New Victoria Theatre, Woking – until 27 April 2019
Reviewed by Becky Doyle
4****
From the moment the porch fell I was on the edge of my seat and I didn’t sit back and relax until the curtains came down. The story was intense and captivating and the actors were fantastic.
The set was simple yet effective and nothing more was needed. One criticism was the sound effects, though in the grand scheme of things this was minor. The ‘pipes’ had a somewhat questionable rumble and the final lighting strike was a more fake looking than I would have liked or expected, but other than that there really was little fault with the production.
Its hard to single out actors with such a small cast, though to their defense, I feel that it is harder to keep an audience entertained with a smaller more direct cast. Rita Simons (Caro) and Jo McFadden (Ollie) were convincing throughout and brought you into their very loving, relationship with a hint of comedy and plenty of affection. Whereas Charlie Clements (Chris) was the loveable geek who provided you with the potential twist to the story line… “DID HE? OR DIDN’T HE?”
I walked away from the show with a genuine interest in its background and the story behind the book. It’s definitely one to watch as long as your looking for excitement, tension and a look into the afterlife and its possibilities…!!
Grand Opera House York – until Saturday 27th April.
Reviewed by Michelle Richardson
4****
Based around the hit film of the same name, this is by far more entertaining, Rock of Ages hit York with all it’s 80’s glam rock style. Resplendent in song, clothing and hair. The story is built around the classic rock bands that were around during that time, such as Bon Jovi, Poison and Journey, and rock ballads they produced, trust me you will know the majority of the tunes.
Set in LA, with the main focus being the Bourbon Room, it is essentially a love story between wannabe actress Sherrie (Jodie Steele) and wannabe rock star Drew aka Wolfgang Von Colt (Luke Walsh). They both really want to be together, but cannot express their true feelings, so end up hurting each other, going their separate ways and their dreams of success being so far from reality.
The Bourbon Room is owned by Dennis (Kevin Kennedy), most noted for playing loveable Curly Watts in Coronation Street. Once he got going as the old faded rock star, he was hilarious and could belt out the old tune. His side-kick and narrator of the show, was Lonny (Lucas Rush). Rush was on stage for most of the show and was the highlight. He was absolutely fantastic as the over the top, camp Lonny, interacting with the audience with ease, he had us all in stitches. I absolutely loved his performance, even when he lost his trousers. I must say that his performance is my absolute favourite of all time, in all the shows I have seen, so far. LOVED it.
We see father and son team, Hertz (Vas Constanti) and Franz (Andrew Carthy, with his pearly white gnashers), wanting to redevelop the strip and knock down the Bourbon Room. To try and fight the closure and raise some much needed funds, Dennis persuades rock band Arsenal and their lead singer Stacee Jaxx, to play their last gig at his venue, before they go their separate ways. Anthony Costa, formerly of Blue, has just taken over this role from Kevin Clifton. Obliviously, as in all these shows, thing all turn out right in the end, the bar staying open, even after the demise of Dennis and the lovestruck getting their act together.
This show certainly captivated the audience right from the start, though at times it sailed very close to the wind. There is quite a bit of sexual content within the show, pushing it up to over 18’s only, that I did find a bit uncomfortable at times. Some of the female costumes were sure skimpy, I never realised that shorts could be so tight and sooooo short. The objectification of the women at times also left me feeling a bit uneasy, but ultimately I worked through that and just enjoyed the show. I sound like a right prude, trust me I’m not. The whole cast were captivating and they could belt out some tunes, giving justice to the old rock ballads. The energy in the dance was quite striking, I especially enjoyed watching Bobby Winderbank and his physicality.
This is a fun, feel good show, with plenty of energy. It had us all up on our feet, singing and dancing in the finale and one I can recommend, just be warned of the sexual content.
Birmingham Repertory Theatre Announces Autumn and Winter Season 2019
Highlights
· Robert Lindsay stars in Prism – Terry Johnson’s witty and poignant play about the extraordinary life of the Oscar-winning cinematographer, Jack Cardiff.
· Rebel Music, a new play by Robin French and a raucous celebration of people power, set to a soundtrack of Punk, Reggae and 2Tone.
· Inua Ellams’ applauded vivid and energetic Barber Shop Chronicles makes its Midlands debut following a world tour.
