Author: FairyPoweredProductions

York Theatre Royal until Saturday 3rd March 2018. Reviewed by Michelle Richardson

3.5 ***

Pilot Theatre and York Theatre Royal presents to the stage Bryony Lavery’s adaptation of the 1938 novel by Graham Greene.

Pinkie (Jacob James Beswick) is a 17 year old up and coming gangster, who has just become the leader of a ruthless gang in Brighton, after his old boss is killed. After the revenge killing of Fred, he attempts to cover the gangs tracks but there is a witness, Rose (Sarah Middleton), a 16 year old waitress, and also a thorn in his side in the form of Ida (Gloria Ontiri), who is convinced that Fred’s death was no accident and will not rest until the truth comes out and justice is done, after all she knows right from wrong.

Pinkie comes to the conclusion that the only way to silence Rose is by marrying her, because as his wife anything she says would be inadmissible. He sets about convincing her to marry him, where in her own twisted and convoluted way she falls madly in love with him, as only a teenager can, and has her own secrets. The deeply disturbed Pinkie spirals out of control and we see his paranoia take effect, becoming more unstable and deadly. The only person who stands up to him in the quest for the truth as well as trying to protect Rose from his brutality, is Ida.

Beswick is a bit of a pocket rocket as Pinkie with his attitude and volatility. He shows him in all his bravado, slowly sinking into the depths of madness and we realise that he is just a little boy in the grown up world. Middleton as Rose plays her with a naivety but with also with a little something else, a bit of darkness, to it. Ontiri as Ida, gives a warm vocal performance, striking in her appearance and is a welcome relief after all the madness.

The stage design is quite ingenious, with the use of a movable ladder and lighting, adapting from rooms to Brighton Pier, utilising limited staging to great effect. I did find though that the stage was very dark, sometimes far too dark to really work out what was happening at times.

Composer and musical director Hannah Peel provides the score. She along with James Field, were in the background, playing on stage for the whole of the show. From the onset and with the murder of Fred, to Pinkies descent into madness, the music is a powerful tool and you could really feel the violence taking place before your eyes.

Touring until the end of May.

NICHOLAS HYTNER TO DIRECT TWO WORLD PREMIERES

ALLELUJAH!

BY ALAN BENNETT

ALYS, ALWAYS

BY LUCINDA COXON

 

A B S O L U T E   M U S I C :   S H O S T A K O V I C H

WITH NIKKI AMUKA-BIRD, SIMON RUSSELL BEALE AND ANDREW SCOTT

AND THE CARDUCCI QUARTET

 

ALLELUJAH!

 

Nicholas Hytner will direct the world premiere of Alan Bennett’s Allejujah!, previewing at the Bridge Theatre from 11 July 2018 with opening night on 18 July and running to 28 September 2018. Designed by Bob Crowley, Allelujah! will have lighting by Natasha Chivers and music by George Fenton.  Tickets will go on sale at 10am today for priority members with public booking opening on Friday 2 March 2018 at 10am. Casting for Allelujah! will be announced shortly.

 

The Beth, an old fashioned cradle-to-grave hospital serving a town on the edge of the Pennines, is threatened with closure as part of an NHS efficiency drive. Meanwhile, a documentary crew eager to capture its fight for survival follows the daily struggle to find beds on the Dusty Springfield Geriatric Ward, and the triumphs of the old people’s choir (newest member: the Pudsey Nightingale). 

 

Alan Bennett’s new play is as sharp as The History Boys and as funny as The Lady in the Van.

 

Allelujah! will be the tenth collaboration between Bennett and Hytner.  They first worked together on Bennett’s adaptation of The Wind in the Willows for the National Theatre in 1990.  Then followed The Madness of King George III, The Lady in the Van and The History Boys, all of which were also seen on film, The Habit of Art, People and the double bill Untold Stories.

Alan Bennett is a playwright, screenwriter, actor and author.  Following a hugely successful writing and performing debut in 1960 at the Edinburgh Festival with Beyond The Fringe, his first play Forty Years Onwas produced in 1968.  Bennett is the recipient of numerous awards for his work with Hytner including, for The History Boys, the Olivier, the Critics’ Circle, the Evening Standard and South Bank Show awards as well as multiple Broadway honours.

Nicholas Hytner is, with Nick Starr, Founding Director of the London Theatre Company.  He was Director of the National Theatre from 2003 to 2015, where the productions he directed included The History Boys,Hamlet, One Man, Two Guvnors, and Othello. His films include The Madness of George III, The Lady in the Van and The History Boys.  His book Balancing Acts was published by Jonathan Cape last year.  Hytner directed Young Marx, the opening production the Bridge as well as Julius Caesar, the current production, running until 15 April.

ALYS, ALWAYS

Nicholas Hytner will also direct the world premiere of Lucinda Coxon’s Alys, Always based on the novel by Harriet Lane.  Alys, Always will preview at the Bridge Theatre from 23 January with opening night on 30 January and will run to 30 March 2019.  Casting for Alys, Always will be announced at a later date and booking information will be announced in September.

