Soho Theatre, London – until 6th October

Reviewed by Heather Chalkley

5*****

A spellbinding performance by Nancy Sullivan as Leah. We were taken through the whole range of emotions experienced by a young women, trying to live the dream and realising very quickly the fairy tale is exactly that! Leah (Nancy Sullivan) travels a quick journey to adulthood after suffering a traumatic sexual assault from her husband on their wedding night. Battling her way through the myriad of expectations, false images and pressures of married life, she then faces
another assault from someone she thought was coming to her aid. Nancy Sullivan (Leah) engages with the audience, with individual eye contact that felt like she was talking directly to you. She bought characters in her story to life through her physical presence and tone of voice.

The warrior in Leah (Nancy Sullivan) was forced to come out, after being emotionally battered by the courts, her family and the attitude of the world in general towards women. It is sad that Leah’s beauty and grace are interpreted by all as the reason, the excuse for the abuse. At the end Nancy Sullivan (Leah) portrayed a fragile strength that enabled her to step forward into a fresh start with new hope.

Abi Zakarian has written a power script, every word and action conveying a message. The direction and staging by Hannah Hauer-King and The Creatives is perfectly timed to deliver a dramatic piece that captivates you from the start. I particularly liked the use of ansaphone messages to convey the attitude of others.

Solace Women’s Aid have chosen the right company to partner with, to deliver this impactful way to raise awareness of domestic and sexual abuse. Damsel Productions are bringing the subject in at a comprehensible, everyday level that I believe audiences can relate to. Good theatre is entertaining, informing and questioning and Fabric certainly delivers on that. For the full benefit of the performance I recommend you sit on the little stalls in the front row!

TAVERN RENAMED IN HONOUR OF YORK AND DICK TURPIN

 

The York Dungeon have renamed their tavern ”The Goose & Gallows”, with inspiration from

York’s past and present

 

York is famed to have 365 pubs, one for each day of the year. But one of the newest additions to this is The York Dungeon’s historically-themed tavern, where visitors can stop for a drink after finishing their tour. Formerly known as “Ye Olde Yorke Inn”, the name has now been changed to “The Goose and Gallows”, and the inspiration is more appropriate than you think.

“We wanted a name that evoked York’s past and present all into one” explains Marketing Executive, Simon Alnaimi. “And at the same time we were discussing making September a month of celebration of Dick Turpin. As part of this, we decided to make a nod towards his famous death in York, hanged on the gallows at the Knavesmire; and the Goose part was because no other animal is as synonymous with York.”

Joining them for the renaming was Professor Jim Sharpe of the University of York, who has spent years researching Dick Turpin, and in 2017 partnered with The Dungeon to question the true whereabouts of the Highwayman’s final resting place.

The renaming is all part of The Dungeon’s “Month of Dick”, which takes place for the whole of September, for what would be Dick Turpin’s 313^th birthday, with the aim to raise awareness of one of history’s most infamous characters, and his connection to York.

As Jim Sharpe summarises: “For most people the most famous felon to have been hanged in York in the eighteenth century; Dick Turpin was arrested in Yorkshire, tried at the York assizes and paraded up Micklegate to be executed at York’s Knavesmire, while his fictional yet epic ride from London  to York on Black Bess remains an almost universally known story.  Turpin the man and, perhaps more importantly, Turpin the legend, will remain vital elements in York’s rich heritage.”

The Goose & Gallows is now open, for more information head to www.thedungeons.com/York

DISNEY THEATRICAL PRODUCTIONS AND CAMERON MACKINTOSH’S

MULTI AWARD-WINNING

M A R Y   P O P P I N S

RETURNS TO THE PRINCE EDWARD THEATRE AUTUMN 2019

 

FIFTEEN YEARS AFTER ITS STAGE PREMIERE NEW PRODUCTION RETURNS

TO LONDON STARRING ZIZI STRALLEN AND CHARLIE STEMP

 

Disney Theatrical Productions and Cameron Mackintosh today (14 September 2018) announce the return to the West End of the critically acclaimed and internationally award-winning production of Mary Poppins.  Mary Poppins will return to its original West End home at the Prince Edward Theatre where, after three smash-hit years in London, Disney’s Aladdin will end its run late August 2019.  Starring Zizi Strallen, who returns to play the title role following great acclaim on the recent sell-out international tour, and Charlie Stemp as Bert, who last year gave an award-winning performance as Arthur Kipps in Cameron Mackintosh’s production of Half A Sixpence and recently made his Broadway debut in Hello, Dolly!.

