REGENT’S PARK OPEN AIR THEATRE ANNOUNCES ITS 2024 SUMMER SEASON

• WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S TWELFTH NIGHT, DIRECTED BY OWEN HORSLEY
• FRANCES HODGSON BURNETT’S THE SECRET GARDEN IN A NEW VERSION BY HOLLY ROBINSON AND ANNA HIMALI HOWARD, DIRECTED BY HOWARD
• JOSEPH STEIN, JERRY BOCK AND SHELDON HARNICK’S FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, DIRECTED BY JORDAN FEIN
• JOINING THE PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED BEAR SNORES ONAND THE ENORMOUS CROCODILE

• NEW FOR THE 2024 SUMMER SEASON – OVER 33,000 TICKETS AT £15, AND ALL MONDAY TICKETS AVAILABLE AT £15 / £25 / £35

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre today announce its 2024 summer season, opening with Twelfth Night (or What You Will) (3 May – 8 June 2024). Shakespeare’scomedy of mistaken identities is directed by Owen Horsley set against the heat of the Mediterranean sun.

Playing during the daytime for those aged 4+ and their families is the new musical version of Roald Dahl’s picture book, The Enormous Crocodile (17 May – 8 June 2024), with book & lyrics by Suhayla El-Bushra, music by Ahmed Abdullahi Gallab and additional music and lyrics from Tom Brady. Developed and directed by Emily Lim, with co-direction and puppetry design by Toby Olié, the production comes to Regent’s Park following its successful 2023 Christmas season at Leeds Playhouse.

This is followed by the stage adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s classic story, The Secret Garden (15 June – 20 July 2024) in a new version by Holly Robinson and Anna Himali Howard, and directed by Howard.

The season concludes with Fiddler on the Roof (27 July – 21 September 2024), with book by Joseph Stein, music by Jerry Bock and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick. In a new production directed by Jordan Fein, this classic musical of joy, revolution and tradition features the glorious songs ‘If I Were A Rich Man’, ‘Tradition’ and ‘Matchmaker’.

Alongside the 2024 summer season, Regent’s Park also present the previously announced world premiere stage adaptation of Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman’s Bear Snores On (23 March – 21 April 2024), with book by Cush Jumbo and Katy Sechiari, and music & lyrics by Harry Blake. The production, directed by Jumbo and Sechiari, marks Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre’s first ever show at the venue outside of its summer season, inviting audiences of 4+ and their families to travel from the theatre lawn to a new and specially created indoor pop-up space within the theatre grounds.

James Pidgeon and Tim Sheader said today, “Following the announcement of Bear Snores On at the end of last year – marking the first time in our 92-year history that we’re producing a project in the spring – we’re now thrilled to be sharing our 2024 summer season with you. This year’s summer season includes a Shakespeare comedy revival; a new commission of a literary favourite, continuing our commitment to the development of new work; a revival of a musical classic which this year celebrates its 60^th birthday; and a new musical for ages 4+, produced in collaboration with Roald Dahl Story Company and Leeds Playhouse. Whilst Drew McOnie, our new Artistic Director, begins work on plans for 2025 and beyond, we very much look forward to welcoming you to Regent’s Park this summer for Tim’s seventeenth and final season which continues to celebrate the magic and power of togetherness that comes with telling stories under a shared sky.”

Full creative teams and casting for all productions to be announced.

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre’s production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s Jesus Christ Superstar is currently on a UK tour until August 2024; and the musical version of Dodie Smith’s classic book 101 Dalmatians reimagined from the 2022 Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production embarks on a UK tour from June 2024.

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre Memberships are now on sale, and Members’ priority booking for the 2024 summer season opens at 12pm today, with public booking opening at 12pm on Thursday 1 February 2024.

Visit www.openairtheatre.com/membership for more information.  

A Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production

Bear Snores On
Book by Cush Jumbo and Katy Sechiari

Music & Lyrics by Harry Blake
Based on the book by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman

Creatives include Harry Blake (Musical Director); Rebecca Brower (Set & Costume Designer); Joshie Harriette (Lighting Designer); Lotte Hines (Casting Director); Cush Jumbo (Co-Director); Maia Kirkman-Richards (Puppet Designer & Director); Ebony Molina (Movement Director); Katy Sechiari (Co-Director);

Luke Swaffield (Sound Designer)

23 March – 21 April 2024

‘In a cave, in the woods in his deep, 

dark lair, through the long, cold winter

sleeps a great brown bear.’

A winter frost covers the trees of Regent’s Park, a snow storm is brewing and a tiny Mouse is looking for somewhere warm and safe to hide…a nearby cave could hold the answer but what else does it hold? Something big and brown and fluffy?

Grab your backpack and join Mouse on a magical theatrical journey as she finds fun, courage and a whole bunch of new animal friends.

With book by Cush Jumbo (Josephine and I, Bush Theatre, London and Public Theatre, New York) and Katy Sechiari (Sweeney Todd, The BRIT School) and music & lyrics by Harry Blake (The Tempest reimagined for everyone aged six and over, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Bear Snores On is inspired by the beloved picture book, for anyone aged 4+ with a sense of adventure. 

In spring 2024, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre will emerge early from our annual hibernation for Bear Snores On. This new theatrical experience for families will travel from the theatre lawn to an indoor pop-up space within the theatre grounds.

Presented in association with Cush Jumbo.

Harry Blake | Music & Lyrics and Musical Director

For Regent’s Park: The Tempest reimagined for everyone aged 6 and over (2023).

Theatre includes: How a City Can Change the World (Sheffield Theatres); Starcrossed (Wilton’s Music Hall); Say Yes to Tess (Leeds Playhouse/UK tour); The Memory of Water, Paradise (Hampstead Theatre); Blood Wedding, Her Naked Skin, Night Must Fall, Hedda Gabler (Wiltshire Creative); Captain Corelli’s Mandolin (Harold Pinter Theatre/UK tour); Wild East (Young Vic); Thor + Loki (HighTide/Edinburgh Fringe/UK tour); Peter Pan, The Beggar’s Opera, The Secret Seven (Storyhouse); Ode to Leeds, Rudolf (Leeds Playhouse); Jason and the Argonauts, The Snow Child, Septimus Bean and his Amazing Machine (Unicorn Theatre); P’yongyang (Finborough); Casa Valentina (Southwark Playhouse); Rhinegold, Manga Sister (The Yard).

