Full cast announced to join Omid Djalili and Tracy-Ann Oberman in

 

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF

 

Based on the Sholem Aleichem Stories, By Special Permission of Arnold Perl

Book by Joseph Stein  Music by Jerry Bock  Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick

Produced on the New York Stage by Harold Prince

Original New York Stage Production Directed by and Choreographed by Jerome Robbins

Directed by Daniel Evans

 

10 July – 26 August, Chichester Festival Theatre

The full company is announced today for FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, running at Chichester Festival Theatre from 10 July – 26 August, with a press night on Tuesday 18 July. Directed by Daniel Evans, the cast of this new staging of the classic Broadway musical is led by Omid Djalili and Tracy-Ann Oberman.

The full company is: Simbi Akande (Tzeitel), Ryan Anderson, Leo Andrew, Andrew Boyer, Greg Castiglioni, Stephen John Davis, Omid Djalili (Tevye), Nicholas Duncan, Luke Fetherston,Rosie Fletcher, Harry Francis, Victoria Hinde, Chris Jarman (Lazar Wolf), Abigail Jaye, Emma Kingston (Hodel), Lucinda Lawrence, Louis Maskell (Perchik), Tracy-Ann Oberman (Golde),Megan O’Hanlon, Sephora Parish, Pierce Rogan, Liza Sadovy (Yente), Rose Shalloo (Chava),Jos Slovick (Motel), Mia Soteriou (Grandma Tzeitel), Laura Tebbutt (Fruma Sarah) and Matthew Woodyatt.

1905. A small village in Imperial Russia. Tevye, a poor dairyman, and his wife, Golde, are blessed with five witty and beautiful daughters. The matchmaker Yente, who believes any husband is better than no husband, is busy making sensible marriage plans for them all.

But Tevye’s bold daughters have their own ideas about who to marry. And as change and new ideas roll in from the big cities, dissolving the old ways of life, the sisters are not alone in their lust for something new.

This celebrated and much loved musical is packed with show-stopping songs including If I Were A Rich Man, Tradition and Matchmaker. The original record-breaking Broadway production won nine Tony Awards including Best Musical.

This new staging is directed by Chichester’s Artistic Director Daniel Evans, whose hit productions atSheffield Theatres included Show Boat, My Fair Lady and Flowers for Mrs Harris. His outstanding creative team includes designer Lez Brotherston (Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, Sister Act) and choreographer Alistair David (Show Boat, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers).

Omid Djalili makes his Chichester debut playing Tevye. A multi award-winning comedian and actor, his stage credits include Oliver! in the West End and, on film, The Infidel, Shaun the Sheep,Casanova and Disney’s forthcoming The Nutcracker.

 

Tracy-Ann Oberman plays Golde; her stage credits include Boeing-Boeing and Stepping Out in the West End, while her extensive TV work includes New Tricks, EastEnders and Friday Night Dinner.

The musical supervisor and orchestrator will be David White, the co-orchestrator will be Andy Massey and the musical director, Tom Brady; with lighting by David Hersey, sound by Carolyn Downing and video by Nina Dunn.

Fiddler on the Roof is sponsored by Henry Adams, ITD Consultants, Reynolds Fine Furniture and Seaward Properties. It is performed by arrangement with Music Theatre International (Europe) Limited.

There will be a Relaxed Performance of Fiddler on the Roof on 26 July at 2.30pm, especially suitable for individuals, groups and families with children on the autistic spectrum, sensory and communication disorders or anyone who would benefit from a more relaxed theatre environment.

EVENTS

Inua Ellams: An Evening with an Immigrant         Sunday 23 July, 7pm, Minerva Theatre

Born to a Muslim father and a Christian mother in what is now considered by many to be Boko Haram territory, in 1996 Inua Ellams left Nigeria for England, aged 12. Littered with poems, stories and anecdotes, An Evening with an Immigrant sees Ellams recount his fantastic, funny, poignant and sometimes ridiculous story. It’s a story that has seen him escape fundamentalist Islam, perform at the National Theatre, and drink wine with the Queen – all the while without a country to belong to, or place to call home. Tickets £12.

