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The Lowry, Salford – until 7th May 2022

Reviewed by Jennifer Hughes

4****

In front of an audience of both young and old, Emma Rice’s adaptation of Wuthering Heights did not disappoint in delivering a theatrical experience which was as wild and intense as Bronte’s main protagonists themselves. This performance had the captivated viewer enthralled in the doomed and haunting relationship between Lucy McCormick’s Cathy and Liam Tanme’s Heathcliffe, whilst intermittently experiencing moments of manic hilarity, courtesy of a truly captivating performance from Katy Owen playing the roles of both Isabella Linton and Linton Heathcliffe. Katie’s scenes beautifully delivered a medicinal dose of almost pantomime humor, diluting a very dark, somber and tragic story with hilarious audience participation. An excellent juxtaposition.

A blistering and unexpected ‘I am the Earth’ rock song from Lucy McCormick’s Cathy, midway through the performance, transported the viewer to a heady, wild unexpected world, before bouncing back into the original stormy Yorkshire Moors, which were cleverly represented in personification form by a superb cast.

This adaptation very cleverly and sometimes blatantly ensured that the viewer was able to follow Brontes gothic and lengthy plot by explaining what was happening and what had happened previously, further emphasising the themes of repetition, revenge, love and death. If in doubt, the chalkboard death announcements cleared up any confusion !

In all, this was a wonderful theatrical performance of a literary classic which clearly appealed to the mixed age audience. A clever, modern comedic twist , delivered without compromising the tragedy of this literary classic, whilst seemingly delivering a hint of a nod to Kate Bush and Mumford and Sons ! What is not to love about that!

BIRMINGHAM HIPPODROME – UNTIL SATURDAY 14TH MAY 2022.

REVIEWED BY NADIA DODD

5*****

I first saw this musical in London’s West End, Prince of Wales Theatre, way back in 2006 before the now smash hit film had hit the screens. I knew at the time that the show was based around ABBA hits but had no idea how a story could be built around them. How creator Judy Craymer has produced such a worldwide phenomenon is amazing.

The show is praised for it’s strong female characters, this would be because the classic song’s of ABBA are written from a female perspective, Judy is quoted to have said ‘Bjorn and Benny (from ABBA) wrote great songs for women’.

Personally I feel this musical is a coming of age love story. When Donna, played by Sara Poyzer, is preparing to give her only daughter away at her forthcoming wedding (Sophie, played by Jena Pandya), she is torn between losing her daughter to her son in law to be (Sky, played by Toby Miles) and also planning out her own future once Sophie settles into married life.

Donna has single handedly bought up Sophie from birth after not actually finding out who her father was – there appears to be three young men to choose from ! Sophie makes it her mission before her wedding to find out who her father actually is.

So many comedy moments in the show but I love the relationship that Donna has with her two oldest friends who travel out to the Greek Island for the wedding. Rosie (played by Nicky Swift) has you in stitches at some of her comedy moments closely followed by Tanya (played by Helen Anker) with her dry sense of humour and man eating attitude.

Costumes are bright and uplifting, the ensemble are perfectly in time during a wetsuit and flippers scene and of course if you know the ABBA hits you can’t actually stop yourself from joining in with them.

Last night’s standing ovation led to a mega mix of songs that the audience were more than happy to sing and have a boogie in the aisles to. I believe we should all thank ABBA for the music, it has been able to provide us with this musical that allows us to unleash the dancing queen inside us all.

CARRIE HOPE FLETCHER, MARIA FRIEDMAN, ROB HOUCHEN, CEDRIC NEAL, LUCY ST LOUIS, SUMMER STRALLEN 

ANNOUNCED AS PRINCIPAL CAST FOR 

A JOURNEY TO THE PAST 

A CELEBRATION OF LEGENDARY MUSICAL THEATRE WRITERS AHRENS & FLAHERTY, DIRECTED BY MARIA FRIEDMAN  

FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY IN THE WEST END 

LYRIC THEATRE – MONDAY 6^TH JUNE AT 7:30PM 

TICKETS ON SALE NOW

Bray Productions Ltd have today announced principal and supporting cast members that will be joining Olivier Award winner Maria Friedman in A Journey to the Past, a West End celebration of the works of the Tony Award-winning and world-renowned musical theatre writing team Ahrens & Flaherty. 

The musical celebration, directed by Maria Friedman, will feature a selection of music from the writing duo’s most beloved works, including Maria Friedman reprising her Olivier Award-winning performance of “Back to Before” from Ragtime. 

Principal cast members announced today are: three-time WhatsOnStage award-winner Carrie Hope Fletcher (Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella, Heathers), Rob Houchen (South Pacific, Les Misérables), Cedric Neal (Back To The Future, The Voice UK), Lucy St Louis (The Phantom of the Opera, Motown the Musical) and four-time Olivier Award-nominated Summer Strallen (Young Frankenstein, Top Hat).

Supporting cast members announced today are: Georgia Anderson (Hairspray), Jordan Cunningham (Heathers, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie), Jemal Felix (The Phantom of the Opera, Kinky Boots), Teddy Hinde (Anyone Can Whistle), Claudia Kariuki (Six, School of Rock), Nardia Ruth (The Prince of Egypt), Hana Stewart (Six, West End & Broadway) and Rodney Vubya (Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical).

Further principal and supporting casting will be announced at a later date. 

A Journey to the Past will be performed for one performance only at the Lyric Theatre with tickets on sale now.

Joining Maria Friedman in the creative team are Simon Lee as Musical Supervisor, Michael Bradley as Musical Director, Nathan M Wright as Choreographer, Leon Kay Casting as Casting Director and Andrew Exeter as Set & Lighting Designer.  

Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty are considered the foremost theatrical writing team of their generation. They won Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for the Broadway hit Ragtime and were nominated for two Academy Awards and two Golden Globes for Twentieth Century Fox’s animated feature film Anastasia, which they also adapted for the Broadway stage. Their newest musical Knoxville is currently making its world premiere in Florida. 

