Author: FairyPoweredProductions

TAKE THAT’S MUSICAL

THE BAND

BY TIM FIRTH, WITH THE MUSIC OF TAKE THAT

ANNOUNCED WEST END SEASON

WITH A PERFORMANCE ON THE ROOF OF

THE THEATRE ROYAL HAYMARKET, LONDON

Take That, co-producers of the new musical THE BAND, joined the show’s cast to perform on the roof of the Theatre Royal Haymarket at 1pm today, Monday 19 March, to launch the six-week West End run of the musical at the theatre this Christmas, from 1 December 2018 to 12 January 2019.

Tim Firth’s award-winning new musical THE BAND, with the music of Take That, opened at Manchester Opera House on 8 September 2017 to hugely critical acclaim and has broken box office records around the UK.

The musical stars Rachel Lumberg as Rachel, Alison Fitzjohn as Claire, Emily Joyce as Heather, Jayne McKenna as Zoe, AJ Bentley, Nick Carsberg, Curtis T Johns, Yazdan Qafouri and Sario Solomon, winners of BBC’s Let It Shine, as The Band, Faye Christall as Young Rachel, Katy Clayton as Young Heather, Rachelle Diedericks as Debbie, Sarah Kate Howarth as Young Claire, Lauren Jacobs as Young Zoe, Martin Miller as Jeff and Andy Williams as Dave.

David Pugh said of the West End transfer, “Our co-producers, Gary, Howard, Mark and Robbie, are totally chuffed that London’s glittering West End will see this award-winning production at the historic Theatre Royal Haymarket this Christmas season.”

THE BAND is a new musical about what it’s like to grow up with a boyband. For five 16 year-old friends in 1992, ‘the band’ is everything. 25 years on, we are reunited with the group of friends, now 40-something women, as they try once more to fulfil their dream of meeting their heroes.

THE BAND is directed by Kim Gavin and Jack Ryder, designed by Jon Bausor and choreographed by Kim Gavin, with lighting design by Patrick Woodroffe, video design by Luke Halls and sound design by Terry Jardine and Nick Lidster.

THE BAND is produced by David Pugh & Dafydd Rogers and Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Mark Owen, Robbie Williams.

Website – www.thebandmusical.com

Twitter – @TheBandMusical

Instagram – BandMusical

Facebook – /TheBandMusical

 

LISTINGS INFORMATION

1 December 2018 – 12 January 2019

Theatre Royal Haymarket

18 Suffolk Street

London SW1Y 4HT

Box Office: 020 7930 8800

Performances: Monday to Saturday at 7.30pm

Ticket Prices From: £16.50

2018/19 TOUR SCHEDULE

Leeds Grand Theatre

20 March 2018 – 31 March 2018

 

Newcastle Theatre Royal

3 April 2018 – 14 April 2018

 

Bristol Hippodrome

17 April 2018 – 28 April 2018

 

Birmingham Hippodrome

1 May 2018 – 12 May 2018

 

Plymouth Theatre Royal

15 May 2018 – 26 May 2018

 

Northampton Royal & Derngate

29 May 2018 – 9 June 2018

 

Nottingham Theatre Royal

12 June 2018 – 23 June 2018

 

Glasgow King’s Theatre

26 June 2018 – 7 July 2018

 

Edinburgh Playhouse

10 July 2018 – 14 July 2018

 

Southend, Cliffs Pavilion

18 – 29 September 2018

 

His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen

3 – 13 October 2018

 

Sheffield Lyceum Theatre

16 – 20 October 2018

 

Wimbledon Theatre

23 – 27 October 2018

 

New Theatre, Oxford

30 October – 3 November 2018

 

Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dublin

6 – 10 November 2018

 

Grand Opera House, Belfast

13 – 24 November 2018

 

The Lowry, Salford

15 – 26 January 2019

 

Grand Theatre, Swansea

29 January – 2 February 2019

 

Orchard Theatre, Dartford

5 – 9 February 2019

 

Regent Theatre, Ipswich

12 – 16 February 2019

 

Woking, New Victoria

19 – 23 February 2019

 

Wolverhampton Grand

26 February – 2 March

 

Milton Keynes Theatre

5 – 9 March 2019

 

Mayflower Theatre, Southampton

12 – 16 March 2019

Appear On Stage with International Opera Company

Win a walk on part in La Traviata.

Ever dreamt of appearing in an opera? Those dreams could become reality thanks to a new competition from Ellen Kent’s Ballet and Opera International in association with Hull New Theatre.

The world renowned ballet and opera producer brings her latest spectacular productions, La Traviata and Madama Butterfly to Hull New Theatre next week and is offering one lucky person the chance to appear on stage alongside the international cast.

The winner will be invited along with a friend or partner to take part in the famous La Traviata ballroom scene. They will be fitted with elegant costumes and wigs, given a quick dance lesson and will then appear live on stage on Tuesday 27 March. The prize also includes two additional tickets for family or friends, as well as two souvenir programmes.

No experience necessary. To enter just send an email with the subject La Traviata competition to [email protected]. The winner will be drawn at random on Friday 23 March and notified soon after.

