BOOKING TO OPEN FOR THE

WORLD PREMIERE 

OF

STRANGER THINGS: 

 THE FIRST SHADOW

A NEW STORY LIVE ON STAGE

FINAL CHANCE TO SIGN UP AND RECEIVE PRIORITY BOOKING

PRIORITY BOOKING OPENS ON 28 MARCH

GENERAL TICKETS RELEASED 30 MARCH

PERFORMANCES BEGIN NOVEMBER 2023

AT PHOENIX THEATRE, LONDON

TICKETS CAN BE BOOKED FROM JUST £20, WITH OVER 500 SEATS EACH WEEK AT £20 OR UNDER

Based on an original story by the Duffer Brothers, Jack Thorne and Kate Trefry, STRANGER THINGS: THE FIRST SHADOW, a new play written by Kate Trefry, will receive its world premiere at the Phoenix Theatre in London’s West End, directed by Stephen Daldry with co-direction by Justin Martin. The production previews from 17 November, with an official opening night on 14 December 2023.

Priority booking for the production opens on 28 March from 12pm GMT (7am Eastern Time) with access given to those who have signed up via the mailing list at strangerthingsonstage.com – it is still possible to sign up to the mailing list until 26 March. Public booking then opens on 30 March at 12pm GMT (7am Eastern Time), but signing up for priority access is highly recommended.

Tickets can be booked from just £20, with over 500 seats each week at £20 or under.

A weekly lottery for late-release tickets will be announced closer to first performance.

Further information on how to access these tickets will be announced later this year.

Hawkins, 1959: a regular town with regular worries. Young Jim Hopper’s car won’t start, Bob Newby’s sister won’t take his radio show seriously and Joyce Maldonado just wants to graduate and get the hell out of town. When new student Henry Creel arrives, his family finds that a fresh start isn’t so easy… and the shadows of the past have a very long reach.

Brought to life by a multi-award-winning creative team, who take theatrical storytelling and stagecraft to a whole new dimension, this gripping new adventure will take you right back to the beginning of the Stranger Things story – and may hold the key to the end.

This new play by Kate Trefry, a writer and co-executive producer for the TV series of Stranger Things, will be rooted in the mythology and world of the Netflix global phenomenon.   Produced by Netflix and Sonia Friedman Productions,the Duffer Brothers act as creative producers, with 21 Laps as associate producer.

Created by the Duffer Brothers, Stranger Things debuted on Netflix on 15 July 2016. Its fourth season (released in 2022) tops the Netflix Most Popular English TV list at #1 with 1.35 billion hours viewed; the third season released in 2019 still holds at #6 with 582.1 million hours viewed. The series has garnered over 70 awards worldwide including Emmys and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series, and has been nominated for over 230 awards. Recently Stranger Things completed its record-breaking fourth season to huge acclaim, becoming the biggest premiere weekend ever for an English-language TV show on Netflix.

STRANGER THINGS: THE FIRST SHADOW will be directed by Stephen Daldry with co-director Justin Martin, set design by Miriam Buether, costume design by Brigitte Reiffenstuel, lighting design by Jon Clark, sound design by Paul Arditti, illusions design & visual effects by Jamie Harrison & Chris Fisher, video design & visual effects by 59 Productions, movement direction by Coral Messam, wigs, hair and make-up design by Campbell Young Associates, casting by Charlotte Sutton CDG, international casting consultancy by Jim Carnahan, Gary Beestone for Gary Beestone Associates is Technical Director, with further creative team members to be announced.

Further ticket information, on-sale details, performance schedule, full creative team and casting to be announced at a later date.

Strangerthingsonstage.com

Instagram.com/STOnStage

Tiktok.com/STOnStage

Facebook.com/StOnStage

Twitter.com/StOnStage

***

Netflix and Sonia Friedman Productions present

STRANGER THINGS: 

THE FIRST SHADOW

By Kate Trefry

Original story by the Duffer Brothers, Jack Thorne & Kate Trefry

Based on the Netflix Series, Stranger Things, created by the Duffer Brothers

Director: Stephen Daldry; Creative Producers: The Duffer Brothers; Co-Director: Justin Martin;

Set designer: Miriam Buether; Costume designer: Brigitte Reiffenstuel; Lighting designer: Jon Clark; Sound designer: Paul Arditti; illusions design & visual effects by Jamie Harrison & Chris Fisher;

video design & visual effects by 59 Productions; Movement director: Coral Messam;

Wigs, Hair and Make-Up designer: Campbell Young Associates; Casting director: Charlotte Sutton CDG; International casting consultant: Jim Carnahan; Associate Producers: Shawn Levy & Dan Cohen for 21 Laps.