Their musical Once On This Island won London’s Olivier Award and Broadway’s 2018 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical. Other theatre credits include Ragtime, Seussical (one of the most produced shows in America); Rocky; My Favourite Year; Chita Rivera – The Dancer’s Life; Dessa Rose; A Man of No Importance; The Glorious Ones; Lucky Stiff and two upcoming shows, Knoxville and Little Dancer. 

They serve on Council for the Dramatists Guild of America and co-founded the DGF Fellows Program for Emerging Writers. They are four-time Grammy nominees, recipients of the Oscar Hammerstein Lifetime Achievement Award, and in 2015 Ahrens and Flaherty were inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame. 

Lynn Ahrens said, “After two long years of uncertainty, what a wonderful way to celebrate the return to theater. I’m honored to have my work back on the boards in London!” 

Stephen Flaherty said, “I can’t wait to have our music and lyrics back on the West End in the historic Lyric Theatre, under the direction of our RAGTIME leading lady and friend, Maria Friedman. What an evening it’s going to be!”

Leeds Playhouse – until 14th May 2022

Reviewed by Aimee Liddington

4****

Ella is from Yorkshire. Haseeb is from London. They both love performing. She’s an actor. He’s a poet. They’ve got loads in common. Their cultures are different but somehow they’ve met in the middle. Now they are navigating the complexities of building a relationship across the cultural divides in modern day Britain but they are in love and love conquers all, doesn’t it?

This charmingly accurate love story by slam poet Zia Ahmed explores the cultural diversity within modern day Britain and the complications it brings for ordinary people who just happen to break societal expectations by falling in love. Through cringingly awkward encounters with friends and family and relatable day to day trivial arguments we see how maybe we need a little more than just love to make things work.

Zia Ahmed’s poetic talents shine through in the cleverly constructed lines delivered by Eva Scott (Ella) and Usman Nawaz (Haseeb). The intermittent lyrical narration of the story by the characters themselves adds a quirky and romantic element to the story and allows for the ebbs and flows of emotion that are all too realistic for the everyday couple. What is really interesting about this piece of theatre is that it brings home heavy truths but it’s light and comedic and allows room for us all to reflect in our own way and in our own time. As Ella and Haseeb confront the elephant in their room, we are prompted to do the same within our own society.

Both Eva Scott (Ella) and Usman Nawaz (Haseeb) portray their roles movingly and in particular, Nawaz captures an array of real heart wrenching emotion whilst also being able to tickle the audience’s sense of humour. The direction from Sameena Hussain is simple but effective. Hussain effectively creates spaces on the stage that become synonymous with different locations that the characters visit within the story. The lighting and sound design by Jane Lalljee and Eilon Morris also add to the contemporary and youthful vibe that is needed for the play to be so convincing and poignant.

‘I Wanna Be Yours’ is a thought provoking, deeply moving and necessary piece of art peppered with perfectly timed moments of wit and comedy.

TONY AWARD-WINNING MUSICAL DEAR EVAN HANSEN

AND DIGITAL FASHION HOUSE BLUEBERRY

ANNOUNCE FIRST-EVER BROADWAY METAVERSE FASHION DROP

IN SUPPORT OF MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH

BLUEBERRY TO RELEASE DIGITAL VERSIONS OF THE SHOW’S

ICONIC BLUE STRIPED POLO ON ROBLOX

WITH 100% OF PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT THE CHILD MIND INSTITUTE

PARTNERSHIP WITH BORED APE YACHT CLUB COMMUNITY

WILL SEE INCLUSION OF TWO DEAR EVAN HANSEN INSPIRED

NFTS IN THE BORED APE PERMANENT COLLECTION

New York, NY (May 5, 2022) – In honor of May’s Mental Health Awareness month, Dear Evan Hansen, the Tony, Grammy, Olivier-Award winning Broadway musical, is partnering with Blueberry Entertainment, the industry’s leading digital fashion brand, to launch an innovative metaverse fundraising event. Beginning Friday, May 13, 2022, a digital version of the show’s iconic blue striped polo will be available for purchase on Roblox, with 100% of the proceeds to benefit the Child Mind Institute, the not-for-profit dedicated to transforming the lives of children struggling with mental health disorders and learning disorders. In parallel, as part of a partnership with the genre-defining Bored Ape Yacht Club community, two Bored Ape NFTs will be dressed in the same blue-striped polo and live permanently in the BAYC collection (#5430 and #5838). This partnership will draw attention to Mental Health Awareness Month and also include a donation to the Child Mind Institute. This marks the first time ever that a Broadway show is releasing digital fashion items to multiple metaverse communities.

The blue-striped polo worn by the protagonist in Dear Evan Hansen, now part of The Smithsonian’s permanent collection, has become a symbol of a global yearning for connection – more relevant than ever after two-plus years of a worldwide pandemic. Through this collaboration with Blueberry, audiences will be able to engage with the polo like never before.

The wearable version of the polo sold on Roblox, a leading global metaverse platform with over 55 million daily users, prioritizes accessibility, with an affordable price point (200 Robux / $2.50) and dozens of avatar and outfit customization options. With self-expression being an important part of kids and teens’ experience on the platform, Dear Evan Hansen and Blueberry are meeting the next generation where they spend time with their friends socializing and wearing new fashion items daily, including in support of important social causes. 100% of all proceeds generated will go directly to the Child Mind Institute, a leading non-profit focused on children’s mental health.

The Bored Ape Yacht Club is a collection of 10,000 Bored Ape NFTs – unique digital collectibles living on the Ethereum blockchain – that showcases the power and potential of web3 technologies and digital communities. The two Bored Ape NFTs (#5430 and #5838), designed and dressed by Blueberry in the blue-striped polo, will live permanently in the Bored Ape Yacht Club collection to draw ongoing awareness to the importance of mental health in digital communities and the web3 ecosystem.

