Music Supervision by Joshua Zecher-Ross;Music Direction: Noam Galperin
Scenic Design: Charlie Corcoran; Sound Design: Chris Drohan
The Vaults
11 September – 13 October 2019
The UK première of the hit Off-Broadway musical SHIDA, written and performed by Jeannette Bayardelle, is today announced. The award-winning production, directed by Andy Sandberg, opens at The Vaults on 13 September, with previews from 11 September, and runs until 13 October.
Set to a soulfully contagious score of rock, jazz, R&B, and gospel music, SHIDA is based on thetrue story of a young African-American girl who aspires to become a writer, tracing the ups and downs of her family, friendships, and love life – from the double-dutch court at St. Mary’s Catholic School in the Bronx to a scholarship at NYU. Her dreams become sidetracked by hardship and loss until her faith and those closest to her combine to restore Shida’s hope and give her a second chance.
Jeannette Bayardellesaid today, “I could not be more excited to bring my musical SHIDA to London! This is a true story about my childhood best friend, and there’s no piece of theatre that’s more special to me – it’s an honour to share her story with the world. Developing SHIDA with Ars Nova (NYC) and having our première Off-Broadway were such incredible experiences, and I am grateful to my collaborators, our producers, and especially our audiences for believing in this show. Now, bringing SHIDA to The Vaults for its UK première is a dream come true, and I’m looking forward to collaborating once again with my director Andy Sandberg as we bring this musical across the pond. The time has never felt more right to tell Shida’s story. London — we’ll see you soon!”
Jeannette Bayardelle reprises her role as Shida, for which she won and AUDELCO Award for Outstanding Solo Performance. SHIDA also received an IRNE Award nomination for Best Solo Show in 2015. Her theatre credits include The Color Purple (The Broadway Theatre/US tour- the NAACP Theater Award for Best Lead Actress in a Musical), Hair (Al Hirschfeld Theatre), The Best of Both Worlds (The Women’s Project Theater/American Repertory Theater), Rock of Ages (New World Stages), Sister Act (North Shore Music Theatre/Theatre by the Sea), Big River, Freaky Friday, Rent (US tour), Girl from the North Country (The Public Theater and the forthcoming Broadway transfer); and for film, The Little Mermaid III. Bayardelle’s albums include I Know Who I Am, Praise Report and Transferable.
Andy Sandberg is a director, writer, actor, and Tony Award winning producer. His theatre credits as a Director include the world premieres of Shida (Ars Nova – AUDELCO Award nomination for Best Director), Straight (Theatre Row), Application Pending – which he also co-wrote (Westside Theatre – Broadway World Award for Best Off-Broadway Play, Drama Desk Nomination for Outstanding Solo Show), Neurosis and R.R.R.E.D. (DR2 Theatre), Operation Epsilon (Central Square Theater @ MIT – IRNE Award for Best Director), The Last Smoker in America (Westside Theatre), and Craving For Travel – which he co-wrote (Peter J. Sharp Theater @ Playwrights Horizons). As a producer, his credits include Hair (Al Hirschfeld Theatre/Gielgud Theatre – Tony, Drama Desk, Drama League, Outer Critics Circle Awards), The Best Man (Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre – Tony Award nomination for Best Revival of a Play), The Realistic Joneses (Lyceum Theater), A Perfect Future (Cherry Lane Theater), Vigil (DR2 Theatre), Pageant (Davenport Theater – Drama Desk Nomination for Best Revival) and Paradise Found (Menier Chocolate Factory). Sandberg is a graduate of Yale University and a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC), Actors’ Equity Association (AEA) and the Off-Broadway League. www.AndySandberg.com
SHIDA was originally developed in association with Ars Nova (NYC).
This I am giving 4 stars to for the overall viewing pleasure not for the performance. The performance gets a solid 5 Stars!
This show follows a group of hippies who are protesting against war, specifically the Vietnam war. The dynamic relationships within the group are tested by not only the situation but the free love of the 70s. One gent is battling himself on whether to sign up to complete his service or to stay with his friends fighting for ‘love not war’. Not for the faint hearted, the first act especially is pretty sexual and with a substantial amount of nudity so possibly not the best idea to go see this with your Grandmother, although, she could take her friends and I am sure they would love the show as much as I did.
Opening night issues included the show opening 15 minutes late, sound being too loud at times and others the microphones not picking up as well as the theatre bouncers standing about loitering and whispering instead of dealing with the talkers and those attempting to video despite the warnings verbally since you stepped through the front doors of the theatre. But of course, that did not take anything away from an incredible show that I would certainly recommend to my adult friends.
Several of the cast members had voices that gave me goosebumps including Dionne (Aiesha Pease) and Crissy (Kelly Sweeney). The confidence and the voice range of many of the cast was incredible. The lights where like an extra character in the show adding ambiance and dramatic flair throughout. The Band being on stage with the cast really added to the festival vibe that comes from a group of hippies. Braking the barrier between stage and audience really makes you feel like you are there with them living the story.
