MUSIC BY BOOK & LYRICS BY
ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER
DON BLACK & CHRISTOPHER HAMPTON BASED ON THE
ORCHESTRATIONS BY
BILLY WILDER FILM
DAVID CULLEN & ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER
NIKOLAI FOSTER BY ARRANGEMENT WITH THE REALLY USEFUL GROUP LIMITED DIRECTED BY
COLIN RICHMOND MUSICAL SUPERVISOR STEPHEN BROOKER MUSICAL DIRECTOR CHRIS MUNDY CHOREOGRAPHER LEE PROUD LIGHTING DESIGNER BEN CRACKNELL SOUND DESIGNER TOM MARSHALL VIDEO & PROJECTION DESIGNER DOUGLAS O’CONNELL CASTING BY DAVID GRINDROD CDG
DESIGNER
THE PRODUCERS GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGE THE ROLE OF AMY POWERS IN THE LYRIC DEVELOPMENT OF SUNSET BOULEVARD Originally produced in association with MICHAEL HARRISON and DAVID IAN
Photography: Marc Brenner
ACT I
ACT II
Overture
Entr’acte
Scene 1 The House on Sunset Let Me Take You Back
Scene 1 The House on Sunset Sunset Boulevard There’s Been a Call
Scene 2 Paramount Let’s Have Lunch Betty’s Pitch Scene 3 On the Road Car Chase Scene 4 The House on Sunset No More Wars Once Upon a Time With One Look Salome The Greatest Star of All Scene 5 Schwab’s Drugstore Girl Meets Boy Scene 6 The House on Sunset Scene 7 The House on Sunset I Started Work Scene 8 The House on Sunset New Ways to Dream Scene 9 The House on Sunset The Lady’s Paying Scene 10 The House on Sunset / Schwab’s New Year Tango The Perfect Year I Had to Get Out This Time Next Year Auld Lang Syne
Scene 2 On the Road It Took Her Three Days Scene 3 Paramount Norma in the Studio As If We Never Said Goodbye Paramount Conversations Was That Really Norma Desmond? Scene 4 Betty’s Office Girl Meets Boy (reprise) Scene 5 A House on Sunset A Little Suffering I Should Have Stayed There Too Much in Love to Care Scene 6 Betty’s Office / The Back Lot at Paramount New Ways to Dream (reprise) Scene 7 The House on Sunset The Phone Call Scene 8 The House on Sunset What’s Going on Joe? Scene 9 The House on Sunset Denouement Time
1949/50 Place
Norma Desmond’s mansion at 10086 Sunset Boulevard, Paramount Pictures & other locations around Hollywood, California.
Photography: Marc Brenner
Photography: Marc Brenner
CAST
PRODUCTION TEAM
TECHNICAL TEAM
Norma Desmond RIA JONES Joe Gillis DANNY MAC Max Von Mayerling ADAM PEARCE Betty Schaefer MOLLY LYNCH Artie Green DOUGIE CARTER Cecil B DeMille CARL SANDERSON Sheldrake KRISTOFFER HELLSTRÖM Lisa JOANNA GOODWIN Joanna JESSICA PAUL Mary JOANNA O’HARE Jean GEMMA NAYLOR Sammy BENJAMIN CHAMBERS Adam BARNEY WILKINSON Myron JAMES MEUNIER Hog Eye SAM PEGGS Financier OWEN CHAPONDA
Director NIKOLAI FOSTER Designer COLIN RICHMOND Musical Supervisor STEPHEN BROOKER Musical Director CHRIS MUNDY Choreographer LEE PROUD Lighting Designer BEN CRACKNELL Sound Designer & Mix Engineer TOM MARSHALL Video & Projection Designer DOUGLAS O’CONNELL Orchestral Management STEPHEN HILL Casting Director DAVID GRINDROD CDG
Buildings & Technical Director JAY BRIDGES Head of Production ANDY NAIRN Head of Lighting JONATHAN LAIDLOW Head of Sound & Video DAVE NORTON Head of Wardrobe EDD LINDLEY Deputy Head of Lighting DAVID HATELY Deputy Head of Lighting STEVE RATCLIFFE Deputy Head of Sound & Video ANGEL ROSSELL DE PABLOS Deputy Head of Stage & Automation JAMES DAINTY Deputy Head of Stage & Automation MARTIN PICKARD
Assistant Director & Dance Captain JOANNA GOODWIN Trainee Director JENNIFER BAKER Assistant Musical Director ISAAC McCULLOUGH Rehearsal Pianist ALEX AITKEN Production Manager SAM PATERSON Company Stage Manager JULIA REID Deputy Stage Manager ANNE BAXTER Keyboard Programmer STUART ANDREWS Lighting Associate CHARLOTTE BURTON Sound Recording & Mix Engineer ADAM FISHER Live Mix Engineer MATTHEW ‘BAMBI’ NUNN Producer CURVE
CROSSCUT MEDIA MUSICIANS Keys 1 PAUL SLATER Keys 2 / Assistant Musical Director ISAAC McCULLOUGH Keys 3 GILES DEACON Flute / Clarinet/ Tenor Sax KATIE PUNTER
Clarinet / Bass Clarinet / Alto Saxophone ANDREW DICKINSON Horn DAVE OXLEY Horn LAURA LLEWELLYN-JONES Trumpet ALAN HASE
Bass Trombone WILLIAM YATES Drums / Percussion DAVE COTTRELL Guitar NICK REES Leader / Violin JULIET LEIGHTON-JONES
Violin HENRY SALMON Viola MILES BRETT Cello DAVID HORNBERGER Double Bass / Bass Guitar STEVE COOPER
Video Producer DAN FLANDERS 1st AC / Online Editor DUNCAN MacLEOD Director of Photography JORDAN DEAN Crane Operator DAN HUNT Gimbal Operator MBILI MUNTHALI Camera Operator FRANCESCA COSTA Camera Operator LAUREN PESTER Camera Operator LAUREN TAYLOR
Deputy Head of Wardrobe LUCY DUNCAN Lighting Technician AARON PATCHETT Lighting Technician ADAM BEE Lighting Technician JUDE MICHELL Lighting Technician JUDITH MOULTON Sound Technician SEAN McCABE Sound Technician JACK HARPER Stage Technician EMILY WALKER Stage Technician MARK KENNY Stage Technician MILTON ROBINSON Stage Technician JASDEEP SINGH
SPECIAL THANKS TO Team Curve Andrew Lloyd Webber and the team at Really Useful Group in particular Jessica Koravos, Tim Leist, Martin Lowes and Joanna Edworthy Paramount Pictures Cameron Mackintosh David Ian Michael Harrison Tim Reed Jon Ashworth MP Peter Leatham and the team at PPL Holiday Inn The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) for supporting Curve through the Culture Recovery Fund. Finally, thanks to our principal funders Leicester City Council and Arts Council England, in particular Sir Peter Soulsby, Cllr Piara Singh Clair, Mike Dalzell, Sir Nicholas Serota, Darren Henley, Laura Dyer, Peter Knott, Claire Simpson and Sharon Joinson.
