PLAYFUL PRODUCTIONS 

ERIC KUHN, KARL SYDOW, SAYERS AND SAYERS PRODUCTIONS AND SUE VERTUE/HARTSWOOD FILMS

PRESENT THE THE CHICHESTER FESTIVAL THEATRE PRODUCTION OF 

THE UNFRIEND

BY STEVEN MOFFAT
DIRECTED BY MARK GATISS

The Unfriend
noun.

A person, often met on holiday, who doesn’t understand that “let’s keep in touch” means “goodbye.” Sometimes a murderer.

-BAFTA WINNER LEE MACK WILL LEAD THE CAST AS HAPLESS PETER IN STEVEN MOFFAT’S HIT COMEDY THE UNFRIEND DIRECTED BY MARK GATISS
 

–THE UNFRIEND WILL OPEN AT WYNDHAM’S THEATRE FROM 16 DECEMBER FOR A STRICTLY LIMITED SEASON UNTIL 9 MARCH 2024, WITH A PRESS NIGHT ON 9 JANUARY 2024
 

-LEE MACK IS JOINED BY SARAH ALEXANDER AS DEBBIE, NICK SAMPSON AS THE NEIGHBOUR
 

-THEATRICAL GREAT FRANCES BARBER WILL REPRISE HER PERFORMANCE AS THE FORCE OF NATURE ELSA JEAN KRAKOWSKI
 

-THE PRODUCTION BROKE BOX OFFICE RECORDS AT THE CRITERION THEATRE EARLIER THIS YEAR
 

-TICKETS ARE ON SALE AT 12 NOON ON THURSDAY 13 JULY FROM WWW.THEUNFRIEND.COM

Producers Playful Productions are delighted to announce that Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss’ record breaking collaboration The Unfriend will be making its return to the West End this year. The show will open in previews at Wyndhams’ Theatre on 16 December and will run until 9 March 2024.

New to the show, award-winning comedian and actor Lee Mack (Would I Lie To You, Not Going Out, Inside No. 9) will play the role of Peter, whilst Sarah Alexander (Jonathan Creek, Green Wing, Smack The Pony and Coupling) will play Peter’s wife Debbie and Nick Sampson (Witness for the Prosecution, Anthony and Cleopatra) will play The Neighbour. Frances Barber (Silk and Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool) returns to play the role of everyone’s favourite serial killer Elsa Jean Krakowski.

Lee Mack said: “I’m delighted to be joining The Unfriend with the brilliant Sarah Alexander and the wonderful Frances Barber, and of course all the other amazing cast. It’s such a fantastically written play by Steven Moffat that I might even go the whole hog and learn the words.”

While on holiday Peter and Debbie befriend Elsa: a lusty, Trump-loving widow from Denver, USA. She’s less than woke but kind of wonderful, so they agree to stay in touch – because no one ever really does, do they?

When Elsa invites herself to stay with the family a few months later, they decide to look her up online. But it’s too late: on learning the truth about Elsa Jean Krakowski, the deadly danger is already on a flight to London! What began as a casual holiday friendship is suddenly a threat to all their lives. 

Peter and Debbie now face the ultimate challenge of the modern world – how do you protect all that you love from mortal peril without seeming a bit impolite?

Because guess who’s coming… to MURDER.

Director, Mark Gatiss, said; “You can’t keep a good serial killer down! I’m absolutely delighted that Elsa Jean Krakowski has found a home at the beautiful Wyndham’s theatre and very much look forward to bringing Steven’s hilarious play back to the West End”.

Writer, Steven Moffat said: “It’s a real thrill to welcome a couple of comedy legends on board The Unfriend, for our new run at the Wyndhams Theatre.  Lee Mack is one of the funniest men in the country and someone I’ve been wanting to work with for years. And Sarah Alexander is not just brilliant and hilarious, she’s an old friend from our days together on Coupling. Can’t wait to get started all over again.”

