SUNNY AFTERNOON WINS FOUR OLIVIER AWARDS

  • More than any other production8bd45141ab404aad_org
  • Best New Musical
  • Best Actor in a Musical – John Dagleish
  • Best Supporting Actor in a Musical – George Maguire
  • Outstanding Achievement in Music – Ray Davies

New hit British musical SUNNY AFTERNOON was the best performing show at last night’s Olivier Awards, winning four awards.  The production won Best New Musical, John Dagleish won Best Actor in a Musical, George Maguire won Best Supporting Actor in a Musical, and Ray Davies of The Kinks won for Outstanding Achievement in Music.

SUNNY AFTERNOON is currently booking until 24 October 2015, at the Harold Pinter Theatre, London.

George Maguire, John Dagleish, Adam Sopp and Ned Derrington in Sunny Afternoon_ Photography by Kevin Cummins (1)John Dagleish and George Maguire play Ray Davies and Dave Davies of The Kinks respectively, alongside Ned Derrington as Pete Quaife and Adam Sopp as Mick Avory, who complete the band.

Sunny Afternoon is directed by Edward Hall, with a book by Joe Penhall, and music and lyrics by Ray Davies.

Full cast: Carly Anderson, Jason Baughan, Philip Bird, John Dagleish, Ned Derrington, Lillie Flynn, Emily Goodenough, Elizabeth Hill, Vince Leigh, George Maguire, Amy Ross, Jo Servi, Adam Sopp, Dominic Tighe and Tam Williams.

Fifty years ago, The Kinks were sitting at Number One in the UK charts with their fifth single ‘Tired of Waiting For You’. The band’s popularity has not faded since the 1960s, with crowds of all ages filling the Harold Pinter Theatre night after night.

Featuring some of The Kinks’ best-loved songs, including You Really Got Me, Waterloo Sunset and Lola,Sunny Afternoon marks the 50th anniversary of the band’s rise to fame.??????????

Following a sold-out run at Hampstead Theatre, this world premiere production, with music and lyrics by Ray Davies, new book by Joe Penhall, original story by Ray Davies, direction by Edward Hall, design by Miriam Buether and choreography by Adam Cooper, opened at the Harold Pinter theatre on 28 October 2014. Lighting is by Rick Fisher, sound by Matt McKenzie and the Musical Supervisor and Musical Director is Elliott Ware.

The official cast recording album, produced by Ray Davies at his Konk studios, is released on BMG Chrysalis and is available to buy at http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sunny-Afternoon-The-Kinks/dp/B00NH8O7LU.

Established in 1976, the Olivier Awards celebrate the world-class status of London theatre and are Britain’s most prestigious stage honours. For further information visit:  www.olivierawards.com

Sonia Friedman Productions commissioned Joe Penhall in 2011 to write the book based on Ray Davies’s original story. The company developed the production over the next four years, assembling the creative team and cast that presented Sunny Afternoon last year at Hampstead Theatre under the direction of Edward Hall, and now at the Harold Pinter Theatre.

Ray Davies is an influential and prolific rock musician and was co-founder and lead singer and songwriter for rock band The Kinks, and later a solo artist. He has an outstanding catalogue of hits from the earliest 1960s to the present day with estimated record sales in excess of 50 million. He has also acted, directed and produced shows for theatre and television.

Joe Penhall is an award winning playwright and screenwriter. Plays include Some Voices (Royal Court),Blue/Orange (National Theatre and West End), winner of Best New Play at the Evening Standard Awards, Olivier Awards and at the Critics Circle, and Dumb Show, Haunted Child and Birthday (all Royal Court). Screenplays include Enduring Love and The Road.

As Artistic Director of Hampstead Theatre, Edward Hall’s productions include Wonderland, Sunny Afternoon, Raving, Chariots of Fire, No Naughty Bits, Loyalty and Enlightenment. As Artistic Director of Propeller, his work has toured worldwide, played the West End and Broadway and has won numerous awards both in the UK and overseas. Other theatre work includes A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (National Theatre), Edmond with Kenneth Branagh (National Theatre), Macbeth with Sean Bean (Albery), The Constant Wife (Apollo), Julius Caesar (RSC), Henry V (RSC) and The Deep Blue Sea(Vaudeville). Television work includes Downton Abbey, Spooks and Kingdom.  Edward is an Associate of the National Theatre and the Old Vic.

