disagreements, arguments and secrets that, simply put, spiral out of control, as accusations and recriminations fly.

Thomas takes on a narrator roll at times, just to set up the play and steer it along, then portrays Vincent as a bit of a flash, wide boy yuppie, very 80’s with his sharp suit and slicked backed hair. Vincent is the catalyst of all the mayhem that follows. Elizabeth is the hands on mum, who has curtailed her career in order to support her husband Peter, still serving dinner to all her guests, even amongst the chaos. Peter is the one to show the strongest reaction, disgusted at his best friends’ statement. And then there’s quiet Carl, who ultimately delivers the biggest shock of the whole evening. Things will never be the same again.

The set, designed by Francis O’Connor, is pretty impressive depicting a trendy flat and its lounge. The wall is full of books, a huge family photograph is placed right in the middle of the books. A large sofa is centre, with stairs up to bedrooms and glass doors leading to the balcony. It is quite impressive and very detailed.

Believe it or not this is a comedy. At times it was very close to the knuckle, with the audience taking a sharp breath through shock and then silence, but ultimately, it had us all in stitches. There are times that this was laugh out loud funny, with the whole theatre joining in. The five strong cast interact well together, and show great comic timing, leading to the success of the play.

I had heard great things about this production and I was not disappointed. This is one of my highlight shows of the year so far, it is just so much fun to watch. You must try and get to see this production.

GREASE

HITS THE ROAD AGAIN IN 2020

DUE TO OVERWHELMING DEMAND

Following a highly acclaimed UK and Ireland tour in 2019, the first new production in 25 years of Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey’s iconic musical GREASE will tour the UK again in 2020, directed by Nikolai Foster and choreographed by Arlene Phillips. Dan Partridge (Rum Tum Tugger in the International Tour of Cats, Link in the UK Tour of Hairspray and Pepper in Mamma Mia! in the West End) will reprise the role of Danny Zuko, with further casting to be announced.

The tour will open at Royal & Derngate Northampton from 22 – 30 May, Congress Theatre, Eastbourne from 1 – 6 June, New Victoria Theatre, Woking from 8 – 13 June, Wycombe Swan from 22 – 27 June, Liverpool Empire from 29 June – 4 July, Theatre Royal, Nottingham from 6 – 11 July, Palace Theatre Manchester from 20 July – 1 August, The Marlowe, Canterbury from 10 – 16 August, Blackpool Opera House from 31 August – 5 September, Darlington Hippodrome from 7 – 13 September, Belgrade Theatre Coventry from 15 – 19 September, Grand Opera House York from 21 – 26 September, The Sands Centre, Carlisle from 29 September – 3 October, The Orchard Theatre, Dartford from 6 – 111 October, Rhyl Pavilion from 12 – 17 October, Aylesbury Waterside Theatre from 26 – 31 October, Sheffield Lyceum from 2 – 8 November and Stoke Regent Theatre from 23 – 28 November. Further venues to be announced.

Producer Colin Ingram said “I am delighted that this new production of GREASE will be returning to tour the UK in May 2020.  The production has been thrilling audiences and critics up and down the country with standing ovations every night.  This fresh take on one of the most popular musicals of all time has gone down brilliantly with the theatre going public who are loving this version. It brings back the reality and grit from the original 1972 Broadway production, yet the characters and story chime so well with a modern audience.  All the songs from the film are there, but it feels like a new GREASE for a new generation.”

GREASE originally opened in Chicago in 1971, followed by a move to Broadway in 1972, where it received seven Tony Award nominations, including one for Best Musical. During the show’s eight-year run, at the time, little known actors including Peter Gallagher, Patrick Swayze and John Travolta all appeared in the production, with Richard Gere understudying many roles before going on to star as Danny Zuko in the 1973 London premiere.

The 1978 film adaptation starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton John is the fourth highest-grossing live action musical of all time and celebrated its 40^th anniversary this year. The musical features beloved songs, including Summer Nights, Greased Lightnin’, Hopelessly Devoted To You and You’re The One That I Want.

