Brave Badger return with new verbatim play The Listening Room

Brave Badger premiere The Listening Room at The Old Red Lion
 
·         Brave Badger return with new verbatim play The Listening Room
·         Premiering at The Old Red Lion from 7 February
·         Tickets now on sale at www.oldredliontheatre.co.uk
 
Brave Badger return with The Listening Room, a new challenging yet uplifting verbatim play premiering at the The Old Red Lion Theatre, Islington, from Tuesday 7 February to Saturday 4 March. Written by Harriet Madeley (Brave Badger) and directed by Max Barton (Karagula at Soho Theatre, Piranha Heights at the Old Red Lion), the piece is sculpted from extraordinary real-life interviews recorded with victims and offenders of violent crimes, each of whom took part in an elective restorative justice process.
 
The first time Khamran met Tim, he attacked him with a baseball bat at a train station.
 
Now he’s sitting with a cup of tea, preparing to meet him for a second time.
A stirring exploration of life, death and justice, The Listening Room brings to the stage the voices of five real people whose lives were transformed by a single violent crime. Years after trial and punishment, each individual was given the chance to meet the person on the other side: the piece tells the story of the second transformation that happened when they said yes.

The cast features Charmaine Wombwell alongside Tony Hasnath, Kathryn Worth, Mark Knightley and Bruce Panday. Set design by Lauren Pratt and sound design by Jethro Cooke.
The production is Brave Badger’s keenly anticipated follow up to The Heart of Adrian Lovett and is the result of two years of research.  In collaboration with the innovative Max Barton, Brave Badger have created a production which strips verbatim theatre to its bare bones and pushes it to new heights, with actors working as plain-clothed mouthpieces and audience members being invited to take part. Several of the victims and offenders whose own words and voices are featured in the piece will take part in post-performance Q&As on 7 February and 2 March.
In the lead up to the performance run, the company are delivering workshops with young offenders in Hackney in collaboration with Young Hackney. The workshops are designed to encourage young offenders to explore the option of restorative justice through telling their own stories and listening to others’.
Brave Badger is run by Harriet Madeley and Mark Knightley. They create socially engaged work to galvanise young people and engage non-traditional theatre-goers. Their previous production, The Heart of Adrian Lovett at Theatre Delicatessen, was supported by Arts Council England and sold out its final week, garnering excellent reviews including 5* from The Stage: “If there’s one show you see before the election, make sure it’s this.”
 
Tickets for The Listening Room are on sale: call 0844 412 4307 or book online.
 
Watch the trailer here.
 
 
Post show discussions will take place at the following times:
·         7th February, 8:45pm: Q&A with Ray and Vi Donovan
·         23rd February, 8:45pm: Q&A with restorative justice experts & practitioners
·         2nd March, 8:45pm: Q&A with Khamran Uddin & Tim Isherwood
·         TBC: Additional sessions including with the Restorative Justice Council and Dr Meredith Rossner)

HACKNEY EMPIRE ANNOUNCES CINDERELLA AS 2017 PANTOMIME WITH TICKETS ON SALE ON 1 MARCH 2017

  • HACKNEY EMPIRE ANNOUNCES CINDERELLA AS 2017 PANTOMIME WITH TICKETS ON SALE ON 1 MARCH 2017.

  • SUSIE MCKENNA TO CHANGE HER ROLE TO BECOME EXECUTIVE CREATIVE PRODUCER.

  • SLEEPING BEAUTY CLOSED ON 8 JANUARY HAVING BEEN SEEN BY 50,000 PEOPLE WITH A RECORD NUMBER OF FIRST TIME ATTENDERS.

Hackney Empire has today announced Cinderella as its 2017 Christmas pantomime. The 2016 production of Sleeping Beauty was seen by audiences from across the globe from countries including Hong Kong, USA, Brazil, Japan and Hawaii but 20% of the audience was from Hackney, an increase of 1% on last year. Other London Boroughs with an increase in audience presence include Islington, Waltham Forest, Tower Hamlets, Brent and Westminster. There were a record number of new attenders to the venue, 64% of the audience were first time attenders and they generated 57% of the final box office income.