Cush Jumbo |Adaptor & Co-Director

Cush Jumbo OBE is a British actress and writer. Most recently, Cush has been seen in Netflix’s adaptation of Harlan Coben’s New York Times bestselling novel, Stay Close, and in BritBoxUK’s first original drama The Beast Must Die, opposite Jared Harris. She will next be seen in new Apple TV+thriller Criminal Record, opposite Peter Capaldi and as the lead in fencing thriller Balestra. Cush made her Broadway debut opposite Hugh Jackman in Jez Butterworth’s The River. Cush then transferred her self-penned, one-woman show Josephine and I from the Bush Theatre to The Public Theatre in Manhattan. Cush won both the Evening Standard Award for Emerging Talent in London and the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Solo Show in New York, and the show sold out in both cities. It was her performance in the show that captured the attention of The Good Wife creators who then went on to write the role of ‘Lucca’ in the show specifically for her. That success then spun off into The Good Fight in which she starred opposite Rose Leslie and Christine Baranski. In 2021, she starred as the title role of Hamlet in the Young Vic production, directed by Greg Hersov, for which she won a Critics’ Circle Theatre Award and was nominated for Best Actress at the Oliviers. Her extensive stage experience also includes roles such as Marc Antony in Phyllida Lloyd’s all-female Julius Caesar at Donmar Warehouse (London) and St. Ann’s Warehouse (NYC) for which she was Olivier-nominated, The Shakespeare in the Park production of The Taming of the Shrew, also by Phyllida Lloyd, Maria in Love Labours Lost at Shakespeare’s Globe and Nora in A Doll’s House at the Royal Exchange Theatre. It has recently been announced that she will reunite with David Tennant at the Donmar Warehouse in their upcoming production of Macbeth. Cush will play Lady Macbeth opposite Tennant’s Macbeth.

Katy Sechiari | Adaptor & Co-Director

For Regent’s Park (Performance Credit): The Jungle Book (1998), Watership Down (1997).

Directing credits for The BRIT School: Sweeney Todd, Pippin, Cases, Songs for a New World, Our House, Rent, Legally Blonde, The Red Shoes (Bussey Building), Carrie: The Musical, 13: The Musical, Urinetown, Home (Bussey Building), 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Hair, Little Shop of Horrors, Our House, A Chorus Line, Oklahoma! Bright Lights, Big City, Zombie Prom, Blood Wedding, Mark Ravenhill’s The Odyssey (The Ashcroft Theatre), Elegies for Angel, Punks and Raging Queens, Spend, Spend, Spend. As part of Katy’s extensive community and outreach participation work, some of the organisations that Katy has worked with include: Little Amal, Evening Standard Awards, Centre Point, Metropolitan Police, BRIT Trust, Young Vic Taking Part, National Theatre New Views, War Child Charity, BBC Radio 2 for Friday Night is Music Night, Big Issue, National Youth Music Theatre, Terrence Higgins Trust, Kairos Community Trust, St Christopher’s Hospice, Delfont Mackintosh’s Education programme, Disney Teachers Advisory Board, Chicken Shed.

A Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production

Twelfth Night

or What You Will

By William Shakespeare

Creatives include Basia Binkowska (Set Designer); Ryan Dawson-Laight (Costume Designer); Daniel Hay-Gordon (Choreographer & Movement Director); Lotte Hines (Casting Director); Cory Hippolyte (Associate Director); Owen Horsley (Director); Sam Kenyon (Composer & Musical Supervisor); Aideen Malone (Lighting Designer); Max Pappenheim (Sound Designer)

3 May – 8 June 2024

‘What country, friends, is this?’

At a moonlit cafe surrounded by the sea, Olivia sings a lament to her lost brother, watched on by faded crowd.

When a shipwreck catapults Viola into their world of abandoned festivities, a web of disguise and deception begins. This new injection of life rocks this melancholic community to the core, but can she finally shake them from their languor and get the party started again? 

Set against the heat of the Mediterranean sun, Shakespeare’s comedy of mistaken identities is a glorious celebration of love. Directed by Owen Horsley (Henry VI: Rebellion, Wars of the Roses, Royal Shakespeare Company) in a marriage of happiness, nostalgia and riotous partying.

Owen Horsley | Director

Owen is an Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company and Associate Director of Cheek By Jowl. 

Theatre includes Diana: The Musical (Hammersmith Apollo); Into the Woods (RWCMD); Linck & Mülhahn (Hampstead Theatre) Henry VI: Rebellion, Wars of the Roses, Maydays, Salome, The Famous Victories of Henry V (Royal Shakespeare Company); Dorian (Reading Rep); Miss Littlewood, Boundless as the Sea (Royal Shakespeare Company/Cunard); Hamlet (CSC, New York); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Garsington Opera); Henry V (Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre); The Picture of Dorian Gray (Watermill Theatre); Edward II (St Andrew’s Crypt); The Duchess of Malfi (Southwark Playhouse/UK Tour); ‘Tis Pity She’s A Whore (Co-Director, Cheek By Jowl Tour).  Associate and Assistant Director credits include King and Country, Richard II, Henry IV Parts One and Two (Royal Shakespeare Company); The Changeling, Cymbeline, Troilus and Cressida, Macbeth (Cheek By Jowl).

Opera includes: La Cenerentola (Nevil Holt), Don Giovanni (LaMaMa, New York)

A Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, Roald Dahl Story Company and Leeds Playhouse co-production

The new musical version of Roald Dahl’s picture book

The Enormous Crocodile
Book & Lyrics by Suhayla El-Bushra

Music by Ahmed Abdullahi Gallab

Additional music and lyrics from Tom Brady

Creatives include Phij Adams (Music Technology & Ambleton Programmer); Daisy Beattie (Associate Puppet Designer & Puppet Supervisor); Tom Brady (Orchestrations, Arrangements & Music Supervisor); Fly Davis (Set & Costume Designer); Johnny Edwards (Associate Sound Designer); Tom Gibbons (Sound Designer); Tash Holway (Associate Director); Jessica Hung Han Yun (Lighting Designer); Vicki Igbokwe-Ozoagu (Choreographer); Emily Lim (Developer & Director); Toby Olié (Co-Director & Puppetry Designer); Màth Roberts (Music Director)

18 May – 8 June 2024

‘For my lunch today I would like… a nice juicy little child!’

The ENORMOUS crocodile is weaving his way through the jungle in search of delicious little fingers and squidgy podgy knees.  

Only the other jungle creatures can foil his secret plans and clever tricks, but they’re going to have to find a large amount of courage to stop this greedy brute. 

This new musical version of Roald Dahl’s picture book has tasty tunes by Ahmed Abdullahi Gallab and has a rib-tickling book and lyrics by Suhayla El-Bushra, and additional music and lyrics by Tom Brady. Developed and Directed by Emily Lim, it features a menagerie of mischievous puppets by co-director and puppetry designer Toby Olié, set and costume design by Fly Davis. The jungle awaits the bravest of children!

The Enormous Crocodile musical was developed by Emily Lim, Ahmed Abdullahi Gallab, Suhayla El-Bushra, Tom Brady and Roald Dahl Story Company.

Ahmed Abdullahi Gallab | Music

Ahmed Abdullahi Gallab is a Sudanese-American composer, producer, singer, songwriter based in Brooklyn, New York. He performs under the moniker Sinkane and has just released his latest album, We Belong, on City Slang Records. Food is his other passion and he loves to freak people out by putting hot sauce on everything… Yes, even ice cream.

Tom Brady | Additional Music & Lyrics

Tom studied at Oxford University and the Royal Academy of Music, where he is recipient of the ARAM award.