Tickets for Mary Poppins will go on sale in January 2019.  Further details will be announced in due course, including full booking information.  Meanwhile, Patrons can register for news and priority booking information at marypoppinsonstage.co.uk

 

The magical story of the world’s favourite Nanny arriving on Cherry Tree Lane has been triumphantly and spectacularly brought to the stage with dazzling choreography, incredible effects and unforgettable songs. The stage version of Mary Poppins is brilliantly adapted from the wonderful stories by PL Travers and the beloved Walt Disney film.

 

Cameron Mackintosh said:  “I’m thrilled to be bringing the internationally acclaimed new staging of Pamela Travers’ magical stories back to London in the autumn of 2019, with Disney, featuring the dazzling talents of Zizi Strallen and Charlie Stemp as Mary and Bert. The original production, over 14 years ago, only played London and Broadway and subsequently was revised and continues to be staged around the world with phenomenal success.  The recent UK tour, starring Zizi as Mary, broke box office records everywhere it played. It has been particularly gratifying that the stage musical with its brilliant script by Julian Fellowes and wonderful new score by Stiles and Drewe, complementing the Sherman Brothers’ classic songs, has taken on its own magical life separate from the film, appealing to audiences of all ages and nationalities. Its story of the importance of family is at the heart of the show and the reason why this iconic British nanny remains irresistibly timeless and popular the world over.”

 

Thomas Schumacher said: “It is of course a great joy to collaborate again with our long-time partner, Cameron Mackintosh, on this glorious production and I’m thrilled that the show will return to take up residency at the beautifully restored Prince Edward Theatre, one of London’s greatest. Mary Poppins may have played over one hundred cities on four continents but at last, Mary will return to the West End.  In every iteration of this beloved tale, Mary appears at 17 Cherry Tree Lane because the Banks family needs her; needs her unconditional love, her enchantment and her belief. Has there ever been a time when we have all needed Mary more?”

 

The multi award-winning creative team for Mary Poppins, which originally opened in the West End fourteen years ago, is led by director Richard Eyre, with co-direction and choreography byMatthew Bourne, co-choreography by Stephen Mear, set and costume designs by Bob Crowley, lighting design by Natasha Katz, sound design by Paul Gatehouse and orchestrations by William David Brohn.

The stage production is co-created by Cameron Mackintosh and has a book by Academy Award®-winning screenwriter and Downton Abbey creator, Julian Fellowes.  The score by Richard M Sherman and Robert B Sherman includes the classic songs Jolly Holiday, Step in Time, Feed the Birds and Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious with new songs and additional music and lyrics by the Olivier award-winning British team of George Stiles and Anthony Drewe. The producer for Disney Theatrical Productions is Thomas Schumacher.

 

Zizi Strallen is currently playing Fran in Strictly Ballroom The Musical at the Piccadilly Theatre.  Her previous theatre credits include Follies at the National Theatre, Mary Poppins on tour in the UK, Ireland and in Dubai, Matthew Bourne’s The Car Man and Cinderella at Sadler’s Wells and on tour, Cats and Scrooge at the London Palladium, Hairspray and Chicago at Leicester Curve, Merrily We Roll Along at the Harold Pinter Theatre, Rock of Ages at the Shaftesbury Theatre and The Music Man for Chichester Festival Theatre.

 

Award-winning Charlie Stemp most recently played Barnaby Tucker in the Broadway production of Hello, Dolly! opposite Bette Midler and Bernadette Peters. He previously played the title role in last year’s Palladium pantomime Dick Whittington, following his critically acclaimed performance as Arthur Kipps in Half a Sixpence at the Noël Coward Theatre, a role he first performed at Chichester Festival Theatre.  His further theatre credits include Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theatre and the international tour of Mamma Mia!.