The venue has also announced that current Creative Director, Susie McKenna, is to change her role becoming Executive Creative Producer. The newly created role will see her develop new, diverse musical theatre for Hackney Empire and partners. In particular she will be exploring new projects that are created by, or feature, BAME artists as well as also looking to develop younger early-career artists.  She will still write and direct the legendary Hackney Empire pantomime, Cinderella in 2017 and the anniversary production in 2018.

McKenna has been Creative Director at Hackney Empire for seven years and this new role will also allow her to pursue her freelance career as a writer, director and actor, whilst still developing and creating work for the Hackney Empire stage. In line with the 20thanniversary, McKenna is writing a book to be published by Oberon Books about pantomime and the story of 20 years of her annual show at Hackney Empire.

Susie McKenna said: “What a journey! It has been an honour and a privilege to be the Creative Director of Hackney Empire for the last seven years. Alongside Clarie Middleton, I’m proud to have led the team that got the iconic East London theatre back on its feet and with all the artists, creatives, producers and administration team who have worked tirelessly to make the theatre what it is today. The venue has a reputation for high quality popular entertainment and a vast community footprint with an outstanding outreach and artist development programme that has served Hackney and surrounding boroughs. My new role is an exciting opportunity to work with established and emerging diverse talent to tell stories that will celebrate and reflect the melting pot that is our London wide audience.”

Clarie Middleton says: “Susie’s passion for Hackney Empire and its communities has always been second to none, and this has been more than amply demonstrated over the last seven years. She has created stunning productions for our main stage ranging from the iconic annual pantomime to a really splendid BLUES IN THE NIGHT; and her work with local young people has been extensive and trail-blazing. We will miss her as Creative Director but look forward to working with her on the projects she will develop in her new role. We wish her all the very best of luck too, with her return to freelance acting, writing and directing. She will contribute loads to anywhere she works.”

From starting as principle boy in Nottingham Playhouse pantomimes, Susie McKenna has written and directed critically acclaimed pantomimes since 1998. Her most recent directing credits include The Silver Sword, a musical adaptation of Ian Serraillier’s novel, written by Susie and Steve Edis. Other credits include Blues in the Night, A Midsummer Night’s Madness (Hackney Empire, New York and Edinburgh Festival) and Once on this Island (Hackney Empire, Birmingham Rep, Nottingham Playhouse).  She was nominated for the League of Professional Theatre Women’s Guild/Coigney International Theatre Award for developing international links.  She has also worked as an actor for over 30 years and credits include Chicago, Cats, Ragtime and The Witches of Eastwick in the West End, TV shows such as Mr Bean and Casualty and films such as Cats, Jack and Sarah and Muppets Most Wanted.

Immersive bilingual theatrical experience based on the work of Eugène Ionesco In London in March/April

Ionesco/Dinner at the Smiths’

(an aburdist dinner party)

March 3rd – April 1st 2017, Latvian House in Queensway

 

This March, Mr and Mrs Smith invite you to an immersive, bilingual (French/English) theatrical experience, based on the works and words of celebrated absurdist playwright Eugène Ionesco. At this unusual dinner party, sat around a long table amongst the performers and glasses of French wine, you will be introduced to unexpected guests, have your senses played with and be made to eat your own words!

“Marianne Badrichani’s productions are unusual and fanciful” The Evening Standard

After sell-out performances in June 2016 as a commission from In TRANSIT Festival of Arts in association with the French Institute, the show is back by popular demand. This production, frantic, unpredictable and liberating, will make you dive into the absurdist world of Ionesco, from his reflection on the world to his most hilarious scenes (The Bald Soprano, The Lesson and others).

