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Royal Concert Hall Nottingham – until Saturday 11 January 2020

Reviewed by Louise Ford 

4***

An enchanting evening full of lightness and grace.

The post Christmas ballet offering from the Moscow City Ballet was either Swan Lake or the more Christmasy Nut Cracker in Nottingham this week. The auditorium was full on a decidedly wet and dark January evening.

The ballet opens in the court of of Prince Siegfried with a gloriously muted autumnal pallet of costumes. These scenes and dances are stolen by Sanzhar Omurbeav performing the role of the Jester  with both mischief and comedy. His agility and expressive dancing gives a lift to the performance.

The role of Odette /Odile is danced by Lilya Orekhova, who moves easily between the two roles. She handles the role of Odette with shy grace and poise and a sense of sadness. Contrasted with the darker,scheming role of Odile.

Swan Lake is a tragic love story, Prince Siegfried  (Mikhailo Tkachuk) has to chose a bride from a range of candidates who are all show cased in the ballroom waltzes, for his 21st birthday celebration, which draw on Spanish, Neapolitan and Hungarian influences. Unimpressed by this bevy of lovelies, Siegfried falls for the shy and innocent Odette, ( Liliya Orekhova) Queen of the Swans.

Odette has been cursed by the evil Von Rothbart, performed by (Alimkhan Turebekov) in a menacing but low key way. Odette is doomed  to live life as a swan except for a few fleeting hours at night when she reverts back into human form. Only a vow of true love and fidelity will break the spell but when Von Rothbart tricks Siegfried into breaking his vow by disguising his own daughter Odile (the Black Swan) as Odette, the enchanting love story takes a tragic turn. Swan Lake is one of the most famous and popular classical ballets of all time, with Moscow City Ballet billing it as one of its signature pieces. The score from the 1877 Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake is the real star of piece with its familiar refrains which allowed you to drift off on a sea of love and despair. The Moscow City Ballet Orchestra, conducted by Igor Shavruk, were a credit and totally in synch with the dancers. The ensemble pieces, especially the Dance of the Little Swans, are performed with a busy precision and lightness, a whirl of grace and beauty. Overall an enchanting evening full of lightness and grace. The audience showing their appreciation of the solo performances. Sadly there were no bouquets of flowers or any of the male ensemble at the final curtain call, which seemed a little odd. 

Nominations announced for the 2^nd CDG Casting Awards 

Tuesday 11 February 2020

The Casting Directors’ Guild (CDG) in partnership with Spotlight is pleased to announce the nominations for its second CDG Casting Awards, which will take place on Tuesday 11 February 2020 at Ham Yard Hotel London. This year’s event will feature six award categories: Best Theatre, Best Musical, Best Film, Best TV Drama, Best TV Comedy, Best Commercial. The CDG and Spotlight would like to welcome for the first time, headline sponsors Identity Agency Group.

Victor Jenkins, Chair of the Casting Director’s Guild commented: “We are delighted to present our second year of the CDG Casting Awards – the first of their kind to celebrate the expertise and significant casting achievements across Film, TV, Theatre and Commercials. The categories have been expanded this year, and as the nominations indicate, the calibre is exceptional. We were thrilled at the news last year that BAFTA has introduced a category for casting in both their film and television Awards and look forward to their debut appearance in this year’s ceremonies.”

The nominations for the 2020 CDG Casting Awards are:

The 2020 CDG Award for Best Casting in a Theatre production sponsored by Independent Talent

• Amy Ball for Sweat (Donmar Warehouse)
• Stuart Burt and Julia Horan for Pinter at the Pinter Season(Harold Pinter Theatre)
• Isabella Odoffin for Small Island (National Theatre)
• Robert Sterne for A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Bridge Theatre)
• Charlotte Sutton for Death of a Salesman (Young Vic)

The 2020 CDG Award for Best Casting in Musical Theatre sponsored by LW Theatres

• Pippa Ailion and Natalie Gallacher; Casting Assistant Katherine Skene for Come from Away (The Abbey Dublin and The Phoenix Theatre)
• Will Burton for Evita (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre)
• Alastair Coomer and Charlotte Sutton for Company (Gielgud Theatre)
• Stephen Crockett and David Grindrod for Waitress (Adelphi Theatre)
• David Grindrod for Sweet Charity (Donmar Warehouse)
• Sam Jones for Wise Children (The Old Vic)

