Enron Review
Enron Earns 4* Review from Benedict Nightingale in The Times.
Enron opened in London at the Noel Coward Theatre in January this year and was reviewed on its second night by Benedict Nightingale for the Times – the full review is on The Times Online.
Obviously it was well received by the reviewer – a 4* review – here are a couple of quotes:-
It was quietly launched in Chichester’s studio theatre, moved to the Royal Court, opened last night in the West End, and is bound for Broadway, where I suspect and hope it will cause the same stir among bankers, fixers and their victims as Caryl Churchill’s Serious Money did in the Big Bang era. Good for Lucy Prebble. Good for her Enron.
That a potentially dry subject is actually packed with juice is also due to the actors: Tim Pigott-Smith’s Kenneth Lay, Enron’s founder and a man whose folksy bonhomie conceals ruthlessness; Tom Goodman-Hill as the obsequious nerd who devises and then disowns the fiscal trickery; and, above all, Samuel West as the CEO who is now doing 24 years in jug. At first his Skilling is an eager-to-please wimp with a swot’s face, specs and floppy hair; then comes smoothness, assurance and a dangerous sense of invulnerability; and then he’s a sobbing, disbelieving wreck, one step away from an orange jump-suit.
To check availability of tickets and to get more information on Enron at the Noel Coward Theatre in London’s West End go to Enron Theatre Tickets.
Sweet Charity
Tamzin Outhwaite to star in Sweet Charity in London.
The acclaimed musical Sweet Charity at the Haymarket Theatre Royal from 22nd April 2010 will star Tamzin Outhwaite (Eastenders, Red Cap, Fixer, Hotel Babylon) as Charity Hope Valentine.
Following the misadventures of love encountered by the gullible and guileless Charity Hope Valentine, a woman who gives her heart and dreams to the wrong man everytime, Sweet Charity features hits such as Hey, Big Spender, If My Friends Could See Me Now and The Rhythm of Life.
Originally directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse, Sweet Charity premiered on Broadway in 1966, where it ran for over 600 performances. The production won the Tony Award for Best Choreography in the same year.
To get more information and to check ticket availability go to Sweet Charity Theatre Tickets.
Richard Briers to star in London Assurance
Recently Michael Ball introduced Richard Briers on his BBC Radio 2 show by saying “I absolutely love this guy. He’s a legend. He’s an icon.”
Currently Richard Briers is rehearsing for the very funny play London Assurance — an instant hit in 1841 for the Dublin actor and writer Dion Boucicault — directed by Nicholas Hytner. This will require big hammy performances in the Restoration comedy manner, with double-takes and grimaces, asides and winks. Briers will be splendid as the timid, barmy old Mr Adolphus Spanker, thoroughly upstaged by his horsey wife, Lady Gay Spanker (Fiona Shaw in jodhpurs), who flirts merrily with the foppish and selfdeluding Sir Harcourt Courtly (Simon Russell Beale).
Tickets for London Assurance, which opens in London today (2nd March) at the Olivier Theatre, National Theatre are available from London Assurance Theatre Tickets.
La Bete
La Bete at Comedy from 28th June 2010.
La Bete is American playwright David Hirson’s rollicking 1991 play. This is a comic tour de force about Elomire (David Hyde Pierce), a high-minded classical dramatist who loves only the theatre, and Valere (Mark Rylance), a low-brow street clown who loves only himself. When the fickle princess (Joanna Lumley) decides she’s grown weary of Elomire’s royal theatre troupe, he and Valere are left fighting for survival as art squares off with ego in a literary showdown for the ages.
This production of La Bete at the Comedy Theatre in London will will feature a star-studded cast including Tony and Olivier Award winner Mark Rylance (Jerusalem, Boeing-Boeing), Tony and Emmy Award winner David Hyde Pierce (Dr Niles Crane in Frasier) and BAFTA Award winner Joanna Lumley (Patsy Stone in Absolutely Fabulous) and will be directed by the multi award-winning Matthew Warchus (The Norman Conquests, God of Carnage, Boeing-Boeing).
For more information and to check ticket availability go to La Bete Theatre Tickets.
Dancing on Ice Live
Dancing on Ice Live at the O2 Arena, London.
Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean are probably the most famous ice dancers of all time, certainly the most famous British ice dancers. They captivated TV audiences in 2006 when they danced together for the first time in nearly 10 years in the smash hit ITV show, Dancing on Ice.
Now, they are rivals, as they train two teams of celebrities in the art of “ice dance”. Dancing on Ice Live brings the magic of the hit TV show to the O2 Arena. Performances are judged, by both the audience and the expert panel members. The two celebrities with the highest vote will get to perform a magical finale of Torvill & Dean’s Olympic gold-medal winning Bolero routine.