This first-of-its-kind partnership showcases the rise in popularity of digital fashion, a driving force behind self-expression and digital identity across dozens of metaverse communities. Digital fashion is already an enormous business with billions of dollars in sales each year across some of the largest gaming and social platforms. For example, last year one in five of Roblox’s daily users updated their avatars on any given day. Compared to traditional fashion, digital fashion is more sustainable, scalable, and infinitely creative. It empowers designers to release products to market in days as opposed to months and transforms the traditional fashion model to one of ‘accessibility’ versus ‘exclusivity’.”

“Everyone at Dear Evan Hansen is very proud that Evan’s blue-striped polo has become a recognizable symbol of the search for connection,” says Dear Evan Hansen producer Stacey Mindich said. “For several years, we have sold a replica of the onstage polo, with a percentage of profits going to our mental health not-for-profit partners. Now, we are excited to offer this polo to multiple metaverse communities, as the first Broadway show to partner with a digital fashion company, bringing live theater to a whole new audience, while also continuing our focus on philanthropy and mental health wellness.”

“Blueberry is thrilled to be partnering with Dear Evan Hansen and The Child Mind Institute to support a cause which is so relevant to our community,” Mishi McDuff, Founder and CEO of Blueberry Entertainment commented. “Blueberry’s brand ethos is built upon accessibility, inclusivity and togetherness, all of which align closely with Mental Health Awareness month. We hope this is just the start of the metaverse’s collaborations with charities, being a force for good in the physical world as well as the digital.”

Harold Koplewicz, MD, president of the Child Mind Institute, comments: “The Child Mind Institute has been a proud partner of Dear Evan Hansen since the very beginning, when we provided consultation on mental health themes during the show’s development. The way the musical captures the challenges of being a parent and explores the ‘invisible’ struggles of teenagers with mental health challenges is as relevant now as when it premiered. We are so grateful that the producers of Dear Evan Hansen have chosen to give back so much to the mental health community through cause marketing in the past, and we are excited to be the beneficiary of this new adventure in the Metaverse.”

ABOUT DEAR EVAN HANSEN

Declared “One of the most remarkable shows in musical theater history” by the Washington Post’s Peter Marks, Dear Evan Hansen opened at the Music Box Theatre to rave reviews on December 4, 2016, where it’s broken all box office records and struck a chord with critics and audiences alike. It went on to win six 2017 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The show launched its First North American Tour at the Buell Theatre in Denver, Colorado in October 2018, now in its 3rd year (after a pandemic hiatus). The show’s newest production is playing at the Noël Coward Theatre in London, where it won the 2020 Olivier Award-winner for Best Musical. The Grammy Award-winning Original Broadway Cast Recording of Dear Evan Hansen, produced by Atlantic Records, was released in February 2017, making an extraordinary debut on the Billboard 200 and entering the chart at #8 – the highest charting debut position for an original cast album since 1961 – and went on to win the 2018 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. Dear Evan Hansen features a book by Tony Award-winner Steven Levenson (Fosse/Verdon), a score by Grammy®, Tony® and Academy Award® winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (La La Land, The Greatest Showman), and direction by four-time Tony Award nominee Michael Greif (Rent, Next to Normal). For more information, visit www.dearevanhansen.com.

ABOUT BLUEBERRY

Blueberry empowers self-expression through digital fashion in the metaverse. As users increasingly socialize in digital worlds, Blueberry believes digital fashion will be the driving force behind user identity. Digital fashion is more sustainable and accessible than physical fashion and offers an infinitely creative canvas for product creation and scalable distribution. Founded by Mishi McDuff in 2012 as a solo creator on Second Life, Blueberry is the leading brand in this fast-growing market. Blueberry has sold 20+ million digital wearables, amassed a library of 10,000+ digital SKUs optimized for hundreds of design attributes, and scaled an engaged community of loyal customers. Blueberry is already live on multiple metaverse platforms, and is actively expanding its brand and community to other web2 and web3 metaverses.

For more information, visit www.blueberry.inc

ABOUT CHILD MIND INSTITUTE

The Child Mind Institute is dedicated to transforming the lives of children and families struggling with mental health and learning disorders by giving them the help they need. We’ve become the leading independent nonprofit in children’s mental health by providing gold-standard evidence-based care, delivering educational resources to millions of families each year, training educators in underserved communities, and developing tomorrow’s breakthrough treatments. Learn more at childmind.org.

New Victoria Theatre, Woking – until 7 June 2022

Reviewed by Becky Doyle

5*****

LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this performance of Chicago! From the story itself to the singing, dancing and music there are no negatives! As someone who has never seen the film or knows the story (I know I think I’m in the minority!) it brought so much; laughter, dancing and all that Jazz.

The band was amazing, bringing the story to life and using the band stand as a prop was so well thought through. Faye Brookes (Roxie) and Djalenga Scott (Velma) were both extraordinary, their voices were so strong and compelling that on many occasions I didn’t want the songs to finish. I had favourites; ‘Cell Block Tango’, ‘We Both Reached for the Gun’ (Russel Watson (Billy) and Faye Brookes played that scene out fantastically) and ‘All That Jazz’.

After the interval, the orchestra and conductor were fantastic and got the audience back into the spirit for the second act – The sparkle, the glitz and the glam and all the company were so endearing in their movements, choreography, and tone that the second half was just as good as the first, ensuring suspense and empathy. There really is nothing that I can say negatively about the performance, acting, dancing or overall experience it really was one of the best shows that I have seen, and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a show with a story that you easily get wrapped up in.

KILN THEATRE ANNOUNCES MAJOR REVIVAL OF MOIRA BUFFINI’S HANDBAGGED

With Marina Carr’s Girl on an Altar opening later this month, Artistic Director of Kiln Theatre Indhu Rubasingham today announces a major revival of Moira Buffini’s critically acclaimed Handbagged. Reprising their roles are Marion Bailey as ‘Q’, an Older Queen Elizabeth II and Kate Fahy as ‘T’, an Older Margaret Thatcher, with further cast to be announced shortly.