The 2020 CDG Award for Best Casting in a TV Drama sponsored by United Agents

• Suzanne Crowley and Gilly Poole for Killing Eve Series 2(BBC1)
• Nina Gold and Robert Sterne for Chernobyl (HBO)
• Sam Jones for Black Earth Rising (BBC2 and Netflix)
• Kate Rhodes James and Daniel Edwards; Casting Associate Gordon Cowell for Line of Duty 5 (BBC1)
• Kate Rhodes James for The Long Song (BBC1)
• Andy Pryor; Casting Associate Ri McDaid-Wren for Years and Years (BBC1)

The 2020 CDG Award for Best Casting in a TV Comedy sponsored by Hamilton Hodell

• Nicky Bligh for Stath Lets Flats (Channel 4)
• Lauren Evans for Sex Education (Netflix)
• Tracey Gillham for After Life Series 1 (Netflix)
• Tracey Gilham for Catastrophe Series 4 (Channel 4)
• Kelly Valentine Hendry; Casting Associate Alex Irwin for Ghosts (BBC1)
• Fiona Weir and Alice Searby; Casting Associate Sarah Wilson for Brassic (Sky One)

The 2020 CDG Award for Best Casting in a Film Sponsored by EON Productions

• Kahleen Crawford for Only You
• Kahleen Crawford for Wild Rose  
• Jina Jay; Casting Associate Olivia Brittain for Black Mirror: Bandersnatch
• Reg Poerscout-Edgerton for Rocketman
• Andy Pryor; Casting Associate Ri McDaid-Wren for Stan and Ollie
  

The 2020 CDG Award for Best Casting in a Commercial

• Claire Catterson, Kharmel Cochrane, Sasha Robertson, Jessica Ronane, Nicci Topping for John Lewis 2018 Christmas ‘The Boy and the Piano’
• Martin Gibbons for McCain ‘Differences’
• Martin Gibbons for British Heart Foundation ‘Boy’
• Sasha Robertson for Amazon Echo ‘Bedtime Story’
• Emma Stafford for BBC ‘Wonderland’

The nominated productions premiered between 1 September 2018 – 31 August 2019 and have been selected by members of the Casting Directors’ Guild, who will now vote for a winner in each category.

The headline sponsor for the CDG Casting Awards is Identity Agency Group. The Awards are sponsored by LW Theatres, EON Productions, United Agents, Independent Talent Group and Hamilton Hodell, with support from Joe and Steph’s Popcorn, Organise-Us, Branded Talent and RikRak.              

Lift the curtain on the life of Jane Austen’s most roguish gent with the definitive Mr Wickham…

BEING MR. WICKHAM

Performed by ADRIAN LUKIS

Ustinov Studio, Monday 20 & Tuesday 21 January

Olivier Award nominee Adrian Lukis returns to one of his most iconic roles – Mr. Wickham, from the 1995 BBC adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice – to lift the sheets on exactly what Austen’s most roguish gent has been up to in the last thirty years.

Join George Wickham, now on the eve of his sixtieth birthday – to discover his version of some very famous literary events. What really happened with Darcy? What did he feel about Lizzie? What happened at Waterloo, not to mention Byron…? Mr. Wickham is finally ready to set the record straight!

Adrian Lukis received an Olivier Award nomination in 2019 for his performance in the Theatre Royal Bath production of The Price, opposite David Suchet. As well as a distinguished stage career, which recently saw him playing Laurence Olivier himself in Orson’s Shadow at the Southwark Playhouse, Adrian has been a familiar face on British television dramas since the late 1980s. His notable roles include Sgt. Doug Wright in The Bill, Marc Thompson in Judge John Deed, Dr David Shearer in Peak Practice and Mark Judd in Chandler & Co. Other significant appearances include The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes, Maigret, Miss Marple, Down To Earth, Silent Witness, Death in Paradise, Black Mirror and Toast of London.

He has written Being Mr. Wickham with Catherine Curzon, a renowned historian, author and lover of all things 18^th century. Performances will be followed by a Q&A with Adrian and Catherine.

