Michael Jones News

Following preview performances in Northampton in July and a successful Edinburgh Festival Fringe run at the Pleasance Beyond last summer, award-winning theatre company The Wardrobe Ensemble's co-production of The Last of the Pelican Daughters returns to Royal & Derngate this spring as part of the Made in Northampton season and ahead of a UK tour.

Love Quirks, A New Musical Fable will be making its Off-Broadway premiere in an open-ended run at St. Luke's Theatre (307 West 46thSt.) later this month. Based on actual events, Love Quirks spotlights a group of thirty-somethings (gay and straight), as they explore the bizarre tribulations of love, friendship, and all the blurry lines in-between. The production features an original score of quirky, neurotic, and poignant songs by composer/lyricist Seth Bisen-Hersh and a script by Mark Childers filled with laughter, pathos, and an abundance of sexual tension. Previews begin Friday, February 28th and the official opening night is slated for Monday, March 16th. Performances are on Mondays and Fridays at 8:15pm and Saturdays and Sundays at 2:00pm. Tickets range from $39-$69 and are available at Telecharge.com, by calling 212-239-6200, or by visiting the St. Luke's box office. For further information visit www.LoveQuirks.com

Equinox Theatre Company is thrilled to present the second show of their 12th season a?" Monty Python's Spamalot. Performances will be March 27 through April 18, 2020 with shows Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 PM. Tickets are $25 in advance/$30 at the door/$22 for groups of 6 or more in advance only. All performances will be at The Bug Theatre at 3654 Navajo Street in Denver. Tickets and more information available online at www.EquinoxTheatreDenver.com

Love Quirks, a Musical Fable Based on Actual Events, has announced the complete cast for the premiere Off-Broadway production which will begin previews at St. Luke's on Friday, Feb 28th.

Royal & Derngate Northampton and York Theatre Royal, in association with Oxford Playhouse, today announced that their world premiere of Alone in Berlin, translated and adapted for the stage by Alistair Beaton from Hans Fallada's acclaimed novel, will feature illustrations by Jason Lutes, from his epic graphic novel Berlin and songs by Orlando Gough performed by cabaret singer Jessica Walker.

The Factory Theater,1623 W. Howard St., has announced its newest main stage production, Last Night in Karaoke Town, February 14 - March 28, 2020. Written by Mike Beyer and Kirk Pynchon, creators of the Factory hit Hey! Dancin'!, bring the only known tribute to Cleveland in the history of American theater to the Factory this winter, directed by Kim Boler. Previews are Friday, Feb. 14 and Saturday, Feb. 15 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 16 at 3 p.m. Press Opening is Friday, February 21, 2020 at 8 p.m. and the regular performance schedule is Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Tickets for Last Night in Karaoke Town are $10 - $25 and may be purchased through the Box Office by calling 866-811-4111 or by visiting TheFactoryTheater.com.

The Factory Theater presents the continuation of last year's holiday special, Xmas War, with Xmas War: ENDGAME, December 13 - 21 at Factory Theater, 1623 W. Howard St. Factory Theater's holiday production is a double feature with the company performing last year's show and then continuing the story with this year's sequel. The production runs for two weekends only, Friday, Dec. 13 and 20 and Saturday, Dec. 14 and 21, at 8 p.m. Xmas War: ENDGAME is directed by Matt Engle and written by Scott OKen. Tickets are $15 each, and may be purchased through the Box Office by calling 866-811-4111 or by visiting TheFactoryTheater.com.

For the first time, Alton Brown is joining Anne Burrell to transform a roster of terrible cooks into culinary shape with challenges bigger and crazier than ever in a brand-new season of Worst Cooks in America. The fan-favorite series pits two teams of atrocious cooks, one led by Alton and the other by Anne, against each other in a rigorous kitchen boot camp designed to transform their food skills. In the end, only the one recruit who makes the most impressive culinary improvement wins a $25,000 cash prize and bragging rights for their team leader. The ten-episode season premieres on Sunday, January 5th at 9pm (all times ET/PT) on Food Network.

The Factory Theater,1623 W. Howard St., has announced the launch of The Factory Zone, a two-night event featuring a collection of eight plays and conceived by Factory Co-Artistic Directors Manny Tamayo and Stacie Barra. The Factory Zone will run Friday, Nov. 15 and Saturday, Nov. 16 at 8 p.m. Tickets for The Factory Zone are $10, and may be purchased through the Box Office by calling 866-811-4111 or by visiting TheFactoryTheater.com.

Royal & Derngate, Northampton, and New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich, have announced Tori Allen-Martin and Alex Cardall as the cast for their co-production of the new musical, The Season, by 2018 MTI Stiles + Drewe Mentorship Award winners, Jim Barne and Kit Buchan, playing in Northampton and Ipswich in November. The production will be directed by Tim Jackson and designed by Amy Jane Cook.

