If We Got Some More Cocaine I
Could Show You How I Love You
VAULT Festival, The Vaults, Leake Street, London SE1 7NN
Wednesday 14th- Sunday 25th February 2018

Offie-nominated If We Got Some More Cocaine I Could Show You How I Love You is a play of small dreams and big hopes. John O’Donovan’s working-class love story explores the ways people find love and kindness, even when oppression kicks them from all angles.

Loveable tearaways Mikey and Casey are stuck on a roof. As they wait for the Guards to stop circling the house, they find that there are some truths you can’t climb down from. Set twenty feet up, this raucous romantic drama follows two young men as they smoke, drink and snort their way towards discovering love.

Alan Mahon (recently seen in Brutal Cessation at the Edinburgh Fringe and Hamlet at the Tobacco Factory) returns to the role of Mikey, for which he received an Off West End Award nomination for Best Male Performance. Joining the cast in the role of Casey is Josh Williams (One Night In Miami, Donmar Warehouse; Barbarians, Found 111; Wendy and Peter, RSC and Love and Information, Royal Court).

If We Got Some More Cocaine… is about going down roads not laid for you, climbing ladders that weren’t set out for you, never asking permission, and trying not to end up so thickskinned that you forget how to see the good in things.

Writer John O’Donovan comments, I loved imagining my hometown from that rooftop angle. Just thinking about the town and the places I used to wander around, but seen from above. It seemed significant to me that these characters that many see as lowlifes were being raised up, and from there could see further than most but now had no way of accessing the paths they could see. That seemed to me a good metaphor for what it was like to grow up poor, to always be at risk of being left behind by people who can routinely afford to go on to better things. You see them succeeding, but you’ve no idea how to get going on the path they took.

John O’Donovan’s debut play offers a rare and refreshing look at a gay relationship that is working class […]. The dialogue pops and crackles with rude affection… ‘If We Got SomeMore Cocaine…’ is a reminder that prejudices regarding sexual orientation, but also race and class, will never shift overnight (★★★★ Time Out).

WINNER of Best Playwright at IARA awards 2017. Time Out Critics Choice. Nominated for Best Male Performance at Off-Westend Awards and Best Director at IARA awards. This London run follows a four-week run in Dublin and the West of Ireland.

Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs
2: The Magic Cutlass
UK Tour: February – April 2018

Flinn is back! Les Petits Theatre Company (David Walliams’ The First Hippo on the Moon) return to the high seas after their hugely successful and award-winning Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs rollicked the rigging and spliced the mainbrace! The Magic Cutlass had a swashbuckling run at the Edinburgh Fringe 2016 and is the hugely anticipated sequel based on the award-winning book by Giles Andreae and Russell Ayto.

When Flinn, Pearl and Tom are in the middle of their school play their old nemesis, Mr T the T-Rex, appears and kidnaps the children forcing them to hunt for the secretive Magic Cutlass – a sword that grants the holder any wish. The children are whisked away for another fantastic adventure to a world of devious dinosaurs, deep sea dangers and smelly sausages. It’s all aboard, me hearties, for a real-life pirate adventure!

Will fearless Flinn be able to outwit the pirate dinosaurs? Will Pirate Pearl be brave enough to battle the dangerous dinos and will terrified Tom be back in time for tea? All aboard for a nonstop action packed theatrical experience with live music, puppetry and dastardly dinosaurs!

Adapter Oliver Lansley comments, We’re delighted to be bringing back Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs 2: The Magic Cutlass – one of our favourite and most successful and critically acclaimed children’s shows. We believe it is so important to engage and excite children with their early experiences of the theatre and what could be more exciting than Pirates, Dinosaurs and a giant sausage machine?

Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs 2: The Magic Cutlass is brought to life by Les Petits, the exciting children’s theatre company from the team behind internationally-acclaimed theatre company, Les Enfants Terribles (Alice’s Adventures Underground, The Terrible Infants, The Game’s Afoot). Les Petits transport the Les Enfants Terribles’ aesthetic to their family-friendly shows to create a production which is enjoyed by adults and children alike.

