What are you most looking forward to about being in Million Dollar Quartet?

I’m looking to the music. I’m looking forward to the character, playing Sam Phillips. It’s quite dialogue-heavy and story-driven, so it’s quite a challenge for my memory. But I’m looking forward to telling a story and playing something different than what I’ve done in the past.

What’s your favourite thing about performing on stage?

The audience, always the audience. And the fact that you never quite know how a performance is going to go and each performance is different – it’s the chemistry between the actors. It’s exciting. It gets your adrenaline going.

What do you think the biggest challenge will be?

Well definitely being on top of the words and the dialogue and the character each night, because it’s meaty in its dialogue and I’m really the driving force of the story. That requires a lot of concentration!

What have you/will you be doing to get into character?

Spending many hours on my own, wandering around the streets of London, learning lines. And, you know, looking up clips of Sam Phillips and just getting a sense of the person, working on the American accent, and just finding within the dialogue the character.

What 3 words would you use to describe Sam Phillips?

Smart, passionate, and he’s someone who’s willing to accept and look at the bigger picture

The show is all about four rock n roll icons – what’s your favourite song in the show?

I Walk The Line – Johnny Cash’s classic.

What else can audiences look forward to about the show?

I just think it’s going to be a great piece of entertainment. I think for those people who don’t know that era in music, it’s very uplifting. The 50’s were a massive change in America and throughout the world, and I think I’m just looking forward to the interaction with the songs and the story.

On December 4th 1956, one man brought Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley to play together for the first – and only – time.

His name was Sam Phillips; the place was Sun Records and that night they made rock ‘n’ roll history.

Million Dollar Quartet became the name for the impromptu jam session between the four greats of rock ‘n’ roll when an album of the previously unheard recording was released in 1981.

Now, based on the true story of that night, Million Dollar Quartet is a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical and West End hit and is on its first ever UK tour hitting Leeds Grand Theatre from Monday 7th to Saturday 12th November this year.

At the time of the recording Elvis Presley is already a star – albeit now with RCA records, Phillips having sold him for $35,000 – Johnny Cash has had a host of hits with Sun Records/Sam Phillips, Carl Perkins has had success with his song Blue Suede Shoes and Jerry Lee Lewis is an unknown; though not for much longer.

Set in a single room studio, Million Dollar Quartet is narrated by Sam Phillips, played by Jason Donovan. He switches from speaking directly to the audience, giving them the history of Sun Records and its signings, to the heart of the play, exchanging stories and witticisms with the quartet of rock ‘n’ roll stars and then steps back completely allowing Elvis, Carl, Johnny and Jerry to perform.

The show is backed by a score of rock hits including Blue Suede Shoes, Hound Dog, I Walk The Line and Great Balls of Fire all played and sung live by the cast.

Elvis, Carl, Johnny and Jerry brought to life not only through the actors’ singing, musical talent and embodiment of each well-known character, but through its script written by Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux.

“You’d be forgiven for thinking that there is only one person who can play the piano like Jerry Lee Lewis – and that’s Jerry Lee Lewis,” The Grand’s PR Manager, Faye Dawson, says. “Well it turns out there are two; Martin Kaye is out of this world.”

Martin Kaye played the role of Jerry Lee Lewis on the first North American tour of Million Dollar Quartet which, after a year and a half, led him to open the Las Vegas Production at Harrah’s. Martin has received countless accolades and the award for Best Actor by Vegas Seven Magazine.

Robbie Durham performs as Johnny Cash. His stage credits include Sunny Afternoon (Harold Pinter Theatre); Dreamboats and Petticoats (West End & UK tour); Kiss Me, Kate (Upstairs at the Gatehouse).

Ross William Wild joins the cast as Elvis Presley. Recent roles include Norman in Dreamboats and Miniskirts (UK Tour), Michael in The Witches of Eastwick (The Watermill Theatre), Jason in the European Premiere of BARE (Union Theatre and Greenwich Theatre in London) and Kenickie in Grease (National tour).