GREASE is choreographed by Arlene Phillips, with designs by Colin Richmond, orchestrations and musical supervision by Sarah Travis, lighting design by Ben Cracknell and sound design by Tom Marshall.

This new production of GREASE is produced by Colin Ingram, InTheatre Productions and Curve.

Website: greasethemusicalontour.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/greaseUKTour

Twitter: @greaseuktour                      

2020 Tour Schedule

22 – 30 May                           Royal & Derngate Northampton                                  01604 624811

                                              www.royalandderngate.co.uk                                      On sale soon

1 – 6 June                              Congress Theatre, Eastbourne                                   01323 412000

                                              www.eastbournetheatres.co.uk                                  

8 – 13 June                            New Victoria Theatre, Woking                                     0844 871 7645

                                              www.atgtickets.com/venues/new-victoria-theatre          On sale soon

22 – 27 June                          Wycombe Swan                                                        01494 512 000

                                              wycombeswan.co.uk                                                 On sale soon

29 June – 4 July                     Liverpool Empire                                                       0844 871 3017

                                              www.atgtickets.com/venues/liverpool-empire              On sale soon

6 – 11 July                             Theatre Royal, Nottingham                                         0115 989 5555         

                                               www.trch.co.uk                                                          On 30 September

20 July – 1 August                  Palace Theatre Manchester                                         0844 871 3019 

                                              www.atgtickets.com/venues/palace-theatre-manchester    On sale soon

10 – 16 August                       The Marlowe, Canterbury                                            01227 878 7787

                                               www.themarlowetheatre.com

31 August – 5 September       Blackpool Opera House                                             0844 856 1111

                                               www.wintergardensblackpool.co.uk                            On sale soon

7 – 13 September                   Darlington Hippodrome                                              01325 405405

                                               www.darlingtonhippodrome.co.uk

15 – 19 September                 Belgrade Theatre Coventry                                         024 7655 3055

                                                www.belgrade.co.uk                                                  On sale soon

21 – 26 September                 Grand Opera House York                                           0844 871 3024

                                               www.atgtickets.com/venues/grand-opera-house-york/  On sale soon

29 September – 3 October      The Sands Centre, Carlisle                                         01228 633766

                                                 www.thesandscentre.co.uk                                               

6 – 11 October                       The Orchard Theatre, Dartford                                    01322 220000

                                               www.orchardtheatre.co.uk

12 – 17 October                     Rhyl Pavilion                                                              01745 33 00 00

                                               www.rhylpavilion.co.uk                                               On sale soon

26 – 31 October                     Aylesbury Waterside Theatre                                      0844 871 7607

                                              www.atgtickets.com/venues/aylesbury-waterside-theatre     On sale soon

2 – 8 November                      Sheffield Lyceum Theatre                                           0114 249 6000                            

                                                www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk   

23 – 28 November                  Stoke Regent Theatre                                                0844 871 7649

                                                www.atgtickets.com/stoke

SHOREDITCH TOWN HALL ANNOUNCES

2020 CULTURAL PROGRAMME

• 2 world premieres, 1 UK premiere and 5 London premieres
• Highlights of the programme include Ockham’s Razor’s This Time, Tim Cowbury & Mark Maughan’s The Claim, The Wardrobe Ensemble’s The Last of the Pelican Daughters, Scottee & Friends’ Scottee: Class, Tina Satter / Half Straddles’ Is This A Room: Reality Winner Verbatim Transcription and Charlotte Josephine’s FLIES.
• A series of one-off events with Jo Fong, Clod Ensemble & Nu Civilisation Orchestra, CRXSS PLATFXRM, Rio Cinema, Dance Umbrella, UNFLOPPED, and more.
• 1,500 free tickets available for local community groups across Shoreditch and Hackney.

Today Shoreditch Town Hall announces their 2020 cultural programme which opens with the London premiere of This Time by award-winning circus company Ockham’s Razor, presented as part of London International Mime Festival. In February, Tim Cowbury returns with his bold response to the migration crisis, The Claim,following its run in Edinburgh as part of the British Council Showcase; the piece is directed by Mark Maughan.

