Cast members of Strictly Musicals 3 – the latest offering from Darlington Operatic Society (DarlingtonOS) – are being put thorough their paces as musical numbers within the show start to take shape.
Cast members of Strictly Musicals 3 in rehearsal
Strictly Musicals 3 is the third offering of a series of ‘songs from the shows’ style productions by DarlingtonOS, the first being back in 2013. In this third edition audiences will be entertained with songs from classic shows such as The King and I, Mack & Mabel and Chicago alongside extracts from modern-day favourites such as Dear Evan Hansen, Hamilton and The Bodyguard. There will also be examples from some lesser-known shows such as Something Rotten, Bonnie & Clyde and Songs for a New World.
Julian Cound from DarlingtonOS said “This is one of the most exciting stages of the rehearsal period when we see the imagination of our director / choreographer Joanne Hand come to life as she pieces together her amazing, original choreography to go with the stunning vocals the company have been learning under the musical direction of Steven Hood.”
“Putting a concert style production together is so much more difficult than working on a book show. From a blank piece of paper the production team have to create 2 hours of musical magic that offers something for everyone and with Strictly Musicals 3 I can guarantee audiences will not be disappointed.”
Strictly Musicals 3 has a cast of 52 local, talented amateur performers who will be working flat out over the next 9 weeks to ensure the show is ready for opening night on Wednesday 22 April at Darlington Hippodrome. Julian concluded “there is a massive appetite for musical theatre here in the North East and Strictly Musicals brings the best of the best together for two hours of magic. If you are a fan of musicals then you will simply love Strictly Musicals 3.”
Strictly Musicals 3 runs at Darlington Hippodrome from Wednesday 22 April to Saturday 2 May. Thursday 30 April is a BSL Interpreted performance and both Friday performances will be audio described.
Tickets are available from the ticket hotline 01325 244659 or book online at www.darlingtonos.org.uk
Guildford School of Acting (GSA) pull it out of the bag again! 5 stars for entertainment, energy and talent. You can understand when it was first opened in post war London how it cast a ‘bright golden haze’. A production made for young people and a great way to showcase their talent.
The creation of a new American state, brought Cow Man and Farmers head to head, with old ways making way for new ways, creating a bright new beginning for its young people. The light and dark of the piece mirrors the birth pains that come with those new beginnings. Arran Ryder (Jud Fry) captures this well, reflecting the torment of those on the fringes of society that can become part of the debris of change.
Alex Condor (Curly) gives a great balance of youthful passion and depth of understanding to bring his character to life. You cannot help but like him. Phoebe Williams is an earnest Laurey, giving the female perspective on an intense situation, standing up for herself probably for the first time as a young woman. Marina Tavolieri (Ado Annie) and Matteo Johnson (Ali Hakim) give a great performance that provides dark and light shades of humour, where naivety and experience come face to face. The facial expressions for both characters make you smile before the lines are even delivered!
The cast of players move beautifully together as one body, creating cleverly posed frames and giving a professional performance of dance, singing and acting. All of which is made possible by a great score delivered by a talented band. The team of creatives give you wonderful surprises in the set design, mobilising large pieces around and seamlessly flowing between each scene.
Rodgers and Hammerstein have captured the coming of age of a country and its young people. Oklahoma! will always have a relevance and resonate with young people stepping out into the world with new knowledge and a spirit of adventure. Well done GSA for living up to expectation.
Royal and Derngate Theatre, Northampton – until 29 February 2020
Reviewed by Megan Raynor
3***
Alistair Beaton’s stage adaptation of Hans Fallada’s critically acclaimed novel ‘Alone in Berlin’ makes its world premiere at the Royal and Derngate, in collaboration with York Theatre Royal and The Oxford Playhouse and directed by James Dacre. Based on true events uncovered in Gestapo files presented to Fallada post WW2, the play depicts the seemingly small but courageous scheme of a couple to deliver postcards around the city of Berlin – postcards opposing the omnipotent Nazi regime that the city lives and breathes.
Otto (Denis Conway) and Anna Quangel (Charlotte Emmerson) are grief stricken, having recently lost their son in battle. Despite Anna’s best efforts to rouse Otto they are both slaves to the life written out for them, a life of silent resentment to a war regime built upon lies and manipulation. It is only with the influence of the outspoken Trudi (Abiola Ogunbiyi), the fiancé to their late son, are the couple faced with the question whether to sit in silence is as damaging as revelling in the bloodshed.
