Hall for Cornwall, Truro – until 4 May 2024

Reviewed by Kerry Gilbert

5*****

A Captivating, Intense and Thrilling Musical

Jesus Christ Superstar originated as a concept album between Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. It has received many stage adaptions including the latest version which has been revamped and transformed into something that is like nothing you have seen in an Andrew Lloyd Webber show before.

This version is dark in more ways than one: the telling of Christ’s last few days of his life as he ventures through love, betrayal, and sacrifice. It’s a non stop sung through opera with many guitar riffs and some amazing lighting from designer Lee Curran. You are introduced to characters that have a vital part in those last few days and see how they interact and treat Jesus in his last few moments before crucifixion.

The stage setting is very dark and moody, and reflected the rock nature of the show with scaffolding, a giant crucifix, and microphones swinging around stage. Placed throughout the set, on different levels are the stunning musicians. There is a blur between musical and staged concert and as someone who loves nothing more than musical theatre and rock concerts, this was right up my street.

Jesus (Ian McIntosh) was phenomenal and had everyone at the edge of their seats. His vocal range is second to none and his rendition of Gethsemane was so raw and powerful and nothing short of perfection. He can belt, his falsetto is pitch perfect and he crucially makes you believe in the torment he feels. Strong support is given by Mary (Hannah Richardson). There is a purity to her voice which shines especially when she performed ‘I Don’t know how to Love Him’. Judas (Shem Omari James), proves more problematic. I struggled to tell what he is singing despite concentrating hard to focus on the word. As this is a production with no spoken dialogue, the songs drive the narrative. It proves difficult to truly understand the motivation behind the character and his subsequent betrayal if you cannot decipher the lyrics. Watch out for the scene stealing turn from Herod (Timo Tatzber). You won’t miss him in his shimmering fold cape which lifted the mood at the right time. Caiaphas (Jad Habchi) and Annas (Matt Bateman) gave incredible performances, and their vocal range was insane and truly impressed me. Pilate (Ryan O’Donnell) was truly hateful and gave a strong and mesmerising performance. The accomplished ensemble performed with precision, gusto, and seemingly endless stamina. The costume design was moody and semi-contemporary, which worked well with the industrial, girder inspired set design.

Jesus Christ Superstar is a curious, yet successful, blend of the sacred and the profane. There is much to admire from this driven cast and dramatic story.

Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith – until 18th May 2024

Reviewed by Phil Brown

3***

This 90 minute (no interval) play written by well known actor David Haig is based on a 1956 novella by Philip K Dick.  Dick’s novella looks forward 100 years to 2054, whilst Haig’s adaptation uses a similar time horizon of 2050-2055.   Meantime, in the real world, there have been phenomenal developments across the board in human knowledge, expertise and experience, particularly in politics, technology, life sciences and neuroscience.  As a result, the basic story of Minority Report is nowhere near as fantastical as it would have been on initial publication, and the prescient power of the message is somewhat diluted and certainly less shocking as a consequence.

At its heart, the story is about the surveillance society, continually scanned for “pre-crime” – criminal thought just on the verge of crystallisation, but not consciously formed.  It paints a bleak, dystopian picture, one that is all too credible in this post-truth day and age, where hate crime has just appeared on the statute books north of the border, and where the wrong opinion can get you summarily cancelled.  

It raises interesting questions about liberty and trust.  As we know from recent experience, expert predictions can be hopelessly wrong.  Can we ever trust a “black box” system to be right in every case (no) and do we accept restrictions on privacy and liberty if the greater good is deemed to be served.   Thankfully the apparently small step from hate crime to thought crime would actually require incredible technological advance as well as the “co-operation” of the public to get chipped.  Interestingly, Haig’s well constructed play makes reference to the 2038 Implant Referendum…

Haig makes a few changes to Dick’s basic story.  The protagonist, neuroscientist Julia Anderton, powerfully and convincingly played by Jodie McNee, is a women, rather than a man, and is driven in her role as the head of British Pre-crime, by the murder of her twin sister Laura.  Her husband Sir George Anderton (a very credible boffin played by Nick Fletcher) is the technical whizz behind the pre-crime technology.  Rather than Dick’s 3 mutants with precognitive abilities, we have 3 precogniscant interpreters (precogs) – expert neuroscientists based in a secret location, who somehow analyse millions of thought waves to identify pre-murderers.  Pre-criminals are then disabled by intense sound and arrested by the red circle – a nano film membrane that in one memorable line leaves the culprit “ vacuum packed like meat in a supermarket”.  Within 20 minutes, they are installed in a Humane Detention Centre (HDC).

