The Chinese Festival Committee Birmingham and Birmingham Hippodrome are delighted to announce Birmingham’s massive Chinese New Year celebrations. Chinese New Year 2020 – sponsored by Birmingham Airport and The Galliard Apsley Partnership – welcomes in the Year of the Rat with three days of free festivities across the city.
The celebrations are expected to draw in huge numbers to the city and kicks off on Friday 24 January with a Chinese classical concert presented by the University of Birmingham at the Bramall.
Shoppers at Bullring & Grand Central will be able to enjoy the much loved lion and dragon procession, pop up performances including traditional fan and umbrella dances, amazing acrobats and much more throughout the day on Saturday 25 January. A special Wish Tree will also be placed in Grand Central for shoppers and travellers to add their new year wishes to. The celebrations will continue into the evening at the Arcadian with more performances and fireworks.
To celebrate the official start to the New Year on Sunday 26 January an exciting programme of performances and free activities will take place in Birmingham’s Chinatown in Southside. The main stage in Hippodrome Square will host the official opening and closing ceremonies with a variety of performances and free family friendly activities throughout the day. Birmingham Hippodrome’s Patrick Studio will also be hosting renowned choreographer Corey Baker’s new dance piece performed by Hong Kong Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet. The performance will be followed by a world premiere screening of Corey’s new film Lying Together.
Graham Callister, Director of Festivals at Birmingham Hippodrome said: “We are thrilled to be co-producing Chinese New Year with the Chinese Festival Committee again. This will mark our fifth year being part of the festival and bringing some of the best talent to unique spaces. As a venue in the heart of Southside, we are passionate about working with our local communities and partners to offer exciting events across our wonderful city. We look forward to taking our Chinese Year Celebrations across Birmingham city centre and welcoming in the Year of the Rat”
James Wong, Chairman of Southside BID and the Chinese Festival Committee Birmingham, said: “Chinese New Year 2020 will be bigger and better than ever as we welcome in the Year of the Rat. New for this year, on Saturday we will present a preview of the main event culminating with fireworks in the evening. Birmingham’s Chinatown in Southside as ever hosts our annual New Year’s Day celebrations with something for everyone. I can’t wait to enjoy a jam-packed weekend of celebrations.”
Chinese New Year is supported by headline sponsors Birmingham Airport and The Galliard Apsley Partnership.
Nick Barton, Birmingham Airport’s CEO, said: “Birmingham Airport is once again proud to be sponsoring the Birmingham Chinese New Year celebrations. Air connectivity across China is easily available from Birmingham with a number of scheduled carriers, which serve more than one hundred thousand passengers each year through their hubs. We look forward to celebrating the New Year with our local community over this special weekend and encourage people to attend the festivities around Birmingham’s Chinatown.”
Jason Day, Head of Sales, West Midlands, at Galliard Homes, said: “We are heavily invested in Southside and all its people and that’s in no small part down to the Chinese community who make the area so vibrant. Chinese New Year is a flagship event not just locally but for the whole city, and we are thrilled to support it.”
After the curtains have fallen in theatres across the West End, our Finale is just beginning. Every week, a star of the stage will take to the mic to share their favourite songs and stories – maybe even a drink or two. Our intimate cabaret space is the perfect place to hear your favourite showtunes like never before, in a stripped-back style that lets those incredible vocals shine. Don’t miss your chance to spend an exclusive evening with some of the West End’s brightest stars.
Evenings:
13th Feb 2020, TBC
20th Feb 2020, Kieran Brown Kieran has most recently played Murdoch in the UK & Ireland touring production of Titanic. Other Theatre includes: u/s Phantom in The Phantom Of The Opera (Her Majesty’s Theatre); Elphaba’s Father and u/s Dillamond and Wizard in Wicked (Apollo Victoria); u/s Raoul in Love Never Dies (Adelphi Theatre); Feuilly in Les Misérables (Palace Theatre & O2 Arena); Doc in the European première of Pipe Dream (Union Theatre); Phantom in UK première of Maury Yeston’sPhantom (Rose & Crown Theatre); The Actor in the Woman In Black, Algernon Moncreiff in The Importance Of Being Earnest, Don’t Dress For Dinner, Beyond Therapy (International Theatre, Vienna); Three Phantoms (Macau & Singapore).
