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TAKE A WALK ON THE WILDE SIDE

After playing to packed houses in the West End and followed by a short five week tour, Oscar Wilde’s much loved and witty masterpiece The Importance of Being Earnest comes to Darlington Civic Theatre from Tuesday 3 to Saturday 7 November.

A whole host of household names are set to star in Oscar Wilde’s comedy masterpiece at Darlington Civic Theatre next month.

Rosalind Ayres (Titanic, Outnumbered, New Tricks), Nigel Havers (Chariots of Fire, Downton Abbey, Coronation Street), Martin Jarvis (Endeavour, Just William, Titanic), Christine Kavanagh (Man and Superman, Vera, Manchild), and Siân Phillips (Marlene, The Age of Innocence, Cabaret) will reunite as The Bunbury Company of Players, an extremely experienced cast of serious comedic actors, to reprise their roles from the West End.

Dubbed by Wilde ‘a trivial comedy for serious people’, the production delivers an entirely faithful, but completely unique, setting to one of the greatest theatrical comedies.

The Importance of Being Earnest elegantly lampoons the hypocrisies of Victorian society and opens as two bachelors, the dependable John Worthing, J.P. and upper class playboy Algernon Moncrieff, feel compelled to create different identities in order to pursue two eligible ladies, Cecily Cardew and Gwendolyn Fairfax. The hilarious misadventures which result from their subterfuge and their brushes with the redoubtable Lady Bracknell and the uptight Miss Prism result in a plot that twists and fizzles with some of the finest dialogue to be found in theatre.

Nigel Havers said: “This production is very close to my heart and we had a ball doing it in the West End last summer. I’m thrilled we get to do it all again and hope audiences in Darlington will laugh and enjoy watching our twist on Oscar’s brilliant play as much as we enjoy performing it.”

The Importance of Being Earnest is as Darlington Civic Theatre from Tuesday 3 to Saturday 7 November. Tickets* are £20.10 to £29.50.

*All ticket prices include a £1 restoration levy.

To book contact the Box Office on 01325 486 555 or visit www.darlingtoncivic.co.uk

Civic Theatre, Darlington – 14 October 2015

The double bill of two one act plays arrives in Darlington to send chills in to the souls of the audience .

The Waiting Room by Robert Aickman tells of George Pendlebury, a middle aged man who misses his train connection and ends up staying the night in the stations Waiting Room.  Set in the 1950’s it goes back and forth from the current time to the war.  It was beautifully staged and it was well lit, making the waiting room so normal it was the anticipation that made it eerie.  It was well acted, Jack Shepherd constructed a totally believable character and anchored the play.  But it whilst it was good it wasn’t scary enough.

This piece is not the main event. It is equalled by The Signalman of Charles Dickens. This dovetails fabulously with the first story, set in a railway signal box this time.  It dwells on the supernatural, on illusion and on superstition.

‘The Signalman’ (originally a short story by Charles Dickens) has been brilliantly adapted to the stage, and it’s a taut suspenseful tale, that unfolds with certain precision, by degrees, and Jack Shepherd conveys a sense of dread and foreboding in his role of signalman: his predicament is akin to the tightening of a screw: it’s a very moving performance.  You feel from the outset that the signalman is a tortured soul. Shepherd captures the mental decline of this character superbly and his confidante’s (Richard Walsh) steadfast logic only exaggerates his fragile state of mind. Each of the stellar cast puts in a top performance. The play abounds in knowing looks as the actors fulfil their roles in these old-fashioned tales.  Walsh provides the anchor and helps to illuminate the finely balanced relationship between the two main characters, that moves from haunting self-doubt to real terror, almost effortlessly. The set is wonderful, there’s a real sense of a person incarcerated in a signal box at the bottom of a huge chasm, and the special effects are haunting indeed.

Special mention must go to the team who changed the sets over in the extended 30 minute interval.  The sets, in both shows, were impressive and it is all beautiful staged

Michael Lunney, Director and co-founder of Middle Ground Theatre Company, has done a great job with Classic Ghosts: it was a great evening of live theatre, and the feedback from the theatre audience at the end of the performance, confirms that it delivered scares a plenty.

In Darlington until Saturday 17 October and on tour around the UK

 

 

The West End traditionally likes to get involved with the BBC Children in Need appeal show, and is well represented this year with performances by some of the biggest musicals of 2015.