To book tickets for La Traviata on 27 March or Madama Butterfly on 28 March, visit the Hull City Hall box office, call 01482 300 306 or visit our new website www.hulltheatres.co.uk

MELANIE EUSEBE ANNOUNCED AS CHAIR FOR THE

THEATRE AND TOURING SYMPOSIUM

SOLT and UK Theatre have today announced that Melanie Eusebe will Chair the Theatre and Touring Symposium.

Melanie is the Founder and Chair of the Black British Business Awards, and was the Executive Producer for the Women of the World Festival (WoW), and is a Board member of the Creative Industries Federation.

Melanie has been profiled as one of the most influential women in Business and the Creative Industries in the UK and has a career that spans five continents working with some of the world’s biggest brands.

The Theatre and Touring Symposium will be held at the Brewery, London on Monday 18 June 2018.

Melanie will lead a day for the industry to tackle shared issues, leading to real and practical change. It will include discussions, practical workshops, inspiration from high profile speakers, and time for conversations and networking.

The programme will be shaped following consultation and conversations with the theatre and performing arts industry.

Melanie commented: “Theatre is close to my heart, so I’m thrilled to be a part of a day that will address change and drive developments in the industry.”

Cassie Chadderton, Head of UK Theatre said: “We’re so pleased to be working with Melanie. With her expertise and enthusiasm for our industry she’ll lead a day of lively discussions, and keep us focused on tackling shared issues”

Sponsors of the conference will be announced later this week. Speakers and will be announced at a later date.

#TTSymp18 / @UK_Theatre / @SOLTNews / @MelanieEusebe / uktheatre.org / solt.co.uk

For more information on or to buy tickets for the Theatre and Touring Symposium visituktheatre.org

Greenwich Theatre, London – until 24 March.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

5*****

Lazarus Theatre continue their yearlong residency at Greenwich Theatre with a pulsating production of Lord of the Flies.

A plane full of British schoolboys, evacuated from an unspecified war, crashes on a remote island. No adults survive, so the boys must create their own society as they wait for a rescue that may never happen.

William Golding’s novel is polarising after being on the school curriculum for so long. My friends’ reactions when I asked if they wanted to be my plus one for press night were all pretty similar – groans and shudders as they relived long hours at school listening to the teacher’s droning voice murdering the entire novel and reminding us to mention original sin in every paragraph of our exam essays – even the lure of a Lazarus take on the story couldn’t tempt them. If only we’d had the chance to experience a production like this – the theatre was full of mostly GCSE students whose pre-show attitude didn’t bode well (one lad had bought his Nintendo with him) but this production had them gripped. I have never seen a young audience more engaged and affected by a play. This production should be recorded and distributed to schools.

Nigel Williams’ adaptation loses, by necessity, lots of the philosophical content of Golding’s novel, leaving the bare bones of the plot. Director Ricky Dukes takes this even further, foregoing any backdrop of sand and sea and instead having an empty, unadorned stage, with Ben Jacobs lighting design portraying the baking island sun or the eerie trails amongst the trees stunningly.

The action begins with a hoodie Haka to pulsing dance music (the first of many as the boys descend to savagery), setting the scene of the plane crash, before the cast scatter and emerge from around the auditorium at the call of Piggy’s precious conch. The use of the entire theatre space is inspired, with an entire seating area being used as ramshackle shelters, and action taking place in the aisles.

The casting is gender split, but the entire company play their characters as boys, meaning that the gender of each actor is soon forgotten. Amber Wadey is wide-eyed and energetic as Ralph, struggling to keep to the norms of society, but excited by the freedom of the island, and Luke MacLeod captures Piggy’s pedantic, annoying but thoroughly decent character brilliantly. Benjamin Victor as Simon is like a visitor from another world, in a beautifully judged performance. Nick Cope is stunning as Jack, bubbling with anger, pride and violence, but still recognisably a terrified little boy trying to cope in a strange new world. Georgina Barley also impresses as the odious and sycophantic Roger, prowling around the stage with a gleeful smile as the bloodshed increases.

The mounting terror on the island is handled with minimal stage effects and maximum horror and tension. The appearance of the parachutist will make you jump out of your seat, and the deaths are horrible. The discussions in the audience as we sat eating ice cream as Victor lay onstage throughout the interval after Simon’s murder completely validated the decision not to push straight through without a break. (I must admit I was a bit conflicted about the need to break when the lights came up at first.)

This is an exhilarating, energetic and brutal production that will leave you breathless. Another triumph for Lazarus Theatre.

Grand Opera House York Thursday 15th March 2018. Reviewed by Michelle Richardson

5*****

After 10 years at the Edinburgh Fringe, a radio series, a West End run and an Oliver award under their belt, the Showstopper company bought their fantastic improvised show to the Grand Opera house on Thursday night. A new musical is promised each night, with the performers making it all up on the spot, so no two performances will ever be the same.