Matt Wycliffe appears as Carl Perkins. Stage credits include Outspan Foster in The Commitments (Palace Theatre) Bob Guadio in Jersey Boys (Prince Edward Theatre, WhatsOnStage Award nomination), Buddy in The Buddy Holly Story (Duchess Theatre).

Katie Ray is Dyanne. Her stage credits include Beauty in Beauty and the Beast (Central Theatre Chatham), Wendy in Peter Pan (Grand Canal Theatre, Dublin and Mayflower Theatre, Southampton), Truly Scrumptious in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (UK Tour), Liesl in The Sound of Music (Royal Palladium).

“Each of the cast is superb, giving performances that blow you away,” continues Faye. “The show is a wonderful insight into one night in rock ‘n’ roll history and all its players; If you like rock ‘n’ roll and its roots, Million Dollar Quartet is most definitely for you.”

Million Dollar Quartet is at Leeds Grand Theatre from Monday 7th to Saturday 12th November

Tickets are on sale now priced from £19.50 to £38

Book online at leedsgrandtheatre.com or call box office on 0844 848 2700

 

DARREN DAY OFFERS GOOD LUCK AND CONGRATULATIONS AT ALHAMBRA THEATRE’S OPEN AUDITIONS

Peter Pan – Alhambra Theatre, Bradford

Saturday 17 December 2016 – Sunday 29 January 2017

*Tickets: £39 – £15.50 (*inclusive of booking fees)

Call the Box Office on 01274 432000 or visit bradford-theatres.co.uk

On Sunday 9 October Qdos Entertainment, the producers of this year’s swashbuckling pantomime adventure Peter Pan, held open auditions to find a team of four boys to play the roles of ‘John’ and ‘Michael’.

When the doors of the Alhambra Theatre, Bradford opened at 10am there was a large queue of excited young boys all waiting for their chance to audition to be part of Yorkshire’s biggest and funniest professional pantomime.

Qdos Entertainment had to choose only four boys and the standard of those auditioning was very high. However after a very busy morning a decision was made and we are delighted to announce that Will Collier from Rothwell and Theo Francis from Embsay will be taking on the role of ‘John’ and William Campbell from Cullingworth and Leo McDonnell from Horsforth will be taking on the role of ‘Michael.’ There is also a reserve team of boys who were chosen on the day: Morgan Bass from Bingley; John Hudson from Guiseley; Dylan Miles-Davis from Idle; and Frazer Lee from Leeds.

Michael Harrison, Managing Director of Qdos Entertainment’s Pantomime division said:

“We’re absolutely delighted to be welcoming these four talented local boys to the cast of Peter Pan and to have them performing alongside the professional cast. Pantomime is a great first taste of theatre for so many children and for these four the experience will most certainly be extra special!”

Darren Day, who will be playing Captain Hook in Peter Pan, joined the auditions to offer good luck to those taking part. He offered a warm welcome to the boys who will join the cast alongside Yorkshire’s best-loved comedian and panto performer Billy Pearce, soap-star Charlie Hardwick and pop and musical theatre sensation Jon Lee.

Peter Pan will be staged by Qdos Entertainment, the world’s largest pantomime producer, and the company behind the theatre’s record-breaking productions each year. Peter Pan will feature the Alhambra Theatre’s hallmark of outstanding entertainment for theatregoers of all ages. With amazing 3D effects, a barrel-full of comedy and a very hungry crocodile, Peter Pan is the ideal festive treat for everyone!

“The spectacular special effects…were worthy of any West End show” Telegraph & Argus (Jack & The Beanstalk, 2015/2016)

Royal & Derngate Northampton outlines a five year vision

• Planning under way by the venue to launch a New Secondary School in Northampton specialising in the cultural and creative industries 
• Royal & Derngate is invited to share its highly successful business model for the Errol Flynn Filmhouse with Daventry District Council 
• The theatre has gathered a consortium of partners to commission and support new music-theatre

Sunday 9 October 2016 – At an event held to celebrate the decade since the reopening of Royal & Derngate, Martin Sutherland, Chief Executive, announced three ambitious new initiatives that will shape the future of Royal & Derngate and the cultural development of Northamptonshire.

