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Direct from London’s West End!

Olivier-nominated Best New Play
‘CRUISE’

written and performed by Jack Holden
directed by Bronagh Lagan

will get its regional premiere at HOME, Manchester

20 July – 12 August, 2023

Set in 1980’S Soho, ‘CRUISE’ was the first new play to premiere in the West End when theatres re-opened after the Covid pandemic in May 2021.

Now writer and performer Jack Holden (‘Ten Per Cent’, Amazon Prime Video; ‘War Horse’, National Theatre), and his co-star John Patrick Elliott (The Litle Unsaid), who mixes and performs live an original electronic soundtrack during the show, will bring their stunning West End production to HOME, Manchester from 20 July – 12 August, 2023.

Winning critical acclaim and a coveted Olivier Award nomination for Best New Play, a feature film of ‘CRUISE’ is also currently in development.

Inspired by a true story Jack was told while volunteering for Switchboard, the LGBTQ+ listening and advice phone line, ‘CRUISE’ brings vividly to life 1980’s Soho in a kaleidoscopic musical celebration of queer culture with an uplifting soundtrack.

Jack Holden and John Patrick Elliott said today: “We’re so excited to bring ‘CRUISE’ to HOME Manchester for a limited run this Summer! In 2021, we reopened the West End with a bang, returning for another sell-out run in Summer 2022. Audiences were in desperate need of a release – a reason to come together, to laugh, to cry and to have a little dance – and ‘CRUISE’ gave them just that. HOME is the perfect next stop for our loud, proud, hilarious and heartbreaking show. We can’t wait to get back on stage, make one hell of a noise, and take Manchester back to the 1980s!”

February 29, 1988. Soho, London. ‘CRUISE’ is the true story of what should have been Michael Spencer’s last night on Earth. When Michael is diagnosed with HIV in 1984, he’s told he’ll have four years to live – at most. So, with the clock ticking, he and his partner, Dave, decide to sell their house, flog the car, spend everything they have and party like it’s the last days of Rome. When Dave dies two years later, Michael doubles down on his hedonistic ways, spending what little he has left and drowning himself in drink and drugs.

On the last night of his four-year countdown – the 29 February, 1988 – Michael decides to go out with a bang. He puts on his favourite jacket, heads for Soho, and embarks on a long night of farewells. He says his goodbyes to friends, enemies and strangers; old haunts, dive bars, cafes, clubs and pubs; his brothers, sisters, allies and exes. He dances, sings, and says yes to everything and everyone. Then, with all his affairs taken care of, Michael promptly… survives. Michael got lucky, and he goes on to live to a ripe old age. Michael has been given the gift of life; but what kind of life can he now live?

Creative team:
Bronagh Lagan (Director), Nik Corrall (Set & Costume Designer), Stufish Entertainment Architects (Set & Projection Designer), Prema Mehta (Lighting Designer), Max Pappenheim (Co-Sound Designer), Sarah Golding (Movement Director), Chris Matanlé for Aria Entertainment (General Manager and Assistant Producer), Playing Field (Co-Producer), HOME (Producer), Katy Lipson for Aria Entertainment (Producer).

Initial development supported by Help Musicians Fusion Fund and Shoreditch Town Hall.

‘CRUISE’ was originally produced in the West End by Aria Entertainment and Lambert Jackson.

Jack Holden – Writer & Performer
Jack trained as an actor at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. He then went straight on to play the lead role of Albert Narracott in the National Theatre’s internationally award-winning production of ‘War Horse’. Since then, Jack has worked at theatres across the country including the Royal Shakespeare Company, Nottingham Playhouse, Leicester Curve, Theatre Royal Bath, Bristol Old Vic, The Yard, the Almeida, the Hampstead Theatre and in the West End. Notable roles include Beverly Goodway in James Graham’s ‘Ink’, Captain Greville in Alan Bennett’s ‘The Madness of George III’, and Lysander in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ at the RSC.

On screen, Jack was most recently seen as perky assistant Kevin in Amazon Prime Video’s ‘Ten Percent’, written by John Morton, and alongside Sean Bean and Nicola Walker in Stefan Golazsewski’s ‘Marriage’ for BBC One. Jack has also appeared in British independent films ‘The Levelling’ and ‘Journey’s End’, and in various shows for BBC, ITV and Channel 4. Jack took part in the RoyalCourt Young Writers Programme in 2013.

‘CRUISE’ marked Jack’s debut as a writer. The show opened to rave reviews – ‘A tour de force, the toast of the town’ – ***** The Telegraph – at the Duchess Theatre in London’s West End in May 2021. It was nominated for the Oliver Award for Best New Play 2022. A feature film of ‘Cruise’ is currently in development. The play text is published by Methuen Drama. ‘Cruise’ returned to the Apollo Theatre in August 2022 to further critical acclaim.

For screen, Jack is under commission to Fremantle, Emanata Studios, Endor, Genial Productions, Independent Entertainment and Michael Grandage Company, and is also co-lead writer on a new drama series in development at Channel 4. He is currently developing several new stage shows, including ‘Rave’, a musical play, and ‘Kenrex’, a true crime thriller. Jack has produced award-winning short films and theatre through his company, Watersmeet Productions. ‘Blood Out of a Stone’ (2018), premiered at BFI Flare and won the Best Director award at New Renaissance London; ‘The Rev’ (2021) was funded by Film London and premiered at London Film Festival 2021; ‘Under The Blue’ is currently in post-production.

John Patrick Elliott, Composer, Sound Designer & Performer
John is an award-winning composer, music producer and songwriter from West Yorkshire. He studied theatre at Manchester University before becoming a full-time touring musician and spending the past decade on the road in the UK and Europe, playing major festivals and releasing records with his alt-folk-electronic band The Little Unsaid.

John won the Stage Debut Award for Best Composer, Lyricist or Book Writer for his original score for ‘CRUISE’, which he performed live on stage for both West End runs in 2021 and 2022. In 2017 he was awarded the Steve Reid InNOVAtion Award for boundary-pushing music creators by a panel of music industry professionals including Gilles Peterson, Four Tet and Floating Points. Recently John has been composing more for the stage and screen and is currently working on several upcoming theatre projects.

Bronagh Lagan – Director
Originally from Northern Ireland, Bronagh has directed around the world, working on classical texts, musicals and new writing. She is passionate about directing new writing, particularly from under-represented communities.

Bronagh’s Olivier nominated production of ‘CRUISE’ by Jack Holden was the first new play to open the West End after the pandemic. CRUISE’  returned to the West End last year for a sold out run at the Apollo Theatre. She also directed a film version of the show in Shoreditch Town Hall’s Ditch which won an ONCOMM award for Best Recorded Show

Bronagh’s production of ‘Rags’, the musical by Charles Strouse and Stephen Schwartz at the Park Theatre received nine Off-West End Award nominations, including Best Director and Best Production. Bronagh worked closely with Stephen Schwartz in reimagining the script for an actor-musician production and curated a cast album of her production of ‘Rags’ which is available on iTunes and Spotify.

Bronagh directed the world premiere of ‘Broken Wings’, the musical first performed at Theatre Royal Haymarket and then at Dubai Opera House and now is on a Middle Eastern Tour. Last year, she directed new Persian musical ‘RUMI’ at the ENO starring Ramin Karimloo; the UK regional touring production of ‘The Rise and Fall of Little Voice’ starring Christina Bianco; and the European premiere of ‘Little Women – The Musical’, which is available on Broadway HD. Bronagh recently directed the world premier of ‘A-Typical Rainbow’ which was nominated for a Visionary Arts Award and ‘Animal’ by Jon Bradfield which recently ended a sell-out run at the Park Theatre and has received 5 Off West End nominations. www.bronaghlagan.com @bronaghlagan

Aria Entertainment – Producer
Aria Entertainment was founded in 2012 by award winning Producer Katy Lipson. In 10 years, she has produced over 80 productions in the West End, Off-West End and across the UK. Her most recent credits include the World Premiere of ‘Brokeback Mountain’ at @sohoplace, ‘Cruise’, which received an Olivier nomination for Best New Play and is now being developed as a film after two sell-out runs at the Duchess Theatre and Apollo Theatre, and the critically acclaimed transfer of ‘The Last Five Years’ to the West End. She is also a producer of several major UK tours including ‘The Osmonds’, ‘The Cher Show’, ‘Hair’,’ The Rise and Fall of Little Voice’ and ‘The Addams Family’. Several of these productions have since been produced internationally, including ‘The Addams Family’ (Singapore), ‘Hair’ (Germany) and upcoming runs of ‘The Last Five Years’, ‘Zorro’ and ‘Broken Wings’ around the world.

