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Leeds Grand Theatre – until Saturday 1 December

5*****

Oh What A Night – not quite late December 1963, but late November 2018 with a Gala Production of Jersey Boys to celebrate the Grand’s 140th Birthday.

Confusingly, with the exception of Frankie Valli, the Seasons were covered by their understudies.  But this should not put you off – the whole cast are exceptionally fantastic whether a main part, an understudy or a swing.  Having the alternate cast on just shows how versatile they all are.

Telling the story of the Four Seasons, each member tells their own story in their own season (Tommy – Spring, Bob – Summer, Nick – Fall and Frankie – Winter), each one giving their own version of the gritty truthful tale.

We start with Spring and Tommy DeVito (Peter Nash), founder member of the group the was eventually to become The Four Seasons – named after a bowling alley that were banned from performing at.  DeVito, along with Nick Massi (Karl James Wilson) discover the golden voice of Frances Castelluccio and Frankie Valli (Michael Watson) was born. When singer/songwriter and one hit wonder Bob Gaudio (James Winter) joins the group it seems success is just around the corner.  A meeting with music producer Bob Crewe (Joel Elferink) ensures that it happens with Sherry being the first of many hit records.

We get to see some of the personal high’s and low’s of the band, the break of up Frankie’s marriage and the death of his daughter.   Tommy’s money problems with the mob, Nick deciding to leave the band mid tour and the night in late December 1963 when Bob lost his virginity.

The joyous falsetto of Frankie Valli is obvious in the many many songs Big Girls Don’t Cry, Walk Like a Man (which stopped the middle of the first act it was so good), My Eyes Adored You, Beggin’, Let’s Hang On, Bye Bye Baby, Working My Way Back to You and Rag Doll among the many others.

The very simple set design means things flow without the need for scene changes, the live band (Francis Goodhand, Sarah Burrell, Ed Hewlett, Christian Sutherland, Sam Edington) off stage and the drummer (Samuel Firsht) who glides across the stage on his rig are wonderful to listen to.

This is a brilliant night out, good music, great acting and wonderful atmosphere, in fact the only thing I would complain about it is that the songs are so good, you want to be up dancing long before the finale

 

York Theatre Royal – until 24th November 2018.

Reviewed by Michelle Richardson

3***

My Mother Said I Never Should is a play by Charlotte Keatley written in 1985 and first performed in 1987. London Classic Theatre are staging this tour and is now playing at York Theatre Royal until this Saturday.

This play is about the different generations in one family, all female, and the intricacies within their relationships with one another. It moves back and forth through the lives of four women, and sets the enormous social changes of the twentieth century against the desire to love and to be loved, Doris (Carole Dance), her daughter Margaret (Connie Walker), granddaughter Jackie (Kathryn Ritchie) and great granddaughter Rosie (Felicity Houlbrooke), though until near the end of the play the latter believed herself to be Jackie’s sister, not daughter.

Set in the North West over several decades. We first get to meet all four characters as children playing on some waste land reciting a rhyme, before seeing this production I mentioned it to a work colleague and she rattled off this same old rhyme that I had never heard of. Doris being the youngest child, even though she is really the great grandmother. All the cast play different aged versions of their characters. All this jumping backwards and forwards through time, plus their ages occasionally being out of sync, was a bit confusing at times as there appeared no rationale be it.

We get to learn that Doris is caught up in a loveless marriage to Jack, Margaret is unhappy, with her husband eventually leaving her, Jackie has a baby and is unable to cope so hands it over to her mother Margaret, who she has a tempestuous relationship with, on the understanding that Rosie knows nothing about her parentage until she is at least 16. The play looks at the consequences of this secret and how it affects each of them. It ends where it should have begun, with Doris in the 1920’s.

Like I have mentioned before the whole chronology of the piece was very confusing leaping all over the place and I found it hard to get over that fact. All four actors worked hard in their roles, couldn’t have been easy swapping and changing timelines.

The main themes of the play are relationships and motherhood. It addresses the issues of teenage pregnancy, careers for women and disappointment in men, and how and if, the different generations break free from their parents’ traditions and culture. If you are a mother or daughter, I’m sure you will find some aspects strike a chord.

