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Dateline:
3rd February, 2002
Paltrow at the
Donmar in June?
Negotiations are underway for Gwyneth Paltrow to make her first theatre
apprearance in Britain at the Donmar Warehouse in May. It is hoped she
will star in David Auburn's play Proof, which will be directed
by John Madden. Proof will run at the Donmar from 9th May to
15th June.
Harold Pinter
Has Cancer
Playwright and actor Harold Pinter has been diagnosed as suffering from
cancer of the oesophagus, the same condition which is affecting John
Thaw. 71-year old Pinter has said that he intends to continue working
while having chemotherapy.
Stratford Johns
Dies
The actor Stratford Johns has died of a heart condition, aged 77. In
spite of having a long career in theatre and televsion, he is probably
best known for his performance as Chief Inspector Charlie Barlow in
Z Cars and Softly, Softly in the seventies.
NT, not RNT?
According to a report in The Observer, the Royal National Theatre is
considering dropping "Royal" from its name. The "R"
has been dropped from its logo but no firm decision has yet been made
about changing the name.
Olivier Audience
Awards Shortlist
20,000 people have voted online to create a shortlist for the new Olivier
Audience Award for the Most Popular Show. Fourteen shows were eligible,
and the shortlist of four is Mamma Mia!, The Phantom Of The
Opera, Cats and the Reduced Shakespeare Company. To vote,
go to the special voting website.
ALW Sets up New Production
Investment Company
Andrew Lloyd Webber has set up a new theatre investment company, Theatreshare,
which will work in conjunction with Really Useful Theatres to invest
in ten to a dozen new shows each year, including two or three musicals.
The company is currently in the process of rasing £2m.
The Board will be Lloyd Webber himself, Michael Codron (producer) and
Nicola Horlick (founder of SG Asset Management). Producer Nica Burns
and RNT director Trevor Nunn will be consultants and Patrons include
Clive Anderson, Richard Curtis, Dawn French, Maureen Lipman, Fiona Shaw
and Richard Wilson.
The minimum investment will be £2,500.
Frantic Assemby
on Tour
Touring company Frantic Assembly, whose Tiny Dynamite, produced
in association with Paines Plough and the Traverse Theatre, was one
of the hits of the 2001 Edinburgh Fringe, is to tour with a new play
entitled Heavenly. The tour starts at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth,
this week and then goes on to Northampton, Wolverhampton, Swansea, Newbury,
Maidenhead, Brighton, Milton Keynes, Manchester, Portsmouth, Coventry,
Huddersfield, Leicester, Norwich, Birmingham and Bristol before having
a short season at the Soho Theatre (15th - 20th April).
Trestle's Island
to Tour
Trestle Theatre Company, well known for its use of masks, is to tour
its play Island, starting at St Albans' Maltings Arts Thetare
and visiting forty venues up to May. Island, which was originally
performed at the 2000 Edinburgh Fringe, is based on the story of a woman
whose remains were found on a traffic island in the West Midlands.
Guy Fawkes Musical
to Be Showcased This Month
Remember! Remember!, a new musical
about Guy Fawkes, is to be showcased at the Bridewell (off Fleet Street)
on 27th and 28th February at 3.30. A professional cast will give an
hour long performance of the songs from the show. Entry is free: contact
Rob Starr on info@remember-remember.net
to confirm seats or places will be on a first-come first-served basis
on the day.
Dangerous
Corner to Close Early
Priestley's Dangerous Corner (Garrick), which stars Dervla Kirwin,
Jacqueline Pearce and Patrick Robinson, is to close on 23rd February,
although it had been booking up to April.
Customs House Showcases
Local Writers
The Customs House, South Shields' theatre, cinema and art gallery, opens
a three week celebration of local writers this week. The Little Theatre
of Horrors, written and directed by David Cooke, runs from 7th to
9th; Secrets (four short plays by Tom Kelly, directed by Chris
Elphinstone) from 13th to 16th, and Master Key (written by Ken
Reay, directed by Darren Palmer) from 21st to 23rd.
Extending
Four West End shows have extended their booking periods:
- An Inspector Calls to 29th June
- The Lion King to 29th September
- The Play What I Wrote must close 4th May, but extends two
weeks
- My Fair Lady to 21st December
Tickets are now on sale for Bombay Dreams and We Will Rock
You.
Index
A-F
Index G-K
Index L-Q
Index R-Z
News
Archive A-L
News Archive M-Z
Production News Archive
Please note that all three Archive
indices are very long and will therefore take some time to download.
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