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Theatre Royal, York – until 22nd February 2025

Reviewed by Katie Brewerton

4****

‘Oh My God You Guys!’ York Light Opera Company once again grace the stage of the York Theatre Royal, this time with their adaption of Legally Blonde, the musical. 

Based on the smash hit film of the same name Legally Blonde focuses on Elle Woods played by Emma Swainston. After a difficult break up from the man she hoped to marry, Warner (Zander Flick) Elle decides she must become more serious if she wants to win him back. She knuckles down and gets herself accepted to Harvard Law school to join Warner in Professor Callahan’s class. Elle soon learns it’s not going to be easy and she will need to at least open a law book if she wants to remain in the class. With the help of Emmett (Zander Fick) she works her way to the top of the class and earns one of Professor Callahan’s prestigious internships, resulting in working on the case of fellow Delta Nu alum Brooke ‘Pippa Elmes’ who has accused of murdering her husband. Elle soon learns that helping clients while keeping her integrity in tact is what she wants to do and she doesn’t need a man by her side. 

This production is a fun feel good musical which will soon have you laughing and singing along. Fans of the film won’t be disappointed as the musical version sticks closely to the original story.  York Light have produced a fantastic musical to a very high standard, some of the cast namely Neil Wood as Professor Callahan and Zander Fick as Emmett wouldn’t be out of place on a west end stage. The music is fun and catchy with great songs including ‘Omigod You Guys‘ and ‘Legally Blonde‘ and the humorous ‘Gay or European‘. If you get a change to see this fabulous show be sure to take it and you won’t regret it

Octagon Theatre, Bolton – until Saturday 8th March 2025

Review by Rebecca Hampson

5*****

Directed by Lotte Wakeham and reset in Lancashire by Mina Anwar, this glorious reprisal of Shirley Valentine with Mina Anwar in the title roll of Shirley once more is an absolute must see.

Following the story of housewife Shirley, stuck in a rut and living solely to please others, when the opportunity to escape it all for two weeks in Greece arises it takes every ounce of courage and strength she has to take the leap. 

From the moment this play began I could not stop laughing. Anwar’s resetting of the play in Lancashire was authentic and resonated well with its northern audience. Her whitty one liners and dialogue ‘to the wall’ left every member of the audience around me in hysterics as we grew to love Shirley right from the very beginning.

As a one woman show, set and props played a key role in keeping the pace of the play and allowing us to get to know Shirley by the way she moved and interacted with the world around her. Sitting down at the table she spoke to the audience (the wall) peeling potatoes and telling us about her husband Joe. It became clear soon after that she was preparing his dinner, chopping potatoes into chips which were placed into a chip pan which began to fill the entire theatre with the aroma of freshly cooked chips. To me this choice was genius. Smelling the chips I was completely and entirely enthralled forgetting the audience around me and zoning solely onto Shirley.

During the interval the set was switched from Shirley’s home to Greece as she traveled for her adventure. As the backdrop was pulled across the stage a sound effect of a plane flying over was timed perfectly with the flow of the curtain. This was another extremely impressive choice which I felt elevated the level of this performance. The attention to detail was phenomenal.

This performance highlighted the sheer talent of Anwar with her ability to hold the attention of every audience member in a 2 hour solo show. She truly deserved the standing ovation she recieved at curtain close.

Shirley Valentine is on tour with dates at Bolton Octagon until Saturday 8th March and further dates at The Dukes, Lancaster: Wednesday, March 12, 2025 to Saturday, March 22, 2025 and closing in Blackpool Grand Theatre, Blackpool: Tuesday, April 1, 2025 to Saturday, April 5, 2025. 

Riverside Studios, London – until 9 March 2025

Reviewed by Phil Brown

5*****

It has to be said that Ordinary Madness is mostly a repackaging of the content originally presented as Life With a Little “L” at the Riverside Studios in the summer of 2024 (also reviewed by Fairy Powered Productions).  I was rather hoping, possibly naively, that it would be a further exploration of Charles Bukowski’s writings with entirely new content.  There is certainly some new content  – Ordinary Madness runs to 110 minutes without interval – 20 minutes longer than Life With a Little “L”.  (The change of title is an improvement although I can’t help thinking that Bukowski would have preferred something with “crazy” in it).

