NATIONAL THEATRE ANNOUNCES FULL CASTING FOR LYNETTE LINTON’S REVIVAL OF MICHAEL ABBENSETTS’ ALTERATIONS
The National Theatre today announces full casting for Bush Theatre Artistic Director Lynette Linton’s (Blues for an Alabama Sky, Shifters) revival of award-winning Guyana-born British writer Michael Abbensetts’ (Sweet Talk, Empire Road) era-defining comedy Alterations. Illuminating the Guyanese experience of 1970s London and highlighting the aspirations and sacrifices of the Windrush generation, this new production will be the largest ever staging, reinvigorated with additional material by writer Trish Cooke (Black Street Mammy).
Alterations is part of the Black Plays Archive based at the National Theatre,an online catalogue of the first professional production in the UK of plays written by Black British, African, and Caribbean playwrights. Previous announced cast include Arinzé Kene (Get Up, Stand Up: The Bob Marley Story) making his National Theatre debut as Walker Holt and Cherrelle Skeete (Hanna) returning to the National Theatre as Darlene Holt.
Further casting announced today includes Karl Collins (Nine Night) as Horace, Gershwyn Eustache Jnr (Small Island) as Buster, Raphel Famotibe (Wonder Boy) as Courtney, Tyler Fayose (Phoenix Rise) as Ensemble + Understudy Walker, Richard Emerson Gould (The Vaudvillains) as Ensemble + Understudy Mr Nat, Joshua John (Romeo & Juliet) as Ensemble + Understudy Courtney, Colin Mace (War Horse) as Mr Nat, Samuel Nunes de Souza (The Prince and the Pauper) as Ensemble + Understudy Horace/Buster and Yolanda Ovide (Slave: A Question of Freedom) as Ensemble + Understudy Darlene.
Walker Holt has big dreams for his tailor’s shop, and an even bigger order to complete. Over the course of 24 hours, he must work tirelessly to satisfy his new client’s impossible tailoring needs. But as the night goes on, it’s not just the trouser hems that start to fray, as tensions rise, and Walker’s friendships and relationships are pushed to their limits. His success comes at a cost, but what price is he willing to pay?
Director Lynette Linton is joined by set and costume designer Frankie Bradshaw, lighting designer Oliver Fenwick, movement director Shelley Maxwell, composer XANA, sound designer George Dennis, Wigs, Hair and Make-up Designer Cynthia De La Rosa, casting director Naomi Downham,fight director Kate Waters, dramatherapist Wabriya King, voice and dialect coach Hazel Holder, assistant voice coach Tamsin Newlands, associate set and costume designer Natalie Johnson and staff director Kaleya Bax.
Playing in the Lyttelton theatre from 20 February to 5 April 2025.
Morris Gilbert and Óskar Eiriksson present the UK premiere of Laurent Baffie’s international smash hit comedy about OCD
DocDoc
at the Churchill Theatre Bromley and the Palace Theatre Southend in February 2025
Directed by Ian Talbot
Morris Gilbert and Óskar Eiriksson present the UK premiere of Laurent Baffie’s outrageously hilarious worldwide hit comedy play DocDoc – which has had over 4 million people in over 37 countries in stitches – at the Churchill Theatre Bromley from 5-15 February 2025 and the Palace Theatre Southend from 18-23 February 2025.
In this hysterical farce which pokes fun at all our idiosyncrasies and foibles, Doctor Cooper, a renowned specialist in obsessive-compulsive disorders, is running late. Meanwhile, he has a waiting room filled with patients desperate to be treated. First up there’s Fred with a bad case of Tourette’s, and behind him a growing queue of more and more challenging compulsions. Practice Assistant, Anna, attempts to keep on top of the mounting chaos whilst we await the good doctor’s arrival but, with the extended absence of Doctor Cooper, the group has no other option than to try their own version of group therapy, with screamingly funny consequences.
DocDoc stars Sophie Bloor (Gay Pride and No Prejudice) as Lili, Gareth Brierley (The Diplomat) as Fred, Ryan Early (Coronation Street) as Lee, Joanna Hudson-Fox (Emmerdale) as Blanche, Isabella Leung (A Bouffon Play About Hong Kong) as Anna, Julia J Nagle (9 to 5 The Musical) as Mary and Leon Stewart (Wish You Were Dead) as Otto with Rhîan Crowley-McLean (Witness for the Prosecution) and Joshua Ford (Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power)as understudies.
The UK Creative Team for DocDoc is Writer Laurent Baffie, English Version by Julian Quintanilla, Adaptation by Susie McKenna and Clarisa Butler, Director Ian Talbot (The Mousetrap) with Original Direction by Lia Jelin and Designer Paula Sabina.
