Month: July 2022

Blackeyed Theatre, in association with South Hill Park Arts Centre
Sherlock Holmes: The Valley of Fear brought to
life on stage in UK tour
By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Adapted by Nick Lane
UK Tour: September – November 2022

It is the Valley of Fear, the Valley of Death. The terror is in the hearts of the people from the dusk to the dawn

After delighting audiences around the world with their international tour of The Sign of Four, Blackeyed Theatre will now bring to life The Valley of Fear, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s thrilling final Sherlock Holmes novel, in an electric new stage adaptation. This gripping world premiere is full of mystery and adventure, and combines original music, stylish theatricality and magical story-telling for an unforgettable experience.

A mysterious, coded message is received, a warning of imminent danger, drawing Sherlock Holmes and the faithful Dr Watson into a tale of intrigue and murder stretching from 221B Baker Street to an ancient moated manor house to the bleak Pennsylvanian Vermissa Valley. Faced with a trail of bewildering clues, Holmes begins to unearth a darker, wider web of corruption, a secret society and the sinister work of one Professor Moriarty.

Adapted by Nick Lane and with original music composed by Tristan Parkes, The Valley of Fear sees Luke Barton (One Man, Two Guvnors, New Wolsey/Nuffield Theatres UK Tour; Misterman, Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse) and Joseph Derrington (The Importance of Being Earnest, MAC Belfast; Animal Farm, Royal & Derngate Northampton), who played Holmes and Watson respectively in The Sign Of Four, reprise their critically-acclaimed roles as the iconic duo.

The cast also includes Blake Kubena (Vikings, Amazon Prime/History Channel; The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Blackeyed Theatre) as Jack McMurdo and Detective White-Mason, Gavin Molloy (The Alchemist, Riverside Studios; Everything Must Go, Lyric Theatre Hammersmith; Eastenders, BBC) as Jack McGinty, Cecil Barker, Inspector McDonald and Moriarty, and Alice Osmanksi (Some Mothers Do Ave Em, UK Tour; The Entertainer, Curve Theatre/Simon Friend UK tour) as Ettie Shafter, Mrs Hudson, Ivy Douglas and Captain Marvin.

Writer/Director Nick Lane comments, Of all Holmes’ canon, The Valley of Fear isn’t a story I’ve ever seen brought to the stage – possibly because it’s two tales in one, almost – part of it taking place in England, another part in the US. The thrill for me, being a huge fan of crime fiction on both sides of the Atlantic, was in exploring the different tones of the two narratives; points where they mirror one another, points where they diverge… It was a challenge, but an exciting one. We’ll be working with choreographers and fight directors as well as a composer to create something thrilling and visceral. Thematically, both stories explore loyalty – but to say more about that might give away a twist I’m keen to keep to myself

As part of Blackeyed Theatre’s aim to make theatre more accessible to wider audiences, Sherlock Holmes: The Valley Of Fear will also be available to stream online worldwide from October. This ‘blended’ theatre provision will support Blackeyed Theatre’s commitment to education and young people, as online access to the digital capture will be included for school groups booking to see the play in-person.

Sherlock Holmes: The Valley of Fear is produced by Blackeyed Theatre in association with South Hill Park Arts Centre in Bracknell.

Second Half Productions, Eleanor Lloyd Productions, Wessex Grove, Young Vic and Headlong present

Best of Enemies

By James Graham

Inspired by the documentary by Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon

Directed by Jeremy Herrin

James Graham’s new play Best of Enemies will transfer to the West End from this November. The sold-out hit from the Young Vic and Headlong, which originally premiered at the Young Vic in December 2021, examines the bitter political rivalry between William F Buckley Jr. and Gore Vidal.

1968 – a year of protest that divided America. As two men fight to become the next President, all eyes are on the battle between two others: the cunningly conservative William F Buckley Jr., and the iconoclastic liberal Gore Vidal. Beliefs are challenged and slurs slung as these political idols feud nightly in a new television format, debating the moral landscape of a shattered nation. Little do they know they’re about to open up a new frontier in American politics, and transform television news forever…

Best of Enemies is nominated for a South Bank Sky Arts Award for Best New Theatre Production, the awards take place on Sunday. The play was also nominated for an Olivier Award and won the Critics Circle Theatre Award for Best New Play. 

