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Casting has been announced for the West End transfer of Hand to God, which opens at the Vaudeville Theatre next year.

The hit Broadway show will star Olivier Award-winning actress Janie Dee and stage and screen actor Harry Melling, who are joined in the cast by Neil Pearson, Jemima Rooper and Kevin Mains. The production will make its UK premiere at the Vaudeville Theatre in London’s West End on 5th February 2016.

‘If Book of Mormon and Avenue Q had a baby, it would be Hand of God.’ This new American comedy play is the story of shy teenager Jason and his sock puppet named Tyrone, who comes to life and shakes a small Texas town to its core with his outrageous but truth-telling personality.

Written by playwright Robert Askins, Hand to God originally premiered Off-Broadway at the Ensemble Studio Theatre in October 2011 and was later produced at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in March 2014. It made its Broadway debut at the Booth Theatre on 7th April 2015 (previews from 14th March) to rave reviews and was subsequently nominated for five Tony Awards, including ‘Best Play’. The Broadway production is due to play its final performance on 3rd January 2016, with actor/comedian Bob Saget joining the cast as Pastor Greg for the last eight weeks of the show’s run.

Hand to God is directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel. It also has scenic design by Beowulf Boritt, costume design by Sydney Maresca, lighting design by Jason Lyons, sound design by Jill BC Du Boff, puppet design by Marte Johanne Ekhougan and fight direction by Robert Westley.

Janie Dee was most recently seen in the Open Air Theatre production of The Seagull. She won the Olivier Award for ‘Best Supporting Performance in a Musical’ for her role as Carrie Pipperidge in Carousel (National Theatre), and the Olivier Award for ‘Best Actress’ for her role as Jacie Triplethree in Comic Potential (Stephen Joseph Theatre/ Lyric Theatre/Manhattan Theatre Club). Her other stage credits include Blithe Spirit (Gielgud Theatre), Hello Dolly! (The Curve, Leicester), Noises Off (Old Vic/Novello Theatre), Twelfth Night (Open Air Theatre) and My One and Only (Chichester Festival Theatre/Piccadilly Theatre)

Harry Melling is best known for playing the role of Dudley Dursley in the Harry Potter film series. He made his stage debut in the National Theatre’s 2009 revival of Mother Courage and her Children. His other stage credits include Women Beware Women (National Theatre), When Did You Last See My Mother? and The Hothouse (Trafalgar Studios), I Am A Camera(Southwark Playhouse) and The Angry Brigade (National Tour).

Neil Pearson has previously appeared on stage in Noises Off (UK Tour) and Arcadia (Duke of York’s Theatre). His television credits include All the Small Things and Waterloo Road, and his film credits include Fever Pitch and Bridget Jones’ Diary.

Jemima Rooper played Elvira in Blithe Spirit at the Gielgud Theatre in 2014 and reprised the role for the US production at the Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles earlier this year. Her other stage credits include Breeders (St James Theatre), One Man, Two Guvnors (National Theatre), Me and My Girl (Crucible Theatre, Sheffield), All My Sons (Apollo Theatre), The Power of Yes and Her Naked Skin (National Theatre). Her television credits include As If, Hex and Lost in Austen. She made her Hollywood film debut in The Black Dahlia.

Kevin Mains’ stage credits include Million Dollar Quartet (Noel Coward Theatre).

Hand to God is produced by Kevin McCollum. The West End production will run at the Vaudeville Theatre from 5th February to 11th June 2016.

 

Book from See Tickets

Vaudeville Theatre
From 5th February 2016 to 11th June 2016

The Great Yorkshire Fringe was such a huge success last year that it’s coming back – and promising to deliver the very best comedians, music and family entertainment from all over the world to the centre of York.

The inaugural 2015 Festival, on a temporary village green in Parliament Street, proved a hit with both residents and visitors to the city, with more than 120,000 people flocking to a festival of entertainment, music, cabaret, magic and theatre.