Screenshot
Laurent Baffie – who has experienced obsessive-compulsive disorders himself – is a French writer, radio and television presenter, actor, theatre director and film-maker. He began writing sketches for other comedians as early as 1985, but it was not until 1991 that he became known for his bold and provocative improvisations on television. In 2005, he wrote Toc Toc (retitled as DocDoc for the UK), which was a huge success not only in France but all over the world, especially in Spain and South America, where it was an unprecedented success. Toc Toc has been seen by more than 4,300,000 people and has won numerous awards. Laurent Baffie writes a new play every year. He has also written several books, including his own dictionary, with over 500,000 copies sold. His jokes and hidden cameras are popular on his Instagram and YouTube channels. Laurent Baffie is a bestselling author whose comic tone, freedom and impertinence make him a unique character.
Julián Quintanilla is a Spanish writer and also a Theatre and Film director. His latest work in film, the medium-length film El Mundo Entero, qualified for the Oscars and was nominated for the Goya Awards in 2018, as well as winning 44 international awards, including ‘Best Live Action Short Film’ at the Cleveland International Film Festival. As a playwright, his plays Mi abuela, la loca, El gran día de la madre and Hongos stand out. His work as a Molière Award-winning adaptor of French plays has earned him worldwide recognition, with his texts premiered in more than 20 countries, performed and directed by leading figures in the theatre. Julián has a degree in directing from the RESAD in Madrid, a degree in cinema from the University of Paris and a degree in audiovisual scriptwriting from the French Screenwriters’ School. Julián is currently finishing the post-production of his first feature film.
The producers of DocDoc will be working in partnership with UK-based mental health charities. More details are to be announced.
Artistic Director Tim Sheader and Executive Director Henny Finch today announce the full company for the world premiere of Anna Mackmin’s new play, Backstroke – joining the previously announced Tamsin Greig and Celia Imrie are Lucy Briers, Anita Reynolds and Georgina Rich. Chloe Hart and Rhashan Stone also feature in filmed scenes within the production.
Backstroke opens on 20 February, with previews from 14 February, and runs until 12 April.
THE WORLD PREMIERE OF BACKSTROKE Written and directed by Anna Mackmin
Design by Lez Brotherston Lighting design by Paule Constable Sound Design by Christopher Shutt Video Design by Gino Ricardo Green Choreographer Scarlett Mackmin Casting Director Anna Cooper CDG Associate Director Fiona Dunn
14 February 2025 – 12 April 2025
“Just let go. Let your body float. You’ll still be here but it’ll feel like flying in a dream.”
Bo is busy – balancing the pressures of work and the needs of her struggling daughter. When her mother, the irrepressible force-of-nature Beth, is admitted to hospital following a stroke, the practical realities of the present collide with the complexities of their past.
Celia Imrie and Tamsin Greig play mother and daughter in this kaleidoscopic and compassionate new play, written and directed by Anna Mackmin.
Anna Mackmin returns to the Donmar – she previously directed The Dark. Her first novel Devoured was published by Propolis 2018. It was shortlisted for the Desmond Elliot prize, won the New Angles book of the year and the East Anglian book award for best novel. Her other work as a director includes The Divine Mrs S (Hampstead Theatre), Woman in Mind (Chichester Festival Theatre), Di and Viv and Rose (Hampstead Theatre/Vaudeville Theatre), Hedda Gabler, The Real Thing, Dancing at Lughnasa (The Old Vic), Really Old, Like Forty Five; Chatroom, Burn & Citizenship (National Theatre), Hedda Gabler, Ghosts (Gate Theatre Dublin), In Celebration, Under the Blue Sky (Duke of York’s), Dying for It, The Lightning Play (Almeida Theatre), Mammals (Bush Theatre/tour), Breathing Corpses, Food Chain (Royal Court Theatre), Auntie and Me (Wyndham’s Theatre/Gaiety Theatre Dublin), In Flame (Bush Theatre/Ambassadors Theatre), Airswimming (Battersea Arts Centre), Me and My Girl, The Crucible, Iphigenia, Teeth ‘n’ Smiles, and The Arbor (Sheffield Theatres).
