Richmond Theatre – 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.

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.

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.

Catherine Tate and David Threlfall line up for The Enfield Haunting

Catherine Tate and David Threlfall will star in The Enfield Haunting, a new play based on one of the most famous poltergeist events in the world.

Written by Paul Unwin and directed by Angus Jackson, The Enfield Haunting will play at Brighton Theatre Royal and Richmond Theatre – where it plays from Tuesday, November 21 to Saturday, November 25, 2023 – before moving to the Ambassadors Theatre in London for a limited West End season from November 30, 2023 until March 2, 2024.

Tate (Doctor Who) will play Peggy Hodgson, a single mother who tries to protect her three children from something that is incomprehensible and deeply disturbing.

Threlfall (Shameless) plays ghost hunter Maurice Grosse.

The Hodgson’s had no idea what a poltergeist was when, in the summer of 1977, furniture and toys started moving of their own accord. They were an ordinary, working-class family, who lived in a North London council house at 284 Green Street, Enfield, but for the next 18 months became the centre of one of the most famous poltergeist events in the world.

Janet, the possessed 16-year-old, was nearly pulled out of a window. The local ‘lolly pop lady’ saw her floating six feet in the air in an upstairs room and Janet was found fast asleep in a neighbours’ bed. There are tapes of Janet growling for hours in a voice that doctors said would destroy a sixteen-year-old girl’s vocal cords after a few minutes.

Unwin’s play is the story of one night in the spring of 1978 when events were approaching a climax. Based on the first-hand accounts of one the one the ghost hunters, The Enfield Haunting is the true story of what happened when Peggy Hodgson tries to protect her three children from something that is incomprehensible, deeply disturbing and is hurtling to a terrifying conclusion.

Maurice Grosse was one of the ghost hunters. A kind and protective man, he was determined to help the Hodgson’s but as the night unfolds it slowly becomes clear that he is searching for something that he is convinced that only Janet can help him find.

Further cast and creatives will be announced in due course.

Drop the Dead Donkey reunites for The Reawakening, opening at Richmond Theatre

The original cast and writers of TV comedy Drop the Dead Donkey are reuniting for a new stage adaptation.

Drop the Dead Donkey: The Reawakening! – by Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin – will star Stephen Tompkinson, Neil Pearson, Susannah Doyle, Robert Duncan, Ingrid Lacey, Jeff Rawle and Victoria Wicks.

The reunion comes 30 years after the launch of the trailblazing series, with the team performing on stage for the very first time. Directed by Lindsay Posner, the production opens at Richmond Theatre in 2024.

Drop The Dead Donkey: The Reawakening! exposes the underside of the broadcasting industry in all its riotous glory. Whether you’re one of the legions of die-hard fans of the TV sitcom that was watched by millions, or a British comedy fanatic, come and experience this hilarious revival of an all-time comedy classic.

Produced by Hat Trick and Simon Friend Entertainment, it is written by Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin, directed by Lindsay Posner and designed by Peter McIntosh, with lighting designs by Peter Mumford.

The show will run at Richmond Theatre from January 30-February 3, 2024.

For tickets, visit https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/drop-the-dead-donkey/richmond-theatre/

Andrew Scott to star in Vanya at the Duke of York’s Theatre

Sherlock and Fleabag star Andrew Scott will headline Vanya, a new adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s masterpiece by Simon Stephens.

Directed by Andrew Yates and designed by Rosanna Vize, it will be performed at the Duke of York’s Theatre between September 15-October 21, following previews at Richmond Theatre between August 28-September 2..

Presented by Wessex Grove, Gavin Kalin Productions and Kater Gordon, the production reunites Scott and Stephens, who previously partnered on Sea Wall and Birdland; and Scott with Yates following their work together on the short film, The Hope Rooms.

Producers Benjamin Lowy and Emily Vaughan-Barratt from Wessex Grove also worked with Scott on Sea Wall and Hamlet, respectively.

Scott said: “Heartbreaking, hilarious, sexy, devastating- the genius and extraordinary humanity of Mr Chekhov just knocks me out. It’s a genuine honour and a singular challenge to bring this giant of a play to life in the West End in this new way and I’m so excited to be doing it alongside such brilliant, playful and talented people.”

For information and tickets, visit www.vanyaonstage.com

Richmond Theatre hosts Dame Patricia Routledge and Lesley Garrett

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.

Tickets are on sale now.

