Award winning actor Jung Sun den Hollander and Kwong Loke star in David Lanes expertly written ‘What Remains of Us’, Depicting the first meeting for 50 years between a North and South Korean Father and Daughter, we witness 3 days of pure emotion as this true event is brought to the stage.
Jung Sun den Hollander as ‘Seung Ki’ is superbly cast, displaying raw emotion and encapsulating the audience perfectly. Together with Kwong Loke as her father ‘Kwan-Suk’ this brilliantly emotive piece will show you the horrors and reality of life on either side of Korea. This pairing is fantastic, with such a beautiful rapport that you could cut the tension with a knife and laugh with them in the same breath. Over the course of 3 days, we watch the pair get closer, unravelling their lives to each other and how they have both been affected by the war. David Lane and Sita Calvert-Ennals, writer and director, have been exceptionally sensitive to the subject matter and have told the story perfectly.
In the midst of the 90 minute piece, there was artistic movement, choreographed by Dan Canham. Whilst I understand what was intended to be achieved, I felt that this movement broke up what was a highly emotive performance, leaving me confused and then having to get back into the story once it was over.
This is a great piece that should definitely be watched as we remember the horrors of the past, and is exceptionally poignant with the currant climate of the world. There was also, a donation bucket at the end of the piece for Ukraine action, however I would have liked to have seen a bit more about this on social media-please take a few pennies if you can!
This compelling show is a treat, that you should try and see before it closes the borders for good.
Peppa Pig’s Best Day Ever! is based on the well-loved children’s television series. There have been other Peppa Pig tours, this is the latest, but the first I have seen. Accompanying me was my 3-year-old grandson, who especially loves George and his dinosaur. This is the first time he’s been to a live theatre and was so excited.
Guided by a very perky Daisy, Peppa’s human friend, the story follows Peppa, her brother George, Mummy and Daddy Pig, all looking forward to a special day out in the families red car. It promises to be their best day ever, full of all sorts of adventures.
Off they go, only to be thwarted at their first hurdle by roadworks and a burst watermain, but they do eventually get on their merry way. A visit to some caves and a castle ensues and we get to meet a variety of characters, the enormous dragon receiving the most attention, after the initial sighting of Peppa that is.
Mummy and Daddy Pig were played by adults in costumes, with Peppa and George as puppets, with actors operating their actions from behind. They all looked just like the characters on television, was very effective and put to best use. When the dragon came out it was a definitive wow from us, but occasionally, as he was moving around on stage, you could see the actor controlling him. It would have been better to have him always covered up, just to keep the illusion going. The set was very cartoonish and just what you would expect from Peppa Pig.
Our favourite bit was getting wet through the burst watermain. We spied water guns being fired from the grand circle onto the audience. My little man was full of it when he got home, full of tales about George getting him wet, it wasn’t George but that is his favourite character.
The show is 1 hour 20 minutes long, which includes a 20-minute interval. The interval was unnecessary, it would have worked a lot better with running straight through. The story is a bit lacking though and didn’t fully engage, certainly not the best day out. I found it quite repetitive really and padded out with a lot of unforgettable songs. The actors did what they could with what they had.
It is still a joy to watch the expressions on the children’s faces when they first see their favourite cartoon characters, and it’s great that they are experiencing live theatre, long may it continue. We have a few more outings planned and can’t wait!
DREAMBOATS AND PETTICOATS: BRINGING ON BACK THE GOOD TIMES– PRODUCTION IMAGES
PHOTOS BY JACK MERRIMAN
BILL KENWRIGHT ANDLAURIE MANSFIELD
PRESENT
DREAMBOATS & PETTICOATS:
BRINGING ON BACK THE GOOD TIMES
WITH SIXTIES POP SINGING HEARTTHROB MARK WYNTER JOINING THE CAST FOR THE THIRD MUSICAL INSTALMENT
BOOK BY LAURENCE MARKS & MAURICE GRAN
Bobby & Laura, Norman, Sue & the gang get back together for the follow-on musical inspired by the million selling albums.
Hit recording star of Venus in Blue Jeans, Go Away Little Girl, It’s Almost Tomorrow and many more, Mark Wynter will be joining a company of established Dreamboats and Petticoats favourites from the past fifteen years.
Elizabeth Carter and David Ribi, Dreamboats and Petticoats’ most successful ever co-stars, lead the cast in the third musical inspired by the latest release in the series of smash-hit, multimillion selling Dreamboats & Petticoats albums, Bringing On Back The Good Times is filled with wit, charm and songs from the golden era of Rock ‘n Roll.