Lucy Briers plays Carol. Her previous work for the Donmar includes Ivanov (Wyndham’s Theatre). Her other theatre credits include Orlando (Garrick Theatre), All of Us, The Voysey Inheritance (National Theatre), Rosmersholm – winner of the Clarence Derwent Award (Duke of York’s Theatre), Forty Years On; The Seagull, Ivanov (Chichester Festival Theatre), Show Boat (Chichester Festival Theatre/Gillian Lynne Theatre), Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies (RSC/Aldwych Theatre/Broadway), Top Girls (Chichester/Trafalgar Theatre), Behud (Belgrade Coventry/Soho Theatre), Bedroom Farce, Miss Julie (Rose Theatre Kingston), Private Fears in Public Places, Just Between Ourselves (Theatre Royal Northampton), Sexual Perversity in Chicago (Norwich Theatre Royal), Some Kind of Bliss (Trafalgar Studios/Brits Off Broadway), Ship of Fools (Theatre503), Catch (Royal Court Theatre), The Winter’s Tale (Southwark Playhouse), Musik; Rose Bernd (Arcola Theatre), The Solid Gold Cadillac (Garrick Theatre), Cloud Nine – nominated for TMA Best Supporting Actress, Teeth ‘n’ Smiles, Don Juan (Sheffield Theatres), Electra (Gate Theatre), Spike (Nuffield, Southampton), Keepers (Hampstead Theatre), As You Like It (Sheffield Theatres/Lyric Hammersmith), All That Trouble That We Had (Birmingham Rep), The Rivals (Nottingham Playhouse), Henry IV (The Old Vic/English Touring Theatre), Othello (New Victoria Theatre), Emma (Edinburgh Fringe), The Entertainer (Leeds Playhouse/Birmingham Rep), The Tempest (Salisbury Rep), and Syme (Birmingham Rep/National Theatre). For television, her work includes House of the Dragon, Lockwood & Co, Home, Endeavour, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Gentleman Jack, Victoria, Mrs Wilson, Press, Father Brown, Count Arthur Strong, Our Girl, DCI Banks, The Thick of It, Parade’s End, The Night Watch, Twenty Twelve, Ashes to Ashes, Einstein and Eddington, The Green Green Grass, Genie in the House, Rough Crossings, Bonkers, Broken News, Bodies, Poirot: The Hollow, Fathers and Sons, Beast, Wives and Daughters, Dangerfield, Imogen’s Face, Game On, Unfinished Business, Only You, Pride and Prejudice, Unnatural Causes, Screaming, The Ten Percenters, The Brittas Empire, Red Dwarf, A Masculine Ending, and Blackheath Poisonings; and for film, Flavia de Luce, Downton Abbey 3, We Live in Time, My Policeman, Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Emma, The Show, Genius, Alan Partridge, Alpha Papa, Children of Men, and Perks.
Tamsin Greig plays Bo. Her theatre credits includes The Deep Blue Sea (Theatre Royal Bath), Peggy for You, iHo (Hampstead Theatre), Talking Heads Live: Nights in The Garden of Spain (Bridge Theatre), A Kind of Alaska/Landscape (Harold Pinter Theatre), Labour of Love (Noël Coward Theatre), Twelfth Night (National Theatre), Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Playhouse Theatre), Jumpy (Royal Court Theatre), God of Carnage (Gielgud Theatre), The Little Dog Laughed (Garrick Theatre), Much Ado About Nothing (RSC and Novello – Olivier & Critics Award for Best Actress), and Gethsemane (National Theatre). Her television work includes The Completely Made Up Adventures of Dick Turpin, Suspect, Sexy Beast, The Amazing Mr Blunden, The Diary of Anne Frank, Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads, Belgravia, Elementary, Diana and I, Inside No 9, The Guilty, White Heat, Episodes (BAFTA Best Comedy Performance nomination), Friday Night Dinner (BAFTA Best Comedy Performance nomination), Emma, Green Wing (Royal Television Society Award for Best Actress, BAFTA Best Comedy Performance nomination), and Black Books (British Comedy Award nomination for Best Actress); and for film, Land of Legend, My Happy Ending, Official Secrets, Romeo and Juliet, Days of the Bagnold Summer, Tamara Drewe (Nominated BIFA Best Supporting Actress), The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Breaking the Bank, and Stop the World.
