ATG’S SIR HOWARD PANTER AND ROSEMARY SQUIRE OBE TOP THE STAGE 100 FOR RECORD-BREAKING SEVENTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR FOLLOWING A YEAR OF INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION

Ambassador Theatre Group’s Sir Howard Panter and Rosemary Squire OBE have topped the The Stage 100 for a record-breakingseventh consecutive year following a landmark year of international acquisitions and production investment. The announcement makes Panter and Squire the most successful entrants ever on the exclusive list which is compiled annually by the UK industry’s leading newspaper, which ranks the powerhouses of British theatre.

The hugely successful West End and Broadway producer, Sonia Friedman, also appears on The Stage 100 list at number two. Sonia Friedman Productions is a group partner company of ATG. It has been a remarkable year for Sonia, having already been crowned Producer of the Year at The Stage Awards, a title she will defend later this month. Sonia’s productions include Hamlet starring Benedict Cumberbatch and later this year, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts I and II.

Sir Howard Panter and Rosemary Squire OBE said: “2015 was an extremely important year in ATG’s history. Alongside continuing to produce diverse high quality work, we also continued our global expansion and are enormously excited about what this means for ATG over the next twelve months. It is a great honour to yet again top The Stage 100, and we are delighted to be part of such a vibrant, and exciting, industry.”

ATG Production highlights for 2015 included The Ruling Class starring James McAvoy, the 50th anniversary production of the multi award-winning Harold Pinter classic The Homecoming starring John Simm, Gary Kemp and Keith Allen, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown starring Tamsin Greig, the critically-acclaimed Gypsy starring Imelda Staunton at the Savoy Theatre,Arcadia with English Touring Theatre, Oresteia at Trafalgar Studios, The Rocky Horror Show returning to the West End starring Richard O’Brien; his first appearance in the show in over 20 years and a 2015/16 pantomime season including 10 First Family Entertainment produced regional pantomimes starring Torvill and Dean, Warwick Davis, Verne Troyer, Katie Price and Priscilla Presley.

ATG and Glasgow Citizens Theatre launched their co-production of The Choirand ATG toured UK co-productions of Spamalot, Jersey Boys, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, East is East, Inala and Love Me Tender. The Rocky Horror Show continued to tour Europe.

ATG continued to co-produce Broadway content. ATG’s co-venture of Lincoln Center Theatre’s production of The King & I collected four Tony Awards in 2015 including Best Revival of a Musical. On The Town played at ATG’s Lyric Theatre throughout 2015 and ATG co-produced Constellations starring Jake Gyllenhall and Ruth Wilson. In Australia, production highlights includedThriller Live and a tour of The Rocky Horror Show starring Craig McLachlan.

ATG production highlights for 2016 include The End of Longing starring Matthew Perry at The Playhouse Theatre in February and The Maids starring Uzo Aduba, Zawe Ashton and Laura Carmichael as part of Trafalgar Transformed at Trafalgar Studios. On Broadway, the Lyric Theatre will be the home of Cirque du Soleil’s first every Broadway production, Paramour, which will begin performances in April, 2016 and in Australia, Ghost the Musicalopens in Adelaide.

In May 2015, ATG made its first European acquisition, taking a majority shareholding in BB Group, one of the leading producers and promoters of premium live entertainment in Europe, with a particular strength in touring musicals and dance productions throughout Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

In August 2015, ATG agreed terms with the co-owners of Sydney’s MLC Centre – QIC and The GPT Group – for the lease and management of theTheatre Royal in Sydney, Australia. A milestone development that marked ATG’s first theatre in Asia Pacific, and a region that will continue to play a major part in ATG’s international expansion plan.

September 2015 saw ATG complete the acquisition of ACE Theatrical Group (ACE) in the US; a company which specialises in the operation, design, development and construction of world class, live performance venues throughout North America. ACE’s impressive portfolio of large-scale theatrical venues comprises the Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, New York; theSaenger Theatre in New Orleans, Louisiana; the Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts in New Orleans, Louisiana; theMajestic Theatre in San Antonio, Texas; and the Charline McCombs Empire Theatre in San Antonio, Texas.

2015 ended with ATG, through its subsidiary, Hudson Theatre LLC, entering a long-term lease for The Hudson Theatre, its second theatre on Broadway, from a subsidiary of Millennium & Copthorne Hotels plc (M&C). M&C and ATG will be, in a multi-million dollar project, restoring the landmark venue to its former glory as a Broadway playhouse. The anticipated re-launch of the theatre is slated for the 2016/2017 Broadway Season.

