Premières in Coventry Belgrade autumn season

Published: 8 August 2015
Reporter: Steve Orme

Crush: a “coming-of-age romp that celebrates schoolgirl friendships”
Marion Bailey and Stella Gonet in Handbagged Credit: Hugo Glendinning
Brian Capron and Liza Goddard in The Smallest Show on Earth Credit: Colin Bell

Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre has announced details of its autumn 2015 season which includes the UK première of Maureen Chadwick’s new musical comedy Crush and a new stage adaptation of Iain Seraillier’s The Silver Sword.

Maureen Chadwick, who created and wrote the TV dramas Waterloo Road, Footballers’ Wives and Bad Girls, has penned Crush which is set in a girls’ boarding school at the dawn of the swinging ‘60s. Music and lyrics are by Kath Gotts.

Among the cast are Sara Crowe, actress and vocalist Rosemary Ashe who played Carlotta in the original production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera and Kirsty Malpass from Solihull.

Crush will have its UK première on the main stage from 4 until 19 September before transferring to Brighton and Richmond.

Ian Seraillier’s children’s novel The Silver Sword will have its world première at the Belgrade from 26 September until 3 October before going on a UK tour.

Set in the immediate aftermath of World War II, The Silver Sword follows the Polish Balicki children’s search for their parents as Europe is divided up and displaced people return to their homelands. During their adventures, they cross paths with people from every nation as well as animals such as Jimpy the cockerel, Bistro the chimpanzee and Ludwig the dog.

The Belgrade’s panto will be Beauty and the Beast which runs on the main stage from 25 November until 9 January. In the B2 auditorium, Nick Walker’s new show Vampomime will play from 5 December until 2 January.

Touring productions visiting the Belgrade include Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest (29 September until 3 October) featuring Nigel Havers, Christine Kavanagh and Sian Phillips, a play that looks at the relationship between Queen Elizabeth II and Margaret Thatcher, Handbagged (6 until 10 October), a new play by Coventry playwright Nick Walker, Our Main Story Tonight, in the B2 auditorium (9 and 10 October), The Smallest Show on Earth with Liza Goddard and Brian Capron (13 until 17 October), Terrence Rattigan’s World War II biopic Flare Path (3 until 7 November), Cathy Tyson in She Called Me Mother (7 November) and Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap (9 until 14 November).

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