Celia Imrie returns to the Donmar to play Beth – she previously appeared in Polar Bears and Habeas Corpus. Her other theatre work includes Party Time / Celebration, The Hothouse (Harold Pinter Theatre), Noises Off (The Old Vic), Hay Fever (Rose Theatre Kingston), The Rivals (Southwark Playhouse), Mixed Up North (Wilton’s Music Hall), Plague Over England (Duchess Theatre), Unsuspecting Susan (King’s Head/59th Street Theatre, New York), Acorn Antiques: The Musical (Theatre Royal Haymarket, Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical), The School for Scandal (RSC), Dona Rosita the Spinster (Almeida Theatre), and The Sea (National Theatre, Clarence Derwent Award for Best Supporting Actress). Her television work includes The Diplomat, Better Things, Short Adam, Keeping Faith, Hang Ups, Patrick Melrose, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Vicious, Our Zoo, Blandings, Coming Up, Love & Marriage, Doctor Who, Titanic, The Bleak Old Shop of Stuff, Cranford, After You’ve Gone, Kingdom, Still Game; Doctor Zhivago, Daniel Deronda, Sparkhouse, Absolutely Fabulous, Love in a Cold Climate, Gormenghast, dinnerladies, Microsoap, Duck Patrol, The History of Tom Jones and Wokenwell; and for film, Good Grief, Love Again, Love Sarah, Nativity Rocks!, Malevolent, Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again, Finding Your Feet, A Cure for Wellness, Bridget Jones’s Baby, Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie, Year by the Sea, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Nativity 3: Dude, Where’s My Donkey?!, What We Did on Our Holiday, The Love Punch, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, You will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, St Trinian’s 2: The Legend of Fool’s Gold, St Trinian’s, Nanny McPhee, Imagine Me & You, Wah-Wah, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, Wimbledon, Out of Bounds, Calendar Girls, Bridget Jones’s Diary, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Hillary and Jackie, The Borrowers, In The Bleak Midwinter, Frankenstein, Highlander, and the forthcoming The Thursday Murder Club and Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy. She was awarded the Women in Film and Television Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017.
Anita Reynolds plays Jill. Her work in theatre includes The Comedy of Errors, Bartholomew Fair, The Merry Wives of Windsor (Shakespeare’s Globe), Twelfth Night (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Romeo and Julie (National Theatre/Sherman Theatre), The Importance of Being Earnest (ETT/ Leeds Playhouse/ Rose Theatre), A Monster Calls – Helen Hayes Award nominee for Outstanding Performance (The Old Vic/Bristol Old Vic/US tour), Ear For Eye (Royal Court Theatre), Absolute Hell (National Theatre), Hang (Run Amok/The Other Room), The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; Arabian Nights, Romeo And Juliet, Measure For Measure, Horrible Histories (Sherman Theatre), Speechless (Shared Experience/Sherman Cymru), The Move (Made in Wales), Carers (Turning Point Theatre Co), Cinderella (Unicorn Theatre), Forbidden Fruit (Nottingham Roundabout Theatre), Wishful Thinking (Hijinx Theatre), Dealing With Feelings (London Bubble Theatre), and How High Is Up/Mirror Mirror (Theatre Centre). For television, his work includes The Light in the Hall; Somewhere Boy, The Pembrokeshire Murders, In My Skin, Rellik, Keeping Faith, Stella, Gwaith Cartref, Talking to the Dead, Being Human, Caerdydd; Belonging; Dau Dy a Ni, Nice Day for a Welsh Wedding, Doctors; The Story of Tracy Beaker, Dose, Bay College, Nuts and Bolts, The Bench, and The Hull Project; and for film, I Used to Be Famous, Mother’s Day, G Flat, Wild Geese, Telling Tales, Sweet 16, Rain, and Paradise Grove.
Georgina Rich plays Paulina. Her theatre credits include Richard III, Between Us (Arcola Theatre), Rabbit Hole (Hampstead Theatre), As You Like It (Rose Theatre Kingston), The Merchant of Venice (RSC), Dirty Dancing (Aldwych Theatre), Honour (Wyndham’s Theatre), Much Ado About Nothing, Lear (Sheffield Theatres), and Twelfth Night (English Touring Theatre). Her television work includes Industry, The Jetty, Grace, Heartstopper, Criminal Record, Malpractice, War of the Worlds, Sister Boniface, Queens of Mystery, Call the Midwife, Wallis: The Queen That Never Was, Rellik, Black Mirror: Hated in the Nation, Cuffs, River, Ripper Street, In and Out of the Kitchen, The Game, Sherlock, New Tricks, Public Enemies, Spooks, Waking the Dead, Law and Order: UK, The Catherine Tate Show, Kenneth Tynan: In Praise of Hardcore, and Peter Warlock: Some Little Joy; and for film, September 5, Blithe Spirit, Radioactive, and Dimensions.
Preview discounts apply to the first four performances only
Standing £15 to be released at a later date
35 AND UNDER TICKETS AT £20 Aged 16-35? Sign up to our exclusive email list to book tickets for £20, located throughout the theatre including the front row. Plus receive insights to shows, invites to socials, and exclusive offers at the bar and more. Book early to secure these prices.www.donmarwarehouse.com/35under
Maximum two tickets per person – both need to be aged 35 or under at time of the performance. Subject to availability. ID will need to be shown at Box Office to collect tickets.
