DOMINIC WEST in Butley
April 27, 2011
The Wire’s Dominc West to star in Butley at the Duchess Theatre
Dominic West. Photo: perou
Dominic West will return to the London stage this summer to take on one of Simon Gray’s great comedy characters. Lindsay Posner’s new production of Butley at the Duchess Theatre will see West play the rapier-tongued lecturer Butley alongside Paul McGann, Penny Downie and Amanda Drew.
Dominic West played the character of Jimmy McNulty in five seasons of The Wire (HBO) from 2002 to 2008. His other screen credits include The Devil’s Whore, Centurion and 300.
Dominic’s stage credits include The Seagull at the Old Vic, The Voysey Inheritance at the National Theatre, Life Is A Dream at the Donmar Warehouse and Rock ‘n’ Roll and As You Like It in the West End.
Book tickets to see Dominic West in Butley at the Duchess Theatre
Mike Leigh’s Ecstasy – Save £10.50 on tickets
April 12, 2011
Save £19 on tickets to MIKE LEIGH’S ECSTASY at the Duchess Apollo Theatre
Valid all performances except Saturday evening until the 28 May
A sell-out before it even opened at Hampstead Theatre, Mike Leigh’s brand new production of his 1979 hit play Ecstasy transfers to the The Duchess Theatre from April 12 for 50 performances only.
Mike Leigh is, for the first time ever, returning to one of his past plays. He is joined by his regular collaborator and multi award-winning designer Alison Chitty. Leigh is best known for his films, including Happy-Go-Lucky, Vera Drake (winner of the Golden Lion at Venice Film Festival), Topsy-Turvy and Secrets & Lies (winner of the Palm d’Or at Cannes Film Festival).
This acclaimed production stars Sian Brooke, Sinead Matthews and Allen Leech.
“MIKE LEIGH IS A GREAT ARTIST” (Daily Telegraph)
“SUPERB PERFORMANCES” (Evening Standard)
“COMPELLING” (The Sunday Times)
BOOK NOW: Save £19 on tickets to MIKE LEIGH’S ECSTASY at the Duchess Apollo Theatre
Valid all performances except Saturday evening until the 28th May
Ecstasy tickets at the Duchess Theatre
April 1, 2011
Mike Leigh returns to his acclaimed 1979 play, writing and directing this sell-out Hampstead Theatre production starring Sian Brooke, Sinead Matthews and Allen Leech.
Sign of the Times – Reviews Round-up
March 15, 2011
A round-up of reviews for Sign of the Times at the Duchess Theatre in London
Matthew Kelley and Gerard Kearns in Sign of the Times
Tim Firth’s new play Sign of the Times has opened at the Duchess Theatre in London to decidedly mixed reviews.
The Calendar Girls author has written a comedy about a disillusioned sign erector whose life is changed by a clumsy teenager. The show stars Matthew Kelly and Shameless actor Gerard Kearns.
See reviews below from the Guardian, Times, Telegraph, Stage and Express.
SPECIAL OFFER: Save £28.50 on tickets to see Sign of the Times at the Duchess Theatre in London
Opening this week: Blithe Spirit, Flare Path
March 7, 2011
Première’s this week in the West End include Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit starring Alison Steadman and Ruthie Henshall, Sienna Miller in Flare Path, Polly Rae in Hurly Burly, Matthew Kelly in Sign of the Times and the Olivier Awards this Sunday 13 March.
Monday 7 March
SIGN OF THE TIMES: Tim Firth’s new play Sign of the Times starts previews at the Duchess Theatre tonight, with its press night on Friday. The Calendar Girls author has written a warm and witty comedy about a disillusioned sign erector whose life is changed by a clumsy teenager. The show stars Matthew Kelly and Shameless actor Gerard Kearns.
Wednesday 9 March
Ruthie Henshall in Blithe Spirit
BLITHE SPIRIT: Noel Coward’s blissful comedy Blithe Spirit officially opens at the Apollo Theatre tonight featuring an all-star cast including Alison Steadman (Gavin & Stacey), Ruthie Henshall (Chicago), Hermione Norris (Spooks) and Robert Bathurst (Hattie). The revival is directed by the award-winning Thea Sharrock (After the Dance).
Thursday 10 March
FLARE PATH: Trevor Nunn kicks off as artistic director of the Theatre Royal Haymarket with the press night for Flare Path. Terence Rattigan’s Second World War romance stars Sienna Miller, James Purefoy and Sheridan Smith.
Friday 11 March
HURLY BURLY: Salacious show Hurly Burly opens at the Garrick Theatre, featuring the luscious Miss Polly Rae in an all singing, all dancing burlesque-inspired revue, with a contemporary twist. Long-time Kylie collaborator William Baker directs.
