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101

April 4th – 8th, Theatre N16

Press Night: April 5th 2017, 7.30pm

After creating a splash on the Edinburgh and Brighton Fringes, including winning the FringeGuru Editor’s Choice Award and being nominated for ‘Most Groundbreaking Act’ by Latest 7 Magazine, ONEOHONE returns to London with a mix of old and new scenarios.

★★★★ Hot Show – Daily Pick of the Fringe “Very empowering (…) feels special” The Scotsman

In 101, a small audience is directly involved in an interactive performance grounded in the fundamental values of traditional and classical storytelling. Guided by the cast using a mixture of suggestion technique, physical theatre and improvisation, every audience member is personally involved in the performance.

There are 5 separate performances: KNOW ME (…at my worst to know me at my best. The others have two faces / I place myself in your hands / Peel away my skin); FIND ME (…under the moon; chase me laughing through the trees. Keep true, love); SAVE ME (…from the dark; innocence crumbles. You are my teacher); TRUST ME (…and only me; you face betrayal. Mark me, and stay close); BIND ME (…so we’ll never break apart; don’t break the circle. I’ll never let you go).

★★★★ “I was acutely aware of how rare it is for a performance to provoke such extreme emotions (…) the ultimate in exciting and experimental theatre” ThreeWeeks

ONEOHONE Theatre Company is a performing arts group founded in 2009 to develop new, accessible and democratic approaches to theatre. We’ve performed our critically-acclaimed signature piece, 101, throughout the UK, in Croatia as part of the NU:Write Festival, and in the USA, where we were visiting artists at Northwestern University, Chicago. We have also performed immersive adaptations of several classic texts, including ‘Dracula’, ‘Woyzeck’ and Jane Austen’s ‘Emma’. Now in our sixth year, we’re devising new shows and looking for new performance opportunities.

Out There On Fried Meat Ridge Rd.

Trafalgar Studios, 14 Whitehall, London SW1A 2DY

Tuesday 2nd May – Saturday 3 rd June 2017

Press Night: Thursday 4 th May 2017, 7pm

Following a sell-out, award-nominated run at the White Bear Theatre, Keith Stevenson’s comedy Out There On Fried Meat Ridge Rd. transfers to Trafalgar Studios this May.

Things could not get any worse for Mitchell, who just lost his girlfriend, his apartment, and his job. With nowhere to go, he answers an ad for a roommate and finds himself in a West Virginia countryside motel with JD, an affable hillbilly of mysterious origins. Soon JD’s neighbours – curmudgeonly Flip, meth-head Marlene, and her hot-headed boyfriend Tommy – have all but taken over the tiny room. When the zany group find themselves in a hostage situation, Mitchell must decide to save himself or join this dysfunctional family and let his freak-flag fly.

Writer and actor Keith Stevenson comments, It warms my heart that this little story set in Appalachia has received a universal response from people of all colours and creeds in places like London and Los Angeles. They come to the theatre and a little over an hour later they walk out feeling better than they did coming in. They’re buoyed by a fortified hope that goodness and kindness still have a shot.

Out There On Fried Meat Ridge Rd. became a cult hit amongst fans following its six month highly acclaimed run at the Pacific Resident Theatre in Los Angeles in 2012 – audience members returned again and again to watch the show. Fried Meat re-opened later that year with the festive sequel A Fried Meat Christmas. Then, in the summer of 2014, Stevenson thrilled audiences yet again with the third part in the series, The Unfryable Meatness of Being. The three plays were revived in December 2014 and December 2015 as The Fried Meat Trilogy. Stevenson who originated the role of JD in Los Angeles, hails from Keyser in West Virginia – the hometown of the actual Fried Meat Ridge Road.

Sometimes, a play just works on every level. Writing, directing, acting, costumes, lighting and sound all working in perfect harmony to present the audience with something they will remember for all the right reasons… A thoroughly brilliant show (London Theatre1).

Out There On Fried Meat Ridge Rd. is the first ever show to transform Trafalgar Studios 2 into an end-on space.

Back by popular demand, Phillip Schofield is to exclusively host the return of hit UK concert tour, The Knights of Music. The tour will visit Newcastle City Hall on Saturday 29 April 2017.

 

The show celebrates the legendary Knights and Dames of the entertainment industry who have transformed the face of music, film and theatre throughout the ages. The Knights include: – Sir Elton John, Lord Andrew Lloyd-Webber, Sir Cliff Richard, Dame Shirley Bassey, Sir Paul McCartney and The Beatles, Sir Cameron Mackintosh, Sir Tim Rice, Sir Mick Jagger, Sir Bob Geldof, Bono, and the newly knighted Sir Rod Stewart.

