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SUPERYOU MUSICAL

TO HAVE A STAGED CONCERT IN THE WEST END

ON 15 NOVEMBER 2023 AT THE LYRIC THEATRE

WRITTEN AND COMPOSED BY
LOURDS LANE

AND STARRING TV & WEST END STAR
LUCIE JONES

SuperYou Musical, starring Lucie Jones (Wicked/Waitress/Les Miserables/X-Factor), is an uplifting musical, written and composed by Lourds Lane, that centers around the transformative journey of a comic book artist who discovers self-love and her own voice as her superheroine creations spring to life. It will make its West End debut, in a concert version, at the Lyric Theatre for one performance only on 15 November 2023.

The musical’s score is a dynamic rock soundtrack that seamlessly incorporates a wide range of musical styles, including pop, hip hop, swing, blues, gospel, country, and soulful power ballads.

By delving into themes of discovering inner strength, while fostering acceptance, inclusivity, and celebrating kindness, both towards others and, crucially, oneself, SuperYou is conveyed through poignant dialogue and modern, instantly memorable music, making it a tale that feels particularly relevant and timely in today’s world.

Creator, Lourds Lane, says, “There are no words to express how thrilled I am for audiences to experience a little taste of the music and story of SuperYou performed by Lucie Jones and the rest of our showstopping London cast.  But I think what excites me the most, is meeting the fans – the ones who rushed the stage at last year’s Musical Con, the ones who have been posting covers of themselves singing our music for the last three years, the ones who send us comic book art of our superheroes, and those diehards who travel far and wide to see us at every show.  This concert is our first big London launch, and I can’t wait to meet the “SuperYoumans” who feel inspired to come out to see us here at the Lyric first before our anticipated West End-run next year.”

Initially planned for an off-Broadway debut, SuperYouwas the first theatrical production to perform during the pandemic, performing concerts on socially distanced pick-up trucks at a drive-in, in upstate New York. These pandemic concerts garnered national and international attention, and a film was later released as a popular documentary on Broadway on Demand.

During the pandemic, while many shows stopped activity and shut down, SuperYougained what Playbill calls “a substantial cult following” for its online content and concept album of demos with over 23 million views on TikTok. #FANCOVERFRIDAY emerged as fans worldwide created their own SuperYoumusic renditions, a trend continuing for three years.

Due to its online popularity and viral videos, SuperYou quickly sold-out Carnegie Hall in July 2022. The musical continued its success with a critical and audience- acclaimed developmental production at Skylight Music Theatre in Milwaukee in June 2023. Following their impressive debut at London’s Musical Con last year, SuperYouwill be back at Musical Con again this year.

Tickets to the SuperYou Concert at the Lyric are available here:

https://nimaxtheatres.com/shows/superyou-musical/

SuperYou has book/music/lyrics and arrangements by Lourds Lane, direction and choreography by JoAnn M. Hunter, music supervision and arrangements by Wendy Bobbitt Cavett, projection design by Caite Hevner, lighting design by Charlie Morgan Jones, sound design by Justin Teasdale and is produced by Melissa M. Jones / All Awesome with general management by Anthology Theatre Productions. Casting by Pearson Casting.

Churchill Theatre, Bromley – until Saturday 30 September 2023

Reviewed by Elizabeth Smith

4****

I am not a fan of horror movies and haven’t watched one for decades, they scare me! So on
reading the synopsis of Shock Horror I wasn’t looking forward to the play. Well, how wrong could I be.

Set in the derelict Metropole cinema the scene is set for a terrifying tale of a dysfunctional family and the inevitable outcome for a young boy who grew up in this unsettling situation.
Herbert, Alex Moran, is closeted in a decaying building with a father, Joseph Carter, who is
obsessed with horror films and a mother, Chloe Proctor, who is struggling with reality. The only relatively sane influence is a priest, Chris Blackwood, his Mother introduces to exorcise the venue of the evil she sees at every angle.

Herbert is locked away from the real world and explores the cinema via the walls to watch the tales of murder and mayhem unfold when he should be alone in bed. The priest suggests he be sent away to school but his parents are opposed to his leaving. So the darkness in the walls becomes his only play mate.

We watch the horror of his upbringing come to light when he returns to the cinema as an adult to finish his tale of what went on.

With references, including props from many unforgettable horror films, a musical score that has you sat on the edge of your seat from the opening bars, to the sound of voices and movement all around you it is truly a tense immersive experience not to be missed.

