Theatre Royal, Brighton – until 24th September 2022
Reviewed by Sue Bradley
4****
Starting in India with a scene set at the funeral of the previous hotel owner, the story then opened like a classic ‘who-dunnit’, with this gentle comedy bringing together a group of retired strangers to a past-its-best hotel in Bangalore, having to learn about themselves and each other in an unfamiliar setting that is far from the opulence they were promised.
This is far from a dry exploration of the effects of ageing; rather, it is a wry meditation on re-discovering yourself beyond a point where you might have thought the best parts of your life are over. And, whilst all the men have significant parts to play in this story, it is the women who enjoy the most significant changes; finding unexpected new love and happiness.
When we were younger, we were often told to ‘act our age’. It was an absolute pleasure to see actors such as Hayley Mills (Wild at Heart, The Parent Trap), Paul Nicholas (Jesus Christ Superstar, Just Good Friends, Eastenders) and Rula Lenska (Rock Follies, Coronation Street) very much acting their age and reminding us that there is a great deal of living (and loving) to be had in our retirement years. Harmage Singh Kalirai was also excellent in the several roles that he played, and especially moving as the Sadhu.
The beautifully designed set really captures the feel of an Indian ‘heritage’ hotel and it provides the setting for almost all of the story.
The show took a little while to get going as the first half was slow and the pace was a little uneven – many of the significant transformations for the characters happened well into the second half, but we were kept entertained along the journey. With plenty of light one-liners and throw-away quips we were kept smiling and laughing throughout.
The best-selling book These Foolish Things, by Deborah Moggach, was the basis for the hit film The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and she has adapted her own novel to provide the stage play for this show, treading a fine line between the lighter tone of the film and the darker complexities of the book.
Whether this show will appeal to a young audience is yet to be seen but for those of us who have had some experience of life and perhaps feel that some of our better years are behind us this was a very pleasant way to spend a couple of hours. It was genuinely moving in places and the uplifting end to the show sent us all away happy.
THE LOWRY, SALFORD, MANCHESTER – UNTIL 24 SEPTEMBER 2022
REVIEWED BY MIA BOWEN
4****
Girl From The North Country is not just another jukebox musical but a powerful and deeply moving production, written and directed by Irish dramatist Conor McPherson. The story is built around nineteen vintage songs by Bob Dylan. These songs are performed by the cast throughout the production, each song backed by instruments form the 1930’s. Girl From The North Country first premiered at the Old Vic in London in July 2017 and made it’s North American Off-Broadway premiere in New York, September 2018. Last night the accomplished cast performed to a packed-out audience at The Lowry.
As the audience walk into the theatre, you notice different instruments scattered across the floor of the stage. A member of the cast walks in unannounced and so begins the production’s first musical number ‘Sign On The Window’. Right from the outset the music transports the audience to a different time and place.
The musical is set in a guesthouse in 1934 in the middle of the great Depression and seven years before the songwriter was born, in Duluth, Minnesota, the birthplace of Dylan. The story is narrated by Dr Walker (Chris McHallem), the physician to the Laine family. The guesthouse is owned by Nick Laine (Colin Connor) and Elizabeth Laine (Frances McNamee), who has dementia and is facing foreclosure. Their son Gene (Gregor Milne) is a drunken would-be writer, whilst their adopted black daughter Marianne (Justina Kehinde) is pregnant and closely guards the identity of the father of her baby. The story focuses not just on Nick and his family woes, but on the residents of the guesthouse. Also staying there is Mrs Neilsen (Nichola Macevilly), a widow who is waiting for her late husband’s will to clear probate and the Burke family, Mrs Burke (Rebecca Thornhill) and Mr Burke (Neil Stewart) with their mentally disabled son Elias (Ross Carswell). Late at night, during a storm, a self-styled bible salesman, Marlowe (Owen Lloyd) and down-on-his-luck boxer Joe Scott (Joshua C Jackson) arrive looking for shelter and cause a catalyst of events and change everything for everyone in the house.
Arguably the strongest element of Girl From The North Country is its’ musical numbers. The songs are drawn from right across Dylan’s back catalogue including ‘Like A Rolling Stone’, ‘Hurricane’, ‘Make You Feel My Love’ and ‘Forever Young’. The cast is outstanding with their Fargo accents, emotional monologues, dancing and playing of musical instruments! The standout numbers for me were ‘Tight Connection To My Heart’ and ‘I want You’. McNamee who plays Elizabeth, the dementia suffering wife, deserves a particular mention. She is outstanding with her rip-roaring performance of ‘Like A Rolling Stone’.
Girl From The North Country is no doubt a must see for all music lovers but Dylan fans in particular.
