Z Bo Jackson, in partnership with the Palace Theatre, Manchester, are proud to announce a gala night of dance- hosted by Kimberly Wyatt – to launch The Z Bo Jackson Company – the UK’s first dance fusion theatre company.
From free runners to hip hop, ballet to street dance, the Z Bo Jackson Company will combine a diverse mix of dance styles with compelling storytelling and magnetic physicality.
The mix of dance styles on display, combined with stunning visuals, means the company’s performances will appeal to dance fans and musical theatre-lovers alike, as well as today’s YouTube and Insta-audiences.
The company launches on Tuesday 10th September with a star-studded gala night of dance at the Palace Theatre, Manchester.
Hosted by the amazing Got to Dance judge and Pussycat Doll Kimberly Wyatt, with guest artists Flawless(Britain’s Got Talent and Street Dance 2), ballet star Brandon Lawrence (Principal Dancer with the Birmingham Royal Ballet) and West End star Chrissy Brooke (winner of ITV’s Dance Dance Dance.)
Singer, dancer and choreographer Kimberly Wyatt will perform alongside Flawless in one number, while BRB’s Brandon Lawrence will perform a solo choreographed by the award-winning George Williamson. Chrissy Brooke will perform with the Z Company ensemble.
Innovative and respected choreographer and director Bo Jackson has created the vision behind the thrilling new company and is excited to launch in Manchester at the Palace Theatre.
Said Bo: “Manchester is the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution and as such the perfect international city in which to launch a new dawn in dance for the 21st Century.
“The gala will provide a taste of Z’s future ambitions and celebrate Manchester’s unique placement as a Northern Powerhouse in theatre and dance.
“The Z brand will break down the walls of dance to create a uniquely diverse dance experience, as free runners mix with elite dancers, and ballet cross-pollinates with hip hop. Dance is a universal language and as Einstein observed ‘Dancers are the athletes of God’.
“As with this gala, the Z brand will invite celebrities and well-known dancers to appear alongside our main ensemble moving forward. We can’t wait to unleash our brand at the Palace Theatre next month.”
Host of the gala, Kimberley Wyatt, said: “I’m very excited to be part of this unique evening of dance in Manchester to celebrate the launch of Z Bo Jackson Company. It will be a spectacular night of celebrating all things dance, with street dance superstars Flawless, principal dancer of the Birmingham Royal Ballet Brandon Lawrence and Dance, Dance, Dance Star Chrissy Brooke. Prepare to be amazed!”
Get ready for an explosive night of entertainment at the Manchester Palace Theatre on Tuesday 10th September at 7.30pm. Tickets from £13.
To celebrate their 112th birthday, Darlington Hippodrome has unwrapped some special presents for the Autumn 2019 theatre season
With the theatre celebrating its 112th birthday today, Monday 2 September, there is a new autumn season brochure available including some thrilling drama, a hand-picked selection of the world’s most dazzling musicals and some truly magical family shows, alongside some huge household names to grace the Hippodrome stage
Drama lovers are in for a treat with a fabulous selection of plays. The classic Miss Marple tale A Murder is Announced, starring Sarah Thomas, Kazia Pelka and Tom Butcher (September 10-14) will have audiences on the edge of their seats as will The Lady Vanishes, a new stage adaptation based on the classic Hitchcock film, which stars Gwen Taylor, Andrew Lancel, Denis Lill and Mark Wynter (October 15-19). For those who like a really chilling night at the theatre The Woman in Black returns to Darlington (November 18-23). Kay Mellor’s smash hit TV drama Band of Gold has been adapted for the stage and stars Gaynor Faye and Shayne Ward (Jan 27 – February 1). National treasure Gwen Taylor stars in The Croft (February 11-15) a thriller by Ali Miles and we welcome back our pantomime dame Eric Potts but this time in a more serious role in By The Waters of Liverpool (April 9-11). Completing the season of drama is The Kite Runner (May 12-16)
There are gifts galore for musical theatre fans too
Celebrating 30 terrific years, Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story will have you dancing in the aisles (September 17 – 21). The entire family will simply love Madagascar The Musical (October 9 – 13) and there will be chills abound when DarlingtonOS presents Jekyll & Hyde The Musical (October 23 – November 2). Jason Manford heads a star-studded cast of West End theatre performers in the musical comedy / murder mystery Curtains (November 12 – 16). Joining Jason will be Carley Stenson, Rebecca Lock, Samuel Holmes, Leah West and Alan Burkitt. Catch up with ‘the girls’ as Menopause The Musical 2 stops off in Darlington (February 5-7)
For younger visitors and families there is a whole host of goodies.
