Paul Downham, Author at North West End UK

Derren Brown’s SHOWMAN: New 2021 tour dates announced for Blackpool

15Mar

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Derren Brown’s SHOWMAN: New 2021 tour dates announced for Blackpool

He’s finally back! This October, Derren Brown, the popular multi-award winning master of mind control and illusion, will bring SHOWMAN, his first new live show for six years to the Opera House Blackpool from Friday 01st – Saturday 02nd October 2021. Not suitable for under 12s Derren’s live shows have won him two prestigious Olivier Awards – for Something Wicked This Way Comes (2006) and Svengali (2012) and he has received more Olivier nominations and wins than any other one-man show in theatre history. He has played to sold-out houses across the country every year since 2003 to over 1.6M people. Previous shows, Infamous, (2013, 2014), Miracle (2015, 2016) and Underground (2017, 2018) have also enjoyed critically acclaimed seasons in London’s West End. In 2017 he made an award-winning...

‘The Largest Beer Garden In London’ The Terrace will open on 12th April at Alexandra Palace

15Mar

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

‘The Largest Beer Garden In London’ The Terrace will open on 12th April at Alexandra Palace

Alexandra Palace has announced that it will be reopening The Terrace on Monday, 12th April, with bookings available now. With iconic, panoramic views across the city, and the Palace’s 196 acre park, and able to host up to 400 socially distanced customers at any one time, the Terrace is arguably London’s largest beer garden. The Terrace will feature street food vendors including Browski Burger and Last Night A Vegan Saved My Life and a large, well-stocked bar, so you can enjoy craft beers, prosecco, wine, soft drinks, a cocktail menu and more. Service will run from 12.30pm each day, with table service and a range of social distancing protocols in place to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience. To book your table go to www.alexandrapalace.com/the-terrace/book-now/ With unparalleled vi...

15Mar

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

REVIEWS

Chatroom – Northern Comedy Theatre

“You just need to know someone’s listening. That’s enough, isn’t it?” Irish playwright Enda Walsh’s chilling dark comedy ‘Chatroom’ finds its way to a digital adaptation presented by the Northern Comedy Theatre. Originally written in 2005, Chatroom delves into the lives of a group of bored and restless teenagers – William, Jack, Eva, Emily and Laura – who occupy the dark corners of the internet in anonymous chat rooms, swapping stories about dysfunctional families, discussing obscure pop culture and even attempting to solve the troubles that plague them, together. However, the light-hearted banter and the occasional jibes take a dark turn when a new member named Jim joins the chat and shares his thoughts about his struggles with depression, anxiety and suicide. As relevant as the day it...

14Mar

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Mark Goucher Productions announces new dates for Hairspray and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert UK Tours

After the announcement from the Government that theatres across the UK should be allowed to open on 21st June 2021, subject to conditions being met across progress in the suppression of the Coronavirus pandemic, Mark Goucher, CEO at Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham has decided to announce the return of two of the most popular musical theatre productions. Goucher’s independent producing company will tour Hairspray and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert across the UK beginning in Plymouth and Cheltenham respectively. Thanks to a loan from the Cultural Recovery Fund, Goucher has been able to remount both productions in a timely fashion. Mark Goucher said: “As the manager of Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham I am acutely aware that venues up and down the UK are crying out for shows. It is vital that we ...

Theatres Trust supports 40 more UK theatres become Covid-safe in final round of Reopening Fund Grants

14Mar

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NEWS

Theatres Trust supports 40 more UK theatres become Covid-safe in final round of Reopening Fund Grants

Theatres Trust supports 40 more theatres with final Theatre Reopening Fund grants The national public advisory body for theatre has awarded a further £155,265 of grants to help theatres with costs of Covid-secure reopening, including changes to the building to reduce congestion, improvements to ventilation systems and simple measures like installing hand sanitisers and screens. The theatres supported reflect the vital elements that make up the theatre ecosystem with awards made to significant producing theatres – Hampstead Theatre, Lyric Hammersmith, Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Theatre Royal Bath – major receiving houses Capital Theatres and Worthing Theatres, venues specialising in dance (Northern Ballet), new writing (Traverse, New Diorama, Gate Theatre) and one of the country’s fe...