BEING MR. WICKHAM is at the Ustinov Studio on Monday 20 & Tuesday 21 January at 8pm. Tickets are on sale now from the Box Office on 01225 448844 or online at www.theatreroyal.org.uk/ustinov

JOHN PARTRIDGE, KARA LILY HAYWORTH, ANITA HARRIS AND FULL CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR KANDER & EBB’S MULTI AWARD WINNING MUSICAL

BILL KENWRIGHT PRESENTS

CABARET

IN THE SMASH HIT PRODUCTION DIRECTED BY RUFUS NORRIS

Full casting has been announced for Rufus Norris’ multi award-winning production of Kander and Ebb’s landmark musical Cabaret.

John Partridge, winner of Celebrity MasterChef in 2018, well known to TV audiences as EastEnders’ Christian Clarke, and one of West End theatre’s most prolific leading men (A Chorus Line, Chicago, and La Cage Aux Folles) leads this production of Cabaret as Emcee. In the role of Sally Bowles is Kara Lily Hayworth who recently won rave reviews across the country for her portrayal of Cilla Black in Cilla the Musical, after she was discovered by Bill Kenwright during the show’s nationwide TV auditions. As Fraulein Schneider we have singer and screen icon Anita Harris who first rose to fame as a singer in the 1960s, beginning a lifelong career as a performer and actress. She has appeared both on screen (Follow That Camel and Carry on Doctor) and on stage, most notably as Grizabella in the West End’s Cats.

Joining this talented line-up is Basienka Blake (Casualty) as Fraulein Kost, Charles Hagerty (The Bodyguard, West End) as Cliff Bradshaw, James Paterson (The Phantom Of The Opera, West End) as Herr Schultz and Nick Tizzard (Doc Martin) as Ernst Ludwig.

The ensemble comprises: Gemma Archer, Joseph Dockree, Francis Foreman, Sophie Hirst, Mary Hodgkinson, Sara Morley, Hannah Nicholas, Oliver Roll, Ben Rutter, Catherine Saunders and Tom Scanlon.

Directed by the National Theatre’s Artistic Director Rufus Norris and featuring the Olivier Award Winning Choreography by Javier De Frutos, the production has enjoyed two smash hit West End runs at The Lyric and The Savoy theatres.

It’s 1931, Berlin is a haven of divine decadence and the legendary Sally Bowles is about to take stage at the infamous Kit Kat Klub…

LISTINGS

CABARET

New Wimbledon Theatre Tuesday 18 – Sat 22 Feb atgtickets.com/Wimbledon 0844 871 7646

ON SALE NOW

Birmingham to welcome in the Year of the Rat in huge weekend of celebrations for Chinese New Year

• Celebrations across the city from 24 January culminating in a whole afternoon of festivities on Sunday 26 January
• Presented by the Chinese Festival Committee Birmingham and co-produced by Birmingham Hippodrome, Chinese New Year welcomes in the Year of the Rat
• Plan your celebrations via https://www.birminghamhippodrome.com/calendar/chinese-new-year-2020/

The Chinese Festival Committee Birmingham and Birmingham Hippodrome are delighted to announce Birmingham’s massive Chinese New Year celebrations. Chinese New Year 2020 – sponsored by Birmingham Airport and The Galliard Apsley Partnership – welcomes in the Year of the Rat with three days of free festivities across the city.

The celebrations are expected to draw in huge numbers to the city and kicks off on Friday 24 January with a Chinese classical concert presented by the University of Birmingham at the Bramall.

Shoppers at Bullring & Grand Central will be able to enjoy the much loved lion and dragon procession, pop up performances including traditional fan and umbrella dances, amazing acrobats and much more throughout the day on Saturday 25 January. A special Wish Tree will also be placed in Grand Central for shoppers and travellers to add their new year wishes to. The celebrations will continue into the evening at the Arcadian with more performances and fireworks.

To celebrate the official start to the New Year on Sunday 26 January an exciting programme of performances and free activities will take place in Birmingham’s Chinatown in Southside. The main stage in Hippodrome Square will host the official opening and closing ceremonies with a variety of performances and free family friendly activities throughout the day. Birmingham Hippodrome’s Patrick Studio will also be hosting renowned choreographer Corey Baker’s new dance piece performed by Hong Kong Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet. The performance will be followed by a world premiere screening of Corey’s new film Lying Together. 

