The Unknown Warrior theatre tour

Round & About

Theatre

John Nichol, the former RAF Navigator who was taken hostage during the Gulf War who is now a successful author, shares his thoughts with us ahead of his theatre tour including the Elgiva in Chesham

“It’s rare to find a tale so strange, intimate and human yet at the same time so enormous, so global in its importance.” These are the words from historian Dan Snow upon reading John Nichol’s book, The Unknown Warrior – A Personal Journey of Discovery and Remembrance.

John, the former RAF Tornado Navigator, and Sunday Times best-selling author, is embarking on his first theatre tour. He hit the headlines in 1991 when his plane was shot down during the Iraq war. John and his pilot John Peters were taken captive, tortured, and paraded on TV. Since that fateful moment, John has established himself as a bestselling author with 17 books to his credit, including Tornado Down, written with Peters, describing their ordeal.

Of joining the RAF John says: “We were a family of six living in a council house. I was lucky to go to a grammar school, and I got eight O Levels. I was expected to stay on and do A Levels and go to uni. I would have been the first in the family, but I didn’t want to do that. I wanted to get out and experience the world. I’d always been interested in electronics – batteries, bulbs, magnets. I was building burglar alarms when I was 12 years old. I loved it. I had Meccano sets, electrical sets, chemistry sets. I applied for 40 or 50 apprenticeships and got an interview in Newcastle for the Central Electricity Generating Board. As I was waiting for the bus home, I was standing outside the RAF careers office. and I noticed they had glossy brochures. Now, my brother was in the Air Force, so I knew a little bit about it, but I’d never thought about joining myself. But I got a glossy brochure, took it home, read it and more or less on the spot thought, ‘this might be for me’.

“I joined as an electronics technician and loved every minute. For somebody like me, who’d been in the Scouts and was happy under canvas and having adventures, the RAF was great. Four years later, I applied for a commission to be an officer as I wanted to be a pilot, but I wasn’t good enough for that. So, I trained as a Tornado navigator, and the rest, as they say, is history.”

So how did John deal with the trauma of captured, and how was he dealt with the PTSD? “What choice did I have? What else could I have done when I was being beaten with rubber hoses or when they were stubbing cigarettes out on my ears or stuffing burning paper down the back of my neck? Being a Geordie who enjoyed a few pints, my concept of recovering was going straight back to my mates and having one quiet beer followed by 15 extremely loud ones. I just wanted to get on with my life.”

During the First World War (1914-1918) more than 9.7 million military personnel and about 10 million civilians were killed. More than 1 million soldiers from the then British Empire lost their lives. Over a century later, around half of them still have no known grave.

John’s emotive show retraces the Unknown Warrior’s journey home from the battlefields of Northern France to Westminster Abbey to be buried “Among the Kings”. The grand state occasion culminated with a funeral at Westminster Abbey on Armistice Day, the 11 November 1920. An estimated 1,250,000 people visited the Abbey to see the grave.

“It was important at the time, and it continues to be important now because it is still a focal point,” adds John. “At Westminster, there are many, many hundreds of graves. The Tomb of the Unknown Warrior is the only one nobody ever steps on. Even the Royal Family, as they walk past it when they come in, never step on it. It’s surrounded by a rampart of poppy crosses. It’s always the one with the biggest crowd around it. It’s still so significant because it represents loss.

“I hope the audiences on this tour with be enthralled, I hope they will be entertained, and I hope that they will be enlightened in the same way that I was when I discovered the story. It’s an astonishing story. My hope is that people go away at the end and say, ‘wow, that was amazing story. I really learned something, and I was really entertained for two hours.”

The Unkown Warrior A Personal Journey of Discovery and Remembrance will be brought to life with haunting visuals and a sound scape. You can book tickets for The Elgiva in Chesham on Saturday, 5th October, St Albans on 16th October, the Royal & Derngate in Northampton & more.

For tickets and info please visit John Nichol’s The Unknown Warrior – Norwell Lapley Productions Ltd.


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Creation’s Treasure Island & Shakespeare outdoors

Round & About

Theatre

Book your tickets to enjoy As You Like It & Treasure Island thanks to Creation Theatre’s touring productions that stop at Heath Farm near Chipping Norton, Hughenden Manor, The Earth Trust Centre in Little Wittenham and Oxford’s Wycliffe Hall

“The rain, it raineth every day.” It feels that way this summer, doesn’t it?! But the show must go on, at Creation Theatre’s upcoming productions.

They will bring you Treasure Island (from 23rd July to 17th August) and As You Like It (24th July to 17th August) on the South Lawn at Wycliffe Hall in Banbury Road, Oxford.

