ATG Magazine - Issue 47 by ATG Tickets

AMBASSADOR THEATRE GROUP

Summer 2016

CIRQUE DU SOLEIL BROADWAY SENSATION

A BLAZING TRIUMPH SUNNY AFTERNOON

COMEDY & CORSETS STEVE PUNT AND THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW

GUYS & DOLLS PACKING A PUNCH

HOTLIST BILLY ELLIOT WIZARD WEEKEND BREAKS GO ANYWHERE GLAMOUR

THE SPOILS

JESSE EISENBERG KUNAL NAYYAR ALFIE ALLEN KATIE BRAYBEN ANNAPURNA SRIRAM

SUMMER

OF THE BEST HAVE A NICE DAY Anya Hindmarch silver metallic crossbody bag £465 matchesfashion.com

THE SPOILS The critically acclaimed off-Broadway hit comedy comes to London with a stellar cast including Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network), Kunal Nayyar (Big Bang Theory), Alfie Allen (Game of Thrones), Katie Brayben (Beautiful - the Carole King Musical) and Annapurna Sriram (Billions). atgtickets.com

HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD The eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official story to be presented on stage point to a West End that’ll go wizarding mad this summer. To celebrate join us on a Hogwarts-inspired tour of the UK visiting many of the atmospheric locations used in the films - see page 15. atgtickets.com

GEORGIA O’KEEFE A once-in-a-generation opportunity to view over 100 works by this trailblazing American artist best known for her paintings of flowers, animal skulls and New Mexico desert landscapes. tate.org.uk

BLOOMING MARVELLOUS! A tranquil escape just a step from the city? Edinburgh’s Royal Botanic Garden has 70 acres of stunning scenery including Victorian glasshouses and something to discover whatever the season. In Glasgow, the magnificent Kibble Palace has tree ferns, tropical plants and floral displays all year round. rbge.org.uk glasgowbotanicgardens.com

REBEL WILSON The award-winning Australian film star and comedian (Bridesmaids, Pitch Perfect, Bachelorette) makes her West End debut in Guys & Dolls at the Phoenix Theatre for a strictly limited season this summer. atgtickets.com

CONTENTS

MY GENERATION

Cue millennial angst for The Big Bang Theory’s Kunal Nayyar in The Spoils

3 LOVE IN TECHNICOLOUR Step inside the heady world of the

big Broadway musical with the inimitable

Cirque du Soleil

5 TRAILBLAZERS

The bust-ups, the boom times, the

barnstorming hits - win tickets for

Sunny Afternoon

OUTRAGEOUS TALE

comedian Steve Punt

ATG TICKETS

this summer

MAKE A NIGHT OF IT

We’ve got it covered.

THRILLING MOVES

WIZARDING WONDERS

SUMMER IN THE CITY

Rocky Horror Show stories with The Rocky Horror Show

Squeeze more from your theatre visit

Luxury hotel? Hottest ticket in town?

The enduring appeal of Billy Elliot

Spellbinding Harry Potter film locations

Hot looks for keeping cool Cirque Du Soleil - Paramour

AMBASSADOR GROUP PRODUCTIONS / AMBASSADOR THEATRE GROUP LONDON THEATRES Apollo Victoria 0844 871 7615 Donmar Warehouse 0844 871 7624 Duke of York’s Theatre 0844 871 7623 Fortune Theatre 0844 871 7626 The Harold Pinter Theatre 0844 871 7622 Lyceum Theatre 0844 871 7615 Phoenix Theatre 0844 871 7629 Piccadilly Theatre 0844 871 7630 Playhouse Theatre 0844 871 7631 Savoy Theatre 0844 871 7687 Trafalgar Studios 0844 871 7632 AMBASSADOR THEATRE GROUP REGIONAL THEATRES Aylesbury Waterside Theatre 0844 871 7607 New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham 0844 871 3011 Theatre Royal Brighton 0844 871 7650 Bristol Hippodrome 0844 871 3012 Edinburgh Playhouse 0844 871 3014 Leas Cliff Hall Folkestone 0844 871 3015 Kings Theatre Glasgow 0844 871 7648 Theatre Royal Glasgow 0844 871 7647 Empire Theatre Liverpool 0844 871 3017 Palace Theatre & Opera House Manchester 0844 871 3019 Milton Keynes Theatre 0844 871 7652 New Theatre Oxford 0844 871 3020 Richmond Theatre 0844 871 7651 Southport Theatre & Convention Centre 0844 871 3021 Regent Theatre & Victoria Hall Stoke-on-Trent 0844 871 7649 Sunderland Empire 0844 871 3022 Princess Theatre Torquay 0844 871 3023 New Wimbledon Theatre & New Wimbledon Studio 0844 871 7646 Ambassadors Cinemas Woking 0844 871 7643 New Victoria Theatre & Rhoda McGaw Theatre Woking 0844 871 7645 York Grand Opera House 0844 871 3024 Online booking at atgtickets.com BROADWAY THEATRES The Lyric Theatre 212-556-4750 The Hudson Theatre opening 2016 thehudsonbroadway.com ACE THEATRICAL GROUP King’s Theatre, Brooklyn (718) 856-2220 Majestic & Empire Theatres, San Antonio (210)-226-5700 Saenger & Mahalia Jackson Theatres, New Orleans (504)-525-1052 BB GROUP Mannheim, Germany +49 621 10792-0 ASIA-PACIFIC THEATRES Theatre Royal, Sydney +61 2 9224 8444 Jessamy Hadley Editor Pat Westwell, Benedict Nightingale, Lucy Johnston, Matthew Amer, Al Senter, Jo Caird, Olivier Lievre, David Bradbury, Hannah Levin Contributors Shaun Webb Design Design and Art Direction John Good Ltd Print The Ambassador Theatre Group Ltd 39 - 41 Charing Cross Road, London WC2H OAR www.atg.co.uk

