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FULL CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR

THE FIRST MAJOR REVIVAL IN 20 YEARS OF

NEIL LABUTE’S THE SHAPE OF THINGS

Trish Wadley Productions, in association with Park Theatre, today announce full casting for the first major revival in 20 years of Neil LaBute’s acclaimed play The Shape of Things in Park200. Joining the previously announced Amber Anderson (Eve) and Luke Newton (Adam), are Carla Harrison-Hodge (Jenny) and Majid Mehdizadeh-Valoujerdy (Phillip). Directed by Nicky Allpress, the production opens on 30 May, with previews from 24 May, and runs until 1 July.

Trish Wadley Productions

in association with Park Theatre present

THE SHAPE OF THINGS
By Neil LaBute

Director: Nicky Allpress; Set and Costume Designer: Peter Butler; Lighting Designer: Anna Reddyhoff

Sound Design: Asaf Zahor; Costume Supervisor: Alexandra Kharibian; Casting Director: Amy Jane Blair

24 May – 1 July

From the producers of Clybourne Park, this will be the first major revival of The Shape of Things since 2004 – a dark comedy about the drama of human relationships and the nature of love and art.

How far would you go for love? For art? What would you be willing to change? What price might you pay?

Adam, a geeky young student, works part-time in an art museum and video store to pay his way through college. When he meets post-grad art student Evelyn, his life changes as she instils in him a new-found confidence. As she encourages him to change his appearance, soon Adam is attracting attention he has never had before. But how much will he change his perception of himself from what he used to be to what he believes he wants to be?

The Shape of Things premièred at the Temporary Almeida Theatre at Kings Cross in 2001, directed by Neil LaBute, with Paul Rudd as Adam, Rachel Weisz as Evelyn, Gretchen Mol as Jenny, and Fred Weller as Phillip. The London production opened Off-Broadway later that year, winning the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play. LaBute wrote and directed a 2003 comedy drama film based on his play, featuring the original cast. The play has been revived in Dublin, London and New York.

Amber Anderson makes her professional stage debut playing Eve. Her television work includes Peaky Blinders, Strike – The Cuckoo’s Calling, Maigret’s Dead Man and Black Mirror. Her film work includes The Souvenir II, Emma, White Lie, All the World’s a Stage, Skin Walker, In Darkness, The Riot Club, Lotus Eaters and Your Highness. 

Carla Harrison-Hodge plays Jenny. Her theatre work includes Cyrano de Bergerac (Jamie Lloyd company/ Harold Pinter Theatre/BAM New York) and Amadeus (National Theatre).For television, her work includes Year of the Rabbit, Fresh Meat, and Cuffs.

Luke Newton plays Adam. His theatre work includes The Book of Mormon (Prince of Wales Theatre). For television, his work includes Bridgerton (as series regular Colin Bridgerton), The Lodge, Mr Selfridge, Sadie J, and The Cut; and for film, Lake Placid: Legacy.

Majid Mehdizadeh-Valoujerdy plays Phillip. His theatre work includes Y’Mam: Young Man’s Angry Movements (also wrote – Soho Theatre, Liverpool Everyman and UK tour), Something That Means Something (Theatre503), Peter Pan (Theatre By the Lake), Twelfth Night (Liverpool Everyman), War Horse (New London Theatre), and Galka Motlalka (Royal Exchange Theatre). For television, his work includes The Girlfriend Experience, and Hollyoaks (as series regular Jesse Donovan); and for film, Chosen, Act/Or, and The Turning Enigma.

Neil LaBute is a writer and director. For theatre credits include:Bash: Latter-Day Plays (Douglas Fairbanks Theatre, Almeida Theatre); The Shape of Things (Almeida Theatre, Promenade Theatre); The Distance from Here (MCC Theatre, Almeida Theatre); The Mercy Seat (MCC Theatre, Almeida Theatre); Filthy Talk for Troubled Times (MCC Theatre); Fat Pig (MCC Theatre, Trafalgar Studios); Autobahn (MCC Theatre); Some Girl(s) (Gielgud Theatre, MCC Theatre); This is How it Goes (Donmar Warehouse, The Public Theatre); Land of the Dead/Helter Skelter (Ensemble Studio Theatre, Bush Theatre); Wrecks (Everyman Palace Theatre,  The Public Theatre, The Bush Theatre); In a Dark Dark House (MCC Theatre, Almeida Theatre);  Reasons to be Pretty (MCC Theatre, Almeida Theatre); In a Forest, Dark and Deep (Vaudeville Theatre, Profiles Theatre); Woyzeck – adaptation (Schauspielhaus Zurich); Taming of the Shrew – additional scenes (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre); Short Ends  (Open Fist Theatre); Lovely Head (Spoleto Festival-Italy, Fringe Festival-Madrid, La Mama); Pick One (Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Young Vic); I’m Going To Stop Pretending That I Didn’t Break Your Heart (Venice Biennale); 16 Pounds (Trafalgar Studios); We Have A Situation (Konstanz Theatre – Germany); and The Answer To Everything (Staatstheater Augsburg – Germany). For film credits include:In the Company of Men; Your Friends & Neighbors; Nurse Betty; Possession; The Shape of Things; The Wicker Man; Lakeview Terrace; Death at a Funeral; Some Girl(s); Some Velvet Morning; Dirty Weekend; Out Of The Blue; House Of Darkness and the upcoming Fear The Night. For television credits include:Bash: Latter-Day Plays; Full Circle; Ten X Ten; Billy & Billie; Van Helsing; he I-Land, and the upcoming Thou Shalt Not. Fiction includes:Seconds of Pleasure (Faber & Faber).

