Category: Uncategorized

NEW THEATRE PETERBOROUGH

TO WORKSHOP NEW MUSICAL ADAPTATION OF THE DANISH GIRL

New Theatre Peterborough announce that they will be working with writers Katie Lam and Alex Parker and director Tinuke Craig to host a workshop of a new musical adaptation of The Danish Girl at the New Theatre Peterborough from 26th – 30th April. This work has been made possible following funding received by the venue as part of the Cultural Recovery Fund.

The adaptation tells the story that many will recognise from the David Ebershoff book published in 2000 and the Academy Award-winning 2015 film starring Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander of the same name. The original book is a fictionalised account based on the real life of Lili Elbe; beginning the story as Danish painter Einar Wegener, married to fellow painter Gerda Wegener and becoming one of the first people to undergo gender confirmation surgery.

The Workshops will be led by American transgender actress L Morgan Lee as Lili alongside Laura Pitt-Pulford as Gerda, with Sharif Afifi, Kelly Agbowu, Jo Eaton-Kent, Siubhan Harrison, Chloe Hart, Chris Jenkins, Freddie King and Harrison Knights. The project will also be supported by consultants Jake and Hannah Graf, two of the UK’s leading trans voices, and Harry Williams, one of the creatives and founders of the Trans Voices Company.

Writer Katie Lam says, “Lili’s story spoke to us. We felt we could do something special with it and it would be well suited to our writing style. Alex reached out to David Ebershoff back in 2018; he took a chance on us, and agreed to let us turn it into a musical. Not only that, he has been incredibly generous in spirit about the whole project and given us substantial artistic license with the piece.

Inspired by discussions with our consultants and cast, we are committed to telling a joyful trans story. Lili of course struggled through the traumas inherent in transition and did not survive her final operation. But for decades she was supported, accepted and loved by her wife, siblings, parents, friends and wider community. She found a surgeon who believed and understood her, and was able to make her emotional reality a physical reality; and all a hundred years ago.”

L Morgan Lee says, “I never would have guessed, in the middle of a pandemic, I’d be in my apartment in New York on Zoom with a creative team in London discussing a new musical. I’ve dreamed of getting my hands on this kind of material in a show but the reality is Black women, and even more specifically Black, trans women are so rarely, if ever, even considered. This creative team has taken the time to truly see the artists they work with. They are committed to telling this story using not only a trans woman to play Lili but a variety of trans people in many of the other roles throughout the show with a cast that reflects the world we live in. The process has been such a testament to the potential of where our industry has the potential to go and I’m so honored to be a part of that.”

The Danish Girl will be Directed by award-winning Director Tinuke Craig whose credits include: Aisha (the black album) (Old Vic), Crave (Chichester Festival Theatre), Hamlet For Young Audiences (National Theatre), Cinderella (Lyric Hammersmith), Vassa (Almeida Theatre), The Color Purple (Leicester Curve/Birmingham Hippodrome), random/generations (Chichester Festival Theatre), I Call My Brothers (Gate Theatre), dirty butterfly (Young Vic). Assistant Directing includes wonder.land (National Theatre), Hamlet and All’s Well That Ends Well (Royal Shakespeare Company) and The Changeling (Young Vic Theatre). Tinuke trained at LAMDA and in 2014 received the Genesis Future Director Award. In 2015-2016 Tinuke was the Gate’s Associate Director and she is currently an Artistic Associate at the Lyric Hammersmith.

David Hutchinson CEO of Selladoor Worldwide, who operate the New Theatre Peterborough, says, “After an incredibly tough year for the theatre and creative industries, we are delighted that with the support of the DCMS Cultural Recovery Fund we will be able to bring the Danish Girl to life at our wonderful venue in Peterborough. At Selladoor we are committed to supporting new work and it’s an honour to be workshopping this amazing and important story with such a fantastic cast and creative team.  With the support from the DCMS we are continuing to work hard to bridge the gap not only to get our industry moving again but in helping our communities to continue to access theatre and the arts. As the New Theatre prepares to reopen this is a first step towards retaining and growing the crucial connection we have with our audiences.”

