THE NATION’S FAVOURITE TEA-GUZZLING TIGER ANNOUNCES ITS RETURN TO THE WEST END THIS SUMMER
THE TIGER WHO CAME TO TEA
A musical play by David Wood based on the book by Judith Kerr
Theatre Royal Haymarket, London SW1Y 4HT11 July – 4 September 2022
Back by popular demand, the Olivier Award nominated stage production of The Tiger Who Came to Tea today announces its return to Theatre Royal Haymarket for another West End summer season following last year’s sellout success. A musical play adapted and directed by David Wood OBE, based on the classic tale by the late Judith Kerr OBE, The Tiger Who Came to Tea will open at Theatre Royal Haymarket on Monday 11 July playing until Sunday 4 September 2022. Casting for the London production is yet to be announced.
The Tiger Who Came to Tea is also currently enjoying a nationwide tour, booking until 1 September 2022.
Hailed as Britain’s best-loved picture book, Judith Kerr’s timeless classic The Tiger Who Came to Tea is now in its 54th year, selling over 5 million copies since it was first published in 1968. The stage show premiered in 2008 and has since toured nationally and internationally, including Christmas seasons at the Sydney Opera House and Melbourne Arts Centre with sold out dates in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai and Bahrain. In 2012 the production was nominated for the Olivier Award for ‘Best Family Entertainment’. This year marks its 8th West End season.
Bringing the nation’s favourite tea-guzzling tiger to life on stage, this musical slice of teatime mayhem entertains with sing-a-long songs, oodles of magic and interactive fun. It’s the ideal introduction to live theatre for children aged three and above and the perfect summer treat for the whole family.
The doorbell rings just as Sophie and her Mummy are sitting down to tea. Who could it possibly be? What they certainly don’t expect to see at the door is a big furry, stripy tiger!
Directed by David Wood OBE, with designs by Susie Caulcutt, assistant director/choreographer Emma Clayton, music arranger & supervisor Peter Pontzen, magical illusions designed by former President of the Magic Circle Scott Penrose, lighting design by Tony Simpson and sound design by Shock Productions. Produced by Nicoll Entertainment Ltd.
LOUISE REDKNAPP JOINS THE CAST OF THE PROVOCATIVE NEW STAGE THRILLER
BASED ON THE ICONIC MOVIE PHENOMENON,
LOUISE JOINS THE FATAL ATTRACTION TOUR
AS BETH GALLAGHER
STARRING ALONGSIDE SUSIE AMY AS ALEX FORREST
AND OLIVER FARNWORTH AS DAN GALLAGHER
LOUISE’S PERFORMANCES BEGIN AT THE NEW THEATRE, CARDIFF ON WEDNESDAY 9TH MARCH
KYM MARSH CONTINUES IN THE ROLE OF ALEX FORREST UNTIL SATURDAY 5th MARCH
Smith and Brant Theatricals and Ambassador Theatre Group Productions are today delighted to announce casting for the second leg of a new production of Fatal Attraction based on the classic Paramount Pictures Corporation film. From Wednesday 9th March (New Theatre, Cardiff) acclaimed actress, musician, TV presenter and Strictly Come Dancing star Louise Redknapp joins Oliver Farnworth (Dan Gallagher) as his wife, Beth and Susie Amy who takes on the role of Alex Forrest when Kym Marsh concludes her run in the tour on Saturday 5th March 2022.
The tour then visits the Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham; Richmond Theatre, Richmond; Royal and Derngate, Northampton; Waterside Theatre, Aylesbury; Theatre Royal, Glasgow; Arts Theatre, Cambridge and the Grand Opera House, York.
LOUISE REDKNAPP is a musician, TV presenter, actress and fashion influencer. Louise rose to prominence as a member of the girl band Eternal, before embarking on a highly successful solo career. Eternal were the first all-girl group to sell over 1 million copies of an album in the UK with their debut Always & Forever and remain the top selling girl band of the 90’s with over 10 million records sold.
