Empire Theatre, Sunderland – until 13th November 2021
Reviewed by Sandra Little
5*****
This production, which is an adaptation from the 1980s film of the same name, opened to a full house at Sunderland Empire.The music and lyrics were written by Dolly Parton and the show begins with Dolly appearing as narrator from the centre of a huge gold 9 to 5 clock. We are soon introduced to three of the main characters and they are Violet, played by Louise Redknapp, Judy, played by Vivian Panka and Doralee, played by Stephanie Chandos. The other main character is Franklin Hart Junior, played by Sean Needham
The musical is set in an office in the late 1970s where Franklin Hart’s behaviour towards female staff is sexist, egotistical and misogynist in the extreme! We learn that Violet is a single mum keen for a long promised promotion but is often overlooked. Judy is a new member of staff with no skills and no confidence. She has spent her life caring for her husband and family and her husband has recently left her for a much younger lady. Meanwhile Doralee is happily married but desperate to be friends with everyone and always keen to please. She frequently has to spurn the sexual advances of her boss Franklin Hart.
As is true of many musicals the plot is quite exaggerated in places and includes rat poison in the boss’s coffee and a scene where the boss is trussed up and suspended from the ceiling in his own bondage apparel! While he’s trussed up the three main female characters take charge and change the whole ethos of the office. They introduce a crèche, flexible working, hour long lunch breaks and rehab for one member of staff. Eventually the increased productivity is recognised by the Chairman of the Board and Violet is promoted to CEO. Meanwhile Franklin Hart is sent to work in Bolivia!
There are numerous elements of comedy throughout the show and several sexual references and innuendos.. Franklin Hart is played in the style of a pantomime villain for much of the show which makes these sexual references quite funny, rather than offensive. However intertwined with the comedy and fun and excitement of the high energy song and dance routines some more serious underlying feminist issues faced by women in the 1980s are raised. This musical is a production of its time and clearly celebrates the success of women however there are some issues raised, such as equal pay, which continue to have significance for some women today.
The set for this production is not lavish but does change quite frequently. Some of the women’s costumes captured perfectly the glamorous power dressing styles of the 80s. There were some great vocals in this production, particularly from Judy played by Vivian Panka and it’s definitely a fun, feel good experience which was given a standing ovation by much of the audience at Sunderland Empire.
ATG Productions and CAA in association with Wagner Johnson Productions are delighted to announce that musical theatre writing sensations, Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear will perform AN EVENING WITH BARLOW AND BEAR at the Underbelly Speigeltent, Leicester Square on Monday 22 November at 7.30pm. They will be joined on stage by stars from the West End, performing some of the duo’s viral smash hits.
Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear are best known as the creators of the viral sensation The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical, inspired by Netflix’s hit series. Their songs and performances have attracted a massive international fanbase, receiving over 250 million views on TikTok. They have broken new ground by involving their audience in their process every step of the way via social media. The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical album was released in September and within two hours was #1 on iTunes U.S. Pop Albums and received over 10 million streams in one week. They have been featured in Variety, People, Entertainment Weekly, The Boston Globe and on the Today Show, BBC, NPR’s All Things Considered and The Kelly Clarkson Show.
Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear said today, “We are THRILLED to be performing in London – the city that uplifted our spirits, lit our minds with inspiration, and sparked the idea to create the Unofficial Bridgerton Musical!”
Barlow & Bear are passionate about arts education and the power of theatre to transform lives. A portion of ticket sales will benefit Mousetrap Theatre Project – a charity dedicated to enriching the lives of young people in the UK by making theatre accessible to all, particularly those with limited resources, opportunities or support.
Emily Bear is a chart-topping concert pianist, composer, producer, singer-songwriter and performer who made her professional concert debut at five years old. Emily was featured on The Ellen DeGeneres Show for first time at six years old. She has since performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Hollywood Bowl and Montreux Jazz Festival. She has received the highest accolades across musical styles including ASCAP Concert Music Composer of the Year, Herb Alpert Jazz Composer of the Year, W Magazine’s “It Girl” of the year and a recent award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Her mentor, Quincy Jones, produced her debut album and she was the subject of the Emmy-award winning documentary “Girl with a Gift.” Her film and television scoring work includes projects for Disney, Dreamworks, Warner Bros., and Universal.
