Category: Uncategorized

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

 

FULL CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR
NEW BRITISH MUSICAL
THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS
AT THE
LONDON PALLADIUM

DENISE WELCH, GARY WILMOT, SIMON LIPKIN and CRAIG MATHER
JOIN
RUFUS HOUND and NEIL McDERMOTT

Producer Jamie Hendry announced this morning that Denise Welch, Gary Wilmot, Craig Mather and Simon Lipkin will join Rufus Hound and Neil McDermott in the major new musical THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS, which will open at the world-famous London Palladium. He also announced that previews would begin ahead of schedule on Friday 16th June, with opening night on Thursday 29th June. Hendry also unveiled a ticketing initiative where children can see THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS for free at 80 performances over the summer.

As previously confirmed actor, comedian and presenter Rufus Hound will reprise his Manchester Theatre Award-winning performance as the amazing Mr Toad. He will be joined by West End stars Simon Lipkin as Rat and Craig Mather as Mole, EastEnders actor Neil McDermott as Chief Weasel, with Coronation Street and Boy Meets Girl star Denise Welch as Mrs Otter and West End legend Gary Wilmot as Badger.

The confirmed company also includes: Chris Aukett, Joel Baylis, Jenna Boyd, Abigail Brodie, Abigail Climer, Jorell Coiffic-Kamall, Nicole Deon, Emilie du Leslay, Joshua Gannon, James Gant, Evan James, Michael Larcombe, Bethany Linsdell, Ryan Pidgen, Adam Vaughan, Georgie Westall and Natalie Woods.

Based on Kenneth Grahame’s treasured novel which has captivated generations of readers for over a century, THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS has been adapted for the stage with a book by Academy Award-winning screenwriter and Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes and Olivier Award-winning composer and lyricist duo George Stiles and Anthony Drewe.

This riotous comedy follows the impulsive Mr Toad whose insatiable need for speed lands him in serious trouble. With his beloved home under threat from the notorious Chief Weasel and his gang of sinister Wild Wooders, Toad must attempt a daring escape leading to a series of misadventures and a heroic battle to recapture Toad Hall.

Featuring eye-poppingly beautiful design, exuberant choreography and a gloriously British score, The Wind in the Willows brings an explosion of anarchy, humour and heart to the world-famous London Palladium.

Rufus Hound is one of the UK’s leading actors, presenters and comedians, most recently seen on stage in What The Butler Saw (UK Tour), Don Quixote (Royal Shakespeare Company) and as Freddy in the original West End production of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Savoy Theatre). His other theatre credits include The Wars of the Roses (Rose Theatre), Neville’s Island (Chichester Festival Theatre) and One Man, Two Guvnors (Theatre Royal Haymarket). Television credits include Doctor Who (BBC), Cucumber (Channel 4), Drunk History (Comedy Central) and A Touch of Cloth (SKY). He is also a regular guest on comedy panel shows such as Never Mind the Buzzcocks (BBC), Would I Lie To You? (BBC), and 8 Out Of 10 Cats (Channel 4).

Simon Lipkin most recently starred in the UK Premiere of Honeymoon in Vegas at the London Palladium. His numerous other theatre credits include Avenue Q (Noël Coward), Rock of Ages(Shaftesbury/Garrick), I Can’t Sing! (London Palladium), The Lorax (Old Vic), Spamalot (UK and International Tour), The Wedding Singer (UK Tour), Footloose (UK Tour) and Assassins (Menier Chocolate Factory).

Craig Mather’s theatre credits include Marius in Les Misérables (West End), Melchior in the German premiere of Spring Awakening, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street at Harrington’s Pie Shop (West End) and the UK tour of Tonight’s The Night.

Neil McDermott is best known for portraying Ryan Malloy in EastEnders (BBC). His stage credits include Lord Farquaad in Shrek The Musical (Theatre Royal, Drury Lane), Jean-Michel in La Cage Aux Folles (Menier Chocolate Factory) and Rolf Gruber in The Sound of Music (London Palladium). Further television credits include The Royal (ITV), Casualty (BBC) and Doctor Who: The Next Doctor (BBC).

Denise Welch is best known for her television roles which include Natalie Barnes in Coronation Street (ITV), Steph Haydock in Waterloo Road (BBC), Pam McDonald in Boy Meets Girl (BBC) and Marsha Stubbs in Soldier Soldier (ITV). Theatre credits include Smack Family Robinson (Rose Theatre, Kingston), Steel Magnolias (UK Tour) and The Rise and Fall of Little Voice (Royal Exchange).

