Wednesday 23 September 2015

The New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham - Guys and Dolls - 24.11.15 - 05.12.15



Full Casting Announced For
GUYS AND DOLLS

AT THE NEW ALEXANDRA THEATRE FROM TUESDAY 24 NOVEMBER TO SATURDAY 5 DECEMBER 2015

Full casting is announced for the highly acclaimed Chichester Festival Theatre revival of Guys and Dolls, which is at the New Alexandra Theatre from Tues 24 November to Sat 5 December 2015, prior to a strictly limited run at the Savoy Theatre in the West End.

Joining Sophie Thompson as Miss Adelaide and Jamie Parker as Sky Masterson, are David Haig as Nathan Detroit and Siubhan Harrison as Sarah Brown. Guys and Dolls will see Sophie Thompson and David Haig perform together for the first time since their comic pairing as bride and groom, Lydia and Bernard, in the British smash hit film, Four Weddings and a Funeral.

'The most perfect musical comedy ever'
The Sunday Times

Nathan Detroit (David Haig) is desperate: he needs money for an illegal dice game, and he needs it fast. Not to mention a 14-year engagement with nightclub singer Miss Adelaide (Sophie Thompson), whose patience is finally running out. Enter notorious gambler Sky Masterson (Jamie Parker), a guy who can never turn down a bet, and straight-laced missionary Sarah Brown (Siubhan Harrison), a doll with a heart of ice. Nathan’s wager is that Sky has to romance Sarah by taking her to Havana for dinner and in return he’ll provide a dozen ‘sinners’ for Sarah’s mission. Surely this is one bet Nathan absolutely can't lose?

A joyous and vibrant celebration of Prohibition-era New York, Guys and Dolls first premiered on Broadway in 1950 and captured the optimism and energy of post-World War Two America. This hugely popular and multi award-winning musical, based on the colourful stories by American journalist Damon Runyon renowned for his vivid fictional depictions of the gamblers, hustlers and nightclub singers of New York, features  some of Broadway’s greatest musical numbers including ‘My Time of Day’, ‘Luck be a Lady’ and the show-stopping ‘Sit Down You're Rockin' the Boat’.  Guys and Dolls is directed by Gordon Greenberg with choreography by Cuban dancer and former Royal Ballet star Carlos Acosta and Andrew Wright whose credits include Chichester Festival Theatre’s Singin’ in the Rain.

Sophie Thompson plays Miss Adelaide. Theatre credits include The Physicists (Donmar), She Stoops To Conquer(National Theatre), Clybourne Park (Royal Court), Measure for Measure (Shakespeare's Globe), Into the Woods(Donmar Warehouse) for which she received an Olivier Award, and Company (Donmar Warehouse and West End). Television credits include Lightfields, Watson and Oliver, Poirot, Doc Martin, Big Top, and Stella Crawford inEastEnders. Film credits include Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, Eat, Pray, Love, Fat Slags, Nicholas Nickleby, Gosford Park, Dancing at Lughnasa, Emma and Four Weddings and a Funeral.

David Haig plays Nathan Detroit. David is currently in Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me at Chichester Festival Theatre where previous credits include Pressure (a co-production with Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh) and Yes, Prime Minister,which transferred to the West End. Other theatre credits include The Madness of George III (Theatre Royal Bath and West End), Mary Poppins (Prince Edward Theatre), Hitchcock Blonde (Royal Court and West End), House and Garden (National Theatre), Art (Wyndham's and Broadway), and Our Country's Good at the Royal Court, for which David won the Olivier Award for Best Actor. Television credits include The Thick Of It, MO, The 39 Steps, My Boy Jack, Talking Heads and The Thin Blue Line. Film credits include Florence Foster Jenkins and Four Weddings and a Funeral.
Jamie Parker plays Sky Masterson. Jamie was seen most recently as Mike Connor in High Society at The Old Vic. Other theatre credits include Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (Chichester and West End), Proof (Menier Chocolate Factory), Henry V, Henry IV Part I and Henry IV Part 2, As You Like Like It (all for Shakespeare's Globe),Racing Demon (Sheffield Crucible), Revenger's Tragedy (National Theatre) and The History Boys (National Theatre, Broadway and Australia and Hong Kong). Television credits include Parade's End, Silk, The Hour, Silent Witness andWire in the Blood. Film credits include Le Weekend, Valkyrie and The History Boys.

