Regan De Wynter Williams Productions present

Sasha Regan’s all-male

The Mikado or The Town of Titipu

UK Tour: April – July 2017

Following the highly successful all-male tours of H.M.S. Pinafore and The Pirates of Penzance, Sasha Regan returns with the world premiere of the irresistible The Mikado – one of Gilbert and Sullivan’s most famous operettas.

In true topsy –turvy fashion, Gilbert and Sullivan’s inherent humour and timeless tunefulness are married with Regan’s wicked sense of fun. This vibrant production successfully pokes playful fun at British politics and institutions. The crazy storyline takes us to 1950s England where a school camping trip is visiting the far away land of Titipu – a place where flirting is banned on pain of death and where tailors can become Lord High Executioners but cannot cut off another’s head, until they have cut off their own!

Regan’s idea to transform these much-loved classics into all-male productions stems from her own experiences performing Gilbert and Sullivan at a single-sex school. Her shows are now renowned for playing on the humour that can emerge from these gender changes.

Regan comments, Nothing gives me greater pleasure than seeing our work playing in some of the most beautiful theatres our country has to offer. 2017 is going to be a great year for us as we bring a brand new staging to our audiences – it’s beyond exciting.

Rollickingly silly, beautifully sung and imaginatively reframed (Libby Purves – H.M.S. Pinafore 2016

Sasha was recently awarded the Special Achievement Award at the Off West End Awards 2017 for her contribution to musical theatre.

Performance Dates

18th – 22nd April Theatre Royal, Bath Sawclose, Bath BA1 1ET

24th – 29th April Theatre Royal, Winchester Jewry Street, Winchester SO23

9th – 13th May Edinburgh Kings Theatre 2 Leven Street, Edinburgh EH3 9LQ

23rd – 27th May Richmond Theatre Little Green, Richmond TW9 1QJ

30th – 31st May East Riding Theatre 10 Lord Roberts Road, Beverley HU17 9BE

1st – 3rd June The Spa Bridlington South Marine Drive, Bridlington, YO15 3JH

6th- 10th June Exeter Northcott Theatre Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QB

13th – 17th June Theatre Royal, Brighton New Road, Brighton BN1 1SD

27th June – 1st July Cambridge Arts Theatre 6 St Edward’s Passage, Cambridge CB2 3PJ

4th – 8th July Malvern Festival Theatre Grange Rd, Malvern WR14 3HB

13th – 15th July Hall For Cornwall Back Quay, Truro TR1 2LL

17th – 19th July Dorking Halls Reigate Rd, Dorking RH4 1SG

20th – 22nd July Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury Frankwell Quay, Shrewsbury SY3 8FT

25th – 29th July Quays Theatre , Lowry Salford The Lowry, Pier 8, The Quays, Salford M50 3AZ

Park Theatre 22 March – 22 April.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

The European premiere of David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish at the Park theatre is a fast and funny comedy of misunderstandings and misinterpretation.

Guiyang city is building a new cultural centre, and American businessman Daniel (Gyuri Sarossy) is bidding for the contract to provide the signs. Unfortunately, doing business in China is slightly more complicated than in the states; as explained by British consultant Peter (Duncan Harte) it’s all about the guanxi – relationships. The cultural and linguistic differences are explored with sharp wit and the foibles and hypocrisy on both sides are exploited beautifully. The legendary labyrinthine dealings of Chinese business and politics leave Daniel, and the audience, giggling in exasperation and amusement.

Beginning with a presentation of some of the best examples of Chinglish signs from the internet, and explanations of the misinterpretations (it’s all Chairman Mao’s fault apparently), the bilingual production shows Daniel’s various meetings with Ministers and magistrates. These are a full-on laugh-fest of botched translations by wonderfully over the top translators (Siu-see Hung, Windson Liong and Minhee Yeo) providing lines that range between the deadpan overly literal to sexual innuendo as the actual translations are displayed on stage. Minister Cai, a put-upon old-school official (Lobo Chan – in a hysterical performance) and Vice-Minister Xi Yan (Candy Ma) both have their own agendas, and Daniel is caught in the middle. When Daniel and Xi begin an affair, things become more complicated, and more personal.

Candy Ma is fantastic as Xi, making her a strong, modern woman who is trapped by the expectations and obligations of tradition. Her attempts to explain what the bonds of marriage mean in China, and her quiet moments pondering whether she is any different from her grandmother with her bound feet and arranged marriage are very moving. Duncan Harte is impressive in both languages as the lost and slightly manic Englishman seeking a role in a more accessible China now that he “isn’t even that tall anymore”, and Gyuri Sarossy’s Daniel is a sweetly befuddled not-so-innocent abroad.

