A RIGHT ROYAL BAKE OFF

ACTING FOR OTHERS ANNOUNCES FOURTH ANNUAL WEST END BAKE OFF

 

Theatrical charity, Acting For Others, today announces the fourth annual West End Bake Off will take place on Saturday 19^th May. This year will be a rip roaring royal affair as casts from top West End shows swap their wigs for whisks and turn to baking the same day His Royal Highness, Prince Harry is set to marry Meghan Markle.

West End shows come together to compete in the most anticipated theatrical baking competition of the year at The Actor’s Church St Pauls, with judges to be announced at a later date. Last year, 42nd Street tapped their way to the top with their spectacle of cake creations judged by Janie Dee and Arlene Phillips and over £6000 was raised in total which included the online auctions of signed theatre memorabilia and merchandise.

The event is free for members of the public to attend, with judging beginning at 10.30, and the winners will be announced at 11am, when the Bake Off will be declared open for the public to buy cakes, signed posters and mingle with cast and crew from the shows.

West End Bake Off is being held in aid of Acting for Others, a fundraising organisation for 15 UK theatrical and welfare charities.

For those unable to attend the event, Acting for Others can still be supported by donating at its Just Giving page: www.justgiving.com/ctcafo

 

West End Bake Off is supported by Official London Theatre.

www.westendbakeoff.com        Facebook: Westendbakeoff        Twitter: @westendbakeoff

www.actingforothers.co.uk        Twitter: @ActingForOthers

 

West End Bake Off

Saturday 19 May 11am – 1pm

St Paul’s Church, Bedford Street, London, WC2E 9ED

 

TRICYCLE THEATRE ANNOUNCES

FESTIVAL OF YOUNG PEOPLE’S WORK ACROSS BRENT

 

Tricycle Theatre today announces the return of Mapping Brent following the success of its inaugural year in 2017. This year the programme will see Tricycle Theatre join forces with four community venues across Brent to deliver six new plays during a two-week youth theatre festival.

Taking place in Neasden, South Kilburn, Stonebridge and Willesden, Mapping Brent is the product of weekly drama sessions with young people across the borough, aiming to build lasting relationships with communities and provide opportunities for local youth to engage in theatre; making work that is relevant to them.

The project will culminate in six new and original performance pieces performed at Stonebridge Hub, Willesden Green Library, St Catherine’s Church Hall and The OK Club.

Professionals from across the industry have been engaged to lead the project, including playwrights, Chris Finnegan, Yasmin Joseph and Catriona Kerridge; and directors, Justin Audibert, Aliyah Forde, David Gilbert, Natasha Marks, Natasha Nixon, Christopher Sivertsen and Dionne Reid.

 

Running alongside this Tricycle Theatre continue Storylab, its flagship project for primary schools, which uses drama techniques to increase attainment and enthusiasm for literacy. The project, now in its fourth year, culminates in a production at Willesden Green Library in April.

 

Indhu Rubasingham, Artistic Director of Tricycle Theatre, said today “I am thrilled to see Tricycle Theatre’s hugely important Creative Learning projects continuing this year. Mapping Brent connects young people with commissioned writers to develop their own stories as professional scripts and performances.  StoryLab empowers primary school students to write their own stories and see them performed by a professional cast.  With Brent now as the London Borough of Culture 2020 I am very proud of Tricycle Theatre’s work with the young people in Brent.”

 

Axa Hynes, Creative Learning Manager: Young People at Tricycle Theatre said today, “It is integral to the work we do here at the Tricycle that young people also get the opportunity to take part in making theatre. By working in 4 different areas of Brent we are engaging with a variety of young people from the borough to understand their experiences and what is important to them and their community. Mapping Brent youth theatre festival is a culmination and a celebration of this work.”

 

Jenny Batt, Creative Learning Manager: Schools at Tricycle Theatre, added, “We are proud to be working with fantastic students and teachers in Brent schools. Storylab is an important project for Tricycle Theatre as it demonstrates the positive impact of creative approaches in the classroom, and enables us to show local students just how amazing they are, by putting their ideas on stage.”

 

The festival includes:

STONEBRIDGE YOUNG COMPANY

Sugar

Written by Yasmin Joseph

Director: Justin Audibert; Designer: Sadeysa Bailey

Stonebridge HUB, Stonebridge

6 April & 7 April 2018

The women and girls of Brent have staged a revolt. They’ve seized the Civic Centre and are refusing to reintegrate until their demands of respect, safety and less overwhelming cologne are firmly met. Inspired by the gender politics of Lysistrata, Sugar explores the journey of a group of boys navigating a lawless world without women. Will they ride the high of adrenaline and Krispy Kreme’s for dinner, or will the taste of freedom quickly become sickly sweet?