The new content consists of a well chosen selection of Bukowski poems – brim full of sharp wit and dark humour.  There are three to introduce the show (Hello, How Are You, Bluebird and The Crunch) and several others (A Challenge to the Dark, Style, Confession,  and Trapped) used as bridges between the longer scenes – essentially playlets – based on Bukowski’s prose.  The show concludes with the final poem, Curtain.

It is pleasing that Bukowski’s work is still getting recognition (he died aged 73 in 1994), but he remains as far from the UK mainstream as his native Los Angeles is from Hammersmith.  He deserves far wider appreciation, on a par with Hemingway, say, who was an influence and had similar tough guy, hard living characteristics.  Occasionally mistaken as being part of the beat poet scene, as he sometimes appeared in the same journals, I suspect his uncompromising exploration of life’s grittier side, portraying the chaos and beauty of ordinary human existence is too brutal and direct for widespread acceptance.  He himself said “I don’t like the clean-shaven boy with the necktie and the good job. I like desperate men, men with broken teeth and broken minds and broken ways. They interest me. They are full of surprises and explosions”.

Bukowski was born in Germany, but grew up in LA pursuing a career as an author and poet, with some impact on underground and mainstream American culture, particularly popular music.  Time magazine named him “laureate of American lowlife” and it’s easy to imagine that living in Tinseltown would have exposed him to a wide spectrum of the desperate to fuel his writing.

Ordinary Madness is described in the programme as “about the beauty in the dirt, the extraordinary in the mundane, the hard shell with the soft centre, about that bluebird in our soul that wants to get out”.  It’s set in, and with music from, the 1950s to the 1970s.  It is certainly an intriguing sequence of snapshots of man-woman transactions of varying degrees of desperation that occasionally veer off into the surreal. But according to Bukowski, “In my work, as a writer, I only photograph, in words, what I see”.  One common feature throughout is a palpable sense of menace – jeopardy and risk are ever-present.  This is a compelling and relateable, but not always comfortable watch.  It’s not all craziness though, there are moments of pure comedy.

The ambitious adaptation to the stage (Art Theatre) shows flair and serious expertise, with each story mixing explanatory narration and dialogue cleverly. The new content gives further insight into the Bukowski mind and definitely enhances the overall experience (director – Anya Viller).  The choice of soundtrack and music in the stories is nostalgic and effective, but can on occasion drown out some of the spoken word.  The simple set and imaginative use of props (Alexandra Dashevskaya), well chosen costumery (Joseph Nigoghossian), and atmospheric lighting (Benjamin Vetluzhskikh) are all well judged and support each of the performances well.  The focus is always firmly on the two or three actors on stage. 

Perhaps more than most, this impressive production rests on individual performing ability, and the 5 exceptionally versatile players are superlative and mesh beautifully on stage  The cast of three women (Amy Leeson, Francesca Wilson Waterworth and Victoria Valcheva) and two men (James Viller, Andrew Buzzeo) bring these stories to life with considerable skill, energy and nuance.  I particularly enjoyed the thoroughly convincing American accents – this show would not work as well using any other diction.

The six stories at the heart of Ordinary Madness are: 

• ‘Loneliness’ – a woman mulls over and then responds to a “Woman Wanted” ad she sees in a car window, leading to a spooky encounter 
• ‘A Man’ – a woman escapes an abusive husband and visits a down and out acquaintance in a trailer park and he gradually succumbs to his lust for her legs
• ‘Hard without music’ – a man advertises his music collection and eventually sells it to two nuns for $35
• ‘Love for $17.50’ – a man becomes obsessed with a mannequin in a shop window and eventually buys her for company (and more?)
• ‘A .45 to pay the rent’ – a man and his daughter have a surreal relationship during the normal day.  He then prepares to “work the night shift” of crime.  
• ‘Post Office’ – Bukowski’s first, autobiographical novel covering work for the US Post.  As Hank Chinaski, it focuses on his relationship with his first wife Joyce 

These brief descriptions give only a flavour of what to expect and clearly can’t do justice to the richness of the material, the searing, unfiltered prose and the subtle qualities of the outstanding performances which make the ordinary, extraordinary.

This brilliantly realised show highlights the vast possibilities of adapting prose for the stage with imagination and skill.  It deserves praise for originality and reviving an overlooked author.   I sincerely hope there is more to come.   A thoroughly absorbing and irresistible show.  I can’t recommend it highly enough.

