WINTER SEASON 2021/22 AT CHICHESTER FESTIVAL THEATRE
A feast of visiting drama, dance, comedy, family shows and music for all tastes and ages is heading to Chichester Festival Theatre for the Winter 2021/22 season.
We’re particularly proud to offer a new home-grown production: the revival of one of the best plays of modern times, John Patrick Shanley’s Pulitzer Award-winningDoubt: A Parable, directed by Lia Williams and starring Monica Dolan and Sam Spruell in their Chichester debuts.
There’s a wealth of comedies from the classic to the contemporary, among which we’re delighted to include the Birmingham Rep/National Theatre anniversary production of Ayub Khan Din’s East Is East, alongside Noël Coward’s Private Lives, the stage adaptation of evergreen sitcom The Good Life, West End hit The Play What I Wrote and brand new comedy Two Cigarettes in the Dark.
Among the familiar faces making welcome appearances are Henry Goodman, Nigel Havers, Patricia Hodge, Rufus Hound, Preeya Kalidas, Penelope Keith, David Suchet and Issy van Randwyck.
There’s a great array of comedy, music and literary evenings, ranging from Omid Djalili and Russell Kane to An Evening Without Kate Bush and the BBC Concert Orchestra; while seasonal favourites, the Christmas Concerts and Moscow City Ballet,return.
There’s also plenty of entertainment for families and youngsters, including new pop musical Fantastically Great WomenWho Changed the World, Michael Morpurgo’s Private Peaceful, Stick Man and Chichester Festival Youth Theatre’s Pinocchio for Christmas.
The world premiere of Matthew Bourne’s The Midnight Bell comes to York Theatre Royal from 30 September to 2 October as part of a UK tour.
This Dance Theatre event explores the underbelly of 1930s London life where ordinary people emerge from cheap boarding houses nightly to pour out their passions, hopes and dreams in the pubs and bars of fog-bound Soho and Fitzrovia.
Step inside The Midnight Bell, a tavern where one particular lonely hearts club gather to play out their lovelorn affairs of the heart: bitter comedies of longing, frustration, betrayal and redemption.
Matthew Bourne’s The Midnight Bell is inspired by the great English novelist Patrick Hamilton (Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky, Hangover Square) who created some of the most authentic fiction of his era – stories borne out of years of social interactions with the working man and woman at his favourite location, the London Pub.
Matthew Bourne says: “Patrick Hamilton’s literary world could be seen as the flip-side of his close contemporary Noel Coward, whose witty and glamorous world of cocktails and high society made him so fashionable and successful. Hamilton, on the other hand, wrote about the lives of everyday people, full of pathos, comedy and thwarted romance.
“Indeed his own personal setbacks and increasingly serious drinking problem became the source from which he created his finest and most individual work. More than any other author of the time, Hamilton’s characters speak with the authentic voice of the era and it’s the raw passion and secret lives that lie beneath the conventional exterior that appeals to me so much.”
Bourne once again joins forces with the Olivier and Tony award-winning team of Terry Davies (music), Lez Brotherton (set and costume design), Paule Constable (lighting design) and Paul Groothuis (sound design) for this brand new production.
The cast features 12 of New Adventures’ finest performers in roles that will challenge and reveal the darker reaches of the human heart – Paris Fitzpatrick, Glenn Graham, Bryony Harrison, Daisy May Kemp, Kate Lyons, Micheal Meazza, Andrew Monaghan, Liam Mower, Danny Reubens, Christopher Thomas, Richard Windsor and Bryony Wood.
A Sheffield Theatres and Evolution Pantomimes Production
SHEFFIELD THEATRES ANNOUNCES CAST FOR SLEEPING BEAUTY
Writer and Director Paul Hendy Choreographer Sarah Langley Musical Director James Harrison
Friday 3 December 2021 – Monday 3 January 2022
Today, SheffieldTheatres and EvolutionPantomimes announce the cast for Sleeping Beauty at the Lyceum Theatre. Drama and soap actor and star of Strictly,Catherine Tyldesley (Coronation Street, Scarborough), joins legendary Dame, Damian Williams, alongside actor, presenter and comic Ben Thornton (Cinderella), Lucas Rush (Damian’s Pop-Up Panto!, Rock of Ages), Hannah Everest (Gypsy) and DominicSibanda (Hairspray). The cast will be supported by a brilliant ensemble.
