CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR

PETER PAN

By J.M. Barrie

In a new version by Evan Placey

Music & Lyrics by Vikki Stone

Directed by Lucy Morrell

A Rose Original Production

1 December 2023 – 7 January 2024

Rose Theatre today announces casting for J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, in a new version by Evan Placey, with music and lyrics by Vikki Stone and directed by Lucy Morell. Kaine Ruddach will play the role of Peter, joined by Michelle Bishop (Hook/Mrs. Darling), Hilary Maclean (Gran), and Dominic Rye (Smee/Mr. Darling). Peter Pan runs from Friday 1 December 2023 until Sunday 7 January 2024 with Press Night on Thursday 7 December 2023.

The cast also features forty local young people from Rose Youth Theatre who will perform in two alternate casts.  The Rose Youth Theatre company includes: Akira Dias, Alex Forster, Amelie Abbott, Ariana Shute, Arun Stewart, Audrey Johnston, Ava Harris, Bryn Wilson, Cameron Eggleston, Casper Groombridge, Cecily Cleave, Chloe Nichols, Diren Chhabra, Dylan Corchete-Quan, Ella Waldmann, Ellie Searle, Emily Porter, Ethan Harcourt, Eva Rouse, Fedor Skorodelov, Florence Datta, Hannah Grigg, Isla Griffiths, Jack Bartlett, Jack Fernie,_, Jasmine Procter-Tarabanov, Jemima Leason, Josh Pritchard-Chase, Leah Wingfield, Leon Horton, Luke Groarke, Mimi Forster, Minaii Barrowes, Mischa Rudling, Naira Malik, Penny Bennett, Rebeca Lanaway Gonzalez, Scarlett Coburn, Shona Maggo and Viola Johnson.

Further creative team includes Oli Townsend (Set & Costume Designer), Emma Chapman (Lighting Designer), Aidan Jones (Sound Designer), Bradley Charles (Movement Director), Josh Mathieson (Associate Director and Voice Coach), Ellie Collyer-Bristow CDG (Casting Director), Claire Llewellyn of Rc-Annie Ltd (Fight & Intimacy Director), and Jody Robinson (Musical Director), Judith Hope (Puppet Director).

Lucy Morrell said: “I am delighted to be making this show alongside the best creative team anyone could ask for. I adore the original story of Peter Pan and Evan new adaptation is beautiful. Woking with our large ensemble of young people and fantastic professional actors is an absolute joy!  I can’t wait for audiences, young and old, to see this festive, magical treat.”

All children grow up, except one…

Chasing his runaway shadow, a mischievous young boy crash lands through an open window and meets a headstrong young girl. With a sprinkle of fairy dust, they take flight on a whirlwind festive voyage over pirate ships, through mermaid lagoons, and into the heart of Neverland.

This Christmas, an enchanting adventure awaits.Award-winning writer Evan Placey adapts J.M. Barrie’s children’s classic in a brand-new version with music and lyrics by 2023 Olivier Award winner Vikki Stone (Hey Duggee) and directed by Lucy Morrell (Beauty and the Beast). Packed with song, dance, magic and featuring members of our talented Rose Youth Theatre, we promise to have you hooked.

CREATIVES BIOGRAPHIES

Evan Placey is a Canadian-British playwright and screenwriter who lives in London, UK. His debut play Mother of Him won the inaugural RBC National Playwriting Award at the Tarragon Theatre in Toronto, the King’s Cross Award in the UK, and the Samuel French Canadian Play Award in the USA. The play went on to be produced internationally and was adapted for BBC Radio. It was revived at the Park Theatre, London. His other plays include Girls Like That (Birmingham REP, West Yorkshire Playhouse & Plymouth Theatre Royal); Orange Polar Bear (Birmingham REP/National Theatre Company of Korea); Keepy Uppy (UK tour), Consensual (NYT/West End), Jekyll & Hyde (National Theatre, UK Tour & Birmingham REP/West End), Pronoun (National Theatre), WiLd! (UK tour), Scarberia (YPT, Toronto & York Theatre Royal, UK) Holloway Jones (Synergy/Unicorn), How was it for you? (Unicorn), and Banana Boys (Hampstead).  Awards include: Jugend Theatre Preis Baden-Wurttemberg (Germany), Scenic Youth prize (France), Brian Way Award, Royal Society of Literature’s Literature Matters Award and the Writers’ Guild Award for Best Play for Young Audiences (all UK). For television He has written for Soulmates (AMC/Amazon) and the forthcoming The Tattooist of Auschwitz (Sky). Evan was recently named on the Brit List 2022.

Vikki Stone is an award-winning writer, composer, comedian and musician. Writing credits include: co-adapter, writer and music supervisor for the Oliver Award winning Hey Duggee Live, #zoologicalsociety (Royal & Derngate), Cinderella,  Aladdin (2022 The British Panto Awards winner for Best Script) at  The Lyric Hammersmith, Ten Pieces Special Report for BAFTA Nominated children’s music series BBC Ten Pieces, Our Girls Our Game for The British Youth Music Theatre and Alice In Wonderland, which is heading to The Liverpool Everyman and Theatre Royal Plymouth in summer 2023.

Vikki made history when she was the musical director, pianist and band leader of the Saturday night ITV prime-time show Romeo and Duet, making her the first on-screen female musical director of a primetime entertainment show in the UK.

Other TV appearances include: BBC Proms coverage for BBC Four, Romeo and Duet, Richard Osman’s House of Games, Celebrity Pointless, The Dog Ate My Homework, The John Bishop Show, Partners in Rhyme and the BAFTA award-winning Ten Pieces for BBC.

Classical works include: The Thing That Matters, a massed choral piece commissioned by the National Youth Choir of Great Britain, and The Concerto for Comedian and Orchestra which premiered at Glastonbury Festival.

Lucy Morrell is a freelance theatre director who specialises in work with and for young people. She is the current Director of Learning and Participation at Rose Theatre. She trained at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and Central School of Speech and Drama. Theatre credits: Beauty and the Beast (Rose Theatre), Macbeth (Rose Theatre and Oldenberg State Theatre), The Creature (Rose Theatre and Oldenberg State Theatre), Hansel and Gretel (Rose Theatre, Associate), The Merry Wives of Windsor (Grassroots Shakespeare Company), Minotag (Almeida Young Company), The Oresteia (Almeida Young Company). 

For Rose Young Company: The Great Gatsby, Junkyard, Dracula, The Cherry Orchard, DNA, Treasure Island, The Creature, 1984, Gulliver’s Travels, Our Town, The Railway Children, Black Beauty, Much Ado About Nothing, Macbeth, Twelfth Night, The Jungle Book, Charlotte’s Web and Alice in Wonderland. 

Oli Townsend Set and costume designs include The Caucasian Chalk Circle (Rose Theatre), Cinderella, The Awesome Truth (Polka), Old Bridge (Papatango), Macbeth (Manchester Royal Exchange), Cosi Fan Tutti, Pelleas et Mellisande, Werther, and The Tales of Hoffmann (English Touring Opera), The Caretaker (Bristol Old Vic), Grounded, The Christians, and Wittenberg (Gate Theatre), The Choir of Man (West End & Worldwide Tour), Oh Mother, The Darkest Corners, Two Man Show (RashDash), We Want You To Watch (National Theatre/RashDash), Islands, Incognito (The Bush Theatre), The Art of Dying (Royal Court), The Measures Taken (Alexander Whitley Dance), L’Elisir D’Amore, Rodelinda (Scottish Opera), The Gamblers, Dead To Me, Gods are Fallen and All Safety Gone (Greyscale), The Coronation of Poppea, Macbeth (Blackheath Halls Opera), and Blood Wedding (Royal and Derngate). Between 2013 & 2016, Oli designed the sets for the Lyric Hammersmith panto each Christmas.

