In the midst of the performance, the character of Drew asks “Who the f*** is Lindsay?” Well this Lindsay was reviewing the show and loving every minute.
Set on Sunset Strip in the 80’s – ish! Rock of Ages tells the love story between Drew (Luke Walsh) and Sherrie (Rhiannon Chesterman), both looking for fame but finding love. They both work at the Bourbon Room, owned by Dennis Dupree (Ross Dawes), ably helped by Lonny (Joe Gash). Throw into the mix father and son Germans Franz (Andrew Carthy) and Hertz (Vas Constanti) who want to knock down the Bourbon Room and City Planner Regina (Gabriella WIlliams) who fights their plans.
Obviously the path to true love never runs smoothly and singer Stacee Jaxx (Kevin Clifton) is one of the main obstacles. Causing a rift between Drew and Sherrie and forcing Sherrie to get a job stripping for Justice (Jenny Fitzpatrick) at her “Gentleman’s Club”
This musical is different though, not just rammed full of iconic rock songs but it breaks the 4th wall. Having seen Rock of Ages before, I can safely say that Joe Gash is the best Lonny I have seen. Hilarious and irreverent, he moves the story forward and flirts with the audience (see the aforementioned Lindsay, who was sat on the front row).
The entire cast have some amazing vocal chops, including dancer Kevin Clifton. But Jenny Fitzpatrick must have a special mention for her outstanding voice.
This is a show full of fun, it’s cheesy, it’s rude, it’s crude and it’s not for children but it is brilliant and an excellent night out. Catch it Darlington this week or find it on tour. Seriously – if you miss this show then you will have missed out
Cambridge Arts Theatre, Cambridge – until November 27th 2021
Reviewed by Steph Lott
5*****
You know you are in for a good performance when the audience spontaneously applauds the two lead characters when they first walk on stage and this was certainly true at last night’s performance of Private Lives. Without doubt, Nigel Havers as Elyot, and Patricia Hodge as Amanda, merited this reception. They display elegance, flair and excellent comic timing and charisma as the divorced couple who cannot live with or without each other. Nigel Havers has chosen the show that is often considered as Noel Coward’s masterpiece as the opening production for his newly-founded theatre company. It’s a sharp elegantly observed piece which comments on the relationships and morality of society’s upper classes of the period. Written in 1930 it’s a comedy of manners in three acts. I did wonder whether the script would be uncomfortably dated and whether Amanda and Elyot would be convincingly portrayed by Nigel Havers and Patricia Hodge as they are more than double the age Coward wrote Elyot and Amanda to be: 70 and 75.
However I needn’t have worried. Coward’s words still fizz with wit and the story and comedy is as relevant now as then. The chemistry between the two old flames is quickly established. Nigel Havers is suave and slick, cruel and rude as the self-obsessed Elyot. But it is Patricia Hodge who steals the show as Amanda. She is poised, elegant with such charm to her performance, showing that she is more than a match for the bullying Elyot. It is wonderful to see a role from that era where a woman holds her own as an equal to the male character. She has agency and power and isn’t just window dressing.
It’s interesting that they are so much older than the characters were written by Coward, but it works. There was much chortling amongst those of us in the audience of a certain age when Amanda turns down Elyot’s advances on the sofa on the grounds that they’ve had a heavy meal, and so he gets up in strop but is caught by a sudden leg cramp. Ah – the joys of middle-aged love… Natalie Walter is Elyot’s nice-but-dim new wife Sybil, naïve and clingy, who is terribly insecure about her new husband. I did find that Sybil’s voice is pitched so high it’s irritating and the stupidity of the character means that it is hard to feel very much sympathy for her. However I think she comes into her own at the climax of the play!
Dugald Bruce-Lockhart’s Victor is very dull, but is also likeable and brings spirit to the second half when he squares up to Elyot.
Coward’s script is full of caustic wit and sparkling dialogue; chemistry is needed between the actors to make it come to life. Christopher Luscombe’s direction shows the ebb and flow as Havers and Hodge bicker and bitch, stuck in a never-ending cycle of hatred and passion. Simon Higlett’s set provides a wonderful backdrop to the play. The first set is beautiful, opening with the façade of the honeymoon hotel with ornate wrought-iron balconies and stripy awnings, with the atmosphere created by subtle light, seagulls and music. He has also created a beautiful Parisian flat for Amanda with lovely Art Deco detailing and luxurious furniture.
The four members of the cast work well together and are all strong at their craft, bringing a demanding play to life, and portraying heightened emotions without overdoing it. There is so much to enjoy about this very entertaining revival, but it is Hodges’ wonderful performance that is worth the ticket.
