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FLYING INTO THE LOWRY IN SPRING 2024

42 BALLOONS

AN UPLIFTING NEW MUSICAL

BY JACK GODFREY

STARRING EVELYN HOSKINS AND CHARLIE MCCULLAGH

18 APRIL – 19 MAY 2024

Award winning producers Andy and Wendy Barnes from Global Musicals (SIX, The Choir of Man, Pieces of String, LIFT)and Kevin McCollum from Alchemation (In The Heights, Avenue Q, Rent, Mrs Doubtfire)are delighted to announce that tickets are now on sale for the first full production of new musical 42 Balloons playing at The Lowry, Salford from 18 April – 19 May 2024.

2^nd of July 1982.

Using a lawn chair and approximately 42 helium-filled weather balloons, truck driver Larry Walters defied all the odds (and FAA airspace regulations!) to make his lifelong dream a reality and fly sixteen thousand feet above Los Angeles.

No, seriously.    In a chair.

42 BALLOONS is an uplifting musical inspired by the highly improbable true story of how Larry, and his partner Carol Van Deusen, convinced their friends and family to help Larry achieve his dream of flying.

Featuring an irresistible, 80s pop-inspired score, 42 BALLOONS questions how far you would go to make your dreams come true. Is the sky actually the limit, and what happens if it doesn’t all go to plan?

42 Balloons will star Charlie McCullagh (Bonnie & Clyde, Dr.Zhivago) and Evelyn Hoskins (Waitress, Gypsy, Spring Awakening) reprising their roles as ‘Larry’ and ‘Carol’ from the 2022 staged concert performances in the West End. Further casting will be announced later in the year.

42 Balloons has been in development since 2020 with Perfect Pitch – an entity dedicated exclusively to creating, developing and promoting new contemporary British musicals. The song 42 Balloons and a Lawnchair was released in 2021 on Perfect Pitch’s Rise:Up YouTube channel and in November 2022, the producers presented four semi-staged concert performances, which received hugely positive feedback from public and theatre commentators alike.

42 Balloons has book, music and lyrics by Jack Godfrey whose other works include This is a Love Story (Dundee Rep) and Babies (YMT:UK).

Jack Godfrey said, “After five years of writing and a journey that has at times seemed as unlikely as Larry’s flight, it feels incredibly surreal that we now get to present the full production of 42 BALLOONS next year. I’m extremely proud of our team, I’m hugely grateful to everyone who has helped us to get to this point and I can’t wait to share this show with everyone.”

Wendy Barnes said, “In 42 Balloons, Jack Godfrey gives us a contemporary, original musical score rather uniquely fused with 80s inspired familiarity and nostalgia in equal measure. I was introduced to the show as a first draft of act one through our open submissions process and after a quick google of the real-life Larry Walters and hearing Jack’s impressive score and witty lyrics, I was hooked by the end of the Prologue! Andy and I are dedicated to supporting the work of lesser-known, emerging British artists and we’re incredibly excited to collaborate with Jack, The Lowry and the wider creative team to bring this fantastic new musical to audiences.”

Steve Cowton and Matthew Eames, co-Heads of Theatre at The Lowry: “‘We have invested a lot in new musicals in recent years – through Rewrites, Operation Mincemeat, Police Cops and our artist development programme – but it is important that this is backed up by bold programming. Supporting the premiere production of 42 Balloons felt like the natural next step. Jack is an incredibly exciting writer, and this is a fascinating story to tell. We think audiences will love it and we are delighted they can see it here first!”

Ellie Coote will direct the production with orchestrations & arrangements by Joe Beighton, choreography by Alexzandra Sarmiento, casting by Pearson Casting CDG and music direction by Flynn Sturgeon.

42 Balloons is produced by Andy & Wendy Barnes for Global Musicals & Kevin McCollum in association with The Lowry, Debbie Hicks, Sam Levy, S&Co and Kenny Wax.

Additional creative team and casting will be announced in due course.

Barbican Theatre – until 9th September 2023

Reviewed by Ben Jolly

5*****

Something special is happening this summer at the Barbican Theatre and you should probably definitely go and witness this theatrical event.

Once in a while, a show comes along that both engages and entertains in a fresh new approach to storytelling, A Strange Loop is that show, it breaks, twists and bends every rule in the book for traditional commercial musical theatre but manages to remain palatable enough for us to digest the material. 

