Month: May 2022

LOOKING FOR ME FRIEND:

THE MUSIC OF VICTORIA WOOD

ANNOUNCES EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FRINGE RUN

Written and performed by Paulus of BBC 1’s All Together Now, Looking For Me Friend: The Music of Victoria Wood plays in the Drawing Room at the Assembly Rooms throughout August 2022 as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Come and celebrate her unforgettable characters, songs and sketches with this funny and touching tribute to the much-loved national treasure. Directed by Sarah-Louise Young with musical direction by Michael Roulston, Looking For Me Friend is playing at 2:30pm daily from 3 – 28 August.

Producer Denise Silvey said today: “I’m thrilled to be bringing the joy and wit of Victoria Wood to Edinburgh with this happy and heart-warming show. God knows we all need a laugh and to channel our inner Barry and Freda.”

Cahoots Theatre Company presents

LOOKING FOR ME FRIEND

THE MUSIC OF VICTORIA WOOD

Written and performed by Paulus
Director: Sarah-Louise Young

Musical Director: Michael Roulston

3 – 28 August 2022

Written and performed by Paulus (‘King of Cabaret’, The Stage), Looking For Me Friend: The Music of Victoria Wood is an homage celebrating the music of the late comedy genius and national treasure. Paulus will share twelve of Victoria’s best-loved songs through the decades, including ‘It Would Never Have Worked’, ‘Reincarnation’ and, of course, the classic ‘Ballad of Barry & Freda (Let’s Do It)’, as well as some of her lesser-known and more poignant compositions.

‘If you are a fan of Wood, or simply feel the need for some uplifting, live entertainment, then this is a must see’ Musical Theatre Review – ★★★★

Directed by multi-award-winning cabaret artist Sarah-Louise Young, Looking For Me Friend is a nostalgic hour of entertainment filled with love, laughter and fabulous memories for Victoria Wood fans as well as the ultimate ‘beginner’s guide’ for audiences new to her work.

Paulus is joined on-stage by Michael Roulston, proving what many have known for decades: that it takes two men to do the work of one woman – half as well!

Written and performed by Paul L. Martin (Paulus). Paulus, The Cabaret Geek, is an entertainer and educator who specialises in cabaret. Best known for their appearances on BBC1’s All Together Now as a talent judge, his musical tribute to Victoria Wood, Looking For Me Friend: The Music of Victoria Wood premièred in London in 2020. His brand-new musical Building Paulus written with Jordan Clarke is currently in development. For fifteen years, Paulus had close ties to the cult London cabaret venue The Battersea Barge, producing many cabarets for them including the hugely successful talent contest Cheese ‘n’ Crackers, Diva Nite and their annual adult pantomimes. For ten years, Paulus ran the entertainment agency Excess All Areas (formerly Better Chemistry) and under this banner he spearheaded the annual Cabaret Convention and London Cabaret Awards, which played host to cabaret performers, promoters, and practitioners from across the UK and Ireland. Paulus was awarded ‘Best Producer (Cabaret)’ by fringe report during this time. His expertise has been sought to judge many talent competitions including National Burlesque Awards, Drag Idol for Royal Vauxhall Tavern, Pride’s Got Talent, Musical Comedy Awards and Burlesque Idol at The Hippodrome Casino. He has long-lasting working relationships with Home Live Art and their Alternative Village Fete at the National Theatre; the award-winning Festival of Thrift in Darlington and Redcar; The Urban Village Fete for Wayne Hemingway and Hemingway Designs; the Ukulele Festival of Scotland and these have seen him play key roles in the LOCOG Staff Wrap Party at the Copperbox for the 2012 London Olympics and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Celebrations in Battersea Park.

Sarah-Louise Young directs. She has appeared in the West End with Julie Madly Deeply, Fascinating Aïda, La Soirée and Olivier-winning improvised musical group, The Showstoppers. Named one of Time Out’s Top 10 Cabaret Acts and voted Best Musical Variety Act in the London Cabaret Awards, she has also been nominated for an Offie and won The Stage Edinburgh Award. As well as mainstream success on television and radio, she has toured extensively, both in the UK and internationally, including three invitations to the prestigious Adelaide Cabaret Festival. She is one half of writing and performing duo, Roulston & Young with whom she is developing a new musical, Maxa, The Most Assassinated Woman in The World and writing Bespoke Songs. She is currently on tour with her 2019 Edinburgh Fringe smash hit An Evening Without Kate Bush for which she won QX Magazine’s Show of The Year Award. She recently published her first book, The RSVPeople, written with Paul Chronnell.

