Due to overwhelming public demand Death Note THE MUSICAL in Concertadds a 10th West End performance at the Lyric Theatre
After selling out 3 shows at the London Palladium in just hours and announcing an unprecedented immediate transfer to another West End Theatre, the Lyric, for 6 additional shows, Death Note THE MUSICAL in Concert today adds a 10th show due to overwhelming public demand.
Death Note THE MUSICAL in Concert will now run from 7- 10 September with an additional Friday matinee at 3pm.
Based on the best-selling Japanese manga series of the same name by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, this ground breaking musical (Winner Best Musical, Korea Musical Awards) has a score by Frank Wildhorn (‘Jekyll & Hyde’, 4 years on Broadway, ‘Dracula’, ‘Bonnie & Clyde’) with lyrics by Jack Murphy and book by Ivan Menchell.
Light Yagami, a bright but dissatisfied high school student in Tokyo comes across a discarded notebook owned by Ryuk, a mythological god of death. Discovering he can kill anyone by just writing their names in the supernatural notebook, Light takes justice into his own hands by filling the notebook with names of the nation’s most wanted criminals. But a detective only known as “L” is soon tracking him down…
Cast: Aimie Atkinson, Rachel Clare Chan, Jessica Lee, George Maguire, Carl Man, Christian Ray Marbella, Dean John-Wilson, Joaquin Pedro Valdes and an ensemble featuring Boaz Chad, Charlotte Coggin, Jade Copas, Eu Jin Hwang, Yojiro Ichikawa, Deena Kapadia, Patrick Munday.
Creative team: Director and Choreographer Nick Winston Associate Director and Choreographer Alexzandra Sarmiento, Costume Designer Kimie Nakano Musical Supervisor Katy Richardson Musical Director Chris Ma Orchestrator Jason Howland Designer Justin Williams Lighting Designer Ben Cracknell Sound Designer Ben Harrison Casting Harry Blumenau Artwork by Rebecca Pitt Creative Producers Carter Dixon McGill Productions, Indie Theatrical, HoriPro Inc., Pinnacle Productions in association with Greg A. DeLuca, Sharon Azrieli and Wild Yak Productions
Death Note THE MUSICAL premiered in 2015 in Tokyo, Japan. A 2022 Korean production won four awards at the Korea Musical Awards after being nominated in 10 categories (“Death Note offers a glimpse at the future of musicals”, The Korea Herald). In 2017, Netflix released a TV adaptation of ‘Death Note’ starring Willem Defoe!”
LISTINGS INFO
Carter Dixon McGill Productions, Indie Theatrical, HoriPro Inc., Pinnacle Productions in association with Greg A. DeLuca, Sharon Azrieli and Wild Yak Productions present
Actress, singer, comedienne and musical theatre star Jamie Rose Monk sat down with fairypowered to answer 20 Questions. Jamie is currently starring as Claire in the tour of Greatest Days – The Take That Musical. Tour details and tickets can be found here
Lets start with a few favourites
Favourite show (whether you have been in it or not)?
I think my favourite musical is Legally Blonde, it has very clever lyrics. But my favourite show, I saw when I was 16. It’s Frantic Assembly’s Pool No Water. It was so clever and I still think about it and talk to my friends about it now.
Favourite book?
Midnight Library by Matt Haig. I find it very life affirming
Favourite theatre?
I’m a very big fan of the National Theatre in London. But this is my first tour so I’m seeing some beautiful theatres around the country and I think they are all my current favourite that week
Favourite song?
Joni Mitchell and Both Sides Now. or if I want a boogie Stevie Wonder’s Superstition
Favourite music?
I love Motown and Jazz. I also like the story-telling in songs so maybe a folk song and I listen to a lot of musical theatre
Favourite food?
Italian. My boyfriend is Italian and he cooks for me. But when you visit Italy, there are some gorgeous cafes and places to eat
Favourite drink?
You might think it’s boring, but I like a glass of cola
What is your favourite role?
I was in a play by Victoria Wood called Talent in Sheffield. I played the part of Maureen. It was so well written with comedy and pathos and that is my favourite so far
What was your first role?
My first professional role was for a CBBC show called Class Dismissed. It was a mockumentary and I played various different roles, a teacher, a dinner lady and a student who had been trapped in the school since the 80’s
And what role would you really like to play?
I’d like to be a one of the Witches in Macbeth and I love to be Madame Thenardier in Les Miserables
If you weren’t a performer what would you be?
I think I’d stay in the industry, maybe as a writer. But if not I’d be interested in becoming a mediator in the Justice System, mediating between the criminals and their victims.
What made you decide to be a performer?
I really enjoyed it as a child, doing dance and acting clubs. I did O and A levels in Drama so it became an obvious path for when I wen to university. I then had to decide at 21 if I wanted to go down the professionally performing route and I was advised to do something I loved, because I’d be doing it for a long time. And here I am
Do you enjoy touring?
Yes. This is my first actual tour although I have travelled for work before. I was told it would be hard work, but I’m really enjoying it. New theatres, new places. You get a flash of each, a chance to explore and not long enough to get bored. And different audiences keep the show fresh
What advice would you give 16 year old Jamie?
To keep working hard at what you are doing. Don’t compete and don’t compare because every person’s journey is different.
