Yeadon Town Hall embraces the return of live entertainment with incredible shows including a Below the Deck party and black tie celebration evening.
It’s been a long eighteen months without live entertainment but, following the easing of restrictions in July, Yeadon Town Hall is delighted to be welcoming the local community back through its doors once more.
Though the Town Hall has continued to provide community entertainment such as local markets and its first wedding fair, it has only been able to run events at full capacity from 19th July. Its first show, Vinyl Richie’s Acapulco Disco Show, successfully went ahead at the end of July to a socially-distanced audience and will return to larger audiences later in the year.
Now the venue looks forward to its August events which are set to delight the local community!
First up is an exciting Below Deck Party with the Old Time Sailors on Saturday 21st August. The incredible ten piece band will take audience members back in time through an unforgettable trip to the 19th century. Singing along to classic sea shanties is encouraged during this fully immersive evening of live entertainment.
On 22nd August there’ll be a black tie event to celebrate the re-opening and restoration of Yeadon Town Hall. The show will star The Barricade Boys, West End legend Kerry Ellis and Britain’s Got Talent winner Jai McDowall all accompanied by an exceptional live band. Audiences can expect to hear a stunning range of showtunes from both West End and Broadway, crowd favourites and pop hits.
Throughout the pandemic, the Town Hall team have been working tirelessly to continue the building’s restoration project. This includes both interior and exterior work. The clock tower’s been fixed, the scaffolding has been taken down and the Main Auditorium has been beautifully redecorated. The celebration evening is the perfect way for the community to come together and appreciate the stunning local landmark and all the work that has gone into transforming it.
The Town Hall Tavern will be open throughout both events for audience members, with a huge variety of drinks on offer including rum cocktails for the sailors and fizz for those dressed to impress at the black tie celebration!
Jamie Hudson, CEO at Yeadon Town Hall, says: “It’s been a very long eighteen months, that’s for sure. We couldn’t be more delighted to throw open our doors once more and welcome the community back to Yeadon Town Hall. We have a spectacular range of shows and events coming up which we’re sure will provide some much-needed excitement and something fabulous for people to look forward to. Our 2021 events programme is now live on our website, so we hope audiences will take a look and support our wonderful community venue by booking tickets and coming to visit us again soon.”
September will also be a busy month at Yeadon Town Hall. Shows and events include: ABBA Party in Fernando’s Greek Taverna (selected dates between 10th – 24th September), Community Market (12th September) and An Evening of Clairvoyance with Medium Steve Holbrook (30th September).
Though COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted, Yeadon Town Hall will continue to put extra safety measures in place to ensure that audiences feel confident returning back to the venue. This includes hand sanitisation stations and enhanced cleaning regimes, plus a range of socially distanced performances throughout the year’s events programme. The venue will continue to monitor and abide by government advice and regulations.
For more information and to book please visit the Yeadon Town Hall website at www.yeadontownhall.co.uk
SMASH HIT FAT FRIENDS – THE MUSICAL RETURNS TO LEEDS GRAND THEATRE
KAY MELLOR RETURNS WITH FAT FRIENDS – THE MUSICAL AFTER HUGELY SUCCESSFUL PREMIERE AT THE GRAND IN 2017
LEE MEAD RETURNS TO MUSICAL THEATRE IN STARRING ROLE
TICKETS ON SALE TODAY (1 August 2021)
The weight is over! Following the hugely successful world premiere at Leeds Grand Theatre in 2017, Kay Mellor’s smash hit FAT FRIENDS – THE MUSICAL returns home from Tuesday 22 February – Saturday 5 March 2022.
With original music by Nicholas Lloyd Webber, the show will star Lee Mead as ‘Paul’ with further casting to be announced soon.
This will mark much-loved actor Lee Mead’sreturn to musical theatre after establishing himself as a TV favourite on Casualty and Holby City in the role of ‘Lofty’. Lee Mead said: “I’m so thrilled to be starring in Fat Friends – The Musical. I saw the show when it first ran and absolutely loved it, so I can’t wait to now play the lovelorn vicar, Paul. I’m so looking forward to performing live again to wonderful audiences around the country and working with the incredible and iconic Kay Mellor.”
This hugely entertaining musical is based on the hit ITV show Fat Friends, that starred James Corden and Ruth Jones. Fat Friends – The Musical reunites our favourite foodie friends as they are put through their Zumba paces at their local slimming club, whilst Kelly fantasises about fitting into the wedding dress of her dreams. This show of hope, humour, love and weight loss, delivers a fun night out full of laughter and encourages us all, as the final song sings, to Love Who You Are!
After a tough year for all, friend of The Grand Kay Mellor feels that it’s the perfect time to bring this feel-good feast of a show back. Kay said “Issues of body image and online trolling are more pertinent today than ever and will resonate with people everywhere. Despite this, using song, dance and humour, I can guarantee that audiences will leave the show with a smile on their face and feeling better about themselves – something we all need right now. I’m delighted to be remounting Fat Friends – The Musical, thrilled to be working with the brilliant and talented Lee Mead and can’t wait for us to bring the show to so many fantastic venues around the UK and Ireland.”
