Lyceum, Sheffield – until 19th March 2022

Reviewed by Alison Beaumont

5*****

Dreamgirls is a musical set in the early 1960’s to mid 70’s and follows the rise of 3 women Effie, Deena and Lorrell who have formed a group called the Dreamettes. They enter a talent show and are offered an opportunity to be the backing singers for James Thunder Early. Curtis their manager gradually takes over the Dreamettes who he rebrands as the Dreams and pushes Effie out of the spotlight to focus on Deena. While the Dreams rise to fame without Effie she is left struggling bringing up her daughter. A few years later Effie starts to rise to fame in a solo career. The manager of the Dreams tries to destroy Effie’s new career.

Well what can I say about this musical other than WOW WOW WOW. I will start with the best and most amazing part for me and that has to be when Effie White played by Nicole Raquel Dennis sang “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going”, what a singer, vocals out of this world, I was mesmerised by this performance, she definitely gave Whitney Houston a run for her money with this rendition. The audience certainly felt the same and she even had some members of the audience on their feet showing their appreciation during this song. Absolutely by far the best moment. This to me was when I really felt enraptured by the musical. I was left wondering how the Second Act could possibly match up. I was not left disappointed.

The blow away moment for me in the Second Act was “Listen”, recorded by Beyonce. This song always gets me emotionally and brings a tear to my eye as it personally holds a special place in my heart. This was a duet with Effie and Deena Jones (Natalie Kassanga), Nicole yet again gave an outstanding performance as did Natalie, could not fault them one bit.

The show has lots of emotion which is portrayed exceptionally well by everyone and the story is well performed.

The choreography for the male dancers was good and they certainly did not disappoint playing their parts, this all added to the great performance.

The Dreamgirls (reprise) where Effie joins the Dream girls Deena, Lorrell (Paige Peddie) and Michelle (Brianna Ogunbawo) was the perfect end to a perfect show.

I really feel that everyone deserves a mention in this review as they all played equally good parts and the bond between everyone certainly made this show run smoothly and really enjoyable for the audience. There is nothing I could fault.

The award-winning Original Theatre Company 

adds its acclaimed touring production of The Hound of the Baskervilles 

to its Spring 2022 on demand digital programme 

joining a line-up which includes  

Emily Head’s The System, Adrian Lukis’s Being Mr Wickham and 

Into The Night starring Tom Chambers, Robert Duncan, Susan Penhaligon 

The award-winning Original Theatre Company and Octagon Theatre Bolton’s acclaimed 2021/22 tour of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most celebrated adventure, The Hound of the Baskervilles, will be available on demand online from 14 April at 7.30pm until 31 July 2022 ([https://originaltheatreonline.com)/]https://originaltheatreonline.com). 

The whodunnit for all ages stars Jake Ferretti (The Kitchen, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, The Understudy) as Sherlock Holmes, Serena Manteghi (Welcome To Iran, To Build a Rocket, Mrs Wilson) as Sir Henry and Niall Ransome as Dr. Watson (Mischief Movie Night, The Comedy About A Bank Robbery, Fcuk’d). 

Adapted for the stage by Steven Canny and John Nicholson for Peepolykus, in a production which was first performed at the Octagon Theatre in summer 2021, the classic detective tale gets a brilliantly farcical overhaul in Lotte Wakeham’s acclaimed production which is directed on tour by Tim Jackson. A hit in the West End, this ingenious adaptation combines an exhilarating collision of farce, theatrical invention and wonderfully comic performances to offer a brand-new twist on the greatest detective story of all time. 

One of the first companies to launch online versions of their plays, Original Theatre have produced 13 digital productions since March 2020 and streamed their work globally to 57 countries. Their work has ranged from filming Sebastian Faulks’s Birdsong to Apollo 13 to an award-winning zombie short Viral shot on iPhones in locked-down Peckham. Over lockdown they employed over 200 freelancers. Their work has been widely praised and they have recently been credited with creating “an entirely new dramatic genre” (The Guardian).  In February 2022, the company won a One Off Award at this year’s OFFIES in recognition of its work over the past 18 months. 

Alastair Whatley, Artistic Director of Original Theatre, said, “Necessity forced our hand in 2020 as we took our first steps into making work online. As much as the past two years have been profoundly challenging for all of us in the industry, they have also opened doors to explore a new way of working which in turn has led us to develop a new and exciting hybrid form of theatre. It’s been a period of huge change but also great innovation which is opening up access to theatre like we’ve never been able to do previously.” 

The Hound of the Baskervilles joins Original Theatre’s exciting on demand Spring line-up including: 

The Red (16 March – 16 June): Marcus Brigstocke’s compelling drama of family and addiction, starring real-life father and son Bruce Alexander and Sam Alexander, is based on his own recovery. Originally commissioned for BBC Radio 4 and winner of the BBC Audio Drama Award 2018 for Best Single Drama, the 2019 stage production had acclaimed runs at Omnibus Theatre and Edinburgh Festival Fringe.  