 

Pre-Show Talk with Daniel Evans              Monday 17 July, 5.45pm

Free but booking essential.

 

Theatre Day                                                   Thursday 27 July, 11am

Join the creative teams and technical crew for 90 minutes of insight, demonstration and discussion on the making of the production. A Theatre Day ticket can be combined with the matinee performance for an immersive day at the Theatre. Tickets £5 (+ optional performance ticket).

 

Post-Show Talk                                            Monday 21 August

Stay after the performance to ask questions, meet company members and discover more. Free.

 

Late Night Cabaret               Thursday 24 August, Post Show, Minerva Bar & Grill

Join us after the show as the company of Fiddler on the Roof present a selection of songs and live entertainment. Enjoy a drink with friends and take advantage of our post-show dining. Free.

BOOKING INFORMATION

Box Office 01243 781312

Online cft.org.uk

 

Tickets from £10. Prologue tickets for 16 – 25 year olds for £5.

Hi there

A local student film company (of which my daughter Jess is a major contributor) have entered a short film in the Cut Films national competition, urging young people to consider the effects of smoking and try and encourage them to quit.  Backed by the Roy Castle Foundation, this competition is open to all young film makers with the winners not only being awarded a prize but also able to use their success as part of their University application portfolio.

Their production company, UFilms, has already won one award for their social awareness film on diversity and equality (judged by a regional team); this national competition is open to a public vote.

I am reaching out to my contacts and ask you to take a look at their film (it’s only a few minutes) and then please vote – you will have to register with an email address but it’ll only take a couple of minutes and your vote could help them win and have this as great leverage for securing their university position for next year.

http://competition.cutfilms.org/video/view/743da718-8311-49b5-a97e-74ac819bcd97#rating

Voting closes at the end of this week (Sunday 29^th), they are currently 4^th across the whole country so every vote will make a difference (if you could share the link with anyone else (partners, friends, colleagues) that would be fantastic)

Really appreciate your help, cheers

Andrew

GIMME GIMME GIMME!

MAMMA MIA! AT LEEDS GRAND THEATRE

 

Mamma Mia! is getting ready to shimmy its way into Leeds as part of its first ever UK tour. The Grand Theatre will open its doors next week to welcome the hit show for a six week run.

Set on a Greek island paradise, Mamma Mia! is a fun story of love, friendship and identity cleverly told through the timeless songs of ABBA. Sophie’s quest to discover the father she’s never known brings her mother face to face with three men from her distant romantic past on the eve of a wedding they’ll never forget.

Creator and Producer Judy Craymer said: ‘MAMMA MIA! is such a joyous show, it’s really thrilling to be bringing it to Leeds for the first time and for audiences to embrace its heart-warming story and the irresistible songs of ABBA. It’s a perfect treat for all ages and we look forward to sharing the fun with Leeds!’

From West End to global phenomenon, the London production has now been seen by more than 10% of the entire UK population. It is one of only five musicals to have run for more than 10 years both on Broadway and in the West End and, in 2011, it became the first Western musical ever to be staged in Mandarin in the People’s Republic of China.

“Mamma Mia! has been thrilling audiences of all ages all around the world, and now the party comes to Leeds Grand Theatre for the first time,” says the theatre’s General Manager, Ian Sime. “It promises to be a sensational feel-good show.”

Mamma Mia is at Leeds Grand Theatre from Tuesday May 30^th to Saturday 8^th July

 

Tickets are priced from £26 to £59.50

 

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

Mayflower Theatre, Southampton – until 27 May 2017.  Reviewed by Sharon MacDonald-Armitage

Funny Girl is a musical immediately associated and defined by Barbra Streisand and her portrayal of Fanny Brice, and for anyone to take on this iconic role they are instantly set a challenge. Sheridan Smith has taken up the gauntlet of this challenge and does a good job.