Costume credits include Wozzeck (English National Opera); The Lighthouse (ROH Linbury); Big Maggie (Druid) and In Wonderland, a film by Iona Firouzabadi. He had also provided art direction for branded content with Jungle Creations & Seldom Differ. In 2018, Oli cycled from Bristol to Bangkok, working on In Tandem Stories in partnership with the nonprofit kindness.org. He has written about the experiences for The Guardian, Lonely Planet, and WildBounds.

Josh Mathieson is a director and voice coach and trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Directing credits include Macbeth (Oldenburgisches Staatstheater/Rose Theatre); The Quest for the Blue Orchid (RBG Kew); Bits & Box and Fairly Tales (Edinburgh Fringe, Pleasance). Associate director credits include Witness for the Prosecution (County Hall), Beauty and the Beast and The Snow Queen (Rose Theatre); The Creature [Frankenstein Retold] (Oldenburgisches Staatstheater). Voice coaching credits includeBillie the Kid (Workshop); Sleepy Hollow (UK Tour); Grimm Tales (Chichester Festival Theatre); Romeo and Juliet (Guildford Shakespeare Company); Beast Quest (Hampton Court Palace); Scrooge and the Seven Dwarves (Theatre503); The Happy Theory (The Yard); Seussical 

(Pleasance); Swish (Discover); Alice in Winterland and Hansel and Gretel (Rose Theatre).

Additionally, Josh wrote and directed the award-winning short film Things That Grow (2020). He teaches voice and text at ArtsEd and has adapted seven classic novels for the stage.

Ellie Collyer-Bristow CDG is the Casting Director for Peter Pan. Theatre credits include: Witness for the Prosecution, Adrian Mole, Killer Joe (West End); And Then There Were None; The Mirror Crack’d, Macbeth, Dusty, Turn of The Screw, French Without Tears, Handbagged, Arcadia, The Swearing Jar, A Splinter of Ice, The Good Enough Mums Club, The Night Watch, The Croft, Caroline’s Kitchen, Wait Until Dark, Night Must Fall, French Without Tears, As You Like It (UK tours); The Hypochondriac (Sheffield Theatres); They Don’t Pay? We Won’t Pay! (Mercury Theatre); Blue Remembered Hills, Playhouse Creatures, Fred’s Diner (Chichester Festival Theatre); The Girl Who Fell, A Guide for the Homesick, 3 Women (Trafalgar Studios); Dancing at Lughnasa (Lyric Theatre, Belfast); The Glass Menagerie (Nuffield); Dirty Great Love Story (Arts Theatre); Fool for Love (Found111); The Permanent Way, Ages of the Moon (Vaults); Broken Lad, Eldorado (Arcola); Hansel and Gretel (Rose Theatre Kingston); The Wider Earth (Natural History Museum); The Secret Garden (York Theatre Royal); Ladies Day (Wolverhampton Grand); Gaslight (Ed Mirvish, Toronto); Wordsworth, Two Way Mirror, After the Dance, Handbagged, Remarkable Invisible, Miss Julie (Theatre by the Lake); Romeo & Juliet, Doubt, A Lie of the Mind (Southwark Playhouse); Mythosphere (Stonenest); Madame Rubinstein, The Gathered Leaves (Park Theatre); Sideways (Other Palace); The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore, GH Boy (Charing Cross); The Gunpowder Plot, The War of the Worlds (Immersive).

Children’s casting: The King and I, Wind in the Willows (London Palladium); Macbeth, Doctor Dolittle (UK tour).

Ellie previously worked as Casting Associate for the Ambassador Theatre Group.

Emma Chapman trained at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. With Lucy Osborne and Howard Eaton, Emma Chapman designed and realized The Stage Awards’ Theatre Building of the Year 2015: Roundabout, commissioned by Paines Plough. After taking the venue on tour with that company in 2014 and 2015, the trio set up Studio Three Sixty to design and build more innovative spaces, including the pop-up multipurpose performance venue The Mix.

Theatre credits include: Self-Raising (Graeae/Edinburgh Fringe); The Third Man; Christina Bianco – In Divine Company; Marjorie Prime (Menier Chocolate Factory); The Mirror Crack’d (UK Tour); The Lion (Southwark Playhouse); Beauty And The Beast (Rose Theatre, Kingston); The Ruff Tuff Cream Puff Estate Agency (Belgrade Theatre, Coventry); Ghost Quartet (Boulevard Theatre, Soho); Rosenbaum’s Rescue (Park Theatre); Kiss Me Kate (Theatre du Chatelet, Paris, Theatre de la Ville, Luxembourg, Oper Graz); Utility (Orange Tree Theatre); The Importance of Being Earnest (Clwyd Theatr Cymru); The Human Ear (Paines Plough); Joanne (Clean Break Theatre Company & Soho Theatre); Boi Boi is Dead (Leeds Theatre Trust & West Yorkshire Playhouse); Rose (with Art Malik; Edinburgh Fringe); The Machine Gunners; The Planet and Stuff; Run (Polka Theatre); Dublin Carol (Donmar Season); Sex with a Stranger (Trafalgar Studios); Three Sea Plays (Old Vic Tunnels); Parallel Hamlet (Young Vic); Dick Whittington (Bury St Edmunds). Opera credits include: The Paradis Files (Graeae Theatre Company, UK Tour); Xerxes; Carmen (Royal Northern College of Music); Cosi Fan Tutte (Royal College of Music); The Pied Piper (Opera North); Il Turco in Italia (Angers/Nantes Opera and Luxembourg). She has also lit Rumplestiltskin for London Children’s Ballet at the Peacock Theatre, available on DVD.

Other notable engagements include Olivier Award-winning play The Mountaintop for Theatre 503 & Trafalgar Studio; the highly praised The Painter which opened the new Arcola Theatre, and the David Mamet double bill which opened their studio; Wet Weather Cover at the King’s Head and Arts Theatre.

Aiden Jones studied Sound & Lighting Design at Northbrook College in Worthing in 2011. After finishing his degree, he launched his sound career by touring many major Musicals and Plays around the UK/Internationally. He is responsible for many of the productions in London’s West as part of the sound production team. 

Aidan has designed many Professional productions throughout the years. Aidan has often been given the role of Associate Sound Designer on several UK Tours and West End productions. He is thrilled to be making his debut in Kingston for the Sound Design of Peter Pan.

Sound Designs: For Tonight (London Palladium), Alice in Wonderland (Liverpool/Plymouth), Lizard Boy (Hope Mill Theatre/Edinburgh Fringe), Sleeping Beauty (Crewe), Cinderella (Sutton Coldfield), Aladdin (Cambridge), Magpies & Mischief (Jersey), Peter Pan (Swansea), Aladdin (Sutton Coldfield), Cinderella (York), Beauty and The Beast (York), Aladdin (York).