The shining eyes and smiling faces of all around me were confirmation of a job very well done by the cast of this very entertaining production (Primary Times).

Performance Dates

10th February Lincoln Performing Arts Centre
University of Lincoln, Brayford Pool, Lincoln LN6 7TS

11th February artsdepot
5 Nether Street, North Finchley, London N12 0GA

12th February Churchill Theatre
High Street, Bromley BR1 1HA

13th February Burgess Hall
One Leisure St Ives, Westwood Road, Saint Ives PE27 6WU

14th – 15th February The Cube
George Street, Corby NN17 1QG

16th – 17th February Watford Palace Theatre
20 Clarendon Road, Watford WD17 1JZ

18th February Bridge House Theatre
Myton Road, Warwick CV34 6PP

20th February Chester Storyhouse
Hunter Street, Chester CH1 2AR

21st February Aberystwyth Arts Centre
Aberystwyth University – Penglais Campus, Aberystwyth SY23 3DE

22nd – 23rd February Regent Theatre
Piccadilly, Stoke-on-Trent ST1 1AP

24th February Carriageworks Theatre
3 Millennium Square, Leeds LS2 3AD

27th – 28th February Curve Theatre
60 Rutland Street, Leicester LE1 1SB

3rd – 4th March Pleasance Theatre
Carpenters Mews, North Road, London N7 9EF

10th March Middlesborough Theatre
The Avenue, Middlesbrough TS5 6SA

11th March Howden Park Centre
Howden, Livingston EH54 6AE

13th March Webster Memorial Theatre
64 High Street, Arbroath DD11 1AW

17th March Chipping Norton Theatre
2 Spring Street, Chipping Norton OX7 5NL

18th March Connaught Theatre
Union Place, Worthing BN11 1LG

19th March Felsted School
Felsted, Dunmow CM6 3LL

24th March Luton Library Theatre
St George’s Square, Luton LU1 2NG

25th March Greenwich Theatre
Crooms Hill, London SE10 8ES

27th – 29th March Buxton Opera House
Water Street, Buxton SK17 6XN

31st March Torch Theatre
St Peter’s Road, Milford Haven SA73 2BU

4th April The Point
Leigh Road, Eastleigh SO50 9DE

5th April The Riverfront
Kingsway, Newport NP20 1HG

6th April Borough Theatre
Town Hall, Cross Street, Abergavenny NP7 5HD

7th April 1532 Performing Arts Centre
Elton Road, Bristol BS8 1SJ

8th April Trinity Theatre
Church Road, Royal Tunbridge Wells TN1 1JP

10th April Leatherhead Theatre
7 Church Street, Leatherhead KT22 8DN

11th – 12th April New Wolsey Theatre
Civic Drive, Ipswich IP1 2AS

13th April Midlands Art Centre Birmingham
Cannon Hill Park, Queen’s Ride, Birmingham B12 9QH

14th April Cornerstone Arts Centre
25 Station Road, Didcot OX11 7NE

15th April The McMillan Theatre
Lower Bath Road, Bridgwater TA6 4PZ

Gary Delaney – Greatest Hits

Saturday 27 January 2018 – show starts at 8.00pm

As seen opening the latest series of Live at the Apollo, and as a series regular on Mock the Week, the UK’s premier gagsmith Gary Delaney comes to town ahead of a nationwide tour in Autumn 2018.

Gary’s previous tours have each taken in over 200 dates and his next tour will once again showcase exactly why he is seen as the premier one-liner comedian of his generation.

Through Twitter and TV he’s become one of the most quotable comedians in the country. He loves each and every gag and you can’t help but be carried away by his infectious charm. He’s like a cheeky schoolboy who can barely hide his glee with each and every punch line.

Gary recently won Celebrity 15 to 1, and has been seen on Celebrity Mastermind, Pointless Celebrities and Celebrity University Challenge for team LSE, with his old university mate Martin Lewis (from MoneySavingExpert.com) who encouraged Gary to make his comedy bow. His other TV and radio credits include Robert’s Web (Channel 4), Loose Ends (BBC Radio 4) and Russell Kane’s Whistle-Stop Tour (BBC Radio 2).

