2019 National Theatre Connections Festival premieres ten brand new plays staged by young people

Ten UK school and youth theatre companies have been chosen to bring their productions of ten brand new plays to the 2019 National Theatre Connections Festival, which takes place in the Dorfman Theatre from 25-29 June.

Connections is the largest youth theatre festival in the UK which celebrates new writing for young people aged 13-19. Ten new plays by both established and emerging contemporary playwrights including Ben Bailey Smith, Lajaune Lincoln, Katherine Soper and Dawn King have been exclusively commissioned for young people to stage and perform at this year’s Festival.

Over 6,500 young people have taken part in Connections this year, with the ten plays being premiered by 273 youth theatre companies and schools across the UK. All the companies had the opportunity to transfer their production to one of 30 leading Partner Theatres across the UK, from Eden Court in Inverness, to the Lyric Belfast, and the Theatre Royal Plymouth.Ten companies are selected to perform at the National Theatre between 25-29 June to represent the range of exciting work being produced across the UK. Young people are involved with all aspects of creating and staging the play and take on a variety of backstage and off-stage roles, from operating lights and sound to set and costume design and stage management.

Rufus Norris, Director of the National Theatre said, “National Theatre Connections brings together young theatre-makers from across the UK with today’s most exciting playwrights. I look forward to watching the ten companies perform at this year’s Festival, as a reflection of the fantastic variety of productions which have been taking place in every corner of the UK throughout the year. We hope to inspire more young people in the art of theatre-making and the huge variety of backstage and offstage roles involved in creating a production”.

The productions invited to appear at the NT in the final week of this year’s Festival are:   

Tuesday 25 June in the Dorfman Theatre

7pm – Variations by Katie Hims performed by Outwood Academy, Hemsworth (West Yorkshire)  

8.30pm – Flesh by Rob Drummond performed by Rare Studio Liverpool

Wednesday 26 June in the Dorfman Theatre

7pm – Class by Ben Bailey Smith & Lajaune Lincoln performed by Easy Street Theatre Company (Sheffield)

8.30pm – Stuff by Tom Wells performed by Bolingbroke Academy Theatre Company (Wandsworth, London)

Thursday 27 June in the Dorfman Theatre

7pm – The Small Hours by Katherine Soper performed by Kildare Youth Theatre (County Kildare, Republic of Ireland)

8.30pm – terra / earth by Nell Leyshon & choreography by Anthony Missen performed by ACTS (Wolverhampton)

Friday 28 June in the Dorfman Theatre

7pm – Salt by Dawn King performed by Dimensions Performance Academy (South Wales)

8.30pm – Chaos by Laura Lomas performed by Glasgow Acting Academy SCIO

Saturday 29 June in the Dorfman Theatre

7pm – Ageless by Benjamin Kuffuor performed by Gulbenkian (Canterbury)

8.30pm – The Sad Club by Luke Barnes & music by Adam Pleeth performed by Hall for Cornwall (Truro, Cornwall)

All performances will be captioned.

Tickets are £5 each and are on sale from Friday 24th May. To book tickets, visitwww.nationaltheatre.org.uk/connections

Connections 2019

Applications are now open to take part in next year’s Connections Festival. The National Theatre is looking for 300 school and youth theatre companies across the UK to take part. For more information and to sign up, please visitnationaltheatre.org.uk/connections

The ten new plays for this year’s Festival are:

STUFF

by Tom Wells

Vinny’s organising a surprise birthday party for his mate, Anita. It’s not going well: his choice of venue is a bit misguided, Anita’s not keen on leaving the house, and everyone else has their own stuff going on. Maybe a surprise party wasn’t the best idea?

A play about trying (but not really managing) to help.

VARIATIONS

by Katie Hims

Thirteen-year-old Alice wishes her life was completely different. She wakes up one morning to find that her life isdifferent. In fact, it’s so different that all she wants to do is get back to normality. But how does she do that? 
A play about family, string theory and breakfast.

CLASS

by Ben Bailey Smith & Lajaune Lincoln

It’s school election time and while most of the school is busy enjoying their lunchbreak, a deadlock is taking place amongst the members of the school council. Bitter rivalries, secret alliances and false promises are laid bare. As a ruthless battle ensues, who will win and does anyone really care? 

A play about politics, populism and the ‘ping’ of a text message.

