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Review: Elf Lyons: Raven, Gilded Balloon Teviot, Edinburgh Fringe ✭✭✭✭
Under the sweet, smiling charm of Elf Lyons’ cool demeanour lies unspeakable horror. She could be your child’s favourite teacher at primary school but – no doubt like many primary school teachers – there is a darkness that lies beneath. In her new show, Raven, she draws on her skills and background as a clown to explore the horror of everyday life – to unsettling and hilarious effect.
The inspiration for Raven is her love of the stories of Stephen King and, like her hero, she understands the power of childhood fears. From the monster in the toilet bowl to the foot-grabbing ghoul under the bed, she captures the very real terrors of being a small child. Some of those fears are very relatable – the half-glimpsed figure at the end of a poorly lit corridor – while others are all hers thanks to a premature viewing of R-rated horror film Hollow Man.
This is no cosy ghost story told beside a roaring fire – it’s a provocative piece of physical theatre performed beside a scary mutilated doll. Like Lyons’ previous shows such as the magnificent Swan, Raven is frank and confrontational. Nobody escapes the rage lurking inside her, including a bemused critic, but the incipient violence is balanced with humour and outright silliness. Horror and comedy may seem strange bedfellows but Lyons shows they are both useful weapons for confronting the traumas and trials of our lives.
Elf Lyons: Raven runs at Gilded Balloon Teviot at Edinburgh Fringe to 29 August 2022 and on tour, including Soho Theatre in London from 27 October to 5 November 2022. Tickets at edfringe.com and sohotheatre.com.
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New cast announced for Cabaret in the West End
It’s a Sin breakout star Callum Scott Howells and The Handmaid Tale’s Madeline Brewer are to lead the new cast taking over in Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club in London’s West End.
Howells, who was nominated for a Bafta for playing Colin in TV series It’s a Sin, has been cast as the Emcee while Brewer, who received an Emmy nomination for playing Janine in Hulu series The Handmaid’s Tale, will be Sally Bowles.
They will take over from Fra Fee and Amy Lennox when the cast changes on 3 October 2022 for the period to 28 January 2023.
Also joining the cast on 3 October will be Sid Sagar as Cliff Bradshaw, Danny Mahoney as Ernst Ludwig and Michelle Bishop as Fraulein Kost.
Vivien Parry and Richard Katz, who joined the cast in March, will continue to play Fraulein Schneider and Herr Schultz respectively.
At certain performances, Sally Bowles will be played by Emily Benjamin. She has been a swing and understudy for the lead role since Rebecca Frecknall’s new production began its run at the Playhouse Theatre in November last year.
The cast is completed by Gabriela Benedetti, Charles Croysdill, Laura Delany, Sally Frith, Matthew Gent, Ying Ue Li, Ela Lisondra, Chris O’Mara, Grant Neal, Hicaro Nicolai, Adam Taylor, Toby Turpin, Patrick Wilden and Sophie Maria Wojna. The casting director is Stuart Burt.
Howells, who won acclaim as Arpad in the musical She Loves Me at London’s Menier Chocolate Factory in 2016, said: “I can’t wait to work with the incredible team and company, and follow on from two actors who I hugely respect and admire. I feel very lucky and excited to be taking on such an iconic role within this widely celebrated and unique production. It’s going to be a ride.”
Brewer, who will again be seen as Janine in the fifth series of The Handmaid’s Tale starting next month, said: “Rebecca’s vision is the most magical and emotional and exciting Cabaret I’ve ever seen. It’s a Sally and a Kit Kat Club so thrillingly fun and humbly prescient. I’m beyond honoured to be invited to the party.”
In April, the production won seven Olivier Awards – the most for any musical revival in Olivier history – as well as three Critics Circle Awards.
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Review: A Sudden Violent Burst of Rain, Summerhall, Edinburgh Fringe ✭✭
Every family has its stories, the versions of the past that have been re-told so many times that they become more like fables than history. In A Sudden Violent Burst of Rain, Sami Ibrahim spins a poetic mythic tale that starts promisingly but gets bogged down trying to balance fairytale with reality.
Elif is a young sheepshearer making wool to turn into clouds on an unnamed island but one day, after meeting the son of the local landowner, she finds a seed inside her which she re-plants in the soil and grows into a little girl, Lily. But both mother and daughter face an uncertain future as they are visitors to the island and not registered with the king, propelling Elif into a Kafkaesque nightmare of hostile bureaucracy.
