UK Theatre Network

Panto season is well underway – oh, yes it is!  The King’s Theatre, Glasgow lays on a fitting tribute to their late Prince of Pantomime, Gerard Kelly, with a spectacularly entertaining production of Snow White.

This is the first ever production of Snow White in over a century of shows at the King’s theatre.  Gavin Mitchell stepped into the late Mr. Kelly’s Doc Marten boots in the role of Muddles.  The character was delivered with great conviction and energy, winning over his new audience with a few hearfelt words about his old pal followed by a cheery “Hiya Gang” which will, no doubt, echo around the 100 year old venue for many years to come.  The performance was doubly impressive when you consider that Mitchell was originally cast as The Wicked Queen in this production – to say that these roles are poles apart would be as obvious as saying that 6 foot 3 inch Darius Campbell (playing Prince Lorenzo with natural style) makes the dwarfs look quite small!  Writer, Eric Potts, kept the wisecracks flowing at the optimum “10 jokes per minute” level and the audience were frequently in stitches.  Steven McNicoll played a hilarious Herman the Henchman while Barbara Rafferty got more boos than Agnews as The Wicked Queen.  Glasgow girl, Julie Matheson, played the title role showing admirable singing and acting talent.

The supporting cast, featuring those all important seven dwarfs, added to the spectacle of the production with fallabout slapstick from the diminutive co-stars and high energy dance routines from the talented ensemble cast.

All thought of cold weather and the “Big Freeze” was left at the front door as the bright costumes and colourful sets warmed the audience from curtain-up.  Music was upbeat and lively, if a little “electronic”, and featured the almost ubiquitous “Don’t Stop Believing” following the 2010 success of Glee.  All in all, a thoroughly uplifting and entertaining family show.

Treat yourself to some Christmas Cheer at the King’s this year!

Listings Info:

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Until Sun 9 January 2011

Tickets: £6 - £24.50 

Box Office 0844 871 7648 (Bkg fee)

Groups and Schools Sales 0141 240 1122

www.ambassadortickets.com/glasgow (bkg fee)

Following the resounding success of BBC ONE’s BAFTA-nominated THE ARMSTRONG & MILLER SHOW, Ben Miller (Moving Wallpaper) and Alexander Armstrong (Mutual Friends) will be hitting the road in Autumn 2010 and touring a brand new live show around all the UK’s major venues. 

With their usual mix of the beautifully observed and the utterly barmy, Ben and Xander will be performing a parade of characters from their extensive dressing-up box and wig-store including; The street-talking WWII chav pilots; Brabbins and Fyffe, the filthy alter-egos of Flanders and Swann; Jilted Jim, dumped at the altar but still on his honeymoon; Terry Devlin, the royal correspondent who really KNOWS the royals; Dennis Lincoln-Park, the accident-prone culture buff; the Frank Dad; and so many more…

Ben and Xander comment: “We are cock-a-hoop to be stepping out on tour in Autumn 2010. Expect all your favourite Armstrong and Miller characters and sketches in a market-fresh brand spanking new show.”     

http://www.armstrongandmiller.co.uk/

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For more information please contact Mark Irwin (markirwin@theambassadors.com) or call 0141 240 1305

LISTINGS INFO

The Armstrong and Miller Show

Friday 22 & Sat 23 October @ 8pm

Tickets £21

Call: 0844 871 7648 (fees aply)

www.ambassadortickets.com (bkg fee)

The Kings Theatre Glasgow has been awarded a First-round pass* plus Development funding of £51,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund for its restoration project Long Live the King’s. The project will restore the building’s exterior and front of house areas back to their original 1904 layout and decoration, while celebrating its fascinating history through a wide-ranging intergenerational oral history project.

Colin McLean, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in Scotland, commented: “The Kings Theatre is interwoven with the history and cultural traditions of Glasgow and has delighted, educated and entertained audiences for over 100 years. Through its outreach programme, the theatre also inspires and involves people of all ages in memorable and rewarding experiences which enrich their lives. The Heritage Lottery Fund is delighted to be able to show its initial support in restoring this well-loved treasure.”