Credits as Music Director or Supervisor include: Guys & Dolls (The Bridge); Pinocchio (National Theatre); Show Boat, Caroline or Change (West End); Oklahoma! (Young Vic); Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (Sheffield Crucible); Flowers for Mrs Harris, Fiddler on the Roof, Forty Years On (Chichester Festival Theatre); The Magician’s Elephant (RSC); The Empress (RSC & Kneehigh); Romantics Anonymous (Wise Children & Bristol Old Vic/US Tour); Anything Goes (Sheffield Crucible & UK Tour); Floyd Collins (Wilton’s Music Hall); Evita (Festival Ljubljana, Slovenia); Have A Nice Life (Edinburgh, NYC Fringe and Philadelphia).  

Tom has also conducted concerts with the Orchestre Nationale d’Lille.

Credits as arranger or additional arranger include: Guys & Dolls (The Bridge); The Empress (RSC & Kneehigh); The Magicians’ Elephant (RSC); Forty Years On (Chichester Festival Theatre); The History Boys (Sheffield Crucible).

Credits as composer include: The Butterfly Lion (Chichester Festival Theatre); Pinocchio, Sleeping Beauty (CFYT).

Tom teaches on the Musical Theatre postgraduate course at the Royal Academy of Music.

Suhayla El-Bushra | Book & Lyrics

Theatre includes: The Suicide (National Theatre); Cuckoo (Unicorn Theatre); Arabian Nights (Lyceum, Edinburgh); The Long Song (Chichester Festival Theatre).

Screen work includes: Ackley Bridge (C4); Becoming Elizabeth (Starz); Bush (Film4).

Emily Lim | Director

Emily’s work explores theatre making as a form of community building and radical joy.

She is Director of Public Acts at the National Theatre and an Associate Artist at the National Theatre and Company Three. She was the recipient of the inaugural Peter Hall Bursary at the National Theatre from 2016-2018. 

Theatre includes: The Odyssey, Pericles, A Declaration From The People (National Theatre); Yoko Ono’s Bells for Peace (Manchester International Festival); We’re Here Because We’re Here (1418 Now, National Theatre & Birmingham Rep); Brainstorm (Company Three, National Theatre & Park Theatre);  Everything, The Best Day Ever! A Play About the End of the World (Company Three); Grown Up (Gameshow, Camden People’s Theatre); Wuthering Heights (National Youth Theatre); Things Will Never Be The Same Again (And Other Stories), The Kilburn Passion, The Wardrobe (Tricycle Theatre); Another Fine Mess (Bristol Old Vic); Henry V (Southwark Playhouse).

Toby Olié | Co-Director & Puppet Designer

Toby is a director, designer and puppeteer.

For Regent’s Park: 101 Dalmatians (2022); Running Wild (2016, also UK Tour).

As Director, theatre includes: Neil Gaiman’s The Wolves in the Walls (Little Angel); The Four Seasons: A Reimagining (Gyre & Gimble/Shakespeare’s Globe); The Elephantom (National Theatre/Gillian Lynne); The Hartlepool Monkey (Gyre & Gimble/UK Tour) and associate puppetry director of War Horse (National Theatre/Gillian Lynne).
As Puppetry Designer/Director, theatre includes: Spirited Away (Imperial Theatre, Tokyo & Coliseum, London); Animal Farm (Birmingham Rep/UK Tour); Pinocchio, Peter Pan, The Light Princess (National Theatre); Don Quixote (RSC/Garrick); Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Royal Opera House); Disney’s new staging of The Little Mermaid (Holland/Moscow/Tokyo); A Robot in the Garden, The Boy and the Beast (Shiki Theatre Company, Japan); The Grinning Man (Bristol Old Vic/Trafalgar Studios); A Christmas Carol, Running Wild, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Firework-Maker’s Daughter, Peter Pan (Chichester Festival); Little Shop of Horrors (Royal Exchange, Manchester); Goodnight Mister Tom (Duke of York’s/UK Tour).  
As Puppeteer, theatre includes: Hind of Joey in the original production of War Horse (National Theatre) before moving to Joey’s head for the subsequent West End transfer; Venus and Adonis (RSC); National Theatre: 50 Years on Stage (BBC One); The Homeless Polar Bear (Greenpeace short film); Angelo (Little Angel).

A Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production

The Secret Garden
By Frances Hodgson Burnett

In a new version by Holly Robinson and Anna Himali Howard

Creatives include Tingying Dong (Sound Designer); Anna Himali Howard (Director); Polly Jerrold (Casting Director); Jai Morjaria (Lighting Designer); Hana Pascal Keegan (Associate Director); Khadija Raza (Costume Designer); Holly Robinson (Writer); Leslie Travers (Set Designer)

15 June – 20 July 2024

‘Mary would always say that what happened at that moment was almost magic.’

Spoilt and abandoned, 10-year-old Mary Lennox is sent from India to Yorkshire, and put into the care of an uncle she has never met.

At Misselthwaite Manor, a broken-hearted house full of secrets and strange noises, Mary discovers a garden as lost and neglected as she is. If she can learn to make friends with robins, grumpy gardeners, and a boy who speaks to animals, Mary might be able to bring more than just the garden back to life. 

Frances Hodgson Burnett’s beloved and radical story about the magic of nature and the nature of magic is adapted in a new version by Holly Robinson (soft animals, Soho Theatre) and Anna Himali Howard (Graceland, Royal Court; Orpheus, Opera North).

Commissioned by Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre.

Anna Himali Howard |Director

Anna Himali Howard is a director, theatremaker and dramaturg. She was a Creative Associate at the Gate Theatre and was an Associate Artist at Brixton House.

Theatre directing includes: Graceland (Royal Court Theatre Jerwood Upstairs); Orpheus (Opera North); Kabul Goes Pop (Brixton House); Curious (Soho Theatre, 2021); I Stand for What I Stand On (Strike a Light & GYCA); Inside (Orange Tree Theatre); I Wanna be Yours (Bush & UK tour); As Small Place, Albatross (Gate); Be Next Young Company (Birmingham Repertory Theatre & European Theatre Festival); Yours Sincerely (Birmingham Repertory Theatre & Vaults Festival); Small Island (Staff Director, National); Fleabag (Associate Director, International tour, prod. Soho Theatre & Drywrite, 2018); Othello (Sam Wanamaker Playhouse).

Theatremaker credits include: Jane Anger (Yard Theatre Live Drafts); Mahabharat/A (Camden People’s Theatre); The Beanfield (Breach Theatre, Edinburgh Fringe, New Diorama & UK tour).

Holly Robinson | Writer

Holly is a Birmingham-born playwright, now based in London. Her first play Soft Animals was written as part of the Soho Writers’ Lab programme, and opened at Soho Theatre in 2019. Holly was subsequently nominated for the Best Writer award at the 2019 Stage Debut Awards. Holly is currently one of the Soho Six and is developing her play with Soho. Holly is also developing an original screen idea with Chapter One.

