Royal & Durngate Theatre, Northampton – until Saturday 11 January 2020
Reviewed by Boo Wakefield
5*****
What a delight this is! Last seen on UK stages 50 years ago, this new production of Mame returns curtesy of Nick Winston, Director and Choreographer with music and lyrics by Jerry Herman, all based on the book by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E Lee.
Tracie Bennett excels as Mame, a social butterfly in the late 1920s New York, who seems to have as much fun playing her character as Mame has on stage. The plot is simple: Mame becomes the guardian to her 10 year old nephew, Patrick (tonight played by Lochlan White) who has, until now, been brought up traditionally. Thrust into the protagonist’s world of excess and parties, their relationship blossoms and it is this story line that carries through this musical. Mame’s rather frantic and spontaneous way of raising Patrick does not ride well with Dwight Babcock (Hugh Osborne), Patrick’s legal guardian, who wants him to return to a more traditional schooling. Mame loses everything in the Wall Street Crash of 1929 and has disastrous and hilarious attempts to find a job. She marries Beauregard, who she meets on one of these fateful jobs, and takes a two-year honeymoon during which time Babcock gets his way and Patrick attends a boarding school. And this is just in ActI! Act 2 enables us to see how Patrick grows into a young man whose attempts to find love leaves his aunt in disapproval, causing her to manipulate Patrick into seeing sense.
Harriet Thorpe plays Vera, Mame’s “bosom pal”, whose brilliantly sharp-tongued comebacks mirrored Mame’s beautifully and left you wanting to see more from this relationship. Jessie May stood out as the awkward nanny (Agnes), whose comical timing and extraordinary facial expressions were priceless.
The art deco set, designed by Philip Whitcomb, is somewhat chunky and at times clunky but still enabled the show to move a pace with one scene seamlessly moving into the next. To achieve the feel of a full West End show on a somewhat compact stage is quite a feat especially given that the seven-piece band, led by Jason Carr, was at the back of the stage. From start to finish, the whole ensemble worked together to produce some slick toe-tapping numbers with the “Fox Hunt” and “Mame” numbers standing out, although “My Best Girl” was sung brilliantly by both White and his older Patrick, Chase Brown.
But for me, Tracie Bennett stole the show with her heartfelt solo “If He Walked Into My Life”. Throughout, Bennett portrays Mame as a ditzy, fly-by-night, energetic and charismatic lady but then is able to show her passionate, heartbroken but determined side through this impressive performance which was truly breath taking.
This production left me wondering why it hasn’t been revived before now. Mame should go to the West End and be given a stage big enough to allow it to stretch its wings. A wonderful treat for the New Year.
Les Miserables is a musical which has been dazzling audiences for 35 years and has recently been reimagined in the new Sondheim Theatre. Formally known as the Queen’s Theatre, it undertook a massive renovation to provide a new home for the well loved production. This performance was led by Jon Robyns as Jean Valjean, with Bradley Jaden as Javert, Shan Ako as Eponine, Harry Apps as Marius, and Carrie Hope Fletcher as Fantine.
The most notable change from the original production was the lack of revolving stage, which was previously an iconic aspect of the show. However, this did not hinder the show. The new set pieces and stage action was woven into the show to blend the well-loved, iconic aspects with the new. The visual projections created the perfect backdrop to the scenes, adding depth to the sewers and creating a beautiful sky of stars. This existed without overpowering the actors on stage.
The new set pieces and staging detail completely immerse the audience into one of the most unruly periods of French history. When the lights dim, a spectacle of rebellion, courage and defiance begins. The violence and hardships of the story are turned up a notch but are contrasted with the extra visual comedy provided by the Thenardiers.
With a highly talented cast and repertoire of well-loved musical numbers, this production will dazzle Les Mis fans and new audiences alike
Cast of TV talent announced to lead hard-hitting For the Sake of Argument Bridewell Theatre, 14 Bride Lane, London EC4Y 8EQ Tuesday 28th January – Saturday 8th February 2020
The cast has been announced for the hard-hitting production For the Sake of Argument, which explores the dangerous power of language after a journalist’s words inspire a young man to enlist in the army. Georgie Farmer (Ready Player One, Warner Brothers; Mowgli, Netflix; Treadstone, USA Network) joins the cast as Mark Bradley, alongside Greg Snowden (Emmerdale, Coronation Street, ITV; My Mind is Free, Rah Rah Theatre Company) as Nelson Walsh.
