theatre

CABARET | London, Kit Kat Club

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Well, isn’t this exciting! “Wilkommen” and “Bienvenue” to Jake Shears and Rebecca Lucy Taylor aka Self Esteem, who will play the roles of The Emcee and Sally Bowles in Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club from Monday 25 September 2023.

Singer, songwriter, actor and writer Jake Shears is best known as the lead singer of the multiplatinum-selling, Grammy-nominated, Brit award-winning glam rock band Scissor Sisters. The band’s hits include ‘Comfortably Numb’, ‘Take Your Mama’, ‘Let’s Have A Kiki’ and the UK number one hit ‘I Don’t Feel Like Dancing’.  As Self Esteem, Rebecca Lucy Taylor won BBC Introducing’s 2022 Artist Of The Year award, and her album Prioritise Pleasure (2021) was crowned both The Guardian and Sunday Times Culture’s Album of the Year.

Also joining the company on 25 September are Wilf Scolding as Ernst Ludwig, Jessica Kirton as Fraulein Kost/Fritzie, Liv Alexander as Texas, Natalie Chua as Frenchie, Taite-Elliot Drew as Hans, Damon Gould as Victor, El Haq Latief as Helga, and Travis Ross as Bobby, joining Laura Delany as Rosie, Grant Neal as Herman/Max and Hicaro Nicolai as Lulu. The cast is completed by Rebecca Lisewski, Ela Lisondra, Nic Myers, Andy Rees, Toby Turpin and Patrick Wilden.

This unique production of Cabaret opened in December 2021 to critical and audience acclaim, widely praised as the ultimate theatrical experience. In April 2022 the production won a record-breaking seven Olivier Awards, the most for any musical revival in Olivier history. The production has also won three prestigious Critics Circle Awards as well as the Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Design for designer Tom Scutt.  Transforming one of London’s most famous theatres with an in-the-round auditorium and reimagined spaces, before the show guests are invited to enjoy and explore the Kit Kat Club with pre-show entertainment, drinks and dining all on offer.

The new cast joins the Kit Kat Club from Monday 25 September 2023.

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INTERVIEW: KYLE RAMAR FREEMAN (A Strange Loop)

Interview

Broadway’s Kyle Ramar Freeman stars in the London production of Pulitzer Prize-winning musical A Strange Loop, playing at the Barbican 17 June – 9 September, 2023.

– Congratulations on landing the lead role in the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, A Strange Loop. How does it feel?

It feels amazing, and full circle that I get to be in this moment with this show. I am forever grateful for the experience, and the opportunity to tell a story that is so authentically itself; that millions of people will be impacted by for the years to come.

– So, do you prefer performing on Broadway or the West End? Be honest.

I would only say I prefer Broadway because my family and friends have access to see me perform more there than they would in London.

– A Strange Loop is very critical of conservative American Christianity, particularly in regards to homophobia. But also, the musical touches on that feeling of being abandoned by God. As a Christian yourself, has it felt difficult to be part of this production?

No, it has not been difficult to be a part of this production in that regard. But I have felt that way in my own life. And coming from a community within church that feels like home to you – but also is a place that does not really love your true self – is a tricky thing to navigate. However, it’s important for the show to speak on an experience that does not often get to be put in the spotlight. Especially for a fat black gay person to tell it, in its raw form, as we get to do in A Strange Loop.

– What’s next for Kyle Ramar Freeman?

The revival of The Wiz on Broadway is what is next for me! I will be the Lion, and I am so thrilled to be a part of the history of that magnificent show. I could not be more thrilled to start that journey.

See Kyle Ramar Freeman live at the Barbican Theatre 17 June – 9 September 2023.

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INTERVIEW: TOM FOWLER (Hope has a Happy Meal)

Interview

Tom Fowler is the writer of Hope has a Happy Meal, directed by Royal Court Associate Director Lucy Morrison, and playing at the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs, 3 June – 8 July 2023.

– Please describe your new play, Hope has a Happy Meal.

