Nottingham Theatre Royal – until Saturday 20 May 2023

5*****

The beautiful auditorium of Nottingham Theatre Royal gave a wonderfully intimate feel to this beautiful musical.

Maury Yeston has produced magic to turn this tragedy into a thing of beauty. Assisted by Peter Stone’s strongly structured book, Yeston creates a vivid picture of shipboard life, with each class divided, each character deftly delineated, and tensions beginning to emerge between the managing director of the White Star Line, J Bruce Ismay (Martin Allanson), Titanic’s designer Thomas Anderson (Ian McLarnon) and Captain Smith (Graham Bickley), who all have different aspirations for the vessel and for who must take the responsibility for it all as they sing “The Blame”.

David Woodhead’s brilliantly designed set, helps director Thom Southerland move things along with great skill and flair. The scene leading up to the disaster, in the song “No Moon”, when the high tenor of the lookout rises above the babble of excited voices below, is atmospheric and eerily beautiful.

The cast of 25 take on many parts. Breaking hearts we have Billy Roberts as Mr Murdoch, who feels he is to blame.  David Delve and Valda Aviks as Isador and Ida Straus who refuse to be parted at the end and Joseph Peacock as the 14 year old Cabin Boy Edward.  Bree Smith as Alice Beane brings vibrant charm to a woman determined to rise above her station in life and have a good time and you root for a happy ending for Kate Mullins (Niamh Lang) and Jim Farrell (Chris Nevin) who want to rise above their station in America, a couple of the few who managed to escape from third class.

Danielle Tarento has produced something poignant and beautiful.  Godspeed Titanic

THE LOWRY, SALFORD – SATURDAY 13TH MAY 2023

REVIEWED BY MIA BOWEN

4****

Akram Khan’s much anticipated production of Jungle Book Reimagined, follows close on the heels of his 2021 production of Creature, an unearthly tale of exploitation and human frontiers. Jungle Book Reimagined, which had its world premiere in Leicester last year prior to the UK tour, is his new work based on the much-loved children’s classic by Rudyard Kipling. Akram has reinterpreted this original story from a different perspective; a cautionary tale of the footprint mankind leaves behind in nature, both in the cruel treatment of animals and the impact of climate change on our planet.

Jungle Book Reimagined tells the story of Mowgli, a young girl separated from her family following a global climate event. She ends up in an abandoned city overrun by animals, some escaped from zoos, testing labs and circuses. As in Kipling’s story Mowgli is initially adopted by the wolves Rama and Raksha, she befriends Bagheera an albino panther and Baloo an escaped dancing bear, who are put in charge of keeping her safe. But when Mowgli is kidnapped by the devious Bandar-log, escaped laboratory monkeys, Bagheera and Baloo join forces with the feared rock python Kaa to rescue their human friend. A more dangerous threat, though, lies in wait.

The complex storytelling is delivered in several ways by using effective multimedia. Art Director and Director of Animation, Adam Smith and Producer/Director of Video Design Nick Hillel, both of YeastCulture worked with Khan on DESH and their black and white digital animations projected on two semi-translucent screens at the front and back of the stage, adds a 3D depth and an immersive quality to what we see and to the story.

As well as Mowgli’s thoughts, we listen to the animals speak through the voiceover, giving it the magic touch of a storybook.

Khan’s choreography is imaginative and powerful, the 10 dancers are superbly coordinated and impressive, contorting themselves into a variety of shapes to represent wolves, panthers, bears and monkeys. The emotional essence is felt through the evocative score by Jocelyn Pook.

Not every story has a Disney ending and there is an important message at its core, this is a theatrical experience not to be missed.

Leeds Playhouse – until 27 May 2023

Reviewed by Dawn Smallwood

4****

Of Mice and Men, produced by the Leeds Playhouse, Birmingham Rep and Fiery Angels is visiting the Playhouse. Based on John Steinbeck’s novel and directed by Iqbal Khan, Of Mice and Men is about two migrants’ dream for a better life and a better belonging with security and identity. Atypical with many who pursue and proceed with similar dreams past, present and future.

This is the story of George (Tom McCall) and Lennie (William Young), two ranch workers, who move from place to place in California to try and find scarce work opportunities during the time of The Great Depression.

