Southampton Mayflower – until 7th January 2023

Reviewed by Lucy Hitchcock

4****

The closest you will get to Cher has burst its way to Southampton.

From the creative prowess of Arlene Phillips, Oti Mabuse and Gabriella Slade mixed with the sterling performances of Debbie Kurup, Danielle Steers and Millie O’Connell comes the best performance and great way to start the year!

As told through the eyes of Star, Lady and Babe (Debbie Kurup, Danielle Steers and Millie O’Connell), 3 eras of Cher who are narrating the audience through her life story and entertaining us as well. These 3 actresses are incredible, with Cher’s mannerisms and voice down to a T, this is not an easy part to undertake. Together with Lucas Rush as ‘Sonny’, this foursome create an exciting and exhilarating atmosphere. The whole of this cast is on fire for every moment of the show, with the ensemble carrying out perfect dance routines and backup singing.

The stand out of this show however, is Gabriella Slade and Sophie Wilson’s incredible costuming, as well as Natascha Shnieden’s superb wigs. I could not count how many costume changes there were, but it was so impressive how intricate and detailed they were-which played perfectly to the audience. There was not an inch of the stage that didn’t glisten with sequins or rhinestones – much like Cher’s performances!!

This is an exquisite show and truly is a masterpiece. If you want an evening of excitement, hilarity and joy this is certainly for you.

Theatre Royal, Brighton – until 7 January 2023

Reviewed by Sue Bradley

4****

As we queued to get into the theatre on a cold, blustery and wet night, the ebullient tone of the evening was set by the tall man in front of us wearing fishnet stockings and sky-high stiletto heels. And, as we took our seats inside, another man sitting in front of us took off his raincoat to reveal that he was wearing nothing but a pair of skimpy gold lame underpants…..

The Rocky Horror Show is now in its 50^th year and shows no signs of slowing down.  Over the years, the audience has become an integral part of the experience. Every scene has its audience catchphrases and the audience are constantly offering new heckles, perhaps hoping that theirs will be added to the ever growing collection.

This type of audience participation can make it a challenge for the onstage performers to find their rhythm, either waiting for the next expected ‘heckle’ or being interrupted by a new one. The cast kept up the pace but the first half of the show didn’t quite crackle in the way that the second half did; by this time the audience had settled down more, allowing the cast to be more in control.

Although the show is built around the Frank N Furter character (Stephen Webb), this is very much an ensemble piece and Janet (Haley Flaherty), Brad (Richard Meek), Riff Raff (Kristian Lavercombe) and Magenta (Suzie McAdam) all keep the action flowing.

Special mention, too, to Philip Franks as the Narrator who managed a fair amount of very funny ad-libbing and interaction with the audience without losing the spirit of the script, or, indeed, his place in the script. 

Almost all of the cast are veterans of Rocky Horror – with one member having more than 2000 appearances to their credit – and this familiarity allows them and the show to rock along with evident pleasure. They just looked like they were having so much fun. 

The set design was effective rather than spectacular but, looking back, I realise it evoked the slightly shabby B-Movie theme extremely well and didn’t call attention away from the performers. 

The sound design was good – be aware that this is not a quiet show and, although I didn’t need ear plugs, there were a couple of moments which took it pretty close to the edge – it should be said that this wasn’t gratuitous use of volume – just serving the plot. And the on-stage live band (just visible to the back and above the heads of the performers) are polished enough to know how not to overpower the singers.

Nobody comes to see the Rocky Horror Show expecting to see ‘High Art’ or have their critical thinking challenged. Instead, they come to join in a theatrical experience, and this they get in spades. Flashy, high-camp, funny, tongue-in-cheek vulgar (but never crass) and hugely entertaining. Get a ticket any way you can and, as no two nights will ever be quite the same, don’t resist coming again! 

This show has received so many superlatives, it is difficult to know what to say so instead I’ll paraphrase a line from the show: “Dammit, Rocky, I Love you!”