Also in 2015, Rosemary Squire (as EY UK Entrepreneur of the Year)became the first woman ever to represent the UK at the EY World Entrepreneur Awards in Monaco, one of only 6 women world finalists in a field of 60 overall, and shortlisted to the final 10 and ATG topped the sixth annual Sunday Times HSBC International Track 200. The league table ranks Britain’s mid-market private companies with the fastest-growing international sales.

Cabbages and Kings presents:

The Stage 100 announced
Ambassador Theatre Group joint chief executives Rosemary Squire and Howard Panter have topped The Stage 100 list for the seventh year in a row, making them the most successful entrants ever.

The world’s oldest theatre publication, The Stage, has announced the definitive list of the most influential figures working in the UK theatre and performing arts industry today.

To see the full list click here

• Panter and Squire have overtaken Andrew Lloyd Webber, who has topped the list on six occasions. In 2015, ATG made acquisitions in venues in Germany, Australia and the US, and produced shows including Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and The Rocky Horror Show.
• Rufus Norris’ position at number 12 marks the lowest ever for an incumbent National Theatre director and the first time since 2001 that an NT director has been placed outside the top 10.
• This year’s list also sees Benedict Cumberbatch as a new entry, at number 15, following his stint in Hamlet at the Barbican, with Imelda Staunton the highest riser, up from 70 to 16, follow her turn in Gypsy.
• Producer Sonia Friedman takes the number two slot, up one place from 2015, followed by Cameron Mackintosh at number three.
• Lloyd Webber is at number four, up a place from the previous year, with new entrants Peter Bazalgette and Darren Henley, from Arts Council England, at number five. The pair are the list’s highest new entry.
• ACE chief executive Henley and chair Bazalgette have been credited with securing a better than expected settlement for the arts in last year’s spending review.
• Meanwhile, Royal Exchange artistic director Sarah Frankcom makes big strides up the 100, pushing the Manchester Royal Exchange into the top 20. The Royal Exchange’s improved performance is matched by the increasing importance of Manchester as a cultural powerhouse.

Alistair Smith, print editor of The Stage, said: “Howard Panter and Rosemary Squire’s seventh number one position makes them The Stage 100’s most successful ever entrants, overtaking Andrew Lloyd Webber. The rise of Ambassador Theatre Group has been the defining feature of the last decade in the UK theatre industry. This private equity-owned company is by far the largest theatre company in the UK, and probably the world. Its rise may not have been universally popular, but its influence on the wider industry is unquestionable and its success is a remarkable achievement for the husband and wife team who started it from scratch in 1992.
“Elsewhere on the list, it has been a good year for Arts Council England’s Peter Bazalgette and Darren Henley (placed at number five), who secured an impressive  funding settlement for the arts in 2015, and a great year for Sarah Frankcom at Manchester’s Royal Exchange, which breaks into the top 20 for the first time. Benedict Cumberbatch was, meanwhile, the biggest star draw on stage when he appeared in Hamlet at the Barbican. That show’s producer Sonia Friedman was placed second – her highest ever position in The Stage 100 – and this year looks set to be even better for her with the forthcoming stage adaptation of Harry Potter which she is producing.”

About The Stage 100
The Stage 100 is intended to reflect the 100 most influential people working in the theatre and performing arts industry. It is considered from the point of view of The Stage as a trade publication and so focuses on theatre both as a business and an art form. Inclusion within the list and ranking is weighted towards achievements in the past 12 months, but also takes into account continuous achievement. The aim of the list – as much as is possible and plausible – is to reflect the astonishing breadth of the theatre industry. However, we do not weight the list in an attempt to make it gender-balanced or ethnically diverse: we believe the list should aim to reflect the way the theatre and performing arts industry is, not what it aims to be, or what we would like it to be.

Now in its 20th year, The Stage 100 was judged using a new methodology this year.
Step 1: 50 leading figures from the theatre and performing arts industry were invited to anonymously submit the names they would rank from 1 to 5, plus one other name they believed should feature in the list and why.
Step 2: We invited senior editorial contributors to submit their suggestions.
Stage 3: A final judging panel (comprising print editor Alistair Smith, online editor Matthew Hemley, associate editor Mark Shenton and reviews editor Natasha Tripney) decided on the final list.

