Unity Youth Theatre performs a new play by Esther Wilson this Saturday in Unity’s Dark Dark Wood

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Unity Theatre

This Saturday, December 17 at 7.30pm & 8.30pm, Unity Youth Theatre will give a special Christmas performance - 'Once There Were Trees' - inspired by the setting of the Dark Dark Wood and written by the members themselves with award winning Liverpool playwright Esther Wilson ('Ten Tiny Toes', 'Tony Teardrop', 'Unprotected').

Esther Wilson is an award-winning Liverpool playwright and screenwriter. She has written for Bafta and Emmy award winning shows The Street and Accused. She has also won an RTS Award for best newcomer for The Street.

Unity Youth Theatre and their directors, Laura Campbell and Carl Cockram worked with Esther Wilson to bring together the following programme note:

“Britain is the loneliness capital of the world.

“Shockingly, it is a greater concern for young people than it is for the elderly. Loneliness is linked to stress, depression, anxiety, paranoia and addiction. The Internet and social media can be great at keeping us connected to the wider world but it can be detrimental when it replaces personal interaction.

“We are bombarded with information on how we should look, think, feel and experience the world. We often find ourselves lacking in comparison. Everyone seems to be out there having a great time…except ‘me’.

“Or we are faced with the notion that the world is a terrible place. Death, war, famine, climate change. We struggle with great waves of guilt and compassion while feeling inadequate at not being able to do anything to make the world a better place. We have invented all these wonderful systems - science, religion, technology - to help us understand what it is to be human. But they often overwhelm and control us. And stop us from accepting that there are many unknowns in the world…things that can’t be explained or put in a ‘box’. Young people look to the adult world for answers…but we simply don’t have them all. We don’t have many. In reality we are all curious children negotiating an unfamiliar path that can be both terrifying and exciting. Isn’t it our duty to enable those coming after us to trust in their own instincts and thoughts? To help them develop the courage to step into the unknown on their own terms? Original thinkers dare to question what the world accepts as fact. In order to move forward we have to learn and adapt.

“We are a creative species. Look around you. Most things you see have been thought into being. Whatever terrifying things happen around us the desire to celebrate life will still course through our veins. It is manifest in our singing, our dancing and our laughter. It’s the subversive two fingered salute to oppression, suffering and death. It comes from our young people. It is a glorious cause for celebration.

“This piece has been inspired by Dante’s inferno, The Bible, The Viz, Iceland, Carl Sagan, the Beatle’s White Wlbum, Prince, the Anglican Cathedral Gardens, Sting, Night of the Hunter, the 80’s music scene, Red Riding Hood, Absurdism and the courage of the original thinkers of Unity Youth Theatre.

“A collective endeavour involving Unity Youth Theatre, Laura Campbell, Carl Cockram and Esther Wilson.”

Working with Action Transport Theatre and Katie Scott, a designer from Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, the Dark Dark Wood draws on visual ideas from the Christmas show, Little Red and the Big Bad Wolf. The theatre is delighted to have received a grant from the PRS Foundation, which has made the series of events possible.

Tickets can be booked via Unity Theatre’s Box Office, by calling 0151 709 4988 or via www.unitytheatreliverpool.co.uk.

Unity Theatre Goes ‘Out Of Space’ For Spring 2017

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Unity Theatre

Unity Theatre has always had a reputation for sparking debate and challenging the norm. Whether it’s a searing show like Nina: A story about Me and Nina Simone, a festival performance at Homotopia, DadaFest or Physical Fest or the long standing and ever-popular Christmas show with Action Transport Theatre, Unity always programmes work which thinks outside of the box.

In Spring 2017, as Unity Theatre undergoes a £790,000 capital redevelopment, the theatre itself will go outside of its own box, and announces a season that reaches out of the theatre and into the community, with a selection of bold and reactive shows.

Matthew Linley, Artistic Director and CEO at Unity, explained: “We’re delighted to be presenting a season of shows across several venues in the Merseyside area between January and April next year. While our own theatre undergoes a transformation, we want to take the opportunity to use some of the fantastic venues around the city, new and old, conventional and unconventional. We will then reopen in May 2017 with a our summer season, and we can’t wait to show off our new spaces.”

The ‘Out of Space’ season will draw on Unity Theatre’s aims to collaborate and encourage new and burgeoning talent, engage families and individuals from economically disadvantaged areas, tackle current issues and say the important things that would otherwise go unsaid.

Highlights include Narvik (February 27–March 3), a show that cements Unity’s relationship with Bluecoat. Written by Lizzie Nunnery, this critically-acclaimed show crosses generations and cultures in a powerful story of love and war.

Cathy (February 11) by Cardboard Citizens, which will take place in Liverpool Cathedral’s Lady Chapel, has been programmed in response to the current homelessness crisis in Liverpool. The show aims to raise awareness and encourage audience members to make a donation to this cause instead of buying a ticket.

David Morrissey, Actor and Unity Theatre Patron, commented: “Cardboard Citizens do fantastic work for excluded people, and have done for the past 25 years. I'm really pleased that Unity Theatre are able to bring the astounding show Cathy to Liverpool, which has suffered a rise in homeless people over the last few years.

In addition to a suggested donation to the local foodbank, Hope+, Unity will also be collecting for Shelter, the housing and homeless charity. The charity was established 50 years ago in response to public calls for action following the release of the original TV play, Cathy Come Home. Even after 50 years Ken Loach's story is still very relevant today so please give generously!”

Unity Theatre is delighted to be collaborating with MDI (Merseyside Dance Initiative) to create a pop-up dance house for the flagship dance festival, LEAP 2017. From March 1-12, LEAP 2017 will be taking over the city centre’s latest venue, Make Liverpool, to offer a bold and ambitious programme of dance with performers from across the region and UK, joining together to celebrate the festival’s 25th anniversary.

Unity will also be providing the box office for the festival and presenting Hetain Patel’s show, American Man. One of Unity Theatre’s core values is to support radical festivals of new work.

Read on for a roundup of all the events in the ‘Out of Space’ season:

Saturday Splatterdays

Venue: Various

Unity’s workshops for 5-13 year olds will be making their way around Merseyside and further afield. All sessions will be free, in the following venues:

Saturday January 21 2017 Toxteth Library
Saturday February 4 2017 Spellow Lane Library
Friday February 17 2017 (Half Term) The Atkinson, Southport
Saturday February 18 2017 Norris Green Library
Saturday March 4 2017 Toxteth Library
Saturday March 18 2017 Spellow Lane Library
Saturday April 8 2017 Norris Green Library
Saturday April 22 2017 Toxteth Library

Tickets will be on sale from December 13 via Unity’s website.

Night Light by Mandala Theatre

Wednesday January 25, 7.30pm

Venue: Capstone Theatre, Liverpool Hope Uni Creative Campus

Somewhere in England two teenagers seeking asylum, fearing deportation, hide out in an abandoned factory. As the long cold night unfolds, they imagine their future and tell each other about their past. In the midst of sharing food and stories, they hear someone else arrive. Terrified, they creep towards the door where they find a familiar figure. The three of them talk through the night about home, belonging and the system...But the children remain wary: at any point he can reveal their hiding place, turn them over to the authorities and send them back to their countries and to danger.

