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Miss Rory – A Christmas Rory II
Monday 17th December

Tyne Theatre and Opera House are excited to announce the return of Newcastle’s
Queen of Comedy, Miss Rory, to their stage this Christmas, with her live standup,
A Christmas Rory II. If you’re looking for something a little more risqué
amidst the Panto season, this is the show for you!

Mariah Carey might have you believe that she’s the only diva you need to be concerned with at Christmas but Newcastle’s undisputed Queen of Comedy is
back, and with a vengeance. After the sell-out successes of One Woman in 2016
along with What’s Up Hun? and A Christmas Rory in 2017; Miss Rory’s return to
the Tyne Theatre & Opera House stage this Christmas is set to be a night full of
showbiz festivities

Critically acclaimed, adored by the public and often hailed as ‘The People’s
Princess’, Miss Rory will have you laughing until you cry as she spreads two
hours of hilarity and Christmas cheer

“AN OVERWHELMING TRIUMPH” – The Journal

“ONE HELL OF A SHOW” – The Chronicle

(Quotes based on previous Miss Rory shows)

Theatre director Joanne Johnson says: “We’re so excited to have one of our
favourites, Newcastle icon Miss Rory, back on our stage for Christmas! Miss Rory
always puts on a fabulous and hilarious show, and this one will be a festive treat.
Miss Rory joins our incredible comedy line-up, which is jam-packed with some of
the biggest names in comedy including Joe Lycett, Sarah Millican, Dylan Moran and
Lost Voice Guy. Tyne Theatre & Opera House is THE place to see comedy in
Newcastle.”

Strictly 18+

Tickets: £25 Stalls & Grand Circle, £22.50 limited view Stalls & Grand
Circle, £20 Upper Circle, £18.50 limited view Upper Circle
Group bookings: Groups 10+ of prime location seating £23 each, no
booking fees, only available by calling 07787 566 850 (Subject to
availability, limited time only so get in quick.)

Tickets available now from www.tynetheatreandoperahouse.uk

ANDY NYMAN LEADS THE COMPANY IN THE

MENIER CHOCOLATE FACTORY’S

MAJOR REVIVAL OF FIDDLER ON THE ROOF

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF

Music by Jerry Bock          Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick          Book by Joseph Stein

Directed by Trevor Nunn

The Menier Chocolate Factory today announces that Andy Nyman will lead the company as Tevye in its major revival of one of the world’s most-beloved musicals of all time, Fiddler on the Roof, in a new staging by Trevor Nunn. The production opens on 5 December, with previews from 23 November, and runs until 9 March. Booking is open for supporters of the Menier with public booking opening on 5 September.

This joyous and heart-breaking story of the travails of Tevye the milkman, his wife and five daughters features such classic songs as “Sunrise, Sunset,” “If I Were a Rich Man” and “Matchmaker, Matchmaker” and remains a heart-warming celebration To Life – L’chaim!

The first London production of Fiddler on the Roof opened in February 1967 at Her Majesty’s Theatre; and the most recent London production opened in May 2007 at the Savoy Theatre with Henry Goodman as Tevye.

Fiddler on the Roof sees Trevor Nunn renew his collaboration with the Menier – he previously directed Lettice and Lovage, Love in Idleness (also West End), A Little Night Music (also West End and Broadway) and Aspects of Love for the company.

Andy Nyman is an award-winning actor, director and writer who has earned acclaim from both critics and audiences for his work in theatre, film and television. He returns to the Menier Chocolate Factory having previously performed in Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins and Abigail’s Party (also Wyndham’s Theatre). Other theatre work includes Martin McDonagh’s Hangmen (Wyndham’s Theatre), and the original production of Ghost Stories (Duke of York’s Theatre/Arts Theatre) which he starred in, co-wrote and co-directed with Jeremy Dyson. His extensive television credits include The Eichmann Show, Campus, Crooked House, Dead Set as well as his highly acclaimed performance as Winston Churchill in Peaky Blinders. This year he will be seen in the up and coming series’ Wanderlust and Hanna. Nyman’s extensive film credits include The Commuter, Death at a Funeral, Kick-Ass 2, Black Death, The Brother’s Bloom, Severance and Shut Up & Shoot Me, for which he won the ‘Best Actor’ award at the Cherbourg Film Festival in 2006. Upcoming films include Jungle Cruise and playing opposite Renee Zellweger in Judy. This year saw the release of the film version of Ghost Stories. Based on their own play, the film was written and directed by Nyman and Jeremy Dyson. Nyman also stars alongside Martin Freeman and Paul Whitehouse. In addition, he has collaborated with Derren Brown for almost 20 years, co-writing and co-creating much of Brown’s early TV work, he has also co-written and directed six of Brown’s stage shows winning the ‘Best Entertainment’ Olivier Award for Derren Brown – Something Wicked This Way Comes and recently a New York Drama Desk Award for ‘Best Unique Theatrical Event 2017’ for Derren Brown – Secret.

