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NEW UK TOUR OF

BEAUTIFUL – THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL

TO OPEN AT CURVE, LEICESTER 28 FEBRUARY – 12 MARCH 2022

Curve, Theatre Royal Bath Productions and Mayflower Theatre Southampton have today announced plans to launch a new UK tour of the Olivier, Tony and Grammy Award-winning musical, Beautiful – The Carole King Musical, opening at Curve in February 2022.

Directed by Curve’s Artistic Director Nikolai Foster (Sunset Boulevard, West Side Story), Beautiful will open at Curve on Monday 28 February until Saturday 12 March before moving to Theatre Royal Bath from 17 – 26 March 2022 and Mayflower Theatre Southampton from 12 – 16 April 2022, with additional tour dates and casting to be announced soon.

The hit show, which ran in the West End for two and a half years before two successful UK tours, will feature a talented cast of actor-musicians performing countless classics including You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman, Take Good Care of my Baby, You’ve Got a Friend, Up on the Roof, Locomotion, You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling and exploring the inspiring true story of King’s remarkable rise to stardom.

Carole King’s remarkable music will be brought to life by Grammy Award-winning Orchestrator Steve Sidwell and adapted by Tony Award-winning Curve Associate and Musical Supervisor Sarah Travis. Choreography is by rising star choreographer Leah Hill. The creative team is completed by Set Designer Frankie Bradshaw, Costume Designer Edd Lindley, Lighting Designer and Curve Associate Ben Cracknell, Sound Designer Tom Marshall and Casting Director and Curve Associate Kay Magson CDG.

Written by Douglas McGrath, with songs by Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, Beautiful – The Carole King Musical tells the story of the singer/songwriter before she became a chart-topping music legend.

Speaking about this new Made at Curve production, Curve’s Chief Executive Chris Stafford and Artistic Director Nikolai Foster said:

“Carole King’s body of work represents some of the greatest pop songs ever written. We are thrilled to be working on this new production of Beautiful, bringing this remarkable story and music to life with the finest actor – musicians working in the UK today. We are honoured to be collaborating with orchestrators, Grammy Award-winner Steve Sidwell and Tony Award-winner Sarah Travis, to bring King’s incredible tapestry of songs to life. We are also proud to be working alongside our partners at Theatre Royal Bath and Southampton’s Mayflower Theatre.”

Full cast, creative team and tour dates will be announced soon.

Tickets for Beautiful – The Carole King Musical at Curve will go on sale to Curve Friends from Monday 25 October, Supporters from Tuesday 26 October, Members, Groups and Access Register Customers from Thursday 28 October and on general sale from Thursday 4 November, all at 12 noon. Tickets can be purchased online at www.curveonline.co.uk or by calling Curve’s Box Office on 0116 242 3595.

Beautiful – The Carole King Musical was originally produced on Broadway and in London by Paul Blake, SONY/ATV Music Publishing and Mike Bosner.

Cambridge Arts Theatre, Cambridge – until Saturday 16 October 2021

Reviewed by Steph Lott

5*****

It is 1942. ‘Sir’, an ageing actor-manager, is struggling to complete his 227th performance of King Lear, in the face of extreme adversity which includes air raids, falling bombs and his ailing health. It is down to Norman, Sir’s devoted dresser, to ensure that the show goes on in spite of everything, as it has for the last 16 years.

Matthew Kelly is the grandiloquent yet vulnerable Sir to Julian Clary’s adoring yet bitter Norman in this evocative revival of Ronald Harwood’s play, inspired by the years Harwood spent as dresser to Sir Donald Wolfit, an English actor-manager known for his touring wartime productions of Shakespeare (Wolfit was especially renowned for his portrayal of King Lear).

The play mostly takes place in Sir’s shabby dressing room, with a flying wall sectioning off the area where we can see actors waiting in the wings to enter Sir’s dressing room. This is an intriguing room, with tatty wigs on stands, a make-up table with huge lightbulbs and a faded chaise longue. Set and costume designer Tim Shortall has managed to convey the claustrophobia and intimacy of life backstage. The tension and claustrophobia suddenly lift when we switch to the backstage area as Sir gets ready to perform King Lear and the walls ascend to reveal the action behind the curtain.

Matthew Kelly is marvellous in role, constantly oscillating between the grandiose and the pitiful. He enters, all booming voice and theatrical bluster, a distraught, aging and egotistical actor brought low by poor health and self-pity, facing his final curtain call. Sir is both powerful and crumbling, both playing and being Lear. Will he manage the 227th performance?

Julian Clary delivers an intimate and poignant performance as the power behind Sir’s throne. Clary quickly gains our sympathies in his depiction of utterly devoted, hard-grafting, underrated dresser Norman, relentlessly bullied by Sir, who faces collapse when he should be onstage performing Lear. Clary’s performance in the final stages is fine: he embodies the bitterness and sadness of a grossly unappreciated friend and dedicated employee. We are witnesses to the men’s fraught, co-dependent dynamic and there’s a poignant chemistry between the two men in Sir’s dressing room, playing the same routines and dramas over and over again as they have for so many years.

