Rehearsals are underway on Dear England, a new play by James Graham coming to the National Theatre.
Telling the story of the England men’s football team under manager Gareth Southgate, the cast is headed by Joseph Fiennes (The Handmaid’s Tale) as Southgate and Gina McKee (My Policeman) as Pippa Grange, sports psychologist and head of people and team development at the Football Association from 2017 to 2019.
The cast also includes Josh Barrow as Jordan Pickford, Gunnar Cauthery as Gary Lineker, Will Close as Harry Kane, Crystal Condie as Alex Scott, Will Fletcher as Jordan Henderson, Sean Gilder as Sam Allardyce, Darragh Hand as Marcus Rashford, John Hodgkinson as Greg Clarke, Adam Hugill as Harry Maguire, Albert Magashi as Jadon Sancho, Kel Matsena as Raheem Sterling, Abdul Sessay as Bukayo Saka, Lewis Shepherd as Dele Alli, Paul Thornley as Mike Webster, Tony Turner as Greg Dyke and Ryan Whittle as Eric Dier. Nick Barclay, Tashinga Bepete, Will Harrison-Wallace and Miranda Heath complete the company. The cast will also be playing additional roles as part of the ensemble.
Following Tammy Faye and Ink, writer Graham (Best of Enemies, Sherwood) reunites with director Rupert Goold (Spring Awakening, Judy) for what is described as a gripping examination of both nation and game.
Dear England boasts set design by Es Devlin, costume design by Evie Gurney, lighting design by Jon Clark, movement direction by Ellen Kane and Hannes Langolf, sound design by Dan Balfour and Tom Gibbons, video design by Ash J Woodward and casting by Bryony Jarvis-Taylor. The dialect coach is Richard Ryder and associate director is Elin Schofield.
Dear England will play in the Olivier theatre from June 10 – 11 August 11.
Two British stars of stage and screen will appear at Richmond Theatre in June.
Facing the Music: Dame Patricia Routledge in Conversation with Edward Seckerson, and A Diva and A Piano with Lesley Garrett, will both take place on Sunday, June 25.
In Facing the Music, Dame Patricia will recall special parts of her career with access to some rare and treasured recordings. The British actress, comedian and singer is best known for her Bafta TV Award-nominated role as Hyacinth Bucket in the BBC sitcom Keeping Up Appearances, To Sir, with Love and Lock Up Your Daughters.
The Olivier Award-winning actress will also discuss her stage work – including a Tony Award-winning performance in Darling of the Day and her performance as Nettie in the National Theatre’s 1992 production of Carousel – with writer and broadcaster Seckerson.
Garrett will then present an evening of song, reminiscences and chat, giving audiences a unique insight into her life on the stage with behind-the-scenes stories and anecdotes.
As well as performing on the opera and concert stage both in the UK and internationally, Lesley has recently returned to English National Opera for the world premiere production of Nico Muhly’s Marnie. She has also starred in Carousel and The Sound of Music as well as appeared on television shows including Strictly Come Dancing and Loose Women. Lesley has performed with artists as diverse as Michael Ball, Renee Fleming, Andrea Bocelli and Lily Savage.
The Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond has unveiled its first full year of programming under new artistic director Tom Littler, with world and European premieres and the first major London revival of Polly Stenham’s That Face.
Niamh Cusack will make her OT debut in the autumn with That Face. Mustapha Matura’s Meetings follows, with Kalungi Ssebandeke directing this first major UK revival.
This year ends with Tom Littler and Francesca Ellis directing the 250th anniversary production of Oliver Goldsmith’s She Stoops to Conquer; alongside the OT’s annual family show, Tiny Tim’s Christmas Carol, based on Charles Dickens’ novel, adapted and directed by Becca Chadder.
In January, Zoe Cooper (Jess and Joe Forever, Out of Water) returns to the Orange Tree with her new play Northanger Abbey, inspired by Jane Austen’s novel, directed by Tessa Walker – in a coproduction with the Octagon Theatre Bolton, the Stephen Joseph Theatre Scarborough and Theatre by the Lake.