The Duffer Brothers broke out onto the scene in late 2011 when, fresh out of college, they had multiple movie studios vying for their horror-thriller spec script Hidden, which landed at Warner Bros. The Duffers directed the film, which starred Alexander Skarsgård and Andrea Riseborough and was released in 2015. Shortly afterwards, they wrote and were executive producers on M. Night Shyamalan’s hit television show Wayward Pines. The Duffer Brothers then created the worldwide phenomenon Stranger Things for Netflix in 2016 starring Winona Ryder and David Harbour. The fourth season of the series, which they wrote, directed, and executive produced, became the most viewed season of English-language TV in a single week on Netflix with 335.01 million hours viewed in its first seven days. In 2022, The Duffer Brothers announced the launch of their production company Upside Down Pictures. The company has multiple projects in development including an all-new live-action television adaptation of the renowned Japanese manga and anime series Death Note; an original series from creators Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews; a series adaptation of Stephen King and Peter Straub‘s The Talisman alongside Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment and Paramount Television; and a live-action Stranger Things spin-off series based on an original idea.

Kate Trefry is a writer and Co-Executive Producer on Stranger Things. She has had two Black List scripts: Pure O, currently being adapted as a series for Netflix, and Revolver, with Maya and Ethan Hawke attached to star and Andrew Stanton directing. She also wrote the final installment of Fear Street: 1666 for the R.L. Stine trilogy. Her directorial debut short How To Be Alone starred Maika Monroe and Joe Keery and premiered at SXSW.

Jack Thorne’s plays include After Life (National Theatre), A Christmas Carol (The Old Vic/ Broadway/The Old Vic: In Camera), Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (West End/Broadway /international), Sunday (Atlantic Theatre), The End of History, Hope (Royal Court Theatre), King Kong (Broadway), Woyzeck (The Old Vic), Mydidae (Soho/West End), Stacy (Tron/Arcola/West End), Let the Right One In (West End/Dundee Rep/Royal Court Theatre), Junkyard (UK tour), The Solid Life of Sugar Water (Graeae/National Theatre/UK tour), Bunny (Nabokov/UK tour/New York), and Stuart: A Life Backwards (Sheffield Crucible/UK tour). His television includes Help, Then Barbara Met Alan, CripTales, The Eddy, The Accident, His Dark Materials, Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams, Kiri, National Treasure, The Last Panthers, Don’t Take My Baby, This Is England, The Fades, Glue, Cast Offs. Film includes: The Swimmers, Enola Holmes, The Secret Garden, The Aeronauts, Dirt Music, Radioactive, Wonder, War Book, A Long Way Down, and The Scouting Book for Boys. His work for television has won him five BAFTAs and an RTS Television Award. In 2022 Jack was the recipient of both the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain award for Outstanding Contribution to Writing, and the Royal Television Society’s award for Outstanding Contribution to British Television. He is a patron of Graeae Theatre Company, an associate artist of the Old Vic Theatre, and launched the pressure group Underlying Health Condition to champion disabled representation in the TV industry.

Stephen Daldry started his career at the Sheffield Crucible and directed extensively in Britain’s regional theatres. In London, he was Artistic Director of the Gate Theatre and the Royal Court Theatre where he headed a £26 million redevelopment. He has also directed at the National Theatre, the Public Theatre in New York, and transferred many productions both to Broadway and the West End. His award-winning 1992 National Theatre production of An Inspector Calls is currently touring the UK. Billy Elliot the Musical has previously played in the West End, on Broadway, Australia (Sydney and Melbourne), North America, Toronto, The Netherlands, UK & Ireland Tours, Hamburg, Tokyo, and Seoul. In 2009, the production won 10 Tony Awards including Best Musical, more than any other British show in Broadway history. Stephen directed productions of The Audience and Skylight, both of which were highly acclaimed and went on to win major theatre awards, completing sell-out runs in London and on Broadway. In 2017, Stephen directed The Jungle at the Young Vic, an intimate immersive theatrical experience about the ongoing migrant crisis in Europe. The Jungle transferred to the West End in June 2018 and has since completed well-received productions in San Francisco & New York. It returns to New York’s St. Ann’s Warehouse in early 2023. In 2018, Stephen directed The Inheritance, Matthew Lopez’s epic two-part play, which followed its sold out run at the Young Vic by transferring to the West End.  Stephen won the 2019 Best Director Olivier Award for The Inheritance. The production moved to Broadway in 2019 and Stephen won a Tony for Best Direction of a Play in 2021. His first four films Billy Elliot, The Hours, The Reader and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close collectively received 19 Academy Award® nominations and two wins. His most recent film, Together, for the BBC and set during the Covid-19 Pandemic, won Best Single Drama at the 2022 TV BAFTAs. He has previously directed for BBC Radio and Television and is Director and Executive Producer on the Netflix series The Crown, winner of 21 Primetime Emmy Awards,written by Peter Morgan. The sixth and final season is currently in production with Stephen returning to direct the final episode. He is an Artistic Director of the Pier 55 performance park Little Island in New York, as well as sitting on the Board for the new Perlman Arts Center. He was Creative Executive Producer for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. He is Chairman of a refugee arts charity Good Chance, producers of The Jungle. His latest production with Good Chance, The Walk, saw a 10ft tall puppet of a Syrian refugee girl, Little Amal, walk from Turkey to Glasgow in 2021.

