Edinburgh Festival Theatre – The NEN

The Sopranos 20th anniversary ‘in conversation’ tour confirmed

SECOND LONDON DATE ADDED TO MEET PHENOMENAL DEMAND

To mark 20 years of The Sopranos, three of the biggest characters from the seminal hit show will visit the UK for a series of up close and personal ‘In Conversation’ style shows.

Iconic Mob Drama Stars Michael Imperioli (Christopher Moltisanti), Steven Schirripa (Bobby ‘Bacala’) & Vincent Pastore (‘Big Pussy’ Bonpensiero) were originally set to tour back in 2020 but the shows have been moved to June 2022 due to the pandemic.

Lockdown has only propelled the demand for The Sopranos with a huge surge of viewers. GQ called it the hottest show of 2020.

In the UK, NOW TV reported a 122% increase in views of the title, and in the US, America HBO reported a 200% increase in viewers

Not only have long time fans returned to the mob drama for some serious comfort viewing, but also a growing legion of first-time viewers — including a massive swath of Gen-Zers with the New York Times recently asking “Why Is Every Young Person in America Watching ‘The Sopranos’?

Such has been demand for the tour that and extra show has been added at the London Palladium on the 10^th June 2022. Tickets went on sale for this show on Friday and tickets for all other 2022 shows are on sale now at BookingsDirect.com.

Michael Imperioli said: “I was so disappointed that we had to postpone our planned UK tour but I cannot wait to make it up to you!”

Vincent Pastore added: “I can’t wait to finally get to the UK to meet our fans there … and answer any questions. See you next year!”

Steve Schirripa concluded: “Watch out UK we are coming for you!”

In 1999 a guilt-ridden gangster walked into a psychiatrist’s office. What followed, over the course of eight years, 6 legendary series’ and 86 episodes was a TV revolution.

It’s hard to believe it’s been two decades since the world was introduced to Tony Soprano and his wild world of wise guys. To this day, The Sopranos is universally hailed as the most groundbreaking series of all time.

Ranked by Rolling Stone as “the greatest TV show of all time” the show remains a prominent, powerful cultural force. The Guardian called it ‘the most masterful show ever’ and GQ said, “The reach, influence and breadth of The Sopranos can’t be overstated”.

David Chase’s uncompromising vision of gangland New Jersey was so successful and so culturally significant that it won a coveted 21 Primetime Emmy Awards and five Golden Globe Awards. The shows fusion of cutting-edge, unpredictable writing and powerhouse acting has ensured The Sopranos remains a classic.

For the first time in the UK and to mark the show’s 20th anniversary, three of The Soprano’s biggest characters Steven Schirripa (Bobby ‘Bacala’), Michael Imperioli (Christopher Moltisanti) and Vincent Pastore (‘Big Pussy’ Bonpensiero) will take to the road for live shows.

The legendary trio will take fans behind the scenes of the lauded gangster drama—the stories, the dramas, the laughs—not to mention the countless theories about the show’s controversial finale. Fans will be given the opportunity to ask anything and everything they’ve ever wanted to know about the show.

The self-effacing wise-guy banter and mercurial story telling between these iconic actors will reveal a multitude of on and off-screen drama. A family on-set and off, they’ll take a deep dive into the relationships formed during the show’s eight-year run, and the impact that their on-screen capo, James Gandolfini, had on their careers and lives. There will also be an opportunity to join the trio backstage at the show with meet & greet packages available.

Playing a mobster on The Sopranos, was a tough business. Anybody could get whacked. One minute, your character is a trusted confidante of Mafia boss Tony Soprano. The next, you’re sleeping with the fishes.

Michael Imperioli’s performance as Christopher Moltisanti, an up-and-comer within the crime family, created one of the show’s longest lasting and most vivid characters. Imperioli won an Emmy for supporting actor for his role on the show.

One of the big shocks of the series was when Salvatore “Big Pussy’ Bonspensiero played by Vincent Pastore got whacked for becoming an FBI informant in season one.

Bobby “Bacala” played by Steven Schirripa stood out as the shy, sweet-tempered soldier who took care of Uncle Junior, loved his model trains, and was averse to violence. In fact, Bobby managed to avoid the family’s brutal ways altogether until Tony vengefully forced him to commit his first murder in season six.

Nearly two decades after it faded to black in a Jersey diner with the jukebox playing “Don’t Stop Believin’,” The Sopranos remains the standard all ambitious TV aspires to meet. This is a unique one off opportunity to relive one of the most legendary shows of all time.

