Here’s a new trailer for Straight Line Crazy, starring Ralph Fiennes as a man whose iron will exposes the weakness of democracy in the face of charismatic conviction.
From writer Dave Hare and director Nicholas Hynter, the play is now on at the Bridge Theatre. The cast also includes Alisha Bailey, Samuel Barnett, David Bromley, Al Coppola, Siobhán Cullen, Ian Kirkby, Alana Maria, Dani Moseley, Guy Paul, Helen Schlesinger, Mary Stillwaggon Stewart and Danny Webb.
For 40 years, Robert Moses (Fiennes) was the most powerful man in New York, manipulating those in office through a mixture of guile, charm and intimidation.
Motivated at first by a determination to improve the lives of New York City’s workers, he created new parks, new bridges and 627 miles of expressway to connect the people to the great outdoors. But in the 1950s, groups of citizens at grass roots began to organise against his schemes and against the motor car, campaigning for a very different idea of what a city was and for what it should be.
New Wimbledon Theatre is bringing back its Premieres season for 2022 as part of its new writing initiative.
This autumn, the venue’s studio will host three world premiere productions curated by theatre administrator and events programmer Emma Brack. They include Ballooniana! by Alexander Knott; Turning the Screw, by Kevin Kelly; and Don’t Shoot the Meistersinger, by Graham Hill.
Brack said: “Through our Premieres season, we aim to provide an opportunity for theatre-makers to see their work on its feet and fully staged for the very first time, whilst delivering some top-quality and compelling productions for our Wimbledon audiences. We are incredibly proud to announce the return of our Premieres season following last year’s successful runs, with three brand new titles. We cannot wait to see what our next three productions bring!”
All three full-length productions will run at the Studio at New Wimbledon Theatre for 12 strictly limited performances each, in September, October and November respectively.
Here’s more details of each show:
Ballooniana! by Alexander Knott
BoxLess Theatre
Thursday, September 22 to Saturday, October 1, 2022
On November 21st in the year of our lord 1783, Jacques and Joseph Montgolfier watched a creation that was lighter than air soar away from them, in an effort to touch the face of God. Intentionally or not, this single action, this untethering of our collective dreams, led to us taking flight, in constant pursuit of the unattainable, and the unknown.
BoxLess take the story of the creation of the hot air balloon, and meld it with their signature physical theatre, original music and spoken word poetry, performed by the ensemble. This story could be dry. This story could be dusty. We promise it won’t be. The human race is taking flight. Untethered. A carnival of creativity, a celebration of what mankind can achieve, told by two female performers playing the Montgolfier brothers, with live original music and musicians, physical theatre and balloons. A celebration of liveness, aliveness and live theatre. A cloud in a paper bag.
Cast & Creatives: Written & Directed by Alexander Knott. Performed by Zöe Grain, Freya Sharp, James Demaine and Samuel Heron. Original Music Composed & Performed Live by James Demaine& Samuel Heron. Movement & Additional Devising by the Company.
Turning The Screw by Kevin Kelly
K-Squared Productions
Thursday, October 20 to Saturday, October 29, 2022
It’s 1954 and Benjamin Britten is working on a new opera about purity and innocence. He’s in an illegal gay relationship with Peter Pears so they mustn’t draw attention to themselves.
The star of the opera, a roguish 12-year-old choirboy, is coming to stay with them and he has other things on his mind. Someone’s going to get hurt and someone might end up in jail. A play about love, music, and memory.
Directed by Tim McArthur.
Don’t Shoot The Meistersinger by Graham Hill
Profugo Theatre Company
Thursday, November 3 to Saturday, November 12, 2022
Christmas 1914. Carol singing in the trenches. A football match in No Mans Land. Enemies coming together as friends. The inordinate power of the human spirit.
Yeah, yeah. You know all that. Now find out what you don’t know (and probably don’t need to).
As Hampstead Theatre gears up for the world premiere of Satinder Chohan’s new play Lotus Beauty, here’s the full cast and creative team.
Inspired by “the resilient women and vibrant beauty salons” of Chohan’s hometown in Southall, London, Lotus Beauty follows the intertwined lives of five multigenerational women. Audiences will be taken into Reita’s salon, where clients can wax lyrical about their day’s tiny successes or have their struggles massaged, plucked or tweezed away. But with honest truths and sharp-witted barbs high among the treatments on offer, will the power of community be enough to raise the spirits of everyone who passes through the salon doors?
Directed by Pooja Ghai, the cast is headed by Anshula Bain (Tartuffe), Souad Faress (The Archers), Zainab Hasan (The Welkin), Ulrika Krishnamurti (Pink Sari Revolution) and Kiran Landa (Line of Duty).
