Lyric life

Lyric Hammersmith Theatre today announces principal casting for this year’s highly anticipated pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk, written by Jude Christian and Sonia Jalaly with Emmanuel Akwafo playing Dame Trott, Maddison Bulleyment playing Jill, Jodie Jacobs playing Fleshcreep, Leah St Luce playing Jack and Finlay McGuigan playing Simon. Nicholai La Barrie’s production opens on Saturday 26 November, with previews from Saturday 19 November, and runs until Saturday 07 January 2023. Further ensemble casting to be announced at a later date.

Further festivities at the Lyric continue with the return of Raymond Briggs’ critically acclaimed Father Christmas, adapted by Pins and Needles running from Wednesday 23 November to Saturday 31 December. Directed by Emma Earle, the production is filled with live music and puppetry and is perfect for under 6-year-olds and their families.

Internationally acclaimed singer, pianist and songwriter, Joe Stilgoe, also returns to the Lyric for two nights only following a three-year break for a night of festive jazz and a Christmas party to remember. Expect special guests, gospel choirs, brass bands and singalongs.

JACK AND THE BEANSTALK
Written by Jude Christian and Sonia Jalaly, directed by Nicholai La Barrie.

Set and Costume Designer: Good Teeth; Choreographer: Arielle Smith; Lighting Designer: Elliot Griggs; Composer and Arranger: Corin Buckeridge; Sound Designer: Nick Manning; Musical Director: Adam Gerber; Casting Director: Lotte Hines CDG; Casting Assistant: Lilly Mackie; Associate Sound Designer: Jet Sharp; Assistant Director: Tyler Holland.

Saturday 19 November – Saturday 07 January 2023

Press night: Saturday 26 November

Join Jack and the gang for a climb of a lifetime as they battle giants and thorny baddies in hopes of bringing ‘glory glory’ back to Hammersmith.

‘Fee-fi-fo-fum’, Fleshcreep wants money from Jack and her mum. And if they don’t cough up, he’s going to take everything they’ve got and feed them to the evil giant in the sky. To save them from their fate, Jack swaps their beloved Daisy the cow (who can sing like no udder) for a bag of magic beans. But little do they know; a soaring adventure awaits…

Expect beanstalk climbing, giant defeating, golden egg laying, extreme skateboarding, milk explosions, singing cows, some absolutely outrageous outfits and of course Beyoncé!

“The Lyric Hammersmith panto has a reputation as the coolest Christmas show in town” – WhatsOnStage

Nicholai La Barrie, Associate Director (Lyric Hammersmith Theatre) and Director (Jack and the Beanstalk) said:

“Jack and the Beanstalk is going to be funny, joyous and full of Christmas magic. One of the great things about getting to make a panto at the Lyric is that we get to speak to our West London community and make a show for all to enjoy. This show is for everyone to sing and dance along to, and we can’t wait to hear kids laugh as loud as they like. We want the whole family to have the best time in the theatre, and for this to be an unforgettable experience.”

Jude Christian and Sonia Jalaly, writers (Jack and the Beanstalk) said:

“Jack and the Beanstalk is bursting full of adventure and magic – it’s the perfect combo for a festive night out with some quintessential panto surprises thrown into the mix too!”

Rachel O’Riordan, Artistic Director and CEO of the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre said:

“The Lyric Hammersmith Theatre’s much loved annual pantomime has become a West London favourite. Now in its 13th year, it continues to attract audiences of all ages from West London and beyond. Newly adapted by co-writers Jude Christian and Sonia Jalaly, Jack and the Beanstalk is the first panto directed by our Associate Director, Nicholai La Barrie. I am so thrilled for audiences to watch and experience this magical festive show, which our talented production team and artists have dreamt up.”

 

Biographies

Jude Christian is a writer, director and theatre maker. Previous credits for the Lyric include Cinderella, othellomacbeth and Jack and the Beanstalk. Recent writing credits include Ten Thousand Heartbeats (Tamasha, Coney, Liverpool Unity and Everyman), Hamlet – adapted for young audiences (National Theatre), Kan Yama Kan (Anthology), A Manual for Grieving (Chinese Arts Now), Dick Whittington (Lyric Hammersmith Theatre and National Theatre), Nanjing (The Yard, Shakespeare’s Globe, 2021 Theatertreffen Stückemarkt), Cinderella (Lyric Hammersmith Theatre). Recent directing includes: Violet (Aldeburgh Festival and tour), Pleasure Seekers (Soho Theatre), The Wellspring (Royal & Derngate), Peter Pan (Brageteatret Drammen), Dark Night of the Soul (Shakespeare’s Globe), Trust and I’d rather Goya robbed me of my sleep than some other arsehole (Gate Theatre), My Mum’s a Twat, Bodies and Lela & Co. (Royal Court), and Parliament Square (Royal Exchange and Bush).