Director Andrew Keates keeps things tight and fast-paced, thanks in a large part to Tim McQuillen-Wright’s brilliantly multi-functional set. A wall of wooden blocks is transformed into bars, board rooms and hotel rooms by the cast with slick movement and creative lighting – inspired.

Chinglish is a triumph – written, directed and performed with exquisite skill, and most importantly, very, very funny.

Richmond Theatre 28 March – 1 April, National tour until May.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

1943, and for two and a half years the German occupation of Guernsey has seen the women doing what they can to protect their families and homes. For Jeanne Becquet (Belinda Lang) that has meant sleeping with the commanding officer while he turns a blind eye to her black-market activities and allowing her family to live in peace. All this changes when a new officer takes command. The Becquets are moved out of their comfortable home into a farmhouse and Von Pfunz (Paul McGann) sets his sights on Jeanne as her daughter Estelle (Venice Van Someren) wages a supernatural campaign against the invaders in her home. The discovery of a young man on the beach creates conflict and danger for the Becquets as they secretly nurse him back to health. He has no memories and switches between English and German in conversation. Convinced he is an angel, Estelle names him Gabriel, but the adults’ attitudes are more suspicious – is he a downed RAF pilot, an SS officer, an escaped slave worker or a Guernsey local?

Carla Goodman’s inspired set adds to the biblical metaphors, with Gabriel hidden above the kitchen in an elevated attic room, and constant references to the men tunnelling under the house – the slave workers in a living hell, accompanied constantly by the sound of waves hitting the cliffs beneath the farmhouse.

After a mystical opening scene, with Estelle conjuring an enchantment, the play’s light-hearted tone is abruptly squashed as Von Pfunz, after allowing Jeanne to insult him and spill many personal secrets all evening by playing dumb, reveals his perfect English. The childish enthusiasm he displays for Jeanne’s honesty and his passion for poetry do nothing to hide the clinical brutality of his beliefs, and McGann nails his almost scientific zeal for purity in Europe. McGann gives a masterclass in evil hiding behind civility – charming and erudite, but snapping into Nazi rhetoric in the blink of an eye. Belinda Lang is fantastic as Jeanne – she has most of the best lines, and can play arrogant sarcasm in her sleep. But here she must gradually strip away the veneer of strength to show the frightened and desperate woman willing to do anything to protect her family. The pain and shame she feels as she makes her choices in the play’s climatic scenes are palpable.

Robin Morrissey as Gabriel is haunting and strangely charismatic as the blank Gabriel, and his scenes with Lily (a passionate Sarah Schoenbeck) and Estelle are very moving, as the three cling to each other in their search for a family and stability. Venice van Someren makes Estelle a convincing adolescent, funny and frustrating, with just the right amount of Bonnie Langford style histrionics to be sweet rather than annoying. Jules Melvin’s performance as housekeeper Mrs Lake is subtle and fun. Her sighs and comments as she watches the Becquets and their antics are a joy, as is the strength of all the female characters.

Director Kate McGregor has created a wonderfully tight and evocative production. The questions about how educated people could embrace Nazi ideals are still puzzling and relevant in today’s political climate, and Moira Buffini’s wise and witty writing is thought provoking without preaching. Gabriel’s illness is described as “something growing in your head” and the word cancer isn’t mentioned, until Von Pfunz, in the middle of a seemingly charming and rational speech, describes Lily a Jew, as the cancer in Jeanne’s house, drawing gasps from the audience.

Gabriel is still entertaining and full of tension and shocks after 20 years. This UK touring production is a gem, if it’s coming to a theatre near you, get a ticket now. And if it’s not, buy a ticket anyway – it’s worth the journey.

UK Tour Schedule

28 March – 1 April Richmond Theatre

4 – 8 April Liverpool Playhouse

18 – 22 April Theatre Clwyd

24 – 29 April Theatre Royal Windsor

15 – 20 May Yvonne Arnaud Guildford

White Bear Theatre, 28 March – 22 April.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

Peter Hamilton’s new play is a tale of two halves. The first act is knockabout hilarity as the story of Rob, a Romford driving instructor who’s never had a student pass their test, and his wife Lynn’s desperate quest for a baby unfolds. Rob’s unwillingness to have a sperm test leads Lynn’s sister, whose aspirations to become a vintner see her drinking more wine than one vineyard could ever produce, to suggest an unusual and quite Gallic solution – Lynn should have sex with Josie’s husband and Rob need never know. Meanwhile Rob ‘s poetic pretensions, previously limited to Facebook and Twitter, are finally given voice when he meets Mary-Jane, a student of Chinese poetry, and his desire to be a Chinese wilderness poet of the Tang dynasty becomes more urgent as real life begins to fall apart.