From 1968 to 1986, Trevor Nunn was the youngest ever Artistic Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, directing over thirty productions, including most of the Shakespeare canon, as well as Nicholas Nickleby and Les Misérables.  From 1997 to 2003, he was Artistic Director of the National Theatre, where his productions included Troilus and Cressida, Oklahoma!, The Merchant of Venice, Summerfolk, My Fair Lady, A Streetcar Named Desire, Anything Goes and Love’s Labour’s Lost. He has directed the world premières of Tom Stoppard’s plays Arcadia, The Coast of Utopia and Rock n Roll; and of Cats, Sunset Boulevard, Starlight Express and Aspects of Love by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Other theatre includes Timon of Athens, Skellig (Young Vic); The Lady From The Sea (Almeida Theatre); Hamlet, Richard II, Inherit the Wind (The Old Vic), A Little Night Music (Menier Chocolate Factory, West End and Broadway), Cyrano de Bergerac, Kiss Me Kate (Chichester Festival Theatre); Heartbreak House, Flare Path, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, The Tempest (Theatre Royal, Haymarket); Scenes from a Marriage (Coventry & St James), All That Fall (Jermyn Street & New York); A Chorus of Disapproval and Relative Values (West End).  Work for television includes Antony and Cleopatra, The Comedy of Errors, Macbeth, Three Sisters, Othello, The Merchant of Venice and King Lear, and on film, Hedda, Lady Janeand Twelfth Night.  

Listings Information

Fiddler on the Roof

Public booking opens on 5 September

Venue:                                 Menier Chocolate Factory

Address:                              53 Southwark Street, London, SE1 1RU

Dates:                                   23 November 2018 – 9 March 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, as below 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.

www.menierchocolatefactory.com

Twitter: @MenChocFactory

FULL CAST ANNOUNCED FOR VIRGINIA WOOLF’S

MRS DALLOWAY IN A NEW ADAPTATION BY HAL COASE

Arcola Theatre and Forward Arena present

Virginia Woolf’s

Mrs Dalloway

A new adaptation by Hal Coase

Director: Thomas Bailey; Designer: Emma D’Arcy; Lighting Design Joe Price;

Sound Design Tom Stafford

Arcola Theatre

25 September – 20 October 2018

Arcola Theatre and Forward Arena today announce the full cast for Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway, a new adaptation by Hal Coase. Thomas Bailey, co-Artistic Director of Forward Arena, directs Emma D’Arcy (Rezia), Sean Jackson (Peter), Clare Lawrence Moody (Sally), Clare Perkins (Clarissa) and Guy Rhys (Septimus). The production opens at Arcola Theatre on 1 October, with previews from 25 September and runs until 20 October.

On a single day in London, 1923, Clarissa Dalloway prepares to throw a party for her high-society friends.

On the same day, in the same city, First World War veteran Septimus Warren Smith seeks help from the ruling class that Clarissa entertains.

Forward Arena present a fast-paced, dynamic staging of Hal Coase’s bold new version of Mrs Dallowayrenewing the collaboration between the company and Hal Coase following their previous production of Callisto: a queer epic at Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Arcola Theatre.

 

Hal Coase adapts. His playwrighting credits include Callisto: a queer epic which was presented at Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Arcola Theatre in a previous collaboration with Forward Arena. His other work has been performed at Camden People’s Theatre, Pleasance Theatre, Ashmolean and North Wall Arts Centre.

Emma D’Arcy plays Rezia and is also Joint Artistic Director of Forward Arena. Her theatre credits include Against (Almeida Theatre), A Girl in School Uniform (Walks into a Bar) (West Yorkshire Playhouse), Clickbait (Theatre503), and Children and Animals and Callisto: A Queer Epic (Edinburgh Festival Fringe). She will next be seen in BBC 1’s Wanderlust, starring alongside Toni Collette and Steven Mackintosh.