View the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ-Tz7VqmP8

On sale now via Ticket Quarter: https://www.ticketquarter.co.uk/Online/night-light

Cardboard Citizens presents Cathy

Saturday February 11, 7.30pm

Venue: Liverpool Anglican Cathedral Lady Chapel

Settled …. Until suddenly you’re not…

Acclaimed Theatre Company Cardboard Citizens presents this powerful and emotive Forum Theatre show, exploring resonances in today’s society with the story told in the ground-breaking Ken Loach film, Cathy Come Home, 50 years ago.

Candid, poignant and intimate, this four star hit new play (The Stage, The Upcoming & The Reviews Hub) by award winning playwright Ali Taylor (Cotton Wool, OVERSPILL, Fault Lines) offers a timely reflection on the social and personal impact of spiralling housing costs, gentrification and the challenges of the forced relocation away from London.

This is a free event, tickets can be reserved at Unity’s box office and there is a suggested donation to the local food bank, Hope+. Unity Theatre will also be collecting donations for Shelter at the show.

Watch the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IoSgUIgfJA

Tickets will be on sale from December 13 via Unity’s website.

5 More Minutes by Travelled Companions

Friday February 17 2017, 11.30am & 2.30pm

Venue: The Atkinson, Southport

When Moon and Stars are shining in your eyes
Then I will sing to you a lullaby
The day is over now it’s time for bed…
But with five more minutes we can play instead?

5 More Minutes is a funny and magical show about bedtime for children and their grown ups, in which we’ll explore the fun, frustration and fantasy that can be had in that magical time between awake & asleep. Real world play will blur with the magic of dreams as we all try to settle down and finally get ready to say goodnight, and go to sleep… unless that is, we can have 5 more minutes!?

5 More Minutes is an interactive family show with a playful performance style, live music and puppetry. In a child’s imagination, five more minutes can last forever! (But this play has a running time of approx. 50 minutes.) Bring along your bedtime snuggly. Suitable for children aged under 6 and their families.

View the trailer here: https://vimeo.com/170939290

Tickets are available here: http://www.theatkinson.co.uk/events/5-more-minutes/

Box Of Tricks Theatre presents Narvik

Monday February 27–Friday March 3, 7.30pm

Venue: Bluecoat

Following an acclaimed run at the Liverpool Playhouse Studio, Narvik embarks on a national tour as part of Box of Tricks’ tenth anniversary season. Lizzie Nunnery is an award-winning playwright ('Intemperance' at Everyman Liverpool and 'The Swallowing Dark' at Liverpool Playhouse Studio and Theatre503) and celebrated singer/songwriter.

Inspired by tales of Naval veterans, Narvik tells the story of a Liverpudlian man and a Norwegian woman pulled together and torn apart by war as the events of one summer cause ripples across an ocean of time. Fusing live folk music and new writing to create a patchwork of memory and dream, Narvik is a bold new play set during the Second World War that brings to life a powerful story of love, guilt, heroism and betrayal.

Watch the trailer here: https://vimeo.com/135671559

Tickets will be on sale from December 13 via Unity’s website.

American Man by Hetain Patel (LEAP 2017)

Thursday March 9, 7.30pm

Venue: Make Liverpool

Award-winning dancer and choreographer, Hetain Patel, is just one of the national and internationally renowned artists to be joining the LEAP 2017 festival line-up to examine the theme of camouflage - the seen and unseen stories of humanity, so we are thrilled to bring you his new production, American Man.

American Man is a new one-man show, which builds on the critically acclaimed American Boy. Playing provocatively with race, gender and identity, American Man imagines a not-too-distant-future where celebrity power and political correctness have reached new heights. A future where Barack Obama’s post-Presidential role is CEO of Apple, and Stephen Hawking voices Disney characters.

Combining seamless vocal and physical impersonations with his characteristic wit and humour, Hetain Patel presents a dystopian outlook on a world where personal freedom walks hand in hand with guilt.

Hetain spent a period of time in research and development at Unity in January 2016 and the theatre are delighted to bring him back to Liverpool as part of LEAP 2017.

Tickets will be on sale from December 14 via Unity’s website.

Gaudete

Friday March 17-Saturday March 18, 7.30pm

Venue: Make Liverpool

Gaudete is a thrilling stage adaptation of Ted Hughes’ poetic novel by OBRA Theatre Company performed by an international ensemble of eight performers. Seven years in the making, this extraordinary piece takes Hughes’ words as a starting point to create a magical and surreal piece of physical theatre. The story follows Nicholas Lumb, an Anglican Minister from the North of England who is abducted by spirits, duplicated and returned to the world a changed man.

Watch the trailer here: https://vimeo.com/71505670

Tickets will be on sale from December 13 via Unity’s website.

Research and Development at Unity

Theatre companies will continue to develop work with support from Unity and will be using the rehearsal room next to Unity Theatre’s temporary offices on Hanover Street.

Scratch Nights

Unity will continue to encourage new writing as the regular Scratch Nights are set to continue in venues outside of Unity Theatre, the first one to be confirmed is at Make Liverpool on March 14 2017. More information and an application form will be available in the next few weeks at http://www.unitytheatreliverpool.co.uk/opportunities.html.

Patrick Dineen performs in Unity Theatre’s Dark Dark Wood

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Unity Theatre

Patrick Dineen, composer for Christmas Show, Little Red and the Big Bad Wolf, performs in Unity Theatre’s Dark Dark Wood

Regular Unity Theatre and Action Transport Theatre Christmas show collaborator, composer Patrick Dineen will use the setting of Dark Dark Wood to continue his own exploration of music inspired by dark fairy tales on Thursday December 15 at 8pm.

Patrick Dineen is a composer, lyricist and orchestrator. He began in music began by touring and recording with his own band Kan Kan and then ran a tango nightclub in London’s West End while writing songs and music for fringe theatres. His work led him to becoming a freelance composer for theatre, TV radio, and film and subsequently being invited to study with Stephen Sondheim in his Master Classes in Music Theatre at Oxford University. Since then he has written many scores, for theatre, ballet, TV, radio, independent film as well as large-scale site-specific projects.

Patrick said: "I'm excited to be writing and developing music which thematically links to the music I’m writing for Little Red, I've always been fascinated by the darker side of fairy tales, and this project has allowed me to go deeper and further into the imagination.”

Working with Action Transport Theatre and Katie Scott, a designer from Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, the Dark Dark Wood draws on visual ideas from the Christmas show, Little Red and the Big Bad Wolf. The theatre is delighted to have received a grant from the PRS Foundation, which has made the series of events possible.

Tickets can be booked via Unity Theatre’s Box Office, by calling 0151 709 4988 or via www.unitytheatreliverpool.co.uk.

Homotopia 2015: Scratch and See

Image Source:
Unity Theatre

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Show
Genre: Variety
Date: November 3 2015
Location: Unity Theatre, Liverpool, England

As part of the 2015 Homotopia festival, the Unity Theatre hosted Scratch and See, a variety show of sorts in that there were three very different acts, all with the same message of promoting one's rights to embrace their true personality and desires (some more subtle than others). Each section lasted around 20 minutes apiece, and the three-part showcase covered the entire quality scale.