 

Frances works on the books pages of a Sunday newspaper. She’s quiet and capable, but nobody takes much notice: her face is pressed to the window, on the outside, looking in.   One evening, driving back to London after visiting her infuriating parents, she comes across an upturned car crumpled on the side of the road. She waits with the injured driver, Alys Kyte, until the ambulance arrives. Later, when Alys’s famous family gets in touch, Frances finds herself for the first time ushered into the world on the other side of the window. And she begins to wonder: what would it take to become a player?

 

A gripping psychological thriller that excavates the fault line that separates the entitled from the unentitled.

 

Lucinda Coxon’s previous theatre writing credits include Herding Cats, Happy Now, The Eternal Not, Nostalgia, The Shoemaker’s Wife, Vesuvius, Wishbones, Three Graces, The Ice Palace and Waiting at the Water’s Edge.  Her screen writing credits include the multiple award-winning The Danish Girl starring Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander, The Crimson Petal and the White starring Romola Garai for BBC, Wild Target starring Emily Blunt, The Heart of Me starring Paul Bettany and Helena Bonham-Carter and the forthcoming The Little Stranger starring Domnhall Gleeson and Ruth Wilson.

Alys, Always was Harriet Lane’s debut novel, published in 2012, and was followed in 2014 with Her.Previously Lane wrote for the Guardian and the Observer as well as Vogue and Tatler.

 

 

 

 

A B S O L U T E   M U S I C :   S H O S T A K O V I C H

On Monday 5 March 2018 at 7.45pm Simon Russell Beale, actor, author and music historian, will curate the second of a series of evenings inspired by works of chamber music this time focussing on Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 8 and the composer’s fraught relationship with Stalin and the Soviet authorities.  Russell Beale will be joined on stage by Nikki Amuka-Bird and Andrew Scott for a collection of poems and short dramatic readings to accompany a performance by the acclaimed Carducci Quartet of this masterpiece, written following Shostakovich’s agonised decision to join the Communist party and dedicated “to the victims of fascism and the war”.

Tickets are £20 and £25 with some general admission stage floor spaces at £5.

LISTINGS

 

Address:                                        Bridge Theatre, 3 Potters Fields Park, London, SE1 2SG

Box Office:                                   0333 320 0051 or [email protected]

Tickets for Allelujah! and Alys, Always are priced from £15 to £65 with reduced prices for previews and midweek matinees. A limited number of premium seats are also available. A special allocation of £15 seats are held for Young Bridge, a free scheme for those under 26.

Access:                                          0333 320 0051 or [email protected]

Website:                                        www.bridgetheatre.co.uk

Twitter:                                         @_bridgetheatre

Instagram:                                     _bridgetheatre

Facebook:                                      facebook.com/bridgetheatrelondon

LULU

RETURNS TO THE WEST END AFTER 30 YEARS TO JOIN

42^ND STREET AS DOROTHY BROCK

ASHLEY DAY TAKES ON ROLE OF BILLY LAWLOR

TOM LISTER AND CLARE HALSE CONTINUE AS JULIAN MARSH AND PEGGY SAWYER RESPECTIVELY 

NEW CAST PREVIEWS FROM MONDAY 19 MARCH 2018 AT THEATRE ROYAL, DRURY LANE

 

Lulu returns to the West End after 30 years to join the cast of 42^nd Street, the dazzling and romantic homage to the world of musical theatre in the iconic role of ‘Dorothy Brock’ in this five star production.

 

Lulu made her acting debut at the age of 16, starring with Sidney Poitier in the unforgettable To Sir With Love– and taking the title song to Number One in the US for five weeks.  Since then she has never been away from the spotlight as an actress, singer, song-writer and businesswoman.  She has worked with some of the greatest musical talents of our time – Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Cash, The Beatles, David Bowie… Lulu’s acting career has been no less stellar – her West End debut was in the Richard Eyre National Theatre production of Guys & Dolls; she starred in Peter Pan, played Tom Courtenay’s wife in Whatever Happened to Harold Smith, performed successfully in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Song & Dance and gained rave reviews for stepping into Julie Walters’ formidable shoes in the much-loved Adrian Mole tv series.  She also recently showcased her comedic skills in the cult comedy film, Absolutely Fabulous.

Lulu’s career highlights are too many to mention but include the unforgettable Shout, her Bowie collaboration The Man Who Sold the World, a Bond theme song and a Number One with Take That.  She is a multi-award winning artist, including Ivor Novello and Grammy nominations for the world wide hit she penned for Tina Turner, I Don’t Wanna Fight, and she is an OBE.  Lulu continues to set new standards and challenges for herself – she has just completed a 44 date, sell-out tour of the UK and in 2017 toured Australia and the US with her band.  Her most recent, self-penned album Making Life Rhyme, garnered the best reviews of her career.

