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CAST CHANGES ANNOUNCED FOR

 THE NATIONAL TOUR OF THE

SMASH HIT MUSICAL 

THE BODYGUARD

FROM 12 NOVEMBER 2019

Producers Michael Harrison and David Ian announced today cast changes for the national tour of the award-winning smash hit musical THE BODYGUARD.

From 12 November 2019, joining Alexandra Burke as Rachel Marron will be, Ben Lewis as Frank Farmer, Emmy Willow as Nicki Marron and Neil Reidman as Bill Devaney. Continuing in the show will be Craig Berry as Tony, Gary Turner as Sy Spector, Phil Atkinson as The Stalker and Simon Cotton as Ray Court. At certain performances the role of Rachel Marron will be played by Jennlee Shallow. Tour schedule below. thebodyguardmusical.com

The cast is completed by Rosie Cava-Beale, Myles Cork, Jaime Cox, Kerry Crozier, Sia Dauda, Gustav Die, Chris Edgerley, James Lee Harris, Holly Liburd, Natalie Jayne Hall, Jack Loy, Helen Parsons, Daniil Shmidt, Jessica Simmons, Yiota Theo and Michael Wade Peters.

Alexandra Burke returns to the role of Rachel Marron following her triumphant run in the show in both the West End and the subsequent sell out 2015/2016 tour. She first rose to fame after winning the fifth series of The X Factor and her debut number one single Hallelujah sold over one million copies in the UK, a first for a British female soloist. She most recently appeared as Svetlana in Chess at the London Coliseum and Roxie in Chicago at the West End’s Phoenix Theatre. In ? she reached the final of Strictly Come Dancing. Her other theatre credits include Deloris Van Cartier in the national tour of the musical Sister Act.  

Ben Lewis was most recently seen in the West End as Larry in the award-winning production of Company at the Gielgud Theatre. His other West End credits include the title role in The Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty’s Theatre and Forbidden Broadway at the Vaudeville Theatre. In his native Australia, Ben played the role of The Phantom in Love Never Dies for which he was nominated for a Helpmann Award and won the Sydney Theatre Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical. His other credits include the national tour of Love Me Tender, Frank Butler in the Sheffield Crucible’s production of Annie Get Your Gun and Candide at the Menier Chocolate Factory. 

Emmy Willow has previously played the role of Nicki Marron in The Bodyguard on the International tour. Neil Reidman’s musical credits include The Color Purple at the Menier Chocolate Factory and The Big Life at the Apollo Theatre in the West End. His other theatre credits include The Dispute for the Royal Shakespeare Company and the national tour of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

Craig Berry’s many theatre credits include Mamma Mia!, Cats, Closer to Heaven, Titanic and The Producers. Gary Turner is probably best known for playing Carlos Diaz in ITV1’s Emmerdale and Nathan Blake in Hollyoaks. His many theatre credits include national tours of Dead Guilty, How the Other Half Loves, Jekyll and Hyde and most recently Strictly Murder. Phil Atkinson recently played Pharaoh in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Kilworth House. He has also appeared in Little Shop of Horrors and Spring Awakening. Simon Cotton has appeared in A Clockwork Orange at the Park Theatre and The Dumb Waiter at the Yvonne Arnaud theatre. Jennlee Shallow’s many theatre credits include Nala in The Lion King in both Australia and Germany, Deena in Dreamgirls and Sarah in Ragtime. Jennlee has also performed in the Cirque du Soleil shows Kooza and Viva Elvis.

Based on Lawrence Kasdan’s 1992 Oscar nominated Warner Bros. movie starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner, THE BODYGUARD, directed by Thea Sharrock with book by Oscar winning (Birdman) Alex Dinelaris, had its world premiere at the Adelphi Theatre in London’s West End in 2012 and was nominated for four Olivier Awards. A sell out 18 month UK and Ireland tour followed, before the show returned to the West End at the Dominion Theatre.

THE BODYGUARD has played to over 3.6 million people in 15 countries and 45 US cities. Countries include the Netherlands, Germany, South Korea, Canada, Italy, Australia, Spain, France, the US Austria and Japan.