James Graham is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter. His recent TV credits include Sherwood, Quiz and Brexit: the Uncivil War. James’ previous collaborations with Jeremy Herrin include This House and the Olivier Award-winning Labour of Love. 

Further information on the West End transfer will be announced shortly. http://www.bestofenemiesplay.com/

Ockham’s Razor tour new outdoor performance,
Public, about ownership of public space
Saturday 7th May – 20th August 2022

Renowned circus company Ockham’s Razor (This Time, Belly of the Whale, Tipping Point) will take their new outdoor performance Public on tour this summer. Known for their aerial theatre performances, blending contemporary circus and visual theatre, Ockham’s Razor’s new production explores the use and ownership of public space.

Urban public space has become increasingly overwhelmed by corporations, from privately owned shopping centres to transport hubs. In this privatised, built-up landscape, there is less and less space for young people to take up public space. Play becomes a risky and subversive act. Public will see the company respond to and move through the area they perform in – using the architecture of the buildings and street furniture as the world around them becomes their set.

Incorporating parkour, acrobatics, break dancing and folk and contemporary styles, the company will create a reality where they are unbridled and able to be without guard in a public arena. At the end of the show in each location, the company will unite together and Public will culminate in a final mass dance that anyone can join. The choreography will be shared on TikTok and YouTube to local community and youth groups beforehand.

This latest production from Ockham’s Razor is produced by Turtle Key Arts, in partnership with the National Centre for Circus Arts, and brings together composer Max Reinhardt (Oily Cart; Late Junction, BBC Radio 3); jazz musician Sarathy Korwar, who has collaborated with Kamasi Washington and Shabaka Hutchings and released music with Ninja Tune and The Leaf Label; and designer Tina Bicat, winner of The Critics’ Theatre Award for her work with Punchdrunk.

Charlotte Mooney, Artistic Director of Ockham’s Razor, comments, There is a rich tradition of dancing as a form of protest – in England, folk dance was used by agrarian workers as a way to take up public space to claim their rights and as an exhibition of power. More recently, dance has been used as part of protest across the US. Public looks at different forms of dance from communal folk to more vulnerable individual expression and movement, such as parkour and breaking, that can be seen as transgressive. It looks at dance as empowerment and asks who belongs in public space and what do we want our communal space to be for?

Public by Ockham’s Razors is produced by Turtle Key Arts, in partnership with National Centre of Circus Arts. It is commissioned and supported by NCCA, The Lowry, Salford, Circomedia and funded by Arts Council England

The show will star Phil Aizlewood as Walter McDonald, Roxana Bartle as Grace Burgess/Zilpha Lee, Isaac Beechey as John Shelby, Sam Blythe as Alfie Solomons, Angus Brown as Charles Sabini, James Bryant as an American Businessman, Craig Hamilton as Tommy Shelby, Kat Johns-Burke as Pearl St. Clair, Daniel Mackenzie-Carter as Michael Gray, Kieran Mortell as Arthur Shelby, Reece Richardson as Georgie Sewell, Elliot Rodriguez as Isiah Jesus, Megan Shandley as Lizzie Stark, Emma Stansfield as Polly Gray, Lucinda Turner as Ada Thorne, Hannah Victoria as Maggie Hill, Daisy Winter-Taylor as Phyllis Robbins.

PEAKY BLINDERS: THE RISE is an immersive theatrical show that places audiences in the heart of one of the world’s most popular TV series. Presented in collaboration with Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight and Caryn Mandabach Productions, you are invited to get dressed up and fully immersed in Tommy Shelby’s world. As the story unfolds you will experience live sets, unmissable character interactions, competitive game play and ultimately determine whether Tommy Shelby and his family succeed in their ambition to take London.

1921, London. Tommy has taken the northern racecourses and eliminated his opponent, Billy Kimber. He now has his sights set on a London expansion… 

With the approval of north London kingpin, Alfie Solomons, Tommy personally invites you to a family meeting at the Shelbys’ Camden warehouse. Tommy has a plan that could prove lucrative for everyone, and it promises to be a night of celebration. 

Whether you kick back in the Camden Garrison Pub with Arthur, advise Tommy on his business affairs in his office, or conspire with the Italians in the Eden Club, how the family meeting goes is for you to decide. However, you must keep your eyes open and your ear to the ground, Tommy’s enemies are closer than you think, and they may want to make you an offer you’ll find hard to refuse. 