 

The stage production of Mary Poppins originally opened in the West End in December 2004, running for three years and over 1,250 performances. During this time it won two Olivier Awards, an Evening Standard Award and the Variety Club Award for Best Musical.  The Tony Award®-winning Broadway production ran for over six years.  The show has subsequently toured the UK and Ireland, the US, Australia, New Zealand and played in Holland, Mexico, Austria, Switzerland, Dubai, Japan and Germany where the production continues its successful run in Hamburg. Mary Poppins has been seen by over 11 million people worldwide.

 

LINKS

facebook.com/marypoppins
twitter.com/marypoppins

instagram.com/marypoppinsmusical

Website: marypoppinsonstage.co.uk

The Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield – runs until 15th September 2018.

Reviewed by Sophie Dodworth

3***

Still Alice was a debut novel written by Lisa Genova in 2007. The book went on to be adapted for film and in 2014 Julianne Moore went on to win an Oscar, for her performance as Alice on the screen. However, a year before the film was made, the story was adapted for stage by Christine Mary Dunford and that is the version that is currently touring the UK, making a stop this week at The Lyceum.

This is a serious piece of theatre looking at the morose but common disease, alzheimer’s.

We meet Alice (Sharon Small), a once successful professor at Harvard. At the start of the time line in March 2015 we see Alice starting to be generally forgetful and she wonders if she is on the menopausal track. After visiting her doctor and a number of tests being carried out she is diagnosed with early onset alzheimers. We then follow her over the next three years to the present day and watch the disease develop, destroy and take over her being entirely.

The audience gets to hear Alices’ most intimate thoughts as alongside Alice on stage at all times is actress Eva Pope, playing ‘herself’. ‘Herself’ is Alices’ mind. This is a really suitable, needed touch and one that without it, the audience would be much less savvy to what is actually happening to the brain, in someone with alzheimer’s. This makes the piece educational and informative, encouraging the audience to really engage with what it must be like to live with this cruel disease.

An insight in to family life with a family member with alzheimers is a large chunk of this tale. It shows the frustrations and conflicts between loved ones and highlights issues within the family unit. The scene where the son and daughter (Lydia and Thomas) are debating on how they should handle their mother is a familiar issue when it comes to this disease. Many families are not educated enough to be able to provide adequate support and provide a consistent role to the ones that need them the most.

Sharon Small is a great actress, with TV under her belt like Call the Midwife and Downton Abbey. She also provides a steely performance during this show as do the rest of the cast. The actors are all giving it their everything and not a weak performance in sight…so why is this show somewhat underwhelming? Maybe it could be the fact that the sound was an issue, especially at the beginning; coughs from the audience were drowning out the actors.

Or maybe it lacked a certain amount of emotion in places. Either way, there was a disappointing amount of applause from the auditorium at the Lyceum.

An educational piece that centres around a subject that we should all know much more about, with the rapidly growing number of people suffering this awful fate.

Ovalhouse’s autumn season 2018
Ovalhouse, 52-54 Kennington Oval, London SE11 5SW
Wednesday 26 September – Sunday 30 December 2018

In a unique collaborative programme, Ovalhouse’s autumn season brings together an outstanding collection of six new shows plus seven FiRST BiTES that, for the first time, are all coproduced in-house by Ovalhouse. This season’s pertinent theme of care highlights both the theatre’s enduring passion for nurturing emerging artists – every production in this season started its life at Ovalhouse – as well as the way all of the plays deal with how we care for one
another

Ovalhouse are dedicated to supporting artists with important voices to create radical and innovative theatre. In a time when our government retreats from the provision of social care, it is telling that these artists all, in very different ways, explore the complex ideas of who provides care, who needs our care and the challenges faced when this care is stripped away. Exploring the world through the lens of poverty, child welfare and the trans experience, the season journeys through comedic highs and harrowing lows, whilst welcoming diverse audiences of every age

