Category: Theatre

Spring News Update

Posted on | by Eamonn

We’re celebrating our two year anniversary this month with some exciting client announcements. Our latest news update proves the depth and versatility of our actors who are landing great roles in some of the best productions.

On Stage:

9th March BannersGavin Spokes will lead the cast in The National Theatre’s award winning comedy One Man 2 Guvnor’s. He will take on the brilliant leading role of Francis for the UK tour opening in Sheffield from May and continuing. Jodie Mc Nee will play Maggie in the classic Hobson’s Choice at Regents Park this summer with Nadia Fall directing. Also confirmed early summer, Ferdy Roberts will join the eagerly awaited stage premiere of the Oscar winning film Shakespeare in Love at The Noel Coward, Ferdy takes the role of Fennyman with Declan Donnellan directing. Richard Dempsey will also be returning to the West End as he joins the cast of Sam Mendes’ Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in the role of Mr Bucket. Royal Scottish graduate Tafline Steen, meanwhile, makes her professional stage debut at The Almeida Theatre in King Charles III, Mike Bartlett’s controversial new play which Rupert Goold directs. Jay Simpson joins the RSC for the first time playing a trio of terrific roles as part of The Roaring Girls season whilst Joe Sims joins the cast of Three Sisters at Southwark Playhouse in a new version by Anya Reiss with Russell Bolam directing. Daniel Rabin goes to The Globe this season for Antony & Cleopatra and Holy Warriors, David Eldridge’s new play whilst Amy Cudden joins Blanche McIntyre for Tonight At 8.30, a fascinating collection of one act Coward plays that will be touring from May.

Openings include Jodie McNee as Viola in Liverpool Everyman’s Twelfth Night, Amy Marston in Ayckbourn’s A Small Family Business at The National and Jess Murphy in World Enough & Time at The Park Theatre. Jude Monk McGowan continues in Punch Drunk’s acclaimed The Drowned Man at Temple Studios whilst Alex Blake and Scott Karim join Secret Cinema this month who are recreating Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel.

On Screen:

9th March SquareHayley Carmichael joins a terrific cast for the new BBC drama series Our Zoo, the period drama based around the setting up of Chester Zoo in the 1920s. Joe Sims is confirmed as returning to Broadchurch Series II in his breakthrough role of Nigel Carter, Naomi Bentley joins the ensemble of the popular Sky comedy drama Mount Pleasant whilst Roger Sloman will be making a regular return to Eastenders as local undertaker Les Coker. Joseph May joins the ABC drama Mistresses shooting in LA whilst Episodes in which he plays series reg Andy Button is recomissioned for a 4th season. Also returning is the ever popular Waterloo Road which will see Pooky Quesnel joining the academy as Olga.

Launching 2014

Posted on | by Eamonn

We are looking forward to the New Year with some exciting projects already lined up for our clients in 2014.

New Year Theatre 2014The award winning Red Velvet is revived at The Tricycle before a New York transfer to The Brooklyn Academy with Natasha Gordon reprising her role of Connie. Also transferring is Headlong’s 1984 which comes to the Almeida Theatre with Gavin Spokes returning to the company. Amy Marston comes to The National in a revival of Ayckbourne’s A Small Family Business directed by Adam Penford whilst Lisa Palfrey debuts a new play Carthage at The Finborough with Donmar Associate Rob Hastie directing. Meanwhile Geraldine Alexander joins Russel Bolam for the UK premiere of In Skegway over at The Arcola. Out of London, we’re looking forward to the reopening of The Liverpool Everyman which will see Artistic Director Gemma Bodinetz directing Twelfth Night with Jodie McNee taking the role of Viola. Over at the Playhouse, Daniel Coonan returns to the stage in the Miller classic A View From the Bridge which Charlotte Gwinner directs. Molly Logan takes the well received Once A Catholic to Liverpool’s Royal Court for a short run whilst over at The Royal Exchange, Geoff Leesley joins Maria Aberg for her production of Much Ado About Nothing.

New Year Screen 2014Coming up on screen early in 2014 will be new ITV comedy Edge of Heaven, set in a Margate B&B with Nitin Kundra, the return of Mr Selfridge which sees Vincenzo Nicoli join the cast, The Lost Honour of Christopher Jeffries which Joe Sims has just wrapped on and gothic drama Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell which Robert Hands is finishing filming. Starting shoots this month are Hermione Gulliford who will be appearing in the next three Foyle’s War films opposite Michael Kitchen as well as Vincenzo Nicoli who guests in the first. Pooky Quesnel and Derek Hutchinson, meanwhile, will be featuring in the next series of Endeavour films.

In cinemas we are eagerly anticipating the releases of Mike Leigh’s Mr Turner biopic with Tom Edden, Max Fowler‘s US debut TOKAREV opposite Nicholas Cage and later in the year the big screen Moses epic Exodus which Ken Bones has just wrapped on.

Happy New Year!

