Author: FairyPoweredProductions

• IMAGES RELEASED TODAY – FIRST LOOK AT NEW ALADDIN MATTHEW CROKE IN COSTUME AS THE ICONIC TITLE ROLE
• BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIDEO FOOTAGE OF THE FIRST NEW CAST PHOTO SHOOT IS AVAILABLE HERE.

• DISNEY’S ALADDIN WILL WELCOME NEW COMPANY AND CELEBRATE FIRST ANNIVERSARY AT THE PRINCE EDWARD THEATRE ON 15 JUNE 2017
• JADE EWEN AND TREVOR DION NICHOLAS WILL CONTINUE IN THE ROLES OF JASMINE AND GENIE

Disney Theatrical Productions has released an exclusive first look at Matthew Croke as the title role in Aladdin ahead of his first performance in the title role on 5 June 2017 at the Prince Edward Theatre.

A behind-the-scenes video of Matthew’s very first Aladdin transformation and photo shoot is also available now. The new musical based on the classic Academy Award®-winning animated film will have its first birthday in the West End on 15 June, with Jade Ewen and Trevor Dion Nicholas continuing in the roles of Jasmine and Genie respectively.

The role of Aladdin will be Matthew Croke’s debut in a leading role in the West End. Originally from Sheffield, Matthew has previously starred in Annie Get Your Gun (Crucible Theatre), Singin’ in the Rain (UK Tour), Funny Girl (Menier Chocolate Factory), Shall We Dance (Sadler’s Wells), A Chorus Line (Crucible Theatre) and West Side Story (UK & Ireland tour). He has also performed and understudied the roles of Amos Hart & Mary Sunshine in Chicago (Cambridge Theatre), Eugene in Grease (Piccadilly Theatre), Don in Singin’ in the Rain (Palace Theatre) and Fiyero in Wicked (Apollo Victoria).

As previously announced, Nick Cavaliere will join the company to play the role of Iago, whilst current cast members Miles Barrow, Leon Craig and Daniel de Bourg will step into the roles of Omar, Babkak and Kassim respectively. Don Gallagher and Irvine Iqbal will continue in their respective roles of Jafar and the Sultan.

The new cast also includes Chanelle Anthony, Danny Becker, Cindy Belliot, Filippo Coffano, Nolan Edwards, Sinead Kenny, Travis Kerry, Dann Kharsa, Tarisha Rommick, Joshua Steel, Monica Swayne, Damien Winchester and Niko Wirachman.

Danny Becker, Travis Kerry and Niko Wirachman join the production after entering international open auditions.

The remaining cast comprises Arran Anzani-Jones, Albey Brookes, Lauren Chia, Bianca Cordice, Cavin Cornwall, Melanie Elizabeth, Kade Ferraiolo, Antony Hewitt, Mitch Leow, Oliver Lidert, Ian Oswald, Kyle Seeley, Sadie-Jean Shirley, Ricardo Spriggs, Kayleigh Thadaniand Jermaine Woods.

Disney’s hit new West End musical Aladdin opened to critical acclaim on 15 June 2016, having begun preview performances from 27 May 2016. The show continues to play to sell-out houses, breaking attendance records at its London home, the Prince Edward Theatre. Tickets are now on sale for performances up to and including 30 September 2017 for individuals and 10 February 2018 for group bookings. For further details please visit www.aladdinthemusical.co.uk

Now in its fourth record-breaking year on Broadway at the New Amsterdam Theatre, Aladdin’s global presence has grown to six productions on four continents, seen by  more than 4 million people to date. The show opened at Tokyo’s Dentsu Shiki Theatre Umi in May 2015, had its European premiere in December 2015 at the Stage Theatre Neue Flora, Hamburg, began performances in August 2016 in Australia and launches its North American tour next month in Chicago.

Aladdin features the timeless songs from the 1992 animated film as well as new music written by Tony®, Olivier© and eight-time Academy Award winner Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, Newsies, Little Shop Of Horrors). With lyrics from Olivier Award and two-time Oscar® winner Howard Ashman (Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid), three-time Tony and Olivier Award, three-time Oscar winner Tim Rice (Evita, Aida), and four-time Tony Award nominee Chad Beguelin (The Wedding Singer), and a book by Beguelin, Aladdin is directed and choreographed by Tony and Olivier Award winner Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon).

