ATG Magazine Spring 2011

12
THINGS TO DO, PEOPLE TO SEE AmbassadorTickets.com Big Laughs Phill Jupitus Richard Fleeshman in Ghost The Musical Theatre Royalty Derek Jacobi AmbAssAdor TheATre Group sprinG 2011 Keira Knightley Elisabeth Moss Ellen Burstyn Carol Kane Desirable 50’s dressing Puppets with pulling power Get set - go South!

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Ambassador Theatre Group Magazine Spring 2011

Transcript of ATG Magazine Spring 2011

Page 1: ATG Magazine Spring 2011

Things To do, people To see AmbassadorTickets.com

Big laughs

phill Jupitus

Richard Fleeshman in Ghost The Musical

Theatre Royalty

derek Jacobi

AmbAssAdor TheATre Group sprinG 2011

Keira Knightleyelisabeth

Mossellen

BurstynCarolKane

desirable 50’s dressing

puppets with pulling power

get set - go south!

Page 2: ATG Magazine Spring 2011

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2

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1 Avenue Q

2 BaileyBalloonflights

3 DerekJacobiin King Lear

school for scandal 1KeiraKnightley,ElisabethMoss

andEllenBurstynsettowow

theWestEnd

Manchester Magic 3Haunting-theGhostphenomenon

fliesintoManchester

silliness Reigns supreme 5Lookingonthebrightside

withPhillJupitus

Kingdom Come 7DerekJacobi-whythetime

isrightforKing Lear

puppet power 9Cheekybutcharming-Avenue Q

What’s on in london 11

Competition 12legally Blonde The MusicalChampagne,tickets,beautytreats

andanightoutattheSavoyGrill!

Applause for the Alex 13Birmingham’sbest

Red Carpet 14Aglitteringlaunchparty

Fifties Fabulous 15Mad Meninspiredchic

days of discovery 17FromAgathaChristie’sTorquay

tohandbagsandheelsinWoking

-daysoutdownSouth

AmbAssAdor Group productions

AmbAssAdor theAtre Group London theAtres Apollo Victoria08448717615comedy theatre08448717622donmar Warehouse08448717624duke of York’s theatre08448717623Fortune theatre08448717626Lyceum theatre08448717615phoenix theatre08448717629piccadilly theatre08448717630playhouse theatre08448717631savoy theatre08448717687trafalgar studios08448717632

AmbAssAdor theAtre Group reGionAL theAtres Aylesbury Waterside theatre08448717607theatre royal brighton08448717650churchill theatre bromley08448717620Kings theatre Glasgow08448717648theatre royal Glasgow08448717647milton Keynes theatre08448717652richmond theatre08448717651regent theatre & Victoria hall stoke-on-trent08448717649new Wimbledon theatre & new Wimbledon studio08448717646Ambassadors cinemas Woking08448717643new Victoria theatre & rhoda mcGaw theatre Woking08448717645online booking at Ambassadortickets.com

Alexandra theatre, birmingham08448472293bristol hippodrome08448472325edinburgh playhouse08448471661Leas cliff hall Folkestone08448471776Grimsby Auditorium08448472426empire theatre Liverpool08448472525palace theatre & opera house manchester08448472484new theatre oxford08448471588southport theatre and convention centre08448472321sunderland empire08448472499princess theatre torquay08448472315York Grand opera house08448472322online booking at atgv.co.uk

JessamyHadleyeditorPatWestwell,AlSenter,JasperRees,NancyGroves,LucyJohnston,MarkShenton,NicolaVenning,MarkBouman,NeenaDhillon,DavidBradbury,BenPrudhoecontributorsShaunWebbDesigndesign and Art directionJohnGoodprint

the Ambassador theatre Group Ltd39-41CharingCrossRoad,LondonWC2HOAR

TheviewsexpressedinthismagazinearethoseoftheauthorsandnotnecessarilythoseoftheAmbassadorTheatreGroupLtd.

The Ambassador Theatre group

of the

Makingadifference-salesofLife

wateratATGtheatresacrosstheUK

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thedrop4dropprojectinZambia

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Treatyourselftoanoutstanding

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Page 3: ATG Magazine Spring 2011

allowedtoservealcohol,shegot

up,left,foundabarsomewhere,

hadherdrinkandcameback.

Lillianwasnotsomebodyyou

saidnotoandshedidn’tpull

anypunches.’

ThereferencetoOscarnight

remindsusthatEllenhascollected

anumberofnominationsandin

1975pickeduptheBestActress

Awardforherperformancein

Scorsese’sAlice Doesn’t Live

Here Anymore.The1970swere

agloriousdecadeforher

professionallyinfilmsasdiverse

asThe Last Picture Show,Resnais’

Providence,co-starringwith

GielgudandBogarde,andthe

ultra-chillingThe Exorcist.

Considerableclaimshavebeen

madeforthestatusofthelatter

moviewhileothersdismissitas

schlock-horror.Wheredoes

Ellenstand?

‘Thefilmhasjustbeenaccepted

intotheLibraryofCongressasa

culturallysignificantworkofart’

shepointsout.‘There’sno

questionthatinfilmsofthat

genre,it’sthegrandfatherofthem

all.’Withherrecentacquisitionof

anEmmyforherworkintheseries

Law & Order,Ellenhasnowjoined

theelite.

