The first of a new season of plays and musicals for theatre breaks in London opened last night at the Noel Coward theatre in London’s St Martin’s Lane. The play is called “Deathtrap” and it’s a revival of a comedy thriller that was hugely successful on Broadway in the 1970s and 1980s. Later in the autumn there will quite a few new plays being staged in and around London’s West End and there are some remarkable events on the musicals scene as well. For example, you may have heard that Whoopi Goldberg was sadly forced to abandon Sister Act recently due ultimately to a bereavement. Well she’s back for five nights later in October, so if you’ve always fancied seeing Whoopi live on the West End Stage then you could organise theatre breaks in London around those dates. Hang on, I’ll go get them for you … “Goldberg, who left the musical after learning that her mother had fallen ill in the US, will star in five shows between October 22 and October 25 at the London Palladium”. After those dates, the theatre will be dark in preparation for The Wizard of Oz. The Noel Coward Theatre in London
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I posted to theatrebreaksinlondon.co.uk
New Season Theatre Breaks In London
http://theatrebreaksinlondon.co.uk/100/new-season-theatre-breaks-in-london/
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September 9 2010, 10:04am | Comments »
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I posted to theatrebreaksltb.co.uk
Love Never Dies moves into The Adelphi Theatre
http://theatrebreaksltb.co.uk/229/love-never-dies-moves-into-the-adelphi-theatre/
Love Never Dies, the new musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber which continues the story from The Phantom Of The Opera, is moving into the Adelphi Theatre in London’s West End.
The show opens in March 2010.
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February 10 2010, 5:36am | Comments »
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I posted to theatrebreaksmag.co.uk
Cat On A Hot Tin Roof
http://theatrebreaksmag.co.uk/cat-on-a-hot-tin-roof/
Cat On A Hot Tin Roof in London Cat On A Hot Tin Roof is a play by Tennessee Williams that has been a great success on Broadway for four months and now comes to the Novello Theatre in London with most of the original cast. Set in the deep South of the USA in the early part of last century, this adaptation of Cat On A Hot Tin Roof is remarkable for having a cast of all black actors, or African Americans as the politically correct but technically incorrect Americans would say, since the lead role, Brick is played in London by a British actor.
If you’re looking to see a serious play in London, full of drama and intrigue, unafraid to tackle the heavyweight topics of human relationships, then Cat On A Hot Tin Roof would be the one to choose for a high-brow theatre break in London without any music and dancing. The acting in this one is very powerful indeed, and at times humorous, while the brilliant writing of Tennessee Williams drives the plot forwards so you would never notice the hours passing. James Earl Jones as Big Daddy James Earl Jones (the voice of Darth Vader) was born to play the part of Big Daddy, and Adrian Lester in the part of Brick does a magnificent job of anchoring the whole show around him, while his stage wife, “Maggie the cat” played by Sanaa Lathan does most of the talking.
James Earl Jones is well known for his deep bass voice and he puts it to good use in the role of Big Daddy. As child he had elective mutism due to a very severe stammer and dyslexia, both of which he eventually overcame. Jones grew up in Mississippi and says he know men just like the old plantation owner. He is older than you might think at 78 and remembers seeing Burl Ives in the role when Cat on a Hot Tin Roof first opened on Broadway in 1955. He says he has been wanting to play the role for many years and has modeled his performance on that of Ives. The production team seem genuinely excited to be bring this show to London and it does seem likely that the people of the UK as a whole will respond by bringing an appreciative new audience in to the West End of London for the four and a bit months that Cat on A Hot Tin Roof provides the opportunity for.