The play isn’t all about the two lead characters though. Emma Amos delivers a fine performance as Her Ladyship, Sir’s longsuffering romantic companion, giving us fleeting insights into her unhappy enduring of his tyrannical and philandering ways. Rebecca Charles is excellent in her quiet interpretation of stage manager Madge, another of Sir’s circle who has been quietly and fruitlessly devoted to Sir, and Pip Donaghy steals the scene as actor Geoffrey Thornton, who ends up unexpectedly playing the Fool.

Though primarily a story about theatre life and its characters, The Dresser powerfully examines what it means to face the fear of growing old and one’s mortality. This is a touching new production of a modern classic.

Tour News

Kilimanjaro Live proudly presents:

Leading US Humorist, Best Selling Author & 5 times Grammy Award nominated

AN EVENING WITH DAVID SEDARIS 2022

“Sedaris ain’t the preeminent humorist of his generation by accident.”

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

David Sedaris, humorist, bestselling author and star of Radio 4 series ‘Meet David Sedaris’, has announced a 20 date UK tour for 2022 which starts on Sunday 10^th July at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall and culminates on 2^nd August at Cardiff’s St. David’s Hall. The celebrated writers run includes the rescheduled dates at London’s Royal Festival Hall on 30^th & 31^st July and Manchester’s The Lowry on 1^st August. The tour is preceded by a new book in June 2022 entitled ‘Happy-Go-Lucky’

With sardonic wit and incisive social critiques, David Sedaris has become one of America’s pre-eminent humor writers. He is the master of satire and one of today’s most observant writers addressing the human condition. Sedaris has been nominated for five Grammy Awards for Best Spoken Word and Best Comedy Album. His audio recordings include “David Sedaris: Live for Your Listening Plea- sure” and “David Sedaris Live at Carnegie Hall.” Since 2011, he can be heard annually on a series of live recordings on BBC Radio 4 entitled “Meet David Sedaris.”

His recent books are The Best of Me – a collection of 42 previously published stories and essays and a second volume of his diaries A Carnival of Snackery, Diaries (2003- 2020) and Calypso, another collection of essays, was a New York Times best-seller, and a Washington Post Best Book of the Year. The audiobook of Calypso was also nominated for a 2019 Grammy for the Best Spoken Word Album.

In 2019 David Sedaris became a regular contributor to CBS Sunday Morning, and his Masterclass, David Sedaris Teaches Storytelling and Humor, was released. There are over 16 million copies of his books in print, and they have been translated into 32 languages. He has been awarded the Terry Southern Prize for Humor, Thurber Prize for American Humor, Jonathan Swift International Literature Prize for Satire and Humor, Time 2001 Humorist of the Year Award, as well as the Medal for Spoken Language from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In March 2019 he was elected as a member into the American Academy of Arts & Letters.  In 2020 the New York Public Library voted Me Talk Pretty One Day as one of the 125 most important books of the last 125 years.

He and his sister, Amy Sedaris, have collaborated under the name “The Talent Family” and have written half-a-dozen plays, which have been produced at La Mama, Lincoln Center, and The Drama Department in New York City. These plays include Stump the Host, Stitches, One Woman Shoe, which received an Obie Award, Incident at Cobbler’s Knob, and The Book of Liz, which was published in book form by Dramatists Play Service. 

The dates are as follows: 

JULY

Sun 10^th                        EDINBURGH – Usher Hall

Mon 11^th                       NEWCASTLE – Tyne Theatre

Wed 13^th                       DUBLIN – NCH

Fri 15^th                          LIVERPOOL – Olympia

Sat 16^th                         BRIGHTON – Dome

Sun 17^th                        GLASGOW – Theatre Royal

Tues 19^th                      BEXHILL – De La Warr Pavilion

Wed 20^th & Thurs 21st   LONDON – Cadogan Hall

Fri 22^nd                         POOLE – Lighthouse

Sat 23^rd                        BATH – Forum

Sun 24^th                        CAMBRIDGE – Corn Exchange

Mon 25^th                       BIRMINGHAM – Symphony Hall

Tues 26^th                      NOTTINGHAM – Royal Concert Hall

Wed 27^th                       YORK – Barbican

Fri 29^th                         GUILDFORD – G Live

Sat 30^th & Sun 31st       LONDON – Royal Festival Hall (RESCHEDULED DATES)

AUGUST

Mon 1st                         MANCHESTER – The Lowry (RESCHEDULED DATE)

Tues 2^nd                       CARDIFF – St. David’s Hall

TICKET LINK: www.myticket.co.uk/artists/david-sedaris

www.facebook.com/davidsedaris 

http://www.davidsedarisbooks.com/

Chichester Festival Theatre, Minerva theatre  – until 6 November 2021

Reviewed by Gill Gardiner

4****

David Storey’s 1970’s award winning play opens in the grounds of a neglected garden where two lonely gents exchange a rambling, amusing repartee. Whilst Harry (played by Daniel Cerqueira) seems benign, Jack (John Mackay) is highly opinionated and full of inconsequential anecdotes of his endless range of relatives. Their discussions range from the weather, the war and reminiscences of friends and family. Yet their conversation is fragmented as they barely finish each thought, which leads the audience to wonder if all is not what it appears to be.