For several years, Katy was the Producing Artistic Director of the renowned Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester, creating and producing productions, many of which transferred to London. During her tenure she worked with Stephen Schwartz on creating a re-imagined version of ‘Rags’ and presented the first production of Jerry Herman’s ‘Mame’ in the UK for over 50 years.

In 2017, Lipson was awarded the Best Producer award by the Off-West End Awards and in 2019 was nominated for International Producer of the Year by the League of Professional Theatre Women in New York. She is a recipient of the Stage One Bursary and Start Up Award and works as a mentor on their Bursary and Bridge the Gap programmes. In 2018 she was included in “The Stage 100” list and in 2019 and 2020 for her work at Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester and again in 2021 for her work as a solo producer. Lipson is at the forefront of new musical development in the UK, having set up the From Page to Stage festival to support new musicals at all difference stages of development. In 6 years, From Page to Stage has given a platform to over 100 new musicals; many of which have gone on to have full productions and be licensed worldwide. It is a keen passion of hers to cultivate new musicals that can have a long-lasting legacy in the West End, on Broadway and all around the world. Twitter: @ariaents

HOME – Producer
HOME is Manchester’s centre for international contemporary culture. Since opening in May 2015, HOME has welcomed over four million visitors to its two theatres, five cinemas, art gallery, book shop and restaurants. HOME works with international and UK artists to produce extraordinary theatrical experiences, producing an exciting mix of thought-provoking drama, dance, and festivals, with a strong focus on international work, new commissions and artist development. HOME’s ambition is to push the boundaries of form and technology, to experiment, have fun, take risks and share great new art with the widest possible audience. The patrons of HOME are Danny Boyle, actress Suranne Jones, playwright and poet Jackie Kay CBE, artists Rosa Barba and Phil Collins, filmmaker Asif Kapadia, and actress and author Meera Syal CBE. www.homemcr.org | @HOME_mcr | Facebook HOMEmcr

LISTINGS INFO

ARIA ENTERTAINMENT and HOME
present

CRUISE

Written By and Starring Jack Holden

Music And Sound Design
by John Patrick Elliott

Director Bronagh Lagan

20 July -12 August, 2023

HOME
2 Tony Wilson Place
Manchester
M15 4FN

Box 0ffice:
0161 200 1500

Homepage

Age guidance: 16+
parental discretion advised / adult themes

Ticket Prices:
£12.50-£35

Social Media:

Twitter:
CruiseThePlay
HOME_mcr

Facebook:
CruiseThePlay
HOMEmcr

Instagram:
CruiseThePlay
homemcr/

DAVOOD GHADAMI TO STAR AS ‘ABANAZER’ IN FAIRFIELD HALLS ANNUAL PANTOMIME

ALONGSIDE MILKSHAKE FAVOURITE, AND CROYDON LOCAL, KIERA NICOLE AS ‘JASMINE’

PANTO FAVOURITE CHARLIE GUEST AS ‘WISHEE WASHEE’

ALADDIN

16 DECEMBER 2023 – 7 JANUARY 2024
TICKETS AVAILABLE TO BOOK HERE

Will Aladdin save the day? Will Princess Jasmine get her way? Will the Genie be freed? There’s only one way to find out… come see Aladdin, Croydon’s No.1 Pantomime!

UK Productions and BH Live today announce casting for this year’s enchanting pantomime Aladdin, which will play at Fairfield Halls, Ashcroft Theatre from 16 Dec 2023 – 07 Jan 2024.

Join hero Aladdin, his mother Widow Twankey and his brother Wishee Washee as they embark on a magical adventure and try to defeat the evil Abanazar and his plan to become master of the world with help from the Genie of The Lamp and the Spirit Of The Ring.

An enchanting tale of magic, mayhem and misunderstandings live on the famous Ashcroft Theatre stage. Aladdin is a laugh-a-minute extravaganza with stunning sets, musical hits, fabulous costumes and amazing special effects to keep audiences both young and old entertained!

The cast will be led by EastEnders star Davood Ghadami. Since departing Eastenders in 2021 for which he won best newcomer at the TV Choice awards, Davood has most recently been seen in the BBC’s Holby City as ‘Eli Ebahimi’ and in his guest star role in the BBC’s Beyond Paradise.  Previous TV work includes Doctors, Casualty, Life’s Too Short, Law & Order, Skins Redux, Doctor Who, Top Boy, Fast Freddie, Silent Witness, Criminal Justice. Spooks and of course narrowly missed out on a semi-final spot with his professional partner Nadiya Bychova in the 2017 season of Strictly Come Dancing. On stage, he could be seen in 13 at The National Theatre, as well as working for York Theatre Royal and Pilot Theatre. This is Davood’s second pantomime, having been nominated for Best Villain at The Pantomime Awards 2023.

Davood said, “This Christmas the story of Aladdin is going to be told in a way that gives all the festive feels to audience members. There will be magic, laughter, plenty of songs you know and love, and apparently an awesome baddie(!) We can’t wait to give families the ultimate escape this Christmas. It’s time to start practising your booing, and of course to get booking – your magic carpet awaits!”

Milkshake! favourite Kiera-Nicole will star alongside Davood as ‘Princess Jasmine’.  At just 18 years old, Kiera-Nicole became the youngest presenter on Channel 5, regularly hosting its popular children’s strand Milkshake! Kiera is a graduate of the world-famous BRIT school in Croydon, London where Kiera grew up.  Alongside her regular appearances on Milkshake TV, Kiera is currently presenting a live tour that is working its way around a full journey of the UK.

Kiera said, “I am looking forward to playing Princess Jasmine and bringing panto magic to the stage with UK Productions. Not only that but I am super excited to be performing in my hometown, Croydon at Fairfield Halls.”

Panto favourite Charlie Guest will star alongside Davood and Kiera as ‘Wishee Washee’. Charlie’s many stage credits include Beauty and the Beast (Gravesend), Aladdin (Churchill Theatre, Bromley) Jack and The Beanstalk (Sunderland Empire), Aladdin (Anvil, Basingstoke) Snow White ( King Georges Hall, Blackburn) Jack and the Beanstalk ( King Georges Hall, Blackburn). Other notable stage roles include Children of Eden (West End), Club Class (UK Tour), Jubilee (Tabard Theatre, London), Charlie is also a Presenter for an Online children’s TV channel – Cheeky Chimps TV.

Charlie said, “I am so excited to be spending Christmas at Fairfield Halls! Croydon holds a special place in my heart…mainly for meatballs and Billy bookcases but now PANTO! I can’t wait to get started!”

Producer Martin Dodd added “Panto genie-us is on its way, and we are delighted to be returning to the Fairfield Halls following the triumph that was Peter Pan last year. Expect family fun by the lamp-load, stunning costumes, sensational song and dance numbers, and an adventure full of memories to treasure. join us for a magic carpet ride to remember!”

Not to be missed, tickets and group bookings are available from bhlivetickets.co.uk with special early bird rates and super schools offers also available.

fairfield.co.uk

Facebook – @fairfieldcroydon

Twitter – @fairfieldhalls

Instagram – @croydonfairfield

Royal Shakespeare Theatre Stratford-Upon-Avon – until 27th May 2023

Reviewed by Amarjeet Singh

4****

An empty stage, bar a huge, full moon. Cymbeline is King of Britain, married to a Queen. They each have a child from previous relationships, The King, a daughter, the wilful and feisty Imogen, The Queen, a son, the boorish, entitled Cloten. Cymbeline adopted an orphan boy, Posthumus Leonatus and brought him up as his own. Imogen and Posthumus Leonatus, become lovers, the King objects as Posthumus Leonatus has no royal lineage and is therefore proclaimed an unworthy match for Imogen. The Queen believes her son, Cloten, should marry Imogen and he would thus secure the crown. She is also ensuring this by commissioning the doctor, Cornelius to supply poison to enable her in her dastardly deeds. Cornelius, suspicious, swaps the poison for a sleeping potion.

Cymbeline, had two sons, Imogen’s brothers, Guiderius and Arviragus, who were taken as babies, by the banished Lord Belarius, as an act of revenge against Cymbeline for the banishment. Cymbeline, a fan of banishing, banishes Posthumus Leonatus to Italy, where he encounters Iachimo, a Roman lord, who, tired of hearing Posthumus Leonatus brag about his lady and her virtues, wagers that he could seduce her with ease. Affronted, Posthumus Leonatus accepts, confident that Imogen would stay true and thus off trots Iachimo to try his best with Imogen, vowing to bring back indisputable evidence of his conquest. His wit and charm not influencing Imogen’s chastity, Iachimo enters Imogen’s bedchamber via a chest and records details about the room and, non-consensually, her body, as well as stealing the bracelet Posthumus Leonatus gave her. Upon receiving these, Posthumus Leonatus orders Pisanio, his loyal servant to kill Imogen. Knowing Imogen to be innocent, Pisanio helps Imogen to disguise herself as a man and flee.

