NEW CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR THE

CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED

CABARET

AT THE KIT KAT CLUB

FRA FEE TO PLAY THE EMCEE

AND

AMY LENNOX TO PLAY SALLY BOWLES

FROM 21 MARCH UNTIL 25 JUNE 2022

The producers of CABARET at the KIT KAT CLUB in London’s West End are delighted to announce that Fra Fee will play ‘The Emcee’ and Amy Lennox will play ‘Sally Bowles’ from 21 March – 25 June 2022. This unique production opened in December last year to critical and audience acclaim, widely praised as the ultimate theatrical experience.

Adam Speers, Ed Bartlam and Charlie Wood, the producers of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club said today “We are thrilled to be welcoming the perfectly marvellous Fra Fee and Amy Lennox to our production of Cabaret. We wanted to recast these career defining roles with exceptional actors and so we’re just delighted that the stars have aligned with both Fra and Amy’s schedules.  We couldn’t have asked for a more exciting and thrilling duo to follow Eddie and Jessie.”

Director Rebecca Frecknall said today “It’s always exciting to be able to keep a production live and evolving across its run, to be able to continue digging into the piece and making new discoveries. The fact that we will have new actors taking on the roles of Sally and the Emcee as Cabaret continues to run in the West End is thrilling, the original cast passing the baton to different actors who will bring their own perspectives to the work. I’m thrilled that Fra Fee and Amy Lennox will be the first new pair joining the production this Spring, two of our most exciting stage and screen actors. I know they will bring new creative energy to the production and will show me and our audiences new facets of the show.”

Fra Fee most recently starred as Kazi in the hit Disney+ series Hawkeye, set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He created the role of Michael Carber in the award-winning play The Ferryman at the Royal Court, the Gielgud Theatre in the West End and the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre on Broadway. His other theatre credits include Owen in Translations and Amiens in As You Like It, both at the National Theatre and the title role in Candide at the Menier Chocolate Factory. He played Courfeyac in the film of the musical Les Misérables and also appeared in the stage production at the Queen’s Theatre.

Amy Lennox received an Olivier nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical for her portrayal of Lauren in the West End production of Kinky Boots. Her other credits include Ellie in the London premiere of the David Bowie and Enda Walsh musical Lazarus. She was in the original West End cast of the musical Legally Blonde and created the role of Doralee in the original UK production of 9 to 5 The Musical.

Fra and Amy appeared together in the critically acclaimed production of The Last Five Years in Belfast.

Also joining the production on 21 March 2022 will be Omar Baroud as ‘Cliff Bradshaw’ and Vivien Parry as ‘Fraulein Schneider’. Continuing in their roles will be Elliot Levey as ‘Herr Schultz’, Stewart Clarke as ‘Ernst Ludwig’ and Anna-Jane Casey as ‘Fraulein Kost’.

The cast is completed by Josh Andrews, Emily Benjamin, Sally Frith, Matthew Gent, Emma Louise Jones, Ela Lisondra, Theo Maddix, Chris O’Mara, Daniel Perry, Andre Refig, Christopher Tendai, Bethany Terry, Lillie-Pearl Wildman and Sophie Maria Wojna.

Omar Baroud (Cliff Bradshaw) is soon to appear in the series Wedding Season for Disney+. His other TV credits include Baptiste for the BBC and The Innocents for Netflix. His theatre credits include You Bury Me for Paines Plough, As You Like It at the Watermill Theatre, A Song at Twilight at the Theatre Royal Bath and All Places That The Eye of Heaven Visits at Shakespeare’s Globe.

Vivien Parry (Fraulein Schneider) has appeared in many West End productions including Madge Hardwick in the original cast of Top Hat at the Aldwych Theatre, Madame Thénardier in Les Misérables at the Queen’s Theatre, Donna in Mamma Mia! at the Prince of Wales Theatre and Mrs Walshingham in Half A Sixpence at the Noel Coward Theatre. Vivien’s other credits include Twelfth Night and The Shoemaker’s Holiday, both for the Royal Shakespeare Company and Celia in The Girls at Leeds Grand Theatre.

Elliot Levey (Herr Schultz) most recently appeared in Nine Lessons and Carols at the Almeida where he also appeared in Three Sisters. His other theatre credits include the West End productions of Mary Stuart at the Duke of York’s Theatre, The Ruling Class at Trafalgar Studios and Much Ado About Nothing at the Wyndham’s Theatre. His National Theatre credits include The Habit of Art and His Dark Materials.

Stewart Clarke (Ernst Ludwig) most recently appeared in Be More Chill at The Other Palace. His West End theatre credits include Fiddler on the Roof at the Playhouse Theatre and Loserville at the Garrick Theatre. He also appeared in Assassins at the Menier Chocolate Factory and The Rink at the Southwark Playhouse.

Anna-Jane Casey (Fraulein Kost) was most recently seen in Girl from the North Country at the Gielgud Theatre in the West End. Her other West End credits include Mrs Wilkinson in Billy Elliot at the Victoria Palace and Lady of the Lake in Spamalot at the Playhouse Theatre. She played Dot in Sunday in the Park with George at the Menier Chocolate Factory, Mabel in Mack and Mabel at the Watermill Theatre and the title roles in Piaf and Sweet Charity and Violet Butterfield in Flowers for Mrs Harris, all at the Sheffield Crucible.

In a time when the world is changing forever, there is one place where everyone can be free… Welcome to the Kit Kat Club, home to an intimate and electrifying new production of CABARET. This is Berlin. Relax. Loosen up. Be yourself. 

The Kit Kat Club has laid siege to the Playhouse Theatre. The performers have infiltrated the premises. The artists have staked their claim. Who knows for how long they’ll stay, but for now they are enjoying the party. The party at the end of the world.

Transforming one of London’s most famous theatres with an in-the-round auditorium and reimagined spaces, before the show guests are invited to enjoy and explore the Kit Kat Club with pre-show entertainment, drinks and dining all on offer. When booking, guests receive a ‘club entry time’ to allow enough time to take in the world of the Kit Kat Club before the show starts. But of course, the show really starts when you first join us in the club…

One of the most successful musicals of all time CABARET features the songs Wilkommen, Don’t Tell Mama, Mein Herr, Maybe This Time, Money and the title number. It has music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb, book by Joe Masteroff. Based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood.

CABARET is directed by Rebecca Frecknall (the Almeida’s Olivier Award winning Summer and Smoke, The Duchess of Malfi, Three Sisters), set and costume design is by Tom Scutt (A Very Expensive Poison, Constellations, King Charles III, Jesus Christ Superstar, collaborations with Sam Smith, Christine and the Queens) with choreography by Julia Cheng (founder of the House of Absolute, Philharmonia Orchestra Artist in Residence, recipient of the runner-up prize for Hip Hop Dance futures, Resident Choreographer for the Royal Academy of Dance, Judge and mentor for BBC Young Dancer and Breakin’ Convention – the UK’s biggest Hip Hop Festival, collaborations with London Fashion Week, Google and Dr Martens). Musical supervision and direction is by Jennifer Whyte (Les Misérables film, Caroline Or Change, Parade). Lighting design is by Isabella Byrd (Heroes of the Fourth Turning and Light Shining in Buckinghamshire – both in New York, Daddy – A Melodrama at the Almeida and The Flick at the National theatre) with sound design by Nick Lidster (City of Angels, Passion, Pacific Overtures and Parade at the Donmar Warehouse, Sweeney Todd and On The Town for English National Opera, A Chorus Line, Les Misérables and Miss Saigon). The casting director is Stuart Burt (& Juliet, The Drifters Girl and 2021 CDG Award for Best Casting in Theatre for Cyrano De Bergerac) and the associate director is Jordan Fein.

