Get the shows on the road...
THE old theatre adage insists that the show must go on and the arts are now fighting back after lockdown. Michael Sheen is to star in Brian Friel’s play Faith Healer from an empty Old Vic theatre.
He will perform opposite David Threlfall and Indira Varma for five performances and the production will be livestreamed as part of the Old Vic: In Camera series for audiences watching at home. Michael also appeared with David Tennant in the BBC’s lockdown drama Stages and Faith Healer follows “The Fantastic Francis Hardy” as he travels the most remote corners of Wales, Scotland and Ireland attempting to heal those who wish to be healed, accompanied by his wife Grace and manager Teddy.
Old Vic artistic director Matthew Warchus says: “This play has long been a favourite of mine. With mesmerising expertise, Friel unlocks a shimmering fable of epic dimensions employing nothing more than single voices weaving this unforgettable story out of thin air.
It’s the definition of a masterpiece and hits you with a huge emotional thwack.”
The play will be the third of the In Camera series, following productions of Lungs, starring Claire Foy and Matt Smith, and Three
Kings with Andrew Scott.
The theatre says the series was always intended as a creative experiment but has become crucial in the Old Vic’s fight for survival and it is now looking at continuing with productions into 2021. Faith Healer will be livestreamed for five performances from September 16 with tickets priced £10–£40 from oldvictheatre.com but all offering the same view to audiences at home.
Jay McGuiness and Kimberley Walsh as Sam and Annie, during a preview of Sleepless: A Musical Romance first broadcast on the BBC in June, and Alan Bennett has waived his royalty so that they can be performed on stage.
The Great Gatsby, imagined as a 1920s masquerade ball, opens in the West End on October 1. The production (immersivegatsby.com) is being staged at IMMERSIVE | LDN.
The show’s costume designer, Heledd Rees, has created a bespoke face covering that will be available to purchase at the venue with a portion of the proceeds going to
The Theatre Artists Fund.
National Theatre Live (nationaltheatre.org.uk) is screening in cinemas across the country offering another chance to see Hollywood stars Sally Field and Bill Pulman in Arthur Miller’s blistering drama All My Sons and Sir Ian McKellen’s powerful performance in King Lear. Meanwhile, The Royal Shakespeare Company (rsc.org.uk) is continuing with its Talking Shakespeare series, with Poirot actor David Suchet talking on September 14 about the more than 30 productions he has appeared in with the company since 1973.
Juliet Stevenson takes part in the series on September 21 and Paterson Joseph on September 28. The Globe Theatre in London (shakespearesglobe.com) is also offering on demand the chance to see past productions like Hamlet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Two Noble Kinsmen.
On the comedy front, many of Jimmy Carr’s Terribly Funny tour dates (jimmycarr.com) have been rescheduled to next year, but he is planning to hit the road shortly, for several stand-up shows across the country. He says audiences can expect jokes about all kinds of terrible things.