Claude (Paul Wilkins) is a raw talent and can portray pure emotion with just a look.
I was surprised by how many of the songs I was familiar with despite never seeing this show before.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this show and would highly recommend.
ANDREW BOYER, AS SEEN IN LAW & ORDER AND FOX TV SERIES GENIUS, ANNOUNCED TO JOIN WAITRESS IN THE ROLE OF OLD JOE FROM 12 AUGUST
EASTENDERS’ STAR SHAUN PRENDERGAST WILL COMPLETE HIS FINAL PERFORMANCE IN THE HIT MUSICAL ON 10 AUGUST
Waitress has today announced Andrew Boyer will join the smash hit West End musical in the role of Old Joe from 12 August. Boyer’s previous credits include UK tours for Of Mice and Men and Shawshank Redemption, TV series Law & Order and he has recently completed filming for HBO’s upcoming series Avenue 5. He will take over the role from Shaun Prendergast, as previously seen as DC Holt in EastEnders and who will mark his final performance on 10 August.
Waitress, London’s brand-new smash hit musical comedy, tells the story of Jenna, a waitress and expert pie-maker who dreams her way out of a loveless marriage. When a hot new doctor arrives in town, life gets complicated. With the support of her workmates Becky and Dawn, Jenna overcomes the challenges she faces and finds that laughter, love and friendship can provide the perfect recipe for happiness.
The Tony-nominated musical celebrated its official opening night at the AdelphiTheatre on 7 March and recently extended by popular demand, now booking through Christmas and New Year to 4 January 2020.
Andrew Boyer has performed extensively across stage and screen. His UK tour credits include Candy in Of Mice And Men and Brooksie in Shawshank Redemption. On Broadway he has starred in Gypsy and Music Man. Other selected credits include 1776, My Fair Lady, King Lear, Disney’s Beauty And The Beast, The Odd Couple, Mrs Warren Profession, Candida, Oliver!, Showboat and A Christmas Carol. Andrew has also guest starred in numerous films and TV productions. His recent credits include Avenue 5 for HBO, Genius for FOXand Law & Order:SUV for NBC.
Brought to life by a ground breaking, female-led creative team, Waitress features an original score by 7-time Grammy® nominee Sara Bareilles (Love Song, Brave), a book by acclaimed screenwriter Jessie Nelson (I Am Sam) and direction by Tony Award® winner Diane Paulus (Pippin, Finding Neverland) and choreography by Lorin Latarro. The production is also currently touring the US and Canada and has announced an Australian premiere in 2020 at the Sydney Lyric Theatre with further productions to open in Holland next year and Japan in 2021.
Alongside Andrew Boyer as Old Joe, Waitress stars Lucie Jones as Jenna, Laura Baldwin as Dawn, Marisha Wallace as Becky, Blake Harrison as Ogie, Peter Hannah as Earl, David Hunter as Dr. Pomatter.
The full company includes Kelly Agbowu, Laura Baldwin, Piers Bate, Andrew Boyer, Nicole Raquel Dennis, Michael Hamway, Peter Hannah, Blake Harrison, David Hunter, Lucie Jones,Stephen Leask, Chris McGuigan, Olivia Moore, Nathaniel Morrison, Sarah O’Connor, Leanne Pinder, Charlotte Riby, Marisha Wallace and Mark Willshire.
On its Broadway opening at the Brooks Atkinson Theater where it has since become the longest running show in the venue’s history, Waitress was nominated for four Outer Critics’ Circle Awards, including Outstanding New Broadway Musical; two Drama League Award Nominations, including Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical; six Drama Desk Nominations, including Outstanding Musical; and four Tony Award Nominations, including Best Musical.
Breffni Holahan wins The Stage Edinburgh Award for Collapsible by Margaret Perry Disruption: co-curated by HighTide and Assembly
Breffni Holahan has won The Stage Edinburgh Award for her performance in Collapsible – a piece by Margaret Perry (Porcelain), directed by Thomas Martin (Ross and Rachel). It comes to Edinburgh as part of HighTide’s Disruption series, in partnership with Assembly Roxy.
Holahan comments, I’d like to say a massive thank you to The Stage for this enormous honour. No takesies backsies now! My eternal gratitude to Margaret, Tom, Ellie and everyone on Team Collapsible. I was nervous I’d feel lonely performing solo for the first time, but I’ve made wonderful friends in you all, and in Essie.
Producer Ellie Keel adds, It’s been a joy to produce this complex, surprising, wonderful play in partnership with HighTide, and one of the best parts of that process has been seeing Breffni’s performance amaze and dazzle so many people. I can’t wait to take the show to Aldeburgh, the Dublin Fringe and finally the Bush Theatre in 2020!