The turn of the year will bring a production of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya, adapted and directed by Trevor Nunn; the UK premiere of Kate Attwell’s Testmatch, directed by Diane Page, a coproduction with ETT (English Touring Theatre) and Octagon Theatre Bolton; a rediscovery of Noël Coward’s Suite in Three Keys, directed by Littler; and completing the season, the European premiere of Lucas Hnath’s Red Speedo, directed by Matthew Dunster and co-produced with David Adkin.
The new season opens this summer with Orange Tree’s inaugural Greenhouse Festival showcasing the theatre’s OT New Artists programme and marking a new collaboration between the OT and the drama school LAMDA, including the creation of a new Associate Director position.
Headlining the Greenhouse Festival will be four productions by graduating LAMDA students, directing modern classics with their fresh and exciting takes on Ross Willis’ Wolfie (directed by Martha Barnett), Enda Walsh’s The Small Things (directed by Robert Elwood), Sophie Treadwell’s Machinal (directed by Anna Hampton) and Eugène Ionesco’s The Chairs (directed by Saniya Saraf).
Niamh Cusack in That Face
Polly Stenham’s THAT FACE Directed by Josh Seymour, September 9 – October 7, 2023 When Mia is expelled from boarding school, her mother Martha isn’t interested. Martha prefers to hang out with her son Henry. And now her estranged husband Hugh, who’s runoff to Hong Kong with his new girlfriend, is charging back threatening to sort things out. What is there to sort out? Everything is fine.
Mustapha Matura’s MEETINGS Directed by Kalungi Ssebandeke, October 14 – November 11, 2023 Suited, booted, and stuffed with American burgers and fries, Hugh walks out of a meeting and buys a mango on the street. To the bemusement of his high-flying wife Jean, Hugh becomes obsessed with the foods of his Trinidadian childhood and hires a cook, Elsa, to indulge his nostalgic passion. Mustapha Matura’s razor-sharp comedy is about identity, belonging and the cost of progress.
Oliver Goldsmith’s SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER Directed by Tom Littler with Francesca Ellis, November 18, 2023 – January 6, 2024 Christmas at Hardcastle Hall, where guests are assured of a hearty welcome. The gramophone is playing a Charleston, cocktails are in the shaker, and romance is in the air. Kate Hardcastle can’t wait to meet her intended iancé, Charles Marlow – but when Marlow finally turns up, he’s not the shy and retiring man anyone was expecting. Wily Kate soon realises that faint heart never won fair husband…
Becca Chadder’s TINY TIM’S CHRISTMAS CAROL An adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, adapted and directed by Becca Chadder, December 18, 2023 – January 6, 2024 When Bob Cratchit takes over the company from his old boss Ebenezer Scrooge, he discovers it’s tough at the top. In fact, he works so hard that this year he might cancel Christmas. So now it’s up to Tiny Tim to remind his father of the story of Scrooge and the true meaning of Christmas. Charles Dickens’ much-loved Christmas story is reinvented for families with children aged five to ten.
Zoe Cooper’sNORTHANGER ABBEY From the novel by Jane Austen, directed by Tessa Walker, January 24 – February 24, 2024 Catherine Moreland knows little of the world, but who needs real-life experience when you have novels to guide you? Catherine seizes her chance to escape her claustrophobic family and join the smart set in Bath. Between balls and parties, she meets worldly, sophisticated Isabella Thorpe – Iz, to her friends – and so Cath’s very own adventure begins.
Anton Chekhov’s UNCLE VANYA Adapted and directed by Trevor Nunn, March 2 – April 13, 2024 Sonia and her Uncle Vanya lead an uneventful life on their country estate, animated only by visits from the dashing local doctor. But when Sonia’s famous father and his glamorous new wife unexpectedly turn up, old grudges return, and new desires ignite. In the heat of summer, tempers boil over and forbidden lusts threaten to end in catastrophe.
Kate Attwell’s TESTMATCH Directed by Diane Page, April 20 – May 18, 2024 Lord’s, present day. The Women’s Cricket World Cup: England versus India. There’s a rain delay. Stuck in the same locker room together, tensions mount, ambitions are laid bare and a whole new tactical game begins. Calcutta, 1800. Two British administrators encounter challenges on the field of play that threaten the entire regime. In this game of integrity and power, past and present collide.