FURTHER WEST END AND BROADWAY STARS JOIN THE CAST OF

 THE GREAT GATSBY

JOINING THE PARTY AT LONDON COLISEUM FROM 11 APRIL ALONGSIDE PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED
JAMIE MUSCATO AND FRANCES MAYLI McCANN ARE:

CORBIN BLEU (High School Musical)

     AMBER DAVIES (Pretty Woman)

JOEL MONTAGUE (Hamilton)

JOHN OWEN-JONES (Les Misérables)

  JON ROBYNS (Phantom of the Opera)

RACHEL TUCKER (Wicked)

londongatsby.com

Thursday 13 February 2025, London: Producer Chunsoo Shin is thrilled to announce full casting for his smash hit new musical adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s landmark novel. The Great Gatsby makes its West End debut at The London Coliseum this spring. Preview performances will begin on Friday 11 April. The show will run until Sunday 7 September 2025. Tickets are on sale via londongatsby.com.

Joining the previously announced Jamie Muscato (Moulin Rouge! The Musical) as Jay Gatsby and Frances Mayli McCann as Daisy Buchanan, are Corbin Bleu (High School Musical) as Nick Carraway, Amber Davies (Pretty Woman) as Jordan Baker, Joel Montague (Hamilton) as George Wilson, John Owen-Jones (Les Misérables) as Meyer Wolfsheim, Jon Robyns (Phantom of the Opera) as Tom Buchanan and Rachel Tucker (Wicked) as Myrtle Wilson.

Completing the cast are George Crawford (Waitress), Jordan Crouch (Anything Goes), Kiara Dario (Miss Saigon), Frances Dee (Matilda), Aimée Fisher (Waitress), Tom Andrew Hargreaves (Pretty Woman), Alyn Hawke (Come From Away), Ediz Mahmut (Hadestown), Jamel Matthias (Why Am I So Single?), Nevé McGuiness-Dyce (Starlight Express), Rose Ouellette (The Wizard of Oz), Sophie Pourret (Guys and Dolls), William Richardson (Les Misérables) and Lily Wang (Burlesque) as ensemble. As well as swings Liv Alexander (Cabaret), Taylor Alman (Greatest Days), Lauren Hampton (Mamma Mia!), Jared Irving (Aladdin), Samuel John-Humphreys (Sister Act) and Millie Mayhew (Wicked).

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s timeless, seminal novel comes to the West End stage in a dazzling new musical. The Great Gatsby opened at The Broadway Theatre in April 2024 direct from a record-breaking, sold-out world premiere at Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey in late 2023. 

Chunsoo Shin, the lead producer of The Great Gatsby musical, said:
“We are absolutely delighted to announce the full cast for The Great Gatsby in London. Each and every one of these performers bring extraordinary talent, energy, and passion to this production, capturing the glamour, drama, and excitement of the Roaring Twenties. We cannot wait for West End audiences to experience the magic, music, and spectacle of this iconic story like never before.”

One of the most popular novels of all time, The Great Gatsby has sold over 30 million copies worldwide since its release in 1925 and continues to sell over 500,000 per year. The novel has been translated into over 42 different languages, and has been adapted for TV, radio plays, video games, and multiple films – including the acclaimed Baz Luhrmann feature film starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

Get ready to roar because the Tony Award®-winning new musical The Great Gatsby is coming to London and will be the party of the century. Fresh from its current smash-hit success on Broadway, this “shimmering, sparkling spectacle” (Variety) “explodes with life and energy” (Entertainment Weekly).

Meet mysterious millionaire, Jay Gatsby. He entertains the rich and famous with riotous parties at his Long Island mansion yet never joins in. Gatsby longs instead to reunite with his former flame Daisy Buchanan, but Daisy comes from another lifetime, long before the money…

The show features book by Jonathan Larson Grant winner Kait Kerrigan (The Mad Ones), music and lyrics by Tony Award® nominees Jason Howland (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Little Women) and Nathan Tysen (Paradise Square) and is directed by award-winning Marc Bruni (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical) with choreography by Dominique Kelley (So You Think You Can Dance), Tony Award®-winning costume design by Linda Cho (Anastasia, A Gentleman’s Guide…) and Outer Critics Circle Award winning scenic and projection design by Paul Tate de Poo III (Spamalot, Tommy at The Kennedy Center).

