MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL, DARLINGTON’S PANTOMIME CAST IS THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL!

As the first full-scale production to play the redeveloped and renamed Darlington Hippodrome, this year’s spectacular family pantomime, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, will star Lee Ryan, Zoe Birkett, Patrick Monahan, Eric Potts and Liam Mellor in the ultimate festive treat for all ages from 9 December 2017.

Starring as the handsome Prince is boyband and television star Lee Ryan. Since joining the BRIT award-winning boyband Blue in 2001, Lee and his bandmates went on to sell over 14 million records worldwide, releasing five critically acclaimed studio albums and headlined several UK tours. In 2011, to coincide with their tenth year in the music industry, Blue represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest with their entry I Can. In 2013 Blue were a featured addition to the ITV2 reality television show The Big Reunion, which culminated in a sold out performance at the Hammersmith Apollo. Lee is currently starring as Woody Woodward in EastEnders for the BBC.

Pop Idol finalist, West End leading lady and Darlington diva Zoe Birkett will star alongside him as the Wicked Queen. At 16 she auditioned for the first series of Pop Idol for ITV in 2001, finishing fourth in the competition, before continuing to carve out an extensive theatre career with leading roles in Thriller Live, Respect La Diva and as one of the principal vocalists in Priscilla Queen of the Desert at the Palace Theatre. Most recently Zoe understudied and performed the lead role of Rachel Marron in The Bodyguard across the UK, stunning audiences and critics alike with her vocal dexterity and stage presence.

Middlesbrough-raised funny man Patrick Monahan will star as the Wicked Queen’s bumbling Henchman. A frequent star on the comedy club and festival circuits, Patrick regularly tours the UK with his unique blend of audience interaction, animated story-telling and quick wit, which has solidified his reputation as one of the nation’s best-loved comedians. In 2011 Patrick entered the ITV stand-up comedy contest Show Me the Funny, beating off stiff competition to be crowned the winner, which led to the release of his debut DVD Patrick Monahan Live, and appearances on Let’s Dance for Comic Relief and the ITV celebrity diving show Splash!

Best-known for his role as Coronation Street’s eccentric baker Diggory Compton Eric Potts stars as Nurse Nelly. No stranger to pantomime Eric has appeared in and written numerous pantomimes over the last two decades, bringing his unique brand of comedy and showmanship, in an array of outrageous costumes to audiences’ delight. His television roles include Doctor Who, Still Game, Peak Practice and Brookside, and he regularly appears on stage across the UK in classical plays, revues and comedies. Eric will also direct this year’s pantomime.

Completing the line-up, Liam Mellor will star as Snow White’s best friend Muddles. As an actor and comedian Liam has starred in numerous stage productions including Chekov and Shakespeare at the Grange Court Theatre, appeared in the feature films Yellow Ribbon, Kick It Out and Jack Falls and numerous pantomimes across the UK.

Staged once again by Qdos Entertainment, the world’s biggest pantomime producer, and the team behind Darlington’s pantomimes since 1999, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs will feature all of the traditional pantomime ingredients Darlington audiences have come to expect in a fantastic new production of the well-loved fairy tale when the Hippodrome reopens its doors.

Jonathan Kiley, Executive Producer for Qdos Entertainment said: “We are absolutely delighted to be the first full-scale production to open the all-new Darlington Hippodrome after its exciting building work. Darlington audiences are amongst the very best in the UK and we’re thrilled to be back with a brand-new production featuring so many star names. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs will undoubtedly be the ultimate festive treat for all the family”.

Lynda Winstanley, Director of Darlington Hippodrome said “We are absolutely thrilled to announce that Lee, Zoe, Patrick, Eric and Liam will be with us for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and I am sure they will be a great hit with our audiences.”

Audiences should book now for the fairest panto of them all, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which runs from Saturday 9 December 2017 until Sunday 14 January 2018.

To book contact the Box Office on 01325 405405 or visit www.darlingtonhippodrome.co.uk

 

AFTER A THIRD SENSATIONAL WEST END SEASON,

DIRTY DANCING – THE CLASSIC STORY ON STAGE

LOOKS AHEAD TO INTERNATIONAL DATES AND A NINE MONTH UK TOUR IN 2017

 

WITH £10MILLION ALREADY TAKEN!

 

Producers Karl Sydow and Paul Elliott are delighted to announce that the new UK production of Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story On Stage, is mamboing back onto the road after a sensational Christmas season in the West End followed by international dates in Bremen and Cannes. The show tours the UK and Ireland until the autumn of 2017.