A brand new stage show of In The Night Garden will enthral young visitors to the Hippodrome (September 28 & 29) and the David Walliams classic story Billionaire Boy will hit the stage later in the year (November 6 – 10). The annual festive family pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk stars Strictly Come Dancing head judge Shirley Ballas alongside dancing sensation George Sampson and comedian Phil Walker.
Operetta and Song & Dance fans have a selection of productions which will appeal to all tastes and ages.
The Russian State Ballet & Orchestra of Siberia present four spectacular ballets with Coppelia, Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake and The Nutcracker (January 23-26) and the spellbinding BalletBoyz return to Darlington with their new show Deluxe (March 5). In the autumn season, Darlington audiences will also be entertained by The English Youth Ballet, balletLorent, The Halle Orchestra, The London Mozart Players, The K&K Philharmonic and the Russian State Opera
There will be a number of fabulous ‘one night only’ appearances by some of the biggest names in entertainment including Brian Blessed (September 4), Julian Norton (September 16), David Harper (September 20), Frank Skinner (October 6), Alexander Armstrong (November 4), Alan Titchmarsh (January 8), Sir Michael Parkinson (February 9) and Jools Holland (May 23)
This is just a selection of the shows currently on offer at Darlington Hippodrome, additional shows are regularly being added to the schedule. To ensure you get the latest news visit the website and sign up to receive regular updates
Pick up one of the new Autumn 2019 season brochures and see for yourself what delights are in store at Darlington Hippodrome
For further information and to book contact the box office on 01325 405405, or visit www.darlingtonhippodrome.co.uk to choose your own seats online. Follow the theatre on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Wow, simply wow, Elesha Paul Moses has an amazing powerful voice and commands the stage with her performance, she certainly has stage presence and had perfected her Tina Turner moves, and with costume changes she led us through Tina’s iconic music career.
Starting the show in the classic Tina look of black leather mini skirt and high heels, she opened to the sound of Steamy Windows along the way Elesha interacted with the audience which certainly loosened up the atmosphere and prepared us all for later in the evening.
The live musicians were hugely talented and did several solo pieces to showcase their individual musical skills, one of the backing singers also gave an extremely strong performance, again she had a powerful voice which had the audience spellbound. Throughout the evening you could tell everyone involved in the production was enjoying the evening as much as the audience via eye contact and interaction with one another.
Elesha in the second half of the show changed again and the audience really warmed up clapping along to Addicted to Love then singing to the title song What’s Love got to do with it by the time we got to River Deep Mountain High, Simply the Best and Nutbush City Limits 90% of the audience including myself were up on our feet dancing!!!
And if they were not up they were singing and clapping along we were all genuinely sorry to see the show end.
On the way out everyone was saying how much they’d enjoyed it and how good it was, true testament for anyone considering going to see it don’t think about it just BOOK IT!!
Underbelly Festival Southbank – until 15 September 2019
Reviewed by Claire Roderick
4****
This “Circus for Grownups” is a glorious night of escapism and joy. The tone is more cheeky than sultry, with the burlesque elements full of fun, and the male performers eagerly becoming the butt of jokes and laughter. With acts that appeal to everyone – Paul Westbrook welcomes “Ladies, gentlemen, and friends beyond the binary” – director Elena Kirschbaum has put together a titillating, high energy show that you can’t help but love.