The creative team is completed by lighting designer Cory Pattak (Spamalot), sound designer Tony Award® winner Brian Ronan (Beautiful, The Book of Mormon), hair and wig designers Drama Desk Award winner Charles G. LaPointe (The Cher Show, Spongebob Squarepants) & Rachael Geier. Arrangements are by Jason Howland, Orchestrations are by Jason Howland and Kim Scharnberg (Jekyll & Hyde), and the music producer is Grammy Award winner Billy Jay Stein for Strike Audio (Beautiful – cast album)and UK Musical Director is Chris Ma (Why Am I So Single?). Casting is by Jill Green Casting, CDG (The Devil Wears Prada, Aladdin, Warhorse).

The Great Gatsby is produced by Chunsoo Shin, acclaimed Korean musical producer, 5-time winner of Korea’s most prestigious theatrical award and OD Company president. Mark Shacket serves as Executive Producer, with General Management by Short Street Productions Ltd. Worldwide management of The Great Gatsby is by Foresight Theatrical.

Hull Truck Theatre – until 1st March 2024

Reviewed by Dawn Bennett

5*****

Mary and the Hyenas was presented by Hull Truck Theatre and Pilot Theatre. Written by Maureen Lennon with music by Billy Nomates (aka Tor Maries) and lyrics by Maureen Lennon and Billy Nomates (aka Tor Maries).

With a byline of “Six microphones and one electrifying musical score” they weren’t wrong the music just added to this fabulous story.

Mary Wollstonecraft (Laura Elsworthy) was raised in Beverley near Hull. We join her story just as she has given birth to her second daughter, Mary, (Ainy Medina) who becomes the renowned author Mary Shelley in later life, complications arise and she only has 10 days with her daughter before she dies at the age of 38. We see the story of how Mary Wollstonecraft became the acclaimed author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, how she was involved in the French Revolution, set up her own school, and how her life unfolded in the 18th century.

The cast of this production were excellent, Laura Elsworthy was a magnificent lead as Mary Wollstonecraft, she held the story together seamlessly. Laura was the only actor not to play numerous parts. Kate Hampson, Ainy Medina, Elexi Walker, Beth Cram and Kat Johns-Burke switched effortlessly between the different characters they played from wearing different costumes, a jacket here a hat there, and changing how they stood and spoke was very clever. Also, their costumes, which were brilliantly designed, and the simple but effective set (both designed by Sara Perks) added to the effectiveness of the production.

You would think that musical drama about this subject would be dark and dreary but that couldn’t be further from the truth. It was informative, funny and very entertaining and the music was up to date and fitted well with the story.

Mary Wollstonecraft only became well known after her untimely death her views of the treatment of women and women’s rights, or lack of, were views that were not agreed with in the 18th century by men and also some other women. I think that at lot of young people could benefit from watching this production as it would give them an awareness and an insight into some of the problems women encountered in history. By doing this in such an interesting and entertaining way, I feel, that it would keep their attention right to the end.

Mary and the Hyenas is at Hull Truck Theatre until 1st March. If you don’t catch it in Hull, which I really recommend you try to, you’ll be able to see it in London at Wilton’s Music Hall from 18th until 29th March when it transfers there.

A five-star production from a five-star cast.

Aylesbury Waterside – until the Saturday 15th Feb 2025 with a captioned performance Saturday at 14.00

Reviewed by Rachel Clark

5*****

Very powerful and emotional

This is play of the book written by Sebastain Faulks’s and the stage version by Rachel Wagstaff, directed by Alastair Whatley. The novel was first published in 1993 and is about a Soldier Stephen Wrayford in the First world War and his emotions through the war and his love for Isabelle Azaire – a married woman along the way.

The play is over 3 hours long – though it doesn’t feel like it and is across three parts. The stage is very simple and you wonder how they are going to do all the set changes but it works and the the set changes blend from one scene and the next scene, it is a fairly sparse set but when watching it it doesn’t feel that way and you are totally immersed with the play. You hear the ticking of a clock, birdsong and the noises export you to the set you feel part of, be prepared for gun shot later on the play!

The first scene starts with the modern day and great grandson in a bar looking for the link with the pictures drawn of places and people, as the family had found an old note book, it them moves to the 1900’s.