Brighton Fringe Award winner (2017) and Total Theatre Award nominee (2019) Harry Clayton-Wright will present Sex Education in March as part of And What? Queer. Arts. Festival., and The Wardrobe Ensemble will return to the Town Hall with the London premiere of The Last of the Pelican Daughters, a Wardrobe Ensemble, Complicité and Royal & Derngate co-production in association with Bristol Old Vic.

In April, Daniel Bye & Boff Whalley’s These Hills Are Ours, commissioned by Shoreditch Town Hall and produced by ARC Stockton, will play in the Large Committee Room, and the London premiere of Scottee: Class, an unflinching commentary on social structures, will play for three weeks in the Council Chamber.

June will see the Town Hall’s fifth collaboration with LIFT (London International Festival of Theatre), this time on the UK premiere of Brooklyn-based Tina Satter / Half Straddle’s Is This A Room: Reality Winner Verbatim Transcription. In September, the Town Hall will co-produce the world premiere of Charlotte Josephine’s FLIES, with Boundless Theatre.

Throughout 2020, the Town Hall will present an eclectic mix of one-off events in the Assembly Hall, harnessing the space’s original purpose for variety and music hall entertainment. Jo Fong will present Ways of Being Together in February, commissioned by Chinese Arts Now, and in May Clod Ensemble & Nu Civilisation Orchestra will present The Black Saint and The Sinner Lady. Choreographer, artist and innovator Ivan Blackstock and CRXSS PLATFXRM will present THE CULTURE in July. September will see the Town Hall partner with Dalston-based Rio Cinema to present 40^th anniversary screenings of cult classics Fame and The Shining. Friday Night Dance Parties will take place with Dance Umbrella during October, and in November the Town Hall will present an all-night screening of the US Presidential Election, as well as UNFLOPPED Live – the podcast that resurrects forgotten pop classics.

2020 will see the return of the annual building-wide Great Shoreditch Easter Egg Hunt; the Town Hall’s festival by and for young people, Shoreditch Live; and the continuation of much-loved Tea Dance and Baby Loves Disco Mini Roadshow activity. The Town Hall will also enter into their second year of a partnership with Mountview on the MA in Site-Specific Theatre Practice led by Geraldine Pilgrim – the first course of its kind in the UK.

Looking ahead, Kneehigh will return to the Town Hall at the end of 2020, and in 2021 Shoreditch Town Hall and The Old Vic will work together on an exciting new partnership for the fifth year of The Old Vic 12. For the first time, following The Old Vic 12’s year-long attachment for artists to create and develop three brand new plays, the work will be presented in a three-week repertory season in the Council Chamber in March 2021, in a Shoreditch Town Hall and Old Vic co-production.

Today Shoreditch Town Hall also announces that in 2020 they will embark on a three-phase capital and building development project over two years. It will focus on opening up the building, improving perception, and removing physical and psychological barriers to better engage with visitors, and strengthen the organisation’s civic responsibility for communities in Shoreditch and beyond. Phase I of the programme, which involves works on the external façade and is generously supported by Backstage Trust, will begin next year.

James Pidgeon, Director & Chief Executive of Shoreditch Town Hall, today said: “We are thrilled to be announcing our 2020 cultural programme and wider plans and ambitions for the next year. The programme is purposefully eclectic and works with a number of partners to provide a platform for artistic voices from across the world. All of the work presented has something important and relevant to say; we very much look forward to welcoming audiences to the building to be part of the conversation, harnessing the Town Hall’s history as a civic centre for discussion, dialogue and debate.”

Shoreditch Town Hall is a registered charity and receives no regular or revenue funding; the Town Hall’s cultural programme is generously supported by Cockayne – Grants for the Arts, The London Community Foundation and the Garrick Charitable Trust, and the capital programme is generously supported by Backstage Trust.

Ockham’s Razor presents

This Time

Part of London International Mime Festival

Wednesday 8 – Sunday 19 January 2020

Suspended high above or swinging perilously close to ground, Ockham’s Razor’s superb artists amaze with new takes on trapeze and cradle routines in this highly unusual visual theatre drama.