UK TOUR DATES AS BELOW

JUNE 2022

EXTRA SHOW Fri 10 LONDON The Palladium

Sun 12 LONDON The Palladium – SOLD OUT

Mon 13 NOTTINGHAM Royal Concert Hall

Wed 15 NEWCASTLE O2 City Hall

Thu 16 HULL Bonus Arena

Sat 18 BIRMINGHAM Symphony Hall

Mon 20 LEICESTER De Montfort Hall

Tue 21 EDINBURGH Festival Theatre

Wed 22 GLASGOW Royal Concert Hall – SOLD OUT

Thu 23 GLASGOW Royal Concert Hall

Sat 25 LIVERPOOL Philharmonic Hall

Mon 27 SOUTHEND Cliffs Pavilion

Wed 29 MANCHESTER Bridgewater Hall

24hr Ticket Hotline: 0844 249 2222* BookingsDirect.com

SHOW TIME: 7:45pm all dates

Arlene Phillips to direct & Oti Mabuse to choreograph The Cher Show UK & Ireland tour

A brand new production of The Cher Show will open next year, with book by Tony and Olivier Award-winning Rick Elice (Jersey Boys, The Addams Family, Peter and the Starcatcher), direction by Arlene Phillips (Saturday Night Fever, Starlight Express, Grease), choreography by Oti Mabuse (two-time Strictly Come Dancing champion) and costume design by Gabriella Slade (Six, In The Heights, Spice World 2019 Tour).

The tour will open at Leicester’s Curve on 15 April 2022 and will continue through to 1 April 2023.

Arlene Phillips said of directing The Cher Show, “I have been a fan of Cher since I first heard I Got You Babe in the mid-sixties and cannot wait to direct her musical. I love stories about strong inspirational legends like Cher and I am proud to be joined in the creative team by two women who have already made a huge impact in their careers: Oti Mabuse as choreographer of the many different genres in the show and Gabriella Slade for the iconic costume designs.

“This exciting show will be a non-stop journey of Cher’s rollercoaster life, bringing to the audience Cher’s iconic songs, glorious dance numbers, unique costumes and her epic drama. All they need to do is come along and Believe!”

Oti Mabuse said, “I cannot WAIT for audiences to see what we’re doing with The Cher Show. Cher’s music covers so many styles, genres and rhythms, which makes it so exciting to choreograph.

“Every song in the show is a hit and we are going full out with exciting routines and movement. It’s going to be a party! Cher has been such an inspiration to so many people and this musical is going to be a celebration of everything people love about her.”

Gabriella Slade added, “Cher is quite literally a style icon. Her fashion moments pushed the boundaries of the time and continue to do so. I’m so excited to be taking huge influence and inspiration from these looks as I embark on creating the costume design for this new production of The Cher Show.”

From a young child with big dreams, the shy daughter of an Armenian American truck driver, to the dizzying heights of global stardom, The Cher Show tells the incredible story of Cher’s meteoric rise to fame.

Cher takes the audience by the hand and introduces them to the influential people in her life, from her mother and Sonny Bono, to fashion designer and costumier Bob Mackie. It shows how she battled the men who underestimated her, fought the conventions and, above all, was a trailblazer for independence.

The musical is packed with 35 of her biggest hits, including ‘Turn Back Time’, ‘I Got You Babe’, ‘Strong Enough’, ‘The Shoop Shoop Song’ and ‘Believe’.

With over 100 million record sales, an Academy Award®, an Emmy®, a Grammy®, three Golden Globes® and an award from The Council of Fashion Designers of America, Cher has influenced popular culture more than most.

Her on-screen career started in 1971 with her weekly television show that attracted 30 million viewers a week, and went on to include starring roles in iconic films from Moonstruck, for which she won the Oscar for Best Actress, to Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again!, which prompted the New York Magazine to realise “every single movie—no matter how flawless—would be infinitely better if it included Cher.”

Her ‘Farewell Tour’ became the highest grossing music tour in history – in true Cher fashion, she followed up her ‘Farewell Tour’ with two further sell-out, worldwide arena tours. She is the only artist in history to have a number one hit in the Billboard chart for six consecutive decades; an achievement that caused Vogue to deem her “eternally relevant and the ruler of outré reinvention”. She became known as the Queen of Reinvention.