Also joining the cast of 42^nd Street is Ashley Day as ‘Billy Lawlor’. Ashley performed the role of ‘Jerry Mulligan’ in the recent West End production of An American in Paris. Other theatrical credits include Kiss Me Kate (Opera North), Oklahoma! (National Tour), The Book of Mormon (West End), The Wizard of Oz (London Palladium), High School Musical (National Tour), On the Town (English National Opera), Evita (West End), Mary Poppins (West End), Matthew Bourne’s Nutcracker (Sadler’s Wells) and Oliver! (West End).

 

The role of ‘Julian Marsh’ will continue to be performed by Tom Lister, who played ‘Carl King’ in Emmerdale for 8 years and had recently starred as ‘Wild Bill Hickok’ in the UK Tour of Calamity Jane.

 

Clare Halse, whose performances have been hailed as ‘outstanding’ will continue as ‘Peggy Sawyer’. She most recently appeared in the acclaimed production of Gypsy as ‘Marjorie May’ at the Savoy Theatre.

 

42^nd Street is playing at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. The production is directed by the show’s co-authorMark Bramble (whose other hit shows include Barnum, Treasure Island, The Three Musketeers The Grand Tour) and director of many award-winning previous productions of 42^nd Street on Broadway and around the world.

 

42nd STREET is the song and dance, American dream fable of Broadway and includes some of the greatest songs ever written, such as ‘We’re In The Money’, ‘Lullaby of Broadway’, ‘Shuffle Off To Buffalo’, ‘Dames’, ‘I Only Have Eyes For You’, and ‘42nd Street’.

 

With an all-singing, high-kicking cast of over 50 on the West End’s largest stage, 42^nd Street is the biggest show in town.

 

The cast also includes:

 

Jasna Ivir is ‘Maggie Jones’, Graeme Henderson is ‘Andy Lee’, Christopher Howell is ‘Bert Barry’, Bruce Montague is ‘Abner Dillon’, Mark McKerracher is ‘Mac/Doc/Thug’ and Emma Caffrey is ‘Anytime Annie’. Matthew Goodgame joins as ‘Pat Denning’.

 

The 45 piece ensemble comprises Clare Rickard, Ella Martine, Hannah Amin, Lucy Andic, Sara Bispham, Pamela Blair, Abi Curruthers, Danielle Cato, Lisa Dent, Natasha Ferguson, Madeleine Francis, Maria Garrett,  Maddie Harper, Leah Harris, Rebecca Herszenhorn, Bethany Huckle, Sarah Kacey, Annie Kitchen, Jenny Legg, Hannah–Faith Marram, Billie Kay, Katy Riches, Zoe Rogers, Jessica Stent, Josephina Camble, Gabrielle Cocca, Emma Johnson,  Jasmine Kerr, Lucy Renouf, Christina Shard, Freddie Clements, Martin McCarthy, Zac Watts, Steph Parry, Thomas Audibert, George Beet, Philip Bertioli, Joel Cooper, Matt Cox, Adam Denman, Luke George, Ryan Gover, Alyn Hawke, Tom Partridge, James-Royden Lyley and Liam Wrate.

 

42nd Street is presented in London by Michael Linnit and Michael Grade together with The Global Group of Companies for Gate Ventures with Executive Producer Johnny Hon.

The Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield – runs until 24th February 2018.  Reviewed by Sophie Dodworth

3***

With an all-star cast, promised comedy and the theme of the Quartet from Verdi’s Rigoletto running through it, the Lyceum Theatre was almost full. Many of the audience were in the more mature category so maybe the fact that the play is based in a retirement home, could have been one of the major attractions.

The story is a heartwarming tale of four ageing opera singers, all residing in a retirement home for retired musicians in Kent. We meet the expertly drawn characters, Cecily, Wilfred and Reginald on a typical day in the beautiful music room of a country house; the audience is infected by the fun and comedy from the start. There are lots of laughs at some of the eccentricities of the characters and the smutty humour. Panic soon sets in when it is apparent that Reginalds’ ex wife Jean, will be coming to live among them! The old friends reminisce together but most prominent, are their worries of no longer being a ‘somebody’ and losing their voices, although their motto is NSP (no self pity). The plan for the old friends, once they have aired and sorted through their grievances, is to perform Quartet together for one last time.

Paul Nicholas plays super sex-mad Wilfred who doesn’t have much dialog without an innuendo or a gag, the majority of which are amusing and has the audience laughing in all the right places. Insecure Reginald is played by Jeff Rawle, an occasionally volatile character; when screaming profanities at the poor matron for not giving him his marmalade at breakfast! Wendi Peters’ character Cecily (Cissy) is well on the way to losing her faculties and brings an array of sympathy, energy and laughter to the stage. Jean is played by Sue Holderness, a reflective, serious character not embracing the aging process in the slightest.

