Author: FairyPoweredProductions

The Lowry, Manchester – until Saturday 17th February 2018.  Reviewed by Julie Noller

5*****

Teddy was the winner of Best New Musical at the Off West End Awards in 2016, it’s set in an era of austerity (a word well used by today’s media outlets and politicians) and post war London, devastated by the Blitz. Teddy and Josie dress up for a night on the town, teenagers free from restraints, Teddy marks the birth of rebellion. Music and mayhem bring to life the London of the 1950’s as depressive and bleak 1940’s darkness rocks and rolls away.

The decor is impressive, the auditorium is decorated with lightbulbs, the stage is split in two. It’s a simple set there’s the space for Johnny Valentine and the Broken Hearts to dazzle us with their rock and roll tunes. On the other side from the bold brash Americans stands smokey London the playground of the lost generation desperately trying to find their feet, wanting to break free from the oppression that has been left for them and stands amid the bombed out buildings. Scaffolding well that’s just somewhere to climb, sit and smoke. It’s a place to scorn at those who dare to look at them and let’s not call them kids! In the middle of the stage stands a lost and lonely abandoned Aga, just another toy but a sad reminder of long missed families.

The cast is small but far from simple. The story explosive. Josie (Molly Chesworth) is in her room, getting ready for a night with friends that involves getting drunk, smoking and dreaming of never returning home. Her father catches her creeping out he’s abusive and a drunk but he won’t stop her. She sweeps out the door her hair perfected, her lips cherry red. She carries the air of defiance, this generation of woman as after the First World War craves even more freedom and they aren’t afraid to pout and sneer. Teddy (George Parker) well he too is in his room, his hair is swept, slicked into the perfect quiff adding inches to his height. His Edwardian Jacket with it’s splash of colour and velvet collar being his pride and joy. We don’t see an insight into his home life until later when he returns home and riffles through his mother’s belongings for his fathers keepsakes, his eyes seeking the German gun that quite possibly many soldiers returning home from war had.

Both Teddy and Josie feel alive deep inside when they hear music especially that of their American hero Johnny Valentine the suave and sophisticated rebel played by Dylan Wood. The Broken Hearts are a trio of serious musicians, Buster Watson (Harrison White) who dazzles the keyboard and brings to live the electric sounds. Sammy ‘The Sticks’ Smith (Andrew Gallow) such an animal he needs to play behind a screen as explained by Jenny O’Malley (Freya Parks) she is the bands bassist, don’t call her a cutie pie, don’t expect her to be weak. She’s a strong willed woman and isn’t afraid to show it.

The story is simple it’s a boy meets girl tale. It should be happy ever after but reality is rarely that. Teddy and Josie are ultimately just teenagers doing what the generation before them had never dared – having fun. To their parents they’re still kids, a label thrust onto them and detested. They are Teds, lavish threads lovingly kept having been passed down to them are their peacock feathers. There’s no money to flash for this is an era of deep deprivation. Music is their release, it is freedom. Both hear of Johnny Valentines one off gig in London and it becomes a fight to gain entrance by any means. That means involves a gun, pawn shop and money by any way necessary. Violence is part and parcel of life for them, the big greasy monkey who coverts Josie getting in their way more than once. Teds trashing a cinema before Bill Haley’s tune Rock around the Clock had heralded the start of Blackboard Jungle, they escape the police. Life catches up with them at the gig, violence catches up with them after awkwardly sharing a dance together and possibly their first kiss ever. The grease monkey reappears not actually onstage but told by both Josie and Teddy it’s as if we are looking back as they tell the tale. Suddenly a bang rings out and we know Josie has the gun, why was it loaded? The story ends sadly, we don’t know what happens to them, I’m going to dream like they do… A true Hollywood style ending, life will be kind, miraculous and they’ll do what they talk about in their separate cold dark police cells. They’ll run away to America, change their names, drive a cherry red convertible very fast turning heads all the way. If Teddy was set today we’d be watching reality television shows and the X-Factor generation. What goes around comes around we just all believe that as teenagers we are the first to be misunderstood, seeking freedom, but Teddy’s really were the start of teenagers before them they were children and then adults. Enjoy the story and more so enjoy the music, feel the music as Teds did, forget the oppression around you and enjoy life, just try not to be angry as those rebellious teenagers did.

