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Christopher Marlowe’s fantastically gothic
Doctor Faustus comes to Southwark Playhouse
this autumn
Thursday 1st September – Saturday 1st October 2022
Streamed Performance: Thursday 6th October 2022
Southwark Playhouse, 77-85 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BD

Bringing the supernatural to Southwark this autumn, Lazarus Theatre Company are transforming Christopher Marlowe’s Elizabethan tragedy into a multi-sensory theatrical experience. Exploring the modern tragedies of technology, knowledge and wanting more than you can have, audiences will be captivated within Marlowe’s gothic world of haunting twists with state-of-the art video design, music and movement.

John Faustus, frustrated and in search of complete fulfilment, enters a dangerous game of necromancy and dark arts, selling his soul to the devil in return for 24 years of unlimited knowledge, power and fame. Yet as the clock strikes 12 on his final day, Mephistopheles comes knocking and repayment is due…

Contemporary, sharp and masculine, this mesmerising production is complemented by live camera and video to bewitch the audience as they join Faustus in his descent into hell. Playing with screens, movement and contemporary themes whilst integrating Marlowe’s original text, this Doctor Faustus speaks to a modern audience

Ricky Dukes, artistic director, comments, To be back at Southwark Playhouse with Marlowe’s firecracker Doctor Faustus is fantastic. In our contemporary staging of the play Faustus is a man who lives online, surrounded by tech, something we can all relate to after the past two years – he has everything literally at his fingertips, it’s not enough. With video designer Dan Light we are working with tech as we never have before, using interactive technology within the performance to fully immerse the audience into the fantastical, frightening and at times downright bizarre journey Faustus encounters.

The thrilling ensemble due to bring Doctor Faustus to life will be announced soon. This
production will also be streamed on the 6 th October with tickets available here:
www.lazarustheatrecompany.co.uk/boxoffice.

THE RSC CELEBRATES HM THE QUEEN’S PLATINUM JUBILEE IN STRATFORD-UPON-AVON

The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) will celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of its Patron, Her Majesty The Queen, between Wednesday 1 – Sunday 5 June.  There will be something for the entire family, including an in-person exhibition and, following a call out for submissions, an online exhibition, both featuring memories of HM The Queen.

On Saturday 4 June, the RSC will join in Stratford-upon-Avon’s celebratory Picnic in the Park, whilst offering quieter activities in the Dell Forest Garden located by Holy Trinity Church. Between Thursday 2 – Saturday 4 June, the RSC’s iconic Theatre Tower will be lit red, white and blue. And on Sunday 5 June the RSC’s Rooftop Restaurant will offer a special Jubilee Afternoon Tea.

WEDNESDAY 1 AND THURSDAY 2 JUNE

Family Workshops 
The Dell Forest Garden, 2 – 4pm  
Free, no booking required, suitable for all ages 

Located by Holy Trinity Church on banks of the River Avon, The Dell Forest Garden is a quiet outdoor space.  Join us there to discover how we can help the environment and the environment can help us. With opportunities to take part in citizen science, writing activities, and environmentally friendly crafts, everyone can take time to enjoy the gardens and find out about how we created the space and how you can get involved in future projects in The Dell Forest Garden. 

FRIDAY 3 JUNE

Memories of Her Majesty

Stratford-upon-Avon Town Hall, 10am – 4pm

Free, no booking required, suitable for all ages 

Working with Stratford community groups, the RSC and Shakespeare Birthplace Trust (SBT) present a colourful and evocative exhibition, showing how HM The Queen’s reign has brought families, friends and the people of Stratford-upon-Avon together. The exhibition will include photographs and specially selected items from the SBT and RSC collections that will be on display for the very first time.  

Memories of Her Majesty – online

The RSC is also asking anyone to share their memories of HM The Queen for an online gallery.  People can submit photos, videos and written stories, maybe of a time when HM The Queen was in Stratford, for example when she opened the redeveloped Royal Shakespeare Theatre in 2011.  People can submit their memories or make enquiries via jubilee@rsc.org.uk by 16 May.

The gallery is due to launch at 10am on Thursday 2 June.

