ROYO, UNIVERSAL MUSIC UK, SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT & MIGHTY VILLAGE are delighted to announce the full cast for the world premiere of NOW That’s What I Call A Musical, a brand-new British musical written by award-winning comedian Pippa Evans and directed and choreographed by Craig Revel Horwood. NOW That’s What I Call A Musical will begin performances on 6 September 2024 at Aylesbury’s Waterside Theatre before commencing a major UK and Ireland tour.
Joining the company are Kieran Cooper (Strictly Ballroom – UK tour) as Younger Tim, Christopher Glover (The Kite Runner – 2024 Ireland UK Tour) as Dad, Chris Grahamson (Phil Spector in TINA – The Tina Turner Musical) as Tim, Maia Hawkins (Cassie in A Chorus Line at Doreen Bird College) as Younger April, Lauren Hendricks (Much Ado About Nothing at the East London Shakespeare Festival) as Ms Dorian, Shakil Hussain(Frankie Goes to Bollywood – UK tour) as Frank, Nikita Johal (Wendla in Spring Awakening at Hope Mill Theatre) as Younger Gemma, Luke Latchman (Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy Theatre) as Younger Frank, Matthew Mori (professional debut) as Younger Steve, Phil Sealey (TONY! [The Tony Blair Rock Opera] – UK Tour) as Steve, Callum Tempest (Miss Saigon at Sheffield Crucible) as Barney and Poppy Tierney (Cabaret at Lido 2, Paris) as Mum.
The cast is completed by Emily Barnett-Salter (Annie – UK Tour), Molly Cheesley (Jane Austen’s Emma – UK Tour), Lizzy Ives (professional debut), Stefanos Petri (professional debut), Martha Pothen (Oliver! at Leeds Playhouse) and Blake Tuke (West Side Story, Opera Australia).
They join the previously announced Nina Wadia who will star as Gemma, Melissa Jacques as April from 6 September 2024 (Aylesbury) up to and including 7 December 2024 (Brighton) and Sam Bailey who will then take over the role from 14 January 2025 (Southampton) to 12 April 2025 (Wimbledon) as well as an be an array of special guest stars playing themselves and singing the songs that made them NOW icons. In 2024 Sinitta will perform in Aylesbury, Sheffield, Canterbury, Nottingham and Norwich with Sonia in Newcastle, Cardiff, Milton Keynes and Brighton, Carol Decker in Truro, Belfast and Woking, and Jay Osmond in Bradford.
In 2025 Sinitta will be appearing in Dublin, Hull and York with Sonia in Southampton, Southend, Bristol, Liverpool, Wimbledon and Birmingham and Carol Decker in Oxford. For further detail, patrons are advised to check their local websites.
Get ready to relive the playlist of your life by celebrating 40 years of the iconic and chart-topping compilations brand NOW That’s What I Call Music, which has sold an estimated 200 million copies worldwide. This fun-filled evening is bursting with hits from Whitney Houston, Wham! Blondie, Tears For Fears, Spandau Ballet and so many more.
It’s Birmingham, 1989. Two school friends, Gemma and April, are busy with very important business – planning their lives based on Number One Magazine quizzes and dreaming of snogging Rick Astley. Cut to Birmingham 2009 and it’s the most dreaded event of their lives– the school reunion. Drama, old flames and receding hairlines come together as friends reunite and everything from the past starts to slot into place. The biggest question is: what was with all that hairspray?
NOW is produced by ROYO, Universal Music UK, SONY Music Entertainment and Mighty Village.
The Donmar Warehouse today announce the full casting for the world premiere of Lindsey Ferrentino’s The Fear of 13 – the inaugural production in Tim Sheader’s first season as Artistic Director of the Donmar Warehouse. Nana Mensah will star opposite previously announced Adrien Brody, and they are joined by Michael Fox, Aidan Kelly, Posi Morakinyo, Cyril Nri, Ferdy Roberts and Tommy Sim’aan.
Justin Martin’s production opens on 10 October, with previews from 4 October, and runs until 30 November.
THE WORLD PREMIERE OF THE FEAR OF 13 by Lindsey Ferrentino Based on the documentary film by David Sington
Directed by Justin Martin; Set design by Miriam Buether; Costume design by Brigitte Reiffenstuel;Lighting design by Jon Clark; Sound design by Ian Dickinson for Autograph;Video design by Ash J Woodward; Composer and Music Director DJ Walde; Hair, Wigs and Make up design by Campbell Young Associates; Associate Director Ed Burnside; Voice Coach Barbara Houseman;Dialect Coach Aundrea Fudge; Casting Director Anna Cooper CDG.
4 October 2024 – 30 November 2024
“The first thing you should know is that this is true. It’s what actually happened.
I know it seems like it’s a story – inside of a story – inside of a story.
–but that’s how it is for most people. At least the ones in here.”
