Deborah McAndrew Archives - North West End UK

4Dec

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Oliver Twist – Hull Truck Theatre

Published as a serial between 1836 and 1839, Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist has undergone a myriad of adaptations, and Deborah McAndrew’s dramatic and highly theatrical take on this age-old classic is currently wowing audiences at Hull Truck Theatre. The venue was packed on Tuesday night with all ages of theatregoers eagerly awaiting curtain up at 7pm. Of course, regular Truckers will know there never is a curtain to actually rise; every nook and cranny of the stage for whatever production is always totally on show giving one a chance to have a pre-production nosy. At first glance, the stage for this show looked quite empty. However, towards the rear there rose huge arched windows and spaced columns, with an elevated walkway reached by a hefty spiral staircase. The atmospheres w...

2Dec

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

A Christmas Carol – Leeds Playhouse

The festive extravaganzas at Leeds Playhouse have become a must see for Yorkshire theatre fans, and this year for A Christmas Carol they have thrown their big guns at yet another version of this hoary old favourite. This is director Amy Leach’s fifth go at Dickens’ classic tale of a damaged man’s redemptive journey, and it’s her biggest yet. She joins forces for the 22nd time with set and costume designer Hayley Grindle as they cleverly move the action from Victorian London to the cotton mills of Leeds. That works really well as it’s a reminder this great city’s wealth was also built on ruthlessly exploiting the working class. Unusually for a Playhouse festive show we are not in the round on the huge Quarry stage. Leach’s typically dynamic and witty direction makes the most of Grindl...

Open-air theatre returns to Chester’s Grosvenor Park this summer

4Jun

By NewsdeskNo Comments

NEWS

Open-air theatre returns to Chester’s Grosvenor Park this summer

Open-air theatre returns to Chester’s Grosvenor Park this summer as part of a fantastic festival of fun including a pair of enchanting theatrical treats on the main stage. The 2025 Grosvenor Park season, presented by Storyhouse, will run from 28th June to 31st August. Friday, 4th July marks a return to the park for Jane Austen’s beloved classic Pride and Prejudice, celebrating the 250th anniversary of Austen’s birth. Adapted for the stage by Deborah McAndrew and directed by Conrad Nelson, the sparkling and witty Regency tale won acclaim from both critics and Grosvenor Park audiences when it was premiered in 2021 and is back by popular demand. Prepare to be swept away by Austen’s most famous love story as spirited Lizzie Bennet and the brooding Mr Darcy find themselves entangled...

Scrooge comes to Leeds Playhouse for the festive season

16Feb

By NewsdeskNo Comments

NEWS

Scrooge comes to Leeds Playhouse for the festive season

Leeds Playhouse’s tradition of spectacular festive shows continues this winter with a new adaptation of A Christmas Carol by Yorkshire writer Deborah McAndrew. This version of the Charles Dickens classic written over 180 years ago is directed by Leeds Playhouse Deputy Artistic Director Amy Leach. For the few unfamiliar with the story, it begins on Christmas Eve in Victorian England as miserly Ebenezer Scrooge grumbles his way through a typical "bah humbug!" day. But as the frosty night unfolds, four ghostly spirits whisk him on a whirlwind journey through his past, present, and future, revealing to Scrooge the true meaning of Christmas. Scrooge’s journey to redemption remains a beloved ghost story that still captivates audiences of all ages, blending festive cheer, live...

The Great Gatsby – Grosvenor Open Air Theatre

2Aug

By Ezzy LaBelleNo Comments

North West

The Great Gatsby – Grosvenor Open Air Theatre

Frivolity fans the air as a live band dances an eager audience back to the roaring 1920s for an evening of F Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. It's hard not to immediately be swept up in the decadence as the cast mingle with the audience until suddenly you aren't sure if you're within the production or simply observing it - what part do you play in the party that never stops? Cleverly framed, there is audience participation from the start. All rise as a coroner begins to question the events leading up to the death of a man, a man surrounded by mystery and rumour. Witness testimonies contradict. A cacophony of characters cause calamity. Just as it feels like a judgement has been made, in bursts protagonist Nick Carraway (Thomas Cotran). Clearly upset, he takes command of the sm...

A Christmas Carol – Leeds Playhouse At Home

22Dec

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

A Christmas Carol – Leeds Playhouse At Home

The Playhouse’s annual festive spectacular was just one of hundreds of productions forced to switch online just before curtain was about to go up and as good as this recorded version is it will always lack the yuletide magic of gathering in a shared space. This is a reworking of a production that began at Hull Truck Theatre, going on to be a big hit last year when the theatre’s ensemble brought it to life in the pop-up theatre used when the Playhouse was refurbed. The Playhouse’s associate director Amy Leach cleverly invokes the legend that every theatre has a ghost, but she deploys a team of them as they emerge from their offstage pods. They have gathered round the traditional ghost light that burns when a theatre is dark, and once they discover a puppet of Tiny Tim they decide to d...

Leeds Playhouse launch digital performances of A Christmas Carol

18Dec

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Leeds Playhouse launch digital performances of A Christmas Carol

As West Yorkshire stays under Tier 3 restrictions the team at Leeds Playhouse have been forced to offer A Christmas Carol as a digital screening. They’re now unable to welcome people into its Quarry Theatre to enjoy their annual festive spectacular, so they’ve teamed up with Yorkshire based company Pilot Theatre to film the production, which they were already planning to show for free in care homes, schools and hospitals across Leeds. Now tickets priced from £10 for the first Playhouse At Home event are also being made available to the general public for five special online performances from 21st – 23rd December, giving audiences wherever they are a chance to safely see this adaptation of the Dickens classic by Deborah McAndrew. “Our vivid retelling of one of the best-loved stori...

Production image released for A Christmas Carol at Leeds Playhouse

11Dec

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Production image released for A Christmas Carol at Leeds Playhouse

New production images released today show the company of A CHRISTMAS CAROL, bringing to life Charles Dickens’ spine-tingling festive story. From ghost lights centre stage, the spirits emerge to share with miser Ebenezer Scrooge the true meaning of this festive time of year. It’s Christmas Eve in Victorian Leeds, but the cold-hearted Scrooge hasn’t shared an ounce of festive cheer. As the cold night draws in, four ghostly spirits take Ebenezer on a magical journey through his past, his present and his future, hoping to show him the error of his ways. With Christmas spirit, fun, music and magic at its heart, this timeless Charles Dickens tale is brought vividly to life. Adapted by award-winning, West Yorkshire born playwright Deborah McAndrew, A CHRISTMAS CAROL is directed by Leeds Pla...

Leeds Playhouse is back with a new season and free ticket offer for NHS workers

17Oct

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Leeds Playhouse is back with a new season and free ticket offer for NHS workers

Working with COVID-19 safety guidelines Leeds Playhouse have launched their Autumn/Winter season and are giving away 1000 free tickets to NHS workers for the revival of their critically acclaimed seasonal show A Christmas Carol. This time round playwright Deborah McAndrew’s adaptation of the Dickens festive classic is upgraded to the flagship Quarry Theatre after recreating a warts and all Victorian England during their 2028 Pop-Up Season in 2018. Once again directed by Playhouse Associate Director Amy Leach it runs from 3rd December – 9th January and it will sell out. Another returning work is poet and playwright Zodwa Nyoni’s Nine Lives which debuted at the theatre in 2014. Presented by Leeds Studio this timely and intimate single hander combines humour and humanity in a deep...