I could continue, there is a lot of story to Cymbeline so it’s difficult to explain it in a nutshell. A headless corpse, a roman battle, and even the god Jupiter descending from the heavens. Cymbeline is one of Shakespeare’s last plays and is akin to a greatest hits album. It’s more plot than play, there is not enough time for all these storylines to be fully realised so you end up with a confusing mash-up of several of Shakespeare’s other plays. Cymbeline’s relationship with his daughter Imogen suggests Lear and Cordelia in King Lear, while Iachimo gives glimmers of Iago in Othello, the sleeping potion taken mistakenly is reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet and Imogen’s cross-dressing recalls Shakespeare’s comedies.

Therefore, Gregory Doran’s production is triumphant in its general coherence. Clearly sectioned into 3 acts it allows the 3 and a half hour play to be told simply and traditionally. A fitting swan song for Doran, its uncluttered with no elaborate sets, sounds, or staging. There are key dramatic moments, a rain-washed battlefield, Gods descending from the heavens, puppets and dream sequences. The paring back of the main set make the staging of these moments really pack a punch. The lighting is effective especially when paired with the full moon.

However, there are elements which missed the mark for me. The performances are excellent throughout, some are outstanding others left me puzzled. Without deviating from the text, these characters could have been given more depth. Alexandra Gilbreath’s Queen was superb but then quickly descended into a pantomime villain, losing an element of true threat. Conor Glean’s Cloten is played with the petulance of a three-year-old. It’s relentless, we never get a sense of the aggressive threat he levies at Imogen. When he describes the act of sexual assault/rape on Imogen, the audience was laughing as there was no sign of his tyranny in this production. Jamie Wilkes puts in a tremendous performance as Iachimo, but so likeable and charming is he, that the audience was laughing when he, without consent, explores Imogen’s body. Strange choices to not pause or find some artistic tell to let the audience know of their sinister machinations. The most troubling though was Amber James’ performance as Imogen, Cymbeline’s daughter. Word perfect, crying on point, but there was no change in energy. Tightly wound, aggressive and always ready for a fight, there was no softness or femininity, no ebb and flow. Therefore, when she disguises herself as a man there is no remarkable change, and this has an impact on the story. For all these characters, beyond the mess of the plot, there is no light and dark to their performances, so it made them difficult to believe.

This aside, this production of Cymbeline is a riotous romp. The last scene may feel interminable, but maybe this was Shakespeare’s intention. At a time when plays were being threatened by other forms of entertainment, up and coming playwrights were hot on his heels, Shakespeare was trying to give you more bang for your buck. It is unquestionably all entirely worth it by the end.

NEW ADVENTURES AND SADLER’S WELLS

ARE DELIGHTED TO ANNOUNCE CASTING FOR

TOURING TO 13 UK VENUES FROM

3 JULY – 4 NOVEMBER 2023

INCLUDING A FIVE-WEEK SUMMER SEASON

AT SADLER’S WELLS

FROM 1 AUGUST TO 2 SEPTEMBER 2023

AHEAD OF A MAJOR INTERNATIONAL TOUR

New Adventures and Sadler’s Wells are delighted to announce casting for Matthew Bourne’s “ROMEO AND JULIET” which will tour to 13 UK venues including a five-week Summer Season at Sadler’s Wells, ahead of a major international tour next year.

The UK tour will open at Curve, Leicester on Monday 3 July, visiting The Lowry, Salford; Wycombe Swan, High Wycombe and Hull New Theatre, before opening at Sadler’s Wells on 1 August for a five-week Summer Season.

The UK tour continues to Milton Keynes Theatre; The Alhambra, Bradford; Festival Theatre, Edinburgh; King’s Theatre, Glasgow; Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield; Churchill Theatre, Bromley; Wolverhampton Grand Theatre and His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen finishing on 4 November 2023.

International tour dates for 2024 will be announced shortly.

‘Juliet’ will be played by Cordelia Braithwaite. Cordelia created the role in 2019 and was nominated for a National Dance Award for this performance. Monique Jonas, last seen as ‘Sugar’ in the 2021/22 tour of Nutcracker! will be making her debut as Juliet.

Paris Fitzpatrick and Andrew Monaghan both return as ‘Romeo’ having created the role in 2019. Paris and Andrew have just finished critically acclaimed roles in our “Sleeping Beauty” tour. Paris was recognised at the 2020 South Bank Show Awards as “Breakthrough Artist of The Year in Dance” for this performance.

Original cast member, Danny Reubens, returns to his created role as the menacing ‘Tybalt’. New Adventures veteran Richard Winsor, who will be making his debut as ‘Tybalt’ returns to the company having last performed as ‘Luca’ in “The Car Man” at the Royal Albert Hall in 2022.

Completing the company are Tanisha Addicott, Matthew Amos, Carla Contini, Tasha Chu, Adam Davies, Gabrielle de Souza, Jackson Fisch, Anya Ferdinand, Cameron Flynn, Euan Garrett, Kurumi Kamayachi, Hannah Kremer, Rory Macleod, Blue Makwana, Leonardo McCorkindale, Eleanor McGrath, Enrique Ngbokota, Bryony Pennington and Harry Ondrak Wright.

New Adventures senior artists, Daisy May Kemp and Alan Vincent will also feature in the production as well as serving as Resident Directors for the tour.

Matthew Bourne said today:

“When our “Romeo and Juliet” was created in 2019, it was primarily as a ‘talent development’ project, offering life-changing opportunities for young dancers and creative artists throughout the UK. As the piece now enters the New Adventures repertoire, I’m excited to say that several of the young performers who were given their first performance experience in this production are now returning to the show as seasoned professionals. I’m also delighted to see many of the phenomenal original cast return, along with some beloved New Adventures legends making their debuts in the production. Our “Romeo and Juliet” was inspired by a desire to listen to and represent young people starting out in their careers as artists, so I’m also thrilled to welcome several very talented recent graduates, making their professional debuts with us, to continue that tradition.”

Matthew Bourne’s “ROMEO AND JULIET” gives Shakespeare’s timeless story of forbidden love a scintillating injection of raw passion and youthful vitality. Confined against their will by a society that seeks to divide, our two young lovers must follow their hearts as they risk everything to be together. A masterful re-telling of an ageless tale of teenage discovery and the madness of first love, “ROMEO AND JULIET” garnered universal critical acclaim when it premiered in 2019, and now joins the New Adventures repertoire alongside the very best of Bourne’s world renowned dance theatre productions.

The 2023 production of “ROMEO AND JULIET” is the first Co-Production between New Adventures and Sadler’s Wells. A relationship that dates back 30 years; New Adventures has been performing at Sadler’s Wells since 1993. In 2005 Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Sadler’s Wells, Alistair Spalding, appointed Matthew Bourne as one of the organisation’s first Associate Artists and in 2006 New Adventures became a Resident Company.

Directed and choreographed by Matthew Bourne, collaborating with the New Adventures Artistic team; Etta Murfitt (Associate Artistic Director), Lez Brotherston (Set and Costume design), Paule Constable (Lighting Design), Paul Groothuis (Sound Design) and Arielle Smith (Associate Choreographer) with Terry Davies’ thrillingly fresh orchestrations of Prokofiev’s dynamic score.