Other Sound Credits: Shrek the Musical (UK Tour), The Sponge Bob Musical (UK Tour), Matilda The Musical (International Tour), Oklahoma (Wyndhams), Deathdrop (UK Tour). Man in the White Suit (Wyndams), A Taste of Honey (UK Tour), Band of Gold (UK Tour), Switzerland (Ambassadors), Vulcan 7 (UK Tour), Art (UK Tour), Witness For The Prosecution (County Hall), The Twits (UK Tour), Breakfast at Tiffany’s (Haymarket and UK Tour), Oklahoma (UK Tour), Annie (New Zealand Tour), Fiddler On The Roof (UK Tour), The Three Phantoms (UK tour).

Bradley Charles has performed with and choreographed for some of the UK’s leading dance companies, including; ZooNation (Into The Hoods, West End), Boy Blue Entertainment (Olivier Award winning Pied Piper, Theatre Royal Stratford East), FLAWLESS UK (World Tour) and British Youth Music Theatre 2023.

He was previously Artistic Director for ZooNation Youth Company and is currently a ZooNation Associate Artist. Recent performance credits include; Mojisola Adebayo’s STARS (UK Tour) and Sylvia (Old Vic). As Director and Choreographer; Black Tea (Commission by Studio 3 Arts). As Movement Director and Choreographer; Four Walls (Derby Theatre). As Associate Choreographer; Hex (National Theatre, Director: Rufus Norris). As Associate Choreographer and Dance Captain; Peter Andre Arena Tour (Choreographer: Gary Lloyd and Kenrick Sandy), NDubs Arena tour (Choreographer: Michelle MDV). As Assistant Choreographer; Opening Ceremony 2012 Olympic Games (Choreographer: Kenrick Sandy), StreetDance 3D (First UK cinema released dance film, Choreographer: Kenrick Sandy)

Fun, energetic and dynamic, Bradley’s dance style is hard to miss.

Jody Robinson trained at the Royal College of Music and the Royal Academy Music. She works as an MD, Vocal Coach, Singing Teacher, Singer and Arranger. MD credits include A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Hazlitt Theatre), Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Tabard Theatre), ‘Til The Clouds Go By (tour), Half a Sixpence (New Wimbledon Theatre), Madagascar (TIE tour), The Snow Queen (Rose Theatre), Big Fish (Blackheath Halls), Beauty And The Beast (Rose Theatre), Persuasion (Oxford Playhouse), Loserville (Blackheath Halls) and The Jungle Book (Chichester Festival Theatre.) Jody teaches at Trinity Laban Conservatoire for Music and Dance.

CAST BIOGRAPHIES

Kaine Ruddach plays Peter Pan.

Training: CAPA College and Laine Theatre Arts.

Theatre includes: Ensemble & cover JD, Ram and Kurt in Heathers The Musical (The Other Palace,) Ensemble in Dark Lord (MT Fest – The Other Palace); Ensemble & Cover Pepper in MAMMA MIA! (UK and International Tour); Jimmy John in Canary Girls The Musical (Sheffield Crucible); Aladdin (Norwich Theatre Royal) and Snow White (Churchill Theatre, Bromley). Film and television include: No Offence (Channel 4), Hank Zipzer (CBBC) and Gloves Off. Other credits include: Lead Dancer for Dorian Electra (London Tour), ‘Sixteen’ Ellie Goulding Music Video.

Michelle Bishop plays Captain Hook / Mrs. Darling.

Training: Laine Theatre Arts.

West End/London theatre credits: Cabaret (Kit Kat Club / Playhouse Theatre), Cinderella (Gillian Lynne Theatre), City Of Angels (Garrick Theatre), Strictly Ballroom The Musical (Piccadilly Theatre, West Yorkshire Playhouse & Toronto), Sunset Boulevard (Coliseum/ENO), The Great American Trailer Park Musical (Waterloo East Theatre), Bend it Like Beckham (Phoenix Theatre), White Christmas (Dominion Theatre), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Theatre Royal, Drury Lane), Kiss Me Kate (Old Vic), Lend Me a Tenor (Gielgud Theatre), Company (Southwark Playhouse), Jersey Boys (Prince Edward Theatre), Fame (Shaftesbury Theatre) and Snow White & The 7 Dwarfs (Victoria Palace).

Regional and overseas theatre credits:Grandpa’s Great Escape (UK Tour), Little Shop of Hours (Storyhouse, Chester), Kiss Me Quickstep (Hornchurch, Ipswich & Clwyd), Top Hat, Thoroughly Modern Millie and Guys and Dolls (Kilworth House Theatre), A Midsummer Nights Dream (New Wolsey, Ipswich), Monkee Business (UK Tour), Footloose (UK Tour), The Wedding Singer (UK Tour), Grease (UK Tour), Jus Like That (UK Tour), Seasonal Sauce (Watermill Theatre), Singin’ In The Rain (Paris), Saturday Night Fever (South Korea/ Taipei) and Ultimate Broadway (China).

Tv/Film:Mrs Henderson Presents (BBC Films), Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway (ITV), Galavant (ABC) and The Royal Variety Performance (BBC).

Hilary Maclean plays Gran.

Hilary trained at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (now RCS).

Theatre includes: Romeo and Juliet (AFTLS, US Tour); Sunshine on Leith (UK Tour); The Importance of Being Earnest (Theatr Clwyd); The Autumn Garden (Jeremyn Street Theatre); Dirty Dancing (Aldwych Theatre); Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Poor Superman (Manchester Royal Exchange); Bloody Sunday and The Colour of Justice (Tricycle Theatre); Mill on the Floss (Shared Experience Tour – New Ambassador’s, London, John F Kennedy Center, Washington; Beijing and Shanghai, China); Life is a Dream (Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh; London Barbican; BAM, New York); The Conquest of the South Pole (Traverse Theatre; Royal Court, London); Great Expectations (Traverse Theatre; Middle and Far East Tour); Bondagers (Traverse; Donmar Warehouse, London; Winnipeg and Toronto, Canada; Hungary); Inès de Castro (Traverse; Riverside Studios, London). Television includes: Queenie (Channel 4); Annika (Alibi TV); Outlander (Starz), Torchwood, Lip Service, Dangerfield, Doctors, Monarch of the Glen, Casualty, Holby City, The Creatives (BBC), Coronation Street, Arthur and George, Making Waves, Alibi, Taggart, Doctor Finlay, The Bill (ITV). Hilary’s voice work includes voicing various characters in the animation series Sarah and Duck for CBeebies, several audiobooks and radio plays and series, including Secrets and Lattes, Alone and For the Love of Leo for BBC radio and The Harrowing for Storyglass.

Dominic Rye plays Smee/Mr. Darling.