 Sonia Jalaly is a writer and theatre maker. Her debut solo show, Happy Birthday Without You, toured to Kiln Theatre, Paines Plough’s Roundabout at the Edinburgh Fringe and the Greater Manchester Fringe, where it won Best Newcomer Award. She has devised and written a number of community theatre shows: Bump (Kiln Theatre), We Want To Be Frank, The Competition (Company Three), and Catch, She Is On Her Way (Clean Break). She was a member of BBC Writersroom Comedy Room 2018 and has since written for a number of CBBC and CBeebies shows including Class Dismissed, Justin’s House, Swashbuckle and Biff and Chip. She is currently developing a new series with Dreamworks and is under commission with Kiln and ETT, HighTide and the Royal Exchange Theatre.

Nicholai La Barrie is a theatre and film director and Associate Director of the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre and has been a MOBO Fellow. His credits for the Lyric include Liar Heretic Thief, Feels and The Mob Reformers. His work in theatre includes Tina – The Tina Turner Musical as Resident Director (Aldwych Theatre), Liar Heretic Thief (Lyric Hammersmith Theatre), Portrait For Posterity (Arcola Theatre), Grey, There is Nothing There (Oval House), White (Edinburgh Festival), Gob (London International Festival of Theatre), The Book of Disquiet (Blue Elephant Theatre), I’ll Take You There (Gate Theatre) and Chet Baker: Speedball (606 Jazz Club). Film credits include Hamlet Sort Of, North East South West, Aingeal, Dark Stranger (2009 Official selection Caribbean film festival).

Emmanuel Akwafo plays Dame Trott. Theatre includes: For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Hue Gets Too Heavy (Royal Court Theatre/ New Diorama); Whisper Me (Dugdale Theatre); The Bald Soprano (Leicester Square Theatre); The Spalding Suite (Southbank Centre); The Ecstatic Bible (Melton Theatre) The Cradle Will Rock, Wind in the Willows (Miskin Theatre). Television includes: The Crown (Sony Pictures Television); 24: Live Another Day (Imagine Television Teakwood Lane Productions 20th); M.I High (Recorded Picture Company). Film includes: Now You See Me 2 (Summit Entertainment); Tarzan (Warner Bros).

Maddison Bulleyment plays Jill. Their recent theatre credits include Six (UK tour) and The Bridges of County (Menier Chocolate Factory).

Jodie Jacobs plays Fleshcreep. Credits for the Lyric include Cinderella and Dick Whittington. Other theatre includes: Kathy & Stella Solve A Murder (Francesca Moody Productions); Last Easter (Orange Tree Theatre); Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Cadogan Hall); A Midsummer Night’s Dream, As You Like It (Shakespeare in the Square); Carrie (Southwark Playhouse); Lizzie The Musical (Frederica Theatre); Oliver! (Grange Park Opera); Rock of Ages (Original West End Cast – Broadway World Award for Best Supporting Actress), We Will Rock You (Dominion Theatre), Fame (Aldwych Theatre), Evita (Adelphi Theatre), Little Shop of Horrors (The Duke of York’s Theatre). Screen and audio credits include: Abyzou (Millennium Media), Talk Sport, The Amazing World of Gumball (Cartoon Network) and Drop Zone (BBC).

Finlay McGuigan makes his pantomime debut in the role of Simon. His previous work includes: Slime (The Herd Theatre/two National tours); How To Fly Like A Reindeer (The Herd Theatre/Hull Truck Theatre); Great Adventures in Storyland (Hull Truck Theatre/BBC Children in Need); Tortoise & the Hare (Hull Truck Theatre); Goodnight Mr Tom (East Riding Theatre); Beryl (East Riding Theatre). Other credits include: Bathwater (Vicky Foster/BBC Radio 4); The Blackwood (Jacob Polley/BBC Radio 4) and Commercials for Channel 4, Cadbury and Samsung. Finlay is an Associate Artist of The Herd Theatre and trained at The University of Hull.

Leah St Luce plays Jack. Her recent theatre credits include Hungry, Black Love, Really Big and Really Loud (UK tour), The Lion King (Lyceum Theatre), Beautiful – The Carole King Musical, 9 to 5 The Musical (UK and Ireland tour), Mamma Mia (Novello Theatre), Cinderella (Greenwich Theatre), Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (Young Vic), and Oliver! (Cameron Mackintosh).