Louise went solo in 1995 and her first album, Naked, produced 5 hits and sold over 1 million copies. In 2016, Louise was announced as a contestant for the BBC’s flagship show Strictly Come Dancing. Here, she stormed her way to the finals and was named runner-up. The following year, she made her stage debut starring as Sally Bowles in Cabaret (National Tour) with Will Young and in 2019 made her West End debut in Dolly Parton’s9 to 5 The Musical (Savoy Theatre) as Violet Newstead, a role she reprised to great acclaim for the tour which ran throughout 2021
Since becoming a household name in Footballer’s Wives, SUSIE AMY has taken on various parts including the lead role in the American miniseries La Femme Musketeer, which also starred Gerard Depardieu and Nastassja Kinski, and a lead role in ITV’s Echo Beach and Moving Wallpaper with Ben Miller. Other Television includes: Hollyoaks, Plus One, My Family, Coronation Street, New Street Law, Hotel Babylon, Death In Paradise, The Royal, Sam’s Game, Holby City, Casualty, Dark Realm and Sirens. Films include: Andy Garcia’s Modigliani, House of 9 with Dennis Hopper and Peter Capaldi, Lesbian Vampire Killers, The Pimp, Psych:9, Two Families, Dead Fish, Bonded By Blood and Silent Hours in which she played Hugh Bonneville’s wife Rosemary. Theatre includes: The Marilyn Conspiracy (Edinburgh Festival); Out Of Order (UK Tour); Rehearsal For Murder (UK Tour); Wait Until Dark (UK Tour); After Juliet (Young Vic/ National Theatre); The Mummy (Belgrade Theatre) and Murder On The Nile (UK Tour).
OLIVER FARNWORTH’S theatre credits includes: The Girl On The Train (UK Tour); The Marilyn Conspiracy (International Tour); Down The Dock Road (Theatre Royal Liverpool); Dobbo (Royal Court Liverpool); Inherit the Wind (New Vic Theatre); Beautiful Thing (Arts Theatre/ UK Tour); Santa Claus The Musical (Grand Theater, Singapore); The Widowing Of Mrs Holroyd (New Vic Theatre); A View From The Bridge (Theatre By The Lake); Holding The Man (Trafalgar Studios); Kes (Liverpool Playhouse & UK Tour); Merchant Of Venice (Changeling Theatre); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (British Shakespeare Company); Saturday Night Sunday Morning (Harrogate Theatre/ Oldham Coliseum); London Plays: London Tongue (Old Red Lion); Under Milk Wood (New Vic Studio); The Roaring Girl (New Vic Studio) and The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe (Redgrave Theatre).Television includes: Endeavour Vi, Coronation Street, Mr. Selfridge, Doctors Xiv, The Royal and Hollyoaks.Films include: Love Type D.Workshops include: Dracula (New Vic Theatre).
The cast also includes Anita Booth as Joan, Troy Glasgow as O’Rourke, John Macaulay as Jimmy, Emma Laird Craig as understudy Beth / Alex and Christina Balmer as understudy Joan / O’Rourke.
Fatal Attractionis the latest grip-the-edge-of-your-seat thriller from the producers of the celebrated tours of Patrick Hamilton’s Gaslight and Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers on a Train. Fatal Attraction is written by James Dearden, who based the stage play on his Oscar-nominated screenplay, which in turn was adapted from his 1980 short film, Diversion. This brand-new production is directed by Loveday Ingram with Rachel Heyburn as Assistant Director. Fatal Attraction features Set and Costume Design by Morgan Large, Projection Design by Mogzi, Lighting Design by Jack Knowles,Sound Design by Carolyn Downing and Paul Englishby is the show’s Composer.Fatal Attraction has been cast by Anne Vosser.
One of the most iconic films of the era, Fatal Attraction was one of 1987’s highest grossing US Box Office release, securing six major Oscar nominations at the following year’s Academy Awards, including: Best Actress for Glenn Close’s mesmerising depiction of urbane sophisticate Alex Forrest, Best Supporting Actress (Anne Archer), Best Writing Adapted Screenplay (James Dearden), Best Director (Adrian Lyne), Best Editing, and Best Picture. Michael Douglas – at the peak of his Hollywood powers – was omitted from the list only as he was nominated elsewhere in the Best Actor category for his role as Gordon ‘greed is good’ Gecko in Wall Street, which he went on to win. Fatal Attraction’s success was such that the film inspired a generation of psychosexual thrillers in the years that followed.
