Author: FairyPoweredProductions

THE NATIONAL THEATRE AND

SONIA FRIEDMAN PRODUCTIONS ANNOUNCE THE WEST END TRANSFER OF

C O N S E N T

WITH OVER 14,000 TICKETS AT £25 OR UNDER FOR THIS

STRICTLY LIMITED 12-WEEK RUN

Sonia Friedman Productions and the National Theatre today (12 March 2018) announce the West End production of Nina Raine’s Consent following the 2017 critically acclaimed sell-out run at the Dorfman Theatre.  Directed by Roger Michell and originally co-produced and commissioned by Out of Joint, Consent will begin previews at the Harold Pinter Theatre on 18 May for a strictly limited 12-week run.  Opening night will take place on 29 May with booking through to 11 August 2018.  Tickets for this West End transfer – with over 14,000 priced at £25 or under – will go on public sale on Thursday 15 March 2018 at 10am.

The cast includes Claudie Blakley, Stephen Campbell Moore, Heather Craney and Adam James with further casting to be announced. Set is by Hildegard Bechtler, with costumes by Dinah Collin, lighting by Rick Fisher, music by Kate Whitley, sound by John Leonard and casting by Amy Ball CDG.

Nina Raine’s ‘blistering new play’ (New York Times), directed by Roger Michell, makes a triumphant and timely transfer to the Harold Pinter Theatre this May, following a sold out season at the National Theatre.

Why is Justice blind? Is she impartial? Or is she blinkered?  Friends take opposing briefs in a contentious legal case. The key witness is a woman whose life seems a world away from theirs. At home, their own lives begin to unravel as every version of the truth is challenged.

This ‘tense, entertaining modern-day tragi-comedy’ (Daily Telegraph) takes a searing look at the law whilst putting modern relationships into the dock.

 

Nina Raine’s other plays include Tiger Country, Rabbit and Tribes as well as an adaptation of The Drunks by the Durnenkov Brothers.  She was shortlisted for the 2004 Verity Bargate Award and awarded the 2006 Evening Standard and Critics’ Circle Awards for Most Promising Playwright for her debut play Rabbit.  Tribes won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play, the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Foreign Play and the Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best New Play and has been performed in eighteen different countries. Nina has been nominated for a Susan Blackburn Smith Award for Consent.

Roger Michell’s many productions include Waste, Landscape with Weapon, Honour, Blue/Orange, Under Milk Wood, The Homecoming and The Coup all for the National Theatre, Farewell to the Theatre and Some Sunny Day both for Hampstead Theatre, Rope for the Almeida Theatre, Tribes and Birthday both for the Royal Court, Betrayal, Old Times and My Night with Reg for the Donmar Warehouse, the latter transferring to the Apollo Theatre in the West End. Michell’s film credits include My Cousin Rachel, Le Week-End, Hyde Park on Hudson, Morning Glory, Venus, Enduring Love, The Mother, Changing Lanes, Persuasion, My Night With Reg, Titanic Town and Notting Hill.  On television his credits include The Buddha of Suburbia, Downtown Lagos, The Lost Honour of Christopher Jeffries, Birthday, Ready When You Are, Mr Patel and Michael Redgrave – My Father.

 

Claudie Blakley’s theatre credits include Once in a Lifetime for the Young Vic, The Painkiller at the Garrick Theatre, Chimerica for the Almeida Theatre and in the West End, Rules for Living, The Cherry Orchard, Comedy of Errors, Attempts on Her Life and Rosencrantz & Guildernstern are Dead for the National Theatre, Macbeth and Lear for the Sheffield Crucible, Di and Viv and Rose and The Good Samaritan for the Hampstead Theatre, Love and Money for the Young Vic and Royal Exchange, All’s Well That Ends Well for the Royal Shakespeare Company, Kosher Harry for the Royal Court, The Lady from the Sea for the Almeida and Billy & the Crab for Soho Theatre. Her television credits include Grantchester, Silent Witness, The Driver, What Remains, The Night Watch, New Tricks, Nativity, Blue Geranium, Lark Rise to Candleford, Cranford Chronicles, Fallen Angel, Fear of Fanny, Vital Signs, Dirty Filthy Love and Inspector Linley Mysteries. Her film credits include Bright Star, London to Brighton, Severance, Pride and Prejudice, Gosford Park and The Cat’s Meow.

 

Stephen Campbell Moore’s theatre credits include Photograph 51 at the Noël Coward Theatre, Chimerica for the Almeida and in the West End, Berenice for the Donmar Warehouse, Clybourne Park for the Royal Court and in the West End, All My Sons at the Apollo Theatre, The History Boys for the National Theatre and on Broadway, Much Ado About Nothing and Antony and Cleopatra both for the Royal Shakespeare Company, A Midsummer Night’s Dream at The Albery, Richard II and Coriolanus for the Almeida. His film credits include Goodbye Christopher Robin, How To Talk To Girls At Parties, The Lady in the Van, The Ones Below, Burnt, Moonwalkers, Man Up, Complicit, Johnny English Reborn, Season of the Witch, Sea Wolf, The Children, The Bank Job, Amazing Grace, The History Boys, A Good Woman and Bright Young Things. His television credits include The Child in Time, The Last Post, Stag, The Wrong Mans, The Go Between, Our Zoo, Hunted, Just Henry, Titanic, Sleepyhead, Pulse, Ben Hur, Lark Rise to Candleford, A Short Stay in Switzerland, Ashes to Ashes, Rough Crossings, Hustle, Wallis and Edward, He Knew He Was Right and Byron.

Heather Craney originated the roles of Gayle and Laura in Consent for the National Theatre. Her other theatre credits include The Vote and Passion Play both for the Donmar Warehouse, Made in Dagenham at the Adelphi Theatre, Handbagged, Pink and You Me & Wii all for the Tricycle Theatre, I Like Mine with a Kiss at the Bush Theatre, Joe Guy at Soho Theatre, Sugar Mummies and Stoning Mary both for the Royal Court. For film, her recent credits include Child 44, Dangerous Parking, Mark of Cain and Vera Drake which earned her a BAFTA Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. On television her credits include Line of Duty, Life of Riley, Torchwood, In the Dark, Ahead of the Class, Holby City, Doctors, Silent Witness, Eastenders.