Unfortunately, opera singer Issie Hart was unable to accompany the acts with her amazing voice on the night I visited, which would certainly have added an extra frisson to the risky acts on display. Paul Westbrook, Jessie Mckibbin and Lyndon Johnson deliver exciting aerial routines, and Madison Burleigh and Liam DeJong are a fantastic acrobatic team. Jessie Mckibbin and Lyndon Johnson’s duet on the cyr wheel is breath-taking, and her fire act had the entire audience whooping and clapping along (the musical choices throughout are eclectic and inspired).
With no introductions between acts, the show encourages the feeling that the cast are flying by the seat of their pants and just winging it, emphasised by the way some acts enter the stage. This adds to the jeopardy as the performers begin before the professionalism, strength and skill on display shines through, but there’s always a cheeky wink or wave just to make sure nobody is taking the show too seriously. The most memorable acts were also the funniest – the men ‘s OTT dance routine, a hilarious hula hoop act involving lamp shades that has to be seen to be believed, and Mckibbin’s routine keeping her 3 male unicorns in check with her whip. Fantastic filthy fun. Definitely not for children, but your gran will love it.
Cast announced for Fast at Park Theatre Park Theatre, Clifton Terrace, Finsbury Park, London, N4 3JP Tuesday 15th October – Saturday 9th November 2019
The cast has been announced for the compelling and chilling true story, Fast. A psychological drama, laced with suspense, it follows the cult health professional Linda Hazzard, played by Caroline Lawrie (Peaky Blinders, BBC; An Ideal Husband, The Old Vic; The Master Builder, Theatre Royal Haymarket), whose cures had a shocking mortality rate. In a chilling parallel to our modern world of influencers peddling protein shakes and pills, Fast is the true story of Linda Hazzard who advocated a fasting cure that gripped the press and divided a nation
How far would you go to find the perfect cure? In an isolated region of the Pacific Northwest, ‘Dr’ Linda Hazzard opens her clinic to the public. But, the public do not always survive. Joining Lawrie on stage will be Jordon Stevens (Harlots, ITV and Hulu; Call the Midwife, BBC; Phantom Thread) and Natasha Cowley (Othelllo, Shakespeare’s Globe; Connections 2018, National Theatre; War and Peace, BBC Radio 4) who appear as her patients Claire and Dora Williamson. Journalist Horace R. Cayton Jr. will be played by Daniel Norford (Small Island, National Theatre; Disney’s The Lion King, UK and international tour; Rocky Shock, Wardrobe Theatre)
Shortlisted for Best New Play 2018 by New Writing South, Fast is a dark and powerful thriller, based entirely on real historical figures, which interrogates the lengths people will go to for ambition, for a story, for a cure. When searching for a clean slate without discomfort, niggles or twinges, it can be easy to lose sight of the risks of extreme methodologies when they promise to be the miracle solution
Director Kate Valentine comments, Hooked on Internet influencers, we now risk trusting people who peddle pills and potions and can lose sight of the perils to our health when adopting extreme regimes. Fast depicts a remarkable woman who uses her powers of persuasion to lure patients, desperate for any miracle cure. Laced with suspense and psychological drama, Fast explores the true crime of a woman determined to prove herself to a world challenging her methodologies
York Theatre Royal – until Sunday 1 September 2019
Review by Zoe Giles
4****
For Jacqueline Wilson fans Hetty Feather at York theatre Royal is a real treat. The Youth Theatre put on a fantastic show. The stage production follows the book, so transports us into Hetty’s, or should that be Jacqueline’s, world. The stage set is perhaps more basic than expected, however, clever use of props helps us to understand exactly what is going on. The main structure is a frame with acrobatic equipment attached, which transforms itself from a tree in the children’s play, and transforms to the big top of the circus and creates the back drop for all scenes. Rather than distract us, it is used to clever effect to the point that you forget all about it at times.The young performers were amazing and extremely talented, the acrobatics were amazing considering they had no previous experience of such equipment before rehearsals, this made up for the loss of some of the opening lines from the younger performers. I was not sure if they were a bit shy and so not heard or sound issues as the music playing over the top drowned them out. Also watch out for the smoke effects if sitting in the first few rows of the stalls as in the first half they are very over powering for those seated near the front!
