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ACTRESS SAM WOMACK LAUNCHES EXCITING NEW ARTS THEATRE

Actress Sam Womack launched a project to create a new 400-seat theatre in Letchworth Garden City this week (22 February), as part of a £4million investment in the arts which also sees a gallery opening in the town later this week.

Sam, whose career has made her a household name in television and theatre, lives locally and is excited at the prospect of the first major professional theatre in the town, as an addition to the Art Deco Broadway Cinema.

She said: “It’s really exciting to have this new theatre locally, in this lovely building. We have had many happy visits to the cinema and I look forward to the theatre coming this autumn.”

The theatre marks a major investment in the arts by Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation, who are using the revenue from their unique Garden City legacy to make the town a major centre for the Arts.

Also opening in the town this Wednesday (24 February) is the new Broadway Gallery – with a major show by international modern art pioneer Richard Smith. Smith was born and raised in Letchworth Garden City and went on to have his work showcased at the Venice Biennale and the Tate Gallery.

Colin Chatfield, Chairman of Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation said: “It is great to have Sam Womack along to launch the build of our new theatre, and highlights the calibre of actors and shows we will attract when the theatre opens later this year. It’s going to be an exciting year for the arts in Letchworth.”

Work on the theatre begins in earnest on Monday, with builders working seven days a week in order to keep the work as short as possible while allowing the cinema to remain open. During the building work the cinema will be open Monday to Friday from 4pm, and from 3pm at the weekend.

Work has been carefully planned to ensure it is in keeping with the cinema’s beautiful Art Deco design. Dressing rooms and a stage will be added to Screen One so it can be changed from a cinema to theatre, and back, overnight, allowing it to host theatre, children’s shows, live comedy and acoustic music, as well as mainstream films. It will also create a new bar area and add an air cooling system.

The work will continue until late 2016 with theatre previews and back stage tours taking place in November ahead of the first theatre season in 2017. 

Further details of the theatre plans are available online at www.broadway-letchworth.com

YOUTH THEATRE SET THEIR SIGHTS HIGH

Members of ArtsSpark – Darlington Civic Theatre’s youth theatre, will be performing a play called Eclipse by Simon Armitage on Tuesday 23 and Wednesday 24 February as part of the National Theatre’s Connections Festival.

As part of the Festival, youth theatre groups from around the country are each given a play to perform, specially written for young people. ArtsSpark members were thrilled to be given this challenging play to work on and have been rehearsing hard since October.

A representative from the National Theatre will attend a performance at the Civic Theatre to give valuable feedback to the actors. The group then have a further 2 weeks to fine-tune the play before taking it to the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough on 12th March where they have the opportunity of being chosen to take the play to London for a performance at the National Theatre as part of the Connections Festival.

Eclipse is by Simon Armitage, professor of poetry at the University of Sheffield. The play is based around six friends who are interviewed by the police following the disappearance of a girl called Lucy Lime. The group had met Lucy beneath the cliffs on a Cornish beach just before a total eclipse of the sun.

The group have created a special ‘in-the-round’ performance space on the Darlington Civic Theatre stage to bring the audience even closer to the action.

Eclipse is at Darlington Civic Theatre on Tuesday 23 February at 7pm and Wednesday 24 February at 1.30pm & 7pm. Tickets are priced £4 for adults and £2 for children.

Age recommendation 13+ (there is some strong language and adult themes)

To book contact the Box Office on 01325 486 555

Karl Sydow and Out of Joint present

A VIEW

FROM ISLINGTON NORTH

MAX STAFFORD-CLARK DIRECTS

AN EVENING OF POLITICAL SATIRE

FROM ALISTAIR BEATON, CARYL CHURCHILL, STELLA FEEHILY, DAVID HARE AND MARK RAVENHILL

WITH MUSIC BY BILLY BRAGG

Arts Theatre, 18 May – 2 July 2016

“Politics has become too serious a matter to be left to politicians”

TS Eliot

Acclaimed director Max Stafford-Clark will team up with some of the UK’s most celebrated playwrights for an evening of political satire: A VIEW FROM ISLINGTON NORTH, opening at the Arts Theatre in London on 18 May until 2 July, with a press night on 24 May.