A regular on Mock The Week, he has won two Sony Awards, as well as receiving a Chortle Award nomination. He’s also a regular writer for shows including Cats Does Countdown, A League Of Their Own, and The Royal Variety Performance, and his jokes have twice appeared in Dave’s Top 10 Funniest Jokes from the Edinburgh Fringe.

“I laughed, and I laughed and I laughed… master craftsman” – The Times

“Expect a cavalcade of brilliantly inventive puns” – The Guardian

“Wickedly funny” – The Sunday Times

“Gary Delaney has more quality jokes in one hour than many comics have in their entire careers… quite brilliant” – The Scotsman

Tickets priced at £12.60

Book online at https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/boxoffice/venueplan/ftUgVSJODHYO

The Majestic Theatre – Great Times in the Heart of Darlington

The Majestic Theatre, Bondgate, Darlington, DL3 7JT

P: 01325 633255  

Ticket Bookings & Event Listings:

https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/majestic-theatre

The generous support of Gateshead-based Meldrum Construction has meant that this year there will be two Relaxed Performances of legendary Newcastle Theatre Royal panto Peter Pan instead of one.  Two specially designed, all-inclusive pantomime performances will take place TODAY 9 January and also 16 January.

 

This is the second year that Meldrum has sponsored the Theatre’s Relaxed Performances which are specifically designed to welcome people with an Autistic Spectrum Condition, learning disability or sensory and communication disorder into the theatre and provide an opportunity for people who would otherwise possibly find it difficult to go to see a show.

 

Managing Director Dave Meldrum said: “Supporting good causes is not just something that we do – it is very much who we are at Meldrum. We believe in making a difference to the lives of those most disadvantaged whether that is through their background, age, disability or illness and we decided to launch the Meldrum Foundation in order to focus our efforts and enable us to support as many fantastic causes as possible.”

 

He added “We are very proud to be able to continue our association with the Theatre Royal and delighted to be supporting this wonderful initiative.  The thought and care which goes into planning and adapting this amazing show to ensure that the audience feels safe and completely comfortable without losing any of that extra special panto sparkle and magic is second to none.”

 

The shows will have a less formal, reassuring atmosphere in order to reduce anxiety levels. Lighting and special effects will be slightly altered – including removing strobes and flashing lights and reducing very loud noises, however the content of the shows will not be specifically changed so all the magic of pantomime is maintained.

 

A relaxed performance offers a comfortable environment with staff trained to help support members of the audience who make involuntary noise, or are likely to need to talk a lot, or move around and during a relaxed performance it is expected that the auditorium will be noisy.

 

Staff at Meldrum Construction recently celebrated a successful first year of the Meldrum Foundation, the charity initiative launched in 2017 to make a difference to those across the region most disadvantaged in life.

 

Through fundraising, donations and sponsorship, the construction firm has pledged more than £30,000 over the course of the year to a range of charities including Heel & Toe, Zoe’s Place Baby Hospice, Act for Children and FACT. The Meldrum Foundation’s first act of kindness was supporting Circus Starr and enabling 30 children with special needs to visit the circus.

 

Dave Meldrum added: “We strive to transform an individual’s quality of life by exposing them to new experiences or by improving the environment in which they live. Our belief is by improving their quality of life, this in turn benefits their friends, family and ultimately the wider community.”

 

Theatre Royal Chief Executive, Philip Bernays, said: “We are very proud that we are once again flying the flag for Relaxed Performances which year on year prove to be hugely popular for our panto. We are delighted to be able to bring the best panto in the UK to hundreds of children, families and adults who might otherwise never experience its magic. We are dedicated to making our theatre as accessible as possible and have already started taking bookings for next year’s Relaxed Performance of Goldilocks and the Three Bears too!”