The play uses a mythic narrative to present the experience of being a refugee in a foreign country, and reflects how stories and storytelling work as an escape from trauma. The reality of Elif’s life seeps into the story as it emerges that her job vacuuming up rainwater from the streets of a big city is – unsurprisingly – an allegory for her low-paid job as a cleaner but this tantalisingly points to powerful possibilities for the play that are never fully realised.
Under director Yasmin Hafesji, the three-strong cast of Sara Hazemi, Princess Khumalo and Samuel Tracy make the best of the material, sometimes breaking out of character to bicker about how to tell the story. But despite its important themes around colonialism, power and the plight of refugees, this timely new play is a promising concept that loses its way in the telling.
A Sudden Violent Burst of Rain runs in Paines Plough’s Roundabout at Summerhall at Edinburgh Fringe to 27 August 2022 and then at London’s Gate Theatre from 19 to 31 October 2022. Tickets at edfringe.com and gatetheatre.co.uk.
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Casting complete for tour of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Remaining cast have been announced for the UK tour of the new stage adaptation of Deborah Moggach’s The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.
They will join the previously announced Hayley Mills, Paul Nicholas and Rula Lenska, who play Evelyn, Douglas and Madge, when the show opens for its world premiere at London’s Richmond Theatre on 5 September 2022.
They are Tiran Aakel as Mr Gupta, Richenda Carey as Dorothy, Rekha John-Cheriyan as Mrs Kapoor, Andy de la Tour as Norman, Shila Iqbal as Sahani, Kerena Jagpal as Kamila, Harmage Singh Kalirai as Jimmy, Sally Knyvette as Jean, Nishad More as Sonny Kapoor, Marlene Sidaway as Muriel, and Anant Varman as Mohan. Adam Morris and Julie Wood are the understudies.
New rehearsal photography by Johan Persson has been released to tie in with the announcement. See below for more pictures.
The show, adapted by Moggach and directed by Lucy Bailey, will run in Richmond to 10 September and then tour to Sheffield’s Lyceum Theatre from 13 to 17 September, Theatre Royal Brighton from 20 to 24 September, Theatre Royal Glasgow from 27 September to 1 October, Theatre Royal Newcastle from 4 to 8 October, Hall for Cornwall in Truro from 11 to 15 October, Churchill Theatre in Bromley from 18 to 22 October, Theatre Royal Norwich from 24 to 29 October, Curve in Leicester from 1 to 5 November, The Lowry in Salford from 8 to 12 November, New Victoria Theatre in Woking from 15 to 19 November, Cambridge Arts Theatre from 22 to 26 November, and Theatre Royal Bath from 28 November to 3 December.
The tour will resume in 2023, starting at Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury from 17 to 21 January, Milton Keynes Theatre from 24 to 28 January, and Theatre Royal in Nottingham from 7 to 11 February, which will be the last performance for the original cast.
Further casting will be announced for the rest of the tour which starts at Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham from 21 to 25 February, Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham from 28 February to 4 March, New Theatre in Cardiff from 7 to 11 March, Theatre Severn in Shrewsbury from 14 to 18 March, Grand Theatre in Wolverhampton from 28 March to 1 April, His Majesty’s Theatre in Aberdeen from 4 to 8 April, Theatre Royal Plymouth from 18 to 22 April, Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford from 25 to 29 April, Mayflower Theatre in Southampton from 23 to 27 May, and Festival Theatre in Edinburgh from 30 May to 3 June.
Based on Moggach’s best-selling book, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel follows an eclectic group of British retirees as they embark on a new life in India. The luxury residence is far from the opulence they were promised, but as their lives begin to intertwine and they embrace the vibrancy of modern-day India, they are charmed in unexpected and life-changing ways.
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a joyous, feel-good comedy about taking risks, finding love and embracing second chances, even in the most surprising of places.
The 2012 film of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel featured Judi Dench as Evelyn, Bill Nighy as Douglas, Maggie Smith as Muriel, Penelope Wilton as Jean, Tom Wilkinson as Graham, Celie Imrie as Madge, Ronald Pickup as Norman and Dev Patel as Sonny.