The views expressed in this magazine are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Ambassador Theatre Group Ltd. Cover photograph by Serge Nivelle

INTERVIEW

JESSE EISENBERG

KUNAL NAYYAR

(The Social Network)

ALFIE ALLEN

(The Big Bang Theory)

KATIE BRAYBEN (Beautiful)

(Game of Thrones)

ANNAPURNA SRIRAM (Billions)

CRITICS CHOICE NEW YORK TIMES TIME OUT (NEW YORK)

GENERATION

A FUNNY, MOVING, MILLENNIALS STORY

or Kunal Nayyar, appearing on the London

and an acting degree from another, become a

stage clearly feels like a homecoming. The

star of TV’s hugely popular The Big Bang Theory,

Indian actor, now one of the most famous

and marry Neha Kapur, a former Miss India, in a

faces on American television, spent his

five-day jamboree that culminated with him entering

first four years in the city and remembers relishing

a flowery fairyland dressed as a prince and riding a

sausages and chips, Skips and Maltesers, before his

white horse. And now here he is at Trafalgar Studios,

accountant father took the family to New Delhi.

reprising the role he took in Jesse Eisenberg’s razor

Interview by Benedict Nightingale

The 35 years since his birth in Hounslow have seen

sharp new comedy The Spoils Off-Broadway last year.

Kunal become an Indian badminton champion, get

In London, as in New York, the BAFTA, Golden

and Oliver Rosser

a degree in business from one American university

Globe and Academy Award nominee Eisenberg

Photography by Serge Nivelle

plays a narcissistic, bullying movie-maker who shares

per cent, 1000 per cent in the moment.’ That night,

his apartment with a Nepalese business student played

he called his parents in India and announced that

by Nayyar. The New York Times praised both actors,

he planned to become the best actor that hard work

Nayyar for ‘finding layers of ambivalence in a character

could make him - and they gave him their blessing.

who on the surface is too sweet and serene for words’.

There’s an unmistakable determination as well

And it was largely because he could explore a nice

as sensitivity in Nayyar. He earned money in Portland

young man’s darker side that Nayyar decided to

by cleaning campus loos that he wryly admits were

take a break from television and

‘disgusting’. Relocating to

return to his first love, the stage:

Hollywood, supporting himself

‘What appealed to me was the quality of the writing,’ he told me. ‘I don’t often get the opportunity to play a character as fleshed-out and nuanced as this. And as an immigrant surrounded by people trying to make it in America I know

‘JESSE EISENBERG’S NEW PLAY IS A TRIUMPH!’ NEW YORK POST

awkward, sex-starved boy on a

‘ENGROSSINGLY ACTED AND IMPECCABLY STAGED’

campus teeming with attractive

NEW YORK TIMES

the noise and bustle of Delhi for the University of Portland. In Yes, My Accent Is Real, the delightful memoir he published last year, he comes across as an

youthful bravado to audition for the pilot of a sitcom called The Big Bang Theory. ‘It’s the greatest thing that has ever happened to me,’ he says, explaining that Raj Koothrappali’s travails have allowed him to ‘draw on the

this man. He’s living inside me.’ Kunal was 18 when he left

as a waiter, he mustered all his

times I remember walking very small-shouldered into college parties and feeling completely out of place, a fish out of water.’ However, he also feels strongly that anyone who thinks Big Bang is simply mocking Raj and his fellow-

women. ‘Yes, I was lonely,’ he

scientists is wrong: ‘The idea

says, ‘but I was never sad. It was exciting to be somewhere new, free and different.

is to make people laugh but also to shine a light on

I even enjoyed my lonely walks in the rain.’

incredibly intelligent, accomplished human beings

It was simply to make friends and have fun that

who aren’t always comfortable in social situations.’

he auditioned for a university staging of Christopher

Fry’s Ring Round the Moon. By his own admission

to a comic role he’ll doubtless bring to a more serious

he was terrible as the aged butler he then played:

one in The Spoils. Expect to see the go-getting side

creaking, shouting, over-acting beneath hair streaked

of a young Asian keen to succeed on Wall Street.

