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AUDIENCE AND CRITICS’ FAVOURITE BEN NICKLESS RETURNS TO 
OPERA HOUSE PANTOMIME, JOINING PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED 
CRAIG REVEL HORWOOD

Following a sensational performance as Buttons in last year’s Cinderella, Manchester Opera House is delighted to announce much-loved funny man and panto star Ben Nickless will return to the city and star alongside Craig Revel Horwood in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs for the 2019 festive period.

Rochdale-born Ben Nickless started his working life playing the comedy clubs of the North West and his career took off in 2006 when he performed his own style of comedy and impressions on the BBC Television series Let Me Entertain You alongside Brian Conley and Christine Bleakley, winning his episode. Ben has proven to be one of the country’s most popular pantomime performers, and his performance in Cinderella has earned him a nomination for Best Comic at the Great British Pantomime Awards, with the winner to be announced this April.

This year marks Ben’s 18^th year in comedy, regularly appearing across the UK and beyond in cabaret, concerts, stand up and television, appearing in front of thousands of people every year and wowing audiences with his quick wit, physical comedy and hilarious impressions.

2019 also marks his 16^th foray into the magical world of pantomime, which has seen him perform alongside David Hasselhoff (for whom he also starred in his hit sitcom Hoff the Record), Lesley Joseph, Duncan James, Christopher Biggins, Su Pollard, Sherrie Hewson, Simon Webbe and even Basil Brush.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfswill once again be produced by Qdos Entertainment, the world’s biggest pantomime producer, continuing their partnership with Manchester Opera House following the success ofCinderella and Dick Whittington. This year, audiences can expect even more jaw-dropping dance, side-splitting comedy, sensational special effects and plenty of festive magic. Ben will play Muddles opposite Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood as The Wicked Queen, as previously announced.

Michael Harrison, Managing Director of Qdos Entertainment’s pantomime division, said: “Without doubt, Ben has fast become one of Panto-land’s best-loved comics, mastering the art form and making audiences of all ages laugh hysterically with his inimitable comic-timing, impressions and gags. We’re delighted Manchester audiences enjoyed his performance as Buttons so much and we’re thrilled to be bringing him back to the Opera House to cause even more mayhem and hilarity, as only Ben can do. We’re already planning all sorts of wonderful surprises and we can’t wait for the magic to begin.”

Sheena Wrigley, Theatre Director at the Palace Theatre and Opera House Manchester, added “We are delighted Ben is returning to Manchester in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs this Christmas. He is a wonderfully inventive comedian who built a special rapport with audiences in 2018. Parents, kids and critics alike all loved his performance and we are very excited to be welcoming Ben back. Another ingredient in what promises to be a very special panto this year.”

Further casting to be announced.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the fairest pantomime of them all, plays at the Opera House from 6^th – 29^th December with tickets from £12. For more information, or to book, visit www.atgtickets.com/Manchester.

UK Theatre and The Audience Agency join forces to provide the next generation of theatre sales reporting

UK Theatre has commissioned The Audience Agency to provide a new and enhanced sales reporting service through Audience Finder, the largest database of ticketed cultural engagement of its kind.

UK Theatre’s new service, provided by The Audience Agency, will auto-collect UK Theatre members’ sales data from over 200 auditoria across the UK through Audience Finder, generating more accurate reporting and ultimately painting a far richer portrait of theatre and the performing arts sales across the UK.

The reporting service will welcome UK Theatre members into the Audience Finder community, joining over 800 arts organisations already contributing to the overall picture and the thousands more benefiting from state-of-the-art insights into who their audiences are and who they could be. Through this collaboration The Audience Agency and UK Theatre can work to develop real data-driven insights about the resilience of theatre and the performing arts in the UK and the needs of their audiences in practical and applicable ways, for the benefit of our whole community.

Audience Finder ticketing data is powered by Arts Engines technology, jointly developed by Baker Richards and JCA.   

Anne Torregianni, The Audience Agency’s CEO said:  “We are delighted to be able to provide the ease and efficiency of data collection and analysis to UK Theatre members that will help them to focus their energies more than ever on their audiences. Moreover, we look forward to working together toharness the power of data in improving reach, resilience and relevance across the arts and culture sector.”

Cassie Chadderton, Head of UK Theatre said: “This exciting new partnership between UK Theatre and the Audience Agency will enable us to report with increased accuracy on the contribution of theatre and the performing arts to the UK’s creative industries. The insight gained through Audience Finder will help UK Theatre further demonstrate the vital importance of theatre and the performing arts to the national economy and cultural life in the UK and we are excited to see the results.”

