Sasha Regan’s All-male Iolanthe UK Tour
Sasha Regan’s all-male production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Iolanthe UK Tour returns in 2018
Sasha Regan
Full cast announced for Salad Days at the Union Theatre
Julian Slade and Dorothy Reynolds’ classic British musical Salad Days will be presented at London’s Union Theatre from 16 August to 9 September 2017, sixty three years after its first London production. The cast of Salad Days will be led by Lowri Hamer as Jane and Laurie Denman as Tim. Both are making their professional debut having recently graduated from Guildford School of Acting. They will be joined by Maeve Byrne as Asphynxia, Darrie Gardner as Mrs Dawes, James Gulliford as Nigel, Emma Lloyd as Rowena, Lewis McBean as Tom/Fosdyke, Sophie Millett as Lady Raeburn, Karl Moffatt as Uncle Clam, Tom Norman as Boot, Stephen Patrick as The Inspector, Francesca Pim as Fiona, James Seickell as Troppo, Tom Self as The Tramp and Ashlee Young as Marguerite. Salad Days is the delightful story of recent graduates Tim and Jane in the midst of a sunny summer in 1954. Glum … Read more
New version of Blondel The Musical comes to Union Theatre
Musical theatre fans spread the word throughout the kingdom that a brand new version of the musical comedy by Tim Rice and Stephen Oliver is to be staged at the Union Theatre from 21 June – 15 July 2017. Heralds have been trumpeting the news this afternoon that the musical has been re-worked with book is by Tim Rice and Tom Williams, and additional music by Mathew Pritchard. Blondel is the tale of an ambitious minstrel in the court of King Richard the Lionheart and follows his trials and tribulations as he seeks to save his King and write the perfect love song to dedicate to his beloved Fiona. Tim Rice said today: “I’m delighted Blondel is returning to the stage. It was one of the most enjoyable projects of my career, and I’ve always felt Stephen Oliver’s wonderful music deserved a larger audience than it reached back in 1983 … Read more
REVIEW: Out There, Union Theatre ✭✭✭✭
Nevertheless, this is another creditable creation from the production stables of Sasha Regan and underlines her continuing commitment to the development of new British musical theatre. Very much worth your serious consideration, which it will repay by pleasing and charming.
REVIEW: Our House, Union Theatre ✭✭✭
While this is a deserved revival of an intriguing show, the core material remains in some respects unsatisfactory, and the scale of the show is not a great fit with the location. If this sounds churlish, then that is only because in musical theatre – as in opera – for the whole to succeed to best advantage the list of parts that need to be in great shape is a long and exacting one.
REVIEW: All Male Pirates Of Penzance, Richmond Theatre ✭✭✭
The key is truthfulness: the men play the female roles as truthfully as they can, in the context of the show, and by doing so, unlock different energies and synergies. Just as audiences roared at Mark Rylance’s Olivia in Twelfth Night, not because he was a man playing a woman, but because his so doing simply provided a different palette of choices, so too, in Regan’s productions, they roar at the antics as the men bring fresh perspective to some of Gilbert and Sullivan’s most loved and enduring characters and situations.
REVIEW: Loserville, Union Theatre ✭✭✭✭
With direction from Michael Burgen, musical direction from Bryan Hodgson, and choreography by Matt Kazan, this version of Loserville sparkles with enthusiastic effervescence, combining familiar comic stereotypes with excellent ensemble singing and dancing, and giving some excellent performers a chance to shine, all the while emphasising the inherent gifts provided by book, score and lyrics.
REVIEW: Whistle Down The Wind, Union Theatre ✭✭✭
Regan’s sure and steady direction brings the piece to life with charm and warmth. From the moment the three siblings rescue three new-born kittens from drowning right through to the exploration of the burnt-out barn and the discovery of the stranger’s gift, the story unfolds from the viewpoint of a youngster. As the central siblings, Cathy, Nan and Charles, Grace Osborn, Imelda Warren-Green and Alex James Ellison are each splendidly natural, full of charm, and the banter and bickering to and fro of growing up.