Openings:

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Oliver - Edden 2Tom Edden has opened as Fagin in Daniel Evans’ Sheffield Crucible revival of Oliver. In the Daily Telegraph, Jane Shilling awards the production 5 stars commending Tom and the cast for their “intelligent” performances in a production that finds  “humanity..and is bracingly free of sentimentality.” Lyn Gardener agrees in The Guardian admiring the darkness that lurks beneath the cheer in this production whilst praising Tom’s “impeccable comic timing“. The Daily Mail’s Patrick Marmion raves:

Anyone who saw the original One Man Two Guvnors will recall Edden as the ancient serving man who toppled backwards downstairs. Now he takes to Dickens’s master pickpocket with lip-licking glee and proves he’s not just a one-trick waiter. It would normally have been enough that Bart’s 54-year-old musical has some of the most toe-tapping numbers ever written. But in Edden they have added comic charisma. Edden’s Fagin is an extraordinary vocal mix of Strictly Come Dancing’s Len Goodman and England’s Roy Hodgson…Bill Sikes describes Fagin as ‘an avaricious skeleton’.But Edden is much more — a delightfully demented vulture with great hooded eyes.

Oliver continues at the Sheffield Crucible until 25 Jan 2014.

Cross 42Once A Catholic has opened at The Tricycle with Molly Logan receiving brilliant notices for her touching central performance. Charles Spencer “laughed like a drain” whilst observing that, “the comedy might seem heartless were it not for the wonderful performance of Molly Logan“. Paul Taylor (Independent) concurs that “Molly Logan is excellent as the grave, victimised Mary Mooney” whilst Michael Billington (Guardian) commends the “truthful observation” and “specific gravity” she brings to her role as the hapless heroine.

Gulliford at Print RoomOver at The Print Room, “West London’s uber cool theatre” (Time Out), Geraldine Alexander has premiered Amygdala, her writing and directorial debut, in which Hermione Gulliford takes the leading role of Catherine. Time Out’s critic writes: “Amygdala contains some forceful, bone-shaking writing. Alexander (who also directs) keeps her powder dry until the final moments, and when she finally unleashes hell, it packs quite a wallop. Gulliford excels in those tense scenes.” Lyn Gardener’s review in The Guardian praises the “quality” and “detail” of Gulliford’s performance and the “needle sharp clarity” of Alexander’s writing which kept her gripped. Armygdala plays at The Print Room until the 14th December.

Autumn Theatre

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Autumn Theatre Update 250913Tom Edden will be starring as Fagin in Sheffield Theatres’ production of the musical Oliver! directed by Daniel Evans at The Crucible.

Molly Logan plays the lead Mary Mooney in The Tricycle’s Once A Catholic directed by Kathy Burke. The dark comedy written by Mary O’Malley opens in November followed by a short run at Liverpool’s Royal Court in January.

Meanwhile out of London, Gavin Spokes is on tour with Headlong’s critically acclaimed 1984. Joe Sims joins the cast of Doug Lucie’s Solid Air at Theatre Royal Plymouth, directed by Mike Bradwell. Christopher Harper will play Ratty in Kenneth Grahame’s classic children’s story The Wind in The Willows at The Royal and Derngate this Christmas whilst Richard Teverson will be at The Stephen Joseph Theatre Scarborough in The Schoolmistress. And Farshid Rokey joins Richard Wilson’s production of Love Your Soldiers at Sheffield Crucible playing the roles of Babur/Hakim.

London Openings include Richard Dempsey in Michael Grandage’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Geraldine Alexander in The Empty Quarter at The Hampstead Downstairs and Rocky Marshall in Matthew Dunster’s The Love Girl & The Innocent at Southwark Playhouse.

Summer Theatre Blog:

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Tom Edden in A Little Hotel On The SideTom Edden returns to stage in his first role since playing Alfie in One Man 2 Guvnors (NT,West End, Broadway: Tony, Critics Circle Noms, Drama Desk Winner). He opens at Theatre Royal Bath in Feydeay farce A Little Hotel on the Side with Lindsay Posner directing. Richard Dempsey joins the Michael Grandage Company for A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the next in a hugley popular season of plays currently resident at the Noel Coward Theatre. Plans have been announced for a revival and New York transfer of the Tricyle’s Red Velvet with Natasha Gordon reprising her role as Connie whilst Gavin Spokes joins Headlong Theatre’s exciting adaptaion of 1984 which Robert Icke directs. Stephen Wilson, meanwhile, continues at The National shifting focus to Joe Hill Gibbin’s revival of Marlowe’s Edward II.

Openings include Shawshank Redemption in Edinburgh with Vincenzo Nicoli, Too Clever By Half at The Royal Exchange with Nitin Kundra, as well as Molly Logan in Blue Stockings and Jess Murphy in The Lightning Child both at The Globe. Amy Cudden continues her successful run in The National’s One Man 2 Guvnors (Haymarket) as do Geraldine Alexander in Strange Interlude (Lyttleton) and Scott Karim in Othello (Olivier).