Sponsored by
Supported by
IN LOVING MEMORY OF PETER GEE AND ANDY NAIRN Photography: Marc Brenner
Photography: Marc Brenner
CAST BIOGRAPHIES
RIA JONES
Norma Desmond Ria was born in Swansea, South Wales. At 19 she became the youngest actress ever to play the role of Eva Peron in the musical Evita followed shortly by her West End debut in the musical Chess, in which she played the roles of both Svetlana and Florence. She then went on to play Grizabella in Cats at the New London Theatre (where she stayed for two years). Ria was most recently seen as Mama Rose in Jo Davis’ Gypsy at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester. Previous to this she played the role of Miss Adelaide at Théâtre Marigny in Paris, directed by Stephen Mear. Ria played the role of Norma Desmond to rave reviews in the award-winning Leicester Curve/UK tour of Sunset Boulevard, having played the role in the original workshop at Sydmonton in 1991 and more recently she performed Norma in 2016 for four performances to great acclaim at the London Coliseum for the ENO, Glenn Close starred in this production. She also recently finished working closely with Andrew Lloyd Webber in a workshop at The Other Palace, about his career and life, called Unmasked. Her further theatre credits include 42nd Street (Théâtre du Châtelet & Leicester Curve), Jerry’s Girls (Jermyn Street Theatre & St James’ Studio), Next To Normal (Drama Centre Singapore), Into The Woods (Singapore Rep Theatre), Closer Than Ever (Landor Theatre), Lucifer Saved (Finborough Theatre), The Witches Of Eastwick (UK tour), Acorn Antiques: The Musical (UK tour), Anything Goes (UK tour), High Society (Shaftesbury Theatre/UK tour), Victor Victoria (Bridewell Theatre), Honk! (Victoria Theatre Singapore), A Little Night Music (Leicester Haymarket), A Twist Of Fate (Jubilee Theatre Singapore), Personals (New End Theatre), Nine (Donmar Warehouse), Romance Romance (Bridewell Theatre), Joseph And The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat (West End/UK tour) and Les Misérables (Palace Theatre/UK tour).
Concerts take Ria worldwide. Performing with orchestras in South Africa, Singapore, Shanghai, Russia, Denmark, France, Belgium, Muscat and Germany. She was invited to sing for the Danish Royal family in 2009 and has also sung by Royal request at Buckingham Palace. Ria is a regular soloist at the Royal Albert Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra. Concert work includes Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, West Side Story, Sondheim A Celebration, The Three Musketeers, A Night Under The Stars, Children Will Listen, Magic Of The Musicals, The Best Of Broadway, Ultimate Broadway, West End Women, Miss Leading Ladies and An Evening With Ria Jones. Show and concert recordings include four albums with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra. The most recent being The Golden Age Of Hollywood, Abbaphonic and The Music Of Rodgers and Hammerstein. Les Misérables (Manchester cast recording) A Tribute To Hal Prince, Personals, A Twist Of Fate and her solo albums, It’s Better With A Band and Have You Met Miss Jones? She has recorded her own TV show One Night Only With Ria Jones for BBC Wales. Guested on three royal variety shows for the BBC. As well as numerous chat shows on TV and radio. With many appearances on Friday Night Is Music Night. Other TV credits include Torchwood (BBC), Eric & Ernie (BBC), The Angina Monologues (Phil McIntyre Entertainment) and Life & Dept (HTV). Ria is also just as comfortable accompanied with only a piano and often performs her onewoman show in more intimate cabaret settings, most recently six sell-out shows at Cafe Zedel in London.
Photography: Marc Brenner
CAST BIOGRAPHIES
DANNY MAC Joe Gillis
Danny is a multi awardwinning actor known for his roles across television and theatre as well as his record-breaking partnership with Oti Mabuse on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing. Training: The Arts Educational School London. Danny recently starred in Pretty Woman – The Musical playing the iconic Edward Lewis, prior to that he was in the West End revival of White Christmas at the Dominion Theatre, reprising his role as Bob Wallis following its hugely successful run at Leicester Curve where the production originated. Other theatre credits include Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard (Leicester Curve, UK and European tour) Winner of the 2018 Manchester Theatre Award for Best Actor in a Visiting Production and Best Musical, nominated for the WhatsOnStage Award for Best Actor and Winner of the WhatsOnStageAward for Best Regional Production; Nino in the original UK and Ireland tour of Amélie; Gabey in On The Town (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre) nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival; Captain Crew in A Little Princess (UK Premiere – Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre); Warner in Legally Blonde (Leicester Curve); Wicked (Apollo Victoria Theatre) and Les Misérables (Palace Theatre). Television Includes: Craig in Trollied (Sky One); Midsomer Murders (ITV); Mark Savage in Hollyoaks (Channel 4) a role for which he gained multiple awards and nominations including Best Newcomer, Best Actor and Best Serial Drama Performance (National Television Awards) and A Line In The Sand (ITV). Other Credits Include: Friday Night Is Music Night for BBC Radio 2, recorded live at the Hackney Empire; Magic at the Musicals for Magic FM, recorded live at the Royal Albert Hall; Strictly Come Dancing, 2016 Finalist (BBC) and Strictly Come Dancing Live Arena Tour.
Photography: Marc Brenner
DOUGIE CARTER
OWEN CHAPONDA
Dougie trained at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and has since enjoyed a varied career in plays, musicals and TV. He appeared as Joe Gillis and Artie Green in Sunset Boulevard UK tour at the start of 2018 and continued in that tour as it travelled internationally to Italy and Holland. He previously toured the UK with the Broadway hit show La Cage aux Folles where he played Jean-michel, prior to this he enjoyed two years in London’s West End in Les Misérables performing as a swing and also Marius. He has performed in the Wembley SSE arena (Love Beyond), The Royal Albert Hall (Sondheim at 80) and the Savoy (Our House 10th Anniversary). He has toured the UK in many shows as stated above but also Cider with Rosie (Everyman Cheltenham production) and The Jungle Book (Oxfordshire Theatre Company). He also champions new work, workshopping a number of new musicals such as Pierced by Tamar Broadbent (Leicester Square Theatre), Harriet by Eva Rice, Zelda by Vicki Gimby (The Other Palace) and Alice by Paul Turner (The Other Palace).
Theatre credits: The Lion King (West End); The Color Purple (Curve & Birmingham Hippodrome); Back To the Future (Opera House Manchester).
Artie Green
Financier
BENJAMIN CHAMBERS Sammy
Training: Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University – Bmus Musical Theatre (dir. Paul Sabey). Theatre credits: Sunset Boulevard (UK tour); Gobsmacked (Workshop, Udderbelly Theatre); Anna Nicole (Royal Opera House); solo performer in Our Turn (Megan Shorey & Paul Sabey); John & Chris in Miss Saigon (Michelle Miall); Walter & Doug in Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens (Kate Foy); Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof (Brendon Ross & John Clarke); solo performer in Con2theCabaret (Megan Shorey & Nigel Ubrihien); solo performer on Who’s on First (Paul Sabey); Lewis in Summer of the Aliens (Sue Rider & Jim Vile).
TV credits: BBC Sport Relief; Olivier Awards 2019; The X Factor 2016 Owen is delighted to be a part of the Sunset Boulevard Company.