Following the opening of new theatre space The POD in the heart of Covent Garden, Iris Theatre and Gartland Productions today announce the full casting for the world première of A Song for Christmas, written and directed by Alice Croft. Croft directs Richard Aaron (he/him) as Dad, Teddy Hinde (they/Them) as Marley and Sydnie Hocknell (she/her) as Ashden.
A Song for Christmas concludes the inaugural season of The POD, following SHUGA FIXX vs. The Illuminati by Guttersnipe Theatre, Relish Theatre and Poppy Pedder (23-27 November); Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens by Charlotte Ellen (29 November – 4 December), and The Last Nativity by Eden Tredwell (6-11 December). There is also a series of one-night events throughout weekends in November and December, including That Could be a Sketch: Festive Edition from MonkeyMac (5 December); Bare Essentials: Christmas Crackers from Encompass Productions (20 December), and spoken word night Rhymes with Orange (21 December).
Gartland Productions and Iris Theatre present
A SONG FOR CHRISTMAS
Written and directed by Alice Croft
13-19 December at 3pm, 5pm, 7:30pm and 8pm
Featuring Richard Aaron (he/him) as Dad, Teddy Hinde (they/them) as Marley and Sydnie Hocknell (she/her) as Ashden.
It’s the night before Christmas and there are lessons to be learnt. Together, can we find the true meaning of the most wonderful time of the year?
Connect with all the family for this very special celebration of Christmas featuring a catalogue of much-loved festive music and stories from a multi-talented cast.
Richard Aaron (he/him) plays Dad. He is a recent graduate of Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. His credits for theatre include Assassins (Finishing the Hat Productions) and Whistle Down the Wind (NYMT).
Teddy Hinde (they/them) plays Marley. They are currently studying at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance (2019-2022). Their theatre credits include Untapped,Roles We’ll Never Play (Union Theatre), and An Evening with Drew Gasparini on The Jetty (The Jetty/Turbine Theatre).
Sydnie Hocknell (she/her) as Ashden. She is a recent graduate of ArtsEd. Her theatre credits include The Pirate Queen (London Coliseum), Bring it On! The Musical (Southwark Playhouse), The Music of the Night (Royal Albert Hall) and To Gillie, With Love (Gillian Lynne Theatre).
Alice Croft (she/her) is the director and writer. She is a recent graduate of ArtsEd. Her credits include Graduates at Cadogan Hall (Cadogan Hall), Soapdish (MT Fest) and On the Town (Royal Albert Hall).
The perfect Christmas treat for the whole family, ground-breaking multi-media show The Nutcracker and Iis coming to the Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre in Leeds for four festive performances on 22 and 23 December.
Critically-acclaimed concert pianist Alexandra Dariescu has created the production to challenge the traditional concert format and reach out to new audiences who might not consider coming to a classical concert. The Nutcracker and I is a 50-minute live performance piece featuring a unique interaction between one pianist, one ballerina, and a spectacle of exquisite hand-drawn digital animations.
Dariescu has created her own personal take on the much-loved Christmas story which sees herself re-imagined as Clara: from little girl dreaming to concert pianist. On stage will be a grand piano, played by Dariescu herself, and a ballerina behind a see-through gauze screen. Projected onto the gauze and bringing the story to life are exquisite digital animations, all hand-drawn and created in advance by Yeast Culture. They follow the music and engage live with the pianist and ballerina as they ‘dance’ across the screen. The audience will feel like they are actually in the Nutcracker story.
Tchaikovsky’s beloved music features throughout and includes favourites such as Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, Arabian Dance, Chinese Dance, Pas de Deux, and the Flower Waltz in 15 virtuosic arrangements by Mikhail Pletnev, Stepan Esipoff, Percy Grainger and three brand new variations by Gavin Sutherland.
Alexandra Dariescu says: ‘I believe my responsibility as a young artist is to reach out to as many people as possible and to build bridges for those new to classical music. I absolutely love what I do and realised early on that music is my calling, but I am also quite aware that we have to be ever more creative to engage, connect and communicate the beauty of our art to our audiences’.
Tickets for The Nutcracker and I at the Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre, Leeds are on sale now and can be booked online at theatreleeds.com or by calling the Box Office on 0113 220 8008. Tickets are priced at £20 for adults and £10 for children.
Kwame Kwei-Armah, Young Vic Artistic Director, announces upcoming work for Spring 2022:
· The Collaboration, written by Anthony McCarten and directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah, explores the complex and captivating relationship between Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol, starring Jeremy Pope and Paul Bettany as the iconic artists.
· The Tony Award-winning Oklahoma! transfers to the Young Vic direct from an acclaimed run on Broadway and U.S. tour. Provocative and probing, this revival from Daniel Fish reimagines the show for the 21st century.
· Deirdre McLaughlin directs a show in the Clare Theatre as the 2021 Genesis Future Director Award recipient. The award forms part of the Young Vic’s commitment to nurturing artists as they explore their craft.