THE WORLDWIDE SMASH HIT MUSICAL MAMMA MIA! WILL RETURN TO

EDINBURGH PLAYHOUSE FROM 19 – 28 SEPTEMBER TO OPEN THE

MAMMA MIA! 20^TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR

TICKETS ON SALE: ATG CARD – 27 NOVEMBER | GENERAL SALE – 4 DECEMBER

The sensational feel-good musical MAMMA MIA! will return to Edinburgh Playhouse from Thursday 19 – Saturday 28 September, to open a UK Tour celebrating 20 years since MAMMA MIA! premiered in London in April 1999.

From West End to global phenomenon, MAMMA MIA! is Judy Craymer’s ingenious vision of staging the story-telling magic of ABBA’s timeless songs with a sunny, funny tale of a mother, a daughter and three possible dads unfolding on a Greek island idyll.

 

To date, it has been seen by over 60 million people in 50 productions in 16 different languages.  In 2011 it became the first Western musical ever to be staged in Mandarin in the People’s Republic of China.  MAMMA MIA! became the 8^th longest running show in Broadway history where it played a record-breaking run for 14 years. MAMMA MIA! continues to thrill audiences in London’s West End at the Novello Theatre where it will celebrate its 20^th Anniversary on 6 April 2019.

Produced by Judy Craymer, MAMMA MIA! The Movie became the highest grossing live action musical film of all time upon its release in 2008.  A second film, MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN, opened in July 2018 and is the most successful live musical movie sequel of all time.

 

Judy Craymer, Creator and Producer of MAMMA MIA! said: “We are really thrilled to be bringing MAMMA MIA! back to Edinburgh and especially as we celebrate 20 years since the musical first opened in London’s West End. It’s a very special year. We are really looking forward to welcoming new audiences to the show as well as all those who would love to see it again.”

Theatre Director at the Edinburgh Playhouse Colin Marr added: “We are absolutely delighted that MAMMA MIA! is returning to the Playhouse next year, is has to be one of Edinburgh’s favourite shows. We are even more delighted that we will launch the UK Tour on such an important milestone in the show’s history.”

With music & lyrics by Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus, MAMMA MIA! is written by Catherine Johnson, directed by Phyllida Lloyd and choreographed by Anthony Van Laast. The production is designed by Mark Thompson, with lighting design by Howard Harrison, sound design by Andrew Bruce & Bobby Aitken, and musical supervision, additional material & arrangements by Martin Koch.

The MAMMA MIA! 20^th Anniversary Tour is produced by Judy Craymer, Richard East & Björn Ulvaeus for Littlestar in association with Universal and NGM.

 

Website:         www.mamma-mia.com

Facebook:       www.facebook.com/mammamiamusical

Twitter:           www.twitter.com/MammaMiaMusical

LISTING DETAILS

MAMMA MIA

THURSDAY 19 – SATURDAY 28 SEPTEMBER 2019

Tue – Sat Eve 7.30pm, Thu 26 & Sat Mats 2.30pm, Sun 22 Sep 3pm

HOW TO BOOK

Online: atgtickets.com/Edinburgh

Box Office: 0844 871 3014*

*fees apply.

Tickets on sale…

Tuesday 27 Nov                ATG Cardholders & MM Fans

Thursday 29 Nov              Groups on-sale

Tuesday 4 December      General on-sale

FULL CAST ANNOUNCED FOR

KING’S HEAD THEATRE’S

REVIVAL OF KEVIN ELYOT’S FIRST PLAY

COMING CLEAN

PLAYING TRAFALGAR STUDIOS 2

FROM 9 JANUARY TO 2 FEBRUARY 2019

 

The King’s Head Theatre, Making Productions and RGM Productions are delighted to announce the full cast for the West End transfer of Kevin Elyot’s Coming Clean.

Tony will be played by Lee Knight. His theatre credits include A Very Very Very Dark Matter (The Bridge Theatre), Adam & Eve (Hope Theatre) and Much Ado About Nothing (Wyndhams Theatre, West End). Film credits include Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire, The Spiritualist, Away With Me,Misrule, and The Doorman.

Stanton Plummer-Cambridge will play Greg. He has recently appeared in Macbeth, The Tempest(Southwark Playhouse), Queers (King’s Head Theatre), Richard III, Much Ado About Nothing(Handlebards Summer Tour), and As You Like It (Shakespeare in the Squares). His television credits include Black Earth Rising and The Durrells.

