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Richmond Theatre 20 – 25 March, national tour to September.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

If you’re looking for a night of belly laughs and life-affirming joy, Shirley Valentine is the show for you.

Glen Walford’s revival of Willy Russell’s one woman play gives Jodie Prenger the chance to show her full acting chops, and reminds us how brilliantly Russell writes female characters. Watching a middle-aged woman talk to her kitchen wall may not sound like entertainment, but Shirley draws you quickly into her world, and you won’t want to leave.

Trapped in a dull routine in a stale marriage, Shirley always thought she’d leave Joe after their children had grown up, but has nowhere to go. Instead she soldiers on, making sure his meals are on the table when he comes home, drinking wine and wondering what happened to the girl she used to be, Shirley Valentine. When her only friend buys her a holiday Greece, Shirley is excited and terrified, knowing that she can’t go, but dreaming of sitting at the water’s edge. After an incident with a plate of chips and egg, her mind is made up. When she gets to Greece, she finds a new confidante, a rock, has a holiday fling and decides to change her life.

The 1980’s kitchen set of the first act and Prenger’s frumpy costumes (her travelling outfit is brilliant – reminding you of the days when your mother used to put on her best to go into town) make way for a dreamlike beach, softly lit, and Prenger looks about 10 years younger. That’s what a decent holiday can do for you.

Russell’s fantastically funny and emotional script is delivered gutsily by Prenger. Her broad physical comedy skills are perfect for Shirley’s imaginary confrontations with Joe, and her imitations of neighbours and family are a hoot. Prenger exudes warmth and charm, making Shirley familiar and instantly recognisable. As Shirley talks about her children (I had forgotten all about that hysterical nativity play story!) and her early life with Joe, her love for her family shines through, but also her frustration with their dependence and taking her for granted. Prenger’s quiet moments as Shirley sits and despairs at her life are lovely to watch, all followed by a visible pulling herself together as Shirley herself says, she’s nothing special, but Shirley Valentine still has the power to inspire and enchant. There were outbursts of spontaneous applause as she made brave decisions and when she announced that Christopher Columbus had made his voyage of discovery, the theatre erupted. What makes this special though, is that Shirley doesn’t blame her husband. He gets a lot of stick, but this isn’t a man-bashing diatribe. The acknowledgement that he is as lost as her, and her gentle hope for the future as she waits in the sunset for him, ends the show on an emotional high that carries you out of the theatre smiling (and craving chips and egg).

A wonderful feel-good revival of a brilliant play – get a ticket while you can.

Network of Independent Critics return to Edinburgh Fringe 2017

THE NEW 20TH ANNIVERSARY PRODUCTION OF JONATHAN LARSON’S PULITZER PRIZE- & TONY AWARD-WINNING MUSICAL

RENT

Tuesday 18 – Saturday 22 April 2017

STARRING LUCIE JONES WHO WILL BE REPRESENTING THE UK IN THIS YEAR’S EUROVISION SONG CONTEST

Robert Mackintosh and Idili Theatricals Limited, in association with Theatr Clwyd, 20th Anniversary production of Jonathan Larson’s ground-breaking Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning musical RENT will play at York Theatre Royal this April.

The new production will be directed by Bruce Guthrie and stars Lucie Jones, who was recently chosen to represent the UK in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.

Lucie was a finalist on The X Factor in 2009 and recently starred as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde (Curve, Leicester). Her other theatre credits include Molly Jenson on tour in Ghost the Musical, Victoria in American Psycho at The Almeida, Meatloaf in the International Tour of We Will Rock You and Cosette in Les Miserables at Queens Theatre, London’s West End and O2 Arena. Lucie also toured the UK in The X Factor Arena Tour.

The cast of RENT also includes: Layton Williams as Angel Schunard; Billy Cullum as Mark Cohen; Ross Hunter as Roger Davis; Ryan O’Gorman as Tom Collins; Javar La’trial Parker as Benjamin Coffin III; Philippa Stefani as Mimi Marquez and Shanay Holmes as Joanne Jefferson, with Jenny O’Leary, Katie Bradley, Joshua Dever, Kevin Yates, Bobbie Little, Christina Modestou, Jordan Laviniere, Harrison Clark and Oliver Bingham.

