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News: Old Vic to live-stream Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax

Staged in celebration of the story’s 50th anniversary of publication, David Greig and Charlie Fink’s Olivier Award-nominated adaptation of The Lorax will be inventively transformed for OLD VIC: IN CAMERA into a semi-staged pint-size version to keep young (and older) minds entertained, enchanted and empowered with its central message of protecting the planet.

The cast includes Audrey Brisson, Richard Katz, Melanie La Barrie, David Ricardo-Pearce, Ben Thompson, Jamael Westman and Silas Wyatt-Barke. Should you be so inclined, you can read both of my rhyming reviews for the previous productions of the show here and here.

Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax will be streamed live from The Old Vic stage this Easter from 14th–17th April. All performances will offer audio description and captioning. 

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News: the West End starts to make plans…

With a ‘roadmap’ in place, the West End is starting to make plans for a summer that might look something close to normal

© Tristram Kenton

The Prince of Egypt will return to the Dominion Theatre from 1st July, operating under socially distanced restrictions until 4th September, after when they intend to return to ‘normal’! The show has also extended its run until Saturday 8th January 2022.

The production has confirmed that the entire cast and orchestra of almost 60 artists, will be presented in its original form at all performances. The cast of 43 is led by: Luke Brady (Moses), Liam Tamne (Ramses), Christine Allado (Tzipporah), Alexia Khadime (Miriam), Joe Dixon (Seti), Debbie Kurup (Tuya), Mercedesz Csampai (Yocheved), Adam Pearce (Hotep), Tanisha Spring (Nefertari) and Silas Wyatt-Barke (Aaron). Further casting is to be revealed. Continue reading “News: the West End starts to make plans…”

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Happy 50th Birthday to the Young Vic

Kwame Kwei-Armah, Artistic Director of the Young Vic, has announced the start of the Young Vic’s 50th birthday with a year-long programme of work entitled We are the New Tide, dedicated to the theatre’s milestone birthday.

The 50th birthday year of work begins with three major commissions:

[Show thumbnails]
  • YV 50thProjection Project – a projection celebrating the people and productions from across five extraordinary decades, illuminating the front of the Young Vic building each evening, with video design by Duncan McLean – check out just some of those productions in the gallery above.

    From 11 Sept – 4 October, 7.30pm – 10.30pm daily except Sundays, free.

  • The Unforgotten –an interactive outdoor art installation commemorating trailblazers Mary Seacole, Marsha P. Johnson and Ulric Cross. Furthering the conversation within the Black Lives Matter movement, the Young Vic community will be invited to contribute to the installation by submitting their own nominations in writing on the side of the building and online, asking us all to (re)consider who we celebrate as our heroes. Created by artists Sadeysa Greenaway-Bailey and Anna Fleischle.
    From 11 September, free.
  • The New Tomorrow– for the first piece of live theatre since the pandemic closed UK theatres, this weekend festival of speeches and monologues asks what the next fifty years hold. Writers and artists Jade Anouka, Marina Carr, Jasmine Lee-Jones, Ruth Madeley, Amy Ng, Stef Smith, Jack Thorne, Isobel Waller-Bridge and Steve Waters will explore the change that has come and is coming. Cast to be announced.
    3 & 4 October, 4pm, Main House, free
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News: The Prince of Egypt extends its West End run

In a bold move, The Prince of Egypt has extended its West End run until 4th September 2021 with provisional plans to reopen from 1st November 2020 in accordance with government advice.

It feels hopeful at best, not least because it wasn’t the show of my dreams nor an obvious commercial success, but I suppose making plans is a step in the right direction even if those plans ultimately have to change.  Continue reading “News: The Prince of Egypt extends its West End run”

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Album Review: The Prince of Egypt (Original Cast Recording)

There’s two songs I could listen to for ages on the Original Cast Recording of The Prince of Egypt but I could easily leave the rest

“No power on earth can change that, brother”

There was a moment in the last couple of days as I listened to ‘Make It Right’ for the umpteenth time that I wondered whether I’d been a bit harsh to The Prince of Egypt when it opened in late February. I’d made the note ‘lovely duet’ at the time and on record, the sweet/strong combination of Liam Tamne and Luke Brady’s voices is an absolute winner as their fraternal connection is tested over soaring contrapuntal melodies and an orchestral backing that flows as effortlessly as the Red Sea

So too, the show’s most famous song (so much so that the publicity campaign basically centred on it) ‘When You Believe’ has a choral majesty that is undeniable. Alexia Khadime and Christine Allado lead the company with real style – the interplay of their voices in the middle chorus is spine-tingingly lovely – and the incorporation of the Hebrew-sung bridge (led by Mia Lakha) is a rare graceful moment of geo-specificity that works. Continue reading “Album Review: The Prince of Egypt (Original Cast Recording)”

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Review: The Prince of Egypt, Dominion Theatre

Despite an excellent cast, The Prince of Egypt might be in need of a miracle at the Dominion Theatre

“For the rest of my life I’ll have to live with this”

Way way back, many centuries ago, but a little bit more after the Bible began, someone decided that Old Testament justice really was the way forward for musical theatre. And so here we have a musical that features two ethnic massacres of children but it’s all OK if you sing a ballad afterwards to atone (even if you’ve sanctioned the murder of your de facto nephew) and others will then tell you it’s ok “when you believe”.

The Prince of Egypt picks up a few generations after Joseph and co set up shop in the land of the Nile, where the Hebrew population is now spiralling out of control for the Egyptian authorities. Enlightened thinking about immigrants hasn’t quite reached these shores, so the Hebrews find themselves enslaved and upon the order of the slaughter of all their newborn boys by a grumpy Pharoah Seti, an intrepid Yocheved pops her baby into a basket and hopes that he’ll get picked up by a queen rather than a crocodile.  Continue reading “Review: The Prince of Egypt, Dominion Theatre”

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News: cast of The Prince of Egypt announced

Full casting has been announced for the arrival of The Prince of Egypt at the Dominion Theatre next year.

Joining the previously announced Luke Brady (Moses), Liam Tamne (Ramses), Christine Allado (Tzipporah), Alexia Khadime (Miriam), Joe Dixon (Seti), Debbie Kurup (Queen Tuya), Gary Wilmot (Jethro), Adam Pearce (Hotep), Tanisha Spring (Nefertari) and Silas Wyatt-Barke (Aaron) will be Mercedesz Csampai (Yocheved), Simbi Akande, Casey Al-Shaqsy, Joe Atkinson, Danny Becker, Felipe Bejarano, Pàje Campbell, Adam Filipe, Soophia Foroughi, Natalie Green, Jack Harrison-Cooper, Rachael Ireson, Kalene Jeans, Christian Knight, Jessica Lee, Oliver Lidert, Jay Marsh, Scott Maurice, Carly Miles, Sam Oladeinde, Alice Readie, Christopher Short, Ricardo Walker, Danny Williams, Niko Wirachman and Sasha Woodward.

The Prince of Egypt has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Philip LaZebnik and is based on the DreamWorks Animation film of the same name. It will have direction by Scott Schwartz and is choreographed by Sean Cheesman with set design by Kevin Depinet, costume design by Ann Hould-Ward, lighting design by Mike Billings, sound design by Gareth Owen, projection design by Jon Driscoll and illusion design by Chris Fisher. Orchestrations are from August Eriksmoen with musical supervision and arrangements by Dominick Amendum, musical direction by Dave Rose and casting by Jim Arnold.

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Nominees for the 8th annual Mousetrap Awards

BEST FEMALE PERFORMER AWARD:
Marisha Wallace as Effie in Dreamgirls
Natalie Kassanga, as Diana Ross in Motown the Musical
Patsy Ferran as Alma in Summer and Smoke
Jodie Steele as Chandler in Heathers

BEST MALE PERFORMER AWARD:
Jonny Labey, as Scott in Strictly Ballroom
John Pfumojena, as Okot in The Jungle
Kyle Soller, as Eric Glass in The Inheritance
John McCrea, as Jamie in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie Continue reading “Nominees for the 8th annual Mousetrap Awards”