DAVID IAN AND THE REALLY USEFUL GROUP

PRESENT THE FIRST EVER UK TOUR OF
ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER’S
LOVE NEVER DIES

THE SPELLBINDING SEQUEL TO

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
OPENING AT
CURVE, LEICESTER ON

26 SEPTEMBER 2020

David Ian and the Really Useful Group are delighted to announce the first ever UK tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s LOVE NEVER DIES. Following on from the sell-out North American tour, the spellbinding sequel to The Phantom of the Opera will open at Leicester Curve on Saturday 26 September 2020 where it will play until Saturday 10 October 2020. The show will then play Manchester Opera House from Wednesday 14 – Saturday 24 October 2020, with further venues and casting to be announced soon. On sale details below. www.loveneverdies.com/uktour

LOVE NEVER DIES has music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Glenn Slater, book by Ben Elton, based on The Phantom of Manhattan by Frederick Forsyth, additional lyrics by Charles Hart, orchestrations by David Cullen and Andrew Lloyd Webber.

This production of the show was first seen in Australia, before embarking on the hugely successful tour of North America and received acclaim from both audiences and critics alike. It is directed by Simon Phillips, with set and costume design by Gabriela Tylesova, choreography by Graeme Murphy and sound design by Mick Potter.

The year is 1907. It is 10 years after his disappearance from the Paris Opera House and the Phantom has escaped to a new life in New York where he lives amongst the screaming joy rides and freak shows of Coney Island. In this new, electrically charged world, he has finally found a place for his music to soar, but he has never stopped yearning for his one true love and musical protégée, Christine Daaé.

Now one of the world’s finest sopranos, Christine accepts an invitation to travel from Paris to New York to perform at a renowned opera house. Christine’s marriage to Raoul is suffering at the hands of his drinking and gambling and they desperately need the financial rewards that America can give them.

In a final bid to win back Christine’s love, The Phantom lures her, Raoul, and their young son Gustave, from Manhattan to the glittering and glorious world of Coney Island… not knowing what is in store for them….

LOVE NEVER DIES 2020 – LISTINGS

www.loveneverdies.com/uktour

SATURDAY 26 SEPTEMBER – SATURDAY 10 OCTOBER 2020

LEICESTER CURVE

curveonline.co.uk – Box Office: 0116 242 3595

On Sale 31 January 2020 at 10.00am

WEDNESDAY 14 – SATURDAY 24 OCTOBER 2020

MANCHESTER OPERA HOUSE

atgtickets.com/venues/opera-house-manchester – Box Office: 0844 871 3018

On Sale 31 January 2020 at 10.00am

FURTHER VENUES TO BE ANNOUNCED

FULL CAST ANNOUNCED FOR THE

EUROPEAN PREMIÈRE OF PAULA VOGEL’S INDECENT

With the critically acclaimed production of The Boy Friend currently running at the theatre, the Menier Chocolate Factory today announce the full company for the European première of Paula Vogel’s Tony Award-winning play Indecent. Rebecca Taichman directs Corey English – The Middle (Male); Beverley Klein – The Elder (Female); Finbar Lynch – The Stage Manager; Molly Osborne – The Ingenue (Female); Peter Polycarpou – The Elder (Male); Alexandra Silber – The Middle (Female); Joseph Timms – The Ingenue (Male); Merlin Shepherd – The Clarinettist; Anna Lowenstein – The Violinist, and Josh Middleton – The Accordionist.

Public booking for the production is now open.

The Menier Chocolate Factory presents

The European première of

INDECENT

By Paula Vogel

Director: Rebecca Taichman

13 March – 9 May

A seminal work of Jewish culture or an act of traitorous libel? Indecent explores the origins of the highly controversial play The God of Vengeance by Sholem Asch. We follow the path of the artists who risked their careers and lives to perform it in this deeply moving play accompanied by a small live klezmer band.

Indecent reunites Vogel and director Rebecca Taichman who co-created and directed the original production. Indecent had its world première production at Yale Repertory Theatre in October 2015. The play had its New York première Off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre in May 2016, and transferred to Broadway in April 2017. It was nominated for the Tony Award for Best New Play received the Tony Awards for Best Direction of a Play for Taichman and Best Lighting Design of a Play for Christopher Akerlind (who will also light the Menier production).