Do you fancy branching out in Producing or Directing?
I’m not sure about producing, but I have done some directing before. Little shows for friends just small scale but I find it interesting
What was the last stage show you saw and really enjoyed?
We were in Glasgow last week and Edinburgh this so I spent Sunday at the Fringe. I saw 6 shows. A one man parody of Die Hard, a new play called Buff and some physical comedy called The Man Who Thought He Knew Too Much. I loved all 3 of them
Favourite line from any show?
In Greatest Days they have to say sorry which is Parakalo. “Parakalo, we are ever so parakalo” That’s my favourite line
If you could be anyone else for the day, who would it be?
A Secretary or the note taker, a fly on the wall, in the room where all the important decisions are being made. I don’t want to be the decision maker, but I’d like to listen while they make the decisions
What are the nicest/weirdest things you have ever received from fans?
A fan of Greatest Days brought us all some treats that was nice. But when I was in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Bridge Theatre, a lovely woman embroidered our characters’ names onto hankies and gave them to us. It was so thoughtful and a really nice keepsake of the show
Can you tell us what you will be up to next?
Touring with Greatest Days and then who knows? The great and worst thing about this profession is you don’t know what you will be doing next. It’s exciting and scary at the same timeJamie can be seen as Claire, in my opinion the best character in Greatest Days on tour for the next few months. In Edinburgh till 2nd September, moving onto Nottingham, Bristol, Bradford and Southampton in the next few weeks. For details of the full tour schedule and to buy tickets check here
The Tony Award winning Broadway musical AIN’T TOO PROUD – THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE TEMPTATIONS enters its final weeks in the West End at the Prince Edward Theatre, with its final performance on Sunday 17 September 2023, having delighted audiences in the capital since its opening on 31 March 2023. ainttooproudmusical.co.uk
AIN’T TOO PROUD stars Cameron Bernard Jones as Melvin Franklin, Kyle Cox as Paul Williams, Sifiso Mazibuko as Otis Williams, Tosh Wanogho-Maud as David Ruffin and Mitchell Zhangazha as Eddie Kendricks.
The company is completed by Evonnee Bentley-Holder, Natalia Brown, Ryan Carter, Hannah Fairclough, Christopher Gopaul, Daniel Haswell, Naomi Katiyo, Akmed Junior Khemalai, Holly Liburd, Darnell Mathew-James, Simeon Montague, Posi Morakinyo, Sadie-Jean Shirley, Michael James Stewart, Toyan Thomas-Browne, Dylan Turner and Kevin Yates.
AIN’T TOO PROUD – The Life and Times of The Temptations, which won the 2019 Tony Award for Best Choreography, is the electrifying new musical that follows the remarkable journey of the group from the streets of Detroit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. With their signature dance moves and unmistakable harmonies, they rose to the top of the charts creating an amazing 42 Top Ten Hits with 14 reaching number one. The rest is history – how they met, how they rose, the ground-breaking heights they hit, and how personal and political conflicts threatened to tear the group apart as the United States fell into civil unrest. This thrilling story of brotherhood, family, loyalty and betrayal is set to the beat of the group’s Grammy Award-winning music including the hits My Girl, Just My Imagination, Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone, Get Ready, Ain’t Too Proud to Beg and so many more.
AIN’T TOO PROUD has a book by Kennedy Prize-winning playwright Dominique Morisseau and reunites two-time Tony Award winning director Des McAnuff with Tony and Olivier Award winning choreographer Sergio Trujilio, whose previous collaborations include the Tony Award winning hit show Jersey Boys. It has Scenic Design by Tony Award nominee Robert Brill with Costume Design by Tony Award winner Paul Tazewell. Tony Award winning Lighting Designer Howell Binkley and Tony Award winning Sound Designer Steve Canyon Kennedy united once again following their success working together on Jersey Boys. Projection Design is by Drama Desk Award winner Peter Nigrini, Hair and Wig Design by Charles G. LaPointe. Music Supervision and Arrangements are by Kenny Seymour, Orchestrations by Drama Desk Award winner Harold Wheeler, Music Direction by Matt Smith and Casting by Pippa Ailion CDG and Natalie Gallacher CDG.
AIN’T TOO PROUD is produced in the West End by Ira Pittelman, Tom Hulce, Stephen Gabriel and Jamie Wilson.
FREDDIE FOX, TANYA REYNOLDS AND GRETA SCACCHI TO STAR IN OLIVER GOLDSMITH’S SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER
Orange Tree Theatre (OT) today announces the full cast for Oliver Goldsmith’s She Stoops to Conquer. Artistic Director Tom Littler directs Freddie Fox and Tanya Reynolds as Charles Marlow and Kate Hardcastle, with David Horovitch and Greta Scacchi as Mr and Mrs Hardcastle, joined by Sabrina Bartlett, Richard Derrington, Guy Hughes, and Robert Mountford in this celebration of chaos and courtship.The production opens on 22 November, with previews from 18 November, and runs until 6 January.
Artistic Director Tom Littler said today:“We are delighted to welcome such a tremendous company for Oliver Goldsmith’s heartwarming and hilarious play. Two hundred and fifty years since it premiered, it remains one of the liveliest, sharpest, and most generous plays in the canon. She Stoops to Conquer brought laughter back into the 18th century theatre, but it also introduced a new level of acute psychology and paved the way for Oscar Wilde, Noel Coward and more.”