Performed with unique aerial equipment specially created for the piece, This Time explores time and transformation and the ups and downs of family relationships, and shows how we are strong in different ways at different times of life.

With a cast ranging in age from 13 to 60, This Time is this award-winning circus-theatre company’s thrilling new show.

Ockham’s Razor won the 2017 Total Theatre and Jackson’s Lane Award for Circus for their production, Tipping Point.

Theatre Re presents

The Language of the Actor

Part of London International Mime Festival

Monday 13 – Friday 17 January 2020

Through this five-day workshop designed for professional and semi-professional performers, participants will be immersed in Theatre Re’s vital approach to Étienne Decroux’s Corporeal Mime.

From body articulation to counterweights, from dynamo rhythm to mobile statuary, participants will discover how to play their body like a violin, how to create movement in stillness and how to allow inner impulses flow into expression.

Guillaume Pigé is an actor, director, mime and magician. He formed Theatre Re in 2009 and has directed each of the company’s productions to date. He is an Associate Teacher at R.A.D.A, Head of Movement at Fourth Monkey, and is regularly invited to give workshops in the UK and internationally.

TRIPTYCH

By Jasmin Kent Rodgman

Part of Chinese Arts Now

Wednesday 12 & Thursday 13 February 2020

The ultimate culture clash – classical music meets Chinese percussion, grime and electronica, each step taken with poise and finesse as ballet meets popping, waacking and ambient footwork.

In a 3-part performance bringing together music, dance and word, TRIPTYCH is a movement exploring otherness and hidden identities, celebrating the power behind the female body and voice. Featuring the Grime Violinist + MC Lady Lykez, with dance from female powerhouse House of Absolute, TRIPTYCH remoulds the concert and theatre experience as an immersive multidisciplinary installation, set in The Ditch of Shoreditch Town Hall.

Jasmin Kent Rodgman is an artist whose work traverses the worlds of classical music, electronics, world music and sound design. A bold voice of her generation, her work pushes the boundaries of the musical experience, often built around themes of gender and race, exploring ‘otherness’ and featuring exciting artistic collaborations spanning poetry, dance and film.

Further developing a commission from Wilderness Festival 2019, TRIPTYCH is part of CAN Festival 2020, and is commissioned by Chinese Arts Now and presented in partnership with Shoreditch Town Hall.

Ways of Being Together

By Jo Fong

Part of Chinese Arts Now

Saturday 22 February 2020

Ways of Being Together is a celebration of possibility. A testament to the belief that amazing things can be created with people we barely know. That communities can emerge, remake themselves and be enriched.

Part of the Chinese Arts Now Festival 2020, Ways of Being Together draws together over forty performers from across London for a one-off spontaneous, dynamic mass movement of bodies and lives. Expect a view of the world in its multiplicity, its opposites and all its beautiful complexity.

Commissioned by Chinese Arts Now and presented in partnership with Shoreditch Town Hall. Supported by Live Art UK: Diverse Actions and Surf the Wave.

The Claim

By Tim Cowbury

Directed by Mark Maughan

Tuesday 18 February – Saturday 7 March 2020

A comically absurd and quietly shattering journey to the heart of our tolerant and fair society.

Serge stands before us. He has a performance to give. But why is he here? What is he claiming has happened to him? And what has Willy Wonka got to do with it?

A bold, imaginative response to the stories of those seeking refuge in the UK, The Claim asks what happens when your life is at stake and all you have to save it are your words.

Sex Education

By Harry Clayton-Wright

Part of And What? Queer. Arts. Festival.

Tuesday 17 – Friday 27 March 2020

One parent refuses to talk about sex. The other buys their child gay porn DVDs. Sex Education blends a no holds barred interview with Harry’s mum, startling performance, moving storytelling and some good old-fashioned gay porn that his dad bought him when he was 14. This is a show for anyone who’s wondered why they want what they want.