· Five Plays brings together five directors and five writers, to make five-minute plays. James Barnes, David Furlong, David Gilbert, Abigail Sewell and Khadifa Wong direct works by babirye bukilwa, Gael Le Cornec, Martin Crimp, Erinn Dhesi and Mufaro Makubika.
· Following over twenty years supporting early-career artists, the Young Vic’s Directors Program will be reimagined as the Creators Program, a home for multi-disciplinary, anti-disciplinary and hybrid artists.
· Creative Headspace #2 will see the Young Vic support up to 50 members of the Genesis Network with a paid opportunity to be creative on the Young Vic’s TikTok channel, with support and workshops on working in the medium.
Kwame Kwei-Armah said: “There is a moment at the beginning of every theatre show when you and your fellow audience take a collective breath before diving into a story that could change you or your perspective irrevocably. To my mind, the work and projects announced today channel this energy. As we offer them, I ask that together we take a breath, listen carefully, and be open to reimagining what we thought we knew.
Tony Award-winning Oklahoma! unlocks a fresh perspective on a great American musical, whilst The Collaboration invites us behind the iconography and fame, and inside the intimate friendship between two artists. These stories ask us to lean in closely and challenge our preconceptions.
At the same time, Sue Emmas and the Directors Program take an exciting new step: rebranding as the Creators Program. This new iteration innovates how we support anti-disciplinary and hybrid theatre-makers’ work and self-expression – as just one example, we launch Creative Headspace #2 by inviting artists to explore the medium of TikTok. We also take this moment to celebrate the 100 writers and directors who have participated in Five Plays, as we announce the latest group of artists to experiment with their craft in our house. Later next year Deirdre McLaughlin, our 2021 Genesis Future Directors Award recipient, will be supported to make a fully-resourced production at the Young Vic.
Across all our work, we safeguard our accessible ticket pricing model, despite the financial challenges of the last 18 months, with 10% of tickets going free to schools, community members who experience barriers to access and early-career artists. Our commitment to channeling our work in the digital space continues, and we will be sharing more information about how audiences around the UK and globally can join us soon.
So, I invite you to join us– whether you’re an artist, audience member or supporter – as together we take the bold step of inhabiting someone else’s world, receiving their perspective and being open to change. We’ll see you there as the lights go down – it’s going to be thrilling.”
The Collaboration
By Anthony McCarten
Directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah
16 February – 2 April 2022
Main House
“Boxers are like painters, both smear their blood on the canvas.”
New York, 1984. Fifty-six-year-old Andy Warhol’s star is falling. Jean-Michel Basquiat is the new wonder-kid taking the art world by storm. When Basquiat agrees to collaborate with Warhol on a new exhibition, it soon becomes the talk of the city.
As everyone awaits the ‘greatest exhibition in the history of modern art’, the two artists embark on a shared journey, both artistic and deeply personal, that re-draws both their worlds.
Paul Bettany (The Avengers, Wandavision) is the iconic Warhol and Jeremy Pope (Hollywood, Scandalous) plays the magnetic Basquiat in the world premiere of Anthony McCarten’s thrilling new drama, directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah.
The Collaboration is Written by Anthony McCarten, and Directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah, with Set and Costume Design by Anna Fleischle, Sound Design by Emma Laxton and Projection Design by Duncan McLean.
Further cast and creative team to be announced.
Relaxed Performance: 8 March, 7.30pm
Captioned Performance: 10 March, 7.30pm
Audio Described Performance: 18 March, 7.30pm
The Collaboration goes on sale to Soul Mates and Friends 16 December 12noon.
Public booking opens 21 December 12noon.
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
26 April – 25 June 2022
Main House
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.
“A smashing Oklahoma! is reborn. Daniel Fish’s wide-awake, jolting and altogether wonderful production is thrilling!” – New York Times
Oklahoma! is Directed by Daniel Fish, with Orchestrations, Arrangements & Music Supervision by Daniel Kluger, Choreographyby John Heginbotham, Set Design by Laura Jellinek, Costume Design by Terese Wadden, Lighting Design by Scott Zielinski, Sound Design by Drew Levy, Projection Design by Joshua Thorson, and Casting by Jacob Sparrow, with Associate Director Jordan Fein, and Associate Set Designer Grace Laubacher.
Cast and additional creative team to be announced.
Audio Described Performance: 24 May 2022, 7.30pm
Captioned Performance: 9 June, 7.30pm
Oklahoma! goes on sale to Soul Mates 7 December 12noon, and Friends 16 December 12noon.
Public booking opens 11 January 2022, 12noon.
Deirdre McLaughlin is named the 2021 Genesis Future Directors Award recipient.
