Buckets of donations for local charities

Grand Opera House York is very happy to announce that money raised during the run of Beauty and The Beast for various local charities, such as RDMCC , Brain Tumour Research,  Salvation Army,  Lord Mayor’s charities, York Hospital Dementia Appeal and  SNAPPY (during the Relaxed Performance, came to a staggering £4254.57.

The total raised throughout the year during many of the theatre’s productions came to an impressive £10,999.13.

Clare O’Connor, Deputy General Manager said:

‘After having made the decision to focus largely on local charities, we are absolutely delighted to have raised so much for these very deserving charities over our pantomime season, and indeed over the financial year so far.  This year’s pantomime audience have been more generous than ever, the proceeds of these collections will go a long way to help make a difference to the lives of others, and we look forward to working with more local charities in the coming months.’

Photo of Grand Opera staff members by David Harrison

L to R: Gordon Glover, Clare O’Connor, Megan Conway, Celestine Dubruel.  Front row: Magnus Leslie  

Presented by Access All Areas
Shoreditch Town Hall, 380 Old Street, London EC1V 9LT
Tuesday 13th – Wednesday 28th March 2018

Learning disabled artists campaign and provoke in a striking new piece of theatre in East London

This March, award winning theatre company Access All Areas will present MADHOUSE re:exit – an interactive, immersive experience at Shoreditch Town Hall, inspired by the institutionalisation of people with learning disabilities in the UK. This innovative production will then transfer to the Lowry’s festival Week 53 in May.

Set in a corporate care facility that promises a revolution in social services, five learning disabled artists will take the audience on a fantastical, disruptive journey that explores what institutions mean to people with learning disabilities today.

With a refusal to be silent, and a history of being ignored, these artists will reside in a maze-like institution, growling to be heard, and waiting for a revolution that is forever promised. Illusionist David Munns questions whether the Victorian label of freak persists today; choreographer DJ Hassan spins between joy and loneliness; Dayo Koleosho asks how easy it is for learning disabled people to live independently; Imogen Roberts celebrates the ancient Olmec tribe who worshipped those with Down Syndrome as gods; and acclaimed performance poet Cian Binchy imagines himself as London’s oldest baby.

Binchy, who was the autism consultant on The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time and whose autobiographical show The Misfit Analysis is now touring the world, began to respond artistically to how government cuts effect his life after Theresa May was confronted by a voter with a learning disability on the campaign trail. For Binchy, this now infamous exchange highlighted how
little the government understands the support needs of people with learning disabilities

Binchy comments, People with learning disabilities aren’t listened to. There isn’t the right support for people like me with milder learning disabilities. We used to be locked away in institutions for life.  Now we’re just stuck at home, and in some ways it’s like our bedrooms have become like institutions because we’re stuck there with nothing to do. We’re just ignored, and treated like we don’t exist.

Over two years, Access All Areas has been working with people with learning disabilities, both professional artists and community participants, to learn about how previous generations of people with learning disabilities were treated, and to respond to how government policy effects people with learning disabilities today. MADHOUSE re:exit has built on the legacy of Mabel Cooper, a learning disabled resident of a long-stay hospital, who campaigned to have these institutions banned in the UK and pressed the button that blew up one of the last of these hospitals.

Access All Areas will stage unique pop-up performances linked to MADHOUSE re:exit around London before the main performances in March. Cian Binchy will appear at Duckie at The Royal Vauxhall Tavern on Saturday 3rd February, DJ Hassan at The Places’s Resolution Festival on Monday 19th February and Imogen Roberts at Steakhouse Live Festival 2018 on Sunday 25th February

Artistic Director of Access All Areas, Nick Llewellyn, comments The history of the institutionalisation of people with learning disabilities being locked away in long stay hospitals is a very recent history, with the changes that were long fought for being forgotten and the progress being vanished from the public consciousness. With MADHOUSE re:exit, we cross-reference the past with our current
climate and the lack of a holistic support structures for people with learning disabilities. We examine how the four walls of the hospitals where people were locked away from society are now being replaced with the four walls of people’s bedrooms, as they have a lack of opportunities for engagement or support. We show five different artists’ experiences of contemporary confinement, whilst finding parallels with the past.