 

The UK tour has taken over £10million pounds since it hit the road last August and, due to overwhelming demand for tickets around the country, even more dates have been added, including return visits to Manchester, Blackpool and Liverpool.

 

The classic story of Baby and Johnny, featuring the hit songs ‘Hungry Eyes’, ‘Hey! Baby’, ‘Do You Love Me?’ and the heart stopping ‘(I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life’, returns to the UK, following two blockbuster West End runs, two hit UK tours, and various international productions.

 

Full of passion and romance, heart-pounding music and sensationally sexy dancing, this record-breaking all new concept of the show is directed by Federico Bellone, choreographed by Gillian Bruce with set design re-imagined by top Italian designer Roberto Comotti. It premiered in Milan in July 2015, subsequently packing out the 15,000 seat Roman Arena in Verona, and then played a season in Rome.

 

It’s the summer of 1963, and 17 year-old Frances ‘Baby’ Houseman is about to learn some major lessons in life as well as a thing or two about dancing. On holiday in New York’s Catskill Mountains with her older sister and parents, she shows little interest in the resort activities and instead discovers her own entertainment when she stumbles across an all-night dance party at the staff quarters. Mesmerised by the raunchy dance moves and the pounding rhythms, Baby can’t wait to be part of the scene, especially when she catches sight of Johnny Castle the resort dance instructor. Her life is about to change forever as she is thrown in at the deep end as Johnny’s leading lady both on-stage and off, and two fiercely independent young spirits from different worlds come together in what will be the most challenging and triumphant summer of their lives.

 

Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story On Stage originally opened at London’s Aldwych Theatre in 2006 with a record-breaking advance of £15 million, making it the fastest ever selling show in West End theatre history. The production became the longest running show in the history of the Aldwych Theatre and played to over two million people during its triumphant five year run.

 

Since its Australian debut in 2004, Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story On Stage, has become a worldwide phenomenon, with productions staged in the USA, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, South Africa, Hong Kong, Singapore and throughout Europe, consistently breaking box office records. Recent sell out tours include France, Germany and Australia. The first ever UK tour of Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story On Stage, launched in 2011 and then returned to the West End in 2013 playing at the Piccadilly Theatre in London, prior to launching a second UK and Ireland tour.

Produced by Karl Sydow, Joye Entertainment and Paul Elliott, in association with Lionsgate and Magic Hour Productions, and written by Eleanor Bergstein, script writer of the phenomenally successful 1987 film, the production features the much-loved characters and original dialogue from the iconic film, as well as exciting extra scenes added in.

 

www.dirtydancingontour.com

#dirtydancing /@ddonstage

 

2017 TOUR DATES

23 – 27 May                            Grimsby Auditorium

29 May – 3 June                      Birmingham Alexandra

5 – 10 June                              Sheffield Lyceum

12 – 17 June                            Edinburgh Playhouse

19 – 24 June                            Glasgow Kings Theatre

26 June – 1 July                       Sunderland Empire

3 – 8 July                                 Bristol Hippodrome

18 – 22 July                             Manchester Palace

24 – 29 July                             Grand Theatre Leeds

31 July – 5 August                   Princess Theatre Torquay

14 – 19 August                        The Hawth, Crawley

21 – 26 August                        Bournemouth Pavilion

29 August – 2 September       Blackpool Opera House

4 – 9 September                     New Victoria Woking

11 – 16 September                 Venue Cymru Llandudno

18 – 23 September                 Liverpool Empire

Dan Looney in association with Paulden Hall Productions, Tom O’Connell Productions, Jason Haigh-Ellery and Tim Lawson present

LUCIE JONES TO JOIN THE CAST OF

THE WEDDING SINGER

 

Welsh musical theatre star and Eurovision hopeful Lucie Jones is to join the cast of The Wedding Singer, (the hilarious musical based on the hit film Adam Sandler film), after she performs in Kiev this weekend where she will represent the UK in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.

Lucie joins the show in Aberdeen and will be performing the role of Holly for a limited six week run.  A former X-Factor finalist, Lucie’s theatre credits include Cosette in the West End production of Les Misérables, also appearing in the 25th anniversary concert of Les Misérables at the O2 arena, London. She played Kelly in The Prodigals at the 2011 Edinburgh Fringe, was cast as Meat in the We Will Rock You World Arena Tour and originated the role of Victoria in the world premiere of American Psycho the musical, at London’s Almeida Theatre. She also performed the lead role of Molly Jensen in Ghost The Musical’s Asia tour.

