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FULL CAST ANNOUNCED FOR THEATR CLWYD’S CHRISTMAS PRODUCTIONS –

JACK AND THE BEANSTALK AND A CHRISTMAS CAROL

With the world première of Emily White’s Pavilion finishing its run at The Riverside in Newport, and the company’s large-scale promenade show Mold Riots having just taken to the streets, Artistic Director of Theatr Clwyd Tamara Harvey and Executive Director Liam Evans-Ford today announce the full casts for their upcoming Christmas productions – Jack and the Beanstalk and A Christmas Carol – adapted for the stage by Alan Harris.

For A Christmas Carol, Liz Stevenson directs Matthew Bulgo (Bob/Fezziwig), Amy Drake (Mrs Aubin/Belle/Beggar), Steven Elliott (Scrooge) and Kerry Peers (Christmas Past/Mrs Roberts).

For Jack and the Beanstalk, Zoë Waterman directs Adam Barlow (Squire Simon), Katie Elin Salt (Fairy Daffodil), Lynwen Haf Roberts (Poison Ivy), Phylip Harries (Dame Tabitha Trott), Jessica Jolleys (Jill Stinker), Ben Locke (Tommy Trott), Alice McKenna (Harriet/Villager/Cow), Peter Mooney (Jack), Elin Phillips (Shake), and Luke Thornton (Vac).

www.theatrclwyd.comTwitter: @ClwydTweets
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A Theatr Clwyd production

JACK AND THE BEANSTALK

By Christian Patterson

22 November – 18 January 2020

Cast: Adam Barlow (Squire Simon), Katie Elin Salt (Fairy Daffodil), Lynwen Haf Roberts (Poison Ivy), Phylip Harries (Dame Tabitha Trott), Jessica Jolleys (Jill Stinker), Ben Locke (Tommy Trott),

Alice McKenna (Harriet/Villager/Cow), Peter Mooney (Jack), Elin Phillips (Shake), Luke Thornton (Vac)

Director: Zoë Waterman; Designer: Adrian Gee; Lighting Designer: Mark Howland

Sound Designer: Matthew Wills; Musical Director: Tayo Akinbode; Choreographer: Will Tuckett Casting Director: Kay Magson

Join Jack’s moo-sical journey up the beanstalk in this giant, magical, egg-cellent adventure!

Theatr Clywd’s acclaimed rock ‘n’ roll panto returns with a brand new script by Christian Patterson, full of super slapstick, bonkers frocks, sparkling sets and our brilliant dame, Phylip Harries.

Adam Barlow returns to Theatr Clwyd to play Squire Simon – he previously appeared in Beauty and the Beast. His other theatre work includes War Horse (National Theatre), Cyrano, The Merry Wives (Northern Broadsides), Jumpers for Goalposts, Our Day Out (Oldham Coliseum), and Inherit the Wind and I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire! (New Vic Theatre). For television his work includes Coronation Street (as Wayne Hayes), The Street and Burn It.

Katie Elin-Salt returns to Theatr Clwyd to play Fairy Daffodil – she previously appeared in Under Milk Wood, Season’s Greetings and Educating Rita. Her other theatre work includes The Rise and Fall of Little Voice (Bolton Octagon), Out of Love, Black Mountain, How To Be a Kid (Paines Plough), Twelfth Night (Shakespeare’s Globe), The Comedy of Errors (National Theatre tour) and Crouch Touch Pause Engage (Out of Joint and National Theatre Wales). For television, her work includes Stella, Flash Prank and Tissues and Issues.

Lynwen Haf Roberts returns to Theatr Clwyd to play Poison Ivy – her previous work for the company includes Dick Whittington – The Purrrrrfect Rock ‘N’ Roll Panto and Sleeping Beauty – The Rock ‘N Roll Panto. Other theatre credits include A Berlin Kabaret(UK tour), Iesu!, Deffro’r Gwanwyn (Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru), Arandora Star (Theatr na nÓg), Fala’ Surion, Hawl/Right (Frân Wen), Lleuad yn Olau, Cysgu’n Brysur (Arad Goch) and Sherman Swingers (Sherman Theatre).

Phylip Harries returns to Theatr Clwyd to play Dame Tabitha Trott – he previously appeared in Dick Whittington – The Purrrrrfect Rock ‘N’ Roll Panto, Little Shop of Horrors,Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk and Sleeping Beauty. Other theatre credits include Milwr Yn Y Medddwl, Macbeth (Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru), One Man, Two Guvnors (UK tour), Aberystwyth Mon Amour (Lighthouse Theatre), TOM – A Story of Tom Jones. The Musical (Theatr na nÓg), Much Ado About Nothing (Stafford Gatehouse Theatre). His television credits include The Light, Tourist Trap, Trollied, The Kennedys, Hinterland and Y Pris; and for film, King Arthur: Excalibur Rising and Masterpiece.

Jessica Jolleys plays Jill Stinker. She recently graduated from Rose Bruford College.

Ben Locke plays Tommy Trott. His theatre work includes Robin Hood and the Revolting Peasants, Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing (Oddsocks Productions), Fugitive Songs (Borderline Confrontational) and Billy Young: A Life on Death Row (Lying Lips Theatre Company).

Alice McKenna returns to Theatr Clwyd to play Harriet/Villager/Cow – she previously appeared in Dick Whittington – The Purrrrrfect Rock ‘N’ Roll Panto. Her other theatre credits include Girls Don’t Play the Guitar (Royal Court Liverpool), Underneath a Magical Moon (US tour), Merrily We Roll Along (Yvonne Arnaud Theatre), Underneath a Magical Moon (York Theatre Royal) and Sensation – Music of The Who (UK tour).

Peter Mooney returns to Theatr Clwyd to play Jack – he previously appeared in Dick Whittington – The Purrrrrfect Rock ‘N’ Roll Panto. His other theatre credits include Macbeth and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (The Watermill Theatre and tour), A Midsummer Night’s Nap (The Garage), Once (The New Wolsey Theatre/Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch), Save + Quit (The New Theatre, Dublin), The Commitments (Palace Theatre/UK tour), Eye of the Storm (Theatr na nÓg) and Romeo and Juliet (The Watermill Theatre); and for film, The Usurpers and Viral.