WICKED, the West End and Broadway musical phenomenon that tells the incredible untold story of the Witches of Oz, is delighted to welcome back Mark Curry as ‘The Wizard’ from Tuesday 18 October 2022. Gary Wilmot will play his final performance as ‘The Wizard’ at the Apollo Victoria Theatre on Sunday 16 October 2022.
Actor, broadcaster, and former Blue Peter presenter Mark Curry previously played ‘The Wizard’ as part of the 10th Anniversary London cast in 2016/17. In a career spanning more than five decades, Mark first came to prominence in Yorkshire Television’s Junior Showtime in 1969. Filmed at the City Varieties Music Hall in Leeds, he stayed with the show for six years. During this time, he also appeared as ‘Oscar DeVelt’ in Alan Parker’s film Bugsy Malone as well as in numerous variety shows and pantomimes. Following three years with the Harrogate Theatre Company and a budding career as a television presenter (including The Saturday Picture Show and Screen Test), he joined the BBC’s Blue Peter in 1986, becoming its 15th presenter. During his more than three years with the legendary show, he presented alongside Janet Ellis, Peter Duncan, Caron Keating and Yvette Fielding. His career as an actor has seen him star at theatres across the UK, most notably and frequently in the plays and comedies of Alan Ayckbourn. In 2018, he starred as ‘Philip Markham’ in the 50th anniversary production of Ray Cooney & John Chapman’s comedy Move Over Mrs Markham, directed by Ray Cooney. His London credits include Talent, written and directed by Victoria Wood, and Susan Hill’s The Woman in Black, directed by Robin Herford. A keen tennis player and a qualified tennis coach, Mark is also a frequent tennis commentator on BBC Radio 5, Eurosport, LBC, Radio Wimbledon and Talk Radio Europe. In 2017, he and Amy Dowden won the Pudsey Glitterball Trophy in the Strictly Come Dancing special for Children in Need.
Mark Curry commented: “I’m thrilled to be returning to Oz after 5 years away and to have this opportunity to play The Wizard again in the incredible Wicked. I look forward to joining this brilliant cast and working again with the fantastic creative team and producers.”
“One of the most successful musicals of all time” (BBC News), Wicked recently welcomed its 11 millionth theatregoer toLondon’s Apollo Victoria Theatre. The “global sensation” (Independent) has won over 100 awards, including three Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards, and a Grammy.
Wicked currently stars: Lucie Jones (Elphaba), Helen Woolf (Glinda), Ryan Reid (Fiyero), Sophie-Louise Dann (Madame Morrible), Gary Wilmot (The Wizard, until 16 October 2022), Mark Curry (The Wizard, from 18 October 2022), Carina Gillespie (Nessarose), Nicholas McLean (Boq), Simeon Truby (Doctor Dillamond), Amy Webb (Standby for Elphaba), Lisa-Anne Wood (Standby for Glinda), Yuki Abe, Kofi Aidoo-Appiah, Meg Astin, Alishia-Marie Blake, Pàje Campbell, Michael Colbourne, Fergus Dale, Nolan Edwards, Nicola Espallardo, Danny Fogarty, Laura Harrison, Amie Hibbert, Lucie Horsfall, Samuel How, Christian Knight, Nick Len, Jasmine Leung, Maggie Lynne, Rhidian Marc, PaddyJoe Martin, Jessica-Alice McCluskey, Stacey McGuire, Harry Mills, Lewis Newton, Natalie Spriggs, Samantha Thomas, Joe Thompson-Oubari and James Titchener.
Cast subject to change from Tuesday 7 March 2023.
Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, Wicked imagines a beguiling backstory and future possibilities to the lives of L. Frank Baum’s beloved characters from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and reveals the decisions and events that shape the destinies of two unlikely university friends on their journey to becoming Glinda The Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
Wickedhas music and lyrics by multi-Oscar, Golden Globe and Grammy Award winner Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Pippin, The Prince of Egypt, Disney’s Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Enchanted and its new Disney+ sequel Disenchanted). It is based on the bestselling novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire and written by Emmy and Tony Award nominee Winnie Holzman, creator of the landmark American television series My So-Called Life. Musical staging is by Tony Award-winner Wayne Cilento with direction by two-time Tony Award-winner Joe Mantello.
Wicked is produced by Marc Platt, Universal Stage Productions, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt and David Stone. Executive Producer (UK) Michael McCabe.
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire is published in the UK by Headline (the book is recommended for readers aged 16+). Wicked: The Grimmerie, a behind-the-scenes look at the musical by David Cote, is published in the UK by Hyperion.
The Apollo Victoria Theatre, Wilton Road, London, SW1V 1LG
Tom Chambers will be playing the character Walter Hobbs, the rediscovered father of Buddy, in ELF, the smash hit musical which returns to London in a new production at the Dominion Theatre for a strictly limited 8-week season. ELF will begin previews on 14 November and open on 24 November 2022, with the season finishing on 7 January 2023. Tom Chambers’ credits include (Holby City (BBC), Waterloo Road (BBC), Father Brown (BBC), Jerry Travers in Top Hat (West End),Bob Wallis in White Christmas (West End)).