Musical direction by Michael Roulston. Live work includes: Fascinating Aïda (Southbank/UK tour), Jess Robinson: No Filter (Edinburgh Festival Fringe/UK tour), Dillie Keane (UK tour/Off-Broadway/international tour), Dusty Limits (Edinburgh Festival Fringe/international tour), Julie, Madly, Deeply (West End/Off-Broadway/UK tour/international tour), Christine Bovill’s Piaf (Edinburgh Festival Fringe/UK tour), A Touch Of Mrs Robinson (Edinburgh Festival Fringe/UK tour), The Black Cat Cabaret (Crazy Coqs, Cafe De Paris/international tour) and Sophie Tucker’s One Night Stand (The King’s Head). His recorded work includes: Songs for BBC R4’s The Now Show, Jess Robinson: Are You Ready? Album, Stars In Your Ears podcast, Roulston & Young: Songs For Cynics/Two Faced/La Poule Plombée albums, Dillie Keane: Hello Dillie album and DVD, and Dusty Limits: Grin/Life & I albums. Other writing includes: Maxa, The Most Assassinated Woman in The World (workshopped at Wilton’s Music Hall); Who Is Sinclair Nye? – feat. Valerie Cutko (Rosemary Branch) and Cabaret Whore – feat. Sarah-Louise Young (Edinburgh Festival Fringe/UK tour). His awards include: Spirit of the Fringe 2016 & 2017; and with Sarah-Louise Young, the London Cabaret Award for Best Musical Variety Act, Three Weeks Editors’ Award, The Stage Edinburgh Award and an Argus Angel; and with Dusty Limits: TimeOut & Soho Theatre Cabaret Award finalist, and was nominated for A Melbourne Green Room Award for Original Songwriting.

Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2555721541144383/

Twitter: @LookingForMeFriend

LOOKING FOR ME FRIEND

LISTINGS

Drawing Room, Assembly Rooms, 54 George St, Edinburgh EH2 2LR

Box Office: https://assemblyfestival.com/ / 0131 623 3030 or Assembly box offices at Assembly Hall and Assembly Roxy, Assembly George Square, Assembly Checkpoint and Assembly Rooms

DATES

3 to 28 August at 2:30pm, excluding 15 August

TICKET PRICES

Preview tickets £8.50

Standard tickets £14

Concession tickets £13

RUNNING TIME

60 minutes

TIM WALKER’S CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED

BLOODY DIFFICULT WOMEN

ANNOUNCES EDINBURGH FESTIVAL RUN

★★★★★ Adam Boulton

★★★★★ Kevin Maguire

Wind of Change, in association with Cahoots Theatre Company, today announce the run of Tim Walker’s Bloody Difficult Women at the Assembly Rooms for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2022. Bloody Difficult Women will be running at the Ballroom at the Assembly Rooms from 3 to 28 August 2022, following an extended run at Riverside Studios this Spring.

‘Powerful’                                                                                  ‘A must-see’

Michael Billington                                                                    The Spectator

‘Witty and civilised but with a brutal undertow’

WhatOnStage

The production, inspired by the court case Gina Miller brought against Theresa May in 2016 and with the final climatic scene set in the present is directed by Stephen Unwin. Returning to the cast will be Jessica Turner as Theresa May, Andrew Woodall as Paul Dacre and Graham Seed as Sir Hugh Rosen, with further cast to be announced.

Denise Silvey, the producer, says, “I’m thrilled to be bringing Bloody Difficult Women to Edinburgh.  It’s so exciting to be returning to the Festival after three years away. In 2019 we were lucky enough to bring the sell-out production of Musik to Edinburgh and now here we are again and hope the Festival audiences will be as kind to us this year as they have been to us in the past. Go Edinburgh!!”

Tim Walker, the writer, says: “Any show that is as honest about the English political classes and their media as Bloody Difficult Women was always going to make itself powerful enemies south of the Border, but in London it made a lot of great friends, too, and played to packed and appreciative houses night after night and the run had to be extended. It’s a play that has a lot to say for itself about the mess we’re in and I’ve a feeling Scotland will appreciate it not pulling its punches.”