It’s 1985. Hair is huge, greed is good and rock-star wannabe Robbie Hart is New Jersey’s favourite wedding singer. When his own fiancée dumps him at the altar a seriously bummed out Robbie makes every wedding as disastrous as his own.

Can sweet natured Julia and her best friend Holly lure Robbie out of the dumpster and back into the limelight?  Or is he going to see her head off down the aisle with Wall Street bad boy Glen. Only Grandma Rosie seems to be able to see that Robbie and Julia are the couple that are meant to be.

Starring alongside Lucie is West End and Musical Theatre star Jon Robyns who plays Robbie Hart. Most recently he starred in Legally Blonde as Emmett Forrest and in Sister Act as Eddie Souther; other theatre credits include Enjolras in Les Misérables, Spamalot, Memphis and Avenue Q.

He is joined by British singer-songwriter Ray Quinn as Glen who shot to fame as the runner-up in ITV1’s The X Factor in 2006 and as champion of Dancing on Ice in 2009. In 2014 he won Dancing on Ice: Champion of Champions. His theatre credits include Danny Zuko in Grease (West End), Dirty Dancing (West End) and Legally Blonde (UK Tour).

West End leading lady and X Factor finalist Cassie Compton plays Julia; her roles include Jean in American Psycho (Almeida, London) and Eponine in Les Misérables.

Comedy veteran Ruth Madoc stars as Grandma Rosie. Ruth became a household name in the Eighties when she played Gladys Pugh in BBC comedy series Hi-De-Hi! More recently we’ve seen her on screen in ITV’s Benidorm, Mount Pleasant (Sky) and Stella (Sky).

 

Samuel Holmes (Mrs Henderson Presents, West End) plays George. Tara Verloop (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Dirty Dancing in the West End) plays Linda. Paris Green, Hannah Jay-Allen, Susie Fenwick, Helen Walsh, Eamonn Cox, Simon Anthony, Ainsley Hall-Ricketts, Andrew Carthy, Mark Pearce, Ryan-Lee Seager and Erin Bell complete the cast.

The Wedding Singer 2017 UK Tour is Directed and Choreographed by Nick Winston. Set and Costumes are by Francis O’Connor. Musical Supervision is by Sarah Travis with Musical Direction and Orchestration by George Dyer. Lighting Design is by Ben Cracknell with Sound Design by Richard Brooker. Video Design is by Jack Henry James and Casting by Jim Arnold. The Wedding Singer is produced by Dan Looney, Paulden Hall Productions, Tom O’Connell, Jason Haigh-Ellery and Tim Lawson.

Don’t miss your chance to join the party of the year – with a musical that promises to get you up dancing faster than your Dad at a wedding, The Wedding Singer is packed with songs which capture all the fun and energy of the Adam Sandler smash hit film.

WEBSITE | TWITTER | [fb.me/WedSingUkTour]FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE | #WEDSINGUKTOUR

THE WEDDING SINGER

Music by Matthew Sklar

Book by Chad Beguelin and Tim Herlihy

Lyrics by Chad Beguelin

Based upon the New Line Cinema film Written by Tim Herlihy

Directed and Choreographed by Nick Winston

Performances by arrangement with Music Theatre International (Europe) Ltd

THE WEDDING SINGER – REMAINING 2017 UK TOUR DATES

Tuesday 9 – Saturday 13 May

Box Office: 0115 989 5555

Nottingham, Theatre Royal

Website: www.trch.co.uk

Monday 15 – Saturday 20 May

Box Office: 0844 871 3018

Manchester, Opera House

Website: www.atgtickets.com

Tuesday 23 – Saturday 27 May

Box Office: 0844 871 3011

Birmingham, Alexandra Theatre

Website: www.atgtickets.com

Tuesday 30 – Saturday 3 June

Box Office: 0844 871 3017

Liverpool Empire

Website: www.atgtickets.com

Tuesday 6 – Saturday 10 June

Box Office: 0131 529 6000

Edinburgh, King’s Theatre

Website: www.edtheatres.com

Tuesday 20 – Saturday 24 June

Box Office: 01224 641122

Aberdeen, His Majesty’s Theatre

Website: www.aberdeenperformingarts.com

Tuesday 27 June- Saturday 1 July

Box Office: 01463 234 234

Inverness, Eden Court

Website: www.eden-court.co.uk

Tuesday 4 – Saturday 8 July

Box Office: 01253 629600

Blackpool, Winter Gardens                                                     Website:www.wintergardensblackpool.co.uk