Gary Wilmot first rose to fame as a contestant on New Faces, with presenting credits since then including Showstoppers and So You Want To Be Top. His extensive musical theatre credits include Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Savoy Theatre and UK Tour), Oklahoma! (UK Tour), The Pajama Game (Shaftesbury Theatre), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (London Palladium) and Big (Theatre Royal Plymouth / Ireland).

Tickets will be available from £15, with reduced price preview performances. Kids go free on Monday to Friday performances for tickets booked by 31 May, terms and conditions apply. No additional booking fees or charges are applied to tickets booked via www.WillowsMusical.com.

Produced by Jamie Hendry, MJE Productions and Josh Gilinski, in association with Theatre Royal Plymouth, THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS is directed by Rachel Kavanaugh with choreography by Aletta Collins, set and costume design by Peter McKintosh, lighting design byHoward Harrison, sound design by Gareth Owen, wig and makeup design by Linda McKnight, orchestrations by Chris Jahnke and David Shrubsole and musical supervision by Simon Lee.

LISTINGS
THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS
The London Palladium
Argyll Street, London W1F 7TF

First Preview: Friday 16 June 2017
Opening Performance: Thursday 29 June 2017
Booking Until: Saturday 9 September 2017

Performance schedule:
Monday at 7pm
Tuesday – Saturday at 7:30pm
Tuesday & Saturday at 2:30pm

Tickets from: £15 *NO BOOKING FEES*

Kids Go Free:  Subject to availability, valid Mon-Fri performances 16 June – 8 September. Band A, B and D only. 1 Free Kids ticket (16 and under) with every full price Adult ticket and up to 2 additional Kids (16 and under) at half price. Excludes tickets already purchased.

Book online: www.WillowsMusical.com
Book by phone: 0844 874 0665
Groups: 0844 412 4650

Website: www.WillowsMusical.com
Facebook/Twitter/Instagram:   WillowsMusical

Grand Opera House York 21 March 2017.  Reviewed by Michelle Richardson

Before The Beatles, before The Stones, Rock ‘n’ Roll was born.  28 years after its West End debut Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story is once again touring the UK.

It tells the story of Buddy’s meteoric rise to fame, with The Crickets, marriage to Maria Elena Santiago and his tragic and untimely death less than 2 years later at the tender age of 22, in a plane crash that also claimed the lives of Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper.

Buddy, played wonderfully by Glen Joseph, alternating performances with Alex Fobbester, starts off as a country singer but really wants to be a rock ‘n’ roll singer. He is geeky and certainly knows his own mind, refusing to get rid of his glasses when told that rock ‘n’ roll stars don’t wear glasses, instead opting for an even thicker pair so they cannot be missed

Joseph is fantastic as Buddy and I suppose like Buddy he does not look like a star, but somehow he manages to command the stage. He is funny, nerdy and he really brings Buddy to life with his vocals and guitar. He is well supported by the rest of the cast.

We see Buddy break up with The Crickets, played by Joe Butcher and Josh Haberfield before touring with The Big Bopper and Valens.

The second half feels like we are in the audience for their final concert, I am still singing in my head Chantilly Lace even though I am not that familiar with it.

The multi talented actors and musicians all provide a great 2 hours worth of entertainment, with all the well known songs, Peggy Sue, That’ll Be the Day and Oh Boy, amongst them.

After the recent passing of Chuck Berry it is ironic that Johnny B Goode is part of the show. The cover was fantastic, especially Josephs’ behind the head guitar playing. It certainly was a fitting tribute.

Admittedly a lot of the audience were of a certain age, but it appeals to everyone, the cast really pull it off. By the end everyone was up on their feet, dancing and singing along and asking for more!

Showing in York until Saturday 25th March.

Freckle Productions launched by

Scamp Theatre’s Jennifer Sutherland

Jennifer Sutherland, co-founder of the multi award-winning Scamp Theatre, has launched Freckle Productions with a focus on bringing inspirational stories to the stage for children, young people and families.

Freckle will kick off their busy 2017 with a return to the West End for the much-loved Tiddler and Other Terrific Tales – a medley of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s best-known titles that weaves together live music, puppetry and a whole host of colourful characters. Freckle will also be co-producing the sell-out Stick Man with Scamp Theatre in the West End and beyond.