With four outstanding performances I must congratulate Alex Moran on his energy as he carries the play as if performing a monologue. The chilling screams from Chloe Proctor have the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Joseph Carter conveys his fleeting concerns for Herbert with empathy and disregard in equal measures. Chris Blackwood performs, as would be expected from a horror film, a creepy priest who’s intentions seem questionable.

For the whole performance you are suspended in a tense arena waiting for the next unsettling thing to occur. Thanks to the sound design of Beth Duke, composer Ben Parsons and lighting design by Joe Price and illusions form John Bulleid and Sam Upton.

If you are a horror buff and a fan of feeling unsettled this is the show for you

RSC ANNOUNCE CAST FOR MY NEIGHBOUR TOTORO RETURNING TO THE BARBICAN THIS AUTUMN

Today (Friday 29 September), Executive Producer Joe Hisaishi and the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), in collaboration with Improbable and Nippon TV, announce the full company for the multi-award-winning stage adaptation of Studio Ghibli’s My Neighbour Totoro which will return to the Barbican theatre for a strictly limited run from Tuesday 21 November 2023 to Saturday 23 March 2024.

Mei Mac will reprise her Olivier and WhatsonStage Award-nominated performance as Mei Kusakabe with Ami Okumura Jones returning as older sister Satsuki, Dai Tabuchi in his role as Tatsuo and Jacqueline Tate as Granny.

Also returning as Kazego Puppetry ensemble are; Boaz Chad, Jasmine Chiu, Andrew Futaishi (Hiroshi), Matthew Leonhart, Arina Ii (Miss Hara), Yojiro Ichikawa, Si Rawlinson, Mark Takeshi Ota and Shaofan Wilson.

Joining them are; Jessie Baek, Jasmine Bayes, Ka Long Kelvin Chan (Kanta), Elizabeth Chu, Anna Kato, Heather Lai, Amanda Maud (Nurse Emiko), Yuki Nitta, Bright Ong, Emily Piggford (Yasuko), Daniel Phung, Gun Suen and Naomi Yang (Tsukiko).

The global stage premiere of Hayao Miyazaki’s celebrated 1988 animated feature film, adapted by Tom Morton-Smith (Oppenheimer), was first announced in April 2022 and broke the Barbican’s Box Office record for most tickets sold in a single day. The production opened at the Barbican in October last year, where it received both critical and audience acclaim, winning six Olivier Awards, five WhatsOnStage Awards and the Critic’s Circle Awards for Best Design.

Directed by Improbable’s Phelim McDermott with production design by Tom Pye, costume design by Kimie Nakano, lighting design by Jessica Hung Han Yun, and movement by You-Ri Yamanaka. Puppetry design and direction is by Basil Twist, created with puppetry associate Mervyn Millar’s Significant Object and the Jim Henson Creature Shop.

The production features music from Joe Hisaishi’s iconic score in a new orchestration by Will Stuart, performed by live musicians including singer, Ai Ninomiya, with sound design by Tony Gayle. Video design is by Finn Ross and Andrea Scott. Casting Director is Hannah Miller CDG. Associate Director is Ailin Conant.

Artwork for the stage adaptation of My Neighbour Totoro includes a hand drawn title by Toshio Suzuki, Producer for Studio Ghibli, who was involved in the planning and production of the original animated film.

This enchanting coming-of-age story explores the magical fantasy world of childhood and the transformative power of imagination, as it follows one extraordinary summer in the lives of sisters Satsuki and Mei.

In order to be closer to their mother while she recovers from an illness in a rural convalescent hospital, their father moves the family to the countryside. As the girls explore their beautiful new surroundings, Mei encounters magical creatures and the ancient protector of the forest she calls Totoro.

Although Satsuki doesn’t believe her little sister at first, they are soon both swept up in exciting adventures with their new neighbours – transported to a long-forgotten realm of spirits, sprites, and natural wonder.

Birmingham Hippodrome – until 30 September 2023

Reviewed by Courie Amado Juneau

5*****

Black Sabbath and ballet seem like unlikely bedfellows. So left-field a concept that it made the show irresistible, especially given the approval and collaboration of original Sabbath band members, particularly guitarist Tony Iommi who was very closely involved.