JOIN HAYLEY TAMADDON ONLINE WITH THE BRITISH PANTOMIME ACADEMY

Star of Stage and Screen Hayley Tamaddon will host an online talk with the British Pantomime Academy as part of their programming for May.  Hayley will share her experiences from appearing on both stage and TV, along with knowledge and insight into her career as a professional Artiste.  This is a great opportunity for those who want to learn more and take advice about moving into the professional world of show biz.

Hayley Tamaddon is best known for her roles in Coronation street, Emmerdale and Shameless, also winning the fifth series of Dancing on Ice in 2010, Her vast stage career has seen her star in hit UK touring shows including Grease, A Chorus Line, Boogie Nights, Mamma Mia!  Fame, The Rocky Horror Show ,Spamalot and  Everybodys talking about Jamie whilst also starring in numerous pantomimes across the UK.

Hayley says “I’m very excited to be doing a talk for the BPA.. I’ve done so many pantos in my time I’ve lost count! And I’ve loved them all. So looking forward to sharing my stories and knowledge with all the students!”

The British Pantomime Academy was founded in 2019 bringing workshops and courses to students of all ages. with more that the majority of attendees going on to achieve professional work in pantomime or on stage and TV within the year.  In 2020 with Covid restrictions halting physical workshops these were taken online to great success.  Each month Core workshops are available along with one off Masterclasses with celebrity names from across the world of showbiz.

Kev Orkian Founder and CEO of The British Pantomime Academy says “Hayley is a true star of stage and screen who will offer our students real insight into what it takes to pursue a career in theatre and TV,  we’re delighted for her to join us in May for this one off unique talk  ”

British pantomime academy workshops are open to students of all ages. To book your place on this or any other workshop just visit www.britishpantomimeacademy.com  

Eleanor Lloyd Productions, Eilene Davidson Productions and Kate Pakenham Productions present

Kaleider’s

The Money

Conceived and directed by Seth Honnor

The Chamber, London County Hall 26 May – 18 July

A group of complete strangers have 60 minutes to agree how to spend a pot of real cash. If the players run out of time, then the money will roll over to the next show.

Don’t agree with them? Then you can join in, right up until the last second. But where do you stand? Will you help or hinder?

Time’s ticking…
 

Kaleider, one of the world’s leading companies in extraordinary live arts, presents The Money, a perfect hybrid of immersive theatre and game that guarantees that no two shows are ever the same. Be a part of the most memorable conversations to take place in London this summer, as altruism butts heads with personal interests, personalities clash and hierarchies are upended.
 

Performed on 5 continents, at the prestigious Sydney Opera House, UK Houses of Parliament, Lagos City Hall, Lisbon City Hall, Melbourne’s Victoria Parliament, City of London’s Guildhall, Tianjin’s Grand Theatre and many more, this “urgent, playful theatre that points up our complex, often conflicted relationship to the stuff (money) and our strong attachment to it.” (The Guardian) arrives at London’s historic County Hall for just 8 weeks!

Come and play. 

“Led by Seth Honnor, Kaleider has always been small, agile, networked and responsive. It creates projects that do not fit into any art-form box, which are almost always participatory, and are startling in the way they make us engage with the world and interrogate our own responses to it.” Lyn Gardner, Associate Editor of The Stage.  

The production will be performed under strict social distancing and will follow all current Government guidelines. 

NEW DATES ANNOUNCED FOR 

THE REOPENING OF

CAMERON MACKINTOSH’S

RECORD-BREAKING TOUR OF

“LES MISÉRABLES”

OPENING AT GLASGOW THEATRE ROYAL ON 24 NOVEMBER 2021

AHEAD OF PLAYING LIVERPOOL, DUBLIN, SOUTHAMPTON, SALFORD, MILTON KEYNES, PLYMOUTH, HULL, BRISTOL, BIRMINGHAM, NORWICH, CANTERBURY, SUNDERLAND, LEEDS AND CARDIFF

Cameron Mackintosh is delighted to announce full touring dates for the UK and Ireland tour of his acclaimed production of the Boublil and Schönberg’s “LES MISÉRABLES”.