The play opens with a self congratulatory celebration of the 10th Anniversary of British Pre-Crime in 2050.  Julia’s Thatcherite zeal seem perfectly pitched in selling its success.  Inevitably it is interrupted by the libertarian group Cognito, specifically Fleming (played by Danny Collins), which is quickly snuffed out, followed by a demo of a different  kind – the pre-crime system at work.  This is where Julia’s certainty gets well and truly demolished as it becomes apparent she has been identified as a pre-murderer.  The ensuing action sees Julia wholly unprepared to accept the conclusion of the pre-crime system she has imposed on the population as a whole, and sets about about evading arrest and trying to prove her innocence with the help of AI Assistant David (nicely played by Tanvi Virmani) and more surprisingly, libertarian group Cognito’s Fleming.

Aside from an excellent twist at the end, as a plot it’s pretty humdrum, even tame.  The script veers between compelling and mundane, with a few weak attempts at humour eg threatening the AI assistant with a “downgrade  to Alexa or even worse Siri”.  There is some mambo jumbo around the precogs and scope for pruning.  In the circumstances, the cast does a great job with the material.  The production (Jon Bausor) is high quality and adds much needed gloss to bolster the show, but owes something to Bladerunner.  Direction (Max Webster) is reasonably pacy and there is good use of lighting (Jessica Hung Han Run), effects (Tal Rosner – Video Designer/Richard Dinner – Illusions Designer) and sound (Nicola Chang).  

This well honed performance works on a couple of levels – as simple light entertainment and as a thought provoking question – how might technology be exploited for political purposes.  What really resonates for me though, was that Julia Anderton’s motivation derives from a direct personal experience.  A sample of one.  Haig might have put his finger on a disturbing trend in current politics.

Nottingham Theatre Royal – until Saturday 4 May 2024

Reviewed by Louise Ford

4****

For never was a story of more woe that this of Juliet and her Romeo.

Last night’s performance of Romeo and Juliet has a long history with Northern Ballet, having been first  premiered in Leeds in 1992. It was devised by Christopher Gable CBE and Massimo Moricone and has been performed across the globe to critical acclaim. However in 2015, in true Shakespearian fashion, the sets and costumes were destroyed by flood and the ballet was put on hold. Over the last year the company has worked to recreate the costumes and sets, originally designed by Lee Brotherston OBE, to breathe new life into this production.

The production sticks closely to the Shakespearian tragedy with all of the well known scenes, the fights, the first meeting between Romeo and Juliet, the balcony scene and the tragedy in the crypt.

The curtains open and we are transported to 16th century Verona, a city of crumbling Roman pillars which  open and close to create the various squares and palaces. The pillars bear the broken words Amo  Vi  Om (amor vinci omniscient), love conquers all.

The town is busy getting ready for carnival with the Montagues decorating the square, all flags and bunting. Into the square strides three friends Romeo (Joseph Taylor), Benvolio (Filppo Di Visio) and Mercuitio (Harris Beattie). They are in high spirits, dressed in bright  colours and colourful bandanas. However the carnival atmosphere is short lived as the Capulets enter the square. The Capulets, led by Tybalt (Harry Skoupas) are all dressed in black and red with gold trimmings and brocade ,a formidable force to be reckoned with.

The fight scenes, of which there are many, are expertly choreographed by Jonathan Howell. The frenzied action when Tybalt kills Mercuitio and when Romeo kills Tybalt are really electrifying. 

The costumes (the list of people involved in the costume production is too long to replicate, but they are given full credit in the program) in particular for the Capulets, are a triumph of Renaissance head dresses . The costume for Lady Capulet (Helen Bogarch) is particularly splendid. The differences between the rival families is clearly shown in their costumes. The solid black masks and batons during the “Dance of the Knights” gives the routine an ominous military feel. The simplicity of Juliet’s and Romeo’s costumes gives them an ethereal feel, and sets them apart from the rest of the cast.