Training: BA Acting from The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

Theatre credits include: Deals and Deceptions (Esk Valley Theatre); Robin Hood, Treasure Island, The Jungle Book and Alice in Wonderland (Derby Theatre); Jack and the Magic Beanstalk (Birmingham Rep), Catch That Beast! (Bucket Club), The Passion (Gatton Park Theatre), Siobhan Basset’s ‘Hound of the Baskervilles’ (Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford); Sleep No More (Punchdrunk, Shanghai); Treasure Island (Leicester Haymarket); Grimm’s Fairytales, Alice in Wonderland (Guildford Shakespeare Company); The Tempest, Much Ado About Nothing and Swallows & Amazons (Grosvenor Park Outdoor Theatre); Swallows & Amazons (Chester Storyhouse); Plots and The Bow Maker (Theatre Royal Stratford East); The Virgin and the Gypsy (New Wolsey, Ipswich); Wind in the Willows (Sherman Theatre, Cardiff); Carmen the Gypsy (Cambridge Junction and National Theatre Studios); Love’s Labour’s Lost (Oxford Shakespeare Company); Treasure Island (Birmingham Old Rep); Fallen Angels and Yes, Prime Minister! (Frinton Summer Theatre). Radio credits include: The Antiquary and Reserve Rope (BBC Radio 4). Other credits include: Rehearsed reading: Perkin Warbeck (Sam Wanamaker Playhouse)

FULL CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM ANNOUNCED

FOR

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S

MACBETH

STARRING RALPH FIENNES AND INDIRA VARMA

DIRECTED BY SIMON GODWIN

MORE SEATS RELEASED FOR SALE

IN LIVERPOOL, EDINBURGH AND LONDON

Wessex Grove, Underbelly, Gavin Kalin Productions, Eilene Davidson Productions, Winkler & Smalberg, and Cultura in association with Shakespeare Theatre Company, Washington, D.C. are delighted to announce the full cast and creative team for MACBETH starring Tony and BAFTA Award-winning Ralph Fiennes as Macbeth and Olivier Award-winning Indira Varma as Lady Macbeth at The Depot, Liverpool (18 November – 20 December 2023), Royal Highland Centre, Edinburgh (12 – 27 January 2024) Dock X, Canada Water, London (10 February – 23 March 2024) and Washington, D.C. (9 April – 5 May 2024).

More seats are also released today for the seasons in Liverpool, Edinburgh and London. For tickets please go to MacbethTheShow.com.

Joining Ralph Fiennes as Macbeth and Indira Varma as Lady Macbeth will be Ben Allen as Ross, Ewan Black as Malcolm, Levi Brown as Angus, Jonathon Case as Seyton, Danielle Fiamanya as Second Witch, Keith Fleming as King Duncan/Siward, Michael Hodgson as Second Murderer, Lucy Mangan as First Witch, Jake Neads as First Murderer/Donalbain,  Richard Pepper as Lennox, Steffan Rhodri as Banquo, Rose Riley as Menteith, Lola Shalam as Third Witch, Rebecca Scroggs as Lady Macduff/Doctor, Ethan Thomas as Fleance, and Ben Turner as Macduff.

This brand-new production of one of Shakespeare’s most iconic plays will be staged like never before in custom built theatre spaces unique to this production giving audiences the chance to be even closer to the action.

It is Adapted by Emily Burns with Direction by Simon Godwin. Set & Costume Design is by Frankie Bradshaw, Lighting Design by Jai Morjaria and Sound Design by Christopher Shutt. The Composer is Asaf Zohar, with Sound System Design by Christopher Shutt & Sam Clarkson. The Movement Director is Lucy Cullingford, the Hair, Make Up and Prosthetics Designer is Susanna Peretz, the Fight Director is Kate Waters, the Casting Director is Amy Ball CDG and the Children’s Casting Director is Ellie Collyer-Bristow CDG. The Voice & Dialect Coach is Jeannette Nelson, the Associate Director is Alice Wordsworth, the Associate Set Designer is Ceci Calf, the Associate Costume Designer / Costume Supervisor is Olivia Ward, the Associate Lighting Designer is Tom Turner and the Casting Associate is Arthur Carrington.

Macbeth is coming. A couple corrupted by their relentless lust for power have blood on their hands. Witness the gripping tale of greed, murder, deception and superstition. Once you cross the line, you can never turn back.

Facebook|Twitter|Instagram @macbeth_theshow

CATHY CONNEFF TO STAR IN

21 ROUND FOR CHRISTMAS

BY TOBY HAMPTON AND MATTHEW BALLANTYNE

RUNNING AT LONDON’S PARK THEATRE FROM

6-23 DECEMBER 2023

Coupla Carols in association with Park Theatre has today announced that Cathy Conneff will star in the upcoming new production of Toby Hampton and Matthew Ballantyne’s 21 Round For Christmas, which will run at Park Theatre’s Park90 theatre from 6-23 December 2023.

The Off West End Awards-nominated one woman play, which arrives at Park Theatre following acclaimed runs at the Hope Theatre and Bridge House Theatre, is a comical and chaotic one-woman show about memory, friendship and regrets. Tracy, a day-dreaming, outspoken and extroverted-introvert is trapped in the kitchen cooking Christmas dinner for her huge fussy family while her best friend is lying in a hospice. She just wants to go back to happier times.

Christmas means different things to different people. It’s love, it’s family, it’s corporate exploitation – take your pick. This year, however – for Tracy Sullivan at least – it’s absolute chaos!

She has 21 hungry guests to cook for: and this one won’t eat turkey, that one insists there has to be some. They don’t like carrots, they don’t like sprouts, he’s on a diet, she’s gone keto, he’s gluten free, she can’t eat dairy, the mother-in-law has gone vegan and she doesn’t love her family.

Cathy Conneff is a hard of hearing and neurodiverse actor whose credits include Talking Heads: Her Big Chance for Dramaiocht, Vinegar Tom for OVO at The Maltings and the feature film 24 Hours To Live Or Die, alongside television appearances in Casualty, Coronation Street and The Private Lives of the Tudors. Conneff won best supporting actress in a feature film at the Madrid International Film Festival 2017 for her portrayal of Magenta in Sophia Lazzati and the inaugural Mandy Monologue Competition Actors’ Choice Award.

Written by Toby Hampton and Matt Ballantyne, the creative team for the production are Toby Hampton (Oh No It Isn’t – The Hope Theatre & UK Tour) as Director, Tanya Truman (Pickle – Soho Theatre, Park Theatre & UK Tour) as Creative Producer, Laurel Marks (These Demons – Theatre503) as Production Manager, Emily Rose Simons (Pickle – Park Theatre) as Sound Designer, Alex Forey (Battersea Bardot – New Wimbledon Theatre) as Lighting Designer, Ella McCormack as Assistant Director and Summer Keeling (Infamous – Jermyn Street Theatre) as Stage Manager.

Director and co-writer Toby Hampton said, “I’m certain this show is going to be a joyous Christmas feast! Tracy is a such a lovely character that we can all see within ourselves and her story is being brought to life by a brilliant creative team – I can’t wait to get cooking with them all!” 

The run will include an Audio Described performance on 16 December, preceded by a Touch Tour, and a BSL Interpreted performance on 19 December.

Ticket booking and more information can be found at www.parktheatre.co.uk.