Wind of Change in association with Cahoots Theatre Company presents

BLOODY DIFFICULT WOMEN

By Tim Walker

Cast: Jessica Turner (Theresa May), Graham Seed (Sir Hugh Rosen) and Andrew Woodall (Paul Dacre) with more to be announced

Director: Stephen Unwin; Designer: Nicky Shaw; Lighting Designer: David Howe

Sound Designer: John Leonard

3 – 28 August 2022

“If standing up for what you believe to be right is being ‘bloody difficult’, then so be it”

Theresa May

Tim Walker’s brand-new drama sees the tumultuous political events of recent years played out in a power struggle between two determined women.

His intensely human account of the court case Mrs Miller brought against Mrs May makes for revealing and often very funny theatre, but ultimately, it’s a tragedy, where there are no winners, only losers. Walker brings the story bang up to date in a dramatic finale which says so much about the deep divisions we still have in our country.

Jessica Turner plays Theresa May. Her theatre work includes A Song at Twilight, Present Laughter (Theatre Royal Bath and UK tour), The Fantastic Follies of Mrs Rich (RSC), All My Sons (Rose Theatre Kingston and The Watermill Theatre), The Second Mrs Tanqueray (Rose Theatre Kingston), Lettice and Lovage (The Watermill Theatre), Persuasion (Salisbury Playhouse), Wallenstein (Chichester Festival Theatre), Waste (Almeida Theatre), Girl in the Goldfish Bowl (Sheffield Theatres), Mary Stuart, Oedipus (Nuffield Southampton), Cuckoos (Barbican and Bath Theatre Royal), King Lear (The Old Vic and UK tour), Albert Speer, The White Chameleon, The Beaux Stratagem (National Theatre) and Good (Donmar Warehouse). For television, her work includes, Father Brown, Law and Order UK, New Tricks, Heartbeat, Tess of the D’Urbervilles, 10 Days to War, Waking the Dead, The Line of Beauty, Spooks, The Cazalets, The Ambassador, The Mill on the Floss and All or Nothing at All; and for film, The Ottoman Lieutenant, The Murder of Princess Diana and Deeply.

Graham Seed plays Sir Hugh Rosen. His theatre work includes The Mousetrap (UK and India tour), The Ladykillers (New Wolsey Theatre, Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch and Salisbury Playhouse co-production), Flare Path, Basketcase, Journey’s End (UK tours), An Audience with Jimmy Savile (Park Theatre and Edinburgh Festival), Dead Sheep (Park Theatre and UK tour), Bedroom Farce, Separate Tables (Salisbury Playhouse), Yes, Prime Minister (Chichester Festival Theatre and UK tour), Accolade, Too Good to Be True (Finborough Theatre), The Skin Game (Orange Tree Theatre), Present Laughter (Theatr Clwyd) and A Chaste Maid in Cheapside (Almeida Theatre and UK tour). For television, his work includes Casualty, Doctors, The Durrells, He Kills Coppers, The Chatterley Affair, Station Jim, Band of Brothers, Nature Boy, Dinnerladies, Ashenden, Jeeves and Wooster, Victoria Wood as Seen on TV, Cab, Who’s Who, Brideshead Revisited and I Claudius; and for film, Peterloo, Bonded by Blood II, Tezz, Wild Target, Morning Jericho, These Foolish Things, AKA, Honest and Gandhi. Seed played series regular Nigel Pargetter over 27 years for BBC Radio 4’s The Archers.

Andrew Woodall plays Paul Dacre. His theatre work includes Admissions (Trafalgar Studios), Antony and Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, Wendy and Peter Pan (RSC), First Light (Chichester Festival Theatre), The Wars of the Roses (Rose Theatre Kingston), Great Britain (National Theatre/Theatre Royal Haymarket), The Browning Version/South Downs (Harold Pinter Theatre and Chichester Festival Theatre), Benefactors (Sheffield Theatres), The Knowledge/Little Platoons (Bush Theatre), Women Beware Women (National Theatre), Hedda Gabler (Gate Theatre Dublin), Much Ado About Nothing, The Voysey Inheritance, The Life of Galileo (National Theatre), Gaslight (The Old Vic), As You Like It (Wyndham’s Theatre), As You Desire Me (Playhouse Theatre) and The Sugar Syndrome (Royal Court Theatre). For television, his work includes, The Reckoning, Lockwood and Co., Des, Granchester, Lucan, New Worlds, An Adventure in Time and Space, Miranda, Silk, New Tricks, The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, Above Suspicion, Men are Wonderful, Personal Affairs, Place of Execution, Lawless, Hear the Silence and Charles II; and for film, Where is Anne Frank, Solo: A Star Wars Story, 303 Squadron, The Riot Club, Belle, Johnny English Reborn, Hypnotic, The Count of Monto Cristo and Regeneration.