The ballet falls into three acts. Act 1:“Heavy Metal Ballet” showcased ballet’s barrier breaking qualities whilst also presenting Birmingham to the world as a culture capital, through the music of Black Sabbath. From the darkness emerge our first troupe of dancers as Ozzy’s voice rings out with the opening lines of War Pigs. I really enjoyed Marc Hayward’s role as “Guitar Spirit”. Not only was his playing masterful (since he had a lot of interaction with dancers onstage) but the Gibson SG is synonymous with the band, so having it up there was like welcoming an old friend.

The stage’s darkness was almost a performer in its own right; it was certainly a presence! Perhaps a metaphor for Heavy Metal, 1970’s Birmingham, Sabbath themselves… During the show light boxes descended displaying iconic images from the band’s history. Minimal staging, but very apt with black and white being the predominant colours.

Birmingham Royal Ballet is world renowned for a reason and tonight’s performance showed why. The choreography was mostly modern with a smattering of more classical steps, giving something to please everyone. The “eternal kiss” (two dancers locked at the lips for an extended dance sequence) was just one highlight of a surprisingly romantic feeling work, in which the entire company brought unbounded passion and energy.

Act 2: “The Band” was even better than Act 1. I loved the voice overs from the original band members and Sharon too. Set against a backdrop of neon “strings”, it was subtle and perfectly pitched to concentrate the attention on the story of the band’s formation.

The music was superb throughout, giving us some of the band’s original music (both pre-recorded and newly orchestrated) as well as brand new material inspired by Sabbath’s songbook. A perfect way to pay homage to the band’s legacy past and present. Act 3: “Everybody Is A Fan” was the absolute pinnacle, beginning with all the dancers in the 70’s Sabbath t-shirts making this final act really vivid (seeing all those colours after the largely monochrome earlier acts was inspired!). The Guitar Spirit reappeared and eventually all the dancing groups assemble for the finale. The kitchen sink was thrown at this final act (including an impressive Demon atop an overturned car), making a powerful impact. To top it all off Tony Iommi himself appeared with guitar, joining the orchestra for the climax song “Paranoid”. The roof came off the place. I understand that this was a special guest appearance rather than being a nightly occurrence, so we were extra privileged to witness this. Everyone deserves enormous praise for putting this ballet together, not least Director Carlos Acosta as the driving force behind it’s conception. On the way home Black Sabbath was blasting out of the speakers and I was looking forward to future Birmingham Royal Ballet shows, all the while feeling proud of England’s second city. Job very much done! A wonderful show I cannot recommend highly enough.

53TWO, MANCHESTER – UNTIL 30TH SEPTEMBER 2023

REVIEWED BY ZOE BROWN

4****

Set beneath the brick rail arches of Manchester’s 53Two, one of few independent theatre venues remaining in Manchester (themselves in need of vital funding to continue their excellent work) sits the industrial, starkly lit, and smoke-filled stage. Two dominant screens showing rapidly changing, non-linear footage on a loop. This is Red Brick Theatre’s bold and fearless production of Simon Stephen’s fractured portrait of Britain in 2005 from the winning Olympic 2012 bid up to the aftermath of the 7/7 bombings.

Aptly set within Manchester’s own vastly burgeoning city centre, where it seems, the fast pace and homogeneous tone of city life is consuming our city, it feels right to explore the disparate voices of our citizens during this time, who all share a common theme; These are fractured people.

‘Pornography’ is written as a series of monologues and duologues by seemingly unconnected individuals, which can be interspersed randomly. It is uncomfortable viewing, as Stephen’s intended it to be. Deftly directed by Oliver Hurst we see, amongst others, the angst of a state school teenager, struggling to cope with adolescence lust for his teacher, and a dysfunctional home-life, spouting neo-Nazi ideology. A lonely widower past her ‘best before’ date and suffering the beginnings of dementia. Siblings twisted in incestuous misdirection. A man driven to a desire to destroy. It begs the question; in a Nation intent on growing rapidly, dominating the global market both politically and financially, Progressing for progress’ sake. Are we failing our citizens by creating such divisions and desires that will ultimately destroy us?

Standout performances from Isobel Ford, Matthew Haywood and Issac Radmore, particularly the latter, who, had to contend with a technical hitch meaning he was stopped mid-monologue whilst they re-set. Hats off to him for handling the situation with grace and composure.

What is most striking to me is the company’s successful use of multimedia, often a distraction in theatre, and yet every image, soundscape and video carefully complimented the action.

The use of a movement coordinator is well spent. With the cast crisscrossing the space in a purposeful hyper walk. Often over-lapping each other, gives the impression of a busy city centre. A slick transition into passengers on a tightly packed tube gives a chilling effect as we hear one of the 7/7 bombers, walk us through his movements on the lead up to exploding his bomb.