Summer Street – The Hilarious Aussie Soap Opera Musical!
The Blockhouse, Brighton – 3rd – 7th May
Waterloo East Theatre, London – 13th May – 2nd June

Bringing sun, songs and ’90s nostalgia, AJN Productions is taking Summer Street – The Hilarious Aussie Soap Opera Musical! out for a spin. This new musical is heading to The Blockhouse to delight Brighton Fringe-goers before transferring to Waterloo East Theatre to bring some sun and fun to London. As four Aussie soap stars try to resurrect their careers, there are hilarious and unexpected consequences – and, of course, plenty of songs to tap your foot to.

With the 30th anniversaries of Neighbours and Home and Away last year, Summer Street provides the perfect opportunity to recapture the glory days of Kylie and Jason and relive the joy of tuning in every week to watch the captivating tales from Down Under. Writer and director Andrew Norris looks back to the ’90s Aussie soap opera scene and brings it to life with this original musical comedy.

The cast features the incredible Julie Clare (Showstopper! – The Improvised Musical; In the Midnight Hour; Good Rocking Tonight), Simon Snashall (The IT Crowd, Channel 4; Spooks, Humans, Silent Witness, BBC), Sarah-Louise Young (Showstopper! – The Improvised Musical; An Evening Without Kate Bush; La Poule Plombee; Julie Madly Deeply), and Myke Cotton (My Fair Lady, Drury Lane; Hey, Mr. Producer, Lyceum Theatre; Paddington 2, StudioCanal and Heyday Films; Safe, BBC).

Andrew Norris comments: Summer Street – The Hilarious Aussie Soap Opera Musical! is a nostalgic trip down memory lane to the heyday of the Aussie soap opera, which is packed full of fun and accompanied by a soundtrack of pastiche songs from the 1990s. Summer Street explores the world of soap, the stars who inhabit it and exactly how much some people are prepared to pay for fame. Everyone has their price!

NEW BOOKING PERIOD ANNOUNCED FOR

CHANNING TATUM’S MAGIC MIKE LIVE IN LONDON

AT THE HIPPODROME CASINO

TICKETS ON SALE FROM 10:00AM TODAY

Channing Tatum and his co-producers are delighted to announce that, due to continuing high ticket demands and overwhelming success in London, the booking period for Magic Mike Live has been extended to 5 January 2020, with tickets going on sale at 10am today, Monday 11 March.

Conceived and co-directed by Channing Tatum, Magic Mike Live is a large-scale, live production show based on the hit films Magic Mike and Magic Mike XXL, which opened at The Theatre at the Hippodrome Casino in London’s Leicester Square on Wednesday 28 November 2018, following previews from 10 November. 

The Theatre at the Hippodrome Casino has been transformed into a magical, intimate, 325-seat performance space for Magic Mike Live.  From the bespoke entrance off Cranbourn Street, to the specially curated lounge and bar experience, to the cast of world-class performers, Magic Mike Live is a complete evening of unparalleled entertainment for guests aged 18 and up.  Audience members enter Magic Mike’s mythical club and marvel as a group of extraordinary artists perform a 360-degree dance and acrobatic spectacular in front of, behind, and above them.  Sexy dance routines intertwined with one-of-a-kind acts, are presented by a diverse cast of performers from around the world.

The multi-national cast for Magic Mike Live in London includes Samantha Baines, Jake Brewer, Harry Carter, Ellie Clayton, Hannah Cleeve, Pip Hersee, Sophie Linder-Lee, Jack Manley, David Morgan, Ross Sands, Josie Scamell, Dean Stewart, Manny Tsakanika and Aaron Witter from the United Kingdom, Daniel Ralph from France, Anthony Donadio and Sebastián Melo Taveira from Italy, Maxwell Trengove from Australia and Brian Siregar from the USA.

Magic Mike Live in London is co-directed by Channing Tatum and Alison Faulk, with Luke Broadlick as associate director, and choreography by Alison Faulk, Teresa Espinosa and Luke Broadlick.The Executive Producer is Vincent Marini with General Management by David Ian Productions. The production designer is Rachel O’Toole, with scenic design by Rob Bissinger and Anita LaScala (Arda Studio), costume design by Marina Toybina, lighting design by Philip Gladwell and video design by Luke Halls.  Musical supervisor is Jack Rayner, with sound design by Nick Kourtides.  Dreya Weber is aerial choreographer & aerial apparatus designer.  Casting is by Jason Styres CSA.

Magic Mike Live is produced in London by Channing Tatum, Reid Carolin, Greg Jacobs, Peter Kiernan, Steven Soderbergh, Nick Wechsler and United Talent Agency in association with Warner Bros., Vincent Marini, The Hippodrome Casino, Bruce Robert Harris and Jack W. Batman, TSG Entertainment & Ashley DeSimone, Richard Winkler and The Creative House.