The harsh reality of that time enabled the pair to dream dreams for better things to come taking on work at Curley’s farm serves as a motivating factor. Encouragement is sought to motivate this further from Candy (Lee Ravitz), but this comes with its challenges including prejudice, racism and exclusion which makes the challenges of economic migration fiercer. It makes one question and challenge the premise of the American dream or similar ones in other countries.

This is so parallel today where many face displacing and marginalising situations to what George and Lennie and their fellow migrants faced in the story. Lennie has learning disabilities and George’s loneliness and sense of duty to Lennie are collectively solidified as the plot unravels. Loneliness, ignorance, and dreams are certainly factors among the ranch workers, Curley (Riad Richie) and his wife (Maddy Hill) whose loneliness becomes significant. A combination of circumstances, misunderstandings and varying personalities lead to tragic circumstances which left George and Lennie in a no-win situation.

A moving and thought-provoking ambient production with excelled performances from all members of the cast which is set to Ciarán Bagnall’s innovative and intimate staging and lighting. The themes do challenge, but they are ever so relevant today and a lot of thought and planning has been put into this emotive and provocative production.

Of Mice and Men may have been written more than 80 years ago but it testifies the same relevance and concern today as to the time of The Great Depression. A production to be considered!

The production is on at the Playhouse until the 27th May 2023.

Fortune Theatre – until 19 August 2023

Reviewed by Claire Roderick

5*****

This brilliant and bonkers show about one of the most brilliant and bonkers operations of WW2 is one of the best productions to hit the West End in years.

After acclaimed runs at Southwark Playhouse and Riverside Studios, The Fortune is the perfect home for this insane musical. A bigger budget adds polish and a truly glitzy finale, but the heart and soul of the show remains unchanged. (Just ask random strangers in the bars – you will bump into people on their umpteenth viewing.) The genius/gruesome plan devised by British intelligence planting fake papers about a bogus Sardinian invasion force on a corpse that would wash up on a beach in Spain for Spanish officials and German operatives to find has been portrayed on film – The Man Who Never Was in 1956 (very stiff upper lip) and Operation Mincemeat in 2021 (not even Colin Firth could save that one). It takes a special mindset to imagine that this bizarre deceit is prime material for a musical comedy, but luckily for us, SplitLip are that mad and the New Diorama Theatre were that brave. SplitLip’s (David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts) book, music and lyrics are genius (Are they ACTUALLY in MI5? If this is part of a plot to conquer the world through song and dance and clip-on ties, it could work…).

It is impossible to talk about the plan seriously, and SplitLip go straight for the comedy jugular, with most of the intelligence officers acting as if they are still in the common room of a public school and utterly convinced of their superiority. One of the intelligence men is Ian Fleming, providing a lovely running joke as his colleagues tell him how terrible his writing is. As the man child behaviour carries on, the women in the office sing a fabulous Beyonce style number about the opportunities the war has given them. The efforts to find a suitable corpse and to provide a credible life story and paper trail are fascinating and very, very funny, especially when Jak Malone’s kinky coroner is onstage. It’s not all plain sailing, with a possible double agent, some bizarre coincidences and shoddy preparation creating jeopardy and comedy gold.

Natasha Hodgson is breathtakingly brilliant and has a ball playing Ewen Montagu as a complete chancer leading the man with the plan, meek outsider Charles Cholmondeley, astray as Monty plans for a bright future living off the acclaim and fame that will inevitably be his. David Cumming is wonderfully awkward as Charles and Claire-Marie Hall is a joy as secretary Jean Leslie – the plucky gal role if this was a 1950s film, but here a fully rounded young woman relishing being valued for her ideas and not her tea -making. Zoe Roberts is deliciously daft as our hapless man in Spain, and is also the calm, mature axis of the show as Johnny Bevan, watching the antics of his men with increasing frustration and disbelief. Jak Malone is hilarious as the creepy coroner, but his beautifully judged portrayal of the mature, steadfast Hester Leggett creates one of the most moving moments in the show as Hester sings Dear Bill – a love letter to the imaginary airman. Friends who are army wives have praised (through sobs) how the gorgeous lyrics capture their turmoil of emotions perfectly and will absolutely break you. Their ensemble work is mind-blowingly intricate, and the energy blasting off the stage is incredible and truly uplifting.