Broadcast live on BBC One on Friday 13th November 2015, this year’s Children in Need has a glittering line-up that includes musical performances from the West End casts of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Kinky Boots and Bend It Like Beckham.

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical is based on the life and career of American singer/song-writer Carole King. It is the untold story of her journey from school girl to superstar; from her relationship with husband and song-writing partner Gerry Goffin, their close friendship and playful rivalry with fellow song-writing duo Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, to her remarkable rise to stardom. The Olivier Award-winning musical features a book by Douglas McGrath and is directed by Marc Bruni, and includes such classic hit songs as ‘So Far Away’, ‘It Might As Well Rain until September’, ‘Take Good Care of my Baby’, ‘Will You Love Me Tomorrow’, ‘Up on the Roof’, ‘Locomotion’, ‘One Fine Day’, ‘You’ve Got a Friend’, ‘(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman’ and ‘I Feel the Earth Move’. The West End production opened at the Aldwych Theatre on 24th February 2015 (previews from 10th February) and currently stars Katie Brayburn in the title role opposite Alan Morrissey as Gerry Goffin, Lorna Want as Cynthia Weil, Ian McIntosh as Barry Mann.

Kinky Boots is the hit Broadway show by Harvey Fierstein (Book) and Cyndi Lauper (Music & Lyrics), based on the 2005 film of the same name. Inspired by a true-life events it tells the story of Charlie Price, who is struggling to live up to his father’s expectations and continue the family business of Price & Son. With the shoe factory’s future hanging in the balance, help arrives in the unlikely but spectacular form of Lola, a fabulous performer in need of some sturdy new stilettos. Directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell, Kinky Boots made its West End premiere at the Adelphi Theatre on 15th September 2015 (previews from 21st August) to great critical acclaim, with Killian Donnelly and Matt Henry leading the London company in the respective roles of Charlie and Lola.

Bend It Like Beckham: The Musical is the new British musical adapted from the hit film of the same name. It features a book by Paul Mayeda Berges and director of the original film Gurinder Chadha, who also directs the stage production, and includes original music by Howard Goodall and lyrics by Charles Hart. It tells the story of Jess, who is facing the most important decision of her life: live up to family expectations of university, career and marriage, or follow in the footsteps of her hero David Beckham. When the talented teenager is spotted playing football in Southall, a world of unexpected opportunities opens up before her. But as her sister’s traditional Indian wedding approaches, can she keep her family happy and still follow her dreams? The show made its world premiere at the Phoenix Theatre on 24th June 2015 (previews from 15th May) and stars Natalie Dew as Jess, alongside Lauren Samuels as Jules, Jamie Campbell-Bower as Joe, Sophie Louise-Dann as Paula and Jamal Andreas as Tony.

The Rocky Horror Show is also set to get involved with Children in Need, as The One Show hosts Matt Baker and Alex Jones take a jump to the left (and then a step to the right) to perform the starring roles in Richard O’Brien’s classic musical.

BBC Children in Need 2015 is once again hosted by Sir Terry Wogan, who will be joined throughout the night by an assortment of guest hosts that includes Tess Daly, Fearne Cotton, Rochelle Humes and Nick Grimshaw. Other highlights of the night’s programme will include Sir Bruce Forsyth’s return to Strictly Come Dancing, comedian and writer of I Can’t Sing! The X Factor Musical Harry Hill, a performance form the cast of EastEnders, and musical performances from such names as Ellie Goulding, Rod Stewart, Selena Gomez, and the UK TV premiere of the duet by Westlife’s’ Shane Filan and Girls Aloud’s Nadine Coyle, ‘I Could Be’.

BBC Children in Need has been an annual event stretching across 35 years, and has helped to raise millions of pounds for disadvantaged children and young people around the UK. Sir Terry Wogan, BBC Children in Need Life President, said:

“It was my privilege to present the very first BBC Children in Need in 1980 and it remains a privilege and a pleasure to reflect the extraordinary generosity of the British public. For that’s what BBC Children in Need has truly become: the People’s Charity. Their pounds, shillings and pence, given so generously, have amounted to an extraordinary total so far of £790 million! You can imagine the difference that has made to the lives of disadvantaged children and young people across the UK. The past couple of years have produced record-breaking totals on the big night, and it’s fingers crossed for another magnificent response from the British public. Tess, Fearne, Nick, Rochelle and I are looking forward to a mind-blowing evening of great entertainment on behalf of a great charity.”