Tim Walker is an author, broadcaster and British Press Award-winning journalist. He had a unique insight into the cases Gina Miller brought against the governments of Theresa May and Boris Johnson as he advised her on media strategy on both occasions. He has worked in staff positions on The Observer, the Daily Mail and The Sunday Telegraph, where he was the theatre critic. More recently, he has written columns for the Daily Mirror and The New European. He stood briefly as the Lib Dem parliamentary candidate in Canterbury in the last election. Star Turns, his latest book, was published in September.

Stephen Unwin directs. Unwin founded the English Touring Theatre in 1993. For the company, he directed more than 30 productions of classical and new plays, including award-winning productions of Hamlet with Alan Cumming, Hedda Gabler, Henry IV Parts One and Two with Timothy and Samuel West, King Lear with Timothy West, The Seagull with Cheryl Campbell and Ghosts with Diana Quick and Daniel Evans. These transferred to the Donmar and the Old Vic. He produced two plays by Jonathan Harvey and Peter Gill’s award-winning The York Realist as well as Sir Peter Hall’s production of Uncle Vanya. In 2008, he became Artistic Director of the new Rose Theatre in Kingston, which he ran until January 2014. His productions there included Hay Fever with Celia Imrie, The Importance of Being Earnest with Jane Asher, The Lady from the Sea with Joely Richardson, The Vortex with Kerry Fox and Day in the Death of Joe Egg with Ralf Little. He hosted the very successful Time to Talk series with 50 leading actors and personalities. Also an author, he has written 10 books on theatre, drama and related subjects, as well as numerous articles for newspapers and journals. He is also active in campaigning for the rights of the disabled. He is Chairman of KIDS, a national charity which provides a wide range of services for disabled children, young people and their families.

LISTINGS

BLOODY DIFFICULT WOMEN

Ballroom, Assembly Rooms, 54 George St, Edinburgh EH2 2LR

Box Office: https://assemblyfestival.com/ / 0131 623 3030 or Assembly box offices at Assembly Hall and Assembly Roxy, Assembly George Square, Assembly Checkpoint and Assembly Rooms

DATES

3 – 28 August at 2:30pm, excluding 11 and 22 August

TICKET PRICES

Preview tickets £12

Standard tickets £13 – £16

RUNNING TIME

90 minutes

Christopher Marlowe’s fantastically gothic
Doctor Faustus comes to Southwark Playhouse
this autumn
Thursday 1st September – Saturday 1st October 2022
Streamed Performance: Thursday 6th October 2022
Southwark Playhouse, 77-85 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BD

Bringing the supernatural to Southwark this autumn, Lazarus Theatre Company are transforming Christopher Marlowe’s Elizabethan tragedy into a multi-sensory theatrical experience. Exploring the modern tragedies of technology, knowledge and wanting more than you can have, audiences will be captivated within Marlowe’s gothic world of haunting twists with state-of-the art video design, music and movement.

John Faustus, frustrated and in search of complete fulfilment, enters a dangerous game of necromancy and dark arts, selling his soul to the devil in return for 24 years of unlimited knowledge, power and fame. Yet as the clock strikes 12 on his final day, Mephistopheles comes knocking and repayment is due…

Contemporary, sharp and masculine, this mesmerising production is complemented by live camera and video to bewitch the audience as they join Faustus in his descent into hell. Playing with screens, movement and contemporary themes whilst integrating Marlowe’s original text, this Doctor Faustus speaks to a modern audience

Ricky Dukes, artistic director, comments, To be back at Southwark Playhouse with Marlowe’s firecracker Doctor Faustus is fantastic. In our contemporary staging of the play Faustus is a man who lives online, surrounded by tech, something we can all relate to after the past two years – he has everything literally at his fingertips, it’s not enough. With video designer Dan Light we are working with tech as we never have before, using interactive technology within the performance to fully immerse the audience into the fantastical, frightening and at times downright bizarre journey Faustus encounters.

The thrilling ensemble due to bring Doctor Faustus to life will be announced soon. This
production will also be streamed on the 6 th October with tickets available here:
www.lazarustheatrecompany.co.uk/boxoffice.

