Month: September 2022

NEW 2023 DATES ADDED TO UK TOUR OF

AGATHA CHRISTIE’S THE MIRROR CRACK’D

STARRING SUSIE BLAKE, SOPHIE WARD & JOE McFADDEN

Original Theatre, in association with JAS Theatricals, is delighted to announce that their UK Tour of Agatha Christie’s THE MIRROR CRACK’D has been extended into 2023, with dates added in Cambridge, High Wycombe, Birmingham, Kingston and Aberdeen. The brand new production of Rachel Wagstaff’s acclaimed adaptation is directed by Philip Franks. The UK Tour opened on 9 September 2022 and has already received rave reviews.

THE MIRROR CRACK’D stars Susie Blake as Miss Marple, Sophie Ward as Marina Gregg, Joe McFadden as Jason Rudd, Oliver Boot as Chief Inspector Craddock, Veronica Roberts as Dolly Bantry, Mara Allen as Cherry Baker, Sarah Lawrie as Ella Zielinsky, Lorenzo Martelli as Guiseppe Renzo, Jules Melvin as Heather Leigh, David Partridge as Cyril Leigh, Chrystine Symone as Lola Brewster and Holly Smith in the ensemble.

In 1960s England, a wind of change is blowing through the land. It has even reached the sleepy village of St Mary Mead. There’s a new housing estate, which alarms the villagers as much as it intrigues them and, even more unsettling, a rich American film star has bought the manor house. Jane Marple, confined to a chair after an accident, is wondering if life has passed her by. Then there is a shocking murder, and Miss Marple must unravel a web of lies, danger and tragedy. This adaptation of Agatha Christie’s famous novel brings real emotional depth and psychological insight to a thrilling story of secrets, loss and revenge.

The Mirror Crack’d From Side to Side was published in the UK in 1962 and adapted as a feature film, The Mirror Crack’d, in 1980, starring Angela Lansbury as Miss Marple, Elizabeth Taylor, Kim Novak, Rock Hudson and Tony Curtis.  On television, adaptations of the novel have starred Joan Hickson as Miss Marple in 1992 and Julia McKenzie as Miss Marple in 2011.

Susie Blake is best known for playing the Continuity Announcer in Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV, as well as her regular roles of Bev Unwin in ITV’s Coronation Street and Hillary Nicholson in BBC’s Mrs Brown’s Boys. She has recently appeared in series one and two of Kate & Koji (ITV), Not Going Out (BBC One) and The Real Marigold Hotel (BBC One). Her films include Fierce Creatures and Nativity 3: Dude, Where’s My Donkey?!. Her theatre credits include Fisherman’s Friends: The Musical (Hall for Cornwall), Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em (UK Tour), My Fair Lady (Grange Festival), Grumpy Old Women Live 2 & 3, When We Are Married (West End), Pygmalion (Chichester Festival Theatre), Madame Morrible in Wicked (West End) and Belinda Blair in Noises Off (National Theatre).

Sophie Ward has most recently been seen in the BBC‘s A Very British Scandal opposite Claire Foy and Paul Bettany, BBC/HBO Max’s Troubled Blood – an adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s hugely popular novel of the same name, and This Sceptred Isle, playing the role of Rachel Johnson, opposite Kenneth Branagh’s Boris Johnson.  For the past four years, Sophie has hosted the European Diversity Awards and works closely alongside Stonewall.

Joe McFadden’s television credits include Raffaello Di Lucca in Holby City from 2014 to 2020, Alistair in Casualty in 2009, PC Joe Mason in Heartbeat from 2007 to 2009, Jack Marshland in Cranford, Dallas in Sex, Chips & Rock’n’roll, Prentice McHoan in The Crow Road and Gary McDonald in The High Road.  Theatre includes Priscilla-Queen Of The Desert, Torch Song Trilogy (Menier Chocolate Factory), She Loves Me (Chichester Festival Theatre), Rainbow Kiss (Royal Court Theatre), How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying (Chichester Festival Theatre), Aladdin (Old Vic Theatre) and Rent (Shaftesbury Theatre, London).  Joe was the winner of Strictly Come Dancing in 2017.

THE MIRROR CRACK’D is directed by Philip Franks (Barnes’ People, The Haunting of Alice Bowles, The Habit of Art, The Croft and A Cold Supper Behind Harrods) and designed by Adrian Linford, with lighting design by Emma Chapman, sound design by Max Pappenheim and casting by Ellie Collyer-Bristow CDG.

The UK Tour is produced by Alastair Whatley and Tom Hackney for Original Theatre, in association with Joshua Andrews and Stuart Galbraith for JAS Theatricals. Original Theatre recently won a Critics’ Circle Award for their outstanding contribution to British Theatre during lockdown, through which they produced acclaimed online productions of Sebastian Faulks’s Birdsong Online, Louise Coulthard’s Watching Rosie, Torben Betts’s Apollo 13: The Dark Side of The Moon, Philip Franks’s The Haunting of Alice Bowles and Peter Barnes’s Barnes’ People.  More recently, they have produced stage and hybrid productions ranging from world premieres of Frazer Flintham’s Into The Night to Ben Brown’s The End of The Night at Park Theatre, as well as tours of The Hound of The Baskervilles, Being Mr Wickham, The System, A Splinter of Ice, The Habit of Art, Invincible and Birdsong. They recently produced a new playwriting festival ‘Originals’ in partnership with Riverside Studios, which opened at the end of June in London and online. JAS Theatricals recently produced the highly successful UK Tour of Cluedo and their other co-producing credits include 9 to 5 and Pretty Woman in the West End and the Tony Award-winning Hadestown on Broadway.

