Whilst I had heard of Edith Piaf and knew a couple of her songs, I can honestly say I did not know much about her life. So, I came to this production with an open heart and mind.
Directed by Kimberley Sykes and written by Pam Gems this play tells the story of one of the 20th century’s most vibrant and beloved singers. Born into poverty in Paris, rising to global stardom. A woman who loved both life and men yet incredibly vulnerable constantly seeking approval and love. She died in 1963 and her music remains popular to this day.
This production is in every way amazing and a must see. The simple set design is effortlessly arranged to narrate Piaf’s life without much distraction. All credit to the design team for that achievement on what is quite a restricted stage. The costumes too reflect the period. Edith wearing an array of outfits to fit her tiny frame and in contrast her friend Marlena Dietrich adorned with clothes that show off her glamorous stature and elegance.
The music in this play is fabulous. There are nine members in the orchestra, who also serve as cast members and play various instruments including piano, brass, woodwind, strings, and percussion. I am in awe of their talent. The singing is notable, with most songs performed in French and one song in Italian, which gives a romantic and powerful impression.
Audrey Brisson gives a first-class performance as Edith. Having seen clips of Edith performing, Audrey’s powerful vocals, stature and body language give her real credibility in this role, and she absolutely nails the fun, feisty, fiery but also vulnerable personality of the famous singer through her tumultuous life. Tzarina-Nassor makes a great professional stage debut as Edith’s friend and fellow street girl Toine.
Djavan Van De Fliert plays the beautiful Marcel, the one true love of Edith’s life, Djavan has great stage presence and voice. Their love affair comes to a tragic end after which Edith’s life unravels even further. Edith has multiple affairs until she marries Theo, a younger Greek man, played by Oliver Nazareth Aston, who adored her until her death. Along the way Edith also collects proteges with whom she collaborated and helped become stars – Charles Aznavour and Charles Dumont are two such people.
Signe Larsson is instantly recognizable as the beautiful Marlene Dietrich who becomes a close friend of Edith supporting her in times where she struggles with her confidence or her loneliness. An exceptionally impressive performance. Signe also gives a reliable performance as loyal secretary and personal assistant Madeline.
Hazel Monaghan provides an inspired performance as Louis who without any experience becomes Edith’s agent for a time during which he catapults her to fame in America and globally. He does, however, exploit Edith and seeks to cover up her alcohol and drug abuse.
The rest of the cast play a variety of characters, notably Sam Pay who plays Leplee who is responsible for spotting the young Edith performing in the street and giving her a job in a nightclub. Marc Serratosa gives a solid performance as Charles and Georges; Kit Kenneth, a very competent musician but also doubles up as a nurse and other cameo roles throughout and last but no means least Jon Trenchard who is vibrant as the onstage MD and Bruno.
When you consider that this play has twenty scenes, twenty-one songs and twenty-seven characters it is no mean feat to bring this play to life with ten people! A big shout out to them all and to both Kimberley Sykes and Sam Kenyon for a truly brilliant production. I wish it all the success it deserves.
The Royal Exchange, Manchester – until 24 May 2025
Reviewed by Sal E Marino
5*****
Mike Leigh’s classic cult tragicomedy, Abigail’s Party, has now taken residence at Manchester’s crown jewel, The Royal Exchange Theatre until the 24th of May. And it’s a must-see, unmissable – a play you become emersed in (quite literally) due to the unique round and revolving stage. Brilliant director Natalie Abrahami has relocated Abigail’s Party from the Essex suburbs to the Northwest and she has clearly done her research along with set designer, Peter Butler. Butler has brought Beverly (Kym Marsh) and Laurence’s (Graeme Hawley) home alive to the extent that as an audience member, you really feel like you’re with them at their drinks party because it’s so intimate! What starts as an awkward and supposably informal evening hosted by Beverly (who has chosen to wear an extremely flamboyant and ‘long’ gown) and Laurence Moss for their neighbours Sue (Tupele Dorgu), Angela (Yasmin Taheri) and Tony (Kyle Rowe), just builds and builds upon drink after drink and layer upon layer of tension. Each character starts to unravel and reveal their less favourable foibles.
The play takes place in the mid-70s, just a short time after the divorce law was reformed and so ‘splitting up’ was still viewed a scandal to the masses. Divorce was not a path many took at that time and most would rather continue to “live in the same house for 20 years without speaking” like Ange’s parents. One wonders, if it had been less of a controversial act and if more had braved the wrath (covered by sympathy) of the curtain twitchers, like Sue, if Laurence and Beverly would have stayed together? Maybe the play’s fatal ending would never have occurred? But then we wouldn’t be able to become a fly on the wall and witness their dysfunctional marriage (with all its juicy, tense and dramatic ingredients) accumulate to maximum boiling point and spill over to create an inevitable, melodramatic meltdown mess! Melodramatic is almost an understatement as to what unfolds as the stage spins faster, the action gets hotter and the music gets louder!
The opening scene bursts with clashing colours (Bev’s eye-popping dress and bright home décor), a huge gaudy and sparkly central lamp, disco beats and a kaleidoscope of lights. Shimmying along to the seductive opening of Donna Summer’s ‘Love to Love you Baby’, Beverly sparks up a cigarette, takes centre stage and owns it. She is the queen of her home (and I suspect the estate she lives on), the epitome of the era’s consumerism, has all the latest mod cons (that she doesn’t know how to fully work) and has everything a woman of her time wants. She flounces, she flirts, finds fault in everything her husband does but she is fabulous and (using her favourite word) “fantastic” to watch.
