FORTHCOMING PRODUCTIONS
LONDON
WEST END (LARGE THEATRES)
FEATURED ON THIS PAGE:- (to find a specific production use the "find/search" facility on your Internet server, and enter the title or Theatre)
NEW PRODUCTIONS
IVANOV - Donmar West End - Wyndham's Theatre; CAROUSEL - Savoy Theatre; NO MAN'S LAND - Duke of York's Theatre; IMAGINE THIS - New London Theatre; UNDER THE BLUE SKY - Duke of York's Theatre; OLIVER! - Theatre Royal, Drury Lane; NATIONAL THEATRE - All forthcoming productions and events; OLD VIC COMPANY All forthcoming productions and events; SHAKESPEARE'S GLOBE THEATRE (Bankside) - information on SHAKESPEARE'S GLOBE plus The Globe's Educational programme; REGENT'S PARK OPEN AIR THEATRE (The New Shakespeare Company) - (seasonal)
WEST END (LARGE THEATRES)
DONMAR WEST END - WYNDHAM'S THEATRE
FULL CAST ANNOUNCED FOR IVANOV AS DONMAR WEST END SEASON IS LAUNCHED AT THE WYNDHAM'S THEATRE
Chekhov's
IVANOV
In a new version by Tom Stoppard
12 September - 29 November
Press night: Wednesday 17 September
Director: Michael Grandage
Designer: Christopher Oram
Lighting Designer: Paule Constable
Composer & Sound Designer: Adam Cork
Kenneth Branagh will be joined by John Atterbury, Lucy Briers, Linda Broughton, Lorcan Cranitch, Tom Hiddleston, Sylvestra Le Touzel, Gina McKee, Kevin R McNally, Andrea Riseborough, Malcolm Sinclair and James Tucker in Ivanov, the first production in the Donmar's West End year-long residency at the Wyndham's Theatre. The production opens on 17 September with previews from 12 September and runs until 29 November. As previously announced, the season will play on Tuesdays through to Sundays.
After Ivanov, Michael Grandage will direct Derek Jacobi in Twelfth Night, followed by Judi Dench in Yukio Mishima's Madame de Sade. The season concludes with Kenneth Branagh directing Jude Law as Hamlet. The Donmar West End season is access for all, with tickets prices in line with those at the Donmar - the top price ticket is £32.50, with over 130 tickets per performance at the lowest ticket price of £10.
Once a man of limitless promise, Ivanov is plunged into debt. His marriage is in crisis, and his evenings are spent negotiating loans, avoiding love affairs and fighting to resist the small town jealousies and intrigues which threaten to engulf his life.
Kenneth Branagh plays the title role in Chekhov's explosive portrait of a man plagued with self-doubt and despair which vividly captures the electrifying atmosphere of Russia on the brink of change.
Ivanov was Anton Chekhov's (1860 - 1904) first play, written in 1887. His other plays include The Seagull (1896), Uncle Vanya (1899), Three Sisters (1900) and The Cherry Orchard (1904).
Tom Stoppard is acknowledged as one of the world's greatest living playwrights. In 2004 Michael Grandage directed his new version of Pirandello's Henry IV at the Donmar. His plays include Rock 'n' Roll (2006 - Royal Court and West End. Winner of the Olivier, Evening Standard and Critics' Circle Awards for Best New Play), The Coast of Utopia trilogy (2002 - National Theatre and Broadway. Winner of 7 Tony Awards including Best Play) , The Invention of Love (1997), Arcadia (1993), Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (1991), Jumpers (1972), The Real Inspector Hound (1968), and The Real Thing (1982) - revived to great success at the Donmar and on Broadway. His screenplays include Empire of the Sun, The Russia House, Enigma, Shakespeare in Love (Academy Award) and The Bourne Ultimatum.
John Atterbury plays Yegorushka/Pyotr. He previously appeared in The Wild Duck for the Donmar. His other theatre credits include Macbeth, Two Princes and Arcadia (Theatr Clywd). For television, his work includes The Jump, The Changeling and Blind Justice; and for film, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Elizabeth: The Golden Age and Gosford Park.
Kenneth Branagh plays Ivanov continuing his collaboration with Michael Grandage following Richard III at the Sheffield Crucible. His other stage work includes Edmond (National Theatre). For television his credits include the Warm Springs, Conspiracy, Shackleton and the forthcoming Wallander; and for film, the forthcoming Valkyrie, Five Children and It, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Love's Labour's Lost, Celebrity, Theory of Flight, Hamlet, Othello, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Much Ado About Nothing and Henry V. Branagh is Artistic Associate of the Donmar West End Season.
Lucy Briers plays Babakina. Her theatre credits include Some Kind of Bliss (Trafalgar Studios & New York), Sexual Perversity in Chicago (Norwich Theatre Royal), Ship of Fools (Theatre 503), Catch (Royal Court) and The Voysey Inheritance (National Theatre). Her television work includes Ashes to Ashes, Einstein and Eddington, The Green Green Grass, Genie in the House and Rough Crossings; and for film, Children of Men.
Linda Broughton plays Avdotya. Broughton is currently appearing in Michael Grandage's production of The Chalk Garden at the Donmar Warehouse. Her other theatre work includes Snowbound (Trafalgar Studios), Hamlet (The Factory) and I Like Mine With a Kiss (Bush Theatre). For television, her credits include Silent Witness, Carrie & Barry and Waking the Dead; and for film, Babel, Bridget Jones Diary and Sliding Doors.
Lorcan Cranitch plays Borkin. His theatre credits include Three Sisters (Abbey Theatre, Dublin), The Field (Tricycle Theatre), The Gigli Concert (Assembly Theatre), The Price (Gate Theatre, Dublin), and The Burial at Thebes and The Cherry Orchard (Abbey Theatre, Dublin). His television work includes The Palace, The Street, Rome, Shackleton, McCready & Daughter, My Fragile Heart and Ballykissangel; and for film, Omagh, Titanic Town and Dancing at Lughnasa.
Tom Hiddleston returns to the Donmar to play Lvov - he previously played Cassio in Michael Grandage's recent production of Othello. His theatre credits include Cymbeline (Olivier Award for Best Newcomer) and The Changeling (Cheek by Jowl). For television, his work includes Victoria Cross Heroes, The Gathering Storm, Armadillo, Conspiracy, Nicholas Nickleby and the forthcoming Wallander with Kenneth Branagh; and for film, Unrelated.
Sylvestra Le Touzel plays Zinaida. Le Touzel's theatre credits include Topless Mum (Tricycle Theatre), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Almeida Theatre), An Inspector Calls (Aldwych Theatre), Henry IV Part I, Les Enfant du Paradis and My Heart's a Suitcase (RSC), Ourselves Alone (Royal Court) and The Drowning (Hampstead Theatre). Her television work includes Beast, Hearts & Bones, Kiss Me Kate and Vanity Fair.
Gina McKee plays Anna Petrovna. She previously appeared at the Donmar in Old Times. Her other stage work includes The Lover & The Collection (Comedy Theatre), The Exonerated (Riverside Studios) and Aristocrats (National Theatre). For television her work includes The Old Curiosity Shop, The Street, Aftermath, The Lost Prince, The Forsyte Saga, The Passion and Our Friends in the North (BAFTA Award for Best Actress & Broadcasting Press Guild Award); and for film, And When Did You Last See Your Father?, Atonement, The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Wonderland, Notting Hill and The Croupier.
Kevin R McNally returns to the Donmar, where he appeared in World Music, to play Lebedev. His other theatre credits include Boeing Boeing (Comedy Theatre), The Lady in the Van (Queen's Theatre) and Naked (Almeida and Playhouse Theatre). For television, his work includes The Last Van Helsing, The Murder of Princess Diana, Life on Mars, Dunkirk, Bedtime, Shackleton and Conspiracy; and for film, the forthcoming Valkyrie, Scoop, Pirates of the Caribbean, Johnny English, Entrapment, Sliding Doors, Enigma and Cry Freedom.
Andrea Riseborough plays Sasha. Her theatre credits include The Pain and the Itch (Royal Court), Miss Julie/Measure for Measure (Theatre Royal Bath, Ian Charleson Award), Citizen/Burn/Chatroom (National Theatre), A Couple of Poor Polish Speaking Romanians and A Brief History of Helen of Troy (Soho Theatre). For television, her credits include the forthcoming The Devil's Whore, Being Human, The Long Walk to Finchley, Party Animals and A Very Social Secretary; and for film, Love You More, Mad Bad & Sad, Happy Go Lucky, Magicians and Venus.