DONMAR DAILY
New tickets on sale every day at the Donmar. Allocations of tickets will be made available every day for performances 7 days later. Tickets will be available across the auditorium at every price band.
ACCESS
The Donmar Warehouse is fully wheelchair accessible. Guide dogs and hearing dogs are welcome in the auditorium. There is a Loop system and a Radio Frequency system fitted in the main auditorium and there are also hearing loops at all the front of house counters.
ASSISTED PERFORMANCES If you require a companion to attend the Donmar, their ticket will be free. To book call 020 3282 3808 or email [email protected].
For all other access enquiries or bookings call 020 3282 3808.
SEASON AT A GLANCE
NATASHA, PIERRE AND THE GREAT COMET OF 1812 Until 8 February 2025 Captioned: Monday 27 January 7.30pm Audio described: Saturday 1 February 2.30pm
BACKSTROKE 14 February 2025 – 12 April 2025 Captioned: Monday 31 March at 7.30pm Audio described: Saturday 5 April at 2.30pm
INTIMATE APPAREL 20 June 2025 – 9 August 2025 Captioned: Monday 28 July at 7.30pm Audio described: Saturday 2 August at 2.30pm
MACBETH – IN CINEMAS
5 February
Since 2019 the Donmar has doubled the reach of its schools and community work, including twice touring full scale productions to schools in its local boroughs in response to declining arts provision in schools.
The company has also significantly expanded its talent development work, launching CATALYST, its training programme that creates paid training opportunities for those historically underrepresented in the sector. Since 2019 the programme has helped launch the careers of 31 early career artists and administrators, 90% of whom continue to work in the sector.
Thousands of young people each year get to see the Donmar’s world-class productions through audience development programmes providing heavily discounted or free tickets.
DONMAR WAREHOUSE
The Donmar offers a uniquely intimate theatre experience where no audience member is ever more than four rows from the action. In our converted warehouse in the heart of the West End, we bring together exceptional artists to tell powerful, popular and inclusive stories. For over 30 years we’ve been making celebrated productions of classic plays, new work and intimate musicals that illuminate the human experience and thrill theatre-goers at our home base and further afield through transfers and on screen. We enable talented emerging artists to find new routes into the industry, and create opportunities for local young people to experience the artform as both audience members and makers. Through our productions and participation programmes we inspire audiences and artists of all backgrounds to embrace the experience of live theatre as a catalyst for inquiry, compassion, connection and joy.
Royal Shakespeare Theatre Stratford-Upon-Avon – until 18th January 2025
Reviewed by Amarjeet Singh
5*****
Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night tells the tale of Viola, who, when separated from her twin brother Sebastian in a shipwreck, disguises herself as a boy, calls herself Cesario, and becomes a servant to the Duke Orsino. The duke sends her to woo the Countess Olivia on his behalf, but instead the countess falls in love with Cesario. Meanwhile Olivia’s drunken uncle, Sir Toby Belch and his friend Sir Andrew Aguecheek play a trick on Malvolio, Olivia’s pompous steward, convincing him that the countess is in fact in love with him. Eventually Sebastian turns up, creating confusion, chaos and high jinx.
Prasanna Puwananarajah’s Twelfth Night is a directorial triumph. Staying faithful to the original, he has breathed new life into this production, making for a modern, magical, masterpiece. This is an exceptionally clever comedy balanced perfectly alongside the more melancholy and sinister aspects of the plot. Each character is fully fleshed out and well-rounded so we can engage with their journey, understand and believe their motives and emotions. A visual delight, we are shown so much in nuance as well as speech. A raised eyebrow, a nod of the head, a group laugh, there is not one moment that has not been thought through or considered.
Bally Gill plays Duke Orsino with poise and passion. Demetri Goritsas, Joplin Sibtain and Daniel Miller as Sir Andrew Aguecheek, Sir Toby Belch and Fabien respectively provide some excellent antics alongside Danielle Henry as the superbly stirring Maria.
Norman Bowman plays the angst-ridden Antonio with authenticity paired wonderfully with Rhys Rusbatch’s rough and rugged Sebastian. Samuel West plays Malvolio to perfection, enabling us to follow the character as he changes from victimiser to victim. Freema Agyeman’s Olivia equally portrays the change from that of the bereaved to the beguiled flawlessly. Gwyneth Keyworth effortlessly traverses Viola’s emotional and physical shifts throughout the play. Grieving sibling, gender altered “Cesario”, mistaken lothario, and brutish brawler. Embodying each state convincingly she drives the play with wonderful wit and warmth. Michael Grady-Hall’s Feste, with his Eraserhead/Kramer esq shock of hair, is sensational. He completely mesmerises with his performance whilst taking nothing away from the other players. Ballads, ball play, mime, ventriloquism, his timing and presence is remarkable. Combined with Zoe Spurr and George Dennis’ brilliant Lighting and sound design they pull off some hilarious and unexpected illusions. James Cotterill’s costumes bring splashes of colour and along with Matt Maltese’s original musical composition, Twelfth Night is a sensation for all the senses. Puwananarajah has certainly achieved greatness in this Christmas cracker.
