AWARD WINNING HOPE MILL THEATRE MAKES EDINBURGH FRINGE DEBUT AT PLEASANCE 1 WITH NEW COMEDY PLAY IN ASSOCIATION WITH HER PRODUCTIONS.

AWARD WINNING HOPE MILL THEATRE MAKES EDINBURGH FRINGE DEBUT AT PLEASANCE 1 WITH NEW COMEDY PLAY IN ASSOCIATION WITH HER PRODUCTIONS.

CLASSIC! MAKES ITS WAY TO EDINBURGH AFTER A STRICTLY LIMITED RUN AT HOPE MILL THEATRE THIS JUNE

MANCHESTER, HOPE MILL THEATRE

14^th – 18^th June

EDINBURGH, PLEASANCE 1

3^rd – 28^th August

Hold onto your hats as a cast of 6 romp through all those classic novels you never had time to read in CLASSIC! at Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester and Edinburgh this summer.

In 60 minutes and via multiple costume changes the company race you from Wuthering Heights to Moby Dick, told at lightning speed… Expect the unexpected!

With no previous literary experience required, a thrilling script by Emmerdale & Coronation St writers, Peter Kerry and Lindsay Williams and combined with direction from Joyce Branagh, results in a brilliantly funny show that is for everyone.

The show has music by Louis Ashton Butler and musical direction from Joe Clayton and features a brilliant cast comprising of Louis Blair, Althea Burey, Amy Drake, Amy Gavin, Robin Simpson and Gareth Tempest.

CLASSIC! Is brought to the stage by Manchester’s Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester, alongside co-producers HER Productions, Manchester’s leading independent theatre production company (Vignettes, Unseemly Shakespeare: Midsummer Night’s Dream).

CLASSIC! started life as a 15 minute piece of new work at the iconic Manchester JB Shorts sharing platform, with Arts Council England funding it was then workshopped at HMT in 2020, and has now become a full length piece.

The play is set around a group of actors coming together to break a record for the most novels ever shared on stage. In doing that, they share the stories in extremely unexpected ways: Moby Dick as a sea shanty, Jane Eyre as a silent movie, Oliver Twist as a film noir and Black Beauty as a Pantomime… and many more!

Joyce Branagh, Director of CLASSIC! said: “I’m so excited to finally get CLASSIC! on stage – we first did a chunk of this in Manchester years ago and to now have a full show is brilliant – definitely worth the wait!  The script is hilarious – really snappy – and we’ve got a great bunch of experienced comedy actors, so the whole thing is going to be very VERY silly. Emily Bronte, Charles Dickens et al will be disco-dancing in their graves!”

Joseph Houston, Artistic Director of Hope Mill Theatre, said: “Hailing from Scotland, the Edinburgh Festival has played a big part in my life and I have many happy memories of travelling through to the capital to watch a variety of shows. Being able to now be a part of the festival with a Hope Mill production, in what will be a very special year and its triumphant return, is a dream come true. From the minute we read CLASSIC! we knew this was a show destined for Edinburgh, with its fast paced, funny humour and a top notch group of actors, you will never need to read another classic novel again!”

Listings

Manchester, Hope Mill Theatre:

14^th – 18^th June

www.hopemilltheatre.co.uk

Edinburgh, Pleasance 1

3^rd – 28^th August

www.tickets.edfringe.com

Birmingham Hippodrome launch search for the region’s most magical magician

Birmingham Hippodrome have today (Wed 11 May) launched a competition to find the region’s top magician.

Inspired by the upcoming production of Magic Goes Wrong which comes to the Hippodrome from Tue 24 May – Sun 29 May, budding magicians are being asked to share a video clip of them performing their best trick. Entries can be submitted to Birmingham Hippodrome’s Twitter and Instagram channels using the hashtag #MagicGoesRight.

The successful sorcerer will win tickets to the opening night of Magic Goes Wrong on Tuesday 24 May as well as enjoying some VIP sparkle in the Hippodrome’s Proscenium Lounge during the evening.

Back with their biggest comedy catastrophe to date, multi award-winning Mischief (The Play That Goes Wrong, BBC One’s The Goes Wrong Show) make their return to Birmingham Hippodrome direct from the West End with their hilarious new show Magic Goes Wrong created with magic legends, Penn & Teller.

A hapless gang of magicians are staging an evening of grand illusion to raise cash for charity. But as the magic turns to mayhem, accidents spiral out of control and so does their fundraising target!