Back in the Lyceum theatre, Sleeping Beauty is bigger and bolder than ever. Written and directed by regular pantomime producer Paul Hendy, this will be the fourteenth year Sheffield Theatres and Evolution Pantomimes have produced the Sheffield Lyceum pantomime.
Hilarious and fun-filled for all the family, SleepingBeauty promises to be the pantomime of your dreams, with lavish sets, hilarious jokes and everyone’s favourite ghost bench gag.
Catherine Tyldesley is most notably known for her roles in CoronationStreet and Scarborough, as well as appearing in 2019’s Strictly Come Dancing. Damian Williams is celebrating his thirteenth year as Sheffield Theatres’ Dame. Ben Thornton previously appeared in Sheffield’s 2019 pantomime Cinderella and is currently on a UK tour with Crimes In Egypt. Lucas Rush appeared in the UK tours of Rock of Ages and American Idiot, plus more recently in Damian’s Pop-Up Panto! streamed from the Crucible in 2020. Hannah Everest’scredits include Gypsy and The Sound of Music, both at Leicester’s Curve, and Dominic Sibanda’s credits include Hairspray at the London Coliseum and West Side Story also at Leicester’s Curve.
Sleeping Beauty runs from Friday 3 December 2021 – Monday 3 January 2022 at the Lyceum theatre, Sheffield. Tickets are on sale now at www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk.
Sheffield Theatres continues to follow the industry-wide safety protocols and government guidance for indoor entertainment. All the latest information is available at sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/your-visit.
CELEBRATING TWO DECADES SINCE THE FIRST UK TOUR IN 2002
Raymond Gubbay Limited is pleased to announce that the The Russian State Ballet of Siberia will once again tour the UK in 2021 and 2022, accompanied by the Russian State Ballet Orchestra, presenting its iconic and classical repertoire of THE NUTCRACKER, SWAN LAKE, SNOW MAIDEN, CINDERELLA and ROMEO AND JULIET, brought to life with magical special effects. This season marks the twentieth anniversary of the company’s first season in the UK, as it returns to St David’s Hall Cardiff.
The twentieth anniversary season launches at St David’s Hall Cardiff with performances from 18 December 2021, and will tour throughout the UK from January – March, with venue dates in Basingstoke, Blackpool, Bournemouth, Brighton, Bristol, Buxton, Darlington, Edinburgh, High Wycombe, Hull, Ipswich, Leicester, Liverpool, Northampton, Nottingham, Manchester, Oxford, Peterborough, Reading, Sheffield, Southend, Wimbledon and Wolverhampton.
The Russian State Ballet of Siberia – led by Artistic Director Sergei Bobrov, and Music Director Anatoly Tchepurnoi – has established itself as one of Russia’s leading ballet companies and has built an international reputation for delivering performances of outstanding quality and depth. Since their first Christmas season at St David’s Hall in Cardiff in 2002, the Company has completed 18 UK tours and has had success in Italy, Spain, Slovakia, Japan, Turkey, Bulgaria, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates and Singapore.
Sergei Bobrov said, “I am delighted to return to the UK this year. The response of audiences wherever the company performs is overwhelming. We can’t wait to be back on stage again in front of UK audiences once again.”
The ballets to be performed this season are:
Swan Lake
The greatest romantic ballet of all time is brought to life by Tchaikovsky’s haunting and unforgettable score. From the impressive splendour of the Palace ballroom to the moon-lit lake where swans glide in perfect formation, this compelling tale of tragic romance has it all. From Odile, the temptress in black tutu as she seduces the Prince by spinning with captivating precision to the spellbound purity of the swan queen, Odette, as she flutters with emotional intensity, the dual role of Odette/Odile is one of ballet’s most unmissable technical challenges.