THE RSC CELEBRATES HM THE QUEEN’S PLATINUM JUBILEE IN STRATFORD-UPON-AVON

The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) will celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of its Patron, Her Majesty The Queen, between Wednesday 1 – Sunday 5 June.  There will be something for the entire family, including an in-person exhibition and, following a call out for submissions, an online exhibition, both featuring memories of HM The Queen.

On Saturday 4 June, the RSC will join in Stratford-upon-Avon’s celebratory Picnic in the Park, whilst offering quieter activities in the Dell Forest Garden located by Holy Trinity Church. Between Thursday 2 – Saturday 4 June, the RSC’s iconic Theatre Tower will be lit red, white and blue. And on Sunday 5 June the RSC’s Rooftop Restaurant will offer a special Jubilee Afternoon Tea.

WEDNESDAY 1 AND THURSDAY 2 JUNE

Family Workshops 
The Dell Forest Garden, 2 – 4pm  
Free, no booking required, suitable for all ages 

Located by Holy Trinity Church on banks of the River Avon, The Dell Forest Garden is a quiet outdoor space.  Join us there to discover how we can help the environment and the environment can help us. With opportunities to take part in citizen science, writing activities, and environmentally friendly crafts, everyone can take time to enjoy the gardens and find out about how we created the space and how you can get involved in future projects in The Dell Forest Garden. 

FRIDAY 3 JUNE

Memories of Her Majesty

Stratford-upon-Avon Town Hall, 10am – 4pm

Free, no booking required, suitable for all ages 

Working with Stratford community groups, the RSC and Shakespeare Birthplace Trust (SBT) present a colourful and evocative exhibition, showing how HM The Queen’s reign has brought families, friends and the people of Stratford-upon-Avon together. The exhibition will include photographs and specially selected items from the SBT and RSC collections that will be on display for the very first time.  

Memories of Her Majesty – online

The RSC is also asking anyone to share their memories of HM The Queen for an online gallery.  People can submit photos, videos and written stories, maybe of a time when HM The Queen was in Stratford, for example when she opened the redeveloped Royal Shakespeare Theatre in 2011.  People can submit their memories or make enquiries via [email protected] by 16 May.

The gallery is due to launch at 10am on Thursday 2 June.

SATURDAY 4 JUNE

 
Picnic in the Park  

Bancroft Gardens, 2 – 6pm

The RSC will be joining in the town’s celebration, ‘Stratford-upon-Avon’s Platinum Jubilee Festival’ over the bank holiday weekend. On Saturday, there will be a Picnic in the Park for families on the Bancroft Gardens where the RSC will offer family activities including flag making and memory making crafts. An outdoor temporary display will also give people the chance to find out more about HM The Queen’s visits to the theatre and Stratford-upon- Avon.  

Between 2-4pm, to complement Picnic in the Park, the RSC will host a relaxed and accessible picnic in The Dell Forest Gardens (located on the banks of the Avon by Holy Trinity Church) for those who prefer a more relaxed atmosphere and may find the busyness of the Bancroft Gardens potentially overwhelming. Activities here include a scent garden featuring plants and herbs from Shakespeare’s plays. 

SUNDAY 5 JUNE

The RSC will also be offering a special Jubilee Afternoon Tea in its Rooftop Restaurant on Sunday 5 June between 12.15-3.30pm.  It will feature a range of seasonal savoury and sweet delicacies, including Scone with clotted cream and strawberry preserve; Royal Swan filled with White Chocolate mousse; Passion fruit syllabub; Raspberry Toad Stool; Royal Crown Strawberry Tartlets; and Pistachio Macaroons. Cost per person: £24.95, or £29.95 (with a glass of Prosecco) or £34.95 (with a glass of Champagne). Booking for Afternoon Tea: www.rsc.org.uk/rooftop-restaurant or 01789 403449.