Fat Friends – The Musical will be at Leeds Grand Theatre from Tue 22 February – Sat 5 March 2022
Book online at leedsheritagetheatres.com or call 0113 243 0808
Garrick Theatre, London 29 July 2021 (Tuck Shop West End until 8 August 2021)
Reviewed by Celia Armand Smith
4****
The Tuck Shop West End is a two week takeover of the Garrick Theatre showcasing drag and queer performers. Holly Stars, writer and star of Death Drop recently at the Garrick Theatre, headlines and comperes a night of comedy performances. The performers were Mary O’Connell, Glew, Charlie George, Indy Nile, Kate Butch, and Flo and Joan.
The evening consisted of stand up, drag, stand up in drag, musical stylings, dance, and a few impromptu performances by reluctant members of the audience. Each performer was uniquely surprising, meaning that you never knew what was coming or if you would be wrenched out of the audience to tell jokes in return for a can of chick peas.
The stand up from Charlie George and Mary O’Connell was hilarious and relatable, both doing bits on growing up, and life during the pandemic times. There were musical lip syncs from Glew giving us some physical comedy and a change in tempo. A highlight for me were Kate Butch trying to find a partner with a question and answer portion that was not dissimilar to the game Guess Who, followed by a live performance of Wuthering Heights in a huge glittery dress while gliding across the stage in some surprise heelys. The drag king Indy Nile performed a very good piece of spoken word which involved the audience whispering Semi Skimmed Milk loudly much to the amusement of everyone involved. Lastly we were treated to the fantastic musical comedy stylings of sister duo Flo and Joan which was the perfect way to round out a brilliant night.
As we start to come out of lockdowns and we are able to go into clubs and venues, this run of performances reminds us that after 18 months of being inside and watching TV and comedy on Zoom, that going out and laughing at people in person is as important for us as it is for them. The Holly Stars Comedy Club was a real tonic and I hope to see all of the performers again whether it be on a West End stage or a fringe venue
Garrick Theatre, London 30 July 2021 (Tuck Shop West End until 8 August 2021)
Reviewed by Celia Armand Smith
5*****
Gals Aloud is performing at the Garrick Theatre as part of the Tuck Shop West End two week run bringing the best of British drag to the West End.
Gals Aloud is a Girls Aloud tribute act starring Cheryl Hole as Cheryl, Herr as Nadine, Kitty Scott-Claus as Kimberly, Lydia L’Scabies as Sarah, and Ophelia Love as Nicola paying homage to the highs and lows of the iconic girl group Girls Aloud. The night featured sequins, neon bodysuits, dance routines, awkward TV interviews and appearances, and on stage mishaps.
In the lip synching tradition of drag, the group numbers and solo singles by each of the girls (gals) are seamlessly woven with bits of TV interviews, highlighting the ebb and flow of celebrity and post group life. Along with performing the group hits such as Love Machine and Biology with perfect choreography, each member of the group had their moment in the limelight. Cheryl Hole performed all of the classic Cheryl hits, including a revisit of the moment they met on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK. The Nadine Coyle passport fiasco of 2002 was played out perfectly by Herr, as well as a live vocal stylings by Kitty Scott-Claus about Kimberly taking part in Shrek in the West End. Lydia L’Scabies was hilarious as Sarah, allowing for comedy and tragedy to sit side by side with an excellent rendition of I’ve Never Been To Me. Ophelia Love provided hilarious commentary and asides throughout and performed an unhinged yet unenthusiastic version of Beat My Drum which I am still laughing about 24 hours later. Then there was Javine, the “didn’t quite make it” member of the troupe. Tayris, who was a fabulous last minute replacement, came all the way from Brighton and learnt the songs on the train. This cast was perfect in their ability to walk the line between parody and adulation.
These five queens are the very best of the best, dealing with the merry post lockdown hecklers and revellers with ease and carrying on with dance routines despite getting their heels caught in the lights on the stage. It felt like going to a gig in the “before times” where even the most sour faced audience member was on their feet by the end. It was a massive, glitzy, chaotic, camp production and I loved it, and I very much look forward to the Gals Aloud arena tour.
Happy Idiot in association with Worthing Theatres and Museum Subversive parody Not: Lady Chatterley’s Lover announces UK tour 17th September – 21st November 2021
Happy Idiot Production’s subversive parody Not: Lady Chatterley’s Lover will bring a fresh twist to DH Lawrence’s classic story this autumn. Writer Lawrence Russell (Comedy Dinner Shows) has given this scandalous story the Mel Brooks treatment, with the help of acclaimed artists Simon Godwin (Associate Director, National Theatre), Stephen Harper (Told By An Idiot), and Laurence Pears (The Play That Goes Wrong). Comedy pedigree is also provided by script development partner Annie Sertich, a Groundlings main company member, whose alumni include Lisa Kudrow, Kristen Wiig, Will Ferrell and Melissa McCarthy.