Ghai will be joined by designer Rosa Maggiora, lighting director Matt Haskins, sound designers The Ringham Brothers, dialect coach Gurkiran Kaur and assistant director Cassia Thakkar.
Ghai said: “Lotus Beauty is both funny and poignant. Satinder’s play shines a lens on the beauty and complexity of being a migrant and a South Asian woman in modern day Britain. I am so excited to work with our wonderful cast, creative and technical teams to bring the story to life.”
Lotus Beauty will run at Hampstead Downstairs, in association with Tamasha Theatre Company, from May 13 until June 18, 2022.
A host of film, TV and theatre stars will grace the stage as part of Richmond Theatre’s Spring 2022 line-up.
First up is Catch Me If You Can, a gripping psychological thriller starring Dallas legend Patrick Duffy, Linda Purl (Happy Days) and Gray O’ Brien (Peak Practice). Inspector Levine (O’Brien) is called to a house in the remote Catskill mountains to investigate the disappearance of newly married Elizabeth Corban (Purl). In a bizarre development a woman arrives at the house claiming to be the missing Elizabeth but, instead of celebrating the reunion, her husband accuses her of being an imposter…
Blockbuster film and bestselling novel The Da Vinci Code makes its stage debut. The curator of the Louvre has been brutally murdered, and alongside his body are a series of baffling codes. Follow the pulse-racing journey as Professor Robert Langdon, (Christopher Harper, Coronation Street) and fellow cryptologist Sophie Neveu (Hannah Rose Caton) attempt to solve the riddles, leading to the works of Leonardo Da Vinci and beyond, deep into the vault of history. With guidance from teacher and friend Professor Leigh Teabing (played by Danny John-Jules, Red Dwarf), Langdon and Neveu embark on a breathless race through the streets of Europe. The pair must decipher the labyrinthine code before a shocking historical secret is lost forever.
George Orwell’s Animal Farm arrives in May. This brand-new production is directed by Robert Icke (The Wild Duck, Hamlet), features puppetry by Toby Olié (War Horse) and is designed by Bunny Christie.
The Rocky Horror Show will see Strictly Come Dancing winner Ore Oduba as Brad, in a production directed by Christopher Luscombe.
Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em promises to take audiences back to the 70s as Joe Pasquale (New Faces) stars as the lovable accident-prone Frank Spencer. Susie Blake (Coronation Street) stars as his disapproving Mother-in-Law and Sarah Earnshaw as his long-suffering wife Betty.
Private Peaceful,based on the novel by Michael Morpurgo (War Horse), tells the story of the Peaceful brothers, Tommo (Daniel Rainford) and Charlie (Daniel Boyd), whose tough rural childhood, framed by the loss of their father, forges an irrevocable sibling loyalty. Until one day they both fall for the same girl. And then the Great War comes. Here we join 18-year-old Private Tommo Peaceful in the trenches as he takes us on a journey through his most cherished memories and tells his story of courage, devotion, family and friendship on what may be his last night on earth.
Meanwhile, The Rise and Fall of Little Voice by Jim Cartright showcases LV’s (Christina Bianco) astonishing impersonations of Shirley Bassey, Marilyn Monroe and Judy Garland as she is thrust into the spotlight by club owner Ray Say (Ian Kelsey) and her mother Mari (Shobna Gulati). This life affirming production will rouse even the weariest of souls.
Cabaret and Life of Pi were the big winners on the biggest night in Theatreland – the Olivier Awards.
The Royal Albert Hall last night hosted the star-studded annual event, which culminated in a special musical tribute to legendary theatre composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim, who died last year aged 91.