Shoreditch Town Hall presents

The Great Shoreditch Easter Egg Hunt

Saturday 11 April 2020

Shoreditch Town Hall throws open its doors for building-wide family fun with The Great Shoreditch Easter Egg Hunt!

Hop along during the Easter Bank Holiday weekend and join in the hunt for hidden eggs, nestled in nooks and crannies throughout our beautiful Victorian building.

There’ll also be a basket-load of surprises, activities and performances for everyone to enjoy.

The Wardrobe Ensemble presents

The Last of the Pelican Daughters

A Wardrobe Ensemble, Complicité and Royal & Derngate co-production in association with Bristol Old Vic and Pleasance

Monday 23 – Friday 27 March 2020

In folklore, pelican mothers feed their young on their own blood. In 2019, four sisters are trying to divide their mother’s house between them.

Joy wants a baby, Storm wants to be seen, Sage just wants to remember and Maya doesn’t want anyone to find out her secret. There’s a boot load of cheap prosecco, a whole ham from Waitrose and Dodo the yoga instructor boyfriend has made baba ganoush. Mum’s presence still seeps through the ceiling and the floors. The Pelican Daughters are home for the last time.

After the success of Education, Education, Education on the West End,The Wardrobe Ensemblegrapple with family, inheritance and justice in this comedy about a family trying to come to terms with their mother’s death.

These Hills Are Ours

By Daniel Bye & Boff Whalley

Produced by ARC Stockton

Tuesday 31 March – Friday 3 April

Do you ever want to run away from it all?

Dan and Boff did exactly that: they ran a series of routes from the centre of the city in which they found themselves, to the top of the peak overlooking that city. But what are we really running from?

In story and in song, These Hills Are Ours is the story of what they found out on those journeys. It’s about escaping it all by running to wild places. Escaping the city, escaping your past, escaping the restrictions upbringing or class or politics. It’s a celebration of wild places and our freedom to roam them.

Commissioned by Shoreditch Town Hall, Leeds Playhouse, Lancaster Arts, Beaford Arts and the Eden Project.

Scottee and Friends Ltd presents

Scottee: Class

Tuesday 21 April – Thursday 7 May 2020

Scottee grew up around mould, mice and clothes off the market. After a chance meeting with some posh kids, his Mum teaching him to talk proper and him successfully persuading his parents to take him off free school meals Scottee knew he didn’t want to be common.

In his final solo show Scottee uncovers what it is to be embarrassed about where you’re from, how you can pretend to be posher than you are and explores why we all get a thrill playing god with green tokens from Waitrose.

This is a show for the middle classes.

Class isn’t a show for those processing issues around domestic violence, food addiction and the effects of growing up in poverty.

Clod Ensemble & Nu Civilisation Orchestra presents

The Black Saint and The Sinner Lady

Thursday 14 – Saturday 16 May 2020

Charles Mingus’ The Black Saint and The Sinner Lady is often cited as ‘one of the albums to listen to before you die’. In an electrifying collaboration between Clod Ensemble and Nu Civilisation Orchestra, you are invited to experience this jazz classic the way it was intended – as a piece to dance to.

Join a world-class company of dancers and musicians on the dancefloor for a wildly sensual, rhythmically explosive celebration of one of the greatest records of all time. Late bar until midnight. Wallflowers welcome.

A late set of live music will feature new works by composers Paul Clark and Peter Edwards.

The première – the culmination of a series of music and dance workshops bringing together local elders and young people – will be exclusively for 300 invited residents of Shoreditch and Hoxton. Tickets for other performances will be available to the general public.

Supported by Hackney Council’s Shoreditch and Hoxton Arts Fund, created from a levy on developers to support arts and culture programmes that bring different communities together.

Tina Satter / Half Straddle

Is This A Room: Reality Winner Verbatim Transcription

Presented by LIFT & Shoreditch Town Hall

Tuesday 2 June – Saturday 13 June 2020

June 3, 2017.  A 25-year-old US Air Force linguist called Reality Winner is surprised at her home by the FBI, interrogated, and then charged with leaking evidence proving Russian interference in the US elections. She’s in jail now.