Yasmin Joseph is a resident playwright for Theatre503, The 503Five. Her theatre credits include The Place of Shining Light (Theatre503) and Do You Pray? (Theatre503/Southwark Playhouse). Joseph attended the Soho Theatre Young Writers Lab, where she developed her first play Pinch that was considered for the Alfred Fagon Award in 2015.

Justin Audibert directs. His theatre credits include The Winter’s Tale, Macbeth (National Theatre), The Box of Delights (Wilton’s Music Hall), Beowulf, My Mother Medea (Unicorn Theatre), Snow in Midsummer and The Jew of Malta (RSC). In August 2018 he will become Artistic Director of Unicorn Theatre.

WILLESDEN GREEN YOUNG WOMEN’S COMPANY

a colOURful world

Written and directed by Natasha Nixon

Assistant Director: Kadisha Williams; Designer: Emma Bailey; Sound Designer: Dinah Mullen

Willesden Green Library, Willesden

10 & 11 April 2018

a colOURful world is an immersive performance devised by Willesden Girls Youth Theatre looking at the theme of segregation. The piece begins in a dusty, dark market place in a long lost desert where market sellers try and convince you to set apart one from another. It’s not until a huge sand storm whips the market away and we land in the present day on a raft where they are forced to confront each other. Will they be able to survive the storms at sea and make it through to their dreams of the future or will the storms quench their hopes?

Natasha Nixon is a theatre director. Her theatre credits include Trigger Warning (Young Vic/Shoreditch Town Hall), Reasons To Be Pretty (The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama), The Scottsboro Boys (Young Vic), Feel Sad About Japan (Southwark Playhouse), The Sexual Awakening (Edinburgh Festival Fringe/Theatre503) and The Aim of the Game (The Old Vic). She was also National Theatre Connections Director and Assistant Director on A Streetcar Named Desire (Young Vic).

PRESS ROAD YOUNG COMPANY

Double-bill:

We Are Here to Stay | Blanket

Director: Christopher Sivertsen; Designer: Alex Berry

St Catherine’s Church Hall, Neasden

12 & 13 April 2018

 

We Are Here to Stay

Written by Catriona Kerridge

 

One park, six superheroes. Meet the mismatched but best matched. The park is their place to relax but something’s up. With one last mission, a mini love story and a friendship, the park is restored. It’s now time for the superheroes to take off their skins, become human again and let us deal with our problems. But if you need help don’t forget the park.

 

Blanket

Written by Chris Finnegan

Inspired and written by the cast, Blanket is an offering of the minds and points-of-view of some of our the UK’s young citizens.

An expression of what the world looks like today from the eyes of a young person setting out on their journey into adolescence and beyond, Blanket showcases the wisdom of youth and gives voice to the complex thoughts and emotions of these brilliant young people.

This performance is an opportunity for them to be seen, heard and acknowledged as talented, intellectual, imaginative and passionate individuals.

Christopher Sivertsen is a director, actor and musician from Norway. He is Artistic Director of the internationally award-winning physical theatre company Awake Projects. He has over 20 years experience in creating and devising theatre with young people all over the world.

The Quest for Happiness

Written by Press Road Group 1

Directed by Natasha Marks and Aliyah Forde

St Catherine’s Church Hall, Neasden

14 April 2018, 12pm

We have a story to tell from the underworld, about a Princess who is banished from her kingdom by her grief-stricken father. A story of a young girl who spreads the importance of bravery and kindness in her quest to restore happiness.

THE OK CLUB

The OK Club Presents…

Written by OK Club Young Company

Directed by Dionne Reid and David Gilbert

The OK Club, South Kilburn

14 April 2018

After 10 weeks of ‘creative sessions’ developing their talent and exploring what is important to them and their community, this project ends in a showcase celebration of love, life and laughter.

David Gilbert is a director and theatremaker from Zimbabwe. He was awarded the regional theatre young directors scheme at Cambridge Junction.

Storylab

Written and directed by Jonathan Glew

Willesden Green Library, Willesden

School Performances: 16-20 April 2018

Public performances: 21 April 2018

Storylab is Tricycle Theatre’s flagship project for primary schools, using drama techniques to increase attainment and enthusiasm for literacy. This is the 4^th year this project has been delivered in Brent, this year in partnership with Brentfield Primary School, Donnington Primary School, Furness Primary School, Salusbury Primary School and Sudbury Primary School.

 

360 students have taken part in interactive performances, followed by 8 workshops in schools delivered by Tricycle Theatre practitioners. Students aged 8-10 years old, have been working together to create 12 brand new stories.

 

The children’s stories will be adapted for the stage and made into a brand new production by the Tricycle Theatre, to take place at Willesden Green Library in April. Each participating class will see their story brought to life by a team of professional actors.