LISTINGS INFORMATION

Magic Mike Live

The Theatre at the Hippodrome Casino

Cranbourn Street

Leicester Square

London WC2H 7JH

Website:  www.magicmikelondon.co.uk   

Twitter:  @MagicMikeLDN

Facebook:  @MagicMikeLDN

Instagram:  @MagicMikeLiveLDN

Box Office:  0844 453 9091

Performances until 27 October: Tuesday to Sunday 7.30pm and Thursday to Sunday 10.00pm

Performances from 29 October: Tuesday to Sunday 7.30pm and Wednesday to Saturday 10.00pm

Christmas 2019/20 Performance Schedule

Monday 16 December                   NO PERFORMANCE

Tuesday 17 December                   7.30pm

Wednesday 18 December            7.30pm and 10pm

Thursday 19 December                 7.30pm and 10pm

Friday 20 December                      7.30pm and 10pm

Saturday 21 December                 7.30pm and 10pm

Sunday 22 December                    7.30pm and 10pm

Monday 23 December                   NO PERFORMANCE

Tuesday 24 December                   7.30pm

Wednesday 25 December            NO PERFORMANCE

Thursday 26 December                 7.30pm

Friday 27 December                      7.30pm and 10pm

Saturday 28 December                 7.30pm and 10pm

Sunday 29th December                7.30pm and 10pm

Monday 30 December                   7.30pm and 10pm

Tuesday 31 December                   7.30pm

Wednesday 1 January                   NO PERFORMANCE

Thursday 2 January                        7.30pm and 10pm

Friday 3 January                              7.30pm and 10pm

Saturday 4 January                        7.30pm and 10pm

Sunday 5 January                            7.30pm and 10pm

Ticket Prices:  from £29.00 including booking fees

Current Booking Period:  to 5 January 2020

Running Time: approximately 90 minutes (no interval)

Magic Mike Live guests must be at least 18 years to attend – appropriate photo ID will be requested on arrival at the venue – begambleaware.org

SHANE RICHIE TO STAR IN DICK WHITTINGTON AT THE BRISTOL HIPPODROME

The ultimate rags to riches story comes to Bristol Hippodrome this Christmas in the magical family pantomime Dick Whittington, led by soap-sensation and musical theatre star Shane Richie.

Bristol Hippodrome’s panto will bring the set, costumes and staging previously seen in Qdos Entertainment’s acclaimed production at the London Palladium to the City with a brand-new script. The much-loved story of Dick Whittington outwitting King Rat, winning Alice’s hand in marriage and becoming Lord Mayor of London will be brought to life with comedy, spectacle, live music and plenty of audience participation.

Having established himself as one of the nation’s favourite soap stars, Shane Richie has won numerous awards and millions of fans for his portrayal of Albert Square’s loveable landlord Alfie Moon in EastEnders. The King of the East End will hear the familiar peel of Bow Bells starring as our hero Dick, seeking his fame and fortune on the rat-infested streets of London this festive season.

Shane’s numerous television credits also include Oliver Twist, Skins, New Tricks, Minder and What We Did on Our Holidays. In addition to acting, Shane has also hosted a number of high-profile gameshows including the primetime lottery quiz Win Your Wish List and Decimate. He also starred in Redwater and Making Dad’s Army for the BBC and Benidorm for ITV1.

On stage Shane has starred in a number of hugely successful productions including Danny Zuko in the West End production of Grease, which broke all box office records and Boogie Nights, which he co-wrote and co-produced on tour and in the West End. Shane regularly stars in pantomime for Qdos Entertainment and is currently starring as Hugo in the hit West End musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie at the Apollo Theatre.

Qdos Entertainment’s managing director Michael Harrison explains “Following the amazing audience feedback we received about last year’s production of Cinderella we wanted to make sure that this year’s Bristol Hippodrome pantomime is even bigger and more magical than ever. The opportunity to once again bring our dazzling West End production values to the City was an opportunity we didn’t want to miss. The stunning scenery and effects in our Dick Whittington production will be a perfect setting for Shane Richie to bring his unique high-energy comedy to the panto stage.”

Jenny Hutchinson, Bristol Hippodrome Theatre Director says “Having secured the London Palladium set and staging, and a brand new script written exclusively for Shane Richie, we are delighted to be hosting Dick Whittington which will wow our Bristol audiences.

The bar was set high with the incredible season we had with award nominated Cinderella last year starring Brian and Gok, and producers QDOS Entertainment are making sure Bristol is once again thrilled throughout the festive season. We can’t wait!”