Tuesday 11 – Saturday 15 July

Box Office: 01494 512 000

High Wycombe, Swan Theatre

Website: www.wycombeswan.co.uk

Monday 17 – Saturday 22 July

Box Office: 0114 249 6000

Sheffield, Lyceum Theatre

Website: www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk

Tuesday 25 – Saturday 29 July

Box Office: 01492 872000

Llandudno, Venue Cymru

Website: www.venuecymru.co.uk

Tuesday 1 – Saturday 5 August

Box Office: 020 3285 6000

Bromley, Churchill Theatre

Website: www.churchilltheatre.co.uk

Tuesday 8 – Saturday 12 August

Box Office: 01752 267222

Theatre Royal, Plymouth

Website: www.theatreroyal.com

Tuesday 22 – Saturday 26 August

Box Office: 0844 848 2700

Leeds Grand Theatre

Website: www.leedsgrandtheatre.com

Tuesday 29 August – Saturday 2 September

Box Office: 0844 871 7650

Theatre Royal Brighton

Website: www.atgtickets.com

Tuesday 5 – Saturday 9 September

Box Office: 01892 530613

Tunbridge Wells, Assembly Hall Theatre

Website: www.assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk

Tuesday 12 – Saturday 16 September

Box Office: 01743 281281

Shrewsbury, Theatre Severn

Website: www.theatresevern.co.uk

Tuesday 19 – Saturday 23 September

Box Office: 01792 475715

Swansea, Grand Theatre                                                                              Website:www.swanseagrand.co.uk

Tuesday 26 – Saturday 30 September

Box Office: 023 9282 8282

Portsmouth, King’s Theatre

Website: www.kingsportsmouth.co.uk

Tuesday 3 – Saturday 7 October

Box Office: 01902 429212

Wolverhampton, Grand Theatre

Website: www.grandtheatre.co.uk

Cast announced for The Quentin Dentin Show

Tristan Bates Theatre, 1a Tower Street, London WC2H 9NP

Monday 19th June – Saturday 29th July 2017

Luke Lane (The Quentin Dentin Show, Above The Arts; King John, Shakespeare’s Globe; A Midsummer Night’s Dream/Henry V, Cambridge Shakespeare Festival), Shauna Riley (The Quentin Dentin Show, Above The Arts/Edinburgh Fringe; Bas, Prague Fringe; Sasha, Seventh Dream Ventures), Max Panks (Tess of the D’Urbervilles, Park Theatre; Lost Boy The Musical, Charing Cross Theatre and Finborough Theatre; Loserville, Union Theatre), Freya Tilly (You Won’t Succeed On Broadway If You Don’t Have Any Jews, Garrick Theatre; Friday Night Is Music Night, BBC Radio 2; Beauty and The Beast, Millfield Theatre), Lottie-Daisy Francis (Leader of the Pack, Waterloo East; It Tastes Like Home, Tristan Bates Theatre; Alan Carr’s New Year Spectacular, C4) will teleport to the Tristan Bates stage this June to lead the rock musical The Quentin Dentin Show.

The Quentin Dentin Show has developed a cult following on its journey from London to the Edinburgh Fringe and back, on a trajectory from humble beginnings to a fully blown Off West-End rock musical. This is The Rocky Horror Picture Show for the new Millennium.

Producer Hannah Elsy comments, I am proud to welcome this exceptional cast – some old faces, some new – to The Quentin Dentin Show, which is being staged in its biggest and best form yet as a full feature length musical.

With a brilliant original soundtrack, live rock band and dazzling choreography, The Quentin Dentin Show, a satire on the extremes to which we’ll go to get ahead, is guaranteed to make you happy or kill you trying.

Chris Rea

Returns to Newcastle City Hall as part of his Road Songs for Lovers Tour 2017

We are delighted to announce that Chris Rea has added two new shows to his European Tour and will be coming to Newcastle City Hall on Mon 20 Nov 2017, to celebrate the release of his new album, Road Songs For Lovers.