Peter Pan Relaxed Performances play at Newcastle Theatre Royal on Tuesday 9 January and Tuesday 16 January 2018 at 12 noon.  Tickets can be purchased from the Theatre Royal Group Bookings team on 08448 11 21 22 (all calls are charged at 7p a minute plus your phone company’s access charge) or online at www.theatreroyal.co.uk

For more information on sponsorship packages with Newcastle Theatre Royal Trust, an independent registered charity, please contact Michelle Hardie on 0191 244 2599 or email [email protected]

THE LAST SHIP

 

PRINCIPAL CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR STING’S DEBUT MUSICAL

 

Joe McGann, Charlie Hardwick, Richard Fleeshman

and Frances McNamee join production

 

Opens 12 March 2018 at Northern Stage, ahead of UK & Ireland Tour

Principal casting has been announced for the UK premiere of The Last Ship – the acclaimed musical by the internationally renowned musician Sting – which is to premiere in the UK when it opens at Northern Stage in Newcastle on 12 March 2018.

The production has a TONY-nominated original score and lyrics composed by Sting. It will play a 4-week season in Newcastle before embarking on a major UK & Ireland Tour.

The show is directed by Lorne Campbell, the artistic director of Northern Stage and has set design by the Tony Award-winning 59 Productions – team behind the video design for the 2012 London Olympic Games.

The casting of Joe McGann (Jackie White), Charlie Hardwick (Peggy White), Richard Fleeshman (Gideon Fletcher) and Frances McNamee (Meg Dawson) has today been announced.

Joe McGann, perhaps best known for his lead role as Charlie Burrows in the comedy series The Upper Hand, has had a wide career spanning theatre, television and film. Theatre credits include Elf (Plymouth Theatre Royal/ Bord Gais Energy Theatre, Dublin, Dominion Theatre, West End, and Lowry, Salford); The Rise and Fall of Little Voice (UK Tour); Calendar Girls (three UK tours), Olivier! (London Palladium), Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof (UK Tour, 2008), Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls (ATG UK Tour, 2006).

Charlie Hardwick played Val Pollard from 2004 to 2015 and again in 2017 in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. For this role, she won the 2006 British Soap Award for Best Comedy Performance. Stage credits include Hyem (Theatre 503/Northern Stage) and Double Lives (Live Theatre).

Richard Fleeshman is a familiar face on our stage and screens having been acting since the age of 12 when he played the role of Craig Harris in Coronation Street for four years. A talented singer-songwriter, Richard’s stage roles include Sam Wheat in Ghost the Musical, a part he originated and played in the West End on Broadway, Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls (UK Tour) and Bobby Strong in Urinetown (original West End production).

Frances McNamee is currently appearing alongside Kelsey Grammer in Big Fish (The Other Palace). Other stage credits include The Mother (Tricycle), Love’s Labour’s Lost, Love’s Labour’s Won (RSC), Punishment Without Revenge (Arcola/Theatre Royal Bath/Belgrade Coventry), Pride and Prejudice (Regent’s Park), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Royal and Derngate), The Borrowers (Northern Stage), Epsom Downs (Salisbury Playhouse), The   Phoenix   of   Madrid, The Surprise of Love (Theatre Royal Bath) and Les Misérables 20th Anniversary Gala Performance (West End). Her film credits include Love in Fifteen Minutes.

Jimmy Nail, who was to take the role of Jackie White, is no longer performing in The Last Ship. He said: “I was very much looking forward to appearing in Sting’s ‘The Last Ship’, particularly here in my home city. Sadly that’s not to be. I would like to thank the production in allowing FACT, the charity of which I’m a patron, to benefit from the planned gala charity event. To anyone who has purchased a ticket, please, go see the show and give this vessel the launch it so deserves. You’ll hear some of the finest musical works ever composed for the stage.”

 

Karl Sydow, producer of The Last Ship, said: “After protracted negotiations carried out in good faith we regret to announce the production’s offer of employment to Jimmy Nail has been withdrawn.  All at The Last Ship thank him for his generosity and enormous contribution during what has been an eight year journey.”

 

Lorne Campbell, Northern Stage’s Artistic Director said, “I am delighted to be welcoming Joe McGann, Charlie Hardwick, Richard Fleeshman, Frances McNamee and the rest of the company to Northern Stage for The Last Ship. Alongside some wonderful old friends of the company, we welcome some remarkable new performers from across the U.K. We are all hugely excited to move into rehearsal and to bring this incredible score and epic story to audiences across the UK and Ireland.”