Martin Sutherland said: “Royal & Derngate finds itself at an exciting crossroads today. The skills acquired and lessons learned, as we head towards hard won sustainability, will continue to be shared within our community and beyond. We are now seeking conversations, debate and discussion with partners who can influence our vision for cultural education, the creative industries, music-theatre and film exhibition in our County and beyond.” 

Ten years on from the £15 million development that brought the Royal Theatre and the Derngate centre under one roof, the management and staff today celebrated with friends, supporters and patrons the many eye-catching successes from the past decade. The expansion of the venue’s core operations, which includes developing and managing a brand new arts centre, The Core at Corby Cube, since 2011 and developing and managing the hugely successful on-site cinema, the Errol Flynn Filmhouse, since 2013, along with annual local audiences now exceeding 300,000, have contributed to making the organisation more resilient and sustainable, able to play a leading role in the development of Northamptonshire.

Having welcomed 2.6 million audience members over the last ten years and delivered a local economic impact of more than £213 million, Royal & Derngate can count among its successes being named as Regional Theatre of the Year in the inaugural Stage Awards in 2011 (the theatres were shortlisted again in 2015 for the same award).  Recent years have seen the theatre present the world premiere of Arthur Miller’s The Hook and transfer itsYoung America season to the National Theatre and End of the Rainbow to the West End and Broadway. Over 1.1 million people have seen Royal & Derngate’s Made in Northampton productions either at the venue or on tours across the country, and its continued success led to the theatre winning the UK Theatre Management Award for Best Presentation of Touring Theatre in 2015. Its work with children, young people, emerging artists and community groups is perhaps less visible, but the theatre remains hugely proud of reaching more than 225,000 participants through its creative learning activity over the last decade.

A New School for Northampton, developed by Royal & Derngate and Balance
Royal & Derngate today announced that, along with creative digital agency Balance, it is exploring the idea of developing a new secondary school for Northampton, placing cultural and creative learning at its heart. Sharing the values of Royal & Derngate and Balance, the new school will encourage creativity, ambition, collaboration and inclusion.

This new school initiative directly responds to the cultural sector’s concerns that arts education is increasingly being marginalised within secondary schools across England despite the sector being amongst the fastest growing in the UK economy. As the cultural and creative industries sector wrestles with this challenge, Royal & Derngate and Balance believe that a new school for Northampton could be one very positive solution. As well as ensuring that creative learning is integral to the curriculum, the new school will address a very real need locally, responding to the projected levels of population growth and the need for new school places as identified by Northamptonshire County Council.

Over the next three months, Royal & Derngate and Balance will be hosting a series of events and conversations that are intended to shape the vision for the new school. Anyone interested in joining this conversation is encouraged to visit www.new-school-northampton.co.uk in the first instance.

Support for the project will also be sought from New Schools Network, a charity that works with groups that want to set up new schools.

Sarah Pearson, Director New Schools Network, said: “Groups like Royal & Derngate, which are so embedded in their communities, are well positioned to bring teachers, existing schools and other experts together to create schools that really meet the needs of local children. I’m very excited about their initial ideas to drive greater access to the arts for all and look forward to seeing their application to the NSN Development Programme so that we can hopefully support their project in the coming months.” 

Martin Sutherland, Chief Executive of Royal & Derngate, added: “In order to start shaping a truly radical education and creative learning programme we need to seek the support of educators, thinkers, artists, young people and parents who can help us develop our vision regarding creative learning in Northampton. Together we can realise the potential that will be unlocked by opening a new cultural and creative industries school in Northampton.”

Neil Webb, Director of Balance Design (UK) Limited, said: “Balance has long recognised the challenges faced by the cultural and creative industries, in recruiting and developing future talent, alongside the significant global opportunities for both business and young people in the sector. We are delighted to be partnering with Royal & Derngate to help shape a vision for an innovative new school in Northampton that can create a cultural learning ecosystem that will inspire and prepare young people for the 21st century digital economy.”