With a book, music and lyrics by Michael R. Jackson, this musical has had incredible critical success when it debuted in New York. The phrase that the show takes its name from was conceived by the American scholar of cognitive science, Douglas Hofstadter who used it as a way to understand the sense of self perception and the “I” narrative we form in our own minds. Jackson has taken this idea further to write a show about a young gay Black man while struggling with the inner thoughts of his own life who is writing a show about a young gay Black man while struggling with the inner thoughts of his own life who is writing a show about a young gay Black man… and the loop goes on.

We meet Usher, he’s a young gay black man who is working as an Usher for The Lion King on Broadway, he’s an aspiring musical theatre writer and his genius opening line is, “Can I really write this?” Both character and actor (Kyle Ramar Freeman) are instantly loveable and we are immediately on his side. We are privy to the thoughts inside Usher’s head with stellar performances from the multi-faceted cast and thus feel that we intrinsically know Usher on an intimate level within the first ten minutes, this knowing gives us a connection to the character that fuses an unbreakable bond between the audience and the show.

Through the one hour and forty-minute piece, we go on a short but powerful journey with Usher and his musicalised thoughts, who also take the form of various characters in his life, well the character versions that live in his head, that is. The voyage starts small but gets bigger the further we delve into Usher’s psyche, as a show it is brilliantly paced – the moment it feels like we’ve learnt all we can, there’s another level, another pocket of Usher’s mind that is still left to explore and while on the surface it might seem that the issues and struggles our character is dealing with are specific to him, they are ultimately universal. It is hard to walk away from this show without feeling that your perceptions of your inner reality have been shaken in some way.

Jackson’s book and lyrics can be thoughtful and poignant, still at times he uses grotesque and chilling dialogue which successfully capture our attention to what is being said. Who knew that realism and surrealism could coexist in the same time signature? The show is also a minefield of entertaining “if you know, you know” references from all aspects of Usher’s life. 

There are beautiful orchestrations by Charlie Rosen, a thrilling set and lighting design from Arnulfo Maldonado and Jen Schriever respectively and with Stephen Brackett’s masterful direction, this show fires on all cylinders. What makes it great theatre is that it keeps one foot planted in tradition but takes another step in a whole new direction. There were moments that felt reminiscent of Pippin with the theme of isolation or Anyone Can Whistle with its Brechtian style of storytelling but this show is ultimately unique in the way that the story of Usher is told. 

Believe in the hype. This is the real deal!

Southwark Playhouse – until 29 July 2023

4****

Reviewed by Claire Roderick

This marvellous new British musical about love and loss is a charming delight – moving and reflective, but also packed with laugh out loud moments.

The debut of writing team Christopher J Orton and Jon Robyns was first dreamt up between shows when they were appearing in Spamalot together and 10 years later they have developed a show with amazing potential. Then, Now & Next tells the story of Alex Shaw (Alice Fearn) and her relationships with Stephen (Joaquin Pedro Valdes), who died, and Peter (Peter Hannah), who she met while still grieving for Stephen. Alex’s inability to love Peter as passionately as she did Stephen is no secret to Peter, but their life together with their young son is fine. But fine may be the worst word in the English language.

The show jumps between two different time periods, and backwards and forwards along each timeline, which could be confusing, but Julie Atherton’s empathetic direction makes the non-linear story easy to follow with Adam King’s lighting and Raffaela Pancucci’s sound design clearly marking which part of Alex’s life we are watching. The set is a wall with shelves of items found in many homes painted white – imagine interior design by Edmund de Waal – amplifying Alex’s repeated longing for some colour in her life. As the cast move furniture around the stage, they keep eye contact with each other, emphasising the continuing presence of Stephen in Alex’s consciousness. The music is uplifting and memorable, with glorious orchestration by Ben Goddard-Young, and works wonderfully as part of the storytelling. A stellar cast with wondrous voices makes this a sure-fire hit.

Early references to Alex’s birthdays make it clear that her more adventurous and exciting life with Stephen took place in her twenties, while now she is approaching 40, she has a more settled life as a mum with Peter. Because we don’t follow Alex’s grief linearly, the show feels like watching a grieving child “puddle jumping” with poignant introspective scenes followed by comedic diversions as Alex meets various characters played by the always excellent Tori Allen-Smith and Justin Brett. Brett also has a pivotal role as a man who shares his experiences of grieving after the death of his husband with Alex, enabling her to start looking forward and not just back, and to try for more than “fine”.