SATURDAY 4 JUNE

 
Picnic in the Park  

Bancroft Gardens, 2 – 6pm

The RSC will be joining in the town’s celebration, ‘Stratford-upon-Avon’s Platinum Jubilee Festival’ over the bank holiday weekend. On Saturday, there will be a Picnic in the Park for families on the Bancroft Gardens where the RSC will offer family activities including flag making and memory making crafts. An outdoor temporary display will also give people the chance to find out more about HM The Queen’s visits to the theatre and Stratford-upon- Avon.  

Between 2-4pm, to complement Picnic in the Park, the RSC will host a relaxed and accessible picnic in The Dell Forest Gardens (located on the banks of the Avon by Holy Trinity Church) for those who prefer a more relaxed atmosphere and may find the busyness of the Bancroft Gardens potentially overwhelming. Activities here include a scent garden featuring plants and herbs from Shakespeare’s plays. 

SUNDAY 5 JUNE

The RSC will also be offering a special Jubilee Afternoon Tea in its Rooftop Restaurant on Sunday 5 June between 12.15-3.30pm.  It will feature a range of seasonal savoury and sweet delicacies, including Scone with clotted cream and strawberry preserve; Royal Swan filled with White Chocolate mousse; Passion fruit syllabub; Raspberry Toad Stool; Royal Crown Strawberry Tartlets; and Pistachio Macaroons. Cost per person: £24.95, or £29.95 (with a glass of Prosecco) or £34.95 (with a glass of Champagne). Booking for Afternoon Tea: www.rsc.org.uk/rooftop-restaurant or 01789 403449.

Richmond Theatre – until 7^th May 2022

Reviewed by Carly Burlinge  

4.5 **** 

Based on the bestselling novel by Dan Brown comes The Da Vinci Code adapted to theatre for all to see. When the custodian Sauniere (Andrew Lewis) of the famous Louvre Museum has been found ruthlessly and savagely murdered. With a star drawn in blood and a pentacle on his chest. Some thinking it could be signs of devil worship although as clues start to unravel in the form of different coding. it soon becomes apparent that what they are looking into has involvement and a connection with the great Leonardo Da Vinci. Now realising this case may consist of something greater and the need to protect some form of an ancient secret! Whilst all suspicion falls on Professor Robert Langdon (Christopher Harper) a very chatty knowledgeable and clever expert that is obsessed with his symbols and coding being his life’s work. He wants to clear his name and when he meets Sophie (Hannah Rose Caton) a cryptologist who is also the deceases granddaughter she is smart and very clever and believes her grandfather was involved in something much bigger!  Together will they be able to unravel the reason of his death whilst helping him to clear his name and prove his innocence. As they embark on their journey, they enlist the help of a friend Sir Leigh Teabing (Danny John–Jules) an educated and knowledgeable, very assertive sharp and quick explainer. As the three continue to work out the clues and the riddles before they run out of time and all is lost. 

This production was a good watch but moved at a very packed pace! There was defiantly a lot to take in and in a short amount of time. Many scene changes were coming fast and quick but none the less they were cleverly done.  Visually it was very satisfying and entertaining to watch with coding and words projected all over the stage as well as pictures and sketches drawn by Leonardo Da Vinci in full vision. Although serious it did offer some light humour throughout breaking up the tension.  All In all, a fantastic gripping and compelling show that is definitely worth a watch. 

Malvern Theatre – until Saturday 7th May 2022

Reviewed by Kathie Hodges

5*****

Grab your friends and head out for a night of joyous nostalgic music and a lot of toe tapping.

Molly-Grace Cutler brilliantly portrays the life of Carole King. The show begins at New Carnegie Hall with King reminiscing her life, as we are transported back to her sixteen year old self who desperately wants to share her gift of writing music with the world.

Soon she meets Gerry Goffin played by Tom Milner, Gerry is rather cool in Kings eyes and she struggles to believe it when he shows her romantic attention, but the two quickly fall in love, and become a rather special song writing team.  King creating the music and Goffin a talented lyricist. Very soon they are writing hit after hit, all of which are performed by a huge array of stars who are holding the number one spot for weeks on end, to the delight of record mogul Donnie Kirshner played by Garry Robson who is always eager to find the next big hit.

