JACK AND THE BEANSTALK Comes To The Lyric Hammersmith, Previews November 21-January 9

Fee-fi-fo-fun - Classic Panto for everyone! Artistic Director Sean Holmes brings classic pantomime back to the Lyric Hammersmith for a glitter-filled festive feast that immerses audiences in one of the country's best-loved art forms. Directed by Steve Marmion, Jack and the Beanstalk starts previewing from 21 November 2009 and plays until 09 January 2010.

Take a cheeky West London lad called Jack and his widowed mum. Take a very special cow, a greedy Giant, an annoying harp and an aggravated talking goose and what have you got? Christmas at the Lyric of course! Get ready to boo the baddies, cheer the hero, sing along and double-up with laughter at Hammersmith's new Panto Dame. The Lyric's pantomime is set to be a community and entertainment extravaganza with the finest creative team working alongside an exceptional cast and local talent to present a traditional Panto that the whole family can enjoy.

Co-written by Richard Bean, Joel Horwood, Morgan Lloyd Malcolm and Ché Walker, Jack And The Beanstalk stars Tom Robertson as ‘Jack' (Quadrophenia UK tour, Torchwood, BBC), Javier Marzan as the cow ‘El Especial' (co-Artistic Director of Peepolykus, productions at the Lyric include Spyski! and Beauty and the Beast), Martyn Ellis as The Dame ‘Ms Wendy Windsor' (The Tudors, The Sarah Jane Adventures, BBC; Guys and Dolls and The Lion King for which he won an Olivier Award), Angela Wynter as the villain ‘Evelyn Greedly' (Simply Heavenly, Young Vic, The Lion King and EastEnders), Sean Kearns as the villain's sidekick ‘Plug' (As You Like It / A New World, Shakespeare's Globe; Taming Of The Shrew / Merchant Of Venice / Macbeth, RSC) and Natalie Best as ‘Jill' (Life Of Galileo / The Alchemist, National Theatre; Hairspray, West End).

Richard Bean is well known for his works including England People Very Nice at the National Theatre and The English Game. Other writing credits include The Mentalists (National Theatre); Pub Quiz is Life, Honeymoon Suite, Up on Roof (Hull Truck); Harvest (Royal Court - Winner of the Critics' Circle Award for Best Play 2005); Honeymoon Suite (ETT at the Royal Court - Winner of the 2002 Pearson Award for Best New Play), Smack Family Robinson (Live! Theatre, Newcastle); Under the Whaleback (Royal Court - Winner of the George Devine Award 2002) and Mr England (Crucible Theatre, Sheffield).
Joel Horwood is one of the UK's most exciting young writers. He is currently on attachment at Hampstead Theatre and the National Theatre Studio. Is Everyone Ok? is currently touring the UK whilst Beyond the Frontline has just finished its run at The Lowry, Manchester. Joel was part of the writing team for Suddenlossofdignity.com (Bush Theatre). Earlier this year, All the Little Things We Crushed ran at the Almeida and prior to that, I Caught Crabs in Walberswick enjoyed a sell-out run at the Pleasance, Edinburgh before transferring to The Bush. Joel made his debut with Mikey the Pikey, which won the Cameron Mackintosh Award at The Edinburgh Festival in 2005. Joel's adaptations of The Count of Monte Cristo and Daphne Du Maurier's The Blue Lenses are set to tour in early 2010.
Morgan Lloyd Malcolm is a comedy writer, performer and playwright. She was recently selected for the prestigious 2008-09 BBC College of Comedy, following the success of the television series School of Comedy for E4 and Hotel Trubble for CBBC. Theatre credits include Leo and Lisa, a commissioned piece for Kevin Spacey at the IWC Schaffhausen gala event in Geneva (2007). Most recently, Morgan joined the writing team for the productions of 50 Ways to leave your Lover and Suddenlossofdignity.com (Bush Theatre). Morgan is also a founding member of the cult comedy group Trippplicate (shows include Thirteen o'clock, The Receptionists and Time Trippers...).

