News – Page 5 – The Theatre Playbook

Temptations show Ain’t Too Proud to end Prince Edward Theatre run

Temptations musical Ain’t Too Proud will play its final performance at the Prince Edward Theatre in September.

The producers of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical revealed the news after ending its limited run earlier than planned on Sunday, September 17, 2023.

Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations, which won the 2019 Tony Award for Best Choreography, is pitched as the electrifying new musical that follows the remarkable journey of the group from the streets of Detroit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

With their signature dance moves and unmistakable harmonies, The Temptations rose to the top of the charts creating an amazing 42 Top Ten Hits with 14 reaching number one. The rest is history – how they met, how they rose, the ground-breaking heights they hit, and how personal and political conflicts threatened to tear the group apart as the United States fell into civil unrest. The thrilling story of brotherhood, family, loyalty and betrayal is set to the beat of the group’s Grammy Award-winning music including the hits My Girl, Just My Imagination, Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone, Get Ready, Ain’t Too Proud to Beg and so many more.

Ain’t Too Proud stars Cameron Bernard Jones as Melvin Franklin, Kyle Cox as Paul Williams, Sifiso Mazibuko as Otis Williams, Tosh Wanogho-Maud as David Ruffin and Mitchell Zhangazha as Eddie Kendricks.

The company is completed by Evonnee Bentley-Holder, Natalia Brown, Ryan Carter, Hannah Fairclough, Christopher Gopaul, Daniel Haswell, Naomi Katiyo, Akmed Junior Khemalai, Holly Liburd, Darnell Mathew-James, Simeon Montague, Posi Morakinyo, Sadie-Jean Shirley, Michael James Stewart, Toyan Thomas-Browne, Dylan Turner and Kevin Yates.

Ain’t Too Proud has a book by playwright Dominique Morisseau and reunites director Des McAnuff with choreographer Sergio Trujilio, whose previous collaborations include Jersey Boys.

It has scenic design by Robert Brill with costume design by Paul Tazewell. Lighting designer Howell Binkley and sound designer Steve Canyon Kennedy also reunited following their success working together on Jersey Boys.

Projection design is by Peter Nigrini, hair and wig design by Charles G LaPointe. Music supervision and arrangements are by Kenny Seymour, orchestrations by Harold Wheeler, music direction by Matt Smith and casting by Pippa Ailion and Natalie Gallacher.

Ain’t Too Proud is produced in the West End by Ira Pittelman, Tom Hulce, Stephen Gabriel and Jamie Wilson.

More information: ainttooproudmusical.co.uk

Felicity Kendal to lead Noises Off at Theatre Royal Haymarket

Noises Off is returning to the West End, with Felicity Kendal set to star in the production at Theatre Royal Haymarket.

Kendal (The Good Life) will play Dotty, with Jonathan Coy as Frederick Fellows and Alexander Hanson as Lloyd Dallas. Further casting is to be announced.

This celebrated 40^th anniversary production of Michael Frayn’s farce is directed by Lindsay Posner (God of Carnage). It opened to critical acclaim at Theatre Royal Bath in Autumn 2022 before transferring for its initial West End run to the Phoenix Theatre in January this year.

The play serves up a riotous double bill – a play within a play. Hurtling along at breakneck speed, Noises Off follows the on and off-stage antics of a touring theatre company as they stumble their way through the fictional farce, Nothing On. From the shambolic final rehearsals before opening night in Weston-super-Mare, to a disastrous matinee in Ashton-Under-Lyme seen entirely, and hilariously silently, from backstage, before we share their final, brilliantly catastrophic performance in Stockton-on-Tees.

The creative team for this production includes Simon Higlett (designer), Paul Pyant (lighting designer), Greg Clarke (sound designer), Will Stuart (composer), Ruth Cooper-Brown (movement and fight director), George Jibson (associate director) and Ginny Schiller (casting director).

Noises Off will run for a 12-week season at the Theatre Royal Haymarket from September 27, 2023. Tickets: www.trh.co.uk

Matilda the Musical lines up new cast

The new cast of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Matilda the Musical has been unveiled as the show continues in its 12th year at the Cambridge Theatre.

Estella Evans, Selena Karir and Arabella Stanton will join Sophia Goodman in the title role of Matilda, with their first performances from September 12.

Kieran Hill will join the company in the role of Miss Trunchbull alongside Lydia White as Miss Honey. Rakesh Boury and Amy Ellen Richardson will continue in the roles of Mr and Mrs Wormwood.

