Author: FairyPoweredProductions

KILN THEATRE ANNOUNCES FULL CAST FOR THE RETURN OF

ZADIE SMITH’S AWARD-WINNING PLAY

THE WIFE OF WILLESDEN

Kiln Theatre today announces the full cast for the return of Zadie Smith’s The Wife of Willesden, directed by Artistic Director Indhu Rubasingham. Clare Perkins reprises her role as Alvita, The Wife of Willesden, alongside Marcus Adolphy as Winston/Mandela/Black Jesus, George Eggay as Pastor/Eldridge, Andrew Frame as Ian/Socrates/Bartosz, Troy Glasgow as Darren/Young Maroon, Claudia Grant as Polly/Sophie, Nikita Johal as Asma/Kelly, Scott Miller as Ryan/Colin, Jessica Murrain as Author/Zaire/Queen Nanny and Ellen Thomas as Aunty P/Old Wife. The production runs at Kiln Theatre from 14 December to 28 January, ahead of its US transfer in February where it will play at the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, from 25 February – 18 March 2023.

Kiln Theatre presents

THE WIFE OF WILLESDEN

Adapted by Zadie Smith

From Chaucer’s THE WIFE OF BATH

Kiln Theatre: 14 December 2022 – 28 January 2023, Opening Night 20 December

Directed by Indhu Rubasingham; Designed by Robert Jones; Lighting Design by Guy Hoare;Composition and Sound Design by Ben and Max Ringham;Associate Director Hannah Hauer-King; Associate Costume Designby Kinnetia Isidore; Casting by Julia Horan CDG; Movement Direction by Imogen Knight; Fight Direction by Kev McCurdy; Voice &DialectCoach Hazel Holder

‘Zadie Smith and Indhu Rubasingham have concocted a stunning piece of freewheeling stagecraft.’

★★★★★  Times

After a sold-out, critically acclaimed run in 2021, Alvita, The Wife of Willesden returns for one more round at the bar.

A proper local legend. Married five times. Mother. Lover. Aunt. Friend. Alvita will tell her life story to anyone in the pub – there’s no shame in her game. The question is: are you ready to hear it?

Because this woman’s got the gift of the gab: she can rewrite mistakes into triumphs, turn pain into parables, and her love life’s an epic poem. They call her The Wife of Willesden…

A play that celebrates the human knack for telling elaborate tales, especially about our own lives.

Critically acclaimed, multi-award winning, best-selling author Zadie Smith‘s ‘irresistably rambunctious’ (The Telegraph) The Wife of Willesden transports Chaucer’s The Wife of Bath to 21st Century North West London.

Director Indhu Rubasingham invites you to take your seat at the bar, order a pint or two, and listen to this bawdy, beautiful comedy up close, and very, very personal.

The Kiln Theatre auditorium will be transformed into a local London pub, complete with pub tables in the stalls.

The Wife of Willesden was originally produced in 2021 by Kiln Theatre in association with Brent20020, London Borough of Culture.

Marcus Adolphy returns to the roles of Winston/Mandela/Black Jesus. His theatre credits include Signal Fires (Eastern Angles/Hightide), One Man Two Guvnors (Wolsey Theatre), War Horse, The Comedy of Errors, The Suicide (National Theatre), The Convert (Gate Theatre), Backseat Drivers (The London Theatre), Keeler (Charing Cross Theatre), Macbeth (The Last Refuge Theatre), The Chicago Cowboy (Rosemary Branch Theatre), Twelfth Night (Nursery Theatre), Keeping Mum, 1867, A Christmas Carol (Brockley Jack Theatre) and The Children of Salt (Alma Theatre Bristol). His television credits include The Sandman, Scott and Bailey and Father Figure.

George Eggay returns to the roles of Pastor/Eldridge, and also appeared in Starstuck at the Kiln. His other theatre credits include Archbishop, The Last King of Scotland (Crucible, Sheffield), A Streetcar Named Desire, Frozen, The Power Book and The Wind In The Willows (National Theatre), The Firm (Hampstead Theatre), Ear for Eye (Royal Court Theatre), King Lear (The Old Vic), The Tiger’s Bones (New Perspectives), Arabian Nights (New Vic Theatre), Dishoodbe on TV (Hackney Empire), Passage to Freedom, This Accursed Thing (Andrew Ashmore Associates), The Ramayana (Birmingham Rep/ National Theatre), Servant Of Two Masters (Nottingham Playhouse), Crossfire (Paines Plough), The Robbers (Gate Theatre), The Meeting (Riverside Studios) and Love of the Nightingale (Theatre Melange). His television credits include Finding Alice, Black Earth Rising, Hugo Blick, The Love of Books, Shoot the Messenger and Between the Lines; and for film: All You Need is Kill and Final Passage.

Andrew Frame returns to the roles of Ian/Socrates/Bartosz. His recent theatre credits include Small Island, This House, Macbeth, Market Boy and Royal Hunt of The Sun (National Theatre), Mumburger (Old Red Lion Theatre), Twelve Angry Men (Garrick Theatre), Responsible Other (Hampstead Theatre), Sixty-Six Books (Bush Theatre), Wittenberg (Gate Theatre), The English Game and Rough Crossings (UK tours) and Festen (Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith). His television credits include EastEnders (as series regular, P.C. Hargreaves), Jewels, White House Farm, Save Me, Class, Inspector George Gently, Trial & Retribution, Wire in The Blood and Touching Evil.

Troy Glasgow plays Darren/Young Maroon. His theatre credits include DNA, Babygirl, The Miracle, Harper Regan (National Theatre), There’s Only One Wayne Matthews (Sheffield Crucible), A Streetcar Named Desire (Young Vic/St Ann’s Warehouse, New York) and Fatal Attraction (UK tour). His television credits include The Bill (as series regular Ashley Morgan), The Day of the Triffids, Adulthood, London’s Burning, M.I.High, Mr Harvey Lights a Candle, Shoot the Messenger, Piggy and World War Z.

Claudia Grant plays Polly/Sophie. Her recent theatre credits include Harry Potter and The Cursed Child (original West End cast, Palace Theatre), The Noble Nine (Tewl Theatre), The Tempest and Much Ado About Nothing (Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre), Swallows and Amazons (ChesterStoryhouse), Juicy and Delicious (Nuffield Theatre), Spring Awakening (West Yorkshire Playhouse/Nuffield Theatre), Scarborough (White Bear Theatre), A Beautiful Recitation of Pi (Whitechapel Theatre), Knives in Hens (Camden People’s Theatre) and The Lover (Finborough Theatre). Her television credits include An Adventure in Space and Time.

Nikita Johal plays Asma/Kelly. Her recent theatre credits include The World Goes ‘Round (Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford), Princess Caraboo (Finborough Theatre), Children of Eden (Union Theatre), Spring Awakening (Hope Mill Theatre), The Snow Queen (Liverpool Everyman), Broken Wings (Charing Cross Theatre), Aladdin (Newbury Corn Exchange) and What the Ladybird Heard (The Palace/UK tour).

Scott Miller returns to the roles of Ryan/Colin. His recent theatre credits include War Horse (National Theatre), Dragon (National Theatre of Scotland) and Don Quixote (Òran Mór, Glasgow). His film credits include The Outrun, The Road Dance, Balance Not Symmetry and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

Jessica Murrain plays Author/Zaire/Queen Nanny. Her recent theatre credits include Macbeth (Shakespeare’s Globe), A Christmas Carol (RSC), Peter Pan (National Theatre), The Last Dinosaur (The Herd Theatre, Hull), When the Daffodils (Orange Tree Theatre), King Lear (Duke of York’s Theatre), Messiah (Bristol Old Vic), The Wind in the Willows (Sherman Theatre), The Long Trick (WardrobeTheatre), Treasure Island (Hull Truck Theatre) Skate Hard Turn Left (Battersea Arts Centre), DIGS (Edinburgh Fringe), Butter and PLAY 15 (VAULT Festival), Richard III (Leeds Playhouse), Cinderella; A Fairytale (Unicorn Theatre/Tobacco Factory), Maybe I Should Freeze My Eggs (New Wimbledon Studio) and Off (Arcola Theatre). Her television credits include The Sandman and The Baby; and for film: I Used to Be Famous, Blonde.Purple and Romeo & Juliet.