Cabaret and concerts include: Scots In The City (Above The Arts & The Other Palace); My Big Fat MUSICAL Cabaret (Union Theatre); Once Upon A Song (Lauderdale House); Music That Matters (Union Theatre & Drachengasse Theatre, Vienna); West End Winters & West End Spring – Switched (Theatre Drachengasse, Vienna); West End To Broadway (English Theatre Of Vienna); Scott Alan New Year’s Concert Live At Zedel (Crazy Coqs); A Touch Of West End (Woburn); Three Witches (Shelley Theatre, Bournemouth).
Kieran is a founding member of and works extensively with The Barricade Boys. He has featured on several albums of new Musical Theatre writing and has performed for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
27th Feb 2020, Sabrina Aloueche Theatre includes: Chess (The Coliseum), Belle in Starlight Express (The Other Palace), Pippi in Great American Trailer Park Musical (Waterloo East Theatre), Maureen Johnson in Rent (Interval Productions), Scaramouche in We Will Rock You and Eponine in Les Misérables.
Television includes: South of the Border, The Bill, Casualty and 999 Reconstruction.
Film includes: The Underwater Realm .
Radio includes: Eponine in the BBC Radio Broadcast for the 21st anniversary celebrations for Les Misérables.
5th March 2020, Laura Pitt-Pulford Laura recently played Trina in Falsettos (The Other Palace). She was nominated for an Olivier Award for her performance as Milly Braydon in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Regents Park). Other Theatre includes: Little Miss Sunshine (Arcola), Charity in Sweet Charity (Pimlico Opera), Flowers For Mrs. Harris (Chichester and Sheffield Crucible), The Grönholm Method and Barnum (both for Menier Chocolate Factory), Nell Gwynn (Globe Theatre, UK Tour), Platinum (Hampstead Theatre), Side Show (Southwark Playhouse), The Sound of Music, Piaf and Hello Dolly (all for Leicester Curve), The Light Princess (National Theatre), A Man of No Importance (Salisbury Playhouse), Mack and Mabel and Parade (both Southwark Playhouse), Guys and Dolls (The Wolsey Theatre Ipswich and Salisbury Playhouse), Copacabana (The Watermill) and Sunset Boulevard (The Watermill and West End).
12th March 2020, Divalution Celebrating six years together, Divalution come to Boulevard to perform an intimate evening of their favourite arrangements.
All solo artists in their own right, Laura Tebbutt, Sejal Keshwala and Lisa-Marie Holmes come together to create a sound like no other. Between them they have appeared in West End favourites including Les Misérables, Everyone’s Talking About Jamie, Bend It Like Beckham, Priscilla: Queen of The Desert and School of Rock.
Whether performing internationally, on the West End or in the UKs most prestigious concert venues, these girls are never short of a sequin or an anecdote. Join three best friends as they share their passion for the biggest voices from stage and screen.
Director: Lizzie Manwaring; Lighting & Video Designer: Rachel Sampley; Sound Designer: Rachael Murray; Movement Director: Laurie Ogden
THESE GIRLS today announce Bible John, written by Caitlin McEwan and directed by Lizzie Manwaring, will be returning to London following a short run at The Pleasance, Islington last year. The production opens at Vault Festivalon 13 February, with previews from 12 February, running until 16 February.
1969 at the Barrowlands Ballroom in Glasgow, three women are murdered by an Old Testament-quoting serial killer, later nicknamed Bible John. He has never been caught.
In 2019, four temps discover they share a morbid obsession with true crime, and with one podcast in particular: a reinvestigation into the Bible John murders by American journalist Carrie LaRue. As their fascination takes hold, they immerse themselves into the world of 1960s Glasgow, in an attempt to solve the case once and for all.
Partly a retelling of one of Scotland’s darkest unsolved crimes, and partly an interrogation into the ethics of true crime as entertainment, Bible John is a riotous, furious, joyful exploration into violence and gender.
Caitlin McEwan today said “After a successful debut at The Pleasance, aided by the generous support of the Charlie Hartill Theatre Reserve, I’m so excited to bring a bolder, more furious and ambitious version of Bible John to London, and I can’t think of a more suitable venue than the eerie tunnels of The Vaults. The programme at Vault Festival is always comprised of fearless new voices asking big, tricky questions in interesting ways, so to be a part of it this year feels so exciting, and I’m really looking forward to reaching new audiences with this play and exploring the complicated ethical relationship to true crime that many of us share.”