Lord Chatterley returns to Wragby Hall confined to a wheelchair and clutching his secret. Despite her husband’s newfound impotence, a subject that everyone struggles to avoid, Lady Chatterley entertains the idea that one day they could have a child. But, as the couple drift apart, she embarks on a passionate and curiously experimental affair with Mellors, the estate gamekeeper. This laughter-filled parody will bring you high drama, high comedy and highly-raised eyebrows.
The cast includes Christina Baston (House on Haunted Hill, Pleasance Dome Edinburgh; Tales From Star City, Kings Head/The Tabard Theatre; As Wine Flows, US/Europe Tour), Wesley Griffith (Not: Lady Chatterley’s Lover, UK Tour; Importance of Being Earnest, Minack Theatre), Rebecca McClay (Private Lives of The Tudors, Yesterday; 50 Ways To Kill Your Lover, Discovery; Not: Lady Chatterley’s Lover, UK Tour) and Lawrence Russell (Eastenders, BBC; Superhoe, BBC, Breaking the Band, ITV).
Not: Lady Chatterley’s Lover is a saucy take which honours the original story, with some added surprise twists. There will be long contemplative looks into the middle distance, moments of touching drama, plenty of farce and a gentle stroke of innuendo. Happy Idiot’s inventive storytelling explores the novel’s themes of female sexuality, disability and loneliness, with the watertight pace and perfect comic timing which earned them five-star reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe 2017
Writer Lawrence Russell comments There are so many incredibly high-stakes moments in the book that, with a few twists, exaggerations and undercutting of the bleak themes, you can create countless laugh out loud moments. I’m really proud that we’ve been able to incorporate integrated audio description and creative captioning as standard for every show, meaning that those who have difficulties with their hearing or sight will get the jokes at the same time as everyone else! Taking a well-loved story and effortlessly moving between touching moments and perfectly timed comedy means the team have made something that shouldn’t be missed.
This production is made possible with the kind permission of Lesley Pollinger, Paper Lion Ltd as Trustee for The Estate of Frieda Lawrence Ravagli.
Garrick Theatre, London 28 July 2021 (Tuck Shop West End until 8 August 2021)
Reviewed by Celia Armand Smith
5*****
The Tuck Shop West End is a two week takeover of the Garrick Theatre showcasing drag and queer performers. Joe Black is a Brighton based cabaret and drag performer, most recently seen worldwide on the stage of Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK being shouted at for wearing an H&M dress. Dark and seedy cabaret clubs in old Berlin was the setting and the vibe rather than an auditorium of socially distanced revellers all in masks. There was so much packed into an hour and a half that it is hard to summarise what I witnessed, from burlesque stripteases, saxophones and kazoos, to a raucous foot stamping sing a long of classic songs. There was something for everyone.
The first half started with a Chaka Khan inspired striptease to I’m Every Woman by Demi Noire, followed by a saxophone rendition of Whitney Houston’s I Have Nothing by Snow White Trash in a floor length glittery gown and towering blue wig. Joe Black entered in an enormous feather boa to which she said “you’re glamorous but you’re in the way”, and dropped it on the floor. Marlene Dietrich style singing with piano, ukulele, and kazoo accompaniment, as well as ordering Alice the stage manager to retrieve more wine from the dressing room all made for a fabulous and raucous first half.
The second half started with a rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody by our compere Alfie Ordinary, who this time, was wearing a gold sequin cape edged with white fur. Demi Noire once again provided a hilarious striptease to MC Hammer, complete with tassels not only on the front but also on the back. To add to the truly underground bavarian bier halle feel of the evening, Cherry Shakewell, dressed as an Oktoberfest style maiden, shook, whirled, twirled to a high tempo yodel. Joe Black came back on and gave a polka rendition of Bing Bang Bong from Drag Race UK and pulled Tia Kofi (a fellow contestant) onto the stage to join in. Spice Girls and Britney Spears medleys, as well as a terrifying and hilarious version of When I’m Cleaning Windows rounded off the evening.
The singing and dancing were of course fantastic, however the best thing about the show was that you could really tell how grateful and delighted every performer was to be not only on a west end stage, but on any stage after a year of being on computer screens or behind protective screens. There were moments of true sincerity and poignancy as they performed and thanked everyone for making it happen. It was also joyous and so vital to see queer arts and artists being placed centrally for all to see.
TO REOPEN IN THE HEART OF THE WEST END THIS AUTUMN
TICKETS ON SALE NOW, BOOKING UNTIL 2 JANUARY 2022
Immersive Everywhere – led by Olivier Award-winning producers Louis Hartshorn and Brian Hook – will bring back London’s longest running immersive theatrical production this autumn. THE GREAT GATSBY, created and directed by Alexander Wright, will reopen in the heart of the West End, playing at Gatsby’s Mansion at Immersive LDN from 16 September, with a press night on Friday 24 September (marking F Scott’s Fitzgerald’s 125th birthday).
Welcome back to the roaring twenties! Jay Gatsby invites you to one of his infamous parties. the champagne flows and as the drama unfolds the man himself will be the perfect host. As invites go, this is the hottest ticket in town. A hedonistic world of red hot rhythms, bootleg liquor and pure jazz age self-indulgence awaits. Dress to the nines and immerse yourself in this heart racing adaption of F Scott Fitzgerald’s seminal tale.