SHAWNA HAMIC AND RIVER MEDWAY TO STAR IN

UNFORTUNATE: THE UNTOLD STORY OF URSULA THE SEA WITCH

 FULL CAST ANNOUNCED

PRESENTED BY LAURA ELMES FOR WILDPARK ENTERTAINMENT WITH THE VAULTS AND DIANNE ROBERTS

BOOK AND LYRICS BY ROBYN GRANT & DANIEL FOXX AND MUSIC BY TIM GILVIN

Shawna Hamic (Orange is the New Black, 1776 on Broadway) will lead the cast of the critically-acclaimed musical parody Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch opposite Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK star River Medway as Ariel

They are joined by Thomas Lowe (Triton), Allie Dart (Sebastian), Jamie Mawson (Eric), Julian Capolei (Grimsby) and Corrina Buchan, Jack Gray, Jamie McKillop and Milly Willows in the ensemble. Casting is by Sarah Leung CDG. Unfortunate will kick off at Southwark Playhouse Elephant for 10 weeks this winter before touring across the UK

Join everyone’s favourite Disney Diva, Ursula, as she gives her take on what really happened all those years ago under the sea. With an original hot pop soundtrack and trademark filthy humour, it’s time to take the plunge and dive into this year’s hottest night out. Cruella told her side, and Maleficent’s had her moment. Now the legendary queer queen is ready to spill, in this tell-all tale of sex, sorcery and suckers. With a new script and production, the latest version of this hit show is bigger, bolder and sexier than ever before.

The smash-hit show is written by Robyn Grant (who also directs) and Daniel Foxx, with music, arrangements and orchestrations by Tim Gilvin. The musical features set, costume and puppet design by Abby Clarke, choreography by Melody Sinclair, additional orchestrations by Nikki Davison and Joe Davison for Auburn Jam, musical supervision and direction by Arlene McNaught, lighting design by Adam King, sound design by Lucy Baker, Oscar Thompson and Will Thompson, flying and effects by John Maddox for Suspended Illusions, make-up design by Maya Lewis, intimacy and fight direction by Claire Llewellyn for RC-Annie, production management by Titch Gosling, assistant direction by Stephenson Ardern-Sodje, costume supervision by Sian Clare and puppets built by Aled Williams. The band is completed by Dejeanté Hinks on guitar and Becky Slater on drums.

Shawna Hamic plays Ursula. Shawna’s theatre credits include 1776 (Broadway and US National Tour), The Last Ship (Broadway and US National Tour), Les Misérables (US National Tour), Kinky Boots (US National Tour), Miss You Like Hell (The Public Theater, Off-Broadway) and My Paris (Terris Theater, Connecticut). TV credentials include Orange is the New Black, The Time Traveller’s Wife, Halston, Russian Doll, New Amsterdam, That Damn Michael Che, Bull and BRUISED.

River Medway plays Ariel. After appearing on the third season of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, River quickly became a fan favourite. River has since travelled the UK on various tours, including Pick’n’Mix, The Main Event and the official Drag Race UK Season 3 tour. In 2021, she also briefly joined the cast as Alice in Tuckshop’s Dick Whittington (Phoenix Theatre, West End). River continues to headline Pride events and club gigs across the country. Most recently, River played Sister Mary Julie Andrews in Death Drop: Back In The Habit (West End and UK Tour).

Thomas Lowe plays Triton. He is a Manchester born singer, actor, TV host and composer who was catapulted to early stardom as a member of the teenage pop band NORTH and SOUTH. Thomas’s West End credits include Les Misérables, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s original production of CATS, and creating the lead role in Boy George’s workshop of Taboo. Thomas’s US credits include Back to Bacharach and David (Hollywood premier), Les Misérables (Hollywood Bowl), and VEGAS! THE SHOW (Planet Hollywood Casino and Resort), where he paid tribute to Frank Sinatra, Elvis, Tom Jones and Elton John.

Allie Dart plays Sebastian. Her theatre credits include 2:22 A Ghost Story (Apollo Theatre, West End), Cinderella (The Hounslow Arts), Unfortunate; The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch (UK Tour 2022), Jack Frost (Norwich Playhouse), Waiter! There’s a Murder in my Soup! (Troubadour Wembley Park), Vulvarine: A New Musical (King’s Head Theatre and UK Tour), Tom and Bunny Save the World (UK Tour), Beauty and The Beast; A Musical Parody (King’s Head Theatre and UK Tour), The Case of the Missing Monsters (Dorich House), Buzz: A New Musical (Pleasance Theatre) and Always Easier for the Others (The Yard Theatre). TV Credits include The Stand Up Sketch Show (ITV)and Derren Brown: Fear & Faith (Channel 4)

Jamie Mawson plays Eric. His theatre credits include previous runs of Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch (UK tour), Vulvarine: A New Musical (King’s Head Theatre and UK tour), Buzz: A New Musical (Pleasance), Waiter, There’s a Murder in my Soup! (Troubadour Wembley Park), Tom and Bunny Save the World (Assembly and UK tour), Beauty and the Beast: A Musical Parody (King’s Head Theatre and UK tour) and Macbeth (The Young Shakespeare Company UK tour).

Julian Capolei plays Grimsby. Julian’s theatre credits include Cabaret (Kit Kat Club) starring Eddie Redmayne and Jessie Buckley, Disney’s Aladdin the Musical (Prince Edward Theatre), Tommy (UK Tour), Peter Pan (Derby Playhouse), Sinbad the Sailor (Theatre Royal Stratford East). Julian has choreographed Billie The Kid: A New Musical (Vaudeville Theatre) and has also worked on music videos for Belle & Sebastian and Hot Since 82.

Corrina Buchan is part of the ensemble. Her theatre credits include Death Drop: Back in the Habit (West End & UK Tour), Drac & Jill (Wardrobe Theatre), Little Women In Black (Wardrobe Theatre), Sam Wanamaker Festival 2019 (Shakespeare’s Globe), Tracing Grace (West Yorkshire Playhouse, Theatre 503), S A F A R I (North Wall Arts Centre, Oxford), Catalyst: Alchymy Festival 2019 (North Wall Arts Centre, Oxford) Mycorrhiza (Space Arts Centre) Bat Boy The Musical (Citizens Theatre, Glasgow) and Godspell (Citizens Theatre, Glasgow).

Jack Gray is part of the ensemble. Jack’s theatre credits include Badgers Can’t Be Friends (Southwark Playhouse, Kings Head Theatre), Cockfosters (Turbine Theatre), Anticlimax (Theatre503), Five Short Plays Loosely Linked by the Theme of Crime (Drayton Arms Theatre), and Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch (UK tour). Jack recently finished filming Side Hustle, a short film due for release in 2024, which he wrote and starred in.

Jamie McKillop is part of the ensemble. His theatre credits include Break My Windows (The Traverse Theatre), The Dolls Dragged Up (Scottish Tour) and The Bookie (Cumbernauld Theatre). Jamie has been the resident dame in panto at Websters Theatre, Glasgow for the past 10 years. He is also an established Drag Artist.

Milly Willows is part of the ensemble. Milly is a 2023 Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts graduate. Her credits whilst training include Sweeney Todd, Big Fish, The Wild Party, Into the Woods (Italia Conti). Other credits include Scandalgate (workshop) and 2023 Winner of The Stephen Sondheim Society Performer of the Year Competition (Sondheim Theatre). 

Tickets can be booked here

The West End’s biggest stars are coming to
town at West End Musical Christmas
Tuesday 12th December 2023, 7.30pm
Adelphi Theatre, Strand, London, WC2R 0NS

The West End’s number-one concert series is back with another feel-good, all-singing, all-dancing Christmas extravaganza!

Following 2 previously sold-out concerts, every musical theatre fan’s dream Christmas party returns with an incredible cast of West End stars, backed by a live band, dance ensemble, and more Christmas spirit than Santa could squeeze into the Adelphi.

