Paul Downham, Author at North West End UK

9Feb

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Birmingham Rep Announce Free Open Day

Birmingham Rep are offering members of the public a chance to take a peek behind the scenes at the city’s only premiere producing theatre with a free Open Day on Saturday 26th February. The full day of activities for all the family will take members of the public behind the scenes of Birmingham’s famous theatre, the only large-scale theatre in the city that builds all of its own productions on site from scratch, including huge sets and beautiful costumes. From 10am-4pm, families can enjoy backstage tours, workshops, performances, technical demonstrations, heritage talks plus the chance to purchase incredible garments in The Rep’s costume sale. Artistic Director, Sean Foley and Executive Director, Rachael Thomas said; “We are thrilled to be throwing open our doors and inviting the ...

Greatest second world war escape plan comes to the stage

25Jan

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NEWS

Greatest second world war escape plan comes to the stage

In 1944 76 allied prisoners of war escaped from Stalag Luft III and new play Tom, Dick and Harry tells their remarkable story. Tom, Dick and Harry were the codenames for three tunnels dug by the prisoners from many different nations deep under the camp’s barbed wire fence that were designed to support their mass escape. Newcastle-under-Lyme's New Vic Theatre and Kenny Wax Ltd are producing an original script co-written by Andrew Pollard, Michael Hugo and Theresa Heskins inspired by top secret information that was classified in the war archives until 1972. They will be debunking the myths while honouring the people who engineered the tunnels and their unrelenting resistance to their Nazi captors. “We’ll tell it as a really dynamic, vibrant piece of theatre that celebrates th...

One Man, Two Guvnors – Farnworth Little Theatre

16Jan

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North West

One Man, Two Guvnors – Farnworth Little Theatre

Richard Bean’s hilarious One Man, Two Guvnors is the perfect antidote to the January blues, and Farnworth Little Theatre and director Natalie Crompton have gathered a superb cast to administer said antidote. We are in Brighton in the year 1963 and Francis Henshall (Phil Harrison) has just been fired from his skiffle band. In search of food (and romance), he soon finds himself juggling not one but two new jobs. What Francis doesn’t know is that his first guvnor, small time crook Roscoe Crabbe, is Roscoe’s twin sister Rachel (Ellie Murphy), in disguise as her dead brother, who was killed by her boyfriend, Stanley Stubbers (James Haslam). To complicate matters further, Francis’ second boss is none other than Stubbers, on the run and desperate to be reunited with Rachel. All Francis need...

To Kill a Mocking Bird announces casting

7Jan

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NEWS

To Kill a Mocking Bird announces casting

Barry Diller and Sonia Friedman announce the full cast for the West End production of To Kill a Mockingbird. Joining the previously announced Rafe Spall (Atticus Finch) are Harry Attwell (Mr Cunningham/Boo Radley), Amanda Boxer (Mrs Henry Dubose), Poppy Lee Friar (Mayella Ewell), John Hastings (Bailiff), Simon Hepworth (Mr Roscoe/Dr Reynolds), Laura Howard (Miss Stephanie/Dill’s Mother), Lloyd Hutchinson (Link Deas), Gwyneth Keyworth (Scout Finch), Tom Mannion (Sheriff Heck Tate), David Moorst (Dill Harris), Pamela Nomvete (Calpurnia), Jim Norton (Judge Taylor), Patrick O’Kane (Bob Ewell), Jude Owusu (Tom Robinson), Harry Redding (Jem Finch), David Sturzaker (Horace Gilmer) and Natasha Williams (Mrs Dubose’s Maid), with Helen Belbin, Laurence Belcher, Paul Birchard, Ryan Ellsworth, Rebecca...

2022 Pantomime announced for Blackpool Grand Theatre

2Dec

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NEWS

2022 Pantomime announced for Blackpool Grand Theatre

It’s never too early to book your seats for next year’s magical family pantomime Sleeping Beauty at Blackpool Grand Theatre. Oh no it isn’t! And so, says the limited availability for this year’s incredible production! Wakey Wakey…. Don’t miss out on the spellbinding tale of Sleeping Beauty starring Grand panto favourite Steve Royle. Tickets go on sale on Friday 3rd December at 2pm… A beautiful Princess pricks her finger on a spindle wheel which has been cursed by the evil Carabosse at her 18th Birthday party. Can the Good Fairy's magical spell break the curse? The Princess can only be awoken by true love's kiss. Will she find her true love and live happily ever after? The fabulous family pantomime at Blackpool’s Grand Theatre is always a laugh-a-minute extravaganza with stunnin...