The writers have created two wonderful men for Alex – both kind, decent and caring – making Alex’s inability to commit to marriage with Peter both completely understandable and thoroughly frustrating. Alice Fearn is devastating in the role of Alex – switching effortlessly between the adventurous younger version and her older, grieving self. Apart from one scene where the younger Alex rages about Stephen’s death, she plays Alex’s grief quietly, but always with heartbreaking power. Joaquin Pedro Valdes is fantastic as Stephen, whether he is worrying about turning 30 or being admonished by a policeman for being caught having sex on a train, he is naturally charming and the relationship is believable. Peter Hannah is adorable as the more awkward Peter, full of puppyish energy and using film quotes at inappropriate times. His quieter moments when just a glance shouts out his longing for more from Alex and his understanding that she can’t give him more are a gorgeous portrayal of love.

Then, Now & Next should have a bright future – thoughtful, tender and very funny, this musical hits hard but is full of love and hope.

Hampstead Theatre, London – until 22 July 2023

Reviewed by Celia Armand Smith

4****

The director of Song from Far Away, Kirk Jameson says that “Grief is rather like staring into a mirror … on closer inspection, the reflection can also reveal a much more detailed picture of oneself.” This beautifully crafted monologue from Simon Stephens and Mark Eitzel is a quiet and poetical journey through the early stages of grief.

Willem is a hedge fund manager in New York on his way to work like any other day, when he gets a call from his family in Amsterdam telling him that his brother has died quite suddenly and unexpectedly. What follows is a voyage across the ocean via airport terminals and first class lounges, people from his past, streets he had known from his youth, hotel rooms, and his detached family. Told through the writing of letters to his late brother, Willem returns to his past to face his family, the void that has been created by his absence, and ultimately himself. He is played by Will Young with a melodic lightness of touch; all at once poignant and fragile, but also comical in his account of what has happened. Young’s accent is natural and unwavering, and the song, when it comes, just breezes in and out with ease.

This production of Song from Far Away, which transferred to Hampstead after a successful run earlier in the year at HOME in Manchester, holds the audience captive from beginning to end. Ingrid Hu’s design is simple, just a few chairs and tables with curtains that move to shift the scene or reveal snow falling silently in the background, supported by beautiful lighting and sound from Andrew Exeter and Julian Starr respectively. The 85 minutes go by easily, and we felt we could have stayed and listened to Willem recount his life way beyond the curtain call.

Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond – until 29th July 2023

Reviewed by Bobbi Fenton

5*****

The Swell is an absolutely brilliant play, portraying the complicated lives of three women, showing their lives in two different moments in time, twenty years apart. At the start of the play, we are introduced to Annie (Saroja-Lily Ratnavel) and Bel (Ruby Crepin-Glyne), who are happily engaged and counting down the days until their wedding. That is until Annies old friend, energetic and chaotic Flo (Jessica Clark) turns up, promising to stay for a year until the wedding. This surprise arrival creates a complicated love triangle, and soon Annie sees her happily ever after slipping away from her. This causes a tense and angry exchange between the engaged couple, which ends with a dramatic argument, which has a lifelong effect on Bel.

We see twenty years later, and we see Bel (Sophie Ward) living with her wife (Shuna Snow), seemingly happy, although clearly still living with the effects of having a stroke. Throughout the play we are given tiny pieces of information about what happened twenty years ago, and how that has affected their lives. Just as you think you know the full story, though, a huge, unexpected, and shocking twist is thrown into the mix, leaving the audience reeling and questioning everything that they have believed so far. This scene is performed flawlessly, as we see the older Bel and Annie mirrored by their past selves, showing exactly what happened all those years ago, as Annie finally admits, to Flo, what she did. The performances by Sophie Ward, Viss Elliot Safavi, and Shuna Snow as the older versions of the three girls are marvellous.

This play, phenomenally written by Isley Lynn, is a masterpiece, and the pairs of actresses who play each character work brilliantly together. I also enjoyed the lovely singing by each actress during the scene transitions, as their voices harmonised beautifully.

Opera Holland Park, London – until 1st July 2023

Reviewed by Fozia Munshi-Nicholson

4****

This Classic Shakespeare’s comedy full of magic and the celebration of love, is beautifully set in the Holland Park open air auditorium.