Graham Callister, Director of Festivals at Birmingham Hippodrome said: “We are thrilled to be co-producing Chinese New Year with the Chinese Festival Committee again. This will mark our fifth year being part of the festival and bringing some of the best talent to unique spaces. As a venue in the heart of Southside, we are passionate about working with our local communities and partners to offer exciting events across our wonderful city. We look forward to taking our Chinese Year Celebrations across Birmingham city centre and welcoming in the Year of the Rat”

James Wong, Chairman of Southside BID and the Chinese Festival Committee Birmingham, said: “Chinese New Year 2020 will be bigger and better than ever as we welcome in the Year of the Rat. New for this year, on Saturday we will present a preview of the main event culminating with fireworks in the evening. Birmingham’s Chinatown in Southside as ever hosts our annual New Year’s Day celebrations with something for everyone. I can’t wait to enjoy a jam-packed weekend of celebrations.”

Chinese New Year is supported by headline sponsors Birmingham Airport and The Galliard Apsley Partnership.

Nick Barton, Birmingham Airport’s CEO, said: “Birmingham Airport is once again proud to be sponsoring the Birmingham Chinese New Year celebrations. Air connectivity across China is easily available from Birmingham with a number of scheduled carriers, which serve more than one hundred thousand passengers each year through their hubs. We look forward to celebrating the New Year with our local community over this special weekend and encourage people to attend the festivities around Birmingham’s Chinatown.”

Jason Day, Head of Sales, West Midlands, at Galliard Homes, said: “We are heavily invested in Southside and all its people and that’s in no small part down to the Chinese community who make the area so vibrant. Chinese New Year is a flagship event not just locally but for the whole city, and we are thrilled to support it.”

 To find out more about the full programme, visit: https://www.birminghamhippodrome.com/calendar/chinese-new-year-2020/

BOULEVARD THEATRE FINALE LATE NIGHTS ANNOUNCED

Finale – Thursdays

After the curtains have fallen in theatres across the West End, our Finale is just beginning. Every week, a star of the stage will take to the mic to share their favourite songs and stories – maybe even a drink or two. Our intimate cabaret space is the perfect place to hear your favourite showtunes like never before, in a stripped-back style that lets those incredible vocals shine. Don’t miss your chance to spend an exclusive evening with some of the West End’s brightest stars.

Evenings:

13^th Feb 2020, TBC

20^th Feb 2020, Kieran Brown
Kieran has most recently played Murdoch in the UK & Ireland touring production of Titanic. Other Theatre includes: u/s Phantom in The Phantom Of The Opera (Her Majesty’s Theatre); Elphaba’s Father and u/s Dillamond and Wizard in Wicked (Apollo Victoria); u/s Raoul in Love Never Dies (Adelphi Theatre); Feuilly in Les Misérables (Palace Theatre & O2 Arena); Doc in the European première of Pipe Dream (Union Theatre); Phantom in UK première of Maury Yeston’s Phantom (Rose & Crown Theatre); The Actor in the Woman In Black, Algernon Moncreiff in The Importance Of Being Earnest, Don’t Dress For Dinner, Beyond Therapy (International Theatre, Vienna); Three Phantoms (Macau & Singapore).

Cabaret and concerts include: Scots In The City (Above The Arts & The Other Palace); My Big Fat MUSICAL Cabaret (Union Theatre); Once Upon A Song (Lauderdale House); Music That Matters (Union Theatre & Drachengasse Theatre, Vienna); West End Winters & West End Spring – Switched (Theatre Drachengasse, Vienna); West End To Broadway (English Theatre Of Vienna); Scott Alan New Year’s Concert Live At Zedel (Crazy Coqs); A Touch Of West End (Woburn); Three Witches (Shelley Theatre, Bournemouth).