It’s easy to think and accuse Beverly of being the villain and the monster of the play – especially at the beginning as Laurence appears as the hard-working, hen-pecked husband but as things develop, his less favourable traits start to leak out too. Later, he tries to make an ally of Sue who presents as middle class and educated by attempting to engage in high-brow conversation with her about the arts. He does this to belittle Ange and Tony, suggesting they are of a lower class and that Tony doesn’t read. In a further discussion about ‘art’ Laurence publicly calls Beverly “ignorant” and his sinister shadow side lets slip when he grabs her arm to stop her taking further charge of the music. Tony, shy with one-word responses, also unfolds his dark side with his “nasty” behaviour towards his wife. We discover that he won’t allow her to learn to drive and has to grant her his permission when she wants a cigarette. The other two guests Ange and Sue are opposites in so many ways – Ange child-like and saying whatever comes into her head (until the very end when she is the most responsible and level-headed) and Sue, so very reserved and private.
A central theme is that despite appearing to ‘have it all’ in monetary and consumerism terms, Beverly is bored. One wonders if this whole soiree has been orchestrated under the guise of asking Sue round due to Abigail having a party and so that Ange and Tony can “break the ice” with other neighbours, just so that she can ‘play’? Play the field with Tony who she’s spotted across the street getting into his car for work and taken a fancy to and play with Laurence in a ping pong game of sniping. She is the iconic suburban bored housewife of the time and even jokes about wife swapping. As the drinks stack up and inhibitions are released: Sue throws up, Laurence gets more erratic, Ange more eccentric and Beverly, as she initiates the dancing and grabs Tony, more erotic (Bev style erotic).
In the end, as Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony (Laurence’s choice not Beverly’s) blasts out, everything that was building erupts! In the tragic chaos, Beverly still acts like the perfect hostess but also the most inappropriate by offering drinks and cigarettes at exactly the wrong time! She is hilarious even at the bleakest of times. Kym Marsh has had a hard act to follow in the film’s Alison Steadman’s footsteps but she manages it excellently. Her Northwest Bev is brilliant and most compelling. I want to be at her parties to just to watch her in action because she so outrageously unapologetic even at her most low and worst. She’ll take your man right in front of your very eyes (if she’s plied him with enough alcohol)! This play, set in the 1970s, does appeal to all and could start a retro revival as my 16-year-old daughter said after the show, “I want a party with those cheese ‘n’ pineapple stick things”. The set, costumes and the quirky stage at The Royal Exchange add even more brilliance to this amazing production but obviously, kudos must be given to the incredible cast! Kym Marsh, Graeme Hawley, Kyle Rowe, Tupele Dorgu and Yasmin Taheri all embody and master Mike Leigh’s characters perfectly. It’s so good you’ll want to book a second time and go and ‘party’ with Beverly again! I do, I loved it! I’m still intrigued by one thing though even after seeing the film numerous times years ago – what did Tony actually get up to when he went to check on ‘Abigail’s Party’?
James Dreyfus and James Wilby join Anne Reid and Caroline Quentin
Daniel Schumann and Lee Dean today announce full casting for the world première of Daisy Goodwin’sBy Royal Appointment directed by Dominic Dromgoole. Joining the previously announced Anne Reid (Queen Elizabeth II) and Caroline Quentin (The Dresser) are James Dreyfus (The Milliner) and James Wilby (The Designer).
By Royal Appointment opens at Theatre Royal Bath on 5 June and runs until 14 June before touring to Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham, Leeds Grand Theatre and Opera House, Malvern Festival Theatre, Mayflower Theatre, Southampton, Richmond Theatre, London,Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford and Lowry, Salford.
Daniel Schumann and Lee Dean present
BY ROYAL APPOINTMENT
By Daisy Goodwin
Cast: Anne Reid (Queen Elizabeth II), Caroline Quentin (The Dresser), James Dreyfus (The Milliner), James Wilby (The Designer)
Directed by: Dominic Dromgoole;Designer: Jonathan Fensom; Lighting Designer: Oliver Fenwick;
Sound design: Ella Wahlström
The late Queen Elizabeth II was famous for her discretion. She never said anything in public that could ruffle the lightest of feathers. But she had one way of expressing what she really thought – through her wardrobe.
By Royal Appointment is a funny, poignant and celebratory new play about the kind of power that only a Queen can wield – she charms the world through coats and admonishes her family through a carefully chosen hat.
But the Queen herself is uninterested in fashion, her look is managed by her Designer, her Milliner and most powerful of all, her Dresser who was a working-class girl who goes from advising the Queen on the colour of her lipsticks to the real power behind the throne. But the Dresser, like all royal favourites is living on borrowed time.
By Royal Appointment is a behind the scenes peek into the world of our most popular monarch and the image she presented to the world. Starring national treasure Anne Reid as The Queen, doyen of stage and screen Caroline Quentin as The Dresser, with Olivier award-winning James Dreyfus as The Milliner and Merchant Ivory and Poldark legend James Wilby as The Designer. The new play is written by Daisy Goodwin who created the hit ITV series Victoria and directed by former Artistic Director of Shakespeare’s Globe, Dominic Dromgoole.
By Royal Appointment is Daisy Goodwin’s debut play. For television, her writing credits include ITV historical drama series Victoria. Her novels include The Last Duchess, The Fortune Hunter, The American Heiress, Victoria and Diva, she has curated eight poetry anthologies. Also, as a producer, her many credits include Grand Designs and Escape to the Country.