Tickets for CABARET at the KIT KAT CLUB are currently on sale until October 2022. kitkat.club

CABARET at the KIT KAT CLUB is produced by Ambassador Theatre Group Productions and Underbelly.

HAMPSTEAD THEATRE ANNOUNCES THE BREACH BY NAOMI WALLACE, DIRECTED BY SARAH FRANKCOM, AND CHÉ WALKER’S WOLF CUB THIS SPRING

Hampstead Theatre is delighted to announce two additional premieres for its spring season.

The Breach by Naomi Wallace, with direction by Sarah Frankcom, will run on its Main Stage from 6 May until 4 June. 

Wolf Cub, written and directed by Ché Walker, will run at Hampstead Downstairs from 8 April until 7 May.

Priority Booking opens today at 10.30am.  Public Booking opens on Tuesday 8 March at 10.30am.  Further details are available via hampsteadtheatre.com.  

Roxana Silbert, Artistic Director of Hampstead Theatre, said:

Both Naomi Wallace’s play The Breach and Ché Walker’s play Wolf Cub dig deep at considering the roots of the alienation of the white American working class.  Both writers are new to the Hampstead canon: Naomi is an American living in the UK, Ché a British writer/director who spent several years working in the USA and their inside/outside perspective on characters whose voices have long been kept hidden are visceral, vital and theatrical.

***

As trust and loyalty are put on the line, hindsight proves devastating in Naomi Wallace’s absorbing drama The Breach, directed by Sarah Frankcom.  

They won’t even know we won this game.  Only you and I will know that we Topped Their Love.

Love has no limits for the Diggs siblings: there’s nothing that 17-year-old Jude won’t do to keep her younger brother Acton safe.  Growing up in the turbulence of 1970s America, Jude works nights and weekends to pay the bills, just so that they can stay together and with their mother.  But when Acton’s troublesome pals form a club in their basement, a foolish game threatens to upend Jude’s plans, and derail their lives forever.  How far will Jude go to protect her brother?  And who will pay the eventual price of her doing so?  

Naomi Wallace makes her Hampstead debut.  A MacArthur Fellowship recipient and Obie Award winner, Wallace’s previous credits include One Flea Spare (Bush Theatre), Slaughter City (Royal Shakespeare Company), Things of Dry Hours (Young Vic) and And I And Silence (Finborough Theatre).  The Breach is Wallace’s first in a trilogy of plays about different communities in Kentucky.

Sarah Frankcom directs her first Hampstead production.  As Artistic Director of Manchester Royal Exchange, her work included West Side Story, Light Falls and Our Town, and, in collaboration with Maxine Peake for Manchester International Festival, The Nico Project and The Skriker.

Frankcom is joined by designer, Naomi Dawson; sound designer Tingying Dong; movement director, Jennifer Jackson and casting director, Nadine Rennie CDG.

The cast of The Breach will be announced in due course.

***

Blending poetic beauty with brutal honesty, Wolf Cub is a visceral odyssey written and directed by Ché Walker.

My eyes turn yellow. Fur springing out all over me and the fangs snapping in my gums…

1980s, America.  Teenage Maxine has teenage problems.  There’s moving from Rural Georgia to Urban Los Angeles with her booze-sodden Dad, there’s high school, boys, drugs, murder, Nicaraguan Contras, CIA, the LA uprising, the Northridge Earthquake…. Not for the faint-hearted or Ronald Reagan.  Blazing through a turbulent coming of age, and now trapped in a country sick with injustice, Maxine’s eyes are yellow, her hands are claws and she has a howl desperate for release…

Ché Walker makes his Hampstead debut.  Previous writing credits include The Frontline and The Lightning Child (both Shakespeare’s Globe), Fleshwound (Royal Court) and Been So Long (Netflix).  Previous directing credits include Been So Long (Young Vic), Klook’s Last Stand (Park Theatre), The Glory of Living (Battersea Arts) and Macbeth (Southwark Playhouse).

Walker is joined by designer Amy Jane Cooke.  Both cast and the remaining creative team will be announced in due course.

***

The world premiere of Florian Zeller’s new play, The Forest, is currently running on the theatre’s Main Stage until 12 March.  The Forest is translated by Zeller’s long-time collaborator Christopher Hampton, and directed by Jonathan Kent, who re-unites with Zeller after his critically acclaimed production of The Height of the Storm.  Toby Stephens, Gina McKee, Paul McGann and Angel Coulby are joined in the cast by Millie Brady, Silas Carson, Finbar Lynch, Sakuntala Ramanee and Eddie Toll.

The Animal Kingdom, Ruby Thomas’ critically acclaimed new play, is running at Hampstead Downstairs until 26 March.  Directed by Lucy Morrison, The Animal Kingdom is an observation of family dynamics told with wit and compassion featuring Paul Keating, Martina Laird, Jonathan McGuinness, Ashna Rabheru and Ragevan Vasan.

FULL CAST ANNOUNCED FOR NEWLY REIMAGINED

ZORRO THE MUSICAL AT CHARING CROSS THEATRE

Aria Entertainment today announces full cast for newly reimagined Zorro The Musical by Stephen Clark and Helen Edmundson, featuring music by the Gipsy Kings and John Cameron, with lyrics by Stephen Clark. Christian Durham directs Ajjaz Awad, Pete Ashmore, Amy Bastani, Isobel Bates, Ben Boskovic, Matthew Bugg, Paige Fenlon, Alex Gibson-Giorgio, Maxwell Griffin, Matthew Heywood, Jessica Lim, Phoebe Panaretos, Jessica Pardoe, Marc Pickering, Benjamin Purkiss, Stylianos Thomadakis and Hannah Woodward. The production opens on Tuesday 12 April, with previews from 2 April, and runs until 28 May.

Katy Lipson for Aria Entertainment and John Gertz in association with Zorro USA, LLC 
with Bonnie Comley & Stewart F. Lane and Linda Bernardi present

ZORRO THE MUSICAL
Music by the Gipsy Kings and John Cameron

Lyrics by Stephen Clark

Book by Stephen Clark and Helen Edmundson

Director: Christian Durham; Choreographer: Cressida Carré

Set and Costume Designer: Rosa Maggiora; Musical Director and Orchestrations: Nick Barstow

Sound Designer: Andrew Johnson;Lighting Designer: Matthew Haskins 

Fight Director: Renny Krupinski; Casting Director: Jane Deitch; General Manager: Chris Matanlé

2 April – 28 May 2022

Set in the sizzling heat of 1805’s California, a pueblo is under attack from its autocratic leader. When the danger is at its greatest, a masked crusader appears from nowhere and saves lives. Who is he? Will he be their champion?

The famous red-hot tale of the masked hero, El Zorro, fighting for justice and freedom is told in an immersive, thrilling and headily sensual new production. With zealous, ‘get-on-your-feet’ music, featuring international hits by Gipsy Kings including Bamboleo, Baila Me and Djobi Djoba, alongside original music to express a fresh new tale of love, hope and courage.

