Tamzin Outhwaite, Nicola Walker And Claudie Blakley Cast In Amelia Bullmore’s Di And Viv And Rose At Hampstead Downstairs

A Hampstead Downstairs production

Di and Viv and Rose By Amelia Bullmore
Directed by Anna Mackmin
Designed by Paul Wills with lighting by Jason Taylor and sound design by Simon Baker.

14 September to 15 October 2011

‘How do you want to live here? I mean we could come and go and lead separate lives. Or we could really live together. What do you think?’

Anna Mackmin will direct Claudie Blakley, Tamzin Outhwaite and Nicola Walker in the world premiere of Amelia Bullmore’s insightful and funny new play, Di and Viv and Rose, as part of Hampstead Downstairs. Di and Viv and Rose reunites the creative team behind Amelia Bullmore’s award-winning Mammals.

Aged 18, three women join forces. Life is fun. Living is intense. Together they feel unassailable. Di and Viv and Rose is an hilarious and thoughtful exploration of friendship’s impact on life and life’s impact on friendship.

Tamzin Outhwaite plays Di. Outhwaite’s stage credits include Sweet Charity (Haymarket and Menier Chocolate Factory), Boeing Boeing (Comedy), Breathing Corpses and Flesh Wound (Royal Court), Oliver (London Palladium). She is known for television roles in Law and Order, Paradox , The Fixer Hustle, Francs Tuesday, Hotel Babylon and EastEnders. On film. her credits include Woody Allen’s Cassandra’s Dream, Radio Cape Cod and Back Waters.

Nicola Walker plays Viv. Walker’s theatre credits include Seasons Greetings (National), Mrs Klein (Almeida Theatre), Gethsemane (National) and Relocated at the Royal Court. Her extensive television credits include Being Human, Inside Men, Spooks, Luther and The Turn of the Screw.

Claudie Blakley plays Rose. Blakley’s stage credits include most recently The Cherry Orchard at the National Theatre. Her other credits include Attempts on Her Life (National) Love and Money (Royal Exchange and Young Vic) and A Girl in A New Car with A Man (Royal Court). Television credits include Lark Rise to Candleford, Blue Geranium, Cranford and Fallen Angel . Her film credits include Lennon Naked, Pride and Prejudice and Gosford Park.

Amelia Bullmore’s debut play Mammals was awarded the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, when it opened at the Bush Theatre. Bullmore is a well known actress from stage and screen and was most recently seen in the ITV drama Scott and Bailey, other television credits include Twenty Twelve and Shamless. Her writing credits include This Life, Attachments and Big Train.

Director Anna Mackmin’s recent credits include The Real Thing, Dancing at Lughnasa (Old Vic), Really Old Like Forty Five (National), Hedda Gabler (Gate Dublin), Under the Blue Sky, In Celebration (Duke of York‘s), Breathing Corpses, Food Chain (Royal Court); Dying for It, The Lightning Play (Almeida); In Flame (Bush); Cloud Nine, The Crucible, Iphigenia, Teeth ‘n’ Smiles and The Arbor (Crucible, Sheffield).

Hampstead Downstairs is a unique development opportunity for new writing. It enables writers from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences to trial new work in a studio environment free from the pressures of commercial interests or formal reviews, but in front of a paying audience. Each production is resourced to a level appropriate to the ticket prices charged, with members of the public invited to feedback their opinions of what they have seen to the production team. Although there will be no formal press nights, a limited number of tickets each night will be made available to critics who wish to see the shows and write about them informally.

Release issued by: Clióna Roberts

LINKS

Hampstead theatre website

Me and My Girl to the Shaftesbury?

Casting News: Me and My Girl

Anna Mackmin has announced her cast for the Christmas revival of Me and My Girl at the Sheffield Crucible, opening on 2 December.

Jemima Rooper will star as Sally and Daniel Crossley as Bill in the new version of Noel Gay’s classic show, alongside Miriam Margolyes as the Duchess.

Anna Mackmin, who recently directed Tom Stoppard’s The Real Thing at the Old Vic, will be directing her first musical. She is working with scriptwriter Stephen Russell to give the book of the show, which was rewritten by Stephen Fry for the successful 1980s West End production, a bit more sparkle. Choreography will be by Stephen Mear and design by Peter McKintosh.

Jemima Rooper came to prominence in Channel Four drama As If and has had numerous screen and stage roles including her current performance in All My Sons at the Apollo Theatre alongside Zoe Wanamaker and David Suchet.

Daniel Crossley, who is the partner of Sheffield artistic director Daniel Evans, is an accomplished musicals actor having appeared in high-profile shows including Mary Poppins, Chicago, Fosse and last summer’s Hello Dolly! at the Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park.

The show is widely tipped to head to the West End after its Sheffield run given that it has been 17 years since the Leicester Haymarket Theatre’s production left the Adelphi Theatre in London after 8 years, 3,303 performances and lots of Lambeth walking by the likes of Robert Lindsay and Emma Thompson. The production made a lot of money for all concerned so it’s a canny Daniel Evans, Sheffield’s artistic director, who’s resurrecting it.

LINKS

Me and My Girl – Sheffield Theatres

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OUT OF TOWN: Chichester, Sheffield

New productions at the Chichester Festival Theatre, Sheffield Theatres, and the Derby Theatre

CHICHESTER:

Much excitement at westendtheatre.com at the casting of Chichester’s new production of 42nd Street (21 June – 28 August, Festival Theatre). Directed by the Leicester Curve’s Paul Kerryson, the show will feature the fabulous Kathryn Evans (Sunset Boulevard), dishy leading man Steven Houghton and the uber-talented Tim Flavin (Crazy for You).

SHEFFIELD:

On a retro-musicals note, Me and My Girl will resurface in Sheffield this Christmas (from 9 December, Sheffield Crucible). It’s been a whopping 17 years since the Leicester Haymarket Theatre’s all new, Stephen Fry-revised production left the Adelphi Theatre in London after 8 years, 3,303 performances and lots of Lambeth walking by the likes of Robert Lindsay and Emma Thompson. The production made a lot of money for all concerned so it’s a canny Daniel Evans, Sheffield’s artistic director, who’s resurrecting it. The show will be directed by Anna Mackmin, who’s enjoying big success at the Old Vic at the moment with her production of The Real Thing starring Toby Stephens. Choreography will be by Stephen Mear and design by Peter McKintosh.

If we begged him, do you think Daniel Evans would take the lead?

DERBY:

Having mentioned Robert Lindsay, he will resurrect his performance as Aristotle Onassis in Martin Sherman’s play Onassis (Derby Theatre,  from 10 September). Based on the last years of the controversial Greek tycoon, the play was originally produced as Aristo at Chichester to mixed reviews but with glowing praise for Lindsay’s performance. Sherman and director Nancy Meckler have subsequently rewritten the piece.

The production will then transfer to the Novello Theatre in London in late September.