The Genesis Future Directors Award provides an early-career director with an opportunity to explore and develop their craft whilst creating a fully-resourced production in the Clare at the Young Vic, as part of the artistic programme. The award will provide Deirdre McLaughlin with mentoring and support from the theatre’s unique creative network, which includes Artistic Director Kwame Kwei-Armah, Associate Artistic Director Sue Emmas and Genesis Fellow and Associate Director Jennifer Tang.
Established in 2012, previous Genesis Future Director Award recipients include Diyan Zora, Dadiow Lin, Caitriona Shoobridge, Lekan Lawal, Debbie Hannan, John R. Wilkinson, Nancy Medina, Leo J. Skilbeck, Bryony Shanahan, Ola Ince, Rikki Henry, Tinuke Craig, Finn Beames, Matthew Xia and Ben Kidd.
Show title to be announced, with tickets on sale at a later date.
Due to the nature of the Genesis Future Directors Award, there will be no press night.
The Genesis Future Directors Award program is made possible by the Genesis Foundation.
Five Plays
Five Plays brings together five directors and five writers, to make five, five-minute plays. This year sees James Barnes, David Furlong, David Gilbert, Abigail Sewell and Khadifa Wong direct works by babirye bukilwa, Gael Le Cornec, Martin Crimp, Erinn Dhesi and Mufaro Makubika.
Five Plays is Designed by Shankho Chaudhuri, with Casting by Annelie Powell.
Five Plays was launched in 2013, and to date has worked with 100 writers and directors. Each iteration sees five writers writing a five-minute play, rehearsed and staged over five days with five different casts. Five Plays is just one of the ways the Young Vic works with early-career directors and theatre-makers to develop their craft.
Young Vic Creators Program
Sue Emmas, Associate Artistic Director of the YV and Creators Program lead, said: “When David Lan joined the Young Vic, he identified a need for directors training and established the Directors Program. For over two decades, the program has evolved and grown thanks to the extraordinary support of the Genesis Foundation, and we now support nearly 2,000 directors, designers and producers through the Network.
Since Kwame arrived at the Young Vic in 2018, we’ve been thinking about how the program can evolve to best articulate his vision for the Young Vic – one which supports and encourages the multi-disciplinary theatre-maker. How artists see themselves and how they want to make work is changing, and we want our artist development work to reflect that.
In early 2022, we launch the Creators Program as a space for multi- and anti-disciplinary artists.We expand scope of the existing program to match the breadth of skills of our members, and the aspirations they have for the future of theatre-making. The Creators Program will invite artists to cross art forms, and to take on a variety of roles within those forms. We want to continue to equip artists for the reality of today and the future. Many of the existing core strands of the program will continue – workshops, assistantships, making work through the Genesis Future Directors Award – but we will be thinking about the focus or lens through which we imagine these opportunities. We will continue to provide paid and free opportunities, but we will find ways for them to serve a wider range of skills and disciplines.”
Through the Creators Program we aim to:
· Celebrate multi and anti-disciplinary artists and processes
· Challenge and re-imagine future practice
· Support a wider range of opportunities for creating work
We will be building on and extending the legacy of our partnership with the Genesis Foundation who have provided leadership support for our talent development program over the past twenty years. The three vital offerings of the Genesis Network, the Genesis Fellowship and the Genesis Future Directors Awards will continue to provide exceptional opportunities for artists to develop their craft.
John Studzinski CBE, Founder & Chairman, Genesis Foundation, said: “Since 2003 the Genesis Foundation has made a substantial commitment to the Young Vic’s Directors Program supporting three vital strands: the Genesis Fellowship, the Genesis Future Directors Award and the Genesis Network. The original Genesis Directors Project was, and remains to this day, a pioneering initiative with few precedents around the world. Almost two decades on, our continued partnership has created a thriving and unparalleled program that will now engage with even broader and more diverse talent. We look forward to being part of the Young Vic’s new Creators Program alongside Esmée Fairbairn Foundation”.
We’d also like to welcome Esmée Fairbairn Foundation as a lead supporter of the Creators Program. All year-round creative activity – from workshops to public forums and discussions – will be made possible with their generous support.
Alison Holdom, Funding Manager – Arts and Heritage Lead, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, said: “Esmée Fairbairn Foundation is thrilled to be supporting the Young Vic’s Creators Program, a new approach to talent development which will equip a diverse generation of theatre artists from all backgrounds and disciplines with the skills, experience and networks that enable them to thrive.”
More information about the Creators Program, including the program of events, workshops and opportunities available to artists, will be shared in early 2022.
Creative Headspace #2
Creative Headspace #2 will see the Young Vic support up to 50 members of our Genesis Network with a paid opportunity to be creative on the Young Vic’s TikTok channel, with workshops and support around working in the digital medium.