Audiences will be seduced into the story and witness the thrills and spills of our hero as he battles for all he holds dear. Spanish Gypsy pride and fire runs deep throughout this explosive show with murderous encounters, immeasurable flamenco choreography and Cante jondo singing at its forefront.

Stephen Clark (1961-2016) was an award-winning playwright, librettist and lyricist. His credits include Love Story (Chichester Festival Theatre/Duchess Theatre), Stripped, (Circle Theatre, Chicago – winner of the Jefferson Award), Takeaway (Lyric Hammersmith/UK tour), Making Waves (Stephen Joseph Theatre), Eyam (Old Fire Station/The Bridewell), Martin Guerre (UK and US tour – Olivier Award for Best New Musical), Forbidden City (Esplanade Theatre, Singapore) and The Far Pavilions (The Shaftsbury Theatre, London). His adaptations include La Traviata (ENO) and The Mahabharata (Sadler’s Wells/UK tour).

Helen Edmundson is a playwright. Her theatre credits include Small Island (National Theatre), Queen Anne (Theatre Royal Haymarket), Thérèse Raquin (Theatre Royal Bath), The Heresy of Love (Shakespeare’s Globe), Swallows and Amazons (Bristol Old Vic/Vaudeville Theatre/UK tour), Mary Shelley (Shared Experience), Life is a Dream (Donmar Warehouse), War and Peace (National Theatre), Coram Boy (National Theatre/Imperial Theatre), Orestes, Gone to Earth (Shared Experience UK tours), Mother Teresa is Dead (Royal Court Theatre), The Clearing (Bush Theatre – John Whiting Award), Mill on the Floss, Anna Karenina (Lyric Hammersmith). Her screenwriting credits include Mary Magdalene, An Inspector Calls and The Suspicions of Mr Whicher III. Edmundson was a recipient of the Windham Campbell Prize for Drama in 2015.

John Cameron’s orchestration credits include Les Misérables – New York Drama Desk Award, Honk! (The Ugly Duckling) – Olivier Award for Best Musical, and Peter Pan (Royal Festival Hall). His musical supervision and arrangement credits include Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, The Goodbye Girl, The Card, Blondel, Mutiny!, Spend! Spend! Spend! (Best Musical – Evening Standard Awards). As a composer his credits include Faust Part I and Part II (RSC), Hamlet, Becket and Twelfth Night (National Theatre international tours). For television his work includes scores for Jack the Ripper and Jekyll and Hyde, and the theme for BBC’s Crimewatch UK; and his film scores include A Touch of Class -Oscar Award nomination for Best Music and Original Dramatic Score, Kes and To End All Wars.

The Gipsy Kings consist of two bands of brothers: The Reyes (Nicolas, Canut, Paul, Patchaï, André) and the Baliardos (Tonino, Paco, Diego). In 1987 The Gipsy Kings’ self-titled debut album introduced the world to rumba Gitano, the sound of South America’s rumba rhythm married to flamenco guitars. With Bamboleo,the Gipsy Kings scored a huge international hit. Their total album sales worldwide now exceed 18 million.

Ajjaz Awad is part of the ensemble for the company. Her recent theatre credits include The Snow Queen (South Street Theatre), There’s a Rang-Tan in my Bedroom (The Little Angel Theatre), How Not To Drown (Traverse Theatre) and Another Star to Steer (Brighton Dome). Her television credits include Doctor Who and Hindsight.

Pete Ashmore plays Don Alejandro. His theatre credits include The Jungle Book, A Christmas Carol (Watermill Theatre), Silas Marner (Belgrade Theatre), Venice Preserved, The Provoked Wife (RSC), The Lovely Bones, Treasure Island (Birmingham Rep), The Dog Beneath the Skin (Jermyn Street Theatre), Arms and the Man, The Canterbury Tales, Aladdin (Watford Palace theatre), Private Lives, A View from the Bridge, The Winter’s Tale, Under Milk Wood, David Copperfield, Beauty and the Beast (Mercury Theatre), The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, Arabian Nights (Sherman Cymru), The Emperor’s New Clothes, House and Garden (Harrogate Theatre), The Itinerant Music Hall (Lyric Hammersmith), Mansfield Park (Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds), Manchester Sound, The Massacre, Grimm Tales (Library Theatre), The Jungle Book (Lyric Theatre, Belfast), Macbeth (National Theatre), Vernon God Little, The Ruffian the Stair, The Queen of Spades, The Lady Aoi, La Musica, Venice Preserv’d, Nothing (Citizens Theatre and E59E59), Public Property (Hampstead Theatre), Tom’s Midnight Garden, Jemima Puddle-Duck (Unicorn Theatre), Cutlery Wars (Soho Theatre) and One Snowy Night (Chichester Minerva Theatre). His television credits include Silent Witness.

Amy Bastani reprises her role in the ensemble continuing her professional stage debut with the company.

Isobel Bates returns to the company as part of the ensemble. Other theatre credits include Sleeping Beauty (King’s Lynn Corn Exchange), Summer Holiday (Bolton Octagon), Red Riding Hood (New Wolsey Theatre), Oh! What a Lovely War (Oldham Coliseum Theatre), Leader of the Pack (Waterloo East Theatre) and Jack and the Beanstalk (Theatr Clwyd).

Ben Boskovic returns to the company as part of the ensemble. Other theatre credits include The Misadventures of Robin Hood (UK tour), Aladdin (Sutton Coldfield Town Hall), The Exonerated (Hope Mill Theatre), The Secret Garden (Barn Theatre), Holding the Man (Above the Stag) and Paper Hearts: A High-Street Musical (Upstairs at the Gatehouse/First Stage, Hamburg).

Matthew Bugg is part of the ensemble for the company. He wrote and performed in Miss Nightingale (UK tour/Vaults/Hippodrome Theatre). Other theatre credits include Jane Eyre (Stephen Joseph Theatre), Cinderella, Aladdin (Sutton Coldfield Town Hall), The Crooked Spire (Chesterfield Church), No Horizon (UK tour), Goodnight Mister Tom (East Riding Theatre), Cirque Berserk (Garrick Theatre), Looking for Gatsby (Windsor Theatre Royal/The Other Palace) and The Tempest (Nottingham Playhouse).

Paige Fenlon plays Luisa. Her theatre credits include Pretty Woman (Savoy Theatre), Oklahoma! (Chichester Festival Theatre) and Elegies for Punks, Angels and Raging Queens (Union Theatre).

Alex Gibson-Giorgio plays Ramon. His theatre credits include Rags (Park Theatre), Everything’s Coming Up Sondheim (Chapel off Chapel, Melbourne), Yank! (Brisbane Powerhouse), Georgy Girl, Mamma Mia! (Australian tour), Aladdin (Capitol Theatre, Sydney) and Anything Goes (Opera Australia). His film credits include Not Quite Cricket.

Maxwell Griffin makes his professional stage debut as part of the ensemble.

Matthew Heywood returns to the company as part of the ensemble. His theatre credits include Peter Pan, Beryl and Seagulls (Octagon Theatre).

Jessica Lim is part of the ensemble for the company. Her theatre credits include The Musical That Goes Right (Cockpit Theatre), Mario: A Super Musical (Union Theatre), and Medusa: The Legend (Above the Stag Theatre).

Phoebe Panaretos plays Inez. Her theatre credits include Strictly Ballroom the Musical (Australia tour), Singing in the Rain, Lazarus, Dream Lover – The Bobby Darin Musical (The Production Company), American Idiot (Shake and Stir Productions) and Cake (The Turbine Theatre).