Theatre includes: Small Myth (Vault Festival); Soft Animals (Soho Theatre).

A Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production

Fiddler on the Roof
Based on the Sholem Aleichem Stories by Special Permission of Arnold Perl
Book by Joseph Stein

Music by Jerry Bock

Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick
Produced on the New York Stage by Harold Prince
Original New York Stage Production Directed and Choreographed by Jerome Robbins

Creatives include Mark Aspinall (Musical Supervisor); Stuart Burt (Casting Director); Julia Cheng (Choreographer); Jordan Fein (Director); Hannah Hauer-King (Associate Director); Nick Lidster for Autograph (Sound Designer); Aideen Malone (Lighting Designer); Tom Scutt (Designer)

27 July – 21 September 2024

‘It’s a new world, a new world. Love.’

It’s 1905 in the tiny village of Anatevka where Tevye, a Jewish milkman, lives his life by their proud traditions. For his five daughters, that means a visit from the matchmaker… But as each daughter challenges his beliefs, against the backdrop of a changing world, can Tevye hold on to his roots, or must he bend to the will of his children and learn to embrace the unfamiliar?

In a new production directed by Jordan Fein (Oklahoma, Young Vic), and featuring glorious songs, ‘If I Were A Rich Man’, ‘Tradition’, ‘Matchmaker’ and ‘Sunrise, Sunset’, this classic musical of joy, revolution and community is an exuberant celebration of love and life.

Presented by arrangement with Music Theatre International.

Jordan Fein | Director

Jordan is a theatre and opera director based somewhere between New York and London. Select credits include Ryan Haddad’s new play Dark Disabled Stories (The Public Theater/The Bushwick Starr), the world premiere of Andrew Butler’s Rags Parkland Sings The Songs of The Future (Ars Nova: Lucille Lortel for Outstanding New Musical),  Erin Markey’s Singlet (The Bushwick Starr) and A Ride On The Irish Cream (American Realness Festival, American Repertory Theater), The Miserly Knight and The Dead City (Bard Summerscape), Indecent (Weston Playhouse), The Skin Of Our Teeth (Bard College) and Dialogues of The Carmelites (Opera Philadelphia/Curtis Opera Theatre). Jordan co-directed the London transfer of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! At The Young Vic (Olivier Award for Best Revival of a Musical) and was the Associate Director for the 2019 Broadway Revival (Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical). He is the Associate Director and Director of The Prologue on the current West End revival of Kander and Ebb’s Cabaret (Olivier Award for Best Revival of a Musical). Jordanfein.net

BOX OFFICE INFORMATION

Box Office 0333 400 3562* | openairtheatre.com                             

Inner Circle, Regent’s Park, London, NW1 4NU

* Lines open Monday – Sunday, 10am – 4pm. A £1.80 per ticket telephone booking fee applies. 0333 numbers are charged at the same rate as calls to 01 and 02 numbers as regulated by Ofcom. Please check with your provider for further details.

Visit openairtheatre.com for latest ticket prices, concessions and discounts.

REGENT’S PARK OPEN AIR THEATRE

Established in 1932, the multi-award-winning Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre is one of the largest theatres in London (at a capacity of 1,304). Passionate about producing popular, enriching and unexpected theatre that provides a lens into the here and now, the scale and ambition of our productions together with our magical outdoor setting, makes us unique in the capital’s cultural landscape. Every year we welcome over 150,000 people to our 20-week summer season.

Drew McOnie assumed the role of Artistic Director in January 2024, taking over from Tim Sheader, and will programme the 2025 season onwards. James Pidgeon was appointed Executive Director in 2021.

Over the last twelve years, our productions have won seven Olivier Awards, seven WhatsOnStage Awards, and four Evening Standard Awards. We were named London Theatre of the Year in 2017 by The Stage, and received the Highly Commended Award for London Theatre of the Year in 2021. Our productions have toured the UK, and have transferred to both the West End and the United States. Our 2016 revival of Jesus Christ Superstar​ is currently touring North America for the second time, and commenced a UK tour in September 2023.

As a registered charity that receives no regular public subsidy, we rely entirely on earned income and charitable contributions. Nevertheless, we have introduced 29,000 tickets at £15 across the whole of 2024’s summer season, our BREEZE scheme enables those aged 18-25 to buy tickets for £10, and we regularly work with local charities. Each year, on average, we subsidise tickets for 6,000 school pupils.

Food and drink plays a significant role in the Open Air Theatre experience, with our in-house bars and restaurants including Covered Dining (recently certified as a Sustainably Run Restaurant), The Grill and The Pizza Oven. We also have our own picnic lawn and the West End’s longest bar!

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre has become one of the most independently sustainable and financially successful producing theatres in the country, and we’re proud to embark on the next stage of our vision with ever-increasing artistic ambition and entrepreneurial spirit.

X (formerly Twitter): @OpenAirTheatre

Facebook: RegentsParkOpenAirTheatre

Instagram: @RegentsParkOAT

#OAT2024 / #BearSnoresOn / #TheEnormousCrocodile / #TwelfthNight / #TheSecretGarden / #FiddlerOnTheRoof

2024 SEASON AT A GLANCE

A Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production

BEAR SNORES ON
23 March – 21 April 2024

Access performances:

Relaxed: Saturday 6 April, 2pm and Thursday 11 April, 11am

BSL Interpreted: Tuesday 16 April, 1pm

Age Recommend: 4+

Tickets from: £12.50

A Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production

TWELFTH NIGHT

3 May – 8 June 2024

Access performances:

Captioned: Friday 31 May, 7.30pm

BSL Interpreted: Thursday 6 June,7.30pm

Audio Described & Touch Tour: Saturday 8 June, 2pm

Age Recommend: 12+

Tickets from: £15

A Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, Roald Dahl Story Company and Leeds Playhouse production

THE ENORMOUS CROCODILE
17 May – 8 June 2024

Access performances:

BSL Interpreted: Wednesday 5 June, 10.15am

Audio Described & Touch Tour: Friday 7 June, 1.45pm

Age Recommend: 4+

Tickets from: £15

A Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production

THE SECRET GARDEN

15 June – 20 July 2024

Access performances:                

BSL Interpreted: Tuesday 9 July, 7.45pm and Wednesday 17 July, 7.45pm

Relaxed: Sunday 14 July, 5pm

Captioned: Friday 19 July, 7.45pm

Audio Described & Touch Tour: Saturday 20 July, 2.15pm

Age Recommend: 10+

Tickets from: £15

A Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF
27 July – 21 September 2024

Access performances:

BSL Interpreted: Tuesday 3 September, 7.45pm

Captioned: Friday 6 September, 7.45pm

Audio Described & Touch Tour: Saturday 7 September, 2.15pm

Age Recommend: 12+

Tickets from: £15

ON TOUR

David Ian for Crossroads Live and Work Light Productions present

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production of

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR

UK Tour until August 2024

Runaway Entertainment present

101 DALMATIONS

Reimagined from the 2022 Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production

UK Tour from June 2024

BACK TO THE FUTURE THE MUSICAL

EXTENDS PERFORMANCES

AT THE ADELPHI THEATRE

UNTIL 22 DECEMBER 2024

Lead producer Colin Ingram, together with Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, the creators of the Back To The Future film trilogy, are delighted to announce that BACK TO THE FUTURE The Musical will extend to 22 December 2024 at the Adelphi Theatre in London’s West End. Today marks the musical’s 1000^th performance in the West End. Tickets on sale now.