We, the audience, were encouraged to throw some ideas around after the narrator, Sean McCann, receives a phone call from “Cameron”. With arms up in the air, the audience comes out with locality suggestions ranging from The Vatican to a little bar in the West Midlands. The ancient city of Pompeii is ultimately chosen after receiving the biggest cheer. Other ideas, scenarios and musical styles are then thrown about, then we waited to see what happens.

After naming the new musical I Wish I’d Left Earlier, Andrea’s suggestion, the group of 5 actors, accompanied by 3 musicians, took to the stage, with McCann keeping the show on track and prompting new ideas, bring our musical to life. So, we were treated to “funk”, “falsetto”, “Rogers & Hammerstein”, “Cats”, “Rigoletto”, “Rocky Horror Show” (my personal favourite), plus several other influences, all in the one musical.

This was the story of Pompeii, telling you the story in a different way. What ensued was an hilarious story of Fred, the Collector of Sticks, Maximus, with his writings of Wine and Olives, 1, 2 and 3, Tiberius, Jacinta and her father, the 97 year old cleaner of sticks. With Mount Vesuvius and that little pub somewhere in the West Midlands thrown in, it made for a bizarre and fascinating tale.

The whole performance was slick and so very clever, with the cast, from actors, musicians and McCann, superb from the get go. No matter what was thrown at them they delivered, and their knowledge of musical theatre and musical styles was vast, and those brummie accents and Brew XI were the icing on the cake. There was never a dull moment with such talent on stage, improvising as they went along, never missing a beat, they all looked like they were having a blast.

It was bonkers, hilarious, so very funny and I would love to see another one, to find out where that journey would take me. Definitely not to be missed.

A CHILLER OF A THRILLER COMING TO DARLINGTON HIPPODROME

Middle Ground Theatre Company is to present a world premier stage adaptation at Darlington Hippodrome from Tuesday 27 to Saturday 31 March.

Gallowglass – a chilling thriller from the pen of Ruth Rendell (writing as Barbara Vine) – is coming to Darlington Hippodrome with a cast of familiar faces including Paul Opacic (Bad Girls, Emmerdale, Hollyoaks), Richard Walsh (London’s Burning) and Karen Drury (Brookside).

When Sandor snatches Joe from the path of a London tube train, he is quick to make clear the terms of the rescue. “I saved your life”, he told the homeless youngster, “so your life belongs to me now”.

Sandor begins to tell him a fairy tale: an ageing prince, a kidnapped princess, a missed rendezvous… But what does this mysterious story have to do with Sandor? Joe only understands his own role – he is a Gallowglass, the servant of a chief.

Gallowglass runs at Darlington Hippodrome from Tuesday 27 to Saturday 31 March.

For more information or to book contact the box office on 01325 405405 or visit www.darlingtonhippodrome.co.uk

FULL CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR

MERCURY THEATRE COLCHESTER AND TBO PRODUCTIONS’

BRAND NEW MUSICAL PIECES OF STRING

 

Developed by Perfect Pitch

Co-produced by the Mercury Theatre Colchester and TBO Productions

PIECES OF STRING

Book, Music & Lyrics by Gus Gowland

 

Directed by Ryan McBryde; Designed by Fin Redshaw; Musical Direction by Paul Herbert

Lighting Designed by Ben Cracknell; Movement Direction by Ellen Kane

20 April – 5 May

 

A Made in Colchester production

 

Mercury Theatre Colchester and TBO Productions today announce full casting for the world première of their brand-new musical – Pieces of String, with book, music and lyrics by Gus Gowland. Ryan McBryde directs Carol Starks (Jane), Andy Coxon (Ed), Marilyn Cutts (Rose), Ella Dunlop (Gemma), Lauren Hall (Anna), Joel Harper-Jackson (Tom), Craig Mather (Edward) and Gary Wood (Harry). Open auditions were held in Colchester to cast Young Rose, and the part will be alternated by three young people local to the theatre. Pieces of String, designed by 2017 Linbury Prize Finalist Fin Redshaw, opens on 27 April at the Mercury, with previews from 20 April and runs until 5 May.

 

When Jane returns from her father’s funeral to start clearing the house she grew up in – packing away the family photographs, closing a chapter – she isn’t prepared for the untold story she’s about to discover threaded through her past, a story that threatens to unravel her relationship with her own children and shake her understanding of who she is.

 

A new musical set simultaneously in the 1940s and in the present day, Pieces Of String tells how Jane’s father, Edward, came back from the Second World War with a secret that would change his life forever – a secret that he would carry until the day he died.

 

With hauntingly beautiful music and a heart-rending human story, Pieces Of String is a tender, funny, emotionally-charged exploration of how three generations of one family learn to deal with a story that nobody’s been brave enough to tell until today. Times may have changed but some battles still need to be fought.

 

Carol Starks plays Jane. Her theatre credits include Roundabout (Park Theatre/59E59 Theatre NYC), Before the Party (UK tour), Dirty Dancing (Aldwych Theatre), Hedda Gabler (Donmar Warehouse – Ian Charleson award commendation), The Robbers and Aurelie, My Sister (Gate Theatre), Sweeney Todd and The Crucible (National Theatre). Her television credits include Wallander, Shameless, Blue Murder, Family Affairs, William & Mary, Redcap, Peak Practice, Reckless, Keeping Mum, Family Money, Trust Me, Lipstick On Your Collar, The Guilty, May To December, Vincent Van Gogh and The Ginger Tree.