The Stage Edinburgh Awards are presented throughout the festival. They are not defined by category but recognise an outstanding performance at the Fringe. In her review for The Stage, Natasha Tripney wrote, Breffni Holahan is mesmeric as Essie. A little wide-eyed even in the beginning, her performance builds gradually in intensity.
Collapsible (winner of VAULT Festival 2019’s Origin Award for Outstanding New Work) is a funny, furious new monologue about holding on. It follows the life of a complex, funny bisexual woman and looks at finding connections to people when you don’t feel connected to yourself.
Perry’s writing uses soaring imagination with sharp observation to take a tender look at one person trying to be normal. Blending a fearless, psychologically acute female performance with a set intervention that appears to float the performer in the air, we see that Essie Nutting, despite everyone’s protestations, quite literally doesn’t have her feet on the ground.
Also part of the Disruption programme are Kenny Emson’s Rust, Pops by Charlotte Josephine, and a double bill of shows presented with The Queer House from writers Teddy Lamb and Mika Johnson, as Kevin P. Gilday’s Suffering From Scottishness completes the curated programme.
The shows by Kenny Emson, Margaret Perry, Charlotte Josephine, Teddy Lamb and Mika Johnson will headline HighTide Festival, Aldeburgh 2019 (10th – 15th September).
The Casting Directors’ Guild welcomes new casting category at the BAFTA’s
In response to the news that BAFTA has introduced a new category to recognise achievements in the craft of casting – for both film and television – Victor Jenkins, Chair of the Casting Directors’ Guild (CDG) commented:
“We are thrilled at the news that BAFTA has introduced a category for casting in both their film and television Awards in 2020. The overwhelming industry support since the announcement alone shows just how important this news is to so many of us. We do what we do because we love actors, we love being part of the story telling process, and above all else we are creative people.
The alchemy of casting has long been overlooked in awards categories. I am both personally and professionally over the moon about this most excellent news and on behalf of the Casting Directors’ Guild and its members…and Casting Directors as a whole….send a huge thank you to BAFTA for not one, but two new awards for the craft of casting.
We really hope that the creation of these awards will lead to wider recognition for the huge amount of work that goes into casting for both stage and screen, and instigate further casting categories.”
Andy Pryor, member of the CDG Casting Awards Committee added: “Any production – be it film, television drama, theatre or commercial – is heavily reliant on the quality of its casting, which forms an intrinsic part of the creative process. Casting Directors are at the vanguard of the quest for new talent and the push for inclusiveness. I am delighted that BAFTA will recognise casting for the first time in the film and TV Awards from 2020.”
On 12 February 2019, The Casting Directors’ Guild launched its first Casting Awards to address the lack of casting categories at other industry ceremonies and to celebrate the excellent work of its members. Presenting awards at this event, and echoing the call for official recognition, were celebrated actors Jade Anouka, Gemma Arterton, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Lucy Boynton, Natalie Dormer, Claire Foy, Ana Geislerova, David Gyasi, Andrew Garfield, Richard E Grant, Lisa Hammond, Eleanor Matsuura, John Simm and Russell Tovey. The CDG Casting Awards will return on 11 February 2020
Sheffield Theatres and English Touring Theatre today announce the full cast for their co-production of the world première of Matt Haig’s Reasons to Stay Alive imagined for the stage by Jonathan Watkins and with text by April De Angelis.
Jonathan Watkins directs Phil Cheadle (Older Matt), Chris Donnelly (Dad), Janet Etuk (Andrea), Mike Noble(Younger Matt), Dilek Rose (Dawn/Jenny/Rose) and Connie Walker (Mum). The production opens on 18 September, with previews from 13 September and runs at Sheffield Theatres until 28 September, ahead of a tour to Bristol, Huddersfield, Newcastle, Manchester, York and Leeds.
STUDIO
A Sheffield Theatres and English Touring Theatre production
World Première
REASONS TO STAY ALIVE
By Matt Haig
Imagined for the stage by Jonathan Watkins
Text written by April De Angelis
Director Jonathan Watkins; Designer Simon Daw; Lighting Designer Jessica Hung Han Yun
Composer Alex Baranowski; Sound Designer Nick Greenhill; Casting Director Lucy Casson
13 – 28 September
‘Life is waiting for you. Hang on in there if you can. Life is always worth it.’
At 24 Matt’s world collapsed under the weight of depression. This is the true story of his journey out of crisis; a profoundly uplifting exploration of living and loving better. The first theatrical adaptation of Matt Haig’s frank and funny bestseller. This play with music and movement, imagined for the stage by Jonathan Watkins, celebrates what it means to be alive.