The Kings Theatre is prized not only as one Glasgow’s foremost institutions and as one of Scotland’s best loved theatres, but also as one of the most complete and best remaining examples of theatre architect Frank Matcham’s work. For over a century it has remained in continuous use as a destination of first choice for Britain’s top touring theatre producers, the purpose for which it was originally built. Attracting an audience of around 400,000 each year, it presents a wide range of productions, is a major venue for the Glasgow International Comedy Festival, upholds the family tradition of the Christmas pantomime and is home to many amateur companies.

The programme of restoration works to the historic fabric will reinstate spectacular lost features, remove unsightly alterations made since the Second World War and restore original finishes.

A Glasgow City Council spokesman said: "The King’s Theatre is one of the city’s main cultural assets and it's important that it is enhanced and improved for future generations. Over 106 years the King’s has proved that it can deliver high quality entertainment on the stage and this major refurbishment programme will ensure that the experience for audiences is enriched."

A six year restoration of the King’s Theatre began in 2008, with the completion date set to coincide with the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. Phase One saw the replacement of all seats in the Grand Circle and Stalls levels of the theatre as well as preparatory work for installation of auditorium air conditioning. In July 2010 Phase Two was completed with the replacement of the entire seating in the Upper Circle.

The King’s has already raised over £630,000 for the project by channelling £1 from each ticket sold into the building’s restoration since mid-2008. Fundraising has been further supplemented with the popular Seat Dedication Scheme which was launched in 2009 and has so far raised over £30,000. A second stage of the scheme is launched today.  For only £150 this will give people the opportunity to dedicate a seat in the newly restored Upper Circle.

Supporting the scheme is Billy Boyd, currently starring in Sunshine in Leith at The King’s, he said: “I haven’t performed at the theatre since my King’s panto debut in Sleeping Beauty in 1998. However, being back here with Sunshine on Leith it is remarkable the differences that have been made to the auditorium so far. I did manage to get a sneak peak at the restoration work in the Upper Circle during the summer but to see it now in all its glory is breathtaking. The King’s is an iconic Glasgow theatre and it is only fitting that its crown is being well and truly polished once again.”

PRESS RELEASE

King’s Theatre, Glasgow

DIRECT FROM THE EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FRINGE

BUSTING OUT!

A Musical Comedy Touring To

King’s Theatre Glasgow, Wed 1^st Sept

The biggest Australian show since Priscilla, Busting Out! is a raucously entertaining, fun, funny, thoroughly theatrical, empowering and affirmative celebration of the female body.  It’s created by Emma Powell and performed by Emma and Bev Killick - two of Australia's most sensational performers.  Emma's career has been a glittering one in Musical Theatre (she played Rosie in the Australasian Tour of Mamma Mia) and Bev is one of Australia's most celebrated female stand-ups.

The show has been a fêted hit in Australia and New Zealand, famed for its dynamic inclusivity it has now played to over 250,000 people. The audience play a vital role in the proceedings (by appearing on a large on-stage screen and often actually on stage) which threatens, on occasions, to turn the entire theatre into an utterly disorderly house!  Emma and Bev’s up-front and out-there breast-based contortions are intercut with rousing song and dance sequences, hilarious sketches, a shadow play and brilliant stand-up comedy.

Yes, it's a wild night out but as Australian commentators have pointed out Busting Out!  is “an affirming lesson in body love and esteem without the soapbox” (The West Australian) and  it “makes women feel good about themselves and their bodies” (Sunday Mail Adelaide)

So, as Busting Out! re-asserts women’s ownership of their own breasts in their own terms …they satirise the female form as they celebrate it, they parody conventional stereotypes, and they “repeatedly ambush the audience with their audacity” (The Manly Daily).

If that sounds far too heavy by half, listen to a word of advice from one reviewer in Canberra.  He said, “if all you want is a laugh, you’ll be compensated many times over”.   So it only remains to dust off the puns.   Ladies and gentlemen, prepare to give all your support to an outstanding pair of fully-rounded performers with ample talents.  They’re stars and they’re big ones.  (And Emma and Bev aren’t so bad either).

PLEASE NOTE THIS SHOW IS RECOMMENDED 14+

Listings Info:

The cheeky movie based on real life events takes a second national tour as a play with an A-list cast, a light-hearted yet poignant script and some brilliant ‘laugh out loud’ one-liners.

Life can be stranger than fiction, it is said.  Who could imagine, for example, that a group of women (who are not classic beauties by any means) could produce a nude calendar which might sell in its thousands to raise millions for a local hospital?  And wouldn’t it be even stranger if the connection between these pioneering women was the Women’s Institute – famed more for sponge cake sales and jam making than soft porn?  Life can be funny that way, and even funnier in the hands of scriptwriters Juliette Towhidi and Tim Firth, who’s clearly defined quirky characters and ‘knock em dead’ one-liners had the audience in stitches.

Staging appeared to be a simple reconstruction of a church hall complete with badminton court but was revealed to be deceptively complex as a hydraulic mechanism smoothly transferred the action to a sunny hillside – no mean feat!  Roger Haines’s direction was sympathetic to the underlying tragedy which contrasted delightfully with the natural comedy that the characters engaged to deal with the situation.  The expertly choreographed photography sequence gained maximum laughs while preserving the ladies’ modesty but proved to be even racier that the 2008 tour of the play.  Priceless!

So what of that A-list cast?  They turned in a 1^st class performance!  There was a great chemistry between the characters exuding an air of long term friendship.  The narrative naturally belonged to Julia Hills (as grieving widow, Annie) and Elaine C Smith (as her unwittingly self-centred friend, Chris) and both were convincing and comical as appropriate, proving breadth of character as both played different roles in the 2008 tour.  But the wider cast added real value, too, as they lightened the tone with infectious Northern humour.  Jennifer Ellison (Celia) raised some laughs as her character certainly fancied herself as a tasteful nude.  The witty girl-talk was shared by Denise Black and Jean Boht with Ruth Madoc as prudish Marie being the butt of many jokes.  This time around it was Rachel Lumberg as Ruth who stole the show for me with her clear character development and brilliantly timed comedic delivery.

LISTINGS:

King’s Theatre, Glasgow

Mon 16 – Sat 28 August

Mon – Sat eves 7.30pm

Thu & Sat mats 2.30pm

Tickets: £11.50 - £27.50

Box Office: 0844 871 7647 (bkg fee)

Monty Python brings the circus to town this week as the Broadway and West-End smash hit musical, SPAMalot, pitches its tent in Glasgow’s King’s Theatre.

“We dine well here in Camelot, we eat ham and jam and Spam a lot.”, sing the Knights of the Round Table in a jolly refrain that was the inspiration for the show’s title and a good indicator for the tone of this irreverent comedy musical.  Lovingly ripped off from Monty Python’s 1975 movie, “The Holy Grail”, the show “farts in the general direction” of the Arthurian legend.  Python fans will be delighted to learn that many of the original characters and songs from the movie are faithfully recreated while new elements and characters have been added with hilarious consequences.  Rest assured that alongside King Arthur and his faithful knights, we are entertained by The Black Knight (“It’s only a flesh wound”), the French Taunter (“Your mother was a hamster …”), The King of Swamp Castle (“One day lad, all this will be yours …”) and the Knights who say “Ni”!  But King Arthur and the world of musicals are mocked in equal measure with references to Lloyd Webber, ‘star’ cast headliners, camp dance routines and blatant overacting throughout.

Marcus Brigstocke made his musical theatre debut with some style as King Arthur.  Ironically, the stand-up comic was very much the straight man of this piece but he held his character well among the swathe of outrageous caricatures onstage.  Hayley Tamaddon (as The Lady of the Lake) seems to have limitless talent – she sings, she dances, she’s a character actress, she has great comic timing, she skates* (*not in this production).  Is there nothing she can’t do?  As in the Monty Python movies, the principal players play several roles throughout the show.  Graham MacDuff (Sir Lancelot / The French Taunter/Knight of Ni/Tim the Enchanter) and David Langham (The Historian/Prince Herbert/Not Dead Fred/Lead Minstrel/The French Taunter's Best Friend), in particular, displayed diverse character talents.

If there could be any criticism of the show it would be that the music seemed a little thin at times.  The movie’s grand soundtrack featuring French horn and timpani was replaced by somewhat weedy electronics.  Also, chorus singing was a little exposed.  A few more members of the cast wouldn’t have gone amiss … although, even that was lampooned when a few members of “stage crew” joined the cast for one scene!  These are but mere ‘flesh wounds’ in an otherwise robustly entertaining production.

Now, go away or I will taunt you a second time!

SPAMalot
King’s Theatre
Mon 14 – Sat 19 May
Mon – Sat evenings 7.30pm
Wed and Sat matinee 2.30pm

Billy Boyd to star in Sunshine on Leith!

Dundee Rep Theatre’s award winning musical Sunshine on Leith, based on the songs of The Proclaimers is to be re-staged for a major 2010/2011 UK Tour. The critically acclaimed Sunshine on Leith written by Stephen Greenhorn will be returning to the King’s Theatre Glasgow from Tue 28 Sep – Sat 2 Oct and stars Billy Boyd as Davy.

First performed in 2007 Sunshine on Leith is a touching story about the lives of two Scotsmen who leave the army and return home to their families in Leith. Three very different love stories ensue and are intertwined to create a funny, poignant and hugely entertaining show.

A nine-piece band brings to life 21 much loved Proclaimers’ songs including Letter from America, I’m on My Way, I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) and of course Sunshine on Leith.

Billy Boyd attained worldwide fame and acclaim with his portrayal of Peregrin “Pippin” Took in Peter Jackson’s epic film trilogy of The Lord of the Rings and Peter Weir’s Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. Billy has toured the UK in stage productions of Trainspotting, Widows, Caledonia Dreaming and The Ballad of Crazy Paola.  In 2006 he performed in HOME:GLASGOW which was the first ever show for the National Theatre of Scotland and in 2007 he appeared at the Edinburgh Festival with Uncommitted Crimes.

Craig and Charlie Reid of The Proclaimers said of the show; ‘we are very happy that a theatre company of the quality of Dundee Rep with its fantastic history are producing a musical featuring our music’.

Sunshine on Leith is written by Stephen Greenhorn is best known as the creator of BBC Scotland’s River City. He has written many plays for television and stage including Passing Places for the Traverse Theatre which has been produced worldwide and Dr Who.  James Brining is Artistic Director and Chief Executive for Dundee Rep.  Previously James worked as Artistic Director for TAG Theatre Company in Glasgow (where Director credits include Othello, Dr Faustus and Julius Ceasar), Orange Tree Richmond (where he directed The Merchant of Venice, The Winter’s Tale and Go Tell it on Table Mountain).

Following on from last year’s hugely popular Aladdin, the King’s Theatre and First Family Entertainment are delighted to announce spectacular casting for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, a totally brand new show for Glasgow and Scotland’s traditional family pantomime experience!

Darius, a critically acclaimed West End actor and platinum-selling singer-songwriter, will be playing the role of Prince Charming in this his King’s Theatre debut.  On returning to Glasgow and performing at the King’s, Darius said: "2010 continues to be an exciting and busy year that has taken me from London to Paris and Capetown- it's great to end the year in the motherland in my home town of Glasgow."

Since being crowned the winner of ITV1’s Popstar to Operastar Darius has headlined in his debut Opera, as the youngest performer ever to play the bullfighting Escamillo in Carmen at the O2, in the biggest production of an Opera in the UK. He also became the first performer ever to appear on the Opera world stage who is not classically trained.

A King’s spokesperson said: “We are very excited about Darius joining us this Christmas for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It is a huge coup for us as a venue and we are delighted to be able to offer the people of Glasgow the opportunity of seeing one of their best loved performers back home in a much loved theatre”.

Even with over 100 years of Christmas experiences under its belt Snow White has never been performed at the King’s Theatre so this year’s pantomime will be like no other King’s pantomime you have ever have seen before – in fact, you will never have seen it before!  With a brand new script by Eric Potts, stunning new costumes, brand new sets and a stellar cast, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs has all the elements to make this the most wonderful and magical pantomime in Scotland.  This year, the production is once again sponsored by Robinsons. The nation’s favourite family soft drink is supporting a national celebration of pantomime up and down the country and is delighted to be part of maintaining the traditional family experience at the King’s Theatre.

Whistle Down the Wind blows into Glasgow’s King’s Theatre this week.

Whistle Down the Wind is based on the 1961 children’s novel by Mary Haley Bell; famous wife of John Mills and mother of Haley and Juliet.  The musical came into being in 1996 from an unexpected collaboration between Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jim Steinman.  Despite spawning the most successful single in musical theatre history (“No Matter What” performed by Boyzone hit the number 1 spot in 18 countries), the show proved to be a hard sell with a short West End run and a cancelled appearance on Broadway.

This second UK national tour brings together a talented cast to create a success where those before have failed.  Their efforts do not fall flat and the audience left happy, if a little bewildered as to what had not quite worked.  One audience member summed up the feelings of many in the foyer by saying “It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be”.  Not, altogether, an unqualified success, then.

So, it’s up to me to tell you what was good and what was not so good.  The good is easy.  Jonathan Ansell (The Man – that’s his character name and not a recommendation of just how important he is) was very good indeed.  Playing an escaped convict who is mistaken for Jesus by 3 Louisiana youngsters, Jonathan dirtied up his clean cut “G4” appearance and, more importantly, dirtied up his clear as crystal voice to play this character role.  He was menacing and mysterious throughout.  Jonathan was matched by Carly Bawden as 15 year old Swallow, who is mesmerised by the stranger hiding out in her barn.  The clarity of Carly’s voice cut beautifully through Jonathan’s new bad-boy vocals in perfect contrast.

The supporting cast largely fell into the ‘good’ camp with particularly solid performances from Lincoln Stone, Scarlette Douglas and Scott Bourne.  A few disappointing accents were a let-down, together with some odd Meatloaf style vocals.

And that leads me into the not so good elements of the show … the jarring changes of musical style were quite upsetting.  If you listen to the original concept album for this show, you will hear artists as diverse as (the aforementioned) Meatloaf, Boy George, Boyzone, Elaine Page, Donnie Osmond and Bonnie Tyler.  An eclectic mix of performers, I’m sure you will agree.  Now, imagine that all of these vocal and musical styles are reproduced onstage in one story based production … it’s just odd!  The second failing is the story itself which could be summarised in one sentence.  The show scratches the surface of the deeper issues of faith and racism but I’m not convinced that a children’s story from 1961 is the most likely source of 2 ½ hours of entertainment for adults.

To finish on a positive note (because I did enjoy this show) I can say that Paul Farnsworth’s set was among the most impressive and ambitious touring production sets I have witnessed.  In scale, perspective, practicality and speed of changes it was second to none.

Listings Info:
Whistle Down the Wind
Mon 24 – Sat 29 May
Mon – Sat eves 7.30pm
Wed and Sat Mats 2.30pm

Transport yourself half way around the world and 40 years back in time to witness the Rat Pack in their heyday in this mesmerising production.

Join Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. in Las Vegas circa 1962 in this rip roaring tribute to three of the world's greatest musical legends. Tam Ward kicks the show off as Frank Sinatra with his astonishing sound-a-like voice ‘rolling a seven’ with a performance of “Luck Be A Lady”.  As he follows with a few Sinatra classics it quickly becomes clear that he is no 'one hit wonder'.  Close your eyes and you would swear that ‘Old Blue Eyes’ was in the room!  Jason Pennycooke is next up as Sammy Davis Jr.  His rendition of Mr. Bojangles holds the audience spellbound.  Finally, we are entertained by Nigel Casey as the inimitable Dean Martin.  As charismatic as the great man himself, Mr. Casey captures our hearts with 'Amore'.  The principals then return with solos, duets and trios from a seemingly endless immortal repertoire.

While the success of this show clearly relies on the talents of the leading trio, they are ably supported in all departments.  The backing singers harmonise effortlessly and raise the temperature with alluring choreography that is firmly rooted in 1962.  In fact, all aspects of this production scream 1960s authenticity with atmospheric lighting and costumes setting the scene while the 15 piece band (naturally heavy on the brass) bowls the audience over with their bold sound.

The principals tie all of these elements together by recreating the famous camaraderie of the legendary trio with jokes, stories and goofball antics.  The audience truly feel transported in time.  The Rat Pack are not in town for long so don’t delay your call to the box office!

The Rat Pack – Live from Las Vegas
King’s Theatre
Mon 17 – Wed 19 May
Mon – Wed eves 7.30pm
Wed mat 2.30pm