Noël Coward’s SUITE IN THREE KEYS Directed by Tom Littler, May 24 – July 6, 2024 In a luxury Swiss hotel suite, three separate stories unfold. In the full-length A Song at Twilight, an elderly writer faces blackmail at the hands of an ex-lover threatening to expose his secret past. Shadows of the Evening and Come into the Garden, Maud form a perfect double-bill, combining a late-life love triangle and a fizzing comedy about Americans abroad.
Lucas Hnath’s RED SPEEDO Directed by Matthew Dunster, July 13 – Aug 10, 2024 Ray lives to swim. He is within touching distance of Olympic glory and a life-changing sponsorship deal. But everything changes when performance-enhancing drugs are discovered in the club’s refrigerator. As tensions run high, Ray’s brother wants them destroyed, his coach wants to call the authorities, his ex-girlfriend doesn’t want to know, and Ray wants the drugs back. A thriller played at the breakneck pace of an Olympic sprint, Red Speedo tackles the unforgiving weight of success in a world where the only crime is getting caught.
Megan Swaisland, Rachel Lea-Gray and Jazz Evans will head the cast of Pigs Might Fly, which is embarking on a UK tour that will take in Theatre Peckham and New Wimbledon Theatre.
The bold and energetic new musical follows the air-raising adventures of Pintsize (Swaisland), the youngest and most daring piglet on Mudpuddle Farm. Pintsize loves nothing more than playing with his neighbour and best friend Diana the sheep, until one day Pintsize wakes up to discover a tall fence built between their two farms.
Devastated by the loss of playtime with his best pal, Pintsize resolves that he will figure out how to fly over it instead. Can his determination and ingenuity defy the laws of physics? Will crotchety Farmer Rafferty (Evans) finally make peace with his neighbour, Farmer Brightwell (Lea-Gray)? Can Albertine the clever goose keep Pintsize from hurting himself as he tries to fly?
From DEM Productions and based on Michael Morpurgo’s Mudpuddle Farm, book, music and lyrics are by Caroline Wigmore and Jen Green. It is directed by Kate Golledge.
Pigs Might Fly has choreography by Chris Whittaker (Lady Chatterley’s Lover, Gatsby) and set and costume design by Stewart J Charlesworth (From Here To Eternity, The Dark).
The show will start its UK Tour on May 24, 2023 at Theatre Peckham before arriving at New Wimbledon Theatre on June 3-4.
Solo performer Guy Masterson will celebrate the 70th anniversary of Dylan Thomas’ Under Milk Wood with a week of shows at Wilton’s Music Hall.
Inspired by his uncle, Richard Burton, who led the first broadcast on the BBC World Service in January 1954, Olivier Award winner Masterson has brought the entirety of Thomas’ work to vivid life on stage, by himself, more than 2,000 times all over the world over the past 30 years.
All 69 of Thomas’ wonderfully quirky inhabitants of the fictional Welsh village Llareggub, from Blind Captain Cat, to Rosie Probert and the Reverend Eli Jenkins, are assiduously recreated in an amazing feat of memory and physical virtuosity.
Presented by Masterson and Theatre Tours International, the show is directed by Tony Boncza (with original direction by George Dillon), with original music and soundscape by Matt Clifford.
Lenny Henry makes his playwriting debut in August in England, now on at the Bush Theatre.
Directed by Lynette Linton and Daniel Bailey, Henry writes and performs the one-man show that offers an insight into the lives impacted by the injustice of the Windrush scandal.
Charming, flawed, and with the gift of the gab, we all know a man like August Henderson. Between his three kids, devoted wife-to-be, and part-ownership of a fruit and veg shop, he is proud of the life he has built since landing in his beloved West Bromwich.
So, when faced with deportation to a country he has no memory of, he isn’t prepared to go quietly. Listen up, he is ready to tell his own story.
August in England is at the Bush Theatre until June 10.