Conceived as a play and directed by leading NYC director Tina Satter, the verbatim transcript reveals a gripping match between the knife-sharp Reality and the FBI agents who arrive unannounced to interrogate her. As Reality’s autonomy shrinks before her eyes, a simmering real-life thriller emerges, offering vital considerations of access, language, power, patriotism, and honour at this particularly loaded American moment currently echoing across the Atlantic.

CRXSS PLATFXRM presents

THE CULTURE

Friday 3 July 2020

See the future of Street Culture with choreographer, artist and innovator Ivan Blackstock and CRXSS PLATFXRM, bringing you the underground artists that you need to know about. THE CULTURE presents an array of artists representing new perspectives from performance, film and dance to music, fashion and digital art with a Street Culture edge.

Following a week of artistic development and experimentation at Shoreditch Town Hall, CRXSS PLATFXRM’s selected artists will share their process alongside never-before-seen performances. Expect raw and emerging underground styles and sounds and finish the evening with a club vibe brought by CRXSS PLATFXRM resident DJs.

Actually Rather Good presents

ARGComFest 2020

Saturday 4 & Sunday 5 July 2020

London’s greatest comedy festival returns for its ninth year, bringing the spirit of the Fringe to Shoreditch!

ARGComFest is a weekend comedy festival of Fringe previews and work-in-progress shows with an attentively curated programme of sixty acts, featuring big name TV favourites and up-and-coming newcomers. In 2016, ARGComFest became the first major comedy festival to have a gender balanced programme and it continues to champion diversity and representation within comedy.

Regular acts include many previous Edinburgh Comedy Award nominees and winners, such as Netflix superstar James Acaster, cult favourite Josie Long, and The Mash Report host Nish Kumar.

For the most up-to-date programme including artists and show information, visit argcomfest.com

Shoreditch Town Hall presents

Edinburgh Previews 2020

Tuesday 7 – Sat 25 July 2020

Catch the most exciting new theatre productions a month before they open at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Shoreditch Town Hall will be presenting 30 Edinburgh Previews across The Ditch throughout July 2020, some of which will be performed by Town Hall supported artists and companies, and others which will be by artists recruited through open call.

Details on the open call process and final line-up to be announced.

Boundless Theatre & Shoreditch Town Hall presents

Flies

By Charlotte Josephine

Tuesday 22 September – Saturday 10 October 2020

I see you seeing me.

What are you looking at? Why’s no one talking about this? When’s it our turn?

Girls are done with stories about boys, done with stories by boys, done with all their looking.

Girls want to take up space, take centre stage, take the patriarchy and smash it. Girls just want to have fun, right?

You’re looking at me, I can see you looking at me. And I can see you’ve got no idea what it feels like to be seen

Flies is about girls being looked at by boys. It’s about hitting puberty and being smacked by the male gaze. The power and the shame, the pleasure and the fear that flies around your body when you’re constantly being looked at.

Flies started as a takedown of Lord of the Flies, it ends on a stage filled with young women.

#whatareyoulookingat

Charlotte Josephine is an award-winning actor and writer, their work includes Bitch Boxer, BLUSH and Pops.

Flies is a Boundless Theatre commission.

Disclaimer:

If you’re a boy reading this don’t be scared. ‘Flies’ is for you too. We want you to be there. We want you to see us, not watch us. We want to party together.

Shoreditch Town Hall & Rio Cinema presents

Fame & The Shining

40^th Anniversary Screenings

Wednesday 30 September – Saturday 3 October 2020

As these two cult classics celebrate their 40th anniversaries in 2020, Shoreditch Town Hall has for the first time partnered with Rio Cinema to present screenings across our magnificent building. Fame and The Shining will play in repertoire for just three screenings each and will also feature bespoke artist commissions and catering offers, making these not-to-be-missed anniversary experiences.

Friday Night Dance Parties

Part of Dance Umbrella

Fridays: 9, 16 & 23 October 2020

It’s party time.  