Siubhan Harrison plays Sarah Brown. Theatre credits include Pitcairn (Out of Joint/Shakespeare's Globe/Chichester),From Here To Eternity (Shaftesbury Theatre), Earthquakes in London (Headlong and National Theatre), Grease (Piccadilly Theatre), Bad Girls The Musical (West Yorkshire Playhouse) and We Will Rock You (Dominion).

Completing the cast are Lucy Jane Adcock, Abigail Brodie, Cornelius Clarke, Momar Diagne, Lavinia Fitzpatrick, Lorna Gale, Nic Greenshields, Selina Hamilton, Ian Hughes, Frankie Jenna, Jacob Maynard, Neil McCaul, Genevieve Nicole, William Oxborrow, Max Parker, Carl Patrick, James Revell, Giovanni Spano, Gavin Spokes,Jonathan Stewart, Lucie Mae Sumner and Liam Wrate.

Director Gordon Greenberg has directed plays and musicals at major theatres across America and Europe, as well as writing for television and theatre. Current writing projects include Scramble Band, an original movie for the Disney Channel, the stage adaptation of Tangled for Disney, and The Single Girl’s Guide, a new musical updating Jane Austen’s Emma to 1964, as well as directing The Heart of Rock And Roll, the new Huey Lewis musical, creating the new Frank Loesser dance musical Luck Be A Lady, and adapting and directing Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn and The Secret of My Success for Universal Pictures Stage Productions. Previous directing credits include the Drama Desk Award-winning New York revival of Studs Terkel's Working, and the acclaimed New York revival of Jacques Brel Is Alive And Well…, which received Drama Desk, Drama League, Outer Critics Award nominations. Recent credits include Pirates! Or Gilbert and Sullivan Plunder’d (created with Nell Benjamin), Johnny Baseball for Williamstown Theatre Festival, Rags for Roundabout Theatre Company (workshop), Stars of David for Daryl Roth Productions, and Happy Days, a new musical (first US tour). Further directing credits include Yentl (score by Jill Sobule, Asolo Rep), West Side Story (MUNY, Circle Award nomination), Disney’s Believe(Disney Creative Entertainment),  Disney Fantasy Christening (with Neil Patrick Harris & Jerry Seinfeld), Happy Days(National Tour, Paper Mill, Goodspeed), Arts & Crafts with Sandra Bernhard and Justin Vivian Bond at Joe’s Pub, the critically acclaimed revival of Jesus Christ Superstar (revised with Stephen Oremus, Helen Hayes), Theory of Three (NY Stage & Film), Citizens Band (Spiegeltent) and numerous television commercials. Gordon is a member of the Stage Directors & Choreographers Society, The Writers Guild of America, The Dramatists Guild, and the Lincoln Center Theatre Directors Lab.

Choreographer Carlos Acosta trained at the National Ballet School of Cuba, and has danced as a principal with English National Ballet, National Ballet of Cuba and Houston BalletHe is a Principal Guest Artist with The Royal Ballet and appears worldwide with companies including ABT, Paris Opera Ballet, Kirov, Bolshoi and Australian Ballet, and has created roles in contemporary ballets both with The Royal Ballet and internationally. Acosta was instrumental in taking The Royal Ballet on tour to Havana, and starred in the Company’s performances of Romeo andJuliet at The O2 Arena dancing Romeo opposite Tamara Rojo as Juliet. He has staged several shows across Europe featuring both classical and contemporary repertory, including his own choreography and the work of choreographers from his native Cuba. Shows for Sadler’s Wells include the semi-autobiographical Tocororo and Carlos Acosta withGuests from The Royal Ballet for which he won the Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance for his performances. He recently staged a new production, Classical Selections, at the Coliseum, and produced and choreographed a new production of Don Quixote for the Royal Ballet. Screen credits as an actor include the feature films New York, I Love You and Day of the Flowers.

