Rona Kelly - Page 6

Playing the Wicked Witch of the West, actor Jos Vantyler shares the challenges of taking on such well-known roles, the joys of performing villains, and what audiences can expect from the show.

Appearing in a gender swapping Measure for Measure, Lowden returns to the London stage at the Donmar Warehouse. Tackling the subjects of gender and sexual misconduct, Lowden shares just how much the play resonates today, how audiences are reacting, and the joys of doubling characters alongside Hayley Atwell.

The latest incarnation of Anais Mitchell's musical sees it cross the river to the other side, playing to UK audiences before heading to Broadway. The result: an otherworldly experience with sublime staging.

Sam Shepard's True West opens at the Vaudeville later this month. This marks one of numerous productions of the show to play the West End and Broadway, in the year following the acclaimed playwright's death. Appearing in her first Shepard play, Madeleine Potter talks to us about her admiration for the writer, her discoveries from the text, and just why this production 'must' resonate today.

Grounded in the text with clear intentions from the director and actors, Erica Whyman's Romeo and Juliet feels like you're hearing the play anew.

We sat down to talk to the lovers themselves Orpheus and Eurydice: Reeve Carney who returns to the production, and Eva Noblezada who joins it anew. With the National Olivier being the largest venue the show has played to date, the two share how the revolves are helping to tell the story, how else the show has changed, and Broadway audiences vs. West End ones.

Actress and writer Charlotte Josephine features in her first season for the Royal Shakespeare Company, playing Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet. Catching up on the first day of rehearsals for the London transfer, Charlotte spoke to us about how Erica Whyman's production will resonate with audiences, as well as what it's like taking on a role normally played by a man and speaking 'forbidden' words.

2018 has seen Rosalie Craig take on jobs side by side at the Gielgud. Appearing in The Ferryman earlier this year, Rosalie returns for Company in a role normally played by a man. Sharing her love of Bobbie, Rosalie looks back on her other roles that came before, how Company speaks to today, and looks to the future of the production.

Current Resident Puppetry Director for the National Theatre, Matthew Forbes' journey to this role actually started with War Horse. Knowing the puppets inside out, Matthew shares his insights into working with puppets and what it takes to bring Joey and his friends to life on stage every night. (Spoiler: they have their own vets!)

Kevin Harvey returns to the Almeida (that is a truth), for his seventh (that is a lie) first Ibsen play: The Wild Duck. Catching up during rehearsals, Kevin talks to us about tackling Ibsen, the relevance of the play today, and reuniting with director Robert Icke.

Embracing the darkness of the play and space, we are 'cabined, cribbed, confined, bound in to saucy doubts and fears' alongside Macbeth in Polly Findlay's terrifying and thoughtful production.

Edward Bennett returns to the Royal Shakespeare Company for his third season, appearing in Polly Findlay's Macbeth. As the production comes to London, Bennett gives us an insight into Findlay's rehearsal room, discusses how Macduff is similar to previous roles he's played here, and also shares his own superstitions surrounding the Scottish Play and theatre...

Sandy Grierson returns to the London stage in othellomacbeth, taking on the roles of Cassio and Macbeth in one show. No stranger to doubling, Grierson previously played the roles of Faustus and Mephistopheles in the Royal Shakespeare Company's acclaimed production of Doctor Faustus in 2016, the parts decided with the lighting of matches. Taking us through his thoughts on and experience with Shakespeare, Grierson shares Jude Christian's vision of the two plays and just why they chose (and to an extent needed) to 'f*** with them a bit'.

Phone rings, door chimes, in comes Marianne Elliott, ushering in a new age of adaptation with her. Almost 50 years since it opened on Broadway, Company returns to the West End. Reworked, though respectful of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's original material, this hopefully opens the door for more reimaginings with love filling the London stage.

'But men are men...' Gender is taking centre stage in the current climate, telling her story not history. From new writes like SIX and The Old Vic's Sylvia, to the reframing of classics from a female perspective, the Liverpool Everyman's female led Othello and the Globe's Imogen prove the relevance of these texts to modern audiences. Elayce Ismail and Jude Christian's othellomacbeth is a hybrid of these: retelling two of Shakespeare's greatest plays, with the emphasis on the women and new additions. While bold it may be, the result is a mixed bag of 'confused events, new hatch'd to [this] woeful time'.

Having played Sir Toby Belch in the National Theatre's Twelfth Night last year, Tim McMullan returns to the Olivier for another Shakespeare play: Antony and Cleopatra. Taking on the role of Enobarbus, he shares the challenges and rewards of playing this character in this particular space and time.

Welcome to the next installment in our Special Effects series, celebrating the worlds off stage from some of the UK's biggest shows on stage. Last month, we dissected blood, guts and more with The Lieutenant of Inishmore and Tamburlaine. This time, we're exploring the setup required to leave characters like that, 'Torn and twisted at the foot of a burning bike'. Tech Assistant Stage Manager for Bat Out of Hell, Gary Wall has been with the production since its first run in Manchester. Talking bats and bikes, Gary reveals the 'backstage ballet' that is automation, and just how many cues a show of this scale has. 

Actor Joshua McGuire returns to the National Theatre this year, to appear in David Hare's new play I'm Not Running. Chatting to him during rehearsals, Joshua shares his love of new writing, what the play is (and is definitely not) about, and his journey from audience to actor at the National.

West End shows will find themselves in good company later this month. Company returns to the London stage in a reworked version by Marianne Elliott, set in the modern day and featuring gender swaps of characters. Jonathan Bailey take on the roles of Paul and Jamie respectively. Sharing their experiences of Sondheim, the two talk rehearsals, what could drive them crazy, and throw down the gauntlet to Hamilton!

It's been a busy summer for actor Bryan Dick. As performances finish for one show, rehearsals get underway for another one...or rather two! A double bill for the Rose Theatre Kingston, Hogarth's Progress features The Art of Success and the world premiere of The Taste of the Town. Catching up on how rehearsals are going, Bryan shares his thoughts on tackling characters with real life counterparts, from William Hogarth to Ernie Wise.