Former Secret Service agent turned bodyguard, Frank Farmer, is hired to protect superstar Rachel Marron from an unknown stalker. Each expects to be in charge; what they don’t expect is to fall in love. A romantic thriller, THE BODYGUARD features a host of irresistible classics including Queen of the Night, So Emotional, One Moment in Time, Saving All My Love, Run to You, I Have Nothing, I Wanna Dance with Somebody and one of the biggest hit songs of all time – I Will Always Love You.

THE BODYGUARD – UK TOUR 2019 – 2020

12 – 23 NOVEMBER 2019

SUNDERLAND EMPIRE

Atgtickets.com/sunderland

26 NOVEMBER – 7 DECEMBER – 2019

ALHAMBRA THEATRE BRADFORD

Bradford-theatres.co.uk

10 DECEMBER 2019 – 4 JANUARY 2020

MANCHESTER PALACE THEATRE

Atgtickets.com/manchester

8 – 18 JANUARY 2020

THE ORCHARD THEATRE DARTFORD

Orchardtheatre.co.uk

21 JANUARY – 1 FEBRUARY 2020

BIRMINGHAM ALEXANDRA THEATRE

Atgtickets.com/birmingham

Leeds Playhouse – until 2 November 2019

Reviewed by Sally Richmond

5*****

There Are No Beginnings was written for, and is about, the women of Leeds in the 1970s and for all women today.  The fantastic all female cast: Helen (Natalie Gavin), June (Julie Hesmondhalgh), Fiona (Jesse Jones) and Sharon (Tessa Parr) – through their honest and authentic performances, give us an insight into the stories and lives of the courageous and brave women who lived between the years of 1975 and 1980 (when the so-called Yorkshire Ripper disrupted and devastated the county). The audience gets a genuine (through the writer’s extensive research / interviews) account into how these women went about their everyday business and lives; whilst desperately trying not to become enveloped and stifled by the constant terror and fear that shrouded the streets they lived and walked on.

Written by Charley Miles and directed by Amy Leach, There Are No Beginnings shines the spotlight not on The Yorkshire Ripper, or even his victims but all women who lived in Leeds at that time. It examines how their relationships with each other were affected and how deeper bonds created as they began to depend on each other more, and less on men. 

Helen, a vulnerable young prostitute, who we meet aged 14 at the beginning of the play, characterises a female who in real life has now been forgotten and discarded like the men who used and abused her.  Natalie Gavin gives an outstanding performance of this damaged teenager and in doing so, finally gives the beautiful tragic girl her voice! Her edgy brave persona is so obviously a fake front as Gavin’s arresting portrayal cleverly reveals a sad and lost little soul who is just trying to survive whilst grabbing any bits of love that are thrown at her. 

As June, the caring matriarch, Julie Hesmondhalgh delivers an absolutely flawless performance as a strong Leeds woman, who was trying to protect girls at risk in her job, alongside looking after her vibrant and dreamy teenage daughter.  We feel her worry, her fear but mostly her resilient and resounding strength – to keep going and to keep the faith in that everything will return back to normal soon.  

Humour, beauty and hope come in the form of Sharon, our mischievous but sweet teenager who is mooning over Donny Osmond and thinking about wedding bells.  Throughout the play we see her transform into a woman and a woman with views and a voice – which she uses to becomes an activist who joins the feminist movement.  Sharon is a total contrast to Helen and Helen’s plight becomes even more startlingly obvious when they interact, bringing moments of warmth but ones that are heavily laced with sadness due to Helen’s unfair and unfortunate life. 

Fiona is also a strong but fiercely independent woman, who at times, is accused of overstepping the mark due to her burning ambition and desperation to get inside Milgarth Police Station.  The only other police we encounter and in fact the only men we encounter are voices on tape recordings, which are accompanied by flashing, broken lights. These are intermittently aired and switched on throughout the play; giving a sharp haunting reminder of when ‘he’ roamed the towns and cities of Yorkshire.  

There Are No Beginnings gives us the perspective of what life was like for the ordinary women of Leeds: mothers, working women, teenagers, students and women who did what they had to do to get by.  They were brave whilst at their most vulnerable because they had to just get on and live to defy the smothering heavy fog of oppression and fear that the Ripper brought to their doorsteps.  The solidarity of women shines through in this play and a respect for those who endured life in these times. May we never forget the murdered victims and their families, RIP beautiful ones – you are remembered.