Michigan Opera Theatre (MOT) is adding Michael Ching's a?oeBuoso's Ghosta?? as a second opera to its a?oeGianni Schicchia?? performances Feb. 29 a?" March 1. The work is a sequel to Giacomo Puccini's a?oeGianni Schicchi,a?? often nicknamed the a?oeSchiquel.a?? Both works are one-act comedies and will be performed by the resident artists of the Michigan Opera Theatre Studio. a?oeBuoso's Ghosta?? premiered in 1996 in Pittsburgh, 78 years after its predecessor.

The Factory Theater opens its 27th season with Oh Sh#t! It's Haunted! September 27 a?" November 9, written by Factory Theater Ensemble Member Scott OKen and directed by Factory Theater Co-Artistic Director Manny Tamayo at the Factory Theater, 1623 W. Howard St.

The Factory Theater is proud to announce five new members of its artistic ensemble: Brittney Brown, Jose M. Cervantes, Ashley Yates, Michael Jones and Jennifer Betancourt.  Factory's ensemble members write all of the Factory's original plays and have full voting rights in the company, including season selection, leadership election and accepting new ensemble members. They are also forced to do arduous chores like helping with strike and manning the box office. 

Royal & Derngate Northampton and York Theatre Royal, in association with Oxford Playhouse, today announced that they will be staging the world premiere of Alone in Berlin, adapted for the stage by Alistair Beaton from Hans Fallada's acclaimed novel. Directed by Royal & Derngate's Artistic Director James Dacre, the production will open in Northampton in February before transferring to York and Oxford.

Royal & Derngate Northampton has announced full cast and creative team for the venue's world premiere of The Pope. This new play from Anthony McCarten, the 2019 Golden Globe and BAFTA-winning, and 2019 Oscar nominated writer of Bohemian Rhapsody, The Theory Of Everything and Darkest Hour, will star Anton Lesser (Game Of Thrones, The Crown, Wolf Hall, Endeavour) as Pope Benedict and Nicholas Woodeson (Baptiste, The Danish Girl, Death of Stalin, Taboo) as Pope Francis and will feature original music composed by BRIT, Oscar and Grammy-winning composer Anne Dudley (Elle, American History X, The Full Monty, Poldark). Faith Alabi (Belleville, Donmar Warehouse; Hamlet, Talawa) and Lynsey Beauchamp (Britannia, Einstein) play the roles of Sister Sophia and Sister Brigitta respectively.

Royal & Derngate Northampton has announced that Artistic Director James Dacre will direct the world premiere of The Pope this June as part of its Made in Northampton 2019 season. This new play from Anthony McCarten, the 2019 Golden Globe and BAFTA-winning, and 2019 Oscar nominated writer of Bohemian Rhapsody, The Theory Of Everything and Darkest Hour, will star Anton Lesser (Game Of Thrones, The Crown, Wolf Hall) as Pope Benedict and will feature original music composed by BRIT, Oscar and Grammy-winning composer Anne Dudley (Elle, American History X, The Full Monty, Poldark).

In the early hours of February 21, 2005, a utility worker found 21-year-old Inna Budnytska unconscious, naked, beaten and near death, abandoned in an undeveloped Miami cul-de-sac. Budnytska, a guest in a nearby airport hotel, had no memory of her attack and rape. Authorities looked at the hotel's surveillance footage for potential answers, but found puzzling information. The cameras recorded her walking into the lobby at 3:40 a.m. and then never captured her again. In a two-hour documentary, “20/20” reports on the mysterious case and features private investigator Ken Brennan, who meticulously gathered and pieced together clues, discovering how Budnytska left the hotel and tracking down the man whose DNA matched her attacker. “20/20” airs on Friday, April 5 (9:00-11:00 p.m. EDT), on ABC.

After wreaking havoc on Achievement Hunter with the first season of Hardcore Tabletop, Geoff decided to take the competition to a new level, opening the battle to the greatest Monopoly players in the world in Hardcore Tabletop: World Series.

Royal & Derngate announces another world premiere production, a musical staging of Pippi Longstocking, for the venue's Made in Northampton 2019 Christmas show. Meanwhile, the venue's 2018 Christmas production of The Worst Witch continues to tour the UK. Pippi Longstocking is adapted for the stage for the first time by Mike Akers from Astrid Lindgren's much-loved books, with original music by Stu Barker. It will be directed by The Wardrobe Ensemble's Jesse Jones and Helena Middleton who co-directed Education, Education, Education for Royal & Derngate in 2017.

Royal & Derngate, Northampton, and New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich, have just announced their co-production of a new musical, The Season, by 2018 Stiles + Drewe Mentorship Award winners, Jim Barne and Kit Buchan, playing in Northampton and Ipswich in November.