Funny Girl tells the tale of Fanny Brice a young rather unattractive girl whose dream is to make it big on a Broadway stage. What she lacks in beauty she more than makes up for in talent, a skill that drives her ambitions from a Vaudeville stage to her big break at Ziegfeld Follies. However, things become complicated when she meets the smooth and charming Nick Arnstein (Darius Campbell), who sweeps Fanny off her feet in a whirlwind of romance and marriage. But Arnstein is a gambler and shady property entrepreneur, a combination that does not bode well for a happy future.

Vocally there are moments when Smith struggles with some of the higher notes and there are times when notes aren’t held quite as long as one would expect.  One of the more recognisable songs, “People” seems a little strained, however what she lacks in vocals she more than makes up for in comic timing and audience engagement. You have to give it to Smith she is able to connect with an audience; a nod, a wink, a side wards glance all have the audience laughing. “Rat-tat-ta-tat” in Act 2 shows Smith doing what she does best and she milks the applause for all it’s worth.  The money number in this show is “Don’t Rain on my Parade” a song that is very difficult not to associate with Streisand. Smith’s interpretation went down well with the audience.

There is a clear connection between Darius and Smith and their rendition of “You Are Woman, I Am Man” has the audience laughing with joy. In fact there was much laughter throughout the show.

Joshua Lay presents a wonderful Eddie Ryan, Fanny’s long suffering friend who has loved her for years. He taps his way into the hearts of the audience even though it is Brice he has true affection for.

The rest of the cast should not be overlooked in this show. From Mrs Brice (Rachel Izen) and her two elderly neighbours, Mrs Strakosh (Myra Sands) and Mrs Meeker (Zoe Ann Bown), who have some wonderful moments when gambling, to the ensemble that provide the backdrop of the realities of showbiz.

Funny Girl is a somewhat emotional journey for both the audience and Smith. This is definitely one to go and see.

Grand Opera House York – until 27 May 2017.  Reviewed by Michelle Richardson

Sally Cookson’s adaption of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, is bought to life by the National Theatre and Bristol Old Vic, at York’s Grand Opera House.

It is an ensemble piece with a cast of 10, 7 actors and 3 musicians playing all the roles. Apart from Nadia Clifford, Jane, all play various characters, even the dog Pilot, and are on stage for the majority of the show.

Clifford plays Jane from birth through to her 20’s, from a powerless orphan to an independent, free thinking adult. She appears small and diminutive, plain but in reality, she is anything but, strong willed with a mind of her own. After being shipped off to Lowood School she becomes a governess for Rochester, Tim Delap. They shared great chemistry together, with Delap’s hair getting wilder as he becomes more tormented with his feelings towards Jane. Both were quite mesmerising, especially their interactions together, I really believed in their characters.

Francesca Tomlinson stepped in as an understudy playing amongst other, Helen Burns, Jane’s friend from school and Adele, Rochester’s ward and delivered a great performance. To be honest all of the cast performed well and created great energy.

I must mention Melanie Marshall, who portrays Berta Mason. Her vocals are amazing, haunting especially when singing the Gnarls Barkley song Crazy, I know crazy that song should be in a Jane Eyre production but it works. Marshall can certainly command a stage.

As I entered the auditorium I was struck by the stage, it was so bright, that is never going to work, is it? After all we are talking about Jane Eyre and the Yorkshire Moors. The design is basically white curtains, wooden platforms and loads of ladders. As it worked out it was inspired. It was utilised to great effect suggesting housing and rooms and with floating window frames constantly banging shut, providing the backdrop of Jane’s life. The red room that Jane is locked into by her Aunt is depicted with red light and you can believe you’re in hell. We are also treated to real flames as Rochester’s house burns and as an audience we can feel the heat. Great staging and design.

I was blown away by this production. A thoroughly fantastic show that gripped me, even at 3 hours duration, and it certainly deserved the standing ovation that it received at the end.