Into The Night (until 31 August): On Saturday 19 December 1981, the Penlee lifeboat ‘Solomon Browne’, was launched in hurricane conditions to go to the aid of the coaster ‘Union Star’ that had engine failure and was being swept towards the southern coast of Cornwall. It was an attempted rescue which ranks not only with the greatest in the history of the RNLI, but with any human achievement. Marking 40 years since the event, Into The Night is a unique theatrical performance being streamed online. The cast includes Tom Chambers, Robert Duncan and Susan Penhaligon.  

THE SYSTEM (until 31 August): Emily Head’s sharp psychological thriller invites the audience into the interrogation room with the murder suspects. As, one by one, the murder suspects give their accounts of that night a dark truth begins to reveal itself. An on-demand recording of Original’s live stream, filmed on stage at the New Wolsey in a single steadicam take, THE SYSTEM is one of Original’s most ambitious undertakings and the longest single take LIVE steadicam shot ever undertaken! 

Being Mr Wickham (until 30 April): Adrian Lukis, who starred in the renowned BBC TV adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, returns to the role of Mr Wickham. Join Pride and Prejudice’s most roguish gentleman, George Wickham, on the eve of his sixtieth birthday, to lift the sheets on what exactly happened thirty years on from where we left him. This on-demand version was originally streamed live from the stage of the magnificent Regency Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds. 

There is also the final chance to catch the compelling political drama A Splinter Of Ice, starring Oliver Ford Davies, Stephen Boxer and Sara Crowe, before it ends on 31 March 2022.  

For more information about Original Theatre productions, and to book your tickets, visit: https://originaltheatreonline.com.  

Richmond Theatre – until 12^th March  2022

Reviewed by Carly Burlinge  

5***** 

Cluedo – based on the detective board game that we all know and love as well as the film Clue. Is brought back to life at Richmond theatre as a hysterical fun and classic whodunit play. Offering a fun filled and frantic evening well worth a watch. 

When Miss Scarlett (Michelle Collins), Professor Plum (Daniel Casey), Colonel Mustard (Wesley Griffith), Mrs White (Etisyai Philip), Mrs Peacock (Judith Amsenga), and Reverend Green (Tom Babbage) all receive the same Invitation to Boddy Manor a Grand House. Unaware why they have been invited and by whom? Soon the evening starts to unravel and they begin to realise that they might have more in common than what they first thought! With each of them keeping restricted information that they don’t wish others to know about themselves. They soon discover that they are all being blackmailed and when things get heated their secrets become exposed for all to hear. With all doors locked and windows barred and everyone knowing everybody’s business. It soon becomes apparent that the guests of Boddy Manor are starting to be killed off one by one. Turning this play into a chaotic thriller that’s full of excitement lots of laughter and funny Antics. Including lots of twists and turns drawing in the audience to keep them guessing whodunnit! 

Overall, the cast gave an excellent lively ambitious accomplished performance. They worked fabulously well together and their connection on stage was strong as well as humorous and fast paced, making it an excellent show to watch. They showed some very skill full acting with some slow-motion scenes that were just outstanding and gained much clapping and laughing from the audience throughout the whole show. 

The opening stage consisted of a front door going into a large hallway with may doors as like in the game leading to The Library, The Study, The Kitchen, The Dining Room the conservatory and the lounge.  All lit up in the colours of the characters. Each door had a panel that opens wide to reveal each room in more detail very cleverly done and really affective. 

All In all, what a fantastic and fun night. Thoroughly enjoyable to watch and one not to be missed. 

TARON EGERTON,

JONATHAN BAILEY

JADE ANOUKA & PHIL DANIELS

IN

BY MIKE BARTLETT

PRODUCTION PHOTOGRAPHS

RELEASED TODAY

Production photographs of Taron Egerton, Jonathan Bailey, Jade Anouka and Phil Daniels in C O C K at the Ambassadors Theatre – Mike Bartlett’s Olivier award winning play about love and identity are released today. 

The pictures by Brinkhoff Moegenburg 

Directed by Tony and Olivier award winning Marianne Elliott, Cock is currently in preview at the Ambassadors Theatre in London where it will run until Saturday 4 June 2022. 

“The fact is that some of us like women and some like men and that’s fine that’s good in fact that’s good, a good thing, but it seems to me that you’ve become confused.”

In a world full of endless possibilities why must we still limit ourselves with labels?

Taron Egerton, Jonathan Bailey, Jade Anouka and Phil Daniels star in Mike Bartlett’srazor sharp play which redefines the battle of the sexes. 

Marianne Elliott said  ‘I feel so excited to be working on this beautifully crafted and hilarious play by Mike Bartlett. It keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout. A truly theatrical piece in that it asks the audience to enter the imagination of the storytelling – as only live theatre can do. It’s also all about the acting so to have such a talented, highly experienced, stellar cast is an absolute dream!’