Qdos Entertainment is the world’s biggest pantomime producer, staging 35 shows in towns and cities across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Dick Whittington plays from Saturday 7 December 2019 until Sunday 5 January 2020 replacing the previously advertised production of Robin Hood. All tickets previously purchased for Robin Hood remain valid for Dick Whittington.

For tickets and more information visit atgtickets.com/Bristol or call 0844 871 3012*.

More star casting will be announced later in the year.

Tickets from £13 – Price Promise applicable on all performances

*calls cost up to 7p per minute plus your company’s access charge

FULL CASTING IS ANNOUNCED FOR

MENIER CHOCOLATE FACTORY AND THEATR CLWYD’S

CO-PRODUCTION OF TENNESSEE WILLIAMS’ ORPHEUS DESCENDING

A Theatr Clwyd and Menier Chocolate Factory co-production

ORPHEUS DESCENDING 
by Tennessee Williams 
 

Director: Tamara Harvey;Designer: Jonathan Fensom; Lighting Designer: Tim Mascall 

Sound Designer: Gregory Clarke; Composer: Simon Slater

15 – 27 April 2019 at Theatr Clwyd

9 May – 6 July at Menier Chocolate Factory

The full cast is announced for the Theatr Clwyd and Menier Chocolate Factory co-production of Tennessee Williams’ Orpheus Descending. Theatr Clwyd’s Artistic Director Tamara Harvey directs Catrin Aaron (Beulah Binnings), Michael Geary (Pee Wee Binnings), Valentine Hanson (Uncle Pleasant), Jenny Livsey (Eva Temple / Woman), Laura Jane Matthewson (Dolly Hamma), Mark Meadows (Jabe Torrance), Ifan Meredith (David Cutrere / Dog Hamma), Hattie Morahan (Lady Torrance), Seth Numrich (Val Xavier), Ian Porter (Sheriff Talbott), Jemima Rooper (Carol Cutrere),

Carol Royle (Vee Talbott) and Carrie Quinlan (Sister / Nurse Porter). Public booking for the Menier Chocolate Factory dates opens at 9am today.

Lady is trapped in a loveless marriage, surrounded by intolerant people, living a boring small-town life. But when a wild-eyed charismatic drifter appears a new life of love and passion suddenly seem possible. Everything will change as certainty, conformity and tradition are ripped apart.

Tennessee William’s Deep South American drama is directed by Theatr Clwyd’s Artistic Director Tamara Harvey.Orpheus Descending began its life as Battle of Angels in 1940, and was first performed on Broadway in 1957. In 1959, Sidney Lumet directed the film adaptation, The Fugitive Kind, starring Marlon Brando and Anna Magnani.

Catrin Aaron plays Beulah Binnings. She is an Associate for Theatr Clwyd, where her work includes The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, All My Sons, The Light of Heart, Aristocrats; Salt, Root and Roe; Humbug, God of Carnage, A Doll’s House, Roots, Taking Steps, Gaslight, Dancing at Lughnasa, A Small Family Business, Festen, Mary Stuart, Twilight Tales, Macbeth, A Toy Epic, Tales from Europe, The Timeless Myths of the Mabinogi, Of Mice and Men, The Grapes of Wrath, The Voyage, The Way It Was, Flights of Fancy, Hobson’s Choice, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Silas Marner. Her other theatre work includes The Wizard of Oz(Sheffield Theatres), As You Like, Hamlet (Shakespeare’s Globe), Henry V (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), The Forsythe Sisters (Gaggle Babble), Sex and the Three Day Week (Liverpool Playhouse) and What People Do and London: Let’s Get Visceral (Old Vic Tunnels). For television, her work includes The Indian Doctor, The Bastard Executioner and First Ladies; and for film, Apostle.

Michael Geary plays Pee Wee Binnings. His theatre work includes The Band (UK tour), My People, The Light of Heart, Taking Steps, Rape of the Fair Country, Humbug, As You Like It, The Taming of the Shrew, A Child’s Christmas in Wales, Tall Tales, Thinking Out Loud, Festen, The Suicide, Tales from Small Nations, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Troilus and Cressida, The Ballad of Megan Morgan, Romeo and Juliet and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (Theatr Clwyd), A Christmas Carol (Royal Shakespeare Company), Fantastic Mr Fox(Regent’s Park Theatre), and The Boy Who Fell Into a Book (Soho Theatre). For television, his work includes Da Vinci’s Demons; and for film, Soul Reaper, Tulip Fever and The Baker.

Valentine Hanson plays Uncle Pleasant. His theatre work includes Cuming and Going (Bush Theatre), Stop Search (Catford Broadway Studio), Footprints in the Sand/Letting Go/For One Night Only  (Pursued by a Bear),Word Peace: A Celebration (Globe Theatre), Festen, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Lyric Theatre), The Tempest (Orange Tree Theatre), It’s Not as Simple as Black and White (New Vic Theatre), and Come With Me (Nottingham Playhouse / Sheffield Crucible). For television, his work includes The Friday Night Project, Murder City, and Wall of Silence; and for film, London Voodoo.

