Review: Weald at the Finborough Theatre

Weald

Finborough Theatre

Reviewed on Thursday 4th February 2016

★★★★

What does it mean to “be a man” nowadays? That is the question that playwright Daniel Foxsmith claims sits at the heart of Weald, his new two-hander about responsibility, legacy, and horses. Produced by Snuff Box at Chelsea’s Finborough Theatre, it is an earthy, unflashy 75-minute rumination on what we owe to the past, what we ow to the future, and what we owe to each other.

Finborough Theatre announces autumn season

The Finborough Theatre is celebrating its 35th year with an autumn season of even more vibrant new plays and unique rediscoveries.

The season opens with the world premiere of My Eyes Went Dark by Matthew Wilkinson. Starring Thusitha Jayasundera and Cal MacAninch, this gripping new play based on real events plays from 25th August to 19th September. It plays alongside the European premiere of This Heaven by the acclaimed new Aboriginal Australian writer Nakkiah Lui, on Sunday and Monday evenings and Tuesday matinees from 30th August to 15th September.

Rehearsal images released for The One Day of the Year at the Finborough Theatre

Rehearsal images have been released for The One Day of the Year. Alan Seymour's play opens at the Finborough Theatre on 21st May (previews from 19th May) and runs until 13th June 2015. Check out the images below (click picture to enlarge).

Directed by Wayne Harrison, the cast includes Mark Little as Alf, Fiona Press as Mum/Dot, Adele Querol as Jan and James William Wright as Hughie. The One Day of the Year runs as part of the Finborough's GreatWar100 series to commemorate the centenary of the Gallipoli campaign. It marks the first UK production of Seymour’s iconic play in over fifty years.

Finborough Theatre announces summer season

The Finborough Theatre has announced its 2015 summer season. 

The season opens with the return of the Finborough Theatre's occasional TheGreatWar100 series with a rediscovery – commissioned by the Finborough Theatre – and a new play. Commemorating the centenary of the Gallipoli campaign, the first UK production in over fifty years of Alan Seymour’s The One Day of the Year – directed by Wayne Harrison, former Artistic Director of Sydney Theatre Company, and starring Mark Little runs between 19th May and 13th June 2015. Running alongside it, Stony Broke in No Man’s Land, a world premiere written and directed by John Burrows, and performed by two original members of the Number 1 chart-topping group, The Flying Pickets, plays on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays, 24th May to 9th June. 

The One Day of the Year by Alan Seymour to be revived at the Finborough Theatre

It has been announced that The One Day of the Year by Alan Seymour will be staged at the Finborough Theatre later this year as part of its GreatWar100 series to commemorate the centenary of the Gallipoli campaign.

It will be the first UK production in over fifty years of Seymour’s iconic play. The show opens on 21st May (previews from 19th May) and runs until 13th June 2015. Wayne Harrison directs.

One of Australia's most popular plays, The One Day of the Year explores the universal theme of father-son conflict against the background of the beery haze and the heady, nostalgic sentimentality of ANZAC Day – Australia's equivalent of Remembrance Sunday – and a sacred cow among Australian annual celebrations.

Review: The Grand Tour at the Finborough Theatre

Zoë Doano, Alastair Brookshaw & Nic Kyle

The Grand Tour 
Finborough Theatre
Reviewed on Wednesday 7th January 2015
★★★★

Jerry Herman's musical The Grand Tour was a big flop on Broadway when it opened in 1979. Thirty-six years later the piece is receiving its European premiere at the Finborough Theatre which is looking smaller than ever.

Sneak peek at... European premiere of Jerry Herman's The Grand Tour

Production images have been released for the European première of Jerry Herman’s 1979 Broadway musical, The Grand Tour. Directed by Thom Southerland, the musical is currently in previews at the Finborough Theatre ahead of its official opening tomorrow (6th January 2015). Check out production images below (click image to enlarge).

Produced by Danielle Tarento, The Grand Tour runs for an eight-week season concluding on Saturday 21st February. The cast is led by Alastair Brookshaw (Parade/Cabaret), Nick Kyle (Chris in New Zealand premiere of Miss Saigon) and Zoë Doano (Sweet Smell of Success/Les Miserables).

Casting announced for European première of The Grand Tour

It has been announced that Alastair Brookshaw (Parade/Cabaret), Nick Kyle (Chris in New Zealand premiere of Miss Saigon) and Zoë Doano (Sweet Smell of Success/Les Miserables, pictured right) will lead the cast of the European première of Jerry Herman’s 1979 Broadway musical, The Grand Tour.