‘I’mtoldthatI’vewontheTriple

Crown,whichmakesmesound

likearacehorse.’shelaughs.‘I’m

oneofonlyeighteenpeoplewho

havewonanEmmy,anOscarand

aTony.AllIneednowistowin

aGrammyforaspokenword

recording-andI’vebeen

nominated-andthatwould

makemeaQuadrupleCrown!

Awardsarefunandit’swonderful

togetthembutyouhavetobe

carefulnottoletawardsturna

healthyegointoagiantone.For

me,theworkiswhatmatters.’

Ellenhasnothoughtsof

retirement.‘Ihopetokeep

workinguntilIdroporforaslong

asthey’llhaveme.’shedeclares.

‘IwastalkingtoKeira(Knightley)

andTobias(Menzies)theotherday

andwewereaskingourselveswhy

weactorsputourselvesthrough

suchtorture.Ithinkthatwedo

ourjobbecausebeingcreative

isgoodforyou.It’sabitlike

jogginginthatitreleasesthe

endorphinsthatmakeyouhappy.

IknowIfeelexhilaratedaftera

performance,evenwhenthe

materialisdownbeat.Somebody

askedmerecentlyiffilming

Requiem for a Dreammademe

depressed.Infact,itwasquite

theopposite.’

‘The Children’s Hourisoneof

thegreatplaysofthetwentieth

centuryandIthinkthatitsauthor,

LillianHellman,isanextremely

underratedplaywright’saysIan

Rickson,thedirectorwho’scome

totheproductionfreshfromhis

triumphwithJerusalem.‘The

psychologicalandemotional

complexityisreallyastonishing.

It’saboutdifferenceandabout

beinganoutsider.Thedialogue

doesn’tfeelthatit’snearlyeighty

yearsold;it’sverymodern.The

playhasterrificenergy:it’sraw

andit’sbold.’

RicksonpointstoLillian

Hellman’scontrastingbackgrounds

asoneofthekeystoherwork.

‘Shewasbornandbroughtup

inNewOrleansbutlivedmainly

inNewYorkandthere’sboththe

sensuousbeatoftheSouthand

theNewYorkintellectualinher

plays.Havingjustreadher

memoirs,Ifeelconnectedtoher

inthewaythatyouhavetobe

whenyou’redirectinga

playwright’swork-connected

tothatyoungwomanoftwenty-

eightin1934,abouttohaveher

firstplayproducedonBroadway.’

FirstperformedinLondonin

1936,attheGateTheatreStudio,

anexperimentalclubvenuein

VilliersStreet,The Children’s Hour

haswaitednearlyseventy-five

yearstograduateintotheWest

End.Nodoubt,audiencesand

criticsalikewilljudgethatit’s

beenwellworththewait.

2

Comedy Theatre

The Children’s hour StarringKeiraKnightley,ElisabethMoss,EllenBurstynandCarolKaneBoxOffice08448717622OnlinebookingatAmbassadorTickets.com

interview

school for scandalA world-class cast in the West end with The Children’s Hour

1

Interviewby

AlSenter

Photographyby

JohanPersson

realisethattheplayisallabout

falseaccusations.It’sabout

self-righteouspeopletellingother

peoplewhat’srightandhowthey

shouldbehave.’

EllenknewLillianHellmanand

remembersheras‘verygrizzly,

toughandplainspoken.Shesaid

exactlywhatshethought.Shewas

presentonOscarnightwhenIwas

hostingtheceremonyandwewere

backstage.Sheaskedoneofthe

boyswhoarealwaysbuzzing

aroundattheAcademyAwards

foradrink.Whenheapologised,

explainingthattheyweren’t

Foranactresswhohasso

conspicuouslytriumphedinevery

areaavailabletoherprofession,

EllenBurstynisanythingbuta

grandedame.Sheisgracious,if

initiallyalittlereserved,witha

personalwarmththatbecomes

apparentassherelaxesintothe

conversation.Nowinherlate

seventies,Ellenismakingher

overdueWestEnddebutalongside

OscarnomineeKeiraKnightley,

Mad Men’sElisabethMossand

CarolKane(Taxi, Annie Hall),in

LillianHellman’sThe Children’s

HourattheComedy.Sheplays

AmeliaTilford,thepowerful

matriarchalfigurewhotakes

actionwhenscandalthreatensto

engulfaNewEnglandgirls’school

runbytwoclosefemalefriends.

Whatmadeherchoosethispiece

asherfirstappearanceonthe

Londonstage?

‘Ifeltthatitwasabouttime

thatIdidaplayintheWestEnd

andwhenImetIanRickson,who’s

directingtheshow,Iwasvery

impressedwithhim’explainsEllen.

‘The Children’s Hourisaplaythat

isn’tdonethatoften.Andaswe’ve

workedonit,we’vecometo

it’s very modern. The play has

terrific energy: it’s raw and

it’s bold.