Jenny Livsey plays Eva Temple / Woman. Her theatre credits include One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Sheffield Theatres, Torch Theatre), Orange (Richard Burton Theatre), Princess and the Pea (Sherman Cymru and Theatr Lolo), Adventures in the Skintrade (Theatr Lolo and Australian tour), Penblwydd Poenus Pete and Here Be Monsters (Theatr Lolo), Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog, Seasons Greetings, God of Carnage, Dancing at Lughnasa, Drowned Out, Macbeth, Night Must Fall, Troilus and Cressida, Hobson’s Choice, The Crucible, King Lear, Rape of the Fair Country and Song of the Earth (Theatr Clwyd), Wuthering Heights (Aberystwyth Arts Centre), Dangerous Liaisons (Mappa Mundi and Theatr Mwldan) and House of Bernarda Alba (Theatr Genedlaethol).

Laura Jane Matthewson plays Dolly Hamma. Her theatre work includes Harriet Martineau Dreams of Dancing(Live Theatre), The World Goes ‘Round (Stephen Joseph Theatre), Beyond the Fence (Arts Theatre), Dogfight(Southwark Playhouse – winner of 2014 Evening Standard Award for Best Emerging Talent), Daisy Pulls It Off(Hever Festival) and After the Tone (Bridewell Theatre). Her television work includes Vera, Press and Dark Angel.

Mark Meadows plays Jabe Torrance. His theatre credits include Quiz (Noel Coward Theatre and Chichester Festival Theatre), Flowers for Mrs Harris, Hight Society (Sheffield Theatres), Tartuffe (Tobacco Factory), The Magna Carta Plays, A Man of No Importance, The Spire, The Herbal Bed, Epsom Downs (Salisbury Playhouse),King John (Shakespeare’s Globe), Urinetown (St James Theatre), The Thrill of Love (New Vic, Stoke), Betty Blue Eyes (Novello Theatre), Macbeth,  A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), 5/11, King Lear, Six Pictures of Lee Miller (Minerva Theatre, Chichester) and Mary Poppins (Prince Edward Theatre). His television work includes Kiri, Nicholas Nickleby; and for film, Letters from Baghdad, High Heels and Lowlifes.

Ifan Meredith plays David Cutrere / Dog Hamma. His theatre work includes Always Joe, Fall of the Kingdom Rise of the Footsoldier (RSC), Time and the Conways (Nottingham Playhouse), Union, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Edinburgh Lyceum), The Roman Bath (Arcola Theatre), Small Change (Sherman Theatre), and The English Game (Headlong). For television, his work includes Absentia, Porn Again, Dark Matters, Titanic, Victoria Cross and Murder City; and for film, Metroland.

Hattie Morahan plays Lady Torrance. Her theatre work includes Grief is the Thing With Feathers (Complicité), Anatomy of a Suicide (Royal Court Theatre), A Doll’s House (Critics’ Circle and Evening Standard Awards for Best Actress, Olivier Award nomination – Young Vic, Duke of York’s Theatre and Brooklyn Academy of Music), The Changeling (Shakespeare’s Globe), The Dark Earth and Light Sky (Almeida Theatre), Plenty (Sheffield Theatres), The Real Thing (The Old Vic), Time and the Conways, Some Trace of Her, The Seagull (National Theatre), and The Family Reunion (Donmar Warehouse). For television her work includes Oblivious, Inside No. 9, The Moher and Other Strangers, The Outcast, Arthur and George, The Bletchley Circle and Outnumbered; and for film, Official Secrets, Beauty and the Beast, Mr Holmes, Alice Through the Looking Glass and The Golden Compass.

Seth Numrich plays Val Xavier. His credits on Broadway include the Menier Chocolate Factory production ofTravesties, The Merchant of Venice, Golden Boy and War Horse. Other theatre credits include Sweet Bird of Youth (The Old Vic), The History Boys (Ahmanson Theatre) and The Glass Menagerie (Edinburgh International Festival). For television, his work includes Turn, Homeland, Tiny House Big Living, The Good Wife and Gravity; and for film, Imperium, Macbeth Unhinged, Private Romeo and How To Kill a Mockingbird.

