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

All the world's a stage, What to see this month - Part III : LOCAL LOVES

Hello lovely London lovers! As promised, here is your monthly 'oh my god, you HAVE to see this show' list of suggestions from me and I've got three corkers - a wonderful West End transfer, a Downton delight and some Savoy sparkle.  

MORROW'S MONTHLY MUSINGS!

GHOSTS

  

Ghosts, by Henrik Ibsen, is utterly heartbreaking. But it is so brilliantly heartbreaking that it’s been getting spectacular 5* reviews! It is the story of Helene, a long suffering wife, newly widowed, whose son returns from many years of travelling only to ask his mother to assist his suicide. Helene is played by the fabulous Lesley Manville who recently won Best Actress at the Critic’s Circle Awards for her performance. She truly grabs your heart and gives it an almighty squeeze. Helene has spent her life protecting her son Osvald from his philandering father but even now that he has gone Osvald is not safe. 

Osvald is played by Jack Lowden who I have had a huge talent-crush since I saw him in Chariots of Fire at the Hampstead Theatre – he is bloody brilliant. He goes from swaggering, opinionated lathario to helpless child within an hour and at no point do you question this transition. His commitment to the role, especially in his final scene, is completely blub-worthy. 

So, as you can see, this isn’t the cheeriest of evenings in the West End but it’s ‘proper theatre’ at it’s best – an hour and thirty minutes straight through this is a massive whack of of it. The Trafalgar Studios is wonderfully intimate, you honestly feel as if you are intruding on the sitting room in which the play is set. I won’t spoil the ending for you but the final scene is so horribly private that it almost feels like you shouldn’t applaud, that you shouldn’t break into that moment.  

It really is brilliant stuff and you should get yourselves over there before it ends! And with it being only 90 minutes long you can head out for dinner after.... ;)  

WHAT: Ghosts
WHERE: Trafalgar Studio 1, 14 Whitehall
WHO: This is a serious play for serious play lovers - go if you want to see a classic or if you want to see some truly fantastic acting
TUBE: Charing Cross or Embankment (remember the Northern Line is closed at the latter until November)
TICKETS: ATG Tickets
DATES: On until Saturday 22nd March 

THE ONLY WAY IS DOWNTON 

This should could not be more different than Ghosts, even though it is housed under the same roof – it is ridiculously silly and unreservedly raucous. If there is even the smallest Downton fan in you it really is a must-see. 

Downton is in trouble; Lord Grantham has yet again lost the family fortune but there is a wedding to pay for. How will he keep this from the family? Who is getting married to who? And how can Downton be saved?? 

Now the character list for this is fairly lengthy so bear with me...you will see Lord Grantham, Carson, Bates, Lady Mary, Thomas, Mrs Hughes, Cora, Daisy, Mrs Patmore, the Dowager Countess, Branson, Molesley, O’Brien, Cousin Matthew and Alfred. But that’s not it. You also meet Paul Hollywood, Mary Berry, Mel & Sue,  Alan Carr, Tom Daley, Rylan, the X Factor Judges, Dermot O’Leary, Alexander Armstrong, Bruno Tonioli, Andy Murray, Boris Becker and John McEnroe....to name but a few.  

And here’s the impressive bit – all of those characters are played by ONE MAN. Yes, impressionist virtuoso, Luke Kempner plays every single one of them! Not only are his impressions spot on, the speed at which he switches between them is incredible. 

It is completely and utterly hilarious – my face ached from laughing. I won’t tell you what actually happens but that character list alone should get you to grab a ticket! 

Here’s a little sneak preview of those Downton delights from Luke’s Radio 2 appearance.... 

 

WHAT: The Only Way is Downton
WHERE: Trafalgar Studio 2, 14 Whitehall
WHO: Downton fans, big and small.
TUBE: Charing Cross or Embankment (remember the Northern Line is closed at the latter
TICKETS: ATG Tickets
DATES: On until Saturday 22nd February

DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, based on the film starring Steve Martin and Michael Caine, is coming to the West End! I'ts about to open in Manchester, pop to Aylesbury for a little bit, then jazz-hand its way into the Savoy Theatre – and it’s going to be fab.

I haven’t seen a full run just yet but was lucky enough to go along to the press launch at Alford House recently and it’s shaping up to be a great show. It is set in the French Riviera and revolves around ‘Laurence’ and ‘Freddy’, two professional con men, who are competing for the biggest swindle of the season. 

Starring Robert Lindsay (Laurence), Rufus Hound (Freddy), Samantha Bond and Katherine Kingsley it’s your all-singing, all-dancing go-to for a dazzling night in the West End. Robert and Rufus effortlessly bounce off of each other, having you laughing your socks of within minutes. As does Katherine in her dippy blondeness. And Samantha? She’s such a Bond Girl through and through, you just can’t stop watching her!

The show is opening at the Savoy Theatre at the end of March so why not book yourself in and before you head to the theatre pop into the Savoy Hotel next door for a thoroughly decadent cocktail in the Beaufort Bar?
 