Their fabulous production of Treasure Island brings Robert Louis Stevenson’s swashbuckling 1883 tale to life with theatrical magic. Whilst retaining the narrative of Stevenson’s classic, with depth, integrity, a dash of thriller and a large amount of silliness, Gari Jones’ adaptation zips along like a wacky race brimming with pirate speak, off-the-wall characters and a whole heap of original sea shanties.

You can also catch it at Heath Farm, near Chipping Norton at 7pm on 18th July, Hughenden Manor, High Wycombe in Bucks at 7pm on 30th July & The Earth Trust Centre, Little Wittenham on 6th August at 6pm.

As You Like It (on tour 12th to 19th July in Oxfordshire and beyond, offers an unforgettable evening as Lucy Pitman-Wallace, the award-winning director of productions for the RSC, Lord Chamberlain’s Men, Nottingham Playhouse, and Salisbury Playhouse, brings a fresh twist to Shakespeare’s beloved comedy.

Transport yourself back to the 1970s, the era of peace, love, and endless summer nights, in an enchanting outdoor setting, a perfect backdrop for this tale of love and laughter.

Take your friends, pack a picnic, and get ready to be transported to a world where romance and revelry reign supreme. As You Like It will be performed on the beautiful lawn in front of Wycliffe Hall, as well as on tour in Oxfordshire and beyond.


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2,000-year-old Passion Play story

Round & About

Theatre

Abingdon Passion Play takes place in Abbey Gardens on Saturday, 22nd June with two performances, noon & 5pm, John Clare invites you to take your seat

Bring a chair and a picnic, sit back and enjoy a unique theatrical experience, as actors and singers bring the story of Jesus of Nazareth to life.

The last three Abingdon Passion Plays were performed around Easter time, which is the traditional time for Christians to reflect on the story of Jesus of Nazareth. The 2013 and 2019 plays took place in the Abbey Gardens, in 2016 the action took place in Abingdon’s iconic market square. The Abingdon Passion Play 2024 returns yet again to the Abbey Gardens and is using a modern script which brings the story into the 21st century. This time it is being performed in June.

The cast come from different walks of life in and around Abingdon, and over the past few weeks and months we have been able to get to know one another, and the communities where we come from, more closely, united in our enthusiasm for the play. Whilst times may well have changed, what motivates us as humans, our ambitions, our dreams and our flaws are not so very different from 2,000 years ago, which is why the story can still be relevant to people today.

Excited about the event and want to get involved? We are still looking for people happy to help as stage crew, front of house, and stewards. If you would like to help, please contact our Director, Ralph Westby, by email: [email protected], or by phone on 07790 498718.

Gold fever for Wargrave Festival

Round & About

Theatre

50 years on and Wargrave Festival is still serving up family favourites with more than 40 events making up 19 days of entertainment from June 12th to 30th as Ally Holloway tells us

Fifty years ago in 1974, many villagers thought he was crazy. The idea of uniting the village from the High Street to Highfield Park. They said it wouldn’t work.

The then Vicar, the late Reverend John Ratings, mused in 1974 that a village festival “would be a useful exercise to do something for village unity…” And from that, the first Wargrave Festival was held in 1975. Now it has grown into one of the biggest village festivals in the country. The festival is not-for-profit event, where proceeds go to local community organisations to improve the quality of life in the village through education, sport and culture.

This year’s 50th celebration Gold Fever, starting on Wednesday, 12th June, will feature a host of fun-filled family delights, dazzling formal events, spirited theatre and musical performances, roving culinary delights, a sporting extravaganza, a wonderfully riotous talent show, as well as the traditional Wargrave Festival Parade through the historic village down to the Village Fete opened by Wargrave resident Debbie McGee, celebrating all that makes up this splendid community. The festival will draw to a close on Sunday, 30th June with the popular family BBQ on Mill Green.

For families looking for a variety of entertainment this summer, there is a lot to look forward to. On Saturday 22nd, the Wargrave Bike Fest and Family Sports Day is more than just a bike ride. The 20km family ride will see parents and children cycling through Wargrave and neighbouring villages in search of checkpoints. Back on Mill Green, kids can pick up their Olympic Passport to collect stamps as they complete the 10 Olympic challenges including rock climbing, golf, cricket, rugby, martial arts, wrestling, tennis, rowing and more. There will be soft play for under 5s, an art & craft area to make your own gold medal and a BBQ and bar. The family sports day is free for adults and only £5 for the Olympic Passport for children 13 and under.