New Victoria Theatre, Woking – until 19 October 2019

Reviewed by Becky Doyle

4****

What an absolute feel good show from start to finish! I loved every minute. I went into the show having really no idea what it was based on or what it was about. The recognisable tone of Dolly Parton rang out and I was engrossed.

The cast were fantastic, I was taken aback by the voice of Amber Davies who played Judy Bernly. Her solo piece was beautiful, strong and so touching. As someone who had seen her in previous TV shows I had no idea she was so musically and artistically talented. I had two stand out performances and that was from Georgina Castle (Doralee Rhodes) and Sean Needham (Franklin Hart Jr) both had me and the rest of the audience in absolute stitches. Sean in particular had some very daring moves on both the stage and up in the air – which left the first half on a great ‘hanger’.

The stage was set out well and the props and equipment utilised to the full. The lighting, something that doesn’t normally catch me eye, did. It was so colourful and stand out-ish it set the whole mood for the current scene.

My only criticism, and it is a small one at that was that sometimes I found the words of the songs hard to hear or understand due to the volume of the band playing, again only a very small remark.

The ending of the show was by far the best part and I as did many of the others in the audience got involved as much as we could with the last act. I would highly recommend this show, if your like me and didn’t know much about the story it’s easily picked up and now that I’ve seen it and know the background I could easily watch it again with the same joy and excitement as I did last night.

Theatre Royal, Nottingham – until 19 October 2019

Reviewed by Boo Wakefield

4****

Written by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber in 1965 with its first full length production in 1974, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat has not lost any of its fun, musicality or entertainment value in 54 years.

This latest offering, directed by Bill Kenwright, brings back all the classic songs and music in style. It has a clever but simple set, comprising of just stairs which allowed continuous movement from the cast giving this production a feeling of high energy. The children who were the Joseph Choir (from the Attic Theatre School) sat on the stairs most of the way through the musical and gave a faultless performance.

In the lead role of Joseph, Jaymi Hensley leads the cast with confidence. His singing is polished and powerful reaching all the big notes effortlessly, and is aided by his youthful looks, appealing to the younger members of the audience.

Alexandra Doar shone in her debut role as the Narrator. Her clear, strong vocals allowed us all to follow the story of Joseph and his eleven brothers. Being the favoured son, his jealous brothers sell him into slavery, and he ends up in prison. He would have stayed there had it not been for his ability to read dreams which gets him noticed by the Pharaoh. Pardoned and now wealthy, Joseph is reunited with his family.

The eleven brothers glue the performance together with a master class of song and dance with clever new choreography by Gary Lloyd. Their melodies were faultless and added comical value to this version. Their characters changed from cowboys to American football players to French men, then Brazilians; all of which just seemed to fit into this entertaining production. And who knew a motorbike with wings would also seem just right for it too?

The standing ovation, which lasted throughout the final song, had everyone on their feet singing and clapping along with the cast. A fun packed production which should make any age smile and want to sing along!

Roll up, roll up! Birmingham Hippodrome celebrate their 120^th birthday with a free circus-themed
open day

On Saturday 26 October, Birmingham Hippodrome will be celebrating its 120th birthday by heading back to the theatres origins as a circus with a free open day for all the family.

To mark 120 years since originally opening its doors in 1899 as the “Tower of Varieties and Circus”, a number of free circus themed performances and activities will be taking place throughout the building, including the main auditorium, foyer and Patrick Studio, as well as outside in Hippodrome Square.

A range of jaw-dropping performances begin at 1pm, including appearances from Spanish Fire performers, Chango Fuego and Symoné, a hula-hopping roller-skating cabaret act not to be missed. The Acrochaps will dazzle and amaze with their strongman stunts, the Clockwork Ballerina will come to life in a flare of pirouettes and arabesques and Hannah Finn, Contortion Girl is set to stun with her flexibility and strength. Free performances will be taking place between 1pm-3pm and 6:30pm-7:30pm in and around Birmingham Hippodrome.