Nicky Allpress is a director.Credits include Walworth Farce, Romeo & Juliet (Southwark Playhouse), Crackers (Polka Theatre), Restless (Terrifying Women), Circle Mirror Transformation, Pomona (Mountview), Rabbit (Drama Centre London), PROUD (New Wimbledon Theatre), Market Boy (Union Theatre), Mercy by Mandi Riggi, My Fair Lady (Reading Hexagon, Blackadder (South Hill Park), Tragedy in the Park (Site Specific Work). AsStaff Director at the National Theatre: My Brilliant Friend and as Assistant Director: Leading Lady Parts (Summerland). She is a member of the Young Vic Creator’s Program.

Peter Butler is a set and costume designer. His current practice spans set design, costume design and performance collaboration. Credits include: Shut Up, I’m Dreaming (National Theatre & The PappyShow), Anthem & Horizon (Bush Theatre), The Beat of Our Hearts (Exeter Northcott), Patient Light (Eastern Angles), Paper Cut (Theatre 503) The Seagull, Husbands & Sons (Drama Centre). As Associate Designer: Cabaret (Playhouse Theatre). As Assistant Designer: Carousel (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Arrangement (Sadlers Wells) and Scoring a Century (Peacock Theatre). He is one of the 2021 Linbury Prize winners for stage design.

SPY FOR SPY

KIERON BARRY’S INNOVATIVE NEW PLAY PREMIERES AT RIVERSIDE STUDIOS

LED BY AN ALL-FEMALE CREATIVE TEAM

AUDIENCE MEMBERS WILL CREATE THE STRUCTURE OF THE SHOW EACH NIGHT

15 JUNE – 2 JULY 2023
TICKETS ON SALE NOW HERE

Spy for Spy – the world premiere of Kieron Barry’s innovative new play – will open at Riverside Studios this summer, playing the Hammersmith venue’s Studio 3 from Thursday 15 June to Sunday 2 July, with a press night on Tuesday 20 June.

Spy for Spy is a romantic comedy with a difference; a drama performed like a playlist. The inner workings of a modern relationship are recounted in a random order so no two performances of this brand-new play by Kieron Barry will be the same.

Love, Shuffled

Sarah and Molly are two Californians who love each other – and that’s all they have in common. As the uptight lawyer and the free-spirited dreamer strive to make their improbable relationship work, we see them break up, meet the parents, move in together and fall in love – all in a completely random sequence.

Spy for Spy asks if our lives make more sense in the wrong order, and if there is any logic to love as it zigzags from moving drama to laugh-out-loud comedy.

Can we have love without grief? Is honesty nothing more than cruelty? Is intimacy just spying?

Audiences will have the opportunity to affect the show they’re about to watch – they will be given the chance to meet the team before the show, and six will be asked to pick a song title from a bowl. Each song title relates to a scene, and the order in which the song titles are picked will be the order in which the scenes are performed. 

Director Lucy Jane Atkinson said, “I’m delighted to be working on this new play by Kieron Barry. Spy For Spy is not only a beautiful piece of writing but an exciting experiment in form, where the narrative structure of the piece changes nightly. It allows us to explore the same relationship from many different orders, and potentially draw different emotional conclusions as a result. Do we view the relationship differently if we see them break up before they get together? Do we root for their love in the same way if we see them fight before we see them kiss? A memory play, a love story, a comedy, a drama, a tragedy, the possibilities are endless (well, actually there are only 720 different potential orders, but still…). I’m certain it will be just as exciting to watch as it will be to work on.”

The all-female creative team consists of director Lucy Jane Atkinson and designer Bethia Jane Green with lighting design by Holly Ellis and sound design by Anna Short.