The critically acclaimed Olivier, WhatsOnStage and Broadway World Award-winning Best New Musical had its opening night in London on Monday 13 September 2021 and performances began on Broadway on 30 June with the official opening taking place on 3 August 2023. The musical also has further plans to roll out internationally, beginning with the North American tour opening in June 2024 and a production in Japan following in 2025.

BACK TO THE FUTURE The Musical currently stars Cory English as ‘Doctor Emmett Brown’ and Ben Joyce as ‘Marty McFly’, with Sarah Goggin as ‘Lorraine Baines’, Oliver Nicholas as ‘George McFly’, Jay Perry as ‘Goldie Wilson’, Jordan Pearson as ‘Biff Tannen’, Sophie Naglik as ‘Jennifer Parker’, Lee Ormsby as ‘Strickland’, Rhodri Watkins as ‘Dave McFly’, Patricia Wilkins as ‘Linda McFly’, Elliott Evans as Alternate ‘Marty McFly’ and Stephen Leask as Alternate ‘Doctor Emmett Brown’. Also in the cast are Ella Beaumont, Alexander Day, Reece Darlington-Delaire, Sia Dauda, Dylan Gordon-Jones, Helen Gulston, Matthew Ives, Connor Lewis, Adam Margilewski, Bryan Mottram, Laura Mullowney, Anna Murray, Samuel Nicholas, Louis Quinn, Zachkiel Smith, Grace Swaby-Moore, Georgia Tapp, Emily Woodford and Alexandra Wright.

The Original Cast Recording, released on Sony Music’s Masterworks Broadway label, is now available and has had over 15 million streams. It features the new music by multi-Grammy Award-winners Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard alongside classic songs from the movie including The Power of Love and Johnny B. Goode. 

Sony Masterworks Broadway recently released a Deluxe Edition of the Original Cast Recording both digitally and as a 2-CD set. Available everywhere now, the Deluxe Edition includes 13 never-before-heard demos, alternate and early versions of many of the show’s major numbers, most performed by Glen Ballard himself.

In July 2023, a brand new behind-the-scenes book documenting the creation of the stage show, Creating Back to the Future the Musical by Michael Klastorin, was released worldwide, published by abrams&chronicle books.

BACK TO THE FUTURE The Musical won the Olivier Award for Best New Musical, four WhatsOnStage Awards, including Best New Musical, and the Broadway World Award for Best New Musical. The productions in London and Manchester have so far been seen by 1.28 million people and the musical has broken box office records at the Adelphi Theatre.

Based on the Universal Pictures/Amblin Entertainment film, BACK TO THE FUTURE The Musical has a book by Bob Gale and new music and lyrics by Emmy and Grammy Award-winning Alan Silvestri and six-time Grammy Award-winning Glen Ballard, with additional songs from the film including The Power of Love and Johnny B. Goode.

Marty McFly is a rock ‘n’ roll teenager who is accidentally transported back to 1955 in a time-travelling DeLorean invented by his friend, Dr Emmett Brown.  But before he can return to 1985, Marty must make sure his high school-aged parents fall in love in order to save his own existence.

BACK TO THE FUTURE The Musical is directed by Tony Award-winning director John Rando (Urinetown, On The Town), alongside the multi Tony and Olivier Award-winning design team of Tim Hatley (set and costume design), Tim Lutkin (lighting), Hugh Vanstone (lighting consultant), Gareth Owen (sound) and Finn Ross (video), with choreography by Chris Bailey, musical supervision and arrangements by Nick Finlow and Illusions by Chris Fisher. Orchestrations are by Ethan Popp and Bryan Crook, with dance arrangements by David Chase. Casting is by David Grindrod Associates.

Back to the Future the movie was released in 1985, starring Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly and Christopher Lloyd as Dr Emmett Brown. The film grossed $360.6 million (£279 million) at the box office worldwide and the total box office for all three films in the Back to the Future franchise was $936.6 million (over $1.8 billion in today’s money).

BACK TO THE FUTURE The Musical is produced by Colin Ingram, Donovan Mannato, Frankel/Viertel/Baruch/Routh Group, Hunter Arnold, Gavin Kalin Productions, Playing Field, Crush Music, CJ ENM, Teresa Tsai, Ivy Herman/Hallee Adelman, Robert L. Hutt, Universal Theatrical Group, Ricardo Marques, Augury, Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale, in association with Kimberly Magarro, Stage Entertainment, Glass Half Full Productions/ Neil Gooding Productions.

Website: BackToTheFutureMusical.com  

X: @BTTFmusical

Instagram: @BTTFmusical   

TikTok: @BTTFmusical

LISTINGS INFORMATION

BACK TO THE FUTURE The Musical

Adelphi Theatre

Strand

Covent Garden

London

WC2R0NS

Currently booking until 22 December 2024

Performances: Mondays, Wednesdays – Saturdays at 7.30pm, Thursday & Saturday matinees at 2.30pm, Sundays at 3pm

Please note, there will be additional matinees on Wednesday 14 February at 2.30pm, Monday 1 April at 2.30pm, Wednesday 9 April at 2.30pm, Monday 6 May at 2.30pm and Monday 27 May at 2.30pm). There will be no performances on Sunday 14 April, Monday 6 May at 7.30pm and Monday 27 May at 7.30pm.

There will be a relaxed performance on Sunday 10 March at 3pm and a signed performance on Sunday 22 September at 3pm.

N.B BACK TO THE FUTURE The Musical has partnered with Gala Pro – a revolutionary app for accessibility and translation to enhance accessible experiences at live performances so you can enjoy any performance of Back to the Future with audio description and closed captioning.

Tickets: from £19.55

Please book via the website: BackToTheFutureMusical.com – no booking fees  

Booking line: 0203 925 2998

Christmas 2024/25 Performance Schedule

Monday 16 December            2pm & 7.30pm

Tuesday 17 December           No performance

Wednesday 18 December      No performance

Thursday 19 December          2.30pm           

Friday 20 December               7.30pm

Saturday 21 December          2.30pm & 7.30pm

Sunday 22 December            1pm & 6pm

Festival Theatre, Malvern – until 27th January 2024

Reviewed by Courie Amado Juneau

5*****

I narrowly missed seeing Blood Brothers last year so was looking forward to tonight’s performance with great anticipation. The story revolves around a poor mother being in such dire straits that she’s talked into giving one of her newborn twins away. The twins grow up in very different worlds (one rich and one in poverty) but those worlds intersect often as, at the age of nearly 8, they become best friends.