Marianne Badrichani and the Company have been successfully creating site specific and installation performances in unconventional spaces for the last ten years, including Blue Beard (Old Brompton Cemetery), La Peau de Chagrin (Holland Park), The Show in A Shop Window (Kensington Church St) and Square Bubble (Royal National Theatre Watch This Space in 2014).

“a lovely example of why immersive theatre is so accessible to new audiences” Big Idea (on Blue Beard)

Director Marianne Badrichani has been directing French plays in new translations for the last fifteen years, in association with Nathalie Berrebi Productions and the French Institute. Her latest show was the hit production Trois Ruptures/Three Splits, a new play by Remi De Vos presented at the Chelsea Theatre, at the Print Room in Notting Hill Gate, and in Beijing, China. Marianne was nominated “Français of the year” in 2008.

Ionesco/Dinner at the Smiths features a company of six performers: Edith Vernes, David Mildon, Lucy Russell, Sean Rees, Jorge Laguardia and Sharlit Dayzac.

 

Natalie Casey to join Stepping Out

Presented by Theatre Royal Bath Productions and the James Grant Group
Stepping Out
  • Natalie Casey joins previously announced Amanda Holden, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Tamzin Outhwaite and Nicola Stephenson in Richard Harris’s award-winning comedy.

  • Vaudeville Theatre, London with performances from 1 March 2017.
     
  • Tickets from £20 via www.steppingoutplay.com
 
Natalie Casey will join the previously announced Amanda Holden, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Tamzin Outhwaite and Nicola Stephenson in heart-warming comedy Stepping Out when it opens in London this Spring. Directed by Maria Friedman, this brand new staging ofRichard Harris‘s award-winning play which toured UK venues last year, will open at West End’s Vaudeville Theatre with preview performances from 1 March 2017 and opening night for press on 14 March 2017.
Further cast in the West End production of Stepping Out include Judith Barker, Jessica-Alice McCluskey, Sandra Marvin and Dominic Rowan with Janet Behan, Suzy Bloom,Emma Hook, Marcia Mantack, Katie Verner and Nick Warnford.
Stepping Out charts the lives of seven women and one man attempting to tap their troubles away at a weekly dancing class. Initially all thumbs and left feet, the group is just getting to grips with the basics when they are asked to take part in a charity gala. Over the course of several months we meet the group, and all of them have a story to tell. There’s perfectionist Vera, mouthy Maxine and uptight Andy, bubbly Sylvia and shy Dorothy, eager Lynne and cheerful Rose, and, of course, Geoffrey. At the piano is the dour Mrs Fraser and spurring them all on, the ever-patient Mavis.
This uplifting comedy originally premiered in the West End in 1984 starring Barbara Ferris and Marcia Warren, winning the prestigious Evening Standard Award for Best Comedy and enjoying extended runs both in the West End and on Broadway. Stepping Out has also been made into a musical, which became a film in 1991, starring Julie Walters, Liza Minnelli and Shelley Winters.
One of the UK’s best-loved personalities, Amanda Holden plays Vera. Nominated for an Olivier Award in 2004 for her leading role in Thoroughly Modern Millie, she also starred in the U.K. premiere of Shrek The Musical as Princess Fiona. Her numerous television credits include Wild at Heart, Kiss Me Kate, The Grimleys, Big Top and This Morning. She has been a judge on the award-winning Britain’s Got Talent throughout all of its ten series.
Natalie Casey is well known to TV audiences as playing Carol Groves in Hollyoaks and Donna Henshaw in Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps. West End theatre credits include Fame, Legally Blonde, Well and Abigail’s Party with other stage work including 9 to 5, Hobson’s Choice, The Wedding Singer, The Vagina Monologues and Oklahoma!
Tracy-Ann Oberman played Chrissie Watts on EastEnders, and has also worked extensively with the RSC and National Theatre. She appeared with Kenneth Branagh in Edmond, and in the West End run of Boeing-Boeing. Her television appearances also include Toast of London, Friday Night Dinner and New Tricks.
Tamzin Outhwaite is well-known for the role of Melanie Healy in EastEnders which she played for four years. Her stage credits have included West End productions of Sweet Charity, Boeing-Boeing and How The Other Half Loves.
Nicola Stephenson’s many television credits include Brookside, Holby City andEmmerdale. Her stage credits include War Horse in the West End and roles with the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Best known as a three-time Olivier Award winning star of the musical stage (with seven nominations), director Maria Friedman made an astonishing directorial debut in 2012 with a hugely acclaimed production of Merrily We Roll Along. In 2005 she won the award for Best Debut Performer on Broadway for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Woman in White.
A prolific writer for both television and stage, Richard Harris’s credits include A Touch of Frost, Shoestring, The Darling Buds of May, The Last Detective, and Outside Edge, which won the Writer’s Guild Best Comedy Award, the British Comedy Award for Best Comedy Drama Series and the Television and Radio Industries Club Award for Best Comedy.
Presented by Theatre Royal Bath Productions and the James Grant Group, Stepping Outis directed by Maria Friedman, designed by Robert Jones and choreographed by Tim Jackson with lighting design by Peter Mumford, sound design by Gregory Clarke and orchestrations by Christopher Walker.