Caitlin McEwan’sprevious work includes Harry (Kings Head, Underbelly Cowgate) and Thick Skin – for which she won the Samuel French New Play Award 2017 (New Diorama Theatre, Paines Plough Roundabout). In 2018, she was longlisted for The Old Vic 12, shortlisted for the Adopt A Playwright Award, and received a bursary from Paines Plough as part of The Big Room. Harry and Thick Skin have both been published by Oberon Books, who will also publish Bible John in 2020. She currently has a TV drama series, The Push, optioned by Studio21, and is participating in an invitational writers’ group at the Royal Court Theatre, led by Leo Butler.
Lizzie Manwaring directs. Her previous credits include The Woman Who Gave Birth To A Goat (Camden People’s Theatre) and WAGGO (Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2017). Previous assistant directing credits include Unknown Rivers (Hampstead Theatre), A New and Better You (The Yard) and Femage A Trois (Loquitur Theatre). She is currently Resident Assistant Director at Hampstead Theatre where she is being mentored by Roxana Silbert as part of her MFA in Theatre Directing at Birkbeck.
Performances are at 9pm, with a 4:30pm matinee on Saturday 15February
Instagram @ThzGirlsTheatre
Twitter @thesegirlstheatre
#BibleJohn
ABOUT THESE GIRLS
THESE GIRLS is an award-winning, female led theatre company producing new writing that focuses on the messy, complex, unresolvable questions that womxn face. Our work is defiant, collaborative, funny, and seeks to speak to as many people as possible about the things that matter to us all.
Previous work from THESE GIRLS includes: Bible John (Pleasance Charlie Hartill Theatre Reserve Recipient), Thick Skin (Samuel French New Play Award 2017) and Harry.
More2Screen today announces the cinema release of the Riverdance 25th Anniversary Show, celebrating 25 years of the Grammy award-winning Irish dance extravaganza. This is the first time the internationally acclaimed family favourite has been shown on the big screen. It will be released in more than 400 cinemas across the UK on 3 and 8 March 2020. Tickets are on sale now at Riverdance25Cinema.com
“The phenomenon rolls on! There will always be a Riverdance!”
New York Times
25 years ago, 7 minutes changed the face of Irish dancing forever. The Eurovision interval act performance of Riverdance gave millions of people a new and exciting glimpse of the future of Irish dance. Now 25 years later, composer Bill Whelan has rerecorded his mesmerising soundtrack while producer Moya Doherty and director John McColgan have completely reimagined the ground-breaking show with innovative and spectacular lighting, projection, stage and costume designs. Staged at the 3Arena Dublin, the exact spot that the Riverdance story began, the 25th Anniversary Gala performance will be filmed live for its inaugural worldwide cinema release.
Director of Riverdance, John McColgan, said today: “From the moment the first Riverdance performance took place, in Dublin in 1994, we knew that something special had occurred. Producer Moya Doherty, composer Bill Whelan and myself, set about creating a stage show that could build on the thrill, the spectacle and the sheer creative energy of that first performance featuring Michael Flatley and Jean Butler in that first television appearance. We are thrilled that 25 years later Riverdance continues its record-breaking story with its first cinema release to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the show.”
To find your nearest cinema screening and book tickets visit: Riverdance25Cinema.com
#Riverdance25
#Riverdance25Cinema
Running time: 120 minutes (TBC)
BBFC Age Rating: TBC
The Riverdance 25th AnniversaryShow will also embark upon a UK tour from 10 March 2020. For more information on the tour dates and venues visit Riverdance.com
A triptych at The Old Red Lion featuring Nuclear War by Simon Stephens with Buried and Graceland The Old Red Lion Theatre, 418 St John St, Islington, London EC1V 4NJ Tuesday 3rd – Saturday 21st March 2020
Revitalising the creative and cultural integrity of The Old Red Lion, newly appointed Artistic Director Alexander Knott presents a thought-provoking triptych, spearheaded by the first revival of Nuclear War from the multi-award-winning Simon Stephens (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time adaptation, Sea Wall, and Heisenberg).