As a songwriter and performer, Abigail Barlow caught the attention of Meghan Trainor when a song Abigail wrote went viral on TikTok, beginning a lasting collaboration and mentorship between them. Her recent single “Heartbreak Hotel” topped the iTunes Pop Chart at #6 and obtained over 200K streams on Spotify in less than 48 hours. To date it has 7.4 million streams on Spotify. Her artful lyricism and unique melodies have garnered international acclaim. As a young teenager, Abigail’s love of performing live was refined when she found a worldwide audience online with performance platforms YouNow and Musically. A 2017 Shorty Award nominee, she was a founding creator on TikTok — writing and performing her original music in real time for a growing fanbase.
“Bridgerton®” is a registered trademark of Netflix Studios, LLC.
Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham- Until Sat 13th November 2021
Reviewed by Amarjeet Singh
5*****
From the moment we walked into the beautiful, ornate theatre and were greeted by the eerie dry ice and imposing but impressive Addams family gate on stage, we knew we were in for an entertaining ride and we were not disappointed.
Although staying true to the characters of the much loved TV and comic strip, we were delighted to discover the ghoulish family have grown. Wednesday has fallen in love, but not with a fellow creature of the night, instead, she has become smitten with a ‘normal’ boy. However, as Morticia states rather thought provokingly, ‘What is normal for the spider, is chaos for the fly’.
The Addams Family is the story of exploring what is ‘normal’, and how we should be free to express and celebrate our differences, without shame or secrecy. Its these differences which brings us together and makes life so interesting and colourful. The same can be said of this show.
The sets were vast and gothic, adding gravitas to the atmosphere. The musical numbers hit the spot ever time with a live orchestra, incredible voices and fabulous songs. The choreography was on point with the ensemble cast of the undead keeping us thoroughly captivated. No effort had been spared to keep the audience engaged and entertained and feeling like part of the family. From the opening belter ‘When you’re an Addams’ to the spectacular dinner scene at the end of act one with Alice’s aria after ‘The Game’ doesn’t quite go to plan’.
Joanne Clifton as Morticia blew us away with the final tango, bringing in all her Strictly Come Dancing magic, which matched her amazing voice and incredible stage presence. Cameron Blakely as Gomez Addams had us in stitches with his comedic timing. There needs to be shout out to his majestic eyebrows which deserve a special mention in their own right. Scott Paige as Uncle Fester, the endearing fourth wall breaking selenophile, Kingsley Morton as Wednesday Addams, with an incredible voice and the rest of the cast brought this death obsessed family to life, all in the name of love.
I would highly recommend going to see The Addams Family for a creepy, kooky, mysterious, and spooky night out, filled with laughter and singing with full disclosure and love winning. After all, they are The Addams Family. (click click)
Please find below images from the press night of the West End premiere of THE CHOIR OF MAN at the Arts Theatre.
Starring: Tom Brandon as the Hard Man, Miles Anthony Daley as the Romantic, Daniel Harnett as the Joker, Alistair Higgins as the Maestro, Freddie Huddleston as the Handyman, Richard Lock as the Beast, Mark Loveday as the Barman, Ben Norris as the Poet and Tyler Orphé-Baker as the Pub Bore.
Please note the role of the Maestro on opening night was played by George Bray and the role of the Joker on opening night was played by Matt Beveridge.
After three sell-out seasons at The Sydney Opera House and multiple sold-out US and European tours, the runaway international hit, THE CHOIR OF MAN, comes to the West End. THE CHOIR OF MAN is the best trip to your local you’ll ever have, featuring amazing reinventions of folk, pop, Broadway and rock chart-toppers from artists including Guns ‘N’ Roses, Fun!, Adele, Avicii, Paul Simon, Sia and many more. It’s a party, it’s a concert and it’s a lock-in like no other.