Highlights of the show have be some of Wilfreds gags, especially when he is discussing his ever-long dream of having his ‘bum pinched’ and for him to be ‘perved on’. Wendi Peters’ character is a real highlight and credit must go to Wendi for giving Cecily such energy and dedication. And the end scene must get a mention for the mimed performance of Quartet.

This show is full of talent, each character played with more gust and passion that you could hope for. However, there is something missing from the plot, the story needs a little extra in places, maybe an extra twist or just more content to keep the energy up. That being said, the show really does make you take a moment to consider your future or reflect on your past, which is a really valuable sentiment to take away from the theatre with you. It is a touching story of emotions, values and a real sense of no matter how old you are, your spirit is still as it was when you were young.

ALL OR NOTHING – THE MOD MUSICAL

BASED ON THE STORY OF THE SMALL FACES

TO TRANSFER TO AMBASSADORS THEATRE

IN LONDON’S WEST END FOR 10-WEEK RUN

FROM 28 MARCH TO 2 JUNE 2018

FOLLOWING SELL-OUT 5-WEEK SEASON

AT ARTS THEATRE, LONDON

Due to overwhelming public demand, ALL OR NOTHING – THE MOD MUSICAL, with book by Carol Harrison and music and lyrics by the Small Faces, will transfer to the Ambassadors Theatre in London’s West End following a five-week sell-out season at the Arts Theatre.  The 10-week run at the Ambassadors Theatre will begin on Wednesday 28 March 2018 with a Gala Night, and will run until Saturday 2 June 2018.  Tickets are now on sale.  

ALL OR NOTHING is the story of four charismatic young kids from East London with humour, attitude, passion and, above all, talent.  They became the Small Faces and were rocketed into the big time, only to discover the path to success is paved with exploitation, betrayal and, ultimately, tragedy. 

 

In 1965, a new phenomenon erupted out of London’s East End.  It was the essence of all that was cool.  It was Mod.  ALL OR NOTHING follows the rise and demise of the Small Faces, the band who encapsulated all that was Mod – a unique blend of taste and testosterone, clothes-obsessed and street-wise – but most of all, a dedication to rhythm ‘n’ blues.  The musical celebrates the unique sound of this iconic Mod band, with all the Small Faces’ hits, including Whatcha Gonna Do About It, Tin Soldier, Lazy Sunday, Itchycoo Park and, of course, All or Nothing.

The cast at the Ambassadors Theatre will be led by Carol Harrison as Kay Marriott and Chris Simmons as Steve Marriott. 

 

Carol Harrison is probably best known for her role as Louise Raymond in EastEnders. Other television roles include seven years as Gloria in Brushstrokes, Loretta opposite Ray Winstone in Get Back, and Dorothy in two series of London’s Burning.  Carol’s theatre work includes Michael Rudman’s production of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman at the National, Ripen Our Darkness at the Royal Court, Alan Parker’s production of Alfie at the Liverpool Playhouse and Lee Hall’s Cooking with Elvis at the Lyceum Theatre, Crewe.  She was also a founder member of Half Moon Theatre in London’s East End.  Her film credits include The Elephant Man, Quadrophenia and Human Traffic.

Chris Simmons is probably best known for playing the role of DC Mickey Webb for over twelve years in the long running ITV series The Bill.  He has also appeared in EastEnders as Mark Garland and in the Tracy Beaker spin-off CBBC show, The Dumping Ground.  Chris’s theatre credits include Alan Ayckbourn’s Absent Friends (Gordon Craig Theatre, Stevenage), Entertaining Strangers (Lyric Hammersmith), Lysander in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (tour), Iago in Othello (tour) and Epicoene (Tristan Bates Theatre).

The show is endorsed and supported by many of those who feature in its story, including singer P.P. Arnold and Steve Marriott’s daughter, Mollie Marriott, who is the show’s vocal coach and creative consultant.

ALL OR NOTHING – THE MOD MUSICAL is directed by Carol Harrison, with set design by Rebecca Brower, lighting design by Peter Small, sound design by Chris Drohan, choreography by Cameron Hall and musical supervision by Pat Davey.  ALL OR NOTHING – THE MOD MUSICAL is produced in the West End by Rock ‘n’ Roll Productions.

A 29-track cast recording, as well as a limited edition 15-track blue vinyl LP, is available now from the show website, www.allornothingmusical.com, and is also available from the Arts Theatre during the show’s run and then from the Ambassadors Theatre during the show’s run there.

