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NEW CAST ANNOUNCED FOR

H A R R Y   P O T T E R   A N D   T H E   C U R S E D   C H I L D

AS BOOKING EXTENDS AT THE PALACE THEATRE TO 29 JUNE 2025

WWW.HARRYPOTTERTHEPLAY.COM

Today (29 August 2024) the producers of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – Sonia Friedman Productions, Colin Callender and Harry Potter Theatrical Productions – are delighted to introduce the new cast who will join the Company from 15 October 2024, as booking for the original two-part multi award-winning London production extends to 29 June 2025 at the Palace Theatre. A combined total of 130,000 tickets have been released for Part 1 and Part 2 in the new booking period, including 20,000 tickets priced at £15 per part.

Claire Lams joins the cast to play Ginny Potter, alongside David Ricardo-Pearce as Harry Potter and Ellis Rae as their son Albus Potter, who both continue in their roles. Eve De Leon Allen will take over the role of Rose Granger-Weasley, daughter of Ron Weasley and Hermoine Granger, played by Thomas Aldridge and Jade Ogugua respectively. Steve John Shepherd continues as Draco Malfoy, alongside Harry Acklowe as his son Scorpius Malfoy.

They are joined by Ishmail Aaron, David Annen, Nicole-Lily Baisden, Sabina Cameron,  Rob Curtis, Zijuan Elsol, Gabriel Fleary, Rory Fraser, Tim Hibberd, Sally Jayne Hind, Max Hunter, Dewayne Jameson Adams, Emma Louise Jones, Julia Kass, Debra Lawrance, Tasha Lim, Matty Loane, Sophie Matthew, Jaden Oshenye, Helen Power, Jocelyn Prah, Conor Quinn, Ian Redford, Catherine Russell, Martin de los Santos, Adam Slynn, Benjamin Stratton, Alex Tomkins, Jake Tuesley, Sam Varley and Katie Wimpenny. Oliver Dawson, Layla Duke, Aubrey Hayes, Rhiannon Parry, Aljosa Radosavljevic, Sienna Sibley and Ethan Webster alternate two children’s roles.

19 years after Harry, Ron, and Hermione saved the wizarding world, they’re back on a most extraordinary new adventure – this time, joined by a brave new generation that has only just arrived at the legendary Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Prepare for spectacular spells, a mind-blowing race through time, and an epic battle to stop mysterious forces, all while the future hangs in the balance.

Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a new play by Jack Thorne, directed by John Tiffany with movement by Steven Hoggett, set by Christine Jones, costumes by Katrina Lindsay, music & arrangements by Imogen Heap, lighting by Neil Austin, sound by Gareth Fry, illusions & magic by Jamie Harrison, music supervision & arrangements by Martin Lowe, and casting by Julia Horan CDG and Lotte Hines CDG. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is produced by Sonia Friedman Productions, Colin Callender and Harry Potter Theatrical Productions.

Celebrations for Back To Hogwarts take place on Sunday 1 September when the winners of the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child competition will take part in a workshop to learn the iconic Wand Dance from the show with the production’s Resident Movement Director, Tash Holway. In addition, Taneetrah Porter, London’s current Rose Granger-Weasley will feature in a specially recorded online programme hosted by Sam Thompson, made in celebration of Back to Hogwarts. Tune in to the official Harry Potter YouTube channel on 1 September at 11am BST to watch. 

Now booking until 29 June 2025, tickets for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child remain priced from £15 per part. The regular performance schedule is Monday, Tuesday and Thursday – no performance; Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 2pm Part One & 7pm Part Two; Sunday – 1pm Part One & 6pm Part Two.

The access performances currently on sale are as follows – British Sign Language on Saturday 21 September 2024, Audio Described on Saturday 9 November 2024 and a Captioned Performance on Saturday 16 November 2024.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the first Harry Potter story to be presented on stage and the eighth story in the Harry Potter series. Now in its ninth year at the Palace Theatre, the production has been seen by over 1.7 million people in the West End and over 11 million worldwide and holds a record 60 major honors, with nine Laurence Olivier Awards including Best New Play and six Tony Awards including Best New Play. There are four productions running worldwide in London, New York, Hamburg, and Tokyo, with a North American tour starting on 10 September at Chicago’s James M. Nederlander Theatre.

Box Office – 0330 333 4813

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Access performances:

British Sign Language – Saturday 21 September 2024

Audio Described – Saturday 9 November 2024

Captioned Performance – Saturday 16 November 2024

Playhouse Whitley Bay – until 31st August 2024

Reviewed by Sandra Little

5*****

Annie is the third musical of the summer from astravaganza entertainment and, as with the previous two, this offering did not disappoint! The fact that an amateur cast of over 60 actors, including over 40 children, had two weeks and two dress rehearsals to put together this fantastic show is quite amazing. The high standard of the performance is testament not only to the actors but also to the creative team working behind the scenes who unfortunately are too numerous to mention.

Many people will be familiar with the storyline of Annie but for those who are not it begins in a New York orphanage in December 1933 where we are introduced to a group of orphans, including Annie (played by Charlotte Pledger), and the loathsome director of the orphanage, Miss Hannigan ( played by Deborah Taylor-Smith). We learn that Annie’s parents left her with one half of a silver locket and a note promising to return for her one day. Annie escapes from the orphanage and in her quest to find her parents she arrives in “Hooverville,” a shanty town built by the unemployed and destitute of New York.

