Outside of the late Kevin Elyot’s superb canon, it’s hard to think of any other British plays that deal with the devastating effects of HIV and AIDS upon the gay community. The USA has the NYC-centric The Normal Heart, As Is, and Angels In America, and, more recently, New York-based writer Mathew Lopez’s extraordinary epic The Inheritance, which premiered at The Young Vic but always had its spiritual home on the other side of the pond, where it’s Broadway run was curtailed by the current pandemic. But over here, not so much.
That balance is magnificently redressed by this accomplished, scintillating almost-monologue by Jack Holden who also performs his own challenging, transporting script. It’s brilliant.
Holden proves a true chameleon, switching from unassuming present-day good guy to outrageous Soho denizens of yesteryear, to edgy, but not unsympathetic, gay movers-and-shakers, with an astonishing fluidity. At the top of the show he might seem likeable if nondescript, but by the end of it you’re unlikely to forget him.
Part confessional, part salacious fun, with a large dose of pain and guilt, yet always entirely engaging, Cruise conjures up a lost Soho that marries sleaze with a sense of gleeful community that may be gone forever but fairly bursts with vitality. The juxtaposition of this vibrant gay milieu decimated with AIDS, and our present global situation where Covid-19 affects literally everybody, devastatingly hits home but never feels preachy.
From Bronagh Lagan’s deceptively sophisticated direction, so seamlessly natural you almost don’t appreciate how clever it is, to the exquisite sound design of John Elliot (who also performs as a musician/extra character and is at once unobtrusive yet magically indispensable) and Max Pappenheim, and Jai Morjaria’s frequently stunning, neon-etched lighting, this is one of those rare productions that seldom puts a foot wrong. It evokes a 1980s Soho that is (was) simultaneously full of joy, kindness, eccentricity and danger.
Cruise covers a similar recent-historical period as Russell T. Davies’s epoch-making It’s A Sin. It’s not an exaggeration to say that this is just as impressive. If you enjoyed that, you’re probably going to adore this. It’s currently booked in for a month at the Duchess in the West End….. I strongly suspect this will be around for a lot longer than that. It’s terrific.
Part of Hull Theatres The Prologue Series, a socially distanced event.
I was so pleased to be back in a theatre and to see this absolute gem of a play by John Godber.
April in Paris starring Joe Pasquale as Al and Sarah Earnshaw as Bet. It was wonderful casting with them playing the parts so well. The chemistry between them made you believe that they were a couple stuck in a rut after being married for years.
Her shifts at work had been cut, with not many customers coming in and his building jobs hadn’t been happening either. Conversations between them had also dried up and they seem to have very little to look forward to. With Al trying to persuade Bet that going out with her sister was a much better option than going out with him.
Bet longs for holidays abroad, sun kissed beaches and exciting city breaks, she tries to follow her dreams by entering competitions in magazines, much to Al’s dismay to the amount she enters. But it all pays off when she wins a holiday to Paris, in April out of Hull with P&O Ferries.
We follow the characters from their small Hull home to the capital of romance, we see them enjoying the all inclusive buffet on the ferry, the walks around Paris, the architecture and the art. Also they begin to talk to each other and enjoy each other’s company again.
Godber’s ability to write about real life with such style and accuracy makes the audience empathise with characters and the humour caused lots of belly laughs!
Joe Pasquale and Sarah Earnshaws acting made this play for me, the glances, the pauses, the timing was brilliantly done.
Definitely a five star performance and Hull New Theatre deserves five stars too for its organisation to enable everyone to have a night out at the theatre for the first time in well over a year!
After 14 months of closure the Shaftesbury theatre threw open its doors and welcomed a socially distanced crowd to fill the place with singing, dancing and humans.
Could there be a better performance to kick start the reopening of London’s theatre land than Abba Mania? I think not.
Abba first came to the public’s attention when they won the Eurovision song contest back in 1974 with Waterloo, 47 years ago. They went on to become one of the greatest bands the world has ever seen and even though they have not performed together since 1982, when they said good-bye to the band and each other, their music is still captivating generations of dancing queens.
With 9 UK number ones and selling an estimated 200 million records world wide every one knows their sound so you had better be good if your taking the ABBA baton and running with it.
Congratulations cast you nailed it.
Tamsin Stewart, Agnetha, the blonde one, had an amazing soprano voice that gave me goose bumps after her rendition of a beautiful love song I had not heard before and her cheeky interaction with husband, Bjorn.
Jojo, Frida, the dark one, had an infectious way with the audience getting them all up on their feet, singing at the top of their voices. Remarkable harmonies that you don’t usually appreciate on a sound track.
Edward Handoll, Bjorn, played a mean lead guitar with same groovy dance moves.
Duncan Walsh-Atkins, Benny, stayed mainly behind the piano with a few glimpses when he rose from his seat but played piano like a demon.
The supporting band were truly talented musicians and demonstrated their skills in a couple of solo performances.
The wigs were a bit dodgy but that’s the only dodgy thing about this polished performance. There was more than just an essence of Abba playing at the Shaftesbury Theatre last night Abba had taken the stage in London’s West End one more time.
Fab evening for all Abba fans, old and new and those who have yet to discover the magic of ABBA.
So brush off your lycra trousers and stain shirts. Pull on your platform boots, apply your blue eyeshadow and get yourself to this up-lifting, fun and fabulous spectacle.
Leeds Playhouse/Online At home until 29th May 2021
Reviewed by Dawn Smallwood
5*****
It is exciting for the Leeds Playhouse to reopen its doors and start proceedings with a 50th anniversary celebration courtesy of Decades: Stories From The City. This production, written by writers who are linked to the theatre, hosts six monologues set in the North and the characters tell their stories over the decades of the playhouse’s existence.