 

Raymond Briggs’

FATHER CHRISTMAS
Adapted by Pins and Needles, directed by Emma Earle.

Associate Direction by Hannah Drake; Design by Zoe Squire; Lighting by George Ogilvie; Music & Sound Design by Lucy Rivers; Puppet Design by Max Humphries; Musical Direction by Kate Adams; Dramaturgy by Adam Peck. Cast includes Kate Adams, Alejandra Bacelar Pereira, Stephen Chapman, Adrian Decosta, Kat Johns-Burke, and Eliza Talman.

Wednesday 23 November – Saturday 31 December

Press night: Press welcome for any performance

 Watch Raymond Briggs’ grumpy but loveable Father Christmas as he gets ready for his busiest day of the year, Christmas Eve. Preparing his Christmas deliveries, feeding his reindeer and finally taking flight into the snowy night.

Full of merriment and plenty of live music, songs and playful puppetry. A perfect festive treat for under 6s and their families.

This show has toured across the UK and Hong Kong. It was originally commissioned by the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre in 2012 and has since become a Lyric Christmas tradition.

Biographies
Pins and Needles Productions is an award-winning, female-led theatre company based in Bristol, led by Director/Designer partnership Emma Earle and Zoe Squire. They create imaginative, transformational theatre for all ages and are passionate about finding playful ways to tell stories full of heart, humour and magic. Pins and Needles Productions are well known for their bold adaptations of children’s books and are incredibly proud to have been trusted to adapt two of Raymond Briggs’ classic books for the stage; Father Christmas and The Bear, both of which are playing in the UK this Christmas. Recent work includes OZ, a new adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which played at Tobacco Factory Theatres in 2021; Oi Frog & Friends!, produced by Kenny Wax Family Entertainment, which was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Family Show in 2020; and Select A Quest, an online interactive adventure. In 2018, they won the UK Theatre award for Best Show for Children and Young People for Little Mermaid, co-produced with the egg, Theatre Royal Bath, and their musical adaptation of Mr Popper’s Penguins has toured the USA extensively, following runs in the West End and New York. Work for older audiences includes Flies by Oliver Lansley and their current project in development, an immersive, non-linear adaptation of The War of the Worlds by Matt Grinter.

www.pinsandneedlesproductions.co.uk

Kate Adams was the first Lady of the Attic back in 2012 and is delighted to be returning to make the sounds for another Father Christmas. She studied Classics at King’s College, London where she performed in the Swing Band, and in plays in Ancient Greek, and scraped a second class degree. She has worked in theatres all over the UK and indeed the world – the Father Christmas show has twice been to Hong Kong! Productions with her own company include three Shakespeare tours around Japan, and a series of cabaret music halls at Salisbury Playhouse. She is currently studying for a PhD.

Alejandra Bacelar Pereira is a Venezuelan-Spanish multilingual actor, puppeteer and physical performer. She trained in Physical Theatre and Acting (BA) at Institut del Teatre of Barcelona (Spain) and Ecole de Mime in Paris (France). Alejandra recently finished a three-month national tour of Great Grimm Tales and Little Grimm Tales with Box Tale Soup. She played Prospero in SpunGlass Theatre’s This Noisy Isle, an outdoor adaptation of The Tempest. She’s also part of the cast of For They Have No Sun, a new play being developed by SplitMoon Theatre. Other credits include Sharing Joy with mask company Vamos Theatre and Shooting Rabbits with PowderHouse & Sherman Theatre.

Stephen Chapman is thrilled to be returning to the Lyric this Christmas. Theatre includes: Rigsby in Rising Damp (Classic Comedy/National Tour), The Wasteground Circus (Two Women), Hobson’s Choice (Bath Theatre Royal/London Vaudeville), RSVP (Oldham Coliseum), Hound of the Baskervilles (Dukes Lancaster), Danny Champion of the World and Titus Andronicus (Bolton Octagon), Wind in the Willows, Scarlett Pimpernel, Don Quixote and Alice in Wonderland for Stephen’s co-founded company Fools Gold. TV and film includes: Belgravia, Heartbeat, Emmerdale, The Royal, Undercover Customs, Coronation Street, 11th Hour, Blue Murder, Cold Blood, The Street, Boy Meets Girl (ITV), The Levelling (Wellington Films), Rise and Fall of the Krays (Torn Pictures), Pobyl Y Cwm (S4C), Where the Heart Is (Anglia), League of Gentlemen, City Central, Two Pints of Lager…, Waterloo Road, Moving On, Clocking Off (BBC), The Syndicate (Rollem), Playing the Field (Tiger Aspect), Grange Hill (Mersey), Hollyoaks (Lime) and Shameless (Channel 4).