Tom Lambert makes his West End debut in the role of Robert. Tom graduated from Drama Centre London in 2018, and previously studied at Oxford University. He performed in Life According to Saki(Edinburgh Fringe 2016), which won the Carol Tambor Best of Edinburgh Award, and subsequently transferred Off-Broadway to New York City.

Elliot Hadley will play the role of William/Jurgen. He was an original cast member of the award-winning verbatim drama 5 Guys Chillin’ and, after touring with it nationally and internationally (New York’s Soho Playhouse), won the Micheál Mac Liammóir Award for Best Male Performance.  Previous performing credits include Alfred Cummins in the BBC’s Preston Passion, Dark Matters for Discovery Channel USA, Thomas Kyd in The Dead Shepherd, ITV’s The Halcyon, and Far From The Madding Crowd with Michael Sheen and Carey Mulligan.

Adam Spreadbury-Maher, Artistic Director of the King’s Head Theatre, will direct the production, which will run at Trafalgar Studios 2 from 9 January to 2 February 2019, with a national press night on Friday 11 January 2019.

In 2017, Adam Spreadbury-Maher directed the 35^th anniversary production and the first London revival of Coming Clean, Kevin Elyot’s first play.  The play premiered at the Bush Theatre on 3 November 1982. Coming Clean looks at the breakdown of a gay couple’s relationship and examines complex questions of fidelity and love.

The play is set in a flat in Kentish Town, north London, in 1982.  Struggling writer Tony and his partner of five years, Greg, seem to have the perfect relationship.  Committed and in love, they are both open to one-night stands as long as they don’t impinge on the relationship.  But Tony is starting to yearn for something deeper, something more like monogamy.  When he finds out that Greg has been having a full-blown affair with their cleaner, Robert, their differing attitudes towards love and commitment become clear.

In his foreword to Kevin Elyot: Four Plays (Nick Hern Books, 2004), Elyot writes, “From 1976 to 1984 I’d acted in several productions at the Bush Theatre, and Simon Stokes, one of the artistic directors, had casually suggested I try my hand at a play.  I presented them with a script entitled Cosy, which was passed on to their literary manager Sebastian Born.  He responded favourably and, largely through his support, it finally opened on 3 November 1982 under the [new] title Coming Clean.”

Written 12 years before his most famous play, My Night With Reg, Coming Clean won Elyot the Samuel Beckett Award for writers showing particular promise in the field of the performing arts.

Theatre critic Michael Coveney wrote of Elyot in his obituary for The Guardian in 2014, “In writing about the human heart and the art of living… Elyot transcended categorisation and produced a small body of stage plays that will reward revival, and not just as period pieces.”  Coveney goes on to describe Coming Clean as “an elegiac play about sexual relationships at a time when Aids was still a barely credible rumour in Britain, but there was a sense of foreboding in the final scene.” 

Director Adam Spreadbury-Maher (recent King’s Head Theatre productions include the European premiere of Tommy Murphy’s Strangers in Between, La bohème and Trainspotting) will be joined by set designer Amanda Mascarenhas (For Reasons That Remain Unclear and La Traviata for the King’s Head Theatre) and lighting designer Nic Farman (La Traviata, Shock Treatment, La bohème,Così fan tutte, Madam Butterfly, and F*cking Men for the King’s Head Theatre). 

Coming Clean is being produced in the West End by King’s Head Theatre, Making Productions and RGM Productions.

 

 

LISTINGS INFORMATION

9 January – 2 February 2019

Trafalgar Studios 2

14 Whitehall

London

SW1A 2DY

Performances: Monday-Saturday 7.45pm*, Thursday & Saturday 3pm (*7pm on Friday 11 January)

Ticket Prices: from £25 (previews: all tickets £15)

 

Box Office: 0844 871 7632

 

Website: www.atgtickets.com/venues/trafalgar-studios

‎Twitter: @KingsHeadThtr

Facebook: www.facebook.com/kingsheadtheatre

Instagram: @kingsheadtheatre

PREMIUM SEATS RELEASED FOR SPECIAL GALA PERFORMANCE OF 

BAT OUT OF HELL – THE MUSICAL

IN SUPPORT OF THE INVICTUS GAMES FOUNDATION

THURSDAY 6 DECEMBER 2018

 

Earlier this year, hit West End show Bat Out Of Hell – The Musical announced a special Gala performance of the show in support of its on-going partnership with the Invictus Games Foundation.  The Gala will take place on Thursday 6 December 2018.  Tickets are on sale now athttps://www.nederlander.co.uk/batvip   

A VIP drinks reception will take place from 6pm.  VIP ticket holders must be seated by 6.40pm.  Strictly no latecomers will be admitted.

