Wednesday 31 December 2014

A Glimpse of London Theatre 2015


2015 is looking bright for Theatreland! Here is a sneak peek of some exciting, up and coming theatre in London.

JANUARY


“In 1994 this powerful story won an Evening Standard Award for Best Comedy. It also took the 1994 Writers' Guild Award for Best Fringe Play and won a 1995 Olivier Award for Best Comedy. Following the lives of a group of gay friends over a period of several years, it's set during the time when the AIDS crisis was at its most frightening.”


"BAFTA winning and Golden Globe nominated actor James McAvoy (Filth, The Last King of Scotland, Atonement, X-Men) returns to Trafalgar Transformed, following his performance in Jamie Lloyd's Macbeth, which launched the first Trafalgar Transformed season and earned him an Olivier award nomination for Best Actor, and for the production a nomination for Best Revival."

FEBRUARY 

 

Three stories of Tennessee Williams - Young Vic 
Three riveting stories of misplaced identity and sexual repression reveal the tragic consequences of isolation. Don’t miss these rarely performed Tennessee Williams one-act plays: Summer at the Lake, Auto-da-Fe and The Strangest Kind of Romance, directed by 2015 Genesis Future Directors Award winner Finn Beames.”
Man and Superman - National Theatre “A romantic comedy, an epic fairytale, a fiery philosophical debate, Man and Superman asks fundamental questions about how we live. Ralph Fiennes takes the role of Jack Tanner in this exhilarating reinvention of Shaw’s witty, provocative classic.” 
Othello - Rose Play House Theatre - (Click here)
“Time Zone Theatre return to The Rose after their highly acclaimed production of ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ and 2014’s opera ‘Orpheus and Eurydice’, to present William Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’.”
A View from the Bridge - Wyndhams Theatre - (Click here) “The Young Vic's hit production of A View from the Bridge transfers to the West End for a strictly limited season, with a stellar cast led by Mark Strong (The Imitation Game, Before I Go To Sleep) as Eddie Carbone. Don't miss this “magnetic, electrifying, astonishingly bold” production (Evening Standard) which sold out even before it opened at the Young Vic.”

L’Ormindo -Sam Wanmaker Playhouse (click here)L’Ormindo is a comic and moving tale of the loves and betrayals of princes, its miraculous plot twists spurred on over three acts by the forces of Destiny, Love and Luck. The Globe's ground-breaking collaboration with The Royal Opera House returns after delighting audiences and critics alike during the Playhouse's inaugural season.”
MARCH The Great Gatsby - Sadlers Well (click here)

After its sell out success at Sadler’s Wells in 2013, Northern Ballet’s The Great Gatsby returns by popular demand. “On New York’s Long Island in the heady, indulgent days of the roaring 1920s, young Midwesterner Nick Carraway meets his infamous neighbour Jay Gatsby – a mysterious millionaire with a secret past and a penchant for lavish parties. As the sparkling facade of Gatsby’s world begins to slip, Carraway comes to see the loneliness, obsession and tragedy that lie beneath.”

Gypsy - Savoy Theatre “Imelda Staunton delivers a "knock-out performance" (The Independent) as Momma Rose in Jonathan Kent's "dazzling revival" (Mail on Sunday) of this gloriously entertaining musical fable, that features "showstopping" (Mail on Sunday) choreography from Stephen Mear.”
Sweeney Todd - London Coliseum (click here)
Academy Award-winning actress Emma Thompson and international opera and concert star Bryn Terfel reprise their roles as Mrs Lovett and Sweeney Todd in this concert staging of Stephen Sondheim’s gloriously gruesome musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.”
“Following a sell-out West End run in 2014, Michael Flatley’s Lord Of The Dance: Dangerous Games returns to London this Spring.”
APRIL The Audience - Apollo Theatre “Kristin Scott Thomas will play the Queen in a new version of Peter Morgan’s The Audience.  Stephen Daldry’s production will preview at the Apollo Theatre from 21 April 2015 and is booking to 25 July 2015."
 
High Society - Old Vic  “You’re invited to the wedding of the year, and what a swell party it’s going to be! Cole Porter’s classic feel-good musical, High Society comes to The Old Vic in a glittering new production staged in the round.”
JUNE  The Seagull - Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre “The first of Chekhov’s great works, The Seagull is celebrated as one of the most important plays of the nineteenth century. As guests assemble at a country house for the staging of an avant-garde open air play, artistic temperaments ignite a more entertaining drama behind the scenes, with romantic jealousies, self-doubt and the ruthless pursuit of happiness confusing lives, loves and literature.”  
AUGUST Hamlet - Barbican Centre – It’s sold out…for now. (click here) Benedict Cumberbatch takes on the title role in Shakespeare’s great tragedy. Directed by Lyndsey Turner (Posh, Chimerica) and produced by Sonia Friedman Productions, the Barbican presents an exclusive twelve-week run of this compelling new production in summer 2015.”
SEPTEMBER Lord of the Flies - Regents Park Open Air Theatre (click here) "For just 14 performances, our critically acclaimed production of Lord of the Flies, William Golding’s classic story of survival, superstition and immorality, returns prior to a major UK tour.”
Nell Gwynn - Shakespeare Globe (click here)It is 1660. The puritans have run away with their drab grey tails between their legs. Charles II has exploded onto the scene with a love of all things loud, French and sexy. And, at Drury Lane, a young Nell Gwynn is getting her satsumas out for the punters. Nell Gwynn charts the rise of an unlikely heroine, from her roots in Coal Pan Alley to her success as Britain’s most celebrated actress, and her hard won place in the heart of the king. But at a time when women are second class citizens, can her charm and spirit protect her from the dangers of the court? And at what cost?”

Tuesday 30 December 2014

International Opera Houses : 2015 Schedules January – July




2015 is closing in so I've already started doing a bit of research about opera schedules for various houses and thought I'd share them with you. Based on my research, so far, Vienna and Berlin have the best opera schedules. Might need to book flights soon! Ok, grab your pencil and filofax (or google calendar) ready!


HOW TO USE THIS POST:

  • Use these schedules as a prelimiary list of operas taking place in 2015 from January - July. (I have added some operas taking place post-July as this information was available on some website.)
  • Hyperlinks are added for operas as well as their respective opera houses for more information
  • Make sure to have a look at the dates of the operas you would like to see as some opera houses may show the opera later in the year as well.
  • I have added operas based on the date of the opening night. For example, if an opera's opening night is on the February this DOES NOT mean that the opera is only showing in February. Always check the link and check updates from the opera house website.
  • Be wary that dates and cast changes may take place.
  • List will include Bayerische Staatsoper, Barbican Centre and Royal Festival Hall soon.
Royal Opera House, London, UK (website)











January Die Soldaten


March Carmen




August La bohème

September L'elisir d'amore




March Faust Le Cid













February Alcina

















March Turandot



November La Traviata




February Faust

March Aida

June Turandot














Festspielhaus Baden-Baden Germany- (website)
March Der Rosenkavalier Le Damnation de Faust  


June Orfeo







February Lucia di Lammermoor Elektra read more Tannhäuser and the Singers' Contest at Wartburg read more Gold / Tischlerei  read more Samson and Dalila  read more

March The Swallow / Premiere read more The Girl of the Golden West  read more La Bohème read more Madame Butterfly read more

April Don Carlo Carmen read more Turandot read more La Traviata read more Roméo et Juliette / read more Lohengrin) / read more

July Faust