Preview: Cyrano de Bergerac at Newcastle Northern Stage

A poet, a soldier, a brawler...

and a hopeless romantic

 A Royal & Derngate, Northampton and Northern Stage co-production

Cyrano de Bergerac

Based on the translation written by Anthony Burgess

of the play written by Edmond Rostand

Directed by Lorne Campbell

Royal & Derngate, Northampton

Friday 3 – Saturday 25 April

Northern Stage, Newcastle

Wednesday 29 April to Saturday 16 May

Director Lorne Campbell

with Kylie Ann Ford

Photo: Mark Savage

Royal & Derngate’s Made in Northampton 2015 season starts in April with the sweeping epic, Cyrano de Bergerac. Directed by Lorne Campbell, Anthony Burgess’ translation of Edmund Rostand’s classic play is a co-production with Northern Stage, and takes to the Royal stage in Northampton from Friday 3 April, transferring to Newcastle from 29 April.

A poet and a soldier, a brawler and an incurable romantic, Cyrano do Bergerac is a hero – the first among men but totally lost among women. He is blessed with being brilliant at everything and cursed by having the biggest nose in all of France.

Cyrano is hopelessly in love with Roxane, his equal in wit but every bit as beautiful as he is ugly. Afraid of confessing his love, he becomes a protector and confidante. Christian, a handsome cadet but not the sharpest sword in the armoury, catches Roxane’s eye and, with his mighty heart breaking, Cyrano sets about using his unequalled skill as a poet to write ravishing love letters between the two.

The panache of one of literature’s most famous love triangles is brought to life in this epic production, staged with passion, bravado, joy and heartache. Duels are fought, honour defended, villains defeated, and cakes eaten.

Lorne Campbell, Chris Jared and George Potts

Photo: Mark Savage

Cyrano de Bergerac is directed by Northern Stage Artistic Director Lorne Campbell, who comments: “Cyrano is scaled up in every way, not just his nose, but his bravery and his vulnerability, his honour and his self-loathing, his soaring poetry and his profound inarticulacy. This is what I love about the play, it takes that ridiculous deluded mess of a person we all carry around inside ourselves and lets them out onto the stage, bigger and better while also more absurd and crippled than we could ever be.”

James Hunter and Nigel Barrett

with director Lorne Campbell

Photo: Mark Savage

Lorne, whose credits include Carthage Must Be Destroyed and Distracted at Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre, will be working with designer Jean Chan (James and the Giant Peach, Dundee Rep, The James Plays, National Theatre/National Theatre of Scotland as Associate Designer). Lighting design is by Tim Lutkin who recently won an Olivier for Chimerica, with other credits including The Crucible (Old Vic), Royal & Derngate’s Christmas show Merlin and The Go-Between, a co-production between Royal & Derngate, West Yorkshire Playhouse and Derby Theatre. Sound design is by Alasdair Mcrae whose recent work includes Get Santa! and The Bloody Great Border Ballad Project for Northern Stage and Gastronauts for the Royal Court.

Nigel Barrett and James Hunter

rehearse a fight scene

Photo: Mark Savage

Nigel Barrett whose credits include There Has Possibly Been An Incident, Royal Exchange Manchester/ SohoTheatre, Richard III – An Arab Tragedy, for RSC/Bouffes du Nord and The Passion with Michael Sheen, takes the central role of Cyrano. Nigel is a member of the Shunt Collective and recently won The Samuel Beckett Theatre Trust Award 2015 with Louise Mari. Cath Whitefield (Electra, The Gate, Othello, RSC) appears as Roxane and Chris Jared (All’s Well That Ends Well, Hamlet, RSC) completes the legendary love triangle as Christian. The cast also includes John Paul Connolly (Twelfth Night, Richard III, Shakespeare’s Globe, West End and Broadway) as Le Bret/Ligniere and George Potts (1984, Headlong Theatre; The Silver Tassie, National Theatre) as De Guiche/Rageneau.

Cyrano company movement

rehearsals with Liv Lorent, Movement Director

Photo: Mark Savage

The Chorus is made up of six emerging performers from Northern Stage’s NORTH scheme – a 21 week paid training programme to support and develop young actors in the North East of England. Lorne Campbell explains, “NORTH is part of Northern Stage’s commitment to creating access and opportunities for working class actors with exceptional talent, so we’re delighted that they’re working with us on our big spring production this year.” Kylie Ann Ford, Sisley Henning, Sian Armstrong, Samantha Bell, James Hunter and Matt Howdon will take on dozens of ensemble roles.