BBC Children in Need 2015 will be broadcast live on BBC on Friday 13th November 2015, from 7.30pm onwards. A timetable of the night’s line-up will be announced nearer the time.

Tony Robinson’s Wild West in 3D will use exclusive, never-before-seen 3D stereoscopic photographs to expose the untold story of the ‘Wild West’ and reveal the truth behind the Hollywood legends.

The three, hour long episodes chart the relatively short, 50 year period that begins at the end of the American Civil War in 1865 when all the western territories in America were opened up to be civilised and exploited.

In the first episode, The Last Stand, Tony looks at the clashes between the native Indian tribes and Americans, namely the famous ‘Last Stand’ of General Custer at Little Big Horn. Whilst this was the one and only battle the Sioux ever won against the Americans, it led to the total destruction of their people and culture, from which they never recovered.

Episode Two, Outlaws and Lawmen, examines the infamous western bandits, often glorified in Hollywood’s latter-day spaghetti westerns, including Butch Cassidy and Jesse James.

The last episode, How the West Was Won, focuses on the pioneers that capitalised on the opportunities of the West, one of which was the renowned Buffalo Bill, the world’s first global superstar.

Many of the early photographs of the American West were taken with 3D stereographic cameras – the images they captured have never been seen on TV before. This hoard of lost images is a real discovery. The 3D stereographic slides are unknown to academics and experts working in the field. This means that the series has genuinely exclusive and ground breaking content.

Tony is a huge fan of Western movies but wants to see if the films he grew up with relate to the reality of the Old West. Now Tony Robinson is using this unique archive to bring the Wild West back to life as he tells the true stories of the men and women who tamed the American wilderness. From Custer’s Last Stand and the Battle of Little Big Horn to the gunfight at the OK Corral and death of Jesse James, this is a history of the West unlike any other.

 

New rehearsal images of the London premiere of ELF THE MUSICAL directed by Morgan Young and starring Ben Forster, Kimberley Walsh, Joe McGann and Jessica Martin.

ELF THE MUSICAL starts previews at the Dominion Theatre on 24 October and runs until 2 January 2016.

ELF THE MUSICAL has a book by Thomas Meehan and Bob Martin, music by Matthew Sklar and lyrics by Chad Beguelin.

LISTINGS INFORMATION

24 October 2015 to 2 January 2016

Dominion Theatre

268-269 Tottenham Court Road

London W1T 7AQ

 

Performances: Monday to Saturday at 7.30pm*, Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2.30pm**

*7.00pm on Thursday 5 November, no evening performance Thursday 24, Friday 25, Saturday 26, Thursday 31 December & Friday 1 January

**extra 2.30pm matinees on Thursday 29 October, and, in December, on Monday 21st, Tuesday 22nd, Thursday 24th, Monday 28th, Tuesday 29th & Thursday 31st

See website for ticket prices: www.elfthemusical.co.uk / www.dominiontheatre.com

Box Office: 0845 200 7982

Running Time: 2 hours 25 minutes (including interval)

 

TakeOver Festival 2015

Programme of events for York Theatre Royal’s annual festival curated by young people.

The official programme of shows for TakeOver 2015, an annual arts festival run in association with York Theatre Royal and running from Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November, has been announced.

Every year during TakeOver Festival, young people seize control of York Theatre Royal, taking charge of programming, preparing and producing a week of performances and activities. This year we’re having a TakeOver makeover: while York Theatre Royal is currently lodging at the National Railway Museum during its £4.1m refurbishment, the festival is following suit.

The festival team have asked every act to devise a piece that responded to and enriched the unique performance spaces of the National Railway Museum. Performances have been programmed throughout the museum – inside carriages, on bridges, and throughout the museum’s cavernous halls.

Kate Hunter, Public Events Manager at the National Railway Museum, said:

We’re very excited to be hosting this year’s TakeOver Festival at the National Railway Museum as part of our ongoing partnership with York Theatre Royal. Our staff have really enjoyed helping to mentor such a talented and enthusiastic group of young people, who have organised a fantastic programme inspired by the National Railway Museum and the wonderful items in the National Collection. We can’t wait to see their hard work pay off in October half term!

Leeds-based group Interplay Theatre’s show A Journey With Maude will be performed in the saloons and compartments of the Tri-Composite Carriage, one of the museum’s most treasured carriages. Adapted from the cult 1970s dark comedy Harold and Maude, the intensely intimate show will see Maude taking an audience of six on a time-travelling adventure through her extraordinary life.

HookHitch Theatre will be performing two shows over the festival: The Gentleman for Nowhere is based on a collection of railway-themed short stories partly written by Dickens, and was specially conceived for performance in the Gresley Buffet Car in the unique atmosphere of the museum’s Warehouse. In HookHitch’s Phantasmagoria, has-been Victorian entertainer Charles Alderdice attempts to retell Lewis Carroll’s darkest work, but starts to lose his grip on reality in a swirl of delusion and desperation, drawing audiences into his greatest fears and desires.

TakeOver’s Artistic Director Lizzy Whynes, a 22-year-old theatre practitioner, has crafted two performance pieces for the festival, both of them free to watch: Coal in the Garden is a post-war story of two sisters from the countryside whose imaginations run wild as they persuade their friend, an evacuee from the city, to stay living with them; and the Pigeon Party is a five-minute flash mob that pops up throughout the day across the museum, in which a group of defiant pigeons evade Ernie, the security guard.

Lizzy says about TakeOver Festival:

It’s fantastic that TakeOver Festival, which gives young people such an amazing opportunity to kickstart an artistic career, is forming part of the collaboration between the National Railway Museum and the theatre. It’s a first for the National Railway Museum and a first for TakeOver – they’ve never hosted an arts festival, and we’ve never taken over a museum.

None of the work we’re producing would have been possible without the constant inspiration of the museum’s collection and support of its staff. The Pigeon Party only came about after a conversation we had with a security guard at the museum about how difficult pigeons were to shoo away. We wanted to make him, the pigeons, and everything else in this brilliant museum part of the TakeOver story.

Award-winning theatre maker John Hinton is taking audiences on a whistle-stop musical excursion around some of the museum’s unusual artefacts, called The Great Train Songery; the tuneful tour blends comedy, audience interaction and a lurking sense of the unexpected. Local performance poet Henry Raby is presenting Train-spotting (not the film), a short piece on the Footbridge of the Great Hall about losing oneself in a hobby – in this case, the engrossing pastime of trainspotting.

TakeOver is producing two evening events during the week, in which audiences can relax with a drink from the museum café and experience the halls in unusual quiet. On Monday an immersive, secret cinema-style screening of the classic 1940s comedy/horror film Ghost Train will be held, in which live performers re-enact scenes from the film and treat the audience to synchronised sights, tastes and smells. A scratch night of TakeOver Shorts will take place on Tuesday evening, in which companies will perform 20-minute draft versions of their productions: the winning event, as voted for by audiences, will be commissioned for the TakeOver 2016 programme.

Four theatre workshops for young people have been arranged at the museum during TakeOver week. All Aboard!, in which 5- to 11-year-olds get the chance to create theatrical snapshots of railway life, will run for 50 minutes most mornings. In Suitcase Stories (aimed at 8- to 12-year-olds and running for a morning) and Mind the Gap (for those aged 13 to 17, running for a full day), participants will work from the museum’s own collections to create a short play, which they can perform to family and friends at the end of the workshop. And Interplay Theatre have produced the accessible and interactive A Journey With Maude Workshop to accompany their performance, aimed at young people aged 8 to 16.

Of Time and the Railway, a new film by artist Robert Davies, captures the entire train journey between Birmingham and Aberystwyth. Filmed from the driver’s cabin over the four seasons, it charts the many changes in landscape and scenery between the stations, and will run on loop in Station Hall throughout the festival week.

TakeOver audiences can get stuck in themselves with our Creation Stations, open all day throughout the week. In the Music, Story, Shadow, Art and Poetry Stations, there will be opportunities for museum visitors to create their own work of art and help produce TakeOver Festival.

Listings

A Journey With Maude

An Interplay Theatre production

Monday 26 October – Sunday 1 November

Times: 11.30, 12.15, 14.15, 15.00, 15.45

Location: Tri-Composite Carriage, Station Hall

Tickets: £5

The Great Train Songery

Created by John Hinton

Monday 26 October – Wednesday 28 October

Time: 12.00, 12.45, 14.00, 14.45

Location: Meet at the Warehouse entrance

Tickets: Pay what you can

Ghost Train

An immersive film screening

Monday 26 October

Time: 19.30 (bar and doors open 19.00)

Location: Station Hall, meet at the City Entrance of NRM

Tickets: £10 / £8 concessions

TakeOver Shorts

Scratch night to decide TakeOver 2016 programme

Tuesday 27 October

Time: 19.30 (bar and doors open 19.00)