Previous Disney stage productions in London have included Shakespeare in Love and the Olivier-winning productions of Beauty and the Beast, Mary Poppins and The Lion King, which is now playing its 18^th year in the West End.

Aladdin is designed by Olivier and seven-time Tony-winning scenic designer Bob Crowley, five-time Tony-winning lighting designer Natasha Katz, Olivier and two-time Tony-winning costume designer Gregg Barnes and sound designer Ken Travis. Casting is by Jill Green CDG.

The production team also includes illusion designer Jim Steinmeyer, hair designer Josh Marquette and makeup designer Milagros Medina-Cerdeira. The music team is headed by music supervisor and music director Michael Kosarin, who also created the vocal and incidental music arrangements, joined by orchestrator Danny Troob and dance music arrangerGlen Kelly.

ALADDIN
Prince Edward Theatre
28 Old Compton St
London W1D 4HS

Box Office number: 0844 482 5151
www.aladdinthemusical.co.uk

Facebook: Aladdin London
Twitter: @AladdinLondon
Instagram: @AladdinLondon
#AladdinLondon

CASTING UPDATE FROM CHICHESTER FESTIVAL THEATRE:  THE COUNTRY GIRLS andTHE HOUSE THEY GREW UP IN

Casting is announced today for two plays premiering this summer as part of Chichester Festival Theatre’s 2017 season. Daniel Ryan and Samantha Spiro will lead the cast of Deborah Bruce’s new play THE HOUSE THEY GREW UP IN; Genevieve Hulme-Beaman and Grace Molony play the title roles in Edna O’Brien’s THE COUNTRY GIRLS.

THE COUNTRY GIRLS plays in the Minerva Theatre from 9 June – 8 July, directed by Lisa Blair.Grace Molony makes her professional theatre debut as Kate, while Genevieve Hulme-Beaman, whose theatre work includes The Seagull at Dublin’s Gaiety Theatre and The Taming of the Shrew at Shakespeare’s Globe, plays Baba. The full company is: Romayne Andrews,  Rachel Atkins, Tom Canton, Chris Garner, Colm Gormley, Genevieve Hulme-Beaman (Baba),  Melanie McHugh, Keshini Misha, Grace Molony (Kate), Bailey Patrick, Valery Schatz (Mr Gentleman) and Jade Yourell.

THE HOUSE THEY GREW UP IN runs in the Minerva Theatre from 14 July – 5 August, directed byJeremy Herrin in a co-production with Headlong. Samantha Spiro returns to Chichester where she played Fanny Brice in Funny Girl in 2008; her award-winning theatre roles also include Di and Viv and Rose (West End), Chicken Soup with Barley (Royal Court) and Hello, Dolly! (Regent’s Park), while her extensive television work includes Grandma’s House, The Tracey Ullman Show and Barbara Windsor in the forthcoming Babs. Daniel Ryan makes his Chichester debut; his many television series include Mount Pleasant, Home Fires and Doc Martin, and theatre includes Inadmissible Evidence (Donmar Warehouse), Posh (Royal Court) and Gethsemane (National Theatre).

Booking is now open for both The Country Girls and The House They Grew Up In:

cft.org.uk   Box Office 01243 781312

 

Prologue: £5 tickets for 16 – 25s

£5 tickets are available for 16 to 25 year-olds for all productions throughout Festival 2017; sign up for free at cft.org.uk/prologue.  Members also have access to a range of exclusive events.

 

Twitter @ChichesterFT 

Facebook ChichesterFestivalTheatre

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#Festival2017

#TheCountryGirls

#TheHouseTheyGrewUpIn

Suzy Solidor, icon of erotic performance and ‘most painted woman in the world’ reborn on stage at Wilton’s in All I Want Is One Night

·        Intoxicating play-with-songs tells the untold tale of bisexual cabaret sensation Suzy Solidor

·        27 June – 1 July, Wilton’s Music Hall

Paris: 1935. Suzy Solidor, sizzling celebrity sensation, steps onto the tiny stage of her cramped cabaret theatre, ready to wow the hippest crowd in town with her lesbian erotic songs. She is surrounded by her 225 portraits and high from success, both from her best-selling records and from her status as most painted woman in the world. Suzy Solidor is probably the most famous woman you’ve never heard of.