Creative Headspace is designed to support early-career theatre-makers, and was created in response to the last year when opportunities for freelancers early in their careers have been reduced. This project, intended to be quick, informal and in the spirit of the medium of TikTok, follows on from the Young Vic’s first Creative Headspace initiative in January 2021, when 300 members of the Genesis Network were given paid opportunities to think about their craft and making theatre. This next iteration will encourage theatre-makers to experiment with the form of TikTok. The project forms part of the Creators Program mission of equipping artists for the reality of today and the future, including developing skills in digital arts and production.
This is a musical comedy from the writers of the Jersey Boys. Wednesday Addams has grown up and fallen in love with a boy Lucas from a respectable family. Wednesday entrusts her dad Gomez with the secret that her and Lucas are going to get married. Gomez has never kept any secrets from his wife Morticia and is torn between his loyalty to his wife or his daughter. The two families are to meet for dinner with funny consequences.
I had never watched the Addams Family on TV but had formed an own idea of what the musical would be like (thinking it would be really depressing and dark) and thought it wouldn’t really be the kind of musical I would normally watch but went with an open mind. How wrong could I have been. This was one of the most funny and enjoyable musicals you can see. The only downside for me was it was quite a long production at approximately 2 hours 30 minutes and the delay in it starting on time did mean it was quite late when it finished.
Wednesday played by Kingsley Morton was an absolutely amazing singer her vocals showed real talent.
Gomez (Cameron Blakely) portrayed his Spanish heritage very well and could not fault his vocals.
On this particular occaision Lucas was played by the understudy Matthew Ives but did a faultless show.
I really liked the Full Disclosure song and found myself getting into the swing of it. The part where Grandma (Valda Aviks) said I have weed myself was so funny.
My daughter particularly found Lurch (Dickon Gough) funny, how he managed to do everything so slow and his expression on his face did not move. The surprise at the end by his character was surprising and funny. Never did I imagine he could have sang like he did.
There was a minor blip when the coffin that Pugsley (Grant Mcintrye) was asleep in got stuck on the stage and the people moving the props struggled to get it off the stage for the next scene but this just added to the hilarity of the show.
The only part of the show that to me was a little long and I found could have been cut down a bit was Tango de Amor with Gomez and Morticia (Joanne Clifton).
All of the ensemble were excellent, brilliant dancing, singing and the excellent costumes all added to the show and they were equally as much a part of the production as the main characters.
One of the funny quotes that stuck in my head was by Gomez when he said “Wednesday is growing up so fast she will soon be Thursday”.
Overall an hilarious comedy which exceeded my expectations.
And it could be catastrophic for the workers on the chain gang, led by the inept rather than the knowledgeable. It’s also a metaphorical crack, a dysfunctional, fractured society struggling with regime change and the meaning of leadership.
Interruptions is a story that twists and weaves, flitting from one scenario to another, dealing with an election, followed by a military coup and its aftermath in a fictional communist country. The narrative isn’t linear, but one scene very much explains another, with rapid-fire changes of costume and a quick shift of the tables to mark the change of scene – along with some neatly choreographed dance routines, which also serve to lighten the mood. Propping is minimal – shifting tables, tablecloths, rope, basic utensils – but effectively used along with dramatic yet simple lighting and appropriate sound effects.
This may be a play about a communist country, but it’s not about communism per se, more about questions around leadership: Do we need to be led? How do we decide who leads? and what happens when there are no leaders? The message occasionally feels clunky, but it’s played with personality and passion by the young cast, some of whom are making their theatrical début.
This is the European début of Stephen Jeffreys’ play, first performed in California in 2001, adapted for a cast of six by director Guy Woolf. The six actors – Samarge Hamilton, Emily Pemberton, Aaron Douglas, Sarel Madziya, Nemide May and Loussin-Torah Pilikian – appear in each of the seven linked-but-separate scenes, mostly as completely different characters, so the demands on them are huge. Equally, demands are made of the audience to piece together this story of humanity learning to cope in a changing world.
As Woolf says: “For me, ultimately the play is about people just trying to get along together: they are doing their best to lead and be led while the turbulent events of the world unfurl and, yes, interrupt their lives. Sound familiar? After the last 18 months … this play is that much more timely, demonstrating the consistent relevance of the piece.”
represent. is a brand-new professional theatre company of people from lower socio-economic backgrounds, with a mission to open up the industry to those for whom it is currently inaccessible, and a redefinition of the repertory theatre model that provides a sustainable vehicle for both training and experimentation.
“There’s a crack in the mountain…” is a refrain that will be in your head all the way home.
“You’re lucky, he’s lucky. I’m lucky! WE’RE ALL LUCKY!” and the audience at Hull New Theatre certainly were watching this brilliant production!
