Following his successful first season as Lyric Artistic Director, Sean Holmes announces new productions to complete the spring season for the theatre. The season includes collaborations with some of the most exciting and innovative UK companies and artists.
‘Collaboration is at the heart of theatre and collaboration, in all its forms, is at the heart of our new season. The sonic blast of Filter, the fevered imaginations of Dyson and Nyman, the uniqueness of Cartoon de Salvo, the theatrical excess of the Brothers Marquez, the glorious insanity of Spymonkey, the unsettling vision of Eldridge, Holman and Stephens and Improbable's improbability should ensure 6 months of terror, laughter and the unexpected...'
Sean Holmes Artistic Director
Following their critically acclaimed collaboration on Twelfth Night Artistic Director Sean Holmes teams up with Filter to present Chekhov's Three Sisters
League of Gentleman writer Jeremy Dyson, and Andy Nyman co-creator of Derren Brown's stage and television shows, terrify audiences with Ghost Stories
Lyric Artistic Associate Simon Stephens returns to the Lyric Hammersmith with the world premiere of A Thousand Stars Explode in the Sky, co-written with David Eldridge and Robert Holman
The Marquez brothers entertain with their comic epic The Dark Side of Buffoon
Spymonkey brings a glorious mistelling of Melville's epic Moby Dick to the Lyric
Cartoon de Salvo take over a local Hammersmith pub with Pub Rock
World renowned Improbable bring Keith Johnstone's Lifegame to the Lyric
Lyric Lounge returns, showcasing the latest rising artistic talents
On a farm in the North East of England a family gathers. Behind them the sea boils orange. The universe is coming to an end. Three of England's leading playwrights come together in a unique collaboration to create an epic play about hope, love, fear and the very end of time. If it were all to end where would you go? Who would you see? What would you do?
Prior to A Thousand Stars Explode in the Sky, a month of comedic productions descend upon the Lyric Hammersmith. From 07 April, brothers John and Martin Marquez bring to life the eccentric characters of a nineteenth Century Italian circus troop in the dark and quirky new play The Dark Side of Buffoon directed by Timothy Sheader. From 20 April, the international comedy sensation Spymonkey brings its own version of Moby Dick to the stage. Trapped in the belly of a literary monster, four whalers ponder the irony of their fate as they recount their own unique version of the tale of Moby Dick. Sprinkled with inaccuracies and ever increasing fantasy, it is the greatest mistelling of Herman Melville's classic.
Throughout the second season, the ever popular Lyric Lounge in the Studio will welcome back previous Lyric performers Tom Sturridge and Henry Lloyd Hughes (Punk Rock); Charlotte Wakefield and Lucy May Barker (Spring Awakening). Lyric Lounge showcases the latest rising talents with a blend of soulful vocalists, up-and-coming bands, poetry, dance and a comedy special in April with previous acts landing record contracts on the back of their Lyric Lounge performances. Lyric Lounge will run from January through to June 2010 when Improbable and the Lyric will collaborate on Keith Johnstone's Lifegame. Returning once again to the Lyric following previous productions Stars are out Tonight, The Hanging Man and the critically acclaimed The Wolves in the Walls, Improbable will interview a surprise guest every evening and will incorporate storytelling, visual theatre, live music and object animation to dramatise the details of their life.
FORTHCOMING PRODUCTIONS
THREE SISTERS
Hope, despair and vodka
By Anton Chekhov
A version by Christopher Hampton
Directed by Sean Holmes & Filter
Design by Jon Bausor
Lighting by Paule Constable
Music by Chris Branch
Sound by Nick Manning
A Lyric Hammersmith and Filter Production
15 January - 20 February 2010, 7.30pm
Press Night: Monday 25 January, 7pm
Paul Brennen, Jonathan Broadbent, Jim Bywater, Nigel Cooke, Clare Dunne, Romola Garai, David Judge, John Lightbody, Poppy Miller, Ferdy Roberts, Gemma Saunders,
Mark Theodore, Sandra Voe, Paul Woodson
Exhilarating theatre company Filter, together with the Lyric Hammersmith's Artistic Director Sean Holmes, take on Anton Chekhov's Three Sisters in a fresh production for 2010, opening for previews from 15 January.