Kicking off the season is Annie Siddons’ Dennis of Penge which explores poverty, addiction, friendship, ecstasy, love, and chicken shops. The restless new thriller POT from Ambreen Razia (The Diary of a Hounslow Girl) reveals the hidden lives of Britain’s invisible children, adrift in the care system at the mercy of gang culture. Meanwhile, Chris Goode (Monkey Bars, Men in the Cities) returns to Ovalhouse for a three-week run with his latest solo performance Mirabel, exploring what it means to be lost. The season will conclude with a joyful and irreverent new adaptation of the classic story Snow White by award-winning The Wrong Crowd, crafted from an intriguing formula of the finest puppetry, toe-tapping live music and dazzling humour

In addition to their unique programme of FiRST BiTES that give artists the chance to stage their work in front of an audience for the first time, Ovalhouse also continue their Young Associates scheme. The six new fearless and daring young artists who will gain the invaluable opportunity for a full year’s mentorship and financial support to develop their work will be programmed as part 2019 summer season’s FiRST BiTES. With the theatre’s care and guidance, these FiRST BiTE productions can develop into full-length shows such as Spun Glass Theatre’s previously sold-out show Princess Charming and award-winning poet Nick Makoha’s The Dark that tells the vivid and moving story of the migration he made, at the age of four, with his mother

Ovalhouse’s Executive Producer, Stella Kanu, comments, It is a lie that our societal and familial broken parts don’t harm us on deep, sometimes hard-to-repair, levels. Harmonising the souls of our children, our communities, our broken and even high-achieving adults, has got to matter.  How else will we heal from the devastating effects of lopsided wealth creation, and the personal and familial trauma associated with poor housing, poverty and lack? When we reach our
potentials, will it be in a bubble made by our own hands? Or something richer, much more collective in nature, but built on feeling personally and individually strong and empowered?

Kanu’s powerful words resonate throughout this season, seen pertinently in some of the FiRST BiTES; Wonder Girl tells the true story of child protection lawyer Eva Edo who explores the notion that children in care are in fact superheroes who escape into their own surreal worlds to survive. Additionally, Travis Alabanza explores the ways in which the collective care of public spaces is not afforded to transgender bodies. While many of these plays are set against a backdrop of neglect, abandonment and loss, a strong and hopeful light shines through these stories. All of these characters eventually find community, solidarity and self-empowerment.  Even the most famous abandoned child in our season, Snow White, finds a troupe of seven moles who can help her to change her future

The full programme is as follows:

Ovalhouse, Albany Deptford & Annie Siddons present Dennis of Penge
Wed 26 September – Sat 6 October, 7.30pm (press night: Monday 1 October)
Part gig, part poetry, part theatre performance, all transcendent. Loosely inspired by Euripides’ the Bacchae, Dennis of Penge is a show about poverty, addiction, friendship, ecstasy, chicken shops, love & SE20. Set in and around the chicken shops, church halls and job centres of South London, it is loosely inspired by Euripides’ The Bacchae and informed by Annie’s own experiences of newfound sobriety

Ovalhouse and Rua Arts present POT
Tues 9 – Sat 20 October, 7.30pm
Louisa wakes up on lock down surrounded by debris from last night’s blow out. Josh has vanished but she is not alone and she’s beginning to feel the heat. Ambreen Razia’s restless new  thriller, POT, reveals the hidden lives of Britain’s invisible children, adrift in the care system at the mercy of gang culture

Ovalhouse and Spun Glass Theatre present Princess Charming
Tues 23 – Sat 27 October, 2pm
Princess Charming is a contemporary topical exploration of gender identity and stereotypes for children aged seven – eleven. Spun Glass Theatre will transform theatres across the UK into family-friendly cabaret clubs that will energise and educate audiences, demonstrating how adults and children alike can be confident in their role in our modern-day society

Ovalhouse and Chris Goode & Company present Mirabel
Wed 31 October – Sat 18 November, 7.30pm (press night: Thursday 1November)
Eight-year-old Mirabel wakes up after the end of the world to find herself alone, except for her old faithful Bear. Everyone else appears to be gone. And so, Mirabel and Bear set out on a journey across the new desert to find an adult to take care of everything. On the way, they’ll acquire a ragged gang of fellow travellers, including a visionary red-eyed dog, and an injured pilot who insists he’s not the grown-up they’re looking for. A sad, strange fairytale, Mirabel is a
story of what happens when you refuse to accept that you’re lost

