Alex Timbers’ acclaimed production to make UK Premiere
Opening March 2021 at Piccadilly Theatre, London
Moulin Rouge! The Musical
Based on the 20th Century Fox Motion Picture by Baz Luhrmann
Global Creatures, the producers of Moulin Rouge!The Musical, are thrilled to announce today that the first UK production of the acclaimed show will open at the Piccadilly Theatre in London in March 2021.
“After ten years in development, and following the fantastic response to Moulin Rouge! The Musical in New York, we are thrilled to be sharing this musical with audiences in the UK. We can’t wait to bring the show to London!,” said producer Carmen Pavlovic, Global Creatures.
Enter a world of splendour and romance, of eye-popping excess, of glitz, grandeur and glory! A world where Bohemians and aristocrats rub elbows and revel in electrifying enchantment. Pop the champagne and prepare for the spectacular spectacular…Welcome to Moulin Rouge! The Musical.
Baz Luhrmann’s revolutionary film comes to life onstage, remixed in a new musical mash-up extravaganza. Moulin Rouge! The Musical is a theatrical celebration of truth, beauty, freedom, and — above all — love.
Directed by Alex Timbers (Here Lies Love at National Theatre, Tony Award®-nominated for Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson and Peter and the Starcatcher) Moulin Rouge! The Musical has a book by John Logan (Tony Award® for Red, three-time Academy Award nominee, including for Gladiator and The Aviator), choreography by Sonya Tayeh (Lucille Lortel Award and Obie Award for Kung Fu, and Emmy winner), and music supervision, orchestrations and arrangements by Justin Levine (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson).
The design team for Moulin Rouge! The Musical includes Tony Award® winner Derek McLane (sets; his credits include Beautiful – The Carole King Musical), Tony Award® winner Catherine Zuber (costumes; credits include The King & I, for which she won the Olivier Award for Best Costume Design), two-time Tony Award® nominee Justin Townsend (lighting), Peter Hylenski (sound), Drama Desk Award winner David Brian Brown (wig and hair design; credits include Come From Away) and Sarah Cimino (Make-up design). Casting is by Pippa Ailion.
The musical, which features a lavish, immersive set, follows aspiring writer Christian and dancer Satine as they fall in love. But pressure mounts on Satine as her boss, Moulin Rouge owner Harold Zidler, relies on her to appease the Duke of Monroth, whose money will keep the establishment running.
As in the film, Moulin Rouge! The Musical celebrates some of the greatest popular music of the last 50 years. The stage musical features many of the iconic songs from the movie and also includes recent hits released since the movie premiered 18 years ago.
The Moulin Rouge! The Musical original Broadway Cast Album, which debuted #1 on Billboard’s Cast Albums Chart, is available at all digital and streaming providers by Baz Luhrmann’s label, House of Iona, and RCA Records. Click here to listen to the album. A physical edition of the album will be made available on October 25, 2019.
Released by 20th Century Fox, “Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge!” premiered at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. At the 74th Academy Awards, the film was nominated for eight Oscars, including Best Picture, and won two.
The Moulin Rouge of Paris, managed by Jean-Jacques Clerico (CEO), is a dazzling and spectacular universe, the symbol of the Parisian way of celebrating since 1889. Starting life as a popular cabaret and dance hall, the venue became an iconic music hall in the Roaring Twenties, and then a theatre where numerous famous French and international artistes stepped out into the limelight.
Today in 2019, the Moulin Rouge and its 60 artistes present the Féerie revue show: two hours of amazement between cabaret and music hall styles where dance scenes and surprise acts intersperse – without forgetting the Moulin Rouge’s most emblematic dance, the French Cancan! Since its creation, the Moulin Rouge of Paris has always been an invitation to live and share all the emotions and effervescence of a unique party extravaganza. www.moulinrouge.fr/
Sonia Friedman Productions Gavin Kalin Productions, Rupert Gavin, Patrick Gracey/Scott M. Delman, 1001 Nights Productions, Tulchin Bartner Productions in association with Len Blavatnik, Eilene Davidson Productions, Louise & Brad Edgerton present
UNCLE VANYA By Anton Chekhov In a new adaptation by Conor McPherson Directed by Ian Rickson
Rosalind Eleazar, Aimee Lou Wood, Anna Calder-Marshall, Dearbhla Molloy, Peter Wight and Ciarán Hinds will join Toby Jones and Richard Armitage in a major new production of Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya.
Sonia Friedman Productions today announced further casting for Conor McPherson’s (The Weir, Girl from the North Country), new adaptation of Uncle Vanya directed by Ian Rickson (Jerusalem, The Seagull).
Rosalind Eleazar (The Personal History of David Copperfield, Deep Water, The Starry Messenger), Aimee Lou Wood (Sex Education, Downstate), the Emmy Award-winning Anna Calder-Marshall (LOVE, Evening at the Talk House, Male of the Species), the Olivier and Tony-award nominated Dearbhla Molloy (The Ferryman, Dancing at Lughnasa, Juno and the Paycock), Peter Wight (The Birthday Party, Hamlet, The Red Lion) and Olivier Award-nominated Ciarán Hinds (Translations, Game of Thrones, Girl from the North Country) will perform alongside the previously announced Toby Jones and Richard Armitage.
