ZACH BRAFF in All New People
January 8, 2012
Scrubs star Zach Braff makes his West End debut in his new play All New People
ZACH BRAFF in All New People
Braff is best known for playing Dr. John “J.D.” Dorian in NBC’s comedy “Scrubs”, which earned him multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominations.
Zach made his feature film writing and directorial debut with Garden State in 2004 which won him a WGA nomination for “Best Original Screenplay” and the film scored an Independent Spirit Award for “Best First Feature”.
He has recently finished work on indie film High Cost Of Living for director Deborah Chow, and will follow this up by directing Swingles.
His other film credits include The Broken Hearts Club, Getting To Know You, Manhattan Murder Mystery, Dreamworks’ The Last Kiss and The Weinstein Company’s The Ex.0
In All New People, set on Long Beach Island, New Jersey, he plays Charlie, a man who has hit rock bottom and seeks some peace and quiet but ends up meeting a motley parade of misfits who show up and change his plans.
LINKS
Book tickets to All New People at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London
All New People starring Zach Braff at the Duke of York’s Theatre
January 5, 2012
Star of Scrubs, Zach Braff, writes and stars in this sensationally funny comedy about a man who has hit rock bottom, and a motley parade of misfits who show up to change his life forever. The show enjoyed rave reviews from US critics and now debuts in London for a strictly limited season.
Backbeat to close early at the Duke of York’s Theatre
November 30, 2011
Backbeat, the West End stage adaptation of the British film about the early years of The Beatles, is to close early at the Duke of York’s Theatre.
Backbeat at the Duke of York's Theatre. Photo: Roy Tan
The show, which had been booking to March, will now close on 18 February 2012. It will be followed on 22 February by American movie star Zach Braff (Scrubs) in a ten week run of his off-Broadway comedy All New People.
Based on Iain Softley’s 1994 film, and co-written by Softley and Stephen Jeffreys, Backbeat reveals how The Beatles ‘became’ The Beatles – when John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Pete Best and Stuart Sutcliffe embarked on their journey from the docks of Liverpool to search for success in the seedy red light district of Hamburg, Germany.
Performing in the clubs of the Reeperbahn, they played rock ‘n’ roll covers night after night, with classics including Twist And Shout, Long Tall Sally and Mr Postman.
At the heart of show is the triangular relationship between Lennon, his best friend and The Beatles’s original bassist Sutcliffe, and German photographer Astrid Kirchherr, with whom Kirchherr fell in love.
Directed by David Leveaux, the show stars Andrew Knott, Daniel Healy, William Payne, Oliver Bennett, Nick Blood and Ruta Gedmintas.
The show will follow it’s West End run with a production in Toronto in Summer 2012.
LINKS
SPECIAL OFFER: Book tickets to Backbeat at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London
Backbeat: Round-up of Reviews
Backbeat: Production photos
Backbeat at the Duke of York’s Theatre – Round-up of Reviews
October 11, 2011
A round-up of reviews for Backbeat at the Duke of York’s Theatre. David Leveaux directs the story of how The Beatles – John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Pete Best and Stuart Sutcliffe – embarked on their journey to international stardom, starting out in the clubs of Liverpool and Hamburg playing rock ‘n’ roll covers night after night. Based on the movie Backbeat, it reveals the compelling triangular relationship between the band’s original bassist Stuart Sutcliffe, German photographer Astrid Kirchherr and his best friend John Lennon.
Book tickets to see Backbeat at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London
Backbeat at the Duke of York's Theatre. Photo: Roy Tan
Production photos: Backbeat at the Duke of York’s Theatre
October 11, 2011
Production photos of Backbeat at the Duke of York’s Theatre
Backbeat at the Duke of York's Theatre. Photo: Roy Tan
New rock & roll show Backbeat has opened at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London.
Based on Iain Softley’s 1994 film, and co-written by him and Stephen Jeffreys, Backbeat follows how The Beatles ‘became’ The Beatles – when John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Pete Best and Stuart Sutcliffe embarked on their journey from the docks of Liverpool to search for success in the seedy red light district of Hamburg, Germany.
Performing in the clubs of the Reeperbahn, they played rock ‘n’ roll covers night after night, with classics including Twist And Shout, Long Tall Sally and Mr Postman.
At the heart of show is the triangular relationship between Lennon, his best friend and The Beatles’s original bassist Sutcliffe, and German photographer Astrid Kirchherr, with whom Kirchherr fell in love.
Backbeat is directed by David Leveaux.
Photos by Rare Prints.