Loveday Ingram trained with John Barton at the RSC and was previously Associate Director at Chichester Festival Theatre. Loveday’s credits include: The Rover, The Merchant of Venice (Royal Shakespeare Company); Henry V, Julius Caesar (Storyhouse); Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery (Liverpool Playhouse/National Centre for the Performing Arts, China); My One and Only (Piccadilly Theatre/Chichester). Nominated for 4 Olivier Awards and Evening Standard Award); The Blue Room (also Chichester), When Harry Met Sally (Theatre Royal Haymarket); Bedroom Farce (Aldwych Theatre); Three Sisters, Pal Joey (nominated for TMA and Barclay Best Musical Awards), Dead Funny, Insignificance (Chichester Festival Theatre); Macbeth (Theatre Severn); Richard III (Nottingham Playhouse/York Theatre Royal); These Shining Lives (Park Theatre); Rockabye (Beckett Centenary Festival/Gate Theatre Dublin/Barbican); Boston Marriage, Hysteria (Irish Times Award) (Project Theatre Dublin); Outlying Islands, Lettice and Lovage (Bath Theatre Royal); The Messiah (National Theatre of Brent/Bush Theatre). Opera credits include All About Love (Linbury Studio); Brittain’s Rape of Lucrece (BAC) and Barber’s Vanessa (Lyric Hammersmith). Music Video includes This Time It’s Forever (Women’s Aid).
Fatal Attraction is co-produced with Gavin Kalin Productions.
The Time Traveller’s Wife: The Musical, based on the best-selling novel by Audrey Niffenegger and the New Line Cinema film screenplay by Bruce Joel Rubin, will premiere at Storyhouse in Chester from 30 September to 15 October 2022. The two-week season will precede a West End transfer, to be announced at a later date. The Box Office for the Storyhouse members is now open and it will open to non-members from 12:00noon on 21 February.
With a book by Lauren Gunderson, original music and lyrics by Joss Stone and Dave Stewart and additional lyrics by Kait Kerrigan, the production will be directed by Bill Buckhurst and designed by Anna Fleischle, with choreography by Shelley Maxwell, lighting design by Lucy Carter, illusions by Chris Fisher, video design by Andrjez Goulding, sound design by Richard Brooker, musical supervision & arrangement by Nick Finlow and orchestrations by Bryan Crook. Casting will be by Stuart Burt CDG. It will be produced by Colin Ingram for InTheatre Productions, Gavin Kalin Productions, Teresa Tsai and Crossroads Live, by special arrangement with Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures.
Henry and Clare’s love story is like no other and yet like all others; they meet, flirt, fight, love, marry… but all out of order. Henry is often and uncontrollably ripped out of time, because he suffers from a rare condition where his genetic clock periodically resets, pulling him into his past or future, vanishing before one’s eyes, never knowing where or when he’s going next. Except he knows he’ll always come back to Clare, whether she’s 5 years old playing in a field or 85, dreaming of her time-travelling husband.
Lauren Gunderson said of adapting the novel, “I will never forget reading the last chapter of Audrey Niffenegger’s book over ten years ago and being floored by its thunderous emotion and potent humanity. I knew this love story belonged on stage with music and vision that matches its emotional punch and soaring feeling. I know this musical will lift, delight, hearten and exhilarate.”
Audrey Niffenegger said of the adaptation, “I am thrilled that my book is being adapted for the stage and with the very talented artists who are creating the musical. I am really looking forward to seeing what they do with it.”
The Time Traveller’s Wife: The Musical weaves a heart-breaking and soaring original musical score by multi Grammy Award-winning composers Joss Stone and Dave Stewart with one of the most beloved novels of the last 50 years. All couples ask how to truly know one another, to trust, to commit, to build a family, to work at something bigger than ourselves. Not all of us are time travellers. How do you love across time?
Producer Colin Ingram said, “I am so delighted to be bringing this incredible new musical to the 750-seat Chester Storyhouse for a two-week run prior to a transfer to the West End and beyond. We are excited to come to this fantastic new theatre, which has an incredible ethos of accessibility and nurture lead by CEO Andrew Bentley, and to show the people of Chester and the North West this exciting, thrilling and beautiful new musical which Joss Stone and Dave Stewart have written stunning new songs for. For those who have not been to the Storyhouse, this premiere is the time to come and enjoy a fantastic musical in a fantastic venue with a great atmosphere and facilities.”
Dave Stewart and Joss Stone said of working together on the new musical, “We have been on many crazy adventures together but we’ve never ‘Time Travelled’ till meeting Lauren Gunderson. Writing these songs together whilst being in different locations on different time zones has been a trip (literally), throwing us into an eddy of emotive melodies and heart-wrenching lyrics to go with the push and pull of this unusual love story. We all time travel in our relationships and in our lives in general, but to write something that people will see and hear happening live on stage is thrilling to imagine, and hearing Bill Buckhurst’s interpretations of Lauren’s script for stage as we went along has been so inspiring.”