Mike Bartlett added:  ‘I love Marianne Elliott’s work and have done for a long time, so I’m thrilled to be able to collaborate with her on this revival. Especially with this incredible cast, which I know will bring both a fresh take and vast experience to a play about love, identity and the passionate human being.” 

Taron Egerton won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Sir Elton John in Rocketman and also recorded the original song for the film I’m Gonna Love Again with Sir Elton which went on to win Best Original Song at the Academy Awards. He will next be seen starring in Blackbird, a limited series drama for Apple TV alongside Paul Walter Hauser, Tetris directed by Jon S. Baird and produced by Matthew Vaughn for Apple + and is also set to star in Claire Denis’ romantic drama thriller Stars at Noon, opposite Margaret Qualley. Egerton shot to fame when he played Gary ‘Eggsy’ Unwin in Matthew Vaughn’s Kingsman: The Secret Service and reprised the role in Kingsman: The Golden Circle.  Other credits include Eddie the Eagle, Testament of Youth, Legend, Sing, Robin Hood, and The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. On stage he has appeared in The Last of the Haussmans at the National Theatre and Tommy in No Quarter at the Royal Court Theatre. 

Jonathan Bailey won an Olivier Award for his ground-breaking role of Jamie in Marianne Elliott’s West End revival of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s musical Company.  Jonathan plays Viscount Anthony Bridgerton in the Netflix’ period drama, Bridgerton, a role he is reprising in the second series scheduled for release in 2022.  His other TV credits include the ITV series Broadchurch, Leonardo da Vinci in Leonardo, Me and Mrs Jones, Doctor Who and WIA (all for the BBC) and Crashing and Chewing Gum for Channel 4.  His theatre credits include David Hare’s South Downs, American Psycho at the Almeida Theatre, The York Realist at The Donmar Warehouse, and King Lear (alongside Sir Ian McKellen) for Chichester Festival Theatre.

Jade Anouka’s recent TV credits include Ruta Skadi in BBC/HBO’s His Dark Materials, Channel 5’s The Drowning and ITV’s Cleaning Up. Her film credits include Ear For Eye, Fisherman’s Friends and Last Christmas. In theatre Jade has played the title roles in Hampstead’s Olivier nominated The Phlebotomist and Queen Margaret at The Royal Exchange. Other theatre credits include Moon On A Rainbow Shawl at The National Theatre, Doctor Faustus in the West End and the Donmar Warehouse Shakespeare Trilogy where she played Mark Antony in Julius Caesar, Hotspur in Henry IV and Ariel in The Tempest.  She wrote, directed and co-starred in a short film –  Her & Her for BBC’s Culture In Quarantine series which has since got in to 23 film festivals. 

Phil Daniels’ early films include Anoop and the Elephant, Bugsy Malone, Breaking Glass, Scum and the central role of Jimmy in Quadrophenia. He starred in a 1985 British snooker musical, Billy the Kid and the Green Baize Vampire. More recent films include playing the voice of Fletcher in Chicken Run, Free Jimmy, Freebird, Vinyl and The Hatton Garden Job.  He narrated tracks Parklife and Me, White Noise on the Parklife and Think Tank albums for Blur.  On TV,  he played Kevin Wicks in EastEnders and appeared in Sunnyside Farm, Time Gentlemen Please, and Rock and Chips.  His theatre credits include: The Merchant of Venice, The Jew of Malta and A Clockwork Orange for the RSC, This House for the National Theatre, King Lear at Chichester Festival Theatre and Thenardier in Les Miserables in the West End.

Mike Bartlett is a multi-award-winning writer for both stage and screen. His five part drama series Doctor Foster won the National Television Award for Best New Drama and was seen by almost 10 million viewers. Other television work includes  Life, Doctor Foster series 2, King Charles III,  Sticks and Stones, Trauma, Press, Doctor Who and The Town. Bartlett’s stage plays include: Vassa, Albion and Game for the Almeida Theatre,  Snowflake for Arts at the Old Fire Station; Wild at Hampstead Theatre; the Olivier Award winning King Charles III at the Almeida Theatre, Wyndham’s Theatre and Music Box Theatre in New York (also winner of the Critics’ Circle Award for Best Play 2014);  An Intervention for Paines Plough and Watford; Bull at Sheffield Theatres, Off Broadway and the Young Vic (Winner of Best New Play at the National Theatre Awards 2013); Medea for Headlong, Glasgow Citizens, Watford Theatre and Warwick; Chariots of Fire at the Hampstead Theatre the Gielgud Theatre in the West End; 13 at National Theatre; Cock for the Royal Court; Decade for Headlong; Earthquakes in London for Headlong and the National Theatre; Love, Love, Love for Paines Plough, Plymouth Theatre Royal, the Royal Court, Roundabout Theatre Company, New York and the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre; Contractions for the Royal Court and Crucible Theatre, Sheffield; My Child for the Royal Court; Artefacts for the Bush Theatre and Honest for the Theatre Royal Northampton.