The Last Ship, which was initially inspired by Sting’s 1991 album The Soul Cages and his own childhood experiences, tells the story of a community amid the demise of the shipbuilding industry in Tyne and Wear, with the closure of the Swan Hunter shipyard.

When a sailor named Gideon Fletcher returns home after seventeen years at sea, tensions between past and future flare in both his family and his town. The local shipyard, around which the community has always revolved, is closing and no-one knows what will come next, only that a half-built ship towers over the terraces. With the engine fired and pistons in motion, picket lines are drawn as foreman Jackie White and his wife Peggy fight to hold their community together in the face of the gathering storm.

This personal, political and passionate new musical from multiple Grammy Award winner Sting, is an epic account of a family, a community and a great act of defiance. The Last Ship features an original score with music and lyrics by Sting as well as a few of his best-loved songs; Island of Souls, All This Time and When We Dance.  It is the proud story of when the last ship sails.

The Last Ship is produced by Northern Stage in association with Karl Sydow and Kathryn Schenker.

 

https://thelastshipmusical.co.uk/

www.twitter.com/LastShipOnStage

https://www.facebook.com/LastShipOnStage/

 

#TheLastShip

 

 

2018 TOUR DATES

 

Monday 12 March – Saturday 7 April

NORTHERN STAGE

northernstage.co.uk | 0191 230 5151

Monday 9 – Saturday 14 April

LIVERPOOL PLAYHOUSE

everymanplayhouse.com | 0151 709 4776

Monday 16 – Saturday 21 April

THE NEW ALEXANDRA, BIRMINGHAM

atgtickets.com/Birmingham | 0844 871 7647

 

Tuesday 24 – Saturday 28 April

ROYAL & DERNGATE, NORTHAMPTON

royalandderngate.co.uk | 01604 624 811

 

Monday 30 April – Saturday 5 May

LEEDS GRAND THEATRE

leedsgrandtheatre.com | 0844 848 2700

Monday 7 – Saturday 12 May

NOTTINGHAM PLAYHOUSE

nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk | 0115 941 9419

 

Monday 14 – Saturday 19 May

WALES MILLENIUM CENTRE, CARDIFF

wmc.org.uk | 029 2063 6464

Monday 4 – Saturday 9 June

BORD GAIS ENERGY THEATRE, DUBLIN

bordgaisenergytheatre.ie | +353 1 677 7999

Tuesday 12 – Saturday 16 June

FESTIVAL THEATRE, EDINBURGH

edtheatres.com | 0131 529 6000

 

Monday 18 – Saturday 23 June

THEATRE ROYAL GLASGOW

atgtickets.com/Glasgow | 0844 871 7647

Monday 25 – Saturday 30 June

YORK THEATRE ROYAL

yorktheatreroyal.co.uk | 01904 623 568

 

Tuesday 3 – Saturday 7 July

THE LOWRY, SALFORD

thelowry.com | 0843 208 6000

 

Terry Johnson’s Ken
The Bunker, 53A Southwark Street London SE1 1RU
Wednesday 24th January – Saturday 24th February 2018

Marking the ten year anniversary of the death of the truly original and unclassifiable Ken Campbell, Terry Johnson’s Ken will be opening The Bunker’s bold spring season this year. This production follows a highly successful run at Hampstead Downstairs and pays tribute to the maverick writer and theatre director.

Olivier and Tony Award-winning writer Terry Johnson (Prism, Hampstead Theatre; Cleo, Camping, Emmanuelle and Dick, National Theatre; Dead Funny, Hampstead Theatre and West End) and Jeremy Stockwell (Playtime, Derby Playhouse; Milligan, Madness & Me, Pleasance Theatre; Spitting Image, Channel 4) will be reprising their roles in this joyful production.