SALT

by Dawn King

Life is never plain sailing, but when a new government initiative comes into place offering young people the chance to train and learn skills overseas, droves of teens jump at the chance to secure their future. Once on board the transport ship, the promises of the glossy advert seem a far cry from what lies ahead. 

A play about generations, choices and hope.

CHAOS

by Laura Lomas

A girl is locked in a room. A boy brings another boy flowers. A girl has tied herself to a railing. A boy doesn’t know who he is. A girl worries about impending catastrophe. A woman jumps in front of a train. A boy’s heart falls out his chest. A butterfly has a broken wing.

Chaos is a symphony of dislocated and interconnected scenes. A series of characters search for meaning in a complicated and unstable world. Bouncing through physics, the cosmos, love and violence, they find order in the disorder of each other.

FLESH

by Rob Drummond

A group of teenagers wake up in a forest with no clue how they got there. They find themselves separated into two different teams but have no idea what game they are expected to play. With no food, no water and seemingly no chance of escape, it’s only a matter of time before things start to get drastic. But whose side are people on and how far will they go to survive? 

This is a play about human nature, the tribes we create and cannibalism.

THE SMALL HOURS

by Katherine Soper

It’s the middle of the night and Peebs and Epi are the only students left at school over half-term. At the end of their night out, former step-siblings Red and Jazz try to navigate their reunion. With only a couple of hours until morning, Jaffa tries to help Keesh finish an essay. As day breaks, Wolfie is getting up the courage to confess a secret to VJ at a party. 

Their choices are small yet momentous. The hours are small but feel very, very long. And when the night finally ends, the future is waiting – all of it.

terra / earth

by Nell Leyshon, choreography by Anthony Missen

A group of classmates is torn apart by the opportunity to perform their own dance. As they disagree and bicker, two distinct physical groups emerge and separate into opposing teams.

When a strange outsider appears – out of step with everyone else – the divide is disrupted. A contemporary narrative dance piece about individuality, community and heritage.

AGELESS

by Benjamin Kuffuor

‘Generations to come will view this as the moment that the curse of ageing was removed and the world was able to look to tomorrow without the fear of a failing mind or body.’

In a not too distant future, Temples pharmaceutical corporation has quite literally changed the face of ageing. Their miracle drug keeps its users looking perpetually teenage. With an ever youthful population, how can society support those who are genuinely young?

A play which questions what it means to be young and the ways in which generations collide.

THE SAD CLUB

by Luke Barnes with Music By Adam Pleeth

This is a musical about depression and anxiety. It’s a collection of monologues, songs and duologues from all over time and space exploring what about living in this world stops us from being happy and how we might go about tackling those problems.

The National Theatre’s Partner for Learning is Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Connections is supported by:

Connections is supported by The Mohn Westlake Foundation, The Buffini Chao Foundation, Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation, Delta Air Lines, The Peter Cundill Foundation, Mactaggart Third Fund, The EBM Charitable Trust, Samantha and Richard Campbell-Breeden, Susan Miller and Byron Grote, and The Broughton Family Charitable Trust.

Peacock Theatre, London – until 16th June 2019

Reviewed by Heather Chalkley

4****

Jennifer Masters and her team have produced a jam-packed theatrical performance of dance, drawing from many genres. The mash up of street and ballet has been cleverly choreographed so the beats are on point! She manages to make crumping and plies look natural together.

The melding with ballet draws out the grace and beauty of street. By the same token, we see ballet performed with grit and edge. To see ballerinas moving as one with street dancers, mirroring the movements with classical poise, is eye opening. Then to be wowed by a B-Boy head spinning, surrounded by a line of pirouetting ballerinas. Throughout the performance dynamic shapes are formed, leaving a lasting impression on the audience.

Stand out performers for me are Brodie Chesher, who makes the male classical ballet scenes look effortless. Chesher also brings his own brand of cheeky camp humour. Oriana Siew-Kim is outstanding in her diversity, intensity and energy. Phill Haddad’s street poetry stitches the performance together beautifully. The cast move together as one team, which makes the whole thing somehow work!

The Creative Team ensure the many changes of music and costume do a fantastic job in setting the mood and scene of each piece. They lead the audience through the journey. In the same way the lighting creates a street vibe throughout, although I did find sometimes, the lights are too subdued to be able to properly see the performance.

The tremendous amount of energy thrown into the finale creates a surge of applause from the audience, bringing people to their feet. If you want a feel good, inspirational piece of dance theatre, I recommend Beats on Pointe!