Annie’s taste of freedom is short lived and she is soon returned to the orphanage to suffer the wrath of Miss Hannigan. However Annie’s life improves when she is chosen to spend Christmas with rich businessman Oliver Warbucks (Brian Jordan). Mr Warbucks promises to help Annie find her real parents but this quest is by no means straightforward and Annie’s happiness is almost thwarted by imposters Mr and Mrs Mudge played by Corey Clarke and Luisa Gibson. Needless to say that the story does have a happy ending despite various problems that are solved by Mr Warbucks and the influential connections he has, including the president, F.D. Roosevelt played by Alan Davison.

This high energy offering of Annie has everything you would expect from a more expensive production. There were some super dance routines, fabulous costumes that really captured the fashions of that era and great songs. Scenery was essentially a very effective video wall with the scenes below Brooklyn Bridge and those in the White House being particularly impressive. The enthusiasm of the children in the cast never faltered and undoubtedly added to the enjoyment of the performance. No one would have ever guessed that they had only rehearsed for a couple of weeks.

For me, the stand out character in this show (apart from Annie and the other orphans of course) was Miss Hannigan; she was both comedic and despicable in equal measure! This joyous performance from the whole of the cast provided the audience with over two hours of optimistic escapism from daily life.

Providing crucial access to the Arts for
communities in North East England with new
festival Rude Health
Thursday 3rd – Saturday 31st October 2024
The Tute, Cambois

Award-winning playwright Alex Oates and renowned dance artist Esther Huss present Rude Health; an innovative new arts project unlike any other in the North East of England. Rude Health is a four-week-long festival of art, dedicated to different aspects of health, with each week carefully curated to reflect a certain need of the community, including mental health, aging and isolation, women’s health, and environmental issues. This exciting performing arts festival will give the local community access to high quality arts, underlining that art is for everyone, not just those in capital cities.

After transforming an old miners’ welfare institute into a dynamic arts space called ‘The Tute’ in 2020, Oates and Huss have held regular creative workshops for the community and offered free residencies to artists. This year with Rude Health, they present a varied season of work that champions some of the country’s most talented artists and connects communities with leading creatives in this de-industrialised, deprived corner of Northumberland.

Mental health is the focus of the first week of the festival. With mental health inequalities widening at a higher rate in the Northeast compared to other regions in the country, the area faces a real problem with regards to accessing support in this area. Through the healing power of art, this initial week aims to bridge the gap and presents a programme of joyous events for local people to take part in. Local music-theatre practitioner and early member of Kneehigh Theatre company, Tim Dalling and legendary free jazz improviser Maggie Nichols will orchestrate a week of musical freedom in which workshops and performances inspire people to value their own voice and wellbeing.

In the second week, Rude Health looks to the ever-present issue of aging and isolation with events including a staged reading of Samuel Beckett’s seminal play Krapp’s Last Tape by North East born actor Trevor Fox (RSC, National Theatre) and directed by Tees Valley artist of the year Andy Berriman. The piece grapples with the aches and pains of getting older and longing for the past, themes that will inevitably speak to the aging population of Cambois and surrounding areas. Alongside this, actress, writer and director Tracy Gilman will run workshops with local nursing homes to ensure older members of the community feel the positive effects of the festival.

The third week is dedicated to women; the cornerstone of this community. Rude Health is raising awareness around women’s health in the form of a new performance, HIPS&SKINS, from long-term collaborators Esther Huss and Jacky Lansley. Over the last five decades, Jacky has become a pioneer of experimental dance and is now the Artistic Director of the Dance Research Studio; bringing her award-winning expertise in politically charged work to the people of Cambois. The performance promises to be hilarious, moving and thought-provoking as the artists navigate personal stories of sexism and ageism around their health, through dance, performance art, jokes and music. Jacky and Esther will also be co-leading a workshop linked to issues explored in the performance called BEING RUDE – Creating Performance from the Personal and Political.

As the festival enters its fourth week, the health of our planet becomes the center point. Working with the brilliant Miscreations theatre, a new piece of family theatre will be presented at The Tute. Through aspects of physical theatre and clowning, the piece explores the loss of a legendary landmark of the region, Sycamore Gap. Alongside a public performance, the company will extend its reach to the local primary school with an exclusive showing for the children. The festival will come to a close with an opportunity to engage with some incredible young minds from Bedlington Academy and their feelings about the climate crisis, in the form of a sound installation piece that is the result of months of workshops ran by local writer Hilary Elder and sound artist Jeremy Bradfield.

Rude Health is a rare opportunity to see new and unusual work in a historic space, while investing in, and giving back to, the often-isolated Northumberland community of Cambois.

Esther Huss comments, We’re really thrilled that after years of unpaid work embedding ourselves in the community, we’re finally able to present a season of professional work that represents what we’re all about. Targeted community engagement creating tangible value alongside the kind of daring and uncompromisingly brilliant artistic performances that would prove too risky for larger organizations to program nowadays.

Alex Oates comments, We’ve already seen through our work with young people at risk of dropping out of education or training the massive benefit that art can inspire, and this has been incredibly humbling. If one young person chose a healthier path as a result of this project then it will all be worthwhile.

This project is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund with the North East Combined Authority as the Lead Authority.