FULL CAST ANNOUNCED FOR

MEDEA

STARRING SOPHIE OKONEDO AND BEN DANIELS

DIRECTED BY DOMINIC COOKE

@SOHOPLACE THEATRE

• Sophie Okonedo and Ben Daniels will be joined by Marion Bailey, Penny Layden, Jo McInnes and Amy Trigg in Robinson Jeffers’ adaptation of Euripides’ MEDEA, directed by Dominic Cooke. 
• Opening @sohoplace theatre on 17 February 2023, with previews from 10 February.
• The production will run until 22 April 2023 in a strictly limited 10-week season.
• MEDEA is the second West End production for Fictionhouse, run by Dominic Cooke and Kate Horton.
• Fictionhouse’s first West End production, GOOD starring David Tennant, is concluding its record breaking, extended run to sold out houses at The Harold Pinter Theatre on 7^th January.
• Tickets for MEDEA are on sale now.

Fictionhouse Limited, Nica Burns and Kate Pakenham Productions today announce full casting for MEDEA, adapted by Robinson Jeffers from the play by Euripides, directed by Dominic Cooke. The production stars the previously announced Sophie Okonedo (Medea) and Ben Daniels (Jason/Creon/Aegeus). They will be joined by Marion Bailey (Nurse), Penny Layden (3^rd Woman of Corinth), Jo McInnes (1^st Woman of Corinth) and Amy Trigg (2^nd Woman of Corinth) with understudies Alicia Charles, Leda Hodgson and Tom Peters. MEDEA opens at @sohoplace theatre on 17 February, with previews from 10 February, and runs until 22 April 2023.

MEDEA sees Dominic Cooke reuniting with long-term collaborators Sophie Okonedo and Ben Daniels, most recently with BBC’s The Hollow Crown – Wars of the Roses, in addition to working together across multiple stage productions since the 1990s.

What could turn a woman from a lover into a destroyer of love?

MEDEA tells the story of a woman laid bare by grief and rage, and her terrible quest for revenge against the men who have abandoned her.

Sophie Okonedo brings her visceral, mercurial brilliance to literature’s most titanic female protagonist, whose complexity and contradictions have kept audiences on the edge of their seats, unable to look away, for almost 2,500 years.

Design                                 Vicki Mortimer

Lighting                               Neil Austin

Sound                                  Gareth Fry

Casting Director               Amy Ball

Children’s Casting            Amy Ball and Verity Naughton

Movement Director        Lucy Cullingford

Associate Director           Tanuja Amarasuriya

Production Manager       Igor

Costume Supervisor         Helen Johnson

Wigs Designer                   Sam Cox

Props Supervisor              Mary Halliday

Vocal/Dialect Coach        Jeannette Nelson

Produced by Kate Horton for Fictionhouse Limited, Nica Burns and Kate Pakenham Productions

www.sohoplace.org/whatson/medea

FULL CASTING ANNOUNCED

FOR 2023 UK & INTERNATIONAL TOUR DATES OF

MAMMA MIA!

Full casting is today announced for the 2023 dates of the UK & International Tour of the sensational feel-good musical MAMMA MIA!.

Sara Poyzer (Donna Sheridan), Nicky Swift (Rosie/Alternate Donna Sheridan), Sarah Earnshaw (Tanya), Richard Standing (Sam Carmichael), Neal Craig (Harry Bright), Phil Corbitt (Bill Austin), Jess Michelmore (Sophie Sheridan), Christopher Foley (Sky), Tanisha Butterfield (Ali), Freya Humberstone (Lisa), Jaden Oshenye (Pepper), Archie Flynn (Eddie) and Andrew Bateup (Father Alexander) lead the cast.

Further casting includes Clàudia Bahrani, Alice Baker, Peter Camilleri, Henryk Firth, Andrew Gallo, Claire Greenway, Ashleigh Harvey, Ashleigh Jones, Matt Kennedy, Robert Knight, Grace May, Hollie Nelson, Ashley Rowe, Nathen Scott, Marissa Sims and Lucy Walsham.

The new cast begin performances from 17 January at Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton, continuing to Manchester, Cardiff, Blackpool, Leeds, Peterborough, Estonia, Portsmouth, Truro, Scarborough, Norway, Finland and Denmark. Further international dates to be announced.  

