Category Archives: What’s on / Listings

NEWS: Christina Bianco Brings New ‘Diva-filled’ Show to Glasgow

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Internationally acclaimed vocalist Christina Bianco is set to perform in Glasgow with an evening of music, comedy and hilarious impressions.

New Yorker Christina became a YouTube sensation with her ‘diva’ impression videos gaining over 25 million views worldwide and has since appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Paul O’Grady Show, This Morning and Graham Norton on BBC Radio 1.

The US singing sensation and impressionist will be performing for one night only and she’s thrilled about returning to Glasgow having missed the chance to play in the city on her last UK tour.

“It’s about time I came back to Glasgow! I didn’t get the chance to play there on my last tour and I sorely missed the wonderful, supportive and rowdy crowds I’ve come to know and love! I’m so excited to return and to play this beautiful venue for the first time, with my friend and music director Ryan MacKenzie by my side. We’re putting together a special, ‘diva’ filled show just for Glasgow. I can’t wait to share it with you all!” 

Direct from her celebrated star turn as Fanny Brice in the hit production of Funny Girl in Paris, Christina’s new show pays tribute to some of the world’s greatest stars and celebrities. Audiences can expect uncanny impressions and spontaneous musical mashups – a show all the family can enjoy.

From Ariana Grande to Celine Dion and Barbra Streisand, no celebrity is safe.

Fans can also take advantage of getting up and close and personal with Christina as she will be doing a ‘meet and greet’ before the show and hopes to play to a packed house for this one-off performance.

Tickets are on sale now from www.forteproductions.co.uk

Christina Bianco will appear at Cottiers Theatre,

93-95 Hyndland Street, Glasgow, G11 5PU

Sunday 31 May 2020. Show starts 8pm. Meet and Greet 7pm.

General tickets £26.50

Meet and greet tickets £36.50.

WHAT’S ON APRIL: The Spinners at Tron Theatre

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THE SPINNERS

24th – 25th April 2020, 7.45pm

Spin. Measure. Cut. The Thread of Life… In an exhilarating ride into myth and imagination renowned Scottish director Al Seed and award-winning Australian choreographer and dancer Lina Limosani are set to plunge Tron audiences into the story of the Fates of Greek mythology as part of The Tron’s spring season.

Limosani is joined by dancers Kialea Nadine-Williams and Mara Hulspas to play the three Fates who spin, measure and cut the thread of life, creating an emotionally charged dance- theatre performance which weaves together themes of mortality, freewill and sisterhood.

The Spinners brings the Fates down to earth and re-imagines them living in the heart of a sprawling city. From their humble apartment they oversee the births and deaths of all human beings. Drawing thread from their own bodies they weave mannequins, imbuing them with the breath of life. When a human life is nearing its end the corresponding mannequin is committed to the ether…

The Spinners marks a continuation of Seed and Limosani’s exploration of cross-artform collaboration and demonstrates how contemporary dance can provide a vehicle for intelligent and provocative storytelling – so offering new perspectives on dance itself, as an artform. This project is also a celebration of female-centric dance-theatre and a timely exploration of the female figure in ancient mythology.

Lina Limosani commented: “When long-term friend Al Seed suggested to me the Moirai – Greek Goddesses of Fate and Destiny – as a theme for a collaboration, I did some research and could see that this – and related stories – were saturated with magical images which could be explored through dance and physicality.”

Seed has received Total Theatre, Fringe First and Herald Angel Awards for work presented at Edinburgh Fringe, and a Jerwood Foundation Award for such shows as Raw Beef, The Fooligan and Oog. Limosani has won a number of awards for her latest work Not Today’s Yesterdays, in particular, the 2018 Adelaide Fringe Award for Best Dance.

NEWS: Royal Conservatoire of Scotland perform City of Angels this month

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Just about to open in the West End, RCS present City of Angels at the Royal Conservatoire from Sat 14th – Fri 20th March.

Set in the 1940s, against a backdrop of old Hollywood glamour and true-crime tales, a writer struggles to separate his real-life drama from what’s in the pages of his screenplay. A vibrant cast of characters are propelled by a brilliant jazz score through all the twists and turns of fame, fortune and film noire.

Tickets are available from: https://www.rcs.ac.uk/boxoffice-event/eventid/192405-City-of-Angels/

NEWS: Rarely seen musical Big Fish comes to Eastwood Park this May

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Ever-innovative theatre company Runway, present the rarely seen musical Big Fish, based on the 1998 novel by Daniel Wallace and the 2003 film starring Albert Finney and Ewan McGregor.

