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.

Birmingham Rep

Presents

THE UK PREMIERE OF

BECOMING NANCY

A NEW MUSICAL

https://www.birmingham-rep.co.uk/whats-on/becoming-nancy/

Wednesday 2 October – Saturday 2 November 2024

Birmingham Rep

Birmingham Rep is thrilled to announce the UK premiere of the new musical, Becoming Nancy which will run at The Rep from 2 October – 2 November 2024.

Becoming Nancy is a coming of age story that has a huge-heart.  A new musical that weaves a story of family bonds, first loves, and the courage it takes to find your own spotlight.  

It is based on the extraordinarily moving coming of age novel by Terry Ronald and directed and choreographed by the Tony Award-winning Jerry Mitchell.  The book is by Elliot Davis, music is by George Stiles and lyrics are by Anthony Drewe with additional music and lyrics by Terry Ronald, Elliot Davis and George Stiles.  (Stiles and Drew’s production of Honk! won the Olivier Award for Best Musical in 2000.)

Jerry Mitchell has been working in London since he first served as Associate Choreographer to Sir Cameron Mackintosh on Follies starring Diana Rigg and Julia McKenzie. Since then Jerry has directed and choreographed 3 Olivier Award-winning musicals in the West End.  He directed and choreographed Kinky Boots and Legally Blonde and choreographed Hairspray.  The Tony Award-winning director and choreographer was returning to New York from the UK in 2013 and came across the book Becoming Nancy at Heathrow Airport.  By the time he reached the US he knew he had to make the story into a musical.

Director Jerry Mitchell said:  ‘Becoming Nancy is about finding love. Love of self, love of others and love of what matters most in life. As soon as I saw The Rep and visited Birmingham, I knew that it was the right place to open the show.  It’s been a privilege to turn Terry’s beautiful story into a musical, and we are all looking forward to working on  the show and sharing this beautiful musical with Birmingham and the rest of Great Britain and the world.’

Sean Foley, Artistic Director of Birmingham Rep added:   I’m thrilled to be able to announce Becoming Nancy, and to be welcoming the extraordinary Jerry Mitchell and his world class creative team to The Rep. When I first saw and heard this touching, funny and relevant show at workshop stage, I knew we had to help make it happen and produce it. Stiles and Drewe, with Elliot Davis, and original writer Terry Ronald, have created as exciting, frequently hilarious, and heart-tugging show about first love and being yourself as you can ever hope to see. I’m sure that Birmingham itself is about to fall in love with this brilliant new musical.’

In Becoming Nancy, it’s 1979 and David Starr is unquestionably one of the smartest, most talented sixth formers in East Dulwich – he’s got a wild imagination, a vocal range to die for, and a bedroom plastered with posters of his beloved pop idols: Blondie, Sting, and Kate Bush.  But being clever, having talent, and great taste in music may not be enough to get him through secondary school, where, to his great surprise, he’s just been given the female lead in the school play. The unconventional casting sends shockwaves to everyone around him – including his parents, his aunt, and his classmates. 

Before long, it seems like everybody has an opinion on whether David should go on with the show, inspiring him to turn to his no-nonsense best friend Frances and his unlikely co-star Maxie, the enigmatic captain of the football team. 

JOSEPH MARCELL HEADS THE CAST OF

THE SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL

A NEW PRODUCTION OF RICHARD B. SHERIDAN’S COMEDY OF MANNERS

DIRECTED BY SEÁN AYDON

ON TOUR FROM 7 MARCH TO 8 JUNE 2024

Stage, film and TV star Joseph Marcell will head the cast of Seán Aydon’s new production of The School For Scandal, which begins a major UK tour this spring.

Marcell, who is probably best-known for his role as Geoffrey the Butler in the six seasons of the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air, will play ‘Sir Peter Teazle’ in this fresh take on Richard B. Sheridan’s classic comedy of manners. 

The production will premiere at Theatre By The Lake on Thursday 7 March before playing a further 12 venues around the country until 8 June 2024.