with runny white shoe polish. But he started to take

Expect to see a seemingly very passive character

acting classes and, when he was cast as the truck

stick up for himself. Yes, expect to see that elusive

driver Alvaro in Tennessee Williams’s Rose Tattoo,

quality Nayyar often invoked during our chat, the

he had his apotheosis.

one he says he lives to attain: ‘the truth’. ■

‘I had this moment of complete truth. I was that person. I wasn’t aware of the audience. I was 100

In other words, Kunal has brought the texture

TRAFALGAR STUDIOS The razor sharp new comedy starring Jesse Eisenberg, Kunal Nayyar, Alfie Allen, Katie Brayben & Annapurna Sriram Written by Jesse Eisenberg Directed by Scott Elliott Until 13 August 2016 Box Office 0844 871 7632* Online booking at atgtickets.com *Calls cost up to 7p per minute, plus your phone company’s access charge, bkg fees apply.

ATG Magazine / 2

BACKSTAGE

LOVE INTechnicolour

EYE POPPING ACROBATICS AND SUMPTIOUS MUSIC AND DANCE IN BROADWAY’S BIGGEST NEW MUSICAL

aramour is the first show created

a distinctive linear storyline,’ Scott explains, when I

exclusively for Broadway by

speak to him a few weeks after the show’s opening.

Canadian circus megatroupe

‘We felt that Cirque du Soleil fans would certainly

Cirque du Soleil, world-famous

embrace any new creative work that included our

for its spectacular Las Vegas shows and massive global tours. This brand new production comes hot from Cirque’s recently introduced theatrical division, under the experienced eye of

traditional theatre audience on Broadway we gave the story equal weight.’ Set amidst the heady glamour of the Golden Age of Hollywood, the show is a tale of love - celebrated through original songs and physical artistry. At the

President and Managing

centre of the narrative is a young poet - torn between

Director Scott Zeiger, and has

love and art - one of three singing and acting-based

just taken up residence on

characters around whom the story unfolds. Stage

Broadway, at ATG’s iconic

and screen actress Ruby Lewis takes the lead in this

Lyric Theatre.

central trio.

The show promises to dazzle

‘The way Cirque shows are put together is

audiences with a completely

illuminating,’ Ruby enthuses. ‘Being part of it has

new kind of immersive theatre

made me view the art of theatre in a whole new way.

experience - combining the magic of a big Broadway all-singing, all-dancing musical with the awe-inspiring showmanship of the company’s world-class acrobats. ‘Paramour is the first show we have created where the spoken word and the lyrics in our music help propel the narrative, and give it 3

signature spectacle, but in order to engage with a

And experiencing the evolution of a completely new production from this company has been a remarkable thing - it’s like a living organism. The creation process is ongoing, and it’s only now that we have an audience, and can listen to their responses, that we are working out exactly what it is we’ve really got with this show.’ Scott agrees, explaining that the intricacy of all Cirque du Soleil productions means they need a

Jeremy Kushnier & Ruby Lewis

Lyric Theatre

CIRQUE DU SOLEIL & STAY ENJOY A 10% DISCOUNT ON GUEST ROOMS, COMPLIMENTARY WI-FI & 1PM LATE CHECKOUT AT THE MILLENIUM BROADWAY HOTEL. BOOK NOW AT LOVETHEATRE.COM lengthy rehearsal and creation period to settle into

working at scale,’ Ruby continues. ‘But this is still very

their final form.

different to anything else I’ve experienced. It’s a very

‘Our creative team in Montreal devised an ‘acrobatic

big stage, so you have to work hard to ensure you’re

skeleton’ that would form the backbone of the

reaching right to the very back row. But it’s an amazing

show. Then we married this with input from seasoned

feeling when it all comes together and the show fills

Broadway creative collaborators to weave a story with

every corner of the theatre with this incredible energy.

music, lyrics, dance and dialogue that incorporated

‘For me, Cirque du Soleil shows are unique because

the extraordinary feats of human virtuosity delivered

of what they make you feel,’ she concludes. ‘The

to us from our global casting experts.

emotions are powerful. And it’s joyful - I think that is

‘At first, this collision of two worlds was a bit of a

really the magic ingredient. Joy. You feel it, whether

culture shock for all of the significant players,’ he

you are watching the show or are part of the cast.’

acknowledges.

And now that Scott has seen the company’s first

But Ruby found it hugely inspirational. ‘When we

resident Broadway production come to life, how

first joined the show, while it was being created, we

does he feel about the opportunity to develop

walked into this big airplane hangar where everyone

more shows in this style?

was training in the same space - they were practicing

‘Audiences seem to really enjoy our creative

every scene at once, so everywhere we looked there

spin on a Broadway musical. We have a number

was something happening.

of additional shows in development, and I am very

As newbies, it was daunting but also just so

hopeful that some of them will soon be on the boards

incredible to be in the middle of this outstanding

in New York, London, and all around the world.’ ■

THE EMOTIONS ARE POWERFUL. AND IT’S JOYFUL - I THINK THAT IS REALLY THE MAGIC INGREDIENT.