Oliver Goldsmith’s
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SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER
Directed by Tom Littler with Francesca Ellis; set and costumes by Neil Irish and Anett Black; lighting by Jonathan Chan; music and sound by Tom Attwood; movement by Julia Cave
18 November 2023 – 6 January 2024
OT On Screen: 16 – 19 January
Ask me no questions and I’ll tell you no fibs.
Christmas at Hardcastle Hall. David Horovitch (Miss Marple, Mr Turner) and Emmy Award-winning Greta Scacchi (Heat and Dust, White Mischief, War and Peace) play Mr and Mrs Hardcastle, who have rather different ideas of the perfect Christmas. She craves cool jazz and cocktails; he wants a warm fire and the company of his bookish daughter Kate. Kate Hardcastle (Tanya Reynolds, Sex Education, A Mirror) can’t wait to meet her intended fiancé, Charles Marlow (Olivier Award nominee Freddie Fox, The Great, Slow Horses, House of the Dragon). But when Marlow is stricken with nerves, Kate must act fast.
Meanwhile, confusion reigns. Kate’s friend Constance (Sabrina Bartlett, Bridgerton, The Larkins, While the Sun Shines) is trying to steal her own diamonds to run off to France with her dim-witted beau, Hastings (Robert Mountford, Spike, The Habit of Art, UK Theatre Award nominee). Tony Lumpkin (Guy Hughes, Cyrano, The Little Matchgirl) has tricked the visitors into believing that Hardcastle Hall is a pub. And Diggory (Richard Derrington, The Tempest, The Archers) is rapidly proving to be the worst butler in the world.
OT Artistic Director Tom Littler (The Circle), with Francesca Ellis, directs an all-star cast in the 250th anniversary production of Oliver Goldsmith’s glorious comedy of misunderstanding. A riot of mistaken identities and marital mishaps is relocated to a 1930s country house world of Jeeves and Wooster.
Oliver Goldsmith’s(1730 – 1774) best-known works are his novel The Vicar of Wakefield, long poem The Deserted Village, and play She Stoops to Conquer. The Orange Tree previously staged his play The Good Natur’d Man.
Sabrina Bartlett plays Constance Neville. Her theatre credits include While The Sun Shines (Orange Tree Theatre), The Seagull (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre) and Cyrano De Bergerac (Southwark Playhouse). Her television credits include The Larkins, Bridgerton, Victoria III, The Innocents, Knightfall, Versailles 2, Game Of Thrones, Virtuoso, Davinci’s Demons Season III, Poldark, Midsomer Murders XVII, The Passing Bells, Doctor Who, Holby City, Suspects; and for film, The Crossing and Respite.
Richard Derrington plays Diggory and Sir Charles. His theatre credits include The Tempest, For Services Rendered (Jermyn Street Theatre), Cabaret (English Theatre Of Frankfurt), Chekhov Shorts – The Proposal, The Bear & Swan Song (Everyman Theatre Cheltenham), Mrs Warren’s Profession, Cider With Rosie (Everyman Theatre Cheltenham, Tour), Spanish Wives (The Bridge Company), Dear Liar (Vienna English Theatre), Neighbourhood Watch (London, New York, UK Tour), Swan Song, A Christmas Carol, Death of A Salesman, The Tempest, Midwinter Dream (Bridge House Theatre), Holiday Snap, It Runs In The Family, Out Of Order (Mill at Sonning), Breaking The Code (Chester Gateway Theatre), Virtual Reality, Haunting Julia, The Boy Who Fell Into A Book (Stephen Joseph Theatre and Tour), Henry IV, Henry V, Henry VI , Coriolanus, Merry Wives Of Windsor, Dance of Death (Royal Shakespeare Company), Hamlet (Old Vic), Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Liverpool Playhouse), The Maids (Salisbury Playhouse), Cinderella And Her Naughty Naughty Sisters (Lyric Hammersmith), King Lear (Union Theatre) and Over The Moon (New Wimbledon Studio). His television credits include The Queen, Doc Martin (Series 4), Doctors, The Bill, Casualty, Dream Team, My Dad’s Prime Minister, EastEnders, Agatha Christie’s Poirot (Season 5), Jupiter Moon, New Avengers; and for film, The Gurnsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Unhallowed Ground and Planet Rethink.
Freddie Fox plays Charles Marlow. His theatre credits include Hamlet (Guildford Shakespeare Company), Travesties (West End, Olivier Award nomination), An Ideal Husband (West End), Edmond de Bergerac (Birmingham), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Southwark Playhouse), Romeo and Juliet (Sheffield Crucible), The Judas Kiss (Duke of York’s Theatre), Hay Fever (Noel Coward Theatre), Cause Célèbre, A Flea in Her Ear (Old Vic) and The Last 5 Years (Barbican). His television work includes House of the Dragon, Slow Horses, The Great, The Pursuit of Love, White House Farm, The Crown, Cucumber and Banana; The Mystery of Edwin Drood, The Shadow Line, Any Human Heart, Worried About the Boy and Parade’s End; and for film, Pride, The Riot Club,The Three Musketeers, St Trinian’s 2: The Legend of Fritton’s Gold, Frankenstein, Knights of the Round Table: King Arthur and Fanny Lye Deliver’d.