Location: Station Hall, meet at the City Entrance of NRM

Tickets: £8 / £5.50 concessions

Phantasmagoria

A HookHitch Theatre production

Thursday 19 October – Saturday 31 October

Times: 12.30, 13.15, 14.30, 15.15

Location: Fruit Van, Platform 6, Station Hall

Tickets: £4

The Gentleman For Nowhere

A HookHitch Theatre production

Thursday 29 October – Saturday 31 October

Times: 16.30

Location: Gresley Buffet Car, Warehouse

Tickets: £4

Free events

Coal in the Garden

Directed by the festival’s Artistic Director Lizzy Whynes

Saturday 24 October, Sunday 25 October, Tuesday 27 October, Thursday 29 October, Saturday 31 October, Sunday 1 November

Times: 15.00

Location: The Garden, Great Hall

Pigeon Party

A pop-up dance event

Saturday 24 October, Monday 26 October, Wednesday 28 October, Friday 30 October

Times: Throughout the day

Location: Across the National Railway Museum

Train-Spotting (Not the Film)

Spoken-word piece by Henry Raby

Wednesday 28 October and Saturday 31 October

Time: Several times per hour from 12.00–15.30 (5-minute running time)

Location: Learning Platform, meet at the NRM Box Office

Of Time and the Railway

A film by Robert Davies

Saturday 24 October – Sunday 1 November

Time: On loop throughout the day

Location: Station Hall

Creation Stations (Story Station, Music Station, Shadow Station, Poetry Station, Art Station)

Areas for artists, performers and audience members to get creative

Saturday 24 October – Sunday 1 November

Time: Open throughout the day

Location: Station Hall and Great Hall

Workshops

All Aboard!

50-minute workshop for ages 5 to 11

Monday 26 October – Sunday 1 November

Times: 11.00–11.50 (additional workshops on Monday 26 and Saturday 31 October will start at 14.00)

Location: Learning Platform, meet at the NRM Box Office

Tickets: £5

Suitcase Stories

Morning workshop for ages 8 to 12

Tuesday 27 October

Times: 10.30–13.30

Location: Learning Platform, meet at the NRM Box Office

Tickets: £10

A Journey With Maude Workshop

90-minute accessible workshop run by Interplay Theatre, for ages 8 to 16

Tuesday 27 October

Times: 16.30–18.00

Location: Learning Platform, meet at the NRM Box Office

Tickets: £5

Mind the Gap

All-day workshop for ages 13 to 17

Friday 30 October

Times: 11.00–16.30

Location: Learning Platform, meet at the NRM Box Office

Tickets: £15

 

LAST CHANCE TO SEE F*CK THE POLAR BEARS AT THE BUSH THEATRE

• Run ends 24 October 2015

• Two weeks left to see Tanya Ronder’s world premiere, directed by Caroline Byrne

F*CK THE POLAR BEARS is a raucous new environmental comedy about a family with the world at their feet, but plagued by the everyday hypocrisies and First World Problems of a prosperous life.

The cast for this world premiere production of F*CK THE POLAR BEARS by Tanya Ronder is: Jon Foster, Salóme R Gunnarsdóttir, Susan Stanley and Andrew Whipp.  The production opened at the Bush Theatre in September 2015.

Gordon and Serena have worked hard to get where they are. He’s on the verge of a massive promotion at an energy company. She’s preparing for a move into the house of their dreams. The family appear to be cooking on gas.

But behind their perfect front door, light bulbs are blowing, the drains keep blocking, and a phone inexplicably refuses to charge. Not to mention that daughter Rachel’s adored toy polar bear is nowhere to be found.

As Gordon chases the spectres behind these mysterious events, he spirals out of control and the family are forced to ask whether the life they desire is worth its cost.

Tanya Ronder’s adaptations for theatre include Dara and Liolà (National Theatre); Macbett(RSC); Filumena and Blood Wedding (Almeida); Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, 02 and USA tour; Vernon God Little (Olivier nomination for Best New Play, What’s on Stage nom. for Best New Comedy) and Peribanez (Young Vic). Vernon God Little was revived by the Young Vic in 2011 as part of their anniversary season.  Her first original play Table (National Theatre) opened the Shed to critical acclaim in 2013. Films include the short, King Bastard (dir Rufus Norris).  Tanya is currently developing a series for BBC, Big Amy, with co-writer Deborah Bruce.