Stephens’ text is accompanied by two premiere productions from emerging talent, Buried by David Spencer and Graceland by Max Saunders-Singer. These plays find commonality in the exploration of human suffering and how we survive the unimaginable, resonating with today’s fraught social divisions in a not-so-United Kingdom.
Alexander Knott comments, Being able to stage the first revival of Nuclear War by Simon Stephens, which was something of a cult smash when it premiered at the Royal Court, is going to be a thrilling and cathartic theatrical experience. I believe that this triptych of plays, when brought together, will tell the story of human endurance in the face of the insurmountable, and hopefully engage and galvanise a new audience for the theatre, on a fringe level.
The experimental and physically charged, Nuclear War, will be directed by Knott in his directorial debut at The Old Red Lion. Stephens’ suggestive open text acts as a stimulus for interpretation, creating a revival far removed from the initial premiere at the Royal Court. It is a heart-breaking and soul-stopping movement piece about a woman who needs to experience everything life has to offer, in order to feel something again
Buried is the harrowing true story of Max Spencer, who was buried alive in World War II, written by his son David Spencer and performed by his real-life grandson, James Demaine. This intergenerational and groundbreaking anti-war play is a truthful examination of the human condition. Rounding off the triple-bill is the darkly comic Graceland, a monologue from an overworked and harassed science teacher who is one small spark away from combustion. Pushed to the edge, and with his personal life unravelling, there’s a looming darkness in the classroom.
Following the current trend of ‘box-set theatre’, the triptych is a new model for the venue, using a world-renowned playwright to support emerging talent, building a new way of seeing and supporting new writing.
FULL CAST ANNOUNCED FOR THE WORLD PREMIÈRE OF LIPSTICK AT SOUTHWARK PLAYHOUSE
Rupert Henderson Productions present
LIPSTICK
Written by Lily Shahmoon
Southwark Playhouse
4 March – 28 March
Director: Ed White; Lighting Designer: Alex Lewer
Rupert Henderson Productions today announces the world première of Lipstick, a new play by Lily Shahmoon. Ed White directs Helen Aluko (Jordan) and April Hughes (Tommy). The production opens at Southwark Playhouse up on 9 March and runs until 28 March, with previews from 4 March.
Tommy is scared of everything. Especially the kids at school who would call him gay if they saw him putting on lipstick. Jordan isn’t scared of anything. He’s not scared that he likes the way Tommy looks in lipstick. Really, he’s not.
‘You’re the same as the rest of them. Trying to get me to be transgender, gender neutral, fluid. Why can’t I just be Tommy?’
Two women play teenage boys in this two hander that questions what’s really underneath, and what it costs to show it to someone else.
Writer Lily Shahmoon said today, “It’s so exciting to be able to bring this play to a theatre with an open and encouraging attitude to new writing. Lipstick is a delicate, intimate play, that has found a suitably intimate home, and I can’t wait to share it.”
Director Ed White said today, “Lipstick is a human love story that transcends labels and our preconceptions of what it is to be ‘normal’ – I cannot wait for this production to contribute to the discussion.”
Helen Aluko plays Jordan. Her previous theatre credits include Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Palace Theatre), Doctor Faustus (Royal Exchange Theatre) and Beauty and the Beast (Theatre Royal Stratford East). For television her credits include The Driver.
April Hughes plays Tommy. Her previous theatre credits include Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Palace Theatre) and The Play That Goes Wrong (Duchess Theatre). For television her credits include Dixi and The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.
Lily Shahmoon writes. Previous writing credits include When the Bang Comes, Lipstick marks her professional writing debut.
Ed White directs. Lipstick marks his professional directing debut.
Park Theatre and Adam Blanshay Productions present the English Language World Premiere of La Cage aux Folles [The Play]
By Jean Poiret
12 February 2020 – 21 March 2020 | Park Theatre
A new translation by Simon Callow
Casting has been confirmed for the English language World Premiere of La Cage aux Folles [The Play]. Jean Poiret’s seminal classic spawned four blockbuster films and a Tony Award-winning musical. This new translation of the heartfelt farce by theatrical legend Simon Callow will star Michael Matus (Richard III – National Theatre and Headlong Theatre Tour, and King Lear – The Duke of York’s Theatre) in the role of Georges and Paul Hunter (Founder of Told by an Idiot) as Albin. The cast is completed by Sarah Lam, Syrus Lowe, Peter Straker, Mark Cameron, Arthur Hughes, Simon Hepworth, Louise Bangay, Georgina Ambrey and William Nelson. It will be directed by Park Theatre’s Artistic Director, Jez Bond, with a national press night on Wednesday 19th Februaryat 7pm.
