Thursday, November 14

NEWS

Star-studded West End Gala at London Palladium
NEWS

Star-studded West End Gala at London Palladium

A star-studded company will appear on stage at the London Palladium in a West End Gala charity concert of a new musical, AT LAST, IT’S SUMMER by Clive Richard Davis. Directed by Ian Talbot, and with choreography from Jordan Langford, At Last It’s Summer will be staged at the London Palladium on Sunday 16th April at 7.30pm, with all ticket sales in aid of Parkinson’s UK. Louise Dearman will star as ‘Lady Serina Stanwick, Rob Houchen as ‘Count Orilov’, Joanna Riding as ‘Countess Orilov’, Gary Wilmot as ‘Mr Wellbeloved’, Gerard Carey as ‘Gerald’, Steve Fortune as ‘Sir Garfield Sykes’, Kelly Mathieson as ‘Lady Alice Stanwick’, Shannon Rewcroft as ‘Francesca’, and with Alan Titchmarsh as the Narrator. Larry Blank orchestrates a sumptuous score and will lead a 35-piece orchestra, alongside...
Corrie legend Paula Lane takes a trip down Quality Street at Leeds Playhouse
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Corrie legend Paula Lane takes a trip down Quality Street at Leeds Playhouse

Coronation Street Paula Lane made her name playing tough nut with a soft centre Kylie Platt and takes the lead role of Phoebe Throssel as bittersweet musical Quality Street comes to Leeds Playhouse. The marvellously moreish show was created with a team of retired workers from the Halifax factory where Quality Street™ chocolates have been proudly made since 1936 as they wrap the action in their witty and outrageous observations.   The story centres on the romantic entanglements of Phoebe Throssel who runs a school for unruly children on Quality Street, and ten years after a tearful goodbye an old flame returns from fighting Napoleon. But the look of disappointment on Captain Valentine’s face when he greets an older, less glamorous Phoebe, spurs our determined heroine into action....
Alan Bennett joins 1001 Stories at Leeds Playhouse
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Alan Bennett joins 1001 Stories at Leeds Playhouse

Local legend Alan Bennett makes a rare public appearance at Leeds Playhouse to join 1001 Stories that gives a voice to the pioneering generations who have lived life to the full and are still here to share their incredible stories. As part of this innovative two-week takeover from 24th April to May 4th, the multi award winning actor, author, playwright and screenwriter, best known for The Madness of King George, The History Boys and The Lady in the Van, will return to his home city just days before his 89th birthday on May 7th. 1001 Voices was originated by Leeds-based The Performance Ensemble, and developed with Leeds Playhouse, Leeds Older People’s Forum, Leeds Museums and Galleries and Leeds 2023 to give a voice to share incredible stories of love and family, of the everyday and t...
Peter Pan Goes Wrong flies into the West End for 7 ½ weeks only
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Peter Pan Goes Wrong flies into the West End for 7 ½ weeks only

Mischief, creators of the multi award-winning sell-out success The Play That Goes Wrong, The Comedy About A Bank Robbery and the BBC TV comedy series The Goes Wrong Show, announce the return of Peter Pan Goes Wrong to the West End for 7 ½ weeks only at the Lyric Theatre this Christmas (Thursday 23rd November 2023 – Sunday 14th January 2024, with a Gala Performance on Tuesday 28th November). Tickets go on sale via Mischief and the Box Office at www.PeterPanGoesWrongLive.com at 10am on Monday 27th March. Full casting will be confirmed at a later date. Peter Pan Goes Wrong embarks on a UK tour from September 2023 and can currently be seen around the globe, with original members of the Mischief company now previewing on Broadway, officially opening on Wednesday 19th April. Kenny Wax, Pro...
Shrek The Musical set to embark on huge 31 venue UK and Ireland Tour
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Shrek The Musical set to embark on huge 31 venue UK and Ireland Tour

Shrek-tastic images have been released today of some of the principal cast in character ahead of the upcoming Shrek The Musical UK and Ireland Tour. Previously announced by producers Mark Goucher, Gavin Kalin and Matthew Gale, the Shrektacular principal cast line-up includes Antony Lawrence (Shrek), Joanne Clifton (Princess Fiona), James Gillan (Lord Farquaad) and Brandon Lee Sears (Donkey) in the brand-new production of Shrek the Musical. Opening at Theatre Royal Plymouth on 21st July 2023, the smash hit musical will tour through to April 2024 to a total of 31 venues.  Antony Lawrence (Shrek) recently played Scar in The Lion King (International Tour) as well as performed in Mary Poppins (National Tour), Matilda the Musical (Cambridge Theatre/RSC) and We Will Rock You (Internationa...
Frantic Assembly bring Metamorphosis to the Lowry
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Frantic Assembly bring Metamorphosis to the Lowry