· The breath-takingly talented Blood of the Young give their unique and colourful take on Jane Austen’s definitive rom-com in an all-female adaptation, Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of).
· Stirring stories of women of retirement age shine through in Prime Time – three monologues by Maeve Clarke, Rachael Mainwaring and Rochi Rampal reflecting ageist stereotypes and deep-rooted gender issues..
· Melly Still’s uplifting and heartbreaking staging of Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones, adapted by Bryony Lavery, returns due to popular demand ahead of a UK tour.
· Mushy: Lyrically Speaking finds rhythm and voice in the true story of young man with a stammer by Pravesh Kumar and British rapper, Raxstar and directed by Ameet Chana.
· Award-winning playwright, Winsome Pinnnock, reimagines her 2005 play, One Under in a new production for Graeae, directed by The REP’s newly appointed deputy artistic director, Amit Sharma
· Hanif Kureishi’s ground-breaking 1985 film and empathetic portrait of a British Asian community in Thatcher’s Britain, My Beautiful Laundrette comes to the stage in a bold new production directed by Nikolai Foster.
· Winner of more awards than any other production in history is Stephen Daldry’s landmark production of the classic thriller An Inspector Calls, which returns having last played The REP eleven years ago.
· Director Liam Steel returns for a second Christmas at The REP with a fresh and spectacular, swashbuckling take on the classic, Peter Pan.
· Waddling back for Christmas is the delightful, Penguins – a warm and engaging story for young audiences about friendship, acceptance and the ever-changing definition of what makes a family.
Birmingham Repertory Theatre’s outgoing Artistic Director, Roxana Silbert, today announces the theatre’s Autumn and Winter 2019 season, launching a programme of familiar favourites side-by-side with new and inspiring theatre.
In her last programmed season for Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Roxana Silbert said:
“I was originally drawn to The REP by its pioneering spirit, the diversity and energy of the city and the potential of a theatre that could produce the whole gamut of work: from the epic and commercial to the niche and community, encompassed in Graham Winteringham’s inspiring building. The REP is blessed with an audience that is both open hearted and open minded and I hope that some of the spirit of the city and its people is reflected in a programme that is bursting with national and home-grown talent, alongside inventive new work across its three stages and beyond.”
The Autumn season opens with the return of The Lovely Bones (6 – 21 September). Commissioned by The REP and premiered in 2018 to critical acclaim, Melly Still returns to direct Bryony Lavery’s uplifting adaptation of Sebold’s story about life after loss, ahead of a new UK tour.
Following two sell-out runs at the National Theatre and a world tour, Inua Ellams’ acclaimed Barber Shop Chronicles (26 – 28 September) comes to The REP. Directed by Olivier award-winning director Bijan Sheibani, Barber Shop Chronicles is a heart-warming, hilarious and insightful new play that leaps from a barber shop in Peckham to Johannesburg, Harare, Kampala, Lagos and Accra over the course of a single day.
Robert Lindsay stars in Prism (4 – 12 October), Terry Johnson’s delightfully witty and poignant play based on the extraordinary life of double Oscar-winning cinematic master Jack Cardiff; the man who made Hollywood’s greatest divas beautiful and who lived a life as colourful as his cinematography. Part fact, part fiction, Prism, sees Cardiff retired and wanting to live in the past rather than remember it. Prism is a co-production between The REP and Hampstead Theatre following the play’s sell-out run in London in 2017. It opens at The REP ahead of a UK tour.
Promising an adaptation like no other of Jane Austen’s definitive rom-com is the breathtakingly- talented Blood of the Young’s Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) (15 October – 2 November)which caused a sensation last year at the Tron Theatre, Glasgow. In a new scaled-up production, this unique and colourful take on Jane Austen’s unrivalled classic is an irreverent all-female adaptation featuring a gloriously subversive love letter to the 19th century original and a killer karaoke soundtrack. A co-production between Birmingham Repertory Theatre and Edinburgh’s Royal Lyceum Theatre.
Hanif Kureishi’s iconic and ground-breaking 1985 film, My Beautiful Laundrette (5 – 9 November) comes to the stage in a bold new production directed by Nikolai Foster, Artistic Director of Leicester Curve. Set in London during the Thatcher years, Kureishi’s story of a British Asian community explores issues of sexuality, cultural conflict, gender equality, class and generational strife, all presented against a funky backdrop of 80s music and culture.