Sean Jackson plays Peter. His theatre credits include Macbeth (Shrewsbury), The Hook (Royal & Derngate Northampton/Everyman Theatre), Antony & Cleopatra, Holy Warriors (Shakespeare’s Globe), Richard III(Nottingham Playhouse/York Theatre Royal), Say It With Flowers (Hampstead Theatre), Waves (National Theatre/The Duke on 42^nd Street, New York), Beauty and the Beast, The Seagull, A Dream Play, The Mandate, Iphigenia at Aulis, The Talking Cure, Ivanov (National Theatre), Hamlet (Donmar Warehouse/Broadhurst Theatre, New York), Richard II, The Wild Duck (Donmar Warehouse), The Jewish Wife (Young Vic) and Henry V(Royal Exchange Theatre). His television credits include Da Vinci’s Demons and The Fear; and for film, Eddie the Eagle.

 

Clare Lawrence Moody plays Sally. Her theatre credits include The Divide (Edinburgh Festival Fringe/The Old Vic), Punts (Theatre503), Home Chat (Finborough Theatre), Mill Hill (St James’ Theatre), The Distance (Orange Tree Theatre), A Door Should Be Open Or Shut (Chichester Festival Theatre), Late In The Day (Reckless Moment), Shelley (West Yorkshire Playhouse/Oxford Playhouse), Age of Arousal (Royal Lyceum Theatre) and The Girls of Slender Means (Edinburgh Festival Fringe). Her television credits include Longitude and This Could Be the Last Time; and for film, Pride.

 

Clare Perkins plays Clarissa. Her theatre credits include Emilia (Shakespeare’s Globe), Genesis Inc (Hampstead Theatre), Female Parts: Shorts – The Immigrant (Hoxton Hall), Daisy Pulls it Off (Park Theatre), Three Mothers (Waterloo East), Primetime (Royal Court Theatre), Roundelay (Southwark Playhouse), The Convert (Gate Theatre), Removal Men (Yard Theatre), Play On, Little Revolution (Almeida Theatre), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (National Theatre/UK tour), The House that Will Not Stand, How Long is Never? Darfur- a Response, Fabulation (Tricycle Theatre), Welcome to Thebes (National Theatre), A Fag Burn in the Carpet (Kings Head Theatre), Our Country’s Good, Cyrano De Bergerac (Nuffield Southampton Theatres), Generations of the Dead (Young Vic) and Ready or Not (Theatre Royal Stratford East). For television her credits include as series regular Ava Hartman in EastEnders, Denise Boulter in Family Affairs and Cathy Kelsey in Pig Heart Boy.

Guy Rhys plays Septimus. His theatre credits include Not Now, Bernard, Jason & the Argonauts, My Father, Odysseus (Unicorn Theatre), The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, St Joan (Donmar Warehouse), Bird (Sherman Theatre/Royal Exchange Theatre), Pomona (Orange Tree Theatre/National Theatre/Royal Exchange Theatre), Wendy & Peter Pan (RSC), Star Cross’d (Oldham Coliseum), A View From The Bridge (Royal Exchange Theatre), Rafta Rafta (Bolton Octagon/New Vic Theatre), Mother Courage and Her Children, The Powerbook (National Theatre), The Allotment (New Perspectives), A Streetcar Named Desire (Theatr Clwyd), Murmuring Judges, Transmissions (Birmingham Rep), Othello (Nottingham Playhouse), Hijra (West Yorkshire Playhouse), Romeo & Juliet (Chichester Festival Theatre), The Ramayana (Birmingham Rep/National Theatre). His television credits include The Crimson Field and Fallout; and for film, The Festival.

Co-Artistic Director of Forward Arena Thomas Bailey directs. For the company, his credits include The Games We Played (Theatre503) and Callisto: a queer epic (Edinburgh Festival Fringe/Arcola Theatre) and Rehearsing for Planet B (North Wall Arts Centre). He was awarded the Bryan Forbes Directing Bursary in 2017.

               

ABOUT FORWARD ARENA

Forward Arena make theatre that is culturally and politically awake, without ever forgetting theatre’s responsibility to be an impressive and stimulating feast of liveness. The company was formed in 2016 by co-Artistic Directors Emma D’Arcy and Thomas Bailey, and Executive Director Ellie Keel.