Full tour dates have been announced for Frantic Assembly’s new adaptation of Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis, a collaboration between internationally celebrated poet, playwright and broadcaster Lemn Sissay OBE and Frantic Assembly’s Artistic Director Scott Graham (Othello, Lovesong, Beautiful Burnout).   The new production will premiere at Theatre Royal Plymouth from 12th – 16th September 2023, before embarking on an extensive UK tour arriving at The Lowry, Salford from 14th – 18th November 2023. Further creative team are also announced. Metamorphosis will be adapted by Lemn Sissay, directed by Scott Graham, designed by Jon Bausor, with video design by Ian William Galloway, music composed by Stefan Janik and sound design by Helen Skiera.  The associate director is David Gilbe...
Comedy Festival to celebrate Blackpool’s legacy of laughter
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Comedy Festival to celebrate Blackpool’s legacy of laughter

Summer spectacular spearheaded by Eddie Izzard & Seann Walsh at the Winter Gardens Blackpool The Winter Gardens Blackpool has joined forces with the Comedy Station to deliver two high profile, side-splitting line-ups on 7 & 8th July 2023 as part of a weekend of entertainment as part of the Blackpool Comedy Festival which returns for the first time since 2019.   Compere Ryan Gleeson will host Friday Night Laughs and Saturday Live! welcoming some of the best stand up and most celebrated comedians to the Opera House stage. Friday Night Live will feature MC Ryan Gleeson, Jojo Sutherland, Angelos Epithemiou, Tom Stade and Eddie Izzard. Eddie is one of the most celebrated comics of her generation since the early nineties and has an equally stellar reputation as a film, tele...
Putin on the Ritz – Spitting Image is heading for the West End
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Putin on the Ritz – Spitting Image is heading for the West End

Idiots Assemble: Spitting Image The Musical  written by a tour de force comedy team made up of  Al Murray (The Pub Landlord) Matt Forde (The Political Party) and double Olivier award winner Sean Foley (The Upstart Crow, The Play What I Wrote) makes its West End Premiere at the Phoenix Theatre in London. Critically acclaimed when it was developed at the Birmingham Rep earlier this year,  the show is directed by the Rep's Artistic Director Sean Foley alongside a creative team spearheaded by the original Spitting Image co-creator, Roger Law. Idiots Assemble: Spitting Image The Musical will run from Wednesday 24th May to Saturday 26th August 2023 with a Press Performance on 14th June 2023 at 7pm.  Tickets are now on sale from https://www.thephoenixtheatre.co.uk/s...
The Plotters Have Mapped Out Their Route…
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The Plotters Have Mapped Out Their Route…

This Autumn will see the highly anticipated British musical Treason premiere its first full production in select theatres across the UK. Kicking off with a bang on 25th October at the Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, Treason will continue to Sheffield Lyceum Theatre on 31st October and finally explode into London’s Alexandra Palace from 08th – 18th November. Treason the Musical is an historic tale of division, religious persecution, and brutality, ending in an ambitious yet fateful plot to bring down both the monarchy and the government.   Set to blow you away with stunning original folk and pop songs, this one-of-a-kind show tells one of the most intriguing tales in Britain’s history as it’s never been seen before.   Photo: Mark Senior Garnering a global audience followi...
VAULT Festival celebrates a record breaking year as it closes its doors for the last time in its original home
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VAULT Festival celebrates a record breaking year as it closes its doors for the last time in its original home

VAULT Festival marked the end of its decade-long run at its original venue, The Vaults on Sunday 19th March, bringing to a close a record-breaking year which welcomed more than 81,000 audience members throughout its eight-week run. The 2023 festival saw more than 4,000 independent artists perform 1,860 individual performances of 553 shows in 11 unique venues throughout Waterloo and South Bank, and featured 271 world premieres and 94 professional debuts, highlighting the colossal loss to the creative industries and audiences if VAULT Festival were unable to return for 2024 and beyond. Since it was created in 2012 as a one-off project, VAULT Festival has grown to become the UK's leading independent festival of live performance. VAULT Festival exists to platform work from underrepresented ...