The evening opened with Freddy & Frida, which was an unusual double act. Apparently hailing from Switzerland, and allegedly influenced by The Gods of Cheese, the two-some were something of a Eurovision parody as they delivered several songs which were either past Eurovision tunes or were similar to those seen at the annual music festival (by that, I mean the lyrics didn't make much sense; not that this is a knock on the likes of past Eurovision performers ABBA and, erm, Jedward). This was accompanied by some deliberately hammy dance moves and facial expressions, and with the performers themselves donning 1970s-style wigs and flamboyant attires. I wasn't quite sure what the underlying message of this act was. A parody, yes, but of what? They did discuss cheese a lot, and I have heard of cheesing (thanks to South Park; look it up, it's quite funny actually), but I'm unclear as to what their purpose was.

It's hard to judge this act, because whether they were entertaining or not depends on your sense of humour (the music wasn't to be taken seriously; at least, I don't think so). I personally didn't find this act to be particularly funny. Had they performed one song on a family cabaret show, they might have succeeded in getting a few laughs. In a 20-minute routine, they didn't get much more than a few titters (had it been longer, chopping that latter word in half might have described what people could have acted like to the performance). The production itself felt a bit amateurish, too; had slightly more care been taken to the video footage and the graphics used, this may have had slightly more impact. And while the whole act was clearly some sort of homage, there were times when you weren't quite sure if Freddy and Frida were being serious or not with their accents and their backstory (I would assume they're actually native Liverpudlians putting the accent on, but I'm not certain of that). I would best describe this as being inoffensive yet not that enjoyable. Had they previously auditioned on The X Factor and been shown on TV as a rejected novelty act, they might have had more appeal. As it was, their filler jokes between acts about cheese puns, usually designed to get minor giggles, ended up being the best part of their routine. Fortunately, it was a kind audience who watched this bit; another, less receptive crowd may not have been so welcoming of Freddy & Frida.

That being said, the mood was always positive and upbeat with these two, which is largely the opposite to that of act number two. Jamal Gerald's story was called FADoubleGOT, and dealt a lot more explicitly with homosexuality and the difficulties he faced by being gay throughout his life. Jamal told his life story from childhood back in the United States, where he felt a secret crush on a boy at school, to his family coming over to the UK and him still being a closet homosexual, and how he prayed to God to say that he was not a sinner once his devoutly religious mother had learned via a poem that he was gay, only to see him become more positive, confident and proud of his homosexuality once he discovered Freddy Mercury and Queen.

To be honest, although it was noted beforehand that there would be strong language and references to drugs and sex, the name of this performance was probably the most - if the only - controversial aspect. Drug references were very brief, talk of sex was limited to a brief reference to blowjobs, and "s--t" was the only swear word, and even that was only used in passing. The standout elements of this were Jamal's honesty in discussing taboo subjects, the intimate feel to the performance (the Unity Theatre set-up means that those on the first few rows were very close to the stage) and the general feel that coming to terms with one's homosexuality and eventually accepting it had been a major challenge for Jamal. The tone of this was very serious, almost upsetting at times, before ending on a positive note. The darkness in the room during the show made it feel more unpredictable, and not in a good way, as you wouldn't know what to expect from such an act. Nevertheless, Jamal's story was delivered articulately and effectively, it was always engaging to the audience, and hopefully his story may inspire others who have faced similar challenges in life. Whether it worked in this environment (mixed between two comedy acts, after all) is debatable, but it definitely had an impact.

The mood was lifted for the final act, which was by far the most entertaining and memorable part of the evening. Although this was written by a good friend of mine (Paul Burke), it doesn't alter the fact that The Rise and Fall of The Hamburger Queen was a very funny stand-up comedy performance by Ashleigh Owen. At times using song and imagery, Ashleigh's routine worked because her material was strong, the laughs came thick and fast, and her Scouse accent made her delivery of some lines funnier; arguing with her mother, for example, could have been seen as unpleasant if written down, but when performed in this show, it was hilarious. There was plenty of swearing too, which some may be aghast at (like those people who write into the Liverpool Echo complaining about the most trivial of matters). My pure self would of course never use such terminology. That being said, I heard loads of swearing and I didn't give a f--k.

Ashleigh deserves credit too for including material that pointed fun at her own weight, for this only seemed to make her a more confident performer, a comedian and a woman who doesn't care what people think of her; she won't let anybody prevent her from chasing her dreams. And those dreams consisted of her wanting to become a professional dancer, and moreover, knowing in her heart that she can be successful by following in the footsteps of her father (who was also a dancer). Along the way, which included a trip to London where she freely admitted to being excited by seeing certain cafes and restaurants, she encountered resistance from her mum who wouldn't accept her daughter's career choice, but Ashleigh remained adamant that she would go for it, and so she began her journey to potential stardom.

This was only a small portion of a long show, in which you will discover what else Ashleigh encountered along the way. If you get the chance to see it, I strongly recommend that you do, as it is very funny. In the Homotopia environment, one also suspects that the show acted as an alternative, hilarious, version of what people have to go through when discovering, embracing and chasing their homosexual desires (as seen with Jamal), from finding a calling to proclaiming their pursuing of it to going out and making it happen. This was definitely the highlight of the night, and you're bound to be laughing when watching this. Besides, if the deliberately crude drawing of a man's you-know-what being randomly thrown in with a montage of baby-to-woman pictures of Ashleigh doesn't make you smirk, nothing will.

So, in the end, this hour of Homotopia had a bit of everything, from a bless-them-they-tried parody to an occasionally uncomfortable yet engaging one-man story to a genuinely funny and over-the-top comedy show. I would definitely recommend seeing Ashleigh perform her full routine, and you may hear a bit about Jamal's story in future too. Freddy & Frida? Erm, I'm not so sure about them. But regardless, it was a fun night at the Unity Theatre, and there will be plenty of other acts, covering a wide range of forms, as Homotopia continues in Liverpool until Tuesday December 1. Also note that the rating below is for the show as a whole, as some parts were better than others.

Overall Rating: 7.5/10 - Good

Dirty Dusting

Image Source: Dirty Dusting

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Play
Genre: Comedy
Date: October 14 2015
Location: Epstein Theatre, Liverpool, England

When one sees the name "Dirty Dusting" for a theatre production, one's mind immediately wanders to Dirty Dancing and may consider how the two are related, whether it be the plot, the characters etc. As it turns out, though, there is no connection; Dirty Dusting means something very different.

Indeed, Dirty Dusting tells the story of three cleaners working in a factory: Elsie (Crissy Rock), Gladys (Leah Bell) and Olive (Dolores Porretta), who spend their evenings cleaning up the mess left behind by the employees. The cleaners are middle-aged and not exactly satisfied in their roles, yet they all realise that they have no other option at this point. However, things change when a message left behind by a bossy, rude manager (Lee Brannigan) implies that a new team of cleaners will be brought in, leaving the long-time staff to face termination.

As the three ladies consider their options, a chance phone call which mistakes the company office for an adult phone line gives them the idea to launch their own after-hours sex chat-up lines, based from the very office that they are cleaning. Their theory is that nobody will know that it is them nor that it is being based from the main office, because they are using alternative names and receiving calls on a bounce-back from unused phones in an upstairs part of the building, and if they make a good amount of money over that weekend, it will see them over in the time after they are forced to finish their cleaning roles.