SplitLip’s lyrics are fast and funny, cramming more laughs into one song than some productions manage in an entire show, and covering a wide range of musical styles, with Jenny Arnold’s inspired choreography adding to the hilarity – you’ve never seen Nazi’s move like this. Amongst the hilarity are poignant reminders of the seriousness and human cost of the mission – switching mid-song between debauched scenes in a London nightclub and the quiet tension of the submarine crew as explosions rock the vessel. The mission ends with a glitzy finale celebrating the key personnel of the mission – Monty’s entrance is worth the ticket price alone – before the cast lead a quiet but stirring tribute to the man who never was – Glyndwr Michael.

Like its inspiration, this musical straddles the line between genius and madness. When Charles has doubts about the plan, Monty advises him to grasp any small flashes of joy in this dark world – Operation Mincemeat is no small flash, it is a huge explosion of joy and wit illuminating the West End this year.

Buy. A. Ticket. You have your orders – now go!

Cambridge Arts Theatre, Cambridge – until Saturday 13th May 2023

Reviewed by Steph Lott

5*****

The enthusiastic reception from last night’s audience at Legally Blonde should tell you all you need to know if you’re thinking about coming to see Cambridge Operatic Society’s most recent production. There was plenty of admiration and laughter throughout the show.

Cambridge Operatic Society are a Cambridge based musical theatre company who perform an annual staged production under a professional director, often with a full orchestra, and have performed for many years at the Cambridge Arts Theatre.

Adapted from the iconic 2001 film starring Reese Witherspoon, Legally Blonde tells the story of Elle Woods, (played by Kaitlin Berridge) a sorority girl who enrols at Harvard Law School to win back her ex-boyfriend Warner (played by Hector Wheatley). Elle then discovers that there’s more to life than winning Warner back and that she can help others through her knowledge of the law. This surprises both Elle herself and those around her!

This is a fun and upbeat production. It’s undeniably odd at times – spoof Riverdance and a fake-Greek chorus dressed as cheerleaders! But all of this makes it ridiculous fun all the way through. It’s high energy from start to finish. The choreography is great and there are strong vocal performances from all.

There were lots of standout moments for me in this production. The duets between Warner and Elle “Serious”, and Elle and Emmett “Legally Blonde”, were really very well done. I thought Kaitlin Berridge’s depiction of Elle was absolutely spot on. She’s charming and annoying in equal measure and Kaitlin can really sing. This is also true of Amelia Bass who gave a fabulous solo performance as Paulette when she sang “Ireland.” A wonderful vocal performance.

Andrew Ruddick as Professor Callahan was the kind of villain an audience loves to hate. Smooth, oily, and ultimately sinister – and a great vocalist too.

And finally, I was in awe at the Whipped Into Shape routine – all that skipping, and Daisy Bates as Brooke Wyndham sang beautifully, and no-one seemed even out of breath!

There was a full house at this performance (I think) and so I hope that you can still get a ticket if you decide to go. The energetic cast give this their all with full sincerity and lots of skill. Definitely worth seeing.

Full cast announced for brand new musical Fury and
Elysium at The Other Palace Studio
Tuesday 6th – Sunday 18th June 2023
The Other Palace Studio, 12 Palace Street, London, SW1E 5BJ

Queer, revolutionary musical Fury and Elysium has announced the cast for its run at The Other Palace Studio this summer, immersing audiences in Weimar-era Berlin and the fight for artistic revolution against the backdrop of the rise of fascism.

Fury and Elysium will star Danielle Steers (The Cher Show, UK Tour; Six, West End), Iz Hesketh (Legally Blonde, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre; Head over Heels, Manchester Hope Mill Theatre), Rosie Yadid (Bad Jews, Arts Theatre), Ashley Goh (The Phase, VAULT Festival; Red Riding Hood, Theatre Royal Stratford East), Maya Kristal Tenenbaum (The Band’s Visit, Donmar Warehouse) and Michal Horowicz (The Band’s Visit, Donmar Warehouse; Amsterdam, Orange Tree Theatre). Charlotte Clitherow (Zorro, Cadogan Hall) also joins the ensemble as swing/standby.

