Don't bother, they're here
In the 1930s in the heart of England, a young reverend and his family move into a manor house, which soon proves to have a horrifying secret. When a vengeful spirit haunts the little girl and threatens to tear the family apart, they are forced to turn to black magic or risk losing their daughter forever.
Theatre Royal Bath will reopen on 3 December with a revised performance schedule for Oleanna and Copenhagen, the final two plays in the theatre’s Welcome Back Season.
David Mamet’s provocative drama Oleanna, directed by Lucy Bailey will star Rosie Sheehy and Jonathan Slinger, who replaces John Heffernan in the role of John. The play will now run in Theatre Royal Bath’s Ustinov Studio from 3 December to 22 December and again from 4 January to 16 January 2021. Reduced capacity at the Ustinov Studio will allow for an audience of 60 persons per performance.
The November run of Michael Frayn’s multi award-winning Copenhagen has been postponed until the new year when it will play Theatre Royal Bath’s Main House from 20 January to 6 February 2021. Directed by Polly Findlay it will star Haydn Gwynne, Philip Arditti, and in a change to original billing of Michael Gould, Malcolm Sinclair. Continue reading “UK theatre casting news – November update”
The Almeida has announce their new programme of socially-distanced theatre for Christmas 2020 and into 2021:
Nine Lessons And Carols: stories for a long winter, a new production created by Associate Director Rebecca Frecknall, Chris Bush and a company of six actors – Naana Agyei-Ampadu, Katie Brayben, Toheeb Jimoh, Elliot Levey, Maimuna Memon and Luke Thallon.
The Maladies, performed by the Almeida Young Company (18-25), written by Carmen Nasr.
Hymn, a new play by Lolita Chakrabarti, featuring Adrian Lester and Danny Sapani. Continue reading “News: Almeida and Turbine reopen, Oleanna cast”
Nottingham Playhouse’s Unlocked Festival continues to rocket up the must-see list as it announces more details. Their local writing commission has ended up with two winners – Wayward Thread’s Hand Me Down and Lapelle’s Factory’s Shuck, both of which will now receive work-in-progress performances as part of the festival.
Casting has also been announced for James Graham’s Bubble, which will star the marvellous Pearl Mackie and the equally marvellous Jessica Raine. They join the likes of Mark Gatiss and Jade Anouka reading ghost stories on
Halloween, new work from Naomi Obeng and a concert starring Rosalie Craig, Sandra Marvin and Jodie Prenger. Continue reading “News: October UK theatre news update”
“Just because you’re the Prime Minister doesn’t mean you can make up your own facts”
I’m not quite sure how I managed to let Official Secrets pass me by late last year, given how thesp-heavy its cast is. Practically every scene is filled with familiar faces of much-loved actors, so getting to catch up with it now was a real pleasure. Based on the book The Spy Who Tried to Stop a War by Marcia & Thomas Mitchell, Gavin Hood’s docudrama is eminently watchable and a salutary reminder of how far governments are willing to (over)reach in the face of uncomfortable truths.
It is based on the true story of Katharine Gun, a low-level GCHQ employee who leaked a secret memo that exposed the lengths that the US and UK were willing to go to in order to secure backing for their invasion of Iraq in 2003, in the face of the lack of any tangible WMDs. She copies the memo for a media friend, a front-page scoop follows and thus the consequences of breaching the Official Secret Act are brought to bear. Continue reading “Film Review: Official Secrets (2019)”
“One can have too much of a good thing”
I found episode 1 to be a bit of a drag and the subsequent two parts of Dracula were no better, worse in fact, as Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat’s adaptation of Bram Stoker’s iconic novel takes the daddy of all vampires to places (and times) new for no good reason at all. Dolly Wells’ casting as the continuation of the Van Helsing bloodline had some great moments due to some witty writing and her wonderfully dry interpretation but there’s only so much the charismatic Claes Bang could do with the lord of darkness himself.