Looking ahead, there is a host of varied and exciting new productions. These productions will be varied; some like Tiddler, are stage adaptations of books, some are original and emerging tales, and some are ancient stories that are as poignant today as when they were first told. There is also a series of ground-breaking non-fiction shows in development which will explore science, the environment and the world in action. Freckle’s work aims to be vigorous and challenging; engaging both hearts and minds to fire the imaginations of young audiences who may be experiencing theatre for the very first time but also changing the awareness of what performance can be for regular followers.

Freckle’s work uses many different forms including puppetry, live music, and dance to find the magic inside the ordinary and underneath the everyday.

Sutherland comments, Everything has a season and, after many happy years with Scamp, we felt it was the right time to move our focus to independent projects and work with new collaborators in new ways. However, I look forward to continuing to co-produce the shows we made to date as Scamp. With Freckle, I am excited about developing new partnerships with venues and artists and continuing to work on middle and larger scale projects. I am also particularly delighted to continue working with Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, as well as building new relationships on my other upcoming projects.

Freckle has a national and international reach, touring theatre all across the UK as well as overseas, in partnership with a wide variety of creative artists, theatre makers, companies, venues and communities.

While with Scamp, Sutherland’s production highlights included: Pirate Gran (UK Tour 2014), Tiddler and Other Terrific Tales (UK Tours 2012, 2013, 2016 Edinburgh Festival 2012, 2013), Friend or Foe (UK Tour 2011), Stick Man (UK Tours 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016 Edinburgh Fringe 2010, Dubai, Hong Kong, Sydney, West End 2011 – 2016) and Private Peaceful (UK tours 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, Off Broadway 2007, West End 2005, 2007, 2012).

The Pleasance celebrates 33 Years on the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and commissions a brand new type of mobile theatre for Venue 33.

Many of the entertainment industries brightest talents have cut their teeth in Edinburgh in August at the Pleasance. This year an innovative new mobile venue joins the bright ideas presented on the world’s stage this summer.

 

 

Tickets for 25 Pleasance shows now on sale including:

Alasdair Beckett-King, Best of Edinburgh Showcase Show, Brennan Reece, Colin Cloud, The Cambridge Footlights International Tour 2017, Chris Turner, Ed Night, Gein’s Family Giftshop, John Hastings, Josh Pugh, Katy Brand, Lauren Pattison, News Revue 2017, TAPE FACE, The Noise Next Door, Rachel Parris, Sara Schaefer, Showstopper! The Improvised Musical, Simon Amstell, The Gruaffalo’s Child, The Showstoppers’ Kids Show, The Midnight Beast, The Nature of Forgetting, The Tartan Ribbon Comedy Benefit, and TUTU: Dance In All Its Glory.

 

This festival in celebration of 33 years at Venue 33 The Pleasance Theatre Trust has commissioned a brand new type of mobile venue. From an initial innovative concept created by Triple E the final pop-up 120 seat-capacity ‘Project 33’ is a design collaboration between Triple E and The Pleasance. The Venue will launch at the ABTT (Association of British Theatre Technicians) Theatre Show in June before going on to host eight shows a day at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe as the all new Pleasance Beside. Following the festival, the structure will move to the Pleasance in London where it will form a new rehearsal and performance space.

A first major UK application for Triple E ModTruss™, the award-winning Meccano-style construction system, Project 33 will provide a taller, more theatrical and more comfortable alternative for the courtyard-based Pleasance Beside.

In contrast to the prefab cabins which preceded it, limited to 8ft to fit through the archway access, Project 33 will arrive flat packed and pop-up to provide a 14ft internal height which will greatly enhance the lighting, production and performances in the space.

Tickets go on sale this week for the new venue, Pleasance Beside alongside 25 others across the Pleasance’s 23 spaces. Those lining up to make the most of the new facilities and possibilities in Pleasance Beside include Brennan Reece.

