Theatregoers invited to add extra fright to their night at The Lowry

Theatregoers invited to experience paranormal encounters at Ordsall Hal

The Woman in Black Ghost Night
The Lowry and Ordsall Hall
Friday 24 March 2017

Following the performance of Susan Hill’s iconic The Woman In Black at The Lowry on Friday 24 March theatregoers are invited to continue their evening with a spine-chilling late-night experience contacting the spirits that haunt Ordsall Hall.

With its own ominous history, Ordsall Hall is home to paranormal encounters which have been experienced first-hand by visitors and staff alike. A medium will guide guests through the Tudor manor, famous for supernatural communication, sudden drops in temperature and sightings of the mysterious White Lady and the figure of a young girl on the stairs.

The Woman In Black Ghost Night Package includes show ticket, a post-show drink, travel to Ordsall Hall and the ghost tour itself.

Stephen Mallatratt’s adaptation of Susan Hill’s best-selling novel has terrified over 64,400 theatregoers across its previous seven visits to The Lowry. The show will make its eighth visit from Mon 20 – Sat 25 March 2017.  

Robin Herford’s gripping production is a brilliantly successfully study in atmosphere, illusion and controlled horror.

Stephen Mallatratt’s adaptation of Susan Hill’s novel tells the story of a lawyer obsessed with a curse that he believes has been cast over him and his family by the spectre of a ‘Woman in Black’. He engages a young actor to help him tell his story and exorcise the fear that grips his soul. It begins innocently enough, but as they delve further into his darkest memories, they find themselves caught up in a world of eerie marshes and moaning winds. The borders between make believe and reality begin to blur and the flesh begins to creep.

David Acton will play the role of Mr Kipps and The Actor will be playedMatthew Spencer.

The production’s huge popularity has reached a global level, having toured to the United States, South America, Tokyo and Singapore. In 2012, Susan Hill’s novel The Woman in Black was released as a major motion picture, starring Daniel Radcliffe, which became the highest grossing British horror film in 20 years. The sequel to that film, The Woman in Black 2: Angel Of Death, came out in 2014.

The West End show and tour are produced by PW Productions – the company behind the New Arts Theatre at Leicester Square.

Peter Wilson comments, “Everyone at PWP Is proud to continue presenting this perfect piece of theatre. The 2016/17 tour of The Woman in Black is dedicated to the Herford family who have done so much to support, love and create this landmark production.”

The production is directed by Robin Herford, with designs by Michael Holt, lighting by Kevin Sleep and sound by Gareth Owen.

The UK tour runs concurrently with the West End production.

Listings Info
The Woman in Black Ghost Night Package
Friday 24 March
The Lowry

Details:
7.30pm: The Woman In Black at The Lowry
9.45pm: Post-show drink at Pier Eight
10.15pm: Bus to Ordsall Hall
10.30pm: Ghost Night
2.30am Finish / Return bus to The Lowry if required
PLEASE NOTE: The Lowry Outlet car park will close at 1am. If guests are driving they are advised to remove their car from the car park prior to the Ghost Night.

Tickets: £62.50 (Including booking fees)
Box office: 0843 208 6000
Website

Edward Fox returns to the West End in celebrated one-man play, Sand in the Sandwiches, for a strictly limited London run followed by an extended UK tour

Jonathan Church, Oliver Mackwood and Oxford Playhouse Present

SAND IN THE SANDWICHES

@BetjemanUKTour / #JohnBetjeman

 

·         EDWARD FOX RETURNS TO THE WEST END IN SAND IN THE SANDWICHES, A PLAY CELEBRATING THE LIFE AND WORK OF FORMER POET LAUREATE, JOHN BETJEMAN

·         WRITTEN BY HUGH WHITEMORE, THE PRODUCTION WILL PLAY MAY 30th – JUNE 3rd AT THEATRE ROYAL HAYMARKET BEFORE CONTINUING ON A UK TOUR

·         TICKETS ARE NOW ON SALE VIA WWW.SANDINTHESANDWICHES.COM

 

Fresh from a sell-out 2016 UK Tour, Edward Fox is to return to the West End in the celebrated one-man play exploring the life and work of John Betjeman, Sand in the Sandwiches, for a strictly limited London run. A journey through memory and verse, the play collates the work of the twentieth century’s most treasured poet. Written by Hugh Whitemore and directed by Gareth Armstrong, it will visit Northampton before its London premiere at Theatre Royal Haymarket between May 30th and June 3rd 2017, followed by an extended UK tour visiting Cambridge, Malvern, Woking, Brighton and Bath.

 

Edward Fox said “It is lovely to be returning to one of the great theatres of the world and to the role of John Betjeman, even now at the age of 80. All of us involved are working to magnify the voice of one of the greatest minds in England. Betjeman once said that ‘poetry is life’, and I agree. You can’t live without it.”