Richmond Theatre – until 7^th May 2022

Reviewed by Carly Burlinge  

4.5 **** 

Based on the bestselling novel by Dan Brown comes The Da Vinci Code adapted to theatre for all to see. When the custodian Sauniere (Andrew Lewis) of the famous Louvre Museum has been found ruthlessly and savagely murdered. With a star drawn in blood and a pentacle on his chest. Some thinking it could be signs of devil worship although as clues start to unravel in the form of different coding. it soon becomes apparent that what they are looking into has involvement and a connection with the great Leonardo Da Vinci. Now realising this case may consist of something greater and the need to protect some form of an ancient secret! Whilst all suspicion falls on Professor Robert Langdon (Christopher Harper) a very chatty knowledgeable and clever expert that is obsessed with his symbols and coding being his life’s work. He wants to clear his name and when he meets Sophie (Hannah Rose Caton) a cryptologist who is also the deceases granddaughter she is smart and very clever and believes her grandfather was involved in something much bigger!  Together will they be able to unravel the reason of his death whilst helping him to clear his name and prove his innocence. As they embark on their journey, they enlist the help of a friend Sir Leigh Teabing (Danny John–Jules) an educated and knowledgeable, very assertive sharp and quick explainer. As the three continue to work out the clues and the riddles before they run out of time and all is lost. 

This production was a good watch but moved at a very packed pace! There was defiantly a lot to take in and in a short amount of time. Many scene changes were coming fast and quick but none the less they were cleverly done.  Visually it was very satisfying and entertaining to watch with coding and words projected all over the stage as well as pictures and sketches drawn by Leonardo Da Vinci in full vision. Although serious it did offer some light humour throughout breaking up the tension.  All In all, a fantastic gripping and compelling show that is definitely worth a watch. 

Malvern Theatre – until Saturday 7th May 2022

Reviewed by Kathie Hodges

5*****

Grab your friends and head out for a night of joyous nostalgic music and a lot of toe tapping.

Molly-Grace Cutler brilliantly portrays the life of Carole King. The show begins at New Carnegie Hall with King reminiscing her life, as we are transported back to her sixteen year old self who desperately wants to share her gift of writing music with the world.

Soon she meets Gerry Goffin played by Tom Milner, Gerry is rather cool in Kings eyes and she struggles to believe it when he shows her romantic attention, but the two quickly fall in love, and become a rather special song writing team.  King creating the music and Goffin a talented lyricist. Very soon they are writing hit after hit, all of which are performed by a huge array of stars who are holding the number one spot for weeks on end, to the delight of record mogul Donnie Kirshner played by Garry Robson who is always eager to find the next big hit.

He needn’t worry as between King and Goffin and the rather humorous Barry played by Jos Slovick and brassy Cynthia Weil played brilliantly by Seren Sandham-Davies he has some incredible talent working for him and though Barry and Cynthia should be their rivals the foursome become the very best of friends, though it doesn’t stop them competing for the number one spot.

I never realised just how many hits King and Goffin were responsible for, ‘Take Good Care of my Baby’. Remember that one? ‘Will You Still Love me Tomorrow’ they just keep coming.

Goffin and King met at such a young age, throw in an unplanned pregnancy, marriage, and much of their time and energy going into their work, the cracks in their relationship begin to show and King is heartbroken. Though they are smashing the hits Goffin is struggling immensely under the pressure and we leave act one wondering what will become of the relationship and what will be become of him.

The staging is simply created to shift between a juke box and a recording studio and micro minis and bell bottoms sell us the unmistakable 60’s fashion.

The entire cast are full of energy and talent, multitasking as musicians while acting, singing and dancing in many roles effortlessly.

Cutler however, is mesmerising as King, her flawless voice and piano playing held the audience captivated and though I think it’s safe to say we all loved the bubble gum pop of the first half, there was a huge wave of emotion when Cutler sat down to perform Kings first very own solo song for her friends ‘It’s Too Late’. This is one of those moments when you get goose bumps as you feel you are witnessing a pivotal moment in a persons life.
For all the magnificent hits King was involved in creating, this was all her own work. Shifting from writer to performer was the right move, her album Tapestry went on to be phenomenally successful, and the show ends where it opened, at New York’s Carnegie Hall in 1971.

Expect flashing lights. Expect to want to sing out loud. Expect to to give a standing ovation.
I absolutely loved it.

LEA YPI ANNOUNCED AS WINNER OF THE 2022 RSL ONDAATJE PRIZE FOR FREE

The Royal Society of Literature (RSL), the voice for the value of literature in the UK, has this evening announced Lea Ypi as the winner of the 2022 RSL Ondaatje Prize for Free(Allen Lane, 2022), an engrossing coming of age memoir set amid political upheaval. An annual prize of £10,000, the RSL Ondaatje Prize is awarded by the RSL to an outstanding work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry that best evokes the spirit of a place. 