Defiantly different (The Guardian on Access All Areas).

MADHOUSE re:exit has been developed with the Barbican, Shoreditch Town Hall, The Lowry, Battersea Arts Centre, Wellcome Trust, Arts Council England, and the Open University.

BIRMINGHAM STAGE COMPANY ANNOUNCE A BRAND-NEW INSTALMENT OF HORRIBLE HISTORIES:

BARMY BRITAIN – PART FOUR!

 

Birmingham Stage Company presents

The world premiere of

HORRIBLE HISTORIES: BARMY BRITAIN – PART FOUR!

Written and Directed by Neal Foster

2 August – 1 September

Press performances: 3 August 2pm & 4pm, 4 August 11am

 

Apollo Theatre

 

Birmingham Stage Company today announces the world premiere of a brand-new production of Horrible Histories: Barmy Britain – Part Four!. This marks Horrible Histories’ seventh year in the West End and makes Barmy Britain the only show in West End history to launch a fourth sequel!

Horrible Histories: Barmy Britain – Part Four follows the sell-out successes of Barmy Britain – Parts One, Two and Three as well as the most recent ‘Best of’ productions. Barmy Britain – Part Fouropens on 3 August with previews from the 2 August and runs until 1 September. Tickets go on sale via Amazon Tickets pre-sale on 5 February and general sale on 9 February.

 

We all want to meet people from history. The trouble is everyone is dead! So it’s time to prepare yourselves for Horrible Histories Live on Stage with a brand new show featuring all new scenes in Barmy Britain – Part Four!

Be reduced to rubble by the ruthless Romans! Would you be shaken or stirred by Richard III? Mount a mutiny against King Henry VIII! See Mary Tudor knock the spots off Mary Queen of Scots! Will Queen Elizabeth I endure her terrible teeth? Would you be hanged by King James I for being a witch? Peep into the world of Samuel Pepys and help Georgian detectives find the headless man! Take a trip into the night with the night soil men and discover how to survive the first ever train ride!

After six sensational years in the West End, Barmy Britain is back with a brand-new world première!

Terry Deary is the creator of Horrible Histories and one of Britain’s best-selling authors of the 21st Century. He’s also the tenth most-borrowed author in British libraries. There are around 50 Horrible Histories titles with total sales of 25 million in 40 countries. Terry is also the author of over 200 fiction and non-fiction books for young people including his series of books Dangerous Days.

Neal Foster is Actor/Manager of The Birmingham Stage Company. Since its foundation the BSC has staged over eighty productions and become one of the world’s leading producers of theatre for children and their families. During the BSC’s twenty-six year history, Foster has performed roles including Grandma in George’s Marvellous Medicine, the title role in Skellig at The New Victory Theatre, New York, Storey in Awful Egyptians (Sydney Opera House) and Rex in Barmy Britain(Garrick Theatre and Apollo Theatre). As a director, his work includes Fantastic Mr Fox, Tom’s Midnight Garden, The Jungle Book (all national tours) and Barmy Britain – Part One! Two!, Three!(Garrick Theatre), The Best of Barmy Britain (Apollo Theatre) and More Best of Barmy Britain(Garrick Theatre). He has adapted and directed the national tours of Awful Auntie and Gangsta Granny by David Walliams. Gangsta Granny made its West End debut at the Garrick last year.

Horrible Histories: Barmy Britain – Part Four is directed by Neal Foster, designed by Jackie Trousdale, lighting by Jason Taylor, sound by Nick Sagar and music by Matthew Scott.