THE CHOIR OF MAN is created by Nic Doodson and Andrew Kay, directed by Nic Doodson, with musical supervision, vocal arrangements and orchestrations by Jack Blume, movement direction and choreography by Freddie Huddleston, monologues written by Ben Norris, scenic design by Oli Townsend, lighting design by Richard Dinnen, costume design and associate scenic design by Verity Sadler, sound design by Sten Severson, casting by Debbie O’Brien. Associate Choreographer is Rachel Chapman and Associate Musical Director is Hollie Cassar.
Seven Dials Playhouse launches in Covent Garden in February 2022 with the European Premiere of Steve, starring David Ames and Jenna Russell 1a Tower Street, London WC2H 9NP
2022 will see the launch of London’s newest venue – Seven Dials Playhouse. Set to be the only studio receiving house in the West End, this 100-seat venue will present a year-round programme of world-class quality theatre consisting of contemporary text-based plays and musicals, as well as an Associated Programme of events which respond directly to the themes of each production.
Opening the venue will be Steve directed by Andrew Keates (Director: Dark Sublime, Trafalgar Studios; As Is, Finborough Theatre; Dessa Rose, Trafalgar Studios. Performance Director Ghostbusters: The Gates Of Gozer, Secret Cinema) and starring Holby City’s David Ames (The Temperamentals, Greenwich Theatre; I Am Montana, The Arcola) and Tony Award nominee and Olivier Award-winner Jenna Russell (Guys and Dolls, Piccadilly Theatre: Sunday In The Park With George, Wyndham’s Theatre; Fun Home, Young Vic) running from 8th February – 5th March 2022. Written by Mark Gerard, Steve debuted in 2015 in New York’s Pershing Square Signature Center, directed by Cynthia Nixon
Presented by Seven Dials Playhouse and M. Green Productions, the long-awaited European Premiere of The New York Times’ Critic’s Pickwill offer audiences the option to book on stage cabaret tables and indulge in themed cocktails throughout, in order to experience the production in a more intimate way. A heartfelt, hysterical, and sharp-witted comedy, Steve seamlessly integrates the highs and lows of getting older, long-term friendships, monogamy, saying goodbye and being alive.
Seven Dials Playhouse is the West End’s home for the development of professional theatre and artists. It seeks to provide opportunities for people to collaborate on bold, creative and high quality work while providing journeys of enlightenment and entertainment for artists and audiences alike.
The theatre programme will present 4 – 6 week runs working with high-profile, leading practitioners across all creative programmes with an emphasis on collaboration and support.
The theatre programme and Associated Programme will bring an ever-changing and exciting perspective into the organisation with each production. The events in the Associated Programme will encompass workshops, live music, masterclasses, work-in-progress readings, seminars, cast and creative Q&As and more. They will use each production as a stimulus for a variety of bespoke curated events created in tandem with the visiting company and Seven Dials Playhouse.
Seven Dials Playhouse is a rebrand of The Actors Centre, following an extensive overhaul of its programming structure and business model. Opening up the organisation to appeal to the entire creative industry will mark the theatre as a truly inclusive and open organisation. Seven Dials Playhouse is a relevant, dynamic and exciting organisation that responds to what the industry needs today.
Amanda Davey, Chief Executive of Seven Dials Playhouse comments, When I took over as Chief Executive of The Actors Centre in October 2019, I could never have imagined what was to come. These incredibly challenging 18 months have, ironically, provided us with the opportunity to radically rethink, refocus, and reshape our work. When the organisation first opened in 1978, it was conceived as a place for actors to hone their craft and create networks. Many see it as a safe space in the heart of the West End. Talking to those same people, in recent months, and to those working in the industry I’ve heard a message – that we need to do more and to change in response to changes in the world and the industry.
Our renewed mission is to be the West End’s creative home for the development of professional theatre and artists. But we’ll do more. We’ll make spaces for creatives from many disciplines to collaborate on bold theatre work. We’ll create development opportunities for those who wish to keep learning. And we’ll deliver high-quality on-stage productions. What makes this unique is the intersection between these elements, with the programming responding to emerging themes or the artist/company producing in the theatre. Our promise is that whatever we do, it will be dynamic, exciting, and challenging.