To enter the Magic Goes Right competition entrants need to submit a video clip no longer than 2 minutes of them performing their best magic trick. The entry can be submitted on Twitter or Instagram, using the hashtag #MagicGoesRight and by tagging Birmingham Hippodrome in the post using the handle @brumhippodrome on both channels, or by emailing [email protected]

The competition ends at midday on Thursday 19 May and the winner will be announced on Friday 20 May. The winner will be announced on Birmingham Hippodrome’s Twitter and Instagram channels.

Tickets for Magic Goes Wrong can be booked at www.birminghamhippodrome.com or by calling 0844 338 5000*

 *0844 calls will cost you 4.5p per minute plus your phone company’s access charge.

EMPIRE THEATRE, LIVERPOOL – UNTIL SATURDAY 14TH MAY 2022

REVIEWED BY MIA BOWEN

4****

Waitress the musical directed by Diane Paulus, premiered last night at the Empire Theatre, as part of a national tour. It is based on the 2007 film of the same title. It has all the ingredients you could wish for; romance, comedy, an outstanding score and a stunning set design. It honestly is a very comical show with some very dark moments, delving into some serious issues including domestic abuse and adultery.

The story centres around Jenna (Chelsea Halfpenny), a diner waitress and extraordinary pie maker, whose life falls apart when she discovers she is pregnant with her abusive husband, Earl (Tamlyn Henderson). Jenna yearns for bigger things and dreams of winning a pie baking contest which will give her the money and opportunity to leave her husband, who exerts repressive control and financial abuse. Things get tricky when she falls for the charming but married gynaecologist, Dr Pomatter (Matt Jay-Willis) during her first antenatal appointment. With the help of her friends Becky (Wendy Mae Brown), Dawn (Evelyn Hoskins), Cal (Christopher D Hunt) and owner of the diner Joe (Michael Starke), Jenna must overcome her obstacles to realise her dream.

This production has a way of making you fall in love with each and every character. In fact the whole cast was phenomenal. Nurse Norma (Scarlet Gabriel) needs a special mention as she almost steals the show as she hilariously and continuously interrupts Dr Pomatter and Jenna in many compromising situations. The grumpy diner owner, Joe gives a poignant performance of ‘Take It From An Old Man’ and I instantly fell in love with him. One of the most loveable characters is Ogie (George Crawford), he is outrageous and an absolute delight to watch!

There were some very tender moments during the production, Henderson and Halfpenny’s performance of ‘You Will Still Be Mine’ and Halfpenny’s execution of ‘She Used To Be Mine’ almost had me in tears. Waitress asks larger questions about life – how happy is happy enough?

As soon as the giant cherry pie stage curtain lifts, you feel immersed in an American diner with Scott Pask’s set design. With the mixture of Lorin Latarro’s choreography and Ken Billington’s lighting design, you experience some overwhelming emotions, especially when Jenna day dreams.

This was one of the quickest and loudest standing ovations I have seen, everyone was up and cheering

WEST END STARS JOIN THE CITY OF BIRMINGHAM SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA FOR A CELEBRATION OF RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN.

The golden age of musical theatre is coming to Saffron Hall this summer. Rodgers & Hammerstein: Some Enchanted Evening, will showcase many of the best love classics written by the award-winning song writing duo, composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II. 

For one performance only on Sunday 12th June 2022, Rodgers & Hammerstein: Some Enchanted Evening will feature City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Martin Yates and will be joined by stars direct from London’s West End. 

Gina Beck (Wicked, Phantom of the Opera, Matilda), Alice Fearn (Wicked, Les Misérables and currently starring in the award-winning Come from Away), Rob Houchen (Les Misérables, South Pacific) and Scott Davis (Phantom of the Opera, Carousel).

Rodgers & Hammerstein: Some Enchanted Evening will featuresongs from iconic musicals, including Oklahoma, Carousel, South Pacific, The Sound of Music and many more.

Tickets are on sale now from www.saffronhall.com

JULIAN BIRD, OUTGOING CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF SOLT, STARTS NEW ENTERTAINMENT PRODUCTION COMPANY

Julian Bird and Nica Burns are delighted to announce the launch of their new production company, Green Room Ents Ltd, run by Chief Executive Julian Bird and chaired by Nica Burns. 

Green Room Ents will work across the entertainment spectrum including theatre, cabaret, television, radio and new media as well as consulting on a range of activities. With a production slate in development, more announcements will come in the future. Based in Covent Garden, London, Green Room Ents will work internationally including in the UK, New York and Los Angeles.

One of Julian’s first projects for Green Room Ents will be consulting for luxury cruise line Cunard on the future strategy of their entertainment and production shows on board their fleet of ships.

Julian will also be continuing his weekly show for Bauer Radio’s station Magic at The Musicals every Saturday at 9am (and available all week on catch-up through the Magic Radio app) bringing listeners all the news from theatre around the world.