The evening’s programme stages three monologues set in the 1990s, 2010s and 2020s. Don’t You Know It’s Going to be Alright is the first monologue being shown. Written by Maxine Peake and directed by Amy Leach, this story is set in the 1990s with Danny (Eva Scott) sharing her down to earth experiences with 1997 being a year like no other with the change of political language with New Labour coming into power, the death of Princess Diana and the iconic rise of The Spice Girls. With satiric and wit and over a can of lager, Danny, tells the story as it is and shares her experiences of going to illicit parties and her sparring family’s loyalties. Everyone is familiar with the many cliches and innuendos shared, whether assumed or diminished, in this contented monologue.
The next monologue is Stan Owens’ Pie in the Bus Stop. Directed by Tess Seddon, one is introduced to Jamie (Akiel Dowe) who has a lot on his hands from being a holder of two jobs and a carer for his demanding mother. He questions and ruminates, from his predicament and lockdowns, how he can go about having the independence he yearns and yet at the same time consciously reflect on the needs of his mother. Choosing to sit and contemplate at a bus stop, which he considers a good place, he opens up and invites the audience to be drawn in his self-analysis and assessment from his childhood experiences to today.
The final monologue for the evening is, and after we sailed a thousand skies. Kamal Kaan’s monologue, under the direction of Sameena Hussain, is poignantly and beautifully retold by Cassie Layton, as Layla, who questions if the city she lives in is for her. Poetically and musically, Layla, reminisces her motherland she had to leave behind and emotively questions if where she lives will accept and embrace her for who she is. “Where is home” is melancholy reminded throughout the monologue in song and voice.
Decades: Stories From The City marks a celebratory and welcome return to the Playhouse and these well performed and creatively staged monologues can resonate how our lives are influenced and impacted by where we live and where we consider home.
The 2021 festival runs from 17-29 May atThe Turbine Theatre, London, before embarking on a ‘digital’ UK Tour from the 31 May – 4 July. The full list of venues and touring dates are as follows:
The Turbine Theatre, Battersea
(Monday 17 May – Saturday 29 May)
Norwich Theatre Royal, The Belgrade Theatre, Coventry&Birmingham Hippodrome(Monday 31 May – Sunday 6 June)
Royal & Derngate, Northampton, Sheffield Theatres&The Lowry, Salford
(Monday 28 June – Sunday 4 July)
The Festivalsets out to promote quality artistry, showcasing new musicals to UK audiences with a view to elevating them to full production, and giving audiences an insight into the process of creating new work and the art of collaboration. Paul Taylor-Mills launched the inaugural MTFestUK season at The Other Palace in 2019, followed by a 2020 season in February last year, at The Turbine Theatre.
The 2021 festival line-up includes an exciting and diverse selection of eight new musicals: Far From Heaven,#50days,The Man In the Ceiling, Millennials, HouseFire, Cake,Proud and Tony! (A Tony Blair Rock Opera).
Featuring a truly spectacular company of international stars, with a number of Tony and Olivier Awards to their names,the full line up of world class performers includes:
Tori Allen-Martin, Stephen Ashfield, Alex Austin, Charlie Baker, Luke Bayer, Jenna Boyd, Alex Cardall, Matthew Croke, Allie Daniel, Trevor Dion Nicholas, Chris Draper, Cory English, Aminita Francis, Jordan Luke Gage, Scott Garnham, Tiffany Graves, Beth Hinton-Lever, Aimee Hodnett, Jazz Jenkins, Nadine-Rose Johnson, Reuben Joseph, Eleanor Kane,I driss Kargbo, Freddie King, Emma Kingston, Gemma Knight Jones, Melanie La Barrie, Marie Lawrence, Simon Lipkin, Andrew Lippa, Rebecca Locke, Nathan Lorainey-Dineen, Tim Mahendran, Carl Man, Nicholas McLean, Ako Mitchell, Kyran Mitchell-Nanton, Grace Mouat, Phoebe Panaretos, Bryce Pinkham, Sharon Rose, Robert Saunders, Cleve September, Robin Simões da Silva, Nicola Sloane, Jodie Steele, Scarlett Strallen, Sebastien Torkia, Rebecca Thornhill, Paul Thornley, Gary Trainor and Obioma Ugola.*
In addition to the highly talented performers, the festival also includes a huge mix of exciting creative talent including:Tasha Taylor-Johnson,Morgan Lloyd Malcolm,Jack McManus,Drew McOnie,Matt White,Thabo Stuck,Scott FrankelandPoppy Burton Morgan.
***
MTFestUK 2021
FAR FROM HEAVEN
17-19 May 2021
Book by Richard Greenberg
Music by Scott Frankel
Lyrics by Michael Korie
Directed by Matthew White
Musical Direction by Alex Parker
CAST:
Elliot Burges – David
Cory English (Guys & Dolls/Young Frankenstein) – Stan/Maurice
Tiffany Graves (Chicago/We Will Rock You) – Mrs Leacock/Mona Lauder/Doreen
Ako Mitchell (Caroline, Or Change/Guys & Dolls) – Raymond
Bryce Pinkham (A Gentleman’s Guide To Love & Murder/The Heidi Chronicles) – Frank
Scarlett Strallen (Singin’ In The Rain/Mary Poppins) – Cathy
Rebecca Thornhill (Matilda/From Here To Eternity) – Eleanor
Based on the Focus Features/Vulcan Productions motion picture written & directed by Todd Haynes.
Cathy Whitaker seems to be the picture-perfect wife and mother in 1957 suburban Connecticut. But roiling beneath the surface, secret longings and forbidden desires cause her world to unravel, with incendiary consequences.
With a score that is both jazz-inflected and hauntingly lyrical,Far From Heavenis a powerful story of romance, betrayal, and intolerance, as a woman grapples with her identity in a society on the verge of upheaval.