All I Want Is One Night, an exhilarating new play-with-songs coming to Wilton’s for an exclusive six night run, reimagines the all-but-forgotten life and songs of cabaret idol Suzy Solidor. As happy in an Admiral’s uniform as an evening gown, and the first woman to own her own nightclub in Paris, Suzy was the original self-made celebrity, releasing best-selling songs and having her image captured by many of the great artists of the day, including Tamara de Lempicka, Man Ray, Francis Bacon and Jean Cocteau.

In the play, during an increasingly whisky-fuelled evening, Suzy vividly remembers former glories; she and her audience are transported back to a night in her Parisian club, when she was at the height of her sexual allure. As past and present collide she encounters previous lovers, artists, and her absent father. Finally, as the last song plays out, she is forced to confront both the loss of her allure and her imminent demise. In this brand new interactive play performed at Wilton’s, in which Solidor’s risqué songs are performed in English for the first time, much of the action takes place in and amongst the audience members, who, seated at cabaret tables, become the guests at Solidor’s erotically charged and intimate club.

Originally produced by Royal Exchange Theatre in 2016, and re-directed by Sarah Frankcom especially for Wilton’s, the play is written by and starring Jessica Walker, with help from actors Rachel Austin and Alexandra Mathie, and MD Joe Atkins. This is an exhilarating new piece, bringing one of the showbiz world’s forgotten icons back to life in the atmospheric Wilton’s Music Hall for a limited run.

Jessica says ‘I can’t wait to share Suzy’s story with a London audience. She was so ahead of her time – a self-made, gender-fluid performer and entrepreneur before we had words for such things. And the songs are not only beautiful, they are incredibly sexy!’

MESMERISING STAGE ADAPTATION OF OSCAR-WINNING CLASSIC

COMES TO THE LYCEUM THEATRE

 

Federico Fellini’s Oscar-winning La Strada, one of the all-time masterpieces of world cinema, is brought to life in a stunning new stage adaptation at the Lyceum Theatre from Monday 22 – Saturday 27 May.  Directed by Olivier Award nominee Sally Cookson, whose productions of Jane Eyre and Hetty Feather have wowed Sheffield Theatres’ audiences, the play boasts a beautiful score, performed on stage by an international cast of actor musicians.

La Strada ‘The Road’ is a deeply moving tale of love and loss. We journey into the heart of the Italian countryside where Gelsomina, full of the innocent spirit of youth, is bought by Zampano, a travelling street performer, to join his ‘strong man’ act. When the mismatched pair stumble across a ragtag circus and a daredevil tight-rope walker, Gelsomina finds herself caught between two roads, not knowing which way to turn…

Shifting between the dazzling lights of the circus and the bare landscapes of rural Italy, this production of La Strada is as poetic as it is heartbreaking and promises a powerful and unforgettable theatrical experience.

La Strada comes to the Lyceum Theatre from Monday 22 – Saturday 27 May.   Tickets can be purchased from Sheffield Theatres’ Box Office in-person, by phone on 0114 249 6000 or online at sheffieldtheatres.co.uk and are priced from £15.00.

Concessions and group discounts are available.

 

CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR

 

HOW THE OTHER HALF LOVES

 

CAROLINE LANGRISHE & ROBERT DAWS

CHARLIE BROOKS & LEON OCKENDEN

MATTHEW COTTLE & SARA CROWE

      

        DIRECTED BY ALAN STRACHAN

 

One secret love affair. Two disaster-bound dinner parties.

Three couples headed for trouble.

 

Direct from a highly celebrated extended season in London’s West End, casting has been announced for Bill Kenwright’s production of Alan Ayckbourn’s farcical tale of matrimonial mishaps, How the Other Half Loves as it gets set thrill audiences across the UK this autumn. The 1969 classic and the first of Ayckbourn’s plays to be staged on Broadway, will open at Theatre Royal Windsor on Wednesday 30^th August, continuing to Salford, Glasgow, Malvern, Bath, York, Richmond, Guildford, Cheltenham, Brighton and Norwich.