About The Stage
The Stage Media Company Limited provides news and services for the UK entertainment and performing arts industry. 
Established in 1880, The Stage is a must read for those with an involvement or interest in the performing arts industry in the UK and beyond, offering theatre news, reviews, advice and more. The newspaper is published every Thursday and is available to purchase for just £2.10 from newsagents around the country. It is also available for download as a digital edition. The website (www.thestage.co.uk) is read by 450,000 unique users a month. The Stage also publishes an annual list of the 100 most influential people in theatre and the performing arts, The Stage 100, and runs The Stage Awards, recognising the best organisations operating within the UK theatre industry

EXTRA DATES ADDED TO

BIGGEST EVER ‘LET IT BE’ TOUR

CAST ANNOUNCED –– OPENS NEXT WEEK – JANUARY TO JULY 2016 – 26 VENUES

_____________________________________________________________

Audiences round the country are gearing up to Twist and Shout when the biggest ever tour of The Beatles’ celebration show LET IT BE starts next week (Tuesday, 12 January) – and a further five venues have been added to the tour before the curtain even goes up. The show comes to theGrand Opera House York on Monday 4^th April and runs until Saturday 9 April 2016.

The national UK tour will visit 26 theatres across England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales betweenJanuary and July 2016 – entertaining theatregoers with a show spanning the iconic eras of the band’s illustrious career.

Opening with six performances at the Cliffs Pavilion in Southend on 12 January 2016, the tour continues throughout the Spring and Summer months with the final date currently confirmed as23 July at the Theatre Royal in Brighton.

The mega tour will take in Southend; Southampton; Bromley; Bath; Torquay; Truro; Sheffield; Manchester; Wimbledon; Dublin; Woking; Blackpool; York; Swansea; Edinburgh; Birmingham; Aylesbury; Darlington; Canterbury; Bristol and Oxford.

Dates have now been added for Eastbourne; Dartford; Nottingham; Leeds and Brighton. Further venues are expected to be announced.

The start of the new tour coincides with the 53^rd anniversary of The Beatles’ second single, Please Please Me – which was released on 11 January 1963. Over half a century later, The Beatles have never been so popular with a real resurgence in the band’s popularity and new fans discovering their music.

LET IT BE audiences can look forward to a show lasting more than two hours bursting with timeless hits, showstopping sets, dazzling costumes and a brilliant performance which fans will never forget. The show also continues to attract theatregoers and fans of live music, alongside the most dedicated Beatles’ enthusiasts.

LET IT BE will take to the road thanks to Annerin Productions and Flying Entertainment.

A cast of talented musicians will take to stages across the country as the Fab Four, wowing audiences with their effortless and indistinguishable portrayal as John, Paul, George and Ringo. The performers have already toured the show to some of the biggest stages in the world including Broadway.

The cast have been confirmed as Paul Canning and Reuven Gershon (John Lennon); Emanuele Angeletti and Iain Hornal (Paul McCartney); John Brosnan and Paul Mannion (George Harrison);Luke Roberts (Ringo Starr). The band will be joined on stage throughout the tour by Michael Bramwell on keyboards.

Derek Nicol, joint Managing Director of Flying Entertainment, commented: “The time has come to take LET IT BE on the road for its biggest ever tour – it’s an incredibly exciting time for the show and we’re delighted to add another five venues to the tour before it’s even started.

“We have an extremely talented cast who have performed the show to audiences on New York’s Broadway, in London’s West End, and toured across Europe and Japan. The show’s most recent run was in Liverpool, where they certainly know their stuff when it comes to The Beatles. They truly welcomed LET IT BE into their hearts, the response was fantastic and we knew it was time to share the show with the rest of the country through a 26-venue tour spanning seven months.

“The show will have audiences on their feet from the very start. They won’t be able to help themselves thanks to the iconic songbook from the world’s biggest band. We’re also looking forward to entertaining the next generation of Beatles’ fans.”

LET IT BE celebrates the music of the world’s most successful rock ‘n’ roll band in a spectacular concert charting the band’s meteoric rise from their humble beginnings in Liverpool’s Cavern Club, through the height of Beatlemania, to their later studio masterpieces. They were just four boys from Liverpool who went on to change the world.