The puppetry for the elephant was outstanding and very believable even down to squirting water on some unsuspecting audience members! They certainly had put a lot of thought and research into creating the elephant and how it was to move and interact with everyone. Also movement from the cast throughout the performance made the show even more memorable. Hetty, (Hannah Brown) gave a strong performance throughout and certainly had stage presence, the other main male characters, Joshua Burland and Stan Gaskell, were very humorous and performed through their bodies and voices as the much younger characters they were portraying.
The costumes were colourful and eye catching as well as being well suited for the acrobatic movements required of the young performers. Whether they were children at play or members of the circus, Jasper McCarthy and Laura Sopher gave believable and strong performances within their circus roles. Another mention must go to Luke Tearney as matron; he had amazing stage presence, a strong powerful voice and at the end some unusual and funny dance moves!!!
All of the cast members gave a beautiful, powerful, emotional finale. Cast, crew members, sound engineers, musicians and everyone involved in this production, should be extremely proud of themselves for a very enjoyable production, which Jacqueline Wilson fans and theatre lovers everywhere will enjoy.
SURPRISE MANCHESTER METROLINK COMMUTERS WITH AN EXCLUSIVE PERFORMANCE
Manchester Metrolink commuters were treated to a surprise acoustic performance this morning from the cast of & Juliet, a brand new contemporary musical that will premiere at the Opera House on 10th September for a five-week run in the city before transferring to the West End.
Pic copyright Phil Tragen 2019
& Juliet is a fresh and fast-paced musical that asks: what if Juliet’s famous ending was really just her beginning? The musical features some of the biggest pop anthems of the last 30 years from Grammy award winning songwriter Max Martin including Baby One More Time, Everybody, Love Me Like You Do and Can’t Feel My Face.
The talented and acclaimed stars of & Juliet hopped on the tram at Deansgate Castlefield and sang I Want It That Way by The Backstreet Boys on their journey to Victoria Station, where they stopped for photos before jumping back on the tram to St Peter’s Square and reprising the song.
Pic copyright Phil Tragen 2019
The performance follows an appearance by Miriam-Teak Lee (Juliet) at last weekend’s Manchester Pride where the award-winning musical theatre star blew away the Sackville stage crowds delivering songs from the musical including Roar and Baby One More Time.
& Juliet brings together a host of acclaimed West End stars who have headlined some of the most celebrated shows of recent years: Award-winning Miriam-Teak Lee (Hamilton, On The Town), Cassidy Janson (Leading Ladies, Chess, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical); Oliver Tompsett (Kinky Boots, Wicked); David Badella (Mack and Mabel, Rocky Horror Live), Arun Blair-Mangat (Leave to Remain, Angels in America); Melanie La Barrie(Wicked, Matilda); Jordan Luke Gage (who starred in the lead role of Strat in Bat Out of Hell), and Tim Mahendran (Spring Awakening).
& Juliet is the hilariously irreverent new musical that proves when it comes to love, there’s always life after Romeo…
& Juliet soars with some of the biggest pop anthems from acclaimed songwriter Max Martin and recorded by artists including Backstreet Boys, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Katy Perry and Ariana Grande, all brilliantly arranged by Tony® and Grammy Award-winning orchestrator Bill Sherman.
Brought to life by an award-winning creative team in an explosive fusion of styles, & Juliet will be directed by Luke Sheppard (In the Heights) with a book by David West Read (Schitt’s Creek), electrifying choreography from Jennifer Weber, stunning set design from Soutra Gilmour and costume design by Paloma Young.
Max Martin and Tim Headington present & Juliet, which is produced by Max Martin, Tim Headington, Theresa Steele, Jenny Petersson and Martin Dodd.
The production will play a limited season at Manchester Opera House, from Tuesday 10 September to Saturday 12 October, before beginning performances in London at The Shaftesbury Theatre on Saturday 2 November.