Clare Perkins returns to the role of Alvita, The Wife of Willesden. She is currently shooting BODIES for Netflix, and recently wrapped WOOL for AMC studios and feature film EMBERS, directed by Christian Cooke. She was recently seen in Amazon fantasy series The Wheel of Time, The Offenders on the BBC and Apple’s Suspicion. She was previously seen in Netflix series Young Wallander as well as guest roles in The Crown and Flack. In theatre, she starred as the title role in Emilia, which played at the Vaudeville Theatre. Other extensive theatre work includes Welcome to Thebes at the National Theatre, Little Revolution at the Almeida Theatre, The Convert for the Gate Theatre, Mules with the Royal Court and Genesis Inc at the Hampstead Theatre. She is well known for playing series regular, Ava Hartman in BBC’s EastEnders. Other television credits include BBC’s Death in Paradise, Damned for Channel 4, Netflix’s Been So Long. In film, she can be seen in Ken Loach’s Ladybird, Secrets and Lies directed by Mike Leigh and Saul Dibb’s Bullet Boy. She’s also in Censor which has just been released in cinemas. She has been a member of BBC Radio Drama Company and played Mel in Westway which ran for 8 years on the BBC World Service.

Ellen Thomas returns to the roles of Aunty P/Old Wife. Her recent theatre credits include Moon on a Rainbow Shawl, Egusi Soup and Tiata Delights (Almeida Theatre), Statement of Regret, The American Clock and Fuente Ovejuna (National Theatre), The Estate (Soho Theatre), Blest Be the Tie (Royal Court Theatre), Twelfth Night (Royal Exchange, Manchester), A Bitter Herb (Bristol Old Vic), Amen Corner (Tricycle Theatre/Nottingham Playhouse), Sisters (Riverside Studios) and Twelfth Night (Birmingham Rep). Thomas is most well known for playing series regular Claudette Hubbard in Eastenders and series regular Liz Webbe in Teachers. Her other television credits include Casualty (as series regular Omo Masters), Mount Pleasant, Rev. and Coming of Age, Outnumbered, Critical, Humans, Losing It, Trial and Retribution, The Play’s The Thing, Active Defence; and for film: Johnny English Reborn, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris and Golden Years.

Zadie Smith is the author of the novels White Teeth, The Autograph Man, On Beauty, NW, and Swing Time, as well as three collections of essays, Intimations, Changing My Mind and Feel Free and the collection of short stories, Grand Union. Her novels have won multiple literary awards and been translated into many languages. White Teeth was adapted for the stage at the Kiln Theatre in 2018. She is a professor of fiction at New York University and writes regularly for the New Yorker and the New York Review of Books.

Indhu Rubasingham is Artistic Director of Kiln Theatre. Her work for the company includes The Invisible Hand, Pass Over, When the Crows Visit, Wife, White Teeth, Holy Sh!t, Red Velvet (which transferred to New York and later to the Garrick Theatre as part of the Kenneth Branagh Season) and Handbagged (winner of Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre – also West End, UK tour, Washington DC and New York). Other productions for Kiln Theatre include A Wolf in Snakeskin Shoes, Multitudes, The House That Will Not Stand, Paper Dolls, Women, Power and Politics, Stones in His Pockets, Detaining Justice, The Great Game: Afghanistan, Fabulation and Starstruck. Other theatre credits include The Father and The Assassin, The Great Wave, Ugly Lies the Bone, The Motherf**cker with the Hat (Evening Standard Award for Best Play), The Waiting Room (National Theatre), The Ramayana (National Theatre/ Birmingham Rep), Belong, Disconnect, Free Outgoing, Lift Off, Clubland, The Crutch and Sugar Mummies (Royal Court Theatre), Ruined (Almeida Theatre), Yellowman and Anna in the Tropics (Hampstead Theatre), Secret Rapture and The Misanthrope (Minerva, Chichester Festival Theatre), Romeo and Juliet (Chichester Festival Theatre), Pure Gold (Soho Theatre), The No Boys Cricket Club and Party Girls (Theatre Royal Stratford East), Wuthering Heights (Birmingham REP), Heartbreak House (Watford Palace Theatre), Sugar Dollies and Shakuntala (Gate Theatre), A River Sutra (Three Mill Island Studios), Rhinoceros (UC Davis, California) and A Doll’s House (Young Vic).

Kiln Theatre                                                                                                                                              Listings

269 Kilburn High Road, London, UK, NW6 7JR

Box Office: 020 7328 1000

www.KilnTheatre.com

Tickets from £15

All tickets for first preview £15

Kiln Theatre: 14 December 2022 – 28 January 2023, Opening Night 20 December

A.R.T.: 25 February – 18 March 2023 (Press Night 1 March)

FUNDRAISING EVENING IN AID OF KILN THEATRE – Thursday 19 January, 7.30pm

Please join us at this special fundraising night in aid of Kiln Theatre. Tickets are £30-£80, and include a donation to our work. As a registered charity, we rely on donations from audience members and our community of supporters. All proceeds from the evening are in aid of Kiln Theatre. Your support helps us to create internationally renowned, innovative productions, to make theatre available to our local community and to connect everyone, whatever their background, through the power of storytelling.

Post Show Q&As Tue 10 Jan and Fri 27 Jan

Captioned Performance 23 January

Audio Described Performance 12 January

Under 26 – £10 (subject to availability).

Access, Over 65, Local, Student and Group rates available, for further details, please see the website.

Subsidised tickets

We offer free tickets and exclusive discounts to those who can’t afford to come. If you fit any of the below criteria, get in touch and we can help you get a ticket.

If you are homeless, out of work or receive Housing Benefits, Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance (valid ID, statements or proof universal tax credit will be required when collecting tickets).

Employees of NHS, Police Force, Fire Brigade, Armed Forces, The Coastguard, RNLI, Prison Officers or Social Care Workers (valid ID payslip and name badges will be required when collecting tickets).

Email [email protected]

FIRST LOOK AT THE NEW CAST OF MAMMA MIA! THE PARTY AT THE O2, LONDON

MAMMA MIA! THE PARTY, London’s premier dining experience, is delighted to reveal production photography of the new cast who have taken over Nikos Taverna on the Greek island of Skopelos.

The new cast includes Javier Rasero as Nikos, Scarlet Gabriel as Debbie, Luke Friend as Adam, Noah Sinigaglia as Konstantina, Rosie Rowlands as Bella (at certain performances), Jamie Birkett, Caline Hampartzoumian, Robban Hogstrom, and Maison Kelley. They join Lorraine Chappell, who will continue in the role of Kate, Dawn Spence as Grandma, Allie Ho Chee as Bella (at certain performances), Claudia Bradley and Ellis Dackombe. Tamara Perks will play the role of Nina, and Oscar Balmaseda will play Fernando.

The musicians are John Donovan, Luke Higgins, Kathryn Tindall, Steve Rushton and Luke Roberts.

Due to extraordinary demand, MAMMA MIA! THE PARTY is now booking until Sunday 26 February 2023 at The O2, London. Tickets are on sale now.

Created by ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus, MAMMA MIA! THE PARTY is a unique and magical experience in a class of its own, bringing all ABBA’s hits to life more vividly than ever before! Over the course of four glittering hours, guests can immerse themselves in a spectacular musical extravaganza, a four-course Greek feast and an ABBA disco, all in one unforgettable evening of dancing, dining and singing!

MAMMA MIA! THE PARTY is set in a taverna on the beautiful Greek island of Skopelos, where most exteriors of the first MAMMA MIA! film were shot. Nikos and his wife Kate run this exotic and wonderful restaurant together with their family and friends. Told through dialogue and timeless ABBA songs, a warm, romantic and funny story evolves and unfolds during the evening, taking place around the guests as they enjoy a gourmet Greek meal. The evening ends with a 1970s disco, where audience members are welcome to stay to sing and dance to ABBA recordings.

Food is at the heart of the experience and a menu has been created that delivers the finest Greece has to offer, made from the best, freshest ingredients. Guests are served a traditional mezze followed by the iconic Greek salad of fresh tomatoes, cucumber and feta. The main course of confit lamb shoulder and slow-cooked beef is served with roasted garlic potatoes, courgette peperonata, romesco and aromatic jus. For vegetarian and vegan guests, there is roasted cauliflower with a lemon-herb dressing served alongside a tomato stuffed with lentil ragout. A sumptuous Greek lemon cake served with confit orange skin and citrus yoghurt is the perfect end to this delicious meal. Vegan guests are served traditional loukoumades, delicious dough balls accompanied by a sweet fig jam.

Guests can get the ultimate MAMMA MIA! THE PARTY experience with one of the available packages. The Platinum Package provides a Tier A ticket in a prime location, a cast meet & greet with a tableside photo opportunity, champagne on arrival, half a bottle of wine and a MAMMA MIA! THE PARTY merchandise party pack. Guests can also upgrade their existing booking by adding the VIP upgrade package, taking their experience to the next level with champagne on arrival, half a bottle of Nikos house wine and a MAMMA MIA! THE PARTY merchandise party pack. 