Iris Theatre announces exciting open-air
Summer Season
St Paul’s Church, Bedford Street, Covent Garden, London WC2E 9ED
Wednesday 20th June – Sunday 2nd September 2018

Award-winning Iris Theatre’s summer season will present a unique theatrical promenade experience in the middle of Covent Garden. Shakespeare’s The Tempest opens this year’s enchanting outdoor season followed by Daniel Winder’s adaptation of The Three Musketeers – suitable for all the family.

Inspired by the courtly royal masques of the 17th century and the designs of Inigo Jones (the architect behind St Paul’s Church), The Tempest will present an evening of pomp, magic and illusion. Directed by Iris Theatre’s Artistic Director Daniel Winder, this bold production stars Propellor and West End regular Tony Bell. As St Paul’s Church transforms into a mysterious island, audiences are
led on an exciting indoor and outdoor promenade adventure to discover whether anger wins or love will redeem all. Dress to impress as you are about to join a party at the end of the world!

Also this season, Paul-Ryan Carberry directs the epic family production, The Three Musketeers. This thrilling adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel follows young d’Artagnan (played by Jenny Horsthuis who returns to Iris after her acclaimed performance in Macbeth last year) on her secret mission to be the first female Musketeer. Young audiences will be hypnotised as heroic deeds, epic
duels (with spectacular sword fights choreographed by Roger Bartlett, Treasure Island 2016) and a lavish masquerade ball all come to life in this huge outdoor adventure. Daniel Winder’s adaptation of this classic novel presents the story as you’ve never seen it before.

Having gained full charity status in 2009, Iris are keen to support the development of the next generation of professional theatre practitioners and to make theatre affordable and accessible for young patrons. In this vein, Iris will be launching their exciting new youth access scheme – Young Iris. This new scheme will enable anyone aged 16-25 to receive tickets for all of Iris’ shows at the same rate as a child ticket. Iris will also be re-launching their successful Iris Friends scheme which entitles patrons to a range of benefits for £25 per year.

Daniel Winder comments, We’re delighted to be announcing our summer season for 2018 after such a successful 2017! The Tempest and The Three Musketeers are both projects that have been planning for a long time, so finally being able to talk about them is a relief. We’re especially excited that this year we also get to offer an unlimited number of discounted tickets to young people as part of the new Young Iris scheme, further meeting our commitment to invest in the theatremakers of
tomorrow.

 

Sheffield’s Crucible Lyceum Studio – until 3 March 2018.  Reviewed by Dawn Smallwood 

5*****

This play is being premiered at Sheffield’s Crucible Lyceum Studio. Many can relate to the 1984/85 Miners Strike and how the devastating impact it had not just on the coal industry but the mining communities. It was after the events at Orgreave which prompted three women, in this play, to do whatever they can do to show solidarity to the miners and their families.

Chicken Soup is about three women who fought and survived amid the struggles in a South Yorkshire mining village. They set up a soup kitchen where they feed families and supply them provisions. The story spans over 32 years from the strike in 1984, the Queen’s Jubilee in 2002, and to the eve of the referendum in 2016 where citizens cast their vote to decide Britain’s future.

The staging has been considered and moves with the times with the smooth transitions between the time eras and this is done by the creative team of Sophia Simensky, Prema Mehta and Alexandra Faye Braithwaite. It is centred on a community centre’s kitchen, a vital hub for running essential services. Friendships blossom and are tested between Josephine (Judy Flynn), Christine (Samantha Power) and Jennifer (Simone Saunders). The play poignantly and emotively, with irony and wit thrown in, projects their characters and livelihoods.

With Katie (Remmie Milner), Jennifer’s daughter, and Helen (Jo Hartley), Christine’s estranged sister in law, being part of the scene, they are reminded with conflicting attitudes that time doesn’t stand still. They witness, however, the parallels back to the strikes with present day austerity measures, food banks and influencing support for the better good.