Full cast and creative team announced for One Love: The Bob Marley Musical

Birmingham Repertory Theatre presents

UK PREMIÈRE

FULL CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM ANNOUNCED FOR ONE LOVE: THE BOB MARLEY MUSICAL

  • CAST INCLUDES MITCHELL BRUNINGS AND ALEXIA KHADIME
  • OPENS AT BIRMINGHAM REPERTORY THEATRE ON FRIDAY 10 MARCH AND RUNS UNTIL SATURDAY 8 APRIL

Full casting has been announced for One Love: The Bob Marley Musical which premieres at Birmingham Repertory Theatre in March.  Set across a dramatic period in the music legend’s life, this new production written and directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah, tells the story of a man propelled from rising reggae star to global icon. With unprecedented access to the entire Bob Marley catalogue, the musical features Marley’s greatest songs performed live by the cast.

Mitchell Brunings will make his UK stage debut as Bob Marley alongside Alexia Khadime who will play Rita Marley. Alexia’s major West End roles include Nabulungi in The Book of Mormon (for which she won the 2014 What’s On Stage Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical), Eponine in Les Misérables, Elphaba in Wicked and Nala in The Lion King. Most recently she played the lead in Hackney Empire’s 2016 pantomime Sleeping Beauty. Her screen roles include London Road and Les Misérables.

Eric Kofi Abrefa (Labyrinth and Wildefire, Hampstead Theatre; The Glass Menagerie, Headlong; Humans, Channel 4) will play Bob’s closest friend, Pablo. Cat Simmons (Sweet Charity, Manchester Royal Exchange; Jane Wenham: The Witch of Walkern, Out of Joint; Oliver!, National Tour) will play Bob’s lover, Cindy Breakspeare.

Newtion Matthews (The Frontline, Shakespeare’s Globe; Dancing in the Streets, UK Tour) will play Bunny Wailer alongside Jacade Simpson (The Book of Mormon and The Scottsboro Boys, West End) who will play Peter Tosh.

Adrian Irvine (King Lear and Romeo and Juliet, National Theatre) will play Jamaican Prime Minister, Michael Manley while Simeon Truby (War Horse, National Theatre international tour) will play Leader of the Opposition, Edward Seaga. Ricardo Coke-Thomas (The Book of Mormon and Shrek the Musical, West End; Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, National Theatre) will play Tony Welsh. Birmingham-born Thomas Vernal, a recent graduate from The Arden School of Theatre, will play Claudie Massop.