From Japan to Leeds Playhouse – Rupert Hands

2Dec

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Interviews

From Japan to Leeds Playhouse – Rupert Hands

The annual festive shows at Leeds Playhouse have become must see spectaculars for theatre lovers across West Yorkshire and this year they recruited a massive cast to rethink the legend of Peter Pan Wendy & Peter offers a new spin on the JM Barrie classic as writer Ella Hickson has decided to tell the story through Wendy Darling's eyes, but audiences can rest assured it’s still going to be a rollicking tale of a battle in Neverland with the dastardly Captain Hook full of flying, fighting and fun. This version of the beloved tale of the boy who won’t grow up started life at the Royal Shakespeare Company and has just returned from a critically acclaimed run in Tokyo. There the creative team added an epic score by Japanese composer Shuhei Kamimura and added some Anime video design. ...

Bugsy Malone gets first ever professional UK tour

30Nov

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NEWS

Bugsy Malone gets first ever professional UK tour

Theatre Royal Bath Productions, Birmingham Rep and Kenny Wax present a revival of Lyric Hammersmith Theatre’s universally acclaimed, sell-out production of Bugsy Malone which will open at Theatre Royal Bath with performances from 2nd July 2022, followed by Birmingham Rep from 27th July 2022, prior to a major national tour including Southampton Mayflower from 30th August 2022, with further venues to be announced. The world-famous musical Bugsy Malone is based on the hit 1976 movie by Alan Parker whose long catalogue of films have won nineteen BAFTA® awards, ten Golden Globes® and six Oscars®. Packed with instantly recognisable songs from Oscar®-winner Paul Williams including My Name is Tallulah, You Give A Little Love and Fat Sam’s Grand Slam, Bugsy Malone is a masterclass of musical com...

Tripartite – Slip Theatre Company Stage@Leeds

26Nov

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Yorkshire & Humber

Tripartite – Slip Theatre Company Stage@Leeds

It has been 125 years since Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud developed the practice of psychoanalysis. In the ensuing century, his book 'The Interpretation of Dreams', became the touchstone for psychology and psychiatry worldwide, assisting millions of people towards better mental health. As we emerge from a pandemic which has taken its toll on the entire population, it is timely that Slip Theatre has devised an accessible and illuminating piece of theatre to explore Freud's theories and their place in the modern world. We are introduced to this abstruse and theoretical world through the vehicle of a Greek chorus (Liv Taylor-Goy, Eden Vaughan, Lucy Tait). Clad in white lab coats, they outline the basics of Freudian theory with clarity and humour, Taylor- Goy and Vaughan bickering whil...

Sunset Boulevard at Royal Albert Hall for one night only

19Nov

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NEWS

Sunset Boulevard at Royal Albert Hall for one night only

In a special, one-night-only concert, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Don Black and Christopher Hampton’s iconic musical Sunset Boulevard will dazzle audiences at the Royal Albert Hall on Friday 3rd December. Presented by The Alpha Family, in association with Quick Fantastic, the concert reunites stars Mazz Murray (Mamma Mia; We Will Rock You) as Norma Desmond, Ramin Karimloo (Les Misérables; Phantom of the Opera) as Joe Gillis, Zizi Strallen (Mary Poppins) as Betty Schaefer and Jeremy Secomb (Les Misérables) as Max von Mayerling. Based on Billy Wilder’s legendary 1950 film starring Gloria Swanson, Sunset Boulevard is heading to the Royal Albert Hall following a critically acclaimed performance at Alexandra Palace earlier this year. The 19-strong cast will be accompanied by a 40-piece orchestra on...

New Production of GREASE to open at the Dominion Theatre in May 2022

18Nov

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NEWS

New Production of GREASE to open at the Dominion Theatre in May 2022

Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey’s iconic musical GREASE will return to the Dominion Theatre in London’s West End, with new staging and choreography, opening on Tuesday 10th May 2022, with previews from Tuesday 3rd May 2022. GREASE is directed by Nikolai Foster and choreographed by Arlene Phillips. Casting is to be announced. Colin Ingram, lead producer said: “This is the first new production of Grease in the West End for 29 years, so we are excited to be bringing this grittier version to the Dominion Theatre. All the familiar songs from the film are included, plus some of the songs and script from the very first production which will be new to audiences. Directed by the brilliant Nikolai Foster and choreographed by the legendary Arlene Phillips, they have done an incredible job of reim...