Last seen at The Other Palace theatre in London starring Kelsey Grammer, the show will run at Eastwood Park Theatre from 13 – 16 May 2020.

See image below for more details:

WHAT’S ON MARCH: Kerry Godliman’s BOSH comes to The Stand Glasgow this month

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Kerry Godliman’s new show BOSH reaches The Stand, Glasgow on Wednesday, 25th March. 
Kerry Godliman is back on tour after what she thought would be a little ‘she’ time. No chance. Her bosh-like nature will never let her rest. Well, that and a needy cat, a constantly disappointing camper van, and ever-raging feelings of mum guilt and bewilderment at the phasing-out of thimbles. All will be explained!
As seen on Derek, Bad Move, Mock The Week, Live at the Apollo, Taskmaster, Michael McIntyre’s Big Show, 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and Call The Midwife, and heard on The News Quiz, The Now Show and I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue. Kerry has performed stand-up throughout her
comedy career, encompassing national tours and successful runs at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Following on from a successful first series, Kerry will again star in Ricky Gervais’ After Life on Netflix – and series two hits the screens on 24th April. The show’s first series was hugely popular on both sides of the pond, so the second is eagerly awaited – and Kerry will return as the protagonist’s deceased wife, Lisa.

 

Besides this, in summer 2019 Kerry joined the cast of Adult Material, a new Channel 4 drama about the porn industry – in which she plays the part of MP Stella Maitland. It will air in the spring. And in April, Sky Atlantic viewers will see Kerry reprise her role as Teens in the mystery Drama Save Me.

 

Kerry also performed a hilarious set at the 2019 Royal Variety Performance from the London Palladium, which aired in December.

NEWS: A brand new musical launches in Glasgow

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“My Big Fat Crazy Musical” tells the story of Sophie, a young Glasgow girl who dreams of becoming a star. Constrained by her mother’s opposing view of pursuing an education and a real job rather than a ‘pipe-dream’, Sophie begins to resign to the fact that maybe it’s just not meant to be.
26 – 28 March at Clarkston Hall, Clarkston 
However, after another ‘one of those talks’ with her mother, her world gets thrown into musical mania as a very familiar but incredibly unexpected face appears to her one evening. In Charles Dickens-esque fashion, Sophie and her celebrity companion delve deep into the wild world of musicals, meeting the crème de la crème from past and present, each prepared with their own tale of life, love and stardom.
With her dream starting to feel like a possible reality, Sophie’s relationship with her mother begins to bear the pressure as the cracks rapidly rise to the surface.
Can musical royalty help Sophie claim the throne of theatreland? Or will the relationship with her mother fizzle out the fame flame for good?
Get your tickets here or contact us on theatresouthproductions@hotmail.com for more information.

NEWS: New tour dates and full cast announced for 2020 revival of The Cheviot, The Stag, and the Black Black Oil

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Following the sold-out success of its 2019 tour, John McGrath’s legendary The Cheviot, The Stag, and the Black Black Oil returns for a new Scottish tour in 2020.

One of the country’s most iconic and influential plays, The Cheviot, The Stag, and the Black Black Oil was first staged by the 7:84 Theatre Company in the 1970s, becoming a cornerstone of contemporary Scottish theatre. Successfully restaged by director Joe Douglas in 2015, the show was produced by the National Theatre of Scotland in 2019, visiting art centres and rural communities across Scotland before the play’s English premiere at Newcastle’s Live Theatre.

The 2020 tour will open in Glasgow with a two-week engagement at the city’s famous Pavilion Theatre. It marks the first time that a National Theatre of Scotland production has visited the historic venue, one of the oldest theatre buildings in the city.

The production will then embark on the first leg of a rural tour, visiting venues in Achiltibuie, Rogart, St Andrews, Musselburgh, Peebles, and Dumfries, as well as returning to Dundee Rep Theatre, where director Joe Douglas’s revived production broke box office records in 2015. It will then tour across the Highlands and Islands, including visits to Lochawe, Uist, Tarbert, Caithness, Tain, Findhorn, Drumnadrochit, Strontian, Ballachulish, and Gartmore.

Cast members from the successful 2019 revival Stephen Bangs, Jo Freer, Christina Gordon, and Billy Mack are reunited and joined by Cameron Barnes and Charlie West for the 2020 tour. Returning cast member Calum MacDonald will also perform as part of the ensemble for the first half of the tour, from 30 April to 29 May, before Sally Swanson joins for tour dates from 01 to 20 June.