Nick’s got a story to tell you. About how a routine traffic stop turned into a conviction for murder. About how he spent the next 22 years on Death Row. About how he finally petitioned the court to ask not for an appeal, but for his execution date. And about what happened next…
Based on the extraordinary true story of Nick Yarris, Academy Award winner Adrien Brody makes his London theatre debut in the world premiere of The Fear of 13; a new play by Lindsey Ferrentino (Ugly Lies the Bone) directed by Justin Martin (Prima Facie).
Following a successful partnership with Clean Break in 2023, the Donmar Warehouse will be partnering with the company again this Autumn to offer up to 8 volunteering placements across front of house roles to provide employability skills to women aged 18 and above who have lived experience of the criminal justice system or are at risk of entering it. Clean Break is a women’s theatre company, changing lives and minds, on stage, in prison and in the community.
Lindsey Ferrentino is an American playwright with three world premieres in the 2024 season. In May, she opened The Artist in the UK (co-adapted with Drew McOnie, Theatre Royal Plymouth), and this August, she opened the world premiere of the new musical Queen of Versailles (book by Lindsey Ferrentino, music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, starring Kristin Chenoweth and F. Murray Abraham, The Colonial Theater). Her other produced plays include Ugly Lies the Bone (Lyttelton at National Theatre, Roundabout Theatre Company, New York, with over 100 productions worldwide), Amy and the Orphans (Roundabout Theatre Company), This Flat Earth (Playwrights Horizons), and The Year to Come (La Jolla Playhouse). Her plays have been translated into Spanish, German, and Portuguese and have been produced across the US, in London, Germany, Spain, and Venezuela. This winter, she will direct her first feature film – an adaptation of her play Amy and the Orphans for Jason Bateman’s Aggregate Films. She is the recipient of The Arc’s prize for Entertainment Industry Excellence for her writing centered on disability inclusion. Other prizes include: the Kesserling, ASCAP Cole Porter Playwriting Prize, Paul Newman Drama Award, Laurents/Hatcher Award, NYU Distinguished Alumna Award, and Hunter College’s 40 Under 40 Distinguished Alumna.
Adrien Brody is an Academy Award-winning actor, producer, composer and painter best known for The Pianist, for which he won the Oscar for Best Actor. For television, he has starred in HBO’s Winning Time: The Rise of the Los Angeles Lakers and the acclaimed crime drama Peaky Blinders. He garnered Emmy nominations for his performances as Harry Houdini in Houdini and investor Josh Aaronson in HBO’s acclaimed drama series Succession. His film credits include Asteroid City, King Kong, The Darjeeling Limited, The French Dispatch, and Midnight in Paris. His forthcoming films include Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist.
Nana Mensah plays Jackie Schaffer. Her theatre work includes the Tony Award nominated play Jaja’s African Hair Braiding (Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, New York), Nollywood Dreams (MCC Theatre, New York) and Man from Nebraska (Second Stage Theatre – Outer Critics’ Circle nomination). For television, her work includes Presumed Innocent, The Diplomat, The Chair, Bonding, Little America, 13 Reasons Why, Evil, New Amsterdam, and An African City; and for film, After Yang, Queen of Glory – which she also wrote and directed (Best New Narrative Director and Special Jury Prize for Artistic Expression at the Tribeca Film Festival, nomination for Best First Feature at the Independent Spirit Awards, winner of the California Film Institute’s Mind the Gap Creation Prize), King of Staten Island, Farewell Amor, and Love or Something Like That.
Michael Fox’s theatre work includes Othello (Riverside Studios), Clybourne Park (Park Theatre), Kerry Jackson (National Theatre), All in a Row, A Lie of the Mind (Southwark Playhouse) and An Enemy of the People (Chichester Festival Theatre/National Theatre). For television, his work includes Bombing Auschwitz, Endeavour, Downton Abbey (as series regular Andrew Parker), Marvellous, The Ark, New Worlds, Little Big Mouth and Mrs Bradley Mysteries; and for film, Downton Abbey, The World Will Tremble, Dunkirk and Good People.
Aidan Kelly returns to the Donmar where he previously appeared in The Man Who Had All the Luck. His other theatre work includes The Treaty Debates (Anú), Last Orders at the Dockside, The Country Girls, Macbeth, Terminus, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, Doubt, Howie the Rookie, True West, Julius Caesar, The Burial at Thebes, Juno and the Paycock, The Plough and the Stars, The Barbaric Comedies, Sucking Dublin (Abbey Theatre, Dublin), Salome, Treasure Island, The Silver Tassie (National Theatre), Once the Musical (Phoenix Theatre), Troilus and Cressida, Macbeth, The Merchant of Venice (RSC), Terror, Have I None/The Chair Plays, Blasted (Lyric Hammersmith), The Pride of Parnell Street (Fishamble @59E59, New York), Howie the Rookie (Bush Theatre), The Shaughraun (Edinburgh Lyceum), Inside the GPO (Fishamble), and The Playboy of the Western World, Long Day’s Journey into Night, Philadelphia, Here I Come!, and The Good Father (Druid Theatre). For television, his work includes Say Nothing; Borderline, Stay Close, Fair City, London Kills, Killing Eve, Warrior, Call the Midwife, No Offence, Ashes to Ashes, Kitchen, Making the Cut, Bachelors Walk, Proof The Clinic and The Cassidys; and for film, Jericho Ridge, The Physician, Durango, Eden, Michael Collins, Porcelain and The Smiling Suicide Club.