CarolKane

ElisabethMoss

EllenBurstyn

Page 4: ATG Magazine Spring 2011

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ghost The MusicalStarringRichardFleeshman,CaissieLevy,SharonDClarkeandAndrewLangtree

Manchester opera house28March-14MayBoxOffice08448472295

piccadilly Theatre, londonFrom22JuneBoxOffice08448717630

OnlinebookingatAmbassadorTickets.com

interview

3

Interviewby

JasperRees

Photographyby

MattCrockett

thelatePatrickSwayzeasthe

murderedhusbandofawoman

playedbyDemiMoore,sofiredby

lovethatheisabletohangaround

inthislifeandprotectherfrom

harm.Forthestagemusicalthe

partofSamWheatgoesto

RichardFleeshman.

‘Ithinkitwouldbefoolishto

ignoreSwayze’sperformance

entirely,’hesays.‘Butlet’snot

forgetthatthisisanewpieceby

thewriterwhowonanOscarfor

Manchestergetsitfirst!Acrossthe

citythewordisout;Ghostoneof

themosteagerlyanticipated

musicalsofourageopensatthe

OperaHouseinMarch.Willit

becomeoneofthegreateststage

musicalsofthecentury?Allthe

signsaregood.

Adaptedforthestagebysome

ofthebeststory-tellersinthe

world,withmusicandlyricsbypop

legendsDaveStewart(Eurythmics,

TravellingWilburys)andGlen

Ballard(songwriterforAlanis

Morrisette,MichaelJacksonand

CelineDion)anddirectedby

multi-Tonyaward-winnerMatthew

Warchus(Art,Boeing-Boeing)

Ghost The Musicalwillrequire

asevenweekget-into

accommodatethespectacular

magic,illusionsandbreathtaking

specialeffectsofSamWheat’s

in-betweenworld.

Oneofthebiggestgrossing

filmsintheUKever,Ghoststarred

Manchester MagicRichard Fleeshman heads north to star in Ghost The Musical

theoriginalscreenplay.It’sgot

hisblessingandhe’sreallykeen

tokeepholdofthemagicthatthe

filmhad,whichisthereasonitwas

sosuccessfulinthefirstplace.’

Partofthebuzzcreatedbythe

filmwasduetothepopularityof

Unchained Melody-oneofthe

most-recordedsongsofthe20th

centuryandafourtimesnumber

oneUKandworld-widehit.The

songremainsinthemusical

alongsideamarvellouscollection

ofnewsongsbyaward-winning

musician,songwriterandrecord

producerDaveStewart.Stewart’s

influenceisapparent:

‘Itdoeshavearockyedgewhich

sitsreallywellwithme...’says

Fleeshman,whowithco-stars

CaissieLevyandSharonDClarke

workedonthesongsatAbbey

Roadoverfourdayslastyear.‘But

thereissuchaneclecticmixwithin

themusic,Icouldn’tbelievehow

faritswingsfromlefttoright.’

Thereisquiteaneclecticmixin

Fleeshman’sbackcataloguetoo.

Televisionaudienceswillknowhim

asateenagestarofCoronation

Street.Hejoinedthesoapat12

andleftfouryearslater.‘Even

thoughI’dlearntsomuch,Ifelt

ifIwasgoingtobreakoutofthat

moulditwastherighttimefor

metopushon.’Hismusicalability

wasfirstunveiledwhen,at13,

hebecametheyoungestwinner

ofCelebrity Stars in Their Eyes.

By16hewaslaunchinghis

ownsingingcareer,releasingan

albumwhichcametotheearsof

noneotherthanEltonJohn.‘My

managergavemeacallandsaid,

‘Areyousittingdown?You’ve

gotthetourslot.’Itcamefrom

nowhere.EltonandIhavebeen

friendseversince.’

Thepopcareerisnowin

temporarystorageasFleeshman

continuestofindroleswhich

combinehistwogifts.Hewas

leadinTV’sAll the Small Things,

achoir-baseddramawhichtapped

intothecurrententhusiasmforall

thingschoralbutitwasreallyonly

amatteroftimebeforeFleeshman

wouldbecastinastagemusical.It

happenedwhenhetookoverfrom

DuncanJamesasWarneropposite

SheridanSmithinLegally Blonde.

Thepartwas‘agodsend,’hesays.

‘I’vealwayswantedtodomusical

theatre.Itwasnicetogointoa

jobofthatsizeandcalibre.No

onecanprepareyouforeight

showsaweekintheWestEnd.’

Ghostisdestinedforthe

PiccadillyTheatreintheWestEnd

butManchestergetstheultimate

distinctionofhostingtheworld

premiere.Burstingwithcreative

talentandstyle,withglobal

ambitions,athrivingcitycentre

andaproudrecordofleading

thewayinmusicandthearts,

Manchesteristheperfectlaunch

padforthiscompellingnew

musical.AmbassadorTheatre

Groupownstwotheatresinthe

citybutplumpedfortheOpera

HouseoverthePalace.‘Although

it’sabigtheatrewithnearly2000

seats,’saysproducerColinIngram,

‘thereisadegreeofintimacy.It

doesn’tfeelahugevenue.Intimacy

isimportantforus.Anumberof

oureffectsareillusionsandthe

audienceneedstoseethat.’

Willaudiencestaketoit?

AccordingtoFleeshman,itplays

withtheexpectationsofamusical-

theatreaudience.‘Fundamentally

it’snotasweetstory,’hesays.‘The

leadcharactergetsmurderedin

thefirsttwentyminutes.Ithas

love,revenge,jealousy,tragedy,

heroesandheroinesandvillains.

Ithinkit’sgotsomethingfor

everyone.’