Elin Phillips plays Shake. Her theatre work includes The Populars (Volcano Theatre), Henry V (The Barn Theatre), Dau (RCT Theatres), Penblwydd Poenus Pete (Theatr Iolo) and Alice in Wonderland (Sherman Theatre). For television, her work includes Îha Sheelagh, Gwaith Cartref, Zanzibar and Crash; and for film, Love Type D and Y Syrcas.

Luke Thornton returns to Theatr Clwyd to play Vac – he previously appeared in Sleeping Beauty and Aladdin. His other theatre work includes Midnight (Union Theatre), Summer Holiday (Bolton Octagon), Footloose (UK tour), Dusty (Charing Cross Theatre) and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (London Palladium).

Christian Patterson scripted his début pantomime Dick Whittington for Theatr Clwyd last year, having written award-winning pantomimes at other venues across the UK. He is currently directing Wave Me Goodbye for the company. As an actor his credits for the company include The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, Insignificance, All My Sons and Under Milk Wood. Other credits include The Way of the World (Donmar Warehouse), My Country (National Theatre), Blackbird (The Other Room) and Plays in a Bag – The Knowledge (Royal Court Theatre). His television credits include My Country, Ellen and Mr Selfridge; and for film, Pride and Malice in Wonderland. He won the Best Actor honour at the Wales Theatre Awards in 2016.

Zoë Waterman returns to the theatre to direct, continuing her collaboration with Patterson following last year’s Dick Whittington. She is the Associate Director at the New Vic Theatre where her credits includePlayhouse Creatures and The Kitchen Sink. Other theatre credits include Sleeping Beauty (Theatr Clwyd), The Rubenstein Kiss, Amy’s View and After Miss Julie (Nottingham Playhouse), Remarkable Invisible, The Vertical Hour, Enlightenment and Shining City (Theatre by the Lake), The Bogus Woman (Theatre by the Lake/UK tour), Swan Song: an evening of music and song (Swan Theatre), The Demand (Shooting Fish Theatre Company), Aladdin, Sleeping Beauty, Jack and the Beanstalk (Loughborough Town Hall).

A Theatr Clwyd production

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

Adapted for the stage by Alan Harris

13 December – 5 January

Cast: Matthew Bulgo (Bob/Fezziwig), Amy Drake (Mrs Aubin/Belle/Beggar), Steven Elliott (Scrooge) and Kerry Peers (Christmas Past/Mrs Roberts)

Director:Liz Stevenson; Designer: Frankie Bradshaw; Lighting Designer: Matt Leventhall

Sound Designer: Alexandra Faye Braithwaite; Composer/Musical Director: Barnaby Race

Movement Director: Sian Williams; Casting Director: Peter Hunt CDG

It’s Christmas Eve and Ebenezer Scrooge is miserable and unhappy, can you help him find his Christmas spirit?

Explore a living, breathing Victorian street with residents to meet before being whisked away to a dream world where anything can happen and ghosts are just around the corner… A funny immersive family show filled with music and mystery.

Matthew Bulgo returns to Theatr Clwyd to play Bob/Fezziwig – he previously appeared in All My Sons and Lord of the Flies (also Sherman Theatre). His theatre credits include The Cherry Orchard, The Sleeping Beauties, Clytemnestra, A Christmas Carol (Sherman Theatre), The Insatiable, Inflatable Candylion, Praxis Makes Perfect (National Theatre Wales), I’m With The Band, Horizontal Collaboration (Traverse Theatre), Kenny Morgan (Arcola Theatre), Under Milk Wood (Royal and Derngate), The Prince Hamlet (Toronto Dance Theatre), Play, Silence (The Other Room) and Blue/Orange (Canoe Theatre). Bulgo is an Associate Director of Dirty Protest Theatre and also works as a playwright and dramaturg.

Amy Drake plays Mrs Aubin/Belle/Beggar. Her theatre credits include Babushka (Hard Graft Theatre), War and Peace (at Hurricane Speed), Keep Breathing (Reallife Theatre Company), Under The Market Roof (Junction 8 Theatre), Treasure Island (Lancaster Dukes Theatre) and Shakers (Deaf Dog Theatre). For television, her work includes Cold Feet; and for film, The Blast Project and Top Dog.

Steven Elliott plays Scrooge. He is an Associate Artist at Theatr Clwyd. His theatre work includes seasons at the National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, National Theatre Wales, the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, and many other theatre companies throughout the UK. For television, his work includes The Crown, Da Vinci’s Demons, Mike Basset – Manager, Ghostboat, Judge John Deed and S4C’s English/Welsh series Porthpenwaig; and for film, The Watcher in the Woods, Les Misérables, Hamlet and Time Bandits.

Kerry Peers returns to Theatr Clwyd to play Ghost of Christmas Past/Mrs Roberts. Previous work for the company includes Wave Me Goodbye, Much Ado About Nothing, Jumpy, A Streetcar Named Desire and One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. Other theatre work includes The Words Are Coming Now (Theatre503), Pride and Prejudice (Nottingham Playhouse/ York Theatre Royal), The Father, Dead Funny – both Manchester Theatre Awards nominations, Brighton Beach Memoirs – Manchester Theatre Awards Winner (Oldham Coliseum), Peter Pan (Northcott Exeter), and Shirley Valentine (Frinton Summer Theatre). Television work includes Clink, Butterfly, Bulletproof, Hollyoaks, Waterloo Road and Shameless; and as series regulars in The Bill (as WDC Suzi Croft) and Brookside (Helen Carey).

Alan Harris’ plays include Sugar Baby (Edinburgh Fringe 2017, Soho Theatre 2018), How My Light is Spent (winner of the Judges’ Award at the 2015 Bruntwood Prize, produced by the Royal Exchange, Manchester, Sherman Theatre and Theatre By The Lake), Love, Lies and Taxidermy (Paines Plough, Theatr Clwyd and Sherman Theatre), The Opportunity of Efficiency (New National Theatre Tokyo / National Theatre Wales), A Good Night Out in The Valleys (the inaugural production of the newly formed National Theatre Wales), The Future For Beginners (liveartshow / Wales Millennium Centre), The Magic Toyshop (Invisible Ink / Theatr Iolo), Cardboard Dad (Sherman Cymru), Miss Brown To You (Hijinx Theatre), and Orange (Sgript Cymru). His latest play For The Grace of You Go I will feature in Theatr Clwyd’s season for 2020.

