140,000 New Tickets Released For London Production Of War Horse

The National Theatre’s Laurence Olivier award-winning production of War Horse at the New London Theatre has released 140,000 new tickets for sale, taking bookings up to 16 February 2013.

Nick Stafford’s adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s book has been playing to packed houses at the New London Theatre since March 2009. The Broadway production of War Horse, which recently opened at the Lincoln Center’s Vivien Beaumont Theatre, was the winner of six Tony Awards including a Special Tony Award for Handspring Puppet Company. A further production is due to open in February 2012 at the Princess of Wales Theatre, Toronto, with a US tour scheduled to start in Los Angeles in June 2012. Later this year Stephen Spielberg’s film version of War Horse will be released.

At the outbreak of World War One, Joey, young Albert’s beloved horse, is sold to the cavalry and shipped to France. He’s soon caught up in enemy fire, and fate takes him on an extraordinary odyssey, serving on both sides before finding himself alone in no man’s land. But Albert cannot forget Joey and, still not old enough to enlist, he embarks on a treacherous mission to find him and bring him home.

Directed by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, War Horse is designed by Rae Smith, with puppet design and fabrication by Basil Jones and Adrian Kohler for Handspring Puppet Company, lighting by Paule Constable, and movement and horse choreography by Toby Sedgwick; the puppetry directors are Basil Jones and Adrian Kohler, with video design by Leo Warner and Mark Grimmer, songmaker John Tams, music by Adrian Sutton and sound by Christopher Shutt.

War Horse is produced in the West End by the National Theatre and National Angels.

Release issued by: Premier PR

LINKS

Book tickets to War Horse at the New London Theatre

War Horse – 290,000 Tickets Released For Sale In London

MICHAEL MORPURGO’S WEST END HIT GALLOPS INTO OCTOBER 2012

Today, 6 June, the National Theatre’s award-winning production of War Horse at the New London Theatre will release over 290,000 new tickets for sale, taking bookings up to 20 October 2012.

Nick Stafford’s adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s book has been playing to packed houses at the New London Theatre since March 2009. The Broadway production of War Horse, which recently opened at the Lincoln Center’s Vivien Beaumont Theatre, has won 8 awards as well as being nominated for 5 Tony Awards. In addition Handspring Puppet Company will receive a Special Tony Award at this year’s ceremony on 12 June.

A further production is due to open in February 2012 at the Princess of Wales Theatre, Toronto, with a US tour scheduled to start in Los Angeles in June 2012.

At the outbreak of World War One, Joey, young Albert’s beloved horse, is sold to the cavalry and shipped to France. He’s soon caught up in enemy fire, and fate takes him on an extraordinary odyssey, serving on both sides before finding himself alone in no man’s land. But Albert cannot forget Joey and, still not old enough to enlist, he embarks on a treacherous mission to find him and bring him home.

Directed by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, War Horse is designed by Rae Smith, with puppet design and fabrication by Basil Jones and Adrian Kohler for Handspring Puppet Company, lighting by Paule Constable, and movement and horse choreography by Toby Sedgwick; the puppetry directors are Basil Jones and Adrian Kohler, with video design by Leo Warner and Mark Grimmer, songmaker John Tams, music by Adrian Sutton and sound by Christopher Shutt.

The current West End cast comprises Stuart Angell (Joey/Topthorn heart), Nigel Betts (Arthur Narracott/Sgt. Thunder), Nicholas Bishop (Captain Nicholls), Joshua Blake (John Greig), Hannah Boyde (Annie Gilbert), Pascale Burgess (Paulette), Ellie Burrow (Baby Joey heart/hind) Emily Cooper (Joey/ Topthorn hind/Goose), Matt Costain (Topthorn hind), Ewen Cummins (Chapman Carter/Colonel Strauss/Soldat Schmidt), Danny Dalton (David Taylor), Salvatore D’Aquilla (Klebb/Sentry Shaw), Matthew Forbes (Joey hind), Thomas Goodridge (Joey/Topthorn hind), David Grewcock (Joey/Topthorn head), Stephen Harper (Joey/Topthorn head/Goose/Geordie), Christian Jenner (Dr Schweyk/Heine/Sgt. Fine), Curtis Jordan (Topthorn head/Goose), Nicolas Karimi (Topthorn heart/Geordie), Sarah Mardel (Baby Joey head/Emilie), Shaun McKee (Joey/Topthorn heart/Geordie), Jack Monaghan (Albert Narracott), Jack Parker (Baby Joey heart/hind/Coco), Malcolm Ridley (Sgt.Allan/Schnabel/Manfred), Patrick Robinson (Friedrich Muller), Ruth Rogers (Joey head), Saul Rose (Songman), Mat Ruttle (Bone/Heine), William Rycroft (Captain Stewart/Rudi), Eliot Short (Fiddler), Anthony Shuster (Priest/Karl/Vet Martin), Nicola Stephenson (Rose Narracott), David Walmsley (Billy Narracott/Coco/Ludwig), Andy Williams (Ted Narracott) and Thomas Wilton (Joey heart).