The play started with a laugh as Joelle Taylors Puck plays impish gags on unsuspecting mortals and maintains its sense of fun throughout.

Eleanor Sutton playing Helena is both funny and sincere, but Hannah Rose Caton edges it as the lovelorn Hermia with her comedic timing and occasional northern accent. Jonathan Munir’s swaggering Demetrius in a top knot was hilariously villainous, we all hated the idea of him winning Helena from her lover Lysander played by Emmanuel Olusanya.

The play was put together beautifully and played out completely, making full use of the quirky Holland Park stage. The best part for me was the stunning Anna Leong Brophy who brought the role of Titania, the Queen of the fairies to life. She was everything I imagine Shakespeare’s Titania to be, beautiful, poised, and elegant. Ray Fearon’s Oberon was acted with aplomb, his deep rich voice carrying across the auditorium.

Lastly Jay Mailer was hilarious as the pompous Bottom haplessly dragged into Titania and Oberon’s bickering lover’s tiff. His Donkey was played for laughs and deservedly got them. The play culminated in a confusion of bewitched people falling in love with one another on sight, at one point the cast broke into a rendition of ‘Let’sGet it On’. Figure skillfully wove in modern elements to this classic tale of love, magic, and tragedy the latter bought to you courtesy of ‘the Mechanicals’. The final scene with the play ‘Pyramus and Thisbe in Athens’ deserves a special mention, it was played so hilariously terribly as to be perfect.

A play well worth seeing, apart from a couple of hiccups with microphones not being turned on in time and sound being distorted at some points. This rendition of Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ was a beautiful end to the week.

The Fire Station, Sunderland – 29th June then touring autumn 2023

Reviewed by Sandra Little

3***

This one hour performance was written by Alison Carr, directed by Annie Rigby and included music co-written by Ross Millard from The Futureheads. It was co-created with a community cast of local residents from Sunderland. The press release suggests that this production, “reminds us we’ve got more in common than divides us” and by the end of the play this uplifting message was apparent.

The production is performed predominantly on a rectangular stage with very basic scenery, props and lighting; seating for the audience is arranged around the stage. The performance begins with the cast sharing everyday, and often judgemental, observations that neighbours sometimes make about one another. We hear about the personal habits of people living on the street and are gradually introduced to three of the residents (Karen Traynor, Kylie Ann Ford and Alex Elliott) who each have a different story to tell and we also discover that each resident responds very differently to a hugely significant and unexpected event that occurs on the street. This occurrence shifts all of the residents out of their usual routines and causes them to interact with one another.

Themes relating to community and individual’s ambitions are explored within the dialogue and the three main characters eventually discover the direction they would like their lives to take as the “unexpected event” which occurs on their street affects them in quite different ways and provides different opportunities for each of them. The ending of this production is quite joyous and uplifting; it illustrates that, despite their differences, communities can come together for the benefit of all concerned.

Live music and songs sung by the cast accompany the dialogue but for me, apart from the final song, they didn’t seem to add a great deal to the performance. I also felt that the messages within the play regarding commonality and division could have been presented more clearly. However on a positive note I must say that the community cast did seem to enjoy their opportunity to perform to a live audience.

Date announced for Olivier Awards 2024 with Mastercard 

The Olivier Awards 2024 with Mastercard will take place on Sunday 14 April, at the Royal Albert Hall. 

Established in 1976 and run by the Society of London Theatre (SOLT), the Olivier Awards celebrate the world-class status of London theatre and are Britain’s most prestigious stage honours. 

The eligibility period for next year’s nominations is from 15 Feb 2023 to 27 Feb 2024. This is for productions across all main theatre categories, as well as the dance, opera, family and affiliate categories. 

Nominations will be announced on Tuesday 12 March, and there will be a Nominees Celebration taking place later that month, with the date to be confirmed. 

Mastercard is delighted to be returning as the Olivier Awards headline sponsor for the 14th year running (including a two-year hiatus for COVID-19).  

Emma De Souza, Event Director of the Olivier Awards 2024 with Mastercard, said: 

“We are thrilled to have Mastercard as our headline sponsor for another year. Our partnership has not only helped the event maintain its position as the leading theatre awards, but also allowed the ceremony to grow significantly over the years.” 

Further details will be revealed soon. 