The production opens at Theatre Royal Windsor this February and will tour throughout the year.
Bringing on Back the Good Times finds Laura (Elizabeth Carter) with a successful solo career but her partner on their number one hit record Dreamboats and Petticoats’ Bobby (David Ribi) has left the spotlight and decided to re-join his former group Norman and The Conquests at St Mungo’s Youth Club.
The adventures that Bobby and Laura and of course Norma and Sue, and Donna and Luke (the group’s manager) go through together, include a season at Butlins, and an appearance at The Eurovision Song Contest – but most of all leads them straight back into each other’s arms and bringing on back the good times indeed.
With book by Laurance Marks and Maurice Gran and musical supervision by Keith Strachen, Bringing on Back the Good Times is packed with some of the greatest songs ever written, from Roy Orbison, Eddie Cochran, Elvis Presley, The Walker Brothers and many, many more, and will once again have audiences all over the country jiving in the aisles and singing along with their memories.
Alhambra Theatre, Bradford – until 19th March 2022
Reviewed by Katie Goldsbrough
5*****
Jersey Boys has become one of the best and most well-known musicals in recent years and it’s easy to see why. Telling the story of ‘Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons’, Jersey Boys starts at the beginning, with four ordinary young men from Jersey. Unlike other jukebox musicals it doesn’t shy away from the hardships faced by the band, being in and out of prison, having money problems and suffering personal losses. We also share in their triumphs of finding the perfect fourth member, having hit after hit and eventually being inducted into the ‘Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’. With classic hits including ‘December 1963 (Oh What a Night)’, ‘Can’t Take My Off You’ and ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’ it’s clear to see why Jersey Boys has become such a phenomenon.
With each of the four leads bringing something different to their performance they work fantastically well together. Making his theatre debut Luke Suri shone as Frankie Valli having no problem hitting those high notes Frankie Valli was so famous for and having an excellent stage presence. Dalton Wood as petty criminal and gambler, Tommy DeVito has all the confidence and showmanship needed for his character giving an excellent portrayal. Lewis Griffiths as Nick Massi is a humorous and quiet member of the group finally expressing his true thoughts in the second act. Finally, Blair Gibson as Bob Gaudio fit the role excellently, completing the quartet and truly finding the perfect ‘Four Seasons’.
Whether you grew up hearing about ‘Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons’ or you’ve just discovered their music you’re in for a treat. The story is intertwined perfectly with the music and the opportunity to see ‘Jersey Boys’ is one not to be missed.
Love Your Local Theatre, a campaign run by leading theatre membership body UK Theatre and made possible by the support of The National Lottery, has announced it is extending until 30 April. Over 100,000 tickets have already been sold through the promotion, made possible by £1m of National Lottery subsidy. Due to huge demand, an additional 50,000 2-for-1 tickets have been made available for April performances – with thousands of tickets still available for March at theatres UK-wide.
From Bristol and Birmingham to Newcastle and Nottingham, National Lottery players can get their hands on a bargain for participating shows, as a thank you for the £30 million they raise every week for Good Causes, including support for the performing arts and theatres during the pandemic.
Thousands of people have already booked and seen shows at their local theatre as part of this promotion in March. By extending Love Your Local Theatre into April, UK Theatre and the National Lottery want to give even more people the chance to experience the magic of live entertainment for less this spring. And thanks to support from the National Lottery, there’s still up to £1 million available to subsidise 2-for-1 tickets in this promotion.
The huge variety of shows just added to the promotion includes everything from dance spectaculars Akram Khan’s The Jungle Book at Curve in Leicester and Remembering the Oscars at Dartford’s Orchard Theatre, to acclaimed plays Private Peaceful at Salisbury Playhouse, The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice at Exeter Northcott Theatre and Kes at Theatre by the Lake in Keswick – not to mention hit musicals like Dreamboats And Petticoats at Newcastle Theatre Royal and Beautiful – The Carole King Musical at Southampton’s Mayflower Theatre.
New Adventures is delighted to announce its next two Emerging Artist Apprentices, Hannah Kremer and Perreira Franque.
The Emerging Artist Apprenticeship is a two-year talent development scheme that supports dancers as they transition from professional training to working in the industry, with a particular focus on developing those who are underrepresented. The first level of the programme takes place during the final year of professional training. The dancers are mentored by New Adventures dance artists throughout the year and take part in company classes, residencies as well as dedicated studio time with principal dancers and dance artists. In the second year their development takes place through a performing apprenticeship contract with a New Adventures touring production.