Dance Umbrella and Shoreditch Town Hall invite you to three special get-down-on-it October nights, each in a different style, curated by a different guest artist.

Bring your dancing shoes and expect to sweat.

Upstart Theatre presents

DARE Festival 2020

Thursday 22 – Saturday 24 October 2020

DARE Festival is a three-day extravaganza of inventive, unexpected, challenging and ground-breaking new work. 2020 marks its fifth year in Shoreditch Town Hall’s Ditch and will be bigger and better than ever with twelve brand new commissions of artists from across the country.

Curated by critically-acclaimed arts innovators Upstart Theatre, DARE invites submissions from artists working in a wide range of disciplines and brings together performance, installations and panel discussions. It is an opportunity to see new work in its earliest stages and gives artists vital audience feedback which can inform the next stage of a work’s development.

Shoreditch Town Hall presents

Screening of the US Presidential Election

Tuesday 3 November 2020

Join us in the Assembly Hall alongside a line-up of guest artists, commentators and thinkers, as we broadcast the results of the 2020 US Presidential Election live.

Can Trump pull off a second shock victory? Or will the Democrats’ challenger defeat a sitting president for the first time since 1992?

One thing’s for sure – it’s going to be another wild and unpredictable late night.

Shoreditch Town Hall & UNFLOPPED presents

UNFLOPPED Live

The podcast that resurrects forgotten pop classics

Friday 20 November 2020

Got a song you love that totally should have been a smash hit but criminally wasn’t? Well, that’s what UNFLOPPED is all about. In this hit podcast, pop know-it-alls Sean and Stuart pitch for the redemption of flop singles they believe deserve a second chance, then bona-fide musical genius Judge Joe breaks down the tracks and ultimately chooses one to be officially UNFLOPPED. See the UK’s leading LGBT+ music podcast live on stage for the first time, along with some special guests, with a show that will make you think, make you laugh, and probably introduce you to your new favourite song.

SHOREDITCH TOWN HALL                                                                                                                   LISTINGS

380 Old Street, London EC1V 9LT

Box Office: 020 7739 6176

www.shoreditchtownhall.com

Wilton’s Music Hall announce spectacular 2020 spring season with Shakespeare, world-class theatre and opera

·        A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Macbeth presented by the Watermill Theatre (22 January – 15 February 2020)

·        Mark Bruce Company: Return to Heaven (28 February – 14 March)

·        OperaGlass Works: The Turn of the Screw (25 March – 4 April)

·        H.M.S. Pinafore presented by Regan de Wynter Williams Productions (15 April – 9 May)

Today the world’s oldest working music hall announces its glorious 2020 spring season, kicking off the year with a wonderful array of theatre and music that truly embodies Wilton’s expansive and imaginative programming.

Firstly Wilton’s welcomes the London International Mime Festival with a hilarious and deeply moving homage to two men that changed the world of comedy forever, The Strange Tale of Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel (14 –18 January). A Told by an Idiot and Theatre Royal Plymouth production, with Royal & Derngate Northampton and Unity Theatre, Liverpool, The Strange Tale of Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel plays fast and loose with the facts, boasting an original piano score played live every night.

The Watermill Ensemble, famous for their inventive and musical takes on Shakespeare classics, return to Wilton’s with two bold new productions performed in repertory by an exceptional ensemble cast. The company will bring an ethereal and magical A Midsummer Night’s Dream(28January – 15February) to the stage as they combine the intoxicating soulful sounds of Nina Simone and Billie Holiday, performed live by the cast, with one of Shakespeare’s comedies to create a show fizzing with magic, love and a large dose of chaos… In blazing contrast is a powerful, passionate new interpretation of Macbeth (22 January – 8 February), using the fierce rhythms and reverberations of Johnny Cash, The xx and the Rolling Stones to tell the story of greed, ambition and desire.

Wilton’s Music Hall is delighted to welcome back Mark Bruce Company with their production of Return to Heaven (28 February – 14 March), an intricately choreographed, beautifully performed piece that draws on the mythology of Ancient Egypt. Two explorers searching the dark mysteries of the ancient world enter a land beyond time and death, and soon a perilous journey ensues as the couple must play their role in the resurrection of an ancient deity. Visceral, poignant and laced with dark humour, this visually stunning production creates a mythology and symbolism of its own.