MARISHA WALLACE

TO JOIN

TONY AWARD WINNER

ALEX NEWELL

LIVE AT CADOGAN HALL

SUNDAY 1 SEPTEMBER 2024

FOURTH WALL LIVE is delighted to announce Broadway, West End and TV star MARISHA WALLACE will join ALEX NEWELL live at Cadogan Hall on Sunday 1 September 2024 at 2:30pm and 6.30pm. Tickets on sale now from www.fw-live.com and www.cadoganhall.com

MARISHA WALLACE most recently starred as Bea in Something Rotten in Concert at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, also produced by Fourth Wall Live. Marisha starred as Adelaide in Sir Nicholas Hytner’s smash-hit revival of Guys & Dolls at the Bridge Theatre for which she was nominated for the Olivier Award, WhatsOnStage and Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress in a Musical. It was recently announced that she would be starring in the iconic London Palladium Panto later this year.

Her other theatre work includes Ado Annie in Oklahoma! at the Young Vic where she was nominated for WhatsOnStage, Evening Standard and Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical, Becky in Waitress (Adelphi Theatre), Motormouth Maybelle in Hairspray (Coliseum), Effie in Dreamgirls (Savoy Theatre), Aladdin (Broadway), and Something Rotten (Broadway). Her TV work includes Feel Good (Netflix), Jingle Jangle (Netflix) Almost Never (CBBC), and Aladdin (Disney).

Marisha is an international singer-songwriter and will be performing across the UK this summer. She frequently collaborates on new music with songwriting legends Toby Gad (Beyoncé, John Legend) and Steve Anderson (Kylie Minogue). TV appearances include Royal Variety Show, Strictly Come Dancing, The Festival of Remembrance, and Dancing on Ice. Marisha’s largest ever solo concert will take place at the Adelphi Theatre on 11 March 2025. You can follow Marisha on Instagram for further updates @marishawallace.

ALEX NEWELL first garnered attention on screen in FOX’s critically acclaimed series GLEE as transgender student, Wade “Unique” Adams. Breaking barriers and challenging gender norms at a time when the conversation around gender identity was not widely accepted, Alex has remained one of the leaders in the quest for equality. In 2023, Alex made history as the first non-binary identifying actor to win a Tony award for Best Featured Actor for their role as Lulu in Broadway’s Shucked. In their second turn on the Broadway stage, a follow up to their time in the Tony winning Once On This Island, Alex yet again draws raves nightly with their standout solo Independently Owned. Alex also has an impressive list of TV credits including Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, along with the Emmy-nominated Christmas special on Roku, as well as Our Kind of People, and Fox’s Empire.

Alex has received several award nominations including Critics Choice, Gold Derby, Screen Actors Guild, and Hollywood Critics Association. While part of the cast of Once On This Island,Alex earned a Grammy nomination for Best Musical Theater Album and won a Tony for Best Revival of a Musical, also later receiving a Grammy nomination for Best Musical Theater Album for Shucked.

FOURTH WALL LIVE is an entertainment company that produces events, concerts and on-stage shows. In January 2022, FWL presented Bonnie and Clyde The Musical In Concert for two nights to a sold-out audience at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, starring Broadway favourite Jeremy Jordan. The concert broke Drury Lane box office records selling out a two-night run in less than six minutes. 

In recent months, Fourth Wall Live have been nominated for 3 WhatsOnStage awards in the Best Concert Event category for Ariana DeBose’s sold out European concert at the London Palladium and gala concerts Evita and Love Never Dies at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Fourth Wall Live have also recently presented Audra McDonald at the London Palladium, Jeremy Jordan at Theatre Royal Drury Lane and both Rachel Tucker and Stephanie J Block at Cadogan Hall. FWL regularly presents concerts featuring stars of the West End and Broadway including Keala Settle, Sierra Boggess, Matthew Morrison and Hannah Waddingham among others.

Fourth Wall Live is also a producer of the WhatsOnStage Award winning Bonnie & Clyde The Musical which recently ended its successful run at the Garrick Theatre in London’s West End.

LISTINGS INFORMATION

Sunday 1 September

Cadogan Hall

5 Sloane Terrace

London 

SW1X 9DQ

Performances: 2:30pm & 6.30pm

Tickets: From £18

Box Office: 020 7730 4500

Website: www.fw-live.com and www.cadoganhall.com

Instagram: @thealexnewell/ @marishawallace

X: @thealexnewell/ @marishawallace
TikTok: @thealexnewell/ @marishawallace

Award-winning music producer MNEK announced as
part of team of new West End musical
WHY AM I SO SINGLE?
Garrick Theatre, 2 Charing Cross Road, London WC2H 0HH
From Tuesday 27th August 2024

The internationally acclaimed music artist and record producer MNEK has been announced as part of the powerhouse music production team of the highly anticipated new West End musical, WHY AM I SO SINGLE? From Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, the multi-award winning writers of SIX the Musical, this new musical comedy is a love letter to ‘the messy, magical lives of the city’s unmatched and unattached’ (Vogue). As a treat for fans as the show opens, one of the catchy numbers from the soundtrack, C U Never, is being released as a rehearsal video on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube Shorts.