The Nutcracker
This most famous of fantasy ballets for all the family begins as night falls on Christmas Eve. As snowflakes fall outside, the warm glow of the open fire sends flickering shadows across the boughs of the Christmas tree and all the presents beneath. When midnight strikes we are swept away to a fairytale world where nothing is quite as it seems, toy dolls spring to life, the Mouse King and his mouse army battle with the Nutcracker Prince and we travel through the Land of Snow to an enchanted place where the magic really begins…
Snow Maiden
Protected from the outside world by Father Frost, the exquisite Snow Maiden plays innocently amongst the dancing snowflakes in the enchanted Land of Frost. Based on a traditional folk-tale, set in the snow covered landscape of rural Russia, this seasonal sparkler follows the Snow Maiden as she dances into the human world. Captivated by the colourful village and the people who live there, she ventures too far and is swept up by feelings of love, temptation and betrayal. When finally she surrenders herself completely and warms to love, her heart melts in a tragic embrace.
Romeo and Juliet
Shakespeare’s tale of primal passion and timeless tragedy is brought to life by Prokofiev’s soaring score, set in bustling Renaissance Verona and with an emotionally charged choreography that befits the world’s greatest love story. From the grandeur of the masked ball to the intimacy of the lovers’ balcony, this star-crossed story of duels, bitter family feuds and love that cannot be, is unmissable.
Cinderella
The world’s favourite rags to riches fairy-tale where dreams can come true is a magical mix of Prokofiev’s energetic score, lively choreography and colourful costumes. Whilst her mad/bad stepmother and her ill-mannered daughters prepare for the Royal Ball, graceful Cinderella can only dream of dancing with the dashing Prince. Later that evening, her rags become a glittering gown and she is swept magically to the Ball. From that very moment the Prince is smitten, midnight strikes and one lost crystal slipper later, he must now embark on a journey to find his lost love….
The Russian State Ballet of Siberia was formed in 1978 by talented graduates from choreographic schools in Moscow, St Petersburg, Kiev, Novosibirsk and Yekaterinburg. Many have gone on to become award winning artists and made prominent appearances at international ballet competitions and festivals. The company is proud of its dancers who are highly acclaimed worldwide for their unique interpretation of both dramatic and comic roles, delivering performances of sincere emotional and dramatic integrity. Over 100 opera and ballet productions have been created for the Theatre over the past 40 years with many receiving high critical and public acclaim. Since 2002, Sergei Bobrov has been Artistic Director of the Krasnoyarsk State Ballet (Russian State Ballet of Siberia). Leading dancers from across Russia have forged their skills and artistry under his direction in new productions of timeless classics such as The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, Coppélia and La Fille mal gardée. Under the direction of Sergei Bobrov, the Russian State Ballet of Siberia continues to expand its repertoire. In addition to commissioning new works from within Russia and abroad, the company specializes in 20th-Century full-length ballets such as Cinderella, Romeo and Juliet, Spartacus, The Golden Age, Mozart & Salieri, Electra and Antigone.
Full casting is announced today, Monday 6 September, for the musical CABARET at the KIT KAT CLUB in London’s West End. Joining the previously announced Eddie Redmayne as ‘The Emcee’ and Jessie Buckley as ‘Sally Bowles’ will be Omari Douglas as ‘Cliff Bradshaw’, Liza Sadovy as ‘Fraulein Schneider’, Elliot Levey as ‘Herr Schultz’, Stewart Clarke as ‘Ernst Ludwig’ and Anna-Jane Casey as ‘Fraulein Kost’.
The cast is completed by Josh Andrews,Emily Benjamin, Sally Frith, Matthew Gent, Emma Louise Jones, Ela Lisondra, Theo Maddix, Chris O’Mara, Daniel Perry, Andre Refig, Christopher Tendai, Bethany Terry, Lillie-Pearl Wildman and Sophie Maria Wojna.
Today, over 20,000 new tickets go on sale, with public on sale at 3.00pm. Over a quarter of these seats are priced at £50 and under. Tickets are priced £30, £50, £70, £90, £120 and £150; with dining packages and premium seats also available.