 

Adam James is an award-winning actor who has worked extensively on stage and screen. Currently in Olivier nominated Girl from the North Country at the Noël Coward Theatre, Adam originated the role of Jake in Consent for the National Theatre, where his previous credits have included 13, Gethsemane and Blood and Gifts. He is recognisable on screen for his roles in Dr Foster, King Charles III, The Crimson Field, Hustle and Extras amongst others. Other theatre credits include An Enemy of the People for Chichester Festival Theatre, Bull for the Young Vic, Now or Laterand My Child both for the Royal Court and King Charles III at the Almeida Theatre. His film credits include The Kill Team, Johnny English III, Hunter Killer, A Little Chaos, Last Chance Harvey, Mother of Tears and Road To Guantanamo. His more recent television credits include Home From Home, Eric, Ernie and Me, Endeavour, Grantchester and Coalition.

LISTINGS INFORMATION

Theatre:                           Harold Pinter Theatre, Panton St, London SW1Y 4DN

Dates:                              18 May – 11 August 2018

Press Night:                       29 May 2018 at 7pm

Running time:                    Approximately 2 hours 20 minutes including a 20 minute interval

Box Office:                         ATG Tickets 0844 871 7622

National Theatre 020 7452 3000

Performances:                    Monday – Saturday at 7.30pm, Wednesday and Saturday at 2.30pm

Prices:                              From £15

Website:                           www.consentwestend.com

Twitter:                           @consentwestend

Facebook:                         @consentwestend

ENGLISH TOURING THEATRE ANNOUNCES 2018-19 SEASON AHEAD OF 25TH ANNIVERSARY

NED BENNETT’S BOLD NEW INTERPRETATION OF PETER SHAFFER’S ACCLAIMED PLAY EQUUS OPENS IN LONDON AHEAD OF UK TOUR

NATIONAL TOUR OF ETT ARTISTIC DIRECTOR RICHARD TWYMAN’S REIMAGINING OF OTHELLO INCLUDING MULTI-ARTS FESTIVAL THE OTHELLO PROJECT

2017 RTST SIR PETER HALL DIRECTOR AWARD WINNER CHELSEA WALKER’S CONTEMPORARY STAGING OF A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE

NATHANIEL MARTELLO-WHITE, NADIR NAHDI AND ELIZABETH FREESTONE ANNOUNCED AS NEW ASSOCIATE ARTISTS

EXPANSION OF ARTIST DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME, ETT FORGE

 

Richard Twyman, Artistic Director of English Touring Theatre, today announces the 2018-19 season ahead of the company’s 25^th anniversary in September, with further productions and events to be announced throughout the year. This follows ETT and Mercury Theatre Colchester’s co-production of The Weir collecting the 2018 Manchester Theatre Award for Best Visiting Production on Friday.

The season begins with the previously announced A Streetcar Named Desire directed by 2017 RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award winner Chelsea Walker, a co-production with Nuffield Southampton Theatres and Theatr Clwyd, which opens at Nuffield Southampton Theatres on 28 March 2018 with previews from 23 March prior to a UK tour. This is followed by a revival of Twyman’s critically acclaimed reimagining of Othello (“a marvellous production – one of the best I have seen” Susannah Clapp, The Observer), a co-production with Oxford Playhouse and Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory (originally co-produced with Tobacco Factory Theatres), which opens at Oxford Playhouse on 20 September 2018, with previews from 18 September prior to a UK tour; and a new production of Peter Shaffer’s Equus directed by Ned Bennett, a co-production with Theatre Royal Stratford East, as part of Nadia Fall’s inaugural season at the theatre. The production opens at Theatre Royal Stratford East on 21 February 2019, with previews from 15 February, prior to a UK tour.

 

Richard Twyman said today, “As we approach ETT’s 25^th anniversary we look excitedly to the future, re-defining ETT for a new generation of artists and audiences. The first three shows to be announced for 2018-19, will reimagine classic work for audiences throughout the country, and I’m thrilled to be sharing the work of two of the most exciting and accomplished directors to emerge in recent years on main stages across the nation – Chelsea Walker, who directs A Streetcar Named Desire and Ned Bennett, who directs Equus. I’m delighted that alongside the tour of Othello, our nationwide multi-arts festival, The Othello Project, curated by journalist and cultural organiser Abdul-Rehman Malik, furthers our commitment to making work with diverse communities.

Alongside bold productions of seminal plays, reaching over 20 cities nationwide, we will further ETT’s support of new artists and approaches to touring. This year sees the expansion of ETT Forge to a country-wide platform for emerging touring theatre makers; the launch of ETT Forge Associates, our new yearly commitment to grow the touring work of three brilliant companies and producers; and three new Associate Artists joining the company – Nathaniel Martello-White, Nadir Nahdi and Elizabeth Freestone. All three are exceptional artists in their field, original, fearless voices that will help shape ETT’s future.”

 

To accompany the UK tour of Othello, ETT, alongside journalist and activist Abdul-Rehman Malik,will curate a multi-art festival in response to the production at each venue. The festivals will give a platform to some of the most exciting Muslim artists and writers working in the UK today, shining a light on the contemporary relevance of the play, breaking down barriers to Shakespeare and championing cross-cultural dialogue amongst communities. The project will feature work from spoken word artist, Tanya Muneera Williams and is presented in association with Amal – a project of the Said Foundation. Further details about the festivals will be announced soon.

 

ETT announces three new Associate Artists joining the company in its anniversary year, Nathaniel Martello-White, Nadir Nahdi and Elizabeth Freestone. Nathaniel Martello-White is a playwright and actor, whose play Torn was staged at the Royal Court in 2016 in a production directed by Richard Twyman, and who will support the development of new voices at ETT. Nadir Nahdi is a filmmaker and the founder of BENI, a You Tube channel highlighting young people from diverse backgrounds, who previously worked with ETT on The Othello Project and will help to shape the company’s digital strategy. Director Elizabeth Freestone is the former Artistic Director of Pentabus and a Mentor for Women in the Arts, she brings with her a wealth of experience in touring, specifically to rural communities.

 

The company also announces the expansion of ETT Forge, including the launch of ETT Forge Associates, a scheme designed to establish a deep rooted and meaningful relationship with three exceptional companies or individuals each year from across the UK who are looking to grow in scale and ambition, building stronger national relationships. This year’s ETT Forge Associates are Antic Face, Common and Alison Holder.

The expansion of ETT Forge broadens the reach of the programme regionally and enhances the support available to companies and producers with a proven commitment to touring. Through skills workshops and peer to peer networking opportunities, online resources, development time in ETT’s studios and curated industry sharing’s, ETT Forge provides a toolkit to support the future of touring in the UK. The new scheme opens for registration today, Monday 12 March, and will be open to all UK based companies and producers who can demonstrate a commitment to touring their work.