Posi Morakinyo’s theatre work includes For Black Boys… (Garrick Theatre), Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations (Prince Edward Theatre), Mandela (Young Vic), Tina – The Tina Turner Musical (Aldwych Theatre) and Madagascar (UK and international tour).
Cyril Nri’s theatre work includesFurther than the Furthest Thing (Young Vic), Trouble in Mind, Our Country’s Good, The Observer, The Darker Face of the Earth, Way of the World, Blood Wedding (National Theatre), Vassa, Desire (Almeida Theatre), The Weatherman (Park Theatre), The Barbershop Chronicles (National Theatre/Australia and New Zealand tour), Hamlet, Kiss Me Kate, Breaking the Ice, Life’s a Dream, Volpone, Henry VIII, Twelfth Night, Julius Caesar (RSC), The Absence of War (Headlong Theatre), Black Jesus (HMD Productions/Finborough Theatre), Julius Caesar (RSC/West End/BAM New York), The Riots, Playboy of the West Indies, The Piano Lesson, All or Nothing (Tricycle Theatre), Mad About the Boy (Iron Shoes/Edinburgh Festival), Oxford Street, Infidel in the Upper Room, Where Do We Live, Search and Destroy, Ficky Stingers, A Colder Climate, Prairie Du Chien, Edmund (Royal Court Theatre), Road (Cochrane Theatre), The Dragon Can’t Dance (Theatre Royal Stratford East), Macbeth (National Theatre/American tour), Othello (Birmingham Stage Company), The Exonerated (Bob Balaban), The Tempest (The Old Vic), and Serious Money (Wyndham’s Theatre). For television, his work includes Missing You, Daddy Issues, Holier than Thou, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, The Power, Noughts and Crosses, Devils, Zapped, The ABC Murders, Class, Death in Paradise, Cucumber, Criticals, Crims, Law and Order, New Tricks, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Waking the Dead, Cold Blood, The Bill – as series regular Superintendent Adam Okaro, Arabian Nights, Maise Raine, A Touch of Frost, Only Love, Goodnight Sweetheart, This Life, Pie in the Sky, Frank Stubbs Promotes, Calling the Shots and A Strike Out of Time; and for film, Wicked Little Letters, The Witches, Backdraft 2, Jellyfish, Deadmeat, Long Time Dead, The Siege, Talos: The Mummy, The Steal and Strapless.
Ferdy Roberts is Co-Artistic Director of Filter Theatre, and was previously an Associate Artist at The Lyric Hammersmith. His theatre work includes Kyoto (RSC/Good Chance), Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing, The Tempest (Shakespeare’s Globe), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Filter Theatre/HOME/Lyric Hamersmith), Girl from the North Country (The Old Vic), Fatherland (Frantic Assembly), Twelfth Night; Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Faster (Filter Theatre), Plaques & Tangles, If You Don’t Let Us Dream, We Won’t Let You Sleep (Royal Court Theatre), Lampedusa (HighTide/Soho Theatre), Shakespeare In Love (Noël Coward Theatre), Water (Filter Theatre/Lyric Hammersmith /London /Sydney /New York), Pigeons, Talk Show, The President Has Come to See You (Open Court at the Royal Court), Three Kingdoms, Three Sisters (Lyric Hammersmith), Silence (Filter Theatre/RSC), Wallenstein, A Christmas Carol (Chichester Festival Theatre), On Religion (Theatre Poche, Brussels), The Caucasian Chalk Circle (Filter Theatre at the National Theatre), The Birthday Party, The Dumb Waiter, Aladdin (Bristol Old Vic), The Fixer (Almeida Theatre), Girl in a Goldfish Bowl (Sheffield Theatres), Frankenstein (Derby Playhouse), Switchback (Sweetscar/Glasgow Tron), and Playing the Victim (Royal Court/Told By An Idiot). For television his work includes:Dark Angel, Foyle’s War, MI High, The Whistleblowers, Gold Plated, and Your Mother Should Know; and for film,Ozma, What You Will, Mr Nice, Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll and Honest.
Tommy Sim’aan’s theatre work includes A View from the Bridge (Headlong), The Tempest (RSC), Starcrossed (Arden Entertainment)and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Tilted Wig Productions). For television his work includes Vigil and The Midwich Cuckoos.