 

LISTINGS INFORMATION

 

ALL OR NOTHING – THE MOD MUSICAL

 

For the Arts Theatre:

6 February – 11 March 2018

 

Arts Theatre

6-7 Great Newport St

London WC2H 7JB

 

Performances:  Tue – Sat 7.30pm, Thurs, Sat and Sun matinees 3pm

Tickets:  From £19.50

Box Office:  020 7836 8463

 

For the Ambassadors Theatre:

28 March – 2 June 2018

 

Ambassadors Theatre

West Street

London WC2H 9ND

 

Performances:  Monday – Sat 7.30pm, Thurs & Sat matinee 3pm

Tickets:  From £27.50

Box Office: 020 7395 5405

 

 

Running Time:  2 hours, 35 mins, including interval

N.B.  Contains strong language

 

www.allornothingmusical.com

@AONTheMusical

Morphic Graffiti presents

The Country Wife

By William Wycherley

 

28 March – 21 April

Director: Luke Fredericks; Set and Costume Designer: Stewart Charlesworth

Movement Director: Heather Douglas; Lighting Designer: Sam Waddington

Co-Artistic Directors of Morphic Graffiti, Luke Fredericks and Stewart Charlesworth, today announce casting of the ‘Bright Young Things’ for their new adaptation of William Wycherley’s restoration comedy The Country Wife. Luke Fredericks directs EastEnders’ Eddie Eyre as Harry Horner, Call the Midwife’s Leo Staar (Harcourt), West End stars Siubhan Harrison (Alithea) and Nancy Sullivan (Margery Pinchwife) with Daniel Cane (Sparkish), Mabel Clements (Lucy/ Dainty Fidget) and Joshua Hill (Dorilant) completing the company. Thrust into the excesses and seductions of late 1920s London: a city exploding with a heavy mix of jazz, gin and scandalous affairs the production, opens at Southwark Playhouse on 4 April, with previews from 28 March, and runs until 21 April. Full casting still to be announced.

“Everything in the world is about sex, except sex. Sex is about power”. Oscar Wilde

Renowned playboy, Harry Horner, has made it known in the society pages that he is now impotent. For the jealous husbands, this cunning lothario is neither a threat to their wives nor their reputations.

Meanwhile, business brings the newly married Jack Pinchwife to the city with his much younger wife Margery in tow. Dazzled by everything laid out in front of her, Margery is determined to savour it all, regardless of the consequences.

This is the Twenties, the ladies are now very much on top and they alone will decide what, and indeed who, comes their way.

With the decadence of the London social scene and the creative and sexual revolution of the ‘Bright Young Things’ movement, it won’t just be the hemlines that are rising at Southwark this spring.

 

www.morphicgraffiti.com

Twitter: @morphicgraffiti

Facebook: Morphic Graffiti

 

The Country Wife

Listings

Southwark Playhouse

77-85 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BD

28 March – 21 April

Box Office: 020 7407 0234

www.southwarkplayhouse.co.uk

 

Tickets:

£12 (Wednesday 28 March to Monday 3 April 2018)

£20/£16 (concessions)

Performance Schedule:

Monday to Saturdays 7.30pm. Matinees on Saturdays and Tuesdays at 3pm

Age guidance: 12+

David King for Summer Holiday Theatre Ltd presents

BRITISH SINGER-DANCER RAY QUINN

JOINS THE 2018 UK TOUR OF

 

BRAND NEW STAGE MUSICAL

 

SUMMER HOLIDAY

Brand new stage musical Summer Holiday is set to tour the UK from May 2018, with the famous red double-decker bus making its first stop at the Liverpool Empire on Tuesday 8^th May.

Based on the iconic 1960’s film of the same name, starring Cliff Richard and The Shadows, Summer Holiday will include all of the number one hits from the movie, plus some additional Cliff Richard classics.

Taking on the lead role of Don made famous by Cliff Richard, is singer-songwriter Ray Quinn. Ray shot to fame as the runner-up in ITV1’s The X Factor in 2006. This spurned a career in both music and of late musicals, with his debut album ‘Doing it My Way’ entering the charts at Number 1, and quickly gaining platinum status. Ray is perhaps best known of late for ‘doing the double’ on ITV1’s hugely successful show Dancing on Ice, winning for the first time in 2009, and then again on Dancing on Ice: Champion of Champions in 2014. Ray’s theatre credits include Danny Zuko in Grease (West End), Dirty Dancing (West End), Legally Blonde (UK Tour) and most recently, The Wedding Singer (UK Tour).

Summer Holiday tells the story of Don and his fellow London Transport mechanics as they journey together in a red double-decker bus through Paris, the Alps, Italy and Greece. Along the way they pick up a girl singing group and a young American pop star who is on the run from her domineering mother!

This hit – filled musical features many of 1960’s biggest songs including In the Country, Summer Holiday, Travellin’ Light, Bachelor Boy, Move It, Living Doll, The Young Ones and On the Beach.

Tickets for Summer Holiday are on sale now. Further casting to be announced in due course.