Horrible Histories Live On Stage shows are created by The Birmingham Stage Company. BSC has been touring Horrible Histories for thirteen years throughout the UK, Ireland, Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, New Zealand and Australia. Other current productions include David Walliams’ Gangsta Granny and Awful Auntie and Roald Dahl’s George’s Marvellous Medicine.

Horrible Histories shows are recommended for ages 5 to 105 (106 year olds may not like them)

www.barmybritain.com

Twitter: @HHLiveOnStage

Facebook: birminghamstage

 

Horrible Histories – Barmy Britain – Part Four Listings

Apollo Theatre

31 Shaftesbury Avenue, London W1D 7ES

Box Office: 0330 333 4809

www.nimaxtheatres.com

Ticket prices: £15.50, £19.50, £24.50, £27.50

Booking fees apply for all on-line and phone bookings, and all tickets include a 50p restoration levy

There are no booking fees for tickets purchased in person at the theatre

2 August – 1 September

Running time: 70 minutes

The biggest wardrobe in ballet: 27 princess tutus, 40 costume rails & 100 wigs

Birmingham Royal Ballet’s dazzling production of The Sleeping Beauty returns to The Lowry

At The Lowry from Wed 28 Feb – Sat 3 March 2018

Birmingham Royal Ballet’s production of The Sleeping Beauty returns to The Lowry from Wed 28 February until Sat 3 March.

The Sleeping Beauty is one of the grandest ballets ever created, with a classical score by Tchaikovsky and original choreography by Marius Petipa. The opulent world of Imperial Russian ballet, with its marvellous mixture of virtuoso dance, fairy tale characters and dazzling spectacle, has delighted audiences for over a hundred years. Sir Peter Wright’s 1984 production for Birmingham Royal Ballet, with designs by Philip Prowse, is acclaimed as one of the best in the world.

Resplendent in a shimmering palette of blush pink and gold, the wardrobe of The Sleeping Beauty is the largest and most complex of any ballet inBirmingham Royal Ballet’s repertory. The expert costume and wig departments begin work as soon as the ballet is announced, preparing themselves for months of repairing and renovating original costumes, dressing wigs and ponytails, fitting new costumes on dancers and ensuring every fine detail will be ready for the opening night of The Sleeping Beauty.

The Sleeping Beauty wardrobe – facts and figures:

The Sleeping Beauty is Birmingham Royal Ballet’s biggest production in terms of costumes and wigs, and the only which requires an entire articulated lorry just for wardrobe.

There are 66 wigs, 31 ponytails and 1 beard in The Sleeping Beauty, all prepared and applied by a dedicated wig department.

There are 40 rails of costumes and 17 wicker skips in The Sleeping Beauty wardrobe – including 4 rails of Princess Aurora tutus alone.

The dancer playing Princess Aurora wears 3 tutus throughout the ballet. With 9 ballerinas cast in the lead role, each with their own complete set of costumes, the wardrobe team must prepare 27 Aurora tutus.

It takes approximately 1 week to make a tutu base, or skirt, and about 4 weeks to complete the entire process. There are usually three fittings with the dancer who will be wearing the tutu.

The court lady dresses weigh just over 1 stone each, and the dress for the evil fairy Carabosse weighs much more.

Many of original costumes are still in use today, including Birmingham Royal Ballet Assistant Director Marion Tait’s own Princess Aurora tutu.

Throughout the run of The Sleeping Beauty, the costume staff can spend up to 3 hours each day repairing costumes.

The Sleeping Beauty produces so much laundry that the washing machines are in constant use throughout the show.

The wardrobe includes 8 baskets of shoes – some ballerinas will use 10 pairs of pointe shoes or more throughout the tour.

Listings

Birmingham Royal Ballet’s The Sleeping Beauty
Date: Wed 28 Feb – Sat 3 March
Performance times: 7.30pm, Thu & Sat 2pm.
Tickets: £19 – £50

BEHIND THE SCENES OF A WORLD PREMIERE IN LEEDS

Watch the 3 minute film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pyt0HFHFLWY

 

 

Phoenix Dance Theatre are preparing for their World Premiere this week and have released images of their rehearsals giving a sneak peek behind the scenes.