Jonathan Glew is a theatre director, composer and Olivier Award-winning actor. His directing credits include John Lennon ‘In His Own Write’ (V&A), Girls Like That (LIPA), Richard II and Macbeth (East 15). As an actor his credits include Jerry Springer The Opera, She Stoops To Conquer and As You Like it (National Theatre).

 

LISTINGS

TRICYCLE THEATRE

269 Kilburn High Road, London NW6 7JR

Box office: 020 7328 1000

www.tricycle.co.uk

Mapping Brent tickets: FREE. Limited to two per person.

Twitter: @TricycleTheatre #MappingBrent

Facebook: www.facebook.com/TricycleTheatre

At a Glance

 

Sugar

Stonebridge HUB

6 Hillside, London NW10 8RY

6 April, 7.30pm & 7 April 2018, 2pm & 7.30pm

 

a colOURful world

Willesden Green Library

95 High Road, London NW10 2SF

10 April, 7pm & 11 April, 2pm & 7pm

 

We Are Here to Stay

St Catherine’s Church Hall

Neasden Lane, London NW10 1QB

12 & 13 April 2018, 7pm

Blanket

St Catherine’s Church Hall

Neasden Lane, London NW10 1QB

12 & 13 April 2018, 7pm

 

The Quest for Happiness

St Catherine’s Church Hall

Neasden Lane, London NW10 1QB

14 April 2018, 12pm

The OK Club Presents…

The OK Club

45 Denmark Road, London NW6 5BP

14 April 2018, 6pm

Storylab

Willesden Green Library

95 High Road, London NW10 2SF

Schools Performance: 16-20 April 2018

Public Performance: 21 April 2018 12pm and 3pm

ABOUT TRICYCLE THEATRE

Tricycle Theatre presents the world through a variety of different lenses, projecting unheard voices into the mainstream. We create high-quality, engaging and innovative work. Located in Brent, the most diverse borough in London, Tricycle Theatre is a local venue with an international presence.

Recent Tricycle Theatre productions include the UK Premiere of The Invisible Hand by the Pulitzer Winning playwright Ayad Akhtar, The Mother and The Father (West End/ UK Tour) by Molière Award-winning playwright Florian Zeller, A Wolf In Snakeskin Shoes and The House That Will Not Stand by Marcus Gardley, Multitudes by John Hollingworth, the Olivier Award-winning Handbagged by Moira Buffini (West End/UK Tour/Washington DC), Paper Dolls by Philip Himberg and Red Velvet by Lolita Chakrabarti (West End/ New York, winner of two Critics’ Circle Awards and an Evening Standard Award).

Tricycle Theatre has recently collaborated with Sundance Theatre Lab, Complicite, Frantic Assembly, Birmingham Rep, Tiata Fahodzi, Paines Plough, Liverpool Everyman, Eclipse Theatre, Theatre Royal Bath, Why Not Theatre and Plymouth Theatre Royal, amongst others. Their co-production of The Great Wave, directed by Artistic Director Indhu Rubasingham, opens at the National Theatre later this week.

Submissions open for The Bread & Roses Playwriting Award 2018/2019

& for Clapham Fringe 2018

The Bread & Roses Theatre is once again opening their submission window for playwrights through their biennial Playwriting Award.

 The Bread & Roses Playwriting Award is a competition for full length theatre plays that have not previously been produced or published and feature at least half of female, non-binary or gender neutral roles. Up to 3 winning plays will receive a professional production at The Bread & Roses Theatre (& 10% of box office income) as well as publication by The Bread & Roses Theatre  (& royalty from all sales). Submissions for the award are open until 31st May 2018 and can be made at www.breadandrosestheatre.co.uk/playwriting-award. The judging process is anonymous and playwrights from across Europe may submit on this occasion.

 

The winning play of the 2016/2017 award, The Black Eye Club by Phil Charles, was staged last November to great acclaim and two runner-ups have productions in 2018, with The Buzz by Lydia Rynne set for production and publication this coming May.

 

Furthermore the theatre is also accepting submissions of theatre productions, comedy and other variety performances for the Clapham Fringe Festival taking place at the venue from 27th September to 14^th October 2018. The Clapham Fringe has been hailed as an “egalitarian performing arts festival [that] aims to celebrate and foster emerging talent by offering an affordable stage for comedy and drama” (South West Londoner) and is now in its fourth year. Submissions are open until 3^rd June 2018 and can be made at www.ClaphamFringe.com .