Liz Stevenson is the Artistic Director Theatre by the Lake, and Junction 8 Theatre. She won the 2015 JMK Young Director Award. Barbarians at the Young Vic was nominated for a 2016 Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre. She was the Associate Director on the UK and Ireland tour of the National Theatre’s production of Macbeth. As a director, her other work includes The Secret Garden (York Theatre Royal, Theatre by the Lake), Under The Market Roof (Chorley Market, Junction 8 Theatre), Handbagged (Theatre by the Lake), How My Light Is Spent (Royal Exchange Theatre, Sherman Theatre, Theatre by the Lake), Macbeth (Dukes Theatre, Lancaster), Barbarians (Young Vic), Bluestockings, Too Fast and Midnight at The Hotel Beauregard (ALRA North).

Listings                                                                                                                                  Theatr Clwyd

Raikes Lane, Mold CH7 1YA

Box Office: 01352 701521

www.theatrclwyd.com/en/

JOAN OF LEEDS

·       3-21 December, New Diorama Theatre 

·       World premiere of first ever Christmas show by Breach Theatre

·       Contemporary slant on medieval mystery play with live music – based on the extraordinary true story of a runaway 14^th century rebel nun

Breach Theatre return to New Diorama this December with the world premiere of their first ever Christmas show.

Based on a fascinating and scandalous true story, Joan of Leeds adds a raucously funny seasonal twist to Breach’s signature combination of thrillingly incisive storytelling, theatrical invention and the deployment of history to comment on contemporary society.

In a 14th Century Yorkshire convent, Sister Joan is blessed with unholy visions. A seductive serpent and sinful saints exalt the earthly pleasures of forbidden sex.

Her visions – and ensuing actions- cause a scandal in the order, but Joan is determined to spread her new carnal creed… even if it means getting a little creative.

Sounds fun, right?

Joan of Leeds borrows its structure from the early medieval Mystery Plays, which mixed verse and choral music to tell stories from the bible, but Breach have given the genre a sharp contemporary reinvention, mixing verse and dialogue with a psychedelic 70s aesthetic and folk-rock soundtrack, feminist undertones, uproarious humour and a healthy does of festive spirit. 

The show is co-written by Breach’s Billy Barrett and Ellice Stevens, with music by James Frewer – whose credits include Middle Child Theatre’s mega hits All We Ever Wanted Was Everything and The Canary and the Crow.

The cast includes Rachel Barnes and Laurie Jamieson, both of whom also starred as actor-musicians in The Canary and the Crow at the 2019 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, alongside Bryony Davies (Macbeth, Royal Exchange, A Girl In School Uniform (Walks Into A Bar), New Diorama), Olivia Hirst (Artistic Director of LostWatch Theatre, star of Secret Life of Humans, and co-writer and star of The Incident Room – both New Diorama Theatre) and Alex Roberts (The Wardrobe Ensemble’s Rocky Shock).

New Diorama Theatre Associate Ensemble Breach Theatre’s previous plays include The Beanfield, Fringe First winner Tank, and Fringe First, The Stage and Untapped Award winner It’s True It’s True It’s True which restaged the 1612 trial surrounding the rape of artist Artemisia Gentileschi and will transfer to The Barbican’s Pit in spring 2020.

GWEN TAYLOR TO STAR IN

THE WORLD PREMIERE OF NEW THRILLER

THE CROFT

TO TOUR UK IN 2020

The Original Theatre Company present the new Ali Milles thriller, The Croft, based on a true story and starring Gwen Taylor. The Croft will begin its UK tour at Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham on 22 January 2020.

The Croft is set in the remote Scottish Highlands village of Coillie Ghille, where we encounter three women from different eras whose lives are intertwined by the croft’s dark history. In the 1880’s, we have Enid, the last person left in the village – she’s resilient, a survivor, who takes in the Laird’s pregnant daughter, Eilene. In 2005, Ruth occupies the croft, which she and her husband Tom bought as a holiday home and where Ruth has her affair with local man, David. In the present day, Laura returns with her friend Suzanne to her parent’s croft after her mother Ruth’s death. They discover the terrifying truth that lurks within the croft. In this bold and haunting play, the present interweaves with the past, as these women search for love in the midst of great danger. As we watch their stories intertwine and ancient tales surface, can the present heal the past?

Gwen Taylor will play Enid and is best known for playing the title role in the ITV sitcom Barbara, as well as Anne Foster in Coronation Street, Peggy Armstrong in Heartbeat, Rita Simcock in A Bit of A Do, for which she was nominated for a BAFTA TV Best Actress Award, and Amy in Duty Free.  Her film appearances include Another Mother’s Son, The Lady in the Van and Monty Python’s Life of Brian.  Gwen is currently touring the UK in The Lady Vanishes. Her other theatre credits include The Importance of Being Earnest and Night Must Fall (both for Original Theatre), Allelujah! (Bridge Theatre), The Slaves of Solitude (Hampstead Theatre), Driving Miss Daisy (Dublin’s Gaiety Theatre / UK Tour), Calendar Girls (UK tour), the title role in the national tour of Shirley Valentine, Top Girls (Royal Court and New York) and Gertrude in Sir Peter Hall’s production of Hamlet (London’s Gielgud Theatre and national tour).

Caroline Harker will play the roles of Suzanne / Ruth. She is best known for her role as Celia in BBC’s Middlemarch, as well as WPC Hazel Wallace in ITV’s A Touch of Frost. Her other notable television credits include Coronation Street, Doctors and Holby City. Caroline’s film credits include Lady Godiva: Back in the Saddle and The Madness of King George. She most recently starred in Relatively Speaking, Breaking Code and Handbagged (Salisbury Playhouse). Her other theatre credits include The Sweet Science of Bruising (Southwark Playhouse), The Chalk Garden (Chichester Festival Theatre) and Pride and Prejudice (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre).