Also in the cast are Kim Ismay (Madame Morrible in Wicked (West End), Tanya in MAMMA MIA! (West End)) who will play Debs, Nicholas Pound (Old Deuteronomy in Cats, Jean Valjean in Les Miserables (UK tour), Juan Perón in Evita (UK tour)) who will play Santa and Dermot Canavan (Hairspray (London Coliseum), Lazar Wolf in Fiddler on the Roof (Menier Chocolate Factory and West End)) who will play Store Manager.
They join the previously announced Simon Lipkin and Georgina Castle as Buddy and Jovie, respectively.
Also in the cast are Evonnee Bentley-Holder Kyle Cox, Jade Davies, Bethan Downing, Francis Foreman, Morgan Gregory, Ryan Jupp, Ellis Linford-Pill, Shane O’Riordan, Theo Reece, Chloe Saunders, Heather Scott-Martin, Jessica Spalis, Michael Tyler, Katie Warsop and Natalie Woods.
Dexter Barry, Logan Clark, Alfie Morwood and Frankie Treadaway will alternate the role of Michael.
Based on the beloved 2003 New Line Cinema hit starring Will Ferrell, ELF features a book by Tony Award-winners Thomas Meehan (Annie, The Producers, Hairspray) and Bob Martin (The Drowsy Chaperone), with songs by Tony Award nominees Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin (The Wedding Singer).
The new production will be directed by Philip Wm. McKinley, with original set and costume design by Tim Goodchild, choreography by Liam Steel, lighting design by Patrick Woodroffe, sound by Gareth Owen, video design by Ian William Galloway and wig and hair design by Richard Mawbey. Casting is by Grindrod Burton Casting.
ELF is the funny and charming tale of Buddy, who mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts as a baby and is transported back to the North Pole and raised as an elf! Unaware that he is actually human, Buddy’s enormous size and poor toy-making abilities finally cause him to face the truth and realise he’ll never belong in the North Pole. With Santa’s permission, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York to find his birth father, discover his true identity and help New York remember the true meaning of Christmas.
Further casting is to be announced.
ELF the Musical is produced by Temple Live Entertainment.
Simon Russell Beale and Eben Figueiredo will return to the Bridge Theatre in Nicholas Hytner’s production ofA Christmas Carol for four weeks only this December. They are joined by Lyndsey Marshal who completes casting. Devised by Hytner, A Christmas Carol was previously seen at The Bridge in December 2020, before its acclaimed run was cut short by the coronavirus lockdown. Now, it returns this festive season, from 6 to 31 December 2022. Suitable for all ages, the show runs at 90 minutes without interval. Priority booking opens today (22 September 2022) at 11am, with public booking from 10am on 27 September 2022.
A Christmas Carol didn’t just invent Christmas as we know it. It’s also scary, joyful, spooky, hilarious, furious, beautiful, and a triumphant declaration that even the hardest hearts can melt.
Set and costume designs are again by Rose Revitt, with lighting by Jon Clark, sound by Gareth Fry, video design by Luke Halls and Zakk Hein, music by Grant Olding and choreography by James Cousins.
Simon Russell Beale made his Bridge Theatre debut in A Christmas Carol in 2020 followed by Bach & Sons and can be seen in the forthcoming John Gabriel Borkman, all directed by Nicholas Hytner with whom he has previously collaborated on The Alchemist, Much Ado About Nothing, Major Barbara, Collaborators, London Assurance and Timon of Athens, all at the National Theatre. In 2019 he was seen in The Lehman Trilogy at the National Theatre, then the West End and on Broadway for which he won the Tony award for Leading Actor in a Play. As well as being the recipient of multiple theatre awards, in 2003 he was made a CBE for his services to the Arts and in 2019 he was made a Knight Bachelor.
Eben Figueiredo previously played Schram in Nicholas Hytner’s production of Young Marx as well as roles in A Christmas Carol, bothat The Bridge. His other theatre credits include Cyrano de Bergerac at the Playhouse Theatre, Primetime at the Royal Court, Ross for Chichester Festival Theatre, Peter Pan at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and Pitcairn for Minerva Theatre. His film credits include Solo:A Star Wars Story and Daphne. On television his credits include The Attack and Scatooney.