I’ve seen the Rocky Horror Show quite a few times over the last 25+ years and this really was one of the best productions of it I’ve seen.
The cast, costumes, band, lighting and set were really fabulous. The cast seemed to be enjoying it just as much as the very vocal audience, who cheered, sang and danced along from the minute the curtains opened.
Audience participation is very much encouraged, with a lot of the audience dressed as their favourite character, stockings, feather boas and Basques in abundance!
The narrator (Philip Franks) holds the audience in the palm of his hand, batting back the heckling and banter from the audience with ease and brilliant comebacks particularly the comment about the upcoming panto which caused a lot of cheers!
Ore Oduba and Helen Flaherty are fabulous as the strait-laced Brad and Janet with such good singing voices. Kristian Lavercome as Riff Raff, Suzie McAdam as Usherette/Magenta and Lauren Ingram as Columbia are brilliantly with very strong voices and such good comic timing. Ben Westhead as Rocky and Joe Allen as Eddie/ Dr Scott are also brilliantly cast and so good to watch. Special mention also for the Phantoms: Reece Budin, Darcy Finden, Jordan Fox and Rachel Grundy. Swing Danny Knott and Swing/Dance captain Stefania Du Toit who are the glue that keeps the show together.
And what can be said about the main man himself, Frank N Furter played by the amazing Stephen Webb. One of the best Franks I’ve seen in a long time, strong singing voice, funny, great timing and acting, just marvellous!
The songs are what a lot of people will recognise Sweet Transvestite, The Time Warp being just two. The Time Warp had people up dancing in the first half, the music played by the brilliant band under the Musical Director Greg Arrowsmith.
To get the people of Hull up on their feet, for a standing ovation, on a cold Monday night shows how good it was.
If you go, go early and marvel at the dressed-up audience and take in the atmosphere. And me? I really enjoyed it, so I’m going back on Saturday to watch it again!
A LIVE SHOW PACKED FULL OF SONGS, GAMES, SNORTS & GIGGLES,
A DUSTING OF CHRISTMAS MAGIC AND A VERY SPECIAL GUEST…
Peppa Pig’s Best Day Ever!, the latest live show based on the much loved animated TV series from eOne, Hasbro’s independent entertainment studio, is pausing its UK and Ireland tour over the holiday season to hop on a sleigh into London’s West End.
Celebrating its 10th season in the West End, the beloved live show will run at the prestigious Theatre Royal Haymarket from 2 December 2021 – 2 January 2022,for a limited 48 performances.
Given the enduring love for Peppa Pig with children across the globe and UK box office sales at an all-time high, the 2021-2022 West End run is on track to break all previous London season records.
Peppa Pig is excited for aspecialday out with George, Mummy Pig and Daddy Pig – it’s going to be her best day ever!
Get ready for a road-trip full offunadventures. From castles to caves, dragons to dinosaurs and ice-creams to muddy puddles – there is something for the whole family and their friends to enjoy, including Miss Rabbit, Mr Bull, Suzy Sheep, Gerald Giraffe and more!
The live stage adaptation of Peppa Pigis produced by leading children’s theatre team Fierylight, in partnership with licensor Hasbro.
Over the past 13 years, Fierylight have created 6 hugely successful Peppa Pig Live productions, which have been enjoyed by over 2 million in the UK alone. Peppa Pig Live has also toured throughout the US and Australia.
The production is directed and adapted for theatre by Richard Lewis, and features music from BAFTA award-winning composer Mani Svavarsson, and lyrics by Matt Lewis.
Richard has previously directed and adapted multiple Peppa Pig live stage shows including Peppa Pig’s Adventure,Peppa Pig’s Party, Peppa Pig’s Treasure Hunt, Peppa Pig’s Big Splash and Peppa Pig’s Surprise.
Photos by Dan Tsantilis
LISTINGS
WEST END 2021-2022 CHRISTMAS SEASON
Dates: 2 December 2021 – 2 January 2022
Venue: Theatre Royal Haymarket
Performances: Performances vary, please check the website for times & dates
Running Time: Approx. 1 hour 20 minutes, including interval
It’s time to release the full spectrum of amazingness that is VAULT Festival 2022. Returning from 25th January – 20th March 2022 for its tenth anniversary, the festival will feature over 600 shows of the best new theatre, comedy, immersive experiences, cabaret, live performance, and late-night events from the UK’s brightest and boldest independent artists. Including new partnerships with leading arts organisations and artists from across the UK, the festival will draw awareness to important issues which concern us today as well as offering the best, and most affordable, nights out in London.