Most recently the company presented Callisto: a queer epic by Hal Coase which premièred at Pleasance Dome for the full Edinburgh Festival Fringe run in August 2016, transferring to Arcola Theatre in October 2016 before returning for a full run at the venue the following December. Previous Forward Arena shows include The Games We Played by Michelle Sewell at Theatre503 and Children and Animals by Florence Read at The North Wall Arts Centre, Oxford before a month run at Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

http://forwardarena.com/home

Twitter:                @ForwardArena

Facebook:           ForwardArena

ABOUT ARCOLA THEATRE

Arcola Theatre is one of London’s leading off-West End theatres. Locally engaged and internationally minded, we stage a diverse programme of plays, operas and musicals. New productions from major artists appear alongside cutting-edge work from the most exciting emerging companies. Every year, our Participation department creates over 13,500 creative opportunities for the people of Hackney and beyond, and 26 weeks of free rehearsal space for theatre artists of colour. Our pioneering environmental initiatives are internationally renowned, and aim to make Arcola the world’s first carbon-neutral theatre.

Twitter:                @arcolatheatre

Facebook:           arcolatheatre

Mrs Dalloway

Listings

Arcola Theatre

24 Ashwin Street, Dalston, London E8 3DL

Box Office: 020 7503 1646

www.arcolatheatre.com

25 September – 20 October 2018

 

Tickets: £15 – £22 (Concessions available)

King’s Head Theatre

Reviewed by Adam Craddock

5*****

It’s 2018. The year that the Church of England encouraged Transgender people to join the clergy, the year that gay marriage was finally legalised in Austria and the year that York and Norwich held their biggest ever pride events. But what could quite possibly be the most important thing that happened this year and yet one of the quietest is that 2018 is the year that Guy: a new musical was released. With its messages of accepting everyone for who they are, the real person they are – not the shell on the outside, and its innovative integration of social media and dating apps into a two act musical, Guy is quite simply one of those special shows, an anomaly in the broader world of big budget all singing all dancing shows. And this intimacy and small scale is what makes it so special.

The show follows Guy, a larger build gay man living with all the modern day struggles of life in this social media and technology based climate. After trying to find love through grindr unsuccessfully, he ends up unexpectedly finding it much closer to home with a friend he meets in the gym, Aziz. We follow this growing relationship on a beautiful journey that is not short of an unexpected turn or two. With a beautiful score by Stephen Hyde and a great book by Leoe Mercer this is a show that has all the tools it needs to succeed.

Brendan Mathew gave a sublime performance in the role of Guy, with a beautiful fragility to his performance that really let you in to his feelings and helped you empathise even more than you would think with Guy’s character. He pitched all his dialogue to perfection, showed some brilliant off text work and I have to say… I think this may be one of the most sublime singing voices I have ever heard. Seann Miley-Moore gave a brilliant slow burn performance as Aziz, with a fabulous poppy quality to his singing voice and a very intelligent performance with his real thinker’s part. Well done Seann! Steve Banks performed brilliantly as Tyler and in his other chorus roles. He portrayed a man in crisis when his life started falling apart due to his boyfriend leaving him and what he discovers and in the more comedic ensemble roles… Wow! Banks showed some of the best physical comedy acting that I have ever seen, he was rip roaringly funny and so controlled. Very impressive. Adam Braidley also performed well as Joe/Dom, with very nice vocals and some solid acting.

Basically what I am trying to say is this. Guy: a new musical is one of those once in a blue moon shows, a special piece of theatre that needs to be seen. So get online and grab a ticket while you can because I can guarantee you that this will be something people are talking about for years to come.

Underbelly Festival, Southbank – until 30th September

Review by Heather Chalkley

5*****

The atmosphere was fun, solicitous and very naughty from the moment you entered the Spiegeltent. Our ring master presented as a delicious, full on cabaret mistress reminiscent of Tim Rice. Miss Frisky (Laura Corcoran) has a huge voice that brought a level of sensuality to familiar songs in an a wholly unfamiliar way!

The Creatives are of a high Calibre and certainly do not disappoint, entwining circus choreography, cabaret music and storytelling to produce a unique performance.

The story telling was magical, sometimes hilarious and always emotionally charged. The skill of all the performers was phenomenal. You fell in love with each and every one of them, getting caught up in their individual dramas. Unfortunately  Leon Fagbemi, The Maestro, sustained an injury at the start of a promising performance. Miss Frisky (Laura Corcoran) infinitely the professional, smoothed this over in her own irreverent style and The Knaves (Nicolas Jelmoni and LJ Marles) soon filled in. They certainly did not detract from the performance.