Rob’s quirks mean he is constantly looking for peace and solitude, “To break away from the thousand ties of life” like his hero Bai Juyi, and provide some fantastic moments as he makes deadpan pronouncements to bemused onlookers and tries to explain his thinking to his wife. Rob’s reaction to Lynn’s pregnancy – “I’m devastated with joy” is hysterical and heart-breaking – Hamilton at his best. After the pregnancy bombshell, the second act shows Rob withdrawing selfishly into his life as a poet, and the play’s narrative basically stops, becoming more navel gazing and fragments of mental breakdown – still funny, but should have been heavily edited. The final scenes bring satisfying closure for the main characters, and an uplifting ending for Rob.

Hamilton’s script is packed full of sharp one-liners, and the whole cast give wonderful performances, full of energy and humour. Jemma Burgess (Lynn) and Richard Fish (Greg)’s sex scene is gloriously absurd, and Josie Ayers flips between the insane voices of Rob’s Facebook friends with consummate ease and skill. Carla Freeman gives Josie a wonderfully haunted air of sadness and disappointment under the bravado. Rob is a brilliant creation – with Charles Sandford’s inspired performance making you want to hug him and slap him in equal measure. Watching a grown man watching bubbles float about should not be this entertaining, but Sandford’s pure childlike fascination and wonder is a joy to behold. As is his hysterical sperm test appointment; awkwardness and bizarre physical contortions make this an unforgettable scene. The interaction between Sandford and Evelyn Craven as his student are beautifully judged. Craven’s lovelorn looks completely lost on Rob, until a gesture from Rob that brought gasps from some members of the audience – that’s how real these characters feel, even in such a knowingly absurd plot.

Although it gets a little lost in the second act, The Poetry Of Exile is a funny, bittersweet night of bubbles, poetry, wine and Twitter abuse that is well worth a look.

Empire Cinemas helps celebrate ‘World Autism Awareness Week’ with autism friendly screenings and film

·         Screenings to take place on Sunday 2^nd of April and Thursday 6^th of April

Empire Cinemas is delighted to announce that it will once again be celebrating ‘World Autism Awareness Week’ by showing autism-friendly screenings of The Smurfs: The Lost Village. Kicking off on World Autism Day, Sunday 2^nd of April, Empire Cinemas nationwide will welcome people on the autism spectrum, with sensory or communication disorders and people with learning disabilities to enjoy the latest film from The Smurfs franchise.

In recent years, Empire Cinemas has been programming autism friendly screenings for their local communities. The screenings have adaptations such as reduced sound levels, increased lighting and advert-free content which allows the audience, their families and carers to be comfortable and feel fully included in the experience of a trip to the cinema.

Following the success of the 2011 blockbuster The Smurfs, this next instalment in the franchise stars Demi Levato and Joe Manganiel and is a fully animated, all-new take on the classic. A mysterious map sets Smurfette and her best friends Brainy, Clumsy and Hefty on an exciting and thrilling race through the Forbidden Forest filled with magical creatures to find a mysterious lost village before the evil wizard Gargamel does. Embarking on a roller-coaster journey full of action and danger, the Smurfs are on a course that leads to the discovery of the biggest secret in Smurf history! The film will be screened in 15 cinemas and over 141 screens to celebrate World Autism Day on Sunday 2^nd and additionally showing on Thursday 6^th of April across all sites.

Jon Nutton, Marketing Director of Empire Cinemas, said: “Empire Cinemas has a strong commitment to social responsibility and we’re glad to be able to continue our support for World Autism Awareness Week for another year. The screenings of The Smurfs: The Lost Village give autistic people, and their families and friends the opportunity to enjoy the big screen experience in a comfortable and relaxed environment.”

Tickets for autism friendly screenings of The Smurfs: The Lost Village are on sale now at: http://www.empirecinemas.co.uk/

Youth Hostel Association York – 30 March 2017.  Reviewed by Michelle Richardson

The award winning Mikron Theatre Company bought their latest production, Best Foot Forward to York this week with a showing at YHA in York on Thursday evening.