Steven Moffat is a six-time BAFTA award-winning writer, whose hit television series include Doctor Who, Sherlock and Dracula – the latter two co-written with the actor and writer Mark Gatiss, who directs this production. Mark Gatiss is a member of the sketch comedy team The League of Gentlemen. Gatiss’ recent directing credits include The Mezzotint and The Amazing Mr Blunden for Sky Max, in which he also starred. He also recently adapted A Christmas Carol at Nottingham Playhouse and Alexandra Palace. Most recently he won huge acclaim for his role as John Gielgud in The Motive and the Cue at the National Theatre.

The Unfriend is designed by Robert Jones, with lighting by Mark Henderson, sound by Ella Wahlström, video design by Andrzej Goulding and casting by Charlotte Sutton CDG. The Unfriend by Steven Moffat was originally developed by Playful Productions.

CATHERINE TATE

& DAVID THRELFALL

TO STAR IN NEW

WEST END PLAY

Paul Unwin’s new play

based on the extraordinary true story

of one of the most famous poltergeist events in the world

Performances begin 30 November

at The Ambassadors Theatre, London

Tickets on sale today, Thursday 13 July, at

www.enfieldhauntingplay.com

Catherine Tate and David Threlfall will star in The Enfield Haunting, a new play based on one of the most famous poltergeist events in the world.

Written by Paul Unwin, and directed by Angus Jackson, The Enfield Haunting will play at Brighton Theatre Royal and Richmond Theatre, before moving to The Ambassadors Theatre in London for a limited West End season from 30 November 2023 until 2 March 2024. 

Tickets for all dates will go on sale to ATG Theatre Card Holders at 10am today, Thursday 13 July, at www.enfieldhauntingplay.com. Tickets are on General Sale from 12pm.

Catherine Tate, who is renowned for her TV, film and theatre work, including her current BBC series Queen of Oz, The Catherine Tate Show and Donna Noble in Doctor Who alongside David Tennant, will play Peggy Hodgson, a single mother who tries to protect her three children from something that is incomprehensible and deeply disturbing.

Catherine said: “I’m thrilled to be part of The Enfield Haunting and can’t wait to start working with the first-class creative team and the brilliant David Threlfall.”

David Threlfall, who played Frank Gallagher in the highly acclaimed TV series Shameless, is an Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company (he played Don Quixote in the RSC’s production of and last year was nominated for a Tony Award for his role in Martin McDonagh’s The Hangman, plays Maurice Grosse, a ghost hunter.

David said: ‘I’m delighted to be reuniting with director Angus Jackson and working for the first time with the amazing Catherine Tate on Paul Unwin’s version of the UK’s most famous incident of psychological inhabitation,  The Enfield Haunting, in 1977.’ 

The Hodgson’s had no idea what a poltergeist was when, in the summer of 1977, furniture and toys started moving of their own accord. They were an ordinary, working-class family, who lived in a North London council house at 284 Green Street, Enfield, but for the next eighteen months became the centre of one of the most famous poltergeist events in the world.

Janet, the possessed sixteen-year-old, was nearly pulled out of a window. The local ‘lolly pop lady’ saw her floating six feet in the air in an upstairs room and Janet was found fast asleep in a neighbours’ bed. There are tapes of Janet growling for hours in a voice that doctors said would destroy a sixteen-year-old girl’s vocal cords after a few minutes.

Paul Unwin’s new play is the story of one night in the spring of 1978 when events were approaching a climax. Based on the first-hand accounts of one the one the ghost hunters, The Enfield Haunting is the true story of what happened when Peggy Hodgson tries to protect her three children from something that is incomprehensible, deeply disturbing and is hurtling to a terrifying conclusion.

Maurice Grosse was one of the ghost hunters. A kind and protective man, he was determined to help the Hodgson’s but as the night unfolds it slowly becomes clear that he is searching for something that he is convinced that only Janet can help him find.

Writer Paul Unwin said: ‘Before Guy Lyon Playfair the poltergeist expert died in 2018, I spent a long afternoon with him in his basement flat in Earls Court. He and Maurice Grosse had spent months with the Hodgson family trying to protect them, but also make sense of what was going on. What Guy told me was terrifying. So much of what appears to have happened was impossible to fake and yet at the centre of the whole thing were real people trying to make sense of their lives. The Enfield Haunting is a psychological ghost story. It is a ghost story for now.’