Check out the full list of winners here:
Pride And Prejudice* (*sort of)
Best Entertainment or Comedy Play: Pride and Predjudice* (*sort of), Criterion Theatre
Best New Dance Production: Revisor, by Crystal Pite and Jonathon Young/Kidd Pivot, Sadler’s Wells
Outstanding Achievement in Dance: Arielle Smith, for her choreography of Jolly Folly in Reunion by English National Ballet, Sadler’s Wells
Best Director: Rebecca Frecknall, Cabaret, The Kit Kat Club at the Playhouse Theatre
Best Family Show: Wolf Witch Giant Fairy, Royal Opera House – Linbury Theatre
Best Set Design: Tim Hatley for design and Nick Barnes & Finn Hadley for puppets, Life of Pi, Wyndham’s Theatre
Best Costume Design: Catherine Zuber, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Piccadilly Theatre
Constellations
Best Revival: Constellations, Donmar Warehouse at Vaudeville Theatre
Best Actor in a Supporting Role: The actors who play the Tiger, Fred Davis, Daisy Franks, Romina Hytten, Tom Larkin, Habib Nasib Nader, Tom Stacy and Scarlet Wilderink, Life of Pi, Wyndham’s Theatre
Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Liz Carr, The Normal Heart, National Theatre – Olivier
Best Actress: Sheila Atim, Constellations, Donmar Warehouse at Vaudeville Theatre
Best Actor: Hiban Abeysekera, Life of Pi, Wyndham’s Theatre
Life of Pi
Best New Play: Life of Pi, Wyndham’s Theatre
Outstanding Achievement in Affiliate Theatre: Old Bridge, Bush Theatre
Best New Opera Production: Jenufa, by Royal Opera, Royal Opera House
Outstanding Achievement in Opera: Peter Whelan and the Irish Baroque Orchestra, for Bajazet Irish National Opera and Royal Opera, Royal Opera House – Linbury Theatre
Best Lighting Design: Tim Lutkin and Andrzej Goulding, Life of Pi, Wyndham’s Theatre
Best Sound Design: Nick Lidster, Cabaret, The Kit Kat Club at the Playhouse Theatre
Best Original Score or New Orchestrations: Get Up Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical, Orchestrator: Simon Hale, Lyric Theatre
Best Theatre Choreographer: Kathleen Marshall, Anything Goes, Barbican Theatre
Cabaret
Best Musical Revival: Cabaret, The Kit Kat Club at the Playhouse Theatre
Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical: Elliot Levey, Cabaret, The Kit Kat Club at the Playhouse Theatre
Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical: Liza Sadovy, Cabaret, The Kit Kat Club at the Playhouse Theatre
Best Actress in a Musical: Jessie Buckley, Cabaret, The Kit Kat Club at the Playhouse Theatre
Best Actor in a Musical: Eddie Redmayne, Cabaret, The Kit Kat Club at the Playhouse Theatre
Back to the Future – The Musical
Best New Musical: Back to the Future – The Musical, Adelphi Theatre
Former JLS star Aston Merrygold, who recently appeared on TV in The Masked Singer, has joined the touring cast of Footloose the Musical.
Merrygold will play Willard in the show, which will stop at the New Wimbledon Theatre between August 15-20.
He said: “Willard is a superb role and I’m really looking forward to the challenge of stepping into such a lovable, comedy part and performing on these amazing stages. Footloose is just the best night out and I guarantee if you come along you’ll leave with a spring in your step and a smile on your face. I’m so looking forward to working with this team and I can’t wait to see you all there.”
The rest of the cast includes Darren Day as Reverend Moore with Lucy Munden (Ariel), Oonagh Cox (Rusty), Anna Westlake (Lulu) Alex Fobbester (Bickle) Ben Barrow (Wes) Ben Mabberley (Jeter) Geri Allen (Ethel) Holly Ashton (Vi), Jess Barker (Wendy-Jo) Joshua Hawkins (Ren) Samantha Richards (Urleen) Tom Mussell (Chuck) and Daniel Miles and Lucy Ireland as off-stage swings.
In Footloose, city boy Ren thinks life is bad enough when he’s forced to move to a rural backwater in America. But his world comes to a standstill when he arrives at Bomont to find dancing and rock music are banned. Taking matters into his own hands, soon Ren has all hell breaking loose and the whole town on its feet.
Based on the 1980s film, Footloose The Musical blends cutting edge modern choreography with classic 80s hits including Holding Out for a Hero, Almost Paradise, Let’s Hear It For The Boy and the iconic title track Footloose.
Footloose The Musical is presented by Selladoor Productions, Runaway Entertainment and Jason Haigh Ellery with casting by Debbie O’Brien, direction by Racky Plews, with choreography from Matt Cole, musical supervision by Mark Crossland, design by Sara Perks with lighting design from Chris Davey and sound design from Chris Whybrow.
Physical theatre company Gecko is bringing The Wedding to London’s Barbican.
The show, which questions the union between state and the individual, will play for one week only in June, following an acclaimed run as part of London International Mime Festival in 2019.
On stage, a nine-strong ensemble will take audiences on a journey to a dystopian world where everyone is a bride, wedded to society, and that ends with a tribal and rhythmic finale promising revolution and hope.
Led by Gecko artistic director Amit Lahav, the cast includes Madeleine Fairminer, Vanessa Guevara Flores, Saju Hari, Wai Shan Vivian Luk, Mario Patrón, Ryen Perkins-Gangnes, Uroš Petronijević, Miguel Hernando Torres Umba and Kenny Wing Tao Ho.
The Old Vic has appointed a new executive director.