JOY. CIRQUE DU SOLEIL THEATRICAL

group of people, all free to do what they love. I felt so

PARAMOUR

inspired, all I wanted to do was try to be as inspiring!’

LYRIC THEATRE BROADWAY Online booking at ticketmaster.com

The bold scale and thrill of Cirque du Soleil shows is renowned worldwide, I wonder how it feels to be part of creating that kind of magic every night? ‘Well, I’d been working in Vegas, so I was used to

Interview by Lucy Johnston

Photography by Joan Marcus,

Richard Termine and Matt Beard ATG Magazine / 4

FEATURE

TRAIL Blazers

THE PIONEERING BAND THAT CAPTURED THE SPIRIT OF AN ERA

he Kinks are often hailed as one of the

English band who captured

most influential and important bands of

the true spirit of an era.

the last fifty years - a group of visionary

Their legacy was set

and volatile talent who challenged

during the World Cup summer of ’66, when a

unapologetic new directions.

certain song about a fading

Their huge and varied studio output across

rock star - who’d lost his

the decades was critically acclaimed - but it was

money to the tax man and his

the band’s hit singles of the 60s and 70s that most

car to his runaway girlfriend - was

surprised, thrilled, challenged and permanently

caught up in a wave of joyous pride in all things

changed the popular cultural landscape for

quirky, cynical, witty and reflective of a nation

music-hungry audiences on both sides of the

in celebration. That song, and the band, captured

Atlantic.

the spirit of England just at the moment when

Labelling themselves ‘working class socialists

that was the best place in the world to be.

from Muswell Hill’, the band

But beyond Sunny Afternoon

was started by teenage

becoming the anthem of an

Davies, along with their friends Peter Quaife and Mick Avory, in their parents’ front room in North London. With Ray’s talent for detached, observational

‘A BLAZING TRIUMPH. I SWEAR YOU’LL GET GOOSEBUMPS’

lyrics and ear for a tune and Dave’s knack with a guitar riff, they created a new kind of music that held true to the world they were from. They wrote about real life, and real people, with a unique combination of raw honesty and incredible

TELEGRAPH

★★★★★

Knocking The Beatles’ Paperback Writer off the top chart spot, its influence, and that of the band’s other stellar singles from across those trailblazing years, has reverberated through popular music ever since. From first

★★★★ EVENING STANDARD TIMES | GUARDIAN

the radical guitar riff of You Waterloo Sunset in ’67 - often hailed as the most beautifully crafted song written in the rock and roll era - through to later chart triumphs such as

Originally called The

Lola in ’70, these songs still find

Ravens, they were advised to change their name to The Kinks on signing

an emotional connection with audiences today and

their first record deal, to give them an edge in the

have been cited as ongoing inspiration

exploding British music scene. It certainly proved

by pop and rock bands for more than 50 years.

a memorable name.

The Kinks were a band who stayed true to their

The honesty born of that original front room

roots. They parted ways in 1996 - the precarious

stayed with them throughout the heady days of

friction of genius talent and brotherly tensions

their chart-topping years - through the highs and

unable to endure any further - a scenario that

the lows, the bust-ups and breakdowns - getting

has destroyed so many similarly brilliant sibling

them into trouble when they refused to conform

partnerships over the decades. But the group’s

to the conventions of a money-driven industry

legacy is seventeen Top 20 singles and five Top 10

them as the unconventional

WINNER

BEST NIECWAL MOLIUVIESR AWARDS 5

generation and beyond.

Really Got Me in ’64 to

and at the same time positioning

Photography by Kevin Cummins

part of the soundtrack for a

storming onto the scene with

apologies.

Feature by Lucy Johnston

ecstatic summer, it became

TELEGRAPH | DAILY MAIL EXPRESS | FINANCIAL TIMES

musicality. And with no

DAILY MAIL

IVIER MUSIC A 2015WARDS

trends and pushed popular music in bold and

brothers Ray and Dave

‘A BELTER! FUNNY, STYLISH, WELL PERFORMED IT HAS EVERYTHING THE KINKS HAD’

RAY DWINNER A ACHIE OUTSTAND VIES VEMEN ING T IN OL

2015

stars for a generation looking for something different. Ultimately this authenticity - including celebrating their quirkiness and imperfections, and refusing to copy the Beatles-led trend for Northern accents - secured them a place in music history as a pioneering

albums in the UK alone, with their music still as raw, moving and relevant today as it was half a century ago. ■