The play then opens with the years before the war when Stephen Wraysford – played brilliantly by James Esler, travels from England goes to work at the Azaire’s home in France. Rene Azaire is a textile factory owner, and the company is in financial trouble. Stephen is writing up a report and then goes to live with the family which includes Isabelle Azaire – played by Charlie Russell (superbly) and the stepdaughter of Isabelle Lisselle – played by Gracie Follows. Stephen then falls for Isabelle and they end up with raunchy scenes – showing some nudity and sexual scenes. The daughter who has eyes for Stephen finds out.

Stephen and Isabelle leave and live together, but for reasons unknown to Stephen Isabelle leaves, he then goes to war and doesn’t see her again, only in his imagination and memories.

The second part starts in the war, where you get to know the characters the miners and the soldiers. One of the miners is Jack Firebrace – played by Max Bowden (know for his part as Ben Mitchell in Eastenders), Tipper a young lad from the infantry -played my Raif Clake, you follow their own stories of the war and family life as they read their letters from home, it is emotional . The scenes are set in the trenches , even though intense there are some humorous parts which I think you need to take away some of the darkness of the play. The play continues with injuries and loss of comrades.

The war takes Stephen back to the town of the Azaire’s and he meets Isabelle’s sister in a bar and she arranges Stephen to meet with Isabelle , but she has changed.

There is a scene when Brennan – played by James Findlay sings a powerful chant, his voice so clear and it mesmerises you, and gets to you emotionally, it is quite haunting and as with most of the play the theatre was silent.

Near the end of the thirds part you are transported back to the modern day, with talk of the drawings, and then as he flicks through the note books the characters come on stage.

ALL of the cast where outstanding,

A very powerful play that I am so glad I have seen it and would definitely recommend it, it is recommended for 15+.

FURTHER TOUR DATES ANNOUNCED FOR

MATTHEW BOURNE’S

DOUBLE OLIVIER AWARD-WINNING

SMASH HIT PRODUCTION OF

Based on the film by MICHAEL POWELL and EMERIC PRESSBURGER

and the HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN fairytale

Music by BERNARD HERRMANN

OPENING AT PLYMOUTH THEATRE ROYAL

ON 17 NOVEMBER 2025

THEN PLAYING AT THE LOWRY, SALFORD

AHEAD OF NEW ADVENTURES’ 23^RD

ANNUAL CHRISTMAS SEASON

AT SADLER’S WELLS, LONDON

AND A 2026 UK TOUR

New Adventures is delighted to announce further tour dates for Matthew Bourne’s double Olivier award-winning, smash hit production of THE RED SHOES which returnsfor a 2025/26 tour for the first time since its 2020 tour was cut short due to the pandemic.

The Red Shoes will open at Theatre Royal Plymouth from 17 November until 22 November before visiting The Lowry, Salford from 25 November until 29 November, ahead of the previously announced 7-week annual Christmas season at Sadler’s Wells from 2 December 2025 to 18 January 2026, marking New Adventures’ 23^rd consecutive Christmas season at the venue. In 2026, The Red Shoes will tour to Nottingham and Southampton, with further tour venues to be announced. Listings information below.

A sell-out before its world premiere season opened in 2016, Matthew Bourne’s triumphant adaptation of the legendary film went on to win Best Entertainment at the 2017 Olivier Awards, with Matthew Bourne winning the award for Best Theatre Choreographer. The show then returned for a national tour in 2019.

A timeless fairytale and Academy Award-winning movie, The Red Shoes has captivated audiences and inspired generations of dancers with its powerful tale of obsession, possession and one girl’s dream to be the greatest dancer in the world. Victoria Page lives to dance but her ambitions become a fierce struggle between the two men who inspire her passion.

Matthew Bourne’s magical double Olivier Award-winning production of the legendary Powell and Pressburger film is set to a score orchestrated by Terry Davies, featuring the mesmerizing music of golden-age Hollywood composer Bernard Herrmann, with sumptuous designs by Lez Brotherston (set and costumes), Paule Constable (lighting) and Paul Groothuis (sound).

An intoxicating drama where life imitates art with fateful consequences, The Red Shoes will dazzle your senses and break your heart.

THE RED SHOES is supported using public funds by Arts Council England.