The musical willopen at Glasgow Theatre Royal on 24 November 2021 where it will run until 1 January 2022, before playing Liverpool Empire (5 – 22 January 2022), Bord Gáis Energy Theatre Dublin (8 – 26 February 2022), The Mayflower, Southampton (8 – 26 March 2022), The Lowry, Salford (29 March – 23 April 2022), Milton Keynes Theatre (26 April – 21 May 2022),  Theatre Royal Plymouth (24 May – 11 June 2022), Hull New Theatre (15 June – 9 July 2022), Bristol Hippodrome (12 July – 6 August 2022), Birmingham Hippodrome (9 – 27 August 2022), Norwich Theatre Royal (31 August – 24 September 2022), Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury (30 September – 29 October 2022), Sunderland Empire (1 – 19 November 2022), Leeds Grand Theatre (24 November – 10 December 2022) and Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff (13 December 2022 – 14 January 2023). Full listings below.

As previously announced, the cast will include Dean Chisnall as ‘Jean Valjean’, Nic Greenshields as ‘Javert’ and Katie Hall as ‘Fantine’ with full casting to be announced soon.

Since Cameron Mackintosh first conceived this new production of “Les Misérables” in 2009 to celebrate the show’s 25^th anniversary it has taken the world by storm. Originally touring the UK throughout 2009/10, concluding with a season at the Barbican, it has also played across the globe including Broadway where the Huffington Post proclaimed this new production, “Sizzles for the 21^st Century” and the New York Times called it, “Thrilling, Spectacular and Unforgettable”. This production opened triumphantly in the West End at the Sondheim Theatre in January 2020 to critical acclaim, and it will reopen there in September 2021 following a limited run of The Staged Concert.  It will also open in Tokyo in May 2021 and will commence another tour of North America in Autumn 2022.  It has firmly been embraced by modern audiences everywhere as a Les Mis for the 21^st century. The tour of this production has sold out in record breaking time in each venue it has played since opening in 2018. 

★★★★★  ‘This reborn dream of a production looks and sounds fresher than ever. Sends shivers of excitement racing down the spine – You emerge feeling stirred and exhilarated’ Daily Telegraph

‘A production of awesome power and mind-blowing restaging’ Irish Times

★★★★★ ‘Les Miserables is arguably, the greatest musical of all time” 

Edinburgh Evening News

‘A thrilling inspiration’ The Guardian

‘Packs an almighty punch and brings audiences to their feet every night’ The Independent

★★★★★  ‘A five-star hit – Astonishingly powerful’ The Times

★★★★★  ‘The mighty Les Mis is still revolutionary.  This new staging of one of the world’s longest-running musicals remains fit to burst the seams of the mightiest of stages’ Daily Mail

This production inspired the hugely successful movie version starring Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway and Eddie Redmayne. This brilliant new staging has scenery inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo, and has to date already been seen in North America, Brazil, Mexico, Korea, Japan, Canada, Australia, Spain, France, Manila, Singapore, Dubai and Broadway.

Boublil and Schönberg’s magnificent score of “LES MISÉRABLES” includes the songs, “I Dreamed a Dream”, “On My Own”, “Stars”, “Bring Him Home”, “Do You Hear the People Sing?”, “One Day More”, “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables”, “Master Of The House” and many more.  Seen by over 120 million people worldwide in 52 countries and in 22 languages, “LES MISÉRABLES” is undisputedly one of the world’s most popular musicals.

Cameron Mackintosh’s production of “LES MISÉRABLES” is written by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg and is based on the novel by Victor Hugo. It has music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer and original French text by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel, additional material by James Fenton and original adaptation by Trevor Nunn and John Caird. The original “LES MISÉRABLES” orchestrations are by John Cameron with new orchestrations by Christopher Jahnke, Stephen Metcalfe and Stephen Brooker. The production is directed by Laurence Connor and James Powell, designed by Matt Kinley inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo with costumes by Andreane Neofitou and Christine Rowland, lighting by Paule Constable, sound by Mick Potter, musical staging by Michael Ashcroft and Geoffrey Garratt, projections by Fifty-Nine Productions and music supervision by Stephen Brooker and Graham Hurman.

