THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN returns to London this summer in a newly revised production starring Katie Ray as Rachel Watson, at Upstairs at the Gatehouse, Highgate Village, from Wednesday 8 June – Sunday 3 July 2022.
Based on the bestselling novel by Paula Hawkins and blockbuster DreamWorks film, this new stage adaption by Rachel Wagstaff and Duncan Abel tells the story of Rachel Watson, who longs for a different life, her only escape is the perfect couple she watches through the train window everyday, happy and in love, or so it appears. When Rachel learns that the woman she’s been secretly watching has suddenly disappeared, she finds herself as a witness and even a suspect in a thrilling mystery in which she will face bigger revelations than she could ever have anticipated.
Katie Ray has recently finished starring as Mollie Ralston in long running West End hit, ‘The Mousetrap’, at the St Martin’s Theatre. Her other theatre credits include ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’ (New London Theatre), The Sound of Music (London Palladium) and Million Dollar Quarter (UK Tour and Royal Festival Hall).
This new production will be directed by Joseph Hodges, with set design by Richard Cooper, lighting design by Seb Blaber, casting by Jay Gardner and produced by Gardner Hodges Entertainment.
Full creative team and casting are to be announced imminently.
Tickets are available from the Upstairs at the Gatehouse box office by phone on 020 8340 3488 or online at www.upstairsatthegatehouse.com.
You can find ‘The Girl on the Train’ on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @GirlonTrainUK
FULL CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR MIKE BARTLETT’S BRAND NEW COMEDY SCANDALTOWN
Modern restoration comedy brings together a cast of 12 including Cecilia Appiah, Matthew Broome, Emma Cunniffe, Henry Everett, Richard Goulding, Luke Hornsby, Aysha Kala, Thomas Josling, Annette McLaughlin, Ami Okumura Jones, Chukwuma Omambala and Rachael Stirling
Written by Mike Bartlett and directed by the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre’s Artistic Director Rachel O’Riordan, Scandaltown has its world premiere at the Lyric, from 07 April to 14 May 2022.
Full casting is announced today for Scandaltown, a brand new comedy by Mike Bartlett (Doctor Foster, King Charles III) directed by the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre’sArtistic DirectorRachel O’Riordan (Olivier Award winning Killology). The world premiere productionruns at the West London venue from 07 April to 14 May with opening night for press on 14 April. Tickets are on sale at www.lyric.co.uk
Scandaltown is a modern restoration comedy and irreverent satire, set in post-pandemic London, full of immorality, political hypocrisy and the machinations of a fame-hungry elite. It brings together a 12-strong cast including Rachael Stirling (The Bletchley Circle; Love, Love, Love – Lyric Hammersmith Theatre) as Lady Susan Climber, Richard Goulding(The Windsors, King Charles III) as Matt Eton and Emma Cunniffe (Queen Anne – RSC) as Aunty Julie and Rachel De Souza. Also confirmed are Cecilia Appiah (The Long Song – CFT) as Phoebe Virtue, Matthew Broome as Jack Virtue in his stage debut, Henry Everett (Antony and Cleopatra – National Theatre, The Memory of Water – Hampstead) as Peter Media OBE, Luke Hornsby (1917, Harlots) as Freddie Peripheral, Thomas Josling (Habeas Corpus – Menier) as Tom Double-Budget, Aysha Kala (BAFTA Breakthrough Brit, The Welkin – National Theatre) as Hannah Tweetwell, Annette McLaughlin (Matilda, Harry Potter and The Cursed Child) as Rosalind Double-Budget and Scrub, Ami Okumura Jones (EastEnders, Wendy & Peter Pan – Leeds Playhouse) as Jenny Bright, and Chukwuma Omambala (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hecuba – RSC) as Sir Dennis Hedge and Kevin the Postman.
Rachel O’Riordan reunites with Mike Bartlett following a critically acclaimed revival of Love, Love, Love which opened in 2020 as part of her debut season as the Lyric’s Artistic Director.
Mike Bartlett, Writer, said: “I’m so pleased that Rachel’s assembled this amazing cast for Scandaltown. As a provocative play, with contradictory and absurd human beings at its heart, drawing on a restoration form, it’s going to be so much about performance. I can’t wait to start rehearsals.”