Cue a large amount of sexual innuendo via the conversations held over the phone lines, and via the outfits and props being used by the ladies to motivate them when answering the calls. Mixed in with these are plenty of one-liners which keep the momentum going in each scene (the production as a whole is divided into four main parts, two pre-intermission and two post-intermission), and the fairly swift pace ensures that if you don't find one joke very funny, it won't take long to wait for another one to tickle your funny bone instead.

As for the climax? Well, let's just say that what seems like the impossible suddenly becomes possible, and I should also point out that you will want to stick around until the very end; there are one or two moments at the conclusion which may be something of a surprise.

Although Crissy Rock is the biggest name involved and delivers a suitable amount of laughs, it is Leah Bell who steals the show with a deliberately over-the-top technique to answering the phone calls, and what turns out to be a secretly raunchy personality when disclosing how her phone line experiences have suddenly improved her own sex life with equally middle-aged husband Billy (who we don't see). Dolores Porretta also delivers some laughs, albeit less regularly, and whilst Lee Brannigan comes across as unfunny if not too serious and trying too hard to act at the beginning, by the end you would not recognise his character, such are the sudden changes that we see in his personality towards the end.

Unquestionably, whether you enjoy Dirty Dusting or not depends on your personal tastes and your sense of humour. If sexual innuendo and somewhat adult-orientated visuals are not your thing, then you won't enjoy this show. If, on the other hand, you're more accepting of such elements, then you will probably get a real kick out of Dirty Dusting. To paraphrase a line from the aforementioned Dirty Dancing, you may not have the time of your life watching Dirty Dusting, but if it meets your sense of humour, then you will definitely have a good time.

Overall Rating: 7.5/10 - Good

Full cast announced for Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty UK tour

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Liverpool Empire Theatre

New Adventures are delighted to announce the full cast and further tour dates for the first revival of Sleeping Beauty as devised, directed and choreographed by Matthew Bourne, which will play at the Liverpool Empire from Tuesday February 16-Saturday February 20 2016.

Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty is a gothic tale for all ages; the traditional tale of good vs. evil and rebirth is turned upside-down, creating a supernatural love story that even the passage of time itself cannot hinder

Bourne’s new scenario introduced several characters not seen in Petipa’s famous Ballet or Grimm’s fairy tale. This imaginary kingdom is ruled over by King Benedict and Queen Eleanor. Princess Aurora’s romantic interest is not a Prince, but the royal gamekeeper, Leo. Representing the central forces of good and evil are Count Lilac (“the King of the Fairies”) and the Dark Fairy Carabosse. Bourne has also created the character of Caradoc, the sinister but charming son of Carabosse. Princess Aurora’s Fairy Godparents are characterised by their names: Ardor, Hibernia, Autumnus, Feral and Tantrum.

Returning to the central role of Aurora in this first revival is rising star Ashley Shaw. Ashley recently played Lana in the triumphant revival of The Car Man, and has also played Kim in Edward Scissorhands, Sugar in Nutcracker! and the title role in Cinderella. Cordelia Braithwaite made her debut with New Adventures in Swan Lake in 2013 and has since featured in this year’s revival of The Car Man, covering the role of Lana. Cordelia makes her debut as Aurora this season; her first Principal role with New Adventures.

The leading role of Leo will once again be played by Dominic North and Chris Trenfield who co-created the role in 2012. Dominic holds the distinction of appearing in more New Adventures productions than any other dancer and was most recently seen as Angelo in The Car Man (Seen also in the filmed version for SkyArts). He was nominated as “Outstanding Male Dancer” at The National Dance Awards for his performance as Edward Scissorhands which he re-created to much acclaim earlier this year. Chris has this year been seen as Luca in The Car Man and played the role in the SkyArts TV broadcast in August. One of New Adventures' most versatile leading men, he has also been seen as Tony in Play Without Words, the title role in Nutcracker! and The Swan/Stranger in Bourne’s Swan Lake which he also danced at the Music Centre of Los Angeles 50th Anniversary Gala last year.

Count Lilac will be portrayed once again by one of New Adventures most accomplished performers Christopher Marney, and in his third Principal role for New Adventures this year, Liam Mower. Christopher has been seen in the highly successful Triple Bill, Early Adventures, as Cyril Vane in Dorian Gray (Created role), The Prince in Swan Lake and The Angel in Bourne’s Cinderella in 2010. Most recently, he has had a big personal success as the choreographer of the West End hit play, McQueen. Liam Mower is the Olivier award-winning original star of the West End hit Billy Elliot. Joining New Adventures in 2011 to appear in Nutcracker!, he has also appeared in Play Without Words, as The Prince in Swan Lake (a role in which he danced with the Royal Ballet’s Edward Watson at last year’s Ignite Festival) and his critically-acclaimed portrayal of Edward Scissorhands earlier this year.

The twin roles of Carabosse and Caradoc will be shared by two charismatic New Adventures performers: Adam Maskell who co-created the role in 2012 returns to the Company having previously featured in Dorian Gray, Nutcracker! (title role), Play Without Words and as The Angel in Cinderella. Tom Clark makes his debut in a Principal role with New Adventures following roles in Swan Lake, The Car Man and as Jim Upton in Edward Scissorhands.

King Benedict will be played by Will Bozier (Edward Scissorhands) Glenn Graham (Swan Lake, The Angel in Cinderella and The Car Man) and Chris Trenfield. Queen Eleanor by Pia Driver (Swan Lake, The Car Man, Edward Scissorhands), Nicole Kabera (Edward Scissorhands, Nutcracker!, The Car Man, Swan Lake) and Katie Webb (Swan Lake, The Car Man).

Completing the Sleeping Beauty Company are Daniel Collins, Jack Jones, Mari Kamata, Phil King, Dominic Lamb, Dena Lague, Katy Lowenhoff, Katrina Lyndon, Kate Lyons, Andrew Monaghan, Leon Moran and Danny Reubens.

Sleeping Beauty is directed and choreographed by Matthew Bourne, working again with three of his regular collaborators and New Adventures Associate Artists; Lez Brotherston (Set and Costumes), Paule Constable (Lighting) and Paul Groothuis (Sound Design). The 2015 Revival will be directed by Matthew Bourne, Staged by Associate Director Etta Murfitt, and the Resident Director is Neil Westmoreland.

Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty premiered in 2012, and was the fastest selling production in the company’s history. Sleeping Beauty was created for New Adventures 25th birthday celebrations and completed Matthew Bourne’s trio of re-imagined Tchaikovsky ballet masterworks that started in 1992 with Nutcracker! and, most famously, in 1995, with the international hit Swan Lake. This dazzling production has won the hearts of thousands and smashed box office records across the UK and at Sadler’s Wells. Its USA premiere in 2013 prompted Joan Acolella of The New Yorker to hail Bourne as “the most popular choreographer of theatrical dance in the Western world”, and The New York Times said: “This is Bourne at his best – a masterful storyteller.” The production also won three Los Angeles Drama Critic Awards and the Ovation Award for “Best Production”.

Perrault’s timeless fairy tale, about a young girl cursed to sleep for one hundred years, was turned into a legendary ballet by Tchaikovsky and choreographer, Marius Petipa, in 1890. Bourne takes this date as his starting point, setting the Christening of Aurora, the story’s heroine, in the year of the ballet’s first performance; the height of the Fin-de-Siecle period when fairies, vampires and decadent opulence fed the gothic imagination. As Aurora grows into a young woman, we move forwards in time to the more rigid, uptight Edwardian era; a mythical golden age of long Summer afternoons, croquet on the lawn and new dance crazes. Years later, awakening from her century long slumber, Aurora finds herself in the modern day; a world more mysterious than any Fairy story!