Laura Stevenson will work alongside artistic director Matthew Warchus to further the artistic and social mission of the iconic theatre.
Stevenson, who starts her new role in July, previously worked as executive director of Sadler’s Wells, deputy director of the Hayward Gallery, and has also held positions at the Royal Opera House and the Royal Shakespeare Company.
She succeeds Kate Varah, who leaves the theatre after 12 years, seven years as executive director, to take up the same position at the National Theatre.
The Old Vic is currently staging The 47th, a new play from Mike Bartlett starring Bertie Carvel, Tamara Tunie and Lydia Wilson, until May 28.
As rehearsals get underway for Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre’s upcoming 2022 season, the full cast of its production of Legally Blonde has been unveiled.
Joining Courtney Bowman, who will take the lead role as Elle, are Gabriela Benedetti, Lucca Chadwick-Patel, Jasmin Colangelo, Allie Daniel, Joe Foster, Dominic Lamb, Esme Laudat, Liam McEvoy, Billy Nevers, Ashley Rowe, Shakira Simpson, Biancha Szynal and Paulo Teixeira (also Dance Captain).
Other cast previously announced are Michael Ahomka-Lindsay (Emmett), Lauren Drew (Brooke), Vanessa Fisher (Vivienne), Isaac Hesketh (Margot), Nadine Higgin (Paulette), Alžbeta Matyšáková (Enid), Eugene McCoy (Callahan), Grace Mouat (Pilar), Alistair Toovey (Warner) and Hannah Yun Chamberlain (Serena).
When she is dumped by her Harvard Law School boyfriend, fashion merchandising major Elle Woods embarks on a drastic plan to win him back, only to discover that there is more to love – and definitely Elle Woods – than meets the eye.
Based on the novel by Amanda Brown and the MGM feature film starring Reese Witherspoon, the show is directed by Lucy Moss (Six). It is written by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin (music and lyrics) and Heather Hach (book).
Other creatives include Cassiopeia Berkeley-Agyepong (dramaturg), Cat Beveridge (musical supervisor), Jean Chan (costume designer), Shanaé Chisholm (casting assistant), Natalie Gallacher CDG for Pippa Ailion Casting (casting director), Tony Gayle (sound designer), Phillip Gladwell (lighting designer), Ainsley Hall Ricketts (assistant choreographer), Laura Hopkins (set designer), Barbara Houseman (voice & text and season associate director), Majella Hurley (dialect coach), Ellen Kane (choreographer), Ingrid Mackinnon (season associate: intimacy support), Priya Patel Appleby (associate director), Chris Poon (associate musical director), Alexzandra Sarmiento (assistant choreographer), Amber Sinclair-Case (associate director) and Katharine Woolley (musical director).
Legally Blonde, which opens on May 13, marks the start of the Open Air Theatre’s 90th anniversary season. The line-up also includes 101 Dalmatians and Antigone.
The cast for Naomi Wallace’s play The Breach, coming to Hampstead Theatre, has been set.
Charlie Beck (Masters Of The Air), Jasmine Blackborow (Shadow and Bone), Alfie Jones (Teenage Dick, Richard III), Tom Lewis (Gentleman Jack), Douggie McMeekin (Bach & Sons, Chernobyl), Stanley Morgan (The Sandman) and Shannon Tarbet (Yous Two, Killing Eve) will lead the show, which is directed by Sarah Frankcom (West Side Story, Light Falls).
The creative team also includes designer Naomi Dawson, lighting director Rick Fisher, sound designer Tingying Dong, voice director Michaela Kennen, movement director Jennifer Jackson, casting director Nadine Rennie and assistant director Tramaine Reindorf.
The story introduces the Diggs siblings, for whom love knows no limits. There’s nothing that 17-year-old Jude won’t do to keep her younger brother Acton safe. Growing up in the turbulence of 1970s America, Jude works nights and weekends to pay the bills, just so that they can stay together and with their mother. But when Acton’s troublesome pals form a club in their basement, a foolish game threatens to upend Jude’s plans, and derail their lives forever. How far will Jude go to protect her brother? And who will pay the eventual price of her doing so?
Wallace (One Flea Spare, Slaughter City) said: “The Breach is my first in a trilogy of plays focused on different communities in my home state of Kentucky. It tells a story of love and survival amongst a specific set of youths in 1970s America, shining light on the political landscape designed to fail them and the American Dream intended to fool them. I am thrilled that the play is receiving its UK premiere at Hampstead Theatre, and I am excited to see what director Sarah Frankcom and the fantastic ensemble of young actors bring to The Breach.”
The Breach will run at Hampstead from May 6 until June 4, 2022.