The production is around 150 minutes long but the frequent set changes, which are seamless, and changes in tempo means that the time flies by. The scenes between Romeo and Juliet are captivating. On one hand the strength and virility of Romeo on the other the delicate childlike naivety of Juliet (Abigail Prudames). The balcony scene and the pas de deux are powerful and sensual.

The role of Juliet’s nurse (Dominique Larose) was the main comic turn. She clearly dotes on Juliet but isn’t afraid to defy the family to try and help the course of true love find its way.

For me the stand out performance was that of Mercuitio with his jaunty striped leggings he embodied the role of loveable rogue. He was part jester and part knave. His energy and enthusiasm was clear to see in his dancing.

A shout out to the aspiring dancers from the Gedling Ballet School who swelled the ranks of the villagers Hopefully some future stars in the making.

The outstanding score by Prokofiev expertly delivered by the Northern Ballet Sinfonia, conducted by Daniel Parkinson, showcases the dancing to perfection. The orchestra and conductor were given full credit by the ensemble and the audience at the end of the performance. This is particularly poignant as it is likely that the live orchestra will be replaced by a recording for future performances, in a need to cut costs. This is a worrying turn of events and something that we should all fight against. We all need live theatre and music to enrich our lives and to make society a better place.

JASON MANFORD

TO STAR IN UK PREMIERE

OF BROADWAY MUSICAL

SOMETHING ROTTEN!

IN CONCERT AT THEATRE ROYAL DRURY LANE

Making its UK premiere, the hit Broadway musical comedy SOMETHING ROTTEN! plays Theatre Royal Drury Lane on Monday 5 August and Tuesday 6 August.  SOMETHING ROTTEN! in Concert stars Jason Manford (The Producers, The Wizard of Oz, National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals) as Nick Bottom and is directed by Tim Jackson (Two Strangers (Carry A Cake Across New York), Merrily We Roll Along).  The full Broadway score is performed by the London Musical Theatre Orchestra, conducted by Freddie Tapner (Love Never Dies, Chess, Kinky Boots).

Tickets go on general sale at 10am on 10 May 2024.  Exclusive pre-sale sign up is available now at www.somethingrottenconcert.com.

SOMETHING ROTTEN! was created by Hollywood screenwriters Karey Kirkpatrick (Chicken Run, James and the Giant Peach), John O’Farrell (Best-selling novels include The Best a Man Can Get, May Contain Nuts, The Man Who Forgot His Wife) and Grammy Award-winning songwriter Wayne Kirkpatrick (Change the World by Eric Clapton), who together went on to adapt Mrs Doubtfire into the West End and Broadway Musical.  The show follows the story of Renaissance writers Nick and Nigel Bottom as they seek to outshine Shakespeare by writing the world’s first musical.

SOMETHING ROTTEN! originallyopened on Broadway at the St. James Theatre in 2015 and received several Best Musical nominations, 10 Tony Award nominations and was hailed by Time Out New York as “the funniest musical comedy in at least 400 years”.

SOMETHING ROTTEN! in Concert is produced by Fourth Wall Live, JAS Theatricals, and the London Musical Theatre Orchestra in association with Alchemation.  Fourth Wall Live and the London Musical Theatre Orchestra produced the WhatsOnStage Award-winning concert of Love Never Dies and were producers/co-producers for the concerts of Bonnie & Clyde, Evita and Chess, all at Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

Originally produced on Broadway by Kevin McCollum, Broadway Global Ventures CMC Mastro/Goodman Jerry & Ronald Frankel Morris Berchard, Kyodo Tokyo, Inc. Wendy Federman Barbara Freitag LAMS Productions Winkler/DeSimone, Timothy Laczynski Dan Markley Harris/Karmazin Jam Theatricals Robert Greenblatt, and Jujamcyn Theaters. Developed in association with the 5th Avenue Theatre, Seattle, WA, David Armstrong, Executive Producer and Artistic Director, Bernadine Griffin, Managing Director and Bill Berry, Producing Artistic Director.

By arrangement with Music Theatre International.

Further casting and creatives are to be announced. 

Salford-born Jason Manford is one of the UK’s leading multi-talented performers, with a career also spanning acting, presenting, and singing on both stage and screen.