Justin Martin is a multi-award-winning director working in theatre, film and television. Most recently he directed Jodie Comer in her West End stage debut in Prima Facie by Suzie Miller. The sold-out award-winning production received rave reviews. The subsequent NT Live/Empire Street broadcast of the play broke box office records to become the highest earning event cinema release of all time. His production is heading to Broadway in Spring 2023. In 2021 he co-directed the critically acclaimed and BAFTA Award-winning film Together with Stephen Daldry for Sonia Friedman Productions, BBC Films, and Shoebox Films (starring James McAvoy and Sharon Horgan). His award-winning production of The Jungle (A Young Vic/National Theatre co-production also co-directed with Daldry) most recently played in San Francisco (2019), following sellout seasons at St Ann’s Warehouse in New York (2018), in the West End (2018) and at The Young Vic (2017). The show garnered awards including an Obie, a Southbank Sky Arts Award and a Broadway World Award for Best Direction. The Jungle is currently playing at St Ann’s Warehouse ahead of a tour to Washington DC. His critically acclaimed production of Low Level Panic sold out twice at the Galway Theatre Festival before touring throughout Ireland and to a sell-out season in Australia. Other theatre credits include: Last Chance: A Plea For the Unaccompanied Children of Calais (Young Vic), The Nether (Seymour Centre, Sydney), Far Away (fortyfivedownstairs, Melbourne), Fifty Two (Leicester Square Theatre), Good Chance/No Chance (as part of the Southbank Centre’s Festival of Love), Harvey and Frieda (Arcola Theatre), Street (Mick Laly Theatre – Galway Theatre Festival), The Kitchen (HM Theatre, Victoria) and Skintight (fortyfivedownstairs, Melbourne). He has a long collaboration with director Stephen Daldry. Most recently, he was the associate director for Daldry’s award-winning production of The Inheritance (Young Vic/West End/Broadway) for which Daldry gave him the Olivier Award for Best Direction. He was the associate director for both Skylight and The Audience in the West End and on Broadway.  He also worked with John Tiffany and Steven Hoggett on the National Theatre of Scotland’s production of Let The Right One In (Dundee Rep/Royal Court/West End/St Ann’s, NY/US Tour). He was an associate director on Billy Elliot the Musical working on Broadway, throughout North America, Korea, Amsterdam and Australia. His other screen credits include The Lovers for Sky Atlantic, Sundance and AMC, the first two seasons of the award-winning Netflix series The Crown, the upcoming Netflix film The Beautiful Game, and hugely successful NT Live performances of Prima Facie, Skylight and The Audience. He is an associate artist with Good Chance Theatre – a company dedicated to making work with and about refugees. He has directed a number of works for them, including most recently working on a number of promos for The Walk – a theatre festival spanning 8000km from the Syrian border to Manchester. He was the inaugural recipient of the Roger Leach Award for Theatre.

NOTTINGHAM PLAYHOUSE AND ELEANOR LLOYD PRODUCTIONS PRESENT

CHARLES DICKENS’ A CHRISTMAS CAROL 

A GHOST STORY 

ADAPTED BY MARK GATISS 

INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK, TWITTER – @XmasCarolLDN

• MARK GATISS’ ADAPTATION OF A CHRISTMAS CAROL RETURNS TO NOTTINGHAM PLAYHOUSE AND ALEXANDRA PALACE THIS FESTIVE SEASON
   
• FIRST PREMIERED IN 2021 THE PRODUCTION WAS SEEN IN CINEMAS AND ON THE BBC IN 2022
   
• TICKETS ARE ON SALE FOR BOTH RUNS NOW AT WWW.NOTTINGHAMPLAYHOUSE.CO.UK AND WWW.CHRISTMASCAROLONSTAGE.CO.UK
   
• FULL CASTING TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON 

Marley was dead: to begin with.

Following a phenomenally successful premiere season in 2021, Mark Gatiss’ retelling of Dickens’ winter ghost story returns to Nottingham Playhouse as well as the hauntingly atmospheric Alexandra Palace for Christmas 2023. Filled with Dickensian, spine-tingling special effects, prepare to be frightened and delighted in equal measure as you enter the supernatural Victorian world of A Christmas Carol.

It’s a cold Christmas Eve and mean-spirited miser Ebenezer Scrooge has an unexpected visit from the spirit of his former business partner Jacob Marley. Bound in chains as punishment for a lifetime of greed, the unearthly figure explains it isn’t too late for Scrooge to change his miserly ways in order to escape the same fate, but first he’ll have to face three more eerie encounters…

Mark Gatiss said: “I’m delighted that my adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is returning to Nottingham Playhouse and Alexandra Palace this year after such a successful outing last time.  I’m sad to say that having fulfilled my lifetime ambition of Jacob Marley, I shall be hanging up my chains, but I am extremely delighted and excited at the prospect of a new Scrooge and Marley to take up the reins for this festive season.  I can’t wait to be part of it again and see it from the other side of the veil.”

Directed by Adam Penford (The Clothes They Stood Up In, The Madness of George III) the story stays true to the spirit of the original novel. The acclaimed production first premiered at Nottingham Playhouse in 2021, transferred to London’s Alexandra Palace Theatre, and was then released in a filmed version in UK cinemas in 2022 and shown on BBC4 over the Christmas period. 