To sign up for future priority ticket releases go to kitkat.club
Oscar, Golden Globe, BAFTA, Tony and Olivier award winner Eddie Redmayne plays ‘The Emcee’. His credits include Red in the West End and on Broadway, Richard II at the Donmar Warehouse and the films The Theory of Everything, The Trial of the Chicago 7, Les Misérables and the Fantastic Beasts series.
Bafta Nominee and British Independent Film award winner, Jessie Buckley plays ‘Sally Bowles’. Her theatre credits include the National’s Romeo and Juliet and A Little Night Music in the West End. Jessie’s screen credits include Fargo, Chernobyl and the films Wild Rose and I’m Thinking of Ending Things.
Omari Douglas (Cliff Bradshaw) is currently starring in Constellations at the West End’s Vaudeville Theatre. He recently played the leading role of Roscoe in Channel 4’s critically acclaimed series It’s a Sin. His other theatre credits include Romantics Anonymous at the Bristol Old Vic, Wise Children at the Old Vic, Five Guys Named Moe at Marble Arch Theatre and Jesus Christ Superstar at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre.
Liza Sadovy (Fraulein Schneider) most recently appeared in Present Laughter at the Old Vic and Living Newspaper at the Royal Court. Her West End theatre credits include Wicked at the Apollo Victoria and Sunday in the Park with George at the Wyndham’s Theatre (also Menier Chocolate Factory) and La Bête at the Comedy Theatre and Music Box Theatre New York.
Elliot Levey (Herr Schultz) most recently appeared in Nine Lessons and Carols at the Almeida where he also appeared in Three Sisters. His other theatre credits include the West End productions of Mary Stuart at the Duke of York’s Theatre, The Ruling Class at Trafalgar Studios and Much Ado About Nothing at the Wyndham’s Theatre. His National Theatre credits include The Habit of Art and His Dark Materials.
Stewart Clarke (Ernst Ludwig) most recently appeared in Be More Chill at The Other Palace. His West End theatre credits include Fiddler on the Roof at the Playhouse Theatre and Loserville at the Garrick Theatre. He also appeared in Assassins at the Menier Chocolate Factory and The Rink at the Southwark Playhouse.
Anna-Jane Casey (Fraulein Kost) was most recently seen in Girl from the North Country at the Gielgud Theatre in the West End. Her other West End credits include Mrs Wilkinson in Billy Elliot at the Victoria Palace and Lady of the Lake in Spamalot at the Playhouse Theatre. She played Dot in Sunday in the Park with George at the Menier Chocolate Factory, Mabel in Mack and Mabel at the Watermill Theatre and the title roles in Piaf and Sweet Charity and Violet Butterfield in Flowers for Mrs Harris, all at the Sheffield Crucible.
In a time when the world is changing forever, there is one place where everyone can be free… Welcome to the Kit Kat Club, home to an intimate and electrifying new production of CABARET. This is Berlin. Relax. Loosen up. Be yourself.
The Kit Kat Club has laid siege to the Playhouse Theatre. The performers have infiltrated the premises. The artists have staked their claim. Who knows for how long they’ll stay, but for now they are enjoying the party. The party at the end of the world.
Transforming one of London’s most famous theatres with an in-the-round auditorium and reimagined spaces, before the show guests are invited to enjoy and explore the Kit Kat Club with pre-show entertainment, drinks and dining all on offer. When booking, guests will receive a ‘club entry time’ to allow enough time to take in the world of the Kit Kat Club before the show starts. But of course, the show really starts when you first join us in the club…
One of the most successful musicals of all time CABARET features the songs Wilkommen, Don’t Tell Mama, Mein Herr, Maybe This Time, Money and the title number. It has music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, book by Joe Masteroff. Based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood.