 

The Bread & Roses Theatre is a 40- to 60-seat innovative and award-winning fringe venue developed since 2012 and officially launched in November 2014, located above The Bread & Roses Pub in Clapham. Artistic quality, equality and diversity are at the forefront of the theatre’s programming, which features visiting companies as well as in-house productions, with a focus on new writing, underrepresented voices and distinctive work. In every full year of its existence the theatre has been a recipient of the ICWP 50/50 Applause Award and the press has described it as ‘one of the most exciting ones amongst the London pub theatres’ (RemoteGoat), ‘an extremely ethical organisation’ (London Pub Theatres Magazine), and ‘a new wave of venues (….) – all on the sort of sweetheart deals of old.’ (The Guardian).

CINDERELLA, YOU SHALL GO TO THE…CITY VARIETIES MUSIC HALL

Granted, it is only a matter of months since we were heckling Abanazer and howling at Widow Twankey’s corny gags, but with the spirit of Christmas still coursing through our veins, City Varieties is pleased to announce that Cinderella will get the Rock ‘n’ Roll Pantomime treatment for 2018.

Leeds audiences are invited to don their glass slippers, board their pumpkin carriage and head to the famous music hall for the now-legendary festive treat. A hit with children and adults alike, Cinderella is guaranteed to have audiences dancing in their seats to a panoply of pop, rock and soul hits, and beating off the boulders in the illustrious Leeds ‘boulder fight’… and all before the stroke of midnight.

“Our Rock ’n’ Roll Pantos have been extremely popular since they were first introduced in 2011,” said Ian Sime, General Manager at City Varieties. “They have grown year on year and have now become a Christmas tradition for families in Leeds and beyond.”

 

A very different format to the traditional Christmas pantomime, Rock ’n’ Roll Pantos are billed as a hilarious, high-speed show that feature a talented troupe of actor-musicians who perform all the classic hit songs and music live on stage.

“One of the secrets of its success lies with its cast of actor-musicians who waste no time in developing a great rapport with the audience in the intimate atmosphere of this historic old theatre. Full of audience participation you can cheer the goodies, hiss the baddie and shout until you are hoarse and that’s what pantomime is all about.” Liz Coggins, Yorkshire Evening Post (Aladdin, 2017)

 

Tickets go on sale to previous bookers from Friday 9 March and on general sale from Monday 9 April.

 

Cinderella the Rock ‘N’ Roll Pantomime is at City Varieties Music Hall from Saturday 1 December 2018 to Sunday 13 January 2019

Tickets are priced from £14

(Prices include a 60p levy. Where applicable, a £1 charge for postage will also be payable.)

Book online at cityvarieties.co.uk or call Box Office on 0113 243 08 08.

starring

DAVID ESSEX & MARTINE MCCUTCHEON
Cardiff, Motorpoint Arena: 14 – 16 December
Birmingham, Genting Arena: 20 – 24 December
Nottingham, Motorpoint Arena: 28 – 30 December

Tickets on-sale Friday 9 March at 9am

 

ELF, the hit West End and Broadway musical based on the Hollywood blockbuster movie starring Will Ferrell, is to be supersized into a Christmas spectacular which will tour the UK in December 2018. This extravaganza will play three major arenas this Christmas: Cardiff Motorpoint Arena, Birmingham Genting Arena and Nottingham Motorpoint Arena. Tickets go on-sale on Friday 9 March at 9am.

Starring pop legend David Essex as Buddy the Elf’s father, and Love Actually star and singer Martine McCutcheon as Buddy’s girlfriend, Jovie. Buddy the Elf will be played by comedy actor Tam Ryan, who counts Priscilla Presley amongst his past leading ladies. West End star Louise English will play Buddy’s stepmother. The cast also features Father Christmas and a line-up of 70 performers, including children from local Pauline Quirke Academy stage schools.

As well as being a hugely successful singer/songwriter, director and best-selling author, David Essex has starred as the lead in many musicals from Evita to War of the Worlds and is particularly excited to be taking on the role of Buddy’s grumpy and unwitting dad. David said: “I’m really looking forward to taking Elf on tour.  The big special effects that we have lined-up are incredible, including a giant sleigh which will fly across the arena, an indoor snow blizzard and lots of skating which all adds to this perfect Christmas story.”

Actress, singer and former EastEnders star Martine McCutcheon, added: “I’m absolutely delighted to be appearing in this wonderful show.  Elf is without doubt one of the all-time great Christmas movies, so I hope audiences in Cardiff, Birmingham and Nottingham will love this production just as much as the film!”

Tam Ryan, who will be stepping into the big floppy shoes of Will Ferrell, said: “It’s such an honour to play this hugely popular movie character. It feels like Christmas has come early, see you in December!”