It’s the show that’s described as a Hamlet mix-tape.
When actor and artist Dickie Beau realised he might never get to play Shakespeare’s iconic Danish prince, the lip-syncing sensation instead took recordings of great Hamlets from the past to create a unique one-man show.
Beau has now created a Hamlet that can never be “re-membered” because no recordings exist.
In his show, part documentary theatre, part 21st century séance, Beau brings Hamlet back to life through exclusive recordings of interviews with Ian McKellen, Richard Eyre and others.
Beau’s previous work include iShowmanism! at the Ustinov Studio, Bath, last year. He played the title role in Botticelli in the Fire at Hampstead Theatre in 2019. His other credits include Kenny Everett in Bohemian Rhapsody and The Dame in Dick Whittington at the National Theatre.
Re-Member Me was first presented as a scratch performance at the Almeida Theatre on the set of Robert Icke’s production of Hamlet in 2017, before it transferred to the Public Theater, New York, and went on to play at the Melbourne International Arts Festival and Perth International Festival.
The show is directed and co-devised by Jan-willem van den Bosch with lighting design by Marty Langthorne.
Re-Member Me is at Hampstead Theatre from May 25-June 17.
Edinburgh Fringe Festival hit SHEWOLVES is coming to the Southwark Playhouse.
Described as a coming-of-age story for teenagers and anyone who has ever been a teen, Priya and Lou come armed with a backpack full of Pop-tarts as they embark on a covert expedition into the wild. They want to fight back against the climate crises and make real change, but when the wilderness closes in around them, first they have to overcome their differences and make their voices heard.
SHEWOLVES stars Gurjot Dhaliwal as Priya and Harriet Waters as Lou, both of whom reprise their roles from the much-praised Edinburgh production.
It is written by Sarah Middleton and directed by Hannah Stone. Charlotte Henry is the set and costume designer, Anne Reddyhoff is the lighting designer, Eleanor Isherwood is the sound designer and composer, Tilly Branson is the dramaturg and Hannah Brown is the assistant director.
SHEWOLVES is at the Southwark Playhouse from June 21– July 8, 2023.
The National Theatre is gearing up to host the culmination of an epic, multi-location production of The Odyssey.
This epic story of resilience and hope began its journey in Stoke-on-Trent and Doncaster, with the next episodes coming to Trowbridge Town Hall and The Fire Station in Sunderland.
The Odyssey’s final stage, The Underworld, will be a full-scale musical production at the National Theatre on August 26-28, 2023. This fifth and final production will feature community performers from all four previous episodes, as well as members recruited through Public Acts founding community partners, founding theatre partner Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch, and Trybe House Theatre in London.
The Underworld is written by Olivier-award winning playwright Chris Bush with music composed by Jim Fortune and directed by Director of Public Acts Emily Lim. The set is designed by Sadeysa Greenaway-Bailey, movement directed by Dan Canham, costume designed by Fly Davis, music supervised and directed by Tarek Merchant, lighting designed by Joshua Pharo, sound designed by Paul Arditti and casting by Bryony Jarvis-Taylor.
Broadway musical sensation A Strange Loop is transferring from New York to London this summer, where it will open at the Barbican Theatre.
Alan Cumming, Ilana Glazer, Jennifer Hudson, Mindy Kaling and Billy Porter will reunite to produce the musical – Michael R Jackson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning masterwork that exposes the heart and soul of Usher, a young, gay, Black writer who hates his day job, writing a musical about a young, gay, Black writer who’s writing a musical about a young, gay, Black writer…a strange loop.
Usher grapples with desires, identity and instincts he both loves and loathes, all brought to life on stage by a hilarious, straight-talking ensemble. Casting is to be announced.
It is directed by Stephen Brackett and choreographed by Raja Feather Kelly, with Rona Siddiqui as music supervisor, orchestrations by Charlie Rosen, scenic design by Arnulfo Maldonado, costume design by Montana Levi Blanco, lighting design by Jen Schriever and sound design by Drew Levy.
A Strange Loop opens at the Barbican Theatre for a strictly limited 12-week season on June 17. Visit Strangeloopmusical.com