JOANNA GOODWIN
Lisa, Assistant Director & Dance Captain Jo trained at Laine Theatre Arts and was awarded the Eileen Rose Cup for Musical Theatre. Upon graduating Jo joined the cast of The Producers at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane (West End). Jo then went into Funnygirl (Chichester Minerva Theatre); On The Town (Theatre du Chatelet, Paris); Hello Dolly! (Regents Park Open Air); White Christmas (UK tour); Sweet Charity (Theatre Royal Haymarket, West End) where she understudied and played Charity Hope Valentine and the Frug Girl; Crazy For You (Regents Park Open Air and the Novello Theatre, West End); Street of Dreams (M.E.N Arena); Once Upon a Time at the Adelphi (Union Theatre, London); Guys and Dolls (Theatre Marigny, Paris). Jo has also worked as assisant choreographer on Barnum (UK tour); Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (West Yorkshire Playhouse and UK tour); Sunset Boulevard (international tour); A Little Princess (Southbank Centre, London); By Jeeves (Landor Theatre, London) and most recently the critically acclaimed production of Funnygirl (Theatre Maringy, Paris). Jo has appeared on television in Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway; The Olivier Awards; The Al Murray Show; The Broadway Proms; Children in
CAST BIOGRAPHIES Need; The Olympic Torch Concert; Got to Dance; Le Grand Echiquier; Quotidien and as a mentor on All Over The Workplace. Jo has also choreographed Aladdin (White Rock Theatre, Hastings and the Radlett Centre); Jack and the Beanstalk (Wyvern Theatre, Swindon); Fiddler on the Roof and Grease (Guildhall London); Stageschool (for televsion) and Tenderloin - the Musical (East 15).
KRISTOFFER HELLSTRÖM
Grange Park Opera/BBC Proms, ensemble/cover Johanna in Sweeney Todd at ENO’s Coliseum and Serifina in Sacred Hearts at Latitude Festival. Other credits include: workshop performances at The National Theatre, Corcadorca, Theatre Royal Stratford East and soloist with orchestras such as The RTE Concert Orchestra and The Oxford Philharmonic.
JAMES MEUNIER Myron
Sheldrake
Television credits include: Veni Vidi Vici (HandsUp Productions), 30 Degrees in February (Fundament Films). Stage credits include: Return to the Forbidden Planet (GothenburgOpera), Sunset Boulevard (Curve Theatre, Leicester/UK tour), Jersey Boys (Chinatheatre, Stockholm), The Star & The Beast (Uppsala Stadsteater), My Friend, The Fascist (Uppsala Stadsteater), Jesus Christ Superstar (Göta Lejon Produktion), Legally Blonde (Julius Production), Grease (Göta Lejon Produktion), Sunset Boulevard (Wermland Opera), Candide (Wermland Opera), Les Misérables (Festpielhaus Neuschwanstein).
MOLLY LYNCH Betty Schaefer
Molly hails from Cork, Ireland and is a graduate of The CIT Cork School of Music (BMus) and The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (MA). Theatre credits include: Cathy Hiatt in The Last Five Years at Southwark Playhouse, ensemble/ cover Clara in The Light in the Piazza at The Royal Festival Hall & International tour, Kolokolo Bird in Just So at The Barn Theatre, Anne Brontë Wasted at Southwark Playhouse, Betty in Sunset Boulevard UK tour, Stand-by Julie Jordan in Carousel at ENO’s Coliseum, Chava in Fiddler on The Roof at
James trained at the Royal Academy of Music in London. His theatre work includes Joe Gillis (cover)/ Myron in AndrewLloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard (Curve/UK tour), Prince in Sleeping Beauty (Carriageworks, Leeds), Beast in Beauty and the Beast (Palace Theatre), Clov in Endgame (Rose Theatre, Kingston), Dorian in Crush (Belgrade Theatre/ UK tour), The Dietrich Letters (UK tour), Algernon in The Importance of Being Earnest (English Theatre, Frankfurt), Heaven in Berlin (Testbed1/BAC), Emile Bonnet in Marguerite (Tabard Theatre), Teddie Deakin in The Ghost Train (Lost Theatre), Woyzeck (Charing Cross Theatre), Romeo in Romeo and Juliet (Network Theatre), Clifford Anderson in Deathtrap (Brookside Theatre). His radio and screen work includes Christopher Boon in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (BBC Radio 4), The Ant and Dec Christmas Show (ITV). James’ concert work includes singing with Russell Watson on his UK tour, performing with Elton John at the Royal Albert Hall (Royal Academy Fundraiser). James’ solo album (EP) is available to buy online and you can follow him @meunierjames on twitter.
GEMMA NAYLOR
Concert Credits Include: Sondheim at 80 (BBC Proms, the Royal Albert Hall).
Training: Bird College.
Joanna is thrilled to be part of this wonderful show again and would like to thank her friends, family and all at Grantham Hazeldine for their constant support.
Jean
Theatre credits include: Cinderella in Cinderella (Sunderland Empire), Shout (Winter Garden’s Blackpool), Princess Jasmine in Aladdin (Bath Theatre Royal), Sunset Boulevard (UK tour), Jackie The Musical (UK tour), Dance Power (Theatre Royal, Drury Lane), The Go!Go!Go! Show (Garrick Theatre, London), Gotta Sing Gotta Dance (Original UK cast), White Christmas (Original UK cast), The Music of Dirty Dancing (UK tour), Glenn Miller Orchestra (UK tour). Television credits: Bedtime story host (Nick Jr), Fruit Shoot Skills Awards (Nickelodeon), Go!Go!Go! Music Videos (Nick Jr), Maurie Lloyd (Channel 4), Blue Peter (BBC). Other credits include: British Summer Time (Hyde Park London), Headline act Universal Music (Malaysia), Radio Go!Go!Go! (O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire), Dubai World Cup (Dubai), Asus Touch (Commercial), UK representative for The Great Britain Music is Great Campaign (International).
JOANNA O’HARE Mary
Joanna O’Hare is a proud graduate of Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, receiving her BA (Hons) in Musical Theatre in 2012. Theatre Credits include: Enchantress Beauty and the Beast (Belfast Opera House, Qdos), Mrs Gordon/understudy Rosalie Mullins School of Rock the Musical (South Korean tour), Mary/understudy Norma Desmond Sunset Boulevard (UK tour), Mother Nature Jack and the Beanstalk (Belfast/Qdos), Swing The Phantom of the Opera (West End), Ensemble Kiss Me Kate (BBC Proms, the Royal Albert Hall), Protestant Girl/ understudy Christine The Beautiful Game (Union Theatre) and Titania A Midsummer Nights Dream (Butterfly Theatre Company). Photography: Marc Brenner
CAST BIOGRAPHIES
JESSICA PAUL Joanna
Jessica graduated Guildford School of Acting in 2016 and has since gone on to play numerous leading roles both on the West End and on tour as well as appearing in various independent films across the UK. Jessica has most recently been cast in a brand new short film, out 2021. Alongside her acting, Jessica helps transform the mindsets of creative women to help them strengthen their self-belief, raise their vibration and get them noticed in their business and career. Follow Jessica on Instagram to find out more about her Mindset & Manifestation coaching. Jessica is so excited to be back at Curve and performing in front of a live audience again during these unprecedented times! Stage credits include: Sandy in Grease (Curve Theatre); Cover Betty in Sunset Boulevard (UK tour), Kate Murphy in Titanic (Charing Cross Theatre); Vivienne in Legally Blonde (Curve Theatre); Molly in Ghost (Guildford School of Acting); Jenny in Company (Guildford School of Acting). Film credits include: Midi in Be Better Beta (Mind Over Media Productions); Blaise in J1S (First World Tree Productions); Louise in Epilogue (Green Lens Productions); Emily in The Introduction (Didsbury Film); Stacey in Tell Her (Didsbury Film); Lydia in Hysteria (Student Film); Female lead in Slingshot (Onyx Studios). Instagram: @jessicapaulacting/jessicapaulcoaching Twitter: @_JessicaPaul
ADAM PEARCE
Max Von Mayerling Originally from Portsmouth, Adam trained at the Guildford School of Acting (1st Class BA Hons) and The National Youth Music Theatre.