The apprenticeship is led by New Adventures Resident Artist Kerry Biggin who said: “I’m so proud and excited to lead the Emerging Artist Apprenticeship programme. We are providing pathways into the industry and aim to send out inspired artists, confident to forge their way in the sector. We hope to address the imbalance of representation across our industry and opportunities like these feel vital to support and impact the change we want to see. I’m so excited to be part of the dancers’ journeys and see what the future holds for them”
Hannah Kremer, currently in her third year at Rambert, and Perreira Franque currently in his last year at Performers College, will both make their professional debuts in Matthew Bourne’s “SLEEPING BEAUTY”, opening at Theatre Royal Plymouth on 12 November 2022 ahead of a seven-week Christmas season at Sadler’s Wells, London.
Hannah Kremer first performed with New Adventures as part of the local cast in Matthew Bourne’s “ROMEO AND JULIET” at Sadler’s Wells in August 2019. Since then, she has taken part in Swan School and a number of other residencies within their Talent Development programme.
Perreira Franque’s first involvement with New Adventures was through a mock audition day, designed to support second and third years in training with their audition technique and a deeper understanding of the demands of a professional dance company. He then went on to take part in Swan School in 2021.
They follow in the footsteps of the inaugural apprentice, Enrique Ngbokota who is currently wowing audiences on tour in Matthew Bourne’s “NUTCRACKER!” as ‘Cupid’; having made their professional debut in the role last year. Enrique first worked with New Adventures in “LORD OF THE FLIES”. They were also in the local cast of “ROMEO AND JULIET”.
Enrique’s journey beautifully encapsulates what Matthew Bourne and New Adventures have been championing for so long by providing different opportunities to young dancers and professional dancers. Their path from “LORD OF THE FLIES” to “ROMEO AND JULIET”, to Emerging Artist Apprentice and making their professional debut in “NUTCRACKER!” is testament to New Adventures vision.
Throughout the apprenticeship, Hannah and Perreira will be mentored by New Adventures Associate Artist and principal dancerGlenn Graham: “I’m delighted to be mentoring a new generation of dancers because it’s something I never had. We hope the programme offers rigor and resilience, helping dancers to connect with company members giving them the opportunity to learn all that touring life and company environment has to offer.”
Enrique Ngbokota’s and Perreira Franque’s apprenticeships are supported by the Archie Lloyd Foundation.
“We are delighted to be supporting the Emerging Artist Apprenticeship Programme. Our involvement with New Adventures over the past four years has enabled us to follow the development of a number of young performers and our sponsorship of Enrique Ngbokota, the inaugural beneficiary of this particular project, has resulted in amazing support for them, their well-being and their development as a young artist. We now look forward to working with our second apprentice, Perreira Franque knowing that he is in very good hands, receiving the best possible mentoring, training and career opportunities.”
Hannah Kremer’s apprenticeship is supported by Romeo and Juliet Legacy Funds, put in place to continue developing the talent from the 2019 production.
For more information about all of the apprentices please see Notes to Editors.
HAMPSTEAD THEATRE EXTENDS RUBY THOMAS’ CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED THE ANIMAL KINGDOM, DIRECTED BY LUCY MORRISON, AT HAMPSTEAD DOWNSTAIRS UNTIL 2 APRIL 2022
★★★★ ‘A thrilling portrait of a family in collapse.A coiled-spring production…Pure theatre.’ The Guardian
★★★★ ‘Fast, furious drama with note-perfect performances’ The Times
Hampstead Theatre is delighted to announce that it is extending Ruby Thomas’The Animal Kingdom,directed by Lucy Morrison, until Saturday 2 April 2022. Staged in Hampstead Downstairs, this critically acclaimed new play is an observation of family dynamics featuring Paul Keating, Martina Laird,Jonathan McGuinness, Ashna Rabheru and Ragevan Vasan. Tickets are on sale now.
The Animal Kingdom’s extension follows the news that Folk, which ran at Hampstead Downstairs prior to The Animal Kingdom, is nominated in the Outstanding Achievement in Affiliate Theatre category at this year’s Olivier Awards.
“We’re bonobos, in our family. A hundred percent… They can be pretty aggressive actually.”
Sam is struggling. Being a human has never been simple for him. He just feels like a different kind of creature. Sam’s family don’t understand. But then they barely understand themselves. Now, trapped in a stuffy inpatient clinic undergoing family therapy, they must find new ways to communicate with each other so that, one way or another, Sam can be released from captivity.