 

Last year’s tour saw Phillip dust off his dream coat after a 17 year hiatus and showcase his spectacular singing range, performing some of the greatest hits from Joseph and The Amazing Technicolour Dream coat. Joining Phillip on stage and helping to bring the best of British to life will be a vibrant cast of West end performers and a live band. Musical numbers will include: ‘I’m still standing’, ‘Rocket Man’ (EltonJohn) ‘Twist and Shout’, ‘Hey Jude’ (The Beatles)’ I Dreamed a Dream’ (Les Miserables) ‘Do you want to dance’ (Cliff Richard) ‘It’s not unusual’ (Tom Jones) ‘Close Every Door’ (Joseph) ‘Satisfaction’ (Mick Jagger) ‘Maggie May’ (Rod Stewart) to name just a few.

 

Phillip Schofield said: “It was such an incredible opportunity to share the stage with the Knights of Music cast last year, and perform the songs that we all know and love. I cannot wait to get back on stage, resurrect the dream coat once again, and warm up the vocal chords – this show is a true celebration and one not to be missed!” Schofield, who currently presents ITV’s This Morning, previously starred in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the London Palladium, as well as the UK tour of Dr Doolittle. The Knights of Music with Phillip Schofield plays Newcastle City Hall on Saturday 29 April 2017 Tickets from £30 and can be purchased atwww.theatreroyal.co.uk or from the Theatre Royal Box office on 08448 11 21 21 (Calls cost 7ppm plus your phone company’s access charge).

 

Cast announced for Chinglish by David Henry Hwang

Park200, Park Theatre, Clifton Terrace, Finsbury Park, London N4 3JP

Wednesday 22nd March – Saturday 22nd April 2017

Press Night: Tuesday 28th March, 7pm

Gyuri Sarossy (The Rover RSC, Two Noble Kinsmen RSC, The Absence of War Headlong) and Candy Ma (Project New Earth, Chinese Arts Centre and Yellow Earth Theatre) have been announced to lead the talented bilingual cast of Chinglish. Tony Award-winning and Pulitzer Prize finalist David Henry Hwang returns to Park Theatre with the European premiere of his Broadway hit Chinglish following the sell-out success of Yellow Face (Park Theatre 2013, National Theatre 2014).

The result of an exhaustive four-month casting process, Sarossy and Ma are joined by Lobo Chan, Duncan Harte, Siu-see Hung, Minhee Yeo and Windson Liong. Producer Tim Johanson comments, So much of the joy of Chinglish hinges on East-West mis-translation, so we’re delighted to have assembled such a talented group of bilingual actors

It’s so conscientious in leading us through the maze of cultural confusion at its center — with “you are here” signs at every new twist in the labyrinth — that we’re never allowed to feel lost ourselves (New York Times)

Hwang’s hilarious comedy about the misadventures of miscommunication explores the modern difficulty of doing business between East and West. Daniel, an American, wants to open up China for his business. There are only three things standing in his way: he can’t speak the language, he can’t learn the customs, and he’s falling in love with the one woman he can’t have.

David Henry Hwang comments, I’m thrilled that Chinglish will receive its European premiere at the Park Theatre, who did such an excellent production of my play Yellow Face. America’s current political turmoil only serves to strengthen China’s power and influence, which perhaps makes this play even more timely than when it first ran on Broadway.

Acclaimed director Andrew Keates (As Is, Dessa Rose Trafalgar Studios) makes his Park Theatre debut.

The Watermill Theatre presents

Romeo + Juliet and Twelfth Night

Tuesday 16th May – Thursday 3rd August 2017

Following an incredibly successful 2016 run at The Watermill Theatre, Paul Hart’s Romeo + Juliet will be performed in repertoire alongside a brand new production of Twelfth Night. This exciting national tour celebrates the theatre’s 50th anniversary.

The Watermill’s outstanding ensemble of actor-musicians challenge the way live music is used and alongside text, they investigate new responses to Shakespeare, creating a thrilling contemporary feel.

