Month: December 2016

Poleroid Theatre Brings Play About Home To Vault Festival

News, Off West End
This Must Be The Place to be presented by Poleroid Theatre at the Vault Festival 2017

Following an acclaimed debut performance at the 2016 Latitude Festival, Poleroid Theatre bring their latest work This Must Be The Place to the 2017 Vault Festival from 8 – 12 February 2017. This first-time collaboration between Pinter Commission winning Brad Birch and BAFTA-nominated Kenneth Emson, This Must Be The Place follows Adam, a young Londoner in the midst of crisis, desperately tries for a clean break from technology, love, connectivity and the pressures of city life in an attempt to find home. A million miles away, or perhaps not so far, two friends try to start again in the big smoke as fugitives from their problems but find they are still waiting on the margins. This Must Be The Place expertly interweaves these two stories together but director Justin Audibert also leaves audiences to make their own connections between the plays and character’s stories – are they intertwined or aren’t … Read more

CRITIC’S CHOICE 2016: Alexa Terry

Critic Round Ups, Off West End, Reviews, West End
Book now for Vanities The Musical

We asked our reviewers to take a look at 2016 and to nominate some stand out productions for 2016. Alexa Terry replied with the following:- The Pianist of Willesden Lane Often, I find myself leaving the theatre with tear-streaked cheeks and puffy eyes. But, I was not prepared for the sobs that engulfed me, as I watched Mona Golabek’s The Pianist of Willesden Lane’ – a true story of how Lisa Jura, Golabek’s mother, was sent to Great Britain on the Kinderstransport and became a concert pianist. Overwhelming, powerful and hauntingly current, this is undoubtedly, one of the best and most moving pieces of theatre I have experienced. Vanities ‘Vanities’ completely provoked my emotions as I laughed out loud, had my heartstrings plucked and tried to cough away the lumps in my throat (I will get a reputation for being a cry-baby if I’m not careful!). With a satisfying score … Read more

Longest Running Shows In The West End – December 2016

Features, News, West End
Les Miserables. One Day More at London's Queens Theatre

Have you ever wondered what the longest running shows were in London’s West End? The attached list is the current state of play and whilst the obvious candidates Les Miserables, Blood Brothers and The Phantom Of the Opera remain unassailable, this year should see some shake-ups as both Thriller Live and Wicked move ever closer to the Top 10. There aren’t many new candidates looking set to move into the Top 20 as the days of the mega-musical seem to be over, this does lead to a dynamic West End though as more and more great shows are seen and have respectable runs before touring. What were your favourites on this list? The West End’s Longest Running Shows (as at Sunday 18 December, 2016) 1. Les Misérables, 1985 still running, over 12,884 performances Book Now for Les Miserables 2. The Phantom Of The Opera, 1986 still running, over 12,552 performances … Read more

CRITIC’S CHOICE 2016 : Mark Ludmon

Critic Round Ups, Features, Off West End, Reviews, West End
Billie Piper in Yerma

We asked our reviewers to take a look at 2016 and to nominate some stand out productions for 2016. Mark Ludmon replied with the following:- In another wonderful year for British theatre, one of my highlights was Annie Baker’s The Flick at the Dorfman at the National Theatre, unfolding the quiet desperations and joys of young people working at a small independent cinema in Massachusetts. Despite its running time of three-and-a-quarter hours and long silences, it was an absorbing, beautiful play with perfectly pitched performances. A powerful performance by Billie Piper made Yerma at the Young Vic stand out for me. Simon Stone’s modern adaptation played pretty freely with Lorca’s original, creating a stunning, heart-breaking drama about the despair of childlessness, played out within a glass box to add to a feeling we were glimpsing private horrors. My favourite show of the year has come at the end: Schiller’s Mary … Read more

Sci Fi Space Travel Musical Comes To The Vault

News, Off West End
Book tickets for Summer Nights In Space at the Vault Festival

The Vaults are to play host to a brand new science fiction musical odyssey this February when Summer Nights In Space opens as part of this year’s Vault Festival. Presented by Hannah Elsy Productions, Summer Nights In Space is from the creators of the critically acclaimed The Quentin Dentin Show. The show which is billed as a glam space rock musical uses the bizarre setting of musical theatre to combine the song and dance of entertainment with the really big questions. Astronaut John Spartan has finally made it into space – only to discover that it is not all he had hoped. Marooned in space with a ferocious alien and a moody computer, the reluctant crew of Auxiliary Transport Shuttle 4 must stave off Space Madness and work together to survive in the void. But when Spartan receives a distress signal from an attractive Astro-nette, his newfound mission to find … Read more

Cardboard Citizens’ Cathy Tour

News, Touring
Cardboard Citizens present Cathy on Tour

The phenomenal success of its 2016 tour, Cardboard Citizens has announced extra dates for its critically acclaimed play Cathy. The play will play in traditional venues but also in hostels, prisons and a library. It will also be streamed from Cast in Doncaster. First broadcast in 1966 on the BBC, Cathy Come Home depicts a young family’s slide into homelessness. The first screening of the film led to public outrage at the state of housing in Britain and became a defining cultural landmark, demonstrating the power of art to effect social and political change. Cathy features Alex Jones, Amy Loughton, Cathy Owen and Hayley Wareham. Since the tour began in October this year, Cathy has been seen by more than 2,200 people, 170 of whom saw it in a hostel. In theatres, the hugely successful £1 ticket initiative has offered vulnerable and homeless people an accessible way to experience this … Read more

CRITIC’S CHOICE 2016 : Danny Coleman-Cooke

Off West End, Reviews, West End
Cuttin' It at Young Vic

We asked our reviewers to take a look at 2016 and to nominate some stand out productions for 2016. Danny Coleman-Cooke replied with the following:- Guys and Dolls, Savoy Theatre This revival did great justice to one of theatre’s finest ever musicals – the all-star cast included David Haig, Jamie Parker and Sophie Thompson. Infused with stunning choreography from Andrew Wright and Carlos Acosta, it fully deserved its critical acclaim and resulting UK tour. Cuttin It, Young Vic A fantastic play tackling the important issue of FGM, Cuttin It starts as a good-humoured tale of childhood friendship but turns into something much darker. Simple yet powerful in its staging, it was the most emotional production I saw all year, provoking floods of tears from the audience. Richard Gadd: Monkey See Monkey Do, Soho Theatre My previous experiences of Richard Gadd had left me fairly cold, finding him a bit crude … Read more

Mary Poppins – International Touring Cast Announced

Mary Poppins the musical, News, Touring
Mary Poppins

Disney and Cameron Mackintosh have announced casting for their award-winning production of Mary Poppins which is to be presented in Zurich and Dubai in 2017 after the conclusion of its season at the Wales Millenium Centre. Leading the cast in the role of ‘Mary Poppins’ will be Lisa O’Hare for the Zurich season and Zizi Strallen for the Dubai season. They are joined in both Zurich and Dubai by current cast members Matt Lee as ‘Bert’, Neil Roberts as ‘George Banks’; Penelope Woodman as ‘Miss Andrew’; Wendy Ferguson as ‘Mrs Brill’; Grainne Renihan as ‘Bird Woman’ and Blair Anderson as ‘Robertson Ay’. Joining the company will be Kara Lane as ‘Winifred Banks’. They are joined by Yves Adang; Ryan Anderson; Jeremy Batt; Abby Bebbington; Jabari Braham; Emily Bull; Sophie Caton; Danielle Delys; Glen Facey; Bradley Gibbins-Klein; Hannah Grace; Lucy Harrison; Graham Hoadly; James Hume; Jason Kajdi; Charlie Kendall; Sam Lathwood; … Read more