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WILTSHIRE CREATIVE ANNOUNCES

NEWLY APPOINTED SHIFT ASSOCIATE ARTISTS FOR 2022

Wiltshire Creative today announces the appointment of Roisin McCay-Hines and Edward Scott as new SHIFT Associate Artists for 2022. A key part of their remit this year will be to lead the SHIFT programming which forms an integral part of the Salisbury International Arts Festival 2022; as well as working with the in-house team led by Louise Dancy, Wiltshire Creative’s Take Part Director, who oversees the year-long programme of events amplifying the voices of young people across the company.

Roisin McCay-Hines and Edward Scott said today, “The SHIFT programme has already set a fantastic precedent for high quality, inclusive and responsive art. We hope to further that legacy by expanding our outreach and continuing to diversify the range of opportunities there are for young people in the local, national and international communities. It is an initiative which is designed to evolve and for this next iteration, which centres around the Salisbury International Arts Festival, the focus will be on taking practical steps in order to empower young creatives to take ownership of their unique voice and bring them to a public facing platform.”

Louise Dancy commented, “SHIFT has informed the work of the Take Part Department and wider organisation since its conception, putting young people at the heart of decision making. We are building a strong model of authenticity and relevance which will serve us well now, and as we plan forwards.  I am looking forward to working with Ed and Roisin along with our young ambassadors to make plans for the International Arts Festival and beyond, I can’t wait to learn from what they have to say.”

Roisin McCay-Hines is a director and arts worker who graduated from Exeter University in 2020 with a degree in English and Drama. Her recent work includes writing/directing her debut play GAMBIT (Exeter Fringe); directing the Hall for Cornwall’s Youth Theatre; assisting on O-Region/Hall for Cornwall’s Marthusow ha Mysteris and The Triumphant Sea for the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Playmaking Festival. She champions opportunities and services for young people within the arts and mental health sectors, having recently finished a two-year term as trustee for the Exeter Northcott Theatre and currently holding a seat on the board of the Youth Arts and Health Trust.

Edward Scott is a visual artist with a keen interest in curation, arts education and engagement, who recently graduated from Falmouth University with a BA in Fine Art. He hopes to bring a new perspective to the SHIFT programme by championing artistic expression across creative disciplines and backgrounds. He is committed to increasing accessibility to the arts, while facilitating a platform through and within which young voices can be developed, seen and heard through the arts and excited to be working with local emerging creatives and audiences.

Wiltshire Creative’s first SHIFT Associate Artists Harrison Brodie and Kate Potter are continuing their association with the programme working as SHIFT Ambassadors.

SHIFT is an ongoing programme created by Wiltshire Creative, amplifying young voices through the arts. In 2021, SHIFT collected and shared the views of young people aged 14-25 through the Off Your Chest project and the SHIFT Hub, platformed young musicians on stage at SHIFT Social events and SHIFT NOW digital event, and created a regional Youth Arts Network who produced a feature length film displaying their creative work in theatre, dance and music.

SHIFT continues in 2022, with the next SHIFT Social live music event taking place on the Friday 26 February at Salisbury Arts Centre.

Other SHIFT projects for 2022 include Woke Songs – a project drawing on experiences of the South West’s queer youth and its rich heritage of folk music to create a new canon of songs and ultimately a musical, relevant to the narratives of young people living today. Theatre makers Mich Sanderson and Ryan Wilce have worked with young people aged 14-19 from across Salisbury and the wider county. The resulting verbatim performance piece is a vibrant and valid celebration of queer existence formed from the true testimony of the participants. Performed by Bonnie Schwarz, the first work in progress performance took place on 28 January, in the Salberg at Salisbury Playhouse. The company will continue to develop the piece over the company months, with the initial showing having generated positive feedback from external producers.

Mich Sanderson and Ryan Wilce are the recipients of the SHIFT Development Fund 2021. This fund was created as part of the SHIFT programme designed to amplify young voices through the arts, led by and for young people. 

Further SHIFT programming will be announced in due course.

ONE-MAN MUSICAL SHOW
GRANDMOTHER’S CLOSET (AND WHAT I FOUND THERE)
TO BE STAGED AT WMC

Wales Millennium Centre will co-produce a brand new, solo musical by first-time writer (and long-time theatre-maker) Luke Hereford, Grandmother’s Closet (and What I Found There) is an autobiographical play about queer identities, and how Luke learned to love his with the help of his grandmother and her colourful wardrobe.

Featuring modern arrangements of pop classics from female icons including Madonna, Kate Bush, Tori Amos, Judy Garland and Björk, and directed by first-time director (and long-time actor) François Pandolfo, this brand new production will be performed 20-23 April 2022 at the Centre’s Weston Studio.

There will be two, dementia-friendly matinee performances on Fri 22 and Sat 23 April.

This musical romp down the Yellow Brick Road promises mischief and mashups, dresses and divas, and a whole lot of heart.

Grandmother’s Closet (and What I Found There) is made possible by the generous support of Arts Council of Wales.

Announcing the show, writer and performer Luke Hereford said: “This play is a manifestation of the joyful, glamorous spirit of my grandmother; my ultimate enabler. Every queer person has been on a journey of self-discovery at some point in their life, and though we take most of that journey alone, if we’re lucky we’re guided through it by unexpected formative moments with unexpected personal cheerleaders. Grandmother’s Closet honours those moments and cheerleaders, the power of memory, and is a salute the sacred art of dressing up.”