‘Waldo’s Circus of Magic & Terror’: a new circus theatre musical and spectacular story of love and resistance set in a travelling circus comes to The Lowry this April.

A daring tale of humanity, Waldo’s Circus of Magic & Terror is based on an original idea by Hattie Naylor, and co-written by Hattie Naylor and Jamie Beddard with an original score by Charles Hazlewood arrives at The Lowry, Salford from Thursday 20 to Saturday 22 April.

Set in 1933 Germany where Nazis are burning books and suspending civil rights, Waldo and his eclectic troupe of acrobats and clowns dedicate themselves to their craft. Concealed within the glamour of Waldo’s big top, stories of love, courage and resistance are revealed as the world outside this remarkable circus troupe becomes darker and more dangerous. The story is informed by historical research and the experiences of real performers. The star of Waldo’s Circus is ‘Krista’ played by Abbie Purvis with Lawrence Swaddle as ‘Gerhard’. Waldo’s Circus of Magic & Terror is a large scale collaboration between D/deaf, disabled, and non-disabled artists and creators and tours nationally in 2023.

Waldo’s Circus of Magic & Terror is presented by Extraordinary Bodies based on an original idea by Hattie Naylor (Ivan and the Dogs, The Night Watch) and co-written by Hattie Naylor and Jamie Beddard (Messiah, The Elephant Man). The composer is Charles Hazlewood (Artistic Director, Paraorchestra) and it is co-directed by Claire Hodgson (Diverse City), Billy Alwen (Cirque Bijou) and Jenny Davies. Waldo’s Circus is co-produced with Bristol Old Vic and Theatre Royal Plymouth. All shows are Chilled Performances, BSL interpreted, captioned and audio described. It premieres at Bristol Old Vic with National press night on 16 March.

Extraordinary Bodies acknowledge the Holocaust and the millions of Jewish victims, and other groups* including disabled people who were targeted for persecution and murder. In making this work, the company affirms its unwavering commitment to counter antisemitism, racism, and other forms of intolerance that may lead to group-targeted violence. 

The world of Waldo’s Circus of Magic & Terror takes the painted-on glamour, skilful risk-taking, fierce loyalty, and the idea that ‘the show must go on’ as its narrative pillars. Set in 1933 when the law for “Prevention of Offspring with Hereditary Diseases” is passed, Waldo the Ringmaster with his travelling circus of outcasts and misfits, acrobats and aerialists, lovers and fighters are surviving in the fervour of Hitler’s dictatorship.

Jamie Beddard, Writer said: “As a disabled person and artist, I’m acutely aware of the stigmatisation of particular groups and people through the growth of fascism in the past and now. The popularity of Eugenics in early 1930s Germany marked the beginning of a dark chapter in history where millions of people who were deemed not to conform were brutally hunted down and ‘dealt with’. Whilst researching this period, the role of the circus in helping some of these people escape and find sanctuary provided the basis for Waldo’s Circus. Our dramatic exploration of this moving and brave story reminds us to be always vigilant, and with the energy, skills and creativity of our artists, we hope to create a spectacular, meaningful and vital piece” 

Hattie Naylor, Writer said: “The inspiration and story of Waldo’s Circus evolved from initial interest and conversations generated by Todd Browning’s iconic film Freaks, released in 1932. It occurred to me that there must have been circuses in Germany that had so-called ‘freak shows’ at that time. So, I started researching, and I found that not only was this the case but these performers were smuggled out of the country through the circus networks, to Paris and beyond. Jamie, Extraordinary Bodies and I worked on the characters together, taking inspiration from a variety of circus artists from both the past and present. Extraordinary Bodies is not only doing radical work but is utterly inclusive and aims as a principle to make everyone welcome and heard. It is a privilege to work with a company with this profound ethos at its heart.”

The score is composed by Charles Hazlewood and developed alongside rehearsals, and research and development sessions with the cast and creatives. The music promises a bold mix of styles with live, multi-instrumentalists onstage.

Charles Hazlewood, Composer said: “When I write a score for a piece of theatre, I write for the performers in the rehearsal room and borrow from each and any, and all musical worlds. For Waldo’s Circus where Hattie and Jamie have written very beautiful, lyrical prose, I thought – how about if we created a kind of punk circus that also borrowed from new romanticism, techno and renaissance? There’s no incongruity about having a punk aria followed by a piece of renaissance counterpoint – and that’s what the show will be. Extraordinary Bodies is a phenomenally skilled, and ultimately, very, very open-hearted, adventurous bunch of individuals.”

Announcing lead performers Abbie Purvis and Lawrence Swaddle:

Abbie Purvis is an actor and musical theatre performer. She plays ‘Krista’, the star of the circus and the main attraction. She has a brave heart and is funny, sassy and loyal. The circus is Krista’s family and the only place where she has felt safe. Purvis comes from a lineage of actors, she is the granddaughter of Jack Purvis (Time Bandits, Monty Python and Star Wars) and her mother Katie Purvis played the iconic role of Maternal Ewok in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi. 