N SU

E R N O O N YO U R

AYS DEA SE T D

AF T

COMPETITION

LLY

GO T

ME WATER

L OO

SUNNY AFTERNOON Music & lyrics by Ray Davies, a new book by Joe Penhall, directed by Edward Hall. HAROLD PINTER THEATRE, LONDON Until 29 October Box Office 0844 871 7622* OPERA HOUSE MANCHESTER 19 - 27 August Box Office 0844 871 3019* MILTON KEYNES THEATRE 30 August - 3 September Box Office 0844 871 7652* NEW ALEXANDRA THEATRE BIRMINGHAM 6 - 10 September Box Office 0844 871 3011* EDINBURGH PLAYHOUSE 13 - 17 September Box Office 0844 871 3014* AYLESBURY WATERSIDE THEATRE 27 September - 1 October Box Office 0844 871 7607*

WIN A NIGHT TO REMEMBER AT SUNNY AFTERNOON THE MULTI AWARD-WINNING HIT MUSICAL

ocking up to a venue near you this

To win four tickets and a VIP experience at Sunny

summer and into the autumn, the multi

Afternoon, simply answer the following question:

award-winning musical Sunny Afternoon

is the sensational West End smash hit

telling the captivating tale of the rise to stardom of one of Britain’s most iconic bands - The Kinks. Step back into the swinging 60’s to discover

WHICH BEATLES SONG DID THE KINKS SUNNY AFTERNOON KNOCK OFF THE NUMBER ONE SLOT IN 1966?

how The Kinks found their definitive sound and experience the power of a live Kinks performance

Please email your answer before Friday 15 July

as we witness the band’s beginnings, their

2016 to competitions@theambassadors.com.

barnstorming Top of the Pops debut, their

Terms and Conditions

infamous American tour and their triumphant

One winner will be drawn at random after the closing date. Prize for each competition includes four tickets (Mon - Thu performances only) to see Sunny Afternoon at the ATG theatre of your choice, plus one bottle of champagne, icecreams for 4 and 4 house programmes per winner. Prize is subject to availability, non-transferable and non-redeemable for a cash value. Not open to employees of Ambassador Theatre Group Ltd. Editor’s decision is final. By entering the competition you are agreeing to join the ATG email database. If you would not like to be added, please tell us in your email.

comeback. Featuring hits You Really Got Me, Waterloo Sunset, All Day and All of the Night, Dedicated Follower of Fashion and many many more, this production fizzes with energy with music and lyrics from Ray Davies (Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Music), a new book by Joe Penhall and direction by Edward Hall.

SUNDERLAND EMPIRE 4 - 8 October Box Office 0844 871 3022* KING’S THEATRE, GLASGOW 11 - 15 October Box Office 0844 871 7648* PRINCESS THEATRE, TORQUAY 18 - 22 October Box Office 0844 871 3023* NEW VICTORIA THEATRE, WOKING 1 - 5 November Box Office 0844 871 7645* REGENT THEATRE, STOKE-ON-TRENT 29 November - 3 December Box Office 0844 871 7649* THEATRE ROYAL BRIGHTON 13- 31 December Box Office 0844 871 7650* Further dates for 2017 and online booking at atgtickets.com *Calls cost up to 7p per minute, plus your phone company’s access charge, bkg fees apply.

ATG Magazine / 6

INTERVIEW

★★★★★

‘STILL THE SEXIEST AND FUNNIEST SHOW IN TOWN’ EVENING STANDARD

THE WORLD’S FAVOURITE ROCK ’N’ ROLL MUSICAL Interview by Matthew Amer

Photography by David Freeman 7

OutrageousTale

COMEDIAN STEVE PUNT ON HECKLES, HARDCORE FANS AND THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW

‘

ou don’t need to warm up in order to

as 1,200 individuals it becomes far more daunting.

walk onto the stage,’ Steve Punt laughs as

But it is a joy with this show that you can spot them

an announcement calls his Rocky Horror

a mile off. Someone in a medical gown and stilettos

Show co-stars to the pre-show ritual.

is not normally waiting to pay for the car park!’

‘It’s a measure of how old I am that I’m excused it.’

The Christopher Luscombe-directed show, he says,

Punt is not yet of pensionable age. The comedian,

‘is like going to a gig with costumes, character and

known best for his double act with Hugh Dennis, is

dialogue. It’s a good spectacle as well. I’ve always felt,

barely in his mid-50s. Yet with a cast including West

when I’m doing comedy, that it’s great if you can give

End stars Liam Tamne, Ben Freeman and Diana Vickers

the audience more than they expect. With this, I think

mostly 20 years his junior, Punt finds himself the elder

they expect to like the songs, but then they get more

statesman by a ‘depressingly long’ way.

in terms of the spectacle, the lighting, the

‘When emails go round about a new venue, the first

choreography.’

thing asked is where the gym is. As the senior member

While Punt’s comic experience is perfect training

of the cast, I investigate the local tea shops,’ he smiles.

for returning the volley of contributions from Rocky’s

While the younger members of the cast launch themselves around the stage for performance after performance of

audiences, it also gives him a unique perspective on the show’s slickness. ‘A lot of comedy is quite under rehearsed,’ he explains. ‘Often

this uproarious story of a prim

it’s semi-improvised.

stranded in the castle of a

What’s brilliant for me

mad scientist and his questionable groupies,

is to be part of a show

Punt’s role is far more

that is meticulously

sedate, physically

rehearsed and where every detail has

at least. As The Rocky

been honed

Horror Show’s

down to the best possible

narrator he simply has to set the scene,

way to deliver

introduce the action

it. When you come from a

and fill in the gaps. It

topical comedy

sounds simple, but in the

background it’s such

40 years since Richard

a luxury to do that.’

