THE BARRICADE BOYS

GET SET FOR 5 UNMISSABLE SHOWS

BACK HOME FOR THE ULTIMATE WEST END PARTY!

EDINBURGH, CHEPSTOW, LONDON, CARDIFF & RAINTON

“This is not to be missed!”– The Sun

Fresh from conquering America with a sold-out debut in New York, The Barricade Boys are back in the UK and ready for the ultimate home-coming tour.

Packed with the greatest musical theatre songs of all time, expect a jaw-dropping mashup from the internationally acclaimed super group.

The five very special shows are at The Fringe at Prestonfield, Edinburgh (22 August), Chepstow Castle (20 August), The Adelphi Theatre London (17 October), St David’s Hall Cardiff (16 November) and Rainton Arena, North Yorkshire on 17 November.

As well as performing the world’s greatest show tunes, The Barricade Boys also celebrate music from some of the most iconic names in the music industry, from power ballads to some of the best pop, rock and swing numbers of all time, and all delivered with a unique Barricade Boys’ twist.

Featuring past cast members of the global theatrical sensation that is Les Misérables, The Barricade Boys – who are Craig Mather, Kieran Brown, Scott Garnham and Simon Schofield – have entertained fans around the world since they formed in 2015.

But it’s not just about the music – these four superstar performers will also share hilarious and inspiring stories from their time on stage touring the world and in some of the biggest shows in the West End, including Wicked, Billy Elliot, The Phantom of the Opera, The Sound of Music, Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat and many, many more.

Simon and Scott set up The Barricade Boys to create a night at the musicals like no other and they have established themselves as THE musical theatre supergroup.

They have just returned from a hugely successful tour of the USA – which culminated with a sold-out debut show at the celebrated New York club, ‘Broadway’s Living Room’ 54 Below. They have toured New Zealand, the Middle East and the UK, twice, and enjoyed two Christmas Residencies at The Other Palace in London. They have performed for Bill Gates in Washington and at Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Birthday Party.

In 2020, they released their own version of ‘Bring Him Home’ from Les Misérables in aid of NHS Together charities, featuring Alfie Boe and a host of former Les Misérables stars, recorded in their own homes during the Covid-19 pandemic. It has now had over 3 million views.

https://barricadeboys.com/

Follow The Barricade Boys on Facebook and Twitter @Barricadeboys and Instagram @BarricadeboysUK

LISTINGS INFORMATION

Sunday 20 August: Chepstow Castle

Tuesday 22 August: The Fringe at Prestonfield, Edinburgh

Tuesday 17 October: The Adelphi Theatre, London

Thursday 16 November: St David’s Hall, Cardiff

Friday 17 November: Rainton Arena, North Yorkshire

https://barricadeboys.com/tour-dates/

Royal Court Theatre – until 19 August 2023

Reviewer Alec Legge

4****

The play is set in an ordinary home in Birkenhead. It is the home of Doreen, Sue Jenkins. The set consists of a dining room separated by a wall with a hatch through which we can see a kitchen and to the left we can see stairs leading to the first floor.

The play opens with Doreen, her daughter Carmel, Michelle Butterly, and Carmel’s 17 year old daughter Meghan, Emma Harrison, who is making her professional debut, sitting at the dining room table absorbed with their phones. Then follows an interval with them interacting with their phones until the second daughter Sarah, Jodie McNee, who brings in their supper of fish and chips. Then follows a period of dialogue, with typically humorous Birkenhead/Liverpudlian repartee.

This repartee is a feature of the play which the audience obviously appreciated and produced many laughs.

The play goes on at a fast pace involving the characters love lives, their interaction with each other and particularly the breakdown of the relationship between Carmel and her daughter Meghan.

In it’s way this play is a typical domestic comedy portrayal of a Merseyside family which addresses the modern fixation with mobile phones, the somewhat dysfunctional interaction of family members and the relationship between a mother and daughter.

