Deathtrap opens tonight in London

Deathtrap opens tonight, 7 September, at the Noel Coward Theatre in London, and marks the first big premiere of the West End’s new autumn season.

The high-profile revival of Ira Levin’s comic murder thriller stars acclaimed actor Simon Russell Beale as best-selling author Sidney Bruhl, alongside Jonathan Groff (Glee) as Clifford and Claire Skinner (Outnumbered) as his wife Myra. The cast also includes legendary American actress Estelle Parsons (Bonnie & Clyde) as Helga.

The play is directed by Matthew Warchus, who won a Tony award last year for his production of God of Carnage, and has recently directed La Bete at the Comedy Theatre.

The producers of Deathtrap have gone all out to garner attention for the show, with a groundbreaking promotional video released that brings a big-screen suspense feel to the campaign (watch the trailer here).

There has also been much pre-opening hype about the shocking nature of the production, with people fainting in early previews, suggesting that Warchus is playing up the thriller elements of the show as much as the comedy (terrifying audiences is definitely the in thing, with Ghost Stories doing good business a few blocks further down St Martin’s Lane).

The 1978 thriller, which was made into a film starring Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve, sees good-looking young author Clifford turn up at Bruhl’s Connecticut home with a brilliant new stage thriller, at a time with Bruhl’s career has hit the skids. Much hilarious twisting and turning ensues.

Its author Ira Levin has written a number of celebrated screenplays and plays including The Stepford Wives, Rosemary’s Baby, The Boys from Brazil and A Kiss Before Dying.

Deathtrap is produced by David Pugh and Dafydd Rogers, producers of Brief Encounter, Equus and recent success Calendar Girls.

Book tickets to Deathtrap at the Noel Coward Theatre in London

VIDEO: Deathtrap trailer released

With the opening of Deathtrap at the Noel Coward Theatre only days away, a promotional video has been released featuring Simon Russell Beale, Jonathan Groff and Claire Skinner.

Producers of the much-awaited revival of Ira Levin’s comic murder thriller Deathtrap at the Noel Coward Theatre have released a promotional video for the show (see below).

The trailer features acclaimed actor Simon Russell Beale, who plays best-selling author Sidney Bruhl in the thriller, alongside Jonathan Groff (Glee) as Clifford and Claire Skinner (Outnumbered) as his wife Myra. The cast also includes legendary American actress Estelle Parsons (Bonnie & Clyde) as Helga.

Deathtrap will start previews at the Noel Coward Theatre from 21 August, with an opening night on 7 September 2010.

The 1978 thriller, which was made into a film starring Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve, sees good-looking young author Clifford turn up at Bruhl’s Connecticut home with a brilliant new stage thriller, at a time with Bruhl’s career has hit the skids. Much hilarious twisting and turning ensues.

Its author Ira Levin has written a number of celebrated screenplays and plays including The Stepford Wives, Rosemary’s Baby, The Boys from Brazil and A Kiss Before Dying.

The play is directed by Matthew Warchus, who won a Tony award last year for his production of God of Carnage, and has recently directed La Bete at the Comedy Theatre.

Deathtrap is produced by David Pugh and Dafydd Rogers, producers of Brief Encounter, Equus and recent success Calendar Girls.

Book tickets to Deathtrap at the Noel Coward Theatre in London

VIDEO

Summer Theatre in the West End

New shows opening in London this summer

Spring and autumn may be the busiest times for new shows in London, but this summer will still pack quite a punch with some big names, high-profile directors and a few surprises in store.

A range of musicals and plays will open in the capital over the next few months, including classic musicals from Stephen Sondheim (Into the Woods) and Rogers & Hammerstein (State Fair); starry comedy, including David Hyde Pearce and Joanna Lumley in La Bete, Jeff Goldblum in The Prisoner of Second Avenue and Simon Russell Beal and Jonathan Groff in Deathtrap); dance spectaculars (Burn the Floor), new musicals (Wolfboy), ambitious children’s drama (The Railway Children) and a terrifying new play (Ghost Stories).