Lawrence Swaddle plays ‘Gerhard’, handsome but gullible, and a Nazi Party member. Lawrence is an actor and circus performer who trained at the Oxford School of Drama. Over his career, he has performed internationally and nationally in circus shows and theatre productions.

Extraordinary Bodies is a collaboration between Cirque Bijou and Diverse City, who have worked together for the last decade creating multi-disciplinary circus shows with D/deaf, disabled and non-disabled artists. 

Claire Hodgson and Billy Alwen, Co-Directors, Extraordinary Bodies said: “In Extraordinary Bodies’ shows, we try to reflect the world as it truly is – on stage. It is important that our work connects the inside and the outside of theatres to the audiences that see it, and we embed the work as much as possible in the community before and after the shows. Waldo’s Circus is a cross-genre feast and the music is surprising, jumping across genres and decades. The circus will be varied and exciting. It is quite punk, feisty, astonishing and about the best of us and the worst of us as humans. You will be entranced by the performers and their characters and unable to forget the beautiful writing and the songs.”

For more information and tickets visit www.thelowry.com.

HANGING AROUND:
THE PLEASANCE | 4th Apr 2023 – 8th Apr 2023
Stacey Evans’ debut play as a writer/performer lands at the Pleasance this Spring, as part
of their New Work Season

Following critical success for their previous horror-themed work at the Old Red Lion and VAULT Festival, Burn Bright Theatre will team up with regular collaborator Stacey Evans (Funny Women Comedy Writing Award shortlist) to present her debut play Hanging Around.

Agatha Soton was hung for witchcraft in 1665 – something which she is understandably rather iirked about. Her great, great, great, great, great, great niece, Kate, leads an unassuming life of takeaway pizzas, doom scrolling and constant feelings of inadequacy. After an unexpected accident, Agatha finds herself back – and sharing Kate’s body. As Kate struggles to maintain control, Agatha has no intention of leaving without a fight.

Fleabag meets The Wicker Man meets Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace in a brand new horror comedy about identity, truth, and the peculiar challenges of living (particularly when you’re really, really dead).

Stacey Evans is an actor and writer. In 2020 she was shortlisted for the Funny Women Comedy Writing Award for her original script Big Time. Theatre credits include Macbeth (The Globe, Finding Nana (New Perspectives), Wolves Are Coming For You (Pentabus), and previously for Burn Bright Theatre, Vernon God Little and All Is Bright. TV and film includes Lee Nelson’s Well Funny People (BBC), Cold Feet (ITV), Vera (ITV), and Seat 25 (Red Kite).

Hanging Around is directed by Katherine Timms (The Milkman Cometh, VAULT Festival), and presented by Burn Bright Theatre (★★★★★ Frankenstein, Old Red Lion, (★★★★ Super Scary Film Club for Kids, VAULT Festival).

WORLD PREMIERE

OF

THE OFFICIAL

STOCK AITKEN WATERMAN MUSICAL

I SHOULD BE SO LUCKY

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY

DEBBIE ISITT

CHOREOGRAPHED BY

JASON GILKISON

OPENING AT

MANCHESTER OPERA HOUSE

ON 1 NOVEMBER 2023

WITH A CHRISTMAS SEASON AT

LEEDS GRAND THEATRE & OPERA HOUSE

FROM 12 – 30 DECEMBER 2023

Ambassador Theatre Group Productions are delighted to announce the World Premiere of the official Stock Aitken Waterman musical I SHOULD BE SO LUCKY. Written and directed by Debbie Isitt and choreographed by Jason Gilkison, the show will open at the Manchester Opera House on 1 November 2023 and play the Christmas season at Leeds Grand Theatre & Opera House from 12 – 30 December 2023 as part of a UK tour. Tour schedule below with further dates to be announced soon. www.soluckymusical.com, @Soluckymusical

Mike Stock said today “We have been approached many times over the years to authorise a musical using the songs from the Stock Aitken Waterman catalogue and have always resisted, until now! What Debbie, Jason and the team behind the show have created is a truly original and shamelessly enjoyable rollercoaster ride through our hits.”

Debbie Isitt said today “The music of Stock Aitken Waterman has been the soundtrack to both my life and the lives of all my friends. Their songs range from wonderful ballads to real pop anthems to dance floor classics, which are all perfect for an original musical.”

The Wedding is OFF, but the Honeymoon is ON! Head from the aisle to the isles in the official Stock Aitken Waterman musical featuring the soundtrack of a generation with music from pop royalty including Kylie Minogue (I Should Be So Lucky), Rick Astley (Never Gonna Give You Up), Jason Donovan (Especially For You) and Bananarama (Love In The First Degree). I SHOULD BE SO LUCKY features no less than 10 Number 1 singles and over 30 songs from the Hit Factory whose music defined an era. Ella and Nathan, a young couple, hopelessly in love and about to take the biggest step of their lives – marriage. Until it doesn’t go quite to plan. Will they be together forever, or will he make her cry and say goodbye?

I SHOULD BE SO LUCKY is written and directed by Debbie Isitt (the hit NATIVITY! franchise), choreographed by Jason Gilkison (Creative Director of Strictly Come Dancing and Eurovision 2023), with orchestrations and musical direction by George Dyer and set and costume design by Tom Rogers. It is produced by Ambassador Theatre Group Productions and Gavin Kalin Productions.