Ruby Thomas returns to Hampstead Theatre, following the premiere of her first full-length play Either in 2019. In 2020 she was on attachment at the theatre with the Channel 4 Playwrights’ Scheme. She has recently received a Jerwood Commission from the Royal Court (2021), wrote a piece for the Royal Court’s Living Newspaper (2020), and had short plays performed at the Old Red Lion, Platform Southwark, the White Bear and Theatre503.
Lucy Morrison makes her Hampstead debut. An Associate Director at the Royal Court, her credits include Scenes with girls (Royal Court), The Woods (Royal Court) and Little on the inside (Almeida Festival/Clean Break).
The Animal Kingdom has been kindly supported by the Godwin family.
A CELEBRATION OF BBC TELEVISION MADE AT RIVERSIDE STUDIOS
Riverside Studios today announces a brand-new photographic exhibition: Time Lords to Top of the Pops: A celebration of BBC Television made at Riverside Studios, running between 21 April and 24 July 2022.
Marking one hundred years of the British Broadcasting Corporation and sixty-five years since The BBC Riverside Television Studios were opened by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, the exhibition celebrates the long and illustrious history of BBC television production at Riverside Studios.
In collaboration with BBC History, Riverside Studios presents a stunning collection of photographs taken behind-the-scenes of the most iconic BBC programmes made in their original building, from Doctor Who and Hancock’s Half Hour to Blue Peter and Top of the Pops.
Complementing the photographic exhibition, Riverside Studios will host a variety of related special events including the unveiling of a BBC Heritage Trail blue plaque and a screening in tribute to the founding producer of Doctor Who, Verity Lambert. Other activities will include special events for children in the May half term break and additional screenings of television from the archive. More details of the event programme will be announced shortly on the Riverside Studios website and via social media.
Rachel Tackley, Creative Director of Riverside Studios, says today:
“I am so excited to be hosting this exhibition. The team here have been working with the BBC for over a year and it is such a delight to see it all finally come together. I have loved choosing the ‘behind-the-scenes’ images, most of which have never been seen before, as well as discovering all the amazing programmes that were made at Riverside. Now all we need is for the Dalek to get here and I can finally lay my childhood fears to rest!”
Robert Seatter, Head of BBC History, says today:
“In the year of the BBC’s centenary, it’s great to be working with Riverside to showcase some of the iconic and much loved programmes made – and continuing to be made – in these studios. They are revealed in carefully restored images from the BBC Photography Archive, which we know audiences will love seeing in Riverside’s glorious new public spaces, along with a shiny blue plaque as a permanent memento!”
Dreamgirls is a musical set in the early 1960’s to mid 70’s and follows the rise of 3 women Effie, Deena and Lorrell who have formed a group called the Dreamettes. They enter a talent show and are offered an opportunity to be the backing singers for James Thunder Early. Curtis their manager gradually takes over the Dreamettes who he rebrands as the Dreams and pushes Effie out of the spotlight to focus on Deena. While the Dreams rise to fame without Effie she is left struggling bringing up her daughter. A few years later Effie starts to rise to fame in a solo career. The manager of the Dreams tries to destroy Effie’s new career.
Well what can I say about this musical other than WOW WOW WOW. I will start with the best and most amazing part for me and that has to be when Effie White played by Nicole Raquel Dennis sang “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going”, what a singer, vocals out of this world, I was mesmerised by this performance, she definitely gave Whitney Houston a run for her money with this rendition. The audience certainly felt the same and she even had some members of the audience on their feet showing their appreciation during this song. Absolutely by far the best moment. This to me was when I really felt enraptured by the musical. I was left wondering how the Second Act could possibly match up. I was not left disappointed.
The blow away moment for me in the Second Act was “Listen”, recorded by Beyonce. This song always gets me emotionally and brings a tear to my eye as it personally holds a special place in my heart. This was a duet with Effie and Deena Jones (Natalie Kassanga), Nicole yet again gave an outstanding performance as did Natalie, could not fault them one bit.
The show has lots of emotion which is portrayed exceptionally well by everyone and the story is well performed.
The choreography for the male dancers was good and they certainly did not disappoint playing their parts, this all added to the great performance.
The Dreamgirls (reprise) where Effie joins the Dream girls Deena, Lorrell (Paige Peddie) and Michelle (Brianna Ogunbawo) was the perfect end to a perfect show.