MAMMA MIA! THE PARTY has music and lyrics by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus (some songs with Stig Anderson), and a story by Calle Norlén, Roine Söderlundh and Björn Ulvaeus, with the English book by writer, comedian and broadcaster Sandi Toksvig.

The London version of MAMMA MIA! THE PARTY, which originally opened in Stockholm in January 2016, is co-directed and choreographed by Stacey Haynes and Roine Söderlundh, with set designed by Bengt Fröderberg, lighting designed by Patrick Woodroffe, sound designed by Gareth Owen, costumes designed by Annsofi Nyberg, music supervision by Robin Svensson and casting by David Grindrod CDG for Grindrod Burton Casting.

MAMMA MIA! THE PARTY is executively produced by Björn Ulvaeus and produced by Sally Davies for U-Live.

CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR THE NATIONAL THEATRE’S CRITICALLY-ACCLAIMED

THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE,

TOURING UK AND IRELAND,

FROM DECEMBER 2022 UNTIL SEPTEMBER 2023

• NATIONAL PRESS NIGHTS WILL BE HELD ON 20 DECEMBER 2022 AT THE LOWRY, SALFORD AND 25 JANUARY 2023 AT NEW VICTORIA THEATRE, WOKING
   
• TOURING TO 29 VENUES ACROSS 40 WEEKS, INCLUDING 5 THEATRE NATION PARTNERS, THE LARGEST TOUR MOUNTED BY THE NATIONAL THEATRE SINCE THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Casting is announced for the National Theatre’s critically-acclaimed production of The Ocean at the End of the Lane, based on the best-selling novel by Neil Gaiman. Adapted by Joel Horwood and directed by Katy Rudd, this thrilling adventure of fantasy, myth and friendship will visit 29 towns and cities, across the UK and Ireland, from 12 December 2022 until 30 September 2023.

The cast includes, Daniel Cornish (alternate Boy), Trevor Fox (Dad), Emma-Jane Goodwin (understudy), Paolo Guidi (ensemble), Millie Hikasa (Lettie Hempstock), Lewis Howard (understudy), Kemi-Bo Jacobs (Ginnie Hempstock), Ronnie Lee (ensemble), Aimee McGoldrick (ensemble), Laurie Ogden (Sis), Keir Ogilvy (Boy), Domonic Ramsden (ensemble), Joe Rawlinson-Hunt (understudy), Risha Silvera (understudy) and Finty Williams (Old Mrs Hempstock).  Further casting to be announced.

National Theatre Director, Rufus Norris said: “We are delighted to be returning to nationwide touring with this spellbinding production of Neil Gaiman’s hit fantasy novel. Joel Horwood, Katy Rudd and their formidable creative team have created such a special show that appeals to all ages and beautifully showcases the magic of live performance. Before the pandemic over 50% of the National Theatre’s audience was seeing our work outside the capital, and so it is a pleasure to share this much-loved story with theatres and audiences across the UK and Ireland and to reconnect with them once again through live theatre.”

Daniel Cornish’s previous theatre credits include A Certain Term and The Good Scout. Trevor Fox has previously appeared in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and My Brilliant Friend for the National Theatre. Emma-Jane Goodwin was previously in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time at the National Theatre and in the West End. Paolo Guidi most recently was part of a new movement film Torch for Frantic Assembly. Millie Hikasa made her professional debut with the NT this summer in Jack Absolute Flies Again after graduating from ArtsEd this year. Lewis Howard’s previous theatre credits include War Horse. Kemi-Bo Jacobs has performed for the Royal Shakespeare Company and appeared on TV in The Letter for the King and The Great. Ronnie Lee’s previous theatre includes Harry Potter and Cursed Child. Aimee McGoldrick’s recent theatre credits include A Walk is Not Just a Walk at Lyric Theatre Belfast. Laurie Ogden has previously toured with Napoli, Brooklyn and appeared in Great Expectations for BBC. Keir Ogilvy will be making his touring debut with the National Theatre. Domonic Ramsden’s previous theatre credits include War Horse. Joe Rawlinson-Hunt recently toured with The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Risha Silvera will be making her touring debut with the NT. Finty Williams recent theatre credits include The Key Workers Cycle and The Chalk Circle and for TV she was a series regular in The A List.

Neil Gaiman is known for his graphic novels, including The Sandman series (a major new Netflix series which in its first 10 days was watched for over 198 million hours by audiences around the world); his novels for adults and children including Stardust, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book; and multiple film and television projects including Good Omens and Anansi Boys. The Ocean at the End of the Lane was the winner of the Book of the Year at the 2013 National Book Awards and has sold more than 1.2 million copies worldwide. This first major stage adaptation of his work blends magic with memory in a tour-de-force of storytelling that takes audiences on an epic journey to a childhood once forgotten and the darkness that lurks at the very edge of it.

Returning to his childhood home, a man finds himself standing beside the pond of the old Sussex farmhouse where he used to play. He’s transported to his 12th birthday when his remarkable friend Lettie claimed it wasn’t a pond, but an ocean – a place where everything is possible…

Plunged into a magical world, their survival depends on their ability to reckon with ancient forces that threaten to destroy everything around them.

An award-winning creative team join Katy Rudd (Camp Siegfried and Eureka Day, Old Vic) and Joel Horwood (E4’s Skins; I Want My Hat Back, National Theatre); with set design by Fly Davis (Beginning, National Theatre; Caroline or Change, Chichester Festival Theatre, West End, Broadway) and costume and puppet design by Samuel Wyer (The Wizard of Oz, Birmingham Rep; Wolf Witch Giant Fairy, Royal Opera House). Movement direction is by Steven Hoggett (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, National Theatre, West End, Broadway; Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, West End, Broadway and internationally), composition by Jherek Bischoff (collaborators include David Byrne and Amanda Palmer), lighting design is by Paule Constable (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, National Theatre, West End; The Normal Heart, National Theatre), sound design by Ian Dickinson for Autograph (Angels in America, National Theatre and Broadway; Small Island, National Theatre), magic and illusions direction and design by Jamie Harrison (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, West End; Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, West End, Broadway and internationally) and puppetry direction by Finn Caldwell (Life of Pi, Sheffield Crucible, West End; War Horse, National Theatre). Tour casting is by Naomi Downham. The associate creative team include, Sophie Dillon Moniram as associate director, Tim Blazdell as associate set designer, Jess Williams as associate movement director, Rob Casey for Ammonite and Tom Turner as associate lighting designers, Chris Reid as associate sound designer, John Bulleid as magic and illusions associate, and Gareth Aled as associate puppetry director.

The tour will open at The Lowry in Salford where it will play over Christmas (12 December 2022 – 8 January 2023), before visiting New Victoria Theatre, Woking (24 – 28 January); Leicester Curve (31 January – 11 February); Theatre Royal Plymouth (14 – 25 February); Sunderland Empire (28 February – 4 March); Theatre Royal Bath (7 – 18 March); Grand Opera House, Belfast (21 – 25 March); Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dublin (28 March – 1 April); The Alhambra Theatre, Bradford (4 – 8 April); New Wimbledon Theatre (11 – 15 April); Edinburgh Festival Theatre (18 – 22 April); Liverpool Empire (2 – 6 May); Sheffield Lyceum Theatre (9 – 20 May); The Alexandra, Birmingham (23 – 27 May); Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff (30 May – 3 June); Nottingham Theatre Royal (6 – 17 June); New Theatre, Oxford (20 – 24 June); Milton Keynes Theatre (27 June – 1 July); Mayflower Theatre, Southampton (4 – 8 July); Newcastle Theatre Royal (11 – 22 July); Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury (25 – 29 July); Cliffs Pavilion, Southend (8 – 12 August); Bristol Hippodrome (15 – 19 August); His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen (22 – 26 August); King’s Theatre, Glasgow (29 August – 2 September); Norwich Theatre Royal (5 – 9 September); Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent (12 – 16 September); Hall for Cornwall, Truro (19 – 23 September) and Wolverhampton Grand Theatre (26 – 30 September).

Assisted performances are available at every venue across the tour, with a Relaxed Performance added to the existing access performance schedule on 28 September 2023 at 2:30pm Wolverhampton Grand Theatre. Check individual venue websites for full details.

Touring for a total of 40 weeks, including 5 Theatre Nation Partner venues, this is the largest tour mounted by the National Theatre since before the COVID-19 pandemic.  This UK and Ireland tour follows a celebrated six-month run of The Ocean at the End of the Lane at the Duke of York’s Theatre in the West End, which opened in 2021 after the production received its world premiere in the Dorfman Theatre in 2019.

Sunderland Empire – until 15 October 2022

Reviewed by Alex Sykes

3***

I saw Strictly Ballroom when it was in the West End in 2018.  I really enjoyed that production, so I was looking forward to seeing the show at Sunderland Empire.

