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Octagon Theatre Bolton presents

First Bite Series

Family Trees by Clare Bayley

Wilt by Kieran Knowles

Burkas and Bacon Butties by Shamia Chalabi and Sarah Henley

Bolton Audiences will Have Stars in Their Eyes as Matthew Kelly Leads an All-Star Line-up for First Bite Play Reading Series This Month!

Full cast announced for three events in the series.

A collection of new play readings will be presented by The Octagon Theatre this November as part of their First Bite series.

Over three consecutive Fridays, commencing on Friday 15 November, audiences are invited to attend the script-in-hand readings taking place at Market Place Shopping Centre.

Performances include thegripping drama Family Trees by Clare Bayleyon Friday 15 November; funny and moving ‘state of the nation’ play Wilt by Kieran Knowles on Friday 22 November; and Wigan-based comedy Burkas and Bacon Butties by Shamia Chalabi and Sarah Henleyon Friday 29 November.

The works will be performed by an impressive collection of talented actors, including the legendary TV presenter and actor Matthew Kelly. The star of stage and screen will play the role of Alan in Wilt on Friday 22 November.

Renowned for hosting ITV’s Stars in Their Eyes from 1993-2004, Matthew has had an extensive stage career including the role of Lennie in Of Mice and Men at Birmingham Repertory Theatre, West End and UK tour; UK tour and New York production of Toast; and previous Octagon Theatre productions Oh What A Lovely War and Blue Remembered Hills.

On performing as part of the First Bite series, Matthew Kelly said: “I am delighted to be returning to Bolton and being part of this new series of play readings at The Octagon Theatre. I have wonderful memories of performing here, my last visit was appearing in the 40^th Anniversary production of Oh What A Lovely War in 2007, so it will be lovely to be back!”

Joining Matthew in Wilt is Hollyoaks actor Darren Jeffries who starred as OB in the Channel 4 soap. His stage credits include HOME Manchester’s production of This is Where We Are At and As If We Just Held Hands at Hope Mill Theatre. Completing the cast is Chris Jack who returns after performing in the recent production of Beryl and Coral Sinclair whose credits include Pramkicker at Postcard Theatre and The Secret Garden at York Theatre Royal.  This reading will be guest directed by Liz Stevenson, artistic director of Theatre by the Lake in Keswick.

Opening the series on Friday 15 November in the reading of Family Trees will be: Brookside star Susan Twist (who appeared as Rosie Banks); Brookside and Emmerdale’s John McArdle (who starred as Billy Corkhill and Ronnie Hale respectively); Hollyoaks’ Greg Kelly (appeared as Freddie Watson); Alice Proctor (Do You Want A Bag With That, Hope Mill Theatre); Simona Bitmate (Hamlet, Leeds Playhouse); Nakib Narat (Afterthought, Royal Exchange Theatre Manchester); Esh Alladi (Hobsons Choice, Royal Exchange Theatre – for which he won the UK Theatre Awards for Best Supporting Performance 2019); Amy Drake (Tinned Up, Oldham Coliseum); and recent graduate of ALRA North, Sue Radcliffe. 

Cast confirmed for Burkas and Bacon Butties on Friday 29 November include:Emmerdale actor and star of The Octagon Theatre’s 2018 production of East is East, Shila Iqbal; Wendy Albiston who has recently appeared in Coronation Street as part of Sinead’s heartbreaking cancer storyline; Dean Michael Gregory (Debris, Despite The Monkey Theatre Company); Dana Haqjoo (Not Moses, Art Theatre); Nadia Emam (Belonging, Hope Mill Theatre); and Amirul Hussain (Monologue Slam Golden Ticket Contestant selected at the Birmingham Rep).  Both Family Trees and Burkas and Bacon Butties will be directed by the Octagon’s Artistic Director Lotte Wakeham.

The First Bite series will give audiences an exciting opportunity to get an exclusive look at these new plays that could later be developed in to full scale productions.

Artistic Director, Lotte Wakeham commented: “We’ve lined up a hugely talented pool of actors for this very exciting series of play readings, featuring a mix of Octagon regulars as well as first time performers for the venue.  It promises to be a wonderfully entertaining offering for Bolton audiences and a chance for people to give feedback on these new plays.”

There will be a Q&A following each performance.

Tickets for the events are limited.