Phil Cheadle returns to Sheffield Theatres to play Older Matt. He previously appeared in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. His other theatre credits include Table (New Vic Theatre), The Cardinal (Southwark Playhouse), Breaking The Code (Royal Exchange Theatre), Henry V (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (Chichester Festival Theatre), Mrs. Affleck (National Theatre), Henry IV, Bedlam (Shakespeare’s Globe),The Changeling (UK tour/Barbican), Neighbourhood Watch (Stephen Joseph Theatre/Tricycle Theatre/59E59 Theater), Dear Uncle (Stephen Joseph Theatre) and Events While Guarding The Bofors Gun, Variation on a Theme (Finborough Theatre). His television credits include Harlots, Dark Angel, The Crimson Fields and New Worlds; and for film, John Carter of Mars and the forthcoming 1917.
Chris Donnelly plays Dad. His theatre credits include Bent (Courtyard Theatre), Road (Southwark Playhouse), Darkness Darkness (Nottingham Playhouse), The Country, Billy Liar, One Flea Spare (UK tours) The Tempest, Orpheus and Eurydice and Macbeth (Insane Root Theatre Company). He has been part of Andrew Hilton’s award-winning Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory theatre company ensemble since its inception in 2000, with roles in Othello,The Winter’s Tale, Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Tempest, Measure For Measure, The Taming of the Shrew, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Changeling, Troilus and Cressida and most recently Henry V. For television, his work includes No Offence, Fat Friends, Silent Witness, Wire in the Blood, The Musketeers, The Derren Brown Show and Vital Signs.
Janet Etuk plays Andrea. For theatre her work includes Tao of Glass (Manchester International Festival), Dinomania (New Diorama Theatre), Love (National Theatre, UK tour), Gastronomic (Norwich Theatre), Satyagraha (ENO/Improbable), Electronica (Rhum and Clay), The Scar Test (Soho Theatre and UK tour), Icons(Woman of the World Festival), The Love I Feel is Red (Tobacco Factory and Òran Mór) and Beyond Caring (Yard Theatre and National Theatre). For film, her work includes Love and The Souvenir.
Mike Noble plays Younger Matt. For theatre his work includes Cougar (Orange Tree Theatre), The Almighty Sometimes (Royal Exchange Manchester), Road (Royal Court Theatre), Game (Almeida Theatre), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Port (National Theatre), Mudlarks (HighTide and Bush Theatre) and Punk Rock (Lyric Hammersmith and Royal Exchange Manchester). For television, his work includes Home Fires, Mr Selfridge, Granchester and Prisoners’ Wives; and for film, Dark River, Kill Command, The Siege of Jadotville, Bachelor Games, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit and Private Peaceful.
Dilek Rose plays Dawn/Jenny/Denise. For theatre, her work includes Cuzco, The Words are Coming Now, Gather Ye Rosebuds (Theatre503), Gendering Memories of Iraq (V&A), Baby Love (Bush Theatre and Tristram Bates Theatre), Twist (Soho Theatre), Octopus (Edinburgh Fringe, Greenwich Theatre andUK tour), Fallujah(Cockpit Theatre), Contractions (Trafalgar Studios) and Love’s Labour’s Lost (Bristol Old Vic). For television her work includes MotherFatherSon; and for film, Snake Pit and The Chocolate Wrapper.
Connie Walker plays Mum. Her theatre credits include The Importance of Being Earnest (Watermill Theatre), In Basildon (Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch), My Mother Said I Never Should,The Beauty Queen of Leenane (London Classic Theatre), Trestle (Southwark Playhouse), The March on Russia (Orange Tree Theatre), Death of a Salesman (Northampton Theatre Royal, UK tour), A Month of Sundays (Queens Theatre Hornchurch), FOLK(Birmingham Rep & UK tour), Seeing the Lights, Kes, Top Girls (New Vic Theatre), To Kill a Mockingbird (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre/UK tour/Barbican), As You Like It and Hay Fever (West Yorkshire Playhouse), Separate Tables (Chichester Festival Theatre), Happy Birthday Brecht (National Theatre), Mother Courage (New Wolsey Ipswich), Inside Out (Arcola Theatre/UK tour) and Much Ado About Nothing (Manchester Royal Exchange). Television credits include Silent Witness, The Vice and Blackpool. Film credits include The Darkest Light andWhat Do You See?.
Matt Haig is a British author for children and adults. His memoir Reasons to Stay Alive was a number one bestseller, staying in the British top ten for 46 weeks. His children’s book A Boy Called Christmas was a runaway hit and is translated in over 25 languages. His novels for adults include the award-winning The Radleys and The Humans. He won the TV Book Club ‘book of the series’, and has been shortlisted for a Specsavers National Book Award. The Humans was chosen as a World Book Night title. His children’s novels have won the Smarties Gold Medal, the Blue Peter Book of the Year, been shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize and nominated for the Carnegie Medal three times.