Caroline Byrne’s directing credits include Electra (RWCMD, Cardiff), Eclipsed (Gate Theatre), Gate 35 Gala (Louise Blouin Foundation), Leaving Home Party (Farnham Maltings Tour), By Mr Farquhar (UK City of Culture 2013), Text Messages (Project, Dublin), Shakespeare in a Suitcase (co-directed with Tim Crouch for RSC),The Recovery Position (Lion and Unicorn),Twizzler Soaked Ecstasy (devised, Bernhard Theatre Studio), The Children (Embassy Theatre), Attempts on her Life (Durham Theatre, Berkeley, USA). As Assistant Director: Adler and Gibb (Royal Court), Wendy and Peter Pan (RSC) and King Lear (RSC Tour). As Associate Director at the Gate Theatre (2014/15): Grounded and Purple Heart.

F*CK THE POLAR BEARS will be followed in the Bush’s autumn season by the annual festival of new writing, RADAR 2015 (11-26 November).

LISTINGS

11 September – 24 October 2015
F*CK THE POLAR BEARS
By Tanya Ronder

Mon to Sat at 7.30pm
2.30pm Saturday matinees
2.30pm Wednesday matinees

Ticket prices:

Evenings: £20

• £12.50 concessions (registered unemployed and disabled)
• £15.50 for Senior Citizens
• £12.50 for students/under 26s
• 10% off for Bush Local members

Previews: £15.50

• £10.50 concessions (registered unemployed and disabled)
• £12.50 for Senior Citizens
• £10.50 for students/under 26s
• £12.50 for Bush Local members

Matinees: £15

• £10.00 concessions (registered unemployed and disabled)
• £10.00 for students/under 26s
• £10.00 for Senior Citizens
• 10% off for Bush Local members

Season Offers*

Season 3 for 2
See 3 shows for the price of 2. Valid for top price tickets only, shows must be purchased at the same time. Not valid for previews, matinees or RADAR.

Live or work locally – Join our free local membership scheme Bush Local for £12.50 preview tickets, 10% off all other performances and a 10% discount at the Cafe Bar. For more information and to become a member, visit bushtheatre.co.uk

Educational Groups – Schools tickets are £10 (matinees) and £12.50 (evenings), plus one teacher goes free with every 10 pupils. To reserve tickets, please call the Box Office between 12 – 8pm.

Bush Connect scheme – A free membership scheme for students and under 26s, BUSH CONNECT offers its members £10-£12.50 tickets for all Bush Theatre productions, a 10% discount at the Cafe Bar, special offers, giveaways and competitions, and exclusive events and networking opportunities.

Group Bookings – Book for a group of 11 or more people and the 11th person will go for free.

*Terms and conditions apply, see the Bush website for further information.

PRINCE GUITARIST TO PERFORM AT CITY VARIETIES MUSIC HALL

ANDY MCKEE is among the world’s finest acoustic guitarists – his 200million+YouTube views underscore his emergence as one of today’s most unique and influential artists – and Leeds is getting ready to welcome the breath-taking performer next month when he rocks into City Varieties Music Hall.

To fans of virtuoso musicianship, it is Andy’s attention to song structure and melodic content that elevates him above the rest.

To fans of popular music, he entertains both the eye and the ear as he magically transforms the steel string guitar into a full orchestra via his use of altered tunings, tapping, partial capos, percussive hits and a signature two-handed technique.

Andy recently garnered prestigious exposure playing with Prince at sold our arena shows in Australia as a feature soloist and special guest member of Prince’s extraordinary live band.

Andy McKee plays City Varieties Music Hall on Tuesday November 3^rd

Tickets are on sale now priced at £19.50

Book online at cityvarieties.co.uk or call 0113 243 08 08

 

Empire Cinemas brings big stage productions to the big screen for its November line-up of arts and live performance screenings, including:

·         Royal Opera House – Carmen Quadruple Bill Live

·         National Theatre Live – Of Mice And Men

·         MET Opera – Lulu

The Empire Extra programme from Empire Cinemas, brings an eclectic mix of live performances to the big screen and this November sees an exhilarating line-up of live theatre, world-class opera and unmissable ballet. Every month, the innovative programme delivers the UK’s best theatre, feature films, music, arts and opera straight to the screens of local cinemas, offering a wide range of exciting content for customers, beyond the standard movie releases. This November, cinemagoers and arts fans can experience screenings of; Royal Opera House – Carmen Quadruple Bill Live, National Theatre Live – Of Mice and Men, MET Opera – Lulu; and finally Branagh Theatre Live – The Winter’s Tale.