LISTINGS

GLASGOW THEATRE ROYAL 

Wednesday 24 November 2021– Saturday 1 January 2022

ON SALE NOW 

LIVERPOOL EMPIRE

Wednesday 5 – Saturday 22 January 2022

ON SALE FRIDAY 23 APRIL 2021

BORD GÁIS ENERGY THEATRE DUBLIN

Tuesday 8 – Saturday 26 February 2022

ON SALE FRIDAY 14 MAY 2021

MAYFLOWER THEATRE SOUTHAMPTON

Tuesday 8– Saturday 26 March 2022

ON SALE THURSDAY 6 MAY 2021

THE LOWRY SALFORD 

Tuesday 29 March – Saturday 23 April 2022

ON SALE NOW 

MILTON KEYNES THEATRE

Tuesday 26 April – Saturday 21 May 2022

ON SALE SOON

THEATRE ROYAL PLYMOUTH

Tuesday 24 May – Saturday 11June 2022 

ON SALE SOON 

HULL NEW THEATRE 

Wednesday 15 June – Saturday 9 July 2022

ON SALE NOW 

BRISTOL HIPPODROME 

Tuesday 12 July – Saturday 6 August 2022 

ON SALE NOW 

BIRMINGHAM HIPPODROME 

Tuesday 9 – Saturday 27 August 2022

ON SALE NOW

NORWICH THEATRE ROYAL

Wednesday 31 August – Saturday 24 September 2022

ON SALE NOW 

THE MARLOWE THEATRE, CANTERBURY

Friday 30 September – Saturday 29 October 2022

ON SALE NOW 

SUNDERLAND EMPIRE

Tuesday 1– Saturday 19 November 2022

ON SALE SOON 

LEEDS GRAND THEATRE

Thursday 24 November – Saturday 10 December 2022

ON SALE NOW 

WALES MILLENNIUM CENTRE CARDIFF 

Tuesday 13 December 2022 – Saturday 14 January 2023 

ON SALE FRIDAY 14 MAY 2021 

Lawrence Batley Theatre and The Dukes’ – online 19 April – 4 May – book via importanceofbeingearnest.com

3***

Reviewed by Claire Roderick

Yasmeen Khan updates Oscar Wilde’s classic play with flair and a cheeky wink, setting the comedy in the world of acting and social media.

Playing with lazy stereotypes, the play is set in “The North” where Jamil (Gurjeet Singh) is struggling to get his acting career started, with very little help from his useless agent Alison (Harriet Thorpe in wonderful form). He develops a flat cap-wearing character and starts a vlog, Earnest North’s Reet Good Guide to the North, and begins to build a modest following as Earnest. Meanwhile, in a posh bit of the North, a rom-com is being filmed starring Algy Moncrief (Tom Dixon) – an actor with a bad reputation. Algy ends up mentoring Jamil, but things are complicated by Jamil’s interest in Gul (Nikki Patel). Gul is the daughter of Ms Begum (Mina Anwar), the owner of the house in which the rom-com is being filmed. Jamil can’t bring himself to tell Gul his real name, as she is convinced that Gul and Earnest will garner many more likes and follows than any other couple name, so Earnest and Gul arrange a date in the most romantic place they know – Nando’s. Ms Begum scuppers these plans, however.

Meanwhile, Algy’s romantic interest in Jamil’s cousin/sister/niece Safina (Zoe Iqbal) – it’s all explained in the play – is reciprocated, and the characters all end up at Jamil’s where true identities and backstories are revealed. Melanie Marshall’s Miss Prism is a gameshow obsessed lifestyle coach instructor, with a secret past who we first see teaching Safina felt pen feng shui, and there are cameos of variable impact from Divina De Campo, Hugh Dennis, Sindhu Vee and Paul Chahidi. The latter three serve to highlight the stereotyping and inherent racism that Jamil faces and the shallowness of public images and give Jamil the impetus to shed his Earnest persona and be true to himself.

Wilde’s basic plot points remain intact, although some are merely given lip service, but Khan has given the story and the characters a modern outlook and there are some laugh out loud moments – notably Ms Begum interrogating Jamil like a quiz show called Who Wants To Be A Suitable Boy? Director Mina Anwar has obviously had lots of fun framing the play in the style of a cheesy sitcom, and the performances fit in with this style perfectly, with great physical comedy, exaggerated reactions and glances to camera. Unfortunately, without an audience lots of jokes miss the mark and it sometimes has the feel of a cast desperately waiting for a laugh from the auditorium – enhanced by a scene with an ecstatic audience near the end. I wondered if they should have gone completely down the sitcom route and included a laughter track, as an audience reaction would energise the production and eliminate awkward silences.

