Thursday, March 28

Tag: Andrew French

Great Expectations – Royal Exchange Theatre
North West

Great Expectations – Royal Exchange Theatre

With three competing press nights in Manchester theatreland this evening, I chose the opportunity to visit the venerable old Royal Exchange building in St Anne's Square to review their opening offering for the Autumn/Winter season, an adaptation of Charles Dickens 'Great Expectations' which like the character of Estella had great beauty but lacks a little heart. This is one of Dickens most oft adapted novels, only 'A Christmas Carol' and 'Oliver Twist' beat it for popularity and already in 2023 we have had two versions of Dickens tale of class mobility and class intransigence served up, Steven Knight gave us his spiky television adaptation earlier this year and Eddie Izzard's extraordinary one woman show was a huge success in London over the Spring, This ubiquity means that writers are...
Casualty star Tony Marshall joins Jitney cast at Leeds Playhouse
NEWS

Casualty star Tony Marshall joins Jitney cast at Leeds Playhouse

Tony Marshall who played Noel in Casualty joins a strong cast in a new production of American classic Jitney at Leeds Playhouse. Written by August Wilson, this poetic work is now seen as one of the great American contemporary classics filled with conflict, love, jealousy and deceit. It is set in 1970s Pittsburgh exploring the volatile bond between eight unlicensed cab drivers as they live, love, fight and work in racially segregated, post-war America. The co-production with Headlong will be directed by Tinuke Craig who worked on The Color Purple, at Leicester Curve. Tony Marshall plays Fielding, and recently finished a 12-year run as Noel Garcia as his beloved character left the show in a BAFTA award-winning episode about the strains on the NHS during the pandemic. Pla...