The growing suspicion that they are patients in a mental asylum is confirmed by the arrival of two coarse, raucous women,  cynical Marjorie (Dona Croll) and flirtatious Kathleen (Hayley Carmichael)  who allude to not being allowed shoe laces and padded cells. Finally the group are joined by the slightly menacing, brain damaged Alfred (Leon Annor) who vents his pent up emotion by practicing a strong man act on the lightweight garden furniture. There are plenty of hints as to the hidden history of each of these characters but the play skilfully leaves the audience to fill in the details for yourself.

The play is funny, painful, compassionate and deeply humane and is delivered by a superb cast; ideal for a small theatre production such as the Minerva.

Hull New Theatre – until 16 October 2021

Reviewed by Catherine McWilliams

5*****

Northern Ballet’s Merlin is magical, full of superb dancing, sumptuous costumes, stunning scenery and beautiful music. This is a ballet that will transfix you and transport you into another world and at times fill you with the glee of a small child.

Drew McOnie (choreography and direction) has created an amazing piece of dance, but this is a piece where all the elements fit sublimely together. Grant Olding’s music is perfect, whether crashing for a battle scene or tender in a love duet, it almost seems to drive the dance. The dance and the music fit so perfectly together I am fascinated by the process that produced such perfection – does the dance come first or the music? Then add into the mix Colin Richmond’s superb set design, deceptively simple but instantly transforming the stage from blacksmith’s forge to palace to wood and back again. Julie Anderson has created sumptuous costumes, androgynous wear for the soldiers, a simple costume for Merlin. Anna Watson’s lighting design and Chris Fisher’s illusions complete the piece with panache.

Forget any preconceptions about the story of Merlin, this is not the tale of an old wizard with a pointed hat and a variety of spells. In Northern Ballet’s production Merlin (Matthew Koon) is the child of two gods who falls to earth in an orb and is found as baby and adopted by the Blacksmith (Heather Lehan). As the story starts Merlin is 18, his country is at war, and Merlin will have to join the army. Added into the mix is Merlin’s love for Morgan (Sarah Chun) a senior general in the army, however life is not simple of course because Morgan is in love with the King’s son Uther (Mlindi Kulashe) who in turn is in love with Ygraine (Antoinette Brooks-Daw) a princess from the Kingdom of Tides, the enemy.

The music pulled you along as the action moved along seamlessly, no time to think or applaud a particular dance, the scene had changed and the action moved on.

Matthew Koon was superb as Merlin whether dancing with the exuberance of a young man or showing despair after the battle, it was always clear how he felt. The relationship with the Blacksmith was portrayed beautifully.

Antoinette Brooks-Daw’s Blacksmith was fierce but tender. Her love for Merlin shone out, together with her frustration at him! The dance with the soldiers at the palace was astonishing.

One of the stand out scenes has to be the battle scene which was danced with spears. It was absolutely breath-taking, fast and furious, at times very fierce, danced with such power and precision. I particularly appreciated that the choreography made it impossible to tell whether the dancers were male or female, they were just soldiers.

In complete contrast was the lake scene danced with a touch of humour and a nod to Esther Williams and those 1930’s movies. How is it possible to dance in such a way that you are convinced they are swimming in water? Absolutely mesmerising.

This is a piece for everyone, young and old. A proper story that will have you wanting to know what happens next, you will care about the characters. At times you will be on the edge of your seat at others gasping in awe. It doesn’t matter if you have never seen a ballet before – my friend had not, she loved it and wondered if this had spoiled her for seeing another ballet, I suspect the answer is yes!

York Theatre Royal – 13 October 2021

Reviewed by Dawn Bennett

5*****

David Suchet, the actor probably best known for his portrayal of the Agatha Christe’s Poirot for 25 years, gave us in the audience an insight into his life as probably one of the best character actors there is.

David was interviewed by Geoffrey Wansell, himself an award-winning author, broadcaster and journalist who he met on the set of a 20th Century Fox film, in 1988, where Geoffrey was Executive Producer. As Geoffrey explained they have been friends ever since and this made for a relaxed, insightful journey through Davids life and career.

He took us through his early life, and how his family particularly his mum and Grandmother Elsie where very supportive of his career in the Arts.

He told us about his teacher telling his parents that he might “have a bit of talent” for being on the stage, getting a place at the National Youth Theatre at 16 and how he auditioned for Drama School and eventually, after a few knockbacks, gaining a place at London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

David spoke of his various roles from his first at school being an oyster in Alice Through the Looking Glass, his time at The Royal Shakespeare company though to his many roles on stage and screen roles such as Freud, Cardinal Benelli, Blott and of course Hercule Poirot. He tells us how he was cast as the famous Belgian Detective, how he met Christie’s daughter and Husband and how he developed the walk, accent, mannerisms and how he had a long list of character notes that helped him turn into the Poirot that we see on screen. He explained how he stayed in character as Poirot when filming and even when the cameras weren’t rolling. We even got to see Poirot’s cane!

In the second half David gave us a masterclass in acting Shakespeare, he explained how the different ways the plays were written could come across in the speech from using words that sounded like the action they were describing like bash, buzz, hum etc (onomatopoeias) and what the voice print was. I really wish I’d had him as my teacher!

He treated us to short excerpts by Tybalt, Oberon and Shylock by just using his voice and expression and you could have heard a pin drop in the theatre. Just proving again what a magnificent actor, he is.

Finally, he showed us how he turned his voice into Poirot’s and as an avid watcher of the series I thought was just amazing.