Marianne Elliott recently directed Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s Company at the Gielgud Theatre.  It won four Olivier Awards including ‘Best Revival of a Musical’.  Its Broadway transfer will re-open (following the Covid shutdown) in New York this autumn. Her other shows for Elliott & Harper include the Olivier Award winning Death of a Salesman (co-directed with Miranda Cromwell) in the West End and at the Young Vic.  For the National Theatre she directed the Olivier and Tony award-winning Angels in America (in London and on Broadway), the Olivier and Tony-award-winning The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (at the NT, West End, on Broadway and on tour).  She co-directed the world-wide hit War Horse alongside Tom Morris (at the NT, West End on Broadway and on tour).  She received a Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play for War Horse. On winning the Tony Award for Curious Incident in New York, Marianne became the first woman in Broadway history to have won two Tony Awards for Best Direction of a Play.  Other productions at the NT include The Light Princess, Women Beware Women, Port, Saint Joan (Olivier Award for Best Revival, South Bank Show Award) and Pillars of the Community (Evening Standard Best Director Award). Elliott recently directed two of the episodes of Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads for the BBC.

Joining Marianne Elliott on the creative team are:  Designer Merle Hensel, Lighting Designer Paule Constable, Sound Designer Ian Dickinson, Composer Femi Temowo, Movement Director Annie-Lunette Deakin-Foster, Casting Director Charlotte Sutton, Vocal Coach Hazel Holder and Associate Director Chloe Christian.

The understudies for C O C K are Joel Harper- Jackson (John/M), Dominic Holmes (y John/M), Jessica Whitehurst (W) and John Vernon (F).

C O C K is produced by Elliott & Harper Productions.

WILTSHIRE CREATIVE ANNOUNCES FULL CAST FOR

                 LUCY KIRKWOOD’S THE CHILDREN AT SALISBURY PLAYHOUSE

Wiltshire Creative today announce the full cast for Lucy Kirkwood’s The Children opening at Salisbury Playhouse next month. Belinda Lang directs Christine Kavanagh (Rose), Joanne Pearce (Hazel) and Brian Protheroe (Robin). The production opens on 8 April 2022, with previews from 7 April and runs until 23 April.

Wiltshire Creative presents

THE CHILDREN

By Lucy Kirkwood

Director: Belinda Lang; Set and Costume Design: Michael Taylor; Lighting Design: Matthew Eagland; Sound Design: Andrea J Cox; Casting Director: Gabrielle Dawes CDG

“Retired people are like nuclear power stations. We like to live by the sea.”

Two retired nuclear scientists in an isolated cottage by the sea as the world around them crumbles. Together they are going to live forever on yogurt and yoga, until an old friend arrives with a frightening request.

Christine Kavanagh plays Rose. Her theatre work includes An Inspector Calls (UK/US tour), Hedda Gabler (NT on Tour), Man and Superman, Albert Speer (National Theatre), The Importance of Being Earnest (Harold Pinter Theatre), Basket Case (Royal and Derngate), A Doll’s House (Lyric, Belfast), All My Sons (Redgrave Theatre), Hamlet (Nottingham Playhouse), June Moon (Stephen Joseph Theatre), Last Easter (Birmingham Rep), Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing (RSC), The Liar (The Old Vic), and The Rehearsal (Almeida Theatre and Garrick Theatre). For television, her work includes Vera, Great Night Out, Titanic, Material Girl, A Very British Coup, Agony Too, Between the Lines, The Glass Virgin, Chimera, Drop the Dead Donkey, Frank Stubbs, In His Life – The John Lennon Story, Island Gardens, Man Child and A Room With a View.

Joanne Pearce plays Hazel. Her theatre credits include What Shadows (Park Theatre), A Room with a View (Theatre Royal Bath and UK tour), Kean (Apollo Theatre), How Love is Spelt, A Place at the Table, Shang-a-Lang, Unsuitable for Adults, Love Field (Bush Theatre), A Woman of No Importance, Arcadia (Theatre Royal Haymarket), Life After George (Duchess Theatre), Ancient Lights (Hampstead Theatre), Thérèse Raquin (Chichester Festival Theatre), Pain of Youth (Gate Theatre), Serious Money (Wyndham’s Theatre and New York), The Entertainer (Shaftesbury Theatre), and extensive work for the RSC including The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, Little Eyolf, Cymbeline, Hamlet, Henry IV, The Alchemist, The Theban Plays, The Plantagenets and The Master Builder. Her television work includes Messiah, Murphy’s Law, The Jury, Silent Witness, Shakespeare Workshop, Lovejoy, For the Greater Good and Way Upstream; and for film, Mrs Lowry & Son, Morons from Outer Space, Whoops Apocalypse, and Murder East, Murder West.

