Great offers on West End plays
June 25, 2010
Fancy seeing a good play – and saving money?
The West End is having a bit of a Plays renaissance at the moment and to celebrate we have put together some great offers on the best drama and comedy in London.
LA BETE
Hotly anticipated, must-see production by critically acclaimed comedy by American playwright David Hirson.
Starring the extraordinary 2010 Olivier Award-winning actor Mark Rylance (Jerusalem, Boeing-Boeing), ‘the most exciting stage actor of his generation’ (Times), the wonderful Tony and Emmy Award-winning David Hyde Pierce (best known as Niles in the smash-hit sitcom Frasier), and one of the country’s most loved and popular actresses, the magnificent Joanna Lumley, this new staging is directed by the internationally acclaimed, multi-award-winning Matthew Warchus (God of Carnage, Boeing-Boeing, Art, The Norman Conquests).
When Princess Conti (Joanna Lumley) invites street clown Valere (Mark Rylance) to inject some bawdy fun and mischief into her staid acting troupe, she anticipates an exciting creative combination. But the troupe’s leader, Elomire (David Hyde Pierce), is an elitist and fervent lover of high-brow theatre who clashes with Valere – a gaudy comic and a fervent lover of …. well, himself. So begins a gloriously witty and wildly hilarious battle of art and egos.
Written in 1991, La Bete was a huge critical success in London in 1992 and won the Olivier Award for Best Comedy.
BOOK NOW: Tickets from only £12 to see La Bete at the Comedy Theatre in London
GHOST STORIES
Direct from a sell-out season at the Lyric Hammersmith, comes Ghost Stories 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 this is one event not to miss this Summer.
Please be advised that Ghost Stories contains moments of extreme shock and tension. The show is unsuitable for anyone under the age of 15. We strongly advise those of a nervous disposition to think very seriously before attending.
BOOK NOW: Save £13 on tickets to see Ghost Stories at the Duke of York’s Theatre
HOLDING THE MAN
LAST CHANCE to see this acclaimed play starring Kath & Kim’s Jane Turner.
Based on the much loved award winning book by Tim Conigrave, adapted for the stage by acclaimed playwright Tommy Murphy, Holding the Man is a hilariously funny, tender and moving play following the remarkable true life love story of Tim Conigrave and John Caleo. It is a celebration that speaks across generations, sexual preference and culture.
BOOK NOW: Save up to £27 on tickets to see Holding The Man at the Trafalgar Studios
ENRON
One of the most infamous scandals in financial history becomes a unique theatrical event in ‘Rupert Goold’s brilliant production’ (Guardian). Mixing classical tragedy with savage comedy, it reviews the tumultuous 1990s and casts new light on the current financial situation. In what promises to be ‘an outstanding evening’ (ES), Enron is ‘the exhilarating answer to a $60bn question’ (Times). Inspired by real-life events and using music, dance and video, Enron is directed by Headlong Theatre’s Artistic Director Rupert Goold whose recent credits include the award-winning Macbeth and Six Characters in Search of an Author, King Lear, No Man’s Land and Oliver!
BOOK NOW: Save up to £11 on tickets to see Enron at the Noel Coward Theatre
SHIRLEY VALENTINE
Starring Meera Syal in ‘London’s Best Comic Performance’ (Time Out).
Meet Shirley: a middle-aged Liverpudlian housewife who talks to the wall whilst preparing her husband’s egg and chips. She’s in a rut. What has happened to her life? When her best friend Jane pays for a holiday for two to Greece, she packs her bags, heads for the sun and starts to see the world and herself rather differently….. Commissioned by the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool, Willy Russell’s Shirley Valentine premiered in 1986 directed by Glen Walford. In 1988, under the direction of Simon Callow, it opened in the West End, wining the Olivier Award for Best Comedy, and starring Pauline Collins, who went on to play Shirley on Broadway (winning a Tony Award) and in the 1988 film (winning a BAFTA Award and Oscar nomination).