THE GREAT GATSBY– forced to close in March 2020 by the pandemic, re-opened under socially distanced conditions and with changes to the show to incorporate extra safety measures at the beginning of October 2020. The show was then forced to close in November due to the subsequent lockdown.
Tickets for THE GREAT GATSBY will be available from 16 September until 2 January 2022, and are on sale now via www.immersivegatsby.com. The production – which returns to its original pre-pandemic format, and with the venue at full capacity – will nevertheless be following all current government guidelines and Covid safety measures. Full casting will be announced asap.
Louis Hartshorn and Brian Hook said “Gatsby is back! After a herculean effort of pathfinding for the sector throughout 2020 we are elated to be bringing one of London’s landmark productions back to the stage. We are thrilled to be reviving this production in its original, effervescent glory and incredibly grateful for the hard work and never-ending belief of our team. It is most certainly time for our audiences to enjoy the roaring twenties.”
IMMERSIVE LDN has been granted the use of Society of London Theatre & UK Theatre’s See It Safely mark. The mark certifies that the venue is complying with the latest Government and industry COVID-19 guidelines, to ensure the safety of all staff and audiences.
Olivier Award winning producers Louis Hartshorn and Brian Hook, who are currently co-producing the immersive production of DOCTOR WHO TIME FRACTURE – launched a new company in 2019, IMMERSIVE EVERYWHERE, entirely dedicated to developing and staging theatre-led immersive experiences, and IMMERSIVE | LDN is the newest of their network of venues, which will house cafes, bars and rehearsal and workshop spaces to help the development of new work.
IMMERSIVE | LDN is a 32,000sq ft historic building in the heart of Mayfair, which was home to the Queen Victoria’s Rifles Association until 2017. It includes three floors of immersive theatre and event spaces designated for performance, live gaming, events, escape rooms and private parties. For information about programming and venue hire visit www.immersiveldn.com
First conceived in 2015 when director Alexander Wright and producer Brian Hook were running The Fleeting Arms – a pop arts and community pub in an abandoned building in York, the show then ran in York in 2016 with a parallel production in Sheffield, and was produced by the Guild of Misrule . The Great Gatsby first came to London as part of VAULT Festival in 2017 and sold out before the show opened. Since then the show has run in Wales in co-production with Theatr Clwyd, at Halifax’s Square Chapel, and at Castle Howard in North Yorkshire. All the while the show has played night after night at Gatsby’s Drugstore in London SE1, inviting audiences into the hedonistic world of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s extraordinary tale, and in 2018 it became the UK’s longest running immersive production.
Amie Burns Walker and Oliver Tilney are Associate Directors. Choreography is by Holly Beasley-Garrigan, with MJ Lee as Assistant Choreographer, design by Casey Jay Andrews, costume design by Heledd Rees, sound design by Phil Grainger and lighting design by Rachel Sampley. The original score was composed and produced by Glen Brown and Tendai Humphrey Sitima, with arrangement and additional composition by David Sims. The original production was created by Holly Beasley-Garrigan, Amie Burns Walker, Hannah Davies, Phil Grainger, Michael Lambourne, Thomas Maller and Oliver Tilney.
This production of The Guild of Misrule’s THE GREAT GATSBY is produced by Immersive Everywhere, with co-producers Gavin Kalin Productions and Glynis Henderson Productions, with Theatr Clwyd and We Culture Connects as Associate Producers.
When Kevin Elyot’s gay tragicomedy of manners premiered at the Royal Court in the early 90s it felt simultaneously like a full stop, or at least semi-colon, on the tortured AIDS dramas that preceded it, and a valuable forward-looking acknowledgment that gay men (note not gay PEOPLE…this is an uncompromisingly male-centric play) aren’t living a second tier version of their straight counterparts, and are capable of forming long term relationships, however toxic. In the wake of TV’s epoch-making It’s A Sin, which occupies a similar historical timeframe and the same sexual if not social milieu, My Night With Reg feels relevant and familiar, even to people who aren’t old enough to have lived through that tumultuous time.
Elyot’s writing remains magnificent: a keenly observed, almost Coward-esque opening sequence depicting spinsterish, old-before-his-time Guy showing off his spiffy new pad to his hunky, former Uni crush John and flamboyant best friend Daniel, is a High Comedy mini-masterpiece of pent up longing and social anxiety, before darkening into scenes of considerable distress and misery, yet still manage to be grimly funny, as the AIDS catastrophe bites into this trio of long standing friends, and their assorted hangers on and casual flings. The brilliance of the play lies in the exquisitely drawn characters, the bitter reality of much of it’s humour and a clear-eyed, not always positive but never judgemental, understanding of human relationships, specifically gay ones that sit outside heteronormative conventions. It is this astonishing accuracy, as well as it’s compassion and comedy, that saves Elyot’s text from seeming like a mere period piece.
Although I love the play I wish I could be more enthusiastic about Matt Ryan’s production of it, which skims the surface where it should cut deep, flattening so much of the rueful comedy and the heartbreak. It also feels miscast in a number of key roles. The addition of an interval after an all-too-fleet first scene may do wonders for the Turbine’s bar trade but disrupts the flow (Roger Michell’s terrific original staging at the Royal Court ran straight through), though this could be remedied somewhat by adding a second interval after the quietly shocking but brilliant middle section, as the play is very much like a piece of music in three movements.