Returning to reprise their roles in Romeo + Juliet and to perform in Twelfth Night are Victoria Blunt (Benvolio/Maria), Rebecca Lee (Friar/Viola), Lauryn Redding (Nurse/Toby Belch), Mike Slader (Paris/Aguecheek) and Stuart Wilde (Romeo/Sebastian). Joining them are Peter Dukes (Tybalt/Malvolio) who played the role of Bela Zangler in The Watermill’s Crazy For You (2016), Aruhan Galieva (Juliet/Olivia), Emma McDonald (Lady Capulet/Antonia), Offue Okegbe (Mercutio/Feste) and Jamie Satterthwaite (Capulet/Orsino).

This powerful and explosive staging of Romeo + Juliet, Shakespeare’s immortal tale of an all consuming love, features music by Mumford and Sons, The Vaccines, The Civil Wars and Hozier. Twelfth Night’s dreamlike fantasy world is evocatively reimagined in the 1920s where prohibition is rife and Europe is still reeling from war. Fusing the radical spirit of the likes of Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong alongside modern musical references with an innovative approach to staging and actor-musicianship, Twelfth Night is a dizzying and beautiful version of Shakespeare’s ‘perfect play’.

The Watermill has become known for its bold, contemporary style of presenting Shakespeare productions. These plays balance comedy, romance and tragedy using their famous ensemble approach to Shakespeare.

The Watermill Theatre’s Artistic Director, Paul Hart, comments, Since being at The Watermill I’ve wanted to continue our reputation for inventive, irreverent and imaginative storytelling. Twelfth Night and Romeo + Juliet seemed to me to be the perfect pairing of plays. They will be performed by a brilliant ensemble of actors in a way that is incredibly rich in music with a real focus on the language. I’m looking forward to seeing these productions tour the UK and beyond as well as playing at our beautiful Berkshire home.

The UK Tour of Twelfth Night and Romeo + Juliet is sponsored by Neal’s Yard Remedies

Tour Dates

16th – 20th May  York Theatre Royal  www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk

23rd – 27th May  Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford  www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk

6 th – 10th June  Theatre Royal, Norwich  www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk

20th – 24th June  Salisbury Playhouse, Salisbury  www.salisburyplayhouse.com

27th – 30th June  Neuss Globe Theatre, Germany  www.neuesglobetheater.de

4 th – 8 th July  Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham  www.everymantheatre.org.uk

12th – 14th July  Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton  www.grandtheatre.co.uk

18th – 22nd July  The Watermill Theatre, Newbury  www.watermill.org.uk

25th July – 3rd August  Bodleian Library, Oxford  www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk

EMERGING LOCAL ARTISTS INSPIRED BY THE HIT MUSICAL
EVERYBODY’S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE

Four playwrights give their unique responses to Sheffield Theatres’ world première Everybody’s Talking About Jamie in 4×15 on Wednesday 5 and Thursday 6 April in the Studio Theatre.

 

4×15 brings together local emerging artists to produce four fifteen minute plays written in response to Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, staged in the Crucible earlier this year. The four new plays are; The Last Appointment by Nicola Gardner, The Green Chair by Helen Rutter, The Rift by Clare Reddaway and A Long Morning Quiet by Maureen Lennon.

The four new plays examine what happens when the movement director is a central part of the creative process. A relatively new role in British theatre, a movement director focus’ on the actors’ use of their bodies working alongside the director to realise the physical potential of the play.

Directed by Sheffield Theatres’ current and former Resident Assistant Directors George Richmond-Scott and Charlie Kenber in collaboration with movement directors Patricia Suarez and Ste Clough, 4 x 15 continues Sheffield Theatres support of new work which carries into the Theatres upcoming season with What We Wished For (Wed 19 – Sat 22 July) and Of Kith & Kin (Thu 14 September – Sat 7 October).

4×15 is at the Studio Theatre from Wednesday 5 – Thursday 6 April. Tickets are on sale now, priced at £8.00 and can be purchased in person at Sheffield Theatres’ Box Office, by calling 0114 249 6000 or online at sheffieldtheatres.co.uk.

DREAMGIRLS
Savoy Theatre, London
Dreamgirlswestend.com

• Asmeret Ghebremichael joins the company of Dreamgirls to play the role of Lorrell Robinson
• Original London Cast Recording due for release in April. Pre-orders available now on Amazon

Sonia Friedman Productions is delighted to announce that Asmeret Ghebremichael has joined the company of Dreamgirls to perform the role of Lorrell Robinson. She began performances this week. Ghebremichael is best known for her performances in The Book of Mormon (West End and Broadway), Legally Blonde, Elf The Musical, Spamalot and Wicked (Broadway). She also appeared in the US television production The Wiz Live!.