Nightclub owner Georges and his dazzling drag artiste partner Albin create the most spectacular shows in St. Tropez. But when Georges’ son Laurent announces his engagement to the daughter of a notoriously right-wing politician determined to bring the curtain down on the town’s vibrant nightlife, the real performance begins.
As Georges and Albin entertain their soon-to-be in laws and attempt to conceal their true nature for the sake of their son, how long can the façade last?
Translator Simon Callow is an actor, author and director. He joined the National Theatre in 1979, where he created the role of Mozart in Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus. His many one-man shows include The Mystery of Charles Dickens, Being Shakespeare, A Christmas Carol, Inside Wagner’s Head, Juvenalia and, most recently, The Man Jesus. He has appeared in many films including A Room with a View, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Shakespeare in Love, Phantom of the Opera and has recently played The Duke of Sandringham in the television series Outlander. He directed Shirley Valentine in the West End and on Broadway, Single Spies at the National Theatre and Carmen Jones at the Old Vic, as well as the film of The Ballad of the Sad Café. He has written biographies of Oscar Wilde, Charles Laughton and Charles Dickens, and three autobiographical books: Being An Actor, Love Is Where It Falls, and My Life in Pieces.
Simon Callow said:
“La Cage aux Folles is a great – and brilliantly funny – play about living the life you want to live. It’s also a bit of an eye-opener about what it was to be out and gay in the early seventies. But there’s nothing remotely preachy about it – it’s zany, outrageous, mad. A rampant farce, and utterly life-affirming.”
Jez Bond said:
“Despite attitudes to the LGBTQ community having changed over the last few years, we live in a world that’s divided. Nearly fifty years after it first delighted audiences in Paris, the farce that inspired four films and an award-winning musical continues to shine a light on the ridiculousness of bigotry. I’m delighted to be directing this hilarious, heartfelt comedy; and to be bringing the original play to the stage for the first time ever in the English language.”
Michael Matus plays Georges. Recent credits include Grimaldi in The Astonishing Times of Timothy Cratchitt (Hope Mill Theatre), Edward/Stanley in Richard III (UK Tour), Oswald in King Lear (The Duke of York’s Theatre), Phillip Gellburg in Broken Glass (Watford Palace), Uncle Henry in Wizard of Oz (Crucible Theatre), Dionysus in Sondheim’s The Frogs (Jermyn St. Theatre), M. Firmin in Phantom of the Opera (Her Majesty’s Theatre) and Fernando in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Playhouse Theatre). Michael was the first face of Endeavour for ITV, and has been a guest lead in the BBC’s Shakespeare and Hathaway, This is Dom Joly, EastEnders, A Prince Among Men and The Split.
Paul Hunter plays Albin. Paul is co-founder and Artistic Director of Told By An Idiot. His theatre credits include: Wise Children (Old Vic/Kneehigh), Life of Galileo (Young Vic), The Little Match Girl; The Mystery Plays; Much Ado About Nothing; Troilus and Cressida; A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Under the Black Flag (Shakespeare’s Globe), Gaslight (Northampton), Tartuffe (Birmingham Rep), The Fantasticks (Duchess Theatre, West End), Napoleon Disrobed; The Farenheit Twins; Don’t Laugh – It’s My Life; You Haven’t Embraced Me Yet; I’m So Big; On The Verge of Exploding (Told By An Idiot Tour), Nocturnal (The Gate Theatre) and Rapunzel; The Red Shoes (Kneehigh). His film and television credits include Bridgerton (Netflix), Quiz (ITV), Still Open All Hours (BBC), Denial (Krasnoff / Foster Entertainment / Sunray Films), This Beautiful Fantastic (Ipso Facto Productions), Pan (Warner Brothers), Marvellous (Tiger Aspect / Fifty Fathoms / BBC), Cinderella (Walt Disney)and Maleficent (Walt Disney).