In THE ACCIDENTAL LEADER and HOW TO GET AHEAD IN POLITICS, Alistair Beaton (Feelgood, Not the Nine O’Clock News, A Very Social Secretary) and Stella Feehily (This May Hurt A Bit, Bang Bang Bang, Duck) make merry with the machinations behind the closed doors of our major political parties.

David Hare (The Moderate Soprano, Stuff Happens, The Judas Kiss ) takes us inside George Osborne’s mind in AYN RAND TAKES A STAND

In The MOTHER, Mark Ravenhill (Shopping and Fucking, Mother Clapp’s Molly House, Candide) eyes the cost of our military adventures, as a soldier’s mother does all she can to avoid hearing the news she dreads.

And in TICKETS ARE NOW ON SALE, Caryl Churchill (Love and Information, Escaped Alone, Top Girls) imagines a world where even language is sponsored…

Max Stafford-Clark said, “From Beyond The Fringe to Spitting Image to The Thick of It, political satire has never really gone out of fashion, and continues to act as a pungent corrective to political pomposity and ambition. Over a few years Out of Joint has accumulated a number of short plays, originally written for other purposes;  Caryl Churchill’s play Tickets Are Now On Sale formed part of a Theatre Uncut season, and Stella Feehily’s How to Get Ahead in Politics was written for a one-off occasion on the eve of the General Election.  And I’ve always wanted to revisit Mark Ravenhill’s searing play The Mother, since it was first performed at the Royal Court in 2008. It occurred to me then that we had the beginnings of a pertinent and provocative evening! Alistair Beaton and David Hare happily responded to an invitation to write new plays, Billy Bragg agreed to compose a new song, and there we had A View from Islington North.

Of course Islington North has long been estate-agent speak for Holloway – not only is it the political seat of the Leader of the Opposition but also, even more importantly, it has been Out of Joint’s home for over 20 years.”

The 39 Steps returns to York

Full steam ahead at the National Railway Museum when the cast of The 39 Steps rolled into York on Friday 19 February to promote the play, which comes to York next month. Richard Ede, Olivia Green, Andrew Hodges and Rob Witcomb arrived in character to the delight of the public.

Alfred Hitchcock’s classic spy thriller, The 39 Steps, brilliantly and hilariously recreated for the stage as the smash hit Olivier Award Winning Comedy.

Follow the incredible adventures of our handsome hero Richard Hannay, complete with stiff-upper-lip, British gung-ho and pencil moustache as he encounters dastardly murders, double-crossing secret agents, and, of course, devastatingly beautiful women.

This wonderfully inventive and gripping comedy thriller features four fearless actors, playing 139 roles in 100 minutes of fast-paced fun and thrilling action.

The 39 Steps is a melodrama adapted from the 1915 novel by John Buchan and the 1935 film by Alfred Hitchcock. The original concept and production of a four-actor version of the story was by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon. Patrick Barlow rewrote this adaptation in 2005.

The play’s concept calls for the entirety of the 1935 adventure film The 39 Steps to be performed with a cast of only four. One actor plays the hero, Richard Hannay, an actress (or sometimes actor) plays the three women with whom he has romantic entanglements, and two other actors play every other character in the show: heroes, villains, men, women, children and even the occasional inanimate object. This often requires lightning fast quick-changes and occasionally for them to play multiple characters at once. Thus the film’s serious spy story is played mainly for laughs, and the script is full of allusions to (and puns on the titles of) other Alfred Hitchcock films, including Strangers on a Train, Rear Window, Psycho, Vertigo and North by Northwest.

Tickets: From £13.50

Box Office: 0844 871 3024

Online Booking: www.atgtickets.com/york

 Upstairs At The Gatehouse  9-28 February, The Radlett Centre 6 March.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

Chris Burgess has written another fantastic review showcasing Jewish talent. This is a man who is passionate about the subject, and here he has had the near impossible task of picking only a few of the wonderful songs of Jerome Kern, George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart, Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein and Jerry Bock & Sheldon Harnick.

Can’t Help Loving That Man, Fascinatin’ Rhythm, Putting On The Ritz, The Lady Is A Tramp, You’ll Never Walk Alone and L’Chaim (Burgess loves to end with this – and who can blame him?) are just a few of the classics performed. With material like that, you really don’t need to do much in between, but in this show the performers talk about the composers’ lives, loves and careers, pulling the heartstrings with expertly judged song choices. Pogroms, integration, persecution and Jewish tradition and values are discussed and give insight into the composers’ and lyricists’ choices, along with some great one-liners from the men themselves.

Performers Jennifer Harding, Jessie May, Grant McConvey and Lee Ormsby are excellent, producing stunning 4 part harmonies and lovely solo numbers. Ormsby’s Ol’ Man River and  Harding and May’s Suppertime are particularly moving, while McConvey’s rendition of When Messiah Comes is worthy of the West End. The talented band – Neil MacDonald, Doug Grannell and Joe Pickering – plays with gusto, the look on MacDonald’s face when he has to make deliberate mistakes is a picture!

The smiles on the faces of the audience as the lights went up are the best review of this show. An uplifting, joyful evening filled with wonderful, timeless music.

Scriptography Productions and Arad Goch present:

Theatre Royal Haymarket   8 February – 19 March.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

“Do not holocaust me!!”

After the funeral of their grandfather, which one of them missed, three grandchildren spend the night in a cramped apartment trying to broach, or avoid, the subject of who should inherit Poppy’s chai. Daphna (Ailsa Joy), loudly devout and intelligent thinks it should be hers, because of its religious meaning, while Liam (Ilan Goodman), liberal and atheist, wants it for romantic and historic reasons. Jonah (Jos Slovick) just wants to keep the peace. Throw Liam’s non-Jewish girlfriend Melody (Antonia Kinlay) into the mix and the stage is set for an evening of vicious, petty and hysterical conflict.

Joshua Harmon’s lines are full of bile and venom, and portray those bitter arguments that can only happen between people who love and know each other too well. Daphna and Liam are mirror images of each other, one clinging on to her culture desperately and the other exploring new cultures to give their lives meaning. Both think the other judgemental and scornful and even use the same events as examples of the other’s disdain.

The quiet moments in between each round of verbal battering are exquisite, with the actors’ facial expressions and body language speaking volumes. When everyone has caught their breath, it all kicks off yet again, usually because of Daphna. As the arguments grow more frantic, the laughs come faster and bigger. These are very bad Jews indeed. Insults about the holocaust and the Nazis are thrown about, drawing gasps and howls of laughter from the audience.

Goodman is brilliant as Liam, uptight and quickly unravelling into a stuttering mess before melting down and becoming as vehement as Daphna. In one sublime moment he attacks her with a toothbrush, mind you, I think anybody would. Joy is a force of nature, playing Daphna like a hyperactive, manipulative teenager, always looking for weaknesses and eying her victims slyly before pouncing with her next verbal attack. Slovick has the quietest role as Jonah, mainly reacting to the louder characters with frustrated huffs and puffs, but proves that still waters run deep in the wonderfully measured final scene, which caused a fair bit of sniffling in the audience. Kinlay’s Melody is stereotypically WASPish, sweet and blonde. You can’t help feeling sorry for her, trapped in the apartment with such quick-witted people. She almost steals the whole show with her opera singing. Words fail me – simply hilarious.

Amongst the laughs this play has a lot to say about cultural identity, religion and family relationships, but most of all it is funny – bitingly, viciously funny. Arguments at home will feel third rate after this.

Ye Olde Rose and Crowne Theatre Pub  12 – 28 February.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

This charming production proves that it’s not so grim oop North.

In this musical retelling of “She Stoops To Conquer”, director Brendan Matthew has moved the setting to 1919, celebrating the strength of the female characters.

It is All Fools’ Eve and Nonesuch Hall is preparing for the arrival from London of Charles Marlow, a suitor for Kate Hardcastle. He is accompanied by Hastings, the secret love of Constance, who Mrs Hardcastle wishes to marry to her son Tony Lumpkin. On the way to the hall, Marlow and Hastings stop at a pub and meet Lumpkin. He tricks them into thinking that Nonesuch is an inn, leading them to treat Hardcastle and his wife as common staff. Convoluted misunderstandings and plots follow, with jewel theft, elopement, dunkings and beatings, but everything turns out fine in the end, after lots of wonderful music and belly laughs.

The cast are excellent in their roles. Most notable are Laurel Dougall as Mrs Hardcastle and Emily Peach as Constance – it’s a wonder any scenery is left with these two women on stage, both chewing it up and spitting it out to great comic effect. Jacob Jackson is also wonderful to watch as Lumpkin, playing him as half drunk, half child.

The language and music are lyrical and uplifting, and it is very, very funny. Howard Goodall’s music and Charles Hart’s lyrics are sublime – the awkwardness of Kate and Marlow’s duets is delightfully English, in contrast to Constance and Hastings singing the glorious “Moonraking” – still romantic when sung by the old men! Choreographer Charlotte Tooth has devised a fantastic look for the dancers – the movement when the company give directions to Nonesuch, and the searching scenes are particularly good. The talented musicians accompanied the singing rather than drowned it out, which has happened at the theatre in past productions, which is a blessing as these lyrics are too good to miss, giving a 21st century flavour to an 18th century classic.

This is one of those shows that leaves you grinning and humming all the way home. A delight from start to finish. Go and see it.

DOMINIC WEST LEADS CAMPAIGN FOR SHEFFIELD THEATRES

Actor Dominic West is leading a fund-raising campaign to encourage people to sign-up as regular donors to Sheffield Theatres.  

Dominic has wonderful memories of performing on the Crucible stage, playing Professor Henry Higgins in the 2012 Christmas musical My Fair Lady, and Iago in the 2011 production of Othello. He saw first-hand how passionate and loyal the Sheffield audience is, and wanted help make sure the exciting and challenging theatre produced in Sheffield can continue for future generations to enjoy.

Dominic West commented: ‘The Crucible is very special. We are so lucky to have this outstanding theatre in Sheffield and that’s why I’m getting behind a campaign to raise money to support the work of Sheffield Theatres.  Giving a small amount of money on a regular basis is a great way to make sure we can all experience the most exciting, spectacular and thought-provoking theatre here in Sheffield – now and in the future.’

Being a Regular Donor doesn’t have to mean giving large sums of money; current supporters give from £3.00 per month. Production costs can range from £30 for a make-up artist for an hour, £120 for a pair of men’s plain tap shoes, £300 for a handmade hat and £400 for one bespoke wig. By making a donation people will see the impact of their support every night on stage.

As well as working with acclaimed actors such as Dominic, Sheffield Theatres is committed to developing new and emerging talent and working with the local community. Sheffield People’s Theatre brings participants from across the city, from every generation, and from every walk of life to the theatre. 120 members, aged from 12 to 84, took part in the production of Camelot: The Shining City last year. They learnt skills such as stage combat and performed on the Crucible stage, outside in Tudor Square and The Peace Gardens. Donations to Sheffield Theatres help to make these kinds of opportunities a reality.

If you can help then please sign up as a Regular Donor by contacting Leah Woffenden in the Fundraising department on 0114 201 3820 or [email protected] Alternatively donation forms are available from the Crucible and Lyceum Theatres.

Matt Barber (Atticus Aldridge in Downton Abbey) will play Fred and Victor McGuire (the sit-comsTrollied and Bread) will play Joe Bell. They will be joined by Robert Calvert as Doc, Naomi Cranston as Mag, Charlie De Melo as José, Tim Frances as Rusty Trawler/Editor at 21, Andrew Joshi as Yunioshi, Melanie La Barrie as Mme Spanella, and Sevan Stephan as OJ Berman/Dr Goldman, with Katy Allen and Andy Watkins.

Directed by Nikolai Foster, Breakfast at Tiffany’s will begin performances at Curve, Leicester on 3 March 2016, before embarking on a UK & Ireland Tour. There will be a 12-week season at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in London’s West End from 30 June to 17 September 2016.