Directed by Rafaella Marcus (SAP, Soho Theatre & UK Tour; Emilia, Vaudeville Theatre) &
Karoline Gable (Oslo, National Theatre/West End), this epic new production explores queer culture and the fascinating lives of three very different Jewish women coming from the worlds of expressionist art, political agitation and the drag king scene. Fury and Elysium has a book by Stephanie Martin (Juniper and Jules, Soho Theatre; Passion Fruit, New Diorama Theatre) and music and lyrics by renowned singer-songwriter Calista Kazuko Georget.

Co-director Rafaella Marcus says, I’m thrilled to be working on this new musical about some of the extraordinary Jewish, queer and trans people who lived and made art in the darkest of times. I can’t wait to bring Stephanie and Calista’s bold, furious, playful work to audiences who in turn might be inspired to find resistance in art, together with my co-director Karoline and this fantastic cast of Jewish and queer artists.

Karoline Gable adds, It feels as important as ever to celebrate the many different forms resistance can take, and to investigate how fury, intersectional solidarity and artistic expression as a radical act can become a life line. I can’t wait to go on this journey together with Rafaella and this truly exciting cast of trailblazing artists.

Fury and Elysium is based on an original idea by Patrick Ehmcke-Kennedy and Stephanie Martin and is produced by Tanya Truman Productions.

SHOWS AND JUDGES CONFIRMED FOR THE

ACTING FOR OTHERS

2023 WEST END FLEA MARKET

Theatrical charity Acting for Others today announces the leading West End theatre shows participating in this year’s West End Flea Market. The event takes place on Saturday 20 May at St Paul’s Church, Covent Garden, from 10am – 2pm. Entry is just £5 and there is limited capacity to the event.

Top West End shows will set up uniquely designed stalls with show-themed merchandise, special limited-edition collectables, theatrical memorabilia, signed posters and special items for auction. Each stall will be tailored by the company to celebrate their productions, including Back to the Future, Concord Theatricals, Disney on Stage, Menier Chocolate Factory, Hamilton, Jersey Boys, Les Misérables, Mamma Mia, Moulin Rouge, The Phantom of The Opera, Rocky Horror Show, SIX the Musical, The Book of Mormon, The Mousetrap, The Play That Goes Wrong, The Theatre Café and Go Live Theatre Projects.

Signing autographs on the day, which this year relocates to inside the church, are Christopher Biggins, Arlene Phillips, Bonnie Langford, Samantha Bond, Harriet Thorpe, Frances Mayli McCann, Jordan Luke Gage, Jodie Steele, George Maguire, Cassidy Janson, Christina Bianco, Mazz Murray, Aimie Atkinson, John Owen-Jones and Oliver Tompsett.

Shows hosting a stall will compete to win Best Dressed Stall, decided by a panel of starry judges including West End Flea Market regular and national treasure Christopher Biggins and award-winning choreographer Dame Arlene Phillips, with the winner announced at the event.

Other highlights of the third annual market consist of the return of Biggins Bargains live auctions – the Bargain Hunt inspired activity where two celebrity teams battle it out to auction off their theatrical finds for the highest amount, taking place at 1pm inside the Church followed by a Panto Dame sing-along with West End sensation Emma Lindars. Flea Market favourite Psychic Su Pollard will also be back to tell your fortunes, and there’s a chance to win VIP tickets to see Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends thanks to the tombola, as well as other prizes up for grabs in this year’s raffle. Brand new Acting For Others merchandise will be available to purchase on the day, as well as signed posters and programmes, festival face painting and theatrical memorabilia. 

Keep an eye on Acting for Others socials to stay up to date on announcements:

Facebook: /Acting4Others

Instagram: @actingforothers

Twitter: @ActingForOthers

West End Flea Market is organised in aid of Acting for Others, a fundraising organisation for a network of 14 UK theatrical and welfare charities supporting all theatre workers.

With thanks to sponsors The Mackintosh Foundation and Actors Benevolent Fund.