Lucy Doyle will play the roles of Laura / Eilene. She recently graduated from RADA and made her professional debut this year at Theatre Royal Bath in Vienna 1934 – Munich 1938 alongside Vanessa Redgrave and Paul Hilton.

Further casting to be announced.

The Croft is directed by the award-winning director Philip Franks, with design by Adrian Linford, lighting by Chris Davey and sound by Max Pappenheim.

This production is produced by The Original Theatre Company (The Habit of Art, The Night Watch, Birdsong).

Website: www.originaltheatre.com

Facebook: Original Theatre #TheCroft

Twitter: @OriginalTheatre #TheCroft

Age Guidance 12+

2020 UK Tour Schedule

22 – 25 January                           Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham                           01242 572573

                                                    www.everymantheatre.org.uk

27 January – 1 February              Derby Theatre                                                       01332 59 39 39

                                                    www.derbytheatre.co.uk                                        On sale soon

4 – 8 February                             Perth Theatre                                                         01738 621031

                                                    www.horsecross.co.uk                                           On sale soon

11 – 15 February                         Darlington Hippodrome                                          01325 405405

                                                    www.darlingtonhippodrome.co.uk

24 – 29 February                         Palace Theatre, Southend                                     01702 351135

                                                     www.palacetheatresouthend.co.uk 

11 – 14 March                             Cambridge Arts Theatre                                         01223 503333

                                                    www.cambridgeartstheatre.com                             On sale soon

16 – 21 March                             Ashcroft Playhouse, Fairfield Halls, Croydon         0203 292 0002

                                                    www.fairfield.co.uk

24 – 28 March                             Theatr Clwyd, Mold                                                01352 344101

                                                    www.theatrclwyd.com                                           

31 March – 4 April                       Richmond Theatre                                                 0844 871 7651

                                                    www.atgtickets.com/richmond-theatre                   

6 – 11 April                                   Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne                   0132 341 2000

                                                     www.eastbournetheatres.co.uk                             On sale soon

15 – 18 April                                Belgrade Theatre, Coventry                                   024 7655 3055

                                                    www.belgrade.co.uk                                             

Further dates to be added. 

The Man in the White Suit

Adapted for the stage by Sean Foley

Based on the play “The Flower Within the Bud” by Roger MacDougall and Screenplay by Roger MacDougall, John Dighton and Alexander Mackendrick   

By special arrangement with STUDIO CANAL

Directed by Sean Foley

Designed by Michael Taylor

• PRODUCERS TODAY HAVE ANNOUNCED THAT THE MAN IN THE WHITE SUIT WILL END ITS RUN ON SATURDAY 7th DECEMBER, EARLIER THAN PREVIOUSLY ADVERTISED

Producers today announced that Sean Foley’sadaptation of the classic Ealing Studios comedy, The Man in the White Suit,will end its run at Wyndham’s Theatre on Saturday 7th December, earlier than previously advertised.

Despite winning praise from audiences, sales for the show have not proved strong enough and producers have taken the difficult decision to end the run early.

Ticket holders for performances after 7th December should contact their point of sale.

Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford – until 2 November 2019

Reviewed by Antonia Hebbert

4****

At first sight this Oscar Wilde play feels like a lighthearted country house comedy. Aristocratic guests exchange classic Wildean witticisms in quick fire succession – it’s amazing how many famous lines there are. It’s all smart and brittle and clever, so much so that you sometimes want to press a pause button to give you time to think about the last one-liner. But in Act II a serious drama emerges, when naïve young Gerald (Tim Gibson) is revealed to be the illegitimate son of predatory Lord Illingworth (Mark Meadows). Gerald’s devoted mother (Katy Stephens) is ‘a fallen woman’, who has lived in shame, while Illingworth has enjoyed every luxury and inherited a title.

It’s almost as if it’s two plays in parallel. Oscar Wilde is suddenly looking here at the gaping inequality of men and women in 19th-century society. It’s hard to imagine now just how powerless women were then, but Katy Stephens as Mrs Arbuthnot manages to convey a sense of a devastated life, without quite falling into melodrama. Meanwhile other characters continue to provide witty Wildean exchanges, led by Emma Amos as the feline Mrs Allonby, who treats relations between men and women as a sort scintillating fencing match, in which a clever woman can more than hold her own.

Some of the funniest moments come from characters who don’t do the brilliant repartee – Liza Goddard is a delight as forgetful Lady Hunstanton, and Roy Hudd (yes, it is he – comedy royalty at 83 years old) is a perfect Reverend Daubeny, assuring everyone of his wife’s wellbeing while revealing more and more about her terrible state of health. Between each act Roy Hudd leads a cheery comic song, which gives time to change Jonathan Fensom’s handsome scenery, but also helps to bridge the different moods of the play.

In the end, Mrs Arbuthnot gets the last word. A very straitlaced American character (Georgia Landers) who has been terribly boring in the witty-repartee side of the play, turns up to save the day on the serious-drama side – she is conveniently a millionaire and is going to marry Gerald. It isn’t at all clear where Wilde stands – he can see society’s wickedness but finds moralising deadly dull; he is drawn to the glamorously bad but makes his Illingworth extraordinarily nasty in the end. It’s all very curious and interesting, and one of a series of Wilde productions by director Dominic Dromgoole.

BOOKING EXTENDED AND LOTTERY ANNOUNCED

AS PERFORMANCES BEGIN FOR WEST END PREMIERE OF

D E A R   E V A N   H A N S E N

Today (29 October 2019), as performances begin for the West End premiere of Dear Evan Hansen at the Noel Coward Theatre, producer Stacey Mindich announces a weekly digital lottery with the first draw taking place on Wednesday 13 November 2019.  Patrons who are selected will be offered the option to purchase two tickets at £25 each. Full details for Dear Evan Hansen’s digital lottery can be found at delfontmackintosh.co.uk/DEHLottery or www.dearevanhansen.com/london

It is also announced today that the show is now booking to 2 May 2020, with a new group of tickets now on sale.