CABARET is directed by Rebecca Frecknall (the Almeida’s Olivier Award winning Summer and Smoke, The Duchess of Malfi, Three Sisters), set and costume design is by Tom Scutt (A Very Expensive Poison, Constellations, King Charles III, Jesus Christ Superstar, collaborations with Sam Smith, Christine and the Queens) with choreography by Julia Cheng (founder of the House of Absolute, Philharmonia Orchestra Artist in Residence, recipient of the runner-up prize for Hip Hop Dance futures, Resident Choreographer for the Royal Academy of Dance, Judge and mentor for BBC Young Dancer and Breakin’ Convention – the UK’s biggest Hip Hop Festival, collaborations with London Fashion Week, Google and Dr Martens). Musical supervision and direction is by Jennifer Whyte (Les Misérables film, Caroline Or Change, Parade). Lighting design is by Isabella Byrd (Heroes of the Fourth Turning and Light Shining in Buckinghamshire – both in New York, Daddy – A Melodrama at the Almeida and The Flick at the National theatre) with sound design by Nick Lidster (City of Angels, Passion, Pacific Overtures and Parade at the Donmar Warehouse, Sweeney Todd and On The Town for English National Opera, A Chorus Line, Les Misérables and Miss Saigon). The casting director is Stuart Burt (& Juliet, The Drifters Girl and 2021 CDG Award for Best Casting in Theatre for Cyrano De Bergerac) and the associate director is Jordan Fein.
CABARET at the KIT KAT CLUB is produced by Ambassador Theatre Group Productions and Underbelly.
RUNNING ON STAGE AT THE TABERNACLEFROM 13 OCT – 13 NOV
& BIRMINGHAM REPERTORY THEATRE FROM 16 – 20 NOV 2021
“The Grenfell fire did not happen in a vacuum… it happened within a pocket of one of the smallest yet richest boroughs in London.”
Leslie Thomas QC in evidence to the Grenfell Tower Public Inquiry, July 2020
“It’s one thing to work out how the fire was caused, and how the deaths were caused; the bigger question is: why did this happen?”
Michael Mansfield QC at the Inquiry, March 2021
Casting is announced for the not-for-profit production of Grenfell: Value Engineering – Scenes from The Inquiry, which will run at the recently renovated Tabernacle in Notting Hill from 13 October – 13 November and Birmingham Repertory Theatre from 16 – 20 November.
Olivier Award-nominee Ron Cook (Mr Selfridge, The Witcher and The Salisbury Poisonings on TV, and Faith Healer and Girl from the North Country on stage) plays Richard Millett QC, counsel to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, leading a cast including Daniel Betts, Sam Buchanan, Sally Giles, Polly Kemp, Phill Langhorne,Tim Lewis, David Michaels, David Robb, Howard Ward, Thomas Wheatley and Rosie Wyatt. Further casting to be announced in due course.
Grenfell: Value Engineering – Scenes from The Inquiryis based entirely on the words of those involved in the current Inquiry, and sets out to discover why the devastating fire of 14 June 2017 happened after the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower, and who was responsible for the deaths of 72 people.
The play is edited by Richard Norton-Taylor and directed by Nicolas Kent, re-uniting the multi award-winning pair following their previous critically acclaimed collaborations on verbatim inquiry plays including: The Colour of Justice – The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry, Half the Picture – The Scott Arms to Iraq Inquiry, Bloody Sunday – Scenes from the Saville Inquiry and The Great Game – Afghanistan. The assistant director is CJ Lloyd Webley, reconstruction of the Inquiry room is by Miki Jablkowska and Matthew Eagland, lighting design by Matthew Eagland, video design by Jack Fone, sound design by Andy Graham, costume design by Carly Brownbridge and casting by Amy Ball CDG. The production is executive produced by Peter Huntley and general managed by Smart Entertainment.
Ron Cook said: “I’m so pleased and proud to be part of Grenfell: Value Engineering. An incisive, insightful and important play. I can only hope it will help to clarify our understanding of the causes of this terrible and unnecessary fire, and make some contribution towards avoiding a similar tragedy in the future.”