 

Like all truly great artists, Chris Rea has followed his own unique artistic vision and a path that is his and his alone. And although his exemplary musical output to date is deeply embedded into the framework of the world’s rock n roll DNA, it is also safe to say that his presence has been something of a glittering thorn in the side of an industry that has always had him down as a perennial outsider. Artist and painter, blues aficionado and self-confessed motoring nut, filmmaker and Italian-influenced classical music composer, eclectic and maverick are two terms that hardly come close to describing a man who has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide for just being himself. In 2017 Rea returns to what he’s best known for: an album of gorgeous rock ballads which showcases Rea’s unique voice and a songwriting skill at the top of his game.

 

Born in Middlesbrough in 1951, Rea released his debut album in 1978 and promptly had a huge US hit with the first track to be lifted off the record, Fool If You Think It’s Over. In 1983, Rea’s fifth studio album Water Sign sold over half a million copies after I Can Hear Your Heartbeat became a Top 20 hit all over Europe. Rea’s follow up, Wired To The Moon was also a huge success and attendant tours of Europe would ensure that Rea commandeered a significant fan-base that has stayed with him through subsequent decades.

 

In 2000, Rea’s, King Of The Beach reached the Top 30 but his well-documented illness meant that he took a brief sabbatical from recording before returning to his blues roots.

 

Rea is not alone in the company of musicians who found fame later in life – think Jarvis Cocker, Leonard Cohen – and indeed it is interesting to note that he didn’t achieve UK Top Ten single status until the release of The Road To Hell (pt2), a record that was actually his eighteenth chart entry. Perhaps it is this fact that makes Rea such a breath of fresh air and a man effortlessly in control of his own faculties as a singer songwriter. “I was never a rock star or pop star and all the illness has been my chance to do what I’d always wanted to do with music,” he says. “The best change for my music has been concentrating on stuff which really interests me.“  He is obviously referring to his love of motor racing, painting and the blues but if Road Songs For Lovers proves one thing it is this: you can add beautiful, poignant rock ‘n’ roll love songs to that pantheon of passions.

 

Chris Rea plays Newcastle City Hall on Mon 20 Nov 2017. Tickets on sale Friday 12 May from 9am.  Tickets from £51.00 and can be purchased at www.theatreroyal.co.uk or from the Theatre Royal Box office on 08448 11 21 21 (Calls cost 7ppm plus your phone company’s access charge).

 

Additional matinee performance announced for Salford run of
The Play That Goes Wrong

At The Lowry Mon 5 – Sat 10 June

The Play That Goes Wrong, the West End’s Olivier Award winning box office hit, has added an extra performance to its run at The Lowry. Due to popular demand there will now be an additional matinee performance on Fri 9 June at 2pm.

The production takes to the Lyric stage in Salford for nine performances from Mon 5 – Sat 10 June 2017.

The touring cast features: Katie Bernstein (Annie), Jason Callender (Jonathan), Edward Howells (Dennis), Edward Judge (Robert), Alastair Kirton (Max), Meg Mortell (Sandra), Graeme Rooney (Trevor) and Patrick Warner (Chris).

Winning the 2014 Whatsonstage.com Award for Best New Comedy, the 2015 Broadway World UK Award for Best New Play and the 2015 Olivier Award for Best New Comedy, The Play That Goes Wrong is now enjoying its third year in the West End, where it continues to play to sold-out houses. Licensed to thirty-three countries, with productions playing in Tokyo, Paris, Budapest and soon to open in Rome, Warsaw, Shanghai, Cape Town and Melbourne, the The Play That Goes Wrong is now set to receive its Broadway debut, with the original cast opening at the Lyceum Theatre in New York on 2 April 2017. It is a remarkable rags-to-riches story for a play, which started its life at a London fringe venue with only four paying members of the public at the first performance and has since played to an audience of over half a million.

Co-written by Mischief Theatre company members Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields, The Play That Goes Wrong is a highly physical comedy packed with finely-tuned farce and Buster Keaton inspired slapstick delivered with split-second timing and ambitious daring. The play introduces The ‘Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society’ who are attempting to put on a 1920s’ murder mystery, but as the title suggests, everything that can go wrong… does, as the accident prone thespians battle on against all the odds to get to their final curtain call.

Mischief Theatre was founded in 2008 by a group of graduates of The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) and began as an improvised comedy group. The company performs across the UK and internationally with improvised and original scripted work. Now with three productions playing concurrently in the West End: The Play That Goes Wrong at The Duchess Theatre; The Comedy About A Bank Robbery at the Criterion Theatre; and Peter Pan Goes Wrong at the Apollo Theatre. The company makes its television debut this Christmas on BBC One, with a TV production of Peter Pan Goes Wrong filmed in front of a live studio audience, featuring guest star David Suchet as the narrator (transmission date to be announced). The company is led by Artistic Director Henry Lewis and Company Director Jonathan Sayer.