Andrew Keates, director of Steve comments, I’m known by many producers for my secret little book of extraordinary new plays. Steve by Mark Gerrard has been hidden within those pages for the right time, venue, cast, production team and producer. And at last all of those things have come together in harmony for this long overdue European premiere. As a gay man I’ve found myself questioning how my relationships (both romantic and personal) can function as I grow older. I think we all strive for a legacy in the performing arts and it’s an honour to know part of mine will be being the first director to launch Seven Dials Playhouse with this stunning new LGBTQ+ play.
Seven Dials Playhouse is helmed by Chief Executive Amanda Davey, with Executive Creative Producer Mitchell Reeve leading on producing and programming, and Head of Marketing and Communications Jamie Tuohy leading on organisational marketing, communications and PR strategy.
Outlander’s John Bell takes to the stage for the first time in The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me 3rd– 26th February 2022
Studio at New Wimbledon Theatre, 93 The Broadway, London SW19 1QG
Making his exciting stage debut Outlander’s John Bell (Outlander, The Hobbit, Wrath of the Titans) has been cast in multi award-winning Off-Broadway hit The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me by David Drake.
After attending a performance of Larry Kramer’s play The Normal Heart, a young man’s life is changed forever thanks to the power of theatre. This heart-warming, coming of age story follows the life of a young actor – his call to gay pride and activism in New York during the onset of HIV/AIDS in the 80s.
Broken up into a series of stories, Drake abstractly documents a gay man’s journey of self-discovery. From the late-night club crawl to the buff-bunny gyms, from the threat of anti-gay violence to the place where condemnation, compromises and closets are a thing of the past, The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me exposes the sexual, spiritual, and political yearnings at the heart of gay America shared by a whole generation of gay men and women.
David Drake says, I am so honoured that the producers have been so diligent about producing the first revival of my play in London since I premiered it there at the Kings Head Pub in 1994. And I am absolutely thrilled that the extraordinary young actor John Bell will be bringing these words and stories to life. The landscape for queer people has changed and improved immeasurably since I created The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me as an extension of my AIDS and gay rights activisim 30 years ago. But as Larry himself reminded us many times, we must continue to tell, understand, and ultimately value our stories so that the tragedy of this history does not repeat itself. Indeed, to quote the poem by Auden from which Larry claimed the title for The Normal Heart, “We must love one another or die.”
This new production brings together the producers behind recent award-winning productions such as Martin Sherman’s Rose staring Dame Maureen Lipman (now showing on Sky Arts and Broadway HD) and West End Director Steven Dexter (Beautiful Thing, the Olivier Nominated musical Loserville, Pet Shop Boys Musical Hit Closer to Heaven and the recent critically acclaimed reimagining of Pippin). Dexter comments, says It’s a touching and funny play that remind us all how important theatre is, especially after the tough few years our industry has had.
The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me premiered at New York’s Perry Street Theater, and played for a full year off-Broadway, making it one of the longest running solo shows in New York. David Drake won several awards for his writing and performance of The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me, including an Obie Award for performance in 1993, and two Dramalogue Awards in the same year. He was also nominated for a Lambda Literary Award the following year.
Variety Magazine called The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me “Theatre Par Excellence, Not to be missed”.
Please find below production images of Colin Teevan’s The Seven Pomegranate Seeds, which receives its world premiere at the Rose tonight, Wednesday 10 November!
The Seven Pomegranate Seeds takes seven contemporary stories grounded in prominent, mythical origins. Persephone, Hypsipyle, Medea, Alcestis, Phaedra, Creusa and Demeter, the women of Euripides’ plays, are reimagined as people of today in a fusion of celebrity, inappropriate desires, historical police investigations and missing children. Directed by Melly Still and starring Niamh Cusack and Shannon Hayes. This is the second Rose Original production in Christopher Haydon’s inaugural season as Rose Theatre’s Artistic Director.