Corey English returns to the Menier to play The Middle (Male) – he previously appeared in She Loves Me. His recent theatre work includes Curtains (Wyndham’s Theatre), Young Frankenstein (Garrick Theatre), Guys and Dolls (Royal Albert Hall), Driving Miss Daisy (York Theatre Royal), Kiss Me Kate (Kilworth House), The Tempest (Bedouin Shakespeare Company), The Producers (Theatre Royal Drury Lane), Urinetown (St James Theatre and West End), Dream of Perfect Sleep (Finborough Theatre), Chicago (Adelphi Theatre), and on Broadway in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Hello Dolly!, Damn Yankees, Guys and Dolls, Home Play and Gypsy. For television, his work includes Mysti and Oz; and for film The Conjuring 2, Empire II and Mountainaire.

Beverley Klein plays The Elder (Female). Her stage work includes The Beggar’s Opera (Bouffes du Nord), In Basildon (Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch), Deathtrap (Salisbury Playhouse and UK tour), After October (Finborough Theatre), Young Chekhov Trilogy (National Theatre), Cornelius (Finborough Theatre and Brits Off Broadway), Sixty-Six Books (Bush Theatre), Restoration (Headlong), The Holy Terror (Duke of York’s Theatre), Camille (Lyric Theatre Hammersmith), Six Characters in Search of an Author (Young Vic), Romeo and Juliet, The Villain’s Opera and Summerfolk (National Theatre). For television, her work includes Liar, Mr Selfridge, Call the Midwife, Ripper Street, Down to Earth, Gimme Gimme Gimme and The Hello Girls; and for film, Swinging with the Finkels.

Finbar Lynch plays The Stage Manager. His extensive theatre work includes Girl From the North Country (Noel Coward Theatre, Gielgud Theatre and Toronto), The Lady From the Sea, Hecuba, To the Green Fields Beyond, Fool for Love, Translations (Donmar Warehouse), Richard III (Almeida Theatre), Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Antony and Cleopatra, Not About the Nightingales (National Theatre), Antigone (Barbican and world tour), Desire Under the Elms (Lyric Hammersmith), The Fairy Queen (Glyndebourne, Paris, New York), The Duchess of Malfi (The Old Vic), Faith Healer (Bristol Old Vic), The Big Fellah (Out of Joint), The Raggered Trousered Philanthropist (Chichester Festival Theatre), as well as for the RSC, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Measure for Measure, Amphibians, and A Woman Killed with Kindness. For television, his work includes Treasdstone, The Mallorca Files, The Feed, Foyle’s War, DCI Banks, Breathless, Game of Thrones, Silk and Proof; and for film, Adventures of a Mathematician, The World We Knew, Property of the State, Departure, Suffragette, To Kill a King and The Scold’s Bride.

Molly Osborne returns to the Menier Chocolate Factory to play The Ingenue (Female). She previously appeared in Fiddler on the Roof (also Playhouse Theatre).

Peter Polycarpou plays The Elder (Male). His theatre work includes A Very Expensive Poison (The Old Vic), Oslo (Harold Pinter Theatre), Ross, Guys and Dolls, The Pajama Game, Love Story (Chichester Festival Theatre), Sweeney Todd (Chichester Festival Theatre and Adelphi Theatre), Working (Southwark Playhouse), Mrs Henderson Presents (Toronto), The Magistrate (National Theatre), Anna in the Tropics (Hampstead Theatre), Les Miserables (25^th Anniversary at the O2, Dubai), Oliver! (Curve, Leicester), City of Angels (Donmar Warehouse), Imagine This (New London Theatre), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (London Palladium) and Oklahoma! (National Theatre). For television, his work includes Riviera, Unforgotten, Tyrant, The Lost Honour of Christopher Jeffries, The Family Tree, Hustle, Empathy, and as series regular Chris in Birds of a Feather; and for film, Blue Iguana, Our Cyprus, Clean Skin, O Jerusalem, De-Lovely and Evita.