The Autumn season in the main house also includes Stephen Daldry’s landmark production of An Inspector Calls (12 – 16 November). Visionary, radical and challenging this version of JB Priestly’s classic thriller, hailed as the theatrical event of its generation, has been seen by more than 4 million people worldwide and was last seen at The REP in 2008.
For Christmas 2019 a fresh and spectacular, new staging of Peter Pan (30 November – 19 January) sees the return of director Liam Steel following his highly-acclaimed production of The Wizard of Ozlast year. Filled with swashbuckling adventure the eternal classic Peter Pan is the perfect festive show for adventurous children and those still young at heart.
Rebel Music (19 September – 5 October) is the latest play from Birmingham born-writer, Robin French, co-created and directed by Alex Brown, commissioned by Birmingham Repertory Theatre and presented in association with Middle Child. Set in the sweltering hot summer of 1976, Rebel Music is the story of three friends who are forced to navigate racial politics and social upheaval alongside their own turbulent teenage years. A raucous celebration of people power, set to a soundtrack of Punk, Reggae and 2Tone, Rebel Music will also tour to local community venues as part of The REP’s ongoing commitment to making theatre accessible to all.
Prime Time (23 – 26 October) is a new piece of theatre and the third collaboration between The REP and Women & Theatre exploring themes of women in work. Comprising three monologues by three playwrights – Maeve Clarke, Rachael Mainwaring and Rochi Rampal and featuring Janice Connolly,Prime Time explores the experiences of women of retirement age; those still working through choice or necessity, full-time carers and those embracing new opportunities for the final third of their lives.
An uplifting tale inspired by the true story of a young man with a debilitating stammer is told in a new play by Pravesh Kumar and British Asian rapper, Raxstar for Rifco Theatre Company. Mushy: Lyrically Speaking (26 – 28 September) tells the story of Musharaf Asghar who found himself at the centre of the television documentary, Educating Yorkshire in 2013. In a moment of inspiration from his teacher, Mr Burton, he started to find a rhythm in his voice through music. With his story playing out on television, Mushy became an overnight celebrity, but this was only just the start of his journey to find his voice.
A re-imagined version of One Under (19 – 23 November) by award-winning playwright Winsome Pinnock and director Amit Sharma (recently announced as The REP’s new Deputy Artistic Director) for Graeae visits The REP as part of a national tour. First produced in 2005, the re-written One Underis an evocative play about the power of guilt and quest for atonement, exploring the fragility of human relationships. When a young man jumps in front of a train Cyrus is driving, the mysterious circumstances prompt him to search for answers. One Under will include a creative combination of captioning and audio description.
Theatre for younger audiences sees the return of the delightful Penguins – a warm and engaging story about friendship, acceptance and the ever-changing definition of what makes a family. Created and directed by Paul Bosco McEneaney and co-produced by The REP, Cahoots NI and Prime Theatre the show returns to Birmingham ahead of a 20-week tour of the US.
Elsewhere theatre for children and families includes Lyngo Theatre’s What A Wonderful World (14 September) and Down in The Dumps from The Play House (5 October) and Comedy 4 Kids and Simple Politics’ How Does This Politics Thing Work Then? (26 October). Search For The Second Star (19 – 21 December)is an immersive experience developed in partnership between The REP and Open Theatre Company designed as a companion piece to Peter Pan to engage young people with learning disabilities.
The biennial BEDLAM Festival returns to get people thinking and talking about mental health through the arts. The festival is produced by The REP in partnership with Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, Midlands Arts Centre, Sampad South Asian Arts and Geese Theatre to promote positive mental health and wellbeing with a programme spanning theatre, dance and visual arts. Highlights include two new plays which explore the rising epidemic of male suicide – The Thing(4 – 5 October) by Les Enfants Terribles and Revolving Door (8 October) by Polly Wright and the Hearth Centre, plus a third new play Playing The Game (9 – 10 October) about mothers in prison created by Geese Theatre Company using interviews conducted at a UK prison.
The REP is delighted to be collaborating with Birmingham’s Fierce Festival (15 – 20 October) in the autumn to present three surprising and provocative performances: In Many Hands by Katie McIntosh – a performance that brings the audience into a tactile, multi-sensory situation; Familiar – a twinset of performances on significant otherness, one each written by Gillie Kleiman and Greg Wohead and performed by the other, and Working With Children by Nicola Gunn – a performance essay that looks at the problem of intimacy and exposure.