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is produced by Simon Friend, Jenny King, Trafalgar Entertainment and Gavin Kalin.
Nishad More as Sonny in rehearsal for The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Photo: Johan Persson 
Sally Knyvette, Marlene Sidaway and Paul Nicholas in rehearsal for The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Photo: Johan Persson 
Rekha John-Cheriyan as Mrs Kapoor in rehearsal for The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Photo: Johan Persson 
Shila Iqbal and Anant Varman in rehearsal for The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Photo: Johan Persson 
Marlene Sidaway as Muriel in rehearsal for The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Photo: Johan Persson -
Above The Stag Theatre closes down permanently
Above The Stag Theatre in London has abruptly closed down, midway through the run of a revival of Jimmie Chinn’s comedy, Straight and Narrow.
The venue opened in the railway arches in Vauxhall four years ago but warned in February that it faced difficulties because of “uncertainty” around the Covid pandemic.
In a statement today (7 August), it announced it had “ceased trading and permanently closed”, adding that it would release more details on Tuesday 9 August.
Straight and Narrow, directed by Mark Curry, began its run at the theatre on 3 August and was due to run until 28 August. It had its press night on 4 August, earning a number of four-star reviews.
It starred Lewis Allcock, Todd Von Joel, Carol Royle, Kerry Enright, Harriett Hare, Damon Jeffery and Gavin Duff.
In its statement, Above The Stag added: “Ticket holders with future bookings will be refunded in full. Trade creditors, staff, creatives, actors and technicians with any outstanding amounts due will be paid in full.”
The theatre was originally founded above The Stag, a LGBTQ+ pub in Victoria, in 2008 by Peter Bull. After the pub was scheduled for demolition, it moved to a temporary home in a railway arch in Vauxhall before its move to its current site on Albert Embankment.
Alongside a large bar and outside terrace, Above The Stag Theatre featured a 100-seat main house and a 70-seat cabaret-style space. It specialised in staging LGBTQ+ theatre and cabaret, including an annual adult pantomime.
In February, Matthew Baldwin, chair of the charity that runs Above The Stag Theatre, said it would not be renewing its five-year lease and was planning no main-house productions because it was “too financially risky”. He indicated at the time that they were searching for a new location.
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Finborough to stage largely forgotten Georg Kaiser play
Finborough Theatre in London is to stage a largely forgotten classic of 20th-century theatre, The Coral, by German dramatist Georg Kaiser.
Dating from 1917 and radical for its time, the play is being brought to the UK for the first time in 100 years by female-led international company Collide Theatre.
Directed by Emily Louizou and using a translation by BJ Kenworthy, it will run at the Finborough from 4 to 29 October 2022. Casting is still to be announced.
Originally an anti-naturalistic Expressionist play, it is described as part parable, part family drama, and part thriller, exploring humanity’s infatuation with money and the power it holds over those who possess it.
Kaiser’s plays ask vital questions about how we choose to lead our lives, and The Coral, the first part of his didactic Gas trilogy, is no exception.
A millionaire is intent on acquiring as much wealth as possible to distance himself from his unhappy poverty-stricken childhood, and he ruthlessly exploits the poor in his efforts.
When his socialist-influenced children become conscious of his misdeeds, they reject him and his wealth. As a result, he desires a new identity and, with it, a new carefree past by exchanging his life for that of another man – a man whose one physical difference is a piece of coral on his suit.
Louizou said: “Written more than 100 years ago The Coral is a stark depiction of a capitalist society rotting away. Kaiser was writing just after the end of the First World War – in a forever-transformed world – presenting a prophetic vision of a society doomed to destruction.
“Why are we staging it today? Because our world has – to one’s despair – too many similarities with Kaiser’s world.
“Collide’s passion for an expressionist aesthetic and dream-like visual theatrical language provides the perfect frame for an evening full of twisted doppelgangers, nightmarish visions and futile escapes.”
The Coral is presented by Collide in association with Finborough Theatre and its artistic director, Neil McPherson.
Kaiser was a leading German dramatist of the early 20th century, known for plays such as From Morning to Midnight, The Burghers of Calais and his Gas trilogy which features The Coral, Gas and Gas II.