But before you choose where your loyalties lie, get suited and booted ready for a night with the Peaky Blinders at the Camden Garrison. With three possible narrative outcomes, your decisions have consequences and directly affect the rise or the fall of the Shelby family.   

PEAKY BLINDERS: THE RISE is directed by Tom Maller, who is also Creative Director, set and costume designs are by Rebecca Brower, with a script by Katie Lyons, music by Barnaby Race, lighting design by Terry Cook for Woodroffe Bassett, sound design by Luke Swaffield for Autograph, dramaturgy by Raphael Martin, the Associate Director is Elena Voce and the Vocal and Accent Coach is Sarah McGuinness.

Peaky Blinders® © Caryn Mandabach Productions. All rights reserved. Licensed by Caryn Mandabach Productions.

NEW EARTH THEATRE ANNOUNCES RECIPIENT OF THE 2022 CONSTELLATION CREATIVES DRAMA STUDENT BURSARY

New Earth Theatre today announces that it has awarded the 2022 Constellation Creatives Drama Student Bursary to Ami Tredrea from LAMDA. Now in its tenth year, the bursary aims to encourage and promote greater participation and representation of British East and South East Asian (BESEA) actors on stage and screen. Tredrea will receive £1000 and a year’s subscription to Spotlight.

Ami Tredrea is a recent graduate of LAMDA. She recently made her professional stage debut in The 47th at the Old Vic. She will be performing in The Crucible at the National Theatre from September. Her television credits include Three Body Problem. 

This year, the judging panel included John Cannon (Casting Director, BBC), Bryony Jarvis-Taylor (Casting Director, National Theatre), Hannah Miller (Casting Director, RSC), Orion Lee (Actor and sponsor of the Bursary) and Kumiko Mendl (Artistic Director of New Earth Theatre). The Bursary is awarded by New Earth Theatre and provided by Orion Lee and Spotlight.

Artistic Director Kumiko Mendl today said: “I couldn’t be more thrilled that this year it goes to LAMDA graduate Ami Tredrea. Ami impressed the panel with her undoubted ability and passion and as a ‘hafu’ like myself, I am so pleased to see more space has opened up in the industry for actors like herself, certainly more than in my day! We eagerly look forward to seeing Ami’s next steps and her contribution to the ever-growing pool of BESEA talent.”

Ami Tredrea comments, “I am extremely grateful to New Earth Theatre for providing this bursary for ESEA graduates. Their support has emboldened me to persevere in this unpredictable career. New Earth Theatre has proven that there is a place for people like me in this industry and I wouldn’t have been so determined to pursue this career if it were not for them.”

NEW CAST ANNOUNCED FOR

THE OLIVIER, WHATSONSTAGE & BROADWAY WORLD ‘BEST NEW MUSICAL’

BACK TO THE FUTURE THE MUSICAL

AT THE ADELPHI THEATRE

IN LONDON’S WEST END

Colin Ingram, together with Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, the creators of the Back To The Future film trilogy, are delighted to announce a new cast for  BACK TO THE FUTURE The Musical from 17 August 2022, as the show goes into it’s second year at the Adelphi Theatre in London’s West End, currently booking to 12 February 2023. The critically acclaimed Olivier, WhatsOnStage and Broadway World Award-winning Best New Musical had its opening night in London on Monday 13 September 2021 and will open on Broadway in 2023 with further plans to rollout internationally.

Ben Joyce, a recent graduate of Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, who made his professional debut last year as Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys in the West End, will play Marty McFly, joining Tony Award-winning Roger Bart who continues in the role of Dr Emmett Brown. Amber Davies (9 to 5 in the West End and Bring it On: The Musical, UK tour) will play Lorraine Baines McFly, Oliver Nicholas (All Kinds of Limbo, Sundowning & Museum of Austerity for the National Theatre) will play George McFly, Jordan Benjamin (Hairspray at the London Coliseum) will play Goldie Wilson, Harry Jobson (2022 graduate of The Urdang Academy) will play Biff Tannen, Sophie Naglik (The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, UK and Ireland tour) will play Jennifer Parker and Gary Trainor (Dewey Finn in School of Rock, West End and USA tour, Beautiful, West End, I Can’t Sing, West End) will play Strickland. Will Haswell will continue as alternate Marty McFly and Dave McFly and Emma Lloyd will continue as Linda McFly.