Start the year as you mean to go on, by seeing live theatre, with great deals available until the end of January on your favourite London shows with tickets from as little as £10 to £60 for select performances in 2025.
If you are already a theatre fan, share your love and take a friend, and if you’re new… welcome! This is the perfect way to see what Theatreland has to offer and do something different.
Previously known as the Official London Theatre New Year Sale and Get into London Theatre, See It Live is firmly established as one of theatreland’s longest running promotions, now in its 22nd year.
From exciting new productions like 101 Dalmations, Clueless The Musical, The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, Elektra, Kyoto, The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical, Mean Girls and The Score, and established West End favourites including Back To The Future The Musical, Disney’s The Lion King, Les Misérables, MJ The Musical, Mrs. Doubtfire, Mamma Mia!, Matilda The Musical, The Mousetrap, The Phantom Of The Opera, The Play That Goes Wrong and Wicked, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
Full list of available shows in See It Live in 2025
101 Dalmations
Aladdin Back To The Future The Musical
Birdsong Cabaret
Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book
The Choir Of Man Clueless The Musical The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Dr. Strangelove
Elektra Fawlty Towers Firebird The Gang Of Three The Gift Hadestown Here You Come Again Horrible Histories: Horrible Christmas How To Fight Loneliness King Of Pangea Kyoto The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical Disney’s The Lion King Macbeth Magic Mike Live Mamma Mia! The Marriage Of Figaro Matilda The Musical Mean Girls
The Merchant Of Venice 1936 A Midsummer Night’s Dream Les Misérables MJ The Musical Moulin Rouge! The Musical The Mousetrap
Mrs President Mrs. Doubtfire Murder Ballad The Nutcracker Parlour Song The Phantom Of The Opera The Pirates Of Penzance Play On! The Play That Goes Wrong
Potted Panto Puppy Robin Hood And The Christmas Heist The Score The Show On The Roof
Showstopper! The Improvised Musical
Sisters 360 Six
Slava’s SnowShow The Smartest Giant In Town The Snowy Day Starlight Express Stranger Things: The First Shadow (This Is Not A) Happy Room Tina – The Tina Turner Musical
The Westway Sessions Why Am I So Single?
Wicked The Years
Available dates, age recommendations and restrictions for participating shows will vary. Please check the show listings on OfficialLondonTheatre.com for more information.
STARS FROM THE NATIONAL THEATRE AND THE TONY AWARD®-WINNING BROADWAY PRODUCTIONS OF
HADESTOWN
RETURN TO LONDON TO JOIN THE CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED WEST END PRODUCTION FOR A STRICTLY LIMITED RUN
REEVE CARNEY (ORPHEUS), ANDRÉ DE SHIELDS (HERMES), AMBER GRAY (PERSEPHONE), EVA NOBLEZADA (EURYDICE), AND PATRICK PAGE (HADES)
AT THE LYRIC THEATRE 11 FEBRUARY – 9 MARCH 2025 uk.hadestown.com
The producers of Hadestown are delighted to announce that original cast members of the National Theatre production and the Tony® and Grammy® Award-winning Broadway production of Hadestown will reprise their roles for a limited run at the Lyric Theatre from 11 February until 9 March 2025. Welcoming Reeve Carney as Orpheus, André De Shields as Hermes, Amber Gray as Persephone, Eva Noblezada as Eurydice and Patrick Page as Hades.
Tickets for these performances will go on sale to the public on Friday 20 December at 12pm noon. A 24-hour period of priority access from 12pm GMT / 7am EST on Thursday 19 December will be available to those signed up to either the Hadestown UK or Hadestown US mailing lists by 23:59pm GMT / 18:59pm EST on Wednesday 18 December respectively. Sign up at uk.hadestown.com / hadestown.com.
Producer Mara Issacs said: It is nothing short of divine magic to be able to welcome Reeve, Andre, Amber, Eva, and Patrick back to London. This transatlantic collaboration, which began with the National Theatre production in 2018, is baked into Hadestown’s DNA. We couldn’t be more thrilled to bring them ‘home’ as Hadestown continues its love affair with the West End.