Creative Team:

Lorne Campbell Director

Jean Chan Designer

Tim Lutkin Lighting Designer

Alasdair Mcrae Sound Designer

Ros Steen Voice Director

Liv Lorent Movement Director

Rebecca Frecknall Assistant Director

Cast:

Nigel Barrett Cyrano de Bergerac

John Paul Connolly Le Bret/Ligniere

Chris Jared Christian

George Potts De Guiche/Rageneau

Cath Whitefield Roxane

Ensemble:

Sian Armstrong                    Samantha Bell            Kylie Ann Ford

Sisley Henning                      Matt Howdon              James Hunter

Tickets:

Cyrano de Bergerac can be seen at Royal & Derngate, Northampton from Friday 3 to Saturday 25 April and at Northern Stage from Wednesday 29 to Saturday 16 May www.northernstage.co.uk.

Royal & Derngate, Guildhall Road, Northampton NN1 1DP

Dates: Friday 3 to Saturday 25 April 2015

Times: Evenings 7.45pm (except Tuesday 7 April 7pm)

Matinees – Thursday and Saturday 2.30pm

No performances on Sundays

Tickets: £10 to £29*

Box Office: 01604 624811 or online at www.royalandderngate.co.uk 

A transaction fee of £2.80 applies to telephone and website bookings only. Does not apply in person, or to Groups and Friends, and is per-transaction, not per-ticket.

Northern Stage, Barras Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear NE1 7RH

Dates: Wednesday 29 April to Saturday 16 May 2015

Times: Evenings 7.30pm (except Monday 11 May 6pm)

Matinees – Saturday 2pm

No performances on Sundays

Tickets: £24, £19.50 & £14.50 / Students & U21s £12

Box Office: 0191 230 5151 or online at www.northernstage.co.uk

Preview: Little Red Riding Hood at South Shields Customs House

Panto has the Axe Factor

Little Red Riding Hood

South Shields Customs House

Tuesday 2^nd December 2014 to Saturday 10^th January 2015

This year’s Customs House panto has the axe-factor. For the first time in the venue’s history Little Red Riding Hood will be the festive offering. Leading the cast through the run from December 2 to January 10 will be panto legend and the Mill Dam venue’s Executive Director Ray Spencer as dame Granny Hood.  It seems panto fans are seeing red with more than 15,000 tickets already being snapped up. 

Ray, who’s starred in pantomimes in South Tyneside for almost 40 years, said: “Panto is in my blood and after a year out due to a knee injury I can’t wait to get back up on our stage and perform.   It’s an exciting year – it’s the first time we have performed Little Red Riding Hood and we have created a brilliant family show.”

The show will mark several firsts.  Ray’s daughter Natasha Haws will make her debut in a leading pantomime role at The Customs House as Red, long-time principal boy Steven Lee Hamilton will swap his smile for a sneer when he is unveiled as baddie Wolfgang and three new faces will be joining The Customs House panto family.

Ray, who also directs and co-writes the show with Graeme Thompson, added: “I can’t wait to get started and more importantly for the audiences to come in and see what we’ve created for them in this year’s ‘little panto with the big heart’.  This year our designers Paul Shriek and Matt Fox have outdone themselves – the costumes are stunning and the sets are going to be just as amazing.”

Steven, 30, from South Shields, said: “I loved playing the principal boy and now I can’t wait to get my teeth into this new role.”  Pairing up with Steven’s ‘Big Bad Wolf’ will be Jamie Birkett as Bracken the Witch.  The West End star and I’d Do Anything finalist from Cumbria joined the cast last year as Cinderella’s stepmother and is looking forward to getting back on The Customs House stage.  She said: “Once you’re in the panto family it just stays with you, I’m so excited to be back!” 

Craig Richardson, one of last year’s Ugly Sisters, will play Timber and certainly has big boots to fill when he takes on the funny role traditionally filled by Ray’s alter-ego Tommy, while fellow ‘Ugly’ Stephen Sullivan will attempt to woo Granny Hood in his first none-dame pantomime role, Mr Fracker.

Also back from last year’s cast is the loveable Luke Maddison who will play one of the Three Pigs, Savaloy. His fellow pigs will be played by panto newcomers but Customs House regulars Gareth Hunter (Bratwurst) and Kylie Ann Ford (Chorizo).  Also making his panto debut will be Jamie Brown as Prince Chop-a-lot. Jamie impressed earlier this year in Catherine Cookson’s Fifteen Streets, helping to land him the role.

No Customs House pantomime would be complete without the dancing babes. South Tyneside Dance Workshop – where Natasha first debuted in the pantomime – will once again be adding to the glitz and glamour.

Tickets:

Little Red Riding Hood, sponsored by Hays Travel, is at The Customs House from December 2 to January 10.

Tickets, priced from £9, are available from the box office on 0191 454 1234 or visit www.customshouse.co.uk.

Cast:

Natasha Haws: Red

Ray Spencer: Granny Hood

Steven Lee Hamilton: Wolfgang

Jamie Birkett: Bracken

Jamie Brown: Prince Chop-a-lot

Craig Richardson: Timber

Stephen Sullivan: Mr Fracker

Luke Maddison: Savaloy

Gareth Hunter: Bratwurst

Kylie Ann Ford: Chorizo