April De Angelis’ work includes Wild East (Young Vic), The Village adapted from Lope de Vega’s Fuenteovejuna(Theatre Royal Stratford East), My Brilliant Friend adapted from Elena Ferrante’s novels (Rose Theatre Kingston), Rune (Old Vic Stoke), After Electra (Plymouth Theatre Royal and Tricycle Theatre), Jumpy (Royal Court and Duke of York’s), Catch (a collaboration with four other female playwrights) and Wild East (Royal Court), A Gloriously Mucky Business (Lyric Hammersmith), Calais (Paines Plough/Oran Mor), Country (Terror Season, Southwark Playhouse), an adaptation of Wuthering Heights (Birmingham Rep Theatre), A Laughing Matter (Out of Joint Theatre Company, National Theatre), The Warwickshire Testimony (RSC, The Other Place),The Positive Hour (Out of Joint Theatre/National Tour) and Playhouse Creatures (Sphinx Theatre Company, later revived by The Old Vic Theatre).
Jonathan Watkins directed and adapted KES (Sheffield Crucible Theatre, UK) a full-length dance-theatre production of the book ‘A Kestrel for a Knave’ by Barry Hines and created the first dance adaptation of George Orwell’s modern classic 1984 for Northern Ballet (UK Tour and Sadler’s Wells Theatre, May 2016). 1984 won Best New Dance Production at The Southbank Sky Arts Awards 2016 and was broadcast on the BBC with a DVD release by Opus Arte. Other credits include; Silent Vision, Stop Me When I’m Stuck, In The Presence of Others(Royal Ballet at Linbury Studio Theatre), As One (Royal Ballet), Diana and Actaeon for the productionMetamorphosis: Titian (Royal Opera House/BBC Imagine film), Beyond Prejudice, Free Falling (Curve Foundation, Edinburgh Fringe Festival), NOW (New York City Ballet), Anger Fix (Sadler’s Wells), From Within andOnwards (Royal Ballet School), Push, Pull and all in-between and Osmosis (Hong Kong Performing Arts Centre),Together Alone (Ballet Black), Eventual Progress (Ekaterinburg Ballet Theatre, Russia), Present Process (Ballet Manila, Philippines), A Northern Trilogy (Northern Ballet), and Crash (Texas Ballet Theatre). He also worked as Movement Director on Road by Jim Cartwright (Royal Court Theatre), People by Alan Bennett (National Theatre), The Machine (Manchester International Festival/Donmar Warehouse/New York Park Avenue Armoury), Aristocrats and Coriolanus (Donmar Warehouse). On film Route 67 for The Slice Project. Sofa, which he also directed, and Bunker for Channel 4’s Random Acts series. He produced and directed the Iphone Dance Series, a collection of Iphone shot dance films and recently directed the Saint-Petersburg Film Festival selected short Imperfect Perfection.
NOTES TO EDITORS
Sheffield Theatres is the world-famous Crucible, a Sheffield landmark with a distinctive stage and a reputation for producing brilliant drama, the Studio, an intimate, versatile space that puts you right at the heart of the action, the beautiful Lyceum, the gleaming traditional theatre that hosts the best of the UK’s touring shows. It’s a place to try your hand at acting; a space for artists to practise and hone their craft; a place to play, explore, imagine, create. It’s a place for everyone.
English Touring Theatre (ETT) is one of the UK’s leading touring companies, winning the UK Theatre Awards Best Touring Production in 2014, 2015 and 2016 and the 2017 Manchester Theatre Award for Best Visiting Production. ETT works with exciting artists to stage an eclectic mix of new and classic work for audiences throughout the UK and internationally; theatre that is thrilling, popular and engaged in the contemporary world. ETT celebrates the diversity of the nation, creates connections between audiences nationally and places an examination of English identity at the heart of everything it does. ETT passionately believes that everyone, wherever they are in the country, deserves access to world class theatre that has meaning and relevance to their lives.
Last year saw the company celebrate its 25th anniversary, it began the year with a critically acclaimed production of A Streetcar Named Desire directed by the 2017 RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award-winning Chelsea Walker, followed by a major national and international tour of Richard Twyman’s production of Othello and a celebrated revival of Dealing with Clair by Martin Crimp in a co-production with the Orange Tree Theatre.
In 2019 ETT have produced a major revival of Equus by Peter Shaffer in a co-production with Theatre Royal Stratford East, directed by award winning director Ned Bennett which is currently running in the West End; the world première of Cougar by Rose Lewenstein, directed by Chelsea Walker in a co-production with the Orange Tree Theatre; and The Funeral Director by Iman Qureshi, winner of the 2018 PAPAtango award. This autumn ETT is also touring the Tony award winning play, Two Trains Running by August Wilson, directed by RTST Sir Peter Hall award winner, Nancy Medina, in a co-production with Royal & Derngate Northampton.
CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED PRODUCTION OF FLORIAN ZELLER’S THE SON
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
Daily Telegraph Observer Times Daily Mail Sunday Express
★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★
Guardian Evening Standard Financial Times The Stage
FIERY ANGEL AND GAVIN KALIN PRODUCTIONS PRESENT THE KILN THEATRE PRODUCTION OF
THE SON
By Florian Zeller
In a translation by Christopher Hampton
Director: Michael Longhurst; Designer: Lizzie Clachan; Lighting Designer: Lee Curran
Composer and Sound Designer: Isobel Waller-Bridge; Casting Director: Amy Ball
24 August – 2 November
‘Florian Zeller’s remarkable play… Michael Longhurst’s immaculate production…
I’d defy anyone not to be moved’ Guardian
The full cast is announced for the Michael Longhurst’s critically acclaimed production of Florian Zeller’s The Son, in a translation by Christopher Hampton, as it transfers to the West End. The production opens at the Duke of York’s Theatre on 2 September, with previews from 24 August, and runs until 2 November. Amanda Abbington, Laurie Kynaston, John Light, Amaka Okafor and Martin Turner reprise their lauded performances for the strictly limited 10 week run. They are joined by Cudjoe Asare to complete the company. The Son marks the first West End transfer for the Kiln Theatre since it reopened last September, and is presented in the West End by Fiery Angel and Gavin Kalin Productions.
‘This final part of Florian Zeller’s trilogy is the most powerful of all’
The Times
‘A compulsive, involving, emotionally stirring evening – theatre’s answer to a page-turner.’
Observer
Written by the internationally acclaimed Florian Zeller, lauded by The Guardian as ‘the most exciting playwright of our time’, The Son is directed by the award-winning Michael Longhurst and forms the final part of the critically acclaimed trilogy with The Father and The Mother.
I’m telling you. I don’t understand what’s happening to me.
Nicolas is going through a difficult phase after his parents’ divorce. He’s listless, skipping school, lying and thinks that moving in with his father and his new family may help. A fresh start. When he doesn’t settle there either, he decides that going back to his mother’s may be the answer. When change feels like the only way to survive, what will he do when the options begin to run out?
‘Exceptional… Fizzes with raw emotion… It totally blew me away.’
Daily Mail
Florian Zeller is a French novelist and playwright. Zeller won the prestigious Prix Interallié in 2004 (Fascination of Evil) and several Molière Awards for his plays La Mère (The mother)and Le Père (The father). L’Autre, le Manège, Si tu mourais, Elle t’attend, La Vérité (The truth)andUne heure de Tranquillité were successfully produced in France and internationally. L’Envers du décor, starring Daniel Auteuil was produced in Paris in 2016. Avant de s’envoler was on the same season, and recently played at the Wyndham’s Theatre (The Height of the Storm) with Jonathan Pryce and Eileen Atkins (Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress) directed by Jonathan Kent. Le Père(The father), was nominated as Best New Play at the 2016 Olivier Awards, with Kenneth Cranham winning for Best Actor in a Play. It also received two nominations for the 2016 Tony Awards – Best Play and Best Performance by an Actor, the latter was won by Frank Langella. This play has been performed in over 35 countries and is being adapted into a feature film with Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman which Zeller will direct. Christopher Hampton has translated most of Zeller’s plays into English; and his plays have received many international awards.
Christopher Hampton has translated plays by Ibsen, Molière, Chekhov, Yasmina Reza (including Art and Life x 3) and Florian Zeller’s The Father, The Mother and The Truth. He won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for the adaptation of his own play, Les Liaisons Dangereuses (released as Dangerous Liaisons). He was nominated again in 2007 for adapting Ian McEwan’s novel Atonement. His television work includes adaptations of The History Man and Hotel du Lac.
‘The surgical precision of the writing achieves a devastating visceral impact’
Daily Telegraph
Amanda Abbington plays Anne. Her theatre credits include The God of Carnage (Theatre Royal Bath), A Little Princess (Royal Festival Hall), Abigail’s Party (Theatre Royal Bath/UK Tour), God Bless This Child (Royal Court), Love Me Tonight (Hampstead Theatre), The Safari Party (Stephen Joseph Theatre /Hampstead Theatre), Something Blue (Stephen Joseph Theatre), Taming of the Shrew (Queen Mother Theatre) and Tin Soldiers (New End Theatre/Grace Theatre). For television her credits include Flack, Safe, Sherlock, Mr Selfridge, Being Human, Case Histories, Psychoville, Man Stroke Woman, Booze Cruise, Teachers and Coupling; and for film, We The Kings, Crooked House, Another Mother’s Son and Ghosted.