In the evening, there will be an enchanting night of dance, fun and family entertainment at Saturday Night Dance Fever. Witness inspiring demonstrations from talented local dancers including salsa, contemporary, ballroom, jazz, Latin and more – join in the fun group classes to learn some moves of your own and show off your fancy footwork. Tickets from £6.

It doesn’t stop there with a kids comedy event, Morris Dancing, a tennis day, the family BBQ and the Wargrave Village Parade and Fete and much more. The big finale is the Wargrave’s Got Talent night that promises to serve up some quality free entertainment, delicious food and a DJ to dance into the evening.

Find out more and book tickets online at Wargrave Festival 2024 Gold Fever

Alfie Boe’s Encore with Carly Paoli

Round & About

Theatre

Alfie Boe will star with Carly Paoli at Aylesbury’s Waterside Theatre on Friday, 7th June.

When Pope Francis heard Carly Paoli, the British/Italian soprano sing her Ave Maria as the official song for his Jubilee Year of Mercy in 2016, he declared that she had, ‘the voice of an angel.’ A classical Brit nominee, lyricist and star of the classical and crossover worlds, Carly Paoli toured the UK with Aled Jones 2022.

Carly has been confirmed as a special guest on Alfie Boe’s forthcoming tour Alfie Boe – Encore at theatres around the UK this summer.

Carly and the Tony Award winning tenor, Alfie Boe first met when Alfie worked with Carly on her second TV special that is set to air later this year. With a broad repertoire to choose from, Carly’s set will include interpretations of Bridge Over Troubled Water, Time To Say Goodbye, Never Enough and O Mio Babbino Caro amongst others.

“One of the greatest joys for a performer is to work with artist they admire,” says Carly. “Aflie Boe is one of those people and I am thrilled to be appearing as his special guest on his Encore Tour.”

“One of the greatest joys for a performer is to work with artists they admire”

Carly’s star continues to shine and since bursting onto the music scene she has sung for members of the Royal Family at Windsor Castle and St James’ Palace, at the Royal Albert Hall for the Royal Variety Performance and at Carnegie Hall in New York. Following her concert at London’s Cadogan Hall, the critic David Mellor called her a ‘special talent’ under the headline “Nobody Does It Better.”

In 2016 Carly’s version of Ave Maria was heard by Pope Francis who commented that she had “the voice of an angel” and was chosen as theme for his Jubilee Year Mercy. That same year Carly hosted a very special concert Music for Mercy in Rome’s historic Roman Forum featuring Andrea Bocelli, Elaine Paige and David Foster amongst others. In 2023 Carly could be seen opening and closing Pope Francis’ concert for Humanitarian Efforts at St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican which was broadcast globally to more than 55 million people.

A performer at many major sporting fixtures, in 2023, Carly was invited to sing the Italian National Anthem at the opening ceremony of the very first Ryder Cup in Rome.

With five chart topping albums to her credit Carly has performed live and recorded with some of the world’s greatest artists including Andrea Bocelli, Michael Bolton, José Carreras, David Foster, and Elaine Paige and will soon be adding Alfie Boe to that list of names! 

Breaking bard with Chiltern Shakespeare Company

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Theatre

Enjoy The Comedy Of Errors thanks to the Chiltern Shakespeare Company this month at Hall Barn in Beaconsfield

Chiltern Shakespeare Company was founded in 1986 by Michael and Aviva Wiseman, residents of Beaconsfield who were prominently involved in local theatrical activities.

Their mission, to the this day, is to deliver the Bard’s plays featuring some of the finest amateur local actors, and to encourage children to participate in plays, bringing the sometimes dry study of the text at school to life.

From its early productions in a Beaconsfield school hall the company graduated in 1989 to the lovely open air setting of Hall Barn, a stately home on the outskirts of Beaconsfield, by kind permission of the Burnham family.

The company celebrated their 20th summer season at Hall Barn in 2008 with their third production or A Midsummer’s Night Dream, followed in 2009 by Romeo & Juliet. In total CSC has now staged 28 productions, including the majority in the open air at Hall Barn.

A further key objective of the company was – and remains – the raising of funds for selected charities from any surplus funds generated by their productions. This is made by the efforts of the company’s members who give so much of their free time (no one is paid at all) and the generosity of Hall Barn’s owners who continue to host the events on such favourable terms. A performance at Hall Barn is made complete by booking a delicious picnic (with or without prosecco) to enjoy before the play in the glorious grounds.