This year, the star line-up includes Alice Fearn (Come From Away, Wicked), Ben Forster (Jesus Christ Superstar, The Phantom Of The Opera), Trevor Dion Nicholas (Next To Normal, Hamilton), Tosh Wanogho-Maud (Ain’t Too Proud, The Drifters Girl) and Shanay Holmes (Miss Saigon, Get Up Stand Up), with more Christmas crackers to be announced.

Brought to you by the award-winning producers (Black British Theatre Awards, Best Producer 2021 and Best Musical Production 2021) of West End Musical Brunch, West End Musical Drive In, West End Musical Celebration, West End Musical Love Songs, West End Musical Halloween and Musical Con, the UK’s official musical theatre fan convention.

The set list is a closely guarded secret but expect heart-warming Christmas classics building to an all-out party with everyone on their feet by the end of the first act. Get ready to sing, dance, and spread the Christmas cheer for all to hear! We wish you a musical Christmas!

REBAB THE MUSICAL
transfers to an exciting new West End venue
Keith Allen returns to star
with soul legend Mica Paris joining the cast

Following a frenzied, sold-out and critically-lauded 2022 run at the Playground Theatre, Rehab, the exceptionally-funny, darkly-comic musical, is ready, once again, to sweep you up on an emotional journey through the soaring highs, and tragic lows, of the ‘guests’ of the Glade Rehab Centre – this time at an exciting new venue, Neon 194, 194 Piccadilly, St. James’s, London W1J 9LN from January 12, 2024.

It’s 1999 and jaded 26-year-old pop star, Kid Pop, finds himself in court after being caught red- handed in a drug fuelled tabloid sting. An understanding judge gives Kid the choice between jail time or a rehabilitation centre for six weeks. It’s a no-brainer for Kid: rehab will be a holiday. But how could he have got it so wrong?

A very funny musical about a very serious topic, Rehab deals with the subject of addition and mental health with warmth, humour and heart, written by people who understand it from the inside out.

Written by Grant Black, Murray Lachlan Young and Elliot Davis and starring Keith Allen (Comic Strip Presents, The Pembrokeshire Murders), Christian Maynard (Miss Saigon, & Juliet), Maiya Quansah-Breed (Six) and Jodie Steele (Heathers The Musical), with soul diva Mica Paris – no introduction necessary – Rehab balances hilarious comedy with heart-breaking truth, a stunning musical score brilliantly accompanying a timeless story – that of striving to change our lives for the better, one day at a time.

The cast also includes: John Barr (Rehab, Playground Theatre), Carly Burns (Blood Brothers), Oscar Conlon-Morrey (Only Fools and Horses the Musical and Ian McKellen’s Mother Goose), Ben Mabberley (Hollyoaks, Tarantino Live!), Simon Shorten (Les Miserables, Matilda) and Rebecca Thornhill (Mama Rose in Gypsy at The Mill at Sonning – Best Musical 2023 UK Theatre Awards).

Creative team:
Director & Choreographer Gary Lloyd
Set Designer Simon Kenny
Musical Supervisor & Arranger Katy Richardson
Costume Designer Rob Jones
Lighting Designer Tim Oliver
Sound Designer Chris Whybrow
Orchestrator and Music Copyist Jude Obermüller
Casting Director Anne Vosser
Assistant Director/Choreographer and Resident Director Alex Codd

Producer Clive Black
Co-Producers Don Black & Nicola Martin
Associate Producer Jane Savidge
Assistant Producer & General Manager for Blacklist Entertainment Jayne Meegan
General Manager Manager Peter Huntley and Callum Runciman for Smart Entertainment

Grant Black (Music and Lyrics)
Grant Black was born into song. He is the son of legendary Oscar-winning lyricist Don Black. Grant started out working for music publishers and moved into management representing Adam Ant, Strictly Rhythm Records and many more. Grant has enjoyed huge success as a songwriter with artists as varied as Van Morrison, Run DMC, Craig David, Sarah Brightman, Olly Murs, and Corrine Bailey Rae to name a few. Grant is currently writing the musical, ‘Casanova’, with Don Black and Frank Wildhorn.

Murray Lachlan Young (Music and Lyrics)
Murray Lachlan is a cross-platform British Poet, broadcaster, writer, and performer. Poetry
residencies include: BBC Radio 2 Culture show, BBC Radio 4 Saturday live and 13 years at BBC Radio 6 Music. He is the author of the 2017 Amazon best-selling poetry collection How Freakin’ Zeitgeist Are You? Poetry commissions include Shakespeare’s Globe, Ferrari motors and CERN.  He co-wrote the visual screenplay for the Oscar long-listed 2015 film adaptation of Dylan Thomas’ Under Milk Wood. He collaborated with Electronica giants Orbital in 2020 on The Virus Diaries. His new play for families – Atom and Luna follows hot on the heels of this production.

Elliot Davis (Book)
Elliot Davis’ talents span across musical theatre, film and radio. His musical writing credits include Becoming Nancy (directed by Jerry Mitchell), Loserville (Olivier nominated Best New Musical), Peter Pan (revised book), Out There and Best Friends & Butterflies (Book & Music), TicketMaster (Composer Award/Best New Musical Vivian Ellis Award), What I Go To School For – The Busted Musical, and Fings Ain’t Wot They Used T’Be (new adaptation) directed by Terry Johnson. Elliot has also been a prolific music documentary maker for the BBC. His first feature film screenplay, Consider Yourself, was commissioned by BBC Films and stars Geoffrey Rush. Elliot is the inaugural recipient of the JJ Screenwriting Bursary is association with BAFTA.

Gary Lloyd (Director and Choreographer)
Gary is a multi-award-winning director and choreographer (Heathers, Thriller Live, Carrie, Fame’ who has worked on arena tours with some of the world’s biggest artists, including Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, Robbie Williams, Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Tom Jones, Macy Gray, Girls Aloud, and many more. TV credits include The X Factor, Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, The Royal Variety Performance, and Comic Relief. Other credits include two Royal Gala Performances (London Palladium and Theatre Royal Drury Lane), Artistic Director for the BAFTA Awards, The Queen’s Golden Jubilee Concert at the Palace, and Stage Director and Choreographer on the 2005 Royal Variety Performance in the presence of Her Majesty the Queen at the Wales Millennium Centre.

Clive Black (Producer)
Clive Black’s career in the music business started at the age of 16, as an office junior at Island Records. Clive soon moved into the world of A&R where his ability to recognise talent, sign and develop artists became the start of a promising career. Clive went on to run EMI’s A+R department, left to run Warner Brothers as A+R Director and returned to EMI as Managing Director at the age of 28. He directly signed and released many hit records / artists and has worked closely with some of the biggest names in the history of British music.

Don Black (Co-Producer)
Don Black received two Tony Awards for Best Book and Lyrics of a Musical for ‘Sunset Boulevard’, marking his third collaboration with Andrew Lloyd Webber. They first joined forces to write the song cycle Tell Me On A Sunday and were reunited again for Aspects of Love. Additional awards include an Oscar for his song Born Free, five Academy Award nominations, three Tony nominations, six Ivor Novello Awards and a Golden Globe. Songwriter of many James Bond songs (including Diamonds Are Forever and The Man with the Golden Gun), Don was inducted in the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2008 and honoured with a BMI Icon award. He received the Order of the British Empire in the Queen’s Honours List and was awarded an Olivier Award for his outstanding services to theatre. Recently, Don’s critically acclaimed memoir The Sanest Guy In The Room featured in The Sunday Times best sellers list.