Lyndsey Marshalis making her debut at The Bridge. Her recent theatre credits include Force Majeure at the Donmar Warehouse, The Wild Duck at the Almeida Theatre, Diminished at Hampstead Theatre, The Oresteia at HOME Manchester and Othello, directed by Nicholas Hytner, at the National Theatre. On television her credits includeInside Man, playing Agatha in Agatha and the Curse of Ishtar, Ellie in League of Gentleman, Cleopatra in Rome and Lady Sarah Hill in Garrow’s Law. On film her credits include The Hours, Trespass Against Us, Festival and Up the Catalogue.
For the Bridge Theatre Nicholas Hytner has directed Young Marx, Julius Caesar, Allelujah!, Alys, Always, A Midsummer Night’s Dream,Two Ladies, Beat the Devil, The Shrine, Bed Among the Lentils, A Christmas Carol, Bach & Sons and The Book of Dust – La Belle Sauvage. He recently directed Ralph Fiennes in David Hare’s Straight Line Crazy at The Bridge and at The Shed, New York, later this year and Alex Jennings in Stephen Beresford’s The Southbury Child at Chichester Festival Theatre and The Bridge. Later this month, he will direct Simon Russell Beale in John Gabriel Borkman. In February 2023 he will direct Guys & Dolls, the first musical to be presented at The Bridge. Previously he was Director of the National Theatre from 2003 to 2015.
LISTINGS INFORMATION FOR THE BRIDGE THEATRE
Address: Bridge Theatre, 3 Potters Fields Park, London, SE1 2SG
BIRMINGHAM ROYAL BALLET TO JOIN BIRMINGHAM’S BIG PRIDE PARADE
IN SUPPORT OF THE LGBTQIA+ COMMUNITY
Members of the city’s world class Birmingham Royal Ballet will be taking a break from rehearsals of their autumn season to join the 2022 Parade showing the company’s support for the LGBTQIA+ community in the City as part of Pride weekend.
Over fifteen members of BRB staff and dancers will join 100’s of participants including artists, performers, individuals and local businesses in what has become one of the largest and vibrant Parades of its kind in the UK.
This year’s Pride marks the company’s first Pride Parade and includes staff from across the company including BRB’s acclaimed dancers Brandon Lawrence (Principal), Tzu Chao (Principal) and Kit Holder (First Soloist).
The Parade, which will make its way through the city centre on Saturday 24th September, is a march for equality and justice and a celebration of LGBTQIA+ life and the contribution they make to the City.
Brandon Lawrence, BRB Principal, commented“I’m enormously proud to not only be walking in this year’s parade but to be doing it alongside my friends and colleagues of Birmingham Royal Ballet. The opportunity allows the company to walk in solidarity with our communities in support of diversity, inclusion and equality. Wishing everyone a very happy pride being united full of love and acceptance.”
This year’s Parade will be led by Drag UK Idol winner, Fatt Butcher, and RuPaul’s Drag Race UK contestant and one of the stars of the 2022 Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony Ginny Lemon. The event starts at Centenary Square in the heart of the city centre from 11am. The parade will then make its way through the city from 12 noon towards the LGBTQIA+ village around Hurst Street.
Birmingham Royal Ballet will return to Birmingham Hippodrome Stage for their autumn season from 21-29 October with Into the Music, featuring music from Beethoven and Benjamin Britten plus a world premiere by Morgann Runacre-Temple.and the return of Coppélia.
FIRST REGIONAL PRODUCTION OF BOUBLIL AND SCHÖNBERG’S LEGENDARY MUSICAL MISS SAIGON TO BE STAGED IN THE ICONIC CRUCIBLE THEATRE, SHEFFIELD BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT WITH CAMERON MACKINTOSH
JOANNA AMPIL CAST AS THE ENGINEER IN THIS NEW PRODUCTION CO-DIRECTED BY
ROBERT HASTIE AND ANTHONY LAU
UK PREMIERE OF EVE LEIGH’S WILDFIRE ROAD IN SHEFFIELD’S NEWLY-NAMED
TANYA MOISEIWITSCH PLAYHOUSE
2023
TANYA MOISEIWITSCH PLAYHOUSE
· Wildfire Road:Produced by Sheffield Theatres and staged in the intimate and flexible Playhouse, thisnew play by Eve Leigh and directed by Laura Keefe is an environmental thriller about a highjacked plane and a disparate group of passengers who try to make sense of their situation as the world burns below.
Saturday 4 March – Saturday 18 March 2023
CRUCIBLE THEATRE
Miss Saigon: Sheffield Theatres will present a new production by special arrangement with Cameron Mackintosh, marking the first regional non-replica production of Boublil and Schönberg’s hit musical retelling of Madame Butterfly set during the Vietnam war. Miss Saigon will be reimagined by Sheffield Theatres’ Artistic Director Robert Hastie and RTYDS Associate Artistic Director Anthony Lau as co-directors, with design by Ben Stones and lighting design by Jessica Hung Han Yun.