The Comedy of Errors tells the story of two sets of identical twins separated at birth. Antipholus and Dromio (both from Syracuse), arrive in Ephesus, unknowingly the home of their identical twin brothers (also named Antipholus and Dromio). Hilarity ensues as mistaken identities lead to confusion, accusations, and romantic entanglements. Through a series of misunderstandings, the twins and their servants create chaos until a final reunion brings everything to a happy end.

There will be 10 performances on the evenings of Wednesday 5th, Thursday 6th, Friday 7th and Saturday 8th June plus a matinee on Saturday 8th, the Wednesday 12th, Thursday 13th, Friday 14th, Saturday 15th and again a matinee on Saturday 15th. Evening performances start at 7.45pm with the matinees at 1.45pm.

There are a range of tickets from £15-£25 depending on your chosen performance and age. Concessions are available for over-65s and students in full-time education on Wednesday performances and on both matinees.

All proceeds will go to The Ducklings Trust, a charity set up to raise money for equipment and help improve the environment in the maternity units at Stoke Mandeville and Wycombe. This fundraising continues to help ensure the units are the best birth environment they can be for families and staff.

As well as organising fundraising events, contributions from the public are very welcome. To find out about The Ducklings Trust please visit The Ducklings Trust

Iconic film flies as magical

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Theatre

An Officer and A Gentlemen will soar into New Theatre Oxford from Monday 27th May until Saturday 1st June. Director Nikolai Foster shares his thoughts.

An Officier and A Gentlemen: The Musical follows the hot-headed and determined naval candidate Zack Mayo (played by Richard Gere in the movie) who has a fiery, passionate relationship with factory worker Paula Pokrifki (Debra Winger on screen) before sweeping her off her feet in the soaringly romantic finale.

The film’s writer Douglas Day Stewart co-wrote the book with Sharleen Cooper Cohen for a musical which had a short run in Sydney in 2012, with original songs by Ken Hirsch and Robin Lerner. Now, Oxford audiences can look forward to a brand new, perhaps surprising, outing, directed by Nikolai Foster.

“I think a lot of people associate it with being cheesy ’80s romcom,” says Nikolai when asked about the stage version of the film… “There’s nothing wrong with a cheesy 80s romcom – and we offer some tasteful cheesy choices in our production – but audiences will be surprised by the depth of this story and how moving the show is. It is genuinely uplifting because we invest in the lives of these characters and care about them.

“Audiences will be surprised by the depth of this story”

“It delicately charts the lives and experiences of working class people in Pensacola, Florida. In some ways these appear to be ordinary and unremarkable lives but the characters created by writer Douglas Day Stewart (based on his own experiences) have remarkable stories to tell. When you throw a load of ’80s pop hits into this world, it truly is uplifting and sings in the way only a musical can. The songs in our show don’t propel the narrative forward but express something of the characters’ inner lives and emotions that they are unable to speak in their everyday lives. The music heightens the emotions.

“All of these characters are seeking some kind of escape, including from a factory which doesn’t allow women to move up the hierarchy. In our play Casey Seeger is the first woman in history to ‘get jets’ and Lynette believes her only escape from an abusive, alcohol-soaked home life is literally on the wings of a naval aviator.

“This is a completely new production, created by our incredible team at Curve. Alongside original screenwriter Douglas Day Stewart we have worked with his writing partner Sharleen Cooper Cohen and the team at Jamie Wilson Productions to take the film from screen to stage. It’s been an exhilarating ride for all of us – almost as exciting in taking off in a fighter jet!”

To book your tickets visit atgtickets.com/venues/new-theatre-oxford/

Under Milk Wood Returns

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Theatre

Progress Theatre revives the Dylan Thomas masterpiece with a diverse cast

Reading’s Progress Theatre is bringing Dylan Thomas’s Under Milk Wood, originally conceived as a radio drama and ‘play for voices’ to the local stage, a full 70 years after the BBC first commissioned the work, one of its writer’s most enduring and popular.

The play, featuring myriad personalities, invites the audience to hear the innermost thoughts and dreams of the inhabitants of the small, fictional Welsh fishing town of Llareggub (try spelling it backwards!), as it follows the life of the village during one spring day and night in an emotive and often slyly comic account.

Thomas himself described his play’s lyrical language as ‘prose with blood pressure’, and the poetic voice that runs through Under Milk Wood is surely one of the most remarkable things about this work. Make that voices – there are scores of locals, and so, unsurprisingly, Progress’s actors are doubling up to meet the character count.

During the performance, we meet the likes of the blind, seafaring Captain Cat, the two Mrs Dai Breads, the Rev Eli Jenkins, poet and preacher, Mog Edwards the draper, the murderous Mr Pugh and many others. Then, of course, there is the treat of the lyrical narration that runs like a thread throughout.

