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Ivy House Nunhead 2nd March, Arcola Bar  13th March.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

This immersive production is full of guts, glitterballs and… bingo.

Babs and Jackie are running a fundraising night collecting food and money for families suffering during the miners’ strike, ably assisted by Babs’ husband Dave and Tel on the piano.

The Ivy House was a perfect setting for the night – the ballroom has a 80s 90s workingman’s club atmosphere. Babs and Jackie greet you at the door and hand you your bingo card before taking the stage for the fundraiser. The cast- Judith Amsenga, Dominik Golding, Charlotte Higgins, Jeremy Hancock and Kevin Potton all don 1980s fashion bravely and give fine, natural performances.

The actresses give wonderfully awkward performances, exactly like normal women not used to public speaking, and the way they develop a growing rivalry for the spotlight as the evening progresses is deliciously bitchy. Babs and Dave make a great comedy duo, either bickering or him looking on in exasperation as she puts words into his mouth as he can’t get a word in edgeways. The bingo section is joyfully chaotic, with Jackie’s “mystery prize” jingle getting stuck in your head instantly.

Even though the actors talk of the hardship and humiliation of the miners, this doesn’t really hit home until Tony, a very unwelcome visitor turns up and the whole tone of the evening changes. The audience is left alone with Tony as he explains his reasons for crossing the picket line, making us complicit in judgement of his actions. The delivery of Tony’s monologue is wonderfully moving, highlighting the shattered pride and desperation of the man, only wanting to provide for his family, and reminding us of the shades of grey in the conflict.

Aled Pedrick’s script is full of affection for the miners (his father was a coal miner) and draws many parallels between their situation in the 80s and the present day in a non-preachy way. The food donated by the audience is used by Hammersmith & Fulham Foodbank, and this simple fact makes the vision of stronger communities and workers voiced by the characters so nostalgic, innocent and hopeless.

This is an emotional and thought provoking production, well worth catching at the Arcola Bar if you can. The 80s music that follows just tops the night off brilliantly.

JAMES CHARRINGTON ANNOUNCED

AS NEW CEO FOR MARKETING AND ADVERTISING AGENCY

DEWYNTERS

It was announced today that James Charrington will join leading live entertainment marketing and advertising agency Dewynters as Chief Executive Officer on 11 April 2016. James will replace Bob King, outgoing CEO, who left on 1 March 2016 but will continue to work as a creative consultant to Dewynters until 31 August 2016. Anthony Pye-Jeary, co-founder of Dewynters, will stand down at the end of May 2016.

James Charrington began his career in arts marketing at Dewynters in 1989. In 2002, he started the advertising agency Koenig Englaender in Hamburg, turning the city’s riverboats and harbour front yellow for The Lion King, as well as working with visitor attractions and football clubs across Germany. In 2006, he took responsibility at Stage Entertainment for commercial activity across Europe. In 2014, he set up Jampot Consulting, working with, amongst others, the National Theatre and Sonia Friedman on ticketing and marketing strategies.

James said, “I am thrilled to be coming back to the company where I started my career. Anthony, Bob and many others have built a world-class creative and strategic organisation and I’m proud to have a chance to help shape the agency into the future.”

Dewynters is part of reach4entertainment enterprises plc (r4e), which also owns Spotco in New York and Newman Displays in London. David Stoller, Executive Chairman of r4e, said of James’s appointment: “Robert De Wynter and Anthony Pye-Jeary were brave pioneers in the world of live entertainment marketing; we owe them and Bob King a huge debt of gratitude. I’m thrilled that James is joining Dewynters and I’m confident that he will bring further innovation and success for our clients in this fast changing world.”

DANIEL EVANS ANNOUNCES FINAL SEASON AS ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF

SHEFFIELD THEATRES

Daniel Evans today announces his final season as Sheffield Theatres’ Artistic Director, including the eagerly anticipated news of the Crucible’s Christmas show, Irving Berlin’s whip-cracking musical Annie Get Your Gun.  The season also includes two world premières on the Crucible stage – an adaptation of a classic novel and an exciting new musical set in Sheffield.  A poignant moment in the city’s history is told on the Studio stage along with a heart-warming family tale for the festive period.