The original stage version played to record breaking audiences in 2015/2016 at London’s Dominion Theatre and firmly established this heart-warming tale of Buddy the Elf leaving Santa at the North Pole to seek his real father in New York as a Christmas classic.  This new Christmas Spectacular production will feature a book written by Bob Martin and Thomas Meehan (Annie, The Producers and Hairspray) and an original score of great new songs.  The original staging will be enhanced with giant screens, showing both computer graphic backdrops and live action close-ups. The 5,000 seat arena layout will have a 70-foot wide stage and a 60-foot long thrust stage, with some scenes taking place around and above the audience.

Elf will be produced by WBP Ltd, the team behind last year’s Christmas spectacular Peter Pan, which played at Arena Birmingham and The SSE Arena, Wembley.

For tickets, visit the venue box office or theticketfactory.com

Tickets enquires:                     www.buddytheelf.co.uk
Facebook:                               www.facebook.com/biggestpanto

Twitter:                                  www.twitter.com/Biggest_Panto

 

CAST CHANGES FOR

CAMERON MACKINTOSH’S

EPIC PRODUCTION OF

BOUBLIL AND SCHÖNBERG’S LEGENDARY MUSICAL

FROM MONDAY 30 APRIL

ELANA MARTIN WILL PLAY ‘ELLEN’

AND AICELLE SANTOS WILL PLAY ‘GIGI’

Cameron Mackintosh today announced that from Monday 30 April Elana Martin will play ‘Ellen’ and Aicelle Santos will play ‘Gigi’ in the current UK tour of his acclaimed production of Boublil and Schönberg’s legendary musical MISS SAIGON. They join Red Concepción as ‘The Engineer’, Sooha Kim as ‘Kim’, Ashley Gilmour as ‘Chris’, Ryan O’Gorman as ‘John’ and Gerald Santos as ‘Thuy’. At certain performances ‘The Engineer’ is played by Christian Rey Marbella, and ‘Kim’ is played by Joreen Bautista.

Also new to the cast from 30 April will be Iroy Abesamis, Jonathon Bentley, Devine Cresswell, Ross Lee Fowkes, Yukina Hasebe, Rob Herron, Jade Ma, Samuel Nicholas, Pierce Rogan, Louis Stockil, Joaquin Pedro Valdes, Brad Veitch, Gabriella Williams, Zheng Xi Yong and Sian Yeo,

Elana Martin’s West End credits include “Travesties” at the Apollo Theatre and “Merrily We Roll Along” at the Harold Pinter Theatre. Her other credits include the UK tours of “39 Steps” and “Scrooge”.

Aicelle Santos is a recording and concert artist in the Philippines appearing in many concerts as both a solo performer and one third of the successful trio ‘La Diva’. As an actress, her theatre credits include “Katy”, “Rak Of Aegis” for which she won a Best Actress in a Musical award and “Maynila Sa Mga Kuko Ng Liwanag” for which she won a Best Featured Actress in a Musical award.

Red Concepción’s many theatre credits in his native Philippines include ‘Adam/Felicia’ in “Priscilla Queen of the Desert” for which he won the ALIW Award and Gawah Buhay Award, ‘Tommy’ in “The Normal Heart” and ‘Alan Strang’ in “Equus” as well as the musicals “West Side Story” and “Hairspray”.

Sooha Kim made her professional debut in this recent production of “Miss Saigon” at the Prince Edward Theatre where she covered the role of ‘Kim’ before going on to play the role in the Japanese production. Her credits whilst training in Korea include ‘Maureen’ in “Rent” and ‘Carmen’ in “Fame”.

Ashley Gilmour also appeared in “Miss Saigon” at the Prince Edward Theatre. His most recent credits include playing ‘Link Larkin’ in the national tour of “Hairspray”.

Ryan O’Gorman played the role of ‘Tom Collins’ in the 20^th Anniversary UK Tour of “Rent”.  His other theatre credits include “Les Misérables”, at the Queen’s Theatre, “The Phantom of the Opera” at Her Majesty’s Theatre, “Billy Elliot” at the Victoria Palace Theatre and the UK tour of “Oliver!”.

Gerald Santos was the youngest ever winner of the biggest singing contest in the Philippines, Pinoy Pop Superstar. He has released five studio albums and has won numerous awards including winning twice Best Male Concert performer at the prestigious ALIW Awards.

From 30 April the full cast will be Iroy Abesamis, David Allwood, Joreen Bautista, Jonathon Bentley,  Red Concepción, Vinny Coyle,  Devine Cresswell, Kristine Diaz, Aynrand Ferrer, Ross Lee Fowkes, Ashley Gilmour, Seng Henk Goh,  Yukina Hasebe, Rob Herron, Sooha Kim, David Kar-Hing Lee, Amanda Lindgren, Winchester Lopez,  Jade Ma, Christian Rey Marbella, Elana Martin, Thao Nguyen, Samuel Nicholas, Ryan O’Gorman, Youngjoo Park, Pierce Rogan, Aicelle Santos, Gerald Santos, Louis Stockil, Eloisa Amalia Tan, Gavin Tsang, Joaquin Pedro Valdes, Brad Veitch, Amadeus Williams, Gabriella Williams, Sian Yeo,  Zheng Xi Yong and Gerald Zarcilla.