The show has now released special ‘one night only’ premium VIP packages for the Gala, with proceeds going towards the Invictus Games Foundation and offering the chance for Bat Out Of Hell fans to enjoy the show like they’ve never seen it before with a priceless experience compromising of….

SILVER TICKET PACKAGE PRICED £250, includes:

A pre-show drinks reception with canapés

An exclusive commemorative silver lanyard

A limited edition Bat Out Of Hell – The Musical poster signed by the show’s four principals

Interval drinks reception

A Bat Out Of Hell goody-bag containing a range of merchandise including a souvenir brochure, a keyring, mug, cap and a copy of the show’s original cast recording

A copy of Unconquerable: The Invictus Story

A limited edition Bat Out Of Hell/ Invictus Games Foundation umbrella

GOLD TICKET PACKAGE PRICED £500, includes:

All of the benefits of the silver package, in addition to

An exclusive commemorative VVIP Gold lanyard which allows pre-show red carpet access

An exclusive souvenir photo taken on the red carpet

Pre-show reception to include drinks and canapés

Interval drinks reception

An exclusive framed poster, signed by the company of Bat Out Of Hell – The Musical

Bat Out Of Hell – The Musical closes at London’s Dominion Theatre on 5 January 2019.

Website:  www.BatOutOfHellMusical.com

Twitter & Facebook:  @BatTheMusical

 

LISTINGS INFORMATION

Jim Steinman’s Bat Out Of Hell – The Musical

Dominion Theatre

268-269 Tottenham Court Road

London W1T 7AQ

 

Performances: Mon-Sat at 7.30pm, Wed & Sat matinee at 2.30pm

 

Tickets: from £15.00

Box Office: 0845 200 7982

Current Booking Period: to 5 January 2019

Running Time: 2 hours 40 minutes (including interval)

REGENT’S PARK OPEN AIR THEATRE ANNOUNCE

2019 SEASON

 

·        Season opens with Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize winning play, Our Town

·        Continuing their successful collaboration from 2018, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and English National Opera present Engelbert Humperdinck’s opera,Hansel and Gretel

·        A Midsummer Night’s Dream returns to the theatre for the first time in seven years

·         Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita concludes the 2019 Open Air Theatre season, as Jesus Christ Superstar transfers to the Barbican

·         Jamie Lloyd, Ellen McDougall and Dominic Hill join Artistic Director Timothy Sheader to direct the 2019 productions

·        Full cast and tour dates are also announced for To Kill a Mockingbird produced by Jonathan Church Productions, Curve and Regent’s Park Theatre Ltd, which embarks on a UK Tour from February

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre have today announced their 2019 season. Opening the season, Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize winning play Our Town (16 May – 8 June) is directed by Ellen McDougall, Artistic Director of the Gate Theatre. Directed by Timothy Sheader, and continuing the 2018 collaboration which brought The Turn of the Screw to the Open Air Theatre stage, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and English National Opera present Hansel and Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck (14 June – 22 June). A Midsummer Night’s Dream (28 June – 27 July) returns to the theatre for the first time in seven years in a new production directed by Dominic Hill, Artistic Director of the Citizens Theatre, Glasgow. To conclude the season, Jamie Lloyd directs Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita (2 August – 21 September) as Jesus Christ Superstar transfers to the Barbican (4 July – 24 August).

Our Town (16 May – 8 June) celebrates what it means to be human, the bonds that hold communities together, and our relationships with the ancient past and the eternal tomorrow. The Pulitzer Prize winning play is directed by Ellen McDougall, Artistic Director of the Gate Theatre. Ellen’s credits away from the Gate include:The Wolves (Stratford East); Othello (Shakespeare’s Globe); The Remains of Maisie Duggan (Abbey Theatre, Dublin); The Glass Menagerie (Headlong); Anna Karenina (Royal Exchange Manchester) and Ivan and the Dogs (Olivier Award-nomination, Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre/Actors Touring Company/Soho).

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and English National Opera continue their 2018 collaboration with a co-production of Engelbert Humperdinck’s opera Hansel and Gretel (14 June – 22 June). Sung in English, members of the ENO orchestra will be conducted by Ben Glassberg, with direction by Open Air Theatre’s Artistic Director, Timothy Sheader.