LISTINGS 2023

MONDAY 3 JULY – SATURDAY 8 JULY

CURVE, LEICESTER www.curveonline.co.uk/

TUESDAY 11 JULY – SATURDAY 15 JULY

THE LOWRY, SALFORD www.thelowry.com

TUESDAY 18 JULY – SATURDAY 22 JULY

WYCOMBE SWAN, HIGH WYCOMBE www.wycombeswan.co.uk

TUESDAY 25 JULY – SATURDAY 29 JULY

HULL NEW THEATRE, HULL www.hulltheatres.co.uk

TUESDAY 1 AUGUST – SATURDAY 2 SEPTEMBER (Press Night Friday 4 August)

SADLER’S WELLS, LONDON www.sadlerswells.com

TUESDAY 5 SEPTEMBER – SATURDAY 9 SEPTEMBER

MILTON KEYNES THEATRE www.atgtickets.com/

TUESDAY 12 SEPTEMBER – SATURSDAY 16 SEPTEMBER

THE ALHAMBRA, BRADFORD www.bradford-theatres.co.uk/

TUESDAY 19 SEPTEMBER – SATURDAY 23 SEPTEMBER

FESTIVAL THEATRE, EDINBURGH www.capitaltheatres.com

TUESDAY 26 SEPTEMBER – SATURDAY 30 SEPTEMBER

KING’S THEATRE, GLASGOW www.atgtickets.com/

TUESDAY 3 OCTOBER – SATURSDAY 7 OCTOBER

LYCEUM THEATRE, SHEFFIELD www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/

TUESDAY 10 OCTOBER – SATURDAY 14 OCTOBER

CHURCHILL THEATRE, BROMLEY www.churchilltheatre.co.uk/

TUESDAY 17 – SATURDAY 21 OCTOBER

WOLVERHAMPTON GRAND THEATRE www.grandtheatre.co.uk/

TUESDAY 31 OCTOBER – SATURDAY 4 NOVEMBER

HIS MAJESTY’S THEATRE, ABERDEEN www.aberdeenperformingarts.com

THE McONIE COMPANY ANNOUNCES CO-PRODUCTION WITH THEATRE ROYAL PLYMOUTH AND CREATIVE TEAM FOR THE WORLD PREMIERE STAGE ADAPTATION OF THE BELOVED ACADEMY AWARD-WINNING FILM

THE ARTIST                                                     

Based on the original film by Michel Hazanavicius

Co-adapted for the stage by Lindsey Ferrentino and Drew McOnie

Directed and choreographed by Drew McOnie

Producers today announce that the world premiere stage production of Michel Hazanavicius’ multi–Academy Award-winning film The Artist will begin its journey with a strictly limited run at Theatre Royal Plymouth from Saturday 11 May 2024 with public booking from Friday 9 June 2023. Casting to be announced.

The multi award-winning creative team for The Artist includes set and costume designs by Tony and Olivier Award winner Christopher Oram (Wolf Hall Parts I & II, Red, Frozen), music by Tony Award winner Simon Hale (Girl From The North Country, Get Up Stand Up!), lighting by Zoe Spurr (Good, Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World), sound by Tony and Olivier Award winner Simon Baker (Matilda The Musical, A Christmas Carol), video by Ash J Woodward (The 47^th, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), puppetry by Maia Kirkman-Richards (The Sorcerer’s Apprentice) and casting by Will Burton CDG. The Associate Director/Choreographer is Ebony Molina and the Musical Director is Chris Poon. 

The Artist is a McOnie Company production produced by Theatre Royal Plymouth, The McOnie Company, Playful Productions, Bill Damaschke, Stephen and Nancy Gabriel and Underbelly.

In 1920s Hollywood the business of making dreams come true is in full swing. 

Silent movie icon George Valentin has long been the darling of the silver screen when he falls for aspiring actress Peppy Miller.   

But while her star is about to rise, his might soon flicker out: amidst all the glamour, laughter and romance, the silent movie industry is on the brink of a revolution. 

With the Talkies on their way, George must either find his voice in a brave new world or lose everything he holds dear to a bygone era.  

The Artist has mesmerised film audiences across the world for over a decade, winning five Academy Awards, seven BAFTAs and three Golden Globe Awards. Now the beguiling love story is reinvented for the stage in a dazzling celebration of silent cinema that blends cutting-edge theatre-making with iconic music of the period. 

Drew McOnie, Artistic Director of The McOnie Company, said:

“Creating the world premiere stage adaptation of The Artist marks not only the start of a new era in my life as a theatre maker but also an arrival moment for The McOnie Company. I have held its development close to my heart for many years having been mesmerised by the original film. 

To be joined by such an extraordinary creative team is thrilling and I am so grateful to the team at Theatre Royal Plymouth for supporting our vision of this story and giving us a creative home to launch this special project. Having the support of Michel Hazanavicius, the mastermind behind the original film, is incredibly important to all of us and it’s an honour to bring this beloved story to the stage.

The Artist shows us that even within this noisy world we can find our voice if we listen with our hearts.”

BIGOGRAPHIES

Drew McOnie, Co-adapter, director and choreographer

Drew is the Artistic Director of The McOnie Company and a proud Associate Artist at The Old Vic, London and Birmingham Rep Theatre. Drew won the Olivier Award for Best Theatre Choreography for In the Heights and he was nominated for the same award the following year for the ground-breaking production of Jesus Christ Superstar at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre.

Theatre credits as director/choreographer include: On the Town (Olivier Award Nomination for Best Musical Revival– Regent’s Park), The Wild Party (The Other Palace),  King Kong (The Broadway Theatre, Broadway), Strictly Ballroom (Piccadilly Theatre, West End / Toronto / West Yorkshire Playhouse), Torch Song (The Turbine Theatre London) CAKE (UK Tour).

Select credits as a choreographer include: Carousel (Regents Park), Jesus Christ Superstar (Olivier Award Nomination for Best Theatre Choreography – Regents Park, Barbican Theatre and American National Tour), In the Heights (Olivier Award Winner for Best Theatre Choreography, Winner of the Off West End Theatre Award for Best Choreography – Southwark Playhouse and Kings Cross Theatre), The Lorax (The Old Vic), Hairspray (BroadwayWorld Award Winner for Best Choreographer – UK Tour), Bugsy Malone (Lyric Hammersmith and National Tour), Oklahoma! (National Tour), Chicago (Curve Theatre, Leicester), Tommy (European Tour).

For the McOnie Company: Jekyll and Hyde (BroadwayWorld Award Winner for Outstanding Achievement in Dance – Old Vic Theatre), DRUNK! (Curve Theatre Leicester/ The Bridewell Theatre London) which led to him being nominated for the ‘Emerging Artist Award’ at the National Dance Awards, Making Midnight (Jermyn Street Theatre/ Latitude Festival), Slaughter (Audience Choice Award Winner – The Place Prize) and Be Mine! (Robin Howard Theatre).

Ballets include: Merlin (Northern Ballet National Tour), Monochrome Suite (Sadlers Wells), The Old Man Of Lochnagar (Sadlers Wells and Hackney Empire), Little Red Riding Hood (Wimbledon Theatre), To You (Sadlers Wells). 

Film credits include: Greatest Days Movie produced by Danny Perkins and Kate Solomon, Me Before You (Directed by Thea Sharrock).

Lindsey Ferrentino, Co-adapter

Lindsey Ferrentino is a prolific playwright and screenwriter who writes with, according to The New York Times, “a muscular empathy which seeks to enter the minds of people for whom life is often a struggle of heroic proportions”. Whether writing about a female burn survivor or the penning the first off-Broadway play with a leading role for a person with Down Syndrome, Lindsey has been called “a brave playwright of dauntless conviction whose unflinching portraits are hard to come by outside of journalism.” 

Her produced plays include Ugly Lies the Bone (Roundabout Theatre Company, The National Theatre, UK, NYT Critics Pick), the “barrier breaking” Amy and the Orphans (Roundabout Theatre Company), This Flat Earth(Playwrights Horizons), and The Year to Come).   Ferrentino is writing the book to a number of musicals including Queen of Versailles, with Stephen Schwartz, starring Kristin Chenoweth. 

Ferrentino is the recipient of the Kesselring Prize, Laurents/ Hatcher Citation of Excellence, ASCAP Cole Porter Playwriting Prize, Paul Newman Drama Award, Catalyst Award for Entertainment Industry Excellence, NYU Distinguished Young Alumna Award, 40 Under 40 at Hunter College, and is the only two-time finalist for the Kendeda Playwriting Prize. 

Lindsey has various film/TV projects. Lindsey is writing and directing the feature version of her stage play Amy and the Orphans, produced by Jason Bateman’s company Aggregate. As a screenwriter, Lindsey has also penned the following features in pre-production: Ugly Lies the Bone, A Very Large Expanse of the Sea (Levantine Films) and Not Fade Awayto name a few. 

She is currently under commission from Roundabout, The Geffen, Manhattan Theatre Club, and South Coast Rep. She holds a B.F.A. from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, and has two M.F.A.’s in playwriting from Hunter College and The Yale School of Drama.

Christopher Oram, Set and costume designs

Christopher Oram is a Tony and Olivier award-winning scenic and costume designer. He created the sets and costumes for the original stage adaptation of Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies, for which he won both the Olivier and Tony awards for best costume design.