Sarah Lam plays Simone. Her theatre credits include: Richard II (Shakespeare’s Globe), Snow in Midsummer and Poppy (RSC), Chimerica (Almeida Theatre and West End), The World of Extreme Happiness, The Magic Olympical Games and Lost Worlds (National Theatre) and The Golden Hours, Top Girls, Cries from the Mammal House and Sergeant Ola and His Followers (Royal Court). TV includes Sherlock (BBC), TwoThousand Acres of Sky (BBC)and Brookside (Channel 4).
Syrus Lowe plays Jacob. Recent theatre credits include: The Crucible (Yard Theatre), The Inheritance (Young Vic / Noel Coward Theatre), Saint Joan (Donmar Warehouse) and Henry V (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre). Syrus is also known for playing the role of Vince in Holby City (BBC).
Peter Straker plays Tabaro. He first shot to fame in 1968 when he starred as Hud in the London Production of the seminal musical Hair (Shaftesbury Theatre). He went on to appear in Tommy (Shaftesbury Theatre). The Rocky Horror Show,Blues in the Night (Donmar Warehouse) and the original Phantom of the Opera (Her Majesty’s Theatre). He has released solo albums and recordings with Freddie Mercury, as well as starring in critically acclaimed one man shows and concert appearances. Most recently he starred in Peter Straker’s Brel which enjoyed sold out performances in London. In September Straker released a new album.
Mark Cameron (Marseilles / Zorba) started his career as a stand-up comedian before becoming an actor. Theatre credits includes five productions at Park Theatre including co-writing and co-directing Whodunnit [Unrehearsed] in 2019 as well as acting in Hurling Rubble at The Moon, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty and Park Theatre Review.Other credits include: Mathematics of the Heart (Theatre 503) and The Game of Love and Chance (National Tour). Television credits include regular characters in Tina and Bobby (ITV),Coronation Street (ITV), Steel River Blues (ITV), EastEnders (BBC), Emmerdale (ITV)and Doctors (BBC).
Arthur Hughes plays Laurent. Theatre credits include: Bedazzled: A Welshman in Scotland (Welsh Tour/St. Andrews Byre Theatre), Alix in Wundergarten (The Other Room), Romeo & Juliet (Taking Flight Theatre), Saint Joan (Donmar Warehouse), The Solid Life of Sugar Water (Graeae/NT), Julius Caesar, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (Sheffield Crucible), Our Town (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre) and Vassa (Almeida).
Simon Hepworth’s (Monsieur Priedieu / Mercédès) recent theatre credits include: Mother Of Him (Park Theatre), Absolute Hell (National Theatre), Antony & Cleopatra (Chichester Festival Theatre), The Lion in Winter (Theatre Royal Haymarket) and The Best Man, Blood Brothers and The Hollow (BKL UK tours). Television credits include: EastEnders (BBC), Coronation Street (ITV) and Casualty (BBC).
Louise Bangay plays Madame Priedieu. She recently appeared as Q (the Queen) in Handbagged (New Vic, Stoke). Other credits include: Cyrano de Bergerac (Chichester), Rock ‘n’ Roll (Royal Court & Duke of York’s Theatre); Poor Beck (Other Place & Soho Theatre), Macbeth and King Lear (RST & Alberty), One of Those (Tristan Bates), Mouth to Mouth (Royal Court/Alberty), Ben Hur (BAC), Horace, Katerina and The Cenci (Lyric Theatre) and Miss Julie (Young Vic).
Georgina Ambrey plays Muriel. Georgina is a recent graduate of Drama Centre London and made her professional debut at Theatre By The Lake, Keswick, playing Rosie in My Mother Said I Never Should and LV in The Rise and Fall of Little Voice.
William Nelson plays Frances. Theatre credits include: Speech and Debate (Trafalgar Studios), Love Me Now (Tristan Bates Theatre), The Tap Pack (Peacock Theatre), Dinner (Sydney Theatre Company), 2016 New South Wales Schools Spectacular (NSW Arts Unit) and A Crow Short of a Murder (Sydney Fringe Festival).
Britain’s Got Talent Finalist MARK McMULLAN Makes His Musical Theatre Debut in Tim Rice & Andrew Lloyd Webber’s JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT Alhambra Theatre, Bradford Tuesday 4 – Saturday 8 February 2020 Signed performance: Thu 6 Feb, 7.30pm, Captioned performance: Fri 7 Feb, 8pm Audio Described performance: Sat 8 Feb, 2pm *Tickets: £33.50 – £19.50 Call the Box Office on 01274 432000 or visit bradford-theatres.co.uk *All prices shown include booking fees but are subject to postage charge if applicable. Bradford Theatres usual terms and conditions apply.
