PRESS RELEASE | BILL ELMS ASSOCIATES on behalf of THE LOWRY
Wed 24April 2012 | FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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Just four weeks remain until Northern Stage and Live Theatre bring their critically acclaimed revival of Alan Plater’s vintage play CLOSE THE COALHOUSE DOOR to The Lowry. Directed by Samuel West this piece is a memorial production following Plater’s death in 2010 and is set to run Tue 15 – Sat 19 May for one week only!
The production just opened and is currently running at Northern Stage in Newcastle, this collaborative performance has received national rave reviews across the board on its opening night…
"44 years on, director Samuel West has revived [Close The Coalhouse Door] with such grit and unrestrained joy that they'd better start block-booking those North-East coaches again." 5/5 Daily Express
“You can’t fault the ensemble of actor-musicians in Samuel West’s infectious production.” 4/5 The Sunday Times
“The play rightly honours the memory of a proud manual working class” 4/5 The Times
“Samuel West's lively Brechtian production glories in its ethos, from the opening moment in which a poster for The Iron Lady exhibits Margaret Thatcher's face with her eyes lit from behind by glowing miners' lamps” The Observer
“This production really has to be seen. I mean if you really appreciate good theatre, then you have to see it.” 5/5 What’s On Stage
"The beautiful writing in this play strikes right to the heart, though it is Alex Glasgow’s songs - tough as the pitmen, rich as the seam - which endure long after the curtain falls." The Stage
Full credit goes to the excellent cast of Adam Barlow (Coronation Street, The Red Zone) who plays ‘the Vicar’, Chris Connel (The Pitmen Painters, Live Theatre, RNT & Broadway, Cooking with Elvis, Live Theatre) who plays ‘Jackie’, Louisa Farrant (The Glass Slipper, Northern Stage) who plays ‘Ruth’, Jane Holman (Looking for Buddy, Bolton, film of Billy Elliot) who plays ‘Mary’, Nicholas Lumley (Much Ado About Nothing, West End, After the Dance, RNT) who plays ‘Thomas’, Tarek Merchant (Sunset Boulevard, West End, Chess, UK tour) who plays ‘Expert’, David Nellist (Billy Elliot, Much Ado About Nothing, West End) who plays ‘Geordie’, Jack Wilkinson (A Man for All Seasons, Sheffield & The Good Soul of Szechuan, Watford Palace) who plays ‘Frank’ and Paul Woodson (Eternal Law, ITV, Nativities, Live Theatre) who plays ‘John’. All other parts are played by members of the company.
CLOSE THE COALHOUSE DOOR, based on the stories of Sid Chaplin with songs by Alex Glasgow, is a musical play which was written and first performed in Newcastle in 1968, charting all the major strikes, victories and disappointments in British mining history from the formation of the first unions in 1831. The story is structured around joyful and heart-tugging music by Alex Glasgow, inspired by north eastern folk songs of each period, performed by highly-skilled actor-musicians. The full casting for the production has previously been announced with an uniquely talented cast including Adam Barlow (Coronation Street, The Red Zone) will play ‘the Vicar’, Chris Connel (The Pitmen Painters, Live Theatre, RNT & Broadway, Cooking with Elvis, Live Theatre) will play ‘Jackie’ and Louisa Farrant (The Glass Slipper, Northern Stage) will play ‘Ruth’ and many other . All other parts will be played by members of the company.
Alan Plater CBE, who died in 2010, was one of the greatest writers of the golden age of British television drama. As well as 18 episodes of Z-Cars, he wrote Fortunes of War, The Beiderbecke Affair, The Last of the Blonde Bombshells and A Very British Coup (Channel 4). He founded the Spring Street Theatre in Hull, home to Hull Truck; and alongside Close the Coalhouse Door, his work for the stage includes The Fosdyke Saga and Sweet William, as well as Tales From The Backyard, Charlie’s Trousers and In Blackberry Time, also based on stories by Sid Chaplin, all directed by Max Roberts, Artistic Director of Live Theatre.
CLOSE THE COALHOUSE DOOR is a poignant tale of proletariat values and struggles and has already struck a chord with audiences in the North East. Audiences in Salford are invited to experience this much loved classic for themselves and to experience just why The Lowry is keeping its doors wide open this May for this modern classic.
LISTING INFORMATION
CLOSE THE COALHOUSE DOOR
The Lowry
Tue 15 – Sat 19 May 2012
Times Tue-Sat 8pm, Wed 1.30pm and Sat Mat 2.30pm
Tickets £16 - £22
How to Book: In person from The Lowry, Pier 8, Salford Quays, M50 3AZ, call 0843 208 6000 or online www.thelowry.com
Running time: Check with Box Office
Age Restrictions: 12+ Some strong language (please ask the box office if you have any queries).