Windrush: Movement of the People is a contemporary dance piece commemorating the 70^th anniversary of the arrival of SS Empire Windrush, the ship that brought the first large group of immigrants from the Caribbean to the UK in 1948 – it opens at West Yorkshire Playhouse this week, running from Wednesday 7^thto Saturday 10^th February before going on tour.

“I’m very excited about this new piece of work,” says Choreographer and Artistic Director of Phoenix Dance, Sharon Watson. “This event is a monumental part of UK history and it had a huge effect on our cultural landscape. To retell a version of the story in dance has been incredible to work on.”

Fusing music and dance to create the production uses a multi-cultural cast to tell an international story and celebrates a culture that is now part of the country’s fabric.

From 1948 to the present day; from Calypso to RnB via Blues, Ska and Reggae, composer Christella Listrassupports the story with an original soundtrack to the lives of the Caribbean British people and wider Black British Communities.

Windrush will be presented alongside Shadows by Christopher Bruce and Calyx by Sandrine Monin.

The World Premiere of Windrush: Movement of the People is at West Yorkshire Playhouse

7 – 10 February 2018 at 7.30pm

 

Tickets are on sale now priced from £13.50 to £31

Book online at wyp.org.uk or call Box Office on 0113 213 77 00

 

It then tours to:

Theatre By The Lake, Keswick; Cast, Doncaster, Curve, Leicester; Schrittmacher, Aachen, Germany;

The Peacock Theatre, Sadler’s Wells London; Birmingham Arts Centre; Northern Stage, Newcastle

 

LISTINGS:

 

Theatre By The Lake, Keswick

Tuesday 20^th February 2018 at 7.30pm

Tickets: £10 to £18

Box Office: www.theatrebythelake.com  / 017687 74411

The Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham

Tuesday 27^th February 2018 at 7.30pm

Tickets: £19

Box Office: www.everymantheatre.org.uk / 01242 572573

Cast Doncaster

Wednesday 7^th March 2018 at 7.30pm

Tickets: £16.50 U26: £14.50 Schools: £10

Box Office: www.castindoncaster.com / 01302 303 959

Curve Leicester

Friday 9^th and Saturday 10^th March 2018

Tickets: £10 to £16

Box Office: www.curveonline.co.uk / 0116 242 3595

 

Schrittmacher, Aachen, Germany                   

22 – 25 March 2018

http://www.schrittmacherfestival.de/

 

The Peacock Theatre, Sadler’s Wells London

Thursday 26 – Saturday 28 April 2018 at 7.30pm

Tickets: £15 to £29

Box Office www.sadlerswells.com / 020 7863 8000

 

Birmingham Arts Centre

Friday 4 and Saturday 5 May 2018 at 7:30pm

Tickets: From £14.40

Box office: macbirmingham.co.uk / 0121 446 3232

 

Northern Stage, Newcastle

Wednesday 9^th and Tuesday 10^th May 2018 at 7.30pm

Tickets: From £10

Box Office: www.northernstage.co.uk / 0191 230 5151

Forty years on, Berwick Kaler is The Grand Old Dame of York

York’s legendary long-serving dame Berwick Kaler has announced the title of his 40th pantomime at the Theatre Royal.

Traditionally, he reveals the title of the forthcoming show on the last night of the panto – and this year was no exception. After the curtain came down on the final performance of this year’s highly successful production of Jack & the Beanstalk, he announced to the packed auditorium that the title of the 2018-19 pantomime as The Grand Old Dame of York.

As well as starring as Dame, Berwick writes and co-directs the world-famous pantomime with the cast including his regular panto ‘family’ including Martin Barrass, David Leonard and Suzy Cooper. York Theatre Royal Artistic Director Damian Cruden co-directs a show that is affectionately known by performers and the regular audience as ‘the same old rubbish’.