For more information, click here.

Heritage Opera's Puccini Classic Madame Butterfly comes to Epstein Theatre

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: The Epstein Theatre

Heritage Opera, the Northwest’s professional touring opera company, visits the Epstein Theatre for the first time on Saturday 26 September with Puccini’s heart-breaking story of undying love and longing, presented in its own inimitable fashion.

Set in Nagasaki 1925, Madame Butterfly tells the story of Cio Cio San, a naïve girl with passionate dreams of romance who marries Lieutenant B.F. Pinkerton of the US Navy. His ideas of marital commitment are somewhat different to hers and he soon leaves her to sail back to America. Cio Cio San waits patiently for him for three years, refusing to acknowledge that she has been abandoned and firmly believing he will one day return to claim her as his wife. At last, Pinkerton’s ship, the USS Abraham Lincoln is seen on the horizon. For Madame Butterfly however there will be no happy ending.

Merseyside-born and raised soprano, Sarah Helsby Hughes directs and sings the lead role of Madame Butterfly and is supported by a professional cast of 10 singers and accompanied by an ensemble of seven musicians.

Sarah went to Maricourt High School in Maghull and, after graduating from Birmingham Conservatoire of Music, she worked in Liverpool city centre as a temp. One day, fed up with being stuck in an office on a bright sunny day she decided to try her hand at busking and soon she was singing opera to startled shoppers and office workers. Fast forward 6 years, and Sarah is now Artistic Director of Heritage Opera, the Northwest’s professional touring Opera Company.

Heritage Opera specialises in making opera relevant and accessible for everyone and they have taken opera to places neglected by other companies. Heritage Opera is also very proud of its Northern roots and another of its artistic aims is to employ northern-based singers and musicians wherever possible. This Madame Butterfly tour boasts 9 of 10 singers and 6 of 7 musicians who either live in or have strong historic ties to the North.

Sarah Helsby Hughes, director and performer at Heritage Opera, commented: "We're delighted to be performing at The Epstein, who'd have thought I'd be bringing my own opera company home to Liverpool, all those years after years of busking just round the corner! I do hope the Liverpool public come and support us."

For more information, click here.

Puttin' On The Ritz coming to Liverpool

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Liverpool Empire Theatre

Strictly Come Dancing stars lead the UK tour of the hit song and dance extravaganza

Presented by International Theatre Producer David King, the tour of the spectacular Puttin' On The Ritz is currently wowing audiences across the UK.

Puttin' On The Ritz stars a variety of professional “Strictly” dancers at different venues, including Robin Windsor and Anya Garnis with Trent Whiddan and Gordana Frandosek.

Ray Quinn will join Puttin' On The Ritz in September. Runner-up in The X- Factor in 2006, with his debut album going straight to number one in the UK charts, Ray has starred in many West End musicals.

Puttin' On The Ritz takes you on a musical journey with wonderful music from three legendary composers, Cole Porter, George Gershwin and Irving Berlin. Songs in the show will include Cheek to Cheek, Alexander’s Rag Time Band, Birth of the Blues, Swanee, Night and Day, I Got Rhythm, Easter Parade, and Puttin’ On The Ritz.

These classic songs of the Golden Age of Hollywood are recreated live on stage with a star-studded cast of fabulous singers and dancers who are set to entertain the audience with their slick harmonies, glamorous costumes and ballroom dancing skills.

Puttin’ On The Ritz is produced by David King with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin, Cole Porter and George Gershwin.

Becky O’Brien performed in her first professional production at the age of seven. Becky toured America, Asia, Europe and the UK, as the lead vocalist in shows such as Spirit of the Dance; Broadway, the Star Spangled Celebration; and The Spirit of Christmas. Alongside two of her sisters, she took on the role of The Deering Sisters in the internationally acclaimed Pathe feature film, Mrs Henderson Presents. The sister act worked alongside Dame Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins, recording the theme song for the film.

Ray Quinn’s first acting role was in Brookside, the popular soap based in Liverpool. He was announced as the runner-up in the X Factor to Leona Lewis in 2006 and subsequently released a a debut album which went to number in one in the UK charts and eventually became a platinum selling album. Ray has starred in many West End musicals including Grease, Dirty Dancing, The Rise and Fall of Little Voice and Legally Blonde. Ray was the winner of ITV’s Dancing on Ice in 2009 and went on to win the final All Stars series in 2014. Ray is currently recording an album and is inspired by by the “greats”, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and the Rat Pack.

Robin Windsor is a British professional Latin and Ballroom dancer, best known for his appearances in the BBC television series Strictly Come Dancing. Robin is also known for starring in the successful West End production of Burn The Floor with his professional partner Kristina Rihanoff.

Trent Whiddon is an award-winning Australian dancer and choreographer. He was a lead dancer and company manager of Burn the Floor for 13 years including the Broadway production. He has choreographed for So You Think You Can Dance, Satisfaction on a Dance Floor and the E-trade commercial with Kevin Spacey. Most recently, Trent has completed touring with the Strictly Live tour after a successful first season on Strictly Come Dancing partnering Pixie Lott.

For more information, visit www.puttinontheritztour.com.

Bunty The Bouncer heading back to Liverpool

Image Source: www.chrisbirchall.com

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: The Epstein Theatre

She's mean, she's tough and she's dog rough!

Liverpool comedy actress Lynn Fitzgerald is returning to Liverpool in one of her favourite one-woman roles.

Bunty The Bouncer is back on the Epstein Theatre stage where it all began over 20 years ago, so you better watch yourself.

Set in a Liverpool nightclub, the comedy tells the story of the toughest, meanest and probably the only female bouncer in town.

It’s single mother Bunty's last night on the door before she jets off on holiday to Butlins, Pwllheli with her daughter and starts a new career as a Beautician. As well as playing Bunty, Lynne plays nine other characters including The Scouse Tart, A Dippy Bride on a Hen Night, A Drug Dealer, Maria the Kebab Assistant and the Drag Artist Shona Snatch. Burn your fluffy bras and leave your hot pants at home - it's smart dress only. And, if you're wearing jeans or trainers, you're not getting past Bunty - at least, not without a very vigorous body search.

Written over twenty years ago by Marc Gee, best known for scripting cult film Al’s Lads which starred Mark Warren, the play is every bit as hilarious as it was twenty years ago, and still has audiences rolling in their seats thanks to its line-up of unforgettable, outrageous characters.

The show went on to to be a huge hit at the Edinburgh Festival and Lynne was also nominated for a Liverpool Echo Comedy Award.

Lynne Fitzgerald s commented: “I am absolutely thrilled to be bringing Bunty back to the Epstein Theatre stage, as the play was first performed there over twenty years ago when it was the Neptune, and thanks to that performance, I went on to sell out shows at the Gilded Balloon in Edinburgh, do a tour of the Northwest and went on to win a best actress award. I always felt that the Epstein space is Bunty’s real home and, as they say, there is no place like home.”