Theatre: Hotep in the original cast of The Prince of Egypt (Dominion) Augustin Magaldi in Evita (Regents Park) Viktor in the original cast of Local Hero (Lyceum, Edinburgh) Max Von Mayerling in Sunset Boulevard (UK and European tour), Les Misérables understudy/Played Javert and Thenardier (Sondheim) Officer Barrel in the original UK cast of Urinetown (Other Palace) Octavious Crabbe in the original cast of The Light Princess (National) Cover Judge Turpin in Sweeney Todd (Adelphi & Chichester) Squelch in the original cast of Love Never Dies (Adelphi) original cast of Knights Of The Rose (Arts) Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Adelphi) Alice in Wonderland (West Yorkshire Playhouse) Evita (Adelphi). TV & Film: Friday Night Dinner, The Current War and Les Misérables. Recordings: The Prince of Egypt, The Light Princess, Les Misérables Film Soundtrack, Love Never Dies, Sweeney Todd, Evita and Tale of Two Cities. Adam would like to thank his wife & his family for their constant love & support. Twitter: @adampearce84
SAM PEGGS Hog Eye
Training: The Arts Educational Schools London. Credits: Swing/Assistant Dance Captain in Les Misérables (Sondheim Theatre, West End), HogEye in Sunset Boulevard (UK & European tour), Ben Levitowitz in Rags (Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester), Maier Burnich in workshop of To Paint The Earth (Southwark Playhouse, London), Dick in Dick Whittington (Kenton Theatre, Henley-On-Thames), Cosmo in the charity performance of Singin’ In The Rain (Adelphi Theatre, West End), Phileas Fogg in Around The World in 80 Days (Union Theatre, London), Issac Tallentire in The Hired Man (Union Theatre, London), Barry in When Harry Met Barry (Above The Stag, London). Twitter: @Peggs96
CARL SANDERSON Cecil B. DeMille
Training: Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. Theatre: Pumbaa in The Lion King (UK tour); Sweet Charity (Nottingham Playhouse); Sunset Boulevard (UK tour); Aladdin (Bradfordz Alhambra); Kiss Me, Kate (Kilworth House); 42nd Street (Theatre du Chatelet); Guys and Dolls, The Pajama Game and The Music Man (Chichester Festival Theatre); Stephen Ward (Aldwych Theatre); My Fair Lady (Sheffield Crucible, UK tour); Ragtime, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Hello, Dolly! (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre); Crazy for You (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, Novello Theatre); Hairspray (UK tour); Sweet Charity (Menier Chocolate Factory); Cats (New London Theatre, UK tour); Doctor Doolittle (UK tour); Acorn Antiques: The Musical! (Haymarket Theatre, UK tour); Orpheus in the Underworld, The Mikado, The Merry Widow, HMS Pinafore, The Gondoliers, The Parson’s Pirates, La Vie Parisienne and The Cow and the Pianoforte (Opera Della Luna); The Phantom of the Opera (Her Majesty’s Theatre, UK tour); The Mikado (Savoy Theatre); Starlight Express (Apollo Victoria); Beauty and the Beast (Wakefield Theatre Royal); Peter Pan (West Yorkshire Playhouse); Camelot (Covent Garden Festival). Television: Victoria Wood Christmas Special; Acorn Antique’s: The Musical! Film: That Day We Sang; The Dresser.
BARNEY WILKINSON Adam
Barney trained at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland where he received the Ian Fleming Musical Theatre award as well as the Help Musicians UK scholarship. Upon graduating Barney toured the UK and Internationally with Sunset Boulevard. He then went on to be in Bat out of Hell at the Dominion Theatre in the West End. Most recently Barney has been seen in Toronto in Sting’s new musical The Last Ship. Barney is delighted to be back at Curve and would like to thank his parents for their ongoing support. Photography: Marc Brenner
PRODUCTION TEAM BIOGRAPHIES
ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER
CHRISTOPHER HAMPTON
When Sunset Boulevard joined School Of Rock, Cats and The Phantom Of The Opera on Broadway in February 2017, Andrew Lloyd Webber became the only person to equal the record set in 1953 by Rodgers and Hammerstein with four Broadway shows running concurrently. Other musicals he has composed include Aspects Of Love, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita and Love Never Dies.
Christopher Hampton became involved in theatre while studying French and German at Oxford University, and wrote a play in his first year. The Royal Court’s production was so successful that it transferred to the Comedy Theatre while he was still a student, making him the youngest writer ever to have a play performed in the West End – a record which still stands. He said at the time that he also hoped to become the oldest writer to have a play in the West End, an ambition he has yet to achieve.
Music
His production of School Of Rock is the first British musical to have world premiered on Broadway. He has co-produced his own shows including Cats and The Phantom Of The Opera and as a solo producer he presented the groundbreaking Bombay Dreams which introduced the double Oscar winning Bollywood composer AR Rahman to the Western stage. Other productions include the Olivier Award Winning Daisy Pulls It Off and La Bete, the record breaking London Palladium production of The Sound Of Music and The Wizard of Oz. He owns seven West End Theatres including the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, the London Palladium and The Other Palace which provides a unique London home for new musicals in development. Every penny of profit from his theatres is re-invested in the buildings. The Theatre Royal Drury Lane is currently the subject of a £60million refurbishment. He is passionate about the importance of music in education and the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation has become one of Britain’s leading charities supporting the arts and music. As a composer and producer, Lloyd Webber is one of an elite group of artists to have achieved EGOT status by receiving an Emmy, four Grammys including Best Contemporary Classical Composition for Requiem, his setting of the Latin Requiem mass, an Oscar and eight Tony Awards including the 2018 Special Tony for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre. He has won seven Oliviers and a Golden Globe and his honours include the Praemium Imperiale, the Richard Rodgers Award for Excellence in Musical Theatre, a BASCA Fellowship, and the Kennedy Center Honor. He was knighted in 1992 and created a life peer in 1997. To mark his 70th birthday, his bestselling autobiography Unmasked was published by HarperCollins in March 2018.