After playing panto villains, Berwick first put on a frock in Cinderella at York Theatre Royal in 1977. He played Philomena, one of the Ugly Sisters. He made his York debut earlier that year as Sir Andrew Aguecheek in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. Apart from two years (1986 and 1987) when he was appearing in London’s West End, he’s been the Grand Old Dame of York ever since.

His opening words “Me babbies, me bairns” have become his catchphrase along with hurling Wagon Wheels into the audience and giving out bottles of Newcastle Brown Ale.

His first York panto script was for Aladdin in 1981. An absence of plot has become one of the hallmarks of his scripts. “Plots are for cemeteries,” he once joked. As well as variations on regular panto titles such as The Lad Aladdin and Robin Hood & His Merry Mam, he has created original pantos including Dick Turpin The Panto.

Panto co-director Damian Cruden said:

“This year is Berwick’s 40th and we are celebrating with a brand new pantomime The Grand Old Dame of York. The regular team will be back and we’re already hard at work in preparing next year’s extravaganza.

“Tohave served the York community with such steadfast dedication for 40 years is a huge achievement. Berwick is the nation’s greatest Panto Dame and he stands as equal to the greats like Dan Leno, Stanley Baxter and Jimmy Logan. He has created his very own unique Dame as all the greats do, with annual outings that have unstintingly entertained the people of York and beyond.

“Each year he creates a completely new pantomime with a team of dedicated professionals at YTR. His determination to maintain high production standards is echoed in YTR’s commitment to providing the best for our audiences. The York Panto with Berwick as its Dame is a yearly celebration with our community not to be missed!”

The Grand Old Dame of York will play from Thursday 13 December 2018 to 2 February 2019.

Tickets will go on sale on 1 March in person only from the York Theatre Royal box office.

THE SHOW MAKING HEADLINES AROUND THE WORLD ANNOUNCES EIGHT OF THE ‘BEST’

Lennon’s Banjo makes its world stage premiere at Liverpool’s Epstein Theatre in April – and the show is already making headlines around the world as one of the most hotly anticipated productions of 2018.

The final cast member in a brand-new comedy stage play coming to Liverpool about the quest to find John Lennon’s missing childhood banjo has been revealed.

Liverpool stage actor Danny O’Brien completes the exciting line-up of Lennon’s Banjo. The cast also includes Eric Potts, Mark Moraghan, Jake Abraham, Lynn Francis, Stephanie Dooley, Alan Stocks,and Roy Carruthers.

Also, it was recently announced that The Beatles’ original drummer Pete Best, will play himself in three special performances of the show’s two-week run.

 

Produced by Pulse Records Ltd in association with Bill Elms, Lennon’s Banjo opens at the Epstein Theatre on Tuesday 24 April, continuing through until Saturday 5 May. Tickets are on sale now.

Lennon’s Banjo is written by Rob Fennah, who will also co-produce the show. No stranger to theatre, Fennah wrote the stage play adaptation of Helen Forrester’s Twopence to Cross the Mersey which has enjoyed success spanning 20 years.

 

It was John Lennon’s mother, Julia Lennon, who introduced him to the world of pop music, teaching him to play rock and roll on a banjo, given to her by John’s grandfather. The play is about a quest to find the holy grail of pop memorabilia – the first instrument John Lennon learned to play, which has been missing for 60 years and is now worth millions to whoever finds it.

Mysteriously, the banjo went missing shortly after Julia’s death. One thing is certain though, if it did resurface it is estimated to be worth in the region of five million pounds.

Set in present day Liverpool, Lennon’s Banjo is based on the 2012 novel Julia’s Banjo written by Rob Fennah and Helen A Jones. A mix of fact and fiction, the production will be directed by Mark Heller.

For the first time, the full plot and characters featured in the stage comedy can be revealed.