#50DAYS
17 – 19 May 2021
Created and Written by Thabo Stuck
Directed by Ajjaz Awad-Ibrahim
Musical Direction by Amiir Saleem
CAST:
Aminita Francis (Frankenstein – How To Make A Monster) – Digby/Prince of Wales
Nadine-Rose Johnson (Frankenstein)– Queen Henrietta
Reuben Joseph (Rapunzel/Midsummer) – King Charles
Kyran Mitchell-Nanton (Karma) – Pym
Robert Saunders (Grandpa’s Great Escape Live)– Lillburn/Lucy Haye
Cleve September (Hamilton/Jesus Chris Superstar)– Manchester
#50daysis a Grime Musical which tells the story of the period when the very foundations of England were shattered. It is December 1641 and King Charles is about to be formally challenged by a handful of MPs and radical commoners, who share the belief that ALL men are born equal. Many in England, now a Protestant country, are enraged by the notion that the French-born Catholic Queen Henrietta and King Charles are ruling over them. One of these critics is John Pym, a Member of Parliament and prominent opponent of Kingship, who issues a challenge to the King’s power. In a world ruled by men, who are the women in this story? What are they fighting for? Through propaganda and shrewd political manoeuvring, the nation is about to be plunged head first into a conflict that pitted neighbour against neighbour and shattered the very core of our constitution.
#50days creator Thabo Stuck, challenges the notion of how history is discoursed.
“This is an interpretation of British history told through the eyes of underrepresented Brits today.”
THE MAN IN THE CEILING
20 – 22 May 2021
Music and Lyrics by Andrew Lippa
Book by Jules Feiffer
Directed by Annabel Mutale Reed
Musical Direction by Richard Beadle
CAST:
Alex Austin – Jimmy Jibbett
Matthew Croke (Aladdin/Hair) – Father
Trevor Dion Nicholas(Aladdin) – Uncle Lester
Jazz Jenkins (Live – A Viral Short Film) – Lisi
Obioma Ugola (Hamilton/Motown The Musical) – Older Jimmy
Sharon Rose (Hamilton/Motown The Musical) – Mother
12-year old Jimmy Jibbett would rather be a successful cartoonist than be in 7th grade. His father disapproves. His mother is busy. His uncle tries to understand but is too wrapped up trying to write a love song for his next flop musical. Where can Jimmy turn for inspiration and hope? Maybe THE MAN IN THE CEILING can lead him to his true destiny…If only Jimmy would look up!
A collaboration between Jules Feiffer, the Pulitzer-Prize-winning cartoonist and celebrated author, and Tony-nominated composer-lyricist Andrew Lippa,The Main In The Ceilingis an uplifting tale about following your creative passion against all odds.
CAKE
20 – 22 May 2021
Music and Lyrics by Jack McManus&Tasha Taylor-Johnson
Book and Lyrics by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm
Directed by Drew McOnie
CAST:
Tori Allen-Martin (Rock Of Ages) – Judge/Nicole
Emma Kingston (Fiddler On The Roof/In The Heights) – Jeanne
Phoebe Panaretos (Strictly Ballroom/Lazarus) – Marie Antoinette
Sebastien Torkia (Matilda The Musical/The Wild Party) – The Cardinal
Cake* combines rap and RnB with 18th century France to retell a story that sparked a revolution. When Marie Antoinette married King Louis, her reputation was already tarnished by gossip. But when she is implicated in a crime to defraud the crown jewellers of a diamond necklace, it is not just her reputation at stake, but the monarchy and France itself.
*Cake was commissioned by Paul Taylor-Mills whilst he was Artistic Director of The Other Palace where it appeared under its former title; Killer Queen.
MILLENNIALS
24 – 26 May 2021
Written & Composed by Elliot Clay
Directed by Luke Sheppard
Musical Direction by Katy Richardson
CAST:
Luke Bayer (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie/Les Misérables)
Allie Daniel (RENT)
Beth Hinton-Lever (West Side Story/Hadestown)
Nathan Lorainey-Dineen (& Juliet/Motown The Musical)
Tim Mahendran (& Juliet/The Midnight Gang)
Grace Mouat (& Juliet/Six)
Jodie Steele (Six/Heathers)
MILLENNIALSturns up the microphone on the lives, the losses and the frustrations of young people in the modern world. A generation that is so often defined by tabloid headlines, tweets and of course, avocados, pick up the mic and transport us inside their extraordinarily ordinary lives. Written and composed by Elliot Clay, this powerful and uplifting collection of songs runs the gamut of modern pop-music and sends musical theatre hurtling into the 21st Century.
HOUSEFIRE
24 – 26 May 2021
Book & Lyrics/Directed by P Burton-Morgan
Music by Felix Hagan
Musical Direction by Chris Poon
Musical Supervision by Mark Collins
An Eco Rock Musical
CAST:
Alex Cardall (Evita) – Alan
Eleanor Kane (High Fidelity/Fun Home) – Ginger
Robin Simões da Silva (Spring Awakening) – Leo
“I want you to act as you would in a crisis. I want you to act as if our house is on fire. Because it is.”– Greta Thunberg 2019
A trio of endangered animals form a rock band to protest against the climate crisis. Leo, the snow leopard lead singer, rages against the annihilation of their world, Ginger the Orangutan, on keys, has her own tale to tell about the traumas of deforestation, while Alan the elephant is keeping time on the drums. But their newly rebranded group ‘HouseFire’ is under threat from their corporate manager getting them to pander to the very capitalist system they want to destabilize. Entering Britain’s Got Talent is a great way to reach more people with their message, but it puts a strain on their already fractious relationships, and is it all just too little too late… Fierce, frenetic and fun – this gig-theatre musical will set your world on fire.
