NEWS Archives - Page 80 of 87 - North West End UK

York Theatre Royal pantomime goes uber local

15Sep

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

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York Theatre Royal pantomime goes uber local

As venues are still locked down York Theatre Royal is taking its pantomime around all of the historic city’s 21 wards during December and January The Travelling Pantomime’s pop-up show will be staged in non-traditional locations from community halls to social clubs and sports centres with all venues and performances adhering to current government guidance on COVID-19. In an unusual twist audiences will have a say in which of three of the most popular pantomime titles they want to see - Dick Whittington, Jack and the Beanstalk or Aladdin. Award-winning pantomime writer Paul Hendy is writing three scripts with the actors performing whichever show the audience choose on the night. The Travelling Pantomime will feature a cast of local actors, including entertainer and magician Jos...

Crowd funder launched to create new The Wedding Present musical

13Sep

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Crowd funder launched to create new The Wedding Present musical

Fans of indie legends The Wedding Present are being asked to back a new Crowdfunder campaign to create a musical based on songs from their 30 year career. It’s the brainchild of writer and director Matt Aston who met Tony Ereira, director of Leeds record label Come Play With Me at a Wedding Present gig last year, and he also loved the idea. “I first saw The Wedding Present in Derby in 1988, so you could say this musical is over 30 years in the making,” says Matt. “I’ll always be grateful to my older brother and his mates for taking his little 15-year-old brother to his first ever gig. I got a t-shirt, a set of badges and a nosebleed. Not to mention a new favourite band.” Matt and Tony put the idea to Wedding Present main man and songwriter David Gedge, along with an earl...

Leeds Playhouse and Opera North join forces for socially distanced live shows

13Sep

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Leeds Playhouse and Opera North join forces for socially distanced live shows

It’s now six months since live theatre was first locked down but Leeds Playhouse are back joining forces with Opera North for a series of socially distanced live events over three weekends. Connecting Voices will take place across the various stages within the Playhouse bringing together artists and audiences safely to examine the power and expression of the solo voice as they re-engage people in communal creative activity. Orpheus in the Record Store is a newly commissioned piece by Leeds based beatboxer Testament and director Aletta Collins fusing spoken word and beatboxing with players from the Orchestra of Opera North that gives the Greek myth of Orpheus a contemporary Yorkshire twist. "There is much to say and share right now, and I passionately believe theatre has an a...

Revolutionary production Mr. Adam to make its UK premiere at The O2 in 2021

9Sep

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Revolutionary production Mr. Adam to make its UK premiere at The O2 in 2021

Coming to the O2 this March for its UK premiere, Mr. Adam is a dynamically modern multi-arts cross-media extravaganza. The work of Welsh composer Sir Karl Jenkins has been transformed into a narrative piece by Kairat Kulbaev, Marat Bisengaliev, Vasily Barkhatov, and The Almaty Symphony Orchestra, who have combined digital design with powerful performance for a classical concert like no other! The production integrates innovative Black Trax technology to enable real-time tracking of 14 frames onstage so that compelling projections are layered with seamless choreography and symphonic performance to create a revolutionary approach to presenting classical music. CREDIT TIMOFEY KOLESNIKOV This live digital experience sees sixteen musicians perform live alongside pre-filmed scenes of th...

9Sep

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Macbeth reboot set for this October

Tradition requires that a ‘ghost-light’ be left on while the theatre is dark, to ward off restless ghosts and protect its magic from harm. The lights are off, but the magic is not gone. A closed theatre is a perfect playground for mischievous spirits intent on wreaking havoc. Three witches usher, stage manage and execute the tragedy of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, two innocents trapped in a Truman-esque reality which is both virtual and brutal. This October, Big Telly Theatre Company invites audiences to draw their curtains tight, turn off the lights and enter the realm of the witching hour for an up close and personal theatrical reboot of one of Shakespeare’s most well-known plays. Directed by the theatre company’s founder Zoe Seaton, this atmospheric Macbeth is a timeless...