Now in their 46th year they provided theatre anywhere for everyone by canal, river and road, they are based in Marsden, West Yorkshire. This year sees the company touring 2 brand new productions with 4 actor musicians. Best Foot Forward, a hike through the history of hostelling, written by Maeve Larkin, being the first, with In At The Deep End opening in May.

This is about the YHA, concentrating on the fictitious Pearling Manor, and the fight to keep the ramshackle, or should I say shabby chic, hostel open. We are taken through the history of the YHA, starting in 1911 by a German teacher turned soldier, through to reaching Britain in the 1930s, covering foot and mouth which decimated the countryside and then on to the present day.

The 4 actors, Rose McPhilemy, James McLean, Claire-Marie Seddon and Craig Anderson proved themselves to be very adaptable, switching from various roles to singing and playing various musical instruments. They all worked well together and I certainly believed in all their characters and the interaction with one another, even the budding romance between Guy and Tiff. I especially enjoyed the first song, The Object, with the motto “to help all, especially young people of limited means”, and Wainwright Appreciation Society, which had the audience chuckling along.

This is the first year that they have played YHA, but this year they are performing in 12 of them throughout the country, as well as allotments, churches and community centres. To see the production at York YHA was a privilege and very fitting. It reminded me of how great hostelling is, the last time I went to one was about 12 years ago in Berlin with hubby and 2 children in tow, fantastic value.

I absolutely loved the whole show. It was funny, entertaining and basically just a lovely story. Best Foot Forward and Mikron’s forthcoming show In At The Deep End are touring throughout the UK for the rest of the year. Please try and get to see it, especially if you have experienced hostelling before, and hopefully you will enjoy it as much as I did.

Greenwich Theatre, 28 March – 1 April.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

Having seen Lazarus Theatre’s fantastic production of Brecht’s The Caucasian Chalk Circle performed in the round last year, I couldn’t wait to see what Ricky Dukes would change in this much larger theatre space. The stage was still filled with stacks of plastic chairs and boxes, and the lovely Elizabeth Appleby was now on hand to offer biscuits to bemused members of the audience as they took their seats. Again, it took no time for me to be completely swept away by the show, and the collaborative storytelling kept me enthralled throughout.

Set at the end of WWII in Soviet Georgia, the play begins with a conflict between two rival farm collectives over a valley left abandoned by the Nazis. A storyteller tells the parable of the chalk circle to help resolve the conflict. In the parable, a coup in the city of Nuhka results in the governor’s wife abandoning her infant son. Grusha, a servant girl, saves the baby and takes him to safety in the mountains. She is engaged to Simon, a soldier who had to accompany the fleeing aristocrats, but has promised to return. Grusha eventually reaches her brother’s home, and after a long illness is forced to marry a dying man to end the stigma of single motherhood. Her husband’s miraculous recovery when peace is declared causes problems when Simon finally finds Grusha, and soldiers arrive to take the baby back to his mother in Nuhka. Grusha returns to stake her claim of motherhood in front of incompetent judge Azdak, who eventually implements Solomic law and the trial of the chalk circle. Simple!

Frank McGuiness’ earthy translation is wonderful, and designers Sorcha Corcoran, Stuart Glover (lighting) and Neil McKean (sound) have brilliantly embellished and enhanced the story, never allowing the effects to overshadow the cast. Colour changes, constant circling movement and shifting props that usually make me tut and roll my eyes continue to impress in this production. Ricky Dukes has created something magical. The songs by Robert Locke are perfectly judged and fit seamlessly in the narrative flow. The main difference in this new production is the awareness of the space and its limitations. The air of tension created in a small studio theatre in hedonistic Nuhka after the rebellion would be impossible to recreate here. Instead the movement and comedy is broader, creating a more whimsical and absurd atmosphere that makes the social and political hypocrisy on display more jarring. Unfortunately, the wonderfully effective and simple design that created such drama from being nearly on top of the rickety bridge as Grusha crosses it is completely lost on the larger stage, and no amount of dry ice covers the fact that she’s walking across a row of chairs.

The entire cast have no downtime during the play, covering multiple roles, and their energy and commitment is uplifting. Lakesha Cammock and Elizabeth Appleby are comedy gold in their various roles, while Owen Pullar is fiendishly impressive as the weasel-like judge Azdak.