Laurie Kynaston plays Nicolas. His theatre credits include The Ferryman (Gielgud Theatre), Jumpy, The Winslow Boy (Theatre Clwyd). For television, his work includes Derry Girls, The Feed, Cradle to Grave, Murder Games and Our World War; and for film, How To Build a Girl, Undercliffe and England is Mine.
John Light plays Pierre. Theatre credits include Uncle Vanya (Theatre Royal Bath), Mary Stuart (Duke of York’s Theatre), The Winter’s Tale, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare’s Globe), Three Days In The Country (National Theatre), Taken at Midnight (Chichester Festival Theatre and Theatre Royal Haymarket – Olivier Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor), The Blackest Black (Hampstead Theatre), Julius Caesar (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre), Thom Pain (Based on Nothing) (The Print Room), Luise Miller (Donmar Warehouse), The Master Builder, Certain Young Men (Almeida Theatre), True West (Sheffield Crucible) and Apologia (Bush Theatre). For television, his work includes Agatha Raisin, Mars, Maigret, Father Brown, Silk, Dresden, North and South, Cambridge Spies, Band of Brothers, Love in a Cold Climate and Aristocrats; and for film, Albert Nobbs, Scoop, The Lion in Winter and A Rather English Marriage.
Amaka Okafor plays Sofia. Her theatre credits include I’m Not Running, Macbeth, Saint George and The Dragon, Peter Pan (National Theatre), Hamlet (Almeida Theatre), Grimly Handsome, I See You (Royal Court Theatre) and Hamlet (Barbican).
Martin Turner plays The Doctor. His theatre work includes The Plague (Arcola Theatre), The Crucible (Storyhouse), Uncle Vanya (Theatr Clwyd and Sheffield Theatres), The Haunting of Hill House (Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse), The King’s Speech (Chichester Festival Theatre and tour), Medea (National Theatre), Twelve Angry Men (Garrick Theatre and Birmingham Rep) and A Life of Galileo (RSC). For television, his work includes A Very English Murder, Mother’s Day, Follow the Money, Maigret, New Tricks, The White Queen and Dark Matters; and for film, Urban Hymn and Labirent.
Cudjoe Asare plays Nurse. He Bristol Old Vic Theatre School this summer and The Son marks his professional stage debut.
The understudies are Rebecca D’Souza (Anne and Sofia), Piers Hampton (Pierre, Doctor and Nurse), and Harry Rundle (Nicolas).
Michael Longhurst directs. He was recently appointed Artistic Director of the Donmar Warehouse, and opened his inaugural production there – David Greig’s Europe – in June. His other recent credits include the recent revival of Caroline or Change (Chichester, Festival Theatre, Hampstead Theatre, and Playhouse Theatre – nominated for 3 Olivier Awards, including Best Musical Revival, with Sharon D. Clarke winning the Best Actress in a Musical Award), and Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus (National Theatre) and Nick Payne’s Constellations starring Sally Hawkins and Rafe Spall at Royal Court Theatre and in the West End, and with Ruth Wilson and Jake Gyllenhaal on Broadway. Longhurst also worked with Gyllenhaal on his American stage debut in If There Is I Haven’t Found It Yet (Roundabout Theatre, New York). Other credits include Gloria (Hampstead Theatre), Belleville (Donmar Warehouse), Bad Jews (Theatre Royal Bath/West End), and Linda (Royal Court Theatre).
Based in Kilburn, Kiln Theatre creates internationally renowned, high-quality, engaging and innovative work which presents the world through a variety of different lenses, amplifying unheard voices into the mainstream. Led by Artistic Director Indhu Rubasingham and Executive Director Daisy Heath, it makes theatre that crosses continents and tells big stories about human connections across cultures, race and languages.
We encourage artists of all ages and backgrounds. Our work is commissioned specifically for our theatre and produced by Kiln Theatre’s artistic team, as well as additional work which is programmed in collaboration with national or international partners.
Recent productions include White Teeth by Zadie Smith, adapted by Stephen Sharkey, Holy Sh!t by Alexis Zegerman, Approaching Empty by Ishy Din, The Son by Florian Zeller, The Half God of Rainfall by Inua Ellams, Wife by Samuel Adamson and Blues in the Night. Recent collaborations include the National Theatre, Tamasha and Sundance Theatre Lab (US).
The ambitious Creative Learning programme aims to champion the imagination, aspiration and potential of the Brent community young and old. It invests in creating meaningful relationships with young people to inspire and encourage their creativity, their confidence and self-esteem. It works with older people to create a thriving community around the theatre.
“History with the horrible bits left in” is how Horrible Histories live is billed and they are absolutely right. Presented by the Birmingham Stage company, Benedict Martin and Pip Chamberlin bring the books of Terry Deary to life on stage.