Julian Bird said:  “I am excited to join with Nica in this new venture producing new work, partnering with many exciting people and organisations around the world, and forging new creative relationships. We have exciting plans in development and I can’t wait to get started”. 

Nica Burns said: “I very much enjoyed working with Julian during his 12 years at the Society of London Theatre and look forward to working closely with him at Green Room Ents.”

NATIONAL THEATRE ANNOUNCES TWO NEW PRODUCTIONS THE CRUCIBLE AND THE BOY WITH TWO HEARTS ON THE SOUTH BANK AND A MAJOR NATIONWIDE TOUR OF THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE

• NT Associate Lyndsey Turner directs Arthur Miller’s The Crucible in the Olivier theatre with Brendan Cowell as John Proctor and Erin Doherty as Abigail Williams
   
• Wales Millennium Centre’s widely acclaimed adaptation of Hamed and Hessam Amiri’s The Boy with Two Hearts transfers to the Dorfman theatre. Directed by Amit Sharma, and adapted for the stage by Phil Porter
   
• Previously announced productions of Pearl Cleage’s Blues for an Alabama Sky directed by Lynette Linton and the revival of Hex, the new musical based on Sleeping Beauty directed by Rufus Norris, also go on sale to the public on Wednesday 8 June
   
• Opening at The Lowry, Salford, Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean at the End of the Lane will tour the UK and Ireland visiting 29 towns and cities for 40 weeks from December

The National Theatre today announces two new productions, and the booking dates of two previously announced productions, to be performed on all three South Bank stages this Autumn, as well as the UK and Ireland tour of The Ocean at the End of The Lane.

Lyndsey Turner (Under Milk Wood) will direct Arthur Miller’s The Crucible in the Olivier theatre in September. A gripping parable of power and its abuse, this urgent new staging will see Brendan Cowell (Yerma) make his National Theatre debut as John Proctor alongside Erin Doherty (The Crown, My Name is Rachel Corrie) playing the role of Abigail. Further casting includes Fisayo Akinade, Rachelle Diedericks, Nick Fletcher, Karl Johnson, Gracie McGonigal, Matthew Marsh and Eileen Walsh. 

With set design by Es Devlin, costume design by Catherine Fay and lighting design by Tim Lutkin. Sound design by Tingying Dong (content design) and Paul Arditti (system design). Staff director is Blythe Stewart, and dialect coaches are Majella Hurley and Hazel Holder.

Following its revival in Cardiff in September, Wales Millennium Centre’s widely acclaimed stage adaptation of The Boy with Two Hearts will open in the Dorfman Theatre in October. Directed by Amit Sharma (Badhaai Ho) and adapted for the stage by Phil Porter (The Miser) the play is based on the book of the same name by Hamed and Hessam Amiri. Drawing on extraordinary real-life experiences, it is a powerful story of hope, courage, and humanity – and a heartfelt tribute to the NHS.

The original cast of Afghan and Iranian performers will return to their roles, including Shamail Ali, Dana Haqjoo, Farshid Rokey, Ahmad Sakhi and Géhane Strehler as well as the award-winning Afghan vocalist and composer, Elaha Soroor.

Set and costume designer is Hayley Grindle, lighting designer is Amy Mae, sound designer and co-composer is Tic Ashfield, movement director is Jess Williams and Hayley Egan is video designer. Casting is by Sarah Hughes CDG and associate director is Sepy Baghaei.

Also going on sale is the previously announced Blues for an Alabama Sky by Pearl Cleage, directed by Artistic Director of the Bush Theatre, Lynette Linton, who makes her National Theatre debut. This startling play set in 1930 during the Harlem renaissance, is about four friends whose lives and passions collide when a newcomer from Alabama arrives. Samira Wiley (The Handmaid’s Tale, Orange is the New Black) performs the role of Angel Allen with Ronkẹ Adékoluẹjo (Three Sisters) as Delia Patterson, Osy Ikhile (Sweat) as Leland Cunningham, Sule Rimi (Barber Shop Chronicles) as Sam Thomas and Giles Terera (Death of England: Face to Face, Hamilton) performing the role of Guy Jacobs.

Set and costume design by Frankie Bradshaw, lighting designer is Oliver Fenwick, composer is Benjamin Kwasi Burrell, sound designer is George Dennis, movement director is Kane Husbands, wigs hair and make-up design is Cynthia De La Rosa and Staff Director TD Moyo.