Veteran of the stage and screen, Anne Reid plays The Queen. For theatre, her credits include Marjorie Prime (Menier Chocolate Factory), A Woman of No Importance (Vaudeville Theatre), Fracked!, Out of this World (Chichester Festival Theatre), Hedda Gabler (The Old Vic), Dimetos (Donmar Warehouse), Happy Now?, Wild Oats (National Theatre), Into the Woods (Royal Opera House), The Epitaph of George Dillon (Comedy Theatre), The York Realist (Royal Court) and A Family Affair (Theatre Royal Bath). For television her extensive credits include The Sixth Commandment, Sanditon, Years & Years, Hold the Sunset, Last Tango in Halifax, Our Zoo, The Last Witch, Upstairs Downstairs, Marchlands, Moving On, Five Days, Ladies of Letters, In Love with Barbara, Shameless, Affinity, The Bad Mother’s Handbook, Doctor Who, Jane Eyre, Bleak House, Life Begins, Dinnerladies, Sweet Charity and Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV; and for film, SAS Red Notice, Aeronauts, The Nest, The Snowman, Romans, Kaleidoscope, Believe, Foster, Cemetery Junction, Faintheart, Savage Grace, Hot Fuzz, Little Trip to Heaven, and The Mother (Critics’ Circle Award for British Actress of the Year).
Caroline Quentin plays The Dresser. Her stage credits include Jack Absolute Flies Again, The London Cuckolds (National Theatre), Mrs Warren’s Profession (UK tour), The Provoked Wife (RSC), Me and My Girl (Chichester Festival Theatre), The Hypocrite (Hull Truck, RSC), The Life and Times of Fanny Hill (Bristol Old Vic), Relative Values (Theatre Royal Bath), Oh! What A Lovely War (Theatre Royal Stratford East), Terrible Advice (Menier Chocolate Factory) and Life After Scandal (Hampstead Theatre). Her television credits include Extinction, Bridgerton, The Other One, Doc Martin, Dickensian, Cockroaches, Big And World, Sooty, Dancing On The Edge, Extreme, Little Crackers, Switch, Dead Boss, In Love with Wilde, Life of Riley, Just William, Blue Murder, Humf, Life Begins, Little Briain, Footprints in the Snow, Von Trapped, Blood Strangers, Hot Money, Goodbye Mr. Steadman, Kiss Me Kate, The Innocent, Jonathan Creek, The Nearly Complete and Utter History of Everything, Men Behaving Badly, Entertainment Cops, All Or Nothing At All, Paul Merton: The Series, Don’t Tell Father, Mr Bean, Harry Enfield’s Television Programme, Hale and Pace, One on Two, Shadow of the Noose, This Is David Lander, The Nihilists Double Vision, Up Line, Dream Stuffing, Video Stars, The Squad and The Other ‘Arf. Her film credits include Love me Tender. As a presenter, her world’s Ugliest Pets, Caroline Quentin’s National Parks, Cornwall with Caroline Quentin, A Passage Through India.
James Dreyfus plays The Milliner. His theatre credits include The Master Builder (The Old Vic), Harvey, Breakfast at Tiffany’s (Theatre Royal Haymarket) Candide, The Common Pursuit (Menier Chocolate Factory), The Vortex (Rose Theatre, Kingston), Amongst Friends (Hampstead Theatre), Cabaret (Lyric Theatre), Donkey’s Years (Comedy Theatre), The Producers (Theatre Royal Drury Lane), One For the Pot (Windsor Theatre), Elizabeth Rex, Julius Caesar, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, The Grapes of Wrath, Playing by the Rules (Birmingham Rep), Lady in the Dark (National Theatre), The Seagull (UK tour), EuroVision (Vaudeville Theatre), Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens (Criterion Theatre), The Hypochondriac (Cambridge Theatre), Romeo and Juliet, She Stoops to Conquer, How the Other Half Loves, Hamlet (Harrogate Theatre), Augustine (The Big Hysteria) (Lyric Hammersmith Theatre) and Purgatory in Ingolstadt (Gate Theatre). His television credits include House of The Dragon, Agatha Raisin, Harry & Meghan: Becoming Royal, Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators, Mount Pleasant, Shameless, Whitechapel, The Sarah Jane Adventures, He Kills Coppers, My Hero, Double Time, The Lenny Henry Show, Waking The Dead, The Bette Show, Gormenghast, Gimme Gimme Gimme (as series regular Tom Farell), Absolutely Fabulous, The Thin Blue Line (as series regular Constable Kevin Goody), Frontiers, Paris and Thin Ice; and for film, Semolina Pilchard, Family Secrets, Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow, The Kindred, Supernova, Scottish Mussel, Colour Me Kubrick, Churchill The Hollywood Years, Agent Cody Banks, Being Considered, Notting Hill, Boyfriends and Richard III.
James Wilby plays The Designer. His theatre credits include Gaslight (Theatre Royal Windsor), Dead Sheep (Park Theatre), The Second Mrs Tanqueray (Rose Theatre, Kingston), Less Than Kind (UK tour), The Consultant of Commotion (Theatre503), On Emotion (Soho Theatre), Don Juan (Lyric Hammersmith Theatre), Helping Harry (Jermyn Street Theatre), A Patriot for Me (RSC), The Common Pursuit (Phoenix Theatre), The Tempest, Salonika, Jane Eyre (Chichester Festival Theatre), As You Like It (Royal Exchange Theatre), Chips with Everything (Leeds Playhouse) and Another Country (Queen’s Theatre). His television credits include The Famous Five; I, Jack Wright; The Marlow Murder Club, Poldark, Victoria, Churchill’s Secret, The Nightmare World of HG Wells, Legends, Strike Back, Our Zoo, Endeavour, Ripper Street, New Tricks, Titanic, Secret Diary of a Call Girl, A Risk Worth Taking, Clapham Junction, The Last Days of the Raj, Lewis, Little Devil, Marple, Jericho, Sparkling Cyanide, Murder in Mind, Bertie and Elizabeth, Nothing But The Truth, Trial and Retribution, The Woman in White, The Dark Room, Treasure Seekers, Witness Against Hitler, Crocodile Shoes, You, Me and It, Lady Chatterley, Adam Bede, Tell Me That You Love Me, Mother Love, A Tale of Two Cities, Storyteller, Dutch Girls, Impact Earth and Ancient Rome; and for film, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Duke, Breathe, The Swing of It, Sense of an Ending, ChickLit, Shadows in the Sun, Lady Godiva, Gradiva, Just One of Those Things, De-Lovely, Gosford Park, Life: A User’s Manual, Cotton Mary, Tom’s Midnight Garden, Regeneration, Une Partie D’echec, Howard’s End, Immaculate Conception, A Handful of Dust, Maurice and An Ideal Husband.