Showing in York until Saturday 27th May, and then continuing its UK tour. Honestly, get tickets whilst you can.

FINAL LONDON PERFORMANCES FOR

            B E A U T I F U L  –  T H E   C A R O L E   K I N G   M U S I C A L

 

The West End production of Beautiful – The Carole King Musical, based on the early life and career of legendary singer songwriter Carole King, will complete its run at the Aldwych Theatre on 5 August 2017. 

The UK tour of Beautiful – The Carole King Musical will open in Bradford on 9 September 2017 and continues in Plymouth, Southampton, Norwich, Southend, Nottingham, Belfast, Cardiff, Birmingham, Newcastle, Hull, Edinburgh, Manchester, Dublin, Aberdeen, Sheffield, Glasgow, Milton Keynes, Woking, Sunderland, Bristol, Leeds, Stoke on Trent, Liverpool and Oxford, with all venues currently on sale.

Beautiful – The Carole King Musical received its Broadway premiere in January 2014 at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre where it continues to play to packed houses.  The London premiere was in February 2015 and a US tour began later that year.   An Australian production will open in Sydney in September this year.

During its two and a half year run in the West End, the Olivier, Tony and Grammy award-winningshow had two visits from Carole King, when on both occasions she surprised the cast and audience at the curtain call.  Both times she was greeted with a standing ovation at the Aldwych Theatre as she took to the stage to sing her classic hit You’ve Got A Friend.  Joining King for London’s opening night were fellow composers Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann, whose story is also told as part of Beautiful – The Carole King Musical.

Beautiful – The Carole King Musical is the untold story of her journey from school girl to superstar; from her relationship with husband and song-writing partner Gerry Goffin, their close friendship and playful rivalry with fellow song-writing duo Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, to her remarkable rise to stardom.  Along the way, she became one of the most successful solo acts in music history, and wrote the soundtrack to a generation.

Beautiful – The Carole King Musical features the Carole King classics including So Far Away, It Might as Well Rain Until September, Take Good Care of my Baby, Will You Love Me Tomorrow, Up on the Roof, Locomotion, One Fine Day, You’ve Got a Friend, (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman and I Feel the Earth Move, along with hits from songwriters Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil like You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling, On Broadway and Uptown.

The West End cast comprises Cassidy Janson in the title role, Matthew Seadon-Young asKing’s husband and song-writing partner Gerry Goffin, Stephanie McKeon as song-writer Cynthia Weil, Ian McIntosh as song-writer Barry Mann, Joseph Prouse as music publisher and producer Donnie Kirshner and Barbara Drennan as King’s mother Genie Klein.

 

They are joined by Gavin Alex, Georgie Ashford, Koko Basigara, Tsemaye Bob-Egbe,Ashford Campbell, Treyc Cohen, Natasha Cottriall, Michael Duke, Matthew Gonsalves, Jammy Kasongo, Leigh Lothian and Earl R. Perkins who play iconic musical performers and band members of the era and swings Derek Aidoo, Rosie Heath, Dominic Hodson, Emma Louise Jones, Jessica Joslin, Vicki Manser, David O’Mahony and Jaime Tait.

Book is by Douglas McGrath with words and music by Gerry Goffin, Carole King, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil.  The production is directed by Marc Bruni with choreography is byJosh Prince, set designs by Derek McLane, costume designs by Alejo Vietti, lighting by Peter Kaczorowski and sound by Brian Ronan. Orchestrations and Music Arrangements are by Steve Sidwell.

Producers are Paul Blake, Sony/ATV Music Publishing, Jeffrey A. Sine, Richard A. Smith, Mike Bosner, Harriet N. Leve/Elaine Krauss, Terry Schnuck, Orin Wolf, Patty Baker/Good Productions, Roger Faxon, Larry Magid, Kit Seidel, Lawrence S. Toppall, Fakston Productions/Mary Solomon, William Court Cohen, BarLor Productions, Matthew C. Blank, Tim Hogue, Joel Hyatt, Marianne Mills, Michael J. Moritz, Jr., StylesFour Productions, Brunish & Trinchero and Jeremiah J. Harris.