Paul Keating is a fine actor, possessed of a haunting fragility and formidable emotional intelligence, and he does sterling work as home-making, torch-carrying Guy: the scene where he confesses all to James Bradwell’s likably straight-forward painter-decorator Eric is beautifully handled. As the endlessly lusted-after John, a somewhat wooden Edward M Corrie feels too downbeat from the outset, and Gerard McCarthy struggles to project the requisite charisma that an Alpha gay male like international art dealer Daniel -a human maelstrom of double entendre, outrageousness but genuine warmth, who should drive every scene he’s in- needs to have. There is little sense either of the central trio having been friends for years, with all the affection and joshing that goes with that history, nor of them being from a noticeably different social class from the other characters, and Elyot’s beautiful piece suffers as a result of it.
Stephen K Amos is great fun as foul-mouthed, priapic bus driver Benny but Alan Turkington is way too attractive and vital to convince as his hilariously uptight and dour mismatched partner, which loses a lot of comedy mileage. Lee Newby’s elegantly cluttered set is convincing, and evocatively lit by Rachel Sampley.
It’s always a pleasure to re-encounter a script this good, and while the late Mr Elyot wrote several other fine plays, this is his masterpiece. Anybody encountering it for the first time even in a production as patchy as this one will know that they’re watching something special.
Liverpool Theatre Festival will premiere production
Something About George – The George Harrison Story
A new music show highlighting the incredible talent of the late Beatle George Harrison will be premiered at Liverpool Theatre Festival this September.
Something About George – The George Harrison Story pays tribute to one of music’s most understated icons, who is often referred to as the “quiet Beatle”.
Liverpool Theatre Festival runs between Wednesday 1 September and Sunday 12 September 2021, and once again takes place at St Luke’s Bombed Out Church in Liverpool city centre.
Something About George – The George Harrison Story will close the festival on Sunday 12 September, with performances at 5pm and 8pm. Running time is 75 minutes no interval, tickets are on sale now.
They say All Things Must Pass. However, George Harrison’s name forever lives on. So, where does life take you after being in the greatest band in the history of the world? This new show answers that question.
Featuring beautiful songs like My Sweet Lord, Something, and Handle With Care, the show also includes Harrison’s incredible solo material and music from rock ‘n’ roll’s greatest supergroup, The Traveling Wilburys which was made up of Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, and Tom Petty. And any show celebrating one of the Fab Four just has to include a few classics from The Beatles. From heartbreak to hedonism and songwriting to success, Something About George will showcase a life that was anything but quiet.
This remarkable tale comes from the creators of the critically acclaimed production Something About Simon – The Paul Simon Story, which wowed audiences and critics when it was premiered at Liverpool’s Epstein Theatre in 2018. The show went on to triumph at the Edinburgh Fringe 2019, where it was chosen for a residency at the Fringe Encore Series at the SoHo Playhouse in New York City, where it playedsix sell-out performances. The show was also part of the programme at the inaugural Liverpool Theatre Festival last September.
The show stars Liverpool-born West End performer and musician Daniel Taylor telling the story of George Harrison, he will be joined on stage by keyboard player Ben Gladwin and Jon Fellowes on lead guitar.
Daniel is an award-winning actor, producer, and director. He trained at Webber Douglas Academy Of Dramatic Art in London. He has also produced, directed, and performed as Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Tybalt in Romeo And Juliet (both for the Epstein Theatre, Liverpool).
Daniel has previously played John Lennon in the award-winning Lennon Through A Glass Onion; Sammy in Blood Brothers; and last year performed at the very first Liverpool Theatre Festival in his show, The Very Best Of Tommy Cooper. Daniel is now working on Sonny Days, an album of original songs due out later this year. The album is a follow-up to The Party Is Over album which was released last year.
Daniel Taylor commented: “I’m thrilled being able to tell George Harrison’s story, especially his journey after those heady days in the Fab Four. For me, The Beatles are the greatest band that ever lived. After all his achievements, George is still one of the most underrated songwriters that has ever lived.
“As someone who writes and performs their own songs, and I have done since I was just 12-years-old – and it’s all because of the inspiration of songs like Something, Here Comes The Sun, and While My Guitar Gentle Weeps. Working on the show, I have been astounded with George’s post Beatles journey and the life that followed, and the music he went on to create.”
Something About George iswritten by Jon Fellowes, who co-produces show alongside Liverpool-born singer songwriter Gary Edward Jones and theatre producer Bill Elms, who is also Artistic Director of Liverpool Theatre Festival. Collectively, the trio are Something About Productions, the creative team behind the hugely successful Something About Simon – The Paul Simon Story.
Something About Georgeis not a tribute show as we know it. It is one musician authentically honouring the music of another, utilising all the tools at his disposal. Following the festival premiere, Something About George will be developed further into a full-scale show with plans to tour the UK.