Dominic Hill, Artistic Director of the Citizens Theatre, Glasgow, then directs a new production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (28 June – 27 July). Whilst at the Citizens Theatre, Dominic has won Best Director in the Critics Award for Theatre in Scotland (CATS) for Oresteia, Crime and Punishment and Betrayal. He previously directed Peer Gynt at Dundee Rep (in a co-production with National Theatre of Scotland), which won four CATS and transferred to the Barbican.

 

The 2019 season concludes with Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita (2 August – 21 September) directed by Jamie Lloyd. The musical premiered in the West End in 1978, and features a chart-topping score including Don’t Cry For Me Argentina, Oh! What A Circus, Another Suitcase in Another Hall, and the Academy Award-winning You Must Love Me, originally performed by Madonna in the motion picture. As Artistic Director of The Jamie Lloyd Company, Jamie is currently producing and directing Pinter at the Pinter, a season of Harold Pinter’s short plays in the West End.

 

The Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production of Jesus Christ Superstar transfers to the Barbican (4 July – 24 August), ahead of a North American Tour in the autumn. Casting to be announced.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Also announced today are the full tour dates and casting for To Kill a Mockingbird, first produced by Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre in 2013, which opens at Curve Leicester on 7 February. Produced by Jonathan Church Productions, Curve and Regent’s Park Theatre Ltd the cast is led by Simon Robson in the role of Atticus Finch. The production visits: Milton Keynes; Birmingham REP; Norwich Theatre Royal; Rose Theatre, Kingston; Newcastle Theatre Royal; King’s Theatre, Edinburgh; Malvern Theatres; The Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury; Cambridge Arts Theatre; Bord Gais, Dublin; Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford; The Lowry, Salford; Eden Court Theatre, Inverness; and His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen.

The role of Scout will be shared by Summer Jenkins and Eve Prenelle; the role of Jem will be shared by Stanley Jarvis, Jaxon Knopf and Theo Josse Wilkinson; the role of Dill will be shared by Billy Marlow, Joshua Pickering and Jack Riley.

Also featuring in the cast are Pearl Appleby (Mayella Ewell), Dave Fishley (Reverend Sykes), Joseph Fletcher(Arthur Radley), Kieran Hill (Heck Tate), Alexandra Mathie (Stephanie Crawford/Mrs Dubose), Ged McKenna (Judge Taylor/Walter Cunningham), John Omole (Tom Robinson), Carl Rice (Bob Ewell), Sarah Tansey (Maudie Atkinson), Paul Woodson (Nathan Radley/Mr Gilmer), Amanda Wright (Calpurnia) and Erica Birtles, Sophie Cartman, Valentine Hanson and Christopher D Hunt (understudies). Music is composed and performed live by Phil King (Luke Potter will perform at certain venues).

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre Memberships are now on sale, and Members’ priority booking for the 2019 Open Air Theatre opens at 11am, Wednesday 28 November. Visit www.openairtheatre.com/membership for more information.

Public booking opens at 11am, Tuesday 18 December.

** NEW BOX OFFICE INFORMATION **

Box Office 0333 400 3562* | openairtheatre.com

Inner Circle, Regent’s Park, London, NW1 4NU

Social Media

Twitter: @OpenAirTheatre / #OAT2019 / #OurTown / #HanselandGretel / #MidsummerDream / #Evita

Facebook: RegentsParkOpenAirTheatre

NEW: Instagram: regentsparkoat

*Lines open from 9am – 9pm. A £1.80 per ticket telephone booking fee applies.

LISTINGS

 

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre 2019 season:

OUR TOWN

By Thornton Wilder

Directed by Ellen McDougall

 

Thursday 16 May – Saturday 8 June

First preview: 16 May

Press Night: Wednesday 22 May (7.45pm)

 

Performances:

Monday – Saturday @ 7.45pm (gates 6.15pm)

Thursday & Saturday @ 2.15pm (gates 12.45pm)

No matinee 16 or 18 May

_____________________

Regent’s Park Theatre and English National Opera present

HANSEL AND GRETEL

By Engelbert Humperdinck

Conducted by Ben Glassberg | Directed by Timothy Sheader

Translation by David Pountney | Orchestral Reduction by Derek J Clark

 