The Play That Goes Wrong is directed by Mark Bell, with set designs by Nigel Hook, lighting by Ric Mountjoy and costumes by Roberto Surace. The Play That Goes Wrong is produced in the West End and on tour by Kenny Wax Ltdand Stage Presence Ltd.

Friends give support To Darlington Hippodrome

Friends of Darlington Hippodrome gift £20,000 to support the restoration project

The multi-million pound restoration project of Darlington Hippodrome has been given another financial boost following a donation of £20,000 from the Friends of Darlington Hippodrome which will fund the creation of a new green room.

The Friends of the Hippodrome Green Room will provide a relaxing break-out space for performers and members of visiting companies. In show business, the green room is the area in the theatre that functions as a waiting room and lounge for performers before and after a performance, and during the show when they are not engaged on stage.  The origin of the term is often ascribed to such rooms historically being painted green.

Rodney Burges, Secretary of the Friends of Darlington Hippodrome said “The theatre has has a long reputation among actors as being a wonderful theatre to perform in because of the welcoming staff and Friends.  We have continuously provided fresh fruit in the dressing rooms and put on regular opening night receptions for visiting companies.  With the restoration providing more space behind the scenes and in particular this much needed relaxation area, the Friends were proud to make this substantial donation to the restoration fund to be sole sponsors of the green room and further enhance the future reputation of the Darlington Hippodrome.”

Friends of Darlington Hippodrome is an independently run group of supporters that enjoys a whole host of benefits including discounts on tickets, advance notice of shows, priority booking and regular post show receptions with the performers.  Membership is just £15 per year for individual membership or £25 for double membership.  For more information to become a Friend of Darlington Hippodrome contact [email protected]

The restoration is still on-course to completed by November 2017 in plenty of time for the festive pantomime Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs which opens on Saturday 9 December.  To book call the new box office number 01325 405405 or visit www.darlingtonhippodrome.co.uk

 

Mark Goucher, Mark Rubinstein and Gavin Kalin present
THE MISER
Written by Molière
Freely adapted by Sean Foley and Phil Porter
Directed by Sean Foley

• LAST CHANCE TO SEE MAJOR WEST END REVIVAL OF THE MISER STARRING GRIFF RYHS JONES, LEE MACK AND MATHEW HORNE
• THE MISER MUST END ITS LIMITED SEASON AT THE GARRICK THEATRE ON 3 JUNE

Audiences have four weeks left to see a major West End revival of Molière’s classic comedy The Miser. The cast brings together two time Olivier Award-winner Griff Rhys Jones, who returns to the West End stage after a five year absence, British Comedy Award-winning Lee Mack who makes his West End debut and Mathew Horne. The play, newly adapted by Sean Foley and Phil Porter, opened at London’s Garrick Theatre in March and now enters the final weeks of a strictly limited season which must end on Saturday 3rd June 2017.

The full West End cast includes: Griff Rhys Jones, Lee Mack, Mathew Horne, Saikat Ahamed, Ryan Gage, Simon Holmes, Andi Osho, Michael Webber, Ellie White and Katy Wix.

Griff Rhys Jones is a two-time Olivier award-winning actor, writer, presenter and comedian. On stage, he has appeared as Fagin in Cameron Mackintosh’s Oliver! (West End), the title role in Charley’s Aunt (West End) and in Feydeau’s An Absolute Turkey (The Globe). In a long-lasting comedy partnership with Mel Smith, his television credits include Not the Nine O’Clock News (BBC), Alas Smith and Jones (BBC), The World According to Smith and Jones (ITV), Smith and Jones in Small Doses (BBC) and Smith and Jones (BBC).

Best known for television and stand-up work, Lee Mack is widely recognised as one of the country’s favourite comedians and has won multiple awards. He is the writer and star of hit BBC One comedy, Not Going Out, which has run for seven series and holds the accolade of being the BBC’s longest running sitcom.  He is a team captain on popular BBC panel show Would I Lie to You, the host of Duck Quacks Don’t Echo on Sky One and a regular guest on panel shows, including Have I Got News for You, Nevermind the Buzzcocks and 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown. Lee has also toured the country with multiple sell-out stand up shows.