Wales Millennium Centre Producer Peter Darney said: “This is a beautiful and personal show about Luke’s relationship with his grandmother and the effect her support for him has had on him as an artist. We are very proud to commission Luke’s first production as a writer, and François’ first as a director, combining their considerable talents to make a compassionate and celebratory show.”

Writer and performer Luke Hereford (he/they) trained at Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Luke has worked as a director with National Theatre Wales, Tron Glasgow, Lincoln Center Theater, and Sherman Theatre, as a participant of the JMK Directors Programme, funded by the Carne Trust. As Visiting Director for University of Wales Trinity St. David, shows include Growth, Spring Awakening, Every Day a Little Death and A New Brain. As Associate Artist for Leeway Productions, Luke is developing Queerway; a verbatim song cycle celebrating queer life in Wales and was Assistant Director for their acclaimed production of The Last Five Years.

Director François Pandolfo (he/him) trained at East 15 Acting School and has worked extensively as an actor across theatre, television and radio. Television credits includes Quintis in Doctor Who, Tati’s Hotel, Casualty, Doctors, Eastenders and Baker Boys. He was also series regular Roberto in BBC’s The Tuckers, Dread-head in Wasted and Fraser in Big Boys for Channel 4 Comedy. François’ theatre credits include The Taming of the Shrew, The Motherf***er with the Hat and Alice in Wonderland for Sherman Theatre, A Small Family Business, Macbeth and A History of Falling Things for Theatr Clwyd, Lifted by Beauty and Mission Control for National Theatre Wales, Wuthering Heights for Aberystwyth Arts Centre, The Compleat Female Stage Beauty and A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Mappa Mundi, The Magic Flute for Welsh National Opera, Double Vision for Wales Millennium Centre and Bad Girls for Polka Theatre. François is the co-director and partner of difficult|stage. Productions include: A Cold Spread and The World of Work, and critically acclaimed shows Alix in Wundergarten amd Looking Through Glass, both written by François.

Musical Director David George Harrington is a composer, arranger and musical director who has worked and performed professionally for 12 years all over the UK. He has arranged music commercially for clients including Katherine Jenkins, Connie Fisher, Jonny Wilkes, Aled Jones, Shirley Bassey, and has had music performed by the London Philharmonic and London Concert Orchestra, Welsh National Opera, BBC National Orchestra of Wales and Cory Brass Band. He regularly arranges for Decca Records, Warner Music Group and has had music broadcast on ITV, BBC, and BBC Radio 2. David frequently collaborates with leading West End performers and is currently writing two musicals.  

Bydd Canolfan Mileniwm Cymru yn cyd-gynhyrchu sioe gerdd newydd sbon gan yr awdur tro cyntaf (a gwneuthurwr theatr hir-amser) Luke Hereford. Mae Grandmother’s Closet (and What I Found There…) yn ddrama hunangofiannol am hunaniaethau queer, a sut y dysgodd Luke i garu ei fam-gu a’i chwpwrdd dillad lliwgar.

Yn cynnwys trefniadau modern o glasuron pop gan eiconau benywaidd gan gynnwys Madonna, Kate Bush, Tori Amos, Judy Garland a Björk, a’u cyfarwyddo gan gyfarwyddwr am y tro cyntaf (ac actor amser hir) François Pandolfo, bydd y cynhyrchiad newydd sbon hwn yn cael ei berfformio 20-23 Ebrill 2022 yn Stiwdio Weston y Ganolfan.

Bydd dau berfformiad matinee sy’n ystyriol o ddementia ar ddydd Gwener 22 a Sad 23 Ebrill.

This musical romp down the Yellow Brick Road promises mischief and mashups, dresses and divas, and a whole lot of heart.

Mae Grandmother’s Closet (and What I Found There…) yn bosib oherwydd cefnogaeth hael Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru.

Wrth gyhoeddi’r sioe, dywedodd yr awdur a’r perfformiwr Luke Hereford: “Mae’r ddrama hon yn ymddangosiad o ysbryd llawen, hudolus fy mam-gu; fy mhrif alluogwr. Mae pob person cwiar wedi bod ar daith o hunan-ddarganfod ar ryw adeg yn eu bywyd, ac er ein bod yn y rhan fwyaf o’r daith honno’n un unig, os ydym yn lwcus cawn ein harwain drwyddo gan adegau ffurfiannol annisgwyl gyda chodwyr hwyl personol annisgwyl. Mae Grandmother’s Closet yn anrhydeddu’r eiliadau a’r codwyr hwyl hynny, grym y cof, ac mae’n saliwt i’r grefft sanctaidd o wisgo i fyny.”

Dywedodd Cynhyrchydd Canolfan Mileniwm Cymru, Peter Darney: “Mae hon yn sioe hardd a phersonol am berthynas Luke â’i fam-gu a’r effaith y mae ei chefnogaeth iddo wedi’i chael arno fel artist. Rydym yn falch iawn o gomisiynu cynhyrchiad cyntaf Luke fel awdur, ac un cyntaf François fel cyfarwyddwr, gan gyfuno eu doniau sylweddol i wneud sioe dosturiol llawn dathlu.”

