Curtains set to open in Leicester with Jason Manford

February 25, 2020 by Leave a Comment

Preview by Kyran Kennedy

Macbeth meets Live at the Apollo as comedian Jason Manford returns to Leicester this March as part of the murder mystery themed musical Curtains.

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Versatile: Jason Manford is heading to Leicester (University of Salford Press Office / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0))

The production will run from Monday 16 March to Saturday 21 March at the Haymarket Theatre, with tickets available now to see Manford in the lead role.

Marking 20 years since Manford won the Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year award, he will be looking to prove to Leicester that he still has the same comedic spark that made the city laugh all those years ago.

Since then, Manford has been notably present on various TV shows like 8 Out of 10 Cats and been part of famous stage productions across the UK, including Chitty Chitty Bang.

Manford will be playing the role of Lieutenant Frank Cioffi, a detective from Boston who has an interest in theatre. Whether his skills as a comedian will help unravel the musical mystery remain to be seen, but the man from Manchester is expected to put on a great show in front of more than a thousand people across the week.

Manford will not be the only name starring in the Tony Award-winning musical. The casting team have added a number of British talents who can help bring a sense of familiarity to the Brits watching what is otherwise an all-American affair.

Strictly Come Dancing winner Ore Oduba and former Hollyoaks actress Carley Stenson will be supporting on stage.

The show has been on Broadway and touring since 2006, but now, with Manford front and centre on stage, it’s sure to create even more intrigue for a British audience. It looks as though those in attendance will have their work cut out trying to figure out the culprit in this whodunnit-comedy.

To book tickets, call the Box Office on 0116 296 1236 or look online at https://www.haytheatre.com/whats-on/curtains

Filed Under: Arts & Culture, Latest, Theatre, Third Year

DMU Theatre Society performs spectaculathon to packed audience

March 20, 2019 by Leave a Comment

By Isobel Rix

De Montfort University’s Theatre Society performed a Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon to a packed Y Theatre audience on Sunday (MAR17).

The show delivered traditional fairy tales in the way they were intended to be performed, including the original grisly details and endings.

Imogen Show

Image by Rebekah Whelan

Imogen Fitzgerald, 18, is the society’s secretary and performed as Cinderella.

“The show was an absolute success, everybody did so well and I’m beyond proud of the hard work that both the cast and committee put into it.

“It was interesting to tell the fairy tales in a different light as it relates more to a young adult audience humour which was our target as we are a university society.

“We wanted to do something that ourselves as the cast would enjoy as well.”

The performance began at 7pm and was the last of only two shows.

For further information about the society and future shows find them on social media.

Twitter: @demon_theatre

Facebook: Demon Theatre

 

 

 

Filed Under: Entertainment, First Year, Latest, Theatre

Curve prepares for new season of Young Company shows

February 22, 2019 by Leave a Comment

By James Cannell

The Curve theatre in Leicester will be playing host to its Young Company Act as it prepares for the next CYC season to begin in early March.

Curve

Enjoy a hot cocoa and some amazing theatre

The show season begins with Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’, followed by ‘Zigger Zagger’, then fairytale-based epic ‘Into the woods’ and wrapping up with ‘Our House’.

The Curve said: “CYC enables young people between the ages of 7 – 19 years to take part in high quality performances and production activity.

“It provides participants with the opportunity to develop their skills as both creators and performers, and to get close to the professional productions being made at Curve.”

The Young Company’s first showing will be Macbeth and will take place on March 7. The show will take a unique twist on Macbeth with five actors playing each aspect of him.

The Curve has called the play “a fresh and dynamic, physical theatre take on Shakespeare’s bloodthirsty classic. Macbeth’s fractured persona is represented on stage by five actors.”

The second show will be Peter Terson’s Zigger Zagger, the modern classic following the story of a young boy named Harry Philton.

The play is said to be “both humorous and moving by turns, this sometimes-anarchic modern production remains relevant to young people today.”

In mid-April, the Curve will begin its third chapter of its CYC season and will begin the production of The Brothers Grimm hit show, Into the Woods.

The Curve described the “enchanting and endearing musical takes everyone’s favourite storybook characters and brings them together.”

The season will finish up with two final showings of the The Madness musical, Our House, that will include hit songs such as House of Fun, Baggy Trousers and the all time classic, Our House.

The season ends on May 31. Tickets for the shows range from £10-£14 and are only available on selected days, the list of shows are available at: https://www.curveonline.co.uk/whats-on/?festival-filter=cyc-season.

Filed Under: Latest, Second Year, Theatre

Curve Theatre to host ‘1 City Celebration’ festival

February 22, 2019 by Leave a Comment

By Rosie Vacciana-Browne

CoLab2 will be throwing the festival ‘1 City Celebration’ at the Curve Theatre this Sunday (FEB24).

The festival is in collaboration with EAVA FM 102.5, Takeover Radio 103.2 FM and Youth Education Project (YEP) and is a celebration of cultures in Leicester.

Communities from 17 countries will be showcasing their heritage, tradition, food and histories on different stalls.

‘1 City Celebration’ will have a main stage where different communities will be putting on entertainment including music, dances and showing their national dress.

EAVA FM 102.5 will be broadcasting live from the festival which is free and not for profit.

For more information click here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1962539597381801/permalink/2000255853610175/

Filed Under: Entertainment, Latest, Local, Second Year, Theatre

Polaris ends placement at The Curve for Ten DMU students

February 19, 2018 by Leave a Comment

By Ross Barnett

Ten De Montfort University students will complete their placement at the The Curve on Saturday with the staging of Polaris as part of #DMUpride and LGBT History Month.

Curve Students with Ross

The Arts and Festival Management students started their placement in October, meeting on Fridays from 2pm-6pm to curate the production of three performances; Gypsy Queen, At a Stretch and Polaris.

One of the students, Alannah Christianson, said: “Working in a proper industry setting has helped us as we now know what to expect in the future and has improved skills such as negotiating with the artists and dealing with finances.”

At a Stretch, which tells the story of two women who fall in love, will be performed today (Monday February 19), Gypsy Queen will be tomorrow (Tuesday) and the performance of Polaris will conclude the event on Saturday, February 24.

“The first step was finding shows for the programme which I think we enjoyed the most,” said Kayleigh Carlton, “it involved a lot of research and knowing what to do.

“We had to make a lot of group decisions and debate to see which performance would celebrate #DMUpride.”

Their success was not without a few setbacks. Hannah Tully said: “When contacting all of the artists there were a few occasions where they didn’t reply to our emails which dented our confidence.

“We made good use of the contact network provided by The Curve to eventually secure the performance of Gypsy Queen.”

The students have learnt from the placement, according to Ritu Varier, who added: “There is a difference between learning finances in lectures then real life. A lot of the placement has had a hands on approach which has helped us going forward.”

Other events that have been co-ordinated by the group include a boxing workshop inspired by Gypsy Queen, ‘Speed Friending’ in association with Polaris and various seminars and after show discussions.

Tickets for all of the events are available from http://www.curveonline.co.uk/get-involved/dmupride/

Filed Under: DMU News, Entertainment, Second Year, Theatre, Today's Top Story
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