Anthony Walker-Cook - Page 2

a?oeIt was human tapioca.a?? An unusual way to describe a party, perhaps, but a stickily accurate one. That's just one of many effective lines in Miriam Battye's Scenes with girls at the Royal Court. Knowing references, squeals of delight and animated gestures confirm the hilarious familiarity shared between Tosh and Lou as the two dissect said party, and from there audiences are quickly drawn into their comfortable space.

Two towering Christmas trees dominate the stage of the Royal Albert Hall. Pillars of festive spirit, they were an ample backdrop for the London Community Gospel Choir's (LCGC) Christmas concert, which was a magical evening of love and worship.

Fascinating Aïda's new show offers irreverent looks to growing old, politics, the environment, dogging, and everything in between. Having gone a?oefungala?? with 'Dogging' and the infamously naughty 'Try Not To Be a C**t, It's Christmas', the group are now playing a limited four-week season at the Queen Elizabeth Hall before a spring tour in 2020.

It's a case of rather ironic programming that the press night for Mike Lew's Teenage Dick at the Donmar Warehouse was on the 12 December, the day of the General Election in the UK. An adaptation of Shakespeare's Richard III, Lew's new play is a meditation on the nature of power transposed to an American high school. Commissioned by The Apothetae, a theatre company dedicated to plays that discuss disability, and with direction by Michael Longhurst, Lew retells Shakespeare with a needed urgency, providing an arch reminder that the voices of the disabled have often been ignored, terrorised or shouted down from the earliest possibility.

Following the success of Summer and Smoke at both the Almeida and the Duke of York's theatre, director Rebecca Frecknall returns to the former venue with John Webster's The Duchess of Malfi. Taking Webster's grotesque tale of betrayal, this production sets the lives of its female characters on brutal display with a relentless atmosphere.

Following successful runs at the Old Vic, in the West End and in New York, Conor McPherson's Girl from the North Country returns for a limited run at the Gielgud Theatre. Anna-Jane Casey's past work includes Chicago, Billy Elliot and Calendar Girls, alongside regular appearances in the BBC's Prom series. She talks about her role, Bob Dylan's music and the audience reactions she's experienced so far.

With recent roles in Noises Off and Exit the King, Amy Morgan can now be seen at the Royal Court performing in Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti's A Kind of People. Set during a party on a Friday night, this new play examines seven people and asks wider questions about communities in Britain today. BroadwayWorld spoke with Amy about her character, Victoria, the rehearsal process and how the play compares to her previous work in theatre.

If you're in need of a brief sojourn away from London this Christmas period, then I've little hesitation in recommending the Mill at Sonning's Singin' in the Rain. With a fine cast, you'll be hard pressed to find a more impressive show in London than this production.

Panto might be the stalwart annual theatre trip at Christmas (yes, I know, 'oh no it isn't'...), but The Old Vic's production of A Christmas Carol, now in its third year, is fast catching up as one of the most joyous experiences of the festive season.

At the beginning of My Brilliant Friend, all there is on stage is a desk, a chair and a laptop. For the Olivier stage (and the for the National Theatre in general), it's noticeably, surprisingly bare, but one thing is clear: a story is about to be told.

Copies of C. S. Lewis's The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe have decorated children's bookshelves since its publication in 1950, and the image of a solitary gas lamppost amidst a blanket of white snow has become iconic. Following a successful run at the Leeds Playhouse in 2017, Sally Cookson's adaptation of Lewis's novel is now at the Bridge Theatre, and proves a perfect tonic to the theatrical soul, with impeccable design and innovative scenic effects.

What you might not expect when sitting down in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, a replica Elizabethan indoor theatre, is to see the titular character of Richard III enter on stage wearing football clothes. Granted, it's an unusual twist. Representing a companion to a condensed Henry VI (which squishes three plays into one), what Richard III makes clear from the beginning is that the game to become king is just beginning.

If you find yourself at the National Theatre with some spare time, head to the Wolfson Gallery for an impressive, colourful trip. Costume at the National Theatre is a free exhibition that invites audiences to learn of the people and processes at work behind the stage to provide the stunning costumes on any three of the National's theatres. BroadwayWorld spoke with If you find yourself at the National Theatre with some spare time, head to the Wolfson Gallery for an impressive, colourful trip. Costume at the National Theatre is a free exhibition that invites audiences to learn about the people and processes at work behind the stage to provide the stunning costumes seen in the National's three theatres spaces. BroadwayWorld spoke with Carol Lingwood, Head of Costume at the National Theatre, about the impetus behind the exhibition, and the challenges and joys of making costumes that will look as good on their first performance as they will on their last.Carol Lingwood, Head of Costume at the National Theatre, about the impetus behind the exhibition and the challenges and joys of making costumes that last.

Though the Bunker will be closing early 2020, it has rightly garnered a reputation for providing a platform for new voices. The same is true for the two new pieces being performed there currently: not only are i will still be whole (when you rip me in half) and Before I Was A Bearthe respective debut plays of Ava Wong Davies and Eleanor Tindall, but they also proclaim their authors as confident new voices.

After a premiere at Bristol Old Vic, and a tour including Inverness and Hong Kong, Touching the Void is now at the Duke of York's Theatre in the West End. Writer David Greig and director Morris have managed the astonishing feat of translating to stage the story of Joe Simpson, who was stranded in the Peruvian Andes after his climbing partner Simon Yates had to make the terrible decision to cut the rope connecting them. BroadwayWorld spoke with Josh Williams about the physical intensity demanded by the show and how it depicts the men who set their minds on scaling these mountains.

On a sunny November morning, the Royal Opera House opened its doors for TheatreCraft 2019, the UK's largest free event for those aged 16-30 who want an offstage career in theatre. BroadwayWorld attended the event alongside over 1,300 young people to learn more about the jobs that happen behind the scenes in venues across the country. 

As you enter the Barbican's auditorium to watch the RSC's The Taming of the Shrew, you can't miss the sound of fireworks in the background. It's implied a celebration is coming. As part of this RSC season alongside As You Like It and Measure for Measure, The Taming of the Shrew is directed by Justin Audibert. But is it an explosion of theatrical goodness or a wet fizzle? Prithee, read on to find out.

Following a sold-out run at the Young Vic, Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman has transferred to the West End and, with blistering direction from Marianne Elliott and Miranda Cromwell, it remains one of the standout shows of the year.

Start spreading the news, Richard Shelton's renowned cabaret Sinatra: Raw is now at Wilton's Music Hall as the culmination of a national tour. Previously receiving an Offie nomination for Best Male Performance, Shelton brings his depiction of one of history's finest singers for a two-week engagement.

The winner of over 90 domestic championships and seven national titles alongside setting a slew of records, Beryl Burton was one of England's most successful cyclists. With a career that started in the late 1950s and that continued into the 1980s, the dedication and strength of a?oethe Yorkshire housewifea?? certainly represented the grit and determination associated with the North.