Jonathan Larson’s musical, inspired by Puccini’s opera La Bohème, won four Tony Awards, six Drama Desk Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1996. Ben Brantley’s New York Times review was a love letter to the show, calling RENT an “exhilarating, landmark rock opera”. RENT ran on Broadway for 12 years, from 1996 to 2008. The show premiered in London’s West End in 1998 at the Shaftesbury Theatre, where it ran for 18 months. It was adapted into a film in 2005.

Larson’s world is inhabited by a group of bohemian artists who struggle to maintain their friendships and their non-conformist ideals in New York’s East Village. Facing their problems head on, they make personal self-discoveries and find what really matters most in life. The poignancy of the story was heightened when Jonathan Larson died of an aortic dissection on 25 January 1996, the night before the show’s first off-Broadway performance at New York Theatre Workshop.

The much-loved score features songs such as Seasons of Love, Take Me or Leave Me, One Song Glory, La Vie Bohème, Without You, I’ll Cover You, Out Tonight, I Should Tell You and the title song.

Director Bruce Guthrie said:

“I am delighted to be working with a truly world-class creative team on this new production of Jonathan Larson’s classic musical. Our aim is to serve the fans of the show who have loved it so passionately since its ground-breaking premiere Off Broadway in 1996, while introducing it to a new generation of musical theatre fans. We want to capture the essence of bohemian New York City at the height of the AIDS epidemic. It’s a place of grime and excitement, where voices are fighting to be heard and the inhabitants are fighting to connect with one another, as well as fighting for their lives. The musical is a celebration of life and living in the moment. It’s blood and bone, sweat and tears, laughter and joy, despair, hate and love, all in this one remarkable year shared by a group of friends. It is a privilege to be working on one of the great ‘moment’ musicals and to celebrate 20 years of RENT.”

The new production of RENT will have choreography by Lee Proud, set design by Olivier Award-winner Anna Fleischle and costume design by Loren Elstein, with lighting design by Olivier and Tony Award-winner Rick Fisher, sound design by Olivier Award-winner Mike Walker, video design by Andrzej Goulding, musical direction by Phil Cornwell and casting by Will Burton Casting.

RENT has Book, Music and Lyrics by Jonathan Larson, musical arrangements by Steve Skinner, original concept and additional lyrics by Billy Aronson, music supervision and additional arrangements by Tim Weil, and the dramaturg is Lynn Thomson. RENT was originally produced in New York by New York Theatre Workshop and on Broadway by Jeffrey Seller, Kevin McCollum, Alan S. Gordon and New York Theatre Workshop.

RENT is presented by arrangement with Music Theatre International (Europe) Ltd.

Tickets for RENT are on sale now priced £32 – £12 (£1.50 transaction fee per booking) from the York Theatre Royal box office in person, by phone on 01904 623568 or securely online at yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

ICONIC

GRAND OPERA HOUSE YORK

Friday 19 May at 7.30pm

“Hugely successful” and “creative stage show genius” are just two recent descriptions of Manchester’s very own Steve Steinman. This is no surprise, as he has continually impressed his army of fans with shows including The Meat Loaf Story, Vampire’s Rock, Bat The Symphony and Vampire’s Rock Ghost Train since soaring to success on TV’s Stars in Their Eyes over two decades ago as Meat Loaf.

Steve and his crew always deliver exhilarating performances that are packed with energy, fabulous dance routines, spectacular special effects and of course, amazing music that has everyone up on their feet. Throwing just the right amount of fun and humour into his scripts, Steinman ensures that he also has his audiences roaring with laughter.

Steve Steinman’s new show – Iconic – where film and fun collide. Sneak peeks and website teasers such as Catwoman, The Joker and a picture showing Steinman dressed as Bond has had fans literally going wild and with the company giving very little away. We cannot wait to see what they have in store for us on Friday 19 May!

Iconic is set in the future where movie theatres have all but disappeared and a single magical cinema still stands with one lonely occupant – an usher called Benson. He attempts to entice viewers to attend the final screening of the evening as a cast of amazing singers, dancers and musicians perform their way through a midnight medley of iconic soundtracks; reawakening musical memories of the most recognisable songs of all time.

Hits from movie greats such as Kill Bill, Batman, Pulp Fiction, Purple Rain, Bond and Mad Max are featured including tracks from Queen, AC/DC, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Tina Turner, The Rolling Stones and Prince to name but a few.