Niki Colwell Evans, playing the twin’s mother Mrs Johnstone, was absolutely sensational. A beautiful singing voice which conveyed every emotion in full straight into ones heart plus acting that was the equal to that incredible voice – she was totally convincing in this marvellous role.

The twins, Mickey (Sean Jones) and Eddie (Joe Sleight), were astonishingly different and utterly believable, both individually and as a pair. Mickey’s descent was especially compelling and was a sobering reminder of the old adage “there but for the grace of God…”. Linda (Gemma Brodrick) had a pivotal role in the life of the twins and she was simply scintillating on stage. The sheer energy these performers needed to portray the childhood years was staggering – physicality is one thing but the emotional energy needed for act 2 alone must really take its toll! I know it did on me just watching it.

I’ll quickly mention the costumes which deserve a lot of credit for setting the era (and, by extension, showing time passing) and also for highlighting the difference in social classes. In this case clothes do maketh the men (and women).

I was deeply impressed that the book, music and lyrics were all written by Willy Russell. An incredible feat as the tunes are real ear worms. But it’s not just great tunes; there’s a unity throughout the score so I can totally understand why it is billed in the programme as “a Liverpudlian folk opera”. It’s more than just your average musical.

Mrs Lyons (Sarah Jane Buckley) and the Narrator (Scott Anson) are worthy of special mention for outstanding performances although, in reality, the entire cast were superb and all added much to the spectacle.

The word “masterpiece” is sometimes liberally thrown around but Willy Russell deserves the accolade for this work. Sadly, the theme of poverty and desperation are just as familiar today – during yet another cost of living crisis – as it was back in the early 80’s. What a sad indictment that is. This is undoubtedly the most powerful musical I’ve ever seen. There’s such honesty and logical integrity here that it’s a painful watch at times, being so brutally honest – but there’s also a lorra lorra laughs (as Cilla would say) from start to finish.

Sometimes a performance ends with you standing dumbfounded and lost for words. This was one of those nights. During the encore the cast all looked totally drained with much puffing of cheeks. If they enjoyed themselves on stage only half as much as we did then they will also have had a fantastic night. I cannot recommend Blood Brothers highly enough. 5 stars does not do it justice. My new guilty pleasure? Not at all – I’m not feeling in the least bit guilty about totally loving it!

Theatre Royal Concert Hall Nottingham – until Saturday 27th January 2024

Reviewed by Amarjeet Singh

4****

And Then There Were None tells the tale of ten strangers lured to a solitary mansion on the mysterious Soldier Island. When cut off from the mainland, and with their hosts absent, the true reason for their presence on the island becomes horribly clear, as secrets from their past come back to haunt them. Each is accused of a historical crime, and slowly they are picked off one by one by an unknown force lurking in the shadows. The atmospheric opening to this play sets the tone for an entertaining and eerie piece of theatre. Shrouded by swaths of gauze and surrounded by layered whispers the entire cast are on stage, setting the scene for Agatha Christie’s most read work, but also the best-selling crime novel of all time.

Director Lucy Bailey handled staging the whodunit with innovation and style. Act 1 is slightly exposition-heavy and slightly dragged, but this is understandably difficult to navigate when trying to juggle many characters and ensuring they are fully fleshed out. The artistic choice of portraying the flash back scenes were an interesting and successful way to keep the audience engaged and invested. Act 2 employed a darker and more fast paced, threatening aura, the claustrophobic effect leaving us feeling a true sense of murder most horrid. The set, a place where the past meets the present and the indoors and outdoors have no boundaries, steadily deteriorates as the murders pile up. Chris Davey’s lighting and Mike Britton’s set and costume designs, superbly manage to convey the sense of steadily impending terror.

The stellar cast are captivating, and their combined performances are strong enough to evoke an atmosphere of accumulating doom, making this rendition a thoroughly entertaining watch. Lucy Tregear brought depth to her portrayal of Georgina Rogers. Sophie Walter is slick as Vera Claythorne. Jeffrey Kissoon fully embodies General Mackenzie, most notably during his flashback scene. David Yelland adds a sense of gravitas to his performance as Judge Wargrave. Oliver Clayton played Anthony Marston wonderfully, the cad we love to hate. Andrew Lancel balances the complex character of William Blore skilfully with brilliant comic timing and appropriate pathos. Katy Stephens is excellent as the prim Emily Brent. Stephens, Lancel and Clayton brought some brilliantly timed comic relief to balance tense moments.

I’m being deliberately vague in describing the characters for those unfamiliar with the story, as you are invited to play detective and discover who is the executioner on Soldier Island. Who is the murderer holding each guest accountable for their actions in this refreshing production, culminating in a truly shocking but thoroughly compelling conclusion.

Mayflower Theatre – until 27 January 2024

Reviewed by Lucy Hitchcock

4****

The music of Kylie mixed with some fun, flirting and frivolity brings you ‘I should be so lucky’, created by Debbie Isitt. 

Starting with a wedding, where the bride Ella is jilted by her beloved groom Nathan because of a longstanding family secret (if I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise!) and decides to take her family and a few friends on what would have been her honeymoon to Turkey – not Torquay! to relax. Along the way, Ella meets Nadeem who she quickly swoons after-believing that her marriage has ended before it began. When Nathan realises what a mistake he made, he hotfoots it to Turkey, where he desperately tries to win Ella back and with a few unexpected twists and turns-he eventually manages to do so! 

This cast was a well blended, fun group to watch. Lucie-May Summer and Billy Roberts as the loved up fiancées were great, showing a very realistic sense of passion between them making for a believable performance. With a great mix of songs, from Kylie’s ‘I should be so lucky’ to Rick Astley’s ‘Never gonna give you up’ this is a toe tapper of a performance-however, I did find it quite difficult to hear a lot of the singing as the band were playing exquisitely (even if a bit too loud over the top of the vocals). My stand out performance was definitely Jamie Chapman as hotel manager ‘Spencer’. His comedic timing, fast reactions and furious hilarity was superb. He was amazing and really a joy to watch in every scene. 

Overall, this was a great performance and a breath of fresh air compared to longer running musical tours. 

CAST & TOUR DATES ANNOUNCED FOR WORLD PREMIERE OF

PARTY GAMES! BY MICHAEL MCMANUS

STARRING MATTHEW COTTLE & DEBRA STEPHENSON

UK TOUR TO OPEN AT YVONNE ARNAUD THEATRE, GUILDFORD ON 2 MAY 2024

NATIONAL PRESS NIGHT TUESDAY 7 MAY 2024

The Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford presents the world premiere of PARTY GAMES! by Michael McManus (Maggie & Ted).  Previews will begin on 2 May 2024, with a press night on Tuesday 7 May.  After Guildford, the tour will visit Windsor, Cardiff, Worthing and Bath, finishing on 29 June in Malvern.

Directed by the Director and Chief Executive of the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Joanna Read, PARTY GAMES! is written by a man who was on the inside of party politics, Michael McManus, who worked in Central Office while Margaret Thatcher and John Major were Prime Ministers and as a special adviser to a number of UK ministers between 1992 and 1995. He was then head of Ted Heath’s private office from 1995 to 2000 and the Conservative Party candidate for Watford in 2001.

