Author: FairyPoweredProductions

Leicester Square Theatre – 25 March, 29 April.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

4****

Agatha Christie looms large over proceedings as Degrees of Error create an improvised murder mystery inspired by the audience’s (mostly filthy suggestions). Stephen Clements handles the crowd with charm as the investigating detective and spends most of the performance stifling giggles as he watches his fellow cast members wrangle suggestions and familiar mystery tropes into some semblance of a plot.

With the audience’s suggestion of a hen party, The Case of the Wet Tea Towel saw its West End debut. With set and costumes firmly embedded in the 1920s/30s, the cast’s idea of a hen party involved a sexually repressed chicken scientist’s pre-wedding party, crashed by her fiancé – no inflatable willies or strippers in sight.

The cast do not know who is the victim until they have had the chance to build up their characters, and they have no idea who the murderer is until the second half of the performance, which is full of backstory lunacy and revelations revealing each character’s possible motives. The big reveal isn’t the end of the show, with the unfortunate culprit having to re-enact the crime and try to remember all the clues they left.

The cast are talented and quick thinking, with Lizzy Skrzypiec excelling at throwing in some plot curveballs and innuendo. Clements interrupts occasionally to torture the actors with suggestions, with his insistence on hearing Mr Green’s poems about chickens producing a bizarrely brilliant ode to hens from Peter Baker. There are some storylines that fizzle out and a few jokes that don’t hit the mark, but the pace is fast and furious, and the cast have enough chemistry to land a big belly laugh immediately after any ill-judged decisions.

How any of the cast keep track of what was going on in this ridiculous show is a mystery in itself, and their slick and funny corrections and reminders to each other of plot points has the feel of The Play That Goes Wrong. Murder, mirth and madness are guaranteed – the perfect show for armchair detectives

The Space – until 10th March.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

4****

Burn Bright Theatre’s reimagining of Frankenstein sees Victor Frankenstein dying in infancy while his cousin Elizabeth is taken in by the Frankensteins and experiments with the power of life after their tragic deaths. 200 years after Mary Shelley’s novel was published, and with the centenary of women’s suffrage being celebrated, this feminist version is a refreshing and illuminating take on the classic story.

Performed in the round, with the cast prowling and emerging from all corners of the atmospheric performing space, lit beautifully by Andy Straw, director Katherine Timms uses the talented ensemble (Sarah Lawrie, Charlotte Peak and Carlton Venn) as dynamic narrators and chorus, with their ghostly whispering heightening the eerie tension. The laboratory scenes are particularly memorable, with the Latin phrases repeated by Elizabeth adding a mystical element to the creation of life. Writer Isabel Dixon makes Elizabeth a believable visionary, with Danielle Winter giving a haunted and passionate interpretation of the character. Having a female creature adds a whole new dimension to the creature’s responses to the world around her, with the destructive rage tempered by a tender regret and need to be loved. Instead of a companion, the creature demands that Frankenstein create a child for her to nurture, and Elizabeth Schenk’s skittish, visceral performance soars to a whole new level as she displays the grief of the bereft creature at its loss.

Shelley’s novel is well served in this fantastic adaptation, with no tricksy additions, simply the feminine versions of the main protagonists. The poor creature becomes even more pitiable in this version, and her gleeful violence more shocking.

Burn Bright’s Frankenstein is a must-see for Shelley fans and newcomers to the story – a dynamic, haunting production that will linger long in the memory.

TO ME, TO YOU, TO CINDERELLA

The Chuckle Brothers to Star in this year’s New Theatre pantomime

Following last year’s record-breaking pantomime run which saw over 40,000 festive theatregoers pass through its doors, Hull New Theatre has announced that the legendary Chuckle Brothers are to star in this year’s must-see fairy-godmother of pantomimes, Cinderella, from Thursday 6 December.

The Chuckle Brothers, who will play Cinderella’s best friends Buttons and Zip, are known to generations of people for their popular prime-time children’s television show Chucklevision, of which more than 290 episodes were made. The series proved so successful that in 2008, BAFTA presented Paul and Barry with an award for services to British children’s television.

During the mid-nineties Paul and Barry also recorded three series of their own TV game show and have toured the UK extensively, even releasing a charity single with Tinchy Stryder. The brothers have been a staple in pantomime, making audiences chuckle at major venues across the UK every Christmas for 50 years.