The production will run for sixteen weeks at the Harold Pinter Theatre from 14th January 2020 with Opening Night on Thursday 23rd January 2020. Tickets are on sale now.
In the heat of summer, Sonya (Aimee Lou Wood) and her Uncle Vanya (Toby Jones) while away their days on a crumbling estate deep in the countryside, visited occasionally only by the local doctor Astrov (Richard Armitage).
However, when Sonya’s father Professor Serebryakov (Ciarán Hinds) suddenly returns with his restless, alluring, new wife Yelena (Rosalind Eleazar) declaring his intention to sell the house, the polite facades crumble and long repressed feelings start to emerge with devastating consequences.
Olivier Award-winner Conor McPherson’s stunning new adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s masterpiece, Uncle Vanya, is a portrayal of life at the turn of the 20th century, full of tumultuous frustration, dark humour and hidden passions. Critically acclaimed director Ian Rickson returns to Chekhov for the first time since his landmark production of The Seagull in 2007, reuniting with BAFTA and Olivier Award-winner Toby Jones (The Birthday Party) alongside Richard Armitage, who returns to the UK stage six years after his Olivier Award-nominated performance in The Crucible. Uncle Vanya is the eleventh collaboration between Ian Rickson and Sonia Friedman Productions, with previous productions including Rosmersholm, Jerusalem, The River, Betrayal and The Children’s Hour.
Uncle Vanya is designed by Rae Smith, with lighting by Bruno Poet, music by Stephen Warbeck, sound by Ian Dickinson and casting by Amy Ball CDG.
Rosalind Eleazer will play the role of Yelena. Born in London, Rosalind graduated from LAMDA in 2015, winning the Spotlight Prize for Best Drama School Graduate. She went on to make her stage debut in Plaques & Tangle at the Royal Court Theatre.
Her television credits include the series Deep Water for Kudos, in which she co-stars with Anna Friel and Sinead Matthews, Breeders, two series of Harlots, Howards End, Rellik, NW, National Treasure and Lore.
She makes her feature film debut in The Personal History of David Copperfield, directed by Armando Iannucci, which has just opened the London Film Festival and is due for general release in January 2020.
Most recently Rosalind appeared at Wyndham’s Theatre in The Starry Messenger opposite Matthew Broderick and Elizabeth McGovern.
Aimee Lou Wood is a UK actress, who came to international attention as Aimee in Netflix’s Sex Education, starring opposite Gillian Anderson, Asa Butterfield, and James Purefoy.
Aimee also recently wrapped on the biopic Louis Wain, directed by Will Sharpe and staring Benedict Cumberbatch, Claire Foy, Andrea Riseborough, Sharon Rooney, Stacey Martin and Hayley Squires.
Earlier this year, she starred as Effie in the acclaimed Downstate at the National Theatre.
Aimee graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 2017.
Dearbhla Molloy will perform the role of Grandmaman. Dearbhla was recently nominated for the Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress in Jez Butterworth’s The Ferryman (Royal Court/Gieldud/Bernard B. Jacobs, Broadway).
Her other theatre credits include In Celebration, Arcadia, Hamlet, As You Like It, Much Ado About Nothing (West End), The Cripple of Inishmaan (Drama Desk Award and Irish Theatre Award for Best Supporting Actress), Hinterland, On the Ledge (National Theatre), The Hostage, Shadow of a Gunman, Lovegirl and the Innocent (RSC); Ditch (Old Vic Tunnels), The Seagull (Edinburgh Festival), Doubt (Tricycle), Juno and the Paycock for which she won the London Critics’ Award for Best Supporting Actress (Donmar/Roundabout), Macbeth (Bristol Old Vic), All My Sons (Liverpool), Trojan Women (Gate, London), And No More Shall We Part (Hampstead), Dancing at Lughnasa ( Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play, Drama Desk Award, Theatre World Special Award), A Touch of the Poet, Outside Mullingar (Broadway), The Cripple of Inishmaan (Atlantic Theatre / US Tour), Much Ado About Nothing (Guthrie Minneapolis), Afterplay (Irish Rep, New York), Moment (Studio Theatre, Washington DC), Translations, Aristocrats, The Misanthrope, Ivanov, Living Quarters, Mrs Warren’s Profession, A Life (Irish Theatre Award for Best Supporting Actress) (Abbey Theatre), Phaedre, Uncle Vanya,The Philanthropist, Come on Over (Gate, Dublin); The Plough and the Stars (Gaiety).
Dearbhla’s television credits includes Women on the Verge, Acceptable Risk, Scandal, Family Tree, Quirke, Casualty, Coronation Street, Midsomer Murders, Foyle’s War, Waking the Dead, New Tricks, 55 Degrees North, Stan, Touch of Frost, Sex and the City, The Fragile Heart
Her film credits include Wild Mountain Thyme, 3096, No Reservations, The Damned United, Tara Road, The Blackwater Lightship, Home for Christmas, Bloom, Frankie Starlight, Run of the Country, Loaded and This is the Sea.
Dearbhla was the recipient of the US Audie Award for Best Female Solo Narration for My Dream of You by Nuala O’Faolain for which she also received a Grammy Award nomination.
