Rona Kelly - Page 6

In the Donmar Warehouse's last season, Knives in Hens split opinion in a highly stylised and surreal production. As the title may suggest, Peter Gill's 2001 play The York Realist could not be further from this. Grounded in naturalism both in script and vision, Robert Hastie's production of The York Realist finds an ideal leading man in the remarkable Ben Batt.

This spring, Matthew Needham will feature in Summer and Smoke at the Almeida Theatre. Rebecca Frecknall's production marks his third show at the theatre this year, having never previously performed there before. Catching up during rehearsals, Matthew reflects on his time at the Almeida so far, his journey to becoming an actor, and the career paths less traveled.

The National Theatre is staging a first. With the blessing from Disney, Dennis Kelly's Pinocchio is the first musical production to feature the songs from the classic 1940 film. Playing the Blue Fairy, Annette McLaughlin takes us through the creative and collaborative process behind this reimagining. Talking magic, music and 12ft puppets, she shares how dreams really do come true (and not just when you wish upon a star).

When Strangers in Between played at the King's Head Theatre in 2016, this marked Roly Botha's first professional role in theatre. Two years later, Roly makes his West End debut in the show's transfer to the Trafalgar Studios. Catching up backstage, Roly shares how he got here, audience reactions, and how the show resonates with him personally.

The VAULT Festival 2018 opens next week, running from 24 January through to 18 March. During the three months, three hundred shows will be staged, including new thriller and queer noir play Tumulus. Actor Ian Hallard fills us in on rehearsals so far, looks back on a busy year, and even further back to a performance of his we will (sadly) never see: King Kong!

Mary Stuart returns to the London stage, following a sell out run at the Almeida Theatre. Playing the role of Mortimer, Rudi Dharmalingam spoke to us about preparing to revisit the character, working with director Robert Icke, and the significance of the play today.

It was September of this year that I first saw this particular Titus Andronicus, at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. Back then, I was struck by how timely a production this seemed: corruption of power, toxic masculinity and the silencing of women all at the forefront under Blanche McIntyre's direction. A month later, the Harvey Weinstein scandal broke. Two months after that, the production transferred to the Barbican Theatre. Today, it proves an even more powerful and potent production, on both the Barbican and global stage.

When a production transfers, changes are inevitable. Different spaces create different possibilities and limitations, for actors, directors and designers alike. For the audience then, the entire experience between watching a show in one theatre and another may be wholly different. Part of the Royal Shakespeare Company's Rome MMXVII Season, Antony & Cleopatra is one of four shows to transfer to the Barbican. Rather than lose anything, Iqbal Khan's production gains something in this move. Playing in a proscenium arch theatre, the show and Robert Innes Hopkins' design cry out: 'Here is my space'.

Hannah Morrish plays her first season at the Royal Shakespeare Company, appearing in no less than three of the Rome MMVII shows. Playing Lavinia in Titus Andronicus, Portia in Julius Caesar and Virgilia in Coriolanus, Hannah spoke to us about the female voice and timeliness of this season.

Fresh off winning Best Musical at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards, Bat Out Of Hell returns to Toronto to continue performances.While back in London, we caught up with stars Andrew Polec and Christina to talk touring, audiences, and the show's return to the West End in 2018.

Rome wasn't built in a day...but the Royal Shakespeare Company's Rome MMXVII Season comes pretty close! As performances get underway for Julius Caesar, rehearsals begin for the Barbican transfer of Antony and Cleopatra. Playing the titular role, Antony Byrne takes us through his time at the RSC, from audience member to actor.

This Winter, the Royal Shakespeare Company's Rome MMXVII Season transfers to the Barbican Centre. Martin Huston returns to the RSC to play Cassius in Julius Caesar and Saturninus in Titus Andronicus.

Saint George and the Dragon is a story you likely heard as a child. 'He's a picture in a storybook,' notes one of the characters, 'But that's not who we are anymore'. Neither is the audience at the National Theatre. Harking back to a golden age of storytelling, Saint George and the Dragon falls on deaf ears. Laden with heavy exposition, Rory Mullarkey's play tells but does not show.

'We that are young Shall never see so much, nor live so long...' 2017 has been dubbed a year of Hamlets (too many, even), with Andrew Scott and Tom Hiddleston both taking on the role. If one play has experienced a renaissance, however, it would surely be King Lear. Indeed, it seems the UK stage will 'never see so much' King Lear as it has in the last twelve months (Timothy West, Antony Sher, Glenda Jackson and Kevin McNally all playing the eponymous King/Queen). Jonathan Munby's production at Chichester Festival Theatre is the latest, which sees Ian McKellen revisit the role he played a decade ago at the RSC.

Sex and death often go hand in hand. The french term 'La petite mort' literally means 'the sensation of orgasm as likened to death' (OED). And Le Grand Mort certainly goes big on this theme. Intimate and intense, Christopher Renshaw's production is packed with passion, but feels rather anticlimactic.

Do you have a secret? Can you keep that secret? If you answered yes and are going to Derren Brown: Underground, think again. Derren Brown probably knows it already. The tricks may stay the same in this 'Best of' show, but with new audiences and new secrets, anything can happen. Although with Brown, only two things really can: what he wants to, and pure magic.

'I must look close enough to discover what it is'. Uttered by one of the characters in Knives in Hens, the same could be said of the play itself. Obscuring and drawn out at points, an impressive cast and some illuminating lighting shine through, rediscovering this classic in the Donmar Warehouse's revival.

At its very heart, WOMAD (World of Music, Arts and Dance) is a celebration of the arts: in every form, from every country, for everyone. And what better way to celebrate the arts than a festival? Part of the National Theatre's free series of River Stage takeovers, WOMAD brought live music, workshops and dance from around the world to the heart of London.

This summer, the River Stage Festival returns to London's South Bank. Taking place on the National Theatre's appropriately named River Stage, this free festival sees some of the leading arts and culture organisations from around the UK share their craft, through performances and workshops.

This weekend, WOMAD (World of Music, Arts and Dance) has brought a world of culture to the South Bank. Part of the National's River Stage series, acts such as beat boxer Grace Savage and musicians Afro Cluster have taken over the stage. As Sunday kicked off, BroadwayWorld thought we'd try our hands (and feet and hips) at some dance. Leading a Jus Dance session, Ripton Lindsay chatted to us about workshops, WOMAD and why he loves to perform.