As of his death, Press had six shows running on Broadway. Seymour “Red” Press, one of Broadway’s most prolific behind-the-scenes music-makers, has died at the age of 98. He was a music contractor, responsible for hiring all members of a show’s orchestra pit. He began his career as a musician himself, playing saxophone in a… Continue reading Seymour “Red” Press, Prolific Music Contractor for Hundreds of Broadway Shows, Dies at 98
Author: Editor
Theatres Beyond the Stage—Regional reconnection
Mercury Theatre Colchester, New Wolsey Theatre Ipswich and Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch have worked with Professor Klich and postdoctoral researcher Dr James Rowson from East 15 Acting School, University of Essex to take a snap shot of the position of regional theatre. The report, Theatres Beyond the Stage , looks at the role of theatres in… Continue reading Theatres Beyond the Stage—Regional reconnection
A Sudden Violent Burst of Rain
A Sudden Violent Burst of Rain, Sami Ibrahim’s latest play, is a poetic fable that begins with a young woman in a field shearing a sheep in a surreal land where the heavy fleece of an unsheared sheep doesn’t weigh it down to earth but enables it to float in the air and shit down… Continue reading A Sudden Violent Burst of Rain
Brief Encounter
After a short tour of its co-producers—and following the sell-out run of The Book Thief, which is a tough act to follow—this new production of Emma Rice’s adaptation of Brief Encounter arrives in Bolton. The original Kneehigh production was a spectacular West End show that toured to big stages, but director Paul Robinson and designer… Continue reading Brief Encounter
Mosquitoes
The buzz you get from this play is the kind that keeps your mind racing, long after. It’s about life, the universe and everything—but is so much more than that. Writer Lucy Kirkwood made her name with the award-winning Chimerica, later made into a TV series, and has set a standard for turning epic stories… Continue reading Mosquitoes
Beautiful Evil Things
A retelling of classical Greek mythology is one thing, but a retelling through the eyes of the Gorgon Medusa, notorious for turning anyone into stone with one glance, is guaranteed to put you on the edge of your seat. In this one-woman show, Deborah Pugh takes us on a nerve-tingling romp through the Trojan Wars,… Continue reading Beautiful Evil Things
Leicestershire opera festival’s festive performances
An independent Leicestershire opera festival is to celebrate the festive season with performances by world-renowned artists and the return of its concert of Handel’s Messiah by candlelight. Saxophonist and presenter Jess Gillam will be joined by Manchester Camerata to open Nevill Holt Festival on Friday 2 December. The programme will feature some of the most celebrated works… Continue reading Leicestershire opera festival’s festive performances
My Neighbour Totoro
My Neighbour Totoro was a hit as soon as ticket sales opened, the best sales ever in the history of the Barbican, which shows what affection the 1988 film by Hayao Miyazakiand Studio Ghibli commands. To hand it to Improbable’s Phelim McDermott to direct and to have Joe Hisaishi’s (he is also executive producer) score played… Continue reading My Neighbour Totoro
Alice prepares for Wonderland at New Vic
Newcastle-under-Lyme’s New Vic is preparing for the final celebrations of its 60th anniversary year: the theatre’s festive show Alice in Wonderland. Artistic director Theresa Heskins said, “I’m so happy to be bringing our version of Alice in Wonderland to the New Vic stage. It feels extra special to be sharing this show as the finale to our 60th… Continue reading Alice prepares for Wonderland at New Vic
Jekyll & Hyde
A church is always an interesting setting for a theatrical production—dependent upon your own relationship with religion, the building can be welcoming or foreboding, comforting or imposing. That duality therefore makes the Victorian pomp of St Nicholas’ in Guildford an appropriately atmospheric setting for Guildford Shakespeare’s latest production, Robert Louis Stevenson’s Jekyll and Hyde. Making… Continue reading Jekyll & Hyde