This is an enjoyable show and an interesting update but falls a little flat without an audience.

What the Ladybird Heard flies into the
West End this summer

Join the Ladybird and her farmyard friends Live on Stage at the Palace Theatre for a strictly limited summer season from 15th July to 29th August 2021

From Julia Donaldson, bestselling author of The Gruffalo, and award-winning illustrator Lydia Monks, comes the stage show of the much-loved picture book What the Ladybird Heard. With live original music from a quartet of talented actors, puppetry and a whole farmyard of fun, this 55-minute family favourite is the perfect summer treat!

Hefty Hugh and Lanky Len have a cunning plan to steal the farmer’s fine prize cow. But they reckon without the tiniest, quietest creature of all: the Ladybird has a scheme of her own!

Join the woolly sheep, the hairy hog, the fat red hen and the dainty dog as they take on the villains in their quest to save the day at the Palace Theatre, London. Published by Macmillan Children’s Books and with over 4 million copies sold this adaptation is the perfect introduction to theatre for children aged 3+. Expect plenty of participation, lots of laughs and rhymes galore!

First conceived on a countryside walk with her son, Donaldson enjoyed the idea of a quiet Ladybird outwitting the bigger brawnier creatures. The animals and their noises fill this colourful adventure with real flair and, in consultation with the original illustrator, beautifully capture the magic of the story.

Producer Kenny Wax comments, I am delighted that What the Ladybird Heard is returning to the stage and I’m looking forward to welcoming family audiences back to the West End for a much needed treat this summer. It will be wonderful to see smiling faces in the glorious Palace Theatre once again.

★★★★★ Netmums ★★★★★ Culture Whisper
★★★★ The Stage A total delight, The Guardian

What the Ladybird Heard will tour in Autumn 2021 – dates to be announced soon.

OHENRY PRODUCTIONS AND STELLAR IN ASSOCIATION WITH SOHO THEATRE, ANNOUNCE

TRANSATLANTIC PRODUCTION OF LUCINDA COXON’S HERDING CATS

New York-based, Olivier-winning, and Tony-nominated OHenry Productions and Stellar, in association with Soho Theatre, today announce a transatlantic production of Herding Cats by Lucinda Coxon, combining live in-person and streamed theatre. Marking a new type of international collaboration, the production is simultaneously accessible online to audiences across the globe via Stellar and in person, with social distancing in line with current UK government guidelines, at Soho Theatre. Running 20 – 23 May 2021, Herding Cats is a Stellar Original production.

This production features two actors performing for an in-person audience on Soho Theatre’s stage with a third actor performing live via video from the United States. Directed by Anthony Banks – reunited with Coxon following their collaboration on the world première production – this revival utilises the creative technology pioneered during the pandemic, and combines it with the raw intimacy of in-person performance. The full cast will be announced shortly.

Herding Cats is a chillingly funny play about a generation negotiating intimacy and independence in the 21st century. Meeting the demands of modern life is as impossible as herding cats for Justine, Michael and Saddo. To deal with work, Justine talks – a little too much – to her roommate Michael who earns a living by chatting with strangers like Saddo. But all three will soon find that in a cold, disconnected world, words may not be enough.

Playwright Lucinda Coxon said, “Ten years on from the première of Herding Cats, I’m excited to share the story with audiences once again. It strikes me that the play’s exploration of acute loneliness and of the striking inequality between genders and generations feels incredibly of the moment, particularly as I reflect on the events of the last year.”

Anthony Banks, director, also commented, “I directed the first production of Herding Cats over a decade ago and I can’t wait to revisit the characters of Justine and Michael. Returning to direct a new production of the play, the universe around it is drastically different. Justine’s rant about the property market has become an austere reality for young adults. The #MeToo movement has busted characters like Justine’s boss out of the safety of their back-offices and gender identity is recognised not only by the health service but also by education. We’re entering the twenties reassessing each other, it’s a bumpy ride, like herding cats.  Like Michael, over the last twelve months, many of us experienced extraordinary isolation. The play explores disappointment – in the footsteps of Beckett and Chekhov – but it also contains a rallying, raging cry for fairness, for equality, for justice.”