Book your tickets soon to avoid disappointment

Tickets from £28.15 available from ATG box office on 0844 871 3024 or book online at www.atgtickets.com/york

THE ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY PRESENT FOURTH
RELAXED PERFORMANCE OF MATILDA THE MUSICAL ON SUNDAY 11 JUNE

Following the sold-out success of the previous relaxed performances of Matilda The Musical, the Royal Shakespeare Company will present its fourth at the Cambridge Theatre on Sunday 11 June 2017. Building on the programme of relaxed performances that the RSC has been running in Stratford-upon-Avon since 2013, the RSC is proud to have been amongst the first to adopt and promote the concept. This will be the eighth relaxed performance that the Royal Shakespeare Company has staged to date, and the National Autistic Society and Mousetrap Theatre Projects will again work closely with the RSC, offering full access to the theatre for people with autism and learning disabilities and their families.

The performance provides a relaxed environment, with elements of the production adapted to reduce anxiety or stress. Lighting and sound levels are adjusted to soften their impact and there is a different approach to noise and moving around the auditorium during the performance.  Designated ‘chill-out’ areas are provided outside the auditorium with soft seating and activities for people to use if they want to take a break from being in the auditorium.

The Royal Shakespeare Company is offering tickets at the reduced rate of £25 and £10 whichcan be booked through the RSC Ticket Hotline or in person at the Cambridge Theatre box office from Tuesday 21 March 2017. All bookers will be sent a visual story to help them familiarise themselves with the plot, characters and the setting before they arrive at the theatre. Detailed event and transport information will also be available from www.matildathemusical.com.

Winner of over 75 major international awards, including 15 for Best Musical, Matilda The Musical has been seen by more than 6.5 million people worldwide. Having swept the board at the 2012 Olivier Awards, winning a record-breaking seven awards, Matilda The Musical has now played in 50 cities worldwide and continues to delight audiences in London, Australia and on tour around North America.

After opening to rave reviews and winning a Sydney Theatre Award for Best Musical in 2015, the Australian production played a sold-out season at Melbourne’s Princess Theatre. In July 2016, the production broke the record by winning all 13 Helpmann Awards for which it was nominated. The tour continues in Perth and to Adelaide before premiering in New Zealand at The Civic in Auckland in August 2017 for a strictly limited season.

Matilda The Musical is produced in the West End by the Royal Shakespeare Company with André Ptaszynski and Denise Wood as Executive Producers. The production was developed with the support of Company Dramaturg Jeanie O’Hare and the RSC Literary Department.

Matilda The Musical is written by Dennis Kelly, with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin, and direction by Matthew Warchus. The production is designed by Rob Howell, with choreography by Peter Darling, orchestrations, additional music and musical supervision by Christopher Nightingale, lighting by Hugh Vanstone, sound by Simon Baker and the special effects and illusions are by Paul Kieve.

www.matildathemusical.com

BLUSH by Charlotte Josephine

UK Tour and run at Soho Theatre announced

Soho: Tuesday 16th May – Saturday 3rd June 2017, 7pm

Soho Press Night: Thursday 18th May, 7pm

Tour: Tuesday 6th – Saturday 24th June

Following a sell-out run at the Edinburgh Festival, the award-winning BLUSH now transfers to Soho Theatre before embarking on a UK Tour. Written by Charlotte Josephine and presented by Snuff Box Theatre, the team behind the sell-out, multi-award winning Bitch Boxer, BLUSH tells five candid stories about image-based sexual abuse and all its many victims. BLUSH is a slap in the face and a call to arms.

Blush feels like powerful and important theatre on an urgently contemporary issue (The Daily Telegraph).

This angry, honest and heartfelt piece seeks to encourage and broaden examination of how the scarcity culture in modern society is fuelling our shame, encouraging the destructive belief systems that we are not enough.

Daniel Foxsmith and Charlotte Josephine (who won a Stage Edinburgh Award for BLUSH) lead this fast-paced production, exploring why society has a desire to shame, what it’s the result of and how we allow this to happen. BLUSH shines a light on the secrets we attempt to keep in the dark, our fears of disconnection and our attempts to be part of the tribe.

