Caroline Worswick

Ian McKellen to star in HAMLET at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe

30Mar

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

NEWS

Ian McKellen to star in HAMLET at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Ian McKellen and Peter Schaufuss will collaborate and perform together at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in the world premiere of HAMLET a new performance concept adapted from Shakespeare’s play from the 2nd – 28th August 2022 at Ashton Hall, Saint Stephens Theatre, 105 St Stephen Street, Edinburgh. In his long and distinguished career, Ian McKellen has played Hamlet twice, in productions 50 years apart. In 1971 he took the role on tour and in the West End and then last year, aged 81, he revisited it in an age, colour, and gender-blind production at the Theatre Royal, Windsor. Despite Covid, that four-month run was completely sold out. Now McKellen is to return to Hamlet in a world première at the 2022 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, performing with the Edinburgh Festival Ballet Compan...

A Spotlight on Keith Merrill, Artistic Director of The Salon

24Mar

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

Interviews

A Spotlight on Keith Merrill, Artistic Director of The Salon

Ahead of the script-in-hand staged reading of Ghosts at The Other Palace on the 31st March, Caroline Worswick, Deputy Editor of North West End UK, discusses the upcoming show and what the ethos is behind The Salon. This collaborative support network for upcoming talent also brings the audience a new dimension in theatre entertainment which combines cabaret and theatre for your evening of entertainment. The Salon in its first few shows has attracted international actors to perform for the company with a range of interesting scripts with unique adaptations. To find out more about The Salon and to book tickets go to - https://www.thesalonuk.biz/ and The Other Palace’s website - https://theotherpalace.co.uk/ghosts/ You created The Salon in a basement in New York in 2012, with a plan ...

19Feb

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

London

The Forest – Hampstead Theatre

French playwright Florian Zeller describes his plays as ‘little labyrinths in which we can get lost, and sometimes, find ourselves’. This play is a masterpiece by the writer, in which its cleverness holds your mind hostage so that it is cornered and coerced into exploring the avenues that the plot leads you down. Written in French, translator Christopher Hampton has interpreted Zeller’s nuances and according to Zeller, their collaboration comes from his deep respect for Hampton’s great sensitivity and precision. It is important to explain that the cleverness of this play is not only due to the writing, but the director Jonathan Kent’s interpretation of the writing, which encourages designer Anna Fleischle to create a three-set stage to enable the cast to play out this ...

17Feb

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

London

Steve – Seven Dials Playhouse

The newly refurbished Tristan Bates Theatre (now renamed Seven Dials Playhouse) is the perfect setting for this play in which the first scene takes place in a Joe Allen restaurant, and the New York bar setting of the theatre compliments this perfectly. The writer Mark Gerrard has (rather annoyingly) called three of the characters similar names, Stephen (Joe Aaron Reid), Steven (David Ames), and their son Stevie, who we do not see, but who is talked about extensively. The annoying aspect is that it does take some time to understand who is who at the outset, so some of the nuances of the first scene may be lost as you figure out which Steven/Stephen/Stevie, they are talking about. Five old friends meet at Joe Allen’s to celebrate Steven’s birthday, Carrie (Jenna Russell...

The Ballad of Maria Marten – Wilton’s Music Hall

17Feb

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

London

The Ballad of Maria Marten – Wilton’s Music Hall

Set in the 1820’s, writer Beth Flintoff and Artistic Director Ivan Cutting were keen to tell this age-old story of the death of Maria Marten from the viewpoint of the victim. The story has been told in many ways previously, but tended to look at the murderer, William Corder, rather than taking an interest in Maria Marten’s life. Maria (Elizabeth Crarer), lived in a small rural village called Polstead where she had grown up in poverty losing her mother at an early age. This led to her looking after the house at age 10, until her father met and married Ann (Sarah Goddard) who was kindly and took over many of these tasks, so that Maria could finally have a childhood. She played with her friends who formed a club called the ‘hazard club’, in which they dared each oth...

