UK Theatre Network

James Burton
Lainey Shaw and Emma Fenney

When they move to Devon their caring, gossipy Aunt Jennings cannot wait to marry them off to eligible husbands. She has already selected Colonel Brandon for Marianne, seeing them as a perfect match: “He’s rich and she is handsome.” Marianne is not so inclined, especially when the Colonel begins complaining about his rheumatism. Instead she loses her heart to the wildly romantic Willoughby. Although Aunt Jennings feels sorry for Colonel Brandon she gets very excited about the prospect of Marianne marrying John Willoughby. Meanwhile Elinor is anxiously waiting to see Edward Ferrars when Lucy Steele comes to visit her and tells her a heart wrenching secret about Edward. When Willoughby suddenly leaves for London, Elinor tries to console her distressed sister, never mentioning her own situation. Aunt Jennings persuades them to travel to London with her where they have the chance of meeting Edward Ferrars and John Willoughby again.   

Bobbi O'Callaghan and Jason Eddy
Writers Roger Parsons and Andy Graham cut minor characters and subplots in their adaptation but the essence of the novel is very much present in the play. The props are used in the most imaginative ways – such as creating a coach for the move to Devon. In pivotal scenes, frames are held in front of the actors to emulate the family portraits that were so popular in the eighteenth century. The costumes are lavish (Design: Ellan Parry) and Aunt Jennings’ outfits are particularly stunning at times, complimenting her eavesdropping, meddling character.  One of the highlights of this production is undoubtedly a dance devised by director Helen Tennision that reflects the mental distress of the two heroines, accompanied by Benedict Davies’ dreamlike music.

The cast is excellent throughout. Emma Fenney is outstanding as the sensibly restrained Elinor Dashwood.  Bobbi O’Callaghan convinces as the incurably romantic and unrestrained Marianne Dashwood. The wonderful James Burton plays the wooden, seemingly dull Colonel Brandon who turns out to be quite different as well as the awkwardly charming Edward Ferrars. Jason Eddy is cruelly convincing as the seductive John Willoughby. Lainey Shaw is absolutely delightful as the constantly meddling but good-hearted Aunt Jennings. Francesca Wilding is the calculating Lucy Steele who hides her coldness behind a smile and the slightly mischievous Maid.

By Carolin Kopplin 

Until 19^th February

Tickets: £12 / £10 (conc.), Tuesdays £10 / £8 (conc.), Feb. 17^th, 18^th, 19^th : £12 / £10 (conc.)

Box Office: 020 7704 6665

The Rosemary Branch, 2 Shepperton Road, London N1 3DT 

Event Venues & Times
11/03/12 only	Norden Farm Centre for The Arts | Altwood Road, Maidenhead, SL6 4PF
21/03/12 only	Old Town Hall | High Street, Hemel Hempstead, HP1 3AE
Showing until 19/02/12	Rosemary Branch | 2 Shepperton Road, London, N1 3DT
22/04/12 only	Hawth | Hawth Avenue, Crawley, RH10 6YZ
09/05/12 only	Trinity Theatre | Church Road, Tunbridge Wells, TN1 1JP
23/03/12 only	Vera Fletcher Hall | 4 Ember Court Road, Thames Ditton, KT7 0LQ
Showing until 03/03/12	Yvonne Arnaud | Millbrook, Guildford, GU1 3UX
Showing until 20/04/12	Chelmsford Civic and Cramphorn Theatres | Fairfield Rd, Chelmsford, CM1 1JG
Showing until 12/05/12	Theatre Royal | Jewry Street, Winchester, SO23 8SB
Showing until 30/03/12	Royal Inn on the Park | 111, Lauriston Rd, London, E9 7HJ
Showing until 28/04/12	Devonshire Park Theatre | Compton Street, Eastbourne, BN21 4LP
16/03/12 only	The Firestation | St Leonards Road, Windsor, Sl4 3BL
Showing until 14/04/12	Ashcroft Theatre | Park Lane, Croydon, CR9 1DG
17/04/12 only	Theatre Severn | Frankwell Quay, Shrewsbury, SY3 8FT

Patrick W. Doherty and Nika Khitrova

Founded in 1988 by former Bolshoi soloist and choreographer Victor Smirnov-Golovanov, Moscow City Ballet has become one of Russia's most successful touring companies. Smirnov-Golvanov’s goal is bringing his heritage of classical ballet in the Moscow style to audiences all over the world. This winter the MCB returns to the Richmond Theatre with Swan Lake and The Nutcracker.

This version of Swan Lake by Natalia Ryzhenko and Victor Smirnov-Golovanov takes it back to its classical roots, which probably meets the expectations of part of the audience because this might be their introduction to ballet. The lady next to me obviously did not go to the theatre very often as she first illuminated the auditorium with her mobile phone and then kept unwrapping sweets – together with her friend - in a very irritating way up until the interval. Apart from that, this was a very pleasant evening. The First Act was a bit slow moving but the production gained pace after the interval. Just like last year, the Jester stole the show. Valeriy Kravtsov, an incredibly skilled and accomplished dancer with great stage presence and boundless energy, sped up the pace of the production whenever he featured on stage. Odette/Odille was danced beautifully by Liliya Orekhova, with Odette’s birdlike anxiousness and fragility contrasting exquisitely to Odile’s seductive self-confidence. Daniil Orlov as Rothbart was charismatic and menacing, Talgat Kozhabaev was, by contrast to his performance in The Nutcracker, a little bland. The fight between Prince Siegfried and Von Rothbart that climaxes this ballet was exciting and intense. 

The set design and the costumes (Elizaveta Dvorkina and Natalya Povago) were stunningly beautiful with Odille’s black and white dress reflecting the fight of good versus evil. The scenes at the Lake were particularly atmospheric and quite thrilling. The only problem I noticed was the lack of space. The dancers were struggling at times because the choreography demanded a wider stage. 

The Nutcracker tells how little Clara and her Nutcracker Prince defeat the armies of the Mouse King and embark on a sleigh-ride to the Kingdom of Sweets, where they meet the Sugarplum Fairy, dancing snowflakes and other delightful characters.

This production was truly magical and joyful. The first half was a bit slow but, as in Swan Lake, the pace picked up considerably in the second half. The set design and the costumes were colourful and imaginative. The backdrop in the Second Act featuring angels, fairies, and flowers had a touch of Chagall. 

Following its debut at the Edinburgh Festival and a national tour, Sometimes I Laugh Like My Sister receives its London premiere as part of the Finborough Theatre's New Writing Season.

Rebecca Peyton’s sister is dead. She was murdered during a work assignment for the BBC. Kate was sent to Somalia – the most dangerous country in the world – after only 4 ½ days of preparation, six weeks would be about normal. Although Kate had some reservations about this trip she felt that she had to go because her commitment was in doubt after having declined two assignments in Iraq. Now there is an inquest regarding the BBC’s role in Kate’s death but Rebecca is not interested. What does it matter? Her sister is dead, there is no consolation.

This is a very personal account of Rebecca Peyton’s grief and anger following her sister’s death seven years ago. Peyton recounts the days when she learnt that her sister had been shot and her 18-month period of drinking and partying in an attempt to get away from the painful truth that her sister was dead. The 75 minutes would be hard to bear if it was not for Peyton’s complete lack of pathos and her sense of humour. Rebecca Peyton decided within days of her sister’s murder that she wanted to make a show out of her experiences (it was initially going to be titled 101 Uses For A  Murdered Sister) and the end result is deeply moving and hard hitting. More than one member of the audience was weeping when Peyton recalled her shock at the news of her sister’s death and the reaction of her sister’s Congolese fiancé Roger who kept repeating “Ma femme est morte,” reliving his father’s death. Before it becomes unbearable Peyton quips about the reaction of other people to this tragedy: “They can see it on me, all over me, the sticky custard of death.”

Written by Peyton in collaboration with the show’s director, Martin M. Bartelt, this monologue is presented as if the actress was addressing the audience on a whim. When a mobile phone goes off Peyton invites the culprit to take the call and even offers to talk to the caller herself.

The show is followed by an informal post-show discussion in the bar. 

by Carolin Kopplin 

22 and 23 January 2012 - Evenings at 7.30pm.