The National Theatre’s new musical Hex returns to the Olivier theatre for Christmas. A vividly original retelling of Sleeping Beauty, Hex is a mythic, big-hearted musical that goes beyond the waking kiss. Directed by Rufus Norris with book by Tanya Ronder, music by Jim Fortune and lyrics by Rufus Norris. Original concept by Katrina Lindsay and Rufus Norris. Set and Costume designs by Katrina Lindsay, choreography by Jade Hackett.

With music supervision and vocal arrangements by Marc Tritschler, orchestrations by Simon Hale, music direction by Tarek Merchant, lighting design by Paul Anderson, sound design by Simon Baker and video design by Ash J Woodward. Consultant Choreographer Bill Deamer and Séimí Campbell as Associate Director. Casting to be announced.

Further casting is announced for Simon Godwin’s production of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing which will open in the Lyttelton theatre in July. Set in the Italian Riviera at the fictional Hotel Messina, Katherine Parkinson (Home, I’m Darling) will play Beatrice with John Heffernan (The Pursuit of Love) as Benedick in Shakespeare’s timeless romantic comedy alongside Celeste Dodwell, Eben Figueiredo, Olivia Forrest, David Fynn, Ashley Gillard, Brandon Grace, Nick Harris, Phoebe Horn, David Judge, Kiren Kebaili-Dwyer, Wendy Kweh, Ioanna Kimbook, Marcia Lecky, Ewan Miller, Mateo Oxley, Rufus Wright and Ashley Zhangazha.

With set design by Anna Fleischle, costume design by Evie Gurney and lighting design by Lucy Carter. Composer is Michael Bruce and sound design by Christopher Shutt. Staff Director is Hannah Joss.

National Theatre on Tour

Following a celebrated six-month run at the Duke of York’s Theatre in the West End, the National Theatre’s critically acclaimed adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean at the End of the Lane will tour the UK and Ireland later this year, visiting 29 towns and cities for a total of 40 weeks. This is the largest tour mounted by the National Theatre since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Featuring an ensemble cast of 17, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is directed by Katy Rudd (Camp Siegfried) and adapted by Joel Horwood (Skins, I Want My Hat Back). The first major stage adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s work is a thrilling adventure of fantasy, myth and friendship, which blends magic with memory in a tour-de-force of storytelling that takes audiences on an epic journey to a childhood once forgotten and the darkness that lurks at the very edge of it.

With set design by Fly Davis and costume and puppet design by Samuel Wyer. Movement direction is by Steven Hoggett, composition by Jherek Bischoff, lighting design by Paule Constable (winner of the 2020 Olivier Award for Best Lighting Design), sound design by Ian Dickinson for Autograph, magic and illusions direction and design by Jamie Harrison and puppetry direction by Finn Caldwell. Tour casting is by Sarah Hughes CDG. Cast to be announced. 

For full details of the tour and venues visit oceanonstage.com

National Theatre International

In New York, The Lehman Trilogy received a total of eight Tony Award nominations yesterday, the most nominations for a play this season. Stefano Massini and Ben Power are nominated for Best Play; Simon Russell Beale, Adam Godley, and Adrian Lester for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play; Es Devlin for Best Scenic Design of a Play; Jon Clark for Best Lighting Design of a Play; Nick Powell and Dominic Bilkey for Best Sound Design of a Play; and Sir Sam Mendes is nominated for Best Direction of a Play for the production’s sold out run at the Nederlander Theatre.  A co-production with Neal Street Productions, The Lehman Trilogy, which first opened in the Lyttelton theatre and has since played in New York at the Park Avenue Armory, in the West End, on Broadway and on tour in Los Angeles, is also nominated for a record nine Outer Critics Circle Awards, and three Drama League Awards. The 75^th annual Tony Awards will take place in New York at Radio City Music Hall on June 12.

National Theatre Digital

National Theatre Live cinema audiences are invited to an early autumn escape to the Italian Riviera in Much Ado About Nothing, with Katherine Parkinson (The IT Crowd) and John Heffernan (Dracula), directed by Simon Godwin (Romeo & Juliet), broadcast live from the National Theatre from 8 September 2022. The season of comedy continues with Jack Absolute Flies Again by Richard Bean (One Man, Two Guvnors) and Oliver Chris, a new version of Sheridan’s The Rivals, directed by Emily Burns. Caroline Quentin (Jonathan Creek), Laurie Davidson (Cats), Natalie Simpson (Three Sisters) and Kelvin Fletcher (Emmerdale) lead the cast, set for release into cinemas from 6 October 2022.

To celebrate the NT’s first ever BAFTA nomination for Death of England: Face to Face, the full Death of England trilogy, written by Clint Dyer and Roy Williams, will be available to stream on National Theatre at Home this month. This includes Death of England, with Rafe Spall as Michael and Death of England: Delroy with Michael Balogun, from 12 May 2022; Death of England: Face to Face, which sees Michael (Neil Maskell) and Delroy (Giles Terera) come together in this critically-acclaimed feature film, is now available on the platform.