New to the ensemble will be Simeon Beckett, Sia Dauda, Tyler Davis, Glen Facey, Dylan Gordon-Jones, Adam Margilewski, Bryan Mottram, Anna Murray, Jon Reynolds, Georgia Tapp and Charley Warburton, joining Amy Barker, Cameron McAllister, Alessia McDermott, Laura Mullowney, Melissa Rose, Justin Thomas and Tavio Wright.

The Original Cast Recording, released on Sony Music’s Masterworks Broadway label, is now available and has had over 3 million streams. It features the new music by multi-Grammy Award-winners Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard alongside classic songs from the movie including The Power of Love and Johnny B. Goode. 

BACK TO THE FUTURE The Musical won the Olivier Award for Best New Musical, four WhatsOnStage Awards, including Best New Musical, and the Broadway World Award for Best New Musical. The productions in London and Manchester have so far been seen by half a million people and the musical has broken box office records at the Adelphi Theatre.

Based on the Universal Pictures/Amblin Entertainment film, BACK TO THE FUTURE The Musical has a book by Bob Gale and new music and lyrics by Emmy and Grammy Award-winning Alan Silvestri and six-time Grammy Award-winning Glen Ballard, with additional songs from the film including The Power of Love and Johnny B. Goode.

Marty McFly is a rock ‘n’ roll teenager who is accidentally transported back to 1955 in a time-travelling DeLorean invented by his friend, Dr Emmett Brown.  But before he can return to 1985, Marty must make sure his high school-aged parents fall in love in order to save his own existence.

BACK TO THE FUTURE The Musical is directed by Tony Award-winning director John Rando (Urinetown, On The Town), alongside the multi Tony and Olivier Award-winning design team of Tim Hatley (set and costume design), Tim Lutkin (lighting), Hugh Vanstone (lighting consultant), Gareth Owen (sound) and Finn Ross (video), with choreography by Chris Bailey, musical supervision and arrangements by Nick Finlow and Illusions by Chris Fisher. Orchestrations are by Ethan Popp and Bryan Crook, with dance arrangements by David Chase. Casting is by David Grindrod Associates.

Back to the Future the movie was released in 1985, starring Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly and Christopher Lloyd as Dr Emmett Brown. The film grossed $360.6 million (£279 million) at the box office worldwide and the total box office for all three films in the Back to the Future franchise was $936.6 million (over $1.8 billion in today’s money).

BACK TO THE FUTURE The Musical is produced by Colin Ingram, Donovan Mannato, Frankel/Viertel/Baruch/Routh Group, Hunter Arnold, Gavin Kalin Productions, Playing Field, Crush Music, CJ ENM, Teresa Tsai, Ivy Herman/Hallee Adelman, Robert L. Hutt, Universal Theatrical Group, Ricardo Marques, Augury, Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale, in association with Kimberly Magarro, Stage Entertainment, Glass Half Full Productions/ Neil Gooding Productions.

Website: BackToTheFutureMusical.com   

Twitter: @BTTFmusical

Instagram: @BTTFmusical      

LISTINGS INFORMATION

BACK TO THE FUTURE The Musical
Adelphi Theatre
Strand
Covent Garden
London WC2R 0NS

Current booking period to 12 February 2023

Performances:

Mondays, Wednesdays – Saturdays at 7.30pm, Thursday & Saturday matinees at 2.30pm, Sundays at 3pm (Please note, there will be additional matinees at 2.30pm on Wednesday 19 July and Friday 21 October and no weekday matinee w/c 10 October)

N.B  Sunday 11 September will be a signed performance, Sunday 2 October 2022 will be an audio described performance and Wednesday 9 November will be a captioned performance.