Jane Savidge (Associate Producer)
As co-founder and head of legendary PR company Savage & Best, Jane Savidge is widely credited as being the main instigator of the Britpop movement that swept the UK in the mid 1990s. During this time, Jane and her company represented Suede, Pulp, The Verve, Elastica, Longpigs, whilst representing many other artists of the era including The Cranberries, The Fall and Jesus and Mary Chain. She is the author of Lunch With The Wild Frontiers (2019) and Here They Come With Their Make Up On: Suede, Coming Up and More Adventures Beyond The Wild Frontiers (2022), and her new book, Pulp’s This Is Hardcore, will be published by Bloomsbury in March 2024.

Jayne Meegan General Manager Blacklist Entertainment / Assistant Producer
Jayne’s career began in the music industry managing successful record producers. She then went on to work at EMI Records and Warner Records in A & R  where the long term working relationship with Clive Black begun. She has successful worked with a long line of artists and has been part of the team for Rehab since 2017.

LISTINGS INFO

Rehab the Musical

Music and Lyrics by Grant Black
and Murray Lachlan Young,
Book by Elliot Davis

Directed and Choreographed
by Gary Lloyd

Produced by Clive Black

Neon 194
194 Piccadilly
St. James’s
London  W1J 9LN

Website:
www.rehabthemusical.com 

Friday 12 January to
Saturday 17 February 2024

Ticket Prices:

from £35

Age Recommendation:  
12+ years

Social media

Facebook, TikTok, X, Instagram
@RehabTheMusical

AWARD-WINNING MUSICAL

& JULIET

TO EMBARK ON

UK TOUR

FROM 8 JULY 2024

After thrilling audiences at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London’s West End from 2019-2023, and on Broadway where it is currently playing at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre, the Olivier and WhatsOnStage Award winning and Tony Award nominated musical & JULIET is embarking on a UK tour from 8 July 2024, visiting Manchester, Southampton, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Birmingham, Cardiff, Nottingham, Leeds and more.

Casting is to be announced.

There is life after Romeo!

Get whisked away on a fabulous journey as Juliet ditches her famous ending for a fresh beginning and a second chance at life and love—her way. Created by the Emmy-winning writer from “Schitt’s Creek,” this hilarious new musical flips the script on the greatest love story ever told and asks, what would happen next if Juliet didn’t end it all over Romeo?

Juliet’s new story bursts to life through a playlist of pop anthems as iconic as her name, including Britney Spears’ “…Baby One More Time,” Katy Perry’s “Roar”and chart toppers “Since U Been Gone,” “It’s My Life,” “I Want It That Way,” and “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” — all from Max Martin, the genius songwriter/producer behind more #1 hits than any other artist this century, and his collaborators. Break free of the balcony scene and get into this romantic comedy that proves there’s life after Romeo. The only thing tragic would be missing it.

& JULIET is a global success with the smash-hit Broadway production, breaking box office records and entering its second year in November 2023 and a US tour set to embark in September 2024. The musical made its North American premiere with the pre-Broadway production opening at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto in 2022. The Australian production opened in Melbourne in February 2023 before heading to Marina Bay Sands in Singapore this summer. It will return to Australia this December opening in Perth before heading to Sydney in February 2024.

& JULIET is directed by Luke Sheppard (In the Heights, Rent, Little Big Things), with a Book by David West Read (Schitt’s Creek), choreography by Jennifer Weber and set design by Soutra Gilmour. Music is by Max Martin & Friends, costume design by Paloma Young, musical supervision, orchestration and arrangements by Bill Sherman, lighting design by Howard Hudson, sound design by Gareth Owen, video & projection design by Andrzej Goulding, hair, wig and makeup design by Suzy Barrett, musical direction, additional arrangements and orchestrations by Dominic Fallacaro, and casting direction by Stuart Burt.

& JULIET is presented by Max Martin and Tim Headington and is produced by Max Martin, Tim Headington, Theresa Steele Page, Jenny Petersson, Martin Dodd and Rebecca Quigley.

Website: www.andjulietthemusical.co.uk

Instagram: @julietmusical

Facebook: @julietmusical                                                            

X: @julietmusical

YouTube: @julietmusical1925

2024 / 2025 TOUR SCHEDULE

 8 – 20 July                              Manchester Opera House                            

                                                www.atgtickets.com/manchester                   On sale 1 Nov       

23 – 27 July                            Blackpool Opera House                                0844 770 0593

                                                www.wintergardensblackpool.co.uk              

30 July – 3 August                  Norwich Theatre Royal                                  01603 630 000
                                               www.norwichtheatre.org                                 On sale 24 Nov                  

13 – 24 August                        Glasgow Kings Theatre

                                                www.atgtickets.com/glasgow                         On sale 1 Nov

2 – 7 September                     Oxford New Theatre                                     

                                                www.atgtickets.com/oxford                            On sale 1 Nov

9 – 21 September                   Sunderland Empire                                      

                                                www.atgtickets.com/sunderland                    On sale 1 Nov

23 – 28 September                 Hull New Theatre                                           01482 300306

                                                www.hulltheatres.co.uk

30 September – 5 October     Plymouth Theatre Royal                               01752 267222

                                                www.theatreroyal.com                                   On sale soon

7 – 12 October                        Wolverhampton Grand                                 01902 42 92 12

                                                www.grandtheatre.co.uk        

14 – 19 October                      Canterbury Marlowe Theatre                        01227 787787                                                 

                                            www.marlowetheatre.com    

28 October – 2 November      Liverpool Empire Theatre                                                                                                      

                                            www.atgtickets.com/liverpool                         On sale 1 Nov

5 – 9 November                      Southampton Mayflower Theatre                 02380 711 811                                               

                                            www.mayflower.org.uk                                   On sale 10 Nov

12 – 16 November                  Edinburgh Playhouse

                                                www.atgtickets.com/edinburgh                      On sale 1 Nov

18 – 30 November                   Leeds Grand Theatre                                     0113 243 0808                                                

                                            www.leedsheritagetheatres.com                    On sale 3 Nov

14 – 25 January 2025             Bristol Hippodrome                                                                                                                

                                            www.atgtickets.com/venues/bristol                On sale 1 Nov

27 January – 1 February        New Wimbledon Theatre

www.atgtickets.com/newwimbledon              On sale 1 Nov

4 February – 8 February         Aberdeen His Majesty’s Theatre

aberdeenperformingarts.com 

17 – 22 February                    Leicester Curve             0116 242 3595

                                                www.curveonline.co.uk                                   On sale soon                  

11 – 15 March                        Woking New Victoria Theatre                                                                                                

                                           www.atgtickets.com/new-victoria-theatre     

24 – 29 March                        Bradford Alhambra Theatre                          01274 432000

                                                www.bradford-theatres.co.uk

31 March – 12 April                Milton Keynes Theatre

                                                www.atgtickets.com/miltonkeynes                 On sale 1 Nov

14 – 19 April                            Nottingham Theatre Royal                            0115 989 5555

                                                www.trch.co.uk

21 April – 3 May                     Birmingham Hippodrome                              0844 338 5000

                                                www.birminghamhippodrome.com

5 – 10 May                              Southend Cliffs Pavilion                                0343 310 0030                                                