Lucinda Coxon’s theatre writing credits include Alys, Always; Herding Cats, Happy Now, The Eternal Not, Nostalgia, The Shoemaker’s Wife, Vesuvius, Wishbones, Three Graces, The Ice Palace and Waiting at the Water’s Edge. Her screenwriting credits include the multiple award-winning The Danish Girl starring Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander, The Crimson Petal and the White starring Romola Garai for BBC, Wild Target starring Emily Blunt, The Heart of Me starring Paul Bettany and Helena Bonham-Carter and The Little Stranger starring Domnhall Gleeson and Ruth Wilson.

Anthony Banks has directed world premieres of many new plays including The Girl On The Train (West End/National Tour), Nick Dear’s Hogarth’s Progress (Rose Kingston,; Ryan Craig’s Games For Lovers (Vaults), Kevin Elyot’s Twilight Song (Park Theatre), Jim Cartwright’s Raz (West End/UK tour), Lucinda Coxon’s Herding Cats (Hampstead Theatre/Theatre Royal Bath); James Graham’s Bassett (Bristol Old Vic), Dennis Kelly’s DNA (UK tour), Bryony Lavery’s Cesario and More Light, Lucinda Coxon’s The Eternal Not and Michael Lesslie’s Prince of Denmark (National Theatre), Snoo Wilson’s Pignight (Menier Chocolate Factory), Mark Ravenhill’s The Experiment (Soho Theatre/Berliner Ensemble). He has also directed some twentieth century classics including Daphne du Maurier’s My Cousin Rachel by Joseph O’Connor, Patrick Marber’s After Miss Julie (Theatre Royal Bath), Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers on a Train; Patrick Hamilton’s Gaslight and Dial M For Murder (UK tours) and Tennessee Williams’ The Hotel Plays. Banks was an associate director at the National Theatre 2004-2014 where he commissioned and developed a hundred new plays for NT Connections. 

The additional creative team includes Olivier-nominee lighting designer Howard Hudson (&Juliet – Olivier nomination, West End, In the Heights King’s Cross Theatre), costume designer Susan Kulkarni (Secret Cinema), video designer Andrzej Goulding (& Juliet, West End, Groundhog Day, Broadway), set designer Grace Smart (Susanna, Royal Opera House), and sound designers Ben and Max Ringham (Blindness, Donmar Warehouse, Cyrano de Bergerac, West End – Olivier nomination).

UK Casting, Stuart Burt (2021 CDG Award Winner), and US Casting, Taylor Williams (2021 Artios Award Winner).

Herding Cats is co-produced by Jeff Hollander, and Executive Produced by Josh McTaggart.

URL: http://herdingcatsplay.com/

IG: @herdingcatsplay

TW:@herdingcatsplay

FB: https://www.facebook.com/herdingcatsplay

HERDING CATS

LISTINGS

Soho Theatre

21 Dean St, Soho, London W1D 3NE

For in-person and streaming tickets, go to www.herdingcatsplay.com

Tickets in person start from £10 GBP; and streaming starts from $29USD.

The first 100 tickets to each live stream are now available at $20USD – available until midnight EST on Friday 23 April.

PERFORMANCE DATE AND TIMES

Thursday 20 May at 7.30pm GMT / 2.30pm ET

Friday 21 May at 7.30pm GMT / 2.30pm ET

Saturday 22 May at 4pm GMT / 11am ET

Saturday 22 May at 7.30pm GMT / 2.30pm ET

Sunday 23 May at 4pm GMT / 11am ET

Sunday 23 May at 7.30pm GMT / 2.30pm ET

SEE IT SAFELY -We have been granted the use of Society of London Theatre & UK Theatre’s See It Safely mark. The mark certifies that we are complying with the latest Government and industry COVID-19 guidelines, to ensure the safety of our staff and audiences. You can find out more here https://officiallondontheatre.com/see-it-safely/ about the measures we have been putting in place ready for your visit, and what you will need to know beforehand.