O’Brien’s mind-blowing Court, with the big screen adaptation and the evolution of the stage show, the narrator

For a man used to being on the road for single night comedy gigs, it’s also a luxury to spend a week in each venue and

has become a moving target for the audience. He’s

get a sense of where he is, learning the eccentricities

there to have more heckles thrown his way than,

of each auditorium.

well, a stand-up comedian.

There’s a sense of delight when he talks about the

The first performances in the role, Punt says, were

nuts and bolts of touring, the ‘rock ‘n’ roll articulated

‘an education and an experience. But once you’ve done

lorries, massive sound systems and huge sets. It is, he

a couple of Saturday nights with the real hardcore fans

says, ‘like one of those tour documentaries I grew up

you can face anything.’ ‘I’ve done a lot of stand up,’

watching as a teenager, the ones where they’d have

he continues, ‘I’m used to it, and I’m lucky because if

roadies trundling cases up ramps. On a Saturday night,

there is a funny, unexpected shout, I’m allowed to

as you finish with a prop they’ll pack it away. When you

corpse. There have been a couple that have caught me

look at the scale of what they’re de-rigging, you feel

out, but they’re probably not for reproduction in print.’

like part of a team that knows exactly what it’s doing.’

The Rocky Horror Show is unlike any other musical

That sense of team, of being part of a group that

production in the world. It has created an audience so

goes the extra mile for an audience entirely committed

important to the performance that its theatregoers are

to the production, returns again and again as Punt

genuinely an extra character, with more interaction

talks about The Rocky Horror Show. I wouldn’t be too

even than panto. They also stand out in a crowd.

surprised to see him joining a warm up or heading to

As a comedian, Punt is not usually a fan of noticing

the gym before long, especially if he starts spotting

theatregoers before a show: ‘An audience as a mass

tea shop customers wearing stilettos and a basque. ■

of people in the dark is fine; as soon as you see them

RICHARD O’BRIEN’S

you’ve only just written it or

couple who find themselves

musical premiered at the Royal

Ben Freeman and Diana Vickers Circle: Ben Freeman and Diana Vickers

NEW VICTORIA THEATRE WOKING 27 June - 2 July Box Office 0844 871 7645* BRISTOL HIPPODROME 18 - 23 July Box Office 0844 871 3012* MILTON KEYNES THEATRE 25 - 30 July Box Office 0844 871 7652* KING’S THEATRE GLASGOW 8 - 13 August Box Office 0844 871 7648* NEW ALEXANDRA THEATRE, BIRMINGHAM 10 - 15 October Box Office 0844 871 3011* LIVERPOOL EMPIRE 17 - 22 October Box Office 0844 871 3017* MANCHESTER OPERA HOUSE 24 - 29 October Box Office 0844 871 3019* SUNDERLAND EMPIRE 7 - 12 November Box Office 0844 871 3022* NEW THEATRE OXFORD 13 - 31 December Box Office 0844 871 3020* For up-to-date casting and online booking please visit atgtickets.com *Calls cost up to 7p per minute, plus your phone company’s access charge, bkg fees apply.

ATG Magazine / 8

ATG TI THEATRE HIGHLIGHTS ACROSS THE UK THIS SUMMER. MAKE A NIGHT OF IT!

SUMMER SAVER Look out for tickets from as little as £10 and discounts galore in the West End

and across the South East. Hit musicals, plays, fantastic family shows - making extra special memories this summer.

D UR AN TO N

SUNNY AFTERNOON At the Harold Pinter Theatre and now on tour - the Olivier award-winning hit musical explores the euphoric highs and agonising lows of one of Britain’s most iconic bands - The Kinks.

FUNNY GIRL From Brooklyn music hall singer to Broadway star - one of the most iconic musicals of film and theatre history comes to the Savoy Theatre.

★★★★★ Independent ★★★★ Times | Telegraph | Guardian

THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW Non-stop party action from the world’s favourite rock’n’roll musical. ‘Still the sexiest and funniest show in town’ Evening Standard

JACKIE THE MUSICAL Unleashing a tidal wave of nostalgia and with a soundtrack of seventies hits from Donny Osmond to David Cassidy, prepare to relive the quizzes, fashion tips and above all the ‘Cathy and Claire’ problem pages in this musical inspired by the glory days of Jackie magazine.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS ONLINE 9

ICKETS TRAFALGAR STUDIOS** 0844 871 7632

Piccadilly Theatre 0844 871 7630

JERSEY BOYS

THE SPOILS The Spoils is the razor-sharp new comedy written by and starring international film-star Jesse Eisenberg, Kunal Nayyar (Big Bang Theory), Alfie Allen (Game of Thrones), Katie Brayben (Beautiful), and Annapurna Sriram (Billions).