 

An English Touring Theatre, Nuffield Southampton Theatres and Theatr Clwyd co-production

Supported by a grant from The Royal Theatrical Support Trust

A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE

by Tennessee Williams

Director: Chelsea Walker; Designer Georgia Lowe

 

UK tour 23 March – 16 June 2018

 

Tennessee Williams’ masterpiece A Streetcar Named Desire is directed by 2017 RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award winner Chelsea Walker with a cast including Nicole Agada (Woman/Nurse), Will Bliss (Steve), Dexter Flanders (Mitch), Kelly Gough (Blanche), Amber James (Stella), Patrick Knowles (Stanley), Maria Louis (Eunice) and Joe Manjón (Pablo/Doctor/Paperboy).

The second production in the inaugural season at NST City, A Streetcar Named Desire opens at Nuffield Southampton Theatres on 28 March with previews from 23 March, running until 31 March. The production will tour the UK with English Touring Theatre ahead of opening at Theatr Clwyd, where it plays from 15 March until 2 June, before returning to NST City.

 

“Every man is a king.” Stanley is no exception.

 

Until one summer, when his sister-in-law Blanche comes to stay.

Anxious, seductive and fiercely clever, Blanche is just about keeping it together.

But her arrival threatens Stanley’s entire way of life.

 

As the summer heats up, and the games turn savage, a burning desire threatens to tear their world apart.

 

A bold new revival of Tennessee Williams’ timeless classic, this is a raging portrayal of what it means to be an outsider, in a society where we’re all desperate to belong.

 

After the run at Nuffield Southampton Theatres, and preceding a run at Theatr Clwyd, A Streetcar Named Desire tours to Theatre by the Lake, Malvern Theatres, Bristol Old Vic, New Wolsey Theatre Ipswich, Cambridge Arts Theatre and Oxford Playhouse before returning to Southampton.

Chelsea Walker directs A Streetcar Named Desire as the winner of the 2017 RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award. She directed the first major revival of Low Level Panic by Clare McIntyre at the Orange Tree Theatre last year. Her previous directing credits include P’yongyang by In-Sook Chappell and Chicken Dust by Ben Weatherill (Finborough Theatre), Klippies by Jess Sian (Southwark Playhouse) and Lean by Isley Lynn (Tristan Bates Theatre). She was also the Assistant Director on Wild by Mike Bartlett (Hampstead Theatre), Routes by Rachel De-Lahay (Royal Court Theatre) and The Little Mermaid, adapted by Joel Horwood (Bristol Old Vic). She was a runner up in the JMK Young Directors’ Award 2016, is a director on the Old Vic 12, and is a script reader for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.

 

English Touring Theatre, Oxford Playhouse and Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory present   

Othello

By William Shakespeare

 

UK tour 18 September – 24 November 2018

Director: Richard Twyman; Designer: Georgia Lowe; Creative Advisor: Abdul-Rehman Malik

Following a critically acclaimed Bristol and London run, English Touring Theatre revives Richard Twyman’s vital production of Othello in a co-production with Oxford Playhouse and Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory. The production opens at Oxford Playhouse on 20 September and tours to Harrogate Theatre, Cast in Doncaster, Lawrence Batley Theatre, Everyman Theatre Cheltenham, Oldham Coliseum Theatre, The New Wolsey Theatre, Warwick Arts Centre and Lighthouse Poole.

Othello is one of Shakespeare’s most startlingly contemporary plays – a masterful depiction of a life torn apart by prejudice.

 

Venice; a western colonial power employs the newly-married Othello, a Muslim general, to lead their army against the impending Turkish invasion. The strain of fitting into a society riven by discrimination and fear soon take their toll. Manipulated by Iago, Othello’s life quickly unravels as he turns on everything he holds dear.

 

Originally co-produced with Tobacco Factory Theatres.

 

Richard Twyman is Artistic Director of English Touring Theatre for which he has directed Othello (also Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory/Tobacco Factory Theatres). Prior to this he was Associate Director (International) at the Royal Court Theatre between 2013-2016, where his directing work included Torn, Harrogate (also HighTide and UK tour), You For Me For You, Fireworks, The Djinns of Eidgah and PIIGS. His other theatre credits include Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Tokyo) Henry IV Pt II (RSC), Ditch (Old Vic Tunnels and HighTide), Dr Marigold & Mr Chops (Theatre Royal Bath and UK tour), Sixty-Six Books (Bush Theatre) and Give Me Your Hand (Irish Rep, New York – nomination for the Drama Desk Award 2012 for Outstanding Unique Theatrical Experience). Between 2003 and 2008 he worked at the Royal Shakespeare Company, where he was Associate Director to Michael Boyd on the multi-award winning Histories Cycle and for which he directed Henry IV Pt II.

 

 

English Touring Theatre and Theatre Royal Stratford East present

Equus

By Peter Shaffer

UK tour from 15 February 2019

Director: Ned Bennett

 

Award winning director Ned Bennett brings Peter Shaffer’s psychological thriller Equus to the stage in a bold new production of the critically-acclaimed classic. The co-production with Theatre Royal Stratford East opens at Theatre Royal Stratford East on 16 February before embarking on a UK tour, with venues and dates to be announced.

 

When teenager Alan Strang’s pathological fascination leads him to blind six horses, psychiatrist Dr. Martin Dysart is tasked with uncovering the motive behind the boy’s violent act. As Dysart delves into Alan’s world of twisted spirituality, passion and sexuality, he begins to question his own sanity and motivations in a world driven by consumerism.

Sir Peter Shaffer’s (1926 – 2016) plays include The Salt Land, The Prodigal Father, Balance of Terror, Five Finger Exercise (Evening Standard Drama Award), The Private Ear, The Public Eye, The Royal Hunt of the Sun, Black Comedy, White Lies, The Battle of Shrivings, Yonadab, The Gift of the Gorgon, Lettice and Lovage and Amadeus (Evening Standard Drama Award and Tony Award for Best Play). His plays adapted for film include Five Finger Exercise, The Royal Hunt of the Sun, Equusand Amadeus (Academy Award for Best Picture), for television The Salt Land and Balance of Terror,and for radio The Prodigal Father and Whom Do I Have the Honour of Addressing?. In 1994, Shaffer was Visiting Professor of Contemporary Drama at St. Catherine’s College, Oxford. He was awarded the CBE in 1987 and was knighted in 2001.