Alexandra Silber plays The Middle (Female). Her work for the stage in the UK includes Kiss Me Kate (BBC Proms), Carousel (Savoy Theatre – TMA for Best Performance in a Musical), Fiddler on the Roof (Sheffield Crucible and Savoy Theatre) and The Woman in White (Palace Theatre); and in the US, 50^th anniversary production of Fiddler on the Roof (Broadway), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre), Camelot (Shakespeare Theatre in Washington DC), My Fair Lady (MUNY), Arlington (Vineyard Theater), Dum Dee Tweedle (Detroit), West Side Story (San Francisco Symphony. Grammy nomination for the critically acclaimed recording), She Loves Me (Caramoor Center for the Music and the Arts), Song of Norway (Carnegie Hall), Love Story the Musical (The Walnut Street Theatre), Hello Again (Transport Group) and Master Class (Kennedy Center, Manhattan Theatre Club). For television, her work includes Elementary, The Mysteries of Laura and Law and Order; and for film, 1408.

Joseph Timms plays The Ingenue (Male). His theatre work includes A Christmas Carol (RSC), The White Devil, The Taming of the Shrew, Henry IV Parts 1 &2, Bedlam (Shakespeare’s Globe), A Tale of Two Cities (Royal and Derngate), The Hudsucker Proxy (Nuffield Southampton Theatres and Liverpool Everyman), Twelfth Night and Richard III (Belasco Theatre, Broadway), Bracken More (Tricycle Theatre), Privates on Parade (Noel Coward Theatre), Richard II (Donmar Warehouse) and Twelfth Night (National Theatre). For television, his work includes Atlantis and Amerikan Kanibal.

Paula Vogel is a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright whose other plays include How I Learned to Drive (Broadway production set for spring 2020; Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the Lortel Prize, OBIE Award, Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle and New York Drama Critics Awards for Best Play), The Long Christmas Ride Home, The Mineola Twins, The Baltimore Waltz, Hot’n’Throbbing, Desdemona, And Baby Makes Seven, The Oldest Profession and A Civil War Christmas. Her plays have been produced across the US and worldwide.

Rebecca Taichman directs. Her credits include Sing Street (New York Theatre Workshop and forthcoming Broadway run at Lyceum Theatre), Time and the Conways (Roundabout Theatre Company at the American Airlines Theatre),  School Girls; Or, The Mean African Girls Play (MCC), This Flat Earth, Familiar, Stage Kiss, Milk Like Sugar (Playwrights Horizons), How To Transcend a Happy Marriage (Lincoln Center), Rappaccini’s Daughter, Dark Sisters (Gotham Chamber Opera), Luck of the Irish (LCT3), Orlando (Classic Stage Company), Orpheus (New York City Opera), The Scene (Second Stage), Menopausal Gentleman (The Ohio Theatre).

Indecent is being presented in association with Daryl Roth, Elizabeth I McCann and Cody Lassen.

LISTINGS INFORMATION                                                                                MENIER CHOCOLATE FACTORY

53 Southwark Street, London, SE1 1RU

INDECENT

13 March – 9 May

HABEAS CORPUS

15 May – 4 July

Box Office:                         020 7378 1713 (£2.50 transaction fee per booking)

Website:             www.menierchocolatefactory.com (£1.50 transaction fee per booking)

Tickets:                               Prices vary, as below from discounted preview tickets to premier seats. With the emphasis on ‘the sooner you book, the better the price’:

A meal deal ticket includes a 2-course meal from the pre-theatre menu in the Menier Restaurant as well as the theatre ticket.

MENIER ELSEWHERE:

THE WATSONS

Harold Pinter Theatre, Panton St, London SW1Y 4DN

Box Office: 0844 871 7622 / www.atgtickets.com

Tickets from £15

THE BOY FRIEND:

Tickets via www.mirvish.com. 

Tickets can also be purchased at the Princess of Wales Theatre during regular box office hours.  Group orders of 15 or more receive reduced rates.

31 March – 3 May

www.menierchocolatefactory.com

Twitter: @MenChocFactory

Instagram: @menierchocolatefactory

Above The Stag Theatre – until 1 March 2020

Reviewed by Claire Roderick

4****

Peter Quilter’s sweet and silly comedy is the perfect cure for the winter blues.