Hyfforddodd yr awdur a’r perfformiwr Luke Hereford (fe/nhw) yng Ngholeg Brenhinol Cerddoriaeth a Drama Cymru. Mae Luke wedi gweithio fel cyfarwyddwr gyda National Theatre Wales, Tron Glasgow, Lincoln Center Theater, a Theatr y Sherman, fel cyfrannog ar y JMK Directors Programme, ariannwyd gan y Carne Trust. Fel Cyfarwyddwr Ymweld ar gyfer Prifysgol Cymru y Drindod Dewi Sant, mae ei sioeau’n cynnwys Growth, Spring Awakening, Every Day a Little Death a A New Brain. Fel Artist Cyswllt ar gyfer Leeway Productions, mae Luke yn datblygu Queerway; cylch caneuon air am air sy’n dathlu bywyd cwiar yng Nghymru, ac mi oedd yn Isgyfarwyddwr ar gyfer eu cynhyrchiad poblogaidd The Last Five Years.

Hyfforddodd y Cyfarwyddwr François Pandolfo (fe) yn East 15 Acting School ac mae e wedi gweithio’n eang fel actor ar draws theatr, teledu a radio. Mae ymddangosiadau teledu’n cynnwys Quintis yn Doctor Who, Tati’s Hotel, Casualty, Doctors, Eastenders a Baker Boys. Fe oedd hefyd y cymeriad rheolaidd Roberto yn The Tuckers gan y BBC, Dread-head yn Wasted a Fraser yn Big Boys ar gyfer Channel 4 Comedy. Mae ymddangosiadau theatr François yn cynnwys The Taming of the Shrew, The Motherf***er with the Hat ac Alice in Wonderland ar gyfer Theatr y Sherman, A Small Family Business, Macbeth a A History of Falling Things ar gyfer Theatr Clwyd, Lifted by Beauty a Mission Control ar gyfer National Theatre Wales, Wuthering Heights ar gyfer Canolfan Celfyddydau Aberystwyth, The Compleat Female Stage Beauty ac A Midsummer Night’s Dream ar gyfer Mappa Mundi, The Magic Flute ar gyfer Opera Cenedlaethol Cymru, Double Vision ar gyfer Canolfan Mileniwm Cymru a Bad Girls ar gyfer Polka Theatre. François yw cyd-gyfarwyddwr a phartner difficult|stage. Cynyrchiadau’n cynnwys: A Cold Spread a The World of Work, a’r sioeau Alix in Wundergarten a Looking Through Glass, ill dwy wedi’u hysgrifennu gan François.

Mae’r Cyfarwyddwr Cerdd David George Harrington yn gyfansoddwr, trefnwr a chyfarwyddwr cerdd sydd wedi gweithio a pherfformio’n broffesiynol am 12 mlynedd ar draws y DU. Mae e wedi trefnu cerddoriaeth yn fasnachol ar gyfer cleientiaid sy’n cynnwys Katherine Jenkins, Connie Fisher, Jonny Wilkes, Aled Jones, Shirley Bassey, ac mae ei gerddoriaeth wedi’i berfformio gan y London Philharmonic a’r London Concert Orchestra, Opera Cenedlaethol Cymru, Cerddorfa Cenedlaethol Cymru’r BBC a Cory Brass Band. Mae e’n trefnu’n rheolaidd ar gyfer Decca Records, Warner Music Group ac wedi darlledu ei gerddoriaeth ar ITV, BBC, a BBC Radio 2.  

Mae David yn cydweithio’n rheolaidd gyda pherfformwyr arweiniol y West End ac wrthi yn ysgrifennu dau sioe gerdd ar hyn o bryd. 

ORANGE TREE THEATRE ANNOUNCES FULL CAST FOR

FRANZ XAVER KROETZ’S TOM FOOL

The Orange Tree Theatre today announces the full cast for Franz Xaver Kroetz’s Tom Fool, translated by Estella Schmid and Anthony Vivis. Diyan Zora directs Anna Francolini (Martha), Jonah Rzeskiewicz (Ludwig) and Michael Shaeffer (Otto). The production opens on 16 March, with previews from 12 March, and runs until 16 April, with a livestreamed performance via OT On Screen on 7 April.

“I’d like to climb out of my skin, if I could.”

Every night Martha listens to the minute details of husband Otto’s day at the factory. He’s a man with big dreams, stuck in a job where he feels like a cog in the machine. Their teenage son Ludwig just wishes he had a job, or at least his own space, far far away from his parents.

They are each frustrated with a life they can’t seem to escape.

When money goes missing, a family on the brink hurtles over the edge, and Martha has to decide whether she will stay to pick up the pieces.

A dark and unnervingly funny play about how capitalism creeps into the minutiae of one family’s life, just at the moment women started to change the rules of the game.

Completing the creative team is Zoe Hurwitz (Designer), Christopher Nairne (Lighting Designer),

Joe Dines (Sound Designer), Chris Evans (Movement Director), and Christopher Worrell (Casting Director).

Franz Xaver Kroetz is an author, playwright, actor and director and Germany’s most frequently performed playwright. He has written over 60 plays including The Nest, Through the Leaves, Game Crossing, Michi’s Blood, Persistent, Men’s Business, Farmyard, Global Interest, Upper Austria, Dear Fritz, Neither Fish Nor Flesh, Munich Child and Request Concert.