The play is directed by Saul Murphy¸ probably best known for directing The Circus on Lime Street. Look sharp and call the box office now to book your tickets, cos if your names not down you’re NOT coming in!

For more information, visit www.epsteinliverpool.co.uk.

Danielle bringing Hope to The Sound Of Music

Image Source:
Manchester Evening News

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Liverpool Empire Theatre

The Sound Of Music, one of the most legendary musicals of all-time, is returning to the Liverpool Empire next month. Playing the role of Maria Von Trapp will be Danielle Hope, who over the last five years has had a range of unforgettable experiences on the theatre stage, having been propelled to stardom by a television show which landed her a role as Dorothy in The Wizard Of Oz and a place in future big-budget theatre productions. I recently spoke to Danielle about The Sound Of Music, her experiences so far in theatre, and whether she could handle a family as big as that of the Von Trapps in real life …

To begin with, explain the story of The Sound Of Music, and of your role as Maria Von Trapp.

The Sound Of Music, as many, many people will know, is a very famous story based on a family that were fleeing Austria at a very dangerous time. I think the reason a lot of people feel this strongly connected to The Sound Of Music is because they were real people, and this was a very real time in the world. Now, a young girl who is training to be a nun is sent away because of, let’s say, her behaviour, and her choice of life and singing. Then, she meets this very disconnected family where the father is going through a lot, and the children have almost been army drilled because he's a naval officer. And she introduces them to music, and then they find a connection, which ends up inspiring the captain and saving them at the end of the day while they flee.

I think people of all ages connect to this story because they've grown up with it; I grew up with the film with my grandmother. That being said, the stage show is different to the film in an exciting way, plus it's the 50th anniversary of the film at the moment so we've had really, really great audiences. We've been on tour since January, and it's amazing to be trusted with the role of Maria. I know they're very specific about who they get to play her, and it's been a real challenge and a real joy to share her story around the country. We're in Dublin, Ireland right now, and we've already been around the UK and Scotland and, well, everywhere! I'm looking forward to being in Liverpool and getting up north because that's home turf to me, and all the family are coming to see me in Liverpool too. So, it's been great so far.

You touched upon the film version of The Sound Of Music. What, from a production and viewing standpoint, are the key differences between the movie and theatre versions?

There's different songs, there's extra songs, so all the ones you love from the film are in the show as well as some more. The order of things is slightly different, because as we all know, something that works on-screen doesn't necessarily work on stage in the exact same way, and vice versa. So, it's adapted for the theatre, and it's just so beautiful. The set is so classy and so elegant, and it's going to look beautiful at the Empire, it really is.

Tell us about how you first made your name on the BBC show Over The Rainbow.

It was five years ago now, which I can't believe! I auditioned for the television programme for Andrew Lloyd-Webber; 9,000 people auditioned, and the programme was three months long, and I was lucky enough to win the part and went on to play Dorothy at the London Palladium alongside Michael Crawford, which was just epic really! I think it's the only word for it! I mean, who starts their career headlining the London Palladium? It was bonkers!

It's been amazing since then, and I've worked with so many people that I have admired in the theatre industry for such a long, long time. But, yeah, the programme was a very crazy experience, and I moved to London so quickly. My plan was to go to University which I didn’t do, so everything I had planned didn't happen, but the outcome still happened, which I think proves that there's no right or wrong way to do anything. You just have to take a chance sometimes and just be brave, which is what I did and I’m so grateful that I did. So it was a crazy time and I've since been in shows like Les Miserables and Joseph and The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, so it's been a really wonderful and crazy five years!

As discussed, your victory on Over The Rainbow earned you your first theatre role as Dorothy in The Wizard Of Oz in 2011. Tell us about how you fared in this starring role, and how quickly did you take to the stage?

We opened for previews in January/February time, so we rehearsed over Christmas and New Year, and it was so exciting, plus I had such a supportive cast around me. You know, I'd always wanted to be on stage; it wasn't like I randomly turned up to an audition, and I was like "Oh, I'll have a go at this!" It was something that I'd always wanted to do, and that's what I was training to do at high school and sixth form.

Actually, the first time that I ever performed was on the Palladium stage was for the Children In Need live broadcast with Terry Wogan. I sang Over The Rainbow, and the theatre was full, plus (in addition to TV) it was being broadcast online and on the radio, so in effect all three mediums, which was so crazy. I remember that was one of the most nerve-wracking things I ever got to do, but it was nice having already performed once on the stage. And the Palladium is one of the most beautiful theatres that I've had the pleasure of being in, so I just absolutely loved it.

For The Wizard Of Oz,I was there for a whole year, and you just grew in the part over the year because you get to do the same show eight times a week, and you find new things constantly. I think that's why I love live theatre and why a lot of people love live theatre. I mean, it's great to be able to press Fast-Forward on your Sky box or whatever, but when you go and watch a show, what is happening in front of your eyes can't be paused or rewound, it can't be redone, and even if we try and recreate things, we can't because we're human, so it's always going to be different. I think that's why it's so attractive and appealing, because you're really part of something unique and special every time you go to the theatre.

As you mentioned, your other theatre credits over the last few years have included Les Miserables, Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs and Joseph and The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. What were your memories of those productions?

Well, Les Miserables was straight after The Wizard Of Oz, and it was incredible. It was a very different role, one of an aggressive, torn young girl from the streets. It was amazing to be able to play something so different straight after doing Dorothy, and I loved it, plus I made some of my best friends on that show. I think it was nice to have the responsibility of such famous songs, but Jean Valjean was leading the show, so I felt like the pressure was off a little bit in comparison to Dorothy. But I still had enough responsibility to drive me and feel like I was a real core part of that show. Plus, the film came out when we were in it, and I got to go to the premiere, so it was a very cool time to be a part of Les Miserables that year.

Joseph and The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat was my first tour. I started The Sound Of Music two weeks after I finished Joseph, so it's been a bit of a crazy year being on the road. Again, Joseph was so different, and it was very cool to see some parts of the world that I'd never seen.

Snow White was my first panto, and it was hilarious. The cast included Gok Wan, John Partridge (who judged on Over The Rainbow), Stephanie Beecham, Gary Wilmott … the names were endless, and we had such a good time at Birmingham. It ended up being one of their biggest pantos, so that was exciting.

I also did a show called The Last Five Years which has just got two people in it, and you only actually get to interact for about 30 seconds in the whole show! So, it's like doing a one-woman and a one-man show, and that was one of the most creatively challenging things I have done so far in my career. It was something that I've wanted to do for a long time, as well as something that terrified me every single night, but it also gave me the confidence to do my own solo cabaret in London, which I then took to New York and recorded my debut album of that. I released my album in June of this year, which is a live recording of my New York concert which I did in February. So, there's been lots of things that I've been able to do and that I've worked towards that I've just never thought would happen, not within these few years anyway.

Do you feel a certain level of pressure as you take the famous role of Maria Von Trapp in The Sound Of Music?

Of course. With a show like this, as with the Wizard Of Oz, there comes a huge responsibility, but I think you have to just acknowledge that and just release it. This role and the story and the characters are so well-loved. But I'm not here to imitate Julie Andrews, nor was I there to imitate Judy Garland. I'm just here to tell this story in the best, most honest and truthful way that I possibly can, and to just have a really joyous time doing it. The cast are wonderful, the children that I get to work with are just marvellous, and we have such a good time, and such a lovely connection and bond throughout the show. So, I acknowledge the responsibility and the pressure, but I love it. Also, getting to be blonde is very cool; I have very, very long dark hair, so getting it under that tiny little wig is an event! (Laughs)

The last question is, in The Sound Of Music, the Von Trapp family have a lot of children. Do you think in real life you could cope with that many kids?