Last year, this production of MISS SAIGON opened on Broadway where it played to nightly ovations and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical. The New Yorker called it a “Dynamite Broadway revival”. When the smash-hit run of this production opened in London in May 2014 to record-breaking advance sales and critical acclaim, Dominic Cavendish in The Daily Telegraph wrote, “This thrilling new production spills out beyond the theatre and speaks directly to the times we live in”. The show swept the board at the 2015 Whatsonstage.com awards winning a record breaking nine awards, the most awards ever won by a single show in the 15-year history of the awards including: Best West End Show and Best Revival of a Musical.

 

MISS SAIGON tells the story of the last days of the Vietnam War, 17 year-old Kim is forced to work in a Saigon bar run by a notorious character known as the Engineer. There she meets and falls in love with an American GI named Chris but they are torn apart by the fall of Saigon. For 3 years Kim goes on an epic journey of survival to find her way back to Chris, who has no idea he’s fathered a son.

MISS SAIGON has music by Claude-Michel Schönberg with lyrics by Richard Maltby Jr. and Alain Boublil, adapted from original French lyrics by Alain Boublil, with additional lyrics by Michael Mahler. The new production is directed by Laurence Connor with musical staging by Bob Avian and additional choreography by Geoffrey Garratt.  Production design is by Totie Driver and Matt Kinley based on an original concept by Adrian Vaux; costume design by Andreane Neofitou; lighting design by Bruno Poet; projections by Luke Halls; sound design by Mick Potter; and orchestrations by William David Brohn.

Since its London premiere in 1989, Cameron Mackintosh’s production of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg’s legendary musical MISS SAIGON has become one of the most successful musicals in history.  The original Broadway production of MISS SAIGON opened on April 11, 1991 with what was the largest advance sale in Broadway history ($37 million).  The show went on to play for nearly ten years and 4,063 performances seen by more than 5.9 million people. MISS SAIGON has been performed in 28 countries, over 300 cities in 15 different languages, has won over 40 awards including 2 Olivier Awards, 3 Tony Awards, and 4 Drama Desk Awards and been seen by over 35 million people worldwide.

MISS SAIGON UK TOUR 2018/2019

www.miss-saigon.com

WEDNESDAY 21 FEBRUARY – SATURDAY 17 MARCH 2018

MAYFLOWER THEATRE, SOUTHAMPTON

www.mayflower.org.uk – 02380 711811

WEDNESDAY 21 MARCH – SATURDAY 12 MAY 2018

MANCHESTER PALACE THEATRE

www.atgtickets.com/venues/palace-theatre-manchester – 0844 871 3019

WEDNESDAY 16 MAY – SATURDAY 23 JUNE 2018

THE BRISTOL HIPPODROME

www.atgtickets.com/venues/bristol-hippodrome – 0844 871 3012

WEDNESDAY 4 JULY – SATURDAY 4 AUGUST 2018

THEATRE ROYAL PLYMOUTH

www.theatreroyal.com – 01752 267222 

WEDNESDAY 15 AUGUST – SATURDAY 15 SEPTEMBER 2018

NORWICH THEATRE ROYAL

www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk    01603 63 00 00

WEDNESDAY 19 SEPTEMBER – SATURDAY 20 OCTOBER 2018

BRADFORD ALHAMBRA

www.bradford-theatres.co.uk 01274 432 000

WEDNESDAY 24 OCTOBER – SATURDAY 17 NOVEMBER

SUNDERLAND EMPIRE

www.atgtickets.com/venues/sunderland-empire  0844 871 3022

WEDNESDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2018 – SUNDAY 13 JANUARY 2019

THEATRE 11, ZURICH

www.musical.ch/de/theater11zuerich

Jermyn Street Theatre – until 3 March.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

3***

Maureen Duffy’s double-bill explores pivotal moments in the lives of two inspirational women, separated by centuries.