PROUD
27 – 29 May 2021
Music by Lee Freeman
Lyrics by Mark Anderson
Book by Graham Lappin & Mark Anderson
Directed by Jonathan O’Boyle
Musical Direction by Ellie Verkerk
CAST:
Stephen Ashfield (The Book Of Mormon) – Clarke/Donald
Chris Draper (School Of Rock) – Father Frederick/Thomas
Jordan Luke Gage (& Juliet/Bat Out Of Hell) – David
Idriss Kargbo (Five Guys Named Moe) – Cooper/Gabriel
Freddie King (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes) – Brett/Mrs Bailey/Swim Team
Rebecca Locke (Heathers) – Diana/Bernice
Carl Man (Wicked) – Mr Maplewood/Swim Team/Rory
Nicholas McLean (Wicked) – Swim Team/Mason
David has always been different. He really wishes he wasn’t. Despite the acceptance and unconditional love of his parents, his prayers are answered when he discovers the existence of ‘Reality Trek’, a conversion camp for gay men run by ex-gay Donald and his lord-abiding wife, Bernice. With faith on their side, they guide David and his camp campmates through the programme, but when the illegally-handsome Rory arrives late, David faces the ultimate test on the path to the straight and narrow.
TONY! (A TONY BLAIR ROCK OPERA)
27 – 29 May 2021
Book and Lyrics by Harry Hill & Steve Brown
Music by Steve Brown
Directed by Peter Rowe
Musical Direction by Sarah Travis
CAST:
Charlie Baker (The Hit Polisher/I Can’t Sing) – Tony Blair
Jenna Boyd (Come From Away/Wind In The Willows) – Prescott
Scott Garnham(Nativity The Musical/Billy Elliot) – Tony
Gemma Knight Jones (Falsettos/The Lion King) – Princess Di
Marie Lawrence (Toast/The Understudy) – Cherie
Simon Lipkin (Nativity The Musical/Guys & Dolls) – Mandy
Nicola Sloane (Our Town/Love In Idleness) – Mrs Blair
Paul Thornley (Harry Potter & The Cursed Child) – Kinnock
Gary Trainor (School Of Rock/Rothschild & Sons) – Gordon Brown
A reckless reappraisal of the life of former Bad Rumours front man and Britain’s first pop Prime MinisterTony Blair.
The story of how one man went from peace loving, long haired hippy and would-be pop star to warmongering multimillionaire in just a couple of decades.
An hilarious tragedy of political intrigue, religion, power and romance that plays fast and loose with the facts, owing as much to Citizen Kane as it does to The Marx Brothers – Karl and Groucho.
Throw in a cast of larger-than-life characters – Cherie Blair, Princess Diana, John Prescott, Peter Mandelson, Alistair Campbell, Osama Bin Laden, George W Bush, Saddam Hussein, Gordon Brown and of course that dodgy dossier.
NEW DIORAMA THEATRE ANNOUNCE RESET SEASON, INCLUDING CENTRAL LONDON TRANSFER OF FIVE STAR POLITICAL IMMERSIVE THRILLER CRISIS? WHAT CRISIS?
New Diorama Theatre announce their Reset Season: a summer programme of ambitious ensemble shows.
Headlining the season is a Central London transfer of Parabolic Theatre’s ★★★★★ (The Stage, The Telegraph) hit show, CRISIS? WHAT CRISIS? and a long-overdue London premiere of Antler Theatre’s CIVILISATION (★★★★ The Guardian).
An NDT & Rhum + Clay co-production EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED, supported by Camden Council, will play to thousands of young people in NDT’s first schools’ tour.
NDT also unveil a brand-new café/bar and public areas re-imagined by a team of theatre-designers to boost accessibility and provide space and free resources to encourage creative working.
Today, New Diorama announce their 2021 NDT Reset season, a return to ambitious large-cast ensemble work
Headlining the Reset Season is a five-week Central London transfer of Parabolic’s ★★★★★ hit show CRISIS? WHAT CRISIS? (20 July – 21 August). Following a whirlwind year of debating government legislation, Parabolic puts audiences in the political driving seat with their immersive production set in 1979. Jim Callaghan’s Labour Government has a working majority of zero. Parliament is deadlocked. The workers are on strike. And your advice and actions will change the country forever.
The production takes place in a 1970’s office setting minutes from New Diorama Theatre, where audiences will be engaged in the high-stakes world of 1970s party politics. With hundreds of possible scenarios, every decision will shape the outcome of the production as audiences work to end the deadlock, rescue the government, survive the vote of no confidence, keep the trade unions on side, and avoid plunging Britain into chaos.
With a range of invited political guests joining audiences the return of CRISIS? WHAT CRISIS? promises to be one of the most ambitious shows Off-West End this summer.
“As madly farcical as The Thick of It… memorable and riveting” ★★★★★ The Telegraph
Nationally-acclaimed youth company Company Threepresent EIGHTEEN (23 – 24 July). Eight ‘brand-new’ eighteen-year-olds invite you to the birthdays that got taken away by lockdown. Created by young people who all turned 18 during lockdown, working with director Philip Morris and theatre-maker Angie Peña Arenas.
‘Beautifully conceived….talent and passion.’ ★★★★ The Observer on Company Three’s Brainstorm
Acclaimed for its sell-out premiere at the Edinburgh Fringe, CIVILISATION (27 July – 7 August)by Jaz Woodcock-Stewart with Morgann Runacre-Temple, produced by Antler, now receives its long-overdue London run. A blazingly original, critically acclaimed collision of theatrical realism and contemporary dance – excavating a day in the life of a woman following a tragic eventWith music by ABBA and Bach.
“Thrilling… Complex, raw and insensibly smart…I could watch it forever” ★★★★ The Guardian
NDT Associate Ensemble The PappyShow return with their follow-up to their hit show BOYS. GIRLS (17 – 21 August) spans decades of lived experiences in a whole-hearted display of what it felt like to be a girl and a reclamation of all things loved, lost, desired, and fought for. Raucous, tender, and unapologetic. Someone else can tidy up.