Jessica Pardoe returns to the company as part of the ensemble. Other theatre credits include How the Grinch Stole Christmas (UK tour), The Happy Prince (The Place Theatre), Kiss Me Kate (Kilworth House), The Bubble Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin (Theatre Royal Stratford East/Belgrade Coventry), Twenty One (Chichester Festival Theatre) and Sweeney Todd (Rose Theatre).

Marc Pickering plays Garcia. His theatre credits include BASKERVILLE! (Mercury Theatre), The Elephant Man (Trafalgar Studios), Honeymoon Suite (Hull Truck Theatre), Merchant of Venice (Arcola Theatre), The Return of the Soldier (Hope Mill Theatre), The Toxic Avenger, Suessical, Bananaman, (Southwark Playhouse), How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (Wilton’s Music Hall), An Incident At The Border (Trafalgar Studios 2), The Wizard of Oz (Royal and Derngate), Mothergoose (Marlowe Theatre), The Long and The Short and The Tall, Dead Live! (Pleasance Theatre), As We Forgive Them (E.R.T Company) and Dick Whittington (Milton Keynes Theatre). His television credits include Josh, Borgia III, Dalziel and Pascoe, Cricklewood Greats and Which is Witch and for film; Les Miserables, To Be Someone, Brothers of Italy, The Krays: Dead Man Walking, A Viking Saga: The Darkest Day, Kill Keith, The Task, I Want Candy, Cashback, Calendar Girls, Secret Passage and Sleepy Hollow.

Benjamin Purkiss returns to the company to play Diego/Zorro. Other theatre credits include Broken Wings (The Other Palace/Katara Opera House), The Beggar’s Opera (international tour), Bat Out of Hell (London Coliseum/international tour/Manchester Opera House), and Allegro (Southwark Playhouse).

Stylianos Thomadakis returns to the company as part of the ensemble. Other theatre credits include The Thorn of Acacia (White Bear Theatre). His films credits include Mary Queen of Scots, Artemis Fowl and Enola Holmes 2.

Hannah Woodward is part of the ensemble for the company. Her theatre credits include Cinderella and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Hartlepool Borough Hall)

Christian Durham directs. His theatre credits include Breaking the Code (Salisbury Playhouse), Café Society Swing (Theatre Royal Stratford East), Quaint Honour (Finborough Theatre), Disney’s The Little Mermaid (Japan and Russia – Golden Mask Award for Best Musical), Spend Spend Spend, Children of Eden (Union Theatre), Henna Night (Hen and Chickens Theatre), Proud (New Wimbledon Theatre Studio), Taboo (UK tour – Manchester Evening News Award for Best Musical), Debbie Does Dallas (Old Fire Station, Oxford/Edinburgh Festival Fringe), Real Classy Affair (Soho Theatre) and Only You Can Save Mankind (Edinburgh Festival Fringe).

www.zorrothemusical.co.uk

Twitter:                @ZorroMusicalUK
Facebook:           @ZorroMusicalUK 
Instagram:           @ZorroMusicalUK 

#ZorroMusical

LISTINGS

Charing Cross Theatre

The Arches, Villiers Street, London WC2N 6NL

Zorro The Musical

2 April – 28 May 2022

Box Office: www.charingcrosstheatre.co.uk/ 08444 930 650

Nottingham  Theatre Royal – until Saturday 5 March 2022

Reviewed by Louise Ford

3***

The wireless greets  the audience as they take their seats. The light music and commentary set the scene. England post war, 1949, the year that the family favourite board game was launched. The game was devised during the war by Anthony Pratt and his wife Elva. He based the board game on the game of “Murder”, played in Country Houses pre-war.

As the curtain rises we see the board set out before us in the form of the Country House, Body Manor. The clever set, it really does steal the show, was designed by David Farley. All of the rooms, the kitchen, the conservatory, the study, the lounge, the billiard room, the dining room and, the library, can be seen  from the central entrance hall. Of course there  are also secret passageways.

The play is directed by Mark Bell( of The Play That Goes Wrong).

The first player on to the board is the butler – Wandsworth (Jean-Luke Worrell ) He really is the centre piece of the show, with his knowing looks, extra long arms and immaculate gloves (which don’t quite fit!).

The door bell rings and the cast arrive. All of the well known characters are there, kitted out in their respective colours; Colonel Mustard (Wesley Griffith), Miss Scarlett (Michelle Collins), Professor Plum (Harry Bradley), Mrs Peacock(Judith Amenga), Mrs White (Etisyai Philip) and of course Reverend Green (Tom Babbage). They are not sure why they have been invited or even who has invited them . But they all have a motive for murder.

As the story unfolds the suspects are each given a package, which contains a potential murder weapon. Are they for self defence or for a darker reason? Rest assured that each of the weapons is given an airing, or two, during the play!

The pace of the play and the action speeds up as the body count mounts. The cast race around the board carrying furniture, props and bodies to keep the story and chaos moving.

This isn’t a classic whodunnit, although there is a denouement at the end and I’m sure that there are clues liberally sprinkled through out the scenes, more a slap stick country house farce. It’s humorous and ridiculous in equal measure and went down very well with the audience.

Cast announced for premiere of Hoxton Hall’s
original live soap drama Hoxton Street
130 Hoxton Street, London N1 6SH
Thursday 7th April – Saturday 28th May 2022
Wednesday 18th May 2022, omnibus 7:30pm

Hoxton Hall has announced the cast for their innovative soap Hoxton Street, which will feature at the heart of the vibrant new season #CLASS. The season will encourage and challenge audiences to be part of the conversation about what class means in 21st century London.

Hoxton Street is a soap-style play inspired by dynamic local Hoxton communities and their stories. Working with a concept from Karena Johnson, talented working-class writing duo Oladipo Agboluaje and Lil Warren capture the atmosphere and vibrancy of Hoxton through listening to the neighbourhood’s stories and concerns. Hoxton Street’s live performances will be accompanied by a soundwalk , introducing audiences to the characters in the real-life locations in Hoxton that inspired them. Breaking the mould of traditional theatre, Hoxton Street will be presented as a series of half hour acts, creating a full-length play over five weeks in collaboration with the audiences. Inspired by beloved British TV soap operas, each act ends with a double cliff-hanger and the audience votes to decide what happens in the next act of the play. The final two weeks of the run will conclude with the omnibus complete play.

The team have ensured the cast includes actors who had experience working on critically acclaimed British Soaps as well as theatre. The full cast will include Helen Pearson (EastEnders, BBC; Emmerdale, ITV; Hollyoaks, Channel 4) as Josie Maynard, Hannah Traylen (Boiling Point, Ascendant Films; Ridley Road, BBC; Call the Midwife, BBC) as Ella Maynard, Nathan Welsh (Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre; Macbeth, Chichester Festival Theatre; Trust Me, BBC) as Tony Maynard

EastEnders star Linda Marlowe (Casualty, BBC;Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, StudioCanal) takes on the role of Linda Maynard, Cosh Omar (No Return, ITV; The Bill, ITV) will play Mr Bhatur, with Merch Husey (The Sandman, Netflix/Warner Brothers; Jude, Hampstead Theatre;The Durrells, ITV) as Okhan Bhatur, Tracy Anne Green (The Act, 130 Elektra Films; Call the Midwife, BBC; King Lear, RSC ) will play Shanita Wilson and Kojo Attah (Banged up Abroad, October Studios; Midsomer Murders, ITV; Casino Royale, Secret Cinema) as Denton Wilson. Carol Moses (Holby City, BBC; The Bill, BBC; Reggie Perrin, BBC) will play the role of Monica Bello with Alan Turkington (My Night with Reg, Turbine Theatre; Mary Queen of Scots, Focus Features/Perfect World Pictures/Working Titles Films; Antony and Cleopatra, National Theatre) as Zachary Spencer.