Website: www.originaltheatre.com

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram: @MissMarpleTour / @OriginalTheatre

TOUR SCHEDULE

2022

9 – 17 September                    Eastbourne Devonshire Park                      01323 412000

                                                 www.eastbournetheatres.co.uk                                              

20 – 24 September                  Darlington Hippodrome                               01325 405405

                                                 www.darlingtonhippodrome.co.uk                                              

27 September – 1 October       Cheltenham Everyman Theatre                  01242 572573

                                                  everymantheatre.org.uk                                                                         

4 – 8 October                           York Theatre Royal                                      01904 623568

                                                 www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk                                              

10 – 15 October                       Oxford Playhouse                                        01865 305305

                                                 Oxfordplayhouse.com                                              

17 – 22 October                       Mold Theatr Clwyd                                       01352 344101

                                                 www.theatrclwyd.com                                              

31 October – 5 November        Northampton Royal & Derngate                  01604 624811

                                                 royalandderngate.co.uk                                                                           

8 – 12 November                     Norwich Theatre Royal                                 01603 630000

                                                 norwichtheatre.org                                              

14 – 19 November                   Malvern Festival Theatre                              01684 892277

                                                 www.malvern-theatres.co.uk

22 – 26 November                   Bromley Churchill Theatre                            0343 310 0020

                                                 churchilltheatre.co.uk                                                   

28 November – 3 December     Southend Palace Theatre                            0343 310 0030

                                                 palacetheatresouthend.co.uk

2023

31 January – 4 February          Cambridge Arts Theatre                                01223 503333

                                                  www.cambridgeartstheatre.com                   on sale soon

7 – 11 February                       Wycombe Swan, High Wycombe                   03433 100060

                                                 wycombeswan.co.uk                                     on sale

14 – 18 February                     Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham                     0844 871 7615*

                                                www.atgtickets.com/birmingham                     on sale 30 September

21 – 25 February                     Rose Theatre, Kingston                                  020 8174 0090

                                                 rosetheatre.org                                               on sale 26 September

28 February – 4 March             His Majesty’s Aberdeen                                 01224 641122

                                                 aberdeenperformingarts.com                         on sale 30 September

*Calls cost 7p per minute plus your phone company’s access charge

ACCLAIMED NEW MUSICAL THE DRIFTERS GIRL

ANNOUNCES FIRST UK TOUR DATES

Hit songs include Stand By Me, Saturday Night at the Movies,

Under The Boardwalk, Save The Last Dance For Me

and Kissin’ in the Back Row of the Movies

www.thedriftersgirl.com

Michael Harrison and David Ian are today delighted to announce the first 2023 / ’24 tour dates for The Drifters Girl, the new musical which tells the remarkable story of one of the world’s greatest vocal groups and the woman who made them.

Having thrilled audiences at the Garrick Theatre in London’s West End since November 2021 (where it played following a triumphant run at Newcastle’s Theatre Royal earlier that autumn), the tour will begin at the Mayflower Theatre, Southampton, on Tuesday 12^th September 2023.

The musical, which has played to packed houses and nightly standing ovations, then goes on to visit: Theatre Royal, Norwich; Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield; Alhambra Theatre, Bradford; Opera House, Manchester; Milton Keynes Theatre, Milton Keynes; Curve Theatre, Leicester; Cliffs Pavilion, Southend; Theatre Royal, Newcastle; New Victoria Theatre, Woking; Orchard Theatre, Dartford; Bristol Hippodrome, Bristol. Further dates for 2024 are to be announced.

Telling the remarkable story of The Drifters, one of the world’s greatest vocal groups, and the truth about the woman who made them. Faye Treadwell is the legendary manager of The Drifters who fought for three decades alongside her husband (George Treadwell) to turn Atlantic Records’ hottest vocal group into a global phenomenon.

From the highs of hit records and sell-out tours to the lows of legal battles and personal tragedy, The Drifters Girl charts the trailblazing efforts of the world’s first African American female music manager and how she refused to ever give up on the group she loved. Thirty years and hundreds of hit songs later, there is no doubt that Faye Treadwell was and always will be, The Drifters Girl.

The Drifters Girl boasts an incredible soundtrack of some of the most famous songs in history, including Save The Last Dance For Me,Under The Boardwalk, Kissin In The Back Row Of The Movies, Stand By Me, Come On Over To My Place, Saturday Night At The Movies and many more.

The Drifters Girl, with abook by Ed Curtis, is based on an idea by Tina Treadwell, and is co-created by Beverley Knight, Adam J Bernard, Tarinn Callender, Matt Henry and Tosh Wanogho-Maud. It is directed by Jonathan Church. Set design is by Anthony Ward, choreography by Karen Bruce, costume design by Fay Fullerton, orchestrations and musical supervision by Chris Egan, lighting design by Ben Cracknell, sound design by Tom Marshall and video design by Andrzej Goulding. Casting is by Stuart Burt.

The touring production’s cast is to be announced.

The Drifters Girl is produced by Michael Harrison and David Ian.

For further information, please see www.thedriftersgirl.com

Social Media

FACEBOOK @thedriftersgirl 

TWITTER @thedriftersgirl

INSTAGRAM @thedriftersgirlmusical

www.storyhousepr.co.uk

The Drifters Girl 2023 /2024 Tour Dates

2023

Tue 12^th – Sat 16^th Sept    Box Office: 023 8071 1811

Mayflower Theatre, Southampton    www.mayflower.org.uk

On General Sale Soon

Tue 19^th – Sat 23^rd Sept     Box Office: 01603 630 000

Theatre Royal, Norwich     www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk

On General Sale Soon      

Tue 26^th – Sat 30^th Sept           Box Office: 0114 249 6000

Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield      www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk

On General Sale Soon 

Tue 3^rd – Sat 7^th Oct     Box Office: 01274 432000 

Alhambra Theatre, Bradford   www.bradford-theatres.co.uk

On General Sale Soon 

Tue 10^th – Sat 14^th Oct    Box Office: 0844 871 3019

Opera House, Manchester       www.atgtickets.com/venues/palace-theatre-manchester