Recent work includes: Frozen (Broadway / West End), Madama Butterfly (HGO) and Don Giovanni (Met). His many collaborations with Michael Grandage Company include Red, Hughie, Photograph 51, Peter and Alice and The Cripple of Inishmaan. He has also won the Drama Desk, Evening Standard, Critic’s Circle, Garland, Falstaff and Ovation awards. Theatre credits include: Frozen (Broadway); Photograph 51, Henry V, Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Cripple of Inishman (also NYC), Peter and Alice, Privates on Parade, Red, The Lieutenant of Inishmore (MGC/West End); Hughie (MGC NYC); Macbeth (Manchester International Festival & Park Avenue Armory, NYC); Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Richard Rogers/NYC); Company (Sheffield Crucible); The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, A Streetcar Names Desire, Othello, Grand Hotel, World Music, Red, King Lear, Passion, Parade, Frost/Nixon (Donmar Warehouse); Hamlet, Madame de Sade, Twelfth Night, Ivanov (Donmar/Wyndham’s); Man and Superman, Summerfolk, Danton’s Death, Stuff Happens, Power, The Marriage Play/Finding the Sun (National Theatre); Backbeat (Glasgow Citizen’s); Evita (West End & NYC); Guys and Dolls (West End); King Lear / The Seagull (RSC, World Tour); Wolf Hall / Bring UP The Bodies (RSC, West End, NYC); World Tour); Damsel in Distress (Chichester); No’s Knife (Old Vic); The Winter’s Tale, Romeo & Juliet, The Entertainer (KBTC/Garrick). 

Opera credits include: The Wreckers (HGO); The Turn Of The Screw (Garsington); Billy Budd (Glyndebourne/BAM); The Marriage of Figaro (Glyndebourne/HGO); Madama Butterfly (HGO); Don Giovanni (Met).

Simon Hale, Music

Simon Hale is an orchestrator, arranger and musical supervisor. His theatre credits include: Newsies (Troubador Theatre); Girl From The North Country (Old Vic, West End, Broadway, UK & Ireland Tour – Tony Award for Best Orchestrations); Kiss My Aztec (Hartford Stage); Noir (Alley Theatre, Houston), Spring Awakening (Almeida Theatre, Broadway, West End, US Tour); Hex (National Theatre); Get Up Stand Up! (West End – Olivier Award for Best Original Score and Orchestrations); Bedknobs & Broomsticks (UK Tour); Looking A Lot Like Christmas (Donmar Warehouse); Romantics Anonymous (Shakespeare’s Globe, Bristol Old Vic, US Tour); Tootsie (Chicago, Broadway, US Tour); Strictly Ballroom (West Yorkshire Playhouse, Toronto, West End); Guys ‘n’ Dolls (Royal Exchange Theatre); Side Show (Southwark Playhouse); Finding Neverland (A.R.T. Boston, Broadway, US Tour); Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown (Broadway, West End), Company (Sheffield Theatres). His film credits include: Spectre ‘The Writing’s On The Wall’ by Sam Smith.

Simon’s solo album, East Fifteen, led to recordings with many artists, including George Benson, Simply Red, Jamiroquai, Björk, Mary J Blige, Alicia Keys and Sam Smith. In 1996 he orchestrated Duncan Sheik’s first album, and their musical collaboration has continued ever since.

Zoe Spurr, Lighting design 

Zoe is a theatre lighting designer whose work has been seen on the West End, throughout the UK and internationally. She won the 2019 Theatre and Technology Award Lighting Design for The Unreturning (Frantic Assembly UK Tour), Lightmongers’ ALD Award ‘New Talent in Entertainment Lighting’ and the OFFIE award for Lighting Design for her work on Tiny Dynamite (Old Red Lion Theatre).

Recent designs include: The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button (Southwark Playhouse); The Vortex (CFT); Bonnie And Clyde (West End); Beginning (Royal Exchange Manchester); How Not To Drown (Thickskin UK Tour); Good (Harold Pinter Theatre); The Importance Of Being Earnest (ETT), Migrations (The Welsh National Opera); Our Generation (National Theatre); She Described It To Death (Royal Opera House Linbury Studio); Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World (Kenny Wax Family Entertainment for MAST Mayflower, UK Tour); Hamlet (Bill Kenwright Ltd at Theatre Royal Windsor); The Unreturning (Frantic Assembly UK Tour); Meek (Headlong UK Tour); Emilia (West End). 

Simon Baker, Sound design 

Simon Baker has worked and experienced almost every corner of the theatre sound industry. He has served time in the sound departments of both the RSC and the National Theatre where he held the post of sound supervisor, and in 1999 he joined leading British sound design and rental company, Autograph, where he stayed for 11 years. He is Technical Director for Wise Children and an Associate Artist at The Old Vic. Simon is a Fellow of Guildhall School of Music & Drama.

His theatre credits include Groundhog Day (The Old Vic, Broadway); The Secret Life of Bees (Almeida Theatre); Hex (National Theatre); A Christmas Carol (The Old Vic, Broadway – Tony Award for Best Sound Design for a Play); Woman In Mind (Chichester Festival Theatre); Girl From The North Country (Old Vic, West End, Broadway, UK & Ireland Tour); Wuthering Heights (Wise Children, UK Tour); Bagdad Café (Wise Children, Old Vic); The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk (Bristol Old Vic); Faith Healer, Three Kings, Lungs, Present Laughter, Wise Children, The Caretaker, The Master Builder, Future Conditional, High Society (Old Vic); Standing At The Sky’s Edge (Sheffield Theatres); Brief Encounter (West End, UK Tour); Matilda The Musical (Royal Shakespeare Company, West End, Broadway – Olivier Award for Best Sound, Helpmann Award for Best Sound); Pinocchio (National Theatre) and The Ginning Man (Bristol Old Vic, West End).

Ash J Woodward, Video design

Ash J Woodward specialises in Video and Projection design for live performance. Ash has designed and animated content for large-scale shows in the West End, on Broadway and around the world. Ash’s work includes hand-drawn, 2D and 3D animation, cinematography, visual effects and design work for other live performance genres such as live music, exhibitions, and art installations. Ash is an associate artist at the Squint theatre company. Ash’s work in theatre as Video and Projection designer include Dear England, Hex (National Theatre); Patriots (Noël Coward); Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Worldwide); Local Hero (Chichester Festival Theatre); Famous Five the Musical (Theatre Clwyd); The 47th (Old Vic); The Glass Menagerie (Duke of York); Can I Live for Complicité; The Beauty Parade (Wales Millennium Centre); Bletchley Park Hut 11A (Bletchley Park); Armadillo (The Yard) and Molly (Squint Theatre). 

Maia Kirkman-Richards, Puppetry director and designer

Maia is a Designer and Maker and Director of puppetry and in 2018 was selected for the Old Vic 12 as their first Puppetry Consultant.   

Puppet Director credits include: There’s A Rang-Tan In My Bedroom (Little Angel & UK tour); My Cloud (National Theatre of Qatar); Our Teacher’s A Troll (Ruined Theatre); The Butterfly Lion (The Barn Theatre); A Dickensian Christmas (The Old Library); Look Up (National Tour); A Stone’s Throw (Edinburgh International Festival). 

Puppet Design credits include: There’s A Rang-Tan In My Bedroom (Little Angel); The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (Southwark Playhouse); Our Teacher’s A Troll (Ruined Theatre); Wind In The Willows (The Turbine Theatre & UK tour);  My Cloud (National Theatre of Qatar); The Butterfly Lion (The Barn Theatre); The Further Adventures Of The Owl And The Pussycat (The Little Angel); The Slightly Annoying Elephant (The Little Angel); Great Apes (Arcola); Jack Frost (Moon On A Stick – Norwich Theatre Royal and National Tour); Baby Bear (Moon On A Stick – National Tour); Meet The Eastenders (Museum of London Docklands); Metamorphosis (Theatrical Niche – UK Tour); The Dream Factory (National Tour).  

Puppet Maker credits include:My Neighbour Totoro (Barbican); Animal Farm (UK Tour); The Magician’s Elephant (Royal Shakespeare Theatre); Gnomus (BBC Proms); Wizard Of Oz (Birmingham Rep); Peter Pan (Troubadour White City); Beauty and the Beast (Chichester Festival Theatre); Mr Poppers Penguins (International Tour); Wolves in the Walls (Little Angel and National Tour); Doctor Dolittle (UK Tour). Assistant & Associate Puppet Director credits include: 101 Dalmatians (Regents Park Open Air); The Everywhere Bear (Polka).

The McOnie Company

The McOnie Company is the hot-blooded theatre company with ‘Rock n’ Roll swagger’ (The Observer). The company is led by Producer Georgia Gatti and Olivier Award-winning director and choreographer Drew McOnie, whose work has been described as having ‘the explosive feel of barely contained ecstasy’ (Chicago Sun Times).

