Review: Red Velvet at the Garrick Theatre

Red Velvet
Garrick Theatre
Reviewed on Tuesday 2nd February 2016
★★★★

Having premiered at the Tricycle Theatre in 2012, Lolita Chakrabarti's debut play Red Velvet has arrived in the West End as part of the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company's Plays At The Garrick season.

The month ahead: January 2016

Keep an eye on...

Noma Dumezweni

Noma Dumezweni's career is currently soaring from strength to strength. This week she is giving her final performances as the title character in Linda at the Royal Court, a role she took over from Kim Cattrall two weeks before opening night. She is also preparing to make her directorial debut, helming I See You by Mongiwekhaya which begins performances at the Royal Court in February. Later this year she will take on the role of a lifetime, starring as Hermione in J.K. Rowling's play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Dumezweni is certainly one to watch!

Sheila Hancock & Jenna Russell

Later this week (7th Jan) the European première of Grey Gardens opens to press at the Southwark Playhouse. Thom Southerland's production stars Sheila Hancock and Jenna Russell, both of whom are Olivier Award winning actresses. In 2007 Hancock won Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical for playing Fraulein Schneider in Cabaret whilst Russell won Best Actress in a Musical in 2006 for playing Dot in Sunday in the Park with George. There's already talk in theatreland about both stars giving performances to remember; Grey Gardens plays until 6th February 2016.

Shows that should be on your radar...

Full casting announced for Red Velvet's West End transfer

Full casting has been announced for Red Velvet which transfers to the West End next year as part of the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company's Plays at the Garrick season.

The production opens at the Garrick Theatre on 1st February (previews from 23rd January) and runs until 27th February 2016.

Red Velvet is written by Lolita Chakrabarti with direction by Indhu Rubasingham. The show premiered at the Tricycle Theatre in 2012 before transferring to St Ann’s Warehouse in New York in 2014.

Red Velvet starring Adrian Lester transferring to the West End

The Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company has announced that Red Velvet starring Adrian Lester will be the third play in the inaugural Plays at the Garrick season. 

The production, which originally premiered at the Tricycle Theatre in 2012 before transferring to St Ann’s Warehouse in New York in 2014, will play at the Garrick Theatre from 23rd January until 27th February 2016. Red Velvet is written by Lolita Chakrabarti with direction by the Tricycle's artistic director Indhu Rubasingham.

Kenneth Branagh said: “Writing, direction and performance are exceptional in Red Velvet. I’m immensely proud to be presenting this work. I was aware of its development from its inception and believe Lolita Chakrabarti has written an important and exhilarating play which in its discussion of performance, politics, and race is as entertaining as it is illuminating.”

Tricycle Theatre’s Red Velvet to air on BBC Radio 4

Following highly acclaimed runs at the Tricycle Theatre and St Anne’s Warehouse in New York, it has been announced that Red Velvet will air on BBC Radio 4 for the first time on Saturday 19th July at 2.30pm.

Red Velvet was Indhu Rubasingham’s inaugural production as Artistic Director of the Tricycle Theatre. Written by Lolita Chakrabarti, the production was nominated for an Olivier Award. Chakrabarti went on to win the Critics’ Circle and Evening Standard Awards for Most Promising Playwright and Adrian Lester was awarded Best Actor (Critics’ Circle Awards).

Interview: Charlotte Lucas, currently starring in Red Velvet at the Tricycle Theatre

Charlotte Lucas is currently starring in Indhu Rubasingham’s critically acclaimed production of Red Velvet which runs at the Tricycle Theatre until Saturday 15th March 2014 prior to its New York transfer to the St Ann’s Warehouse where it runs between 25th March and 20th April 2014.

Written by Lolita Chakrabarti, Red Velvet was Indhu Rubasingham’s inaugural production as Artistic Director of the Tricycle. Chakrabarti went on to win the Critics’ Circle and Evening Standard Awards for Most Promising Playwright and Adrian Lester was awarded Best Actor at the Critics’ Circle Awards.

Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, 1833. Edmund Kean, the greatest actor of his generation, has collapsed on stage whilst playing Othello. A young black American actor has been asked to take over the role. But, as the public riot in the streets over the abolition of slavery, how will the cast, critics and audience react to the revolution taking place in the theatre? Imagined experiences based on the true story of Ira Aldridge.

Charlotte Lucas plays Ellen. For the Tricycle Theatre her credits include: Called to Account, Darfur, How Long is Never? and Fabulation. Charlotte’s other theatre work includes: If Only (Chichester), Posh (Royal Court/West End), The Changeling (Young Vic), Yes Prime Minister (West End) and Fast Labour (West Yorkshire Playhouse/Hampstead Theatre). 

I recently spoke to Charlotte about revisiting her role in Red Velvet and being reunited with the cast, why she’s excited to be taking the play to New York as well as what makes The Tricycle Theatre such an exciting place to work…

What has it been like for you to revisit Red Velvet? Did it feel strange at first being back in the rehearsal room?

No, not really. To be honest it’s a real privilege to be allowed to go back to something and re-look at things you may have felt first time round didn’t quite work. It’s such an opportunity to look at all of that again. Also, it’s such a rare thing and makes the production stronger all round because you are exploring it with eyes that have an amount of knowledge which has been filtered through which means you can start from a place of more experience.