The cast comprises Sam Tutty as Evan Hansen, Lucy Anderson as Zoe Murphy, Doug Colling as Connor Murphy and Marcus Harman who will play Evan Hansen at certain performances.  They are joined by Rebecca McKinnis as Heidi Hansen, Lauren Ward as Cynthia Murphy, Rupert Young as Larry Murphy, Jack Loxton as Jared Kleinman, Nicole Raquel Dennis as Alana Beck as well as Tricia Adele-Turner, David Breeds, Haydn Cox, Natalie Kassanga, Hannah Lindsey, Mark Peachey, Courtney Stapleton, Alex Thomas-Smith and James Winter. 

The winner of six Tony^® awards including Best Musical, as well as the 2018 Grammy award for Best Musical Theatre Album, Dear Evan Hansenis directed byfour-time Tony Award nominee Michael Greif, features a book by Tony award-winner Steven Levenson and a score by the Tony, Grammy and Academy Award-winning composers of The Greatest Showman and La La Land, Benj Pasek & Justin Paul.

A letter that was never meant to be seen, a lie that was never meant to be told, a life he never dreamed he could have. Evan Hansen is about to get the one thing he’s always wanted: a chance to finally fit in.  Both deeply personal and profoundly contemporary, Dear Evan Hansen is a new musical about life and the way we live it.

Reuniting the original Broadway creative team for this West End production, Dear Evan Hansen is produced by Stacey Mindich and features choreography by Danny Mefford, scenic design by David Korins, projection design by Peter Nigrini, costume design by Emily Rebholz, lighting design by Japhy Weideman, sound design by Nevin Steinberg and hair design by David Brian Brown.  Music supervision, orchestrations and additional arrangements are by Alex Lacamoire.  Ben Cohn is the Associate Music Supervisor.  Vocal arrangements and additional arrangements are by Justin Paul.  Casting by Jill Green CDG. Sash Bischoff, Adam Quinn and Danny Sharron are the Associate Directors. Judith Schoenfeld is the Production Supervisor. US General Management 101 Productions, Ltd; UK General Management – Ambassador Theatre Group. Adam Speers is the UK Executive Producer.

Dear Evan Hansen has won the Drama League Award for Outstanding Musical Production and for the off-Broadway production, two Obie Awards, a Drama Desk Award, two Outer Critics Circle Awards and two Helen Hayes Awards.  The Grammy Award-winning Original Broadway Cast Recording of Dear Evan Hansen produced by Atlantic Records, was released in February 2017, making an extraordinary debut on the Billboard 200 and entering the chart at #8 – the highest charting debut position for an original cast album since 1961. The album went on to win the 2018 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album and recently became only the third cast recording this decade to go gold.  A deluxe version of the cast recording, including six bonus tracks and a pop cover from Katy Perry of ‘Waving Through a Window’ is available digitally.

Dear Evan Hansen opened on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre to great critical acclaim on 4 December 2016 where it has broken all box office records and is now in its third year of standing-room-only audiences.  A record-breaking US national tour launched in October 2018 and is currently in its second year touring North America.

CAST GATHER FOR KAY MELLOR’S BAND OF GOLD REHEARSALS

• GAYNOR FAYE, LAURIE BRETT, EMMA OSMAN, SHAYNE WARD, KIERON RICHARDSON, SACHA PARKINSON AND ANDREW DUNN TO STAR IN KAY MELLORS PREMIER STAGE ADAPTATION OF BAND OF GOLD

The cast of Kay Mellor’s BAND OF GOLD gathered on the steps of Leeds Grand Theatre today to mark the start of rehearsals for the stage adaptation of the 90’s TV drama that will premiere at The Grand from Thursday 28 November to Saturday 14 December.

Laurie Brett (EastEnders, Waterloo Road, Les Miserables), Gaynor Faye (Emmerdale, Playing the Field, Calendar Girls), Kieron Richardson (Hollyoaks, Heatbeat), Shayne Ward (Coronation Street, Rock Of Ages, X Factor winner), Sacha Parkinson (Mr Selfridge, The Mill), Andrew Dunn (Dinnerladies, Coronation Street) and newcomer Emma Osman will all star in the production.

Band of Gold was the ground-breaking drama that captivated over 15 million viewers each week when it aired on ITV in March 1995 starring (amongst others) Geraldine James, Cathy Tyson, Barbara Dickson and Samantha Morton. The nail-biting thriller tells the story of a group of women – Carol, Rose, Anita and Gina – as they battle to survive whilst working in a notorious red-light district. With a killer on the loose it’s a battle to survive!

Band of Gold is at Leeds Grand Theatre from Thursday 28 November to Saturday 14 December 2019.

Book online at leedsgrandtheatre.com or call Box Office on 0844 848 2700

FOLLOWING THE HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL INAUGURAL

2019 SEASON AT THE OTHER PALACE 

PAUL TAYLOR-MILLS’ FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICAL THEATRE WRITING

MTFestUK

RETURNS WITH 2020 SEASON LAUNCHING AT THE TURBINE THEATRE

In February 2019, Paul Taylor-Mills launched the inaugural MTFestUK season which ran at The Other Palace. A celebration of new musical theatre from around the world, MTFestUK is back in February 2020, this time at the new and vibrant Turbine Theatre on the banks of the Thames in Battersea.

MTFestUK will be a central part of the 2019-2020 season at the Turbine, which has already been exciting critics and audiences alike with Drew McOnie’s acclaimed production of Harvey Fierstein’s Torch Song, and the current production of High Fidelity, a musical adaptation of Nick Hornby’s bestselling novel, directed and choreographed by Tom Jackson Greaves.

Paul Taylor-Mills, Artistic Director, Turbine Theatre said “We are so thrilled with how the inaugural MTFestUK went, and so excited to be bringing it back for next year, bigger and bolder than ever!

Out of the eight musicals presented earlier this year, at our first festival, five are now in further development or moving towards full scale productions and we are really keen to extend the reach of the musicals we work on and the storytellers who make them.

We can’t wait to see what submissions we get back for MTFestUK 2020!”

MTFestUK revels in the diversity of stories on stage and the people who make the work. It sets out to promote quality artistry with a view to showcasing and elevating projects to full production, giving audiences an insight into the process of creating new work and into the art of collaboration.