 

The star cast includes leading stage and TV actor ROBERT DAWS as ‘Frank Foster’, best known for the hit series’ The Royal, Outside Edge and Roger Roger opposite CAROLINE LANGRISHE as ‘Fiona Foster’ who starred in Lovejoy, Holby City and Judge John Deed.

CHARLIE BROOKS, much-loved for her portrayal of EastEnders’ Janine Butcher performs as ‘Teresa Philips’ with LEON OCKENDEN, best-known for his role as Coronation Street’s Will Chatterton as ‘Bob Philips’.

Completing the couples are MATTHEW COTTLE who reprises his critically acclaimed West End performance as William Featherstone, best known for the BAFTA-nominated Game On. Alongside him will be SARA CROWE as ‘Mary Featherstone’, who’s West End credits include Alan Ayckbourn’s Absurd Person Singularand The Constant Wife but perhaps is best known for her role in the popular film Four Weddings and a Funeral.

As Bob and Fiona clumsily try to cover up their affair, their spouses’ intervention only adds to the confusion. William and Mary Featherstone become stuck in the middle, falsely accused of adultery and with no idea as to how they’ve become involved. The plot culminates in two disastrous dinner parties on successive nights, shown at the same time, after which the futures of all three couples seem in jeopardy…

 

At turns heart-wrenching and hilarious, Ayckbourn’s tale of social graces and personal misunderstanding remains one of the celebrated writer’s most famous comedies.

 

An extraordinary success on opening in the West End in 1970 at the Lyric Theatre, How the Other Half Loves ran for a staggering 869 performances, delighting critics and audiences alike. Fondly loved and considered one of Ayckbourn’s most popular plays; How the Other Half Loves received its first major West End revival in 2016, where it once again thrilled audiences. Originally opening at the Theatre Royal Haymarket followed by an extended run at the Duke of York’s, it will now be delighting audiences across the UK.

2017 marks Alan Ayckbourn’s 56th year as a theatre director and his 58th as a playwright. To date he has written 80 plays and his work has been translated into over 35 languages. He became the first British playwright to receive both Olivier and Tony Special Lifetime Achievement Awards and was knighted in 1997 for services to theatre.

Major successes include: Relatively Speaking, Absurd Person Singular, Bedroom Farce, A Chorus of Disapproval and The Norman Conquests. In the past four years, there have been revivals of Season’s Greetings and A Small Family Business at the National Theatre and in the West End productions of Absent Friends, A Chorus of Disapproval and Relatively Speaking.

How the Other Half Loves is directed by theatre director and biographer Alan Strachan. Alan has directed plays in New York, Copenhagen and Amsterdam, but the majority of his work has been in London. He was Artistic Director of the Greenwich Theatre in London for over a decade, and has worked with, amongst others, Sir Michael Redgrave, Dame Penelope Keith, Maureen Lipman CBE, Sir Michael Gambon and Sir Alec Guinness. He came to early prominence as Alan Ayckbourn’s chosen director, and he has been involved with Ayckbourn’s theatre at Scarborough for many years.

 

BILL KENWRIGHT PRESENTS

HOW THE OTHER HALF LOVES

Written by ALAN AYCKBOURN

Set and Costumes by JULIE GODFREY

Lighting design by JASON TAYLOR

Sound design by DAN SAMSON

Directed by ALAN STRACHAN

LISTINGS INFORMATION

 

HOW THE OTHER HALF LOVES – UK AUTUMN TOUR 2017

 

Wednesday 30 August – Saturday 9 September

Box Office: 01753 853 888

Theatre Royal, Windsor 

Website: www.theatreroyalwindsor.co.uk

 

Monday 11 – Saturday 16 September

Box Office: 0843 208 6000

Salford, The Lowry  

Website: www.thelowry.com

 

Monday 18 – Saturday 23 September

Box Office:  0844 871 7647

Theatre Royal, Glasgow 

Website: www.atgtickets.com/glasgow

 