Dominic Dromgoole directs. He launched a new theatre company, Classic Spring, which produced a year-long celebration of Oscar Wilde in 2017/18 directing the first play in the season, A Woman of No Importance, at the Vaudeville Theatre.Dromgoole was Artistic Director of Shakespeare’s Globe from 2006 to 2016. In that time the Globe grew into an international theatre of progressive ambition and radical scope. Amongst other projects, he created a UK-wide touring operation and grew this touring internationally, culminating in a two-year tour of Hamlet which travelled to every country in the world. In 2012, he directed the Globe to Globe Festival, which hosted companies from 37 different countries. He was previously Artistic Director of the Bush Theatre – during his tenure between 1990-1996 he nurtured upcoming talents by premiering 65 new plays from a host of now influential writers such as Billy Roche, Irvine Welsh and Naomi Wallace. He then moved onto the Oxford Stage Company which he ran from 1999 to 2005. He launched a new film company, Open Palm Films, and made his first feature, Making Noise Quietly, in the summer of 2016. The film, released by an adaptation of Robert Holman’s play of the same name, starred Deborah Findlay, Barbara Marten, Trystan Gravelle and Matthew Tennyson, and was released by Verve in 2019. He is the author of the recently published Astonish Me! First Nights That Changed the World as well as Hamlet: Globe to Globe, The Full Room: An A-Z of Contemporary Playwriting and Will and Me: How Shakespeare Took Over My Life, which won the inaugural Sheridan Morley award.
Producer and Director Tegan Summer is today delighted to announce the latest West End Unscripted! Honouree as Sir Derek Jacobi. After its inaugural show in March, West End Unscripted! Is taking its second show to the Gillian Lynne Theatre on 12th May with a stellar line-up, headlined by the British stage and screen legend.
Double Olivier award-winning director and writer Sean Foley(Dr. Strangelove) will resume hosting duties and Richard Clifford is the evening’s Special Guest Moderator, with more guests set to be announced.
Each night, West End Unscripted! will serve as a charitable event, donating £10,000+ to a charity personally selected by the evening’s Honouree. Audiences will not only leave inspired and entertained but will also contribute to meaningful causes that make a difference.
Producer and Director Tegan Summer said: “Sir Derek Jacobi possesses a rare alchemy, blending intellectual precision with profound emotional depth, creating performances that have resonated with both the mind and heart. He doesn’t just play characters – he inhabits them, and has left an indelible imprint on stage and screen. I am honoured to be producing this evening with him.”
This one-of-a-kind Q&A series will offer audiences an intimate evening of captivating stories, personal anecdotes, and behind-the-scenes insights from some of the most celebrated actors, directors, and producers in the industry.
With their celebrity friends as special guest moderators, these unique evenings will feature two additional guests—and perhaps even a musical number or two. West End Unscripted! integrates BSL interpretation.
West End Unscripted! debuted in March at Theatre Royal Drury Lane with Nick Mohammed, Phil Dunster, Sarah Hadland, and Andy Nyman as guests.
WESSEX GROVE, GAVIN KALIN PRODUCTIONS, PLAYFUL PRODUCTIONS
PRESENT
BRYAN CRANSTON, MARIANNE JEAN-BAPTISTE
AND
PAAPA ESSIEDU
IN ARTHUR MILLER’S ALL MY SONS DIRECTED BY
IVO VAN HOVE
AT WYNDHAM’S THEATRE
IN LONDON’S WEST END
FOR A STRICTLY LIMITED SEASON FROM
FRIDAY 14 NOVEMBER 2025
TO SATURDAY 7 FEBRUARY 2026
TICKETS ON SALE TODAY, THURSDAY 10 APRIL AT 12.00NOON
Producers Wessex Grove, Gavin Kalin Productions and Playful Productions are delighted to announce that Bryan Cranston will star as ‘Joe Keller’, Marianne Jean-Baptiste as ‘Kate Keller’ and Paapa Essiedu as ‘Chris Keller’ in Arthur Miller’s ALL MY SONS. Directed by Ivo Van Hove, the production will run at Wyndham’s Theatre, a Delfont Mackintosh Theatre, in London’s West End for a strictly limited season between Friday 14 November 2025 and Saturday 7 February 2026. Further casting to be announced soon. Tickets go on sale today, Thursday 10 April at 12.00noon. allmysonsplay.com
ALL MY SONS reunites Bryan Cranston with director Ivo Van Hove following their critically acclaimed production of Network which premiered at the National Theatre in 2017 before transferring to Broadway. For his performance as Howard Beale in the show, Bryan won both the Olivier Award and Tony Award for Best Actor.
ALL MY SONS marks the third Arthur Miller play for Ivo Van Hove, having previously directed A View from the Bridge with Mark Strong and Nicola Walker at the Young Vic, in the West End in 2014 and on Broadway in 2015 and The Crucible with Ben Whishaw, Sophie Okonedo and Saoirse Ronan on Broadway in 2016.
Ivo Van Hove said today “I am thrilled to return to the West End to direct All My Sons and to reunite with the great Bryan Cranston. It is also a privilege to collaborate with the brilliant Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Paapa Essiedu, whose work I have long admired. We all share a deep reverence for Arthur Miller’s powerful storytelling, and bringing this profound play to life with such an extraordinary cast is truly a dream come true. All My Sons is a devastating exploration of guilt, responsibility, and the far-reaching consequences of our choices, especially in times of war. Its themes of personal integrity and moral reckoning remain as urgent and resonant today as ever.”