Creative learning is already firmly embedded in Royal & Derngate’s ethos, with over 21,500 people engaging with its wide-ranging Get Involved participatory programme last year, though projects in schools, within the community and at the theatre.

A new filmhouse proposed for Daventry – developed and operated by Royal & Derngate
Building on from the success of the theatre’s cinema, the Errol Flynn Filmhouse, Royal & Derngate is working with Daventry District Council and its development partner Henry Boot Developments Ltd to devise plans which will see the inclusion of a cinema in the proposed redevelopment of Daventry Town Centre.

Opened nearly three years ago by Royal & Derngate on a site adjacent to Derngate auditorium, the 88-seat Errol Flynn Filmhouse has welcomed over 121,000 audience members so far. With a loyal following established, work has just started on building a second screen for the venue.

As nearby Daventry’s population is set to almost double by 2021, Daventry District Council is working in partnership with a range of organisations to deliver its Town Centre Vision, a regeneration programme aimed at improving the town’s amenities and economic and social vitality. As part of these ambitious plans to create a sustainable, thriving town for its residents, there is the potential for the inclusion of a cinema.

Royal & Derngate will lead a consultation process to establish what the people of Daventry would like to see in their cinema. Plans for the cinema will be developed in response to this consultation and the needs of the local community, but there is the expectation that the new filmhouse could include up to three screens, showing a mix of mainstream and independent films as well as live screenings of opera, ballet and theatre productions. If the project goes ahead it is anticipated that the cinema would be developed and operated by Royal & Derngate as tenants of Daventry District Council.

Martin Sutherland commented: “It is very exciting to be part of these plans, helping to shape the cultural development of Daventry Town Centre over the next few years. Our knowledge and expertise, gained in the successful establishment of the Errol Flynn Filmhouse, will help deliver a filmhouse that Daventry can be proud of.”

Councillor Colin Poole, Daventry District Council’s Economic, Regeneration Employment Portfolio Holder said: “These discussions between Royal & Derngate and Henry Boot, albeit at a very early stage, are encouraging.

The potential of such a scheme would provide a good fit for Daventry and the additional leisure and cultural offer that we are keen see in our town. An independent, high quality and accessible leisure experience would also complement the centre’s character of small and independent businesses.

In this ever-changing economic climate, commercial viability is key for all parties and we look forward to these initial discussions being brought to a successful fruition.”

Royal & Derngate takes a new approach to music-theatre
Building upon the Royal’s early history as an opera house, the Derngate’s regional reputation as a concert hall and Northampton’s rich musical history, Artistic Director James Dacre described how Royal & Derngate has gathered a consortium of partners – including Scottish Opera, Musical Theatre Network, Perfect Pitch, Improbable, China Plate and Underbelly – to commission, develop and support new music-theatre, ranging from opera to musicals, which it expects to present over the coming years in a festival format, in Northampton and at major UK and international festivals.

The theatre is working with Studio Three Sixty (who launched the Roundabout space which won The Stage Awards “Theatre Building of the Year” in 2015) who are developing a new portable theatre venue called The Mix, which will provide a magical and architecturally striking performance space for this series of commissions. Designed specifically with live music in mind, The Mix can be transformed into different layouts, with flexible auditorium seating for between 200 and 400 people.

As the distinctions between opera, musical theatre and plays with music are increasingly blurring, the consortium plans to commission work from a diverse range of writers and composers working across different genres, from the emerging to the established and from local to international, providing a dynamic platform for new music-theatre.

Royal & Derngate Artistic Director James Dacre explained: “For a long time we have felt that the scale and demands of new musicals and operas exclude theatres and organisations like ours, which lack the finances and resources to realise them. So we are interested in a new model for creating music-theatre that can liberate writers, composers and creators from the barriers they’ve previously faced in originating new work and still be audience-friendly, locally relevant, collaborative and deeply imaginative.

We want to demonstrate that new musical work in all its variations can be enjoyable, accessible, contemporary and exciting in celebrating the power of the sung word. In short, we are interested in developing what it means to sing stories.”