The climate emergency is at the forefront of many artists’ work: Decommissioned is a joyful, romantic play about how the impacts of climate change are happening right here, right now. Set in 2048, 1&Only is a near-fi, bureaucratic, satirical comedy about the politics of selling and the selling of politics. Also taking us to the future is Far Out, set in 2150 when the Earth is nearly burnt out and humans are searching for a new home. Acid’s Reign is a sustainable drag-cabaret play exploring the queerness of nature, and how the climate crisis impacts LGBTQ+ communities, and comedian Steve Hili’s The Sexy Environmentalist is a high-octane mix of environmentalism and “sexiness” in a lastditch effort to unite humanity and save the planet!
True events inspire many of the shows in the programme. Borders is a play about a Grindr encounter between a man from Israel and one from Lebanon; this delicately scripted and humorous piece explores the complexities surrounding Middle East identity. Tackling themes surrounding motherhood, mental health, child abuse and living with third degree burns, Dolly is a fast-paced two hander, presented in partnership with The Katie Piper Foundation. And Dan Kelly tells the true story of trying to run 26.2 miles in the most secretive nation on earth in How I Came Third in the North Korean Marathon, directed by Fringe favourite Joseph Morpurgo.
Based on the 1970s clothworkers’ strike in Leeds, Shake The City tells of the unheard voices of brilliant Northern women, embodying female friendship, empowerment and grit. New musical Little Sausage is a verbatim piece using real words and folk-pop music to explore the myth that meat equals manliness. Far Gone is a profoundly moving story of a young boy’s journey from childhood innocence to child soldier in Northern Uganda.
Dreamers tells first-hand accounts of the struggle for freedom; Papergang Theatre brings together a group of Hong Kong artists who navigate colonial legacies, new red lines and unexpected fractures. Also with an international focus, I’m Fine is an exploration of masculinity, vulnerability, and identity in Middle Eastern and South Asian culture. Another Lover’s Discourse is an inventive new multimedia performance from one of Palestine’s most exciting contemporary artists, inviting you to think differently about love. Housewarming brings a heartfelt touch to an important conversation around the definition of home and speaks to anyone who has experienced movement and displacement
LGBTQIA+ stories remain a focus of the VAULT programme. Structured around 13 spoken word poems combined with dub poetry and African musical harmonies, A Dozen Things I Would Rather Be explores truths about being black and gay in the Caribbean, Africa and clubs at the heart of London. Somewhere to Belong tackles misperceptions of the bi+ community, finding new ways to celebrate the authentic voices of bi, pan and queer people from around the world. Shortlisted for the New Diorama UNTAPPED Award 2020, Lesbian Space Crime is a comedy with slapdash songs about intergalactic queer dirtbags. Con-Version is a genre-bending piece about the absurdities of trying to change your intrinsic self with clowning, physical theatre and burlesque
Unheard stories of modern womanhood are given voice throughout this year’s festival. Using live vocal looping, live film, spoken word and audience interaction, Dosage is a multidisciplinary, playful interrogation of the side effects of the contraceptive pill. Dry Season interweaves music, movement and medical texts with original poetry and animation in this witty, honest and intimate piece that questions assumptions around menopause. Blanket Ban is a devised docu-play interrogating the blanket ban on abortion in Malta through interviews, verbatim, innovative use of technology, and a fondly critical look at the island state
Friendships have been tried and tested over the last two years: Incognito Theatre burst back with their raucous and riotously funny new comedy The Net Kill, interrogating friendship, brotherhood, and how men express their emotions and support each other in the face of grave danger. The multiaward-nominated, ultimate nostalgia trip is back with DJ Bazzer’s Year 6 Disco as we find just what happened to those childhood dreams, and what jealousy really does to us. Night on Boob Mountain is a surreal and raucous teen horror gig theatre show about puberty, friendships and selfdiscovery.
How we perceive ourselves and how we want others to perceive us is seen in many shows in the 2022 programme. Please, Feel Free to Share is a dynamic, darkly comic, one-woman show about our personal addictions, the never-ending pursuit of likes, and our growing desire to share all. Peppered with references to Lizzo’s music and full of joyous dance, singing and lip-sync, SELF HATE / What Would Lizzo Do? is about being worshipped – by our society, by our lovers, by ourselves. And Black Women Dating White Men looks at what happens when you’re in love with someone from a culture that systematically oppresses yours
Disciplines merge, ideas unite, and diversity is celebrated at VAULT. An electrifying re-imagining of the ultimate love triangle, the eagerly awaited Oedipus Electronica from Pecho Mama is a radical reinvention that will take you on a relentless white-knuckle ride through ecstasy and devastation. Ian Lynam’s Autistic License comically explores diagnosis, relationships, sexuality, creativity and the history of autism. How Disabled Are You explores real attitudes towards those who claim benefits and disabilities that aren’t always visible to the eye. Inspired by the death positivity movement, Dead Positive follows the women behind the doors in the death industry, allowing audiences to consider what they want to happen when they die. A darkly comic one-woman show, Frank explores the tensions of being Jewish and secular in the UK today
The family programme at VAULT offers something for all ages. Science Adventures: The Power Pickle present three fantastic new fun and accessible stories about science aimed at primary schoolaged children. Award-winning sketch troupe Privates present a family outing of their show Privates: Great Ideas by Geniuses on 20th March, alongside a saucier, late night version the night before.