Bryan Cranston said today “Arthur Miller, Ivo Van Hove, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Paapa Essiedu…If there is something that I know beyond a shadow of doubt, is to surround yourself with the most talented people. This group of creative artists has got me so excited to be a part of the All My Sons company.”
Marianne Jean-Baptiste said today “I am thrilled to get the opportunity to work with Ivo and am very excited to work with both Bryan and Paapa of whom I am a huge fan.”
Arthur Miller’s ALL MY SONS is his first and most abiding hit play. Respected, self-made businessman Joe prides himself on providing for his wife and their two sons. While wartime delivers profits for the family, it comes at a price when his partner is charged with criminal manufacturing deals, and his eldest son goes missing in action. Peacetime brings little peace of mind as Joe’s true involvement in the activity begins to surface, and he is suddenly confronted by the consequences of his actions. Arthur Miller skewers the dishonest promise of the American Dream in this disturbingly prescient play.
Bryan Cranston is an Academy Award nominee, and an Emmy, Screen Actors Guild, Tony, and Olivier Award winner. He made his Broadway debut as President Lyndon B. Johnson in All the Way, in which he won a Tony Award, and went onto star in Ivo Van Hove’s Network at the National Theatre and on Broadway – winning the Olivier and Tony Award. He is well known for his portrayal of Walter White on Breaking Bad, from Showtime’s hit drama series, Your Honor, which he also executive produced, and for his role in Trumbo, which garnered him an Academy Award and BAFTA nomination. He can currently be seen in Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s comedy, The Studio, on Apple TV+; and will be re-teaming with Wes Anderson in The Phoenician Scheme; and starring in Everything’s Going To Be Great opposite Allison Janney. He will soon begin production on the Malcolm in the Middle revival for Disney+, and the upcoming dark comedy feature Chili Finger opposite John Goodman and Judy Greer.
Marianne Jean-Baptiste most recently starred as Pansy in Mike Leigh’s critically acclaimed film Hard Truths for which she was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role and swept the Best Actress trifecta at the New York Film Critics Circle, Los Angeles Film Critics Association and National Society of Film Critics. She received international acclaim for her role in Mike Leigh’s Secrets & Lies receiving nominations for Best Supporting Actress at the Academy Awards, the Golden Globes and the BAFTA Awards. She is also known for her role as Vivian Johnson in the TV series Without a Trace and has starred in multiple TV dramas including Blind Spot, Homecoming and The Following Events Are Based on a Pack of Lies. On stage she has appeared in The Amen Corner at the National Theatre.
Paapa Essiedu is an acclaimed British actor with a career spanning television, film, and theatre, garnering many nominations throughout his career including a Primetime Emmy nomination and BAFTA TV nomination for his breakout performance in Michaela Coel’s era defining show, I May Destroy You. Essiedu also earned a Best Actor BAFTA TV nomination for his work in Joe Barton’s time loop thriller series, The Lazarus Project in which he starred for two seasons. Essiedu’s upcoming work includes Babies, a six-part drama series for the BBC opposite Siobhán Cullen, written and directed by Stefan Golaszewski. Paapa is celebrated for his theatre work; his most recent performance in Death of England: Delroy, the second play in Clint Dyer and Roy Williams’ state-of-the-nation trilogy, earned him an Olivier nomination for Best Actor. Prior to this, Paapa starred in Jamie Lloyd’s critically acclaimed production of Lucy Prebble’s play, The Effect at the National Theatre in 2023, starring opposite Taylor Russell. The Effect transferred to The Shed, New York. Other theatre work includes, A Number directed by Lyndsey Turner, starring opposite Lennie James, and Simon Godwin’s lauded production of Hamlet at the RSC. Further screen credits include season 6 of the cult anthology series, Black Mirror, in Demon 79 (Netflix); The Capture (BBC1/NBC Universal); Alex Garland’s Men (A24); Gangs of London (Sky).
Arthur Miller (1915–2005) was born in New York City and studied at the University of Michigan. His plays include The Man Who Had All the Luck (1944), All My Sons (1947), Death of a Salesman (1949), The Crucible (1953), A View from the Bridge and A Memory of Two Mondays (1955), After the Fall (1964), Incident at Vichy (1964), The Price (1968), The Creation of the World and Other Business (1972), The Archbishop’s Ceiling (1977), The American Clock (1980) and Playing for Time (1980). Later plays include The Ride Down Mt. Morgan (1991), The Last Yankee (1993), Broken Glass (1994), Mr. Peters’ Connections (1998) and Resurrection Blues (2002). Among his other works are Situation Normal (1944), the novel Focus (1945), screenplay The Misfits (1960), and texts for In Russia (1969), In the Country (1977), and Chinese Encounters (1979), three books in collaboration with his wife, photographer Inge Morath. Memoirs include ‘Salesman’ in Beijing (1984), and Timebends, an autobiography (1987). Short fiction includes the collection I Don’t Need You Any More (1967), the novella Homely Girl, a Life (1995) and Presence: Stories (2007). Essay collections published in his lifetime include The Theater Essays of Arthur Miller (1978) and Echoes Down the Corridor: Collected Essays 1944–2000, as well as individually published volumes ‘The Crucible’ in History (2000) and On Politics and the Art of Acting (2001). He was awarded the Avery Hopwood Award for Playwriting at University of Michigan in 1936. He twice won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, received two Emmy Awards and three Tony Awards for his plays, as well as a Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement. He was named Jefferson Lecturer for the National Endowment for the Humanities in 2001. Among other honors, he received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the John F. Kennedy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Ivo Van Hove is an award-winning auteur director who has served as the General Director of the prestigious International Theatre Amsterdam (formerly Toneelgroep Amsterdam) from 2001 until 2023. From 2024 until 2026 he is Artistic Director of Ruhrtriennale festival. His acclaimed productions continue to tour around the world and have earned him many international accolades, including a Tony Award, an Olivier Award, two Obie Awards, and multiple others in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Van Hove is dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France, a Commander of the Order of the Crown in Belgium, and the recipient of the 2019 Johannes Vermeer Award, the Dutch state prize of the arts. Broadway & West End highlights include Hanya Yanagihara’s A Little Life, West Side Story, The Human Voice with Ruth Wilson; Network with Bryan Cranston; The Crucible with Saoirse Ronan, Ben Whishaw, and Ciarán Hinds; A View from the Bridge with Mark Strong; All About Eve with Gillian Anderson and Lily James; and Lazarus, which he created with David Bowie and Enda Walsh. Select International credits include Shakespeare’s Roman Tragedies and Kings of War, Ingmar Bergman’s Scenes from a Marriage, Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead, Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler with Ruth Wilson, Luchino Visconti’s Obsession with Jude Law, Anne Carson’s translation of Antigone with Juliette Binoche, and Tennessee Williams’ La menagerie de Verre with Isabelle Huppert. Opera directing highlights include Opera credits include Salome for Dutch National Opera; Boris Godunov and Don Giovanni for Paris Opéra; the world premiere Brokeback Mountain for Teatro Real Madrid; Macbeth for Opéra de Lyon; La clemenza di Tito and Idomeneo for La Monnaie De Munt; Lulu and Der Ring des Nibelungen at Opera Antwerp; Mazeppa for Komische Oper Berlin; Mahagonny in the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence.