LISTINGS

I SHOULD BE SO LUCKY

UK TOUR

www.soluckymusical.com
@Soluckymusical

MONDAY 1 – SATURDAY 25 NOVEMBER 2023
MANCHESTER OPERA HOUSE

www.atgtickets.com/venues/opera-house-manchester

ON SALE 22 MARCH 2023

MONDAY 27 NOVEMBER – SATURDAY 2 DECEMBER 2023

WALES MILLENNIUM CENTRE, CARDIFF
www.wmc.org.uk

ON SALE 31 MARCH 2023

MONDAY 4 – SATURDAY 9 DECEMBER 2023
PLYMOUTH THEATRE ROYAL
www.theatreroyal.com

ON SALE SOON

TUESADY 12 – SATURDAY 30 DECEMBER 2023

LEEDS GRAND THEATRE & OPERA HOUSE

www.leedsheritagetheatres.com

ON SALE 27 MARCH 2023

TUESDAY 23 – SATURDAY 27 JANUARY 2024
MAYFLOWER THEATRE, SOUTHAMPTON

www.mayflower.org.uk

ON SALE 21 MARCH 2023

FURTHER DATES TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON

The Playhouse, Leeds – 18th March 2023

Reviewed by Sal E Marino

5*****

I’m Muslamic Don’t Panik, performed at the Playhouse (Leeds), had an atmosphere of warmth, intimacy and intrigue that struck you as soon as you walked through the stage doors. What were those colourful, exotic looking artifacts on the set and why was a baseball cap sat amongst them? Furthermore, curiosity and intrigue built when Bobak Campion entered the stage, coming down the stairs, reciting words with such soulful and rich tones. The movements that followed presented like those that were part of a ritual, it felt deep but then without warning, Bobak embodied ‘quirky character’ and started to have some banter with the audience. He was instantly likable – one of those special people who can get on with anyone and he made everyone laugh quickly and heartily.

Throughout the performance Bobak engaged in a variety of conversations, with himself, as he flipped in and out of different characterisations of people from his past. These snippets and insights of his childhood, teenage and young, adult-life helped weave together an understanding of the man -Boback – his journey and how the fusion of cultures he was part of had shaped him.

What became clear was that whatever challenges Bobak had faced in his life – humour, music and dance were mediums within which he found acceptance and peace. I think that’s true of all people if we’re fortunate enough to recognise that prejudice and hatred don’t stand up to those big hitters – the arts and laughter can break down barriers and nourish the heart; we need to experience them more!

The standout part for me was when Bobak went to Iran, his mother’s birthplace, and to his delight and total surprise he found other young people just like him – ‘bust-in-moves’ on the hip-hop / break dancing scene. Needless to say, his new friends became part of his soul family, and the bond remains all these years later. Marie ‘Petit Filou’ France and Shazad, along with Bobak, gave us a small rendition of those times and created a ‘wow’ energy that rippled right through the audience. It was awesome and took me back down memory lane to when young people used to break dance at our local youth clubs. I’d love to watch these three perform again and for longer as they have such extraordinary talent and there is a unique rawness that street dance has that can only be described as electrifying as it elevates one’s mood.

It’s hard to describe this show, you just need to go and experience it! You might be a bit confused at times, but you don’t need to think – just feel – and immerse yourself in Bobak’s world, it will enliven and educate you.

ALEXIA MCINTOSH AND KIERAN HAMILTON-AMOS TO STAR ALONGSIDE BELGRADE THEATRE CREATIVE DIRECTOR COREY CAMPBELL IN

BIG AUNTY

DIRECTED AND DEVISED BY CAMPBELL
PLAYING AT THE BELGRADE’S B2 AUDITORIUM

24 APRIL – 6 MAY 2023

TICKETS ON SALE HERE

Midlands-born performers Alexia McIntosh (‘Anna of Cleves’ in Six the Musical in the West End and on UK tour) and Kieran Hamilton-Amos (recently seen as ‘Grimeboy’ in Grimeboy at the Birmingham Rep) will join Belgrade Theatre Creative Director Corey Campbell in BIG AUNTY, directed and devised by Campbell (Fighting Irish, Seaview, Freeman). The production will also feature a seven-person ensemble choir, drawn from the talent in the local community.

Big Aunty – the first home produced show of the spring season – will play in The Belgrade’s B2 auditorium from Monday 24 April – Saturday 6 May, with a press night on Wednesday 26 April.

Big Aunty’s dead. Her funeral’s back in Jamaica, where she returned some years ago. The children she brought up together long ago, but have lost touch and gone their separate ways, are now forced to come together again, all these years later.

Big Aunty was the matriarch – a Mum to some, a ‘second’ Mum to others. She took in waifs and strays from reckless parents when they had nowhere else to go, and she gave them a home. But now she’s gone and there’s a Big Aunty-shaped hole in everyone’s world.

Now they’ll need to confront, not just each other, but their difficult pasts, and uncertain futures.