Worldwide smash-hit musical about Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. ‘This true life mega-hit story of the Four Seasons is an utterly wonderful show of vitality, pace and power. Oh what a night of magical memories’ Daily Express

Harold Pinter Theatre 0844 871 7622

★★★★ ‘This is a great, very British musical about a great, very British band’ The Times

Don’t miss the ‘scintillating revival’ (FT) of the highly acclaimed Chichester Festival Theatre production, starring Rebel Wilson (Pitch Perfect).

Duke Of York’s Theatre 0844 871 7623

DOCTOR FAUSTUS (Ends 25 June)

‘The greatest Golden Age musical of them all’ Times

Last chance to see Kit Harington (Game of Thrones) in The Jamie Lloyd Company’s magical new production.

Lyceum Theatre 0844 871 7615

WICKED

DISNEY’S

THE LION KING

Experience ‘the hit musical with brains, heart & courage’ (Sunday Telegraph) as it flies into its seventh spellbinding year. ‘A magical mystery tour through the fantasy land of Oz’ (London Evening Standard) that is not to be missed.

With a cast of over 40 actors, singers and dancers. ‘A beautiful dazzle of invention & imagination’ Evening Standard

Lyric Theatre Broadway Online booking at ticketmaster.com and for ticket/hotel packages visit lovetheatre.com

Fortune Theatre 0844 871 7626

THE WOMAN IN BLACK One of the most exciting and gripping theatre events ever staged. ‘A truly nerve-shredding experience’ Daily Mail

Playhouse Theatre 0844 871 7631

1984

CIRQUE DU SOLEIL’S

spins the thrilling tale of a beautiful young actress forced to choose between love and art in the glamorous world of Golden Age Hollywood.

Following a sold-out run at the Menier Chocolate Factory, the must-see musical of 2016 is back in the West End.

GUYS AND DOLLS

Apollo Victoria 0844 871 7615

PARAMOUR

FUNNY GIRL

Phoenix Theatre 0844 871 7629

SUNNY AFTERNOON The critically acclaimed production.

Savoy Theatre 0844 871 7687

Trafalgar Studios** 0844 871 7632

ROTTERDAM Following a critically-acclaimed, sell-out run at Theatre503 in 2015, Jon Brittain’s Rotterdam returns to London this summer. 26 Jul - 27 Aug

The ‘definitive book of the 20th century’ (The Guardian) is re-examined in a radical new staging exploring surveillance, identity and why Orwell’s vision of the future is as relevant now as ever. Until 13 August 2016.

AT ATGTICKETS.COM YOUR ONE STOP SHOP *Calls cost up to 7p per minute, plus your phone company’s access charge, bkg fees apply. **Studio 2 has been made possible by a generous donation from Christina Smith.

ATG Magazine / 10

FEATURE

MAKE A

Night OF IT

FROM GUYS AND DOLLS TO THE FINEST HOTELS - SAMPLE THE DELIGHTS LONDON HAS TO OFFER THIS SUMMER

Jersey Boys Lion King Funny Girl

eople strolling down the Charing Cross

Of the many factors behind the musical’s success,

Road this summer could be forgiven for

Richard stresses the merits of Abe Burrows’ book.

imagining that the West End has been hit

‘I think that it lifts the show to another level. It’s so

by an earthquake reaching the top of the

insightful. It depicts men and women and the

Richter Scale. However, they can rest assured that

relationships between them in a light-hearted but

the noise they hear is not caused by a shifting tectonic

very truthful way in situations the audience can relate

plate. It’s merely the Guys and Dolls audience roaring

to. As well as having the most fantastic score, Guys and

its approval.

Dolls packs a level of punch which few other musicals

It’s the best kind of anti-depressant. You only have

can equal. It hasn’t aged either. Some musicals are of

to watch audiences streaming out of the Phoenix

their time but Guys and Dolls is forever.’

Theatre to see the faces wreathed in smiles. Guys

Guys and Dolls may be concerned with gambling

and Dolls has been delighting the public ever since

but there is absolutely no risk in recommending a visit

it opened on Broadway in 1950. Ingeniously adapted

to the Phoenix Theatre. A terrific time is guaranteed,

from the stories by Damon Runyon, Guys and Dolls

however the dice fall.

tells the story of an unlikely romance between a

You’ll be spoilt for choice in the West End this

strait-laced Salvation Army Sister, and a fearless

summer. Attractions include two shows that take

gambler who stakes everything on a throw of the dice.