For those unable to attend the event, Acting for Otherscan still be supported by donating at www.actingforothers.co.uk/donate

www.actingforothers.co.uk       

Facebook: /Acting4Others

Instagram: @actingforothers

Twitter: @ActingForOthers

#WestEndFleaMarket

West End Flea Market

Saturday 20 May 2023, 10am – 2pm

St Paul’s Church, Bedford Street, London, WC2E 9ED

Entry £5

THE TURBINE THEATRE ANNOUNCES 

TWO NEW MUSICALS FOR THE SUMMER

RUNNING FROM
07 JULY –  23 SEPTEMBER 2023

The Turbine Theatre, at Battersea Power Station is excited to bring Halls, a new musical directed by Andy Fickman (Heathers) and written by Jennifer Harrison and George Stroud, to audiences from 07 July.

Having previously been performed at MTFest 2022 in workshop form, this summer will see the production in the next stage of its development.

Centring around eight first-year, university students, from different backgrounds and upbringings, who are brought together when they’re all allocated the same flat in Halls of Residence, Flat 15B.

The show follows the characters over the course of the academic year, exploring the relationships they form, as they learn to live together whilst experiencing student life.
Freshers week, exam stress, the cost of student living, and romance, are all key themes in this coming-of age-story. Laugh, and cry, as the flatmates find their feet in a world where their decisions are now entirely their own. The upbeat, contemporary, pop-rock soundtrack mirrors the sense of nostalgia that the show evokes.

What does development production mean?

The Turbine Theatre is a space for new work to be tried out. A safe space where writers and creatives have the time and environment to play. This means that the creative team will be working on the material and fine-tuning it during its run.

All production elements (sound/lighting/set/costume etc ) are there to give you an idea of what the show will be in a more realised scenario as opposed to it feeling ‘finished’. Most importantly, the way our audiences engage with the show will dictate how it develops so do come along and be a crucial part of this exciting journey as Halls evolves.

Ten years after the award winning TV show, Breaking Bad, hit our screens comes: Faking Bad – The Unauthorised Parody Methsical.

Written by Rob Gathercole and directed by Andrew Beckett, the show arrives on the Turbine Theatre stage from 17 August.

Breaking Bad is widely considered one of the best TV shows of the 21^st Century. Similarly this very unauthorised tribute to it, Faking Bad is (predicted) to be one of the most stupid and best pieces of musical theatre to ever grace a stage!

The production will feature actor-musicians who, against the backdrop of an old industrial tunnel, condense the epic story ofa lost chemistry teacherinto a one act musical comedy. 

This all singing, all dancing methsical contains a ridiculous array of musical styles and theatrical tropes to speed through 62 hours of television in under 90 minutes, with the  promise to keep the audiences laughing, on this joyous ride through the desert! We promise it won’t be dry and there will be Mexican hats…maybe maracas!

Come jump in our RV for this chaotic and zany tribute to one of the best written binges this century. 

Mayflower Theatre, Southampton – until 13 May 2023

Reviewed by Gemma Gibson

4****

Put explosive and athletic choreography, a mix of iconic styles and a dramatic story with twists and turns together, complete with a catalogue of songs inspired by the brilliant lyrical genius Sting, and you’ve got yourself an incredible new dance show. 

Message in a Bottle is a refreshing new work that shines the light on a different side of conflict, war and displacement.  

In this fictional tale of loss and love, exploring real life themes, we follow the lives of a family impacted by a civil war and their attempted travels to safer shores. When teenage siblings Leto, Mati and Tana are separated during the journey, it is up to them to persevere alone but with family in their hearts.

Directed and choreographed by Kate Prince, and performed by ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company, this work has everything you would expect from a dance show. In particular for me, the fusion of dance styles, the emotion and chemistry between characters, and the attention-to-detail musicality. 

The mixture of break dancing, effortless lifts and intricate, fast footwork is performed with so much power and emotion, it is mesmerising from start to finish. And it tells the story beautifully. 

What adds an extra layer to this piece is of course the music, using a range of songs written by musical legend Sting. I had no idea what to expect, but the incorporation of such evocative, passionate and catchy music and lyrics amplified the piece to new heights. 

Everyone was waiting for Roxanne to make an appearance, and it did not disappoint. 

Other songs including Fields of Gold, Every Breath you Take, and, of course, Message in a Bottle, had the audience tapping and humming along throughout. And it’s these timeless hits that are cleverly used to capture the important storyline, movement and emotion of each and every scene.