Friday 14 June – Saturday 22 June

First preview: 14 June

Press Night: Monday 17 June (8.00pm)

 

Performances:

Monday – Saturday @ 8.00pm (gates 6.30pm)

Thursday & Saturday @ 2.15pm (gates 12.45pm)

No matinee 15 June

Please note that all performances of Hansel and Gretel are at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

_____________________

 

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM

By William Shakespeare

Directed by Dominic Hill

Suitable ages 12+

 

Friday 28 June – Saturday 27 July

First preview: 28 June

Press Night: Friday 5 July (7.45pm)

 

Performances:

Monday – Saturday @ 7.45pm (gates 6.15pm)

Thursday & Saturday @ 2.15pm (gates 12.45pm)

No matinee 29 June

_____________________

EVITA

Lyrics by Tim Rice | Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber

Directed by Jamie Lloyd

 

Friday 2 August – Saturday 21 September

First preview: 2 August

Press Night: Thursday 8 August (7.45pm)

 

Performances:

Monday – Saturday @ 7.45pm (gates 6.15pm)

Thursday & Saturday @ 2.15pm (gates 12.45pm)

No matinee 3 & 8 August

By Special Arrangement with The Really Useful Group Limited

_____________________

The Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production at the Barbican

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR

Lyrics by Tim Rice | Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber

Directed by Timothy Sheader

Barbican Theatre, Silk St, London EC2Y 8DS

Barbican Theatre Box Office: 020 7638 8891 | www.barbican.org.uk/theatre

 

Thursday 4 July – Saturday 24 August

Press Night: Tuesday 9 July (7.45pm)

 

Performances:

Monday – Saturday @ 7.45pm

Thursday & Saturday @ 2.15pm

No matinee 4 July

By Special Arrangement with The Really Useful Group Limited

Please note that all performances of Jesus Christ Superstar are at the Barbican Theatre

_____________________

Jonathan Church Productions, Curve and Regent’s Park Theatre Ltd present

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

Adapted for the stage by Christopher Sergel |Based on the novel by Harper Lee

Directed by Timothy Sheader

UK TOUR

Curve, Leicester                                                7 February – 16 February

Milton Keynes                                                   18 February – 23 February

Birmingham REP                                               25 February – 2 March

Norwich Theatre Royal                                   4 March – 9 March

Rose Theatre, Kingston                                  12 March – 23 March

Newcastle Theatre Royal                              25 March – 30 March

King’s Theatre, Edinburgh                             1 April – 6 April

Malvern Theatres                                            8 April – 13 April

The Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury           23 April – 27 April

Cambridge Arts Centre                                  29 April – 4 May

Bord Gais, Dublin                                              7 May – 11 May

Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford           13 May – 18 May

The Lowry, Salford                                           20 May – 25 May

Eden Court Theatre, Inverness                   27 May – 1 June

His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen              3 June – 8 June

www.tokillamockingbirdplay.com

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

 

Hull New Theatre – until 24th November 2018

Reviewed by Catherine McWilliams

5*****

Gary Barlow and Tim Firth’s Calendar Girls The Musical is a total triumph. The story follows the highs and lows of a group of W.I. members as they attempt to produce an “alternative” calendar to raise funds for the relatives’ room in Skipton Hospital in memory of their friend’s husband John Baker. This is of course loosely based around a true story and is handled with sincerity, care and masses of humour, never shying away from how difficult it is to lose a loved one to cancer and how hard for those left behind to deal with the little things in life. The story takes place in a small Yorkshire village and we move through the seasons with the villagers as life changes irrevocably for Annie (Anna-Jane Casey), and as her best friend Chris (Rebecca Storm) tries to keep her going. We also see the broader story of village life through the stories of the other members of the W.I., the husbands and the teenagers who are just trying to find their path in life.

The cast is outstanding and deliver the story with superb comic timing but also with feeling and emotion, never losing sight of the serious side of the story. Anna-Jane Casey is excellent as Annie and the whole audience felt for her as she lost her beloved John. Rebecca Storm plays Chris beautifully with just the right amount of naughtiness. I loved Karen Dunbar’s musical numbers and Christmas Carols will never be quite the same. Denise Welch and Ruth Madoc play their parts to perfection, Sara Crowe is suitable dippy as Ruth and Fern Britton adds the right amount of frostiness as Marie. The cast made all of the characters real and made you care what happened to them. I was very impressed by the young actors Tyler Dobbs as Tommo, Danny Howker as Danny and Isabel Caswell as Jenny, they had superb timing and added beautifully to the humour.