Ovalhouse and Fuel present The Dark
Wed 21 November – Sat 1 December, 7.30pm
Written by the award-winning poet Nick Makoha, The Dark tells the vivid and moving story of the migration he made with his mother at the age of four. A night in November 1978; young Nick and his mother flee their home of Kampala and travel by matatu. Buying safe passage and silence with all they have, the conductor asks no questions. Their companions are the missing, lost and displaced, those who have suffered eight years under the violent rule of Idi Amin

Ovalhouse and The Wrong Crowd present Snow White
Wed 12 – Sun 30 December (Tues– Fri, 1pm & 7pm, Sat – Sun, 11.30am & 4.30pm)
Crafted from a unique formula of the finest puppetry, toe-tapping live music and dazzling humour, the award-winning Wrong Crowd’s new twist on an old story will blow away the Christmas blues!

The seven new FiRST BiTES are:

Ovalhouse and Koko Brown present GREY (Thurs 27 – Sat 29 September, 7.45pm)
Koko is a strong, independent, black woman. She has a roof over her head. She has food in her fridge. She lives a good life. She’s also a little bit sad, a lot of the time. She doesn’t understand why. Blending spoken word and vocal looping, GREY is fully British Sign Language integrated and contains sensitive content

Ovalhouse and Jade Lewis present Astro Babies (Fri 5 – Sat 6 October, 11am & 2pm)
Astro Babies is an interactive theatrical experience for babies and their families. Immerse yourself in a world where babies travel through the cosmos in search of discovery, play and relationships. Let’s explore a new world that is very much a part of our history and future. Come and play!

Ovalhouse & Rua Arts present Wonder Girl (Thurs 11 – Sat 13 October, 7.45pm)
Wonderful, a seemingly silent 17-year-old, seeks revenge on adults who let young people down. She uses the devices at her disposal – a few pizzas, Pentecostal rhetoric and one lost soul. This hard-hitting play pulls audiences into Wonderful’s world, highlighting the challenges she faces caught between two realities

Hackney Showroom presents Burgerz (Friday 19 – Saturday 20 October, 7.45pm)
Hurled Words. Thrown Objects. Dodged Burgers. What does the trans body do in order to survive? How can one become a protector, rather than a bystander? Carving out a place for themselves as one of the UK’s prominent trans voices, Travis Alabanza presents a piece that is timely, unsettling and powerful, exploring the way a body can dodge objects and how trans people are dissected in public

Ovalhouse and CASA present Amazonian Sweat Lodge (Thurs 1 – Sat 3 November, 7.45pm)
After a transcendent spiritual awakening Jo & Koko have returned to London from The Amazon where they had a cosmic transformation and now are legitimately enlightened beings. Koko & Jo have created their own church and you are the congregation. Journey through the cosmos of faux spirituality, songs, ceremony, and Amazon purchases

Ovalhouse and CASA present 100 Years (Thurs 8 – Sat 10 November, 7.45pm)
Set in the grassy plains of the Llanos in Central Venezuela, 100 Years follows five generations of first born daughters in one Venezuelan bloodline. With every daughter born, each named Isabela, a brand-new life unfolds across a century of turbulent political change

Ovalhouse and CASA present EverFlea
Thursday 15 – Saturday 17 November, 7.45pm An undersized, imaginary creature has finally fulfilled its lifelong dream: it broke the crystal
screen of its own fiction and made it to the dazzling human world. Its admiration turns into ambition as it resolves to become one of them. Everflea is a fantastically distorted account – to the sound of live music – of what it’s like to feel like an outsider in every aspect of life, a state of bewilderment that is enhanced by a world that over-stimulates our senses, but never seems to
give us what it promises

 

Paul Taylor-Mills presents The Watermill Theatre production of

Murder For Two

 

Touring the UK from October 2018

Before returning to The Other Palace in December 2018

 

 

Following its sell-out European Premiere at The Watermill Theatre and The Other Palace in 2017, Murder For Two is back this Autumn. A UK Tour will launch at Cardiff New Theatre on Monday 22 October, followed by a five-week return engagement at The Other Palace from Monday 10 December.