Mathew Horne has worked extensively in television where his credits include Are You Being Served?, Agatha Raisin, Worried About the Boy, Nan, Bad Education, Gavin & Stacey, Teachersand The Catherine Tate Show. His stage work includes Pride (Trafalgar Studios/ tour), Charley’s Aunt (Menier Chocolate Factory/ Theatre Royal Bath) and Entertaining Mr.Sloane (Trafalgar Studios).

Saikat Ahamed’s recent theatre credits include Peter Pan (National Theatre), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (New Wolsey Theatre Ipswich), Strictly Balti (UK tour), 101 Dalmatians (Bristol Tobacco Factory) and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Bristol Old Vic). Television credits includeNadeem, Trollied, Being Human and Afterlife. Film work includes This Must be the Place andEast is East.  

Ryan Gage’s television and film credits include King Louis XIII in BBC One and BBC America drama The Musketeers as well as the feature film series The Hobbit and the film Serial Thriller: Angel in Decay. His stage credits include Ghost Stories (Lyric/ West End), The Lawes of War (Royal Court) and numerous credits with the RSC.

Simon Holmes’ recent theatre credits include Ghost Stories (West End), Yes Prime Minister(Chichester Festival Theatre/ UK tour), Romeo & Juliet (Menier Chocolate Factory) and The Cherry Orchard (Manchester Lowry). Film work includes V for Vendetta and Private Moments. Television credits include Doctors, Casualty, Silent Witness and Bad Blood.

Andi Osho has worked across stage, stand-up comedy, television and feature film. Her theatre credits include Breakfast with Mugabe (Theatre Royal Bath) and Yellowman (Theatre Royal Liverpool/ UK tour). She has performed on Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow, Stand Up For The Week and Live At The Apollo. Recent television work includes Finding Carter, Psychoville, Life of Riley and The Andi O Show. Film credits include Swinging with the Finkels and Lights Out.

Michael Webber’s theatre credits include Cyrano (Chichester Festival Theatre) and Cause Celebre (Old Vic). His extensive film credits include Hysteria, Sherlock Holmes 2, The Scouting Book for Boys, Children of Men and Stormbreaker. Television work includes Black Mirror ‘The Waldo Moment’, What Remains, Little Dorrit, Wire in the Blood and Hustle.

Ellie White recently appeared in The Windsors on Channel 4. Other television credits includeCarters Get Rich, Class Dismissed, Murder in Successville and House of Fools. Humans, her debut solo show, ran at Edinburgh Festival with the Invisible Dot. She also works on ITV 2’s current affairs comedy show @ELEVNISH and has filmed a comedy sketch pilot for BBC3.

Katy Wix is best known for her television work and has appeared regularly alongside Lee Mack inNot Going Out as Daisy. Her other television work includes Decline and Fall, Sherlock, Agatha Raisin, Miranda all for the BBC, Anna and Katy and The Windsors for Channel 4. She has also appeared on panel shows such as Never Mind the Buzzcocks and Would I Lie to You. Her previous stage work includes Holes (The Invisible Dot) and Psister Psycho (Edinburgh Fringe). Her writing credits include Anna and Katy for Channel 4 and Bird Island for the BBC.

Sean Foley is an award-winning actor, writer and director. He co-founded The Right Size, creating over 10 original comedies for the theatre including the Olivier Award-winning and Tony-nominated production of The Play What I Wrote (Best Comedy 2002), Do You Come Here Often? (Best Entertainment 1999), and Ducktastic! (Albery Theatre – Best Entertainment nomination 2006). As director his work includes The Dresser, The Painkiller, Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense (Best New Comedy 2014), The Walworth Farce (The Olympia Theatre, Dublin), the multi Olivier-nominated The Ladykillers (Liverpool Everyman, Gielgud Theatre, UK tour), A Mad World My Masters (Royal Shakespeare Company & Barbican), What The Butler Saw (Vaudeville Theatre), The Painkiller (The Lyric Theatre, Belfast), Arturo Brachetti – Change (Garrick – Best Entertainment nomination 2010) , The Critic/The Real Inspector Hound (Chichester Festival Theatre), The Armstrong and Miller Show Live (UK tour) and I Can’t Sing! (London Palladium). Foley’s first film Mindhorn is released this month.

Mark Goucher has previously collaborated with Sean Foley, most recently on The Dresser at the Duke of York’s Theatre, as well as on the hugely successful production of Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense which played in the West End and on tour and is currently under option for a Broadway season.