A host of other great acts are also now on sale including Alasdair Beckett-King, Best of Edinburgh Showcase Show, Brennan Reece, Colin Cloud, The Cambridge Footlights International Tour 2017, Chris Turner, Ed Night, Gein’s Family Giftshop, John Hastings, Josh Pugh, Katy Brand, Lauren Pattison, News Revue 2017, TAPE FACE, The Noise Next Door, Rachel Parris, Sara Schaefer, Showstopper! The Improvised Musical, Simon Amstell, The Gruaffalo’s Child, The Showstoppers’ Kids Show, The Midnight Beast, The Nature of Forgetting, The Tartan Ribbon Comedy Benefit, and TUTU: Dance In All Its Glory.

Anthony Alderson, Director of Pleasance Theatre Trust, said: “For 33 years venue 33, The Pleasance, has crammed the most fun we could find into the maximum number of spaces around the Pleasance Courtyard and more recently beyond. This year we’ve taken a plunge and invested in a brand new, state of the art modular theatre designed specifically for the Courtyard venue and which we think provides really exciting opportunities for the work of the Pleasance Theatre Trust both in Edinburgh in August and in other places throughout the year. This summer 8 shows each and every day will have a bigger and better space than we could previously offer them, and audiences will have a chance to experience not only the bright minds on stage but the bright minds that conjured up this modular theatre at Triple E. Come and check it out!’

David Edelstein, Managing Director at Triple E, comments: “The history of The Pleasance is all about making the most out of found spaces and exploiting available sites for performance with the tightest of budgets. The Pleasance has never commissioned a bespoke venue before, but Director Anthony Alderson was immediately enthusiastic when I explained our ModTruss™ theatre solution, Project 33, which we will build and hand over at the ABTT Theatre Show.”

20^TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION OF LORD OF THE DANCE

 

NEXT WEEK AT LEEDS GRAND THEATRE

 

Fresh from hugely successful runs in the West End, Broadway, Europe and the Southern Hemisphere,Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance: Dangerous Games continues to thrill audiences around the globe with its mix of dance and music that fuses the traditional with the contemporary in a classic tale.  It hot foots into Leeds Grand Theatre next week for one week only.

Celebrating 20 years since he debuted Lord of the Dance, the tour is produced, choreographed and directed by Michael Flatley and will star his protégés James Keegan, Morgan Comer and Matthew Smith. The show is produced, choreographed and directed by Michael Flatley. 

“I’m blown away by the remarkable talent and abilities of the great cast we’ve gathered,” says Flatley. “And I’m delighted to return to the UK where we started out 20 years ago” says Flatley.

With all the precision and thrills of the original, Lord of the Dance: Dangerous Games features new staging, cutting edge technology, new costumes and choreography, world champion acrobats and 40 of the world’s most outstanding young performers all directed by Michael Flatley. 

 

With new music by composer Gerard Fahy, this latest iteration combines the best of tradition with all the excitement of new music and dance.

 

Lord of the Dance: Dangerous Games is at Leeds Grand Theatre

from Tuesday 28^th March to Sunday 2^nd April

 

Tickets are priced at £39, £44 and £47.50

 

Book online at leedsgrandtheatre.com or call Box Office on 0844 848 2700

 

Idle Women of the Wartime Waterways

Saturday 15th April – Saturday 5th August 2017

Press Night: Monday 24th April, 7.30pm – The Cruising Association,

1 Northey Street, Limehouse Basin, London E14 8BT

2017 marks the 75th anniversary of The Idle Women – the nickname for the women who manned the working boats during WWII. Now, 21st century ‘Idle Women’ – former Worcestershire Poet Laureate Heather Wastie and writer/performer Kate Saffin – will be recreating their journey, from London to Birmingham and back to London via the Coventry coal fields.

This double bill tells the stories of the young women who took on the challenge to manage a pair of boats and 50 tons of cargo. Isobel’s War is a solo play written and performed by Kate Saffin based on the experiences of the wartime trainees. Isobel doesn’t think that rolling bandages and serving tea in the leafy suburbs of Oxford counts as proper war work, then she spots an advertisement and encounters a world she didn’t know existed. Idle Women and Judies is written and performed by Heather Wastie – it started as an audio piece (commissioned by the Canal & River Trust) based on the wartime memories of three women. Wastie has now added a collection of short poems and songs celebrating the work and adventures of the women.

By the beginning of WWII, the inland waterways were in decline. However, the war brought a brief renaissance as boats were a more economical means of moving war materials and supplies. But, whilst there were plenty of boats, there weren’t enough good crews. The Women’s Training Scheme taught young women the basics of boating over two three-week round trips (London-Birmingham-Coventry-London). These women then did their best to replace the men who had been called up. On completion of their training they received their national service badge imprinted with the letters IW – Inland Waterways. After the war they were nicknamed the Idle Women and they have been known as such ever since.