More than forty-five years on from its original tour, John McGrath’s pivotal political play has lost none of its vitality and relevance. A multi-talented ensemble cast of actor/musicians chart a rousing and rollicking course through Scotland’s history, expertly weaving, songs, poems, scenes and sketches into a piece of theatre with the feel of a freewheeling Highland ceilidh.

From the ruthless croft clearances of the 18th century to the fashionable Victorian game hunts, and the scars left by the ‘70s North Sea oil boom right up to the political upheaval of the current day, The Cheviot, The Stag, and the Black, Black Oil presents the stories and experiences of Scotland’s land, sea, and the people that work on them across the centuries.

The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil is the most famous production of the 7:84 company, set up by John McGrath alongside his wife Elizabeth MacLennan and her brother David in 1971. Avowedly socialist in its outlook, its aim was to take popular, political theatre to the working classes and they performed in alternative venues throughout Scotland, England and Wales. The title of the company derived from a 1966 statistic that 7% of the population of Great Britain owned 84 % of the wealth.

Opening at the Pavilion, Glasgow (30 April to 09 May); Coigach Hall, Achiltibuie (12 May); Pittentrail Hall, Rogart (14 May); The Byre, St Andrews (16 May); Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh (19 May); Eastgate Theatre, Peebles (20 May); Dumfries & Galloway Arts Festival (22 & 23 May); Dundee Rep Theatre (26 to 29 May); Dalmally Community Hall, Lochawe (01 June); Southend Community Hall, South Uist (03 June); Tarbert Community Centre, Isle of Harris (05 & 06 June); Latheron Village Hall, Caithness (09 June); Edderton Village Hall, Tain (10 June); Universal Hall, Findhorn (12 &13 June); Craigmore Centre, Drumnadrochit (15 June); Sunart Centre, Strontian (17 June); Ballachulish Village Hall, Glencoe (18 June); Gartmore Village Hall, Gartmore (20 June)

Information:

The Pavilion, Glasgow – Thursday 30 April – Saturday 02 May; Thursday 07 – Saturday 09 May @ 7.30pm; Saturday 02 & 09 May @ 2pm & 7.30pm

Tickets – £17.50-£21.50

Access Information:

Thursday 07 May @ 7.30pm BSL interpreted & captioned performance

 

Coigach Hall, Achiltibuie – Tuesday 12 May @ 7.30pm

Tickets: £10 – £12

 

Pittentrail Hall, Rogart – Thursday 14 May @ 7.30pm

Tickets: £10 – £12

 

The Byre, St Andrews – Saturday 16 May @ 7.30pm

Tickets: £16 – £18

 

Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh – Tuesday 19 May @ 7.30pm

Tickets: £16 – £18

 

Eastgate Theatre, Peebles– Wednesday 20 May @ 7.30pm

Tickets: £16 – £18

 

Dumfries & Galloway Arts Festival

Friday 22 May @ 7.30pm and Saturday 23 May @ 7.30pm

Tickets: £16

 

Dundee Rep – Tuesday 26-Friday 29 May @ 7.30pm; Tuesday 26 & Thursday 28 May 2.30pm & 7.30pm

Tickets: £22-£12 (£20-£9)

Access Information:

Wednesday 27 May @ 7.30pm BSL interpreted, audio described & captioned performance

 

Dalmally Community Hall, Lochawe – 01 June @ 7.30pm

Tickets: £10 – £12

 

South End Community Hall, South Uist – Wednesday 03 June @ 7.30pm

Tickets: £10 – £12

 

Tarbert Community Centre, Isle of Harris – Friday 05 & Saturday 06 June @ 7.30pm

Tickets: £10 – £12

 

Latheron Village Hall, Caithness – Tuesday 09 June @ 7.30pm

Tickets: £10 – £12

 

Edderton Village Hall, Tain – Wednesday 10 June @ 7.30pm

Tickets: £10 – £12

 

Universal Hall, Findhorn – Friday 12 & Saturday 13 June @ 7.30pm

Tickets: £12 – £14

 

Craigmonie Centre, Drumnadrochit – Monday 15 June @ 7.30pm

Tickets: £10 – £12

 

Sunart Centre, Strontian – 17 June @ 7.30pm

Tickets – £10 – £12

 

Ballachulish Village Hall, Glencoe – Thursday 18 June @ 7.30pm

Tickets: £10 – £12

 

Gartmore Village Hall, Gartmore – Saturday 20 June @ 7.30pm

Tickets: £10 – £12

 

Box Office information

 

Box Office Brunton Theatre: thebrunton.co.uk

Box Office Dundee Rep Theatre: dundeerep.co.uk

Box office Byre Theatre: byretheatre.com

Box office Pavilion Theatre: paviliontheatre.co.uk

 

Box office for all other dates: nationaltheatrescotland.com

 

Recommended Age Guide: 14+

 

All performances are autism friendly and all venues are fully accessible.