LISTINGS INFORMATION

Theatre:                           Aldwych Theatre, Aldwych, London WC2B 4DF

Dates:                              booking to 5 August 2017

Performances:                   Monday 7.30pm, Tuesday 2.30pm, Wednesday 7.30pm, Thursday 2.30pm & 7.30pm, Friday 7.30pm, Saturday 2.30pm & 7.30pm

Box Office:                         0845 200 7981

Website:                           www.beautifulinlondon.co.uk

FULL CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR RACING DEMON AT THEATRE ROYAL BATH

Theatre Royal Bath Productions is delighted to announce full casting for David Hare’s Racing Demon, directed by Jonathan Church, which today began rehearsals ahead of its run at Theatre Royal Bath from Wednesday 21 June to Saturday 8 July.

As previously announced Olivier Award-winner David Haig will star as Lionel Espy in the multi-award winning play. He will be joined by Sam Alexander, Michelle Bonnard, Anthony Calf, William Chubb, Paapa Essiedu, Ian Gelder, Andrew Fraser, Rebecca Night, Amanda Root andAshley Russell.

Four clergymen seek to make sense of their mission in inner-city London whilst facing their own personal crises. There’s Lionel Espy, a cleric whose faith is wavering as his parishioners dwindle; tabloid-hounded gay vicar Harry Henderson; ‘Streaky’ Bacon, a genial reverend with a taste for tequila, and a charismatic young curate, Tony Ferris whose arrival is set to fan the flames, whilst his sexual relationship with his lover turns to ash. The day of judgement is at hand for all.

Racing Demon is the first production in Jonathan Church’s inaugural season as Artistic Director of Theatre Royal Bath’s annual Summer Season. The programme of five plays will also includeSand in the Sandwiches by Hugh Whitemore from Tuesday 11 July – Saturday 15 July, the UK Premiere of Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest from Friday 21 July – Saturday 12 August,Looking at Lucian by Alan Franks from Thursday 3 August – Saturday 2 September and Alan Bennett’s The Lady in the Van from Wednesday 16 August – Saturday 2 September.

David Haig (Lionel Espy) has previously performed at Theatre Royal Bath in The Madness of George III and King Lear. Other recent theatre credits include Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (Old Vic), Blue/Orange (Young Vic), Guys & Dolls (Savoy Theatre) and Our Country’s Good(Royal Court), for which he won the Olivier Award. Notable film and television credits includeFour Weddings and a Funeral, Witness for the Prosecution, The Thick of It and Mo.

Jonathan Church succeeds Peter Hall as Artistic Director, who established the Theatre Royal Bath Summer Season in 2003 with his company’s annual residencies. Church was previously Artistic Director of Chichester Festival Theatre, overseeing over 100 productions including Taken at Midnight, ENRON, Macbeth with Sir Patrick Stewart, Sweeney Todd and Gypsy. Following his departure from Chichester Festival Theatre, Jonathan Church set up his own independent production company, which he will continue to lead alongside his new position at Theatre Royal Bath.

David Hare is one of the UK’s foremost playwrights and screenwriters with plays including The Judas Kiss, Skylight, Amy’s View and Plenty. He received Academy Award nominations for his adaptations of The Hours and The Reader.

LISTINGS

Theatre Royal Bath, Sawclose, Bath, BA1 1ET
Box Office: 01225 448844
Website: www.theatreroyal.org.uk
Facebook: TheatreRoyalBath
Twitter: @TheatreRBath

Racing Demon
By David Hare
Directed by Jonathan Church
Dates: Wednesday 21 June – Saturday 8 July
Press Night: Wednesday 28 June, 7pm
Performance schedule: Monday – Saturday, 7.30pm; Matinees Thursday & Saturday, 2.30pm (No Matinee 22 June)
Prices: £19.50 – £35.50 (Previews: £15 – £25)

Full cast confirmed for Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr Fox

At The Lowry Wed 5 – Sun 9 July

Full casting has been confirmed for the brand new adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic Fantastic Mr Fox, a co-production between Nuffield and Curve, in association with Lyric Hammersmith. 

