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The Way Old Friends Do (play)
''The Way Old Friends Do'' is a play by Ian Hallard. It is a comedy that tells the story of the world's first drag ABBA tribute band, formed by two old schoolfriends who meet again by chance. Plot The play follows the ups and downs in the friendship of Peter and Edward, who were at school together in Birmingham in the 1980s. Edward came out to Peter as gay, and Peter as an ABBA fan. They find each other again after twenty years of estrangement and book a one-off gig at the local theatre as a drag ABBA tribute band. They decide to play Frida and Agnetha, and recruit wannabe actress Jodie and eccentric rehearsal pianist Mrs Campbell as Björn and Benny. Stage manager Sally is the final member of the team. Avid Australian fan, Christian, convinces them to pursue the idea, and they embark on a life on the road. However Christian's romantic involvement with Edward leads to the breakdown of his friendship with Peter. Production history UK Tour (2023) The play made its world ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ian Hallard
Ian Christopher Hallard (born 9 November 1974) is an English actor and writer. His work includes acting roles on television, at the National Theatre and in the West End, including the lead role of Michael in a revival of Mart Crowley's '' The Boys in the Band''. He has also written and script edited for both television and stage. Early and personal life Hallard was born in Birmingham on 9 November 1974. Following his education at Solihull School and an undergraduate degree at the University of Sheffield, he trained at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts on the Post Graduate Acting course, won a singing scholarship, and graduated in 1998. He lives with his husband, the actor and screenwriter Mark Gatiss. The couple live in Islington in London. Career Theatre Hallard has been acting professionally since 1999, when he appeared in a production of ''Seven Brides for Seven Brothers'' at the Battersea Arts Centre. Since then his roles have included Sordo in ''Scenes from an Executio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James Bradshaw (actor)
James Bradshaw (born 20 March 1976) is an English actor, known for his roles as Gordon Grimley in the Granada series '' The Grimleys'', D.S Geoff Thorpe in ''Hollyoaks'' and Dr. Max DeBryn in '' Endeavour''. Career Bradshaw's television roles include parts in ''Mile High'', '' Primeval'', '' Heartbeat'', the 2000 film ''Longitude'', and Noah Claypole in Alan Bleasdale's 1999 adaptation of ''Oliver Twist'', which starred Robert Lindsay. Bradshaw has worked at the Birmingham Rep, Hampstead Theatre, and the Royal National Theatre in ''House/Garden'', directed by Sir Alan Ayckbourn. In 2006, he played Polly Tompkins in ''The Line of Beauty''. In 2009, he joined the cast of '' Breakfast at Tiffany's'' at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket. Bradshaw's film roles include appearances in ''Minotaur'' and ''Irish Jam''. In 2008 he appeared as Mr Samgrass in the film adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's ''Brideshead Revisited''. In July 2011 he made a guest appearance as a surveyor in ''Coronation ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2023 Plays
3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious and cultural significance in many societies. Evolution of the Arabic digit The use of three lines to denote the number 3 occurred in many writing systems, including some (like Roman and Chinese numerals) that are still in use. That was also the original representation of 3 in the Brahmic (Indian) numerical notation, its earliest forms aligned vertically. However, during the Gupta Empire the sign was modified by the addition of a curve on each line. The Nāgarī script rotated the lines clockwise, so they appeared horizontally, and ended each line with a short downward stroke on the right. In cursive script, the three strokes were eventually connected to form a glyph resembling a with an additional stroke at the bottom: ३. The Indian digits spread to the Caliphate in the 9th c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Libby Purves
Elizabeth Mary Purves, (born 2 February 1950) is a British radio presenter, journalist and author. Early life and career Born in London, a diplomat's daughter, Purves was raised in her mother's Catholic faith and educated at convent schools in Israel, Bangkok, South Africa and France, and at Beechwood Sacred Heart School, Royal Tunbridge Wells. Purves won a scholarship to St Anne's College, Oxford, where she was awarded a first class degree in English. She was elected Librarian of the Oxford Union. In 1971, she joined the BBC as a studio manager. By the mid-1970s she was a regular presenter on BBC Radio Oxford where she could be frequently heard on the station's early morning shows. In 1976, she joined the BBC Radio 4's ''Today'' programme as a reporter and became the programme's first woman presenter, alongside Brian Redhead and John Timpson, two years later. In 1983 she was editor of ''Tatler'' magazine for six months. Later career For her column in ''The Times'' n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
WhatsOnStage
WhatsOnStage is a UK-based theatre website providing news, reviews, interviews, and a comprehensive listings database of performances across the country. The platform claims to list over 5,000 performances at any given time and also operates a ticketing service through commercial partnerships. It serves a large online theatregoing community and has positioned itself as a leading and trusted source of theatre information in the UK. History WhatsOnStage was founded in 1996 by the media corporation EMAP, with Carol Dukes playing a key role in its initial development. In 1999, it was acquired by Terri Paddock and David Dobson, who managed the company for the following 13 years. The site was subsequently purchased by Time Out (magazine), Time Out in 2012 and then acquired by TheaterMania in January 2013. In 2017, WhatsOnStage became part of the AudienceView portfolio, which offers ticketing and marketing solutions across the live events industry globally. WhatsOnStage Awards In 2000, t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Evening Standard