As part of the city-wide SHOUT Festival is Split Britches’ Unexploded Ordnances (UXO) (16 November). Combining a Dr Strangelove-inspired performance with a daring forum for public conversation, audience members are invited to discuss the global issues of the day as the company weave in satirical insights and humour. SHOUT festival will also present a showcase of work-in-progress performances from the next generation of queer Midlands theatre-makers in Queer And Now (9 November).
Music Theatre Wales return with The Intelligence Park (4 November) – Irish composer, Gerald Barry’s first opera which premiered in 1990 at the Almeida Festival and now performed in Birmingham for the first time.
Complementing the autumn theatre programme, The REP plays host to a number of comedy one-night stands including Humble Pi – Matt Parker’s Comedy of Maths Errors (26 October) and Andy Parson’s Healing The Nation (23 November).
Inspired by Greek tragedy, Beneath The City will be performed by a chorus drawn from The Young REP and members of the theatre’s Adult Drama Company alongside refugees and asylum seekers in collaboration with Upstart Theatre (14 – 17 January).
The Autumn and Winter 2019 Season goes on sale to members on Wednesday 24 April with general booking opening on Wednesday 1 May at 12 noon.
Lawrence Batley Theatre announces three year partnerships with writer and poet Nikita Gill and ThickSkin theatre company
Lawrence Batley Theatre’s new Artistic Director & Chief Executive Henry Filloux-Bennett today announced the first ‘Storytellers’, artists who will be creating and performing work at the theatre over the next three years.
Nikita Gill is an Indian writer and the UK’s most followed poet with more than half a million followers. Her popular books include Fierce Fairytales & Other Stories to Stir Your Soul – a collection of fairy tales for a new generation, focussing on gender stereotypes and the darker side of classic stories – andWild Embers: Poems of Rebellion, Fire and Beauty. Her new book Great Goddesses will be released later this year.
Nikita will be bringing her stories to life on stage for the first time at the theatre, creating and staging work in Huddersfield over the next three years.
Nikita said: ‘This is my first foray from page to stage and I feel honoured to collaborate with the Lawrence Batley Theatre.I’m excited to tell stories for people outside the mainstream. To tell stories that put women front and centre and stories that have the power to change the world we live in.We’ve already started work on the first show and it’s shaping up to be wonderful. I’m really looking forward to sharing the magic with the people of Huddersfield and Kirklees.’
ThickSkin creates innovative and exciting theatre. The company was formed by Neil Bettles and Laura Mallows in 2010 and quickly established itself as one of the UK’s most exciting theatre companies, producing multi-award-winning productions, commissioning new writing and touring worldwide. The organisation aims to unearth new talent and engage established artists in the creation of new work.
The Lawrence Batley Theatre has co-commissioned a new play by ThickSkin which will tour the UK later this year and be performed at the theatre as well as in community centres and libraries. The partnership will then continue with new plays commissioned in 2020 and 2021.
Neil Bettles, Artistic Director of ThickSkin said: ‘At ThickSkin we have always thrived on collaboration. The partnership with Lawrence Batley Theatre is the perfect way for us to share and create new work with a wide range of people. Our work is accessible, inclusive and vibrant and aims to bring more people into the theatre not only to watch the work but to take part in making it. We create theatre that draws on many forms but at the heart we want to tell good stories. Sometimes true, sometimes fantasy, our work is always physical, visual, engaging and imaginative and has a cinematic quality that we hope inspires young audiences to create their own work.’
Laura Mallows, Executive Director of ThickSkin said: ‘I’m delighted that we’re going to be working with Lawrence Batley Theatre in the coming years. We share a commitment to developing audiences and we want to tell stories both inside and outside the theatre so that we meet new people, and hear their stories too. Working closely with Henry and his team we’re already developing two projects for 2019, and have lots of ideas about how the partnership will grow. We want to meet artists who are based in Yorkshire and create work with them.’
The two ‘Storytellers’ are the first announcements from the Lawrence Batley Theatre’s new Artistic Director & Chief Executive Henry Filloux-Bennett.