In A Nightingale in Bloomsbury Square, Virginia Woolf has written letters to her sister and husband before she ends her life. Her decision made, Virginia (Sarah Crowden) talks directly to the audience, recalling fragmentary memories and attempting to understand her life and failed relationships, wondering what Freud would make of her situation. Duffy’s Virginia re-imagines her youth with her family as a Greek tragedy and a nursery rhyme. Her love for her sister Vanessa shines through as she attributes their deeply opposing attitudes to sex and physical passion to childhood abuse. Verity Johnson’s set, with shelves crammed with books and mementos, is utilised imaginatively, especially as she pushes books to the ground to represent the deaths of her family. This image continues as Virginia talks about her books as her children, describing their births with tenderness and pride. Duffy’s language is lyrical and stimulating, but unfortunately Sarah Crowden’s occasionally faltering grasp of her lines, especially when trying to remember whether she was talking about Virginia, Vanessa and Vita broke the rhythm and momentum of the piece. This was only the second night of a very short run, so there won’t be much opportunity for her to settle into the roles, which is a pity, as the passages when Crowden hit her stride showed the great potential of the play. Director Natasha Rickman keeps Crowden moving around the stage, and Crowden excels working with the minimal props in Virginia’s lighter moments.

The second play, The Choice, tells the story of Saint Hilda of Whitby in 664. When the king chooses Roman Christianity over Celtic Christianity, Hilda must decide whether to stay in Whitby and continue her work or leave for Iona. Hilda’s unshakeable faith and devotion are clear as she asks God for a sign. Even though Hilda is baring her soul, this play feels less personal and exposing than the first, as Hilda is addressing God, not the audience, and the set and direction is much more static. Crowden copes better remembering the lines for this shorter play, bringing blunt humour to this no-nonsense character.

The two plays make an intriguing double-bill, with Duffy creating two extraordinary women seeking answers for reasons that are polar opposites. With more rehearsal time and more polished direction in the second act, these women could have the production they deserve.

Timothy Watson, Tessa Peake-Jones and Aden Gillett lead cast of Terence Rattigan’s The Winslow Boy

At The Lowry Mon 9 – Sat 14 April

Timothy Watson, best known for his role as the villainous Rob Titchener in BBC Radio 4’s long-running dramatic favourite The Archers, leads the cast of The Winslow Boy running at The Lowry from Mon 9 – Sat 14 April.

Timothy is joined by Tessa Peake-Jones (BBC 1’s Only Fools and Horses, ITV’s Grantchester) as Grace Winslow and Aden Gillett (BBC 1’s The House of Elliot) as Arthur Winslow.  

Misha Butler makes his stage debut in this production as Ronnie Winslow. Dorothea Myer-Bennett appears as Ronnie’s spirited sister, Catherine and Theo Bamber his brother, Dickie. The cast is completed by Soo Drouet as the Winslow’s Maid, Violet and Sarah Lambie who appears as reporter Miss Barnes. 

The play is directed by Olivier Award-nominated Rachel Kavanaughwhose recent credits include A Christmas Carol (Royal Shakespeare Company), Oklahoma! (BBC Proms, Royal Albert Hall), Half a Sixpence (Noel Coward Theatre, Chichester Festival Theatre).

Timothy Watson captured the collective hatred of the nation as Rob Titchener in The Archers who, in Radio 4’s controversial slow-burning storyline, revealed himself to be not the charming and capable man he purported to be on his arrival in Ambridge but a manipulative bully who coercively controlled his partner, Helen. The storyline not only permeated the UK’s cultural fabric, but came during a period in which new UK Legislation was introduced protecting people from Controlling or Coercive Behaviour in an Intimate or Family Relationship. The charity Women’s Aid noted during the final year of the two and a half year plot that a 20% increase in calls to the National Domestic Abuse Helpline was observed which was noted, in part, to be a reflection of the ‘Archers’ effect.’
On stage Timothy has appeared regularly in London and the West End (The Beaux’ Stratagem, National Theatre, An Inspector Calls, Garrick, The Woman in Black, Fortune), toured the length and breadth of the country countless times, and acted in over fifty productions in repertory and other theatres. He has made numerous appearances on TV and film, including series regular Mr Perez, Maitre d’ of the Palm Court Restaurant in Mr Selfridge.

Timothy has always been particularly fond of radio drama. He first appeared in The Daughters of Venice, in the early 1990s. Since then he has been heard in many an afternoon play or classic serial. A particular favourite was playing Damon Wildeve in The Return of The Native for Rosemary Watts. Timothy is also a busy voice-over artist. He has narrated nearly a hundred documentaries, has lent his voice to a wide range of advertising and has recorded multiple voices in over thirty video games. He voiced both James Bond and Auric Goldfinger for the Bond ‘Legends’ game, released in 2012.

Having been expelled from the Royal Navy College for stealing a five-shilling postal order, young cadet Ronnie Winslow’s entire family are pulled apart by the repercussions of this charge. Set against the values of 1910 Edwardian London, the Winslow family fight to clear his name or face social ostracism as the case becomes a national scandal. Based on a real-life event, The Winslow Boy is a courageous and often delicately humorous window into the class and political hypocrisy of the time. This highly-charged moral drama will have audiences gripped by the heart-tugging decisions faced by each of The Winslow Family. Where will their sacrifices leave them and what is really at stake? 

