THIS IS LONDON SEPTEMBER EDITION 2025 copy - Flipbook - Page 34
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RIOTOUS COMEDY BY CALUM
FINLAY – FANNY
Calum Finlay’s riotous comedy, Fanny,
directed by Katie-Ann McDonough, will
play at the King’s Head Theatre from
Friday 10 October – Saturday 15
November. Following its acclaimed world
premiere at The Watermill Theatre in
2024, the production brings Fanny
Mendelssohn’s long-overlooked story to
the London stage with a new company,
once again led by Mischief’s Charlie
Russell as ‘Fanny’.
Meet Fanny Mendelssohn. You'll
probably know her younger brother
Felix, from nineteenth-century smash
hits like 'The Wedding March'. Felix was
such a musical sensation that Queen
Victoria requested a personal concert
and even sang her favourite of his
compositions: ‘Italien’. The only problem
was Felix didn’t write it. The piece of
music was Fanny’s, quietly published
under her brother's name. So, when
Fanny intercepts a letter inviting Felix to
go back to England and premiere a new
orchestral work for the Queen, Fanny
decides to hide the letter and take her
rightful place at the palace...
FANNY is a sharp, irreverent new
comedy celebrating classical music –
and finally giving a trailblazing woman
composer her moment in the spotlight.
Each performance will conclude with
a Noble Call, inspired by the Irish
tradition of inviting guests at a party to
share a song, a poem, or to respond to
the moment.
THIS
IS
LONDON
MAGAZINE
•
ACORN ANTIQUES THE MUSICAL
LONDON PERFORMANCE
A special fundraising concert of
Acorn Antiques The Musical will have
one night at the Shaftesbury Theatre,
London, on Sunday 9 November, to
celebrate 10 years of Hope Mill Theatre.
This laugh out loud musical parody
will be sure to have you rolling in the
aisles and toe tapping along... so grab
yourself a macaroon and don’t miss this
special one-off performance.
Come along to Manchesterford, a
place full of quaint, old-fashioned shops
such as ‘Acorn Antiques’ run by sisters
Miss Babs and Miss Berta. They are
assisted by business partner Mr Clifford,
elderly tea lady Mrs Overall, and two
'pitiful adolescents’. But before long
their cosy world faces a threat from
developers, who want to turn their high
street into a collection of coffee bars and
sexy underwear shops. As the plot
unfolds, Miss Babs and Miss Berta are
faced with financial woes and family
secrets, including a lost triplet sister.
Will the innocent antique dealers fight
off the developers and a sinister loan
shark? Can they find the missing will of
their father? And will Miss Berta ever
find true love?
Victoria Wood originally wrote Acorn
Antiques as a weekly slot in her sketch
show, Victoria Wood As Seen on TV. Its
premise – the lives and loves of the staff
of an antiques shop – lampooned the
staples of soap operas: love triangles,
amnesiacs, sudden deaths and siblings
reunited. In 2005, Victoria Wood created
the musical version, with the intention of
giving people a ‘lovely, happy night in
the theatre’. It was directed by Trevor
Nunn with choreography by Stephen
Mear and opened at the Theatre Royal,
Haymarket and had a sell out season.
Several key members of the original cast
joined the stage production including
Julie Walters, Celia Imrie and Duncan
Preston, with Victoria Wood alternating
with Julie Walters in the role of Mrs
Overall.
Box office telephone 020 7379 5399.
THIS
IS
LONDON
ONLINE
•
THE WORLD PREMIERE OF HIGH
NOON
Producers Paula Wagner and Tom
Werner are to present the World
Premiere of the play High Noon, starring
Emmy and Tony Award-winner Billy
Crudup, as Will Kane and Olivier Awardwinner Denise Gough as Amy Fowler, at
the Harold Pinter Theatre from
17 December until 7 March, directed by
Olivier Award-winner Thea Sharrock.
The play is by Academy Awardwinner Eric Roth and marks Roth’s debut
work for the stage. This gripping new
adaptation is based on the iconic, fourtime Academy Award-winning 1952 film
with a screenplay by Carl Foreman,
originally produced by Stanley Kramer
and directed by Fred Zinnemann. Hailed
as one of the greatest westerns ever
made, this isn’t just a play, it’s a wake-up
call. Told in real time, this edge-of-yourseat thriller explodes onto the stage.
Once a searing allegory of Hollywood’s
blacklist this unmissable new version
speaks urgently to the world today.
Billy Crudup.
Photo: Jesse Dittmar
Set in the American West of the
1800s, High Noon rides on themes as
relevant now as they were then. And at
its heart, is the bond between Will Kane
and Amy Fowler – a love tested by
impossible choices as the clock ticks
down to the return of deadly outlaw
Frank Miller on the high noon train. The
clock is ticking. Tick: Begin a new life
together? Tock: Or take a stand for the
greater good? As time runs out, one
truth remains: if you don’t stand up for
what’s worth saving, you risk losing it.
www.til.com
•
@thisislondonmag