ALL MY SONS is directed by Ivo Van Hove, with Scenic and Lighting Design by Jan Versweyveld, Costume Design by An D’Huys, Sound Design by Tom Gibbons and Casting by Julia Horan CDG. The Dramaturg is Ola Animashawun.
to make its West End debut! The nation’s favourite sitcom will make its West End debut at the Duchess Theatre on 16 June with more dates across the UK
David Benson and Jack Lane
Two actors, two microphones, over 25 characters – and lots of sound effects! Dad’s Army Radio Show brings Perry and Croft’s classic BBC comedy to life in this highly acclaimed stage production.
Three episodes of the popular sitcom – adapted for radio for the very first time – are hilariously and lovingly enacted on stage by just two master performers – complete with sound effects, vintage music and all your favourite Perry and Croft characters and catchphrases.
Now following several national tours and sold-out seasons at the Fringe, Dad’s Army Radio Show, starring David Benson (Goodnight Sweetheart and One Man, Two Guvnors) and Jack Lane (Wisdom of a Fool and 7 Days), who both worked as voice cast on Dad’s Army: The Animations on UKTV Gold, will make its debut in the West End – for one night only – at the Duchess Theatre on Monday June 16 as part of a major 2025 UK tour.
The tour coincides with the 80th anniversary of VE day with celebrations planned across the country from 8 -11 May.
Jack Lane said today: “I’m thrilled to be making my West End debut at the Duchess Theatre. Bringing a show so dear to my heart with its well loved characters, alongside my great friend, David Benson, is an honour and a joy.”
David Benson said: “Having dabbled in the West End before (Think No Evil of Us: My Life With Kenneth Williams at the Vaudeville, One Man Two Guvnors, Haymarket, Boris World King, Trafalgar) I am very proud to be returning in the company of my dear friend and collaborator Mr. Jack Lane. Plus our company of our beloved characters and the brilliant scripts of Perry and Croft.”
The original television episodes newly minted for Dad’s Army Radio Show national tour 2025 are:
The Love of Three Oranges A church bazaar is organised for the “Comforts for the Troops Fund”. Hodges intends to auction three oranges, and Capt. Mainwaring is determined to get hold of one for Mrs Mainwaring.
The Miser’s Hoard When Frazer is revealed to have a secret stash of gold sovereigns, Mainwaring believes he must hand them over for safe keeping.
The Making of Private Pike Pike borrows Mainwairing’s staff car to drive his new girlfriend to the cinema in Eastgate. On the way back, however, and nine miles from Walmington, it runs out of petrol.
Creative team: Daniel Barnes Sound Designer. Presented by Jack Lane and Something For The Weekend
Ian Lavender (1946 – 2024) The tour is dedicated to the memory of Ian Lavender, the last surviving member of the original Dad’s Army cast, who died last year.
Jack Lane said: “Losing Ian Lavender feels like the end of an era and whilst the platoon may have fallen, we have been gifted a phenomenal legacy of laughter and happiness from these fine actors and sublime writers. It’s filled my life and career with endless joy, for which I am eternally grateful. Ian joined the cast of Dad’s Army fresh out of drama school. Working alongside such seasoned actors must have been daunting to a young lad but he proved his ability immediately; Ian’s comic timing was superb, he soon found himself with episodes devoted to his character, which speaks volumes of Perry & Croft’s belief in his comic ability. Pike is integral to the ensemble, providing youthful comic gags and breaking the generation barrier.”
David Benson said: “I was lucky to meet him on several happy occasions and always found him delightful, modest and unassuming but confident of his abilities. He beamed with pleasure whenever I engaged him on the subject of Dad’s Army and he always spoke with deep affection for his old buddies; especially John Le Mesurier who, I am told, thought the world of Ian. We will have Ian in our hearts as we set out on the road again with The Dad’s Army Radio Show – and we know that every audience member who hears Jack’s heartfelt recreation of his performance as Pike, will share our sadness at his passing but will remember him with gratitude and with laughter.”
WEST END PREMIERE
Monday 16 June Duchess Theatre 3-5 Catherine Street London WC2B 5LA
Tickets From £21.50 Prices include a £1.50 restoration levy.