On General Sale Soon

Tue 24^th – Sat 28^th Oct    Box Office: 0844 871 7652

Milton Keynes Theatre    www.atgtickets.com/venues/milton-keynes-theatre

On General Sale Soon 

Tue 31^st Oct – Sat 4^th Nov    Box Office: 0116 242 3595

Curve Theatre, Leicester     www.curveonline.co.uk

On General Sale Soon 

Tue 7^th – Sat 11^th Nov     Box Office: 01702 351135

Cliffs Pavilion Southend     www.thecliffspavilion.co.uk

On General Sale Soon 

Tue 14^th – Sat 18^th Nov     Box Office: 08448 11 21 21

Theatre Royal, Newcastle    www.theatreroyal.co.uk

On General Sale Soon 

Tue 21^st – Sat 25^th Nov    Box Office: 0844 871 7645

New Victoria Theatre, Woking   www.atgtickets.com/venues/new-victoria-theatre

On General Sale Soon 

Tue 28^th Nov – Sat 2^nd Dec      Box Office: 01322 220000     

Orchard Theatre, Dartford    www.orchardtheatre.co.uk

On General Sale Soon 

2024

Tue 9^th – Sat 13^th Jan    Box Office: 03330 096 690

Bristol Hippodrome    www.atgtickets.com/venues/bristol-hippodrome

On General Sale Soon 

MENIER CHOCOLATE FACTORY ANNOUNCES NEW SEASON FOR 2022/2023

The Menier Chocolate Factory today announces programming for its Autumn 2022/Spring 2023 season.

The season opens in November with the world première of Terry Johnson’s new play The Sex Party, which Johnson also directs. This is followed by Alex Edelman – Just For Us, after a smash-hit sell-out extended season in New York. Completing the season is the UK première of Jordan Harrison’s Marjorie Prime, directed by Dominic Dromgoole, presented in a co-production with Rachel Edwards Productions.

Later this year, the Menier’s Olivier Award-winning production of Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along, with Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez, directed by Maria Friedman, opens at the New York Theatre Workshop. Also in Spring 2023, the Menier and Umeda Arts Theater’s co-production of Stephen Sondheim’s Pacific Overtures – directed by Matthew White – will open at the Nissay Theatre in Tokyo, with a later transfer planned to the Chocolate Factory.

Artistic Director of the Menier, David Babani said today, “After our first dark period in 18 years of production whilst the venue underwent necessary maintenance work, we are thrilled to announce our new season of work with the world première of a new play by Terry Johnson, Alex Edelman’s smash hit comedy show Just For Us, and completing the season at our home base is the UK première of Jordan Harrison’s Marjorie Prime, directed by Dominic Dromgoole. In addition, the Menier will be co-producing work in New York and Japan, continuing the company’s long association with the works of Stephen Sondheim with productions of Merrily We Roll Along and Pacific Overtures. It’s a busy season for the company, and we look forward to sharing further plans for 2023 with you shortly.”

Priority booking for The Sex Party opens today, with public booking opening on 3 October at 9am. Booking for Alex Edelman – Just For Us and Marjorie Prime will open at a later date.

The world première of

THE SEX PARTY

Written and Directed by Terry Johnson

4 November 2022 – 7 January 2023

Designer: Tim Shortall;Lighting: Ben Ormerod; Sound: John Leonard

Four couples gather in a suburban London home for an evening of wine, cheese, and more intimate pleasures. Some are curious, some are more familiar, and one is rather unexpected. Thus a promising evening is poised to go beyond anyone’s expectations.

The world première of this play by Terry Johnson similarly promises to surprise, perhaps shock, and most certainly entertain!

As a playwright, Terry Johnson’s work includes Dead Funny, Prism and Ken (Hampstead Theatre), Insignificance, Cries from the Mammal House, Hysteria (Olivier Award for Best Comedy), Piano/Forte, Hitchcock Blonde (Royal Court Theatre), The Graduate (West End and Broadway), Mrs Henderson Presents (West End and Toronto), Cleo, Camping, Emmanuelle and Dick (Olivier Award for Best Comedy) and The London Cuckolds (National Theatre). His directing credits include La Cage aux Folles (Menier, West End and Broadway; Tony Awards for Best Director of a Musical and Best Revival of a Musical; Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival and Critics’ Circle Best Musical Award); Rookery Nook (Menier);  Oh! What a Lovely War, Fings Ain’t What They Used T’Be (Theatre Royal Stratford East; marking the 50th Anniversary of Joan Littlewood’s Theatre Workshop), The Libertine (West End and Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago) and Dumb Show (Royal Court Theatre). West End and Broadway directing credits also include The Duck House, End of the Rainbow, The Prisoner of Second Avenue, The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, Rain Man, Whipping It Up, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Entertaining Mr Sloane and Elton John’s Glasses. His work for television includes Not Only But Always (Channel 4, which won five International Award nominations, Best Film at Banff and the Best Actor Bafta for Rhys Ifans), The Man Who Lost His Head (ITV), Cor, Blimey! (ITV) and The Bite for the BBC and ABC Australia. Nicholas Roeg’s film of Insignificance was the official British Entry at Cannes in 1985. His plays have won him  the Playwright of the Year Award 1995, Critics’ Circle Best New Play Award 1995, The League of American Theatres and Producers Best Touring Play Awards 2001, plus two Evening Standard Theatre Awards, two Writers Guild Best Play Awards, Time Out Best Play Award, the Mayer-Whitworth Award and the John Whiting Award. 

ALEX EDELMAN – JUST FOR US

11 January – 26 February

Director: Adam Brace

Just For Us takes the audience through hilarious anecdotes from Alex Edelman’s life — his Olympian brother AJ, an unconventional holiday season, and a gorilla that can do sign language — but at its centre is an astonishing and frighteningly relevant story. After a string of anti-Semitic abuse is directed at Edelman online, he decides to covertly attend a gathering of White Nationalists in New York City and comes face to face with the people behind the keyboards. The result is a hair-raising encounter that gives Just For Us its title and final, jaw-dropping twist.

The production reunites Edelman with director Adam Brace – who have collaborated since 2014.