Ian Porter plays Sheriff Talbott. His theatre credits include On Golden Pond (Salisbury Playhouse), Driving Miss Daisy (UK tour), August: Osage County (National Theatre), Of Mice and Men (The Watermill Theatre), Sideman (Apollo Theatre), Burning Blue (Theatre Royal Haymarket), The Exonerated (Charing Cross Theatre), The Archbishop’s Ceiling, You Can’t Take It With You (Southwark Playhouse), All My Sons (Bristol Old Vic), The Glass Menagerie (Derby Playhouse), Voices From September 11^th (The Old Vic). For television his work includesPatriot, Living the Dream, The Crown, 24, Nixon’s the One, Doctor Who and The Execution of Gary Glitter; and for film, Angel has Fallen, Beirut, Saving Private Ryan, The Bourne Ultimatum, and the forthcoming Dumbo and Kingsman: The Great Game.

Jemima Rooper plays Carol Cutrere. Her theatre work includes Little Shop of Horrors (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), The Norman Conquests (Chichester Festival Theatre), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Young Vic), Hand to God (Vaudeville Theatre), Breeders (St James Theatre), Blithe Spirit (Gielgud Theatre), One Man Two Guvnors(National Theatre, UK tour, Theatre Royal Haymarket and Broadway), Me and My Girl (Sheffield Theatres), All My Sons (Apollo Theatre), and The Power of Yes and Her Naked Skin (National Theatre). Her television work includes Gold Digger, Father Brown, Trauma, Death in Paradise, Fearless, Lucky 7, Atlantis, Frankenstein’s Wedding, Reunited, A Bouquet of Barbed Wire, The Third Girl and Lost in Austen; and for film, What If, One Chance, The Black Dahlia and Kinky Boots.

Carol Royle plays Vee Talbott. Her theatre work includes Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Dead Sheep, The Small Hours (UK tours), Hamlet (Theatr Clwyd) and Moonlight (Donmar Warehouse). Her television work includes Father Brown, Casualty (semi-regular), Blackeyes, Blake’s 7, Life Without George, Ladies in Charge andThe Cedar Tree.

Carrie Quinlan plays Sister / Nurse Porter. Her theatre work includes Sixty-Six Books (Bush Theatre), Smash!(Menier Chocolate Factory), Diary of a Nobody (Drill Hall), The Nature of Things (The Place), and Immaterial(Edinburgh Festival). For television, her work includes Yonderland, Miranda, New Tricks and The Late Edition.

Tennessee Williams (1911 – 1983) was one of the greatest American playwrights. His principal works include A Streetcar Named Desire (Pulitzer Prize), The Glass Menagerie (New York Critics’ Circle Award), The Rose Tattoo(Tony Award for Best Play), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Pulitzer Prize), Suddenly Last Summer, Sweet Bird of Youth, Orpheus Descending and The Night of the Iguana (New York Critics’ Circle Award).

Tamara Harvey has been Artistic Director of Theatr Clwyd since August 2015. Most recently she directed the première of Home I’m Darling by Laura Wade – which has been nominated for UK Theatre and Evening Standard Awards, as well as five Olivier Awards, and is currently running in the West End before returning to Clwyd. Her inaugural production for the company was Much Ado About Nothing, followed by the première of Elinor Cook’s award-winning play, Pilgrims, Skylight by David Hare and the première of Peter Gill’s version of Uncle Vanya (Best Production and Best Director in the English Language at the Wales Theatre Awards). She has directed in the West End, throughout the UK and abroad, working on classic plays, new writing, musical theatre and in film. Her previous credits include the world premières of From Here to Eternity (Shaftesbury Theatre),Breeders (St James Theatre), The Kitchen Sink, The Contingency Plan, Sixty-Six Books and tHe dYsFUnCKshOnalZ!(Bush Theatre), In the Vale of Health (a cycle of four plays by Simon Gray), Elephants and Hello/Goodbye(Hampstead Theatre), and Plague Over England (Finborough Theatre & West End). Other theatre includes Kreutzer vs Kreutzer (Sam Wanamaker Playhouse/Royal Festival Hall), Bash (Trafalgar Studios), Whipping It Up (New Ambassadors), One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Gielgud & Garrick Theatres), Educating Rita (Menier Chocolate Factory & Theatre Royal Bath) and Pride and Prejudice (Sheffield Theatres).

Listings                                                                                                                                        Theatr Clwyd

Venue:                                Theatr Clwyd, Anthony Hopkins Theatre

Address:                             Raikes Lane, Mold CH7 1YA

Dates:                                 15 – 27 April

Times:                                 For the performance schedule, please see the website

Box Office:01352 701521

Website:             www.theatrclwyd.com/en/ (no fee)

Tickets                                From £10

Listings                                                                                                                                Menier Chocolate Factory

Venue:                                Menier Chocolate Factory

Address:                             53 Southwark Street, London, SE1 1RU

Dates:                                 9 May – 6 July 2019

Times:                                For the performance schedule, please see the website

Box Office:                         020 7378 1713 (£2.50 transaction fee per booking)

Website:                        www.menierchocolatefactory.com (£1.50 transaction fee per booking)

Tickets:                               Prices vary, from discounted preview tickets to premier seats. With the emphasis on ‘the sooner you book, the better the price’:

A meal deal ticket includes a 2-course meal from the pre-theatre menu in the Menier Restaurant as well as the theatre ticket.

