Andrew Lancel – The Theatre Playbook

FIRST LOOK: And Then There Were None on road to Richmond Theatre

Here are photos from And Then There Were None, the Agatha Christie thriller embarking on a UK and Ireland tour that will visit Richmond Theatre.

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.

Produced by Fiery Angel, Royal & Derngate, Northampton and ROYO, the cast includes Bob Barrett as Doctor Armstrong, Joseph Beattie as Philip Lombard, Oliver Clayton as Anthony Marston, Jeffery Kissoon as General Mackenzie, Andrew Lancel as William Blore, Nicola May-Taylor as Jane Pinchbeck, Louise McNulty as Understudy, Katy Stephens as Emily Brent, Lucy Tregear as Georgina Rogers, Sophie Walter as Vera Claythorne, Matt Weyland as Narracott/Understudy and David Yelland as Judge Wargrave.

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

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

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.

And Then There Were None plays at Richmond theatre from October 31-November 4.

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).

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.

Hampstead Downstairs sets spring casts

Hampstead Theatre has confirmed the casts for three shows set to play in its Downstairs venue.

The world premiere of Sea Creatures, by Cordelia Lynn and directed by James Macdonald, will feature Geraldine Alexander, Pearl Chanda, Thusitha Jayasundera, Tom Mothersdale, Grace Saif, Tony Turner and June Watson. It runs from March 24-April 29.

Set in a cottage by the sea, four women live in a house made for five. Meals are prepared, stories are shared and the tide breaks on the shore. When only one of their two guests arrive for the summer, it isn’t quite the reunion they were all hoping for.

Another world premiere, Biscuits for Breakfast, by Gareth Farr and directed by Tessa Walker, will feature Boadicea Ricketts and Ben Castle-Gibb. It runs from May 5-June 10.

A tender story of dreams and survival, it introduces Joanne and Paul, who aren’t an obvious match – she is spiky, defensive and a survivor, while he is quiet, considered and hiding profound grief for his father. The pleasure Paul takes in cooking – and the astonishing food he prepares – creates a bond between them. When the hotel where they both work closes and they start to spiral into poverty, it throws everything up in the air – first the dreams of a cookbook and a restaurant, and, eventually, even the dreams of a future together.

Finally, Stumped, by Shomit Dutta and directed by Guy Unsworth, will feature Stephen Tompkinson and Andrew Lancel. It plays from June 16-July 22.

Before Samuel Beckett became the playwright universally known for Waiting for Godot, he was a cricketer. He is still the only Nobel prize-winner to feature in the pages of Wisden as a first-class player. His friend and fellow Nobel prize-winner, Harold Pinter, whose best-known works include The Birthday Party and Betrayal, described cricket as ‘the greatest thing that God created on Earth’. Exploring what the friendship between these two playwrights may have looked like, Stumped, was first streamed online as a digital only production in 2022. Now, Dutta has extended it into a full-length play and its stage premiere production at Hampstead Theatre coincides with the Ashes test match at Lord’s, a stone’s throw from the theatre.