Lauren Gunderson has been one of the most produced playwrights in the US since 2015, topping the list twice, including 2019/20. She is a two-time winner of the Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award for I and You and The Book of Will, the winner of the Lanford Wilson Award and the Otis Guernsey New Voices Award, a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and John Gassner Award for Playwriting, and a recipient of the Mellon Foundation’s Residency with Marin Theatre Company. She co-authored the Miss Bennet plays with Margot Melcon.
Grammy and Brit award-winning singer-songwriter, Joss Stone, has released seven studio albums since she secured a record deal at 15 and released her critically acclaimed debut album, The Soul Sessions, in 2003. Performing alongside many legendary artists such as James Brown, Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, Sting, Van Morrison and Melissa Etheridge, she has collaborated with and contributed to albums for many of the world’s finest musicians, including Jeff Beck, Mick Jagger and Damien Marley. In 2015 her album Water for Your Soul was released, achieving the spot of the number-one reggae album upon release and voted best reggae album by Billboard. In 2019, she completed her most audacious project to date, The Total World Tour, in which she has performed a gig and collaborated with local artists in over 200 countries around the world.
Joss Stone’s new album, Never Forget My Love, produced by Dave Stewart, was released on 11 February 2022.
Award-winning singer, songwriter, musician, producer and Eurythmics co-founder, Dave Stewart is recognised as one of the most respected and accomplished talents in the music industry today with a music career spanning four decades and over 100 million album sales. Stewart co-wrote and produced each Eurythmics album in his world-famous duo with Annie Lennox, and has also produced albums and co-written songs with Mick Jagger, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Gwen Stefani, Jon Bon Jovi, Stevie Nicks, Bryan Ferry, Katy Perry, Sinead O’Connor, Joss Stone and many others. Along the way, his work has garnered numerous awards, including 26 ASCAP and BMI Awards for the most-performed songs; four Ivor Novello Awards for Best Songwriter; four BRIT Awards for Best Producer, including a Lifetime Achievement Award; The Silver Clef Award; The Clive Davis Legend in Songwriting Award; a Golden Globe and a Grammy Award and he was inducted into the UK Hall of Fame. In 2018, Eurythmics was nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Most recently, they were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) and they will be inducted into The Songwriters Hall of Fame in June 2021.
In 2001, Stewart was approached by Nelson Mandela to help the fight against the Aids epidemic. Stewart developed a Global Campaign using Mandela’s prison number 46664. Stewart then went on to help organize the biggest concert ever staged in South Africa, appearing on stage with Beyoncé, Bono and Edge, Queen and many others, as well as bringing his long-time partner, Annie Lennox, on stage to perform together as Eurythmics. The concert was broadcast live to over 1 billion people. Stewart, along with songwriter/producer Glen Ballard, wrote the music for the musical adaptation of the 1990 Jerry Zucker film Ghost. With Mick Jagger, he wrote and produced the score for Alfie, starring Jude Law, which won the pair a Golden Globe for Best Original Song. More recently, Stewart created and is Executive Producer of the hit TV show for NBC, Songland.
Bill Buckhurst’s theatre directing credits for Tooting Arts Club include Sweeney Todd (West End, Harrington’s Pie and Mash Shop & Off-Broadway; Best Musical Off-West End Awards, Outstanding Revival of a Musical Lucille Lortel Awards, Best Musical Revival Off-Broadway Alliance, Best Off-Broadway Musical Theater Fans’ Choice Awards, Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Director of a Musical), Barbarians, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Tinderbox. Directing credits for Shakespeare’s Globe include Omeros, Hamlet (and International Tour), King Lear (and International Tour), Twelfth Night, Othello, The Merchant of Venice, Romeo & Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Macbeth (Playing Shakespeare).