The show celebrates music history’s greatest ever worldwide phenomenon and is packed with over 40 of The Beatles’ greatest hits, including Twist and Shout, She Loves You and Drive My Car, as well as global mega hits Yesterday, Hey Jude, Come Together and, of course, Let It Be. Travel back to the Swinging Sixties when all you needed was love, and a little help from your friends!

The show has already wowed London’s West End and New York’s Broadway audiences. It recently completed a five-week run in the birthplace of the biggest band in the world, Liverpool, where it enjoyed 5-star rave reviews and sell-out performances at Royal Court Theatre Liverpool.

The Liverpool run coincided with what would have been John Lennon’s 75^th Birthday, breaking box office records at Royal Court Theatre Liverpool as the venue’s fastest selling show.

Now seen by over 1 million people worldwide, LET IT BE continues to delight audiences across the globe, having recently performed to audiences in Germany, Japan, Moscow, and France.

LET IT BE has established itself as one of the West End’s most popular shows since originally opening at the Prince of Wales Theatre in September 2012, where it recouped its initial investment after just 18 weeks before transferring for a year-long run at the Savoy Theatre from January 2013 through to February 2014. Before moving to Royal Court Theatre Liverpool, the show completed an 8-month run at the Garrick Theatre in London’s West End.

Website:             www.LetItBeLive.com

Facebook:           Let It Be UK Tour

Twitter:                @LetItBeUKTour

FINAL CASTING FOR

2016 NATIONAL TOUR OF

JUSTIN AUDIBERT’S CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED PRODUCTION OF

TERENCE RATTIGAN’S EPIC WARTIME ROMANCE

FLARE PATH

Final casting has now been announced for the 2016 national tour of Terence Rattigan’s FLARE PATH, directed by Justin Audibert, opening on 27 January at the Connaught Theatre in Worthing. Daniel Fraser will play Teddy Graham and Audrey Palmer will play Mrs Oakes.  Daniel played Gregory Cromwell in the acclaimed RSC productions of Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies in Stratford, London and on Broadway.  He also appeared in Chariots of Fire at Hampstead Theatre and in the West End and starred in the Sci-Fi films Frequencies and Lab Rats and the thriller Scar Tissue.

As previously announced, the cast will be led by Graham Seed as Squadron Leader Swanson, Lynden Edwards as Peter Kyle and Hedydd Dylan as Patricia Graham.

They will be joined by Claire Andreadis as Countess Skriczevinsky (Doris), Emma Carter as Betty,  Charlie G Hawkins (Darren Miller in EastEnders) as Percy, Jamie Hogarth as Sergeant Miller (Dusty), Polly Hughes as Mrs Miller (Maudie)  and William Reay as Flying Officer Count Skriczevinsky and Corporal Jones (Wiggy).

Graham Seed is perhaps best known for playing Nigel Pargetter in the BBC radio series The Archers for 27 years until his dramatic exit at the beginning of 2011. He is the recipient of the Broadcaster of the YearAwards 2010 from the Broadcasting Press Guild and the Voice of Listener & Viewer Special Award 2010. Graham’s recent work in theatre includes An Audience with Jimmy Savile opposite Alistair McGowan (London’s Park Theatre and Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2015), The Mousetrap (National Tour), Yes Prime Minister (National Tour) and Toad of Toad Hall (West End).

Lynden Edwards’s West End credits include Mr Lindquist and Carl Magnus in Trevor Nunn’s Tony Award-winning production of Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music (Garrick & Menier Theatres), Les Miserables (Palace Theatre) and The Mousetrap (St Martin’s Theatre).

Hedydd Dylan’s recent theatre credits include The Watchman/Cassandra/Cilissa/Athene in The Oresteia (HOME Theatre), Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Jackie Oppenheimer inOppenheimer and Jane Damport in The Shoemaker’s Holiday (all for the Royal Shakespeare Company).

Based on Rattigan’s experiences as a tail gunner during World War II, FLARE PATH paints an evocative portrait of life in wartime Britain for the life-and-death existence of the RAF bomber crews, and their wives and sweethearts who were left waiting their return.                                                           

Set in 1942 against a backdrop of heartache and quiet bravery, FLARE PATH tells the story of former actress Patricia, the wife of RAF pilot Teddy, whose marriage is tested to the limits by the surprise arrival of Patricia’s ex‐lover and Hollywood idol Peter Kyle. An unexpected and dangerous mission over Germany puts Patricia at the centre of an emotional conflict as unpredictable as the war in the skies.