This is a funny play and worth seeing if you are a fan of this genre.

New Wimbledon Studio Theatre – until Saturday 15^th July 2023

Reviewed by Carly Burlinge  

5***** 

Platt Productions brings you a dark comedy called Bad Ladz – written by Niall Ransome and directed by Rosa Crompton. 

It tells the story of best mates Mickey (Freddy Elletson) and Darren (Jay Mailer). When Darren decides to come clean and admit to Mickey, who has recently lost his mum and feeling low, that he may have taken things a little too far, by kidnapping Parashar (Nicholas Prasad) from Asda down the plant-based aisle during his shift and taking him back to Mickey’s Nan’s Bungalow. Where he has tied him to a chair with an Asda bag over his head holding him hostage because he owes him money. Mickey, who cannot quite believe what is going down at his Nan’s place, only then discovers it is about to get a lot worse when Tony (Carl Stone) turns up to help! Tony has a love for 80’s music, does not like violence and passes wind when he gets nervous or angry and having a curry the night before causes a bit of a stink amongst friends. With Mickey trying to take control of the situation to hide their identity by wearing tights and Tony and Darren deciding what weapon is best to use, a wooden spoon or a butter knife! All this whilst trying to be menacing, scary and intimidating but unfortunately their plans go a little off route with conversations now happening amongst one another as well as the hostage no longer feeling like a hostage.  

When new light comes to the situation that Darren has kidnapped the cousin of the local lunatic Raj (Maanuv Thiara) things begin to take a sudden turn and they now find themselves in a much darker situation then they were in before with Darren admitting that he only owed him £20 to everyone’s unbelievable amazement. Will they be able to work as a team or will they crumble under pressure as they realise what they have got themselves into. 

I really enjoyed this production. They all played their characters exceptionally well and they showed a great connection amongst one another expressing great emotion at times alongside much laughter with some great comedy. I loved how comic dance was used in between scenes making the audience roar with laughter. This truly was a fascinating, laugh out loud production with a touch of darkness along with a few twists and done extremely well. Overall, it was a great evening out and a great watch that I recommend you go and see.

The Dolphin Inn, Theatr Clwyd, Yr Wyddgrug – until August 27th 2023

Reviewed by Julie Noller

5*****

A warm welcome awaits you with return of the immersive fun and lively rip roaring 1920’s co –production by Theatr Clwyd and Guild of Misrule – The Great Gatsby.

We lined up in our finery as 1920’s attire whilst not compulsory is part of the fun, it creates the performer in each and every one of us as we merge to become part of the cast. Admitted in small groups for our safety brief we were advised to switch off mobiles after all who used a smart phone in a speakeasy.

The use of the derelict Dolphin is genius it immediately looks, feels and smells like a speakeasy, its dark and the high street outside is quickly forgotten as we queue to order our drinks within Gatsby’s drugstore, it’s easy to imagine a bright yellow Rolls Royce car with its shiny chrome parked outside.

We are soon approached by 2 characters the colourful Myrtle (Siobhan Bevan) and bold George (Tom Figgins) and we immediately feel calmer and giggle as I’m asked a question I never dreamed I’d be asked, ‘have you been to one of Mr Gatsbys parties before?’ why no but I’m so looking forward to the night. The evening begins with a rousing jazz number, before Nick Carraway (Jack Hammett) delivers an opening monologue that F. Scott Fitzgerald would have been proud to hear, it’s faultless and draws you in further before the delightful yet rowdy Jordan (Seren Vickers) appears and beckons us through to the dance hall; the décor is enchanting, it isn’t quite 20th century fox billions of dollars bright and opulent but it is easily a speakeasy cum mansion party palace.

We are treated to dance lessons, encouraged to join in with singing, this is the era of anything goes especially the bootleg liquor. The fun and interactive parts of the evening soon become apparent as performers approach members of the audience whispering and often dividing us; taking us through secret doorways and up stairs, we are not all privy to what exactly goes on behind those doors but that’s real life versus onscreen isn’t it? You don’t witness everything at a party but you are often aware that something is afoot.