Brian Protheroe plays Robin. His theatre work includes Little Women (Park Theatre), Hamlet, An Inspector Calls, Long Day’s Journey Into Night (Bolton Octagon), The Roundabout (Park Theatre New York), Othello, The Merchant of Venice (RSC), Twelfth Night (Sheffield Theatres) This May Hurt a Bit (Out of Joint), The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (Kensington Gardens), Broken Glass (Vaudeville Theatre, Tricycle Theatre), Moonlight and Magnolias (The Watermill Theatre), Noises Off (Birmingham Rep), The Convict’s Opera (Out of Joint), The Lord of the Rings (West End), The Birthday Party (Bristol Old Vic), Macbeth (Derby Playhouse), Losing Louis (Hampstead Theatre), The Price (West End), The Cherry Orchard (Oxford Stage Company), The Tempest, The Winter’s Tale, Pericles (RSC), The Iceman Cometh, Long Voyage Home, Larkrise to Candleford, Dispatches (National Theatre), and London Cuckolds, The Duchess of Malfi (Royal Court Theatre). For television, his work includes Scarborough, His Dark Materials, Whitechapel, Hunted, My Family, Spooks, Suburban Shootout, Love Soup, 55 Degrees North, All Yours, Real Women, Dr Willoughby, The Hello Girls, Highlander, Wolverine, Pie in the Sky, Natural Lies, Shrinks, Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less, Penny Less, Gentleman and Players, To Have and To Hold, Reilly Ace of Spies, and Leave Him to Heaven; and for film, Hampstead, The Fever, The Biographer, Deceit, The Biggest Bank Robbery, and Superman.

Lucy Kirkwood is a British playwright and screenwriter whose plays include Maryland (Royal Court Theatre), The Welkin (National Theatre), Mosquitoes (National Theatre), The Children (Royal Court Theatre), Chimerica (Almeida Theatre/Harold Pinter Theatre; winner of the 2014 Olivier Award for Best New Play, the 2013 Evening Standard Best Play Award, the 2014 Critics’ Circle Best New Play Award, and the Susan Smith Blackburn Award), NSFW (Royal Court), small hours (co-written with Ed Hime; Hampstead Theatre), Beauty and the Beast (with Katie Mitchell; National Theatre), Bloody Wimmin, as part of Women, Power and Politics (Tricycle Theatre), it felt empty when the heart went at first but it is alright now (Clean Break & Arcola Theatre; winner of the 2012 John Whiting Award), Hedda (Gate Theatre) and Tinderbox (Bush Theatre). Her screenwriting credits include Skins, The Smoke, Chimerica and Adult Material. She won the inaugural Berlin Lee UK Playwrights Award in 2013 and was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2018.

Belinda Lang is an actor and director. Her directing credits include Present Laughter, The Reluctant Debutante (UK tours) and This Was a Man (Finborough Theatre). Her acting credits for theatre include Duet for One, Single Spies, Ladies in Lavender, A Song at Twilight, The Chalk Garden, Alarms and Excursions (UK tours), Oklahoma! (BBC Proms, Royal Albert Hall), The Constant Wife (Gate Theatre, Dublin), The Glass Menagerie (Nuffield Theatre Southampton), The Letter of Last Resort (Tricycle Theatre/ Traverse Theatre), Liberty (Shakespeare’s Globe), The School for Scandal (Park Theatre), The Killing of Sister George (Arts Theatre), Hay Fever (Theatre Royal Haymarket/Royal Exchange Theatre), Forgotten Voices (Riverside Studios), Ring Round the Moon (Playhouse Theatre), The Secret Rapture (Lyric Theatre), What the Butler Saw (Hampstead Theatre/Criterion Theatre), Life x3 (Savoy Theatre/UK tour), My Boy Jack (Hampstead Theatre), The Things We Do For Love (Duchess Theatre), Dead Funny (Savoy Theatre), Three Sisters Two, The Dark River (Orange Tree), Lulu (Almeida Theatre) and Mrs Klein (Apollo). Her television credits include 2 Point 4 Children, The Inspector Alleyn Mysteries, Justice in Wonderland, Second Thoughts, Dear John and To Serve Them All My Days.

LISTINGS

SALISBURY PLAYHOUSE

Salisbury Playhouse, Wiltshire Creative

Malthouse Lane, Salisbury, SP2 7RA

Ticket Sales: 01722 320333

A MURDER IS ANNOUNCED – A MISS MARPLE MYSTERY
7 – 12 March 2022

THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW
14 – 19 March 2022

PHANTOMS: A TRIPLE BILL

24 – 26 March 2022

THE CHILDREN

7 April – 23 April 2022

Press Night: 8 April 2022, 7:30pm

Tickets: £12+

PRIVATE PEACEFUL

25 –30 April 2022

SHEILA’S ISLAND
3 – 7 May 2022

THE RISE AND FALL OF LITTLE VOICE

9 – 14 May 2022

INTERNATIONAL SALISBURY ARTS FESTIVAL

27 May – 18 June

Group Bookers please contact [email protected] 

New bookings, credit or refunds can be arranged through the box office. 

In person at Salisbury Arts Centre, Bedwin Street Tuesday – Saturday 10am – 3pm. 