BOOK NOW: Save £7 on tickets to Shirley Valentine at the Trafalgar Studios
AS YOU LIKE IT and THE TEMPEST
Award winning director Sam Mendes returns to the UK to direct two new productions as part of The Bridge Project.
A stellar transatlantic lineup includes Michelle Beck, Christian Camargo, Ron Cephas Jones, Stephen Dillane, Juliet Rylance and Thomas Sadoski in an intriguing pairing of Shakepeare’s pastoral comedy As You Like It and his late masterpiece The Tempest.
BOOK NOW: Save £12 on tickets to see As You Like It and The Tempest at the Old Vic Theatre
OLIVIER AWARDS – Best Comedy Winners
June 14, 2010
OLIVIER AWARDS – Best Comedy Winners
Best New Comedy
2010 The Priory
2009 God of Carnage
2008 Rafta Rafta
2007 John Buchan’s The 39 Steps adapted by Patrick Barlow from an original concept by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon
2006 Heroes by Gerald Sibleyras translated by Tom Stoppard
Best Comedy
2003 The Lieutenant Of Inishmore by Martin McDonagh
2002 The Play What I Wrote by Hamish McColl, Sean Foley and Eddie Braben
2001 Stones In His Pockets by Marie Jones
2000 The Memory Of Water by Shelagh Stephenson
1999 Cleo, Camping, Emmanuelle And Dick by Terry Johnson
1998 Popcorn by Ben Elton
1997 Art by Yasmina Reza
1996 Mojo by Jez Butterworth
1995 My Night With Reg by Kevin Elyot
1994 Hysteria by Terry Johnson
1993 The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice by Jim Cartwright
1992 La Bête by David Hirson
1991 Out Of Order by Ray Cooney
1989/90 Single Spies by Alan Bennett
1988 Shirley Valentine by Willy Russell
1987 Three Men On A Horse by John Cecil Holm and George Abbott
1986 When We Are Married by J.B. Priestley
1985 A Chorus Of Disapproval by Alan Ayckbourn
1984 Up’N’Under by John Godber
1983 Daisy Pulls It Off by Denise Deegan
1982 Noises Off by Michael Frayn
1981 Steaming by Nell Dunn
1980 Educating Rita by Willy Russell
1979 Middle Age Spread by Roger Hall
1978 Filumena by Eduardo de Filippo, adapted by Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall
1977 Privates On Parade by Peter Nichols
1976 Donkey’s Years by Michael Frayn
Best Comedy Performance
1995 Niall Buggy for Dead Funny
1994 Griff Rhys Jones for An Absolute Turkey
1993 Simon Cadell for Travels With My Aunt
1992 Desmond Barrit for The Comedy Of Errors
1991 Alan Cumming for Accidental Death Of An Anarchist
1989/90 Michael Gambon for Man Of The Moment
1988 Alex Jennings for Too Clever By Half
1987 John Woodvine for The Henrys
1986 Bill Fraser for When We Are Married
1985 Michael Gambon for A Chorus Of Disapproval
1984 Maureen Lipman for See How They Run
1983 Griff Rhys Jones for Charley’s Aunt
1982 Geoffrey Hutchings for Poppy
1981 Rowan Atkinson for Rowan Atkinson in Revue
1980 Beryl Reid for Born In The Gardens
1979 Barry Humphries for A Night With Dame Edna
1978 Ian McKellen for The Alchemist
1977 Denis Quilley for Privates On Parade
1976 Penelope Keith for Donkey’s Years
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
MARK RYLANCE in La Bete
May 20, 2010
Mark Rylance is on a roll and next up is a starring role in London and Broadway comedy La Bete
Mark Rylance
Life must feel pretty good for Mark Rylance. Over a long and distinguished career he has moved with some grace and lots of eccentric style from accomplished actor, writer, director and artistic director to veritable national treasure.
