John Malkovich is to star in the world premiere of David Mamet’s Bitter Wheat at London’s Garrick Theatre. The play based on Harvey Weinstein will be directed by Mamet himself.
The laughs come thick and fast through the ensuing chaos, and with some stand out comedic performances, it seems like there’s still plenty of life in Molière’s old Miser yet.
Following the success of Mel Brooks’ smash hit musical The Producers comes Young Frankenstein – a new musical comedy based on Brooks’ smash hit movie of the same name which will open at London’s Garrick Theatre on 28 September 2017. Young Frankenstein tickets are now on sale. Young Frankenstein, the wickedly inspired re-imagining of the Mary Shelley classic, see’s Frederick Frankenstein, an esteemed New York brain surgeon and professor, inherit a castle and laboratory in Transylvania from his deranged genius grandfather, Victor Von Frankenstein. He now faces a dilemma – does he continue to run from his family’s tortured past or does he stay in Transylvania to carry on his grandfather’s mad experiments reanimating the dead and, in the process, fall in love with his sexy lab assistant Inga? The London run of Young Frankenstein will be preceded by a season at the Theatre Royal Newcastle from Saturday 26 August … Read more
This House, the critically acclaimed political drama will transfer to the Garrick Theatre in London in November 2016. This House will open soon at the Chichester Festival, having played two sell-out seasons at the National Theatre. 1974. The UK faces economic crisis and a hung parliament. In a culture hostile to cooperation, it’s a period when votes are won or lost by one, when there are fist fights in the bars and when sick MPs are carried through the lobby to register their vote. It’s a time when a staggering number of politicians die, and the building creaks under idiosyncrasies and arcane traditions. Set in the engine rooms of Westminster, James Graham’s This House strips politics down to the practical realities of those behind the scenes: the whips who roll up their sleeves and on occasion bend the rules to shepherd and coerce a diverse chorus of MPs within the … Read more
The Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company has revealed the full cast for Romeo and Juliet, the fifth production in the inaugural Plays at the Garrick season. Joining Lily James as Juliet, Richard Madden as Romeo and Derek Jacobi as Mercutio is Meera Syal as the Nurse. Meera Syal said: “I’m so looking forward to joining such an exciting and prestigious company, and to be performing Shakespeare with them in this, his 400th anniversary year.” Lily James is an actress of stage and screen who came to international prominence in Downton Abbey as Lady Rose and who has recently won acclaim for her role in Kenneth Branagh’s 2015 production of Cinderella in which she played the title character. Reuniting the stars of his celebrated film Cinderella, Kenneth Branagh and Rob Ashford will direct Shakespeareʼs heartbreaking tale of forbidden love. Derek Jacobi’s stage credits include Heartbreak House, King Lear, two productions of Twelfth … Read more
Red Velvet touches on a number of very difficult subjects regarding race, and does so in a compelling and thoughtful manner. The play is generally well written – with a number of excellent touches – and this production contains a host of fine performances, not least Adrian Lester as Ira Aldridge. Nevertheless, Aldridge is an incomplete protagonist, and too many aspects of his life are told to us, rather than shown. This means that, in spite of the play’s many strong qualities, it cannot achieve its full dramatic potential.
Kenneth Branagh, Rob Brydon, Claudie Blakley, Marcus Fraser, Mark Hadfield and Alex Macqueen make up the cast of the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company’s new comedy The Painkiller. Directed and adapted by Sean Foley, The Painkiller will be the fifth production in the Plays at the Garrick season and will play from 5 March until 30 April 2016. Foley directs his “dark, yet hilarious” adaptation of Francis Veber’s classic French farce, while Kenneth Branagh and Rob Brydon reprise the roles they played to great acclaim at Belfast’s Lyric Theatre inaugural season. Foley said: “I’m delighted to have the chance to further develop this comedy with the remarkable double act of Kenneth Branagh and Rob Brydon, who, together with the brilliant Mark Hadfield, were a joy to direct in the first production. “I know that they are excited as I am to also be welcoming to our cast the extraordinary talents of Claudie … Read more
Let It Be is a musical celebration of the Beatles and the many, many glorious hits that they recorded during the decade from 1906 to 1970. The show does not offer up any pretence at being a juke box musical with biographical elements, it simply gives audiences a mostly chronological hit smorgasboard, the likes of which will never be equaled by any other pop group.