The 1946 play became one of Rattigan’s best known and most loved works. The Winslow Boy has enjoyed several high-profile revivals, both in the West End and on Broadway. It was turned into a feature film in 1948, directed by Anthony Asquith, and again in 1999 by David Mamet. The play won the Ellen Terry Award for Best New Play and, on its US premiere at the Empire Theatre in October 1947, received the New York Critics’ Circle Award for Best Foreign Play.

Mark Goucher once again presents a classic drama straight from seasons at the Chichester Festival Theatre and Birmingham Rep. The Winslow Boy follows acclaimed productions of The Kings Speech and Single Spies (the latter also directed by Rachel Kavanaugh).

SHAKESPEARE IN THE SQUARES ANNOUNCES 2018 PRODUCTION OF

AS YOU LIKE IT, TOURING TO LONDON SQUARES AND PARKS THIS SUMMER

 

As You Like It

By William Shakespeare

Directed by Tatty Hennessy

 

Tour: 20 June – 13 July

Shakespeare in the Squares today announces its 2018 production of As You Like It, directed by Tatty Hennessy, which tours to London’s squares and parks from 20 June to 13 July, with a press night at Arundel and Ladbroke Gardens on 26 June. Opening up London’s glorious private squares and gardens to magical performances for Londoners and family audiences, Shakespeare in the Squares’ third production follows the company’s successful productions of Much Ado About Nothing in summer 2016 and Romeo and Juliet in summer 2017, which were performed to sell-out audiences. The tour of As You Like It will visit twice as many locations as the inaugural Shakespeare in the Squares tour in 2016.

Sue Fletcher and Martin Neild, founders of Shakespeare in the Squares, said, “For the third summer tour of Shakespeare in the Squares, we are delighted to be working again with director Tatty Hennessy to stage one of Shakespeare’s best loved comedies. As You Like It could be tailor-made for the beautiful outdoor spaces we are performing in across London, which lend themselves so perfectly to being reimagined as the Forest of Arden.”

Founded by Sue Fletcher and Martin Neild in 2016, Shakespeare in the Squares is a not-for-profit touring theatre company that stages a Shakespeare play across London squares every summer. The productions are tailored to the individual garden squares, and the company works with the garden committees and other local organisations to create a unique community celebration around the play. The company aims to provide a showcase for talented young theatre practitioners and to introduce audiences to the stars of the future. 

Shakespeare in the Squares’ new production of As You Like It, Shakespeare’s enchanting comedy of love, desire and mistaken identity, is set in 1970, the year of the first Glastonbury Festival. As Shakespeare’s characters flee from the rigidity of the court to the Forest of Arden, audiences too can exchange the conformity of city life for a pastoral utopia where hippies and freethinkers meet to dance, love and put the world to rights.

Tatty Hennessy is an award-winning playwright, dramaturg and director. She returns to direct As You Like It for Shakespeare in the Squares following her production of Romeo and Juliet last year.

Hennessy is currently the Baylis Assistant Director at the Old Vic, where she is assisting on Max Webster’s production of Fanny & Alexander. Her previous directing credits include her own adaptation of The Snow Queen (Theatre N16), a revival of her first play All That Lives (Ovalhouse Theatre) and Acorn (The Courtyard Theatre). As a writer, she won the Heretic Voices competition in 2017 with her play A Hundred Words for Snow, which received an acclaimed production at the Arcola Theatre in early 2018.

 

 

 

Schedule for Summer 2018 (further venues to be announced shortly)

 

All performances at 7pm unless stated

 

Wednesday 20 June                        Leinster Square, W2

Thursday 21 June                            St James’s Gardens, W11

Friday 22 June                                   Norland Square, W11

Saturday 23 June                            Queen’s Park, NW6

Tuesday 26 June                               Arundel and Ladbroke Gardens, W11 (press night – nearest tube stations are Ladbroke Grove and Holland Park)

Saturday 30 June                             Little Wormwood Scrubs Park, W10

Tuesday 3 July                                   St James’s Square, SW1

Wednesday 4 July                            Connaught Square, W2

Thursday 5 July                                 Bedford Square, WC1 (part of the Bedford Square Festival)

Friday 6 July                                       The Crescent Garden, W9

Saturday 7 July                                  St Peter’s Square, W6

Sunday 8 July                                     The Courtyard at le Gothique, Royal Victoria Patriotic Building, Wandsworth, SW18 (3pm matinee)

Tuesday 10 July                                 The Courtyard at le Gothique, Royal Victoria Patriotic Building, Wandsworth, SW18

Wednesday 11 July                          Ladbroke Square, W11

Thursday 12 July                               Cleveland Square, W2

 

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