 

WEBSITE| TWITTER

 

SUMMER HOLIDAY

 

Stage Adaptation by Michael Gyngell and Mark Haddigan

 

Based on the film SUMMER HOLIDAY, Directed by Peter Yates

Screenplay by Ronald Cass and Peter Myers

By special arrangement with StudioCanal

 

Orchestrations by Keith Strachan

 

Presented by arrangement with

Music Theatre International (Europe) Limited

On behalf of Josef Weinberger Limited

 

Executive Producer

David King

 

Director and Choreographer

Racky Plews

SUMMER HOLIDAY – 2018 UK TOUR DATES

Tuesday 8 – Saturday 12 May                                                     Box Office: 0844 871 3017

Liverpool Empire                                                                              Website: www.atgtickets.com/liverpool

Tuesday 15 – Saturday 19 May                                                   Box Office: 0844 871 7652

Milton Keynes Theatre                                                                  Website: www.atgticket.com/miltonkeynes

Tuesday 22 – Saturday 26 May                                                   Box Office: 0844 871 7645

New Victoria Theatre, Woking                                                    Website: www.atgtickets.com/woking

Tuesday 29 May – Saturday 2 June                                           Box Office: 0844 871 3024

Grand Opera House, York                                                             Website: www.atgtickets.com/york

Tuesday 5 – Saturday 9 June                                                       Box Office: 020 3285 6000

Churchill Theatre, Bromley                                                          Website: www.churchilltheatre.co.uk

Tuesday 12 – Saturday 16 June                                                  Box Office:  0844 871 3011

New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham                                      Website: www.atgtickets.com/birmingham

Tuesday 19 – Saturday 23 June                                                  Box Office: 0844 871 3014

Edinburgh Playhouse                                                                     Website: www.atgtickets.com/edinburgh

Tuesday 26 – Saturday 30 June                                                  Box Office: 01752 267222

Theatre Royal, Plymouth                                                              Website: www.theatreroyal.com

Tuesday 17 – Saturday 21 July                                                    Box Office: 0844 871 7650

Theatre Royal, Brighton                                                                 Website: www.atgtickets.com/brighton

Tuesday 24 – Saturday 28 July                                                    Box Office: 0844 856 1111

Blackpool Winter Gardens                                                           Website: www.wintergardensblackpool.co.uk

Tuesday 30 July – Saturday 4 August                                        Box Office: 0844 848 2700

Leeds Grand Theatre                                                                      Website: www.leedsgrandtheatre.com

Tuesday 14 – Saturday 18 August                                              Box Office: 029 2063 6464

Wales Millennium Centre                                                             Website: www.wmc.org

Tuesday 22 – Saturday 27 August                                               Box Office: 01702 351135

Cliffs Pavilion, Southend                                                                Website: www.southendtheatres.org.uk

Tuesday 4 – Saturday 8 September                                          Box Office: 01322 220000

Orchard Theatre, Dartford                                                           Website: www.orchardtheatre.co.uk

Tuesday 11 – Saturday 15 September                                     Box Office: 01244 409113

Chester Storyhouse                                                                        Website: www.storyhouse.com

Tuesday 18 – Saturday 22 September                                     Box Office: 0844 871 7646 ON SALE SOON

New Wimbledon Theatre                                                             Website: www.atgticket.com/wimbledon

Tuesday 25 – Saturday 29 September                                     Box Office: 01325 405405 ON SALE SOON

Darlington Hippodrome                                                                Website: www.darlingtonhippodrome.co.uk

Tuesday 2 – Saturday 6 October                                                Box Office: 0844 871 7649 ON SALE SOON

Regent Theatre, Stoke                                                                   Website: www.atgtickets.com/stoke

Tuesday 23 – Saturday 27 October                                           Box Office: 0844 871 7607 ON SALE SOON

Aylesbury Waterside Theatre                                                     Website www.atgtickets.com/aylesbury

Tuesday 30 October – Saturday 3 November                       Box Office: 0844 871 7647 ON SALE SOON

Kings Theatre, Glasgow                                                                 Website: www.atgtickets.com/glasgow

FURTHER DATES FOR 2018 AND 2019 TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON

Darliington Hippodrome – until 24 February 2018

5*****

Perennial favourite Blood Brothers returns to the newly restored and renamed Darlington Hippodrome this week and received a rapturous reception.  This joy of a show is from the Bill Kenwright stables; with book, music and lyrics written by Willy Russell

Every version I have seen of this show has been different and every actor brings a different take on their part so it never gets the chance to be stale, however this version appears to have new life breathed into it with what seemed like shiney new sets and the cast being able to take full advantage of the new larger Darlington stage.

Telling the story of the Johnstone twins, the boys, Mickey and Edward, grow up on opposite sides of the track and disaster is predicted should they ever meet … but destiny draws them together and without knowing they are siblings, they become blood brothers

Set in Liverpool in the seventies, Mathew Craig snarls his way through the role of Narrator, spreading malevolence in his role of Devil in human form. Even in scenes where he doesn’t speak his presence just exudes menace.