Where though is the man of the hour, where is Gatsby? The lights cut through the smoke to catch a man stood watching, sharply dressed, enjoying the reaction his presence brings. Richard Mciver brings warmth and humility to the role of Jay Gatsby yet he seems vulnerable in the face of all his achievements the fact he was never good enough for his one and only love Daisy (Bethan Rose Young) has left him seeking approval by his peers yet gaining the disapproval and vitriol of Tom (Troy Marcus Richards) who I had to remind myself not to boo.

We all know the story of Gatsby, first love and last love, lives tragically lost amid jealous rage and grief alike so lets not dwell on that but the pure enjoyment of not watching the story unravel but living it, watching it, feeling it. The joy of sipping bootleg gin, laughing, dancing, offering advice to Jay Gatsby in his boudoir imagine actually telling him that love will find a way. Not to mention slipping a card to the bartender and receiving a betting slip with cash actually made my night.

It’s easy to miss parts of the story as your eyes dart everywhere and you wonder what others get up to when they’re gone. I guess I’ll have to shake off the glitter dress, pull on the gloves and add a few more pearls to go again, for I really want to sample the delightful world of Jay Gatsbys parties again and again.

It’s a brilliant concept by Theatr Clwyd to take the theatre out of the theatre and into real life. I just hope there are more plans for more immersive theatre it simply is out of this world.

THE WORLD PREMIERE STAGE PRODUCTION

OF STANLEY KUBRICK’S

DR. STRANGELOVE

TO OPEN IN THE WEST END IN AUTUMN 2024

First ever adaptation of the legendary film-maker’s work

Co-adapted by BAFTA and Emmy Award winner

ARMANDO IANNUCCI

and co-adapted and directed by Olivier Award winner

SEAN FOLEY

Sign up for more information at www.DrStrangelove.com

Stanley Kubrick’s iconic work will be adapted for the first time ever, when a world premiere stage production of his timeless classic Dr. Strangelove opens in the West End in Autumn 2024.

This jet-black comedy masterpiece, about a rogue U.S. General who triggers a nuclear crisis, is brought to the stage by acclaimed,BAFTA and Emmy Award winner Armando Iannucci and Olivier Award winner Sean Foley in an explosively funny satire of mutually assured destruction. Sean Foley will also direct.

For more information and to be first in line for tickets, sign up at www.DrStrangelove.com

Armando Iannucci said:“It’s both thrilling and hugely terrifying to be asked to adapt Kubrick’s great apocalyptic movie for the stage: which is useful, since it’s a thrilling comedy about huge terror. The events it portrays are no less mad today than when Stanley Kubrick made the film sixty years ago. No-one marshals madness on stage better than Sean Foley so it’s been an extremely enjoyable process plotting our mutually assured destruction together.  My hope is audiences will respond to Dr Strangelove on stage with bountiful laughter and shrieks.”

Sean Foley added: “It is both a privilege and a thrill to be asked to adapt and direct one of the most iconic films of all time, and working with Armando Iannucci on the adaptation has been a joy. Stanley Kubrick’s ’nightmare comedy’ is a perennially relevant satire on world politics and how powerful men can be stupid enough to let us all die if it means they get to brag about it. With a string of hilarious scenes and characters, and a plot that takes us to the edge of doom, I hope Dr Strangelove on stage will once again prove to be the comedy that makes us think deeply whilst we laugh our heads off.”

Christiane Kubrick, Stanley’s widow, said:“We have always been reluctant to let anyone adapt any of Stanley’s work, and we never have.  It was so important to him that it wasn’t changed from how he finished it.  But we could not resist authorising this project:  the time is right; the people doing it are fantastic; and Strangelove should be brought to a new and younger audience.  I am sure Stanley would have approved it too.”