Another triumphant return to the Wilton’s stage is OperaGlass Works, whose inaugural production of The Rake’s Progress at Wilton’s blew audiences away; now they bring to life Benjamin Britten’s The Turn of the Screw (25 March – 4 April) with libretto by Myfanwy Piper and story by Henry James, conducted by John Wilson, directed by Selina Cadell and designed by Tom Piper. A mesmerising and compelling production set against the atmospheric backdrop of Wilton’s, it tells the tale of a housekeeper and two young orphaned children who welcome an eager new governess from London to their old English country house and a ghostly, eerie series of events unfolds.

It’s all aboard Gilbert & Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore (15 April – 9 May) as Regan De Wynter Williams Productions present their rollicking and joyous production with infectious tunes, a beautifully constructed libretto and a story dealing with the age-old conundrum of love between social classes. From the award-winning team behind The Pirates of Penzance, which took Wilton’s by storm earlier this year, this all-male cast will bring Gilbert and Sullivan’s classic tale to life.

Continuing with music, Artists Unknown (20 – 21 March) pairs the artists you’re yet to fall in love with the artists you’ve loved for years. The catch? Audiences won’t be told who is playing until they arrive at Wilton’s for a night of music they won’t forget. Whilst the ever-wonderful OneTrackMinds returns this spring (27 March & 2 April) with another vibrant selection of writers, thinkers and musicians, each presenting a thought-provoking story about a song that has changed their life. A legend of a different kind, former music hall singer-turned-rap star and Wilton’s favourite Ida Barr has thrilled listeners globally with her brand of Artificial Hip Hop and now she’s hitting up the East End’s dopest stage with her show Granarchist on 31 March.

It’s science and silliness galore as magicians, time-travellers and – it turns out – legitimately qualified scientists Morgan & West bring their fun-filled, bonkers and mind-boggling extravaganza Unbelievable Science (7 – 9 April) to Wilton’s, for everyone from seven to 107!

The masters of spoken wordentertainment, Poet in the City present three wonderful performances of live poetry, performance and discussion exploring the role of failure as a catalyst for change, focusing on the works of Samuel Beckett with Fail Better, The Little Green Notebook of Che Guevara and James Baldwin: Nobody Knows my Name (17 February, 16 – 17 March).

A phenomenal fusion of theatre, stand-up and cinematography, Walking to Jerusalem (18 – 19 March)tells the story of more than one hundred walkers who made the pilgrimage from London to Jerusalem in 2017, a year which marked the centenary of the Balfour Declaration. Monasteries, mountain passes, Bedouin camps and desert wadis across Europe and the Middle East are brought to life in this playful and inventive blend of theatre and stand-up, written by playwright, actor, and musician Justin Butcher, most famous for his play Scaramouche Jones. Walking to Jerusalemis directed by acclaimed theatre maker Matilda Reith with a haunting and evocative soundscape by Jack C. Arnold and video montage created from live footage along the route, by award-winning artist Damian Hale.

Wilton’s prides itself on supporting emerging talent across the arts, and music is no exception. To celebrate, Wilton’s will be holding the first Wilton’s Music 4all Festival (11 – 16 May)where up-and-coming new talent are given the opportunity to be mentored by key industry experts, use rehearsal space, receive a commissioning fee and then perform at the festival itself, on the same stage as the likes of Duran Duran, Adam Ant, Kate Bush and Mumford and Sons. Three of the best emerging artists from the worlds of Opera; Contemporary & Jazz; Popular Rock & Indie; Urban, Electronic & DJ; and Cabaret will be chosen from entrants. Watch this space for more exciting details on this unique and exciting event.

From collaborating with some of the most exciting and prestigious theatre and dance companies out there to honing new talent and providing a platform for emerging artists, Wilton’s Music Hall is a true hub of creativity, with 2020 looking to be their most sensational year yet.