West End Transfer and UK Tour for Theatre Royal Bath Productions and Jonathan Church Productions’ critically acclaimed

OLEANNA

By David Mamet
Directed by Lucy Bailey
Starring Rosie Sheehy and Jonathan Slinger

Theatre Royal Bath Productions and Jonathan Church Productions’ critically acclaimed production of David Mamet’s highly provocative drama Oleanna, directed by Lucy Bailey, will tour the UK this Summer from 8 June, visiting Cambridge, Bath, Southampton and Malvern, before transferring to the West End’s Arts Theatre, London from 21 July to 23 October 2021.

The production will star Rosie Sheehy as Carol and Jonathan Slinger as John, reprising their roles from its sell-out run at Theatre Royal Bath’s Ustinov Studio last December.

When Oleanna opened nearly thirty years ago, it caused uproar amongst audiences from New York to London. Set on an American campus, a seemingly innocuous conversation between a college professor and his female student warps into a nightmare which threatens to destroy them both, when she files a claim of sexual harassment against him. With its take on the corrosive excesses of political correctness and exploration of the use and abuse of language, this is the ultimate drama of pupil power and student revenge. 

Addressing issues which are strikingly current, this will be a fascinating opportunity to see this landmark play from the perspective of our #MeToo era and Everyone’s Invited era.

Rosie Sheehy has theatre credits including King John (RSC), Uncle Vanya (Theatre Clwyd/Sheffield Theatres) for which she won the ‘Best Female Performance in the English Language’ award at the Wales Theatre Awards 2018, The Whale (Theatre Royal Bath), Strife (Chichester Festival Theatre), The Hairy Ape (The Old Vic) and Chicken (Paines Plough). Screen credits include IRE (Ascendant Films), Call The Midwife (BBC1, Neal Street Productions), and Chernobyl (HBO/Sky).

Jonathan Slinger has worked extensively with the Royal Shakespeare Company including the roles of Macbeth, Prospero, Hamlet, Richard II and Richard III. He has also worked at the National Theatre and Shakespeare’s Globe and further theatre credits include Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Theatre Royal Drury Lane) and Bernard Woolley in Yes, Prime Minister (Chichester and West End).

Lucy Bailey (Director) has theatre credits including Gaslight (UK Tour), Witness for the Prosecution (County Hall, London), Love From A Stranger (Royal & Derngate / UK tour), The Graduate (Leeds Playhouse), Comus, A Masque In Honour of Chastity (Wanamaker Playhouse), Kenny Morgan (Arcola) and King Lear (Theatre Royal Bath). Bailey has also directed work at the National Theatre, Shakespeare’s Globe, Leeds Playhouse, Old Viv, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, Crucible, Sheffield, Lyric Hammersmith, Hampstead Theatre and with the RSC and ENO. She was co-founder and co-artistic director of The Print Room, Notting Hill (2009 to 2012). 

David Mamet is one of the most distinctive voices in stage and film writing today. His multi award-winning plays include Glengarry Glen Ross, Speed-the-Plow and American Buffalo.

Presented by Theatre Royal Bath Productions and Jonathan Church Productions, Oleanna by David Mamet is directed by Lucy Bailey, designed by Alex Eales, with lighting by Oliver Fenwick and sound by Jon Nicholls.

After a dry spell, there’s magic brewing in the
West End with Wonderment
Palace Theatre, 113 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, W1D 5AY
Friday 16th July – Monday 30th August 2021

There’s magic brewing in the West End once more. A vaudevillian journey of illusion, with
performers at the cutting edge of their art, Wonderment is set to astonish audiences this
summer at the Palace Theatre. This fun night for all the family must be seen to be believed.

Wonderment brings together some of the greatest illusionists live on stage in breath-taking displays of magic and illusion that will electrify, surprise and delight. Taking to the stage will be the multi-award-winning mind reader and TV star, Chris Cox, and the most talked about woman in magic, Josephine Lee.