It is a magical realist fairy tale, about a woman called Hope, returning to the People’s Republic of Koka Kola, to find the family she left behind twenty-four years ago. I came up with the title and premise in 2016: at the time, Britain had recently voted to leave the EU, Donald Trump had just been elected president of the US – I heard a lot of people talk about hope as if it had just disappeared overnight.

– Is this a… ‘hopeful’ play?

I want to show ‘hope’ as beautiful and powerful, but unreliable. It can lift you up, but then tear you down just as easily. I would say the play is firmly rooted in now, but by it being set in the People’s Republic of Koka Kola, rather than Britain, there’s a detachment that hopefully makes it feel a little more universal.

– How have rehearsals been?

Rehearsals have been great. Lucy Morrison, who’s directing, has been reading and noting drafts of the play since the very beginning of the process, and also directed the short piece I wrote for the Royal Court’s Living Newspaper project, so there’s lots of trust there. Plus the cast and creative team are all brilliant – I feel very lucky.

– What does it mean to you to have your play on at the Royal Court?

Since learning about the Royal Court, and discovering some of the incredible writers and plays that started here, having my first professional production be here has always been a goal. So yeah, it’s amazing and I’m very excited to finally share the play.

Playing at the Royal Court in London, 3 June – 8 July 2023.

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INTERVIEW: SHAUN ESCOFFERY & GEORGE ASPREY (THE LION KING) | London, Lyceum Theatre

Interview

Shaun Escoffery (Mufasa) and George Asprey (Scar) are celebrating fifteen years in Disney’s The Lion King at the Lyceum Theatre in London this April. They are now the longest serving actors for these roles in any production of The Lion King ever.

– It’s an incredible achievement to be the longest serving actors in the roles of Mufasa and Scar in any production of The Lion King. How does that accolade feel?

George Asprey: Slightly surreal. It’s more like an accumulation because you’re only ever as good as your last show. It’s taking it one show at a time.

Shaun Escoffery: I feel extremely lucky to be able to do something we love.

– How do you keep things interesting and varied?

Escoffery: This might be our five thousandth time, but it is the audience’s first time, and we always keep that at the forefront of our minds.

Asprey: Also, having the freedom of knowing the character so well, it’s easy to change little things and nuances. Occasionally, you’ll come up with something, after fifteen years, and ask yourself why it’s taken all this time to explore that.

– What are the advantages of having worked together for fifteen years? Imagine if you hated each other.

Asprey: I always tell people that I have four sisters, and I always wanted a brother. I never realised that it would turn out to be this six foot brute from East London.

Escoffery: He’s my best friend.

Asprey: Because we know the roles and each other so well, if something does go wrong, nothing phases us.

– What are some of your fondest memories from the past fifteen years?

Asprey: Seeing Shaun again after COVID. That was a hug! That first show back was extraordinary. The bond created between those on stage and those in the auditorium was just immense. And it was a physical manifestation of reality coming back to normal.

– What’s your favourite song from The Lion King?

Escoffery: “Circle of Life”, every time.

Asprey: “They Live in You”, which Shaun sings: it’s extraordinary. And, I have to say, “Be Prepared”.

Shaun Escoffery and George Asprey are roaring in The Lion King in London’s West End.

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CRIMEA 5AM | London, Kiln Theatre

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This free-admission, one-night-only performance is part of the British Council and the Ukrainian Institute UK/Ukraine Season of Culture, is produced by Dash Arts and supported in kind by Kiln Theatre. A cast of actors, activists and journalists will stage a reading of Crimea 5am in the Kiln Cinema, followed by a post-show chat co-hosted by Index on Censorship.

Highlighting the stories of ten political prisoners and their families, Crimea 5am is an international project that brings together voices from an extraordinary community of women, bound together as a result of human rights violations against Crimean Tatars since 2014. Curated by Alim Aliev and Nadia Sokolenko, this moving verbatim play tells the story largely through a female perspective, and how the women have been empowered and changed through their experiences.