Presented in New York by Mike Birbiglia, the production was an NY Times critic’s pick; and received 2022 Drama Desk, Off-Broadway Alliance and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations.

Alex Edelman is a comedian and writer whose Orthodox Jewish upbringing has informed critically and commercially acclaimed work for the stage and screen. He is known both for his solo shows – three, all award-winning, sell-out hits in London’s West End and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival – and for his TV writing. At the start of the pandemic, he served as the head writer and executive producer of Saturday Night Seder, a star studded 70-minute special, posted on YouTube, that has so far raised $3.5 million for the CDC Foundation (COVID-19) Emergency Response Fund.

Adam Brace directs. He is Associate Director at Soho Theatre where he works across comedy, theatre and performance Art and in roles spanning dramaturg, director and writer. In comedy he has developed a varied range of work including 8 Edinburgh Comedy Award-nominated shows, 2 Herald Angel Award-winners, 2 nominees for the Melbourne Barry Award and 2 Southbank Sky Arts Awards. Directing credits include all of Alex Edelman’s shows, most recently Just For Us (Drama Desk Nominee 2022) currently extended six times Off-Broadway; Age is a Feeling by Haley McGee (Fringe First 2022, Soho Theatre this autumn); all of Sh!t Theatre’s multi-award-winning international shows. Other credits include Ahir Shah’s HBO Max special Dots and Creative Supervisor on two series of Soho Theatre Live on Amazon Prime. Previously he was a playwright and was produced by Almeida Theatre, the National Theatre and the Donmar Warehouse; his plays are published by Faber and Faber.

The Menier Chocolate Factory and Rachel Edwards Productions present

The UK première of

MARJORIE PRIME

By Jordan Harrison

9 March – 6 May

Director: Dominic Dromgoole                                      

In this richly spare, wondrous play, Jordan Harrison explores the mysteries of human identity and the limits — if any — of what technology can replace.

It’s the age of artificial intelligence, and 85-year-old Marjorie — a jumble of disparate, fading memories — has a handsome new companion who’s programmed to feed the story of her life back to her. What would we remember, and what would we forget, if given the chance?

Jordan Harrison was a 2015 Pulitzer Prize finalist for Marjorie Prime. The play premièred at the Mark Taper Forum/Center Theater Group in Los Angeles in September 2014 and had its New York premiere at Playwrights Horizons.

Jordan Harrison’s plays include Maple and Vine premièred in the 2011 Humana Festival at Actors Theatre of Louisville and went on to productions at American Conservatory Theatre and Playwrights Horizons, among others. Harrison’s other plays include The Grown-Up (2014 Humana Festival), Doris to Darlene (Playwrights Horizons), Amazons and their Men (Clubbed Thumb), Act A Lady (2006 Humana Festival), Finn in the Underworld (Berkeley Repertory Theatre), Futura (Portland Center Stage, NAATCO), Kid-Simple (2004 Humana Festival), Standing on Ceremony (Minetta Lane), The Museum Play (Washington Ensemble Theatre), and a musical, Suprema (O’Neill Music Theatre Conference). Harrison is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Hodder Fellowship, the Kesselring Prize, the Roe Green Award from Cleveland Play House, the Heideman Award, a Theater Masters Innovative Playwright Award, the Loewe Award for Musical Theater, Jerome and McKnight Fellowships, a NYSCA grant, and a NEA/TCG Residency with The Empty Space Theater. His children’s musical, The Flea and the Professor, won the Barrymore Award for Best Production after premièring at the Arden Theatre. A graduate of Stanford University and the Brown MFA program, Harrison is an alumnus of New Dramatists. He is an Affiliated Artist with Clubbed Thumb, The Civilians, and The Playwrights’ Center. Harrison wrote for the Netflix original series Orange is the New Black.

Dominic Dromgoole directs. He launched a new theatre company, Classic Spring, with Nica Burns of Nimax, which produced a year-long celebration of Oscar Wilde in 2017/18 directing the first play in the season, A Woman of No Importance, at the Vaudeville Theatre.Dromgoole was Artistic Director of Shakespeare’s Globe from 2006 to 2016. In that time the Globe grew into an international theatre of progressive ambition and radical scope. Amongst other projects, he created a UK-wide touring operation and grew this touring internationally, culminating in a two-year tour of Hamlet which travelled to every country in the world. In 2012, he directed the Globe to Globe Festival, which hosted companies from 37 different countries. He was previously Artistic Director of the Bush Theatre – during his tenure between 1990-1996 he nurtured upcoming talents by premiering 65 new plays from a host of now influential writers such as Billy Roche, Irvine Welsh and Naomi Wallace. He then moved onto the Oxford Stage Company which he ran from 1999 to 2005. He launched a new film company, Open Palm Films, and made his first feature, Making Noise Quietly, in the summer of 2016.  The film, released by an adaptation of Robert Holman’s play of the same name, starred Deborah Findlay, Barbara Marten, Trystan Gravelle and Matthew Tennyson, and was released by Verve in 2019. He is also the author of The Full Room: An A-Z of Contemporary Playwriting and of Will and Me: How Shakespeare Took Over My Life, which won the inaugural Sheridan Morley award. His latest book, Hamlet: Globe to Globe, was published by Canongate in 2017.