Message in a Bottle’s lighting and costume is a fantastic aid in telling the story, but how the set is used, from crates to climbing frames, is just so well done too. It is another way of moving the story along while showing off the personality, strength and talent of each dancer. 

The choice of coupling this plot and music may feel random at first, but by the time you are leaving the theatre it just makes complete sense. This show is a masterpiece.

THE TONY® AND GRAMMY® AWARD-WINNING, HADESTOWN OPENS AT THE LYRIC THEATRE, IN LONDON’S WEST END FROM 10 FEBRUARY 2024

Tickets on sale from 23 May 2023 at 12pm

For information and to book visit uk.hadestown.com
 

London; Friday 12 May 2023: Producers of Hadestown have confirmed the return of this multi award-winning new musical to the UK.  Winner of 8 Tony® Awards including ‘Best Musical’ and a Grammy® Award for ‘Best Musical Theatre Album’, Hadestown will make its West End premiere at the Lyric Theatre from Saturday 10 February 2024.  This announcement marks the show’s highly anticipated return to London five years after its sold out run at the National Theatre in 2018.

Hadestown features music, lyrics and book by acclaimed Grammy® winning singer-songwriter and BBC Radio 2 Folk Award-winner Anaïs Mitchell, who originatedHadestown as anindie theatre project and acclaimed album.  Mitchell then transformed the show into a genre-defying new musical alongside artistic collaborator and Tony® Award-winning director Rachel Chavkin, whose theatre credits include Mission Drift (National Theatre) and American Clock (The Old Vic).

Hadestown takes you on an unforgettable journey to the underworld and back, intertwining two mythic love stories – that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone.  A deeply resonant and defiantly hopeful theatrical experience, Hadestown invites you to imagine how the world could be.

Blending modern American folk music with New Orleans-inspired jazz, the Original Broadway Cast Recording of Hadestown is one of the most streamed cast albums of all time with over 300 million streams to date.  It won the Grammy Award® for ‘Best Musical Theatre Album’,topped Billboard’s Broadway Cast Recording chart and debuted at #8 on the Top Album chart.

Anaïs Mitchell said:

“We’re all thrilled to be bringing Hadestown back to London!  We truly loved our time at the National Theatre in 2018 and felt so welcomed by your city that it feels like a homecoming to be returning (to the West End)!  I’m excited to work in and with the fantastic theatre community of London, and to share the newest version of our show, as there was a great deal of development pre-Broadway based on things we learned at the National!  And it’s always a curious gift to witness how this epic myth vibrates differently in different places and times.  That is, West End Hadestown will be its own world- born of London and the now- and we can’t wait to discover it.”

The Hadestown creative team features Tony Award winner Rachel Hauck (set design), four-time Tony Award nominee Michael Krass (costume design), two-time Tony Award winner Bradley King (lighting design), Tony Award winners Nevin Steinberg and Jessica Paz (sound design), Obie Award® winner and Chita Rivera Award® winner David Neumann (choreography), Liam Robinson (music direction and vocal arrangements), Tony Award winners Michael Chorney and Todd Sickafoose (arrangements and orchestrations), and Ken Cerniglia (dramaturgy).

Hadestown is produced in London by Mara Isaacs, Dale Franzen, Hunter Arnold, Tom Kirdahy and the National Theatre in association with JAS Theatricals.  Casting to be announced.  

Hadestown opened in 2016 at the New York Theatre Workshop before a production in Edmonton, Canada and a sold out run at the National Theatre in 2018.  After further development, Hadestown premiered at Broadway’s Walter Kerr Theater, winning 8 Tony Awards including Best Musical. It now holds the record for the highest grossing musical and longest running show in the theatre’s 100-year history.  The North American tour is celebrating its second year of sold-out performances with many return engagements also announced from July 2023. 

Hadestown was developed with funding from the Eli and Edythe Broad Stage at the Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center and was further developed by The Ground Floor at Berkeley Repertory Theatre.  Hadestown was co-conceived by Ben t. Matchstick.

Hadestown in the West End is supported by American Express, the National Theatre’s Preferred Card Partner.