Adrian Decosta’s theatre credits include: Ma Vie En Rose (The Young Vic); Nation (National Theatre); The Taming of The Shrew, The Merchant of Venice, Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Tragedy of Thomas Hobbes (The Royal Shakespeare Company); Aaron in Titus Andronicus in Edinburgh; Jimmy in A Taste of Honey (The Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh); Duwayne (New Vic Productions); We Love You City (Belgrade Theatre); The Inland Sea (Greenwich Theatre); Venus/Mars (The Bush Theatre); Dr Martin Luther King in TNT’s  European tour of Americas Dreams and Nightmares; The Life and Death of Martin Luther King and Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet for TNT’s National Tour of China. Adrian has performed at the Scoop, The Odyssey, The Wizard of Oz and King Arthur as Arthur; Stokely Carmichael in Dialektikon at the Park Theatre. He directed and performed as Silas Jones in TNT’s European tour of Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter; Duncan, Lennox and McDuff in Proteus Theatre’s Macbeth; Silas Marner, The Allesley Silas at the Belgrade Theatre. Radio work includes: BBC Radio 4 The Music Teacher and Base Lines. Adrian’s film credit includes Jab Tak Hai Jaan by Bollywood director Yash Chopra. TV credit Vincent Lewis in the crime series Ragdoll.

Kat Johns-Burke is a West-Midlands actor who studied acting at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. She has appeared most recently in Peaky Blinders – The Rise, an immersive theatre production. Kat is really excited to tell this story and work with puppetry to create a really special production with the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre.

Eliza Talman began playing music at the age of 8 in her local brass band. Moving swiftly from back-seat 3rd cornet, to flugelhorn, then to trumpet, she attended Wells Cathedral Music School on a full scholarship for 7 years. Here she took part in numerous pit bands in the school musicals, but focussed on orchestral playing, performing with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain for 3 years (including a BBC prom as principal trumpet!) She went on to study at the Royal Academy of Music with a full scholarship on trumpet. Recently she has performed duets with her Marimba-playing brother in various summer music festivals – but alas a Marimba was much too big to fit up the stairs to the attic! She also performs with the award winning Solis Trio, and as a solo performer playing the Haydn Trumpet concerto.

 

The Lyric Hammersmith Theatre and Neil O’Brien Entertainment present

Joe Stilgoe’s Christmas at the Lyric

Monday 12 and Monday 19 December, 7.30pm

After a three-year break, Joe returns to the Lyric. With his sensational new album ‘Theatre’ and following the success of his lockdown project ‘Stilgoe In The Shed’, Joe is back at his festive home for the most gloriously joyful Christmas party you’ve ever been to. Expect special guests, gospel choirs, brass bands and ridiculous singalongs.

 Joe Stilgoe is an internationally acclaimed singer, pianist and songwriter. Over the course of his varied career he has become a true modern-day entertainer, known globally as a performer of wit, style and a level of musicianship which has seen him recognised as one of the best singer-pianists in the world.  

 

 LYRIC BAR AND VENUE HIRE

The festive spirit extends all over the building with plenty of bespoke ticket and catering packages to suit all budgets, including pre-show Christmas party packages.

We have a range of modern spaces to hire, and delicious menus including after work festive cocktails; a three course Christmas dinner in our stunning Roof Garden (featured on Time Out’s 10 May 2022 cover).

For bespoke Christmas party packages contact hires@lyric.co.uk.

 

YOUNG LYRIC CLASSES

A range of FREE and low cost classes for all ages (0 to 25+) continue to be available this autumn. In addition to our regular music, dance and theatre classes, we’ve brought back some old favourites for the first time since 2020. Learn to pop and lock in DanceWest’s Hip Hop & Street Dance, write plays in Turtle Key Arts’ Key Words, or explore music from around the world in Musiko Musika’s Songo Family Music Session.

As always, we offer bursary places for many of our classes – further details can be found on the specific class webpage.

Partners include: Action on Disability, Amici Dance Theatre Company, DanceWest, New English Ballet Theatre, Musiko Musika, Tri-borough Music Hub and Turtle Key Arts

https://lyric.co.uk/whats-on/classes