 

Andy Coxon plays Ed. His theatre credits include Hair (The Vaults), Yank! (Charing Cross Theatre), The Last Five Years (Kulturhaus, Frankfurt), Sister Act (Kilworth House Theatre), 20th Century Boy – The Marc Bolan Musical(UK tour), Another Way (Cockpit Theatre), Les Misérables (Queen’s Theatre), The Rocky Horror Show and Evita(European tour); and for film, Les Misérables and The Agency.

Marilyn Cutts plays Rose. Her theatre work includes Funny Girl (Menier Chocolate Factory and Savoy Theatre),The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Never Forget (Savoy Theatre), Wicked (Apollo Victoria), The Rose Tattoo, Oklahoma! (National Theatre), La Traviata (Donmar Warehouse) and Show Boat (London Palladium). For film, her work includes Les Miserables.

Ella Dunlop plays Gemma. Her theatre credits include The Passing of The Third Floor Back (Finborough Theatre), The Comedy of Errors (Northcott Theatre, Exeter) and Conscience (Leicester Square Theatre).

Lauren Hall plays Anna. Her theatre credits includes Mrs Henderson Presents (Royal Alexander Theatre Toronto), Annie Get Your Gun (Sheffield Crucible Theatre), Annie (UK tour), Gypsy (The Savoy Theatre), Singin’ in The Rain (UK tour and Tokyu Theatre Orb Japan), Loserville (Garrick Theatre and West Yorkshire Playhouse), Jersey Boys (Prince Edward Theatre), 42nd Street (Chichester Festival Theatre), High School Musical 2 (UK tour) and The Showgirl Within (Garrick Theatre).

Joel Harper-Jackson plays Tom. His theatre credits include Myth: The Rise and Fall of Orpheus (The Other Palace), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (UK tour), Jesus Christ Superstar (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Beautiful – The Carole King Musical (Aldwych Theatre) and Picture Perfect (St James Theatre).

Craig Mather plays Edward. For theatre his credits include The Wind in the Willows (London Palladium), Les Misérables (Queen’s Theatre), Sweeney Todd (Harrington’s Pie Shop/West End), Tonight’s the Night (UK tour) andSpring Awakening (English Theatre Frankfurt). His television credits include Pompidou; and for film, Alice Through the Looking Glass and Cinderella.

 

Gary Wood plays Harry. His theatre credits include A Pacifist’s Guide to the War on Cancer (National

Theatre and national tour), The House of In Between, The Infidel – The Musical (Theatre Royal Stratford East), Our Country’s Good, Dara (National Theatre), A Chorus Line (London Palladium) and Wicked (Apollo Victoria); and for film, World War Z and Walking on Sunshine.

Gus Gowland most recently wrote a short musical, Sick!, performed at LOST Theatre as part of Accidents & Emergencies, while his short play Clocks & Teapots was performed at RADA Studios and the London Transport Museum as part of London Omnibus. He co-wrote and directed Barren, Love Love Love (Canadian Fringe Tour), wrote and performed in Tell Me on A Thursday at the Camden Fringe and wrote two songs for Copyright Christmas, for Olivier Award-winning theatre collective Duckie at the Barbican. He has produced and directed a season of Miniscule Musicals at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, one of which was performed at the Duckie 10th anniversary birthday party at South Bank Centre; he also co-wrote the song Home, with Alistair Brammer for the MAD Trust album – The West End Goes MAD for Christmas. Gowland was shortlisted for the inaugural Perfect Pitch award in 2013 and his songs Take Me Back and Turning Stones have been shortlisted for the Stiles & Drewe Best New Song Prize. In addition, he was also one of 5 music industry experts to form the UK jury for the Eurovision Song Contest in 2014.

Ryan McBryde directs. His credits include The Invisible Man (Queens Theatre, Hornchurch), Before the Party,Faust I, 1984, Spring Awakening,The Crucible (Schauspielbühnen, Stuttgart), Angus, Thongs and Even More Snogging (West Yorkshire Playhouse), Hamlet – The Musical (Royal & Derngate, Northampton and Richmond Playhouse), Saturday Night Fever (Theatre Royal Bath and UK tour), The House of Mirrors and Hearts, The Jabberwocky (Arcola Theatre), A Day at the Racists (Finborough Theatre), The RSC’s 50th Anniversary Gala, On the 20th Century (Union Theatre), The Life, The Ruling Class, Sweet Charity, Spring Awakening – The Musical, The Who’s Tommy, The Full Monty, Hysteria, Hair, Deathtrap and The Fox (The English Theatre, Frankfurt).