Justin Martin directs. For theatre, his credits include Kyoto (RSC/Good Chance co-production), Stranger Things – The First Shadow (Olivier Award for Best Entertainment), The Jungle (A Young Vic/National Theatre co-production which played at the Young Vic, West End, St Ann’s Warehouse and in San Francisco and Washington DC – Obie (Southbank Sky Arts Award and a Broadway World Award for Best Direction) – all co-directed with Stephen Daldry. His other credits include Suzie Miller’s Prima Facie with Jodie Comer (West End and Broadway, with the NT Live broadcast being the highest earning event cinema of all time). His other theatre work includes Low Level Panic (Galway Theatre Festival, Irish tour and Australia, Last Chance: A Plea For the Unaccompanied Children of Calais (Young Vic), The Nether (Seymour Centre, Sydney), Far Away (fortyfivedownstairs, Melbourne), Fifty Two (Leicester Square Theatre), Good Chance/No Chance (as part of the Southbank Centre’s Festival of Love), Harvey and Frieda (Arcola Theatre), Street (Mick Laly Theatre – Galway Theatre Festival), The Kitchen (HM Theatre, Victoria) and Skintight (fortyfivedownstairs, Melbourne). His long collaboration with Daldry also includes as Associate Director on The Inheritance, Skylight and The Audience (West End and Broadway). He is an associate artist with Good Chance Theatre, and was the inaugural recipient of the Roger Leach Award for Theatre. In 2021 he co-directed the critically acclaimed and BAFTA Award-winning film Together with Stephen Daldry for Sonia Friedman Productions, BBC Films, and Shoebox Films (starring James McAvoy and Sharon Horgan). His other screen credits include The Lovers for Sky Atlantic, Sundance and AMC, the first two seasons of the award-winning Netflix series The Crown, the upcoming Netflix film The Beautiful Game, and the NT Live performances of Prima Facie,Skylight and The Audience.
Preview discounts apply to the first four performances only
Standing £15 to be released at a later date
35 AND UNDER TICKETS AT £20 Aged 16-35? Sign up to our exclusive email list to book tickets for £20, located throughout the theatre including the front row. Plus receive insights to shows, invites to socials, and exclusive offers at the bar and more. Book early to secure these prices. www.donmarwarehouse.com/35under
Maximum two tickets per person – both need to be aged 35 or under at time of the performance. Subject to availability. ID will need to be shown at Box Office to collect tickets.
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.
THE FEAR OF 13 4 October 2024 – 30 November 2024 Captioned: Monday 18 November 7.30pm Audio described: Saturday 16 November 2.30pm
NATASHA, PIERRE AND THE GREAT COMET OF 1812 7 December 2024 – 8 February 2025 Captioned: Monday 27 January 7.30pm Audio described: Saturday 1 February 2.30pm
BACKSTROKE 14 February 2025 – 12 April 2025 Captioned: Monday 31 March at 7.30pm Audio described: Saturday 5 April at 2.30pm
INTIMATE APPAREL 20 June 2025 – 9 August 2025 Captioned: Monday 28 July at 7.30pm Audio described: Saturday 2 August at 2.30pm
DONMAR WEST END:
NEXT TO NORMAL Directed by Michael Longhurst WYNDHAM’S THEATRE Until 21 September 2024
MACBETH Directed by Max Webster HAROLD PINTER THEATRE 1 October – 14 December 2024
DONMAR WAREHOUSE
The Donmar offers a uniquely intimate theatre experience where no audience member is ever more than four rows from the action. In our converted warehouse in the heart of the West End, we bring together exceptional artists to tell powerful, popular and inclusive stories. For over 30 years we’ve been making celebrated productions of classic plays, new work and intimate musicals that illuminate the human experience and thrill theatre-goers at our home base and further afield through transfers and on screen. We enable talented emerging artists to find new routes into the industry, and create opportunities for local young people to experience the artform as both audience members and makers. Through our productions and participation programmes we inspire audiences and artists of all backgrounds to embrace the experience of live theatre as a catalyst for inquiry, compassion, connection and joy.
WENDI PETERS TALKS ABOUT HER LIFE ON THE ROAD AND IN A HABIT
Star of stage and screen, Wendi Peters, has joined the convent as Mother Superior in the UK tour of Sister Act The Musical which comes to Darlington Hippodrome in September. We caught up with Wendi to chat all about life on the road, and in the habit!
You’re a regular face on TVs across the country, much-loved for your time on Coronation Street as Cilla Battersby-Brown, but you began your career in theatre. What keeps bringing you back to the stage?
Yes! Although, while I am best known for Cilla Battersby-Brown in Coronation Street, I did start my career in theatre. I trained in musical theatre for three years and did ten years before Corrie on stage in musicals, plays and comedies – so it really is part of me. It is what I adore. It is why I wanted to be in the business in the first place. My mum used to take me to see all the big musicals when they came to Manchester and that is when I really knew that’s what I wanted to do for a career – there is nothing like the stage. There is nothing like a live audience and being part of a company, so that is what always brings me back.
Sister Act is a much-loved movie as well as a musical. Were you aware of the show before joining?
Sister Act is a much-loved movie and musical, but I have to admit – I’ve never seen the movie! But I have seen the musical quite a few times. A few times at the London Palladium – I think that was 2009 – and just fell in love with the fun of it, the score and what a great time everyone was having, both cast and audience.