| Winner | Runner-up | Other nominees | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Actress in a Play | Sarah Niles/Natalie Simpson/Racheal Ofori, Three Sisters | Marieke Heebink, Medea | Adjoa Andoh, Richard II Sharon D Clarke, Death of a Salesman Claire Foy, Lungs Leah Harvey, Small Island Chris Nietvelt, De Kersentuin |
| Best Actor in a Play | Lucian Msamati, ‘Master Harold’…and the boys | Cary Crankson, Country Music | Tobias Menzies, The Hunt Daniel Monks, Teenage Dick Wendell Pierce, Death of a Salesman Matt Smith, Lungs Zubin Varla, Equus |
| Best Supporting Actress in a Play | Monica Dolan, All About Eve | Jackie Pulford, Karaoke Play | Ronkẹ Adékoluẹjo, Three Sisters Janni Goslinga, De Kersentuin Pippa Nixon, The Ocean at the End of the Lane Cecilia Noble, Faith Hope and Charity Gemma Whelan, Pinter Seven |
| Best Supporting Actor in a Play | Nick Holder, Faith Hope and Charity | Hugo Koolschijn, De Kersentuin | Rupert Graves, Pinter Five John Heffernan, Pinter Seven Martins Imhangbe/Natey Jones, Death of a Salesman Arinzé Kene/Sope Dirisu, Death of a Salesman Ken Nwosu, Three Sisters |
| Best Actress in a Musical | Audrey Brisson, Amélie the Musical | Kirsty Findlay/Bethany Tennick, Islander | Lucie Jones/Katherine McPhee, Waitress Miriam-Teak Lee, & Juliet Samantha Pauly, Evita Joanna Riding, Follies Zizi Strallen, Mary Poppins |
| Best Actor in a Musical | Jamie Muscato, West Side Story (Curve Leicester) | Keith Ramsay, Preludes | Andy Coxon, West Side Story (Royal Exchange) Jordan Fox/Michael Vinsen, [title of show] David Hunter, Waitress, Charlie Stemp, Mary Poppins Oliver Tompsett, & Juliet, |
| Best Supporting Actress in a Musical | Cassidy Janson/Melanie La Barrie, & Juliet | Jocasta Almgill/Emily Langham, West Side Story (Royal Exchange) | Laura Baldwin/Marisha Wallace, Waitress Tiffany Graves/Gabrielle Lewis-Dodson, The Boy Friend Claire Machin/Claire Moore, Mary Poppins Rebecca McKinnis/Lauren Ward, Dear Evan Hansen Carly Mercedes Dyer/Victoria Hamilton-Barritt, The View UpStairs, |
| Best Supporting Actor in a Musical | David Bedella, & Juliet | Jack Butterworth, The Boy Friend | Ricardo Afonso, Jesus Christ Superstar Rob Houchen, The Light in the Piazza Samuel Holmes, Curtains Cedric Neal, The View UpStairs Jez Unwin, Amélie the Musical |
Best Supporting Actor in a Play
Nick Holder, Faith Hope and Charity
Holder chooses his stage performances carefully and sparingly and in returning to Alexander Zeldin’s work, he impressed once again on the stage of the Dorfman.
Honourable mention: Hugo Koolschijn, De Kersentuin
Such a memorably heartbreaking performance, the final image of the prostrate Frits (Firs) lying across the stage is seared on my mind.
Rupert Graves, Pinter Five
John Heffernan, Pinter Seven
Martins Imhangbe/Natey Jones, Death of a Salesman
Arinzé Kene/Sope Dirisu, Death of a Salesman
Ken Nwosu, Three Sisters
8-10
Toby Jones, Glass. Kill. Bluebeard. Imp.; Ira Mandela Siobhan, Equus; Colin Morgan, All My Sons
Best Supporting Actor in a Musical
David Bedella, & Juliet
All about the accent, Bedella’s commitment to playing Lance entirely straight just adds to the delight that he brings to an already delightful production.
Honourable mention: Jack Butterworth, The Boy Friend
Such dancing. SUCH DANCING!
Ricardo Afonso, Jesus Christ Superstar
Rob Houchen, The Light in the Piazza
Samuel Holmes, Curtains
Cedric Neal, The View UpStairs
Jez Unwin, Amélie the Musical
8-10
Jack McBrayer, Waitress; Caolan McCarthy, Amélie the Musical; Dale Rapley, Gypsy
“I’ve been dying to meet you”
Eesh! The much-trumpeted return of Dracula to our TV screens wouldn’t have interested me quite so much if it hadn’t been John Heffernan’s central presence in the cast as Jonathan Harker. Any chance to sound the #Heffklaxon is much appreciated and with Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat at the helm, a certain measure of schlocky entertainment feels guaranteed.
And I think it gets there, just about. Wise-cracking nuns called Agatha, a highly self-aware script and a barnstorming lead performance from Claes Bang as an entirely seductive count go a long way to making this a success. But it is a long way, the pacing over the hour and a half running time felt perilously slow at times, Jonny Campbell’s direction could possibly use some tightening up although he nails many a scare very well. Continue reading “TV Review: Dracula, Episode 1”
“Speak to me of love”
Pinter Seven is the final entry in the Pinter at the Pinter season of limited-run short play revivals (a full length production of Betrayal then follows to cap everything off) and it is a fitting finale as it draws together two strong pieces in A Slight Ache and The Dumb Waiter and does wonders with both.
Danny Dyer and Martin Freeman play the slightly inept gunmen of the latter with a real sense of blokish glee as they banter to great effect in setting up for new job, while both suggesting a darkening and deepening of tone as they move closer to the truth of what they’re doing and why they’re there. Continue reading “Review: Pinter Seven, Harold Pinter Theatre”