Lyrics
His plays, musicals and translations have so far garnered four Tony Awards, three Olivier Awards, five Evening Standard Awards and the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award; prizes for his film and television work include an Oscar, two BAFTAs, a Writers’ Guild of America Award, the Prix Italia, a Special Jury Award at the Cannes Film Festival, Hollywood Screenwriter of the Year, and The Collateral Award at the Venice Film Festival for Best Literary Adaptation. His works for the stage include original plays (Appomattox, The Talking Cure, White Chameleon, Tales From Hollywood, Treats, Savages, The Philanthropist, Total Eclipse and When Did You Last See My Mother?); plays adapted from novels (Ödön von Horváth’s Youth Without God, Sándor Márai’s Embers, Laclos’ Les Liaisons Dangereuses, George Steiner’s novella The Portage To San Cristobal Of A.h.); musicals (Sunset Boulevard, Dracula: The Musical and, most recently, Stephen Ward, all with Don Black); libretti (Waiting For The Barbarians, Appomattox and The Trial, all with composer Philip Glass); and many translations (plays by Chekhov, Ibsen, Molière, Horváth, Yasmina Reza and Florian Zeller; and a German musical based on Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca). Hampton’s screenplays include most recently Ali And Nino (based on the novel by Kurban Said), Adore (based on Doris Lessing’s The Grandmothers), A Dangerous Method (based on his play The Talking Cure), Chéri (from the novel by Colette), Atonement (from the novel by Ian McEwan), Imagining Argentina (which he also directed), The Quiet American (from the Graham Greene novel), The Secret Agent (from Joseph Conrad’s novel, and which he also directed), Mary Reilly (from Valerie Martin’s novel inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson’s Jekyll And Hyde), Total Eclipse (from his play of the same name, and in which he also performed), Carrington (the first film he also directed), Dangerous Liaisons (based on his play Les Liaisons Dangereuses), The Good Father (from the novel by Peter Prince), The Honorary Consul (from Graham Greene’s novel), Tales From The Vienna Woods (from the von Horváth play) and A Doll’s House (based on his translation of the play by Ibsen).
His television scripts include mini-series The Ginger Tree (from the novel by Oswald Wynd), Hôtel Du Lac (from the Anita Brookner novel), The History Man (from Malcolm Bradbury’s novel), Able’s Will and most recently The Thirteenth Tale starring Vanessa Redgrave and Olivia Colman, based on the novel by Diane Setterfield.
DON BLACK Lyrics
Don received two Broadway Tony Awards for best book and lyrics of a musical for his work on Sunset Boulevard. This marked his third theatrical collaboration with Andrew Lloyd Webber. They first joined forces to write the song cycle Tell Me On A Sunday, which was developed to form the basis of the stage show Song and Dance. They were reunited for Aspects of Love. Don has also added songs to Andrew’s stage shows Starlight Express and Whistle Down The Wind. He also wrote lyrics for the Andrew Lloyd Webber produced musical Bombay Dreams. In a career that has won him many glittering prizes (an Oscar for his song Born Free, five Academy Award nominations, two Tony Awards plus three Tony nominations, Five Ivor Novello Awards, a Golden Globe and many platinum, gold and silver discs) he has worked with some of the world’s leading composers: Jule Styne, Henry Mancini, Quincy Jones, Elmer Bernstein, Marvin Hamlisch, Charles Aznavour, etc. Don has written over a hundred songs for motion picture including The Italian Job, The Pink Panther Strikes Again, True Grit, Dances With Wolves, Out of Africa and a quintet of James Bond theme songs – Thunderball, Diamonds Are Forever, The Man With The Golden Gun, Surrender from Tomorrow Never Dies and The World is Not Enough. Among his many popular songs are Michael Jackson’s Ben and Lulu’s To Sir With Love, both U.S. number one hits. He is currently working on a musical to be produced in Shanghai and is also re-working the musical of Bar Mitzvah Boy, a musical he wrote with Jule Styne. He has just completed a musical version of The Count of Monte Cristo with French composer Michel Legrand which is scheduled to open in London later this year. Don was awarded an OBE in the Queens Birthday Honours list and has just been awarded the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Arts by the City of London University. However, he says it is being inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame that has outshone any previous accolade.
NIKOLAI FOSTER Director
Nikolai is Artistic Director at Curve. He was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, grew up in North Yorkshire and trained at Drama Centre London and at the Crucible, Sheffield. At Curve, Nikolai has directed a major revival of West Side Story, the world-premiere productions of Hanif Kureishi’s My Beautiful Laundrette, the award-winning Memoirs of an Asian Football Casual, by Riaz Khan (adapted by Dougal Irvine), Irving Berlin’s White Christmas (also at Dominion Theatre, London), Leslie Bricusse’s Scrooge, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard (and UK tour – winner of Best Musical at the Manchester Theatre Awards and Best Regional Production at the WhatsOnStage Awards), the 50th anniversary production of Joe Orton’s What the Butler Saw (Theatre Royal Bath), Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey’s Grease (2016 & 2019 UK tour), Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest (with Birmingham Rep), Spring Awakening (with National Youth Music Theatre), Legally Blonde The Musical (Opéra Garnier, Monaco, and Daegu Opera Festival, South Korea – winner of Best Musical at the Daegu International Musical Festival Awards), Truman Capote’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s (Haymarket Theatre, London, and UK tour), Roald Dahl’s The Witches (with Rose Theatre, Kingston, Lyric Theatre, Hong Kong, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds, and UK tour), Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire, Shakespeare’s Richard III, Timberlake Wertenbaker’s Our Country’s Good, a performance to celebrate the reveal of the tomb of King Richard III at Leicester Cathedral, and Jonathan Harvey’s Beautiful Thing (Nottingham Playhouse and UK tour). Nikolai’s acclaimed production of the Broadway musical Annie is currently enjoying a second UK tour, having played seasons in London’s West End, South Africa and Toronto. Nikolai has also served as an associate director at West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds, where he directed Orwell’s Animal Farm, Dickens’s A Christmas Carol (adapted by Bryony Lavery and Jason Carr), Louise Page’s Salonika and Amanda Whittington’s Bollywood Jane. At the Crucible, Sheffield (supported by the Regional Theatre Young Directors Scheme), he staged A Chorus Line, Sondheim’s Assassins and Shaffer’s Amadeus.