This year’s unmissable family show will be packed with all of the ingredients New Theatre audiences have come to expect from the cities’ biggest pantomime; lots of laughter, stunning costumes and sets, and quality entertainment for all ages, brought magically to life by Qdos Entertainment, the world’s biggest pantomime producer and the team behind the theatre’s annual pantomime.

Cinderella’s Executive Producer Jonathan Kiley said: “After the success of Peter Pan last year we’re delighted to be back once again in the beautiful, new-look New Theatre and to have the legendary Chuckle Brothers leading our fantastic cast. There’ll be laughs aplenty for Hull this festive season. We’re already planning lots of magical surprises so audiences should book now to ensure they don’t miss out.”

Councillor Terry Geraghty, Chairman of Hull Culture and Leisure Board, said: “For many families pantomime is their first taste of live theatre so it’s important that it’s a favourable experience.

“We’re delighted to welcome back the Chuckle Brothers for this year’s festive treat, Cinderella. Paul and Barry have always proved very popular with Hull audiences, their experience and unwavering enthusiasm are sure to delight audiences of all ages. ”

Audiences shall go to the ball this Christmas as Cinderella transforms from rags to riches, outwits her very Ugly Sisters, and with the help of her hilarious friend Buttons and one very magical Fairy Godmother, wins the heart of the dashing Prince Charming. (I think this just repeats what’s already been said elsewehere)Don’t miss your chance to see Cinderella, the Fairy Godmother of all pantomimes. The clock is ticking…book your tickets to the Ball today!

Book now at the Hull City Hall box office, call 01482 300 306 or visit our new website www.hulltheatres.co.uk to book online.

Nigel Havers, Denis Lawson and Stephen Tompkinson to star in Yasmina Reza’s multi award-winning comedy ART 

Translated by Christopher Hampton

At The Lowry Mon 26 – Sat 31 March

David Pugh & Dafydd Rogers will produce the 2018 UK & Ireland Tour of the Old Vic production of Yasmina Reza’s Olivier, Tony and Moliere award-winning comedy ART, translated by Christopher Hampton.  The production will star Nigel Havers, Denis Lawson and Stephen Tompkinson as Serge, Marc and Ivan respectively.  The tour will visit The Lowry from Mon 26 – Sat 31 March.

David Pugh said, “It is twenty years since Dafydd [Rogers] and I first produced the comedy masterpiece ART in the West End, and the original post-London tour played for 78 weeks.  This time, we want to break our own record; in fact, we want to play as many theatres as Sir Ken Dodd has played in his wonderful career, and with this marvellous cast, we think we have every chance!”

Nigel Havers’ films include Chariots of Fire, A Passage to India, Empire of the Sun and The Whistle Blower.  He has starred in many television productions, including The Charmer, Dangerfield, Manchild, and, more recently, the hit US series Brothers and Sisters, Lewis Archer in Coronation Street, Benidorm and Lord Hepworth in Downton Abbey.  His numerous theatre work includes The Importance of Being Earnest and Harold Pinter’s Family Voices, both directed by Sir Peter Hall for the National Theatre, Richard II and Man and Superman for the RSC, the hugely successful touring productions of Rebecca and Alan Bennett’s Single Spies.

Denis Lawson is known for his roles as John Jarndyce in the BBC’s adaptation of Bleak House, for which he was nominated for an EMMY award, and as DI Steve McAndrew in BBC1’s hit series New Tricks.  In film, his notable credits include the roles of Gordon Urquhart in the film Local Hero and Wedge Antilles in the original Star Wars trilogy.  On stage, he won an Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance as Jim Lancastar in Mr Cinders at the Fortune Theatre, and he was nominated for an Olivier for his performance as George in La Cages Aux Folles at the Playhouse Theatre.

Stephen Tompkinson’s television credits include five series of DCI Banks, four series of Trollied, seven series of Wild at Heart, six series of Drop the Dead Donkey (British Comedy Award Winner for Best TV Comedy Actor) and three series of Ballykissangel, and his films include Phil in Brassed Off.  His theatre work includes Spamalot, Rattle of a Simple Man and Arsenic and Old Lace in the West End, Cloaca (Old Vic) and Tartuffe (National Tour).