Retelling the Biblical story of Joseph, his eleven brothers and the coat of many colours, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat makes a welcome return to the Alhambra Theatre, Bradford from Tuesday 4 to Saturday 8 February 2020.
Britain’s Got Talent finalist, Mark McMullan, will don the Technicolor Dreamcoat in his first major musical role in Bill Kenwright’s production of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s much-loved family favourite, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
Mark, from Northern Ireland, floored the Britain’s Got Talent judges bringing Simon Cowell and thousands of the shows viewers to tears with his emotional rendition of Les Misérables’ Bring Him Home, which was dedicated to his brother Declan. Declan suffered a tragic cardiac arrest at the age of nineteen resulting in long-term brain damage and now lives with the devastating effects of Locked-in Syndrome
Prior to competing on Britain’s Got Talent, Mark had given up on his dream of being a singer in favour of becoming an architect, all to ensure that he could be around to support and care for his beloved brother. When he finally auditioned for the show, Declan served as a source of inspiration for Mark who dedicated the song to him. His performances earned him a place in the semi-finals of the show
Mark will now be donning the Technicolor coat of his dreams in this exciting role and continue to bring both joy and comfort to his brother, whilst pursuing what he loves.
“Being cast as Joseph in Bill Kenwright’s record-breaking production is absolutely amazing! I grew up performing musical theatre and it really helped me find my voice as a singer and gave me the drive to pursue my passion. Unfortunately, due to my brother’s illness, my hopes of making a career as a performer had to be put on hold – until my appearance on Britain’s Got Talent changed everything for me. Joseph is the role that I have always wanted to play and now I am thrilled to have the opportunity to do so at theatres all around the country. The Dreamcoat really is making my dreams come true!”
Seen by an estimated 26 million people, and counting, Joseph continues to enthral audiences around the world. Full of life and colour, the magical musical features the unforgettable and timeless songs including Go, Go, Go Joseph, Any Dream Will Do, Jacob and Sons and Close Every Door To Me.
The UK tour of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is directed and produced by Bill Kenwright, with original choreography by Henry Metcalfe, additional new choreography by Gary Lloyd, set designs by Sean Cavanagh, sound design by Dan Samson and lighting by Nick Richings.
Please call the Box Office on 01274 432000 or visit bradford-theatres.co.uk for more information.
Theatre Royal Bath relaunches THE CREATIVE FUND for 2020, a unique and innovative Arts funding programme for the South West.
The Theatre Royal Bath has today (Thursday 9 January) announced that the CREATIVE FUND, offering grants to arts organisations in Bath and the surrounding areas, will return for 2020. The Creative Fund allows organisations to apply to the Theatre Royal for grants to support projects in ALL forms of the arts.
THE CREATIVE FUND originally between 2015 & 2017, and over the two years, distributed almost £90,000 to a variety of arts organisations, community groups, charities and schools working with the arts. The projects supported ranged from supporting the development of performance spaces and music and art studios, to projects with local artists, hospital patients and disadvantaged children, to providing equipment for organisations and charities including AgeUK and the Golden Oldies. For 2020, the Fund has £35,000 to distribute between the successful applicants.
Chair of the CREATIVE FUND committee, Mel Macer stated “The purpose of the Fund is broadly to support the enrichment of local culture by offering financial support to innovative creative projects happening within a 20 mile radius of the Theatre Royal Bath; and the Fund construes ‘arts’ broadly so we’ll consider projects involving theatre, dance, music, comedy, literature, sculpture, painting and the visual arts, including street performances. The Theatre Royal Bath has created, transferred to the West End and toured successful productions nationally and internationally for some years, enabling us now to assist local arts and educational organisations. The Creative Fund has helped arts development in the Bath area in a unique and innovative way, and we’re delighted to be able to offer this again over the coming months. We believe that no other theatre in the UK is able to offer financial assistance to local organisations and we are very proud to be able to help in this way. We’re looking forward to being inundated with excellent ideas from myriad local arts organisations”
Further information, including guidelines for applications can be found on the Theatre Royal Bath website – www.theatreroyal.org.uk/creative-fund – and applications will be accepted up to the deadline of 5pm on Friday 28th February. The Creative Fund Co-ordinator will be available throughout the application process to support applications and offer advice where needed. They will work with organisations throughout the process, as well as assessing the end results of the successful projects.