 

Ned Bennett directs Equus. He is an award-winning theatre director, who trained at the Royal Court, the National Theatre and LAMDA. His work includes the Evening Standard Award-winning An Octoroon, which opened at the Orange Tree Theatre in Spring 2017 and will transfer to the Dorfman in Summer 2018, and Buggy Baby which opened at the Yard Theatre in March of this year. He directed the Bruntwood Prize-winning Yen at the Manchester Royal Exchange which transferred to the Royal Court in 2016, and Pomona which was commissioned by the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama and transferred to the Orange Tree, and then to the National Theatre. Pomona and Yen won Bennett the UKT Best Director award 2015. Pomona won four Off-West End awards: Best Director, Best Production, Best New Play and Best Lighting Design.

English Touring Theatre

English Touring Theatre is one of the UK’s leading touring companies, winning the UK Theatre Awards Best Touring Production in 2014, 2015 and 2016. ETT works with exciting artists to stage an eclectic mix of new and classic work for audiences throughout the UK and overseas; theatre that is thrilling, popular and engaged in the contemporary world. At the heart of everything ETT does is the passionately held belief that everyone, wherever they are in the country, deserves to have access to world class theatre. In 2017 ETT toured to 40 venues throughout the UK, with productions including Sam Holcroft’s Rules for Living, Richard Twyman’s critically acclaimed production of Othello and the 20^th anniversary tour of The Weir, which finished its nationwide tour this year, winning the Manchester Theatre Award for Best Visiting Production. 2018 sees the company celebrate its 25^th anniversary.

www.ett.org.uk 
@ETTtweet

 

ETT Associate Artists

Nathaniel Marthello-White’s first play Blackta was produced at the Young Vic in a sold-out (and extended) run directed by David Lan, for which Nathaniel was nominated for the Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright. Torn, his second play, was produced at the Royal Courtdirected by Richard Twyman. He wrote and directed a short film Cla’am for Acme Films/ Creative England/ BBC Films, which premiered at SXSW 2017, where it was nominated for a Grand Jury Award. The film went on to win Best UK Short at London’s Raindance Festival.

 

Nadir Nahdi is the founder of BENI, a YouTube Channel highlighting young people from diverse backgrounds through meaningful and unique content. His YouTube channel aims to celebrate the power of human connection, as he presents his fans with an intimate insight into misrepresented people and their cultures. After finishing his MSc in‎ International Relations at the London School of Economics, Nadir spent time working in London for Chatham House and Amman for the United Nations. He then did a U-turn and began working for various media start-ups and other YouTube channels, with the plan to build a career using digital platforms to combat misunderstanding and promote diversity.

 

Elizabeth Freestone is a British director whose current productions include Henry V (Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory) and The Rape of Lucrece (Gate Theatre, Dublin). From 2012-16 she was Artistic Director of Pentabus Theatre Company, for whom she commissioned and directed many new plays and created a pioneering playwriting programme. World premières include As The Crow Flies by Hattie Naylor, Here I Belong by Matt Hartley, The Lone Pine Club by Alice Birch, Each Slow Dusk by Rory Mullarkey, Milked by Simon Longman and In This Place by Lydia Adetunji. Her previous directing credits include Here Lies Mary Spindler, The Tragedy of Thomas Hobbes, The Comedy of Errors and The Rape of Lucrece (RSC), House and Garden (Watermill), The Duchess of Malfi, Doctor Faustus, The School for Scandal and Volpone (Greenwich Theatre) and Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare’s Globe and European tour). Elizabeth has also worked as Artist in Residence and Director on Attachment at the National Theatre Studio and as Senior Reader at Hampstead Theatre and the RSC. Elizabeth is a Mentor for Women in the Arts, supporting female students in emerging leadership roles, and is also a Board Member for the National Rural Touring Forum. She did a major study on the gender imbalance in theatre published in The Guardian and has also written pieces about the impact of live-streaming on live theatre, the funding disparity between urban and rural companies, and the importance and difficulties of touring.

 

 

 

ETT Forge Associates

 

Antic Face was founded by Co-Artistic Directors Emma Hall and Charlie Parham. The company was formed with twin aims: to redress a gender imbalance that persists in all fields of theatrical practice and to provide a collaborative platform for young people seeking to enter the profession in any capacity. With a strong focus on the text, the company is committed both to revisiting the classics and bringing them to a young audience, and to promoting new writing.

www.anticface.com

@anticface

Alison Holder is an independent producer with her own audio production company, LunAH Productions. She is also company producer for Helen Chadwick Song Theatre and is currently based at the Bush Theatre. Current projects include Booby’s Bay (Finborough Theatre, Wardrobe Theatre), TRUTH (Birmingham Rep and National tour) and audio project Barnardo’s Black History. Previously Alison has worked with The Shout (Tête-à-Tête Opera Festival) and has also worked in various positions at the Almeida Theatre and Young Vic under the artistic directorship of Michael Attenborough and David Lan respectively.

@AL_Holder

COMMON is an arts organisation which exists to support the UK theatre industry in achieving greater socio-economic diversity, and ensure that artists from working-class backgrounds have equal opportunity to build sustainable careers in theatre. Through direct engagement with working-class artists across the country, they identify structural barriers that these artists face, which can be directly attributed to their socio-economic status. They then collaborate with partner organisations to create practical opportunities aimed at supporting the professional development of working-class artists in specific regions. Their support gives artists, who may not have the resources to do so independently, the crucial skills and experience they need to build progressive and sustainable careers in theatre, helping make the arts more accessible to those from less advantage backgrounds. COMMON is led by David Loumgair, a working-class theatre director and production dramaturg from the Scottish Borders, alongside Executive Producer Ailbhe Treacy.

www.commontheatre.co.uk

@COMMONTHR

 

 

Tour Dates

A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE – 2018

NST City

23 – 31 March

Box Office: 023 8067 1771 / www.nstheatres.co.uk 

Theatre By the Lake, Keswick

3 – 7 April

Box Office: 017687 74411 / www.theatrebythelake.com

Malvern Theatre

10 – 14 April

Box Office: 01684 892277 / www.malvern-theatres.co.uk

 

Bristol Old Vic

17 – 21 April

Box Office: 0117 987 7877 / www.bristololdvic.org.uk

 

New Wolsley Theatre, Ipswich

24 – 28 April

Box Office: 01473 295900 / www.wolseytheatre.co.uk

 

Cambridge Arts Theatre

1 – 5 May

Box Office: 01223 503333 / www.cambridgeartstheatre.com

 

Oxford Playhouse

8 – 12 May

Box Office: 01865 305305 / www.oxfordplayhouse.com

 