Kieran is a founding member of and works extensively with The Barricade Boys. He has featured on several albums of new Musical Theatre writing and has performed for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

27^th Feb 2020, Sabrina Aloueche
Theatre includes: Chess (The Coliseum), Belle in Starlight Express (The Other Palace), Pippi in Great American Trailer Park Musical (Waterloo East Theatre), Maureen Johnson in Rent (Interval Productions), Scaramouche in We Will Rock You and Eponine in Les Misérables.

Television includes: South of the Border, The Bill, Casualty and 999 Reconstruction.

Film includes: The Underwater Realm .

Radio includes: Eponine in the BBC Radio Broadcast for the 21^st anniversary celebrations for Les Misérables.

5^th March 2020, Laura Pitt-Pulford
Laura recently played Trina in Falsettos (The Other Palace). She was nominated for an Olivier Award for her performance as Milly Braydon in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Regents Park). Other Theatre includes: Little Miss Sunshine (Arcola), Charity in Sweet Charity (Pimlico Opera), Flowers For Mrs. Harris (Chichester and Sheffield Crucible), The Grönholm Method and Barnum (both for Menier Chocolate Factory), Nell Gwynn (Globe Theatre, UK Tour), Platinum (Hampstead Theatre), Side Show (Southwark Playhouse), The Sound of Music, Piaf and Hello Dolly (all for Leicester Curve), The Light Princess (National Theatre), A Man of No Importance (Salisbury Playhouse), Mack and Mabel and Parade (both Southwark Playhouse), Guys and Dolls (The Wolsey Theatre Ipswich and Salisbury Playhouse), Copacabana (The Watermill) and Sunset Boulevard (The Watermill and West End).

12^th March 2020, Divalution
Celebrating six years together, Divalution come to Boulevard to perform an intimate evening of their favourite arrangements.

All solo artists in their own right, Laura Tebbutt, Sejal Keshwala and Lisa-Marie Holmes come together to create a sound like no other. Between them they have appeared in West End favourites including Les Misérables, Everyone’s Talking About Jamie, Bend It Like Beckham, Priscilla: Queen of The Desert and School of Rock.

Whether performing internationally, on the West End or in the UKs most prestigious concert venues, these girls are never short of a sequin or an anecdote. Join three best friends as they share their passion for the biggest voices from stage and screen.

THESE GIRLS ANNOUNCE BIBLE JOHN

AS PART OF THE 2020 VAULT FESTIVAL LINE UP

THESE GIRLS present

Bible John 

Written by Caitlin McEwan

Vault Festival – Forge

12 February – 16 February

Director: Lizzie Manwaring; Lighting & Video Designer: Rachel Sampley; Sound Designer: Rachael Murray; Movement Director: Laurie Ogden

THESE GIRLS today announce Bible John, written by Caitlin McEwan and directed by Lizzie Manwaring, will be returning to London following a short run at The Pleasance, Islington last year. The production opens at Vault Festivalon 13 February, with previews from 12 February, running until 16 February.

1969 at the Barrowlands Ballroom in Glasgow, three women are murdered by an Old Testament-quoting serial killer, later nicknamed Bible John. He has never been caught.

In 2019, four temps discover they share a morbid obsession with true crime, and with one podcast in particular: a reinvestigation into the Bible John murders by American journalist Carrie LaRue. As their fascination takes hold, they immerse themselves into the world of 1960s Glasgow, in an attempt to solve the case once and for all.

Partly a retelling of one of Scotland’s darkest unsolved crimes, and partly an interrogation into the ethics of true crime as entertainment, Bible John is a riotous, furious, joyful exploration into violence and gender.

Caitlin McEwan today said “After a successful debut at The Pleasance, aided by the generous support of the Charlie Hartill Theatre Reserve, I’m so excited to bring a bolder, more furious and ambitious version of Bible John to London, and I can’t think of a more suitable venue than the eerie tunnels of The Vaults. The programme at Vault Festival is always comprised of fearless new voices asking big, tricky questions in interesting ways, so to be a part of it this year feels so exciting, and I’m really looking forward to reaching new audiences with this play and exploring the complicated ethical relationship to true crime that many of us share.”