The festival will promote the best of new British work and at the same time forge overseas partnerships and find new ways to share processes and artists.

MTFestUK is for both industry professionals and the theatregoing public, with an ambition to run the festival every February in the UK and, in time, extend the festival to further territories beyond the UK.

At the centre of the festival is a Taster Menu series of new musicals, each presented as a semi-staged production. Alongside the Taster Menu, the festival will also feature a selection of talks, performances and one-off events including:

Tea For Two – A programme of intimate and afternoon conversations. Paul Taylor-Mills, Artistic Director of the Turbine Theatre, will be in discussion with some of the industry’s most celebrated musical theatre practitioners.

Night Caps – An informal late-night concert series getting to know some of the country’s eminent musical theatre stars through the songs that shaped them, songs they might never get to sing and songs from new works.

MTFest 2020 SUBMISSIONS PROCESS

We are reaching out for submissions of work to be considered for MTFestUK 2020.

Please send submissions to [email protected] 

Wednesday 27 November 2019 – Submissions closed

Wednesday 4 December 2019 – Line up unveiled

Applicants need to include:

• A 150-words synopsis about the show.

• A paragraph about the creative team and journey of the project to date. 

• Two songs that show off what the musical has to offer. 

Listening to and watching new work is a very personal experience. Ultimately, it’s all a question of taste. That said, here’s a list of helpful notes of what we’re looking for:

• How does your work connect to the present? We want musicals that speak to the here and now and that have something to say about the world we live in. 

• We’re not afraid of ambitious work of scale. The main question we ask ourselves is: does the work move us in some way? Does it make us think, laugh, cry or something else? 

• There are no rules as to how developed or finished a piece needs to be. Previous shows have had a life on Broadway and have been re-written, other pieces had a few songs. We’re interested in ideas and the potential future of pieces, not necessarily how much is done.

For full details and more information about submitting a musical, go to: www.TheTurbineTheatre.com

STUNNING NEW IMAGES RELEASED OF BRAND NEW BOULEVARD THEATRE

THE NEW BOULEVARD THEATRE IS NOW OPEN TO THE PUBLIC WITH PERFORMANCES OF DAVE MALLOY’S GHOST QUARTET, DIRECTED BY BILL BUCKHURST, RUNNING ALONGSIDE A VIBRANT LATE NIGHT AND SUNDAY PROGRAMME. THE BOULEVARD’S RESTAURANT AND BAR ARE ALSO OPEN TO THE PUBLIC DAILY FROM 8AM
 

RECENTLY ANNOUNCED 2020 SEASON INCLUDES WORK FROM KATHY BURKE, LUCY PREBBLE AND YAËL FARBER, AMONG MANY OTHERS

Stunning new images of the Boulevard theatre have today been released days after the theatre opened its doors to the public for the first time for the London premiere of Dave Malloy’s Ghost Quartet, directed by Bill Buckhurst. The restaurant is also now open from 8am daily. Alongside this is a vibrant late night and Sunday programme including a wide range of jazz, comedy, poetry, and more.

The Boulevard Theatre is located in the heart of Soho in Walker’s Court. Architects SODA studio, in collaboration with theatre specialists Charcoalblue, have designed an innovative new flexible space which features Europe’s most advanced revolving theatre and a two-floor glass bridge leading to a restaurant and bar area.

The Boulevard Theatre’s inaugural production Ghost Quartet will run alongside a packed roster of late-night and Sunday performances.  These will include the West End’s newest female-led improv night THE YES QUEENS curated by Julie Clare with guest performers such as Pippa Evans and Ruth Bratt.  Award-winning comics Kiri Pritchard-Mclean and Nina Conti present the best in established and emerging comedy talent with LATE NIGHT SCENE.   New music night SOHO SOUNDS: JAZZ, curated by the Copasetic Foundation, will feature performers including David McAlmont, China Moses and Vimala Rowe.  Curated by Nadim Naaman, FINALE will feature West End stars such as Natasha Barnes, Fra Fee and Sabrina Aloueche performing stripped back show tunes.  The Black Cat Cabaret will present AFTER DARK, a new cabaret night hosted by Dusty Limits.  SUNDAY SERVICE: CONCERTS will see an eclectic music programme, curated by Katy Hamilton and Benjamin Cox, including iyatraQuartet, the Hermes Experiment and The London Klezmer Quartet.   Artists confirmed so far for SUNDAY SERVICE: POETRY include Inua Ellams, Helen Mort and Richard Scott. SUNDAY SERVICE: PODCASTS takes the freshest voices out of your headphones and into our auditorium, and will feature popular titles such as Standard Issue, Freelance Pod and The Showstopper! Podcast.

For up to date listings for the Late Night and Sunday programme at the Boulevard Theatre please see www.boulevardtheatre.co.uk/whats-on/

THE NEW SEASON
GHOST QUARTET – LONDON PREMIERE
24 October 2019 – 4 January 2020
by Dave Malloy
Directed by Bill Buckhurst

The premiere season of the Boulevard Theatre opens with Ghost Quartet by three-time Tony Award-nominated writer Dave Malloy (Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, Octet and Preludes). Bill Buckhurst directs and reunites the creative team behind his sell-out production of Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd, which transferred from a pie shop in Tooting, to the West End, and eventually to a sell-out New York run.

Ghost Quartet is an intoxicating musical of love, loss and spirits – of both the spectral and alcoholic kind.   Wildly inventive, Malloy’s piece draws inspiration from a rich tapestry of work from Arabian Nights and Edgar Allan Poe to Stephen King, Grimms’ fairy-tales, Stephen Sondheim and Frozen, woven together by jazz, gospel, honky-tonk, folk ballads, electro-pop and jazz. Starring Carly Bawden, Niccolò Curradi, Maimuna Memon and 2019 Olivier Award nominee Zubin Varla.

THE SUNSET LIMITED – LONDON PREMIERE
16 January 2020 – 14 March 2020
by Cormac McCarthy
Directed by Terry Johnson

The 2020 season at the Boulevard Theatre begins with the London premiere of multi award-winning writer Cormac McCarthy‘s gripping play about redemption, faith and free will.  The Sunset Limited will be directed by Olivier and Tony Award-winner Terry Johnson (Mrs Henderson Presents, La Cage aux Folles and The Graduate.) Cormac McCarthy’s other celebrated works include The Road, All the Pretty Horses and No Country for Old Men.