Families can also enjoy a free drop-in circus skills workshop for over 7s from 2:15pm plus a Heritage Talk on the history of Variety and Vaudeville from 6:15pm. Schools from Birmingham Hippodrome’s own Education Network will also have the chance to step into the spotlight with performances throughout the afternoon.

The celebrations coincide with the opening weekend of the dazzling Circus 1903 which runs from Friday 25 October – Saturday 2 November. Direct from a sell-out run at London’s Southbank Centre, audiences can expect all of the thrills and daredevil entertainment of a turn-of-the-century circus.

The show includes sensational life-sized elephants Queenie and Peanut, stunningly created by the award-winning team behind War Horse, who will take to the stage alongside Ringmaster Willy Whipsnade plus a huge cast of jaw-dropping acts from across the globe.

For more information and a full open day schedule visit birminghamhippodrome.com.

Sheffield Lyceum – until 19 October 2019

Reviewed by Lottie Davis-Browne

3***

Five years following its Broadway debut the bio-musical On Your Feet – the story of Emilio and Gloria Estefan – is off on tour following it’s West End debut earlier this year. The chart topping song promise that the Rhythm is Going to Get You – this show certainly delivers on that, although in-between the songs the beat is often much slower paced, often a little bland in places.

This opening performance at Sheffield’s Lyceum Theatre we had several major cast changes…..sometimes this has proved a blessing in disguise in some musicals (for example – the first time I saw Wicked at Apollo Victoria it was Emma Hatton as the famous green witch – understudy at the time and a new name in the world of theatre to me – but she blew my socks off with her performance, later taking over the lead role) but as much as I tried to like Francesca Lara Gordon in the role of Gloria Estefan, there were several times where her voice wasn’t quite powerful enough in some of the bigger belter hits. Whilst she worked well with leading man George Ioannides (as Emilio Estefan) with the duo having a believable chemistry; vocally Gordon lacked the stamina for such a demanding vocal role at times, but her voice on slower numbers had more power to it. Gordon delivered the more challenging notes better when backed by the ensemble.

Sergio Trujillo’s choreography is catchy and addictive to the point where you almost feel like getting up and joining in – which – word of warning to those on end stalls seats near the front – you do get pulled up to dance by the cast members at one point – luckily I’d already grabbed my walking aids ready for the interval dash so the cast member who approached me moved to the person behind (that would have been an awkward abrupt end to Act One if I’d not been on the ball!), with the live band on stage and the athletic moves in perfect unison you can’t help but tap your toes along to the beat. Whilst the choreography can seem a little repetitive at times, it’s such high energy that it is impossible not to want to dance to the beat.

The story starts in 1990 with a dance number from Gloria’s backing dancers, leading backstage to Gloria, her son Nayib and Emilio, and flashbacks to her younger days playing the guitar and singing to send a recording to her dad, José Fajardo, who is stationed in Vietnam in 1966. Growing up in the Little Havana neighbourhood of Miami, with her mother – Gloria Fajardo and Grandma, Consuelo Garcia, Gloria is eventually introduced by her Grandma to Emilio – who at the time was part of a group called Miami Latin Boys – and after Gloria (who at the time was studying psychology) is invited to play one of the songs she has written at one of the bands rehearsals. She soon joins the band, but whilst they rehearse Tuesdays’ and Saturday’s she only commits to weekends so not to interfere with her studies.

Whilst at first Gloria is reluctant to be in the spotlight, with the guidance of Emilio she soon feels more confident and the pair start to fall in love with each other. Some forty years later and the pair are still happily married. The story shows the battle the renamed band (Miami Sound Machine) face when trying to get their music played – they’re either turned away for singing in English or for being too Latino sounding. When they struggle to get their records played on radio, they turn to the nightclub scene and soon hit the big time.

The most memorable part of Gloria’s career of course was the tour bus crash on the 20th March 1990, which left her critically injured, suffering from a fractured spine when their coach collided with a semi truck during heavy snowfall. It was feared she would never walk again following a nine hour surgery to insert two permanent titanium rods into her back stabilise the joints. Following a years intensive physiotherapy, Gloria regained her strength and learned to walk again, returning to the tour she’d had to cancel following the tragedy. Ironically, Gloria fondly refers to the accident as her “rebirth” and it gave her a new sense of life, continuing to perform for decades to come to her millions of “EstaFANS”.