LISTINGS INFORMATION

MENIER CHOCOLATE FACTORY

53 Southwark Street, London, SE1 1RU

THE SEX PARTY

4 November 2022 – 7 January 2023

Evening performances at 7.30pm, matinees at 3pm

ALEX EDELMAN – JUST FOR US

11January – 26 February

Evening performances at 8pm, matinees at 3pm

MARJORIE PRIME

9 March – 6 May

Evening performances at 8pm, matinees at 3pm

Box Office:                         020 7378 1713 (£2.50 transaction fee per booking)

Website:                             www.menierchocolatefactory.com (£1.50 transaction fee per booking)

Tickets:                               Prices vary, as below from discounted preview tickets to premier seats. With the emphasis on ‘the sooner you book, the better the price’:

Please note at this time the restaurant is unable to open due to circumstances beyond the company’s control.

www.menierchocolatefactory.com

Twitter: @MenChocFactory

Instagram: @menierchocolatefactory

Berk’s Nest and Nick Mohammed in association with United Agents present…

FULL CAST ANNOUNCED FOR

A CHRISTMAS CAROL-ISH… BY MR. SWALLOW

ACCLAIMED ACTRESS SARAH HADLAND JOINS NICK MOHAMMED, KIERAN HODGSON & DAVID ELMS 

Berk’s Nest today announces the full cast for A Christmas Carol-ish as critically acclaimed actress Sarah Hadland joins Mr Swallow (writer/star and double Emmy award nominee Nick Mohammed) and co. The show begins previews on 7^th December and will conclude its limited run on 23^rd December. Tickets have been in huge demand with many dates already down to the last few remaining!  All tickets available from sohotheatre.com. 

Sarah Hadland joins the castas lounge singer Rochelle and is an acclaimed TV, film, and theatre actress, best known for her role as Stevie Sutton in the BAFTA-nominated Miranda (BBC). Theatre appearances include Noises Off (Garrick Theatre), Dance Nation (Almeida Theatre), and Admissions (Trafalgar Studios). On Television, Sarah has also starred in The Man Who Fell To Earth (CBS), Hang Ups (Channel 4), The Job Lot (ITV), Horrible Histories (BBC), Inside No. 9 (BBC), W1A (BBC), and That Mitchell and Webb Look (BBC). Film appearances include Horrible Histories: The Movie, Quantum of Solace, and Burton & Taylor.

Nick Mohammed said: “It’s such an utter thrill to be working with Sarah again. She has that formidable quality of bringing such solid truth and emotion to whatever character she inhabits whilst never holding back on her proper funny bones. It’s also a delight and genuine shock to be finally working with someone a notch shorter than me! We can’t wait to release Rochelle Kelly into Mr. Swallow’s world and to wreak more havoc!”

The character of Mr. Swallow is one of the country’s most popular / irritating comedy creations and is the brainchild of Nick Mohammed – one of the UK’s most celebrated comedians, actors and writers. Nick has received feverish critical acclaim for previous Mr. Swallow shows Dracula! Houdini, and The Vanishing Elephant and has skilfully transferred this success to the small screen. Nick has wowed audiences as Mr. Swallow multiple times on Channel 4’s Cats Does Countdown, with clips of the performances quickly going viral – viewing figures for the clip of Mr. Swallow’s Jurassic Park rendition stand at over 9 million on Facebook whilst the clip of him memorising cards has been viewed over 12 million times! He also appeared as Mr. Swallow in Amazon’s hugely successful new series Backstage With Katherine Ryan, wowing Jimmy Carr with his sleight of hand.  Outside of his work as Mr. Swallow, Nick Mohammed is a double Emmy-nominated actor, comedian and writer who stars as the regular fan-favourite role of Nate in Apple TV+’s smash-hit, multi-Emmy award-winning series – Ted Lasso – opposite Jason Sudeikis, Brett Goldstein and Hannah Waddingham. Seasons One and Two were hugely critically acclaimed, showered with awards and nominations and beloved by audiences globally. The second season received 20 nominations at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards, including Nick’s second nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series. The show went on to win four awards, including Outstanding Comedy Series, acting awards for Sudeikis and Goldstein, and a directing award for MJ Delaney. Season Three is currently filming and is set to be released later this year.

Three-time Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee Kieran Hodgson will return as Mr. Swallow’s put-upon cast member Jonathan. Hodgson is an acclaimed actor, writer and comedian and has played series regular Gordon in three series of the smash hit BBC2 sitcom Two Doors Down. Kieran has filmed two critically acclaimed specials for Channel 4 – How Europe Stole My Mum and How We Forgot to Save The Planet. Other credits include Lovesickand The Irregulars for Netflix as well as indie hit feature, All My Friends Hate Me; See How They Run, which can be seen in cinemas now; and the upcoming tentpole feature, The Flash. Kieran is currently working on Prince Andrew: The Musical, which he has written and will star in, for Channel 4. He recently co-wrote a feature for Fox Searchlight and is currently working on another. 

David Elms rounds out the cast as the piqued Mr. Goldsmith, having played the role alongside Mr. Swallow in Dracula! and Houdini, and on Harry Hill’s Clubnite (C4). Elms  is an actor, improviser, writer and stand-up comedian, and the winner of the Musical Comedy Awards in 2014. His short film SWAG won Best Foreign Short at The LA Indie Film Festival in 2015. He has been well received at the Fringe with solo shows ‘Nurture Boy’ (2014) ‘Mister Boy'(2015) and ‘Goody Boy’ (2016) as well as for roles in hit shows ‘Mr Swallow The Musical’ and ‘Adam Riches is Coach Coach’. He made his TV acting debut in August 2016 as series regular Clive in both seasons of Channel 5’s semi-improvised sitcom ‘Borderline’, to critical acclaim.          

A Christmas Carol-ish’s creative team includes director Matt Peover (Jayde Adams: Serious Black Jumper, UK Tour & Amazon Prime Special; Good Girl, Trafalgar Studios; Nina Conti In Therapy), set & costume design from Tony and Olivier-nominated Fly Davis (Ocean at the End of the Lane, Duke of Yorks West End, Henry V, Donmar Warehouse), and lighting design from Richard Howell (Closer, Lyric Hammersmith; Glengarry Glen Ross, Playhouse Theatre; Coriolanus, RSC / Barbican).      Composer Oliver Birch (I Want My Hat Back, National Theatre; Sleeping Beauty, Leeds Playhouse), Music Supervisor Freddie Tapner (London Musical Theatre Orchestra; A Christmas Carol, Lyceum Theatre West End), and Choreographer Emily Holt (The Entertainer, Curve Theatre/UK Tour; The Wipers Times, The Watermill/Arts Theatre/UK Tour) all return having previously worked on Mr. Swallow shows Dracula! and Houdini. Owen Donovan produces for Berk’s Nest (Richard Gadd: Monkey See Monkey Do, Rose Matafeo: Horndog, Kieran Hodgson: ‘75).