Spy for Spy is a co-production between Feather Productions, led by Anna Murphy, and TeamAkers – the TV production company led by Laurence Akers and Suranne Jones, making their first foray into theatre.

Anna Murphy said,“Feather Productions are really excited to be co-presenting this whip-smart, funny, and touching new play. Kieron Barry’s brilliant, connective writing breathes life into a love story perfect for our times: a couple subsumed by a flood of random memories as they recount their disordered relationship, a theatrical USP ensuring that no two performances can ever be alike.”

Laurence Akers and Suranne Jones said, “TeamAkers are delighted to be involved in the production of Kieron’s excellent play.

Spy for Spy beautifully illustrates the complexities of love and relationships and confirms the notion that the memory has no respect for order or continuity in matters of the heart. This is our inaugural step into theatre, and we couldn’t be prouder of the people who’ve come together to make this a reality.”

Writer Kieron Barry said, “I was intrigued by the disparity between how we experience events and how we remember them. In contrast to our society’s endless promoting of the now, I have often found the present moment to be insubstantial compared to the reckless zeal of the past, which seems forever vivid and urgent as it crowds about us. Of course, here and there a huge event comes along and one suddenly feels alive and present again, yet the fate of such a moment is to become just another memory and so it continues. I wanted to write a play which would recreate the zigzagging, chaotic sensations of recollection, and in particular the act of summoning memory to examine the sharpest question of all: were we loved?”

Full casting will be announced shortly.

Denise Gough, Freddie Fox, Robert Bathurst,

Sacha Dhawan, Tracy Ann Oberman
and an all-star cast revealed for the fifth
annual Platform Presents West End Gala

Seven playwrights. 16 actors. 2 directors.
Only one day to rehearse.
What could possibly go wrong?

 “Last year was hilarious. We blew the roof off the Savoy theatre.
This year we’re gonna take the walls out as well!” – Director Oliver Chris

The game of Consequences – drawing an image, turning over the page to hide it and passing it on –
often ends in astonishing and eye-wateringly funny results.

Now inspired by this “what will happen next?” children’s game, and for a one night only fundraising gala evening at the Savoy theatre on Monday 15 May, Oliver Chris (‘Trying’, ‘Motherland’, ‘The Office’, ‘One Man Two Guvnors’) and Katie-Ann McDonough (Associate Director ‘Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons’, Dr ‘Brilliant Jerks’) will direct a play-about-making-a-play where everything that can go wrong does.

Seven writers working in isolation will collaborate on one script. They will be briefed on the entire plot, the characters and what happens in their scene – but will not be able to read the scene before or after theirs!

Cast confirmed so far:  

Bessie Carter (‘Bridgerton’, ‘Howard’s End’, ‘Doc Martin’)
David Mumeni (‘Stath Lets Flats’, ‘The Pentaverate’, ‘Dead Pixels’)
Denise Gough (‘Andor’, ‘Paula’, ‘People, Places and Things’)
Freddie Fox (‘Slow Horses’, ‘Whitehouse Farm’, ‘The Crown’)
Jack Wolfe (‘Shadow & Bone’, ‘The Magic Flute’, ‘Inside No 9’)
Jade Anouka (‘His Dark Materials’, ‘Cleaning Up’, ‘The Drowning’)
Kerry Godliman (‘After Life’, ‘Whitstable Pearl’, ‘Trigger Point’)
Manjinder Virk (‘Midsomer Murders’, ‘Trigger Point’, ‘The Arbor’)
Pippa Bennett-Warner (‘Gangs of London’, ‘See How They Run’, ‘Obsession’)
Sacha Dhawan (‘Doctor Who’, ‘The Great’, ‘After Earth’)
Sam Phillips (‘Bridgerton’, ‘The Crown’, ‘The History Boys’),
Robert Bathurst (‘Cold Feet’, ‘Downton Abbey’, ‘Toast of London’)
Tracy Ann Oberman (‘EastEnders’, ‘Friday Night Dinner’, ‘After Life’).

The writers are:

David Mumeni (writer of ‘I’m Not That Kind of Guy’, Cem in the multi-BAFTA winning Channel 4 comedy series, ‘Stath Lets Flats’)
Frog Stone (‘Bucket’, ‘Avenue 5’, ‘Juliet Naked’)
Helen Kingston (‘Half Bad’, ‘The Flood’)
Isaac Tomiczek (Time Out Runner Up, Platform Presents Playwright’s Prize 2022)
Manjinder Virk (‘Midsomer Murders’, ‘Out of Darkness’, ‘Glow’)
Olivia Nixon (‘The Mother/Daughter Moment’, ‘Guilt Trip’, ‘Reluctant Persuaders’)
Peter Fellows (‘Veep’, ‘Avenue 5’, The Death of Stalin’)

This evening of comedy is the fifth annual fundraiser to raise money for the Ambassador Theatre Group Playwright’s Prize in association with Platform Presents, with five Runners Up prizes supported by Time Out. It promises to be one of the best fun nights out in the West End.