Chris Cox has sold out UK tours and runs at Fringe Festivals from Edinburgh to New Zealand, and is no stranger to the Palace Theatre as the Magic and Illusions Assistant for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Josephine Lee took the magic world by storm after her appearance on Britain’s Got Talent in 2017. Her dynamic and modern spin on illusion saw her act hit millions of views overnight.

Both stars of The Illusionists which has played on Broadway, the West End and across the globe, as well as Impossible which travelled from the West End on to a world tour, Josephine and Chris are only the first incredible artists to be announced. Five acts will showcase their awe-inspiring talents at every performance and the rest of the line-up will soon be announced.

Director, Annabel Mutale Reed comments, It’s an absolute privilege to be creating Wonderment with world class magicians, who are bringing their greatest illusions to the West End this summer. Audiences have been making memories at The Palace Theatre for 130 years, and we are delighted to be filling its stage with a vibrant 2021 twist on an old-fashioned variety show. Wonderment is an exhilarating, mind-bending show that really has to be seen to be believed, all under the roof of what was once described as ‘The Handsomest Music Hall in Europe’!

Wonderment producer, Stephen McGill comments, We are so excited to bring some magic and wonder to the West End again, which we know has been sorely missed during this difficult last year. Our fun-packed family show is full of magic, illusion, and comedy. It promises some oldfashioned entertainment with some innovative, fresh, contemporary style and exceptional performers. We hope it will cast a spell over our audiences and fill them with Wonderment!

Nica Burns comments, Wonderment: fantastic and fantastical, full of surprises and marvel. Hugely entertaining. A perfect summer show for all. Just the tonic.

DOCTOR WHO TIME FRACTURE ANNOUNCE FULL CAST FOR IMMERSIVE ADVENTURE

Following over 5,000 applications, a cast of forty-two performers are ready to begin rehearsals as the magnitude of this immersive production begins to unfold. 

Director Tom Maller said ‘The first day of rehearsals has finally arrived and we’re so excited to bring the story of Doctor Who Time Fracture to life over the coming weeks. The response to our application process has been overwhelming, as was the talent we met at our carefully managed audition process.  We are delighted with our cast who are all ready for an intensive rehearsal period before we finally welcome audiences into Unit HQ from the first preview on 26 May.’

It will take a company of 86 people to run each performance of Doctor Who Time Fracture, 42 of which are cast members selected from over 5,000 applications. The cast will embody  Daleks, Cybermen, Weeping Angels and a host of other well-known characters that will be brought to life when the show previews in May this year. 

Original costumes and props from across various episodes of the TV series feature in the production, sourced from the BBC’s Doctor Who props store in Cardiff. Many additional items that were either unavailable or no longer exist have been recreated in meticulous detail by some of the industry’s leading prop and costume experts, immersing fans into the world of Doctor Who like never before. 

The build of this ambitious project is now complete  with seventeen worlds spread across a vast 2,700m square space, with an army of over 40 including set dressers and sound technicians responsible for developing the space into an extraordinary immersive theatre environment. 

Doctor Who Time Fracture puts fans at the heart of the story, plunged into a journey across space and time. Featuring amazingly realistic worlds – audiences will discover  that it’s time to step up, be the hero and save the universe!

From the team behind The Great Gatsby, the UK’s longest running immersive show, Doctor Who Time Fracture will preview from 26 May with tickets still available to buy now.

CAST INCLUDES: 

Angus Brown, Angus Dunican, Anouk Chalmers, Becky Bassett, Bethany Blake, Charlie Burt, Chioma Uma, Christina Andrews, Craig Hamilton, Daisy Winter-Taylor, Dare Emmanuel, Efé Egwele, Ellamae Cieslik, Elliot Rodriguez, Gareth Radcliffe, Georgia Redgrave, Harry Pudwell, Hayden Wood, Howard Grater, Ivy Corbin, Jamal Renaldo, James Bryant, James Byng, James Lawrence, Jenny Horsthuis, Jessica Elton, Jessica Hern, John Sodiq Akanmu, Kieran Mortell, Liv Spencer, Max Krupski, Maxwell Tyler, Megan Louise Wilson, Michael Geary, Molly Walker, Paul Collin-Thomas, Paul Croft, Paul Easom, Ricky Hunt, Ricky Shah, Ryan Ruel and Sam Blythe