‘Moving and beautiful’ ★★★★★ The Reviews Hub on The PappyShow’s BOYS
Finally, in response to the upset and uncertainty of the last year, New Diorama have commissioned NDT Associate Ensemble Rhum + Clay to create a show built for schools and community settings. The production will tour schools reaching hundreds of 7–11-year-olds to playfully explore the impact of change, why it happens – and how to deal with it. EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED (20 – 21 August) will also play two performances at New Diorama for local families this summer.
“A tour de force” ★★★★★ WhatsOnStage on Rhum + Clay’s MISTERO BUFFO
Alongside re-opening for live performance, New Diorama are also unveiling brand new public spaces. Supported by British Land, Camden Council, Viridor Credits, The Theatres Trust and Arts Council England, these major re-developments will make New Diorama’s public spaces more accessible, more creative spaces. With gallery space focused on the creative process of the shows on our stage, new fibre Wi-Fi, plentiful plug sockets, and subscriptions to creative, design magazines and journals, theatre designers Joshua Gadsby and Naomi Kuyck-Cohen have transformed New Diorama’s public areas into more inspiring, artists spaces to visit and work.
New Diorama Theatre’s Artistic & Executive Director, David Byrne, says “We’ve made it through the last year and now it’s time to make it count. Announcing these five ambitious ensemble shows is more than just a great programme of theatre it’s a statement of intent. More than ever before New Diorama is the home for the best new theatre companies that want a big canvas to re-imagine the world. Our stage may be small, but the scale of our artistic vision and impact is not.
Alongside this Reset programming, next week we are announcing the most ambitious artistic development programme we could imagine and then, later in the summer, we will reveal our full 10th Anniversary Season. In short: we are back, we are raring to go, we’re not going anywhere and we’re just getting started.”
NDT Reset Season 2021
Production Listings
Parabolic Theatre’s
CRISIS? WHAT CRISIS
20 July – 21st August 2021
Tues – Sat 19:30 / Sat Matinees 15:00
£18 / £3 JSA Previews (20 & 21st July)
Company Three’s
EIGHTEEN
23 – 24 July 2021
Fri @ 20:00 / Sat @ 15:30 & 20:00
£12 / £3 JSA Previews (23 July)
Jaz Woodcock-Stewart with Morgann Runacre-Temple, produced by Antler
West End’s Phoenix Arts Club Reopens to socially distanced audiences and announces sensational summer events
The legendary Phoenix Arts Club, located in London’s West End, reopened its art deco doors on Monday 17 May to socially distanced audiences with a stellar line-up of cabaret, musical theatre, non-binary drag, comedy and burlesque performers. For some of the artists, this was the first time they had taken to a stage for over a year. There was certainly a tear or two from both venue staff and regular community members, who were finally able to return to the world of live performing arts.
Since its forced closure in December 2020, the Phoenix Arts Club has continued to provide live streamed entertainment to hundreds of households across the UK, and since opening the box office last week, has already sold over 1,000 tickets, showing there’s clear demand for live theatre. Today it announces three months’ worth of nightly cabarets and comedy evenings at 7.30pm. The season features work in progress nights from emerging artists, Edinburgh Fringe Award Winners and stadium fillers including Simon Brodkin, Love Island’s Iain Stirling, Death Drop’s Holly Stars, Flo & Joan, Glamrou, Luke Kempner, Lounge Onyx, Ru Paul’s Drag Race’s Joe Black, the first female Perrier Award winner, Jenny Eclair, and many more.
Celebrating over thirty years of entertaining both visitors to the West End, and creatives working locally in theatre, film and music, The Phoenix Arts Club is the west end’s multi-award-winning, independently owned and operated entertainment club and speakeasy. Secreted away down the same little side street used in the opening sequence of Harry Potter and tucked beneath The Phoenix Theatre. The lively and nostalgic venue is now open nightly welcomes pre- and post-theatre drinks bookings and is open ‘til late.
Peter Dunbar Development & Marketing Director says:
“The whole Phoenix Team has worked incredibly hard to be one of the first venues to reopen in London’s West End, making continued improvements to the venue, devising new food and drinks offerings and booking in this stellar events season. We are thankful to everyone who has purchased a ticket to attend a show so far and booked a table to enjoy a long awaited catch-up with friends over a cocktail. We’ve taken a big risk in opening our doors and many arts venues have understandably remained closed. The logistics for putting on a theatre show is so complex, and the lack of government guidance and uncertainty on whether we’ll be asked to close again has meant many are mothballing their programming until the winter. As a grassroots venue we’re putting all shows on-sale socially distanced at 70 seats until we’re told with certainty we can open to full capacity, and many shows start at just £5 a ticket. By reopening, we are providing a platform in getting artists back to live work, many of whom haven’ performed for over a year.”
Location: Phoenix Arts Club, One Phoenix Street, Soho, London, WC2H 8BU
Highlights of the 2021 May – August programme include:
Every Thursday: Showreel Live
Showreel LIVE offers YOU the opportunity to perform with a West End Musical Director in front of a LIVE audience AND have your performance filmed and uploaded online in minutes, ready for your showreel! Our tech whizzes make sure the camera, lights and action all make you look and sound superb using state-of-the-art technology. Frequented by musical theatre newcomers, seasoned professionals and musical theatre lovers, every week is full of spontaneity and surprises. So it’s great simply to sit back and watch this high quality Musical Theatre night too.
Every Friday: Friday Night in Soho: The Stars of London Cabaret
Friday Night in Soho features a whole host of acts – cabaret, comedy, burlesque, even death-defying stunts courtesy of Guinness World Record holders and MORE!
You never know who might take to the stage at A Night in Soho, so when all’s said and done and you leave the club just in time for the last train home (or later if you so choose), keep what you have witnessed a secret, as it’s moments like these that make The Phoenix Arts Club the magical place it is.