The Playwright’s Prize
The Playwright’s Prize was founded in 2018 by non-profit Platform Presents CIC to nurture and provide more opportunities for playwrights.  In the first year 176 scripts were submitted. Last year, in its fourth year, 1,174 scripts were submitted and Platform Presents partnered with one of the leading live entertainment companies in the world, Ambassador Theatre Group, on the prize re-naming it the Ambassador Theatre Group Playwright’s Prize in association with Platform Presents. Also in 2022 international city media brand Time Out partnered with Platform Presents and Finite Films to announce five new £1,000 cash prizes for runners-up. Ambassador Theatre Group and Time Out are confirmed to partner again this year.

The annual prize and fundraiser is co-produced with Finite Films & TV, founded by Amy Gardner, and judged by a high profile group of industry experts. In 2023 this includes actors Indira Varma, Leah Harvey and Pippa Bennett-Warner. The winner receives £5,000 and mentoring to bring their play to stage and or screen. The five runners up each receive £1,000.

Mark Cornell, CEO of Ambassador Theatre Group said: “Storytelling is our craft, visceral experiences is our area of expertise. This prize and the ‘Theatrical Consequences’ Gala are the perfect vehicles to raise funds to support rising star talent.”

Writers who wish to enter the prize can submit full or partial scripts of up to 10,000 words directly onto the website www.platformpresents.com until midday on May 15th 2023.

LISTINGS INFO

THEATRICAL CONSEQUENCES

Savoy Theatre
Savoy Court
Strand
London
WC2R 0ET

Monday May 15th
at 7.30pm

Tickets: from £20

Tickets on sale through
ATG Tickets at www.ATGTickets.com

For Access please go to www.help.atgtickets.com or call the free phone number on  0333 009 5399 

LIZA PULMAN • JOE STILGOE

ARE

A COUPLE OF SWELLS

AT THE DUCHESS THEATRE IN LONDON ON MONDAY 15 MAY

“Oooo…it’s SO good” – Dawn French

In a musical match made in theatrical heaven, Liza Pulman and Joe Stilgoe are A COUPLE OF SWELLS.  The show features some of the most loved songs from the Great American Songbook, all-time favourites from Bernstein, Berlin, Rodgers & Hart and more, all given a contemporary spin and sprinkled with heaps of humour and sizzling chemistry.

A COUPLE OF SWELLS is reminiscent of the great pairings of Dudley Moore and Cleo Laine or Andre Previn and Doris Day. Liza Pulman and Joe Stilgoe have music in their bones, two unique talents at the top of their game and this brand-new show is original, artfully chaotic and quintessentially English, showcasing Liza’s exquisite vocals and Joe’s virtuoso piano playing.

Liza and Joe collaborated during lockdown on the mesmerising track ‘Bye Bye Blackbird’ from Liza’s new album The Heart Of It. Their recording received international acclaim and led to creation of this show: a magical pairing celebrating some of the best music ever recorded.

Liza’s thirty-year career has encompassed music, theatre and comedy, from Glyndebourne Opera through West End musical theatre and as one-third of the British satirical comedy group, Fascinating Aida. Her solo career as concert performer and recording artist showcases a talent for rediscovering, reinventing and reimagining timeless classics and lost gems. Most recently, Liza Pulman Sings Streisand played West End runs to packed houses and five-star reviews, and a new show, The Heart Of It, started its 2023 tour at The Other Palace in London.

“Quite simply, superb… Liza Pulman is a force of nature” British Theatre

Joe Stilgoe is an internationally acclaimed singer, pianist and songwriter, known for writing songs that feel like classics, and adapting classics so they sound like they’ve just been written. Growing up surrounded by music, Joe’s career extends across theatre, TV and radio. He’s a regular on Radio 4 on shows including Loose Ends and The Horne Section and he has worked with some of the finest orchestras and bands in the world. Joe has released eight albums, five of which topped the UK Jazz chart.

“Dapper, handsome and quick-witted, and gifted with dazzling digits.” The Times

www.lizaandjoe.com

Paulus, the writer and performer of  

Looking For Me Friend: The Music of Victoria Wood, 

invites Victoria’s fans to join him in a National Two Soups Day fundraiser  

on Thursday 20 April in Victoria’s memory  

Paulus ‘The Cabaret Geek’, the writer and performer of the current hit touring show Looking For Me Friend: The Music of Victoria Wood and an Ambassador for the charity Cabaret vs Cancer, is combining his two passions by organising his National Two Soups Day fundraiser on Thursday 20 April, which will be the seventh anniversary of Victoria Wood’s death.  