The cast is completed with performers from the community who will be making their professional stage debuts. Poppy Kay will make her debut as the Ann- Marie receptionist as well as young performers Victoria Rocha and Malachi Ayantuga who will take on the role of Ross and Lilliana Dixon and Gia-Marie Donaldson who will take on the role of Millie.

Oladipo Agboluaje, writer of Hoxton Street, comments, It’s been exciting co-writing Hoxton Street with Lil Warren. We spent a lot of time in Hoxton trying to capture the essence of the place and we hope it’s reflected in the writing. Writing a soap opera for the stage is a unique venture. We looked at several soaps to get a sense of the structure and the conventions. Then we had to think of how this would as a stage piece. We worked closely with the director, Karena Johnson to bring all the elements together. I’m eager to see what audiences make of it, particularly the people of Hoxton.

Lil Warren, writer of Hoxton Street, comments, I love talking to people so some of my best days working on Hoxton Street was having a cuppa (or three, let’s be honest) and chatting stories old and stories new from people who live and work in Hoxton. I can’t explain how relaxing it has been to be part of a working-class team alongside Dipo and Karena. We all just get each other. We know our backs are covered. We KNOW. Hoxton Hall is one of my favourite heritage buildings in London. You can FEEL the energy of performances gone by. I am proud that we are making a unique show for a unique stage.

Hoxton Street’s soundwalk is a companion audio promenade work that introduces the audience to the real and imagined world of Hoxton. Audiences will be able to download a free app which will guide them to various locations in the area to meet the characters from the play in the in real-life places that inspired them. This bonus artwork aims to build a familiarity with the characters in advance of the play as the audience get to eaves drop on the characters intimate moments and thoughts. The tour includes the contrasts of this special part of London that has kept its sense of community.

#CLASS will encourage essential conversations aiming to share, entertain, and reconnect our communities after two years of being apart. The season will embody and reflect the bold values of Hoxton Hall, platforming and exploring stories that are rarely heard. The season is inspired by Hoxton Hall’s working-class roots as a music hall and will include a range of work across debates, gigs, comedy, cabaret, and an innovative live soap drama – more details to be announced soon.

Birmingham Hippodrome and China Plate announce a new concert musical as the centrepiece of the Hippodrome’s season for the Birmingham 2022 Festival

Birmingham Hippodrome and China Plate have announced today (Monday 28 February) their new concert musical To The Streets! will be performed at parks across the West Midlands this August as part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival.

To The Streets! is an uplifting new musical by Roy Williams and Tim Sutton inspired by the 1963 Bristol Bus Boycott, a pivotal moment in the UK’s civil rights history. To The Streets! follows the story of Paul Stephenson, an idealistic youth worker who takes to the streets to stand up for equality in Bristol where tensions are running high as the Omnibus Company refuse to employ Black or Asian drivers or conductors. Lorraine, a teenager newly arrived from Jamaica, joins the fight and in so doing, finds her voice and becomes part of a movement that changes history. The concert performances this summer will be presented within a day-long festival of experiences and will give audiences an opportunity to hear all the songs from the show ahead of a proposed national tour of the full stage musical, premiering at Birmingham Hippodrome in 2024.

Chris Sudworth, Director of Artistic Programme at Birmingham Hippodrome said: “We’re incredibly excited about the year ahead for Birmingham Hippodrome and for our region. We can’t wait for people to get a first taste of To The Streets! – developed by the wonderful team of Roy Williams, Tim Sutton, Christopher Haydon and Dannielle ‘Rhimes’ Lecointe, through our partnership with joint producers China Plate, with the Birmingham 2022 Festival, Warwick Arts Centre and DRPG. To The Streets! tells the story of such a pivotal moment in the fight for civil rights in the UK and is the next step in our commitment to producing high quality, bold and relevant large-scale work here in the Midlands.”

Paul Warwick, Director at China Plate said: “Having worked in the Midlands for over 15 years, I feel immensely proud that China Plate have been commissioned as part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival alongside our coproducing partners Birmingham Hippodrome. To The Streets! gives us and our collaborators an incredible opportunity to shine a spotlight on the amazing creative talent in our city and region, whilst bringing people together to look again at the history and legacy of the Commonwealth. Alongside the production, our brilliant team of associate producers have been working with communities in North Birmingham for the last 18 months to co-design a fantastic programme of events inspired by the show and realised with regional artists including Nilupa Yasmin, Jane Thakoordin, Black Heritage Walks Network and Overhear. We’ll be announcing this programme over the course of the spring and can’t wait to share all of this work with audiences across what looks set to be a tremendous summer for our city.”

Chris added: “As the Birmingham 2022 Festival launches, we are thrilled to announce so many sensational performances and events on and off our stages, produced and presented with brilliant partners, including some of the Hippodrome’s hugely loved free festivals.”

Featured productions from the Hippodrome within the Birmingham 2022 Festival programme include world-renowned UK Choreographer Akram Khan’s brand new dance-theatre production Jungle Book: Reimagined in April, which sees the journey of Mowgli through the eyes of a climate refugee.

In Confessions of a Cockney Temple Dancer in May, Shane Shambhu reveals his secret life as a ‘fat kid’ in the cultural melting pot of East London and his journey to international performer in a bedazzling mix of comedy, theatre and dance.

As part of Birmingham International Dance Festival, Birmingham and Barcelona based HUMANHOOD’s new production [Infinite] will guide audiences through a powerful, mystical journey in June. Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Director Carlos Acosta is bringing together three thrilling works for a triple bill presented at the Hippodrome in June. On Your Marks celebrates the expressive energy and gravity-defying athleticism of the company’s world-class dancers.

During August, Soul City Arts, led by multi-disciplinary artist Mohammed Ali, will transform the Hippodrome’s Patrick Studio with new immersive art and theatre experience WASWASA – Whispers in Prayer. This dynamic installation explores the act of Islamic prayer and what that means in a modern, secular society and will feature a replica of the Birmingham Qu’ran, one of the oldest known in the world.

This summer will also see the return of two of the Hippodrome’s popular free festivals. The annual B-SIDE Hip-Hop Festival in June will bring together extraordinary artists and breathtaking acts from across all elements of Hip-Hop and Birmingham Weekender will take place throughout the August bank holiday after a spectacular return to the city in 2021. Birmingham Hippodrome will be working in partnership with Bullring & Grand Central again to produce an awe-inspiring arts festival with a dynamic programme of events from world-class artists from across the West Midlands and beyond.

 The Hippodrome will also host the BBC’s poetry and spoken word festival Contains Strong Language during September, and closing the Birmingham 2022 Festival will be the previously announced world premiere production from Rambert and Birmingham Hippodrome of Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby, written by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight.

Tickets for Jungle Book: Reimagined, Birmingham Royal Ballet On Your Marks and Rambert Dance in Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby are on sale now. Tickets for To The Streets!, Confessions of a Cockney Temple Dancer, Waswasa – Whispers in Prayer, [Infinite], and Contains Strong Language will go on sale in April.