(Laughs) Oh, I know there's a lot of children! I don't know. I think if they were all my brothers and sisters and or nieces and nephews, absolutely, because that's what they feel like. I feel like I've adopted them while they're on stage, and if they were all as charming and as lovely as these children are, absolutely I could handle it! Yeah, I would be blessed to have children like the ones in this show; they really are little beauties!

The Sound Of Music plays the Liverpool Empire from Monday September 14 to Saturday September 19. To book your tickets, click here.

You can find out more about Danielle Hope at www.daniellehope.co.uk.

Treat yourself to an evening of pure theatrical Viagra!

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: The Epstein Theatre

Hit comedy Dirty Dusting shines on the Epstein stage

After a sellout UK tour in 2014, the smash hit show Dirty Dusting returns to the stage this year and comes to Liverpool’s Epstein Theatre this October for a strictly limited run.  The play is written by the same team that brought you the hugely popular Waiting For Gateaux, which ran at the theatre earlier this year.

Dirty Dusting stars TV actress and comedian Crissy Rock (Benidorm and I’m A Celebrity), Leah Bell (actress and comedian), Dolores Porretta (Stage and TV actress) and introducing Lee Brannigan.

Gladys, Elsie and Olive are three cleaning ladies who are about to be ‘put out to pasture’ by their overzealous office manager Dave. Feeling they have little chance of gaining employment elsewhere, the ladies have to find a way to make ends meet.

A chance wrong number requiring a Sex Chat Line rings into the office and gives them a great idea… “Why not run a Sex Chat Line?” After all, their age and appearance won’t matter on the telephone and providing they can keep this a secret from their boss, they could be on to a real winner.

Needless to say… things don’t go entirely according to plan.

Dirty Dusting is a heart-warming, laugh-out-loud, feel good comedy that will have you rolling in the aisles and smiling every time you answer the phone.

North East based writers Ed Waugh and Trevor Wood have written eleven successful plays including Dirty Dusting and the popular Waiting For Gateaux, which ran at the theatre earlier this year. The play is also directed by Leah Bell.

Get your glad rags on and your feather dusters at the ready and pick up your sparkling telephone to book your tickets now.

Dirty Dusting runs at the Epstein Theatre from Monday October 12-Thursday October 15. You can book tickets by clicking here.

Tenth Anniversary Revival of Brick Up The Mersey Tunnels

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Royal Court Theatre

One of Liverpool’s most successful ever plays returns to Royal Court Liverpool ten years after it was first performed!

Dave Kirby and Nicky Allt’s Brick Up The Mersey Tunnels has broken box office records in its previous five outings in the city and is back for the first time since 2011.

Having sold more than 150,000 tickets across the five runs so far, the play has been seen by more people than any other Liverpool comedy. Audiences have been calling for the play’s return of this genuine Liverpool classic.

With the majority of the original cast returning to the show (the original Gerard Gardner, Davy Edge, having retired and been replaced by Paul Duckworth) the gang will be back together for the five week run. Roy Brandon, Eithne Browne, Carl Chase, Suzanne Collins, Adam Keast, Andrew Schofield and Francis Tucker all return to their roles. Bob Eaton will direct again, the set design is by Billy Meall and Howard Gray is back as Musical Director.

Dickie Lewis, Nick Walton, and Gerard “Gelegnite” Gardner are three men who have had enough. Fed up with being looked down on and mocked by the self proclaimed upper class from the Wirral peninsula, they decide to take the law into their own hands. The Kingsway Three will not be tolled!

A brilliant comedy with music which has raced to the top of any “must see” list Brick Up guarantees great night out that will have tears of laughter streaming down your cheeks, whichever side of the river you hail from!

Dave Kirby commented: “Since 2006 me and Nicky have enjoyed much success but everything goes back to Brick Up. Over the past 10 years it’s been watched more than Tranmere Rovers and laughed at more than Esther McVey. To have it back at its spiritual home, the Royal Court for its 10th anniversary with the same cast is gonna be extra special.”

Nicky Allt is also looking forward to the show: "Brick Up The Mersey Tunnels has what every successful theatre production needs: Front Stage to Back Stage - a great bunch of people - who all wanted a successful Liverpool comedy. The fact they succeeded by the length of the Kingsway Tunnel itself says everything. Brick Up is coated in The River Mersey - Its pure Liverpool Bread and Butter!!!"

Kevin Fearon, Chief Executive of Royal Court Liverpool, added: “This play has been so important for the theatre and we thought that we should celebrate the tenth anniversary. With so many people calling for it to return we felt that this was the right time. Just reading the script again has put a smile on my face and I’m looking forward to seeing full houses of happy people.”

As with all Royal Court productions, dinner will be available before the show in the stalls, lovingly prepared by head chef Simon Collard.

Brick Up The Mersey Tunnels runs from Friday January 29 to Saturday February 27 2016. Tickets and information are available from www.royalcourtliverpool.com or on 0151 709 4321.

St Helens gets a new local as Regal Entertainments presents The Ale House

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: St Helens Theatre Royal

St Helens has got a brand new local as The Ale House opens its doors at the Theatre Royal this October.

This hilariously rowdy comedy from the writers of Night Collar is brought to audiences by Regal Entertainments from Tuesday October 6 to Saturday October 10.

Every local has its regulars and those who prop up the bar at the Ale House will have audiences laughing in the aisles, or rather their bar stools, as the events unfold at this tavern.

Featuring a stellar cast with some of the region’s finest talent including Lindzi Germain (Sex and the Suburbs and Hitchhikers Guide to Fazakerley) as the brassy landlady who takes no messing, George Wilson (Grange Hill and Brookside) as Kick Off, Philip Olivier (Brookside and Benidorm) as Yogi and Jake Abrahams (Twopence to Cross the Mersey and Council Depot Blues) as Trevor.

After directing the smash-hit sell out show Rita, Sue and Bob Too earlier this year, Theatre Royal favourite Sylvie Gatrill returns to direct the production.

There will be raucous laughs from the first pint pulled, from the WWII pensioner still recovering from shell shock, to the not-so-holy priest on a mission to find who desecrated his garden, to the landlady eyeing up one of the customers.

One wrong move and you’re barred, although that won’t stop the visitors to this watering hole causing all kinds of drunk and disorderly mayhem before the barrels are empty!

Chantelle Nolan, theatre manager, commented: “I am thrilled to be bringing The Ale House to the Theatre Royal, as soon as I read the script I knew our audiences would love it. We have a fantastic cast in the production and I am excited to be welcoming Sylvie back to direct the show. After the huge success we have seen with Rita, Sue and Bob Too and The Last of the Red Hot Lovers this is the perfect production to continue Regal Entertainments long line of hilarious comedies and I am certain that audiences of St Helens will have a barrel of laughs.”

Be sure to catch it before ‘last orders’!

For more information, visit www.sthelenstheatreroyal.com.