Studio Three Sixty directors Lucy Osborne and Emma Chapman added: “With The Mix we aim to create a venue that is capable of touring anywhere without compromising high artistic standards and the quality of the audience experience. Every element of the venue, from the state-of-the-art audio equipment, to the seating and exterior walls, has been carefully designed to give a unique, exciting and comfortable venue that is all about the creation of new work.”

Royal & Derngate looks forward to speaking to artists, venues, audiences and funders who can help support this unique new initiative.

York Theatre Royal – 7 October 2016.  Reviewed by Marcus Richardson

Underneath A Magical Moon by Tutti Frutti is a children’s show, which I as an adult loved. The piece of creative adaptation was retelling the story of Peter Pan, everyone’s favourite boy from Neverland, and Wendy who finds out what growing up means. The small cast of 3 did no means hinder the production but brought funny characterisation that the kids loved.

The trio of actors were all very good at interacting with kids as they came to sit down in the theatre, having chats about teddies, toys and much more. They were all well trained in acting and can easily switch from one character to another. But the musical ability between the three of them was stunning, playing different instruments, like a saxophone, banjo and clarinet; this blew me out of the water and made an amazing show even better.

The set was very resourceful and clever something that I love about creative adaptation, and I feel that they mastered this element, with the “Clockadile” being made out of rakes and plant pots. And the tent being quickly assembled on stage by the cast. It’s left a lot to the imagination of children which makes it so real and personal to them, which make them more interested and engaged, and you could tell as they were mesmerised by the show, not fidgeting in seats it was a dream for teachers and parents alike.

The actress who played Wendy (Grace Lancaster) stood out for me with her amazing singing voice and acting with other characters, like Peter Pan and Captain Hook. Hook was a rapping pirate (Chris Draper) not to be messed with, and Peter Pan (Jack Brett) was a child without rules. Under the direction of Wendy Harris and the writing skill of Mike Kenny they ensured a great play.

You can see this show, you don’t have to have kids. And it’s at York theatre Royal until the 22nd of October then it tours internationally after the 31st of October.

The Courtyard Theatre 4 – 29 October.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

The myths of Persephone and Eurydice are re-imagined in Maud Dromgoole’s new play, Acorn.

My knowledge of Greek myths generally extends to watching Clash of the Titans and Troy, but my friends told me to expect something about fruit and a snake. Thankfully Dromgoole has written characters that are thoroughly modern and recognisable, and the mythical element is a subtle background. Confidently directed by Tatty Hennessy, Acorn is full of humour, both acerbic and sweet, and it will definitely make you think twice about the stories you tell your daughters.

Persephone is a junior doctor, exhausted, abrasive and lonely. She has strict rules about her interactions with patients and has set scripts and voice tones to use when speaking to the sick, who generally annoy her – although she quite enjoys palliative care, understanding the dying better than the rest of humanity. Deli Segal, in NHS scrubs and bearing her clipboard like armour is fantastically spiky as Persephone, making the most of the almost Asperger like comments about other people and their strange emotions, and ensuring that her underlying vulnerability is never forgotten.

Eurydice is preparing for her wedding – an informal occasion in the woods, with no interference from her parents. Her relationship with her parents is strained, and she appears naive and almost childlike, equating her life story with that of Snow White, and chasing her happy ever after. Lucy Pickles, in Grecian style wedding dress, has the showier role, portraying a child, teenager and adult with equal conviction and credibility, and a wonderfully natural and expressive performance.

The characters tell their stories through monologues, interspersed with consultations where Eurydice portrays Persephone’s patients – all frustrating the doctor with their idiosyncrasies, but all providing strands to enhance the women’s stories: The River Lethe, the wicked stepmother’s mirror…

The shared monologues, delivered with impeccable timing and chemistry, are brilliantly written and very, very funny. The biggest laugh out loud moments are the places where you really shouldn’t be laughing – the death of Persephone’s mother, and Eurydice being bitten by a venomous snake. A third story is told through audio, with Trevor Fox giving Luke MacGregor his words of wisdom about becoming a woodcutter. This strand seems incongruous at first, but as the play progresses and it becomes clear what is going on, its inclusion adds a devastating emotional impact to the final moments of the play. Dromgoole brings the stories together cleverly creating a tender but shocking ending. These aren’t wispy Greek nymphs, these are smart, funny, well-crafted characters that you actually care about, even in the play’s short running time.