Since 2014, civil activists and in particular representatives of the indigenous people of the Crimean peninsula, Crimean Tatars, have been persecuted by Russian occupying forces. Obscured by a news blackout, we know little of these events, little of the prisoners themselves, their families and life in Crimea under occupation.

Crimea 5am celebrates the sheer determination and activism within this oppressed community, the bravery of the prisoners in documenting abuses, and its defiant women holding the ravaged community together.

Playing at the Kiln Theatre 7pm, Monday 16 January, 2023. Free admission.

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INTERVIEW: @fantomedelopera

Interview

Twitter account @fantomedelopera tweets all about Gaston Leroux’s Le Fantôme de l’Opéra / The Phantom of the Opera, haunting the Palais Garnier since its 1909 serialization, and its many adaptations.

→ Tell us about your Twitter account, @fantomedelopera.

It was set up to be a kind of news service for anyone interested in the latest developments in the Phantom of the Opera world. But there’s a general focus on the novel and the 1925 film, as those are two personal favourites.

→ In your opinion, what has made Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1986 musical adaptation such a worldwide success?

It’s a phenomenal score, and the alchemy of the original production is hard to beat. Also, the story itself naturally lends itself to a theatrical setting, being of and about the theatre.

→ Recently, there have been some quite drastic changes to the production in London’s West End. Can you tell us more about that?

Yes, the producers have halved the orchestra, from twenty-seven down to fourteen, and veterans of the show have been unceremoniously fired.

Designer Maria Björnson’s opulent proscenium has been dismantled, with the central descending Angel – her favorite setpiece – removed altogether. Even the iconic boat scene has been impacted, with the candelabra no longer moving. The lighting is now far brighter and more saturated, too, and the Phantom no longer stalks the catwalk above the stage.

Lloyd Webber’s bizarre insistence that the 2021 version is “substantially identical” to the original, and remains director Hal Prince’s production “in its entirety”, has caused confusion amongst audiences who were promised an “enhanced” show. Prince, who died in July 2019, opposed changes to the production. The so-called “brilliant original” is no more in Britain. Some minor restaging aside, however, it can still be seen on Broadway and in Japan.

→ What’s the future for Gaston Leroux’s story? Do you think the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical will ever close?

I don’t think the Broadway production will outlast the end of this decade. France has recently played host to two straight-play adaptations. Several TV and film adaptations are planned, including a movie musical produced by John Legend, set in modern-day New Orleans. Every year a new graphic novel or computer game based on the Phantom of the Opera is released. Follow me on Twitter; I’ll keep you posted!

Follow @fantomedelopera on Twitter.

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JEW…ISH 2021 | London, King’s Head Theatre

Theatre - Recommended

***

“It was a total nightmare from beginning to end. The worst thing is, I think I learned guilt from him. Can you learn guilt?”

***

Unleash the Llama are proud to present the long awaited return of the five-star sell-out “hilarious”, Jew…ish, filmed in high definition by the award-winning Shoot Media as part of King’s Head Theatre’s digital on demand season, Plays On Film.

The twisted millennial romcom that absolutely no-one asked for, Jew…ish struck a resounding chord with audiences in smash-hit live runs in London and at the Edinburgh Fringe and was nominated for an Offies OFFCOMM award.

TJ (Edie Newman) and Max (Saul Boyer) are in love; with polyamory, substance-abuse on the Portobello Road and sexually-charged debates about Israel-Palestine. Occasionally even with each other. There’s just one thing: Max is Jewish. TJ isn’t.

Watch as these mortal ‘frenemies’ navigate the cultural divide – amid death, pegging, and two millennia of inherited trauma – in this laugh-out-loud two-hander which asks the ultimate question: is it ever OK to get back with your ex?

***

Available to watch on demand via the King’s Head Theatre new streaming service, KHTV, Thursday 15 April 2021 – Wednesday 5 May 2021.

MATCHES 球賽 | Hong Kong, Cultural Centre (online)

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Y-Space’s innovative sport dance show, “Matches”, was scheduled to take over the Hong Kong Cultural Centre from April to December 2020, but the live performance was still impossible due to the pandemic. Fortunately for us, this coliseum-like, game-influenced dance piece is now available to stream online as a “Director’s Edition”.