Nolan Edwards, Sean Lopeman, Ruairidh McDonald, Kane Oliver Parry, Deborah Tracey, Esme Bacalla-Hayes, Ronan Burns, Ella Caldwell, Stan Doughty, Karina Hind, Roan Pronk, Gabrielle Davina Smith and Lauren Varnham will join the existing adult cast, which also includes Thea Bunting, Aaron Jenkins and Sam Lathwood.

The other young performers who will join the London company in the roles of Bruce, Lavender, Nigel and the rest of the pupils at Crunchem Hall are: Sidhant Anand, Charlie Cox, Jack Dennis, Megan Donovan, Rosy Drury, Jake Durant, Phoebe Easom, Jaydon Eastman, Benjamin El Refaie, Jax Fenner, Max Garlick, Lilia Guinoubi, Gina Harris-Sullivan, Coco-Lili Hodder, Elliott Marsden, Sophia McAlister, Charlotte Mellington, Kanon Narumi, Toryn O’Callaghan, Zarian Marcel Obatarhe, Kristiano Ricardo, Harriet Rogers, Azalea-Belle Sharp, Archie Smith and Joshua Wahab.

Written by Dennis Kelly, with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin and developed and directed by Matthew Warchus, the production is designed by Rob Howell, with choreography by Peter Darling, orchestrations, additional music and musical supervision by Christopher Nightingale, lighting by Hugh Vanstone, sound by Simon Baker and special effects and illusions by Paul Kieve.

Since the production opened in London, the British musical has won 101 international awards including 24 for Best Musical and has been seen by 11 million people across more than 90 cities worldwide.

It is now booking through to December 15, 2024: www.matildathemusical.com

dodie joins Punchdrunk’s The Burnt City

Singer-songwriter dodie joined Punchdrunk’s The Burnt City in a one-off sold out performance.

dodie performed an acoustic set in The Burnt City’s very own speakeasy, Peep, featuring covers of David Bowie’s Life on Mars? and Alison Moyet’s All Cried Out.

Following 18 months in London, the final performance of The Burnt City will take place on September 24.

Opening in March 2022, the production has sold more than 200,000 tickets. More than 600 people have worked on the show, making it the largest project in Punchdrunk’s history.

The epic retelling of the end of the Trojan war, set between the neon-drenched backstreets of downtown Troy and the menacing but opulent shadow of Greece, is played out across two vast warehouse buildings. Part of the old Woolwich Arsenal, these buildings provide Punchdrunk with its first permanent home in London.

Punchdrunk will announce news of future projects will follow later this year.

The Burnt City tickets: www.theburntcity.com

The full cast has been announced for Torben Betts’s thriller Murder in the Dark, which is visiting Richmond Theatre in 2024.

Joining the previously announced Tom Chambers as Danny will be Susie Blake as Mrs Bateman, Rebecca Charles as Rebecca, Jonny Green as Jake, Owen Oakeshott as William and Laura White as Sarah.

Murder in the Dark comes to Richmond Theatre from Tuesday, March 19 – Saturday, March 23, 2024.

New Year’s Eve. A car crash on a lonely road brings famous but troubled singer Danny Sierra and his extended family to an isolated holiday cottage in rural England. From the moment they arrive, a sequence of inexplicable events begins to occur… and then the lights go out.

Murder in the Dark will be directed by Philip Franks (The Mirror Crack’d) and designed by Simon Kenny, with lighting design by Paul Pyant, original music and sound design by Max Pappenheim, sound associate Johnny Edwards and assistant director Bethany West.

Franks said: “Horror films have been my guilty pleasure since I was a morbid child. Now is the time to find out whether many years’ worth of jump scares and terrible nightmares can be put to good use. We’ll also see whether my more adult theory – that horror often puts its finger on what worries us most as a society at any given time – will also hold true.”

The show’s UK & Ireland Tour will be produced by Alastair Whatley and Tom Hackney for Original Theatre with Trafalgar Theatre Productions and JAS Theatricals.

Royal Court Theatre names David Byrne new artistic director

David Byrne, the founding artistic director of London theatre New Diorama, has been named the new artistic director of the Royal Court Theatre.

Known for his innovative and ground-breaking approach to working with artists, Byrne has supported thousands of playwrights, theatre-makers and artists over the past decade. Launched in the wake of the COVID pandemic, one of David’s most recent projects, NDT Broadgate, has provided a revolutionary free rehearsal space for more than 8,000 creatives.