Co-producer Gary Edward Jones added:“When we started Something About Productions, we decided we wanted our company to focus on genuinely authentic musicians who haven’t had their stories told in this way before. Therefore, a show about George Harrison seemed like a natural follow-up to Something About Simon. I’m very excited to transfer what I learned performing on-stage in The Paul Simon Story to producing this new show.
“It’s almost 20 years since George Harrison passed away – but remarkable story and timeless music lives on. We feel honoured and privileged to shine the spotlight on the legacy he left behind. We are excited to share this journey with audiences and are sure they will leave the show knowing more about George and his incredible life.”
Created by Liverpool theatre producer Bill Elms, Liverpool Theatre Festival was first staged in September 2020. Bill stepped in to bring entertainment back to audiences after theatres across the country were ordered to close their doors as part of the first Coronavirus lockdown in March 2020 – giving live performance and creatives a platform during the most challenging of times. The outdoor festival went on to be a huge success, scooping an award and shortlisted for further accolades, winning praise across the industry for once again giving live performance a platform during the most challenging of times.
The festival has already been expanded for 2021 with the addition of Little LTF, a new strand and sister event to showcase new works and champion talent. Little LTF took place between 12 and 18 July and attracted more than 1,200 festivalgoers.
Liverpool Theatre Festival 2021 is a 10-day festival featuring mainstream and established acts, artists, and productions. The festival will adhere to any Covid-19 and Government guidelines required at the time.
Shows already announced are 2Gorgeous4U (Wednesday 1 September); The Last Five Years (Friday 3 September); Everybody’s Talking About Musicals (Saturday 4 September); Electric Dreams (Sunday 5 September); Opera Beneath The Stars (Thursday 9 September); Broken Biscuits (Friday 10 September); Laughterhouse Comedy (11 September); before Something About George – The George Harrison Story closes the festival. More shows will be announced this week.
Liverpool Theatre Festival is funded by Liverpool City Council and Culture Liverpool, sponsored by Falconer Chester Hall, and supported by Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse Theatres and dBS Solutions.
Full casting announced for a major revival of the darkly comic play The Beauty Queen of Leenane by Oscar-winning writer Martin McDonagh
Orla Fitzgerald, star of The Young Offenders, and Adam Best from Giri/Haji will join Ingrid Craigie and Kwaku Fortune in this year’s major revival of Martin McDonagh’s award-winning darkly comic play, directed by Rachel O’Riordan
Co-production between the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre and Chichester Festival Theatre opens in Chichester from 03 September to 02 October and London from 09 October to 06 November
The Lyric Hammersmith Theatre and Chichester Festival Theatre today announce full casting forThe Beauty Queen of Leenane by Martin McDonagh, writer of the award-winning blockbuster films Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and In Bruges. Orla Fitzgerald, star of The Young Offenders, and Adam Best as seen in Giri/Haji will join Ingrid Craigie and Kwaku Fortune in the highly anticipated major revival of McDonagh’s darkly comic debut play which opens at Chichester’s Minerva Theatre from 03 September to 02 October before transferring to the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre from 09 October to 06 November, directed by the Lyric’s Artistic Director Rachel O’Riordan.
Orla Fitzgerald will play Maureen. She is well known for playing Orla Walsh in all three series of BBC 3’s The Young Offenders and was nominated for Best Actress and Best Breakthrough Artist at the Irish Film and Television Awards for her portrayal of Sinéad in Ken Loach’s The Wind That Shakes The Barley. Adam Best, recently seen in the Netflix series Giri/Haji, and previously in Peaky Blinders, Silent Witness and Holby City, is announced to play Pato. They will join award-winning stage, film and television actor Ingrid Craigie who has worked extensively in Ireland and the UK, West End and on Broadway and plays Eileen Pepper in the BBC drama Roadkill and Molly in television movie Forever In My Heart, and Kwaku Fortune who recently appeared as DS Marks in Line of Duty, Philip in Normal People and Julian in the feature film Animals, as previously announced.
Martin McDonagh is the multi-award winning writer and director of hit films Six Shooter, In Bruges, Seven Psychopaths and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, winner of four Golden Globes and two Oscars. His debut play The Beauty Queen of Leenane premiered in Galway in 1996 and quickly established him as one of Ireland’s most exciting new writers. The West End transfer received an Olivier Award nomination for Play of the Year, and on Broadway it won four Tony Awards. For theatre, he has also written the Tony Award nominated The Lieutenant of Inishmore and The Cripple of Inishmaan, and the Olivier Award winning Best New Play, Hangmen.
The Beauty Queen of Leenane is directed by Rachel O’Riordan, designed by Good Teeth Theatre, with lighting design by Kevin Treacy, music and sound design by Anna Clock, fight direction by Kev McCurdy and casting by Sam Stevenson.
In the mountains of Connemara, County Galway, Maureen Folan – a plain, lonely woman, tied to her manipulative and ageing mother, Mag – comes alive at her first and possibly last prospect of a new life. But Mag has other ideas; and her interference sets in motion a train of events that leads inexorably towards the play’s breathtaking conclusion.