Anna Calder-Marshall will play the role of Nana. Anna is an award-winning stage and screen actress, whose theatre credits include Lost Without Words, LOVE, Evening at the Talk House, The Secret Rapture, The Seagull (National Theatre); The Philistines (RSC); Temple, Salt, Root & Rose (Donmar); Measure for Measure, Hamlet, Saint Joan, Peer Gynt (Birmingham Rep); The Lady’s Not for Burning, Caesar and Cleopatra (Chichester); The Bargain, Troilus and Cressida (Theatre Royal Bath); Open Court: Death Tax, Uncle Vanya (Royal Court Theatre); The Herd (Bush Theatre); The Wild Duck (Lyceum); Antigone (Old Vic); A Kind of Alaska, Tejas Verdes (The Gate, London); The Importance of Being Earnest (Oxford Playhouse); Bird Calls (Sheffield Crucible); Comfort Me With Apples (Hampstead Theatre); Pastoral (Soho & Hightide); Danger: Memory! (Jermyn Street Theatre); The House of Bernada Alba (Hammersmith Lyric)
Anna’s extensive television credits include Harlots, Les Misérables, Casualty, Scott and Bailey, New Tricks, The Bill, Holby Blue, Poirot, Dalziel and Pascoe, Doctor Who, Midsomer Murders, Witness Against Hitler, Casebook of Sherlock Holmes, Lovejoy, Heartbeat, Blood Royal: William the Conqueror, Rules of Engagement, Inspector Morse, Titus Andronicus, Strangers and Brothers, King Lear, The Winter’s Tale, Hammer House of Horror, Bloomers, Matilda’s England, A Woman’s Place?, The Duchess of Duke Street, Crown Court, Under Western Skies, Affairs of the Heart, Play for Today, Male of the Species for which she won an Emmy for Outstanding Single Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, Sanctuary, Love Story, The Wednesday Play.
Her film credits include Last Christmas, Us Among the Stones, Love,Trespass Against Us, 13 Steps Down, Anna Karenina, Saints-Ex, Zulu Dawn, Wuthering Heights
Peter Wight will play the role of Telegin. Peter’s theatre credits include Rosmersholm (Duke of York Theatre), The Birthday Party (Harold Pinter Theatre), Hamlet (Almeida/Harold Pinter Theatre), The Red Lion, Ivanov, Sleep With Me, Murmuring Judges, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, Black Snow, Waiting for Godot (National Theatre), The Seagull (Royal Court/Broadway), Trelawny of The Wells (Donmar Warehouse), Otherwise Engaged, Chekhov’s Women (West End), The Spanish Tragedy, Much Ado About Nothing, Barbarians, A Clockwork Orange, Hamlet (RSC), In The Republic of Happiness, In Basildon, Face to the Wall, Not A Game for Boys (Royal Court), The Caretaker (Globe Theatre Warsaw), Edward II, Mouth to Mouth (Royal Exchange Manchester), Dearly Beloved, Grace (Hampstead Theatre), A State of Affairs, Othello, Commedia, Progress (Lyric Hammersmith), Julius Caesar (Riverside Studios), A Passion in Six Days, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Nest (Sheffield Crucible), King Lear, The Three Sisters (Birmingham Rep), Hard To Get (Traverse Edinburgh).
His television credits include A Confession, This Time with Alan Partridge, Vanity Fair,Brief Encounters, I Want My Wife Back, Our Zoo, The Mimic, The Paradise, Hit and Miss, Public Enemies, Titanic, Money, Monday Monday, Boy Meets Girl, 10 Days to War, Party Animals, Eastenders, Persuasion, Fantabulosa!, Early Doors, Room at the Top, The Security Men, and Uncle Adolf.
Peter’s film credits include The Sense of an Ending, Another Mother’s Son, The Program, Mr Turner, King of Soho, Brakes, Only You, Kon-Tiki, Hard Boiled Sweets, Clone, Atonement, Hot Fuzz, Lassie, Babel, Pride and Prejudice, The Statement, Lucky Break, Shiner and with Mike Leigh, Another Year, Mr Turner, Vera Drake, Naked, Secrets, Lies and Meantime.
The role of Professor Serebryakov will be performed by Ciarán Hinds. Ciarán began his career at the Glasgow Citizens Theatre and was a member of the company for many years. In Ireland he has worked at the Lyric Theatre Belfast, the Druid Theatre in Galway and at the Project. Ciarán is currently appearing at the National Theatre in Brian Friel’s Translations. Prior to this Ciaran played the role of Nick in Conor McPherson’s Girl from the North Country in the West End and the Old Vic. Extensive theatre credits include Lyndsey Turner’s Hamlet at the Barbican, Mark O’Rowe’s new play Our Few and Evil Days at the Abbey Theatre. Donmar Theatre and New York productions of Conor McPherson’s The Night Alive, on Broadway as Big Daddy in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, in a co-production with the Royal National Theatre of Juno and The Paycock by Sean O’Casey, directed by Howard Davies. For the Gate Theatre he appeared in Conor McPherson’s The Birds, the Field Day Company’s version of Antigone, The School for Wives and Brian Friel’s The Yalta Game.
He toured internationally with Peter Brook’s Company in The Mahabharata and has played leading roles at the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal Court, the Donmar Warehouse and the National Theatre, where he last appeared in Burnt by The Sun and played Larry in Patrick Marber’s Closer, which transferred to Broadway. He also performed on Broadway in Conor McPherson’s The Sea Farer.