The design is simple and effective, focussing the attention on the actors, and the projected images of Snow White, Disney, musicals and children’s TV while Eurydice dances is a lovely touch, showing that her expectation of finding, and being saved by, her own Prince Charming is perfectly understandable when you think about the media messages bombarding young girls today.

My only quibble is that Acorn isn’t long enough – I could have spent hours in the company of such beguiling characters and enchanting storytelling.

RENT stars Lucie Jones (The X Factor finalist, Elle Woods in Legally Blonde at Curve and Cosette in the West End production of Les Misérables), Layton Williams (Billy in Billy Elliot and original Young Michael Jackson in Thriller Live in the West End, Simon in UK Tour of Matthew Bourne’s Lord of the Flies, Stephen in BBC’s Bad Education and the 2015 feature film of the same name), Ross Hunter (We Will Rock You, Legally Blonde, Drew in Rock of Ages and The Book of Mormon in the West End), Billy Cullum (Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in the West End and Jesus Christ Superstar at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Philippa Stefani (Daniela in In The Heights at King’s Cross Theatre, I Can’t Sing! and Wicked (Original cast) in the West End) Ryan O’Gorman (Les Miserables and Billy Elliot in the West End) and Javar La’trail Parker (Showboat at the New London Theatre).

A HOST OF HEART-WARMING SHOWS FOR THE AUTUMN/WINTER SEASON IN LEEDS

At the end of this month Leeds Grand Theatre begins its Autumn/Winter Season welcoming a host of music, drama, dance and comedy that will take us right up to Christmas.

With goth-tastic timing, The Rocky Horror Show kicks off the season on Halloween! A favourite with the Leeds audience young and old – it has been touring for over 40 years and shows no signs of slowing down – there are few shows where audiences dress up and join in on the scale of Rocky Horror; expect fishnets stockings, basques, red lips, great music and a high energy show as innocent sweethearts Brad and Janet stumble across Frank N Furter and his gang of strange yet sexy characters. Starring Coronation Street’sCharlie Condou as The Narrator and S Club 7 star Paul Cattermole as Eddie/Dr Scott.

Jason Donovan, who coincidentally played Frank N Furter at Leeds Grand many years ago, returns with a very different role in Million Dollar Quartet opening on Monday 7^th November.

Million Dollar Quartet is based on the true story of the one-off, impromptu jamming session starring Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis that took place at the famous Sun Studios in 1956. Donovan takes the non-singing role of the legendary record producer, and owner of Sun Studios, Sam Phillips who is credited with not only making each of the young men famous but also getting the four stars together for the only time.  As Philips he narrates the story supported by outstanding performances from ‘Jerry’, ‘Elvis’, ‘Johnny’ and ‘Carl’.

Girls Aloud star Sarah Harding and Hollyoaks actor Andy Moss come together to recreate the famous pottery scene in a new production of Ghost The Musical; a love story featuring murder, deception, a ghost and a wonderfully over-the-top psychic  the production has music by Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart and a script by the original film’s writer Bruce Joel Rubin.

Starring Eastenders’ Jesse Wallace and John Partridge with Emmerdale’s Hayley Tamaddon, Chicago isbased on real life events back in the roaring 1920s. Nightclub singer Roxie Hart (Tamaddon) shoots her lover and along with cell block rival, double-murderess Velma Kelly, they fight to keep from death row with the help of smooth talking lawyer, Billy Flynn (Partridge) and overseen in prison by the corrupt matron ‘Mama’ Thornton (Wallace).