The story concludes in 1991 with her triumphant return to the stage at The American Music Awards. Whilst a must die hard fans, or for a nostalgic night out, it may not appeal to younger musical theatre fans although it’s worth noting that Hollie Ceasar had stepped in to play the role of Gloria’s Grandma for this evenings performance and gave a stellar performance – for me it was this performance that turned this review from a two star to a three star to me. So if you’re a die hard EstaFAN then get on your feet for this nostalgic performance, but if like me you remember the music but didn’t buy the records first time round, maybe give this one a miss.

FULL CASTING ANNOUNCED

FOR THE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED EUROPEAN PREMIERE OF

BY THE MULTI AWARD-WINNING WRITER AND THEATRE MAKER

RICHARD FOREMAN

DIRECTED BY PATRICK KENNEDY

RUNNING AT THE STUDIO AT NEW WIMBLEDON THEATRE FOR A STRICTLY LIMITED SEASON FROM 2^ND – 7^TH DECEMBER

ONLY BEING A TOURIST CAN ONE EXPERIENCE A PLACE

Davey Green (Ben), Tommy Papaioannou (Max), Georgia Small (Hannah) and Nikitas Stamoulis (Karl) will star in the eagerly awaited European premiere of ZOMBOID! by the multi award-winning stalwart of the New York avant-garde, Richard Foreman.

The film-performance theatre project plays at The Studio at New Wimbledon Theatre from 2 – 7 December with press night on Tuesday 3 December. It is the third and final part of the year long season of work Foreman At Fifty exploring Foreman’s 50 year career as a theatre maker. Originally staged in 2006 at the Ontological-Hysteric Theater in New York, ZOMBOID! is one of Foreman’s final theatre pieces and once again smashes theatrical conventions to smithereens with its use of filmed footage and live stage action.

ZOMBOID! is directed and designed by Patrick Kennedy and is produced by Patrick Kennedy Phenomenological Theatre.

Combining filmed footage with live stage action, five lost souls wander through an otherworldly landscape surrounded by stuffed donkeys, blindfolds and giant eyeballs.

ZOMBOID! is a deeply shrewd, multi-layered radical art experience which covertly opens a peephole into modern life and the effects of mass communication and information. It tells you more than any possible news bulletin about the secret forces at work in the depths of our live experience.

Mayflower Theatre Southampton – until 16 October 2019

Reviewed by Leanne Caplis

5*****

Kate Prince MBE and her company Zoonation bring to the stage the all singing and all dancing production that is Some Like it Hip Hop.

A dancing extravaganza with a story of ‘The Governor’ and his broken heart, banished books, no love and where women are kept subservient to men. The two female leads Jo-Jo and Kerri break the rules of the City and are thrown out but to prove their worth they return as men. Can Jo-Jo find true love? Will the Governor ever love again and find his daughter and will books find a way back into the City? Watch as the story unfolds as two females change the world.

This show opens with a local dance troop being given the opportunity to take to a theatre stage and boy did they do well! With loud whoops and cheers from the audience the youngsters amazed us with their moves for the first five minutes.

Then on with the main event and it really is an event not to be missed. This show is non-stop energy. It is jam-packed from curtain up and there really is no time to take your eyes of the stage.

The choreographers have worked wonders with the cast and I’ve never seen a story told through dance in such a way before. I was on the edge of my seat watching the street dancing and was in awe over the emotional dance scenes.

The lead female singers were out of this world! Voices that would not be out of place on the West End; powerful and beautiful. The only time my eyes were taken from the dances was to watch the singers. I was mesmerised by them and their ability to own a stage where already so much was happening.

It is hard to find negatives for this show and I had to dig deep. The narrator, on occasion, was difficult to understand. However, for me, the storyline wasn’t my main interest it was the infectious energy of the dancers. The only other gripe was the lack of programmes. Whilst all of the cast put 110% effort in, I would have liked to have mentioned a few by name and also know a bit more about them and where I could see them next.