Anyone studying acting, theatre or just a fan of fabulous acting I would very much recommend seeing Sir David Suchet if you can.

Gatsby: The Musical comes to Southwark
Playhouse for the Festive Season in a
unique musical adaptation
Wednesday 8th December 2021 – Saturday 8th January 2022
Southwark Playhouse, 77-85 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BD

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s renowned tale of the glitz and glamour of the Jazz Age comes to the stage at Southwark Playhouse in a captivating musical adaptation by Ruby in the Dust Theatre. Following previous successes as a sell-out concert at Crazy Coqs in Piccadilly and an online streamed concert performance at Cadogan Hall, Gatsby: The Musical is set to show at Southwark Playhouse this December.

Set in a New York Speakeasy in late December, 1929, we watch the new decade quickly approach as the story unfolds through the eyes of Daisy Buchanan. It has been seven years since she last saw Gatsby, yet the past lingers. Their illicit romance was a cocktail of adoration and complications that needs to be confronted so she can move on, so she bravely returns to the dangerous world she once left behind. Meeting a carnival of characters, including notorious gangster Woolfe, Daisy approaches her past by reliving the dream she shared with Gatsby. But who is she really? And where is Gatsby?

This original retelling of Fitzgerald’s classic novel pivots the focus to Daisy, with references to the real woman that inspired her character; his wife, Zelda Fitzgerald. Written and directed by Linnie Reedman, with original compositions by Joe Evans, the story switches between the beginning of the 1920s to the turn of the decade, while Fitzgerald’s fantastical characters play out the drama of the novel. With elegant pace, a smoky jazz score and garnished with wry humour, Gatsby: The Musical revels in the decadence of the period.

Writer and Director Linnie Reedman comments, “Gatsby has become, over the years, synonymous with glamour, glitz and parties. What a lot of people forget, however, is that the ‘Roaring Twenties’ came immediately after a World War. And a global pandemic. It was a period of upheaval and great change. I think the story of a crushed American dreamed, juxtaposed against individual hope and optimism is essentially pertinent today…”

Vibrant characters, decadent music and infectious rhythms collide with personal conflicts and lost loves. This production is a fresh understanding of characters and a story made compellingly relevant to today. Themes of loss and disappointment are intertwined with a sense of hope for a better tomorrow, and a green light that keeps us reaching out. Gatsby: The Musical is now resonant with the Roaring Twenties we find ourselves in once again.

Sleeping Beauty – Alhambra Theatre, Bradford
Saturday 11 December 2021 – Sunday 16 January 2022
Relaxed Performance – Tuesday 11 January 2022 at 6pm
Tickets: from £16.50 (inclusive of booking fees)
Call the Box Office on 01274 432000 or visit bradford-theatres.co.uk

The stars of this year’s spectacular Alhambra Theatre pantomime, Sleeping Beauty, proved it’s never too early for a wake-up call by getting into the festive spirit and launching this year’s festive production! 

Christmas came early yesterday in Bradford when comic and panto favourite Billy Pearce (King Billy), TV doctor and presenter Dr Ranj (The Royal Doctor), Liz Ewing (Carabosse), Brogan McFarlane (Princess Aurora) and Sabrina Aloueche (The Good Fairy) met outside the Alhambra Theatre in Bradford to launch Yorkshire’s biggest panto.

Billy Pearce first topped the bill of the Alhambra Theatre’s annual festive production in 1993, winning
acclaim from critics and audience members alike, solidifying his reputation as the King of Yorkshire comedy.
He has performed in five Children’s Royal Variety Performances and three Royal Variety Performances.
His previous theatre credits include The Rocky Horror Show and Eurobeat alongside Mel Giedroyc. Billy is
a recipient of the Services to Arts and Entertainment award, presented at the Yorkshire Awards, previously
won by the Kaiser Chiefs and Alan Ayckbourn. Side-splittingly funny, Billy will bring his trademark mad-cap
comedy and boundless energy to the stage and will have audiences laughing in the aisles.

Dr Ranj is a well-known TV personality and has already had an impressive TV career to date! He is one of
the resident doctors on ITV’s leading daytime series This Morning, co-presenter of ITV’s prime-time series
Save Money: Good Health and Save Money: Lose Weight and co-creating host of BAFTA award-winning
CBeebies series, Get Well Soon. In 2018 Ranj swapped his scrubs for sequins as a Strictly Come Dancing
contestant, partnered with Janette Manrara. The dancing duo also took part in the Strictly Live Tour in 2019. He got to perform again on television, this time singing on ITV’s hugely popular series All Star
Musicals. Dr Ranj is delighted to be hitting the stage once again in his pantomime debut!

Liz Ewing is a Scottish television and theatre actress. Her London West End theatre work includes Follies
(National Theatre), Gypsy (Savoy Theatre), Priscilla Queen of the Desert (Palace Theatre), Les Misérables
(Palace Theatre), The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (Novello Theatre) and the international tour of I Dreamed
a Dream. After an illustrious musical theatre career Liz has gone one to star in many TV productions
including BBC’s The Nest and ITV’s Taggart.

Brogan McFarlane trained at Bird College and The Brit School. Her credits whilst training include dancer
at The Brit Awards for Dua Lipa and Hugh Jackman and she starred as Maria in 9 to 5 The Musical.