Thom Southerland directs the show which runs at the Finborough Theatre as part of the 20 Premières Season. It opens on Tuesday 6th January (previews from 1st January) and runs until Saturday 21st February.

The cast is completed by: Michael Cotton, Laurel Dougall, Elizabeth Graham, Natasha Karp, Vincent Pirillo, Blair Robertson, Samuel J Weir and Lizzie Wofford.

First play produced professionally by an African American woman to receive European premiere

It has been announced that Rachel will receive its European premiere at the Finborough Theatre. 

Rediscovered by the Finborough Theatre's Artistic Director Neil McPherson, Rachel is a "genuinely lost landmark of American theatre" - the first play by an African American woman ever produced professionally. 

Angelina Weld Grimké's play runs between Tuesday 30th September and Saturday 25th October 2014. It is directed by young director Ola Ince as part of Black History Month. Rachel has design by Alex Marker, lighting by Elliot Griggs, costume by Anna Lewis and sound by Max Pappenheim.

Finborough Theatre cancels run of The Wallace & announces staged reading

The Finborough Theatre has cancelled its run of The Wallace due to funding issues. A reading of the play will be staged on Monday 15th September. The production was supposed to run between between 7th and 23rd September. 

An official statement issued to press reads:

Review: This Was A Man at the Finborough Theatre

This Was A Man
Finborough Theatre
Reviewed on Thursday 17th July 2014
★★★★

Noël Coward's controversial play This Was A Man has finally found its way to the London stage. Coward's play of recklessness, love and adultery was written in 1925 but was immediately banned by the censor. Productions have since been staged on Broadway and across Europe but this production at the renowned Finborough Theatre, directed by Belinda Lang (who has starred in many of Coward's most iconic plays), marks the piece’s professional UK premiere.

Finborough Theatre announces summer season

The Finborough Theatre has announced its upcoming summer season. 

The season will begin with two classic rediscoveries from Northern Ireland. Following the success of the Finborough's rediscovery of St John Ervine's Mixed Marriage in 2011, the theatre will now present the first English production in nearly 100 years of his Ulster tragedy John Ferguson, playing 20th May - 14th June 2014. It is accompanied on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays between 25th May -10th June 2014 by the first London production for more than 40 years of Stewart Parker's classic 1970s drama Spokesong.

Thérèse Raquin transfers to Park Theatre

It has been announced that Thérèse Raquin will transfer to the Park Theatre (Park200) following its sell-out run at the Finborough Theatre. The production opens on Tuesday 5th August (previews from 30th July) and runs until Sunday 24th August 2014.

The new musical is adapted from the classic French novel of the same name. Thérèse Raquin has music by Craig Adams and book and lyrics by Nona Shepphard who also directs. The Finborough cast is led by Julie Atherton, Ben Lewis, Jeremy Legat and Tara Hugo, but casting is to be confirmed for the transfer.

Review: Thérèse Raquin at the Finborough Theatre

Thérèse Raquin
Finborough Theatre
Reviewed on Friday 29th March 2014

Based on Émile Zola's novel set in 19th Century Paris, Thérèse Raquin is a dark new musical about a woman who has an affair with her husband's friend, leading to desperate actions and disastrous consequences.

Big Interview: Craig Adams

Craig Adams’ new musical Thérèse Raquin, based on the classic French novel, opens tonight at the Finborough Theatre.

Craig (music) has adapted Émile Zola’s novel for the stage with Nona Shepphard (book and lyrics). The production features a stellar cast, including Julie Atherton (LIFT/Avenue Q) and Ben Lewis (Candide/Australian production of Love Never Dies).

Craig is a composer, lyricist, and arranger. He was the Cameron Mackintosh Resident Composer at the Finborough Theatre, facilitated by Mercury Musical Developments and Musical Theatre Network UK. 

His first musical LIFT, developed in association with Perfect Pitch, received its world premiere at Soho Theatre in February 2013 and received an Off Broadway run in November 2013. The show was ranked #2 in West End Frame’s top ten shows of 2013.

Craig’s other writing credits include: DEFECT (as part of Vibrant 2013 – A Festival of Finborough Playwrights at the Finborough Theatre), 101 Dalmatians (The Castle, Wellingborough), Ghosts Of The Past and The Watchers (YMT:UK), Ballet People (The Place), Battlement (Vanbrugh Theatre), Let Him Have Justice (Cochrane Theatre), Spell, The Frog Prince (Wimbledon Studio Theatre and Edinburgh Festival) and Alice in Wonderland (Edinburgh Festival and tour). 