Delroy Brown, also from Birmingham, (King David: Man of Blood, Mercury Theatre Colchester; The Harder They Come, Theatre Royal Stratford East; Scott and Bailey, ITV) will play Bob’s manager, Don Taylor. Alex Robertson (Tomorrow I Was Always a Lion, Belarus Free Theatre; The Seagull, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre) will play Chris Blackwell. Natey Jones (Doctor Faustus, Don Quixote and The Alchemist, all Royal Shakespeare Company/ Barbican) will play Don Letts.

Maria Omakinwa (Show Boat, Sheffield Crucible/ West End; The Bodyguard, West End) will play Judy Mowatt.  Shyko Amos returns to Birmingham Repertory Theatre (where she last performed in This Island) to play Marcia Griffiths.

The ensemble will include Taofique Folarin, Martina Isibor, Melissa James, Lemuel Knights,Tanisha Spring, Ellena Vincent and Marcquelle Ward.

Bob Marley’s words and music have brought joy and love to people around the world of all generations and across all cultures. One Love: The Bob Marley Musical is a spiritual and political journey which celebrates one of the world’s most influential artists of all time by bringing Marley’s inspirational music catalogue to the stage for the first time. This compelling original musical features Marley’s greatest songs performed live on stage, including – No Woman No CryExodusJamming and many more.

One Love: The Bob Marley Musical will be designed by Ultz (who won the Best Set Design Olivier Award for Jerusalem) with musical supervision and arrangements by Phil Bateman and choreography by Coral Messam. Lighting design will be by Tim Lutkin (who won the Best Lighting Design Olivier Award for Chimerica), sound by Richard Brooker, projections by Duncan McLean, orchestrations by Simon Hale and musical direction by Sean Green.

Presented by Birmingham Repertory Theatre.

One Love: The Bob Marley Musical is presented with approval of and in co-operation with the Marley family and Tuff Gong Pictures L.P. and has been developed with the support of Blue Mountain Music.

 

NHS Nurses Offered Free Tickets to Gary Barlow and Tim Firth’s THE GIRLS

NHS NURSES WILL BE THE FIRST IN LONDON TO SEE

GARY BARLOW AND TIM FIRTH’S MUSICAL COMEDY

THE GIRLS

 

Gary Barlow and Tim Firth are offering nurses free seats to see the Dress Rehearsal of their new musical comedy THE GIRLS at the Phoenix Theatre in London on Saturday 28 January at 2.30pm.

 

Tickets will be available in person from the theatre box office at 10.00am on Saturday 28 January on a first-come-first-served basis, on presentation of their NHS ID card as proof of employment – a maximum of two tickets per NHS ID.

 

Gary Barlow and Tim Firth’s new British musical, THE GIRLS, based on the true story, the film and the award-winning play by Tim Firth, Calendar Girls, will open in London’s West End at the Phoenix Theatre, with performances from 28 January 2017. The West End premiere follows sold-out runs at the Grand Theatre Leeds and the Lowry Salford late 2015/early 2016. In the West End, the producers have made a commitment to there being no ‘premium-rated’ seats, no booking fees and reduced price previews. 

 

The ‘Girls’ will be played by Debbie Chazen as Ruth, Sophie-Louise Dann as Celia, Michele Dotrice as Jessie, Claire Machin as Cora, Claire Moore as Chris and Joanna Riding as Annie. Also in the cast will be Joe Caffrey as Rod, Jeremy Clyde as Denis, John Davitt as Doctor, Soo Drouet as Brenda, James Gaddas as John, Jenny Gayner as Miss Wilson (coffee), Steve Giles as Lawrence, Maxwell Hutcheon as Colin, Shirley Jameson as Miss Wilson (tea), Marian McLoughlin as Marie, Judith Street as Lady Cravenshire and Jane Lambert, Rebecca Louis, Victoria Blackburn and Frazer Hadfield, and introducing Josh Benson as Tommo, Ben Hunter as Danny and Chloe May Jackson as Jenny.