For more information please visit: www.new-adventures.net

Facebook /MBNewAdventures  Instagram @MBNewAdventures   TikTok @MBNewAdventures

LISTINGS

www.new-adventures.net

MONDAY 17 – SATURDAY 22 NOVEMBER 2025

Theatre Royal Plymouth

www.theatreroyal.com

ON SALE MONDAY 3 MARCH 2025

TUESDAY 25 – SATURDAY 29 NOVEMBER 2025

THE LOWRY, SALFORD

www.thelowry.com

on sale FRIDAY 14 FEBRUARY 2025

TUESDAY 2 DECEMBER 2025 – SUNDAY 18 JANUARY 2026

SADLER’S WELLS, LONDON

www.sadlerswells.com

ON SALE NOW

TUESDAY 3 – SATURDAY 7 FEBRUARY 2026

THEATRE ROYAL, NOTTINGHAM

www.trch.co.uk

ON SALE FRIDAY 21 FEBRUARY 2025

TUESDAY 10 – SATURDAY 14 MARCH 2026

MAYFLOWER THEATRE, SOUTHAMPTON

www.mayflower.org.uk/

ON SALE THURSDAY 20 FEBRUARY 2025

FURTHER TOUR DATES TO BE ANNOUNCED

Sonia Friedman Productions announces today that general booking is now open for the upcoming major revival of George Bernard Shaw’s Mrs. Warren’s Profession starring Imelda Staunton and Bessie Carter, directed by Dominic Cooke.

Mrs. Warren’s Profession will open at the Garrick Theatre on 22 May, with previews from 10 May, and run until 16 August.

Sonia Friedman Productions presents

IMELDA STAUNTON

in

MRS. WARREN’S PROFESSION

by George Bernard Shaw

directed by Dominic Cooke

Designer: Chloe Lamford; Lighting Designer: Jon Clark; Sound Designer: Christopher Shutt; Casting: Amy Ball CDG

Cast includes Imelda Staunton and Bessie Carter

“I am my mother’s daughter. I am like you. But my work is not your work, and my way is not your way.”

Vivie Warren is a woman ahead of her time. Estranged from her wealthy mother, she delights in a glass of whisky, a good detective story, and is determined to carve herself a sparkling legal career in an age ruled by men.

Her mother, however, is a product of that old patriarchal order. Exploiting it has earned Mrs. Warren a fortune and paid for her daughter’s expensive education – but at what cost?

Four-time Olivier Award winner Imelda Staunton (The Crown, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?) joins forces with her real-life daughter Bessie Carter (Bridgerton, Dear Octopus) for the very first time, reuniting with the extraordinary director Dominic Cooke (Hello, Dolly!, Good) to bring George Bernard Shaw’s incendiary moral classic crashing into the 21st Century.

George Bernard Shaw (1856 – 1950) was an Irish playwright. His major works include Arms and the Man, Candida, The Philanderer, The Devil’s Disciple, Man and Superman, Major Barbara, The Doctor’s Dilemma, Misalliance, Pygmalion, Heartbreak House, and Saint Joan. He won multiple awards, including the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1925.

Multi-award-winning Imelda Staunton plays Mrs. Kitty Warren. Her theatre work includes Hello, Dolly! (London Palladium), Talking Heads (Bridge Theatre), Follies, Life x3, The Beggar’s Opera, Guys and Dolls, A Chorus of Disapproval – Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Play (National Theatre), Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Harold Pinter Theatre)  Circle Mirror Transformation (Royal Court Theatre), Gypsy (Chichester Festival Theatre and Savoy Theatre – Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical), Sweeney Todd (Chichester Festival Theatre and Adelphi Theatre – Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical), A Delicate Balance (Almeida Theatre), Entertaining Mr Sloane (Trafalgar Studios), Fairmaid of the West, They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?, The Wizard of Oz (RSC), The Corn is Green (The Old Vic), Uncle Vanya (Vaudeville Theatre), Into the Woods (Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical). For television her work includes Brassic, The Crown as Elizabeth II, Talking Heads, Trying, Flesh and Blood, A Confession, That Day We Sang, The Girl, Psychoville, Cranford Chronicles, Up The Garden Path, My Family and Other Animals, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Fingersmith, Strange, Family Business, Cambridge Spies, Easy Money and The Singing Detective. Film includes Paddington in Peru, Downton Abbey 1 and 2, Amulet, Finding Your Feet, Pride (British Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Actress)  Maleficent 1 and 2, The Awakening, Another Year, Paddington 1 and 2, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, Taking Woodstock, A Bunch of Amateurs, Freedom Writers, Vera Drake (BAFTA, British Independent Film Awards, Evening Standard Film Awards, London Critics’ Circle Award. Los Angeles Film Critics’ Association Award, New York Film Critics’ Circle Award for Best Actress; and SAG, Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations), Nanny McPhee, Bright Young Things, Shakespeare in Love, Much Ado About Nothing, Sense and Sensibility and Peter’s Friends.