 

The Miser is produced with long term producing partner Mark Rubinstein Ltd, and Gavin Kalin Productions.

 

Bridewell Theatre – 8 May 2017.  Reviewed By Jessica Brady 

I just returned from a really fun night at Bridewell Theatre, as a fellow improviser I am really impressed by this new troupe ‘SIMPROV’, this improvisation group is part of Sedos, the City of London’s premier amateur theatre company. It was a great location to start a new improv group, good space, good audience and a big stage to play with.

This 15 strong group of newly born improvisers are definitely on to something interesting and fun with the evening being split in two halves, the first being a series of improv games and the second was two rounds of Armando’s (long form improvisation). There were two improvisers who also act as hosts to the evening and made sure it ran smoothly.

One of my favourite games that SIMPROV played were Emotion Car where 4 improvisers and member of the audience leave the theatre and we had to give suggestions for an emotion for each improviser to take on. The improvisers and audience member came back into the theatre and the improvisers were assigned an emotion in secret from the audience member. The scene unfolds as each improviser takes the next person to get in the ‘car’s’ emotion and ends with the audience member having to guess what each improviser’s emotion was.

There were a lot of fun games that the group played and the second half of the evening with the long form improv showed a different side to all the improvisers and showed variation on their skills. Considering this was the first time that SIMPROV performed, I thought that they did a great job and each person involved brought their own personality and showed real skill. Improvisation is not an easy thing to do and requires nerve, imagination and acceptance which these performers have.

If I could suggest anything for SIMPROV to improve the show it would be to add some music related games and not to be afraid of going even further with the improvisations. Improv doesn’t always need to be funny, it can go in darker directions, or more bizarre areas.

A great evening with some giggles and silliness and SIMPROV is only going to get bigger and better!

Mayflower Theatre, Southampton – until Saturday 13 May 2017.  Review by Karen Millington Burnet

Well, we were bamboozled this evening attending Jane Eyre at the Mayflower, Southampton; it started at 7.00 and we had 7.30pm in our heads – but then, it is a three hour performance! I only mention this because, having arrived five minutes late, the Mayflower staff could not have been more accommodating and found us great seats at the back until we could take up our reserved places. In fact, the seats at the very back of the stalls were a revelation, giving us as good a view and appreciation of the performance as if we had been at the front; top marks to the Mayflower!
As for the performance, what a dark, depressing and tragic love story – the cast did credit to Charlotte Bronte’s tale. I didn’t know the plot and my wife, who is far more educated as to the story, was able to explain to me the nuances and depths which, once I understood, was able to spot in this very impressive production; full of emotion and grim imagery. Much needed light relief was delivered by Paul Mundell’s Pilot, the dog…with his waggy tail, who raised my spirits in between the powerfully draining performance of Nadia Clifford’s Jane Eyre – truly the Man of the Match, delivering a character from ten years old to the emotionally mature Jane of the final Act (Nadia Clifford gets extra plaudits for soldiering on after sustaining what looked like a sprained ankle half way through the first half causing a fifteen minute pause in the whole performance). She drew me completely into her character and the drama between herself and Tim Delap’s Rochester and I was transfixed as the plot unfolded.  Initially I had high hopes for Tim Delap, but I felt his performance became eclipsed by Nadia and even by some of the more minor characters. This is not to detract from him but to recognise a generally strong team of players. My wife was particularly taken with Melanie Marshall’s Bertha Mason who loved her voice and the expression she brought to the story.
Strawberries to the Movements Director – Dan Canham – who created some very evocative choreography to bring to life episodes in the story including stage coach journeys and riding scenes.  For once the lighting team “got it” and we really enjoyed the effects of creating spaces, movement, fire and mood changes which the team evoked. We enjoyed the novelty of the band on stage and their ability to both accompany and play a role in the performance was a great addition to the cast and to the visual performance – as well, of course, the music. We were divided on the scenery: the cast moved over, through and around it with agility and were obviously very well drilled, however, it was quite a contemporary set which might not please everyone. The costumes matched the mood well and the Costume Supervisor Jennie Falconer gets top marks for delivering a slick, on-stage change routine.
In the end, we left the theatre quite drained with the emotion of it all; a great cast delivered a dark and powerful tale with intensity and passion. This is no uplifting love story and despite the suggestion of a happy ending, we drove home under a full moon rather than riding off into the sunset.