Louizou formed Collide in 2015 with a mission to discover hidden gems and re-invent classic texts, merging storytelling with dance, live music and a highly visual language.
Since its inception, Collide has created five critically acclaimed sold-out productions in London and Manchester and has collaborated with more than 50 artists from around the world.
In 2019, Collide was named by the New Diorama Theatre as “one of the 10 most promising companies to watch”.
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Barn Theatre names cast for Driving Miss Daisy revival
The full cast and creative team have been announced for a new revival of Alfred Uhry’s hit play, Driving Miss Daisy, at The Barn Theatre in Cirencester.
It will feature two-time Olivier Award nominee Susan Tracy as Daisy Werthan and Mensah Bediako as Hoke Coleburn, plus John Sackville as Daisy’s son, Boolie Werthan.
Spanning 25 years from 1948 to 1973, Driving Miss Daisy charts the friendship between elderly Southern Jewish widow Daisy and her African American chauffeur Hoke. This year marks the 35th anniversary of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play which was made into a film in 1989.
Simon Reade, former artistic director of Bristol Old Vic, will direct the new production which runs at The Barn Theatre in Gloucestershire from 19 August to 17 September 2022.
The revival will feature design by Gregor Donnelly, lighting design by Sam Rowcliffe-Tanner and sound design by Harry Smith.
Tickets for the production are now on sale at www.barntheatre.org.uk.
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Cast set for Schiller play at new Marylebone Theatre
Tom Byrne, Poppy Miller and James Garnon will be among the cast of Dmitry, based on an unfinished play by German playwright Friedrich Schiller, at London’s new Marylebone Theatre.
Byrne will play the title role of Dmitry who, in 1605, appears to challenge ruthless tsar Boris Gudonov, claiming to be the missing son of Ivan the Terrible and the rightful tsar of Russia.
Miller will also lead as Dmitry’s mother, Tsarina Maria, alongside James Garnon as Cardinal Odowalsky and Aurora Dawson-Hunte as Marina. Piotr Baumann has been cast as Korela and Mark Hadfield as Prince Mnishek.
The cast is completed by Ammar Haj Ahmad, Daniel Hawksford, Oleg Mirochnikov, Daniel York Loh, Lev Levermore, Jonathan Oliver, Clifford Samuel and Phoebe Strickland.
Schiller’s play, originally called Demetrius and unfinished at the time of his death in 1805, is being brought to the stage by director Tim Supple with playwright Peter Oswald, offering a perspective on the current crisis on Europe’s eastern borders.
It will be the inaugural production at Marylebone Theatre in Park Road, running from 29 September to 5 November 2022.
Alexander Gifford, artistic director of Marylebone Theatre, said: “I am delighted that our launch production has attracted such an excellent cast. It includes both rising stars and established names.
“As a venue, we are daring to open with a big, classical production and it is thrilling that it will be carried by such a brilliant and experienced group.
“I am particularly pleased that our actors come from a very broad range of cultures and racial backgrounds.
“Dmitry is an epic play in verse with extraordinary dramatic intensity. I am confident that our cast will imbue it with the power and passion it deserves.”
Tim Supple added: “Our first-rate creative team is now joined by a tremendous cast that draws on the riches of London’s uniquely skilled and diverse acting community.
“There can be no greater pleasure for a director than opening a new theatre with a play that speaks directly to a major concern of our time and that does so with the combined potency of the German master Schiller and our leading contemporary verse dramatist, Peter Oswald.”
The creative team also includes designer Robert Innes Hopkins, lighting design by Jackie Shemesh, sound design by Max Pappenheim, and movement director Mike Ashcroft.
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Casting for UK revival of Kinky Boots The Musical
Full casting has been announced for the new revival of Kinky Boots The Musical at New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich and Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch in London.
Matt Corner will play Charlie Price who is trying to save his family’s shoe factory, and Keanu Adolphus Johnson plays Lola, the drag queen who unexpectedly helps him.
They will be joined by Jay Anderson as an Angel, Will Arundell as Harry/Bailey/onstage musical director, Aruhan Galieva as Lauren, Josephine Lloyd-Welcome as Georgie, George Lynham as an Angel, Roddy Lynch as Don, Cavan Malone as an Angel, Tim Parker as Mr Price, Anna Soden as Nicola, Lucy Elizabeth Thorburn as Pat, and Hiromi Toyooka as an Angel.