This is ultimately a musical about community, life and love and about grabbing those chances while they are there. It will drain you of emotion and you will probably cry but you will leave the theatre feeling empowered and uplifted and full of joy. It is a real celebration of life. I’m not alone in thinking this the entire audience at the Hull New Theatre was quickly on their feet to give the cast a well-deserved standing ovation. The friend I went with summed it up nicely – “That’s the best thing I’ve ever seen at Hull New Theatre”.

KATHARINE McPHEE WILL STAR AS JENNA IN THE UK PREMIERE OF

Book by Jessie Nelson
Music and lyrics by six-time Grammy Award-nominee Sara Bareilles
Based upon the motion picture written by Adrienne Shelly
Directed by Tony Award-winner Diane Paulus

• Playing at London’s Adelphi Theatre from 8 February 2019
• Tickets are now on sale via waitressthemusical.co.uk

Katharine McPhee will make her West End debut starring as Jenna in the UK premiere of Waitress, having played the role on Broadway earlier this year. The Tony Award-nominated musical will begin preview performances on 8 February ahead of its official opening night on 7 March at London’s Adelphi Theatre. Currently playing its third year on Broadway, Waitress will bring with it an all-female lead creative team – a West End musical first.

Since finding international fame as a captivating singer on American Idol – Season 5, Katharine has become a successful recording artist, landing numerous songs and albums on Billboard’s pop, jazz, holiday and adult-contemporary charts in her native US. Her latest album of timeless American standards “I Fall In Love Too Easily” was released by BMG in 2017. As an acclaimed actress, she was the breakout star of the 2013 NBC-TV musical series Smash, Executive Produced by Steven Spielberg with music and lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman (Hairspray). She recently starred in the hit CBS dramatic series Scorpion.

Waitress opened on 24 April 2016 at Broadway’s Brooks Atkinson Theater. Based on the 2007 motion picture written by Adrienne Shelly, Waitress was the first Broadway musical in history to have four women in the four top creative team spots, with a book by Jessie Nelson, a score by six-time Grammy Award-nominated singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles, choreography by Lorin Latarro and direction by Tony Award-winner Diane Paulus. The production is currently touring the US and has also recently announced it will have its Australian premiere in 2020 at the Sydney Lyric Theatre.

Waitress tells the story of Jenna, an expert pie maker in a small town, who dreams of a way out of her loveless marriage. A baking contest in a nearby county and the town’s new doctor may offer her a chance at a new life, while her fellow waitresses offer their own recipes to happiness. But Jenna must find the courage and strength within herself to rebuild her life. This American musical celebrates friendship, motherhood, and the magic of a well-made pie.

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.

Waitress is produced by Barry and Fran Weissler and Norton and Elayne Herrick.

LISTINGS

WAITRESS
The Adelphi Theatre
The Strand,
London WC2R 0NS

Performances from Friday 8 February
Opening night: Thursday 7 March

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

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

Images from: thecornershoppr.com/download/the-original-broadway-production-images-of-waitress/

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

Darlington Hippodrome – until Saturday 24 November 2018

5*****

Based on a TV show, now a theatrical tour de force, Cilla the Musical tells the tale of dear departed, national treasure Cilla Black.

Cilla (or Cyril as John Lennon lovingly calls her) dreams of singing, her parents Big Cilla (Jayne Ashley) and John (Neil McDonald) are proud of the fact she works in an office and try to dissuade her from a showbiz life.  But her friends Pat (Billie Hardy) and Pauline (Gemma Broderick) and her boyfriend Bobby Willis know she has what it takes to be a massive star.

Her big break comes when Brian Epstein, manager of the Beatles hears her singing.  Her first audition for him a disaster, her second see’s her signed and on her way to Abbey Road and to the top.

Kara Lily Hayworth, who was chosen from thousands of hopefuls, is magnificent as Cilla.  Her rendition of Anyone Who Had a Heart at the end of the first act was show stoppingly beautiful.  Her growing relationship with Bobby (Alexander Patmore) which became a long and happy marriage, and her fight to be famous with Epstein (Andrew Lancel) whilst feeling second fiddle to the Beatles

There is poignancy when the Beatles sing Hide Your Love Away – in essence about John hiding his wife and son from the fans, but when Epstein sings hauntingly along you realise that he was hiding his sexuality, so not to commit an offence.