Away from comedy, Jason has hosted many shows for the BBC and ITV including Unbeatable, Sunday Night at The Palladium and The Royal Variety Performance.  He was a judge on ITV1’s Saturday night talent show Starstruck and has hosted BBC One’s primetime show Big Night of Musicals since 2022. Later this year, he will be back on BBC One hosting a new teatime quiz show, The Answer Run. Jason also presents his award-winning three-hour show every Sunday on Absolute Radio.

His other TV credits include: First & Last (BBC One), The Masked Singer (ITV1), What Would Your Kid Do? (ITV1), Scarborough (BBC One), 8 Out of 10 Cats (Channel 4), The Nightly Show (ITV1), Live at the Apollo (BBC One), Have I Got News For You (BBC One) and QI (BBC Two). Jason will join the cast of Waterloo Road (BBC One) when it returns for its next series later this year.

On stage, Jason has starred in numerous musicals in the West End and across the UK, including Sweeney Todd (Adelphi Theatre), The Producers (UK Tour), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (UK Tour), Guys and Dolls (Royal Albert Hall), and Curtains (UK Tour & Wyndham’s Theatre).  Last summer Jason starred as the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz at The London Palladium, a role he will reprise later this month in his hometown of Manchester.  Jason has led the cast at the Manchester Opera House as Captain Hook in The Pantomime Adventures of Peter Pan and Jack in Jack and The Beanstalk.

He just announced a major UK stand-up tour for 2024/5, A Manford All Seasons.

LISTINGS INFORMATION:

Facebook & Instagram: @SomethingRottenConcert
X / Twitter: @SRottenConcert

SOMETHING ROTTEN!

Dates: 5th – 6th August 2024

Theatre Royal Drury Lane
Catherine Street
London
WC2B 5JF

Performances:  7.30pm on Monday 5 August, 2.30pm & 7:30pm on Tuesday 6 August.

Box Office: 020 3925 2998

Website: somethingrottenconcert.com

Leeds Grand Theatre – until Saturday 11 May 2024

5*****

If anyone was to write a musical about the tragedy of 9/11, you’d probably avoid it, imagining it to be possibly in bad taste. However with Oliver Award winner Come From Away, Irene Sankoff and David Hein have given us a beautiful, uplifting tale of triumph of adversity and its one of the best musicals you’ll ever see.

The town of Gander in Newfoundland became a temporary home for around 7000 people who found their 38 different planes transferred there, when American air space was closed after the atrocities in New York. Scared and tired the plane people were taken in and looked after by the towns folk. Given food, clothes, places to pray, phones internet and love the travellers were looked after in such a way they felt guilty for enjoying themselves in the circumstances.

This is a wonderful ensemble piece, with just 12 outstanding actors (Natasha Barnes, Daniel Crowder, Mark Dugdale, Rosie Glossip, Amanda Henderson, Kirsty Hoiles, Oliver Jacobson, Dale Mathurin, Nicholas Pound, Sara Poyzer, Bree Smith and Jamal Zulfiqar) playing both the locals of Gander; Beulah and Annette at the school, Janice the reporter on her first day on the job and Bonnie from the animal shelter and others. And the terrified plane people; the two Kevins, English Nick and Texan Diane who met on the plane and eventually married, famed female pilot Captain Beverley Bass and Hannah, the mother of a firefighter.

Sankhoff and Hein’s have written some blinding musical numbers, from the uplifting, scene setting Welcome to the Rock, the haunting Prayer based on the prayer of St Francis, the hilarious fish kissing Screech In and the heart wrenching Me and the Sky. The pure emotion of the songs and situation have you laughing in one moment and crying hysterically the next.

Kelly Devine’s musical staging, making full use of the simple but versatile staging of Beowulf Boritt and enhance the orchestrations of August Eriksmoen: played by the live band lead by Phil Cornwell.

Lasting just one hour and 40 minutes, this is a prime of example of wonderful things coming in small parcels.

I could go on and on expelling superlatives about Come From Away, but the very best thing you could do is to buy a ticket and see yourself and then you too can be welcomed to the rock

FULL CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR UK PREMIÈRE OF

I’M GONNA MARRY YOU TOBEY MAGUIRE

Jacob Stuckelman of Watermark Productions today announces full casting for the UK première of I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire by Samantha Hurley. Tyler Struble directs Kyle Birch (Brenda Dee Cankles) and Anders Hayward (Tobey Maguire) alongside the previously announced Tessa Albertson (Shelby Hinkley).