The original production opened at the Theatre in 2013 before transferring to the West End’s Vaudeville Theatre in 2014, ahead of a UK tour in 2015, and performances in New York and Washington in 2019.

Indhu Rubasingham said today, “I’m very excited to have the special opportunity to revisit this modern Kiln classic. I first worked with Moira Buffini in 2010 when she wrote a short, satirical piece about Margaret Thatcher as part of my Women, Power and Politics season. One of the first things I did when I became Artistic Director was to commission a full-length version. Looking back now, it’s incredible to think of the journey Handbagged has been on, transferring to the West End, then around the country on a major UK tour and onto New York and Washington. Moira and I were both ‘Thatcher’s children’ and, undoubtedly, whether knowingly or unknowingly, our own journeys, like so many watching the play, have been hugely influenced by these two women. It is a pleasure to share this major revival with a different generation, and to find new resonances in such ridiculous, tumultuous political times. I’m also thrilled that Marion and Kate are returning as Liz and Maggie!”

Kiln Theatre presents

HANDBAGGED

by Moira Buffini

9 September – 22 October 2022

Cast includes: Marion Bailey and Kate Fahy

Directed by Indhu Rubasingham;Designer Richard Kent; Lighting Designer Oliver Fenwick;

Sound Designer Carolyn Downing; Casting Director Briony Barnett CDG

Following the sell-out 2013 season and subsequent West End and New York runs The Queen and the Iron Lady are reunited on the Kiln stage.

The monarch.

Her most powerful subject.

Born six months apart, each had a destiny that would change the world. But when the stiff upper lip softened and the gloves came off, which one had the upper hand?

Indhu Rubasingham directs Moira Buffini’s wickedly funny hit-comedy that imagines what the world’s most powerful women Margaret Thatcher and Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II, talked about behind closed palace doors.

Marion Bailey reprises her role as ‘Q’, an older Queen Elizabeth II. Her theatre work includes The Deep Blue Sea, Blurred Lines, Grief (National Theatre), A Kind of Alaska (Bristol Old Vic), Death of a Salesman (West Yorkshire Playhouse), for Shared Experience: Mine, War & Peace, Kindertransport  (Hampstead Theatre), The Arab Israeli Cookbook, Dance of Death (Kiln Theatre / Tricycle), Incomplete and Random Acts of Kindness, Blessed be the Tie, This is a Chair (Royal Court), Cloud Nine (The Old Vic), and Holes In The Skin (Chichester Festival Theatre). For television, her work includes All the Light WE Cannot See, Damage, Shakespeare and Hathaway, The Dreamer, This is Going to Hurt, The Crown as The Queen Mother, Britannia, Temple, The Trials of Jimmy Rose, Him & Her, Being Human, Case Histories, Monday Monday, New Tricks, Persuasion, De-Railed, Cherished, Micawber, Shades, The Thing About Vince, Under the Sun and Shine On Harvey Moon. For film, Brighton Beach Scumbags, Peterloo, Dead in a Week, Allied, Lady in the Van, Mr Turner, I’ll Be There, Vera Drake, All or Nothing, Offending Angels, The Family Business, Nasty Neighbours, Psychotherapy, Meantime, Sakharov, Way Upstream, and Coppers.

Kate Fahy plays ‘T’, an older Margaret Thatcher. For theatre her credits include A Lie of the Mind (Southwark Playhouse), Winter Solstice, Definitely the Bahamas (Orange Tree Theatre), After Electra (Kiln Theatre / Tricycle), The Goat (Almeida Theatre and Apollo Theatre), Copenhagen (Watford Palace Theatre), Grace, Gaucho and Sparrowfall (Hampstead Theatre), Seduced (Royal Court), Old Flames (Arts Theatre), A Doll’s House (Riverside Studios), Bouncing and Sunday Morning (National Theatre) and Othello (Young Vic). For television her work includes Don’t Forget the Driver, Witless, The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, The Marriage of Reason and Squalor, Death in Paradise, Cherished, Pure Wickedness, The Best Man, The House of Elliott, The Jury, Trial and Retribution, The Mozart Inquest, Danton’s Death, Terra Nova, Oxbridge Blues, The Lodger and The Nearly Man. For film, Marriage of Reason and Squalor, Archipelago, Defiance, Brilliance, The Show, The Living and The Dead, The Fourth Angel, Somewhere Sometime.

Moira Buffini‘s plays include NW Trilogy (Kiln Theatre), Handbagged (Kiln Theatre / Tricycle / West End / US), Manor (National Theatre), Gabriel (Soho Theatre / UK Tour), wonder.land (MIF / National Theatre), Welcome to Thebes, A Vampire Story (National Theatre), Dying For It, Marianne Dreams (Almeida Theatre), Dinner (RNT Loft / West End / UK tour), Loveplay (Barbican), The Games Room (Soho Theatre) and Blavatsky’s Tower (Machine Room). For television, her work includes Harlots; and for film, The Dig, Jane Eyre and Tamara Drewe.