Following the run at the Lyric Hammersmith, Three Sisters will embark on a UK tour to Warwick, Manchester, Oxford, Northampton and Edinburgh.
COMEDY NIGHTS
Hosted by Richard Herring
Sun Evenings: 24 Jan, 28 Feb, 21 Mar, 25 Apr, 30 May & 27 June, 8pm
Sunday 24 January line up: Robin Ince, Greg Davies (The Inbetweeners) Brendon Burns (Edinburgh Festival 2009 Best Live Comedy Show winner) and Sarah Kendal.
PUB ROCK
A Cartoon de Salvo Production
03 - 20 February 2010, 8pm
Press Night: Friday 05 February, 8pm
Cartoon de Salvo, producers of Hard Hearted Hannah (Lyric) bring their new show to a nearby Hammersmith boozer. For twenty years, One Trick Pony have been rockin' all over the UK, giving audiences exactly what they want. So what makes tonight different? Love, loyalty and loss are all on the set-list for this event unique to the Lyric.
Ghost Stories
What are you hiding from?
Written and directed by Andy Nyman and Jeremy Dyson
Associate Director Sean Holmes
Design by Jon Bausor
Lighting Design by James Farncombe
Sound Design by Nick Manning
A Lyric Hammersmith and Liverpool Everyman Production
24 February - 03 April 2010, 8pm
Press Performance: Monday 01 March, 8pm
Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman bring their greatly anticipated new work Ghost Stories to the Lyric Hammersmith, opening for previews on 24 February. With performances starting at 8pm and as the dead of night approaches, three men gather, each with an uncanny tale to tell. Their chilling stories of supernatural encounters are re-imagined under the Lyric's historic proscenium arch....
Jeremy Dyson has won numerous awards as the co-writer of the hilariously bleak The League of Gentlemen; including a Perrier Award, BAFTA Award for Best Comedy and the Golden Rose of Montreux. The stage show he co-penned, A Local Show for Local People, was nominated for an Olivier Award in 2002.
Andy Nyman is the award-winning co-writer and co-creator of the acclaimed TV productions Derren Brown - Mind Control and Trick of the Mind. He co-wrote and co-directed Derren Brown Live, An Evening of Wonders and Derren's most recent live show - Enigma. Andy also won the Best Entertainment Olivier Award in 2005 for Something Wicked This Way Comes. Andy's acting credits include Channel 4's BAFTA nominated Dead Set and the horror-comedy directed by Christopher Smith Severence.
THE DARK SIDE OF BUFFOON
Written and performed by John and Martin Marquez
Directed by Timothy Sheader
A Belgrade Theatre Coventry Production
07 - 17 April 2010, 7.30pm
Press Night: Friday 09 April, 7.30pm
SPYMONKEY'S MOBY DICK
Directed by Jos Houben & Rob Thirtle
A Spymonkey and Royal & Derngate Northampton production.
20 April - 01 May 2010
Press Night: Friday 23 April, 7.30pm
A THOUSAND STARS EXPLODE IN THE SKY
A new play by David Eldridge, Robert Holman and Simon Stephens
Directed by Sean Holmes
Design by Jon Bausor
Sound Design by Nick Manning
A Lyric Hammersmith Production
07 - 29 May 2010, 7.30pm
Press Night: Wednesday 12 May, 7pm
IMPROBABLE AND KEITH JOHNSTONE'S LIFEGAME
Part chat show. Part improv show. Totally unique theatre.
06 - 17 July 2010
Press Night: Thursday 08 July
LYRIC LOUNGE
Fri 28 Jan 8pm (produced by TaYshan & Farhana Ahmed)
Fri 26 Feb 8pm (produced by Shane Solanki & Naomi O'Kelly)
Fri 26 Mar 8pm (produced by Tom Sturridge & Henry Lloyd Hughes)
Fri 30 Apr 8pm (produced by Sam Thompson & Dean Atta)
Fri 28 May 8pm (produced by Charlotte Wakefield & Lucy May Barker)
Fri 25 Jun 8pm (produced by Nathan Bryon & Stuart Mackenzie)
Videos