Henry said: ‘Stories have shaped the world around us for as long as we’ve been able to share them – from how we feel and grow as individuals to how we come together and develop as a community. In these uncertain times however, questioning how and why we tell stories is crucial. We are so thrilled to be working with ThickSkin and Nikita Gill – two of the most exciting and original creative forces in the country – over the next few years to respond to these questions. Developing relationships with these two ‘Storytellers’, we’ll be presenting new cross-art form work – including theatre, movement and poetry – made in and for Huddersfield, across the theatre’s three performance spaces, all with a clear aim: to reflect the times we find ourselves in, and to explore how we share meaningful stories for today.’
The autumn season at the theatre will also include Nigel Slater’s Toast, which was adapted byHenry Filloux-Bennet for the West End stage, and the Sheffield Theatres and English Touring Theatre co-production of Matt Haig’s Reasons To Stay Alive. Both shows are on sale now at www.thelbt.org
Further details on ThickSkin’s production will be announced in May with Nikita Gill’s first show announced in July. The full autumn/winter season at the Lawrence Batley Theatre will be announced in early July.
Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield – until Saturday 27th April 2019
Reviewed by Charleigh Christmas
3***
The play Rough Crossing written by Tom Stoppard in 1984, is a comedy set aboard an ocean liner, carrying a cast of characters on a journey to make their premier in New York.
The cast is made up of a pair of writers, a genius composer, two actors and an ever faithful steward. As the cast are on their voyage, it’s not smooth sailing for them as secrets are revealed, friendships are frayed and lives are threatened to be ruined. As serious as this all sounds, the play is remarkably light-hearted and witty in it’s telling.
The play felt as though the plot was a little stretched thin in the first half of the play, and I found that where it wanted to be funny the jokes were falling a bit flat. Introduced to “Turai” played by John Partidge, and “Gal” played by Matthew Cole, they are authors on their way to New York, having four days to rewrite their ending. Both did extremely well in their roles and had subtle characterisations. The character “Dvorrnichek” or “Murphy” was played by Charlie Stemp, and was by far my favourite character of the show. He drove the story forward and his comic timing was brilliant. He was able to move around the set and actually have me feeling like he was at sea.
The first half of the play ended with a musical number, which I felt was a little out of place and felt forced.
Going into the second half the play found it’s stride. I started to feel like it was a parody of itself, and I was laughing whole heartedly near the end. Although the plot did again feel forced, and a little confusing at times. I think the idea of having “Dvornichek” almost narrating and guiding us through the story was definitely needed.
The set was simple yet stunning, and the costumes were the same. I was taking note of the magnificent props that had been sourced for this production.
I would say the cast were a brilliant set of actors, and the direction was brilliant. It was unfortunate for me that the play itself was a tad weak.
Announcing the final Thunder Girl Carol Harrison stars as ‘Chrissie’ in The Thunder Girls!
Carol Harrison has been announced as the final star to be cast in the all-female world premiere preview of The Thunder Girls at The Lowry Tue 24 – Sat 28 September. Carol will star alongside Coronation Street’s Beverley Callard, Queen of Day Time TV, Coleen Nolan and West End’s All About Jamie star, Mina Anwar.
The Thunder Girls is a true celebration of women. All four of The Thunder Girls actresses are over 50, one of the most under-represented demographics in the UK entertainment industry. The show has a female writer, female producer and female director and all from working class roots – another area which is under represented in mainstream media. The debut play by Melanie Blake is an adaptation from her first novel of the same name which will be released by Pan Macmillan this summer. The week long premiere preview will open at The Lowry, Salford on 24th September 2019 and tickets are on sale now. The run is nearly sold out in record time for a completely new piece.
Carol Harrison takes on the role of Chrissie, former lead singer of The Thunder Girls, who at the height of the band’s success, ditched the others to pursue a solo career, taking their manager, Rick, her bandmate’s boyfriend with her. Chrissie would trample on anyone to get to the top and stay there. For decades Chrissie maintained her stardom whilst the other girls’ lives and careers fell apart. Now Chrissie must face the former friends and bandmates she cast aside without looking back to join her at Wembley Stadium for the pay cheque of their lives. But can a price be put on pain, anger, heartache and betrayal – at The Reunion Dinner From Hell – the audience are about to find out…
The Thunder Girls follows an ‘80s girl group reuniting 30 years after greed, envy and egos tore their friendship and the band apart. The play focuses on what goes on during the night from hell when lead singer Chrissie tries to reunite the band she dumped. Chrissie is desperate to salvage herself from bankruptcy after being conned out of her fortune by her toy boy husband. But is there a fee which can heal the wounds? Or maybe some friendships never die, even if you want them to?