CaissieLevy,RichardFleeshman

SharonDClarkeandDave

StewartatAbbeyRoadStudios

Hearmusictracks,watchthetrailerandjoinourfacebooksiteatghostthemusical.com

‘Manchester is the number 1 place for musicals to happen before london’DaveStewart

ManchesterEveningNews

Page 5: ATG Magazine Spring 2011

anyonesays:‘I’mgoingtogoto

Londonforaweekend,’where

Iusedtohandthemalistof

restaurantsandmuseums,Inow

justtellthemtobookticketsfora

goodshow.It’sthebestreturnyou

cangetonyourentertainment

pound.’

Notanopinionyou’dexpectto

hearfromEssex’spremier

performancepoetandguitaristin

comedyoutfitThe Idiot Bastard

Band-andJupitusknowsit.

ComparedtohostingtheLeftfield

Tent atGlastonburywhere‘the

onlythingyouhavetoensureis

thatyouhaven’ttakenany

hallucinogenicdrugs’,musicalsare

anotherworld.‘Thecraftand

effortandtrainingthatgoesinto

them!’hemarvels.‘Whenyou’re

justthenametostickonthefront

ofthetheatre,youfeelabitof

afraud.’

It’sasignofcomedy’scurrent

cachetthoughwhenthatnameis

bestknown-aswithJupitusand

Brigstocke-forappearingona

sleeperhitquiz.Thenagain,

Jupitushasbeenonboardat

Buzzcockssinceitbeganin1996.

Fourotherregulars,comedians

all,havecomeandgoneinthat

time.SurelyJupitusmustbe

approachingsomesortofpunditry

record?‘No,MertonandHislop

winthatone,’hecorrects.‘Have

I Got News For Youhasbeenon

for20years.’

Jupituslovesthedeskjobbut

feelsnosenseofownershipover

theshow.‘Theproducertellsme:

‘Wegot3.2millionaudience

figuresfortheWoganepisode’

andIthink,‘So,57millionpeople

don’twatchus.’There’sasideof

methat’salwaysanchoredin

reality.’WhenBuzzcocksgotabit

bitchyunderSimonAmstell’s

stewardship,Jupitusalmostquit,

persuadedtostayonlybythe

arrivalofanewteamcaptain,Noel

FieldingfromThe Mighty Boosh.

‘It’sthedaftnessoftheman,’he

saysadmiringly.‘I’vealwaysadored

sillinessandNoelhasadeep

appreciationofsilliness.The Boosh

arepartofthatsamelineasthe

Goons,thePythons,theBonzos

andtheGoodies.Ipreferdaftness

tothatmorecynicalcomedyof

awkwardness.It’swhyIloveHarry

6

‘lovinglyrippedoff’from1975film

Monty Python and the Holy Grail,

deliversin-jokesgalore.ForJupitus

theappealwastwofold.‘What

reallydrewmetoSpamalotisthe

factthatit’saparody.Ittakesthe

pissoutofthemusicalformwhile

alsopayingtributetoabrilliant

comedyfilm.It’sanamazingpiece

ofwork-ostensibly,thecomedy

musicalofalltime.’

Andlikegoodmate

MarcusBrigstocke,his

predecessorintherole

ofArthur,Jupitusisafan

ofthemusicalgenre.‘If

Forsomeonewhostartedoutin

stand-up,comedianPhillJupitus

hasspentalotofhiscareersitting

down,bothasformerbreakfast

showhoston6Musicandas

longstandingteamcaptainon

BBC2popquiz,Never Mind the

Buzzcocks.Sowhen,in2009,he

notonlyjoinedtheWestEndcast

ofHairspray,butdidsoinadress,

therewassurpriseamongindie

buffsandmusicalfansalike.

Themanhadlegs!

Asdidtheshow.Infact,

Hairspraywassuchasuccess

thatJupitusisnowbackon

ShaftesburyAvenue,rehearsing

hisnewroleasKingArthurinthe

nationaltourofMontyPython’s

Spamalot.Hiscostumeismanlier

thistime-marginally.‘It’sactually

asortofsilverlycra,’hesaysof

Arthur’schainmail.‘DareIsayit,

thereisafrockyelement,butnone

ofthesequinsIgottowearas

Edna.MyfinalHairspraycostume

weighed30pounds.There’s

nothingnearthatinthisshow.’

ThedrawofSpamalotis

self-evident.FewBritishcomics

don’tcitethePythonsasan

influence,andEricIdle’smusical,

Hill.’Andwhyheisalso‘madeup’

tobeclosingtheSpamalotshow

with‘AlwaysLookontheBright

SideofLife’byhislong-timeidol

andsometimecollaboratorNeil

Innes.

‘Ifyoulookatitinreductive

form,‘BrightSide’isasongabout

inevitablefailure,’hereflects.

‘That’swhyfootballfanshavetaken

iton.’Helaughsgrimlyatthe

thoughtofhisbelovedbut

flounderingWestHam.‘It’savery

post-BritishEmpiresong.Weare

thislittleislandandwehadour

moment.Weallhaveourmoment.

Andwerealisethat’senough.’