Caitlin McEwan’sprevious work includes Harry (Kings Head, Underbelly Cowgate) and Thick Skin – for which she won the Samuel French New Play Award 2017 (New Diorama Theatre, Paines Plough Roundabout). In 2018, she was longlisted for The Old Vic 12, shortlisted for the Adopt A Playwright Award, and received a bursary from Paines Plough as part of The Big Room. Harry and Thick Skin have both been published by Oberon Books, who will also publish Bible John in 2020. She currently has a TV drama series, The Push, optioned by Studio21, and is participating in an invitational writers’ group at the Royal Court Theatre, led by Leo Butler. 

Lizzie Manwaring directs. Her previous credits include The Woman Who Gave Birth To A Goat (Camden People’s Theatre) and WAGGO (Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2017). Previous assistant directing credits include Unknown Rivers (Hampstead Theatre), A New and Better You (The Yard) and Femage A Trois (Loquitur Theatre). She is currently Resident Assistant Director at Hampstead Theatre where she is being mentored by Roxana Silbert as part of her MFA in Theatre Directing at Birkbeck.

Bible John                                                                                                                                                           Listings

Vault Festival – Forge

Leake St, Lambeth, London, SE1 7NN

Box Office: 0208 050 9241

vaultfestival.com

12 February – 16 February

Tickets £13.50, with £12.50 previews

Performances are at 9pm, with a 4:30pm matinee on Saturday 15February

Instagram @ThzGirlsTheatre

Twitter @thesegirlstheatre

#BibleJohn

ABOUT THESE GIRLS

THESE GIRLS is an award-winning, female led theatre company producing new writing that focuses on the messy, complex, unresolvable questions that womxn face. Our work is defiant, collaborative, funny, and seeks to speak to as many people as possible about the things that matter to us all.

Previous work from THESE GIRLS includes: Bible John (Pleasance Charlie Hartill Theatre Reserve Recipient), Thick Skin (Samuel French New Play Award 2017) and Harry.

RIVERDANCE 25^th ANNIVERSARY SHOW

TO BE SCREENED IN CINEMAS ACROSS THE UK

ON 3 & 8 MARCH

More2Screen today announces the cinema release of the Riverdance 25^th Anniversary Show, celebrating 25 years of the Grammy award-winning Irish dance extravaganza. This is the first time the internationally acclaimed family favourite has been shown on the big screen. It will be released in more than 400 cinemas across the UK on 3 and 8 March 2020. Tickets are on sale now at Riverdance25Cinema.com

“The phenomenon rolls on! There will always be a Riverdance!”

New York Times

25 years ago, 7 minutes changed the face of Irish dancing forever. The Eurovision interval act performance of Riverdance gave millions of people a new and exciting glimpse of the future of Irish dance. Now 25 years later, composer Bill Whelan has rerecorded his mesmerising soundtrack while producer Moya Doherty and director John McColgan have completely reimagined the ground-breaking show with innovative and spectacular lighting, projection, stage and costume designs. Staged at the 3Arena Dublin, the exact spot that the Riverdance story began, the 25^th Anniversary Gala performance will be filmed live for its inaugural worldwide cinema release.

Director of Riverdance, John McColgan, said today: “From the moment the first Riverdance performance took place, in Dublin in 1994, we knew that something special had occurred. Producer Moya Doherty, composer Bill Whelan and myself, set about creating a stage show that could build on the thrill, the spectacle and the sheer creative energy of that first performance featuring Michael Flatley and Jean Butler in that first television appearance. We are thrilled that 25 years later Riverdance continues its record-breaking story with its first cinema release to celebrate the 25^th anniversary of the show.”

To find your nearest cinema screening and book tickets visit: Riverdance25Cinema.com

#Riverdance25

#Riverdance25Cinema

Running time: 120 minutes (TBC)

BBFC Age Rating: TBC

The Riverdance 25^th Anniversary Show will also embark upon a UK tour from 10 March 2020. For more information on the tour dates and venues visit Riverdance.com

**********

A triptych at The Old Red Lion featuring
Nuclear War by Simon Stephens
with Buried and Graceland
The Old Red Lion Theatre, 418 St John St, Islington, London EC1V 4NJ
Tuesday 3rd – Saturday 21st March 2020

Revitalising the creative and cultural integrity of The Old Red Lion, newly appointed Artistic Director Alexander Knott presents a thought-provoking triptych, spearheaded by the first revival of Nuclear War from the multi-award-winning Simon Stephens (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time adaptation, Sea Wall, and Heisenberg).