Red Brick Theatre describe themselves as a collaborative Manchester-based theatre company with a commitment to telling stories in an innovative way, through varying mediums. This show did not disappoint.

LAMBERT JACKSON BY AGREEMENT WITH CAA AND HYPHENATE CREATIVE PRESENTS

DARREN CRISS – IN CONCERT

EXTRA SHOW DUE TO OVERWHELMING DEMAND

2.30PM SHOW ADDED AT THE LONDON PALLADIUM ON SUNDAY 15 OCTOBER 2023 AT 2.30PM AND 8PM

WITH SPECIAL GUESTS STARKID’S LAUREN LOPEZ & JOEY RICHTER

Fresh from a hugely successful tour of Australia and the US, Emmy, Golden Globe, Critics Choice and Screen Actors Guild Award-Winner Darren Criss will make his West End debut at the iconic London Palladium on October 15th. Due to overwhelming public demand an extra 2.30pm performance has been added to the previously announced 8pm show.

Tickets go on sale at 10am on Friday 29 September

Criss will perform the hits of his career with his own four-piece band and special guests, Starkid’s Lauren Lopez and Joey Richter.

Musical fans get ready – this is a night you’ll never forget.

Darren Criss is a multi-award-winning actor, singer, and songwriter. Darren is best known for his portrayal of Andrew Cunanan in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie, and for his leading role of Blaine Anderson in Glee.

He rose to prominence as a founding member of StarKid Productions, a theatre production company based in Chicago, playing the role of Harry Potter in, and co-writing music and lyrics for, their musical production of A Very Potter Musical.

A talented, multi-hyphenate artist, Darren has released a critically acclaimed EP, Human, and made his Broadway Debut replacing Daniel Radcliffe in the revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and his feature film debut in the comedy Girl Most Likely with Kristen Wiig, Annette Bening and Matt Dillon. Other screen credits include Royalties, Muppets Haunted Mansion, and Hollywood. He also performed at the 57th Presidential Inauguration for President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Second Lady Jill Biden.

Darren is also an advocate for LGBT rights and is the recipient of Variety’s Power of Youth Philanthropy Award for his contributions to the Trevor Project.

The London Palladium

Sunday 15 October 2023 @ 2.30pm & 8pm

To Sign Up for Ticket Access: https://lwtheatres.co.uk/whats-on/darren-criss/

Public on sale 10am Friday 29 September

Image attached.

Instagram and Facebook: @lambertjacksonproductions

Twitter: @ljprods

WORLD PREMIERE OF

13 GOING ON 30 THE MUSICAL

TO HOLD WORKSHOP 

PERFORMANCES FROM 

25 – 28 OCTOBER 2023

ROYO are delighted to announce that the world premiere of new musical 13 GOING ON 30 THE MUSICAL, written by the writers of the hit film of the same name, Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa, will be holding a two week workshop hosted at Battersea Arts Centre. During the workshop, there will be four script-in-hand public performances with a brilliant cast and live band on Wednesday 25 October, Thursday 26 October, Friday 27 October and Saturday 28 October at 7:30pm. The workshop will take place ahead of a run in Summer 2025. Casting is to be announced. 

13 GOING ON 30 THE MUSICAL is a stage reimaging of the beloved 2004 hit romantic comedy film that starred Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo. It follows the story of Jenna Rink, an adorably awkward 13 year-old girl who wishes she could skip over the horrors of middle school. 

What does Jenna Rink want for her birthday? That’s easy. At thirteen years old, she wants one thing only – to be thirty, flirty and thriving. As she blows out her birthday candles, she magically wakes up seventeen years later: a thirty-year-old fashion magazine editor with a life that seems to be perfect. As she unravels the mystery of the person she has grown up to be, Jenna must work out what, and who, really matters. 

Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa, writers of the book and the original screenplay, said: “When we poured our middle school pain into the movie 13 Going on 30, we never quite imagined it would stick around to this day as a rom-com parents show their kids, a Halloween costume, a scene in an Ariana Grande music video, and a teen sleepover staple. Now we’re thrilled to be bringing our pain across the pond with 13 Going on 30 The Musical. It’s been endlessly fun working with ROYO, Todd Garner, Revolution Studios, composer/lyricists Alan Zachary & Michael Weiner, and director Andy Fickman to reinvent this story for the London stage. We can’t wait for a new generation to grab some Razzles and feel thirty, flirty, and thriving.”