Set in Australia in the 1990’s, Strictly Ballroom tells the tale of Scott Hastings who dares to dance his own steps.  Jeopardising his chances of winning the Pan-Pacific Grand Prix Dancing Championship, something his mum Shirley (Nikki Belsher) and dance partner Les (Quinn Patrick) have had him working towards since he was 6.  Scott’s partner Liz (Agnes Pure) leaves him and the plan is to get him dancing with Tina Sparkles (Danielle Cato).  Enter Fran (Maisie Smith) , a novice but willing to learn and happy to do their own steps.  When Scott follows Fran home, her Abuela (the excellent Karen Mann) and father Rico (the sublime Jose Agudo) teach him the Paso Doble, encouraging him to feel the rhythm.  But Australian Dance Federation Head, Barry Fife (Gary Davis) is against any kind of individuality and insists innovative dance routines will be banned.

In the West End version, Will Young played the character of Wally Strand who narrated the show, moving the characters along and singing the vast majority of the songs.  Wally is missing from this version, which could explain why it didn’t seem to move along as well as it could.

I’m hoping it’s just teething problems for the negatives but there are many.  Both Kevin Clifton and Maisie Smith can dance, they are amazing, and they can both sing but neither seemed to have the vocal strength to carry a musical.  In fact it was very difficult to hear them, especially Smith – whether this was down to the sound problem that persisted throughout the show I don’t know.  The live band (Dustin Conrad, Catherine Benson, Ryan Webber, Aidan Platts, Danny Newell and Hannah Corcoran) were excellent but loud, drowning out the majority of the singing – again this may be down to the sound problem.  In fact the whole cast seemed to shouting the dialogue instead of acting it.  The video screen at the back, setting the scene, had pixels all over the place during Act 1 but this was sorted by Act 2.  And for reasons I didn’t understand, whilst Scott lived in 1990’s Australia – it would appear Fran lived in 1940’s Latin America

But let’s get to the positives.  Lydia Hardimans costumes are fantastic.  Craig Revel Horwood and Jason Gilkinson’s choreography is FAB-U-LOUS, but I would expect nothing else.  The last scene of Act 1 is one of the best showstoppers I have seen; quite literally a superlative masterclass of the Paso Doble.  Jose Aguado and company fully deserved the standing ovation.

Hopefully the problems will be ironed out and the show can continue on tour to rave reviews, because I’m sure there is a brilliant show in there just waiting to waltz its way out there

SHAUN THE SHEEP COMES HOME FOR CHRISTMAS… WITH A LIVE ORCHESTRA!

Carrot Productions, in partnership with Aardman, is pleased to announce the world premiere of Shaun the Sheep in Concert with live orchestra.

This exciting new concert will take place at Wills Memorial Grand Hall on Sunday 27^th November 2022. Tickets go on sale today, Tuesday 11^th October, at 10am.

Shaun the Sheep in Concert is a baa-rilliant romp through Shaun’s life and adventures, featuring a professional orchestra comprising some of the country’s top musicians drawn from orchestras including the Hallé, BBC Philharmonic, and BBC Concert amongst others. For one night, and one night only, the orchestra has been appropriately renamed Mossy Bottom Philharmonic!

Shaun the Sheep, Aardman‘s family-favourite TV series, is well-known around the world for its slapstick humour, distinct visual style, and strong, quirky characters, and is enjoyed across multiple media platforms. Shaun first appeared in Nick Park’s Academy Award®-winning Wallace & Gromit film ‘A Close Shave’ in 1995, and then went on to star in his own BBC series in 2007.

Shaun is a sheep who deviates from the herd. In fact, he drags them into scrapes and scraps, turning the valley’s peace into mayhem in the meadow! It’s no surprise, then, that things go wrong at the concert, when Bitzer’s whistle mysteriously vanishes. It appears that one of the musicians is the perpetrator, so help will be needed to figure out who did the dastardly deed.

Rachel Whibley, Managing Director of Carrot Productions said, ”We are thrilled to have created this brand new Shaun the Sheep show in partnership with Aardman, and we are especially delighted to be holding the premiere in their home city, Bristol. A highlight is sure to be The Flight Before Christmas, performed with live orchestra for the first time ever, but with so much more included in the show – including a visit from Shaun himself – it’s sure to be a hit with all ages.”

Ngaio Harding-Hill, Head of Attractions & Live Experiences at Aardman, said,“Aardman is delighted to be partnering with Carrot Productions to bring our Shaun the Sheep seasonal classic – The Flight Before Christmas – alongside lots of new Shaun content to live audiences in this festive, orchestral show.  We hope the show will become an annual tradition with family audiences, following our successful partnership with Carrot Productions, delivering Wallace & Gromit in Concert to global audiences.”

Book today to see this laugh-out-loud show suitable for the whole family.

A Shaun the Sheep model-making workshop with an Aardman expert is also available to concert ticket holders. A fun, hands-on session for both children and adults.

WILTON’S MUSIC HALL ANNOUNCE JANUARY – APRIL 2023 SEASON

·      London Premiereof The City and The Town, by Anders Lustgarten

·      New Reinvigoration of Gilbert and Sullivan’s, Ruddigore directed by Peter Benedict

·      Sell-out Return of Charlie and Stan from Told by an Idiot as part of LIMF

·      New Show Jarman from Mark Farrelly

·      New Distillation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth from The Faction

·      Edinburgh Fringe transfer for Paris from Piaf to Pop

Wilton’s Music Hall are delighted to announce their 2023 spring season, following on from a stellar year of world class theatre and music productions.  Next year’s January-April season is no different, as the oldest surviving grand music hall teams up with several prestigious production companies to host a range of exciting theatre, music, opera, spoken word, and cabaret.

Kicking off the 2023 season smash-hit produced by Seabright Productions Ltd Buffy Revamped [9-13 January] returns to Wilton’s. This show is the perfect parody for Buffy aficionados and those who never enrolled at Sunnydale High alike bringing the entire 7 seasons of the hit 90s TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer in just 70 minutes, as told through the eyes of the one person who knows it inside out…Spike. Highly satirical and bursting with pop-culture references, its creator Brendan Murphy recently won Best Play at the Worldwide Comedy Awards for Friend: The One with Gunther.

Next up a rather magical comedy musical inspired by real life events, Told by an Idiot’s acclaimed production of Charlie and Stan [18January-04 February]. This is the remarkable story of the greatest double act that nearly was and is a hilarious, charming, and deeply moving homage to two men Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel, who changed the world of comedy forever. The enticing live piano score is by composer Zoe Rahman and is aided by the odd ditty (song arrangements by Sophie Cotton) and clever projected captions will take the audience back to the heydays of Victorian music hall and Hollywood silent pictures. There couldn’t be a more perfect venue for this glorious show.

Making its UK premiere at Wilton’s Music Hall (following previews at Hull Truck and Northern Stage) is a new play by Anders Lustgarten, The City and The Town [21–25 February]. Directed by Dritero Kasapi this funny and eclectic production is a uniquely political piece of theatre that brings a fresh perspective to some of the political divides and problems facing our country today. When Ben returns home to his father’s funeral after 13 years away, he is confronted with uncomfortable truths about the past, present, and future of the community and the family he grew up in and left behind. A poignant must-see amid our current political climate.

Dead Poets Live returns to Wilton’s for three nights of An Evening of Sylvia Plath [07-09 February], starring the award-winning actor, Denise Gough. Sixty years on from Sylvia Plath’s death, this show retraces the exhilarating, breath-taking, and nail-biting ascent that Plath made, with her most authoritative and riveting poetry, some of which was written in her final months.

Multi award-winning and critically acclaimed ensemble The Faction bring their reputation for bold, innovative reimagining of the classics to create a dazzling and new distillation of Shakespeare’s fast paced tragedy Macbeth [14-18 February]. Performed entirely by two actors, Macbeth / Partners of Greatness presents Shakespeare’s play from the perspective of the Macbeths themselves.  Bound by an unspeakable loss, the inseparable pair share their ambition to take what they feel life owes them. Together, they experience the joy and terror of doing the unthinkable.

For one night only, one of the most well-loved movies BUSTER KEATON in Steamboat Bill Jr. (1928) [28 February] plus shorts is presented by The Lucky Dog Picturehouse with a live piano score by the incredible Tom Temple Marlow. More music-filled nights are provided by Carradine’s Cockney Sing-along [01 & 04 March], which celebrates seven years of sell-out performances at Wilton’s with piano-playing host Tom Carradine returning for two uproarious evenings of song. Tom will lead in a traditional East End sing-along, for a good old-fashioned knees-up. And OneTrackMinds [02-03 March] makes a welcome return to Wilton’s with another vibrant selection of writers, thinkers, and musicians, each presenting a thought-provoking story about a transformational piece of music that has made a difference to their life changed their life. A life storytelling event that is a fascinating fusion of Desert Island Discs, The Moth Radio Hour and TED Talks.