-ENDS-
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Notes to Editors
For more information, interviews and competition requests or review tickets, please contact Bill Elms at Bill Elms Associates on 0151 245 0135 | 07930 454376 | bill@billelms.com
Press Performance: Tue 15 May – 8pm
IMAGE GALLERY
For images, please go to The Lowry’s image library www.thelowryimages.com. New users need to register by clicking on ‘register’ on the left hand side of the page, fill in the required information (which includes creating your own password) and click ‘create account’. You will then have access to images via the log-in page by clicking on All Albums > Theatre > Drama >Close the Coalhouse Door
NOTES TO EDITORS
A little about Sam West
Samuel West is an actor and director. His theatre work includes title roles in Hamlet and Richard II for the RSC, and Jeffrey Skilling in Enron (Royal Court/West End). His films include Notting Hill, Van Helsing and Howards End. He plays Zak Gist in the new ITV series Eternal Law. He’s directed ten plays and two operas, including acclaimed London productions of Dealer's Choice and Waste. Sam was artistic director of Sheffield Theatres from 2005-2007, where he revived The Romans in Britain.
A little about Lee Hall
Lee Hall was born in Newcastle in 1966. He was commissioned by Live Theatre to write The Pitmen Painters, which transferred from Live Theatre to the National Theatre, Broadway and the West End; and wrote the Oscar-nominated screenplay and later the book for Billy Elliot. Other theatre work includes Cooking with Elvis (2000), The Servant with Two Masters, Mr Puntilla and His Man Matti, Mother Courage, and the acclaimed Spoonface Steinberg. Other screenplays include the 2005 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. Lee also worked with Richard Curtis on the screenplay for Steven Spielberg's adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's War Horse, released in December 2011.
Further information on Northern Stage can be found at www.northernstage.co.uk
THE LOWRY
The Lowry celebrated its 10th anniversary on 28 April 2010 and has spent 11 years delighting, engaging and challenging both local and national audiences with the very best in visual art and performance. The Lowry Centre Trust is a not-for-profit charitable organisation and registered charity (no. 1053962). All income supports our world-class Theatres and Galleries programme, the care and display of the LS Lowry Collection and our life-changing Community and Education work. The Lowry’s Chief Executive, Julia Fawcett was awarded an OBE for services to the Arts in the Queen’s 2010 New Year Honours list.
Wed 24April 2012 | FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Northern Stage and Live Theatre in Newcastle Upon Tyne
Present
CLOSE THE COALHOUSE DOOR
DIRECTED BY SAMUEL WEST
WITH ADDITIONAL MATERIAL BY LEE HALL
TOUR OPENS TO CRITICAL ACCLAIM IN NEWCASTLE
AND JUST 4 WEEKS BEFORE THE LOWRY OPENING
Just four weeks remain until Northern Stage and Live Theatre bring their critically acclaimed revival of Alan Plater’s vintage play CLOSE THE COALHOUSE DOOR to The Lowry. Directed by Samuel West this piece is a memorial production following Plater’s death in 2010 and is set to run Tue 15 – Sat 19 May for one week only!
The production just opened and is currently running at Northern Stage in Newcastle, this collaborative performance has received national rave reviews across the board on its opening night…
"44 years on, director Samuel West has revived [Close The Coalhouse Door] with such grit and unrestrained joy that they'd better start block-booking those North-East coaches again." 5/5 Daily Express
“You can’t fault the ensemble of actor-musicians in Samuel West’s infectious production.” 4/5 The Sunday Times
“The play rightly honours the memory of a proud manual working class” 4/5 The Times
“Samuel West's lively Brechtian production glories in its ethos, from the opening moment in which a poster for The Iron Lady exhibits Margaret Thatcher's face with her eyes lit from behind by glowing miners' lamps” The Observer
“This production really has to be seen. I mean if you really appreciate good theatre, then you have to see it.” 5/5 What’s On Stage
"The beautiful writing in this play strikes right to the heart, though it is Alex Glasgow’s songs - tough as the pitmen, rich as the seam - which endure long after the curtain falls." The Stage
Full credit goes to the excellent cast of Adam Barlow (Coronation Street, The Red Zone) who plays ‘the Vicar’, Chris Connel (The Pitmen Painters, Live Theatre, RNT & Broadway, Cooking with Elvis, Live Theatre) who plays ‘Jackie’, Louisa Farrant (The Glass Slipper, Northern Stage) who plays ‘Ruth’, Jane Holman (Looking for Buddy, Bolton, film of Billy Elliot) who plays ‘Mary’, Nicholas Lumley (Much Ado About Nothing, West End, After the Dance, RNT) who plays ‘Thomas’, Tarek Merchant (Sunset Boulevard, West End, Chess, UK tour) who plays ‘Expert’, David Nellist (Billy Elliot, Much Ado About Nothing, West End) who plays ‘Geordie’, Jack Wilkinson (A Man for All Seasons, Sheffield & The Good Soul of Szechuan, Watford Palace) who plays ‘Frank’ and Paul Woodson (Eternal Law, ITV, Nativities, Live Theatre) who plays ‘John’. All other parts are played by members of the company.