ExceptforJupitus,whoseemsto

gostraightfromonemomentto

thenext.ReadinghisWikipedia

pagefeelsliketryingtokeepup

withapinballmachine.‘The

scattergunnatureprovesthatit

wasn’tplanned,’heinsists.‘Inever

imaginedthatI’dbewearingadress

inaWestEndshow.Withevery

newthing,it’sbeenacaseof:

‘Thatlookslikealaugh.’

IfIcan’tthinkofareason

notto,I’lldoit.’

spamalotsunderland empire*StarringPhillJupitusandToddCarty28February-5MarchBoxOffice08448472499

Aylesbury Waterside Theatre StarringJodiePrenger,PhillJupitusandToddCarty28March-2April2011BoxOffice08448717607

new Wimbledon Theatre StarringPhillJupitusandToddCarty1-4June2011BoxOffice08448717646

OnlinebookingatAmbassadorTickets.com*Onlinebookingatatgv.co.uk

if anyone says: ‘i’m going to go to london for a weekend,’ where i used to hand them a list of restaurants and museums, i now just tell them to book tickets for a good show. it’s the best return you can get on your entertainment pound.

‘’

GrahamMacDuff

ToddCartyandPhillJupitus

JodiePrenger

interview

silliness Reigns supremephill Jupitus presides over the court of King Arthur

Interviewby

NancyGroves

Photographyby

EricRichmond5

Page 6: ATG Magazine Spring 2011

8

interview

Kingdom Comederek Jacobi gets under the skin of King lear

7

InterviewbyLucyJohnston

TheatreEditorof

TheRichmond,Kingston

andGuildfordmagazines

Photographyby

JohanPersson

theDonmarstage,swinginghis

legsandfidgetingwithhishands,

almostchildlikesaveforthewhite

hairandshrewd,wateryblueeyes.

I’mstruckbyhownervousheis,

insomewayapologeticforhis

presence,andheissmallerand

frailerthanIhadimagined.

Somehowonedoesn’twantto

acknowledgethatagecatchesup

withourgreatactorsintheway

ofusmortalpeople.But,ashe

stresses,agebringsgreatbenefit

tohiscraft.

‘PlayingLearisaworrisomething.

It’snotsomethingIcouldhave

So,historyhasbeenmade.In

December,thekingfinallystepped

intotheshoesoftheKing.After

overfiftyyearsattheforefrontof

Shakespeareantheatre,andhaving

playednearlyeveryleadingrole,

SirDerekJacobiatlastwalked

ontothestageoftheDonmar

Warehouseforhismesmerising

debutasKingLear.Itisnot

somethinghehastakenonlightly.

SirDerek-infactheholdstwo

knighthoods,DanishandBritish,

anaccoladeonlymatchedby

LaurenceOlivier-hasalways

stressedLearisnotarolethatit

ispossibletodojusticetountil

youareofacertainageand

worldlywisdom.TheShakespeare-

devotedtheatrecommunityhas,

therefore,beenholdingits

collectivebreathinanticipation

ofthismomentsinceheturned

sixty(anagetheyguessedhe

woulddeemappropriate).He

isnowseventy-two.

‘It’snotsomethingyousuddenly

wakeuponemorningreadyto

takeon.I’vebeenwaitingalong

timeforthecircumstancestofeel

right,’SirDerekshares.Hespeaks

softly,perchedontheedgeof

donewhenIwasanyyounger,

Idon’tthink.It’sonlynowIfeel

Iunderstandenoughoflife’sebbs

andflowstobeabletoeven

attempttogetunderhisskin.’

Theintensityofthispinnacle

rolehasbeenwidelyrecognisedas

onethatdeeplyaffectstheactors

whotakeiton-andthereisquite

aroll-call,althoughSirDerekhas

beenresoluteinkeepingthe

influenceofotheractors’

portrayalsatadistance.

‘Oneisverymuchonthefront

lineofShakespeare’sworkwith

thisplay.Itaskssomuchofan

actor’semotions-wehavetoroll

outallourweaponrytotackleit.

Ican’tevenentertainthethought

oftakingLearhomewithme,’he

lowershisvoice,‘thatwaymadness

wouldsurelylie,’thenhiseyes

glint,‘butadrywhitewineafter

theperformanceusuallyhelps

dothetrick.’

Hebringsanincrediblelevel

ofintelligentanalysistohiscraft,

butitisvisiblyfuelledbyanervous

energythatalsomakeshimhis

ownharshestcritic,andheis

plaguedwithpowerfulflashesof

self-doubt-which,attheirmost

devastating,oncecausedhima

boutofstagefrightthatlasted

threeyears.

‘Thisroleisstartingtobecome

alittlelessterrifyingnowwe’ve

begun,but,beingonstagereally

canbefearsomeattimes.Itrynot

tonoticethereisanyonewatching

-Imean,ifIeyeballedsomeoneby

accident,myGod,anythingcould

happen!’helooksgenuinely

startledatthethought.

‘Shakespearestillsurprisesme,

evenafteralltheseyears,’he

continues.‘AndI’mstilltryingto

doitwell.Thereisnorulebook.

Thegloryisinattemptingtoplay

oneofhischaracters.Itain’twot

yousay,it’sthewaywotyousay

it...,’hejests.

Hemightbeoblivioustoit,but

Ican’thelpfeelthisdetermination

todetachhimselffromthe

audienceandhidehimselfwithin

theroleiswhatmakeshimso

captivatingtowatch.Heisalso

adamantindetachinghimself

fromwhatpeoplethink,and

neverreadsreviews.