The play, co-written by Ray Castleton and Kieran Knowles, offers the delicate but crucial direction successfully driven by Bryony Shanahan. It doesn’t prescriptively influence the audience how they should think and feel about the issues raised. The context of the play and the women’s plight encourages the audience to think for themselves about the humanity and bravery that kept the spirit alive during those times.

It is a fantastic performance from the five women cast and is certainly an unmissable production which transfixes the audience from beginning to end. The play is delivered well with complimentary soup available for all at the interval, thrown in as a good measure, and it was such that one wishes for the play not to end when it did.

 

Cast announced for After the Ball
Upstairs at the Gatehouse, Highgate Village, London N6 4BD
Wednesday 7th – Saturday 24th March 2018

An exciting cast has been announced for Ian Grant’s After the Ball. Jack Bennett (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Palace Theatre; And a Nightingale Sang, New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme; The Elephant Man, Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield and National Tour), Mark Carlisle (The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, Chichester Festival Theatre and Duchess Theatre; Once, Phoenix Theatre), Stuart Fox (The Woman in Black, Fortune Theatre; Sauce for the Goose, The Man Who Pays The Piper, Orange Tree Theatre), Elizabeth Healey (The School for Scheming, Orange Tree Theatre; One of Us, Casualty, BBC), Emily Tucker (Fortune’s Fool, The Old Vic; Suddenly Last Summer, Fallen Angels, Theatre by the Lake, Keswick), and Julia Watson (A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur, The Print Room; Handbagged, Theatre by the Lake, Keswick; The Man Who Pays The Piper, Orange Tree Theatre) will bring to life this gripping ensemble piece about desire, personal responsibility and the devastating repercussions of human conflict

Inspired by a true event in 1918 and an unresolved family memory, After the Ball explores love and betrayal during the war. It tears open the scars created by horror and guilt, and lays bare the lasting effect of war on the women of this family for generations to come

Director Nadia Papachronopoulou comments, What struck me most when I first read After the Ball was the interplay between the characters and how the family ties evolve through the play. For me, the play’s challenge and beauty lies in the fact it spans sixty years, so the actors, the audience and myself really get to explore the core of the characters’ development through the course of their lives,
ranging from their twenties to their sixties. I am so excited to explore Ian’s world with our superbly talented cast who will give life to the piece

Highgate playwright Ian Grant’s previous work includes Stella Europa (Hen and Chickens Theatre) and the libretto Thomas Boleyn (Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford). Grant co-founded Time Productions after a successful 40 year career in publishing.

After the Ball was shortlisted for the Terence Rattigan Society New Play Award 2017.

SOUTHAMPTON COMMUNITY CHORUS TO PERFORM IN THE WORLD PREMIÈRE OF HOWARD BRENTON’S THE SHADOW FACTORY

Twenty-five of Southampton’s residents are coming together to perform in the community chorus as part of the world première of Howard Brenton’s new play The Shadow Factory which opens this week.

The community chorus, among others includes full-time students, psychotherapists and teachers ranging from ages 17 to 66 includes 12 members from Southampton itself with the remainder from other towns within Hampshire. In addition, 8 members of the chorus have personal experiences relating to the historic themes of the play with the youngest member’s grandfather having flown Spitfires during the Second World War.

The Shadow Factory, the inaugural production in Nuffield Southampton Theatres brand-new venue – NST City, focuses on the true and local story about the Woolston factory, that manufactured the Spitfire, which was bombed during World War Two. The people of Southampton came together to contribute significantly to the war effort by continuing to build constituent parts of the planes in make-shift ‘shadow’ factories across the city.

The local chorus forms an important and significant part of this production as well playing a key role in keeping community at the centre of everything the theatre does; particularly as the city centre venue prepares to open its doors.