Thomas finds waking up in a strange bed with Adam and needing to be reminded of the previous night’s events awkward enough, but when Adam’s mother Barbara bursts in and squeezes into bed for a chat, he almost dies of embarrassment. Barbara bemoans the inhibitions of the younger generation, and constantly overstates about past and present lovers, although for someone who advocates free love, she seems very keen to see her son walk down the aisle for the big wedding she never had.

With scenes beginning with a running joke about Adam’s alarm clock, a short series of morning’s after sees the couple’s relationship develop, despite Barbara’s constant presence – Adam’s previous boyfriend’s either developed stutters or left the country! – leading up to their wedding, organised by Adam’s eccentric Uncle Martin.

With a set straight out of a 1980s bedroom farce and arch delivery and looks to the audience, the play feels like a nostalgic sitcom, full of sexual innuendo but with a warm and cosy message of acceptance and tolerance. First written as a gay play, the straight version has been successful overseas, but this turn to the original version has found the perfect home at Above The Stag in the assured hands of director Andrew Beckett. David Fenne and Chris Cahill are very funny as uptight Thomas and relaxed Adam, bouncing off each other beautifully and making the relationship believable amongst all the farcical moments. In complete contrast, Coleen Daley is hilarious as Barbara, completely over the top and channelling Norma Desmond as she delivers the best lines in the show and Matthew Lloyd Davies gives an insane performance as chemically enhanced Martin.

The Morning After is light and frothy, sometimes filthy fun – a great night out

Love, Genius and a Walk

Theatro Technis, April 7th – May 2nd 2020

LGW Productions are delighted to bring to the stage the fascinating story of composer and conductor Gustav Mahler, written by the New York Writer Gay Walley and directed by Leah Townley. The story explores the theories of Sigmund Freud, who Mahler met, together with Mahler’s approach to composing and how this might have physically manifested itself. This includes a focus on his relationship with his wife Alma, an amazing woman and composer in her own right. The play also contrasts the role of women in the 19th century with the character of a female writer in contemporary scenes.

“it is lonely to be an artist and lonely to love an artist” A Younger Theatre

Love, Genius and a Walk is a play that shows how art and marriage can make odd bedfellows. Gustav Mahler, world-renowned composer and conductor, wants his wife to be his muse, but Alma desires the closeness that he cannot give, he thinks, in order to get his work done. Mahler turns to the psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud for guidance, and both men find that neither of them may be that clued up about women.

At the same time, a modern couple’s life mirrors Alma and Mahler’s, except here she is the artist who works all the time, and their conundrum is a commercially-oriented husband whose thoughts on art can be a touch confounding. The two stories twist and turn through the quagmires of love and genius, much of it to the sweeping music of Mahler.

Love, Genius and a Walk toured the UK in 2019, and was nominated for 6 prizes, including Best Play, at the Midtown Festival in New York. It now returns to London in a new creative production by director Leah Townley

“sparkier, tighter and left the audience with plenty to think about” View from the Cheap Seat

Mahler’s music form an integral part of the rhythm of the show, using a grand piano on stage to connect with the audience and strongly influence the mood, alongside slick design moving between the contemporary scenes and the rest of the play.

WIZARD CAST PRESENT ST HELENS’ WONDERFUL HALF-TERM PANTO

St Helens Theatre Royal Announces February Panto Cast

A wizardly February half term panto is coming to St Helens Theatre Royal and its producers are delighted to reveal its wonderful cast.  Click your heels together and join Dorothy and Toto on the Yellow Brick Road in Regal Entertainments’ The Wizard of Oz from Saturday 15 – Sunday 23 February 2020.

Rising young star Mia Molloy, steps into the red slippers as she takes on the lead role of Dorothy.  Mia has played the lead roles in both Sleeping Beauty and Snow White at St Helens Theatre Royal and was first cast as Amy Chandler in the original production of Our Day Out – The Musical at the Royal Court Theatre aged just 14.

Samantha Palin plays The Wicked Witch.  Samantha is also no stranger to St Helens Theatre Royal as her recent theatre credits include the villainous fairy Carabosse in October’s Sleeping Beauty and – by contrast – the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella at The Epstein Theatre, Liverpool.