First Bites will be performed over three consecutive Fridays, commencing on Friday 15 November at Market Place Shopping Centre. Tickets are priced at £5 which includes a free drink. Visit octagonbolton.co.uk/whats-on for more information.

National Theatre backing national initiative to increase and diversify new talent in the creative industries

The National Theatre is one of over 500 organisations taking part in Discover! Creative Careers Week (18-22 November), a national initiative backed by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport in England to encourage diverse new talent for the country’s booming creative industries.

The creative industries employ over 3 million people and the sector is growing three times faster than the rest of the UK economy. During Discover! Creative Careers Week, part of the Creative Careers Programme, employers will open their doors to 40,000 young people aged 11+ to inform and inspire them about the opportunities in the sector and encourage people to take a career in the creative industries who may not have previously been aware of these opportunities.

The National Theatre will be welcoming 130 state secondary school students from across Greater London on Wednesday 20th November to an action-packed day that will shine a light on backstage and offstage roles to inspire the next generation of talent.

Students taking part in the NT’s Creative Careers Day will take part in demonstrations, workshops and hands-on activities led by top industry professionals across lighting, sound, costume, stage management, prop-making and set design.

The day involves:

• A stage management and technical demonstration on the set of The Antipodes in the Dorfman Theatre followed by a Q&A with the backstage team
• Practical workshops including creating set models with a Designer, building sound boards with the NT’s Head of Sound, creating blood bags with the Wigs, Hair and Make-Up team and exploring VR and storytelling in the Immersive Storytelling Studio
• Opportunity for teachers and pupils to talk to current and former apprentices, technical staff and the NT Learning team about career routes and training opportunities

Also during Discover! Creative Careers Week, Make Theatre Days will introduce local primary school pupils to theatre-making and the backstage world of the NT and 14-18-year-olds currently on the NT’s Young Technicians Programme will be learning about off-stage roles from top industry professionals through technical workshops and shadowing opportunities.

The NT will also be participating in industry careers fairs TheatreCraft and Skills London to talk directly with teachers, careers advisors and students about career routes and upcoming opportunities.

Rufus Norris, Director of the National Theatre said, “As the National Theatre, we have a responsibility to do all we can to inspire new talent in theatre and across the arts sector. There are so many talented individuals across many different departments that are vital to the running of a theatre so by taking part in Discover! Creative Careers Week we hope to make careers in the creative sector more accessible to a wider range of people and keep inspiring the next generation of creative talent”.

Syeda Bukhari, former NT Prop Making Apprentice and current freelance prop maker said, “During my apprenticeship I learnt skills from metalwork and carpentry to sculpture, which has given me a strong foundation for my career. I knew I wanted to take on a more practical approach to learning rather than university, without the burden of student debt. I’d encourage every young person to consider an apprenticeship if you are looking to be a part of the creative industry. Nothing replaces the hands-on experience and real-life working environment an apprenticeship provides, not to mention the qualifications you gain along with it.  No two days are ever the same in my job, and that’s what I love about it.”

Young people interested in finding out more about creative careers can visit Get into Theatre and Discover Creative Careers with current job and training vacancies, videos and advice.

The NT Apprenticeships scheme is currently running and will open for applications in 2020. Work placements are offered across a broad range of disciplines and departments and the Young People’s Programme includes workshops, practical training courses and events.

PAUL BLAKE, SONY/ATV MUSIC PUBLISHING, MIKE BOSNER

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

MICHAEL HARRISON

ANNOUNCE FULL CASTING

FOR THE RETURN OF THE

OLIVIER, TONY AND GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING

EMBARKING ON A UK AND IRELAND TOUR

OPENING AT THE CHURCHILL THEATRE BROMLEY

ON 11 JANUARY 2020

Following a highly successful West End run of two and a half years and a sell-out tour in 2017/18, Paul Blake, Sony/ATV Music Publishing and Mike Bosner in association with Michael Harrison are delighted to announce full casting for the forthcoming UK and Ireland tour of the Olivier, Tony and Grammy award-winning BEAUTIFUL – THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL opening at the Churchill Theatre Bromley on 11 January. Tour schedule below. beautifulmusical.co.uk

Daisy Wood-Davis will play Carole King. She will be joined by Adam Gillian as King’s husband and song-writing partner Gerry Goffin, Laura Baldwin as song-writer Cynthia Weil, Cameron Sharp as song-writer Barry Mann, Susie Fenwick as King’s mother Genie Klein and Oliver Boot as music publisher and producer Donnie Kirshner. At certain performances, Carole King will be played by Vicki Manser.