Paul Unwin co-created the world’s longest running medical drama, Casualty (alongside Jeremy Brock). He has directed extensively for TV, including, Shameless, Five Little Pigs, Messiah, Combat Hospital and Breathless.  As a theatre director his work includes:  Arthur Miller’s The Man Who had all the Luck at Bristol Old Vic (where he was Artistic Director) and the Young Vic, and the Misanthrope for Bristol Old Vic and the National Theatre.  His other plays include This Much is True and The Promise. His films include The American and Elijah.

Listings Information

THE ENFIELD HAUNTING 
By Paul Unwin
Directed by Angus Jackson

Brighton Theatre Royal

New Road, Brighton, BN1 1SD

Tuesday 14 – Saturday 18 November 2023

Box Office: https://www.atgtickets.com/venues/theatre-royal-brighton/

Richmond Theatre

1 Little Green, Richmond TW9 1QH

Tuesday 21 – Saturday 25 November 2023

Box Office: https://www.atgtickets.com/venues/richmond-theatre/

Ambassadors Theatre, London

West Street, London WC2H 9ND
 

Performance Dates

Thursday 30 November 2023 – Saturday 2 March 2024

Performance Times

Mondays – Saturdays at 7.30pm

Thursday & Saturday matinees at 2.30pm

Tickets

Tickets from £25

Box Office: 0333 009 6690

Tickets on sale from 10am to ATG Theatre Card Holders

General On sale from 12pm on 13 July 2023

Suitable for ages 12+

Social Media

Instagram: @EnfieldHauntingPlay

Twitter: @EnfieldPlay

Facebook: /EnfieldHauntingPlay

Actor, singer and director Michael D’Cruze sat down with fairypowered to have a lovely chat and answer 20 questions.  Michael is currently starring as Grandpa Joe in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on tour.  Tour details and tickets can be purchase here

Let’s start with a few favourites

Favourite show (whether you have been in it or not)? 

Evita, which I directed as part of Youth Theatre and Sweeney Todd.  I’d love to star in either of them professionally

Favourite book?

Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. It was one of the first shows I was in as a teen.  I don’t read much but I’ve read that a few times and I own a few copies

Favourite theatre? 

Brighton Theatre Royal.  It’s the first theatre I appeared in, an amateur production of Hello Dolly when I was 14

Favourite song?

I’m a big fan of Birdy, I think she’s incredibly talented and Adele. I like both of them

Favourite music? 

Anything chilled and with a tune.  And again, I’m a huge fan of Birdy

Favourite food? 

Well, I’m half Indian so I love a curry, but I’m also half Irish so I love fish and chips

Favourite drink? 

Coffee! Brandy in coffee but mainly coffee.  I’m touring with a coffee machine.  I do like coffee

What is your favourite role?

Grandpa Joe, I can’t wait to get out on stage every night, I’m really enjoying it 

What was your first role? 

My first professional role was Chino in West Side Story.  There were all these talented people at Guildford (Guildford School of Music and Drama) and I didnt think I was that good. But then I got the role, so somebody saw something in me

And what role would you really like to play? 

Teviot in Fiddler on the Roof or Malvolio in Twelfth Night the Musical

If you weren’t a performer what would you be?

Ten years ago I would have said a Chef, but now I think I would be a Gardener

What made you decide to be a performer? 

I was an awkward and shy child.  But I went to a drama group and it was good and I enjoyed it.  Then I appeared in a show and found I was popular and it helped me to overcome the shyness

Do you enjoy touring?

I love being there but I don’t enjoy packing up and leaving home.  Once I’m there, I love it

What advice would you give 16 year old you?

Don’t be an actor, it’s hard work facing rejection and fighting bias.  But if you do want to do it, enjoy it but find something else you are good at so you have something else to do in between roles

Do you fancy branching out in Producing or Directing?

I have directed but I find it stressful and I want to avoid stress. I do enjoy teaching though

What was the last stage show you saw and really enjoyed? 