Tickets: from £19.55

Please book via the website: BackToTheFutureMusical.com – no booking fees  

Booking line: 0203 925 2998

Christmas 2022/23 Performance Schedule

Sunday 18 December                1pm & 6pm

Monday 19 December               No performance

Tuesday 20 December               2.30pm & 7.30pm

Wednesday 21 December          2.30pm & 7.30pm         

Thursday 22 December              2.30pm & 7.30pm

Friday 23 December                  7.30pm

Saturday 24 December              2.30pm

Sunday 25 December                No performance

Monday 26 December               No performance

Tuesday 27 December               No performance

Wednesday 28 December          2.30pm & 7.30pm         

Thursday 29 December              2.30pm & 7.30pm

Friday 30 December                  7.30pm

Saturday 31 December              2.30pm

Sunday 1 January                      No performance

Monday 2 January                     2.30pm & 7.30pm

JOHN ALTMAN JOINS

TODD CARTY AND GWYNETH STRONG
AS FULL CAST IS ANNOUNCED FOR THE
70^TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR OF

THE MOUSETRAP

THE WORLD’S LONGEST RUNNING PLAY

Agatha Christie’s iconic thriller will tour to over 70 theatres throughout the UK and Ireland from September 2022

MousetrapOnTour.co.uk

Full casting is announced for the 70^th Anniversary tour of The Mousetrap, the longest running play in the world, which will visit over 70 venues throughout the UK and Ireland from this September.

Joining the previously announced Todd Carty (EastEnders, Grange Hill, Dancing on Ice) as Major Metcalf and Gwyneth Strong (Only Fools and Horses, EastEnders) as Mrs. Boyle will be fellow EastEnders actor John Altman as Mr. Paravicini, Joelle Dyson (Dreamgirls, Funny Girl) as Mollie Ralston, Laurence Pears (Magic Goes Wrong) as Giles Ralston, Elliot Clay as Christopher Wren (The Mousetrap in London), Essie Barrow (The Mousetrap in London) as Miss Casewell, and Joseph Reed (The Nobodies) as Detective Sgt. Trotter.

The genre-defining murder mystery from Agatha Christie, the world’s best-selling novelist of all time, will open at the Theatre Royal Nottingham, where it held its original world premiere in 1952. The iconic thriller will then visit over 70 venues across the country, including all cities to which it originally played 70 years ago, plus many more.

This 70^th Anniversary tour marks the first of many ways that The Mousetrap will be celebrating its extraordinary milestone year.

Following its 1952 premiere touring production, The Mousetrap opened in the West End where still to this day, it continues its record-breaking engagement at the St Martin’s Theatre having been performed there over 28,500 times, selling over 10 million tickets.

Opening at Theatre Royal Nottingham on 27 September 2022, the 70^th Anniversary tour of The Mousetrap will visit Dublin, Cork, Brighton, Birmingham, Liverpool, Oxford, Bath, Manchester,Norwich, Malvern, Newcastle, Coventry, Southampton, York, Cardiff, Plymouth, Lichfield, Stoke-on-Trent, Woking, Perth, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Cheltenham, Milton Keynes, Sheffield, Inverness, Aberdeen, Blackpool, Hereford, Chelmsford, Dundee, Derby, Bristol, Leeds, Cambridge, Torquay, Buxton, Swansea, Northampton, Truro, Peterborough, King’s Lynn, Guildford, New Brighton, Bromley, and Hastings, continuing throughout 2023 with further venues into 2024 to be announced in due course.

A full tour schedule, further information, theatre listings and ticket purchase through the website MousetrapOnTour.co.uk

As news spreads of a murder in London, a group of seven strangers find themselves snowed in at Monkswell Manor, a remote countryside guesthouse. When a police sergeant arrives, the guests discover – to their horror – that a killer is in their midst. One by one, the suspicious characters reveal their sordid pasts. Which one is the murderer? Who will be their next victim?

The Mousetrap is produced by Adam Spiegel & Sir Stephen Waley-Cohen and Directed by Ian Talbot OBE.

For further information, see MousetrapOnTour.co.uk

Listings

From 27 September 2022

Running Time approximately 2hr 20mins

MousetrapOnTour.co.uk

ACTOR MICHAEL PARR WILL

STAR IN RITA, SUE & BOB TOO!

AT ST HELENS THEATRE ROYAL 

Best known as Emmerdale bad boy Ross Barton, the 

St Helens-born actor returns to hometown this Autumn 

Comedy play will run 8 November to 13 November 2022 

St Helens-born actor Michael Parr – best known for his role as an Emmerdale bad boy – is returning to his hometown this Autumn to star in raucous comedy Rita, Sue & Bob Too! 

It’s not just a return to his hometown, he will also revisit St Helens Theatre Royal to perform – Michael last appeared at the town centre venue when he appeared in Willy Russell’s iconic stage production Blood Brothers in 2005. 