Every Saturday: The Saturday Supershow with Michael Twaits & Special Guests
The new Saturday Supershow features comedy, cabaret, drag, musical theatre, and top-tier entertainment every Saturday night, hosted by legendary cabaret host Michael Twaits, with Sarah Rose on piano. Leave song requests, celebrate with friends and support this independent grassroots entertainment venue. Only limited tickets are available to each live show, so secure them now!
“The soul of New Orleans in the UK” Dom Pipkin is acknowledged as one of best in the genre. His shows are hugely entertaining, yet true to the spirit and authenticity of this most spicy of piano styles. Pipkin draws material from the greats – Fats Domino, Dr John, and Allen Toussaint – and mixes it with his own life-affirming songwriting, showcased last year with the release of his solo album “C’mon Sunshine”.
Experience an afternoon tea like no other in the glitzy west end members club, The Phoenix Arts Club at Three for Tea: the afternoon tea cabaret! Sip on bubbly, enjoy a scrumptious afternoon tea and let saucy “sisters” Bouncy Hunter and Kimber Keys immerse you in the golden age of cabaret with songs, comedy, and socially distanced audience interaction. What’s more, there’ll be plenty of tease as from world-famous burlesque performer Jolie Papillion
Time of the Month is a camp cabaret extravaganza at the Phoenix Arts Club. A combination of comedy, chat, games and stellar drag performances, this is definitely one you want to add to your diary. The lineup for May includes feminist poetry icon Barbara Brownskirt, unforgettable drag thing CYRO and the eternally glamorous Asia Thorne.
The Phoenix Arts Club and Avalon Promotions have teamed up to bring a series of work in progress shows throughout June and July. Luke Kempner has quickly established himself as the UK’s hottest new impressionist for the millennial comedy generation, amassing over 3 million views online, through his viral sketch videos. Luke is part of the new Spitting Image cast, which can be seen now on BritBox.
“Liza Minnelli meets Sid Vicious” : Award-winning actor and cabaret artist Keith Ramsay returns to the Phoenix Arts Club for their monthly salon: The Factory: a space in which the electrifying, haunting and decadent collide. A glittering confection of classical queer kabaret, cinematic glamour, madness, horror and melancholia:
Lynn Ruth Miller, the world’s oldest performing stand-up comedienne and burlesque sensation celebrates being granted her exceptional talent visa with her new live show, Lynn Ruth is Legal! An evening of tale of through songs, stories and jokes about what the lockdown taught her, and how she came out of it. Lynn Ruth will be joined by UK folk guitarist Steve Gifford. Lynn Ruth Miller is best recognised for her many TV appearances including Britain’s Got Talent, America’s Got Talent and First Dates. Winner of the Soho Theatre and Time Out best cabaret awards, and twice Texas Burlesque Festival champion!
Cabaret pianist extraordinaire and Offie-nominated musical director Sarah Rose Bodalbhai takes to the stage without a drag act in sight! Following the release of her singer-songwriter debut single, Soar, she’ll be unveiling other pop songs she’s written and arranged alongside a couple of covers and other musical surprises, accompanied by some very talented musician friends.
Laughing Labia proudly presents a diverse line-up of female comedians. Diversity is mostly emphasised in this show. We want to show that entertainment can be so much funnier, richer and deeper than represented on TV and in the media.
Line-up: Maz Alexander, Maureen Younger, Jenin Younes, Katie Pritchard, Aimee Cooper, Athena Kugblenu & MC: Alice Frick
The Phoenix Arts Club and Avalon Promotions have teamed up to bring a series of work in progress shows throughout June and July. Simon Brodkin Acclaimed character comedian and “the world’s most famous blagger” (The Daily Telegraph), Simon is now performing as himself Iain Stirling BAFTA-winning comedian Iain Stirling is best known as the brilliantly funny voice of the hit reality show Love Island.
The Phoenix Arts Club and Avalon Promotions have teamed up to bring a series of work in progress shows throughout June and July. Come down and watch some of the hottest acts on the UK circuit try out some new material, will be loads of fun!! All tickets just £10 each. Flo & Joan Flo & Joan are the multi-award winning British musical comedy duo, and sisters, Nicola and Rosie Dempsey.
David Shopland and Callum Hughes are two new rising stars on the Musical Theatre scene – and they want to share some of their exciting work with you from a range of BRAND NEW musicals currently in development! The sensational cast includes Matthew Quinn (Dreamboats and Petticoats, Saturday Night Fever), Jo Napthine (Les Miserables, Jerry Springer: The Opera), Edward Baruwa (Motown, Heathers), Siubhan Harrison (From Here To Eternity, Guys and Dolls), Matt Wycliffe (Jersey Boys, Million Dollar Quartet), and Emma Louise Hoey (Club Mex, Wizard of Oz).
Renowned Iraqi drag queen Glamrou previews parts of their transgressive and uplifting show, Glamrou: From Quran to Queen, and invites some of her best queer pals to showcase exciting new work
The Phoenix Arts Club and Avalon Promotions have teamed up to bring a series of work in progress shows throughout June and July. Come down and watch some of the hottest acts on the UK circuit try out some new material, will be loads of fun!! Jenny Eclair: Stand-up comedian Jenny Eclair was the first woman to win the Perrier Award – theUK’s top comedy award – in 1995. Since then she has also found fame as the author of six critically acclaimed novels. Her latest, Inheritance, combines incredible poignancy and unforgettable characters, all with Jenny Eclair’s trademark wit.
A fan-diddly-dabulous evening of *excellent* Simpsons-themed cabaret. Marge burlesque! Drag king Groundskeeper Willie! Lizard Queen Lisa! And enough special surprises to pack 32 seasons with… After a sell-out first show and huge acclaim from audience and reviews, A Night in Springfield returns to the Phoenix Arts Club on 12th July with an all-new cast! Simpsons’ fans rejoice as your favourite cartoon comes to life once again with unique performances by some of cabaret’s cookiest entertainers complete with camp, colour, and plenty of cowabunga.
