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Dateline:
9th March, 2003
ENO to Cut Performances?
According to a report in The Stage, English National Opera is to cut
performances from 175 to 150 a year in a bid to save money. In fact,
the company hopes to increase its income by letting the Coliseum to
commercial producers. In addition there will be a total of seventy redundancies,
not just the twenty chorus members so far mentioned. These would include
principal singers who would not longer be needed because of the reduced
number of performances.
Abigail Transfers
The Hampstead production of Abigail's Party, Mike Leigh's 70s
hit play, which is currently playing at the New Ambassadors, will transfer
to the Whitehall on 9th April. It will close at the New Ambassadors
on 6th April to make way for the hip-hop version of The Comedy of
Errors, The Bomb-Itty of Errors, which opens on 7th May (previews
from 24th April).
Americana
at the Abbey
Dublin's Abbey Theatre is presenting a series of "cutting-edge"
American plays in its Peacock Theatre. The season started on Thursday
and runs until 15th March. The plays in the season are:
- Big Love by Charles L. Mee (6th March)
- Homebody by Tony Kushner (7th March)
- The Fever by Wallace Shaw (7th March)
- Love! Valour! Compassion! by Terrence McNally (8th March)
- Fucking A by Suzan-Lori Parks (13th March)
- The Late Henry Moss by Sam Shepard (14th March)
- The Race of the Ark Tatoo by David Hancock (15th March)
In the main house - the Abbey theatre itself - a mixed cast of Irish
and American actors will present Arthur Miller's All My Sons
until 29th March.
Adam Faith Dies
Singer and actor Adam Faith has died of a heart attack at the age of
62. He was appearing in Donald Chuirchill's Love and Marriage
at the Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent. He finished the performance on
Friday evening (7th March) but fell ill at two that morning. An ambulance
was called and he was taken to hospital, where he dies without recovering
consciousness.
The show had been touring since 21st January and was due to go on to
Brighton, Guildford, Darlington and Malvern.
Japanese Pericles
for the National
Japanese director Yukio Ninagawa is to bring his production of Shakespeare's
little performed Pericles to the National Theatre for a short
run from 28th March to 5th April. This will be the Japanese director's
third visit to the National. He was awarded an honorary CBE in 2002
for his work in Britain.
South
African Beggar's Opera Returns
The South African version of John Gay's The Beggar's Opera, produced
by the Spier Festival Company, returns to Wilton's Music Hall from 25th
to 29th March.
Greenwich Explores
the Meaning of Life
The Greenwich Theatre joins the response to the threat of war with Iraq
with a week of events exploring the Meaning of Life. “With
world events apparently spiralling out of control," sais Hilary
Strong, "it seems vital to cut through to the heart of what life
is all about. We wanted to provide a thought-provoking week that would
enable people to think about the meaning of life in a different way,
whether through comedy, theatre or debate."
The events, which will happen between 7th and 12 April, will include
a performance of theimginarybody's 100, a showing of the Monty
Python film The Meaning of Life, and lunchtime readings. Among
thsoe appearing will be Terry Jones, Ken Campbell, John Hegley, Roger
McGough, Omid Djalili and Maddy Prior.
Paige to Tour in Comedy
Revival
Elaine Paige, joined by David Warner and Nicholas Le Prevost, is to
tour in a revival of Where There's a Will, directed by Sir Peter
Hall. The tour opens at the Yvonne Arnaud, Guildford, on 28th April
and then goes to Bath, Richmond, Cambridge, Milton Keynes, Malvern and
Brighton before an anticipated West End transfer.
New Musical from Chicken
Shed
London's Chicken Shed Company is to present a new sung-through musical
based on Paul Gallico's Love of Seven Dolls. It will run at their
Southgate home from 27th March to 13th April.
Summer Holiday
on Tour
A stage version of the 1963 Cliff Richard musical Summer Holiday
is to tour nationally from April before an anticipated move into the
West End. It opens on 3rd April at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth, and
then goes on to Bromley, Edinburgh, Swansea, Newcastle, Leeds, Canterbury,
Wolverhampton, Woking, Stoke on Trent, Northampton, Manchester, Cardiff,
Southend, High Wycombe, Nottingham, Bristol and Belfast. Former member
of the manufactured pop group Hear'Say, Suzanne Shaw, stars.
Lady Day
on Tour
Lady Day at Emmerson's Bar and Grill, the Derby Playhouse musical
about jazz singer Billie Holiday, has started a national tour. It opened
at Huddersfield's Lawrence Batley Theatre this week and then goes on
to Farnham, Rhyl, Taunton, Scarborough, Chester, Canterbury, Bury St
Edmunds, King's Lynn, Manchester, Barrow-in-Furness and Salisbury.
Extensions, Returns
and Closures
Mamma Mia! has extended its booking period to 27th March, 2004.
Pretending to Be Me has extended by three weeks to 26th April.
Taboo will close two weeks earlier than previously announced,
on 12th April.
The Australian all-male Tap Dogs returns to the UK on 26th March
when it opens at the Theatre Royal, Windsor, before going on to Salford,
Bradford, Edinburgh, Eastbourne, Nottingham, Wolverhampton, Darlington,
Sheffield, High Wycombe and Torquay, with more dates to be announced.
News
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