Can they finally lay their differences to rest along with Big Aunty?

This darkly comic family drama is alive with ideas and emotions that connect us all; offering a welcome opportunity to gather and reflect on challenging times, and how we can find a path to resolution.

Birmingham-born Alexia McIntosh trained at the Birmingham School of Acting, and then went on to enjoy success as part of the ‘Queedom’ playing ‘Anna of Cleves’ in Six The Musical in the West End and then on UK tour. Other stage credits include ‘Tina/Nunn’ in Sister Act at the Gordon Craig Theatre, ‘Obax’ in Opera For The Unknown Woman at the Fuel Theatre, ‘Chief Weasel’ in Wind In The Willows at the Old Rep Theatre, ‘Abiola’ in Save Our School Dinners…Jamie!! at the Belgrade Theatre and Old Rep Theatre and ‘Rosa’ in Godiva Rocks at Belgrade Theatre.

Keiren Hamilton-Amos was also born and raised in Birmingham and studied Applied Performance at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. Since graduating Keiren has been a part of varying National and International tours for many prestigious theatres and he is a long term member of Strictly Arts Theatre Company. Keiren most recently played GRIMEBOY in Grimeboy at the Birmingham Rep, Edgar in of ‘Tom’s Midnight Garden’ with Theatre by the Lake and TV debut in upcoming BBC/Netflix CHAMPION

Appointed Belgrade Creative Director in 2022, after holding the post ofone of three Co-Artistic Directors of the theatre for 2021 for City of Culture Year 2021, Corey Campbell is also Artistic Director of Strictly Arts Theatre Company, formerly supported by the Belgrade’s Springboard talent development programme. Through productions such as Green Leaves Fall and the critically acclaimed, Edinburgh sell-out show Freeman, Strictly Arts  used their collaborative, devising process to bring stories from real people to the stage, building long-lasting relationships with audiences through targeted workshop and outreach programmes, with a particular focus on African and Caribbean communities.

Corey Campbell explains, “As a devising artist, I often use theatre to help express who I am, but right now I see so many people in the same place as me. A lot of us have experienced loss over the last couple of years – it feels like the whole country is mourning.

“But as the character, Big Aunty, might say: “There is no resurrection without death”, and I’m now reaching a place where I can experience some joy through the pain of loved ones lost.

“I hope Big Aunty will offer hope to people who are also on this journey forwards, and that it will give all of us an opportunity to come together and share the experience in the unique way only theatre can provide – to laugh and cry, to heal and forgive. Live, laugh, love.”

Big Aunty is produced by The Belgrade Theatre, directed and devised by Corey Campbell with Sarah Githugu as assistant director, Claire Winfield as set designer, Joe Hornsby as lighting designer, Auden Allan as sound designer and Emma Barber as casting director. Joelle Ikwa is the community producer and choir leader.

H A R R Y   P O T T E R   A N D   T H E   C U R S E D   C H I L D

PARTS ONE AND TWO

NOW BOOKING TO MARCH 2024

WWW.HARRYPOTTERTHEPLAY.COM

Today (20 March 2023), the producers of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – Sonia Friedman Productions, Colin Callender and Harry Potter Theatrical Productions – are delighted to announce a further extension to booking for the original two-part multi award-winning production at London’s Palace Theatre to 3 March 2024. Tickets for the extended booking period will go on-sale to the general public on 23 March 2023.

Tickets remain priced from £15 per part. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child partners with TodayTix for The Friday Forty,the production’s Lottery for Patrons to apply for some of the very best seats in the theatre priced at £40 (£20 per part) which will secure a seat for both Part One and Part Two on consecutive performances. 

Special performances to celebrate your Hogwarts house will take place on Friday 12 May 2023 and an additional mid-week performance has been added for June half term on Tuesday 30May 2023. 

A further set of access performances are also available – on Saturday 9 September 2023 the performances will be audio described and on Saturday 4 November 2023 there will be a British Sign Language performance. Captioned performances will be held on Saturday 13 May 2023 and Saturday 27 January 2024. For patrons with physical access needs or for more information on access performances call 0330 333 4815 (please note, there are no general ticket sales on this number) or email [email protected].

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the first Harry Potter story to be presented on stage and the eight story in the Harry Potter series, has sold over 6 million tickets worldwide since its world premiere in London in July 2016 and holds a record 60 major honors, with nine Laurence Olivier Awards including Best New Play and six Tony Awards including Best New Play.   The international phenomenon has six productions running worldwide in London, New York, Melbourne, Hamburg, Toronto, and Tokyo. 

Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a new play by Jack Thorne, directed by John Tiffany with movement by Steven Hoggett, set by Christine Jones, costumes by Katrina Lindsay, music & arrangements by Imogen Heap, lighting by Neil Austin, sound by Gareth Fry, illusions & magic by Jamie Harrison,music supervision & arrangements by Martin Lowe, and casting by Julia Horan CDG. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is produced by Sonia Friedman Productions, Colin Callender and Harry Potter Theatrical Productions. 