They say write about what you know, and as one of the UK’s most powerful music managers, Melanie has lived and breathed The Thunder Girls. Melanie came from nothing but was inspired by Jackie Collins’ books and ‘80s television to believe that she could become whoever she wanted to be. She started her career at Top of the Pops working with the biggest names in showbiz from Destiny’s Child to The Spice Girls and went on to become a manager to some of the biggest names in pop.
Melanie Blake, Writer, says: Carol Harrison’s performance in Eastenders as Louise Raymond twenty years ago burned up the screen. This was when I started writing The Thunder Girls. And Carol’s performance made such an impact on me, that there was never any doubt that she would be the perfect actress to play The Thunder Girls’ protagonist, Chrissie Martin.
I was familiar with Carol’s great body of work before Eastenders but it was as Louise that she captured me, as well as millions, as she smashed her way through that famous Square giving Walford some of its finest moments. We knew she’d moved behind the scenes and didn’t know if we could tempt her back, so when Carol accepted the challenge of playing Chrissie Martin, the hostess at our Dinner Party from Hell, the whole team were delighted.
Carol completes a fantastic cast of 4 incredibly strong, vibrant and talented women who are going to give our audience the night of their lives as they tear up the stage (almost literally!) At the World Premiere Preview of The Thunder Girls this September at The Lowry, Salford.
Carol Harrison says: “When I left Eastenders, I was in my mid-forties and felt I had so much to more to give. I had worked constantly for 25 years up to that point but it soon became apparent that after ‘Louise Raymond’, my character in Eastenders, there were very few decent parts being written for working class women of my age and the handful that I was offered were stereotypical downtrodden, dowdy and broken. I didn’t feel old or past it, but according to the industry, I was. That hurt me as an actress and as a woman. At the same time my relationship had broken up and I was bringing up my son, Alfie, alone. I couldn’t hang on forever waiting for the phone to ring about a role which excited me, I had a child to support – I had to survive. So I went back to writing, and for the past 20 years have been behind the scenes writing, producing, directing and teaching.
While I am very proud of my achievements, acting is and always has been my first love. But of course, like “love” it has often been unrequited. I am absolutely thrilled to be playing the role of Chrissie Martin in The Thunder Girls and am honoured to be working alongside such a wonder bunch of glorious awe-inspiring women. What I love most about the part of Chrissie Martin is her passion and tenacity. She is determined to continue to follow her dream, to not be thrown on the scrapheap because she has lost her youth and therefore her ‘relevance’. She is a fighter, ready to stand up to whatever life throws at her.
The Thunder Girls is an incredibly well written, blisteringly powerful play, which leads the audience on a rollercoaster journey, full of love, passion, tears and laughter. In thirty years apart, these women have seen their livelihoods lost, their creativity crushed and relationships torn apart. It’s a story of struggle and survival, and it’s a struggle that I can totally relate to in my own life, and which draws me even closer to this exciting role and why, for the first time in twenty years away from the spotlight, I just had to say yes. I’ve waited decades for such a brilliant and fulfilling character to come along and finally, here she is! I am Back.”
Angela Squire, Producer, says: “Carol Harrison was born to play Chrissie Martin. We are delighted that The Thunder Girls is the work which has tempted her back into the spotlight, where she belongs. Carol Harrison is an accomplished actress and it is that superb mastery of her craft coupled with Carol’s own rollercoaster life experiences which will make her performance as Chrissie Martin nothing short of electrifying.
We are proud to have created 4 strong roles for actresses over 50, all from working class backgrounds, who will be giving the performances of their lives for our packed audiences in The Lowry, Salford.”