 

When famous novelist Arthur Whitney is found dead at his birthday party, it’s time to call in the detectives. The only problem is, they’re out of town. Enter Officer Marcus Moscowicz, a neighbourhood cop who dreams of climbing the ranks. With the clock ticking, it’s up to Marcus to prove his super sleuthing skills and solve the crime before the real detective arrives…

 

A hilarious high-energy musical whodunit, Murder For Two is a madcap murder mystery with a twist. Two actors play thirteen characters – and the piano – in this acclaimed new musical. A loving homage to the canon of murder mystery plays, Murder For Two is a hysterical blend of music, mayhem and murder.

 

Ed MacArthur and Jeremy Legat will both reprise their performances as ‘Officer Marcus Moscowicz’ and ‘The Suspects’ respectively. Ed MacArthur’s recent credits include The Borrowers (Watermill Theatre) and Arcadia (UK Tour). Jeremy Legat was recently seen in Crazy For You(Watermill Theatre) with other credits including Grey Gardens (Southwark Playhouse) and Wicked (Apollo Victoria Theatre).

Murder For Two has Book and Music by Joe Kinosian, with Book and Lyrics by Kellen Blair. It was recently a huge hit Off-Broadway, playing at Second Stage Theatre in 2013 before transferring to New World Stages, where the run was extended several times.

 

Murder For Two is directed by Luke Sheppard (In The Heights, King’s Cross Theatre) with musical direction and sound design by Tom Attwood (Peter and the Starcatcher, Theatre Royal Northampton) and design by Gabriella Slade (The Importance Of Being Earnest, Vaudeville Theatre).

 

UK TOUR LISTINGS

Monday 22 – Saturday 27 October 2018

NEW THEATRE, CARDIFF

Box Office: www.newtheatrecardiff.co.uk / 029 2087 8889

 

Thursday 1 – Saturday 3 November 2018

THEATRE ROYAL WINDSOR

Box Office: www.theatreroyalwindsor.co.uk / 01753 853 888

 

Thursday 8 – Saturday 10 November 2018

YVONNE ARNAUD THEATRE, GUILDFORD

Box Office: www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk / 01483 44 00 00

 

Monday 26 – Wednesday 28 November 2018

NOTTINGHAM THEATRE ROYAL

Box Office: www.trch.co.uk / 0115 989 5555

 

THE OTHER PALACE LISTINGS

 

Monday 10 December 2018 – Sunday 13 January 2019

THE OTHER PALACE

12 Palace Street, London, SW1E 5JA

Press Night: Thursday 13 December, 8pm

Performances: 8pm (Tue-Sat), 3pm (Thu & Sat), 4pm (Sun)

Tickets: From £24.00

Box Office: 0844 264 2121 | www.theotherpalace.co.uk

 

Hull New Theatre – until 15th September 2018

Reviewed by Catherine McWilliams

4****

Long Live The Kings Of Hull written and directed by John Godber reintroduces us to the King family, last seen in The Kings Of Hull in April 2017. The play is set one year on from Malcolm and Becky King’s anniversary party and Karl King (Peter McMillan) acts as the narrator to the story of the family’s ups and downs. Kealey King (Pippa Fulton) is doing very well and her beauty empire is growing, and she takes it upon herself to move her Mum and Dad, Malc (Martin Barrass) and Becky (Jane Thornton), away from their troublesome neighbours in East Hull and out to Brough. It may be only 8 miles from Hull but to Malc it could be hundreds of miles and he is very unhappy, which is a cue for Kealey to splash some more cash and take all the family for a “Dutch Dash” on the ferry to Amsterdam. It is in Amsterdam that things really start to unravel and the fractures appear in family relationships.

John Godber’s take on family relationships is very astute, and I can’t have been the only person recognizing some of the conversations from my own family! There are laughs a plenty as Malcolm loses his cool; Trevor (Robert Angell) gets lost and Kealey tells it as it is. There are a couple of moments when the action is a little stilted but generally the play zips along. The scenery effectively takes us from Hull to ferry to Amsterdam and back. The cast gel beautifully and it is easy to see the family relationships.

