Review: A Streetcar Named Desire at the Leicester Curve (Studio)

A Streetcar Named Desire
Leicester Curve (Studio)
Reviewed on Wednesday 21st October 2015
★★★

Nikolai Foster's production of A Streetcar Named Desire is dark, intense and often gritty. Blanche's story seems more traumatic than ever as we witness her world spiral out of control.

Production Pics: Charlie Brooks & Stewart Clarke star in A Streetcar Named Desire

Production images have been released for A Streetcar Named Desire which opens Nikolai Foster’s inaugural season as Artistic Director of the Leicester Curve. Check out the images below (click picture to enlarge).

The show stars Charlie Brooks as Blanche and Stewart Clarke as Stanley, with the cast also including: Dakota Blue Richards (Stella), Sandy Foster (Eunice), Patrick Knowles (Mitch), Natasha Magigi (Nurse/African American Woman), Mark Peachey (Steve), Nick Read (Young Collector/Doctor and Juan Pablo Yepez (Pablo). 

Nikolai Foster announces first Leicester Curve season

Nikolai Foster has announced his first season as artistic director of the Leicester Curve.

Pop star and former Strictly Come Dancing runner-up Pixie Lott has been cast in a stage adaptation of Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Described as a sparkling play with music, the show will run between 3rd and 12th March 2016.

Breakfast at Tiffany's has been adapted for the stage by Richard Greenberg and will be directed by Foster. Following its run in Leicester, the play - which premiered in New York in 2013 - will tour the UK (dates below) before transferring to the West End's Theatre Royal Haymarket between 30th June and 17th September 2016.

Foster said: "I am thrilled Pixie Lott will lead the company in our production of Richard Greenberg's beautiful adaptation of Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's. Developing new audiences for drama and presenting plays which are socially relevant, are things we feel passionately about at Curve. I am very proud Pixie, Richard and our first class creative team will be joining us in Leicester for my inaugural season."

Rehearsal images released for Beautiful Thing starring Charlie Brooks & Gerard McCarthy

Rehearsal images have been released for Jonathan Harvey's Beautiful Thing which is about to launch a new UK Tour later this month ahead of a limited West End run at the Arts Theatre between 3rd June and 11th July 2015. Check out the pictures below (select image to enlarge)

The new cast of Nikolai Foster's production includes Gerard McCarthy (Hollyoaks), Vanessa Babirye (Our Girl), Charlie Brooks (EastEnders), Thomas Law (EastEnders) and Sam Jackson (Skins).

Harvey wrote Beautiful Thing when he was just 24. It premiered at the Bush Theatre in 1993 and sold out its five-week run before transferring to the Donmar Warehouse, and then the Duke of York's, eventually winning its author an Olivier Award nomination and the John Whiting Award. A screen adaptation of the play was released in 1996 by Channel 4 films, which went on to be a cult hit.

Charlie Brooks stars in new comedy at the Park Theatre

Full casting has been announced for Contact.com at the Park Theatre.

The play opens on 15th January 2015 (previews from 13th January) and runs until 14th February 2015.

The cast includes Charlie Brooks (EastEnders/Beautiful Thing, pictured right) as Kelly, Tanya Franks (EastEnders) as Naomi, Jason Durr (Black Coffee) as Matthew and Ralph Aiken (Waiting For Lefty) as Ryan.

Mathew and Naomi await the arrival of the youthful Ryan and Kelly. They’ll meet for one night of unlimited pleasure, then part. That’s the agreement, that’s the plan – but can they stick to it? Ryan and Kelly have a different agenda.

Interview: Charlie Brooks

Next year Charlie Brooks will star as Sandra in Nikolai Foster’s anniversary production of Jonathan Harvey’s Beautiful Thing. 

Following a successful West End run and short tour last year, the play will tour the UK again from March 2015. Beautiful Thing is a glorious urban love story between two young men set on an inner city housing estate. 

Best known for starring as Janine Butcher in EastEnders, Charlie won the 2012 series of ITV’s I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here as well as the 2011 Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special. 

On stage Charlie has played Dabby Bryant in Our Country's Good (Liverpool Playhouse), Betty in Dangerous Corner (Windsor Theatre Royal) and Rose in The Play What I Wrote (UK Tour). Charlie’s extensive screen work has seen her make appearances in: Wired, Robin Hood, Love Soup, Heartbeat, Casualty, Angel Of Death, London's Burning and The Bill, amongst others. 

Last week, after the first Beautiful Thing read through and cast meet and greet, I spoke to Charlie about why Beautiful Thing means so much to her, why she can’t wait to get going with rehearsals and why she’s been itching to do more theatre…

How much did you already know about Beautiful Thing?

Everything! I knew everything!

When did it first have an impact on you?

It was a really important film for me when I was younger at school. I went to an all-singing, all-dancing school and had a lot of friends who were coming out. I watched the film hundreds of times and was slightly obsessed by it [laughs]! I was definitely one of the cult followers!