Monday 25 – Saturday 30 September

Box Office:  01684 892 277

Malvern Theatre                                                                             

Website:  www.malvern-theatres.co.uk

 

Monday 2 – Saturday 7 October                                               

Box Office: 01225 448 844                            

Theatre Royal, Bath                                                                       

Website: www.theatreroyal.org.uk

Monday 9 – Saturday 14 October

Box Office: 0844 871 3024

Grand Opera House, York 

Website: www.atgtickets.com/richmond

Monday 16 – Saturday 21 October

Box Office: 0844 871 7651

Richmond Theatre, Richmond  

Website: www.atgtickets.com/richmond

Monday 23 – Saturday 28 October

Box Office: 01483 44 0000

Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford

Website: www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk

Monday 6 – Saturday 11 November

Box Office: 01242 572573

Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham 

Website: www.everymantheatre.org.uk

Monday 20 – Saturday 25 November                                     

Box Office: 0844 871 7650

Theatre Royal, Brighton                                                               

Website: www.atgtickets.com/brighton

 

Monday 27 November – Saturday 2 December

Box Office:  01603 630000

Theatre Royal, Norwich       

Website: www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk

CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR THE

WORLD PREMIERE OF

BIRMINGHAM REPERTORY THEATRE’S PRODUCTION OF

DANIEL BOYS TO PLAY ‘PAUL MADDENS’, SARAH EARNSHAW ‘JENNIFER LORE’ AND SIMON LIPKIN ‘MR POPPY’

 

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY DEBBIE ISITT

WITH MUSIC AND LYRICS BY NICKY AGER AND DEBBIE ISITT

AND PRODUCED BY

JAMIE WILSON, ENTERTAINMENT ONE, RAMIN SABI

AND BELGRADE THEATRE COVENTRY

 

OPENING AT BIRMINGHAM REPERTORY THEATRE

ON FRIDAY 20 OCTOBER 2017

Jamie Wilson, Entertainment One (eOne), Ramin Sabi and Belgrade Theatre Coventry are delighted to announce casting for the World Premiere of the Birmingham Repertory Theatre’s production of NATIVITY! THE MUSICAL opening at Birmingham Repertory Theatre on Friday 20 October 2017. Daniel Boys will play ‘Paul Maddens’, Sarah Earnshaw ‘Jennifer Lore’ and Simon Lipkin ‘Mr Poppy’. They will be joined by Andy Barke, Jamie Chapman, Jemma Churchill, Gary Davis and Katia Sartini. Further casting and children’s casting to be announced soon.

 

Following the run in Birmingham, the show will play Southend Cliffs Pavilion, Sheffield Lyceum, Manchester Palace, Plymouth Theatre Royal, a London season at the Hammersmith Eventim Apollo and a Christmas season at Leeds Grand Theatre.  Tour details below.

Debbie Isitt said today “I am absolutely delighted to be working with this incredibly talented and hilariously funny musical theatre cast who are going to be brilliant in Nativity! The Musical.  It truly will be an emotionally soaring, feel good experience with beautiful singing and amazing choreography.”

Daniel Boys most recently appeared in “The Boys in the Band” at the West End’s Vaudeville Theatre. His other West End credits include “Avenue Q” at both the Gielgud and Noel Coward Theatres, “Sweeney Todd” at the Royal Festival Hall, “Grease” at the Victoria Palace, “Spamalot” at the Playhouse and “Rent” at the Prince of Wales. Daniel was also a contestant on the BBC’s “Any Dream Will Do”.

Sarah Earnshaw was in the original London cast of “Wicked” at the Apollo Victoria playing the leading role of ‘Glinda’ on many occasions. Her other West End credits include “Scrooge” at the London Palladium and “Spamalot” at the Playhouse. Sarah has also appeared in “Travels With My Aunt” at the Chichester Festival Theatre.