Joanna Ampil, who has previously played Kim in the London, Sydney, UK touring and 10th anniversary productions of Miss Saigon, will be cast as The Engineer. Further casting and creative team to be announced.
‘As we reach the culmination of our 50th anniversary year we are proud to announce new productions that continue our quest to give Sheffield audiences thrilling experiences they can only get in the theatre. A new production of Miss Saigon – the first in the UK to be given permission to explore new approaches to staging and casting since the original 1989 production – will light up the Crucible in Summer 2023. Anthony and I are thrilled to be co-directing Boublil and Schönberg’s iconic show, and could not be more excited to be welcoming Joanna Ampil to Sheffield to play The Engineer.
And as ever at Sheffield Theatres the classic sits alongside the brand new, with a mind-bending new play from Eve Leigh taking audiences to new heights in the Playhouse, our flexible, intimate space recently renamed in honour of our founding designer, Tanya Moiseiwitsch.
With these new productions joining a packed season, Life of Pi playing in the West End, Much Ado about Nothing about to depart on a national tour, and Standing at the Sky’s Edge arriving at the National Theatre in 2023, we are proud to be bringing the world to Sheffield Theatres and Sheffield theatre to the world.’
Anthony Lau, RTYDS Associate Artistic Directorof Sheffield Theatres, said:
‘Robert Hastie and I are thrilled to be directing a new version of the musical, Miss Saigon. With one of the most extraordinary scores in musical theatre history, we are looking forward to offering a fresh perspective on a musical that so many people have an opinion on. We want this project to ignite conversation and Cameron has encouraged us to be bold and original in our approach. The subject matter compels us to delve sensitively and deeply into the complications of two cultures entwined. At a time when it feels like there is more division than ever in society, epic stories like this give us the opportunity to embrace nuance and complexity in exploring the human experience.’
Dan Bates, Chief Executive of Sheffield Theatres, said:
‘The 2023 season combines everything we do so well at Sheffield Theatres – from nurturing new talent to re-imagining classic musicals.
At the moment, we are about to embark on a UK tour with Much Ado About Nothing, whilst having our two upcoming productions deep in rehearsals: the riotously funny Accidental Death of an Anarchist in the Playhouse and the climate crisis double-bill The Contingency Plan in the Crucible.
We continue to welcome more and more of our Sheffield community and those from further afield back to the theatre for a great night out and the team are in preparation for Christmas this year. Jack and the Beanstalk, our annual co-production with Evolution pantomimes, takes over the Lyceum whilst charming children’s show Jack Frost and the Search for Winter runs in the Playhouse. We are incredibly excited to welcome back to the Crucible stage Standing at the Sky’s Edge for the Christmas period, so our buildings will be brimming with potentially around 85000 audience members in the Crucible, Playhouse and Lyceum over the festive period.’
They join other productions previously announced for 2023. In the Playhouse Birds and Bees is produced by Sheffield Theatres and Theatre Centre. Thisbrand-new play by Charlie Josephine, about the real-world consequences of virtual life and going viral, will be directed by Rob Watt (Human Nurture).Wednesday 25 January – Saturday 11 February 2023.
In the Crucible, will be a new production marking the 80th anniversary of Bertolt Brecht’s popular play The Good Person of Szechwan, commissioned by ETT and co-produced by Sheffield Theatres, ETT and Lyric Hammersmith Theatre. This new version by writer Nina Segal is directed by Sheffield Theatres RTYDS AssociateArtisticDirectorAnthony Lau (Anna Karenina).Saturday 11 March – Saturday 1 April 2023
2022 continues Sheffield Theatres’ 50th Anniversary programme across its three theatres – the Crucible, Playhouse and Lyceum.
In the Crucible, Sheffield Theatres and Ramps on the Moon present Much Ado About Nothingwhich runs until Saturday 24 September 2022 before touring the UK. This is followed by Steve Waters’ double-bill of climate emergency plays The Contingency Plan: On the Beach andResilience from Friday 14 October – Saturday 5 November 2022. At Christmas, the critically acclaimed Sheffield musical Standing at the Sky’s Edge by Richard Hawley and Chris Bush returns from Saturday 10 December 2022 – Saturday 21 January 2023 before transferring to the National Theatre in 2023.
In the Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse, Accidental Death of an Anarchist by Dario Fo and Franco Rame, is given a sharp newadaptation by BAFTA-nominated comedian and writer Tom Basden (Plebs, Here We Go) and stars BAFTA-winning actor Daniel Rigby (Flowers, Black Mirror and Eric and Ernie) as The Maniac. It runs from Friday 23 September – Saturday 15 October 2022.
In December, Sheffield Theatres and Evolution Pantomimes will stage the GIANT family pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk. Starring Wendi Peters and legendary Sheffield Dame Damian Williams, this annual favourite will run from Friday 2 December 2022 – Tuesday 3 January 2023.