War Horse is produced in the West End by the National Theatre and National Angels.

Release issued by Premier PR

LINKS

Book tickets to War Horse at the New London Theatre

New Cast For London Production Of Michael Morpurgo’s West End Hit War Horse As Show Welcomes Its One Millionth Visitor

From Wednesday 9 March 2011 Nicola Stephenson and Patrick Robinson will join the West End cast of the National Theatre’s hit production of War Horse which is currently taking bookings at the New London Theatre to 18 February 2012. Nicola Stephenson will play Albert’s mother, Rose Narracott, and Patrick Robinson will play German soldier Friedrich Muller.

Now in its fifth year, Nick Stafford’s adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s book has been playing to packed houses at the New London Theatre where the production has recently welcomed its 1 millionth visitor. In 2010 War Horse played to 97% capacity throughout the year and repeatedly broke the record for the highest weekly gross for a play in the West End. On 15 March this year previews will begin for the Broadway production of War Horse at the Vivien Beaumont Theatre at the Lincoln Center, with opening night scheduled for 14 April 2011. A further production is due to open in February 2012 at the Princess of Wales Theatre, Toronto.

At the outbreak of World War One, Joey, young Albert’s beloved horse, is sold to the cavalry and shipped to France. He’s soon caught up in enemy fire, and fate takes him on an extraordinary odyssey, serving on both sides before finding himself alone in no man’s land. But Albert cannot forget Joey and, still not old enough to enlist, he embarks on a treacherous mission to find him and bring him home.

Directed by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, War Horse is designed by Rae Smith, with puppet design and fabrication by Basil Jones and Adrian Kohler for Handspring Puppet Company, lighting by Paule Constable, and movement and horse choreography by Toby Sedgwick; the puppetry directors are Basil Jones and Adrian Kohler, with video design by Leo Warner and Mark Grimmer, songmaker John Tams, music by Adrian Sutton and sound by Christopher Shutt.

Nicola Stephenson is best known on television for playing Nurse Julie Fitzjohn in the long running BBC drama Holby City and Suzie Davidson in the BBC’s Clocking Off. She has also appeared on television in Law and Order, Larkrise to Candleford, Superstorm, The Chase, Northern Lights, Legless, Waking the Dead, Dead Man Weds, The Hitch, Without You, Big Bad World, My Wonderful Life, Wokenwell, Out of the Blue and Brookside. Her theatre credits include Edmund and His Girl Friday for the National Theatre and A Patriot for Me for the Royal Shakespeare Company and on film her credits include All in the Game, The Walk, Christmas Lights, State of the Party, Go Back Out and The Rainbow.

As well as his extensive theatre career, Patrick Robinson is best known on television for playing Nurse Martin ‘Ash’ Ashford in the long-running BBC medical drama Casualty as well as Detective Constable Jacob Banks in ITV’s The Bill. His many theatre credits include Mappa Mundi for the National Theatre, Much Ado About Nothing, King John, King Lear, Richard III, All God’s Children Got Wings, The Great White Hope, Class Enemy, and Romeo and Juliet for the Royal Shakespeare Company, Rough Crossings for Headlong, Gem of the Ocean and Guantanamo for the Tricycle Theatre, Festen for the Almeida Theatre and in the West End and Dangerous Corner for West Yorkshire Playhouse and West End. His other television credits include Tracy Beaker, Who Dares Wins, Daylight Robbery, Julius Caesar, Troublemakers and Total Eclipse. His film credits include Belly of the Beast in which he played opposite Steven Seagal, as well as The Bee Stung Wasp, Monument, Driven and Four Days to Zero.