 

LENNON’S BANJO – THE PLOT

When Beatles tour guide Barry Seddon (Eric Potts) finds a letter written by John Lennon, he unearths a clue to solving the greatest mystery in pop history – the whereabouts of Lennon’s first musical instrument which has been missing for 60 years. But Barry’s loose tongue alerts Texan dealer Travis Lawson (Danny O’Brien) to the priceless relic.

In an attempt to get his hands on the letter and the clues, he persuades his wife Cheryl (Stephanie Dooley) to befriend the hapless tour guide and win his affections. The race for the holy grail of pop memorabilia is on!

 

LENNON’S BANJO – THE CHARACTERS

 

Coronation Street and Doctor Who’s Eric Potts will play tour guide and Beatle nerd Barry.

Barry lives for just one thing, The Beatles. His love for the Fab Four is all consuming and probably the main reason he has never had a girlfriend. Oblivious to ridicule by his workmate, Sid, and so-called friends, Joe and Steve, he has only one true admirer, Brenda.

Star of Coronation Street and Emmerdale, Mark Moraghan joins the cast to play the part of ‘Beatles Shop’ co-owner Joe. Joe is the older brother of Steve. Both ex dock-workers, Joe harbours a nagging sense of guilt for persuading Steve to go into partnership with him and buy The Beatles Shop. After 20 years in the shop, all his hopes and dreams of a better life have long since evaporated.

Liverpool’s own Jake Abraham takes on the role of disgruntled ‘Beatles Shop’ co-owner Steve who, along with his brother Joe, has grown tired of his business tenure. Steve resents working in The Beatles Shop and misses the camaraderie of his old workmates. He feels his life is wasting away and craves for a more glamorous existence. Opening a bar in Tenerife is his ultimate goal.

Lynn Francis will play work-weary pub landlady Brenda. Brenda has clearly been through the mill. But underneath her dull appearance there still remains an attractive woman crying out for love. Unimpressed by loud-mouthed admirers like Sid, Brenda has her eyes set on a much gentler soul…Barry.

Danny O’Brien will be appearing in the role of Travis. Texan native Travis is not afraid to risk everything if it means making a fast buck.  But underneath the bullish bravado lurks a gentler character. Despite causing his wife no end of grief with all the wheeling and dealing, he desperately wants to be a winner and make her proud.

Stephanie Dooley has also joined the cast to play the part of Texan, Cheryl. Stephanie is best known for her roles in Emmerdale and Casualty.  Long suffering Cheryl does her best to stand by her husband Travis. She is the common sense in the marriage and tries to reign Travis in whenever she feels he’s getting over ambitious. She rarely succeeds.

Appearing in the role of Sid is Alan Stocks. A throw back to 50’s teddy-boy era, Sid fancies himself as a ladies’ man but in reality women wouldn’t touch him with a bargepole. Always on Barry’s case, Sid sees the tour guide as an easy target and enjoys winding him up at every opportunity.

Roy Carruthers will play ruthless Texan businessman Tony DeVito. Tony DeVito oozes the confidence of a successful businessman. Never seen without a cigar hanging from his mouth, he is used to getting what he wants. DeVito’s bravado is propped up by his hired muscle, Carl and Wayne.

Ex-Beatle Pete Best will appear as himself in three performances. Alan Stocks will portray Pete Best in all other performances during the two-week run.

Pete Best was The Beatles’ drummer between 1960 and 1962, playing more than 1,000 live performances including nightclubs and dance halls in both Liverpool and Hamburg. He recorded 27 songs as a Beatle, and he also played The Beatles’ very first show in Liverpool at the Casbah Coffee Club. Pete will appear in the 2.30pm and 7.30pm shows on Wednesday 25 April, and the 7.30pm show on Saturday 5 May.

Lennon’s Banjo’s are delighted to be working with its Fab Four Production Partners who are The Cavern Club Liverpool, The Beatles Story, Hard Days Night Hotel, and The Beatles Shop.