Ciarán’s television credits include MotherFatherSon, as John Franklin in The Terror, as Mance Rayder in Game of Thrones and as Bud Hammond in Political Animals, DCI Langton in Linda La Plante’s Above Suspicion and as Julius Caesar in the BBC/HBO co-production of Rome. This follows extensive television credits including leading roles in The Mayor Of Casterbridge, Jane Eyre, Seaforth, Ivanhoe, Sherlock Holmes, Prime Suspect 3 and the award-winning film of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, in which he played Captain Wentworth.
His extensive film credits include Peter Greenaway’s The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover, December Bridge, Circle of Friends, Titanic Town, Some Mother’s Son, Oscar and Lucinda, The Lost Son, The Weight of Water and Mary Reilly, The Road To Perdition for Sam Mendes, The Sum of All Fears, Mickybo and Me, Calendar Girls, Lara Croft: The Cradle of Life, The Statement, Veronica Guerin and The Phantom of the Opera both for Joel Schumacher, Miami Vice for Michael Mann and Munich for Steven Spielberg. Amazing Grace for Michael Apted, Nativity for Catherine Hardwicke, Hallam Foe, A Tiger’s Tail, Excalibur for John Boorman, Margot at the Wedding for Noah Baumbach, There Will Be Blood for Paul Thomas Anderson, Stop Loss for Kimberly Pearce, In Bruges for Martin McDonagh, The Tale of Despereaux, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Cash, Race To Witch Mountain, Conor McPherson’s The Eclipse for which he won Best Actor at the Tribeca Film Festival, Life During Wartime, The Debt, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, John Carter of Mars, Salvation Boulevard, The Rite, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, The Woman in Black, Closed Circuit, The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby, The Sea, Frozen, Last Days in the Desert, Agent 47 , Driftless area, Bleed for This, Silence for Martin Scorsese, Woman Walks Ahead, Red Sparrow, Justice League and most recently First Man.
LISTINGS
UNCLE VANYA by Anton Chekhov In a new adaptation by Conor McPherson Directed by Ian Rickson Designer – Rae Smith Lighting Designer – Bruno Poet Composer – Stephen Warbeck Sound Designer – Ian Dickinson Casting Director – Amy Ball CDG
Uncle Vanya – Toby Jones Astrov – Richard Armitage Yelena – Rosalind Eleazer Sonya – Aimee Lou Wood Nana – Anna Calder-Marshall Grandmaman – Dearbhla Molloy Telegin – Peter Wight Professor Serebryakov – Ciarán Hinds
Harold Pinter Theatre Panton St, London SW1Y 4DN
First Preview: Tuesday 14th Jan 2020, 19:30 Opening Night: Thursday 23rd Jan 2020, 19:30 Final Performance: Saturday 2nd May 2020, 19:30
Monday – Saturday at 7.30pm, Wednesday and Saturday matinees at 2.30pm
Box Office: 0844 871 7622 Calls cost 7p per minute, plus your phone company’s access charge. Group Bookings: 020 7206 1174 Standard network charges apply. Access Bookings: 0800 912 6971 Free Call Customer Services: 0844 871 7627 Calls cost 7p per minute, plus your phone company’s access charge.
Audio Described Performance: Wednesday 12th Feb 2020, 19:30 Captioned Performance: Wednesday 26th Feb 2020, 19:30
Reduced price tickets for Preview performances Tickets from just £15/ £10 in Previews
Cast announced for Antic Disposition’s A Christmas Carol Middle Temple Hall, Middle Temple Lane, London, EC4Y 9AT Saturday 21st – Monday 30th December 2019
Returning to the spectacular Middle Temple Hall, where Charles Dickens himself studied law, Antic Disposition’s acclaimed adaptation of A Christmas Carol is back for a fifth magical season this December. One of London’s most heart-warming festive treats, the production combines the ghostly tale of Ebenezer Scrooge with original songs inspired by traditional Victorian Christmas carols.
Olivier Award-nominated West End actor David Burt (Enjolras in the original cast of Les Misérables, Palace Theatre; original cast of Evita, Prince Edward Theatre) returns for a fourth year with his critically acclaimed performance as the ill-tempered Ebenezer Scrooge. Also returning is Haydn Oakley (An American in Paris, Dominion Theatre; Sunset Boulevard, London Coliseum) who originated the role of Bob Cratchit in the production.
The talented cast of actor-musicians also includes Geri Allen as Mrs. Cratchit/Mrs. Fezziwig; Megan Ashley as Belle; Chris Courtenay as the Ghost of Jacob Marley; Elliot Fitzpatrick as Fred/Young Scrooge; Lucy Ford as Martha Cratchit/Fan; Katie Lovell as the Ghost of Christmas Past; Nigel Richards as the Ghost of Christmas Present/Fezziwig; and Matt Whipps as Peter Cratchit/Teen Scrooge. Completing the cast are Jacob Fullagar and Noah Swer-Fox, who will share the roles of Tiny Tim/Boy Scrooge.
A Christmas Carol is adapted for the stage by Antic Disposition artistic directors Ben Horslen and John Risebero, who together founded the Peter Brook Award-winning company in 2005. Their recent productions include Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth in Temple Church; The Comedy of Errors and Much Ado About Nothing in Gray’s Inn Hall; and Henry V, which recently toured twenty of the UK’s cathedrals.
