Shakespeare in Love, Noel Coward Theatre : LOCAL LOVES

“A love letter to theatre...”

Ah lads, I’m in love! And so is Shakespeare it seems!

I went to the Shakespeare in Love press night, having seen it only a week before too, and fell head over heels. I booked the first visit with ‘the gals’ as soon as tickets came on sale when I didn't know I'd be going to the press night too. So lucky me, I’ve seen it twice and it is BRILLIANT.

When word got out that Shakespeare in Love was going to be made into a play it just seemed to make total sense, of course it should be on the stage! The play is sitting prettily at the Noel Coward on St Martin’s Lane and I can tell you, it is just lovely. Completely lovely. If you’re a fan of the film – go see the show. If you’ve not seen the film – go see the show, then borrow someone’s dvd and relive all your fave bits. 

The actors...

Shakespeare is played by the wonderfully hunky Tom Bateman – please see evidence  of hunkiness here. Very different to Joseph Fiennes who played the role in the film, Tom is a more manly and strong Shakespeare who doesn't wither under his writer’s block but instead knows he must find inspiration in love. His relationship with Kit Marlow (played by David Oakes who you may know from the BBC’s The White Queen) is a great development from the film, there's a lovely sense of true friendship and comradery. 

Lucy Briggs-Owen plays the theatre loving Viola and is perfect for the role. The passion she has for Shakespeare’s writing is so earnest and, from one theatre-obsessive to another, is so brilliantly conceivable. Shakespeare and Viola are both struck with a sudden and all-consuming, needless to say forbidden, love and I found it all completely believable. The chemistry between these two is palpable and you can feel it even in the back row of the balcony.

Best bits...

THERE IS A DOG. Yes, a dog. As we all learnt from the film – everyone loves a bit with a dog. And this new West End powerhouse is no exception. The big fluffball, an Irish wolfhound named Spot, bounds on stage and steals the show. Also, keep an eye out for him at the curtain call...!

But it’s not just the canine cameo that makes this show great. The set, designed by Nick Ormerod, is the inside of a beautiful wooden three tiered Elizabethan playhouse with a central section that glides forward and back, transforming the space and bringing the audience 'backstage'. The ensemble watch the scenes they're not involved in from the balconies, creating theatre within a theatre, within a theatre...within.. You get the gist.

There are also constant nods to the bard, famous lines are dotted here and there, and thrown into conversation. The audience titters in quiet recognition. It's moments like this that make this show a love letter to theatre. 

The after party...

Was brilliant. It took place in the stunning Southwark Cathedral as there is a window and statue that commemorates Shakespeare, and his brother Edmund was also buried there. We were greeted by flaming torches, champers and canapes. My sister pondered whether we'd get 'Shakespearean food' but luckily there was lots of smoked salmon, goats cheese stuffed cherry tomatoes and tiny bowls of cheesy risotto. I had a totally brill time and loved spotting the cast in their party frocks. I didn't get many photos as it's wasn't really the place to get snap-happy in!

The reviews...

Stonking. Simply stonking. The critics loved it.

"It’s got the lot – a stirring love story, a prodigious succession of terrific jokes - and it sends up the theatre something rotten while simultaneously delighting in it." 

"This is the best British comedy since One Man, Two Guvnors and deserves equal success." 

"A joyous celebration of theatre itself." 

"A swooning delight. Terrific."

Tickets

Get tickets here - prices range from £17.25 to £89.75 so there's a seat for every budget. I really do recommend going if you are any sort of theatre fan, it's a wonderful show and you'll come out feeling all warm n' fuzzy!

xXx 

Martin Freeman in Richard III, Trafalgar Transformed West End Season : LOCAL LOVES

My favourite theatre season is back in town! Trafalgar Transformed is back with a bang at Traflagar Studios and I think you should all grab tickets NOW.

THE FIRST SEASON

Back in October I briefly mentioned the Trafalgar Transformed theatre season that took place at Trafalgar Studios – directed and curated by director extraordinaire Jamie Lloyd, the inaugural season kicked off with a particularly bloodthirsty Macbeth starring James McAvoy. It was so bloody that if you were sitting on the front row and wearing dry-clean-only clothes it was suggested you moved seats. Pretty messy stuff. 

  
Macbeth was followed by the brilliantly mad The Hothouse, starring theatre-great Simon Russell Beale and current star of Prey John Simm. The highlight for me though was seeing John Heffernan and Harry Melling live on stage for the first time – they are both so incredibly talented. 

Harry played Dudley Dursley in the Harry Potter films and, I have to admit, I had no idea he was such a talent. Immensely passionate about his craft his aptitude for finding the subtle nuances in an exaggerated character is astounding. Check out what he has to say about playing dangerous characters here about his recent stint in King Lear in New York. 

 And John is a downright comedy genius.  Brilliantly camp with mischief glittering in his eyes, he’s a stage-force to be reckoned with. Check out this interview he did at the end of last year, just before taking on his first London lead role.

The final play in Season One was The Pride. Set in two time periods, the 1950s and the present day, it showed the changing attitudes towards homosexuality. Check out the trailer here. This incredibly moving show was bought to life by Captain America’s Hayley Atwell, Mathew Horne (of Gavin and Stacey fame), National Theatre regular Harry Hadden-Paton and another of my major talent crushes, Al Weaver. Next time Al is in a show I thoroughly recommend grabbing a ticket.

My flatmate and I saw this show twice actually and it was the first time she had made a repeat visit to a play. It was heartbreaking and had a wonderfully strong message.

And why is it called Trafalgar Transformed? Well, they transformed the theatre didn’t they! Check out the snazzy time-lapse video here.

THE NEW SEASON!