Extra performances on

Tuesday, 24 January 2012 at 3.00pm
Wednesday, 25 January 2012 at 9.30pm
Tickets £13, £11 concessions
Booking opens on Wednesday 18 January 2012 at 9am

 For information and tickets, see:

http://www.finboroughtheatre.co.uk/productions/2012/production-sometimes-i-laugh-like-my-sister.php

Finborough Theatre, 118 Finborough Road, London, SW10 9ED

-         How can you tell she’s a blonde?
-         Because she’s a bitch!

Rob Young researched his play by spending ten years in an office, and it shows:  He captures the catty atmosphere and the bitchiness perfectly. Crush tells the story of Johnny and his doomed crush on Celia, the official office bitch. Although he does not find her attractive at all he has a crush on her because "she is angry about everything". So he intentionally plays the office clown and provokes her with daft statements: “She’s shouting at me. She’s giving me attention!” The trouble is, Celia does not fancy men who pant all over her desk – Johnny is asthmatic – she is dreaming of a romantic dinner, paid for by her successful, virile date. Meanwhile she is shagging Alpha male Nudds, the married marketing guy complete with everlasting sun tan and range rover. Things are looking bleak for Johnny. Then suddenly, the new temp Laura walks in – freshly hired through Office Angels, in killer heels. Laura’s caustic remarks make Celia look like an amateur and her efficiency is such that she starts typing even before she has been assigned any work.  Now it's up to Celia to maintain her position as bitch queen.   

Aptly directed by Laura Casey, the actors effortlessly switch from monologues to dialogues, their comic timing flawless. There is at least one good joke a minute. But there is much more to this play than funny repartees, it makes some very valid observations of human relationships and the insanity involved. 

Erin Richards is cold and aloof as Laura but very touching in her one weak moment. Matt Roberts is desperately jealous and therefore desperately funny as Johnny. Dolly Wells is the sarcastic Celia who feels invisible spending 18 hours a day on a paper that nobody cares about.   

The entire run is almost sold out so please hurry to get your ticket.

http://www.finboroughtheatre.co.uk/productions/2011/production-papatango.php

 

Finborough Theatre
118 Finborough Road
London
SW10 9ED

When I was one
I ate a bun
The day I went to sea
I jumped aboard a Pirate Ship
And the captain said to me
We’re going this way, that way,
Forwards, backwards, over the Irish Sea
A bottle of rum to warm me turn
That’s the life for me! 

Of course there aren’t really any pirates in Cinderella, which is principally a romantic fairy tale story, but the kids love them and so a singalong of this song  was included. There is much to enjoy in this family friendly show that marks Jenny Éclair’s debut in panto as a funky Fairy Godmother who also serves as the narrator. The lavish production is geared completely towards children and there is plenty of audience participation to make sure the kids don’t get bored. The sets are stunning, they seem to come right out of a fairy tale picture book, and the costumes are colourful and original (sets and costume design by Terry Parsons). The getup of the Ugly Sisters is especially outrageous with Eugenie wearing a whole Christmas tree as a dress at one time.  No costs were spared. There is even a real horse-drawn carriage to take Cinderella to the ball. 

 

We all know the “rags to riches” story of the kind-hearted Cinderella who is treated abominably by her horrid stepsisters but finds true love and happiness when she meets Prince Charming. In this production the Ugly Sisters Beatrice (Graham Hoadly) and Eugenie (Paul Burnham) are veritable monsters and enjoying every second of it – and so are we when they are cracking jokes about us after returning from a holiday in Slough. Gary Wilmot is wonderful as Cinderella’s best buddy Buttons whose feelings go far beyond friendship. His comic timing is spot on: “He is so stingy. When he had a hip replacement he asked if he could keep the bone for the dog.” If it wasn’t for the gruesome stepsisters, Wilmot’s lovable character would steal the show with his jokes and antics. Robert Aldous is quite good as Cinderella’s father, the quirky Baron Hardup, and Ben Redfern is funnily efficient as Dandini. 

This show is a great night out for the youngsters. It runs until 15 January 2011 at the Richmond Theatre.

Richmond Theatre,The Green, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 1QJ

http://www.atgtickets.com/Cinderella-Tickets/45/531/

Carolin Kopplin