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!

Leeds Grand Theatre – until 7 January 2023

Reviewed by Sal E Richmond

5*****

The whole production of David Nixon’s The Nutcracker over flowed with pure unfettered joy at the Leeds Grand Theatre last night.  It was the most beautiful and mesmerising piece of performing art that I have personally seen in a longtime.  Every step, note and jewelled coloured sparkle created a sensory festive feast that was simply magical.  Without question, the ballet was world-class, in fact out-of-this-world-class being layered with spell-binding beauty, slick comedy, mystery and a continuous effervescent energy that kept one captivated during every second of this magnificent performance.  

During a spectacular Christmas party hosted by the Edwards family and where the dancing was performed with pin-sharp choreography by cast members of all ages, the young Clara (Rachael Gillespie) is gifted a Nutcracker by her mysterious uncle Herr Drosselmeyer (the extremely talented Gavin McCraig). That night, Clara is unable to sleep and when she goes downstairs where she enters into another realm and The Nutcracker (now alive) enters into a battle led by the terrifying (and amusing) Mouse King (Bruno Serraclara). As the battle between armies of tin soldiers and mice unfolds much skill is used to portray humour and excitement.  Finally, after being vanquished by The Nutcracker, the Mouse King is no longer and his slayer turns into a  handsome young prince (Harris Beattie).  

In Act II, Clara and the prince have been transported by Drosselmeyer to ‘A garden of delights’ where we are greeted by a whole host of alluring characters from far off lands, stories and ethereal worlds.  The costumes and set were exquisite and each and every dance sequence awe-inspiring.  I felt like all my Christmases from years gone by as a child and ones I’d secretly imagined had all come together at once on that stage!  I think like me, every audience member had their heart stocking-filled with jubilation and joy!  

We were all entranced by the life-sized puppet dolls (Sena Kitano, Archie Sherman and Antoni Canellas Artigues), captivated by Arabian performers (Dominique Larose, Harry Skoupas and Andrew Tomlinson) and dazzled by the athleticism and seamless moves of the Russian (Albert Gonzalez Orts, Jun Ishii and Matthew Topliss), Chinese (Antoni Canellas Artigues and George Liang), French (Sena Kitana, Kirica Takahashi and Archie Sherman) and Spanish (Kevin Poeung) dancers.  They were breathtaking!  Alongside the perfectly-timed harlequinade style catalogue of characters were – in total contrast – the delicate and gossamer gowned Snowflakes (Helen Bogatch, Gemma Coutts, Katherine Lee, Heather Lehan, Harriet Marden, Aerys Merrill, Alessia Petrosino and Kirica Takahashi) and gorgeously glowing and twinkling Flowers ( Helen Bogatch, Katherine Lee, Heather Lehan, Alessandra Bramante, Aerys Merrill, Kaho Masumoto, Julie Nunes and Aurora Mostacci).  In my wildest dreams, I would love to be one of those radiant and stunning dancers – every arm bend, leg raise, twirl and step had grace, precision and wonder.  Standout moments were aplenty in this Northern Ballet production where to be honest every moment could have been pointed out as being ‘standout’ but the dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy (Saeka Shirai) and her Cavalier (Jonathan Hanks) left one lost for words with their phenomenal performances.  It was something I – and I’m sure the rest of the audience –  won’t ever forget as perfection oscillated before our very eyes with a rapturous applause by the whole theatre to follow.  The other couple who danced in perfect harmony were Clara and the Prince.  These two put the innocence back into young romance, which was heart-warming, moving and emotional .  Harris Beattie showed such strength and skill for such a young dancer and he also had the perfect characteristics of a handsome young prince in how he looked at and bestowed respect and love for the adorable Clara.  Rachael Gillespie also epitomised the character of a young girl meeting her first love by displaying grace and purity in her every move, look and gesture.  