York Grand Opera House – until 25 May 2019

Reviewed by Marcus Richardson

3***

The Mousetrap is the original whodunnit by the famed British crime novelist Agatha Christie. The murder mystery, set at Monkswell Manor, revolves around the Three Blind Mice killer who has already claimed his first victim and has his eyes set on the manor for his next two victims. The couple who owns the manor are the Ralstons a young married couple who have turned their home into a guesthouse. On the opening day of the guesthouse they have four booked guests and a surprise guest, anyone could be guilty of the murder, and Sargent Trotter is part of the police force to find the killer. Can you guess who is the killer, why are all the guests so quiet about their backgrounds, who is going to be the next victim?

The cast made up of eight actors play eight characters, all who could be suspicious and be killed at any moment. The couple played by Nick Biadon and Harriett Hare have only been married for a year and maybe they don’t know every about each other as they think they do. Hare creates a character that we instantly like she comes across very motherly and caring, Biadon’s character on the other hand is still very likeable however a bit more firm and steadfast. Among the guests there is Mrs Boyle, an unlikable woman who is very bitter and cold, played by Gwyneth Strong who does a good job of making sure we find nothing about the character to like. Alongside Mrs Boyle we have the polar opposite,  Lewis Chandler plays Christopher Wren, a bubbly and camp character with a childish outlook on life and is at times found annoying. Major Metcalf played by John Griffiths is an older friendly gentleman from the army, willing to help around the Manor and seems the most numeral of all the characters. Miss Casewell is a mysterious Character played by Saskia Vaigncourt-Strallen, she is far from womanly and gentle yet doesn’t come across as too aggressive. The next guest came in from out of a snowstorm, Mr Paravicini played David Alcock, is a frogmen man, who is incredibly bizarre, and finds the whole situation entertaining. The cast does a good job at keeping things secret and only revealing things they want you to see.

I have seen The Mousetrap before, so I knew the story but it was interesting to watch it again with a different cast and see all the clues throughout the play as to who the murderer is. It is a classic show, and has been seen by a fair few people; the audience seemed to be made up of older people and I believe that the older generation would find this style of murder mystery more entertaining. It’s was a good show, I wouldn’t stay I was blown away by the show but I didn’t hate the evening, I was entertained however I could only describe it a pleasant show.

King’s Theatre, Edinburgh – until 22 May 2019

Reviewed by James Knight

4****

Lost at Sea by Morna Young, is a deeply personal project. Morna lost her father in 1989 when he was out on the fishing boats and his body was never recovered. Lost at Sea is a story containing fictional characters, but some of the dialogue comes from the fishing communities themselves, and, as the play takes great pains to say, the events are not uncommon.

Sophia McLean plays Shona, a young journalist returning to the small fishing town she was born in to discover more about who her father was. She is greeted by Skipper (Tam Dean Burn) who acts as a guide into the past – showing her her father’s story and taking the form of the collective voice of the community. We see the story revealed – her father Jock (Ali Craig) and his brother Kevin (Andy Clark) working as fishermen on the boats, planning to save up and buy a boat of their own. Money is easy to come by on the sea, but is hard earned.  We hear tales of young men being washed over the side of boats, of the women scraping together what they can until the men return with their pay. As years pass, Kevin becomes greedier, Jock becomes disenfranchised with the fishing, and on one ill-fated trip is swept overboard and never found.

The play examines why these folk return to such a life-threatening job, how they can justify the risk, what has changed in the years since and how outside greed has affected their livelihood. Karen Tennent’s set ensures that a vast backdrop of waves, while sometimes hidden, is always present, looming large over the little people who sail its waters. Pippa Murphy’s music is haunting, and Thoren Ferguson’s live violin provides an immediate connection to the characters onstage, and it’s refreshing to hear the Doric spoken onstage (although the uninitiated may struggle to tune in).

The play ends with a list of men and boats lost from Moray from 1970-2012, and it’s horrifically long. The magnitude of loss that these communities is reminiscent of the First World War, the ages ranging from young to old.

With an impressive cast and an important story to tell, Lost at Sea is a powerful piece of Scottish theatre, whose final moments will linger in your thoughts.