FLARE PATH combines highly charged drama with a truly authentic taste of the fear, camaraderie and passion experienced by the men and women who fought to save their country, their families and each other.

FLARE PATH will have Set and Costume Design by Hayley Grindle, Lighting Design by Alex Wardle and Sound Design by Dominic Bilkey.                                                                                           

FLARE PATH is produced on tour by Alastair Whatley for The Original Theatre Company and Anne-Marie Woodley and Jon Woodley for Birdsong Productions Ltd.

Official website: www.flarepaththetour.com

Twitter: @flarepathtour

Facebook: flarepaththetour

2016 TOUR SCHEDULE

27 – 30 January                         Connaught Theatre, Worthing                                     01903 206 206

                                                worthingtheatres.co.uk

2 – 6 February                           Oxford Playhouse                                            01865 305305

                                                www.oxfordplayhouse.com

10 – 13 February                        Buxton Opera House                                       01298 72190                                                                  www.buxtonoperahouse.org.uk

15 – 20 February                        Theatre Royal Windsor                                    01753 853 888

  www.theatreroyalwindsor.co.uk

23 – 27 February                        The Grand Theatre, Blackpool                                    01253 290 190

                                                www.blackpoolgrand.co.uk

29 February – 5 March               Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds                      01284 769505

                                               www.theatreroyal.org

7 – 12 March                             Mercury Theatre, Colchester                           01206 573948

                                                www.mercurytheatre.co.uk

15 – 19 March                           Aberdeen His Majesty’s Theatre                       01224 641122

                                               www.aberdeenperformingarts.com                

22 – 26 March                           Theatr Clwyd, Mold                                         01352 701521

                                               www.theatrclwyd.com

29 March – 2 April                     Wycombe Swan                                              01494 512 000

                                               www.wycombeswan.co.uk

5 – 9 April                                 Orchard Theatre, Dartford                               01322 220000

                                               orchardtheatre.co.uk

12 – 16 April                              Darlington Civic Theatre                                 01325 486555

www.darlingtoncivic.co.uk                                                                      

19 – 23 April                              Derby Theatre                                                 01332 59 39 39

                                                www.derbytheatre.co.uk

25 – 30 April                              Birmingham Repertory Theatre                      0121 236 4455

                                                www.birmingham-rep.co.uk

3 – 7 May                                  York Theatre Royal                                         01904 623568

                                                yorktheatreroyal.co.uk

Presented by Theatre503, Tara Finney Productions and Wales Millennium Centre

Written by Chris Urch

Directed by Paul Robinson

An extra performance of critically-acclaimed play Land of Our Fathers, has been added at Live Theatre, Newcastle in January due to popular demand. A matinee performance has been added at 2pm on Thursday 28 February, as tickets for the other performances between Wednesday 27 and Saturday 30 January 2016 have almost sold out.

Starting it’s English tour at Live Theatre, after a successful tour in Wales last year Land of Our Fathers which follows six Welsh miners trapped underground, is a funny and deeply moving Welsh mining drama packed full of blistering comedy and echoes a generation of lost voices.

It’s May 1979 in South Wales. Thatcher is county her votes, Sid Vicious is spinning in his grave and six Welsh miners are trapped down a coal mine. As the men await their rescue, secrets emerge and accusations fly. Within two weeks, everything they believe in and everything they know will have changed.

Max Roberts, Artistic Director, Live Theatre said:

“We have been delighted at the popularity of Land of our Fathers and have added an additional performance so more audiences can see this powerful drama when it starts it’s English tour here at Live Theatre at the end of January. The story of miners in the play will have a strong resonance here in the North East with our shared mining heritage, and with Live Theatre’s audiences after our success with plays such as The Pitmen Painters and Close the Coalhouse Door.”

Land of Our Fathers has been described by The Guardian as ‘undeniably powerful’ and The Times as ‘a high voltage production’.

Paul Robinson, Artistic Director of Theatre503 and Director, Land of our Fathers said:

“The response so far has been thrilling and we’re delighted to be bringing the production to some fantastic venues in England in the New Year. The story is so universal with characters that you can’t help but fall; in love with, and we hope the play will continue to bring laughs and tears as it continues its journey.”

Tara Finney, Co-producer, Land of our Fathers said:

“I am delighted to be taking Land of Our Fathers on tour, enabling more people around the country to see this beautiful play. I have no doubt it will continue to enthral people as we move from the Welsh to English venues.”

