UK Roundup - Anna & Tropics, Cybill, Bat Boy

Could Anna and the Tropics be the big hit that the Hampstead Theatre needs? Since the subsidised new writing venue reopened last year it's had a string of flops with poor reviews and small houses, in particular Revelations, When the Night Begins and The Maths Tutor. Post-Broadway, a new production of the Pulitzer Prize winner is set to open over the Christmas period from November 25th – January 8th. The play, by Nilo Cruz, is set in a cigar factory in the 1920s. Diana Quick leads the cast directed by Indhu Rubasingham

Cybill Shepherd is to bring her one woman show to London next week for 12 performances only. Cybill Disobedience, based on her autobiography, features the actress – best known for sitcom Cybill – talking about her life, including "beauty pageants, Elvis, sex, Bruce Willis, lies, marriage, motherhood, Hollywood and the irrepressible urge to say what I think". But, of course, like all good one-woman memoir trips, if it's anything like the book it will be "about a strong woman's determination to survive." It plays at the Soho Theatre and tickets are priced from £15 – 32.50, an extortionate mark-up on the venues regular £15 price.
 

The Woman in White has had a moderately successful London opening, with many papers hailing Andrew Lloyd Webber's score. Perhaps the most accurate advice comes from Quentin Letts of the Daily Mail – 'Don't be scared of this new Lloyd Webber, but do be patient', adding 'It may not match many box office records, but it certainly breaks new ground.' Whatever ground it breaks, the box office is strong for the time being and it seems London could have a hit on its hands. Mary Poppins has also begun previous out-of-town, with Letts defying the critics rule and writing a sneak-preview review of the show.

I was saddened to read this week that Scotland's Traverse Theatre is suffering from financial problems and as a result cannot produce new work until March. The theatre, which leads the way during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, sees many of its productions go onto London; in particular the Royal Court and Hamsptead Theatres. Though they feature some revivals, what makes the Traverse unique is its commitment to finding the writers of tomorrow. That this lingers in danger is a great shame. But on the brighter side for new writing, the Theatre Writing Partnership based in theatres around the East Midlands has won a grant from the Peggy Ramsey Foundation.

Equally sad to hear is that Bat Boy is suffering from bad house capacities. A couple of sources tell me that on Wednesday evening's performance there were as few as fifteen people in the circle and around one hundred in the stalls, whilst Thursday matinee had 50 in. Bad reviews, including The Guardian's scathing "quite what it is doing on a West End stage...is a mystery", have left Bat Boy doomed for the West End success it wanted. However, with revisions made by writer Laurence O'Keefe, it seems possible that the new production could eventually make its way back to America. Whatever Amercans thought to the show, it's evident that Bat Boy London is in trouble - if you pre-order a copy of the UK cast recording, you get a free ticket.

 

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