Daphne du Maurier's 1951 novel My Cousin Rachel is a dark, psychological thriller that focuses on jealousy, female sexual power and control over men. It was made into a moderately successful film in 2017 starring Rachel Weiss and then adapted for the stage. It ends its nationwide tour at Richmond theatre this week on a rather weak note.
If like many you find yourself wishing you could change the world right now, you might want to first pop down to the Lyric Hammersmith to see Chris Bush's Faustus: That Damned Woman. Taking Christopher Marlowe's Renaissance play and bringing parts of it into the twenty-first century, Bush's new work reminds audiences that dealings with the devil always ever benefit one person. Hint: it's not you or me.
Ammar Duffus's past work includes Twelfth Night at the National Theatre, Holes at Nottingham Playhouse, and Sally Cookson's take on Peter Pan at the Troubadour. Duffus now reunites with Cookson for the UK tour of A Monster Calls - her critically acclaimed stage version of Patrick Ness's novel, a hit at the Old Vic in 2018.
A Monster Calls embarks on UK tour from 6 February – 6 June 2020. Get a first look at rehearsal photos!
BWW reviewer Natalie O'Donoghue selects her top picks in theatre around Glasgow and beyond for 2020.
It's Christmas Eve and Andy (Elliot Levey) is waiting for his daughter Maya (Ellen Robertson) to come back to him. She left home three years prior after they had - according to her father - a silly argument and she hasn't spoken to him since, nor has she replied to his texts. But someone has seen her in a café in Oxford, so Andy feels that she's ready to finally meet him. He's decked the village hall to welcome her back and he's sure she's coming, even though there are no signs of her. Then, Natalie (Amber James) bursts through the door.
The Ocean at the End of the Lane offers a spectacular theatrical experience, but may leave some viewers cold with its whimsy and unwillingness to explore human relationships in depth.
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.
Park Theatre's production of The Snow Queen runs from 4th December 2019 to 4th January 2020.
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.
How ripping! A saucy French maid doing the Charleston with a handsome chap in tennis whites sets the scene for the most delightful escapism in town: Matthew White's gossamer-light revival of Sandy Wilson's 1953 love letter to the Roaring Twenties. It was once the third-longest-running stage musical, and boosted Julie Andrews' career on Broadway.
Pure magic are the two words I would use to describe The Boy in the Dress. Appearing for the first time on stage, David Walliams' book has sold over 32 million copies worldwide. Most recently the BBC adapted it for screen, which went down very well and ensured that the story reached even more people. Now, it is the RSC and Mark Ravenhill's turn to bring it to life, under the direction of the venue's Artistic Director Gregory Doran. It's an adventurous challenge and clearly there has been no expense spared to ensure that the musical remains as authentic to its origins as possible.
THE BOY FRIEND, Sandy Wilson's all-singing all-dancing love letter to 1920s musical comedies, returns for the first major London revival in over 10 years. Matthew White's revival runs at Menier Chocolate Factory until 7 March, 2020.
Ronan Raftery plays chess world champion Boris Spassky in Ravens: Spassky vs Fischera??a??a??a??a??a??a??, beginning this week at Hampstead Theatre. The Cold War is taken to the chess board as Boris Spassky and Bobby Fischer prepare for battle. Raftery told us what we should expect from this game of epic proportions.
Production images for the Royal Shakespeare Company's (RSC) new musical The Boy in the Dresshave now been released.
The London première of Mike Bartlett's latest play Snowflake will run at Kiln Theatre over Christmas. Clare Lizzimore directs Elliot Levey (Andy) and Ellen Robertson (Maya) who created their roles in the original run at Old Fire Station in Oxford; and they will be joined by Amber James (Natalie). The production opens on 16 December, with previews from 10 December; and also announced today ,the production extends for an additional week, now running until 25 January 2020. For a full schedule over Christmas, please see the website.
Catching up with actor Rufus Hound, he takes us through the development of The Boy in the Dress: from tears early on at hearing the songs for the first time, to tech week and getting into the theatre.
Menier Chocolate Factory presents their major revival of Sandy Wilson's The Boy Friend running at the theatre over Christmas. Matthew White directs a cast including Jack Butterworth (Bobby van Husen), Janie Dee (Mme Dubonnet), Adrian Edmondson (Lord Brockhurst), Tiffany Graves (Hortense), Dylan Mason (Tony), Amara Okereke (Polly) and Issy van Randwyck (Lady Brockhurst). The production opens on 3 December, with previews from 22 November, and runs until 7 March 2020.
Helen George talks bringing My Cousin Rachel from page to stage, and gives us a sneak peek into what we can expect from Call the Midwife's Christmas special!
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