Read more

Deathtrap to return to West End

Simon Russell Beale and Glee hunk Jonathan Groff to star in London revival of Deathtrap

David Pugh and Dafydd Rogers, producers of Brief Encounter, Equus and recent success Calendar Girls, have achieved another theatrical coup. Their planned revival of long-running Broadway and London play Deathtrap is set to be a huge hit all over again after attracting a heavy-hitting production team and cast for the project.

Deathtrap, the 1978 thriller which was made into a film starring Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve, is making a West End reappearance at the Noel Coward Theatre this summer, from 21 August.

Acclaimed actor Simon Russell-Beale, currently starring in London Assurance at the National Theatre, will lead the new production directed by Matthew Warchus.

Russell-Beale will play best-selling author Sidney Bruhl in Ira Levin’s comic murder thriller, and will be joined by an all-star cast that includes Anna Massey as nosey psychic neighbour Helga Ten Dorpe, Claire Skinner (Outnumbered) as his wife, and star of Glee, Jonathan Groff, as Clifford, a talented young writer who befriends Sidney.

The thriller sees good-looking young author Clifford turn up at Bruhl’s Connecticut home with a brilliant new stage thriller, at a time with Bruhl’s career has hit the skids. Much twisting and turning ensues.

Warchus, who won a Tony award last year for his production of God of Carnage, is set for a busy year with his next project, La Bete at the Comedy Theatre, starring Mark Rylance (Jerusalem), David Hyde Pierce and Joanna Lumley. It will opens on 28 June before transferring to Broadway.

Heartthrob Groff will appear in the new series of Glee in the UK from Monday 19 April on E4 . He made his US debut in Glee on Tuesday and in the series plays Jesse St John, a student from a rival school who dates Glee diva Rachel. He has appeared in a number of Broadway shows including Spring Awakening and an early version of Hair, now playing at the Gielgud Theatre in London.

Book tickets to Deathtrap at the Noel Coward Theatre in London

LINKS:

IMDB: Deathtrap

GLEE on E4

GLEE on Fox (US)

Power couple top Stage poll

The Stage 100, the entertainment newspaper’s annual list of the 100 most powerful people in UK theatre, has placed Howard Panter and Rosemary Squire, joint chief executives of Ambassador Theatre Group, in first place.

The couple, who are both professional and personal partners, have topped both Cameron Mackintosh and Andrew Lloyd Webber in the list of the UK’s most senior arts professionals.

Their climb to first place follows their company’s acquisition in 2009 of Live Nation’s UK theatres, which they purchased for £90 million. The deal has made their ATG Group the largest theatre operator in both the West End and across the UK – with almost five times as many seats in their control as rivals.

The poll is usually dominated by Cameron Mackintosh (Les Miserables, Oliver!) and Andrew Lloyd Webber (The Phantom of the Opera, Love Never Dies) who have continually vied for top place, and come in this year at numbers two and three respectively. Other theatre producers in the list include Bill Kenwright (Blood Brothers, Dreamboats and Petticoats) in eighth place, Sonia Friedman (A Little Night Music, La Cage Aux Folles) in 12^th and David Pugh and Dafydd Rogers (Calendar Girls) in 13^th place.

Also in the top 20 of the poll are theatre performers Mark Rylance (Jerusalem) and John Barrowman (la Cage Aux Folles), artistic directors Dominic Cooke of the Royal Court, who rises six places to number seven, Kevin Spacey of the Old Vic at number 10,   Michael Grandage of the Donmar Warehouse,  recent New Year’s Honours List beneficiary Nicholas Hytner of the National Theatre and  Michael Boyd of the RSC.