Stephens’ text is accompanied by two premiere productions from emerging talent, Buried by David Spencer and Graceland by Max Saunders-Singer. These plays find commonality in the exploration of human suffering and how we survive the unimaginable, resonating with today’s fraught social divisions in a not-so-United Kingdom.

Alexander Knott comments, Being able to stage the first revival of Nuclear War by Simon Stephens, which was something of a cult smash when it premiered at the Royal Court, is going to be a thrilling and cathartic theatrical experience. I believe that this triptych of plays, when brought together, will tell the story of human endurance in the face of the insurmountable, and hopefully engage and galvanise a new audience for the theatre, on a fringe level.

The experimental and physically charged, Nuclear War, will be directed by Knott in his directorial debut at The Old Red Lion. Stephens’ suggestive open text acts as a stimulus for interpretation, creating a revival far removed from the initial premiere at the Royal Court. It is a heart-breaking and soul-stopping movement piece about a woman who needs to experience everything life has to offer, in order to feel something again

Buried is the harrowing true story of Max Spencer, who was buried alive in World War II, written by his son David Spencer and performed by his real-life grandson, James Demaine. This intergenerational and groundbreaking anti-war play is a truthful examination of the human
condition. Rounding off the triple-bill is the darkly comic Graceland, a monologue from an overworked and harassed science teacher who is one small spark away from combustion. Pushed to the edge, and with his personal life unravelling, there’s a looming darkness in the classroom.

Following the current trend of ‘box-set theatre’, the triptych is a new model for the venue, using a world-renowned playwright to support emerging talent, building a new way of seeing and supporting new writing.

FULL CAST ANNOUNCED FOR THE WORLD PREMIÈRE OF LIPSTICK AT SOUTHWARK PLAYHOUSE

Rupert Henderson Productions present

LIPSTICK

Written by Lily Shahmoon

Southwark Playhouse

4 March – 28 March 

Director: Ed White; Lighting Designer: Alex Lewer

Rupert Henderson Productions today announces the world première of Lipstick, a new play by Lily Shahmoon. Ed White directs Helen Aluko (Jordan) and April Hughes (Tommy). The production opens at Southwark Playhouse up on 9 March and runs until 28 March, with previews from 4 March.

Tommy is scared of everything. Especially the kids at school who would call him gay if they saw him putting on lipstick. Jordan isn’t scared of anything. He’s not scared that he likes the way Tommy looks in lipstick. Really, he’s not.

‘You’re the same as the rest of them. Trying to get me to be transgender, gender neutral, fluid. Why can’t I just be Tommy?’

Two women play teenage boys in this two hander that questions what’s really underneath, and what it costs to show it to someone else.

Writer Lily Shahmoon said today, “It’s so exciting to be able to bring this play to a theatre with an open and encouraging attitude to new writing. Lipstick is a delicate, intimate play, that has found a suitably intimate home, and I can’t wait to share it.”

Director Ed White said today, “Lipstick is a human love story that transcends labels and our preconceptions of what it is to be ‘normal’ – I cannot wait for this production to contribute to the discussion.”

Helen Aluko plays Jordan. Her previous theatre credits include Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Palace Theatre), Doctor Faustus (Royal Exchange Theatre) and Beauty and the Beast (Theatre Royal Stratford East). For television her credits include The Driver.

April Hughes plays Tommy. Her previous theatre credits include Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Palace Theatre) and The Play That Goes Wrong (Duchess Theatre). For television her credits include Dixi and The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.

Lily Shahmoon writes. Previous writing credits include When the Bang Comes, Lipstick marks her professional writing debut. 

Ed White directs. Lipstick marks his professional directing debut.

Lipstick                                                                                                                                                 Listings

Southwark Playhouse

77-85 Newington Causeway, London, SE1 6BD

Box Office: 020 7407 0234

southwarkplayhouse.co.uk

4 March – 28 March 2020

Monday – Saturday 8pm

Tuesday and Saturday matinees at 3:30pm

Previews 4th March – 7th March (£14)

Standard £22 Concessions £18

Instagram @swkplay

Twitter @swkplay

#LipstickSWK