Michelle Bonnard can be seen in Channel 4’s The Fear this week from Mon Dec 3, the Brighton crime drama screens on consecutive nights. ITV’s new drama Poison Tree with Naomi Bentley will be premiering next Monday Dec 10th whilst Great Expectations the Mike Nichols feature in which Pooky Quesnel plays Mrs Pockett is now on general release in cinemas.
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One Man 2 Guvnors : West End
After his award winning turn on Broadway, Tom Edden returns to the West End for 8 weeks only reprising his role as Alfie. This will be the last chance to see Tom’s amazing comedy performance which won him The Drama Desk Award along with Tony and Outer Critics Circle nominations in New York this summer. Gavin Spokes is also in the West End cast and takes over the lead role of Francis in January. Starting rehearsals to join the new company is Amy Cudden who will be playing the leading role of Rachel/Roscoe Crabbe also from January.
Theatre Openings
The Orphan of Zhao has opened at the RSC to high praise. Graham Turner’s heartfelt performance as the country doctor has been singled out by many critics in Greg Doran’s first production as new Artistic Director. The piece is variously described as an “extraordinary theatrical event” (Guardian) “an emotionally piercing marvel” (The Times) and a “gripping production… of an unseen classic” (The Telegraph).
Also opening last week at The Print Room was Lot and His God , the UK premiere of Howard Barker’s take on the Genesis story in which Hermione Gulliford takes the role of Lot’s wife. The Telegraph writes “Gulliford performs the part mesmerisingly. In a dusty, dirty, dark bar in Sodom she meets the angel Drogheda, who is there to convince her and her husband to flee their home. Gulliford rolls the language around her mouth, easily and playfully and the result lays bare the many layers of meaning and intention in Barker’s script – no easy feat.”
Over at The National Theatre, Alan Bennett’s People featuring Jess Murphy was another opening last week to 4 and 5 star reviews. It now plays in rep in The Lyttelton Theatre alongside Scenes From An Execution (Robert Hands, Jay Simpson) which opened to excellent reviews in October. Previewing now and opening next week is The Magistrate which sees Roger Sloman return to The National in Pinero’s classic. And Derek Hutchinson returns too in another Alan Bennett play Cocktail Sticks which Nick Hytner directs as a companion piece to People.
Looking forward, Lynn Gardner (Guardian) tips Ignorance at Hampstead Downstairs a new play from Steve Waters as one to watch. Daniel Rabin is cast as part of a small-town postwar US community struggling to accept a foreigner in their midst.
New writing
Our clients’ commitment to new writing is reflected in the London Evening Standard Award’s Longlist for most promising new playwright. The nominations include Red Velvet (Tricycle) featuring Natasha Gordon, Goodbye To All That (Royal Court) in which Roger Sloman appeared, You Can Still Make A Killing (Southwark Playhouse) with William Mannering and The Kitchen Sink (Bush Theatre) which starred Lisa Palfrey. Good luck to all the nominees.
Picture show Lisa Palfrey in “The Kitchen Sink”
©2012 Bush Theatre
Autumn Theatre Preview:
Roger Sloman returns to The National in Pinero’s The Magistrate directed by Timothy Sheader. Jess Murphy returns too, currently rehearsing for Alan Bennett’s new play People which Nick Hytner directs. Gavin Spokes, meanwhile, joins the National’s highly successful West End run of One Man 2 Guvnors at The Haymarket.
Also in London, Vincenzo Nicoli opens in a new production of Revenger’s Tragedy at Hoxton Hall with Suba Das directing and Will Mannering premieres in a new play You Can Still Make A Killing which Matthew Dunster directs at Southwark Playhouse. Hermione Gulliford appears in the UK premiere of Howard Barker’s Lot and His God directed by Robyn Winfied-Smith at The Print Room in Notting Hill.
Geraldine Alexander has just opened in The Welsh Boy at Bath, Ustinov Studio whilst Chris Ryman performs in Greyscale’s What The Animals Say, which arrives London in October. Also opening in October is Scenes From An Execution with Jay Simpson and Robert Hands at The National plus Natasha Gordon in The Tricycle’s Red Velvet.
September Screen
Sara Powell will begin filming The Ice Cream Girls a 3-part ITV drama based on Dorothy Koomson’s best-selling novel and directed by Dan Zeff. Watch out for Jay Simpson as Bruce Reynolds in Mrs Biggs, ITV’s new standout drama about the lives of the Great Train Robbers starting Wed 6th Sept at 9PM and continuing. Meanwhile, Mike Newell’s film adaptation of Great Expectations in which Pooky Quesnel plays Mrs Pockett premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival Sept 11.
EBA latest Theatre
Jay Simpson is in rehearsals at The National for Howard Barker’s Scenes From An Execution with director Tom Cairns. Graham Turner joins the RSC for their Winter Season at The Swan, Stratford where his casting includes the leading role of Dr Cheng in The Orphan of Zao, directed by Greg Doran.
Lisa Palfrey plays Gloria in Before It Rains which will mark the re-opening of Bristol Old Vic whilst Ferdy Roberts takes his devised Filter Theatre Co’s ‘Water’ to the Sidney Festival, Australia. Natasha Gordon will be joining Indhu Rubasingham’s cast of Red Velvet in her first production as Artistic Director at The Tricycle.
Music Week
Gavin Spokes performs the role of Nicely Nicely Johnson in a concert production of Guys & Dolls with The Royal Philharmonic at Cadogan Hall Aug 22-25. Msimisi Dlamini , meanwhile, opens in the West End transfer of Soul Sister, the Ike & Tina Turner musical at The Savoy playing August through September.
Summer Shoots
Michelle Bonnard joins the cast of The Fear, World Productions dark new thriller set in underworld Brighton. She will be playing the regular role of DS Janice Goodchild with Michael Samuels directing.
Naomi Bentley meanwhile shoots The Poison Tree – a 2 part drama for ITV based on the book by Erin Kelly with Marek Losey directing. Benjamin Davies will be filming The Fast and the Furious for Universal this summer, the sixth film in Vin Diesel’s popular action franchise with Justin Lin directing. Jay Simpson and Vincenzo Nicoli film Run described as a brilliantly dark new 5 part drama for Channel 4 helmed by Charles Palmer whilst Graham Turner films a guest role in the ever popular Dr Who.
Utopia
Mark Stobbart, Hermione Gulliford, Gavin Spokes and Jay Simpson are all playing guest roles in Utopia – an adaptation of the legendary cult graphic novel, written by Dennis Kelly (Matilda, Spooks) and directed by Marc Munden (The Mark of Cain, The Crimson Petal and the White). It’s produced by Kudos Film & TV for Channel 4.
