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
VIDEO: Ghost Stories at the Duke of York’s Theatre
November 2, 2010
The truly terrifying theatrical experience written and directed by The League of Gentlemen’s Jeremy Dyson and co-creator of Derren Brown’s shows Andy Nyman.
Book tickets to Ghost Stories
More information about the show
More information about the Duke of York’s Theatre
VIDEO
Ghost Stories at the Duke of York’s Theatre
LINKS
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Duke of York’s Theatre
September 22, 2010
Duke of York’s Theatre, St Martin’s Lane, London, WC2N 4BG
Ghost Stories tickets at the Duke of York’s Theatre
August 1, 2010
The truly terrifying theatrical experience written and directed by The League of Gentlemen’s Jeremy Dyson and co-creator of Derren Brown’s shows Andy Nyman.
Old Vic’s first West End adventure
July 13, 2010
Old Vic make journey into the West End with The Prisoner of Second Avenue
Kevin Spacey’s Old Vic theatre company will open its first West End show tonight, at the Vaudeville Theatre on the Strand.
A new production of Neil Simon’s 1971 comedy The Prisoner of Second Avenue is the first project for the theatre company in the West End, and stars Hollywood actors Jeff Goldblum (Tall Guy) and Mercedes Ruehl (The Fisher King) for a limited season at the Vaudeville Theatre.
In the show Goldblum stars as Mel Edison, a man at breaking point. In the heat of a New York City summer his air-conditioning has broken, his neighbours won’t shut-up, his job is hanging by a thread and there are a gang of burglars on the prowl.
Terry Johnson, flush from his Tony success for La Cage Aux Folles on Broadway, directs the show.
Book tickets to The Prisoner of Second Avenue at the Vaudeville Theatre in London
ALSO OPENING THIS WEEK:
Wednesday sees the opening of Ghost Stories at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London, following a sell-out season run at the Lyric Hammersmith.
A truly terrifying theatrical experience written and directed by The League of Gentlemen’s master of the macabre, Jeremy Dyson, and Andy Nyman, co-creator and director of Derren Brown’s television and stage shows and star of Dead Set and Severance.
As three men gather together, each has an uncanny, chilling tale to tell. Ghost Stories played a hugely successful run at the Lyric Hammersmith before transferring to the Duke of York’s theatre in the West End. The show stars Nicholas Burns, David Cardy, Ryan Gage and Andy Nyman.
The show is strictly for theatregoers aged 16 and older.
Book tickets to Ghost Stories at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London
Summer Theatre in the West End
June 28, 2010
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).
Hot new shows in June
May 28, 2010
June is proving to be a busy month for West End Theatre with a number of high-profile openings, including work from big name directors such as Sam Mendes, Richard Eyre and Matthew Warchus.
Tap Dogs at the Novello Theatre
At the National Theatre, a revival of Terence Rattigan’s After The Dance starts previews from 1 June 2010 featuring Benedict Cumberbatch, and Richard Eye directs Moira Buffini’s new play Welcome to Thebes from 15 June. Also starting on the 15th is Tap Dogs at the Novello Theatre, which returns to London starring hot song and dance man Adam Garcia.
Wartime land girls play Lilies on the Land begins previews at the Arts Theatre from 8 June, and at the Almeida Ruth Wilson stars in a stage version of Ingmar Bergman’s Through a Glass Darkly from 10 June.
The Old Vic sees the next of its Bridge Project plays start on 12 June, in a new Sam Mendes production of As You Like It starring Stephen Dillane and Juliet Rylance.
Sticking with the Shakespeare theme, the Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park starts previews of Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors on 24 June, and the following day the Lyric Hammersmith transfers its sell-out fright-night chiller Ghost Stories to the Duke of York’s Theatre.
Finally, all-star, Broadway-bound comedy La Bete opens at the Comedy Theatre from 26 June starring Joanna Lumley, Mark Rylance and David Hyde Pierce.