Guest Productions
Sheffield’s Lyceum Theatre continues to host some of the UK’s best touring plays, musicals and dance. Steel Magnolias plays from Tuesday 31 January – Saturday 4 February.Six women come together in a small town beauty salon in the American South and prove that female friendship conquers all. Faced with the highs and lows of love and life, they unite to gossip, unwind and set the world to rights.
Mother Goose comes to the Lyceum fromTuesday 14 – Saturday 18 February. You can’t put on a panto in February, right? Oh yes we can! Keep your eyes peeled for an exciting cast announcement that will have people flocking to Sheffield. Mother Goose promises to be the ultimate theatrical feast – full of fun, laughter and more than a couple of surprises.
The Way Old Friends Do, written by Ian Hallard, is a new comedy about devotion, desire and dancing queens. In 1988, two Birmingham school friends tentatively come out to one another: one as gay, the other – more shockingly – as an ABBA fan. Nearly thirty years later, a chance meeting sets them on a brand-new path. From Tuesday 7 – Saturday 11 March.
English Touring Opera returns to Sheffield with two great operas encompassing love, war and epic tragedy – Handel’s majestic Giulio Cesare and the deeply moving Lucrezia Borgia by Donizetti, on Monday 13 and Tuesday 14 March.
Lose yourself in the decadence of 1920s New York in Northern Ballet’s The Great Gatsby from Tuesday 21 – Saturday 25 March.Mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby has a penchant for lavish parties and beautiful women. As the sparkling façade of his world begins to slip, the loneliness, obsession and tragedy that lies beneath is revealed.
Croft House Theatre Company returns to present Kinky Boots, the spectacular, big-hearted hit musical full of singing, dancing, laughter… and fabulous heels! This amateur production is presented by arrangement with Music Theatre International (Europe) and runs from Tuesday 28 March – Saturday 1 April.
Blood Brothers returns to Sheffield from Tuesday 25 – Saturday 29 April. Written by Willy Russell, the legendary Blood Brothers tells the captivating and moving tale of twins who, separated at birth, grow up on opposite sides of the tracks, only to meet again with fateful consequences.
Take That’s Greatest Days runs from Monday 12 – Saturday 17 June. Meet five 16-year-old girls in 1993 for whom Take That is everything. Greatest Days follows the girls as they reunite after 25 years apart and try to fulfil their dream of meeting the boy band whose music became the soundtrack to their lives.
Best-selling author, Peter James returns to theatres with Wish You Were Dead from Tuesday 27 June – Saturday 1 July.When Detective Roy Grace and Cleo Morey take their first holiday together, Cleo hopes that she will finally get Grace to herself for a few days and away from his crime solving exploits. But their dream escape turns out to be the holiday from hell, as the past comes back to haunt them.
Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story tells the true story of Buddy’s meteoric rise to fame, from the moment in 1957 when ‘That’ll Be The Day’ hit the airwaves until his tragic death less than two years later. Running in the Lyceum from Tuesday 4 – Saturday 8 July.
Titanic the Musical returns to Sheffield from Tuesday 18 – Saturday 22 July.Based on real people aboard the most legendary ship in the world, Titanic The Musical is a stunning and stirring production focusing on the hopes, dreams and aspirations of her passengers who each boarded with stories and personal ambitions of their own.
Discover the remarkable story of The Drifters Girl, from Tuesday 26 – Saturday 30 September. Faye Treadwell, the legendary manager of The Drifters, fought to turn Atlantic Records’ hottest vocal group into a global phenomenon. The Drifters Girl charts the trailblazing efforts of the world’s first African-American, female music manager and how she refused to give up on the group she loved.
Alongside Sheffield Theatres’ own productions, the Crucible will host a number of guest shows:
Quality Street is the delicious farce by J.M. Barrie that gave its name to the famous chocolates. When an old flame returns from the Napoleonic Wars, Phoebe creates a flirtatious alter-ego. Can she juggle both personas without causing a scandal? Northern Broadsides’ hit production plays in the Crucible from Thursday 25 – Saturday 27 May.
Worth runs in the Crucible from Thursday 1 – Saturday 3 June. Hours before their mother’s funeral, the Yeung siblings gather in the family home for the first time in years, only to discover their inheritance isn’t what they’d expected. Inspired by true events, Worth by Joanna Lau is a darkly-comic family drama.
The World Seniors Snooker Tour returns to the Crucible from Wednesday 3 – Sunday 7 May. Last year, Lee Walker was crowned World Champion in a thrilling final against Jimmy White and this year is shaping up to be another stellar field for Snooker fans.
Over in the Playhouse, guest productions include:
Osman Baig presents Fake News on Tuesday 31 January. Hailed as a must-see by The Guardian and The Telegraph, see how a journalist is almost broken by breaking news.