From the outset, the vision for the Progress production was to make it as inclusive and as diverse possible from the audition stage (back in January) onwards. And doing so has long been a dream for director Ali Carroll and producer Liz Carroll.

The show’s cast of more than 20 actors includes those on the autistic spectrum, one with hearing loss, a wheelchair user and three adult clients of Reading Mencap, where many rehearsals have been held. What’s more, ages among the performers range from 11 to eighty something. So it’s a genuine piece of community theatre. Some are stalwarts of the Berkshire drama scene; others are taking to the stage for the first time.

Inclusion began with making the audition process as accessible as possible, and this philosophy has extended throughout the rehearsal stage so that as many different people as possible feel encouraged to take part, with additional support made available throughout the production.

  • Under Milk Wood runs at Progress Theatre from April 26 until May 4. There will be reduced capacity/relaxed performances on Saturday 27th April and Tuesday 30th April shows. Curtain up is 7.45pm, 4pm Saturdays. Book tickets here.

Theatre review: The Divine Mrs S

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Theatre

Jonathan Lovett reviews the world premiere of The Divine Mrs S by April De Angelis at Hampstead Theatre

Sarah Siddons was not only one of the great actors of the 18th century but one of the first modern celebrities.

Carefully calibrating her image she chose her roles shrewdly and worked with the best portrait artists of the age to represent her as a cultural icon – tragic muse, Lady Macbeth etc. She also spun herself as a devoted mother even though her chosen career demanded she often had to neglect her children.

As such her and her era are fascinating subjects for a playwright as skilful as April De Angelis who penned the brilliant Playhouse Creatures about female actors in the Restoration period, set 100 years before this one.

And yet… even though Angelis’s new play stars the commanding, twice Olivier nominated Rachael Stirling it is but a walking shadow to the life of dramatic technicolour lived by Siddons and her contemporaries.

Set mostly backstage at the Drury Lane Theatre we hurry through a number of vignettes involving Siddons (Stirling), her brother and theatre manager, Kemble (Dominic Rowan), and a host of quirky characters who pop in and out of proceedings.

Siddons is tired of performing in sub-standard romances or revisiting Shakespeare for the umpteenth time and yearns for something fresh and radical. Enters unknown playwright Joanne Baillie (entertaining Eva Feiler) who bonds with Siddons and writes her parts to die for.

So there is a lot of comic potential and opportunity for comment on women on stage and their place in the patriarchal society but the play never takes off and, for the first half in particular, it feels flat.

Too sketchy to fully involve the audience in a strong, engaging narrative; not funny enough to carry us along on a wave of laughter; and lacking the biographical insight to spark interest this is an odd hotch potch that fails to do justice to its source.

It’s a shame as Stirling certainly has the stage presence – as well as the plangent voice of the tragedian – to be a successful Siddons. At the end she is allowed to portray the actress as Lady Macbeth and for a few moments the audience holds its breath in a too fleeting flicker of what could have been.

Until 27th April. Box office: 020 7722 9301

Quasimodo comes to Wantage

Ellie Cox

Theatre

AmEgos Theatre presents The Hunchback Of Notre Dame

AmEgos Theatre is the first company in Oxfordshire to stage the magnificent musical – The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The Victor Hugo classic tells the story of Quasimodo, who has been kept within the bell tower of Notre Dame for his whole life, but longs to be out there as part of the outside world.

When he summons the courage to attend the Feast of Fools, he meets Esmeralda, a compassionate gypsy who protects him from an angry mob.

At the same time, Quasimodo’s guardian, Archdeacon Dom Claude Frollo, and the new Captain of the Guard, Phoebus de Martin, fall in love with Esmeralda.

Will Quasimodo be able to save Esmeralda from Frollo’s lust and anger? And who is the true monster of Notre Dame?

Using the magnificent surroundings of the medieval Wantage Parish Church as a backdrop to the story, and with a sweeping score and powerful story, audiences will be swept away by the magic of this truly unforgettable musical.

With some adult themes, this is not a show for very young children

All Performances will be held at Wantage Parish Church at 7.30pm from Thursday 4th April to Saturday 6th April with a Saturday matinee at 2.30pm.

There is a bar that opens at 6.45pm (and 1.45pm)

Seating is unreserved, and on church pews, so please bring cushions or blankets if required for your comfort.

Parking is in the nearby Market Square (limited spaces) and at The Portway car park – a five minute walk.

Tickets are available here