The cast is completed by Toyan Thomas-Browne, Reece Budin, Ronald Brian, Carly Cook, Julia Dray, Jordan Fox, Louise Francis, Chloe Gentles, Katrina May, Grant McConvey, Jacob McIntosh, Samuel Nicholas, Leah St Luce, Mica Townsend and Damien Winchester.  

Daisy Wood-Davis is probably best known as Kim Butterfield in Channel 4’s Hollyoaks. Her other TV credits include Tansy Meadow in EastEnders and Phoebe Crowhurst in Holby City. Daisy’s theatre credits include Laura in Dreamboats and Petticoats in the West End and on tour, Janet in the European tour of The Rocky Horror Show and most recently Sheila in the UK tour of Hair.

Adam Gillian trained at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. He has appeared in Hadestown at the National Theatre and Refresh at the Underbelly Festival.

Laura Baldwin can currently be seen as Dawn in the original London company of Waitress at the Adelphi Theatre. Her other theatre credits include Janey in Eugenius! and Story Sandra in Big Fish, both at The Other Palace.

Cameron Sharp played Theo in the original London cast of School of Rock at the Gillian Lynne Theatre. His other West End credits include Drew in Rock of Ages at the Garrick Theatre. He has also appeared in Jesus Christ Superstar at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and the national tour of Avenue Q.

Susie Fenwick’s many West End credits include Sister Margaretta in The Sound of Music at the London Palladium, The Woman in White at the Palace Theatre, Jennyanydots in Cats at the New London Theatre, Beauty and the Beast at the Dominion Theatre, Copacabana and Aspects of Love, both at the Prince of Wales Theatre and Les Misèrables at the Palace Theatre. 

Oliver Boot’s many credits include The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time at the National Theatre and on tour, the European premiere of Finding Neverland at Leicester Curve, Antony and Cleopatra, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and King Lear, all at Shakespeare’s Globe and the national tours of Hay Fever and Bedroom Farce.

Casting by Jill Green CDG.

Long before she was Carole King, the chart-topping music legend, she was an ordinary girl with an extraordinary talent.

BEAUTIFUL – THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL tells the inspiring true story of King’s remarkable rise to stardom, from being part of a hit songwriting team with her husband Gerry Goffin, to her relationship with fellow writers and best friends Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann, to becoming one of the most successful solo acts in popular music history. Along the way, she wrote the soundtrack to a generation, including one of the best-selling albums of all time, Tapestry, and countless classics such as (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman, Take Good Care of My Baby, You’ve Got a Friend, So Far Away, It Might as Well Rain Until September, Up on the Roof and The Locomotion. The show also includes the Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann hit songs You’ve Lost that Lovin Feeling, On Broadway and We Gotta Get out of This Place.

BEAUTIFUL – THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL is based on the early life and career of legendary singer/ songwriter Carole King. It has a book by Douglas McGrath with words and music by Gerry Goffin, Carole King, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.

BEAUTIFUL – THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL ran on Broadway for nearly six years and is currently selling out in cities across the US throughout its North American tour.