Boxing Clever plays on Tuesday 7 February. Ashley’s in trouble. Life feels like one big fight. Has he got what it takes to win? Created by Under the Stars and artists with learning difficulties and/or autism.
China Plate and Staatstheater Mainz present A Family Business, a show about how not to blow up the planet, runs on Friday 24 – Saturday 25 March.We live in a world so connected we can access ongoing conflicts, and their implications, in real time, but how do we start to deal with the global issues, when so much in our everyday needs fixing?
Speed Dial is a comedy-thriller presented by Spies Like Us follows a university professor on a gripping adventure to save his missing daughter. It’s Singin’ in the Rain meets Hitchcock. Playing on Saturday 1 April.
Proto-type Theater presents Dead Cats from Wednesday 10 – Thursday 11 May. In rooms like this room, people lie. Not little lies, the kinds of lies that kill people, or worse…
Tickets for Wildfire Road, Miss Saigon and all new touring productions are on sale to Centre Stage Members at 10amSaturday 24 September 2022 and on general sale at 10am on Saturday 1 October 2022. Tickets for all 2022 productions, plus Birds and Bees and The Good Person of Szechwan in 2023,are on sale now.
Accessible performances are available on the majority of productions. Tickets can be booked through the Box Office in person, over the phone on 0114 249 6000 or at sheffieldtheatres.co.uk.
A spooky celebration with West End’s biggest stars at West End Musical Halloween Monday 31st October 2022, 7.30pm Lyric Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, London W1D 7ES
This Halloween the West End’s number one concert series has a ghoulishly good evening in store for musical theatre lovers!
The biggest stars of the West End will be haunting audiences with the scariest songs of musical theatre for one night only at West End Musical Halloween. This all-singing, all-dancing extravaganza is brought to you by the award-winning producers (Black British Theatre Awards, Best Producer 2021 and Best Musical Production 2021) of West End Musical Brunch, West End Musical Drive In, West End Musical Celebration, West End Musical Christmas and West End Musical Love Songs.
The all-star line-up includes Courtney Bowman (Legally Blonde), Luke Bayer (Everybody’s Talking about Jamie), Shanay Holmes (Get Up Stand Up), Sophie Isaacs (Heathers), Jordan Shaw (Les Miserables) and Tosh Wanogho-Maud (The Drifters Girl) with many more treats in store…
Shanay Holmes comments, Musical theatre and Halloween, what’s not to love! This is going to be a frightfully fun evening and fancy dress is most definitely encouraged!
The set list is a closely guarded secret, but the show will feature some of the spookiest moments from your favourite musicals. Expect freakishly fun show tunes from the darker side of musicals such as Sweeney Todd, Little Shop Of Horrors, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Phantom Of The Opera, Thriller, Beetlejuice and cult classics such as Jekyll & Hyde, The Addams Family, Carrie and Bat Boy!
Get ready to sing and dance along and for a host of tricks and treats at this spooktacular concert! It’s going to be a scream!
TRAFALGAR RELEASING ANNOUNCE CINEMA RELEASE ON 27 NOVEMBER & 1 DECEMBER FOR THE NOTTINGHAM PLAYHOUSE PRODUCTION OF
CHARLES DICKENS’
A CHRISTMAS CAROL A GHOST STORY
ADAPTED BY MARK GATISS
DIRECTED BY ADAM PENFORD
CELEBRATED NOTTINGHAM PLAYHOUSE PRODUCTION OF CHARLES DICKENS’ A CHRISTMAS CAROL: A GHOST STORY, ADAPTED BY MARK GATISS, HAS BEEN FILMED FOR CINEMA RELEASE
AUDIENCES WILL BE ABLE TO SEE MARK GATISS AS JACOB MARLEY IN HIS OWN RETELLING OF THE WINTER GHOST STORY, WITH NICHOLAS FARRELL AS EBENEZER SCROOGE
FILMED LIVE AT ALEXANDRA PALACE THEATRE IN 2021, THE PRODUCTION WILL BE RELEASED IN CINEMAS ACROSS THE UK ON 27 NOVEMBER AND 1 DECEMBER
Today, Trafalgar Releasing have announced that the Nottingham Playhouse production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story, adapted by Mark Gatiss and directed by Adam Penford, is being released in cinemas nationwide on 27 November and 1 December. A first look trailer can be found here. Tickets are available to buy from christmascarolcinema.com.
Credit: Manuel Harlan / ArenaPAL www.arenapal.com
Mark Gatiss (Sherlock, Dracula, Doctor Who) stars as Jacob Marley in his own ‘Irresistibly theatrical’ (★★★★★ The Telegraph) retelling of Dickens’ classic winter ghost story, A Christmas Carol, alongside Nicholas Farrell (Chariots of Fire, The Crown, The Iron Lady) as Scrooge.