‘God,no,Ineverreadthem!

Iftheyaregoodthat’swonderful,

ofcourse,andI’mimmensely

grateful,butitwouldmakeme

awkwardtoreadthem.Butif

theyarebaditmakesyouwant

tokillyourself,andthat’smost

inconvenient,’hemanagesa

flightychuckle.‘Myfriendsare

highlyusefulforgentlykeeping

meinthepicture,withoutme

actuallyhavingtoreadanyofit.

Theywillsaythingslike,‘youreally

shouldseewhatisintheEvening

Standard’or‘whateveryoudo

don’treadtheTimes’or‘Idon’t

thinktheDailyMailsawthesame

playIdid’.It’smarvellous,’his

eyestwinkleagain.

Andwiththattheproducer,

whohasbeenprowlingaround

protectivelyinthebackground,

announcesmytimeisup.As

quietlyashearrived,SirDerek

withdraws,toprepareforthe

evening’sperformance-hiseyes

alreadyfocusingonahorizon

beyondthisroom,ashebegins

toslipintocharacter.Acharacter

whichhasfinallybecome

completelyandrightfully

hisown.

King lear Theatre Royal glasgow8-12MarchBoxOffice08448717647

Milton Keynes Theatre15-19MarchBoxOffice08448717652

Richmond Theatre29March-2AprilBoxOffice08448717651

OnlinebookingatAmbassadorTickets.com

Page 7: ATG Magazine Spring 2011

10

Backstage

9

Interviewby

MarkShenton

Photographyby

BrinkhoffMögenburg

Musicalsaremorepopularthan

ever,butwhileshowslikeThe

Sound of MusicandSouth Pacific

areall-timeclassicslovedbyall,

it’salsoimportanttohavenew

musicalsthatspeaktoayounger

generation.WhenJeffMarxand

RobertLopez,twolong-timefans

ofmusicalsfirstmetonawriters’

workshopinNewYork,they

realisedthattheyweredealing

inananachronisticartform.

‘We’reweird-wegrewuploving

musicals,’saysJeff,‘butwhenwe

lookaroundatourfriends,they

don’tnecessarily.Theythinkof

themasbeinganoldartform.We

soughttofindawayaroundthis,

creatingamusicalthat

communicatesourlovefortheart

formwithoutitbeingthekindof

thingthatpeoplewouldn’tlike.’

Robertchimesin.‘Wefeltwe

wantedtodosomethingrelevant

forpeopleofourownage.’And

Jeffcontinues;‘Weactuallystarted

backwards:sinceoldfashioned

musicalsmaynotbeonyoung

people’sradar,weaskedwhatkind

ofmusicalsdotheylike?Theylike

animatedmovieslikeDisney

cartoons,andSesame Streetand

theMuppets.WhenKermitthe

frogstartssinging,nooneturns

offtoitsowethought,let’sdo

somethingfunnyandrelevant

aboutpeoplelikeus,andmake

itappealingenoughforpeople

togetoverthehurdleofitbeing

amusical.’

Thuswasbornthehilarious

Avenue Q,‘Sesame Streetwith

sex’asit’sbeencalled-originally

conceivedasaTVshow.‘We

thoughtofcomingupwithan

adultpuppetshow,’saysRobert,

‘andrealisedthateverysingle

probleminadultlifecouldbe

turnedintoafunny,mock-

educationalsong.Thenightwe

gottheideawefilledanentire

legalpadwiththetitlesofsongs,

andthoughtwecouldwritethis

fortherestofourlives!Each

wouldbeadifferentepisodeof

Avenue Q-theracismepisode,

thepornepisode,thecoming

outoftheclosetepisode...’

Instead,however,itwoundup

notonTVbutfirstasanoff-

Broadwaymusicalwhichquickly

transferredtoBroadway,winning

thatyear’sTonyAwardforBest

NewMusical(overWicked,which

openedthesameyear);andthen

itcametriumphantlytoLondon,

whereitplayedforoverthree

yearsatthreedifferentWest

Endtheatres.

RachelJerramspentsometwo

andahalfyearsintheshow,first

coveringforvariouspartsincluding

kindergartenassistantKate

Monster,andplayingMrsT.Now

she’sbackfortheshow’stouring

premiere,butthistimeinthelead

role:‘Iobviouslyknowtheshow,

butit’sreallylovelytocomeand

feellikeI’mlearningitfresh,so

thatI’mabletoputmyownmark

onthecharacter,’saysthebubbly

26-year-old.It’sashow,ofcourse,

aboutlife’slearningcurves,and

she’slearntalotdoingit.The

appealoftheshow,shesays,is

that‘everyonecanrelatetoit.

Peoplewhodon’tlikemusicals

alwaysenduplikingit.Thelads

canrelatetoPrinceton-they’ll

Avenue QChurchill Theatre Bromley14-19FebruaryBoxOffice08448717620

Richmond Theatre28February-5MarchBoxOffice08448717651

new Victoria Theatre Woking21-26MarchBoxOffice08448717645

Milton Keynes Theatre18-23AprilBoxOffice08448717652

Theatre Royal Brighton2-7MayBoxOffice08448717650

Bristol hippodrome*23-28MayBoxOffice08448472325

King’s Theatre glasgow28June-2JulyBoxOffice08448717648

OnlinebookingatAmbassadorTickets.com*Onlinebookingatatgv.co.uk

The night we got the idea we filled an entire legal pad with the titles of songs, and thought we could write this for the rest of our lives! each would be a different episode of Avenue Q - the racism episode, the porn episode, the coming out of the closet episode...