Four years ago, Paulus held his first National Two Soups Day, an idea based on the classic sketch from Victoria Wood As Seen on TV with Julie Walters, Celia Imrie and Duncan Preston.  

The idea of National Two Soups Day is to encourage people to take a photo of their soup-based breakfast, lunch or dinner, whether they have made it themselves or bought it, and enjoyed it at home or perhaps in a café, from the office microwave on sat in the work canteen. Paulus opts to make a nice fresh soup from scratch and then to lovingly re-enact Victoria’s sketch…albeit his floor does get rather messy by the end. 

Paulus (BBC1’s All Together Now judge and one of the UK’s forefront entertainers and educators specialising in cabaret), is an Ambassador for Cabaret vs Cancer. This small registered charity, run by Rose Thorne, raises money through world-class cabaret and burlesque, in order to support those affected by cancer. Since 2016, the charity has been working with child bereavement teams in local hospices, to ensure they have the tools and support they need to help children who are losing or have lost a close relative. Additionally, they work with various organisations to support those currently living with cancer, from the manufacture of modern breast forms for post-mastectomy women to The Loss Foundation and many more.  

Paulus said: “My hope is that those who loved Victoria and her sketches and songs will come together to take part in this annual fundraiser, remembering Victoria fondly and with a smile, whilst expanding the reach of this small but brilliant charity.” 

For information about the Two Soups fundraiser (#nationaltwosoupsday or #nationaltwosoups) visit: https://www.facebook.com/donate/1580950475731422/. 

For information about Cabaret vs Cancer (registered UK Charity No. 1167819), visit: https://www.cabaretvscancer.co.uk. 

For information about Looking For Me Friend: The Music of Victoria Wood 2023 tour, visit: http://www.lookingformefriend.com. This celebration of the music of the late comedy genius and national treasure is directed by Sarah-Louise Young, with Paulus’s regular accompanist Michael Roulston on stage. Featuring a whistle-stop tour of 21 of Victoria Wood’s best-loved songs, it is filled with love, laughter and fabulous memories for Victoria’s fans as well as being the ultimate ‘beginner’s guide’ for audiences new to her work. The show has served up nostalgia, music and laughter at Edinburgh Fringe, sold out venues across the UK since 2020 and had the seal of approval from Victoria’s colleagues, school-chums and fans.  

Anthology Theatre Productions, Glass Half Full Productions, Patrick Gracey, and David Wolstencroft 

present The Watermill Theatre Production of 

BLEAK EXPECTATIONS

By Mark Evans

Directed by Caroline Leslie

• THE FULL ENSEMBLE CAST HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED TODAY FOR THE WEST END SEASON OF BLEAK EXPECTATIONS
   
• TWO FURTHER GUESTS STARS – CRAIG FERGUSON AND ROBERT LINDSAY – HAVE BEEN ADDED TO THE LINE UP PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED
   
• SCHEDULE FOR GUEST STARS BELOW
   
• ADAPTED FROM THE HUGELY SUCCESSFUL AND AWARD-WINNING RADIO COMEDY, BLEAK EXPECTATIONS TRANSFERS FROM ITS RUN AT THE WATERMILL THEATRE IN 2022.
   
• PREVIEWS BEGIN ON 3 MAY WITH A PRESS NIGHT ON 18 MAY AT THE CRITERION THEATRE
   
• TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW FROM WWW.BLEAKEXPECTATIONS.COM

Producers have announced that Craig Ferguson and Robert Lindsay are the latest names to join the lineup of guest stars each appearing in the West End transfer of Mark Evan’s Dickens mash up Bleak Expectations.

Craig Ferguson said: “ I’m delighted to be taking a brief sojourn from the self-aggrandizing hyperbolic world of American showbiz to be part of what many people are saying will be the greatest theatrical production of all time”.

Robert Lindsay said: “What a journey from my first school play, “What the Dickens” playing the Dartful Rodger thru to Fagin at the Palladium to the peak of a “Bleak” appearance at the Criterion….. I’ve fulfilled my “Expectations”

Also announced is the full ensemble cast line up who play the full eighteen week season, while the guest stars take a week each. The ensemble cast is as follows: 

AGNES BIN/FLORA DIES-EARLY– Ashh Blackwood

THOMAS BIN / BAKEWELL HAVERTWITCH/ BROADLY FECUND – Shane David-Joseph

HARRY BISCUIT – J.J. Henry

GENTLY BENEVOLENT – John Hopkins

PIP BIN – Dom Hodson

PIPPA BIN – Serena Manteghi

THE HARDTHRASHERS – Marc Pickering

POPPY BIN / RIPELY FECUND – Rachel Summers

UNDERSTUDY – Conor Dumbrell

UNDERSTUDY – Eric Mallett

UNDERSTUDY – Emily Waters

The production will open in preview at the Criterion Theatre from 3 May. It will have a press night on 18 May and performances will run until 3 September. 