Lea Ypi was announced as the winner of the prestigious prize by RSL President Emeritus Colin Thubron – who was involved with the Prize from its very beginnings – on behalf of the Prize founder and funder, Sir Christopher Ondaatje. The winner was announced at an event on Wednesday evening held at Two Temple Place.

Lea Ypi said: “This started as a book about concepts and so it is incredible to receive this prize for the best book that evokes the spirit of a place. It goes to show that concepts and places are connected to each other. It is really important to me because the place whose spirit is evoked is Albania, a place people don’t usually think about – it’s not somewhere that makes headlines unless there is something problematic happening. I hope that it will make people have an interest in the history of this country, which is also a history of universal significance. The book is about the transition from communism to liberalism in Albania and also the dilemmas of freedom that arise as people navigate these different systems. It connects these ideas with ordinary lives, the conflicts, hopes and tragedies that people lived through. I hope this book will make people more sensitive to the realities that  should be paid attention to, regardless of whether there is a recognised crisis in a place or not.”   

The judges of this year’s Prize, Chair Sandeep Parmar, Patrice Lawrence and Philippe Sands, said: “Reading and re-reading Lea Ypi’s ‘Free’ we felt very strongly that the book’s central concerns—politics, personal history, the very meaning of freedom—spoke so resonantly to our lived moment. How do nations dream about themselves; how do individuals think of themselves within these fantasies? How do we feel within histories and how they are institutionalised? Ypi is a master at the juxtaposition of these grand and personal narratives–of family secrets and political crises–and repeatedly we returned in our judging conversations to history’s long shadow, asking what darkness lies where things remain unquestioned. Ypi’s both darkly humorous and deeply serious work made us reflect forcefully on the need for truthfulness about the stories we are told and how we negotiate our own lives within them.”

Lea Ypi is Professor of Political Theory at the London School of Economics, and Political Science and Adjunct Professor in Philosophy at the Australian National University. A native of Albania, she has degrees in Philosophy and in Literature from the University of Rome La Sapienza, a PhD from the European University Institute, and was a Post-Doctoral Prize Research Fellow at Nuffield College, Oxford University. Her work has been recognised with several prizes such as the British Academy Prize for Excellence in Political Science and the Leverhulme Prize for Outstanding Research Achievement. She speaks six languages and lives in London. She was selected by the judges from a shortlist of six authors, made up of A.K. Blakemore (The Manningtree Witches), Cal Flyn(Islands of Abandonment: Life in the Post-Human Landscape), Yousif M. Qasmiyeh (Writing the Camp), Sathnam Sanghera (Empireland) and Elif Shafak (The Island of Missing Trees).

First awarded in 2004, the premise and broad remit of the prize creates unique lists of outstanding works and authors that you would not usually find sitting side by side. Previous recipients of the prize have included Aida Edemariam, Ruth Gilligan, Alan Johnson, Hisham Matar, Pascale Petit, Peter Pomerantsev, Roger Robinson, Francis Spufford, Edmund de Waal and Louisa Waugh. 

The RSL Ondaatje Prize is one of 10 annual awards and prizes presented by the RSL, which bring the widest possible community of writers and readers together in celebration of the breadth of literature today. From debut works and unpublished short stories, through to the notoriously challenging second novel and outstanding contributions to literature, the RSL’s awards and prizes celebrate the value of writing in all its forms, whilst supporting emerging and established writers at some of the most challenging moments of their careers. The RSL’s other annual awards and prizes are: RSL International Writers awards, Companions of Literature, the Encore Award, the RSL Christopher Bland Prize, the RSL Giles St Aubyn Awards for Non-Fiction, the V.S. Pritchett Short Story Prize, the RSL Literature Matters Awards, the Sky Arts RSL Writers Awards and the Benson Medal.

Forum Theatre, Malvern – 3rd May 2022

Reviewed by Courie Amado Juneau

5*****

Seven Drunken Nights is quite simply a joyous celebration of that great Irish folk band, The Dubliners.

The set evokes the bar room at O’Donoghues where the band first got together to enjoy music and drinking. A wonderfully authentic way to tell the story as it is just like it must have been at those early get togethers. It is also very familiar to anyone who has visited Dublin (or even spent time around an Irish family).