The full top twenty is as follows [last year’s position]:

1. Howard Panter/Rosemary Squire (ATG) [5]

2. Cameron Mackintosh (producer/ theatre owner)[1]

3. Andrew Lloyd Webber (producer/ theatre owner / composer) [2]

4. Michael Grandage (Donmar Warehouse) [3=]

5. Nicholas Hytner (National Theatre) [3=]

6. Nica Burns / Max Weitzenhoffer (Nimax)[7]

7. Dominic Cooke (Royal Court Theatre)[13]

8. Bill Kenwright (Bill Kenwright Ltd) [6]

9. Michael Boyd (RSC) [8]

10. Kevin Spacey/ Sally Greene (Old Vic Theatre) [11]

11. Nick Thomas / Jon Conway (Qdos Entertainment) [9]

12. Sonia Friedman (Sonia Friedman Productions) [12]

13. David Pugh / Dafydd Rogers (producers) [18]

14. David Babani (Menier Chocolate Factory) [New Entry]

15. Jonathan Church (Chichester Festival Theatre) [16]

16. Bill Taylor (Stage Entertainment) [15]

17. Rupert Goold (director)[14]

18. Alex Poots (Manchester International Festival)[19]

19. John Barrowman (entertainer)[New Entry]

20. Mark Rylance (actor) [New Entry]

New Entry denotes new entry into top 20, not Stage 100

And the rest, by category

N denotes New Entry. i.e. they were not in last year’s Stage 100. There were 38 new entrants in total.

Directors

Howard Davies, Marianne Elliott , Jeremy Herrin (N) Simon McBurney (N) Sam Mendes /Caro Newling (N), Katie Mitchell, Trevor Nunn, Ian Rickson (N) Max Stafford Clarke (N), Matthew Warchus

London venues

Michael Attenborough, Marcus Davey, Dominic Dromgoole, Mehmet Ergen & Leyla Nazli (N), Sean Holmes (N) David Jubb / David Micklem, Jude Kelly, Nicolas Kent (N), David Lan, Kerry Michael, Josie Rourke, Timothy Sheader (N), Graham Sheffield

Producers

Judy Craymer, Michael Harrison, David Ian, Richard Jordan, Michael McCabe (N), Kim Poster, Nick Salmon / Matthew Byam Shaw (N), James Seabright (N), Thomas Schumacher (N), Edward Snape, Paul Walden and Derek Nicol (N), Kenny Wax, Carole Winter / Michael Edwards (N)

Regional

Hedda Beeby, Gemma Bodinetz, Ian Brown, Vicky Featherstone / John Tiffany, Andy Field / Debbie Pearson (N), Peter Hall, Tania Harrison, Paul Kerryson, Danny Moar (N), Braham Murray / Greg Hersov / Sarah Frankcom, Laurie Sansom (N) John Stalker, Rachel Tackley (N)

Performers

Michael Ball, Rebecca Hall (N), Clare Higgins, Rory Kinnear (N), Jude Law (N), Adrian Lester (N), Ian McKellen (N), Clive Rowe (N), Simon Russell Beale, Rachel Weisz (N), Samuel West

Playwrights

Alan Ayckbourn, Alan Bennett (N), Richard Bean, Jez Butterworth (N), Lee Hall, David Hare, Lucy Prebble (N), Polly Stenham, Simon Stephens (N), Roy Williams

Designers

Felix Barrett, Jon Bausor (N), Miriam Buether (N), Ultz (N)

Opera / Dance

Carlos Acosta (N), Matthew Bourne, Daniel Kramer (N), Antonio Pappano/ Monica Mason, Arlene Phillips (N), Alistair Spalding

http://blogs.thestage.co.uk/newsblog/2009/12/the-stage-100—in-full/index.html

Camp Calendar Casting

All hail David Pugh, producer of Calendar Girls and clearly a casting genius. In what’s becoming the Vagina Monologues of its day, the Calendar Girls cast is having another clear out and importing a dizzyingly camp and comedic troupe of new actresses.

Disrobing from 3 November, the new cast will include camp icon and longtime Coronation Street actress Julie Goodyear; model, presenter and actress Kelly Brook; respected Olivier award-winning actress Janie Dee; ex news reader and I’m A Celebrity contestant Jan Leeming; and an array of great British female comedy talent, including wild-eyed Helen Lederer, the Fast Show’s Arabella Weir and TittyBangBang’s Debbie Chazen.

The new cast will perform at the Noel Coward Theatre until 9 January, when the show will move to a new theatre to make room for the Royal Court’s celebrated production Enron.

Discount tickets to Calendar Girls at the Noel Coward Theatre London