PAUL BLAKE, SONY/ATV MUSIC PUBLISHING, MIKE BOSNER
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
MICHAEL HARRISON
ANNOUNCE THE RETURN OF THE
OLIVIER, TONY AND GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING
BEAUTIFUL – THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL
EMBARKING ON A UK AND IRELAND TOUR
OPENING AT THE CHURCHILL THEATRE BROMLEY
ON 11 JANUARY 2020
Following a highly successful West End run/a run of two and a half years in the West End 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 that the Olivier, Tony and Grammy award-winning BEAUTIFUL – THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL will hit the road again and tour throughout the UK and Ireland in 2020, opening at the Churchill Theatre Bromley on 11 January. Tour schedule below with further venues and casting to be announced soon.beautifulmusical.co.uk
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 andTheLocomotion. 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 celebrates five years on Broadway this year and continues to sell out in cities across the US throughout its North American tour.
Regional Theatre Young Director Scheme (RTYDS) – the professional artist development programme for potential, new, emerging and experienced theatre directors – has announced its 18-Month Residency placements for 2019.
Sameena Hussain
The newly redeveloped Leeds Playhouse will host the scheme from September this year welcoming Sameena Hussain for a paid residency and the opportunity to direct her own production as part of the theatre’s programme.
“We are thrilled to work with Leeds Playhouse to bring new and emerging talent to the cultural landscape,” says Artistic Directorof RTYDSSue Emmas.
Sue Emmas
The scheme seeks out the most talented theatre directors at the early stage of their careers and helps develop their skills and experience by placing them in theatres outside London.
“RTYDS set out to challenge the idea that anyone wanting to work in theatre had to go to London, and for almost 60 years we have been hugely successful in placing great talent with prominent producing houses outside the capital” continues Sue.
“We create pathways that affect who can lead in theatre; if you change the directors, you change the work that gets made, the actors they work with and the stories they tell. We believe it’s hugely important to see everyone represented in theatre and at every level and in every area.”
In the past five years RTYDS has placed 11 directors on 18-Month residencies across 10 venues – includingBirmingham Rep, Curve Leicester, Sheffield Theatres and Liverpool Everyman and can claim an impressive list of past participants; Vicky Featherstone [Artistic Director at London’s Royal Court], Matthew Xia [ArtisticDirector with Actors Touring Company], Natalie Ibu [Artistic Director at Tiata Fahodzi], and Elizabeth Newman[Artistic Director Pitlochry Festival Theatre] are just a few.
Leeds Playhouse Artistic Director James Brining:
“We are delighted to be partnering again with RTYDS to find and nurture the next generation of artists; the relationship has spanned many years and follows in the footsteps of leading cultural figures like Vicky Featherstone who notably started their long and successful career here through an RTYDS scheme.
Sameena Hussain is an inspiring artist, whose passion and commitment shone through brightly. The team and I are looking forward to working with her and seeing how she grows as an artist and a cultural leader as well as being moved forward as an organisation by her ideas and energy.”
The 18-month residency also covers all the elements of the theatre’s day-to day-running; finance, development, producing, administration, marketing and publicity are all part of the training.
“Theatres are complex buildings,” concludes Sue Emmas. “The high level of work that goes into them before there is even a production, before the doors open, is incredible. We believe it’s important that our Directors understand that because we want to create future leaders in theatre; the names we have worked with up to now would suggest that we are achieving that.”
For more information about RTYDS and their programmes visit www.rtyds.co.uk
The Picture of Dorian Gray, adapted from Oscar Wilde’s probably most popular and scandalous story, is brought to the stage in a new adaptation by Séan Aydon. Staying true to the original tale, we learn of the beautiful orphan, Dorian Gray (Gavin Fowler) arriving in London where he becomes the muse of renowned artist Basil Hallward (Daniel Goode). Basil begins a portrait of Dorian that becomes his finest work to date. Basil also (reluctantly) introduces Dorian to his old friend, Lord Henry Wotton (Jonathan Wrather). And so begins Henry’s indoctrination of Dorian into his immoral world view. When Dorian sees the extraordinarily beautiful picture of himself he is horrified that one day he will be old and ugly and wishes that his beauty and youth could stay with him forever. His wish is granted.
Wrather is unmistakable as Dorian’s immoral mentor introducing him into the more corrupt elements of London society while effortlessly living up to the aristocratic norms of marriage, the opera, his club, etc. Wrather’s restless physicality with no trace of self-doubt paints a picture of a man with an almost ruthless determination to lead a life of pure hedonism. As the story unfolds, Wrather too descends into an alcohol and drug fueled chaos that is both convincing and uncomfortable.