Based on the original production by Matthew Warchus, ART will be directed by Ellie Jones, with design by Mark Thompson, lighting by Hugh Vanstone, sound design by Mic Pool, original music by Gary Yershon, fight direction by Terry King and casting by Sarah Bird CDG

LES ENFANTS TERRIBLES

ANNOUNCE A STRICTLY LIMITED RUN OF

WRITTEN BY OLIVER LANSLEY

ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK BY ALEXANDER WOLFE

AT SOUTHWARK PLAYHOUSE

FROM 10 OCTOBER TO 17 NOVEMBER 2018

Les Enfants Terribles are delighted to announce, “THE TRENCH”, will have a strictly limited run at Southwark Playhouse from Wednesday 10 October to Saturday 17 November 2018. 

“THE TRENCH” is inspired by the true story of a miner who became entombed in a tunnel during World War One. As the horror threatens to engulf him, he discovers another world beneath the mud and death. Setting off on an epic journey of salvation, the boundaries between reality and fantasy blur as he questions what’s real, what’s not and whether it even matters? 

The play is making its London debut as the country commemorates the First World War Centenary. On Sunday 11 November there will be a special performance at 3.00pm.

Written by Oliver Lansley (Les Enfants Terribles’ Artistic Director), “THE TRENCH” blends physical storytelling, verse, puppetry and live music. The play is Co-Directed by Oliver Lansley and James Seager (Les Enfants Terribles’ Producer) with designs by Samuel Wyer, Lighting Designs by Paul Green and original soundtrack written and performed live by Alexander Wolfe.

Oliver Lansley is the founder of Les Enfants Terribles and is an actor, TV show creator and scriptwriter. He has developed work for the BBC, Channel 4 and HBO Drama and co-created the BBC 2 series Whites and the Rose d’Or nominated ITV2 series FM. As an actor, he’s best known for playing Kenny Everett in the BAFTA-winning “The Best Possible Taste” for which he was nominated for Best Actor at the RTS Awards. His other credits include: “The Wrong Mans”, “Sherlock” and “Misfits”. As a playwright, his work includes “The Infant”, “The Terrible Infants”, “The Trench”, “Ernest and The Pale Moon” and “The Vaudevillains”.

James Seager is Les Enfant Terribles’ Producer and Director.  He has fifteen years of experience in theatre, television and film.  Involved with Les Enfants Terribles initially as an actor, he moved to directing and producing shows in 2005. He has produced and directed many award-winning shows for the company including most recently The Terrible Infants” at Wilton’s Music Hall, “Inside Pussy Riot” at The Saatchi Gallery, the Olivier Award nominated “Alice’s Adventures Underground” and “Dinner At The Twits” at The Vaults.

Alexander Wolfe is a songwriter, composer, artist and long-time collaborator of Les Enfants Terribles.  To date he has released three solo albums, a critically-acclaimed debut (Morning Brings a Flood), an intimate follow-up (Skeletons) & his recent & most ambitious work, 2015’s From The Shallows. The Sunday Times declared his albums ‘Beautiful’, Q and Uncut awarding them 4 stars and The New York Post was evangelical in its praise, stating that his debut was ‘The most beautiful album heard in years, Period’. His previous work with Les Enfant Terribles includes “Alice’s Adventures Underground” for which he composed and performed ‘The Mock Turtles Lament’.

Les Enfants Terribles’ work includes award-winning, international stage shows such as “The Trench”, “The Terrible Infants” and “The Vaudevillians”; ground-breaking immersive work including Olivier-nominated “Alice’s Adventures Underground”, “Dinner at the Twits” and “Inside Pussy Riot”; innovative outdoor family touring work such as “The Marvellous Imaginary Menagerie” and “The Fantastical Flying Exploratory Laboratory”; and large-scale public events and installations in the corporate and cultural sectors for the likes of The British Library and the V&A. Run by Oliver Lansley and James Seager the company is dedicated to creating original, innovative and exciting theatre.

For more information please visit:

Les Enfants Terribles: www.lesenfantsterribles.co.uk

Twitter: @lesenfantsterr #TheTrench

Southwark Playhouse: www.southwarkplayhouse.co.uk

Twitter: @swkplay

LISTINGS

THE TRENCH

Dates:                          10 October to 17 November 2018 (Press Night 16 October)

Performances:             Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7.30pm

                                    Tuesday and Saturday at 3.00pm

                                    Special performance Sunday 11 November at 3.00pm

Box Office:                   Southwark Playhouse – 020 7407 0234 or www.southwarkplayhouse.co.uk

Address:                       77-85 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BD

Dames
Pleasance, Carpenters Mews, North Road, London N7 9EF
Tuesday 17th – Sunday 29th April 2018

This spring, the Pleasance sees the world premiere of Charlotte Merriam’s Dames.
Celebrating females with no filters, Dames is about the intimate and exposing nature of friendships in the true contemporary confessional – the club toilet.