32 Above Brings a Taste of NYC to Liverpool

8Sep

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32 Above Brings a Taste of NYC to Liverpool

As live performance begins again across the country, a series of socially distanced cabarets featuring West End stars and the city’s finest musical theatre performers will be staged in Liverpool this autumn. 32 Above is inspired by New York City’s iconic 54 Below and will take place at The Pillbox @ Frederiks on Hope Street, a street that is regarded as the heart of the Liverpool’s theatre scene. Produced by Musical Director, George Francis (Amelie, Liverpool Everyman Rep Seasons, Miracle on 34th St) and friends. 32 Above promises an evening of song led by the house band featuring George Francis (Musical Director/Keyboard) Danny Miller (Bass) Emily Linden (Guitar) Rhys Jiang (Drums) sound design by Will Miney. The cabarets will initially take place over three dates thro...

Shakers – RTB Productions / Liverpool Theatre Festival

8Sep

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Shakers – RTB Productions / Liverpool Theatre Festival

It was an absolute pleasure, as always, to catch up with producer Siobhan Noble of RTB Productions and get the lowdown on their upcoming production of Shakers, written by John Godber and Jane Thornton, as part of the Liverpool Theatre Festival. Like most involved in theatre, Noble has had to put many a well-made plan on the backburner in 2020, so when opportunity came calling from fellow producer Bill Elms to feature in this outdoor theatre spectacle she jumped at the chance and began kicking ideas round with fellow creatives Margaret Connell, Jennifer Vaudrey, and Danielle McLauren. In a moment of life imitates art – two of the crew work part-time in bars –a play presented by four waitresses, each under pressure in different ways, and which describes a typical night at a bar called ...

Back To The Future: The Musical Returns to The Stage in 2021

7Sep

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Back To The Future: The Musical Returns to The Stage in 2021

It’s back! One of the most spectacular new musicals to hit the stage in recent years returns in 2021 following a run at Manchester’s Opera House which was dramatically cut short days after its official opening due to COVID-19. Back To The Future: The Musical will open at London’s Adelphi Theatre on the 14th May 2021, initially booking until the 19th December 2021. Welcome to Hill Valley! Take an electrifying ride back in time as the 1985 blockbuster film and pop culture phenomenon arrives in London’s West End as a groundbreaking new musical adventure! When Marty McFly finds himself transported back to 1955 in a time machine built by the eccentric scientist Doc Brown, he accidentally changes the course of history. Now he’s in a race against time to fix the present, escape the p...

No Direction Home digital tour starting at Camden People’s Theatre

6Sep

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No Direction Home digital tour starting at Camden People’s Theatre

In the first ever virtual stand-up comedy tour of the UK, a group of comedians from refugee and migrant backgrounds will use laughter to connect with audiences and speak of their experiences coming to and living in this country. The group, formed by Counterpoints Arts and Camden People’s Theatre in 2018, are coached by top stand-up comedian Tom Parry and known as No Direction Home. They have already performed live gigs in venues like the Southbank Centre with guest headliners such as Romesh Ranganathan, Lou Sanders and Sindhu Vee. Now, with lockdown keeping comedy clubs shut, they are heading off on a virtual tour across England, Scotland and Wales, telling jokes about themselves, their experiences and their lives in the UK. TV comic and stand-up Nish Kumar, who has guest h...

St Helens Theatre Royal To Change Christmas Pantomime Title Due To Pandemic But A Show Will Go On!

6Sep

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St Helens Theatre Royal To Change Christmas Pantomime Title Due To Pandemic But A Show Will Go On!

Regal Entertainments announced today that their 2020 Christmas Pantomime at St Helens Theatre Royal has been changed, but a show will go ahead. The curtain was due to go up on Cinderella from Saturday 5th December ’20 – Sunday 3rd January ’21 and had previously announced Linda Robson in the lead role. However due to the government restrictions now enforced on theatres, it makes the current title not financially viable to continue with, Cinderella is one of the biggest productions in pantomime and carries many additional costs. Pantomime producers, Regal Entertainments say they have worked tirelessly to look at alternative options for the festive season and they want to ensure that they can continue to provide top entertainment to its community and regular attenders this Christm...