Interview: Crystal Skillman, writer of Rain and Zoe Save The World

4Feb

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

Interviews

Interview: Crystal Skillman, writer of Rain and Zoe Save The World

Jermyn Street Theatre is one of London’s best loved West End theatres. It may be small, but it is lion-hearted in its approach to programming interesting and challenging shows and Rain and Zoe Save The World is no exception. Crystal Skillman discusses her new play and touches on why she chose a UK theatre as a place to premiere her work and what drove her to write such a contemporary play that echoes what is at the forefront of current news, which has also united the younger generation. The play runs from the 10th of February until the 12th of March. To buy tickets and to find out further information, go to the Jermyn Street Theatre website by following this link - https://www.jermynstreettheatre.co.uk/show/rain-and-zoe-save-the-world/ Without giving away any spoilers, c...

A Day Out at Shakespeare’s Theatre – A Bit Lit

17Jan

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

REVIEWS

A Day Out at Shakespeare’s Theatre – A Bit Lit

‘A Bit Lit’ is the brainchild of Andy Kesson and Jimmy Tucker and is a learning platform which offers the opportunity to learn about early modern theatre in a fun and immersive way. ‘A Day Out at Shakespeare’s Theatre’, was the launch event for this learning platform, and all the stops were pulled out to make the two hours of this Zoom event, fun and imaginative. It all began with an introduction by actor Simon Russell Beale and teacher Emma Smith who decided to go on a date to a theatre. The discussion highlighted a typical date at the theatre, food, a show and may be some bearbaiting or cock fighting if the show was not to their taste. Then we heard from B K Adams, Sarah Dustagheer and Elizabeth Tavares who presented a vision of the early modern theatre, building a pict...

Andy Kesson and Jimmy Tucker, joint founders of ‘A Bit Lit’

7Jan

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

Interviews

Andy Kesson and Jimmy Tucker, joint founders of ‘A Bit Lit’

After hearing Andy Kesson speak at a Shakespeare Festival a couple of years ago, I was eager to find out more about the newly formed collaboration ‘A Bit Lit’. Founded by couple Andy Kesson and Jimmy Tucker, they are excited to share their passion for Shakespeare with others who wish to learn about the culture of the 1600’s. Using performance, this will be a truly interactive, inclusive way of learning. A Bit Lit’s A Day Out in Shakespeare’s Theatre will take place on Saturday 15th January 4pm–6pm, and will be followed by a longer course, How to Make an Elizabethan Theatre starting 14th February. To find out more and book tickets visit - https://abitlit.co/ Further courses and events will be announced soon. Your first course A Day Out in Shakespeare’s Theatre, offe...

Into The Night – Original Theatre Company

29Dec

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

REVIEWS

Into The Night – Original Theatre Company

On the 19th December 1981, the Penlee lifeboat the ‘Solomon Browne’ was launched with a crew of eight men (including the coxswain), to rescue the crew from a coaster, the ‘Union Star’, which was in danger of foundering on the jagged rocks of the West Cornwall coastline. There were sixteen lives lost that terrible night as the bad weather conditions made the rescue impossible. The Original Theatre Company, in collaboration with writer Frazer Flintham and the author of ‘Penlee – The Loss of a Lifeboat’, Michael Sagar-Fenton, have brought together their skills as theatre makers, with North South who specialise in bringing the stage to the screen. Writer Frazer Flintham had the difficult task of bringing together the historical detail, whilst always considering that the viewe...

A Show With No Name – Woodford War Memorial Community Centre

26Nov

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

North West

A Show With No Name – Woodford War Memorial Community Centre

A musical theatre show is always a must in the calendar of a theatre lover, and after a warm welcome at the door, the audience were in for a treat. The Company put together a very well thought out programme of musical favourites, but also included some less well known but equally deserving songs. The staging was kept simple which kept the showing flowing, and cast changes were sleek and went without a hitch. The show began with ‘A Million Dreams’ sang by David Lambert and Gilly Thompson with wonderful support from the ensemble, this was an easily recognizable winner to begin with. The trio of songs from Les Misérables were well performed with a passionate delivery of one of my personal favourite songs, ‘On My Own’ by Abi Frost. Steve Sheppard treated us to a remarka...