Indhu Rubasingham is Artistic Director of Kiln Theatre. Her work for the company includes Zadie Smith’s The Wife of Willesden from Chaucer’s The Wife of Bath, The Invisible Hand, Pass Over, When the Crows Visit, Wife, White Teeth, Holy Sh!t, Red Velvet (which transferred to New York and later to the Garrick Theatre as part of the Kenneth Branagh Season), Handbagged (winner of the Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre – also West End, UK tour, Washington DC and New York), A Wolf in Snakeskin Shoes, Multitudes, The House That Will Not Stand, Paper Dolls, Women, Power and Politics, Stones in His Pockets, Detaining Justice, The Great Game: Afghanistan, Fabulation and Starstruck. Other theatre credits include The Father and the Assassin, The Great Wave, Ugly Lies the Bone, The Motherf**cker with the Hat (Evening Standard Award for Best Play), The Waiting Room (all National Theatre), The Ramayana (National Theatre/ Birmingham Rep), Belong, Disconnect, Free Outgoing, Lift Off, Clubland, The Crutch and Sugar Mummies (Royal Court Theatre), Ruined (Almeida Theatre), Yellowman and Anna in the Tropics (Hampstead Theatre), Secret Rapture and The Misanthrope (Minerva, Chichester Festival Theatre), Romeo and Juliet (Chichester Festival Theatre), Pure Gold (Soho Theatre), The No Boys Cricket Club and Party Girls (Theatre Royal Stratford East), Wuthering Heights (Birmingham REP), Heartbreak House (Watford Palace Theatre), Sugar Dollies and Shakuntala (Gate Theatre), A River Sutra (Three Mill Island Studios), Rhinoceros (UC Davis, California) and A Doll’s House (Young Vic).

KILN THEATRE

Listings

Kiln Theatre

269 Kilburn High Road, London, UK, NW6 7JR

Box Office: 020 7328 1000

www.KilnTheatre.com

GIRL ON AN ALTAR

19 May – 25 June 2022

Post Show Q&A 7 June 2022, 7.30pm

Captioned Performance 9 June 2022, 7.30pm

Audio Described Performance 16 June 2022, 7.30pm

THE DARKEST PART OF THE NIGHT

14 July – 6 August 2022

Post Show Q&A 26 July 2022, 7.30pm

Captioned Performance 1 August 2022, 7.30pm

Audio Described Performance 4 August 2022, 7.30pm

Relaxed Performance 6 August 2022, 2.30pm

HANDBAGGED

9 September – 22 October 2022

Captioned Performance 29 September, 7.30pm

Post Show Q&A 18 October, 7.30pm

Audio Described Performance 20 October, 7.30pm

Tickets to all productions now available

Tickets from £15

All tickets for first preview £15

Under 26 – £10 (subject to availability), Access, Over 65, Local, Student and Group rates available, for further details, please see the website

Subsidised tickets

We offer free tickets and exclusive discounts to those who can’t afford to come. If you fit any of the below criteria, get in touch and we can help you get a ticket.

If you are homeless, out of work or receive Housing Benefits, Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance (valid ID, statements or proof universal tax credit will be required when collecting tickets).

Or, if you are an employee of the NHS, Police Force, Fire Brigade, Armed Forces, The Coastguard, RNLI, Prison Officers or Social Care Workers (valid ID payslip and name badges will be required when collecting tickets).

Email [email protected]

JIM STEINMAN’S

BAT OUT OF HELL – THE MUSICAL

TO RETURN TO LONDON’S WEST END

FOR A LIMITED SEASON AT THE PEACOCK THEATRE

PERFORMANCES FROM 17 FEBRUARY 2023

LAS VEGAS RESIDENCY ANNOUNCED

The producers of Jim Steinman’s Bat Out of Hell – The Musical, featuring Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf’s greatest hits, are delighted to announce the musical’s return to London in 2023. The show, which is currently touring the UK and Ireland, will play a limited season at the Peacock Theatre with performances from 17 February, ending on 1 April 2023.

Bat Out of Hell – The Musical will also have a residency at Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino from 27 September 2022.

Casting for both productions to be announced.

Bat Out of Hell – The Musical wowed critics and public alike when it played limited seasons at Manchester Opera House, London Coliseum and London’s Dominion Theatre from 2017 to 2019. The musical also ran successfully in Canada, Germany and at New York’s City Centre in 2019. The current UK and Ireland tour began performances at Manchester Opera House on 11 September 2021 and has been playing to sold out houses and great critical acclaim.

Bat Out of Hell – The Musical won the Radio 2 Audience Award for Best Musical at the Evening Standard Awards and was nominated for 8 WhatsOnStage Awards, including Best New Musical.

Bat Out of Hell became one of the best-selling albums in history, selling over 60 million copies worldwide.  16 years later, Steinman scored again with Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell, which contained the massive hit I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That).

For the stage musical, the legendary and award-winning Jim Steinman incorporated iconic songs from the Bat Out of Hell albums, including You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night), Bat Out of Hell, I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That) and Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad, as well as two previously unreleased songs, What Part of My Body Hurts the Most and Not Allowed to Love.

The electrifying rock songs of Mr Steinman propel an epic story of rebellious youth and passion as Strat, the immortal leader of The Lost, has fallen in love with Raven, the beautiful daughter of the tyrannical ruler Falco.

The UK & Ireland Tour of Bat Out of Hell – The Musical has book, music and lyrics by Jim Steinman, direction by Jay Scheib, choreography adapted by Xena Gusthart, with musical supervision and additional arrangements by Michael Reed, set and costume design by Jon Bausor, original costume designs by Meentje Nielsen, original wig designs by Linda McKnight, video design by Finn Ross, lighting design by Patrick Woodroffe, sound design by Gareth Owen, orchestration by Steve Sidwell, original casting by David Grindrod CDG and UK Tour casting by Anne Vosser.

Bat Out of Hell – The Musical is produced by David Sonenberg, Michael Cohl & Tony Smith, with executive producer Julian Stoneman.

This tour is dedicated to the memory of Jim Steinman, who sadly passed away on 19 April 2021, and Meat Loaf, who passed away on 20 January 2022.