Paula Cassina (Refugee, Studio Soho; Strindberg’s Women, Etcetera Theatre; Razor in the Flesh Adream Creative) is Maria Bradley, Ella May (Dido and Aeneas, BBC; The Circle, Channel 4; ) is Liz and Ashleigh Cole (The United Kingdom of Earth: A Brexit Opera; The Agitprop Allstars; O.L.D: Online Dating, Camden Fringe Festival; The Seagull, Woodhouse Players) is the passionate and argumentative journalist Eleanor Hickock.
Arthur Verlade (Alright Harry?, Claudia Baskind; Nice Mike, Coldwood; Soul Searching, Mirtha Vega) is Miles Finlay, Henry Eaton-Mercer makes his professional debut as Arthur Wilson and Lucia France (A Touch of Frost, ITV; Prowler, Amazon Prime; The Guinness World Records Live, UK tour) is Abigail Taunton. Matt Weyland (Call the Midwife, Miranda, BBC; The Crucible, Old Vic) and Harry Farmer (Fool For Love, Charlie Chaplin Theatre; Talking To Alice, Blank Theatre Company; Tonight with Donny Stixx, off-Broadway) round off the cast as Piers and Billy Bradley
For the Sake of Argument interrogates the power and danger of language, as one journalist’s words send a young man to the frontline. When a reader’s mother seeks out the journalist who convinced her son to die for his country, sparks fly and violent confrontations ensue.
This play looks to promote the value of compassion and understanding, highlighting the dangers of taking flippant and radical positions on important issues. It discusses the need for full context and warns of the dangers of offhand comments. It encourages patience rather than knee-jerk reaction.
Writer and director Harry Darell comments, This is a fantastic cast and I couldn’t be happier that they are the ones to bring this project to life. Each actor has already brought so much to the production, offering brilliant new insights and detail on their characters.’
The National Theatre presents: An Inspector Calls Alhambra Theatre, Bradford Wednesday 29 January – Saturday 1 February 2020 Captioned performance: Fri 31 Jan, 7.30pm Audio Described performance: Sat 1 Feb, 2.30pm *Tickets: £36 – £18 Call the Box Office on 01274 432000 or visit bradford-theatres.co.uk *All prices shown include booking fees but are subject to postage charge if applicable. Bradford Theatres usual terms and conditions apply.
One of JB Priestley’s best-known theatrical works is coming home to Bradford.
After a sell-out London season and American tour, Stephen Daldry’s multi-award winning production of An Inspector Calls for the National Theatre returns to the Alhambra Theatre, Bradford at the end of this month.
Daldry’s visionary, radical, challenging version of JB Priestley’s classic thriller, hailed as the theatrical event of its generation, has been seen by more than 5 million people worldwide so far.
When Inspector Goole arrives unexpectedly at the prosperous Birling family home, their peaceful dinner party is shattered by his investigations into the death of a young woman. His startling revelations shake the very foundations of their lives and challenge us all to examine our consciences.
Written at the end of the Second World War and set before the First, An Inspector Calls is a compelling and haunting thriller. More relevant now than ever, this is a must-see for a whole new generation of theatregoers.
Inspector Goole is played by Liam Brennan, whose theatre credits include Richard III and Twelfth Night at Shakespeare’s Globe, and Diary of a Madman at The Gate, for which he was awarded Best Actor at the Edinburgh Festival in 2016.
Christine Kavanagh appears as ‘Mrs Birling’, Jeff Harmer ‘Mr Birling’, Alisdair Buchan ‘Gerald Croft’, Chloe Orrock ‘Sheila Birling’, Ryan Saunders ‘Eric Birling’ and Diana Payne-Myers ‘Edna’. The cast is completed by Michael Ross, Portia Booroff, Elissa Churchill and Jonathan Davenport.
Please call the Box Office on 01274 432000 or visit bradford-theatres.co.uk for more information.