 

Full tour dates and booking info: natinaltheatrescotland.com

 

Theatre for a Fiver –£5 ticket deals and discount codes for 14 to 26 year olds for many National Theatre of Scotland production. Full info here

WHAT’S ON MARCH: Star of Peter Kay’s Phoenix Nights Clinton Baptiste hits with “The Paranormalist Returns!

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Due to popular demand, the tour of Clinton Baptiste – The Paranomalist Returns has been extended into 2020 with thirty new dates added, taking it into the spring of next year.  The added dates will take the paranormalist sensation further across the UK with a hilarious yet touching journey through his life, out the other side and beyond the Celestial Curtains.

The show hits the Glee Club Glasgow on March 12

In The Paranormalist Returns tour, Clinton will give readings to audience members up and down the land, offering advice from beyond the grave.  He will predict their futures, tell them about their pasts and perform all manner of spooky stuff an’ that.

But more, he tells the story of his demise, his comeback and finally…finally on this special night, he will attempt to pass over to The Other Side … and return (before the venue throw the audience out)….with THE ANSWER!

Clinton Baptiste is the hapless, clumsily inaccurate and occasionally brutal clairvoyant medium and psychic created by the comedy actor Alex Lowe for Peter Kay’s smash hit Channel 4 sitcom Phoenix Nights back in 2001. Now, some eighteen years after the show aired, Clinton returns to conjure up his extraordinary powers for a new generation.

Alex Lowe is well known for playing ‘Barry from Watford’, his wondrous 82 year old creation from Radio 2’s Steve Wright in the Afternoon and Noel Edmonds’ Channel 4 quiz Cheap Cheap Cheap.

Among various acting roles are a number of credits with Kenneth Branagh – who he met as a child actor of 14 years of age whilst in the West End play Another Country.  Later he joined Branagh’s Renaissance Theatre Company, touring with Richard Briers. He also appeared in Branagh’s film’s Peter’s Friends and Much Ado About Nothing
Alex played the role of Simon Marriel in the 1995 feature film Haunted, alongside Anthony Andrews, John Gielgud and Kate Beckinsale. He was part of the BBC Radio Drama Company for a year, and has appeared in scores of radio plays ever since. Currently, he plays Brian in the BBC Radio comedy Clare in The Community

Alex is also well known for his work with comedian Peter Kay appearing in That Peter Kay Thing as Sparky as well as Phoenix Nights as Clinton Baptiste.  He revived Clinton Baptiste for an appearance in Peter Kay’s Britain’s Got the Pop Factor. In 2015 he also revived Clinton for Manchester Arena’s Phoenix Nights Live, which raised £6 million for Comic Relief.

Recently has been gigging as Clinton Baptiste on the London circuit and also performing as Barry with his double act partner Angelos Epithemiou (BBC1’s Shooting Stars). His work with Angelos was recently nominated for Best Comedy at the British Podcast Awards.  Clinton Baptiste’s Paranormal Podcast also continues to sit high in the podcast charts.

Recent TV appearances include Brassic and In the Long Run both for Sky One, Don’t Tell The Driver for BBC2 and for film, The Devil Outside released earlier this year.

As a writer, Alex has written for Alistair McGowan, Ronni Ancona, Paul O’Grady, Iain Lee and Lewis Macleod. In 2016 he wrote the Radio 4 comedy series Barry’s Lunch Club featuring his creation, Barry.

NEWS: HAIRSPRAY THE MUSICAL TOUR ANNOUNCES FULL DATES FOR TOUR

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As previously confirmed, following two extremely successful tours in 2015/16 and 2017/18, producers Mark Goucher and Matthew Gale will tour their smash hit production of Hairspray in 2020-21. It can now be confirmed that the tour will open at Leicester Curve on 20 August and will visit the following venues in 2020: Manchester Palace, Bradford Alhambra, Blackpool Winter Gardens, Aylesbury Waterside, Birmingham Hippodrome, Glasgow Kings Theatre, Northampton Royal and Derngate, Woking New Victoria, Liverpool Empire and Brighton Theatre Royal.

On-sale dates and further updates will be available in due course via the website: http://www.hairsprayuktour.com/

Featuring the iconic music and lyrics by Academy Award, Tony and Emmy winning duo Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, this much-loved musical comedy is choreographed by Olivier Award-winning Drew McOnie with direction from Paul Kerryson.