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- tennessee williams
November 25 2009, 3:45am | Comments »
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I posted to theatrebreaksltb.co.uk
Political Theatre in Trouble
http://theatrebreaksltb.co.uk/173/political-theatre-in-trouble/
Political Theatre in London Political theatre in London has had more than its share of problems and the latest venue at risk is The Tricycle theatre in north London, which has staged a series of productions based on recreations of seismic political events such as the Scott inquiry, the Nuremberg trials, the Stephen Lawrence inquiry and the Bloody Sunday inquiry. The Tricycle’s misfortunes follow hard on the heels of the collapse of several other radical theatres. The 7:84 theatre company in Edinburgh closed in January after funding problems, and the Citizens Theatre in Glasgow was said to be in discussions with its local authority and could be facing cuts in a “week of bad news” for arts organisations in Glasgow. Some of Britain’s leading artists, including Paula Rego and Antony Gormley, said this weekend that they intend to help save The Tricycle by donating works for auction later this month. “It is very important to have political theatre,” said Gormley, “where recent events, or attitudes to events, are reflected on.” Rego added: “English theatre is the greatest in the world and the plays in smaller theatres are often the ones that the larger venues shy away from.” Other famous names to donate include the actor Sir Antony Sher, the illustrator Ralph Steadman, the artist Maggi Hambling and Sir Peter Blake, who designed The Beatles’ Sergeant Pepper album cover. The theatre, which has also produced acclaimed plays about Guantanamo Bay, Deepcut – the Army barracks where four soldiers died of gunshot wounds – and the Hutton inquiry, needs £2.75m a year to stay afloat, only a third of which comes from ticket sales. The Tricycle’s artistic director, Nicolas Kent, said that, while Tricycle productions have transferred not only to the West End but to other stages around the world, and it has hosted world-renowned actors such as Vanessa Redgrave, audiences have preferred more light-hearted work during the recession. “The pressure on us because of the recession is twofold,” Kent said. “The cash we raise from charitable trusts has gone down enormously, and there has been less money coming in from individuals. “Last autumn people were worried and tended not to spend money on going to the theatre, particularly serious theatre. They were opting for more light-hearted shows. We put on Deepcut and got great reviews but it did not do as well as we hoped at the box office. “Musicals have been doing stormingly well, but all serious theatres rely on donations and they have been drying up.” As if to hammer home the point, the Hackney Empire, which also has a strong political track record, has announced it will close early in the new year for nine months amid financial difficulties.
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- theatre in london
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- paula rego
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- vanessa redgrave
October 29 2009, 11:51am | Comments »
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I posted to theatrebreaksmag.co.uk
Theatre Breaks – What to Wear
http://theatrebreaksmag.co.uk/theatre-breaks-what-to-wear/
Your Theatre Breaks issues dealt with one by one. This is one of a series of articles for Theatre Breaks Magazine FAQ which each deal with a specific question about planning, booking and enjoying theatre breaks. Today, What to pack for theatre breaks Packing for your theatre break photo credit Dwight Sipler via flickr
Theatre Breaks Suitcase Panic First time I went on a theatre break I hauled out the suitcases and stared at them for a long time. I was thrilled we were off to London for a romantic weekend to see a show. I’d been looking forward to it for ages but then I started to worry. ” What do people wear to the theatre in London these days? Do we need to dress up? What do I need to take? Oh dear, what if I pack the wrong stuff and end up looking silly?” If you’re feeling like I did then let’s see if I can help sort out those nasty ‘what ifs?’ about what to wear on your theatre breaks. Do we need to dress up? Not unless you want to! There is no strict dress code for any of the theatres in London. If you like to dress up and make it more of an occasion, that’s fine. Most people wear ’smart/casual’, some people may even be wearing jeans, few will be in full evening dress. Do wear something comfortable, that won’t crease and is not too hot. The theatres are warm places even in winter. If you do want to dress up
For women a day dress is fine. If you do want to wear an evening dress think cocktail dress rather than gown. It’s hard to beat a *LBD, ideally in something that doesn’t crease too badly. A shawl, pashmina, or short embroidered cardi is usually enough to keep you warm outside. Shoes should be comfortable enough to allow for a stroll round theatreland after the show. Heels should not be too high unless you are used to them. Take a small handbag and don’t feel you always need a raincoat and umbrella. (It took me about 18 months after moving here to realise that I rarely needed my umbrella!) On a cold night add a warmish coat but leave it at the cloakroom. It’s a real pain for you, and those around you, when you have to juggle it inside the theatre. For gents a suit or smart jacket and trousers will be perfect. Ties are definitely optional. There’s no need for an evening suit unless you really want to make an impression.
*LBD =little black dress 5 ‘must haves’ for your theatre break
Comfortable flat shoes for traveling and for sightseeing. Smart shoes for the theatre, still fairly comfy. A smallish handbag that you can wear crosswise – handy, leaves both hands free and easy to manage. This will also be more secure on crowded tube trains or buses. Needs to hold purse, keys, camera, tube map, bottle of water (optional) & not much else. Double points if your evening bag meets the same criteria! Dark glasses, look glam even in winter and are vital in case of a slight case of morning after syndrome!
Final Word on What to Pack for Your Theatre Break What ever you decide to take and wear remember this is your theatre break. London is a very anonymous place and mostly no one will notice or care about your choice of clothes. Wear the kind of clothes you feel happy and comfortable in. If you like to dress up for social occasions then do so, if not you can still enjoy your casual style theatre break.
July 25 2009, 9:41am | Comments »
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