In order to let audiences have a more comprehensive, deeper experience with “Matches”, the Director’s Edition retains the superb performances of the performers, with a clearer concept and a more intense atmosphere. Those who have watched the show already will be able to recall the impact of “Matches”; while newcomers have a brand new chance to experience it.

Y-Space was founded in 1995 by Victor Choi-wo Ma and Mandy Ming-yin Yim in Hong Kong, with the mission of exploring the infinite possibilities of dance, and searching for new dance idioms and new artistic directions. Now in its 18th year, Y-Space has become an important arts group on the Hong Kong contemporary dance through creating new work, promoting dance and providing training, education and research work through activities conducted at community level and at the Y-Space Dance Studio.

As for the show itself: “The game is fair,” they say. Rules are written; the game is changing. Who will win? Who will lose? And, at the end; who decides?

Available for online streaming until 1 March 2021.

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THE RIVER RUNNER | London, Streatham Space

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Glimmer Theatre’s exciting new family show comes back to London’s Streatham Space this February half term, for eight performances only, promising ice skating, magic and adventure – brought to life with stirring live music, and Glimmer Theatre’s trademark beautiful imagery, inspired by “A Rich Theatre by Little Means”.

Co-artistic director Sophie Crawford, who has also composed the show’s live music, most recently appeared in Warhorse and Amélie in the West End. She chalks the show’s success down to the passion of the whole company: “We are passionate about creating family theatre with an inspiring message,” she says. “I think it introduces children to characters and places they might never have encountered before.”

Co-artistic director and designer Andy Brock agrees: “The show is very entertaining, and rehearsals have been extremely playful, which I think comes through in performance, too. But at its core, The River Runner is a story about a strong young woman, who uses her talent and skill to change the world around her.”

It’s 1901 in Isleham village, Cambridgeshire, and Annabelle Howgego is the best ice skater for miles around. With metal skates strapped to her boots, Annabelle casts off her dull life as a scullery maid, and becomes a champion skater. But this year, something rises up from the frozen river, and sends the village into chaos. It’s down to Annabelle to save her village and solve the mystery of what lurks beneath the ice.

You can read our review of the show here.

The River Runner will be skating back into Streatham Space 20 – 23 February 2020.

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JEW…ISH | Gilded Balloon, Edinburgh Fringe 2019

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The Edinburgh Fringe is upon us! And here at Prickle HQ we could not be more excited about Unleash the Llama’s new show, a self-professed, “twisted millennial romcom that absolutely no one asked for”. This brand new two-hander sold out its London previews, and got the audience into quite a tizzy (see the video below).

JEW…ish is a pitch-black, romantic comedy about true love, politics, and two millennia of inherited trauma. TJ (Edie Newman) and Max (Saul Boyer) are in love; with amphetamines, the Palestine Liberation Organisation and ooh, Jeremy Corbyn. Occasionally even each other. There’s just one thing: Max is Jewish. TJ isn’t. He’s desperate to escape the tribe; she’s looking to sign up. What happens when you don’t identify with your identifiers, and you break out of the boxes you’re born into?

Unleash the Llama was founded in 2014 by Saul Boyer and Sam Rayner, with the goal of creating unique and ambitious comedy productions. Unleash the Llama were responsible for the hit 2014 Underbelly show Nougat for Kings (“hard to take your eyes off” – The Scotsman), the irreverent narrative comedy podcast: ‘PanaMax’ and the sketch show TüManz 2k18 which premiered at London’s Leicester Square Theatre in January 2018.

For JEW…ish, Boyer teams up again with Poppy Damon, having won awards for their writing together (Shortlisted for The RSC/Other Prize, Papatango, Cannes Series ‘In Development’ Award), with Kennedy Bloomer directing and Zoe Weldon producing.

Playing 1:30pm at the Gilded Balloon until 26 August 2019.

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