Ino Moxo
June 15th – 16th 2019, South Bank Centre

As the Amazon and the Earth face new threats to their survival, Ino Moxo draws off the power of the natural world in a passionate call for healing. Drawing the audience into an Ayahuasca trance, the piece fuses poetry, song and dance with stunning imagery in a renewed Indigenous ritual for the 21st century. Venture through the Amazon in search of legendary Ayahuasca shaman Ino Moxo at a visionary theatrical experience with Peru’s Grupo Integro

‘Listen carefully: air will be water and water will be air. Everything, absolutely everything will be upside down.’

Ino Moxo is a multi-award winning visual and choreographic theatre piece about an Ayahuasca shaman, Ino Moxo, from the Amawaka Nation in upper Amazonian Peru, who made prophecies about climate change, conflict and changing human values that resonate with us today. The piece is based on César Calvo’s novel The Three Halves of Ino Moxo. Including a real Ayahuasca shaman performing, Roldan Muñoz Agustin “RAWA”, with Peru’s leading contemporary dance theatre, in the UK for the first time, Ino Moxo features incredible 3D projected imagery and mesmerising chants.

Ino Moxo won the Resident Dance Program 2014 – Large Format Category, that was awarded by the Municipality Theatre of Lima as part of FAEL. Grupo Integro experiments across art forms, media and cultures. An essential element of their work is an investigation into the myths of different traditions.

Border Crossings’ ORIGINS Festival is a multidisciplinary festival showcasing the very best artistic work from First Nations communities across the globe, including indigenous Australians, Native Americans (North and South), Maori, Pacific Islanders and Inuit. The festival will bring theatre, dance, music, ceremony, visual arts, workshops, screenings & talks, as well as an extensive programme of participation & learning to London, with a strong emphasis on reaching new, diverse participants & audiences.

Liverpool Empire, Liverpool – until 25 May 2019

Reviewed by Kate Hughes

4****

This year marks the 50th Anniversary of the musical Hair, and last night’s vibrant performance of the controversial hit makes it easy to see why this musical has stood the test of time.

Hair follows a ‘tribe’ of hippies living in New York City through the Vietnam War, with the stage set as their ‘commune’. The stage design – thousands of colourful streamers adorning the walls – felt a little disingenuous and looked more like the exterior of a piñata and less how one imagines a real commune would have looked like. However, the clever levels to the set allowed the band to be naturally incorporated into the performance as fellow ‘tribe’ members.

We are introduced to key members of the tribe right away. Jake Quickenden is charismatic as the tribe leader Berger, who wastes no time in stripping down to very little clothing and lithely gyrating through the audience, setting the tone for the rest of the performance. Marcus Collins is fantastic in the role of Hud and deserves special mention for how he handled the technical difficulties (presumably one of those first night teething problems) that unfortunately meant the audience were unable to hear his first song. This was followed by a five minute interval while the technical situation was rectified, before Collins and the cast returned to the rapturous support of the audience to redeliver an amazing performance. Another special mention has to go to Aiesha Pease for her astounding, out of this world vocal performance and to Alison Arnopp for her endearing portrayal of pregnant hippie, Jeanie.

The musical is mostly about the songs and less about story and plot, the main focus of the latter being whether or not tribe member Claude will go to fight in the Vietnam War. The strength of the performance lies in the note perfect cast and chorus. Each musical number was sung with absolute panache, exuberance and raucous enthusiasm that didn’t wane despite the sheer amount of musical numbers (50 including reprises). Regular interaction with the audience features throughout, making us feel like honorary members of the ‘tribe’, culminating in the audience being invited on stage during the encore of the goosebump-inducing, final rendition of Let the Sunshine In.

Overall, Jonathan O’Boyle succeeds in making Hair relevant for the modern day audience with up to date cultural references, as well as ensuring that it lives up to its reputation of being brazen, controversial and full of life. Definitely a musical that everybody should experience at least once!

ENGLISH TOURING THEATRE &

THEATRE ROYAL STRATFORD EAST’S

CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED PRODUCTION OF

EQUUS

TRANSFERS TO THE WEST END

“You will not see a better production of this masterpiece”

★★★★★

THE OBSERVER

“Still has the power to shock and provoke shivers”

★★★★★

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH

“Mesmerising intensity and intimacy”

★★★★★

EVENING STANDARD

Written by PETER SHAFFER

TRAFALGAR STUDIOS

6 JULY – 7 SEPTEMBER

TICKETS ON SALE TUESDAY 21 MAY

FROM EQUUSWESTEND.COM

Award winning director Ned Bennett’s bold revival of Peter Shaffer’s iconic psychological thriller Equus is transfering to the West End this summer. Following its hugely successful run, the English Touring Theatre and Theatre Royal Stratford Eastproduction of Equus will open at London’s Trafalgar Studios 6 July for a strictly limited season until 7 September. 

The five star production received unprecedented critical acclaim when it opened, with The Sunday Times describing it as “a dazzling revival”and The Observer professing “You will not see a better production of this masterpiece”. The Evening Standard said this stunning re-imagined revival is filled with “mesmerising intensity and intimacy” while also being hailed as “exhilarating” (The Guardian) and “haunting, engrossing theatre..rich and riveting…a must see” (WhatsOnStage).

Inspired by a true story, Equus is a gripping and transfixing psychological thriller which sets out to explore the complex relationships between devotion, myth and sexuality. When teenager Alan Strang’s pathological fascination leads him to blind six horses in a Hampshire stable, psychiatrist Dr. Martin Dysart is tasked with uncovering the motive behind the boy’s violent act. As Dysart delves into Alan’s world of twisted spiritualty, passion and sexuality, he begins to question his own sanity and motivations in a world driven by consumerism.

Ned Bennett (Director), Georgia Lowe (Designer), Jessica Hung Han Yun (Lighting Designer), Giles Thomas (Composer & Sound Designer), Shelley Maxwell (Choreographer & Movement Director), Denzel Westley-Sanderson (Associate Director), Anne McNulty (Casting Director).

Robert Fitch (Frank Strang/Horse), Keith Gilmore (Harry Dalton/Nurse/Horse), Ethan Kai (Alan Strang), Norah Lopez Holden (Jill Mason/Horse), Ira Mandela Siobhan (Young Horseman/Nugget) and Zubin Varla (Martin Dysart) will reprise their roles for the West End transfer with further casting to be announced.

This production of Equus was produced by English Touring Theatre and Theatre Royal Stratford East and is produced in the West End by Trafalgar Theatre Productions.

LISTINGS INFORMATION

TRAFALGAR STUDIOS

Previews: From 6 July 2019

Tickets: From £25

Box Office: 0844 871 7632

Performances: Moday – Saturday at 7.30pm, Thursday & Saturday at 2.30pm

To book tickets please visit: equuswestend.com

Twitter: @TrafStudios

Facebook: /TrafStudios

Insta: @TrafStudios

ASHLEY ROBERTS & LUCIE JONES
TO STAR IN

It is announced today that from Monday 17 June Ashley Roberts (Strictly Come Dancing 2018 finalist, The Pussycat Dolls) will be making her West End debut as Dawn in Sara Bareilles’ hit musical Waitress for a strictly limited summer season. It is also confirmed that Lucie Jones (Rent,Les Misérables, Legally Blonde) will take over the role of Jenna from this date.

London’s brand-new smash hit musical comedy Waitress tells the story of Jenna, a waitress and expert pie-maker who dreams her way out of a loveless marriage. When a hot new doctor arrives in town, life gets complicated. With the support of her workmates Becky and Dawn, Jenna overcomes the challenges she faces and finds that laughter, love and friendship can provide the perfect recipe for happiness. 

Waitress celebrated its official opening night at the Adelphi theatre on 7 March and the Tony-nominated musical is now booking to 19 October.

Ashley Roberts will play Dawn. Best known for being a member of one of the biggest girl groups in the world, The Pussycat Dolls, Ashley shot to fame after the release of the album ‘PCD’.  During her seven years in the group they sold over 54 million records and toured the world performing to fans worldwide. Since leaving the group in 2010, Ashley won the hearts of the British public in 2012 when she was voted runner up in I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! in one of the closest reality show finals in history. She followed this with a starring role on Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway. Ashley continued her TV career as a judge on ITV’s Dancing On Ice for two seasons and on the popular BBC One talent competition Let It Shine as a guest judge alongside Gary Barlow.

In 2017, Ashley pursued her love of comedy, appearing as a regular on ITV’s The Keith Lemon Sketch Show and Coming In America, in addition to hosting two seasons of 1st Look, which aired every Saturday night on NBC in the US. In 2018, Ashley joined the cast of BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing. With guidance from professional dance partner Pasha Kovalev the pair danced their way to the finals with Ashley becoming the highest scoring contestant with an average score of 36.9 and holds the record for the most perfect scores ever received by a contestant with five perfect scores throughout the season.

Lucie Jones will play Jenna. Lucie has played some of the most iconic roles in musical theatre, with previous theatre credits that include Cosette in Les Misérables (Queens Theatre), Maureen Johnson in RENT (The Other Palace and national tour), Elle Woods in Legally Blonde (national tour), Holly inThe Wedding Singer (national tour), Victoria in American Psycho The Musical (Almeida), Molly Jensen in Ghost: The Musical (Asian tour) and Meat in the We Will Rock You (world arena tour).

Lucie was a finalist in the 2009 series of The X Factor and toured the UK playing to sell out arena crowds on The X Factor Tour in 2010. In January 2017, she won the public vote on the BBC2 showEurovision – You Decide with her original song ‘Never Give Up On You’. She competed at the Eurovision World Final in Ukraine. Other television work includes roles in Midsomer Murders (ITV) and The Sarah Jane Adventures (BBC).

Brought to life by a ground breaking, female-led creative team, Waitress features an original score by 7-time Grammy® nominee Sara Bareilles (Love Song, Brave), a book by acclaimed screenwriter Jessie Nelson (I Am Sam) and direction by Tony Award® winner Diane Paulus (Pippin, Finding Neverland) and choreography by Lorin Latarro. The production is currently touring the US and has also announced it will have its Australian premiere in 2020 at the Sydney Lyric Theatre.

Alongside Lucie Jones and Ashley Roberts as Jenna and Dawn, Waitress also stars Marisha Wallace as Becky, Peter Hannah as Earl, David Hunter as Dr. Pomatter and Shaun Prendergast as Old Joe.

The full company includes Kelly Agbowu, Piers Bate, Nicole Raquel Dennis, Michael Hamway, Peter Hannah, David Hunter, Lucie Jones, Stephen Leask, Chris McGuigan, Olivia Moore, Nathaniel Morrison, Sarah O’Connor, Leanne Pinder, Shaun Prendergast, Charlotte Riby, Ashley Roberts, Marisha Wallace and Mark Willshire. Laura Baldwin will return to the role of Dawn in Waitress at the end of the summer.

On its Broadway opening, Waitress was nominated for four Outer Critics’ Circle Awards, including Outstanding New Broadway Musical; two Drama League Award Nominations, including Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical; six Drama Desk Nominations, including Outstanding Musical; and four Tony Award Nominations, including Best Musical.

LISTINGS

WAITRESS
The Adelphi Theatre
The Strand,
London WC2R 0NS

Monday – Saturday evenings at 7.30pm
Wednesday & Saturday matinees at 2.30pm

24 Hour Telephone Booking line: 020 7087 7753
waitressthemusical.co.uk

Day seats are available to purchase in person from the theatre box office from 10am for £25. Mon-Weds performances from Monday 11 February. Subject to availability and at the box office’s discretion.

Images from: https://www.thecornershoppr.com/downloads/waitress/

Twitter: @WaitressLondon
Facebook: Waitress the Musical – London
Instagram: @WaitressLondon

Union Theatre – until 8th June 2019

Reviewed by Catherine Françoise

4****

Elegies For Angels, Punks and Raging Queens is not often done so here’s a wonderful opportunity to grab yourself a ticket or two at the Union Theatre for an engaging, thoughtful, stylish production directed by Brian Hodgson.

A collection of personal stories of unconnected people told in poems and songs ~ stories sympathetic, selfless, selfish, baffled, quiet, angry, funny, resigned, loud, proud and more besides. Described as a song cycle this moving piece was inspired by the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt in San Francisco and Edgar Lee Masters’ Spoon River Anthology. Each of the monologues is written from the perspective of people who have died as a result of AIDS with the songs representing the feelings of friends and family members dealing with the loss.

Strong and moving performances from a committed cast portray so many different types of people AIDS affected. Powerfully for something first written in the early 1980s the characters affected are not just gay men as most people certainly would have assumed 3 decades ago, but also straight men, women and haemophiliacs. And of course 3 decades ago there was no medication that could much alleviate the distressing and devastating effects of AIDS, let alone alleviate or even banish the virus. Tens of thousands of mainly young people died during the 80s and Elegies was originally titled ‘The Quilt’ as an homage to all the quilts made and joined together in San Francisco.

Each character in the show has their own small quilt which they present as they tell their own individual story, though as this is also an ensemble piece, everyone stays on stage for the entire performance supporting each other as ensemble.

Bryan Hodgson directs Aidan Harkins, Ailsa Davidson, Althea Burey, Calum Gulvin, Charlie McCullagh, Chris Cahill, Fraser Leigh Green, Jackie Pulford, Jade Chaston, Jade Marvin, Kristine Kruse, Marcus Ayton, Matthew Grove, Michiel Janssens, Paige Fenlon and Rhys Taylor in an almost choreographed style (Adam Haigh choreography credit). Beautiful, impactful lighting from Alex Musgrave and precise, clever sound effects by Henry Brennan supported changes of mood, place, character and flashbacks in time.

The evocative score includes some of my personal favourite songs and was accompanied most wonderfully by Musical Director Henry Brennan on piano and Pippa Mason on cello. The rich melancholic cello sound really adds something special to these emotional and quite profound songs composed by Bill Russell (Book & Lyrics) and Janet Hood (Music).

Many of these beautiful songs have been heard in cabaret and concert over the past 30 years but here is a wonderful chance to hear them in situ as originally created:

· Angels, Punks And Raging Queens

· Holding On To You

· I Don’t Do That Anymore

· And The Rain Keeps Falling Down

· Celebrate

· I Don’t Know How To Help You

· Heroes All Around

· Spend It While You Can

· My Brother Lived In San Francisco

· Learning To Let Go

Elegies For Angels, Punks and Raging Queens are spoken authentic stories of those lost too soon, told with love, honesty and humour, with those left behind remembering and expressing their best memories and profound loss in beautiful songs ~ A compelling tribute to all millions now lost to AIDS and to those left behind mourning those gone but not forgotten.

Get Tickets here: http://www.uniontheatre.biz/elegies.html

MAMMA MIA! THE PARTY

ANNOUNCES NEW BOOKING PERIOD

TO SUNDAY 16 FEBRUARY 2020

TICKETS ON SALE FROM 10:00 FRIDAY 24 MAY 2019

 

MAMMA MIA! THE PARTY, the new immersive theatrical and dining experience opening in a specially-adapted venue within The O2 London this summer, is extending its booking period from Monday 18 November 2019 to Sunday 16 February 2020 due to popular demand. New tickets will go on sale from 10.00am on Friday 24 May 2019.

Created by ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus, MAMMA MIA! THE PARTY is a new and unique entertainment concept that puts guests in the heart of the action. Over the course of more than five hours, they can enjoy a spectacular show, a three-course gourmet Mediterranean meal and an ABBA disco all in one unforgettable evening.

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

Björn Ulvaeus, the Executive Producer of MAMMA MIA! THE PARTY, said, “We are thrilled with the public response to MAMMA MIA! THE PARTY, which has shown in our phenomenal ticket sales to date. I am excited to be bringing our joyful production to London, and am grateful to Londoners and people around the UK who have shown their support for us in return.”

Producer Ingrid Sutej said, “MAMMA MIA! THE PARTY really is a unique experience, with nothing else like it currently showing in London. We look forward to our guests dining, dancing and having fun when we open at The O2 in August.”

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

The London version of MAMMA MIA! THE PARTY, which originally opened in Stockholm in January 2016 and is now in its fourth sold-out year, will be co-directed by Roine Söderlundh and Stacey Haynes, with set designed by Bengt Fröderberg, costumes designed by Annsofi Nyberg, lighting designed by Patrick Woodroffe and sound designed by Gareth Owen.

MAMMA MIA! THE PARTY is produced by Björn Ulvaeus and Ingrid Sutej for MM! The Party Ltd.

LISTINGS INFORMATION

MAMMA MIA! THE PARTYThe O2
Peninsula Square
London SE10 0DX 
Performances:
Until 18 November 2019: Mondays & Wednesdays to Sundays at 7.30pm, Saturdays & Sundays at 1pm
From 19 to 25 November 2019: Wednesday to Sunday at 7.30pm, Saturday & Sunday at 1pm*
From 26 November 2019: Tuesdays to Sundays at 7.30pm, Saturdays & Sundays at 1pm
(*N.B. No performances Tuesday 19 & Monday 25 November 2019)

Tickets: From £135 (plus booking fees), to include admission and meal (drinks extra)

Box Office: www.mammamiatheparty.co.uk / 0844 844 9545

Currently Booking to 16 February 2020

Recommended Age: 5+Website: www.mammamiatheparty.co.uk
Facebook, Instagram: @mammamiapartyuk