Richard Norton-Taylor said: “What has emerged from the inquiry is an extraordinary catalogue of greed, fraud, cheating and lying, secret fixing of fire tests on their products, subtle layers of corruption and racism, fatal cost-cutting, casual indifference, and practices which one young company executive called “completely unethical” and which some even joked about… The evidence in the Grenfell Inquiry reflects many of the problems deeply embedded in contemporary British society. I believe that presenting it to a theatre audience will lead to a wider understanding of the story behind a fire whose repercussions will be felt for many years.”
Nicolas Kent said: “The Grenfell Tower Inquiry is vitally important in getting to the truth and holding to account those who were responsible for the disastrous refurbishment of the Tower. We are grateful to The Tabernacle and The Playground Theatre for helping us bring this dramatisation of the Grenfell Inquiry to the local community.”
To support the community surrounding Grenfell Tower, The Playground Theatre is producing VALUED, a local education and community programme that aims to foster meaningful engagement around important themes of the play — including human rights, social conditions, and injustice. Through VALUED, The Playground will deliver a special curriculum of in-school workshops and performance opportunities for local students ages 14-18, as well as learning and engagement resources for social and voluntary organisations serving the local community.
Anthony Biggs, Co-Artistic Director, The Playground Theatre,said:“Our connection to the community in W10 is deeply personal, and began even before we opened our doors as a theatre. The Grenfell Tower Fire broke out while The Playground was still being built, and we were able to mobilise quickly then to create trauma-informed resources to support our friends, neighbours, and families. Our commitment to support the healing and recovery of our community through meaningful engagement remains at the core of our mission.”
Major supporters of Grenfell:Value Engineering – Scenes from The Inquiryarethe Paul Hamlyn Foundation, the Joseph Rowntree Charitable TrustandNimax Theatres.
LISTINGS
GRENFELL: VALUE ENGINEERING – SCENES FROM THE INQUIRY
Edited by Richard Norton-Taylor
Directed by Nicolas Kent
Produced by Nick of Time Productions inassociation with The Playground Theatre
Executive Producer and General Manager – Smart Entertainment
Website: grenfellvalueengineering.com
Facebook: @GrenfellValueEngineering
Community Tickets: Affordable tickets from £2-£5 are available for residents local to Grenfell Tower.
THE TABERNACLE LISTINGS
Dates: 13 October – 13 November 2021
Address: 34-35 Powis Square, London, W11 2AY
Ticket Prices: From £5 – £32
Performance Times:
Mondays – Saturdays – 7.30pm*
Thursday Matinees – 1.30pm**
Saturday Matinees – 2.30pm
*Except Monday 18th October at 7pm (press night)
**Except Thursday 28th October at 2.30pm (half-term)
Ticket Prices: £15-£30* (Inclusive of a £3 donation split between The Grenfell Foundation and local Birmingham cladding action groups)
25x £5 tickets available at every performance for people currently living in tower blocks with unsafe cladding.
*A £2.50 transaction charge applies on tickets £10 or more
Box Office: 0121 236 4455 (Open 12pm-6pm)
Performance Times:
Tuesday 16 November – 7pm
Wednesday 17 November – 7pm*
Thursday 18 November – 7.30pm
Friday 19 November – 7.30pm
Saturday 20 November – 2.30pm** & 7.30pm
*This performance (Wednesday 17 Nov – 7pm) will include a post-show talk.
**This performance (Saturday 20 Nov – 2.30pm) will be a guaranteed socially distanced performance regardless of government guidelines and restrictions.
THE CHOIR OF MAN, the runaway international hit from the creative minds of Andrew Kay – Soweto Gospel Choir, Noise Boys, Gobsmacked and the award-winning North by Northwest – and Nic Doodson – The Magnets, Gobsmacked and Noise Boys – opens in London’s West End on Tuesday 9 November 2021. Following three sell-out seasons at the Sydney Opera House and multiple sold-out US and European tours, THE CHOIR OF MAN will play at The Arts Theatre, with previews from 29 October 2021. The show is currently booking to 13 February 2022. Tickets are now on sale.
Photo by Steve Schuff
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.