The catalyst for the piece was legislation passed in April 2015 to make revenge pornography a criminal act. The law now makes it illegal to disclose a ‘private sexual photograph or film’ without the consent of the person depicted. Many people consent to the creation of an image but having it made public is a very different matter. While revenge pornography may have been the catalyst of Blush, the true focus of the work is shame.

Blush is essential viewing for anyone that owns a computer or mobile phone and, just like Bitch Boxer, it packs a heavy punch (What’s On Stage)

BLUSH is directed by Ed Stambollouian whose work includes Awkward Conversations with Animals I’ve Fucked and Old Vic 12.

BLUSH is presented in association with Sphinx Theatre and has been supported by the Peggy Ramsay Foundation, Unity Theatre and Arts Council England

The Old Red Lion 7 – 25 March.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

The beauty and poignancy of love letters sent during times of war is brought to the stage in this stunning ensemble production by Althea Theatre.

Beginning with a cacophony of voices, all trying to be heard, seven stories evolve throughout the show. A Russian officer, after sending too many notices of death, begins writing to a woman in Wales, pretending to be her dead husband. An American soldier in Vietnam writes mundane letters to his wife, unable to tell her the true horrors he is experiencing. An Israeli teacher encourages her class to write about their plans for the future before they graduate and join the army. A French girl keeps the love letter written to her by a German soldier. A Colombian asylum seeker waits in London to hear from her kidnapped husband. A British soldier in Afghanistan skypes with his fiancée, unable to find beautiful words to write; and 100 years ago, a woman sends her touch to her husband fighting in the war.

Lilac Yosiphon’s direction is sensitive and lyrical. The ensemble move and dance together, punctuate key moments by breathing together, and create an atmosphere that feels intense and cosy at the same time. Angus McRae’s music is used with intuitive skill to provide moments of whimsy and heartbreak, and the simple set of cascading sheets of paper in the tiny space gives the impression of being in an attic room poring over these treasured letters together. The whole ensemble shine, bringing passion and compassion to their various characters.

The switching back and for between stories develops a lovely meandering rhythm throughout the show, and some of the audience’s preconceptions about certain characters are blown out of the water to devastating effect. As we revisit Violette throughout her life and finally learn the truth about her encounter with the German soldier your bottom lip will be trembling.

The words of love and hope during such terrible times are inspiring, and the loss of such writing skills today is illustrated to great tragi-comic effect by the ensemble voicing a soldier and his girlfriend’s “romantic” text messages.

One Last Thing (for now) is bold and beautiful theatre; an emotional and heart-warming show that celebrates love in dark times, and a show you could watch many times, finding something new each time.

Jack Studio Theatre 14 March – 1 April.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

Vampires, zombies and werewolves are laughable – the most terrifying monsters are evil children. OutFox’s revival of The Bad Seed brings Rhoda Penmark back to the stage; pigtails, perfection and smiles, just your typical high-functioning sociopath.

Christine Penmark’s worries about her daughter Rhoda, bright and loved by adults, but avoided by other children, come to a head when her husband is away working in Washington DC. An accidental drowning at a school picnic leads to questions about Rhoda’s involvement. When Christine finds the drowned boy’s medal in Rhoda’s treasure box, her worst fears are realised. Nobody else sees through Rhoda’s veneer of sweetness, except handyman Leroy, whose teasing and tormenting of the girl leads to further violence. Christine’s questions about her own parentage are answered by her father, and the guilt she feels about her own child inheriting her mother’s evil tendencies becomes overwhelming.

Since the play’s 1954 Broadway debut, our appetite for psychopaths and murders has been fed with a myriad of books, plays and films, but Maxwell Anderson’s writing still manages to manipulate the audience as much as Rhoda manipulates adults. There are some scenes where nature versus nurture are debated in a preachy way that seems naïve to modern audiences, but director John Fricker has retained them, and rightly so.

The pace of the script and the action is languid, like a hot summer’s afternoon in the Southern US town in which the play is set. The tension is slowly ramped up, and even though you can guess what’s going to happen, the shocks are still chilling, with gasps and groans from the audience at key moments.

