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Fiery Angel presents
PLAYS AT THE GARRICK
KENNETH BRANAGH THEATRE COMPANY

A YEAR OF UNMISSABLE THEATRE

• FULL CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR INDHU RUBASINGHAM’S TRICYCLE THEATRE PRODUCTION OF RED VELVET

• AS PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED, ADRIAN LESTER REPRISES THE ROLE OF IRA ALDRIDGE AT THE GARRICK FROM 23 JANUARY UNTIL 27 FEBRUARY 2016

• THE CAST FOR LOLITA CHAKRABARTI’S PLAY INCLUDES AYESHA ANTOINE, SIMON CHANDLER, ALEXANDER COBB, MARK EDEL-HUNT, EMUN ELLIOTT, CHARLOTTE LUCAS, CAROLINE MARTIN AND AMY MORGAN

The Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company has announced the full cast for Red Velvet, the third production in the inaugural Plays at the Garrick season. The production, which originally premiered at the Tricycle Theatre in 2012 before transferring to St Ann’s Warehouse in New York in 2014, will play at the Garrick Theatre from 23 January until 27 February 2016. Red Velvet is written by Lolita Chakrabarti with direction by Indhu Rubasingham and stars Adrian Lester as Ira Aldridge.

The full cast includes: Ayesha Antoine (Connie), Simon Chandler (Bernard Warde/Terence), Alexander Cobb (Henry Forrester/Casimir), Mark Edel-Hunt (Charles Kean), Emun Elliott (Pierre Laporte), Charlotte Lucas (Ellen Tree), Caroline Martin (Halina Wozniak/Margaret Aldridge) and Amy Morgan (Betty Lovell).

Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, 1833. Edmund Kean, the greatest actor of his generation, has collapsed on stage whilst playing Othello. A young black American actor has been asked to take over the role. But as the public riot in the streets over the abolition of slavery, how will the cast, critics and audience react to the revolution taking place in the theatre?

Ayesha Antoine has previously appeared on stage in A Wolf in Snakeskin Shoes, The House That Will Not Stand (Tricycle), The Ghost Train (Royal Exchange), We Are Proud to Present… (Bush),Tartuffe (Birmingham Rep), Absurd Person Singular, My Wonderful Day, Surprises, (Stephen Joseph Theatre), Madblud, FamilyMan, Cinderella, Red Riding Hood (all Theatre Royal Stratford East), Big White Fog (Almeida) and The Firework Maker’s Daughter (Lyric Hammersmith). Ayesha’s television credits include appearances in Doctor Who, Holby City, Grange Hill, The Billand Skins.

Simon Chandler began his career as Private Simmonds in Richard Attenborough’s 1977 film A Bridge Too Far. He has since appeared in the films Vera Drake, Perfume: The Story of aMurderer, The King’s Speech and The Iron Lady. On stage his work includes Cause Célèbre (Old Vic), One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Garrick), Democracy (Wyndham’s) and the Women, Power and Politics Season at the Tricycle.

Alexander Cobb’s theatre credits include The Seagull (Headlong), The Magistrate (National Theatre), Goodbye to All That (Royal Court), Two Gentlemen of Verona (Royal & Derngate),Wasted (Paines Plough/Latitude). Alexander has been seen on screen in Indian Summers, Ripper Street, The Mimic, Call the Midwife, Mr. Selfridge, Doctors and Parade’s End.

Mark Edel-Hunt’s previous stage appearances include When We Were Women (Orange Tree),The Late Mattia Pascal (Raw Material), Time and the Conways (Nottingham Playhouse),Cleopatra (King’s Head), The American Plan (St. James, Bath Theatre Royal), Chariots of Fire(Gielgud, Hampstead Theatre), The Importance of Being Earnest (Rose Theatre Kingston, Riverside Studios, New Wolsey) and The Syndicate (Chichester Festival Theatre). Mark’s television credits include Call the Midwife, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, Kidnapped andMistresses.

Emun Elliott has previously appeared in theatrical productions such as A View From the Bridge(Young Vic), Measure for Measure (Almeida), Blackwatch (National Theatre of Scotland),Captain Oakes’ Left Sock (Royal Court) and Ubu the King (Dundee Rep). In addition to his work on stage, Emun’s television credits include The Paradise, Threesome, Labyrinth, Game of Thrones and Inspector George Gently.

Award winning actor and director Adrian Lester OBE started his career with a string of successful West End productions including Fences, Six Degrees Of Separation, As You Like It andCompany before landing the lead role in Mike Nichol’s movie Primary Colors.  Other movie credits since include The Day After Tomorrow, Maybe Baby, Born Romantic, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Dust, Final Curtain, Doomsday, Scenes of a Sexual Nature, Starting Out in the Evening, As You Like It and Case 39.  Adrian is also well known for his TV work including playing ‘Mickey Bricks’ in the long running BBC1 series Hustle, with other TV credits including When Romeo Met Juliet, Merlin, Sleep with Me, Ghost Squad, Being Human, Bonekickers and the US series Red Band Society and Girlfriends.  He has appeared on stage as Henry V and Othello at the National Theatre, played Peter Brook’s Hamlet at the Bouffes Du Nord and starred in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in London’s West End.  Adrian has recently completed filming the lead role in Undercover, a new 6 part drama for BBC1 and AMC due for transmission spring 2016.

Charlotte Lucas has previously appeared on stage in The Distance (Sheffield Crucible and Orange Tree), Absence of War (Headlong), If Only (Chichester Festival Theatre), Red Velvet(Tricycle & St Ann’s Warehouse, New York), Posh (West End and Royal Court), The Changeling(Young Vic), Yes, Prime Minister (West End), Fast Labour (West Yorkshire Playhouse and Hampstead), World’s End (Trafalgar Studios), Called to Account, Darfur – How Long is Never?and Fabulation (both Tricycle). Charlotte’s television credits include Jamaica Inn, Casualty, Doctors, Midsomer Murders, The Bill, Judge John Deed and Holby City.

Caroline Martin’s stage credits includes Medea (National), A Doll’s House (West End, Brooklyn Academy of Arts), The Merchant of Venice (RSC, Almeida), Macbeth (RSC), House of Special Purpose (Chichester Festival Theatre), Othello (Cheek By Jowl – nominated for Ian Charleson Award), The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (RSC). Caroline has appeared in television shows such as 5 Days (BBC/HBO), Foyles War (Greenlit Rights), He Knew He was Right (BBC), Byron(BBC), Inspector Lynley Mysteries (BBC), Poirot (Granada). Caroline has also appeared in Mike Leigh’s Happy-go-lucky.

Amy Morgan’s previous stage credits include The Beaux Stratagem (National Theatre), The Broken Heart (The Globe), An Ideal Husband (Chichester Festival Theatre), Once A Catholic(Royal Court Liverpool and Tricycle), Trelawny of the Wells (Donmar Warehouse), The Country Wife (Royal Exchange), Hay Fever (West End), Inadmissible Evidence (Donmar Warehouse), The Taming of the Shrew, To Kill A Mockingbird (Theatr Clwyd), Deepcut (Sherman Cymru) and 24 Hours Plays (Old Vic). Amy has previously appeared on television in Mr Selfridge, Father Brownand The Royal.

Lolita Chakrabarti is an award-winning playwright and actress. Red Velvet earned her the Charles Wintour Evening Standard Award and the Critics Circle Award in 2012 after it opened at the Tricycle Theatre. Lolita’s previous stage credits include Last Seen – Joy (Almeida Theatre).  Lolita trained as an actress at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and has carved out an innovative, long running career. Her work as an actress for the past twenty five years spans both stage and screen. She has appeared in a string of recent television dramas including J K Rowling’s A Casual Vacancy, Jekyll and Hyde, My Mad Fat Diary 3.  January will also see Lolita as blacksmith Lila in the epic new ITV drama Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands.

Indhu Rubasingham has been the Artistic Director of the Tricycle Theatre since 2012. Productions as Artistic Director include: Red Velvet (Evening Standard Award and Critics’ Circle Award), A Wolf in Snakeskin Shoes, Multitudes, The House That Will Not Stand, Handbagged(Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre, West End transfer 2014, UK tour 2015) and Paper Dolls. Indhu also recently directed The Motherf**cker with the Hat(National Theatre) which was awarded Best Play at the 2015 Evening Standard Theatre Awards.

The Winter’s Tale, Harlequinade / All On Her Own, Red Velvet, The Painkiller, Romeo and Juliet and The Entertainer make up the inaugural seven play season of work for the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company.

The Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company, in partnership with Picturehouse Entertainment, will broadcast three productions of its year-long Plays at the Garrick season live to cinemas worldwide. Romeo and Juliet will be broadcast live on 7 July. Participating cinemas can be found at branaghtheatrelive.com

Sutton Theatres presents:

Bitter Pill Theatre presents:

Cockpit Theatre 5 & 6 December.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

The 2007 Fringe First Award-winning Scarborough is unfortunately very much like the relationships it portrays – shallow and unmemorable.

Lauren and Daz are spending Daz’s birthday weekend on a romantic break in Scarborough. It’s Daz’s 16th birthday, Lauren is his (almost) 30 year old PE teacher. It is unclear who is the teenager and who is the adult at first, until Lauren tries to end the relationship and Daz becomes more childlike as he struggles to cope.

The second act is a word for word replay of the first, with the genders swapped. Aiden is the PE teacher in a relationship with pupil Beth. This idea has great potential, but the writing is just not good enough to sustain the audience’s interest for a second time. Presenting the play in the round only serves to emphasise this – the underwhelmed faces of some audience members were a little distracting.

Fiona Evans has written the play from a neutral viewpoint. The adults are not portrayed as predatory, but any person who justifies beginning a relationship with a child with the words “you made the first move” should be forced to wear the Childcatcher’s outfit in public. Evans obviously doesn’t want to colour the audiences opinions about the characters, but this neutrality results in bland, one dimensional, forgettable characters with clichéd motivations. The adults were in underage relationships with teachers themselves, and are insipid and needy, lacking the emotional intelligence and maturity to ever attract people their own age, while the children are from unhappy homes with a drunken, philandering father, and are looking for love and stability in all the wrong places. It reads like some cheesy American TV movie.

With bolder writing and characterisation this play could have something important to say – as it is, it is sadly lacking. With all the recent scandal about certain judges giving lenient sentences to female teachers and carers, the issue of the abuser’s gender could have been explored with much more finesse, but Scarborough adds nothing to the debate.

Ava Pickett and Charlie Tantam do their best with the script and the limited characters, and are equally convincing as teenagers and adults, delivering some very sweet moments – usually in dialogue free sections. Let’s just say that the most memorable line of the play is actually a quote from “Mystic Pizza”.

There are a few nice touches to highlight the gender differences. Daz give his teacher a topless photo of himself, while Beth’s teacher receives a photo of her in school uniform. As the adults disengage from the children Lauren is constantly moving towards Daz to comfort him, while Aiden does his best to keep the bed between him and Beth at all times, never touching her. But still – nothing profound or worthwhile comes from sitting through the second act.

Paraphrasing one of my old school reports – Scarborough had great potential, but ultimately turned into a no-hoper.

Now that’s how a proper teacher communicates with teenagers!

NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS VIENNESE STYLE

The London Gala Orchestra and special guests welcome in the New Year in style on Monday 4 January at Darlington Civic Theatre.

A very special event will take place at Darlington Civic Theatre on Monday 4 January 2016. It marks the twenty fifth year of New Year’s Day music making by the London Gala Orchestra.

The orchestra’s stunning New Year show has become an integral part of thousands of people’s annual celebrations across the country but it started almost by accident.

Twenty five years ago, the orchestra’s manager, Wilf Goddard, suggested to a promoter that Viennese music, reflecting all the glamour and romance of the annual New Year’s Day Ball in Vienna, would be good for the start of the year. This proved to be so and it wasn’t long before he was organising the concerts himself, developing them into a musical experience that audiences have returned to again and again.

This year’s concert will be no exception. Packed full of traditional classics by the Strauss family you will experience the Austrian love affair with music – romantic waltzes, passionate songs, toe tapping polkas and feel-good tunes. The compere this year will be tenor Andrew Rees who will be joined by glamorous soprano Natasha Day. Stephen Ellery, who made such an impact last year with his debut appearance, will take the helm as music director.

Throw in special effects, lots of fun, laughter and excitement as well and you will take away memories that will last a lifetime. It’s where your fabulous 2016 begins!

New Year In Vienna is at Darlington Civic Theatre on Monday 4 January, 7.30pm Tickets* £20 & £22

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

*Includes a £1 restoration levy

Cinderella – Civic Theatre, Darlington

Posted by: The Reviews Hub – Yorkshire & North East  

https://www.thereviewshub.com/cinderella-civic-theatre-darlington/

07/12/2015 

Producer: Michael Harrison

Director: Andrew Ryan

3*

There’s nothing quite like a good pantomime to get you in the festive mood (oh yes there is!) and with a great big dollop of comedy, a smattering of tunes and a sprinkling of fairy dust you’ve got all the ingredients for a successful show.

Ashleigh and Pudsey lead the show, and though Ashleigh can’t quite belt out the tunes as a leading lady should – or as well as her Fairy Godmother co-star Niki Evans, rather unsurprisingly given her X Factor experience – her perfected dance routines with Pudsey more than makes up for any lack of vocal power. Pudsey didn’t let himself down once, performing the adorable, but an undoubtedly clever act that won Britain’s Got Talent with his trainer and dance partner Ashleigh.

The Ugly Sisters Mel (Phil Corbitt) and Sue (Danny Potts) were wonderfully over the top, in their garish costumes and outlandish make-up. Alastair Hill was Charming and funny in the fight scene during Everything I Do.

The star of the show is undoubtedly Matt Edwards who plays the lovable but dopey Buttons. With his squeaky voice, he has the audience in the palm of his hands from the moment he steps on stage and has the audience in stitches with his silly and simple performance. He worked well with Brendan Sheerin’s Baron Hardup, and the 12 Days of Christmas routine with the ugly sisters was ridiculously funny.

The first half covers most of the key traditional elements and introduces poor downtrodden Cinders, the cruel, spectacularly attired Ugly Sisters, the handsome prince, the nice but dim Buttons – and The Fairy God Mother. In the second act, we are treated to Dooby Duck and friends and his spectacular marionette cabaret.

It’s a simple tale of good versus evil and this with its abundance of visual gags and slapstick makes it a winner, whether you are three or 93. And a truly spectacular flying horse makes this a very magical pantomime indeed.

Like all good pantos, Cinderella has a happy ending with redemption added for good measure. Along with its easy going inclusion, this production has all the ingredients needed for a great time out with family and friends of all ages.

City Varieties Music Hall, Leeds – 5 December 2015

Delightfully cheesy, wonderfully camp and totally over the top – just how a good pantomime should be.   Full of family fun with just the right amount of adult humour to keep it on the right side of clean.

Written by Peter Rowe this rock”n”roll panto was full of tenuous song links, musical led by Tristan Parkes.

The cast were all multi talented singing, acting and playing a variety of musical instruments. Stand out performance definitely belonging to Louisa Beadel and her stunning drumming to Meatloaf.

With a stunning cast all seemingly enjoying themselves it made the performance more enjoyable. Eamon Fleming was Nanny Nellie Night nurse a rather restrained panto dame, with an interesting taste in clothes.  Peter Manchester’s Robin and Liz Singletons Marian were good together, whilst Robin was channeling his inner Lord Flasheart Marian was fiesty and brave.

Darrell Brockis’ Sheriff was dastardly indeed but his henchmen Kenny Davies “Numbskull” and Alexander Bean “Portcullis” were lovable in their buffoonery.

With the raining cast made up of Matthew Burns, Mike Slader, Louisa Beadel and Sophie Byrne, this is a modern slant on the traditional that works incredibly well.

A simple show, sticking to the story, this is what Christmas and panto should be about.

On at the outstandingly beautiful City Varieties until 10 January, it is truly worth the trip to see Pantomime has it should be

West Yorkshire Playhouse’s production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, which began previews on Wednesday 2 December and which will be running until Saturday 30 January 2016. 

Directed by James Brining, with new choreography by Stephen Mear and music and lyrics by Richard M Sherman and Robert B Sherman.

Starring Jon Robyns as Caractacus Potts, Amy Griffiths as Truly Scrumptious, Don Gallagher as Lord Scrumptious/Baron Bomburst, Tamsin Carroll as Baroness Bomburst, Stephen Matthews as The Childcatcher and Andy Hockley as Grandpa Potts

Robert Fox, Matthew Byam Shaw for Playful Productions and Royal Court Theatre Productions present
The Royal Court Theatre production of
HANGMEN
By Martin McDonagh
Directed by Matthew Dunster

Set and costume design by Anna Fleischle, lighting by Joshua Carr and sound by Ian Dickinson for Autograph.

HANGMEN OPENS ON MONDAY 7 DECEMBER AND WILL PLAY FOR A STRICTLY LIMITED SEASON AT WYNDHAM’S THEATRE IN LONDON’S WEST END

Following a sell out run at the Royal Court Theatre, Matthew Dunster’s award-winning production of Martin McDonagh’s Hangmen will transfer to the West End for a strictly limited season. Now in previews, the production will have a press night on 7 December at Wyndham’s Theatre.

After a decade-long absence from the London stage, McDonagh returned to the Royal Court Theatre with Hangmen in September 2015 to critical and public acclaim. The full West End cast includes: Josef Davies, James Dryden, Johnny Flynn, Tony Hirst, John Hodgkinson, Bronwyn James, David Morrissey, Andy Nyman, Craig Parkinson, Ryan Pope, Sally Rogers, Mark Roseand Simon Rouse.

In his small pub in Oldham, Harry is something of a local celebrity. But what’s the second-best hangman in England to do on the day they’ve abolished hanging?  

Amongst the cub reporters and sycophantic pub regulars dying to hear Harry’s reaction to the news, a peculiar stranger lurks, with a very different motive for his visit.

The transfer of Hangmen is produced by Robert Fox, Matthew Byam Shaw for Playful Productions and Royal Court Theatre Productions.