 

John Betjeman was the nation’s favourite poet. Sand in the Sandwiches celebrates a man famous not only for light verse and laughter, but for his passions, his sense of purpose and his unforgettable poetry. Through boyhood, his adolescence, to life as Britain’s Poet Laureate, Sand in the Sandwiches presents a hugely entertaining insight into the world of this much-loved irreverent writer. Triple BAFTA winner Edward Fox (OBE) stars in this new one-man play, bringing Betjeman’s poetry and vivacious personality to life.

 

Edward Fox’s distinguished career counts iconic British films including the Oscar winningGhandi, The Day of the Jackal, A Bridge Too Far, Oh! What a Lovely War, The Dresser, The Go-Between, A Doll’s House, Pride and Prejudice, Robin Hood, Nicholas Nickleby, Force 10 from Navarone and James Bond’s Never Say Never Again. His stage credits include: The Audience, Four Quartets, Hamlet, An Evening with Anthony Trollope, Letter of Resignation and many more. His film credits have won him three BAFTA Awards and in 2003 he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his contribution to stage and cinema.

 

Hugh Whitemore, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, is an award-winning writer whose work spans stage and screen. Theatre credits include: As you Desire Me, Stevie, Pack of Lies (which won Judi Dench the Olivier Award for Best Female Actor), The Best of Friends, Breaking the Code, God Only Knows, Disposing of the Body, The Last Cigarette playing at acclaimed theatre across the UK and internationally. His films credits include: Jane Eyre (1996), 84 Charing Cross Road, Stevie, The Return of the Soldier, Bluebird, Man at the Top, and All Neat in Black Stockings. With over 70 television credits, Whitemore has written for broadcasters in both the UK and USA, winning two Writers Guild of Great Britain Awards and two Emmy Awards.

 

Director Gareth Armstrong specialises in solo performance and has helped to create a dozen such theatre pieces, including Hugh Whitemore’s My Darling Clemmie starring Rohan McCulloch as Winston Churchill’s wife, and his own dramatisation of Oscar Wilde’s De Profundis, calledWilde Without the Boy. As an Associate Artist at Salisbury Playhouse under the Directorship of Jonathan Church, he premiered his own one-man show, Shylock. The play toured for over a decade to more than forty countries and has been translated and performed in Spanish, Italian, Romanian, Hungarian and Mandarin Chinese. Armstrong also co-founded The Made in Wales Theatre Company to premiere new plays and was Artistic Director of Cardiff’s Sherman Theatre.

 

Sand in the Sandwiches will play at Theatre Royal Haymarket between Tuesday May 30th and Saturday June 3rd. This week is available at the theatre due to a pre-contractual, prior engagement, which means that Damian Lewis is unavailable to perform in Edward Albee’s The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? The producers took the decision to suspend the run of The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? for that week. The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? will recommence performances on 5 June.

 

Sand in the Sandwiches by Hugh Whitemore is directed by Gareth Armstrong with designs by BAFTA award-winning Fotini Dimou, lighting by double Olivier award-winning Howard Harrisonand sound by Olivier award & Ivor Novello award nominated composer Simon Slater. Sand in the Sandwiches is produced by Jonathan Church, Oliver Mackwood Productions and Oxford Playhouse.

Absurdist comedy from Peter Hamilton returns to the White Bear Theatre

Clockschool Theatre presents:


THE POETRY OF EXILE
March 28th – April 22nd 2017, White Bear Theatre


From the pen of Peter Hamilton (Basildon, Bridlington and Playground) comes new play The Poetry of Exile, opening at the White Bear Theatre in March/April 2017. In this new elegiac drama, Chinese transcendental poetry collides with questions of fertility, practicality and wine in Hamilton’s trademark absurdist writing style.

***** “emotionally flooring (…) spectacularly funny (…) beautifully ordered chaos (…) a surprising and revelatory piece of new writing” London Theatre 1 on Bridlington

Rob is thirty years old. His wife Lynn wants children, her sister Josie is pursuing her dream of becoming in a vintner in the south of France, and her husband Greg just wants Rob to focus on being a driving instructor – but all Rob wants to do is write poetry. When student Mary-Jane introduces him to the Chinese transcendental poetry of the Tang era, Rob embarks on a journey of self-discovery as his family members slowly unwind their own.

***** “surrealistic, powerful and extraordinarily beautiful play” Remotegoat on Bridlington

Hamilton is once again joined by director Ken McClymont, former artistic director of the Old Red Lion, who has directed, amongst Hamilton’s previous plays, 45 professional productions all over London, including Sherlock Holmes and The Invisible Thing (Tabard Theatre, 2016) and Bottalack O’Clock (Old Red Lion, 2016).