The play, adapted by Sam Holcroft, directed by Maria Aberg, and featuring original music from Arthur Darvill, will tour to The Lowry Salford from Wed 5 July until Sun 9 July. 

Greg Barnett plays Mr Fox, with Richard Atwill (Rat/Bean), Raphael Bushay(Badger/Boggis), Jade Croot (Kit), Sandy Foster (Rabbit), Lillie Flynn (Mrs Fox), Gruffudd Glyn (Mole/Bunce), Kelly Jackson (Mouse), and Edward Holeand Tanya Shields completing the ensemble, alongside actor-musicians,Patrick Burbridge, Anna Fordham and Richie Hart. 

“You know as well as I do: no-one outfoxes a fox!”

Boggis, Bunce and Bean, three greedy, smelly, horrid farmers hate the cunning Mr Fox.

Mr Fox is smart, clever and rather fantastic, but he doesn’t realise how determined the farmers are to get revenge. Can he hatch a plan to save his family and friends? Can they outrun the diggers and outsmart the farmers, and can rabbit shut up long enough not to give the game away?

Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr Fox is family fun at its finest. A juicy tale of greed, pride and the power of friendship, this flagship production for the Roald Dahl centenary celebrations, promises a dahlicious theatrical feast with live music and songs and gloriumptious designs. A wondercrump treat for the whole family!

Sam Holcroft’s most recent play, Rules For Living, premièred at the National Theatre in 2015. She was the Writer-in-Residence at the National Theatre Studio from 2013-14 and was the Pearson Playwright in Residence at the Traverse Theatre in 2009-10. In 2014 she was a recipient of the Windham Campbell Prize for Literature in the Drama category and in 2009 she won the Tom Erhardt Award for up and coming writers. Her other plays include The Wardrobe, Edgar And Annabel, Dancing Bears, While You Lie, Pink, Vanya and Cockroach.  She is currently under commission from the Royal Court Theatre.

Richard Atwill plays Rat and Bean.  His theatre credits include Macbeth, Eugene Ionesco’s Macbett (RSC), God in Ruins (RSC/Soho Theatre), Potted Potter (Broadway), The Changing Room (Royal Court Theatre), The Adventure (Pleasance/Manchester Royal Exchange/Watford Palace Theatre), Unscorched, Captain Oates’ Left Sock, iWitness, Beating Heart Cadaver (Finborough Theatre), The Roman Bath (Arcola/National Theatre, Bulgaria), Beyond The Pale (Southwark Playhouse) and Roots and The Light of Heart (Theatre Cymru).  For television his work includes Shakespeare Live and Horrible Histories; and for film, Risen and Bill.

Raphael Bushay plays Badger and Boggis.  He graduated from Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in 2014. His credits include Henry V (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre). 

Greg Barnett plays Mr Fox.  His theatre credits include This Little Life of Mine and Therèse Raquin (Park Theatre), These Trees Are Made of Blood (Southwark Playhouse), Making a Scene (National Theatre), The School for Scandal (Theatre Royal Bath), Swallows and Amazons (Vaudeville Theatre and UK tour), Spend Spend Spend (Watermill and UK tour), Zorro (Garrick Theatre), Peter Pan (Birmingham Rep), Twelfth Night (Royal and Derngate) and Sweeney Todd (UK tour). His work for television includes Fleabag and Undercover; and for film, Hot Property, Bonobo and The Road to Nirvana.

Jade Croot plays Kit.  Her theatre credits include Doctor Faustus (RSC and Barbican). Her film work includes The Machine. 