Rachel O’Riordan, Director, said: “I am delighted to be directing Mike Bartlett’s new play Scandaltown at the Lyric. Mike is one of our most exciting writers, with a huge heart. I was so disappointed when we had to cancel the run of Love, Love, Love due to Covid because audiences were having such a good time in our theatre. Mike wrote Scandaltown especially for our beautiful Matcham auditorium – the most beautiful theatre in London. I can’t wait to share this funny, bold new play with our audiences.”
“We are not virtuous, but neither are we cruel. We believe in simply: no shame.” When noble heroine Miss Phoebe Virtue receives worrisome news on Instagram that her twin brother Jack may be endangering his reputation in London Town, she decides she must visit herself, and investigate. Scandaltown is an irreverent satire for our times. Expect the finest couture, rakish behaviour, explicit hashtags and a party that will have all of London talking.
Set Design is by Good Teeth, Costume Design by Kinnetia Isidore, Lighting Design by Paul Keogan, Sound Design and Composition by Simon Slater, Choreography by Malik Nashad Sharpe, Wigs, Hair and Make-up Design by Susanna Peretz, Casting by Amy Ball, Consultant Dr Lloyd (Meadhbh) Houston, and Assistant Director Kwame Owusu.
Dreamgirls the Musical, like its namesake 2006 film, tells the story of the girl band The Dreamettes, in a story loosely based on the story of Diana Ross and the Supremes.
With book and lyrics by Tom Eyen and music by Henry Krieger, it tells the tale of the collective and individual careers of three sweet but fame hungry girls (big-voiced Effie, sassy Lorrell and beautiful Deena) who come to New York to launch their singing careers as the Dreamettes. They lose the fixed talent contest but acquire as manager a former car salesman, Curtis Taylor Jr. (Dom Hartley-Harris). The wheeler-dealer impresario signs the trio as backup singers for soul star James Early (Brandon Lee Sears).
In the first half, In front of our eyes, and with the help of Tim Hatley’s fluent, brightly lit setting and Gregg Barnes’ iridescent costumes, we watch them morph into a sophisticated pop act, ready to take on the charts. As the music industry develops a taste for a new sound, we see the girls’ star rise and Jimmy’s own decline. Through a musical rollercoaster ride through a world of fame, fortune, and the realities of show business. While the glitz and glamour of that world are in evidence, Dreamgirls does not shy away from its darker realities nor from the pitfalls of fame, which tests their friendships to the limit.
A special mention must go to Nicole Raquel Dennis who plays the iconic role of Effie White. Her stage presence was phenomenal and her vocals were impeccable. From the first shiver-inducing note of And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going, Dennis brings down the house with her desperate, emotionally driven offering which she delivers with bone-rattling volume Listen, I Am Changing and One Night Only were also phenomenal. The choreography of the show was slick, extravagant and showcased the cast’s impressive move sets; simply superb. Backdrops for the production was magnificent with frequent spectacular backdrop changes of concert halls, stages, and TV studios. But it’s not a one woman show: Paige Peddie is terrific as Lorrell, a girl never afraid to speak her mind, and Holly Liburd (covering for Natalie Kassange) is touching as Deena
Dreamgirls is about the price of success. Some of that price is familiar: broken love affairs, broken families, broken lives, but it is more than a piece of prodigious showmanship. The ups and downs of show biz, its heady success, its heartbreak and humiliation, are made appealing and moving. Dreamgirls is huge, incredibly noisy and with the emotional impact of a juggernaut. If you like sequins and sparkles mixed with the swinging 60’s and some big songs then this is the one for you
Michael Harrison for Crossroads Pantomimes today (25 February 2022) announced the return to the West End of The London Palladium Pantomime for a seventh year, with Dawn French and Julian Clary leading the cast in a brand-new production of Jack and the Beanstalk. For a strictly limited five-week run at The London Palladium, French and Clary will be joined by returning Palladium panto favourites Paul Zerdin, Nigel Havers and Gary Wilmot.
Dawn French said: “Roll up! Roll up! Much merriment and happiness and downright cheek and cheeks going to be happening onstage at The Palladium this Christmas with a brand spanky new Panto at last! We’ve waited two years to bring you Jack & The Beanstalk and I’m deblimminlighted to be part of it. See you there folks!”
Michael Harrison, Producer and Director of all seven London Palladium pantomimes said: “I’m thrilled to be welcoming Dawn French back to our panto, and can’t wait to be working with Julian, Paul, Nigel and Gary on what promises to be our biggest show yet! Jack and The Beanstalk marks the return of a full-scale spectacle to our Palladium Christmas season, and we’ve been working on new designs for the show over the past two years. We’ll be announcing more cast later in the year, and can’t wait to be back with all the glitz and glamour we know our audiences love.”