The performance schedule is as follows:

3- 7 May: Nina Wadia

9-14 May: Dermot O’Leary

16-21 May: Sally Phillips

23-28 May: Robert Lindsay

30 May – 4 June: Sue Perkins

6-11 June: Julian Clary

13-18 June: Adjoa Andoh

20-25 June: Craig Ferguson

27 June – 2 July: Lee Mack

4-9 July: Stephen Mangan

11-16 July: Jo Brand

18-23 July: Tom Allen

25-30 July: Jack Dee 

1-6 August: Alexander Armstrong

8-13 August: Stephen Fry

15-20 August: Ben Miller

29 August – 3 September: Nish Kumar

Bleak Expectations follows young Pip’s extraordinary exploits with sisters Pippa and Poppy plus best friend Harry Biscuit as they attempt to escape the calculating clutches of the dastardly Mr Gently Benevolent, defeat the hideous Hardthrasher siblings, and deflect disaster at every turn!

Will evil be vanquished by virtue? Can love triumph over hate? Escape with this joyfully anarchic comedy featuring barbarous boarding schools, contemptible conspiracies, roaring romances, devilish disguises, and definitely, probably, hopefully, a happy ending!

Tickets to the run are on sale now, starting at £15 with over 16,000 tickets available across the run at £30 or under.

Donmar Warehouse London WC2 – until 27th May 2023

Reviewed by Philip Brown

4****

This 1930, brilliantly scripted play by Noel Coward, superbly acted by the four player cast is a thoroughly enjoyable and thought provoking entertainment.  I imagine it was originally written for the amusement of the metropolitan elite of its era, but this production (Director – Michael Longhurst), not updated for current times, should still resonate with a wider audience nostalgically primed by television and cinema offerings over the years and its essentially timeless study of the human condition.

There are elements of farce, slapstick, and tragicomedy throughout a performance that has the potential for several glitches but is as smooth as polished steel.  There are many comedic moments – possibly more laugh out loud moments than on offer in many a pure comedy –  but this was a long way from being pure.  It was more a behind the scenes examination of a fundamentally toxic relationship and how easily and quickly two impulsive, excessively passionate but unsuited lovers can goad each other into shocking violence, as well as leaving a wider wake of destruction.

The play opens with Elyot Chase (played by Stephen Mangan) and Sybil Chase (Laura Carmichael) on the balcony of their seaside hotel in Deauville on the first night of their honeymoon, having married 4 months after meeting.  As luck would have it, his former wife, now Amanda Prynne (Rachael Stirling) and her brand new husband Victor Prynne (Sargon Yelda) occupy the room with the adjacent balcony, affording not only obvious scope for comedy, but Elyot and Amanda the means to rekindle their relationship. as well as the occasional glimpse of the turbulence to come, necessitating the introduction of a “safe” word to ward off escalating intemperance – Solomon Isaacs.  The action moves rapidly on to the couple’s new love nest in Amanda’s Paris apartment.  

The switch of an imaginatively conceived stage set from evocative art deco balcony overlooking a simulated sea to lovely, period Paris flat is accomplished impressively and seamlessly mid Act 1 (Designer Hidegard Bechtler).  The attention to period detail is exquisite, and the choreography of the Paris scenes is beautifully designed and well executed (Fight Director Kate Waters and Movement Director Chi-San Howard).

Stephen Mangan (playing Elyot Chase) does a decent job of a challenging role – suitably entitled, flippant and possessive, with low emotional intelligence – pleading with Sybil, “Don’t ask why – give in to me!”.  His comic timing and instincts are immaculate and he shows off some versatility with dance, piano playing and catching a thrown chocolate/object in his mouth).  Nevertheless, it felt as if something was missing – possibly a sophistication or elegance one might expect from a member of the privileged classes.  

Rachael Stirling (Amanda Prynne) was simply superb as Elyot’s former wife – totally convincing.  She had the benefit of some delicious lines – “I can’t bear to think I’m married to such rugged grandeur” of Victor Prynne; “it doesn’t suit women to be promiscuous so soon after dinner” to Elyot; and “that’s the trouble with Elyot and me, we were like two violent acids  bubbling about in a nasty little matrimonial bottle”.   