Reeve Carney (Orpheus) – Grammy® Award and Independent Music Award-winning actor and musician who originated the role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark (Broadway’s Foxwoods Theatre) and played Dorian Gray in Showtimes Penny Dreadful on television.
André De Shields (Hermes) – Actor, Director and Choreographer who has won multiple awards over a distinguished career including Tony® Award, Grammy Award ® Outer Critics Circle Award and Drama Desk Award for the role of Hermes in Hadestown on Broadway as well as a Primetime Emmy Award, Drama League Award and an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from University of Wisconsin-Madison. His many credits include originating Broadway casts of The Full Monty, Warp!, The Wiz and Ain’t Misbehaving. He has appeared on television in Another World, Cosby, Sex and the City, Great Performances, Lipstick Jungle, and Law & Order.
Amber Gray (Persephone) – Outer Critics Circle Award-winning, Grammy® Award-winning actress who was nominated for a Tony® Award for her role in Hadestown on Broadway. Further credits include Hélène Bezukhova in Natasha, Pierre, & the Great Comet of 1812 (Imperial Theatre, Broadway), Carina in Eureka Day (Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, Broadway), and Stephen Sondheim’s Here We Are (The Shed, New York).
Eva Noblezada (Eurydice) – Winner of a Grammy® Award, WhatsOnStage Award, Broadway.com Award and two-time Tony® Award-nominee (one nomination for her role in Hadestown on Broadway), whose further theatre credits include Kim in Miss Saigon (Prince Edward Theatre, London and Broadway Theatre, New York), Éponine in Les Misérables (Queens Theatre) and Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby (Broadway Theatre, New York).
Patrick Page (Hades) – Winner of Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, and Grammy® Award who was nominated for a Tony® Award for his role in Hadestown on Broadway. He is a veteran of fifteen Broadway shows from Jamie Lloyd’s Cyrano de Bergerac (with Douglas Hodge), A Man for All Seasons (with Frank Langella) and Julius Caesar (with Denzel Washington), to Disney’s The Lion King, Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas, and Beauty and the Beast, as well as Classical roles with the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington D.C. and Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
Further casting for performances from 11 February 2025 will be announced soon.
Hadestown opened to huge critical acclaim at the Lyric Theatre, London in February this year, five years after a sold-out engagement at the National Theatre in 2018 and is now booking in the West End until 28 September 2025.
Blending American songwriting traditions, from indie folk, to pop, blues, and New Orleans-inspired jazz, Hadestown has music, lyrics, and book by acclaimed Tony® and Grammy®-winning singer-songwriter and BBC Radio 2 Folk Award-winner Anaïs Mitchell whooriginated Hadestownas anindie theatre project and acclaimed album, before transforming the show into a genre-defying new musical alongside artistic collaborator and Tony® Award-winning director Rachel Chavkin.
Hadestown takes you on an unforgettable journey to the underworld and back, intertwining two mythic love stories – that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone. A deeply resonant and defiantly hopeful theatrical experience, Hadestown invites you to imagine how the world could be.
Hadestown celebrated its 5th anniversary on Broadway in April 2024. It holds the record for the highest grossing musical and longest running show in the 100-year history of the Walter Kerr Theatre and is currently among the top 50 longest running shows in Broadway history (and still moving up the list).
HADESTOWN – LIVE FROM LONDON, the highly anticipated original West End cast album for Hadestown, recorded live at the Lyric Theatre earlier this year, was recently released by Sing It Again Records on standard black vinyl, a limited-edition deluxe gatefold “pop-up” vinyl and compact disc – alongside digital download and streaming services.
The Hadestown creative team includes David Neumann (choreography), Rachel Hauck (scenic design), Michael Krass (costume design), Bradley King (lighting design), Nevin Steinberg and Jessica Paz (sound design), Liam Robinson (music supervision and vocal arrangements), Michael Chorney and Todd Sickafoose (arrangements and orchestrations), Ken Cerniglia (dramaturgy), Maria Crocker (UK Associate Director), and Tarek Merchant (Musical Director). Casting for the London production is by Jacob Sparrow. US Casting by Duncan Stewart and Benton Whitley.
Hadestown is produced in London by Mara Isaacs, Dale Franzen, Hunter Arnold, Tom Kirdahy and the National Theatre in association with JAS Theatricals.
Reeve Carney, André De Shields, Amber Gray, Eva Noblezada and Patrick Page are appearing with the support of Equity UK, incorporating the Variety Artistes’ Federation, pursuant to an exchange program between American Equity and Equity UK.
It’s the festive season, and Peter Pan has flown into Birmingham Hippodrome in style!