David Horovitch plays Mr Hardcastle. His theatre credits include Absurd Person Singular, When We Are Married (Garrick Theatre), Losing Louis (Trafalgar Studios), Taking Sides and Collaboration (Duchess Theatre), Bedroom Farce (Duke of York’s Theatre), Mary Stuart, Life is a Dream (Donmar Warehouse), Cymbeline, Much Ado About Nothing, Love’s Labour’s Lost (RSC), Spinning into Butter, Seven Jewish Children (Royal Court), Hysteria (Hampstead Theatre), The Tempest, Major Barbara (Manchester Royal Exchange) and Grief (National Theatre). For television he is perhaps most well-known for his role as Inspector Slack in Miss Marple and further television credits include House of The Dragon, The Murders At White House Farm, Dad’s Army, Piece of Cake, Great Expectations, Bognor, Hold the Back Page, Piece of Cake, Love Hurts, Westbeach, Just William and Ivanhoe; and for film, One of Us, The Creeping, Summerland, Rebecca, Mr Turner, Solomon and Gaenor, Cassandra’s Dream and The Infiltrator.
Guy Hughes plays Tony Lumpkin.His theatre credits include The Nutcracker, Cyrano, Twelfth Night and The Little Matchgirl (Bristol Old Vic), Two Gentlemen of Verona and The Little Matchgirl (Shakespeare’s Globe), The Winter’s Tale (Cheek By Jowl), Othello and The Merchant of Venice (Royal Shakespeare Company); and for film The Rise and Fall of The Crays.
Tanya Reynolds plays Kate Hardcastle. Her theatre credits include A Mirror and Last Words You’ll Hear (Almeida Theatre), It’s Not Like It’s Illegal (Theatre Royal Stratford East), Scenes with Girls (Royal Court). Her television credits include The Decameron, 4Stories: OnThe Edge, The Baby, I Hate You, Sex Education, Breeders, and Delicious. And for film, Timestalkers, Harold, The Purple Crayon, Emma, Undergods, Fanny Lye Deliver’d, and The Revenger: an Unromantic Comedy.
Greta Scacchi plays Mrs Hardcastle. Her theatre credits include The Entertainer (Garrick Theatre), The Glass Menagerie (West Yorkshire Playhouse), The Seagull (Black Swan, Perth), Bette & Joan (West End), Nothing Personal, Mary Stuart (Ensemble Theatre).Her television credits include OneTrillion Dollars, The Royal Nanny, Darby and Joan, The Terror, Poirot – Elephants Can Remember, The Trojan Horse, Miss Austen Regrets. She is best known for her roles in the films White Mischief, Presumed Innocent, The Player, Emma, Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny and Looking for Alibrandi. Other film credits include He Aint Heavy, Run Rabit Run,Ta L’avevo Detto, Waiting for the Barbarians, Head Full Of Honey, Operation Finale, and La Tenerezza.
Robert Mountford plays George Hastings.His theatre credits include The Habit of Art, Into the Night and The Haunting of Alice Bowles (Original Theatre Company), All’s Well That Ends Well, Cancelling Socrates, The Odyssey (Jermyn Street Theatre), Spike (UK tour/Newbury Watermill), and Vagabonds – My Phil Lynott Odyssey (UK tour). Most recently he has appeared as surgeon Rajan Sinha in Holby City. Other television credits include Square, Torn, SilentWitness, One Night, EastEnders, Casualty, Doctors, Reverse Psychology, The World According to Bex and Michael Wood’s, The Story of India and London’s Burning.
Artistic Director of the OT Tom Littler directs, with Community Director Francesca Ellis. His theatre credits include The Circle (Orange Tree Theatre), which is touring in spring 2024, Saturday Night (Jermyn Street Theatre, Arts Theatre), A Little Night Music (Budapest) Good Grief (Theatre Royal Bath), Dances of Death (Gate Theatre), Martine (Finborough Theatre), Miss Julie and Creditors (Theatre by the Lake, Keswick, Jermyn Street), Tonight at 8.30, Cancelling Socrates, The Tempest, The Odyssey, 15 Heroines (Jermyn Street Theatre), Cabaret (English Theatre Frankfurt, Deutsches Theater Munich), and Hamlet (Guildford Shakespeare Company). He was Artistic Director of Jermyn Street Theatre from 2017 to 2022, before moving to the OT.
The Orange Tree (OT) is an award-winning, independent theatre. Recognised as a powerhouse that creates high-quality productions of new plays alongside classics and rediscoveries, it entertains 70,000 people across the UK every year.
The OT’s home in Richmond, South West London, is an intimate theatre with the audience seated all around the stage: watching a performance here is truly a unique experience. We believe in the power of dramatic stories to entertain, thrill and challenge us; plays that enrich our lives by enhancing our understanding of ourselves and each other.
As a registered charity (266128) sitting at the heart of its community, we work with 10,000 people in Richmond and beyond through participatory theatre projects for people of all ages and abilities. Our mission is to enable audiences to experience the next generation of theatre talent, experiment with ground-breaking new drama and explore the plays from the past that inspire the theatre-makers of the present. Operating without regular support from Arts Council England, the OT relies on the support of its audiences and funders to raise £500k a year to create this outstanding work on stage and in the community.