The ''London Standard'', formerly the ''Evening Standard'' (1904–2024) and originally ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), is a long-established regional newspaper published weekly and distributed free newspaper, free of charge in London, England. It is printed in Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid format, and also has an online edition. In October 2009, after being bought by Russian businessman Alexander Lebedev, the paper ended a 180-year history of print circulation, paid circulation and multiple editions every day, and became a free newspaper publishing a single print edition every weekday, doubling its circulation as part of a change in its business plan. On 29 May 2024, the newspaper announced that it would reduce print publication to once weekly, after nearly 200 years of daily publication, as it had become unprofitable. Daily publication ended on 19 September 2024. The first weekly edition was published on 26 September 2024 under the new name of ''The London Standard' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Arts Desk
''The Arts Desk'' (theartsdesk.com) is a British arts journalism website containing reviews, interviews, news, and other content related to music, theatre, television, films, and other art forms written by journalists from a variety of traditional and web-based publications. History It launched in September 2009 as a shareholder collective. In its launching year, it drew around 2000 daily visitors. From 2010 to 2013, its honorary chairman was John Tusa. Its contributing editors are made up by professional critics and veteran journalists who have worked for publications such as ''The Times'', ''The Guardian'', ''The Telegraph''. They are freelance reviewers of art, music, dance and theatre, who post reviews online. In 2019, it signed a deal with JPI Media that would allow '' I news'' to feature arts reviews and other articles written by the website's editors. Contributors to the website include Aleks Sierz, Adam Sweeting and Joe Muggs. Reception Upon its launch, ''The Telegr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paul O'Grady
Paul James O'Grady (14 June 1955 – 28 March 2023) was an English comedian, broadcaster, drag queen, actor, and writer. He achieved notability in the London gay scene during the 1980s with his drag persona Lily Savage, through which he gained wider popularity in the 1990s. O'Grady subsequently dropped the character and in the 2000s became the presenter of various television and radio shows, including ''The Paul O'Grady Show''. Born to a working-class Irish migrant family in Tranmere, Cheshire, O'Grady moved to London in the late 1970s, initially working as a peripatetic care officer for Camden Council. He developed his drag act in 1978, basing the character of Lily Savage upon traits found among female relatives. Touring England as part of drag mime duo the Playgirls, O'Grady then went solo as a stand-up comedian in the early 1980s. Performing as Savage for eight years at a South London gay pub, the Royal Vauxhall Tavern (RVT), he gained a popular following among London's g ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Miriam Margolyes
Miriam Margolyes ( ; born 18 May 1941) is a British and Australian actress. Known for her work as a character actor across film, television, and stage, she received the BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mrs. Mingott in Martin Scorsese's '' The Age of Innocence'' (1993), and achieved international prominence with her portrayal of Professor Sprout in the ''Harry Potter'' film series (2001–2011). Margolyes was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2002 New Year Honours for Services to Drama. After starting her career in theatre, Margolyes made the transition to film with a small part in the British comedy '' A Nice Girl Like Me'' (1969). Subsequent credits include '' Yentl'' (1983), '' Little Shop of Horrors'' (1986), '' Little Dorrit'' (1988), '' I Love You to Death'' (1990), '' Immortal Beloved'' (1994), '' Balto'' (1995), '' Different for Girls'', '' Romeo + Juliet'' (both 1996), '' Magnolia'', '' End of Days'' (both 1999), '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sara Crowe
Sara Crowe (born 22 March 1966) is a Scottish film and stage actress who mainly plays comedy roles. Biography Career After beginning her career on stage and in television, Crowe began to take film roles, including a part in '' Carry On Columbus'' and as the 'first bride' Laura in the comedy film '' Four Weddings and a Funeral''. Her West End appearances include '' Private Lives'', '' Twelfth Night'', ''Hay Fever'' and '' The Constant Wife'' and, on tour, '' Acorn Antiques the Musical'' and Alan Ayckbourn's '' Absurd Person Singular''. She is a regular performer (and part of the original cast) of the touring play '' Seven Deadly Sins Four Deadly Sinners''. She gained notice in the United Kingdom in a series of TV advertisements for Philadelphia cream cheese spread in the 1990s, playing a dizzy blonde secretary with Ann Bryson as her friend. With Bryson, she also formed the comedy duo Flaming Hamsters; they co-starred in the 1995 film '' The Steal'' and the 1996 sitcom ''Som ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
West End (theatre)
West End theatre is mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres in and near the West End of London.Christopher Innes"West End"in ''The Cambridge Guide to Theatre'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998), pp. 1194–1195, Along with New York City's Broadway theatre, West End theatre represents the highest level of Theatre of the United Kingdom, commercial theatre in the English-speaking world. Seeing a West End show is a common tourist activity in London. Prominent screen actors, Cinema of the United Kingdom, British and World cinema, international alike, frequently appear on the London stage. There are approximately 40 theatres in the West End, with the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, opened in May 1663, the oldest theatre in London. The Savoy Theatre—built as a showcase for the popular series of comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan—was entirely lit by electricity in 1881. Society of London Theatre, The Society of London Theatre (SOLT) announced that 201 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