Once again directed by Michael Harrison,London’s GIANT panto will open on Saturday 10 December 2022, featuring lavish new set designs from Mark Walters and costume designs from Hugh Durrant created especially for The London Palladium. Priority booking opens at 10am on Monday 28 February 2022 (sign up at www.palladiumpantomime.com) with public booking opening Tuesday 1 March 2022 at 10am.
Actor, writer and comedian Dawn French, who made her Pantomime debut as Queen Dragonella in the 2018 production Snow White at The London Palladium,returns this year as Mrs Trot. Dawn is an original member of The Comic Strip and one half of the comedy duo French and Saunders. Dawn’s impressive career spans stage, TV, film and publishing and includes the multi award-winning BBC comedy The Vicar of Dibley, Murder Most Horrid, Coraline and Death On The Nile. Earlier this year, she announced her return to the stage with her show Dawn French Is A Huge Twat.
Julian Clary, Nigel Havers and Paul Zerdin have starred in pantomimes at The London Palladium since the 2016 production of Cinderella. Gary Wilmot joined the cast in 2017 and together they have performed in Dick Whittington, Snow White at The London Palladium, Goldilocks and the Three Bears as well as Pantoland at The Palladium twice.
Harrison’s production has choreography by Karen Bruce, with lighting designs by Ben Cracknell, sound designs by Gareth Owen and composition and orchestrations by Gary Hind
Gary_Wilmot photographed by Wolf Marloh
Jack and the Beanstalk is produced by Michael Harrison for Crossroads Pantomimes.As a producer in the West End his credits include The Drifter’s Girl, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Gypsy, The Bodyguard, Annie and Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein. Crossroads Pantomimes is the world’s biggest pantomime producer and part of Crossroads Live, a global leader in the production of musical theatre and immersive entertainment experiences.
She’s multi-faceted, she’s quite a complex character and playing her in this day and age it’s more interesting, I think. I’ve read a lot of articles that Glenn Close did about the character of Alex and even then, back in the 80s, she was thinking that there’s more to Alex, she’s not just this psychotic woman. She’s got real issues and you can tell that she’s gone through something awful in her life. For me, it’s interesting to dig around in that and look at the vulnerabilities in her.
Have you rewatched the film?
I rewatched it a few weeks ago with my son, who had never seen it before. He was like ‘Whoah! Wow!’ It’s still quite scary but there are lots of different layers to Alex in it, and I think her behaviour would be viewed very differently now compared to in 1987. I think there’d be another conversation around it for sure. We’ve come a long way in terms of how we view mental health since then.
Is it daunting following in the footsteps of Glenn Close, who was Oscar-nominated for the movie?
No one can fill those shoes, can they? All I can do is my best with it and not copy her, but the script of the play is slightly different. It’s not exactly the same, it’s not scene-by-scene and word-for-word. There are subtle differences and you hear more from Alex about where she’s been. It’s hard to talk about without giving too much away but you get more of a sense of who Alex is and what her journey may have been.
Is there still a bunny boiling bunny scene?
[Laughs] Well, there has to be, doesn’t there? But I don’t imagine the audience will see anything graphic.
What challenges does the role present?
Every role you take on should have some challenge or other. You’re never going to be playing yourself, are you? With Alex, it’s all about trying to understand the character and trying to work out the journey she’s been on. Getting into that mindset is going to be quite tricky but I’m very much up for the challenge.
Have you had to do any physical preparation?
tristram@tristramkenton.com
I’m in the gym all the time at the moment because there are certain scenes where I’m not going to be wearing very much, even if it’s just a short T-shirt. You always want to feel physically prepared for that kind of thing and not just that, it’s a big thing going on tour, going on stage every night, sometimes doing two shows a day. Keeping yourself mentally and physically well and healthy is important.
Can you recall when you first saw the film and what impact did it have on you?
It was probably in the 90s and I remember thinking how remarkable the cast were. Even the little girl; she had me in tears again when I was watching it the other week. The cast were astounding and they all played their parts brilliantly. The thing that used to annoy me about it, though, was that Michael Douglas’s character seemed to get off quite lightly. Alright, he got some acid thrown on his car but she ended up being shot in the bathtub. When you first watched it you forgot that he played a part in it all and he’d gone back for more. I found that quite vexing but, again without giving spoilers, it’s addressed a little more in how the stage version ends.