Anna Fleischle is an award–winning set and costume designer, working internationally in theatre, opera and dance. Her theatre designs include The Forest (Hampstead Theatre), Hamlet (Young Vic), Hangmen (West End/Broadway, 2016 Olivier Award Winner for Best Set Design, Critic’s Circle Award ‘Best Designer’, Evening Standard Award ‘Best Design’), Liberian Girl (Royal Court), Death Of A Salesman (Young Vic/West End), A Very Very Very Dark Matter (Bridge), Home I’m Darling (2019 Olivier Award Nominee for Best Set Design and Best Costume Design, Theatr Clwyd/National/ West End), Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (Crucible Sheffield West End, UK tour, Korea), Much Ado About Nothing and Troilus & Cressida (Globe), and Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (Old Vic),
Shelley Maxwell’s choreography credits include Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Story (Lyric Theatre, London’s West End), Best Of Enemies (Young Vic), J’Ouvert (Sonia Friedman Productions Re:Emerge Season, Harold Pinter Theatre), After Life (National Theatre),Romeo & Juliet a film adaptation (a co-production between the National Theatre, Sky Arts & PBS), Master Harold…and the Boys, Hansard,Antony & Cleopatra, Twelfth Night and NineNight (all National Theatre), Equus (Theatre Royal Stratford East and Trafalgar Studios) and Tartuffe (RSC).Shelley won the award for Best Choreographer at the inaugural British Black Theatre Awards in 2019 for her work on Equus.
Chris Fisher is a member of the Magic Circle and works worldwide as international illusions and magic consultant for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. His theatre credits as illusion consultant include Back to the Future the Musical (Manchester and West End), The Prince Of Egypt (West End), Company (West End and Broadway), Big – the Musical (Plymouth, Dublin and West End), Peter Gynt (National), A Very Very Very Dark Matter (Bridge) and Angels in America (National and Broadway).
Colin Ingram’s producing credits include Billy Elliot, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Ghost the Musical, Back to the Future the Musical and Grease, the latter of which will open at the Dominion Theatre in May 2022. The latter will open in the West End at the Adelphi Theatre in Summer 2021. Colin worked for Cameron Mackintosh for six years, general managing Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera and Oklahoma! (starring Hugh Jackman). He then joined Disney Theatrical to be Managing Director and General Manager, overseeing the London productions of The Lion King and Beauty And The Beast. Colin then joined the Old Vic as Executive Producer for the first two years of the Old Vic Theatre Company and on the West End premiere of Billy Elliot – the Musical, after which he joined Madison Square Gardens in New York to run their Productions division including the Radio City Rockettes Spectaculars.
• • Annual awards recognising the UK’s unsung local authority arts heroes, presented by the National Campaign for the Arts in partnership with Community Leisure UK, Creative Lives, the Local Government Association, Thrive, UK Theatre, and Wales Council for Voluntary Action.
• • Awards judged by high-profile professionals in arts, business and journalism: Andy Dawson; Krishnan Guru-Murthy; Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason; Shaparak Khorsandi; Anna Lapwood; Deborah Meaden; Jack Thorne; and national campaign for the arts trustee Samuel West.
• • A public community poetry project, a campaign using arts and culture to bring footfall back into popular high streets, and a project encouraging intergenerational connections have all been recognised by this year’s awards.
• ● Awards to be presented by Samuel West and selected guest judges at the Hearts for the Arts digital awards ceremony hosted by the Local Government Association on Monday 7th March.
The winners have been announced for the annual National Campaign for the Arts’ (NCA) Hearts for the Arts Awards 2022. The awards celebrate the unsung heroes of Local Authorities who are championing the arts against all odds.
Nominations were received from across the UK in each of the three award categories:
Best Arts Project; Best Arts Champion – Local Authority or Cultural Trust Worker; Best Arts Champion – Councillor
The five award-winners were chosen from a shortlist of 20 projects and champions by a judging panel of high-profile professionals in arts, business and journalism as follows:
Andy Dawson, Inspire Youth Arts, winner of the 2021 HFTA award for Best Arts Champion – Local Authority or Cultural Trust Worker
Krishnan Guru-Murthy, journalist and presenter of Channel 4 News
Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason, author, speaker and supporter of music education
Shaparak Khorsandi, stand-up comedian, writer
Anna Lapwood, organist, conductor and broadcaster
Deborah Meaden, businesswoman and TV Dragon
Jack Thorne, screenwriter and playwright
Samuel West, actor and director, NCA Trustee
And the winners are:
• • Best Arts Project: Of Earth & Sky (North Lincolnshire Council). The presentation of Luke Jerram’s Of Earth & Sky to celebrate 20-21 Visual Arts Centre’s 20th anniversary, a large-scale visual art trail constructed from poetry written by Scunthorpe residents.