The adaptation incorporated Jessie Walker as ‘Golden Elsie’ – a mysterious and omniscient figure acting almost as an MC to the narrative. I was intrigued by this cabaret-esuqe character, introduced to her in a striking image stood before the victory column of Berlin wearing the statue’s wings as her own. The frequent commentary employing Orlando Gough’s original soundtrack was lost on me, often just repeating the dialogue through discordant melodies, rather than providing perspective or even light relief. I do commend Walker’s vocal power but felt the addition of the songs acted as a distraction rather than an enhancement.
Aesthetically the production was to be commended, Nina Dunn’s video design incorporating the striking illustrations of Jason Lutes taken from his graphic novel ‘Berlin’. The stripped back set contrasting with the monchromaticism of the bold illustrations was not only visually interesting but highlighted the bleakness of Nazi Berlin, aided by the cold harsh lighting.
The lighter moments of the play, for me, sat more comfortably and ultimately more honestly – the playful banter between Otto and Anna as an example. The acting at times felt inorganic, almost robotic, which I felt sometimes did not do justice to the true tragedy. Perhaps this was a deliberate Brechtian choice along with the song breaks but, for me, it lessened the sympathy. The scenes between Inspector Escherich (Joseph Marcell) and SS Officer Prall (Jay Taylor), as they seek to uncover the culprit behind the postcards, were for me the most commendable moments of acting. I bought into their toxic working dynamic and the constant power play in order to retain their status and dignity.
‘Alone in Berlin’ provides an interesting perspective of Nazi Germany, of those who refused to remain silent for the ease of a quiet life – an important story but a production that lacked heart.
The Last Quiz Night on Earth is a combination of drama with a pub quiz, created by Alison Carr, which attempts to blend the relaxed and joyful atmosphere of a pub quiz, with the intensity and entertainment of live theatre.
The performance is based on the premise that the world is coming to an end, as easily understood by the title, but instead of giving up the owner of the pub Kathy, played by Meriel Scholfield, and her employee Rav, played by Shaban Dar, decide to do one last time what they know how to do best, host a pub quiz.
The night rolls with the audience being part of the performance, as the pub’s visitors who between the different sections of the quiz get to see the story unfold. Kathy’s brother Bobby, played by Chris Jack, and Rav’s highschool sweetheart Fran, played by Amy Drake, join the show to spice things up and provide a small backstory to the characters of Kathy and Rav.
The Last Quiz Night on Earth provides an alternative opportunity for a pub quiz, and the pub as a venue makes it feel as authentic, as accessible to all people. The actors succeed to embody their roles vividly, with Kathy’s passion for running a pub and Rav’s desire to entertain being apparent from the beginning.
However, even though comedy nuggets create a cheerful atmosphere throughout the night, the dramatic part of the night seems to lack depth, with the seriousness of the script seeming a bit disjointed from the pub quiz atmosphere. The small acting parts of the show do not provide enough opportunities for character development to support that, while the attempt to touch on sexuality and queerness seeming unnecessary and not justified.
The most fitting portrayal of the night seems to be that of Fran who is hysterical, funny and all around an interesting character. Amy Drake does a good job exaggerating the features of her character amplifying her dramatic persona, which is what one would expect of people who decided to spend their last day on earth participating in a pub quiz.
Playing as part of Blue Elephant Theatre’s Elephantology festival showcasing the work of recent graduates, Noot Patoot is a work in progress devised in just 3 days by Natalie Patuzzo.
Tapping into the shared nostalgia of primary school, Patuzzo riffs on shared memories of universal school traditions, from a squirm inducing sports day race to the glorious knowledge that your ability to do amazing things on playground equipment brings you legendary status at school. Patuzzo is a charming and engaging performer, capturing the naive certainty and affectation of schoolchildren brilliantly. Her interactions with the audience are sweet, with a brutal twist that only a child could drop in out of nowhere.
The mysterious power of the paper chattering is explored, before it’s messages of inspiration morph into a hilarious puppet serenade, and Patuzzo’s physical comedy skills are showcased as she attempts to use her phone without teachers noticing.
The ridiculous urban myths shared as definite truths at sleepovers pop up with wide eyed, doom-laden delivery channelling Patuzzo’s inner tweenie. Beginning and ending at a school disco, with a glorious gimmick to immediately involve and immerse the audience, and a final group dance that proved that certain things don’t change as the majority of the audience attempted to dance around the edges, with only a few brave enough to be centre stage.
Noot Patoot is full of charming and silly ideas, performed with natural mischievous style. With more time to develop a more structured transition between sketches that manages to retain the charming childlike chaos, this promising show could develop into something special.