Wilton’s is thrilled to be welcoming back the extraordinary genius that is writer and actor Mark Farrelly, with his vibrant new play Jarman [07,09 & 10 March]. In it he tells the story of filmmaker, painter, gardener, gay activist, and writer Derek Jarman, one of the most extraordinary lives ever lived. The play pays tribute to one of the UK’s most iconoclastic artists is an enthralling and at times distressing, but honest journey of Jarman’s life, from Prospect Cottage in Dungeness to deepest, brightest Soho. Mark Farrelly will also bring his masterful and uplifting play Naked Hope [08 and 11 March] giving the audience at Wilton’s Music Hall another chance of an up-close encounter with the original Englishman in New York, and one of the most memorable figures of the twentieth century, Quentin Crisp.

Not to be missed Oracle Productions presents a brand-new reinvigoration of Gilbert and Sullivan’s surreal comedy meets spooky melodrama Ruddigore [14–25 March]. Directed by Peter Benedict (Mapp & Lucia – The Musical and Terry Pratchett’s Guards! Guards!), expect all the familiar Gilbert and Sullivan’s elements: cheeky social satire, comic pathos and people singing faster than humanly possible – but with a seasoning of sinister spectres and splattering of visual surprises.

And the season will conclude with the smash-hit sell out show at the 2022 Edinburgh Fringe Paris from Piaf to Pop [28 March- 01 April] from award winning chanteuse, Christine Bovill, who is one of Europe’s finest interpreters of French song and no stranger to Wilton’s.  This show offers a sexy and delicious celebration of the Golden Age of French song and how it evolved during the Swinging Sixties. With her effortless vocals, singing in both French and English, Christine honours Edith Piaf, Jacques Brel, Serge Gainsbourg and Francoise Hardy, with a golden selection of musical numbers which will undoubtedly take the audiences breath away.

CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

By Charles Dickens
A new version by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm
Music by Eamonn O’Dwyer
Lyrics by Eamonn O’Dwyer & Morgan Lloyd Malcolm
Directed by Rosie Jones
Set & Costume Design by Frankie Bradshaw

A Rose Original Production

2 December 2022 – 2 January 2023

Rose Theatre today announces casting for Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, adapted by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm, with music by Eamonn O’Dwyer and directed by Rosie Jones. Penny Layden will play the role of Ebenezer Scrooge joined by Killian Macardle (Bob Cratchit / Marley / Fezziwig), Natasha Magigi (Mrs Cratchit/Pawnbroker), Elexi Walker (Dickens) and Lizzie Winkler (Elizabeth/Ghost of Christmas Present). A Christmas Carol runs from 2 December 2022, until 2 January 2023.

The cast also features forty young people from Rose Youth Theatre who will perform in two alternate casts.  The Rose Youth Theatre company includes: Viola Johnson, Lily Rowell (Maud), Jemima Leason, Luke Groarke (Jojo), Alex Forster, Amelie Abbott (Robin), Jacob Towey, Tom Hardman (Fred), Isobel Whurr, Chloe Nichols (Ghost of Christmas Past), Scarlett Coburn, Ellie Searle (Young Ebbie), Benjamin Haxton, Elliot Shepherd (Young Edmund), Cathra Plant, Isla Griffiths (Young Fan), Holly Schofield, Penny Bennet (Apprentice Scrooge/Ricky), Darcey Abel, Jasmine Procter–Tarabanov (Allie/Martha Cratchit), Amelia Forster, Silvia Shea (Eddie/Ernie Cratchit), Isabella Quijano, Alice Young (Spike/Vic Cratchit), Jack Fernie, Skylar Muwonge (Caroline), Sally Page, Summer Toibayeva (Micky), Audrey Johnston, Sam Step (Alex/Stevie), Louie McKillop, Max Middleton (Billy), Florence Datta, Tait Walsingham (Jack), Ted Cullen, Nico Ozag (Frankie/August), Jasmine Duman, Atticus Wright (Kit), Ren Walsingham (Bobby).

Further casting and full creative team is to be announced.

Morgan Lloyd Malcolm said: “I am so excited to have had the chance to make this show. I adore the original story and making a version for the Rose Theatre with its rich tradition of including a large ensemble of young people has been such a fun exercise in joy and Christmassy vibes!  The whole creative team are so brilliant and this will be a festive feast for audiences young and old.”

It’s a cold Christmas Eve on the snowy streets of Victorian London, and preparations for another Christmas are well underway – but not for Ebenezer Scrooge. The cruellest, wealthiest woman in town; Scrooge hates charity, she hates carol singers, and most of all… she hates Christmas. Bah, humbug!

Join Charles Dickens and the children of the town, as they take Scrooge on a time-bending, enchanting journey of self-discovery to confront her past, present and future. Can Scrooge open her heart to undo years of misdeeds before it’s too late?

From Morgan Lloyd Malcolm, writer of the Olivier Award-winning Emilia, comes a brand-new retelling of Charles Dickens’ timeless classic.  With all new songs by Eamonn O’Dwyer (Beauty and the Beast) and directed by Rosie Jones (Hansel & Gretel), step into this heart-warming tale of generosity and forgiveness, and experience the spirit of Christmas with the whole family.

This Rose Original Production features a wealth of local talent from the Rose Youth Theatre performing alongside a professional cast.

Announcing the opening production at the new

Ian McKellen Theatre at Saint Stephens

A  Christmas season of ‘The Nutcracker’

to Tchaikovsky’s  wonderful music

by Olivier Award-winning director Peter Schaufuss

The Ian McKellen Theatre at Saint Stephens in Edinburgh will open in December with a stunning new ballet production of ‘The Nutcracker’ to Tchaikovsky’s wonderful music by Olivier Award-winning director Peter Schaufuss.

The only ‘Nutcracker’ performances in Edinburgh this Christmas will star Johan Christensen as the Prince and Katie Rose, leading a company from Edinburgh Festival Ballet.

Danish ballet star Johan shared the role of Hamlet with Sir Ian McKellen and Katie Rose was Ophelia in Peter Schaufuss’s record-breaking production of ‘Hamlet’, that proved to be the hottest ticket at the 2022 Edinburgh Fringe seen by a capacity audience of 13,000.

Named Best Event Theatre at the Fringe by Theatre Weekly, the dance version of ‘Hamlet’ launched the 450-seat Ashton Hall at Saint Stephens Edinburgh, a new all-year performance venue in the Scottish capital from the legendary dance producer, director and choreographer, Peter Schaufuss, and named after the famous choreographer, the late Sir Frederick Ashton.

Schaufuss, who directed and choreographed ‘Hamlet, said: “Since the Fringe we have created a second 300-seat theatre at St Stephens, underneath the Ashton Hall, and I am delighted that Ian has accepted our offer to name the venue in his honour.

Tickets go on sale today for the ‘The Nutcracker’ ballet, which runs from 16 – 23 December.

Johan Christensen  (The Prince in ‘The Nutcracker’)

Johan Christensen was born in West Jutland in Denmark and joined the prestigious Royal Danish Ballet School as a child prodigy. He performed many of the children’s roles on stage, including the title role Peter in Sergei Prokofiev’s much loved ‘Peter and the Wolf’ and the Prince in the magical ‘Nutcracker’ production by Alexei Ratmansky.

During his schooling Johan was trained in the unique, to the Royal Danish Ballet, style of August Bournonville and participated in the 200th anniversary of the choreographers birth in 2005,
appearing in all the important children’s roles in the ballets presented during this the 3rd Bournonville Festival celebrations. After further extending his education at the world renowned choreographer John Neumeier’s school in Hamburg he joined Peter Schaufuss Ballet at only 16 as a dancer in 2008.

In the following years Johan developed and danced in the whole company repertoire including many leading roles such as the prince in Tchaikovsky’s ‘Swan Lake’, ‘Sleeping Beauty’ and ‘The Nutcracker’ with great acclaim.  

In 2012 he danced the title role in Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’ to Sir John Gielgud’s famous soliloquies and Tybalt in Sir Frederick Ashton’s legendary production of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ with Natalia Osipova and Ivan Vasiliev in performances in London.

However, in 2019 his career turned full circle as he returned working with Peter Schaufuss as the founding Principal of Edinburgh Festival Ballet School.

At the 2022 Edinburgh Fringe he shared the role of ‘Hamlet’ with Ian McKellen to great acclaim.