MORE INFORMATION AND BOOKING
National Theatre, from 1 June 2010
With next year’s centenary of playwright Terence Rattigan fast approaching, expect to see a number of high-profile revivals of his work – both on stage and screen.
This new production of his 1939 play After the Dance is directed for the National by Thea Sharrock (The Misanthrope, Equus) and is a subtle expose of the hedonistic 1920s generation, dealing with themes of repression and love.
As the world races towards catastrophe, a crowd of Mayfair socialites party their way to oblivion. At its centre is David, who idles away his sober moments researching a futile book until the beautiful Helen decides to save him, shattering his marriage and learning too late the depth of both David’s indolence and his wife’s undeclared love. But with finances about to crash and humanity on the brink of global conflict, the drink keeps flowing and the revellers dance on.
Book tickets to After the Dance at the National Theatre in London
Arts Theatre, from 8 June 2010
Lilies On The Land is moving and funny portrait of some of Britain’s pluckiest, unsung heroes. This charming, gripping tale celebrates the Women’s Land Army during World War II – an extraordinary episode in Britain’s history. This play charts the personal journeys of four women who sign up to become Land Girls, determined to work backbreaking hours on the land in a bid to do their bit for the war effort.
Based on letters and interviews with the original Land Girls, these women, who are all from different backgrounds and torn from their families, must survive the hardships of farming and the pressures of war. The cast of this compelling play features Rosalind Cressy, Sarah Finch, Dorothy Lawrence and Kali Peacock.
Book tickets to Lilies on the Land at the Arts Theatre in London
The Old Vic, from 12 June
Part of the successful Bridge Project – a transatlantic collaboration between the Old Vic in London and the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York – this year sees Oscar winning director Sam Mendes direct Shakespeare’s As You Like It and The Tempest.
The company is led by Stephan Dillane, Christian Camargo, Ron Cephas Jones and Juliet Rylance.
As You Like It is Shakespeare’s pastoral romantic comedy that features Juliet Rylance and Michelle Beck as the heroines Rosalind and Celia, and Christian Camargo and Thomas Sadoski as Orlando and Touchstone.
Young British actress Rylance, the daughter of acclaimed actor Mark Rylance, has appeared on stage both in New York and London, including Shakespeare’s Globe. Dillane, who plays Jacques in As You Like It, returns to the stage for the first time since winning a Tony Award for Tom Stoppard’s The Real Thing.
Books tickets to As You Like It at the Old Vic Theatre in London
Novello Theatre, from 15 June 2010
Adam Garcia will return to the London stage this June in the Australian dance show Tap Dogs.
Tap Dogs is a worldwide hit that combines the strength and power of workmen with the precision and talent of tap dancing. The adrenalin-pumped cast of this award-winning show inject raw passion and power into the ultimate visual dance spectacular.
Adam Garcia started his career in 1992 in the Australian tour of Hot Shoe Shuffle – which transferred to the West End – and went on to perform in Grease, Saturday Night Fever, Wicked and as a judge on Sky 1 entertainment show Got To Dance.
Book tickets to Tap Dogs at the Novello Theatre in London
Duke of York’s Theatre, from 25 June 2010
A truly terrifying theatrical experience written and directed by The League of Gentlemen’s master of the macabre, Jeremy Dyson, and Andy Nyman, co-creator and director of Derren Brown’s television and stage shows and star of Dead Set and Severance.
As three men gather together, each has an uncanny, chilling tale to tell. Ghost Stories played a hugely successful run at the Lyric Hammersmith before transferring to the Duke of York’s theatre in the West End. The show stars Nicholas Burns, David Cardy, Ryan Gage and Andy Nyman.
Strictly for theatregoers aged 16 and older.