Fall in love with the irresistibly funny tale of a mother, a daughter and three possible dads on a Greek island idyll, all unfolding to the magic of ABBA’s timeless songs.

The UK & International Tour is celebrating 24 years since MAMMA MIA! premiered in London in April 1999. To date, MAMMA MIA! has been seen by over 65 million people in 50 productions in 16 different languages. In 2011 it became the first Western musical ever to be staged in Mandarin in the People’s Republic of China. MAMMA MIA! became the 8^th longest running show in Broadway history where it played a record-breaking run for 14 years.

Since premiering in London’s West End the world’s sunniest and most exhilarating smash-hit musical has been turned into two record-breaking movies. Produced by Judy Craymer, MAMMA MIA! The Movie became the highest grossing live action musical film of all time upon its release in 2008. The second film, MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN, opened in July 2018 and is the most successful live musical movie sequel of all time.

With music & lyrics by Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus, MAMMA MIA! is written by Catherine Johnson, directed by Phyllida Lloyd and choreographed by Anthony Van Laast. The production is designed by Mark Thompson, with lighting design by Howard Harrison, sound design by Andrew Bruce & Bobby Aitken, and musical supervision, additional material & arrangements by Martin Koch.

The MAMMA MIA! UK & International Tour is produced by Judy Craymer, Richard East & Björn Ulvaeus for Littlestar in association with Universal and NGM.

Tour Venues and Dates

Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton

17 – 28 January 2023

Opera House, Manchester

31 January – 11 February 2023

New Theatre, Cardiff

14 February – 4 March 2023

Winter Gardens Opera House, Blackpool

21 March – 1 April 2023

Leeds Grand Theatre

4 – 15 April 2023

New Theatre, Peterborough

18 – 22 April 2023

Alexela Concert Hall, Tallinn, Estonia

2 – 7 May 2023

Kings Theatre, Portsmouth

19 – 27 May 2023

Hall For Cornwall, Truro

30 May – 3 June 2023

Scarborough Open Air Theatre, Scarborough

14 – 18 June 2023

Bergenhus Fortress, Bergen, Norway

29 June – 1 July 2023

Kaivopuisto Park, Helsinki

13 – 23 July 2023

Ledreborg Castle, Lejre, Denmark

16 – 27 August 2023

We are absolutely delighted to announce the winner of the Aurora Award 2022 is Chloe Hart

Our reviewers nominated them because “Hart is a vocal powerhouse, owning the stage as she sings”

You can find the review for their 5* show, Six here :

“The sensational Chlöe Hart is up first as Catherine of Aragon, showing her fierce determination, smashing the high notes alongside faultless dance moves with her energetic song No Way.” https://fairypoweredproductions.com/six-review-3/

So a huge congratulations to Chloe and thank you for their amazing contribution to keeping us entertained during 2022

NEW VENUES ANNOUNCED

FOR THE UK AND IRELAND TOUR OF

SMASH-HIT PRODUCTION

MOTHER GOOSE

STARRING

IAN McKELLEN AND JOHN BISHOP

Ambassador Theatre Group Productions are thrilled to announce that the smash-hit production of MOTHER GOOSE starring Ian McKellen and John Bishop, will also visit Leicester, Salford and Bristol as part of their UK and Ireland tour.

Following its current run in London, where it runs at the Duke of York’s Theatre (until 29 January 2023), the full touring dates are now Chichester Festival Theatre (7 – 11 February 2023), Sheffield Lyceum (14 – 18 February 2023), Wolverhampton Grand (22 – 26 February 2023), Liverpool Empire (28 February – 4 March 2023), Oxford New Theatre (7 – 11 March 2023), Leicester Curve (15 – 18 March 2023), Bord Gais Energy Theatre Dublin (22 – 26 March 2023), Wales Millennium Centre Cardiff (28 March – 1 April 2023), The Lowry (5 – 9 April 2023) and Bristol Hippodrome (11 – 15 April 2023).