From 9 March the West End cast comprises Stuart Angell (Joey/Topthorn heart), Nigel Betts (Arthur Narracott/Sgt. Thunder), Nicholas Bishop (Captain Nicholls), Joshua Blake (John Greig), Hannah Boyde (Annie Gilbert), Pascale Burgess (Paulette), Ellie Burrow (Baby Joeyheart/hind) Emily Cooper (Joey/ Topthorn hind/Goose), Matt Costain (Topthorn hind), Ewen Cummins (Chapman Carter/Colonel Strauss/Soldat Schmidt), Danny Dalton (David Taylor), Salvatore D’Aquila (Klebb/Sentry Shaw), Matthew Forbes (Joeyhind), Thomas Goodridge (Joey/Topthorn hind), David Grewcock (Joey/Topthorn head), Stephen Harper (Joey/Topthorn head/Goose/Geordie), Christian Jenner (Dr Schweyk/Heine heart/Sgt. Fine), Curtis Jordan (Topthorn head/Goose), Nicolas Karimi (Topthorn heart/Geordie), Sarah Mardel (Baby Joey head/Emilie), Shaun McKee (Joey/Topthorn heart/Geordie), Jack Monaghan (Albert Narracott), Jack Parker (Baby Joey heart/hind/Coco heart), Malcolm Ridley (Sgt.Allan/Schnabel/Manfred), Patrick Robinson (Friedrich Muller), Ruth Rogers (Joeyhead), Saul Rose (Songman), Mat Ruttle (Bone/Heine hind), William Rycroft (Captain Stewart/Rudi), Eliot Short (Fiddler), Anthony Shuster (Priest/Karl/Vet Martin), Nicola Stephenson (Rose Narracott), David Walmesley (Billy Narracott/Coco hind/Ludwig), Andy Williams (Ted Narracott) and Thomas Wilton (Joeyheart).

War Horse is produced in the West End by the National Theatre and National Angels.

Release issued by: Premier PR

LINKS

Book tickets to War Horse at the New London Theatre

War Horse the Movie starring Benedict Cumberbatch, directed by Steven Spielberg

One of Steven Spielberg’s big projects for 2011 is a movie version of War Horse.

Already an enormous hit for the National Theatre – first at their South Bank home and currently at the New London Theatre – the movie goes back to Michael Morpurgo’s novel and features a screenplay by Billy Elliot writer Lee Hall and Love Actually’s Richard Curtis.

Dreamworks, which now sits within Disney, has moved forward the planned release date of the film to 28 December 2011 such is the excitement surrounding the project.

The cast features rising young star Jeremy Irvine as Albert, plus Sherlock’s Benedict Cumberbatch as Major Stewart, who is about to star in Frankenstein at the National Theatre. The movie also includes Tom Hiddleston as Captain Nichols, David Thewlis as Lyons, Emily Watson as Albert’s mother and Patrick Kennedy as Lt. Waverly.

Music comes courtesy of close Spielberg collaborator John Williams (ET, Schindler’s List, Indiana Jones).

CAST

Benedict Cumberbatch as Major Stewart
Tom Hiddleston as Captain Nichols
David Thewlis as Lyons
Emily Watson as Albert’s mother
Toby Kebbell as Geordie
Peter Mullan as Albert’s Father
David Kross as Gunther
Jeremy Irvine as Albert
Niels Arestrup as Grandfather
Geoff Bell as Sgt. Sam Perkins
Sarah Jane O’Neill as French Refugee
Christian Black as British Soldier

Patrick Kennedy as Lt. Waverly
Nicolas Bro as Friedrich
Rainer Bock as Brandt
Michael Koltes as German Lieutenant
Mark Shrimpton as WWI British Lewis Gunner
Michael Kranz as Young German Officer
Pauline Stone as Devon Villager
Peter Benedict as German Officer on the Bridge
Robert Emms as David Lyons
Chris Bowe as Scottish Highlander
Leonhard Carow as Michael (as Leonard Carow)
Celine Buckens as Emilie
Irfan Hussein as Sgt Major Singh

LINKS

Book tickets to War Horse at the New London Theatre

Andrew Lloyd Webber keeps theatres

Andrew Lloyd Webber has pulled out of a deal to sell four of his West End theatres to a consortium led by Michael Grade.

The original deal for the theatres was rumoured to be around £50 million and the consortium buying the theatres was led by former BBC Chairman and ITV Chief Executive Michael Grade and theatre agent Michael Linnit.

A statement released by Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group regarding the sale to the GradeLinnit consortium said that “at the eleventh hour, GradeLinnit raised issues relating to a long-standing contractual agreement between one of the theatres and a production company about a possible future production. GradeLinnit decided that they would not want to take this contract forward as owners of the theatre. The Really Useful Group has chosen to continue with the agreement and therefore the sale will not be going ahead.”