Rumpus Theatre Company presents THE BLACK VEIL Tue 3 – Sat 7 March
“eerie, nightmarish, chillingly spooky … a sure-fire winner” (Derbyshire Times)
Rumpus Theatre Company will be back in Windsor this March with a chilling play by John Goodrum based on Charles Dickens’ classic Victorian thriller.
Newly-qualified doctor Stephen Ruggles has just arrived home on a stormy winter’s evening and is warming himself by the fire. A mysteriously-veiled elderly woman arrives at his door and begs him to visit a nameless patient at daybreak the following morning. Against his better judgement, Ruggles agrees, only to find himself embroiled in … a web of lies and deceit that ends in death … but for whom!
Rumpus uses all its usual “excellent acting, sound and lighting” (remotegoat.co.uk) in this sinister, suspenseful thriller to take the audience on a dark and intriguing journey from the backstreets of Dickens’ London to the East End docks to an electrifying climax in a watermill on the outskirts of the city.
Packed full of atmosphere and shocks, The Black Veil is “a chilling thriller [that] leads the audience down several blind alleys before revealing all with a clever double twist … nothing is as it seems” (theargus.co.uk)
The Black Veil comes to Theatre Royal Windsor from Tue 3 – Sat 7 March with performances each evening at 8pm, a Thursday matinee at 2.30pm and a Saturday matinee at 4.45pm. To book, call box office on 01753 853888 or visit theatreroyalwindsor.co.uk.
Selladoor Worldwide is delighted to announce that Amber Davies will star as ‘Campbell’ alongside Louis Smith as ‘Cameron’ in the upcoming UK and Ireland tour of BRING IT ON THE MUSICAL which opens at Birmingham Hippodrome on 2 June 2020. Further casting to be announced. Full tour dates in listings below.
Perhaps best known as the winner of ITV’s Love Island in 2017, Amber Davies made her professional stage debut in 2019 to critical and audience acclaim as ‘Judy Bernly’ in Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5 The Musical at the Savoy Theatre and subsequently on the UK tour. Whilst training at Urdang Academy, her credits included ‘Campbell’ in “Bring It On The Musical” and ‘Downing’ in “My Favourite Year”.
Four-time gymnastic Olympic medallist Louis Smith shot to fame in 2008 when he won the first British gymnastic medal in 100 years at the Beijing Olympics. Following his success at the London 2012 Olympic Games Louis later won that year’s BBC Strictly Come Dancing, before going on to win the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special in 2014. On stage he has appeared in “Rip It Up” in both the West End and on tour.
Inspired by the 2000 film of the same name, BRING IT ON THE MUSICAL features an original score by the multi award winning creator of “Hamilton”, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Pulitzer Prize winning Tom Kitt, composer of “Next To Normal”. The book is written by the Tony Award winning writer of “Avenue Q”, Jeff Whitty and the lyrics are by both Lin-Manuel Miranda and writer of the stage adaptation of “High Fidelity”, Amanda Green.
BRING IT ON THE MUSICAL takes audiences on a high-flying, energy-fuelled journey which tackles friendship, jealousy, betrayal and forgiveness – wrapped up in explosive choreography and tricks.
Cheer-royalty and newly crowned Squad Captain, Campbell, should be embarking on her most cheertastic senior year at Truman High School. When she’s forced to move to the neighbouring hard-knock Jackson High, Campbell fears her life is over. But an unlikely friendship catapults Campbell back into contention with a powerhouse squad and the fire to achieve the impossible.
BRING IT ON THE MUSICAL is produced by Selladoor Worldwide, has a libretto by Jeff Whitty, a score by Tom Kitt and Lin-Manuel Miranda lyrics by Amanda Green and Lin-Manuel Miranda. BRING IT ON THE MUSICAL is inspired by the motion picture Bring It On written by Jessica Bendinger. Performed by arrangement with Music Theatre International (Europe) Limited.
The themes explored in Flights are timeless, and for anybody who has been exposed to Irish theatre of late, probably nothing new.
We meet our characters Cusack (Connor Madden), Barry (Colin Campbell), and Pa (Rhys Dunlop) who join each other on a stormy night in a tarpaulin covered shed in rural west Ireland. They join each other to remember their friend Liam, who died 17 years ago aged 17. Although ‘The Lads’ are in their thirties, they quickly resume the jovial, laddish behaviour you’d expect to see in 17/18 year old lads.
Their lives have clearly taken them different directions and it becomes apparent early on that they are each dealing with their own issues. Even through the surface of laughs and jokes and drinks and smokes, there is a melancholy that starts to slowly break through to centre stage.
The fist reveal that opens up the story more melancholic notions is when Pa reveals that Barrys girlfriend has been sleeping with another of their friends. This comes as a surprise to Barry as they were supposed to be moving to London on the Sunday. At this stage in the play the drinking increases, the drug taking increases and swathes of emotion and trauma fill the auditorium.