The show will mark the fourth Main House production of the Lyric’s reopening season following the critically acclaimed production of Out West, the upcoming community play Heart of Hammersmith celebrating West London stories (12-14 August) and the summer family classic The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show (17 to 28 August). Tickets are available at www.lyric.co.uk
Adam Best will play Pato. His television credits include roles in Peaky Blinders, Giri/Haji, Doctors, Silent Witness, Waking the Dead, Holby City and The Catherine Tate Show. On stage he has performed in Cyrano De Bergerac (Jamie Lloyd Company), The Duchess of Malfi (Royal Lyceum/Citizens Theatre), Hedda Gabler (National Theatre UK tour), Twelfth Night, The Plough and the Stars, The Silver Tassie (National Theatre), Lions and Tigers (Shakespeare’s Globe), Public Enemy (Young Vic), This Restless House, Hamlet, Crime and Punishment (Citizens Theatre), By the Bog of Cats (Wyndham’s). Adam is an Associate of the Original Theatre Company. Film credits include: The Little Stranger.
Orla Fitzgerald will play Maureen. She is well known for playing Orla Walsh in all three series of BBC 3’s The Young Offenders. Theatre credits include the title role in Josephine K and The Algorithms (Abbey Theatre), Valerie in Conor McPherson’s The Weir, also directed by Rachel O’Riordan (Sherman Theatre), Inside The GPO (Fishamble), Before Monsters Were Made (15th Oak Productions), Digging For Fire for which she received a Best Actress nomination in the Irish Times Theatre Awards (Project Arts Centre), Playboy Of The Western World, Uncle Vanya (Lyric Belfast). Notable film work includes Sinéad in Ken Loach’s The Wind That Shakes The Barley for which she was nominated for Best Actress and Best Breakthrough Artist at the Irish Film and Television Awards, The Guarantee and Speed Dating. Television credits include Taken Down, The C Word, Holby Blue, Law and Order UK, The Last Furlong, Love Is The Drug, Pure Mule: The Last Weekend, Cardinal Burns.
Ingrid Craigie will play Mag. Ingrid is an award-winning stage, film and television actor and has worked extensively in Ireland and the UK, in the West End and also on Broadway. She has just completed filming the role of Rita in feature film You Are Not My Mother directed by Kate Dolan. Ingrid’s other recent credits include the role of Eileen Pepper in BBC series Roadkill, Molly in television movie Forever In My Heart, Una in feature film Death Of A Ladies’ Man, Harding alongside Brendan, Brian and Domhnall Gleeson in Psychic for Sky Arts, and the IFTA-Nominated performance as Mary in Season One of Virgin Media drama Blood. On stage she was recently seen in the role of the Duchess of York in Druid’s critically acclaimed production of Richard III, directed by Garry Hynes at the Lincoln Center in 2019, Aunt Nonnie in Sweet Bird of Youth directed by Jonathan Kent at the Chichester Festival Theatre. Previous credits also include The Cripple of Inishmaan (West End and Broadway).
Kwaku Fortune will play Ray. He most recently performed in Fishamble’s Tiny Plays 2020 and Druid Debuts 2020. His most recent screen credits include Line Of Duty for the BBC, Normal People directed by Lenny Abrahamson and Hettie Macdonald for BBC 1 & 3 and Hulu, and Animals alongside Holliday Grainger and Alia Shawkat, directed by Sophie Hyde. On stage he most recently played the role of Eli in Asking For It at Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Peat directed by Tim Crouch, and the role of Dara Mood in Caitríona McLaughlin’s acclaimed production of Marina Carr’s Raftery’s Hill directed for the main stage at the Abbey Theatre, Ireland’s National Theatre.
Martin McDonagh is a writer and director. Theatre credits include: The Beauty Queen of Leenane (Druid Theatre, West End, Broadway), A Skull in Connemara (Royal Court, off-Broadway), The Lonesome West (Druid Theatre, Royal Court, Broadway), The Lieutenant of Inishmore (RSC, West End, Broadway), The Cripple of Inishmaan (National Theatre, Broadway), The Pillowman (National Theatre, Broadway), A Behanding in Spokane (Broadway), Hangmen (Royal Court, West End, Broadway) and A Very Very Very Dark Matter (Bridge Theatre). Film as Director and Writer includes: Six Shooter, In Bruges, Seven Psychopaths and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
Rachel O’Riordan is Artistic Director and CEO of the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre where she launched her critically acclaimed debut season in Autumn 2019 with a triumphant adaptation of A Doll’s House by Tanika Gupta. She recently co-directed the reopening production Out West. Previously, Rachel was Artistic Director and CEO of Sherman Theatre, Wales from 2014 and transformed the venue, winning The Stage’s prestigious Regional Theatre of the Year Award in 2018. Directing credits include the Olivier award-winning Killology and Iphigenia in Splott. She was Artistic Director of Perth Theatre, Scotland between 2011 and 2014 and won The Critics Award for Theatre in Scotland for Best Director and Best Ensemble for Macbeth. From 2002 to 2011, Rachel co-founded and ran Ransom Productions in Northern Ireland where projects included the award-winning West End show Hurricane and Write on the Edge, a three-year programme to develop female writers in post-conflict Northern Ireland. She has been named as one of the most influential people in UK Theatre in the Stage 100. Published work includes Women in Irish Theatre.