Richard III

So, yes, Trafalgar Transformed is back! And it’s opening in July with an absolute corker – Martin Freeman in Richard III. Yep, the Hobbit is gracing the stage, Watson is treading the boards, Tim from The Office is doing the Bard! It’s going to be epic. 

The cast also features a wonderful actor called Phil Cumbus – he was in Romeo and Juliet at Shakespeare’s Globe when I worked there back in the day, and he really is a marvel. I've followed his progress through the theatre world ever since. Come to see Martin, but keep a big eye out for Phil. I'd love to know what actors you guys follow that aren't perhaps in the centre of the limelight so let me know in the comments! 

East is East

 
Next up, in October, the wonderful Jane Horrocks is descending on the Trafalgar Studios in the cult classic East is East. Y’know, Bubbles from Absolutely Fabulous! She was most recently in Sunshine on Leith which is the brilliant musical movie that I mentioned in my post about the Electric Cinema.

Set in 1970s Salford, East is East is Ayub Khan Din's take on British Asian life. Married to an English woman but maintaining strong Muslim values George struggles to keep his children in line and stop them straying from the strict religious path he intends for them. 

The play was made into a film in the late 90s but it started it's life on the stage of course so I'm mega excited to see it back in it's original home. And what's even more exciting is that Ayub, the playwright, is taking on the role of the George, the father. I can't wait to see him onstage at George given that the play is semi-autobiographical. 
 
TICKETS

So there you have it folks, a big ole’ heads up that some excellent theatre is on it’s way. You can buy tickets for both shows here. Or if you want to chance it, all tickets on Mondays are £15 but are not released until the first Monday of each month so put it in your diary and grab a pair.

Follow Trafalgar Transformed on twitter for the latest news or follow me because I tweet about it a lot! Apologies that this post has been a sort of theatre geek expolosion - it's just really bloody exciting work!

xXx

What angel wakes me from my flowery bed? Noel Coward Theatre : LOCAL LOVES

Eeek! On Friday I spent another brilliant night at the theatre. I've been excited about this one for well over a year now...

A Midsummer Night's Dream starring Sheridan Smith and David Walliams!

Not only is it probably one of my fave Shakespeares but check out that casting! David plays Bottom, a part I'm guessing he's been wanting to play for many years, and Sheridan plays Titania, queen of the fairies. The show is part of the now legendary Michael Grandage Season, at the Noel Coward Theatre in London's West End.

Michael was the artistic director of the Donmar Warehouse for ten years and is a true theatre gem. I was lucky enough to be at his final night at the Donmar - his closing show was Richard II starring Les Mis hunk Eddie Redmayne. It was a cracking play and the after party wasn't too bad either!

Now, a few months after gracefully bowing out of the Donmar Michael announced a season of five plays at the Noel Coward and these were...

Privates on Parade starring Simon Russell Beale. Simon was then in a show I worked on a few months later - The Hothouse. It was part of the hugely successful Trafalgar Transformed season, with renowned director Jamie Lloyd, and Simon was just lovely.

Peter and Alice starring Dame Judi Dench and Ben Wishaw. It was an absolute honour to see them on stage together and I'm luckily getting the chance to work on Ben's next show which is Mojo at the Harold Pinter Theatre, which also stars Rupert Grint, Brendan Coyle and Daniel Mays. I'm trying my best not to go all major fan girl on this one. But oh-em-gee it's going to be fantastic.

The Cripple of Inishmaan starring Daniel Radcliffe - yep, Harry Potter! I didn't get to see this one unfortunately but the reviews were pretty damn good and Daniel was mobbed at stage door every night.

Now it's the turn of A Midsummer Night's Dream. BRILLIANT.

I went with Catriona, who you've come across before (mega babe, old school glam) because she is a genius and booked a pair of £10 tickets to each show of the season. See - high quality West End theatre - cheap and accessible! I told you it was possible :) We popped to Notes down the road for a quick glass of bubbly and a mezze platter before the show - it's a really lovely little restaurant. By day it's a coffee shop, by night it's a wine lover's dream.

We then poured into the theatre with the rest of the excited audience and took our seats for, at a run time of two hours and fifteen minutes, a pretty pacey Shakespeare.

I loved the set - a dilapidated stately home, with a crumbling back wall revealing an almighty and ever-present moon. Take a look at that bad boy!

Now, what I particularly like about this production is Michael's nurturing of young and new talent - and this is something that he is becoming very well known for. Stefano Braschi, who plays Demetrius, was in Richard II at the Donmar and, more recently, Peter and Alice. Another great thing about Stefano is that he also has a cracking pair of legs which caused half of the audience to swoon as he ran around the stage after Helena wearing just his pants. Quentin Letts (the theatre critic for the Daily Mail) put it quite wonderfully -  "Lysander and Demetrius have the looks and limbs of Calvin Klein underpant models. They duly strip to their smalls." The rest of Quentin's five star review is here.

Other notable newbies are Stefan Adegbola and Alex Large who both only graduated from Guildhall School of Music and Drama this summer - imagine working with such theatre greats so soon after flying the nest of drama school!

Stefano  

So what does this London Luvvie recommend?

- Follow theatre seasons. It's great to see a group of works put together by one director - it gives you a sense of their style, artistry and agenda.

- Again - make use of theatre deals! Over 100,000 tickets were sold for £10 to the Michael Grandage and all seats on Mondays at the Trafalgar Transformed Season are £15. I personally prefer the Trafalgar method - all of the £10 Michael Grandage tickets were released in one go when the season went on sale so were pretty tough to get your hands on, whereas the Trafalgar Mondays only go on sale at the start of each month so you've always got another chance to get a deal.