Praise for Mr. Swallow: 

“One of the most incontrovertibly hilarious hours in town.” ★★★★★ The Guardian

“Split-your-sides hilarious.” ★★★★★ Evening Standard

“Monstrously funny.” ★★★★★ Metro

“Comic perfection.” ★★★★★ The Stage

AGE RECOMMENDATION: 10+
RUNNING TIME: 80mins
     

LISTINGS: 

07.12.22                                LONDON, SOHO THEATRE – PREVIEW, 7PM 

08.12.22                                LONDON, SOHO THEATRE – PREVIEW, 3PM MATINEE

08.12.22                                LONDON, SOHO THEATRE – 7PM 

09.12.22                                LONDON, SOHO THEATRE – 7PM

10.12.22                                LONDON, SOHO THEATRE – 3PM MATINEE

10.12.22                                LONDON, SOHO THEATRE – 7PM

12.12.22                                LONDON, SOHO THEATRE – 7PM

13.12.22                                LONDON, SOHO THEATRE – 7PM

14.12.22                                LONDON, SOHO THEATRE – 7PM

15.12.22                                LONDON, SOHO THEATRE – 3PM MATINEE

15.12.22                                LONDON, SOHO THEATRE – 7PM

16.12.22                                LONDON, SOHO THEATRE – 7PM

17.12.22                                LONDON, SOHO THEATRE – 3PM MATINEE

17.12.22                                LONDON, SOHO THEATRE – 7PM

17.12.22                                LONDON, SOHO THEATRE – 9.30PM

19.12.22                                LONDON, SOHO THEATRE – 7PM

20.12.22                                LONDON, SOHO THEATRE – 7PM

21.12.22                                LONDON, SOHO THEATRE – 7PM

21.12.22                                LONDON, SOHO THEATRE – 9.30PM
22.12.22                                LONDON, SOHO THEATRE – 3PM MATINEE

22.12.22                                LONDON, SOHO THEATRE – 7PM

22.12.22                                LONDON, SOHO THEATRE – 9.30PM

23.12.22                                LONDON, SOHO THEATRE – 3PM MATINEE

23.12.22                                LONDON, SOHO THEATRE – 7PM

23.12.22                                LONDON, SOHO THEATRE – 9.30PM

DISNEY’S THE LION KING UK & IRELAND TOUR ANNOUNCES FURTHER VENUES
 

The Walt Disney Company UK and Ireland have announced further venues for Disney’s THE LION KING UK and Ireland Tour.

The internationally acclaimed production will come to Sunderland Empire from Thursday 16th March to Saturday 6th May and Birmingham Hippodrome from Thursday 6th July to Saturday 16th September 2023. 

Disney’s THE LION KING UK & Ireland Tour is currently at the Southampton Mayflower until 15 October before opening a season at the Manchester Palace starting on 27 October.

Priority tickets for both Sunderland Empire and Birmingham Hippodrome will be available from 11am Tuesday 11 October. The general sale will begin 10am on Friday 14 October. For more information about priority sign ups please visit: thelionking.co.uk/tour

The story of THE LION KING leaps into life using spectacular masks, puppets and costumes to tell the story of Simba’s epic adventures, as he struggles with the responsibilities of adulthood and becoming king.

Julie Taymor’s internationally celebrated stage adaptation of THE LION KING opened on Broadway in 1997 and 25 global productions in nine different languages have been created since then (English, Japanese, German, Korean, French, Dutch, Spanish, Mandarin and Portuguese). THE LION KING is produced by Disney Theatrical Productions, under the direction of Thomas Schumacher. 

The previous tour of THE LION KING broke attendance records across the nation. Since the UK premiere in 1999, THE LION KING London has entertained more than 16 million theatregoers and is the sixth longest-running West End musical of all time. 

The stunning artistry of the production is the work of a team of designers which drew on diverse cultural influences to recreate the rich colours and vast expanses of the African savanna in this daring and inspiring reinvention of one of the most successful animated feature films of all time. 

Julie Taymor, one of the world’s most innovative directors, brought a vast array of disciplines to THE LION KING, including extensive experience staging epic theatre and opera productions, exploring classic myths through ritualised puppetry, mask, and movement. The Lion King was the first musical Taymor directed in the commercial theatre and she made Broadway history by becoming the first woman to win the Tony Award® for Best Director of a Musical.   

The Broadway show’s full creative team, which won five Tony Awards® for its work on THE LION KING, reunited in 1999 to recreate the show in London. Julie Taymor and Michael Curry created hundreds of masks and puppets. 

Scenic design is by British designer Richard Hudson and lighting is by Donald Holder. Costume design is by Julie Taymor, and choreography by Garth Fagan. The book was adapted by Roger Allers, who co-directed the animated feature and Irene Mecchi, who co-wrote the screenplay. 

The original score from the animated film was expanded for the stage and now features 15 musical numbers.  As well as writing completely new songs, South African composer Lebo M created an evocative blend of African rhythms and chorales, with additional material by Julie Taymor and Mark Mancina. 

Elton John and Tim Rice have added three new numbers to the five that they wrote for the award-winning score of the animated film. The resulting sound of THE LION KING is a fusion of Western popular music and the distinctive sounds and rhythms of Africa, including the Academy Award®-winning Can You Feel The Love Tonight and the haunting Shadowland. 

The Master Shipwright’s House, Deptford – until 2 October 2022

Reviewed by Claire Roderick

2**

The Gretchen Question is a frustratingly nebulous production, but there are promising elements that could be developed into a fascinating play. Melly Still and Max Barton’s ambitious vision imagines an alternative history of climate change. An Arctic expedition by the Royal Society in the 18th century unearths a mysterious gem that, when powdered, has explosive properties, and is also used as a form of insulation by the Indigenous people. A further expedition is commissioned, and the source of the pearl is discovered – the mysterious Gretchen oyster, named by Joseph Banks (Alex Mugnaioni) as an act of devotion for Gretchen (Lauren Moakes). The scientists’ lack of concern and humanity for the land and the people who live there is shown in quick brushstrokes as the rush to gain control of this wondrous fuel source begins.