The production’s stunning score is composed and arranged by Nick Barstow, who recently reorchestrated the musical Rags ahead of its UK premiere at the Hope Mill Theatre, as well as being the musical director of theatrical supergroup The Cardinals, featuring Ramin Karimloo, Ben Forster, Carrie Hope Fletcher and Celinde Schoenmaker.
Hidden away in central London, the magnificent wood-panelled Middle Temple Hall was completed in 1573. A location well-known to Dickens himself, the historical gem is the perfect setting to immerse yourself in this adaptation of his beloved Christmas classic.
Artistic Directors Ben and John comment, As the nights draw in, we’re excitedly making preparations for a fifth season of A Christmas Carol in one of our very favourite venues, the extraordinary Middle Temple Hall. A feast of mulled wine, mince pies, music and magic for all the family, this show is the perfect celebration of the festive season, and we can’t wait to share it with audiences old and new.
STRICTLY COME DANCING – THE PROFESSIONALS 2020 UK TOUR
PRO DANCERS ANNOUNCED
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
★★★★★ Mail on Sunday
Dust off your dancing shoes! Following the hugely successful Strictly Come Dancing – The Professionals 2019 UK Tour, fans up and down the UK will be thrilled to learn the line-up of dancers who will be bringing all the glitz and glamour to the live stage in the brand new 2020 Professionals Tour. Tickets are on sale now.
Cha-cha-cha-ing their way around the UK will be no less than 10 of the incredibly popular and multi award-winning professional dancers from the 2019 Strictly Come Dancing BBC One series, in what promises to be another explosion of electrifying dance.
The world class line-up of Strictly professionals performing on the tour are: Australian Open Champion and 2018 finalist Dianne Buswell; Two-time Ballroom and Latin World Champion Nadiya Bychkova; Italian Latin Champion Graziano Di Prima; Professional World Mambo Champion and former Strictly finalist Karen Hauer; World Professional Latin Showdance Champion and 2017 Strictly Champion Katya Jones; undefeated four-time British National Champion Neil Jones; eight-time South African Latin American Champion and 2016 Strictly finalist Oti Mabuse; 2017 Strictly finalist Gorka Marquez; four-time Italian Dance Championship winner Luba Mushtuk and two-time Strictly Come Dancing South Africa finalist Johannes Radebe.
STRICTLY COME DANCING – THE PROFESSIONALS UK TOUR 2020
7 May Salford: The Lowry 7.30pm
8 May Salford: The Lowry 2.00pm & 7.30pm
9 May London: Palladium 2.30pm & 7.30pm
10 May London: Palladium 2.30pm
12 May Nottingham: Royal Concert Hall 7.30pm
13 May Nottingham: Royal Concert Hall 2.30pm & 7.30pm
14 May Blackpool: Opera House 7.30pm
15 May Liverpool: M&S Bank Arena 7.30pm
16 May Sheffield: Fly DSA Arena 7.30pm
17 May Birmingham: Symphony Hall 2.30pm & 7.30pm
19 May Hull: Bonus Arena 7.30pm
20 May Hull: Bonus Arena 7.30pm
21 May Newcastle: Utilita Arena 7.30pm
22 May Cardiff: Motorpoint Arena 7.30pm
23 May Cardiff: Motorpoint Arena 2.30pm & 7.30pm
24 May Plymouth: Pavilions 2.30pm & 7.30pm
25 May Plymouth: Pavilions 2.30pm
28 May Brighton: Centre 7.30pm
29 May Brighton: Centre 2.30pm & 7.30pm
30 May Bournemouth: International Centre 2.30pm & 7.30pm
31 May Bournemouth: International Centre 2.30pm
2 June Glasgow: Clyde Auditorium 7.30pm
3 June Edinburgh: Playhouse 2.30pm & 7.30pm
4 June Edinburgh: Playhouse 7.30pm
For more information and to book tickets visit strictlytheprofessionals.com
Katy Lipson for Aria Entertainment, Joseph Houston & William Whelton for Hope Mill Theatre and Timothy Cratchit Development LLC are delighted to announce the full cast for THE ASTONISHING TIMES OF TIMOTHY CRATCHIT, a new musical with book by Allan Knee (the writer of Hope Aria’s 2017 hit musical, Little Women), and music and lyrics by newcomer Andre Catrini. Ryan Kopel stars in the title role of Timothy. He is joined by Paul Greenwood, Michael Matus, Sammy Graham and Helen Pearson who star as Scrooge, Grimaldi, Lucy and Mrs Linden/Miss Poole respectively.
Ryan Kopel made his West End debut last year in The Inheritance (Noel Coward Theatre) and recently appeared in West Side Story (Edinburgh International Festival). Paul Greenwood has previously starred in Arthur’s World (SPID Theatre, London), You Can Always Hand Them Back (Mercury Theatre), A Christmas Carol (New Vic Theatre), Our Father (Watford Palace), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (UK Tour) and Guys and Dolls (UK Tour). His TV credits include Father Brown (BBC), Holby City (BBC), Lewis (ITV), Midsomer Murders (ITV), Casualty (BBC), Superintendent Yelland in Spender (BBC) and PC Michael ‘Rosie’ Penrose in The Growing Pains of PC Penrose and Rosie (BBC). Michael Matus has most recently starred in Richard III (UK Tour), King Lear (The Duke of York’s Theatre), Broken Glass (Watford Palace) and The Wizard of Oz (Sheffield Crucible). His TV credits include Shakespeare and Hathaway (BBC), The Split (BBC) and Endeavour (ITV). Sammy Graham has recently appeared in The Happy Prince (The Place), Strike Up the Band (Upstairs at the Gatehouse) and It’s Only Life (Union Theatre). Helen Pearson played show regular Frankie Osbourne for 15 years in Hollyoaks (Channel 4). Her theatre credits include Comic Potential (Lyric Theatre), Love Songs for Shopkeepers (Stephen Joseph Theatre), Educating Rita (Swansea Rep/Tour) and Blood Brothers (Birmingham Rep).