Original cast members Joshua Price (Llwyth/Tribe) and Taylor Jay-Davies (Great Expectations – West End, The Passion) reprise their roles as Mostyn and Chewy. They are joined by John Cording (Pobol Y Cwm, Da Vinci’s Demons), Tomos Eames (Pride, Resistance), Cornelius Booth (Pride & Prejudice) and Robert Jezek (The Bodyguard – West End).

Two free events will accompany the shows at Live Theatre. Meet The Cast takes place after the show on Thursday 28 January, when the audience can discuss the making of the play with the creative team and cast.  A Post Show Discussion will take place on Saturday 30 January after the 2pm matinee, when Ian Lavery MP for Wansbeck and former President of the National Union of Mineworkers joins Max Roberts Artistic Director of Live Theatre to discuss issues raised in the play. Both events are free, but booking is essential.

For more information on Land of Our Fathers which is at Live Theatre between Wednesday 27 and Saturday 30 January 2016and to buy tickets costing between £22 to £12, over 60s concessions from £22 to £16 and other concessions £15 to £10 call Live Theatre’s box office on (0191) 232 1232 or see www.live.org.uk.

Listings:

Wednesday 27 to Saturday 30 January 2016

Land of Our Fathers

Presented by Theatre503, Tara Finney Productions and Wales Millennium Centre

Written by Chris Urch

Directed by Paul Robinson
3 May 1979, six Welsh miners are trapped underground as Thatcher is counting her votes.

Winner of Time Out Critics Choice & Fringe Show of the Year 2013

DATES: Wed 27 to Sat 30 Jan, 7.30pm
PERFORMANCES: Wed to Sat, 7.30pm
MATINEE: Sat 30 Jan, 2pm

LOCATION: Main Theatre
DURATION:  Approx. 2hr 20mins (including interval)
SUITABILITY: 14+, contains some swearing

TICKETS: £22-£12, over 60s conc. £22-£16 other concs. £15-£10
Meet the Cast

Thursday 28 January, after 7.30pm show
Meet the cast and creative team to discuss the making of the play.

DATE: Thurs 28 Jan,
LOCATION: Main Theatre
DURATION:  Approx. 40mins
SUITABILITY: 14+

TICKETS: Free, booking essential

 
Post Show Discussion

Saturday 30 January, after 2pm show

Ian Lavery MP for Wansbeck and former President of the National Union of Mineworkers joins Max Roberts, Live |Theatre’s Artistic Director to discuss the issues raised in the play.

DATE: Sat 30 Jan
LOCATION: Main Theatre
DURATION:  Approx. 40mins
SUITABILITY: 14+

TICKETS: Free, booking essential

Theatre N16 presents:

‘Make a Person Laugh Enough Times, You’re Loved Forever…’
I Loved Lucy is a personal portrait of an iconic comedic entertainer whose public face is all too well known. But what was Lucille Ball really like and how did she choose to live her life… at the end of her life? Out of the spotlight.

Based on his best selling memoir, Lee Tannen’s funny, bitter-sweet play, which gets its UK premiere in a four-week season at Jermyn Street Theatre, reveals the real-life Lucy and what is was like being her friend to the end. Most people who wrote about Lucy never even met her. They relied on others to fill in the blanks. Lee relied solely on Lucy. And he paints a rich personal portrait that can only add to our love of a legend.

I Loved Lucy stars Sandra Dickinson (A Streetcar Named Desire, Not about Nightingales, Orpheus Descending) as Lucy and Matthew Bunn (The Ladykillers) as Lee. It is directed by Jermyn Street Theatre’s Artistic Director Anthony Biggs (The River Line, On Approval, The First Man).

Awarded two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Lucille Ball remains one of Hollywood’s best loved stars. With her trademark red hair and goofy persona, she will always be remembered as the crazy, accident-prone, lovable Lucy Ricardo on her groundbreaking 1950s TV sitcom, I Love Lucy, which co-starred her real-life husband Desi Arnaz and was produced by their own TV company, Desilu Productions. Shown around the world and topping the ratings every year in the US, it is still regarded today as one of the greatest and most influential sitcoms in TV history.

When the show ended, Lucy took sole control of Desilu Productions, making her the first woman to run a major TV production studio. She won four Emmys and was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in recognition for her life’s work. On August 6, 2011, which would have been her 100th birthday, Google honored her with an interactive doodle on their homepage featuring classic moments from I Love Lucy.