Theatr Clwyd, Mold

15 May – 2 June

Box Office: 01352 701521 / www.theatrclwyd.com

 

NST City

5 – 16 June

Box Office: 023 8067 1771 / www.nstheatres.co.uk

 

OTHELLO – 2018

Oxford Playhouse

18 September – 22 September

Box Office: 01865 305305 / www.oxfordplayhouse.com

 

Harrogate Theatre

25 – 29 September

Box Office: 01423 502 116 / www.harrogatetheatre.co.uk

 

Cast in Doncaster

2 – 6 October

Box Office: 01302 303 959 / www.castindoncaster.com

 

Lawrence Batley Theatre

9 – 13 October

Box Office: 01484 430528 / www.thelbt.org

 

Everyman Theatre Cheltenham

16 – 20 October

Box Office: 01242 572573 / www.everymantheatre.org.uk

 

Oldham Coliseum Theatre

23 – 27 October

Box Office: 0161 624 2829 / www.coliseum.org.uk

Wolsey Theatre Ipswich

30 October – 3 November

Box Office: 01473 295900 / www.wolseytheatre.co.uk

 

 

Warwick Arts Centre

6 – 10 November

Box Office: 024 7652 4524 / www.warwickartscentre.co.uk

 

Lighthouse Poole

20 – 24 November

Box Office: 01202 280000 / www.lighthousepoole.co.uk

 

EQUUS – 2019

 

Theatre Royal Stratford East

15 February – 23 March 

Box Office: 020 8534 0310 / www.stratfordeast.com 

Further dates and venues to be announced.

 

FULL CAST ANNOUNCED FOR CHICAGO

AT THE PHOENIX THEATRE, LONDON

OPENING ON WEDNESDAY 11 APRIL 2018

Joining the previously announced Cuba Gooding Jr, Sarah Soetaert, Josefina Gabrielle and Ruthie Henshall in the multi award-winning CHICAGO at the Phoenix Theatre in London’s West End, will be Paul Rider as Amos Hart.  Following a successful UK and international tour, and after a 5½-year absence from London, CHICAGO, the winner of six Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards and a Grammy, will open at the Phoenix Theatre on Wednesday 11 April 2018, following previews from 26 March.

Paul Rider previously played Amos in Chicago at the Adelphi and Cambridge Theatres.  His recent theatre work includes A Woman of No Importance (Vaudeville), The Tempest, Cymbeline, Measure for Measure, Julius Caesar, The Duchess of Malfi, Henry IV Parts 1 & 2 and Henry V(Shakespeare’s Globe), and Wilbur in the UK Tour of Hairspray.  His television credits includeDinnerladies, Victoria Wood with all the Trimmings, French and Saunders, The Catherine Tate Showand EastEnders.  Films include Topsy-Turvy and A Cock and Bull Story.

The cast will also feature Alan Richardson, Michelle Antrobus, Natalie Bennyworth, Nicola Coates, Frances Dee, Zoe Gappy, Emma Harris, Chelsea Labadini, Joanna Rennie, Abramo Ciullo, Francis Foreman, Luke Jarvis, Matt Krzan, Charles Ruhrmund, Todd Talbot, Callum Macdonald, Chris Warner Drake and Matthew Wesley.

 

CHICAGO originally ran in London for 15 years, making it the West End’s longest running revival.  It first opened at the Adelphi Theatre on 18 November 1997 to rave reviews and immediately became a sell-out hit.  CHICAGO won the 1998 Laurence Olivier Award for ‘Outstanding Musical Production’ as well as the 1998 Critics Circle Drama Award for ‘Best Musical’.  CHICAGO transferred from the Adelphi Theatre to the Cambridge Theatre in April 2006, where it ran for five years until 27 August 2011.  The show then opened at the Garrick Theatre on 7 November 2011, where it ran until 1 September 2012.

Since it opened in New York in 1996, CHICAGO has played in 36 countries worldwide, and been performed in English, Dutch, German, Swedish, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Italian, French, Danish, Japanese and Korean.  It has grossed over $1.5 billion worldwide and has played over 30,000 performances worldwide, with an estimated 31 million people around the world having seen CHICAGO.

CHICAGO continues to play on Broadway, where it recently celebrated its 21^st birthday, and around the world in multiple languages.  It is the world’s longest running American musical.

CHICAGO, which is based on the play by Maurine Dallas Watkins, has a book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb.  The 1996 Broadway revival of CHICAGO was choreographed by Ann Reinking in the style of Bob Fosse, directed by Walter Bobbie, and produced by Barry and Fran Weissler.

LISTINGS INFORMATION

Phoenix Theatre

110 Charing Cross Road

London WC2H 0JP

Box Office: 0844 871 7629 / www.atgtickets.com/shows/chicago/phoenix-theatre

Ticket Prices: From £20.00

Performances: Monday-Saturday 8pm, Wednesday & Saturday 3pm

Booking Period:  Currently Booking Until 23 June 2018

Running Time:  2 hours, 25 minutes (with interval)

 Website: ChicagoWestEnd.com

Twitter: @ChicagoOnStage

Tumble Tuck
King’s Head Theatre, 115 Upper Street, Islington, N1 1QN
Tuesday 24th April – Saturday 12th May 2018, 7pm

Daisy’s swimming the relay, but Daisy’s legs still jiggle… and her front crawl is ‘a bit f***ing feminine’. She shouldn’t be here…

Following a highly-acclaimed run at Edinburgh Fringe 2017, Tumble Tuck, written by Sarah Milton and presented by BackHere! Theatre, now transfers to London to headline the Who Runs the World? season at the King’s Head Theatre. This exciting season showcases work by female playwrights in direct response to the under-representation of female voices on stage.

Tumble Tuck is a funny, brutal and heartfelt one-woman show that seeks to examine the selfworth of young women today and emphasis we place on winning when sometimes just taking part is the real achievement. A bronze medal to one person is someone else’s gold; a C grade is someone else’s A. Tumble Tuck questions the system that tells us that if we’ve not got the best result we’ve failed.

With original music by Harry Blake and direction by Tom Wright, the show tells the story of Daisy – a young woman struggling to accept herself and realise her strength. Her relationship with water is complex: it’s the only place she feels safe so why must she be judged for how well she performs in it?

Writer Sarah Milton comments, The pressure on young people, and particularly women, to look a certain way, achieve life goals and fit in with social expectations is enormous. Tumble Tuck explores the journey of a young woman going through exactly these pressures and is inspired by my own experiences of managing my mental health through swimming. Tumble Tuck is a play I wish I’d seen as a young adult and I’m ecstatic that the show has been chosen to transfer to The King’s Head Theatre, to headline its all-female festival. We received a fantastic response from audiences that saw the play at Edinburgh Fringe and I can’t wait to introduce Daisy to London.