By email [email protected] 

To arrange group or access bookings please phone 01722 320 333 Tuesday – Saturday 10am – 12pm.

Thank you for your patience as we are operating with a reduced box office team. 

FIRST LOOK AT THE CAST OF MIKE BARTLETT’S NEW COMEDY SCANDALTOWN

The first images are released today of the full company of Scandaltown, a brand new comedy and irreverent satire by award-winning writer Mike Bartlett (BBC’s Doctor Foster) directed by the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre’s Artistic Director Rachel O’Riordan (Olivier Award winning Killology) who reunite following their critically acclaimed 2020 revival of Love, Love, Love.

Scandaltown is a modern restoration comedy, set in post-pandemic London, full of immorality, political hypocrisy and the machinations of a fame-hungry elite. The world premiere productionruns at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre from 07 April to 14 May with opening night for press on 14 April. Tickets are available from £10 at www.lyric.co.uk

Scandaltown brings together a 12-strong cast: Rachael Stirling as Lady Susan Climber(The Bletchley Circle, Hollington Drive); Richard Goulding as Matt Eton (The Windsors, King Charles III); Emma Cunniffe as Aunty Julie (Queen Anne – RSC); Cecilia Appiah as Phoebe Virtue (The Long Song – CFT); Matthew Broome as Jack Virtue in his stage debut; Henry Everett as Peter Media OBE and Carson (Antony and Cleopatra – National Theatre); Luke Hornsby as Freddie Peripheral (1917, Harlots); Thomas Josling as Tom Double-Budget (Habeas Corpus – Menier); Aysha Kala  as Hannah Tweetwell (BAFTA Breakthrough Brit, The Welkin – National Theatre); Annette McLaughlin as Rosalind Double-Budget and Scrub (Matilda, Harry Potter and The Cursed Child); Ami Okumura Jones as Jenny Hood (EastEnders, Wendy & Peter Pan – Leeds Playhouse); and Chukwuma Omambala as Sir Dennis Hedge and Kevin the Postman (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hecuba – RSC).

We are not virtuous, but neither are we cruel. We believe in simply: no shame.

When noble heroine Miss Phoebe Virtue receives worrisome news on Instagram that her twin brother Jack may be endangering his reputation in London Town, she decides she must visit herself, and investigate. Scandaltown is a modern restoration comedy and an irreverent satire for our times. Expect the finest couture, rakish behaviour, explicit hashtags and a party that will have all of London talking. Welcome to Scandaltown.

Set Design is by Good Teeth, Costume Design by Kinnetia Isidore, Lighting Design by Paul Keogan, Sound Design and Composition by Simon Slater, Choreography by Malik Nashad Sharpe, Wigs, Hair and Make-up Design by Susanna Peretz, Casting by Amy Ball CDG, Gender Consultant Dr Lloyd (Meadhbh) Houston, and Assistant Director Kwame Owusu.

CELEBRATED TV TALENT AND PERFORMER

LOUISE REDKNAPP JOINS THE CAST OF THE PROVOCATIVE NEW STAGE THRILLER

Tonight (Wednesday 9^th March, 2022) marks Louise Redknapp’s debut in the UK tour of Fatal Attraction.

Based on the iconic movie phenomenon, she joins the tour in the role of Beth Gallagher alongside Oliver Farnworth as Dan Gallagher and Susie Amy who has moved into the role of Alex Forrest.

Fatal Attraction 2022 Tour List

CAST CHANGE Susie Amy will perform the role of Alex Forrest, Louise Redknapp the role of Beth Gallagher and Oliver Farnworth that of Dan Gallagher from Wednesday 9^th March onwards.

 Tue 8– Sat 12 March   Box Office: 029 2087 8889

New Theatre, Cardiff    www.newtheatrecardiff.co.uk   

Tue 15 – Sat 19 March   Box Office: 01242 572573

Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham  www.everymantheatre.org.uk

 Tue 22 – Sat 26 March   Box Office: 03330 096 690.

Richmond Theatre, Richmond  www.atgtickets.com/venues/richmond-theatre

 Tue 29 March – Sat 2 April  Box Office: 01604 624 811 

Royal and Derngate, Northampton      www.royalandderngate.co.uk

 Tue 5 – Sat 9 April   Box Office: 0844 871 7627

Waterside Theatre, Aylesbury  www.atgtickets.com/venues/aylesbury-waterside-theatre

 Tue 19 April – Sat 23 April  Box Office: 0844 8717647

Theatre Royal, Glasgow   www.atgtickets.com/venues/theatre-royal-glasgow

Tue 26 – 30 April                                      Box Office: 01223 503333
Arts Theatre, Cambridge                          www.cambridgeartstheatre.com/whats-on/fatal-attraction

 Tue 3 – 7 May    Box Office: 0333 009 6690

York, Grand Opera House                      www.atgtickets.com/venues/grand-opera-house-york

Hull New Theatre, Hull – until 12th March 2022

Reviewed by Dawn Bennett

5*****

I have had the pleasure of seeing a number of Mischief productions over the last few years so I knew roughly what to expect madness, mayhem and belly laughs and that is what we got and a lot more!

