A chance meeting and a mutual love of “Educating Rita” was the spark for the major new production of the acclaimed Willy Russell play “Educating Rita”. Jessica Johnson will play Susan "Rita" White, the Liverpudlian hairdresser aiming for a better life at the Open University, opposite Stephen Tompkinson as her frustrated professor Frank Bryant. And... Continue Reading →
Interview: Ali Azhar Talks “Around the World in 80 Days”
Ali Azhar is a French-Moroccan actor born in Paris. He studied classical theatre in Paris and Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London. He also studied dance at Broadway Dance Centre in New York. His latest credits include “Glory” (Red Ladder Theatre Company), “Landscapers” (HBO/SKY), “Henry V”/“The Tempest” (Shakespeare Rose Theatre) and “Top Boy” (Netflix).... Continue Reading →
Interview: Ulrika Krishnamurti Talks “Around the World in 80 Days”
Ulrika Krishnamurti’s artistic journey began at age 12 with “Rockford”, a coming-of-age cult classic by acclaimed filmmaker Nagesh Kukunoor. Her theatre credits include “Made in India” (a performance which earned her an Off West End award nomination), “Pink Sari Revolution” and “The Government Inspector”. Film/Television credits include “Holby City”, “The Anushree Experiments” and “Dead Men... Continue Reading →
Review: Four Quartets (Touring)
Tuesday 27th July 2021 at York Theatre Royal. T.S Eliot’s Four Quartets is an intensive rumination on the passage of time and all its complex workings. It sometimes feels like a sermon on life, or group therapy. At other times, it takes on the form of an authoritative academic lecture warning us about the perils... Continue Reading →
Interview: Sean McKenzie Talks Park Bench Theatre’s “The Park Keeper”
Park Bench Theatre is back! Sean McKenzie is set to star in The Park Keeper, which runs 9 - 17 July 2021 and will play to socially distanced audiences at The Friends Garden, Rowntree Park. Written by the Olivier Award-winning Mike Kenny and celebrating 100 years of Rowntree Park, the story sees a hard-working Park... Continue Reading →
Review: Miss Julie (Touring)
Tuesday 22nd June 2021 at York Theatre Royal. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ August Strindberg’s original took on the politics of gender and class; Amy Ng’s new adaptation, set in 1940’s Hong Kong, adds colonialism and deep-rooted war scars into the mix. As the daughter of the British Governor, Miss Julie displays the worst flaws associated with a spoiled... Continue Reading →
Review: The Greatest Play in the History of the World (Touring)
June 1st, 2021 at York Theatre Royal. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A good story told with great charm, that’s what The Greatest Play in the History of the World... is. It’s energised storytelling which refuses to let any lulls form and instead, ploughs onwards with a combination of great comic delivery and a recurring sense of gravity nestling... Continue Reading →
Review: The Handlebards’ Romeo & Juliet (Touring)
Tuesday May 25th 2021 at York Theatre Royal ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This ‘very loose’ re-telling of Romeo and Juliet is a treat - mostly because the cast offer that special kind of ‘we are having the time of our lives up here’ magic, but also because it’s a glowing reminder of just how malleable Shakespeare texts can... Continue Reading →
Interview: Julie Hesmondhalgh Talks Returning to the Stage in “The Greatest Play in the History of the World”
Currently back on our screens in the BBC drama “The Pact”, Julie Hesmondhalgh is also returning to the stage this month in Ian Kershaw’s “The Greatest Play in the History of the World”. Here, she talks about her love of theatre, her screen roles and returning this ‘universal love story that celebrates the human race... Continue Reading →
Interview: Robin Simpson Talks York Theatre Royal’s Travelling Pantomime – Oh yes he does!
When York Theatre Royal say ‘the show must go on’, they really do mean it. With the pandemic disrupting panto season, they’re improvising! From Dec 2nd - 23rd, they’re taking their Travelling Pantomime to venues across York, bringing festive cheer to locals in a year when the unfettered silliness of panto-land is needed more than... Continue Reading →