The show opens with a recreation of The Dubliners appearance on the Late Late Show to celebrate their 25th anniversary and then the musicians settle down (in the intimate pub setting) to regale us with tales of the band. The stories were fascinating (I always love hearing how and why bands form) and it was all punctuated by plenty of tunes that showcased where the band were at at each point in their history. This allowed us to hear the development of the band’s material during their long, illustrious career. There were many surprises along the way too; like hearing they were no 8 in the pop charts in 1967 with the title tune from the show! Timely reminders of just how popular this great group was! As with any Irish gathering, humour plays a massive part and this show is enormous fun from start to finish. This is no evening for sitting on your hands as there is constant audience participation and clapping throughout. My arms and hands were quickly aching but I didn’t care, the music was too infectious to worry about such small considerations.

As you would expect from a celebration of a band with this level of passionate following and longevity, it was an emotional evening especially when recounting the difficult times such as health problems and deaths. Various songs heightened the emotion at these points with “The Fields of Athenry”, “The Town I loved So Well” and especially “Raglan Road” being especially poignant.

The celebration continued unabated until the culmination, on three massive hits known and loved by everyone – “Whiskey In The Jar”, “Dirty Old Town” and “Molly Malone”. I was amazed how many knew all the words – and I mean all the words to every song throughout the show! This is no mere tribute act running through the hits. It is genuinely friends of the band continuing the rich legacy through their music and stories. And there can’t be anything more authentic (or fitting) than that as a true and proper tribute to a folk band.

This was the kind of evening to make one long for some Irish ancestry. A fantastic show, full of love, affection and genuine admiration, with stunning music that warms the heart and sets the soul alight. A pleasure that I won’t feel in the least bit guilty reveling in and one I cannot recommend highly enough. Do yourself a favour and get down to O’Donoghues to join in the fun

Park Theatre, Finsbury Park – until 28th May 2022

Reviewed by Bobbi Fenton

5*****

Based on the incredible true story, ‘The End of the Night’ takes place in the house of Felix Kirsten (Michael Lumsden), who has invited Nazi Heinrich Himmler (Richard Clothier) to meet with Jewish Norbert Masur (Ben Caplan) who serves as a representative of the Jewish people. Norbert Masur was raised in Germany, however he explains that he has lived in Sweden for the last twenty years. In this meeting, Masur tries to negotiate with Himmler, with the help of Kirsten, to release some concentration camp prisoners to a neutral country, such as Sweden, with the promise that it will boost Himmler’s reputation. Kirsten has somewhat of an upper hand with Himmler, as his personal masseuse, and has negotiated in the past for his house to be officially not on German land to protect himself. This story is full of suspense, with moments of such palpable tension, it feels like we, the audience, are in the room with them. However, it also includes some unanticipated but well-timed comedic moments, which make reference to the lies and the failings of the Nazi party towards the end of the war.

Richard Clothier’s performance as Heinrich Himmler is incredibly gripping, leaving the audience fully absorbed in the play. This alongside Ben Caplan’s profound performance as Norbert Masur makes for a truly captivating show. Not forgetting the remarkable performance by Olivia Bernstone, who delivers an incredibly powerful monologue towards the end of the play, as concentration camp prisoner Jeanne Bommezjin recalling the day the red cross vans arrived to rescue the prisoners from the camp.

This suspenseful play is absolutely brilliant, and is the perfect play for anyone who has an interest in World War Two history

Bristol Hippodrome – until 7th May 2022

Reviewed by Lucy Hitchcock

3***

A piano adorns the stage and is quickly played by a soldier to quiet the audience, and we are transported into the play, with a lovely immersive start to the show. Michael Fentiman directs this cast through the world of Narnia, along with Shannelle Fergus’s choreography and composer Benji Bower.

The show was eagerly anticipated by the crowd, but ultimately fell flat. It seemed to be very rushed and we didn’t have time to connect with the characters before a new twist in the story. This is not to detract from the brilliant music and dance that entwined with the show, in fact, this was what I looked forward to most! The constant music and singing from the cast was superb and was beautifully accompanied by Christina Tedders on violin, whilst also portraying Mrs Beaver. To me, Tedders was the stand out of this piece with an excellent stage presence and stunning vocals and musicality-she really made the piece special.

There were some good illusions and flying sequences, but they seemed very few and far between and seemed not to add much to the progression of the story. As a lover of the original books, this did feel as though it just fell short of the original magic C S Lewis provides. There were however, many children that seemed to love the performance and it was greeted with lots of oohs and ahhs-really captivating it’s true demographic -unfortunately,that wasn’t myself.