COLIN RICHMOND Set & Costume Designer
Colin Richmond trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and was a 2003 Linbury Prize Finalist. Recent credits include: The Royal Hunt of the Sun (Parco Theatre, Japan); The Witches of Eastwick (Cameron
PRODUCTION TEAM BIOGRAPHIES Mackintosh/2Entertain); Pinocchio (National Ballet of Canada, Texas Ballet Theatre); Grease (UK tour); The Magic Flute, Kiss me Kate, Into The Woods (opera north); Pressure (Edinburgh Lyceum/Chichester/West End); The Fantastic Follies of Mrs Rich, Wendy and Peter Pan, Titus Andronicus, The Taming of the Shrew (RSC); Breakfast with Mugabe ( RSC and Westend), This Restless House (Edinburgh international festival/ Glasgow Citz) Betrayal, Crime and Punishment, Shadow of a Gunman (Glasgow citz); Yer Granny, Men Should Week (National Theatre, Scotland); Spring Awakening, Restoration (Headlong); Sunshine on Leith, The Crucible, Sweeney Todd, The Wind in the Willows, Annie, Billy Liar, When We Are Married, Animal Farm (West Yorkshire Playhouse); Annie (West End/South Africa, Toronto, UK tour); Come on Home, Jimmy’s Hall, The Unmanageable Sisters (Abbey, Dublin); Sunset Boulevard (UK tour); Sweeney Todd (WNO/ la Monnaie Opera/ Royal Danish Opera); Rough Crossing (UK tour); The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, The Cherry Orchard, Dancing at Lughnasa, A Christmas Carol (Birmingham Rep); Twelfth Night, Betrayal, Amadeus (Sheffield Crucible); All’s Well That Ends Well, Antony and Cleopatra (the Wanamaker/ Shakespeare’s Globe); The Pearl Fishers, Don Pasquale, La Bohème (Opera Holland Park); Beautiful Thing (Westend); Entertaining Mr Sloane (Costume Design, West End); Bad Girls – the Musical (West End); Europe (Barbican/Dundee Rep); House of the Gods and Letters of a Love Betrayed (Linbury/ Music Theatre Wales). Future work includes, Carmen (Opera North); The Magician’s Elephant (Royal Shakespeare Company); Merlin (Northern Ballet) Wendy and Peter Pan (Tokyo/ UK) My Best Friend’s Wedding – the Musical (UK) and Pressure (Toronto).
STEPHEN BROOKER Musical Supervisor
Stephen Brooker is Executive Musical Supervisor for Cameron Mackintosh worldwide. He was musical director and conductor for Universal Pictures’ film of Les Misérables. Musical Supervision: Sister Act (2021), Les Misérables (2020), White Christmas, Mary Poppins (2019), Les Misérables – The Staged Concert, Sunset Boulevard, The Woman in White, Miss Saigon, Half A Sixpence, Les Misérables, Mary Poppins, The Phantom of the Opera 25th Anniversary Performance (DVD), Betty Blue Eyes, Les Misérables 25th Anniversary Concert, Oliver! My Fair Lady, Cats, Hair, Carmen Jones, The Phantom of the Opera, Grease, Fame, Saturday Night Fever, Barnum, Peter Pan and Chess. Musical Direction: The Woman in White, My Fair Lady, Miss Saigon, Les Misérables, Lautrec, Betty Blue Eyes, Cats,
Shall We Dance, Hair, Fame, The Secret Garden, Chess, Carmen Jones, Saturday Night Fever and South Pacific.
Musical Director for Grease at the Ljubljana International Festival, Slovenia.
Stephen has conducted the Classical Brit Awards and was composer and conductor for the original production of Burn the Floor. For the Imagination group, he has written, produced and conducted music for: Jaguar/ Range Rover, Coca-Cola, Walt Disney, Ford Motors, Toyota Cars, Volvo Cars, Sony Eriksson, BMW, British Airways, Holiday Inn and Canon. Orchestral conducting includes: The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, West Australian Symphony, Haifa Symphony, Bournemouth Symphony, Hamburg Sinfonia, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, London Mozart Players, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, London and Manchester Concert Orchestras and the Ukraine Opera and Symphony Orchestra. He conducted the Royal Choral Society in the presence of Her Majesty the Queen. Recordings include Disney Film Classics and Crazy for Gershwin (BBC Concert Orchestra), the studio recording of Hair, cast recordings of The Secret Garden, The Woman in White and South Pacific. He was orchestrator and conductor for Walt Disney’s award-winning Animator’s Palette and Cinderellabration (Disneyland Tokyo).
Teaching work includes: Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, The Arts Educational School, Chiswick, and Millennium Performing Arts College.
He produced the ‘live’ recording of Oliver! Starring Rowan Atkinson, the 25th Anniversary recording of Les Misérables and the Dutch and Australian recordings of Mary Poppins. Stephen conducted the Oscars – The 85th Academy Awards and is an Australian Helpmann Award winner for Mary Poppins. www.stephenbrooker.co.uk
CHRIS MUNDY Musical Director
Since graduating in 2006, Chris has worked extensively in London, across the UK, and internationally as a pianist, musical director, conductor and teacher. Most recent UK credits include: Associate Musical Director for The King and I (tour), Assistant Musical Director for Sunset Boulevard (Leicester Curve and tour), Assistant Musical Director for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (West Yorkshire Playhouse and tour), Associate Musical Director and Associate Conductor for The Thursford Christmas Spectacular, Assistant Musical Director on tours of Oklahoma!, Annie Get Your Gun, and High Society, and cover conductor on the UK tour of Oliver! Prior to this, Chris was musical director for the whatsonstage.com award-winning all-male ‘The Pirates of Penzance’at The Union Theatre, Southwark, Wilton’s Music Hall, and The Rose Theatre. International credits include: Associate Conductor and Associate Musical Director of Musical Theatre at the Landestheater Linz, Austria, on productions of Lazarus, Ragtime, Chess and An American in Paris, and Assistant
LEE PROUD Choreographer
Lee is a multi Award Winning freelance choreographer. Recent Theatre Choreography includes: Elf the Musical (Tivoli Theatre Copenhagen) Legally Blonde – co directed with Nikolai Foster (Monte Carlo for Curve, Leicester) Ghost The Musical – New German Production (Theater Des Westens Berlin). Rent The Musical – WINNER IARA Award 2017 Best Choreography (UK tour and St James Theatre London) Harriet Martineau Dreams of Dancing (Live Theatre, Newcastle) Spring Awakening (Curve, Leicester) Allegro – WINNER OffWestEnd Award for Best Choreography 2017 (Southwark Playhouse) Grand Hotel (Akasaka Act Theatre, Tokyo) Grey Gardens (Southwark Playhouse London) Mamma Mia (Reykjavik City Theatre) Grand Hotel – WINNER OffWestEnd Award Best Choreography 2016 (Southwark Playhouse) The Wind in the Willows (Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre) The Producers (UK and Ireland tour) Billy Elliot the Musical (Reykjavik City Theatre) The German Premier of Ghost The Musical (The English Theatre, Frankfurt) Carousel (Arcola Theatre London) Hairspray (Curve, Leicester) The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time (Reykjavik City Theatre) Tyne (Theatre Royal, Newcastle) Rent (Royal Welsh College, Cardiff) Cooking With Elvis (Live Theatre) The Revenge of Sherlock Holmes (Hoxton Hall) Mary Poppins (Reykjavik City Theatre) Mack and Mabel – WINNER OffWestEnd Award for Best Choreography 2013. Lee was Resident choreographer for Billy Elliot the Musical and he assisted on the original Broadway and Sydney productions of the show. Lee would like to thank Joanna Goodwin for being such a great assistant on this show.