For more information and to check availability for tickets for what is certain to be a massive sell-out series of only 5 shows at the O2 Arena in London go to Dancing on Ice Tickets.
London Assurance
London Assurance at the Olivier Theatre, London.
The brilliantly funny London Assurance was written by the Irish genius of London theatre Dion Boucicault in 1841 and created two of the great comic roles of the English stage, Sir Harcourt Courtly played by Simon Russell Beale and Lady Spanker played by Fiona Shaw.
Sir Harcourt Courtly is lured away from the epicentre of fashionable London by the promise of a rich and beautiful bride, Grace, several decades his junior. Arriving at Oak Hall, Gloucestershire, he marvels at this rural Venus until her charms are eclipsed by her hearty cousin, the foxhunting Lady Gay Spanker. Meanwhile his disguised son turns up in flight from his creditors and falls head over heels for Grace. When Lady Spanker discovers the young couple, she needs little prompting from the visiting chancer Dazzle to lead Sir Harcourt astray.
London Assurance will open at the Olivier Theatre (at the National Theatre) in London tomorrow, 2nd March 2010 – but only until June so for more information and to check availability for this comedy show go to London Assurance Theatre Tickets.
Women Beware Women
Women Beware Women at Olivier Theatre in April
Women Beware Women is the blackly funny, fast and ferocious tragedy from Thomas Middleton – where corruption will not go unpunished!
In the Italian court, where wealth secures power and power serves lust, the lascivious Duke can play wherever he chooses. He catches the eye of another’s exquisite bride, Bianca. Can a glance secure her fate, a bribe appease her husband?
Isabella’s father would marry her off to a rich young idiot, while Hippolito has won her trust and desires her truly. But he’s her uncle. These are her choices. If twice-widowed Livia conspires against her sex to gain a little clout, she’s only fighting to survive.
Women Beware Woman will open at the Olivier Theatre in London on 20th April 2010. For more information and to check ticket availability go to Women Beware Women Theatre Tickets.
Maria Pages Company
The crème de la crème of Spain’s flamenco talent are performing during Sadler’s Wells’ very special two week Flamenco Festival.
From Rafaela Carrasco’s bold, contemporary flamenco style to Maria Pagés’ emotional rollercoaster of a show and the maestros of flamenco, Rojas and Rodriguez, with their sublime company Nuevo Ballet Español , famed for their heart-racing sequences, this is a unique chance to sample some authentic Spanish flamenco at Sadlers Wells theatre in London.
Abbaworld Tickets
Tickets for Abbaworld at the Museum Court, Earls Court now on sale
Fully approved and supported by ABBA, ABBAWORLD is playing in London at Earls Court until 28th March 2010.
The hugely interactive experience will take visitors on a mind-blowing journey through ABBAWORLDS’ 25 rooms, bursting with exclusive music, footage, images and never-before-displayed memorabilia from the personal collections of the world’s most cherished pop icons; Agnetha, Benny, Björn and Frida.
An engaging introductory movie by critically-acclaimed film director Jonas Åkerlund will start the experience and a free audio guide will move visitors through the magical space at their own pace.
The phenomenon of ABBA will be brought to life with interactive highlights including Perform with ABBA, which will allow fans to get up on stage with their idols, as part of a stunning 3D holographic illusion.
Tretow MIX Challenge – a chance to mix things up and re-create the ABBA sound, the ABBA quiz which will test fans’ knowledge. There is also the opportunity to sing-a-long and dance with ABBA, plus a chance for fans to see themselves as part of an ABBA video.
Better still, as part of the ticket, all interaction will be recorded, so people can choose to access it later online at the Abbaworld website, allowing their experience to live on and on, just like the music.
On entry to ABBAWORLD, guests will have their photograph taken, this will appear during a number of the interactive features; fans will see themselves as part of ABBA album covers, posters and other iconic pictures.
For more information and to book tickets go to AbbaWorld Tickets.
Madness in Valencia
Madness in Valencia has just finished a sell-out run at the White Bear and now moves to the Trafalgar Studio Two theatre in London. This is a beguiling and hilarious pageant of love, madness and mistaken identity.
Floriano kills a Prince and flees. Erifila escapes an abhorrent arranged marriage. Uncertain of their futures they take refuge in Valencia’s famed asylum. Locked up with fools and physicians they become entangled in the convolutions of a glorious farce.
The Time Out’s Top Critics’ Choice and Show of the Week, Madness in Valencia, runs at Trafalgar Studio Two until 9th March 2010.