I love Country music. I love cowboy hats and boots, fiddles, pedal steel guitars and… well, everything about it. So, an evening of classic country tunes at my favourite theatre promised more fun than several shots of Bourbon & Branch before riding a mechanical bull whilst wearing an “I shot J.R.” t-shirt.
The curtain rose to the strains of “Deep In The Heart Of Texas”. Nailing their colours to the mast early on, it was immediately apparent that the band – Sophy Ball (fiddle), Tim Howard (pedal steel, lead guitar and banjo), Tony Davis (piano), Paul Griffiths (bass) and Trevor Brewis (drums) – were as tight as a pair of Daisy Dukes. Virtuosic playing all around, I was particularly taken with Sophy’s fantastically joyous tone on that fiddle.
The set was dressed like a typical downtown Nashville bar. A backdrop and some well placed props like a liquor jug, some barrels featuring well known alcohol manufacturers names and some stools. The “show” was kept simple: the band, the set and the songs – and was all the more powerful for it as it focused the attention on the whip-cracking music.
Country songs are all about the stories: those universal themes we can all relate to (loss, heartbreak, hope for better times ahead and coping during the rough times). In short, the full gamut of human emotions (no matter what side of the pond). And to tell those stories of course you need lyrics and singers to deliver them. So, after the instrumental opening our compere, Middi Murphy (also on lead vocals and guitar) came on and the vittles really got cooking.
Middi and fellow lead vocalist Sarah Boulter both had fantastic voices, full of colour, passion and that authentic country twang. They also had surprising range too – considering the diverse artists the set list presented, they conveyed each song’s emotion to its fullest extent. An impressive vocal display from all involved – including the band who contributed throughout on backing vocals.
Most eras of country music were covered with tons of classic tunes such as “On The Road Again”, “Ring Of Fire”, “Jolene” and “Rhinestone Cowboy” interspersed with some I wouldn’t have thought of including like “Take Me Home Country Roads” (but which made perfect sense) and more modern classics like “Friends In Low Places” and “Man! I Feel Like A Woman!”. Truly something for everyone.
There was a self-deprecating (though respectful) seam of comedy running through the show too, especially from our very personable singers and Sophy and Tim performing “Dueling Banjos” was a particular highlight. No exploration of Country would be complete without some Bluegrass, so “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” was also a very welcome addition.
This show is a toe-tapping jamboree that only the most determined of grouch’s could resist the charms of. With so much wonderful packed into the two hours we were given, from the Deep South to the Midlands, it’s been an absolute pleasure and the crowd showed their appreciation vociferously. I highly recommend hitching your cart to this wagon train. See y’all next time you’re ridin’ through town.
Production images released for The Odyssey: The Underworld at the National Theatre
The National Theatre today releases production photography for The Odyssey: The Underworld, the epic finale of the NT’s landmark multi-location production celebrating national community, written by Olivier award-winning playwright Chris Bush, with music by Jim Fortune and directed by Director of Public Acts Emily Lim.
Staged as a full-scale musical production, The Odyssey: The Underworld features a 160-strong company of people from across the nation alongside a cast of professional actors, musicians and cameo performance groups to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Public Acts, the NT’s nationwide programme to create extraordinary acts of theatre and community.
This fifth and final episode of the multi-location production brings together community participants from the first four episodes of The Odyssey including those from Restoke in Stoke-on-Trent, Cast in Doncaster, Trowbridge Town Hall in Trowbridge, The Fire Station (for Sunderland Culture in partnership with Sunderland Empire) in Sunderland as well as Public Acts founding theatre partner Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch, and Trybe House Theatre in London.
The full professional cast includes Amy Booth-Steel(Blue Jean) as Calypso, Tarinn Callender (Hamilton) as Telemachus, Sharon Duncan-Brewster(Dune) as Odysseus, Victoria Hamilton-Barritt (Hex) as Poseidon, Emma Prendergast(Eastenders) as Athena, and Zubin Varla(Tammy Faye) as Hades.
Cameo performances will also be featured from The London Bodhrán Band, Haringey Vox Choir, Impact Dance Group, and South Wales Gay Men’s Chorus.
The creative team also includes set designer Sadeysa Greenaway-Bailey, movement director Dan Canham, costume designer Fly Davis, music supervisor and musical director Tarek Merchant, lighting designer Joshua Pharo and sound designer Paul Arditti.
Playwright Chris Bush, said ‘It’s been a pleasure to weave together this epic story of endurance, love and humanity. Assembling our own mini pantheon for world-class artists, performers and communities from across the nation has been a joy. There isn’t anything else quite like it out there.’
The Odyssey: The Underworld plays in the Olivier theatre from 26th to 28th August.
All performances of The Odyssey: The Underworld are audio-described, captioned and chilled. A British Sign Language interpreted performance will take place on Monday 28 August at 2pm.
For further information and to book tickets, please visit the NT Website.
Candy is a wonderful and touching story, told by Will (Michael Waller), about his struggles after falling in love at first sight, at a bar where his friend’s band are performing, with a woman wearing a red dress with curly blonde hair, who goes by the name Candy.