1978, London. A 23-year-old aspiring playwright in a rundown flat-share off the North End Road is wrestling with his masterpiece for the Royal Court. The house phone rings, the young man answers… it is a call for the person who used to occupy his room who has recently moved to Amsterdam. But even once this information is imparted, the man at the other end doesn’t hang up. He’s called Ken. And he’s about to change the young man’s life forever.

Terry Johnson comments, Ken Campbell was a true original – a theatrical maverick, unique comedic thinker, legendary practical joker and an inspiration to many of us. He was also my friend, champion, and occasional nemesis. 2018 is the tenth anniversary of his death. Following our enjoyable and cathartic run at Hampstead Theatre Downstairs in 2016, I’m so proud to have the opportunity to present our tribute to a wider audience at The Bunker. For those who knew him, I hope we’ve evoked his spirit as you remember him. For those who never met him; hold on to your seats. Our show is an enjoyable, unpredictable, slightly bonkers journey in the company of the most influential man I ever met. Please join us.

Directed by Theatre503’s Artistic Director Lisa Spirling (In Event of Moon Disaster, Theatre503; Jumpy, TheatreClwyd; Deposit, Pine and Fault Lines, all Hampstead Theatre Downstairs), Ken is the retelling of an extraordinary friendship from beginning to end, replete with wickedly funny anecdotes, magnificent hoaxes, and general chaotic lunacy – all infused with the spirit of the great man…

The Bunker’s Spring Season sees the venue truly celebrate its place as a playground for ambitious and adventurous audiences, just over a year after it first opened its doors. The exciting season highlights the venue’s commitment to work with brilliant playwrights, both established and emerging.

Silk Road (How To Buy Drugs Online)

January 24th – January 28th, VAULT Festival

Alex Oates’ Silk Road, the first play to be funded by cryptocurrency Bitcoin, returns after a triumphant Edinburgh Fringe Festival with its London premiere, opening at VAULT Festival 2018, before touring to Live Theatre, Newcastle in February.

★★★★★ “new writing at its best, well-staged and brilliantly acted” The Reviews Hub

“How is it delivered? That’s the best bit! Royal Mail. Postman Pat brings your smack to your door with a smile and his black and white cat is none the wiser”

Bruce is nineteen, unemployed and living with his Nan. A struggling young Geordie tech-head, he’s the unlikeliest international criminal mastermind you can imagine. But sucked into an underworld dark web of new-age pirates, local gangsters and tea-cosies, it isn’t long before Bruce discovers how easy it is to buy narcotics online.
Following a call-out on the real Silk Road forums for contributions to the original production’s crowdfunding campaign, an anonymous donor donated two bitcoin. Bitcoin value has since gone up, and plummeted, and gone up again. Two bitcoin are currently worth $29,078 (about £21,405), and playwright Alex Oates will now be funding the entire production with cryptocurrency.

★★★★★ “theatre at its very best (…) smart, humorous and powerfully touching” FringeGuru

Shrapnel Theatre returns to VAULT Festival following two smash-hit years with Underground and The Litterati, with the former transferring to Brits off-Broadway at 59E59 Theaters in June 2017.

Alex Oates has been shortlisted for both the Old Vic 12 and long listed for the Bruntwood Prize, and Papatango Prize with previous work including Pig and Rules for Being a Man (UK tours). Dominic Shaw is a director from Jersey, and currently associate director for Kinky Boots in the West End. Previous directing work includes A Memory for Forgetting (Arcola) and Fan Fiction (Other Palace).

Actor Josh Barrow is a member of the National Youth Theatre and has worked on the Royal Court Theatre’s Open Court Project 2016, and is TriForce’s Monologue Slam National Champion 2017

FIRST LOOK images from rehearsals for The ToyBoy Diaries, a new British musical comedy that receives its World Premiere at Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester this month.

The production, adapted from the best-selling memoirs by Wendy Salisbury, runs from Thursday 18 January to Saturday 10 February 2018 and is the first of five in-house musicals this year from the successful collaboration between Joseph Houston and William Whelton, co-founders of Hope Mill Theatre and producer Katy Lipson, of Aria Entertainment.

This new musical comedy charts the hilarious and sometimes heart-breaking sagas of mid-life dating.