                                           www.thecliffspavilion.co.uk

12 – 17 May                            Stoke Regent Theatre                                                                                                            

                                            www.atgtickets.com/stoke                              On sale 1 Nov

20 May – 31 May                    Sheffield Lyceum Theatre                             0114 249 6000                                                

                                            www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk                          On sale soon

2 – 7 June                               Newcastle Theatre Royal                              0191 232 7010

                                                www.theatreroyal.co.uk

10 – 14 June                           Truro Hall for Cornwall                                   01872 262 466

                                                www.hallforcornwall.co.uk                             On sale 24 Nov

16 – 28 June                           Cardiff Wales Millennium Centre                   029 2063 6464                                                

                                            www.wmc.org.uk                     

Further venues to be announced      

Cambridge Arts Theatre, Cambridge – until Saturday 21st Oct 2023

Reviewed by Steph Lott

5*****

Set against the backdrop of 1920s England, “A Voyage Round My Father” is a poignant examination of a father-son relationship, one that is both heart-warming and heart-wrenching. Rupert Everett, in the role of the father, brings to life the character’s unique blend of brilliance, obstinacy and exasperating eccentricity. The audience finds themselves laughing at his antics one moment and moved to tears by his vulnerability the next.

Jack Bardoe, playing the son, delivers an equally remarkable performance. The son is an aspiring writer who grapples with the challenges of living with a father who is both clever and exasperatingly eccentric. Bardoe captures the essence of a young man torn between his own aspirations and the desire for his father’s acceptance and understanding. Bardoe’s portrayal is both heartfelt and compelling. Both Jack Bardoe and Rupert Everett do a fabulous job of conveying each of their characters in time as they age.

The chemistry between Rupert Everett and Jack Bardoe forms the emotional core of the play but the supporting cast also deserve much praise. They add depth and authenticity to the story, providing a window into the broader world of “A Voyage Round My Father.” There are some particular performances that are worth mentioning. Julian Wadham’s performance as the headmaster is touchingly comic as he obscurely lectures about sex to pre-pubescent schoolboys who have no idea what he’s talking about and Calum Reigate, as the son’s school friend, is charming and funny.

Richard Eyre’s direction sets a brisk pace and there is a lot of ground covered very quickly but this does not detract from the performance at all. The script is witty and sparkling and the set design by Bob Crowley is clever and evocative of the father’s beloved garden.

“A Voyage Round My Father” does not offer easy answers. The play reminds us of the universal struggle to connect with our own parents and come to terms with their imperfections and quirks.

“A Voyage Round My Father,” takes the audience on a poignant nostalgic journey through the complexities of the father and son relationship, and what changes and what remains the same as both parties age. This play is a testament to the enduring power of storytelling, and both Everett and Bardoe’s portrayals are remarkable. If you have the opportunity to see “A Voyage Round My Father,” don’t miss it; you’ll embark on an emotional voyage you won’t soon forget.

Southampton Mayflower – until 25th October 2023

Reviewed by Lucy Hitchcock

4****

The west end triumph has come to Southampton for a week of laughter, fun and a lot of fear!

This 4 strong cast, with added support from 2 ensemble characters are superb-perfectly bridging the gap between reality and what lies deep beyond death. We see Jenny (Louisa Lytton), a tired but loving mother who, after moving into her new house with her husband Ben (Joe Absolom) experiences ghostly noises and movements scaring her chronic. She is a witty character, with Joie-de-vivre, executed well by Lytton. After moving into the house, at 2:22am, a strange thing happens. Noises of a man, weeping, sobbing even whilst walking round and round in a circular fashion. The room, is Jenny and Ben’s new baby’s nursery. Terrified after 4 long nights of this nightmare, they invite their friends Lauren and Sam (Charlene Boyd and Nathaniel Curtis ) over for dinner and persuade them (with a contest but copious amounts of wine to soften to blow!) to stay until 2:22 that morning to witness the horror and eventually, try to prove Ben – a long time non believer of what lies beyond, that this could actually be a ghost.

The foursome are tremendous – this felt exactly like we were watching a dinner party and was so natural that I was engrossed in the performance. So engrossed in fact, that at every scare I was physically jumping out of my seat and exhaling profusely with the fear!

Eventually, 2:22am arrives and the noises are heard-footsteps, cries and wails. But what it is, is another matter. Ben, having come back from a business trip away and losing his phone his, ‘I’ll have you know’ convinced that this is foxes mating In the garden, Whilst Jenny believes it is Frank, the husband of the widow who sold the house to the couple. When scary things start happening, like the kitchen setting on fire of its own accord and the baby’s bear being dosed in white spirits, it is abundantly clear that this is a malevolent entity, or is it?

This is a play that needs to be seen to be believed and I urge you to go along and discover what lies beyond the grave. This is fabulous and well deserved of every audience member who attends.

Drayton Arms Theatre- until 21 October 2023

Reviewer Alec Legge

4****

This is a play which is based on Bizet’s Carmen. It is set in modern times and the cast are are pictured as members of the Army based in Cornwall. They consist of Pte Carl Jarvis, Jacob Mellers; Cpl Joe Donaldson, Langley Howard; both Sgt Lamb Military Police and Eddie Miller a boxer, Luke Harding; and finally Lt Davies Military Police as well as Luke the Boxers manager, Kevin Johnson.

It should be noted that up to just over 20 years ago it was illegal in the Army to be gay and while things have changed in that it is now illegal to be homophobic in the Armed Forces, many LBTG+ veterans are waiting to see if they will be compensated for losing careers and pensions because of their sexual identities.

The play opens with Carl doing a striptease performance at a gay party following which he is arrested by Sgt Lamb on charges of working a second job without permission and conduct to the prejudice of good order and military discipline, Sgt Lamb is shown at this stage to be strongly homophobic and pushes for the charges to be pursued resulting in the decision to send Carl to their headquarters at Falmouth. To this end Cpl Joe Donaldson is told off to be his driver/escort.

Both before and during the drive they become attracted to each other and although Joe reacts physically at times his attraction to Carl deepens. Then Carl persuades Joe to visit Eddie the boxer, whom he knows, before finishing their drive to Falmouth. There is more interaction between Joe and Carl but then Carl goes off with Eddie. As a result Joe returns to speak with Lt Davies who upsets Joe who punches and kicks him resulting in Lt Davies falling to the floor and striking his head. Joe thinks he has killed him and rushes back to find Carl and work out what to do next.

The play continues with the central theme of Carl’s and Joe’s deepening attraction and love for each other whilst things are crashing round their heads. Eventually things brighten for them but without giving too much away Carl comes to terms with his promiscuous and self destructive lifestyle and Joe comes out as gay. It also shows that gay relationships are not always promiscuous.

The acting in the play was first class from all four actors. But I would particularly spotlight Jacob Mellers performance as Carl for particular merit.

This is an interesting play which shows the love and violence which can ensue from an intense love affair whether or not it is homosexual or heterosexual. However,I fear the play is limited in its scope by its Army setting and reliance on Army procedures and laws for the plot to go forward. Would it therefore appeal to an audience unfamiliar with the situations which existed in the Army in regard to homosexuality and the present day fact that homophobia is illegal?

There are lots of swearing and portrayal of sexual acts in the play so I would only recommend it for adult audiences who are interested in this genre.