Alongside McKellen as Mother Goose and Bishop as Vic Goose, Mother Goose also stars Anna-Jane Casey as Cilla The Goose, Oscar Conlon-Morrey as Jack, Simbi Akande as Jill, Sharon Ballard as Good Fairy Encanta and Karen Mavundukure as Evil Fairy Malignia. The cast is completed by Mairi Barclay, Adam Brown, Gabriel Fleary, Becca Francis, Shailan Gohil, Richard Leeming, Genevieve Nicole and Laura Tyrer.

It is written by Jonathan Harvey (Coronation Street, Gimme Gimme Gimme) and directed by award-winning director Cal McCrystal. Set and Costume design is by Liz Ascroft, Choreography by Lizzi Gee, Lighting design by Prema Mehta, Sound design by Ben Harrison andPuppet Design and Creation by Chris Barlow. Casting is by Anne Vosser and the Production Manager is Ben Arkell.

Mother Goose (McKellen) and her husband Vic (Bishop) run an Animal Sanctuary for waifs and strays and live a wholesome life inside an abandoned Debenhams. But when a goose (Casey) flies in, will fame and fortune get the better of them?! Will Ma’s feathers be seriously ruffled? Will Pa tell everyone to get stuffed?! And is their fair life about to turn fowl? Get ready for fairies with hefty vocal chords, puppets with tap dance qualifications and impeccably constructed mayhem that will quack up the whole family. This hilarious family-friendly mother of all pantos is the ultimate theatrical feast full of fun, farce and more than a couple of surprises that will make you honk out loud.

Mother Goose is produced by Ambassador Theatre Group Productions, Gavin Kalin Productions, Hunter Arnold, Wessex Grove, Richard Winkler & Dawn Smalberg, Caiola Productions and George Waud for Groove International.

MOTHER GOOSE

www.mothergooseshow.co.uk

Friday 2 December – Sunday 11 December 2022

Brighton Theatre Royal

www.atgtickets.com/theatre-royal-brighton

Wednesday 14 December 2022 – Sunday 29 January 2023

London, Duke of York’s Theatre

www.atgtickets.com/duke-of-yorks-theatre

Tuesday 7 February – Saturday 11 February 2023

Chichester Festival Theatre

www.cft.org.uk

Tuesday 14 February – Saturday 18 February 2023

Sheffield Lyceum

www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk

Wednesday 22 February – Sunday 26 February 2023

Wolverhampton Grand Theatre

www.grandtheatre.co.uk

Tuesday 28 February – Saturday 4 March 2023

Liverpool Empire

www.atgtickets.com/liverpool-empire

Tuesday 7 March – Saturday 11 March 2023

Oxford, New Theatre

www.atgtickets.com/new-theatre-oxford

Wednesday 15 March – Saturday 18 March 2023

Leicester Curve Theatre

www.curveonline.co.uk

Wednesday 22 March – Sunday 26 March 2023

Dublin, Bord Gáis Energy Theatre

www.bordgaisenergytheatre.ie

Tuesday 28 March – Saturday 1 April 2023

Cardiff Wales Millennium Centre

www.wmc.org.uk

Wednesday 5 April – Sunday 9 April 2023

Salford, The Lowry

www.thelowry.com

Tuesday 11 April – Saturday 15 April 2023

Bristol Hippodrome

www.atgtickets.com/bristol-hippodrome

For show information follow

www.twitter.com/mothergooseshow

www.facebook.com/mothergooseshow

www.instagram.com/mothergooseshow

www.tiktok.com/mothergooseshow

Charing Cross Theatre – until 30 December 2022

Reviewed by Antonia Hebbert

4****

If you want an antidote to Christmas jollity, this one-hour, one-singer opera might be just the thing. A woman, Elle, talks on the phone to her ex-lover. There are crossed lines, wrong numbers and bad connections. At first she tells him she’s fine, and has taken a sleeping pill to help her rest. Later she says that was a lie, and that she has attempted suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills. She keeps saying it’s all her fault, and that she’s the one to blame. (We can sense that this is just the hopelessness of love and that he’s probably a complete b*****d.) She gets cut off, and tries to call him, but there’s no reply. He rings back, and she begins to suspect that he’s with his new lover. She confesses to being obsessed with the telephone, which she has been taking to bed at night. Behind her, images of a giant telephone cord winding ominously around, as she talks of wrapping the cord around her neck and tells him she loves him.