Reece Sibbald plays The Scarecrow who wants a brain.  County Durham born Reese has played The Scarecrow at Whitley Bay Playhouse in 2018 in 2013, 2016 and 2017 and his roles include Baby Bear in Goldilocks And The Three Bears, Ratty in The Wind In The Willows and Buttons in Cinderella.

Harry Moore is the Tin Man seeking a heart. No stranger to panto, Harry has played both The Wizard and Tin Man in previous production of  The Wizard of Oz and Dame Dotty Trott in Jack And The Beanstalk.  His theatre credits include Yakov in The Seagull, Cridle in St Joan Of The Stockyards and Father Bojovic in Pentecost.

Returning after his memorable role as PC Noodle in St Helens’ 5-star panto Aladdin, Timothy Lucas plays the Cowardly Lion who wants some courage.  Trained at Liverpool theatre school, Timothy has played Gaston in Beauty and the Beast in 2017 and the notorious Captain Hook in Peter Pan in 2018.

Another St Helens alumnus, Abigail Middleton, returns in the role of the Good Fairy Glinda. Abigail has played Tiger Lily in Peter Pan at St Helens and her recent credits include Lucy in Pig, Sister Mary in Scouse Pacific and Nancy in Kiss Me Quickstep.

James Lusted completes the cast in the titular as The Wizard.  James has worked as an actor and TV presenter for 10 years.  His theatre work includes Follow Me for Theatre Brycheiniog and The Funfair at Home Theatre in Manchester, as well as several appearances in Snow White And The Seven Dwarves.

Audiences are invited to join Dorothy and Toto as they follow the yellow brick road to the Emerald city, so Dorothy can ask the Wizard to help her return home. Along the way she meets the Scarecrow who wants a brain, the Tin Man who desires a heart and the Cowardly Lion who needs courage.

Chantelle Nolan, Theatre manager, producer and director said: “We have a fantastic cast for The Wizard of Oz, featuring many familiar faces that our audiences know and love.  The show is packed full of great jokes, brilliant songs, dazzling costumes and show-stopping choreography.   It’s a ‘wonderful’ show, with something for the whole family to enjoy.  Tickets are already on sale so make sure you book yours now!”

The Wizard of Oz comes to St Helens Theatre Royal from Saturday 15 to Sunday 23 February 2020. 

For more information, please visit www.sthelenstheatreroyal.com
Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/St-Helens-Theatre-Royal
Follow us on Twitter: @TheatreRoyalStH

PANTO LISTING DETAILS

Regal Entertainments Ltd presents The Wizard Of Oz
Dates: Saturday 15 February – Sunday 23 February 2020
Times: Various
Tickets: From £12

*All prices are inclusive of a £1 per seat transaction fee. On-line bookings are subject to an additional 50p seat on-line processing fee.

THEATRE ROYAL BOOKING DETAILS

Book in person at the Theatre Royal Box Office, corporation street, St Helens, Merseyside WA10 1LQ (Mon- Sat 10am-5pm. Alternatively, call 01744 756 000 or log on to www.sthelenstheatreroyal.com.

UNLIKELY PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS

THE APOLOGISTS

3 – 8 March 2020 at Omnibus Theatre

Three stories exploring the act of public apology in the face of scandal.

By Iskandar Sharazuddin, Cordelia O’Neill and Lucinda Burnett.

A Secretary of State for Health and Social Care makes a racist comment to her attending doctor when her child is rushed into hospital; a prominent travel writer is held responsible for a suicide after a scathing review; an employee of an aid organisation demands the recompense she truly needs from the CEO after a disingenuous public apology.

The Apologists presents three topical stories which combined provide a powerful examination of the meaning of the act of apology, the complex power play at work between the giver and the receiver of an apology, and whether we are responsible for the context of our actions. Each solo story focuses on a female character, a high-profile woman, and the issues raised also shine a light on gender inequality and social justice.

The show was first piloted at the 2019 VAULT Festival and received critical acclaim and now returns to London for six nights. Performed by critically acclaimed Australian actress, Gabrielle Scawthorn (The Doctor Blake Mysteries, The Killing Fields, Village Bike) and directed by Jane Moriarty (RSC, The National, Shakespeare’s Globe). Both collaborated on the show’s development with writers Iskandar Sharazuddin (Punchdrunk, The Royal Court), Lucinda Burnett (Paines Plough) and Cordelia O’Neill (HighTide Festival).