The Birds and the Bees land in Richmond

The Birds and the Bees, a comedy starring Helen Lederer and Michael Starke, arrives at Richmond Theatre as part of its UK tour this June.

On Gail’s East Anglian farm, the honeybees are beginning to dry up, just like her love life. She hasn’t had her chimney swept since her husband bolted. Her daughter’s marriage is drooping just like her turkey farm. Neighbour Earl’s sugar beet yield is turning sour, as are his one-night stands.

Perhaps bio-student Ben can buck up those bees and trigger those turkeys. It could be that some booze and a boogie at the annual Turkey Day Dance will clear the buzzing in their heads and show them it’s best to commit to those closest to you – only, don’t get stung!

Writer and actor Lederer (Absolutely Fabulous) stars as Gail, with Starke (Brookside) as Earl. They are joined on stage by Laura Doddington and Jacob Bukasa as Ben.

Originally a Canadian comedy written by Mark Crawford, it has been reimagined for a UK audience, shifting the action from modern-day Canada to Norfolk. Additional material comes from James McDermott.

The Birds and the Bees is a New Wolsey Theatre Ipswich, Norwich Theatre and Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds coproduction. It is directed by Peter Rowe. The set and costume designer is Dawn Allsopp, with lighting design from Richard G Jones. The casting director is Debbie O’Brien.

The Birds and the Bees plays at Richmond Theatre from June 6-10.

Richard E Grant books second night at Richmond

Richard E Grant has confirmed a second night at Richmond Theatre with his show An Evening with Richard E Grant.

Since his breakout role in cult classic film Withnail and I in 1987, Grant has starred in series such as Doctor Who, Downton Abbey and Game of Thrones, and films including Star Wars, Spice World and his Oscar-nominated turn in 2018’s Can You Ever Forgive Me?

On stage, he will now tell stories from his life, entwining tales from his extraordinary time in showbiz with uplifting reflections on love and loss, to celebrate the publication of his new book, A Pocketful of Happiness.

Live on stage, Richard will consider the inspiration behind the book – how, when his beloved wife Joan died in 2021 after almost 40 years together, she set him a challenge: to find a pocketful of happiness in every day. He found the instruction to be profoundly powerful, and this new book, drawing on both contemporary stories and recollections of his remarkable life and glittering career, is Richard’s way of honouring that challenge.

An Evening with Richard E Grant will be staged at Richmond Theatre on May 30-31.

Cast confirmed for Richmond’s Blood Brothers run

Niki Colwell Evans and Sean Jones have been confirmed in the lead roles of Blood Brothers, when it returns to Richmond Theatre this month.

They will continue in the roles of Mrs Johnstone and Mickey Johnstone, respectively, in Bill Kenwright’s legendary production of the musical.

The full cast for the 2023 tour includes Richard Munday (Narrator), Joe Sleight (Eddie), Paula Tappenden (Mrs Lyons), Olivia Sloyan (Linda), Timothy Lucas (Sammy), Tim Churchill (Mr Lyons), Nick Wilkes (Policeman/Teacher), Gemma Brodrick (Donna Marie/Miss Jones), Connor Bannister (Perkins), Josh Capper (Neighbour), Amy Murphy (Brenda) and Jacob Yolland (Bus Conductor).

Written playwright Willy Russell, Kenwright’s production passed the 10,000 performance mark in London’s West End, one of only three musicals ever to achieve that milestone.

Blood Brothers tells the captivating and moving tale of twins separated at birth, who grow up on the opposite sides of the tracks, only to meet again with tragic consequences.

When Mrs Johnstone, a young mother, is deserted by her husband and left to her own devices to provide for seven hungry children, she takes a job as a housekeeper in order to make ends meet. It is not long before her brittle world crashes around her when she discovers herself to be pregnant yet again – this time with twins! In a moment of weakness and desperation, she enters a secret pact with her employer which leads inexorably to the show’s shattering climax.

Evans first rose to fame in 2007 when she reached the semi-final of season four of The X Factor UK mentored by Louis Walsh. She played Mrs Johnstone in Blood Brothers at the Phoenix Theatre between 2008-2009 and in 2010. She has also appeared in Kinky Boots as Trish (UK Tour 2018/21) and as Paulette in the musical adaptation of Legally Blonde (UK Tour 2012).

Jones’ stage credits include Macbeth (UK Tour and Singapore) and Jacqueline’s Wilson’s world premiere of Wave Me Goodbye (Theatr Clwyd).

Blood Brothers will run at Richmond Theatre from February 21-25, 2023.