Box Office – 0330 333 4813

WWW.HARRYPOTTERTHEPLAY.COM

@CursedChildLDN

Facebook.com/CursedChildLDN

instagram.com/CursedChildLDN

WizardingWorld.com

London Lifestyle Awards® 2023 nominations open –
Theatre Show of the Year
Nominations close: Sunday 4th June 2023
TOPTEN announced: Wednesday 14th June 2023

Celebrating the very best that London has to offer, the London Lifestyle Awards® 2023 has opened nominations. Anyone can make a nomination, be it business owners, show producers or members of the public. The Awards are inviting nominations from many different lifestyle sectors that make London amazing, including restaurants, bars and hotels, sport and fitness, cafés and coffee shops, hair and beauty, members’ clubs, and of course theatre. Nominations are now open for Theatre Show of the Year, sponsored by The Theatre Cafe, for London to nominate its favourite West End and off-West End productions of the last year.

The London Lifestyle Awards® is an all-year-round celebration of what this great global city has to offer. Nominations close on 4th June 2023, with the TOPTEN in each category announced on 14th June 2023, after which the public votes for the winners.

The TOPTEN for the Theatre Show of the Year will be chosen by a judging panel including category sponsors The Theatre Cafe, and Chloé Nelkin from Chloé Nelkin Consulting. The TOPTEN finalists will then go to the public vote… the ‘ultimate judges’. The London Lifestyle Awards® winners will be announced in October 2023.

The London Lifestyle Awards® acknowledges that London is an incredible city for culture and lifestyle; the businesses celebrated through these awards contribute to making this city a great destination for tourists and an exciting place to live. CEO Jason Gale created the awards in 2009, after an inspiring meeting and discussion with President Clinton about their shared love of London. Since its inception, Gale has been considered an authority in the lifestyle sector, publishing books and magazines on the topic, and contributing to programmes on the BBC, Sky and ITV.

Jason Gale comments, I am so excited about this year’s awards and finding the businesses that make London the greatest city in the world. These businesses and shows have had a challenging few years and I’m happy that the Awards can showcase them and help raise their profile. We all witnessed during and after the lockdowns how vital theatre, culture and lifestyle is to the social and economic make up of the city… great entertainment should always be celebrated. Please nominate your favourite businesses or show – whether you are a loyal fan or customer, or even the owner or producer, all nominations are welcome.

OLIVIER-NOMINATED MY SON’S A QUEER (BUT WHAT CAN YOU DO) ANNOUNCES VICTORIA SCONE AND

JAMIE WINDUST AS FINAL QUEER HERO THURSDAY GUESTS

The Olivier Award-nominated production of My Son’s a Queer, (But what can you do?) today announces RuPaul’s Drag Race UK superstar Victoria Scone and award-winning writer Jamie Windust as their two guests for the grand finale of their Queer Hero Thursdays on 30 March. This series of events sees star of the show Rob Madge welcome icons from the LGBTQ+ community for an audience Q&A about their experiences growing up and finding positivity in the world around them.

The finale of the Queer Hero Thursdays comes with the final week of the show’s second West End transfer, having extended due to public demand. Recent guests have included West End star Cherrelle Skeete and makeup artist Dominic Skinner. The post-show Q&A takes place following Thursday matinee shows and is included in the ticket price of the performance at 2:30pm.

Victoria Scone (she/they) is a drag queen and cabaret performer based in Cardiff. They are best known for competing on the third series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK in 2021, where they were the first cisgender female contestant on any series of the Drag Race franchise. They returned to compete in Canada’s Drag Race: Canada vs. the World in 2022. They have just finished leading Death Drop: Back in the Habit on its UK tour and West End run, playing Mother Superior to critical acclaim.

Jamie Windust (they/them) is an award-winning editor, author and model. With by-lines for British GQ, The Independent and now in their current position as Contributing Editor at Gay Times, their work focuses on LGBTQIA+ storytelling. Their debut book In Their Shoes: Navigating Non-Binary Life was published in 2020, where it remains in the Top 10 in the Trans Charts.

Celebrating the joy and chaos of raising a queer child, My Son’s a Queer, (But what can you do?), the award-winning solo show is playing at the Ambassadors Theatre until 1 April 2023, with tickets available from £25.

Bill Kenwright and Paul Taylor-Mills present

MY SON’S A QUEER, (BUT WHAT CAN YOU DO?)

Written and performed by Rob Madge

Directed by Luke Sheppard; Songs by Pippa Cleary; Set and costume design by Ryan Dawson Laight; Video design by George Reeve; Lighting design by Jai Morjaria; Sound design by Tingying Dong; Orchestrations by Simon Nathan

Now extended until 1 April 2023 due to public demand

Twitter, Instagram and Facebook: @MySonsAQueer

#MySonsAQueer

Listings Information

MY SON’S A QUEER, (BUT WHAT CAN YOU DO?)

Ambassadors Theatre

West Street, London WC2H 9ND

Until 1 April 2023

TICKETS

From £25

https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/my-sons-a-queer-but-what-can-you-do/ambassadors-theatre/

Monday – Saturday at 7:30pm

Thursday matinees at 2:30pm

Saturday matinees at 4pm

Schools’ performance: Thursday 23 March at 2:30pm