Martin Barrass is an excellent curmudgeonly Malcolm and his relationships with his daughters were raw at times. His rant in Amsterdam was played to perfection and oh so funny! Pippa Fulton (Kealey) and Josie Morley (Jenny) played their roles well, making the family dynamics very believable. Robert Angell is very funny as Trevor, especially on the trip to Amsterdam.

This is an excellent night out at the theatre and don’t worry if you didn’t see the last play this stands well on its own. You will laugh, cringe and recognise your own family up there on the stage but ultimately will leave the theatre feeling good. John Godber gives us some highs and real lows but in the end “Blood is thicker than water”.

Full casting announced for the Curve and Jamie Wilson co-production of

IRVING BERLIN’S WHITE CHRISTMAS

BASED ON THE PARAMOUNT PICTURES FILM

WRITTEN FOR THE SCREEN BY NORMAN KRASNA, NORMAN PANAMA AND MELVIN FRANK

MUSIC AND LYRICS BY IRVING BERLIN

BOOK BY DAVID IVES AND PAUL BLAKE

ORIGINAL STAGE PRODUCTION DIRECTED BY WALTER BOBBIE

DANNY MAC AS BOB WALLACE

EMMA WILLIAMS AS BETTY HAYNES

DAN BURTON AS PHIL DAVIS

MONIQUE YOUNG AS JUDY HAYNES

DIRECTED BY NIKOLAI FOSTER

CHOREOGRAPHED BY STEPHEN MEAR

SCENIC DESIGN BY MICHAEL TAYLOR

COSTUME DESIGN BY DIEGO PITARCH

LIGHTING DESIGN BY MARK HENDERSON

SOUND DESIGN BY TOM MARSHALL

ORIGINAL ORCHESTRATIONS BY LARRY BLANK

VOCAL AND DANCE ARRANGEMENTS BY BRUCE POMAHAC

RE-ORCHESTRATIONS BY JASON CARR

MUSICAL SUPERVISION BY STEPHEN BROOKER

MUSICAL DIRECTION BY NEIL MACDONALD

6 Dec 2018 to 13 Jan 2019

 

Curve and Jamie Wilson have revealed the full casting for the upcoming festive Made at Curve production of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas.

Curve’s Artistic Director Nikolai Foster, who directed the award-winning Curve productions of Sunset Boulevard and Legally Blonde, will reunite with two-time Olivier Award-winning choreographer Stephen Mear to bring a host of new and familiar faces to Curve’s stage in Leicester for the classic winter musical.

Among those returning to the theatre are Danny Mac and Emma Williams. Danny, whose character Bob Wallace delivers the musical‘s titular and much-loved song, played the role of Joe Gillis in Curve’s production of Sunset Boulevard, for which he received the Manchester Theatre Award for Best Actor in a Visiting Production. Four-time Olivier Award-nominated Emma Williams, who recently appeared in Curve’s world-premiere production of An Officer and a Gentleman – the Musical, will play one half of the all singing, all dancing sister duo, Betty Haynes.

Joining Emma as Betty’s sister Judy is Monique Young (Singin‘ in the Rain, Grand Palais, Paris and Kiss Me Kate, Kilworth House) while Olivier Award-nominated Dan Burton (Top Hat, Kilworth House and Gypsy, Savoy Theatre) joins Danny Mac as the ex-army turned showbiz double act.

Garry Robson (Graeae’s Reason’s to be Cheerful, and Ramp’s on the Moon Our Country’s Good) will play retired US Army General Henry Waverly, with Wendy Mae Brown (Ghost the Musical, UK tour) as his big-hearted housekeeper.

Speaking about the announcement, Curve’s Chief Executive Chris Stafford and Artistic Director Nikolai Foster said:

“It’s shaping up to be another eccentric year, with much turbulence and uncertainty close to home and across the globe. White Christmas undoubtedly represents the very best festive escapism, guaranteed to banish all blues and nourish the soul with some of the greatest songs and dance sequences ever written.