Director of Nuffield Southampton Theatres Samuel Hodges said today ‘This is a play about a community, a love song to Southampton. Howard has focused on two particular families in his play at opposite ends of the social spectrum, but we also wanted to zoom out of the action, to get a sense of the scale of the shadow factory operation, the degree to which it impacted the entirety of the city back in 1940. And so working with non-professional performers, made up of local teachers, dockers, social workers, and students, has been right at the heart of this project from its inception. The story is as much about that community now as it is about the community they are representing from nearly 70 years ago. And it has become about even more than them – stories, letters, audio clips have been pouring in from relatives of those involved in the real shadow factories – even a letter from Lord Beaverbrook’s niece in Canada. I programmed this because it was a story about a community coming together, which is a story we need to cling onto today. And the passion and work ethos of our community company, who have gone above and beyond their comfort zone throughout, has validated that decision.’

 

The Shadow Factory

Listings

Studio 144, Above Bar, Southampton SO14 7DU

Until 3 March

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

Monday – Friday: 10am – 6pm

Saturday: 10am – 4pm

Cast announced for the World Premiere of Great Apes from the novel by Will Self; reimagined for the stage by Patrick Marmion

Great Apes is a new play by Patrick Marmion directed by RSC and Donmar actor Oscar Pearce (Wolf Hall, Real Thing), based on the novel by Will Self opening at the Arcola Theatre on Monday 19^th March.

Great Apes is a hilarious, uncanny and unnervingly original take on humanity’s place in the evolutionary chain. It is a modern odyssey into the abiding mystery of what it means to be a human being.

When Turner Prize winning artist Simon Dykes wakes up one morning after a wild night out, he finds his world has changed beyond recognition. His girlfriend, Sarah, has turned into a chimpanzee. And, to Simon’s horror, so has the rest of humanity.

Suffering a nervous breakdown Simon is immediately taken to Charing Cross hospital where he’s treated for being under the psychotic delusion that he’s a human being. Here he comes under the care of charismatic and controversial chimp psychiatrist, Dr Zack Busner who helps Simon come to terms with his condition.

Artist Simon Dykes is played by Bryan Dick whose stage credits include Years of Sunlight (Theatre 503); Hobson’s Choice (Jonathan Church Productions), Seminar (Hampstead Theatre); Public Enemy (Young Vic Theatre); Kursk (Young Vic); Tinderbox (The Bush Theatre); Amadeus (The Crucible Theatre); The Alchemist (National Theatre);The Life of Galileo (National Theatre) and Bone (Royal Court Theatre).

Ruth Lass plays male psychiatrist Dr Zack Busner. Ruth’s credits include A Short History Of Tractors In Ukrainian (Hull Truck); Hospital At The Time of the Revolution (Finborough Theatre); The Rest Is Silence (World Shakespeare Festival) ;The Tempest  ( Jericho House – Tour & Barbican);The Girl on the Sofa (Edinburgh International Festival/Royal Lyceum) and  Les Justes (Gate Theatre).

Donna Berlin (Charlotte Busner): Stage credits include Of Kith And Kin (Sheffield Crucible Theatre/Bush Theatre);Anna Karenina (Manchester Royal Exchange/West Yorkshire Playhouse); The Rolling Stone (Manchester Royal Exchange/West Yorkshire Playhouse); The Bacchae (Northampton Theatre Royal) and Blood Wedding (Northampton Theatre Royal).

 

Ruth Everett (Jane Bowen): Stage credits include The Lower Depths (Arcola Theatre);

Don Quixote (RSC); Dr Faustus (RSC); The Alchemist (RSC); Tiger Country (Hampstead Theatre); ‘Tis  Pity She’s A Whore (Cheek By Jowl); King Lear,(Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre); Dangerous Corner (Salisbury Playhouse) and Antony and Cleopatra (Chichester Festival Theatre).

 

 John Cummins (Gambol): Stage credits include The Alchemist (RSC), Don Quixote (RSC); Doctor Faustus (RSC); Anna Karenina (Manchester Royal Exchange & WYP); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare’s Globe); Eternal Love (UK Tour -ETT / Globe Theatre); Stuart: A Life Backwards (High-Tide & Sheffield Crucible);The Vortex (The Rose Theatre);Much Ado About Nothing (Ludlow Festival) and Anne Boleyn (UK TOUR -ETT / Globe Theatre).