PARTY GAMES! is set in the UK in 2026.  John Waggner, newly elected leader of the hastily formed centrist One Nation Party, presides over a hung parliament, a discontented electorate and striking cheesemakers.  He and his power-hungry MPs must cling onto authority through whatever shaky means possible.  Can one man, a Svengali spin doctor, and some dodgy data unite the country?   And what role can his wife, the King and a large spider play in keeping the lights on, not to mention his trusty AI?

PARTY GAMES! stars Matthew Cottle (Stan Laurel in the film Chaplin, Martin in BBC’s Game On, ITV’s Unforgotten, Dave in BBC’s Citizen Khan and Edward in Channel 4’s The Windsors) as Prime Minister John Waggner, Debra Stephenson (Diane Powell in Playing the Field, Shell Dockley in Bad Girls, Frankie Baldwin in Coronation Street, The Impressions Show and Dead Ringers) as Deputy Leader Lisa Williams, Natalie Dunne (Anna Schmidt in The Third Man at Menier Chocolate Factory, Your Christmas Or Mine? for Amazon, Trying for Apple TV and Locked Up Abroad for Disney+) as Anne Waggner, the Prime Minister’s wife, Krissi Bohn (three years as Jenna Kamara in Coronation Street and a storyteller on the CBeebies series Treasure Champs and a series regular in the CBBC series Biff & Chip) as Private Secretary Candice Edwards, Jason Callender (Upstart Crow and The Play That Goes Wrong in the West End, Malory Towers for the BBC and 4 O’Clock Club for CBBC) as would-be Chief of Staff Luke Roberts and William Oxborrow (The Madness of George III at the National Theatre, the title role in The Picture of Dorian Gray at Gate Theatre, Dublin, Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet and A Clockwork Orange for the RSC and The Clandestine Marriage and Guys and Dolls in the West End) playing multiple roles.

PARTY GAMES! is an Yvonne Arnaud original production, directed by Joanna Read and designed by Francis O’Connor, with lighting design by Chris Davey.

#PartyGames!

Age Guidance: 12+ (contains swearing)

TOUR SCHEDULE

2-11 May                                 The Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford                   01483 44 00 00

                                                www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk                                       on sale

14-18 May                               Theatre Royal Windsor                                      

                                                www.theatreroyalwindsor.co.uk                                on sale 24 January

21-25 May                               New Theatre, Cardiff                                                0343 310 041

                                                www.trafalgartickets.com/new-theatre-cardiff           on sale

12-15 June                              Worthing Connaught Theatre                                  01903 206206

                                                wtm.uk

18-22 June                              Theatre Royal Bath                                                  01225 448844

                                                theatreroyal.org.uk                                                   on sale

25-29 June                              Malvern Festival Theatre                                        01684 892277

                                                www.malvern-theatres.co.uk 

The Marylebone Theatre, London – until 3 February 2024

Reviewed by Chelsea Kania

4****

The year is 1943. A train lurches to a stop in the blizzarding dead of winter. A reluctant hand
reaches out with a precious bundle—and drops it into the snow. An old woman approaches,
hearing its cries and knowing with an unquestioning heart that this child now belongs to her.

Humanity’s expansive capacity for love and compassion is explored alongside its darker truths in The Most Precious of Goods, based on the novella by Jean-Claude Grumberg. Like a story hour with book in hand, Samantha Spiro (One Life, Sex Education) heroically narrates and performs her way through the tale of a poor Polish woodcutter’s wife who brings a Jewish baby into her home despite her husband’s vicious protests and the increasingly sinister backdrop of war-torn Eastern Europe.

Grumberg is the writer of a vast collection of critically acclaimed stories and plays, many
concerned with anti-semitism and the Holocaust, in which his father and grandparents perished. The novella has earned itself an upcoming feature film adaptation, but this live performance is a uniquely sensorial immersion into Grumberg’s world, and perhaps not one to miss.

The story is brilliantly read by Spiro, whose abundant optimism and humour relay the joys of
parenting. While at the same time, she effectively balances harrowing details of the birth family’s fate at a death camp miles away, as well as the many tragedies that befall its new mother while she strives to keep them both alive.

Carly Brownbridge’s stage design does a nice job of accompanying this tricky mood; look
closely at the abstract treeline and you’ll notice it’s populated with prisoner numbers. Huge
projections of Judy Goldhill’s black and white photography from a sombre but mesmerising
backdrop.

And speaking of mesmerising, Spiro is not alone; she shares the stage with award-winning
cellist Gemma Rosefield, whose three-hundred year old cello conjures as many centuries of
human joy and pain to punctuate the story’s dramatic moments. Rosefield’s performance is a real highlight, and something I’d have been eager to hear more of throughout.

As National Holocaust Remembrance Day approaches on 27 January, the tragedies of WW2 only seem to deepen those taking place in the world today. But by pulling unconditional love from the dark, both Grumberg’s story and this performance are rare in their ability to generate hope. It’s a welcome experience, and an inspiring one

‘GRITTY POLICE DRAMA: A ONE MAN MUSICAL’ – 60 IMPRESSIONS, 60 MINUTES, 1 MURDER

“It should really just be called Luke Kempner: DI Bullseye, because it works… good-natured verve, and bravura singing to boot… With at least one good gag a minute as well as those voices, this is his most accomplished show since his Downton Abbey debut” ★★★★
Dominic Cavendish, The Telegraph

“Outrageously talented… it was too much fun… nailed the impressions… massively entertaining… The audience ate out of his hand from the word go, loving the recognition of familiar voices, familiar tropes and daft combinations of characters… Kempner can sell a gag, a song, a routine. He’s a one-man variety explosion… this is a blast of laughter and music to raise the spirits, a refreshing, feelgood performance.” ★★★★
Julia Chamberlain, Chortle

“The fun is fast and furious… It’s hilarious… Kempner is a very personable entertainer to be with. They even had to add another couple of performances. Recommended” ★★★★★
James Bryce, Musical Theatre Review

Following a sold-out and critically acclaimed month long run at the Edinburgh festival Fringe, Luke Kempner (Les Misérables, Spitting Image: Idiots Assemble, Steph’s Packed Lunch), will be bringing ‘GRITTY POLICE DRAMA: A ONE MAN MUSICAL’, to Soho Theatre. The comedian, impressionist, podcaster and West End performer will be performing his new show from Tuesday 23^rd – Saturday 27^th April (19:30), Downstairs.

Britain loves a gritty police drama but what about one that features all of the detectives from your favourite shows, plus voices of the world’s biggest celebrities and on top of all of that: it’s a musical! It’s Line of Duty meets Happy Valley meets Match of the Day meets The Traitors meets the West End and all done by Luke Kempner, the “one-man variety explosion” (Chortle). Every impression, every note, every murder. 