 

THE GIRLS is inspired by the true story of a group of ladies, who decide to appear nude for a Women’s Institute calendar in order to raise funds to buy a settee for their local hospital, in memory of one of their husbands, and have to date raised almost £5million for Bloodwise. This musical comedy shows life in their Yorkshire village, how it happened, the effect on husbands, sons and daughters, and how a group of ordinary ladies achieved something extraordinary. 

Gary Barlow and Tim Firth grew up in the same village in the north of England and have been friends for 25 years. With Take That, Gary has written and co-written 14 number one singles, has sold over 50 million records worldwide and is a six times Ivor Novello Award winner. Tim has won the Olivier Award and UK Theatre Award for Best New Musical, and the British Comedy Awards Best Comedy Film for Calendar Girls.

 

THE GIRLS will be directed by Tim Firth, with musical staging by Lizzi Gee, comedy staging by Jos Houben, design by Robert Jones, lighting design by Tim Lutkin, sound design by Terry Jardine and Nick Lidster, musical direction and orchestrations by Richard Beadle, with casting by Sarah Bird, and associate producer is U-Live.

THE GIRLS will be produced by David Pugh & Dafydd Rogers and The Shubert Organization.

 

Bloodwise, the UK’s specialist blood cancer charity, will receive monies from this production.

 

Website            www.thegirlsmusical.com

Twitter               @thegirlsmusical

#TheGirls

Facebook         www.facebook.com/TheGirlsMusical

LISTINGS INFORMATION

 

Phoenix Theatre

110 Charing Cross Road

London WC2H 0JP

 

Box Office:  0844 871 7629

 

Ticket Prices: 

Previews: £25 / £35 / £45 / £55

After 24 February: £29.50 / £49.50 / £59.50 / £69.50

Group Rates: 6+ from £29.50

 

Performances:  Monday to Saturday at 7.30pm, Thursday and Saturday matinee at 2:30pm

 

Running Time: 2½ hours including interval

The Biggest and Beast pantomime in Yorkshire

Three Bears Productions and Grand Opera House York are delighted to announce that their 2017 pantomime will be…

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

Friday 15 December 2017 – Sunday 7 January 2018

BOOK NOW FOR A BEAST OF A PANTOMIME AT THE GRAND OPERA HOUSE YORK

Grand Opera York are delighted to announce that Three Bears Productions will return next Christmas with another spectacular pantomime, with lots of surprises.  After a successful run with Aladdin last year the popular story of Beauty and The Beast is sure to be the Biggest and the Beast in Yorkshire.

‘Three Bears Productions are thrilled to hear that all panto box office records at the Grand Opera House York were broken this past Christmas with

the hit production of Aladdin. We are pleased to announce that a brand new production of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST  with some very exciting special effects and fabulous sets and costumes will be this year’s sensational pantomime. A star cast will be announced shortly.’ Chris Moreno, Producer

‘We would like to thank all our customers for supporting us during our 2016 pantomime. It was fantastic to see our audiences marvel at the transformation scene and scream wildly at the 3D effects while wearing yellow glasses. This was our busiest pantomime yet. We are pleased to have The Three Bears returning later this year with their Beauty and the Beast pantomime. This pantomime title is a first for the Grand Opera House and we’re all looking forward to the cast announcement and the costumes.

The producer isn’t telling us about the special effects yet!’ Lizzie Richards, General Manager

 

Tickets from £15.75 from box office on 0844 871 3024 or online atwww.atgtickets.com/york

Schools and Family rates available.

 

Evita Review

Mayflower Theatre, Southampton –  until 21 Jan 2017.  Reviewed by Sharon MacDonald-Armitage

1940’s Buenos Aires sizzles to life at Southampton’s Mayflower Theatre which welcomes Bill Kenwright’s production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s musicalEvita.  Having originally opened in London’s West End in 1978 and over the years toured and returned to London a couple more times and toured yet again it is always a concern as to how fresh yet another dusted off tour might be. However, there are no obvious concerns with this current production.