Sabrina Aloueche is a musical theatre actress best known for her role as Scaramouche in the musical We
Will Rock You and her roles as Young Cosette and Éponine in the London productions of Les Misérables.

Join Billy, Dr Ranj, Liz, Brogan and Sabrina in a magical adventure where Princess Aurora pricks her finger
on an enchanted spinning wheel given to her by her evil godmother Carabosse and is placed under a cruel
curse forcing her to sleep for one hundred years. Can true love survive and break the spell? Can Aurora’s
hilarious father, King Billy, help save the town and who will outwit the evil Carabosse and foil her wicked
plans?

Adam Renton General Manager Bradford Theatres said:
“The Alhambra Theatre’s spectacular pantomime is back this year to thrill the huge numbers
of people who regularly visit as part of their festive celebration. The brilliant and hugely
popular Billy Pearce will be back in panto-land this year alongside the talented Dr Ranj and of
course our fantastic supporting company.

It’s now time to hopefully lift our spirits and enjoy the magnificent tradition of Pantomime at
the Alhambra Theatre. We cannot wait to welcome customers back to share some festive
magic, witness spectacular effects, laugh loudly and create some wonderful memories!”

Sleeping Beauty runs from Saturday 11 December 2021 to Sunday 16 January 2022 and is guaranteed to
have all the fun, laughter, magic and special effects that audiences have come to expect from the Alhambra
Theatre pantomime each festive season. Don’t get caught snoozing, book your tickets now!

Star ratings/quotes from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 2019/20:
5/5 YORKSHIRE POST | **** The Stage
“…an evening of non-stop entertainment and comedy” Telegraph & Argus
“…this is a great panto, fun for all ages…” Keighley News
The production is staged by Crossroads Pantomimes, the world’s biggest pantomime producer.

LIVERPOOL’S EPSTEIN THEATRE

REOPENS THIS CHRISTMAS WITH

PANTO BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 

FAMILY FAVOURITE SHOW WILL FEATURE WEST END AND 

TV STAR BEN RICHARDS IN LEAD ROLE OF GASTON

The Epstein Theatre in Liverpool reopens this December with family favourite pantomime Beauty And The Beast. 

Actor Ben Richards – well-known for his West End appearances and television roles including Hollyoaks, Footballers Wives, Holby City and The Bill – will appear in the lead role of Gaston. The full cast will be announced shortly. 

Beauty And The Beast runs at The Epstein Theatre from Thursday 16 December 2021 and Sunday 9 January 2022. Tickets are priced from £15 and are on sale now. 

Please note, there are no performances on Christmas Day (Saturday 25 December), Wednesday 5 January, or Thursday 6 January 2022. 

The pantomime is the first live performances in the city centre venue since it closed its doors in March 2020 as part of the Government national Covid-19 lockdown. 

The show announcement comes in the same week that it was revealed the Hanover Street venue has a new management team at the helm – Epstein Entertainments Ltd is a joint venture between Liverpool producers Bill Elms, Chantelle Nolan and Jane Joseph. 

The theatre will retain the same name and continue to run as a variety venue with a mixed programme of entertainment. 

Beauty And The Beast is sure to wow this Christmastime with a tale of love and kindness. Audiences will go on an exciting adventure during the family friendly pantomime. This is the timeless story of Belle, a beautiful young woman who falls in love with the most unexpected of princes, who has been cursed to look like a hideous beast. Will the Beast learn to love and be loved? Will the spell be broken in time for all to live happily ever after? 

Ben Richards will lead a talented cast of performers. Ben is a successful West End leading man and television and film actor. His extensive theatre career includes the roles of Kenickie in the original West End cast of Grease; Tony Manero in Saturday Night Fever at the London Palladium; Skye Masterson in Guys And Dolls, for which he was nominated for a TMA Award for Best Actor In A Musical; Tick/Mitzi in Priscilla Queen Of The Desert at London’s Palace Theatre; Franklyn Hart in the original UK production of 9 To 5 The Musical; and the UK tour of Rock Of Ages playing Stacee Jaxx. His most recent theatre performance was opposite Beverley Knight in The Bodyguard at the Dominion Theatre, London. 

His film credits include Relationships (pilot); Monsoon Tide; Bring Me The Head Of Mavis Davis; and Julie And The Cadillacs. Ben is probably best known for his regular television roles in Footballers’ Wives, The Bill, and Hollyoaks. 

Actor Ben Richards commented:“I am really pleased to be back on stage in Liverpool, and looking forward to a great panto run to mark the exciting reopening of The Epstein Theatre.” 

The new Epstein Entertainments Ltd management team are Bill Elms, Artistic and Communications Director; Chantelle Nolan, Artistic and Operations Director; and Regal Entertainments Ltd Company Director Jane Joseph. 

Beauty And The Beast will be directed by Jane Joseph and produced by Regal Entertainments Ltd. The full creative team will be announced in the coming weeks. 

Regal Entertainments Ltd Company Director Jane Joseph added: “This is a very exciting time – a long awaited return to a stunning venue with a fabulous history. In 1994 I produced my very first professional panto in what was then The Neptune, now in 2021 I’m bringing live family entertainment back to the Epstein stage. It’s special to be reopening The Epstein with Beauty And The Beast, a lavish and warm production – what our shows are all about.” 