Building on that success and expanding with a weird, wise and wonderful 10-day festival by an extra week – so there will be 17 days of comedy, variety and family entertainment, again centred on Parliament Street, from Friday 15th to Sunday 31st July, 2016

Festival founder Martin Witts said today: “We’ll be announcing the first acts very shortly and tickets will be going on sale – to be the first to hear, sign up to our online mailing list at www.greatyorkshirefringe.com. We have some of the biggest names in comedy signed up and others that will be new to the region. We promise to deliver a non-stop cavalcade of laughs over the summer.”
The competition judges will include professionals currently working in the comedy industry. Past judges have included comedy critics from the Guardian, Independent, Time Out and Chortle, plus industry agents and promoters.New Comedian of the Year 2016: At the heart of the Festival we’re thrilled to announce the return of The Great Yorkshire Fringe New Comedian of the Year competition. Following in the footsteps of our highly successful, sold out 2015 competition, the search is now on for our 2016 champion. We’re looking for the best up and coming comedians from Yorkshire and beyond to compete in daily heats throughout the Fringe, with a grand final on Sunday 31 July. Last year, Tom Taylor, aged 23 from Harrogate, was crowned the very first Great Yorkshire Fringe New Comedian of the Year. Tom beat 74 other aspiring comedians, who took part over eight daily heats, to win the competition.

The 2016 winner will receive The Golden Pudding Award, £750, and the opportunity to perform at Leicester Square Theatre. Second place prize will be £500 and third place £250.

The competition is open to any non-professional act who’s been performing for five years or less and entries from character acts, musical acts, and sketch groups are welcome. The only restriction is that all contestants must stick to 5 minutes of original material or risk disqualification.

Entries will open on Monday 11 January 2016 and are on a first come first serve basis. Entrants must be available for a heat between Friday 15 and Saturday 30 July 2016 (excluding Mondays 18 & 25), and the final on Sunday 31 July.

 

ALL OR NOTHING, a Mod Musical about the legendary English band The Small Faces, will play in London at The Vaults Theatre, Waterloo from 31st March to 30th April 2016.

ALL OR NOTHING tells the exciting, poignant, and bittersweet tale of Kenney Jones, Ian McLagan, Ronnie Lane and Steve Marriott; four charismatic young kids from East London with humour, attitude, passion and above all talent. The Small Faces were rocketed into the big time only to discover the path to fantastic success is heaving with exploitation, corruption, betrayal and ultimately tragedy.
Their journey in the music business is as vivid and colourful as their music. And theirs is a legacy which lives on – raw and soulful music which inspired a whole new generation of stars including Paul Weller and The Jam, Oasis, Blur, The Verve, Ocean Colour Scene, and The Arctic Monkeys. Not to mention millions of fans.Telling the rollercoaster story of The Small Faces, ALL OR NOTHING celebrates the unique sound of the iconic Mod band. The musical is packed full of all the timeless hits, including the brilliant Whatcha Gonna Do About It, Tin Soldier, Lazy Sunday, Here Comes the Nice, Itchycoo Park and of course All or Nothing.

In 1964, a new phenomenon exploded on to the dingy British streets. It was the essence of all that was cool. It was Mod. Mods stuck two fingers up at the class-ridden society and its dull redundant culture. They were working-class free spirits who rode sexy streamlined Italian Vespas or Lambrettas.

The sharpest Mod of all was known as a ‘face’. The Small Faces encapsulated all that is Mod, a unique blend of taste and testosterone, neat, clothes obsessed, and streetwise. But these cult sophisticates shared another passion, their dedication to ‘Rhythm and Blues.’

ALL OR NOTHING was tried out in 2013 in Brighton to critical acclaim featuring PP Arnold, Mollie Marriott, Chris Farlowe and Danny Dyer, who said, “All Or Nothing’ has got it all; Drama, pathos, humour and style. Not to mention brilliant music!”

The show is written by Carol Harrison, who also stars, an award-winning actress and writer, well known for her theatre and TV work. Carol is probably best known as the exciting, fiery and passionate Louise Raymond in Eastenders. The storyline between her and son-in-law Grant Mitchell gripped the nation and it was for this storyline that Eastenders won the BAFTA for ”Best Soap” for the first time. For seven years she played the incorrigible Gloria in the popular series Brushstrokes, and also starred opposite Ray Winstone as sassy Loretta in the comedy series Get Back. She also starred as Dorothy in two series of London’s Burning. Her latest TV movie Martha, Jac a Sianco for S4C won six BAFTA awards.

All or nothing the Mod musical

ALL OR NOTHING is directed by BAFTA winner Tony McHale, a renowned writer and director for television, with hundreds of hours of screen credits to his name. These include Murphy’s Law, Waking the Dead, Silent Witness, Dangerfield, Eastenders, Boon as well as his own international award-winning five hour television thriller made by London Films for the BBC, Resort to Murder, winner of the Cologne Film and Television Festival. He co-created the BBC hospital drama Holby City for which he won a BAFTA for Best Continuing Drama and was until recently the programme’s Executive Producer and Series Consultant.

The show is sponsored by Ben Sherman, and is endorsed and supported by many of those who feature in its story. There will be Snap Gallery exhibition starting in March at The Vaults.

The 176 seat Vaults Theatre is part of The Vaults – a multi-disciplinary arts space buried deep in the tunnels underneath Waterloo station. The Vaults looks for new work and theatre companies which push the boundaries, are brave, exciting and challenging.

LISTINGS INFORMATION
31 March to 30 April 2016
Press Night 7.30pm on Thursday 7 April
Performances: Tuesday – Saturday 7.30pm
Saturday and Sunday Matinees at 3.00pm
Tickets from £20
the-vaults.org

THE ROCK ‘N’ ROLL PANTO IS BACK IN TOWN!

Nanny Nellie Nightnurse, Robin Hood and the dastardly Sheriff of Nottingham took time out of rehearsals at the City Varieties in Leeds to pose for a quick pic ahead of the opening of Robin Hood the Rock ‘n’ Roll Panto at the end of the month.

“The City Varieties Rock ‘n’ Roll pantomime has become a necessary-date-in-the-diary throughout the festive period,” says Ian Sime, General Manager at City Varieties. “It’s fair to say it’s a bit of a Leeds tradition – the fact that we welcome people back year on year is wonderful.”

The soundtrack is played live on stage by the cast and is crammed with covers of big hit songs; this year’s treats include Fleetwood Mac, Bruce Springsteen, The Clash, Meatloaf and Bob Marley.

“The cast are extraordinarily talented,” Ian continues. “The atmosphere is electric and has audiences, young and old, dancing in the aisles; the feedback we receive from audiences is fabulous.”

The Rock ‘n’ Roll Panto has everything audiences expect from a traditional family pantomime – slapstick comedy, audience interaction and outlandish costumes – with the bonus of a rocking soundtrack and the now-legendary ‘boulder fight’- if you’ve been before you’ll know exactly what the ‘boulder fight’ is; if you haven’t then there’s only one way to find out. In the words of Ian Sime:

“You won’t see anything like this anywhere else in Yorkshire. It’s a real treat.”

 

Robin Hood the Rock ‘n’ Roll Panto is at City Varieties Music Hall from Friday November 27^th to Sunday January 10^th.

Tickets are on sale now priced from £15 to £22 with concessions, group discounts and school group prices available.

 

Book online at cityvarieties.co.uk  or call 0113 243 08 08

 

IAN MCKELLEN HOSTS

PARK THEATRE’S CHARITY GALA DINNER AT STOKE NEWINGTON TOWN HALL

STAR STUDDED EVENT RAISES £215,000

FUNDS GO TO SUPPORT THEATRE’S VITAL COMMUNITY WORK AND INNOVATIVE THEATRE

 

On Thursday 12 November, over 300 guests joined Park Theatre Artistic Director Jez Bond, theatre staff and volunteers at a gala fundraising dinner at Stoke Newington Town Hall, hosted in inimitable style by Ian McKellen. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, MP for Islington North and a longtime supporter of Park Theatre’s work, attended with wife Laura Alvarez.

 

Broadcaster Clive Anderson led a lively auction for a luxurious selection of donated prizes, including money-can’t-buy experiences such as dinner with Benedict Cumberbatch and ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul’ evening of home cooking with Maureen Lipman. The auction alone raised £133,500, and the overall total raised from the evening was £215,000.

 

Guests and friends of the theatre present included Alex Hanson, Alison Steadman, Anita Dobson, Derek Jacobi Frances Barber, Gillian Anderson, Greg Wise, Hattie Morahan, Honeysuckle Weeks, Jane Asher, Janet Street Porter, Jemma Redgrave, Matthew Horne, Matthew Kelly, Orlando Bloom, Owen Jones, Samantha Bond, Tamzin Outhwaite, Tanya Franks, Tanya Moodie, Tim McInnerny and Tracy Ullman.

Jez Bond said, “Our gala was an immense team effort, and a culmination of months of work. As a charity, Park Theatre relies heavily on volunteers from its local neighbourhood and their support on the night was extraordinary. A big thank you also to all our sponsors, and of course the many stars of stage and screen who gave their time and support on the night, helping us to grow our reputation as a force to be reckoned with. A very special thank you to Clive Anderson for running the auction, and to our generous host Ian McKellen who presided over the night with impeccable style, wit and wizardly magic. I also would like to thank all our guests who bought tickets and contributed to the extraordinary fundraising on the night. Park Theatre doesn’t receive any public funding and all monies raised will enable us to get closer to our vision of remaining an accessible theatre for Finsbury Park – delivering more productions, engaging in more outreach locally, and gaining in operational stability to support this increased output.”

Guests at the Gala enjoyed a delicious three course dinner created by Boulevard Catering including seabass, lamb with a Meaux mustard sauce and frangipane apple tart, accompanied by Prosecco and wines provided by award-winning producers Casanova, Tenuta Cavalier Pepe and CARM.

 

Magician Neil Henry wowed guests at their tables with breathtaking close-up tricks, and musical entertainment was provided by City Academy Hackney Community Gospel Choir, Get Funked andDJ Annie O.

 

A photo of this year’s cast of Dick Whittington (and his meerkat) which is taking place at the Signal Box Theatre at the National Railway Museum.

The cast met yesterday at the museum for their first site visit at their new home whilst York Theatre Royal is closed for a £4.1million redevelopment project.

The UK’s longest serving pantomime dame Berwick Kaler said of this once-in-a-lifetime pantomime:

Artistic Director Damian Cruden has gone to great lengths to try and get rid of me but his latest effort is quite ingenious. However the laugh is on him because I have found a substitute theatre just a couple of hundred yards away from my beloved Theatre Royal – the one thousand seat Signal Box Theatre at the National Railway Museum. So while Cruden is looking for his ancestors below ground, me and ‘me babbies and bairns’ will be enjoying Dick Whittington (and his meerkat) which promises to be a hilarious and unique experience.

This will be Berwick’s 37^th year as York Theatre Royal’s pantomime dame.

Photo credit: Anthony Robling

The cast are (left to right):

Front: Danielle Mullan, Berwick Kaler, Suzy Cooper, David Leonard, Lauren Newton, Charleigh Webb, Martin Barrass

Back: Vincent Gray, AJ Powell, Jack Lansbury, Jake Lindsay, Harry Hughes

PASHA – IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU

Star of Strictly Come Dancing PASHA KOVALEV & His Fantastic Dancers in his brand new show.

GRAND OPERA HOUSE YORK

Saturday 14 May 2016

A BIT ABOUT PASHA

Siberian-born Pasha is 34 years old and specialises in Ballroom and Latin dance.

‘It’s so hard to pick a favourite dance because after so many years of studying and practising dancing, you can’t help but fall in love with them all for different reasons’.

Pasha arrived in the UK in 2011 as one of the professionals on STRICTLY COME DANCING, saying ‘Strictly is an amazing show to be part of and I’ve wanted to be on it for quite some time’.

His first celebrity partner was Chelsea Healey and they became the nation’s favourites when they were runners up to the coveted title. In 2012 he danced with Girls Aloud star Kimberley Walsh and was once again a Runner Up. In 2013 Pasha danced with Countdown presenter Rachel Riley and in 2014 danced with television presenter Caroline Flack and won.

Pasha has toured the UK with the BBC Strictly Come Dancing Arena Tour and in 2012 and 2013 toured the country with his professional dance partner Katya Virshilas in their own sell-out show.

Pasha was a finalist on the American SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE in 2003, as well as appearing on BURN THE FLOOR on Broadway and in the West end.

After the huge success of his ‘Life Through Dance Tour’ he will be joined again by his spectacular dancers in an evening of Dance, chat, fun and stunning costumes.

This brand new production features breath-taking choreography, sensational music and amazing costumes leaving the audience supercharged with positive energy and emotion

 

GRAND OPERA HOUSE YORK

Saturday 14 May 2016

Performances: Eves at 7:30pm, Wed & Sat mats 2:30pm

Tickets from £20, (£23.90 online/phone)

Online Booking: www.atgtickets.com/york

 

SHEFFIELD THEATRES CELEBRATES #LOVETHEATREDAY WITH NEW FILM

Sheffield Theatres, the largest theatre complex outside of London, celebrates #lovetheatreday by releasing a new short film reflecting on the company’s work – not just on stage, but within the local community, and across the UK.

 

In the past 12 months alone, the company has welcomed over 400,000 people through its doors, as well as reaching a further 280,000 people nationwide with its touring productions including This Is My Family, The Absence of War, Twelfth Night, The Full Monty and Anything Goes.

Sheffield Theatres created 13 home-grown productions in 2014/15, including two world premières. Highlights include the Sarah Kane Season – which brought the writer’s complete works to the stage for the first time since her death; a revival of Arthur Miller’s rarely seen Playing for Time with Siân Phillips in the lead role; andCamelot, a Sheffield People’s co-production with Slung Low which brought over 150 local people to the Crucible stage and onto the streets of the city in an explosive new production.

Sheffield Theatres’ turnover in 2014/15 was £10.6 million, with public subsidy representing just 14% of that figure. For every £1 of subsidy, Sheffield Theatres generates £6.

Dan Bates, Chief Executive of Sheffield Theatres commented:

We’re thrilled to release this new film on #lovetheatreday. We’ve had another remarkable year, which included a £1.9 million refurbishment of the Lyceum Theatre. This film is a wonderful way for us to celebrate our buildings and the work on our stages as well as capturing the excitement and joy of our audiences and participants.

In 2016, Sheffield Theatres will embark on its most ambitious season yet, starting the year with two classics,Waiting For Godot and A Raisin In The Sun, before mounting three world premières and a regional première: a new play by award-winning Richard Bean and a heart-warming new musical called Flowers for Mrs Harris, as well as Mike Bartlett’s Contractions.

 

To view Sheffield Theatres’ short film and find out more about their forthcoming season, visithttp://bit.ly/SheffieldTheatresFilm2015 or sheffieldtheatres.co.uk.

Olivier-nominated West End actor David Burt returns to star again as Scrooge and West End star David Hunter is to play Bob Cratchit in A Christmas Carol.

Award-winning theatre company Antic Disposition celebrate their 10th anniversary year with the return of A Christmas Carol in spectacular and historical Middle Temple Hall.

David Hunter – last seen in the West End starring as Guy in the Olivier, Tony and Academy Award-winning musical Once – is to play Ebenezer Scrooge’s downtrodden employee, Bob Cratchit, in award-winning Antic Disposition’s magical, musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ festive classic, A Christmas Carol.

And returning to the lead role of Scrooge for a second year is Olivier Award-nominated West End star David Burt.

Following sell-out seasons in 2012 and 2014, A Christmas Carol will play between Tuesday 22 December and Wednesday 30 December, 2015

Seen by over 5,000 people and now established as one of London’s most magical festive treats, A Christmas Carol will be performed in the highly atmospheric 16th-century Middle Temple Hall, a location well known to Dickens himself, who studied law at the ancient institution.

David Hunter first rose to fame as a finalist on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ITV casting programme, Superstar, as he competed to play the role of Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar. He performed in front of millions, reaching the semi finals and receiving high praise throughout for his honest, dramatic performances. His West End credits include One Man, Two Guvnors (Adelphi & National Theatre), Tommy (Prince Edward) and Seussical (Arts). He also had the lead role in The Hired Man (Leicester Curve and Colchester Mercury).

David Burt is one of the West End’s most respected and in-demand leading men. He has appeared in dozens of notable West End productions, including playing Enjolras in the original cast of Les Misérables, Magaldi in the original cast of Evita, Pontius Pilate in Jesus Christ Superstar and Count Fosco in The Woman in White. David’s other credits include Cats, Chess, The Far Pavilions, Closer to Heaven, Taboo and Kiss Me, Kate, as well as seasons at the National Theatre and RSC. He was nominated for a Best Actor Olivier Award for his performance as Macheath in the RSC’s The Beggar’s Opera.

The rest of the cast are: David Anthony, Chris Courtenay, Alex Hooper, Victoria Hope, Kerry Loosemore, Katie Lovell, Dean Riley, Andrea Sadler, and child actors Harley Gallacher, Leo Mann, Miles Roughley and Archie Stevens.

Creative Team: Directors: Ben Horslen, John Risebero.
Designer: John Risebero. Musical Director: Christopher Peake.
Choreographer: Edward Lewis French. Lighting Designer:
Tom Boucher. Associate Costume Designer: Sophie Howard.

Award-winning Antic Disposition has won critical acclaim for staging visually striking, site-specific productions in spectacular historic buildings, including recent sold-out runs of The Tempest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and A Christmas Carol in Elizabethan Middle Temple Hall, and Henry V and Romeo and Juliet in the ancient Temple Church.

The company triumphed last year at the Peter Brook / Empty Space Awards, winning the coveted Peter Brook / Equity Ensemble Award.

Listings Info
Antic Disposition presents
A Christmas Carol
by Charles Dickens
Book and Lyrics by Ben Horslen and John Risebero
Music by Christopher Peake

22 to 30 December, 2015
Daily at 3.00pm and 7.30pm
11.00am and 3.00pm on 24 December
No performances on 25 / 26 December