Peter Schaufuss

Peter Schaufuss was quite literally brought up in the theatre and is an Olivier, Evening Standard and Edinburgh Critic’s Award-winning choreographer, teacher, director and widely recognized as one of the most talented male dancers on the international stage.

In a stellar career he has performed with the most celebrated ballerinas of his time at all major ballet companies, and staged upwards of 100 productions worldwide. He has had ballets and choreography specifically created for him by the likes of Sir Kenneth McMillan, George Balanchine, Roland Petit, Sir Frederick Ashton, among others.

Peter has also been the director of ‘English National Ballet’, ‘Berlin Ballet’ at the German Opera Berlin and ‘Royal Danish Ballet’. He is the Founder of the ‘English National Ballet School’, the ‘Peter Schaufuss Ballet & School’ and the ‘Royal Danish Ballet School in Holstebro’.

Peter has had his own Emmy Award nominated television programme ‘Dancer’ for the BBC as well as built ‘Black Box Theatre’ to his design, in Denmark, which is his native country.

LISTINGS INFO

The Nutcracker
a ballet for all the family
by Tchaikovsky

by Olivier Award-winning
director Peter Schaufuss

A Christmas treat for the whole family

The only Nutcracker performances in Edinburgh this Christmas!

with
Johan Christensen as the Prince

16 – 23 December
at 4pm and 7pm

Ian McKellen Theatre at
Saint Stephens
105 St Stephen Street,
Edinburgh
EH3 5AB

Tickets:
General Seating
This ticket is for an unreserved seat for the performance
£27.22 each
£25.00 + £2.22 booking fee

Children (under 12)
£13.82 each
£12.50 + £1.32 booking fee

Family Ticket
Includes 2 adults & 2 children
£64.74 each
£60.00 + £4.74 booking fee

Priority Ticket
This ticket is for a reserved seat for the performance
£34.72 each
£32.00 + £2.72 booking fee

Tickets can be booked here: https://www.citizenticket.co.uk/events/edinburgh-festival-ballet/nutcracker/

DONMAR WAREHOUSE ANNOUNCES FIRST THREE SHOWS OF NEW SEASON FOR 2022/2023

Artistic Director Michael Longhurst and Executive Director Henny Finch today announce the first three shows in the Donmar’s 30th anniversary season and plans for the theatre’s birthday celebrations.

Highlights of the new season include Lillian Hellman’s masterpiece political thriller Watch on the Rhine – given its first major London revival in over 40 years by director Ellen McDougall, with a cast including Kate Duchêne, Caitlin FitzGerald and Patricia Hodge. This is followed by the world première of Diana Nneka Atuona’s Trouble in Butetown for which she received the 50^th George Devine Award for Most Promising Playwright and the Theatre Royal Haymarket’s Writers Award, directed by Tinuke Craig.

Also announced for Summer 2023 is Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey’s Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning musical Next to Normal, directed by Longhurst.

Generously supported by Charles Holloway, Season Supporter

In Autumn 2022 the Donmar celebrates its 30^th birthday, and to mark this special milestone, it will provide 3,000 £10 tickets for audiences aged under 30, made possible by generous support from Associate Sponsor Barclays. Beginning with Watch on the Rhine, and running throughout the year, there will be £10 tickets available for every performance.

As the centrepiece of the celebrations, the Donmar will stage a fundraiser performance in November with all three former Artistic Directors – Michael Grandage, Sam Mendes and Josie Rourke as special guests, alongside Longhurst, with performances from notable alumni reprising roles they played at the theatre; as well as a free exhibition of production images across the theatre’s public spaces later in the year. The fundraiser will be directed by Simon Evans.

Michael Longhurst said today, “It is a privilege to be co-helming the Donmar as we approach this major milestone. I am grateful for the talent, tenacity and generosity of all those who have built that history. These shows kick off our birthday celebrations in classic Donmar style with an unearthed gem, a thrilling new play and later in the year, a long-awaited Broadway musical.  Lillian and Diana’s plays offer counterpoint perspectives from across the Atlantic at a pivotal moment in our history, presenting one of the most seminal American female writers of the 20th century alongside an exciting new British female playwriting talent. And I can’t wait for us to blow the roof off the building with an extraordinary rock musical next Summer.  Here’s to the next 30!”

Speaking about supporting the Donmar to offer thousands of £10 tickets for under 30s, Richard Atkinson, Marketing Director at Barclays Payments commented, “We are incredibly proud of our long affiliation with the Donmar Warehouse. We can think of no better way to mark its thirtieth year than by supporting the Donmar by enabling thousands of people to see this remarkable season for just £10.”

Alongside the productions on stage, the Donmar continues its innovative work with the local community, platforming the voices of local young people. The theatre’s schools programme also expands, working with 2200 students to attend productions and devise work with leading theatre makers to be shared on the Donmar stage.

The Donmar’s commitment to skills development continues as the theatre welcomes the next cohort of CATALYST trainees for their year-long traineeships in arts administration roles. The Creative CATALYST programme also goes from strength to strength, with 8 assistants working with the creative teams over the next year’s productions in roles including lighting, sound and design.

Following a successful pilot, Donmar’s LOCAL Young Writers programme runs from this Autumn 2022, with 16 young writers aged 16-19 who will develop new work led by Molly Taylor and a leading team of playwrights.

Alongside the production of Next to Normal the Donmar will run a new project exploring mental health and wellbeing with young people in our home boroughs.

As part of the Donmar’s ongoing commitment to accessibility, over 1000 free tickets will be available for audiences aged under 26 as part of the Donmar’s YOUNG+FREE scheme.

Every production will have a BSL performance, alongside its captioned and audio described performance offer.

www.donmarwarehouse.com

Instagram, Twitter and Facebook: @donmarwarehouse

WATCH ON THE RHINE

by Lillian Hellman

Directed by Ellen McDougall

Designer – Basia Bińkowska
Lighting Designer – Azusa Ono
Sound Designer – Tingying Dong

Fight Director – Cristian Cardenas

Cast includes Kate Duchêne, Caitlin FitzGerald and Patricia Hodge

9 December 2022 – 4 February 2023

“It’s an indulgence to sit in a room and discuss your beliefs as if they were a juicy piece of gossip.”

Summer 1941. On a peaceful morning in a Washington D.C. living room, widow Fanny Farrelly anxiously awaits the return of her daughter and her German husband, fleeing Europe with their children.

As night falls, dark secrets emerge, and this American sanctuary becomes even more dangerous than what they left behind. 

Known for her success on Broadway (The Little Foxes, The Children’s Hour) Lillian Hellman was also a brilliant activist, ahead of her time. Watch on The Rhine is her masterpiece political thriller, given a timely revival by director Ellen McDougall. Cast includes Kate Duchêne, Caitlin FitzGerald and Patricia Hodge.

Lillian Hellman, born in New Orleans in 1905, was an American playwright and screenwriter. She studied at New York University and Columbia University. Her plays include The Children’s Hour (1934), The Little Foxes (1939, revived by the Donmar in 2001), Watch on the Rhine (1941), The Searching Wind (1944), Another Part of the Forest (1946), The Autumn Garden (1951), and Toys in the Attic (1960). Translations and adaptations include Jean Anouilh’s The Lark (1955), Voltaire’s Candide (1957), and My Mother, My Father, and Me (1963 –  from Burt Blechman’s novel How Much?). She also edited Anton Chekhov’s Selected Letters (1955) and a collection of stories and short novels, The Big Knockover (1966) by Hammett. She also published her memoirs An Unfinished Woman (1969), Pentimento (1973), and Maybe (1980). Her collected plays were first published in 1972. She died in 1984 aged 79.

Ellen McDougall was Artistic Director of the Gate Theatre from 2017 to 2022. Theatre includes: Dear Elizabeth, Effigies of Wickedness (Songs banned by the Nazis), The Unknown Island, Idomeneus (Gate); Our Town (Open Air Theatre Regent’s Park); The Wolves (Stratford East); Othello (Shakespeare’s Globe); Aladdin, Cinderella (Lyric Hammersmith); The Rolling Stone (Orange Tree/Royal Exchange, Manchester); The Remains of Maisie Duggan (Abbey Theatre, Dublin); The Glass Menagerie (Headlong); Anna Karenina (Royal Exchange, Manchester); Henry the Fifth (Unicorn); Glitterland (Secret Theatre/Lyric Hammersmith); Ivan and the Dogs (Olivier Award nomination, Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre; Actors Touring Company/Soho). Ellen was formerly part of the Secret Theatre Company at the Lyric Hammersmith. She trained as an assistant to Katie Mitchell and Marianne Elliott. She was awarded an International Artists’ Development Award (ACE/British Council) in 2012.