For more details check out www.epsteintheatre.co.uk and join the theatre’s mailing list. Follow the venue on Facebook www.facebook.com/EpsteinTheatre and Twitter @EpsteinTheatre 

SHOW LISTINGS 

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST presented by Regal Entertainments Ltd 

Thursday 16 December 2021 – Sunday 9 January 2022 

The Epstein Theatre 

85 Hanover Street, Liverpool, L1 3DZ 

Tickets from £15 

HOW TO BOOK 

Book online: www.epsteintheatre.co.uk 

Telephone bookings: 0844 888 9991 (calls cost 7p per minute plus your phone company’s access charge) 

Group and school bookings are available by calling 0844 888 9991 (calls cost 7p per minute plus your phone company’s access charge) 

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE: 

Thursday 16 December – 10.30am / 6pm 

Friday 17 December – 10.30am / 7pm 

Saturday 18 December – 10am / 2pm / 6pm 

Sunday 19 December – 10am / 2pm / 6pm 

Monday 20 December – 10.30am / 6pm 

Tuesday 21 December – 10.30am / 6pm 

Wednesday 22 December – 6pm 

Thursday 23 December – 1pm / 6pm 

Friday 24 December – 9am / 1.30pm / 6pm 

Sunday 26 December – 1pm / 6pm 

Monday 27 December – 1pm / 6pm 

Tuesday 28 December – 1pm / 6pm 

Wednesday 29 December – 1pm / 6pm 

Thursday 30 December – 1pm 

Friday 31 December – 1pm 

Saturday 1 January – 10am / 2pm / 6pm 

Sunday 2 January – 10am / 2pm / 6pm 

Monday 3 January – 1pm / 6pm 

Tuesday 4 January – 1pm / 6pm 

Friday 7 January – 6pm 

Saturday 8 January – 10am / 2pm / 6pm 

Sunday 9 January – 1pm / 6pm 

WILTSHIRE CREATIVE ANNOUNCES SPRING 2022 AT

SALISBURY PLAYHOUSE AND SALISBURY ARTS CENTRE

Following the re-opening of Salisbury Playhouse with John Godber’s September in the Rain, and Ian McDiarmid and Michael Grandage in rehearsals for the world première of Julian Barnes’ The Lemon Table, Artistic Director Gareth Machin and Executive Director Sebastian Warrack today announce the Spring 2022 season at Wiltshire Creative. Wiltshire Creative will stage a new production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical revue A Grand Night for Singing, celebrating the legendary music of the greatest duo in musical theatre history, with further productions to be announced in due course.

With two new main house productions alongside a host of touring productions at Salisbury Playhouse and a collaborative art installation at Salisbury Arts Centre, the Spring season showcases the rich cultural heritage of the South West and beyond, and celebrates community, togetherness, and healing through collaboration and locally produced arts.

Gareth Machin, Artistic Director of Wiltshire Creative, said today, ‘Welcoming back audiences to Salisbury Playhouse this Autumn has been joyous. The Playhouse plays such an important role in Salisbury’s cultural heritage and within the community, and this is evidenced by the diversity of audiences we attract. We are particularly excited to be producing new productions of A Grand Night for Singing, cementing Salisbury Playhouse on the map as a significant producing theatre in the South-West’.

Highlights of the visiting programme will include the Fascinating Aïda; stand-up comedian Stewart Lee’s Snowflake/Tornado; Middle Ground Theatre’s A Murder is Announced; The Legend of Sleepy Hollow starring Wendi Peters and Bill Ward; Mark Bruce Company’s Phantoms: A Triple Bill; an adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s novel Private Peaceful, adapted for stage by Simon Reade; Tim Firth’s Sheila’s Island starring Sara Crowe and Judy Flynn; and Ian Kelsey returning to Salisbury Playhouse in The Rise and Fall of Little Voice alongside Christina Bianco.

The centerpiece of Salisbury Arts Centre in Spring will be Same Sea, Different Boat, a collaborative art installation by Sue Brown in collaboration with artists Liske Johnson, Louise Asher and Cath Kingzett displayed from 11 January – 5 March 2022. The piece consists of hundreds of hand-printed and stitched stories lovingly produced by individual artists from across the UK and abroad, responding to the Covid-19 pandemic. Sue Brown will also be hosting a calligraphy workshop on 12 February, continuing the diverse offer of community workshops at Salisbury Arts Centre.

The Spring season goes on sale for members on 14 October, and on general sale on 19 October at 10am. Same Sea, Different Boat will be a free exhibition.

Spring 2022 at Salisbury Playhouse

Wiltshire Creative Presents

A GRAND NIGHT FOR SINGING

Directed by Gareth Machin; Musical direction by Christopher Peake

Music and lyrics by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II

Orchestration by Michael Gibson and Jonathan Tunick; Conceived by Walter Bobbie

3 – 19 February

This dazzling staged musical revue weaves a moving new storyline through iconic songs, including I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair, Oh What A Beautiful Morning, Something Wonderful and Maria, bringing all the glitz and glamour of the Golden Age of musical theatre to the stage like you’ve never seen before.

Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein II are a multi-award-winning composer and librettist/lyricist duo. During the ‘Golden Age’ of American musical theatre, they wrote several hit musicals including Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I and The Sound of Music.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SPRING 2022 VISITING THEATRE PROGRAMME INCLUDE:

4 March

FASCINATING AÏDA

With Dillie Keane, Adèle Anderson and Liza Pulman

They’re back at last and heading out on tour.

Fascinating Aïda is back with a selection of old favourites, songs you haven’t heard before, and some you wish you’d never heard in the first place. The songs are hilarious and topical – the glamour is unstoppable. 

With three Olivier Award nominations and over 25 million YouTube and Facebook hits for Cheap Flights and their incredibly rude Christmas song how can you possibly miss them?

Age guidance: 14+

5 March

STEWART LEE: SNOWFLAKE/TORNADO

Stewart Lee comes to Salisbury Playhouse with his new stand-up show, Snowflake/Tornado.

The first half, Snowflake, will be heavily rewritten in the light of the two years the show has been laid off, looking at how the Covid-Brexit era has impacted on the culture war declared on lovely woke snowflakes by horrible people.

The second half, Tornado, questions Stew’s position in the comedy marketplace after Netflix mistakenly listed his show as ‘reports of sharks falling from the skies are on the rise again. Nobody on the Eastern Seaboard is safe’.

Age guidance: 14+

7 – 12 March

Middle Ground Theatre Company Ltd presents;

AGATHA CHRISTIE’S A MURDER IS ANNOUNCED – A MISS MARPLE MYSTERY
Adapted by Leslie Darbon

Directed and designed by Michael Lunney

The residents of Chipping Cleghorn are astonished to read an advert in the local newspaper that a murder will take place this coming Friday at Little Paddocks, the home of Letitia Blacklock. 

Unable to resist, the group gather at the house at the appointed time, when the lights go out and a gun is fired. Enter Miss Marple, who must unravel a complex series of relationships and events to solve the mystery of the killer.

Now in its sixth year of touring, this lavish production has delighted packed audiences across the UK and Ireland and is brought to you by the company and director who produced the critically acclaimed courtroom thriller The Verdict.

14 – 19 March

Tilted Wig, Malvern Theatres and Churchill Theatre Bromley presents;

THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW
Written by Philip Meeks

Cast includes:  Wendi Peters and Bill Ward

Directed by Jake Smith

With Hallowmas celebrations fast approaching, the residents of Sleepy Hollow spin tall tales of legends and unsightly entities. But who can tell truth from nightmare?

Wendi Peters and Bill Wardlead an incredible ensemble in this thrilling new adaptation. Transforming the American Dream into the American Gothic, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow unleashes one of the most terrifying monsters from the horror canon –the Headless Horseman. 

Age guidance: 12+

24 – 26 March
PHANTOMS: A TRIPLE BILL

Written, choreographed, and directed by Mark Bruce

Performed by Eleanor Duval, Jonathan Goddard, Carina Howard, Sharol Mackenzie, Christopher Thomas

Multi-award-winning Mark Bruce Company return to Salisbury Playhouse with a stunning Triple Bill of cinematic dance theatre:

Green Apples -Bruce’s highly popular commanding work choreographed to music by The White Stripes. A visceral and immediate live experience as two dancers perform within the confines of a rope circle, creating a space of powerful physical intensity and magnetic energy.

Folk Tales – Characters from the myths of our past dance to the evocative music of Martin Simpson, including renditions of Beaulampkins, Soldier’s Joy and Betsy the Serving Maid among others. A collection of life affirming pieces; at once mysterious, fiery, and celebrational.

Phantoms – A stunning dance theatre tale of love, tragedy and revenge in a land where our phantoms roam free. Mark Bruce Company presents its trademark cinematic vision; a carousel of dream-like characters in a beautifully savage world falling into chaos, culminating in a surreal, classic showdown on the road. Phantoms features the creative team that brought you Dracula, Macbeth and Return to Heaven, and an originally composed score.

Age guidance: 11+

25 –30 April

Michael Morpurgo’s

PRIVATE PEACEFUL

Adapted by Simon Reade

Directed by Elle While

Award-winning Private Peaceful was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal, won the Red House Children’s Book Award and the Blue Peter Book Award. Acknowledged by Michael Morpurgo (War Horse, The Butterfly Lion) as his favourite work, this thrilling new ensemble retelling by Simon Reade, directed by Elle While, explores the lengths a young soldier will go to, to fight for what is right.

Age Guidance: 9+

3 – 7 May

Yvonne Arnaud Theatre presents;

SHEILA’S ISLAND
By Tim Firth

Cast: Sara Crowe, and Judy Flynn and Abigail Thaw

The Office meets Lord of the Flies meets Miranda.

Sheila’s Island is a sparkling, sharp-witted new comedy from writer Tim Firth (Calendar Girls, Kinky Boots, The Band), starring Olivier Award-winner Sara Crowe (Private Lives, Calendar Girls, Four Weddings and a Funeral), and Judy Flynn (The Brittas Empire, Dinnerladies).

Age Guidance: 13+

9 – 14 May

Aria Entertainment presents;

THE RISE AND FALL OF LITTLE VOICE

By Jim Cartwright

Cast includes: Christina Bianco, Shobna Gulati and Ian Kelsey

Jim Cartwright’s Olivier-Award winning comedy-drama The Rise and Fall of Little Voice embarks on a UK tour next year.