Good Teeth Theatre is a theatre design studio founded by artists and designers. They formed Good Teeth to expand their design landscape through broadening participation and in-depth material research. Previous design collaborations include: Dumb Waiter (Hampstead Theatre), Winter’s Tale (Shakespeare’s Globe), Skylight (Theatr Clwyd), Little Shop Of Horrors (Royal Exchange, Manchester), While We’re Here (Bush Theatre), Pilgrims (Hightide, Theatr Clwyd), German Skerries, Jess And Joe (The Orange Tree Theatre), Breeders (St James Theatre), Lost In Yonkers (Watford Palace Theatre), Dances Of Death (Gate Theatre), Foxfinder (Finborough Theatre), Life Of Stuff, Many Moons (Theatre503). www.goodteeththeatre.co.uk
Kevin Treacy’s lighting design for The Beauty Queen of Leenane will be his 13th collaboration with Director Rachel O’Riordan. Previous shows include A Doll’s House (Lyric), Killology (Royal Court Theatre – Olivier Award 2018 for the Outstanding Achievement in Affiliate Theatre), The Cherry Orchard, The Weir (Sherman Theatre, Cardiff), Bird (Royal Exchange, Manchester), Unfaithful (Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh); Macbeth, The Seafarer (Perth Theatre, Scotland), Come on Home (Abbey Theatre, Dublin). Opera Credits include – L’Elisir d’Amore (Norwegian National Opera), The Turn of The Screw (Kolobov Novaya, Moscow), Orpheus in the Underworld (Scottish Opera), Macbeth (Welsh National Opera), Die Fledermaus (Wermland Opera, Sweden) Faramondo (Handel Festspiele, Göttingen Germany). Albert Herring (Grange Festival).
Anna Clock is a composer, sound designer and musician based in London via Dublin. As a composer and instrumentalist they have written for the RTE Contempo quartet, Tonnta, New Dublin Voices, Kirkos Ensemble, Node Ensemble, Dulciana, Gamelan Nua and with their own groups Low Tide and Téada Orchestra. Performance and recordings include with The Gramophones (Another Planet), 45 North, Gavin Prior, David Turpin, Emma O’Reilly, Hozier and David Lacey. Anna’s first release was Celestial.They are a co-director of Very Clock theatre company. Other theatre credits include: Crave (Chichester Festival Theatre); Inside (Orange Tree Theatre); I Wanna Be Yours (Paines Plough & Tamasha, UK Tour), Shuck ‘n’ Jive, Soft Animals (Soho Theatre), Admin (Vault Festival, Live Collision & Dublin Fringe), Anguis (Edinburgh Festival), Summer Fest (NYT), Armadillo (The Yard Theatre), Looking Forward (Battersea Arts Centre), Mary and Maria (Camden People’s Theatre), Twelfth Night (Southwark Playhouse).
Kev McCurdy is an Equity Fight Director. He is also the Co-Founder, Chairman, Fight Examiner and Senior Stage Combat Tutor of the Academy of Performance Combat (APC). He works in a wide range of disciplines across film, television, and theatre. Selected theatre credits include: Les Misérables (Sondheim & UK Tour); Cinderella (Gillian Lynne Theatre) Phantom of The Opera (Her Majesty’s Theatre); Antony and Cleopatra (RSC); Tina The Musical (Stade Entertainment Nederlands), An Octoroon, Anthony & Cleopatra, Pericles, Mosquitoes, Barbershop Chronicles (National Theatre); West Side Story (Curve); Only Fools and Horses (Theatre Royal Haymarket); The Comedy About A Bank Robbery (UK Tour); Hamlet (Almeida); Fairview (Young Vic); White Noise & Holy Shit (Kiln); All About Eve (Noël Coward Theatre). Film includes: Season Of The Witch; John Carter Of Mars; Journey’s End; Kenya. Television includes: EastEnders; The A List; Hollyoaks; Craith/Hidden.
Sam Stevenson CDG is a freelance casting director working in theatre, television and film. Her diverse projects include productions for the BBC, Sky, Warner Bros, National Theatre and RSC. For many years she worked in partnership with Gemma Hancock and in 2010 they were nominated for an Emmy for their work on the BBC miniseries, Emma. Theatre includes: Tartuffe, Translations, Home, I’m Darling, The Great Wave, Common, Twelfth Night, Ugly Lies the Bone (National Theatre), Noises Off (Lyric Hammersmith & West End), Love, Love, Love (Lyric Hammersmith), This House (Headlong) and Labour of Love (Headlong/MGC), Frost/Nixon (Sheffield Crucible), For Services Rendered (Chichester Festival Theatre), The Royale (Bush), An Inspector Calls, One Man, Two Guvnors, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Waiting for Godot (West End), 55 Days (Hampstead Theatre). Television includes: the BAFTA award winning Don’t Take My Baby, Silent Witness, Emma. Film includes: Treasures, Leave to Remain, Private Peaceful, Babel (UK Casting).
