Friday, February 20

Latest Articles

Shedding A Skin – Soho Theatre
London

Shedding A Skin – Soho Theatre

When, in the first five minutes of a show, you have both, gone “awww” and burst out loud with laughter, you know you’re in for something special. Amanda Wilkin’s original show journeys through a point in Myah’s life where she is juggling a distressing work environment, a disappointed family and a lack of a love life and a roof over her head. Wilkin chooses, however, to laugh at her circumstances along with the audience, taking a stand-up comedy cum physical theatre approach. Photo: Helen Murray Highlighting sensitive issues in a lighthearted manner requires a nuanced understanding and great storytelling skills, and this writer-performer has both. Wilkin is highly expressive and theatrical yet comes across as authentic. Whether it is the experience of being treated as a mere figure to...
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical – Leicester Curve
East Midlands

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical – Leicester Curve

Carole King is such an exceptional songwriter (both with her husband Gerry Goffin and singlehandedly in her own right), that a biographical musical detailing her life and extensive back catalogue was inevitable.  Sure enough, ‘Beautiful: The Carole King Musical’ first hit US stages in 2013, transferring to Broadway in 2014 and the West End in 2015, and has also enjoyed a UK tour in 2017.  Leicester’s Curve have teamed up with the Theatre Royal Bath and the Mayflower Theatre Southampton to create a new adaptation, which has kicked off a new UK tour this week. Spanning 1958 to 1971, ‘Beautiful’ tells King’s story from being a 16-year-old aspiring songwriter, to finding success with Goffin (in more ways than one), rivalry with fellow songwriters and friends Barry Mann and Cynthia...
Persuasion – Rose Theatre
London

Persuasion – Rose Theatre

A fresh perspective on Jane Austen’s adaptation, Persuasion with WAP, Frank Ocean and a foam party. This production follows Anne and her desperate sisters on their conquest for love but as their 30s approach, they worry about compatibility and finding a match that will ensure a long and easy life. However, as with classical romance there is always one who suffers in the quest for true connection, Anne (Sasha Frost) and her desperate love for Captain Wentworth (Fred Fergus) are knocked together like conkers as they try to rekindle a love they once had. We are very much in an age of reflection and in result, seeing the return of a lot of classical texts. It’s refreshing more so to be seeing new interpretations and a wittier perspective on the structures we enforced upon ourselves. It spea...
Old Friends celebrate Stephen Sondheim
NEWS

Old Friends celebrate Stephen Sondheim

Cameron Mackintosh has invited many of Stephen Sondheim’s old friends to join him in celebrating his extraordinary talents and legacy at the theatre which was recently gloriously rebuilt in Sondheim’s honor. The all-star cast for OLD FRIENDS so far includes Michael Ball, Petula Clark, Judi Dench, Daniel Evans, Bonnie Langford, Adrian Lester, Damian Lewis, Julia Mckenzie, Bernadette Peters, Elaine Paige, Clive Rowe, Imelda Staunton and Hannah Waddingham. They will be joined by a featured company of West End stars, currently being finalised. The evening, which takes place for one night only on 3rd May 2022 at 8pm, will be staged by Matthew Bourne and Maria Friedman with choreography by Stephen Mear and a 26-piece orchestra conducted by Alfonso Casado Trigo. Patrons can sign up for ...
South Pacific Announces Principal Casting
NEWS

South Pacific Announces Principal Casting

Jamie Wilson, Jonathan Church Theatre Productions and Gavin Kalin are delighted to announce that Julian Ovenden will star as ‘Emile de Becque’ throughout the Sadler’s Wells season and UK and Ireland Tour of the critically acclaimed, landmark Chichester Festival Theatre production of RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN’S SOUTH PACIFIC alongside the previously announced Gina Beck as ‘Ensign Nellie Forbush’. Julian and Gina will be joined by fellow members of the original Chichester Festival Theatre company; Rob Houchen as ‘Lieutenant Joseph Cable’, Joanna Ampil as ‘Bloody Mary’ and Sera Maehara as ‘Liat’ The production opens at Manchester Opera House on 16th July 2022 ahead of a season at Sadler’s Wells, London from 27th July to 28th August 2022 and throughout the limited 10-week UK and Ireland Tou...
Full Cast Announced For UK and Ireland Tour of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
NEWS