Lyn Paul was unfortunately indisposed so we were treated to  Sarah Jane Buckley in the role of Mrs Johnson.  Buckley had been playing Mrs Lyons on the tour so by stepping into the new role we had Sarah Rayner in her first night as Mrs Lyons.  Buckley is phenomenal as matriarch Mrs Johnstone.  Her playing age seems to fit better and her Scouse accent is not as pronounced as it could be which gives the image of nice convent girl gone bad after meeting a man. She has a powerhouse of a voice, squeezing every bit of feeling out of her vocals. Her show stopping rendition of Tell Me it’s Not True takes your breath away and your heart genuinely breaks with the raw emotion in her performance.  Watching her visibly age with the last few scenes is amazing.  The mixture of weariness and warm affection with which she regards her children is palpable throughout. And at the end, with her twin sons lying dead before her, her face is a clenched mask of grief as she sings the climactic anthem with a power and bitterness that sends shivers racing down the spine.

Sarah Rayner as the desperate Mrs Lyons is outstanding.  Her desire to have a baby leading her to make the pact with Mrs Johnson for one of the twins, and the guilt for what she has done  shapes her life and causes the inevitable mental breakdown.  Keeping the secret from her husband (Tour Director Tim Churchill). But Mrs Lyons plays the final fatal part in telling Mickey about Linda and Eddie’s friendship and planting the seeds of doubt in Mickey’s fragile brain.  She might as well have shot the gun herself for the part she plays in this terrible tragedy

The twins are played by Mark Hutchinson as upper class and indulged Eddie, the child who was given away, and Sean Jones as Mickey the child who was kept. Jones delivers an outstanding performance ranging in age over the best part of 20 years. In his hand me down jumper and ragged shorts he is genuinely believable seven year old who is nearly eight, his 14 year old is hilarious and his tragic spiral down into despair in his later years is distressing to watch. Such is the performance that you really do believe in his problems and forget that he is acting.

Danielle Corlass plays Linda, the innocent caught in the crossfire, in love with both brothers and both in love with her. But it is Mickey who marries her after getting her pregnant although it is Eddie who helps her and Mickey in the later years.  She manages to layer the part with subtlety and show genuine tragedy

The whole company take on many roles throughout, and are adept and highly skilled in morphing into many diverse characters, from many walks of life, of various ages.  Watching brother Sammy (Daniel Taylor) age from a 10 year old tearaway to an adult career criminal.  A milkman become a gynaecologist with referenced humour and best change of all, for me, Graham Martin going from Private School Tutor to State School Teacher was fabulous.

Powerful, apt orchestration and superb lighting sets each scene impeccably, and add essential dynamic to the dramatic effect.  As an audience we laughed, we cried and we jumped in surprise 

Although plot, music and execution are exceptional, it is the immense overwhelming rush of emotions that you experience during the show that stays with you for along time after you have left the theatre.  

Do not attempt to see it without a stack of tissues.

In Darlington until Saturday 24 February and on tour around the UK.

The Lowry, Salford Quays – until Saturday 24th February 2018.  Reviewed by Julie Noller 

5*****

Brief Encounter based on Noel Cowards 1936 play Still Life, remembered fondly by many as the black and white film directed by David Lean, released in the aftermath of War in 1945. It’s often hailed as one of cinemas greatest love stories. Set in England on the eve of World War 2. No one can fail to be moved with emotion at the thought of a doomed love affair and the sadness of families ripped apart not only by a stiff upper lip attitude but by the impending heartache of war. It’s an English love affair without the froth of Hollywood, there’s no happy ending here, it was an excuse to weep those tears freely. Tears for lives that might have been.

How could this theatre production live up to that? Amazingly well, it’s given a modern twist by Emma Rice who adapted and directed Brief Encounter with Kneehigh Theatre. She celebrates those famed longed for Thursday encounters between Laura and Alec (Isabel Pollen & Jim Sturgeon) whose love you sense washing over them like the waves on the screen behind them, you want them to be winners, to run away and just be happy. Alas life is far from rosy. Alec is everything Fred (Laura’s husband) isn’t. Fred dependable, unemotional, tall, dark, just Fred, home with the children, allowing Laura her 1 single day a week. Yet is the grass greener on the other side of the train track? As with the film you never do quite know and part of the joy of Brief Encounter is your interpretation of the situation unfolding. Do they or don’t they? Did they or didn’t they? You are constantly catching your breath in those moments of wonder.

The modern twist comes in the form of those other character interactions, the budding relationships. Most take place within the station café. You see the fun filled youth without a care of the bleak future facing them. Beryl (Beverly Rudd) has to be everyone’s favourite character whizzing around on her scooter, nipping out for a bag of chips on her way home. Her wonderfully naive nature you want to cradle and long for it to survive those darkest hours that lie just around the corner. Musical numbers backed up by the jazz band on stage bring an uplifting element to a serious love affair and help us to feel the emotion building. I’ve mentioned the screen this is used to bring those black and white images to life, paying homage to the 1945 film. Characters climbing in and out of the screen. Making the film seam ever more realistic. Moving trains, characters running and climbing aboard. It’s slow moving at times, almost making you shout ‘for god sake man, get a move on and just kiss her’ then fast moving, you want to rewind and stop time.