When were you last in a play and how is returning to the theatre?
The last time I was on stage was in Elf The Musical in 2019 and before that, it was Saturday Night Fever, which was before I joined Coronation Street in 2006. This is completely different because it’s a play, not a musical, and I’m excited about getting back out there and testing myself in front of a live audience. I’ve no doubt I’ll be nervous when I first go out on that stage but I’m hoping those nerves will dissipate.
Is Michelle from Corrie the role you’re most recognised for by the public?
It’s funny because most people just know me as Kym and I think that’s because I’ve been allowed to do so many different things. I’ve been very fortunate in my career. I started out as a singer, then moved on to acting, and I’ve done some presenting. I’ve been allowed to be a Jack of all trades. Yes, I’ve been known as a character in a series but I’ve also been known as just Kym as well.
You’ve been co-presenting the likes of the BBC’s Morning Live and For Love Or Money. What have you most enjoyed about that?
I’d had jobs come in after I left Corrie in 2019, then all of a sudden everything shut down and I wasn’t able to do any of them. When I was given the opportunity to do some presenting I was quite taken aback. I was like ‘Me? Really? Presenting? Why?’ but I was so grateful for the chance because it was keeping me busy at a time when a lot of people weren’t. I felt very lucky to have been given that chance and it’s been great because it’s given me another string to my bow and another skill set. I like meeting different people and I like the camaraderie on set. It’s still really scary going live every single day but that’s a normal response. It keeps you on your toes.
We also recently saw you in Kay Mellor’s The Syndicate…
tristram@tristramkenton.com
That was brilliant as well. That was my first acting role since COVID restrictions had semi-lifted and they allowed actors to go back on set, but we were having tests constantly and everyone was wearing masks. It was a very different way of filming but we all said how wonderful it was to be back on set. Going back to that first job after lockdown is an experience we will never forget. It was great to be back doing the job we love doing, even under very different circumstances.
What are you most looking forward to about taking Fatal Attraction around the country?
It’s a fantastic play. It’s dramatic and sexy and at times chilling. Plus it’ll be so nice to just get out there in front of a live audience. Having theatre back again is just brilliant because I think everyone missed it. I remember walking through the West End and seeing tape across theatre doorways, and it really made me sad. I’m absolutely delighted to be getting back on stage and getting audiences back in.
The tour calls at the Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham. Does it have any significance for you?
I do the regional heats for the Pride Of awards in Birmingham so I’ve spent quite a lot of time there meeting their unsung heroes, which is always lovely. And I’ve always had a nice experience when I’ve been in Birmingham so I look forward to going back.
James Burke-Dunsmore Plays the Role of ‘Jesus’ for an 11th and Final Time
Wintershall Passions also taking place in Bishop Auckland and Worcester
Since its first performance in 2010, Wintershall has presented The Passion of Jesus in Trafalgar Square on Good Friday. The awe-inspiring full-scale re-enactment of The Passion quickly became a highly anticipated Easter fixture. With an enforced COVID-19 pandemic break in 2020 and 2021, Wintershall are thrilled to be bringing the Passion back home to London on 15 April 2022.
The story commemorating the day Jesus was arrested, tried and crucified by the Romans, two days before miraculously rising from the dead on Easter Sunday, is brought to life by a cast of over a hundred, dressed in full costume, along with horses, doves and a donkey.
The professional actor and artist James Burke-Dunsmore will play Jesus in Trafalgar Square for an 11th and final time. He is a specialist in large-scale outdoor theatre and has been involved with Wintershall’s plays since 1998, playing Jesus in both The Passion of Jesus and The Life of Christ and Archangel Michael and Herod in the Wintershall Nativity.
The rest of the Wintershall company is made up of volunteer actors and stage crew from in and around London and the South East.
Featuring realistic scenes and a moving crucifixion and resurrection, The Passion of Jesus is an unforgettable Easter experience, embracing those of all faiths and none.
Supported by the Mayor of London, the open-air production, performed in the shadow of the National Gallery, regularly attracts more than 20,000 people to its two performances.
2022 will see the Wintershall Passion performed in both Bishop Auckland and Worcester and Wintershall are committed to helping other towns and cities across the UK to stage The Passion in 2023 as part of their One Good Friday project, created to tell the story of Easter to a new audience.
The Passion play in London is directed by Ashley Herman and produced by Charlotte de Klee. The Wintershall Cast are famous for their epic re-enactments of stories from the Scriptures. They also perform the extraordinary Life of Christ at the Wintershall Estate in Surrey every June (21-25 June 2022) and the now-famous Wintershall Nativity each Christmas (14-19 December 2022).
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said: “I’m delighted that thousands of people will once again be able to witness the re-telling of the Easter story in Trafalgar Square. For more than a decade, The Passion of Jesus has brought together people from all backgrounds with its lasting message of compassion and courage. It has been an inspiration and source of strength to millions and its return is another great example that our capital is once again ready to host major events for Londoners and visitors from around the world.”
Wintershall producer, Charlotte de Klee said: “All of us at Wintershall are so excited to be coming back to Trafalgar Square on Good Friday to perform The Passion. It is a play that speaks not only to those of the Christian faith, but to those of other faiths and traditions and those that have no personal beliefs. Over the years the vast audiences the play has attracted stand as testimony to that fact. That it takes place in a world-famous space at the heart of the capital speaks much for the tolerance and diversity that is found in London. We hope many will join us in the square to watch this life-changing drama.”
Kenny Wax Family Entertainment in association with MAST Mayflower Studios Cast announced for 2022 UK tour of Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World Friday 25th March – Sunday 17th July 2022
The exciting new cast has been announced for the 2022 UK tour of inspiring girl power musical Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World. This empowering stage adaptation is brought to life by an incredible all-female led cast and creative team, based on the book of the same name by Suffragette descendant Kate Pankhurst.
The new cast members for the Spring 2022 tour are Kirstie Skivington (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Apollo Theatre and The Crucible Sheffield; Jesus Christ Superstar, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre; Bend It Like Beckham, Phoenix Theatre), Kudzai Mangombe (Malindadzimu, Hampstead Theatre), Elise Zavou (Red Riding Hood, Theatre Royal Stratford East) and Clarice Julianda (Priscilla: Queen of the Desert, UK tour). Returning to the show after the hugely popular (although devastated by Covid-19) tour are Renée Lamb (SIX, West End; Be More Chill, The Other Palace and Shaftesbury Theatre; Little Shop of Horrors, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Christina Modestou (SIX, West End; We Will Rock You, Dominion Theatre; In The Heights, Southwark Playhouse) and Jade Kennedy (The Snow Queen, Brighton Open Air Theatre; Billy Elliot, Victoria Palace Theatre).
Celebrated – and often forgotten – women from history are brought to life on stage, including Rosa Parks, Sacagawea, Amelia Earhart, Marie Curie, Mary Seacole, Frida Kahlo, Jane Austen, and Pankhurst’s own relative Emmeline. When inquisitive heroine Jade breaks away from her school trip to the local museum to peek at the Gallery of Greatness, she meets iconic women from the past, such as explorers, scientists, artists and secret agents. This thrilling musical is full of incredible characters, inspirational moments and a soundtrack that packs a popstar punch.
The creative team bringing this uplifting stage show to audiences across the UK consists of renowned dramatist Chris Bush (Pericles, National Theatre; Faustus: That Damned Woman, Headlong), with music by Miranda Cooper (Girls Aloud; Kylie Minogue) and Jennifer Decilveo (Miley Cyrus; Ben Platt) and live arrangements by Jen Green (Beverley Knight; Pixie Lott), director Amy Hodge (Mr Gum and The Dancing Bear – The Musical!, the National Theatre), designer Joanna Scotcher (Emilia, Shakespeare’s Globe/Vaudeville Theatre), choreographer Dannielle Lecointe (Dick Whittington, the National Theatre), lighting designer Zoe Spurr (Emilia, Shakespeare’s Globe/Vaudeville Theatre) and sound designer Carolyn Downing (Summer & Smoke, Almeida/Duke of York’s Theatre).
Incredibly inspirational, a battle call to women everywhere – ★ ★ ★ ★ Liverpool Echo
A pop-fuelled celebration of female empowerment – Norwich Evening News
A family-friendly, feel good show that will keep adults and children entertained throughout – Southern Daily Echo
AMARA OKEREKE WILL STAR AS ELIZA DOOLITTLE ALONGSIDE HARRY HADDEN-PATON AS HENRY HIGGINS
DAME VANESSA REDGRAVE WILL PLAY MRS HIGGINS
MAUREEN BEATTIE WILL PLAY MRS PEARCE AND SHARIF AFIFI WILL PLAY FREDDY EYNESFORD-HILL
FURTHER CASTING WILL BE ANNOUNCED SOON
TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW FOR THE STRICTLY LIMITED SEASON AT THE LONDON COLISEUM FROM 7 MAY TO 27 AUGUST FROM WWW.MYFAIRLADYMUSICAL.CO.UK
Producers are delighted to announce the first casting news for Bartlett Sher’s award-winning production of My Fair Lady at the London Coliseum. Amara Okereke will star as Eliza Doolittle. Okereke was recently seen in the Almeida’s acclaimed production of Spring Awakening and she won the Stage Debut Award for her performance as Cosette in Les Miserables. She will be joined by Harry Hadden-Paton who reprises his performance as Henry Higgins which he originated at the Lincoln Center in New York and for which he received Tony and Grammy award nominations. Hadden-Paton has worked extensively on stage in both London and New York and is perhaps best known for his roles as Martin Charteris in The Crown (Netflix) and Bertie Pelham in Downton Abbey (ITV).
(Photo by Fabrizio Maltese/Contour by Getty Images)
Also announced today is stage legend Dame Vanessa Redgrave who will play Mrs Higgins. Redgrave is returning to the West End stage for the first time since her appearance in The Inheritance in 2018.
Joining her will be Maureen Beattie who will play Mrs Pearce and Sharif Afifi who will play Freddie Eynesford-Hill.
Further casting will be announced soon.
New York’s Lincoln Center Theater’s critically acclaimedand multi award-winning production of Lerner & Loewe’s much loved My Fair Lady will transfer to the London Coliseum for a limited summer engagement in what will be the first major West End revival of the show for 21 years. The season comes as part of the ongoing celebrated tradition of summer musicals at the London Coliseum. The perfect way to celebrate London’s theatre scene as it blossoms once more after the pandemic. Performances begin on 7 May 2022 with an opening night on 18 May 2022.
Directed by Bartlett Sher, this sublime production, which premiered in the spring of 2018 at Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater, was the winner of the Tony Award for Best Costume Design, 5 Outer Critics’ Circle Awards including Best Musical Revival, the Drama League Award for Outstanding Musical Revival, and the Drama Desk Awards for Best Musical Revival and Costume Design. The London production will feature 36 musicians from the English National Opera’s award-winning Orchestra playing Frederick Loewe’s ravishing score making it the largest orchestra in the West End.
My Fair Lady tells the story of Eliza Doolittle, a young Cockney flower seller, and Henry Higgins, a linguistics professor who is determined to transform her into his idea of a “proper lady”. But who is really being transformed?
With a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe, MY FAIR LADYboasts a score including the classic songs “I Could Have Danced All Night,” “Get Me to the Church on Time,” “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly,” “On the Street Where You Live,” “The Rain in Spain,” and “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face.”
“Thrilling! Glorious and better than it ever was! A marvellous and transformative revival.” New York Times
Adapted from George Bernard Shaw’s play and Gabriel Pascal’s motion picture Pygmalion, Lerner & Loewe’s MY FAIR LADY premiered on Broadway in March 1956, winning 6 Tony Awards including Best Musical, and becoming the longest-running musical in Broadway history at the time. Following this success, the production transferred to London in 1958, where it played in the West End for five and a half years.
MY FAIR LADY has seen many notable revivals and adaptations, including the acclaimed 1964 film starring Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison, which won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Most recently on the London stage, Cameron Mackintosh’s 2001 revival at Theatre Royal Drury Lane won three Olivier Awards, and later toured across the UK and Ireland in 2005.
James L. Nederlander, Jamie Wilson, Hunter Arnold, Playful Productions and the English National Opera present the Lincoln Center Theater production ofLerner & Loewe’s MY FAIR LADY. Book and Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, Music by Frederick Loewe, sets by Michael Yeargan, costumes by Catherine Zuber, lighting by Donald Holder, sound by Marc Salzberg, hair & wigs by Tom Watson, musical direction by Gareth Valentine, musical supervision by Ted Sperling, choreography by Christopher Gattelli, directed by Bartlett Sher.
Some of us just have more imagination than others.” CHER
The producers of the brand new production of The Cher Show are delighted to announce that the role of Cher will be played by Debbie Kurup, Danielle Steers and Millie O’Connell. The production features the actresses portraying Cher in three different ways throughout her iconic career, with Debbie as ‘Star’, Danielle as ‘Lady’ and Millie as ‘Babe’. Further casting is to be announced.
With book by Tony and Olivier Award-winning Rick Elice (Jersey Boys, The Addams Family, Peter andthe Starcatcher), direction by Arlene Phillips (Saturday Night Fever, Starlight Express, Grease), choreography by Oti Mabuse (two-time Strictly Come Dancing champion) and costume design by Gabriella Slade (Six, In The Heights, Spice World 2019 Tour), the UK & Ireland Tour will open at Leicester’s Curve on 15 April 2022 and will continue through to 1 April 2023.
Debbie Kurup’s theatre credits include Bonnie & Clyde (Theatre Royal, Drury Lane), Queen Tuya in The Prince of Egypt (Dominion), Blues in the Night (Kiln), Sweet Charity (Donmar Warehouse), Mrs Neilsen in Girl From The North Country (Old Vic/ Noël Coward), The Threepenny Opera (NT), Anything Goes (Sheffield Crucible/UK Tour), Nikki Marron in The Bodyguard (Adelphi – Olivier Award nomination for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical), Velma Kelly inChicago (Cambridge/Adelphi), Sister Act (London Palladium), East (Leicester Curve), West Side Story (Prince of Wales), Tonight’s The Night (Victoria Palace), Rent (Prince of Wales/UK Tour), Fame (UK Tour), Guys And Dolls (Sheffield Crucible), Pal Joey (Chichester) and Boogie Nights (Savoy).
Danielle Steers’s theatre credits include The Empress in Aladdin (Theatre Royal, Plymouth), Catherine Parr in Six The Musical (London), Zahara in the original cast of Bat out of Hell: The Musical (Manchester Opera House, London Coliseum, Ed Mirvish Theatre, Toronto, Dominion Theatre, New York City Centre), Carmen in Sweet Charity (Donmar Warehouse), Lead Shirelle in the original London cast of Beautiful – The Carole King Musical (Aldwych Theatre), swing and cover Nikki Marron in The Bodyguard (Adelphi Theatre) and cover Killer Queen in We Will Rock You (International Arena Tour). Her debut album, The Future Ain’t What It Used To Be, was released in 2021.
Millie O’Connell’s theatre credits include Maureen in Rent (Hope Mill Theatre – WOS Award Nomination), Jeanie in Hair (Turbine Theatre), Chloe Valentine in Be More Chill (Shaftesbury Theatre and The Other Palace), Anne Boleyn in SIX: The Musical (UK Tour and Arts Theatre, London – Olivier Award nominated), Ensemble/cover Millie in Thoroughly Modern Millie (UK Tour), Ensemble/Understudy Annie in 42nd Street (Theatre Royal, Drury Lane), Ensemble/Understudy Peggy Sawyer in 42nd Street (Theatre Du Chatelet).
From a young child with big dreams, the shy daughter of an Armenian American truck driver, to the dizzying heights of global stardom, The Cher Show tells the incredible story of Cher’s meteoric rise to fame. Cher takes the audience by the hand and introduces them to the influential people in her life, from her mother and Sonny Bono, to fashion designer and costumier Bob Mackie. It shows how she battled the men who underestimated her, fought the conventions and, above all, was a trailblazer for independence.
The musical is packed with 35 of her biggest hits, including ‘If I Could Turn Back Time’, ‘I Got You Babe’, ‘Strong Enough’, ‘The Shoop Shoop Song’ and ‘Believe’.
With over 100 million record sales, an Academy Award®, an Emmy®, a Grammy®, three Golden Globes® and an award from The Council of Fashion Designers of America, Cher has influenced popular culture more than most. Her on-screen career started in 1971 with her weekly television show that attracted 30 million viewers a week, and went on to include starring roles in iconic films from Moonstruck, for which she won the Oscar for Best Actress, to Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again!, which prompted the New York Magazine to realise “every single movie—no matter how flawless—would be infinitely better if it included Cher.” Her ‘Farewell Tour’ became the highest grossing music tour in history – in true Cher fashion, she followed up her ‘Farewell Tour’ with two further sell-out, worldwide arena tours. She is the only artist in history to have a number one hit in the Billboard chart for six consecutive decades; an achievement that caused Vogue to deem her “eternally relevant and the ruler of outré reinvention”. She became known as the Queen of Reinvention.
In the 1990s, she established The Cher Charitable Foundation to support causes around the world. She has been a long-time donor and supporter of Habitat for Humanity, The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund and Keep A Child Alive, an organisation that helps to combat the AIDs epidemic. Most recently, she co-founded Free the Wild to help rescue Kaavan the Asian elephant from Islamabad zoo.
Written by Tony Award-winning Rick Elice, The Cher Show made its debut on Broadway in 2018 in a production that earned two Tony Awards and delighted fans from around the world. This new production will be the European premiere.
The Cher Show UK & Ireland Tour will have set design by Tom Rogers, musical supervision by Rich Morris, lighting design by Ben Cracknell, sound design by Dan Samson, music production by Gary Hickeson, wigs, hair and make-up design by Sam Cox, associate direction by James Cousins, associate choreography by James Bennett and casting by Will Burton CDG.
The Cher Show UK & Ireland Tour is produced by ROYO with Fiery Angel, Cuffe & Taylor/LIVE NATION and Playing Field in association with Tilted, Aria Entertainment and JONES Theatrical Group.
A FILM OF JEAN COCTEAU’S ONE-WOMAN PLAY SET TO MUSIC BY FRANCIS POULENC
PREMIERING ON BBC TWO THIS SPRING
“In spite of it all, we are connected by this telephone… this line is the last thing tying me to us”
Actor, singer and television personality Danielle de Niese will star as ‘Elle’ in a new film of LA VOIX HUMAINE, Jean Cocteau’s one-woman drama set to music by Francis Poulenc, shot on location in London and Paris. Directed by James Kent (Aftermath, Testament of Youth), with Cinematography from Laurie Rose (High Rise, Rebecca) and designed by Peter Francis (The Father, The Children Act) the film will have its UK premiere on BBC Two in the spring.
With an orchestral score recorded at the Royal Opera House, conducted by Antonio Pappano, the film breaks new ground, with de Niese singing her entire role live on location for her film debut. This technique allowed de Niese – a performer already known for her high calibre dramatic performances – the freedom to approach the work in a way that no live stage performance could ever allow, resulting in an innovative cross genre work of art.
La Voix Humaine is a theatrical tour de force – a work of less than one hour featuring only one performer, the character known only as ‘Elle’. De Niese’s performance, captured in the intimate and claustrophobic setting of a single apartment, is the entire focus of the film. A silent observer of her desperate conversation, we witness her decline; a journey from hope and nostalgic memory of her love, to despair and finality of love’s end, over the course of one late afternoon via a single, suspenseful, often interrupted, telephone call with her departing lover.
Visceral, heart-breaking, and with extra ordinary intimacy and emotion, she takes us deep into her personal grief supported by some of Poulenc’s most beautiful and emotionally telling music.
Written originally in 1928, Cocteau was examining change that the technology of the telephone was to bring to humans and how they conducted their relationships. Regarded as a career defining challenge, it has attracted many actresses and singers since it was premiered as a play in Paris in 1930, and then reimagined by his friend Francis Poulenc as an opera in 1959. Both had suffered relationship breakdowns in their lives and channelled their emotions into this work. It is now edging towards cult status with recent film versions starring Rosamund Pike (The Human Voice directed by Patrick Kennedy in 2018), Tilda Swinton, (The Human Voice directed by Pedro Almodóvar in 2020) and the stage version featuring Ruth Wilson (directed by Ivo van Hove), opening in the West End in 2022.
Danielle de Niese said, “I am thrilled to bring Elle to life for the cinema screen and to be collaborating with such a wonderful team of world class award-winning creatives. The piece, which is focused on a single psychological trajectory, feels like it was born for the film lens, not least because the entire work centres solely around the heroine.
One of the most frightening lines in the film is: “If you didn’t love me and if you were clever, the telephone would become a terrifying weapon, a weapon that leaves no trace…that makes no noise.” This has never been more relevant than today where technology can be both a blessing and a curse- it can connect us but also isolate us. If you have ever felt isolated, misunderstood, led on, heart-broken, hopeful, desperate, desolate, nostalgic… I hope this unique film will resonate.”
Director James Kent said, “I want the audience to experience this opera in a unique way. La Voix Humaine’s searing emotion when viewed through the cinema lens is astonishingly powerful. Every moment of Elle’s thought process is inescapable. We become witnesses to her tempestuous evening as it heads towards its heart-breaking climax. The vulnerability of Danni’s performance was an extraordinary revelation to me and a testament to the intense preparation she undertook for this most demanding of roles. I am thrilled that such a large audience will feel the power of opera when devised for film – the harmonious marriage of concentrated emotion with the everlasting power of the movie close up.”