Drowning in their own word vomit, six dysfunctional millennials collide, bond and clash.  Siberian Lights’ gloriously rude debut play is a glimpse into the shambolic honesty of a world where the rules of civility are suspended.

Dames will feature Ellie Heydon (Harlots, HULU/ITV; A Night in Hatton Gardens, Working Title Feature; Growth, The Gate Theatre), Olivia Elsden (Sket, The Park Theatre; Doc Martin, ITV; Blood, The Other Room), Charlotte Merriam (Off their Rockers, ITV; Swansong, Edinburgh Fringe and Arcola Theatre; Under My Thumb, Greenwich Theatre), Arabella Neale (The Red Barn, National Theatre; A Very English Scandal, BBC; Ring Ring, The Gate Theatre), Bianca Stephens (Always Orange, RSC; Julius Caesar, Storyhouse Chester; The Great Austerity Debate, Menagerie Theatre) and Melanie Stevens (Golf Course War Machine, UK
tour; Frozen, The Other Room; Lear in the Memorandum, Big Loop Theatre).

Dames is a rude awakening about personal disarray. Exploring the desperate need for affirmation and security which leaks out when alcohol washes away the veneer of competent adulthood, the play uses surrealism to lay bare the barrier between thought and speech.

Writer and actor Charlotte Merriam comments, Dames is about trying to figure out the meaning of life, the point of it all. It’s the bizarre, vibrant, surreal conversation that can only happen in the loo at 2am on a night out. This is a play to make you laugh and cry, love your friends all the more, and make you consider the anxiety and boundaries which block real honesty.

DATES ANNOUNCED FOR THE UK TOUR
OF THE INTERNATIONAL SMASH HIT MUSICAL
“THE BODYGUARD”

OPENING AT GLASGOW THEATRE ROYAL
ON MONDAY 3 DECEMBER 2018

Producers, Michael Harrison and David Ian are delighted to announce UK tour dates for the international smash hit production of the award-winning musical THE BODYGUARD opening at Glasgow Theatre Royal on Monday 3 December 2018 where it plays until Saturday 29 December 2018 before visiting Hull New Theatre (8 – 19 January 2019), Southend Cliff’s Pavilion (22 January – 2 February 2019), Liverpool Empire (26 February – 9 March 2019), Milton Keynes Theatre (12 – 23 March 2019), Bristol Hippodrome (26 March – 6 April 2019), Wales Millennium Centre Cardiff (16 – 27 April 2019), Norwich Theatre Royal (30 April – 11 May 2019), Canterbury Marlowe Theatre (14 – 25 May 2019), Southampton Mayflower (28 May – 8 June 2019), Nottingham Royal Concert Hall (12 – 22 June 2019) and Wolverhampton Grand Theatre (25 June – 6 July 2019). Tour schedule and on sale dates below with further dates and casting to be announced.

Based on Lawrence Kasdan’s 1992 Oscar nominated Warner Bros. movie starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner, THE BODYGUARD, directed by Thea Sharrock with book by Oscar winning (Birdman) Alex Dinelaris, had its world premiere at the Adelphi Theatre in London’s West End in 2012 and was nominated for four Olivier Awards. A sell out 18 month UK and Ireland tour followed, before the show returned to the West End at the Dominion Theatre. THE BODYGUARD has also played in the Netherlands, Germany, South Korea, Canada, Italy, Australia and China and can currently be seen in Stuttgart, Madrid and on tour throughout France and the United States.

Former Secret Service agent turned bodyguard, Frank Farmer, is hired to protect superstar Rachel Marron from an unknown stalker. Each expects to be in charge; what they don’t expect is to fall in love. A romantic thriller, THE BODYGUARD features a host of irresistible classics including Queen of the Night, So Emotional, One Moment in Time, Saving All My Love, I’m Your Baby Tonight, Run to You, I Have Nothing, I Wanna Dance with Somebody and one of the biggest hit songs of all time – I Will Always Love You.