SPECIAL RECOGNITION OLIVIER AWARD RECIPIENTS ANNOUNCED

Ahead of the Olivier Awards 2019 with Mastercard, Special Recognition Awards were today presented to Bendy Ashfield, (Royal Opera House Apprenticeships Manager), Vivien Wallace (The Old Vic’s former Executive Director of Development) and Linford Hudson (long-serving London Palladium Follow Spot Operator), celebrating their outstanding contributions to British theatre. Family members of fellow recipient Bob Thomas, a renowned theatre accountant who died in late 2018, collected his award on his behalf.

The awards were presented during an Olivier Awards Nominees’ Celebration at The May Fair Hotel in London (part of Edwardian Hotels London, official hotel partner for the Olivier Awards). Producer and Society of London Theatre President Kenny Wax presented Bendy Ashfield’s award, Vivien Wallace received hers from Executive Director of The Old Vic Kate Varah, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber presented Linford Hudson’s, and producer Peter Wilson presented Bob Thomas’s posthumous award.

Julian Bird, Chief Executive of Society of London Theatre and Executive Producer of the Olivier Awards, said:

‘Theatre is about so much more than what happens on stage, and the Society of London Theatre is proud to recognise these four inspirational individuals, who, in the course of their incredible careers, have all changed the industry for the better in very different ways.’

Bendy Ashfield has been Apprenticeships Manager at the Royal Opera House since 2006, and is the founder of the hugely successful ROH Apprenticeships Scheme, offering experience in backstage and technical disciplines. Many of the 50 ROH apprentices Ashfield has personally recruited and supported have gone on to long-term careers in award-winning theatre, ballet and opera. Passionate about ensuring young people from diverse backgrounds get equal opportunities, Ashfield believes that a background in theatre isn’t essential for a budding apprentice, but that more important is aptitude, enthusiasm and personality.

Vivien Wallace was Executive Director of Development at The Old Vic from 2005 until 2018, and has had an immeasurable impact on the theatre industry over a long and varied theatre career – which began as the first ever Press Officer at the Royal Ballet. Through her outstanding work as a fundraiser she introduced new audiences to the theatre and engaged local communities. In her 12 years at The Old Vic, Wallace raised £28.5 million, funding multiple education, community and talent development initiatives and maintaining the 200 year old building. She continues to support the theatre on various projects as Executive Associate. 

Linford Hudson, known to many in the industry as ‘Mr Follow Spot’, is widely regarded as the best Follow Spot Operator in the business. He worked at the London Palladium for over 50 years, lighting countless legendary entertainers including Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra and Bette Midler. Hudson got the job within two months of arriving in London from Jamaica in 1962 aged fifteen. During his extraordinary career at the Palladium, Hudson lit 41 Royal Variety performances and oversaw some of its first colour TV broadcasts. Other career highlights include lighting Princess Diana’s funeral at Westminster Abbey.

Bob Thomas worked as a theatre accountant for 25 years until his death in late 2018. In the course of a varied and distinguished career, he worked with almost every producer and theatre in London and the UK. Thomas was Financial Controller at PW Productions, and also worked independently for well over 350 West End and touring shows. He guided producers through countless hits, flops and all the shows in between, with a crystal clear view of the financial state of a show – and an opinion on whether it was any good! Known and loved by many as one of Theatreland’s great characters, Thomas sadly died before he could be formally presented with his award, but was delighted to have been given it as a testament to his invaluable contribution to theatre.

The full list of nominations for the Olivier Awards 2019 with Mastercard was announced on 5 March, and is available to view on OlivierAwards.com.

The Olivier Awards will take place on Sunday 7 April at the Royal Albert Hall, hosted by Jason Manford. The ceremony will be broadcast via official media partners ITV, Magic Radio and Facebook. Further details to be announced soon.

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The Lowry, Salford – Friday 8th March 2019

Reviewed by Joseph Everton

5*****

When I get the chance to watch an Opera North production at the Lowry, I jump at it. And with The Lyric full to the rafters, so does everybody else, it seems. Friday evening’s unusual double bill featured a bewitching piece of choreography by Phoenix Dance Theatre’s Haitian choreographer, Jeanguy Saintus, alongside Stravinsky’s pagan inspired and iconic The Rite of Spring, followed by a comic opera in one act, Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi. It was unorthodox, sure, but beautifully delivered and gifted the audience to a night of incredible variety and a rollercoaster of emotion.