• • Best Arts Project: Intergenerational Connections Project (Mole Valley District Council and Surrey County Council). A multi-partner project involving District and County councils, the NHS and Primary Care Networks, using music to grow connections between vulnerable young people and older members of the local community.
• • Best Arts Project: Westminster Reveals (Westminster City Council). An overarching cultural campaign developed by Westminster City Council in response to the pandemic, which sought to support the cultural sector and attract footfall back into Westminster through the curation of a programme of accessible art interventions in outdoor public spaces, and in vacant shops.
• • Best Arts Champion – Local Authority or Cultural Trust Worker: Zerritha Brown (London Borough of Brent). Brent’s 2020 Legacy Manager, Zerritha Brown, has been championing culture in Brent and in the Council for over a decade since leading on Brent’s Cultural Olympiad programme.
• • Best Arts Champion – Councillor: Councillor Ffion Meleri Gwyn (Cyngor Tref Criccieth Town Council). As an artist and a teacher, Councillor Gwyn has rolled up her sleeves and made art for Criccieth, overseeing many creative projects for the local community.
Samuel West, actor, director and trustee of the National Campaign for the Arts, said:
“The pandemic has taught us that our needs, in the end, are simple. We need something to eat. We need somewhere to sleep. And we need cheap and interesting things to do to stop us losing our minds.
“Art has proved its worth through lockdown – music, books, TV drama, video games, have all given a lifesaving boost to our mental and physical health. What is harder in a pandemic is to feel part of a community. Care settings have suffered. Public spaces have been left empty. Loneliness and isolation have made an epidemic of their own.
“That’s why we cheer the people and projects celebrated by Hearts for the Arts. Times are hard and budgets are tight – sometimes the simple act of making anything feels like a reason to party. But we want to shine a spotlight on the arts heroes who go above and beyond, and give the cheer of encouragement that local authorities, artists and arts organisations need to keep going.
“Art has a superpower: to bring people together; to help people feel human. Because now, more than ever, there’s no them and us. It’s all us.”
Cllr Gerald Vernon-Jackson, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Culture, Tourism and Sport Board, said:
“Local arts and cultural provision has never been more important than in the last two years. Council cultural services and trusts have rallied round to support people during the pandemic, reaching out to the most isolated, providing educational support and offering moments of joy to their communities during difficult times and under challenging conditions.
“Councils remain the biggest public investor in culture, spending over £1bn a year in England alone and these services will be vital in supporting our national recovery and addressing inequalities arising from COVID-19.
“We’re delighted to be able to celebrate some of these achievements with the Hearts for the Arts Awards. The shortlisted individuals and teams are an inspiration to us all and a reminder of the importance of locally funded cultural services in engaging people in creativity and achieving wider objectives around levelling up. Congratulations to all the winners.”
The LGA’s Hearts for the Arts Awards ceremony takes place virtually on Monday 7 March.
The National Campaign for the Arts presents the Hearts for The Arts Awards each year. The awards are delivered by the NCA in partnership with Community Leisure UK, Creative Lives, the Local Government Association, Thrive, UK Theatre, and Wales Council for Voluntary Action.
For more information on the shortlisted nominees visit:
‘All My Sons’ by Arthur Miller is an absolutely phenomenal play, showing the struggles of a typical American family after the Second World War. Set in an unnamed American town in 1947, this play focuses on the Keller family, which consists of Father Joe (David Hounslow), Mother Kate (Eve Matheson), and their son Chris (Oliver Hembrough). They also have another son, Larry, who has been missing and presumed dead since the war. The play focuses a lot on the struggle for Kate to accept that her son isn’t coming back, with everyone around her trying to get her to stop believing that he is still alive while also keeping her happy. The main story, though, is about a big secret from during the war finally coming to light, affecting the lives of everybody around them.
During the war, it is believed that a worker of Joe’s sent faulty parts from their shop to be put on planes, resulting in the death of twenty-one pilots. This event is addressed multiple times throughout the play, resulting in the truth finally coming out.
The set is made up of the back of a yellow house, which you can see slightly inside of. The back garden is inside some hedges, and has a table with chairs, and a reclining chair with a footstool. It looks like how you’d expect any American back garden to look post-war, which further echoes the town being purposefully un-named to emphasise the fact that it represents the struggles faced by many families across America. The backdrop is lit up in three different ways, changing throughout the play to show whether it was morning, afternoon, or evening, which works great as the play progresses.