Casting for Young Lola and Young Charlie will be announced at a later date.
The new actor-musician production, directed by Tim Jackson, will run at New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich from 1 to 24 September 2022 and then at Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch from 28 September to 22 October.
The creative team will also include Daniel Denton as video designer, Tony Gayle as sound designer, Crystal Hantig as choreographer, Charlie Ingles as musical supervisor and arranger, Jamie Platt as lighting designer, Amanda Stoodley as set and costume designer, and Molly Wilsher as assistant director.
Tim Jackson said: “The casting process has been a real joy – we’ve met such talented folk and roared with laughter every day.
“Person after person has shared in their connection to the show and its wonderful characters, and I am thrilled to have found an ensemble of exceptional performers who all lead with kindness and heart.
“Each actor is bringing something special and individual to our rehearsal room, and there is a powerful collective desire to make this new production a beautiful celebration of self-love, individuality and acceptance.
“With a cast of 13, we can revel in the intimacy of the 2005 film on which the musical is based, and allow our audiences to feel part of the factory community.
“And when we need to let rip, we’ve got a company that can bring a spectacular, explosive, contemporary energy.
“Audiences should expect stellar actor-musicianship, killer vocals and dazzling, high-octane (high-heeled!) dancing, all packaged within a funny, empowering, heart-warming story.”
The original production of Kinky Boots was directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell, featuring a Tony-Award nominated book by Harvey Fierstein and Tony and Grammy award-winning music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper.
Tim Jackson’s production will be the first UK revival of the show which originally opened on Broadway in 2012 and London’s West End in 2015 where it ran until 2019 and toured the UK in 2018/19.
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First look: South Pacific UK and Ireland tour
New production images have been released for the UK and Ireland tour of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific, ahead of its London run at Sadler’s Wells.
The production stars Gina Beck as Ensign Nellie Forbush, Julian Ovenden as Emile de Becque, Rob Houchen as Lieutenant Joseph Cable, Joanna Ampil as Bloody Mary and Sera Maehara as Liat.
Rob Houchen and Gina Beck in the UK and Ireland tour of South Pacific. Photo: Johan Persson They are joined by David Birrell as Captain George Brackett, Stephen John Davis as Commander William Harbison, Antoine Murray-Straughan as Stewpot, Charlie Waddell as Professor, Olly Christopher as Sergeant Johnson and Douggie McMeekin as Luther Billis, with Pierce Rogan playing the role at certain performances.
Sera Maehara in the UK and Ireland tour of South Pacific. Photo: Johan Persson Directed by Daniel Evans, this new production of South Pacific premiered at Chichester Festival Theatre in summer 2021.
It transfers to Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London for a limited season from 27 July to 28 August 2022.
Julian Ovenden in the UK and Ireland tour of South Pacific. Photo: Johan Persson It will then embark on a UK & Ireland tour, starting in Dublin’s Bord Gáis from 13 to 17 September. It continues to Theatre Royal in Newcastle upon Tyne from 20 to 24 September, the Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham from 27 September to 1 October, Theatre Royal in Glasgow from 4 to 8 October, Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff from 11 to 15 October, Theatre Royal in Nottingham from 18 to 22 October, Festival Theatre in Edinburgh from 25 to 29 October, Leeds Grand Theatre from 1 to 5 November and Marlow Theatre in Canterbury in Kent from 15 to 19 November.
Joanna Ampil and Rob Houchen in the UK and Ireland tour of South Pacific. Photo: Johan Persson It features set and costume design by Peter McKintosh, and choreography and movement direction from Ann Yee. The musical supervisor is Nigel Lilley, musical director is Cat Beveridge and new orchestration is by David Cullen, with original Broadway orchestration by Robert Russell Bennett.
The lighting designer is Howard Harrison, sound designer is Paul Groothuis, video designer is Gillian Tan, additional arrangements and Happy Talk orchestration is by Theo Jamieson, casting director is Charlotte Sutton CDG and additional children’s casting by Verity Naughton.
Gina Beck and the company in the UK and Ireland tour of South Pacific. Photo: Johan Persson South Pacific is produced by Jamie Wilson, Jonathan Church Theatre Productions and Gavin Kalin.
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