There is a strong narrative throughout, telling a true story with some wonderfully rousing music and vocals with a live band on and musicians off stage led by Scott Alder: clothes that accentuate the nostalgia, an incredible and versatile set perfectly evoking the era and a talented ensemble make for a perfect balance of song and story line.  

This is the perfect night out, whether you a fan of Cilla, of the 60’s or just of good music.   Lovingly created by her good friends Bill Kenwright and Laurie Mansfield, with input from her son Robert Willis – this is a production that has been created with a “lorra lorra” love for our Cilla

In Darlington until Saturday and on tour around the UK

FULL CAST ANNOUNCED FOR

ASPECTS OF LOVE

AT SOUTHWARK PLAYHOUSE

FROM 7 JANUARY TO 9 FEBRUARY 2019

 

Katy Lipson for Aria Entertainment and Hope Mill Theatre are delighted to announce the full cast for the London transfer of their production of Aspects of Love at Southwark Playhouse.

 

Madalena Alberto will play Giulietta Trapani, and Eleanor Jackson will join the ensemble. This completes the previously announced cast of Kelly Price (That Day We Sang, A Little Night Music – Olivier Award Nominee, 2010) in the role of Rose, Felix Mosse (The Rocky Horror Show) as Alex, Jerome Pradon (Jesus Christ Superstar, Pacific Overtures – Olivier Award Nominee, 2003) as George, Jack Churms, as Jerome/ensemble, Jason Kajdi (Our House, Assassins) as Hugo, Julia J Nagle (An American in Paris) as Elizabeth/ensemble, Minal Patel (The Secret Garden, Bend it Like Beckham) as Marcel and Eleanor Walsh as Jenny/ensemble.

 

Madalena Alberto has played some of the most coveted roles in musical theatre, including Fantine in Les Misérables (Barbican and UK tour), Grizabella in Cats (London Palladium) and the title role in Evita (Dominion Theatre, UK and International tours). Madalena is also an established solo artist and songwriter, performing regularly in concerts in London, Lisbon and Barcelona, and is a proud associate artist to Chaskis Theatre Company in London.

 

Eleanor Jackson trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Her theatre credits include Freight (RADA Festival), Medea (Bristol Old Vic), and Great Again (Vaults Festival).

 

Directed by Jonathan O’Boyle (Rain Man, Hair and Pippin) this new, intimately reimagined production will play for a limited season from 7 January to 9 February 2019, with a national press night on Thursday 10 January. This will be the fourth London transfer from Hope Mill Theatre, following Yank!, Hair and Pippin, and the award-winning 50^th anniversary production of Hair has recently announced a major UK tour in 2019. 

 

2019 marks 30 years since the original production of Aspects of Love first opened, premiering at the Prince of Wales Theatre in 1989.  With music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Don Black and Charles Hart and based on the novel by David Garnett, the musical is set in France in 1947 and features the iconic songs Love Changes Everything, Seeing Is Believing and First Man You Remember. While English student Alex Dillingham is travelling through France before his call up, he falls in love with the alluring actress Rose Vibert. Rose joins Alex at his uncle’s villa. As the pair embark on a passionate affair, the unexpected arrival of Uncle George changes their lives forever. From the cobbled streets of Paris to the mountains of the Pyrenees, Aspects of Love is a heart-breaking love story spanning twenty years.

 

Aspects of Love will have musical direction by Richard Bates, choreography by Sam Spencer-Lane, design by Jason Denvir, lighting design by Aaron J Dootson, sound design by James Nicholson and casting by Jane Deitch.

 

Aspects of Love at Southwark Playhouse is produced by Katy Lipson for Aria Entertainment and Hope Mill Theatre with Jim Kierstead.

 

 

LISTINGS INFORMATION

 

7 January to 9 February 2019

 

Southwark Playhouse

77-85 Newington Causeway

London SE1 6BD

 

Performance Times:

Monday – Saturday 7.30pm

Tuesdays & Saturdays 3.00pm

 

Tickets: £27.50 and £22 concessions (from £16 during previews) 

Box Office:  020 7407 0234

Website:  southwarkplayhouse.co.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SouthwarkPlayhouse
Twitter:   @swkplay