Still relevant and important, Lazarus bring The Caucasian Chalk Circle crashing into Trump world and Brexit Britain with a club vibe and a sly grin. A fantastic piece of theatre that deserves a longer run. Grab a ticket while you can.

20th anniversary production of Moira Buffini’s GABRIEL, staring Paul McGann (Von Pfunz), Belinda Lang (Jeanne), Robin Morrissey (Gabriel), Jules Melvin (Lake), Sarah Schoenbeck (Lily) and Venice van Someren (Estelle). GABRIEL opened this week at Richmond Theatre where it runs until Saturday 1 April and will then embark on a UK Tour until 20 May 2017.

Set in 1943 Nazi-occupied Guernsey, widow and mother Jeanne does whatever it takes to keep her adolescent daughter Estelle and daughter-in-law Lily safe on an island filled with danger and fear. Her toughest test arrives in the form of the terrifying Commander Von Pfunz, whose romantic advances may be the only way to keep her family alive, but tensions intensify when a mysterious young man is washed ashore with no memory of who he is.

This is only the second professional production of GABRIEL since it was first staged at the Soho Theatre in 1997.

GABRIEL is directed by Kate McGregor (Artistic Director of Theatre6) and is produced by Theatre6 and Catherine Schreiber and co-produced by Adam Roebuck and Bruno Wang.

Winners announced for the

Also Recognised Awards 2017

Ahead of Olivier Awards, nominees

recognised in non-Olivier fields

Several shows in the running for this year’s Olivier Awards, announced next Sunday 9 April, are also recognised this week in the third-annual Also Recognised Awards – in some notably different categories. The full list of winners is announced today in this audience-voted, industry accolade set up by theatre commentators Mark Shenton and Terri Paddock to celebrate lesser-known but equally worthy talent in fields overlooked by other awards bodies.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, nominated for a record-breaking eleven Oliviers including Best New Play, wins in two further fields in the Also Recognised Awards: Theatre Event of the Year and, for its online activity, Best Twitter Engagement.

Groundhog Day, trying to convert eight Olivier Award nominations, bags an Also Recognised award for composer Tim Minchin for Best Original Music.

Another two-time Also Recognised winner is the musical revival Half a Sixpence, which wins both Best Show Trailer and London Newcomer of the Year for Charlie Stemp, who is Olivier nominated for Best Actor in a Musical.

Five-time Olivier nominee Dreamgirls wins the Also Recognised award for Best Musical Direction for Nick Finlow for his work on the show. At their inauguration in 2015, the Also Recognised became the first UK awards to include Best Musical Direction, launched with the backing of industry lobbyists, director Andrew Keates and musical director Mike Dixon.

Elsewhere in the 2017 Also Recognised Awards: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, directed by outgoing Globe artistic director Emma Rice, is named Best Shakespearean Production; Sheffield Crucible’s vibrant artwork for new musical Flowers for Mrs Harris wins in another of marketing categories, Best Show Poster; Sophie Melville wins Best Solo Performance for her critically acclaimed turn in Gary Owen’s Iphigenia in Splott for Sherman Cymru at the National Theatre; the cast of Thom Southerland’s revival of Titanic at Charing Cross Theatre win Best Ensemble Performance; and one-time Avenue Q co-stars Jon Robyns, Simon Lipkin and Giles Terera take the prize for Best Musical Cabaret for their charity fundraiser reunion at the Orange Tree Theatre (they also submit an amusing three-part video acceptance!)

Full voting results, acceptance videos and winners’ ‘certificate selfies’ are published on www.mytheatremates.com from Friday 31 March 2017.

The full list of winners

Best Musical Direction – Nick Finlow for Dreamgirls, Savoy Theatre

Best Original Music – Tim Minchin – Groundhog Day, Old Vic Theatre

Best Twitter Engagement – @HPPlayLDN – Harry Potter & the Cursed Child

Best Ensemble Performance – Titanic – Charing Cross Theatre

Best Solo Performance – Sophie Melville – Iphigenia in Splott, National Theatre

Best Shakespearean Production – A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Shakespeare’s Globe

Best Musical Cabaret – Simon Lipkin, Jon Robyns & Giles Terera – Orange Tree Theatre

London Newcomer of the Year – Charlie Stemp – Half a Sixpence, Chichester Festival & Noel Coward Theatre

Theatre Event of the Year – The premiere of Harry Potter & the Cursed Child

Best Show Poster – Flowers for Mrs Harris – Sheffield Crucible

Best Show Trailer – Half a Sixpence – Chichester Festival & Noel Coward Theatre