Full Cast Announced For UK and Ireland Tour of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Michael Harrison and the Really Useful Group are delighted to confirm the full cast for the sensational brand-new production of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, which begins a UK & Ireland Tour at Manchester Opera House on Wednesday 23rd March. Alexandra Burke will play The Narrator at select venues across the tour. Her many West End credits include the lead roles in The Bodyguard, Sister Act, Chess and Chicago, as well as starring as the Narrator in the celebrated production of Joseph at the London Palladium last summer. Alexandra first rose to fame winning The X-Factor in 2008, and has since gone on to sell over 5 million records. Linzi Hateley will also play the role at other venues. Linzi is an Olivier Award nominee and Theatre ...
New cast announced to try and get it right or wrong!
NEWS

New cast announced to try and get it right or wrong!

The Play That Goes Wrong, the Olivier Award-winning box office hit today announces a brand-new cast at The Duchess Theatre from Tuesday 5th April 2022. The new cast will include Tomisin Ajani as Trevor, Jo Ben Ayed as Dennis, Ashh Blackwood as Annie, Anya de Villiers as Sandra, Tendai Humphrey Sitima as Robert, Scott Hunter as Max, Oliver Mott as Jonathan, and Mikhail Sen as Chris. The company is completed by Roisin Fahey, Charlie Richards, Stuart Vincent, Emily Waters and Jack Whittle. The Play That Goes Wrong is blundering its way through its 8th year in the West End and is currently booking until April 2023. In August 2021 it became the longest running play at The Duchess Theatre (since the theatre opened in 1929) and is the longest running comedy in the West End. Awarded the 2...
Theatr Clwyd Announces World Premiere of New Musical – The Famous Five
NEWS

Theatr Clwyd Announces World Premiere of New Musical – The Famous Five

Artistic Director of Theatr Clwyd, Tamara Harvey and Executive Director, Liam Evans-Ford announce the world première production of brand-new musical The Famous Five in a co-production with Chichester Festival Theatre will open at Theatr Clwyd on 29th September with previews from 23rd September. Photo: Johan Persson Based on Enid Blyton’s multi-million-selling novels, Tamara Harvey directs this brand-new musical written by Elinor Cook, with music and lyrics by Theo Jamieson. Lucy Osborne designs with choreography by Annie-Lunnette Deakin-Foster, musical supervision by David White and Benjamin Holder, musical direction by Katherine Rockhill, orchestrations by Theo Jamieson, lighting by Johanna Town and video design by Ash Woodward. Tamara Harvey said today “I loved Enid Blyton’s sto...
My Favourite Place in the Whole Wide World – Hope Mill Theatre
North West

My Favourite Place in the Whole Wide World – Hope Mill Theatre

Trauma can have impact people in many different ways – some people grow and flourish from the ashes, some people can see their life, and the things that bring them comfort, cruelly collapse and leave them shattered. Award-winning playwright Ian Townsend explores this journey along with themes of sexual identity, self-esteem and the very human craving of connection with others in his newest work, “My favourite place…”, directed by James Schofield. In and amongst a simple set of stacked black and orange-striped boxes, we meet J and Ruth, two people who have endured their own childhood traumas, and who, through a cleverly executed moment of serendipity, are thrust into a most unlikely friendship. The script is very much a tale of two halves. In part one, we watch each character lay o...
Work.txt – Soho Theatre
London

Work.txt – Soho Theatre

An audience, mostly of whom are 9 to 5, maybe some are freelance, of mothers and fathers, of Pisces and Gemini’s, of people who hate their bosses and those who earn more than 30,000 a year have all bought tickets to an immersive show. There are no actors, just a stage manager but they are just clicking a button.  We decide if we speak and we listen to those who do, we talk what is written and together we build a city. I was unsure where this play might take me. It’s a Wednesday night and I’m not that up to getting involved so I sit down on the front row with slight anxiety and my mask pulled up very high. I notice the subtle sound of ‘The Sims’ theme music playing, a horrible memory of my Covid pass-time activities. At this point, I’m flustered. As the lights dim, the projector ...