If you want to be entertained in a way that makes you forget the world outside and be submerged into a breathtaking adult playland, Director Sean Kempton has created it!

Howard Panter for Trafalgar Theatre Productions,

GWB Entertainment, BookMyShow, Tokyu Theatre Orb,

Tulchin/Bartner and David Lazar

in association with KHAM Inc.

Proudly Present

The Lincoln Center Theater

production of

RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN’S

Starring

Tony Award Winner

KELLI O’HARA as Anna

Oscar and Tony Award Nominee

KEN WATANABE as The King

Tony Award Winner

RUTHIE ANN MILES as Lady Thiang

 

LAST CHANCE TO SEE THIS CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED,

RECORD BREAKING, AWARD-WINNING PRODUCTION

AT THE LONDON PALLADIUM STARRING THE

THREE ORIGINAL BROADWAY ACTORS

FINAL FOUR WEEKS UNTIL SATURDAY 29 SEPTEMBER

4 EXTRA THURSDAY MATINEES ADDED

 

“I doubt I’ll see a better production in my lifetime”

Wall Street Journal

 

The multiple Tony award-winning Lincoln Center Theater production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s THE KING AND I currently enjoying huge success must end its limited engagement at the London Palladium on Saturday 29 September.

The final four weeks of performances is the very last chance for audiences to see the three original Broadway leading actors reprising their starring roles – Tony Award-winner (Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for The King and I) Kelli O’Hara as Anna, Tony and Oscar nominee Ken Watanabe as The King and Tony Award-winner (Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical for The King and I) and Ruthie Ann Miles as Lady Thiang.

Directed by Tony Award-winner Bartlett Sher, the 16-week season of this unmissable, lavish and majestic production has smashed box office records – including the biggest grossing eight performance week in the London Palladium’s history, taking £1,058,317.50 – played to packed houses and received standing ovations at every performance.  Such has been the demand for tickets, an extra five matinees have been added to the performance schedule.

The critics have heaped praise on “the big glitzy musical of the summer” (Metro) too. The Times awarded the show “Five stars for a sumptuous King and I” declaring it “a hit” and urging its readers to “book now”.  The Daily Telegraph concurred proclaiming the show “looks and sounds ravishing”.  Another five stars from the Sunday Express and huge plaudits for Kelli O’Hara “who gives one of the most deeply felt, gloriously sung performances seen on the musical stage”. The Financial Times agreed, describing O’Hara’s performance as “simply spellbinding”.  Ken Watanabe and his “powerhouse” (The Times) performance as The King was also lauded by the Evening Standard for its “thunderous charisma”.  While the Daily Mail “’left the London Palladium on a bright cloud of music”.

Producer Howard Panter says: “The response from London audiences to this multi award-winning production of The King and I has been unprecedented.  Critical plaudits, Box Office records and standing ovations at every show – we have enjoyed them all.  But to have the three original Broadway stars – Kelli, Ken and Ruthie – reprising their roles in the West End in one of the greatest musicals of all time is a very rare treat indeed. The final four weeks throughout September will be the last chance to see this incredible trio of fine actors on stage at the world-famous London Palladium – this really is musical theatre at its very best.”

The Palladium production also stars the multi-award-winning actor, and star of one of Japan’s most popular television series JIN, Takao Osawa as The Kralahome and Dean John-Wilson and Na-Young Jeon as the young lovers, Lun Tha and Tuptim. The role of Lady Thiang is shared between Ruthie Ann Miles and Naoko Mori.

Set in 1860s Bangkok, the musical tells the story of the unconventional and tempestuous relationship that develops between the King of Siam and Anna, a British schoolteacher whom the modernist King, in an imperialistic world, brings to Siam to teach his many wives and children.  With one of the finest scores ever written including; Whistle a Happy Tune, Getting to Know You and Shall We Dance, and featuring a company of over 50 world-class performers, THE KING AND I is a testament to the lavish heritage of gloriously romantic musical theatre – it is the greatest musical from the golden age of musicals.

Following the London season, a film version of the production will be released in cinemas around the world by Trafalgar Releasing. THE KING AND I: FROM THE PALLADIUM, filmed on stage at the Palladium, will open in cinemas for one night only on 29 November.  Tickets are on sale now.