Find out more at birminghamhippodrome.com

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF BIRMINGHAM REP, SEAN FOLEY, ANNOUNCES THE COMPLETION OF THE THEATRE’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON, INCLUDING THE COMPLETE LINE UP FOR THE VENUE’S BIRMINGHAM 2022 FESTIVAL PROGRAMME

• MULTI AWARD-WINNING COUNTING AND CRACKING, AN EPIC DRAMA OF SOUTH ASIAN MIGRATION, ARRIVES FOR ITS EXCLUSIVE ENGLISH PRESENTATION AS PART OF THE BIRMINGHAM 2022 FESTIVAL FOLLOWING ITS TRIUMPHANT PREMIERE AT THE ACCLAIMED BELVOIR ST THEATRE IN AUSTRALIA
   
• UNCOMMON RICHES – A GROUNDBREAKING FESTIVAL LED BY CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE AND INSPIRED BY THE BIRMINGHAM 2022 COMMONWEALTH GAMES
   
• COUNTING AND CRACKING  AND UNCOMMON RICHES JOIN THE PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED WORLD PREMIERES OF COMING TO ENGLAND AND  PLAYBOY OF THE WEST INDIES – THE MUSICAL AS PART OF THE REP’S COMMONWEALTH PROGRAMME
   
• IN CELEBRATION OF MOLIERE’S 400TH ANNIVERSARY ANIL GUPTA AND RICHARD PINTO’S HIT VERSION OF TARTUFFE ORIGINALLY PRODUCED BY THE RSC, SET IN THE PAKISTANI-MUSLIM COMMUNITY OF BIMINGHAM’S SPARKHILL AND DIRECTED BY ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR IQBAL KHAN FINALLY COMES TO THE REP
   
• THE WORLD PREMIERE OF A NEW PRODUCTION FROM ASSOCIATE COMPANY TOLD BY AN IDIOT WOULD YOU BET AGAINST US -A COMIC AND MOVING CELEBRATION OF ASTON VILLA’S GREATEST TRIUMPH OPENS IN MAY
   
• RAMPS ON THE MOON AND SHEFFIELD THEATRES INCLUSIVE PRODUCTION OF SHAKESPEARE’S COMEDY MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING WITH INTEGRATED ACCESSIBILITY
   
• FOLLOWING SKY COMEDY REP COMES A NEW INITIATIVE WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM, SERIOUS ABOUT COMEDY, STARTING AN ONGOING ENQUIRY WHERE COMICS, WRITERS, DIRECTORS, AND ACADEMICS COME TOGETHER TO DISCUSS THE SERIOUS BUSINESS OF LAUGHTER-MAKING
   
• THE DOOR IS FULLY REOPENED WITH A PROGRAMME THAT INCLUDES BLACK IS THE COLOUR OF MY VOICE ABOUT THE LIFE OF NINA SIMONE, RIOT ACT COVERING SIX DECADES OF QUEER HISTORY, AND LAVA ABOUT LIFE AFTER A MAJOR DISASTER, ALONGSIDE REP PRODUCTION GRIMEBOY
   
• A WORLD PREMIERE FROM LIGHTPOST IN COLLABORATION WITH SOUTH AFRICAN COMPANY ISANGO
   
• THE REP’S NEW CREATIVE PARTNERSHIP WITH BIRMINGHAM ROYAL BALLET CONTINUES WITH A WEEK LONG PROGRAMME OF WORK

● TICKETS NOW ON PRIORITY SALE, GENERAL ON SALE FRI 4 MAR 2022 

Artistic Director, Sean Foley has today added to Birmingham Rep’s 2022 programme of work. The Rep’s offering as part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival, a 6 month celebration of culture that surrounds the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, will include the newly announced, critically acclaimed production from Australia Counting and Cracking plus the youth driven Festival Uncommon Riches. Counting and Cracking arrives at The Rep as one of only two venues in the UK to host this epic story. They are joined by the previously announced Coming to England and Playboy of the West Indies – The Musical. The Birmingham 2022 Festival is generously supported by Arts Council England and National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Outside of the Birmingham 2022 Festival, Ramps On The Moon, the pioneering initiative committed to putting D/deaf and disabled artists and audiences at the centre of their work will present a new production of Shakespeare’s raucous comedy, Much Ado About Nothing, directed by Robert Hastie. The performance features the use of integrated creative sign language, audio description and captioning. Associate company, Told by an Idiot, will present the world premiere of Would You Bet Against Us?, a hilarious and poignant celebration of the most important night in Aston Villa’s history, becoming European Cup champions in 1982. Would You Bet Against Us? marks the 40th anniversary of this huge event in the history of Birmingham football. The acclaimed RSC production of Moliere’s classic Tartuffe directed by Iqbal Khan and adapted by Anil Gupta and Richard Pinto to take place in Birmingham’s muslim community will open at the Rep in October. Finally, The Rep will hold a symposium attended by comedians, directors, writers and academics entitled Serious About Comedy, a conversation and inquiry into the development of comedy in all its forms in association with the University of Birmingham.

Sean Foley said: “To have been able to programme and deliver a whole year of shows for The Rep in its 50th year in its ‘new’ theatre on Centenary Square has been a privilege; that it has also coincided with such an important year for the City is an incredible honour. Birmingham is on the move: the world’s most important super-diverse City has the Commonwealth Games in its sights, and The Rep does too… From the epic story of South Asian migration, Counting and Cracking, to the inspiring ‘Windrush story’ of Floella Benjamin’s Coming to England; from the extraordinary Young Rep festival of shows that is Uncommon Riches, to the musical comedy of Playboy of the West Indies – itself a wonderful example of how creativity shares and borrows across all borders, as Mustapha Matura’s version of Synge’s Irish classic is re-created as a new musical by a new generation of artists – these shows celebrate and interrogate how the legacy of Commonwealth has enriched our shared culture. 

Lastly, and firstly: comedy… to finally be able to bring Tartuffe, Moliere’s superb comedy about a conman, to The Rep stage, in Anil Gupta and Richard Pinto’s sparklingly funny new version set in Birmingham, (a hit at the RSC in 2018) is a joy. It was to be the first main stage show under my Artistic Directorship in March ’20, but never saw the light of day… Now, directed by our Associate Director Iqbal Khan – also Artistic Director of the Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony – it seems the perfect conclusion to The Rep’s 50th Anniversary Season.”     

Associate Director Madeleine Kludje will direct her production of Birmingham’s Poet Laureate Casey Bailey’s new play Grimeboy alongside works in The Door about Nina Simone, explorations of Queer History, and a new play about life after a major catastrophe.

Madeleine Kludje said: “This year will also see The Rep re-launch The Door. I’m excited to be re-thinking our most intimate theatre as a space dedicated to local, national and international artists to develop their work, and for those yet to break into the industry to develop their talent. It’s a theatre where audiences can get up close and personal with the new, the experimental and the extraordinary, and I can’t wait to direct GrimeBoy by Casey Bailey there this Spring”. 