LISTING INFORMATION

LENNON’S BANJO

Epstein Theatre Liverpool
Tuesday 24 April – Saturday 5 May 2018

Preview Performance 24^th April – ALL SEATS £16

Group Rates Available

HOW TO BOOK

 

Tickets are on sale now. 

EPSTEIN THEATRE

ONLINE:          www.epsteinliverpool.co.uk

CALL:               0844 888 4411

IN PERSON:     Hanover Street, Liverpool, L1 3DZ | Mon-Thu 2pm-6pm, Fri & Sat 12pm-6pm

TICKETQUARTER
ONLINE:          www.ticketquarter.co.uk

CALL:               0844 8000 410

IN PERSON:     Echo Arena Box Office, Kings Dock, Liverpool, L3 4FP | 12noon on Echo Arena event days, and from 9am – 6pm on Fridays

HARRIET WALTER AND CRAIG DAVID ANNOUNCED AS NEW PATRONS FOR NUFFIELD SOUTHAMPTON THEATRES

Ahead of the opening of their new venue – NST city, Nuffield Southampton Theatres today announces that Harriet Walter and Craig David will join the theatre as patrons, working alongside Samantha Bond, Laura Carmichael, Tom Hiddleston and Celia Imrie. They also join the recently announced new associates, Inua Ellams and Drew McOnie adding to the breadth of ambassadors for the theatre.

As patrons of Nuffield Southampton Theatres, Walter and David will support and champion the upcoming season of work as well as the launch of the brand-new theatre.

Director of Nuffield Southampton Theatres, Samuel Hodges, commented, ‘’As we prepare to open our brand-new venue – NST City, I am absolutely delighted that Harriet Walter and Craig David will be joining Samantha Bond, Laura Carmichael, Tom Hiddleston and Celia Imrie as patrons of Nuffield Southampton Theatres. They both bring extensive and diverse experience from across the arts making them the perfect pairing to join our team. We have an exciting year ahead of us, so I’m thrilled to welcome Harriet and David’s support ahead of our upcoming season that marks a big leap forward for NST and for the cultural landscape of Southampton.’’

In addition, NST has also launched the new Founding Friends membership scheme. This gives theatre lovers the rare opportunity to take part in a pivotal moment in NST’s history, enjoying a host of exciting events and benefits. Benefits include a naming inscription on the new donor wall at NST City, bespoke tours of NST City, complimentary tickets, invitations to NST press nights and post-show parties with the cast and opportunities to attend read-throughs, technical and dress rehearsals. For more information on getting involved, please visit: www.nstheatres.co.uk/support-usor call 023 8031 5500 x 517.

Listings Nuffield Southampton Theatres

NST Campus, University Rd, Southampton, SO17 1TR

NST City, Above Bar Street, Guildhall Square, Southampton, SO14 7DU

www.nstheatres.co.uk

Twitter: @nstheatres

Facebook: /nstheatres

Legendary Personalities to Join
Sir Richard Stilgoe’s Orpheus – the Mythical
The Other Palace, 12 Palace Street, London SW1E 5JA
Friday 23rd March – 31st March 2018

So here is our story, more ancient than hist’ry,
With monsters and mortals and Gods on their thrones.

This March, the Orpheus Centre celebrate their 20th birthday with a musical extravaganza at The Other Palace. Highlighting their important work, alumni and current students from this pioneering disabilities charity will join forces with recent graduates from the Arts Educational School to present Sir Richard Stilgoe’s Orpheus – The Mythical.

This witty musical comedy of a Greek tragedy follows Orpheus on an expedition hindered at every stage by bored, capricious gods and a dodgy satnav. He joins the heroic Argonauts to vanquish a dragon to steal the legendary golden fleece. But on his return, his quest is not over. He must descend to the Underworld to rescue his wife Eurydice from the depths of Hades. Guiding the telling of this tale, the Greek Chorus will be played on different nights by Jane Asher, Rob Brydon, Bertie Carvel, and more.