Byrne’s plays have been performed across the UK winning multiple Off-West End awards. His recent productions include a radical adaptation of George Orwell’s Down and Out in Paris and London, The Incident Room co-written with Olivia Hirst, and Secret Life of Humans, both played to sold out audiences at the Edinburgh Festival as well as in London, before off-Broadway and international transfers.

Byrne said: “At its founding, George Devine imagined the Royal Court to be where ‘the experimentalists of the modern era could be seen’, often ‘in advance of public taste’. For over a decade at New Diorama, I’ve embraced those ideals, seeking out and supporting the boldest and most exhilarating artists so that, together, we could re-write the theatre rule book.

“In this new role, I’m excited to continue working in service of the playwrights and artists raring to take big swings. Together, we’ll shape a rejuvenating culture from which the experimentalists of this new era are safe to take risks, can gamble like they’re never going to lose, and where audiences can glimpse the future of theatre, today.”

David Byrne will take over from Vicky Featherstone at the start of 2024 when she steps down after a decade in the position.

Miriam Battye’s Strategic Love Play sets rehersals ahead of Soho Theatre run

Check out these rehearsal images from Miriam Battye’s Strategic Love Play, coming to Soho Theatre.

A coproduction with Soho Theatre and Belgrade Theatre in association with Landmark Theatres, the production will tour the UK this autumn, arriving in London from September 6-23.

Directed by co-artistic director Katie Posner, Battye’s Strategic Love Play takes place on an awkward first date, speaking uncomfortable truths about modern dating and romance with acid wit. Letty Thomas and Archie Backhouse star.

So they’ve both swiped right. Now they’re meeting for the first time. Facing each other. As if that’s a normal thing to do. But she’s being uncomfortable, and he’s a total bore. The vibe is horrific and the banter is even worse. But something is keeping them in their seats. Something is making them stay.

The production will feature set and costume design by Rhys Jarman, lighting design by Rajiv Pattani, sound design by Beth Duke, intimacy direction by Robbie Taylor Hunt, movement direction by Gabrielle Nimo, dramaturgy by Gillian Greer and the casting director is Jacob Sparrow. The production manager will be Josephine Tremelling and the company stage manager will be Simon Perkins.

More information: painesplough.com/productions/strategic-love-play/

Cast announced for And Then There Were None

Here’s the cast line-up for And Then There Were None, a production of Agatha Christie’s classic thriller coming to Richmond Theatre later this year.

Bob Barrett (Holby City) will play Doctor Armstrong, with Joseph Beattie (Hex ) as Philip Lombard, Oliver Clayton (The Play That Goes Wrong) as Anthony Marston, Jeffery Kissoon (National Theatre) as General Mackenzie, Andrew Lancel (Coronation Street) as William Blore, Nicola May-Taylor (Rutherford And Son) as Jane Pinchbeck, Louise McNulty as understudy, Katy Stephens (RSC) as Emily Brent, Lucy Tregear (The Country Wife) as Georgina Rogers, Sophie Walter (The Girl On The Train) as Vera Claythorne, Matt Weyland (Witness For The Prosecution) as Narracott/understudy and David Yelland (Poirot) as Judge Wargrave.

And Then There Were None will open in Northampton on September 7 before embarking on a UK and Ireland tour. It will run at Richmond Theatre between October 31 – November 4, 2023.

This brand-new production has been reinvented for the 21^st century, directed by Lucy Bailey (Witness for the Prosecution).

Ten strangers are lured to a solitary mansion off the coast of Devon. When a terrible storm cuts them off from the mainland, and with their hosts mysteriously absent, the true reason for their presence on the island becomes horribly clear, as secrets from their past come back to haunt each and every one of them.

Bailey directs with set and costume designer Mike Britton, lighting designer Chris Davey and sound designer and composer Elizabeth Purnell. Casting is by Ellie Collyer-Bristow, the assistant director will be Victoria Gartner, fight direction by Renny Krupinski and movement direction by Ayse Tashkiran.

General management for the tour is by Rich Jones with production management by Setting Line Production Management. The stage management team will be Sian Wiggins, William Buckenham, Sara-Jayne Smith and Lewis Mote with wardrobe headed by Natasha Hancock.

It is a production from Fiery Angel, Royal & Derngate, Northampton and ROYO production.

Frankie Bridge makes West End debut in 2:22 – A Ghost Story

Frankie Bridge will make her West End debut after joining the cast of 2:22 – A Ghost Story.

Bridge will play Lauren after Sophia Bush withdrew from the production due to illness. Bridge will perform from August until the end of the show’s run at the Apollo Theatre on September 17.