Natalia Lemercier is the soprano who sings this emotional glumathon, with musical director Elspeth Wilkes on the piano – they work beautifully together. Francois Poulenc wrote the original La Voix Humaine (1958) for a soprano with orchestra, but there’s an intimate intensity to voice and piano which seems right in this small theatre (the auditorium is quite grubby, and that seems appropriate too). The voice part is written to reflect speech patterns and the jumpiness of a bad telephone connection, and just occasionally soars. Lemercier sings it very sweetly and affectingly, while lighting cigarettes, stubbing them out and gulping whisky as she takes us down her private well of misery. She is briefly joined by Kelvin Giles on the clarinet – is he the man appearing for a moment? I confess I didn’t understand this, but it made an effective, eerie change of mood.

The set consists of a sofa, table for whisky, cigarettes and ashtray, and the piano. The original opera ends with Elle wrapping the cord round her neck and sliding to the floor. This version begins with Elle on the floor and her double on the sofa – one of them rises and becomes the piano player, which reinforces the claustrophobic, down-a-well mood of the piece. The opera is based on Jean Cocteau’s play La Voix Humaine (1928), which is an exploration of pushing drama to minimalist limit. This isn’t meltingly beautiful opera, but it is intriguing. The director is Alejandro Bonatto.

Forum Theatre, Malvern – until 30th December 2023

Reviewed by Courie Amado Juneau

5*****

Malvern Theatres Stage Company brings us that perennial festive favourite A Christmas Carol in a superb adaptation by Nic Lloyd (also Director) who instantly thrusts us deep into unexpected territory – emblematic of a special evening ahead. To see something so new and fresh in such a familiar work of art was a revelation.

I won’t spoil the surprise regarding what this opening scene is but it is a breathtaking prologue involving Jacob Marley (Henry Pyne) and a Spirit (Rhys Harris-Clarke, who deliciously plays several roles). I enjoyed both actors when I saw them in this company’s previous production of The Importance of Being Earnest. Tonight gave them the chance to display their dramatic prowess with some lush dialogue bordering on the Shakespearean in it’s commanding breadth and spleandour!

Soon enough we were introduced to the other actors in the ensemble, which brought to mind ancient Greek Theatre with a chorus playing multiple roles around a narrator and a central character.

The entire cast was wonderful, thrilling us with magnificent performances. Toby Burchell treated us to a Scrooge that was suitably mean and clinical but thawed out nicely making this a thoroughly believable performance. Daniel Davis gave us a charming Fred (Scrooge’s nephew) as well as several other characters that were equally enjoyable.

The Cratchit family were well represented by Ben Mowbray (as Bob) and Emily Henry (as his wife) – including a fantastically acted extra added scene, giving us a very different slant on the work. Thought provoking! Howard Haines, playing the small but crucial role of Tiny Tim was, as expected, heartwarming.

Finally, multiple roles were taken up by Elizabeth Anne Jones whose live on stage guitar accompaniment I particularly appreciated and Summer Reade who particularly shone as Fan (Scrooge’s sister) in a touching portrayal.

Moa Myerson, also playing multiple roles, stood out in what was a stunning performance. Quite simply she is a major talent. Her acting was flawless, her characterization was warm and she had a range that was a joy to behold. And her singing voice is gorgeous too!

Speaking of which, I loved the use of Christmas Carols (sung live on stage by the cast) to heighten the stage action, for instance using “In The Bleak Midwinter” in the graveyard scene. “Silent Night”’s inclusion at a key scene touched my heart too. These musical interludes also served to move us between scenes (i.e. between Scrooge’s childhood and young adulthood) and between characters (i.e. one ghost to the next). Wonderful.

And that’s not even mentioning the lavish costumes, the inventive minimalist set, the lighting and the sound effects which all contributed to a highly accomplished production that does all involved enormous credit.

Another triumph from this young company of young performers showing us that both tonight’s cast and the company has a bright future. Rush to buy tickets for this production while you can, before they undoubtedly sell out. Top notch entertainment I cannot recommend highly enough. It’s enough to make you want to move to Malvern and attend every performance!