The platonic but symbiotic relationship with his wife, played in a languidly understated way by Phoebe Pryce underscores the need to meet the societal norms of the day. Pryce is by far and away the most superior of the women in this piece and it would have been nice to see more of her. Clever direction of husband and wife rarely being on stage at the same time, leaves you wanting to know and understand more of their relationship.
As Dorian follows his mentor’s lead into a life of debauchery and moral corruption, the implication is that the portrait gets older and crueller looking, whilst the man himself does not visibly age. Gavin Fowler does a fine job of setting the scene in the first act of the young innocent Dorian gradually changing in the second act to the truly despicable and morally bankrupt individual he becomes. The transformation is both believable and complete if not somewhat abrupt. His anguish as he realises what he has become is visceral and how he can attempt to redeem himself is dramatic but rushed. One feels that the failed path to redemption is over before it has even started somehow. The fatal denouement feels almost like a necessity to keep the piece within the requisite 2 hour time window. Fowler would no doubt have loved the opportunity to explore this more fully.
Daniel Goode does a lovely job of the vulnerable and gentle artist, Basil Hayward: adoring his muse while having to compete for his affections with the gregarious Henry Wotton. His horror at the realisation of what Gray has eventually becomes is palpable.
All in all, the triumvirate of the three main actors really works and the relationships between the three men is cleverly woven together and then torn apart. Aydon does a good job of preserving much of Wilde’s witty and distinctive prose in the script which make you both wince and smile and the same time. Sarah Beaton’s set design is a beautifully decaying artist’s studio and the set never changes throughout the piece. It works in the most part and is enhanced through clever lighting by Matt Haskins. His lighting design is top notch using clever shadows in the large space to both dehumanise and isolate Dorian at various points.
Oscar Wilde’s novel caused a scandal when it first appeared in 1890, initially for its homosexual overtones but later for its depiction of moral corruption. The egotistical and narcissistic elements of the story still resonate today with the unrelenting quest for beauty and youth – perhaps we can learn something as we pour over our copies of glossy magazines!! A cautionary tale and well worth a visit!
I was lost at the Hull New Theatre, lost in the beauty and spectacle of Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, and now I am lost for words and feeling inadequate, how do I review such a wonderful experience?
Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake is a retelling like no other, with male swans and a Prince who is struggling with life and his sexuality. It was originally created in 1995, but this revival is fresh and relevant.
Our hero the Prince (Liam Mower) is unhappy with life and the coldness of his mother the Queen (Nicole Kabera) adds to his despair, things come to such a pitch that he decides to commit suicide and it is when he goes to the lake that the swans appear.
From start to finish this production is packed with detail, always something happening slightly off from the main action – where to look? Watch the ballet at the theatre and miss what is happening in the Royal Box; watch the dancing at the ball and suddenly spot that something is happening on the balcony. Full of quirkiness and life and with a nod to the current preoccupation with “fame” in the shape of the Girlfriend (Katrina Lyndon) and the paparazzi. It has humour but so much darkness – pulling at your emotions. Lez Brotherston’s set and costume designs are magnificent and of course there is Tchaikovsky’s soaring music but it is the dancing that is riveting from start to finish.
Liam Mower’s Prince is sublime, his every body movement shows how he is feeling – a simple shrug or a head movement. His dancing is breathtaking and so elegant but it is in the duets with the Swan (Max Westwell) that I held my breath, such beauty and vulnerability, it made me cry.
Max Westwell is captivating as The Swan/Stranger, his performance at the ball as the Stranger is mesmerising, a dark presence but full of charisma. His Swan broke my heart in the finale, how I wanted a different ending.
Katrina Lyndon adds a wonderful touch of humour as the Girlfriend, whilst Nicole Kabera adds an imperiousness and coldness to her role as the Queen.
As to those Swans, it was impossible to take your eyes off them as they swirled and stamped and hissed across the stage. Portraying viciousness in the extreme, these were not swans you would want to come across. They moved as one, yet seemed to have their own characters, the stuff of nightmares.
The finale was magnificent, so incredibly emotional.
As to the standing ovation, we would have still been there cheering for some considerable time had the lights not gone up.
This is a must see – food for the soul, an experience like no other. Me – I’m back on Saturday night to see it again!