Malcolm Sinclair returns to the Donmar to play Count Shabelsky - he previously appeared in Privates on Parade. Sinclair's other theatre credits include Rosmersholm (Almeida Theatre), Dealer's Choice (Menier Chocolate Factory and Trafalgar Studios), The History Boys (National Theatre, West End and worldwide), What the Butler Saw (Hampstead Theatre and Criterion Theatre) and Journey's End (Playhouse Theatre). For television, his work includes Daphne, Hustle, The Amazing Mrs Pritchard and Life Begins; and for film, the forthcoming The Young Victoria, Casino Royale, V for Vendetta and The Statement.
James Tucker plays Kosykh. His extensive work for the RSC includes Henry VI (Part 3), Richard II and Richard III. Other theatre credits include Ninagawa's Hamlet (UK tour) and A Midsummer Night's Dream (Sheffield Crucible).
Donmar Artistic Director Michael Grandage directs. Previous work for the Donmar includes The Chalk Garden, Othello, John Gabriel Borkman, Don Juan in Soho, Frost/Nixon (also West End and Broadway), The Cut, The Wild Duck (Critics' Circle Award for Best Director), Guys and Dolls (Donmar in the West End - Olivier Award for Outstanding Musical Production), Grand Hotel (Evening Standard Award for Best Director, Olivier Award for Outstanding Musical Production), Henry IV, After Miss Julie, Caligula (Olivier Award for Best Director) and The Vortex. Other West End work includes Evita. He was the Artistic Director of Sheffield Theatres 1999 - 2005, where his work included Don Carlos (Evening Standard Award for Best Director).
Designs are by Christopher Oram (Othello, Parade, Frost/Nixon - all Donmar; King Lear - RSC) with lighting by Paule Constable (The Chalk Garden, Othello, Absurdia, The Cut, Proof - all Donmar; St Joan, War Horse and Women of Troy - National Theatre) and music and sound design by Adam Cork (The Chalk Garden, Othello, Frost/Nixon, John Gabriel Borkman, Don Juan in Soho and Caligula - all Donmar).
www.donmarwarehouse.com
United House Group to Sponsor Donmar West End Season
We are pleased to announce United House Group, leading housing contractor and developer, is the Season Sponsor of the Donmar's West End Season.
Michael Grandage, Donmar's Artistic Director commented today, "United House has been a long term supporter of the Donmar in our Covent Garden home and we are delighted that they have made this significant contribution to this exhilarating new venture for us in the West End. It is thrilling for the Donmar to have such long term supporters who are as committed to our work as we are."
United House Group, which specialises in housing construction across the South of England, has a long and well-established relationship with the Donmar including an ongoing commitment to the theatre's education and community involvement programme.
Chief Executive of United House Group, Jeff Adams, is a keen supporter of the performing arts in both a personal and professional capacity and is a strong believer in the role businesses can play in helping cultural institutions like the Donmar.
"United House Group's relationship with the Donmar Warehouse is one we are particularly proud of. As a theatre, the Donmar always strives to do more, whether that is through extending its education schemes to reach more young people, promoting new talent or securing some of the biggest names in theatre and film.
"We are delighted to be sponsoring the West End season and hope to continue our support of the theatre and all its great work well into the future," comments Jeff Adams.
For further press information on United House Group please contact Anna Stuart at TTA Group on 020 7886 0322 or email astuart@ttagroup.co.uk
Season Sponsor
www.donmarwarehouse.com
Donmar West End Listings
Wyndham's Theatre, Charing Cross Road, London, WC2H 0DA
Box Office: 0844 482 5120 (bkg fee applies)
Tuesday - Saturday evenings at 7.30pm
Wednesday and Saturday matinees at 2.30pm, Sunday matinees at 3pm
Please note matinees for Ivanov start on 20 September
Ticket prices: £32.50 - £10
Stalls & Royal Circle £32.50
Grand Circle & Boxes £25
Balcony £10
Standing £10*
*available on the day once the performance is sold out
Groups of 10+ 0844 482 5100
Education groups 0844 482 5165
www.donmarwestend.com
DONMAR WEST END
Ivanov
12 Sept - 29 Nov
Press night: 17 Sept
Twelfth Night
5 Dec 2008 - 7 March 2009
Press night: 10 Dec 2009
Madame de Sade
13 March - 23 May
Press night: 18 March 2009
Hamlet
29 May - 22 August 2009
Press night: 3 June 2009
RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN'S CLASSIC MUSICAL
CAROUSEL
STARRING LESLEY GARRETT, JEREMIAH JAMES & ALEXANDRA SILBER
TO OPEN IN LONDON AT THE SAVOY THEATRE ON
22 NOVEMBER 2008
FOLLOWING A MAJOR REGIONAL TOUR FROM SEPTEMBER 2008
The classic Rodgers & Hammerstein musical CAROUSEL, will begin a major UK tour this Autumn, opening at the Churchill Theatre Bromley on Friday 26 September, before playing The Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Milton Keynes Theatre, New Victoria Theatre Working, Theatre Royal Plymouth, New Wimbledon Theatre and the penultimate venue before the West End, The Manchester Opera House. The show will then open in London at The Savoy Theatre on 22 November, with a press night on Tuesday 2 December.
One of the truly great classic musicals, Rodger's and Hammerstein's CAROUSEL broke the mould with its gritty, courageous and emotional look at relationships. The story of the love affair between Billy Bigelow, a smooth-talking carousel barker, and Julie Jordan, a naïve young mill worker, CAROUSEL is set to one of the most ravishing and celebrated scores of all time, the composer Rodger's personal favourite, including The Carousel Waltz, If I Loved You, June is Bustin' Out All Over and You'll Never Walk Alone. CAROUSEL has captivated audiences across the world since its original Broadway opening in 1945 and was lauded 'Best Musical of its Century' by Time Magazine in 1999.
In this new production by award-winning director, Lindsay Posner, Lesley Garrett, CBE, Britain's most popular soprano, who recently lifted the roof at the London Palladium as the Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music, plays the pivotal role of 'Nettie'. Lesley is joined by Jeremiah James as 'Billy Bigelow'. Best-known as a member of the internationally renowned recording group, TEATRO, Jeremiah has also appeared in the Broadway productions of Legally Blonde: The Musical, The Full Monty and White Christmas. Playing 'Julie Jordan' is Alexandra Silber, who was most recently at London's Savoy Theatre in the award-winning production of Fiddler on the Roof.
Lindsay Posner has most recently directed Fiddler On The Roof starring Henry Goodman at The Savoy Theatre and The Crucible Theatre Sheffield. Other credits include David Mamet's A Life in The Theatre with Patrick Stewart and Oleanna with Julia Stiles and Aaron Eckhart, Sam Shepherd's Fool For Love with Juliette Lewis (all West End), and Tom and Viv at the Almeida Theatre. Choreographer Adam Cooper was originally a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet, before he famously took the lead role in Matthew Bourne's male Swan Lake. He subsequently worked extensively in musical theatre starring in On Your Toes, Singin' in the Rain and more recently as 'Sky Masterson' in the long running West End hit Guys and Dolls.
His choreography credits include On Your Toes (Leicester Haymarket & Royal Festival Hall), Singin In The Rain at Sadler's Wells and Grand Hotel at the Donmar Warehouse, for which he was nominated for an Olivier Award.
CAROUSEL is designed by William Dudley (Kiss Me Kate, A Streetcar Named Desire, Woman In White, Hitchcock Blonde) with costumes by Deirdre Clancey and lighting by Peter Mumford, orchestrations by Larry Blank and musical direction by David Firman.
CAROUSEL is produced by Kim Poster for Stanhope Productions, Michael Edwards & Carole Winter, Tiger/WSZ, Stevens-O'Boyle, and Tulchin/Bartner/Ambassador Theatre Group in association with The Churchill, Bromley.
Log on to: www.carouselthemusical.com
PERFORMANCE DETAILS AT THE SAVOY THEATRE
Monday - Saturday at 7.30pm
Thursday & Saturday at 2.30pm
Savoy Box Office 0870 060 6642
UK Tour Dates:
Bromley Churchill 22 September - 4 October
Box Office: 0870 060 6620 www.theambassadors.com/churchill
Edinburgh Festival Theatre 6 - 11 October
Box Office: 0131 529 6000 www.eft.co.uk
Milton Keynes Theatre 13 - 18 October
Box Office: 0870 060 6652 www.theambassadors.com/miltonkeynes
Woking New Victoria 20 - 25 October
Box Office: 0870 060 6645 www.theambassadors.com/newvictoria
Plymouth Theatre Royal 27 October - 1 November
Box Office: 0175 226 7222 www.theatreroyal.com
Wimbledon Theatre 3 - 8 November
Box Office: 0870 060 6646 www.theambassadors.com/newwimbledon
Manchester Opera House 10 - 15 November
Box Office: 0844 847 2295 www.manchesteroperahouse.org.uk
MICHAEL GAMBON TO STAR WITH DAVID BRADLEY, DAVID WALLIAMS AND NICK DUNNING
IN THE GATE THEATRE, DUBLIN PRODUCTION OF HAROLD PINTER'S
N O M A N ' S L A N D
DIRECTED BY RUPERT GOOLD
Rupert Goold will direct Michael Gambon, David Bradley, David Walliams and Nick Dunning in Harold Pinter's No Man's Land, opening at the Duke of York’s Theatre on 27 September 2008, with press night on 7 October 2008. The production is currently booking until 3 January 2009. A Gate Theatre, Dublin production, No Man's Land will be presented by Sonia Friedman Productions and Michael Colgan, with design by Giles Cadle, lighting by Neil Austin and sound and music by Adam Cork. Goold's production transfers to London following its opening at the Gate Theatre, Dublin in August.