JAMIE WILSON, JONATHAN CHURCH THEATRE PRODUCTIONS AND GAVIN KALIN

ANNOUNCE

PRINCIPAL CASTING

JULIAN OVENDEN, GINA BECK,

ROB HOUCHEN, JOANNA AMPIL

AND SERA MAEHARA

TO STAR IN THE SADLER’S WELLS SEASON AND

TEN-WEEK UK AND IRELAND TOUR OF

THE CHICHESTER FESTIVAL THEATRE PRODUCTION OF

RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN’S

SOUTH PACIFIC

OPENING AT THE MANCHESTER OPERA HOUSE

ON 16 JULY 2022

SEASON AT SADLER’S WELLS, LONDON

FROM 27 JULY – 28 AUGUST 2022

AHEAD OF A LIMITED UK AND IRELAND TOUR

Jamie Wilson, Jonathan Church Theatre Productions and Gavin Kalin are delighted to announce that Julian Ovenden will staras ‘Emile de Becque’throughout the Sadler’s Wells season and UK and Ireland Tour of the critically acclaimed, landmark Chichester Festival Theatre production of RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN’S SOUTH PACIFIC alongside the previously announced Gina Beck as ‘Ensign Nellie Forbush’. Julian and Gina will be joined by fellow members of the original Chichester Festival Theatre company; Rob Houchen as ‘Lieutenant Joseph Cable’, Joanna Ampil as ‘Bloody Mary’and Sera Maehara as ‘Liat’

The production opens at Manchester Opera House on 16 July 2022 ahead of a season at Sadler’s Wells, London from 27 July to 28 August 2022 (with a press night on 4 August 2022) and throughout the limited 10-week UK and Ireland Tour visiting Dublin, Newcastle, Birmingham, Glasgow, Cardiff, Nottingham, Edinburgh, Leeds and Canterbury. Chichester’s Artistic Director Daniel Evans, will once again direct Julian, Gina, Rob, Joanna and Sera as they reprise the roles they played to enormous critical and audience acclaim at Chichester Festival Theatre in the summer of 2021.

Full casting to be announced in due course. www.southpacificshow.com

This powerful love story, set on a South Pacific Island during World War ll is brought thrillingly to life with a sensational cast of over thirty and a full orchestra in this epic new five-star production directed by Chichester Festival Theatre’s Artistic Director Daniel Evans. SOUTH PACIFIC boasts one of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s most memorable scores, and this much-loved Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical features songs such as “Some Enchanted Evening”, “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair” and “Bali Ha’i”.

Julian Ovenden is perhaps best known for playing ‘Charles Blake’ in ITV’s Downton Abbey. He is also an international recording artist and has starred on Broadway and in the West End. His West End credits include All About Eve at the Noel Coward Theatre, Marguerite at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, The Treatment at the Almeida Theatre, and My Night With Reg, Merrily We Roll Along and Grand Hotel at the Donmar Warehouse. On Broadway he has been seen in Showboat with the New York Philharmonic at the Lincoln Centre and Butley at the Booth Theatre. He has also performed at several of the BBC Proms and played Captain Georg von Trapp in The Sound of Music Live on ITV.

Gina Beck’s many West End theatre credits include playing ‘Miss Honey’ in Matilda at the Cambridge Theatre, ‘Magnolia’ in Show Boat at the New London Theatre, ‘Glinda’ in Wicked at the Apollo Victoria, ‘Christine Daae’ in The Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty’s Theatre and ‘Cosette’ in Les Misérables at the Queen’s Theatre. Her television credits include Doctors, The Return of Sherlock Holmes and The Crush. Her film credits include Les Misérables.

Rob Houchen’s West End credits include Les Misérables at the Queen’s Theatre, Les Misérables  The All Star Concert at the Gielgud Theatre, City of Angels at the Garrick Theatre, Godspell in Concert at The Lyric Theatre and Broken Wings at Theatre Royal Haymarket. His other theatre credits include The Light in the Piazza at the Royal Festival Hall, Eugenius! at The Other Palace and Titanic at Charing Cross Theatre.

Joanna Ampil’s West End credits include playing ‘Kim’ in Miss Saigon and at the 10^th Anniversary Performance, ‘Mary Magdalene’ in Jesus Chris Superstar, ‘Eponine’ in Les Miserables, ‘Fantine’ in Les Miserables, ‘Grizabella’ in Cats, ‘Christmas Eve’ in Avenue Q and Sheila Franklin in ‘Hair’. Her other theatre credits include ‘Mimi’ in the European Tour of Rent, ‘Thanh’ in the World Premiere of The Real Love in Los Angeles and ‘Maria’ in West Side Story, ‘Maria Von Trapp’ in The Sound of Music, ‘Jenna’ in Waitress and ‘Nellie Forbush’ in South Pacific in Concert, all in Manila.

Sera Maehara’s theatre and dance credits include Warrior Queens at Sadler’s Wells, Qualms directed by Julia Cheng, Carmen for Dance Marche and as a soloist for the Roussewaltz Dance Company and Junior Associate Artist for Fabula Collective, directed by Yukiko Tsukamoto. Her film and television credits include ‘Kaede’ in Kid That Never Fell and ‘Mayu Huruta’ in Pakodate Jin.

SOUTH PACIFIC is directed by Daniel Evans, with set and costume design by Peter McKintosh, and choreography and movement direction from Ann Yee. The Musical Supervisor is Nigel Lilley, Musical Director is Cat Beveridge and new orchestration is by David Cullen, with original Broadway orchestration by Robert Russell Bennett. The lighting designer is Howard Harrison, sound designer is Paul Groothuis, video designer is Gillian Tan, additional arrangements and Happy Talk orchestration is by Theo Jamieson, casting director is Charlotte Sutton CDG and additional children’s casting by Verity Naughton.

SOUTH PACIFIC is produced by Jamie Wilson, Jonathan Church Theatre Productions and Gavin Kalin.

LISTINGS

www.southpacificshow.com

SATURDAY 16 JULY – SATURDAY 23 JULY 2022

Manchester Opera House

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

ON SALE NOW

WEDNESDAY 27 JULY – SUNDAY 28 AUGUST 2022

Sadler’s Wells, London

www.sadlerswells.com

ON SALE NOW

TUESDAY 13 SEPTEMBER – SATURDAY 17 SEPTEMBER 2022

Bord Gais Theatre, Dublin

www.bordgaisenergytheatre.ie

ON SALE NOW

TUESDAY 20 SEPTEMBER – SATURDAY 24 SEPTEMBER 2022

Newcastle Theatre Royal

www.theatreroyal.co.uk

ON SALE NOW

TUESDAY 27 SEPTEMBER – SATURDAY  1 OCTOBER 2022

The Alexandra, Birmingham

https://www.atgtickets.com/venues/the-alexandra-theatre-birmingham

ON SALE NOW

TUESDAY 4 OCTOBER – SATURDAY 8 OCTOBER 2022

Theatre Royal Glasgow

https://www.atgtickets.com/venues/theatre-royal-glasgow

ON SALE NOW

TUESDAY 11 OCTOBER – SATURDAY 15 OCTOBER 2022

Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff

www.wmc.org.uk

ON SALE NOW

TUESDAY 18 OCTOBER – SATURDAY 22 OCTOBER 2022

Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall Nottingham

www.trch.co.uk

ON SALE NOW

TUESDAY 25 OCTOBER – SATURDAY 29 OCTOBER 2022

Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

www.capitaltheatres.com

ON SALE NOW

TUESDAY 1 NOVEMBER – SATURDAY 5 NOVEMBER 2022

Leeds Grand Theatre

www.leedsheritagetheatres.com

ON SALE NOW

TUESDAY 15 NOVEMBER – SATURDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2022