Anna Francolini plays Martha. She has previously performed in Taking Steps at the Orange Tree. Her other credits include Strictly Ballroom (Piccadilly Theatre), Peter Pan, wonder.land, Caroline, or Change, Almost Like Being in Love and Metropolis Cabaret (National Theatre), Our Town (Almeida Theatre), That Day We Sang, A View from the Bridge (Royal Exchange Theatre), More Rifer, How the World Began, The Wolves at the Window, Anatol (Arcola Theatre), Victor Victoria (Southwark Playhouse), Awaking Beauty (Stephen Joseph Theatre), The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (Theatre Royal Northampton), Three Sisters on Hope Street (Liverpool Everyman), Into the Woods (Royal Opera House), Lee Miller and 5/11 (Chichester Festival Theatre), Romeo and Juliet (English Touring Theatre), The Ballad of Little Jo, Cutting Edge, There’s Always a Woman, Floyd Collins and Saturday Night (Bridewell Theatre), Daisy Pulls It Off (Clear Channel Entertainment), Let Us Fly (King’s Head Theatre), Things You Shouldn’t Say Past Midnight (Soho Theatre), Mahler’s Conversion (Yvonne Arnaud Theatre and UK tour), Dick Whittington (Sadler’s Wells), Merrily We Roll Along (Donmar Warehouse), A Life in the Dayz of Stan Bishop (London Palladium), I’d Rather Be Right (Her Majesty’s Theatre), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Oxford Stage Company), Company (Gielgud Theatre), and Little Shop of Horrors (Watermill Theatre). Her television credits include The Ipcress File, The Man Who Fell to Earth, Roadkill, Homeland, Vera, Portrait, New Tricks, Game Over, Lie With Me, Down to Earth and Jonathan Creek; and for film, Emma, The Kill Team, Han Solo: Star Wars Anthology, Salty, Annihilation, The Final Curtain and Topsy-Turvey.    

Jonah Rzeskiewicz plays Ludwig. His theatre credits include Coming Clean (Trafalgar Studios) and Edward II (Royal Exchange, Manchester). For television, his credits include Masters of the Air and for film; The Dig and Death on the Nile.

Michael Shaeffer plays Otto. His theatre credits include A Very Expensive Poison, Girl from the North Country, All About My Mother (The Old Vic), Dear Elizabeth (Gate Theatre), How to Hold Your Breath, Burn, Friday Night Sex (Royal Court Theatre), The Illiad, Little Revolution, Mr Burns (Almeida Theatre), The Vote (Donmar Warehouse), Godchild (Hampstead Theatre), Table, London Road, The Threepenny Opera (National Theatre), The Merry Wives of Windsor, Twelfth Night (Stafford Gatehouse), Restoration (UK tour), Hamlet (Theatre Royal Northampton), Of Mice and Men (Mercury Theatre), Dreams from a Summerhouse (Watermill Theatre), Macbeth (Southwark Playhouse), Original Sin (Crucible Theatre), The Beautiful Game, Jesus Christ Superstar (Really Useful Group), Oliver! (Cameron Mackintosh), and Glad All Over, Wonderful West End and Twist and Shout (DGM). His television credits include Karen Pirie, Rogue Heroes, The Treasure of the Black Swan, The Liberator, The Salisbury Poisonings, Chernobyl, The ABC Murders, Bodyguard, Rellik, Trauma, Brussels, Oasis, Taboo, Vera, Grantchester, New Tricks, SS-GB, The Last Panthers, Foyle’s War, Luther, Black Mirror, Mrs Biggs, Game of Thrones, Parade’s End, Silent Witness, MI High, EastEnders, Kingdom, and World in Arms – Navies; and for film, All the Old Knives, Radioactive, Star Wars: Rogue One, London Road, London Fields, Trance, Anna Karenina, Broken, Breaking and Entering, Kingdom of Heaven, and Jesus Christ Superstar.

Diyan Zora was the 2021 winner of the Genesis Future Directors Award and directed Klippies (Young Vic). Other theatre credits include Othello (Barons Court Theatre), Ms Y. (Young Vic), Chronicles of a City We Never Knew (Gate Theatre) and Gather Ye Rosebud (Theatre503); and as an associate director, her work includes Faith, Hope and Charity and Love (National Theatre) and The Ferryman (Gielgud Theatre).

Orange Tree Theatre

Listings

1 Clarence Street, Richmond, TW9 2SA

Box Office: 020 8940 3633 (Mon-Sat, 12-6pm)

orangetreetheatre.co.uk

FIRST LOOK AT NEW CAST MEMBERS JOINING DISNEY’S THE LION KING UK & IRELAND TOUR

The Walt Disney Company UK and Ireland has today released a first look at new cast members Stephenson Ardern-Sodje and Nokwanda Khuzwayo in the rehearsal room, having taken over the roles of Simba and Nala in THE LION KING UK & Ireland tour.

THE LION KING touring company will see Stephenson Ardern-Sodje as Simba and Nokwanda Khuzwayo as Nala, who played the role in Germany and Brazil. Ireland’s Alan Mchale will be returning in a new role as Timon with Cardiff born newcomer Owain Rhys Davies taking the role of Ed. They will join returning principals Matthew Forbes as Zazu, Jean-Luc Guizonne as Mufasa, Richard Hurst as Scar, Rebecca Omogbehin as Shenzi, Thandazile Soni as Rafiki, Carl Sanderson as Pumbaaand Simon Trinder as Banzai.