The season opens in September with Folie à deux Productions and From Ground Up Theatre Company in association with Sheffield Theatres presenting Operation Crucible (Tue 6 – Sat 24 September) in the Studio.  On 12 December 1940 a single bomb reduced the Marples Hotel, which stood proudly in Sheffield’s Fitzalan Square, from seven storeys to just 15 feet of rubble.  Only one of the ten compartments in the hotel’s cellars withstood the blast.  Within it, trapped, were four men.  This highly acclaimed play tells their story, from beginning to end.

Sheffield Theatres continue their award-winning partnership with English Touring Theatre(Translations, Twelfth Night) from Wed 21 September – Sat 15 October with a brand new stage production of D.H. Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover.  Banned in the UK until 1960, this tender story shows how three people, reeling from the aftermath of the Great War, struggle to survive in a world which has been blown apart.  Passion, class, love and sexual freedom are at the heart of this modern classic, adapted and directed by Phillip Breen (York Mystery Plays 2016).

Saddle up this Christmas for the wildest of Wild West musicals – Annie Get Your Gun (Thu 8December – Sat 14 January). Sharp shootin’, smart talkin’ Annie Oakley is a force to be reckoned with but when she’s pitched against the charming, fiercely competitive Frank Butler, has she finally met her match?  Paul Foster (Tell Me On A Sunday, Sweet Charity) directs Anna-Jane Casey(Company) soon to be seen in Flowers For Mrs Harris, as Annie. With whip-cracking choreography from Sheffield favourite Alistair David (Show Boat, Anything Goes) and classic songs from the Golden Age of Broadway including There’s No Business Like Show Business, Anything You Can Doand I Got The Sun In The Morning Irving Berlin’s magnificent musical promises fun for all the family.

Sheffield Theatres’ festive season is completed with The Snow Child (Wed 14 December – Sat 7 January) a wintery tale full of warmth from Sheffield Theatres, Unicorn Theatre and Dancing Brick.  This striking visual show with live music and enchanting puppetry is a vibrant and inventive retelling of a traditional folktale that will delight and charm audiences of all ages.

A coming-of-age story with a twist, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (Wed 8 – Sat 25 February) directed by Sheffield-born Jonathan Butterell, is a brand new musical with catchy new songs byThe Feeling’s lead singer-songwriter Dan Gillespie Sells and writer Tom MacRae. Jamie New is sixteen.  He’s from Sheffield.  And he has a secret.  He doesn’t quite fit in at school. His Dad’s left home.  He’s about to sit his GCSEs and the future is terrifying.  With his brilliant mum behind him, will Jamie be brave enough to stand up for who he really wants to be?

The best in touring productions also visit the city with shows including the already announced End of the Rainbow (Thu 12 – Sat 14 May) and Chicago (Mon 6 – Sat 11 June) appearing on theLyceum stage.

The Studio hosts some exhilarating and inspiring performances in the new season. On Saturday 21 May, Christopher Brett Bailey brings This Is How We Die, a spiralling odyssey of pitch-black humour and nightmarish prose. In Going Viral (Tue 24 May) an aeroplane flies from Uganda to England where everyone on board is weeping.  Everyone except you.  Is it a strange new disease?  Or has the world become genuinely sad? Then attempt to unpick the truth from the fiction of power ballads in Late Night Love (Wed 1 June) and experience the power of words in Poetry Can F*ck Off (Thu 2 June).  Ventoux (Fri 3 – Sat 4 June) tells the story of champions Lance Armstrong and Marco Pantani – whose Tour de France battle of 2000, was the greatest cycling had ever seen, but just how far did they go to succeed?  In Gods Are Fallen and All Safety Gone (Tue 7 June), two male actors explore the emotional and humorous dynamic of the relationship between a thirty-something daughter and her ageing mother.

Dance fans will enjoy a varied programme in the Lyceum Theatre, with Wayne McGregor’s cutting-edge contemporary work Atomos (Sat 18 June), performed by ten incredible dancers in his unique style – sculptural, rigorous, jarring and hauntingly beautiful.  While later in the year, Northern Balletreturn with their modern production of Romeo & Juliet (Wed 14 – Sat 17 September), set to Prokofiev’s stirring score.