His performance as Johnny “Rooster” Byron in Jez Butterworth’s Jerusalem has proved nothing short of a theatrical revelation, with audiences and critics queuing up to praise him and awards ceremonies falling over themselves to hand over their honours (Olivier, Evening Standard and Critics’ Circle awards included).
Now that his stint in Jerusalem has finished – at least until he takes it to Broadway in the Spring – he is moving on to another small, low-profile project, this time starring alongside Frasier’s David Hyde Pierce and acting goddess Joanna Lumley in a glitering London and Broadway revival of David Hirson’s comedy La Bete.
Other recent acting success for Rylance includes Samuel Beckett’s Endgame at the Duchess Theatre and his Tony award-winning role in Boeing-Boeing in the West End and on Broadway. He was Artistic Director of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre for ten years and his work as an actor included the title roles in Henry V and Hamlet as well as Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra and Olivia in Twelfth Night. Other work includes a number of RSC and the National Theatre productions as well as roles at the Donmar Warehouse and the Royal Court. In the West End he played Benedict in Much Ado about Nothing directed by Matthew Warchus, for which he won the Olivier Award for Best Actor. Film and TV work includes The Other Boleyn Girl, Prospero’s Books and The Government Inspector for which he won the BAFTA Best Actor Award for his role as David Kelly.
Ian Rickson, director of Jerusalem, said of Rylance that he is, “steeped in symbolism, imagination and ritual. There are very few actors who are able to be male and also have a poetic dimension.”
La Bete will be directed by Matthew Warchus and will preview from 26 June at the Comedy Theatre in the West End, playing until 4 September, and will then transfer to Broadway.
Book tickets to La Bete at the Comedy Theatre in London
Casting Update: La Bete and Aspects
May 20, 2010
News on West End Theatre casting for La Bete and Aspects of Love
ASPECTS OF LOVE
The first major London revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Aspects of Love will premiere at the Menier Chocolate Factory from 7 July. With book and lyrics by Don Black and Charles Hart, Aspects of Love will see the return of director Trevor Nunn to the Menier after his enormous success with A Little Night Music, currently starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury on Broadway. Nunn also directed the original West End production of the show in 1989 at the Prince of Wales Theatre.
The lead roles in the show will be taken by Michael Arden as Alex Dillingham and Katherine Kingsley as Rose Vibert.
Young American actor Michael Arden has appeared in Big River and The Times They Are A-Changing on Broadway, and off Broadway productions of Swimming in the Shallows, Bare, Ace, God of Vengeance, As You Like It, The Winter’s Tale and The Secret Garden. TV roles include Bones, Numbers and Grey’s Anatomy.
Katherine Kingsley
Michael Arden
UK actress Katherine Kingsley is currently starring in the UK tour of The 39 Steps, and other credits include Piaf (Olivier Award nomination), The Truth Will Out, The Black and White Ball, Hobson’s Choice, High Society and The Canterbury Tales. On-screen work includes The Bill, Hollyoaks and Casualty.
The musical will feature designs by David Farley, choreography by Lynne Page, lighting by Paul Pyant, musical supervision by Caroline Humphris, orchestrations by David Cullen and sound by Gareth Owen.
Book tickets to Aspects of Love at the Menier Chocolate Factory
LA BETE
The final casting for the high-profile revival of David Hirson’s comedy La Bête has been announced. Joining Mark Rylance, David Hyde Pierce and Joanna Lumley at the Comedy Theatre from 26 June will be 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
JOANNA LUMLEY in La Bete
May 13, 2010
Joanna Lumley makes West End and Broadway return
Joanna Lumley
The London and Broadway revival of La Bete, Daid Hirson’s hilarious play, sees Joanna Lumley make a welcome return to the West End, playing the part of Princess Conti.
The cast also includes David Hyde Pierce, best known for playing Dr Niles Crane in the multi award-winning American sitcom Frasier, and recent Olivier award-winner Mark Rylance (Jerusalem).