Evita tells the rags to riches story of how Eva Peron an actress who caught the eye of and married Juan Peron the Argentinian President. Told often through the narration of Che (Gian Marco) who gives a solid performance in the role, we are taken through a journey of classic Webber tunes including the memorable “Oh What a Circus”, sang by Marco himself and “Another Suitcase in Another Hall”, beautifully delivered by Sarah O’Connor, but it is “Don’t Cry for me Argentina” which the audience wait patiently for. They are not disappointed. Emma Hatton is stupendous as Evita, her vocals are crisp, clear and perfect, her performance breath taking. She absolutely sparkles as she steps onto the balcony to deliver the iconic song. It is such a shame that there isn’t a clear moment for the audience to show their appreciation as there is no clear break after the song in which to do so. This was rectified however, with the ebullient applause for Hatton at curtain call.

Kevin Stephen-Jones has a beautiful voice and is convincing as a man totally in love with his wife. There are poignant and moving moments with a clear connection between him and Hatton making their character’s relationship believable.

With Latin choreography by Bill Deamer and a simple but dramatic set design by Matthew Wright there is an intense feel to the show.

The audience clearly enjoyed themselves something that was evident by the number of them singing the songs as they left the auditorium.  If you have not seen Evita before then do take a trip to the Mayflower Theatre before it moves on and if you have seen it before, still go as this show is fresh and an enjoyable evening out.

 

Fat Friends The Musical World Premiere

LEEDS GRAND THEATRE TO HOST WORLD PREMIERE OF FAT FRIENDS THE MUSICAL

Leeds’ own writer, director and producer Kay Mellor has made her hit TV series Fat Friends into a brand new stage musical – and it is set to premiere in the very city from where the story shot to fame.

Fat Friends – The Musical – written and directed by multi award-winning Kay Mellor with a score of original music by Nicholas Lloyd Webber and a lead role for Jodie Prenger – will stage its world premiere at Leeds Grand Theatre from Tuesday November 7th 2017 for four weeks only.

Kay Mellor says: “I’m absolutely thrilled for the premier of Fat Friends The Musical to be held at Leeds Grand Theatre. Not only is Leeds my home town, but it’s where I set the television series and the stage musical. I love Leeds with a passion and the people of Leeds inspire me every day, so it fills me with pride to know that the musical will be seen by the people of Leeds first.”

The brand new production sees the nation’s favourite group of dieters reunited at the Headingley branch ofSuper Slimmers. The foodie friends are put through their Zumba paces by the lovelorn Lauren; Kelly is desperate to get into her dream wedding dress; Alan wants his wife back; Betty wants to win Slimmer of the Year and Super Slimmer founder, Julia Fleshman, wants the world to buy into her business.

“About once or twice a week I get asked if Fat Friends is going to come back on the television,” continues Kay.

“I’m always flattered that people loved the characters and premise and I thought there could be a musical using those characters and looking at weight – it’s such a topical subject matter, more so today than ever.”

Fat Friends hit British television screens in October 2000 and followed the lives of a group of overweight friends as they struggled with the absurdities of modern dieting. Running for five years on ITV, the show starred Alison Steadman, Sheridan Smith and Lisa Riley and launched the careers of James Corden andRuth Jones.

Jodie Prenger said, “I am over the moon to be starring in Kay Mellor’s Fat FriendsThe Musical! I have been a huge fan of Kay’s for so long – she is the most brilliant writer, director and just one hell of a lovely lady that you could ever wish to work with. I loved Fat Friends when it was such a successful TV series so to see some of those characters come to life on stage is a joy, and I am honoured to be playing the wonderful Kelly. And what a thrill for us to premiere the show at the Leeds Grand. Knowing all the creatives involved, I am sure it’s going to be a big (fat?) hit there and around the country! I can’t wait.”