Matthew Bourne’s The Midnight Bell.  Incredibly talented performers

Favourite line from any show? 

In Charlie, Mrs Beauregarde says “Mr Wonka, you’re crazy” and Wonka says “Thank you” – that makes me smile every night

If you could be anyone else for the day, who would it be? 

A Formula One Racer or Fighter Pilot.  Anything with adrenaline

What are the nicest/weirdest things you have ever received from fans?

I get some lovely letters and cards.  And a six page epic poem about how lovely I am.  But a little girl drew a picture during the show and wanted to give it to Grandpa Joe, I was really touched to receive that

Can you tell us what you will be up to next?

I’m in Charlie for the rest of the tour and I am really enjoy that

MIZ ROCKS AGAIN!

CAMERON MACKINTOSH

ANNOUNCES

THE WORLD TOUR
OF
LES MISÉRABLES
THE ARENA SPECTACULAR

OPENING WITH EUROPEAN DATES

INCLUDING LIMITED UK DATES FROM SEPTEMBER 2024

Cameron Mackintosh, in association with Nick Grace Management, is delighted to announce the World Tour of LES MISÉRABLES THE ARENA SPECTACULAR opening with European dates, including limited UK dates from September 2024.

Already booked to perform in over 15 countries worldwide including the UK, Italy, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Australia, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and beyond, the World Tour will begin as the stage musical enters its 39^th revolutionary year and will run throughout the upcoming 40^th anniversary celebrations for the world’s longest running musical in 2025. After which it is planned to play North and South America.

LES MISÉRABLES THE ARENA SPECTACULAR will be expanded from the hugely successful Les Misérables The Staged Concert which played for over 200 record-breaking performances in the West End. It will have an extraordinary new design specifically created for arenas (and large theatres) with audiences of between 3,000 – 5,000.  This spectacular production will have a UK company of over 110 actors, musicians and crew featuring a core cast with a great number of celebrated Les Mis guest stars appearing as their schedules allow.

Exact dates, cities, venues, casting and on sale details will begin to be revealed this Autumn.

To be the first to hear all the news and receive details of priority on sale for

LES MISÉRABLES THE ARENA SPECTACULAR please sign up at lesmis.com/concert.

Cameron Mackintosh said today, “Since the very first concert performance of Les Misérables in Sydney in January 1989, this remarkable musical has proved to be as powerful and successful in its every manifestation. Whether in its original full theatrical form, a blockbuster musical movie, or any of its numerous spectacularly staged concert performances. Over the show’s nearly 40 years existence, it has also proved to be the launch pad for an extraordinary list of stars around the world, in many different languages and countries. This much anticipated world tour will be a unique opportunity for many of these celebrated performers to play their favourite roles for short periods in different parts of the world, so fans will get the chance to see their favourite stars (and mine!) in their favourite musical. Both the show and the score of Les Mis continues to win poll after poll around the world as the publics favourite musical of all time containing so many of the most memorable and beloved songs ever written for the musical theatre. The euphoria of the cast reunion performances of Miz are legendary and always prove a sell-out so I look forward to this unique event being the ultimate demonstration of Do You Hear The People Sing ever!”

Nick Grace said today, “I’m thrilled to be co-producing this exciting new world tour with Cameron and to have the opportunity of working on this iconic musical.  I’m looking forward to taking this incredible new UK touring production all over the world, bringing it to existing Les Mis fans and those that will be experiencing the phenomenon for the first time.”

Nick Grace is one of the World’s leading producers and general managers of international touring productions and in the last 25 years has presented shows in 59 countries worldwide including BATMAN LIVE – World Arena Tour, WALKING WITH DINOSAURS – The Arena Spectacular, BLUE MAN GROUP World Tour and the ongoing MAMMA MIA ! UK & International Tour.