Working with young people and communities nationwide

Public Acts continues with Cast joining forces with the community of Doncaster to present The Doncastrian Chalk Circle on 27 – 29 August in a new version of Brecht’s classic adapted by Chris Bush, directed by James Blakey with music by Ruth Chan. Following this, the multi-venue production of The Odyssey will be taking place nationwide in 2023 to mark the fifth anniversary of Public Acts.

The Connections and New Views Festivals recommence at the NT this summer. Ten youth theatre companies will perform new plays at the 2022 NT Connections Festival, taking place in the Dorfman Theatre from 28 June – 2 July. Over 5,400 young people from 228 youth theatres and schools are currently staging specially commissioned new plays at partner theatres across the UK, bringing together some of the UK’s most exciting writers with the theatre-makers of tomorrow. 

2022 is the 10th anniversary of New Views playwriting competition with over 3,250 new plays by young writers submitted over the last decade. Over 1,000 students have taken part in New Views this year and the winning play will be staged in a full production on the Dorfman stage on 6 – 7 July, with rehearsed readings of shortlisted plays in the Duffield Studio.

SOMETHING ABOUT SIMON AND

SOMETHING ABOUT GEORGE TO PLAY

ASSEMBLY FESTIVAL AT EDINBURGH FRINGE 

Acclaimed shows shine a spotlight on the life and career of two legendary musicians 

Two music shows which celebrate the talent of a pair of legendary musicians are set to be staged at the Assembly Festival at the Edinburgh Fringe this summer. 

Something About Simon – The Paul Simon Story and Something About George – The George Harrison Story will join the line-up at the UK’s most hotly anticipated Summer event. 

The two shows from Something About Productions will run between Thursday 4 August and Thursday 18 August in The Bijou – a striking 250-seat Spiegel tent – and will join a busy programme of music, comedy, cabaret, theatre, and family shows planned for the 2022 Fringe. Tickets for both productions are now on sale. 

Something About Simon – The Paul Simon Story returns to Edinburgh after triumphing at the Fringe in 2019. It was then chosen for a residency at the Fringe Encore Series at the SoHo Playhouse in New York City, where it playedsix sell-out performances. The show, which was premiered in Liverpool in 2018, then also went on to form part of the programme at the inaugural Liverpool Theatre Festival in 2020. 

Singer songwriter Gary Edward Jones not only recites the music of one of his idols, but also tells the unique story of Paul Simon combining visuals, stage design and, of course, the music. A natural storyteller with charisma and charm, Gary weaves together songs and stories that cross The Atlantic from New Jersey to the North West of England. He traces the sometimes poignant moments in Simon’s life and career, that occasionally mirror his own. 

The show is co-written by Jon Fellowes and features classic ballads like Sound of Silence and America to Wristband, The Boxer, and Bridge Over Troubled Water. 

Meanwhile Something About George – The George Harrison Story enjoys its Edinburgh premiere this Summer. The show pays tribute to the man dubbed the “quiet Beatle”, and was met with acclaim by both audiences and critics when it closed Liverpool Theatre Festival in September 2021. 

Now West End performer and musician Daniel Taylor is set to bring it to the Fringe at the culmination of an eight venue UK tour. 

Featuring beautiful songs like My Sweet Lord, Something, and Handle With Care, Something About George showcases Harrison’s incredible solo material and music from rock ‘n’ roll’s greatest supergroup, The Traveling Wilburys which was made up of Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, and Tom Petty. 

And any show celebrating one of the Fab Four just has to include a few classics from The Beatles. From heartbreak to hedonism and songwriting to success, Something About George celebrates a life that was anything but quiet. 

Daniel is an award-winning actor, producer, and director. He has previously played John Lennon in the award-winning Lennon Through A Glass Onion; Sammy in Blood Brothers; and appeared at the very first Liverpool Theatre Festival in his show, The Very Best Of Tommy Cooper. 

Both ‘Something About’ shows will be performed in 60-minute one-act festival version. They are also set to be staged at the Assembly Festival Gardens in Coventry ahead of Edinburgh. 

Something About George iswritten by Jon Fellowes, who co-produces the show alongside Gary Edward Jones and theatre producer Bill Elms. Together they make up Something About Productions. 