Nicholas Lloyd Webber added, It’s been such a treat to collaborate with Kay on Fat Friends. The musical world of the show is bright, fresh, catchy and poppy, with tenderness as well as music to move to. My hope is that I’ve written some songs that are at once accessible yet original with as big a heart as the wonderful piece Kay has written.”

Kay concludes:  “I’m blessed to have the opportunity to work with Nick Lloyd Webber who absolutely gets my characters and world. The musical is funny and sad with a big story and some meaty and memorable songs; together I think we’ve created something rather unique.” 

 

Fat Friends – The Musical makes its premiere at Leeds Grand Theatre

from Tuesday 7th November to Saturday 2nd December

 

Tickets go on sale to Priority Members on Wednesday 18th January and on General Sale Wednesday 25thJanuary priced from £21 to £50

 

Book online at leedsgrandtheatre.com or call Box Office on 0844 848 2700

AWFUL AUNTIE TO COME TO RICHMOND THEATRE 2017

The UK’s best-selling children’s paperback of 2016,

AWFUL AUNTIE

comes to Richmond Theatre 2 November 2017

The Birmingham Stage Company are delighted to announce that the world premiere of David Walliams’ Awful Auntie, published by HarperCollins Children’s Books, will open at The Capitol Theatre in Horsham on 20 September prior to an eighteen-month UK tour.

It follows the BSC’s record-breaking tour of David Walliams’ Gangsta Granny which recently finished a sell-out fifty-week tour of the UK. The show will begin a new tour from 15 February before it transfers to the West End for a summer season at The Garrick from 26 July to 3 September.

David Walliams said today: “The Birmingham Stage Company’s Gangsta Granny is truly brilliant, so I’m hugely excited that they’re now bringing Awful Auntie to the stage. It promises to be a thrilling show and a total hoot – Wagnar and I can’t wait to see it!”

Awful Auntie was published in September 2014 and went to No.1 in the children’s book chart for seven weeks. The paperback was published in February 2016 and has sold 212,000 copies, making it the best-selling children’s paperback of the year. Combined sales of the hardback and paperback have reached 950,000 copies. It has helped to make Walliams one of the country’s best-selling children’s authors, with four of his books charting in the 2016 children’s top ten. They have also been translated into over 50 languages, bringing worldwide sales to 16.7 million.

Walliams began his publishing career at Harper Collins in 2008 with his debut novel The Boy in the Dress. Since then he has written nine more books plus five picture books. Three of his books have won National Children’s Book Awards.

Awful Auntie tells the story of Stella, who when she set off to visit London with her parents had no idea her life was in danger. Waking up from a coma three months later, only her Aunt Alberta can tell Stella what has happened. But not everything Aunt Alberta tells her turns out to be true and Stella quickly discovers she’s in for the fight of her life against her very own awful Auntie. David Williams’ amazing tale of frights, fights and friendship features a very old car, a very large owl and a very small ghost.

Awful Auntie will mark the Birmingham Stage Company’s 25th anniversary. Starting life at The Old Rep Theatre in Birmingham, the company’s productions now visit Australia, Hong Kong, Dubai and Singapore. For twelve years they have produced all the Horrible Histories stage shows which now regularly feature in the West End. Their sixth anniversary at The Garrick this summer will feature More Best of Barmy Britain.

Families around the country will not want to miss Awful Auntie, which promises to be awfully thrilling fun for everyone over 5! Starting in September the tour will visit: Horsham Capitol, Glasgow Theatre Royal, Stoke Regent Theatre, Oxford new Theatre, Shrewsbury Theatre Severn, Cambridge Arts Theatre, Richmond Theatre, Milton Keynes Theatre, Nottingham Theatre Royal, Birmingham New Alexandra Theatre and Newtown Theatr Hafren. All theatres open booking today except Cambridge which will be on sale soon.

Twitter @_AwfulAuntie