Also in the cast are Trevor Whittaker as Quilp Hannah Brown as Momo/Miss Tulips and Sadie-Jean Shirley as Aria. Completing the cast are Dimitri Gripari, Tadek Chmiel and Tom Sterling.
THE ASTONISHING TIMES OF TIMOTHY CRATCHIT tells the tale of a young man who sets out to find his place in an expanding and volatile world. Inspired by the characters of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, the story follows the plight of young Tim from the home of his benefactor, Ebenezer Scrooge, to the theatrical madness of the great comic, Giuseppe Grimaldi.
The new musical will be directed by Jonathan O’Boyle (Hair, This House, Pippin, Rain Man, Aspects of Love), with choreography by Sam Spencer-Lane, musical direction by Chris Poon, set design by Gregor Donnelly, lighting design by Aaron J Dootson, sound design by Paul Gavin and orchestration by Assaf Gleizner.
THE ASTONISHING TIMES OF TIMOTHY CRATCHIT is produced by Katy Lipson for Aria Entertainment and Joseph Houston & William Whelton for Hope Mill Theatre, in association with Timothy Cratchit Development LLC.
Artistic Director of Sheffield Theatres, Robert Hastie, today announces a new creative hub dedicated to talent development. The Bank, as it will be known, will become home to a wealth of new talent as Sheffield Theatres expands its commitment to local theatre makers as well as the company’s existing Making Room network of artists and activities.
The Bank, which is located adjacent to the Crucible, will be a creative space for local artists and theatre makers to develop work, skills, collaborations and careers with the support of the staff and creative teams at Sheffield Theatres.
The Making Room, a network of local artists developed in collaboration with Theatre Deli, The Bare Project and Third Angel, will continue to flourish, with an expanded range of workshops and talks taking place in The Bank. The Bank will also become home to a 12-strong cohort of writers, directors and producers who will be selected through an application process over the next four weeks. Each will be supported and mentored over 9 months in a programme that will culminate in industry showcases, seed funding for projects and opportunities to work on Sheffield Theatres’ productions.
Robert Hastie, Artistic Director of Sheffield Theatres said, “Our city is full of creative talent who need space and support to think, imagine and create. We’re committed to sharing the resources and expertise we have in our theatres and to creating an environment where artists can thrive.
“At Sheffield Theatres we’re really keen to work with the city’s community of artists – and the artists in all Sheffield’s communities – to determine how we can best use this space. We’re starting with an offer, but we want to go forward in conversation and collaboration.
“There is a long line of artists who have shaped and shared their talents in Sheffield. The city is bursting with creative energy. As we open recruitment for the first Bank of directors, producers and writers, I can’t wait to see what the next generation of Sheffield-made talent will achieve.”
The Bank, named in recognition of its previous incarnation as an actual bank as well as its future life as a place in which investment is made in talent, has been made possible thanks to a gift from long-standing supporters, Jo and Chris Hookway.
Donor, Jo Hookway commented, “Chris and I are so pleased that we’ve played a part in enabling Sheffield Theatres to realise their ambitious plans with the opening of The Bank. The theatre has brought us a huge amount of joy, and we wanted to give back by helping to nurture the next generation of talent in our city. We loved the idea of The Bank immediately, and we trusted that Sheffield Theatres has the expertise to deliver something brilliant. For us, this is a living legacy; a way for us to see the impact that our gift will make on the theatres and the theatre makers of the future.”
Over the last three years Sheffield Theatres has significantly expanded its artist development programme. Its artist network, Making Room, now has over 1000 members; the Theatres make office space (the Writers Room) and rehearsal rooms available to local artists, and twice each year the Studio Takeover festival gives local artists and companies a platform to share and develop work in front of an audience. The assistant director opportunities across the in-house programme are highly sought after and the current writers’ group enjoys the support of playwright Chris Bush and the new work coordinator, who each offer advice and dramaturgical support. Currently, the company is limited in the work it can do with emerging artists and makers due to the availability of space across the existing buildings. The company rehearses and stages twelve in-house shows and welcomes over 75 touring companies to the stage every year, alongside an extensive and thriving learning and participation programme. The Bank prioritises talent development by providing a dedicated hub for artists and theatre-makers to call home right in the heart of the city.
Applications for the Bank of writers, producers and directors are now open and further details can be found by visiting sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/jobs. Refurbishment work is currently underway in The Bank with the opening scheduled for late November.
★★★★★ “These guys are fantastic… DON’T miss this show!” – Alfie Boe
★★★★★ “Do you hear the people sing? Yes! With dashing good looks, incredible voices and outstanding musical magic!” – Elaine Paige, BBC Radio 2
It’s (almost) the most wonderful time of the year! Back by public demand, The Barricade Boys today announce their second Christmas residency at The Other Palace in London’s West End.