Bessie Carter plays Vivie Warren. Her theatre work includes Dear Octopus (National Theatre), All My Sons, King Lear (The Old Vic), and Baskerville (Liverpool Playhouse). For television, her work includes Outrageous, A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story, Bridgerton (series regular Prudence Featherington), I Hate Suzie, Beecham House, Doc Martin, Howard’s End, Cranford and Trevor Island; and for film, Les Misérables. Carter was winner of the Spotlight Prize in 2016.

Dominic Cooke is a highly accomplished theatre, film, and television director. He was Artistic Director of the Royal Court Theatre from 2007 to 2013. During his tenure at the Royal Court he directed Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris (West End, Produced by Sonia Friedman Productions) for which he was nominated as Best Director for the Evening Standard Awards. He has directed Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Here We Go and The Comedy Of Errors for the National Theatre, and The Crucible for the RSC for which he won the Olivier Award for Best Director. His critically acclaimed production of Follies was nominated for 10 Olivier awards, including Best Director – and most recently directed Hello Dolly! at the London Palladium. Also a writer, he wrote the stage adaptation of Malorie Blackman’s Noughts and Crosses, which he directed and produced at the RSC; and an adaptation of Arabian Nights for Young Vic. Cooke has successfully transitioned to television and film, beginning with his adaptation of Shakespeare’s Henry VI Parts 1 and 2 for BBC TV’s The Hollow Crown: The Wars of The Roses. His first feature film, On Chesil Beach, starred Saoirse Ronan and Billy Howle – the film is based on the novel of the same name by Booker Prize winning novelist Ian McEwan, and premiered at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival, where it was chosen by Variety as one of the ten best films of the festival. His latest feature The Courier with Benedict Cumberbatch and Rachel Brosnahan premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was released in 2021. 

Instagram, Facebook and X: @mrswarrenplay

mrswarrensprofession.com

MRS. WARREN’S PROFESSION                                                                                                                 LISTINGS

Garrick Theatre
2 Charing Cross Rd, London WC2H 0HH

Box Office: 0330 333 4811
https://nimaxtheatres.com/

Tickets from £25

10 May – 16 August

Monday to Saturday at 7.30pm

Wednesday (from 21 May) and Saturday (from 24 May) matinees at 2.30pm

THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME

THE MUSICAL

TO MAKE UK PREMIERE IN

TWO CONCERT PERFORMANCES AT

PRINCE EDWARD THEATRE ON

SUNDAY 17 AUGUST 2025

Award-winning producer Jack Maple is delighted to announce that the musical stage adaptation of the beloved Disney classic The Hunchback of Notre Dame will have its UK professional premiere with two concert performances at the Prince Edward Theatre, a Delfont Mackintosh Theatre, on Sunday 17 August 2025. Tickets on-sale from 10am on Friday 14 February.

Casting to be announced.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame has music and lyrics from the 1996 animated film by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz and additional songs written for the musical by the two Oscar winners, and a book by Peter Parnell. The concert will be directed by Jonathan O’Boyle with musical direction by Olivier Award-winner Alan Williams. 

This extraordinary production brings to life Victor Hugo’s timeless tale of love, power, and redemption, set against the majestic backdrop of Notre Dame Cathedral. With a story that still resonates today, this unique concert performance will captivate both longtime fans and newcomers alike. Prepare for an evening of soaring melodies, passionate performances, and the beauty of a timeless tale brought to life like never before!