“Berlin’s magnificent score – some of the finest created for the American songbook – are woven around a suitably madcap, exuberant and funny story.

“At the end of a wonderful year of 10th anniversary celebrations, we are proud to have brought together a cracking cast for our most ambitious Christmas production to date. Emma, Danny, Monique, Dan, Garry and Wendy Mae are going to raise the roof in LE1 and they lead an astonishing company of musical theatre’s finest talents. Alongside master of the dance Stephen Mear and our talented production team, we are excited to bring this epic, Christmas extravaganza to life on stage at Curve.”

The full cast includes Michael Anderson making his professional debut at Curve as Marty, Delycia Belgrave (Legally Blonde, UK tour) as Rita, Chantel Bellew (Scrooge the Musical, Curve) as Loretta, Luke Byrne (La Cage aux Folles, UK & Ireland tour) as Mark, Sophie Camble (Chess, London Coliseum) as Gale, Roger Dipper (Singin’ in the Rain, Theatre du Chatelet) as Ralph Sheldrake, Nicholas Duncan (Fiddler on the Roof, Chichester Festival Theatre) as Jim, Davide Fienauri (Me and My Girl, Chichester Festival Theatre) as Scooter, Nia Jermin (Scrooge the Musical, Curve) as Gloria, Robbie McMillan (Chess, London Coliseum) as Dean, Jo Morris (Shoes, Sadlers Wells) as Connie, Sam Murphy (Grease, Curve) as Mike, Alex Tranter (Eugenius, The Other Palace) as Jimmy, Sion Tudor Owen (West Side Story, Wales Millennium Centre) as Ezekiel Foster, Alexandra Waite-Roberts (Guys and Dolls, Royal Albert Hall) as Tessie and Bleu Woodward (Kinky Boots, Adelphi Theatre) as Rhoda.

Four young local girls, Ellie Copping, Lucie Ellard, Macy Grundy and Georgia Stewart will also share the role of Susan Waverly, the General’s granddaughter, throughout the production’s run. They will also be joined by our Curve Young Company, who will play the roles of Soldiers and their wives.

Based on the Paramount Pictures film of the same name starring Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye, with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin and book by David Ives and Paul Blake, White Christmas tells the story of Veterans Bob Wallace and Phil Davis and their successful song-and-dance act after World War II. With romance in mind, the two follow a duo of beautiful singing sisters en route for their Christmas show at a Vermont lodge, which just happens to be owned by Bob and Phil’s former Army commander. Featuring a dazzling, instantly recognisable score including Blue Skies, Sisters, Count your Blessings and arguably the most famous Christmas song of them all, White Christmas, Irving Berlin’s beloved Broadway sensation is an enduring tale of friendship, camaraderie, hope and the pursuit of happiness, told through spectacular dance routines and some of the greatest musical theatre songs ever written.

For more information and to buy tickets, visit www.curveonline.co.uk, call Curve’s Ticket Office team on 0116 242 3595 or visit the theatre in person.

VANILLA

“I swear I will never get you guys. Literally. All you ever do is talk about a Woman jumping all over your cock. Yet when you have one, you’d rather have a threesome with David Bowie and a Stuffed-Crust Texas Barbeque.”

Katie and Dan have been seeing each other for a while now, but they are yet to consummate the relationship. The timing has just never been quite… Right? Tonight, Dan has a free-house. Katie is sure that he is THE ONE. After all, he’s been practicing putting on a condom ALL afternoon. Pizza, Netflix and Chill and the hope of Raunchy Sex hangs in the air. After all, that’s what they both want. Isn’t it?

WELCOME TO AN AGE WHERE OUR SEX-LIVES BELONG TO THE INTERNET.

“VANILLA”

The Tristan Bates Theatre

24th – 28th September 6.15pm

29th September 2.30pm

WRITTEN BY:

Laura Mead

STARRING:

Ned Wakeley

Therica Wilson-Read

Joshua Beecham

DIRECTED BY:

Keith Swainston

TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW! BOOK HERE:

https://www.tristanbatestheatre.co.uk/whats-on/vanilla