Starring Shobna Gulati (Coronation Street, Dinnerladies, Loose Women), British soap royalty Ian Kelsey (Emmerdale, Casualty) and two-time Drama Desk Award Nominee Christina Bianco, as Little Voice.

With humour, heart and countless powerhouse ballads all performed live on stage, including music from Judy Garland and Shirley Bassey, Cartwright’s iconic Northern fairy-tale explores the highs and the lows of small-town dreams, family rivalry and finding your voice in a noisy world.

Age Guidance: 12+

Spring 2022 at Salisbury Arts Centre

11 January – 5 March

SAME SEA, DIFFERENT BOAT

by Sue Brown in collaboration with Louise Asher, Liske Johnson and Cath Kingzett

Same Sea, Different Boat is a quilt with a difference instigated by the project founder artist Sue Brown in collaboration with artists Liske Johnson, Louise Asher and Cath Kingzett. This textile artwork is an uplifting artwork, a combination of craftivism and social documentary. The piece consists of hundreds of hand-printed and stitched stories lovingly produced by individual artists from across the UK and abroad. Each participant in this piece is reacting to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Same Sea, Different Boat was originally programmed to be exhibited at Salisbury Arts Centre in January 2021, but due to the third Covid 19 lockdown they were not able to host the exhibition then. During the last year, the quilts which form the piece have continued to grow as the piece took to its UK tour fulfilling its mission to collect stories, share experience, and to make people laugh or cry whilst reflecting on the unknown world in which we now live.

This exhibition will also showcase a selection of artworks created by the four founding artists of the Same Sea, Different Boat project.

Sue Brown has been a professional artist for 15 years. Her work is inspired by nature and been driven by exploring intaglio printmaking techniques. In 2009 she embarked on a 3-year part time MA in Multi-disciplinary Printmaking at the University of the West of England, graduating with a distinction in 2012. It was during this period of study that she explored printmaking with enamel and added 3 dimensional pieces in enamel and metal to her body of work.

Louise Asher is an artist and founder of the Hope and Elvis Studios in Nottinghamshire, showcasing art from around the UK and Europe and running bespoke arts and crafts workshops.

Liske Johnson is an artist and runs Littleheath Barn Studio with Claire Lundy. The studio runs a wide range of fabric printing, dyeing and art textile workshops.

Cath Kingzett is a textile artist. She studied Soft Furnishings at City & Guilds, graduating in 1996. She was one-time part owner of the shop Two Fat Quarters, in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, which sold patchwork and quilting fabrics. After the shop closed, Kingzett began to explore other forms of stitching and textile art and went on to complete another City and Guilds, this time in Creative Embroidery. In 2009, she opened her sewing workshop in Nailsworth, One Fat Quarter, a place for her to work and share her love of sewing.

WILTSHIRE CREATIVE

Wiltshire Creative brings together Salisbury Arts Centre, Salisbury International Arts Festival and Salisbury Playhouse. Salisbury Playhouse is one of Britain’s leading producing theatres, with a national reputation for home-grown work of the highest quality that attracts audiences from across Wiltshire, Hampshire, Dorset and beyond. Recent theatre productions include the world premieres of Blood Wedding by Barney Norris and The Mirror Crack’d by Rachel Wagstaff. Recent audio and digital productions includes the world première of Making Massinger by Simon Butteriss, the British première of Call Cutta at Home by Rimini Protokoll and Shift a significant youth led project amplifying young voices.

www.wiltshirecreative.co.uk

Twitter, Instagram and Facebook: @WiltsCreative

WILTSHIRE CREATIVE

LISTINGS

Salisbury Arts Centre

Bedwin Street, Salisbury, SP1 3UT

Salisbury Playhouse

Malthouse Lane, Salisbury, SP2 7RA

Box Office:

www.wiltshirecreative.co.uk / 01722 320 333

SEPTEMBER IN THE RAIN

Until 9 October

SEPTEMBER IN THE RAIN (Livestreamed)

4 October – 9 October

THE LEMON TABLE

14 October – 23 October

HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES

15 November – 20 November

SNOW WHITE AND THE HAPPY EVER AFTER BEAUTY SALON

3 December – 31 December

SPRING 2022:

SAME SEA, DIFFERENT BOAT

11 January – 5 March 2022

A GRAND NIGHT FOR SINGING

3 – 19 February 2022

FASCINATING AIDA

4 March 2022

SNOWFLAKE/TORNADO

5 March 2022

A MURDER IS ANNOUNCED – A MISS MARPLE MYSTERY
7 – 12 March 2022

THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW
14 – 19 March 2022

PHANTOMS: A TRIPLE BILL

24 – 26 March 2022

PRIVATE PEACEFUL

25 –30 April 2022

SHEILA’S ISLAND
3 – 7 May 2022

THE RISE AND FALL OF LITTLE VOICE

9 – 14 May 2022

WILTSHIRE CREATIVE :

THE LEMON TABLE:

Sheffield Theatres 

26 – 30 October 

Cambridge Arts Theatre

2 – 6 November

Yvonne Arnaud Theatre 

9 – 13 November 

HOME Manchester 

16 – 20 November 

Malvern Theatres 

23 – 27 November