The characterisation and narrative are second to-non, the performances are nuanced, tactile and offer the audience a real insight into the struggle each character is facing, whether it be grief, inadequacy or love. There is a real sense of journey, exploring where the lads lives deviated, what pulls them back together, and how the passing of their friend Liam has effected them, and with each character delivering a monologue as Liam, we see a few shades of nostalgic colour on bleak, grey night.
At two and half hours long, the play does run a little dry toward the end and could perhaps do with being three quarters of an hour shorter, nevertheless, the play has its lighter moments and manages to entertain throughout. Given the bleak circumstance, it’s still good craic and encapsulates the enduring nature of the human being.
The Woman in Black arrives in Birmingham from Tuesday 31st March to Saturday 4th April as part of its UK Tour and has been running in the West End for 30 years! We sat down with the acclaimed author of the original novel, Susan Hill, to find out all about how she came up with the spooky story of The Woman in Black and what it’s like seeing your work told on stage.
Did you anticipate this longevity when the show first opened?
Oh no, we thought it would run for six weeks! It opened in Scarborough in 1988, and it started because they had a pantomime on in the theatre and Alan Aykborn who was the Artistic Director wanted to have something to put into the studio theatre alongside the pantomime. Stephen Mallatrat went on holiday and at the airport he picked up The Woman in Black. He was then lying on a beach in Greece and thought he could make this work on the stage. When he wrote to me asking if he could adapt it I thought it was mad but it’s a truly remarkable piece of theatre.
Were you nervous about handing over your story to a new team when you were originally approached about adapting the novel to the stage?
Not at all! The play is very true to the book and yet simultaneously very different by nature of being a piece of theatre. It works brilliantly in theatrical terms and it is still my book, but it is also not – and that is exciting.
What was it like the first time you saw your characters appearing in the flesh on stage?
The Woman in Black herself very much existed in my mind, I knew what she felt like, so it is very peculiar to feel her presence in a theatre. They two gentlemen are such brilliantly developed characters and utilised so well by Stephen’s writing for the stage that they become quite different. I’m always interested to see new actors taking it over, because although it is the same text, every pair of actors bring something different to it, it really does change!
Stephen Mallatratt’s adaptation utilises some very traditional theatrical techniques in very innovative ways. Does the play capture the atmosphere of Eel Marsh House the way you envisioned it?
I think the great thing about the show is that it really does use the theatre, the stage, and it makes the audience work. Stephen Mallatratt’s writing makes you use your imagination, and that’s the brilliance of it and also what makes some elements all the more scary!
Where did your original idea for The Woman in Black come from?
I have always loved reading ghost stories but had realised that in recent years not a lot had been written. People were writing horror, but horror is different to me. You can have a horror story that doesn’t have a ghost, whereas a ghost story could be horror but also could be unnerving in a different way or even heartbreaking.
I ended up making a list of the key elements I thought a good ghost story should have and worked from that. I thought it should have atmosphere, lots of atmosphere, an isolated location which in itself is unnerving, and I was absolutely sure that the ghost needed a reason to be there. I wasn’t sure at first whether that would be because they wanted revenge, or they needed to communicate with the living world but I knew they had to have motivation.
The Woman in Black, she came to me straight away – I wanted her to be a woman and of her period. Then various things that I had found alarming as a child came back into my mind and I wanted to incorporate them including the image of the dusty, cobweb covered nursery which I always think has elements of Miss Havisham in it.
Why do you think we as readers or audience members enjoy being scared?
It’s a funny thing isn’t it? It’s a very primitive instinct, to be frightened. However, the joy of a ghost story is that it is just practice really, we are being frightened delightfully. Whilst we may jump and scream in the theatre, we know that we are safe and can allow ourselves to be scared which I think is essential! Perhaps it is our way of learning to manage our fears?
How does it make you feel when you hear the audience reactions to The Woman in Black?
I’ve seen it so many times and yet sometimes it even makes me jump! I like to watch the show from is from the wings and be able to see the audience from that angle. It’s especially good when you have school parties in who aren’t expecting to be frightened but then as it begins to get tense suddenly you see the body language of the whole audience shift. Sometimes people react really strongly and shout things out almost involuntarily as they’re so involved in the action on stage!
Do you believe in ghosts?
I think I do, in a sense. I’ve never seen one (as far as I know!), but enough people I know have been in a place which emanates a sense of evil and have felt the urge to immediately get away from it. Also, you always hear of dogs having that sense of something not being right, being spooked, and why would an animal make that up?