MNEK is a Grammy and Brit Award-nominated singer/songwriter and producer, who has worked with Beyoncé, Stormzy, Selena Gomez, Dua Lipa, Madonna and FLO among many others, with hits including Blinded By Your Grace, Ready For Your Love and The Lead. He has been a coach and guest judge on Ru Paul’s Drag Race, and established a songwriting camp for LGBTQ+ singer/songwriters with Pride in Music, and contributes to the Guardian UK diversity panel. They are part of the amazing music production team of WHY AM I SO SINGLE?, including orchestrations, vocal arrangements and musical supervision by Grammy and Olivier Award nominated Joe Beighton (SIX the Musical, West End; 42 Balloons, The Lowry), and music production and additional orchestrations by Future Cut (Rihanna, Shakira, Lily Allen, Tom Jones).

Future Cut and MNEK bring their popstar experience and unrivalled producing talent to the team, bringing to life high quality pop numbers in WHY AM I SO SINGLE? at the Garrick Theatre!

This new production from Marlow and Moss follows two best friends through the ups, and mostly downs, of their dating lives in the era of Tinder (and Bumble and Grindr and Hinge). This hilarious big fancy musical will have audiences grabbing their best mates or a hot date and heading to the West End this autumn!

The rehearsal video of C U Never brings fans into the behind-the-scenes process of making this all-new, big fancy musical and gives them an exclusive sneak peek of the show!

Jo Foster (& Juliet; Just For One Day, West End) and Leesa Tulley (SIX, UK tour; Kin, Theatro Technis) play the leading – and eternally single – besties. They are joined by Noah Thomas
(Everything Now, Netflix; Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, West End), who plays the honest friend we all love and need in our lives.

The alternate Oliver and Nancy are Jordan Cambridge-Taylor (Schwartz at 75, Lyric Theatre) and Collette Guitart (Just For One Day, Old Vic). The ensemble cast are Jemima Brown (Critics’ Circle National Dance Award-nominated, Tom Dale Company), Josh Butler (Bronco Billy, Charing Cross Theatre), Natasha Leaver (Hamilton, West End), Ran Marner (Jack and the Beanstalk, Imagine Theatre), Jamel Matthias and Olivia O’Connor in their professional and West End debuts, Joshian Angelo Omaña (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, West End), Natasha Wilde (42 Balloons, The Lowry) and Rhys Wilkinson (Just For One Day, Old Vic).

The swings are Callum Bell (Guys & Dolls, Bridge Theatre), Owen McHugh (Clueless The Musical, Churchill Theatre) and Caitlin Redpath in her West End debut, and Ebony Clarke (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, West End), who is also the Resident Choreographer.

WHY AM I SO SINGLE? features a score of original songs by the dynamic, award-winning writing team of Marlow & Moss. From catchy pop songs that you won’t be able to stop singing, hilarious pastiches of well-known musicals, dazzling disco anthems and orchestral epics, Marlow & Moss’ score will capture audiences’ hearts – and ears – this autumn.

The production is directed by Lucy Moss; with choreography by Ellen Kane (Matilda the Musical, Working Title Films; Dear England, National Theatre/West End); set design by Moi Tran (A Play for the Living in A Time of Extinction, Barbican; Peaky Blinders, Rambert); costume design by Max Johns (Choir Boy, Bristol Old Vic, As You Like It, Shakespeare’s Globe); lighting design by Jai Morjaria (My Son’s A Queer (But What Can You Do?) and Accidental Death of an Anarchist, West End); and sound design by Grammy and Tony Award-nominated Paul Gatehouse (The Little Big Things, @SohoPlace; Mandela, Young Vic). The production manager is Phoebe Bath (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Birmingham Rep; Noises Off, West End and UK tour) with the casting direction from Harry Blumenau and Sarah-Jane Price from Harry Blumenau Casting (Death Note, West End; Derren Brown’s Showman, Apollo Theatre).

WHY AM I SO SINGLE? is produced by Kenny Wax, George Stiles and Ameena Hamid.

Kenny Wax is a past President of the Society of London Theatre (SOLT). He has 35 years of experience working across award-winning and hit shows in the West End, on Broadway and all over the world. His work includes Mischief productions The Play That Goes Wrong, Peter Pan Goes Wrong and Mind Mangler: Member of the Tragic Circle, Marlow and Moss’ Tony Award winning global hit SIX currently running in London, New York, Toronto, and on a UK and North American tour, and Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World, based on the book by Kate Pankhurst, is running at The Other Palace. Kenny’s Olivier Award winning shows include Top Hat, Once On This Island, Hey Duggee and The Worst Witch. He is thrilled to be a Producer on Toby and Lucy’s second show.

Ameena Hamid is a producer and general manager who was named Best Producer at the Black British Theatre Awards 2022 for her work on the critically acclaimed production of The Wiz. Hamid is just 24 and having started her West End career in 2020, she is the youngest producer to work on the West End. Producer Credits include: Woman Life Freedom! (GDIF); Invisible (59E59TH); The Wiz (Hope Mill Theatre). Co Producer and Associate Producer credits include: Bonnie & Clyde (Garrick Theatre & UK Tour); Dick Whittington (Phoenix Theatre); Death Drop (Criterion Theatre and Garrick Theatre).