We would like to say how nice it is that everything is back to normal but when Askwith walks on stage you know things are never going to be normal! From smoking funny cigarettes with Jimi Hendrix to sword fighting with Frank Bruno and Sooty he takes us on a topsy turvy journey that will have you reaching for your next pint!
Tickets: https://bit.ly/3tYezpS
14 July: Dana Gillespie and Dino Baptist Blues It Up
Misty Moon Presents Dana Gillespie and Dino Baptist Blues It Up!
Dana Gillespie and Dino Baptiste perform an old style of Blues with plenty of Boogie Woogie. They normally work together in Dana’s group, the London Blues Band but for one night they will be up close and personal, in a slightly risqué way. Dana Gillespie is an English actress, singer and songwriter. Originally performing and recording in her teens, over the years Gillespie has been involved in the recording of over 45 albums,[3] and appeared in stage productions, such as Jesus Christ Superstar, and several films.
Produced by previous Burlesque Idol winner, Onyx Fatale, join the Lounge Onyx, an unforgettable cabaret. The Lounge will bring you an array of talent from some of the best and up and coming black performers on the cabaret show as we delight you with burlesque, poetry, drag, comedy and everything in between. Be prepared for an eye opening production that opens your mind to understand the power of black bodies on the grandest stage in Soho….
24 August: Clinton Baptiste Goes Stratospheric Tour Warm Up Show
From Bolton via Vegas…..to the stars!
Following the massive success of his last UK tour, clairvoyant medium and psychic Clinton Baptiste has gone exploring, stateside. Not quite Caesar’s Palace but a series of shows in Vegas have lifted his celebrity status up a notch. Let him take you on a journey from his humble roots via the dazzling heights of Sin City…..and on to an amazing finale that will heal the world.
Rising star will take West End by storm as cast announced for world premiere of Lady Chatterley’s Lover at Shaftesbury Theatre Friday 18th – Saturday 19th June 2021 Shaftesbury Theatre, 210 Shaftesbury Avenue, London WC2H 8DP
Lady Chatterley’s Lover will be brought to life by a cast of experienced talent with new up and coming star Georgia Lennon (One Enchanted Evening, Glastonbury Abbey; Beauty and the Beast, Grand Opera House, Belfast) playing the role of Lady Chatterley. Lennon’s voice is not to be missed and this is the chance to catch her in the West End for a strictly limited run before she goes onto be a regular West End leading lady!
Alongside her, the aloof and wonderfully sarcastic gamekeeper Mellors will be brought to life by Michael Pickering (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, London Palladium; Starlight Express, Germany). Lennon and Pickering will be joined by Zoe Rogers (42nd Street, Theatre Royal Drury Lane) as Hilda, Jake Halsey-Jones (Hamilton, Victoria Palace Theatre) as Tommy, Sam Kipling (All-Male Pirates of Penzance, Palace Theatre) as war hero Sir Clifford and Emma Lindars (Groundhog Day, The Old Vic; Made in Dagenham, Adelphi Theatre) as Mrs Bolton, Clifford’s nurse.
From composer John Robinson (Behind the Iron Mask, Duchess Theatre; Closer to the Sun, Harold Pinter Theatre), with book by Phil Willmott (Once Upon a Time At the Adelphi; Relativity: The Einstein Musical), Lady Chatterley’s Lover is directed by the award-winning Sasha Regan (Blondel, Union Theatre; All-Male Pirates of Penzance, UK and International tours), with production design by Andrew Exeter (High Fidelity, Turbine Theatre; Scaramouche Jones, Stream.Theatre) and costume design by Jasmine Swan (Animal Farm, Royal & Derngate).
Director Sasha Regan comments, It’s exciting to be breathing new life into such a renowned and loved classic. Having worked alongside some of these wonderful singers before, I can’t wait to get this cast into rehearsals and start re-creating this passionate time-honoured story. This is an incredible platform to be able to nurture the hottest new talent and I’m particularly excited to have Georgia Lennon playing Lady Chatterley as I know she is a star in the making.
We gave up our privacy to fight Covid-19, can we get it back?
JAMES GRAHAM’S PEOPLE YOU MAY KNOW
A NEW SHORT FILM BY FINANCIAL TIMES AND SONIA FRIEDMAN PRODUCTIONS
SUPPORTED BY LUMINATE
James Graham’s new short film People You May Know on the growing influence of big data and algorithms on our day-to-day lives, starring Lydia West and Arthur Darvill, is released today viaft.com/drama and the FT’sYouTube channel.
“Future schoolchildren, studying the great pandemic of 2020, are going to be able to draw their own map of person to person contact.
We have it all, it’s all stored: every human interaction, every footstep, every message.”
Directed by the FT’s Juliet Riddell, People You May Know investigates how the response to COVID-19 has accelerated the intrusion of the data state into people’s private and emotional lives and what it might mean for our future. It revolves around the interrogation of a junior barrister, played by Lydia West (star of the recent Channel 4 drama It’s A Sin), by Arthur Darvill (Doctor Who and Broadchurch), a data analyst from a private software firm, about her behaviour during lockdown, as monitored by her internet-connected devices.
As part of the research for the film, James Graham, along with representatives of Sonia Friedman Productions, met a group of leading Financial Times tech journalists and experts to discuss the role of data and the reach of algorithms in society today.
“The data knows best, and that’s why we must hand ourselves over to it.”
FT Assistant Editor Janine Gibson said: “Our goal for FT Film is to continue to innovate and develop compelling stories. In collaborating with the arts world, journalists can learn new ways of communicating the real-world impact behind the facts we uncover. The results, as shown by this film, can be truly powerful.”