 

SUNNY AFTERNOON

In association with Hampstead Theatre and Arlon Productions

Music and Lyrics – Ray Davies

Book – Joe Penhall

Original Story by – Ray Davies

Director – Edward Hall

Designer – Miriam Buether

Choreographer – Adam Cooper

Lighting – Rick Fisher

Sound – Matt McKenzie for Autograph

Musical Supervisor & Musical Director – Elliott Ware

Harold Pinter Theatre, Panton Street, London SW1Y 4DN

Booking until 24 October 2015

Box Office 0844 871 7622

Online: www.sunnyafternoonthemusical.com

Performance Times:

Monday to Saturday 7.30pm, Wednesday and Saturday matinee 2.30pm

Tickets from £15

VIP Party Tables available

Premium seats available

Group and schools rates available 0844 871 7644

 

AMERICAN BUFFALO

Images from rehearsals of the upcoming production of American Buffalo starring Damian Lewis, John Goodman and Tom Sturridge are released today. The production, which is directed by Daniel Evans, will play for a strictly limited season at Wyndham’s Theatre, with previews from 16 April.

????????????Winning the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for best play, David Mamet’s explosive drama examines the fickle nature of honour among thieves. As three small-time crooks, Walter “Teach” Cole (Damian Lewis), Don Dubrow (John Goodman) and Bobby (Tom Sturridge), plan one big-time heist, a tragedy of errors spins this razor-sharp and darkly funny play into a blistering account of divided loyalties, insatiable greed and a coveted Buffalo nickel.

???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Considered a classic of the American canon and recognised as one of Mamet’s masterpieces, American Buffalo premiered at the Goodman Theatre, Chicago and opened on Broadway on 16 February 1977. The play was also adapted into a 1996 film starring Dustin Hoffman (Teach), Dennis Franz (Don), and Sean Nelson (Bobby).

American Buffalo is produced in the West End by Matthew Byam Shaw, Nia Janis and Nick Salmon forPlayful Productions, Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel, Will Trice, Steve Traxler, Bob Bartner andGeorgia Gatti.??????????????

 

 

 

 

 

LISTINGS INFORMATION:

AMERICAN BUFFALO
16 April – 27 June 2015
Press night 27 April 2015 at 7pm
Wyndham’s Theatre
Charing Cross Road
London
WC2H 0DA

www.AmericanBuffaloThePlay.com

Monday – Saturday 7:30pm
Wednesday & Saturday 2:30pm
No Wednesday matinees W/E 19 April & W/E 26 April
Tickets from £20.00 (booking fees apply to online and telephone bookings).

 

The Almeida announces full casting for Oresteia

ORESTEIA
Aeschylus
A new version created by Robert Icke

29 May – 18 July 2015
Press Performance 5 June

Casting is today announced for Oresteia, reimagined for the modern stage by Almeida Associate DirectorRobert Icke (The Fever, Mr Burns, 1984), in its first major London production in more than a decade. 

The cast will include Amelia Baldock, Lorna Brown, Jessica Brown Findlay, Rudi Dharmalingam, AnnFirbank, Ilan Galkoff, Joshua Higgott, Cameron Lane, John Mackay, Clara Read, Eve Salama, Bobby Smalldridge, Luke Thompson, Lia Williams (previously announced), Angus Wright and Hara Yannas.

Orestes’ parents are at war. A family drama spanning several decades, a huge, moving, bloody saga, Aeschylus’ greatest and final play asks whether justice can ever be done – and continues to resonate more than two millennia after it was written.

Oresteia will be directed by Robert Icke, designed by Hildegard Bechtler, with light by Natasha Chivers, sound by Tom Gibbons and video by Tim Reid. Casting is by Julia Horan CDG.

Almeida Associate Director Robert Icke most recently directed the The Fever and Mr Burns.  Other Almeida credits include 1984, a co-production with Headlong and Nottingham Playhouse co-created with Duncan Macmillan, which enjoyed a successful West End run and two UK tours. Robert was previously Associate Director at Headlong where he worked with Rupert Goold to conceive and develop Decade, directed Boys by Ella Hickson and a UK tour of Romeo and Juliet.