(Kenny Wax Ltd, Stage Presence Ltd and Kevin McCollum present…) Mischief and the magicians Penn & Teller, who have put together a brilliant and funny couple of hours.

From before the curtain went up, we had the cast in the audience looking for missing doves, a rabbit trying to escape across the stage and the “charity” sign having the missing letters replaced.

We were watching a “Disaster in Magic Charity Fundraiser” set up by Sophisticato (Sam Hill) who gave a brilliant performance as a magician trying fill his Father’s footsteps, as well as raise money in his memory. We had Mind Mangler (Rory Fairbairn) trying, and failing spectacularly to read the audiences mind, aided by Mickey (Daniel Anthony) as a member of the audience a bit familiar to him! The Blade (Keifer Moriarty) who played the slightly unhinged daredevil sometimes knife wielding magician. Spitzmaus (Jocely Prah) and Bar (Chloe Tannenbaum) are so funny as the magician assistants and have their own contortionist act, with various degrees of success, fitting, or not, in boxes! Sophisticatos main cash donor Eugenia (Valerie Cutko) takes part in the highlight act of magic in the first half and we see a bit more of her than they would like!

All the cast including the stagehands and camera crew played by Ishbel Cumming, Ricky Oakley, CJ Field and Jay Olpin work so well together and their timing is brilliant.

There are some brilliant tricks in this show as you would expect from the genius that is Penn & Teller that are so well executed that you will be left wondering how they did it.

To say that this is a show that “Goes Wrong” Mischief have got it very right!!

EMPIRE THEATRE, LIVERPOOL – UNTIL SATURDAY 12TH MARCH 2022

REVIEWED BY MIA BOWEN

5*****

I don’t think Charles Addams ever imagined, back in 1938 the franchise that would result, from his single-panel newspaper cartoons, about a macabre American family with an affinity for all things dark and gloomy. After the success of the TV series, animations and big screen releases, the musical was inevitable. Our favourite ghoulish family, is touring the UK in a spectacular musical comedy from the award-winning writers Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, with music and lyrics from Tony Award nominated Andrew Lippa. The Addams Family musical comedy is a celebration of all things creepy, kooky, mysterious and spooky!

As soon as the audience hears the first few notes of the familiar theme song, everyone joins ‘Thing’, the resident disembodied hand, in clicking their fingers to the beat and they are straight away transported into the wacky world of the Addams family. As the plot unfolds, we learn that Wednesday Addams (Kingsley Morton), the princess of darkness is all grown up and has fallen in love with a ‘normal’ young man, Lucas Beineke (Ahmed Hamad). Wednesday confides in her father Gomez (Cameron Blakely) that she is secretly engaged, and has invited Lucas and his parents, Mal (Sean Kingsley) and Alice Beineke (Kara Lane) to dinner that evening. Gomez is caught in a web of lies as he tries to keep the secret from the love of his life and matriarch Morticia (Joanne Clifton). Pugsley (Grant McIntyre) is understandably concerned and resistant to his sister’s new life, and steals a potion from Grandma (Carol Ball), which he accidently gives to Alice, thus uncovering hidden truths within the Beineke family.

Uncle Fester (Matt Slack) with his quick wit, quirky behaviour and narrative role commands the attention of the audience. He executed one of my favourite musical performances of the evening ‘The moon and Me’.

Lurch (Ryan Bennett) the family’s butler, is one of my best loved characters of the musical. He has the audience in stitches with his heavy and exceptionally slow footsteps and all without uttering a word, except for the odd grunt here and there. Watch out for a nice surprise in the finale.

The grand, haunted house-style set design of Diego Pitarch contributes so much to the whole atmosphere of the production and transports the audience to the family mansion from the beginning.

Professional dancer and champion in Strictly Come Dancing, Joanne Clifton and Cameron Blakely had the whole audience gasping and cheering with their exquisite performance of the tango and their chemistry complemented the style and tone of the piece.

Each character was reflected through their individual costumes and the production was accompanied by a live orchestra with an extraordinary original score.

I can guarantee you will laugh out loud, and in the words of Morticia Addams, this production will leave you feeling ‘perfectly unhappy’.

Nominations announced for Olivier Awards 2022 with Mastercard

• Cabaret leads the way with 11 nominations, including acting nods for Eddie Redmayne and Jessie Buckley
• Life of Pi is most nominated play with 9 nominations, equalled by classic musical revival Anything Goes
• Lily Allen, Sheila Atim, Emma Corrin and Cush Jumbo nominated for Best Actress
• Best Actor nominees are Hiran Abeysekera, Ben Daniels, Omari Douglas and Charles Edwards
• Mastercard Best New Musical nominees are Back To The Future – The Musical, The Drifters Girl, Frozen, Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical and Moulin Rouge! The Musical 
• 2:22 A Ghost Story, Best Of Enemies, Cruise and Life Of Pi nominated for Best New Play

Watch the Olivier Awards nominations announcement video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=US8BR1MpPFw

officiallondontheatre.com/olivier-awards

Nominations have been announced for the Olivier Awards 2022 with Mastercard, British theatre’s most prestigious honours, which take place on Sunday 10 April at the Royal Albert Hall.