As supporting actors, Laura Carmichael (the angelic Sybil Chase) and Sargon Yelda (the excessively polite but humourless Victor Prynne) play their parts well as new spouses curious about the previous incumbents, yet resistant to being dominated by their new partners.  Sargon Yelda as Victor, in particular, has the telling line “if I start giving into you as early as this, our lives would become unbearable”.  

They eventually appear again having tracked Elyot and Amanda down to the Paris flat one evening, just as their affair spectacularly unravels.  The following morning, all four indulge in a post mortem of events, liberally punctuated with flippant retorts and offence taken, as well as possibly the funniest episode in the whole play when Amanda serves coffee and brioche, with attitude, to the assembled company.  Mangan’s performance at this point is inspired,  In the ensuing fall-out, the abandoned spouses, Sybil and Victor, assume centre stage when Victor’s usual calm and considerate facade eventually cracks in the face of Sybil’s self denial and the insults start to fly.  Meanwhile, Eliot and Amanda sneak out together.  It appears love might conquer all…

I wonder how often in the real world, the “cant live with each other, cant live without each other” condition occurs.  The Donmar has taken a bold step in reviving something so humourous but with such emphasis on domestic violence and morally negligent actions.  It’s repugnant but feels real.  This is drama at its best. And in a world where we are barely allowed to be outrageously flippant in public anymore for fear of cancellation or worse, this play feels liberating.

Richmond Theatre – until Saturday 15^th April 2023

Reviewed by Carly Burlinge 

4**** 

Richmond brings you Quality Street written by J M Barrie, the same author who wrote Peter Pan.

The play tells the story of Phoebe Throssel (Paula Lane) and her sister Susan Throssel (Louisa-May Parker) as young women, Phoebe being the chirpy, happy and excitable one along with her many curls giving her the name Miss Phoebe of the ringlets. She casts her eye on Captain Valentine Brown (Aron Julius) who plays a charming, dashing and enthusiastic young man. When she gets her wires crossed with a secret he wants to disclose to her, she believes he is going to show much courage and propose to her. With excitement arising between the two sisters and expectations at a high, Valentine Brown’s secret is not the one she seeks but instead he tells her he’s enlisted during the Napoleonic Wars and will be leaving for London in the morning. Now that he is gone, the sisters decide to set up a school that only leads to unruly children to teach as well as many headaches and much tiredness. When 10 years pass by and the army wins the Battle of Waterloo, with soldiers returning including her long ago love interest. However, during this time life has not been easy on her, and tiredness has set in, with her looks not quite what they use to be. When they see each other, Phoebe is upset by the way she looks and wonders where her youthfulness has gone. Distressed by what’s occurred she decides to awaken her old self and bring those ringlets back to life. Her alter ego being her niece instead. With a ball being thrown for the victory of Waterloo and many invites being thrown at her feet as well as every solider wanting to get close to her. Will she fool Captain Brown into thinking it’s all he wants or will things backfire and go too far, where so many wrongs can no longer make a right.  

I found this production a romantic comedy which was easy and enjoyable to watch, it offered many laughs throughout. I love how they gave a modern twist to the Napoleonic era, especially a few scenes at the ball when Phoebe turned into a wild creature of dance, rushing back to the dance floor when her favourite song came on. Throw in some robot moves and you have yourself a very comedy based play. The costumes were bright and energetic with simple yet effective staging and the soundscapes were done incredibly well for this show.

A great show and evening out, definitely one to watch.

Sadler’s Wells and Wayne McGregor announce exciting new collaboration between Grace Wales Bonner and The National Youth Dance Company

Sadler’s Wells and NYDC Guest Artistic Director and Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Wayne McGregor CBE today announce that The National Youth Dance Company (NYDC) are collaborating with renowned fashion designer Grace Wales Bonner for new work celebrating the company’s 10th anniversary.

Wales Bonner designs the costumes for McGregor’s Novacene, which receives its world premiere this week at The Lowry, Salford on Saturday 15 April. The National Youth Dance Company, which this year is made up of 34 young dancers from 19 towns and cities across the country, will then perform at Sadler’s Wells Theatre on Saturday 3 June followed by a UK tour. This year marks the 10^th anniversary of the company and to celebrate Sadler’s Wells will host a series of birthday parties linked to the tour dates bringing young people together to celebrate and dance. Sadler’s Wells Learning & Engagement department will lead activity around the country, including 100 free school workshops and five regional commissions celebrating the success of the company.

McGregor has always been fascinated by the world of augmented humans, robots, hyperintelligence and how, more recently, AI has the capability to supplement and evolve our physical and mental experience.

Wayne McGregor CBE said,‘The brilliant scientist and inventor James Lovelock has written a very provocative book on this subject: Novacene. Our period of evolution today where cyborgs think 10,000 times quicker than we do and have the capability of programming themselves and their descendants in ways that will be beyond all human understanding. What is the future human? A Novacene CYBORG 2023.’