There’s plenty of humour which I must say surprised me, I expected melodrama. I issued a mascara warning, took tissues. For it is not a spoiler to say we all know the ending here. Alec is the most chivalrous of English knights and falls on his sword by leaving for South Africa, before families are destroyed. The humour helps in those moments of tissue dabbing. During those moments of wave crashing you witness Laura under water, you actually wonder is she lost? Drowning under the weight of expectation as a Wife and Mother, or is she learning to swim for her freedom against expectation?

Brief Encounter is simply magnificent, it’s a brave thing to take a small cast and re-imagine one of the greatest love stories. Yet Emma Rice has done an incredible job, bringing human love, suffering and angst to a younger audience in a way they and us golden generation can truly appreciate and long to watch again. The cast more than deserved their standing ovation, they were superb.

Brief Encounter is heading for a run on The West End after Saturday sees it’s run at The Lowry finish. It’s well worth watching whether your with your friends or your partner.

The Thelmas: Coconut
Ovalhouse, Kennington: 11th – 28th April 2018
UK Tour: 16th May – 30th June 2018

Based on writer Guleraana Mir’s real experience of interracial and intercultural
relationships, Coconut will embark on a UK tour this summer. This fresh new play challenges dated Asian female stereotypes with an honest portrait of the contemporary British Asian experience. With its unremitting humour, Mir explores the impact of religion and faith – and the lack of it – in modern romance

As her faith wanes, Rumi enjoys a glass of wine and a bacon sandwich more than a trip to the mosque. A British Pakistani woman, born and raised a Muslim, she may have hit the jackpot with Simon who is willing to convert to Islam to keep her family happy. But, as Simon begins to explore his faith, Rumi’s world begins to spin off its axis

Coconut will see the professional debut of Kuran Dohil as Rumi. The cast will also include Jimmy Carter (The Giant Killers, Edinburgh Fringe; Othello, Baron Court’s Theatre; Romeo and Juliet, Iris Theatre) as Simon and Tibu Fortes (A Midsummer’s Night Dream, Shakespeare’s Globe; Requiem, BBC/Netflix; People Just do Nothing, BBC3) who will play Riz and the Imam

Although irreverent in tone, this dark comedy tackles grey areas of emotional and religious coercion. Coconut refers to the controversial term used to describe someone who is brown on the outside and white on the inside and this production does not shy away from interrogating the contemporary British Asian experience

Mir’s writing is side-achingly funny at times … and deeply affecting at others … hits both a zeitgeist and the universality of coming to terms with your own identity.(FemaleArts)

Writer Guleraana Mir explains, Coconut is a story I don’t see being told, it is genuinely representative of the realities of living in a multicultural society; relatable, regardless of what culture you’re from. It was very important to me, when creating the characters of Rumi and Simon, that they were honest, both to themselves and each other. Sometimes that honesty is hilariously funny, and other times it is painfully uncomfortable. But at the heart of the play is a woman trying to stay truthful to herself, in a way that we wouldn’t really expect from an Asian stereotype, which is why audiences have loved her

Beginning life as a fifteen minute monologue produced as part of the Camden Fringe, the current production of Coconut is the result of research, development and support from the New Diorama Theatre’s BAMER programme, Diorama Arts Studios and Park Theatre’s Script Accelerator programme. The production is funded by Arts Council England. This tour is supported by In Good Company, the East Midlands’ flagship artist professional development programme

Tour Dates

11th -28th April Ovalhouse, London
52-54 Kennington, Oval, London, SE11 5SW

16th May ARC Stockton Arts Centre, Stockton on Tees
Dovecot Street, Stockton on Tees, TS18 1LL

19th May Derby Theatre, Derby
15 Theatre Walk, St Peter’s Quarter, Derby, DE1 2NF

24th May Oldham Coliseum, Oldham
Fairbottom Street, Oldham, OL1 3SW

26th May The Curve, Slough
William Street, Slough, SL1 1XY

18th June Guildhall Arts Centre, Grantham
St. Peter’s Hill, Grantham, NG31 6PZ

19th June Brewhouse Arts Centre, Burton Upon Trent
Union Street, Burton Upon Trent, DE14 1EB

27th June Lincoln Drill Hall, Lincoln
Freeschool Lane, Lincoln, LN2 1EY

28th June Old Library, Mansfield
Leeming Street, Mansfield, NG18 1NG

29th June South Holland Centre, Spalding
23 Market Place, Spalding, Lincolnshire, PE11 1SS

30th June Attenborough Arts Centre, Leicester
University of Leicester, Lancaster Road, Leicester, LE1 7HA