Co-producer Bill Elms said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to be able to bring Something About Simon and Something About George to the Assembly Festival at the Edinburgh Fringe. The Bijou is a really magical and atmospheric venue in which to tell these compelling musical stories. These shows capture and celebrate the life, work, and spirit of two legendary musicians, Paul Simon and George Harrison, and both have enjoyed a fantastic reception from audiences at venues here at home and, in Something About Simon’s case, across The Atlantic too.” 

Gary Edward Jones commented: “We had an amazing time when we brought Something About Simon to Edinburgh three years ago. Audiences really responded to the heart in the show and to have the chance to perform it in New York too was very special. I’m really proud of what we’ve created, and I’m looking forward to returning and sharing Paul Simon’s story and music again.” 

Daniel Taylor added: “There’s nothing quite like the atmosphere at the Edinburgh Fringe, and I can’t wait to get out there on stage and perform for Assembly Festival audiences. After all his achievements, George is still one of the most underrated songwriters that has ever lived, and this is a perfect chance to celebrate and shine a spotlight on his musical genius.” 

Facebook:       /somethingaboutproductions 

Twitter:           @SomeAboutProds 

Instagram:      /somethingaboutproductions 

LISTING INFORMATION 

Something About Simon – The Paul Simon Story 

DATE: Thursday, 4 August – Thursday, 18 August 2022 

TIME: 1pm 

Something About George – The George Harrison Story 

DATE: Thursday, 4 August – Thursday, 18 August 2022 

TIME: 2.30pm 

Assembly Festival 

The Bijou 

54 George Street 

Edinburgh 

EH2 2LR 

0131 623 3033 

https://assemblyfestival.com/

Theatres Trust protects and promotes
theatres in the post-pandemic world

Theatres Trust, the national public advisory body for theatres, has set out the key issues for the theatre sector post-pandemic and how it will continue to support all the UK’s theatres. Following the toughest two years in living memory for theatres, the sector remains in a precarious position, with theatres facing a range of challenges including depleted reserves, the need to modernise buildings and to respond to the climate emergency.

Research for Theatres Trust by leading consultancies AECOM, Avison Young, Bristow Consulting and Buro Happold revealed that more than £1bn is needed to make the UK’s theatre buildings resilient, sustainable and suitable for modern and future audiences. Theatres face difficulties in modernising buildings with depleted reserves following lockdowns and theatre closures, funding shortfalls and increasing operating costs. Theatres Trust is advocating for further investment in theatre capital projects to help theatres make changes to their buildings and ensure buildings are fit for purpose.

Responding to the climate emergency is imperative for the theatre sector. Theatres Trust is a lead partner on the innovative Theatre Green Book project, along with the Association of British Theatre Technicians (ABTT) and Buro Happold, led by architect Paddy Dillon. Beta versions of all three volumes – Productions, Buildings and Operations – have now been published and Theatres Trust will continue to promote the project across the sector. The Theatre Green Book sets common standards for theatre sustainability, and many theatres including National Theatre, National Theatre of Scotland and National Theatre Wales have all committed to making their shows to the Theatre Green Book standards for sustainability.

Theatres Trust has welcomed the government’s Levelling Up agenda, which aligns with Theatres Trust’s arguments that culture can be a catalyst for regeneration and reignite civic pride. Of the 41 theatres on its Theatres at Risk list in 2022, three-quarters are either located in the 20% most deprived areas in the country or in the top priority areas (band 1) for Levelling Up. Putting these buildings at the heart of Levelling Up plans could have a hugely positive impact for those communities. Theatres Trust is engaging with national and local government on Levelling Up and cultural place-making, and will continue to make the case for the cultural, social and economic value of theatre buildings in all parts of the UK in a way that protects the theatre ecosystem.

Local authorities are the biggest funder of culture in the UK, contributing £1bn a year in England alone according to Local Government Association (LGA) figures, but with increasing demands on their budgets, many are reducing their spending in this area, a trend that has worsened since the pandemic. Theatres Trust helps local authorities to appreciate the long-term value of their theatre buildings as cultural and community spaces and as drivers of vibrant local economies. The Trust is working closely with the LGA, including contributing to its Commission on Culture and Local Government to promote the role of theatres in the pandemic recovery and in levelling up communities across the country.

Alongside these issues Theatres Trust continues its ongoing work as the only charity that supports every theatre in the UK, historic or modern, commercial, subsidised or voluntary. This includes:
• A free advice service to promote the best use of theatre buildings, including advice on
capital projects, planning applications, building maintenance, business planning and
fundraising.
• Responding to all planning applications involving or impacting a theatre building in its role
as a statutory consultee in the planning system.
• Commenting on local planning and culture policies to ensure they safeguard and promote
culture and sustainable theatre.
• Running two grant schemes offering funding to improve theatres’ resilience, sustainability
or accessibility.
• Assisting community groups campaigning to save or revive their local theatres, particularly those on the Theatres at Risk Register.
• Publishing advice notes to support theatre owners, operators, campaign groups and local
authorities with common issues relating to theatre buildings.
• Submitting and supporting heritage listing applications for buildings of particular
architectural and cultural merit to give them greater protection.