The Marlow, Canterbury

www.marlowetheatre.com

ON SALE NOW

Cast announced for new show Tempest from
company behind Edinburgh Fringe hit
Electrolyte
The Pleasance, Carpenters Mews, North Road, London, N7 9EF
Friday 11th March – Sunday 3rd April

The cast has been announced for Tempest, the highly anticipated new production from Wildcard Theatre, the multi award-winning company behind Electrolyte. Applying their gig-theatre style to Shakespeare’s final play, Wildcard heightens the narrative with incredible live music and breath-taking design to question what it means to be human. Directed and adapted by James Meteyard (Electrolyte, Pleasance Theatre; Redemption, The Big House), and with original music by BBC Young Composer of the Year Jasmine Morris, this is Shakespeare like you have never experienced it before

The cast of talented actor-musicians includes Loren O’Dair (Dream, RSC; Peter Pan, National Theatre) as Ariel, Tashinga Bepete (The Railway Children Return, Studio Canal; Red Rose, BBC/Netflix) as Ferdinand, Ben Simon (Romeo and Juliet, The Dukes Theatre Company; Dunsinane, RSC) as Sebastian, Ruby Crepin-Glynne (Road, Northern Stage; The Syndicate, BBC) as Miranda, Gigi Zahir (Haus of Cray, Royal Vauxhall Tavern; 5 Guys Chillin’, Kings Head/Assembly Roxy) as Trinculo and Antonio, Alexander Bean (Good Morning Britain (Voiceover); Teddy, Southwark Playhouse) as Caliban, Eleanor House (Long Shadows, Birmingham Rep; Doctors, BBC)as Stephano, Rob Meteyard (The Uses of Poetry, Barnstable Fringe) as Gonzalo, and Kate Littlewood (The Last Days of Don Juan, Worlds Apart, RSC) as Prospero.

Wildcard’s notorious gig-theatre style has achieved critical acclaim – most notably, Electrolyte won five awards, including the prestigious Mental Health Fringe Award. Entirely underscored by live music, featuring newly composed songs, as well as Shakespearean originals, this adrenaline-fuelled reimagining brings a fresh perspective to a timeless classic. Tempest is performed by nine actor-musicians, with a detailed sound design that immerses the audience in a rich audio world. The exhilarating fusion of live music and theatre serves to make productions more accessible and attracts a demographic of audience that has low engagement with the arts. Accessibility is at the heart of the piece – this is a show that truly speaks to a modern, younger and more diverse audience, who may not think Shakespeare is usually for them

Banished to a mystical island with nothing but their magical books, Prospero waits in isolation for twelve long years. Consumed by a desire for revenge, they forge a new life with their daughter Miranda, slave Caliban and servant-spirit, Ariel. Using Ariel, and all his qualities, Prospero conducts a terrible storm to shipwreck their enemies, stranding them in Prospero’s new kingdom. Divided, lost and confused, the group find themselves at the mercy of twisted vengeance. But will Prospero’s bitterness destroy them, or will humanity prevail?

The visually striking production features bold and vibrant set, costume and lighting design to accentuate the themes and questions within the text – with special effects to create a unique, visceral experience and explore the characters’ heightened world of high fashion. The audience are therefore taken to some of the darker and more uncomfortable moments in the play, in order to draw parallels with our own world. Ultimately, this is a play about humanity vs society. It is about the age-old structures that we have fabricated in our society to create imbalance, and how these take us away from what is at the core of our humanity: love, compassion and care.

Director James Meteyard comments, I’ve been thinking about this show for about five years now and working on it for about three! I love Shakespeare and truly believe he’s the UK’s most culturally significant playwright. But I often feel that when his plays are presented in the theatre, they’re inaccessible, boring or not engaging, particularly for a younger or non-traditional theatre-going audience. After seeing how well these demographics engaged with gig-theatre on Electrolyte, I wanted to apply this form to Tempest – a play whose central character Prospero has been in Isolation for 12 years, a feeling we can all relate to following the last couple of years. It has wizards, spirits, monsters, a drag queen, live looping, rock, funk, drum and bass, rap and a bold and vibrant set and costume design. At its core, this production will examine our society and ask: what does it mean to be human? I’m excited to look at these age-old themes through a modern lens as I’m confident they’ll resonate just as powerfully today as when they were first written

Tempest is supported by: Arts Council England, Ian McKellan on Stage, Cockayne Foundation, Jerwood Space and Watermill Theatre

Cast announced for Diary of a Somebody at
Seven Dials Playhouse
Tuesday 22nd March – Saturday 30th April 2022
1a Tower Street, London WC2H 9NP

Staged for the first time in 35 years, Diary of a Somebody is a deep dive into the mind of one of the most witty, rebellious, and acclaimed artists of his generation. Introducing George Kemp (Bridgerton, Netflix; Call My Agent, Netflix; The Trial of Christine Keeler, BBC) as notorious artist and playwright Joe Orton, Diary of a Somebody will see Toby Osmond (Game of Thrones, HBO; Henry VIII and His Six Wives, BBC; Dead Souls, Monkhead Theatre) take to the stage as his mentor and partner, the actor and writer Kenneth Halliwell.

Taken verbatim from Joe Orton’s private and often explicit diaries, this raucous and poignant new production is directed by Nico Rao Pimparé (The Start of Nothing, 2020; Rainer, Arcola Theatre; Candy, King’s Head Theatre). The cast is completed by Jemma Churchill (Doctor Who, BBC; Birthdays Past, Birthdays Present, New Vic Theatre; NATIVITY! The Musical, UK tour), Jamie Zubairi (Cucumber, Why The Lion Danced, Yellow Earth; The Letter; Wyndham’s Theatre), Sorcha Kennedy (Rainer; Arcola Theatre, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Comedy of Errors – Sam Wanamaker Festival; Shakespeare’s Globe) and Ryan Rajan Mal, making his stage debut

Diary of a Somebody first premiered at the National Theatre in 1986, directed by Jonathan Myerson, where the Evening Standard called it ‘perversely enjoyable’. The production at Seven Dials Playhouse will be the first London revival in 35 years of Diary of a Somebody. The play incorporates Orton’s words from his diaries, letters and literary fragments, as well as psychiatric reports.

Toby Osmond comments, This fantastic play, based on the diary of Joe Orton is as exciting as the stars it stars. Orton’s tragically short life was a roller coaster – a big part of which was Halliwell, who I have the privilege to play. I cannot wait to tread the boards again – my first time since Game of Thrones finished – and inhabit this doomed lover and killer

Jemma Churchill says, Diary of a Somebody brings back such fond memories of watching my mother appear in Joe Orton’s final play What the Butler Saw while I saw still at school over 40 years ago. Having read the diaries in my 20s I feel such enthusiasm for this extraordinary play.

This dramatisation of The Orton Diaries chronicles the last eight months of notorious playwright Joe Orton’s life. The diaries track Orton’s growing theatrical celebrity and the corresponding punishing effect it had on his relationship with friend and mentor Kenneth Halliwell who murdered him on 9th August 1967 and then took his own life. John Lahr’s Diary of a Somebody is presented in association with Seven Dials Playhouse

Seven Dials Playhouse opened in February 2022 with Steve directed by Andrew Keates. It seeks to provide opportunities for people to collaborate on bold, creative and high quality work while providing journeys of enlightenment and entertainment for artists and audiences alike.