Kate Duchêne’s theatre credits include Henry V (Donmar Warehouse), Suzy Storck (Gate Theatre), Hedda Gabler, Everyman, Hansel and Gretel, A Woman Killed with Kindness, Beauty and the Beast, Attempts on Her Life, Women of Troy, Iphigenia at Aulis (National Theatre/Dublin Abbey Theatre), Waves (National Theatre/UK tour), The Forbidden Zone (Barbican/Amsterdam), Ten Billion (Royal Court Theatre/Avignon Festival), The Trail of Ubu (Hampstead Theatre), Henry VIII (Shakespeare’s Globe), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (City of London Sinfonia), The Sugar Syndrome (Royal Court Theatre), and The Herbal Bed, The Cherry Orchard, The Country Wife and Richard III (RSC). Her television credits include Cursed, Doctor Who, Foyle’s War, Afterlife, Family Life, and Kiss Me Kate; and for film, Roxane, All Good Children and An Education.

Caitlin FitzGeraldcan currently be seen in Patrick Somerville’s HBO Max limited series Station Eleven for director Hiro Murai, and Shonda Rhimes’s hit Netflix limited series Inventing Anna. Previously she starred in Aaron Sorkin’s feature The Trial of Chicago 7, the HBO series Succession, the Starz series Sweetbitter, Sophia Takal’s independent feature Always Shine, and the third season of Emmy-nominated series Unreal. Caitlin is also known for her work in the Showtime series Masters of Sex, and had a season-long arc on the finale season of SundanceTV’s Rectify. Additional credits include Adult Beginners; Nancy Meyers’ It’s Complicated; Whit Stillman’s Damsels in Distress; and Ang Lee’s Taking Woodstock.

Patricia Hodge’s theatre credits include: Private Lives (Theatre Royal Bath/UK tour); A Day in the Death of Joe Egg (Trafalgar Studios); Copenhagen; Travels With My Aunt; As You Like It (Chichester Festival Theatre); Relative Values (Harold Pinter Theatre/Theatre Royal Bath); Dandy Dick (Theatre Royal Brighton/UK tour); Calendar Girls (Chichester Festival Theatre/UK tour/Noel Coward Theatre); The Clean House (Sheffield Crucible/Royal and Derngate, Northampton/UK tour); The Country Wife (Theatre Royal Haymarket); Boeing Boeing (Comedy Theatre); His Dark Materials; Noises Off; Summerfolk; Money (Olivier Award Best Supporting Actress); A Little Night Music (National Theatre); Heartbreak House (Almeida); The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (Strand Theatre/UK tour); Separate Tables (Albery Theatre/UK tour); Shades (Albery Theatre); Nymph Errant (Adlephi Theatre/Theatre Royal Drury Lane); Noel and Gertie (Warehouse Theatre/Comedy Theatre, Olivier Award Best Actress in a Musical nomination); Benefactors (Michael Codron); The Mitford Girls (Chichester Festival Theatre/Globe Theatre, Olivier Award Best Actress in a Musical nomination); Then and Now (Hampstead Theatre); Happy Yellow (Bush Theatre); Pal Joey Look Back in Anger; The Beggar’s Opera (Nottingham Playhouse); Hair (Queen’s Theatre); Maudie (Thorndike Theatre); Pippin (Her Majesty’s Theatre); The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Phoenix Theatre); Popkiss (Globe Theatre); All My Sons; Say Who You Are; The Birthday Party; The Anniversary (Traverse Theatre). Television includes: Murder in Provence; All Creatures Great and Small; Roadkill; A Very English Scandal; Downton Abbey Christmas Special; Miranda; Poirot; Maxwell; Hustle; Miss Marple; Sweet Medicine; Waking the Dead; The Falklands Play; The People’s Passion; The Moonstone; The Legacy of Reggie Perrin; The Cloning of Joanna May; Rich Tea and Sympathy; The Secret Life of Ian Fleming; The Shell Seekers; The Heat of the Day; Inspector Morse; Let’s Face the Music of…; Exclusive Yarns; The Life and Loves of a She-Devil; Time for Murder, The Return of Sherlock Holmes; Oss; Robin of Sherwood; Hotel Du Lac (BAFTA Best Actress nomination); Behind Enemy Lines; The Death of the Heart; Dust to Dust; Hay Fever; Jemima Shore Investigates; Holding the Fort; Nanny; The Professionals; The Other ‘Arf; Edward and Mrs Simpson; Target; Rumpole of the Bailey; The One and Only Mrs Phyllis Dixey; Disraeli: Portrait of a Romantic; Softy Softly; The Naked Civil Servant; Quiller; The Girls of Slender Means; Menace. Films include: The Laureate; Before You Go; Prague Duet; Jilting Joe; The Leading Man; Sunset; Just Ask for Diamond; Thieves in the Night; Vilde, The Wild One; Betrayal; Riding High; Charlotte; The Elephant Man; Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang; Heavy Metal; Rosie Dixon – Night Nurse; The Disappearance.

TROUBLE IN BUTETOWN

By Diana Nneka Atuona

Directed by Tinuke Craig

10 February – 25 March 2023

“First thing I’m a need you to do is keep my secret. Can’t let nobody know I’m here and I mean nobody”

In her illegal boarding house in Butetown, Cardiff, Gwyneth Mbanefo toils tirelessly to keep afloat.

It’s a port town during the war; home to souls from every corner of the globe.  When Nate, an African American GI, escapes his barracks and discovers this new world without segregation, can he find safe harbour? And with danger on every corner, whom can he trust? 

Trouble in Butetown is a world première by the award-winning playwright Diana Nneka Atuona (Liberian Girl), directed by Tinuke Craig.

Trouble in Butetown is a recipient of the Theatre Royal Haymarket Writers Award.

Casting to be announced.

Diana Nneka Atuona is a Nigerian-British playwright from Peckham, London. She studied at South Bank University before winning a scholarship from Gray’s Inn to study law. Her first play Liberian Girl won the 2013 Alfred Fagon Award and opened at the Royal Court Theatre in 2015. Atuona was also nominated for the Evening Standard Award as Most Promising Playwright and the Writer’s Guild award for Best New Play. In 2019 she received the 50th George Devine Award for most promising playwright for Trouble in Butetown. Diana is currently working on a short play for Tiata Fahodzi’s project, ‘Talking about a Revolution’ for Autumn 2022. She is also developing work for television and film and is currently under commission with the Royal Court and The Old Vic.

Tinuke Craig’s directing credits include: Jitney (Headlong / Leeds Playhouse and Old Vic), Last Easter (Orange Tree), Aisha (the black album) (Old Vic), Crave (Chichester Festival Theatre), Hamlet For Young Audiences (National Theatre), Cinderella (Lyric Hammersmith), Vassa (Almeida Theatre), The Color Purple (Leicester Curve/Birmingham Hippodrome), random/generations (Chichester Festival Theatre), I Call My Brothers (Gate Theatre), dirty butterfly (Young Vic). Tinuke trained at LAMDA and received the Genesis Future Director Award 2014. In 2015-2016 Tinuke was the Gate Theatre’s Associate Director and she is currently an Artistic Associate at the Lyric Hammersmith. She is the current Baylis Director at the Old Vic.

NEXT TO NORMAL

Music by Tom Kitt

Book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey

Directed by Michael Longhurst

12 August – 7 October 2023

“It is much more than a feel-good musical; it is a feel-everything musical.” New York Times

Critically acclaimed Broadway musical Next to Normal is an intimate exploration of family and loss. At its heart is Diana Goodman, a suburban wife and mother living with bipolar disorder and haunted by her past. Donmar Artistic Director Michael Longhurst directs the long-awaited UK première of this powerful rock musical about a far from average family.

Next to Normal is the winner of the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and three Tony Awards including Best Original Score.

Casting to be announced.