Producers Runway Entertainment said: “Due to illness, Sophia Bush has unfortunately had to withdraw from the production. We are delighted to welcome Frankie Bridge to the 2:22 family. Our talented understudies Gemma Yates and Allie Dart have been covering the role of Lauren on rotation. We are hugely grateful to them for stepping up so brilliantly. They will continue until Frankie begins.”

Former The Saturdays star Bridge joins the fifth West End transfer of Danny Robins’ supernatural thriller, which moved to the Apollo in May after a run at The Lyric Theatre and two successful seasons at the Criterion.

The production began its life in the summer of 2021 at the Noel Coward Theatre starring Lily Allen, Julia Chan, Hadley Fraser and Jake Wood. It then transferred to the Gielgud Theatre for 10 weeks starring Stephanie Beatriz, James Buckley, Elliot Cowan and Giovanna Fletcher.

The show then moved to the Criterion Theatre with the cast featuring Tom Felton, Mandip Gill, Beatriz Romilly, Sam Swainsbury; the second cast at the Criterion Theatre featured Tamsin Carroll as Lauren, Felix Scott as Sam, Matt Willis as Ben and Laura Whitmore as Jenny. The show then transferred to the Lyric where Cheryl, Jake Wood, Louise Ford and Scott Karim ended their run on 23 April.

The US premiere of 2:22 A Ghost Story at the Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles, opened on October 29 and ended its run on December 4, 2022. The show has also recently opened in Australia.

2.22 – A Ghost Story is written by Robins (The Battersea Poltergeist) and it is directed by Matthew Dunster. Described as intriguing, funny and scary, it takes audiences into one adrenaline-fueled night where secrets will emerge and ghosts may appear….What do you believe? And do you dare to discover the truth?

Jenny believes her new home is haunted, but her husband Sam isn’t having any of it. They argue with their first dinner guests, old friend Lauren and her new partner Ben. Can the dead really walk again? Belief and scepticism clash, but something feels strange and frightening, and that something is getting closer, so they are going to stay up… until 2.22am… and then they will know.

2:22 – A Ghost Story features set design by Anna Fleischle, costume design by Cindy Lin, lighting design by Lucy Carter, sound by Ian Dickinson for Autograph Sound, casting by Matilda James, illusions by Chris Fisher, and co-direction by Gabriel Vega Weissmanl.

It is produced by Tristan Baker and Charlie Parsons for Runaway Entertainment, Isobel David and Kater Gordon.

Steven Moffatt and Mark Gatiss reunite for The Unfriend’s return to the West End

Steven Moffatt and Mark Gatiss are bringing The Unfriend back to the West End this year.

The show, from Playful Productions, will open in previews at Wyndhams’ Theatre on December 16 and will run until March 9, 2024.

Comedian and actor Lee Mack (Not Going Out) will take the lead as Peter, while Sarah Alexander (Jonathan Creek) will play Peter’s wife Debbie and Nick Sampson (Witness for the Prosecution) will play The Neighbour. Frances Barber (Silk) returns as serial killer Elsa Jean Krakowski.

While on holiday Peter and Debbie befriend Elsa: a lusty, Trump-loving widow from Denver, USA. She’s less than woke but kind of wonderful, so they agree to stay in touch – because no one ever really does, do they?

When Elsa invites herself to stay with the family a few months later, they decide to look her up online. But it’s too late: on learning the truth about Elsa Jean Krakowski, the deadly danger is already on a flight to London. What began as a casual holiday friendship is suddenly a threat to all their lives.

Peter and Debbie now face the ultimate challenge of the modern world – how do you protect all that you love from mortal peril without seeming a bit impolite?

Because guess who’s coming… to murder…

Director Gatiss said: “You can’t keep a good serial killer down! I’m absolutely delighted that Elsa Jean Krakowski has found a home at the beautiful Wyndham’s theatre and very much look forward to bringing Steven’s hilarious play back to the West End.”

Writer Moffat added: “It’s a real thrill to welcome a couple of comedy legends on board The Unfriend, for our new run at the Wyndhams Theatre. Lee Mack is one of the funniest men in the country and someone I’ve been wanting to work with for years. And Sarah Alexander is not just brilliant and hilarious, she’s an old friend from our days together on Coupling. Can’t wait to get started all over again.”

The Unfriend is designed by Robert Jones, with lighting by Mark Henderson, sound by Ella Wahlström, video design by Andrzej Goulding and casting by Charlotte Sutton. The Unfriend by Steven Moffat was originally developed by Playful Productions.