Following a critically acclaimed season in 2017, The Barricade Boys, will return to London for three weeks only, from Tuesday 10 to Saturday 28 December, with a press night on Thursday 12 December at 20:00.
Join The Barricade Boys around the Christmas tree, escape the winter chill and enjoy the very best of festive cheer. Featuring fabulous harmonies, incredible vocals, dashing good looks and stacks of charm, The Barricade Boys, showcase the UK’s finest male voices from the world’s longest running musical – Les Misérables. After sell-out performances in London, a season on Broadway and a major 2019 UK Tour, The Barricade Boys have rightfully secured their place as the world’s leading musical theatre super group.
This glittering Christmas Cabaret will be packed with a stocking full of family favourites, including classics from ‘White Christmas’ to ‘Winter Wonderland’, ‘Let it Snow’ and ‘Santa Claus is Coming to Town’. And Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without The Barricade Boys’ favourite crackers featuring songs from the musicals as well as some of the best pop, rock and swing numbers of all time.
The cast of the Christmas Cabaret are Simon Schofield (title role in Oliver! London Palladium, Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, The Sound of Music, Les Misérables), Dougie Carter (Les Misérables, Sunset Boulevard, La Cage aux Folles), Lee Honey Jones ((Les Misérables, The Book of Mormon, Mamma Mia!, Whistle Down The Wind) and George Tebbutt (Les Misérables, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang). There will also be a special guest star at each performance, to be announced soon.
The Barricade Boys have played nearly every major role in musical theatre from The Phantom of The Opera, Wicked and Billy Elliot to Jersey Boys, The Sound Of Music and of course Les Misérables.
The Barricade Boys were devised and created in 2015 by Scott Garnham and Simon Schofield.
Rose Theatre, Kingston-Upon-Thames – until 19 October 2019
Reviewed by Alexandra Sykes
4****
If you have ever wondered what goes on in the invitation only clubs of the elite universities, this is the play for you. Written by Laura Wade, Posh tells the story of the 10 members of the fictional Riot Club, an exclusive club at Oxford University, who meet once a term for a meal and to have fun. Having been disbanded for two terms due to an incident that ended up in newspapers, the boys are determined to still have fun but live up to the club’s reputation.
With the Riot Club banned from meeting in certain places, the boys book a room in a pub claiming to be a young entrepreneurs club so as to avoid detection. With all 10 members once again reunited both Dimitri (Jamie Littlewood) and Guy (Adam Mirsky) both announce their plans to run for president once current president James (Chris Born) graduates. As the evening goes on, and with many toasts along the way, the boys become louder and eventually the pub landlord asks them to leave as they are disturbing another party. The boys pay for the other guests and the landlord takes the money. When a prostitute (Ellie Nunn) refuses to do what the boys ask, they kick off and trash the place. After a fight with the landlord, the club decide on only one of them has to go to prison, meaning he will be kicked out of the university and the club in the process. Due to being seen as the instigator of the fight, Alistair (Tyger Drew-Honey) is offered up as the scapegoat so the others go free. A few weeks after the incident Alistair meets with Jeremey, a former Riot Club member and Guy’s godfather, and offers Alistair a job and says the other boys will take care of him in the future.
The set is basic, a pub dining room which the boys hire out, but the space is used well, with no areas of the stage being unused. Due to the boys attending a meal, a large table is used but the actors do not have their backs to the audience, they sit sideways on. The costumes are impressive, with the Riot Club members wearing tail coats and waistcoats to show that they are the Oxford elite.
All in all a good play although the language used by some of the characters makes you think again, especially with the swearing. Drew-Honey is amazing in the role of Alistair and really makes the others think about the predicament they are in. Although not suitable for younger audiences this play is a good night out and worth a visit.
Grease the Musical, which landed at the Wales Millenium Centre, is one of the most well-known story lines in history. Musical and non-musical fans have no doubt watched the film (starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John) which means that putting on a tour of such an iconic story in the form of a musical is a very difficult thing to do well but this production coped well with the general expectations.
The story of grease has had many iterations in its history from the original play (written by Warren Casey and Jim Jacobs) to the more refined broadway adaptation, to the film version that many people know and love and finally to every slightly altered version on the touring productions. This means the actors and producers have a very difficult task to make each production unique enough so the audience doesn’t feel as if they have seen it all before but while still keeping the iconic world of Grease that people are familiar with.
In this version the story began with Danny and Sandy, from the audience’s perspective, were standing inside a big TV that showed the image of a beach which is obviously a look back to their ‘summer romance’ which everyone is familiar with but the TV lighting was very unique and interesting. The creative time managed to blend the tradition of Grease with newer ideas and nothing showcased it more than this opening scene. From a personal perspective, I didn’t particularly like this TV concept as it was ridiculously cheesy and over-the-top but that is just a personal preference and I know that many people thought that this was a fantastic inclusion. A similar idea was used during the drive-in movie theatre scene were a projection of a film was put into what looked like a projector screen so the audience could clearly see the film however it was in the green and red 3D effect which made sense as Danny and Sandy were wearing 3D glasses. I much preferred this technical aspect but also am appreciative of all the ways the team on this show tried to make this tour unique and special to the audience.