The finale where each cast member did their own individual dances was terrific. Somersaults, back spins, balancing, the splits, and much more were on offer. The sheer delight of the audience at this part was evident with the clapping and cheering. The audience were on their feet for a standing ovation and it was easy to see why. With no time to sit back down the cast got everybody into a dance-along meaning we left the theatre smiling and dancing.

I look forward to seeing more by Zoonation and for those who have not had the chance to see this, I urge you to book. A beat boxing, rapping, singing and dancing sensation you should really not miss!

Darlington Hippodrome – until 19 October 2019

4****

I love a good thriller and Bill Kenwright’s adaptation of The Lady Vanishes, presented by the The Classic Thriller Company does not disappoint.

Set in the late 1930’s (the film was made in 1938), our play starts in a very atmospheric Austrian railway station, where a variety of travellers gather waiting to start/continue their journey back to England after an avalanche caused the train to be stopped.

Our assembly of characters include socialite Iris Henderson (Scarlett Archer) who is travelling back to London to marry a Lord Just before returning to the delayed train, to continue the journey to the UK, Iris receives an accidental blow to the head. Kind, former governess Miss Froy (Gwen Taylor) helps Iris on board.  They take tea and then, on Miss Froy’s advice, Iris goes to sleep. On wakening, Iris finds Miss Froy has disappeared and all her fellow travellers deny ever having seen her. Iris decides she must track down Miss Froy and enlists engineer and music lover Max (Nicholas Audsley) to help find her.  The train has not stopped so she must still be on the train.

Also on board are cricket mad Charters (Dennis Lill) and Caldicott (Ben Nealon), Lawyer Eric (Mark Wynter) and his mistress Margaret (Rosie Thompson).  Dr Hartz (Andrew Lancel), an SS Official (Joe Reisig), an Italian magician (Martin Carroll) and a Nun (Natalie Law)

The set, by Morgan Large, was impressive changing from station, to train, to station seamlessly with a great use of lighting (Charlie Morgan Jones) and sound (Dan Samson) to make it seem like a train on its journey – especially when the characters bob around giving the impression of movement.

I genuinely loved this show, with all its twists, turns and red herrings.  At the end of Act 1, I had no idea of where the story was going so it was nice to talk to my fellow theatre goers to find out their thoughts on the story.  By the big reveal I had guessed some of the plot but not the biggest twist of it all – although any Miss Marple drama should have taught us that kind spinsters are always the one to keep an eye on.

A thoroughly enjoyable night out

King’s Theatre, Edinburgh – until 19 October 2019

Reviewed by James Knight

2**

The Night Watch is adapted by Hattie Naylor from Sarah Waters’ novel of the same name. Weaving the lives of multiple characters together during and post-World War II, we follow, in reverse chronological order, how their lives affect each other over the years.

It is refreshing to see the lesbian relationships of Kay (Phoebe Pryce), Julia (Izabella Urbanowicz) and Helen (Florence Roberts) depicted with relatively little stigma from other characters. Of course all three must hide their sexuality – it’s the 40s after all. But to see a period piece that deals with homosexuality with positivity and optimism is uplifting to say the least, even if the actual relationships may not end happily ever after.

The reverse-chronology trope can be tricky when taken out of a literary setting – the first act’s introduction to characters were slightly confusing, and it was unclear as to whose story we were meant to be following. Kay is introduced first and then disappears quickly, leaving the audience to wonder how important she is – obviously in a novel, we can spend more time in the minutiae of her day-to-day life, but this is not so feasible in a theatre.

Once we eventually journey from 1947 to 1944, events and relationships begin to be clearer. The characters, ironically, seem to have more life and optimism during the Blitz than the aftermath three years later. This period however, comes with more disturbing scenes – one male character masturbates over a rape fantasy, which, in a play that has such progressive depictions of female characters feels jarring and uncomfortable not only for the audience but unnecessary.

Unfortunately, the performances are quite disjointed, at times seeming to present a heightened, almost stylised delivery, and at other times realism. This fractured nature throughout the play, coupled with the reverse-chronology of the storytelling distances, rather than includes the audience in the action. With a lack of homosexual relationships depicted in mainstream touring theatre, this was a chance here to turn that all around. However, this fragmented production falls short of the mark.