Rita, Sue & Bob Too! will run at St Helens Theatre Royal between Tuesday 8 November and Sunday 13 November 2022. Tickets are on sale now from £18. The show is suitable for over 18s only. 

The hilarious comedy by Andrea Dunbar is based on the 1987 British film, and features a brilliantly funny script, impressive cast, and is bursting with all the best 80s music, taking audiences on a hilarious trip down memory lane through this cult classic. 

Michael will play the role of Bob. He will be joined by a fantastic cast including comedians Crissy Rock as Mother and Duggie Brown as Dad; and St Helens favourites Tori Hargreaves as Michelle; Olivia Sloyan as Sue; and Kay Nicholson as Rita. 

Crissy, Duggie, and Olivia reprise their roles of Mother, Dad, and Sue after appearing in the 2016 production of the show. 

Previous productions of the comedy at St Helens Theatre Royal proved massively popular, breaking box office records in 2011, 2012, 2015, and 2016. 

Rita, Sue & Bob Too! is a comedy, telling the gritty tale of love, lust, and the ultimate test of friendship. 

Rita and Sue are two working class girls from a run-down council estate who are about to finish their final year at school. In their spare time, they earn money babysitting for married couple Bob and Michelle. 

Behind Michelle’s back, Bob embarks on an affair with both Rita and Sue, who take it in turns with him in his car in the countryside. Michelle eventually finds out and leaves lothario Bob. When Bob later develops a preference for Rita, the two girls fall out but when Sue ends up in an abusive relationship, the trio are reunited. 

It’s a welcome return to St Helens for award-winning actor Michael Parr. 

After beginning his performing career aged 14, Michael was cast as Amahl in Amahl And The Night Visitors – and has since worked extensively across stage and screen in plays, musicals, TV, and feature films. He is best known for his award-winning portrayal of village bad boy and thug Ross Barton in ITV’s Emmerdale – a role which Michael maintains couldn’t be further from his own real-life personality. 

Michael is delighted to be performing in his hometown and returning to St Helens Theatre Royal, having last performed there in 2005 as Mickey in Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers. 

Michael commented: “St Helens Theatre Royal is where it all began for me really – this is where I realised that I wanted to be a professional actor. Being back here, it really does feel like things have come full circle, it’s a wonderful feeling. I can only hope that I can inspire someone the way I was all those years ago.” 

Rita, Sue & Bob Too! is brought to the stage by Regal Entertainments Ltd and directed by Chantelle Nolan, who is also Theatre Manager of St Helens Theatre Royal. 

Director and Theatre Manager Chantelle Nolan added: “This is a very exciting announcement for us – both the return of one of our most popular comedy productions, and for homegrown talent Michael Parr, who last performed on the St Helens Theatre Royal stage 17 years ago when he was just embarking on his successful acting career. He has since gone on to establish himself as a very accomplished and award-winning actor. I am sure that audiences will give Michael and our fantastic cast a very warm St Helens welcome.” 

Follow St Helens Theatre Royal on social media channels: 

Facebook:       www.facebook.com/St-Helens-Theatre-Royal 

Twitter:           @TheatreRoyalStH 

Instagram:      @TheatreRoyalStH 

SHOW LISTING 

RITA, SUE AND BOB TOO 

Date: Tuesday 8 November – Sunday 13 November 2022
Time: Various times
Tickets: From £18* 

*All prices are inclusive of a £1 per seat booking fee. Online bookings are subject to an additional 50p per seat online processing fee. 

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE: 

Tuesday 8 November 2022 – 7.30pm 

Wednesday 9 November 2022 – 7.30pm 

Thursday 10 November 2022 – 7.30pm 

Friday 11 November 2022 – 7.30pm 

Saturday 12 November 2022 – 3pm / 8pm 

Sunday 13 November 2022 – 6pm 

THEATRE ROYAL BOOKING DETAILS  

ST HELENS THEATRE ROYAL 

Corporation Street, St Helens, Merseyside 

WA10 1LQ 

Telephone ticket booking line 01744 756000, lines open Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm. 