Theatres Trust Director Jon Morgan says, Theatres can play a significant role in supporting their local communities’ economic and social wellbeing. Unfortunately, Covid is casting a long shadow over the theatre sector and its full recovery is by no means guaranteed. As well as supporting individual theatres, Theatres Trust’s work to advocate for the long-term value of theatres and importance of investment in theatre buildings is now more crucial than ever before

THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE
WILL TOUR THE UK AND IRELAND, VISITING 29 TOWNS AND CITIES FOR 40 WEEKS FROM DECEMBER

The National Theatre’s critically acclaimed adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE will tour the UK and Ireland later this year, direct from the West End, visiting more than 29 towns and cities for a total of 40 weeks. Directed by Katy Rudd (Camp Siegfried) and adapted by Joel Horwood (Skins, I Want My Hat Back), the first major stage adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s work is a thrilling adventure of fantasy, myth and friendship, which blends magic with memory in a tour-de-force of storytelling that takes audiences on an epic journey to a childhood once forgotten and the darkness that lurks at the very edge of it.

Featuring an ensemble cast of 17, the tour will open at The Lowry in Salford where it will play over Christmas (12 December 2022 – 7 January 2023), before visiting New Victoria Theatre, Woking (24 – 28 Jan); Leicester Curve (31 Jan – 11 Feb); Theatre Royal Plymouth (14 – 25 Feb); Sunderland Empire (28 Feb – 4 March); Theatre Royal Bath (7 – 18 March); Grand Opera House, Belfast (21 – 25 March); Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dublin (28 March – 1 April); The Alhambra Theatre, Bradford (4 – 8 April); New Wimbledon Theatre (11 – 15 April); Edinburgh Festival Theatre (18 – 22 April); Liverpool Empire (2 – 6 May); Sheffield Lyceum Theatre (9 – 20 May); The Alexandra, Birmingham (23 – 27 May); Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff (30 May – 3 June); Nottingham Theatre Royal (6 – 17 June); New Theatre, Oxford (20 – 24 June); Milton Keynes Theatre (27 June – 1 July); Mayflower Theatre, Southampton (4 – 8 July); Newcastle Theatre Royal (11 – 22 July); Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury (25 – 29 July); Cliffs Pavilion, Southend (8 – 12 Aug); Bristol Hippodrome (15 – 19 Aug); His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen (22 – 26 August); King’s Theatre, Glasgow (29 August – 2 Sept); Norwich Theatre Royal (5 – 9 Sept); Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent (12 – 16 Sept); Hall for Cornwall, Truro (19 – 23 Sept) and Wolverhampton Grand Theatre (26 – 30 September).

Check individual venue websites for full details of on sale dates and assisted performances across the tour. Visit oceanonstage.com for the full touring schedule.

Returning to his childhood home, a man finds himself standing beside the pond of the old Sussex farmhouse where he used to play. He’s transported to his 12th birthday when his remarkable friend Lettie claimed it wasn’t a pond, but an ocean – a place where everything is possible…

Plunged into a magical world, their survival depends on their ability to reckon with ancient forces that threaten to destroy everything around them.

Touring for a total of 40 weeks, this is the largest tour mounted by the National Theatre since before the COVID-19 pandemic. It follows a celebrated six-month run of The Ocean at the End of the Lane at the Duke of York’s Theatre in the West End, which opened in November 2021 after the production received its world premiere in the Dorfman Theatre in late 2019.

Writer Neil Gaiman said: “The Ocean at the End of the Lane is about memory, magic, family. It’s about who you were and who you are. It’s not like anything else I’ve ever been involved in. It’s not like anything else you’ll ever see at the theatre. The Ocean at the End of the Lane has its own theatrical magic. It’s why happy people tell you that they cried while watching it, it’s why it becomes a dreamlike experience in memory, it gets bigger the further inside you follow it. Like a duck pond that contains an ocean that holds the universe…” 

Director Katy Rudd said: “When Neil Gaiman gave the National Theatre his blessing to stage his novel The Ocean at the End of
the Lane we knew that this book was treasured across the world by Neil Gaiman’s legions of fans. The writer, Joel Horwood and I wanted to be faithful to the novel and at the same time create a big, bold, visual show with more than just a little bit of magic. Thanks to our amazing creative team we found ways to fit an ocean into a bucket, and bring huge mythical creatures like the Hunger Birds to life on stage….but at its heart, Ocean is a human story about a family and a young boy growing up, experiencing real emotion and real pain, and finding a way to get through it with the help of his friends. We hope we have created something that is both profound and visually exciting that will appeal, not only to regular theatre audiences, but also to younger people from the ‘Netflix generation’ who might not have been to the theatre before. It is a beautiful, rich, multi-faceted story and as this production goes on tour we are still adapting and evolving it and finding new meaning in its depths. That is the magic of live theatre and we can’t wait to share it with our audiences.”