Sunday 13 March 2011
OLIVIER AWARDS: The Olivier Awards are tonight at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, promising a high star quotient at the UK theatre’s most important event. This year’s ceremony is hosted by Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton, and you can tune in live to hear who wins on Radio 2 or via the BBC’s red button TV service. Visit our Olivier Awards micro-site here.
LINKS
Shows – tickets and booking information
Olivier Awards 2011
Sign of the Times – Save £28.50
February 24, 2011
Save £28.50 on tickets to Sign of the Times at the Duchess Theatre
Matthew Kelly and Gerard Kearns in Sign of the Times
Tim Firth (Calendar Girls) brings his warm and witty play into the West End starring Matthew Kelly as a disillusioned sign erector whose life is changed by a clumsy teenager – played by Shameless star Gerard Kearns.
Save £28.50 on tickets to Sign of the Times by Tim Firth, the writer of Calendar Girls, one of the most successful British films of all times.
The show stars Olivier Award winner Matthew Kelly (Of Mice and Men, Waiting for Godot) and, making his West End debut, Gerard Kearns, best known to millions as Ian Gallagher in the hit TV series Shameless.
Frank Tollit has put up giant letters on the sides of buildings for over twenty-five years. From forty-foot yellow IKEAs to five-foot red COMETs, Frank’s done them all. But in his heart, he’s always yearned to work with smaller letters… novels… spy novels. Stories of unexpected encounters in dangerous places, disasters, treachery and daring rescues. However, a lifelong lack of success is driving Frank to the edge. Not even in one of his wildest plots could Frank have dreamed that salvation would turn up in the shape of a clumsy young teenager.
Sign of the Times is a heart-warming, human comedy about finding happiness in unpredictable times.
Save £28.50 on tickets to Sign of the Times at the Duchess Theatre
Butley tickets at the Duchess Theatre starring Dominic West
February 21, 2011
Dominic West (The Wire) returns to the West End in a revival of Simon Gray’s savage, witty and remarkable play Butley, directed by Lindsay Posner and also starring Paul McGann.
Sign of the Times tickets at the Duchess Theatre starring Matthew Kelly and Gerard Kearns
February 21, 2011
Tim Firth (Calendar Girls) brings his warm and witty play into the West End starring Matthew Kelly as a disillusioned sign erector whose life is changed by a clumsy teenager – played by Shameless star Gerard Kearns.
Dominic West to take West End role
February 21, 2011
British actor Dominic West, star of HBO’s The Wire, is to return to the London stage this summer in a new production of Simon Gray’s 1970 play Butley.
Dominic West
West, who is about to star in new BBC drama The Hour penned by Abi Morgan, will take on the role of Butley, an alcoholic academic in the throes of a mid-life crisis. The role was originally played by Alan Bates, and starred Nathan Lane on Broadway in 2003.
Harold Pinter, who directed Bates in the first West End production in 1971, called the character of Butley “a remarkable creation” and said in his introduction to the Faber collection of Simon Gray’s plays that he “found its savage, lacerating wit hard to beat… The extraordinary thing about Butley, it still seems to me, is that the play gives us a character who hurls himself towards the destruction while living, in the fever of his intellectual hell, with a vitality and brilliance known to few of us.”
The play will be directed by Lindsay Posner and run at the Duchess Theatre from 1 June 2011. West will star alongside Paul McGann.
Chichester Festival Theatre’s musical production of Love Story is currently playing at the Duchess, with Tim Firth’s Sign of the Times following from 7 March starring Matthew Kelly and Gerard Kearns.
LINKS
Book tickets to Butley starring Dominic West at the Duchess Theatre
Love Story to Close at Duchess Theatre
February 1, 2011
The Chichester Festival Theatre production of Love Story will close as scheduled at the Duchess Theatre on 26 February 2011.
Emma Williams and Michael Xavier in Love Story
The new musical, based on Eric Segal’s best-selling book and the acclaimed film, is the first producing venture for musicals star Michael Ball, along with The Mousetrap producer Stephen Waley-Cohen, and Hairspray and Sister Act producer Adam Spiegel.
The show is set to go on a UK tour after it closes in the West End.
The West End cast features Emma Williams, Michael Xavier and Peter Polycarpou, with direction by Rachel Kavanaugh, music by Howard Goodall, book by Stephen Clark and lyrics by Stephen Clark and Howard Goodall.
Other cast in the show include Richard Cordery, Jan Hartley, Gary Milner, Paul Kemble, Julie Stark, Lillie Flynn, Christopher Killik, Jamie Muscato and Rebecca Trehearn.
LINKS
SPECIAL OFFER: Save £22.50 on tickets to Love Story at the Duchess Theatre in London
Interview with Love Story producer Michael Ball