Peter Hamilton is the Leeds-born writer known for Basildon (White Bear Theatre, 2009) and Bridlington (Rosemary Branch Theatre, 2015). Hamilton’s writing spans decades and has previously explored similar themes of disillusion and mental illness in Switchboard (1997) and The Reappearance of Christ in the East End (2005). Previous credits also include Playground (2015), Skara Brae (2007) and Danelaw (2005).

The Commitments Review

Grand Opera House York.  Reviewed by Michelle Richardson

Phil McIntyre Entertainments Ltd presents The Commitments at the Grand Opera House, York, running until Saturday 18th February.

Based on the Roddy Doyle novel The Commitments. Set in 1987 it’s the story of Jimmy, Andrew Linnie, a young working class music fan who dreams of putting a band together, the finest soul band in Dublin. Despite the criticism of his Da, Kevin Kennedy, fondly remembered as Curly from Coronation Street, he auditions a motley crew of wannabes and somehow turns them into a band, The Commitments.

The first part of the show was too much! Too much shouting, too much bickering, too much swearing and just too many people on the stage, that it was hard to follow what was going on. I could just not get into the story or the characters. I must admit that at this stage I was thinking OH NO!, what a disappointment, I had so much been looking forward to watching this show after being blown away by the film many years ago, especially by the vocal performance of Andrew Strong, now whatever happened to him? I suppose that is another story.

I’m glad to say by the second half things improved massively. Brian Gilligan as the lead singer Deco really comes into his own, and did the vocal part justice. His voice is amazing and he plays his character distastefully well, including the strip tease, if you can call it teasing. We can excuse Deco’s bad behaviour and obnoxiousness because of his great voice. He is supported by The Three Commitmentettes, played by Amy Penston, Leah Penston and Christina Tedders, who all deliver great vocal performances, and the rest of the band can sure paly. This is of course before everything goes pear shape because of Deco’s laziness and selfishness.

The second half is really like going to a music concert, and to be honest was the most enjoyable aspect of the whole evening. I did not really feel that engaged by most of the characters and it was really about the great Soul music. By the end of the show the whole audience were on their feet dancing and singing along, begging for more, including me. At least this meant that we as an audience were left feeling on a high. What more could anyone ask for?

Crime and Punishment Review

Jack Studio Theatre 7 – 25 February.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

Arrows & Traps return to the Jack Studio in triumphant form with Marilyn Campbell and Curt Columbus’s adaptation of Crime and Punishment. Pared down into a 90-minute production, the psychological punch of this doorstop of a novel is enhanced rather than diluted. There are no filler lines – everything uttered, every single action, is important and revealing.

Raskolnikov’s conviction that extraordinary people can commit crimes for the greater good of humanity crumbles in the aftermath of the murder of the old pawnbroker and her innocent sister. Conversations take place back to back, characters prowl constantly in circles around the set as the isolation and motivations are revealed. The idea of redemption is constantly haunting Raskolnikov as the story of Lazarus and belief in God are questioned and his intellectual theories and morality collide. The fractured timeline, full of memories, dreams and the seemingly benign probing of Inspector Porfiry portrays the darkness and torment of Raskolnikov with chilling and enthralling skill. This is a play that grabs you by the balls and doesn’t release its grip until the cast take their bows.

Christopher Tester is phenomenal as Raskolnikov – capturing the initial intellectual arrogance so well that his final confession and acceptance of his true nature is all the more devastating. Christina Baston multitasks in the female roles with great skill, but it is her pure and self-sacrificing Sonia that is most effecting. The moment she loses herself completely in telling the tale of Lazarus after initially struggling to read it is glorious. Stephen MacNeice also plays multiple roles effortlessly. His charming and dogged Porfiry is basically a prototype Lt. Columbo, with his admiration for the suspect always bubbling away as he tries to catch him out. None of these actors puts a foot wrong – utterly captivating performances.

Director Ross McGregor has a fantastic track record in finding the right atmosphere for a play – the minimal set and masterful lighting design ramps up the confusion and tension, and the musical choices are, as ever just brilliant. From the murder played out in slow motion to Exit Music, to the Doctor Zhivago-esque rendition of modern classics in the bar scenes, this is pitch perfect.

You’ll probably need a drink when you leave the theatre – this play will put you through the emotional wringer. Stunning.

Show images released for acclaimed production of Evita

Production images released for Evita

At The Lowry Tue 14 – Sat 18 March

Show images have been released for  Bill Kenwright’s production of the extraordinary musical, Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita, set to thrill audiences at The Lowry from Tue 14 – Sat 18 March 2017.