It’s Baltimore 1962, where Tracy Turnblad, a big girl with big hair and an even bigger heart, is on a mission to follow her dreams and dance her way onto national TV. Tracy’s audition makes her a local star and soon she is using her new-found fame to fight for equality, bagging local heartthrob Link Larkin along the way.

Hairspray is a musical based on the 1988 film of the same name which starred Divine and Ricki Lake, by cult filmmaker John Waters. With music and lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman and book by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan, Hairspray originally opened to rave reviews on Broadway in 2002 and subsequently won eight Tony Awards. The production opened in London at the Shaftesbury Theatre in 2007 and won four Laurence Olivier Awards including Best New Musical. Proving to be an international success, Hairspray has also opened in South Africa, Japan, South Korea, China and Dubai. Following the musical’s phenomenal success on stage, a film of the musical was released in 2007 which starred John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer and James Marsden.

Glasgow Kings

Mon 19 Oct – Sat 24 Oct
On sale now

IMAGE: Darren Bell

NEWS: SING-A-LONG PERFORMANCE ANNOUNCED FOR BAT OUR OF HELL THE MUSICAL

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The producers of Bat Out Of Hell – The Musical have announced that a special sing-a-long performance will take place during the show’s run in Glasgow later this year.

The hit production, which features Jim Steinman and Meatloaf’s greatest hits, will run at the city’s King’s Theatre from Tuesday 10 – Saturday 21 November as part of a UK tour.

The sing-along performance will take place on Thursday 19 November at 7.30pm. Audience members are also encouraged to dress up as their favourite character from the show as they sing along with the cast.

The sing along performance was announced as full casting was confirmed for the show.

Sharon Sexton will play Sloane and Rob Fowler will play Falco (both recently starred in the Mamma Mia! international Tour and the original West End cast of Bat Out Of Hell).

They will be joined by: Glenn Adamson (American Idiot) as Strat and Martha Kirby (Grease, Rags the Musical) as Raven. They are joined by Jordan Frazier (Nina Simone) as Zahara, Jonathan Bishop (Hamilton) as Jagwire, Killian Thomas Lefevre (Stranger Things Secret Cinema) as Tink, Alex Lodge (The Book of Mormon) as Ledoux and Kellie Gnauck (Evita West End and UK & International tour) as Valkyrie. Also in the cast are Emily Beth Harrington as Kwaidan, Amy Matthews as Vilmos, Rebecca Lafferty as Scherrzo, Samuel Pope as Hoffmann, Andy Prosser as Markevitch, Jack Heasman as Denym, James Chisholm as O’Dessasuite, Andrew Carthy as Hollander, Rob Maguire as Astroganger and Billie Hardy as Goddesilla.

At certain performances the role of Strat will be played by Samuel Pope.

In Bat Out Of Hell – The Musical, the electrifying rock songs of Mr Steinman propel an epic story of rebellious youth and passion as Strat, the immortal leader of The Lost, has fallen in love with Raven, the beautiful daughter of the tyrannical ruler Falco.

The legendary and award-winning Jim Steinman has incorporated iconic songs from the Bat Out Of Hell albums, including You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth, Bat Out Of Hell, I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That) and Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad, as well as two previously unreleased songs, What Part of My Body Hurts the Most and Not Allowed to Love.

Bat Out Of Hell became one of the best-selling albums in history, selling over 50 million copies worldwide. 16 years later, Steinman scored again with Bat Out Of Hell II: Back Into Hell, which contained the massive hit I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That).

Bat Out Of Hell – The Musical wowed critics and public alike when it played limited seasons at Manchester Opera House, London Coliseum and London’s Dominion Theatre from 2017 to 2019. The musical also ran successfully in Canada, Germany and at New York’s City Centre last summer. Bat Out Of Hell – The Musical won the Radio 2 Audience Award for Best Musical at the Evening Standard Awards and was nominated for 8 WhatsOnStage Awards, including Best New Musical.

 The UK Tour of Bat Out Of Hell – The Musical has book, music and lyrics by Jim Steinman, direction by Jay Scheib, choreography adapted by Xena Gusthart, with musical supervision and additional arrangements by Michael Reed, set and costume design by Jon Bausor, original costume designs by Meentje Nielsen, video design by Finn Ross, lighting design by Patrick Woodroffe, sound design by Gareth Owen, orchestration by Steve Sidwell and casting by Anne Vosser.

LISTINGS

Bat Out Of Hell – The Musical

King’s Theatre, Glasgow

Tue 10 – Sat 28 Nov 2020

Tue – Sat: 7.30pm

Wed & Sat: 2.30pm

www.atgtickets.com/glasgow

 

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