The critically acclaimed, hit UK premiere of Dreamgirls has been nominated for five Olivier Awards and stars American actress and singer Amber Riley as Effie White with Marisha Wallaceand Karen Mav alternating the role of Effie, Liisi LaFontaine as Deena Jones and now Asmeret Ghebremichael as Lorrell Robinson making up the soulful singing trio ‘The Dreams’. Ghebremichael replaces Ibinabo Jack who has had to withdraw from the production due to health reasons. Joe Aaron Reid plays Curtis Taylor Jr, Adam J Bernard plays Jimmy Early,Tyrone Huntley plays C.C. White, Nicholas Bailey plays Marty and Lily Frazer plays Michelle Morris.

The highly anticipated Original London Cast Recording of the new, hit West End musical Dreamgirls, will be released on Sony Masterworks Broadway mid-April and is available to pre-order now via Amazon.

The cast of Dreamgirls also includes Michael Afemaré, Jocasta Almgill, Callum Aylott, Hugo Batista, Samara Casteallo, Chloe Chambers, Carly Mercedes Dyer, Joelle Dyson, Kimmy Edwards, Candace Furbert, Nathan Graham, Ashlee Irish, Ashley Luke Lloyd, Gabriel Mokake, Siân Nathaniel-James, Sean Parkins, Kirk Patterson, Ryan Reid, Rohan Richards, Noel Samuels, Durone Stokes and Tosh Wanogho-Maud.

Full information on performance schedules can be found on the official websitewww.dreamgirlswestend.com/ticket-information

Dreamgirls is Directed and Choreographed by Olivier and Tony Award®-winning Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon, Disney’s Aladdin and Something Rotten!), with Set Design by Tim Hatley, Costume Design by Gregg Barnes, Lighting Design by Hugh Vanstone, Sound Design by Richard Brooker and Hair Design by Josh Marquette. The Musical Supervisor is Nick Finlow, the Orchestrator is Harold Wheeler, with Additional Material by Willie Reale.

Swarovski is delighted to be the Set and Costume Design partner for Dreamgirls, bringing to life the incredible visions of Tim Hatley and Gregg Barnes. Over one million Swarovski crystals have been incorporated into the production, adorning 275 costumes and 3 crystal curtains.

Dreamgirls transports you to a revolutionary time in American music history. Dreamgirls charts the tumultuous journey of a young female singing trio from Chicago, Illinois called ‘The Dreams’, as they learn the hard lesson that show business is as tough as it is fabulous, and features the classic songs ‘And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going’, ‘I Am Changing’, ‘Listen’ and ‘One Night Only’ .

With Book and Lyrics by Tom Eyen and Music by Henry Krieger, the original Broadway production of Dreamgirls, Directed and Choreographed by Michael Bennett opened in 1981 and subsequently won six Tony Awards®. The original cast recording won two Grammy awards for Best Musical Album and Best Vocal Performance for Jennifer Holliday’s ‘And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going.’ In 2006 it was adapted into an Oscar winning motion picture starring Beyoncé Knowles, Jennifer Hudson, Eddie Murphy and Jamie Foxx.

Liisi LaFontaine, Asmeret Ghebremichael and Marisha Wallace are appearing with the support of UK Equity, incorporating the Variety Artistes’ Federation, pursuant to an exchange program between American Equity and UK Equity.

 

From Duncan Sheik, the Tony Award-winning composer of Spring Awakening & American Psycho

Whisper House

A dark and thrilling musical ghost story.

Book & lyrics by Kyle Jarrow

Conceived with Keith Powell

The Other Palace

6 April – 27 May 2017

Tony and Grammy Award-winning songwriter Duncan Sheik follows up the successful UK run of his musical thriller American Psycho with Whisper House a haunting new musical that combines a thrillingly original rock score with a touching and beautiful tale about learning to embrace the unknown. Starring Simon Bailey, Nicholas Goh, Simon Lipkin, Niamh Perry, Dianne Pilkington and a seven piece on-stage band Whisper House opens on 18 April with previews from the 6 April.

It’s 1942, the height of World War II, and Christopher, an imaginative young boy, is sent to live with an aunt he’s never met: Lily, a reclusive woman who serves as the keeper of a remote lighthouse on the East Coast of America, aided by her mysterious Japanese housekeeper, Yashujiro.