The ensemble includes Jocasta Almgill, Josh Baker, Alishia-Marie Blake, Ivan De Freitas, Rhian Duncan, Danielle Fiamanya, Kieran Lai, Nathan Lorainey-Dineen, Jaye Marshall, Grace Mouat, Antoine Murray-Straughan, Kerri Norville, Christopher Parkinson, Dillon Scott-Lewis, Kirstie Skivington and Alex Tranter.
Following a highly successful season at the London Coliseum which will end its run on 31 August 2019, producers Jamie Wilson and Gavin Kalin announced today plans for ON YOUR FEET! The Story of Emilio and Gloria Estefan to return to London next Summer 2020. It was also announced today that the forthcoming international tour will star current London cast members Philippa Stefani as ‘Gloria Estefan’, George Ioannides as ‘Emilio Estefan’, Madalena Alberto as ‘Gloria Fajardo’and Karen Mann as ‘Consuelo’when the tour opens on 3 September 2019 at the Birmingham Hippodrome.
Jamie Wilsonsaid ‘After our triumphant London run we are currently in exciting talks with theatre owners to bring the show back to London next year for a second summer. I am absolutely delighted that our original London cast, Philippa, George, Madalena and Karen will be taking the show on its international tour. The love and support from the audiences in London has been amazing and we look forward to bringing this Miami party back in 2020’.
Philippa Stefani is currently playing the role of ‘Gloria Estefan’ in ON YOUR FEET! at the London Coliseum. Her previous theatre roles include ‘Mimi’ in the recent national tour of “Rent”. She has also played ‘Daniela’ in “In The Heights” at King’s Cross Theatre. Her other theatre credits include the original London casts of “Wicked” at the Apollo Victoria and “I Can’t Sing” and “Sister Act”, both at the London Palladium. She has also appeared in “High Society at the Old Vic and ”Ghost” at the Piccadilly Theatre.
George Ioannides has appeared in the West End productions of “Annie” and “Mamma Mia!” and was most recently seen as ‘Eduardo Cortez’ in “An Officer and a Gentleman” at Curve, Leicester and on national tour. George is currently playing the role of ‘Emilio Estefan’ in the London production of ON YOUR FEET!
Madalena Alberto’s West End credits include the title role in “Evita” at the Dominion Theatre and ‘Grizabella’ in “Cats” at the London Palladium. She has also appeared as ‘Fantine’ in the 25th Anniversary tour of “Les Miserables” and was most recently seen as ‘Giulietta’ in “Aspects of Love” at the Southwark Playhouse. Madalena is currently playing the role of ‘Gloria Fajardo’ in the London production of ON YOUR FEET!
Karen Mann’s many credits include ‘Golde’ in the national tour of “Fiddler on the Roof” opposite Paul Michael Glaser, ‘Marley’ in “Scrooge” at Curve and ‘Mother Superior’ in “Sister Act” also at Curve and on national tour. Her extensive work at the Watermill Theatre in Newbury includes ‘Gladys’ in “Copacabana”, ‘Viv’ in “Spend Spend Spend” and ‘Mrs Lovett in “Sweeney Todd”, which transferred to both the New Ambassadors Theatre and Trafalgar Studios. Karen is currently playing the role of ‘Conseulo’ in the London production of ON YOUR FEET!
Completing the cast will be Elia Lo Tauro,Sharif Afifi,Hollie Cassar, Laura Friedrich Tejero, Denzel Giskus, Francesca Lara Gordon, Yonly Leyva Desdunes, Olivia Kate Holding, Francisco Del Solar, Gabriella-Rose Marchant, Martin McCarthy, Alicia Mencía, Ciro Lourencio Meulens, Robert Oliver, Clayton Rosa, Julia Ruiz Fernandez, Dawnita Smith, Despina Violari,Nathan Zammit and Alain Zambrana Borges.
ON YOUR FEET! is the inspiring true love story of Emilio and Gloria and charts their journey from its origins in Cuba, onto the streets of Miami and finally to international superstardom and features some of the most iconic pops songs of the era, including ‘Rhythm is Gonna Get You’, ‘Conga’, ‘Get On Your Feet’, ‘Don’t Want To Lose You’ and ‘1-2-3’.