He is currently working an adaptation of the Terry Pratchett novel Soul Music for YMT:UK, and a dance piece based on acclaimed children’s book Bob Robber and Dancing Jane entitled Shadowthief which will premiere in summer 2014. 

Recently I spoke to Craig about why he decided to write Thérèse Raquin, the overwhelming success of LIFT and the state of new writing… 

How have you felt over the past few weeks with the build up to the opening of Thérèse Raquin?

Very nervous… [laughs] really nervous! It’s a really hard show; the subject matter is hard anyway because the book is very naturalistic. It doesn’t centre itself on emotion; it’s about how people deal with the story. When writing the music it was hard to not wallow in the emotion, it has to be more of a commentary. The score is really, really tricky – the cast have done a phenomenal job. It’s been hard but rewarding work!

Meet The Cast of Thérèse Raquin at the Finborough Theatre

This morning we revealed that full casting has been announced for the world premiere of a new musical adaptation of the classic French novel Thérèse Raquin. Based on Émile Zola's 1868 novel, Thérèse Raquin tells the story of a young woman trapped in a loveless marriage to her cousin Camille, who enters into a passionate affair with his friend Laurent.

The production, which opens at the Finborough Theatre on Thursday 27th March 2014 (previews from 25th March) and runs until Saturday 19th April 2014, has music by Craig Adams and book and lyrics by Nona Shepphard who is also directing the production.

Once again the Finborough has gathered an incredible cast of West End regulars. Meet the cast below:

Full casting announced for new musical Thérèse Raquin at the Finborough Theatre

Ben Lewis & Julie Atherton

Full casting has been announced for the world premiere of a new musical adaptation of the classic French novel  Thérèse Raquin. The production opens next month at the Finborough as part of the theatre's Celebrating British Music Theatre series.

Thérèse Raquin opens on Thursday 27th March 2014 (previews from 25th March) and runs until Saturday 19th April starring Julie Atherton, Ben Lewis and Olivier Award nominee Tara Hugo.

The full cast includes: Julie Atherton (Thérèse Raquin), Lila Clements (Suzanne), Claire Greenway (River Woman), Tara Hugo (Madame), Ellie Kirk (River Woman), Jeremy Legat (Camille), Ben Lewis (Laurent), Gary Tushaw (Grivet), Verity Quade (River Woman) and Matt Wilman (Oarsman). Click here to meet the cast.

Thérèse Raquin has music by Craig Adams and book and lyrics by Nona Shepphard who is also directing the production.

19th Century Paris. Behind the counter of a small dusty haberdasher’s shop near the Seine in the dank, narrow Passage du Pont Neuf, sit Madame Raquin and her beautiful niece Thérèse whom she has married off to her sickly son Camille in a loveless match. While he is out working, Thérèse serves in the shop and the monotony is only broken on Thursday nights, when Madame plays dominoes with a strange assortment of old friends.

Review: Carthage at the Finborough Theatre

Carthage

Finborough Theatre

Reviewed on Thursday 30th January 2014

Tommy Anderson was born in a prison, and he died in one too. Whose fault was it?

Above is a question I am still trying to answer, as I am left reeling from the most riveting play of 2014 so far.

What makes Chris Thompson's play so brilliant is that throughout the majority of the piece  it is impossible to know who to side with. Performed out of sequence, Carthage takes you on the most epic journey, revealing what happened before, during and after Tommy's horrific life. The system was designed to protect children like Tommy, but perhaps in this case it does more harm than good. 

Review: Valley Of Song at the Finborough Theatre

Valley Of Song
Finborough Theatre
Reviewed on Tuesday 14th January 2014

The Finborough Theatre have staged Ivor Novello’s very last musical, Valley of Song, for just a few performances as part of their returning 'Celebrating British Music Theatre' series. This is actually the world premiere of Valley Of Song as it was left unfinished by Novello at the time of his sudden death in 1951 (at the age of 58) and completed by his long-time collaborator Christopher Hassall.

Carthage to premiere at the Finborough Theatre, casting announced

It has been announced that Carthage, the debut play from the Finborough Theatre's new Channel 4 Playwright in Residence Chris Thompson, will premiere later this month.

The production opens at the Finborough Theatre on Thursday 30th January (previews from 28th January) and runs for four weeks until Saturday 22nd February 2014. The cast includes: Elaine Claxton, Claire-Louise Cordwell, Oliver Jackson, Jack McMullen, Lisa Palfrey, Toby Wharton and Chinna Wodu.