The deal had included the New London Theatre, current home to War Horse, the Palace Theatre, where Priscilla Queen of the Desert is playing, Chicago venue the Cambridge Theatre and Her Majesty’s Theatre, which has run Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera since 1986.

Andrew Lloyd Webber and his Really Useful Group will continue to own the four theatres and West End flagship venues the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, currently housing Oliver! and then Shrek The Musical, the London Palladium, which sees Lloyd Webber’s The Wizard of Oz open in February, and a 50% stake in the Adelphi Theatre, home to Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies.

It is expected that Michael Grade will be particularly disappointed that the sale has not gone through. His family’s history is entwined with London theatre, with his uncle Lew Grade staging Sunday Night at the London Palladium in the 1950s and 60s for his ATV network. Michael has recently recorded a Radio 2 history of the venue timed for its centenary this December.

His uncle Bernard Delfont converted the London Hippodrome into the Talk of the Town restaurant in 1958, bringing in a host of entertainers including Frank Sinatra, Eartha Kitt and Judy Garland, and staging the Folies Bergère. In the early 1990s Bernard Delfont struck a deal with Cameron Mackintosh to take on his Prince Edward and Prince of Wales theatres, creating the company Delfont Mackintosh, which today owns seven West End theatres.

Lloyd Webber has been slowly divesting of his theatre assets. In 2005 Really Useful sold four theatres to Nimax Theatres – the Lyric, Apollo, Garrick and Duchess for £11.5 million. And in a frank interview with the Daily Mail in July, Lloyd Webber talked of the stress involved in keeping the theatres going and the large debt owed on them: “We’ve got an overdraft of about £100 million against the theatres, which is too much… it’s simply beyond me.”

Producers associated with the venues that were to be sold include Cameron Mackintosh, producer of The Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty’s Theatre, Broadway producers Barry and Fran Weissler and their production of Chicago at the Cambridge and Liz Koops and Garry McQuinn at Back Row Productions, producers of Priscilla at the Palace Theatre.

It has long been rumoured that Cameron Mackintosh would like to buy the London Palladium and the Theatre Royal Drury Lane for his Delfont Mackintosh company, but Lloyd Webber has so far been unwilling to divest of the venues.

LINKS

More information on the New London Theatre, Cambridge Theatre, Her Majesty’s Theatre and Palace Theatre

VIDEO: War Horse at the New London Theatre

The National Theatre’s epic, Olivier Award-winning World War I family drama based on the celebrated novel by Michael Morpurgo and featuring actors working with life-sized puppets.

Book tickets to War Horse
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VIDEO

War Horse at the New London Theatre

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Lloyd Webber sells venues to Michael Grade

Lord Lloyd Webber has agreed to sell four of his West End theatres to a consortium headed by Michael Grade, according to The Stage newspaper.

The deal for the theatres, rumoured to be around £50 million, was brokered earlier this week. The consortium buying the theatres is led by former BBC Chairman and ITV Chief Executive Michael Grade and theatre agent Michael Linnit.

The deal includes the New London Theatre, current home to War Horse, the Palace Theatre, where Priscilla Queen of the Desert is playing, Chicago venue the Cambridge Theatre and Her Majesty’s Theatre, which has run Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera since 1986.

Andrew Lloyd Webber and his Really Useful Group will continue to own West End flagship venues the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, currently housing Oliver! and then Shrek The Musical, the London Palladium, which sees Sister Act close on Saturday and Lloyd Webber’s The Wizard of Oz open in February, and a 50% stake in the Adelphi Theatre, home to Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies.

Final contracts are still to be signed. Really Useful Group chief executive Andre Ptaszynski has told staff at the venues that “we are fully committed to a process of information provision and consultation, where appropriate, with staff (and trade unions) to make sure that we cover all employee issues and concerns.”

Michael Grade’s family history is entwined with London theatre, with his uncle Lew Grade staging Sunday Night at the London Palladium in the 1950s and 60s for his ATV network. Michael has recently recorded a Radio 2 history of the venue timed for its centenary this December.

His uncle Bernard Delfont converted the London Hippodrome into the Talk of the Town restaurant in 1958, bringing in a host of entertainers including Frank Sinatra, Eartha Kitt and Judy Garland, and staging the Folies Bergère. In the early 1990s Bernard Delfont struck a deal with Cameron Mackintosh to take on his Prince Edward and Prince of Wales theatres, creating the company Delfont Mackintosh, which today owns seven West End theatres.