Telling the story of Eva Perón, wife of former Argentine dictator Juan Perón, Evita follows Eva’s journey from humble beginnings through to extraordinary wealth, power and iconic status which ultimately lead her to be heralded as the ‘spiritual leader of the nation’ by the Argentine people.

With more than 20 major awards to its credit, and an Oscar winning film version starring Madonna and Antonio Banderas, Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita is iconic. Featuring some of the best loved songs in musical theatre, including Don’t Cry for Me Argentina, On This Night of a Thousand Stars, You Must Love Me, and Another Suitcase in Another Hall.

The 2017 UK tour of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s extraordinary musical has already received critical acclaim with The Stage rating it five stars and the Liverpool Echo labeling it “Oh what a show”. This spectacular production promises once again to be the theatrical event of the year.

Taking on the iconic role of Eva Perón is one of musical theatre’s most exciting leading ladies today, Emma Hatton. She recently finished wowing audiences in the lead role of Elphaba in the West End’s production of Wicked. Prior to this she performed the principle roles of Scaramouche and Meatloaf in We Will Rock You at the Dominion Theatre, and Donna in the West End production of Dreamboats and Petticoats.

Making his UK debut is leading Italian performer Gian Marco Schiarettiwho takes on the role of Che, a character who reflects the voice of the Argentine people – linked to Eva by destiny; he brings conflict to the story of Eva’s rise to fame. Gian Marco Schiaretti most recently played the title role of Tarzan in Disney’s Musical Tarzan, in Stuttgart. Prior to this he played Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet across Italy.

Joining them is Kevin Stephen-Jones, playing Argentine President Juan Perón. He has performed extensively across the UK and Europe in over 20 different operas. His musical theatre credits include Cats, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Love Beyond.

The cast is completed by Oscar Balmaseda, Sarah O’Connor, Natalie Langston, George Arvidson, Lewis Barnshaw, Jessica Ellen, Callum Fitzgerald, Kellie Gnauck, Dominic Adam Griffin, Kate Leiper, Joe McCourt, Jude Neill, Chrissie Perkins, Oliver Slade, Matias Stegmann and Yuval Zoref.

Listings Info
Evita
Tue 14 – Sat 18 March
7.30pm, Wed, Thu & Sat 2pm
Tickets: £28.50 – £49.50 (Including booking fees)
Box office: 0843 208 6000
Website

ROMOLA GARAI AND EMMA CUNNIFFE WILL BE JOINED BY JONATHAN CHRISTIE, MICHAEL FENTON-STEVENS, JAMES GARNON, RICHARD HOPE, HYWEL MORGAN, BETH PARK AND CARL PREKOPP IN THE WEST END TRANSFER OF QUEEN ANNE

TRH Productions, Scott Landis and Tulchin Bartner Productions present the Royal Shakespeare Company Production of

QUEEN ANNE

www.RSCQueenAnne.com / @RSCQueenAnne / #RSCQueenAnne

  • ROMOLA GARAI AND EMMA CUNNIFFE WILL BE JOINED BY JONATHAN CHRISTIE, MICHAEL FENTON-STEVENS, JAMES GARNON, RICHARD HOPE, HYWEL MORGAN, BETH PARK AND CARL PREKOPP IN THE WEST END TRANSFER OF QUEEN ANNE
  • WRITTEN BY HELEN EDMUNDSON AND DIRECTED BY NATALIE ABRAHAMI, QUEEN ANNE WILL PLAY AT THEATRE ROYAL HAYMARKET FROM 30 JUNE UNTIL 30 SEPTEMBER 2017

 

Romola Garai will star as Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough alongside Emma Cunniffe as the eponymous monarch in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Queen Anne. They will be joined by Jonathan Christie, Michael Fenton-Stevens, James Garnon, Richard Hope, Hywel Morgan, Beth Park and Carl Prekopp with further casting to be announced soon.

After originally opening at the Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon in November 2015, Queen Anne will transfer to Theatre Royal Haymarket for a thirteen week limited run from 30 June until 30 September, with a press night on 10 July. Tickets are now on sale.

www.RSCQueenAnne.com.

Written by Helen Edmundson (The Heresy of Love, RSC) and directed by Natalie Abrahami (Happy Days, Young Vic), this gripping new play explores the life of one of England’s little-known sovereigns and her intimate friendship with her childhood confidante Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough.

1702. William III is on the throne and England is on the verge of war.

Princess Anne is soon to become Queen, and her advisors vie for influence over the future monarch. Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, a close friend with whom Anne has an intensely personal relationship, begins to exert increasing pressure as she pursues her own designs on power.

Contending with deceit and blackmail, Anne must decide where her allegiances lie, and whether to sacrifice her closest relationships for the sake of the country.

