6 Theatre


Operatic version of classic tale


THE producers of the UK and Irish tour of the Tony, Olivier and Grammy award- winning Best Musical Jersey Boys, are delighted to an- nounce the full cast joining previously announced West End star Tim Driesen as Frankie Valli. Stephen Webb, Sam Ferri-


day and Lewis Griffiths will star as Tommy DeVito, Bob Gaudio and Nick Massi re- spectively. Matt Corner will play the


role of Frankie Valli at cer- tain performances. Also in the cast will be


TIMELESS STORY: Iestyn Morris


PETER Pan, the timeless story by JM Barrie, is finally set for the UK operatic stage thanks to the Welsh National Opera. Starring the award-winning


vocals of Iestyn Morris in the title role, the innovative stag- ing and production of the tra- ditional tale by Olivier Award- winning director KiethWarner, who has worked closely with British composer Richard Ayres and librettist Lavinia Greenlaw, represents a faithful but original adaptation of the classic story. Positioned as a genuine route


for youngsters into opera, the star of a show of this magni- tude has to be a perfect fit – one found in the inimitable talents of Iestyn Morris. It’s a spectacle not to be


missed. Catch Peter Pan at Wales Millennium Centre Car- diff – tomorrow and Saturday May 23 6.30pm; Sunday, May 31, 4pm. Visit wmc.org.uk for details.


Ghost to be staged at Dolman


A NEWPORT-based theatre company have been given the performance rights for one of the most moving shows to hit Broadway and the West End – at the Dolman Theatre, May 20- 23 curtain up at 7.15p.m. WAWWA the Musical Thea-


tre Company present Ghost the Musical. Based on the hit film Ghost,


this emotional roller coaster of a show will leave you in tears. Ghost the Musical has recently finished its UK tour and now WAWWA the Musical Theatre Company have been given the exclusive rights by the New York based writers. One of the show writers has written toWAWWAafter seeing some video clips of rehearsal. He said after seeing the clip: “It was like being back on Broad- way.” He said he felt compelled to write a personal note of thank you and good luck. Tickets available from Dol- mantheatre.co.uk/ghost at £12.


Sean Kingsley as Gyp De- Carlo, Matt Gillett as Bob Crewe, Nathaniel Morrison as Barry Belson, Dominic Smith as NormWaxman, Da- mian Buhagiar as Joey Pesci, Henry Davis as Hank Majew- ski, Leanne Garretty as Lor- raine, Amelia Adams-Pearce as Mary Delgado and Sinead Long as Francine, with Dan Krikler, Dayle Hodge, Luke Morton and Charlie Allen. Jersey Boys has been seen


by over 19 million people worldwide and is firmly es- tablished as one of the West End’s longest running and most popular shows, where it continues to play at its new home of the Piccadilly Thea- tre. Jersey Boys is the remark-


able true story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons and their rise to stardom from the wrong side of the tracks. These four boys from New Jersey became one of the most successful bands in pop history, were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and sold 175 million records worldwide, all before they turned 30. The show is packed with their hits, including Beggin’, Sherry, Walk Like A Man, Decem- ber, 1963 (Oh What a Night), Big Girls Don’t Cry, My Eyes Adored You, Let’s Hang On


Follow us on Twitter @Argus_The Guide Friday, May 15, 2015


Musical cast announced


MUSICAL: Jersey Boys


(To What We’ve Got), Bye Bye Baby, Can’t TakeMyEyes Off You,WorkingMyWay Back to You, Fallen Angel, Rag Doll and Who Loves You. Jersey Boys is written by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, with music by Bob Gaudio and lyrics by Bob Crewe. The UK Tour will be


staged by the entire original Broadway creative team, led by director Des McAnuff and choreographer Sergio Tru- jillo, with scenic design by Klara Zieglerova, costume design by Jess Goldstein, lighting by Howell Binkley, sound by Steve Canyon Ken- nedy and projections design by Michael Clark.


The orchestrations are by


Steve Orich and the music su- pervision and vocal arrange- ments by Ron Melrose. The UK and Irish Tour of


Jersey Boys is produced by Dodger Theatricals, David Ian / Michael Watt and Am- bassador Theatre Group, with Joseph J Grano, Tamara


and Kevin Kinsella, Pelican Group, in association with Latitude Link, Rick Steiner, DHST Inc. Jersey Boys is at Bristol Hippodrome between Tues- day, May 26 and Saturday June 13. Visit atgtickets.com/bris-


tol or jerseyboysuktour. com for more.


A one-woman original


‘WHAT gets me through is knowing I took this pain, and saved all of you from suffer- ing the same,’ says Effie, the disenfranchised heroine of award-winning playwright Gary Owen’s Iphigenia in Splott, an original, one-wom- an show from Cardiff’s Sher- man Theatre. This reimagined vision of Greek myth’s self-sacrificing Iphigenia finds its home in Cardiff’s famous Splott area. While it’s a closely observed


depiction of life there, the play deals in the universals of British life now – all cit- ies have a Splott, and many Effies. She staggers from hangover


TIMELY: Sophie Melville


to hangover, picking fights on the street, aimless and alone apart from a feckless boy- friend, whom she despises.


Review: Iphigenia in Splott, Sherman Theatre, Cardiff


When a chance to turn her


life around arises, she grabs it.


Effie, played by Sophie Mel-


ville, conjures the vitality of Splott, taking the audience on a rollercoaster of emotion as her tragic life unfolds in the face of a rather indifferent world. It’s a powerhouse perfor- mance as she commands the audience’s rapt attention from the moment she steps on stage to the standing ovation. Without doubt, Sophie Mel-


ville is a Welsh star in the making – giving Effie a hu-


man face, heart and voice, without straying into the ste- reotype.


Iphigenia in Splott couldn’t


be more timely and marks a high point for theatre in Wales, proving it can hold its own with the best in the UK. The play’s run has already


been extended due to demand and is heading to the Edin- burgh Fringe. Catch it while you can. Iphigenia in Splott runs un-


tilMay 21. Tickets £15, perfor- mances 7.30pm.


Sally Hales


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12