Michael Grade’s ability to run leisure and entertainment companies has often come under fierce criticism. He took over Bernard Delfont’s First Leisure Corporation, set up with Max Payne, in 1997, leaving in 1999 after a turbulent few years. He received harsh criticism from Delfont’s widow, Lady Delfont, who told the Daily Telegraph in 1999 that, “At no time did we understand that Michael Grade’s job was to asset-strip a thriving company.”

His recent tenure at ITV was during a troubled time for the broadcaster and, as Chairman of Pinewood Shepperton studios, he recently faced calls to step down by one of its leading investors, the funds group Crystal Amber, charged with an unconvincing performance since the company floated six years ago and a lack of adequate direction.

Lloyd Webber has been slowly divesting of his theatre assets. In 2005 Really Useful sold four theatres to Nimax Theatres – the Lyric, Apollo, Garrick and Duchess for £11.5 million. And in a frank interview with the Daily Mail in July, Lloyd Webber talked of the stress involved in keeping the theatres going and the large debt owed on them: “We’ve got an overdraft of about £100 million against the theatres, which is too much… it’s simply beyond me.”

Lloyd Webber has a close association with all four venues he is divesting: the Palace Theatre was famously the office of Prince Edward, who worked for Lord Webber on a number of his shows from the venue; the Cambridge Theatre housed his production of The Beautiful Game in 2000; the New London was where his acclaimed, internationally successful production of Cats started in 1981; and Her Majesty’s Theatre has been home to his most successful ever production, The Phantom of the Opera, which celebrated its 10,000th performance at the venue this week.

LINKS

More information on the New London Theatre, Cambridge Theatre, Her Majesty’s Theatre and Palace Theatre

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New London Theatre

New London Theatre, Drury Lane, London, WC2B 5PW

Michael Grade turns attention to West End

Michael Grade, of the legendary Grade and Delfont entertainment dynasty, is eyeing up the West End as his next conquest.

Should we be scared?

Andrew Lloyd Webber, who owns a number of London theatres and has recently talked about his keenness to divest of a few, is in talks to sell four venues: the New London, where War Horse is currently playing, the Palace (Priscilla Queen of the Desert), the Cambridge (Chicago) and Her Majesty’s (The Phantom of the Opera).

It is believed that the theatres would be bought for around £50 million by a consortium led by Grade, theatre agent Michael Linnit and financial backers.

The package of theatres doesn’t include the three flagship venues of the group: the Adelphi, currently home to Lloyd-Webber’s musical Love Never Dies, the Theatre Royal Drury Lane and the London Palladium.

Michael Grade’s family history is entwined with London theatre, with his uncle Lew Grade staging Sunday Night at the London Palladium in the 1950s and 60s for his ATV network. Michael has recently recorded a Radio 2 history of the venue timed for its centenary this December.

His uncle Bernard Delfont converted the London Hippodrome into the Talk of the Town restaurant in 1958, bringing in a host of entertainers including Frank Sinatra, Eartha Kitt and Judy Garland, and staging the Folies Bergère. In the early 1990s Bernard Delfont struck a deal with Cameron Mackintosh to take on his Prince Edward and Prince of Wales theatres, creating the company Delfont Mackintosh, which today owns seven West End theatres.

But in the last few years Michael Grade’s ability to run leisure and entertainment companies has come under fierce criticism. He took over Bernard Delfont’s First Leisure Corporation, set up with Max Payne, in 1997, leaving in 1999 after a turbulent few years. He received harsh criticism from Delfont’s widow, Lady Delfont, who told the Daily Telegraph in 1999 that, “At no time did we understand that Michael Grade’s job was to asset-strip a thriving company.”

His recent tenure at ITV was largely believed to have been unsuccessful, and as Chairman of Pinewood Shepperton studios he is currently facing calls to step down by one of its leading investors, the funds group Crystal Amber, charged with an unconvincing performance since the company floated six years ago and a lack of adequate direction.

Lloyd Webber has been slowly divesting of his theatre assets. In 2005 Really Useful sold four theatres to Nimax Theatres – the Lyric, Apollo, Garrick and Duchess for £11.5 million. And in a frank interview with the Daily Mail in July, Lloyd Webber talked of the stress involved in keeping the theatres going and the large debt owed on them: “We’ve got an overdraft of about £100 million against the theatres, which is too much… it’s simply beyond me.”

Let’s hope these precious assets are not beyond Michael Grade.

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