The story of THE LION KING roars into life using spectacular masks, puppets, and costumes to tell the story of Simba’s epic adventures, as he struggles with the responsibilities of adulthood and becoming king.

Having played in more than 100 cities in 20 countries on every continent except Antarctica, THE LION KING’s worldwide gross exceeds that of any film, Broadway show or other entertainment title in box office history. The landmark musical has now been seen by over 110 million people worldwide.

The UK & Ireland tour cast also includes: Lwando Bam, Mamido Bomboko Souchu, Khanyisani Beato, Jorell Coiffic-Kamall, Rushand Chambers, Tau-En Chien, Elisa Chou, Tevin Daniel, Tim Driesen, Oraine Frater, Adebunmi Gabriel, Brian Gilligan, Daniel Griffith, Alicia Hayward, Zalika Henry, Caleaf Henson, Olivia Jones, Melvin Le Blanc, Jochebel Maccarthy, Zanele Mazibuko, Fallon Mondlane, Zanele Ndlovu, Buhle Nkomo, Craig Pedro, Joaquin Pedro Valdes, Connor Pelé Williams, Tara Price, Kyle Richardson, Cristiane Santos De Jesus, Lukin Simmonds, Sherry Tay, Francesca Thompson, Maria Yim and Bukiwe Zinganto.

Julie Taymor’s internationally celebrated stage adaptation of THE LION KING opened on Broadway in 1997 and 25 global productions in nine different languages have been created since then (English, Japanese, German, Korean, French, Dutch, Spanish, Mandarin and Portuguese). THE LION KING is produced by Disney Theatrical Productions, under the direction of Thomas Schumacher.

The previous tour of THE LION KING broke attendance records across the nation. Since the UK premiere in 1999, THE LION KING London has entertained more than 16 million theatregoers and is the sixth longest-running West End musical of all time.

The stunning artistry of the production is the work of a team of designers which drew on diverse cultural influences to recreate the rich colours and vast expanses of the African savanna in this daring and inspiring reinvention of one of the most successful animated feature films of all time.

Julie Taymor, one of the world’s most innovative directors, brought a vast array of disciplines to THE LION KING, including extensive experience staging epic theatre and opera productions, exploring classic myths through ritualised puppetry, mask, and movement. The Lion King was the first musical Taymor directed in the commercial theatre and she made Broadway history by becoming the first woman to win the Tony Award® for Best Director of a Musical.  

The Broadway show’s full creative team, which won five Tony Awards® for its work on THE LION KING, reunited in 1999 to recreate the show in London. Julie Taymor and Michael Curry created hundreds of masks and puppets.

Scenic design is by British designer Richard Hudson and lighting is by Donald Holder. Costume design is by Julie Taymor, and choreography by Garth Fagan. The book was adapted by Roger Allers, who co-directed the animated feature and Irene Mecchi, who co-wrote the screenplay.

The original score from the animated film was expanded for the stage and now features 15 musical numbers.  As well as writing completely new songs, South African composer Lebo M created an evocative blend of African rhythms and chorales, with additional material by Julie Taymor and Mark Mancina.

Elton John and Tim Rice have added three new numbers to the five that they wrote for the award-winning score of the animated film. The resulting sound of THE LION KING is a fusion of Western popular music and the distinctive sounds and rhythms of Africa, including the Academy Award®-winning Can You Feel The Love Tonight and the haunting Shadowland.

2022 BRIT AWARD NOMINEE

REBECCA LUCY TAYLOR
(SELF ESTEEM) 

TO JOIN THE CREATIVE TEAM FOR PRIMA FACIE AS

EMMY AND BAFTA-WINNING ACTRESS 

JODIE COMER

PREPARES TO MAKE WEST END DEBUT

Performances begin Friday 15 April 2022
Harold Pinter Theatre

(Monday 7 February, 2022) Jodie Comer, the Emmy and Bafta Award-winning star of BBC’s Killing Eve and 20^th Century Studios Free Guy and The Last Duel, will begin rehearsals next month ahead of her stage debut in the UK premiere of Suzie Miller’s award-winning play, Prima Facie.

Prima Facie, directed by Justin Martin, will begin performances at the Harold Pinter Theatre on Friday 15 April (Press Night: Wednesday 27 April at 7:00pm) and play a strictly limited 9-week season, with tickets available at ‘Pay What You Can’ for each and every performance.

Today, Rebecca Lucy Taylor – the Brit Award nominated star of Self Esteem – is announced as the production’s composer, joining the creative team alongside previously announced Martin, set & costume designer Miriam Buether and lighting designer Natasha Chivers.

Joining them will be sound designers Max and Ben Ringham, video by Treatment Studio and Zabarjad Salam, who will be the voice coach.

Jodie Comer commented, “I am such a huge fan of Rebecca and everything she stands for – her voice, her words and her honesty. I can’t think of a more perfect person to compose the music for our production.”

Jodie will play Tessa in this gripping, one-person play which takes us to the heart of where emotion and experience collide with the rules of the game.

Tessa is a thoroughbred. A young, brilliant barrister who loves to win. She has worked her way up from working class origins to be at the top of her game; defending; cross examining and lighting up the shadows of doubt in any case. An unexpected event forces her to confront the lines where the patriarchal power of the law, burden of proof and morals diverge.

Prima Facie is produced by James Bierman for Empire Street Productions.

Leeds Grand Theatre – until 24th March 2022

Reviewed by Dawn Smallwood

4****

Alcina is an opera composed by George Frideric Handel and first premiered at London’s Theatre Royal in 1735. The music is set to anonymous text from Antonio Fanzaglia’s L’isola di Alcina libretto and set by Riccardo Broschi in 1728 from Ludovico Ariosto’s Orlando furiso written in the 16th Century. The opera is sung in Italian with English surtitles. This is an opera of firsts for Opera North; Alcina is Opera North’s first ever production along with it being the first ever sustainable one.

Handel is known for his baroque translucent melodic music and is suited to this opera. Under the direction of Tim Albery this six-character opera and story is set on a “Alcina’s island” and tells the stories of the characters’ complicated love lives. The story brings out a wide range of themes such as deception and secrecy along with love and loss which are intertwined with enchantment and entertainment. The story setting is a similar vein to Shakespeare’s The Tempest, The Winter’s Tale and The Midsummer Night’s Dream.

The opera transports one to the unravelling and revealing of all the characters which is supported by the music and singing such as the memorable Tornami a vagheggiar and Lusinga il dolce affetto. The emotions are explored and expressed and create a trance like ambience with sudden touches of melodrama whenever there is a revelation among the characters. Excellent portrayals from Maíre Flavin as Alcina and Fleur Wyn as Morgana and both sopranos are supported by a talented company under Laurence Cummings’ musical direction.

The sustainable approach to this production is evident with the fact that only one set is used throughout the opera with a minimum of props, and this is something no doubt Opera North takes pride in. The lowering of the spot lighting indicates the “start and finish” and “transient” cues to the scenes. Hannah Clark’s simplistic modern staging, Matthew Richardson’s effective lighting, and Ian William Galloway’s excellent video projection creates the “physical relationship and transportation” for the character to “move” as well as figuratively and emotively on their personal journeys.

Translucency and sustainability commendably reign in this production of Alcina. An excellent opera which isn’t traditionally structured but fitting for the environmentally conscious. Alcina emphasises the key figurative and emotive content and context.

Howard Panter for Trafalgar Theatre Productions, Eilene Davidson Productions

Mallory Factor for Hill Street Productions, Rupert Gavin, BookMyShow, WYS en Scène and David Lazar

proudly present

in association with Christian C. Yegen, Mark Lubkeman, Kathryn Bricken and Jason Brueschke for APOTA Productions, Dani Lachowicz and Donald Featherstone

“THE SHOW OF THE YEAR” RETURNS TO THE BARBICAN AND ANNOUNCES NEW STAR CASTING

The multi Tony Award-winning musical

With a new STAR CAST including

“The best reviewed show of the year. Utterly flawless”

London Theatre Online

“The antidote to everything”

The Guardian

Music and Lyrics by COLE PORTER

Original Book by P.G. WODEHOUSE & GUY BOLTON

and HOWARD LINDSAY & RUSSEL CROUSE

New Book by TIMOTHY CROUSE and JOHN WEIDMAN

Directed and Choreographed by

Tony Award Winner KATHLEEN MARSHALL

TICKETS ON SALE NOW FROM

ANYTHINGGOESMUSICAL.CO.UK

New star casting has been announced for ANYTHING GOES, the smash hit ‘show of the year’ which is sailing back to the Barbican for a return residency following its sold out run in summer 2021. The new cast includes: WhatOnStage Award Winner Kerry Ellis (Wicked/We Will Rock You) as Reno Sweeney and Olivier Award Winner Denis Lawson (Bleak House/New Tricks) as Moonface Martin. Joining them on board is Olivier Award Winner Simon Callow (Four Weddings & a Funeral/Amadeus) as Elisha Whitney and Musical Theatre Royalty Bonnie Langford (EastEnders/9 to 5) as Evangeline Harcourt. As well as its triumphant return to the Barbican, this glorious musical will also be visiting theatres in Bristol, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Canterbury and Manchester.

Last year ANYTHING GOES smashed multiple Box Office records at the Barbican Theatre including the single highest grossing performance week for a musical in the Barbican’s 39-year history and the highest sales across a weekend for a musical, as audiences flooded through the doors for the 15-week sold out season!

It was therefore no surprise that last year’s summer season of ANYTHING GOES saw audiences on their feet night after night, giving this multi–Tony Award winning show multiple standing ovations. This spectacular show has been described as the “musical equivalent of sipping one glass of champagne after another” (The Times) and “delightful, delicious, and as buoyant as helium” (Evening Standard).

Kerry Ellis said: “I am so excited to be taking on the role of Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes this summer. This glorious show is classic musical theatre at its very best. Reno is an iconic character in musical theatre. I can’t wait to get my tap shoes on and share this fabulous musical with audiences up and down the country.”

Denis Lawson said: “I’m delighted to be joining the cast of this great classic musical. Anything Goes is uplifting, energetic, and hilarious – with an unforgettable Cole Porter score. Audiences are in for a real treat.”

Simon Callow said: “Like everyone who saw Anything Goes last summer, I was swept away by it. The sheer joy of sharing its exuberance, wit and style with my fellow theatregoers – the perfect antidote to Covid and all its miseries. I couldn’t be happier to be joining the show as we spread the joy around the country and back to the Barbican.”

Bonnie Langford said: “I simply adore this show. It’s vibrant, fun and bursting with a feel-good energy that is contagious both on and off stage. It really is musical theatre at its finest.”

Reprising their co-starring roles in this year’s UK tour and Barbican season are Samuel Edwards (Les Misérables / Wicked) as Billy Crocker, Carly Mercedes Dyer (A Chorus Line/The Color Purple) as Erma (a role in which she is nominated for a WhatsOnStage Award this year), Nicole-Lily Baisden (The Book of Mormon / Let’s Face The Music) as Hope Harcourt, Haydn Oakley (A Christmas Carol / An American in Paris) as Lord Evelyn Oakleigh. Further casting will be announced soon.

From spring 2022, the hilarious sold-out musical sensation returns giving audiences across the country the chance to enjoy the truly spectacular, multi-Tony Award winning, “show of the year!” (★★★★★ Daily Telegraph), as the S.S American will be heading to theatres in Bristol, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Canterbury on its way to the Barbican!

Producer Sir Howard Panter said: “We are delighted to be back with the glorious Anything Goes musical on tour this spring and at the Barbican this summer. I’m thrilled that this energetic and uplifting show will be led by Kerry Ellis, Denis Lawson, Bonnie Langford and Simon Callow, with an ensemble of the finest there is to offer, including tap dancing sailors, and a full-sized live orchestra. We are delighted to take this majestic show to audiences across the UK for the first time, so they can enjoy the glorious set design, breathtaking choreography and stage direction, and of course the wonderful score!”

ANYTHING GOES has music and lyrics by Cole Porter, an original book by P.G. Wodehouse & Guy Bolton with Howard Lindsay & Russel Crouse and a new book by Timothy Crouse and John Weidman. This production is directed and choreographed by three time Tony Award Winner Kathleen Marshall.

When the S.S. American heads out to sea, etiquette and convention head out the portholes as two unlikely pairs set off on the course to true love… proving that sometimes destiny needs a little help from a crew of singing sailors, a comical disguise and some good old-fashioned blackmail. This hilarious musical romp across the Atlantic featuring a collection of some of theatre’s most memorable songs – including ‘I Get A Kick Out of You’, ‘Anything Goes’, ‘You’re the Top’, ‘Blow, Gabriel, Blow’, ‘It’s De-Lovely’, ‘Friendship’ and ‘Buddie Beware’ – will take you back to the Golden Age of high society on the seas.

Heralded as “The antidote to everything” (The Guardian) and “The Spectacle of the Year” (The Times) ANYTHING GOES is set to sail away with audiences all over again and is destined to be the definitive feel good production of 2022.

★★★★★

‘Makes you gasp in wonder and laugh till it hurts. Pure class’

Daily Telegraph

★★★★★

‘The show of the year. I would give it six stars if I could’

Daily Telegraph

★★★★★

‘The musical equivalent of sipping one glass of champagne after another’

The Times

★★★★★

‘When a musical packs this much energy and spectacle, nothing else goes!’

Daily Mail

★★★★★

‘Bubbly wit and stylish fun. It shimmers and sparkles’

The Times

★★★★★

‘Anything Goes offers the delirious delight of a musical in full sail’

Financial Times

CREATIVE TEAM

Kathleen Marshall – Director & Choreographer

Derek McLane – Set Designer

Jon Morrell – Costume Designer

Hugh Vanstone – Lighting Designer

Jonathan Deans – Sound Designer

Stephen Ridley – Music Supervisor

Dates: Venue:

11th – 16th April 2022 Bristol: Hippodrome Theatre

20th – 30th April 2022 Liverpool: Empire Theatre

11th – 21st May 2022 Edinburgh: Festival Theatre

24th May – 4th June 2022 Canterbury: Marlowe Theatre

9th – 18th June 2022 Manchester: Palace Theatre

15th July – 3rd September 2022 London: Barbican Theatre

Stockton Globe – until 5 February 2022

4****

Our first visit to the beautifully restored Stockton Globe was to see Bat Out of Hell.  With less than two weeks since the passing of Meatloaf, this was always going to be an emotional experience.

Bat Out of Hell is a marmite of a musical.  You either love it or hate it with nothing in between.  Undoubtedly there will be comparisons between the original version of We Will Rock You.  Both were at home in London’s Dominion theatre and  both contain iconic rock anthems.  WWRY set in the future had the Bohemians, a group of young hip kids looking for their saviour to bring back rock and roll. In BOOH we have the Lost, a group of kids stuck at age 18 forever in a kind of futuristic Peter Pan.

Leader of the Lost is Strat (Glenn Adamson), he is in love with Raven (Martha Kirby).  If this is Peter Pan then Raven’s dad Falco (Rob Fowler) is Captain Hook.  Her alcoholic, deeply unhappy mother is Sloane (Sharon Sexton).  Their daughter appears to be the only thing they now have in common.  Tink (Killian Lefevre) who was frozen as an adolescent is jealous of the growing relationship between Strat and Raven and betrays them to Falco.  It is a storyline but is a weak and disjointed storyline.  The staging is a tad bizarre with weird audiovisuals projected on a back screen to show what was happening in a different part of the production.  And due to the cavernous stage at the Globe, Jon Bausers epic set design looked tiny.

But there are positives.  Jim Steinman’s music and lyrics obviously.  Joelle Moses (Zahara) has some powerhouse vocals.  The choreography designed by Meentje Neilsen, adapted by Xena Gusthart is exhilarating.  Bausers costumes are fabulous, the little pink pants especially.  But for me, it was Fowler and Sexton, stealing every scene they were in.  A couple in real life, they have extended their BOOH characters with the show Vision of You, giving Falco and Sloane their back story.  With Sexton clearly expecting a new edition, it would be interesting to see the dynamic of her maternity replacement in a part she has made so firmly her own.

The music is the real star, the band (Lestyn Griffiths, Kennedy Aitchison, Ben Witherstone, Mark Cox, Hugh Richardson, Elliot Henshaw and Dave Danford) led by Robert Emery rock out the score in a lasting memory to much loved and deeply missed Jim Steinman and Meatloaf

It might be baffling and bizarre, but it’s a  bloody good night out

HAMPSTEAD THEATRE ANNOUNCES FULL CAST & CREATIVE TEAM FOR THE WORLD PREMIERE OF ALEXIS ZEGERMAN’S THE FEVER SYNDROME, DIRECTED BY ARTISTIC DIRECTOR ROXANA SILBERT, FROM 19 MARCH UNTIL 23 APRIL 2022

Hampstead Theatre is delighted to announce the full cast and creative team for the world premiere of Alexis Zegerman’s vivid, new play, The Fever Syndrome.Directedby Roxana Silbert,  The Fever Syndrome will run from 19 March until 23 April 2022.

Lisa Dillon (Cranford, BBC One; Hapgood, Hampstead Theatre), Jake Fairbrother (Skyfall, EON Productions; Hamlet, National Theatre), Alexandra Gilbreath (Not Going Out, BBC One; The Provoked Wife, Royal Shakespeare Company), Robert Lindsay (My Family, BBC One; Anything Goes, Barbican), Sam Marks (Doctor Who, BBC One; Richard II, Royal Shakespeare Company), Bo Poraj (Miranda, BBC One, Raya, Hampstead Downstairs) and Alex Waldmann (The Mikvah Project, Orange Tree; Julius Caesar, Royal Shakespeare Company) will perform in this thrilling portrait of a brilliantly dysfunctionalfamily.  They are joined by Nancy Allsop and Charlotte Pourret Wythe.

Director Roxana Silbert will be joined by designer, Lizzie Clachan; lighting designer, Matt Haskins;sound designer, Max Pappenheim; movement director, Wayne Parsons, dialect, Stephen Kemble; casting director, Helena Palmer CDG, and assistant director, Segen Yosef.

Roxana Silbert said:

“The Fever Syndrome is an epic family drama and I can’t wait to bring Alexis’ vibrant play to life with this tremendous team of artists.  It’s a multi-generational feast of complicated relationships, festering grudges and explosive feelings.”

“You have to ignore the dissenters… You have to be a god, or the heart transplant would never have happened.”

Prof. Richard Myers, the great IVF innovator, is virtually a secular saint because of the thousands of babies he has created throughout his career.  Now, his family gather to see him receive a lifetime achievement award. 

This fractious group are more accustomed to debate than empathy, so it’s not long before the family home in the Upper West Side of Manhattan is once again alive with dispute: conflicting Thanksgiving memories, polarised opinions on investment banking, and how best to care for their ailing father.  And crucially, who will inherit Richard’s wealth and Richard’s prestigious science institution?

The Fever Syndrome is presented by special arrangement with Manhattan Theatre Club.

Alexis Zegerman was Pearson Writer-in-Residence at Hampstead Theatre in 2007, where her play Lucky Seven premiered in 2008.  A Susan Smith Blackburn Prize finalist for The Steingolds (2011),her other plays include I Ran The World (2003), Killing Brando (2004) and Holy Sh!t (2018).  Zegerman also wrote the screenplay for The Honeymoon Suite.

Roxana Silbert’s sold-out production of Nell Leyshon’s Folk is currently running at Hampstead Theatre’s Downstairs.  The Fever Syndrome will be her third Main Stage production at the theatre, following Al Blyth’s espionage thriller The Haystack (2020) and Marsha Norman’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play ‘night, Mother (2021).  She also recently directed Deborah Bruce’s tender new play Raya (2021).

***

The world premiere of Florian Zeller’s new play, The Forest, begins previews this week at Hampstead Theatre.  Running from 5 February until 12 March 2022, The Forest is translated by Zeller’s long-time collaborator Christopher Hampton, and directed by Jonathan Kent, who re-unites with Zeller after his critically acclaimed production of The Height of the Storm.  Toby Stephens, Gina McKee, Paul McGann and Angel Coulby are joined in the cast by Millie Brady, Silas Carson, Finbar Lynch, Sakuntala Ramanee andEddie Toll.

Folk, Nell Leyshon’s critically acclaimed new play with songs,is at Hampstead Theatre Downstairs until 5 February 2022.  Inspired by a true story and set in Leyshon’s home county of Somerset, Folk features Ben Allen, Sasha Frost, Mariam Haque and Simon Robson.

INSPIRE, Hampstead Theatre’s annual year-long writers’ programme, has commenced.  Led by the award-winning playwright Roy Williams and Hampstead’s Literary Department, this year’s writers are Dexter Flanders, Jessica Norman, Magdalene Bird, Martha Watson Allpress, Mary Antony, Nana-Kofi Kufuor, Nancy Netherwood, Nic McQuillan, Nicola May-Taylor, Patrick Swain, Phoebe Frances Brown, Sarah Power and Sid Sagar