Two men meet on a subway platform; the chance encounter instantly changing the trajectory of both their lives.  Thrown together, their conversation quickly turns to the most essential and existential questions facing humanity. While their beliefs seem irreconcilable, the answers they seek could mean the difference between life and death.

THE EFFECT
19 March 2020 – 30 May 2020
Press night:  25 March 2020
by Lucy Prebble
Directed by Anthony Neilson

The first London revival of The Effect, by award-winning Lucy Prebble (A Very Expensive Poison, ENRON, The Sugar Syndrome), will be directed by Anthony Neilson (The Tell-Tale Heart, National Theatre; The Prudes and Unreachable, Royal Court).

The Effect won the Critics’ Circle Award for Best New Play when it opened at the National Theatre in 2012.  Award-winning writer Lucy Prebble places modern medicine under the microscope, examining the fallout from a collision between love and science.

Connie and Tristan meet; symptoms develop. Racing hearts. Lost appetites. Erratic emotions. Is this the frenzy of falling in love, or simply side effects from the new anti-depressant drug they’re testing? Addiction comes hard and fast. But have the clinicians running the trial lost control?

HELLO AND GOODBYE
4 June 2020 – 25 July 2020
by Athol Fugard
Directed by Yaël Farber

From Tony Award-winning playwright Athol Fugard, Hello and Goodbye is a searing exploration of the claustrophobic hold the past can have on the present. Directed by multi award-winning director Yaël Farber (Blood Wedding, Young Vic; The Crucible, Old Vic; Mies Julie, Riverside Studios). 

It’s been fifteen years since Johnny and Hester Smit have seen one another – not since the day Hester fled to Johannesburg in search of a different life. While Hester’s world has expanded – not always for the better – Johnny’s life has been reduced to the four walls of the rundown family home, and his role caring for their infirm father.

Suddenly Hester returns one night to claim the inheritance she believes to be rightfully hers. What begins as the siblings’ search for their legacy quickly becomes a desperate pursuit for truth, understanding and a future free from the shackles of their shared heritage.

THE CAVALCADERS
16 September 2020 – 21 November 2020
by Billy Roche
Directed by Kathy Burke

Celebrated actor and director Kathy Burke (Lady Windermere’s Fan, West End; Blue/Orange, Sheffield Crucible) directs this bittersweet story of music, memories and moving on by acclaimed writer Billy Roche (Wexford Trilogy).

All his life, cobbler Terry has spent his days tending to his neighbour’s soles. It’s now time for his apprentice to take over, and Terry finds himself handing down two types of keys… In the corner of the shop sits a piano, and come closing time the workers transform into The Cavalcaders – legendary local barbershop quartet.

While the group may be pitch-perfect onstage, they often seem to find themselves tone-deaf when it comes to relationships. In a close-knit Irish community, lives, loves and longings overlap as easily as the Cavalcaders’ melodies, and private lives have never stayed private for long.

THE BOULEVARD THEATRE RESTAURANT

Open 8am to 1am daily, the Boulevard’s restaurant and bar will cater to all tastes and budgets, from lunchtime light bites and grazing boards, to indulgent à la carte dining. Vibrant, sensory and un-fussy: the menus, created by head chef Greg Hillier, will focus on quality ingredients treated well with a conscious lean towards plant-based cookery.   Audiences will be able to enhance their evening with a pre-show fixed price menu that will draw inspiration from the current production onstage, whilst enjoying a carefully curated range of drinks promoting top-quality local suppliers and artisan producers

 

ROSE THEATRE KINGSTON ANNOUNCES

FULL CAST FOR THE SNOW QUEEN

Rose Theatre Kingston presents

The Snow Queen

A new version written and directed by Ciaran McConville

Music & Lyrics, Orchestrations & Musical Direction: Eamonn O’Dwyer;Set Designer: David Farley; Costume Designer: Peter Todd; Lighting Designer: Charlie Morgan Jones; Sound Designer: Ella Wahlström; Associate Director & Voice Coach: Josh Mathieson; Choreographer: Aimee Leigh; Puppet Director: Yvonne Stone; Puppet Designer & Maker: Oliver Hymans; Fight Director: Jessica Hrabowsky for True Edge; Casting Directors: Lucy Jenkins CDG & Sooki McShane CDG; Production Manager: Kate Edwards; Props Supervisor: Taylor & Foley; Costume Supervisor: Annie James.

Rose Theatre Kingston

6 December 2019 – 5 January 2020

Rose Theatre Kingston today announces the full cast for its festive new version of the Hans Christian Andersen classic The Snow Queen written by Ciaran McConville,who returns to the theatre following last year’s successful adaptation of Hansel & Gretel. McConvilledirects a cast of local young actors from Rose Youth Theatre led by a team of professional actors including Helena Blackman (The Snow Queen), Roger May (Dad/Father Christmas), Davina Moon (Freya), Parisa Shahmir (Gerda) and Jack Wolfe (Kai). The production opens on 13 December 2019, with previews from 6 December, and runs until 5 January 2020.

Tucked away in a long forgotten corner of the city is an orphanage. Here Gerda discovers that she is no ordinary teenager, but a Child of Magic, hidden from the reaches of the evil Snow Queen. When she shows her powers to her best friend Kai, she unwittingly reveals their whereabouts. Kai is lured away, and Gerda must journey to the Frozen North into the Queen’s clutches to save him.

Her perilous adventure includes an unlikely pirate captain and a talking reindeer, secretive elves and vicious trolls. As the Snow Queen rallies her forces, Gerda must learn the true nature of her magic powers to save Christmas and rescue Kai.

This Christmas, be enchanted by Hans Christian Andersen’s powerful tale of love, magic and self-realisation. This glittering new adaptation features a wealth of local talent from the Rose Youth Theatre alongside a professional cast.