‘’

sassy, satirical, uproarious - it’s Avenue Q !

say,I’vedonethat,Ididn’tmean

tohurtthatpersonbutIdidthat.

It’sjustsohuman-eventhough

it’sactuallypuppets-butthere’s

ahumanhearttoit.’

AdamPettigrew,whoplays

Princeton-anEnglishLiterature

graduateworriedabouthisfuture

-concurs,andsaysthatperforming

theroleviaapuppethelpsthe

showtosaywhatitneedsto.‘It

allowsustosaythingsyoucan’t

normallysay.Withpuppetssaying

thesethings,there’sinnocence

aboutit-it’snotdoneinaharsh

way.Andit’srefreshingtohear

thingssaidlikethis.’Healso

identifieswiththeshow’stheme

aboutfindingone’spurposeinlife.

‘I’veaskedthosequestions,likedo

Istayinthetheatre,whichI’ve

beendoingsinceIwasakid.Isthis

therightthingformetodo?And

attheend,Princetonisstill

searching;soit’sanongoing

process.There’squitealotforhim

tolearnintwohours!’

EdwardJudgeplaysBrian,one

ofthenon-puppetcharacters,and

hesays,‘It’sagreatreliefforme,

butitalsomeansthatIdon’thave

thatfantasticmediumtowork

through.’Andhe’salsolearntthat

there’sabigchallengeinacting

withpuppets:‘It’ssurprisingly

difficultbeingahumanplayingto

apuppet-youhavetomakesure

you’relookingnotattheactorbut

attheactor’sshoulderwherethe

puppetis!’

HHHHHSundayTimesNewsoftheWorldSundayExpressAbsoluteRadioMagicRadioSmoothFM

Page 8: ATG Magazine Spring 2011

12

TeRMs And CondiTions Onewinnerwillbedrawnatrandom

aftertheclosingdate.Theprizeincludes

2tickets(Mon-Thuperformancesuntil

26Mayonly)toseeLegally Blonde

The MusicalattheSavoyTheatreplus

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abottleofchampagneintheinterval,

programmesplustwogoodybagswith

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TowintwoticketstoseeLegally

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answerthefollowingquestion:

WhatUniversitydoesElleWoods

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Pleasereturnyouranswer,not

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GroupLtd.,39-41CharingCross

Road,London,WC2H0ARbefore

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Here’sachanceforyouanda

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Legally Blonde The Musical

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What’s on

Apollo ViCToRiA 0844 871 7615

WickedDiscovertheincredibleuntoldstoryoftheWitchesofOz.Winner! Most Popular ShowLaurenceOlivierAwards2010

phoenix TheATRe 0844 871 7629

Blood Brothers ‘Exhilarating. One of the best musicals ever written’SundayTimes

duKe oF yoRK’s TheATRe 0844 871 7623

ghost storiesDirectfromasell-outseasonattheLyricHammersmithcomesthemostterrifyingexperienceintheWestEnd.‘Awesome’JonathanRoss

plAyhouse TheATRe 0844 871 7631

dreamboats and petticoatsHHHH‘Tremendous, tub thumping fun, it brought the house down’SundayTelegraph

CoMedy TheATRe 0844 871 7622

The Children’s hourKeira KnightleyreturnstotheLondonstagealongsideelisabeth moss(Mad Men)inLillian hellman’svisionarymasterpiece.ian rickson(Jerusalem)directs.

piCCAdilly TheATRe 0844 871 7630

greaseTheoriginalhigh-schoolmusicalstarringLauren samuels andmatthew GoodgameMustend30April

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The Woman in BlackOneofthemostexcitingandgrippingtheatreeventseverstaged.‘A truly nerve-shredding experience’DailyMail

sAVoy TheATRe 0844 871 7687

legally BlondeThe MusicalStarringsusan mcFadden(Elle)anddenise Van outen(Paulette) HHHH‘Blows other musicals out of the water’Sun

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The 25th Annual putnam County spelling BeePrepareyourselvesforthespellingchallengeofalifetimeinWilliam Finnandrachel sheinkin’shilariousTonyAward-winningmusical.

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ghost The MusicalThedazzlingnewmusicalbasedonthephenomenalOscarwinningfilm.Ghostisatimelessfantasyaboutthepoweroflove.From22June

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The lion KingWithacastofover40actors,singersanddancers.‘A beautiful dazzle of invention and imagination’ EveningStandard

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end of the RainbowOlivierAward-winningtracie bennetttakestheWestEndbystormasJudyGarland. HHHHH‘A Star is Born’TheTimes

The old ViC 0844 871 7628

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TRAFAlgAR sTudio 2* 0844 871 7632

ordinary days NewMusicalbyAdam GwonStarringdaniel boysandJulie Atherton.Thehugelyanticipatedtransferoftheacclaimed,excitingandvibrantmusical.