WISE CHILDREN’S CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED PRODUCTION OF WUTHERING HEIGHTS
WILL BE AVAILABLE TO VIEW ON DEMAND
★★★★★
“Emotionally epic entertainment from Emma Rice”
The Times
Wise Children today announce the on demand release of its critically acclaimed stage adaptation of Emily Brontë’sWuthering Heights, adapted and directed by Emma Rice. The co-production, with the National Theatre, Bristol Old Vic and York Theatre Royal, which is currently running at York Theatre Royal until 20 November, will be available to watch on demand for 48 hours from Friday 26 November at 7pm. Tickets are on sale now via bristololdvic.org.uk/whats-on/wuthering-heights-on-demand
★★★★★
“A wildly imaginative, exhilarating piece of theatre”
Daily Mail
Wuthering Heights continues its UK tour in 2022, opening at the National Theatre, 3 February – 19 March, before touring to Cornwall, Norwich, Salford, Nottingham, Sunderland, Edinburgh and Inverness until 4 June 2022.
Emma Rice directs Sam Archer (Lockwood/Edgar Linton), Nandi Bhebhe (The Leader of the Moor), Mirabelle Gremaud (swing), TJ Holmes (Robert), Ash Hunter (Heathcliff), Craig Johnson (Mr Earnshaw/Dr Kenneth), Jordan Laviniere (John), Lucy McCormick (Cathy), Kandaka Moore (Zillah), Katy Owen (Isabella Linton/Linton Heathcliff), Tama Phethean (Hindley Earnshaw/Hareton Earnshaw) and Witney White (Frances Earnshaw/Young Cathy), with music performed by Sid Goldsmith, Nadine Lee and Renell Shaw.
With set and costume design by Vicki Mortimer; sound and video by Simon Baker; composition by Ian Ross; lighting design by Jai Morjaria; movement and choreography by Etta Murfitt.
Created and led by Emma Rice, Wise Children launched in April 2018 and is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation. Based in Bristol, we make ground-breaking work with exceptional artists, and tour across the world. In the dark days of 2020, we led the field in livestreaming, becoming the first UK company to broadcast a full staged production, without social distancing, from a UK theatre after lockdown. Alongside our shows, we run a unique professional development programme, The School for Wise Children, training a new and more diverse generation of theatre practitioners.
Bristol Old Vic is the longest continuously running theatre in the UK, and celebrated its 250th anniversary in 2016. The historic playhouse aims to inspire audiences with its own original productions, both at home and on tour, whilst nurturing the next generation of artists, whether that be through their 350-strong Young Company, their many outreach and education projects or their trailblazing artist development programme, Bristol Ferment.
They use their funding to support experiment and innovation, to allow access to their programme for people who would not otherwise encounter it, or be able to afford it, and to keep their extraordinary heritage alive and animated.
Bristol Old Vic’s 2018 redevelopment transformed its front of house into a warm and welcoming space for all of Bristol to enjoy, created a new studio theatre and opened up its unique theatrical heritage to the public for the first time.
Since the COVID pandemic temporarily shut its doors in March 2020, the organisation has strived continuously to find new ways of sharing theatre with its community and the wider world. In the last 12 months the theatre has completely reimagined a digital version of itself, experimented with streamed performances available globally, maintained links with their most vulnerable participants and welcomed live audiences during the brief moments when restrictions were lifted. Now, once again, Bristol Old Vic is thrilled to be able to throw open its doors and welcome back audiences both physically and digitally as it looks towards the future.
The National Theatre’s mission is to make world-class theatre, for everyone.
The NT creates and shares unforgettable stories with audiences across the UK and around the world. On its own stages, on tour, in schools, on cinema screens and streaming at home, it strives to be accessible, inclusive and sustainable.
The National Theatre empowers artists and craftspeople to make world-leading work, investing in talent and developing new productions with a wide range of theatre companies at its New Work Department. Our nation thrives on fresh talent and new ideas, so the National Theatre works with young people and teachers right across the UK through performance, writing and technical programmes to ignite the creativity of the next generation.
Together with communities, the NT creates ambitious works of participatory theatre in deep partnerships that unite theatres and local organisations – showing that nothing brings us together like theatre.
