The Week in Light & Sound
- Details
The production is directed by Nicky Allpress with musical direction by Ellie Verkerk and movement direction by Adam Haigh. Allpress said: “I’m so thrilled to be directing this unique piece of theatrical history, having followed Blackeyed Theatre and their extraordinary work for many years.
“One of the most exciting things about Oh What a Lovely War is how universal, timeless, and ever relevant it is, and testament to the brilliance of the work is how it can bear endless reinterpretation. Our concept will explore the idea of war as a circus, with an incredibly talented company of actor-musicians bringing Joan Littlewood’s ground-breaking classic to life with music, comedy, and stories.” Oh What a Lovely War was originally workshopped by Littlewood and her Theatre Workshop in 1963.
Christmas Actually - Love Actually writer and director Richard Curtis has announced a new Christmas show, which will come to the stage in London this December. Christmas Actually is not an adaptation of his beloved festive film, which was released in 2003. Instead, it will be a variety show in aid of Comic Relief, featuring live music, performance, poetry and comedy.
Curtis told BBC News: "We hope it'll be a real chocolate box - or perhaps advent calendar - of delights." Christmas Actually will run for eight performances at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall from 7-11 December.
Euro Bonus - Liverpool officials want to embrace cultural "moments of absolute global significance" after hosting Eurovision. Up to 500,000 people visited the city this May with businesses describing "footfall like Christmas". Initial analysis of the impact of the two weeks of shows, events and cultural engagement was shared at the Modern Music Cities conference. It showed 24% of visitors from Spain, France, Romania, Poland and Estonia were more likely to come again.
Work on what can be learned from the available data has been led by Liverpool's director of public health, Prof Matt Ashton. He said he hoped the study would help "sustain Liverpool as a music city".
Bargain Basement - Tickets for Taylor Swift's 2024 Cardiff gig are already being listed for £3,352 on resale websites. Labour MP Kevin Brennan expressed his shock in Parliament, saying his daughter was a ‘Swiftie’. He asked Commons leader Penny Mordaunt why the UK government "hasn't done more to protect our daughters from these sort of rip-off merchants". Ms Mordaunt encouraged him to "raise that matter with the Secretary of State" before the summer recess. The US superstar will perform at the Principality Stadium on 18 June 2024 as part of her Eras Tour.
(Jim Evans)
18 July 2023