I really feel that everyone deserves a mention in this review as they all played equally good parts and the bond between everyone certainly made this show run smoothly and really enjoyable for the audience. There is nothing I could fault.
adds its acclaimed touring production of The Hound of the Baskervilles
to its Spring 2022 on demand digital programme
joining a line-up which includes
Emily Head’s The System, Adrian Lukis’s Being Mr Wickham and
Into The Night starring Tom Chambers, Robert Duncan, Susan Penhaligon
The award-winning Original Theatre Company and Octagon Theatre Bolton’s acclaimed 2021/22 tour of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most celebrated adventure, The Hound of the Baskervilles,will be available on demand online from 14 April at 7.30pm until 31 July 2022 ([https://originaltheatreonline.com)/]https://originaltheatreonline.com).
The whodunnit for all ages stars Jake Ferretti (The Kitchen, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, The Understudy) as Sherlock Holmes, Serena Manteghi (Welcome To Iran,To Build a Rocket, Mrs Wilson) as Sir Henry and Niall Ransome as Dr. Watson (Mischief Movie Night, The Comedy About A Bank Robbery, Fcuk’d).
Adapted for the stage by Steven Canny and John Nicholson for Peepolykus, in a production which was first performed at the Octagon Theatre in summer 2021, the classic detective tale gets a brilliantly farcical overhaul in Lotte Wakeham’s acclaimed production which is directed on tour by Tim Jackson. A hit in the West End, this ingenious adaptation combines an exhilarating collision of farce, theatrical invention and wonderfully comic performances to offer a brand-new twist on the greatest detective story of all time.
One of the first companies to launch online versions of their plays, Original Theatre have produced 13 digital productions since March 2020 and streamed their work globally to 57 countries. Their work has ranged from filming Sebastian Faulks’s Birdsong to Apollo 13 to an award-winning zombie short Viral shot on iPhones in locked-down Peckham. Over lockdown they employed over 200 freelancers. Their work has been widely praised and they have recently been credited with creating “an entirely new dramatic genre” (The Guardian). In February 2022, the company won a One Off Award at this year’s OFFIES in recognition of its work over the past 18 months.
Alastair Whatley, Artistic Director of Original Theatre, said, “Necessity forced our hand in 2020 as we took our first steps into making work online. As much as the past two years have been profoundly challenging for all of us in the industry, they have also opened doors to explore a new way of working which in turn has led us to develop a new and exciting hybrid form of theatre. It’s been a period of huge change but also great innovation which is opening up access to theatre like we’ve never been able to do previously.”
The Hound of the Baskervilles joins Original Theatre’s exciting on demand Spring line-up including:
The Red(16 March – 16 June): Marcus Brigstocke’s compelling drama of family and addiction, starring real-life father and son Bruce Alexander and Sam Alexander, is based on his own recovery. Originally commissioned for BBC Radio 4 and winner of the BBC Audio Drama Award 2018 for Best Single Drama, the 2019 stage production had acclaimed runs at Omnibus Theatre and Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Into The Night (until 31 August): On Saturday 19 December 1981, the Penlee lifeboat ‘Solomon Browne’, was launched in hurricane conditions to go to the aid of the coaster ‘Union Star’ that had engine failure and was being swept towards the southern coast of Cornwall. It was an attempted rescue which ranks not only with the greatest in the history of the RNLI, but with any human achievement. Marking 40 years since the event, Into The Night is a unique theatrical performance being streamed online. The cast includes Tom Chambers, Robert Duncan and Susan Penhaligon.
THE SYSTEM (until 31 August): Emily Head’s sharp psychological thriller invites the audience into the interrogation room with the murder suspects. As, one by one, the murder suspects give their accounts of that night a dark truth begins to reveal itself. An on-demand recording of Original’s live stream, filmed on stage at the New Wolsey in a single steadicam take, THE SYSTEM is one of Original’s most ambitious undertakings and the longest single take LIVE steadicam shot ever undertaken!
Being Mr Wickham(until 30 April): Adrian Lukis, who starred in the renowned BBC TV adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, returns to the role of Mr Wickham. Join Pride and Prejudice’s most roguish gentleman, George Wickham, on the eve of his sixtieth birthday, to lift the sheets on what exactly happened thirty years on from where we left him. This on-demand version was originally streamed live from the stage of the magnificent Regency Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds.
There is also the final chance to catch the compelling political drama A Splinter Of Ice, starring Oliver Ford Davies, Stephen Boxer and Sara Crowe, before it ends on 31 March 2022.