​

The company was launched to celebrate the power of visual storytelling and holds audiences at the centre of its creative mission. We are committed to creating exhilarating stories for today that push boundaries. Our wild-hearted company presents both known titles reimagined for the stage and screen, alongside brand-new work.

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The McOnie Company holds a proud association with the Old Vic Theatre and Birmingham Rep.

The company’s productions include the award-winning dance-thriller reimagining of Jekyll and Hyde at the Old Vic Theatre, the song and dance revue Drunk at the Bridewell Theatre, Making Midnight at Jermyn Street Theatre, Slaughter at The Place and Be Mine at the Robin Howard Theatre.

www.mconiecompany.com

Twitter: @McOnieCompany

Instagram: @mconiecompany

TheArtistOnStage.com  

Booking Information:

The Artist

Theatre Royal Plymouth, Royal Parade, Plymouth, PL1 2TR

11 May  – 25 May 2024

General booking opens 9 June 2023

www.theatreroyal.com | Box Office: 01752 267222

MJ will premiere in London with its original lead actor MYLES FROST who won a Tony Award® for his star-making performance 

The acclaimed Broadway musical has a book

by two-time Pulitzer Prize® winning writer LYNN NOTTAGE

Directed and Choreographed by Royal Ballet Associate Artist CHRISTOPHER WHEELDON OBE

Tickets on sale this Wednesday, 24 May 2023 | mjthemusical.com

London, Monday 22 May 2023: Lia Vollack, John Branca and John McClain, producers of the acclaimed Broadway musical MJ, announce today that Myles Frost, who originated the role of Michael Jackson in New York and for which he won the Tony Award® for Best Actor in a Musical, will bring his star-making performance to London.

Frost joins the internationally renowned creative team helmed by two-time Pulitzer Prize® winning writer Lynn Nottage (Ruined, Sweat) and two-time Tony Award® winning director/choreographer and Royal Ballet Associate Artist Christopher Wheeldon (MJ, An American in Paris), as MJ prepares to begin performances in the U.K at the Prince Edward Theatre, London from Wednesday 6 March 2024 (Press Night: Wednesday 27 March 2024 at 7:00pm).

Tickets go on sale this Wednesday, 24 May 2023. For all information see www.mjthemusical.com

Myles Frost said: “Working with Chris has always been amazing. He is a visionary and knowing that we’re now going into his stomping ground, I’m ready for that ride! I’m super excited to bring this show to the West End and to make this a magical experience for everybody”.

Christopher Wheeldon said: “I am naturally thrilled to have Myles opening the London company with his knockout award-winning performance. Myles embodies the artistic spirit of MJ but allows his own glorious talent to shine through his portrayal. Working closely with Myles to achieve this is in part what has made this show such a success on Broadway.”

He is one of the greatest entertainers of all time. Now, Michael Jackson’s unique and unparalleled artistry comes to the West End stage direct from Broadway in the multiple Tony Award®-winning new musical MJ.  

Centred around the making of his 1992 Dangerous World Tour, MJ goes beyond the singular moves and signature sound of the star to offer a rare look at the creative mind and collaborative spirit that catapulted Jackson to legendary status. 

MJ delivers a theatrical experience like no other, electrifying audiences with dozens of the most iconic songs in music history, including Billie Jean, Beat It, Man in the Mirror, Thriller and Smooth Criminal. 

The creative team for MJ also includes Scenic Design by two-time Tony Award® and two-time Emmy Award® winner Derek McLane (Moulin Rouge! The Musical), Lighting Design by six-time Tony Award® winner Natasha Katz (Once), Costume Design by Tony Award® and Emmy Award® winner Paul Tazewell (Hamilton), Sound Design by Tony Award® and Olivier Award winning Gareth Owen (Come From Away), Projection Design by two- time Tony Award® nominee Peter Nigrini (Dear Evan Hansen), and Hair & Wig Design by two-time Emmy Award nominee Charles LaPointe (The Color Purple). Musical Supervision is by Tony Award® nominee David Holcenberg (Matilda), and the Orchestrations and Arrangements are by David Holcenberg and Tony Award® winner Jason Michael Webb (The Color Purple).

Further casting for the London production of MJ is to be confirmed.

Adam Blanshay Productions in partnership with NHS Charities Together
NHS 75th Anniversary Gala searching for
NHS Stars to celebrate

The search has been launched for NHS Stars to be celebrated at the 2023 NHS Gala, commemorating the 75th anniversary of the NHS this autumn, presented by Adam Blanshay Productions in partnership with NHS Charities Together. Members of the public can nominate themselves or any inspiring NHS workers, volunteers or patients they know to be an NHS Star through an online form or video submission

Adam Blanshay Productions and NHS Charities Together will select several NHS Stars from the nominees later in the year. The NHS Stars will be the inspiration for new songs written about them and their heroic work in the NHS for a new song cycle, Newfound Hope Songs, which has been commissioned specially and will be performed at an epic West End concert gala in the autumn.

Do you know a superstar doctor or nurse, courageous patient, outstanding ambulance worker, health support worker or psychologist? Maybe you’re an exceptional occupational therapist, know a brilliant pharmacist or have a friend who is an amazing paediatrician? Head to the easyto-use online form to submit a nomination and help us find our NHS Stars.

Ellie Orton OBE, Chief Executive at NHS Charities Together comments, We are so looking forward to this event, which will be a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the incredible people of the NHS in its 75th anniversary year. The NHS is one of the biggest employers in Europe and everyone has a story to tell about their fantastic friend, neighbour or family member who goes above and beyond to help care for our nation’s health. These people all deserve recognition, and we’re excited to tell their stories in a way that’s never been done before.

@sohoplace – until 12 August 2023

Reviewed by Claire Roderick

4****

Ashley Robinson’s adaptation of Annie Proulx’s short story is a poetic and emotional wonder.

Inside the intimate @sohoplace, the cinematic glory of Ang Lee’s sweeping vistas is impossible, but Dan Gillespie Sells’ evocative and transportive music fashions a clear picture of the physical isolation of the mountain as well as the emotional isolation of the characters.

The tragic love story begins at a laconic pace, with Ennis (Lucas Hedges) monosyllabic and guarded as Jack Twist (Mike Faist) tries to chat around the campfire high up on the mountain. The live band (musical director Sean Green, BJ Cole, Greg Miller, Meelie Traill) are simply wonderful, with Sophie Reid’s backing vocals complementing Eddi Reader’s magnificent and spellbinding voice. The musical themes as glances and touches are exchanged is gorgeous, building to an ominous beat before the couple’s first sexual encounter takes place in silhouette inside their tent. The following morning’s denials – “just a one-shot thing”- are soon forgotten as horse play gives way to passion and their bond becomes stronger. Ennis’s insistence on conforming to expectations and fear of the brutality he has seen against gay men sends them their separate ways to wives and children, but their love leads to 20 years of fishing and hunting trips until a tragic accident leaves Ennis alone and broken.

Lucas Hedges is brooding and brutal as Ennis, tense and prowling, only relaxed and happy when he is with Jack. Mike Faist makes Jack irresistible – charming and boyishly reckless, but with an underlying wistful longing for a life together. Their stunning chemistry is magnetic – you can’t take your eyes off them when they are chatting tenderly in each other’s arms.

Director Jonathan Butterell doesn’t rush through the story, with the songs accompanying some almost non-verbal scenes portraying the agony of Ennis and Alma’s life as efficiently as a more verbose script. The damage Ennis’s refusal to live his true life with Jack causes both men runs through every one of their encounters but the devastation Ennis brings into Alma’s life is portrayed with rapier sharp clarity by Emily Fairn in an exquisite performance that will break your heart. Paul Hickey plays older Ennis, reliving the memory of his one great love and haunting the stage, staring lovingly at jack and guilt ridden as he remembers how he treated his wife Alma (Emily Fairn). There are a few scenes where his presence seems unnecessary, but the play’s beautiful final images justify his inclusion.

Tender and tragic, this play with music will touch your heart and tear it up.

ORANGE TREE THEATRE ANNOUNCES FULL CAST FOR

WORLD PREMIERE OF ISLEY LYNN’S THE SWELL

Orange Tree Theatre (OT) today announces the full cast for the world premiere of Isley Lynn’s The Swell. Hannah Hauer-King directs Jessica Clark, Ruby Crepin-Glyne, Viss Elliot Safavi, Saroja-Lily Ratnavel, Shuna Snow, and Sophie Ward. This OT co-production with Damsel Productions and The Women’s Prize for Playwriting is a thrilling romantic drama, featuring a live vocal score, spanning decades of love, sacrifice, and betrayal, opening on 29 June, with previews from the 24 June and runs until 29 July.