He needn’t worry as between King and Goffin and the rather humorous Barry played by Jos Slovick and brassy Cynthia Weil played brilliantly by Seren Sandham-Davies he has some incredible talent working for him and though Barry and Cynthia should be their rivals the foursome become the very best of friends, though it doesn’t stop them competing for the number one spot.

I never realised just how many hits King and Goffin were responsible for, ‘Take Good Care of my Baby’. Remember that one? ‘Will You Still Love me Tomorrow’ they just keep coming.

Goffin and King met at such a young age, throw in an unplanned pregnancy, marriage, and much of their time and energy going into their work, the cracks in their relationship begin to show and King is heartbroken. Though they are smashing the hits Goffin is struggling immensely under the pressure and we leave act one wondering what will become of the relationship and what will be become of him.

The staging is simply created to shift between a juke box and a recording studio and micro minis and bell bottoms sell us the unmistakable 60’s fashion.

The entire cast are full of energy and talent, multitasking as musicians while acting, singing and dancing in many roles effortlessly.

Cutler however, is mesmerising as King, her flawless voice and piano playing held the audience captivated and though I think it’s safe to say we all loved the bubble gum pop of the first half, there was a huge wave of emotion when Cutler sat down to perform Kings first very own solo song for her friends ‘It’s Too Late’. This is one of those moments when you get goose bumps as you feel you are witnessing a pivotal moment in a persons life.
For all the magnificent hits King was involved in creating, this was all her own work. Shifting from writer to performer was the right move, her album Tapestry went on to be phenomenally successful, and the show ends where it opened, at New York’s Carnegie Hall in 1971.

Expect flashing lights. Expect to want to sing out loud. Expect to to give a standing ovation.
I absolutely loved it.

LEA YPI ANNOUNCED AS WINNER OF THE 2022 RSL ONDAATJE PRIZE FOR FREE

The Royal Society of Literature (RSL), the voice for the value of literature in the UK, has this evening announced Lea Ypi as the winner of the 2022 RSL Ondaatje Prize for Free(Allen Lane, 2022), an engrossing coming of age memoir set amid political upheaval. An annual prize of £10,000, the RSL Ondaatje Prize is awarded by the RSL to an outstanding work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry that best evokes the spirit of a place. 

Lea Ypi was announced as the winner of the prestigious prize by RSL President Emeritus Colin Thubron – who was involved with the Prize from its very beginnings – on behalf of the Prize founder and funder, Sir Christopher Ondaatje. The winner was announced at an event on Wednesday evening held at Two Temple Place.

Lea Ypi said: “This started as a book about concepts and so it is incredible to receive this prize for the best book that evokes the spirit of a place. It goes to show that concepts and places are connected to each other. It is really important to me because the place whose spirit is evoked is Albania, a place people don’t usually think about – it’s not somewhere that makes headlines unless there is something problematic happening. I hope that it will make people have an interest in the history of this country, which is also a history of universal significance. The book is about the transition from communism to liberalism in Albania and also the dilemmas of freedom that arise as people navigate these different systems. It connects these ideas with ordinary lives, the conflicts, hopes and tragedies that people lived through. I hope this book will make people more sensitive to the realities that  should be paid attention to, regardless of whether there is a recognised crisis in a place or not.”   

The judges of this year’s Prize, Chair Sandeep Parmar, Patrice Lawrence and Philippe Sands, said: “Reading and re-reading Lea Ypi’s ‘Free’ we felt very strongly that the book’s central concerns—politics, personal history, the very meaning of freedom—spoke so resonantly to our lived moment. How do nations dream about themselves; how do individuals think of themselves within these fantasies? How do we feel within histories and how they are institutionalised? Ypi is a master at the juxtaposition of these grand and personal narratives–of family secrets and political crises–and repeatedly we returned in our judging conversations to history’s long shadow, asking what darkness lies where things remain unquestioned. Ypi’s both darkly humorous and deeply serious work made us reflect forcefully on the need for truthfulness about the stories we are told and how we negotiate our own lives within them.”