It isn’t long before Christopher begins to hear strange music seeping through the walls. Is his imagination getting the better of him, or is the lighthouse haunted? Soon the whispers become something louder …

The cast for Whisper House is Simon Bailey whose West End and off West End credits include the critically acclaimed Parade (Southwark Playhouse), for which he was nominated in the 2011 Broadway World Awards in the Best Featured Actor in a Musical category; Tommy DeVito in Jersey Boys; Liam O’Deary in I Can’t Sing! The X-Factor Musical (London Palladium); Romeo and Juliet-The Musical (Piccadilly Theatre);

Pharaoh in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat (New London Theatre); We Will Rock You (Dominion Theatre); Enjolras in the 21st Anniversary cast of Les Miserables (Queen’s Theatre); Raoul in The Phantom of the Opera (Her Majesty’s Theatre) and Passion (Donmar Warehouse). Simon is also a founder member of ‘Theatreland’s First Supergroup’ Teatro.

Nicholas Goh has played The Kralahome in The King and I, (Leicester Curve), Mr. Yunioshi in Breakfast at Tiffany’s (Theatre Royal Haymarket), Timothy Wong in Martha, Jose and the Chinese Elvis (Oldham Coliseum) and on TV Nicholas played Dr Henry Chen in ‘Eastenders’.

Simon Lipkin’s credits include Honeymoon In Vegas (concert at The Palladium); Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls (West End); Bill Sykes in Oliver! (Grange Park Opera); The Lorax in The Lorax (Old Vic Theatre); The Proprietor in Assassins (Menier Chocolate Factory); Barlow in I Can’t Sing (London Palladium); Lonny in Rock Of Ages (Original West End Cast); Galahad in Spamalot (Original UK and International Tour) and Nicky/Trekkie Monster in Avenue Q (Original West End Cast).

Niamh Perry’s theatre credits include Sophie in Mamma Mia! International Tour (2014-2016); Fleck in the original London cast of Love Never Dies; Mary in the original London revival of Lloyd-Webber and Ben Elton’s The Beautiful Game (The Union Theatre, London); Johanna in Sweeney Todd (Manchester Royal Exchange and West Yorkshire Playhouse); Kim in the original revival of Taboo (Brixton Clubhouse, London.); and creating the role of The Little Prince in the World Premiere of Nicholas Lloyd Webber and James D Reid’s The Little Prince, (Lyric Theatre, Belfast).

Dianne Pilkington has played Donna in Mamma Mia! (Novello Theatre), Sophie De Palma in Master Class (Vaudeville Theatre), Amalia in She Loves Me (Minerva Theatre, Chichester), Glinda in Wicked (Apollo Victoria Theatre), Grizabella in Cats (National Tour), Belinda in The Far Pavilions (Shaftesbury Theatre), Mary in Tonight’s the Night (Victoria Palace), Belle in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (National Tour), Kim in the original cast of Boy George’s musical Taboo and the title role in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Victoria Palace) opposite Lily Savage.

Whisper House is directed by Adam Lenson whose recent credits include Songs For A New World (St James Theatre, 20th Anniversary Production), The Sorrows of Satan (Tristan Bates Theatre), Disgraced (English Theatre Frankfurt) and Dark Tourism (Park Theatre). In 2016, Adam was the recipient of a Kevin Spacey Artist of Choice Award for developing Wasted, a new rock musical based on the Brontës. Adam produces and hosts the podcast Dischord (@DischordTheatre) that debates and discusses new musical theatre.

Duncan Sheik is a Tony-Award winning composer, lyricist, and recording artist. His theatre credits include; Spring Awakening (2006) for which he won Tony Awards for Best Orchestrations and Best Original Score, and a 2008 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album. Other theatre works includes American Psycho (2016), and Because of Winn Dixie (2015). As well as a recording artist, and writer of film scores, Sheik produces his own work as well as that of other artists. Book and lyrics by Obie award-winning Kyle Jarrow (A Very Merry Unauthorized Children’s Scientology Pageant). The idea for Whisper House was conceived with 30Rock actor, Keith Powell (Toofer).

Strictly limited season.

Listings Information

Venue: The Other Palace, Palace Street, London

Dates: Thu 6 Apr-Sat 27 May

Times: Mon-Sat 7:30pm Thu & Sat 2:30pm

Ticket prices: £10-£39.50

Press Night: PN: 18th April 2017

Booking: 0844 264 2121

Online: theotherpalace.co.uk

Running time: Approximately 2 hours 10 minutes including interval