The cast’s accents are variable, but their commitment is unquestionable. Rebecca Rayne is fantastic as Rhoda, playing the 8-year-old with a blank and controlled sweetness, allowing the confusion and anger to trickle through when her usual trite words don’t distract her mother. Christine could be quite a dull character in the wrong hands, but Beth Eyre manages to keep her quiet worry and despair interesting rather than repetitive. The atmosphere lightens whenever Jessica Hawksley is on stage as Mrs Breedlove, analysing every person in the room with comic insensitivity and faded Southern Belle mannerisms. Brian Merry also shines as Leroy. The scene where he finally realises what Rhoda is truly capable of, and his sneery taunting changes to complete terror is played beautifully. The standout performance of the show comes from Lucinda French as Mrs Daigle, the dead boy’s mother. Keeping well away from stereotypical drunken acting, French nails the despair and grief brilliantly, convincingly frightening even Rhoda with the intensity of her emotions.

The Bad Seed is a wonderfully atmospheric and spine-tingling play, beautifully acted and full of class. Well worth a look.

Sonia Friedman Productions presents
Imelda Staunton and Conleth Hill in
Edward Albee’s
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
With Imogen Poots and Luke Treadaway
Directed by James Macdonald

• The critically acclaimed 5 star hit production of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? will be broadcast live to cinemas across the UK and beyond as part of National Theatre Live

• The live broadcast will take place on 18th May at 7.30pm

• Tickets for the broadcast on sale beginning of April – visit local cinema website for details

• Tickets remain on sale for the run of the production at the Harold Pinter Theatre which continues until 27th May starring Imelda Staunton, Conleth Hill, Imogen Poots and Luke Treadaway

• Over 100 tickets for every performance at the Harold Pinter Theatre priced at £15

Following the enormously successful opening of James Macdonald’s new production of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? starring Imelda Staunton, Conleth Hill, Imogen Poots and Luke Treadaway, producers today announced the forthcoming live broadcast of the play to cinemas throughout the UK and beyond as part of National Theatre Live.

The broadcast will take place on 18th May at 7.30pm and tickets go on sale at the beginning of April. Visit your local cinema website for details.

The run of the critically acclaimed production continues at the Harold Pinter Theatre, with tickets available through the Box Office until 27th May.

In the early hours of the morning on the campus of an American college, Martha, much to her husband George’s displeasure, has invited the new professor Nick and his wife Honey to their home for some after-party drinks. As the alcohol flows and dawn approaches, the young couple are drawn into George and Martha’s toxic games until the evening reaches its climax in a moment of devastating truth-telling.

PLAYS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE, PERFORMED BY YOUNG PEOPLE

AT SHEFFIELD THEATRES

Young members of Sheffield People’s Theatre take part in a national celebration of theatre when they join local schools and youth theatre groups performing new plays from emerging playwrights as part of the National Theatre Connections Festival 2017 at the Crucible Studio Theatre Monday 27 March – Saturday 1 April.

Sheffield Theatres’ Assistant Director George Richmond-Scott leads a team of twelve young Sheffield People’s Theatre members in universal coming of age story Musical Differences on Monday 27 March. Written by co-creator of BBC’s Cuckoo Robin French, the play explores impossible love affairs and brutal school politics, and uncovers the price we are willing to pay for success.

Other organisations involved in the festival are West Yorkshire Drama Academy, The King’s School, Hinde House School, Rotherham College, Unlimited Theatre, Something Wicked This Way Comes (Talbot Specialist School), Flame Theatre Company, Yew Tree Youth Theatre, CAPA College, Castleford Academy and First Floor.

Connections is the National Theatre’s annual festival of new plays for youth theatres and schools. It gives young people experience of professional theatre-making which mirrors that of a company producing a new play. Sheffield Theatres will be showing nine plays from emerging playwrights, including Sheffield based Tim Etchells, which will be performed by twelve local schools and groups.

Emily Hutchinson, Creative Projects Manager at Sheffield Theatres commented: ‘We’re thrilled to be working with such talented and enthusiastic young people as part of the National Theatre Connections Festival once again. The Connections Festival is a brilliant way to get the younger generation involved in the arts, and that’s something we are really passionate about at Sheffield Theatres. Some of our young members have grown up performing with Sheffield People’s Theatre and it’s a real privilege to be part of their journey.’ 

Tickets for the National Theatre Connections Festival are on sale now from Sheffield Theatres’ Box Office, priced at £6.00 a night. Call 0114 249 6000 or visit sheffieldtheatres.co.uk to book.