Featuring a breathtaking symphonic score by legendary composer Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid) and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Pocahontas). Prepare to be swept away by iconic songs like ‘Out There’, ‘God Help the Outcasts’, and ‘The Bells of Notre Dame’, all performed by a full orchestra, choir, and an all-star West End cast.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame first opened in Berlin in 1999, with a book by James Lapine, under the German name Der Glöckner von Notre Dame where it ran for over 1200 performances and was seen by 1.4-million people. In 2014, a new version premiered in San Diego with a new book by Peter Parnell and additional songs from Menken and Schwartz. This version has gone on to be produced by multiple US regional theatres and has had productions in Japan, Germany and Australia.

LISTINGS INFORMATION

THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME IN CONCERT

Sunday 17 August 2025

Prince Edward Theatre

Old Compton St

London

W1D 4HS

Performances: 3pm & 7:30pm

Tickets: from £30

Box Office: 0344 482 5151

Website: www.delfontmackintosh.co.uk

Instagram – @hunchbackconcertldn

The UK & IRELAND Tour of

Agatha Christie’s

DEATH ON THE NILE adapted by Ken Ludwig

WILL OPEN ON 26 September at the Lowry in Salford

Following sell-out tours of And Then There Were None and Murder on the Orient Express, Death on the Nile reunites celebrated director Lucy Bailey (Witness for the Prosecution), writer Ken Ludwig and producers Fiery Angel for the European premiere of a new adaptation of the globally celebrated Agatha Christie story on a nationwide tour.  The UK & Ireland Tour will open on 26 September at the Lowry in Salford and will continue through to 2026, with full dates to be announced.

On board a luxurious cruise under the heat of the Egyptian sun, a couple’s idyllic honeymoon is cut short by a brutal murder.  As secrets that have been buried in the sands of time finally resurface, can the world-famous detective, Hercule Poirot, untangle the web of lies and solve another crime?

James Prichard of Agatha Christie Limited said, “With a hugely successful tour of Murder on the Orient Express still delighting UK audiences, we are thrilled to be partnering once again with Lucy Bailey, Ken Ludwig and the team at Fiery Angel to bring another of my great grandmother’s most celebrated stories to UK stages.”

This is Lucy’s fifth Agatha Christie play since staging Witness for the Prosecution, still performing at London’s County Hall, and her second Poirot. “I’m delighted to be following Murder on The Orient Express with another of Poirot’s most famous cases, Death on the Nile. It takes place in the midsummer heat of Egypt and is one of Agatha Christie’s most passion-driven thrillers. A group of holiday makers attracted by the ancient beauty of the Nile find themselves in a living nightmare of jealousy and revenge. Trapped on board a pleasure steamer and adrift on the Nile, it’s a voyage into the heart of darkness”.

Casting is to be announced.

DEATH ON THE NILE will be directed by Lucy Bailey. The UK & Ireland Tour is presented by Fiery Angel.

Website: deathonthenileplay.com

Facebook & Instagram: @deathonthenileplay

TOUR SCHEDULE

2025

26 September – 4 October          The Lowry, Salford                                                                                    0161 876 2000

                                                         www.thelowry.com                                                                                  on sale 14 February

7 – 11 October                                  Richmond Theatre, London

                                                         www.atgtickets.com/Richmond                                                           on sale 14 February

14 – 18 October                               Milton KeynesTheatre                                                                                                                                      

                                                         www.atgtickets.com/venues/milton-keynes-theatre                       on sale 14 February

21 – 25 October                               Theatre Royal Bath                                                                                  01225 448844

                                                         theatreroyal.org.uk                                                                                 on sale 1 March

4 – 8 November                               Royal & Derngate Northampton                                                           01604 624811

                                                         www.royalandderngate.co.uk                                                              on sale 14 February

11 – 15 November                           Truro Hall for Cornwall                                                                           01872 262 466                                                         

                                                          www.hallforcornwall.co.uk                                                                   on sale 21 February

18 – 22 November                           Princess Theatre, Torquay

                                                         www.atgtickets.com/torquay                                                               on sale 14 February

25 – 29 November                           New Theatre, Cardiff                                                                             0343 310 0041

                                                         www.trafalgartickets.com/new-theatre-cardiff                                on sale 14 February

2026

13 – 17 January                               The Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford                                              01483 44 00 00

                                                        www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk                                                                   on sale 21 February

20 – 24 January                              CanterburyMarlowe Theatre                                                               01227 787787                                                           

                                                       www.marlowetheatre.com                                                                   on sale soon

Further dates to be added.