Motown’s greatest hits are celebrated in Dancing in the Streets at the Lyceum from Fri 3 – Sat 4 June and the music continues from Tue 26 September – Sat 1 October with the Broadway and West End smash hit Million Dollar Quartet, featuring songs from the legendary Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins. Multi award-winning Sunny Afternoon (Tue 25 – Sat 29 October) follows the rise to fame of The Kinks, one of the most influential bands of the ‘60’s and direct from the West End, Roddy Doyle’s The Commitments celebrates soul classics includingKnock On Wood and Try A Little Tenderness from Mon 21 – Sat 26 November.

Brand new live show Peppa Pig’s Surprise brings family fun from  Fri 9 – Sat 10 September. Fans of comedy will enjoy Alan Ayckbourn’s Relatively Speaking (Mon 19 – Sat 24 September) starringRobert Powell and Lisa Goddard and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic musical Cats will appeal to audiences of all ages from Mon 3 – Sat 15 October.

Artistic Director Daniel Evans said today, ‘I’m delighted that my final season at Sheffield will combine new and classic plays and musicals. It’s particularly edifying that two of our productions – a new adaptation of the classic novel, Lady Chatterley’s Lover, and a brand new musical, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie – will come to the stage after many years of development work. Our Christmas musical, which has become something of a tradition now in Sheffield, will also continue to thrive in the wonderful hands of director Paul Foster and choreographer Alistair David who this year will stage Annie Get Your Gun. We shall soon be announcing news of my successor, but in the meantime, I want to thank everyone at Sheffield Theatres – staff, partners and audiences – for the most joyful seven years.’

The new season will go on sale to Sheffield Theatres’ Centre Stage Members on Saturday 12 March and on general sale from Saturday 19 March from 10.00am. For full details of the 2016 season, visit sheffieldtheatres.co.uk or call Box Office on 0114 249 6000.

CURTAIN CALL:
A YEAR BACKSTAGE IN LONDON THEATRE

@crtncll I @johnschwab I @31thirtyone

• CURTAIN CALL ANNOUNCE PUBLICATION OF THEIR INAUGURAL BOOK, CURTAIN CALL: A YEAR BACKSTAGE IN LONDON THEATRE
• THE BOOK FEATURES NEVER SEEN BEFORE BACKSTAGE PHOTOGRAPHY FROM NEARLY 60 LONDON THEATRE PRODUCTIONS FROM 2015/16 CREATED BY PHOTOGRAPHER MATT HUMPHREY AND ACTOR/DIRECTOR JOHN SCHWAB

• THE BOOK INCLUDES EXCLUSIVE PHOTOGRAPHY OF NICOLE KIDMAN, KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS, DAMIAN LEWIS, IMELDA STAUNTON, MARK RYLANCE, MARK STRONG AND MANY MORE STARS OF THE STAGE

• CURTAIN CALL IS AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER NOW AT CURTAINCALLONLINE.COM AND AVAILABLE TO BUY IN STORES FROM 28 MARCH

Curtain Call: A Year Backstage in London Theatre is the first in a series of photography books by photographer Matt Humphrey and actor/director John Schwab featuring an extraordinary collection of fly-on-the-wall backstage photography from London theatre productions in 2015/16. Inspired by the 40th anniversary of the Olivier Awards, in addition to exclusive backstage photography, Curtain Call also includes a foreword by renowned actor David Suchetand extended interviews with Chief Executive of The Old Vic Sally Greene, Artistic Director of the Royal Court Vicky Featherstone, casting director Jessica Ronane and actress Kate Fleetwood. The book is now exclusively available to pre-order from www.curtaincallonline.com

Curtain Call is a new company founded and managed by John Schwab and Matt Humphrey, people who work in – and are passionate about – the world of theatre. Matt Humphrey and John Schwab were given unprecedented access backstage in London’s theatres and the book features never seen before photography taken on stage, in the wings and behind-the-scenes from over 50 productions including Hamlet at Barbican Theatre starring Benedict Cumberbatch, American Buffalo at Wyndham’s Theatre starring John Goodman, Damian Lewis and Tom Sturridge andThe Audience starring Kristin Scott Thomas at the Apollo Theatre.

John Schwab said: “I am very grateful to all of the cast, crew, creative, production teams and agents that allowed us into that wonderful space that is backstage during a show. Having spent nearly 20 years on stage in London and around the world, it is an absolute pleasure to invite the public to take a glimpse at this magical world and gain an insight into what it’s like to be a theatre professional backstage during a London theatre show. I look forward to starting something that we hope will become an industry staple for both the theatre fan and professional alike.”

Matt Humphrey said: “The backstage life of a production can be as intriguing, beguiling and choreographed as the show itself. I feel extremely privileged to have been allowed to photograph such an array of productions throughout the year, each of which has their own unique character. It has been a rewarding photographic challenge to shoot in low light and to combine reportage with portraiture. This book is a celebration of the expertise, diversity and extraordinary talent that characterise this thriving industry.”

Matt Humphrey and John Schwab met while working at the Old Vic Theatre in 2009 (John on stage, and Matt backstage). Together they founded Curtain Call in 2015, with a view to celebrating and promoting the work of cast, crew and creatives that work behind the scenes. As well as the book, they have been developing a database and networking website for the theatre industry, populated by exclusive visual and non-visual content.

Curtain Call: A Year Backstage In London Theatre is priced at £45 and available for pre-order from www.curtaincallonline.com. Curtain Call will also be available to purchase at the V&A and National Theatre bookshops from 28 March.

Organisers of the UK’s most spectacular open-air live action night show since the opening of the 2012 Olympics have appointed their first Technical Director to help deliver the epic production which is set to wow audiences in Bishop Auckland this summer.

Eleven Arches has appointed Simon Horsley, who boasts 25 years’ experience in the theme park and entertainment industry, to work alongside Production Director, Damien Boissinot, who is acting as Eleven Arches’ ‘borrowed brain’ from France’s Puy du Fou on which the Eleven Arches concept is modelled.

Simon will work alongside Damien and the strong technical and design team who have relocated from France to guide the highly complex production which presents a storytelling journey of 2000 years of British history, as seen through the eyes of the North East.  Set on a 7.5 acre stage with a huge lake at its centre, the show will feature intricate hydraulics, water, lighting, audio, video and pyrotechnics’ effects. More importantly, Simon will ensure that the wealth of knowledge invested by the Puy du Fou in Eleven Arches’ success is embedded and built on in years to come.

Previously Technical Manager within the entertainment department at Alton Towers Resort, Simon was responsible for the technical management of large scale special events including the annual fireworks shows, Scarefest, as well the Christmas events.

Most recently, Simon worked as Solution’s Architect within the engineering team at Holovis International, a company that specialises in technical systems for large theme parks and visitor attractions worldwide.

Speaking of his appointment, Simon said: “The role is something that excites me immensely.  Within the UK the Eleven Arches project is truly unique, pioneering, and ground-breaking.  Having been involved with the technical management of live events and entertainment for the whole of my working life, to be involved with such a large scale, technologically advanced, community based project at the outset is a lifelong ambition.

“I have been aware of the world leading reputation of Puy Du Fou for many years, and I’m hugely looking forward to working with their team and also volunteers from the local community to bring the technical elements of the Kynren show to life in 2016, and also for many years to come.

“Not only does the production utilise many technical systems found within traditional theatre and entertainment venues such as lighting and audio systems, but also there are also totally unique scenic elements and special effects which bring even more exciting challenges to the role providing dramatic capabilities and visual impact to the performances not found elsewhere.  I’m looking forward to not only using and sharing my previous technical skills, experience, and knowledge, but also leading, developing, and training the technical team at Eleven Arches.”

Tickets for the Kynren, comprising 14 summer shows getting underway from 02 July 2016, have gone on sale priced £25-55 for adults and £19-41 for children.  For ticket bookings please visit www.kynren.co.uk.

For further information on the show, visit www.elevenarches.org and the Twitter feed #Kynren.

Empire Theatre, Sunderland – 1st to 12th March

The Bodyguard arrives with a bang in to Sunderland Empire.  Based on the 1992 film of the same name starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner, the musical has been adapted and updated for the stage and is jam packed full of Houston’s greatest hits.

Playing Rachel Marron is played in Sunderland by North East favourite Zoe Birkett.  No wannabe Whitney Warbler here, she sings the songs which the pitch and tone to match her exquisite voice and the standing ovation for I Will Always Love You was rightly deserved.  

However Stuart Reid’s karaoke version as the bodyguard in question, Frank Farmer, maybe wasn’t the best.  He does smoulder quite well and his interaction with 10 year old Fletcher (T’Jai Adu-Yeboah) shows the tender side of the tough man.

Telling the story of Marron, a famous singer who hires an uncompromising ex-secret service agent, Farmer, to protect her from an obsessed stalker this is a love story between Rachel and Frank, with sister Nicki forced on the sidelines again, despite her own feelings for the bodyguard.

Rachel John is at times a show-stealer as sister Nicki. She gives an emotional performance as the hard-done-by younger sister who is outshone by her famous sibling at every turn, her version of All At Once was outstanding. John has a beautifully clear and soulful voice and the Run to You duet between her and Birkett is the standout scene in the first half, their voices are vastly different, but work incredibly well together

It’s not just the show-stopping numbers that keep the audience gripped, it’s also the thriller of a storyline as the gun-toting stalker edges ever closer to our superstar heroine.  Matthew Stathers is incredibly sinister as the mysterious psychopath. He ratchets up the suspense until we’re on the edge of our seats.  And the shooting scenes as he tries to kill from the middle of the audience are mesmerizing

Don’t be thinking this is a mere jukebox musical, though. It’s a truly stunning theatrical reimagining of the film, with spectacular staging in both the sets and costume design from Tim Hatley.  With Lighting by Mark Henderson, Sound by Richard Brooker and the live band lead by Tom Gearing.  The production is technically brilliant making this a very lavish performance

From the explosive start to the feel good finale, the show dazzles and shines.  It’s a high octane, emotional, enjoyable disco roller coaster ride and well worth the visit to see

12^th Battalion Productions

presents

the world premiere of

SYMPHONY TO A LOST GENERATION

The world’s first feature-length fully holographic dramatic production

28 – 31 May, LSO St Luke’s, 161 Old St, London EC1V 9NG

and on tour

The world’s first fully holographic production, a moving depiction of the human tragedy of the First World War. 250 actors and dancers appear beside the Vienna Philharmonic Choir and Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra in Adam Donen’s epic symphony and drama. Its scale and imagination is like nothing you’ve experienced.

Holograms have been used to bring Michael Jackson back to life and allowed Kate Moss to spend a month as part of the Alexander McQueen exhibition: never have they formed the basis of a full stage production until now. Transnational World War 1 epic Symphony to a Lost Generation is the world’s first fully holographic stage production: a visual and aural spectacular with a new symphony by virtuoso young composer Adam Donen at its centre.

Fusing classical music, dance, drama and archival film, Symphony to a Lost Generation is a 3D audio-visual holographic spectacular. It is an emotional and comprehensive artistic treatment of the First World War that presents both the monumental (Gallipoli, the Somme) and deeply personal, treating the entire conflict as the stories of individuals: their passions, their hopes and their struggles.

Holograms are used not only to give the illusion of live stage performance, but to allow modes of story-telling never before possible in theatres – a truly original hybrid art form, different from 3D cinema on the one hand and from live performance on the other. This is the first time the technology has ever been used on this scale. This production is the brainchild of 30 year-old Adam Donen who, three years ago, set about creating a new form of ‘total art’ unifying technologies and classical art-forms – music, dance, drama and film – that could travel to audiences outside of major capital cities. Symphony to a Lost Generation, with his new symphony at its core, is the result.

The 400-strong cast list for Symphony to a Lost Generation reads like a roll call of some of the greatest talents performing in the world today: the Vienna Philharmonic Choir, Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, the Grammy-winning New London Children’s Choir, Russian soprano Yana Ivanilova (widely considered Russia’s greatest living chamber soprano), prizewinning

conductor Martynas Staškus, Ernesto Tomasini (recently made Eccellenza Italiana for his services to the performing arts in Italy) and legendary butoh choreographer Minako Seki.

All 400 performers will appear as holograms, which will allow the production to tour the UK regions as well as smaller towns and cities across the world. It will be the largest-scale production ever to appear in most of the cities in which it is performed.

Donen’s symphony charts the transition from pre-War tonality to post-War dissonance, returning to tonality in the work’s final (fifth) movement. The first movement is a traditional 19th century sonata, but by the fourth movement, hints of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony and Chopin’s waltzes are drowned out in a landscape of horror. This is echoed by the dance, which begins with a balletic idyll before making use of butoh, a Japanese “dance of death-in-life”, to depict the lives of those caught in No Man’s Land.

‘With Symphony to a Lost Generation, I sought to show the living presence of the First World War in our time, and the extent to which the world it created continues to reverberate in our lives today. I sought to make use of every art-form and technology at our disposal – holograms in particular – to create a comprehensive picture of that awful time. I wanted to democratise epic art: to create a work on the scale of performances in the great capitals’ opera houses that would not remain trapped in such gilded cages, and could be taken to small towns and cities across the world.’ Adam Donen, composer and director

The production has harnessed the skills of two extraordinary creative talents: visual director Mikael Jaeger Jensen, whose credits include Effects Co-ordinator on Oscar-winning films including ‘Avatar’ and ‘Gravity’, and one of the world’s foremost music producers, Robert Harder. Aside from his Grammy-nominated work with David Byrne and Brian Eno, Harder has worked with both Kylie Minogue and Herbie Hancock.

South African-born Adam Donen is a composer, librettist, and director. Like Elgar and Schoenberg, Donen is a self taught composer. Recent major works include The Bernhard Suite (a 1 hour suite for string orchestra and piano premiered by the world renowned Württemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn) and Dorian (a libretto for Russian State Ballet). Donen has also released three albums of songs, performed across Europe, written and directed a sellout site-specific puppet opera and lectured at venues including Tate Britain and RADA.

Tickets are now on  sale. Further dates to added shortly www.symphonytoalostgeneration.com

 2016 Tour Dates

28 – 31 May                            LSO St Luke’s, 161 Old St, London EC1V 9NG

                                                Time: Sat, Sun, Mon & Tues at 19.30; Sun & Mon matinee at 14.30

                                                Ticket prices: £10-£25

                                                Press Night: Tuesday 31 May at 19.30

                                               Tickets: Barbican Box Office – 0207 63 8891

                                               www.lso.co.uk/symphonytoalostgeneration

6 – 8 June                                Apex Theatre, 1 Charter Square, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 3FD

                                                Time: Mon-Weds at 19.30; Tues & Weds matinee at 13.00

                                                Ticket prices: £20 (£10concs)

                                                Tickets: 01284 758000

                                                https://www.theapex.co.uk/whats-on/2016/03

21 – 22 June                            Kings Theatre, Albert Road, Southsea, Portsmouth PO5 2QJ

                                                Time: 14.00 & 19.30

                                                Ticket prices: £21.50, £19.50 (concs) £7.50 for children/schools/students

                                                Tickets: 023 9282 8282

                                                http://kingsportsmouth.co.uk/whats-on/film/symphony-to-a-lost-generation

8 – 11 July                               Lloyds Banking Hall, 14 Cornhill, London EC3V

                                                Times & Tickets TBA

                                                Tickets: www.symphonytoalostgeneration.com

10 – 11 August                        Pavilion Theatre, The Esplanade, Weymouth, Dorset, DT4 8ED 

                                                 Time: 19.30; matinee 11^th August at 14.30

    Ticket prices: £15-£20

    http://weymouthpavilion.com/at-a-glance

The Tabard Theatre presents:

LOCAL STUDENTS TO PERFORM IN CARMEN

Drama students from the North East will perform alongside professional opera singers in the Opera and Ballet International production of Carmen at Darlington Civic Theatre.

Seville comes to Darlington with the hottest ticket in town.

The award-winning opera producer Ellen Kent returns to Darlington Civic Theatre this month with an epic production of Bizet’s Carmen featuring a host of international soloists, highly praised chorus, the support of a full orchestra and ten local music and drama students.

Kent’s operas are renowned for their high production values, stunning set design which truly captures the architectural backdrop of each of the beautiful cityscapes, lavish costumes and incredible pyrotechnic displays and lighting effects which all combine to deliver an exceptional visual and musical masterpiece for audiences.

This dazzling production features Bizet’s unforgettable melodies including The Toreodor’s Song. A stunning new set reflects the architecture of Seville and its main square with Roman and Moorish influences.

The production at Darlington Civic Theatre will also feature ten drama students from Stagecoach Darlington and Yarm. Trudy Hindmarsh, Principal at Stagecoach, said “Rehearsals are well underway and the ten students who got through the two rounds of auditions are feeling very proud of themselves. They are rising to the challenge of singing in French and are already looking forward to the costumes that they will wear.”

Carmen is one of the most passionate operas ever written. A group of gypsy smugglers are frustrated in their attempts to bring their contraband into the city by Don Jose, an incorruptible officer in the Civil Guard. In order to help her kinsmen, the sultry Carmen seduces Don Jose, persuading him to abandon his post and look the other way. When his infatuation with Carmen leads him to kill a fellow guardsman in order to prevent her arrest, Don Jose becomes a wanted fugitive. The capricious, fickle Carmen resents his possessiveness and leaves him for a famous toreador in Seville. Obsessed and frustrated, a distraught Don Jose follows her to the bullring with tragic consequences.

Carmen is at Darlington Civic Theatre on Monday 21 March at 7.30pm. Sung in French with English surtitles.

Tickets* are £29 to £36, discounts are available.

To book contact the Box Office on 01325 486 555 or visit www.darlingtoncivic.co.uk

*All prices include a £1 restoration levy

REVIEW: THE BODYGUARD (Sunderland Empire)

March 3, 2016 

For: West End Wilma 

https://www.westendwilma.com/review-the-bodyguard-sunderland-empire/

The Bodyguard arrives with a bang in to Sunderland Empire. Based on the 1992 film of the same name starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner, the musical has been adapted and updated for the stage and is jam packed full of Houston’s greatest hits.

Playing Rachel Marron in Sunderland was North East favourite Zoe Birkett. No wannabe Whitney Warbler here, she sings the songs with pitch and tone to match her exquisite voice and the standing ovation for I Will Always Love You was rightly deserved.

However Stuart Reid’s karaoke version as the bodyguard in question, Frank Farmer, maybe wasn’t the best. He does smoulder quite well and his interaction with 10 year old Fletcher (T’Jai Adu-Yeboah) shows the tender side of the tough man.

Telling the story of Marron, a famous singer who hires an uncompromising ex-secret service agent, Farmer, to protect her from an obsessed stalker this is a love story between Rachel and Frank, with sister Nicki forced on the sidelines again, despite her own feelings for the bodyguard.

Rachel John is at times a show-stealer as sister Nicki. She gives an emotional performance as the hard-done-by younger sister who is outshone by her famous sibling at every turn, her version of All At Once was outstanding. John has a beautifully clear and soulful voice and the Run to You duet between her and Birkett is the standout scene in the first half, their voices are vastly different, but work incredibly well together.

It’s not just the show-stopping numbers that keep the audience gripped, it’s also the thriller of a storyline as the gun-toting stalker edges ever closer to our superstar heroine. Matthew Stathers is incredibly sinister as the mysterious psychopath. He ratchets up the suspense until we’re on the edge of our seats. And the shooting scenes as he tries to kill from the middle of the audience are mesmerizing.

Don’t be thinking this is a mere jukebox musical though. It’s a truly stunning theatrical reimagining of the film, with spectacular staging in both the sets and costume design from Tim Hatley. With Lighting by Mark Henderson, Sound by Richard Brooker and the live band lead by Tom Gearing. The production is technically brilliant making this a very lavish performance.

From the explosive start to the feel good finale, the show dazzles and shines. It’s a high octane, emotional, enjoyable disco roller coaster ride and well worth the visit to see.