Mark Gatiss said: “As the year turns again it’s a real joy to be bringing A Christmas Carol to a whole new audience. I fulfilled a lifelong ambition in bringing the show to the stage, at the wonderful Nottingham Playhouse and the extraordinary Ally Pally. Now it’s time for cinemas to get in on the fun of our darkly delicious, ghostly Christmas treat. God bless us. Every one!”
Credit: Manuel Harlan / ArenaPAL www.arenapal.com
The Nottingham Playhouse production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story was filmed live for cinemas during the 2021 stage run at London’s iconic Alexandra Palace Theatre. Directed for the screen by Matt Hargraves and co-produced by Eleanor Lloyd Productions, Fiery Angel, Trafalgar Releasing, Eilene Davidson Productions and Gavin Kalin Productions, it is being screened in cinemas by Trafalgar Releasing, the global leader in event cinema distribution.
Marc Allenby, CEO of Trafalgar Releasing said: ‘Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is a perennial favourite for the festive season and we’re delighted to bring this cinematic and entertaining adaptation by Mark Gatiss, filmed especially for the big screen, to cinema audiences nationwide.’
Credit: Manuel Harlan / ArenaPAL www.arenapal.com
This powerful tale of life, love, loss and redemption is as relevant today as when it was first published 179 years ago.
It’s a cold Christmas Eve and mean-spirited miser Ebenezer Scrooge has an unexpected visit from the spirit of his former business partner Jacob Marley. Bound in chains as punishment for a lifetime of greed, the unearthly figure explains it isn’t too late for Scrooge to change his miserly ways in order to escape the same fate, but first he’ll have to face three more eerie encounters…
.Credit: Manuel Harlan / ArenaPAL www.arenapal.com
For more information about where you can see A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story on the big screen please visit: christmascarolcinema.com
The Nottingham Playhouse production of A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story is presented by Eleanor Lloyd Productions and Eilene Davidson Productions in association with Gavin Kalin Productions and Rupert Gavin/Mallory Factor.
Olivia Darnley completes the company for the world première of Christopher Isherwood’s A Single Man, joining Theo Fraser Steele who leads the cast as George, alongside Freddie Gaminara, Miles Molan and Phoebe Pryce.This new adaptation from Simon Reade is directed by Philip Wilson, opening in Park200 at Park Theatre on 21 October, with previews from 19 October, and runs until 26 November. Darnley replaces the previously announced Rachel Pickup as Charley, who has withdrawn following a conflict with filming.
Troupe
in association with Park Theatre presents
the world première of a new adaptation of
A SINGLE MAN
Based on the book by CHRISTOPHER ISHERWOOD
Adapted by SIMON READE
19 October – 26 November 2022
Director: Philip Wilson; Set and Costume Designer: Caitlin Abbott;Lighting Designer: Peter Harrison;
Sound Designer and Composer: Beth Duke; Movement Director: Natasha Harrison
“I make myself remember. I am afraid of forgetting. I will have to forget if I want to go on living.”
California, 1962. College professor George is grieving the death of his long-term partner Jim. As a middle-aged gay Englishman living in the Los Angeles suburbs, he is an outsider in every way. Haunted by his past and unable to move forward, we follow him on one very ordinary day. But for George, this is going to be a day like no other…
A Single Man features in the Guardian’s 100 Best Novels Written in English, where it is described as “a work of compressed brilliance”. Known to many through Tom Ford’s film, Christopher Isherwood’s masterpiece is now given a wry and compassionate retelling in Simon Reade’s new adaptation for the stage.
Powerful and sexy, A Single Man is a darkly amusing study of grief, love and loneliness from the celebrated writer of Goodbye to Berlin, the inspiration for Cabaret.
Olivia Darnley plays Charley. For theatre, her recent credits include The Meeting, A Marvellous Year for Plums (Chichester Festival Theatre), Masterpieces, Pig Girl, Accolade, The Rat Trap (Finborough Theatre), Ugly Lies the Bone (National Theatre), Twelfth Night (Filter Theatre), Wolf Hall, Bring Up the Bodies (RSC/Aldwych Theatre/Winter Garden Theater, New York), Pride and Prejudice, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macbeth (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), A Day in the Death of Joe Egg (Citizen’s Theatre, Glasgow), All My Sons (Apollo Theatre), Artist Descending A Staircase (Old Red Lion), Hay Fever (Theatre Royal, Haymarket), Green Grass (Union Theatre), As You Like It, The Little Fir Tree (Crucible Theatre, Sheffield), Much Ado About Nothing and Private Lives (Theatre Royal Bath). For TV, her credits include Doc Martin, Call the Midwife, Grantchester and Titanic; and for film: Seacole, Store Detective and Death Defying Acts.