From the pen of one of the greatest living playwrights, comes Nobel Prize laureate Harold Pinter's tragicomic gem about two aging writers, Hirst and Spooner. After meeting on Hampstead Heath, they return home for a late-night session of witty banter, sinister power games, and the worship of alcohol, watched by Hirst’s henchman, Briggs and Foster. This unique and haunting play is part mystery drama, part homage to the ghosts of the past and the fiction of memory.
No Man's Land received its world premiere in 1975 in a National Theatre production at the Old Vic, with Peter Hall directing a stellar cast which included Michael Feast, John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson and Terence Rigby. In 1992, Pinter played Hirst in the Almeida Theatre production, directed by David Leveaux, and in 2001 directed his own play for the National Theatre with Danny Dyer, Corin Redgrave, Andy de la Tour and John Wood. No Man's Land was first produced at the Gate Theatre, Dublin in 1997 to great acclaim as part of the Theatre's second Pinter Festival.
Born in 1930 in East London, multi award-winning playwright, screen writer, director, political activist and actor, Harold Pinter has written twenty-nine plays including The Birthday Party, The Caretaker, The Homecoming and Betrayal, twenty-one screenplays including The Servant, The Go-Between and The French Lieutenant's Woman, and directed twenty-seven theatre productions, including James Joyce's Exiles, David Mamet's Oleanna, seven plays by Simon Gray and many of his own. In his seventy-fifth year, Harold Pinter received the 2005 Nobel Prize for Literature. He was appointed CBE in 1966 and became a Companion of Honour in 2002. His many awards include the Laurence Olivier Award and the Molière d'Honneur for Lifetime Achievement. In October 2006, Pinter performed Samuel Beckett's monologue Krapp's Last Tape at the Royal Court Theatre.
Michael Gambon (Hirst) has worked extensively in theatre, film and television. He has previously appeared in Pinter's Betrayal, Mountain Language and The Caretaker, and in 2005 played Lambert in a staged reading of Celebration at the Albery as part of the Gate Theatre, Dublin's celebration of Pinter's 75th birthday. Two years later he reprised this role in John Crowley's television film for Channel 4. His extensive award-winning stage career began in 1962 at the Gate Theatre in Dublin and a year later he joined Laurence Olivier's National Theatre Company. His most recent theatre credits include Cressida for the Almeida at the Albery Theatre, The Caretaker at the Comedy Theatre, A Number for the Royal Court, Endgame at the Albery Theatre and the Gate Theatre, Dublin's production of Eh Joe at the Duke of York's Theatre. Gambon's extensive film and television credits include The Singing Detective, The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover, Longitude, Mary Reilly, Sleepy Hollow, Gosford Park, Sylvia, Angels in America, Layer Cake, The Life Aquatic, The Good Shepherd and Amazing Grace, as well as four Harry Potter films in which he plays the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Professor Albus Dumbledore, the most recent of which, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, will be released later this year. In 1992 Gambon was awarded a CBE and in1998 he received a Knighthood for his contribution to the arts.
David Bradley (Spooner) has most recently been seen at the Trafalgar Studios in Richard Crane's one man show, The Quiz. His extensive theatre credits include Davies in Pinter's The Caretaker for Sheffield Theatres and the Tricycle Theatre, and Max in The Homecoming for the National Theatre. His other theatre credits include the title role in Henry IV Parts 1 & 2, The Night Season, The Mysteries and King Lear all for the National Theatre, Phedre and Britannicus for the Almeida Theatre, the title role in Titus Andronicus for the Royal Shakespeare Company, and Twelfth Night and Uncle Vanya for the Donmar Warehouse. On film he has played Hogwart's Caretaker, Argus Filch, in all the Harry Potter films, the most recent of which, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, will be released later this year, as well as Hot Fuzz, Nicholas Nickleby and Gabriel and Me. His television credits include True Dare Kiss, Ideal, Blackpool, Vanity Fair, Reckless, Our Mutual Friend and Our Friends in the North.
David Walliams (Foster) is best known for his work on television as half of the comedy duo (with Matt Lucas) that created the hugely popular BBC series Little Britain. He recently played Frankie Howerd in Rather You Than Me for the BBC and Greville White in Stephen Poliakoff's Capturing Mary also for the BBC. His other television credits include three series of Little Britain, Waking the Dead, Randall and Hopkirk Deceased and George Eliot: A Scandalous Life. His film work includes the forthcoming Prince Caspian, as well as Run Fat Boy Run, A Cock and Bull Story, Stardust and Plunkett and Maclean. Walliams will be making his West End theatre debut in No Man's Land.
Nick Dunning's (Briggs) theatre credits include Don Carlos for Dublin's Rough Magic Theatre, Betrayal for the Gate Theatre Dublin, The Home Place and The Homecoming at the Gate Theatre Dublin and the Comedy Theatre, Our Country's Good for the Royal Court and The Taming of the Shrew for the Royal Shakespeare Company. His television credits include The Tudors, Waking the Dead, Midsomer Murders, Vanity Fair and The Firm. His film credits include 50 Dead Men Walking, Whistleblower, Alexander The Great, The Return, In America and Dark Angel.
Rupert Goold is Artistic Director of Headlong Theatre, where his credits include Rough Crossings, Faustus, Paradise Lost and Restoration. He has most recently directed Stephen Adly Guirgis' The Last Days of Judas Iscariot for the Almeida Theatre and later this year he will direct Cameron Mackintosh's Olivier! at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. His other directing credits include The Glass Menagerie for the Apollo Theatre, The Tempest and Speaking Like Magpies for the Royal Shakespeare Company and Hamlet, Insignificance, Betrayal and Othello all for Northampton Theatre Royal where he was Artistic Director. His production of Macbeth, with Patrick Stewart in the title role, transferred from Chichester Festival Theatre to the Gielgud Theatre in the West End and then played seasons at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and the Lyceum Theatre in New York. Goold won the 2007 Evening Standard, Critics' Circle and South Bank Show Awards as well as the 2008 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Director for this production.
Sonia Friedman Productions have collaborated with the Gate Theatre on many productions in the West End including Eh Joe by Samuel Beckett, the staged reading of Celebration to mark Harold Pinter's 75th birthday, The Home Place and Afterplay by Brian Friel, Port Authority by Conor McPherson and See You Next Tuesday by Francis Verber, adapted by Ronald Harwood. Together they presented the Gate Theatre Dublin's production of Brian Friel's Faith Healer in New York, starring Ralph Fiennes, Cherry Jones and Ian McDiarmid, directed by Jonathan Kent.
The Director of the Gate Theatre, Michael Colgan, has a unique association with Harold Pinter, having presented four major festivals of his work. The first two festivals were at the Gate in 1994 and 1997 and featured the involvement of the author as both actor and director. Then, as a 70th birthday celebration, Michael Colgan curated a festival at Lincoln Center, New York, featuring productions by the Gate, the Almeida and the Royal Court. The theatre marked Pinter's 75th birthday by producing Old Times and Betrayal along with many readings and presentations of his other plays, prose and poetry. In 2006, in association with Sonia Friedman Productions, the Gate presented a staged reading of Celebration at the Albery Theatre. Also in that year to coincide with him being awarded the tenth Europe Theatre Prize, the theatre presented a one day event in Turin. The Gate is preparing for another major retrospective of his work in Dublin to take place in 2010.
LISTINGS INFORMATION
Theatre: Duke of York’s Theatre, St Martin’s Lane, London WC2
Dates: 27 September 2008 – 3 January 2009
Press Night: 7 October 2008 at 7pm
Performances: Monday – Saturday at 7.30pm
Matinees Saturdays at 2.30pm
Tuesday matinees on 21 October, 28 October, 18 November,
2 December, 23 December, 30 December
Christmas & New Year Schedule:
Monday 22 December at 7.30pm
Tuesday 23 December at 2.30pm and 7.30pm
Wednesday 24 December No Performance
Thursday 25 December No Performance
Friday 26 December at 7.30pm
Saturday 27 December at 2.30pm and 7.30pm
Monday 29 December at 7.30pm
Tuesday 30 December at 2.30pm and 7.30pm
Wednesday 31 December at 7.30pm
Thursday 1 January at 7.30pm
Friday 2 January at 7.30pm
Saturday 3 January 2.30pm and 7.30pm
Box Office: 0870 060 6623
Tickets From £15 - £47.50 plus concessions, Previews £15-£42.50
Website: www.nml-westend.com
RAIN MAN - Apollo Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue
Josh Hartnett and Adam Godley will star in ‘Rain Man’, adapted for stage by Dan Gordon and directed by Dan Grindley.