Gloria Estefan has sold over 100 million records worldwide and is the most successful Latin crossover performer in the history of pop music. In addition to her 38 number 1 hits across the Billboard charts, Gloria recorded the Oscar-nominated song ‘Music of My Heart’ and has received numerous honours and awards over the course of her illustrious career. Emilio Estefan is a founding member of the pioneering Miami Sound Machine, who created a brand -ew Latin crossover sound – fusing infectious Cuban rhythms with American pop and disco. Combined, they have won a staggering 26 Grammy awards.
The Tony Award® nominated show ran on Broadway for two years, playing for over 750 performances. It is currently on a two year US tour, whilst the production in Holland played to sell out business and standing ovations for a season in 2017/18.
ON YOUR FEET! is directed by two-time Tony Award® winner Jerry Mitchell (Kinky Boots, Legally Blonde), with choreography by Olivier Award-winner Sergio Trujillo (Jersey Boys) and book by Academy Award® winner Alexander Dinelaris (Birdman).
ON YOUR FEET! is produced by Jamie Wilson and Gavin Kalin with InTheatre Productions, Hunter Arnold, Marc David Levine, Eilene Davidson, Iris Smith, Josh Andrews for Kilimanjaro Theatricals, Carlos Candal and Curve.
Wireless Wise – A Celebration comes to Storyhouse in September
Unique show features Alistair McGowan, the Reverend Richard Coles,
Garry Richardson, Charlotte Green and Richie Webb
A group of popular radio personalities are coming together to create a brand new show which comes to Chester in September.
Wireless Wise – A Celebration Of Radio 4brings together a group of well-known names from the airwaves for an unforgettable evening of comedy and nostalgia.
Alistair McGowan, the Reverend Richard Coles, Garry Richardson and Charlotte Green have collectively been entertaining radio audiences for more than two centuries.
The show will be hosted by the Today programme’s Garry Richardson. The lively line-up will bejoined by special guest Richie Webb, from Radio 4’s 15 Minute Musicals, as they reminisce with a show packed with hilarious anecdotes, sketches and music.
Wireless Wise – A Celebration Of Radio 4 comes to Storyhouse on Sunday 22 September 2019 for one night only. The show starts at 7.30pm.
Alistair McGowan is a cherished household name, a master impressionist, stand-up comic, actor, pianist, writer of sketches, articles, stage and radio plays. But he is still probably best known to British audiences for The Big Impression, which was one of BBC1’s top rating comedy programmes over four years, winning numerous awards including a BAFTA. In 2017, Sony Classical released Alistair McGowan; The Piano Album, which went to Number One in The Official Classical Charts, reached number two in the Classic FM chart, and was John Brunning’s Album of The Week.
The Reverend Richard Coles is sometimes described as “Britain’s most famous Vicar”, he is a regular presenter on Radio 4’s Saturday Live and Radio 2. A colourful career saw Richard form the pop band The Communards in the 1980s. He’s the only vicar to have had a Number One record, so he’ll have plenty of tales to share from his extraordinary journey from popstar to priest, to Strictly Come Dancing and beyond.
Garry Richardson joined the BBC in 1974 and “here’s Garry with the sport” has been heard on Radio 4’s Today programme since 1981 – making him the longest serving member of the team and giving him a wealth of hilarious behind the scenes stories to tell. Garry is known for his racing tips which never win, and he famously got David Cameron to select two horses on his first day as Prime Minister. Garry is the regular presenter on 5 Live’s Sportsweek, and has interviewed some of the world’s most famous names, including an impromptu 15-minute chat with President Bill Clinton, live from Wimbledon’s Centre Court.
Newsreader Charlotte Green was once voted the nation’s favourite voice in a Radio Times poll, and is one of the country’s most recognisable and cherished voices. Well-known for her warm tones, diction and poise, a fit of the giggles live on air made her a national treasure – with even Prince Charles thanking her for her “impossibly infectious giggling”. With appearances on the News Quiz and The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, Charlotte is a great raconteur and can still be heard on Saturday evenings reading the football results on Radio 5 Live.