Sir Richard Stilgoe said, We are performing with Arts Educational because we do inclusive stuff and not disabled stuff; the whole purpose of Orpheus is to mix young disabled people up with the real world and not separate them. These are terrific and confident performers who concentrate on what they can do rather than what they can’t. Orpheus changes young disabled people’s lives. It changes the lives of the staff and the 98 volunteers who work with them. It changes the lives of everyone who attends one of their shows. It has changed my life immeasurably.

Sir Richard Stilgoe founded the Orpheus Trust in 1998 in his former family home in Surrey to inspire young disabled people to greater independence though performing arts experiences. The Orpheus Centre offers a personalised study programme focusing on building independence, communication and social interaction skills through the arts, supported housing and a personal care service. The students stay at Orpheus for up to three years and are between the ages of 18 and 25 and have learning and/or physical disabilities. The focus
at the Orpheus Centre is on maximising lasting independence for the students.

Northern Stage, Newcastle – until 10 February.  Reviewed by Andy Bramfitt

4****

No one would have believed…

Ever since the now infamous radio retelling of H G Wells’ science fiction classic, The War of the Worlds has inspired creative interpretation, often using methods and technology of the time and adopting the location to best suit their needs. Jeff Wayne, with his seminal double album, was my favourite, the Tom Cruise Hollywood gloss version by far my least. This new imagining, set in the North East and featuring 4 interwoven stories, is by far the best I’ve seen on stage and one which attempts to leave the audience with a more pertinent twang of realisation in keeping with the current environmental challenges.

The premise is that our 4 characters are but mere ghosts, back to recount their experiences as the first wave of Martian invaders descended onto the North East coastline. Set just before the start of the 20th century, they draw on the undercurrent of change, the feeling that the rich are beginning to get richer and leave the have-nots well behind (something that rings only too clearly in the present day). The technological advancements seem to best serve the middle and upper classes, leaving the poor and working class adrift and struggling to eek out a place. Inequality besets every avenue and yet, through this sudden interruption to the social norm, they witness all levels thrown together in a battle to survive.

Laura Lindow, the writer and creator, has managed to remain very true to the essence of Wells’ original without it feeling like a substitution rewrite, indeed there are elements which most certainly serve to enhance the source text of which Wells would have surely approved. Peppered with colloquialisms and Victorian Geordie, it presents both as a fictional tale and a history lesson rolled into one and is instantly recognisable as Victorian Tyneside.

Lindow’s treatment of this great story is as much an inward reflection on how small mankind is, how pitiful our supposed achievements are and how the words preached about tolerance and coexistence are just hollow gestures; brilliant insight by Wells in 1898 and perfectly in tune 120 years later.

The cast, Jack Lloyd (Ridley), Luke Maddison (Boots), Charlotte Ryder (Jill) and Lauren Waine (Mo) give an imperious lesson in creating characters through the power of suggestion, and James Pickering’s use of a minimal set only serves to keenly focus the attention on the actors. Through their wonderful storytelling the small island stage becomes a moor, a chapel, a shipyard, poverty ridden back streets, tunnels and seashore. The brilliant soundscape of Mariam Rezaei transports you right into the heart of the industrial North yet this familiar aural tapestry is twisted into a threatening and scary horizon, driving the audience towards a precipice of uncertainty and never letting the heart rate drop to a comfortable rest.

Of all the scenes, only the finale felt a little contrived with the cast issuing a warning ultimatum of man’s refusal to protect the planet that protects them – not quite a Daily Mail headline but perhaps one which could have been more implied, leaving the audience to feed more on their own thoughts than being told to do so. That said, the feeling one is left with is simple – substitute the Martians for Big Business, despotic rulers, New World order, blatant commercialism or scant disregard for the natural resources and we too could suffer a cataclysmic disaster from which we will not recover.