In her black swimsuit and swimming cap, Sarah Milton plays Daisy with drive and focus, at one with the rhythms of her own script and never missing a beat. She glides gracefully into the cast of supporting characters. … It is an excellent performance in a play that holds much promise (The Scotsman).

Tumble Tuck was first presented by the Old Vic New Voices at Wilderness Festival in August 2016 and then at Soho Theatre in October 2016, as part of their Soho Rising Season. It then had a run at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2017.

Manchester Theatre Awards

In association with Target Live

Winners announced at ceremony held at The Lowry

• HOME leads the way with five awards for its productions and performers
• Sheridan Smith and Danny Mac win for their starring roles in hit musicals
• Drama, dance, opera, fringe theatre and panto all represented at the awards, the most significant annual theatrical prize-giving outside London

Sheridan Smith and Danny Mac were among the winners at the Manchester Theatre Awards – which were announced at The Lowry.

Presented by comedian Justin Moorhouse, the annual awards – the most important theatrical prize-giving outside London – honoured productions seen in Greater Manchester during 2017.

HOME led the way with five awards, with the rest of the honours largely even among the area’s other venues including two for Oldham Coliseum, two for the Royal Exchange Theatre and other awards going to productions and performers at The Lowry, the Palace Theatre and Opera House, Hope Mill Theatre, Contact, Royal Northern College of Music and Greater Manchester Fringe festival.

Janet Suzman was named Best Actress for Rose at HOME while Kenneth Alan Taylor won Best Actor for The Father at Oldham Coliseum – which also won the Best Production prize.

Best New Play was won by Rosie Fleeshman for Narcissist in the Mirror, part of Greater Manchester Fringe.

The big shows on the touring circuit visiting Manchester in 2017 were also honoured, with Michael Harrison, David Ian and Curve’s production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard winning Best Musical, and its star Danny Mac scooping Best Actor in a Visiting Production for his role as Joe Gillis. Sheridan Smith was named Best Actress in a Visiting Production for her star turn as Fanny Brice in the West End-turned touring production of Funny Girl.

The star-studded pantomime Dick Whittington, produced by Qdos and which featured John Barrowman and The Krankies, scooped the Best Special Entertainment prize.

The Robert Robson Award for Dance was taken by English National Ballet for their Double Bill at the Palace Theatre while Opera North’s The Snow Maiden at The Lowry won the opera prize, renamed this year The Philip Radcliffe Award for Best Opera, in memory of the late arts journalist and one of the founders of the Awards

Scott Hunter won Best Newcomer for his performance in Yank! at Hope Mill Theatre, a role he also reprised in the West End when the show transferred there last year.

The MTA judging panel includes a group of enthusiastic young critics who contribute to deliberations and reviews and have their own dedicated award for youth performances. This prize was won by Singin’ in the Rain by the Royal Northern College of Music Young Company.

Also presented on the day was the Stage Door Foundation award that was given to JB Shorts, the Reallife Theatre company platform for playlets written and performed by industry professionals, which started life at the Joshua Brooks pub in the city and are now performed at the 53Two fringe venue.

Special Achievement Awards were given to Barrie Rutter, founder and former artistic director of Northern Broadsides, and Anne Hornsby of Mind’s Eye audio describers which celebrated its 25th anniversary last year.

Presenters of the awards included BBC Breakfast hosts Charlie Stayt and Naga Munchetty, former Coronation Street cast including Tupele Dorgu and Eric Potts, television and stage actress Roxanne Pallet and Dinnerladies star Sue Devaney.

Guests were also treated to performances during the ceremony by comic singer songwriter Daniel Cainer, performance poetry by Alex Slater and Rosie Fleeshman and Opera North’s Marie Claire Breen and Dean Robinson who performed arias from Don Giovanni.

The list of winners in full can be found below.

The 2018 Manchester Theatre Awards are in association with Target Live, who managed the PR for the awards. With offices in London and Manchester, Target Live is the UK’s only full service live events marketing agency offering Marketing, Media, Social Media, PR, Design and Digital.

http://www.manchestertheatreawards.com

@MTAwards

#McrTA2018

Manchester Theatre Awards – Winners in Bold

Actress in a Leading Role

Karen Henthorn, Spring and Port Wine, Oldham Coliseum

Lisa Dwyer Hogg, People, Places & Things, HOME

Nina Hoss, Returning to Reims, Manchester International Festival

Janet Suzman, Rose, HOME

 

Actor in a Leading Role

Cliff Burnett, Hard Times, Oldham Coliseum

Jason Merrells, Uncle Vanya, HOME

Kenneth Alan Taylor, The Father, Oldham Coliseum

Ashley Zhangazha, Guys And Dolls, Royal Exchange

 

Actress in a Supporting Role

Alison Halstead, The House of Bernarda Alba, Royal Exchange

Kate Kennedy, Twelfth Night, Royal Exchange

Kerry Peers, The Father, Oldham Coliseum

Katie West, Uncle Vanya, HOME

 

Actor in a Supporting Role

Tom Michael Blyth, Hard Times, Oldham Coliseum

David Fleeshman, Uncle Vanya, HOME

Andrew Sheridan, People, Places & Things, HOME

 

Actress in a Visiting Production

Ria Jones, Sunset Boulevard, Palace Theatre

Laura Pitt-Pulford, Nell Gwynn, The Lowry

Natalie Radmall-Quirke, The Weir, Oldham Coliseum

Sheridan Smith, Funny Girl, Palace Theatre

 

Actor in a Visiting Production

Danny Mac, Sunset Boulevard, Palace Theatre

Graham McDuff, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Palace Theatre

Sean Murray, The Weir, Oldham Coliseum

 

Ensemble

Oh What A Lovely War, Oldham Coliseum

Operation Black Antler, HOME

The Suppliant Women, Royal Exchange

 

Performance in a Fringe Production

Rosie Fleeshman, Narcissist in the Mirror, Greater Manchester Fringe

Amie Giselle-Ward, Little Women – The Musical, Hope Mill Theatre

Alexandra Maxwell, The Loves of Others / Freak, Greater Manchester Fringe

Danny Solomon, Days Of Wine And Roses, 53TWO

 

