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FEATURING SOME OF THE GREATEST HIT SONGS FROM THE ROCK ‘N’ ROLL ERA DREAMBOATS AND PETTICOATS RETURNS TO THE LYCEUM

The West End sensation Dreamboats and Petticoats returns to Sheffield from Monday 26 June – Saturday 1 July, telling a classic story of teenage love set to some of the most iconic rock ‘n’ roll songs of all time.

It’s 1961 and emotions are running high as a group of love-struck musicians compete to win a national song writing competition – and the hearts of their teenage crush. Norman and Bobby both crave the attention of the gorgeous Sue, but when shy Laura reveals that she is no slouch on the piano, love and rock ‘n’ roll fame beckons!

Dreamboats and Petticoats brings a familiar face back to Sheffield in Elizabeth Carter, who stars as the shy and talented song writer Laura. Elizabeth was last seen soaring across the Lyceum Stage on a magic carpet in 2015’s smash hit pantomime Aladdin, and has previously played Laura in Bill Kenwright’s touring production of Dreamboats and Miniskirts.

Celebrating the tenth anniversary of the multi-million selling albums, the UK Tour of Dreamboats and Petticoats features songs from the golden era of rock ‘n’ roll such as Let’s Dance, To Know Him Is To Love Him, Shaking All Over, C’mon Everybody and Let’s Twist Again.

Dreamboats and Petticoats comes to the Lyceum Theatre from Monday 26 June – Saturday 1 July.  Tickets can be purchased from Sheffield Theatres’ Box Office in-person, by phone on 0114 249 6000 or online at sheffieldtheatres.co.uk and are priced from £19.00. Concessions and group discounts are available.

Peter Duncan stars as the “Father of rock ‘n’ roll”

in autumn tour of hit show

Olivier Award nominated actor Peter Duncan, former presenter of iconic BBC children’s television show Blue Peter, is set to play the ‘Father of Rock ‘n’ Roll’ Sam Phillips in hit musical Million Dollar Quartet at York Theatre Royal this autumn.

Duncan previously appeared at the theatre in Birdsong, the stage adaptation of Sebastian Faulks’ World War One story in 2014.

His stage career began with Laurence Olivier’s National Theatre company at London’s Old Vic. He went on to be Olivier Award nominated for best actor in a musical for his performance in The Card and also took the title role in Barnum. He has created original pantomimes at Hackney Empire and Broadway Theatre as well as writing and directing Oxford Playhouse’s annual Christmas production. On TV, his appearances include Demolition Dad and Doctors and he fronted his own BBC series Duncan Dares.

The Tony Award-winning Broadway musical and West End smash hit Million Dollar Quartet tells of the 1956 recording session at which Phillips brought together four recording stars – Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins – for the first and only time.

The show features more than 20 rock‘n’roll hits including Blue Suede Shoes, Hound Dog, I Walk the Line and Great Balls of Fire.

Million Dollar Quartet is at York Theatre Royal 19 – 23 September.

Box office 01904 623568. yorktheatreroyal.co.uk

BLOOD BROTHERS 30^th ANNIVERSARY UK TOUR CONTINUES INTO AUTUMN 2017

LYN PAUL REPRISES HER ROLE AS

‘THE DEFINITIVE MRS JOHNSTONE’

WATCH: BLOOD BROTHERS

2017 has marked 30 years since Bill Kenwright’s production of the international smash hit musical Blood Brothers first toured the UK. In celebration, this iconic musical has been visiting theatres across the country, performing to sell-out houses and receiving standing ovations. Due to its continued success the tour is continuing into the Autumn, opening on Tuesday 29 August at G Live in Guildford.

Hailed as one of the best musicals of all time, Blood Brothers, written by award-winning playwright Willy Russell has triumphed across the globe. Scooping up no fewer than four awards for best musical in London and seven Tony Award nominations on Broadway, Blood Brothers is simply unmissable and unbeatable.