Jan Harlan, Stanley’s long-time producer, added “Dr. Strangelove was initially conceived as a serious film based on the novel “Red Alert” by Peter George. During the adaptation Stanley ran into a wall: It was impossible to make a successful film about the end of mankind since nobody, himself included, would want to see it. The answer was satire.   Laughing is one of our go-to responses when faced with an inescapable reality. As the film charts our short path to total self-destruction, we must make fun of it and ‘all will be well’.” 

Katharina Kubrick, Stanley’s daughter, said “I am thrilled that Dr. Strangelove is being adapted for the stage.  The subject matter of this film is particularly relevant again in our prevailing political climate.  People often laugh when they would rather cry, and this is exactly how the film, and now the play, handles the possibility of the ultimate destruction of life on earth; certainly, an important topic amongst many, to concentrate the mind.  I greatly look forward to seeing Dr Strangelove on the stage, which I am certain will be an outstanding production of the highest calibre.”

A theatre, dates, cast and further creative team will be announced in due course.

Dr. Strangelove is produced by Patrick Myles and David Luff, in association with Tulchin Bartner Productions and Playful Productions.

Harold Pinter Theatre – until 7 October 2023

Reviewed by Claire Roderick

4****

This wonderfully wilfully eccentric production portrays the euphoria and despair of the life of Ignaz Semmelweis as a lyrical fever dream.

Stories of scientific experiment and discovery can be dry, but Semmelweis’s history is ripe with tragedy and comedy, both used wonderfully in Stephen Brown’s play. Semmelweis was a pioneer of medicine – but has been mostly forgotten outside his native Hungary. He gathered evidence that handwashing lowered the death rate from puerperal fever in the obstetric hospital in Vienna. Unfortunately for him, and many thousands of patients, the grandees of science and medicine in mid-nineteenth century Europe dismissed observational evidence without theoretical weight behind it, and Semmelweis and his colleagues had no solid theory about infection, only knowing that their preventative measures worked against it. Add the fact that these were junior doctors daring to contradict accepted theories of infection, and Semmelweis was Hungarian in imperial Austria, and a great leap forward in medicine was largely ignored for decades.

The gripping play begins with Semmelweis (Mark Rylance) running an obstetric ward in Pest with an impressively low death rate among his patients. Former colleagues from Vienna arrive to try to persuade him to return to speak about his hygiene techniques at a conference. Shocked at his angry refusal, his wife Maria (Amanda Wilkin) wants to know about his time in Vienna and Semmelweis and Franz Arneth (Ewan Black) take her, and the audience back to that pivotal time when Semmelweis experienced his first death under his care. The psychological impact and weight of the guilt over the preventable deaths of the women in the hospital are shown physically by a company of dancers and a string quartet representing the ghosts of the women. They watch silently, act out birthing scenes and dance, both gracefully and frenetically to convey Semmelweis’s mental state. The presence of these women, and Maria, watching and commenting amplify the self-judgement of Semmelweis and create almost dreamlike states in between the scientific discussions.

Semmelweis isn’t whitewashed here, and his impatience, lack of communication and diplomatic skills are played brilliantly, making him a noble but frustrating protagonist who is frankly his own worst enemy. Rylance excels playing characters like this, and whether he is fully focussed and rocketing along a train of thought to make a conclusion, stuttering and floundering as he is overcome with emotion or raging incandescently at the “idiots” and “murderers” around him rejecting his findings, Rylance carries the audience effortlessly along the fractured storyline in a coruscating performance. Director Tom Morris keeps a carefully balanced rhythm as the emotions and dramas swirl on Ti Green’s stark black set, reminiscent of asylum/factory/lecture hall and enabling the ghostly women to appear from all levels and maintain their haunting presence.