In 1997 a British film about six out-of-work Sheffield steelworkers with nothing to lose took the world by storm becoming one of the most successful British films ever made; the story of The Full Monty still resonates today.  This stage production stars Leeds own actor, Horsforth boy Anthony Lewis (Emmerdale),Gary Lucy (Footballers Wives),  Andrew Dunn (Dinnerladies), Louis Emerick (Brookside), Chris Fountain(Hollyoaks, Coronation Street) and Kai Owen (Torchwood).

Bringing the party atmosphere to Leeds in time for the festive season The Commitments brings soul to The Grand on its first time out of London.

This is the story of Jimmy Rabbitte, a young working class music fan, who shapes an unlikely bunch of amateur musicians and friends into an amazing live act – the finest soul band Dublin has ever produced.  Based on the film of the same name The Commitments is full of humour, soul and fantastic music.  StarringCoronation Street’s Kevin Kennedy (Curly Watts) and cast from the original West End production includingBrian Gilligan, reprising his starring role of Deco, and Andrew Linnie as Jimmy Rabbitte.

 

Radio 2’s Musical Theatre mogul Elaine Paige presents a ‘stripped down’ gig on Sunday 11th December and on Monday 12th Rock Legend, Queen guitarist, Brian May teams up with another Musical Theatre starKerry Ellis in for an evening of acoustic music in The Candlelit Christmas Concert.

 

The Grand’s resident company Northern Ballet take their usual Christmas spot at the theatre and this year present Beauty & the Beast bringing the classic fairy tale to life inin a kaleidoscope of colour and set to a score played live by Northern Ballet Sinfonia.

DR EVADNE HINGE RETURNS IN THE DOWAGER’S OYSTER
November 22nd – November 26th 2016, The So & So Arts Club

Ageing spinster Dr Evadne Hinge makes her operatic comeback this Autumn in comic opera The Dowager’s Oyster at the So & So Arts Club. Best known for performing with her cabaret partner Dame Hilda Bracket (now deceased), Dr Hinge is dusting off the old tiara and giving it one last whirl in Louis Mander’s rip-roaring Carry-On of a “kiss-me-quick whodunit” comic opera, which had a first outing at the Arcola Theatre earlier this year.

Cynthia and her aged mother, the Dowager, are holidaying on the French island of Oleron. Cynthia’s fiancé can’t join them – he’s on his own journey of discovery with a secret gay lover in Morocco. But when Cynthia and Dowager bump into old friends, gossip abounds and confusion ensues. It isn’t long before events are spiralling out of all control…

Hinge and Bracket, in their heyday, were the darlings of the London cabaret circuit, but it was their 1974 Edinburgh Fringe show that took them from the likes of the Royal Vauxhall Tavern into the glittering West End. This was followed by national tours; radio and TV performances; as well as their own BBC2 show, Dear Ladies.

Composer Louis Mander studied at The Royal College of Music and The University of Birmingham. His inaugural double-bill The Mariner and The Clown of God was well reviewed at its premiere in Islington in 2011. Scenes from his full-length opera The Life to Come, to a libretto by actor and writer Stephen Fry based on an EM Forster short story, were performed to considerable acclaim at the Britten Theatre, London in July 2013. Mander provided the soundtrack for the film My Beautiful White Skin, by award winning director Stuart Gatt, for 6th International Films in Summer 2014.

The Dowager’s Oyster premiered at the Grimeborn Festival at the Arcola Theatre this August.

ACCLAIMED TV AND WEST END STAR

KARA TOINTON

TO LEAD A MAJOR NEW PRODUCTION OF PATRICK HAMILTON’S

GASLIGHT

Rupert Young and Keith Allen Complete Casting for the Iconic Psychological Thriller directed by Anthony Banks

Coming to Richmond Theatre from 6 March 2017

One of the greatest thrillers of all time Gaslight returns to UK theatres starring the celebrated stage and television actress Kara Tointon. Kara plays Bella Manningham, memorably portrayed by Oscar winner Ingrid Bergman in the classic 1944 film adaptation. Rupert Young of BBC 1’s Merlin joins Kara as husband Jack Manningham and the multi-talented Keith Allen is cast in the role of Detective Rough. The UK tour opens at Birmingham’s New Alexandra Theatre on January 6 2017

While Jack Manningham (Rupert Young) is on the town each evening his wife Bella (Kara Tointon) is home alone. She can’t explain the disappearance of familiar objects, the mysterious footsteps overhead or the ghostly flickering of living room gaslight – is she losing her mind? Does the terror exist in her imagination or are dark secrets living in her home? The surprise arrival of retired Detective Rough (Keith Allen) leads to a shocking discovery that will shake her respectable Victorian marriage to its core.