In modern day London, influencer Maisie (Yohanna Ephrem) is embarking on a sponsorship deal with Nova – the company originated by the 18th century scientists – and travels to the Arctic to highlight Nova’s environmental credentials. Lulit (Tamaira Hesson) wakes up on an ice rink after Maisie’s launch party with disturbing symptoms and no memory of how she got there. Lulit has been commissioned to record a spoken word piece by Nova, and her quest to find the truth about her missing hours and find the cause of her deteriorating health begins to get in the way.

The story threads intertwine with a lovely rhythm at first: Gretchen and Banks marry and have a child as the money comes rolling in and the demand for oysters soars. As the scientists all become power-hungry, greedy capitalists, Gretchen is the lone voice of dissent, questioning the damage that is being done, and finds an ally in Goethe. Meanwhile, after seeing the true state of the Arctic, Maisie goes off message in her broadcasts, leading her producer, Davina (Katherine Manners) to show her true loyalties. Meanwhile two ice rink workers, Dave (Ryan Gerald) and Dave (Al Nedjari) provide everyman opinions about the floods and whether Maisie’s trip is actually real.

Christopher Saul plays a modern scientific commentator bought in to describe Maisie’s Arctic adventure and has long muddled passages of explanation until he describes in excruciating detail, death by hyperthermia. Sitting on the windy banks of the Thames, we could all sympathise.

I think the confused and confusing second part of the play may be meant to convey the rapid and chaotic deterioration of the ecosystem and climate, as well as Maisie’s body, but it gets so messy it’s hard to tell. There are some beautiful moments that are rushed over, and some sections, mostly focussed on the 18th century characters, which could be cut to make a more cohesive narrative. I am all for chaos, but I think Lulit and the audience deserve even the beginning of an explanation. The movement pieces are exquisite, but lots of what happens between them in the latter part of the play doesn’t fit with what has come before and gets a little repetitive before heading into.

The cast all give committed performances, with Tamaira Hesson’s urgent and lyrical spoken word performance a standout. Max Barton and Jethro Cooke’s gorgeous music adds something special, and E.M. Parry’s intriguing and sympathetic design uses this unique and historical riverside space brilliantly.

Flawed but full of promise, The Gretchen Question is a timely and fervent call for action to combat climate change with some intriguing elements that shine brightly in the jumbled narrative.

Park Theatre – until 15 October 2022

Reviewed by Claire Roderick

4****

This stunning revival of Barry Keefe’s coruscating drama about institutional racism would be a sobering period piece in an ideal world. Sadly, this production serves to remind us that nothing much has changed since SUS was first performed in 1979.

Lee Newby’s design is pitch perfect – a stark interrogation room with an ashtray full of cigarettes, terrible suits and dodgy moustaches. Before the show, music is interrupted by soundbites from Thatcher. Even though some of the references may mean nothing to younger audience members, the lengthy misogynistic banter about Angela Rippon and Anna Ford could be a conversation overheard today.

It is election night, and Margaret Thatcher looks set to be the next prime minister. Delroy (Stedroy Cabey) has been brought into the police station without knowing why. He assumes it is SUS (suspect under suspicion), a catchall legislation that allowed the police to pick up predominantly black men without any tangible evidence. This is obviously nothing new to Delroy, who jokes that the police always want to talk to him more than he wants to talk to them. He plays along with the police officers, trying to find out why he is there.

Karn (Alexander Neal) and Wilby (Fergal Coghlan) just want a confession so they can leave the station to celebrate Thatcher’s new government – with promises of support for the police and cutbacks for the Welfare state. The suspicious death of Delroy’s wife looks cut and dry to them, and they have Delroy in their sights. Delroy was in the club and has no idea his wife is dead, and the callous way the detectives finally tell him marks a huge shift as Delroy has to deal with the officers’ attacks while shocked and grieving.

Cabey is magnificent as Delroy and his transition from the cocky persona he knows the police expect to see as he tries to read their intentions, to frustration, anger and devastation is beautifully nuanced. Alexander Neal is skin crawlingly good as Karn, the senior detective. The vicious racism behind his crocodile smile and condescending politeness is always clear, but this never lessens the shock as his mask slips and he screams his bile at Delroy. Fergal Coghlan’s Wilby seems less dangerous than his older colleague at first, but it soon becomes clear that his muted reactions are those of someone who must keep tight rein on his violent urges. This is a man who mourns more for a police dog than a black woman who died in agony, and Coghlan exudes casual sadism.

SUS isn’t easy viewing, but this darkly funny and brutal story is as relevant today as the day it was written

Malvern Forum Theatre – 23rd September 2022

Reviewed by Julie Bellerby

4****

This is the story of Simon and Garfunkel’s musical career, told mainly through their songs, video footage of historical news stories and cartoons to show the movement of time.

With Phillip Murray Warson as Paul Simon, and Charles Blyth as Art Garfunkel, this duo gave an amazing rendition of the music, sounding very authentic. They told the story as themselves, not pretending to be Paul and Art.

As with a lot of musicians of the time, Paul and Art were friends from school and shared a love of music, releasing their first record at the age of 16 with little success. Throughout their lives, they had disagreements and undertook solo careers in song writing and acting, but kept returning together, singing their amazing song catalogue.

The projection of news stories, cartoons, pictures and facts were mainly interesting. One part of this display did not appear to make sense to the story and I wondered if picture and recording were not synchronised.

The artists were supported by 3 musicians, who were excellent, Adam Smith (Electric guitar/Keyboards), Leon Camfield (Bass), Mat Swales (Drums)

This was a ‘feel good’ evening, the audience were spell bound and enthusiastically gave their appreciation of the show with a standing ovation and calls for more, ending of course with the song A Bridge over Troubled Waters, arguably their greatest classic song of all time.