Tickets on sale now at www.sohotheatre.com

Star of Les Misérables (in which he plays Monsieur Thenardier), Luke Kempner is well known for being a comedian and impressionist at the top of his game receiving over 10 million views on his popular videos online. Last year saw Luke voice over 30 puppets in the West End production of Spitting Image: Idiots Assemble, including King Charles, Prince Harry, Harry Styles, Ed Sheeran, Jurgen Klopp and many more. His TV credits include Spitting Image (BritBox), Steph’s Packed Lunch (Channel 4), The Last Leg (Channel 4), Love Island: Aftersun (ITV 2), The Stand Up Sketch Show (ITV 2) and CelebAbility (ITV 2). As well as this, Luke created and starred in his own review show for ITV 2, entitled Luke Kempner’s Impression of 2015 and was the resident comedian on Celebrity Big Brother’s Bit On The Side (Channel 5) for 9 series. He is also a regular on BBC Radio 4’s topical comedy institutions The Now Show and News Jack. He can also be heard on his weekly podcast series with his wife Alana Macfarlane Kempner and her identical twin sister/co-conspirator Lisa Macfarlane, otherwise known as The Mac Twins – Sh*t! I Married a Twin.

More praise for Luke Kempner:

“Gloriously funny”
Independent

“Remarkable, tour de force one-man show… a teatime hour of unalloyed pleasure.” ★★★★
The Daily Telegraph

“This is undoubtedly one of THE funniest shows we have seen at the Fringe this year. We were blown away by the talent in the room… You have to put this show on your watch list, it cannot be missed. Fearless, funny and faultless” ★★★★★
Rachel Marin, West End Best Friend

“hour of all-round entertainment… There is something for everyone here… you would not be able to find such high production quality and singing talent in many other shows of its kind at Edinburgh Fringe… witty… The audience is in hysterics… the jokes are clever… Captivating and receiving a standing ovation, this show also garners an outrageous amount of applause. This is a show that I could see every audience enjoying… The world would benefit if the imagination of Luke Kempner contributed to more police dramas. There would certainly be plenty more laughs.” ★★★★★
Emily O’Mullane, Ed Fringe Review

“a high-energy hour of laugh out loud mimicry… outrageous gags and some wickedly funny observations… a fine singing voice… effortlessly delivering the musical elements to great applause” ★★★★★

Liam Rudden, Liam’s Newsletter

“king of impressions… an entertaining hour… the delivery is very impressive and allows Luke’s skills as an outstanding impressionist and brilliant singer to shine through… Being able to say a few lines as a character is hard enough but being able to sing and act like that individual really steps it up a notch… Expect lots of laughter and the opportunity to see an impression king at work.” ★★★★
Callum Stott, The Scots Reviewer

“uber-talented impressionist… the musical scores are fabulous… guffaw-inducing… eye-wateringly hilarious impressions that only get stronger as the show goes on…  has all the ingredients to make a memorable Fringe show, but these ingredients are also of a high quality. I would happily watch it again.” ★★★★
Chloe Codling, Ed Fringe Review

“his mimicry of gestures is exceptional… left the crowd howling…  increased heights of mastery… a joy to watch” ★★★★
Elodie Marriott, Ed Fest Mag

ANTON LESSER AND CHARLIE HAMBLETT TO APPEAR IN RED SKY AT SUNRISE: LAURIE LEE IN WORDS AND MUSIC

AT RICHMOND THEATRE SUN 19 MAY 2024

Two of our best-loved actors, Anton Lesser (Game of Thrones, Wolf Hall, Endeavour) and Charlie Hamblett (Killing Eve, Ghosts, The Burning Girl) will appear in a celebration of Laurie Lee’s extraordinary story, told in a captivating weave of music and his own words.

RED SKY AT SUNRISE follows Laurie Lee through his much-loved trilogy, Cider with Rosie, As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning, and A Moment of War, when Lee famously walked out of the Slad valley one midsummer morning, and ended up fighting with the International Brigades against Franco’s forces in the Spanish Civil War.

Lesser and Hemblett play the role of Laurie Lee older and younger, along with a rich array of other characters. Together, they celebrate Lee’s engaging humour, as well as his darker side, in a performance that has startling resonance with modern events.

Devised as a show by Judy Reaves (who also produces), the text by Laurie Lee has been adapted by Deirdre Shields. David Le Page has devised a gorgeous musical programme performed by Orchestra of the Swan, that weaves around Lee’s writing, from the lush Gloucestershire countryside Lee made famous in Cider With Rosie, to the dry landscapes of Spain, via the music of Vaughan Williams, Walton, Holst, Elgar, Britten, Grainger, Albeniz, Turina and De Falla. Featuring guitarist Mark Ashford performing Asturias, Sevilla and Spanish Romance.

Anton Lesser says: ‘It has been a joy to discover more of Laurie Lee’s sublime writing. In many ways, his account of what was happening in Spain in the 1930s is prescient of what is playing out now in Europe.

There is a heartbreaking moment when Lee writes: ‘Did we know, as we stood there, our clenched fists raised high, and scarcely a gun between three of us, that we had ranged against us the rising military power of Europe, and the deadly cynicism of Russia? No, we didn’t. We had yet to learn that sheer idealism never stopped a tank.’

Red Sky at Sunrise is a homegrown affair. Not only does it celebrate Gloucestershire-born Laurie Lee, Anton Lesser and Charlie Hamblett have deep roots in Warwickshire, and the Orchestra of The Swan are one of the Midlands’ top chamber orchestras. The show was devised by Stratford-based Judy Reaves, Producer with Hambletts, and adapted by local writer, Deirdre Shields.

Yvonne Arnaud Theatre – until Saturday 27 January

Reviewed by Heather Chalkley

4****

Created in 1963 by Tony award winning Joan Littlewood, this production flew in the face of convention, as did all her pieces. Satirical humour, breaking the fourth wall and bringing serious issues to the stage, are Littlewood’s signature notes. As an audience you are invited into the community of the company through the actors’ antics on and off the stage.

The truth and horror of the first world war is revealed in dark humour, delivered by an accomplished, multi skilled cast. A musical with a difference! The actors are dressed as Pierrots, swapping military hats and coats as fast as their European accents! Add in a violin, double bass, clarinet, piano, harmonica, various drums and other percussion instruments and you have yourself a physical fast paced, beautifully choreographed performance, that not only entertains but is an education. It’s hard to believe there are only 6 actors on the set, all keeping to character in this demanding piece. You get the sense that it had a collaborative evolution in the making, with each actor totally owning their performance. The craziness of Harry Curley and lumbering awkwardness of Tom Crabtree makes you laugh out loud, whilst Alice Mayer shows us how the troupes were entertained with her come to bed eyes and coquettish mannerisms. Chioma Uma has an especially loud reaction to her vodka soaked Russian. The stark reality of the political battles, narcissism of the English upper classes, rubbing hands of businessmen are delivered in scenes that are a stark contrast to the bleak joy of the front line.

Director Nicky Allpress should be rightfully proud of this production. A great tribute to Littlewood, a pioneering woman of the arts in her time.