Website:  www.BatOutOfHellMusical.com

Twitter, Facebook & Instagram:  @BatTheMusical

2022 TOUR LISTINGS INFORMATION

3 – 7 May                                              Sheffield Lyceum Theatre                                                0114 249 6000

                                                              www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk                                           

24 – 28 May                                          Eastbourne Congress Theatre                                        01323 412 000

                                                              www.eastbournetheatres.co.uk                                      

7 – 11 June                                           The Alhambra Theatre, Bradford                                     01274 432000

                                                              www.bradford-theatres.co.uk                                          

14 – 25 June                                         Milton Keynes Theatre                                                      0844 871 7615*

                                                              www.atgtickets.com/venues/milton-keynes-theatre    

28 June – 2 July                                    Mayflower Theatre Southampton                                     02380 711811

                                                              www.mayflower.org.uk                                                     

5 – 9 July                                               Blackpool Opera House                                                   

                                                              www.wintergardensblackpool.co.uk                              

12 – 23 July                                          Theatre Royal Plymouth                                                   01752 267222

                                                              www.theatreroyal.com                                                      

26 July – 6 August                                Newcastle Theatre Royal                                                  0844 811 2121

                                                             www.theatreroyal.co.uk

9 – 20 August                                       Bristol Hippodrome                                                          08448717615*                                                                             

                                                                 www.atgtickets.com/bristol                                               

23 – 27 August                                     Belfast Grand Opera House                                             028 9024 1919                                                                                                                                       

                                                                 www.goh.co.uk

30 August – 10 September                   Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dublin                                  0818 719 377 (ROI)

                                                             bordgaisenergytheatre.ie                                                 0844 248 5101 (UK NI)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

13 – 24 September                                Hull New Theatre                                                           01482300306                                                                             

                                                                  www.hulltheatres.co.uk

27 September – 1 October                    New Theatre, Cardiff                                                      07925 659065

                                                              www.newtheatrecardiff.co.uk                                         

4 – 15 October                                      Liverpool Empire                                                            08448717615*                                                                   

                                                              www.atgtickets.com/liverpool                                          

25 October – 5 November                     New Victoria Theatre, Woking                                          08448717615*

                                                               www.atgtickets.com/woking                                            

17 February – 1 April 2023                   Peacock Theatre, London                                                020 7863 8000

                                                              www.sadlerswells.com/your-visit/peacock-theatre

*Calls cost 7p per minute plus your phone company’s access charge

LOOKING FOR ME FRIEND:

THE MUSIC OF VICTORIA WOOD

ANNOUNCES EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FRINGE RUN

Written and performed by Paulus of BBC 1’s All Together Now, Looking For Me Friend: The Music of Victoria Wood plays in the Drawing Room at the Assembly Rooms throughout August 2022 as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Come and celebrate her unforgettable characters, songs and sketches with this funny and touching tribute to the much-loved national treasure. Directed by Sarah-Louise Young with musical direction by Michael Roulston, Looking For Me Friend is playing at 2:30pm daily from 3 – 28 August.

Producer Denise Silvey said today: “I’m thrilled to be bringing the joy and wit of Victoria Wood to Edinburgh with this happy and heart-warming show. God knows we all need a laugh and to channel our inner Barry and Freda.”

Cahoots Theatre Company presents

LOOKING FOR ME FRIEND

THE MUSIC OF VICTORIA WOOD

Written and performed by Paulus
Director: Sarah-Louise Young

Musical Director: Michael Roulston

3 – 28 August 2022

Written and performed by Paulus (‘King of Cabaret’, The Stage), Looking For Me Friend: The Music of Victoria Wood is an homage celebrating the music of the late comedy genius and national treasure. Paulus will share twelve of Victoria’s best-loved songs through the decades, including ‘It Would Never Have Worked’, ‘Reincarnation’ and, of course, the classic ‘Ballad of Barry & Freda (Let’s Do It)’, as well as some of her lesser-known and more poignant compositions.

‘If you are a fan of Wood, or simply feel the need for some uplifting, live entertainment, then this is a must see’ Musical Theatre Review – ★★★★

Directed by multi-award-winning cabaret artist Sarah-Louise Young, Looking For Me Friend is a nostalgic hour of entertainment filled with love, laughter and fabulous memories for Victoria Wood fans as well as the ultimate ‘beginner’s guide’ for audiences new to her work.

Paulus is joined on-stage by Michael Roulston, proving what many have known for decades: that it takes two men to do the work of one woman – half as well!

Written and performed by Paul L. Martin (Paulus). Paulus, The Cabaret Geek, is an entertainer and educator who specialises in cabaret. Best known for their appearances on BBC1’s All Together Now as a talent judge, his musical tribute to Victoria Wood, Looking For Me Friend: The Music of Victoria Wood premièred in London in 2020. His brand-new musical Building Paulus written with Jordan Clarke is currently in development. For fifteen years, Paulus had close ties to the cult London cabaret venue The Battersea Barge, producing many cabarets for them including the hugely successful talent contest Cheese ‘n’ Crackers, Diva Nite and their annual adult pantomimes. For ten years, Paulus ran the entertainment agency Excess All Areas (formerly Better Chemistry) and under this banner he spearheaded the annual Cabaret Convention and London Cabaret Awards, which played host to cabaret performers, promoters, and practitioners from across the UK and Ireland. Paulus was awarded ‘Best Producer (Cabaret)’ by fringe report during this time. His expertise has been sought to judge many talent competitions including National Burlesque Awards, Drag Idol for Royal Vauxhall Tavern, Pride’s Got Talent, Musical Comedy Awards and Burlesque Idol at The Hippodrome Casino. He has long-lasting working relationships with Home Live Art and their Alternative Village Fete at the National Theatre; the award-winning Festival of Thrift in Darlington and Redcar; The Urban Village Fete for Wayne Hemingway and Hemingway Designs; the Ukulele Festival of Scotland and these have seen him play key roles in the LOCOG Staff Wrap Party at the Copperbox for the 2012 London Olympics and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Celebrations in Battersea Park.