Northern Ballet Sinfonia Conductor, Jonathan Lo and Northern Ballet Sinfonia Leader, Gordan Bragg must be given kudos of the highest acclaim for bringing Tchaikovsky’s enchanting score, The Nutcracker, alive for us and needless to say it was utterly brilliant.  Charles Cusick Smith’s set design with lighting by Mark Jonathan and costume design assistant Christopher Dudgeon, like Uncle Drosselmeyer, had obviously weaved their magic too in producing work to the highest standard with their talented teams to make this whole production the most wonderful Christmas ballet I think Leeds will have ever seen.  

As the classic pop tune goes, “I wish it could be Christmas everyday” – I think I would like to change that to “I wish I could see The Nutcracker every year!” because it’s brought Christmas back for me, in my heart.  If you’re tired of a Christmas that’s filled with excessive stuff, neon flashing lights and inflatable snowmen and want to experience beauty, magic, innocence and joy then I guarantee that the Northern Ballet’s The Nutcracker will deliver this for you – it’s perfect!  

THE LOWRY, SALFORD – UNTIL SUNDAY 8TH JANUARY 2023

REVIEWED BY MIA BOWEN

5*****

From the imagination of Neil Gaiman, best-selling author of Coraline, Good Omens and The Sandman, comes the dark fantasy novel, The Ocean At The End Of The Lane. It was voted 2013 Book of the Year, amongst other honours, in the British National Book Awards. Joel Horwood’s new stage adaptation recreated the dreamlike wonderment of Gaiman’s novel. It spectacularly came to life at The Lowry last night and was more than exceptional storytelling, it was an extraordinary piece of theatre, inexplicable and remarkable.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect as we took our seats but by the end of it, I was blown away by this visually unbelievable production. Katy Rudd and Horwood, cleverly and convincingly brought alive the stuff of childhood imagination, nightmares, the disappointment of adulthood and family trauma. This production superbly captured the experience of Boy’s childhood, not what actually happened but what it felt like.

We meet our unnamed protagonist as an adult at his father’s funeral. He wanders to visit a nearby duck pond he recognises from his youth. Here he meets the mystical Old Mrs Hempstock, who is old enough to remember “when the moon was made”. We are taken with him on a journey into a magical world of adventure, where his survival depends on his ability to reckon with dark forces that threaten to destroy everything around him.

Although the performances were breath-taking, the real stars of the show must be the production team; Fly Davis’s constantly evolving set design, the flowing choreography of Steven Hoggett, the desperate and menacing electric 80’s music by composer Jherek Bischoff that gives a nod to Stranger Things and Paulie Constable’s lighting that makes it possible to go between realms. Jamie Harrison’s magic and illusions and Samuel Wyer’s costumes and puppets makes the audience wonder what is real and what is magic. All the team and cast, as a whole ensures that The Ocean At The End of the Lane is a victorious theatre show and makes the audience gasp in fear and wonder – the magical realism is a pure spectacle.

Festival Theatre Edinburgh – until 22 January 2023

Reviewed by Jo Gordon 

4****

It’s Panto season, a time for Dames to get their wigs out, Villains to dust off the black pleather and families to get together for a few hours of fun ….. what’s not to love! 

I’m pretty new to Scotland but have been enthusiastically informed by many that Allan Stewart (Nurse May), Grant Stott ( Lord Lucifer) and more recently Jordan Young (Muddles) are Edinburgh’s Panto legends, traditionally performing at Kings Theatre, but due to its refurb finding a temporary home at the Festival Theatre. 

This year it is Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, With Francesca Ross as Snow White, Brian James Leys as Prince Hamish and Liz Ewing doing her best to rid the Queendom of Snow White as Queen Dragonella. 

It’s a very fast paced, colourful extravaganza! Sometimes I felt it was too fast though, and struggled to follow what was going on, as at times, the lengthy skits between Stewart, Stott and Young somewhat overshadowed the Snow White story. On occasion, the adult aimed jokes were slightly the wrong side of the line for a theatre full of youngsters despite meaning to go over their heads. 

However, there were some fabulous larger than life special effects and toe tapping, hand clapping show tunes which more than made up for that. The traditional, funny, panto mayhem is just what we all need in the current climate to lift the spirits and I certainly left the theatre full of seasonal cheer.