The critically acclaimed production of Les Misérables continues to play at the Sondheim Theatre, where itwill soon be celebrating its 39^th revolutionary year, and several other local language productions around the world. To celebrate the 10^th Anniversary of the Oscar-winning movie a remastered and remixed version will be released in 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital on 18 July

The Crazy Coqs – 10 July 2023

3.5***

Melissa Errico is an American singer from New York with a long and distinguished career on Broadway and beyond.  After landing the role of Cosette in a touring version of Les Miserables whilst still at Yale, she went on to star in such shows as My Fair Lady, Call Me Madam, Camelot and The Sound of Music.  The Wall Street Journal considered her 2018 album “Sondheim Sublime” the best all-Sondheim album ever recorded.

By way of introduction, she described herself as a “100% Italian girl” with historic links to showbiz and a three week opportunity to play the femme fatale in Europe whilst her teenage kids were in summer camp.  In this 80 minute show, Errico presents what she describes as the best Italian fish stew – a personal catalogue of favourite and significant songs selected from across her life and career, whether it be through her high achieving family connection, past roles in musical theatre, or songwriters/composers that have been special influences.

Melissa Errico certainly knows how to dazzle.  Sweeping onto stage to a rapturous reception, she epitomised showbiz glamour in a glitzy figure hugging gown with more sparkle than a planet sized glitter ball.  Behind her, the James Pearson band (James Pearson – MD & piano, Graeme Blevins – sax/flute, Sam Burgess – double bass and Chris Higgenbottom – drums) sparkled with equal intensity instrumentally.  Pearson’s accompaniment was beautiful throughout and Graeme Blevins’ fills and solos on saxophone were superb.   Considering Errico had only arrived in town the previous day, the opportunity for rehearsal would have been limited, but the performance throughout was impressively cohesive.  Probably because she and James Pearson are old friends.  Talking of which, a long time friend from Paris – Isabelle Georges – joined Errico midway through the set to duet delightfully as well as take a crazy solo spot involving a kazoo break and wearing a miniature Eiffel Tower strapped to her head!

The song programme which ran to 15 or so songs plus encores touched on most of the great writers of the American Song Book with the emphasis on Sondheim but also Michel Legrand both of whom Errico described as mentors, but very opposing characters.  Inter song discourse of a slightly gushing quality filled out Errico’s back story in useful detail, but on occasion came across as maybe too much information or slightly unrehearsed.  Mostly though it was good context and often very amusing (Americans only know three French words – amour, bonjour and croissant…) 

For me, across a consistently high standard of performance, the real highlights were Sondheim’s lovely “Move On” from “Sunday in the Park with George (Seurat)”, Cole Porter’s “Its Alright With Me”,  the “Once Upon A Summertime”/“Windmills of Your Mind” medley, Legrand’s “Amour” medley with Isabelle Georges, the clever “I Can’t Speak French” written specifically for Errico by Mark Shaiman of Hairspray fame, and “You Must Believe in Spring”, also Legrand.

This was a very personal show where superior singing and superior songcraft combined to deliver a superior entertainment which was very well received by the audience.  Classy and sophisticated, yet bursting with energy and joie de vivre.  Errico and Georges were having so much fun themselves, they even rounded things off with a tap dance routine.   I’m not sure I would regard Errico as a classic femme fatale though.  In truth she’s a 100% all American girl with a heck of a voice.

Storyhouse, Chester – until Saturday 15th July 2023

Reviewed by Julie Noller

5*****

Tony Blair, Rock Opera, Musical Comedy are not generally the words that come to mind when thinking about the long standing Labour M.P. and former Prime Minister. Written by Harry Hill and Steve Brown, those familiar with Harry Hills TV work well would do well to expect typically British slapstick satirical humour. It’s silly, it’s daft, it’s downright hillarious. I get people will be reluctant to head to the theatre to watch as it’s hard to pin it down into a catergory.

It begins with a flash of lightening and clap of thunder as Tony is wheeled in on his deathbed, yes I jumped in my seat so from the very start I got what I wasn’t expecting. Tony’s deathbed confession is the flashback through the years, from worshipping Mick Jaggers (no one corrects him) to becoming the pop Prime Minister. It at times flies close to crossing the border into offensive territory, you feel your teeth gritting, but it does well to remember this is in Harry’s words not a history lesson, neither has it been endorsed by any fictionalised person on stage. It is just a comedic dramatisation of events through the years and if any of us are truly honest have probably wondered about and highly likely imagined. Enough about reality back to the stage, in Tony’s words let’s get back to him!