Performance in a Studio Production

Rhodri Meilir How My Light Is Spent, Royal Exchange

Lucy Jane Parkinson, Joan, Contact

Keisha Thompson, Man On The Moon, Contact

Alex Walton, From Ibiza to the Norfolk Broads, The Lowry

 

Robert Robson Award for Dance

Debut, Acosta Danza, The Lowry

English National Ballet double bill, Palace Theatre

Ghost Dances, Rambert Dance, The Lowry

Leviathan, James Wilton Dance, Contact

 

Design

Jenny Melville (set) and Lysander Ashton (video), Paul Auster’s City of Glass, HOME

Bunny Christie, People, Places & Things, HOME

Alex Lowde, Persuasion, Royal Exchange

Yael Bartana, What If Women Ruled the World?, Manchester International Festival

 

Fringe Production

Bad Advice, Greater Manchester Fringe

Gypsy Queen, Hope Mill Theatre

The Marriage of Kim K, Greater Manchester Fringe

Moth, Hope Mill Theatre

 

Musical

Funny Girl, Palace Theatre

Jim Steinman’s Bat out of Hell the Musical, Opera House

Sunset Boulevard, Palace Theatre

Yank!, Hope Mill Theatre

 

New Play

Gypsy Queen, writer Rob Ward, Hope Mill Theatre

How My Light Is Spent, writer Alan Harris, Royal Exchange

Narcissist in the Mirror, writer Rosie Fleeshman, Greater Manchester Fringe

Narvik, writer Lizzie Nunnery, HOME

 

Newcomer

Gemma Dobson, Rita, Sue and Bob Too, Octagon Theatre Bolton

Scott Hunter, Yank!, Hope Mill Theatre

Vinay Lad, The Railway Children, The Lowry

 

The Philip Radcliffe Award for Opera

Cendrillon, Royal Northern College of Music, RNCM

La Cenerentola, Opera North, The Lowry

Opera North Little Greats, Opera North, The Lowry

The Snow Maiden, Opera North, The Lowry

 

Production

The Father, Oldham Coliseum

People, Places & Things, HOME

Rose, HOME

The Suppliant Women, Royal Exchange

 

Special Entertainment

Dick Whittington, Opera House

Running Wild, The Lowry

The Toad Knew, The Lowry

Under Glass, Clod Ensemble,The Lowry

 

Studio Production

From Ibiza to the Norfolk Broads, The Lowry

Joan, Contact

Man On The Moon, Contact

Swansong, The Lowry

 

Target Live Award for Best Visiting Production

La Strada, The Lowry

My Country; a Work in Progress, HOME

Nell Gwynn, The Lowry

The Weir, Oldham Coliseum

 

Youth Panel Award

There is a Light/BRIGHTLIGHT, Contact Young Company

Singin’ in the Rain, RNCM Young Company

Tis Written in the Stars, Oldham Theatre Workshop, Oldham Coliseum

 

 

 

 

Jermyn Street Theatre – until 31 March.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

4****

Proud Haddock’s production of WH Auden and Christopher Isherwood’s lyrical play opens with a spotlight on a clock whose hands never move. With an onstage stage evoking music hall and village hall productions, the timelessness of the seemingly bucolic setting of Pressan Ambo is firmly established, along with the depressingly repetitive nature of human history that makes the warnings in this satire about the interwar period in Europe recognisable today. Fuelling suspicion and hatred of anyone who is different, scorn of expert opinion, angry nationalism, manipulation by the press – they are all here.

Every year, a man from Pressan Ambo is chosen to leave the village and search for Francis Crewe, the heir to Honeypot Hall, who disappeared ten years ago. His reward will be the hand of Iris Crewe. This year, Alan Norman is chosen, and sets off in the company of the dog who wanders the village, renamed Francis by Alan.

On the boat to the continent, Alan meets two journalists, who, spotting a story, accompany him on his quest. He visits the brutal but image conscious monarchy of Ostnia and the highly politicised lunatic asylum of Westland before finding a previous searcher from Pressan Ambo in the red-light district, finding out that his quest has been in vain, Francis never left England. After establishing the idea that England is better than these other countries – this could never happen here – Auden and Isherwood rip this assumption to shreds in the latter part of the play.

Auden and Isherwood’s script is full of biting humour, some daft rhyming couplets and passages of lyrical narrative beauty, and director Jimmy Walters allows the plot to unfold with smooth scenery changes and cast choreography, maintaining the feel of Edwardian theatre and enhanced by Jeremy Warmsley’s evocative music. The songs in the play are a delight, and the cast deliver them with gusto. Pete Ashmore is the calm centre of the play, keeping Alan the sanest character on view, while Edmund Digby Jones is brilliantly over the top in his various unsavoury roles – delivering a chillingly convincing and familiar religious/political speech as the vicar rallying his Lads of Pressan. Eva Feiler steals every scene, sometimes with a mere twitch, in a multitude of roles, also providing wonderful piano accompaniment.

This fine production chooses the “happier” ending to the story of Alan and Francis, but still ends on a depressingly low-key note of warning to the audience – “This may happen any day…”

Jack Studio Theatre – until 17 March.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

4****

I must admit, I was a bit worried when I saw that Stuffed was about a couple’s struggle with fertility. I had plenty of tissues at the ready, expecting a little melodrama, but Stuffed is wonderfully uplifting and funny. Lucy Joy Russell and Holly McFarlane have written an intelligent and insightful play packed with belly laughs but still emotionally focused on the couple’s pain. The tone is set in the tongue in cheek presentation explaining IVF using extremely literal slides.

40-year-old Kim and Jack have been through a few rounds of IVF and are trying everything to discover if there is a particular reason they can’t have children. After a chance meeting with old university friend Grace, the couple renew their bond with Grace and her husband Colin, who are shocked that they want children. Seeing their friends’ children and reminiscing about their youth makes Kim begin to question every life choice she made, begins to blame herself for wasting precious time, and question whether she is a real woman if she isn’t a mother.

This sounds a little grim, but the writing is so natural and relatable that you are invested in these characters within a few minutes. Kim and Jack’s hiding behind banter and tasteless jokes is underpinned by the look of longing and loss that creeps over Kim’s (Faye Maughan) face in quieter moments. Maughan, almost constantly onstage, gives a quietly passionate performance, portraying the strength and roiling emotions of Kim as each round of IVF fails. Ben Scheck gives strong support as Jack, excelling in the more serious and less showy scene where the couple decide their future. Alexander Tol and co-writer Holly McFarlane have the best lines in the show, he as laid-back Colin, and she as Kim’s mum and dreadful dinner party guest Carole.

