The mountain of brightly coloured chocolate Easter eggs have now at last been conquered and consumed, and that means that as modern tradition demands we must now start marking the countdown to Christmas! Leading the way is Wales Theatre Company, announcing their autumn and Christmas theatrical delights – a revival of Mal Pope’s hit musical Amazing Grace, a new musical production of Dylan Thomas’s A Child’s Christmas in Wales and a stunning new version of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol adapted for the stage by Michael Bogdanov and the legendary performer Ron Moody who will also, perform the lead role of Scrooge. Announcing the autumn season, Wales Theatre Company’s Artistic Director Michael Bogdanov said “It promises to be an amazing theatrical autumn and Christmas for Wales with these three wonderfully contrasting productions touring the length and breadth of the country. I’m delighted to be reviving Mal Pope’s Amazing Grace and providing an opportunity for all those who missed it first time round to enjoy this wonderful new musical and to be creating a new musical production of Dylan Thomas’s timeless classic ‘A Child’s Christmas in Wales. I’m also excited to be working with Ron Moody, one of the West End and British Film’s best loved performers as he steps into the role of Scrooge for the very first time, and we will be spending much of the spring and summer together adapting Dickens’s Christmas classic”. The Wales Theatre Company was formed in 2003, born out of the need for a theatre company in South Wales specialising in large-scale projects, and able to tour to venues across the country. It remains committed to producing medium and large scale works in both the English and Welsh languages, to continuing to raise the profile of Welsh Theatre throughout Wales and beyond and to forging links and developing co-productions with companies in the UK, Europe and Internationally. Under the Artistic Direction of Michael Bogdanov, it has rapidly grown in stature and has gained acclaim both at home – winning two Theatre Wales Awards for Hamlet in 2005 and gaining universal critical acclaim. The aim now is to secure funding that will enable The Wales Theatre Company to operate on a full time basis. Mal Pope’s Amazing Grace is a musical based on the story of Evan Roberts and the Welsh Revival. It was first presented for the stage by The Wales Theatre Company in association with Swansea’s Grand Theatre in 2005 and toured to great critical and audience acclaim. The original cast starred Peter Karrie as the Rev. Peter Price and Shân Cothi as Mary Roberts, and both will recreate these roles for this first revival of the show. Wales Theatre Company has already made a name for itself presenting Dylan Thomas’s work - Under Milk Wood was the Company’s first production in 2004 marking the 50th anniversaries of Dylan Thomas’s Death and the first stage/radio performances of the play. Thomas’s ‘A Child’s Christmas in Wales’ will be the Company’s second tribute to Dylan Thomas’s work, a delightful piece of theatre that is sure to enchant audiences young and old. Known for creating the definitive Fagin in Oliver! for the 1960 West End stage production, then re-creating the role for the acclaimed film version some years later, Ron Moody is one of Britain’s best loved performers. A multi talented ‘man of the theatre’, his programme notes introduce him as ‘an author, composer and actor, a star of films, stage and television, a musician, dancer and impressionist…and an enthusiastic amateur archaeologist’. This autumn he will perform the role of another of Dickens’s great villains – Ebenezer Scrooge, in a new adaptation with music of ‘A Christmas Carol’ currently being written for the stage jointly by Moody and Michael Bogdanov. Commenting on the project, Moody explained “it is perhaps surprising that even though most people know me for playing Fagin in Oliver! that it has taken until now for me to be tempted by another of Dickens’s great rogues. I eagerly look forward to getting into old Scrooge’s skin and to presenting a fresh production of this timeless classic for the stage with Wales Theatre Company.” The magic begins at Swansea’s Grand Theatre this autumn and tickets are now on sale for A Child’s Christmas in Wales on the 18 – 21 October followed by Amazing Grace on 26-28 October and 6 -11 November then A Christmas Carol on 31 October -4 November. A Child’s Christmas will be seen in Cardiff at The New Theatre as part of The International Festival of Musical Theatre October 23-28 while Amazing Grace will play at Wales Millennium Centre November 15-20. These performances will then begin a national tour of theatres across Wales during the Christmas and new year period. For further details and additional tour venues and dates, visit the Theatre Wales Website on www.walestheatrecompany.com |
| Wales Theatre Company web site: www.walestheatrecompany.com |
| Angharad Wynne e-mail: angharad@angharadwynne.com |
Tuesday, May 23, 2006 |
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