WHAT THE UK PRESS HAVE SAID ABOUT THE KING AND I:

“Five stars for a sumptuous King and I.  Book Now.  It’s a hit”

★★★★★

The Times

 

“The evening belongs to Kelli O’Hara”

★★★★★

Sunday Express

 

“We left the London Palladium on a bright cloud of music – joyous!”

★★★★

Daily Mail

 

“Looks and sounds ravishing.  Complete rapture”

★★★★

Daily Telegraph

 

“Simply spellbounding!”

★★★★

Financial Times

 

“Without doubt the big, glitzy musical of the summer!”

 Metro

 

“Fit for a King!”

 Daily Express

 

Listings Information

LONDON PALLADIUM

Tickets: £15 – £75, Premium Seating available

Box Office: 020 7087 7755

 

Performances: Monday – Saturday at 7pm, Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2pm and 7pm

Extra matinee performances at 2pm on 6, 13, 20, 27 September

No performance on 4, 11, 18 September

 

On Monday 17 September and Wednesday 26 September (matinee performance) Ms Kelli O’Hara will not be appearing and Ms Annalene Beechey will be playing Anna Leonowens.

 

On Thursday 6, 13, 20 & 27 September (evening performances) Mr Ken Watanabe will not be appearing and Mr Takao Osawa will be playing The King of Siam. At these performances Mr Kok-Hwa Lie will be playing the Kralahome.

 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/KingandIWestEnd/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KingandIWestEnd 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kingandiwestend/

Hashtag: #TheKingandI

The Distance You Have Come
A Scott Alan Song Cycle
The Cockpit, Gateforth Street, Marylebone, London NW8 8EH
Wednesday 16th – Sunday 28th October 2018

When you’ve lost the fight inside of you, is there anything worth holding on to?

The Distance You Have Come follows the lives of six individuals who juggle the constant challenges of life, depression, heartache and love. Told through the music and lyrics of award winning composer Scott Alan, this brand-new musical brings together a song cycle of his most acclaimed works for the first time, performed by some of the greatest generational voices in the West End

Alongside Musical Director Scott Morgan (Rent, The Cockpit Theatre; I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, Arts Theatre; Geek!, Tristan Bates Theatre), the world premiere of The Distance You Have Come stars Andy Coxon (Hair, The Vaults; Yank!, Charing Cross Theatre; Beautiful – The Carole King Musical, Aldwych Theatre) as Samuel, who has long been searching for the perfect match he eventually finds in Brian – a hopeless romantic played by Adrian Hansel (Starlight Express, Apollo, Victoria Theatre; Hairspray, Shaftesbury Theatre; Five Guys Named Moe, Marble Art Theatre)

The stellar cast also sees Emma Hatton (Evita, Phoenix Theatre; Wicked, Apollo Theatre; We Will Rock You, Dominion Theatre) play Maisey who is trapped in a relationship with an addict but strives to further explore her own dream of finding success in the theatre. She will star alongside Jodie Jacobs (Rock of Ages, West End; Little Shop of Horrors, West End; The Wedding Singer, UK Tour) whose character, Anna, is unlucky in love yet determined to put her failed relationships behind her and move on

Additionally, the cast includes Dean John-Wilson (King and I, Palladium; Aladdin, Prince Edward Theatre; Songs For A New World, St James Theatre) as Joe, who uses alcohol to numb his feelings after plummeting to the depths of depression without the woman he thought he thought was his soulmate, and Alexia Khadime (Wicked, Apollo Theatre; Lion King, Lyceum Theatre; Book of Mormon, Prince of Wales Theatre) as Laura who tries to recapture her self worth as she shares her struggles with depression and life as an artist

Scott Alan comments, I have long been asked to bring together my eight albums worth of songs, to stream a line of stories together. I never thought it was time. It wasn’t until the release of my latest album, Lifeline, that I feel I had an ending that was less about the gravity of where I’ve been, and more about the advancement of who I am today and the pride that I have within that. With producers Sarah Evans and Krystal Lee, and this exceptional cast of actors
interpreting my music and lyrics, I am extremely confident in declaring that now is the right time to tell this story and I couldn’t be more proud

Told entirely through song, The Distance You Have Come follows these like-minded individuals as they face the human experiences of everyday life

Presented by Althea Theatre
Jericho’s Rose
The Hope Theatre, 207 Upper Street, London, N1 1RL
Tuesday 16th October – Saturday 3rd November 2018

The award-winning Althea Theatre (There’s No Place Like; One Last Thing (For Now)) return to London, following their US tour, with Jericho’s Rose

Exploring the experience of displacement from the dual perspective of a grandfather struggling with Alzheimer’s and an artist struggling to stay in the UK, Jericho’s Rose is about searching for a home that can’t be found. The show takes the audience on a breath-taking journey across continents to ask what happens when you can’t remember where you belong?