Sarah-Louise Young directs. She has appeared in the West End with Julie Madly Deeply, Fascinating Aïda, La Soirée and Olivier-winning improvised musical group, The Showstoppers. Named one of Time Out’s Top 10 Cabaret Acts and voted Best Musical Variety Act in the London Cabaret Awards, she has also been nominated for an Offie and won The Stage Edinburgh Award. As well as mainstream success on television and radio, she has toured extensively, both in the UK and internationally, including three invitations to the prestigious Adelaide Cabaret Festival. She is one half of writing and performing duo, Roulston & Young with whom she is developing a new musical, Maxa, The Most Assassinated Woman in The World and writing Bespoke Songs. She is currently on tour with her 2019 Edinburgh Fringe smash hit An Evening Without Kate Bush for which she won QX Magazine’s Show of The Year Award. She recently published her first book, The RSVPeople, written with Paul Chronnell.

Musical direction by Michael Roulston. Live work includes: Fascinating Aïda (Southbank/UK tour), Jess Robinson: No Filter (Edinburgh Festival Fringe/UK tour), Dillie Keane (UK tour/Off-Broadway/international tour), Dusty Limits (Edinburgh Festival Fringe/international tour), Julie, Madly, Deeply (West End/Off-Broadway/UK tour/international tour), Christine Bovill’s Piaf (Edinburgh Festival Fringe/UK tour), A Touch Of Mrs Robinson (Edinburgh Festival Fringe/UK tour), The Black Cat Cabaret (Crazy Coqs, Cafe De Paris/international tour) and Sophie Tucker’s One Night Stand (The King’s Head). His recorded work includes: Songs for BBC R4’s The Now Show, Jess Robinson: Are You Ready? Album, Stars In Your Ears podcast, Roulston & Young: Songs For Cynics/Two Faced/La Poule Plombée albums, Dillie Keane: Hello Dillie album and DVD, and Dusty Limits: Grin/Life & I albums. Other writing includes: Maxa, The Most Assassinated Woman in The World (workshopped at Wilton’s Music Hall); Who Is Sinclair Nye? – feat. Valerie Cutko (Rosemary Branch) and Cabaret Whore – feat. Sarah-Louise Young (Edinburgh Festival Fringe/UK tour). His awards include: Spirit of the Fringe 2016 & 2017; and with Sarah-Louise Young, the London Cabaret Award for Best Musical Variety Act, Three Weeks Editors’ Award, The Stage Edinburgh Award and an Argus Angel; and with Dusty Limits: TimeOut & Soho Theatre Cabaret Award finalist, and was nominated for A Melbourne Green Room Award for Original Songwriting.

Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2555721541144383/

Twitter: @LookingForMeFriend

LOOKING FOR ME FRIEND

LISTINGS

Drawing Room, Assembly Rooms, 54 George St, Edinburgh EH2 2LR

Box Office: https://assemblyfestival.com/ / 0131 623 3030 or Assembly box offices at Assembly Hall and Assembly Roxy, Assembly George Square, Assembly Checkpoint and Assembly Rooms

DATES

3 to 28 August at 2:30pm, excluding 15 August

TICKET PRICES

Preview tickets £8.50

Standard tickets £14

Concession tickets £13

RUNNING TIME

60 minutes

TIM WALKER’S CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED

BLOODY DIFFICULT WOMEN

ANNOUNCES EDINBURGH FESTIVAL RUN

★★★★★ Adam Boulton

★★★★★ Kevin Maguire

Wind of Change, in association with Cahoots Theatre Company, today announce the run of Tim Walker’s Bloody Difficult Women at the Assembly Rooms for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2022. Bloody Difficult Women will be running at the Ballroom at the Assembly Rooms from 3 to 28 August 2022, following an extended run at Riverside Studios this Spring.

‘Powerful’                                                                                  ‘A must-see’

Michael Billington                                                                    The Spectator

‘Witty and civilised but with a brutal undertow’

WhatOnStage

The production, inspired by the court case Gina Miller brought against Theresa May in 2016 and with the final climatic scene set in the present is directed by Stephen Unwin. Returning to the cast will be Jessica Turner as Theresa May, Andrew Woodall as Paul Dacre and Graham Seed as Sir Hugh Rosen, with further cast to be announced.

Denise Silvey, the producer, says, “I’m thrilled to be bringing Bloody Difficult Women to Edinburgh.  It’s so exciting to be returning to the Festival after three years away. In 2019 we were lucky enough to bring the sell-out production of Musik to Edinburgh and now here we are again and hope the Festival audiences will be as kind to us this year as they have been to us in the past. Go Edinburgh!!”

Tim Walker, the writer, says: “Any show that is as honest about the English political classes and their media as Bloody Difficult Women was always going to make itself powerful enemies south of the Border, but in London it made a lot of great friends, too, and played to packed and appreciative houses night after night and the run had to be extended. It’s a play that has a lot to say for itself about the mess we’re in and I’ve a feeling Scotland will appreciate it not pulling its punches.”

Wind of Change in association with Cahoots Theatre Company presents

BLOODY DIFFICULT WOMEN

By Tim Walker

Cast: Jessica Turner (Theresa May), Graham Seed (Sir Hugh Rosen) and Andrew Woodall (Paul Dacre) with more to be announced

Director: Stephen Unwin; Designer: Nicky Shaw; Lighting Designer: David Howe

Sound Designer: John Leonard

3 – 28 August 2022

“If standing up for what you believe to be right is being ‘bloody difficult’, then so be it”

Theresa May

Tim Walker’s brand-new drama sees the tumultuous political events of recent years played out in a power struggle between two determined women.

His intensely human account of the court case Mrs Miller brought against Mrs May makes for revealing and often very funny theatre, but ultimately, it’s a tragedy, where there are no winners, only losers. Walker brings the story bang up to date in a dramatic finale which says so much about the deep divisions we still have in our country.