Sonia Friedman said: “Drama, like journalism, exists to ask important questions of the contemporary world and one of those questions is our relationship to data. The advantages of our information age have rarely been as overt as in this extraordinary year, but as James Graham’s potent and unsettling theatrical short film People You May Know makes clear, they are not without disconcerting and complicated trade-offs. James is a writer with the keenest of moral compasses, and his astute dramatic eye – along with pinpoint performances by Lydia West and Arthur Darvill – brings a flush of feeling to the Financial Times’ rigorous journalistic enquiry.”
Martin Tisné, Managing Director, Luminate, said: “The collective nature of data means people are more impacted by other people’s data than by data about them. As the film perfectly demonstrates: the energy readings on my thermostat, the video feed from my door bell, even my satnav routes – these impact all of us. In the era of machine learning, individual denial of consent is close to meaningless. The Covid pandemic has accelerated this datafication. Our societies urgently need collective as well as individual data rights to chart a new course for the digital future we want to see.”
James Graham’s theatre work includes Bubble (Nottingham Playhouse), Sketching (Wilton’s Music Hall), The Culture (Hull Tuck), Quiz (Chichester Festival Theatre, Noël Coward Theatre), Labour of Love (Noël Coward Theatre – Olivier Award for Best Comedy), This House (National Theatre – Olivier Award nomination for Best New Play, and Garrick Theatre – Olivier Award nomination for Best Revival), Monster Raving Loony (Theatre Royal Plymouth and Soho Theatre), The Vote (Donmar Warehouse, broadcast live on More4 on election night and nominated for Best Live Event at the BAFTA TV awards), The Angry Brigade (Theatre Royal Plymouth and Paines Plough), the Broadway musical Finding Neverland, written with Gary Barlow and Eliot Kennedy, Privacy (Donmar Warehouse), The Man (Finborough Theatre and on tour), The Whisky Taster (Bush Theatre) and Tory Boyz (Soho Theatre). As Writer in Residence at the Finborough Theatre his plays include Albert’s Boy, Eden’s Empire and Sons of York. His television writing includes political drama Brexit: The Uncivil War (Channel 4), The Crown (Netflix), Coalition (Channel 4), Prisoner’s Wives (BBC1) and Caught in a Trap (ITV1). His ITV drama, Quiz – adapted from his play of the same name, about the “coughing major” Who Wants to be a Millionaire scandal was one of the highest rated dramas broadcast last year. His first feature film X+Y was released in 2015 after being selected at the Toronto International Film Festival and London Film Festival, winner of the Writer’s Guild Award for Best Debut Screenplay.
Standpoint is an FT Film series in which FT journalists, creative artists and experts collaborate to explore the stories of our time and communicate subjects in a different form. Previous FT films have focused on climate change, COVID-19, Brexit, homelessness and antibiotic resistance, with partners including the Royal Court Theatre, Sadlers Wells, Nicola Walker, Stephen Rea and Yo-Yo Ma.
The KIT KAT CLUB in London’s West End will open its doors this November with the musical CABARET starring Oscar, Golden Globe, BAFTA, Tony and Olivier award winner Eddie Redmayne as ‘The Emcee’ and Bafta Nominee and British Independent Film award winner Jessie Buckley as ‘Sally Bowles’.
Inside the Kit Kat Club, life is beautiful. The famous setting of Kander & Ebb and Masteroff’s musical is brought to life with a capacity of just 550, to host a unique production of Cabaret, the likes of which audiences will have never experienced before.
Director Rebecca Frecknall said today “It’s such a privilege to have the opportunity to direct Cabaret, a show that has always been dear to my heart. It’s thrilling to be able to approach this classic and important musical at a time when its themes and atmosphere feel so contemporary and resonant. I’m in awe of my incredible creative team who have come together to create a bold new production as well as a new ‘Kit Kat Club’, a bespoke home where we can truly embrace and unlock the world of Cabaret for a new audience”.
Dates, further details and full casting to be announced soon.
Register your interest and be the first to hear our plans at kitkat.club
One of the most successful musicals of all time CABARET features the songs Wilkommen, Don’t Tell Mama, Mein Herr, Maybe This Time, Money and the title number. It has music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, book by Joe Masteroff. Based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood.
CABARET at the KIT KAT CLUB will star Eddie Redmayne (Red in the West End and Broadway, Richard II at Donmar Warehouse, the films The Theory of Everything, The Trial of the Chicago 7, Les Misérables and the Fantastic Beasts series) as The Emcee and Jessie Buckley (the National’s Romeo and Juliet, A Little Night Music in the West End, Fargo, Chernobyl and the films Wild Rose and I’m Thinking of Ending Things) as Sally Bowles. It will be directed by Rebecca Frecknall (the Almeida’s Olivier Award winning Summer and Smoke, The Duchess of Malfi, Three Sisters), set and costume design is by Tom Scutt (A Very Expensive Poison, Constellations, King Charles III, Jesus Christ Superstar, collaborations with Sam Smith, Christine and the Queens) with choreography by Julia Cheng (founder of the House of Absolute, Philharmonia Orchestra Artist in Residence, recipient of the runner-up prize for Hip Hop Dance futures, Resident Choreographer for the Royal Academy of Dance, Judge and mentor for BBC Young Dancer and Breakin’ Convention – the UK’s biggest Hip Hop Festival, collaborations with London Fashion Week, Google and Dr Martens). Musical supervision and direction is by Jennifer Whyte (Les Misérables film, Caroline Or Change, Parade). Lighting design is by Isabella Byrd (Heroes of the Fourth Turning and Light Shining in Buckinghamshire – both in New York, Daddy – A Melodrama at the Almeida and The Flick at the National theatre) with sound design by Nick Lidster (City of Angels, Passion, Pacific Overtures and Parade at the Donmar Warehouse, Sweeney Todd and On The Town for English National Opera, A Chorus Line, Les Misérables and Miss Saigon). The casting director is Stuart Burt and the associate director is Jordan Fein.
CABARET at the KIT KAT CLUB is produced by Ambassador Theatre Group Productions and Underbelly.