‘NYDC is delighted to be collaborating with Grace Wales Bonner and her team for Novacene – a new dance work that celebrates the dynamic and breathtakingly individual talents of the company. As Guest Artistic Director this year, I wanted these young artists to experience the full range of creative power that converges to create work. Grace’s imagination, style and contemporary vision speaks to us all and having her and the team work hands on with our young artists is nothing short of inspirational.

New voices, new dance, NYDC artists are leading the way to an evolving and inspirational fresh dance scene. The passion and optimism these dancers emit is infectious. If we ever need reminding why humans dance – you can feel it with them every day in the studio. It’s totally exhilarating. We are all extremely excited to see where these artists decide to take their own work and hope to be a continual part of that journey for them in whatever way we can nurture and support. New voices, new dance, NYDC artists are leading the way to an evolving and inspirational fresh dance scene.’

Grace Wales Bonner said, ‘I have always been inspired by the rich and expressive gestures of dance in designing silhouettes, so it has been a great pleasure to collaborate with NYDC and Wayne McGregor. I hope these custom Wales Bonner pieces allow the young artists to shine with their full individuality and energy.’

Grace Wales Bonner launched her established label Wales Bonner in 2014, the label is informed by broad cultural research and embraces a multiplicity of perspectives. Wales Bonner has received numerous awards including Emerging Menswear Designer at the British Fashion Awards (2015), the LVMH Young Designer Prize (2016), Winner of the British Fashion Council/ Vogue Designer Fashion Fund (2019), CFDA International Men’s Designer of the Year (2021) and Independent British Brand at the Fashion Awards (2022). Wales Bonner has collaborated with Dior and Adidas.

NYDC is the country’s flagship company for young dancers run by Sadler’s Wells. During the dancers’ time with NYDC, they are offered a unique insight into the dance profession, living and working closely together as a company, alongside NYDC staff and the artistic team. The year-long experience within the company provides members with the necessary skills and techniques to find career opportunities and raise aspirations, self-esteem and confidence.

Over the last 10 years NYDC has worked with over 7000 young people through workshops and projects across the country. 313 young people have joined the company, creating 10 full length dance productions by internationally renowned choreographers including Alesandra Seutin, Russell Maliphant, Botis Seva, Sharon Eyal, Damien Jalet, Michael Keegan Dolan, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Akram Khan & Jasmin Vardimon.


Wayne McGregor CBE is a Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist

NYDC is jointly funded by Arts Council England from Lottery and Grant in Aid Resources, and the Department for Education

Barclays is the Associate Partner of National Youth Dance Company

Barclays is the headline sponsor of the 10th Anniversary Celebrations of NYDC

Theatre Royal Windsor – until Saturday 15^th April 2023

Reviewed by Carly Burlinge 

5***** 

Windsor introduces Legally Blonde the Musical Jr, a movie which we all know and love based on the novel written by Amanda Brown. The show tells us about the life of Elle Woods (Anna Wold) and her boyfriend Warner (Carter Catterall). Warner is off to Harvard and decides that Elle is not serious enough for him, even though in her eyes she is seriously in love with him. This causing a breakup and a broken heart on her part. When Elle discovers what he means by serious, she hatches a plan to get back her man. This consisting of enrolling into Harvard and studying law beside him, maybe she can impress him with her big IQ. Although, as time passes, she discovers she’s not that bad at law and sees a career path before her, realising she doesn’t need Warner to be happy but instead finding Emmett (Benjamin Molalign) who notices and understands her full potential. Along her journey she meets Paulette (Shannon Jones) who offers her friendship, advice alongside makeup and hair producing a firm bond of friendship.  

Anna Wold who plays Elle Woods, plays a strong role with much confidence and sharpness. She was a joy to watch and has an outstanding voice to match her acting skills. 

Shannon Jones also offered an outstanding role for all to see, she presented great vocals on stage with much expression and was fascinating to watch. 

I could continue to talk about the exceptional talent from all performers as they were all exquisite, they offered amazing enthusiasm and showed a high level of ability and skill, alongside their confidence which still blows me away, considering their age. I will certainly be looking out for their names in the future.  

I also feel that Daisy the dog needs a mention as she managed to get the attention of the whole audience while she stood on her back legs with the response of aww. 

The set was simple but affective, with lovely drawn backdrops emphasising the stage, giving further detail to each scene. As for costumes, so much pink, exactly how it’s meant to be. 

I really enjoyed this production as they all looked so happy to be performing offering a lovely glow from all across the stage. Well done all, what a fabulous show.