On reading George Hall’s programme notes describe Stravinsky recalling a vision of ‘…a solemn pagan rite’ where sage elders ‘… watched a young girl dance herself to death.’, suddenly everything made sense. Stravinsky’s subsequent creation, which premiered in 1913, would not have been out of place in Manchester’s darkest underground nightclubs, with it’s muscular bass and thunderous percussion. Phoenix Dance Theatre’s diverse ensemble delivered an aggressively beautiful performance to match, completely at one with the rhythmically complex masterpiece, bursting with intensity and mind-blowing skill.

After the interval brought an opportunity to breathe and to reflect on an auditory and visual overload, Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi took up the mantle, with the murder of a rich relative for financial gain replacing pagan sacrifice. Both performances tackled the theme of death, but Gianni Schicchi, directed by Christopher Alden, did so with comedy and charm. The challenge of making an audience laugh when reading from subtitles was met by the excellent physical comedy of movement director and Buoso Donati, Tim Claydon, delivering plenty of laughs. The opera in one act provided a lighter, yet just as entertaining ending to the evening

Upstairs at the Gatehouse, Highgate – until 31st March 2019

Reviewed by Antonia Hebbert

4****

It’s a 1927 musical about cheese. And war, big business and love. It’s crackers, but strangely irresistible too.

So what has George and Ira Gershwin’s comedy (based on George S. Kaufman’s book) got to say to us today? Just imagine: the USA has slapped high tariffs on foreign imports. A ruthless American cheese manufacturer leans on the government to go to war to protect his sales. Citizens are whipped into a patriotic fervour by meaningless manipulative speeches. The President doesn’t know what’s going on. And then the US army finds itself in difficult mountain terrain, fighting an enemy it doesn’t understand. Well, thank goodness times have changed, eh?

At times this show seems eerily prophetic, but it’s all told in a very jaunty way, with a bright seven-piece band (directed from the keyboard by Bobby Goulder) keeping things moving along briskly. There is no stage, just a rectangular performance space with the audience on three sides. (Tip: the short sides don’t give a good view – it’s really a forward-facing show.) Set and props are minimal, and are carried on and off by the cast. Orley Quick’s choreography and Giulia Scrimieri’s costumes are beautifully stylish and effective. All the performances fizz. Richard Emerson has terrific suppressed energy as the wily cheese tycoon Horace J. Fletcher; Paul Biggin hits the right note of seriousness in the general daftness, playing Jim Townsend, the one person to oppose the war. Adam Scott Pringle and Charlotte Christensen give us a couple of charming little dances as thwarted lovers. Beth Burrows sings sweetly, Sammy Graham gives us a jolly tap routine. It’s bonkers and captivating.

All that said, it is an odd show. Some of the comedy doesn’t quite work. A lighthearted satire on war feels strange. At moments it has flashes of Gilbert and Sullivan, pantomime and the Marx Brothers. At others it feels like an uncertain prototype for Oh! What a Lovely War, which is a much darker and more focused satire on warfare. But it’s intriguing that it was written at all, when America was enjoying the boom years of the 1920s, and World War I still seemed like ‘the war to end all wars’. Amid the general, em, cheesiness, there’s enough truth and foresight to give it a bite. And you can’t help being swept up in the music, the songs, the stylishness and the fun. Mark Giesser directs.

Soho Theatre – until 30 March 2019

Review by Elizabeth J Smith

5*****

Angry Alan is a strong piece of writing looking at how masculinity in modern men is being eroded by the feminist movement. In the good old days men went to work and provided for their family, they could complement a woman on her appearance, be chivalrous in their actions without fear of redress. But the advent of feminism and woman stepping out from kitchen men are having to fight harder to be heard. Divorced men struggle to connect with children they rarely see. Redundancy takes away a mans purpose to get up each day. Is it any wonder that male suicide is on the up?

Donald Sage Mackay who plays Roger, portrays this broken middle aged man who is looking for something to make him feel proud to be a man again, with great vigour and verve. With a simple set of a chair and a back drop screen showing different social media chats and interviews from some sharp talking men keeps the pace of this play fast and punchy.

The writing by Penelope Skinner is extremely observant of man’s plight in today’s society.  A society that has become increasingly reliant on social media for information just seems to confuse more than inform many men. Questions of what men are about in our modern world and how young man are supposed to learn how to be men are asked and  ends with a shocking answer.

This piece has humour and sentiment and leaves you thinking about how equal can men and women be as really they are two different species. A thought provoking play well worth a visit