UK Theatre Network

Stephen Unwin selected Shakespeare’s pastoral comedy as the eleventh production of the Rose Theatre. Rosalind, the daughter of a banished duke falls in love with Orlando, the disinherited son of one of the duke’s friends. When she is banished from the court by her usurping uncle, Duke Frederick, Rosalind takes on the appearance of a boy - Ganymede - and escapes with her cousin Celia and the jester Touchstone to the Forest of Arden, where her father and his friends live in exile like Robin Hood’s Merry Men.

Unwin’s production is fast-paced and exciting and his cast is extremely good. However, the star of the evening has to be Adrian Lukis. I have never heard a better delivery of the “Seven Ages of Men” speech. Lukis’s performance as the melancholy Jaques alone makes this production worth seeing. Georgina Rich’s Rosalind seemed rather subdued before she changed into Ganymede but the necklace scene is very funny and charming. David Sturzaker as the romantic hero presents a great fight in the wrestling scene and there undoubtably is a chemical reaction between him and Rosalind. Michael Feast, who so impressed me as Feste in Twelfth Night, is the fast talking jester Touchstone who falls for feisty Audrey (Claire Prempeh). Paul Shelley gives a fine performance as both Dukes.     

The stage design byJonathan Fensom is comprised of a mound of earth and three boughs that are lowered during the performance. It seemed more suited to the forest scenes and somewhat inconvenient with the actors stumbling about the mound rather awkwardly at times. However, when the action moved to the Forest of Arden it became quite suitable and variable.

This production is thoroughly enjoyable. 

Until 26 March 2010

See Tickets - 0871 230 1552

The Rose Theatre

24-26 High Street, Kingston

www.rosetheatrekingston.org

The Circus of Horrors

The Four Chapters from Hell

Celebrating 15 bloody years

Following on from the huge success of The Asylum, & The Day of the Dead show’s The Circus of Horrors has had a major revamp & is back rockin’ & shockin’ with special brand new show created especially to celebrate its 15th bloody year.

The new show The Four Chapters from Hell will take you on a journey though all four of the Circus of Horrors incarnations, beginning in a French Asylum where the inmates are liberated and become the performers in the show.
After killing their leader, filled with remorse they move across to Mexico to try & revive him in the Day of the Dead celebrations.

The show then moves into Victorian London, it is the late 1890’s and the Freak Show has come to town, a young girl Ragen born in the Asylum, is woken from her deep sleep and runs away to join the circus before she is sacrificed by the Evil & undead Dr Haze and fed to the vampires.

But Vampires never die and the final twist to the story takes us into the future, and into 2020, a futuristic vision of mad max style civilization inhabited by Vampires, Zombies and the Undead. Regan now also undead seeks revenge on her evil slayer, all of course to disastrous consequences.

The show contains some of the greatest, most bizarre & beautiful Circus acts on earth. From dare devil flying trapeze to a vampiric crow woman suspended only by her hair, from whirlwind roller skaters to sword swallowers. All this plus pickled & bendy people, Voodoo Warriors, Knife throwers and an almighty cast of 26 of the wildest, weirdest but most of all greatest performers on earth.

This is without a doubt a musical masterpiece with the help of the Devil driven Rock n Roll of Dr Haze & he Interceptors From Hell.

Imagine if Quinton Tarantino had directed Cirque Du Soliel then you would be  only half way there.
THIS REALLY IS IT!

Listings Info:

The Circus of Horrors

Monday 14^th March

Tickets: £13 - £25

Box Office 08448 717 648 (Bkg fee)

www.ambassadortickets.com/glasgow (bkg fee)

Jenny Douglas is the 19 year old from Edinburgh who reached the quarter-final stage of the BBC’s “Over The Rainbow” search for Dorothy in 2010.  She has joined the national tour of the Queen and Ben Elton musical “We Will Rock You” in the role of “Meat”.  The show tours until January 2012.

What has your last year been like?  A bit mental!  I left high school, I went to college, I dropped out of college to appear on “Over The Rainbow”, I auditioned for We Will Rock You, I got the part and now I’m exactly where I wanted to be!  I think to myself … “how did that happen??”.

How did you feel about joining the cast of such a hugely popular show?   I don’t know how to put it into words … it was an amazing feeling.  I saw the show with my mum a year before joining the cast.  I was brought up on Queen music and I said to her “wouldn’t it be great if I could do that”.  I can really feel what the audience feel when the first number, “Innuendo” starts because I was in the audience not so long ago!

Do any of the songs in the show have a special meaning for you?  So many songs … I used to watch a Queen video that had music videos and backstage footage all the time!  I know exactly what Freddie wore in each of the songs!  I really love “No-one But You”, not just because I sing it … because it is a moving tribute to the greats of rock who died young.  The Glasgow audiences have reacted really strongly to that song – you can hear an “aww” out loud!  The audience can really add to the performance.

Have you been starstruck since you started the tour?  When Brian May and Roger Taylor came to the opening of the Glasgow show, that was something special.  When Brian played Bohemian Rhapsody onstage, we were all around him bowing “we’re not worthy” and I was actually greetin’, I was so happy!  I was inches from him.

Are Brian and Roger actively involved with the production?  Yes, they were involved in the audition process, they support the show on the press nights and events and I believe they have a strong say in casting decisions.  It really is their show.

Meat couldn’t be more different from Dorothy … which of the roles is a more natural fit?  I wouldn’t have auditioned for Dorothy if I didn’t think I could do it but Meat is more suited to me as a performer.  I see myself as a singer first and I can really sink my teeth into her songs.  I do bring a bit of my boldness and bossiness to the role – I didn’t realise I could be like that!  Meat takes that to the extreme, though.

You previously toured with “Any Dream Will Do” finalist, Keith Jack.  Did that experience help you?  Wow … that seems like ages ago!  Not directly, the tour was ‘here and there’ while I was at college so I didn’t have to leave home for long.  But Keith has been a great support to me through the auditions and a great friend.  One thing that I did learn to appreciate was that an audience pays real money to be entertained and Keith is such an amazing performer, I learned a lot from him.

Do you have any plans to record or release music in the future?  Not at the moment.  My “Pops” (my dad) would love that.  That’s what I really wanted when I was younger but I found a passion for acting and costumes and character voices so I’m happy in theatre for now.  I’ve written songs and I really admire artists like Adele and Ellie Goulding.  I’m only 19, though, and my voice is still developing so you never know …

The smash-hit musical collaboration between Queen and Ben Elton rocks into Glasgow this week for a month-long run at the city’s King’s Theatre.

The show premiered in 2002, achieving the enviable feat of combining 24 of the world’s best loved rock songs with a musical narrative that was engaging and entertaining in equal measure.  Set in a future world where musical instruments are banned and the only permitted music is “programmed”, the story takes the dumbed down x-factor inspired music era to a logical conclusion where rock has become legend.  Enter dreamer Galileo (Noel Sullivan) who ‘want’s to break free’ from this musical oppression and rebellious Scaramouche (Amanda Coutts) as his ‘somebody to love’ – you’re getting how this works!  The thing is, as fantastic as the story is, it all works very well because the show is bound together by some of the greatest songs every written, and characters are broadened by the keen wit of one Mr. Elton.

From a production standpoint, the show doesn’t disappoint.  Music is authentically reproduced with sound production and quality of players worthy of Queen’s legendary live performance reputation.  With Brian May and Roger Taylor actively involved with the tour, we couldn’t expect any less!  The show is very high tech (this is rarely a good thing on a touring production) but every queue was executed precisely with lighting, sound effects, dialogue, music and video all smoothly synchronized.  Mark Fisher’s production design had a real ‘wow factor’ throughout, Willie Williams’s lighting was possibly the best touring set I’ve ever seen and Arlene Phillips’s choreography showed great contrast between the Ga Ga and the Bohemian dancer groups adding an extra character dimension.

But even with all of these production superlatives, the show was still stolen by the performances onstage.  Noel Sullivan (of “Hear Say” fame) got a chance to show off his skills as a rounded actor as well as an incredibly talented vocalist hitting every Freddy Mercury inspired note.  Amanda Coutts blew the audience away with a powerful vocal performance and a highly likable comedic character.  These two were wonderfully supported by a talented cast including Jonathan Wilkes (Khashoggi), Ian Reddington (Pop) and local lass, Jenny Douglas (Meat).

People will be rushing ‘headlong’ for these tickets putting the box office ‘under pressure’!  Book today.

WE WILL ROCK YOU

Kings Theatre, Glasgow

Tuesday 18th January 2011 – Saturday 19^th February 2011

Performances: Mon – Sat 7.30pm, Wed and Sat mats 2.30pm

Ticket Price:  £17 - £41.50

Booking Line: 0844 871 7648 (bkg fee) Groups and Schools 0141 240 1122

Website: http://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/

Ends/

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)

Well, well, who would have believed it? The music of The Proclaimers is just made for the stage!

Showing now at The King’s Theatre in Glasgow, Sunshine on Leith is a

Leith, for those of you not from these parts, is the traditional dockland area of Edinburgh, and quite a different place from its more genteel neighbour.

Billy Boyd (Pippin Took in Lord of the Rings) is terrific as Davy, superbly supported by old pros John Buick and Ann Louise Ross as Rab and Jean, his parents.

But for me the star of the night is Jo Freer as Liz, as much for her sheer vitality as for her undoubted ability as an actress. Brilliant at the comedy, powerful in the more serious moments, and a talented singer bursting with energy and enthusiasm, she outshines a very impressive all-round cast, where Michael Moreland and Zoe Rainey also perform with great credit.

The songs are, inevitably, the core of any musical production, and, somewhat to my surprise, the work of Craig and Charlie Reid is very stage friendly. All the hits are here including Letter to America, I’m Gonna Be (500 miles), I’m on My Way and, of course, the wonderful title track, Sunshine on Leith, a deceptively simple but exceptionally moving ballad.

So, an excellent script by Stephen Greenhorn, a strong cast, well directed by James Brining, performing great songs. What’s not to like?

A hugely entertaining night out.

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.”

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).