Artistic Director Tom Littler said today: “The Swell is funny, romantic, and tender, with a perfectly engineered plot: I couldn’t put it down. Isley Lynn has been building a reputation as one of the most exciting playwrights around: The Swell is set to be her best yet. I’m delighted that we’ve assembled this wonderful ensemble cast.”

Director of The Swell, Hannah Hauer-King, and co-founder of Damsel Productions said today: “When Isley and I developed this play with Hightide back in 2017, we couldn’t have hoped for a better home than the Orange Tree. The in-the-round intimacy of the space is perfect for a play that manages to be both laugh-out-loud funny, and filled with tragedy and loss. And though it is a play that puts six queer female characters centre stage, it really is a play for everyone. The questions it asks about relationships, fidelity and trust, will resonate for anyone who has been in love.”

Ellie Keele, co-founder of Women’s Prize for Playwriting said today: “The Swell was one of only 40 plays shortlisted for the 2020 Women’s Prize for Playwriting, out of a total 1162 entries. It was a sure-fire entry on the shortlist on the basis of its lyrical tenderness perfectly counterpointing its epic sweep. We don’t read many plays that can execute that combination so exquisitely. Added to that, Isley’s dialogue is perfectly pitched and compelling and her characters are some of the most interesting and plausible that I’ve ever come across in a play. I have no doubt that audiences will delight in this play just as much as our reading panel did. Isley Lynn is one of our finest writers for the stage and we (the Women’s Prize for Playwriting) are thrilled to be co-producing The Swell.”

Orange Tree Theatre, Damsel Productions and The Women’s Prize for Playwriting present

THE SWELL

By Isley Lynn

Director: Hannah Hauer-King; Designer: Amy Jane Cook; Lighting Designer: Elliot Griggs;

Sound Designer and Composer: Nicola T Chang; Assistant Director: Sam Woo

24 June – 29 July

OT On Screen Tue 1-Fri 4 August 

Counting down the days to their wedding, Annie and her fiancé Bel are visited by an unexpected guest. An old friend of Annie’s: free spirit and troublemaker Flo, who announces she’ll be staying with them until their big day. This surprise reunion evolves into a complicated love triangle with dangerous consequences that threaten to destroy Annie and Bel’s happily ever after …

Isley Lynn is a multi-award-nominated playwright, best known for her 2016 breakout hit Skin A Cat. Her most recent work includes a sold-out adaptation of The War of The Worlds (New Diorama Theatre and international tour), and a critically acclaimed contribution to 15 Heroines (Jermyn Street Theatre) and Albatross (Playground Theatre).

Jessica Clark’s theatre credits include Sap (Soho Theatre), The Wife of Willesden (Kiln Theatre), Passengers (Vacuum Theatre), The Funeral Director, The Hear, And This, And Now (Southwark Playhouse), Ninas Got News (Pleasance Dome), Rotterdam (Trafalgar Studios and Theatre503), Skin A Cat (Theatre503), and Romeo and Juliet, The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Wind in The Willows, The Secret Garden, Macbeth, and The Comedy of Errors (Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre). For television her credits include, Call the Midwife, All Creatures Great and Small, Death in Paradise, and Versailles .

Ruby Crepin-Glyne’s theatre credits include The Tempest (Pleasance), Road (Northern Stage), Measure for Measure (The Sam Wanamaker Festival), Pool (No Water) (Royal Court Theatre) and Winter Wonderland (Soho Theatre).

Viss Elliot Safavi’stheatre credits include For Services Rendered (Jermyn Street Theatre), Bitched (Kali Theatre), The Taming of The Shrew (Shakespeare’s Globe), How He Lied to her Husband (Tristan Bates Theatre), The Gift (Criterion Theatre), Love from a Stranger (Jubilee Hall), Smother (Clink Hostel), and Invasion! (Soho Theatre). For television her credits include Tehran, The Split, D.I Ray, Suspicion, Not Going Out, and The Buccaneers.

Saroja-Lily Ratnavel’s theatre credits include, Chasing Hares (Young Vic Theatre), Electric Rosary (Royal Exchange Theatre), and The Key Workers Cycle: The Social Care Workers Play, and Name, Place, Animal, Thing (Almeida Theatre). For television, Bravo Two Charlies.

Shuna Snow returns to the OT having previously appeared in The Charity That Began at Home. Her theatre credits include The Ministry of Lesbian Affairs (Soho Theatre),  Decisions Decisions (Pleasance Science Fiction Theatre Festival), Whisky Galore (UK tour), Brideshead Revisited (York Theatre Royal), Twelfth Night (The Rose Playhouse), Palindrome, Welcome to Ramallah (Arcola Theatre), Little Stitches (Theatre503), Iron (Old Red Lion), Hamlet (US tour), Top Girls, The Winter’s Tale, Romeo and Juliet, Cinderella, Julius Cesar, Death of a Salesman, Betrayal, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, Ion, Road, The Triumph of Love, All My Sons, Oh! What a Lovely War, The Caucasian Chalk Circle and Macbeth (Mercury Theatre), Engaging Shaw (Vienna’s English Theatre), Separate Tables (Royal Exchange Theatre) A Shoemaker, A Gentleman (Shakespeare’s Globe), Much Ado About Nothing, Little Eyolf, Kenneth’s First Play, Cymbeline (Royal Shakespeare Company). Her television credits include Big Mood and Clink; and for film, The Boy in The Woods.

Sophie Ward’s theatre credits include The Mirror Crack’d (Salisbury Playhouse), Cancelling Socrates, Flowers of The Forest (Jermyn Street Theatre), The Exorcist, A Judgement in Stone, The Grass is Greener (UK tours), Dark Sublime (Trafalgar Studios), Paradise Circus (Playground Theatre), But It Still Goes On (Finborough Theatre), Mount Vernon (Hudson Guild Theatre, Kings Head Theatre), Brave New World (Royal and Derngate) and Go Back for Murder (Theatre Royal Windsor / UK tour). Her television credits include Troubled Blood, This Sceptred Isle, Agatha Raisin, A Very British Scandal, Picture Perfect Royal Christmas, The Moonstone and Secret State. For film her credits include, Swiperight, Jane Eyre, Book of Blood, Out of Bounds, Nobody Knows Anything!, Crime and Punishment, Bella Donna, Taking Liberty, Wuthering Heights, Waxwork II: Lost In Time, and Young Sherlock Holmes

Hannah Hauer-King directs. She is Artistic Director of Damsel Productions. Her directing credits include The Ministry of Lesbian Affairs (Soho Theatre), The Funeral Director (English Touring Theatre), Fabric and Fury (Soho Theatre).

Orange Tree  Theatre 

Listings

1 Clarence Street, Richmond, TW9 2SA

Box Office: 020 8940 3633 (Mon-Sat, 10am-6pm)

orangetreetheatre.co.uk

Ticket prices (NO BOOKING FEES) 

In person tickets from: £15

Access: £15 

Prices increase based on demand

SEASON AT A GLANCE  

THE CIRCLE

29 April – 17 June 2023

Mon – Sat 7.30pm

Thu & Sat 2.30pm

Audio Described Performance: Tue 30 May 7.30pm

Captioned Performance: Thu 8 June 7.30pm

PRIMARY SHAKESPEARE: AS YOU LIKE IT
6 May – 16 June (schools’ performances)
Tue, Wed & Fri, 10.30am & 2pm

THE SWELL

24 June – 29 July 2023

Mon – Sat 7.30pm

Thu & Sat 2.30pm (from 29 June)

Captioned Performance: Tue 18 July 7.30pm

Audio Described Performance: Thu 13 July 7.30pm
OT On Screen: Tue 1 – Fri 4 Aug

GREENHOUSE FESTIVAL

21 August – 2 September 2023
Full details to be announced

THAT FACE

9 September 2023 – 7 October 2023

Mon – Sat 7.30pm

Thu & Sat 2.30pm (from Thu 14 Sep)

Captioned Performance: 27 September 7.30pm

Audio Described Performance: Tue 26 Sep 7.30pm

OT On Screen: Tue 10 – Fri 13 Oct

MEETINGS

14 October 2023– 11 November 2023

Mon – Sat 7.30pm

Thu & Sat 2.30pm (from Thu 19 Oct)

Captioned Performance: Wed 1 Nov 7.30pm

Audio Described Performance: Mon 30 Oct 7.30pm

OT On Screen: Tue 14 – Fri 17 Nov

SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER

18 November 2023 – 6 January 2024

Mon – Sat 7.30pm

Thu & Sat 2.30pm (from Thu 23 Nov)