Romola Garai will play Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough. Romola is best known for appearing in films such as Amazing Grace, AtonementVanity Fair, Inside I’m Dancing, Glorious 39 and Suffragette, and in BBC series such as Emma, The Hour and The Crimson Petal and the White. She has been nominated for a BAFTA and twice for a Golden Globe Award.

In addition to her work on screen Romola’s theatre credits include Calico (West End; Evening Standard Theatre Award Outstanding Newcomer nomination), King Lear and The Seagull (RSC), The Village Bike (Royal Court), Three Sisters (Lyric Hammersmith), and Measure for Measure (Young Vic).

Emma Cunniffe will play Queen Anne. On stage, Emma won the UK Theatre Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance in The Master Builder in 2000. Her other stage work includes Tales from Hollywood (Donmar), Losing Louis (Hampstead/West End), Women Beware Women (RSC), Proof (Menier Chocolate Factory), The Entertainer (Old Vic), Conquest of the South Pole (Arcola), A Doll’s House (The Lowry), Edward II,  Three Sisters, Major Barbara, Twelfth Night (Royal Exchange), Amongst Friends, The Glass Room (Hampstead). She was nominated for a WhatsOnStage Award in 2011 for her role as Elizabeth Proctor in The Crucible at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre.

Emma has numerous TV credits including Unforgotten, Lewis, Midsomer Murders, George Gently, Waterloo Road, Father Brown, Coronation Street, Moving On, Southcliffe, Good Cop, The Other Child, Doctor Who, Poirot, A Place of Execution, The Genius of Mozart, Clocking Off, All The King’s Men, Great Expectations, and The Lakes.

Helen Edmundson’s plays include The Clearing, (Bush Theatre), Mother Teresa is Dead, (Royal Court), Mary Shelley,(Shared Experience at The Tricycle and on tour), and The Heresy of Love (RSC). Her other work includes Coram Boy (National Theatre and on Broadway), a new version of Calderon’s Life is a Dream (Donmar), a musical adaptation of Swallows and Amazons, written with composer Neil Hannon, (Bristol Old Vic, West End and on tour) and Thérèse Raquin (Bath Theatre Royal and on tour). She has written a number of adaptations for Shared Experience Theatre including Anna Karenina and Mill on the Floss, which toured nationally and internationally, and War and Peace, first staged at the National Theatre.

Helen has recently completed screenplays for See Saw Films and Potboiler Productions and her episodes of the Hat Trick television drama The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher were seen on ITV, as well as the film adaptation of An Inspector Calls on BBC television. Helen is currently working on a new play, commissioned by the National Theatre. She has been the recipient of several awards, including the prestigious Windham Campbell Prize for drama 2015, a John Whiting Award for The Clearing, a TMA Award for Anna Karenina and Time Out Awards for Mill on the Floss and Coram Boy. She is an Associate Artist of Bristol Old Vic, and the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Natalie Abrahami is a former Genesis Fellow and Associate Director at the Young Vic. Her Young Vic credits include Happy DaysAfter Miss Julie and Ah, Wilderness! and the short films MAYDAYThe Roof and Life’s a Pitch. As former Artistic Director of the Gate Theatre, London, Natalie’s productions include Vanya and The Kreutzer Sonata which later transferred to La MaMa, New York.  Other credits include: Queen Anne (RSC), How the Whale Became and Other Tales (Royal Opera House), The Eleventh Capital (Royal Court), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Headlong) and Pericles (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre). Natalie was also an Associate Artist at the Nuffield Theatre, Southampton between 2013 and 2015 and Associate Director at Hull Truck in 2012 where she directed Yerma and Hitchcock Blonde. Natalie won the James Menzies-Kitchin Award for Directors in 2005 for her double-bill of Play and Not I (Battersea Arts Centre).

Jonathan Christie will play Arthur Maynwaring. He trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and won the National Theatre’s Michael Bryant Verse Speaking Award in his final year. He was also a runner-up in the BBC Carleton Hobbs Radio Competition. His theatre credits include: Queen Anne (RSC), Love for Love (RSC), Twelfth Night (ETT), Pocket Henry V (Propellor), The After Dinner Joke (The Orange Tree), The Conquering Hero (The Orange Tree), The Song of Deborah (The Lowry), Oh To Be In England (Finborough), First Impressions (Margate Theatre Royal), Madness In Valencia (Trafalgar Studios), My Dad’s A Birdman (Sheffield Crucible), Miss Julie (Albany) and Thinking Aloud (ICA). His film credits include: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of ShadowsCaptain WebbThe Green ParkWinterlong, whilst his television credits include: The Halcyon (ITV) and Vera Brittain: A Woman In Love and War (BBC).