There are 8 actors on stage covering a multitude of characters, all close propellants in the rocket ship that is and was Tony Blair. We may learn a fact or two, we may already know a fact or two. But the strength is in the speed the story moves, the glossing over certain ideas, skipping past years that pulls us away from it being autobiographical. It feeds from British institutions such as Spitting Image and Monty Python and quite often switches up a gear from musical to farce, the trick is to watch for those little things such as Tony going glossy-eyed whilst maintaining that smile during Gordon Browns speech and to keep listening. Jack Whittle must’ve practised holding that smile for hours in the mirror, I wonder how much his jaw must ache.

To me he was convincing as Tony the man who wanted to be famous and ended up believing his own hype. The wrestling match between him and an ever deep breathing making me feel like hyperventilating Gordon Brown (Phil Sealey) had me looking for Harry Hill as it had his touch all over. Toni Burgess played Cherie Blair straight off Dock Road and into Brookside Close, You can’t help but actually warm to Cherie in a way I never did in real life; even pulling that flat smile of hers to perfection. Howard Samuels is Mandy the dame in this pantomime. Keeping the audience enthused, interacting constantly with us, sketching with Tony over wanting the carrot or the stick for which I am glad I was not in the first few rows and pulling chewed carrot out of my hair. Peter Mandelson now Lord Mandelson was always a character comedians loved and Howard deserves a massive standing ovation for bringing his quirky side to the front of stage, I even noticed the old joke of him being a blood sucking vampire slipping in. I loved Groucho Marx as Saddam Hussein as did my Iraq War veteran hubby, this also may explain why I got so many references through gags that I wonder if younger generations may miss great jokes. George Bush being rallied by Dick Cheney (the brilliant Howard Samuels again) who points out Saddam beat his Father and they should forget Afghanistan and get Iraq is another highlight for me, how they railroad Tony and he ends up looking like hes been caught up in the Hangover with a breakdown and a sexed up dossier leading to his downfall and fall from grace. It ends with the absolute genius song The Whole Wide World…. Is run by Assholes.

Where Tony back in his suit looking suave points out all the bad leaders ending with Putin in Russia. Tony Blair who then points a finger at the audience after someone shouts murderer from the back of the theatre and I’m still non the wiser if it was meant to be or someone getting carried away. Tony asks the question who of you put me here 3 times even after Iraq you still voted me in…. and do you know what that’s the whole point of the show yes he lied, yes he was smug and spun a good a word but he led and we followed. We kept him there. Tony the Rock Opera has brought a new format to the stage they’ve dissected a person by pulling them apart from a perfect shape and twisted the extreme motions moulded into a brand new package. Never before have I skipped back to my car humming The Whole Wide World is run by Assholes and I wonder if I’ll ever be the same again.

Theatre Royal Nottingham – until Saturday 15 July 2023

Reviewed by Amy Coulson

4****

The dawn breaks over a Liverpudlian skyline, where a cobbled street is slowly revealed.

Mrs Johnstone (played by Niki Colwell Evans) is the mother to several children, seven in fact. Fearing that some of the children will have to go into care after her husband leaves her pregnant for the sixth time and runs off with a younger woman, Mrs Johnstone agrees to give away one of her unborn twins to her employer, Mrs Lyon (played by Paula Tappenden). The Lyon’s have been trying for a child and whilst he’s away for several months his wife persuades the pregnant housekeeper to part with one of her babies, promising to look after him and that they will stay in touch. Once the twins are born, this promise is short lived. Mrs Lyon becomes paranoid about Mrs J and the child and so fires her, leaving her poverty stricken once more. As the twins grow older their lives become entangled but still, they do not know they are actual brothers. As friends, they declare themselves blood brothers, the very best of friends. A tale of nature versus nurture lies at the heart of this simple but epic story.

