Date posted:
Tue 03 December 2019
The first wave of casting has been announced for Jonathan Harvey’s Our Lady of Blundellsands, as the Everyman & Playhouse announce their full 2020 spring summer season filled with new works, big titles, family fun and re-imagined stories.
The Liverpool-born Coronation Street writer initially debuted the script for Our Lady of Blundellsands at a play reading at the Everyman in 2016. Having worked with Everyman creatives to finely tune the script especially for the Everyman stage, the hilariously twisted comic drama makes its premiere from 6-28 March.
Performing at the Everyman for the first time since 1979, Annette Badland will play the role of Garnet – the weary sister of the unravelling Sylvie. The Birmingham-born actress recently performed in a Shakespeare’s Globe production of The Winter’s Tale that was broadcast live to over 400 cinema’s in 2019. Annette also appeared as Babe Smith in Eastenders.
Joining Annette are Liverpool actors Tony Maudsley, Nathan McMullen and Gemma Brodrick. Tony is best known for his role in Benidorm as hairdresser Kenneth du Beke and Gemma makes her Everyman stage debut having appeared in the ITV mini-series Cilla in 2014. Nathan returns to the Everyman, following his role as a young Peer Gynt in Nick Bagnall’s Everyman Company 2018 production of The Big I Am. The Olivier Award-winning Matt Henry is also announced for the production, who won Best Actor in a Musical for his 2016 performance in Kinky Boots.
Our Lady of Blundellsands opens at the Everyman in March and tickets are on sale from Thursday 14 November. Tickets are available at: www.everymanplayhouse.com/whats-on.
Bold new works, re-imagined tales, shows for the family and exciting one-night shows join Our Lady of Blundellsands in the 2020 season.
As the Everyman & Playhouse continues to bring audiences new works by local and regional artists, a co-production with Northern Stage sees Shandyland at the Everyman from 27 May to 7 June. Based around a family-run northern pub, Shandyland is a story about the frustration of abandoned working-class communities. The work joins I Think We Are Alone (11-15 February) – another new piece of writing that visits the Playhouse by Sally Abbott, co-directed by Kathy Burke and produced by theatre company Frantic Assembly.
Looking into the nature of football fans, a community-led participatory project by local playwright Molly Taylor will be developed with the support of the Everyman & Playhouse’s New Works department for the Everyman stage. ROAR will culminate in a performance at the Everyman in June 2020, and the project is looking for football fans to be a part of the action in the New Year.
The Playhouse welcomes big titles with some of the very best in national touring theatre visiting in 2020. Already announced and on sale for the season is the West End smash hit SIX (3-7 March), alongside classic tales The Woman in Black (27 January – 1 February), An Inspector Calls (4-8 February) and Dial M for Murder (19-23 May). The Playhouse also welcomes back Ghost Stories (31 March – 4 April), where the production made its world premiere in 2010.
Bold and innovative theatre companies return to the Playhouse for 2020, as well known stories will be re-imagined on the Playhouse stage. Imitating the Dog are back following their production of Heart of Darkness, with an ambitious remix of Night of the Living Dead (18-22 February). La Navet Bete bring their hilarious brand of slapstick comedy to Liverpool with The Three Musketeers: A Comedy Adventure (28 April – 2 May).
With a re-working of J.M. Barrie’s (Peter Pan) delicious farce Quality Street (17-21 March), Northern Broadsides return to the Playhouse for 2020. New artistic director Laurie Sansom directs his first production for the company, with a playful Yorkshire show that inspired the name of the nation’s most popular chocolates!
Families once again take centre stage next season at the Playhouse. For older children, Children’s Theatre Partnership’s adaptation of the modern classic Holes (24-28 March) by Louis Sachar features puppetry by the designer of Joey in War Horse. Julia Donaldson’s Zog (8-11 April) and bedtime favourite Oi Frog & Friends (26-29 February) will be brought to life for young families this spring.
The very best in comedy and one night shows head to Liverpool, as Ed Byrne (14 May), Mark Thomas (13 & 14 March) and Adam Buxton (16 May) join the already announced John Shuttleworth (25 January) at the Playhouse in the New Year. At the Everyman, Clive Anderson (23 May) visits with his first ever solo tour. Irish novelist Roddy Doyle (10 March) will take to the stage for a special in conversation event at the Playhouse and Stacey Dooley (20 February) also visits for an in conversation night, which is close to selling out.
Blending folk music and theatre, an exciting production of one man’s journey from poverty and unemployment, The Ballad of Johnny Longstaff (14-16 May) completes the season with a visit to the Everyman. Written by folk trio The Young’uns and directed by The Last Ship director Lorne Campbell, the production follows the footsteps of a working class hero who chose not to look the other way when the world needed his help, and took part in some of the momentous events of the 1930s.
Gemma Bodinetz, artistic director at Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse, said: "We have an extraordinary spring season this year featuring a wealth of new writing and the very best of touring work from around the country.
“We are proud to produce the world premiere of Our Lady of Blundellsands by Liverpool playwright Jonathan Harvey, directed by Nick Bagnall and featuring a stellar cast. Also at the Everyman is Shandyland – a remarkable new play by Bruntwood Prize-winning playwright Gareth Farr.
“There are so many great shows to mention for young and old it's unfair to single any of them out, but we are particularly thrilled to welcome the phenomenon that is Ghost Stories back to the Playhouse where it was first launched in 2010."
Newly announced shows will go on sale to the general public at 12pm on Thursday 14 November. For more information and to book, visit www.everymanplayhouse.com/whats-on.