Stephen Ventura (Kevin Whately): Stage credits include Cinderella (Oxford Playhouse); Running Wild (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre); The Fifth Column (Southwark Playhouse); The One That Got Away (Theatre Royal Bath); The Dog And The Night And The Knife (Arcola Theatre); The Orphan Of Zhao (RSC) and Boris Godunov (RSC).

 

Vivienne Smith (Sarah Peasenhulme): Stage credits include Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story (UK and Ireland Tour).

 

Writer and producer Patrick Marmion is a journalist, theatre critic, speaker and Associate Lecturer at the University of Kent. Previous plays include The Divided Laing (Arcola Theatre), Terms & Conditions (White Bear), Pieta – After Chekhov (Finborough & Print Room), Osterley (Urban Scrawl), The Institute (Etcetera). Screenplays include ‘Mushroom Soup’ (Sam Mendes/Renaissance Films),’ Kids FM’ (Working Title Television), ‘Maid Marion’ (Channel Four Films), ‘Archie Tanner & The Dodo’ (Children’s Film & Television Foundation) and ‘The Dead Guy’ (based on novel of same title).

Making his directorial debut is award-winning actor Oscar Pearce. A regular with the RSC his credits include Wolf Hall,Greg Doran’s celebrated A Midsummer Nights Dream and the renowned Spanish Golden Age Season. He has appeared in the West End many times including the Donmar Production of The Real Thing, which transferred to Broadway and I.D. at the Almeida. His portrayal of Chris in All My Sons at the Bolton Octagon won him the MEN best supporting actor. This is his third collaboration with the Arcola after appearing in the feted Jenufa and the more recent success, The Divided Lang.

Movement director Jonnie Riordan is a graduate of Frantic Assembly’s ‘Ignition’ programme. As Movement Director his credits include Connections Festival 16/17 (National Theatre), Maggie & Pierre (Finborough Theatre), CAUGHT (Pleasance Theatre), Cracking, Hooked and Bat Boy (Iso Productions, New Wimbledon Studio). As a Director: Man Up (Frantic Assembly Ignition, Stratford Circus, Latitude), Boy Magnet and White Noise (ThickSkin) andFound (The Albany). Jonnie is directing the first stage adaptation of Nigel Slater’s Toast at The Lowry in May. .

 

Set and costume design is by Sarah Beaton, recipient of the Linbury Prize for Stage Design. Design credits include Faust(Schauspielbuhnen in Stuttgart), Mother Christmas (Hampstead Theatre Downstairs),Babur in London (Theatre Rigiblick, Zürich/Lilian Baylis Studio), Crocodiles (Royal Exchange, Manchester), This Is Living (Trafalgar Studios),Diary of a Madman (Sherman Cymru/Tobacco Factory), And Now: The World! (Derby Theatre), And Here I am (Arcola, Palestine Tour) and The Man I Live With (Oxford Playhouse).

Matt Haskins is an international lighting designer. Credits include Peter Pan Goes Wrong (Apollo Theatre), Roundelay,Truth and Reconciliation (Royal Court), No One Will Tell Me How To Start A Revolution, Kiss Me (Hampstead Theatre),Crocodiles (Royal Exchange, Manchester), A Bright Room Called Day (Southwark Playhouse), Dream Story (Gate Theatre) and The House of Mirrors & Hearts (Arcola Theatre), Walk with Me (Girl Effect/Punchdrunk) and Dido, Queen of Carthage (Kensington Palace).

Sound design is by Dan Balfour. Recent credits include: #Dr@cula, The Devils (Royal Central School Of Speech Drama), Seafret (Old Red Lion, HighTide Festival), Figures Of Speech (Almeida Theatre),  I Call My Brothers, Caught, Red Helicopter (Arcola Theatre), RE: Home (Yard Theatre), DREAM, Jenufa –Opera Works (English National Opera), Walking the SOLO (Bush Theatre), Nude (The Hope Theatre) and  Deathwatch (The Roundhouse),

Co-producer Steve Hennessy is the author of over 20 plays for stage and radio and the founder of Stepping Out Theatre, the country’s leading mental health theatre company. They have been producing work on mental health themes with theatre professionals and mental health service users since 1997. Steve’s work includes the acclaimed Lullabies of Broadmoor Quartet (Oberon Books) – four plays about well known Broadmoor patients which toured nationally in 2011.The Divided Laing was Stepping Out’s 54th production.