Mark Rylance’s astonishingly dynamic performance as Semmelweis is the driving force, but the women onstage, especially Wilkin and the wonderfully dry Pauline McLynn as nurse Anna Müller, are the beating heart of the production. Ewan Black, Felix Hayes, Jude Owusu and Daniel York Loh are fantastic as Semmelweis’s long-suffering colleagues, and Alan Williams is suitably officious and patronising as their superior and gatekeeper of established medical and scientific practice.

A tragic story, beautifully told and impeccably acted, Dr Semmelweis is a moving and thought provoking production that will haunt you.

Sheffield Crucible – until Saturday 19 August 2023

5*****

This new production of Miss Saigon is definitely made in Sheffield.  It has grit and determination and a core of the famous Sheffield steel.

Unusually I have to start this review with a mention to the technical side of the flawless production.  The thrust stage is nothing more than a grey blank slate.  But as the show runs through the stage and backdrop become awash with light and colour. Designer Ben Stones, Lighting Designer Jessica Hung Han Yun  and Video and Animation Designer Andrzej Goulding, along with Direction by Robert Hastie and Anthony Lau have produced something huge but yet intimate and it’s truly amazing.

By special arrangement from Cameron Mackintosh and with music and lyrics by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, Miss Saigon – a reworking of Puccini’s Madame Butterfly – started life at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in 1989. Running for 10 years, it then had a reworking at the Prince Edward theatre in 2014. 

Set against the backdrop of the Vietnamese War of the 1970’s; innocent country girl Kim (JESSICA LEE) escapes to Saigon from her village and planned arranged marriage to Thuy (ETHAN LE PHONG). Found by The Engineer (JOANNA AMPIL) she takes her to his seedy bar Dreamland which is populated by the American GI’s who use the girls who work at the bar. Sensing she can use her innocence and sell her virginity to the highest bidder, The Engineer does the mock “Miss Saigon” contest to show off her purity against the other working girls. Gigi (AYNRAND FERRER) wins the contest but not before a bidding war has started on Kim. GI John (SHANE O’RIORDAN) is the winning bidder and gives Kim to his friend Chris (CHRISTIAN MAYNARD) as a present to cheer him up. She willingly gives up her virginity and Kim and Chris fall in love.

Fortune however deals them a series of cruel blows and when Saigon falls to enemy forces, in the musical’s iconic moment Chris is airlifted to safety in a helicopter and the pregnant Kim must fend for herself. Three years have passed, Saigon is now Ho Chi Minh. Thuy is now a Commissar and sends the very down at heel Engineer to find Kim. Thuy wants his arranged marriage. The Engineer finds Kim surviving on the streets with her son Tam (ANAYA AWOKO-BENNETT, IKAYAN-RAY MULOMO, DEACON PINDER and HIRAK SINGLA sharing the role). Whilst The Engineer sees a mixed race child as her passport to America, Thuy see’s it as a betrayal and means to kill the child until Kim kills him, shooting him with Chris’s gun. Kim, Tam and The Engineer escape to Bangkok.

Back in the USA, Chris is married to Ellen (SHANAY HOLMES). The Vietnamese war and losing Kim broke him and he fell into a depression. Ellen helped pick up the pieces but he still suffers with nightmares and was still trying to find word of Kim. John, now working for a charity that helps with war orphans, gets word of Kim and her son Tam and tells Chris. John, Chris and Ellen go to Bangkok to find Kim and his son.

Jessica Lee exudes vulnerability and has an effortlessly beautiful singing voice, clear and sweet, Christian Maynard is a suitably simplistic Chris. Ellen is sensitively played by Shannay Holmes, helping to understand how conflicted a woman she is. Ethan Le Phong as Thuy, Kim’s intended husband, has a rich, powerful voice and brings an intense dignity to his efforts to win her back. But the star is Joanna Ampil who plays The Engineer. She is charming and yet conniving, seedy, funny, savage, ruthless and sleazy and commands even an empty stage; everything The Engineer should be. I loved the  tiny but comedic part where she casts aside a red jacket – and her interpretation of American Dream is a joy, with a nod to Marilyn Monroe and Madonna’s Material Girl video