14Mar

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

REVIEWS

Treason The Musical – Cadogan Hall

“Treason The Musical”, follows the story of the 1605 gunpowder plot from the perspective of the conspirators: Robert Catesby, Thomas Percy, Tom Winter and John Wright. Beautifully filmed at the dramatic Cadogan Hall, this concert presentation showcases the bones of the show, with key songs and moments linked together by rhyming narrative. With music and lyrics by Rickie Allan and book by Allan and Keiran Lynn, this presentation runs under an hour but packs in a real taste of the show. The creative team, including director Hannah Chissick have a clear vision; the show is clean, consistent in style and the story is confidently portrayed. The musical opens in 1603, where a dying Queen Elizabeth I is under pressure to name an heir with no children of her own. Life under Protestant rule h...

Orpheus In the Record Shop wins BBC Lights Up slot

12Mar

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NEWS

Orpheus In the Record Shop wins BBC Lights Up slot

Leeds Playhouse and Opera North’s innovative co-production of beatboxer Testament’s Orpheus in The Record Shop has won a slot in the BBC Lights up programme. Orpheus In the Record Store was originally staged at Leeds Playhouse in October 2020 as part of the Connected Voices co-production season with Opera North fusing classic and contemporary theatre on the themes of isolation, connection, resilience and reflection. Leeds-based rapper, writer and world record holding beatboxer Testament was commissioned to explore the power of the solo voice, within a communal space and the relationship between performer and audience. Testament’s beatboxing weaved round musicians from the Orchestra of Opera North that gave the Greek myth of Orpheus a contemporary Yorkshire twist. There was somethi...

The Prince of Egypt Reopens at the Dominion Theatre on 1st July

12Mar

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NEWS

The Prince of Egypt Reopens at the Dominion Theatre on 1st July

THE PRINCE OF EGYPT, the hit musical based on the classic DreamWorks Animation film, will resume performances at London’s Dominion Theatre on Thursday 1st July 2021 with public booking now extended until Saturday 8th January 2022. Tickets will be on sale from 12 noon (GMT) today (Friday 12th March 2021) and are available via www.ThePrinceofEgyptMusical.com For the safety of audiences and The Prince of Egypt company, and out of an abundance of caution in allowing for delays in the current steps set out in UK Government’s roadmap, performances between Thursday 1st July and Saturday 4th September 2021 will take place under Step 3 protocols (social distancing)*. Performances from Monday 6th September 2021 onwards will operate under Step 4 protocols (all legal limits on social contact rem...

John Owen-Jones: Celebrating his 50th Birthday at Cadogan Hall

12Mar

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NEWS

John Owen-Jones: Celebrating his 50th Birthday at Cadogan Hall

Lambert Jackson today announce John Owen-Jones: Celebrating his 50th Birthday, a special one-off concert to mark this milestone. Featuring some of John’s favourite songs with a 5-piece band, the concert is performed live at Cadogan Hall with a socially distanced audience, and is also available to live-stream via Vimeo on Saturday 19th June 2021, 5pm. John Owen-Jones said today, “It's been well over a year since I last performed a solo show to a live audience and I'm really excited about getting back on stage and performing at one of my favourite venues in London, the gorgeous Cadogan Hall. It's going to be a great night. What a way to celebrate the big five oh!” Jamie Lambert and Eliza Jackson, CEO and Creative Director of Lambert Jackson, also commented, “John is one of the greatest...

MAMMA MIA! comes to Harewood House this summer

12Mar

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

MAMMA MIA! comes to Harewood House this summer

The sensational feel-good musical MAMMA MIA! will come to Harewood House in the heart of Yorkshire this summer from 13th – 30th August 2021 for audiences to enjoy the original stage show in the open air for the first time. Tickets are on sale to the public from Friday 19th March 2021, 10am. Playing 23 performances only with a strictly limited capacity, this will be part of the MAMMA MIA! UK & International Tour celebrating 22 years since MAMMA MIA! premiered in London in April 1999. Fall in love with the irresistibly funny tale of a mother, a daughter and three possible dads on a Greek island idyll, all unfolding to the magic of ABBA’s timeless songs. Since premiering in London’s West End over 21 years ago the world’s sunniest and most exhilarating smash-hit musical has been turn...