Lea Ypi is Professor of Political Theory at the London School of Economics, and Political Science and Adjunct Professor in Philosophy at the Australian National University. A native of Albania, she has degrees in Philosophy and in Literature from the University of Rome La Sapienza, a PhD from the European University Institute, and was a Post-Doctoral Prize Research Fellow at Nuffield College, Oxford University. Her work has been recognised with several prizes such as the British Academy Prize for Excellence in Political Science and the Leverhulme Prize for Outstanding Research Achievement. She speaks six languages and lives in London. She was selected by the judges from a shortlist of six authors, made up of A.K. Blakemore (The Manningtree Witches), Cal Flyn(Islands of Abandonment: Life in the Post-Human Landscape), Yousif M. Qasmiyeh (Writing the Camp), Sathnam Sanghera (Empireland) and Elif Shafak (The Island of Missing Trees).

First awarded in 2004, the premise and broad remit of the prize creates unique lists of outstanding works and authors that you would not usually find sitting side by side. Previous recipients of the prize have included Aida Edemariam, Ruth Gilligan, Alan Johnson, Hisham Matar, Pascale Petit, Peter Pomerantsev, Roger Robinson, Francis Spufford, Edmund de Waal and Louisa Waugh. 

The RSL Ondaatje Prize is one of 10 annual awards and prizes presented by the RSL, which bring the widest possible community of writers and readers together in celebration of the breadth of literature today. From debut works and unpublished short stories, through to the notoriously challenging second novel and outstanding contributions to literature, the RSL’s awards and prizes celebrate the value of writing in all its forms, whilst supporting emerging and established writers at some of the most challenging moments of their careers. The RSL’s other annual awards and prizes are: RSL International Writers awards, Companions of Literature, the Encore Award, the RSL Christopher Bland Prize, the RSL Giles St Aubyn Awards for Non-Fiction, the V.S. Pritchett Short Story Prize, the RSL Literature Matters Awards, the Sky Arts RSL Writers Awards and the Benson Medal.

Forum Theatre, Malvern – 3rd May 2022

Reviewed by Courie Amado Juneau

5*****

Seven Drunken Nights is quite simply a joyous celebration of that great Irish folk band, The Dubliners.

The set evokes the bar room at O’Donoghues where the band first got together to enjoy music and drinking. A wonderfully authentic way to tell the story as it is just like it must have been at those early get togethers. It is also very familiar to anyone who has visited Dublin (or even spent time around an Irish family).

The show opens with a recreation of The Dubliners appearance on the Late Late Show to celebrate their 25th anniversary and then the musicians settle down (in the intimate pub setting) to regale us with tales of the band. The stories were fascinating (I always love hearing how and why bands form) and it was all punctuated by plenty of tunes that showcased where the band were at at each point in their history. This allowed us to hear the development of the band’s material during their long, illustrious career. There were many surprises along the way too; like hearing they were no 8 in the pop charts in 1967 with the title tune from the show! Timely reminders of just how popular this great group was! As with any Irish gathering, humour plays a massive part and this show is enormous fun from start to finish. This is no evening for sitting on your hands as there is constant audience participation and clapping throughout. My arms and hands were quickly aching but I didn’t care, the music was too infectious to worry about such small considerations.

As you would expect from a celebration of a band with this level of passionate following and longevity, it was an emotional evening especially when recounting the difficult times such as health problems and deaths. Various songs heightened the emotion at these points with “The Fields of Athenry”, “The Town I loved So Well” and especially “Raglan Road” being especially poignant.

The celebration continued unabated until the culmination, on three massive hits known and loved by everyone – “Whiskey In The Jar”, “Dirty Old Town” and “Molly Malone”. I was amazed how many knew all the words – and I mean all the words to every song throughout the show! This is no mere tribute act running through the hits. It is genuinely friends of the band continuing the rich legacy through their music and stories. And there can’t be anything more authentic (or fitting) than that as a true and proper tribute to a folk band.