The National Theatre needs your support to shape a bright, creative future.
York Theatre Royal has brought delight and fulfilment to the people of York and beyond by offering a rich and diverse programme of creative activity for over 275 years.
York Theatre Royal is one of the UK’s leading creative producers and presenters, constantly building on its reputation for producing high quality and ambitious theatre with highly regarded productions of new commissions, revivals at all scales, extraordinary site specific and large scale community shows and each year delivering a pantomime of international renown.
The theatre strives to be innovative, far-reaching and proactive in helping its entire community to live creative lives and has an engagement and participation programme that is nationally recognised and admired.
York Theatre Royal is committed to be forward-thinking and inclusive. It is a theatre at the very heart of its community and it is here for everyone.
CAPITAL THEATRES WELCOMES TONY MILLS TO THEIR BOARD
Capital Theatres is delighted to welcome Tony Mills, Artistic Director of Dance Base, to our board. He joins fellow trustees: Karen Cairney, Lesley Drummond, Gordon Jack, Helen Mackie, Cllr Melanie Main, Cllr Amy McNeese-Mechan, Tony Mills, Cllr Max Mitchell, Andrew Neilson, Alasdair Peacock, Karyn Watt and Cllr Donald Wilson, under the chairpersonship of Professor Dame Joan Stringer.
Fiona Gibson, Chief Executive of Capital Theatres said:
“We are thrilled to have Tony on our board, dance has always been a key part of our programme and his expertise in this field is considerable. As we grow our ambitions for talent development Tony’s experience as an artist and mentor will be invaluable, and his new position as Artistic Director of Dance Base will strengthen our connections to Edinburgh and Scotland’s creative community.”
Joan Stringer, Chair of Capital Theatres said:
“My fellow trustees and I look forward to working with Tony at an exciting moment for Capital Theatres as we emerge from the pandemic and develop our vision to offer the brightest and best of touring work at the Festival Theatre, a redeveloped King’s Theatre with community at its heart and make the Studio a home for Scottish talent. Tony’s skills and experience in artist development, leadership, and inclusivity will be key to our journey and complement the board’s existing talents.”
Tony Mills said: “Capital Theatres provides a valuable hub for dance performance and dance audiences in Edinburgh and I am honoured to be joining the board at such an important time for the organisation. Fiona Gibson’s inspiring vision to create both a home for Scottish talent and a world-class stage for performing arts is tremendously exciting and it’s one that Dance Base shares. Dance Base started in a rehearsal room above the King’s Theatre almost 30 years ago and I’m looking forward to continuing this creative association by working closely with Fiona, Joan and the team to support dance and the wider performing arts in Scotland.”
Audiences for this show will no doubt come with expectations based upon watching the film Dirty Dancing and this version will certainly not disappoint in terms of matching what they would expect from the dancing (which indeed is very convincingly dirty throughout – much to audience’s delight).
Outstanding dance performances from the outset in particular from Michael O’Reilly as Johnny and Carlie Milner as Penny were really captivating and set the tone for beautifully choreographed and executed routines throughout the show. Kira Malou as Baby was convincingly naive and incompetent at dancing to begin with, and her progression to raunchy dancer and not-so-innocent teen was both sweet and entertaining. Marie Finlayson (ensemble) and Samuel Bailey (as Billy Kostecki) both impressed in terms of vocals, and Colin Charles as Tito Suarez also put in a brilliantly entertaining performance with equally impressive dance and vocal skills. Lizzie Oatley as Lisa Houseman also deserves a special mention for her highly amusing Hula.
The set was nothing to write home about (think lavish high school production values) but the stream of exceptional dance numbers meant that this really didn’t matter.
The plot moves on apace in the stage version and it has to be said that some of the acting was rather stilted and on occasions it was hard to hear dialogue, so if you weren’t familiar with the plot it might have been quite hard to follow the detail of what was going on.
However, the audience clearly knew exactly what to expect from each scene (the woman sitting next to me was reciting the lines along with the actors) and the standing ovation at the finale demonstrated how much fun had been had.