George Stiles is a multi-award-winning writer who has worked on Honk! (National Theatre/UK Tour and Worldwide); Mary Poppins (West End, Broadway, International and UK Tour) and Cameron Mackintosh’s new version of Half A Sixpence (Chichester Festival Theatre and West End). George is also one of the producers of SIX, a journey that has brought him deep joy, helping to guide Marlow & Moss’ breakout hit around the world. With his writing partner, Anthony Drewe, his passion for nurturing new musical theatre is celebrated through the annual Stiles+Drewe Prize.

FULL CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR THE OPENING OF THE WORLD TOUR
OF
LES MISÉRABLES
THE ARENA SPECTACULAR

EMILY BAUTISTA TO PLAY ‘ÉPONINE’

JOINING

ALFIE BOE AND KILLIAN DONNELLY

WHO SHARE THE ROLE OF ‘JEAN VALJEAN’ IN THE UK,

AND

MICHAEL BALL AND BRADLEY JADEN

WHO SHARE THE ROLE OF ‘JAVERT’ IN THE UK

ALONGSIDE

BONNIE LANGFORD, GAVIN LEE, JAC YARROW,

BEATRICE PENNY-TOURÉ, CHANNAH HEWITT, JAMES D. GISH

AND JEREMY SECOMB

CAMERON MACKINTOSH, in association with NICK GRACE MANAGEMENT, are delighted to announce full casting for the forthcoming UK performances of the World Tour of Boublil and Schönberg’s LES MISÉRABLES THE ARENA SPECTACULAR, which will open at the SSE Arena Belfast on 19 September 2024, with a cast and orchestra of over 65.

Emily Bautista will play the role of Éponine, joining the previously announced Alfie Boe and Killian Donnelly, who share the role of Jean Valjean, Michael Ball and Bradley Jaden,who share the role of Javert, Bonnie Langford as Madame Thénardier, Gavin Lee as Thénardier, Jac Yarrow as Marius, Beatrice Penny-Touré as Cosette, Channah Hewitt as Fantine, James D. Gish as Enjolras and Jeremy Secomb as Bishop of Digne.

Emily Bautista previously played the role of Éponine in the North American Tour of Les Misérables. Her theatre credits include the role of Kim in Miss Saigon for the North American Tour, having also understudied and played the role on Broadway, as well as Do Your Hear The People Sing? at The Hollywood Bowl and the world premiere of Vanara at the Hackney Empire. Emily’s television credits include Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin, and her film credits include Which Brings Me to You and The Compound.

Emily Bautista will appear at the UK performances in Belfast, Glasgow, Sheffield and Aberdeen.

The company is completed by Jonathon Bentley, Rebecca Bolton, Olivia Brereton, Amelia Broadway, Michael Burgen, Mary-Jean Caldwell, Beth Curnock, Shaun Dalton, Jonathan David Dudley, Harry Dunnett, Louis Emmanuel, Charlie Geoghegan, Harry Grant Smith, Connor Jones, Daniel Koek, Caleb Lagayan, Abel Law, Adam Robert Lewis, Georgie Lovatt, Andrew Maxwell, Jill Nalder, Zabrina Norry, Lisa Peace, Kathy Peacock, Ciaran Rodger, Jo Stephenson, Geddy Stringer, Helen Walsh, Raymond Walsh and Owain Williams.

Daniel Adesina, Theo Hills, Felix Holt, Leo Humphreys and Dexter Pulling will alternate the role of Gavroche with Dalia Al Nagar, Amanthi Crowe, Sophia Duffie, Maisie Mac Mahon and India Mills alternating the role of Little Cosette.

LES MISÉRABLES THE ARENA SPECTACULAR will be expanded from the hugely successful Les Misérables The Staged Concert which played for over 200 record-breaking performances in the West End. It will have an extraordinary new design specifically created for arenas. This spectacular production will have a company of over 110 actors, musicians and crew.

Nick Grace is one of the World’s leading producers and general managers of international touring productions and in the last 25 years has presented shows in 60 countries and regions worldwide including BATMAN LIVE – World Arena Tour, WALKING WITH DINOSAURS – The Arena Spectacular, BLUE MAN GROUP World Tour, the upcoming MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL World Tour, and the ongoing MAMMA MIA! UK & International Tour, which celebrates 20 years of touring this year.

Cameron Mackintosh’s critically acclaimed production of Boublil and Schönberg’s Les Misérables continues its record-breaking run at the Sondheim Theatre in London’s West End, with several other local language productions currently on or in preparation around the world. The World Tour begins as the stage musical enters its 40^th revolutionary year and will run throughout the upcoming 40^th anniversary celebrations for the world’s longest running musical in 2025. To celebrate the 10^th Anniversary of the Oscar-winning movie, a remastered and remixed version was released in cinemas nationwide earlier this year.

Cameron Mackintosh’s production of LES MISÉRABLES THE ARENA SPECTACULAR is written by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg and is based on the novel by Victor Hugo. It has music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer and original French text by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel, additional material by James Fenton and adaptation by Trevor Nunn and John Caird. Orchestrations are by Stephen Metcalfe, Christopher Jahnke and Stephen Brooker, with original orchestrations by John Cameron. The production is directed by James Powell and Jean-Pierre Van Der Spuy, designed by Matt Kinley, with costumes by Andreane Neofitou, Christine Rowland and Paul Wills, lighting by Paule Constable and Warren Letton, sound by Mick Potter, projections realised by Finn Ross and music supervision by Stephen Brooker and Alfonso Casado Trigo. The Les Misérables orchestra is conducted by Brian Eads.

LES MISÉRABLES THE ARENA SPECTACULAR – 2024 UK TOUR LISTINGS

lesmis.com/worldtour

THURSDAY 19 – SATURDAY 28 SEPTEMBER 2024

SSE Arena, Belfast

https://www.ssearenabelfast.com

THURSDAY 3 – SUNDAY 6 OCTOBER 2024

OVO Hydro, Glasgow

https://www.ovohydro.com

THURSDAY 10 – SUNDAY 13 OCTOBER 2024

Utilita Arena, Sheffield

https://www.utilitaarenasheffield.co.uk

THURSDAY 17 – SUNDAY 20 OCTOBER 2024

P&J Live, Aberdeen

https://www.pandjlive.com

THURSDAY 26 – SUNDAY 29 DECEMBER 2024

AO Arena, Manchester

https://www.ao-arena.com

THURSDAY 2 – SUNDAY 5 JANUARY 2025

Utilita Arena, Newcastle

https://www.utilitaarena.co.uk

Following a strictly limited number of performances in UK cities, the production will be performed in Luxembourg, Geneva, Trieste, Milan, Copenhagen, Oslo, Zurich, Gothenburg, Stockholm, Malmo, Amsterdam, with further international cities to be announced.

The Swan Theatre Stratford-Upon-Avon – until 21^st September 2024

Reviewed by Amarjeet Singh

5*****

The eponymous Pericles, Prince of Tyre, flees home to escape death upon discovering a king’s incestuous relationship with his daughter. Along his journey, the caring Prince saves a city from famine but is then besieged by a storm. Shipwrecked, he is found by fishermen who inform him that the King of Pentapolis is holding a tournament, the prize is the hand of his daughter. Pericles wins, woos and marries the princess and once he feels it’s safe enough to return home, he sails with his pregnant wife. They are struck by another storm and tragedy ensues. What unfolds thereafter is an epic tale of love, loss, hope, faith and forgiveness.

Tamara Harvey’s RSC debut as the new co-Artistic Director is a triumph. Pericles is notoriously difficult to authentically pull off, due to the sheer scale of the story, but Harvey directs this interpretation with aplomb. This rendition is a visual and aural feast. Dynamic and dramatic, it’s an utter delight. There are some interesting choices made in this production. A slick swap of narrator brings quite a sensational reveal in the second act. The multilayering of scenes ensures that we don’t lose pace or perspective, allowing us to see how each story entwines. A pared back set enables the performers to shine and charm with hypnotic movement which elevates this from a potentially wordy and static play to an engaging and fluid sensation.

The artistic combination of movement director, Annie-Lunnette Deakin-Foster, Claire Van Kampen’s ethereal soundtrack and the musical direction of Elinor Peregrin, creates a magical and melancholy world which we become lost in. Evoking an undulating renaissance painting, the company gracefully move to enhance and emphasis the action on stage, breathing life into every scene. Combats, storms and romantic encounters are stunningly choreographed to inducing a dreamlike state during poignant moments. Costume designer Kinnetia Isidore’s sumptuous jewel and earthy coloured outfits change according to each period of the story and are indicators in themselves in what might be occurring. Lighting designer Ryan Day is able to seamlessly take us from outdoors to indoors, land and sea with a soft wash or bright spotlights. These all combine to compliment Jonathan Fensom’s sparse set, consisting of ropes, set harp like, at the back of the stage and they literally tie in, nautically, to various scenes.

The cast are incredible and collaborate to bring this story to life. Rachelle Diedericks glows. Poetic and poised, she leads the story with clarity and narrates with compassion. Christian Patterson is so reminiscent of Brian Blessed it’s a joy to hear and watch him break the fourth wall with his clever quips. His larger-than-life depiction of King Simonides, along with Felix Hayes portraying various characters, injects some perfectly timed humour. Wonderfully balancing the sadness and trauma with moments of brightness. Alfred Enoch as Pericles delivered every scene with vulnerability, consistency and honesty. A complex character, imbued with a multitude of shocking situations, Enoch portrays a likable and powerful Pericles. Effortlessly commanding the stage and the audience, he portrays a gambit of emotions authentically making us both laugh and cry when appropriate.

This production of Pericles is a mesmerising meld of music and movement, magically retelling a powerful tale. Intimately and beautifully told by an outstanding company, its truly touching and not to be missed.

THE MULTI AWARD WINNING

DERREN BROWN RETURNS!

BRAND NEW LIVE SHOW

BEGINS MAJOR UK TOUR IN APRIL 2025

derrenbrown.co.uk

he multi award-winning master of mind control and psychological illusion, Derren Brown, returns to the stage next Spring with a brand-new live show, Only Human.

The content of Only Human is still under wraps, but it is guaranteed to give audiences a mind-blowing experience that will take their breath away. Prepare to be astonished!

Only Human will embark on a major UK Tour at the Swan Theatre, High Wycombe on Friday 4 April 2025.

For all venue and ticket information, visit derrenbrown.co.uk

Derren Brown said: ‘After a year off from touring, I am ready to start the momentous climb to putting together another show. I’ve just realised it’s my 11th. Each show begins with a blank canvas and the question of what I could do with a thousand or more people locked in a room with me. It’s exciting, very exciting.’

The show will play in High Wycombe  until Saturday 5 April, and then continues its journey around the UK to the Churchill Theatre, Bromley (8-12 Apirl 2025),the Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton (15-19 April 2025), the King’s Theatre, Glasgow (29 April-3 May 2025), His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen (6-10 May 2025)Theatre Royal, Nottingham (13-17 May 2025), Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff (20-24 May 2025), Bristol Hippodrome (27-31 May 2025), the New Theatre, Oxford (10-14 June 2025), the New Victoria Theatre, Woking (17-21 June 2025), Norwich Theatre Royal (24-28 June 2025), Cliffs Pavilion, Southend (1-5 July 2025), Milton Keynes Theatre (15-19 July 2025), the Grand Theatre, Leeds (22-26 July 2025), Sunderland Empire (29 July – 2 August 2025), Theatre Royal Brighton (5-9 August 2025), Bournemouth Pavilion (19-23 August 2025), the Hall for Cornwall, Truro (26-30 August 2025) and The Lowry, Salford (2-13 September 2025).

Only Human is written by Derren Brown, Andrew O’Connor and Stephen Long.

It is directed by Andrew O’Connor, with set design by Simon Higlett, video design by Simon Wainwright, lighting design by Charlie Morgan Jones and sound design by Beth Duke.  The age recommendation for the show is 12+.

Only Human is Derren Brown’s 19^th tour. Amongst his many previous productions are Derren Brown Showman, Something WickedThis Way Comes, Enigma, Derren Brown’s Svengali and Derren Brown: Miracle.

His shows have garnered a record-breaking five Olivier Award nominations for Best Entertainment, winning twice – the largest number of nominations and wins for one-person shows in the history of the Awards. His 2017 show, Secret, won the New York Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience and returned for a sell-out run on Broadway in 2019.

For further information on Derren Brown, visit www.derrenbrown.co.uk

Only Human is presented by arrangement with Vaudeville Productions, Michael Vine, Andrew O’Connor, Paul Sandler and Derren Brown for Only Human Productions Ltd. 

General Management is by John Dalston and Marketing is by Helen Snell Marketing/PR https://helensnell.com/.

Southwark Playhouse, London – until Saturday 24th August 2024

Reviewed by Phil Brown

5 *****

Now that, ladies and gentlemen, is what I call entertainment!

(To adapt a branding Virgin Records coined for a series of smash hits compilations back in the 80s.)  A triumph for both cast and production, particularly director Nick Evans.

As high voltage productions go, ‘Our House’ generates more than enough to blow the fuse boxes of a major city.  Rarely have I seen such whole hearted commitment and young performing talent coming so sweetly together on stage.  On this evidence, the future of the British acting profession is secure and I feel sure we have seen multiple stars in waiting in this production.

‘Our House’ is a two act musical ( 2 hours plus interval) based on a book by playwright Tim Firth written around the songs/hits of Madness (including “it Must Be Love”  by Labi Siffre – one of the few hits not written by the band).  It’s been around for a while – first premiered in 2002 and winning the Olivier award for Best New Musical in 2003, going on to tour fairly regularly but without becoming a monster hit show.  On the basis of this performance, that is a travesty. 

The timeless story, set in Camden Town in the 80s, is essentially the coming of age saga of Joe Casey age 16, played out against the background of a tainted, broken home life as a result of his father, now deceased, taking the wrong path and ending up a convicted criminal – something that haunts Joe as he starts to chart his own path through life’s ups and downs.

The action begins with Joe, on the night of his sixteenth birthday, taking Sarah, the girl of his dreams, out on their first date.  Wanting to impress Sarah, Joe breaks into a building site to show her his street, Casey Street, (named after his great great grandfather) from on high.  Back in the days when the police might actually investigate break-ins, they arrive.  Sarah flees and Joe is left with the decision of which path to follow – to flee or to give himself up.  This moment is the point at which the performance divides into the two parallel paths that Joe could follow – the right path and the wrong path.  This twist could be momentarily confusing for audience members who may not have bothered to read up about the show beforehand.

As well as effectively delivering two quite different stories for the price of one, the parallel paths require a lot of rapid change of costume, the range and inventiveness of which is quite wonderful with witty references to the Madness checkerboard design (Molly Fraser).   In fact, with the size of the cast (30), the pace of the action, the numerous ensemble routines, the brilliant use of multiple props, and the relatively small performance space available in The Southwark Playhouse, the logistics underpinning this performance was a masterclass in faultless precision and coordination.  Hats off to the entire Production Team!  

The two leads – Des Coghlan-Forbes playing Joe Casey and Sara Bilal as Sarah – are simply quite superb – both wonderfully charismatic and natural.  All the named supporting actors are excellent, in particular Joe’s Dad (Ryan Cooley).  Joe Butler-Smith ( as Emmo), and Jacob Cullen (Lewis) are perfectly cast as Joe’s mates.  And Olivia Barrett (as Billie) and Amy Field (as Angie) are equally convincing as Sarah’s friends.  Freddie Tickle impresses as saturnine property developer Harold Pressman.  

Possibly what impresses the most though, are the exceptional ensemble song and dance pieces.  There is perfect teamwork on display here across performing and production teams.  The choreography in a tight space is brilliantly and imaginatively conceived (Simon Hardwick) and superbly executed with the sort of unfettered verve only youth can channel into physical pursuits.   I love the different props employed such as the HM Prison trays and union jack umbrellas.

Madness’ infectious music is already of national treasure status.  The numbers used are well judged and well performed with a nice balance between solo and company singing.  Backing music is by an impeccably tight 6 piece band with Musical Director Lee Freeman conducting and arranging to perfection.  You don’t often see the spotlight on individual musicians in musicals, but guitarist Charlie Churchill and bass player Ali Warwick get the chance to show off their considerable instrumental prowess on “Road to Cairo” to re-engage the audience and launch Act 2 with a serious blast of energy.  

Considering all that is going on in this exuberant production, it’s astonishing it runs like frictionless clockwork.  A massive achievement for all involved and a totally joyous tour de force.

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THE WATERMILL THEATRE PRESENTS

THE KING’S SPEECH

BY DAVID SEIDLER, DIRECTED BY EMMA BUTLER

FRIDAY 20 SEPTEMBER – SATURDAY 2 NOVEMBER

BOOK ONLINE AT WATERMILL.ORG.UK OR VIA THE BOX OFFICE ON 01635 46044

Joint CEOs Artistic Director Paul Hart andExecutive Director Claire Murray, and the whole team at Newbury’s The Watermill Theatre are thrilled to announce the cast and creative team for The King’s Speech, a new production of David Seidler’s play at The Watermill Theatre between Friday 20 September and Saturday 2 November.

The King’s Speech takes an intimate view of one of life’s most unorthodox relationships between Bertie, the soon-to-be-crowned King George VI, and speech therapist Lionel Logue. As Hitler’s threat on Europe encroaches, Bertie fights his own battle to overcome his speech impediment at the time his country needs him most.

Imagine yourself as a child terrified of your own parents, because every time you speak you disappoint them. Teased. Unable to share a joke with friends. Trapped in a body that refuses to obey your commands.

The role of ‘Bertie’ will be played by Peter Sandys-Clarke, whose West End stage credits include The Letter (Wyndham’s Theatre) Journey’s End (Playhouse and Duke of York’s), When We Are Married (Garrick) and A Daughter’s A Daughter (Trafalgar Studios). Other stage credits include Private Lives, A Touch of Danger, Before the Party (Theatre Royal Windsor), The Importance of Being Earnest (UK Tour), and The Browning Version (Theatre Royal Bath). His screen credits include The Crown, Masters of the Air, Ghosts, Secret Invasion, Downton Abbey and Foyle’s War. 

Arthur Hughes will play ‘Lionel Logue’. Best known for roles in the Netflix series The Innocents and in Radio 4’s The Archers, his stage roles include La Cage Aux Folles (Park Theatre), The Solid Life of Sugar Water for Graeae, and the title role in Richard III – the first disabled actor to do so for the Royal Shakespeare Company. Hughes can currently be seen on screen in the title role in Disney+ series Shardlake. 

Aamira Challenger (Agatha Christie’s Witness for the Prosecution – London County Hall, The Comedy of Errors – Shakespeare’s Globe, and Breeding – King’s Head Theatre) will play ‘Elizabeth’.

Rosa Hesmondhalgh (We Could All Be Perfect – Sheffield Crucible, Children of the Night – Cast Doncaster, and The Snow Queen – Yvonne Arnaud), will play‘Myrtle Logue’ / ‘Wallis Simpson’. Christopher Naylor (returning to The Watermill following roles in Dangerous Corner, Hard Times, and The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, as well as The Woman in Black and Warhorse in the West End,will play ‘Cosmo Lang’.  Stephen Rahman-Hughes (Aladdin and Bombay Dreams – West End, Mrs Warren’s Profession – Theatre Royal Bath, Rock of Ages – UK tour) will play ‘David’ / ‘Stanley Baldwin’. Jim Kitson (The Grinning Man – Trafalgar Studios, The Drowned Man – Punchdrunk / NT, Cold Buffet – Live Theatre, and Wind in the Willows and Treasure Island – Derby Theatre)in the roles of ‘King George V’ / ‘Winston Churchill’.

Director Emma Butler said, “I’m thrilled to be working on David Seidler’s brilliant play, The King’s Speech. Bringing these fantastic characters to life with such a superb cast and building this beautiful central relationship with Peter and Arthur will be a joy. Set against a backdrop of a world in political turmoil, the rise of fascism and a crumbling of tradition, The King’s Speech feels searingly relevant in 2024. Deconstructing barriers across societies and continents, this play shows that, underneath the surface, we are all the same at heart, and that friendships can bloom regardless of where we come from.”

The Watermill Theatre have partnered with The Fluency Trust to navigate the themes of the play.

The Fluency Trust is a registered charity, who work in partnership with Swindon Borough Council to run highly specialist residential courses for young people who stammer. The combination of challenging activities and intensive therapy is highly effective in developing confidence and the ability to manage stammering positively. Further information can be found here.

The King’s Speech will be directed by Emma Butler, with set and costume design by Bretta Gerecke, sound design and composition by Robin Colyer, lighting design by Ryan Day, production management from Tom Nickson, Company Stage Manager Cat Pewsey, Deputy Stage Manager Eleanor Walton, Assistant Stage Manager Leila Stephenson, audio description from Jo Myers and captioning by Min Gilby.

The Watermill Theatre production of The King’s Speech is sponsored by Damson Restaurant, Newbury.