“Brilliant and deeply unsettling” The Telegraph
“A pant-wetter of a night. It’s terrifying” Daily Mail
“Yes, I gulped and others screeched” The Times
“Hugely entertaining piece of theatre” The Stage
Book tickets to Ghost Stories at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London
Comedy Theatre, from 26 June 2010
American playwright David Hirson’s rollicking 1991 play, La Bete is a comic tour de force about Elomire (David Hyde Pierce – “Frasier”), a high-minded classical dramatist who loves only the theatre, and Valere (Mark Rylance – “Jerusalem”), a low-brow street clown who loves only himself. When the fickle princess (Joanna Lumley – “Absolutely Fabulous”) decides she’s grown weary of Elomire’s royal theatre troupe, he and Valere are left fighting for survival as art squares off with ego in a literary showdown for the ages.
Other cast include Stephen Ouimette, Lisa Joyce, Greta Lee, Robert Lonsdale, Michael Milligan, Liza Sadovy and Sally Wingert. The play will be directed by Matthew Warchus and run for a limited season at the Comedy Theatre before heading to Broadway.
Book tickets to La Bete at the Comedy Theatre in London
Twelfth Night – Duke of York’s Theatre – Review
January 27, 2010
Review of Twelfth Night at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London
How much silliness there is in the Christmas and New Year season. Why, Shakespeare himself gives us in the timely ‘Tweflth Night’ (that is, Epiphany or 6th January to us) the fat, farting Sir Toby Belch and the foppish fool, Sir Andrew Aguecheek. In between their antics we are entertained by the muddled romances of twins Viola and Sebastian, who each believe the other dead in a shipwreck. Viola disguises herself as a man in order to serve a certain Duke Orsino; she apparently looks so much like her brother in this guise that no one can tell them apart. Hmm.
But it’s no use applying modern genetic logic to the Bard’s comedies. Even when we are sure of the outcome, it’s always fun to watch Viola – here played by the pleasingly androgynous Nancy Carroll – fall in love with the Duke, only to be sent by him as a messenger to woo the countess Olivia. The exquisite pain of it all!
But all poignancy is counterbalanced by the mirth of mistaken identity. Olivia promptly falls in love with Viola (how odd) and will be doomed to disappointment unless – could it possibly be? – her twin brother turns up and accedes, all bemused, to her desire to marry him.
This RSC production is headlined, at least in the minds of a local audience, by TV star Richard Wilson, cast as the countess’s steward. This is a man full of pomp and ceremony, so that he inevitably falls prey to a wicked practical joke played by Belch and Aguecheek. Persuaded by a fraudulent letter that Olivia secretly loves and admires only him, he adorns himself with cross gartered yellow stockings (as per her supposed tastes in fashion) and fantasises aloud about his future role as consort instead of servant. The two pranksters, meanwhile, hide in the Cubist-styled foliage of a tree to listen and laugh, their heads popping out like so many tourists posing behind comic beachside boards.
This is quite funny, although it has to be said that Wilson, notwithstanding his cut glass accent, lacks the required diction for Shakespearean verse-speaking, so that you have to strain to understand him.
The rest of the cast are, as you might expect, excellent. The erotic frisson between Nancy Carroll and Jo Stone- Fewings as the Duke sustains us throughout with its titillating prospect of hopeless love which will somehow bear fruit, while Alexandra Gilbreath as Olivia is both pretty and pretty determined to have her man. How modern: we love her.
There is live music, merriment and even sword fighting to point up the Bard’s rapier wit. Enjoy.
SUE WEBSTER. Courtesy of This Is London.
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Twelfth Night at the Duke of York's Theatre – Save £12.50
January 18, 2010
Save £12.50 on tickets to see Twelfth Night at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London
Offer valid Monday to Friday 18th January to 12th February
Richard Wilson (One Foot in the Grave) stars as Malvolio in the RSC’s acclaimed new production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.
RSC Chief Associate Director Gregory Doran directs a stunning company of actors in a production that has been critically hailed as a “comic joy”.
Richard Wilson joins the RSC for the first time to play Malvolio. An award-winning actor and director, Richard’s recent stage appearances include Whipping It Up, Waiting for Godot and What the Butler Saw. In addition to his role as Victor Meldrew in One Foot in the Grave, Richard’s other TV includes the BBC’s Merlin.
Save £12.50 on tickets to see Twelfth Night at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London