13 GOING ON 30 THE MUSICAL will have music and lyrics by Michael Weiner and Alan Zachary (First Date (Broadway), High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (Disney+)) and direction by Andy Fickman (Heathers, She’s The Man). Casting for the adult company is by Will Burton for Grindrod & Burton Casting and casting for the children is by Keston and Keston. 

Purchase Tickets: bac.org.uk/whats-on

TikTok: 1330musical

X: 1330musical

Instagram: 1330musical

LISTINGS INFORMATION

25 – 28 October

Hosted at:

Battersea Arts Centre

Lavender Hill

London SW11 5TN

bac.org.uk

Box Office: 020 7223 2223

Tickets: £13.30

Criterion Theatre, Piccadilly- until 7th April 2024

Reviewer Alec Legge

5*****

A magic show performed by actors instead of conjurors/magicians? This idea came from the mind of Andrew O’Connor, writer and director, later joined by Darren Brown and Andy Nyman, and resulted in the show,’Unbelievable‘.

Not being a great fan of the genre, nevertheless I went along with an open mind expecting to see a magic show as of old!

Wow was I wrong in spades. Right from the outset it was very different and spectacular.

It opened with the appearance of a quartet of musicians led on stage by Laura Andresen Guimaraes, playing a saxophone almost as big as herself They were marvellous and entertaining and their performance started to dispel the thought that this was just another magic show!

Then came the magic part of the show. Masses of audience participation, mind blowing magic tricks with the whole cast being involved, on stage cameras showing close ups on screens so the audience could see what was happening, what a performance!

I don’t want to spoil future audience’s enjoyment by recounting the details of the tricks, suffice to say that the use of actors instead of professional magicians certainly brought a freshness to the show which justified Andrew O’Connor’s original idea of using actors.

The cast, Laura Andresen Guimaraes, Izalni Batista Nascimento Junior, Alexander Bean, Samuel Creasey, Simon Lipkin, Yolanda Ovide and Hannah Price all played there parts excellently and all deserve praise for their performances. I’m not about to single out any one of them for special praise but Simon, Andrew and Yolanda were prominent in performing the tricks whilst Laura, Izalni, Alexander and Hannah were equally prominent as the musicians. Well done all of them!

From the simplest to the most complicated all the tricks were presented skilfully and with dexterity, and I for one was really baffled by the results. I have given 5 stars for this show and they were well deserved. I would encourage everyone to see the show be they lovers of magic shows or not.

The Criterion Theatre itself is a medium sized theatre of 585 seats and is a gem. It has been extensively refurbished and the décor is fabulous. The stage was in view with no obstructions and it provided a wonderful setting for this production. It is in Piccadilly Circus just opposite Eros and round the corner from Piccadilly Underground Station.

RAYMOND GUBBAY LIMITED PRESENTS

THE NUTCRACKER, SWAN LAKE & SLEEPING BEAUTY

TOURING THE UK IN 2024

Raymond Gubbay Limited is pleased to announce that Varna International Ballet and Orchestra will return to UK after a hugely successful debut in 2023, with a repertoire consisting of THE NUTCRACKER, SWAN LAKE and SLEEPING BEAUTY.

The company will visit Cardiff, Manchester, Bristol, Buxton, Liverpool, Blackpool, Sheffield, Edinburgh, Nottingham, Darlington, Hull, Ipswich, High Wycombe, Wimbledon, Norwich, Reading, Southend, Basingstoke, Brighton, Northampton, Leicester and Oxford from December – February 2024. Tour dates are available in full here. 

The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty will be classical versions of the original, including sumptuous costumes and familiar choreography and settings.

Swan Lake will be a recreation of Tchaikovsky’s original production, that was created for the Bolshoi Ballet in 1877. Modern audiences are more familiar with the 1895 version that included musical and chorographical changes to the original by Marius Petipa and Riccardo Drigo, which was presented at the Mariinsky Theatre in 1895, two years after Tchaikovsky’s death. The producers of Varna International Ballet went back into the archives in order to return to the original score, orchestration and libretto, above all to preserve the original meanings that were at the bottom of the musical dramaturgy of the ballet.

Renowned for its award-winning soloists from the UK, France, Italy and Spain, and magnificent corps de ballet, the company has been delighting audiences for decades at home in Bulgaria and abroad with its performances of the highest quality.