Production supported by the Linbury Trust

Listings Information

Pieces of String

20 April – 5 May

 

Performance times vary

Tickets £12 – £27 & discounts

www.mercurytheatre.co.uk

01206 573948

The Bunker’s Summer Season 2018 and Breaking Out
Winners Announced
May – August 2018
The Bunker, 53A Southwark Street London SE1 1RU

The Bunker’s Summer 2018 season celebrates exciting work from both emerging and established companies. A highlight of this season is Breaking Out – a new initiative introduced by Artistic Director Joshua McTaggart – which champions the most ambitious and innovative theatre companies who are embarking on their theatrical journey

The season opens with On The Buttons’ Don’t Panic! It’s Challenge Anneka. Inspired by real life stories, this rollercoaster one-woman show presents a frank, funny and open exploration of a topic that too often remains taboo: the challenge of overcoming anxiety

Following Don’t Panic! is the much-anticipated Breaking Out. Chosen from over 45 entries, the selected shows are: Poke in the Eye’s Libby’s Eyes – an experimental production about a young woman navigating a world she can’t see; Sleepless’ Nine Foot Nine – a fully accessible show that explores a world in which every self-identifying women suddenly grows to nine foot nine inches; This Noise’s No One is Coming to Save You which uses the nineties classic children’s movie Matilda as a lens into a tragic event of a young woman; Paper Creatures explore the life of a young man who is sectioned in Section 2; Second Circle Theatre will create an interactive date night with a difference in their production Kiss Chase, and leoe&hyde bring an electronic musical exploring the intricacies of Grindr and gay dating in Manchester

Following Breaking Out, The Bunker plays host to both the National Youth Theatre’s Playing Up project and Drama Studio London’s end of year showcase

The season concludes with Athenaeum Productions’ Breathe – the latest play by George Jaques. Directed by Hannah Hauer-King (from The Bunker’s resident company Damsel Productions), Breathe is a bold production exploring six young people impacted by teenage suicide. It is presented in partnership with ChildLine

Director Joshua McTaggart comments, I am thrilled that The Bunker’s Summer Season champions and celebrates ‘The Company’. From established ensembles to emerging artists, summer at The Bunker will see an incredible range of performances, styles, and ideas all presented by groups who collaborate and create their work together. At the centre of this programming are the six winners of our Breaking Out project, chosen from an incredible application pool of 45 companies. These six companies are just at the beginning of their journeys, but the work they are planning to create is sharp, contemporary, and ambitious, and I know our audiences are going to be fascinated by the stories these young artists have to tell

The Bunker’s Summer Season 2018 is as follows:

Don’t Panic! It’s Challenge Anneka (On The Button Theatre)
Tuesday 29th May – Saturday 9th June, 7pm (Saturday and Sunday, 3pm matinees)
Bum-bag? Check. Luminescent shell suit? Check. Positive attitude in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges? Hell yeah! Inspired by real life stories, award-winning company on the button presents a frank, funny and open exploration of a topic that too often remains taboo: the challenge of overcoming anxiety. Starring Sophie Winter, this roller-coaster of a one-woman show channels the spirit of someone for whom no challenge is too big: Don’t Panic! It’s Challenge Anneka

Breaking Out – Monday 11th June – Saturday 7th July

Libby’s Eyes (Poke in the Eye)
Every Monday and Thursday – 7pm
Press Night: Thursday 14th June, 7pm
Libby is blind. But she works. And she’s a generally functioning adult. Inspirational. For being a functioning adult. And blind. Her life suddenly changes when she is forced to rely on Cortana – a government-issued robot. Cortana is constructed by a well-meaning engineer to describe things without bias and effectively be Libby’s eyes but when Libby starts to suspect that Cortana is
defective, she has an internal and external battle. Does she try and fix the defect to fit a society that is trying to ‘fix’ her? Written by disabled playwright Amy Bethan Evans and starring award nominated comedian and actor Georgie Morrell, Libby’s Eyes examines what it is to be disabled in today’s society and the problems of viewing it through the non-disabled gaze

Nine Foot Nine (Sleepless)
Every Monday and Thursday – 8:30pm
Press Night: Thursday 14th June, 8:30pm
Cara and Nate are a hard-working young couple looking to start a family. Together they’re bumbling through the daunting world of pregnancy tests, maternity clothes and flat pack cot building. That is, until suddenly a vast proportion of all the women in the world start to grow – centimetre by
centimetre, foot by foot, with science powerless to stop them. The awareness that women are now physically more powerful than men sends shockwaves through society, fracturing age-old assumptions and prejudices. How do political regimes react? What will happen to industry, media, families, sex? And, more importantly, what comes next? Brought to life by Sleepless Theatre Company, this innovative new play examines the changing labels of ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ and a world where the gender balance is forever altered

No One is Coming to Save You (This Noise)
Every Tuesday and Friday – 7pm
Press Night: Friday 15th June, 7pm
Two voices, two stories: an insomniac is watching TV in a language he doesn’t understand and a woman is stood in a garden stretching her arms to the sky. The whole world is asleep and something terrible is just around the corner. Lyrical, eerie and hypnotic, No One is Coming to Save You is the story of the wait for dawn in a suburban garden – a slow-build gasp from two lives lived in social,
political and economic fear. Supported by Arts Council England, This Noise makes theatre about the politics of the here and now, by, with and for young people

Section 2 (Paper Creatures)
Every Tuesday and Friday – 8:30pm
Press Night: Friday 15th June, 8:30pm
Following their highly successful debut show Flood, Paper Creatures Theatre return with this hardhitting drama by emerging playwright Peter Imms. Directed by Georgie Staight (Into The Numbers, Finborough Theatre) and with an original score composed by Benjamin Winter, this part verbatim drama is drawn from Imms’ personal experiences and hones in on an aspect of mental health that is
rarely addressed in theatre – sectioning. This bold new play shines a light on the desperate and determined measures taken to reconnect with someone on the road to recovery

Kiss Chase (Second Circle Theatre)
Every Wednesday and Saturday – 7pm
Press Night: Saturday 16th June, 7pm
Inspired by interviews with lovers across the UK, Second Circle Theatre’s Kiss Chase holds tales of first love, broken hearts, no sex before marriage, the walk of shame, holding hands and standing alone when the lights go up. Expect whispered secrets, dad dancing and relentless foreplay. Set far in the depths of the digital generation, this thrilling production follows Second Circle Theatre’s debut show Meeting at 33 which had a highly successful sell-out run at The Pleasance

GUY: A New Musical (leoe&hyde)
Every Wednesday and Saturday – 8:30pm
Press Night: Saturday 16th June, 8:30pm
From the creators of multi-award-winning The Marriage of Kim K, leoe&hyde return with an uplifting new musical about modern masculinity, body image, and the hook-ups and downs of dating in the 21st century. Sometimes sexy and always real, GUY is a game-changing gay rom-com for the 2010s. With nakedly honest characters, this is a thought-provoking glimpse behind the veil of modern masculinity, male beauty standards, and unspoken prejudices within marginal communities. Tied together with a pioneering and infectiously catchy electronic score, GUY channels floor-filling EDM anthems, indie electronica, queer hip-hop, and PC Music with the lyrical charm of Sondheim, and the earworm melodies of Schwartz

Breathe
Tuesday 31st July – Saturday 5th August – 7:30pm
Press Night: Wednesday 1st August, 7:30pm
‘Just breathe’. Often this is the best advice we have to offer anyone when the pressures of life get too much. But what about when these two words just aren’t enough? In our relentless pursuit for perfection – to look perfect, to act perfect, to be perfect – the overwhelming pressure cannot always be remedied by these two worn out words. Breathe, the latest play by George Jaques, explores the
anxieties of everyday life and how that manifests into three adolescent couples who are radically different but ultimately united by their shared burden. Directed by Hannah Hauer-King, this powerful production is presented in partnership with ChildLine

 

FULL CAST ANNOUNCED FOR WORLD STAGE PREMIÈRE OF MIKE BARTLETT’S NOT TALKING

 

Defibrillator and the Arcola Theatre present

The world stage première of

NOT TALKING

by Mike Bartlett

Director: James Hillier; Designer: Amy Cook; Lights: Zoe Spurr; Composer/Sound: Simon Slater Movement: Jack Murphy; Assistant Director: Sara Amini; Associate Producer: Epsilon Productions

 

Arcola Theatre

Wednesday 25 April – 2 June 2018

Defibrillator and Arcola Theatre, today announces cast for world stage première of Mike Bartlett’s, Not Talking. Artistic Director of Defibrillator James Hillier directs David Horovitch (James), Gemma Lawrence (Amanda), Kika Markham (Lucy) and Lawrence Walker (Mark). The production opens at the Arcola Theatre on 1 May, with previews from the 25 April, and runs until 2 June.

“If I don’t want to tell anyone, it’s up to me, right?”

Lucy knows James has avoided the battle. Mark knows Amanda has fought for her life. But speaking the truth could bring everything crashing down.

What happens if we live a life of not talking?

In his gripping and lyrical first play Olivier Award-winning, Mike Bartlett, unlocks a culture of silence, and gives voice to the human casualties when things are easier done than said.

Not Talking was first broadcast as a radio play on BBC Radio3 in 2007 and went on to win the Imison and Tinniswood Awards.

Mike Bartlett’s Olivier Award-winning plays for the theatre include King Charles III, Bull and Cock. His other credits include Albion (Almeida Theatre), Wild (Hampstead Theatre), Game (Almeida Theatre), King Charles III (Almeida Theatre/Wyndham’s Theatre/Music Box Theatre, New York), An Intervention (Paines Plough/Watford), Bull (Sheffield Theatres/Off-Broadway/Young Vic), Medea (Headlong/Glasgow Citizens/Watford Palace Theatre/Warwick Arts Centre), Chariots of Fire (Hampstead Theatre/Gielgud Theatre), 13 (National Theatre), Decade (co-writer Headlong), Earthquakes in London (Headlong, National Theatre), Love, Love, Love (Paines Plough/Plymouth Theatre Royal/Royal Court Theatre/Roundabout Theatre Company, New York), Cock, Contractions, My Child (Royal Court Theatre), Artefacts (Bush Theatre/nabokov). Plays for the radio: King Charles III, Cock, Heart, The Core, Family Man, Love Contract (BBC Radio 4) and The Steps.

David Horovitch plays James. His theatre credits include Absurd Person Singular, When We Are Married (Garrick Theatre), Losing Louis (Trafalgar Studios), Taking Sides and Collaboration (Duchess Theatre), Bedroom Farce (Duke of York’s Theatre), Mary Stuart, Life is a Dream (Donmar Warehose), Cymbeline, Much Ado About Nothing, Love’s Labour’s Lost (RSC), Spinning into Butter, Seven Jewish Children (Royal Court Theatre), Hysteria (Hampstead Theatre), The Tempest, Major Barbara (Manchester Royal Exchange) and Grief (National Theatre). For television he is perhaps most well known for his role as Inspector Slack in Miss Marple and further television credits include Piece of Cake, Great Expectations, Bognor, Hold the Back Page, Piece of Cake, Love Hurts, Westbeach, Just William and Ivanhoe; and for film, Mr Turner, Solomon and Gaenor, Cassandra’s Dream and The Infiltrator.

Gemma Lawrence plays Amanda. Her theatre credits include Wasted (Orange Tree Theatre), All My Sons (Hong Kong Arts Festival), The Tempest (Southwark Playhouse), As You Like It, Children Of The Sun (National Theatre), Much Ado About Nothing (Shakespeare’s Globe), Gaslight (Salisbury Playhouse), Lee Harvey Oswald (Finborough Theatre), Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Redgrave Theatre), The Wild Party (Bristol Tobacco Factory) and Rough Cuts: The Lion’s Mouth (Royal Court Theatre). For television her credits include Luther, Misfits, Stir It Up, All About George and Ahead Of The Class. Her film credits include Frail, A Bunch of Amateurs and Enlightenment.

Kika Markham plays Lucy. Her recent theatre credits include Escaped Alone and Tribes (Royal Court Theatre), The Last Yankee (The Print Room), On The Record (Arcola Theatre), Bloody Wimmin, Handbagged and You, Me And Wii (Tricycle Theatre), Bufonidae (Bush Theatre), Homebody/Kabul (Young Vic Theatre), The Vagina Monologues (Ambassadors Theatre), A Wedding Story (Soho Theatre and UK Tour) and Song At Twilight (Kings Head Theatre). For television her credits include Fearless, Mr Selfridge, New Tricks, Spooks and Born and Bred;and for film, Franklyn, Paint It Yellow, The Fever, Esther Khan, Killing Me Softly and Wonderland.

Lawrence Walker plays Mark. His theatre credits include Othello, My Mother Medea, The Owl Who Was Afraid othe Dark (Unicorn Theatre), Romeo and Juliet (West Yorkshire Playhouse), Wendy and Peter Pan (RSC) and Back Down (Birmingham Rep). Television credits include Our Girl and Find Me in Paris; and for film his credits include Alfie.

James Hillier is Artistic Director of Defibrillator. His directing credits include, A Lie of The Mind by Sam Shepard (Southwark Playhouse), Terry Johnson’s Insignificance at Langham Place, New York; the première production of Tennessee Williams’ The Hotel Plays at the Grange Hotel in 2012 and The Langham, London in 2014; The Armour (also The Langham, winner of an award at Le Miami Rebels), and Hard Feelings (Finborough Theatre).  Hillier has directed a number of short films, including How To Make A Good First Impression Part 1 which went on to win awards at Tribecca Film Festival and Cannes.  As an actor, he has worked at the Royal Court Theatre, National Theatre, Almeida Theatre, Bush Theatre, Manchester Royal Exchange and the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh. He has worked extensively as an actor in theatre, film and television and currently can be seen in series one and two of The Crown.

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NOT TALKING

Listings

Arcola Theatre Studio 1

24 Ashwin St, Dalston, London E8 3DL

Box Office: 020 7503 1646 / www.arcolatheatre.com

25 April – 2 June 2018

Monday-Saturday at 7.30pm

Saturday matinees at 3pm

Wednesday matinee on 30 May at 3pm

Tickets:

£12/£15/£22/£26

Previews: £12/£15/£19/ £22

Tuesday evenings are Pay What You Can – limited availability

Howard Panter for Trafalgar Entertainment Group,

GWB Entertainment, BookMyShow, Tokyu Theatre Orb,

Tulchin/Bartner and David Lazar

in association with KHAM Inc.

proudly present

The Lincoln Center Theater

production of

RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN’S

DEAN JOHN-WILSON (WEST END STAR OF ALADDIN)

& NA-YOUNG JEON, CAST AS ‘THE YOUNG LOVERS’

IN WEST END PRODUCTION OF THE KING AND I,

AS LONDON PALLADIUM ENGAGEMENT IS

EXTENDED FOR THREE FINAL WEEKS TO 29 SEPTEMBER

& FIVE EXTRA MIDWEEK MATINEES ADDED

DUE TO EXTRAORDINARY TICKET DEMAND

 

TICKETS FOR NEW BOOKING PERIOD ON SALE FRIDAY 16 MARCH AT 10AM

 

Dean John-Wilson (who starred in the title role of Disney’s original West End production of Aladdin) and Na-Young Jeon (Fantine in Les Misérables in the West End and Gigi in Miss Saigon on world tour) join the West End cast of THE KING AND I as the young lovers, Lun Tha and Tuptim. They will join Tony Award winner and “Broadway musical’s undisputed Queen” (Sunday Times) Kelli O’Hara as Anna, Tony and Oscar nominee Ken Watanabe as The King and Tony award-winning Ruthie Ann Miles as Lady Thiang.  Rodgers & Hammerstein’s multi-award winning musical transfers from Broadway to the London Palladium on 21 June.