THE BODYGUARD – UK TOUR 2018 – 2019

MONDAY 3 DECEMBER – SATURDAY 29 DECEMBER 2018

GLASGOW, THEATRE ROYAL www.atgtickets.com/glasgow

ON SALE 6 MARCH 2018

TUESDAY 8 JANUARY – SATURDAY 19 JANUARY 2019

HULL NEW THEATRE www.hulltheatres.co.uk

ON SALE 6 MARCH 2018

TUESDAY 22 JANUARY – SATURDAY 2 FEBRUARY 2019

SOUTHEND CLIFFS PAVILLION www.southendtheatres.org.uk

ON SALE 6 MARCH 2018

TUESDAY 26 FEBRUARY – SATURDAY 9 MARCH

LIVERPOOL EMPIRE www.atgtickets.com/liverpool

ON SALE 6 MARCH 2018

TUESDAY 12 MARCH – SATURDAY 23 MARCH 2019

MILTON KEYNES THEATRE www.atgtickets.com/miltonkeynes

ON SALE 6 MARCH 2018

TUESDAY 26 MARCH – SATURDAY 6 APRIL 2019

BRISTOL HIPPODROME www.atgtickets.com/bristol

ON SALE 6 MARCH 2018

TUESDAY 16 APRIL – SATURDAY 27 APRIL 2019

CARDIFF, WALES MILLENNIUM CENTRE www.wmc.org.uk

ON SALE 26 MARCH 2018

TUESDAY 30 APRIL – SATURDAY 11 MAY 2019

NORWICH, THEATRE ROYAL www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk

ON SALE JULY 2018

TUESDAY 14 MAY – SATURDAY 25 MAY 2019

CANTERBURY, MARLOWE THEATRE www.marlowetheatre.com

ON SALE 7 MARCH 2018

TUESDAY 28 MAY – SATURDAY 8 JUNE 2019

SOUTHAMPTON, MAYFLOWER THEATRE www.mayflower.org.uk

ON SALE 6 MARCH 2018

WEDNESDAY 12 JUNE – SATURDAY 22 JUNE 2019

NOTTINGHAM, ROYAL CONCERT HALL www.trch.co.uk

ON SALE 8 MARCH 2018

TUESDAY 25 JUNE – SATURDAY 6 JULY 2019

WOLVERHAMPTON GRAND THEATRE www.grandtheatre.co.uk

ON SALE 21 MARCH 2018

FURTHER DATES TO BE ANNOUNCED

Mayflower-Southampton – until 17 March 2018.  Reviewed by Jo Gordon

5*****

Produced by Sir Cameron Mackintosh , Boublil and Schönbergs Miss Saigon has been wowing audiences since its opening night at Drury Lane back in 1989.

The story of love enveloped by the horrors of war and the consequences that follow when two struggling souls are brought together amidst desperate and difficult circumstances . Kim (Joreen Bautista) , an innocent 17 year old village girl finds herself  away from her home after her family are killed and she flees from the man her father had promised her hand in marriage too. Alone she is soon spotted by The Engineer (Red Concepción), a wheeler dealing, brothel running, lovable rogue who is out to make as many dollars he can out of the GI’s stationed nearby.  Chris (Ashley Gilmour) a quieter, gentler GI spots her and quickly falls in love resulting in a spiritual marriage with the hope of taking Kim back to the safety of the USA.  The war situation quickly changes and despite his best efforts Chris is unable to save Kim and has to leave her behind….. something which haunts him everyday back in the U.S.  Holding on to the hope that Chris will one day return for her and the son Chris is unaware of, Kim does what she has to do to survive in a post war Vietnam and protect her son at all costs.  Will Kim’s dream come true?

With huge musical numbers such as The Movie In my Mind, I’d Give my Life for You, the beautiful Bui Doi and the spectacular show tune that is American Dream  there is plenty of scope for the cast to show off their vocal abilities and ability is not something that is lacking! I was blown away each and every time, Joreen Bautista plays Kim’s naivety and longing perfectly resulting in some emotional moments for the audience, I myself having moist eyes on more than one occasion

The set is utterly breathtaking, without giving too much away there is one scene with a certain rather large, well thought out prop that really puts you in the middle of the story bringing your emotions to the fore of how you would feel from either point of view at that moment in time. The war had only been finished for 14 years when the show first opened, but it brought to our attention how despite the last soldier leaving, the last gun fired, for those left behind the struggle still continued.  Especially for the huge amount of children that were fathered with local girls by the GI’s and the issues those GI’s were left to deal once home.  A thought provoking and emotional performance by an exceptional cast.