Le Navet Bete and Exeter Northcott Theatre present
The Three Musketeers: A Comedy Adventure
York Theatre Royal, 7 & 8 February
From Le Navet Bete, award-winning creators of smash hit shows Dracula: The Bloody Truth and Dick Tracy, comes a hilarious new comedy adventure that promises to have audiences rolling with laughter from here to the French countryside.
The Three Musketeers: A Comedy Adventure – on the main stage at York Theatre Royal on 7 and 8 February – invites you to join hot-headed D’Artagnan who, armed only with a baguette and a questionable steed, travels to Paris full of childish excitement and misplaced bravado to become a Musketeer.
Will things go to plan? It’s unlikely. With four actors and over 30 characters this will be their most hilariously chaotic adventure yet.
This show is set to be the company’s biggest and most riotous to date. This is the sixth time Le Navet Bete have worked with comedy director John Nicholson, who is co-artistic director of Peepolykus and regularly writes comedy for TV and radio. This time they’ve collaborated on a comedy version of Alexander Dumas’ classic tale turning it on its head – expect all the main characters from the book in ways wouldn’t expect to see them.
Internationally renowned choreographer Lea Anderson MBE (The Cholmondeleys), and critically acclaimed set designer Ti Green (Touching the Void) are also part of the artistic team.
“Hilarious and heartfelt” Reviews Hub ★ ★ ★ ★
“Performed with an effortless enthusiasm…enormous fun!” Reviewsgate ★ ★ ★ ★
SALISBURY PLAYHOUSE PREMIERES NEW ADAPTATION OF BLOOD WEDDING BY BARNEY NORRIS
Salisbury Playhouse is premiering a new adaptation of Federico Lorca’s Blood Wedding, retold by Salisbury playwright Barney Norris, commissioned and produced by Wiltshire and Creative and Up In Arms. The new adaptation is set in present-day Wiltshire and runs from 6-22 February 2020.
Jeff Rawle (The Durrells, Hollyoaks and Drop the Dead Donkey) and Teresa Banham (Mary Wilson in The Crown, Netflix) lead the cast with Wiltshire Creative Stage 65 Youth Theatre alumnus Reece Evans (Peer Gynt, Salisbury Playhouse) playing Rob, the young groom.
Lily Nichol (Maydays, RSC) plays Georgie, Rob’s fiancée. The cast is completed by Emmet Byrne (Misfits, Dublin Theatre Festival) playing Lee, Georgie’s ex, and Eleanor Henderson (The New Romantic, Vault Festival) playing Danni, Lee’s wife.
Barney Norris’s explosive retelling of Lorca’s classic tragedy sets the action firmly in a modern-day Wiltshire community that’s rocked by revelations and gossip as a young couple prepare for their wedding. Barney’s previous plays include Echo’s End and The Remains of the Day at Salisbury Playhouse.
Barney Norris said: “I’ve always been interested in the possibilities of setting existing, well-known stories in a Wiltshire landscape. Blood Wedding is a fable about the hidden wildness of the world, the power of love and longing, the suffering of women, the ineluctable pull of fate.”
Blood Wedding is directed by Alice Hamilton and designed by James Perkins. Lighting designer is Johanna Town and sound and music is by Harry Blake.
Barney and Alice will be taking part in a number of workshops about playwriting during the run of Blood Wedding.
To coincide with Blood Wedding at Salisbury Playhouse, Salisbury Arts Centre will host a solo exhibition by Cornwall-based artist Nicola Bealing, Three Acts and Seven Scenes, which responds to Lorca’s Blood Wedding. Several of Nicola’s works were recently acquired by the British Museum for its permanent collection.
Up in Arms is supported by Frank and Elizabeth Brenan
Blood Wedding is supported by Wiltshire Creative’s Commissioning Circle
Tickets are on sale now and can be booked by calling Ticket Sales on 01722 320333 or by visiting www.wiltshirecreative.co.uk.
Telling the story of one of the most successful songwriters of all time, the Tony, Olivier and Grammy award-winning musical Beautiful: The Carole King Musical arrives at Hull New Theatre from 21 January to 25 January as part of a UK Tour following a successful two and a half year run in London’s West End and a sell-out tour in 2017/18.