This epic tale of Liverpool life started as a play, performed at a Liverpool comprehensive school in 1981 before opening at the Liverpool Playhouse in 1983, completing sell out seasons in the US, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Japan. Blood Brothers also ran in London’s West End for 24 years, exceeding 10,000 performances, one of only three musicals ever to achieve that milestone.

No stranger to Blood Brothers, ‘The definitive Mrs Johnstone’ (Manchester Evening News) Lyn Paul reprises the iconic role, one she first played in 1997. Lyn played Mrs Johnstone in the final West End performances at the Phoenix Theatre in 2012.

Lyn rose to fame in the early 1970s as a member of the New Seekers. She was the featured vocalist on their 1972 Eurovision Song Contest entry, ‘Beg, Steal or Borrow’, in which they came second and lead vocalist on the 1974 number-one hit ‘You Won’t Find Another Fool Like Me’. Among the group’s other works, they recorded the song ‘I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing’, adapted from an advertising jingle for Coca-Cola, which sold over 20 million copies and still remains one of the 100 best-selling singles in the UK. She has also starred in the UK tour of Cabaret in 2013 as Fraulein Schneider, in Boy George’s musical Taboo and in Footloose – the Musical.

Musical theatre regular Dean Chisnall returns to the role of the Narrator. He has performed in a number of musicals including Shrek the Musical (West End and UK tour), Love Never Dies, Never Forget, Evita and The Woman in White. Sean Jones reprises his role as Mickey, a role he has performed in the West End, including as part of the final cast at the Phoenix Theatre in 2012 alongside Lyn Paul, and on tour.

Blood Brothers tells the captivating and moving story of twin boys separated at birth, only to be reunited by a twist of fate and a mother’s haunting secret. The memorable score includes A Bright New Day, Marilyn Monroe and the emotionally charged hit Tell Me It’s Not True.

When Mrs Johnstone, a young mother, is deserted by her husband and left to her own devices to provide for seven hungry children she takes a job as a housekeeper in order to make ends meet.

It is not long before her brittle world crashes around her when she discovers herself to be pregnant yet again – this time with twins! In a moment of weakness and desperation, she enters a secret pact with her employer which leads inexorably to the show’s shattering climax. A sensational cast, incredible show stopping music, remarkable staging and five star performances make Blood Brothers an enthralling night of entertainment.

Willy Russell is undeniably one of this country’s leading contemporary dramatists. His countless credits include Educating Rita and Shirley Valentine. Educating Rita, originally commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company, enjoyed a two year run in the West End and was made into a movie starring Michael Caine and Julie Walters. Shirley Valentine also made the move from stage to screen in an enormously popular film starring Pauline Collins and Tom Conti.

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Bill Kenwright presents

BLOOD BROTHERS

By Willy Russell

Directed by Bob Tomson and Bill Kenwright

Designed by Andy Walmsley                                   Sound Designed By Dan Samson

Musical Direction by Kelvin Towse                        Lighting Designed by Nick Richings

Monkhead Theatre presents:

Theatre N16 14th -24th June.  Reviewed By Jessica Brady 

Heart to Heart Theatre has arrived at Balham’s Theatre N16, in doing so they have produced a very interesting show that will make you think about mortality, love and robots.

Adam and April are a young 20 something couple in love, living together and doing what most average couples their age are. April has been specifically designed for Adam, she is A.I but is more human than most and her core purpose is to make Adam happy and they are planning a long future together but something goes wrong as April starts to shut down. April must now end her time with Adam by ‘killing herself’ and being sent back to the company that created her. Adam is adamant that April can’t leave him, he loves her and she is his possession. The couple are summoned to state their cases and the decision as to whether April is to die or carry on life with Adam is given to the audience.

This highly interactive play (I can say that truthfully as I was given a voting card with an ‘X’ on it meaning that I was in charge of counting the votes and leading a debate on the outcome for the pair with the rest of the audience) has some really beautiful performances from Eve Ponsonby (April) and Peter Dewhurst (Adam). Their chemistry is very real, electric and that draws you in to this story full force as you become invested in what is going to happen. They perform so honestly and with such passion as they argue why April should stay or go and with flash backs of how their life was before, makes the decision easy or harder as an audience member dependant on who’s side your on.

This play has been well written but I felt the decision on who would get their way in the debate was pretty clear. For me their needed to be a bit more of a redeeming quality in Adam for people to empathise with him and want to give him what he wanted, however that didn’t impact the play too much as it was still an unusual and interesting concept that I enjoyed. There wasn’t an elaborate set or costumes, just pure focus on the story which was very refreshing and the use of voice over’s to control the action was a lovely touch! A.I LOVE YOU is chance for you to really get an insight into a hypothetical but not impossible futuristic story and put questions to yourself on how to deal with the consequences of the decisions you make. Catch it at N16!

Majestic Theatre, Darlington – Reviewed by Andrew Bramfitt

Since 1969 when it was first published, Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar has enthralled children of each and every generation – the illustrations and style have become almost synonymous for educational and entertaining children’s books and set out a blueprint for others to follow. Now his creations have been brought to life on stage by Jonathan Rockefeller and, given the reaction from one particularly young theatre goer, this is a smash hit.

The show actually covers 4 of Carle’s stories, each engagingly told through the use of some amazing puppets, very vivid lighting and lots and lots of movement – my grand daughter who only recently turned 1 sat riveted for most of the show, loving the non-stop action – in fact she only got restless when one of her favourite characters left the stage, standing on mum’s lap to shout for the sea horse to come back.

There is some very clever ideas around painting pictures which then come to life, emerging on stage as full size puppets which just added to the magic of the show and ensured it kept tiny and slightly bigger minds watching and guessing what might happen next.

Of course, the star of the show is the caterpillar and the eponymous final story is a finale to send all the audience, young and old, on their way home feeling very well entertained. There were many comments from parents & guardians afterwards who were surprised by just how engaging it was for the adults as well as the children – I guess we have all read, listened to (or in some cases been) The Very Hungry Caterpillar in our lives.

The Majestic Theatre in Darlington is the perfect venue for this very colourful and visually engaging show; it is intimate, relaxed and ideal to cater for children who might otherwise feel a little intimidated by a more austere theatre. That sense of relaxation spread to the parents too and as such, everyone was able to sit back, kick back and wallow in good old-fashioned story telling brought right up to date.

Disney Pub Quiz (Fundraiser For Wheelchair Access)

at The Majestic Darlington

Friday 23 June at 8.30pm

How much do you really know about your favourite Disney movies? We are raising money for our access fund via lots of events so please come along and support us in your mission to make the arts accessible for all!

The fabulous sister duo Meg & Gillian Campbell will be hosting the quiz and keeping the whole evening running smoothly… like a magic carpet ride 😉

Get your team booked in now as this is a strictly registration only event!

Doors open at 6.30pm quiz starts at 8.30pm

Register your team here http://www.majestic-tickets.co.uk/

Majestic Theatre

Bondgate

Darlington

DL3 7JT

Hen and Chickens Theatre 13 – 24 June.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

Writer/director AJ’s debut play tackles the issue of child marriage in the UK. At 14, Aisha travelled from her home in Dagenham to Nigeria to be married to a 51-year-old man in exchange for a large dowry. Now 17, Aisha (Laura Adebisi) tells the story of her life with her nameless husband.

Beginning with a poetically gruesome description of nightly rapes and abuse, the play doesn’t shy away from the brutality and viciousness of Aisha’s husband, with a torture scene that is particularly graphic, but completely justifiable in this narrative. Aisha calls her nameless husband her possessor, and talks matter-of-factly about how the man has stripped her of her identity, belongings and relationships. AJ has given Aisha an eloquent voice that conveys the fact that this is an educated modern girl trapped in this antiquated nightmare, and her attempts to liberate her mind through books is a lovely touch.

The play is strongest when Aisha is alone, or having flashbacks and imaginary conversations with her mother (Sabrina Richmond). The play would still be powerful, perhaps even more powerful with some characters and their dialogue cut out. When her husband (Ayo Oyelakin) is silent, or roaring wordlessly at her, the tension and danger is palpable, but his scenes with his obnoxious racist friend add nothing to the narrative and could be cut to create a tighter production. AJ may have wanted to flesh out the man to show what a pathetic little bully he is, but that really goes without saying and the scenes feel like filler. Also, Aisha’s case-worker’s sharing of her own experiences being groomed and abused by older men was a little incongruous. I understand that this is high profile in the public’s consciousness compared to the less spoken about issue of child marriages in the UK, and AJ might want to highlight this inequality but the whole speech just felt tagged on.

Laura Adebisi is unbelievably convincing as the 17-year-old, delivering a moving and fearless performance. The voice that the audience need, and want, to hear is Aisha’s and AJ should have more confidence in this fantastic character to carry the play without extraneous distractions. Some judicious trimming could turn this into a much more coherent and focussed play. Aisha is a brave debut from an exciting new writer, harrowing and heart-breaking, with a stunning performance from Laura Adebisi that deserves a wider audience.

Richmond Theatre 12 – 17 June, touring UK to September.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

It’s 170 years since Jayne Eyre was published, but Charlotte Brontë’s novel still strikes a chord today with its wonderfully strong-minded and independent heroine. While most adaptations rush through Jane’s early years to get to the love story, this Bristol Old Vic/National Theatre production takes it time, with most of Act one showing the events that mould Jane’s character in delightful detail, dealing with the social and gender issues that the novel highlighted.

Michael Vale’s set design seems incongruous before the show starts, all wooden planks and frames, and lots of ladders. As soon as the cast start moving around, the design makes perfect sense, with the cast constant circling around the platforms and changing levels adding to the momentum of the play. A three-piece band is tucked under one of the platforms playing quirky and haunting music that accompanies the story perfectly. Melanie Marshall is a constant melancholy presence onstage as Bertha, with her magnificent voice providing an extra emotional punch to scenes with some traditional and modern songs. Her mellow rendition of Gnarls Barkley’s Crazy as she burns down Thornfield Hall is spectacularly spine-tingling.

Nadia Clifford plays Jane with enough pent-up energy to light the national grid. She is equally impressive playing the frustrated 10-year-old as she is playing the adult Jane, and makes Jane instantly likeable and sympathetic. Her relationship with Tim Delap’s Rochester doesn’t really have much stage time, but the pair create a powerful picture of love and mutual respect quickly and convincingly without the need for further dialogue. Hannah Bristow, Evelyn Miller, Paul Mundell and Linda Rooke take on a variety of roles and excel in them all. Mundell brought the house down every time he came onstage as Rochester’s dog. Pilot, using no costume but a leather strap as his tail. (I know that sounds slightly naff, but it REALLY works – he’s fantastic!)

Director Sally Cookson has done a fine job squeezing the original two shows into one. Three hours may sound lengthy, but everything that’s left is necessary to the storytelling. The mix of music and movement builds an infectious energy that makes the quieter, still passages even more moving.

You may think you know the story of Jane Eyre, but this production, with its wild, brave energy, brilliant performances and glorious heroine will have something new for you to discover. This adaptation is essential viewing.

National Tour Dates:

19 – 24 June Marlow Theatre, Canterbury

26 June – 1 July Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff

3 – 8 July Theatre Royal, Newcastle

10 – 15 July Milton Keynes Theatre

17 – 22 July Norwich Theatre Royal

24 – 29 July Theatre Royal, Brighton

31 July – 5 August Grand Theatre, Leeds

28 August – 2 September His Majesty’s, Aberdeen

4 – 16 September Repertory Theatre, Birmingham