Saturday, December 28

NEWS

<strong>Voice over artists announced for Idiots Assemble – Spitting Image Saves the World at Birmingham Rep</strong>
NEWS

Voice over artists announced for Idiots Assemble – Spitting Image Saves the World at Birmingham Rep

Twelve voice-over artists, a mix of actors, impressionists and comedians have just started work on recording voices for over one hundred Spitting Image characters for the World Premiere of the stage show, Idiots Assemble: Spitting Image Saves the World which previews at Birmingham Rep from 1st February. They are:  Al Murray (The Royal Variety Performance, Al Murray’s Happy Hour, Why Does Everyone Hate the English? We Have Ways of Making You Talk), Debra Stephenson (The Impressions Show, Dead Ringers, Rich Hall’s Election Breakdown, Newzoids, Coronation Street and Bad Girls), Jess Robinson (Spitting Image, The Last Leg, Stars in Their Ears, and The Rise and Fall of Little Voice and Britain’s Got Talent, Jojo Lin (Spitting Image Puppeteer), Jason Forbes (The Tracy Ullman Show, The Ma...
<strong>Cast announced for Of Mice and Men at Leeds Playhouse</strong>
NEWS

Cast announced for Of Mice and Men at Leeds Playhouse

Tom McCall and William Young take on the roles of friends George and Lennie battling to survive in tough times in a new stage adaptation of John Steinbeck’s classic novel Of Mice and Men at Leeds Playhouse. This version of the classic tale of doomed friendship is directed by Iqbal Khan, who was in charge of the impressive multi-genre Opening Ceremony for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, and the show is a co-production between the Playhouse, Birmingham Rep and Fiery Angel.   “I'm ecstatic to be playing Lennie again,” says William Young. “I played him in Chapter, Cardiff in 2017 with August 012 Theatre Company. He reminds me of Roald Dahl's BFG.    “I was born with a rare brain condition called Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum, which means I find it easy to ...
<strong>35 DAYS TO SAVE THE KING’S!</strong>
NEWS

35 DAYS TO SAVE THE KING’S!

AS EDINBURGH LOSES OUT ON UK GOVERNMENT’S LEVELLING UP FUNDING, CAPITAL THEATRES IS WORKING WITH THE SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT, CITY OF EDINBURGH COUNCIL AND THE UK GOVERNMENT TO ENSURE THE KING’S THEATRE DOESN’T CLOSE ITS DOORS FOREVER • City of Edinburgh Council’s bid to the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund has been unsuccessful. This grant would have been a crucial contribution towards the funding gap for the King’s Redevelopment project caused by inflation, global conflict and changing trade routes. • Capital Theatres, the charity which runs the King’s, has already raised £26m and must find the remaining £8.9m in the next 35 days, in time to sign over the building to the contractors, stay on track with the project, and avoid spiralling costs. • The King’s is vital for the UK’s cult...
<strong>Coming of age tale Pick n Mix gets London Premiere at Pleasance Islington</strong>
NEWS

Coming of age tale Pick n Mix gets London Premiere at Pleasance Islington

Pick n Mix is a coming of age story of sisterhood, sex ed, sanitary pads and the fierce friendship between teenagers in Bradford making its London debut at Pleasance Islington. It’s the raucous and moving debut play from Kat Rose-Martin, who is a Kay Mellor Fellow, and comes to London after a sold out run across West Yorkshire later last year. Olivia, her sister Kim, and best friend Alisha all fall for the same lad, and not surprisingly chaos ensues as lies are told and their lifelong friendships are on the verge of breakdown. The young women’s Lives are about to change forever as Rose-Martin muses on just how much you can mess up before your mates hate you, and how exactly do you put a condom on one-handed? Pick n Mix is a frank and funny work touching sensitively on issues inclu...
<strong>Irrelevant comes to Seven Dials Playhouse</strong>
NEWS