Miss Saigon, at almost 3 hours long, is packed full of songs. Based on an opera, it is nearly all sung through with very little dialogue. The live band conducted by Chris Poon played all the big songs like The Movie in my Mind, Why God Why, Sun and Moon and the Last Night of the World are sung in very quick succession. Bui Doi, as normal, had me in tears. The moment everyone waits for – the helicopter descending on to the stage, was impressive as it should be. Miss Saigon will always be a massive spectacle – a wave of raw emotion, gritty, violent and sexy. Suffocating but sincere the show reflects much more of the reality of war and Sheffield theatres have produced a masterpiece

Leicester Square Theatre – until 9th September 2023

Reviewed by Ben Jolly

4****

The team from Sh!t-faced Shakespeare® have fallen off the wagon and now return to the Leicester Square Theatre, this time for a raucous rendition of the classic comedy, Much Ado About Nothing…

If you aren’t already familiar with the concept, it’s all in the title; each evening, a few hours before curtain one member of the cast is nominated to get completely sozzled and has to perform the play alongside their sober colleagues. The cast rotate roles, drinkers and master of ceremonies – who has the important job of holding the show together. In all honesty, I was somewhat hesitant toward this concept when I first heard of it. I’m a firm believer in the adage, “you gotta have a gimmick” but how would this one sustain to engage us after the initial shock factor had worn off upon being introduced to the drunk? Oh how naive I was.

Our compère last night was played by Beth-Louise Priestly who took on this role with wit, charm and an abundance of energy. While this part has the responsibility of keeping everyone in check (cast and audience alike), Priestly expertly straddled the line between fellow player and mother hen, egging us on and managing to keep the show from completely derailing – no mean feat indeed.

Flora Sowerby – the drunk for the evening – was playing the role of Beatrice, well, a somewhat version of Beatrice, anyway, as the bottle of Vinho Verde and champagne from Fortnum & Mason’s had certainly taken effect! Sowerby didn’t even try to conceal this and applied even less effort into remembering her lines, instead we ended up with a bastardised summary, interjected with aggressive outbursts and enough curse words to make Gordon Ramsey blush! Sowerby’s performance was perfection; she leans in just enough to keep us on our toes, dreading what might happen next but knows just when to pull back before the scene gets tired.

It became apparent early on that the comedy in Sh!t-faced Shakespeare® lies heavily with the ensemble, not the drunk as it may initially seem, Chris Lane’s performance of Don John being a prime example of this. The cast must be attentive and malleable and it ultimately pays off time and time again throughout the evening. The play and plot do tend to fade into the background but instead, the piece merges into its own improvised comedic performance, with as much audience participation that would be required for pantomime. 

There’s a reason why this global brand keeps coming back time and time again; its themes are universal and without pretension this comrade of misfits honour with dignity the timely traditions of performing Shakespeare, improvised comedy and, of course, to become completely inebriated while doing it.

Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield – until Saturday 15 January 2023

Reviewed by Kev Roberts

4****

My initial thought on watching a theatre production of Dirty Dancing, was whether I could watch it without reminiscing about the original movie and comparing the cast to those film actors. If I’m honest it took me a few minutes to get past this but once the show started, I became engrossed, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Frances ‘Baby’ Houseman (Kira Malou) and Johnny Castle (Michael O’Reilly) soon draw you in, especially with their obvious chemistry and ability to play the parts perfectly without comparing them to Swayze and Grey. Malou’s kooky traits and comedic undertones and her ability to act as this beginner dancer (which is harder than it looks) is second to none and shouldn’t be underestimated. She portrays the vulnerability of the character well, whilst highlighting her strengths and morals, in always being there for others.