Michael Fenton-Stevens will play Dr John Radcliffe. His recent stage credits include: Love for Love (RSC), Queen Anne (RSC & London), Yes Prime Minister (Apollo & Gielgud) and Stand (Battersea Arts). His long list of television credits includes the regular characters of ‘Sir Henry’ in Benidorm (ITV) and ‘Mr Griffith’ in My Family (BBC). He has also played roles in The Crown (Netflix), Carnage (BBC), Not Going Out (BBC), Parents (Sky), Josh (BBC), Starlings (Sky), Lead Balloon (BBC), Pete Vs Life (Channel 4), Mrs Biggs (ITV), Outnumbered (BBC), New Tricks (BBC), My Hero (BBC), Ladies of Letters (ITV) and Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps (BBC). His extensive work in radio includes playing ‘Paul Crawford’ in The Archers (BBC Radio 4) and doing 12 series of Old Harry’s Game (BBC Radio 4).

James Garnon will play Robert Harley. James has performed on stage in Richard III (Almeida), The Winter’s Tale, Pericles, As You Like It, ‘Tis Pity She’s A Whore, Dr Scroggy’s War, The Duchess of Malfi, The Tempest, Gabriel, Richard III, Twelfth Night, All’s Well That Ends Well, Anne Boleyn, Macbeth, A New World: The Life of Thomas Paine, The Storm, Romeo and Juliet, Dido Queen of Carthage (Shakespeare’s Globe); Down By The Greenwood Side (Brighton Festival), Much Ado About Nothing (Old Vic), King Lear (West Yorkshire Playhouse), Hamlet (The Factory/Bristol Old Vic) and Here Lies Mary Spindler (RSC/Latitude Festival). He has also appeared in the following films: Testament of Youth, The Real American: Joe McCarthy, Anonymous and The Brussels and his television credits include: The Crown (Netflix), Who Killed the Princes in the Tower (Channel 4), Foyle’s War, The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies (ITV) and Syntax Era (BBC 4).

Richard Hope will play Sydney Godolphin. He has performed on stage in Queen Anne (RSC), The History Boys (UK Tour), Orlando (Royal Exchange), King Lear (Almeida), Democracy (Sheffield Theatre and Old Vic), Dirty Dancing (West End), and The Swan, The Hour We Knew Nothing of Each OtherA Prayer For Owen Meany, War and PeacePravda, Hamlet, The Government Inspector, Don Juan, Much Ado About Nothing (all at the National Theatre). Richard is an Associate Member of Complicite and his television work includes Poldark (BBC), Broadchurch (ITV), Unforgotten (ITV), and And Then There Were None (BBC). He has been in the following films: Harbour, Mr Morgan’s Last Love, Antonia and Jane, Bellman and True, Bloody Kids, Breaking Glass, Chromophobia, French Lieutenant’s Woman and The Last Post.

Hywel Morgan will play Prince George. Hywel is from Cardiff and played Nye Bevan in This May Hurt a Bit (Out Of Joint) and Tony Blair in A Walk on Part: The Fall of New Labour (Live Theatre & Soho Theatre). For the RSC he has performed in The Alchemist, Love For Love and Queen Anne. Other theatre credits include: War & Peace, Mill on the Floss (Shared Experience) Blithe Spirit, Dancing at Lughnasa (Watermill), Surviving Spike, Our Man in Havana, (Kenwright) ONA$$I$ (Chichester), Indian Ink (Salisbury Playhouse) and The Importance Of Being Earnest, To Reach the Clouds, Feelgood and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (all at the Nottingham Playhouse). Morgan’s film credits include: Page Eight and W.E whilst his television credits include: Hinterland (BBC), The Tunnel (Sky), Skins (E4) Hollyoaks (Channel 4), Holby City (BBC), Casualty (BBC), Doctors (BBC) EastEnders (BBC) Pobol y Cwm (S4C) and Lee Nelson’s Well Funny People (BBC).

Beth Park will play Abigail Hill. Her theatre credits include: RevoltShe Said, Revolt Again (RSC), Queen Anne (RSC), The Harvest (Bath Theatre Royal/Soho Theatre), Exit The King (Bath Theatre Royal); The Dog, The Night and The Knife (Arcola), The Massacre At Paris (Rose Theatre), The Importance of Being Earnest (Stephen Joseph Theatre); GallatheaThe Woman in the Moon (Globe at Glastonbury), Bus Stop (New Vic) and Arcadia (Manchester Library Theatre) whilst her television credits include being in Casualty (BBC).

Carl Prekopp will play Daniel Defoe. His recent theatre work includes performing in Bug (Found111), Love for Love and Queen Anne (both RSC), Peter Pan (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), The Rivals (Arcola Theatre), The Saints (Nuffield Theatre), Dealer’s Choice (Royal and Derngate) and Roots (Donmar Warehouse). His other theatre credits include Love On the Dole (Jagged Fence), Ruffian on the Stair (The Orange Tree Theatre), Richard III (Riverside Studios), Calendar Girls (Chichester/Noel Coward Theatre) and Sexual Perversity in Chicago (Norwich Playhouse). Carl has also appeared in the television series Call The Midwife (BBC), Doctors (BBC) and Lewis (ITV Studios).

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The RSC Acting Companies are generously supported by THE GATSBY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION and THE KOVNER FOUNDATION.

The work of the RSC Literary Department is generously supported by THE DRUE HEINZ TRUST.

REQUIEM FOR ALEPPO – SADLER’S WELLS – SUNDAY 23 APRIL

REQUIEM FOR ALEPPO

SADLER’S WELLS

SUNDAY 23 APRIL 2017

 

“Aleppo is no longer – all that is left is its stories” – Anonymous, Citizen of Aleppo

 

Requiem for Aleppo, a brand new work created and conceived by composer David Cazalet with choreography by Jason Mabana, will premiere at Sadler’s Wells on Sunday 23 April 2017. The night will be introduced by BBC World Affairs editor John Simpson, and all money raised will go to support the work of charities Syria Relief and Techfugees.

The work will contain 12 dancers from across the world. Cazalet’s original music is a combination of Requiem Mass lyrics set to choral music, linked by Arabic poetry from the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries, also set to music, and interpolated throughout with the voices of people from Aleppo telling their real-life stories – stories gathered from recent interviews and which have fed into the development of the work.

Techfugees, a social enterprise coordinating the international tech community’s response to the needs of refugees, will live stream the show through its social media channels. Livestreamed screenings of the show will take place in cities where the Aleppo Diaspora has found shelter (screenings are being planned in Cairo, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Istanbul, Berlin,  Paris, Barcelona…Each of these screenings will be used to raise further funds).

Syria Relief is the largest Syria focused charity registered in the UK. With a solid network of committed management and logistics staff on the ground inside Syria , Syria Relief operate in some of the most hard to reach areas of Syria, including besieged areas.

With this level of expertise on the ground, Syria Relief implement  humanitarian projects inside Syria in a number of different sector from education, healthcare, livelihood, protection to food security and sponsoring orphans in the most desperate areas. Syria Relief is directly supporting civilians and displaced communities while providing the tools and training to help them become self-sufficient in their altered circumstances. Since their work started in 2011,they have touched the lives of 2 million people distributing more than 75 million dollars work of aid.

 

David Cazalet said, “I want Requiem for Aleppo to be a reminder, now and ongoing, of the suffering of a people and what the world has lost. It is an appeal to our common humanity – an expression of grief articulated in movement, song and design. It is a refusal to pay silent witness to a humanitarian crisis”. Requiem for Aleppo is written in memoriam for the lives that have been lost, destroyed, dislocated and displaced, it is a lament for the destruction of a city of great sophistication, history and tolerance whose loss is humanity’s loss.”

The dancers taking part are Arabella Scalisi (Italy), Beno Novac (Slovenia), Elisa Chou (Spain), Hae Haeyeon Lim (South Korea), Ines Pinheiro (Portugal), Jessica Eirado Enes (Italy), Naima Souhair (The Netherlands), Raoul Riva (France), Rob Bridger (UK), Sarina Sitinjak (Canada), Simone Zambelli (Italy) and Wennah Wilkers (The Netherlands)

Announcing 110 IN THE SHADE

We are delighted to announce our 2017 season will continue with a rare revival of :
110 IN THE SHADE

Book by N. Richard Nash
Music by Harvey Schmidt

Lyrics by Tom Jones
We are thrilled to announce we will stage a rare London revival of the 1963 musical 110 IN THE SHADE.

Penned by Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones (the songwriting team behind the Worlds Longest Running Musical THE FANTASTICKS) the show is based on N. Richard Nash’s 1954 play THE RAINMAKER.


The show focuses on the unmarried Lizzie living in a small western town besieged by a long drought. Lizzie is dealing with another type of drought: her love life. Intelligent yet plain, she is worried that she will soon become an old maid with no one to love her. When a charismatic man named Starbuck arrives and claims the ability to make rain, Lizzie believes he is a con man with no abilities whatsoever. Little does she know that this man will change her life forever.

Containing a lush soaring score, 110 IN THE SHADE centers on Lizzie’s quest for self-acceptance and her choice between two suitors: the rainmaker Starbuck and the divorced Sheriff File. 
LISTINGS INFORMATION

Venue: Ye Olde Rose and Crown Theatre, 53 Hoe Street, London, E17 4SA
Closest Tube/National Rail: Walthamstow Central, Victoria Line. (5 mins walk)
Dates: 9th – 28th May 2017
Press Night: Friday 12th May 2017
Times: Tuesday – Saturday at 7.30pm; Sundays at 3.00pm.
No performances on Mondays

Price: £20.00/ £18.00 Concessions, Previews £15.00
Box Office: 020 8520 8674/ www.ticketsource.co.uk/allstarproductions

Director: Randy Smartnick

Musical Director: Aaron Clingham
Choreographer: Kate McPhee
Producer: Andrew Yon
Website: www.allstarpro.co.uk 

LA STRADA

FELLINI’S OSCAR-WINNING MASTERPIECE LA STRADA COMES TO THE STAGE

Kenny Wax Ltd in association with Cambridge Arts Theatre & Bristol Old Vic present

The Belgrade Theatre Coventry’s Production

FEDERICO FELLINI’s

LA STRADA

Based on the subject and script work by Federico Fellini, Ennio Flaiano and Tullio Pinelli

Directed by Sally Cookson, Composed by Benji Bower

RICHMOND THEATRE TUE 27 FEB – SAT 4 MAR

One of the true masterpieces of modern cinema, Federico Fellini’s 1957 Oscar-winning film, LA STRADA (The Road), will be brought to life on stage in a brand new adaptation directed by Olivier Award nominee Sally Cookson with music composed by Benji Bower. The production will receive its world premiere at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry on 11 February 2017 where it opens for the start of a 16-week national tour, visiting Richmond from Tue 27 Feb – Sat 4 Mar, prior to its London transfer. On 30 May LA STRADA will receive its London premiere at The Other Palace, the newest addition to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Theatre Group, where it will run for 6 weeks until 8 July 2017. Tickets are now on sale.*

Awarded the honorary Oscar for Lifetime Achievement in 1993, Italian director Federico Fellini changed the face of film-making forever with his seminal films such as La Strada, La Dolce Vita, 8½, Nights of Cabiria and Satyricon. Marking 60 years since La Strada, starring Anthony Quinn, won the ‘Best Foreign Language Film’ Academy award, Fellini’s cinematic masterpiece, hailed as “one of the most influential films ever made” (the American Film Institute), sees its first ever UK stage adaptation.

A soul-searching story filled with beauty, sadness, humour and acute observation, LA STRADA tells the tragic and tender tale of wide-eyed Gelsomina who is sold by her impoverished mother to the brutish strongman Zampano, a travelling sideshow performer. Their journey through the Italian countryside leads them to a ragtag touring circus where they meet Il Matto the free-spirited tightrope walker, who tries to rekindle Gelsomina’s broken spirit.

Director Sally Cookson says:

“Felini’s iconic film has always fascinated me and the thought of using it as a starting point to make a piece of theatre was one I couldn’t resist. A folk-tale like odyssey – this story sees three lost souls travelling ‘the road’ and searching in different ways to find meaning in their lives. Using physical story telling, music and movement, we will be attempting to find a theatricality to re imagine this story of human suffering, longing and redemption.”

Featuring live music and original songs, LA STRADA brings together a multi-skilled cast of performers and musicians. Audrey Brisson (Cirque de Soleil’s Quidam, Kneehigh’s The Cast of the Flying Lovers of Vitebsk, Dead Dog in a Suitcase, The Wild Bride and National Theatre’s The Elephantom) plays Gelsomina, Stuart Goodwin (Sally Cookson’s Sleeping Beauty; Kneehigh’s Tristan & Yseult) plays Zampano and Bart Soroczynski (Cirque de Loin’s The Fool & The Princess; ENO’s Benvenuto Cellini; RSC’s The Merry Wives of Windsor) plays Il Matto. The ensemble cast includes:

Matt Costain, Fabrizio Matteini, Sofie Lybäck, Niv Petel, Niccolo Curradi, Tatiana Santini, Luke Potter and Tee Jay Holmes. Further casting to be announced.

LA STRADA is directed by Sally Cookson, with musical direction and music by Benji Bower, ‘writer in the room’ Mike Akers, set and costume design by Katie Sykes, lighting design by Aideen Malone and sound design by Mike Beer.

Director Sally Cookson is an associate artist of Bristol Old Vic. Together with long-time creative collaborator, composer and musical director Benji Bower, their many productions include: Jane Eyre (Bristol Old Vic and National Theatre), the Olivier Award nominated Hetty Feather (West End, National Tour & Florida USA), Peter Pan (National Theatre), Treasure Island (Bristol Old Vic), and the Olivier Award nominated Cinderella: A Fairytale (Tobacco Factory Theatre), Varmints (Sadler’s Wells).

Multi Olivier award-winning producer Kenny Wax says:

“I have been trying to mount a stage production of LA STRADA for many years. When Sally Cookson told me it was her favourite film, the stars seemed to align more perfectly than I could have ever dreamed. And that is only half the back story.”