Played against a black backdrop, with colour coded chair coverings and costumes signalling where each scene is set, director Rory Fairbairn allows the narrative to flow coherently, with scene changes accompanied by a nostalgic soundtrack from the characters’ university days. The play ends with a note of hope and self-acceptance that makes you want to cheer. What more could you ask for?

Lowry, Salford – 7 March 2018.  Reviewed by Marcus Richardson

5*****

My second night in a row at the opera I saw Don Giovanni by Mozart, the company Opera North brought the show to The Lowry. The show follows a comical tale of a man who aims to seduce as many women as possible, and doesn’t care about the negative consequences. As they travel through time they are chased by two women and a husband to get their revenge on Don Giovanni.

The Cast features a lot of talented people, from the character who takes the name play Don Giovanni played by William Dazeley, and his servant Leporello played by John Savournin the iconic duo both gave an amazing performance that commanded the stage and made the audience laugh with the witty humour and canes becoming erect, yes that what I said. Their singing skills were absolutely stunning and they created a lot of the comedy with their voices, a scene that just made me laugh when these two were on stage was when they were talking about all the women Don Giovanni slept with, I was crying from laughter. The trio of Donna Anna played by Jennifer Davis and her husband Don Ottavio played by Nicholas Watts and Donna Elvira a woman abandoned by Giovanni played by Elizabeth Atherton, the skill of all of these singers is phenomenal with the powerful female vocals and use of layering their voices to create out of this world performances. The whole cast was amazing and everyone made my night including each member of the 1950s chorus.

The Conductor, Matthew Kofi Waldren, made sure the orchestra worked with the singers, the whole orchestra worked so well and in time I’m sure Mozart would be impressed. The set was one of the most creative and interesting use of a panel with a picture frame in the middle where the actors would use during some scene changes, actors would have mini bodies in this frame and also wig heads to represent all the women Giovanni has slept with. Everything looked beautiful and nothing was out of place, the costumes were no exception with each capturing each different time period perfectly.

Madama Butterfly flew to the top of my favourite Opera but was knocked down after 24 hours, by Don Giovanni, I loved the tongue-in-cheek comedy and every single aspect of the performance. As part of the Opera North trio at the Lowry including Madama Butterfly and Un Ballo In Maschera, I’ve been blown away by the first two shows and I’m excited to see the third show on Saturday.

IGNITE THE INFERNO. FEEL THE FEVER.

LIKE NEVER BEFORE!

BILL KENWRIGHT

by special arrangement with the ROBERT STIGWOOD organisation presents

A NEW PRODUCTION OF THE HIT MUSICAL

SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER

Based on the Paramount/RSO Film and the story by Nick Cohn

Adapted for the stage by Robert Stigwood in collaboration with Bill Oakes

 

 

 

Marking 40 years since its famous UK cinema release, SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER is reimagined and revitalised in a big new music and dance spectacular.

 

The 1977 Travolta classic movie was an instant hit when it was released in cinemas, and the album is still one of the best-selling movie soundtracks of all time.

Whilst paying homage to the movie, this new stage version also promises

more drama, more music and hot new choreography, which is sure to have audiences on their feet and dancing the night away!

 

Opening in London at the New Wimbledon Theatre on 30 August 2018, a nationwide tour includes Liverpool, Birmingham, Bristol, Aylesbury, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Llandudno and Cardiff.

 

SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER tells the story of Tony Manero, and his reckless, yet thrilling road to dancing success. It features the Bee Gees greatest hits including Stayin’ Alive, How Deep Is Your Love, Night Fever, Tragedy and More Than a Woman as well as 70’s favorites Boogie Shoes, Disco Inferno and many more.

More exciting announcements soon.

 

LISTINGS

SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER

UK TOUR

 

DATES & VENUES:

 

New Wimbledon Theatre 30 August – 8 September	atgtickets.com/newwimbledontheatre 0844 871 7646
Liverpool Empire Theatre 11 – 15 September	atgtickets.com/liverpoolempire 0844 871 3017
Birmingham Alexandra Theatre 25 – 29 September	atgtickets.com/newalexandratheatre 0844 871 3011
Bristol Hippodrome Theatre 2 – 6 October	atgtickets.com/bristolhippodrome 0844 871 3012
Aylesbury Waterside Theatre 9 – 13 October	atgtickets.com/aylesburywatersidetheatre 0844 871 7607
Glasgow Kings Theatre 16 – 20 October	atgtickets.com/kingstheatre 0844 871 7648
Edinburgh Playhouse Theatre 23 – 27 October Llandudno Venue Cymru 13 – 17 November	atgtickets.com/edinburghplayhouse 0844 871 3014 venuecymru.co.uk 01492 872000
Wales Millennium Centre 27 November – 1 December	wmc.org.uk 029 20636464

Further dates to be announced.

Website: www.kenwright.com

Hen and Chicken, Highbury – 7 March 2018.  Reviewed by Sharon Hinds Kennedy

2**

The Theatre of Heaven and Hell presents Dario Fo’s Abducting Diana

This production took place at the Hen and Chicken Theatre Bar in Highbury and Islington, London. The theatre is above a fun and busy bar which could not be heard upstairs in the theatre. The theatre itself is small and intimate with raised seating facing a small performance area. Lighting was very good as was the use of the performance area. Props consisted of a table, a couple of chairs and a very large freezer chest (big enough to fit a large man inside!). Scene changes were cleverly accomplished by the removal of dust sheets that had been thrown over the aforementioned props before the play began.

The performance begin with the main character guiding a blindfolded man, for whom she has plans of a sexual nature. It appears she picked up this man randomly at a club. Before anything can happen between them, their intimacy is disturbed by a gang of gas mask wearing kidnappers. It soon turns out that the gang believe they have kidnapped a millionaire business woman and proprietor of a tabloid newspaper.

The performance starts off with a hilarious and entertaining scene, when they find out they have actually got the businesswoman’s body double. The first half is very funny, with the use of cardboard cut out masks to conceal the identity of the kidnappers.

However the play soon descends into farce as the incompetence of the kidnappers becomes apparent as Diana takes control of the gang to discover who is behind her kidnap and it becomes apparent they really do have the real Diana.

Just over a third of the way through the farce becomes strangely dark and loses it’s way. There is a point where a character stands on chair in a Christ like manner glowing in red light and babbles incoherently, a strange motif in a farce. After this mysterious and slightly confusing act, the play resumes its previous comedic nature. But then a twist as it ends with two dark endings.

At times the script was rather cheesy and it seemed unable to decide what genre it was aiming to place itself under.