O’Reilly performance as Johnny is equally impressive. Its difficult to pull off an American accent without sounding a little cheesy but he does it with aplomb, downplaying it enough to sound authentic. His stern demeanour, but caring and sympathetic manner towards his friend Penny (Georgia Aspinall) is done well. Much of the highlights of the production of course is the fantastic dancing between them both. O’Reilly and Aspinall excite and impress with their moves and despite the relatively small stage of the Lyceum, this doesn’t pose a problem and they display their skills to the full.

The production generally stays true to the movie, yet it puts its own twist on it to ensure that the lesser known characters such as Tito (Colin Charles) and Mr Schumacher (Mark Faith) get to portray their own acting and singing talents also. Charles gets the audience going with his own unique moves and fabulous singing and Elizabeth ( Lydia Sterling) adds to the show with her fantastic vocals adding some extra substance to an already well known script. Faith as Mr Schumacher also injects some unexpected humour into the show with his goofiness highlighting his own performance well, despite being on the peripheral. This also applies to Daisy Steere who plays Lisa Houseman. Her portrayal of Lisa was outstanding, specifically at the end whilst she takes centre stage to sing her song, the audience were in stitches. Great comedic timing. Support acts such as Dr Houseman (Jack Loy) his wife Marjorie (Taryn Sudding) and Billy Kostecki (Danny Colligan) and the rest of the cast all play their part in ensuring a classic film was brought to life on stage.

In regards to the set, this is equally impressive as stated earlier the stage feels quite small but the way the set is constantly changed without a break in acting keeps the nostalgia and flow of the show. You genuinely feel you are at Kellermans on vacation and in the moment. The way the build up to the famous lift and the dance training between Baby and Johnny is also clever, especially the lighting for the log scene. This of course is the build up to the last dance and the famous lift that the raucous and expectant crowd have been waiting for and despite probably doing it a thousand times they don’t disappoint.

Of course we all know nobody puts baby in the corner and this production definitely needs to be front and centre like Baby and Johhny. It takes a well loved movie and transforms it into a fantastic stage adaptation that is filled with fun, wit, warmth and outstanding dancing, ensuring the audience definitely had the time of their lives.

“RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN’S OKLAHOMA!” STARRING HUGH JACKMAN COMES TO CINEMAS FROM 16 JULY

UK and Ireland – The Olivier Award-winning 1998 production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!, starring then-newcomer Hugh Jackman (Les Misérables, The Greatest Showman) as Curly, will screen in over 300 cinemas across the United Kingdom and Ireland from 16 July to 19 August. Tickets for the cinematic experience are available at www.oklahomaincinemas.com.

The cinema screenings are presented by Trafalgar Releasing, in partnership with Concord Originals and The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, to celebrate the 80^th anniversary of the groundbreaking 1943 Broadway premiere. This 25-year-old production of Oklahoma! features some of the most delightfully hummable songs by the legendary team of composer Richard Rodgers and librettist/lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II, including “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’,” “The Surrey with the Fringe on Top,” “People Will Say We’re in Love” and the joyous title tune, “Oklahoma.”

Directed by theatre legend and three-time Tony Award winner Trevor Nunn (CATS, Les Misérables) with new choreography by five-time Tony Award winner Susan Stroman (The Producers, Crazy for You), the film also stars Maureen Lipman as Aunt Eller, Josefina Gabrielle as Laurie, Tony and Olivier Award winner Shuler Hensley as Jud Fry, Vicki Simon as Ado Annie, Jimmy Johnston as Will Parker and Peter Polycarpou as Ali Hakim. The stage production transferred to London’s West End in 1999 and won four Olivier Awards, including Outstanding Musical Production. 

The creative team includes set and costume designer Anthony Ward, lighting designer David Hersey, music director John Owen Edwards and orchestrator Robert Russell Bennett, with additional orchestrations by William David Brohn and new dance music arranged by David Krane. The film was produced by Richard Price and Chris Hunt and directed by Trevor Nunn and Chris Hunt. Director of photography was Paul Wheeler and editing was by Keith Palmer.