The Creative Fund committee will draw up a shortlist, from which the successful applicants will be chosen and announced later in the Spring. The grants given will be for projects taking place in 2020, and the Creative Fund Co-ordinator will continue to work with the successful applicants to monitor the progress of the projects.
The Creative Fund has been established through the success of Theatre Royal Bath Productions, which has toured shows and plays around the country and into the West End to great acclaim for more than eighteen years, with major recent successes including The Price starring David Suchet, and Switzerland, starring Phyllis Logan, which both transferred to the West End following the 2018 Summer Season, and Blithe Spirit starring Jennifer Saunders, which will run in the West End in Spring 2020.
WILL HOLD THE NEXT CAST ALBUM KARAOKE NIGHT ON 15 JANUARY
LUCIE JONES AND DAVID HUNTER WILL HOST THE EVENING
The next Waitress London Cast Album Karaoke Night has been confirmed for Wednesday 15 January 2020 in partnership with Encore Tickets. The event will be hosted by cast members Lucie Jones (Rent, Les Misérables, Legally Blonde) and David Hunter (Kinky Boots, Once, One Man, Two Guvnors). Audience members can sign up before the show for the chance to sing one minute of any song from Waitress live on stage at the Adelphi and accompanied by the show’s musical director Katharine Woolley. Tickets for this performance can be purchased at the venue, waitressthemusical.co.uk and are also available via Encore Tickets at encoretickets.co.uk.
Waitress features an original score by 7-time Grammy® nominee Sara Bareilles (Love Song, Brave), who has been announced to join the West End cast as Jenna opposite Gavin Creel (The Book of Mormon, Hello Dolly!) as Dr Pomatter for a strictly limited six-week season from 27 January to 7 March 2020.
London’s brand-new smash hit musical comedy Waitresstells the story of Jenna, a waitress and expert pie-maker who dreams her way out of a loveless marriage. When a hot new doctor arrives in town, life gets complicated. With the support of her workmates Becky and Dawn, Jenna overcomes the challenges she faces and finds that laughter, love and friendship can provide the perfect recipe for happiness.
Waitress celebrated its official opening night at the AdelphiTheatre on 7 March 2019 and the Tony-nominated musical is now running in the West End through to 4 July 2020 before embarking on a major nationwide UK tour with further dates and details to be announced in due course.
Waitress currently stars Lucie Jones as Jenna, Hannah Tointon as Dawn, Marisha Wallace as Becky, Joel Montague as Ogie, David Hunter as Dr. Pomatter, Tamlyn Henderson as Earl, Andrew Boyer as Old Joe, Richard Taylor Woods as Cal and Rosemary Nkrumah as Nurse Norma.
The full company includes Monique Ashe-Palmer,Piers Bate,Andrew Boyer, Tamlyn Henderson, David Hunter, Lucie Jones,Joel Montague,Olivia Moore, Ben Morris, Nathaniel Morrison, Rosemary Nkrumah, Laura Selwood, Matthew Rowland, Sarah O’Connor, Leanne Pinder, Hannah Tointon, Marisha Wallaceand Mark Willshire.
Brought to life by a ground breaking, female-led creative team, Waitress features an original score by Sara Bareilles, a book by acclaimed screenwriter Jessie Nelson (I Am Sam) and direction by Tony Award® winner Diane Paulus (Pippin, Finding Neverland) and choreography by Lorin Latarro. The production recently toured across the US and Canada and has announced an Australian premiere in 2020 at the Sydney Lyric Theatre with further productions to open in the Netherland from September 2020 and in Japan for 2021.
On its Broadway opening at the Brooks Atkinson Theater where it has since become the longest running show in the venue’s history, Waitress was nominated for four Outer Critics’ Circle Awards, including Outstanding New Broadway Musical; two Drama League Award Nominations, including Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical; six Drama Desk Nominations, including Outstanding Musical; and four Tony Award Nominations, including Best Musical.