Following its sold-out run in NYC at Nancy Manocherian’s the cell theatre, I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire opens at Southwark Playhouse Borough on 3 July, with previews from 28 June, running until 10 August.

Jacob Stuckelman presents

I’M GONNA MARRY YOU TOBEY MAGUIRE

By Samantha Hurley

28 June – 10 August

Cast: Tessa Albertson (Shelby Hinkley), Kyle Birch (Brenda Dee Cankles), Anders Hayward (Tobey Maguire)

Directed by Tyler Struble; Set Designer: Rodrigo Hernandez Martinez; Lighting Designer: Holly Ellis; Sound Designer: Jamie Lu; Costume Designer: Reuben Speed; General Management: Katy Galloway Productions; Casting by: Harry Blumenau Casting; Production Management:  Chloe Stally-Gibson

Produced by Jacob Stuckelman, with Associate Producer Matt Krauss, co-producers Zachary Hausman, Robin Aren and Andrew Patino

To cope with the absence of her father, neglect of her mother, and ridicule by her classmates, eighth grader Shelby Hinkley has put all of her time and energy into the only thing that matters in 2004: Spiderman. When leading a devout online fan club proves insufficient to her needs, Shelby decides to risk it all for love, kidnap famous actor Tobey Maguire, and marry him in her basement. Her fantasies of happily ever after start to crumble as she realizes Tobey may not be the charismatic, heartthrob actor she thinks she knows.

A Y2K farce, I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire is a full-throttle explosion of our para-social relationships and the obsessions that detonate them.

I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire is Samantha Hurley’s debut play. Her original works have been performed at the UCB theatre, Nancy Manocherian’s the cell theatre, Characters Welcome, PIT and Brooklyn Comedy Collective.

Tessa Albertson plays Shelby Hinkley. Her other theatre credits include The Low Road (The Public Theater), Shrek The Musical (Broadway Theatre), Happy Days (The Wild Project Online), and Macbeth (Lewis Center for the Arts). Her television credits include Younger as series regular Caitlin Miller, Generation, The Family, The Good Wife and Instinct; and for film, Blame and Barry.

Kyle Birch plays Brenda Dee Cankles. His theatre credits include A Strange Loop (Barbican), The Color Purple (UK tour), In Pieces (Future Spotlight Productions online), and Bat Boy: The Musical (London Palladium) and Once On This Island (Southwark Playhouse).

Anders Hayward plays Tobey Maguire. His theatre credits include Adults (Traverse Theatre). His television credits include Vigil, Guilt, Life After Life, Gap Year; and for film, Silent Roar, Looted and Run.

Tyler Struble directs. Their other theatre credits include Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them (Kitchen Theatre Company) and The Beast (Soundscape Theatre). Struble served as dramaturg for What the Constitution Means to Me,and has assisted M. Bevin O’Gara, Kyle Haden, Rebecca Bradshaw, Suzanne Agins, Margarett Perry. They were previously Associate Producer at Kitchen Theatre Company in Ithaca, NY. At KTC, they were part of the producing team that helmed the world-première production of Shape by Kara-Lynn Vaeni.

IM GONNA MARRY YOU TOBEY MAGUIRE 

LISTINGS

Southwark Playhouse Borough, Little

77-85 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BD

Box Office: 020 7407 0234

28 June – 10 August

Instagram: @marrytobeymaguireplay

LEE MEAD AND SU POLLARD TO HEADLINE DARLINGTON PANTO SLEEPING BEAUTY

Star casting announced for Darlington Hippodrome’s 2024 pantomime spectacular – Sleeping Beauty

Darlington Hippodrome has today [Wed 1 May 2024] announced that singer, TV actor and musical theatre star Lee Mead and Hi-de-Hi! favourite and panto legend Su Pollard will be leading the cast of Sleeping Beauty this Christmas.

Rising to fame as winner of the BBC talent show Any Dream Will Do, Lee Mead won the title role in the West End revival of Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat to rave reviews. Since then, Lee has had lead roles in We Will Rock You, Wicked and Legally Blonde. Lee starred as Ben “Lofty” Chiltern in Casualty, which saw him nominated for various national Best Newcomer television awards, a role he reprised on the popular BBC spin-off series, Holby City. Lee has also released several solo albums and toured extensively.