WHAT: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
WHERE: Savoy Theatre, Strand
WHO: Any and everyone really!
TUBE: Charing Cross or Covent Garden
TICKETS: ATG Tickets
DATES: The first performance is Monday 10th March and the show will be there for the foreseeable future - hurrah!

All the world's a stage, What to see this month - Part II : LOCAL LOVES

Oh gang, I'm sorry - I've been a rubbish blogger! I seem to have been ridiculously busy the past few weeks doing very dull stuff that just isn't worth blogging about...especially not my dentist appointment or that night I made my sister cook me supper.

But fear not, I have been to theatre! So here we have Part II of....

MORROW'S MONTHLY MUSINGS!

And this month we have a right mixed bag - a West End powerhouse, some fringe theatre and a teeny tiny studio production. Shall we start with the biggest one first?

ONCE

Once is a musical, but you could almost call it the 'anti-musical' as it's the most low-key, understated show in London's glittering West End. Set in a Dublin bar, it's a beautifully simple love story between a local lad and a Czech girl struggling in the Irish Republic capital, bound by a love for music. 

The show is a huuuuge hit on Broadway where it opened a couple of years ago and has made a seamless transition over to London, opening about six months ago and wowing the crowds ever since. The music is fantastically folksy, slightly Mumford & Sons-esque - I actually have it on my iPhone and play it as a normal person on the bus, not a West End Wannabe like I do with other show soundtracks....!

This is a show for people who are looking for something heartfelt and earnest. All the music is played live on stage by the cast, the blooming ridiculously talented cast, and it's simply brill to see them play.

But, there's one fabulous bit about this show that you just HAVE to experience....the bar on stage is a real working bar!! So get there early enough and you can go up on to the stage and buy a pint whilst the cast come out and play some rowdy jigs! WARNING: It's hard not to get swept away...I accidentally got caught up in the pre-show performance and ended up surrounded by the gorgeous guys and their guitars, singing my heart out/guessing the words and shouting along. Cracking stuff.

WHAT: Once
WHERE: Phoenix Theatre, Charing Cross Road
WHO: Everyone really! Couples will love it. Go if you want to see some top class musicality mixed in with a big dollop of honest love. Also go if you like pints.
TUBE: Leicester Square or Tottenham Court Road
TICKETS: ATG Tickets
DATES: Forever! There's no end in sight for this show but tickets are currently on sale until the end of May 2014.

THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS

This musical really packs a punch - based on a true story, The Scottsboro Boys presents the terrible trait of nine black boys wrongly accused of the rape of two white girls on a train travelling through Southern America. Not exactly the plot you'd expect to be told through a vaudevillian style musical!

It is at the Young Vic Theatre, which is one of my favourite theatres in London - they produce some really cutting edge stuff and it's just so effortlessly cool there. Definitely a place to pop into just for a drink.

The show is extremely high quality and the cast is stonkingly strong - they're all singing, all dancing stage gods really. At one hour and fifty minutes long without an interval the cast are going full pelt the entire time. Their stamina alone is seriously impressive.

Incredibly powerful and heartbreaking, at the same time as being hilarious and overly silly this really is the show to see at the moment outside the West End.


WHAT: The Scottsboro Boys
WHERE The Old Vic, The Cut
WHO: Anyone who values quality theatre, especially fans of To Kill A Mockingbird.
TUBE: Waterloo or Southwark
TICKETS: Only 'day seats' are left for this one - you'll have seen in my first theatre blog I explained that these are tickets that only get released on the day of the performance and must be bought in person. Queueing starts pretty early so get yourself down there with your camping stool.
DATES: There really isn't long left on this one - last performance is 21st December.

JULIE MADLY DEEPLY

This show is excellent. No it's SUPERCALIFRAGILISTIC and you certainly don't need a spoonful of sugar to help it go down. Based on the life of the wonderful Julie Andrews, this one woman show is a cheeky cabaret of mountain climbing, chimney sweeping, nazi escaping joy. Absolute joy.

Staged in the brilliantly intimate Trafalgar Studio 2 it is bloody good fun. Andrews mega fan, Sarah-Louise Young, has lovingly constructed this ode to Julie and it's even better than it was when it was first performed at the Edinburgh Fringe in August.

Young takes the audience on a journey through Julie's life, the early discovery of her magnificent voice, her success in Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music, weaving through the difficult years of failing relationships and a difficulty to break the mold, right up to the devastating loss of her voice. Interspersing the story with songs Young has a brill voice and does a mean impression of not only Julie but also Liza Minnelli and Audrey Hepburn. She's one funny lady.

She got some cracking reviews that are well worth a read - take a look at The Telegraph, The Daily Mail and The Evening Standard.

And do you want to know the best bit? THERE IS A SINGALONG AT THE END!! It's impossible to leave the show without a huge grin on your face. And the girl mentioned at the end of the Telegraph review? That's my gorgeous friend Annie! She's pretty much famous now....

WHAT: Julie Madly Deeply
WHERE:Trafalgar Studios, Whitehall
WHO: Anyone who's ever watched a Julie Andrews film. So basically everyone.
TUBE: Charing Cross or Embankment
TICKETS: ATG Tickets
DATES: The final performances is 12th Jan...go, go, go!