Royal Opera House – Carmen Quadruple Bill Live

Released 12 November 2015

Ticket link: http://bit.ly/1FT2EzW

One of The Royal Opera’s best loved stagings, regularly revived since its opening night in 1974, is now being seen for the very last time. John Copley’s keen stagecraft and loving attention to period and dramatic detail make his production of Carmen Quadruple Bill a masterpiece of realism. Several of today’s greatest opera stars return to bid farewell to this sublime staging, notably Anna Netrebko as Mimì, and Joseph Calleja as her lover, Rodolfo. Israeli conductor Dan Ettinger conducts one of Puccini’s most emotional and melodious scores, in a revival that promises to go down in Royal Opera history.

National Theatre Live – Of Mice and Men

Released 19 November 2015

Ticket link: http://bit.ly/1RtAUTH

The hit Broadway production Of Mice and Men, filmed on stage in New York by National Theatre Live, comes to UK cinema screens. John Steinbeck’s classic play is a powerful portrait of the American spirit and a heart-breaking testament to the bonds of friendship. Viewers can expect a star studded cast including Golden Globe® winner and Academy Award® nominee James Franco and Tony Award® nominee Chris O’Dowd.

MET Opera – Lulu

Released 21 November 2015

Ticket link: http://bit.ly/1L61bTs

Acclaimed artist and director William Kentridge (The Nose) applies his unique theatrical vision to Berg’s notorious femme fatale who shatters lives, including her own. Musically, the masterful score is in the sure hands of Met Music Director James Levine. Soprano Marlis Petersen has excited audiences around the world with her portrayal of the tour-de-force title role, a wild journey of love, obsession, and death. Susan Graham joins a winning cast, including Daniel Brenna and Johan Reuter.

 

Branagh Theatre Live: The Winter’s Tale

Released 26 November 2015

Ticket link: http://bit.ly/1VEJL5A

The first season of the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company Live promises an exceptional series of plays from London’s Garrick Theatre, broadcast to cinemas over the course of a year. Kicking off the season is The Winter’s Tale; Shakespeare’s timeless tragicomedy of obsession and redemption; reimagined in a new production co-directed by Rob Ashford and Kenneth Branagh. The Winter’s Tale will star a remarkable group of actors, featuring Dame Judi Dench as Paulina and Tom Bateman as Florizel.

Jon Nutton, Marketing Director of Empire Cinemas, said: “Empire Cinemas strives to offer an exciting and diverse range of content to our customers. Through Empire Extra, cinemagoers can experience the excitement of live events and stage productions in the comfort of their local cinema. Film fanatics and arts lovers will be treated this November to four amazing screenings of ballet, opera and theatre; with stunning performances from the likes of James Franco and Dame Judi Dench.”

 

For further ticketing information visit www.EmpireCinemas.co.uk or call 08714 714 714.

MARTIN BARRASS TO STAR AS MR PERKS IN

THE RAILWAY CHILDREN – LIVE ON STAGE

AT KING’S CROSS THEATRE IN LONDON

FROM 17 OCTOBER 2015

 

Martin Barrass will star as Mr Perks in the Olivier Award-winning production of Mike Kenny’s stage adaptation of E. Nesbit’s novel The Railway Children – Live on Stage from Saturday 17 October 2015.

Martin first played Mr Perks in the 2009 production at York Theatre Royal where he revived the role earlier this year to critical acclaim. In 2012, he appeared in the National Theatre’s production of One Man Two Guvnors as Alfie at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in London. Martin has appeared in numerous television series, including Mike Conrad in Emmerdale and Ron Frost in Angels.

Louisa Clein also joins the cast as Phyllis. Louisa played the role of Phyllis in the original London production of The Railway Children in 2010 at Waterloo Station. She played Martin Shaw’s daughter, Charlie Deed, in the television series Judge John Deed. An accomplished viola player who toured with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, her sister is the cellist Natalie Clein and her mother was a professional violinist. Her cousin is the author Julia Pascal and Louisa has just starred in Julia’s play, Crossing Jerusalem, at the Park Theatre in London. Other theatre work includes The Lady from the Sea and Waste at the Almeida Theatre and The Rubenstein Kiss at Hampstead Theatre.