Great Apes is produced by the Arcola Theatre in association with Stepping Out Theatre.

Listings information:

Venue:                   The Arcola Theatre, 24 Ashwin Street, London E8 3DL

Dates:                    Wednesday 14 March to Saturday 21 April

Press Night:        Monday 19 March at 7pm

Times:                 Mon-Sat at 7.30pm, plus Saturday matinees at 3pm

Wednesday matinees on 4 April, 11th April and 18th April at 3pm.

Ticket prices        Best £26 (£22 previews); Standard  £22 (£19 previews);Value £15; Restricted   £12 – Arcola Passport holders go free -Pay What You Can (Tuesday evenings – limited availability)

Box Office:www.arcolatheatre.com

020 7503 1646 (Mon-Sat, 12.30pm-6pm)

UNDERBELLY FESTIVAL: LINE-UP ANNOUNCED FOR 10^th YEAR ON SOUTHBANK

 

·         Headliners Circolombia & SOAP join Circus Abyssinia & Circa’s Peepshow

·         Comedy from Gina Yashere, James Acaster, Nina Conti, Ruby Wax, Sara Pascoe, Stephen K. Amos & Limmy

·         Circus, Cabaret & Variety from, Knightmare Live, Frisky & Mannish, Magical Bones & Jess Robinson

·         Family shows including Dick & Dom, Metta Theatre’s The Little Mermaid, Dick and Dom, The Amazing Bubble Man, Morgan & West, Funz & Gamez and Monski Mouse’s Baby Disco Dancehall

·         6^th April – 30 September 2018, Southbank, London SE1

Underbelly Festival is back for its tenth year on the Southbank with an incredible line-up, including headline shows from four countries across four different continents by some of the finest purveyors of circus in the world.

Shows on sale today include a modern twist on the grand tradition of European Circus: acclaimed German production SOAP [3 May – 17 July] combines acrobatics and water for a visually extraordinary and riotously fun spectacle that includes bathtub acrobatics, a mop ballet and a spectacular rainy finale.

Circolombia was one of the hits of last year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe, a fiery Latin circus-concert infusing the world’s best circus performers and a powerful original live soundtrack with Colombia’s vibrant cultural heritage, which has its London premiere at Underbelly Festival from 24 May – 14 July.

Headline acts already announced are Ethiopian Fringe sensation Circus Abyssinia [6 April – 20 May] – starring the incredible Bibi and Bichu; and legendary Australian circus troupe Circa’s brand new extravaganza Peepshow [27 June – 18 August].

Beyond the intercontinental feast of circus, Underbelly Festival celebrates a decade as London’s home of spring and summer comedy with shows by a host of the country’s finest comedians including international sensation and star of The Daily Show Gina Yashere [22-24 June], superstar ventriloquist Nina Conti [28 April & 1 July], legendary comedian and mental health campaigner Ruby Wax [26-27 May], young pretender Dane Baptiste & Friends [7 July] and national treasures-in-waiting Katy Brand (26 April), James Acaster [9 May], Sara Pascoe [19-20 May], Danny Bhoy [4 June] and Stephen K. Amos [8 June], alongside many more of the very finest comedic talents in the biz.

Other genre transcending entertainment coming to the festival include Glasgow’s dark comedy renaissance man Limmy for a screening of his legendary Vines [2 June], cult interactive gameshow Knightmare Live [17 June & 8 July], legendary paragons of pop culture parody (who, like Underbelly Festival, mark their 10^thanniversary this year) Frisky and Mannish [29 May], award-winning circus extravaganza Elixir, and countless hilarious and musically spectacular impressions from Jess Robinson [31 May & 5 July].