Gabrielle Scawthorn says: “In many ways, the public apology is the ultimate act of solo performance. We see so many acts of public apologies these days. You only have to read or hear the news to find public apology, or in some cases non-apology, all the time. Prince Andrew, The Pope, Justin Timberlake. We are constantly deconstructing the authenticity of this act, the way one might deconstruct a piece of theatre. This show will be a really challenging triptych of monologues that asks a lot of questions.”

Jane Moriarty adds: “There are so many questions around the act of apology that are really ripe for drama. Who is the beneficiary of an apology? What does it change? What makes an apology successful? The pieces really delve into the complex power play that is at work between the giver and the receiver of an apology, and whether we are responsible for the context of our actions.”

The Apologists is a predominantly female-led production showcasing the work of a female working-class performer, a female director and two female playwrights, as well as the work of a South-East Asian Muslim writer to a wider audience.

Broadway World UK

“Gabrielle Scawthorn is magnificent”

Lyn Gardner

⭐⭐⭐⭐

“A vivid portrayl of emotional struggle in the face of public shame”

The Upcoming

“An hour of exceptionally high quality drama”

The Plays The Thing

Creative team

Writers and their stories

Iskandar Sharazuddin ACT 1 – Excuses

Cordelia O’Neill ACT 2 – Seven, The Sweetest Hour

Lucinda Burnett ACT 3 – New Universe

Cast Gabrielle Scawthorn

Director Jane Moriarty

Lighting Designer Saul Valiunas

Composer Robert Tripolino

Omnibus Theatre, London Mar 3 – 8, 7.30pm

£13 / £11 Concessions

www.omnibus-clapham.org or 0207 498 4699

Link: https://www.omnibus-clapham.org/the-apologists/

Too Pretty To Punch

UK Tour, February – May 2020

Edalia Day’s Too Pretty To Punch is a comedy spoken word show about gender, the media and not fitting any of the boxes, full of explosive movement, original songs and kickass video projection. They are a banjo wielding, poetry slam winning, trans warrior, taking on the world one troll at a time. Too Pretty To Punch is a hilarious and uplifting journey through what it means to be trans in 21st century Britain. It reminds all of us (regardless of who we are) of the power of celebrating our existence.

★★★★★ “a magnificent tapestry of gender expectations…a digital masterpiece” Feminist Fringe

With the growth of social media, trans people all over the world are connecting – however, there’s a huge gap in people’s understanding about the issues being talked about. In this show, Edalia plays several characters, leading the audience through a mixture of comic and serious situations. They say: “I grew up in a town where if you’re trans you don’t speak up. You keep your head down and you keep out of sight. I wrote this show for places like that, where even just being visible is an act of rebellion.”

“Head-spinning, joyful, painful, funny. It’s a blast from and to the heart” Chris Thorpe

Too Pretty To Punch is a hilarious, inspiring and uplifting 60 minute journey through everything you need to know about what it means to be trans in 21st century Britain that reminds all of us (regardless of who we are) of the power of celebrating our existence.

Edalia is a transgender/non-binary spoken word artist, animator and theatre maker based in Norwich. Trained at Lecoq and Alra, their theatre is visually stunning, with physical comedy and a child like sense of play at the heart of everything they make

★★★★★ “Too Pretty to Punch is the rare queer show that I have no qualms recommending to anyone. Everyone should see this show” Broadway Baby

The first UK Tour of Friends The Musical Parody is coming to Tyne Theatre and Opera House

Sunday 1st November 2020

The New York and Las Vegas hit musical, Friends! The Musical Parody, is coming to Tyne Theatre & Opera House on Sunday 1st November 2020.

Following huge success in the US, Friends! The Musical Parody will be going on tour for the first time in the UK and Ireland.

This hilarious musical lovingly lampoons the hit TV sitcom which became a cultural institution with millions of fans across the globe.

Like the original television series, it follows the lives of six wacky 20-somethings and goes back in time to celebrate and poke fun at some of their most iconic moments as they navigate the pitfalls of work, life, and love in 1990’s Manhattan.