Eddie Redmayne and Jessie Buckley are both up for leading actor awards for Cabaret, a revival of the 1966 Kander and Ebb musical which has transformed the West End’s Playhouse Theatre into the ‘Kit Kat Club’ to huge critical acclaim. The production has received 11 nominations across the board – the most for a single show this year – including for director Rebecca Frecknall, supporting actors Liza Sadovy and Elliot Levey, and for Magic Radio Best Musical Revival.

Life Of Pi, Lolita Chakrabarti’s stage adaptation of the bestselling novel which began life in Sheffield in 2019 and is currently playing at the Wyndham’s Theatre, leads the field for plays with nine nominations, including Best Actor for Hiran Abeysekera in the title role and Best Supporting Actor for the seven performers who play ‘Richard Parker’, the puppet tiger – Fred Davis, Daisy Franks, Romina Hytten, Tom Larkin, Habib Nasib Nader, Tom Stacy and Scarlet Wilderink.

Also garnering nine nominations – including Best Musical Revival – is the classic Cole Porter musical Anything Goes, which broke box office records at the Barbican Theatre last summer. Broadway star Sutton Foster is nominated for Best Actress in a Musical for her role in the production, alongside Robert Lindsay, Carly Mercedes Dyer and Gary Wilmot in supporting categories, and nods for directing, choreography, orchestrations and costume design.

Back To The Future – The Musical, a new stage adaptation of the hit 1985 sci-fi film currently playing at the Adelphi Theatre, has seven nominations, including Mastercard Best New Musical, as well as Best Original Score or New Orchestrations for Grammy-winning composers Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard and orchestrators Ethan Popp and Bryan Crook. Olly Dobson is nominated for Best Actor in a Musical for his role as Marty McFly, with Hugh Coles (George McFly) up for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical.

With five nominations apiece are Moulin Rouge! The Musical, a Tony Award-winning hit which transferred to the Piccadilly Theatre and is up for Best New Musical, and the National Theatre’s production of Larry Kramer’s play The Normal Heart – set in New York’s gay community during the 1980s AIDS crisis – for which Liz Carr, Ben Daniels, Dino Fetscher and Danny Lee Wynter all receive acting nods.

Frozen is nominated for four Olivier Awards, with Stephanie McKeon up for Best Actress in a Musical for her role as Anna. Also with four nominations are Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical – a retelling of the reggae icon’s life starring Arinzé Kene and Gabrielle Brooks (both nominated themselves) – and Michael Longhurst’s star-studded Donmar Warehouse production of the Nick Payne play Constellations, which was performed by four revolving casts and has received acting nominations for Omari Douglas and Sheila Atim.

Lily Allen has received a Best Actress nomination for her West End debut in 2:22 A Ghost Story (which was also nominated for Best New Play), alongside Cush Jumbo for playing the title role in Hamlet at the Young Vic, and Emma Corrin for Anna X at the Harold Pinter Theatre, part of producer Sonia Friedman’s post-lockdown RE:EMERGE season of new plays. Among the Best Actor nominees is Charles Edwards, for his performance as Gore Vidal in James Graham’s new play Best of Enemies at the Young Vic. 

Elsewhere in the nominations, Pride And Prejudice* (*Sort Of), a comedic, all-female retelling of the Jane Austen classic first seen at the Edinburgh Fringe, is nominated three times. Cruise, Jack Holden’s Soho-set one-man play – produced by West End newcomers and one of the first shows to open post-lockdown in 2021 – is a contender for Best New Play.

In the Opera and Dance categories, nominees include English National Opera’s The Cunning Little Vixen (Best New Opera Production), mezzo soprano Christine Rice for her performance in 4/4 at the Royal Opera House (Outstanding Achievement in Opera) and De Punta A Cabo in 100% Cuban, a programme by dance superstar Carlos Acosta’s company Acosta Danza at Sadler’s Wells (Outstanding Achievement in Dance).

Commenting on the nominations, Julian Bird, Chief Executive of the Society of London Theatre and Executive Producer of the Olivier Awards, said:

‘I want to offer enormous congratulations to all the 2022 Olivier Awards nominees. This year’s fantastic array truly demonstrates the breadth and diversity of London’s world-leading theatre industry, and its extraordinary creativity and resilience during an extremely challenging period for our sector. After a two-year hiatus, we are delighted to be able to bring the theatre community together again to celebrate our brightest talents. I’m sure the atmosphere in the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday 10 April will be absolutely electric.’

The Olivier Awards will be hosted by Jason Manford and broadcast via official media partners ITV and Magic Radio. Further details of the ceremony will be announced soon.

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