The show has been running since the early 1980s. Very early on, winning two Olivier Awards including Best New Musical. Writer, Willy Russell says “people see it more than once, and one of those reasons is that it is a musical with a strong book, it has got a tale to tell.” This reviewer is a little ashamed to say they weren’t familiar with the story and found the musical numbers beautiful, but random…

The cast is exceptional. Danny Whitehead plays the Narrator, who lurks in shadows throughout, stepping out to accompany other characters in song or to tell the audience what’s happening, although that was in riddles, so not too helpful! Sean Jones as Mickey and Joe Sleight as Eddie, the Blood Brothers, were hilarious and loveable. Their ability, as older men, to play seven-year-olds was bizarre but they had perfected mannerisms and accents wonderfully. The audience lapped up playful scenes of imaginary horses and laughed at outrageous learnings about swearing. This reviewer nearly spilt her drink at Eddie’s misunderstanding of the F word! Niki Colwell Evans as Mrs Johnstone was outstanding too, with her captivating Liverpudlian accent and stunning singing voice. I could list all the actors that were fabulous, but we’d be here all day!

Whilst confused by the production; is it a musical? Is it not? This reviewer laughed, laughed again, and cried along with everyone else. The production was very well received by this Nottingham audience, with a standing ovation and whoops of delight. Willy Russell was right, there were clearly fans here, with many explaining to others how many times they’d seen it and excitedly comparing notes as we shuffled out the theatre.

Overall, it didn’t matter if it was a musical or not, it made for a very enjoyable evening out!

New Victoria, Woking – until Saturday 15 July 2023

5*****

I’ve seen Titanic once or twice on this tour. And every performance has been different. I’ve seen outstanding understudies and alternates. I’ve seen the cast grow into the roles and add in little movements and nuances that really add to the show and I think last night in Woking I saw the very best version I have ever seen.

Maury Yeston’s magnificent score sets the scene almost immediately. We are taken on board as the ship embarks on its journey from the ports of Southampton, meeting characters from first, second and third class, and the crew. The first act introduces us to the inner workings of the ship and the minds of the passengers and we watch as relationships and tensions play out and dreams are wished upon.

There’s the upper-class, including the wonderfully charming Mr and Mrs Straus; the middle class – Alice Beane, who is insistent on schmoozing with the elite, and her long-suffering husband Edgar; and third class, where the three Kates from Ireland are driven to start a new life in the new world and escape the hardship of home.

The cast’s voices harmonised beautifully and were incredibly haunting and moving, bringing me to tears a number of times. A range of soft, heartfelt ballads and dramatically powerful numbers cut through the silence in the theatre like ice, vocalising the emotions that became the foundations of the show; fear, loss, sadness, love, and hope.

The performance itself was flawless throughout; flowing as smoothly as the calm sea that surrounded the Titanic before disaster struck. This was helped by the stunning staging, which was simple yet incredibly effective, especially when it came to the climax.

The historical accuracy was superb and attention to detail was clear, proving that the focus of this show is really to commemorate and educate; from the exact number of fruit and veg needed to feed the passengers, to the names used and the cumulative problems that led to such a huge loss of life.

Conveying such emotion only seems right through the medium of song. In fact, knowing what was inevitably coming meant that, from the very opening numbers, I was fighting back tears. It is eerie, and unusual, to watch famously doomed characters live out their lives on stage.

I found this performance moving and exciting to watch – the standing ovation at the end was enough to prove that this particular Titanic was on course for success at an impressive rate of knots. It is a very special tribute to those who loved and lost that fateful night, allowing the names of many to live on in song and giving them a new lease of life.

Hull New Theatre – until Saturday 15th July 2023

Reviewed by Maria Gill

5*****

‘Absolutely fabulous’, just one of the comments shared by the crowd leaving The Bodyguard on Monday night.

The singing, choreography, pyrotechnics and other incredible effects were without doubt to a standard that you would be appreciate on any West End stage.

Our initial thoughts before this evening were that The Bodyguard, the movie, would take some living up to. However, these doubts were quickly extinguished within the first song. The acting was good but the singing was executed with such skill and professionalism that it undoubtedly created a wonderful feel-good factor amongst the audience.