Su Pollard made her television debut on Opportunity Knocks, where she came second to a singing Jack Russell dog! She is best known for her role as Peggy in the BAFTA award-winning sitcom Hi-De-Hi! and was honoured to be the subject of This Is Your Life. Su has extensive credits in television and film including Two Up Two Down, You Rang M’Lord, Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special and The Best of The Royal Variety, alongside West End and theatre credits including Godspell, Me and My Girl, Little Shop of Horrors and Grease.

Sleeping Beauty also sees the return of much-loved comic Josh Benson and fabulous Dame Jamie Jones, who are back to take Darlington audiences by storm for a second year following a triumphant season at the Hippodrome last Christmas.

Sleeping Beauty will be produced by Crossroads Pantomimes, the world’s biggest pantomime producer, whose Chief Executive Michael Harrison said: “I am so excited to have Lee and Su with us in panto this year in Darlington. Every year Lee is a hit with audiences up and down the country wherever he performs, and Su is always a crowd pleaser who will bring her inimitable comic style

to the show. The two of them together on stage, alongside the return of Josh and Jamie, is a recipe for a magical Christmas indeed.”

Speaking on the casting, Heather Tarran-Jones, Programming and Development Director of Darlington Hippodrome said: “We’re so thrilled the super talented Lee and bona fide panto legend Su will be making Darlington Hippodrome their home this Christmas. Along with the welcome return of Josh and Jamie, our audiences are in for a festive treat!”

Packed full of the magical ingredients Darlington audiences have come to expect, including beautiful sets and costumes, stunning song and dance and plenty of audience participation, this is a fairytale adventure the whole family can enjoy.

Don’t be caught snoozing, book your tickets today!

Sleeping Beauty runs at Darlington Hippodrome from Friday 6 to Tuesday 31 December . For full details or to book call the Box Office on 01325 405405 or visit www.darlingtonhippodrome.co.uk

Theatre Royal Drury Lane – 29 and 30 April 2024

Reviewed by Claire Roderick

5*****

There have been some hit and miss productions of Stephen Schwartz’s weird and wonderful Pippin, but the instantly recognisable musical numbers have endured and endeared themselves in theatrical history. This magnificent celebratory concert has style, seedy glamour and delirious silliness – seducing the audience much more easily than the Players can seduce Pippin. With a cast to die for, this production is musical theatre paradise.

Director Jonathan O’Boyle strips back the show – there is no need to lean into the magic tricks recent productions have used when you have talent like this enchanting the audience. Polly Sullivan’s inspired costume design is a heady mix of sequinned costumes with Fosse inspired choreography by Joanna Goodwin making the most of the remaining space on the stage in front of the wonderful LMT Orchestra led by Chris Ma and the ArtsEd Choir.

Roger O. Hirson’s book is adapted cleverly to fit the concert structure, and the flimsy plot is explained with wit and knowing asides by the magnificent Alex Newell as the Leading Player, commanding the stage from the moment they appear in the spotlight.

The Players perform the story of Pippin, son of Charlemagne – an unhappy youth seeking fulfilment and happiness. The Players (Jak Allen-Anderson, Sally Frith, Amonik Melaco and Gleanne Purcell-Brown) guide him through his search as he tries being a warrior, living a life full of sexual pleasure, patricide and monarchy before running away to an anonymous and ordinary life before being offered the chance to become the showstopping grand finale. In this production, the Players true intentions are always clear, as Newell struts around the stage narrating with glee, and bickering with characters who aren’t following their script. Newell’s vocals are sublime – full of power and passion.

This cast understood their assignment – every performance, every gesture, is zinging with camp, silly, infectious energy. Lucie Jones’s Catherine is delightfully comic, always pushing back at the Leading Player. Jones appears fleetingly in the first act, but it’s worth the wait for her glorious renditions of Kind of Woman and I Guess I’ll Miss the Man. Jac Yarrow is a joy to watch as Pippin, switching from cheeky and silly to wistful or cruel easily and nailing his vocals, especially in Corner of the Sky. Cedric Neal makes Charlemagne cool, Idriss Kargbo is insanely petulant and ridiculous as Pippin’s rival Lewis, Ryan Heenan is wonderfully sweet and earnest as young Theo, and Zizi Strallen bring the house down with her outrageous burlesque rendition of Spread a Little Sunshine as Fastrada – a huge surprise for those who have only seen her as Mary Poppins! Patricia Hodge, the original West End Catherine in the 1970s, takes the role of Pippin’s grandmother Berthe, and creates the most heart-warming and uplifting moment of the night as she leads the audience in a singalong of No Time at All.