Ché Walker's work in theatre includes Been So Long at the Young Vic and Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh (Runner-up in the 31st John Whiting Award); The Frontline at Shakespeare's Globe; Iphigenia at the Southwark Playhouse; Flesh Wound at the Royal Court (Winner of the George Devine Award); Crazy Love for Paines Plough; Car Thieves at the National Studio; Extended Family at the Chichester Festival Theatre (Winner of Playwrights' Slam), Dance For Me at Stratford East Theatre and Rootz Spectacular at the Belgrade Theatre.

Director Steve Marmion has recently directed Edward Gant's Amazing Feats of Loneliness with Headlong Theatre. In 2008 Steve had three critically acclaimed successes with Vincent River in New York, Only the Brave in Edinburgh (nominated for Best New Musical and Best New Music) and Metropolis in Bath. He also transferred Rupert Goold's Macbeth to Broadway. Steve is currently an Associate at Soho Theatre and a Creative Associate at The Bush. He was previously Associate Director at the RSC for two years from 2006-07. Further work includes productions at the National Theatre, Theatre Royal Plymouth, Soho Theatre, The Stephen Joseph Theatre, Theatre Royal Bath, Watford Palace Theatre and various tours.

Designer Tom Scutt's design credits include The Internationalist (Gate Theatre); The Contingency Plan (Bush Theatre); Bay (Young Vic); The Merchant of Venice (Octagon Theatre - Manchester Evening News award nominated Best Design 2008); The Observer (design consultant, National Theatre Studio); Paradise Lost (Southwark Playhouse); Mad Funny Just (winner of the 2008 ‘Old Vic New Voices Award') and Return (Watford). For his work with Headlong Theatre, Tom was awarded the 2007 Linbury Biennial Prize and the 2007 Jocelyn Herbert Award for Stage Design. He also won the RWCMD Theatre Design Award in 2004, 2005 and 2006.
Directed by Steve Marmion

Designed by Tom Scutt

Lighting by Malcolm Rippeth

Sound by Nick Manning  

Tel: 020 8741 6870
Listings Information
Dates 21 November - 09 January, times vary see www.lyric.co.uk

Audio Described Performance 19 December, 2pm

Open Captioned Performance 20 December, 3pm

BSL Interpreted Performance 22 December, 7pm

Tickets £10 - £25

All Under 16s £10

Family Ticket £50 (for 4 people)

Bookings 0871 22 117 22 / www.lyric.co.uk

CURRENTLY PLAYING
Comedians

Until 14 November 2009, 7.30pm
By Trevor Griffiths

Directed by Sean Holmes

Cast includes: Keith Allen, Mark Benton, David Dawson, Matthew Kelly

With his first production as the Lyric's Artistic Director, Sean Holmes revives Trevor Griffiths' 1970s classic. Six budding comics embark on the most important evening of their lives. Failure or success? What will be the price of each?

FORTHCOMING PRODUCTIONS AT THE LYRIC HAMMERSMITH

Christmas Baking Time

27 November - 03 January, times vary see www.lyric.co.uk

Press Performance: Friday 04 December 2009 1pm

Written & Directed by Tim Webb

An Oily Cart Production
Acclaimed children's theatre company, Oily Cart return to the Lyric Hammersmith to present Christmas Baking Time - a fantastic festive feast for the senses for 3-6 year olds. Christmas Baking Time finds two playful bakers, sifting through magical flour storms, with mischievous doughy characters amidst shelves of baking ingredients and utensils.

Three Sisters

15 January - 20 February 2010, 7.30pm

Press Night: Monday 25 January, 7pm
By Anton Chekhov

Directed by Sean Holmes & Filter
Exhilarating theatre company Filter, together with the Lyric's Artistic Director Sean Holmes, take on Chekhov's classic and strip it bare. The youth, exuberance and creativity of Filter, combined with Holmes' attention to detail, will cherish the heart of the play whilst shedding new light on this classic.

Ghost Stories

24 February - 03 April 2010, Monday - Friday 8pm, Saturday 9pm

Special Late Night Press Performance: Monday 01 March, 9pm

Written and directed by Andy Nyman & Jeremy Dyson

Three men gather, each with an uncanny tale to tell: their chilling stories will bleed off the stage and into your dreams. Starting a little later than your traditional evening of theatre; as the dead of night approaches, the shades of past, present and future worlds are conjured under the Lyric's historic proscenium arch.

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