Irrelevant comes to Seven Dials Playhouse

Coming to Seven Dials Playhouse in January, Le Gallienne Theatre Company presents the world premiere of Irrelevant - running from the 9th - 28th January 2023. This new play is written and directed by Le Gallienne Theatre Company’s Artistic Director, Keith Merrill (Entertaining Mr Sloane, The Einstein Letter), and stars Olivier Award nominee Debbie Chazen (The Smoking Room, Midsomer Murders, The Cherry Orchard). Kicking off Seven Dials Playhouse’s 2023 offerings is Irrelevant, a savagely amusing comment on the realities of a career in Hollywood.  The play interrogates how talented artists can slip through the cracks and bright futures can suddenly be dimmed.  The play centres on Millie (Debbie Chazen), a once-promising young actress, who finds herself chewed up and spat out ...
<strong>Blow Down tells the story of two iconic Yorkshire landmarks</strong>
NEWS

Blow Down tells the story of two iconic Yorkshire landmarks

The demolition of the iconic cooling towers at Ferrybridge Power Station that impacted on the lives of the people who lived and worked beneath them is probably not an obvious choice for a play. When the towers were explosively demolished thousands turned up to watch them come down and Blow Down about their history is scripted by award-winning playwright Garry Lyons who lived near them based on stories collected from the local community in Ferrybridge and Knottingley. He’s written a funny, gritty and thought-provoking show with music about how losing a major landmark and employer impacts on a typical post-industrial Yorkshire town. From the towers’ raucous seventies heyday through recession and decline in the 2000s, Blow Down tells the story of the area through the experiences of peop...
Christmas cheer comes to Runcorn next week
NEWS

Christmas cheer comes to Runcorn next week

Centenary Theatre Company are about to move into the Brindley Theatre in Runcorn to present their latest production Elf the Musical which opens next week. North West End UK sat down with their musical director, Simon Pickup to find out how the company choses, rehearses and ultimately stages such a big production. Centenary Theatre Company was formed in 1901 and has showcased theatrical talent in Warrington and the surrounding areas ever since. When did you first become involved with the company? I was invited to musically direct CTC’s production of “Annie Get Your Gun” in 2013, and following that show I joined as a member and have now MD’d 7 shows for them, and appeared in 3. Your show this year is Elf the Musical being staged at the glorious Brindley Theatre in Runcorn, tell us h...
Aphra Behn – spy, writer and female libertine – a one-woman show
NEWS

Aphra Behn – spy, writer and female libertine – a one-woman show

It's 1677 and an audience getting ready to watch Aphra Behn’s The Rover are in for a surprise. For the show has been cancelled and, in its place, Aphra herself recounts the extraordinary tale of her time as a spy for King Charles II in the Dutch Wars, and how she became the first professional female writer. Complete with excerpts from Behn’s letters, poetry and plays, this vivid and thought-provoking one-woman show brings one of theatre's most brilliant raconteurs back to life. The A is for Aphra campaign is currently fundraising for a statue of Aphra Behn, attracting attention from the BBC and national press. To aid these efforts we’re bringing back our successful show about Aphra, which premiered at the Women and War Festival prior to going on a national tour, taking in regional th...
MJ The Musical heading to the West End
NEWS

MJ The Musical heading to the West End

Producers Lia Vollack Productions and The Michael Jackson Estate announce today that the multiple Tony Award® winning Broadway musical MJ will open in the U.K. at the Prince Edward Theatre, London from March 2024. For more information and to be first in line for tickets, go to www.mjthemusical.com Tickets will go on sale in Spring 2023. Full booking details will be announced in due course. He is one of the greatest entertainers of all time. Now, Michael Jackson's unique and unparalleled artistry is heading to the West End in the Tony Award®-winning new musical. Centred around the making of his 1992 Dangerous World Tour, MJ goes beyond the singular moves and signature sound of the star, offering a rare look at the creative mind and collaborative spirit that catapulted Jackson into ...
Heathers the Musical is back on the road
NEWS

Heathers the Musical is back on the road

Following two record-breaking seasons at London's The Other Palace and West End transfer to the Theatre Royal Haymarket in 2018 and having won the WhatsOnStage 2019 award for 'BEST NEW MUSICAL', Heathers the Musical will embark on a highly anticipated UK tour from 2023. Produced by Bill Kenwright and Paul Taylor-Mills, this high octane, black comedy, rock musical based on one of the greatest cult teen films of all-time starred Winona Ryder and Christian Slater, is back with a bang! The 2023 Class of Westerberg High and the full tour timetable will be announced shortly. Greetings and salutations! Welcome to Westerberg High, where popularity is so very a matter of life and death, and Veronica Sawyer is just another of the nobodies dreaming of a better day. Photo: Pamela Raith ...