Darlington Hippodrome – until 24 September 2022

4****

An Original Theatre in association with JAS Theatricals brings, adapted for the stage by Rachel Wagstaff, the iconic Agatha Christie story ‘The Mirror Crack’d’.

When it comes to Miss Marple I am a bit of a purist.  I believe the BBC adaptation starring Joan Hickson to be the best versions of Agatha Christie’s spinster sleuth.  And this version was a joy to watch. This is a wonderful introduction to an ingenious spider’s web of deceit and plot twists. Just when you think you’ve cracked it, there is another startling revelation added to turn the plot on its head. 

Set in St Mary Mead, a small village in England, the beautiful film star Marina Gregg (Sophie Ward)  with her husband Jason Rudd (Joe McFadden) relocates from Hollywood. Bringing with  them devoted Butler (Lorenzo Martelli) and assistant Ella (Sarah Lawrie) At one of her lavish parties there is a murder. Can Chief Inspector Dermot Craddock (Oliver Boot) work out who killed Heather Leigh (Jules Melvin) or does it require the detective skills of Miss Marple with some help from her nosy neighbour Dolly Bantry (Veronica Roberts)?  And will anyone notice Mr Leigh (David Partridge)?  Could he have vital evidence if they do?

Enter Miss Marple (Susie Blake).  Demonstrating just the right amount of dottiness to hide the steel trap of mind she has.  Seeing and hearing everything – little nuances and characteristics. Side stepping red-herrings and keeping one step ahead of the police as she solves the crime and nails the killer.

The set for this show is basic but works well. I was fascinated how seamlessly the cast moved around the stage moving the props as part of the storyline. It was cleverly done and enabled the story to progress at the fast pace required. As with any ‘whodunnit’ there are many flashback scenes, and these are done particularly well.

The star of the show was, as you might expect, Susie Blake who was first class. However credit to Oliver Boot and Veronica Roberts who were close seconds. A special mention here should also go to Mara Allen who played Cherry Baker and Chrystine Symone who played Lola Brewster; their little subplot helped to build the story and provide red herrings and clues.

For me this was a glorious interpretation, made even better by the fabulous set and stunning costumes designed by Adrian Linford.  Overall, Phillip Franks’ direction, Max Pappenheim’s sound and Emma Chapman’s lighting have excelled in this tantalising and atmospheric production of this show. The play, running in Darlington until Saturday 24 September and around the UK, showcases clear hard work and talent all around, from an impressive set, to engaging performances to the effective buildup of tension through out, The Mirror Crack’d is not one to be missed as it brings to life the excitement and intrigue of the murder mystery genre.

OVER THE RAINBOW MUSIC VIDEO AVAILABLE TO VIEW HERE

GEORGINA ONUORAH TO STAR AS DOROTHY IN CURVE’S CHRISTMAS MUSICAL

THE WIZARD OF OZ

Watch Georgina sing classic song ‘Over the Rainbow’ for the first time

Leicester’s Curve theatre has revealed rising star Georgina Onuorah will lead its Christmas musical The Wizard of O zas Dorothy later this year.

Running Saturday 19 November 2022 to Sunday 8 January 2023, Curve will stage the regional premiere of the production which features new music from Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, as well as iconic songs from the original MGM film. The musical will be directed by Curve’s Artistic Director Nikolai Foster, whose recent productions have included the acclaimed Billy Elliot the Musical, Beautiful – The Carole King Musical and A Chorus Line.

Georgina was part of the original cast of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella, appearing as alternate Cinderella at the Gillian Lynne Theatre. She made her stage debut in Dick Whittington at the National Theatre and has recently appeared at The Other Palace Studio in Millennials. In 2021 Georgina was nominated for Best Recent Graduate at the Black British Theatre Awards.

Speaking about stepping into a pair of ruby red slippers this Christmas, Georgina said:

“I am so ecstatic to be playing such an iconic role this Christmas, and to explore such an outspoken, bold and brave character. Dorothy has a remarkably universal story and I hope every audience member will see themselves in the world we create.”

Choreographed by Shay Barclay, the spectacular world of Oz will be brought to life on Curve’s stage by set designer Colin Richmond, with costume and puppet design from Rachael Canning and projection designs by Douglas O’Connell. Following the incredible five-star success of Curve’s summer production of Billy Elliot the Musical, Musical Director George Dyer will also return to Curve this Christmas.

Assembling the company is Curve Associate Casting Director Kay Magson CDG. Full casting will be announced in due course.

Curve’s Chief Executive Chris Stafford and Artistic Director Nikolai Foster said:

“We live for the moment when an actor walks into an audition and blows the roof off the room with their voice, vision and ideas for a role. Georgina did exactly that and set out a compelling vision for her Dorothy. Listening to Georgina’s heart-wrenching rendition of “Over the Rainbow” is worth the price of admission alone! Georgina leads an incredible company and we are proud to introduce her to audiences here in Leicester, as we prepare to journey up the fantastic yellow brick road together.”

Click your heels together three times and say, ‘there’s no place like Curve this Christmas’.

Join Dorothy and Toto as they are swept up from sepia-soaked Kansas and transported over the rainbow to the technicolour wonderland of Oz.

On her adventure down the Yellow Brick Road Dorothy meets new friends Scarecrow, Tinman and Lion who help her on her way, but the villainous and frightfully glamorous Wicked Witch has other plans for Dorothy, and in Oz – nothing is quite as it seems.

Through the deep Dark Forest to the bright neon lights of Emerald City, Dorothy and her friends search for the powerful and mysterious Wizard of Oz, the only person who can grant their hearts desires, and maybe even a way home.

Tickets for The Wizard of Oz at Curve are on sale now. To find out more and book, visit www.curveonline.co.uk, call 0116 242 3595 or visit Curve’s Box Office in-person.