Numerous people have taken on the role of Mother Superior – Maggie Smith on screen, Lesley Joseph and Sue Cleaver on stage. How would you describe your characterisation?
Quite a few actresses now have played Mother Superior. I think, in terms of my characterisation, the nice thing is that everyone who has played Mother Superior has been so different – not just physically but within their acting and characterisation – I am going to play her American and quite stern but with a heart. And hopefully a little bit cheeky, too!
People often say, to survive in musical theatre you need to live like a nun – how will you be looking after yourself on the road?
Yeah, musical theatre is hard. I have done musicals over the years for a very long time and there is, sort of, a rule – not quite a rule but you do have to look after yourself both physically and mentally. Especially on tour, you’re going to be away from your loved ones. And physically – I do a lot of walking on tour. I am going to be taking the dog on tour so I will be walking the dog every day and trying not to have too many late nights. The odd glass of wine is fine, but early nights and trying to get out during the day which hopefully will keep me going throughout the tour.
Sister Act features a fantastic score by the multi award-winning Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid). How would you describe the soundtrack, and do you have a favourite number to perform and/or watch?
I absolutely adore the soundtrack. It is one of my go-to’s when I am feeling a bit down – you stick it on, and you can’t help smiling and feeling a bit happy. Every number is just a killer and that is the great thing about the show – it builds and builds and builds. If I had to pick one, I’d have to say ‘The Life I Never Led’ which is just the most beautiful song which tells a story and is just wonderful – a wonderful piece.
What do you hope audiences take away from this production?
I don’t need to hope – I just know audiences will take away from this production a brilliant evening. Two hours of complete escapism where they will have fun, they will laugh, they may even cry towards the end and just enjoy themselves. I think it is so needed in the world at this moment – people need an escape and to enjoy themselves so come and see Sister Act on tour.
Is there a piece of advice you’ve received or that you would pass on to anyone hoping to go into the creative industry?
I’ve had lots of pieces of advice over the years, but I think the best piece of advice is that you really need to work hard. It is a tough business out there and you need to love it, truly want to be in it and just work so hard. But also, treat people as you would like to be treated. Everyone within the theatre is doing an amazing job – not just the people on stage but the crew, the wardrobe, everybody – stage management, sound, lighting – it’s a real team so treat everybody as you want to be treated, get on and you will have a fab time!
SISTER ACT THE MUSICAL runs at Darlington Hippodrome from Monday 9 to Saturday 14 September. For more information or to book call 01325 405405 or visit www.darlingtonhippodrome.co.uk
of their Groundbreaking New Production in the West End
SENSORY CINDERS
The Studio, 5th Floor @sohoplace from 30 October – 5 November 2024
The West End’s first inclusive sensory pantomime specifically designed for audiences labelled with profound and multiple learning disabilities has added extra performances due to the demand for tickets.
Four additional performances added on Thursday 31 October at 4pm, Friday 1 November at 4pm, Monday 4 November at 11am and Monday 4 November at 4pm.
Sensory Cinders is the first production to be staged in the Studio on the 5th Floor @sohoplace and plays a strictly limited run from 30 October – 5 November 2024, with Press Day on 1 November.
@sohoplace is the West End’s newest theatre and has unrivalled accessibility. Now in its second year of programming, previous main house productions include Marvellous, As You Like It, Medea, Brokeback Mountain, The Little Big Things, Red Pitch and Death of England which runs until 28 September.
Tickets are now on sale via @sohoplace.
Concrete Youth and Barnsley Civic today announce that due to public demand they have added extra performances to the run of their first West End co-production, a brand-new pantomime, Sensory Cinders. This trail blazing show is the first inclusive sensory pantomime specifically designed for audiences labelled with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities (PMLD).
The production has added an additional four matinee performances to its run, allowing more audiences labelled with profound and multiple learning disabilities to access sensory theatre in the West End for the first time. Additional dates include Thursday 31 October at 4pm, Friday 1 November at 4pm, Monday 4 November at 11am and Monday 4 November at 4pm.
Sensory Cinders is the first production to be staged in the Studio on the fully accessible 5th floor of @sohoplace and will play a strictly limited run from 30 October to 5 November with a Press Day on 1 November.
Tickets are now on sale via @sohoplace.
Daniel Swift FRSA (CEO & Co-Artistic Director of Concrete Youth) and Belle Streeton (Co-Artistic Director of Concrete Youth) said: “We are absolutely thrilled that even more audiences labelled with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) will now have the chance to experience Sensory Cinders in the West End. The addition of extra performances is a true testament to how well-received this groundbreaking production has been, and it demonstrates the huge demand for inclusive and accessible theatre by audiences labelled with PMLD in the UK. We’re so excited to meet you at the ball and can’t wait to share this magical experience with everyone!“
Sensory Cindersis a new sensory pantomime adaptation of Cinderella for audiences living with PMLD, featuring original music that explores themes of identity, self-expression, transformation, magic, personas, authenticity, and connectedness. What does it mean to pursue self-love and understanding in a world that doesn’t understand you?