Richie Webb is an established radio comedy writer, performer and producer with his Writers’ Guild award-winning show 15 Minute Musical, a mainstay of the Radio 4 schedule. He also wrote, produced and performed three series of sitcom The Music Teacher, as well as his current project Mr Muzak, now in its second series. He has previously written and performed in multiple series of The Cheese Shop, Look Away Now, and The Bigger Issues for Radio 4, and nine series of Parsons and Naylor’s Pull-Out Sections for BBC Radio 2.
Away from the wireless, Richie is a prolific composer and songwriter for children’s television, and is best known for composing all 100 plus songs for the multiple BAFTA, Emmy, British Comedy Award winning Horrible Histories. As well as having a BBC Children’s Prom dedicated to his songs at the Royal Albert Hall, he has followed the show to the big screen – composing the songs and score for the new Horrible Histories: The Movie.
Tickets for Wireless Wise – A Celebration Of Radio 4 are priced at £25. Each ticket is subject to a £1.50 booking fee.
Martin Shaw, one of the UK’s best loved stars returns to the stage in a new production of Patrick Hamilton’s classic psychological thriller Gaslight, in the role of retired Detective Rough.
A lost watch, a missing brooch, a displaced picture frame… Tricks of the mind perhaps, but for BellaManningham everything seems horribly real.
As the fog-bound evening draws in and the gaslight dims again, Bella realizes she is alone with no one to protect her from the footsteps creaking in the attic.
Only the unexpected arrival of former police detective Rough can help untangle fact from fiction and save a woman on the brink of insanity.
Martin was catapulted to international stardom in the late Seventies, immediately after the first few episodes of The Professionals, launching a career that has hardly seen him out of the limelight since. Martinis best known to TV audiences for his title-roles in the decade long crime drama Inspector George Gently and Judge John Deed, the BBC hit thathad audiences hooked for 6 years, drawing in tens of millions of viewers. His more recent credits include roles in Agatha Christie’s Poirot and Apparitions.
On the West End stage, he has starred in several Bill Kenwright productions including Twelve Angry Men(Garrick Theatre) alongside An Ideal Husband (Theatre Royal, Haymarket), Are You Lonesome Tonight? (Phoenix Theatre), A Man for All Seasons (Theatre Royal, Haymarket), The Country Girl (Apollo Theatre) and The Best Man (The Playhouse Theatre).
Martin is joined by James Wilby who has been entertaining households for almost 40 years and is renowned for his lead role in the film Maurice (Cinecom Pictures). He has since been known for his role as dominant political figure, Lord Falmouth in Poldark (BBC). Both Martin and James will be joined by Charlotte Emmerson,who has graced TV shows such as Love, Lies and Records (BBC), Silent Witness (BBC) and Law & Order (BBC) to name a few. She has appeared in the title role of Lucy Bailey’s acclaimed National Theatre production of Baby Doll.
The cast is completed by Mary Chater of Kinsey (BBC), Wycliffe (ITV) and Footballers’ Wives (ITV) and Georgia Clarke-Day who starred in Fantastic Beats and Where to Find Them (Warner Bros. Pictures).
First staged in 1938 and then adapted as a film in 1944 starring Ingrid Bergman, Joseph Cotton and Charles Boyer, Gaslight is one of the greatest-ever thrillers. Such was the play’s ground-breaking cultural and impact that it popularised ‘gaslighting’ as a term for psychological abuse.
The production, directed by the Olivier Award-nominated Lucy Bailey and designed by Olivier Award winner William Dudley, will tour the UK until 26 October 2019, opening at the Theatre Royal Windsor on 18 September 2019. Lighting Design is by Chris Davey (Witness for the Prosecution, County Hall London) and Sound Design is by Tony Award winner Mic Pool (ART, Old Vic and Royale Theatre Broadway).
TOUR DATES
Wed 18 – Sat 28 September Box Office: 01753 853888