us back to the pop culture of the 1960s - Jersey Boys

The magnificent score is packed with Broadway

at the Piccadilly and Sunny Afternoon at the Harold

standards; tender ballads such as I’ll Know or comedy

Pinter. A ticket to Jersey Boys is an offer you shouldn’t

turns such as Take Back Your Mink. There’s the thrilling

refuse - expect to hear all the Four Seasons classics

Luck Be A Lady which leads into the Crapshooters’

interspersed with internal jealousies, broken

Ballet, specially choreographed for this production by

relationships and close ties with some gangland

Cuban ballet star Carlos Acosta. And there is no finer

heavies.

eleven o’clock number than Sit Down, You’re Rockin’

At the Duke of York’s, there’s a radical reworking

the Boat. Ironically, the exhortation to the audience

of Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus with Kit Harington

to sit down is completely ignored. Rather than keeping

from Game of Thrones in the title role and further

to their seats, the public leaps to its feet with a roar

frissons of horror in The Woman in Black which

that can surely be heard in New York.

continues to chill spines at the Fortune Theatre.

One of several producers who have brought this

At the Savoy Theatre, Funny Girl starring Sheridan

sizzling production to the West End is Richard

Smith follows the life and loves of Fanny Brice, the

Darbourne whose association with Guys and Dolls

comedienne at the centre of the lavish Ziegfeld

stretches back to his childhood. He was a twelve-year-

Follies in the early 20th century.

old schoolboy when he was first bowled over by Frank

And we shouldn’t forget those long-running

Loesser’s masterpiece and promised himself that one

musicals which continue to delight audiences

day he’d be instrumental in putting Guys and Dolls

every night, including The Lion King at the Lyceum

on the stage.

and Wicked at the Apollo Victoria. ■

For details and tickets for all London shows visit atgtickets.com or see pages 9 and 10 Feature by Al Senter

Photography by Johan Persson and Marc Brenner 11

Guys and Dolls

STOP PRESS REBEL WILSON JOINS THE CAST OF GUYS & DOLLS FOR A STRICTLY LIMITED SEASON THIS SUMMER

TICKETS FOR GUYS & DOLLS AND A HOTEL FOR TWO SHARING A DOUBLE OR TWIN ROOM INCLUDING BREAKFAST FROM

£161.34

ATGTICKETS.COM/ BREAKS

VISIT ATGTICKETS.COM/BREAKS FOR SAVINGS ON LONDON’S BEST SHOWS WITH A HOTEL STAY! Enjoy the best of the summer season in London this year with a theatre break. Browse the boutiques of Covent Garden, and reward yourself with a glass of fizz and an evening of the finest theatre the capital has to offer. Complete your evening with a stay in one of our fabulous hand-picked hotels.

We have an exciting range of 3* budget to 5* deluxe hotels and all packages include breakfast to ensure you have a truly indulgent break. At the luxury end, Taj 51 Buckingham Gate Suites is a spectacular 5 star townhouse hotel in Westminster with an award-winning private courtyard - the perfect place to relax after a fun-filled day. A short stroll from the West End, you’ll find the quaint Academy Hotel, five beautifully restored Georgian townhouses with a quintessentially British charm, a cosy library and sitting room. And in Kensington, the Copthorne Tara Hotel offers guests a breathtaking view of the capital from its Club rooms and a range of fine dining choices just two minutes away from an underground station - perfect for exploring. There are many more fabulous hotels to choose from so for a night to remember and for full terms and conditions visit atgtickets.com/breaks.

Copthorne Tara Hotel - a Millennium Group Hotel ATG Magazine / 12

INTERVIEW

THRILLING

Moves

FROM BOXING RING TO BALLET STAR - BILLY ELLIOT IS BACK!

‘

Interview by Jo Caird

Photography by Alastair Muir 13

t’s an absolute joy to take it round the country,’

its director and choreographer, the show features

says Annette McLaughlin, who stars as dance

original songs by Elton John.

teacher Mrs Wilkinson in Billy Elliot the Musical

The touring cast, which includes the four child

on tour. ‘Outside of London, there’s a lot of people

actors who share the role of Billy, began its journey

who haven’t experienced this show before. It’s really

in February at the Theatre Royal Plymouth (where they

exciting.’

rehearsed the show) before heading to the Sunderland

Having closed in the West End in April, where it

Empire. Just up the road from Easington, the mining

ran for 11 triumphant years, picking up a slew of major

town where the story is set, this leg of the tour was

awards and playing to hundreds of thousands of people

always going to be special, explains McLaughlin.

over 4,600 performances, this story of a Northern boy

‘We were all very excited about going North

who dreams of becoming a ballet dancer is now on its

because it was about bringing the show home,’ she

first ever tour around the UK. Adapted from the 2000

says. ‘And Sunderland audiences didn’t let us down;

film of the same name by Lee Hall, who wrote the

they were incredible. Packed every night and up on

screenplay, and Stephen Daldry and Peter Darling,

their feet; they loved it.’

The universal story of a boy striving, against the

over the years worldwide, including productions in the

odds, to achieve his dream, appeals to audiences

US, Australia, Korea and all over Europe, with hundreds

everywhere but it had an added piquancy in the