Produced and directed by Michael Harrison, the show is as spectacular as ever. Hippodrome stalwart Matt Slack is back for his eleventh consecutive year in the Panto, this time playing Mr Smee. Slack and Harry Michaels took on the task of adapting the production of Peter Pan that premiered at the London Palladium last year, with lots of Brummie humour and topical references thrown in for good measure. They have once again made the production their own.
Alison Hammond returns for her second season, this time playing the Magical Mermaid, she swished onto the stage adorned in a beautiful shimmering outfit with a pearl-laden headband and glittery mermaid tail and and was met with rapturous applause. Hammond is clearly loving being back on the Hippodrome stage, and the audience definitely loves having her back. Danny Mac makes his devilish return to the Hippodrome having previously played Prince Charming in Cinderella. His attempts to play Captain Hook as seriously as possible are often slightly scuppered by Matt Slack trying his best to make him laugh. Mac showcased his singing and dancing skills in an excellent rendition of Jailhouse Rock. After a while, it became very hard to boo him, as he turned out to be a very charming Hook! Also joining the cast are Noah Harrison as the ever energetic Peter Pan, Billie-Kay as Tinkerbelle, Rhiannon Chesterman as sweet-natured Wendy Darling, Cian Hughes as John Darling and Stanley-Joe Catley as Michael.
Andrew Ryan also returns for his eighth Pantomime outing at the Hippodrome, and it is apparent he is having the time of his life in his scene stealing turn as Sylvia Smee. He performs some of the best songs in the show, including a version of ‘I Am What I Am’ cleverly mixed in with Lady Gaga’s ‘Born This Way’. He also belts his way through his tongue-in-cheek version of ‘Diva’s Lament’ asking the audience “Whatever happened to the plot?”, showing awareness that this show is not entirely faithful to the plot of the JM Barrie original. But what it might lack in tight storyline structure, it more than makes up for in laughs, songs and amazing special effects.
Mark Walter’s set design is beautifully opulent and colourful, the costumes by Mike Coltman, Ron Briggs and Hugh Durrant are eye-catching and are often (in the case of Sylvia Smee’s Cannon dress) completely outrageous. The special effects by The Twins FX are truly some of the best I have ever seen in a theatre show. I didn’t expect to see a gigantic snarling crocodile with glowing red eyes so early in the show! The flying special effects are also spectacular, especially the flying car that brings the first act of the show to a breathtaking conclusion.
It is easy to see why the Hippodrome has already announced Matt Slack’s return in 2025 for their pantomime Robin Hood, as well as a recently announced appearance as Pharaoh in Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in May 2025. Matt Slack and the whole production company have once again delivered a spectacular production full of non-stop laughs, surprises and a boatload of Christmas cheer!
Riverside Studios, London – until Saturday 18th January 2025
Reviewed by Alec Legge
5*****
The stage is set as an attic bedroom belonging to Kevin, a 40 year old gay man who has returned to his mum’s home after living in London where he was an aspiring comic who never made it. Kevin is played wonderfully by Steven Webb who fits the pert like a glove.. The time period is 2020 during lockdown and Kevin is living on his own in the bedroom which is just as he left it many years before, with posters of Dolly on the walls and and scattered with items from his youth.
Kevin appears via a ladder through a window as he is unable to mix with his mum and dad downstairs. This is followed by Kevin hilariously introducing himself to the audience and moving about the stage in a high camp manner. Then Kevin receives a phone call from his lover breaking off their relationship which sends him into a ‘slough of despond’.
This is the point where ‘Dolly Parton’, played by Tricia Paoluccio, materialises onto the scene coming out of a life size poster with a bang and a cloud of smoke! What an entrance! Then she sets about trying to raise Kevin’s spirits and getting him to believe in himself again. This includes repartee between the characters, Dolly’s songs ably backed up by the musicians and back up singers, Miss Paolucci’s performing as Dolly Parton is superb, she is Dolly, she has the voice to a ‘T’ and all of Dolly’s mannerisms. It really is uncanny. If you closed your eyes you could well believe it was Dolly herself on stage!
The performance of Steven Webb and Tricia Paolucci were well beyond first class and I can only repeat what I was told by an audience member’ that she thought it was the best musical show she had ever seen’/
Not to give away the plot ending it is a happy ending for Kevin with a joyous twist at the end.
There was an excellent, barnstorming, finale and as a bonus extra the whole cast gave a rousing medley of Christmas songs. A wonderful ending to a show that was really appreciated by the audience and will stay in our memories for a very long time.
I can really recommend this show to all and sundry, not just fans of Dolly Parton, and I can assure everyone of a 5 star, show full of comedy, pathos, Dolly’s wonderful songs and a heartwarming ending with a stupendous finale to finish it off. What more could anyone want of a theatre visit.