Giving an in-site into the life of St Alban, Vikings, Tudors and Victorians amongst others, Martin and Chamberlin become various characters from history, some fictional and some real, and make the historic events memorable through jokes, songs and audience participation. If you ever want to see a Night-soil man do the floss dance or watch a Viking and Saxon have a rap battle then this is the show for you.
With a very basic set consisting of two old fashioned lamp posts and a large wooden box that is moved to become a Viking long boat, a train interior and a throne and costumes being taken from a fancy box so the actors can be dressed for the historical era they are explaining, the emphasis is more on the facts than the staging.
With references to modern day events such as Boris Johnson being the Prime Minister and the impending Brexit deadline, the show is as much for adults as it is children. Grab a ticket whilst the show is still on and enjoy history in a fun but educational way whilst laughing at fart jokes
New Victoria Theatre, Woking – until 10 August 2019
Reviewed by Lisa Harlow
4****
So iconic is this show that I can guarantee the title song strikes up immediately in your mind, the moment you read the title. Right?
The film and soundtrack, now over 40 years old, told the story of how disco took over the world, but also how Saturday Night became a beacon for most people trying to escape their down-trodden Monday to Friday lives.
The vibrancy of the dancefloor brings pretty much the only light into Tony Manero’s (Richard Winsor) Brooklyn working class life, the infamous main role played by John Travolta in that suit.
Tony finds himself stifled in a strict Catholic Italian family, with a bitter, unemployed father always ready to take aim with his pot shots. His friends occupy themselves with girls and fighting, whilst Tony finds his pulse and his freedom dancing in club 2001.
Enter Stephanie Mangano (Olivia Fines), and Tony’s occupation with dancing increases ten-fold as he follows his dream to find release in dancing. The sparkle from the dancefloor cannot overshadow the apparent darkness in Tony and his entourage’s lives; this story is not without tragedy.
You Should Be Dancing blasts out into the audience and for me, it was the first unveiling of the true vivacity of the music in this show. Unfortunately, there were a few audio issues during the first half, which were all handled professionally by the cast. It wasn’t clear if this was the true cause of the underlying cool, jazz vibe I felt up from the performance up to the interval, rather than fiery energy I had been anticipating. Dialogue between Tony and his father (Grant Neal) needed more impact, some dialogue needed more volume, all in all, I felt it a little muffled.
Post interval, the performance was rousing, emotionally moving and exhilarating. Winsor’s ballet training brought beautiful poise and flow to the dance moves, he also had great stage presence when peacocking on the dancefloor. Fines was hypnotic in her role as the enigmatic Mangano, and I found it hard to take my eyes off her when she was dancing. The trio singing the Bee Gees much loved songs were fantastic throughout, as was the choreography and supporting cast. By Jive Talking, Saturday Night Fever’s true explosive disco spirit had been unleashed and we were all consumed by its dazzling fire. Not only for nostalgic reasons, this show shakes your disco spirit free with its Burn Baby Burn fiery heart: a thoroughly enjoyable, glitterball of an evening
This show is definitely one of two parts. Stunning performance but not quite as good production. With no programmes available, the lovely Nic at Darlington Hippodrome managed to find me a cast list or I would be lost as to who to praise and who to grumble.
Puttin’ on the Ritz is from David Kings Spirit Productions and is currently on tour around the UK after a tour in Australia. It covers the golden age of Hollywood with songs from Gershwin, Cole Porter and Irving Berlin. The vocalists Katherine Glover, Robyn Tempest, Tamara Eden, Sean Smith and Miles Braithwaite are incredibly talented and the dancers Chloe Gatward, Shaunna Olley, Gemma Taylor, Daniella Hyner-Anderson, Charlie Barker, Lewis Herring, James Chew and Dan Holland help to lift the amazing vocals with stunning footwork. The second act concentrates on the stars of the time – Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, Al Jolson and The Cotton Club.
The singing is fabulous, evoking memories of glamour of a bygone era and the dancers are spellbinding – performing many different types of choreography from waltz to a Charleston which had an audience member up on the stage joining in – he looked like he was having a whale of a time.
Unfortunately what the performers gave the production took away. The costumes which should have been dazzling were lacking. The hems were down, they had bald patches where sequins had fallen off, the appliqué was unstitched, feathers were missing and the fans looked like they were held together with luck. The men appeared to be wearing each others clothes, with nothing actually fitting anyone. During the staging of Putting on my Top Hat, the male singers managed to find tailcoats and top hats but not white ties – a simple issue easily remedied if someone just took 5 minutes to check their outfits either before or after their wear.
The sound was made up of backing tracks which sometimes drowned the singers and when there was tap dancing the track seemed to be dubbed with extra taps to make it sound like more people were on the stage.
This could be a glorious show, the potential is there, with just a bit of care and a little bit of money spending it could be spectacular. However, the predominantly elderly audience all seemed to be enjoying themselves and that is all that matters