King’s now iconic 1971 album Tapestry was released when she was just 29-years old, and yet by this time she already had a string of over 100 chart hits written with Gerry Goffin, her former husband and song writing partner in the 1960s, including The Loco-Motion and Will You Love Me Tomorrow. Beautiful: The Carole King Musical offers audiences the chance to peek inside Carole King’s early life and the writing process of this now legendary duo alongside their fellow songwriters Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann.
Speaking about the show, and how it feels to witness your life story being told on stage, six-time Grammy Award winner King describes the process saying, “I was actually there for an early reading of the show and it reached a climactic and emotional moment within my life. At that moment I really began to realise that yes, this show was going to be great, however I knew I couldn’t stay for the second half of the reading.”
Despite the show telling the story of Carole’s early years from teenage sensation to solo performer of iconic status, she didn’t actually see the show until several months in, “I wasn’t sure I wanted to see it initially, as it is my own past.”
However, having heard from friends and family how much they loved the production she eventually ventured into the theatre. “Gerry and my daughter, Sherry, said to me ‘Mom you’ve just gotta go see it’ so I did, and I was blown away.”
So why has Beautiful: The Carole King Musical proven so popular and resonated with audiences of all ages some 60 years since many of these songs were originally released, and nearly 50 years after Tapesty?
“Well, I suppose it’s because to many people the music you hear in the show was the soundtrack of their generation” explains Carole, “but then those people have since played these tracks to their children and grandchildren and so new generations are enjoying a sense of ownership over these songs.
“The show contains songs like You’ve Got A Friend that I wrote many years ago but are still sung today, and hopefully still connect with people. The show really is a testament to the music, but the book is so good, as well as how it all comes together with the lighting, set and sound.”
Carole King is renowned for understating her remarkable success, and despite having written her first number one hit by the time she was seventeen years old, she still didn’t anticipate becoming a performer herself.
‘We were writing enough songs to pay our mortgage’ she famously said in her 2012 autobiography, playing down the massive catalogue of hits she has written over the years. When pushed to acknowledge her immense talent.
Carole says, “Looking back on my childhood I guess you could say there was an element of being a prodigy but I like to think I was given a gift with music. But I have studied hard and I like to think that I’m smart and I use my brain. I hope that comes across when people see Beautiful on tour in the UK.”
The UK holds a special place in Carole King’s heart when it comes to Beautiful: The Carole King Musical as she was able to join the cast on their opening night. “Being at the West End premiere of the show was incredible. I didn’t attend the Broadway opening night performance, so it was particularly special to see the show in London.
“It’s always a bit surreal to see people you know, and people you knew, embodied so well by performers on stage but really wonderful at the same time. I love watching people come and see them forget about their cares and troubles for two hours and forty minutes,” she said.
“It’s a wonderful feeling. Beautiful is such a terrific show and I hope audiences will love it as it tours the UK in 2020 as much as they did when I sat in the auditorium in London with them then.”
Tickets are on sale now. Book at the Hull City Hall Box Office, call 01482 300 306 or visit www.hulltheatres.co.uk to book online.
Award-winning comedian, writer and activist brings Edinburgh hit show to the Ustinov Studio
SAJEELA KERSHI: Fights Like a Girl
Ustinov Studio, Saturday 18 January
Multi award-winning stand-up comedian and activist SAJEELA KERSHI makes her Ustinov Studio debut with her latest show, Fights Like A Girl, a reflection of everything she has fought for and against.
The show was born on the Women’s March in London, chanting against Trump, travel bans and global injustices, with Sajeela fighting to keep her prime position on the frontline, even if it meant elbowing Harriet Harman out of the way, and not allowing a man to push in at the front –who, it turned out, was the Mayor of London, Sadiq Kahn!
What and who do we fight for, and why? Join Sajeela as she puts up her dukes and picks her battles. Find out if you are fight or flight by nature, why you are to blame for Brexit and Trump and if you are ultimately failing to fight for a productive society … whilst in hysterics!
“Smart, funny with a mischievous glint” The Times
Sajeela Kershi has been performing stand-up since 2006, receiving her biggest break not on stage but as the audience ‘plant’ in Brendon Burns’s comedy award-winning show, So I Suppose This Is Offensive Now? She also appeared in a three-handed Edinburgh show, Pretty Dirty Things, following up with a two-hander, Race/Off the following year, with the solo debut Bitch Got Owned in 2009.