BEN CRACKNELL Lighting Designer
Ben is an Associate Artist of Curve in Leicester. He trained at Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama in London. West End includes: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolored Dreamcoat (London Palladium); Heathers (Theatre Royal Haymarket); Inala (Peacock Theatre); Young Frankenstein (Garrick); Annie (Piccadilly); Pantoland at The Palladium, Goldilocks and the Three
Bears, Snow White, Dick Whittington and Cinderella (London Palladium); Breakfast at Tiffanys (Theatre Royal Haymarket); All the Fun of the Fair (Garrick); Visiting Mr Green (Trafalgar Studios); Dancing in the Streets (Cambridge) and African Snow (Trafalgar Studios). Regional and UK tours include: Priscilla Queen of the Desert, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Rough Crossing, Dracula, Rock of Ages, The Addams Family, La Cage Aux Folles (UK tours); Love on the Links & Before the Party (Salisbury Playhouse); My Beautiful Laundrette, An Officer and a Gentleman, Sunset Boulevard, Beautiful Thing (Curve/UK tour); What the Butler Saw (Curve/Theatre Royal Bath); The Importance of Being Ernest (Birmingham Rep/Curve); Kiss Me Kate (WNO/Opera North), Saturday Night Fever (Theatre Royal, Bath/UK tour); The Tempest, Othello, Much Ado About Nothing and As You Like It (Stafford Shakespeare Festival); The Memory of Water (New Vic, Stoke); Our House (New Wolsey, Ipswich/UK tour); Sherlock Holmes, Angus Thongs and Even more Snogging (West Yorkshire Playhouse); Merrily We Roll Along (Theatre Clwyd). International Includes: Chess (Tokyo & Osaka); La Clemenza di Tito (Opéra de Lausanne/Opera de Oviedo); Romeo und Julia (Theater Trier); Annie and Chess (Toronto); The Picture of Dorian Grey, The Life, Strangers On A Train, Sweet Charity and Tommy (English Theatre, Frankfurt); Legally Blonde (South Korea); Inala (Sadlers Wells/International tour); Faust, 1984 (Altes Schauspielhaus, Stuttgart); Dracula (Singapore/Bangkok) and Voices of The Amazon. Television includes: Quadrophenia, The Classic Brit Awards (Royal Albert Hall); The Olivier Awards 2011 - 2019 (2014 & 2019 Knight of Illumination Award for Best Lighting) (Royal Opera House and Royal Albert Hall); The Kinshasa Symphony Orchestra (Royal Festival Hall) and Il Divo (Coliseum). Twitter : @bcracknell Instagram : ben.cracknell.lighting
TOM MARSHALL Sound Designer
Tom Marshall has worked in sound for the past two decades. Current & upcoming work includes: The Boy In The Dress (RSC), Curtains (UK tour) and the West End transfers of White Christmas, Amelie and Sister Act. Sound design credits include: Grease (UK tour), My Beautiful Laundrette (Curve), The Color Purple (Curve), White Christmas (Curve), Amelie (UK tour), Moll Flanders (Mercury Theatre), Oklahoma! (Grange Park Opera), An Officer And A Gentleman (UK tour), The Jungle Book (UK tour), Sunset Boulevard (UK tour), Project Polunin (Sadlers Wells & London Coliseum), Crazy for You (UK
PRODUCTION TEAM BIOGRAPHIES tour), Nativity! (UK tour), Flashdance (UK tour), A Little Night Music (Watermill Theatre), Working (Southwark Playhouse), The Life (Arts Ed School, London), Brass (Hackney Empire), Bugsy Malone (Curve), Crazy for You (Watermill Theatre), Oliver! (Grange Park Opera) Legally Blonde the Musical (Curve), Tell Me on a Sunday (UK tour), The Silver Sword (UK tour), Sweet Charity (Curve), Oliver! (Watermill Theatre), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (UK tour), Women On the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Playhouse Theatre), The Hired Man (St. James Theatre), West Side Story (Victoria Warehouse, Manchester), My Favourite Year (Bridewell Theatre), The Tailor Made Man (Arts Theatre), Legally Blonde the Musical (Arts Educational School), Pushing up Poppies (Theatre 503), Legally Blonde the Musical, The Life, Crazy For You, Cry Baby & Newsies (Arts Educational School, London). Tom has acted as an associate sound designer on over thirty shows in the UK and internationally, including The Bodyguard, Warhorse & Gypsy to name a few. Prior to this he worked as No.1 (Head of Sound), opening and mixing numerous large West End shows over the past two decades. As a freelance mix engineer Tom has had the privilege of working on countless events, such as the 2012 Olympic stadium athletics and touring with many artists including, The Coral, The Bees, The Lightning Seeds, Elaine Paige, Lewis Taylor, Martina-Topley-Bird and PJ Harvey.
DOUGLAS O’CONNELL Video & Projection Designer
Based in London, Douglas has worked as lead artist on numerous commissioned projects in collaboration with the National Youth Theatre, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Save The Children International, and the Greenwich/ Dockland Festival London. Douglas’s designs for Harold Pinter’s Birthday Party are currently held in collections in the British Library Collection in the Pinter Archives. Recent Video designs credits include: Royal Hunt of the Sun (Parco Theatre Tokyo) The Lost Thing (Royal Opera House) Grease (UK National tour) Pinocchio (Texas Ballet Dallas/ National Ballet of Canada, Chor: Will Tuckett), Hogarth’s Progress (Rose Theatre) An Officer and a Gentleman (UK National tour), Sunset Boulevard (UK National tour), Tale of Two Cities (Regent’s Park Theatre, London), Into the Woods (West Yorkshire Playhouse), The Mystery Plays (York Minster Cathedral), Don Giovanni (Hampstead Garden Opera Company), I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change (Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama), Mozart and Son: Benefit Gala (Royal Opera House, London) 300th Anniversary Gala (St Johns Smith Square, Dir: John Caird), Nine O’Clock Slot (Ice and Fire, Red Gallery), Letter of Last Resort (Traverse Theatre, Dir: Nicolas Kent), Sticks and Stones (Polka Theatre), Miss
Atomic Bomb (Ambassador Theatre, London), Dance Marathon (Barbican Theatre), Fit and Proper People and Silence (Royal Shakespeare Company), This Isn’t Romance (Soho Theatre, Dir: Lisa Goldman), The Thief of Baghdad (Linbury Studio, Chor: Will Tuckett), Turn of the Screw (Arcola Theatre) and Harold Pinter’s Birthday Party (Commissioned by Lyric Hammersmith).
Flashdance, Starlight Express, The Sound of Music, Grease, Peter Pan, Saturday Night Fever, Bat Boy, Beauty and the Beast, Singin’ in the Rain, West Side Story, Doctor Dolittle, Oliver!, Black Goes With Everything, Jesus Christ Superstar, My Fair Lady, Fiddler on the Roof, Hello Dolly! and The Pirates of Penzance.
Upcoming projects include: We Will Rock You World Tour Trevor Nunn’s “Identical”, Nottingham/ Bath and The Wizard of Oz at Leicester Curve.
DAVID GRINDROD ASSOCIATES
Douglas has been a Digital Theatre specialist working in Universities in the US, UK and India and has received a fellowship award for Promising New Research from the University of the Arts London and a grant from the British Arts Council to lead Digital Performance for the UKIERI Thematic Partner at Hyderabad University, India.