This was the kind of evening to make one long for some Irish ancestry. A fantastic show, full of love, affection and genuine admiration, with stunning music that warms the heart and sets the soul alight. A pleasure that I won’t feel in the least bit guilty reveling in and one I cannot recommend highly enough. Do yourself a favour and get down to O’Donoghues to join in the fun

Park Theatre, Finsbury Park – until 28th May 2022

Reviewed by Bobbi Fenton

5*****

Based on the incredible true story, ‘The End of the Night’ takes place in the house of Felix Kirsten (Michael Lumsden), who has invited Nazi Heinrich Himmler (Richard Clothier) to meet with Jewish Norbert Masur (Ben Caplan) who serves as a representative of the Jewish people. Norbert Masur was raised in Germany, however he explains that he has lived in Sweden for the last twenty years. In this meeting, Masur tries to negotiate with Himmler, with the help of Kirsten, to release some concentration camp prisoners to a neutral country, such as Sweden, with the promise that it will boost Himmler’s reputation. Kirsten has somewhat of an upper hand with Himmler, as his personal masseuse, and has negotiated in the past for his house to be officially not on German land to protect himself. This story is full of suspense, with moments of such palpable tension, it feels like we, the audience, are in the room with them. However, it also includes some unanticipated but well-timed comedic moments, which make reference to the lies and the failings of the Nazi party towards the end of the war.

Richard Clothier’s performance as Heinrich Himmler is incredibly gripping, leaving the audience fully absorbed in the play. This alongside Ben Caplan’s profound performance as Norbert Masur makes for a truly captivating show. Not forgetting the remarkable performance by Olivia Bernstone, who delivers an incredibly powerful monologue towards the end of the play, as concentration camp prisoner Jeanne Bommezjin recalling the day the red cross vans arrived to rescue the prisoners from the camp.

This suspenseful play is absolutely brilliant, and is the perfect play for anyone who has an interest in World War Two history

Bristol Hippodrome – until 7th May 2022

Reviewed by Lucy Hitchcock

3***

A piano adorns the stage and is quickly played by a soldier to quiet the audience, and we are transported into the play, with a lovely immersive start to the show. Michael Fentiman directs this cast through the world of Narnia, along with Shannelle Fergus’s choreography and composer Benji Bower.

The show was eagerly anticipated by the crowd, but ultimately fell flat. It seemed to be very rushed and we didn’t have time to connect with the characters before a new twist in the story. This is not to detract from the brilliant music and dance that entwined with the show, in fact, this was what I looked forward to most! The constant music and singing from the cast was superb and was beautifully accompanied by Christina Tedders on violin, whilst also portraying Mrs Beaver. To me, Tedders was the stand out of this piece with an excellent stage presence and stunning vocals and musicality-she really made the piece special.

There were some good illusions and flying sequences, but they seemed very few and far between and seemed not to add much to the progression of the story. As a lover of the original books, this did feel as though it just fell short of the original magic C S Lewis provides. There were however, many children that seemed to love the performance and it was greeted with lots of oohs and ahhs-really captivating it’s true demographic -unfortunately,that wasn’t myself.

ADDITIONAL PRODUCTION IMAGES RELEASED FOR RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN’S OKLAHOMA!

The Bard SummerScape production of 

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s  

Oklahoma!  

In association with Eva Price, Sonia Friedman Productions and Michael Harrison  

Music by Richard Rodgers 

Book and Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II  

Based on the play Green Grow the Lilacs by Lynn Riggs  

Original Choreography by Agnes de Mille  

Directed by Daniel Fish and Jordan Fein 

27 April – 25 June 2022  

The Young Vic today releases a second selection of production images for the UK premiere of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! Daniel Fish’s striking revival of the classic musical which originally premiered at the Richard B. Fisher Center in 2015 ahead of its New York premiere at St. Ann’s Warehouse in 2018. 

This is Oklahoma! as you’ve never seen it before, re-orchestrated and reimagined for the 21st century. Winner of the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical, Daniel Fish’s bold interpretation transfers to the Young Vic, direct from an acclaimed run on Broadway and a U.S. tour. Oklahoma! tells a story of a community banding together against an outsider, and the frontier life that shaped America. Seventy-five years after Rodgers and Hammerstein reinvented the American musical, this visionary production is funny and sexy, provocative and probing, without changing a word of the text.  

Arthur Darvill plays Curly McLain, with James Davis as Will Parker, Stavros Demetraki as Ali Hakim, Anoushka Lucas as Laurey Williams, Olivier Award nominee Liza Sadovy as Aunt Eller, Patrick Vaill as Jud Fry and Marisha Wallace as Ado Annie. The cast is complete with Raphael Bushay as Mike, Greg Hicks as Andrew Carnes, Rebekah Hinds as Gertie Cummings, Ashley Samuels as Cord Elam, and Marie Mence as the lead dancer. 

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! is Co-Directed by Daniel Fish and Jordan Fein, with Orchestrations, Arrangements  by Daniel Kluger and Co-Music Supervision by Daniel Kluger and Nathan Koci, Choreography by John Heginbotham, Co-Set Design by Laura Jellinek and Grace Laubacher, Costume Design by Terese Wadden, Lighting Design by Scott Zielinski, Sound Design by Drew Levy, Projection Design by Joshua Thorson, Musical Director Tom Brady and Casting by Jacob Sparrow, with Associate Choreographer Shelby Williams, Assistant Director Nimmo Ismail, Associate Costume Designer Rachel Townsend, Associate Lighting Designer Fiffi Thorsteinsson, Associate Musical Director Huw Evans, Dialect Coach Sam Lilja and Orchestral Manager David Gallagher.  

Socially Distanced performances: 24, 25 May 7.30pm, 25 May, 2.30pm, and 9, 10 June, 7.30pm  

Audio Described performance: 24 May, 7.30pm 

Captioned performance: 9 June, 7.30pm 

Relaxed performance: 10 June, 7.30pm 

This production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! was originally developed, produced and premiered at the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College in July 2015. It was subsequently developed and produced by St Ann’s Warehouse and Eva Price at the Joseph S. and Dianna H. Steinberg Theatre, Brooklyn in 2018. 

New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham – until 7th May 2022

Reviewed by Emma Millward 

4****

A new play based on the classic ‘Whodunnit’ board game (first devised in Birmingham) and the Paramount Pictures movie ‘Clue’ has quite a legacy to live up to. From the moment the audience enters the auditorium, they are greeted with the familiar sight of the ‘Hall’ and the doors leading off to the other famous room from the game.

The show starts with the introduction of Yvette the Maid (Laura Kirman) and Wadsworth the Butler (Jean-Luke Worrell). With Yvette’s faltering French/Cockney accent and Wadsworth’s eccentric but instantly amusing mannerisms, they set the scene for the silliness and madcap behaviour we can expect throughout the show. 

One by one, we are introduced to the main players in the ‘game’, who are all being blackmailed by the mysterious Mr Boddy for their various indiscretions. Daniel Casey (of Midsomer Murders fame) as Professor Plum and Michelle Collins as the alluring Miss Scarlett are perfectly cast. Although a little part of me was secretly hoping there might be an Eastenders ‘duff duff’ moment at some point, as a sly nod to Michelle Collins. But that was probably just wishful thinking on my part.

The fully assembled guests then sit down for dinner and chaos ensues. This is when the clever staging of the rooms suddenly becomes apparent. Not only do the doors open, but the whole walls around them are pulled back by Wadsworth, so we can follow the cast into each adjoining room. The Cast all move props around to create the backdrop for each particular space too. It was a surprising but very clever way to keep the story moving along.

The storytelling is fast-paced, at times a little manic, but always hilarious. The tension between the main characters builds as the body count rises at Boddy Manor. The hysteria and slapstick grows along with it. Certain cast members end up being repeatedly knocked over by opening doors and thrown punches. 

Special mention has to be given to Jean-Luke Worrell as Wadsworth. Having to follow in the footsteps of the amazing Tim Curry in this role is no easy feat, but he more than achieves it. His facial expressions and body movements are slick, slapstick and your eyes are definitely drawn to him. His recap of the entire play in just a few minutes towards the end of the show really is a sight to behold. I will never hear the name ‘Larry’ in the same way again!

Whodunnit? Well, that would be telling! You will just have to go and see the show while it is still in Birmingham until the 7th May.