A highly suspenseful play, Gaslight is written by one of the 20th Century’s most renowned British writers, Patrick Hamilton whose works also include the chilling Rope (1929) successfully adapted for the screen by Alfred Hitchcock.

In the tradition of heavyweight thrillers from Hitchcock, Christie or Priestley, Gaslight is a genre-defining, all-round elegant masterpiece.

Leading lady Kara Tointon has received universal critical acclaim for her West End stage roles including Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion. Further stage credits include the West End revivals of Alan Ayckbourn’s Absent Friends and Relatively Speaking. Television credits include winning the 2013 series of BBC television’s Strictly Come Dancing; ITV’s hit costume drama Mr Selfridge (where she played the title character’s daughter alongside real-life sibling Hannah) and most recently portraying Maria for the ITV production of The Sound Of Music Live! in December 2015.

Rupert Young stars as Jack Mannigham and is best known for portraying Sir Leon in the BBC drama series Merlin. His previous television work includes episodes of Doc Martin, Foyle’s War, Hotel Babylon, The White Queen, Doctor Who and numerous others. He notably starred in the film Dirty Filthy Love, a 2004 Television Film alongside Michael Sheen. He also performed in Cole Porter’s classic feel-good musical, High Society at the Old Vic to high acclaim. He has most recently performed in While The Sun Shines, for Bath Theatre Royal.

Keith Allen joins the cast as Detective Rough. His Theatre credits include: The Homecoming (Trafalgar Studios, London), Smack Family Robinson (The Rose, Kingston), Comedians (Lyric Hammersmith) Treasure Island (Theatre Royal Haymarket), Flanders Mare and Glastonbury; The Celebration and The Room (Almeida Theatre/NY); The Homecoming and Murmuring Judges (National Theatre).Television roles include: Bodyfarm (BBC), My Mad Fat Diary (E4), Uncle, (C4) Robin Hood (BBC), Treasure Island and The Runaway (Sky), Death in Paradise, Between the Lines (BBC); Undercover (Dave); The Runaway (Sky); Great Night Out (ITV1), Detectives on the Edge of a Nervous Breakdown (writer and director); The Comic Strip Presents: The Crying Game (writer and director); The Comic Strip Presents: The Yob (writer); The Bullshitters (writer). Film credits include: The Kingsman: The Golden Circle; Eddie the Eagle; Long Time Coming; Hector; The Last Showing; A Good Night; 24 Hour Party People; The Others; Trainspotting; Shallow Grave. Keith has also written and directed the following documentaries: Little Lady Fauntleroy; Unlawful Killing; You’re Fayed; Michael Carroll: King of Chavs; Keith Allen’s Tourette de France; Keith Allen Will Burn in Hell and Keith on Keith.

Director Anthony Banks’ credits include Dennis Kelly’s DNA (National Tour); Bryony Lavery’s Cesario and More Light, Lucinda Coxon’s The Eternal Not and Michael Lesslie’s Prince of Denmark (National Theatre); Snoo Wilson’s Pignight (Menier); Mark Ravenhill’s The Experiment (Soho Theatre & Berliner Ensemble); Tennessee Williams’ The Hotel Plays; Patrick Marber’s After Miss Julie (Theatre Royal Bath & National Tour). Anthony was an associate director at the National Theatre until 2014 where he commissioned and developed one hundred new plays for NT Connections.

A tense and hugely satisfying evening of great British theatre, this new production of Gaslight is one not to be missed.

Gaslight will be produced by Ambassador Theatre Group and Smith and Brant Theatricals.