Theatre Round-up:

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Open Court at the Royal CourtThe Royal Court is taken over by writers in Vicki Featherstone’s opening season, as a weekly rep of new plays move into the theatre downstairs. Natasha Gordon, Ferdy Roberts and Angela Terence will all join the Open Court ensemble for its summer season of plays. Nitin Kundra starts rehearsals for The Royal Exchange/Told By an Idiot co production of Too Clever By Half directed by Paul Hunter for the main house this summer whilst Gavin Spokes plays Oliver Hardy in The Watermill’s Laurel & Hardy directed by Paul Foster.  Vincenzo Nicoli heads to the Edinburgh Festival where he plays Bogs Diamond in Lucy Pittman’s Wallace’ s revival of Shawshank Redemption alongside Omid Djalili.

Openings include Sara Powell in Disgraced at The Bush, Geraldine Alexander in Strange Interlude at The National, Molly Logan in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at The Globe and Jess Murphy in Macbeth also at The Globe. Amy Cudden continues her West End run in One Man 2 Guvnors as does Derek Hutchinson in Cocktail Sticks which completes its run.

Regulars:

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Daniel Coonan in EastendersEastenders has announced the planned arrival of a new bad boy in Walford! Congratulations to Daniel Coonan who has been confirmed in the role of Carl Parker and will land in Albert Square early summer. Daniel was last seen in BBC’s May Day as well as recently working with Mike Leigh on his stage revival of Ecstacy. Vincenzo Nicoli, meanwhile, joins Mr Selfridge for Series 2 of the popular ITV drama set in and around the world famous department store. Playing the regular new character of Uncle Giovanni, the first block will be directed by Anthony Byrne and shoots this month. Also returning, shooting in London and LA from May is Episodes, the Hatrick/HBO co production which sees Joseph May reprise his role as Andy Button for Season 3.

Theatre Updates

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In Rehearsals:

Reflective-Pictures

Geraldine Alexander returns to The National Theatre in a revival of Eugene O’Neils Strange Interlude with Simon Godwin directing.  Sara Powell will be appearing in Disgraced at The Bush Theatre, a new play by Ayaad Aktar which premiered at The Lincoln Centre, New York and now comes to London with Nadia Fall directing. Daniel Rabin takes on the title role in Oedipus which Steven Berkoff directs for The Spoleto Festival whilst Colm Gormley joins the company of Dancing At Lughnasa with Richard Beecham directing for Northampton and Oxford.  Jess Murphy and Molly Logan, meanwhile,  start rehearsals for The Globe season where they will be performing in Macbeth & Lightning Child and A Midsummer Night’s Dream & Blue Stockings respectively.

Openings:

The Winslow Boy at The Old Vic with Richard Teverson has opened to wonderful reviews. Cocktail Sticks featuring Derek Hutchinson has also received high praise for its West End transfer.  The Low Road has premiered at The Royal Court with Natasha Gordon part of a brilliant ensemble in Dominic Cooke’s ambitious production. Next up, Children of the Sun (Stephen Wilson) and Othello (Scott Karim) both April openings at The National.

Graduate News:

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Children Of The Sun at The NationalScott Karim (RADA) joins the much anticipated National Theatre production of Othello which Nick Hytner is directing.  Stephen Wilson (Guildhall) also joins the National company in Howard Davies revival of Gorky’s Children Of The Sun in The Lyttelton Theatre.  Molly Logan will join The Shakespeare’s Globe company  in Dominic Dromgoole’s A Midsummer Night Dream and Jessica Swale’s Blue Stocking which John Dove directs. Helen Sorren (Guildhall) makes her professional stage debut  in The Miser which Nancy Meckler directs at The Watermill whilst on screen Jason Callender (Manchester School of Theatre)  can currently be seen playing new teacher Dexter in the BBC’s  hugely popular 4’o’Clock Club.

Theatre Happenings

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Feb UpdateNatasha Gordon starts rehearsals for The Low Road at The Royal Court, Bruce Norris’s new play which outgoing Artistic Director Dominic Cooke will direct.  Opening in the Court’s main house in March, it is preceded by If You Don’t Let Us Dream, We Won’t Let You Sleep in which Ferdy Roberts appears. Over at The Old Vic,  Richard Teverson starts rehearsals for Lindsay Posner’s revival of The Winslow Boy also opening March. Derek Hutchinson, meanwhile, will transfer to the West End in Cocktail Sticks, as part of the National’s Alan Bennet double bill performing at The Duchess Theatre. Amy Cudden continues in the roles of Rachel/Roscoe Crabbe In One Man 2 Guvnors now playing opposite Rufus Hound at The Haymarket whilst Roger Sloman and Jess Murphy round off their runs at The National in The Magistrate and People respectively.

Out of town Graham Turner continues in Orphan of Zhao at RSC, Stratford and Mark Stobbart takes the role of Issac in The Hired Man , Colchester/Leicester Curve co-production with Daniel Buckroyd directing.  Also Benjamin Davies begins rehearsal with Blackwatch for The National Theatre of Scotland. Msimis Dlamini continues in the UK tour of Soul Sister and Emma Handy opens in Thursday as part of The Adelaide Festival.