CLOSE THE COALHOUSE DOOR, based on the stories of Sid Chaplin with songs by Alex Glasgow, is a musical play which was written and first performed in Newcastle in 1968, charting all the major strikes, victories and disappointments in British mining history from the formation of the first unions in 1831. The story is structured around joyful and heart-tugging music by Alex Glasgow, inspired by north eastern folk songs of each period, performed by highly-skilled actor-musicians. The full casting for the production has previously been announced with an uniquely talented cast including Adam Barlow (Coronation Street, The Red Zone) will play ‘the Vicar’, Chris Connel (The Pitmen Painters, Live Theatre, RNT & Broadway, Cooking with Elvis, Live Theatre) will play ‘Jackie’ and Louisa Farrant (The Glass Slipper, Northern Stage) will play ‘Ruth’ and many other . All other parts will be played by members of the company.
Alan Plater CBE, who died in 2010, was one of the greatest writers of the golden age of British television drama. As well as 18 episodes of Z-Cars, he wrote Fortunes of War, The Beiderbecke Affair, The Last of the Blonde Bombshells and A Very British Coup (Channel 4). He founded the Spring Street Theatre in Hull, home to Hull Truck; and alongside Close the Coalhouse Door, his work for the stage includes The Fosdyke Saga and Sweet William, as well as Tales From The Backyard, Charlie’s Trousers and In Blackberry Time, also based on stories by Sid Chaplin, all directed by Max Roberts, Artistic Director of Live Theatre.
CLOSE THE COALHOUSE DOOR is a poignant tale of proletariat values and struggles and has already struck a chord with audiences in the North East. Audiences in Salford are invited to experience this much loved classic for themselves and to experience just why The Lowry is keeping its doors wide open this May for this modern classic.
LISTING INFORMATION
CLOSE THE COALHOUSE DOOR
The Lowry
Tue 15 – Sat 19 May 2012
Times Tue-Sat 8pm, Wed 1.30pm and Sat Mat 2.30pm
Tickets £16 - £22
How to Book: In person from The Lowry, Pier 8, Salford Quays, M50 3AZ, call 0843 208 6000 or online www.thelowry.com
Running time: Check with Box Office
Age Restrictions: 12+ Some strong language (please ask the box office if you have any queries).
-ENDS-
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Notes to Editors
For more information, interviews and competition requests or review tickets, please contact Bill Elms at Bill Elms Associates on 0151 245 0135 | 07930 454376 | bill@billelms.com
Press Performance: Tue 15 May – 8pm
IMAGE GALLERY
For images, please go to The Lowry’s image library www.thelowryimages.com. New users need to register by clicking on ‘register’ on the left hand side of the page, fill in the required information (which includes creating your own password) and click ‘create account’. You will then have access to images via the log-in page by clicking on All Albums > Theatre > Drama >Close the Coalhouse Door
NOTES TO EDITORS
A little about Sam West
Samuel West is an actor and director. His theatre work includes title roles in Hamlet and Richard II for the RSC, and Jeffrey Skilling in Enron (Royal Court/West End). His films include Notting Hill, Van Helsing and Howards End. He plays Zak Gist in the new ITV series Eternal Law. He’s directed ten plays and two operas, including acclaimed London productions of Dealer's Choice and Waste. Sam was artistic director of Sheffield Theatres from 2005-2007, where he revived The Romans in Britain.
A little about Lee Hall
Lee Hall was born in Newcastle in 1966. He was commissioned by Live Theatre to write The Pitmen Painters, which transferred from Live Theatre to the National Theatre, Broadway and the West End; and wrote the Oscar-nominated screenplay and later the book for Billy Elliot. Other theatre work includes Cooking with Elvis (2000), The Servant with Two Masters, Mr Puntilla and His Man Matti, Mother Courage, and the acclaimed Spoonface Steinberg. Other screenplays include the 2005 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. Lee also worked with Richard Curtis on the screenplay for Steven Spielberg's adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's War Horse, released in December 2011.
Further information on Northern Stage can be found at www.northernstage.co.uk
THE LOWRY
The Lowry celebrated its 10th anniversary on 28 April 2010 and has spent 11 years delighting, engaging and challenging both local and national audiences with the very best in visual art and performance. The Lowry Centre Trust is a not-for-profit charitable organisation and registered charity (no. 1053962). All income supports our world-class Theatres and Galleries programme, the care and display of the LS Lowry Collection and our life-changing Community and Education work. The Lowry’s Chief Executive, Julia Fawcett was awarded an OBE for services to the Arts in the Queen’s 2010 New Year Honours list.
Posted on Thursday, 26 April 2012 under Press Theatre Press
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