National Theatre Director Rufus Norris said: “That Joel Horwood, Katy Rudd and their formidable creative team have managed to wrestle Neil Gaiman’s incredible imagination and the worlds which spring from it onto a stage is magic in itself. We’re so proud to tour this work around the UK and Ireland, to share this beautiful story with audiences nationally, and to visit so many gorgeous theatres which, like ours, have recently been dark for too long.”

Neil Gaiman is known for his graphic novels, including The Sandman series (with a major new Netflix series scheduled for release in 2022); his novels for adults and children including Stardust, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book; and multiple film and television projects including Good Omens and Anansi Boys. The Ocean at the End of the Lane was the winner of the Book of the Year at the 2013 National Book Awards and has sold more than 1.5 million copies worldwide.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane introduces audiences to Gaiman’s magical world and the much-loved characters that inhabit it, fully realised on stage. An award-winning creative team join Katy Rudd and Joel Horwood; with set design by Fly Davis (Beginning; Caroline or Change) and costume and puppet design by Samuel Wyer (The Boy in the Dress; 2022 Best Family Show Olivier Award winner for Wolf Witch Giant Fairy). Movement direction is by Steven Hoggett (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time; Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), composition by Jherek Bischoff (LA based composer and multi-instrumentalist whose collaborators include David Byrne, Amanda Palmer, and Regina Spektor), lighting design is by Paule Constable (5 times winner of the Olivier Award for Best Lighting Design, including for The Ocean at the End of the Lane in 2020), sound design by Ian Dickinson for Autograph (Angels in America; Small Island; The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time), magic and illusions direction and design by Jamie Harrison (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) and puppetry direction by Finn Caldwell (2022 Olivier Award winner for Life of Pi; War Horse). Tour casting is by Sarah Hughes CDG. Cast to be announced. 

The Ocean at the End of the Lane is suitable for ages 12+. 

Salisbury Playhouse – until 14 May 2022

Review by Nicky Wyatt

3***

Jim Cartwrights 30 year old play about a poverty stricken family surrounded by grief is a clever if slightly dated show. The casting for this latest revival brings it together and they work really well together.

Sara Perks cleverly designed set is brilliant. The family home complete with crackly electrics is perfect for the era.

Mari (Shobna Gulati) takes the role of a sad, lonely, jealous mum to a whole new level. Her brash clothes and heavy drinking do little to mask her sadness of being widowed and left with a daughter that had more in common with dead husband than she did. She has little time, affection or compassion for her young daughter and sees her as hindrance to her own life, which is a constant round of drinking, partying and unsuitable men. Her biggest excitement is the installation of a telephone , oh and the telephone man.

Mari leans heavily on her slightly awkward friend Sadie (Fiona Mulvaney). Sadie is always there to listen, support and help her friend. She is the butt of many jokes but also delivers some amazing humour herself.

As Mari drinks her way through life upstairs in her bedroom is LV ( Little Voice), Christina Bianco, so named because she is shy, timid, grieves for dad and frankly can’t get a word in around her mum. She sits and plays her fathers records and has the most amazing talent to be able to mimic her idols. When she does ‘it’s not Little Voice but what a voice!’

She is develops her one true friend when the family telephone is installed , the slightly awkward Billy (Akshay Gulati). He sees a kindred spirit in her and a proper caring friendship blossoms, unlike the manipulative one that happens when Mari brings home her latest squeeze club promoter Ray Say (Ian Kelsey).

Ray desperately wanting to hit the big time and make it rich overhears LV singing in her room and sees the ££signs in his eyes. He cajoles, manipulates and persuades LV to perform in the club. Stage fright ensues and LV flops much to her Rays disappointment and Mari’s wrath. The only one on her side is Billy who genuinely cares for her. Not one to give up on a give Ray persuades her to one more night and we are treated to a 10 minute ensemble of Christina’s amazing voice.

Sadly her daughters success is to much for Mari and years of bitterness pour out of her and she is left all alone.

There are some great set changes in this show, brilliant one liners , also a lot of shouting and strong language, see through that and the show is great