In 2015, Sajeela won an Asian Women of Achievement award, presented to British women of Asian descent who have made dramatic progress in their chosen field. Sajeela won the Arts and Culture award for the impact of her show and twitter feed, #ImmigrantDiaries.
“Believe in yourself even if no one else does, go with your gut, do what you want and do it your way. Don’t listen to anyone who tells you it’s too late: it’s never too late to make your dreams come true, but you need to focus and work damn hard.” Sajeela Kershi
London Classic Theatre today celebrate 20 years as an unsubsidised, independent production company working in the UK and Ireland. Since 2000 the company has transitioned from one of the success stories of the London Fringe to its current position as one of the UK’s leading touring companies, producing 41 tours and visiting over 250 venues. Today the company announces their 2020 season.
Kickstarting the season is Alan Ayckbourn’s comic study of social climbing, Absurd Person Singular, opening at the Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne on 25 February before touring to 24 venues, running until 19 July.
Following this is a production of Bernard Slade’s seventies rom-com, Same Time, Next Year which will open at Malvern Festival Theatre on 2 September before touring to venues including Yvonne Arnaud Guildford, Theatre Royal Winchester, Oldham Coliseum, Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds and the Ashcroft Playhouse in Croydon. Full details of the tour will be announced shortly.
Artistic Director Michael Cabot said today ‘This is a hugely significant milestone for us, I first decided to set up LCT as a touring company and never envisaged that we would still be going strong twenty years later. Starting the company our aim was to bring high quality classic drama to venues and audiences across the UK and Ireland. We’ve been lucky to work with some extraordinary talent over the years, many of whom are the actors and designers from our ‘core company’, they have underpinned this adventure and it’s a matter of great pride that many of them have return to work for us. We have never received any subsidy but have been determined not to let that affect the scale or ambition of the work we do. The incredible support we’ve received from a huge range of venues is what help us grow as a company, we look forward to this next chapter and the new challenges that our third decade will undoubtedly bring.’
UK tour
London Classic Theatre present
ABSURD PERSON SINGULAR
Written by Alan Ayckbourn
Directed by Michael Cabot;Set design by Simon Scullion; Costume design by Kate Lyons
Lighting design by Andy Grange
25 February – 19 July
Three married couples. Three kitchens. Three Christmas parties.
Sidney Hopcroft, a small-time tradesman, persuades wife Jane to throw a party hoping to find favour with a bank manager and local architect. As celebrations begin, class differences and naked ambition combine to hilarious effect as, one by one, the characters seek refuge in Jane’s kitchen.
Over the next two years, the Jacksons and Brewster-Wrights take turns to host festivities. But Sidney’s star has begun to rise and roles are increasingly reversed as the cracks in the other couples’ marriages begin to show.
Alan Ayckbourn’s comic masterpiece of social climbing in 1970s suburbia fuses a potent mix of farce and black comedy.
Alan Ayckbourn is an award-winning playwright. Theatre credits include Absurd Person Singular(Evening Standard Best Comedy Award),The Norman Conquests (Evening Standard Best Play Award and Tony For Best Revival Of A Play), Bedroom Farce, Just Between Ourselves (Evening Standard Best Play Award), A Chorus of Disapproval (Olivier Best Comedy Award and Evening Standard Best Comedy Award), Woman in Mind, A Small Family Business (Evening Standard Best Play Award), Henceforward (Evening Standard Best Comedy Award), Man Of The Moment (Evening Standard Best Comedy Award), House & Garden and Private Fears in Public Places, among others.
UK tour
London Classic Theatre present
SAME TIME, NEXT YEAR
Written by Bernard Slade
Directed by Michael Cabot; Set & Costume design by Bek Palmer; Lighting design by Andy Grange
2 September – 28 November
Doris and George meet in 1951, a chance encounter in a Californian hotel that leads to a passionate one-night stand. Both are married to other people but, aware that this might be the start of something, they promise to meet 12 months later. So begins a romantic love affair that lasts 25 years.
The play charts their lives through the ups and downs of parenthood, career highs and lows as well as the shifting fashions and morals of the passing decades.
Bernard Slade paints a bittersweet, nostalgic and very funny portrait of two likeable protagonists who find themselves in the most unusual of long-term relationships.