Hollywood actor Josh Hartnett makes his West End debut as Charlie Babbitt in this complex, moving and funny stage adaptation of the iconic film Rain Man which opens on Tuesday 9th September at the Apollo Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue. Josh is joined on stage by Olivier-nominated British actor Adam Godley as his autistic savant brother Raymond.
Writer Dan Gordon and director David Grindley have radically re-imagined the multi Oscar Award winning 1988 film for the stage, resetting this timeless story in the present day. The result is touching, surprising and often laugh-out-loud funny.
Josh Hartnett is well known for a range of films from the small independent to the big Hollywood blockbuster including Pearl Harbor, Black Hawk Down, 30 Days of Night, Virgin Suicides, The Black Dahlia and Lucky Number Slevin.
Adam Godley is well known to theatregoing audiences for his Olivier nominated roles in Cleo, Camping, Emmanuelle and Dick (National Theatre) and Mouth to Mouth (Royal Court). Other productions include Private Lives (West End and Broadway), Paul, The Pillowman and Two Thousand Years (NT). His film credits include Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Elizabeth: The Golden Age and the upcoming X-Files: I Want To Believe.
"IMAGINE THIS" THE NEW MUSICAL
TO HOLD ITS PREMIERE AT THE NEW LONDON THEATRE IN THE WEST END
ON WEDNESDAY 19 NOVEMBER
FOLLOWING PREVIEWS FROM 4 NOVEMBER
"IMAGINE THIS", the new musical, will have its premiere at the New London Theatre in the West End on Wednesday 19 November, following previews from 4 November.
Set in Poland during 1942, a group of actors in the Warsaw Ghetto stage plays to inspire hope and optimism within their community. However, with rumours of the Final Solution in the air, their play merges with the reality they are trying to escape and a dramatic love story unfolds. "IMAGINE THIS" has music by Shuki Levy and book & lyrics by Glenn Berenbeim and David Goldsmith.
"IMAGINE THIS" will be directed by Timothy Sheader, the new artistic director of the Open Air Theatre in Regent's Park. The scenic design is by Eugene Lee (triple Tony Award-winner for "Wicked", "Sweeney Todd" and "Candide") and the costume design is by Ann Hould-Ward (Tony Award-winner for "Disney's Beauty and the Beast"). The choreography is by Liam Steel, best known for his work with Complicité, DV8 and Frantic Assembly.
With lighting design by Tim Mitchell, orchestrations are by Chris Walker and musical supervision by Phil Bateman. Performance times for "IMAGINE THIS" at the New London Theatre are Mondays to Saturdays at 7.30pm, with Thursday and Saturday matinees at 2.30pm. Tickets, priced from £17.50 - £60.00, with preview tickets from £7.50 - £50.00, are available from the New London Theatre Box Office on 0844 412 4654.
"IMAGINE THIS" will be produced in London by Beth Trachtenberg, Anita Mann, Leigh Mason, Jean Mason and ICW Productions in association with Theatre Royal Plymouth.
CAST INCLUDES FRANCESCA ANNIS, LISA DILLON, CHRIS O’DOWD, DOMINIC ROWAN AND CATHERINE TATE
IN WEST END PREMIERE OF DAVID ELDRIDGE’S
U N D E R T H E B L U E S K Y
Francesca Annis, Lisa Dillon, Chris O’Dowd, Dominic Rowan and Catherine Tate are to star in the West End premiere of David Eldridge’s Under The Blue Sky which will open at the Duke of York’s Theatre on 25 July, with previews from 15 July, and is currently booking until 20 September 2008. Directed by Anna Mackmin, Under The Blue Sky is designed by Lez Brotherston with lighting by Mark Henderson and sound by Paul Arditti, and is produced in the West End by Sonia Friedman Productions and Robert G. Bartner. Final casting will be announced shortly.
Under The Blue Sky is a funny and touching play - three subtly connected love stories that reveal in turn the roller-coaster ride of lust in its prime, the sacrifices of a life in public service and unrequited passions. In the long shadow of the twentieth century, Eldridge’s play gives us an all too recognisable portrayal of the way in which uncertainties, misunderstanding and the unsaid lead to unexpected results for three couples who seem destined never to say the right thing.
Francesca Annis (Anne) has most recently been seen on television as Lady Ludlow in the BBC’s award-winning Cranford, a role she will reprise in a two part Christmas Special in 2009. Her last stage appearance in the West End was opposite Joseph Fiennes in Epitaph for George Dillon at the Comedy Theatre. Her other theatre credits include The Glass Menagerie for the Gate Theatre Dublin, Henry IV and The Vortex for the Donmar Warehouse, Ibsen’s Ghosts, the title role in Hedda Gabler for Chichester Festival Theatre, Mrs Klein for the National Theatre and Rosmersholm for the Young Vic. Her many film credits include Revolver, The Libertine, Onegin and Lady Macbeth in Roman Polanski’s Macbeth. On television her credits include the critically acclaimed Wives and Daughters for the BBC, Jane Eyre, Miss Marple, Copenhagen, Madame Bovary and Onassis: The Richest Man in the World in which she played Jacqueline Kennedy.
Lisa Dillon’s (Helen) theatre credits include Present Laughter and The Hour We Knew Nothing of Each Other for the National Theatre, Period of Adjustment and Hedda Gabler for the Almeida Theatre, she played Desdemona in Othello for the Royal Shakespeare Company and for her performance as Hilda Wangel in The Master Builder at the Albery Theatre she won the Ian Charleson Award and the Critics’ Circle Most Promising Newcomer Award. Her other theatre credits include The Cherry Orchard, As You Like It and Iphigenia, which was directed by Anna Mackmin, for Sheffield Theatres. Her film credits include Bright Young Things. On television she has recently been seen in the BBC’s award-winning Cranford as Mary Smith. Also for the BBC she has been seen in Hawking and Cambridge Spies.
Chris O’Dowd (Nick), best known for his performance as Roy in Channel 4’s hit comedy series The IT Crowd, is making his West End stage debut in Under The Blue Sky. Previously his television credits include the hugely popular BBC comedy series Roman’s Empire and The Clinic for the RTE as well as Doc Martin, The Amazing Mrs Pritchard, The Year London Blew Up, Red Cap and Showbands. On film his credits include Vera Drake, Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel, Hippie Hippie Shake, How To Lose Friends and Alienate People and Festival for which he won a Scottish BAFTA for his role as stand-up comedian Tommy O’Dwyer.
Dominic Rowan’s (Graham) stage credits include A Voyage Round My Father and Lobby Hero for the Donmar Warehouse, Way to Heaven for the Royal Court, Happy Now?, A Dream Play, Mourning Becomes Electra, Talking Cure, Three Sisters, Private Lives and Iphigenia at Aulis for the National Theatre and The Merchant of Venice, Two Gentlemen of Verona and Talk of the City for the Royal Shakespeare Company. His television credits include Catwalk Dogs, Trial and Retribution, The Lavender List, Silent Witness, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Lost World, Swallow, Emma and North Square. On film his credits include Peter Greenaway’s Tulse Luper’s Suitcases.
Multi award-winning Catherine Tate (Michelle) returns to the West End in Under The Blue Sky. Her theatre credits include Neil LaBute's Some Girls at The Gielgud Theatre, The 24 Hour Plays at the Old Vic and on Broadway, The Exonerated at Riverside Studios, A Servant to Two Masters for the Royal Shakespeare Company and The Prince's Play and The Way of the World for the National Theatre. After playing Donna Noble opposite David Tennant in the BBC’s Doctor Who Christmas Special, Tate has reprised the role of the Doctor’s Companion for the fourth series which can currently be seen on BBC1. Her acclaimed television sketch show The Catherine Tate Show has seen three hugely successful series on the BBC. Her film credits include Mrs Ratcliffe’s Revolution, Starter for Ten, Sixty Six and Scenes of a Sexual Nature.
David Eldridge’s work includes Incomplete and Random Acts of Kindness which premiered at the Royal Court Theatre, M.A.D. and Serving It Up for the Bush Theatre, Fighting for Breath and A Week with Tony for the Finborough Theatre, and Market Boy for the National Theatre. In 2004 Eldridge’s multi award-winning stage adaptation of Festen opened at the Almeida Theatre and later transferred to the West End and then to Broadway. He has also written new versions of Ibsen’s The Wild Duck and John Gabriel Borkman both of which were produced by the Donmar Warehouse. His radio plays include Salford, Ilford, Romford and all Stations to Southend and Michael and Me.
Anna Mackmin returns to the West End where she most recently directed David Storey’s In Celebration. She made her National Theatre directorial debut with Burn, Citizenship and Chatroom. For the Almeida she has directed the critically acclaimed production of Dying For It and Charlotte Jones’ The Lightning Play. Her other theatre productions include Ghosts for the Gate Theatre, Breathing Corpses and Food Chain for the Royal Court, The Dark for the Donmar Warehouse, Auntie and Me at Wyndham’s Theatre, In Flame for the Bush and the New Ambassadors and Cloud Nine, The Crucible and Iphigenia all for Sheffield Crucible.
Under The Blue Sky received its world premiere at the Royal Court Jerwood Theatre Upstairs in September 2000, directed by Rufus Norris.
LISTINGS INFORMATION
UNDER THE BLUE SKY
Theatre: Duke of York’s Theatre, St Martin’s Lane, London WC2
Dates: 15 July – 20 September
Press Night: 25 July at 7pm
Performances: Monday – Saturday at 7.45pm
Matinees Thursday and Saturdays at 3pm
NB no matinee on 17 July
Box Office: 0870 060 1483
Tickets Fom £15 - £47.50 (£15 - £46 online) plus concessions
Previews £15 - £35 (£15 - £33.50 online)
Website: www.underthebluesky.co.uk
PLEASE SIR, I WANT SOME MORE!
SIR CAMERON MACKINTOSH PRESENTS
ROWAN ATKINSON AS 'FAGIN'
IN LIONEL BART'S LEGENDARY MUSICAL
"OLIVER!"
AT THE THEATRE ROYAL DRURY LANE
WITH PERFORMANCES COMMENCING FROM 12 DECEMBER 2008
OPENING ON 14 JANUARY 2009
Cameron Mackintosh will present Rowan Atkinson as 'Fagin' in Lionel Bart's musical masterpiece "OLIVER!" at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, with performances commencing from 12 December 2008 and a press night on 14 January 2009.
Rupert Goold (Best Director, 2008 Olivier Awards), will be directing the production, which is based on Sam Mendes' triumphant 1994 staging, along with Tony award winning co-director and choreographer Matthew Bourne. Production design is by Anthony Ward; lighting design by Paule Constable and sound is by Paul Groothuis, with orchestrations by William D Brohn and musical supervision by Martin Koch.
The 1994 London Palladium production of "OLIVER!" played 1,366 performances over three years and grossed more than £40 million at the box office breaking the then record for the longest run at that theatre.
The production at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane promises to be even more spectacular than ever before, with a cast and orchestra of over one hundred. The sensational score is full of Lionel Bart's irresistible songs including Food Glorious Food, Consider Yourself, You've Got to Pick-a-Pocket or Two, I'd Do Anything, Oom Pah Pah, As Long As He Needs Me and many more.
Rowan Atkinson has enjoyed a hugely successful career on stage, television and film for over 30 years. A founder member of the BBC's Not the Nine O'clock News team, in 1981 he became the youngest performer to have a one-man show in the West End. The sell-out season won him a SWET Award and the show toured the UK and internationally. Television credits include four series of Blackadder; Mr Bean, the highest rated UK comedy of the 90's, which was seen in over 200 countries, and the Ben Elton sitcom, The Thin Blue Line. Rowan was twice voted BBC Personality of the Year. Film credits include The Tall Guy; The Witches; Four Weddings and a Funeral; The Lion King; Scooby Doo; Love Actually; Johnny English and the international blockbusters Bean: The Ultimate Disaster Movie and Mr Bean's Holiday.
Rowan Atkinson says, "In the 1980's I enjoyed doing a lot of West End theatre and since then have been distracted very much by Mr Bean and film making. I had been thinking for some time about returning to the stage and the idea of the role of 'Fagin', which has long intrigued me, (some time ago I even played the role in a school production), seemed like too good an opportunity to miss."
Cameron Mackintosh said, "I'm thrilled that Rowan Atkinson has finally reviewed the situation and succumbed to his long-held ambition to play 'Fagin'. We have been discussing the possibility on and off for many years and to me this idea has always promised the perfect marriage of a brilliant mercurial role with a brilliant mercurial comic actor.
I have wanted to give London some more of "OLIVER!" for some time as I last produced Lionel Bart's masterpiece at the Palladium 14 years ago when it was staged by the, then, upcoming Sam Mendes and Matthew Bourne, with acclaimed sets by Anthony Ward.
This time around, still based on Sam's original, the production is being directed by one of Britain's most exciting new directors, recent Olivier award-winner Rupert Goold. He, along with co-director and choreographer Matthew Bourne and designer Anthony Ward will be making full spectacular use of the Theatre Royal Drury Lane's majestic stage, (which is almost twice the size of the Palladium).
For this production I will be having a cast and orchestra of over 100, including an exciting new 'Nancy' and 'Oliver', who Andrew Lloyd Webber and BBC TV's I'd Do Anything are helping us to discover. It was while I was enjoying my first theatre job as a stagehand at Drury Lane 43 years ago that I was given a chorus part in the original national tour of "OLIVER!" and I first met Lionel Bart, so I will consider myself truly back home with this production, I only wish Lionel was here to see it."
This production is produced in association with the Southbrook Group Limited.
Performance times for "OLIVER!" at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane will be as follows:
Evening performances are Monday - Saturdays at 7.30pm, with matinees on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2.30pm. Tickets, priced from £17.50 - £60 for all performances, will be available from the Theatre Royal Drury Lane Box Office on 0844 412 2955 and online at www.oliverthemusical.com.
Tickets will go on sale on 7 April 2008
The Old Vic
The Cut
London SE1 8NB
Box Office: 0870 060 6628
www.oldvictheatre.com
SHAKESPEARE'S GLOBE
New Globe Walk
London SE1
Box Office: 020 7401 9919
The Globe 2008 Theatre Diary
At the Globe: Monday 11 August at 7.30pm
The Winter’s Tale by William Shakespeare
Director: John Dove
Tour dates and venues to be announced
6 July – 17 August WORLD PREMIERE
The Frontline by Ché Walker
Director: TBC
Press night: Wednesday 9 July
26 July – 3 October
Timon of Athens by William Shakespeare
Director: Lucy Bailey
Designer: William Dudley
Press night: Wednesday 6 August
31 August – 4 October WORLD PREMIERE
Liberty by Glyn Maxwell
Director: Guy Retallack
Press night: Wednesday 3 September
• Globe Education offers workshops, lectures and evening courses to students of all ages and is open daily. For further information, telephone 020 7902 1433.
• Shakespeare’s Globe Exhibition is open daily – May to Sept 9am to 5pm. Oct to April from 10am to 5pm. Admission includes a guided tour of the Theatre. For further information, telephone 020 7902 1500.
• Shakespeare's Globe Shop stocks a variety of products, including season specific merchandise. Shakespeare's Globe is a registered charity and all profits from sales go towards supporting our educational mission. Items can be bought at the onsite shop or online at www.globe-shop.com
• Shakespeare's Globe Café and Restaurant are open all year round. For reservations please call 020 7928 9444.
· Shakespeare's Globe Trust is a registered charity No.266916.
NATIONAL THEATRE
BOX OFFICE: (020) 7452 3000
Box Office Fax: (020) 7452 3030
NATIONAL THEATRE: AUGUST - NOVEMBER 2008
Akram Khan, Juliette Binoche and Anish Kapoor collaborate on in-i
DV8 visit the Lyttelton with TO BE STRAIGHT WITH YOU
Katie Mitchell's production of WAVES plays at the Cottesloe prior to a national and international tour
THE WALWORTH FARCE by Enda Walsh receives its London premiere
WAR HORSE returns to the Olivier
Harold Pinter's LANDSCAPE and A SLIGHT ACHE performed by Simon Russell Beale and Clare Higgins
Lee Hall's THE PITMEN PAINTERS returns to the Lyttelton
A Polish MACBETH and a French RING CYCLE visit NT's Square2; Sunday performances begin; Platforms and Exhibitions; NT Discover
in-i the Lyttelton Theatre
Previews from 6 September, press night 18 September
in-i, a major new work of dance theatre, created, directed and performed by Juliette Binoche and Akram Khan, with visual design by Anish Kapoor, premieres at the Lyttelton Theatre on 18 September, before touring internationally. Lighting design is by Michael Hulls, with music by Philip Sheppard and sound by Nicolas Faure.
Throughout their careers, leading dancer/choreographer Akram Khan, and actress Juliette Binoche, have both sought out surprising and daring collaborations. Akram Khan has always taken an inter-disciplinary approach to dance and his collaborators have included Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Antony Gormley and Nitin Sawhney (zero degrees), Sylvie Guillem (Sacred Monsters), and Hanif Kureishi. A new work, bahok, a collaboration with the National Ballet of China, is currently touring worldwide.
Similarly, Juliette Binoche has made artistically challenging choices with directors such as Michael Haneke (Hidden) and Louis Malle (Damage), and has starred in award-winning films including The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Les Amants du Pont Neuf, Blue, The English Patient (for which she was awarded an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress) and Chocolat.
Creating the environment for the duet is Turner Prize-winning artist Anish Kapoor.
in-i is a National Theatre and Akram Khan co-production; it is sponsored by French Wines.
The global tour is sponsored by SG Private Banking and Fondation d'entreprise Hermès, and is produced by Khan Chaudhry Productions and Jubilation Productions.
A retrospective of Juliette Binoche's film career and an exhibition of her paintings will be shown at BFI Southbank from 1 September - 15 October.
Press night: Thursday 18 September
THE WALWORTH FARCE Cottesloe Theatre
Previews from 18 September, press night 24 September
The National Theatre presents Druid's production of THE WALWORTH FARCE by Enda Walsh, opening on 24 September in the Cottesloe Theatre. The production is directed by Mikel Murfi, with design by Sabine Dargent and lighting by Paul Keogan. The cast is Denis Conway, Garrett Lombard, Tadhg Murphy and Mercy Ojelade.
It's 11 o'clock in the morning in a council flat on the Walworth Road. In two hours' time, as is normal, three Irish men will have consumed six cans of Harp, fifteen crackers with spreadable cheese and one oven-cooked chicken with a strange blue sauce. In two hours' time, as is normal, five people will have been killed.
Direct from a critically acclaimed run in New York, this remarkable play by Enda Walsh delivers an achingly tender insight into what happens when we become stuck in the stories we tell ourselves about our lives.
Enda Walsh's plays include Chatroom (Cottesloe), Disco Pigs (Traverse, Edinburgh and West End), Bedbound (Royal Court) and Small Things (Menier Chocolate Factory). His screen work includes Disco Pigs and this year's Cannes Camera d'Or winner Hunger, co-written and directed by Steve McQueen. His new play The New Electric Ballroom, which he will also direct, will open at this summer's Galway Arts Festival.
Founded in Galway in 1975, Druid was the first professional theatre company in Ireland outside Dublin. Recent new writing successes also include Empress of India by Stuart Carolan, and Leaves by Lucy Caldwell (George Devine Award 2006 and 29th Susan Smith Blackburn Award).
Press night: Wednesday 24 September
OEDIPUS Olivier Theatre
The Shell Series: Classic Drama at the National Theatre
Previews from 8 October, press night 15 October
Ralph Fiennes plays the title role in Sophocles' tragedy OEDIPUS, in a new version by Frank McGuinness, directed by Jonathan Kent, opening in the Olivier Theatre on 15 October. Alan Howard returns to the NT as Teiresias; Clare Higgins (recently seen in Major Barbara and also appearing this season in Landscape and A Slight Ache), plays Jocasta. The cast also includes Patrick Brennan, Sam Cox, Steven Page, Christopher Saul, David Shaw-Parker and Malcolm Storry.
The people of Thebes look to Oedipus to lift a terrible curse from them and their city. He consults the oracle and learns that he must root out the late king's murderer. But his relentless interrogation of one man after another leads inexorably, and in the space of a single day, to his own savage conclusion.
Ralph Fiennes and Jonathan Kent's work together includes Faith Healer (Gate Theatre, Dublin and on Broadway); Hamlet (Hackney Empire and Broadway); Ivanov (Almeida); and Richard II and Coriolanus (Almeida at Gainsborough Studios, New York and Tokyo). Last seen at the National in The Talking Cure, Ralph Fiennes' recent theatre work includes God of Carnage (West End), Julius Caesar (Barbican), and Brand (RSC). His extensive screen work includes The Duchess, The Constant Gardener, The English Patient, Quiz Show and Schindler's List.
Jonathan Kent's most recent production for the NT was The False Servant. As joint artistic director of the Almeida Theatre for over ten years, his productions included Medea (also West End and Broadway), The Tempest (Almeida at Gainsborough Studios), Phèdre, Britannicus and Plenty (Almeida at the Albery Theatre); and Lulu, Platonov and King Lear (Almeida at King's Cross). In 2008 he directed Marguerite, The Sea and The Country Wife at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket.
OEDIPUS is designed by Paul Brown, with lighting by Neil Austin, music by Jonathan Dove, movement by Denni Sayers and sound by Paul Groothuis.
Shell is proud to sponsor OEDIPUS, the second of three annual productions that form The Shell Series (the first was Much Ado About Nothing). Shell is delighted to continue supporting its South Bank neighbour by sponsoring this classic drama series.
Press night: Wednesday 15 October
TO BE STRAIGHT WITH YOU Lyttelton Theatre
Press night 29 October, limited run to 15 November.
Suitable for 16+yrs
DV8 return to the National with TO BE STRAIGHT WITH YOU, a work conceived and directed by Lloyd Newson, playing in the Lyttelton Theatre from 29 October to 15 November. The designer is Uri Omi, with lighting by Beky Stoddart, sound by Adam Hooper and John Avery, and video by Kit Monkman and Tom Wexler (KMA). The cast is Ankur Bahl, Dan Canham, Seke Chimutengwende, Ermira Goro, Hannes Langolf, Coral Messam, Paradigmz, Rafael Paradillo and Ira Mandela Siobhan.
Lloyd Newson's DV8 Physical Theatre has won sixteen awards over the last three years for its stage and film works, including a Prix Italia and the Rose D'Or. Just for Show visited the Lyttelton in 2005.
The company's latest work, TO BE STRAIGHT WITH YOU, is a poetic but unflinching exploration of tolerance, intolerance, religion and sexuality. It incorporates dance, text, documentary, film and animated projections to create a unique piece of theatre.
To Be Straight with You is co-produced by spielzeit'europa Berliner Festspiele, National Theatre, London, Maison des Arts de Créteil and Festival d'Automne, Paris. It is an Artsadmin associated project.
Press night: Wednesday 29 October
Further information on DV8: Judy Lipsey or Verity Walker at The Works PR on 020 7940 4686; judy@theworkspr.com or verity@theworkspr.com
WAVES Cottesloe Theatre, UK and international tour
Cottesloe 20 August - 9 September; touring from September - November
WAVES, a work devised by Katie Mitchell and the Company from the text of Virginia Woolf's novel The Waves, returns to the Cottesloe Theatre following a sell-out run in 2006. It runs for 17 performances from 20 August to 9 September, ahead of a UK and international tour. The production is designed by Vicki Mortimer, with lighting by Paule Constable, music by Paul Clarke, sound by Gareth Fry and video design by Leo Warner. Original cast members Kate Duchêne, Anastasia Hille, Kristin Hutchinson, Sean Jackson, Liz Kettle, Paul Ready and Jonah Russell return to the production, joined by Stephen Kennedy.
A tale of friendship, loss, identity and love, WAVES is an exploration of human consciousness, tracing a band of friends from childhood to old age and death. The fragmented and dreamlike narrative of Virginia Woolf's novel is exquisitely evoked using live film, sound and musicians.
Katie Mitchell's work at the National includes …some trace of her (opening in July), Women of Troy, Attempts on her Life, The Seagull, Iphigenia at Aulis and The Oresteia. She is an NT Associate.
WAVES will tour to: Leeds Courtyard Theatre, West Yorkshire Playhouse (16 - 20 September); Salford The Quays, The Lowry (23 - 27 September); Bath Theatre Royal (30 September - 4 October); Dublin Theatre Festival, Beckett Centre (7 - 11 October); The Hague Koninklijke Schouwberg (16 - 18 October); Luxembourg Théâtre de la Ville (23 - 25 October); and New York The Duke, 42nd Street (12 - 22 November).
The original 2006 production was sponsored by Accenture, supporters of Innovation at the National Theatre.
Contact (Cottesloe): Jennifer Reynolds on 020 7452 3233; jreynolds@nationaltheatre.org.uk
Contact (tour): Sarah Beckett on 020 7452 3231; sbeckett@nationaltheatre.org.uk
WAR HORSE Olivier Theatre
Performances from 10 September
Suitable for 12yrs+
WAR HORSE returns to the Olivier Theatre from 10 September, following its initial hugely acclaimed run. Based on Michael Morpurgo's novel and adapted by Nick Stafford, the production is directed by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, and presented in association with Handspring Puppet Company. Returning from the original cast are James Barriscale, Finn Caldwell, Paul Chequer, Tim van Eyken, Thomas Goodridge, Stephen Harper, Gareth Kennerley, Craig Leo, Tim Lewis (now playing Nicholls), Tommy Luther, Mervyn Millar, Emily Mytton, Toby Olié, Howard Ward and Alan Williams; they are joined by Conor Doyle, Kit Harington (as Albert), Bronagh Gallagher, Curtis Flowers, Bryony Hannah, Pieter Lawman, Jane Leaney, Colin Mace, Al Nedjari, Patrick O'Kane (as Friedrich) and Roger Wilson.
WAR HORSE won the Evening Standard, Critics' Circle and Laurence Olivier Awards for the designs by Rae Smith and Handspring Puppet Company; Toby Sedgwick received an Olivier Award for his choreography.
At the outbreak of World War One, Joey, young Albert's beloved horse, is sold to the cavalry and shipped to France. He's soon caught up in enemy fire, and fate takes him on an extraordinary odyssey, serving on both sides before finding himself alone in no man's land. But Albert cannot forget Joey and, still not old enough to enlist, he embarks on a treacherous mission to find him and bring him home.
WAR HORSE has design/drawings by Rae Smith, puppet design and fabrication by Basil Jones and Adrian Kohler, and lighting by Paule Constable. The director of movement and horse choreography is Toby Sedgwick; the puppetry directors are Basil Jones and Adrian Kohler; the songmaker is John Tams, with music by Adrian Sutton, sound by Christopher Shutt and video design by Leo Warner and Mark Grimmer.
WAR HORSE is sponsored by Accenture, supporters of Innovation at the National Theatre.
LANDSCAPE and A SLIGHT ACHE Lyttelton Theatre
Eight performances only, in repertoire from 13 September - 1 October
Harold Pinter's LANDSCAPE and A SLIGHT ACHE will be performed by Clare Higgins and Simon Russell Beale in the Lyttelton Theatre for eight performances only from 13 September. The double bill will be directed by Iqbal Khan, with set, costume and lighting design by Ciaran Bagnall and sound by Mike Winship. The cast of A Slight Ache is completed by Jamie Beamish.
In Landscape, a middle-aged couple describe the vital scenery of their lives in a series of monologues. A Slight Ache takes an oblique view of a long-married couple, the irascible Edward and his frustrated wife Flora, when the arrival of a statuesque silent stranger splinters their loveless marriage.
A number of Harold Pinter's plays have been premiered at the National: Betrayal, No Man's Land, Other Places and Mountain Language (directed by the author), and his adaptation (with Di Trevis) of Proust's Remembrance of Things Past. Other productions of his work at the National include The Caretaker, Landscape, The Birthday Party, The Homecoming, a revival of No Man's Land which he also directed, and most recently The Hothouse. The many awards in recognition of Harold Pinter's work include the 2005 Nobel Prize for Literature.
Clare Higgins was recently seen in Major Barbara and is also appearing this season as Jocasta in Oedipus. Simon Russell Beale's most recent appearances for the National include Major Barbara, Much Ado About Nothing and The Alchemist.
THE PITMEN PAINTERS Lyttelton Theatre
Performances from 27 January 2009
Following sell-out seasons at Live Theatre Newcastle and in the Cottesloe, THE PITMEN PAINTERS returns, this time to the Lyttelton. Written by Lee Hall and inspired by a book by William Feaver, the play is a humorous, deeply moving and timely look at art, class and politics.
A co-production between Live Theatre, Newcastle and the National Theatre, THE PITMEN PAINTERS is directed by Max Roberts and designed by Gary McCann, with lighting by Douglas Kuhrt and sound by Martin Hodgson. The cast is: Christopher Connel, Michael Hodgson, Ian Kelly, Brian Lonsdale, Lisa McGrillis, Deka Walmsley, David Whitaker and Phillippa Wilson.
In 1934, a group of Ashington miners hired a professor to teach an art appreciation evening class. Rapidly abandoning theory in favour of practice, the pitmen began to paint. Within a few years the most avant-garde artists became their friends and their work was acquired by prestigious collections; but every day they worked, as before, down the mine.
Lee Hall wrote the screenplay for Billy Elliot and adapted it for the West End in 2005, winning an Olivier Award for Best New Musical. The show opens on Broadway in November 2008. Lee Hall's past theatre credits include: Spoonface Steinberg (Ambassadors), Cooking with Elvis (Live Theatre, Assembly Rooms and West End), and an adaptation of Herman Heijerman's The Good Hope for the NT.
Square2 at the National Theatre
In tandem with the free events of the Watch This Space festival, two international companies perform in a newly adapted site beside the river, outside the National's Stage Door. Square2 is supported by the European Commission Representation in the UK.
MACBETH: WHO IS THAT BLOODIED MAN? -Teatr Biuro Podrózy (Poland)
Presented in association with Universal Arts
5, 6 , 7, 9 August at 9.30pm and 8 August at 9pm and 12 midnight. Standing tickets £10.
Running time approx 70mins Suitable for audiences aged 12+.
With armies on motorbikes, witches on stilts and a spectacular burning castle, Teatr Biuro Podrózy's award-winning adaptation of Macbeth comes to London following its sell-out run at last year's Edinburgh Festival. www.teatrbiuropodrozy.ipoznan.pl
Supported by the European Commission Representation in the UK and by the Polish Cultural Institute.
THE THREEPENNY RING CYCLE - Les Grooms (France)
12,13,14,15 August at 8.30pm and 16 August at 5.30pm and 9pm. Tickets (seated on cushions) £10.
Running time approx 79mins Suitable for audiences aged 8+
Follow the smartly-suited bellboys into their magical grotto for a surprising take on Wagner's monumental opera cycle, telling the complex story of Siegfried, Brünnhilde and the Valkyries, re-imagined for brass band, percussion and three singers. Performing inside a tent at breakneck speed, Les Grooms reduce Wagner's epic 16 hours of music to a dizzying 79 minutes. www.lesgrooms.com
Supported by the European Commission Representation in the UK and by the Institut Français.
Originally commissioned by Barbican International Theatre Event, with the support of PCT Dommelhof, Just for Laughs festival, Chalon dans la rue festival, SAN de Saint-Quentin en Yvelines, Le Prisme, Lieux Publics, Théâtre de l'Unité, Le Moulin Fondu, L'Humour des Notes festival, DRAC Ile de France, DMDTS, ADAMI, SPEDIDAM.
SUNDAY PERFORMANCES
The National Theatre will be open on Sundays throughout the autumn/winter season, beginning on 21 September. For the first time, the Olivier and Lyttelton Theatres will regularly offer 3pm matinees on Sundays for shows including WAR HORSE, in-i, OEDIPUS and TO BE STRAIGHT WITH YOU.
The Mezzanine restaurant, bars and Bookshop will also be open, and there will be Backstage Tours.
PRODUCTION AND TOURING UPDATES
DE PROFUNDIS
Corin Redgrave returns for further performances of De Profundis by Oscar Wilde, edited by Merlin Holland, in the Lyttelton Theatre from 22 September. The director is Richard Nelson, with lighting by Simon Fraulo and sound by Mike Winship.
…some trace of her
The full cast for Katie Mitchell's production of …some trace of her, inspired by The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky and adapted by Katie Mitchell and the company, is: Jamie Ballard, Pandora Colin, Sam Crane, Gawn Grainger, Helena Lymbery, Hattie Morahan, Bradley Taylor and Ben Whishaw. The production, which opens in the Cottesloe on 30 July, is directed by Katie Mitchell; Leo Warner is director of photography, with design by Vicki Mortimer, lighting by Paule Constable and sound by Gareth Fry.
HER NAKED SKIN
The final production in the 2008 Travelex £10 Season is HER NAKED SKIN, a new play by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, opening in the Olivier Theatre on 31 July. The cast is led by Lesley Manville (as Lady Celia Cain) and Jemima Rooper (as Eve Douglas), and also includes Zoë Aldrich, Julien Ball, David Beames, Ken Bones, Elicia Daly, Joe Dunlop, Susan Engel, Stephanie Jacob, Dermot Kerrigan, Anna Lowe, Nick Malinowski, Pamela Merrick, Edward Newborn, Harriette Quarrie, Adrian Rawlins, Stephanie Thomas, Tony Turner and Robert Willox. The production is directed by Howard Davies and designed by Rob Howell, with lighting by Neil Austin, projections by Jon Driscoll, music by Harvey Brough and sound by Paul Groothuis.
HAPPY DAYS
Deborah Warner's production of HAPPY DAYS, with Fiona Shaw as Winnie, will visit the Abbey Theatre for the Dublin Theatre Festival from 2 - 25 October.
AUDIO-DESCRIBED PERFORMANCES AND TOUCH TOURS FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE BLIND OR VISUALLY IMPAIRED
The National offers a free touch tour for every audio-described production: a chance to visit the set, feel the props, meet members of the company, and to enhance enjoyment of the show. Tours must be booked in advance by calling the Box Office: 020 7452 3000.
Her Naked Skin Friday 22 August at 7.30pm, Saturday 23 August at 2pm
…some trace of her Friday 29 August at 7.30pm, Saturday 30 August at 2.30pm
Waves Friday 5 September at 7.30pm, Saturday 6 September at 2.30pm
in-i Saturday 4 and Monday 6 October at 8pm
War Horse Saturday 18 October at 7.30pm, Sunday 19 October at 3pm
The Walworth Farce Friday 24 October at 7.30pm, Saturday 25 October at 2.30pm
STAGETEXT® CAPTIONED PERFORMANCES FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE DEAF OR HARD OF HEARING
Her Naked Skin Tuesday 2 September at 7.30pm
Waves Monday 8 September at 7.30pm
…some trace of her Wednesday 1 October at 7.30pm
in-i Monday 13 October at 8pm
The Walworth Farce Monday 27 October at 7.30pm
War Horse Friday 7 November at 7.30pm, Saturday 8 November at 2pm
THE NATIONAL'S SPONSORS
Travelex £10 Tickets TRAVELEX - Worldwide Money
'Her Naked Skin', one of the Travelex £10 Ticket shows'
Media Partner of Travelex £10 Tickets
THE INDEPENDENT
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Innovation at the National Theatre, including the production of War Horse, is sponsored by Accenture
Philips and the National Theatre are working in partnership to reduce energy consumption
New Connections is supported by Bank of America
Oedipus is the second production in The Shell Series: Classic Drama at the National Theatre
Royal Dutch Shell plc is incorporated in England and Wales, has its headquarters in The Hague and is listed on the London, Amsterdam, and New York stock exchanges. Shell companies have operations in more than 130 countries with businesses including oil and gas exploration and production; production and marketing of Liquefied Natural Gas and Gas to Liquids; manufacturing, marketing and shipping of oil products and chemicals and renewable energy projects including wind and solar power.
in-i at the National Theatre is sponsored by French Wines
The National Theatre is working in partnership with Corbis on photographs
for its 2007/08 season.
New Views is supported by JPMorgan through the JPMorgan Art of Learning Programme
The National Theatre would like to acknowledge the support of US partner Bob Boyett.
The National Theatre receives funding from Arts Council England.
For further information, please contact the National's Development Department on 020 7452 3225.
BOX OFFICE: (020) 7452 3000
Box Office Fax: (020) 7452 3030
for details of Platforms; Exhhibitions and "what's going on at The National" log on to the above website
THE NEW SHAKESPEARE COMPANY
AT
THE OPEN AIR THEATRE, REGENT'S PARK
Box Office: 0844 826 4242
Web Site: www.open-air-theatre.org.uk
(seasonal)
2008 Season
2 June – 13 September
Timothy Sheader today announces his first season as Artistic Director at the Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park
Booking opens to members for the new 2008 season at the Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park on Monday 14 January at 10am. Public booking opens on 11 February 2008 at 10am.
Timothy Sheader’s debut season at London’s unique outdoor theatre will see intense passions lead to dramatic transformations in productions of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and Twelfth Night; a new production of the Lerner and Loewe’s classic musical, Gigi; and Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, re-imagined for young audiences.
Talking about his first season Timothy said: “Contemporary theatre often sees an audience looking into the illusion of a self-contained world with performer and audience inhabiting different spaces divided by the fourth wall. At the Open Air Theatre we are able to get closer to a collaborative and participatory experience of storytelling. Weather and climate add a thrilling contribution to our work, making the complicity between performer, text and audience a truly unique event at every performance. Built upon a core of excellent dramatic credentials, we will present bold and dynamic productions of these much loved plays to stimulate the senses and challenge expectation.”
Romeo and Juliet opens the 2008 season (previews on Monday 2 June, press night 9 June) and will be directed by Timothy Sheader. Edward Dick (Romeo and Juliet Shakespeare’s Globe, A Midsummer Night’s Dream Sydney Theatre Company), in his first production at the venue, will direct Twelfth Night (previews on Wednesday 4 June, press night 13 June).
For the first time, there will be a third Shakespeare production, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (previews Tuesday 8 July, press performance 12 July), which will be completely re-worked for a young audience. Director and choreographer, Dominic Leclerc will transform this Open Air Theatre favourite by creating a fast-paced 75-minute physical production using Shakespeare’s original language and text, suitable for everyone aged 6 and over.
All three Shakespeare productions will share an ensemble cast and designer Robert Innes Hopkins will create an epic, shared environment upon which each of the three classics will play in rep. Fotini Dimou’s costumes will create individual worlds for each production.
The Shakespeare season will finish on 2 August.
Following the critically acclaimed production of The Boy Friend, the musical in 2008 will be Gigi (Wednesday 6 August, press night 14 August). Written by Lerner and Loewe, famed for their widely known musical, My Fair Lady, Gigi has not been seen in London for over 20 years. The production will be directed by Timothy Sheader and features the songs “Thank Heaven for Little Girls”, “The Night They Invented Champagne”, and “I Remember It Well”. The title role of Gigi will be played by Lisa O’Hare (title roles in Mary Poppins West End, My Fair Lady US tour) and Inez Alvarez (Mamita) will be played by stage and screen star Millicent Martin (That was the week that was, Side by Side by Sondheim, Frasier, Will & Grace).
The popular Sunday concerts series will continue in 2008 and includes last year’s sell out acts Daniel Kitson, Jimmy Carr and The Comedy Store Players.
www.openairtheatre.org
Please note the new Box Office number is 0844 826 4242 (9am – 8pm Mon – Fri, 10am – 5pm Sat & Sun)
*Member booking for the Open Air Theatre Regent’s Park opens Monday 14 January at 10am and public booking will open on Monday 11 February at 10am. Membership is available through the Box Office.
*Timothy Sheader biography
Timothy read Law with French at the University of Birmingham and then became a Trainee Director at the Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond followed by an Assistant Director with the RSC for two years. Directing includes Twelfth Night (Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park), Hobson's Choice, The Clandestine Marriage and Love in a Maze (Watermill Theatre), Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella and The Three Musketeers (Bristol Old Vic), new plays The Star Throwers and Unless (Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough) and Misconceptions (Derby Playhouse). He directed Streetcar to Tennessee (Young Vic), Achilles (Edinburgh Fringe First) and Wild, Wild Women (Orange Tree). He has also directed national tours of Shaw's Arms and the Man, The Vagina Monologues and Annie Get Your Gun. At the Sheffield Crucible he directed Piaf and Sweet Charity (TMA Best Musical). He has also developed and directed the world premiere of the new musical Imagine This at Plymouth Theatre Royal.
Season 2 June – 13 September
Times Twelfth Night, Romeo and Juliet, Gigi
Mon– Sat at 8pm
Thu and Sat matinees at 2.30pm
Wed matinees at 2.30pm (18 June, 25 June, 2 July)
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Mon, Tue, Wed, Fri at 1.15pm (8-23 July)
Tue, Wed, Fri at 2.30pm (25- 30 July)
Sat and Wed mornings at 9.45am (12,, 16,19 July)
Sat and Tue mornings at 11am (26 July, 29 July, 2 Aug)
All Sunday comedy shows at 8pm
Prices Mon-Fri & Sat matinees - £33, £28, £22, £19, £10 (Twelfth Night, Romeo and Juliet, Gigi)
Sat evenings - £35, £30, £25, £21, £15 (Twelfth Night, Romeo and Juliet, Gigi)
Previews £2 off all seats
A Midsummer Night’s Dream all tickets £12.00
Daniel Kitson all tickets £12
Jimmy Carr and The Comedy Store Players all tickets £20
Premium seats Mon – Fri & Sat matinees £40
Saturday evenings £42
Book the best seats in the house and receive a free glass of wine and a programme before the performance. Strictly limited. Discounts are not available on Premium Seats.
2008 Productions
Romeo and Juliet (2 June – 2 August)
Director: Timothy Sheader
Set Designer: Robert Innes Hopkins
Costume Designer: Fotini Dimou
Composer: David Shrubsole
Twelfth Night (4 June -30 July)
Director: Edward Dick
Set Designer: Robert Innes Hopkins
Costume Designer: Fotini Dimou
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (8 July – 2 August)
Director: Dominic Leclerc
Installation Designer: Robert Innes Hopkins
Gigi (6 August – 13 September)
Director: Timothy Sheader
Designer: Yannis Thavoris
Musical Director: Philip Bateman
Sound Designer: Mike Walker
Sunday events Daniel Kitson (15 June)
Jimmy Carr (29 June)
Comedy Store Players (20 July)
Box Office 0844 826 4242
Online at www.openairtheatre.org (no booking fees)
Access Full access to wheelchair users and each production will have sign language interpreted performances. Details available from the Box Office and via our website.
ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL / HAYWARD GALLERY
ON THE SOUTH BANK
Box Office: (South Bank Centre) 020 7960 4242
for complete information or to book on-line
visit: www.sbc.org.uk
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