The highlight of this show was the fantastic dancing shown throughout especially by the male members of the cast. The choreographer has planned complex routines that looked incredible when compared with the lights and staging. The song Grease Lightning for me was a fantastic showcase of dance which diverted from the dance moves everyone thinks of when thinking about this number but was incredible nether the less. Despite this though I felt the number needed to be bigger. This show is one of the most well-known numbers in the film and music and I expect a massive impact which this production slightly missed despite the inclusion of gymnastics and a flying car. In my opinion, it was the lights that let this number down it didn’t reflect the magnitude of the song. This concept of being slightly let down with the iconic moments in the show reappeared towards the show with Sandy’s big entrance in her new attire. With this production, she simply walked through a set of doors located downstage right almost off stage and so the shock of seeing her and Danny’s shock didn’t happen at the same time. I thought that she should have some sort of big moment with a spotlight so the two reactions align.
As a general note, the accents in this show needed work. Many people slipped in and out of the characters accents which are really frustrating to see. Some actors, when speaking in their desire accents, needed work on their pronunciation and devotion as it was often times very hard to understand what they were saying which makes the show difficult to follow. One accents that I found particularly annoying was Sonny Latieri (played by Damian Buhagiar) who had a very exaggerated Mexican accent however he was the most consistent actor with his accents which was great to see.
It is important to note that not all the blame for clarity of dialogue should go to the actors themselves, this show had a lot of microphones issues with the microphones not being on when they should be and so the volume was not always correct which meant people closer to the back of the auditorium would struggle to hear everything. This can be attributed to ‘opening night teething’ but still needed to be improved for future performances.
Darren Bennet who played both the Teen Angel and Vince Fontaine was very entertaining in this show but he appeared to excel more as being the teen angel than Vince. His singing as the Angel for Beauty School Dropout was amazing and was one of the highlights of the show. My only qualm with the teen angel role is that in the programme and certain advertising they use Peter Andre in the role however there is no mention of him in the programme and he isn’t in the show I saw which is very confusing and misleading. Another minor character that I personally enjoyed was Doody, played by Jordan Abbey. This character helped to provide many of the comical moments in the show but also he fitted the character perfect. The fresh-faced Jordan was believable as almost the plucky sidekick. Both the casting team and Jordan himself managed to fill this role perfectly.
Having to take on such a big role in this iconic show must be very difficult as you technically have all the stress and pressure of the big names who have taken on the role before you. Dan Partridge’s portrayal of the lead role Danny Zuko was very on-brand for the character. The problem with this character is that you have to be able to have enough swagger that the mannerism and actions look somewhat natural and logical to you as an actor. Dan Partridge excelled at the physicalisation of this role and made for a very believable cool group leader. On top of this, his singing was fantastic.
Another incredibly difficult character to portray in this show in Rizzo. She is a bad-ass throughout but obviously by the end of the story you are supposed to feel sorry for her. Rhianne-Louise Mccaulsky who took on this role was great but I think she wasn’t quite able to balance this concept. I think the directorial team made a decision to portray Rizo as almost a bully and so at the end, the sympathy from the audience wasn’t particularly there. However, Rhianne-Louise more than made up for it with her incredible vocals especially during ‘worse things I could do’ which was out of this world and had many of the audience members in tears. This song for me was the highlight of the entire show.
Overall, this production of Grease the Musical was unique and special but there were some aspects that were unpolished and needed work. I would rate this production 3 stars and would recommend it to any Grease fans who want to see how production companies can keep Grease modern and relevant in today’s times.
Based on the book by W.W. Jacobs, The Monkey’s Paw is a chilling story about being careful what you wish for. Set in a radio station, this version of The Monkey’s Paw is presented as a radio play, with audience members encouraged to close their eyes for the full experience.
With a small cast of 5 actors, the play starts with a 1930’s radio jingle for dealing with a cold. The radio station, the British Empire Radio Corporation, are proud to present a dramatic reading of some diary entries regarding the monkey and then, a radio play about the paw. Celebrated couple Nancy and Dick Everett (Jordan Baker and Becky Coops respectively) play the couple who are sent the monkey’s paw by their son who is away in India with the missionary. The radio director (Matthew Jameson) explains to the audience before the play starts that previous audience members have come over faint and it is perfectly acceptable to leave should you need to. Once the play starts the Everett’s forget their arguments and read the play for the listening audience. Once the play is complete the radio station is visited by Professor Swan from the British museum who intends to hold a Q and A session with the audience. After having his theory ridiculed Swan leaves but accidentally takes the prop of the monkey’s paw with him, leaving the real one behind. After an argument with her husband, Nancy wishes she was no longer his wife whilst holding the paw, believing it to be the prop. After Dick dies in the recording booth, the director runs off and Nancy, again holding the paw, wishes for the paw to go back to where it came from. A day later, the news reporter explains that Dick died and Nancy is in hysterics. The paw is never seen again.
With a set built to look like a 1930’s radio station the space is used well, especially for a small theatre. The costumes too help to set the scene with all 5 actors in 1930’s style outfits. As it is a radio play different sound effects are used, such as popping bubble wrap to be a crackling fire. This works well as when you have your eyes shut you can imagine the actual sounds. Although there are a few scary aspects, the lighting helps to add to the mood as the lights are dimmed down so everything is focused on the stage.
Not for the faint-hearted this play is a fun night out with the dire warning of being careful what you wish for.