Artistic Director Daniela Dimova and Music Director and Chief Conductor Peter Tuleshkov from Varna International Ballet and Orchestra said:

‘We are thrilled to be bringing our highly talented company of dancers and musicians back to the UK. We can’t wait to perform for British audiences again and to bring these magical ballets to life on stage.’

Varna State Opera was founded in 1947 by the renowned Bulgarian tenor Peter Raycheff. The main credit for the development of the ballet troupe goes to Galina and Stefan Yordanov who were Artistic Directors and choreographers for over 25 years (1960-1985). They formed the image of the Varna Ballet and brought it to the international stage and founded the first and now world-famous Varna International Ballet Competition in 1964. Since 2010 Varna State Opera and Varna Drama Theatre are united in one cultural institute called Theatre and Music Production Centre Varna.

The ballets to be performed this season are:

Swan Lake – The greatest romantic ballet of all time is brought to life by Tchaikovsky’s haunting and unforgettable score. From the impressive splendour of the Palace ballroom to the moon-lit lake where swans glide in perfect formation, this compelling tale of tragic romance has it all. From Odile, the temptress in black tulle as she seduces the Prince by spinning with captivating precision to the spellbound purity of the swan queen, Odette as she flutters with emotional intensity, the dual role of Odette/Odile is one of ballet’s most unmissable technical challenges.

Sleeping Beauty – Every child’s favourite fairy tale, this is the classic story of love and innocence, mystery and magic set to Tchaikovsky’s sublime score. Stunning choreography, sumptuous costumes and wonderful sets form the fantasy world in which the Lilac Fairy struggles against the evil Carabosse.

The Nutcracker – This most famous of fantasy ballets for all the family begins as night falls on Christmas Eve. As snowflakes fall outside, the warm glow of the open fire sends flickering shadows across the boughs of the Christmas tree and all the presents beneath. When midnight strikes we are swept away to a fairy-tale world where nothing is quite as it seems, toy dolls spring to life, the Mouse-king and his mouse-army battle with the Nutcracker Prince and we travel through the Land of Snow to an enchanted place where the magic really begins…

www.raymondgubbay.co.uk

THE WEST END & BROADWAY HIT IS BACK!

A Fiery Angel in Association with Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch production

John Buchan’s The 39 Steps, adapted by Patrick Barlow

From an original concept by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon

UK TOUR  FROM 14 MARCH TO 27 JULY, 2024

They said it was unstageable! Four actors transport the audience into a world of dastardly espionage, breathless romance and daredevil escapes. THE 39 STEPS triumphantly returns to embark on a tour across the UK, launching at winner of UK Theatre’s Most Welcoming Theatre award, Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch on the 14 March, 2024 and ending by the sea at Southend Palace Theatre on 27 July, 2024 after visiting Richmond, Cambridge, Newcastle, Birmingham, Cardiff and Glasgow to name but a few from the 20 week tour! 

THE 39 STEPS is back out on a UK tour after nearly 10 years in London’s West End, taking Broadway by storm, playing in 39 different countries across the globe, and delighting over 3 million people worldwide with its quintessentially plucky spirit and dashing sense of fun. Originally written as a novel in 1915 by John Buchan, and made into a ‘BFI Top 5 British Film of all time’ by Alfred Hitchcock THE 39 STEPS is adapted by critically acclaimed and award-winning writer, Patrick Barlow from an original concept by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon into a Olivier and Tony award winning international hit.

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

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

This production celebrates theatricality and includes legendary Hitchcockian scenes from the chase on the Flying Scotsman and the Escape on the Forth Bridge, to the first ever staged theatrical Bi-Plane Crash and the sensational death-defying Finale in the London Palladium. The inventive set design by Peter McKintosh, allows the action-packed story to flow seamlessly from one location to another, and will be brought vividly to life by the talented and versatile cast of four (casting to be announced).

Patrick Barlow brings his unique brand of comedy to THE 39 STEPS. A playwright, screen-writer and director, Patrick’s work is adored worldwide, including the internationally renowned The 39 Steps.

Fiery Angel is a production company headed by Edward Snape and Marilyn Eardley and they are thrilled to be working with the extraordinary team at Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch to launch this tour. THE 39 STEPS is directed by Maria Aitken with movement direction by Toby Sedgwick.   Set and costume design is by Peter McIntosh, with lighting design by Ian Scott and sound design by Mic Pool. 

Find out more at love39steps.com

@39StepsPlay on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok