Theatre – Page 8 – Dance Direct Blog. News, Reviews & Advice About Dance

Relaxed Matilda

Matilda the Musical West End musical Matilda will hold a relaxed performance of its hit production in the summer. It will be aimed at audiences with autism and learning difficulties, and the Royal Shakespeare Company, which produces the show, has been working with the National Autistic Society. The performance will be held on 15 June.

The show has so far been a huge hit amongst children and adults. For the relaxed performance, therefore, stage elements will be adapted to reduce anxiety or stress often experienced in a theatrical environment by those suffering with autism and learning difficulties. Lighting and sound will be adjusted to reduce their impact and there will be a relaxed attitude to noise and moving around during the performance. This will make the performance more appealing and enjoyable for both children and their parents, as it may be difficult to envisage events like West End performances as trips out, enabling them both to experience the production in an environment which is sensitive to their needs.

Tickets for the relaxed performance are priced at £20 and those who book will be sent visual aids to help them get to know the plot and characters before the show. This whole experience builds on The Royal Shakespeare Company commitment to offer the best environment and welcome for children, young people and families who might feel excluded from the work. Relaxed performances mean they have the chance to experience high quality theatre, as often many families of children with autism or a learning disability can be unwilling to attend theatre performances together.

The performance in June builds on a programme of relaxed performances the Royal Shakespeare Company has offered in Stratford-upon-Avon since 2013.

From Here To Eternity

From Here To Eternity - The Musical From Here To Eternity, the hit West End musical which sadly closed on 29 March, may reemerge in another form. It seems it is not yet over for Tim Rice’s latest musical venture: ahead of its 2015 Broadway run, a screening of the West End’s production of From Here To Eternity will be broadcast in theatres around the US. Entertainment companies Omniverse Vision and Fathom Events are collaborating to capture the musical, following in the footsteps of shows such as War Horse and Noël Coward’s Private Lives which have been screened previously.

It is fantastic that the magnificent tale of the futile waiting for the American army ahead of the attacks on Peal Harbour in 1941. With Fathom and Omniverse collaborating to capture the ambitious musical version of the iconic story, it means the production and Stuart Brayson’s score will receive the permanent recognition they deserve.

From Here To Eternity is based on James Jones’ award-winning novel about those US soldiers and their illicit affairs during the Second World War. The 1953 film adaptation, which starred Frank Sinatra, won eight Oscars including Best Picture. The West End musical version stars Darius Campbell (previously Danesh) in the lead role alongside Robert Lonsdale.

Despite many rave reviews and popularity on social media, the musical and company suffered falling ticket sales and the close was seemingly inevitable.

Ruthie Henshall Set To Join Billy Elliot Cast!

Great news for musical theatre fans everywhere – superstar Ruthie Henshall will be joining the cast of Billy Elliot – The Musical in May to play Billy’s dance teacher Mrs Wilkinson, taking over from current Mrs Wilkinson, Anna-Jane Casey. Ruthie has recently been focusing on her solo performances on tour, and will now return to the West End stage for the first time since 2011. The first performance for Ruthie as Mrs Wilkinson will be on 12 May 2014, nine years to the day since the show officially opened at the Victoria Palace Theatre.

Ruthie has become a musical theatre success throughout her years on stage, with other credits including performances in productions such as Chicago, The Woman in White, Marguerite, Les Misérables, Oliver!, Crazy For You, Cats, Miss Saigon and She Loves Me, for which she won an Olivier Award. She was last on stage in Thea Sharrock’s revival of Blithe Spirit at the Apollo Theatre in 2011.

Based on the hit 2000 film and set against the mining strikes of the 1980s, Billy Elliot – The Musical recounts the tale of a boy whose father wants him to learn to box but who instead discovers a love for ballet that leads him from secret lessons to a place at The Royal Ballet School.

Ruthie, having trained at the prestigious Laine Theatre Arts, has gone onto inaugural performing arts success in a range of roles and performances spanning many years across the industry. She has recently been performing in her own tour, presenting an anecdotal evening of snippets of her life alongside some of the blockbuster hits she is most famous for. This is in addition to her own material which is a testament to her incredible talent and ultimately, her success as a musical theatre artist.

Sir Tim Rice… No More?

It has been rumoured within Theatreland that acclaimed lyricist, Sir Tim Rice, is set to retire from the musical theatre industry. This has come after claims that the public seem to prefer shows featuring well-known pop songs to original material in stage musicals.

Rice grew to international fame following his longtime collaborative working with Andrew Lloyd Webber on hugely successful musicals such as Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Evita, as well as more recent works including From Here to Eternity. Following the news that From Here to Eternity is set to close in March after just 22 weeks in London’s West End, Rice now fears theatre-goers are more interested in seeing shows such as Mamma Mia!, which features the music of ABBA, and Queen musical We Will Rock You.

Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat was the first work of Rice and Lloyd-Webber, quickly taking on a life of its own leading to stagings, additions of new material, and even a record deal with Decca. Success with Joseph was followed by Jesus Christ Superstar, the show that brought the pair international fame and a place in musical theatre history. Next came Evita: as with Jesus Christ Superstar, a concept album was released and the show’s ironic piece “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina” became a number one hit in the UK. As with Rice’s previous shows, Evita went on to play in countries around the world. Rice then met with Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus from ABBA to discuss ideas for a musical, and the trio collaborated on what would become Chess.

Rice’s work has won him numerous awards including 12 Ivor Novello awards, 3 Tonys, and 3 Oscars. He was knighted by HRH Queen Elizabeth II in 1994.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

All-night Macbeth

Rift Macbeth Immersive theatre-makers Rift are set to stage a site-specific performance of Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth that will take place overnight. Rift plans to stage the all-night Macbeth in east London tower block in an innovative move to put audiences to sleep – and then wake them up.

The audience will be asked to go to bed after the first few scenes of Shakespeare’s murderous production on the top floor of an iconic east London tower block and throughout the night, they will be visited by the play’s characters as they present the events around the murder, and its consequences. The play will conclude in the morning as the audience wakes for the final act.

This new production will begin by meeting the three witches in an underground car park and it will run for two months from the summer solstice in June, beginning at 8pm and finishing 12 hours later. Rift are not the first company to turn Macbeth into such an immersive experience. Punchdrunk transformed the play in 2003, when Sleep No More received its first UK performances at the Beaufoy Building, an old Victorian school in south London. The production was revived in 2011 in New York, where it has been running ever since.

The company is led by director Felix Mortimer, who has previously staged similar productions of The Tempest, which became a six-part pop-up installation in a London shop, and Franz Kafka’s The Trial, which was spread over two locations in east London.

Originally known as Retz, the company Rift was founded in 2010. This all-night performance of Macbeth seems set to take audiences by storm as they immerse themselves into the lives and deaths of the Macbeth family in one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies.

Rambert’s Curious Incident

Britain’s oldest dance company, Rambert, is set to host community performances of the National Theatre’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, the Olivier award-winning production. South London community groups, along with representatives of local employers and businesses, will have the opportunity to watch the production when it is performed in the round in a ‘rehearsal room format’ at Rambert’s new home.

Rambert’s new building is directly behind the National Theatre on London’s South Bank; the performances will take place during the week of 17 February in a studio with lighting and sound facilities of professional standard so can easily accommodate this version of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is based on Mark Haddon’s award-winning novel, adapted by Simon Stephens and directed by Marianne Elliott. It tells the story of Christopher who has an extraordinary brain – exceptional at maths but ill-equipped to interpret everyday life. When he falls under suspicion of killing Mrs Shears’ dog Wellington, he records each fact about the event in the book he is writing to solve the mystery of the murder. But his detective work, forbidden by his father, takes him on a frightening journey that upturns his world.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, the winner of seven Olivier Awards, will resume its West End run at the Gielgud Theatre from 24 June (opening night 8 July). A screening of the National Theatre Live broadcast of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, filmed during the play’s original run in the Cottesloe Theatre, will be shown in cinemas on 22 May with further screenings in following weeks. The Broadway premiere of the production will open in New York in October this year.

Bourne’s Lord Of The Flies

Matthew Bourne's NEW ADVENTURES Lord Of The Flies Matthew Bourne’s NEW ADVENTURES has announced the casting for its next dance theatre production, Lord of the Flies, based on William Golding’s classic novel. The production will be choreographed by Scott Ambler, and adapted and directed by both Matthew Bourne and Scott Ambler.

Matthew Bourne’s NEW ADVENTURES has produced some of the most successful dance theatre productions of the last 25 years including the Tchaikovsky classics Swan Lake, Nutcracker!, and last year’s sell out hit Sleeping Beauty, as well as other re-imaginings of classical ballet productions such as Cinderella, Highland Fling (La Sylphide) and the more modern Edward Scissorhands.

For Lord of the Flies the company brings a thrilling new dance production to the stage, with casting seeing a number of young males creating the roles of the male protagonists of the tale. The action will not take place on a deserted island but in a deserted theatre: a group of schoolboys find themselves abandoned. With no adults around they start to make their own rules and create their own civilisation, before order breaks down and the story builds to an electrifying climax. Bourne is renowned for his cinematic and enigmatic work, so much is anticipated from this savage, animalistic tale.

With a cast of New Adventures dancers and remarkable young talent from across the UK, Golding’s legendary characters of the novel are brought to life with raw energy, emotional intensity and breathtaking performances. Chilling, beautiful and hugely entertaining, Lord of the Flies will enthrall Bourne fans and inspire a generation of new audiences.

The production’s choreography will be installed by the Olivier Award-nominated Ambler, with set and costume design by Olivier Award-winner Lez Brotherston, music by Terry Davies, lighting design by Chris Davey, sound design by Paul Groothuis, adapted and directed by Olivier and Tony award-winner Bourne in association with Ambler.