The music and lyrics are by Frank Loesser, whose credits include How To Succeed In Business Without Really Tryingand the song ‘Baby, It's Cold Outside’. The book is by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. Burrows' credits include How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying and Breakfast at Tiffany's. Swerling's credits include the seminal film It's A Wonderful Life.

Based on a story and characters by Damon Runyon
Music and Lyrics:                                              Frank Loesser
Book:                                                                    Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows
Director:                                                              Gordon Greenberg
Designer:                                                             Peter McKintosh
Choreography:                                                  Carlos Acosta and Andrew Wright
Musical Supervisor, Musical Director
and Dance Arrangements:                           Gareth Valentine
Orchestrator:                                                     Larry Blank
Lighting Designer:                                            Tim Mitchell
Sound Designer:                                               Paul Groothuis
Casting Director:                                               Pippa Ailion

The Chichester Festival Theatre production of Guys and Dolls is produced by Tristan Baker and Charlie Parsons for Runaway Entertainment, Oliver Royds for BOS Productions, Richard Darbourne Ltd and Tulchin Bartner Productions.


PERFORMANCE DETAILS
Guys and Dolls
New Alexandra Theatre
Station Street, Birmingham
Tuesday 24  to Saturday 5 December 2015
0844 871 3011*
(Bkg fee)

The Grange Players - Something's Afoot - 16.09.15 - 26.09.15


The Grange Players
Presents:
.
Something's Afoot
.
Book, Music & Lyrics by James McDonald, David Vos & Robert Gerlach
.
September 16th - 26th 2015

Something's Afoot is a lively murder mystery musical set in 1935 that touches on the novel by Agatha Christie 'And Then There Were None'. 

It is set in the Lake Estate which is owned by Lord Dudley Rancour. He has invited a selection of people over indicating that he needs to speak to them individually.

The guests are Hope Langdon (Phebe Jackson), Doctor Greyburn (Dexter Whitehead), Dudley's Nephew Nigel Rancour (Tomas Frater), Lady Manley-Prowe (Suzy Donnely), Colonel Gillweather (Andy Jones) and artist Miss Tweed (Jenny Gough). There to welcome them is Clive the butler (Ray Laurence), Lettie the new maid (Elena Serafinas) and Flint the caretaker (Gary Pritchard).

Once the guests have all arrived, the weather takes a turn and they all become stranded. The lighting effects throughout the production are extremely well designed and operated and really help to create the mood of the piece.

Lord Dudley Rancour is found dead bringing unease and disruption to the group. Miss Tweed, played by Jenny Gough takes it upon herself to become detective and systematically accuses everyone at some point.

Throughout the production guests and staff are one by one 'popped off' in elaborate, theatrical ways and taken to the library in readiness for the police to arrive - the library soon becomes a very busy place with electrocutions, poison, stabbing, and even a clunk on the head with a bust!!

As well as the guests we have Geoffrey (Robbie Newton), a college student arrive at the Estate. He had been rowing when the weather changed and he managed to swim to the estate for shelter.

As the evening continues things start to unravel and it becomes clear that the guests lives are all interwoven with each other and that Dudley Rancour had a very clear motive for asking everyone to attend at the same time.

The musical numbers are fun and lively and well presented by Musical Director Tom Brookes. Some of my favourites have to be 'the butler didn't do it' and 'you fell out of the sky' which was wonderfully portrayed by Phebe Jackson.

Eleva Serafinas portrayal of Lettie the Maid was hilarious and she shone like a star throughout with her little one liners and knowing looks. Her musical number with Gary Pritchart (Flint the Caretaker) 'problematical solution' (the dinghy song) was a joy and really had the audience uplifted.

I wont ruin the ending as you will need to go and watch for yourselves but it is a great night out if you like a good old murder mystery with a touch of silliness.

Dexter Whitehead has created a lovely piece of theatre that will have you jumping, laughing, feeling tense and leaving with a smile on your face.

The production runs until the 26th September 2015