With only two performances, this is THE event of the year so far. If you are lucky enough to experience this live, this unforgettable production will thrill and energise. Unmissable.

Grand Theatre, Blackpool – until Saturday 4 May 2024

Reviewed by Debra Skelton

5*****

Twelve Angry Men is a courtroom drama based on the 1957 well known film adaptation starring Henry Fonda. There have been several stage productions since the film was released and Blackpool now have the pleasure of being included in the UK run for 2024 produced by Bill Kenwright Ltd and directed by Christopher Haydon.

The story is about a jury of twelve men who have to debate based upon reasonable doubt the acquittal or conviction of a young man accused of murder. We as the audience are thrown straight into the deliberations of the jury without having heard or seen any of the trial so leaving us to accept the twelve men’s accounts and opinions and proving there can never be an absence of personal prejudice.

The only member of the group who votes not guilty is juror number 8 which helps the story to unfold whereby he can carefully and considerately unpick the case and explore the evidence and the existence of reasonable doubt.

Even though this was written almost 70 years ago, the writing is still relevant to this day and this production has a very powerful and engaging script. It explores compassion, morals and humanity and touches on the different walks of life for each of the twelve men including the nervous and needy advertising man to the young man who was brought up in a troubled neighbourhood similar to the accused.

As all twelve jurors were on stage from beginning to end whether that was in the main jury room or the men’s toilets, this meant all were required to be occupied at all times which gave the audience a further insight into their characters.

The whole cast of this production (which included stars like Jason Merrells, Gray O’Brien, Tristan Gemmill and Michael Greco) were amazing and portrayed their characters so believingly, they really provided such an entertaining performance.

The production also needs special thanks to Michael Pavelka for the highly effective 1950’s courtroom which included running water in the men’s toilet, rain coming down the windows and the centrepiece being a revolving table which rotates that slowly that you don’t even notice it moving but does give each member of the jury to have their moment on stage. Michael was also responsible for the authentic and different styles of clothing that truly suited this era. Chris Davey (Lighting Designer) and Andy Graham (sound designer) added to the tension in the courtroom providing bolts of lightning flashing through the windows.

Twelve Angry Men is a superb production with a standing ovation from the audience at the end attesting to this.

To see this production and determine your verdict, please get down to the Grand Theatre Blackpool between Monday 29th April 2024 to Saturday 04th May 2024.

CAST ANNOUNCED FOR ACCOLADE

Bill Kenwright Ltd, together with Theatre Royal Windsor, are delighted to announce that Ayden Callaghan and Honeysuckle Weeks are to lead the cast in Emlyn Williams’s gripping drama Accolade, the first play in this year’s Sean Mathias season.

Ayden Callaghan is best known for his roles as Joe Roscoe (Hollyoaks), Miles De Souza (Emmerdale) and as Frank Farmer in last year’s UK tour of The Bodyguard The Musical.

Honeysuckle Weeks became a popular face on television playing Sam Stewart (Foyle’s War). She has just finished touring the UK in the role of Cora in Calendar Girls the Musical.

In Accolade, Ayden will play the protagonist Will Trenting, with Honeysuckle, his socially ambitious wife, Rona.  Whilst Williams’s dark and sinister play originally stems back to 1950, the underlying tensions, coupled with the fragility of one’s personal reputation, make this play as relevant today as when it was first written. 

Completing the cast are Jamie Hogarth (Albert), David Phelan (Thane Lampeter), Sarah Crowe (Marian Tillyard), Louis Holand (Ian), Gavin Fowler (Harold), Sarah Twomey (Phyllis), Narinder Samra (Daker) and Kayleigh Cooper (Parlour Maid).

Accolade opens at the Theatre Royal Windsor on Friday 31 May and will run until Saturday 15 June before embarking on a tour within the UK over the summer.

Accolade will be followed this autumn with Felicity Kendal in the title role of Eduardo de Filippo’s Filumena, the second play to be directed by Sean Mathias this season.

Accolade will feature set and costume design by Julie Godfrey, lighting design by Nick Richings and sound design by David Gregory. Principal casting is by Jill Green CDG.