Joseph Marcell was most recently seen in Chiwetel Ejiofor’s debut feature film, The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind. TV credits include Mammoth and I Hate You, both for the BBC and he is soon be seen in Candice Carty-William’s Queenie on Channel 4. His prolific stage credits include Hamlet at the Young Vic with Cush Jumbo, Kathy Burke’s Lady Windermere’s Fan, extensive work with Shakespeare’s Globe including the titular role in Bill Buckhurst’s King Lear and Derek Walcott’s Omeros, as well as seasons at the Royal Shakespeare Company. 

The School For Scandal also features Garmon Rhys (Out There (ITV), Gangs Of London (Hbo/Sky Atlantic) And Tina: The Musical (West End)) as ‘Charles Surface’, Ayesha Griffiths (soon to be seen in Channel 4’s Queenie and Get Millie Black) as ‘Maria’, Emily–Jane McNeil (The Mousetrap and Brexshit, both West End)as ‘Lady Sneerwell’, Alex Phelps (As You Like It, Shakespeare’s Globe, When Darkness Falls, Park Theatre and UK tour) as ‘Joseph Surface’, Lydea Perkins (Private Lives, The Mill At Sonning, Sense & Sensibility, Theatre By The Lake) as ‘Lady Teazle’, Tony Timberlake (Little Shop of Horrors Storyhouse Chester, Maggie May, Leeds Playhouse, When Darkness Falls UK Tour) as ‘Sir Oliver’, and Guy Dennys (Tilted Wig’s Around the World in 80 Days and Lady Chatterley’s Lover) as ‘Rowley’.

Sir Peter Teazle believes his young wife is sleeping with someone else. She isn’t.

But she’s starting to think if her husband believes it, she may as well give it a go. After all, if you’re going to cause a scandal, you might as well enjoy it…

Deliciously naughty and outrageously silly, this timeless comedy is a masterclass in social satire and the art of gossip.

The School For Scandal is one of the greatest comedies ever written, featuring an unforgettable cast of larger-than-life characters, each armed with a lacerating wit.

Join us for a lightning-paced evening of romance, revenge and rollicking fun that promises to leave you entertained, enamoured – and perhaps even a little scandalised.

The School For Scandal is directed by Seán Aydon who recently adapted and directed the national tours of The Picture of Dorian Gray and Frankenstein. Hewas also assistant director on the world premiere of Tom Fletcher’s The Christmasaurus at the Hammersmith Apollo.

The production is designed by Linbury Prize winner Sarah Beaton whose recent credits include The Merchant Of Venice (Sam Wanamaker / The Globe), Nineteen Gardens (Hampstead Theatre) & Wild East (Young Vic). She previously worked with Tilted Wig as designer of The Picture of Dorian Gray.

There is sound design/composition from Ed Lewis whose recent work includes The Box Of Delights (RSC), Killer Joe (West End) and Henry V (Donmar); lighting design from Peter Small whose work includes Kathy & Stella Solve a Murder! (Bristol Old Vic), King Stakh’s Wild Hunt (Barbican) and The Ritual Slaughter of Gorge Mastromas (Dailes Theatre, Riga); and movement direction from Stephen Moynihan whose credits include Ted Lasso, House Of The Dragon and Tilted Wig’s Frankenstein.

The School For Scandal is produced by Tilted Wig Productions and Malvern Theatres In Association With Theatre By The Lake.

www.tiltedwigproductions.com/book-now

Twitter @tiltedwiguk

Facebook @TiltedWigProductions

Insta @tiltedwig

THE SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL TOUR DATES 2024

7 – 16 March                           Theatre by the Lake , Keswick​

19 – 23 March                         Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne

​26 – 30 March                        Derby Theatre

2 – 6 April                                Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford

9 – 13 April                               Cambridge Arts Theatre

16 – 20 April                            Malvern Theatres

​23 – 27 April                          York Theatre Royal

30 April to 4 May                  Shakespeare North Playhouse

8 – 11 May                               MAST Mayflower Studios, Southampton

14 – 18 May                            Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham

21 – 25 May                            Royal & Derngate, Northampton

28 May to 1 June                  Darlington Hippodrome

4 – 8 June                             Oxford Playhouse