Southampton’s Mayflower Theatre has announced that Alexandra Burke and Dr Ranj will lead the cast of Mayflower Theatre’s 2025/2026 pantomime as Captain Hook and The Magical Merman, alongside comedian and ventriloquist Max Fulham who will play Smee in this year’s high-flying pantomime, The Pantomime Adventures of Peter Pan.
Climb aboard the Jolly Roger with Captain Hook and Peter Pan as they battle on the high seas, joined by a crew of mischievous pirates and a very hungry, ever-watchful crocodile!
With amazing special effects, stunning sets and beautiful costumes direct from The London Palladium, The Pantomime Adventures of Peter Pan will take your whole family on a magical trip to Neverland like never before! The Pantomime Adventures of Peter Pan runs from Saturday 13 December 2025 to Sunday 4 January 2026.
Alexandra Burke, who will star as Captain Hook, is truly one of the UK’s most distinguishable powerhouse voices, having sold over 5 million records. Her no. 1 chart-toppers include Bad Boys, Start Without You and Hallelujah. Her double platinum debut album Overcome has sold over 850,000 copies in the UK alone. Alexandra has established herself as one of the UK’s most sought-after West End leading ladies having starred in The Bodyguard, Sister Act, Chess, Chicago and Michael Harrison’s production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at The London Palladium. The multi-platinum recording artist and actress first rose to fame 15 years ago, winning the fifth series of The X Factor, while duetting with Beyoncé. Alexandra received a BIFA nomination for her debut movie role in Pretty Red Dress and she has recently finished filming for the brand-new crime-drama series Curfew, which is out now on Paramount+
Alexandra’s Mayflower Theatre panto appearance follows her successful panto season last Christmas at New Wimbledon Theatre. Alexandra Burke made her pantomime debut in 2021 at Manchester Opera House and then performed in 2022 in the London Palladium Pantomime.
Dr Ranj will play The Magical Merman for the first time, following panto roles such as Spirit of the Bells (Birmingham Hippodrome, Theatre Royal Nottingham), Man in the Mirror (Churchill Theatre Bromley), and The Royal Physician (Bradford Alhambra). Alongside his work as a practicing doctor working in the NHS, Dr Ranj appears on BBC’s Morning Live, is a columnist and writer, and proved his needle skills in the 2020 Christmas Special of The Great British Sewing Bee. He has appeared as a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing, fronted ITV1’s Dr Ranj: On Call, Save Money: Good Health, Save Money: Lose Weight and his new series, Extreme Food Phobics. Ranj is currently on tour with &Juliet, where he performed at Mayflower Theatre in November 2024.
Max Fulham returns to the role of Smee after playing the role last Christmas in Milton Keynes. Max is a comedian and ventriloquist, who in addition to gaining popularity on both TV and in theatre, has become a social media sensation where he has amassed over 2 million likes on TikTok. Brining a fresh and contemporary twist to a classic art, Max has wowed audiences with his one man show, entertaining thousands of people in theatres across the UK and internationally. Highlights include appearing in The Good Old Days at Leeds City Varieties and performing on the Blackpool Opera House stage as part of the world-famous Blackpool Magic Convention. Max has also had the unique pleasure of headlining at the prestigious Venthaven Ventriloquist Convention in the USA. With TV appearances including ITV’s Saturday night show Game of Talents, Mel Giedroyc: Unforgivable on Dave and the revival of the classic Crackerjack!, Max’s comedic talents are in high demand. He is also a regular on the stand-up comedy circuit.
The Pantomime Adventures of Peter Pan is staged by Crossroads Pantomimes, the world’s biggest pantomime producer, led by Michael Harrison and the team behind recent Mayflower Theatre Christmas successes including last year’s production of Jack and the Beanstalk.
Michael Harrison said: “I’m absolutely thrilled that Alexandra Burke and Dr Ranj will be headlining Mayflower Theatre’s panto this Christmas. Alexandra is a phenomenal talent with an outstanding voice which will blow the roof off Mayflower Theatre, and children and adults alike will love the charm of Dr Ranj. Combined with the comedic talents of Max, along with stunning costumes and sets from The London Palladium, I know what a brilliant time the Southampton audiences will have this Christmas.”
Michael Ockwell, Mayflower Chief Executive said, “We cannot wait to welcome Alexandra Burke, Dr Ranj and Max Fulham to our stage this year in The Pantomime Adventures of Peter Pan. With the perfect mixture of Alexandra’s sensational voice, Dr Ranj’s charisma and rapport with audiences of all ages and Max’s comedy and ventriloquism, we know that The Pantomime Adventures of Peter Pan is going to be the perfect high flying pantomime.”
For three weeks only, The Pantomime Adventures of Peter Pan will bring all the laughter, spectacle, special effects and glittering festive magic audiences have come to expect each year from Mayflower Theatre’s spectacular Christmas panto.
So be part of the panto magic – hook your tickets today!
Tickets for The Pantomime Adventures of Peter Pan (Saturday 13 December 2025 – Sunday 4 January 2026) are on sale from Mayflower Theatre Box Office tel: 02380 711811 or online at mayflower.org.uk
The Almeida Theatre announces the full cast of Rebecca Frecknall’s production of A Moon for the Misbegotten
Joining the previously announced Michael Shannon and Ruth Wilson are Peter Corboy, Akie Kotabe and David Threlfall.
Almeida Associate Director and multi–Olivier Award winner Rebecca Frecknall (A Streetcar Named Desire; Cabaret) directs this “scorching play” (The Guardian) from Eugene O’Neill, one of the great 20th century playwrights. The production opens on Wednesday 25 June, with previews from Tuesday 17 June, and runs until Saturday 16 August.
A MOON FOR THE MISBEGOTTEN
by Eugene O’Neill
Director: Rebecca Frecknall; Set Designer: Tom Scutt; Costume Designer: Moi Tran; Lighting Designer: Jack Knowles; Sound Designer: Peter Rice; Composer: NYX; Casting Director: Julia Horan CDG; Associate Director: Lizzie Manwaring
Tuesday 17 June – Saturday 16 August
There is no present or future – only the past, happening over and over again – now.