Photo by Steve Schuff
The cast of nine multi-talented guys combine beautiful harmonies and foot-stomping singalongs with world-class tap dance and poetic meditations on the power of community. This is a riotously feel-good homage to that gathering place we’ve all missed so much over the past year: the pub, complete with a real working bar on stage.
Photo by Steve Schuff
Full cast details are to be announced.
THE CHOIR OF MAN is directed by Nic Doodson, with musical arrangement and supervision by Jack Blume, choreography by Freddie Huddleston, monologues written by Ben Norris, scenic design by Oli Townsend, lighting design by Richard Dinnen and costumes by Verity Sadler.
Photo by Steve Schuff
The show is produced by Immersive Everywhere, Nic Doodson, Andrew Kay and Andy & Wendy Barnes.
The Lowry, Salford – until Sunday 12th September 2021
Reviewed by Joanne Hodge
5*****
Who should I stumble across as I entered The Lowry, but none other than the uber-glam Jamie Campbell, the boy in the heels on whose story this show is based. He’s an absolute gem, a true Northern Star and, having met His Fabulousness in the flesh, the cast had a lot to live up to!
‘… Jamie’ tells the story of 16 year old Jamie New, a Sheffield teenager whose dream is to be a Drag Queen, not quite what his snide, condescending careers teacher Miss Hedge [Lara Denning] has in mind for him. We follow his journey through the trials and tribulations of adolescent life until … well, I won’t spoil it for you!
From the opening scene, Layton Williams’ Jamie is every bit as captivating and flamboyant as his real-life counterpart. His wit and sarcasm is delivered with aplomb, and in those tender, heartbreaking moments that every teenager feels a thousand times more than at any other time of life, I wanted to run up on stage and hug him as hard as I could.
Jamie is guided through the creation of his drag persona by Shane Ritchie’s Hugo and his alter-ego Loco Chanelle. Ritchie transitions easily from the glam siren that is Loco, to the gruff, down-to-earth Hugo, a character switch anyone who’s spent a night on two on Canal Street after dark will recognise easily.
Amy Ellen Richardson as Jamie’s beloved mother Margaret and Shobna Gulati as Ray are a great stage partnership, though I have to say Shobna stole every scene as the funny, feisty character with the cracking one-liners that very woman – or man – wants to be.
The whole cast was fantastic, and notable mentions must go to George Sampson as the moody lad’s lad Dean, whose presence radiated bitterness, angriness and insecurity and Sharan Phull as Pritti Pasha, who as Jamie’s self-titled ‘Fag Hag’ was the friend we all want in our corner.
The Production team, headed by Cameron Johnson as Resident Director should receive amazing levels of praise for bringing this honest, ballsy extravaganza to Manchester. All-in-all, everybody SHOULD be talking about Jamie, and everyone – no matter colour gender, sexuality or anything else is welcome here – acceptance is the name of the game. If you’ve ever felt different or like you don’t belong, I assume you, you do here.
Hope Theatre, Hope & Anchor, Islington, London – until 25 September 2021
Reviewed by Debra Stottor
4****
All 50 seats were taken in this tiny upstairs-in-a-pub theatre, and while masks were worn, it felt odd rubbing shoulders, quite literally, with strangers after all this time. But good. And we were treated to a rollicking 85 minutes of insight into the mind of the football obsessive.
Those of a certain age will no doubt recall Nick Hornby’s memoir of his love of Arsenal and the gap it filled in his youth, and this stage adaptation captures the passion, the hope, the highs and the lows beautifully. Jack Trueman in the role of Nick portrays the awkward teenager, developing into an equally awkward young man, depressed but always happy when thinking of his beloved team, always up to date with the minutiae of the team and the transfers. The remaining three cast members – Ashley Gerlach, Gabrielle MacPherson and Louise Hoare – between them play the multitude of people involved in Nick’s life: sister, stepsister, parents, friends, girlfriends, the crowd, the commentator, all deftly done with a swift change of Arsenal shirt or the addition of a scarf. Directed by Kennedy Bloomer, the outgoing Artistic Director whose tenure started just as the pandemic hit, Fever Pitch is her first and last in-house production.