Also in the cast of The Railway Children are Caroline Harker as Mother, Clare Corbett as Mrs Perks, Peter Gardiner as Doctor/Butler, Jack Hardwick as Peter, Mark Hawkins as Jim/District Super, Connie Hyde as Mrs Viney, Serena Manteghi as Bobbie, Blair Plant as Father/Schepansky, Moray Treadwell as the Old Gentleman and Alex Wingfield as Train Man, plus a children’s ensemble made up of four teams of ten children aged between 9 and 15.

The Railway Children opened at the King’s Cross Theatre to critical and public acclaim on 14 January 2015, following previews from 16 December 2014.

A purpose built 1,000-seat theatre, complete with a railway track and platforms, and with a state of the art air conditioning and heating system, was specially created for this production on King’s Boulevard, behind King’s Cross Station, a site which has been loaned to the production for the duration of the run by Google. The York Theatre Royal production, which is in association with the National Railway Museum, once again features a live steam locomotive and a vintage carriage, originally built in 1896.

The production at King’s Cross Theatre is in support of the Railway Children Charity that aims to help homeless and runaway children throughout the world, with £1 per ticket donated to the charity. To date, £335,000 has been raised by the theatre production since its West End debut in 2010.

Directed by Damian Cruden, the Artistic Director of York Theatre Royal, with design by Joanna Scotcher, lighting by Richard G. Jones, music by Christopher Madin and sound by Craig Vear, Mike Kenny’s adaptation of The Railway Children was first produced by York Theatre Royal at the National Railway Museum, York, where it enjoyed two sell-out and critically acclaimed seasons in 2008 and 2009. The production then opened at Waterloo Station in the former Eurostar terminal in July 2010, where it again played two critically acclaimed sell-out seasons and won the 2011 Olivier Award for Best Entertainment, before opening in Toronto in 2011 in a temporary theatre built at the base of CN Tower in Roundhouse Park.

The Railway Children tells the story of Bobbie, Peter and Phyllis, three children whose lives change dramatically when their father is mysteriously taken away. They move from London to a cottage in rural Yorkshire with their mother, where they befriend the local railway porter, Perks, and embark on a magical journey of discovery, friendship and adventure. But the mystery remains – where is Father, and is he ever coming back?

Edith Nesbit’s much loved classic children’s book The Railway Children was first published in 1906 and has subsequently been adapted for the stage and screen, most famously in the 1970 film version directed by Lionel Jeffries and starring Jenny Agutter, Bernard Cribbins, Dinah Sheridan and Sally Thomsett.

The production is presented in London by Tristan Baker & Charlie Parsons for Runaway Entertainment, Oliver Royds for BOS Productions and Sue Scott Davison, in association with York Theatre Royal and the National Railway Museum.

LISTINGS INFORMATION

THE RAILWAY CHILDREN – LIVE ON STAGE

King’s Cross Theatre

Goods Way

King’s Cross

London N1C 4UR

Currently booking until 3 January 2016

Running Time 2 hours 10 minutes (including an interval)

Box Office 0844 871 7604

Tickets £25.00-£49.50, with 25% off for Under 16s (Premium Seats available at £69.50 +Limited edition show poster)

Website www.railwaychildrenlondon.com Facebook www.facebook.com/railwaychildrenlondon

Twitter @TRCKingsCross

Google+ plus.google.com/+RailwayChildrenLondon

Performance Schedule from 17 October: Wednesday at 2.30pm* & 7.30pm

Thursday at 2.30pm

Saturday at 1pm & 4.30pm

Sunday at 2pm

*N.B Wednesday matinees will start at 1pm on 2 & 9 December

**Extra performances: 2.30pm on Monday 26 October, 1pm & 4.30pm on Tuesday 27 October 2015-16 CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

Friday 18 December 2.30pm

Saturday 19 December 1pm & 4.30pm

Sunday 20 December 1pm & 4.30pm

Monday 21 December 2.30pm

Tuesday 22 December 1pm & 4.30pm

Wednesday 23 December 1pm & 4.30pm

Thursday 24 December No performance

Friday 25 December No performance

Saturday 26 December 1pm & 4.30pm

Sunday 27 December 2pm

Monday 28 December No performance

Tuesday 29 December 1pm & 4.30pm

Wednesday 30 December 1pm & 4.30pm

Thursday 31 December 2.30pm

Friday 1 January 1pm & 4.30pm

Saturday 2 January 1pm & 4.30pm

Sunday 3 January 2pm