LINKS
Book tickets to Backbeat at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London
Cast Announced For Backbeat
September 5, 2011
OPENS 10 OCTOBER AT LONDON’S DUKE OF YORK’S THEATRE
DIRECTED BY DAVID LEVEAUX
From Iain Softley’s production for the Glasgow Citizens Theatre
Producers of London’s most exciting new rock & roll show BACKBEAT, which opens at the Duke of York’s Theatre on 10 October, are delighted to reveal that the principal roles have now been cast for this highly anticipated production.
Backbeat – co-written by Iain Softley and Stephen Jeffreys and based on the 1994 film by Iain Softley, who directed the Glasgow production – is the story of how The Beatles ‘became’ The Beatles – when John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Pete Best and Stuart Sutcliffe embarked on their journey from the famous docks of Liverpool to search for success in the seedy red light district of Hamburg, Germany. Backbeat is produced by Karl Sydow and directed by David Leveaux.
CAST:
NICK BLOOD – ‘STUART SUTCLIFFE’
Nick Blood, a British actor whose TV appearances include Trollied, Material Girl, The Bill and who has appeared at the National Theatre in Women Beware Women will play the part of Stuart Sutcliffe, the Beatles’ original bassist whose relationships with best friend John Lennon, and the German photographer Astrid Kirchherr, forms the central plot to the Backbeat story.
ANDREW KNOTT – ‘JOHN LENNON’
The Manchester born Andrew Knott will take on the part of John Lennon. Andrew was in the original National Theatre production and film of The History Boys, and has appeared in a number of high profile TV shows including Spooks, Gavin & Stacey, Life on Mars and Coronation Street. He also appeared in last year’s Ian Dury biopic Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll. Andrew played John Lennon in the Glasgow production of Backbeat.
RUTA GEDMINTAS – ‘Astrid Kirchherr’
Currently on screen in Sky Atlantic’s The Borgias, and previously in the international hit drama The Tudors as Henry VIII’s mistress, Ruta Gedmintas will play the role of Astrid Kirchherr, whose famous photos of the Beatles in Hamburg remain to this day a crucial document of the band’s formative years.
DANIEL HEALY – ‘Paul McCartney’
Paul McCartney will be played by the Glasgow born singer songwriter Daniel Healy, whose acting credits include Daddy’s Girl, Taggart, Chewin’ the Fat, The Karen Dunbar Show and the Irvine Welsh film Wedding Belles. Daniel played Paul McCartney in the Glasgow production of Backbeat.
WILLIAM PAYNE – ‘George Harrison’
William Payne, a RADA graduate whose TV work includes a part in The Tudors and Summer in Transylvania, will play George Harrison. Theatre work includes The Hotel Play at the Royal Court.
OLIVER BENNETT – ‘Pete Best’
Recent RADA graduate Oliver Bennett will portray original Beatles drummer, Pete Best. Oliver’s theatre work includes Motortown, Rookery Nook and Poppy whilst training and then Avocado, To the End of the World and Abigail’s Party since graduating. Oliver played Pete Best in the Glasgow production of Backbeat.
Other roles announced are Adam Sopp as Tony Sheridan / Ringo Starr,
Dominic Rouse as Klaus Voorman, Ben Fox as Arthur Ballard / Bert Kaempfert and James Wallace as Sir George Martin.
CREATIVE TEAM:
Produced by Karl Sydow
Directed by David Leveaux
From Iain Softley’s production for the Glasgow Citizens Theatre
Designed by Christopher Oram & Andrew D Edwards
Lighting Designed by Howard Harrison & David Holmes
Sound designed by Paul Groothuis & Ed Clarke
Projection designed by Timothy Bird & Nina Dunn for Knifedge
Movement by Nikki Woollaston
Fights by Renny Krupinski
Music supervised by Paul Stacey
Casting by Julia Horan
Production managed by Crosbie Marlow Associates
Release issued by: LD Communications
LINKS
Book tickets to Backbeat at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London
Backbeat: The Story Of Stuart Sutcliffe And The Beatles To Open In The West End In October
August 1, 2011
Karl Sydow is delighted to announce that Backbeat – the stage adaptation of the 1994 film by Iain Softley on the birth of the Beatles – will be rock & rolling its way to London’s Duke of York Theatre for its West End premiere this October.
Backbeat, the stage production that received its world premiere at Glasgow’s Citizen’s Theatre in 2010, is co-written by Iain Softley and Stephen Jeffreys, produced by Karl Sydow, with musical direction by Paul Stacey. The award-winning director David Leveaux will direct the West End production. Backbeat will open on 10 October at the Duke of York Theatre with previews in September. Tickets are now on sale from www.atgtickets.com/backbeat / 0844 871 7623.