When twice-divorced Lily inadvertently finds herself under a much younger man, it opens the door to a wild new world of inappropriate relationships. From Tom the Tender to Sam the Submissive, via Paul the Policeman, Hat Trick Patrick and Matt the Monstrous (with Old Willy and Philandering Phil mixed in along the way) Lily finally finds Ben the Bountiful.

The ToyBoy Diaries has a book by Simon Warne, music and lyrics by Andy Collyer and is based on the best-selling memoirs of Wendy Salisbury. Directed by Tania Azevedo.

The lead role of Lily will be played by Johanne Murdock.  Recent stage roles include Brutus in Julius Caesar and Lady Macbeth in Macbeth (Guildford Shakespeare Company), Anne Hathaway in The Other Shakespeare (Pitchfork Productions). Film and television credits include Chameleon and Holby City.

The production also features Olivier Award-nominee Nicola Blackman (Destiny Rides Again, Babe the Sheep Pig, Gilgamesh and Just to Get Married ) as Lily’s best friend Penny. Matt Beveridge (The Frontier Trilogy, Titanic – Toronto and House of Therapy – Off Broadway) plays ToyBoy 1. Sharif Afifi (Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again, Wonderland – UK Tour) is ToyBoy 2. Alistair Higgins (Dreamboats and Petticoats – UK Tour, Sweeney Todd – Brighton, Charlotte’s Web) plays ToyBoy 3.

The ToyBoy Diaries has music and lyrics by Andy Collyer (Little Women and Pippin Orchestrations – Hope Mill Theatre, The Verb, ‘To Love’ – Old Red Lion Theatre, Claus – Landor Theatre) and a book by his regular collaborator Simon Warne (Claus – Landor Theatre, Truth Talks – Southwark Playhouse, Double Effect – Finborough, and Original Spin – New End Hampstead.)

Director Tania Azevdeo’s recent credits include Tenderly (New Wimbledon Theatre) XY (Page to Stage – The Other Palace) Paper Hears (Edinburgh Fringe and International Tour), Hello Again – Hope Theatre.)

The ToyBoy Diaries has musical direction by Andrew Griffiths, choreography by Sam Spencer-Lane, design by Jason Denvir, lighting design by Ben M Rogers, sound design by Calum Robinson,

Following The ToyBoy Diaries at Hope Mill Theatre is a new revival of the acclaimed modern Broadway hit Spring Awakening (Thursday 29 March to Thursday 3 May 2018) and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic Aspects of Love (Thursday 5 July to Thursday 9 August 2018). Two more yet-to-be announced productions will follow in Autumn/Winter.

Pop-Up Opera: Spring Season 2018
Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel
Thursday 1st February – Sunday 11th March 2018

For Spring 2018, after its huge successes in 2017, Pop-Up Opera are reviving Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, giving one of the most popular operatic fairy tales a magical twist that will both enchant and thrill

Continuing to challenge the way opera is traditionally performed, Pop-Up Opera will bring Humperdinck’s dark and atmospheric opera to unusual and unique spaces across the UK. Sung in German (with Pop-Up Opera’s signature ‘silent movie’ captions in English), the wonderful combination of music and drama brings the exciting relationships between characters to life.

Brother and sister Hansel and Gretel are drawn into the idyllic yet dangerous world of the forest, where they encounter the Sandman, the Dew Fairy and, most frightening of all, the Witch. In the dizzying excitement of the Witch’s Ride and the serene beauty of the children’s evening prayer, Humperdinck’s music magically evokes the contrasting worlds of the story

Director James Hurley comments, Hansel and Gretel is the perfect fairy tale opera experience, packed full of humour, suspense, and danger. It offers some unique theatrical challenges – how to create an enchanted forest, build a gingerbread house, or burn a witch! This production will conjure up an ingenious, fully-integrated scenic world, which stays true to Pop-Up’s immersive charm

The cast conjure plenty of magic… mops become broomsticks or trees in the dark forest, strips of cardboard a songbird… a performance that leaves rival fringe companies in their icing-sugar dust. (Alexandra Coghlan, The Arts Desk)