Work in progress shows across the festival remain a brilliant chance to see innovative material from household names and fresh new voices. Brand new comedy this year at VAULT includes shows from the legendary Arthur Smith, professional slacker and sensitive friend Rajiv Karia (BBC Audio Contract Writer 2021) with Gallivant and Best Newcomer 2018 nominee Maisie Adam (fresh from Live at The Apollo, Mock The Week, and The Last Leg). Sweet Angel stand-up comedian Helen Bauer (as seen on Live at The Apollo, nominated for best newcomer at the Edinburgh Fringe) presents a work in progress show of her new thoughts, feelings and emotions on pretty much everything. From the genius wonky minds of master improvisers Nina Conti and Shenoah Allen come charming self-appointed relationship experts, Richard and Greta, who want to help you get the most out of your partner whether you have one or not. Plus, don’t miss the likes of viral sensation Jazz Emu, and the return of John Robertson with the world’s only live-action, text-based adventure game The Dark Room
The late night programme is where to come for the best, most diverse and exciting nights out in the city. Sexquisite presents political cabaret-theatre, created by multi-disciplinary sex worker artists, looking into their lived experiences with glitter, glamour and stigma. Making use of AI and real life drag ‘Me The Drag Queen’, Zizi & Me is a unique cabaret double act about queerness and technology. LGBTQIA+ disabled artists dive nose first into drag fabulousness in Unsightly Drag and Friends, supported by Shape Arts, with integrated AD and BSL – all performances are relaxed
Leave your expectations at the door with the Lates; Lounge Onyx is a unique event featuring some of the most talented, sought after and up and coming black cabaret performers in the UK with drag, pole dancing, poetry, burlesque, spoken word, circus performances, clowning and comedy. Showcasing the stars of tomorrow, Fresh from House of Burlesque focuses on the hottest new talent in the world of burlesque. Strange Fruit: A Cabaret by Sex and Rage focusses on black femme energy and sex education, celebrating survival and a reclamation of sexual liberty, while JuiceBox Presents: Make It Rain is the ultimate empowerment party with London’s hottest womxnled LGBTQ+ striptease experience, amazing DJs and pole performances. A safe queer-focused space, Queer House Party is full of great music and community vibes in this camp late-night event. Get sinning with a cabaret disco dance party to leave you speaking in tongues with feminist, trash-pot party starters Church of Pussy Liquor. An international sell out trope from NYC, join Blunderland for the most subversive breakout of the international cabaret and circus circuit. Then the whimsical, surreal, and psychedelic world of Blunderland explodes into a late-night party to close the festival suffused with NY underground arthouse weird and juicy magic.
Prepare for bold, ambitious, homegrown performances that celebrate and champion Essex and Outer East London artists, including the London premiere of new work by Kenny Emson and the debut solo show by Kristin Mcilquham, in association with Essex on Stage – supported by Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch and Matthew Schmolle Productions.
Handpicked by Northern Stage, the largest producing theatre company in the North East, expect fresh and innovative new work in their NORTH takeover, with four ground-breaking shows from the brightest rising artistic talent in the North East: Ankles, Certificates, Happy Meal and Mama’s Cabaret.
The brazen and original work of the next generation of performance makers can be seen in Generation V where the UK’s leading creative drama schools, East 15 and Fourth Monkey will bring their best & boldest to VAULT Festival.
When VAULT Festival 2020 was cut short by the pandemic, 97 artists lost the opportunity to present their work. Join us to celebrate the return of these incredible Lost Shows and the resilience of the artists involved. Unmissable theatre, comedy, & cabaret finally taking to the stage.
VAULT Festival is proud to partner with Shape Arts for 2022. Shape Arts is a disability-led arts organisation which works to improve access to culture for disabled people by providing opportunities for disabled artists, training cultural institutions to be more open to disabled people, and through running participatory arts and development programmes.
VAULT Festival Director & Co-Founder Andy George comments, Each and every artist in our programme this year has shown the most amazing resilience to still be making and creating after the past two years. Grass roots, independent artists are the present and the future of our culture and society. They need the support of audiences to keep going and continue to effect long lasting, positive change. We cannot wait to share their unique stories, lives, and experiences with the world
Head to vaultfestival.com for the full programme and to book your tickets to these must-see shows. VAULT Festival promises to light up the cold winter nights of 2022.