Lillie Flynn plays Mrs Fox.  Her theatre credits include Sunny Afternoon (Harold Pinter Theatre, Hampstead Theatre), Wicked (Apollo Victoria Theatre), Love Story (Duchess Theatre, Chichester Festival Theatre), Quadrophenia (UK tour), The Spirit of Broadway (China tour) and The War Of The Worlds (UK tour).

Sandy Foster plays Rabbit.  Her theatre credits include Days of Significance, Oppenheimer, A Shoemaker’s Holiday (RSC), Desire Under the Elms (Lyric Hammersmith), Much Ado About Nothing (Manchester Royal Exchange), A Streetcar Named Desire (Curve) and Twelfth Night (Filter Theatre).  Her television work includes The Dumping Ground, The Kerry and Lu Show and Call the Midwife; and for film, Mr Turner, Toshi, Muse of Fire and What You Will.

Gruffudd Glyn plays Mole and Bunce.  His theatre credits include Three Sisters (Young Vic), American Trade, The Winter’s Tale, Romeo and Juliet, The Grain Store, Julius Caesar, Young People’s Hamlet (RSC), Brave New World (Royal and Derngate and UK tour) and After the End (Sherman Theatre).  His television work includes Dr Who, Poldark, Stella, Gwaith/Cartref, Hinterland/Y Gwyll; and for film, The Martian, The Theory of Everything and Thor: The Dark World.

Kelly Jackson plays Mouse. Her theatre credits include Sweet Charity (Millennium Performing Arts), RENT (The Obie Theatre), Wildlife (Bloomsbury Theatre) and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Paul Holman Associates, The Broadway Theatre).

 Maria Aberg directs.  Her directing work includes, for the RSC Dr Faustus (also Barbican), The White Devil, As You Like It, King John, The Gods Weep, Days of Significance, Hotel (National Theatre), Much Ado About Nothing (Manchester Royal Exchange), The Chairs (Theatre Royal Bath) and Alaska (Royal Court). She has also directed at Hampstead Theatre and Trafalgar Studios.  Forthcoming directing projects include The Great Gatsby (Royal & Derngate and Birmingham Rep) and The Winter’s Tale (Romateatern, Sweden).

Arthur Darvill is an actor and composer, best-known for his regular appearances as Rory in BBC TV’s Doctor Who and as Rev. Paul Coates on ITV’s Broadchurch. Darvill’s most recent theatre work as composer includes I Want My Hat Back (National Theatre), I Heart Peterborough (Eastern Angles), The Bacchae (English Touring Theatre), It’s About Time (Nabokov/Latitude), and Jack and The Beanstalk (Lyric Hammersmith). He won the Musical Theatre Matters Award for Been So Long (Young Vic/English Touring Theatre).

Tim McArthur and Chums  A benefit concert for TheatreMAD the Make A Difference Trust.

Sunday 4^th June

Hippodrome Casino, Cranbourn Street, Leicester Square, London, WC2H 7JH

Doors 7.30pm Show 8.00pm

Tim McArthur and some of his close chums gather  for an evening of music, stories and lots of silly showbiz fun. Tim will be joined by Jamie Birkett, David Breeds, Stewart Briggs, Abigail Carter Simpson, Josh Considine, Sarah Dearlove, Alistair Fredericks, Jon R Harrison, Emma Ralston, Gary Tushaw, Kitty Whitelaw, Jo Wickham, Ellen Vereniks.

Tim wears many hats in the industry from performing to directing and presenting.  Maybe his alter ego Sister Mary McArthur may grace us with her presence, but fun is guaranteed.

Tim is delighted to be performing this special cabaret for the MAD Trust.  For the last five years he has presented The Curtain up show on Resonance FM and he also currently hosts In The Green Room for Encore Radio

Cabaret credits include Mountains (Jermyn Street and St James Theatre) and seasons in NYC. KL and Cape Town

 

https://www.madtrust.org.uk/event/evening-tim-mcarthur-chums/

Leeds Grand Theatre – until 27th May 2017

I’ve been with this show, by the wonderful Mischief Theatre Company,  from its beginnings above a pub with only a handful of us in the audience.  I watched it grow in length and confidence and every time I see it, it only gets better and even more hilarious.