The production features specially designed sensory materials by Henshaws Arts & Crafts, a Yorkshire-based collective supporting local learning-disabled visual artists. The show marks all the artists’ professional theatre debuts.
Sensory Cinders is directed by Belle Streeton,Co-Artistic Director at Concrete Youth, with music/lyrics and musical direction by Guy Hughes, the production is creatively produced by Daniel Swift FRSA, CEO & Co-Artistic Director, of Concrete Youth. The production will be designed by Stella Backman, the dramaturgy is by Lizzie Milton, the production’s creative access consultant is Phoebe Kemp, audience development & outreach is by Annabelle Lee and the show is production managed by Isabel Potter. Casting and further creatives to be announced.
Sensory Cinders is a co-production from the multi-award-winning sensory theatre company Concrete Youth and the nationally recognised venue Barnsley Civic. The production is presented in partnership with @sohoplace and Henshaws Arts Centre. Sensory Cinders is supported by Sheffield Theatres and Arts Council England. The production’s development was supported by the National Theatre’s Generate programme
Listings Information:
Studio | 5th Floor @sohoplace | 4 Soho Place | London | W1D 3BG
Jamie Muscato joins the all-star cast for 3 staged workshop performances of new musical Winghaven Park
Jamie Muscato
West End star Jamie Muscato (Christian in Moulin Rouge!, Guy in Once, JD in Heathers) has joined the 16-strong cast for three staged workshop performances in London of the new American musical Winghaven Park.
Jamie will co-star as Rev. James ‘Jim’ Lock alongside the previously announced four times Olivier Award nominee Summer Strallen (Meg Giry in Love Never Dies), Victoria Hamilton Barritt (Queenie in Hex, NT,) Ryan Anderson (Rudolpho in Matilda the Musical), Charlotte Kennedy (Cosette in Les Miserables) and Anton Stephans (Little Shop of Horrors).
A further 9 additional cast members are also announced today: Lloyd Notice (Mufasa, The Lion King) Keisha Amponsa Banson (Mrs Neilsen, Girl From the North Country) Alastair Parker (Fezziwig, A Christmas Carol, Old Vic) Julie Jupp (Ghost of Christmas Past, A Christmas Carol, Old Vic) Simon Anthony (Guys & Dolls, Bridge Theatre) Kris Manuel (Mary Poppins, The Phantom of the Opera) Christopher Erasmus (Beast, Beauty and the Beast) Maisie Mardle (Matilda, Matilda the Musical)
During the tensions and uncertainties of World War 2 America, Hollywood movie star Vera Webster (Summer Strallen) returns to Vashon Island and her childhood home, Winghaven Park, during a national fundraising tour to sell war bonds to the public. Her three-day stay turns into a journey of self discovery as she navigates an estranged sister, buried family secrets and rekindles a long-lost love with her high school sweetheart.
100 seats at each performance of this major new musical will be available to the public. With every ticket priced at £22, you can be among the first to see this extraordinary musical on stage.
Creative team: Director Gabriel Barre Musical Supervisor Paul Schofield Set Designer Justin Williams Costume Designer Reuben Speed Lighting Designer Toby Darvill Sound Designer Dan Samson Choreographer George Lyons Casting Harry Blumenau CDG CDA Marketing Make A Noise PR Kevin Wilson PR General Management /UK Executive Producer Thomas Hopkins Productions
Winghaven Park A New Musical
Music, Book & Lyrics by Lisa Peretti
Directed by Gabriel Barre
ST PAUL’S THE ACTORS CHURCH Bedford Street, Covent Garden, London WC2E 9ED
Wednesday 25 September at 8pm
Thursday 26 September at 3pm & 7.30pm
100 seats are available to the public at each performance
First love explored in world premiere of Small Town Boys Union Theatre, 229 Union Street, London SE1 0LR Tuesday 10th September – Saturday 5th October 2024
Based on a true story, Small Town Boys by Tim McArthur (A Word For Mother) is coming to the Union Theatre this September. In the summer of 2023, two strangers cross paths in the USA and discover they both dated the same boy as teenagers in the North East of England. Through a series of flashbacks, the audience witness how both men’s past relationships flourished, unaware of each other’s existence. Small Town Boys is a raw and honest show about how people perceive their first loves and how we put them on a pedestal.
The show stars Nathan Taylor (Our Gay Wedding: The Musical), Stuart Simons (Sweeney Todd) and Dominic Charman (The Picture of Dorian Grey). After a sold-out run of Tim’s show Deeper and Deeper at the Union Theatre last year, Tim will direct Small Town Boys alongside Max Turner Prize winner Madeleine MacMahon.
Small Town Boys journeys through the lives of two men who both came out early in their teenage years in the same area of England. Exploring the gay scene in Middlesborough through the lens of the two strangers, it considers the impact Section 28 had on their upbringings as gay men from a homophobic area of the UK. The characters navigate an honest conversation about their lives, being older and how being gay has affected them. The play sees the men’s acceptance of themselves and how this changes over time.