Although the cast was not extensive, each member played an integral part, leaving a memorable mark on everyone’s hearts.

We must give credit where it is due, and it gives me great pleasure to acknowledge the outstanding performance of young Manasseh Mapira, who played the character of Fletcher. He is undoubtedly a true star in the making. The comedic value infused with a few surprises along the way added an extra layer of entertainment, which was thoroughly enjoyed by all and kept you on your toes! Moreover, we must express our admiration for the spectacular performances by Emily Mae Walker (understudy Rachel Marron), Samantha Mbolekwa and Ayden Callaghan who all portrayed the main characters. Their talent, charisma, and stage presence were nothing short of exceptional. Their contributions truly elevated the production to new heights. We would highly recommend attending this show to anyone in search of an unforgettable night filled with great performances and a vibrant atmosphere.

‘I have nothing’ else to say but ‘trust in me’ that ‘The Queen of the Night’ was truly Emily Mae Walker and we ‘will always love’ live theatre.

Bard in the Botanics festival  – Glasgow Botanic Gardens

(festival runs with different productions until 29^th July)

 REVIEWED BY RACHEL FARRIER 

4****

The theme of this year’s Bard in the Botanics festival in Glasgow’s beautiful botanic gardens is ‘a fault in our stars’, with the first two productions in the line up being Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar (outdoors) and Henry IV (an amalgamation of Henry IV parts 1 and 2, performed in the Kibble glass house).

I arrived at this production of Henry IV – directed by Gordon Barr – feeling somewhat abashed that as an English graduate, I nevertheless had very little clue about the plays, or the historical period which they illustrate. It did mean, however, that I had no pre-conceptions about how the play(s) have traditionally been interpreted and staged. Even from this vantage point though, it seemed ambitious to effectively stage 2 plays with a cast of only four men, in 2 hours and 15 minutes. And yet, the tiny cast do succeed in telling a tale that echos down the centuries, with an uncanny resonance to current events: an elderly King, troubled and disappointed by the wild and dishonourable behaviour of his son and heir, Prince Hal, dealing with a nation that is fractious and struggling to maintain its borders..

Stephen Clyde as a late stand-in to the role of King Henry, still has the script in his hand, and yet conveys the heavy and lonely burden of the monarch, seeking to lead with strength and yet plagued by the weight of decision-making and increasingly poor health.

Sam Stopford plays the lad-about-town Prince Hal with an energy and humour which couples brilliantly with Alan Steele’s magnificent Falstaff  – a performance which absolutely steals the show: by turns a Fagan-like wise cracking rogue who nimbly talks himself in and out of trouble, riotously and wilfully leading Prince Hal astray at every opportunity, whilst also depicting affection and enormous humour. The very intimate setting of the Kibble glass house, with the actors using a ‘corridor’ stage in between audience rows which are inches away from the action, allowed Steele to draw the audience into his spell-binding performance, brilliantly creating a sympathy for this character.

Johnny Panchaud puts in a serious shift playing an astounding array of characters – as Hal’s partner in crime Ned (an amalgamation of several characters in the original script), he and Stopford convey the animated, chaotic and pushing-the-boundaries nature that can characterise young male friendship. Moments later Panchaud pivots to the serious, combative rebel, Henry Hotspur – two characters amongst a huge range which Panchaud admirably portrays. The fight between Hal and Hotspur (directed by Robin Hellier) which ends in the latter’s death was powerful and impressive, especially so given the very limited size of the stage and proximity to the audience. This proximity is both wonderfully engaging and at times frustrating for the audience – if the action was happening at the other end of the corridor-like stage, it was sometimes hard to hear lines and therefore keep up with the plot. The denoument of the production, which hurriedly brings us to the close of Henry IV part 2, and a reformed Prince Hal’s elevation to King and rejection of his old friend Falstaff, feels rushed and therefore somewhat lacking in sincerity. That aside, this is an enjoyable and innovative production which deserved the warm reception it received from its audience last night.