Larry’s ex-girlfriend and Chris’s fiancé, Ann (Kibong Tanji) gets caught up in the middle of everything when she returns to her hometown to see Chris, with her father being the man who supposedly was to blame for the faulty parts being sent out of the shop. Towards the end of the first act, her brother, George (Nathan Ives-Moiba) comes to the Keller residence to demand the truth, following a visit with his father in prison. This is the beginning of the downfall for Joe, as he is forced to tell the truth about that fateful day, throwing the lives of all of his family members into chaos.
This play is absolutely incredible, with remarkable twists showing the reality behind the supposed American dream. It should definitely not be missed.
Empire Theatre, Liverpool – until 12 February 2022
Reviewed by Mia Bowen
5*****
It was razzle dazzle all the way as Kander and Ebb’s acclaimed Chicago The Musical made it’s way to Liverpool, this week. There is a reason Chicago is the longest running Broadway revival in history, the staging and choreography is still some of the best and it shows! There is no need to mess with anything, just bring in new cast members and the show runs itself.
Set in the jazz drenched, roaring 20’s. The musical, which is an adaptation of the play by Maurine Watkins, takes the audience into the corrupt underbelly of Chicago and explores the obsession with fame and disregard for the law. We follow the story of Roxie Heart (Faye Brookes), who after murdering her lover for threatening to leave her, finds herself in Cook County Jail. Here we are introduced to Velma Kelly (Djalenga Scott) and Matron ‘Mama’ Morton (Sheila Ferguson) as we watch the characters in acts of deceit and their pursuit of fame. To avoid conviction Roxie deceives the public and media by hiring Chicago’s craftiest criminal lawyer, Billy Flynn (Russell Watson).
Amos Heart (Jamie Baughan) is Roxie’s hard working but naïve husband. While he is not the sharpest knife in the drawer, he truly loves her and wants the best for her. Though at first he is angry at her betrayal, he is willing to forgive her for the sake of their family. His character achieved the biggest laugh and the most sympathy from the audience, especially with his performance of Mister Cellophane, his tale of not being noticed.
‘All that Jazz’, ‘Cell Block Tango’ and ‘We both reached for the gun’ has always been personal favourites of mine and my expectations were very high, however I was not disappointed! I was dazzled by the choreography and it’s execution on the stage.
The orchestra, who often goes unnoticed, was placed raked, in full view of the audience, centre stage and with clever lighting, only added to the jazz nightclub feeling. These talented musicians were an undeniable asset to the performance and had the audience clap and cheer at the beginning of Act 2 to ‘Entr’acte’, showing us what they were made of. Chicago is the only show I have seen where the audience stayed firmly in their seats at the end, just to enjoy the music instead of rushing to get the last train home.
The cast and orchestra thoroughly deserved the standing ovation it received as the curtain fell, leaving us feeling all razzle-dazzled!
The Contingency Plan: On the Beach andResilience, the extraordinary climate change double bill by Steve Waters will now be staged at Sheffield’s Crucible theatre between Friday 14 October and Saturday 5 November 2022(Press Day Fri 21 October 2022). The plays, directed by Caroline Steinbeis and Chelsea Walker, were originally scheduled for March, however our preparations for these productions have been disrupted due to the effect of the rise in Omicron at the beginning of the year.
It is so important to us to achieve our ambitions for this critical work, therefore we are delaying the opening until the autumn, which will enable us to realise the work of the brilliant freelancers creating these productions and give these vital shows the best platform for success.
Tickets to the rescheduled dates are now on sale and audiences who have already booked have been contacted.
The rest of our 50th Anniversary programming continues as planned, with Anna Karenina and Human Nurture currently in the Crucible and Studio theatres, and Far Gone in rehearsal.
Crucible Theatre, Sheffield – until 26th February 2022
Reviewed by Dawn Smallwood
4****
To coincide with the Crucible’s 50th anniversary Sheffield Theatres is hosting Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina which is adapted by Helen Edmundson and directed by Anthony Law. This fresh modern interpretation of this classic gives one an opportunity to appreciate the character of Anna (Adelle Leoncé) and redefine what love really means amidst the societal expectations including class, duty, and gender roles at the time when the story was first written.
The staging is stripped bare which totally focuses on the individual characters, and this certainly works well with the production. Levin (Douggie McMeekin) also acts the narrator and confidante to Anna (Leoncé) throughout the production; from when she met Count Vronsky (Chris Jenks) for the first time to undeciding of her fate of the consequences.