On a barren farm in Connecticut, Josie Hogan dreams of more. Abandoned by her brothers and trapped with her volatile father, the desire for change feels urgent.
Haunted by the death of his mother, James Tyrone Jr drinks to cover the pain. Trapped in a spiral of guilt and shame he longs for connection.
When the two are brought together, a single night reveals a devastating truth and both will be altered forever.
Almeida Associate Director and multi–Olivier Award winner Rebecca Frecknall (A Streetcar Named Desire; Cabaret) directs Academy Award-nominated Michael Shannon (George & Tammy; Boardwalk Empire) and Golden Globe-winner Ruth Wilson (The Affair; Luther) in this “scorching play about the eternal American theme of reality and illusion” (The Guardian) from Eugene O’Neill, one of the great 20th century playwrights.
Presented in association with Smith & Brant Theatricals.
Leeds Amateur Operatic Society (LAOS) present Les Misérables. One of the most phenomenal and well known musicals of all time. Having seen a few different productions of Les Misérables over the years I have yet to see one that doesn’t blow me away and this is no exception. LAOS are one of a select group of amateur companies granted special permission from Cameron Mackintosh and Music Theatre International to perform Les Misérables as part of Let the People Sing a UK wide project to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the show.
Les Misérables is adapted from Victor Hugo’s story of the same name. We begin with Jean Valjean released on parole after a 19 year sentence for stealing a loaf of bread. Unable to get work or a place to sleep as a criminal, he skips parole and reinvents himself, hunted through the years by inspector Javert. Valjean goes on to become a successful businessman and mayor. While out one day he recognises Fantine, a worker unfairly dismissed from one of his factories, she is on deaths door and he makes a promise to take care of her daughter, Cosette. He raises Cosette as his own, but his past haunts him and Javert is getting ever closer. When Cosette (Maddie Care) meets Marius (Malachy Bray) they have an instant connection, but as Cosette is about to be taken away by Valjean and Marius is risking his life on the barricades of the French Revolution they don’t know whether they will see each other again.
All the cast are wonderful with the majority of roles being played by two actors on alternative nights. We had the pleasure of seeing the blue team. Nick Walton as Valjean and Luke Wilby as Javert were fantastic, with performances that wouldn’t seem out of place on a West End Stage. Emily Huddleston (Fantine) and Leah Spence (Eponine) both gave heart breaking renditions of I Dreamed a Dream and On My Own respectively. The children should also be mentioned, at this performance young Cosette (Anouk Uttley), Gavroche (Charlie Leonard) and young Eponine (Eliza Hunter) were all fantastic and really stole the show, with Gavroche’s ending one of the most devastating of the whole show.
The set is also great, with a brilliant barricade and easy transitions between scenes.
Les Misérables is a heartbreaking story and this is an absolute must see for anyone whether they’ve seen the production before or not. Having seen the professional UK tour a few years ago there is little to differentiate between that and this amateur version. The quality is magnificent and with one of the best known scores out there I can’t recommend it enough.
Patrick Studio at Birmingham Hippodrome – until 10th April 2025
Reviewed by Emma Millward
5*****
The award-winning Aakash Odedra Company, based in Leicester, UK, is dedicated to showcasing classical and contemporary South Asian dance styles. The company, in association with Manchester Camerata, premiered its UK tour of ‘Songs of the Bulbul’ within the intimate setting of Birmingham Hippodrome’s Patrick Studio.
In Persian culture, the Nightingale or ‘Bulbul’ has a special significance. They believe the Bulbul has a special connection with roses and when it sings, its singing is directed at the roses. The dance depicts a captive Bulbul, often given to royalty as a priceless gift. The dance follows the stages that the Bulbul goes through leading up to his death. From being kept in the light of a cage, to being kept in a darkened room, to losing his sight towards the end of his life. The myth states that when it reaches this final point, the Bulbul sings its most beautiful and melodious song.
As we entered the auditorium, we were greeted by an array of candles forming a semicircle on the stage area, surrounding a vast number of red rose petals. As the lights dim, Aakash Odedra takes his place in the middle of the stage. Completely covered with his white feathered robes that represent the Bulbul. His movements are slow at first, before building up and up. Every little movement was purposeful and on the beat of the beautiful orchestral music that filled the auditorium. Birmingham-born Odedra takes us on a spell-binding journey through this story. He is the only dancer onstage, but the candles and the vibrant red rose petals become almost another participant in the dance. As Aakash’s white robes swish around him, the rose petals twirl and fly around him. It’s quite a sight to behold.
This new dance work, choreographed by Rani Khanam and set to music by Rushil Ranjan, lasts 55 minutes, and I can honestly say every person in the 200-capacity Patrick Studio was captivated from start to finish. In the quieter sections, where there was often no music playing, it’s almost like the audience held their breath. Although this is a solo piece onstage, this is achieved in collaboration with many talented artists behind the scenes. The otherworldly lighting by Fabiana Piccioli and the simple, but clever set design by Emanuele Salamanca both add to the dream-like feel of the production. Rushil Ranjan’s score was recorded by the orchestra of the Manchester Camerata, with the haunting vocals of Abi Sampa and Sarthak Kalyani, and additional instrumentation by Janan Sathiendran and Praveen Prathapan. At the Lowry in Salford on May 6th, 2025, the score will be brought to life through live performances by this same orchestra and singers in a special performance.
Songs of the Bulbul made its world premiere at the Edinburgh International Festival last year, receiving many 4 and 5-star reviews and being crowned Edinburgh International Festival’s Best Show by The List. I am confident that this spine-tingling and visceral work will continue to captivate audiences and gather even more accolades as it continues its UK tour.