Almeida Questions is an eclectic programme of pre-show discussions which consider some of the questions raised by the work on our stage. In each discussion, invited panellists dig into the key issues and ideas emerging from the show. More details to be announced soon.

 

LISTINGS INFORMATION

Access            Oresteia Audio Described performance by VocalEyes Saturday 27 June at 1pm, Touch Tour 11.15am and Friday 10 July at 7pm, Touch Tour 5.30pm
                         Oresteia Captioned performances Friday 3 July at 7pm
Address           Almeida Theatre, Almeida Street, London, N1 1TA

Café Bar          The Almeida Café Bar is open from 11.30am -11.00pm, Monday to Saturday

Box Office       Phone 020 7359 4404 (10am – 7pm Monday – Saturday)
Online almeida.co.uk/event/oresteia
In person 10am – 7pm, Monday – Saturday
Prices £10 – £38, concessions available
Preview prices £10 – £30
Islington First* (if you live or work in Islington) £23, 29 May – 6 June
Under 30s* £19 available for every Monday of the run
*Conditions apply – check website for details

Performances Monday – Saturday at 7pm
Saturday matinees at 1pm from 13 June
Wednesday matinees at 1pm on 24 June & 8 July

Talkback          Post-show discussion with members of the company
Free to same day ticket holders
Wednesday 1 July


Website
          almeida.co.uk/event/oresteia

 

Godspell In Concert – Official Trailer

PRAISE FOR
godspell in concertGODSPELL IN CONCERT

“an inspiring, inspirational score, delivered by some powerful voices”

Mark Shenton, The Stage

“within five minutes, the company are blasting through the roof with vocal talent and confidence.”
Lastminutetickets.com

“Everything about this show is uplifting.”
A Younger Theatre

“I left the theatre feeling uplifted as it would be impossible not to be inspired by the talent and energy of the company.”

West End Frame

watch

THE DERANGED MARRIAGE

Tenth anniversary production of smash hit comedy drama reflecting the contemporary British Asian experience
 
THE DERANGED MARRIAGE
6-10 MAY, QUARRY THEATRE. Box office 0113 213 7700 and online wyp.org.uk
PRESS NIGHT WEDNESDAY 6 MAY, 7.30pm
 
Writer and director: Pravesh Kumar. Designer: Libby Watson. Choreography and Indian Costume Design: Andy Kumar. Composer and sound design: Arun Ghosh. Lighting design: Mark Dymock.
 
Presented by Rifco and Watford Palace Theatre, the tenth anniversary tour of The Deranged Marriage comes to West Yorkshire Playhouse from 6-10 May. Written and directed by Rifco’s Artistic Director Pravesh Kumar, the production previously toured to sold out houses between 2004 and 2006.
It provides a fresh look at Asian wedding tradition with a uniquely British twist and welcomes the audience as wedding guests to take their part in the fun, tears, drama and chaos of the big day.
This revamped comedy drama follows nervous couple Sona and Rishi, and their families during their extravagant wedding preparations. Exploring the relationship between tradition and conformity, the story asks whether British Asian adults can still observe the ancient tradition of arranged marriages within their modern lives.
Writer and director Pravesh Kumar says of this new production:
“It’s not often you get to revisit one of your biggest hits. A lot has changed in the last ten years. We have grown as a company and our audience has also grown. It’s very exciting to be presenting a new version of The Deranged Marriage to previous and new audiences. As well as a new script, cast and design, the show will feature creative digital elements to aid the storytelling.”
Bollywood personality and host of India’s Got Talent, Andy Kumar, is choreographing the show and designing Indian costumes.
From previous Rifco and Watford Palace productions, Clara Indrani (Happy Birthday Sunita) plays the part of Sona and Sheena Patel(Britain’s Got Bhangra, Break the Floorboards) plays Kiran, Sona’s cousin. The cast also includes Ravin J Ganatra (Bombay Dreams, Behud), Balvinder Sopal (The Tales of Harrow Road, The Snow Queen) as Lata and Stephen Lloyd (Jumpers for Goalposts, Reasons to be Cheerful) as Tony.
The Deranged Marriage, Quarry Theatre, 6-10 May
Performances 6-10 May, 7.30pm
Matinee 2pm, May 9 and 3pm, May 10
Post-show discussion May 7

STELLAR SOAP-STAR LINE UP FOR THEATRE THRILLER

One of the UK’s best-selling novels, from chart-topping author Peter James, has been turned into a gripping play set to thrill audiences at Newcastle Theatre Royal next month.

 

Dead Simple features an all-star cast led by Tina Hobley, who returns to the stage having graced TV screens for the last 12 years as ward sister Chrissie Williams in the BBC 1’s Holby City as well as roles in Coronation Street and Harbour Lights before that and was seen earlier this year in Celebrity Master Chef. She currently presents the prime time Sunday morning programme on Smooth Radio.

 

Tina leads the cast in an edge-of-your-seat plot, where a stag-do prank goes wrong, leaving the groom buried in a coffin with everyone who knows his whereabouts dead. Everyone but one person… and Detective Roy Grace must race against the clock to find that person and rescue the victim before it’s too late!

 

Dead SimpleDead Simple also stars award-winning TV heartthrob, Jamie Lomas who appeared recently in EastEnders as the murderous Jake Stone and before that played bad boy Warren Fox for five years in Channel 4’s Hollyoaks. Jamie plays alongside Rik Makarem who played Nikhil Sharma in Emmerdale and previously appeared in Torchwood and Michael McKell who played Dr Nick West inDoctors as well as DC Nick Henshall in Emmerdale.

 

Dead SimpleThe role of the famous Detective Roy Grace is played by Gray O’Brien, the award-winning star of Coronation Street, TV seriesTitanic, Peak Practice and Casualty as well as Sleuth in the West End. He will follow up his critically acclaimed performance in previous Peter James adaptation, The Perfect Murder, by playing the detective in this gripping, chilling, thriller that has all the classic suspense, twists and turns of a best-selling Peter James novel.

 

Peter James has gone straight in at number one in the Sunday Times bestseller charts seven times in the last four years with his Roy Grace series. The international bestselling crime thriller novelist has won numerous awards both in the UK and in the USA, Peter has sold over 15 million books of his Roy Grace series, and is published in 36 languages. Dead Simple has itself sold over 2 million copies around the word and has been a number one best seller in the UK, Germany, Italy, France, Holland and Russia

 

Dead Simple is the second of James’ novels to be adapted for the stage and Peter said: “From the age of eight, when my parents first took me to the Theatre Royal in Brighton, it had been my dream that one day the curtains would rise in a theatre and a play of my work would be performed.  That dream came true after a chance meeting with my old friend, producer, Joshua Andrews, at a party in November 2012.

“Josh had seen first-hand the success of the recent Agatha Christie stage productions and he joked that I was the nearest thing to a living modern day Agatha Christie – so he asked if I had any novels that I felt might adapt well to the stage. The result was the first run of The Perfect Murder, over 16 weeks from early January this year, and to my delight it played to packed houses, enthusiastic audiences and a great critical response around the country and has just started its second tour this autumn!

“It is a real thrill now for Josh and I to be launching our second collaboration, an adaptation by the brilliant Shaun McKenna, of my first Roy Grace novel, Dead Simple. It’s a tale of treachery and deceit, which seems to touch a nerve in everyone who reads it and has been one of my best-selling books to date.”

 

“I had myself locked in a coffin for 30 minutes as part of my research, and it was one of the scariest moments of my life. It’s so many people’s worst nightmare to be buried alive and I’m looking forward to recreating some of that terror in the theatres soon with another incredible cast of actors!”

 

Dead Simple appears at Newcastle Theatre Royal from Tue 26 – Sat 30 May 2015 (Evenings: 7.30pm, Matinees: Wed and Thur 2.30pm). Tickets from £14 (online price) Tickets can be purchased from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 08448 11 21 21 or select your own seat and book online at www.theatreroyal.co.uk.

CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR THE 2015 UK TOUR OF AGATHA CHRISTIE’S THE MOUSETRAP

97f998ad16119f16_800x800arDUE TO UNPRECENTED DEMAND, THE RECORD-BREAKING 60TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR OF THE MOUSETRAP CONTINUES THROUGH TO NOVEMBER 2015

Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap will continue its record-breaking, and first ever, UK tour into 2015. The beloved murder mystery will begin the 2015 leg of its tour at His Majesty’s Theatre in Aberdeen on 28 April. The show will then visit over 25 venues across the UK including a return visit to The Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury in September 2015 where the record-breaking tour began in September 2012.

The cast for the 2015 tour includes Hester Arden (Macbeth, Orange Tree Theatre) as Miss Casewell,Edward Elgood  as Christopher Wren, Mark Homer (Eastenders’ Tony Hill) as Giles Ralston, Esther McAuley (I Promise You Sex and Violence, Northern Stage) as Mollie Ralston and Jonathan Sidgwick(Hollyoaks; Coronation Street) as Mr Paravicini. William Ilkley joins from the West End production ofThe Mousetrap as Major Metcalf alongside Luke Jenkins and Anne Kavanagh who will reprise their roles from the record-breaking 2014 tour as Sgt Trotter and Mrs Boyle respectively.

The production, which originally opened in 1952 starring the late Richard Attenborough and his wife Sheila Sim, will visit: Aberdeen, Sunderland, Mold, Dundee, Preston, Newark, Eastbourne, Scunthorpe, Lowestoft, Wolverhampton, Sheffield, Weston-Super-Mare, Swansea, Bradford, Bournemouth, Oxford, Truro, Canterbury, Northampton, Durham, Gravesend, Dorking, Horsham, St Albans, Colchester, Hamilton, Buxton and Coventry.

Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap has been the world’s longest running stage production at its London home since 1958. The 60th Anniversary – and first ever – UK tour of this beloved murder mystery has been seen by over 600,000 people across more than 600 performances and breaking box office records in many of its venues.

Mousetrap Productions has also licensed 60 productions of The Mousetrap world-wide to mark the 60th year, and many of these have also broken their records, from Cape Town to Philadelphia, Singapore to Sydney.  During this period the world’s longest running show has been seen in every continent, with professional productions in Australia, China, Korea, Turkey, South Africa, Russia, Czech Republic, Hungary, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Poland, Spain, Scandinavia, Venezuela, and across the United States and Canada.

The Mousetrap continues its London run, after recently celebrating its 26,000 performance at St. Martin’s Theatre, London.

 

www.mousetrapontour.com

2015 TOUR DATES

28 April – 2 May
His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen
www.aberdeenperformingarts.com/venues/his-majestys-theatre
Box Office: 01224 641 122

5 – 9 May
Sunderland Empire Theatre
www.atgtickets.com/venues/sunderland-empire
Box Office: 0844 871 3022

11 – 16 May
Clwyd Theatr Cymru
www.clwyd-theatr-cymru.co.uk
Box Office: 0845 330 356

18 – 23 May
Dundee Rep Theatre
www.dundeerep.co.uk
Box Office: 01382 223530

26 – 30 May
Charter Theatre, Preston
www.prestonguildhall.com
Box Office: 0844 844 7710

1 – 6 June
Palace Theatre, Newark
www.palacenewark.com
Box Office: 01636 655 755

8 – 13 June
Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne
www.eastbournetheatres.co.uk
Box Office: 01323 412 000

16 – 20 June
Scunthorpe Baths Hall
www.scunthorpetheatres.co.uk
Box Office: 0844 854 2776

22 – 27 June
Marina Theatre, Lowestoft
www.marinatheatre.co.uk
Box Office: 01502 533 200

29 June – 4 July
Wolverhampton Grand Theatre
www.grandtheatre.co.uk
Box Office: 01902 429212

6 – 11 July
The Lyceum, Sheffield
www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk
Box Office: 0114 249 6000

13 – 18 July
The Playhouse, Weston-super-Mare
www.parkwoodtheatres.co.uk/theplayhouse
Box Office: 01934 645 544

20 – 25 July
Swansea Grand Theatre
www.swansea.gov.uk/swanseagrandtheatre
Box Office: 01792 475715

27 July – 1 August
The Alhambra Theatre, Bradford
www.bradford-theatres.co.uk/venues/the-alhambra-theatre
Box Office: 01274 432 000

3 – 8 August
Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre
www.bournemouthpavilion.co.uk
Box Office: 0844 576 3000

17 – 22 August
Oxford Playhouse
www.oxfordplayhouse.com
Box Office: 01865 305 305

24 – 29 August
Truro Hall for Cornwall
www.hallforcornwall.co.uk
Box Office: 01872 262 466

1 – 5 September
Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury
www.marlowetheatre.com
Box Office: 01227 787 787

7 – 12 September
Royal and Derngate, Northampton
www.royalandderngate.co.uk
Box Office: 01604 624 811

14 – 19 September
Gala Durham
www.galadurham.com
Box Office: 0300 026 6600

21 – 26 September
The Woodville Halls Theatre, Gravesend
www.woodville.co.uk
Box Office: 01474 337 774

28 September – 3 October
Dorking Halls
www.dorkinghalls.co.uk
Box Office: 01306 881 717

5 – 10 October
The Capitol Horsham
www.thecapitolhorsham.com
Box Office: 01403 750220

12 – 17 October
Alban Arena
www.alban-arena.co.uk
Box Office: 01727 844 488

19 – 24 October
Mercury Theatre, Colchester
www.mercurytheatre.co.uk
Box Office: 01206 573 948

26 – 31 October
The Town House, Hamilton
www.sllcboxoffice.co.uk
Box Office: 01698 452 122

2 – 7 November
Buxton Opera House
www.buxtonoperahouse.org.uk
Box Office: 0845 127 2190

9 – 14 November
Coventry Belgrade
www.belgrade.co.uk
Box Office: 024 7655 3055

The Mousetrap
continues at
St. Martin’s Theatre
West Street
London
WC2H 9NZ

Box Office 08444 99 1515
www.the-mousetrap.co.uk

Performances
Monday to Saturday at 7.30pm
Matinee performances at 3.00pm on Tuesday and 4.00pm on Saturday

 

 

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

HEARTWRENCHING WARTIME TALE MAKES NEWCASTLE DEBUT

 

BITSP-180 by Manuel Harlan -10-The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, a world stage premiere of the bestselling novel by John Boyne, is set to make its Newcastle debut at the Theatre Royal in May.  Be prepared to be stirred, stunned and heartbroken 19-23 May 2015.

 


BITSP-180 by Manuel Harlan -3-
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
 is an emotive tale of an unlikely friendship between two innocent boys. Set during World War II, the story is seen through the eyes of Bruno, the eight-year-old son of the commandant at a concentration camp, whose forbidden friendship with a Jewish boy on the other side of the camp fence has startling and devastating consequences.

 

John Boyne’s 2006 novel has sold millions of copies around the world and has appeared on many bestseller lists including the New York Times where it reached number one. It was made into a Miramax feature film which was released in 2008.

 

This play is produced by The Children’s Touring Partnership, which is led by independent producer Fiery Angel and a consortium of major regional theatres. The Partnership has previously toured hit shows Goodnight Mister Tom (which won the Olivier Award for Best Entertainment and Family) and Swallows and Amazons.

 

Marianne’s Oldham plays Mother. Marianne recently appeared in The Musketeers for BBC One; Foyle’s War for ITV1 and was a lead regular role in The Crimson Field for BBC One. Her most recent film credit is Absolutely Anything, directed by Terry Jones and starring alongside Kate Beckinsale.

 

Phil Cheadle stars as Father.  Phil has extensive stage credits, including a local appearance in Blue Remembered Hills at Northern Stage.  His TV credits include Crimson Fields; New Worlds; Silent Witness and Inspector Lynley to name but a few, and he has appeared in films John Carter; Comes A Bright Day and To The Sea.

 

The role of Bruno during the Newcastle Theatre Royal run will be played by Jabez Cheeseman, and Colby Mulgrew will play Shmuel, both 9 years old.

 

Edward Snape for the Children’s Touring Partnership commented, ‘The Children’s Touring Partnership aims to produce and tour innovative, ambitious and engaging large scale theatrical productions for children and families. After two years of development we are very excited by this new commission which will bring this extraordinary story to life on stage for the first time’.

 

As the book is a Key Stage 3 level school text for 11 – 14 year olds, there will be an extensive education programme attached to this production and an additional matinee performance to accommodate school parties.

 

Born in Dublin, John Boyne has published nine novels for adults, including his most recent, A History of Loneliness (2014).  As well as The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas,  John has written three other novels for younger readers: Noah Barleywater Runs Away (2010), The Terrible Thing That Happened to Barnaby Brocket (2012) and Stay Where You Are And Then Leave (2013).

 

The production has been adapted for the stage by Angus Jackson, Associate Director of Chichester Festival Theatre. His Chichester credits include Neville’s Island (now playing in the West End) and King Lear (also New York), The Browning Version (also West End), Goodnight Mr Tom (also national tour), and Bingo (also Young Vic). For the National Theatre he directed Rocket to the Moon, The Power of Yes, Fix Up and Elmina’s Kitchen (also tour and West End). His film of Elmina’s Kitchen won him a BAFTA Best New Director nomination.

 

The director is Joe Murphy, the Artistic Director of nabokov, a new writing company which is dedicated to making work in response to immediately relevant social and political themes.  Joe’s 2010 production Bunny won the Scotsman Fringe First Award following its premiere in Edinburgh and went on to tour the UK.

 

Design is by Robert Innes Hopkins, who renews his collaboration with Angus Jackson following several hit productions at Chichester Festival Theatre, and Lighting design is by Malcolm Rippeth, an Associate Artist of Kneehigh where his credits includeBrief Encounter, which was a sell-out success at Newcastle Theatre Royal in 2009.

 

The composer is Stephen Warbeck whose credits include the film Shakespeare in Love for which he won an Academy Award.

 

www.theboyinthestripedpyjamas.com

 

Elegies For Angels, Punks and Raging Queens

CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR REVIVAL OF

ELEGIES FOR ANGELS, PUNKS AND RAGING QUEENS

CRITERION THEATRE (PICCADILLY), 31 MAY 2015

RAISING FUNDS FOR THE MAKE A DIFFERENCE TRUST

Elegies FacebookTickets are now on sale for a West End revival of the song cycle Elegies For AngelsPunks and Raging Queens, taking place at the Criterion Theatre on Sunday 31 May 2015.

More than 30 of the West End’s most talented performers will take to the stage for the special “one night only” performance in aid of The Make A Difference Trust, with direction by Stephen Whitson and musical direction by Dean Austin.

Cast members who are confirmed so far* include: Vivienne Acheampong, Simon Bailey, Paul Baker, Daniel Boys, Natalie Bush, James Charlton, Adam Colbeck Dunn, Michelle Crook, Fra Fee, Sarah French, Tom Gillies, Rachel Lea Gray, Victoria Hamilton-Barritt, Emma Hatton, Paul Hazel, Nick Hendrix, Graham Hoadly, Freddy Hutchins, Lauren Ingram, Kurt Kansley, Emma Kingston, Emma Lindars, Leon Lopez, Grace McKee, Matt McKenna, Ako Mitchell, Ursula Mohan, Katie Paine, Michael Pickering, Ella Marshall-Pinder, Kelly Price, Sophia Ragavelas, Grace Reynolds, Paul Riddiford, Joanna Riding, Oliver Saville, Adam Stafford, Alwyne Taylor, Izabella Urbanowicz, Miles Western, Emma Williams, Gary Wood, Matthew Wycliffe (*subject to availability; further names to be announced).

Elegies For AngelsPunks and Raging Queens is a song cycle with music by Janet Hood and lyrics and additional text by Bill Russell. The work features songs and monologues inspired by the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt and Edgar Lee Masters’ Spoon River Anthology. Each of the monologues is written from the perspective of characters who have died from AIDS and the songs represent the feelings of friends and family members dealing with the loss.

The piece was developed in the late 1980s and was originally titled “The Quilt.” It was produced first at the Ohio Theatre in Soho in NYC in 1989, where the new title was adopted. In 1992, it was produced at the King’s Head Theatre in London, where it played for several months. In June 1993, the production was transferred to

the Criterion Theatre in London’s West End.

Bill Russell has adapted the piece over the years and has kindly given the producers the permission to be the first people to produce this “new version for the 21st century”.

All profits will go The Make a Difference Trust. Originally founded as West End Cares in 1990 and later becoming Theatrecares, The Make A Difference Trust (www.madtrust.org.uk), raises funds for HIV and AIDS Projects that raise awareness and provide care, support and education in the UK and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Elegies For AngelsPunks and Raging Queens, produced by Leon Kay for First Light Theatre, in association with TheatreMAD, takes place on Sunday 31 May at 7.00pm (VIP reception from 6.00pm). Tickets, priced from £30-40 (£75 with VIP reception) are now on sale online*: www.ticketmaster.co.uk , by telephone*: 08448 471778 and in person at the Criterion Box Office (*booking fees may apply).

http://www.madtrust.org.uk/elegies.php
https://twitter.com/elegieslondon

LISTINGS

DATE: Sunday 31 May 2015

TIME: 7.00pm (VIP Reception from 6.00pm)

VENUE: Criterion Theatre, 218-223 Piccadilly, Piccadilly Circus, London, W1V 9LB.

TICKET PRICES: £75 VIP Champagne Reception, £40, £30

TO BOOK:

Phone: 08448 471778 *

Online: www.ticketmaster.co.uk *

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New Production of Terence Rattigan’s FLARE PATH

FLARE PATH poster image2015 NATIONAL TOUR ANNOUNCED
FOR A NEW PRODUCTION OF
TERENCE RATTIGAN’S EPIC WARTIME ROMANCE
FLARE PATH
DIRECTED BY JUSTIN AUDIBERT

The 2015 national tour of Terence Rattigan’s FLARE PATH, directed by Justin Audibert, will open on 17 August at Devonshire Park Theatre in Eastbourne (national press night, 2 September at Richmond Theatre). Casting is to be announced.

FLARE PATH will then tour to Richmond, Bath, Malvern, Exeter, Cambridge, Ipswich, Coventry and Guildford with further dates to be announced.

Based on Rattigan’s experiences as a tail gunner during World War II, FLARE PATH paints an evocative portrait of life in wartime Britain for the life-and-death existence of the RAF bomber crews, and their wives and sweethearts who were left waiting their return.

Set in 1942 against a backdrop of heartache and quiet bravery, FLARE PATH tells the story of former actress Patricia, the wife of RAF pilot Teddy, whose marriage is tested to the limits by the surprise arrival of Patricia’s ex‐lover and Hollywood idol Peter Kyle. An unexpected and dangerous mission over Germany puts Patricia at the centre of an emotional conflict as unpredictable as the war in the skies.

FLARE PATH combines highly charged drama with a truly authentic taste of the fear, camaraderie and passion experienced by the men and women who fought to save their country, their families and each other.

This new production of FLARE PATH will be directed by Justin Audibert, who is currently directing The Jew of Malta for The Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford. Justin is an Artistic Associate for HighTide Festival Theatre and Red Ladder, and his directing credits include productions at Soho Theatre, the Young Vic and West Yorkshire Playhouse.

FLARE PATH will have Set and Costume Design by Hayley Grindle, Lighting Design by Alex Wardle and Sound Design by Dom Bilkey.
Most recently seen in London’s West End in 2011, in a production directed by Trevor Nunn, this major revival of FLARE PATH comes from the producers behind the current critically-acclaimed and hugely successful touring production of BIRDSONG.

FLARE PATH is produced on tour by Alastair Whatley for The Original Theatre Company and Anne-Marie Woodley and Jon Woodley for Birdsong Productions Ltd.
Official website: www.flarepaththetour.com
Twitter: @flarepathtour
Facebook: @flarepaththetour

2015 TOUR SCHEDULE

17 – 29 August      Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne

Now  on sale www.eastbournetheatres.co.uk                           01323 412000

1 – 5 September    Richmond Theatre

Now on sale www.atgtickets.com/venues/richmond-theatre     0844 871 7651

7 – 12 September     Theatre Royal, Bath

On sale in June www.theatreroyal.org.uk                                     01225 448844

15 – 19 September   Festival Theatre, Malvern

Now on sale www.malvern-theatres.co.uk                               01684 892277

21 – 26 September     Exeter Northcott Theatre

Now on sale www.exeternorthcott.co.uk                                 01392 493 493

28 September – 3 October  Cambridge Arts Theatre

On sale soon         www.cambridgeartstheatre.com                          01223 503333

19 – 24 October      The New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich                       On sale 18 April
www.wolseytheatre.co.uk                                   01473 295900

3 – 7 November       The Belgrade Theatre, Coventry                          On sale soon
www.belgrade.co.uk                                          024 7655 3055

23 – 28 November       Yvonne Arnaud, Guildford                                 On sale soon
www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk                                 01483 440000

Further venues to be announced