OlivierAwards.com | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram  

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TICKETS ARE ON SALE TODAY

FOR THE NATIONAL THEATRE AND

NEAL STREET PRODUCTIONS

WEST END TRANSFER OF

THE MOTIVE AND THE CUE

Following a sold out run at the National Theatre tickets go on sale today from 12 noon for the National Theatre and Neal Street Productions critically acclaimed new play by Jack Thorne, The Motive and the Cue. Inspired by the making of Burton and Gielgud’s Hamlet, the play is directed by Sam Mendes. Playing for a strictly limited season at the Noël Coward Theatre from 9 December 2023 until 23 March 2024 with an official opening night on Monday 18 December 2023.

Johnny Flynn, Mark Gatiss and Tuppence Middleton will return to play the iconic roles of Richard Burton, John Gielgud and Elizabeth Taylor. Further casting to be announced.

Richard Burton, newly married to Elizabeth Taylor, is to play the title role in an experimental new production of Hamlet under John Gielgud’s exacting direction. But as rehearsals progress, two ages of theatre collide and the collaboration between actor and director soon threatens to unravel. 

Set design is by Es Devlin, costume designer is Katrina Lindsay, lighting designer is Jon Clark, composer is Benjamin Kwasi Burrell, sound designer is Paul Arditti, casting by Alastair Coomer CDG and Naomi Downham, associate director is Zoé Ford Burnett and staff director Yasmin Hafesji.  

Originally commissioned by Neal Street Productions and developed and co-produced with the National Theatre, The Motive and the Cue is currently playing to sold-out audiences in the Lyttelton theatre until 15 July. 

National Theatre Director and Chief Executive Rufus Norris said, “We’re delighted to be transferring The Motive and the Cue to the Noël Coward Theatre later this year continuing our collaboration with Neal Street Productions. Sam Mendes’s production brings the theatrical process to life so vividly, perfectly capturing that heady time in history, with Mark, Johnny and Tuppence playing these well-loved characters with whom we are all so familiar.  We’re so excited to have multiple productions transferring from the National Theatre to the West End this year, testament to the appetite of audiences for live theatre. Motive has been playing to packed houses at the NT all summer and we are thrilled that there will now be more opportunities for a new audience to see Jack’s great play.” 

Inspired by Letters from an Actor by William Redfield and John Gielgud Directs Richard Burton in Hamlet by Richard L. Sterne. 

Tickets can be booked from £20 at TheMotiveandtheCue.com. Assisted performances are available across the run.

QUEEN EXTRAVAGANZA NEW TOUR FOR 2024!

OFFICAL QUEEN TRIBUTE BAND PRODUCED BY ROGER TAYLOR & BRIAN MAY ANNOUNCE NEW 2024 TOUR DATES

COMING TO STOCKTON GLOBE: FRI 8TH MARCH 2024

Queen Extravaganza, the official Queen tribute band produced by Roger Taylor and Brian May returns to the UK in 2024, following their triumphant 2023 tour. Most notably for Teesside residents the iconic tribute band will be returning to Stockton Globe after their recent performance earlier this year. For those that missed their last Teesside performance, this is your chance to snap up your tickets.

The band, who have been touring for over a decade, is made up of a rolling cast of gifted musicians, all of whom have been hand-picked by Roger Taylor and Brian May to perform the magical songs from one of the biggest bands in the world… in fact in history! Queen Extravaganza band line up will be confirmed later this year.

Renowned for touring all over the USA, Canada, Australia, Hong Kong, Brazil and Europe, Queen Extravaganza has earned much love and respect from their devoted and ever-growing fan base. Roger Taylor confirms “It’s our own official tribute band” and millions of fans compare the experience as being the closest they can get to the original.

This spectacular 90-minute show returns to the Stockton Globe on Friday 8th March 2024 and will feature more than 20 Queen classics drawn from the band’s biggest hits: Bohemian Rhapsody, Another One Bites the Dust, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Under Pressure, We Will Rock You, We Are the Champions, Radio Ga, Somebody to Love and Killer Queen as well as other fan favourites.

Always a night to remember, for Queen fans across the world it really is A Kind Of Magic!

Queen Extravaganza arrives at Stockton Globe on Friday 8th March 2024. Tickets are available on pre-sale via Stockton Globe at 10am on Thursday 29th June and customers can sign up for exclusive pre-sale tickets via https://www.stocktonglobe.co.uk/sign-up

General sale is at 10am on Friday 30th June. All tickets can be purchased via www.stocktonglobe.co.uk