Fresh from the Migration Matters Festival 2018, Jericho’s Rose is a uniquely innovative and beautiful piece about the inescapable isolation of displacement and how identity is built around the home. With discussions of borders never long out of the news-cycle and one in six people expected to develop dementia, Jericho’s Rose empowers a stronger dialogue around the subjects of both immigration and Alzheimer’s. It weaves new writing and projections, movement, live music and loop-pedalled sound to create a unique tapestry of fragmented memories: the remembered, the forgotten and the rediscovered

Writer, Lilac Yosiphon comments, ‘My grandfather has the scent of the road’. I wrote this sentence, in Hebrew, over 12 years ago. Three years ago this sentence found a home, in English, in a short play. This was around the time my grandfather started to forget where his home was. It then found a short home, in French, when I was in Paris after trying to apply for a British Artist’s Visa. And now, I use words from four different languages to speak of belonging, of where our mind resides and where our body lives. Between memories and borders, between languages and passports, what is it or who is it that determines where’s
home?

DENISE VAN OUTEN

TO STAR AS VELMA KELLY IN

AT THE PHOENIX THEATRE, LONDON

FROM MONDAY 24 SEPTEMBER 2018

JOINING ALEXANDRA BURKE, DUNCAN JAMES, MAZZ MURRAY & PAUL RIDER

Star of stage and screen Denise Van Outen will join the West End cast of CHICAGO at the Phoenix Theatre, playing the role of Velma Kelly from Monday 24 September through to Saturday 17 November 2018.  Denise will join Alexandra Burke as Roxie Hart, Duncan James as Billy Flynn, Mazz Murray as Mama Morton and Paul Rider as Amos Hart.

CHICAGO is booking at the Phoenix Theatre in London’s West End until Saturday 5 January 2019.

Denise Van Outen returns to CHICAGO to play Velma Kelly having previously played the role of Roxie Hart to critical acclaim in both the West End and on Broadway. Her other West End credits include Tell Me on a Sunday, Legally Blonde, Rent and her one woman show Some Girl I Used to Know.

 

On TV, Denise currently judges on Ireland’s Got Talent having previously judged on BBC1’s Any Dream Will Do and I’d Do Anything alongside Andrew Lloyd Webber. Denise can also be seen on ITV1’s daytime chat show Loose Women and in 2012 reached the final of BBC1’s Strictly Come Dancing. Her film credits include Love, Honor and Obey and Run for Your Wife.

 

The multi award-winning Kander & Ebb musical CHICAGO, winner of six Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards and a Grammy, returned to London’s West End on Monday 26 March 2018, with a press night on Wednesday 11 April at the Phoenix Theatre in London.

 

CHICAGO originally ran in London for 15 years, making it the West End’s longest running revival.  It first opened at the Adelphi Theatre on 18 November 1997 to rave reviews and immediately became a sell-out hit.  CHICAGO won the 1998 Laurence Olivier Award for ‘Outstanding Musical Production’ as well as the 1998 Critics Circle Drama Award for ‘Best Musical’.  CHICAGO transferred from the Adelphi Theatre to the Cambridge Theatre in April 2006, where it ran for five years until 27 August 2011.  The show then opened at the Garrick Theatre on 7 November 2011, where it ran until 1 September 2012.

Since it opened in New York in 1996, CHICAGO has played in 36 countries worldwide, and been performed in English, Dutch, German, Swedish, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Italian, French, Danish, Japanese and Korean.  It has grossed over $1.5 billion worldwide and has played over 32,500 performances worldwide, with an estimated 31 million people around the world having seen CHICAGO.  CHICAGO continues to play on Broadway, where it celebrated its 21^st birthday last year, and around the world in multiple languages.  It is the world’s longest running American musical.

CHICAGO, which is based on the play by Maurine Dallas Watkins, has a book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb.  The 1996 Broadway revival of CHICAGO was choreographed by Ann Reinking in the style of Bob Fosse, directed by Walter Bobbie, and produced by Barry and Fran Weissler.