Simon Lipkin played ‘Nicky’ and ‘Trekkie Monster’ in the original London cast of “Avenue Q” at the Noel Coward Theatre and was most recently seen in the West End as ‘Nathan Detroit’ in “Guys and Dolls” at the Phoenix Theatre. His other West End credits include ‘Lonny’ in the original London cast of “Rock of Ages”, ‘Barlow’ in “I Can’t Sing” at the London Palladium, the title role in “The Lorax” at the Old Vic Theatre and “Assassins” at the Menier Chocolate Factory.

Every child in every school has one Christmas wish, to star in a Nativity, and at St Bernadette’s School they’ve decided to mount a musical version! Join teacher Mr Maddens and his crazy assistant Mr Poppy as they struggle with hilarious children, unruly animals and a whole lot of sparkle and shine to make everyone’s Christmas wish come true. Featuring all of your favourite sing-a-long songs from the smash-hit films including Sparkle and Shine, Nazareth and One Night One Moment. NATIVITY! THE MUSICAL promises to be the perfect feel-good comedy for all the family.

Written and Directed by Debbie Isitt with music and lyrics by Nicky Ager and Debbie Isitt, NATIVITY! THE MUSICAL is choreographed by Andrew Wright, designed by David Woodhead, with lighting design by Tim Mitchell, sound design by Tom Marshall and musical supervision and orchestrations by George Dyer.

 

The NATIVITY! film series is one of the most popular UK Christmas film franchises of recent years. Written and directed by the Bafta Award-winning writer and director Debbie Isitt and produced by Nick Jones through Mirrorball Films and distributed in the UK by eOne, NATIVITY!, NATIVITY 2 DANGER IN THE MANGER! and NATIVITY 3 DUDE WHERE’S MY DONKEY?! have all gone on to reach top box office positions on theatrical release and sold nearly 2 million DVDs, capturing the hearts and minds of families all over the UK.

 

NATIVITY – THE MUSICAL 2017/18

nativitythemusical.com

20 OCTOBER – 12 NOVEMBER 2017

Birmingham Repertory Theatre

birmingham-rep.co.uk

15 – 19 NOVEMBER 2017

Southend Cliffs Pavilion

southendtheatres.org.uk

22 – 25 NOVEMBER 2017

Sheffield Lyceum

sheffieldtheatres.co.uk

29 NOVEMBER – 3 DECEMBER 2017

Manchester Palace Theatre

atgtickets.com/venues/palace-theatre-manchester

6 – 10 DECEMBER 2017

Theatre Royal Plymouth

theatreroyal.com

13 – 17 DECEMBER 2017

Hammersmith Apollo, London

eventimapollo.co.uk | eventimapollo.com

20 December 2017 – 6 January 2018

Leeds Grand Theatre

leedsgrandtheatre.com

A PIONEERING FAIRYTALE WITH A TWIST COMES TO HALF MOON THEATRE FOR SIX GROUND BREAKING PERFORMANCES CHALLENGING HOMOPHOBIA AND DISCRIMINATION

SATURDAY 13 – TUESDAY 16 MAY, AGES 5+

Critically acclaimed Action Transport Theatre bring Happily Ever After, their pioneering fairytale with a twist, to Half Moon Theatre from Saturday 13 to Tuesday 16 May 2017. The ground breaking show is part of Half Moon’s commitment to promoting diversity and challenging homophobia and discrimination and is for children and family audiences aged 5+.

The queen is growing impatient. Her lazy son will never be king until he grows up, gets married and starts acting like one. She invites hundreds of princesses from across the land, hoping to find the perfect bride for the prince, but he isn’t impressed by any of them. Then one day a princess arrives accompanied by her brother…

Happily Ever After is inspired by the Dutch children’s book King and King, by Linda De Haan and Stern Nijland. Action Transport Theatre have worked with The Proud Trust to create a play for children which tells the story of two princes who fall in love and live happily ever after.

The six performances at Half Moon are part of the first national theatrical tour of a play for children aged over five with a gay theme.

The production uses Action Transport Theatre’s trade-mark highly visual, wordless storytelling and comedy clowning, along with original music by Patrick Dineen, to engage children in high quality art.  Previously the play has been performed in over 50 schools in the North West and seen by more than 3,000 children, where it has received an overwhelmingly positive response.