Tim McArthur comments, Small Town Boys is based on a true story. A period of time that was difficult being gay and out in the North East of England. Thatcher’s Britain hated homosexuality and of course the Aids pandemic dominated the gay community. However, there was a strong undercover gay scene thriving in Middlesbrough. Two teenage boys meet and fall in love, another teenage boy meets and falls in love with one of the other boys. As you get older, you may look at past relationships, or even our first love with tainted glasses, or you may hold that memory in your mind as a fairy tale romance. Didn’t we all want that when we were young to fall in love, kiss a lot of frogs until we found our prince? But what happens 30 years later when that first love was not what it seemed to be. How scary it is to discover the crown has slipped?
Nottingham Theatre Royal – until Saturday 31 August 2024
Reviewed by Amy V Gathercole
4****
“A thrilling night out full of familiar toe-tapping numbers and characters you love!”
Wow, getting to see this re-worked and less expected version of Grease is a real treat! Most people will know the John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John iconic film, but did you know the show was originally set in Chicago and not L.A.? The original stage show for Grease was first performed in 1971.
It moved to Broadway following huge success only a year later, where it received seven Tony Award nominations, including one for Best Musical! It’s remained popular ever since in all of its iterations.
Danny (Marley Fenton – fresh from playing Tin Man in ‘The Wizard of Oz’) and Sandy’s (the show sees the professional debut of Hope Dawe) summer romance is still central to the plot, but overall the whole story has a bit of a grittier undertone and with its rebellious style, is honestly better.
There’s much more focus on the ensemble of talent in the cast, as each of The Pink Ladies and The Burger Palace Boys (the film changed their name to the T-Birds) gets their moments to shine, tell their story, and share their struggles too.
It allows the audience to see more of the friendships in the gang and more of the characteristics of the group. At the end of the day, it’s just teenagers in the 1950s finding and expressing their identities, wants and desires for the first time.
Standout performances in this edition come from ‘Betty’ Rizzo (Rebecca Stonehouse) as the girl who won’t ever let anyone see her true emotions and discover her insecurities under her tough bravado.
It was great to see a Sandy that sticks up for herself a little more (against the boys and the girls) and who has a bit more gumption. With Marley as our leading man Zuko, he is a convincing Danny that’s been cast with diversity and inclusion in mind, which director Nikolai Foster is very proud of.
Danny is given a little more substance in terms of his aspirations and considerations of where he fits in best – pondering if being the head of a gang is actually for him?
Comic relief comes from lesser-known members of the gangs, and Sario Solomon as Sonny and Lewis Day as Rump crack gags throughout the show, even in the darker moments, both showcasing great vocals too.
Adding to the comedy is a clever staging choice of having DJ Vince Fontaine (Joe Gash – also playing Teen Angel and) feature in the centre of the stage, above all of the action throughout the show. It really brings the importance of the rock ‘n’ roll soundtrack to the forefront of the story.
Grease was given, let’s call it a Hollywood sheen with the film and this stage version exposes more grit and a tougher side to the lives that these teenagers lived. Exploring feelings of first crushes and romances, considering their body image, bullying, and just growing through their high school adolescence.
My favourite number in the whole performance was a delightfully camp (and the most bubblegum pink version) of ‘Beauty School Dropout’ I’ve ever witnessed, as Frenchy (Alicia Belgrade) meets her guardian angel and deliberates what to do with her dreams and future career.
The choreography is a highlight throughout the entire show, with its fast-paced and energetic routines. It’s courtesy of Dame Arlene Phillips and it’s fantastic, with fresh, fast, and frantic dance routines throughout the show.
Expect to hear tons of your favourite and beloved songs, including ‘Summer Nights’, ‘Greased Lightnin’, ‘Hopelessly Devoted To You’, and ‘You’re The One That I Want’, alongside a bunch of new songs too that add to the narratives.
There will always be a special place in my heart for these stories, I’ve experienced many versions of the film and the show and this is by far my favourite.
There is a space between musical biopic and cabaret tribute act, and that is where A Night with Janis Joplin exists. The absolute powerhouse vocals of Mary Bridget Davies are the foundations, the walls and the roof of this show. Janis Joplin’s famously raw performance, soaked in booze, drugs, and heartbreak, is shown here in the style of a concert. A large band is alway present on stage, and she chats to us the audience about her early life and how she got into music. There are childhood photos, and paintings by Joplin herself that function as a backdrop, providing some context to the stories being told. This is an upbeat celebration of Joplin and her inspiration, and so the plot rather skirts round the sadder and darker elements of her short life.
Writer-director Randy Johnson’s production (which is endorsed by Joplin’s siblings), celebrates Joplin’s music and the blues singers she was inspired by, but goes little further to into the nitty gritty of her short lif. Etta James, Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin and Bessie Smith all make an appearance played by a brilliant supporting cast, providing a well deserved pause for Davies. Kalisha Amaris, Georgia Bradshaw, Choolwe Laina Muntanga, and Danielle Steers are fantastic as the Joplinaire backing singers, and various blues big hitters, bringing some welcome variety in vocals.