Jessica Turner plays Theresa May. Her theatre work includes A Song at Twilight, Present Laughter (Theatre Royal Bath and UK tour), The Fantastic Follies of Mrs Rich (RSC), All My Sons (Rose Theatre Kingston and The Watermill Theatre), The Second Mrs Tanqueray (Rose Theatre Kingston), Lettice and Lovage (The Watermill Theatre), Persuasion (Salisbury Playhouse), Wallenstein (Chichester Festival Theatre), Waste (Almeida Theatre), Girl in the Goldfish Bowl (Sheffield Theatres), Mary Stuart, Oedipus (Nuffield Southampton), Cuckoos (Barbican and Bath Theatre Royal), King Lear (The Old Vic and UK tour), Albert Speer, The White Chameleon, The Beaux Stratagem (National Theatre) and Good (Donmar Warehouse). For television, her work includes, Father Brown, Law and Order UK, New Tricks, Heartbeat, Tess of the D’Urbervilles, 10 Days to War, Waking the Dead, The Line of Beauty, Spooks, The Cazalets, The Ambassador, The Mill on the Floss and All or Nothing at All; and for film, The Ottoman Lieutenant, The Murder of Princess Diana and Deeply.

Graham Seed plays Sir Hugh Rosen. His theatre work includes The Mousetrap (UK and India tour), The Ladykillers (New Wolsey Theatre, Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch and Salisbury Playhouse co-production), Flare Path, Basketcase, Journey’s End (UK tours), An Audience with Jimmy Savile (Park Theatre and Edinburgh Festival), Dead Sheep (Park Theatre and UK tour), Bedroom Farce, Separate Tables (Salisbury Playhouse), Yes, Prime Minister (Chichester Festival Theatre and UK tour), Accolade, Too Good to Be True (Finborough Theatre), The Skin Game (Orange Tree Theatre), Present Laughter (Theatr Clwyd) and A Chaste Maid in Cheapside (Almeida Theatre and UK tour). For television, his work includes Casualty, Doctors, The Durrells, He Kills Coppers, The Chatterley Affair, Station Jim, Band of Brothers, Nature Boy, Dinnerladies, Ashenden, Jeeves and Wooster, Victoria Wood as Seen on TV, Cab, Who’s Who, Brideshead Revisited and I Claudius; and for film, Peterloo, Bonded by Blood II, Tezz, Wild Target, Morning Jericho, These Foolish Things, AKA, Honest and Gandhi. Seed played series regular Nigel Pargetter over 27 years for BBC Radio 4’s The Archers.

Andrew Woodall plays Paul Dacre. His theatre work includes Admissions (Trafalgar Studios), Antony and Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, Wendy and Peter Pan (RSC), First Light (Chichester Festival Theatre), The Wars of the Roses (Rose Theatre Kingston), Great Britain (National Theatre/Theatre Royal Haymarket), The Browning Version/South Downs (Harold Pinter Theatre and Chichester Festival Theatre), Benefactors (Sheffield Theatres), The Knowledge/Little Platoons (Bush Theatre), Women Beware Women (National Theatre), Hedda Gabler (Gate Theatre Dublin), Much Ado About Nothing, The Voysey Inheritance, The Life of Galileo (National Theatre), Gaslight (The Old Vic), As You Like It (Wyndham’s Theatre), As You Desire Me (Playhouse Theatre) and The Sugar Syndrome (Royal Court Theatre). For television, his work includes, The Reckoning, Lockwood and Co., Des, Granchester, Lucan, New Worlds, An Adventure in Time and Space, Miranda, Silk, New Tricks, The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, Above Suspicion, Men are Wonderful, Personal Affairs, Place of Execution, Lawless, Hear the Silence and Charles II; and for film, Where is Anne Frank, Solo: A Star Wars Story, 303 Squadron, The Riot Club, Belle, Johnny English Reborn, Hypnotic, The Count of Monto Cristo and Regeneration.

Tim Walker is an author, broadcaster and British Press Award-winning journalist. He had a unique insight into the cases Gina Miller brought against the governments of Theresa May and Boris Johnson as he advised her on media strategy on both occasions. He has worked in staff positions on The Observer, the Daily Mail and The Sunday Telegraph, where he was the theatre critic. More recently, he has written columns for the Daily Mirror and The New European. He stood briefly as the Lib Dem parliamentary candidate in Canterbury in the last election. Star Turns, his latest book, was published in September.

Stephen Unwin directs. Unwin founded the English Touring Theatre in 1993. For the company, he directed more than 30 productions of classical and new plays, including award-winning productions of Hamlet with Alan Cumming, Hedda Gabler, Henry IV Parts One and Two with Timothy and Samuel West, King Lear with Timothy West, The Seagull with Cheryl Campbell and Ghosts with Diana Quick and Daniel Evans. These transferred to the Donmar and the Old Vic. He produced two plays by Jonathan Harvey and Peter Gill’s award-winning The York Realist as well as Sir Peter Hall’s production of Uncle Vanya. In 2008, he became Artistic Director of the new Rose Theatre in Kingston, which he ran until January 2014. His productions there included Hay Fever with Celia Imrie, The Importance of Being Earnest with Jane Asher, The Lady from the Sea with Joely Richardson, The Vortex with Kerry Fox and Day in the Death of Joe Egg with Ralf Little. He hosted the very successful Time to Talk series with 50 leading actors and personalities. Also an author, he has written 10 books on theatre, drama and related subjects, as well as numerous articles for newspapers and journals. He is also active in campaigning for the rights of the disabled. He is Chairman of KIDS, a national charity which provides a wide range of services for disabled children, young people and their families.

LISTINGS

BLOODY DIFFICULT WOMEN

Ballroom, Assembly Rooms, 54 George St, Edinburgh EH2 2LR

Box Office: https://assemblyfestival.com/ / 0131 623 3030 or Assembly box offices at Assembly Hall and Assembly Roxy, Assembly George Square, Assembly Checkpoint and Assembly Rooms

DATES

3 – 28 August at 2:30pm, excluding 11 and 22 August

TICKET PRICES

Preview tickets £12

Standard tickets £13 – £16

RUNNING TIME

90 minutes