This year’s Underbelly Festival will also offer its most extensive and exciting range of family entertainment to date from the likes of Dick & Dom – making the festival their new bungalow on June 9-10, Metta Theatre, who reinvent Hans Christian Anderson’s classic in Metta’s Little Mermaid – The Circus Sensation using their signature blend of circus, physical theatre, contemporary dance and spoken word [24 July – 12 August], as well as the world’s foremost ‘bubbleologist’ The Amazing Bubble Man [21-22 &26-29 May], time-travelling magicians Morgan & West [7, 8 & 28 July, 27 August], riotous interactive shenanigans for kids (and plenty of jokes for parents) from Funz and Gamez [8 July] and Monski Mouse’s Baby Disco Dancehall [various dates 6 May-30 September], which gets the teeniest of boppers singing and dancing.

All of this is just a flavour of the full programme of comedy, circus, cabaret, variety and family fun taking place daily from April until the end of September in two spectacular venues, both set within a buzzing festival site which features some of London’s finest outdoor bars, offering a sumptuous range of food and drink.

Underbelly directors Ed Bartlam and Charlie Woods said:

“It’s hard to believe it’s been ten years since we first landed on the Southbank but we’re celebrating in style with our most exciting programme yet. As well as providing a range of brilliant comedy, cabaret, family entertainment, food, drink and bars, our headline shows all demonstrate the richness and variety of circus performance all around the world and it’s amazing to be hosting them mere yards away from the birthplace of circus 250 years ago.”

DIRECT FROM 2 WEST END SEASONS!

THE KITE RUNNER FLIES HIGH ACROSS THE UK

 

GRAND OPERA HOUSE YORK

Tuesday 8^th – Saturday 12^th May

 

The Kite Runner’s incredible stage success continues to soar to new heights!

Following two acclaimed West End seasons, when it played to over 100,000 people and received standing ovations at every performance, this unforgettable theatrical tour-de-force will now tour to 16 cities and towns across the UK and Ireland in 2018.

Based on Khaled Hosseini’s international best-selling novel, this haunting and powerful story has been adapted into a stunning stage production. A haunting tale of friendship which spans cultures and continents, it follows one man’s journey to confront his past and find redemption. Afghanistan is a divided country on the verge of war and two childhood friends are about to be torn apart. It’s a beautiful afternoon in Kabul and the skies are full of the excitement and joy of a kite flying tournament. But neither Hassan or Amir can foresee the terrible incident which will shatter their lives forever…

The Kite Runner, published in 2003, was Khaled Hosseini’s first novel. It became an instant bestseller across the globe and has since been published in 70 countries, selling 31.5 million copies in 60 languages.

The Kite Runner is adapted by Matthew Spangler and directed by Giles Croft. It is produced by Martin Dodd for UK Productions and Derek Nicol & Paul Walden for Flying Entertainment. It was originally produced by Nottingham Playhouse and Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse.

Tickets: From £20

Box Office: 0844 871 3024

Online: www.atgtickets.com/york

WORLD FAMOUS ORCHESTRA COMING TO DARLINGTON

The Hallé returns to Darlington on Monday 26 February.

Founded in Manchester by Sir Charles Hallé, the Hallé gave its first concert in the Free Trade Hall on 30 January 1858. The Hallé’s distinguished history of acclaimed performances includes over 70 concerts each year in The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, around 40 concerts a year around Britain, international tours, frequent broadcasts and televised performances.

Now in its 159th season, the Hallé ranks among the UK’s top symphonic ensembles.

Conductor Jonathon Heyward and the Hallé open this captivating concert with music from Grieg’s evocative Peer Gynt, which includes a glorious depiction of dawn, the thrilling Hall of the Mountain King and much more. No wonder it remains so popular!

Laurence Rogers is soloist in Richard Strauss’s youthful First Horn Concerto, firmly established as one of the best and most loved concertos for the instrument. Sibelius’s Second Symphony, with its sense of heroic struggle, immediately became an emblem for Finnish people in their battles against Russian oppression.

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