One of the world’s most widely staged plays, Same Time, Next Year was originally produced on Broadway in 1975. It ran for four years, winning a Tony Award for lead actress Ellen Burstyn, who later recreated her role in the successful film of the same title opposite Alan Alda.
Bernard Slade (1930 – 2019) was an award-winning screenwriter and playwright. Previous theatre credits include Same Time, Next Year, Tribute, Romantic Comedy, Special Occasions, Same Time, Another Year, An Act of the Imagination, Fatal Attraction, Return Engagements and You Say Tomatoes. His television credits include The Partridge Family, Trying Time, Good Heavens, The Girl with Something Extra, Bridget Loves Bernies, The Flying Nun, The Courtship of Eddie’s Father, Bewitched and Love on a Rooftop.
LONDON CLASSIC THEATRE
London Classic Theatre is run by husband and wife team Michael Cabot and Kathryn Cabot.
Michael Cabot is the founder and Artistic Director of London Classic Theatre. He has directed all forty-one LCT productions since their touring debut in 2000, including No Man’s Land, My Mother Said I Never Should, Private Lives, Hysteria, The Birthday Party, Waiting for Godot, Absent Friends, Entertaining Mr Sloane and Equus. His freelance work as director includes three recent collaborations with award-winning playwright Henry Naylor, The Collector (Arcola Theatre), Angel and Borders (Edinburgh Festival Fringe).
Kathryn Cabot is an actress and producer. She began working as programmer and assistant producer for LCT in 2014. She has programmed the company’s tours of No Man’s Land, My Mother Said I Never Should, Private Lives and Hysteria. In 2016, she established her own independent production company, producing the first national tour of Henry Naylor’s The Collector. Absurd Person Singularis her fifth tour as producer for LCT.
Sticky Door VAULT Festival, The Vaults, Leake Street, London, SE1 7NN Tuesday 11th – Sunday 16th February 2020
“The 2014 plan was a simple one, I would “Casanova” myself around our nation’s capital looking for consenting heterosexual adult males. One no-frills lover-man for every month. I was the original calendar girl. Helen Mirren plays me in the film.”
The multi-award-winning team behind Sexy Lamp and Bicycles and Fish are back with the third part in the amazing It’s a Girl! trilogy. Sticky Door by Katie Arnstein is a personal, honest and funny look at sex, dating and feminism, directed by Ellen Havard (Ad Libido by Fran Bushe, Edinburgh Fringe 2018 and VAULT 2018; Sexy Lamp, Edinburgh Fringe 2019).
Set two years after Sexy Lamp, Sticky Door sees Arnstein continue in the pursuit to become an actor whilst setting herself a new challenge to have ‘no strings attached’ sexual intercourse with consenting heterosexual adult males without getting emotionally involved.
Arnstein comments, I love Desert Island Discs. When listening to Kirsty Young speak with Dame Minouche Shafik, former Deputy Governor of the Bank of England, I heard Shafik mention that she did not like the idea of a glass ceiling. That it suggested if you keep smashing your head against it then it will shatter and all other women can come through, which wasn’t her experience. She preferred the idea of a sticky door where someone on the other side helps you open it and that, once you are through, it is up to you to help the next person. This was a lightbulb moment as, for me, there has never really been a glass ceiling but a series of doors that were shut. Some of them I have got through with the help of people on the other side. Some of them have stayed firmly closed.
I hope that Sticky Door can add to the rallying cry against sexism, empower the audience to knock down the doors they want to open, be kind enough help others through and encourage confidence to build our own spaces where the doors remain closed.
From an all-female production and creative team, Sticky Door discusses everyday sexism, dating and shame, all with Arnstein’s original trademark songs on the ukulele. She asks us why women seem to be facing a series of sticky doors in work, sex and life when men aren’t encountering the same.
Excitingly, Sunday 16th February will see Arnstein perform the entire It’s a Girl! trilogy with Bicycles and Fish (about the day she became a woman), Sexy Lamp (about her experiences in the entertainment industry) and Sticky Door – a true theatre treat not to be missed.
Sticky Door is generously supported by Arts Council England, Pleasance Futures Fund and Redbridge Drama Centre