Directed by Action Transport Theatre’s artistic director Nina Hajiyianni and featuring a cast of international actors, Happily Ever After aims to help raise awareness amongst children of homophobia, gender expectations and ‘difference’, promoting respect and understanding, and equipping children and parents with a vocabulary around same sex relationships.

According to a recent survey by charity Stonewall, almost two thirds of young people have experienced direct homophobic bullying in schools. Nine in ten secondary school teachers, and more than two in five primary school teachers, say homophobic bullying occurs in their school with the word ‘gay’ often being used as an insult.

Nina Hajiyianni commented: “There is an absence of gay identities in theatre and wider culture for young children – just look at the current controversy about the suggestion of a gay character in Disney’s live action version of Beauty and the Beast. Many families now include same sex adult parents or carers or have other family members who are gay. Where are those children’s lives validated or represented in art? Not to mention younger children who identify as gay themselves. Happily Ever After powerfully addresses this and the subject of same-sex marriage, but not in a heavy handed or preachy way.”

Chris Elwell, Director of Half Moon, said: “We look forward to welcoming Action Transport Theatre to Half Moon with their important children’s tale that spreads a positive message about diversity and tackles homophobia. This ground breaking play will help raise awareness around difference, respect and relationships for children that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.”

All tickets are priced at £7 and can be obtained by visiting the Box Office or by calling 020 7709 8900. Tickets are also available online at www.halfmoon.org.uk

 

* What inspired you to adapt and direct Jane Eyre? Is it a book you particularly admired

I chose this particular title because it’s a story that I love and have enjoyed a close relationship with ever since I was intrigued as a child by Orson Well’s black and white melodrama with fabulous music by Bernard Hermann. I didn’t actually read the novel until I was in my early twenties – and I remember thinking while I read it: ‘this is a clarion cry for equal opportunities for women not a story about a passive female who will do anything for her hunky boss’. I was struck by how modern Jane seemed – her spirit and strong will, her peculiar and brilliant mind striving for personal freedom to be who she is, lashing out against any constraint that prevents her from being herself. She was exactly the sort of person I wanted to be.

* How did the process of devising and directing the play work?

Adapting a novel for the stage is a challenging prospect – especially when that novel is cited as many people’s favourite of all time. It is always daunting when you’re working on a story which everyone knows so well, because you want to surprise and maybe challenge people’s expectations, without losing any of the things which make them like the story in the first place. Our job has been to turn it from a book into a piece of theatre. Essentially that means creating something new – the experience of reading a book is very different to watching a play. Rather than approach the novel as a piece of costume drama, I was keen to explore the themes and get to the heart of the story and characters in a theatrical way. I didn’t want authentic set and period costume to suffocate it, killing the essence and magic of the story.

The devising process involved us as a company responding together to the book. Mike Akers (dramaturg) and I had put a rough structure in place, had made some decisions about which characters were in and which were out, and were in agreement about our version emphasising the comings-of-age aspects of the novel as opposed to focusing just on the Jane/Rochester relationship. But on that first day of rehearsal, there was no script, no read-through, just us as a company taking a deep breath together, making a leap into the unknown, trusting that eight weeks later, we’d have a show to perform.

A lot of the scenes emerged through improvising, playing and trying out lots of different versions. I like theatre that doesn’t just rely on text, so investigating which sections of the book lent themselves to visual storytelling was exciting.

A key aspect of my role as director is to act as a facilitator and editor of the creativity in the room – I love shaping the material that emerges, pursuing and developing the kernels of ideas. Towards the end of the rehearsal period – we lock down the ideas (until previews start, when we make big changes), so that we can rehearse the material we have got.

* What is the history of your production?

In 2013 the Artistic director of the Bristol Old Vic, Tom Morris, gave the green light to my idea of devising a two-part version of Jane Eyre, performed over two nights. After its run in Bristol the production was invited to the National Theatre. It was agreed that we’d distil the two shows into a single event – still retaining its epic quality but honing and tightening to make the experience more intense. The chance to develop and shape work isn’t something that theatre-makers often get to do, so this was a very exciting opportunity for us. The run at the National was really successful and the decision was made by the NT and BOV to tour the production in 2017.

* What do you think are the main themes of the story?