The majority of the play takes place in a bar, made obvious by the few bar tables around the edge of the stage which a few incredibly lucky audience members are invited to sit at during the performance. This setting is excellent, as it creates a much more intimate space between actor and audience, especially in the very well-suited small theatre, which really allows the audience to become fully immersed in the story, feeling as though they are almost in conversation with Will.
In this bar, Will (Michael Waller) tells the story of his friendship with old school friend Billy, who was in a band. Will had been invited to a performance by his friend, only when he arrives instead of it being Billy performing with the band as Will had expected, he instead ends up enchanted by the performance of Candy, Billy’s drag persona. This causes a lot of internal struggles for Will, including multiple sexual fantasy fuelled dreams that leave him rather surprised and confused, which has a huge impact on his entire life. This results in him revealing a lot of his past struggles, and he even takes out his built-up frustrations on his seemingly lonely, love-deprived great aunt ‘Toadface’. It isn’t until a little later in the play that he realizes that ‘Toadface’ wasn’t actually as loveless and empty as she first seemed, and he learns a huge lesson about the complicated concept known as ‘love’. The ending of this play is fantastic, and leaves the audience on a cliffhanger, wishing for more.
Captivating and compelling, full of brilliant moments of comedy and heartbreak, Candy is probably the best piece of theatre I have ever seen. Michal Wallers performance as Will was outstanding. He really brought the story to life through a combination of portraying every character in the story through multirole and just pure talent. You would be a fool to miss this magnificent work of art.
There’s a specific thrill when something happens in theatre and you realise that you could only experience that particular moment ‘live’, as opposed to being at the cinema or watching it on telly. Jeremy Herrin’s hair-raising staging of Sam Holcroft’s darkly funny new play A Mirror at the Almeida is full of such moments. It’s a veritable cornucopia of coups de theatre, culminating in a real jawdropper, and it’s ultimately as exhilarating as it is deeply disturbing and dislocating.
For this production, the beloved Islington playhouse has been transformed into a wedding venue, all pastel coloured balloons, chocolate box-y floral displays and an abundance of fairy lights, while half of the stalls seating has been replaced with the sort of buttock-challenging plush-covered metal structures we’ve all endured at hotel and civic hall ceremonies. It’s kitschy but enchanting (designer Max Jones, lighting by Azusa Ono); look closely at the walls though and between the fake ferns and roses you’ll see disturbing signage. “Do you know how to report illegal cultural activities?” demands one, while another invites us to participate in helping to “stamp out treason in the Motherland”. The ante of unease is further upped when an almost unrecognisable Jonny Lee Miller takes the mic and thanks us all for being here, and acknowledging that we’re putting ourselves at risk, before asking us to stand to welcome the bride and groom. What’s going on?
What’s going on is an act of social, political and artistic rebellion that interrogates the nature of free speech and the liberty of artistic freedom, and by being present, we are all complicit. Holcroft, Herrin and team have created an all-too-recognisable alternative universe where creative voices are silenced if they don’t fall in line with the values and opinions of the ruling regime, and it’s not hard to find parallels in the UK at the moment (remember when the arts organisations that received government hand-outs during Covid lockdowns were required to express their thanks across all social media platforms?). The othering of people who don’t look and think like us is a theme here with another unwelcome resonance.
The play’s title, A Mirror, might suggest a reflection of our own society, or at least where it could be heading, but also invokes a hall of mirrors, as scenes play out then get discussed, discarded or expanded upon, and you find yourself questioning what is real and what isn’t. It’s tricky to describe without spoiling it for anybody who already has tickets (the Almeida run is sold out, but this screams West End transfer as long as they can retain a similar intimacy in a central venue) but if you can envision a swirling together of Pirandello, Kafka, Orton and Pinter, with maybe a sprinkling of current West End smash The Pillowman, you’ll have some idea of the tone.
Herrin manages it all brilliantly, giving the humour and the nastiness full measure, but also honouring the humanity pulsing under the fear and lunacy. The entire performance is punctuated by Miriam Wakeling’s live cello playing, beautiful but unsettling, another character in itself.
Holcroft’s dialogue is wonderful: elegant, witty, on edge and, when it needs to go there, absolutely brutal. From a dramaturgical point of view, the play and the whole concept are so unusual that it’s hard to work out if the storytelling is ingenious or a bit messy. I’m inclined to give it the benefit of the doubt as, like the aforementioned The Pillowman, part of the point of A Mirror is the power and importance OF storytelling, and this mostly feels like world class creatives at the absolute top of their games.
This especially extends to the acting. Jonny Lee Miller is terrific as the government man, trying his best to stick rigidly to the rules while unable to fully contain an innate humanity and child-like enthusiasm for theatrics. He’s simultaneously sinister and sympathetic, all mirthless laugh, uncomfortable body language and fragile pomposity. Micheal Ward as the writer who appears to be the major thorn in his side is compelling and disarmingly natural. Geoffrey Streatfeild nails unerringly the preening flamboyance of another writer far more in sync with State thinking, but gives him an intriguing marbling of kindness and decency.
A glorious Tanya Reynolds excels as a new recruit to the sinister ministry, who becomes an unexpected, unwilling epicentre for the male machinations. When she claps back, it’s extremely potent: she points out that when a woman is listening, wrapt, to a much more powerful man, it’s usually due to fear rather than adoration. Reynolds is an extraordinary stage presence, gawky yet in control, vulnerable but tough. Aaron Neil appears only briefly at the end but is a funny, troubling figure who focuses and revitalises everything we’ve already seen.
It’s unusual to see a piece of theatre that is simultaneously deeply serious, maybe a warning, but also a lot of fun. A Mirror exists to be both. The wedding set-up felt like a bit of a gimmick initially but by the end of a two hour interval-free performance, intense but also intensely entertaining, it felt like an absolute essential part of the overall experience. Chilling, thrilling stuff: it’ll be worrying me for a long time I suspect.
Also, everything I’ve just told you could be a lie, and you won’t know unless you see A Mirror. That’s not a spoiler. Or is it?
in your blood and poetry in your soul.” – Welsh Proverb
Former Hollyoaks star Charlie Clapham and award-winning actress Rakie Ayola join the principal cast in the West-End concert premiere of For Tonight at the Adelphi Theatre on the 5 September.
Rakie (Harry Potter And The Cursed Child, Bear Ridge, National Theatre Wales, Royal Court) who wiil play Mrs. Parry and Charlie who will play Durriken Deram, join the previously announced principal cast led by Amy Di Bartolomeo (SIX, We Will Rock You), Jacob Young (Mamma Mia, Heathers), Dale Evans (Jesus Christ Superstar) and BAFTA award-winning actress Emily Burnett (CBBC’s So Awkward, The Dumping Ground) on the first day of rehearsals this week. Also announced in featured roles are Leo Andrew (West End productions of Chess, Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar, Joseph, Phantom of the Opera, Now And Then and Groundhog Day at Old Vic Theatre) as Mr. Parry, Joey Cornish (Jersey Boys) as Wyn Lewis, Charlotte-Hannah Jones as Mali Llewellyn (Hairspray, Magic At The Musicals), and Otilia Panainte as Syeira Deram.
The ensemble of For Tonight includes Emily Bull, Cassius Hackforth, Ediz Ibrahim, Jay Jobarteh, Nathan Kiley, Sophia McAvoy, Mared Williams and Celeste Williamson.
The cast are also accompanied in the concert premiere by the Trinity Laban Choir who include Grace Clifford, Lois Odell, Mali Wen, Nadia Harper, Jasmine Cole, Matthew Waters, Aidan Cross, Joseph Birch-Scanlan, Evangelos Papadimitriou and Zach Lillis.
This new musical uniquely blends, for the first time on stage, the rich and distinct traditions, language and culture of the Welsh and Romani peoples in a stirring journey exploring the power and meaning of home.
Inspired by true events, with its origins in the writer Spencer Williams’ own third great-grandfather’s handwritten journal, For Tonight’s timeless love story, one of difference and divide, is propelled by a riveting, foot stomping, atmospheric score incorporating traditional Welsh choral, indie-pop, folk, and Romani style melodies and rhythms.
Set in 1832, the story begins at the Parry farm in Trelawnyd, a small town in North Wales where a Romani family find shelter and friendship, but soon after their arrival, an unknown disease brings tragedy. Blame falls on the Romani travellers who are forced to flee and the three Parry children, Tomos, Haydn and Nettie, have to grow up fast after losing their parents.
Tomos, Haydn and Nettie’s lives twist and turn along different paths but fate reunites them with the traveller community from long ago. The Parry siblings encounter love, joy and friendship, as well as pain, prejudice and struggle before finally being forced to face their past, and their biggest fears.
This one-night only concert will be the first opportunity for UK audiences to see the full show following the release of the concept album in 2021 which has had over 100k streams to date, and a UK development workshop in 2022. Prior to this, For Tonight has been in development at New York Musical Theatre Festival, New York Theatre Barn, Queensbury Theatre, Goodspeed Musicals, Michigan State University and Isle of Man’s Gaiety Theatre.
The team behind For Tonight come with solid musical theatre and theatre credentials including Tony award-nominated producer Blair Russell, who brought Slave Play by Jeremy O. Harris to Broadway, Sweeney Todd, the critically-acclaimed immersive show to off-Broadway and Lizard Boy from the Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester and the Edinburgh Fringe to Off-Broadway. Welsh Director Nick Evans whose musical theatre credits include Mary Poppins, Bat Out of Hell, Billy Elliot, Mamma Mia, Rock of Ages and Jesus Christ Superstar joins forces with Welsh musical director and musical supervisor lestyn Griffiths (Bat Out of Hell – World Tour), West End choreographer Kevan Allen (Jesus Christ Superstar – World Tour) and writers Shenelle Salcido and Spencer Williams. Award-winning poet and playwright Raine Geoghegan provides cultural script consultancy.
Co-writer Spencer Williams says: “This musical is rooted in my Welsh family history, but like the Romani peoples has journeyed far and wide in the course of its development. I can’t wait for UK audiences to experience this timeless tale that showcases the distinct music, movement, and language of the Welsh and Romani cultures.”
Raine Geoghegan, cultural script consultant adds: “This musical is really like no other. In both the Welsh and Romany culture there is an abundance of story, song, music that touches the soul, nowhere is that more apparent than in the title song ‘For Tonight’, I love the balance of word, music and song, not forgetting dance and movement. These are ancient cultures that carry voices from the past, there is something for everyone. “
For Tonight’s 2021 concept album has already hit 100k streams and is available to download on all major platforms HERE
CAST
MIRELA DERAM Amy Di Bartolomeo
HAYDN PARRY Jacob Young
TOMOS PARRY Dale Evans
HENRIETTA PARRY Emily Burnett
DURRIKEN DERAM Charlie Clapham
MRS ANNE PARRY Rakie Ayola
MR JOSEPH PARRY Leo Andrew
SYERIA DYREM Otillia Panainte
WYN LEWIS Joey Cornish
MALI LLEWLLYN Charlotte-Hannah Jones
RHYS/DANCE HAYDN Ediz Ibrahim
TALIESIN Cassius Hackforth
MRS LEWIS/LANDLADY Mared Williams
LAVINIA DERAM/DANCE MIRELA Sophia McAvoy
ALFRED DERAM Nathan Kiley
RUTH DERAM Celeste Williamson
IESTYN/FOREMAN Jay Jobarteh
MRS JONES Emily Bull
CREATIVE TEAM
Writers Shenelle Salcido & Spencer Williams
Producer Blair Russell
Director Nick Evans
Choreographer Kevan Allen
Orchestrator Jen Green
Musical Director & Musical Supervisor Iestyn Griffiths
Set & Costume Designer Stewart J Charlesworth
Lighting Designer Jai Morjaria
Video Designer Dan Light & Andrea Scott
Sound Designer Aidan Jones
Casting Director HJB Casting
Production Manager Gareth Edwards
Musical Assistant Sioned Evans
Fixer Dave Danford for Absolute Music Services Ltd
The Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey Pulitzer Prize winning musical, Next to Normal has finally landed in London. After years of speculation, rumours and appearing on countless “Shows that need to transfer to London” wish lists, the theatre Gods have listened and graced us with a brand-new production of this modern classic.
Without giving too much of the plot away (its unravelling layers are pinnacle to the storytelling), we witness a seemingly normal, middle-class nuclear family who also happen to be dealing with the mother’s declining mental health as she plummets further down the rabbit hole of the bipolar disorder that she has been diagnosed with. We grieve with Diana as she journeys her way through the past while clinging on to her life in the present in a highly medicated manner. Add a rocking score and you’re in for just the juxtaposition the doctor ordered… or prescribed.
Broadway and West End alum Caissie Levy has made the trip across the pond yet again, this time to bring life into the role of Diana and bring it she does. With the utmost humanity Levy brings buckets of warmth, maternal instinct, and emotional depth; she always delivers and is not only in total vocal command throughout but is also giving arguably the best performance of her career. That being said, there is room for more. With a character like Diana, we need to see her danger, toxicity, and impulsiveness in order to feel scared for what she might be capable of. While Levy did lean into this, it was a struggle to see this side through the slightly more composed characterisation that we had. There is something there, and I would be very intrigued to see this production further along or in another life to see if this spark has ignited.
Levy is joined by a strong supporting cast to tackle the load of this heavy hitting drama. Jamie Parker is the definition of a generous performer onstage. In a role that relies heavily on the reaction to his wife’s ongoing harrowing episodes he plays doting husband Dan with empathy and strength while portraying a complex study of emotions that are attached to the situation and family dynamics. There was a slight hesitancy to his own musicality at times throughout the performance which again I hope will iron out as the run plays on. Jack Wolfe as teenage son, Gabe gives a haunting performance; there is something other worldly about his physical movement and on stage Wolfe leans into this and uses it to maximum effect. Meanwhile, Trevor Dion Nicholas in the roles of Dr. Madden and Dr. Fine brings a much needed respite to the show in between the dramatic family drama. With humour and flair Nicholas plays with ironic realism as he lists the never-ending medications he is prescribing to numb Diana down to nothing.
This show is direct and packs a hard punch. However, the narrative in both acts had a tendency to meander and while there were some obvious moments in the book that that could allow for light and humour, they seemed to be flattened by the intensity of the performances; some more attention here would have helped the material to become more palatable. Both score and band are the heartbeat of the show, with wonderful orchestrations by Michael Starobin and Tom Kitt, who is responsible for the tasty score. A great score like this one deserves some fine lyrics (and vice-versa) which Brian Yorkey as both lyricist and book writer does not fail to deliver.
The set is a painfully realistic modern middle-class style kitchen with the somewhat hidden band on top by designer, Chloe Lamford. With video design by Tal Rosner and lighting by Lee Curran, the mediums are used to highlight the moments when Diana is spiralling or the sporadic surrealist segments which are mirrored in an efficient way. The ultimate effect here however needed to go hard or go home as a mere suggestion of it comes across as neither here nor there. We wouldn’t have missed it but if you’re going there, commit.
Again, without giving too much away, this show ends on a note of hope and how the idea of living next to normal might just be the key to survival for some of us out there. As the show draws to a close we’re given a brief shining moment to reflect on the rollercoaster ride we’ve been on and hope we’ve learnt some lessons along the way.