Full casting announced for Priscilla: Queen Of The Desert

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Liverpool Empire Theatre

David Ian Productions and the Ambassador Theatre Group are delighted to announce the full cast for the UK tour of the international smash-hit musical Priscilla: Queen Of The Desert, which plays at the Liverpool Empire from Monday January 25 to Saturday January 30 2016.

Joining the previously announced Jason Donovan, who reprises the role of Tick, are Simon Green as Bernadette, Adam Bailey as Felicia and Philip Childs as Bob.

Simon Green’s most recent stage credits include Bruce Ismay in Titanic, both in Toronto and at the Southwark Playhouse; The World Goes Round at the Union Theatre and Monsieur André in The Phantom Of The Opera on tour. Adam Bailey most recently appeared as Espresso in the German production of Starlight Express. His other theatre credits include Mary Sunshine in Chicago at Leicester Curve and Alan in Bare at the Greenwich Theatre. Philip Childs played the role of Bob on the 2013 tour of Priscilla: Queen Of The Desert. He is currently appearing as Doctor Dillamond in Wicked at the Apollo Victoria. Other recent theatre credits include Alan Bennett’s People and The Habit Of Art at the National Theatre.

Jason Donovan played the role of Tick when the show originally opened in the West End and its subsequent tour in 2013. His other West End credits include the title role in Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Caractacus Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. His touring credits include Captain Von Trapp in The Sound Of Music and Frank N Furter in The Rocky Horror Show and most recently Lionel Logue in The King’s Speech. His television credits include Neighbours and Echo Beach. He was also a finalist in ITV’s smash-hit I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! and reached the final of Strictly Come Dancing.

They are joined by Richard Astbury; Rebecca Botterill; Matt Crandon; Peter Cumins; Amy Di Bartolomeo; Martin Harding; Lisa-Marie Holmes; Ricky Lee Loftus; Adam Lyons; Callum MacDonald; Laura Mansell; Catherine Mort; James Paul McAllister; Robin Mills; Craig Ryder; Naomi Slights and Julie Yammanee.

Get ready for the ride of your life! Based on the movie, Priscilla: Queen Of The Desert - The Musical is the heart-warming, uplifting adventure of three friends who hop aboard a battered old bus searching for love and friendship and end up finding more than they could have ever dreamed of. With a dazzling array of outrageous costumes and a hit parade of dancefloor classics including I Will Survive, Say A Little Prayer, Go West, Hot Stuff, Boogie Wonderland and Always On My Mind, this wildly fresh and funny new musical is a journey to the heart of FABULOUS!

Priscilla: Queen Of The Desert - The Musical originally opened in Australia and after a sell-out two year run, opened in London’s West End followed by Broadway in the United States. It has won numerous awards all over the world, including prestigious Olivier and Tony awards.

Priscilla: Queen Of The Desert - The Musical is written by Stephan Elliott and Allan Scott and Directed by Simon Phillips. The Associate Director is Dean Bryant. Choreography is by Andrew Hallsworth and Ross Coleman; Musical Arrangements, Direction and Supervision by Stephen ‘Spud’ Murphy and Charlie Hull; Production Design by Brian Thomson, Costume Design by Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner; Make-Up Design by Cassie Hanlon; Original Lighting Designs by Nick Schlieper and Original Sound Design by Michael Waters.

Just one month until the brand new production of The Sound Of Music opens at the Empire

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Liverpool Empire Theatre

From Oz to Austria, a Palladium star brings the hills alive in The Sound Of Music

One of the greatest musicals of all-time returns to the stage in a magnificent new production which plays at the Liverpool Empire from Monday September 14-Saturday September 19 as part of a major national tour.

Playing the iconic role of Maria von Trapp is Danielle Hope, who captured the hearts of the country when she won BBC Television’s Over the Rainbow and made her professional debut as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium. Danielle has since played Eponine in Les Misérables in London’s West End and Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Joining the company as Captain von Trapp is much-loved stage and television star Steven Houghton. Well-known for his longstanding television role in London’s Burning, Olivier-Award nominated actor Steven has taken on leading roles in Spend Spend Spend, Blood Brothers, White Christmas, Martin Guerre and Grease and had a Top Ten hit with ‘Wind Beneath My Wings’.

Produced by Bill Kenwright, directed by Martin Connor, choreographed by Olivier Award winner Bill Deamer, and with musical direction by David Steadman, this wonderfully lavish new staging of the classic musical coincides with the 50th anniversary of the film version, the most successful movie musical in history.

It all began with the story of the Trapp Family Singers and Baroness Maria von Trapp’s 1949 autobiography, which inspired Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II, Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse to create a Broadway musical in 1959. The Sound of Music tells the true story of the world-famous singing family, from their romantic beginnings and search for happiness, to their thrilling escape to freedom as their beloved Austria becomes part of the Third Reich at the start of WWII.

The unforgettable score features some of the most memorable songs ever performed on stage, including Edelweiss, My Favorite Things, Do-Re-Mi, Climb Ev’ry Mountain, So Long, Farewell and, of course, the title song The Sound Of Music.

Joining Danielle and Steven are West End stars Jan Hartley (The Phantom of the Opera and West Side Story) as Mother Abbess, and Emma Clifford as Baroness Elsa Schrader, with Howard Samuels as Max, Grace Chapman as Liesl and Luke George as Rolf.

Completing the cast are Lynden Edwards, Philip Day, Zoe Ann Bown, Kate Milner Evans, Martin Dickinson, Lewis Barnshaw, Colin Burnicle, Jessica Daley, Grace Gardner and Katie Shearman.

Jason Donovan to play Tick in Priscilla: Queen Of The Desert

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Liverpool Empire Theatre

David Ian Productions and the Ambassador Theatre Group are delighted to announce that Jason Donovan will play the role of Tick in the UK tour of the international smash hit musical Priscilla: Queen Of The Desert, which plays at the Liverpool Empire from Monday January 25-Saturday January 30 2016.

Jason Donovan reprises the role of Tick, the part he played when the show originally opened in the West End and its subsequent tour in 2013. He has had a hugely successful and varied career as both an actor and world-wide recording artist, selling over 13 million albums to date. As well as Priscilla: Queen Of The Desert, his other West End credits include the title role in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Caractacus Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. His touring credits include Captain Von Trapp in The Sound Of Music, Frank N Furter in The Rocky Horror Show, the title role in John Doyle’s production of Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd and The Artilleryman in The War Of The Worlds. He can currently be seen as Lionel Logue in The King’s Speech. His television credits include Neighbours and Echo Beach. He was also a finalist in ITV’s smash hit I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! and reached the final of Strictly Come Dancing.

Get ready for the ride of your life! Based on the movie, Priscilla: Queen Of The Desert - The Musical is the heart-warming, uplifting adventure of three friends who hop aboard a battered old bus searching for love and friendship and end up finding more than they could have ever dreamed of. With a dazzling array of outrageous costumes and a hit parade of dance-floor favourites including It’s Raining Men, Say A Little Prayer, Go West, Hot Stuff and Always On My Mind, this wildly fresh and funny new musical is a journey to the heart of Fabulous!

Priscilla: Queen Of The Desert - The Musical originally opened in Australia and after a sell-out two year run, opened in London’s West End followed by Broadway in the United States. It has won numerous awards all over the world, including prestigious Olivier and Tony awards.

For further details, visit www.priscillathemusical.com.