Cirque du Soleil launch theatrical branch

Cirque du Soleil, the renowned theatrical company famous for its incredible show performances, has announced it has formed Cirque du Soleil Theatrical, a New York-based division that will focus on developing new shows for Broadway, the West End and touring.

This comes as exciting news for the UK capital, in the hope that Cirque du Soleil will create a show for Theatreland rather than just the outskirts at the Royal Albert Hall and other similar venues. Cirque du Soleil is based in Montreal, Canada, and has travelled all over the world performing to the masses who adore their numerous productions. The company began as a troupe of street performers and, over 30 years, has grown into a multi-billion dollar international company.

Scott Zeiger, a founder and partner in BASE entertainment, which produced Phantom – The Vegas Spectacular, has been named president and managing director of the theatrical division. Zeiger’s other Las Vegas-based productions include Jersey Boys and Rock of Ages, with Broadway credits including The Who’s Tommy. Zeiger will also work with Cirque du Soleil’s sister troupe, Cirque Éloize, which appeared at the Peacock Theatre, London, in 2013 to great acclaim.

Previous theatre ventures ahead of the creation of the theatrical division for Cirque have had a mixed history. Wintuk, a music-based narrative, played four holiday seasons at Madison Square Garden, US. Banana Shpeel, a vaudeville-themed piece, played an extended preview period and season at the Beacon Theatre, with a revamped version gathering more success on tour in the US. Zarkana, a touring show developed for a summer residency at Radio City Musical Hall, ran for two seasons before becoming a production in Las Vegas. Iris, a Hollywood-themed show created for the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, home to the annual Academy Awards, ran for a year.

West End Star To Launch Events Company

Renowned West End performer Louise Dearman is to start up a new events entertainment company with her partner Andrew Eastel and choreographer Ian Stroughair, named Backslap. Backslap will initially offer four productions that can be performed at events including private parties, awards ceremonies and corporate events. The four shows being created by Backslap are a burlesque show (Legs), a 1940s-themed production (Bombshells and Brylcream), an urban dance show (Swagger) and a theatre show (Curtain Call).

Backslap is a project of Dearman’s that she is able to manage while continuing her own performance work in London’s West End. She recently left West End musical Wicked, after a year playing Elphaba, following a three year musical theatre course at Laine Theatre Arts in Surrey. Her work within events management will continue beneath what Dearman is passionate about: i.e. performing. Dearman has equally acknowledged that while entertainment of this nature is not a new concept, she wanted to ‘raise the bar’ with Backslap whilst leading it from the front.

It is thought that Backslap will launch in the new year, aiming eventually to produce its own one-off events on a grand scale. Dearman has said that each of these would be set in a unique location with an original theme and brimming with well-known faces and voices, giving the company a familiar yet professional feel. Dearman feels that although there are some great acts and entertainment providers already out there working, unfortunately audiences have probably seen or heard of more bad than good.

Backslap therefore aims to provide ‘off-the-shelf’ shows that have each been especially constructed from scratch by the best creative people in the business, and will only ever be performed by trained, professional singers and dancers; Dearman consequently hopes for the best that can be found in the UK.

I Can’t Sing! Casting Announced

I Can't Sing Full casting has been announced for new Wet End production I Can’t Sing, The X Factor Musical which premieres in Spring 2014 at the London Palladium.

Earlier this year it was announced that Olivier Award-winner Nigel Harman had been cast as X Factor supremo Simon and that Color Purple star Cynthia Erivo and Holby City actor Alan Morrissey had been cast as lovestruck contestants Chenice and Max. Joining Nigel as judge will be Ashley Knight as positive boyband manager Louis and Victoria Elliot as pop queen Jordy. Simon Bailey will play the affectionate X Factor host Liam O’Deary, with Billy Carter as Executive Producer and Simon’s right hand man, Gerard Smalls. Simon Lipkin plays Chenice’s canine sidekick and Joe Speare is her powerful singer Grandad. Along with Chenice and Max, the I Can’t Sing hopefuls include Katy Secombe as supermarket checkout girl Brenda, Charlie Baker as The Hunchback and Shaun Smith and Rowen Hawkins as Irish pop duo Alterboyz.

The I Can’t Sing! cast is completed by Luke Baker, Adam J Bernard, Jenna Boyd, Cyrus Brandon, Gabrielle Brooks, Scarlette Douglas, Kelly Ewins, Scott Garnham, Cherelle Jay, Faisal Khodaukus, Jaye Marshall, Brian McCann, Max Parker, Joseph Prouse, Steven Serlin, Kirstie Skivington, Philippa Stefani, Gary Trainor and Alex Young.

The brand new musical comedy, written by Harry Hill and Steve Brown, will feature 19 original songs, telling the sensational(ised) story of heartache and laughter that keeps millions tuning in to the X Factor every week. Harry Hill has worked with a lot of the cast in the workshops for I Can’t Sing! and have some new company faces. Harry has even commented on the uncanny likeness between Nigel Harman and Simon Cowell, especially with a wig and false teeth!