Book online at www.sthelenstheatreroyal.com 

Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield – until 16 July 2022

Reviewed by Kirsty Thomson

5*****

The Play That Goes Wrong is a hilarious slapstick comedy performance about members of the ‘Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society’ who put on a murder mystery performance of ‘Murder at Haversham Manor’ where everything that could possibly go wrong, does. The comedy begins before the show even starts, with the stage management team from ‘Cornley Polytechnic’ running around the auditorium trying to find a lost dog needed for the show.

The ‘Murder at Haversham Manor’ is chaotic from start to finish with arguments upon stage between the actors, the set falling apart and knocking people unconscious, props falling off the walls and having to be held up, lines being forgotten, and tech team members having to take over the roles of the unconscious.

Each character has their own very different personality when on stage with Max Bennett (Edi De Melo) being incredibly excited to be on the stage and turning to the audience to grin after every entrance and every round of applause. Dennis Tyde (Damien James) on the other hand is far stiffer and more focused, constantly checking his hand for line prompts only to mispronounce the words he is reading.

The acting and audience engagement must be applauded but the true entertainment of the show comes from the set. Nigel Hook has done a sensational job with the set design. Everything from picture frames falling off the walls, doors not opening when they should, and a full set collapse, with no injuries to the cast, was truly impressive.

For me personally, the play is very relatable as it homes in on common aspects of amateur theatre that often go wrong such as line prompts being needed and props not being in the correct place. This was overly emphasised by a hilarious scene that had to be repeated 5 times as lines were incorrectly repeated, leading the dialogue to go round in circles, while the actors became progressively more frustrated.

The audience did not stop laughing while the actors attempted to hold on to their catastrophe of a murder mystery. If you are a fan of slapstick and very physical comedy then this show will not disappoint.

Theatre Royal, Brighton – until 16th July 

Reviewed by Sue Bradley

4****

Every theatre performance now starts with a request to silence your mobile phone. For this show, instead of the usual spoken announcement, we were treated to a witty and tuneful sung request which helped set the scene for what was to come.

Adapted from the hit movie of the same name, the show is built around Jenna, played by Chelsea Halfpenny (Casualty, Emmerdale). Jenna is a gifted baker, making fabulous pies with unusual names drawn from her personal life, like I Hate my Husband and Take me to the Moon pies, for her local and diner and pie shop. Stuck in an unhappy marriage to the graceless Earl, she feels she is going nowhere until the twin events of an unexpected pregnancy and falling in love with the local doctor set her on a course to a new life. 

Navigating these changes will not be easy but, with the support of her friends and colleagues and a certain amount of soul-searching, she eventually arrives at a satisfying and happy conclusion.
 
But this is not an angst-ridden show; it is feel-good right from the start. The entire cast weave in and out of the action with almost balletic precision, bringing humour and warmth. There are many pieces of visual ‘business’ that delight the eye and are executed so well that you cannot help but smile at how well it has all been done. Ogie, played by George Crawford, gave us some great clowning during his wonderfully choreographed number.

 Sarah Bareilles’ songs have witty and often moving lyrics, and are clever, tuneful, and sometimes surprisingly intricate. This is very sophisticated writing, masquerading as simple show tunes. 
 
The entire cast and on-stage band rise to the challenges of performing this kind of material – whether single voice or multi-part, the musicians and singers always created a harmonious backdrop that was completely relevant to the story. No mean feat. 
 
With an ensemble cast of this quality, it is difficult and almost irrelevant to highlight particular musical performances – everybody absolutely owned their part but if I had to single anyone out, Wendy Mae Brown (Casualty, Four Weddings and a Funeral) as Becky, has, arguably, the best voice, with I didn’t Plan It. Old Joe, played by Michael Starke (Brookside’s Sinbad) gets the most touching number with Take it from an Old Man and Chelsea’s She Used to be Mine is a stand-out ‘torch’ performance of a beautiful song.

The Set design is also worthy of mention – apparently simple but not minimalist, each scene was presented without unnecessary detail and the scene changes were achieved without fuss, largely by the cast, clearly showing how well rehearsed the whole production was.

One minor criticism – the sound, whilst never too loud, often lacked a little definition – it wasn’t that the band were too loud, nor the singers too quiet, it just felt like the sound was slightly veiled, making you have to strain sometimes to hear the words, although you could always hear the tune.

We were in a packed house on a Monday night, which should tell you something about how enjoyable this evening was. Although a simple story, it was told with wit and charm and, if you are a lover of musicals, this is a must see.