Lumley is best known for her TV work, including Absolutely Fabulous, The Avengers and Sapphire and Steel. However, she has also had a long and successful stage career, with credits including Private Lives, Noël and Gertie, Hedda Gabler, Blithe Spirit and An Ideal Husband.
American playwright David Hirson’s rollicking 1991 play, La Bete is a comic tour de force about Elomire (Pierce), a high-minded classical dramatist who loves only the theatre, and Valere (Rylance), a low-brow street clown who loves only himself. When the fickle princess (Lumley) 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.
La Bete will be directed by Matthew Warchus and will preview from 26 June at the Comedy Theatre in the West End, playing until 4 September, and will then transfer to Broadway.
Book tickets to La Bete at the Comedy Theatre in London
DAVID HYDE PIERCE in La Bete
April 13, 2010
Frasier star makes West End debut in La Bete
David Hyde Pierce
David Hyde Pierce is best known for playing Dr Niles Crane in the multi award-winning American sitcom Frasier. But he has also had a long and successful stage career in America – including winning a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical for his starring role in Curtains on Broadway. He also originated the role of Brave Sir Robin in Monty Python’s Spamalot and created roles in the Off-Broadway and regional productions of Mark O’Donnell’s That’s it Folks!, Richard Greenberg’s The Author’s Voice and The Maderati, Harry Kondoleon’s Zero Positive, Jules Feiffer’s Elliot Loves and Richard Alfieri’s Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks. His other stage credits include appearances in Hamlet and Much Ado at the New York Shakespeare Festival, Holiday and Camille at the Long Wharf Theatre, The Seagull, Tartuffe, Cyrano, and Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Guthrie Theatre, and Peter Brook’s production of The Cherry Orchard in New York, Moscow, Leningrad, and Tokyo.
In June this year he will make his West End stage debut as Elomire in La Bete, alongside Mark Rylance (Jerusalem) and Joanna Lumley. The show will be directed by Matthew Warchus.
American playwright David Hirson’s rollicking 1991 play, La Bete is a comic tour de force about Elomire (Pierce), a high-minded classical dramatist who loves only the theatre, and Valere (Rylance), a low-brow street clown who loves only himself. When the fickle princess (Lumley) 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.
La Bete will preview from 26 June at the Comedy Theatre in the West End, playing until 4 September, and will then transfer to Broadway.
Book tickets to La Bete at the Comedy Theatre in London
Rylance Broadway bound
February 14, 2010
Mark Rylance currently appearing in Jerusalem
The West End’s man-of-the-moment Mark Rylance will star in a revival of David Hirson’s comedy drama La Bete, initially in London and then New York.
Rylance, who is currently appearing in the Royal Court’s Jerusalem at the Apollo Theatre having garnered rave reviews and an Olivier Award nomination for his standout role as Johnny “Rooster” Byron, will follow La Bete on Broadway by taking Jerusalem to New York.
The cast of La Bete will also feature Joanna Lumley, making her Broadway debut in the play, and Frasier’s David Hyde Pierce.
Set in 17th century France, La Bete is a comedy about a conflict within a theatre troupe, and will be directed by Matthew Warchus and run in the West End for a short season before transferring to New York.
Rylance Broadway bound
The West End’s man-of-the-moment Mark Rylance will star in a revival of David Hirson’s comedy drama La Bete, initially in London and then New York.
Rylance, who is currently appearing in the Royal Court’s Jerusalem at the Apollo Theatre having garnered rave reviews and an Olivier Award nomination for his standout role as Johnny “Rooster” Byron, will follow La Bete on Broadway by taking Jerusalem to New York.
The cast of La Bete will also feature Joanna Lumley, making her Broadway debut in the play, and Frasier’s David Hyde Pierce.
Set in 17th century France, La Bete is a comedy about a conflict within a theatre troupe, and will be directed by Matthew Warchus and run in the West End for a short season before transferring to New York.