A farcical play-within-a-play, The Play That Goes Wrong charts the bungled attempt by the incompetent Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society to stage a 1920’s thriller called The Murder at Haversham Manor.  Even before the play properly starts a handful of backstage “crew” desperately trying to fix props and put the finishing touches to a failing set. A poor unsuspecting member of the audience is actually pulled up to hold a shelf and a door and sweep the floor.

Everything that can possibly go wrong does. Bits keep falling off the set, so that by the end of the evening it collapses completely.  The snow occasionally billowing in from outside is actually huge chunks of confetti. There’s a mishap with a stretcher so that the corpse of the first murder victim has to try sliding off stage without the audience noticing – and so on and so forth. With some of the stunts looking quite dangerous.

The Play That Goes Wrong is what it is, but it has a winning exuberant silliness and a knowing tongue-in-cheek tone.  And when the fictional thespians try to extricate themselves from the pandemonium, it inevitably sows the seeds for escalating bedlam. Mischief Theatre may be predominantly known as improvisers but here the script, written by three of the original cast (Henry Lewis, Henry Shields and Jonathan Sayer), is tight and inventive enough to ensure what might have been a one-gag idea sustains the two hour show.  Although the build-up is hardly subtle – it’s full-on catastrophe from the very first entrance – the team manage to ramp up the stakes without quite seeming desperate.

Such hammy slapstick relies on performance; and here it is as vigorously ribald as you could hope.  In the first scenes the “corpse” of Charles Haversham (Jason Callender) refuses to lay still. The two actresses who ended up playing Florence were hilarious, Meg Mortell gave an over the top performance as the Cornley glamour puss Sandra whose diva claws come out when Stage Manager, Annie, (Katie Bernstein as a who steals the show) steps into her role as Florence Colleymore, the fiancée of the murder victim – they both endure some of the most brutal, but hilariously, physical indignities at the hands of there castmates.

Alastair Kirton is hilarious as amateur actor Max who can’t help posing and grinning at the audience while portraying the gormless Cecil Haversham, who laughs at his own jokes and clapped along with the audience when he did something impressive.  Patrick Warner’s vein-popping portrayal of Chris, the actor behind the police inspector, trying desperately to hide his violent impatience at the incompetence that surrounds him is hilarious and it will be some time before I forget him pretending to make notes with a bunch of keys on a vase because his pencil and his notebook have both gone AWOL.

Edward Judge is in commanding form as Robert, an amateur actor but who sticks strictly to the script no matter what’s going on, who plays Thomas Colleymore, close friend of the murder victim.  Edward Howells is a comic delight as the inexperienced Dennis, who has a particular knack of grotesquely mispronouncing even the most commonplace words, while playing the hapless butler Perkins in half-mast trousers and only the front part of his hair powdered grey, serving raw white spirit to the characters in the play because he has already mistakenly poured away the fake whisky.  Completing the excellent is Graeme Rooney as Trevor, the Duran Duran-loving sound operator. The writers have produced perfect characters and how they manage to keep on acting through the show, as it literally falls down around their heads, is a joy to watch.

The production calls for a great deal of slapstick and precisely timed physical comedy from the cast, all of which is pulled off impeccably.  From the intervention of director Mark Bell, who is willing to sacrifice dignity for a laugh, designers Nigel Hook (set) and Roberto Surace (costumes) capture the amateur vibe of a Mousetrap-style production perfectly, and there are many clever effects as the set gradually falls apart. The Play That Goes Wrong delivers what it promises, the constant ridiculousness produces a full on hysterical reaction to the big set-pieces, and the whole production is so funny, the laughs are so fast you barely have time to come up for air between them all, making it uproariously enjoyable.