Kate Saffin comments, The stories, or at least the existence, of the trainees are known to many boaters and waterway enthusiasts but few beyond the towpath know they even existed never mind what they did. We are recreating this journey to celebrate their achievements, recognise their contribution to the war effort and explore their relationships with the indigenous boaters. We think it’s important to make this journey with these local stories so that we can share the history that is on the audience’s doorstep – or at least the nearest bit of towpath or the pub.

Accompanied by an historic narrowboat ‘Tench’ crewed entirely by women, Wastie and Saffin will tour our canals this summer, stopping to perform this inspiring double bill at waterside pubs, village halls, gardens, an historic pumphouse and even a community wood.

Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

Leeds Grand Theatre.  21 – 25 March 2017

Rarely do you see a show so fabulous that you have no idea where to start with your review, but the opening night of La Cage Aux Folles, in Leeds Grand Theatre last night, was one of those rare treats.

Bill Kenwright’s inspired revival of Jerry Herman and Harvey Fierstein’s musical, starring Adrian Zmed as Georges and John Partridge his lover Albin is completely over the top opulence and glamour and it’s glorious.

Set in St. Tropez on the French Riviera at a small club run by Georges who invites his audiences to “Open their eyes” and witness the notorious Les Cagelles. This is no ordinary kickline and La Cage aux Folles is no ordinary nightclub. The Cagelles are beautiful  men dressed as beautiful women.

The star attraction at La Cage is Abin’s alter-ego Zsa Zsa.  Albin and Georges have been in a relationship for many years and have raised Georges’ son Jean-Michel (Dougie Carter) from birth. The result of a one night stand with Chorus Girl Sybil. Jean-Michel is engaged to Anne Dindon (Alexandra Robinson) whose father M. Dindon (Paul F. Monaghan) is the head of a political party that wants to close down all gay nightclubs. When Anne’s parents want to meet Jean Michel’s parents before giving the couple permission to wed, things get chaotic.  Jean- Michel wants his mother Sybil to be there even though he was raised by Albin. He feels Albin’s flamboyant style and personality will not bode well with Anne’s parents. Thus begins the charade of making Albin more masculine in the person of Uncle Al, making the house over the club more “presentable” and even cleaning up the over the top maid Francis’ ( Jon de Ville who has the longest legs ever) act. With Mde Jacqueline (showbiz legend Marti Webb) saving the day. This set up and what happens after is one of the many reasons this show succeeds.

The chief glory of this show, however, is Partridge’s rhinestoned Albin. Strutting his stuff in bespangled frocks and marabou feathers, doing passing impressions of Piaf and Dietrich. He conveys the genuine shock discovering he is to be excluded from the impending marriage. He takes on the role of drag queen extraordinaire – interacting with the audience in an almost a pantomime way, shooting withering glances and put downs at unsuspecting audience members and ad-libbing beautifully for added delight.  But the brilliance of Partridge’s performance is in the heartbreaking rendition of I am What I am.  The pain and hurt is captured beautifully in one emotionally raw song and it totally deserved the standing ovation at the end of the first act.

Adrain Zmed as George dominates the stage and furnishes his role with at least some sense of fun.  Zmed’s acting is quite wonderful throughout and his “Look Over There” in Act 2 is another favorite song in the show

At its heart, La Cage aux Folles,  is a fairy tale, a sweet, corny story that asks us to take people (the good-hearted ones, anyway) at their own valuation.  Try to see it their way, the show suggests; squint hard, and life will appear, for a second, beautiful. The old-fashioned, feel-good musical (which it most definitely is) has always demanded such leaps of faith from its audience. Martin Connors direction coaxes a parallel between the willful make-believe happening onstage and our willingness to subscribe to it. The show’s very plot, we come to realize, is the triumph of musical-theater logic over reality.

With a stunning set and wonderful costumes by Gary McCann, marvellous choreography by Bill Deamer and Kylie Anne Cruikshanks, this show is a divine campfest – for there can never be too much glitter, feathers and sparkle.

In Leeds until Saturday 25 March and on tour around the UK – this is a show not to be missed – and I for one can not wait to see this show again and again