Captioned Performance: Tue 12 Dec 7.30pm

Audio Described Performance: Mon 11 Dec 7.30pm

OT On Screen: Tue 16 – Fri 19 Jan

SHAKESPEARE UP CLOSE: MACBETH and ROMEO AND JULIET

5 – 10 December 2023

Schools tour: 20 – 30 Nov
Schools performances at the OT: 5 – 8 Dec
Public performances at the OT: 9 – 10 Dec

TINY TIM’S CHRISTMAS CAROL

18 December – 6 January 2024
Press Performance: Wednesday 20 December 2023 at 2.30pm

Mon – Sat 11am

Mon, Wed, Fri 2.30pm (no performances Mon 25 Dec, Mon 1 Jan)

NORTHANGER ABBEY

24 January– 20 February 2024

Press Night: Wednesday 24 January 2024 at 7pm

Mon – Sat 7.30pm

Thu & Sat 2.30pm (from Thu 25 Jan)

Captioned Performance: Wed 14 Feb 7.30pm

Audio Described Performance: Tue 13 Feb 7.30pm

OT On Screen:  Tue 21 – Fri 24 May 2024

FLUTE THEATRE: TWELFTH NIGHT

29 January – 20 February 2024

Mon – Sat: 10.30am

Further summer programming includes:

UNCLE VANYA

2 March – 13 April

Press Night: Wednesday 6 March 2024 at 7pm

TESTMATCH

20 April – 18 May 2024

Press Night: Wednesday 24 April at 7pm

SUITE IN THREE KEYS

24 May – 6 Jul 2024

Press Nights:  Wednesday 5 June 2024 at 2.30pm: Double bill –  Shadows of the Evening and Come into the Garden, Maud
Wednesday 5 June 2024 at 7pm: A Song at Twilight

Primary Shakespeare: HAMLET
3 June – 5 July 2024 (workshops and performances)
Mon, Tue & Fri

RED SPEEDO

13 Jul – 10 Aug 2024

Press Night: Wednesday 17 July at 7pm

ABOUT THE ORANGE TREE THEATRE

The Orange Tree (OT) is an award-winning, independent theatre. Recognised as a powerhouse that creates high-quality productions of new and rediscovered plays, it entertains 70,000 people across the UK every year.

The OT’s home in Richmond, South West London, is an intimate theatre with the audience seated all around the stage: watching a performance here is truly a unique experience. We believe in the power of dramatic stories to entertain, thrill and challenge us; plays that enrich our lives by enhancing our understanding of ourselves and each other.

As a registered charity (266128) sitting at the heart of its community, we work with 10,000 people in Richmond and beyond through participatory theatre projects for people of all ages and abilities. The Orange Tree Theatre’s mission is to enable audiences to experience the next generation of theatre talent, experiment with ground-breaking new drama and explore the plays from the past that inspire the theatre-makers of the present. 

DAMSEL PRODUCTIONS
Hannah Hauer-King and Kitty Wordsworth co-founded theatre company Damsel Productions in 2015 to produce hit show Dry Land at Jermyn Street Theatre. Since then, Damsel has continued to produce work with the core aim of developing and platforming scripts written by women, and produced with primarily women-led creative teams. Damsel has produced several full-scale productions at theatres including Soho Theatre, Theatre 503, the Bunker Theatre and Jermyn Street Theatre. They have also produced sell-out live comedy and cabaret nights such as “Damsel In The Bush”; and festivals including Damsel Develops; London’s first all-women directing festival; and Damsel Outdoors, a festival of commissioned new plays written for the outdoors during the pandemic. This is their first production at the Orange Tree Theatre. 

Website: www.damselproductions.co.uk Twitter: @DamselProd Instagram: @damselproductions

ABOUT THE WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR PLAYWRITING 

Founded in 2019 by Ellie Keel and Paines Plough, The Women’s Prize for Playwriting has a simple mission statement: to secure equality in the number of male and female writers whose plays are produced on national stages in the UK and Ireland. In 2018, only 26% of new plays on main stages in Britain were by women.  

The Prize’s core activity is: 

·        Running an open call-out for plays by women. 

·        Selecting the winning script(s) with the help of an experienced reading team and a prestigious judging panel of industry leaders. 

·        Producing the winning plays on national stages.   

·        Leading development work on the winning plays and some of the scripts on the shortlist.  

In 2020, the Prize’s inaugural year, two First Prizes of £12,000 were awarded: to Amy Trigg for Reasons You Shouldn’t Love Me, which enjoyed a sell-out, critically acclaimed run at Kiln Theatre, directed by Charlotte Bennett and starring Amy Trigg, and to Ahlam for You Bury Me, which had its staged reading at the Lyceum Theatre, directed by Katie Posner, with a main stage tour in 2023. For the Prize’s second year in 2021, the First Prize was awarded to Karis Kelly for their play Consumed, which is now currently in development. 

www.womensprizeforplaywriting.co.uk 

Twitter: @WomensPlayPrize 

Artistic Director Tom Littler

Executive Director Hanna Streeter

Website orangetreetheatre.co.uk | Email box.office@orangetreetheatre.co.uk

Twitter @OrangeTreeThtr | Facebook/Instagram OrangeTreeTheatre

FULL CASTING ANNOUNCED AS
SUSAN STROMAN’S ACCLAIMED PRODUCTION TRANSFERS TO LONDON 

Charlie Stemp,
Carly Anderson and Tom Edden
are joined by Natalie Kassanga, Mathew Craig, Duncan Smith, Marilyn Cutts, Sam Harrison, Rina Fatania and Jack Wilcox

Performances begin on Saturday 24 June 2023
at the Gillian Lynne Theatre

www.CrazyForYouMusical.com

Joey Parnes, Sally Horchow and Michael Harrison are thrilled to confirm the full casting for the West End transfer of Chichester Festival Theatre’s sublime new production of Crazy For You. The classic Gershwin musical which is brought to life on stage by the renowned, multi-Tony and Olivier award-winning director and choreographer Susan Stroman, will play a strictly limited 6-month season at the Gillian Lynne Theatre in London, with performances beginning on Saturday 24 June 2023 . Tickets are now on sale at www.CrazyForYouMusical.com

As previously announced, Crazy For You will star Charlie Stemp, the Olivier-nominated star of Half a Sixpence and Mary Poppins as Bobby Child, Carly Anderson, star of Wicked as Polly Baker, and Drama Desk Award winner Tom Edden as Bela Zangler, following their critically acclaimed performances in the celebrated, sold-out production at Chichester Festival Theatre last summer.

They will be joined in the West End by Natalie Kassanga (Dreamgirls) as Irene Roth, Mathew Craig (We Will Rock You) as Lank Hawkins, Duncan Smith (White Christmas) as Everett Baker, Marilyn Cutts (Funny Girl) as Lottie Child, Sam Harrison (Les Misérables) as Eugene Fodor, Rina Fatania (The Killing of Sister George) as Patricia Fodor, Jack Wilcox (Anything Goes)as Standby Bobby Child, and Kayleigh Thadani, Kate Parr, Lila Anderson, Harriet Samuel-Gray, Imogen Bowtell, Laura Hills, Ella Valentine, Tara Yasmin, Marc Akinfolarin, Lucas Koch, Philip Bertioli, Jason Battersby, Ashley-Jordon Packer, Nicholas Duncan, Nathan Elwick, Liam Wrate, Joshua Nkemdilim, Nell Martin, Bradley Trevethan, Bethan Downing, Ryan Jupp, Jinny Gould, George Bray.

He’s a fish out of water and she’s a real catch.

Theatre mad Bobby Child is torn between his showbusiness dreams and running the family bank. He reluctantly heads west to Deadrock, Nevada, to foreclose on a theatre’s mortgage, only to fall for the theatre owner’s daughter, Polly. Desperate to prove his good faith, Bobby decides to put on a show – complete with dancers from the glamorous Zangler Follies in New York City – to save the theatre, renew the town and hopefully win Polly’s love.

With a riotously entertaining book by Ken Ludwig and overflowing with glorious Gershwin melodies (including Someone to Watch Over Me, I Got Rhythm and They Can’t Take That Away from Me), this production is a joyful celebration ‘blessed with ingenious, sparkling choreography from Susan Stroman, which sends you out on a high from the joy of music and dance’ (Financial Times.) The original production of Crazy For You won several Tony and Olivier Awards, including Best Musical.

Direction and choreography by multi-Tony and Olivier award winner Susan Stroman, with book by Olivier Award winning Ken Ludwig, this spectacularproduction transfers from a sell-out season at the Chichester Festival Theatre. 

Crazy For You is produced by Joey Parnes, Sally Horchow, Michael Harrison with Crossroads Live, Nick Thomas and Bob Boyett.