This is an adaptation done with affection and good humour, and despite the small numbers on stage, the audience could really feel the adrenalin rush and noise of the terraces. Personally, the retelling of the last game of the 1988/9 season took me right back to that fateful moment in the closing moments, and I nearly cried all over again at the result (a clue: I wasn’t on the same side as Nick).
A love of football – ideally the red side of north London – would definitely help to enjoy this play, but the universal themes of obsession, alienation and comradeship mean there’s plenty here for anyone to enjoy, and the script offers plenty of laughs as well as emotion. An enjoyable evening all round.
Arsenal Football Club have committed to maintaining existing links with the theatre, and will bring some of the community groups it works with – who might not otherwise have access to arts and culture – into The Hope Theatre to see Fever Pitch. The Hope Theatre will also be releasing 10% of all tickets for Fever Pitch free to residents of Islington.
Birmingham Repertory Theatre, in association with Flody Suarez and Kilimanjaro Theatricals
BRAND NEW IMAGES RELEASED FOR THE WORLD PREMIERE OF WHAT’S NEW PUSSYCAT?
By Joe DiPietro
BRAND NEW IMAGES AND STUDIO FOOTAGE RELEASED FOR NEW MUSICAL, WHAT’S NEW PUSSYCAT?
BASED ON HENRY FIELDING’S NOVEL THE HISTORY OF TOM JONES AND FEATURING THE ICONIC HITS OF SIR TOM JONES, WHAT’S NEW PUSSYCAT? WILL PLAY AT BIRMINGHAM REP FROM 8 OCT – 14 NOV
Today the highly anticipated, brand new musical, What’s New Pussycat? has released exclusive first look images of Dominic Andersen as Tom Jones and Bronté Barbé as Mary Western. Brand new studio footage of the cast performing three iconic hits from the show; It’s Not Unusual, Mama Told Me Not to Come and Without Love has also been released today.
It’s Not Unusual is performed by Dominic Andersen (Tom Jones) with chorus vocals from Bronté Barbé (Mary Western); Ashley Campbell (Mr Partridge); Rebekah Hinds (The Girl in the Polka Dot Dress); David Mairs-McKenzie (Ensemble); Lisa Mathieson (Ensemble); Fallon Mondlane (Ensemble); Naomi Katiyo (Ensemble); and Owen Saward (Ensemble).
Mama Told Me Not to Come is performed by Ashley Campbell; Owen Saward; David Mairs-McKenzie; Dominic Andersen; Rebekah Hinds; Bronté Barbé; Lisa Mathieson; and Naomi Katiyo, and Without Love is performed by Bronté Barbé with backing vocals from Lisa Mathieson; Fallon Mondlane and Naomi Katiyo. Matt Brindis the Musical Supervisor, Orchestrator and Music Producer.
Freely inspired by the novel The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling, this romantic musical comedy reimagines Fielding’s classic tale in London’s swinging sixties. Written by the Tony Award winning Joe DiPietro (Memphis The Musical), with a stellar creative team including director Luke Sheppard and legendary choreographer Dame Arlene Phillips, get ready for music, mods and rocking romance when the show enjoys its world premiere at The REP from 8 October – 14 November.
What’s New Pussycat? is set to the soundtrack of Sir Tom Jones’ greatest hit songs: Green, Green Grass of Home, It’s Not Unusual, Leave Your Hat On, Delilah, Mama Told Me Not To Come, Sex Bomb and, of course, What’s New Pussycat?
Presented by Birmingham Repertory Theatre in association with Flody Suarez, Joshua Andrews and Stuart Galbraith from Kilimanjaro Theatricals. Donna Munday will Executive Produce.
Please note there is a transaction fee of £2.50 on all payment types. This covers administration costs and enables us to provide a dedicated booking service. This charge does not apply to transactions under £10, group bookings over 50 and school group bookings. We also waive this charge if you are a REP Friend. Please talk to a member of The REP box office team if you require further information.
For bookings with access requirements or any other queries, please email ticketservices@birmingham-rep.co.uk with your ticket request and a contact number and a member of our box office team will get back to you.