STEPHEN HILL for MUSICIANS UK LTD Orchestral Management
Stephen studied at the Royal College of Music London and has been musical director/musical supervisor for an extensive range of both West End and touring theatre productions. Theatre includes: Les Misérables, Miss Saigon, Cats, Stepping Out, Bat Boy, Jesus Christ Superstar, Fiddler on the Roof, The Pirates of Penzance, Barnum, Evita, My Fair Lady, Hello, Dolly! and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Concerts include: The Magic of the Musicals, starring Marti Webb; Tell Me on a Sunday and The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber (RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Dublin) and numerous Best of the West End concerts in the UK and Europe. Stephen co-produced and conducted sell-out performances of Jesus Christ Superstar - the Concert, The Magical West End and The Music of ALW (the National Concert Hall, Dublin), with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. He has been musical director to several international artists, including Charles Aznavour, with whom he recorded several albums and toured worldwide. Stephen now devotes all his time managing Musicians UK Ltd, one of the country’s foremost orchestral management companies. London productions include: Chicago, Waitress, Mamma Mia the Party ! Annie, The Bodyguard, Cats, Flashdance, Monty Python’s Spamalot, Grease, The Sound of Music, The Producers, Saturday Night Fever, By Jeeves, Bat Boy, Stepping Out and Aladdin (the Old Vic).
Casting Director
Theatre includes: Cinderella (Gillian Lynne Theatre); Back to the Future (Manchester Opera House & West End); Waitress (Adelphi & UK tour); Only Fools & Horses (Theatre Royal Haymarket); Local Hero (Edinburgh Lyceum/Old Vic); Sweet Charity (Donmar); Adult Casting for Matilda (Cambridge Theatre & UK tour); Adult Casting for School of Rock (Gillian Lynne Theatre & UK tour); 42nd Street, Shrek The Musical (Theatre Royal Drury Lane); Bat Out of Hell (Dominion/Coliseum); 5 Guys Named Moe (Marble Arch); Magic Mike Live (Hippodrome Casino); Cats (Palladium/UK tour/International tour); Mamma Mia! (worldwide); Into the Woods, Groundhog Day, Jekyll & Hyde (Old Vic); Chicago (Cambridge/Adelphi/Garrick); Grease (UK tour); Priscilla Queen of the Desert (UK tour); Mrs Henderson Presents, Fat Friends, The Commitments (UK tour); Man of La Mancha, Chess, Carousel, Sunset Boulevard, Sweeney Todd (English National Opera); 42nd Street, Singing in the Rain. Kiss Me Kate (Chatelet, Paris); Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar, Hello Dolly, Crazy for You (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre); The Braille Legacy, The Woman in White, Harold and Maud, Violet (Charing Cross Theatre); The Beggars Opera (Theatre des Bouffes du Nord, Paris); Guys and Dolls and Funny Girl (Theatre Marigny, Paris). Film: Musical Ensemble Casting: Greatest Days, Matilda, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again; Beauty & The Beast; Aladdin and Mamma Mia! UK Dancer Casting: Mary Poppins Returns and Nine. Casting Director: The Phantom of the Opera. Television: Sound of Music Live (2015 BAFTA); Superstar, Over the Rainbow, I’d Do Anything, Any Dream Will Do, How Do Solve A Problem Like Maria, (2007 Emmy Award), Kombat Opera presents… (2008 Golden Rose Montreux Award), Hollyoaks, West End Star (TV3 Sweden).
UK & International tours include: Love Never Dies, Officer & a Gentleman, Sunset Boulevard, Annie, Cats, Evita, The Bodyguard, Nativity, The Wedding Singer, Chicago, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Ghost, Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera, Miss Saigon, The Producers, Photography: Marc Brenner
750,000 people annually engage with Curve through performances and projects at our home in Leicester, across the UK and internationally. Under the leadership of Chief Executive Chris Stafford and Artistic Director Nikolai Foster, Curve has developed a reputation for producing, programming and touring a bold and diverse programme of musicals, plays, new work, dance and opera. All of this presented alongside a dynamic mix of community engagement, artist development and learning programmes, which firmly places audiences, artists and communities at the heart of everything we do. In 2019, three Curve originated productions played in London’s West End; On Your Feet! (London Coliseum), Sue Townsend’s The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾ – The Musical (The Ambassadors Theatre) and White Christmas (Dominion Theatre). Recent Made at Curve productions include Giles Andreae and Guy Parker-Rees’ Giraffes Can’t Dance (co-produced with Rose Theatre Kingston and Simon Friend), West Side Story, Hanif Kureishi’s My Beautiful Laundrette (co-produced with Belgrade Theatre Coventry, Everyman Theatre Cheltenham & Leeds Playhouse), John Osborne’s The Entertainer (& UK tour), A Curve Young Company and Community production of Bollywood Jane, a new UK tour of Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey’s Grease, Alice Walker’s Tony award-winning musical The Color Purple (co-produced with Birmingham Hippodrome), Gloria and Emilio Estefan’s On Your Feet!, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat (& UK tour) the world-premiere of Dougal Irvine’s adaptation of Riaz Khan’s Memoirs of an Asian Football Casual, the Curve Young Company and Community production of Joseph Stein’s Fiddler on the Roof, the world première production of An Officer and a Gentleman (& on national tour), Leslie Bricusse’s Scrooge, the world première of Amana Fontanella Khan’s Pink Sari Revolution, adapted by Purva Naresh (with Belgrade Theatre Coventry, English Touring Theatre and West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds); a major revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard (& UK tour), Winner – Best Musical, Manchester Theatre Awards and Best Regional Production, WhatsOnStage Awards; the world premiere of Ravi Shankar’s opera Sukanya (co-produced with the Royal Opera House & London Philharmonic Orchestra) and the 50th anniversary production of Joe Orton’s What the Butler Saw (with Theatre Royal Bath).
Photography: Marc Brenner
Photography: Marc Brenner
1 – 13 MAR 2021
Cast Includes T’SHAN WILLIAMS
BASED UPON THE NOVEL WRITTEN BY ALICE WALKER AND THE WARNER BROS./AMBLIN ENTERTAINMENT MOTION PICTURE BOOK BY MARSHA NORMAN MUSIC & LYRICS BY BRENDA RUSSELL, ALLEE WILLIS & STEPHEN BRAY
Supported by
THE COLOR PURPLE was produced on Broadway at the Broadway Theater by Oprah Winfrey, Scott Sanders, Roy Furman and Quincy Jones. The world premiere of THE COLOR PURPLE was produced by the Alliance Theatre, Atlanta, Georgia.
DIRECTOR TINUKE CRAIG DESIGNER ALEX LOWDE MUSICAL SUPERVISOR & MUSICAL DIRECTOR ALEX PARKER ORCHESTRATOR MARTIN HIGGINS CHOREOGRAPHER MARK SMITH LIGHTING DESIGNER JOSHUA PHARO SOUND DESIGNER TOM MARSHALL CASTING DIRECTOR KAY MAGSON CDG THE COLOR PURPLE in concert is presented by special arrangement with Theatrical Rights Worldwide LTD, www.theatricalrights.co.uk
27 NOV 2021 – 15 JAN 2022
TICKETS NOW ON SALE FOR CHRISTMAS 2021 DIRECTED BY NIKOLAI FOSTER Music by Harold Arlen • Lyrics by E.Y. Harburg • Additional Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber Additional Lyrics by Tim Rice Adaption by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jeremy Sams • From the Book by L. Frank Baum Based upon the Classic Motion Picture owned by Turner Entertainment Co. and produced with the permission of Warner Bros. and EMI Music Publishing • By arrangement with The Really Useful Group Ltd
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Photography: Marc Brenner
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