FEATURES Archives - Page 5 of 12

Spotlight on actor Alan Cox and the Marlowe Sessions at The Malthouse Theatre, Canterbury

13Jun

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

Interviews

Spotlight on actor Alan Cox and the Marlowe Sessions at The Malthouse Theatre, Canterbury

For lovers of the classical canon, experiencing the making of this immersive audio recording just begs for your attendance. With the cream of the classical acting crop taking part, the Marlowe Sessions feature all seven of Christopher Marlowe’s plays and performances of his poetry. Our Deputy Editor, Caroline Worswick chatted to actor Alan Cox who takes on the role of Tamburlaine in Parts 1 & 2. To find out more about this unique venture and to book tickets, go to - https://malthousetheatre.co.uk/the-marlowe-sessions/ Can you explain what the Marlowe Sessions are, and what your involvement is? The Marlowe Sessions is the brainchild of Ray Mia and Mark Rice-Oxley and involves the audio capture of the complete dramatic works of Christopher Marlowe on the stage...

Lea Salonga talks about touring and the best fish and chips

9Jun

By David S ClarkeNo Comments

Interviews

Lea Salonga talks about touring and the best fish and chips

International musical theatre legend Lea Salonga visits the UK later this month to perform a number of concerts. Ahead of the first date in Leicester our reviewer David Clarke spoke to Lea about the tour and finds out if she is most proud of her Olivier or Tony Award. Can I start by saying on behalf of Northwest End UK and your multitude of fans over here, a very warm welcome to the UK – or should that be welcome back to the UK, because this is not your first visit here, is it? Yes, I have been before and that was not that long ago, it was just three years ago. So, your first tour in the UK was 2019, was that the one that had to be rearranged because you suffered an injury? Actually, no, it didn’t have to be rearranged because by the time I actually arrived in the UK – I had br...

Dianne Buswell is ready to Burn The Floor this summer

7Jun

By Leanne RushtonNo Comments

Interviews

Dianne Buswell is ready to Burn The Floor this summer

The original Broadway production of Jason Gilkison’s BURN THE FLOOR is being recreated for a strictly limited tour in July 2022. THE REUNION features some of the most celebrated alumni of Burn the Floor including Strictly Come Dancing’s Aljaž Škorjanec, Kevin Clifton, Janette Manrara, Karen Hauer, Dianne Buswell, Joanne Clifton, Luba Mushtuk, Kai Widdrington & Robin Windsor, plus more cast just announced. Ahead of the tour hitting the road next month we sat down with one of its stars Dianne Buswell to talk all things dance. What is your favourite dance of the show? Although they’ve not started rehearsals Dianne said she’d been in the show for 8 years before Strictly! She said she really hopes that ‘Ballroom Beat’ is in the show again though as she says the music and choreography ...

Maggie May change minds at Leeds Playhouse

28Apr

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Interviews

Maggie May change minds at Leeds Playhouse

In the UK there are nearly a million people living with dementia, and Leeds Playhouse’s new play Maggie May follows an ordinary woman’s journey through Alzheimer’s Disease. Like so many Maggie is devastated by her diagnosis trying to hide it from loved ones who offer support as she finds a way to live a fulfilling and rewarding life on her own terms. Given the sensitivities of the subject matter that impacts on so many families award-winning writer Frances Poet has worked really closely with people living with dementia to give Maggie an authentic voice as she makes sense of her new world. Our Yorkshire Editor Paul Clarke found out more from Brookside legend Eithne Browne about the challenges and joy of playing Maggie. Tell me a little bit about Maggie? She ran the school kit...

21Apr

By Priya GuptaNo Comments

Interviews

Diversity talk about Connected on tour

Diversity tells us how Covid amplified the importance of this tour, and how lucky they feel to have such brilliant fans as they talk to our Birmingham reviewer Priya Gupta. Ashley and Jordan Banjo and Perri Kylie tell us on their diversity connected tour the sheer coincidence of their tour is more relevant than ever due to the past couple of years. They also discuss how supportive and dedicated their fan base is. This is a jampacked tour for diversity, with 80 shows in the pipeline. They shared that it feels amazing to be back in jam-packed theatres, being able to do what they love and that getting the crowd’s reaction is something that they have missed. The response has been bigger and better on this tour, and this could be because many of the shows have been sold out. For them it f...

Mikron Theatre Company tell us how they keep relevant and their loyal fans happy.

18Apr

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Interviews

Mikron Theatre Company tell us how they keep relevant and their loyal fans happy.

Mikron Theatre Company’s Artistic Director Marianne McNamara tells us on their fiftieth anniversary how they keep relevant and their loyal fans happy. Not many theatre companies celebrate their fiftieth anniversary, but Mikron Theatre Company have always done things a bit differently which is why they have survived for so long. For a start they tour round the country with the cast living on the company’s own narrowboat named Tyseley, but they have a strong social conscience so commission new work that makes people laugh, and also think a bit about the world around them. Not surprisingly given their longevity they have developed a loyal fanbase who have been happy to dip into their pockets to keep the boat on the water through some hard times and more recently a global pandemic. ...

Red Ladder Local takes theatre to people where they live

5Apr

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Interviews

Red Ladder Local takes theatre to people where they live

If there was one company you might expect to take theatre out of its safe traditional spaces playing to the usual suspects it would be radical mischief makers Red Ladder. Since 1968 this decidedly left leaning company has created work that challenges the way we think about the world, so it’s no surprise they created Red Ladder Local. Like all great ideas it is simple. Instead of just playing big theatres, Red Ladder and other companies take scaled down, but high-quality, productions to non-traditional venues like community centres, pubs and working men’s clubs. It all started when Red Ladder’s producer Chris Lloyd went along to the then Yorkshire Playhouse to see a new short play called Playing The Joker, and he had a lightbulb moment which led years later to the creation of Red L...

The Ultimate Theatre Etiquette Behaviour Guide

27Mar

By Craig HepworthNo Comments

Blogs

The Ultimate Theatre Etiquette Behaviour Guide

OK, so we spent 2 years in our favourite slouchy clothes eating far too much ice cream whilst binge watching everything that every streaming platform had to offer. The Pandemic changed the way we all existed daily, from the moment we got up to the moment we fell asleep, everything changed. Whilst the pandemic is not over, life has started to return to normal, with one of the final industries to get back to a somewhat pre pandemic existence being theatre. However, this return hasn't gone as smoothly for some people, those people just excited to be back out in entertainment venues living their best lives, as they should. The problem is though, it seems like some audience members have completely forgotten about theatre etiquette if the message boards are anything to go by. For the past few...

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 ...

Wrongsemble take the ugly sisters to the people

21Mar

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Interviews

Wrongsemble take the ugly sisters to the people

Wrongsemble take the ugly sisters to the people Traditionally the ugly sisters have been the perennial villains in Cinderella but maybe it’s so quite so simple is the idea behind a new show from Wrongsemble The Leeds based company set themselves up to make work for families, and The Not So Ugly Sisters takes a look at the classic fairy tale from their perspective for the very first time. Written and directed by their founder Elvi Piper, sisters Dolly and Barb are in their northern hair salon as kid sister Cindy prepares to marry her prince charming, but they’ve not been invited to the wedding. This bittersweet musical retelling of a story familiar to every child (and adult) aims to make us think about the sisters in a very different way. The two hander with a new cast is headin...