BEAUTIFUL UK TOUR LISTINGS 2020

SATURDAY 11 JANUARY – SATURDAY 18 JANUARY

The Churchill Theatre, Bromley

www.churchilltheatre.co.uk

TUESDAY 21 JANUARY – SATURDAY 25 JANUARY

Hull New Theatre

www.hulltheatres.co.uk

TUESDAY 28 JANUARY – SATURDAY 1 FEBRUARY

His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen

www.aberdeenperformingarts.com/his-majestys-theatre

MONDAY 3 FEBRUARY – SATURDAY 8 FEBRUARY

Royal & Derngate, Northampton

www.royalandderngate.co.uk

TUESDAY 11 FEBRUARY – SATURDAY 15 FEBRUARY

Congress Theatre, Eastbourne

www.eastbournetheatres.co.uk/venue/congress-theatre

TUESDAY 18 FEBRUARY – SATURDAY 22 FEBRUARY

New Victoria Theatre, Woking

www.atgtickets.com/venues/new-victoria-theatre

TUESDAY 25 FEBRUARY – SATURDAY 29 FEBRUARY

Bristol Hippodrome

www.atgtickets.com/venues/bristol-hippodrome/

TUESDAY 3 MARCH – SATURDAY 7 MARCH

The Alhambra Theatre, Bradford

www.bradford-theatres.co.uk/venues/the-alhambra-theatre

MONDAY 9 MARCH – SATURDAY 14 MARCH

Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff

www.wmc.org.uk

TUESDAY 17 MARCH – SATURDAY 21 MARCH

Sunderland Empire

www.atgtickets.com/venues/sunderland-empire/

TUESDAY 24 MARCH – SATURDAY 28 MARCH

New Wimbledon Theatre

www.atgtickets.com/venues/new-wimbledon-theatre/

TUESDAY 7 APRIL – SATURDAY 11 APRIL

Milton Keynes Theatre

www.atgtickets.com/venues/milton-keynes-theatre/

TUESDAY 14 APRIL – SATURDAY 18 APRIL

Venue Cymru, Llandudno

www.venuecymru.co.uk

TUESDAY 21APRIL – SATURDAY 25 APRIL

Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury

www.marlowetheatre.com

TUESDAY 28 APRIL – SATURDAY 2 MAY

Cliffs Pavilion, Southend

www.southendtheatres.org.uk

TUESDAY 5 MAY – SATURDAY 9 MAY

Edinburgh Playhouse

www.atgtickets.com/venues/edinburgh-playhouse/

TUESDAY 19 MAY – SATURDAY 23 MAY

Liverpool Empire

www.atgtickets.com/venues/liverpool-empire/

TUESDAY 26 MAY – SATURDAY 30 MAY

King’s Theatre, Glasgow

www.atgtickets.com/venues/kings-theatre/

TUESDAY 2 JUNE – SATURDAY 6 JUNE

Royal Concert Hall Nottingham

www.trch.co.uk

TUESDAY 9 JUNE – SATURDAY 13 JUNE

Manchester Palace Theatre

ON SALE 6 NOVEMBER

www.atgtickets.com/manchester

TUESDAY 30 JUNE – SATURDAY 4 JULY 2020

New Theatre Oxford

ON SALE 6 NOVEMBER

www.atgtickets.com/oxford

TUESDAY 14 JULY – SATURDAY 18 JULY 2020

The Alexandra Birmingham

ON SALE 6 NOVEMBER

www.atgtickets.com/birmingham

TUESDAY 21 – SATURDAY 25 JULY

Southampton Mayflower

www.mayflower.org.uk

Newcastle Theatre Royal – until 9 November 2019

3***
This genteel comedy of manners is very much a play of its time.  Written and set in the 1970’s by Alan Ayckbourn, Ten Times Table is the first production of The Classic Comedy Theatre Company

Essentially a series of committee meetings, we witness a group of villagers prepare a pageant based on a somewhat vague event, with arguments from the very beginning.   Robert Daws, as committee chairman Ray, anchors the first act with his portrayal of a man watching his pet project disintegrate before his eyes. Deborah Grant as his wife Helen, who sees herself as the guardian of tradition and moral decency, is clearly a woman used to getting her own way

The re-enactment of ‘The Massacre of the Pendon Twelve,’ an alleged group of 18th century tax reform radicals put down by the army, gets hijacked by Eric, a left-wing teacher, and a self proclaimed Marxist.  Craig Gazey portrays Eric’s growing identification with Jonathan Cockle (the supposed agricultural martyr who is the focus of the pageant), with energy and an odd charm. And it’s that charm that makes it plausible that two women would fall for him. Rhiannon Handy is his very meek (almost silent) live in lover and Gemma Oaten is unlucky in love Sophie, who breeds dogs with her slightly mad brother, ex- army officer Tim (Harry Gostelow).  Gostelow’s fanatical soldier is one of the highlights of the second half of the play 

The play follows their riotous deliberations and, leading up to a chaotic final scene on Pageant Day itself, we witness characters that will be familiar to anyone who has ever served on a committee.  Donald (Mark Curry), the self-important local councillor who is on every committee imaginable. His aged mother Audrey (Elizabeth Power), taking the minutes despite being almost completely deaf and relying on lip reading. Power manages to steal every scene she is in and, for me, was the star of the show.   And Robert Duncan is the drunk Lawrence who is going through a marriage breakup.

All the action takes place in  the faded 3 star ballroom of the Swan hotel. In its heyday it was the place to be seen, but not any more but still an ideal place to hold committee meetings of this sort. Even if it is cold, the lights don’t work and during one meeting, there is extensive hammering going off.  The committee table dominates the set for the whole of the first half. This is convincingly realistic but at almost 90 minutes long it does begin to drag – despite some laugh out loud funny moments.  The second half, at only just over 30 minutes, is hysterical and pure farce – the “horse” needs to be seen to be believed.  

This was every committee meeting I have ever attended, slow, long winded but completely farcical.  In Newcastle until Saturday 9 November and on tour around the UK

INTERNATIONAL STAR SARA BAREILLES WILL REUNITE WITH BROADWAY PARTNER GAVIN CREEL TO MAKE HER WEST END DEBUT IN HER HIT MUSICAL

• MULTI GRAMMY AWARD NOMINATED SINGER SONGWRITER SARA BAREILLES AND OLIVIER AND TONY AWARD WINNER GAVIN CREEL WILL PERFORM AS JENNA AND DR POMATTER FROM 27 JANUARY 2020
   

Waitress is delighted to announce that international bestselling artist Sara Bareilles who wrote the music and lyrics for the hit musical will be making her West End debut next year and will be reuniting with Olivier and Tony Award-winning actor Gavin Creel following their hugely acclaimed reception in the Broadway production. Sara Bareilles will perform in the lead role of Jenna with Gavin Creel as Dr Pomatter from 27 January to 7 March 2020 for a strictly limited six-week run.

Sara Bareilles first achieved mainstream critical praise in 2007 with her widely successful hit Love Song, which reached No. 1 in 22 countries around the world from her debut album Little Voice. Since then, Sara has gone on to receive seven Grammy® nominations, two Tony nominations and three Emmy nominations.  Her book, Sounds Like Me: My Life (So Far) in Song, was released in the fall of 2015 by Simon & Schuster and is a New York Times bestseller. Making her Broadway debut, Sara composed the music and lyrics for Waitress, and made her Broadway acting debut in 2017 by stepping into the shows lead role.  Recently, Sara teamed up with Apple as an executive producer for Little Voice a 10-episode series, which she will create the original music for. On April 5, 2019 Sara released her fifth full-length and first album of original material since 2013, entitled Amidst The Chaos, to rave reviews.  For this latest body of work, she joined forces in the studio with legendary Academy® Award-winning producer T Bone Burnett.  As a result, the album spotlights her voice as a singer and storyteller like never before, while making an enduring statement. She is currently on her Amidst The Chaos North American tour.

Gavin Creel received a Tony Award for his performance as Cornelius Hackl in Hello, Dolly! starring Bette Midler and David Hyde Pierce. He made his Broadway debut originating the role of Jimmy Smith in Thoroughly Modern Millie, for which he received his first Tony Award nomination. He has since created such memorable performances on Broadway as Claude in Hair, which earned him a second Tony Award nomination, Jean-Michel in La Cage Aux Folles, and Stephen Kodaly in the Roundabout Theater Company’s production of She Loves Me, which was filmed live and is available on BroadwayHD. No stranger to London audiences, Gavin most notably originated the role of Elder Price in the West End production of The Book of Mormon, for which he received the Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical. He also starred as Bert in Disney’s Mary Poppins and reprised his performance as Claude in Hair. As well as starring opposite Sara Bareilles in the Broadway production of Waitress, his other stage credits include The Book of Mormon (on Broadway and originating the First National Tour), and the world premieres of Stephen Sondheim’s Bounce (at The Goodman Theatre and The Kennedy Center) and Prometheus Bound at A.R.T. On television, Gavin co-starred alongside Julie Andrews in ABC’s Eloise at the Plaza and Eloise at Christmastime. He has released three original albums GoodTimeNation, Quiet (which landed on Billboard’s Top Heat Seekers) and Get Out, and his single Noise raised money and awareness for marriage equality. Creel was a co-founder of Broadway Impact, the first and only grassroots organization to mobilize the nationwide theater community in support of marriage equality. A native of Findlay, Ohio, he is a proud graduate of University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre and Dance.

Lucie Jones and David Hunter will return to the roles of Jenna and Dr Pomatter on 9 March.

Waitress tells the story of Jenna, a waitress and expert pie-maker who dreams her way out of a loveless marriage. When a hot new doctor arrives in town, life gets complicated. With the support of her workmates Becky and Dawn, Jenna overcomes the challenges she faces and finds that laughter, love and friendship can provide the perfect recipe for happiness.

Waitress celebrated its official opening night at the Adelphi Theatre on 7 March 2019 and the Tony-nominated musical is now booking until 28 March 2020. 

Brought to life by a ground breaking, female-led creative team, Waitress features an original score by seven-time Grammy® nominee Sara Bareilles (Love Song, Brave), a book by acclaimed screenwriter Jessie Nelson (I Am Sam) and direction by Tony Award® winner Diane Paulus (Pippin, Finding Neverland) and choreography by Lorin Latarro. The production is also currently touring the US and Canada and has announced an Australian premiere in 2020 at the Sydney Lyric Theatre with further productions to open in Holland next year and Japan in 2021.

Waitress premiered on Broadway in March 2016 and has since become the longest running show in the history of the Brooks Atkinson Theater. The production is also currently touring the US and Canada and has announced an Australian premiere in 2020 at the Sydney Lyric Theatre with further productions to open in Holland next year and Japan in 2021.

On its Broadway opening, Waitress was nominated for four Outer Critics’ Circle Awards, including Outstanding New Broadway Musical; two Drama League Award Nominations, including Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical; six Drama Desk Nominations, including Outstanding Musical; and four Tony Award Nominations, including Best Musical.

THE FIRST £15 PERFORMANCES GO ON SALE TODAY AT 12PM FOR

THE JAMIE LLOYD COMPANY’S CYRANO DE BERGERAC

STARRING JAMES MCAVOY

The first £15 performances go on sale today, Monday 4 November, at 12pm for The Jamie Lloyd Company’s production of Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac, freely adapted by Martin Crimp, directed by Jamie Lloyd and starringGolden Globe and Olivier Award nominee James McAvoy. In association with British Airways, £15 tickets will be offered throughout the season as part of the company’s commitment to making theatre more accessible.The Jamie Lloyd Company is the successful partnership between Ambassador Theatre Group, the UK’s leading theatre company, and artistic director Jamie Lloyd.

These £15 tickets are available to under 30s, key workers, and those receiving job seeker’s allowance and other government benefits for performances on 2 December (7.30pm), 12 December (2.30pm), 16 December (7.30pm) and 2 January (2.30pm). They will be available to book for a limited time only at https://www.atgtickets.com/cyrano15/. Further £15 performances to be released throughout the season, which runs until September 2020.

Fierce with a pen and notorious in combat, Cyrano almost has it all – if only he could win the heart of his true love. There’s just one big problem: he has a nose as huge as his heart. Will a society engulfed by narcissism get the better of De Bergerac – or can his mastery of language set Roxane’s world alight?

Cyrano de Bergerac opens at Playhouse Theatre on 6 December, with previews from 27 November and runs until 29 February.

The company, supported by British Airways, are also offering 15,000 free tickets. These tickets will be distributed by a dedicated outreach manager to both secondary state schools and community organisations who otherwise would not have access to the theatre. If you work with a group who does not have the means or opportunity to visit the theatre, please register your interest here.

The Jamie Lloyd Company                                                                                                           Playhouse Theatre

Northumberland Avenue, Charing Cross, London WC2N 5DE

£15 Performances – Cyrano de Bergerac

Tickets: https://www.atgtickets.com/cyrano15/

On sale from 12pm on Monday 4 November for a limited time only. Must be booked online. Please note £15 tickets can only be picked up from the theatre box office 45 minutes prior to the show, and valid ID must be presented upon collection, or entry will be denied.

Performance Dates:

Monday 2 December 2019           7.30pm

Thursday 12 December 2019       2.30pm

Monday 16 December 2019         7.30pm

Thursday 2 January 2020               2.30pm

Season Listings

Box Office: 0844 871 7631

https://www.atgtickets.com/venues/playhouse-theatre/

CYRANO DE BERGERAC

27 November 2019 – 29 February 2020

Please note reviews are embargoed until Monday 9 December 2019.

A DOLL’S HOUSE

10 June – 5 September 2020

http://thejamielloydcompany.com

Twitter: @JamieLloydCo

Instagram: @jamielloydco

The Bunker – until 9 November 2019

Reviewed by Claire Roderick

4****

Germ Free Adolescent is a striking illustration of the gaping hole The Bunker will leave in the theatrical landscape when it closes next year. Natalie Mitchell’s two-hander was developed with y young people, youth workers and mental health services in Kent, resulting in an engaging and accessible glimpse at teenagers and their problems that will actually appeal and connect with younger audiences without alienating older people.

Sixteen-year-old Ashley (Francesca Henry) has been going pout with Ollie (Jake Richards) for three months, and tonight is the night they will take things to the next level. They are both nervous, for different reasons – Ashley has OCD, which she tries to mask by running an unofficial sexual health clinic at school using the facts she has memorised from her vast collection of leaflets about the diseases she is terrified of catching. Trying to convince herself that it will be alright, she goes to Ollie’s house for their big night. She is unaware that Ollie has his own body image issues that have coloured his past encounters with girls and is a bundle of nerves too.

The two characters never talk to each other, instead two interweaving monologues, expertly timed and delivered, are used to portray this bittersweet comedy of errors and misunderstandings. Director Grace Gummer has the actors moving around Lizzy Leech’s minimalist set in a way that effortlessly creates a sense of place. The dialogue is fast and fierce, with speech patterns that are instantly recognisable to parents of teenagers. Henry and Richards inhabit their characters brilliantly, endearing and frustrating in equal measure, you can’t help rooting for these two to find a way through the mess they’re in. Richards is hilarious as Ollie, a roiling mess of a man-child with his sweet sensitive instincts overwhelmed by the male stereotype that he feels he needs to live up to. He spouts some vile stuff at and about Ashley, which drew despairing laughter from older audience members and gasps and winces from the younger audience. Henry is wonderful as Ashley, naively cocky when she feels safe and comfortable and creating deeply uncomfortable moments when she goes through her coping mechanisms.

Ollie’s actions are deplorable as the play goes on, but you never lose the sense that there is hope for this young man if he surrounds himself with the right people, and Ashley’s realisation that she doesn’t have to hide who she is wraps things up neatly. This could feel contrived, but the characters are so easy to invest in that an optimistic upbeat ending is exactly what they deserve. Topical, funny and charming – well worth a look.

Jack Studio Theatre – until 16 November 2019

Reviewed by Claire Roderick

4****

Bang Theatre bring 1960’s Yorkshire to South London with John Godber’s adaptation of Stan Barstow’s novel. The story of a young couple’s courtship and quick marriage after she falls pregnant is common in books and films of the era, but Victor Brown’s take on his situation makes A Kind of Loving stand out.

Idealising women and longing to meet someone just like his adored sister, he is much happier admiring Ingrid, a typist in the factory, from afar. When they finally go out, his growing disappointment with reality and his struggle to let her know he doesn’t want to see her without hurting her feelings mean that they never actually break up. When Ingrid discovers that she’s pregnant, Vic does the right thing and offers to marry her, but they end up living with her domineering mother, and Vic feels that he is treated like a lodger.

Elizabeth Elstub’s direction feels a little static at times, but perhaps that is meant to portray Vic being trapped. The 1960s attitudes towards women jar a little, but produce amused giggles and gasps rather than outrage, but the class divisions still ring true. Vic’s working-class parents accept the situation, after initial suspicion of the girl who “trapped” her son into marriage from Vic’s mum, but Ingrid’s parents are middle class, with her engineer father working away from home. Mrs Rothwell is an overprotective snob who takes every opportunity possible to let Vic know that he will never be good enough for her daughter and does her best to undermine his relationship with his wife – the ultimate monster-in-law.

Adam Goodbody is outstanding as Vic, telling his story directly to the audience with an air of acceptance and despair as Vic’s musings on the rapidly changing world around him amplify his confusion. The character never makes any pretence at being noble, in fact some of his asides during conversations with Ingrid are cruel and vile, but Goodbody keeps Vic sympathetic and grounded. Courtney Buchner is excellent as Ingrid, full of innocent, romantic hope at first but gradually being worn down by her situation. The stoic and calm fathers are in stark contrast to the emotional mothers, with Maggie Robson a scream as Mrs Brown and Annabelle Green chillingly uptight and controlling as Mrs Rothwell. The other characters are almost caricatures but create a wonderful sense of the era and some fine comedy moments. Gritty, fun and still relevant, A Kind of Loving is a real treat.

Newcastle Theatre Royal – 2 November 2019 and on tour around the UK

4****

A night at the opera (no, not the Queen album from 1975) is something that seems out of the reach of the “common” man, but Opera North are encouraging all sections of the community to attend their performances, starting with Martinu’s The Greek Passion.

Sung in English and with subtitles, The Greek Passion is as relevant today as it was when it was first composed over 60 years ago.  Based on Nokos Kazantzakis’s 1948 novel Christ Recrucified, The Greek Passion opens in the remote Greek village of Lycovrissi. Its Easter Sunday and the village elders are handing out the roles for their Passion play to be performed in a years time.

Archon (Jonathan Best), one of the elders, wants his son to play Jesus, instead his son Michelis (Rhodri Prys-Jones) is chosen to play Peter.  Archon’s daughter Lenio (Lorna James) is engaged to be married to Manolios (Nicky Spence) who is chosen to play Jesus. The other villagers Kostandis (Richard Mosley -Evans) the cafe owner is James.  Yannakos (Paul Nilon) the postman is John. But Panait (Jeffrey Lloyd-Roberts) is upset to be chosen to play Judas. Katerina (Magdalena Molendowska), a widow and lover of Panait is chosen to be Mary Magdalen.

In the middle of this, a group of refugees arrives lead by their Priest Fotis (John Savournin).  Their village was burnt and they had to flee. When one of the refugees dies from exhaustion and starvation, Lycovrissi’s Priest, Grigoris (Stephan Gadd) declares it is cholera and frightens the other villagers from helping the refugees.  Manolio, in his role of Jesus, gives divine intervention, and tells the refugees to take shelter on the Sarakina mountains

Christopher Alden’s confident direction makes the story very clear. Charles Edwards’s staging is very minimalist in style – a raked wooden seating bank (which doubles up as a mountaintop as the story progresses) taking up most of the stage. White mannequins are used to represent the refugees when the chorus are playing the villagers, but when the chorus are the refugee’s they hold the mannequins.

The music is, of course, glorious.  The idea of a simple set lets the Opera North’s orchestra, led by Anthony Hermus,  mean that it’s the beautiful sound that we concentrate on. Nicky Spence leads the exquisite singing as he portrays his journey from lowly Shepherd to Jesus.  The Opera North chorus, the Kyrie Eleison in particular, are thrilling – with a score that covers both ecstasy and violence

The ideals are that kindness and empathy towards those in need are the things we should be doing without thinking, whatever the political climate.  Opera North staging of The Greek Passion does just that.

King’s Head Theatre, Islington – until 23 November 2019

Reviewed by Antonia Hebbert

3***

The playwright called this ‘A Pornographic Elegy with Redeeming Social Value and a Hymn to the Queer Men of San Francisco’, which along with the title is maybe all you need to know. But to justify being here and give a little more detail, here goes.

At the flamboyant height of the San Francisco gay scene of the 1980s, two men have a relationship by telephone, in which they describe in intimate physical detail exactly what they imagine doing to each other, and tell each other what to do to themselves. They talk about sexual encounters, in detail, and take each other into fantasies, both violent and playful. All good hot fun, except that AIDs has just emerged and is grimly reaping its way through the gay community. So as well as being erotic/pornographic, this 1985 play by Robert Chesley is a defiant celebration of the male body and all the exuberances of male sex and intimacy.

The actors are the very believable Tibu Fortes (Bert) and Tom Joyner (J.R.), and mostly they’re talking from their beds at each end of the performance space, with the audience crowded in on three sides. The setup is the same as for A Prayer for Wings, reviewed elsewhere, but much neater and tidier. This production also has intimacy directors (Enric Ortuno and Yarit Dor), which may be why it always feels like a play (albeit a pornographic one) rather than a peepshow.

It’s significant that J.R., who makes the first phone call, is a historian – he is preserving a moment in queer history. Times have changed, and HIV/AIDS doesn’t hold quite the same sort of dread. It’s a little like watching an old war film in a time of relative peace. But for director Ben Anderson the play still has an important message about openness. In Chesney’s words, ‘prudery kills … nobody ever died from being offended’.