Led by a talented cast who nail the quirks, the mannerisms and the catchphrases of the TV Show characters. Ross, Chandler, Monica, Phoebe, Joey and Rachel, haven’t gone anywhere and are singing and dancing their way back into our hearts in a delightful musical parody that harnesses the nostalgia for the iconic TV show and takes it to hilarious new places.

Theatre Director Joanne Johnson said “We’re very excited to welcome the first UK tour of Friends – The Musical Parody onto our stage. It’s had huge success in America and the TV series still is a huge phenomenon to this day. Fans of the TV show won’t want to miss out on this.”

Tickets are priced: £30.50

Tickets on sale now at www.tynetheatreandoperahouse.uk

The York Dungeon has seen a staggering 5000,000 visitors pass through its doors since 1986.  Denise Pitts was the one to hit the jackpot when she took her mother Jeanette on a visit to York for her birthday celebrations.  Their visit to the Dungeon certainly made that day extra special.  They were given VIP treatment including coffee and cake while they waited for their tour to begin, free pictures and goody bags.

“The experience was great. We loved that the show was informative with a dash of terror and a hint of humour; also some unexpected surprises along the way! Thoroughly enjoyable. Jeanette was put into a cage for pleading insanity when accused of naked dancing and she found this absolutely hilarious. The actors were great and really got into their characters. We would highly recommend this attraction when visiting York and would like to thank everyone for making us feel so special.” Says Denise.

“The York Dungeon has been a MUST SEE since opening in 1986 and over the past 34 years we have welcomed, scared and provided amazing immersive experiences to 5 million visitors. This is a significant milestone in the history of the York Dungeon and it was great to surprise Denise and Jeanette as the visitors that hit the milestone; particularly with the help of Town Crier Ben Fry. 2020 is another exciting year for The York Dungeon with a new shows for February Half Term – ‘War of the Roses: The Bloody Battle’, Guy Fawkes in May and Séance in October for Halloween. “ says Dungeon Manager Stuart Jarman

Darlington Hippodrome – until Sunday 26 January 2020

5*****

I’ve never seen a ballet before, so I was excited to see The Russian State Ballet of Siberia’s production of Coppélia.  Whilst in Darlington they are also performing Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake and The Nutcracker.

Set in the 19th century village of Galicia, Franz (Marcello Pelizzoni) is to marry Swanilda (Elena Svinko). Franz spots a beautiful girl sitting on a balcony and cannot take his eyes off her, Swanilda is very unhappy with Franz and the pair argue. The beautiful girl is in fact a life-like mechanical doll, Coppélia (Mariami Kuloshvili) created by Dr Coppélius the toymaker (Alexander Kuimov). Later Swanilda and her friends sneak into the workshop of Dr Coppélius, where they find the mechanical dolls and discover that Coppélia is also a doll. Franz also enters the workshop and Dr Coppélius returns, chasing the girls out and seeing his chance to use Franz’s life-force to bring Coppélia to life. However Swanilda has changed into Coppélia’s clothes and the lovers escape. Of course all ends happily with the village celebrating the marriage of Franz and Swanilda.

Elena Svinko shines as Swanilda, the beauty and elegance of her movement as Swanilda grab your focus. Her exceptional expression creates a character full of depth and personality, which is portrayed throughout her whole body with every move. She is sweet and flirtatious yet cheeky and playful, and her movement reflects all elements of her character.

The final pas de deux between Svinko and Marcello Pelizzoni’s Franz is ravishing and bursting with passion – it’s a real beauty to watch. They make a sensational pair and the delicacy of their movement is breathtaking. Pelizzoni exudes the charming nature of Franz and his movement is impressive as every leap and pirouette appear effortless. Although not a huge dancing role, Alexander Kuimov’s role of Dr Coppélius uses exaggerated movement to create phenomenal humour.

Coppélia is really elevated by the company that create all the joyous dance around the action happening between Franz and Swanilda. As the dancers fill the village square with colour, the character style of dance brings vibrancy to the piece.

This beautiful ballet has been in the company repertoire for many years and it is easy to see why it is such a firm favourite. It has a ravishing score by Delibes, played beautifully by the Russian State Ballet Orchestra. This is an enchanting family-friendly ballet that is easy to understand, joyous and witty from start to end.