Ciaran McConville writes and directs. His writing credits for the Rose include Hansel & Gretel, Alice in Winterland, The Wind in the Willows, A Christmas Carol, Our Town: A Kingston Story, In the Way of Peace, Scenes from Childhood and Stay With Me. Other credits include Beast Quest (Hampton Court Palace), The Enchanted Story Trail (RHS Garden Wisley), Stones (Sutton Theatres), Snowbound (Trafalgar Studios), My Father the Angel (National Theatre Studio), These Four Walls, Shostakovich The Last Symphony, Touched by Fire, The Man Who Dreamed (Edinburgh Festival Fringe), MiracleBoy (Bad Physics), Crooked Little House (Battersea Arts Centre), Immortal (Courtyard Theatre) and The Settling Dust (Union Theatre). McConville’s adaptations include Heart of Darkness, The Jungle Book, Treasure Island, Nineteen Eighty-Four, The Trial, Arabian Nights, Tess of the d’Urbervilles, Oliver Twist, Frankenstein and the hit show Horrible Histories Ruthless Romans, which toured internationally. He is also a founding director of Debut Theatre Company.

Helena Blackman plays The Snow Queen. Her theatre credits include Shout!, Titanic, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, South Pacific (UK tours), Kingmaker (The Other Palace/SFTW), But First This (The Watermill Theatre), My Fair Lady, The Sound of Music (Kilworth House Theatre), Gay’s The Word (Finborough Theatre), Impotent (Lion and Unicorn), A Winter’s Tale (Landor Theatre), Little Women (Playhouse Theatre), Noel & Gertie (Cockpit Theatre), The Secret Garden (West Yorkshire Playhouse), Saturday Night (Arts Theatre), The Wizard of Oz (Leicester Haymarket) and Gypsy (Wales Millennium Centre). Her television credits include Pennyworth.

Roger May returns to Rose Theatre Kingston to playDad/Father Christmas; he previously appeared in The Winslow Boy. His theatre credits include Romeo and Juliet (US tour), The Pitman Painters (New Vic Theatre), For All Time (Rye Arts Festival), The Railway Children, Time and Time Again (UK tours), The President’s Holiday (Hampstead Theatre), The Last Confession (Chichester Festival Theatre/Theatre Royal Haymarket), Private Lives (Theatre Royal Haymarket), Troilus and Cressida (Edinburgh International Festival/RSC), Twelfth Night (Nuffield Southampton Theatres) and Richard III (RSC). His television credits include recurring character Oliver Clarke in Doctors, Father Brown, An Adventure in Space and Time, The Hour, MI High, Broadside, Britz, Shackleton, The Cazalets and Horatio Hornblower: The Duel. For radio, he is a series regular on The Archers.

Davina Moon plays Freya. Her theatre credits include The Last Temptation of Boris Johnson, Yellow Face (Park Theatre), The Mirror Crack’d (Salisbury Playhouse), Double Act (Polka Theatre), Yellow Face (National Theatre), Privates on Parade (Noël Coward Theatre), Around the World (Sadler’s Wells), Celebration (Watford Place Theatre), Wuthering Heights (Lyric Hammersmith), Annie Get Your Gun (Young Vic), Wah! Wah! Girls (Sadler’s Wells/Kneehigh), Britain’s Got Bhangra (Theatre Royal Stratford East), Bombay Dreams (Apollo Victoria) and Miss Saigon (Theatre Royal Drury Lane). Her film credits include Dirty God, Military Wives and All the Children are Sleeping.

Parisa Shahmir plays Gerda. Her theatre credits include We Live in Cairo (American Repertory Theatre), The Last Ship (Northern Stage), Mamma Mia! (UK tour), UCAS (Edinburgh Festival Fringe) and Just So (Bridewell Theatre); and for film, Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again!.

Jack Wolfe plays Kai. His theatre credits include Sweeney Todd (Lyric Theatre, Belfast), Pinocchio (National Theatre), The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party (Chipping Campden) and The Braille Legacy (Charing Cross Theatre). His television credits include Father Brown.

The Snow Queen                                                                                                                                        Listings

Rose Theatre Kingston

24-26 High Street, Kingston, KT1 1HL

6 December 2019 – 5 January 2020

www.rosetheatrekingston.org

Twitter: @Rosetheatre

Facebook: /RoseTheatreKingston

Instagram: RoseTheatreKingston

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

Fri 6 Dec               6pm      

Sat 7 Dec             1pm & 6pm

Mon 9 Dec          2pm      

Tue 10 Dec          2pm

Thu 12 Dec          2pm      

Fri 13 Dec            7pm

Sat 14 Dec           1pm & 6pm                                                       

Sun 15 Dec          11am & 5:30pm

Fri 20 Dec            11am & 5:30pm

Sat 21 Dec           11am & 5:30pm

Sun 22 Dec          11am & 5:30pm

Mon 23 Dec        11am & 5:30pm

Tue 24 Dec          11am & 4pm

Thu 26 Dec          11am & 5:30pm

Fri 27 Dec            11am & 5:30pm  

Sat 28 Dec           11am (Audio Described Performance) & 5:30pm

Sun 29 Dec          11am & 5:30pm                                                                               

Mon 30 Dec        11am & 5:30pm                                

Tue 31 Dec          11am & 5:30pm

Thu 2 Jan             5:30pm

Fri 3 Jan              11am (Relaxed Performance) & 5:30pm

Sat 4 Jan              11am (Signed Performance) & 5:30pm

Sun 5 Jan            3pm

Box Office:                          020 8174 0090

Monday – Saturday: 10am – 8pm (6pm non-performance days)

Sunday: at least one hour before the performance

Concessions:                      Only one discount per ticket, subject to availability

Over 60 & children under 16: £10 off top three prices.

Unwaged, entertainment union, and Students: £5 off top three prices.

Access:                                 Patrons with disabilities enjoy £10 tickets for them and their companion.

Contact Box Office on 020 8174 0090 for more details and to book.

Sensory Access:               A digital hearing system is available for patrons with a hearing aid, and Sennheiser headsets for patrons without a hearing aid. Guide and hearing dogs are welcome. Please let us know in advance so we can provide a dog-sitter and water bowl.

Learning Disabilities:      Please contact us in advance to discuss how we can help make your visit as comfortable as possible, on 020 8174 0090 or email [email protected]