 

THE KING AND I also today announces that the London Palladium engagement will extend for a final three weeks until Saturday 29 September.  This is the very last opportunity West End audiences will have to see the Broadway stars reprise their original roles on the London stage, as Kelli O’Hara will return to Broadway to star in Kiss Me Kate and Ken Watanabe has filming commitments.

 

Five extra matinees on Thursdays (30 August, 6, 13, 20 and 27 September) have been added to the London Palladium performance schedule.  This follows continued unprecedented demand for tickets, with early performances already sold out.  Much like it’s acclaimed 16 month run at New York’s Lincoln Center Theater and record-breaking sold out USA tour, The King & I is tipped to be London’s must-see musical of 2018.  

 

 

 

Dean John-Wilson played the title role in Aladdin at the Prince Edward Theatre and was a semi-finalist on Britain’s Got Talent in 2008.  His other theatre credits include:  Miss Atomic Bomb and Songs For a New World at The St James’ Theatre, Aquino in Here Lies Love at the National Theatre, Tim Rice’s From Here to Eternity at the Shaftesbury Theatre and Sister Act: The Musical UK Tour.

 

Netherlands born Na-Young Jeon played Gigi in the international tour of Miss Saigon and Fantine in Les Misérables in South Korea and in the West End.  Other theatre work includes Esmerelda in Notre Dame de Paris in South Korea and Bianca in Kiss Me Kate in Amsterdam.  On TV she played the lead in Conny and Clydeand Bo in Van Hier Tot Tokio and her films include The Calling and Hitomi.

 

Acclaimed Tony Award-winning Bartlett Sher will direct the production, hot on the heels of his work on The Lincoln Center Theater’s World Premiere of J.T. Rogers’ smash hit play Oslo, which opened on Broadway and then transferred via the National Theatre to London’s Harold Pinter Theatre in October last year to rave reviews.  He, along with the celebrated creative team behind the award-winning production of South Pacific and the Lincoln Center Theater production of My Fair Lady which began previews this week, will reunite to bring this majestic production to life at the London Palladium.  

 

With music by Richard Rodgers, book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, this masterpiece – one of their finest works – boasts a score featuring such beloved classics as Getting To Know You, Hello Young Lovers, Shall We Dance, I Have Dreamed, and Something Wonderful.   Set in 1860s Bangkok, the musical tells the story of the unconventional and tempestuous relationship that develops between the King of Siam and Anna Leonowens, a British schoolteacher, whom the imperious King brings to Siam to tutor his many wives and children.

 

WHAT THE USA PRESS HAVE SAID ABOUT THE LINCOLN CENTER THEATER

BROADWAY PRODUCTION OF THE KING AND I

 

“I’ll doubt I’ll ever see a better production in my lifetime.”

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

 

“Something wonderful indeed. Breathtaking. Exquisite. Remarkable.”

NEW YORK TIMES

 

“Five stars. Grand and glorious.”

TIME OUT NEW YORK

“A landmark production and a shot of purest rapture. I never wanted it to end.”

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

“Too beautiful to miss! An astonishing achievement.”

NEW YORK MAGAZINE

“Absolutely stunning. Kelli O’Hara is ravishing. Ken Watanabe is powerfully seductive. Chalk up another triumph for Lincoln Center Theater.”

VARIETY

“Magnificent. A sweepingly romantic production. How good to be getting to know the show all over again.”

NEWSDAY

 

 

“Simply divine. You can’t overstate how stunningly beautiful, how achingly well sung this new revival is.”

NEW YORK POST

 

“This splendid revival emerges as majestic and intimate simultaneously. Grandeur and grace fill each scene and song. O’Hara and Watanabe share warm chemistry.”

DAILY NEWS

“Splendid! This just may be, in fact, the finest staging of a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical in my experience.”

THE WASHINGTON POST

 

 

LISTINGS  INFORMATION

LONDON PALLADIUM

Previews: From 21 June

Tickets: £15 – £82.50, Premium Seating available

Box Office: 020 7087 7755

 

Performances: Monday – Saturday at 7pm, Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2pm and 7pm

Extra matinee performances on Thursdays at 2pm: 30 August, 6, 13, 20 and 27 September

No performance on 28 August, 4, 11, 18 and 25 September

 

Website: KingandIMusical.co.uk

Twitter: @KingandIWestEnd

Facebook: @KingandIWestEnd

Instagram: @KingandIWestEnd