Tom Kitt received the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, two Tony Awards for Best Score and Best Orchestrations, and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Score for Next to Normal (Second Stage Theater/Broadway). He is also the composer of If/Then (Tony and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations), High Fidelity (Broadway), Bring it On, The Musical (co-composer with Lin-Manuel Miranda, Broadway), Superhero (Second Stage), Disney’s Freaky Friday (Stage Production and Original Disney Channel Movie Musical), Dave (Arena Stage), The Winter’s Tale, All’s Well That Ends Well, Cymbeline (Public Theater’s NYSF), From Up Here, The Madrid (Manhattan Theatre Club), Orphans (Broadway), The Retributionists (Playwrights Horizons), and As You Like It  (Toho Co., Japan). As a music supervisor, arranger, and orchestrator, credits include SpongeBob Squarepants, The Musical (Tony, Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk Award nominations), Head Over Heels, Jagged Little Pill; Grease Live!, Rise (NBC), and American Idiot. His work with Green Day also includes additional arrangements for their Grammy Award-winning album 21st Century Breakdown and their album trilogy, ¡Uno! ¡Dos! ¡Tré! Tom received an Emmy Award as co-writer (with Lin-Manuel Miranda) for the 2013 Tony Award opening number, Bigger. Other television songwriting credits include a musical episode of Royal Pains, and songs for Penny Dreadful, Sesame Street, and Julie’s Greenroom. As a musical director, conductor, arranger and orchestrator, credits include the Pitch Perfect films, 2Cellos featuring Lang Lang (Live and Let Die), The Kennedy Center Honors, 13, Debbie Does Dallas, Everyday Rapture, Hair, Laugh Whore, Pippin (Deaf West), and These Paper Bullets. Upcoming projects include musical adaptations of the films Almost Famous (premiering on Broadway in October 2022), Magic Mike, and The Visitor.

Brian Yorkey received the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, as well as the 2009 Tony Award for Best Score for Next to Normal (Second Stage Theater/Broadway). He was also nominated for the Tony Award for Best Musical and Best Book of a Musical for Next to Normal, and his work on the show earned him the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Score. He partnered again with the Next to Normal team on If/Then (Tony Award nominee for Best Score) starring Idina Menzel. He co-wrote the libretto for The Last Ship (Outer Critics Circle Award nomination, with John Logan), with a score by Sting. His musical adaptation of Freaky Friday for Disney Theatricals enjoyed a national tour before being adapted into a Disney Channel Original Movie. Current theatrical projects in development include the original musical Jesus in My Bedroom, with composer Tim Symons, as well as a stage musical adaptation of Magic Mike. Additional theatre credits include Making Tracks, which has played off-Broadway and regionally, the musical adaptation of Ang Lee’s The Wedding Banquet, and the play, Book of Jobs with Alex Glover. Brian was the Executive Producer and Showrunner of 13 Reasons Why for Netflix, Paramount Television and Anonymous Content.

The season is presented in partnership with Wessex Grove. We are also delighted that Simmons & Simmons have renewed their Associate Sponsorship of Donmar Warehouse for a further two years.

DONMAR WAREHOUSE

LISTINGS

41 Earlham Street, Seven Dials, London WC2H 9LX

Members Priority Booking:

Director’s Forum members can book from Monday 10 October

Steel members from 9am (online) and 12pm (phones) on Tuesday 11 October

Copper members from 9am (online) and 12pm (phones) on Wednesday 12 October

Friends from 9am (online) and 12pm (phones) on Friday 14 October

Public booking:

From 12pm (online and phones) on Monday 17 October

Box Office: www.donmarwarehouse.com / 020 3282 3808                                     

PERFORMANCE TIMES

Evenings Mon – Sat: 7.30pm

Matinees Thu & Sat: 2.30pm

TICKET PRICES

Watch on the Rhine, Trouble in Butetown

£55 (£50) / £41 (£38) / £21 (£19)

£10 standing tickets

Next to Normal

£60 (£55) / £45 (£41) / £23 (£21)

£10 standing tickets

Preview discounts apply to the first four performances only

YOUNG+FREE

YOUNG+FREE tickets for 16-25 year olds released by ballot. Sign up at www.donmarwarehouse.com.

Generously supported by IHS Markit.

DONMAR DAILY

New tickets on sale every day at the Donmar. Allocations of tickets will be made available every day for performances 7 days later. Tickets will be available across the auditorium at every price band.

ACCESS

The Donmar Warehouse is fully wheelchair accessible. Guide dogs and hearing dogs are welcome in the auditorium. There is a Loop system and a Radio Frequency system fitted in the main auditorium and there are also hearing loops at all the front of house counters.

ASSISTED PERFORMANCES

If you require a companion to attend the Donmar, their ticket will be free. To book call 020 3282 3808 or email [email protected].

For all other access enquiries or bookings call 020 3282 3808.

CAPTIONED PERFORMANCES – 7.30pm (captioned by Stagetext)

Watch on the Rhine: Monday 23rd January

Trouble in Butetown: Monday 20th March

Next to Normal: Monday 25th September

AUDIO DESCRIBED PERFORMANCE – 2.30pm (audio-described by VocalEyes)

Watch on the Rhine: Saturday 28th January

Trouble in Butetown: Saturday 11th March

Next to Normal: Saturday 30th September

BRITISH SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETED PERFORMANCES

Watch on the Rhine: Saturday 21st January, 2.30pm

Trouble in Butetown: Friday 24th March, 7.30pm

Next to Normal: Saturday 23rd September 2.30pm

SEASON AT A GLANCE:

THE BAND’S VISIT

24 September – 3 December 2022

Captioned: Monday 28 November 7.30pm

Audio-Described: Saturday 26 November 2.30pm

British Sign Language Interpreted: Saturday 19 November 2.30pm

WATCH ON THE RHINE

9 December 2022 – 4 February 2023

Captioned: Monday 23rd January 7.30pm

Audio-Described: Saturday 28th January, 2.30pm

British Sign Language Interpreted: Saturday 21st January, 2.30pm

TROUBLE IN BUTETOWN

10 February – 25 March 2023

Captioned: Monday 20th March, 7.30pm

Audio-Described: Saturday 11th March, 2.30pm

British Sign Language Interpreted: Friday 24th March, 7.30pm

NEXT TO NORMAL

12 August – 07 October 2023

Captioned: Monday 25th September, 7.30pm

Audio-Described: Saturday 30th September, 2.30pm

British Sign Language Interpreted: Saturday 23rd September, 2.30pm

SECOND PERFORMANCE ADDED DUE TO PUBLIC DEMAND!

ONCE – IN CONCERT

THE MULTI AWARD-WINNING MUSICAL

STARRING CARRIE HOPE FLETCHER AND JAMIE MUSCATO

3PM PERFORMANCE ADDED ON SUNDAY 12 MARCH

SHOWS NOW AT 3PM AND 7PM AT THE LONDON PALLADIUM

Lambert Jackson, the producers of ONCE – IN CONCERT at the London Palladium are delighted to announce that they have added a second performance, due to overwhelming public demand. A 3pm show has been added to the existing 7pm performance on Sunday 12 March at the London Palladium.

Carrie Hope Fletcher (Heathers, Cinderella, Les Misérables) and Jamie Muscato (Heathers, Bend It Like Beckham, The Undeclared War) will reunite in 2023, starring as ‘Girl’ and ‘Guy’.

They will head an actor-musician cast in this very special concert version of the critically acclaimed and much-loved musical. Full casting will be announced at a later date.

Winner of eight Tony Awards including Best Musical, ONCE tells the unforgettable story of a Dublin street musician and a beautiful and quirky Czech woman, drawn together by their shared love of music. Over the course of one fateful week, as they assemble a band from her wild family and his unconventional mates, the music flows and they slowly fall in love.

From the very first note, ONCE draws you in and never lets go. Achingly beautiful, it’s the only show to have won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Olivier Award and a Tony Award for its extraordinary music.

Featuring all the magical songs from the smash-hit film, including the Oscar-winning “Falling Slowly,” this joyously uplifting show strikes an unforgettable chord and celebrates the power of music to connect us all.

ONCE has a book by Enda Walsh with music and lyrics by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová. It is based on the motion picture written and directed by John Carney and is performed in London by arrangement with Music Theatre International. ONCE – IN CONCERT is directed by Dean Johnson with musical direction by Adam Hoskins.

Carrie Hope Fletcher and Jamie Muscato first starred together in the UK premiere of Heathers The Musical, based on one of the greatest cult teen films of all time, at The Other Palace in June 2018. They subsequently transferred the show to the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in September that year.

ONCE – IN CONCERT is produced by Lambert Jackson and Positive Sum Productions.

Founded by Jamie Lambert and Eliza Jackson in 2018, Lambert Jackson were recently nominated for an Olivier for Best Play for their production of Cruise at the Duchess Theatre with a successful return run at the Apollo Theatre this August/September. They are arguably one of the most exciting theatrical production companies in the UK at the present time. Having been put on the map by their production of the UK Premiere of Doctor Zhivago the musical, they entered the global pandemic with vigour and determination, creating one of the largest online concert series the UK has ever seen, Leave a Light On and leading the way with streamed productions such as The Last Five Years, BKLYN, title of show, Songs for a New World – the latter opening the West End at a sell-out concert at the London Palladium.

Founded in 2022, Positive Sum Productions was created to cultivate original theatre, and celebrate existing shows already loved by many.

TICKETS CAN BE FOUND AT www.lwtheatres.co.uk

Instagram and Facebook: @lambertjacksonproductions Twitter: @ljprods