In the 1990s, she established The Cher Charitable Foundation to support causes around the world. She has been a long-time donor and supporter of Habitat for Humanity, The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund and Keep A Child Alive, an organisation that helps to combat the AIDs epidemic. Most recently, she co-founded Free the Wild to help rescue Kaavan the Asian elephant from Islamabad zoo.

Written by Tony Award-winning Rick Elice, The Cher Show made its debut on Broadway in 2018 in a production that earned two Tony Awards and delighted fans from around the world. This new production will be the European premiere.

The Cher Show UK & Ireland Tour will have lighting design by Ben Cracknell and sound design by Dan Samson.

Website: www.cheronstage.com

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram: @TheCherShowUK

SCOTTISH OUR SCHEDULE

27 September – 1 October Glasgow King’s Theatre

0844 871 7615*

www.atgtickets.com/venues/kings-theatre

4 – 8 October Aberdeen His Majesty’s Theatre

aberdeenperformingarts.com

11 – 15 October Edinburgh Festival Theatre

0131 529 6000

www.capitaltheatres.com/your-visit/festival-theatre

on sale now

Further dates to be announced

*Calls cost 7p per minute plus your phone company’s access charge

Stolen Lives: Forthview pupils produce WW1 poetry anthology

A series of emotional First World War poems written by Forthview primary school children have been transformed into a new book.

Forthview Primary School P and P7 pupils saw the National Theatre’s superb production of War Horse at the Festival Theatre earlier this year, and they were so inspired by the show they decided to write a series of poems based on the experiences of Scottish people during the war.

These have now been turned into an anthology, Stolen Lives, which was recited for the first time at a special launch event at the Festival Theatre yesterday (Tuesday 30 September).

The poems were read out by actors from the critically-acclaimed First World War play Regeneration, which is currently on a week long run at the King’s Theatre in Edinburgh.

The pupils watched War Horse as part of the START project run in conjunction with the Festival Theatre which aims to make cultural venues more accessible to young people. They were then helped in turning their poems into a book by author Mary Turner Thomson – and it was during one of her workshops that P7 pupil Demmi-Leigh Brammer came up with the title Stolen Lives.

Demmi said: “We wrote our poems after seeing War Horse and hearing some World War 1 poems. I thought of the title, ‘Stolen Lives’ because the soldiers were killed by complete strangers as if their lives were being stolen from them.

“I am really excited about the launch. I think it’s going to be really fun but, at the same time, I am quite nervous about singing in front of lots of people.”

Forthview Primary School Head Teacher Eileen Littlewood said: “The pupils were inspired to write these wonderful poems after seeing War Horse as they were captivated by the story of Joey and the historical events of the First World War. The pupils really are very talented writers and thanks to their excellent teachers they’ve succeeded in writing very beautiful, atmospheric poems.”

Mary Turner Thomson said: “I was very impressed with the pupils’ poetic endeavours and felt they had put a lot of effort and emotion into their contributions. This whole project has been an amazing experience and a reminder of the horrors the people who fought in the war went through.

“It’s good that a whole new generation of our children are inspired to think about their sacrifice 100 years since it began. These young poets, seeing their work in print within their very own book of poetry, will now remember and pass this on to the next generation as well.”

Cerin Richardson, Learning & Participation Manager at the Festival and King’s Theatres, said: “Watching the inspirational War Horse led the pupils to taking part in some artist-led music, dance, puppetry and poetry workshops in school, as part of the START project funded by the Princes Foundation for Children and the Arts.

“The children produced some extraordinary work and this encouraged them to write the poems included here in their book, Stolen Lives. The Festival Theatre is delighted to have been part of the process which has led to this wonderfully imaginative and beautifully written book of poems.”

Today’s launch also coincides with Historic Scotland, who run Edinburgh Castle, launching their new school project ‘Learning about Scotland’s First World War’.

Craig Fletcher, Senior Learning Manager at Historic Scotland, said: “We are delighted to be working with Forthview Primary School and other partners on this new project which allows young people to explore their local heritage, whilst learning more about the war and its impact on Scottish people.

“Historic Scotland will work in partnership with local schools during the commemorative period for the First World War. Pupils will visit historic properties to explore buildings, museums and objects as they investigate and discover the impact of the War in Scotland and discover real people’s stories. They will also have the opportunity to participate in interactive workshops enabling them to reflect on their learning experiences.”

Special thanks also go to officers from the City of Edinburgh Council’s Integrated Literacy Strategy team and students/tutor from the Illustration Department of Edinburgh College of Art who worked with the pupils to illustrate their poems.