Buy your West end Tickets here

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legally Blonde The Musical StarringSusanMcFadden&DeniseVanOutenBoxOffice08448717687OnlinebookingatAmbassadorTickets.com

Page 9: ATG Magazine Spring 2011

13

staturetoBirmingham,wewill

starttobringbacktheaudience’,

saysHowardwhofeelsthatinthe

past,thetheatrehassufferedfrom

underinvestmentandtherefore

hasunderperformed.

TheNewAlexandraisoneof

sixteenregionaltheatresthat

joinedAmbassadorTheatreGroup

lastyear.Thetheatreiscurrently

intheprocessofanimpressive

upgrade,whichwhenaddedto

thecostofitsannualmaintenance,

comesinatover£500,000.Aspart

oftheimprovements,theatre-

goerswillenjoyanewattractive

façadeandcanopyaswellas

improvedseatinginthemain

auditorium-withmorelegroom!

‘Wehaveatrackrecordofturning

buildingsaroundacrossthe

country,’saysHoward,‘and,with

better,moretargetedmarketing,

thereisnoreasonwhythistheatre

cannotbeinthepremierdivision’.

Thestarsarecomingoutfor

TheNewAlexandraTheatre

inBirmingham.Buildingonits

successfulre-launchlastwinter,

morehigh-profile,international

calibreshowsareplannedforthe

revampedtheatreoverthenext

twoyears.

Theexcitingprogramme

includesmusicalssuchasGrease

(currentlyonsalefornextyear’s

festiveseason),Corrie!afunny

andaffectionatetributeto

Britain’sbest-lovedsoaptogether

withthechildren’sclassicJungle

Book.Morequalitydramaisin

thepipeline.‘Wewanttoinclude

Birminghaminourdramatouring

circuitaswellascreatingnew

playswhichwillpremierthere,’

saysHowardPanter,JointCEOof

theAmbassadorTheatreGroup

anditsCreativeDirector.‘There

reallyisn’tanywherein

Birminghamthatdoeslarge-scale

dramaproductions’,headds.The

‘Alex’,asitisalsoaffectionately

known,isanaturalvenuefor

actorsasthestageandauditorium

workparticularlywelltogether.

‘Theaudience/actorrelationship

inBirminghamisreallywonderful

andveryintimate,’saysHoward,

‘eventhoughthetheatreisa

venueofalmost1400seats’.

Thoughhislipsaresealedatthe

moment,Howardwillannounce

somebigdramaproductionslater

intheyear.Theplays,likethe

musicals,aimtorepeatthesuccess

ofSpamalotwhichkickedoffThe

NewAlexandra’sre-launchlast

December.90%oftheaudience

inthefour-weekseasonvisited

thetheatreforthefirsttime.

Howardisconfidentthatina

cityasculturalanddiverseas

Birmingham,thissuccesscan

berepeated.

‘Wehopeit’savirtuouscircle;

bybringingbetterproductionsof

ahigherqualityandrealnational

Applause for The AlexBirmingham’s new Alexandra Theatre is tipped for the top

MainimageGrease

InsetpicturesSpamalot

Christmas2010

Forfutureprogrammeand

tobookticketsfortheNew

AlexandraTheatre,Birmingham

seenewalexandratheatre.co.uk

Interviewby

NicolaVenning

news

Red CarpetA star-studded launch for the new Aylesbury Waterside Theatre

TheWestEndsteppedontothe

redcarpetatthenewAylesbury

WatersideTheatrelastOctober

asahostofstarsfromstageand

screenmarkedamilestoneinUK

theatrehistory.TwooftheUK’s

greatestactors-DavidSuchetand

SimonCallow-werefirsttostep

ontothestageandformallyopen

Photographof2011WestEnd

CompanybyPaulColtas

Britain’snewesttheatre.

ComedienneRubyWax,actress

SusanHampshire,theRocky Horror

Show’sRichardO’Brien,

Hollywood’sWarwickDavies,

dancestarAdamCooper,the

gorgeousGemmaAtkinsonand

recordinglegendTonyChristie

werejoinedbywell-wishersfrom

thewiderworldofentertainment.

JonathanWilkesandSuzanne

Shawentertainedacapacitycrowd

outsidethetheatrebefore

nationaltreasureCillaBlack-star

ofthetheatre’sfirstpantomime

Cinderella - cuttheribbontoopen

thehouseforthefirsttime.

Formoreinformationona

sparklingfutureprogrammethat

includesSpamalot,SiberianBallet,

Yes Prime Minister,theRoyal

PhilharmonicOrchestraandRuby

WaxvisitAmbassadorTickets.com/

aylesburywaterside

14

RichardO’Brien

SimonCallow

GemmaAtkinson

WarwickDavies

RubyWax

SuzanneShawJonathanWilkes

CillaBlack

TonyChristie

DavidSuchet

Page 10: ATG Magazine Spring 2011

16

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style

elisabeth Moss plays career girl peggy in TV’s award-winning Mad Men alongside well-kept wife Betty (January Jones) and slinky secretary Joan (Christina hendricks) - which style will you be?

FeaturebyMarkBouman

Wallpaperbackdropcourtesy

ofCole&Soncole-and-son.com

ElisabethMossimagecourtesy

ofRexFeatures

Page 11: ATG Magazine Spring 2011

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Page 12: ATG Magazine Spring 2011

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