Re-reading the book now, I’m struck by the weight the novel places on individual human rights. Jane understands from a very early age that in order to thrive she needs to be nourished – not just physically but emotionally, spiritually and intellectually. These basic human needs are central to our well being and Jane has a fundamental understanding of this. I like to think of it as a Life story rather than a Love story (the original title was Jane Eyre – an Autobiography) which sees Jane develop from a powerless child into an independent, free-thinking adult. But, like any fine piece of writing, Jane Eyre is multi faceted and it seems that whoever you are and whatever your age, each reader will gain something slightly different from it.

* How do you think that the story resonates in today’s society and today’s audiences?

Firstly, it is a superb story – a real page turner, with a protagonist who you root for from the start. Secondly, despite the fact that it was written over one hundred and sixty years ago it deals with all the things we still find ourselves struggling with – ‘where do I fit in, who am I’? The intensity of the novel’s search for identity is something we have all experienced. Surrounding the heroine are characters grappling with their own individual identity crises. I don’t think there is one character who is not struggling in some way to come to terms with their circumstances and wrestling with the very idea of what it is to be human. whether it’s Rochester or Helen Burns, Mrs Reed or Blanche Ingram, St John Rivers or Bertha Mason – all these characters are flailing around in an attempt to discover/come to terms with who they are. In the middle is Jane – taking responsibility for her life and always taking action to change her circumstances when her integrity is in danger of being threatened.

* Can you tell us something about the staging of the play, the music, the design and the style.

I would describe it as an ensemble piece – performed by seven actors and three musicians. Apart from the actor who plays Jane, the actors play more than one part and are all onstage most of the time. The set which is a wooden structure made up of platforms, ramps and ladders is far from a literal interpretation of the Victorian period – it has a minimalist simplicity but provides the actors with a playground on which to perform and illustrate the physical and emotional struggle Jane encounters as she develops from a child into an independent woman.

The band are placed in the centre of the set – I wanted the music to be central as it is intrinsic to the production. Benji Bower the Composer uses a variety of genres including folk, Jazz, sacred, orchestral and pop to create the world Jane inhabits.

* How has your career developed from acting to writing and directing?

I trained at Lamda and worked as an actress for ten years before finding myself in Bristol where together with an actor friend set up a summer theatre school for young people. This was a life changing event for me – I discovered that I loved directing, which lead to me becoming part of the Education Department at the Bristol Old Vic. While I was there Travelling Light theatre company invited me to work for them as a director which lead to a ten year collaboration. Now I work for whoever offers me a job – but am very happy to still be part of Bristol Old Vic as an associate artist. I wouldn’t ever consider myself a writer – but due to the nature of the devising process I have an understanding of narrative structure. I always work very closely with a dramaturg on every production to take responsibility for the overall shape of the piece.

* Will the touring production develop from the show people may have seen in Bristol and at the National Theatre?

The touring production of Jane Eyre will have a new cast and as with other re-mounts I’ve done will be tweaked and honed for the better! I think it’s essential to keep improving a piece of work. But essentially it will be the same.

* Have you visited the Bronte Parsonage in Howarth?

Yes – more than once. In 1991 I stayed in Haworth for a couple of weeks when I was working at the Alhambra theatre in Bradford, it was early Spring and the village was almost deserted. I visited it again before I started rehearsals for Jane Eyre with my family – we could hardly move for the crowds and I wondered what Charlotte Bronte would have made of it all?

I’m looking forward to a narrowboat holiday in July on the Rochdale canal which passes through much of the countryside that provided such inspiration for the Brontes.

* Do you have any connections with any of the cities, towns and areas the show will be touring to?

My Mother grew up in Brighton and we stayed in Hove every Summer with my Grandparents during my childhood. I have very happy memories of trips to the Brighton Theatre Royal and sitting in the gods watching big musicals – Joseph and his Technicolor Dreamcoat had a big impact on me, I learnt all the lyrics and performed all the songs with my cousins in our own version. I still have family there – so it will be lovely to visit and take a trip down memory lane!

The King’s Head Theatre in association with Anita Creed Productions and The Phil Willmott Company presents: