Royal & Derngate Theatre, Northampton – until 5th October 2024
Review by Amanda Allen
5*****
When a much loved story, known and familiar to so many of us from Jane Austins original book or one of the many film or TV versions, gets a new adaptation, it’s always going to be a gamble. I am delighted that this gamble has more than paid off! Telling the tale from the viewpoint of 5 of the serving staff with an added dose of humour and 20th century music this production delivers on all fronts. With a small main cast of only 5 women, taking on all the parts, the enduring tale of Love, Class, Pride and prejudice is portrayed with such skill and humour that I would encourage you to buy a ticket right now if you are lucky enough for this production to be coming to theatre near you.
Isobel McArthur who wrote and directed the play, has found a new way to introduce us to the Bennet family with all the different characters of the daughters, their parents and associates, laid bare, on display for our enjoyment. The addition of a number of modern songs to the narrative only helped to focus the story in a different light. With the plight of the 5 sisters and their mother hanging on their ability to marry well, the tale is told via the 5 female servants’ thus putting an original and different slant on the well know story.
The part of Tilly, Mr Bingley and his sister Miss Caroline Bingley were all brilliantly played by Emma Rose Creaner. When the comment was made that “you wouldn’t believe they were related as they looked nothing alike” the audience were all howling with laughter. With amazing skill, and a slick costume change, she managed to portray each character as an individual. Her comic timing was impeccable, and she had some of the best visual and vocal gags in the show. One of my humorous highlights was the use of an empty pringles tube stuck on her arm to hide a microphone prior to its use in a song, with a sideways glance she could portray so much feeling.
Rhianna McGreevy who played Mrs Bennet and Mr Darcey, also gave a fabulous performance. Again, her comic timing was excellent, I especially loved the scene where she was Mr Darcey in the portrait that kept moving about aided by Tilly. The whole cast used the stage, props and script so perfectly to tell the story. A Special mention must be made to the set and costume designer, Ana Ines Jabares-Pita. The staging, props and costumes played a huge part in the telling of this tale and making us all laugh so many times. The Waste bin with Jane Aust-Bin written on the side was a brilliant use of a visual gag. The use of the folding screen to change costumes behind which also doubled up as toilet! The backwards facing chair, with the never seen Mr Bennett, who hid behind his newspaper was an inspired idea too.
With some strong language, that I’m sure was not in the original novel, this is a very different telling of a much loved story. With other excellent performances from Susie Barrett (Mary) Naomi Preston (Elizabeth) and Christine Steel (Jane) This is a show well worth seeing. At the end of the second half Mary finally got to sing, she had an unexpectedly good voice! As instructed at the end “don’t forget to eat your greens or your bum will fall off” We don’t want that as you will need it when you go and buy a ticket and sit down to a great night out, this will be one of the best shows you will see this year.
FULL CAST ANNOUNCED FOR TWELFTH NIGHT AT ORANGE TREE THEATRE
Orange Tree Theatre (OT) today announces full casting for Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night – OT’s Artistic Director Tom Littler directs. Joining the previously announced Jane Asher (Maria) and Oliver Ford Davies (Malvolio) are Patricia Allison (Viola), Stefan Bednarczyk (Feste), Clive Francis (Sir Toby Belch), Tom Kanji (Duke Orsino), Corey Montague-Sholay (Antonio), Robert Mountford (Sir Andrew Aguecheek), Dorothea Myer-Bennett (Olivia) and Tyler-Jo Richardson (Sebastian).
Twelfth Night opens at the Orange Tree Theatre on 29 November, with previews from 23 November, and runs until 25 January 2025.
OT Artistic Director Tom Littler said today: “There is a special pleasure to watching Shakespeare in an intimate setting, and I can’t wait to discover the poetry, poignancy and wit of Twelfth Night at the Orange Tree. We are delighted to welcome back Jane, Oliver, Clive, Dorothea and Robert to the OT, where all five have given such extraordinary performances. And we are equally thrilled to see five actors making their OT debuts: Stefan Bednarczyk, Tom Kanji, Corey Montague-Sholay and Tyler-Jo Richardson, and the magnetic Patricia Allison as Viola.”
William Shakespeare’s TWELFTH NIGHT By William Shakespeare Directed by Tom Littler
23 November 2024 – 25 January 2025
Cast: Jane Asher (Maria),Oliver Ford Davies (Malvolio), Patricia Allison (Viola), Stefan Bednarczyk (Feste), Clive Francis (Sir Toby Belch), Tom Kanji (Duke Orsino), Corey Montague-Sholay (Antonio), Robert Mountford (Sir Andrew Aguecheek), Dorothea Myer-Bennett (Olivia), Tyler-Jo Richardson (Sebastian).
Set and Costume Designers: Neil Irish, Anett Black; Lighting Designer: William Reynolds; Sound Designer and Composer: Matt Eaton; Movement Director: Julia Cave; Assistant Director: Rosie Tricks; Fight Director: Philip D’Orléans; Casting Director: Matilda James CDG
Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ʼem.
Malvolio runs the Lady Olivia’s house with puritanical zeal. By day, strict order is maintained and repeated advances from Olivia’s many admirers are firmly rebuffed. But after dark, wine flows freely and Olivia’s lady-in-waiting Maria is planning to settle old scores. When a shipwreck washes up two strangers, the scene is set for a comedy of romantic chaos.
Olivier Award-winning Oliver Ford Davies is among the greatest Shakespearean actors of his generation. He returns to the OT to play Malvolio, alongside Jane Asher playing Maria, last seen at the OT in The Circle.
OT Artistic Director Tom Littler directs a 1940s-set production of Shakespeare’s heartrending and hilarious masterpiece of mistaken identities and secret desires.
Jane Asher returns to the OT to play Maria, having previously appeared in The Circle. Her other theatre credits include A Song at Twilight, Moon Tiger (Theatre Royal Bath), An American in Paris (Dominion Theatre), Great Expectations (West Yorkshire Playhouse), The Gathered Leaves (Park Theatre), Pride and Prejudice (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Charley’s Aunt (Menier Chocolate Factory), The Importance of Being Earnest, Farewell to the Theatre, Bedroom Farce (Rose Theatre, Kingston), Blithe Spirit (Vaudeville Theatre), To Those Born Later, The School for Scandal and House/ Garden (National Theatre). Her television credits include Holby City (as series regular Lady Byrne), Eve, Stella, Dancing on the Edge, The Old Guys, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Crossroads, Jackanory, Wish Me Luck and The Mistress; and for film: Death at a Funeral, Burn Burn Burn, Drunk on Love, I Give it a Year, Deep End, The Masque of Red Death and Alfie.
Oliver Ford Davies returns to the OT to play Malvolio, having previously performed in The Promise, Larkin with Women, The Linden Tree and King Cromwell. His other theatre credits include All’s Well That Ends Well, Much Ado About Nothing, Saint Joan, The Life of Galileo, Playing with Fire, Absence of War, Murmuring Judges, Racing Demon, The Shaughraun, Hamlet, The Shape of the Table, Peter Gynt (National Theatre), King Lear, Coriolanus, Richard II, King Lear, Naked, Ivanov (Almeida Theatre), Cressida, Henry IV Part 2, Written on the Heart, Hamlet, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (RSC), Richard II (Barbican, RSC, BAM), The Soldier’s Fortune (Young Vic), Absolutely! (Perhaps) (Wyndham’s Theatre) and Heartbreak House (Theatre Royal Haymarket). His television credits include Game of Thrones, Waking the Dead, The Way We Live Now, A Christmas Carol, David Copperfield, Kavanagh QC, Departure, Father Brown and Catastrophe; and for film, Star Wars Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Star Wars Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Star Wars Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Atonement, Heidi, Johnny English, An Ideal Husband, Titanic Town, Mrs Brown and Sense and Sensibility.
Patricia Allison plays Viola. Her theatre credits include Jules and Jim (Jermyn Street Theatre), A Doll’s House Part 2 (Donmar Warehouse), Unprecedented: House Party (Headlong), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Sheffield Theatres), The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (West Yorkshire Playhouse), Our Town (Royal Exchange Theatre) and Henry V (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre). Her television credits include HisDark Materials, Extraordinary, Superworm, Sex Education, Behind the Filter, Fame Game, Alan Partridge Comic Relief, Les Misérables, Moving On and Thanks for The Memories; and for film, Recursive Dreams, By The Throat, Paradise and Tiny Cow.
Stefan Bednarczyk plays Feste.His theatre credits include Laughter on the 23rd Floor (Queen’s Theatre), Semi-Monde (Lyric Theatre), The Games of Love and Chance (National Theatre), The L.A. Plays (Almeida Theatre), Five O’ Clock Angel (Hampstead Theatre, King’s Head Theatre), The Killing of Mr Toad, The Grand Duke (Finborough Theatre) and Christmas Spirits (St James Theatre).
Clive Francis returns to the OT to play Sir Toby Belch, having previously appeared in The Circle. His other theatre credits include The Circle (Theatre Royal Bath), I’m Sorry Prime Minister I Can’t Quite Remember (UK tour), A Christmas Carol (Tabard Theatre), 84 Charing Cross Road (Cambridge Arts Theatre), Slaves of Solitude (Hampstead Theatre), An Inspector Calls (Playhouse Theatre), Les Blancs (National Theatre) and The Gathered Leaves (Park Theatre). His television credits include The Crown,Bridgerton, The Larkins, Back, Cursed, The Missing, The 10%ers and Lipstick on Your Collar.
Tom Kanji plays Duke Orsino. His theatre credits include Richard, My Richard (Shakespeare North Playhouse, Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds), Box of Delights, Julius Caesar (RSC), Pinocchio (Unicorn Theatre), Private Peaceful (Nottingham Playhouse), Home, I’m Darling (Stephen Joseph Scarborough, Octagon Theatre Bolton, Theatre by the Lake), A Christmas Carol (Liverpool Playhouse), Shoe Lady (Royal Court Theatre), Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Rose Theatre), Richard III (Bristol Old Vic), Love’s Labour’s Lost, The Winter’s Tale, Pericles, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, , Doctor Scroggy’s War, Eternal Love (The Shakespeare’s Globe), The Country Wife (Chichester Theatre), Fiddler on the Roof, Romeo and Juliet and The Sum (Liverpool Everyman). His television credits include Supercell, Tyrant, Fifty Ways to Kill Your Lover: Unlucky, Silent Witness, Hustle, Midnight Man and Saddam’s Tribe.
Corey Montague-Sholay plays Antonio. His theatre credits include Fanny (The Watermill Theatre), Bacon (Bristol Old Vic, Summerhall, Soho Playhouse New York), Dismissed (Soho Theatre), The Wind in the Wilton’s (Wilton’s Music Hall), The Prince (Southwark Playhouse), Wendy and Peter Pan (Leeds Playhouse), As You Like It, She Stoops to Conquer (Guildford Shakespeare Company), The Whip and King John (RSC).
Robert Mountford returns to the OT to play Sir Andrew Aguecheek, having previously appeared in She Stoops to Conquer. His other theatre credits include Much Ado About Nothing, Burnt at the Stake (Shakespeare’s Globe), The Habit of Art (59E59 Theatres), Spike (UK tour), Cancelling Socrates, Homer’s The Odyssey and Vagabonds – My Phil Lynott Odyssey (Jermyn Street Theatre). His television credits include Silent Witness, One Night, Torn and According to Bex; and for film, Into The Night and The Haunting of Alice Bowles.
Dorothea Myer-Bennett returns to the OT to play Olivia, having previously appeared in How He Lied To Her Husband, Overruled and While The Sun Shines. Her other theatre credits include Nachtland (Young Vic), Possession (Arcola Theatre), Leopoldstadt (Wyndham’s Theatre), Creditors, Miss Julie (Theatre by the Lake, Jermyn Street Theatre), Much Ado About Nothing (Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory), Holy Sh!t (Kiln Theatre) and Rosenbaum’s Rescue (Park Theatre). Her television credits include The Chelsea Detective, Before We Die and Dodger; and for film, The Honourable Rebel, The Payback and The Orchard.
Tyler-Jo Richardson makes his professional stage debut as Sebastian. He is a recent graduate from Guildhall School of Music and Drama. For television his credits include Sister Boniface Mysteries, SAS Rogue Heroes and Grace.
Artistic Director of the OT Tom Littler directs. At the OT, he has directed Suite in Three Keys (also Theatre Royal Bath), She Stoops to Conquer, and The Circle (later revived for a national tour by Theatre Royal Bath). Other theatre includes Saturday Night (Jermyn Street Theatre, Arts Theatre), A Little Night Music (Budapest), Good Grief (Theatre Royal Bath), Dances of Death (Gate Theatre), Martine (Finborough Theatre), Miss Julie and Creditors (Theatre by the Lake, Jermyn Street Theatre), Tonight at 8.30, Cancelling Socrates, The Tempest, The Odyssey, 15 Heroines (Jermyn Street Theatre), Cabaret (English Theatre Frankfurt, Deutsches Theater Munich) and Hamlet (Guildford Shakespeare Company). He was Artistic Director of Jermyn Street Theatre from 2017 to 2022, before moving to the OT.
HOPE MILL THEATRE PRESENTS NINE THE MUSICAL IN CONCERT
STARRING RAMIN KARIMLOO
1ST & 2ND FEBRUARY 2025
THE LOWRY, SALFORD
ON SALE FRIDAY 4TH OCTOBER
On the day it marks nine years since opening its doors, Hope Mill Theatre has announced it will present a new concert version of Nine the Musical, starring Broadway and West End star Ramin Karimloo, at The Lowry, Salford next year.
The concert will be in celebration of Hope Mill’s 9th Birthday – and will play for two performances only at The Lowry, on Saturday 1st & Sunday 2nd February 2025.
Nine, with music and lyrics by Maury Yeston, and a book by Arthur Kopit, adapted from the Italian by Mario Fratti, will be co-directed by Hope Mill founders William Whelton and Joseph Houston. This production will be produced by Whelton and Rhianna Swyer for Hope Mill Theatre and will feature casting by Jim Arnold. Key Artwork Design by FEAST Creative.
It follows Hope Mill Theatre’s concert version of Gypsy, starring Jodie Prenger, in February 2024.
Movie director Guido Contini finds himself struggling to find meaning, purpose, and a script for his latest movie endeavour. With only a week left before shooting begins, he desperately searches for answers and inspiration from his wife, his mistress, his muse, and his mother. As his chaotic profession steadily destroys his personal life, Guido must find a balance between creating art and succumbing to its obsessive demands.
Featuring the songs, ‘Be Italian’, ‘Unusual Way’, ‘Cinema Italiano’ and many more.
Nine the musical won the 1982 Tony Award for Best Musical and Best Original Score, and was released as a movie in 2009 and featured an all-star cast including Daniel Day-Lewis, Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz, Kate Hudson, Fergie, Sophia Loren and Judi Dench.
Hope Mill Theatre’s co-founder Joseph Houston, co-director of NINE, said:“As Hope Mill Theatre celebrates its 9th Birthday, it only felt right that we celebrate with our biggest concert to date. It is an absolute honour to be working with the talent that is RAMIN KARIMLOO and for us there was no other Guido. We are excited to share our wider cast very soon and bring the story of Nine to the stage in the glorious Lyric stage at The Lowry early next year.
“I was initially introduced to the musical NINE at drama school when a fellow student sang ‘Unusual Way’ and I thought it was one of the most beautiful songs I had heard. Then in 2009 I was introduced to the full score and story with the movie release and was instantly hooked. I come from a family of Italian-Scottish immigrants, so have always felt an affinity with Nine. The story above all else is about women and the strong powerful influence they have in one man’s life, something I can connect with deeply. “
Ramin Karimloo, said: “I have always wanted to play Guido and do the musical NINE, I just love the story, I love the music and can’t wait to work with an incredible group of artists led by strong women. I think this is going to be an incredible process and I’m really looking forward to working with Joe and Will up in Manchester.
I’m super excited to be singing Maury Yeston’s score, I was fortunate enough to do Titanic in New York for him so to finally do NINE with his beautiful music is a real treat. I’m really looking forward to being part of this production.”
Further casting and full creative team to be announced.
“The Brits have made the year’s funniest musical…Against the odds, the “Operation Mincemeat” gang has found its way to the big time.”
Peter Marks, The Washington Post
#1 2023 Theatre Show
“Despite all that Hollywood firepower, my top pick was a homegrown musical about the UK’s role in World War II”
Sarah Rappaport, Bloomberg
“Is the quite splendid “Operation Mincemeat” ridiculously clever or cleverly ridiculous? Both…this is the musical you didn’t know you needed”
David Benedict, Variety
“My far-and-away favorite production—and a complete surprise to me—was the musical “Operation Mincemeat… a comedy that has been cheerfully dismantling jingoism builds a stirring vision of real fellowship in its place.”
Helen Shaw, The New Yorker
“the feel-good West End musical of the summer… The reviews for the show have been ecstatic… the overwhelming impression is of hopefulness, expansiveness, possibility and joy.”
Alexis Soloski, The New York Times
74 ★★★★★ reviews and counting
Photo credit: Matt Crockett
The Olivier Award®-winning ‘Best New Musical’ Operation Mincemeat, created by a quartet of young British creatives, will open on Broadway at the Golden Theatre – its first musical since the Tony Award® Triple Crown winner Avenue Q – on 20th March 2025. From 15th February, when previews begin on Broadway, Operation Mincemeat will run simultaneously in New York and London, with the West End’s Fortune Theatre recently receiving an incredible 10th extension from ATG through 8th March.
Operation Mincemeat began as a tiny (and tiny-budgeted) production at the London Fringe New Diorama Theatre in 2019. The show quickly gained a devoted following, spurring sold-out runs at venues including Southwark Playhouse and Riverside Studios. It finally premiered in the West End on 9th May 2023 at the Fortune Theatre, where it won the Olivier and WhatsOnstage Awards® for ‘Best New Musical’, alongside garnering 74 five-star reviews and counting, and has become the ‘Best reviewed show in West End history.’
The decision to write the musical was the last roll of the dice after years of performing sketch shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and echoes the journey of Beyond the Fringe from the world-famous quartet Alan Bennett, Peter Cook, Jonathan Miller, and Dudley Moore, which premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1960, before moving to the Fortune Theatre and later to the Golden in 1962.
Casting, ticket prices and show times to be announced.
SpitLip – David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts – the musical’s writers and composers, said: “If we had to name one single unifying influence for Operation Mincemeat, it would be the American Musical Comedy. The Producers, Guys and Dolls, Wicked, Avenue Q, The Book Of Mormon – we never dreamed we would even get to go see shows like these on Broadway, let alone open our show alongside them. Thank you to our fans, and particularly those in the US for getting Operation Mincemeat here. If it gets hounded out of Broadway after one night, it will still be beyond our wildest dreams. Our producers, we’d imagine, would be less pleased.”
The Broadway announcement comes on the heels of the musical’s West End American audience growing from 2% in 2023, to now reaching 14%.
Broadway tickets will go on General sale on 20th November. Sign up here for priority access to a fan pre-sale on 18th November. Tickets for the West End’s Fortune Theatre run until 8th March 2025 are available only from the Official Box Office here.
The year is 1943 and we’re losing the war. Luckily, we’re about to gamble all our futures on a stolen corpse.
Singin’ in the Rain meets Strangers on a Train, Noel Coward meets Noel Fielding, Operation Mincemeat is the fast-paced, hilarious and unbelievable true story of the twisted secret mission that won us World War II. The question is, how did a well-dressed corpse wrong-foot Hitler?
The production is directed by 2023 Olivier Award® nominated Robert Hastie (Standing at the Sky’s Edge, National Theatre – 2023 Best New Musical Olivier Award® winner), following providing directorial support for the Riverside Studios run, while Olivier Award® nominated Jenny Arnold (Jerry Springer: The Opera, National Theatre) continues as Choreographer. Also from Standing at the Sky’s Edge at theNational Theatre on the creative team are: 2023 Olivier Award® nominated Ben Stones (Sylvia, The Old Vic) as Set and Costume Designer, Tony Award, six-time Olivier Award® and Bafta Award® winning Mark Henderson (Girl From the North Country, Broadway & Noël Coward Theatre) as Lighting Designer and Olivier Award® winning Mike Walker (Jerry Springer: The Opera, National Theatre) as Sound Designer. Grammy Award® winning and Tony®, Emmy® & 2024 ‘Outstanding Musical Contribution’ Olivier Award® nominated Steve Sidwell (Beautiful:The Musical, Broadway & Aldwych Theatre) is Orchestrator and Vocal Arranger, while 2024 ‘Outstanding Musical Contribution’ Olivier Award® nominated Joe Bunker is Musical Director. Georgie Staight is Associate Director and Paul Isaiah Isles is Associate Choreographer. Casting is by Pearson Casting. The extraordinary debut musical is written and composed by SpitLip – David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts.
Operation Mincemeat won the 2024 ‘Best New Musical’ and ‘Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical’ Olivier Awards®, following receiving six nominations. These awards trail winning the 2024 ‘Best New Musical’ WhatsOnStage Award and the ‘Best West End Show’, ‘Rising Star’ and ‘Best Understudy’ West End Wilma Awards. Previously on the show’s journey, Operation Mincemeat has picked up the Off-West End award for ‘Best Musical Production’ and ‘Best Company Ensemble’ and The Stage Debut Award for ‘Best Composer/Lyricist’.
Operation Mincemeat is produced in the West End and Broadway by Avalon (in association with SpitLip). The show was commissioned by New Diorama Theatre, co-commissioned by The Lowry, and also supported by the Rhinebeck Writers Retreat.
Titans of African theatre, film and TV cast as lead characters in DEATH AND THE KING’S HORSEMAN
A Sheffield Theatres and Utopia Theatre production
Writer Wole Soyinka Director Mojisola Kareem Designer Kevin Jenkins Choreographer Joseph Toonga Lighting Designer Cassie Mitchell Composer and Music Designer Juwon Ogungbe Sound Designer Lee Affen Casting Director Ellie Collyer-Bristow CDG Production Manager Lisa Hood Producer (Utopia) Tom Dixon
Crucible Theatre, Sheffield Monday 3 – Saturday 8 February 2025
Two titans of African theatre, film and TV have been cast as the lead characters in Death and the King’s Horseman, a co-production from Utopia Theatre and Sheffield Theatres. Wale Ojo is to take on the role of Elesin Oba, the King’s Horseman, while Kehinde Bankole will play Iyaloja, the mother of the market, in the production to be staged at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield from Monday 3 – Saturday 8 February 2025.
Death and The King’s Horseman was written by Akinwande Oluwole Soyinka, known as Wole Soyinka, and is based on a true story whereby Elesin, the king’s horseman, is tasked with carrying out a sacred ritual upon the death of the king. Directed by Mojisola Kareem, Artistic Director of renowned African theatre company Utopia Theatre, the production will be a thought-provoking, resonant theatrical experience showcasing music and dance, deeply rooted in the culture and spirituality of the Yoruba people.
Ojo and Bankole will lead a cast of 26 when Death and the King’s Horseman is staged across eight performances at Sheffield Theatres’Crucible in February, bringing the powerful story to the steel city for the first time. The cast list will include a combination of professional and non-professional cast members, with members of the ensemble joining as part of a community call out from the South Yorkshire area, as Utopia Theatre continues to make strides in opening up casting opportunities to acting talent in the local area.
Mojisola Kareem, Artistic Director and CEO at Utopia Theatre, said: “To be able to cast these two titans of African performance to the lead roles for our adaptation of Death and the King’s Horseman is an honour. Both are very highly regarded and their performances promise to be nothing short of outstanding.”
Wale Ojo started his acting career aged eight with Africa’s first TV station WNTV Ibadan, and established his early career in the UK, playing Othello in William Shakespeare’s Othello for the Tower Shakespeare Company in London’s East End. His work spans from In the Talking Dark and Les Blancs at Manchester’s Royal Exchange to performing at the Young Vic, Riverside Studios, Bristol Old Vic and the National Theatre with George Bernard Shaw’s Widowers Houses. Other notable theatre includes Bonded, The Gods Are Not To Blame, Tickets and Ties and The Estate amongst others for one of the UK’s foremost African theatre companies, Tiata Fahodzi, and Mother Courage and her Children for the English Touring Theatre.
Ojo has a long history of association with the Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka. This includes reciting his poem A Telephone Conversation for the BBC Radio several decades ago to performing the play The Beatification of Area Boy twice at the Birmingham Rep and at the Freedom Park in Lagos, Nigeria. He also appeared in King Baabu in South Africa. Ojo was most recently seen playing Wole Soyinka himself in the writer’s prison memoirs titled The Man Died in a movie adaptation of his famous book now on cinema release.
Kehinde Bankole is a renowned Nigerian actress and producer who last year lent her voice to Disney’s Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire. She has a strong connection with Utopia Theatre, having recently played the parts of Aunty Jolie and Storyteller in the company’s UK-wide tour of Anna Hibiscus’ Song; as well as the character Iyalode in the The Duchess of Malfi (Iyalode of Eti), which was staged at Leeds Playhouse, Sheffield Theatres, CAST Doncaster and the Ake International Arts and Book Festival in Nigeria in 2016.
Bankole’s enormous talent has led to the portrayal of many roles at venues including Shakespeare’s Globe. She continues to make significant contributions to the growing world of cinema in Nigeria, starring in highly acclaimed blockbuster movies such as Adire, Blood Sisters and Sista on streaming platforms Netflix and Amazon Prime.
Both Bankole and Ojo are recipients of the AMVCA (Africa Magic Viewer’s Choice awards) as Best Lead Actor and Best Lead Actress respectively in 2024.
Death and the King’s Horseman was first staged in 1976 and continues to be produced around the world, including at the National Theatre in London and most recently for the Stratford Festival in Canada in 2023. Soyinka’s work intertwines traditional African theatre with contemporary themes, making Death and The King’s Horseman a compelling narrative of cultural duty versus personal dilemma. This production promises a captivating portrayal of Soyinka’s vision.
As an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation (NPO), Utopia Theatre is focused on delivering a programme of events and productions to share compelling stories of African diaspora and inspire the next generation of creatives. Sheffield Theatres and Utopia Theatre have worked together for more than a decade, and each year productions have grown in scale and size. This will be the biggest production run for Utopia Theatre.
Death and the King’s Horseman runs at the Crucible from Monday 3 – Saturday 8 February 2025. Tickets are on sale now and can be booked through the Box Office in person, over the phone on 0114 249 6000 or at sheffieldtheatres.co.uk.
On Friday 27 September 2024, WICKED, the West End and Broadway musical phenomenon that tells the incredible untold story of the Witches of Oz, celebrated 18 years since its London premiere on 27 September 2006 at the Apollo Victoria Theatre. “One of the most successful musicals of all time” (BBC News), The Tony®, Grammy®, Olivier, and WhatsOnStage award-winning musical by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman, has played close to 7,000 performances and has already been seen by more than 12 million people, in London alone.
Curtain Call with Graham Kent as Doctor Dillamond, Sophie-Louise Dann as Madame Morrible and Michael Fenton Stevens as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and
Aimee Hodnett as Glinda and Alexia Khadime as Elphaba
Curtain Call with Aimee Hodnett as Glinda and Alexia Khadime as Elphaba
Curtain Call with Graham Kent as Doctor Dillamond, Sophie-Louise Dann as Madame Morrible and Michael Fenton Stevens as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and
Aimee Hodnett as Glinda and Alexia Khadime as Elphaba
Wicked currently stars Alexia Khadime (Elphaba), Lucy St. Louis (Glinda), Ryan Reid (Fiyero), Sophie-Louise Dann (Madame Morrible), Michael Fenton Stevens (The Wizard), Caitlin Anderson (Nessarose), Graham Kent (Doctor Dillamond), Joe Thompson-Oubari (Boq), Laura Harrison (Standby for Elphaba), Christine Tucker* (Standby for Glinda), Zac Adlam, Conor Ashman, Meg Astin, Jessica Aubrey, Jeremy Batt, Felipe Bejarano, Asmara Cammock, Joshua Clemetson, Conor Crown, Effie Rae Dyson, Aston Newman Hannington, Aimee Hodnett, Kate Leiper, Jemima Loddy, Joshua Lovell, Rory Maguire, PaddyJoe Martin, Darnell Mathew-James, Millie Mayhew, Ayden Morgan, Rishard-Kyro Nelson, Aiesha Naomi Pease, Jeanie Ryan, Natalie Spriggs, Charlotte Anne Steen, James Titchener, Micaela Todd, Taela Yeomans-Brown, and Jacob Young. *Maternity cover for Lisa-Anne Wood.
Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman are collaborating on the forthcoming two-part Universal Pictures film version of Wicked, starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, to be released in November 2024 and November 2025.
A spectacular touring production of Wicked continues engagements until January 2025. Currently playing at the Sunderland Empire until Sunday 20 October 2024, the critically acclaimed production will then continue to Cardiff’s Wales Millennium Centre before it concludes its year-long tour with a Christmas season at the Manchester Palace Theatre.
Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman’s celebrated stage musical is based on the acclaimed novel by Gregory Maguire and imagines a beguiling backstory and future possibilities to the lives of L. Frank Baum’s beloved characters from ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’. Wicked reveals the decisions and events that shape the destinies of two unlikely university friends on their journey to becoming ‘Glinda The Good’ and the ‘Wicked Witch of the West’.
Through its ‘For Good’ charitable endeavours and acclaimed Wicked Active Learning cultural and social education programme, the London production of Wicked proudly supports and champions the work of the Anti-Bullying Alliance, the National Literacy Trust, and Theatre Works!, the charity providing theatre tickets to disadvantaged children across the UK. www.WickedActiveLearning.co.uk
Wickedhas music and lyrics by multi-Oscar® and Grammy® Award winner Stephen Schwartz (‘Godspell’, ‘Pippin’, ‘The Prince of Egypt’, Disney’s ‘Pocahontas’, ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’and ‘Enchanted’). It is based on the multimillion-copy best-selling novel ‘Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West’ by Gregory Maguire and written by Emmy® and Tony Award® nominee Winnie Holzman (creator of the landmark American television series ‘My So-Called Life’). Musical staging is by Tony Award®winner Wayne Cilento with direction by two-time Tony Award® winner Joe Mantello.
Performances continue Tuesday – Saturday at 7.30pm, and Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday at 2.30pm with public booking to Sunday 1 June 2025.
The following eleven added shows are also on sale: Thursday 31 October 2:30pm, Friday 20 December 2:30pm, Monday 23 December 2:30pm & 7:30pm, Friday 27 December 2:30pm, Monday 30 December 2:30pm & 7:30pm, Tuesday 31 December 2:30pm 2024, and Thursday 2 January 2:30pm, Thursday 20 February 2:30pm, Thursday 17 April 2:30pm 2025. Doors open 90 minutes prior to the start of all performances.
The stage musical Wicked is produced by Marc Platt, Universal Stage Productions, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt, and David Stone. Executive Producer (UK) Michael McCabe.
The Apollo Victoria Theatre, Wilton Road, London, SW1V 1LG
Aylesbury Waterside Theatre – 29th September 2024 but touring other theatres
Reviewed by Rachel Clark
4****
This great show brought the wonderful Abba music and lyrics alive again. The International tribute to Abba were a five piece group, the group being the four and the drummer. The band were only introduced as the names of the original band Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny and Anni-Frid. The show was brought to life at Aylesbury Waterside Theatre. The first half of the production saw the audience clapping and tapping their feet to the music but the second half almost all of the audience were up dancing and joining in with the singing and thoroughly enjoying the show. What gave the show more atmosphere there was a large screen at the back with 1970’s patterns and some of the song titles appeared as the songs were sung. We also saw plenty of costume changes adding to the feel that you were transported back to the 1970’s.
We danced along to Dancing Queen, Super Trouper, Knowing Me Knowing You, Money Money, Money, Mamma Mia were just a few of the hits that were sung in the 2 hours of the show.
Some of the audience came with their Abba outfits on and Benny who was telling a joke or two, said there was a prize for the best dressed in the audience, the dressed audience stood up in their outfits awaiting the prize, a drink at the bar – a glass of water! This brought a laughter or two and disappointment but a smile on the winner’s face.
Slight disappointment there was no merchandise or a programme – so we weren’t aware of who the tribute band truly were, though they had superbly got in the act that they were actually Abba and spoken with a Swedish accent, I can see why this successful show has been playing so long. I will definitely being going again when they are next in Aylesbury and getting out my flares or platform boots.
First look images have been released for the World Tour of Boublil and Schönberg’s LES MISÉRABLES THE ARENA SPECTACULAR, with upcoming UK performances in Glasgow, Sheffield, Aberdeen, Manchester and Newcastle.
The cast includes Alfie Boe and Killian Donnelly, who share the role of Jean Valjean, Michael Ball and Bradley Jaden,who share the role of Javert, Bonnie Langford as Madame Thénardier, Gavin Lee as Thénardier, Jac Yarrow as Marius, Beatrice Penny-Touré as Cosette, Emily Bautista as Éponine, Channah Hewitt as Fantine, James D. Gish as Enjolras and Jeremy Secomb as Bishop of Digne.
The company is completed by Jonathon Bentley, Rebecca Bolton, Olivia Brereton, Amelia Broadway, Michael Burgen, Mary-Jean Caldwell, Beth Curnock, Shaun Dalton, Jonathan David Dudley, Harry Dunnett, Louis Emmanuel, Charlie Geoghegan, Harry Grant Smith, Connor Jones, Daniel Koek, Caleb Lagayan, Abel Law, Adam Robert Lewis, Georgie Lovatt, Andrew Maxwell, Jill Nalder, Zabrina Norry, Lisa Peace, Kathy Peacock, Ciaran Rodger, Jo Stephenson, Geddy Stringer, Helen Walsh, Raymond Walsh and Owain Williams.
Daniel Adesina, Theo Hills, Felix Holt, Leo Humphreys and Dexter Pulling will alternate the role of Gavroche with Dalia Al Nagar, Amanthi Crowe, Sophia Duffie, Maisie Mac Mahon and India Mills alternating the role of Little Cosette.
LES MISÉRABLES THE ARENA SPECTACULAR is expanded from the hugely successful Les Misérables The Staged Concert which played for over 200 record-breaking performances in the West End. It has an extraordinary new design specifically created for arenas, with a company of over 110 actors, musicians and crew.
Cameron Mackintosh’s production of LES MISÉRABLES THE ARENA SPECTACULAR is written by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg and is based on the novel by Victor Hugo. It has music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer and original French text by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel, additional material by James Fenton and adaptation by Trevor Nunn and John Caird. Orchestrations are by Stephen Metcalfe, Christopher Jahnke and Stephen Brooker, with original orchestrations by John Cameron. The production is directed by James Powell and Jean-Pierre Van Der Spuy, designed by Matt Kinley, with costumes by Andreane Neofitou, Christine Rowland and Paul Wills, lighting by Paule Constable and Warren Letton, sound by Mick Potter, projections realised by Finn Ross and music supervision by Stephen Brooker and Alfonso Casado Trigo. The Les Misérables orchestra is conducted by Brian Eads.
THE STAGE DEBUT AWARDS 2024 IN ASSOCIATION WITH ATG ENTERTAINMENT WINNERS ANNOUNCEMENT
The 12 winners of The Stage Debut Awards 2024, in partnership with ATG Entertainment, were revealed at a glittering London ceremony at 8 Northumberland Avenue on September 29. Iconic drag artist, performer and singer Divina De Campo hosted the annual event in front of an audience of some of British theatre’s most influential figures in celebration of the brightest emerging talents who made their mark both on and off stage.
This year 49 nominees across eight categories were in the spotlight, representing performers, composers, designers, writers, lyricists and directors whose work premiered on stages across the UK in the previous year.
Scooping the Best West End Debut Performer award for his enormously compelling and vocally accomplished performance as Gabe in Next To Normal at Wyndham’s Theatre was Olivier Award nominee Jack Wolfe. As the only category decided by public vote – previous winners included Rose Ayling-Ellis (2023) and Jodie Comer (2022) – Wolfe emerged as the people’s West End favourite from a strong shortlist that included Will Close for Dear England; Billy Crudup in Harry Clarke; Toheeb Jimoh in Player Kings; Francesca Amewudah Rivers in Romeo and Juliet; Ed Larkin in The Little Big Things; Grace Hodgett Young in Sunset Boulevard and Louis McCartney in Stranger Things: The First Shadow.
Such was the level of talent that Best Performer in a Play was awarded to both Ellie-May Sheridan for a scene-stealing turn in London Tide at the National Theatre and Louis McCartney, who was recognised for his menacingly mercurial performance in Stranger Things: The First Shadow at the Phoenix Theatre. Also, the Best Performer in a Musical award was shared between Jeevan Braich for his vocal prowess and impressive roller skating skills in Starlight Express at the Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre and Grace Hodgett Young who won the award for her impressive performance in Jamie Lloyd’s hit revival Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy Theatre.
The current wealth of new-writing talent in the industry was resoundingly acknowledged this year with the Best Writer award going to two upcoming industry stars. Sam Grabiner for Boys on the Verge of Tears at Soho Theatre shared the accolade with Azuka Oforka for The Women of Llanrumney at Sherman Theatre, Cardiff.
More awards on the night recognising talent behind the scenes included Best Creative West End Debut, which was given to Bush Theatre’s associate artistic director Daniel Bailey for his dynamic and sensitively directed production of Tyrell Williams’ Red Pitch. The production enjoyed a hugely successful West End transfer to @sohoplace.
This year’s directing accolade went to Sophie Drake who was honoured with the Best Director award for The Bleeding Tree at Southwark Playhouse Borough. The judges said Drake “infused finesse into all aspects of this dark, grisly anti-fairytale”. For the first time, all nominees in this category were women, and the award was presented by the acclaimed BAFTA nominated director and Bush Theatre’s artistic director Lynette Linton.
The unforgettable and now iconic video design for Jamie Lloyd’s Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy Theatre was recognised in the Best Designer award, which Nathan Amzi and Joe Ransom took home. And Jack Godfrey won the Best Composer, Lyricist, or Book Writer award for his all-round talents bringing 42 Balloons at The Lowry, Salford, a charming new musical success story, to life.
The Stage editor Alistair Smith said: “The judges were in complete awe of the talent on display from all our winners. In many cases, it felt almost inconceivable these could be their professional debuts such was the level of skill on show.
“At a time when there has been much talk about how difficult it is for new playwrights to break through, the judges were particularly pleased to be able to recognise two superb winners in the Best Writer category for the first time, such was the quality of the shortlist.”
The winners were announced on 29th September 2024 at The Stage Debut Awards, held at 8 Northumberland Avenue, London, in association with headline sponsor ATG Entertainment. The event featured several live performances, including a special number by Divina De Campo. Additional performances came from Georgina Castle, who currently stars as Regina George in Mean Girls at the Savoy Theatre, Timmika Ramsay, dazzling audiences as Miss Adelaide in Guys & Dolls at the Bridge Theatre, and the celebrated actor, comedian and writer Nick Mohammed, who performed as his acclaimed alter-ego, Mr. Swallow, in a unique and exclusive routine.
#DebutAwards
THE WINNERS IN FULL
Best Performer in a Play (Sponsored by Theatrical Rights Worldwide): ● Ellie-May Sheridan for London Tide at National Theatre, London ● Louis McCartney for Stranger Things: The First Shadow at Phoenix Theatre, London
Best Performer in a Musical (Sponsored by Michael Harrison Entertainment): ● Jeevan Braich for Starlight Express at Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre, London ● Grace Hodgett Young for Sunset Boulevard at Savoy Theatre, London
Best Director (Sponsored by Arts Council England): ● Sophie Drake for The Bleeding Tree at the Southwark Playhouse Borough, London
Best Designer (Sponsored by Preevue): ● Nathan Amzi and Joe Ransom (video) for Sunset Boulevard at Savoy Theatre, London
Best Writer (Sponsored by Sonia Friedman Productions): ● Sam Grabiner for Boys on the Verge of Tears at Soho Theatre, London ● Azuka Oforka for The Women of Llanrumney at Sherman Theatre, Cardiff
Best Composer, Lyricist or Book Writer (Sponsored by Crossroads Live): ● Jack Godfrey for 42 Balloons at The Lowry, Manchester
Best West End Debut Performer (Sponsored by Noël Coward Foundation): ● Jack Wolfe for Next to Normal at Wyndham’s Theatre, London
Best Creative West End Debut (Sponsored by Trafalgar Entertainment): ● Daniel Bailey (director) for Red Pitch at @sohoplace, London
With thanks to our sponsors ATG Entertainment, Theatrical Rights Worldwide, Michael Harrison Entertainment, Arts Council England, Preevue, Sonia Friedman Productions, Crossroads Live, Noël Coward Foundation, and Trafalgar Entertainment.
The Stage Debut Awards first took place in 2017 and recipients of these awards have gone on to star in West End shows, television series and films. Last year’s winners included Rob Madge for My Son’s a Queer, (But What Can You Do?) at the Garrick Theatre and the Ambassadors Theatre, Isobel Thom for their leading role in I, Joan at Shakespeare’s Globe, Michael R Jackson for composing A Strange Loop at the Barbican Theatre and Tingying Dong for her sound design on The Crucible, Gielgud and National Theatre. A further roll call of notable award winners from previous years include Jodie Comer (Prima Facie), Shan Ako (Les Misérables), SpitLip (Operation Mincemeat), Tyrell Williams (Red Pitch), Sam Tutty (Dear Evan Hansen), Miriam-Teak Lee (& Juliet), Bush Theatre artistic director Lynette Linton (Sweat) and composers Femi Temowo (Death of a Salesman) and Dan Gillespie Sells (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie).
Nancy Carrroll’s brilliant adaptation of Arthur Wing Pinero’s Victorian farce is a sublimely silly and salient show.
The Right Hon Sir Julian Twombley (Nicholas Rowe) is under pressure as his spendthrift family’s extravagant lifestyle has led to questions about his acceptance of gifts. As he contemplates jumping before he is pushed, and a future growing his own vegetables in a country cottage, his wife Kitty (Nancy Carroll) gets deeper and deeper in debt to the social climbing Lacklustre siblings (the wonderful Phoebe Fildes and Laurence Ubong Williams) in acts titled Debt, Difficulties, Disaster, and Dancing.
The Twombley’s son, Brooke (Joe Edgar) is as bad with money as his mother, while daughter Imogen’s (Rosalind Ford) season, and her aunt Dora’s (Sara Crowe) marital plans for her, are disrupted by the return of old family friend Valentine (George Blagden). The modern parallels are obvious but never overdone and highlight how little British society has really changed. Great fun is had from the hypocrisy of the gentry on their uppers and making dubious choices looking down their noses at the lower classes, even when those people are funding their lifestyle.
As romantic and financial complications mount, the entrances and exits (and ludicrous attempts at hiding on Janet Bird’s gorgeous set) are perfectly timed. The script is jam-packed with dry wit, daftness and double entendres, all delivered with wonderful energy by the stellar cast. While Nicholas Rowe’s calm head of the family, weighed down by his career troubles is the placid body of the swan, Nancy Carroll’s Kitty is his perfect foil – the legs frantically flapping underwater. Her demeanour changes from manically bemoaning the tragedy of her circumstances to business like matriarch in the blink of an eye, and her mounting panic as things get increasingly out of her control is a masterclass in comedy. Sara Crowe’s magnificent meddling sister-in-law thinks she’s hit the jackpot marrying off Imogen to Sir Colin Macphail (Matthew Woodyatt), and the presence of the dour Scots onstage is always a delight as Dillie Keane steals the show as Lady Macphail – always ready to declare her distaste for the south, and launching into passionate descriptions of their ancestral home that become increasingly florid and Shakespearean as Colin struggles to string even a few words together.
Director Paul Foster directs with a deft touch, and the decision to have each act punctuated by the cast playing instruments provides even more light-hearted energy – and many opportunities for fiddling jokes. Fast, funny and full of brilliant performances, The Cabinet Minister is an absolute triumph.