Karl Sydow comments: “Backbeat at the Duke Of York Theatre will allow people the experience of being at the birth of the Beatles. It tells a story that many music fans may not know, set to a musical backdrop that absolutely defined the early 60s. Next year will mark 50 years since the Beatles released their first single, and I am proud to be bringing their early days to life in the West End.”
Backbeat is the story of how The Beatles ‘became’ The Beatles – when John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Pete Best and Stuart Sutcliffe embarked on their journey from the famous docks of Liverpool to search for success in the seedy red light district of Hamburg. There they worked eight days a week, in the clubs of the tawdry Reeperbahn, performing rock ‘n’ roll covers night after night.
All time rock ‘n’ roll classics that the Beatles cut their teeth with – ‘Twist & Shout’, ‘Rock & Roll Music’, ‘Long Tall Sally’ ‘Please Mr Postman’ and ‘Money’ – are all performed live on stage in Backbeat.
It was the compelling triangular relationship between the band’s original bassist Stuart Sutcliffe, the striking German photographer Astrid Kirchherr with whom he fell in love, and his best friend John Lennon, which became an intrinsic part of the Beatles’ story – and put them on an unstoppable trajectory onto the world stage.
Stuart’s struggle between his best friend and the band, Astrid and his art, makes Stuart the troubled focus of Backbeat. His death, aged only 22, in the same year that the Beatles appointed Brian Epstein as manager, signed to Parlophone Records by Sir George Martin, and released their first single ‘Love Me Do’, adds to the poignancy of this remarkable and vivid portrait of the early 1960’s.
Release issued by LD Communications
LINKS
Book tickets to Backbeat at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London
Journey’s End tickets at the Duke of York’s Theatre
June 13, 2011
David Grindley’s multi-award winning production of R.C. Sherriff’s classic war drama based on the author’s experience in the trenches of World War 1. Journey’s End comes to London for a seven week season during its National tour.
Backbeat tickets at the Duke of York’s Theatre
May 10, 2011
David Leveaux directs the story of how The Beatles – John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Pete Best and Stuart Sutcliffe – embarked on their journey to international stardom, starting out in the clubs of Liverpool and Hamburg playing rock ‘n’ roll covers. Based on the movie Backbeat, it reveals the compelling triangular relationship between the band’s original bassist Stuart Sutcliffe, German photographer Astrid Kirchherr and his best friend John Lennon.
My First: Interview with Andy Nyman, writer and star of Ghost Stories
March 21, 2011
There’s got to be a first time for everyone, even West End stars. Here’s the low-down on actor, writer, director and magician Andy Nyman and his first key show-biz experiences.
Andy Nyman. Photo: Helen Maybanks
My First audition
Was for an ITV series called ‘The Firm’. It was in 1987 and I was in my final year of drama school. It was to play the part of an Italian lad who was in an East End firm. I got the job, but because I didn’t have an equity card I wasn’t allowed to do it. Needless to say I was gutted.
My First job (acting or non-acting)
Doing a paper round in Leicester for the free paper the ‘Leicester Advertiser’.
My First death scene
I’ve now been killed quite a few times on screen, but my very first was for an NBC movie called ‘Uprising’ about the Jewish uprising in the Warsaw Ghetto. I played a Jewish policeman turned resistance fighter, I went down in a blaze of glory. I was set on fire by flamethrower, but came billowing out of a building, covered in flames, and took a Nazi down with me. Excellent.
My First magic trick
A classic trick known as either ‘Dizzy Dots’ or ‘Spot Paddles’.
My First bad review
I honestly, truly try not to remember them, far too damaging.
My First experience of terrifying people
It was at ‘Chai ‘81’ Jewish summer camp where I first met Jeremy Dyson (my co writer and co-director on Ghost Stories). We staged a fake Séance for the girls in the next dorm. They went nuts, screaming and crying. Hooked from then on in.
My First celebrity encounter
I can’t remember my first, but going to see Mike Yarwood live at the Theatre Royal Nottingham when I was a boy, had a huge effect on me. I couldn’t believe one of my heroes was actually there in front of me.
My First visit to a West End theatre
Hard to say as my wonderful parents took us to the theatre all the time, but my greatest memory was coming from Leicester to see Barnum at the Palladium. Seeing the Circus acts outside the theatre before you went in felt incredible and the show and Michael Crawford were simply sensational.
* * * *
Andy Nyman is co-writer, co-director and co-star of Ghost Stories at the Duke of York’s Theatre with Jeremy Dyson. He is co-creator and director of Derren Brown’s television and stage shows and star of stage and screen including TV drama Dead Set and movie Severance.
LINKS
SPECIAL OFFER: Save on tickets to Ghost Stories at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London