For lots of young people, coming to see The Woman in Black will be their first experience of live theatre. What do you advise they look out for?
Go into the theatre with an open mind and try to immerse yourself in the show. Allow yourself to imagine everything the show invites you to!
60 Miles by Road or Rail Royal & Derngate, 19-21 Guildhall Road, Northampton NN1 1DP Wednesday 7th – Saturday 10th October 2020
On 14th February 1968, 52 years ago, Northampton was designated a New Town as part of the government’s ‘masterplan’ for post-war revitalisation. 60 Miles by Roador Rail provides a unique opportunity to celebrate these New Town stories in an unprecedented way, during a period of county-wide political and financial uncertainty.
As thousands of families migrated to quickly expanding Northampton, a 1960s marketing campaign advertised the town as being only 60 miles from London, by road or rail. Now a new project, 60 Miles by Road or Rail, champions Northampton’s rarely heard New Town story through arts, heritage and community activities. These will include a theatre production, sharing its name with the project and campaign, supported by and staged at Royal & Derngate in October 2020. Investigating the long-reaching ramifications of becoming a New Town, and the premature withdrawal of government funding, 60 Miles by Road or Rail will be led by local Northants artists and actors.
The Northampton Borough Council (NBC) have recently set up their initiative ‘Northampton Forward’ and, similarly to the Northampton Development Corporation (NDC) in the 1970s, they have released a masterplan to redevelop the town centre. Just as 50 years ago, this has divided opinion with some arguing the town needs to be overhauled, whilst others fighting for the preservation of its identity. Following its shattering financial collapse in 2018 and subsequent reduction of social services, Northamptonshire County Council voted to scrap itself and be restructured into unitary governments. 60 Miles by Road of Rail could not be more relevant, exploring the tensions between central and local government and the roles of local communities.
In the lead up to this vital production there will be a series of events exploring Northampton’s heritage and its complicated history with the government over the last five decades. In addition to telling Northampton’s New Town story, the project will deliver activity in Corby, which itself was designated a New Town 70 years ago in 1950. Local artists will work closely with groups in Northampton and Corby to capture residents’ unique relationships to their hometown and present a community-led response. Old Town New Town will include three events led by the New Town Heritage Research Network. Hometown will see community-led sessions resulting in presentations, and Your Story will be about recording and archiving personal stories of the New Town experience with oral histories, written stories, a digital photo gallery and filmed interviews. The oral histories of members of the community will be archived at East Midlands Oral History Archive and the filmed interviews will be part of a documentary made in collaboration with award-winning production company Eight Engines, all of which will be documented at www.60milesbyroadorrail.co.uk.
New Towns were designed to combat London’s overspill problem after World War II. Heralded as utopias, presenting affordable new lives, towns such as Northampton expanded rapidly with new houses and estates. A number of the new estates are now considered some of the most deprived parts of the town and Northamptonshire is currently struggling after the financial collapse of the County Council. In 2020, there remain divided feelings about Northampton’s New Town designation, which offered invaluable fresh starts for many new families, but has left some Northampton natives claiming the town expanded too quickly and was unable to accommodate the change.
60 Miles shines a light on the largely untold stories of Northampton communities and gives local residents the vital opportunity to share their history. Founder and director Andy Routledge has brought together a new collective of Northants artists for the project, interviewing over 100 local residents as part of the 2018 pilot project.
Routledge comments, It feels essential to be delivering an intergenerational project that places Northamptonian experiences at its heart. Our New Town heritage has played a complex yet fundamental role in the makeup of our town and its identity, yet we rarely talk about it. It was a period of sudden expansion, mass migration and political upheaval. As Northampton undergoes further financial adversity, political uncertainty, and new masterplans are unveiled for the regeneration of our town, it feels vital that we are coming together to question and strengthen our shared sense of civic identity in this unprecedented way. We’re thrilled to also be hosting heritage and community events in Corby, which was designated a New Town 18 years before Northampton. Whilst the project unashamedly prioritises our local experiences, I believe it will capture the moods and rhythms of many large towns up and down the country.
The company of performers consists of Subika Anwar-Khan, Helen Crevel, Jo Blake, Dan McGarry and Davin Eadie.
60 Miles by Road or Rail is generously supported by Arts Council England, National Lottery Heritage Fund, National Lottery Community Fund and Northamptonshire Community Foundation. Our project supporting partners include Carbon Theatre, Northampton Past, New Town Heritage Research Network, Eight Engines and Warts and All Theatre. The production is made with support from Royal & Derngate, Northampton, after receiving development support through the theatre’s Generate programme.