Tour Dates
Thurs 1st Feb Ugly Duck, London, 7.30pm
49 Tanner Street, London SE1 3PL

Fri 2nd Feb Wiltshire Music Centre, 7.30pm
Ashley Road, Bradford-on-Avon, BA15 1DZ

Sun 4th Feb V&A Museum, London, 2pm
Cromwell Road, Knightsbridge, London, SW7 2RL

Tues 6th Feb London Museum of Water and Steam, 7.30pm
Green Dragon Lane, Brentford, London, TW8 0EN

Sat 10th Feb Spirella Ballroom, Letchworth. 7.30pm
Spirella Building Bridge Road, Letchworth Garden City, SG6 4ET

Tues 13th Feb Harrow School, Harrow, 7.30pm
5 High Street, Harrow HA1 3HP

Thurs 15th Feb St Mary in the Castle, Sussex, 7.30pm
7 Pelham Cresent, Hastings TN34 3AE

Fri 16th Feb Chichester Minerva Theatre, 7.45pm
Oaklands Park, Chichester PO19 6AP

Fri 23rd Feb Cheltenham Ladies College, 7.30pm
Bayshill Road, Cheltenham GL50 3EP

Thurs 1st March Winchester Planetarium, 7.30pm
Telegraph Way, Winchester SO21 1HZ

Sat 3rd March Shaftesbury Arts Centre, 7.30pm
13 Bell Street, Shaftesbury SP7 8AR

Sun 4th March Teignmouth Festival, Teignmouth United Reform Church, 7pm
Dawlish Street, Teignmouth TQ14 8TB

Wed 7th March Royal Free Hospital, Hampstead, 7.30pm
Pond Street, Hampstead, London NW3 2QG

Sun 11th March Asylum, Peckham, 5pm
Caroline Gardens Chapel, Asylum Road, London SE15 2SQ

 

VALENTINES DAY ANTIDOTE AT THEATRE ROYAL WITH FIERCE NEW HEDDA GABLER

National Theatre blockbuster to send romantic notions into disarray

 

The National Theatre’s breath-taking new version of Henrik Ibsen’s masterwork Hedda Gabler is set to arrive at Newcastle Theatre Royal next month.  Fresh from a sell-out run in London, it will thrill and unsettle Valentine’s week audiences 13 – 17 February 2018.

 

Written by Olivier and Tony Award^®-winning playwright Patrick Marber (Closer) this vital new version of Ibsen’s 19^th century realism masterpiece is also directed by one of the world’s most exciting directors Ivo van Hove.

 

Hedda and Tesman have just returned from their honeymoon and the relationship is already in trouble. Trapped but determined, Hedda tries to control and manipulate those around her, only to see her own world unravel. Reimagined in a contemporary world for a modern audience, the play retains all its trademark power and vitality.

 

Lizzy Watts (The Durrells; Midsomer Murders and BBC Radio 4’s Home Front) plays the title role of free-spirited and unstable Hedda, one of the greatest dramatic parts in theatre and regarded as the female Hamlet.

 

The production follows an unprecedented run of critically acclaimed National Theatre visits to Newcastle Theatre Royal over the past five years including multi-award winning The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and Jane Eyre.

 

 

Set and lighting design for Hedda Gabler is by Jan Versweyveld, with costume design by An D’Huys and sound by Tom Gibbons.

 

Director Ivo van Hove ‘s acclaimed production of A View from the Bridge recently played to sold out houses in London and on Broadway and Obsession starring Jude Law played last year at The Barbican.

 

Writer Patrick Marber said:  ‘It has been a huge honour to work with the great Ivo van Hove on this version of Hedda Gabler at the National Theatre. I am thrilled that this tour will enable more people to see his incredible production.’

Hedda Gabler plays Newcastle Theatre Royal Tues 13 to Saturday 17 February 2018. Evening shows are at 7.30pm, matinees on Thu 2pm and Sat 2.30pm. Tickets from £14.50.  Tickets can be purchased from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 08448 11 21 21 (Calls cost 7ppm plus your phone company’s access charge) or book online at www.theatreroyal.co.uk