Born in Washington DC, Sandra Dickinson first found fame in the UK as the star of Birds Eye beefburger ads in the early 1970s. They established her in a succession of American ‘dumb blonde’ roles, and it was many years before she was able to shake that image. She’s had a prolific career on stage and screen, notably as Trillian in the cult sci-fi TV series The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy. She is currently the voice of Grandma Tracy in CITV’s Thunderbirds Are Go.

Lee Tannen first met Lucille Ball as a child but cemented their close and enduring friendship as an adult. During the last 10 years of Lucy’s life – years mostly spent out of the spotlight and much of it around a backgammon table, where Lee became Lucy’s confidant spending time in her Beverly Hills and Palm Springs homes, traveling with her and entertaining her on his turf in New York City. His memoir became an instant best seller. In 2010, he adapted it for the stage where it premiered at The Laguna Playhouse. Lee’s other work includes a new libretto in 2007 for the stage adaptation of the classic children’s story Dr. Dolittle, starring and directed by nine-time Tony Award winner Tommy Tune. A year earlier, Lee was a contributing writer for the Drama-Desk-nominated musical The Audience. In 2003, Lee was writer and Associate Director for Paparazzi, an original musical for Holland America Line directed by Tommy Tune. In 2001, Lee wrote and directed All The World’s a Stage, a star-studded benefit for Variety Club at Carnegie Hall starring, among others, Barbara Cook, Nathan Lane and Tommy Tune and hosted by Jane Powell. Lee has also written special material for Joan Rivers, Elizabeth Taylor and Shirley MacLaine.

LISTINGS
I Loved Lucy
Tuesday 2nd – Saturday 27th February 2016
Press night is Friday 5th February at 7.30pm
Jermyn Street Theatre
16b Jermyn Street
LONDON, SW1Y 6ST
Tuesday to Saturday 7.30pm
Saturday & Sunday matinees 3.30pm
Additional matinee Thursday 25 February at 3.30pm
Tickets: £22.00 (£18.00 concs)
www.jermynstreettheatre.co.uk

As rehearsals commence for the West End production of Motown the Musical, full casting is announced for the production led by Cedric Neal as Berry Gordy, Lucy St. Louis as Diana Ross, Charl Brown as Smokey Robinson and Sifiso Mazibuko as Marvin Gaye.

They are joined by Keisha Amponsa Banson as Mary Wells, Cindy Belliot as Anna Gordy, Samuel Edwards as Jackie Wilson, Tanya Nicole Edwards as Florence Ballard, Portia Harry as Teena Marie, Aisha Jawando as Martha Reeves, Joshua Liburd as Eddie Kendricks, Simeon Montague as Jermaine Jackson, Cleopatra Rey as Gladys Knight, Brandon Lee Sears as Tito Jackson, Jordan Shaw as Stevie Wonder, Cherelle Williams as Mary Wilson.

Eshan Gopal, 12 years old from Kingsbury, London, 13 year old Kwame Kandekore from Leicester and 11 year old Joshua Tikare from Bromley will alternate the role of Young Michael Jackson.

They are joined by swings and ensemble members Jay Bryce, Daniel Bailey, Edward Baruwa, Eddie Elliott, Christopher Fry, Alex Hammond, Edward Handoll, Simon Ray Harvey, Elias Hendricks, Brian James Leys, Jayde Nelson, Kieran McGinn, Simone Mistry Palmer, Carl Spencer and Marcel J Whyte.

London previews begin at the Shaftesbury Theatre on 11 February 2016, with press night on 8th March 2016 with the first booking period to 22nd October 2016.

With music and lyrics from the legendary Motown catalogue and book by Motown founder Berry Gordy, Motown the Musical is directed by Charles Randolph-Wright.

With just $800 borrowed from his family, Motown founder Berry Gordy, goes from featherweight boxer to heavyweight music mogul, discovering and launching the careers of Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye and many more. Motown the Musical uncovers the true story of the legendary record label that changed music history and created the soundtrack of a generation.

Featuring a sixteen piece orchestra playing 50 Motown tracks including Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, I’ll Be There, Dancing In The Street, Stop! In The Name Of Love, My Girl and I Heard It through the Grapevine, Charles Randolph-Wright’s production tells the story behind the classic hits.