The energetic and heartfelt embodiment of Janis Joplin by Mary Bridget Davies is to be thoroughly applauded. The music of Janis Joplin is such a draw with massive hits like “Stay With Me”, “Cry Baby” or “Piece of my Heart”, and the performances are so good that it almost doesn’t matter that it’s a bit light on the story front. Joplin died in the 1970s at the age of 27, and A Night with Janis Joplin offers a chance to experience the vocals live and come away with on a post gig high.
Beyonce’s Texas Hold -Em blasts out as we open on protagonist Conor (Harry Evans), alone in his bedroom, strutting his cowboy dance moves without a care in the world. “Country and Western is cool!” he later protests as his less than impressed bestie Zainab (Nusrath Tapadar) refuses to cut him any slack. Conor, played with charm, innocence and zest by Evans, has his heart set on competing in Croydon Peoples Day talent contest where first prize is a meeting with Leona Lewis’s American agent. This could be his ticket out of dreary Croydon and his unglamorous lifeguard job of blowing his whistle and telling off swimmers for pissing in the pool.
With a little help from the dance skills and borrowed cowboy boots of acerbic Zainab, brilliantly realised by Tapadar who manages to capture her feisty spirit but also a deep rooted vulnerability, Conor might just have a chance. But when fellow lifeguard Michael, with his own musical ambition and dreams of escaping Croydon, muscles his way into accompanying Conor with an unwittingly comic song about being a lifeguard, Conor’s priorities are tested. Callum Broome puts in several scene stealing performances as the dopey, melancholic geezer who finds practically everything “weird”.
Queer playwright Hugo Timbrell wanted to write about a protagonist from a marginalised group whose narrative isn’t about them being marginalised and he’s certainly succeeded in doing so. My Life as a Cowboy is about the power of friendship, ambition, dreaming big and although there are some references to what might be appropriate for a Muslim woman to do in public, the only threat to the trio performing are personal squabbles and their own nerves. Scott Le Crass’s direction leans into the vivid, individual voices of Conor, Zainab and Michael and capitalises on the character-driven humour of the piece.
Simple yet effective staging seamlessly shifts us between Conor’s bedroom, the swimming pool and the talent contest with a wonderful array of country tracks punctuating the changes. It all makes for an uplifting, camp and joyful evening’s entertainment calling on everyone to embrace their inner weirdo!
Festival Theatre, Malvern – until 31st August 2024.
Reviewed by Courie Amado Juneau
4****
Dial M For Mayhem! is the story of a troupe of traveling actors putting on the classic “Dial M For Murder” around the country, coping with the stressors of interpersonal relationships and the rigors of the road (especially when far off the beaten track). We join them as they hit the wilds of Scotland…
Luke Rhodri played Sean Farrell (the Ray Milland character of the original film) as well as being head of the company. He and Isabella Inchbald (playing Sam Middleton – taking on Grace Kelly’s role) are really the anchors that stabilize the ship against the storms (both physical and emotional). Both gave a weighty realism that the play needed to keep the farcical elements balanced. Both actors had their moments when they lost the plot superbly and to great effect though – and they did it so well.
Alasdair Baker (Rupert Valentine Tinglewell and Alasdair McGilivray) was especially joyous to watch as the veteran of the stage – and he totally shone! He brought a poignancy to his part too that was extremely touching – most keenly in his scene with Eliza Langland (Jean Murray/Ellen Harrison and Morag McCullough) but I won’t explain why to avoid spoilers. Meanwhile, Joey Lockhart (George AA Man and Julian Brooke) and Theo Woolford (Andy Jenkins) were the rich comedy seam that ran through the piece – especially George AA Man who was wonderful and deserves a spin off all his own! I could have watched him all night long.
The actors delivered a wordy script with admirable brio. Lines came thick and fast and there really wasn’t a let up in the pace. The premise and the plot were well balanced and logical so a big pat on the back to writer Margaret May Hobbs for that. There is much to enjoy here for anyone who’s been in a touring rep company and would (I’m sure) recognize immediately the situations that the characters find themselves in.
Although there were lots of very humorous one liners, the consistently funniest thing was the flatulence of one of the characters. Funny as it was, the script was just a bit too gentle I felt. Not unfunny, but just needing a touch more in my humble opinion. I also felt that the script needed a twist (or two). It rather peters out at the end, which is a shame as there is much to enjoy along the way. For me, there were several obvious opportunities for the play to take an unexpected turn, which were either missed or deliberately avoided.
So, although this is an enjoyable play it is slightly frustrating as it just fell a touch short of amazing. Having said that, the talented cast were a joy to watch and I came out smiling, having had a fun evening. This is the premiere run of this play and I’m confident that it will mature into an even better piece of comedy theatre in future runs. Certainly worth catching in its initial form though, so still recommended viewing.