The story does not focus on Anna exclusively it also focuses on the lives of Levin and Kitty (Tara Tijani) and their perspectives on life and love and the troubled marriage between Stiva (Solomon Israel) and Dolly (Isis Davis). The main theme is love however there is emphasis on forgiveness and happiness, explored among the characters and relationships. Tolstoy could be highlighting the importance of pleasing the inner self and following the heart rather than how money and power one has and exclusively focus on façade appearances in the line of duty and tradition.
There are plenty of modern touches particularly with the costumes and props and this production is uniquely diverse and inclusive. However, the adaptation sticks to the original text, and nothing is compromised. This production is certainly equipped for a 21st Century audience and how the themes that are explored are relatable to everyone today.
Excellent performance from Leoncé who portrays Anna whose strength and determination are combined with fragility vulnerability. Along with desire and passion, these are shown simultaneously from the character and the variety of emotions that is brought from such complex circumstances at the time. She is supported by Jenks who plays Count Vronsky who is the typical lover which only for his responsibility of the relationship to be questioned.
Though tragic in nature, the production brings comedic and characteristic touches particularly from Israel as Stiva and from the company themselves. This is a production with a thorough modern take on the 19th Century establishment which the society in Tolstoy’s time participated in.
The staging works so well with the lighting, effects, and soundscapes which creates the appropriate ambience and atmosphere for the production. This is courtesy of Georgia Lowe, Jack Knowles, and Alexandra Faye Braithwaite.
An excellent production of a timeless classic with a modern adaptation for a 21st Century audience.
New Victoria Theatre Woking – until 12th February 2022
Reviewed by Carly Burlinge
5*****
David Walliams’ famous book Gangsta Granny has come to life on stage. When Ben (Justin Davies) realises it’s Friday Night and his mum (Jess Nesling) and dad (Jason Furnival) are off to their weekly dance class. Panic sets in as he has to go to Granny’s once again for his usual boring evening of scrabble playing and worst of all eating and smelling Cabbage! Granny (Isabel Ford) on the other hand, thoroughly enjoys her evenings with Ben although he thinks she’s tedious and would rather be anywhere but there. However, Granny has an enormous secret… and things are about to get really exciting for the pair of them as they embark on an adventure full of fun. Bringing them closer than they’ve ever been before.
Ben and Granny showed a lovely connection and were entertaining to watch especially with granny’s wonderful moves along with her continuous farts and her getaway motorised scooter making all the kids as well as adults laugh and smile throughout the show. Mum was great to watch with her obsession of dancing and foot work along with her forever celebrity crush of the famous dancer Flavio (Irfan Damani). Dad also offered some great dancing with some elaborate costumes and a few gags thrown in for the audience’s amusement. Flavio (Irfan Damani) took the spotlight with his long luscious hair flicks, elegant see-through top and flirtatious notions. He was really amusing to watch and received much laughter and attention. He also got the audience riled up with his are you ready to rumble.
The set was done incredibly well with the view of 3 houses/buildings which all opened up into different areas such as Granny’s kitchen, the corner shop, living room, bedrooms all this being cleverly done with parts being pulled out for beds, sofas and props.
This was a smashing production to watch with lots of laughter and many smiling faces within the audience. A marvellous night out for the family, definitely a good laugh and one to not be missed.
Carlos Acosta choreographs Birmingham Royal Ballet’s newest piece, Don Quixote.
The 19th century classic is reimagined for ballet and together with Tim Hatley’s set and costume design Spain is brought to life and sunshine hits the stage. This 60 company strong, is a true diamond-a real feat for the eyes. Acosta has really made ballet accessible, with an easily understandable storyline that tells of love and desire with a hint of comedy and fear. Momoko Hirata as Kitri, the daughter of an innkeeper in love with Basilio (Mathias Dingman) was superb. With such elegance and poise, the stage was hers and she exudes pure delight and joy. Dingman was also stellar, performing with unflattering strength, he truly commanded the stage. The set was exciting and when intertwined with Peter Mumford and Nina Dunn’s lighting and video, the show comes to life.
A rapturous applause was well deserved for the whole company, orchestra and backstage crew. This piece is no mean feat and with the perfect amalgamation of dance and orchestral accompaniment, this piece showcases excellence in the discipline of Ballet. Birmingham Royal Ballet should be extremely pleased with this beautiful performance.
