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Told by an Idiot’s Charlie & Stan

Told by an Idiot’s Charlie & Stan

David Pugh, the renowned theatre company Told by an Idiot and Theatre Royal Bath Productions present Charlie & Stan created by Told by an Idiot, written and directed by Paul Hunter.  It will open in Bath on 14 July and then play the Minack Theatre, Cornwall from 1 August.  Further dates prior to the West End are to be announced.

In 1910, the then unknown Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel set sail on board a tramp steamer from Liverpool to New York as part of Fred Karno’s famous music hall troupe. On the voyage, they shared a cabin, they shared comedy routines, they shared laughter, but, by the end of the journey, they had drifted apart… yet they would both go on to become two of the biggest stars of the age.

Inspired by real life events, Told by an Idiot’s acclaimed production of Charlie & Stan is the remarkable story of the greatest comedy double act that nearly was. With an original piano score played live at every performance, Charlie & Stan is a hilarious and deeply moving homage to two men who changed the world of comedy forever.

Told by an Idiot have garnered critical acclaim and devoted audiences worldwide for their wonderfully theatrical shows. With Charlie & Stan they have uncovered a hidden and poignant chapter of comedy history, shining an unusual light on a pair of show business legends.

Tony and Olivier Award-winning theatre producer David Pugh said that Charlie & Stan is “one of the most exciting shows I have ever worked on. I’m looking forward to taking it to audiences all over the world, but Bath and Cornwall get to see it ­first.”

Charlie & Stan is directed by Paul Hunter and designed by Ioana Curelea, with lighting design by Aideen Malone, video design by Dom Baker, original piano score by Mercury Award nominee Zoe Rahman and song arrangement by Sophie Cotton.  Jos Houben is physical comedy consultant and dance choreography is by Nuna Sandy for ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company.  Charlie & Stan is from an idea by Irene Cotton, with additional material from the company.

Charlie & Stan is produced by David Pugh (Art, Calendar Girls and The Play What I Wrote), Told by an Idiot and Theatre Royal Bath.

Theatre Royal Bath

Wednesday 14 – Saturday 24 July 2021

Monday – Saturday evenings 7.30pm

Thursday and Saturday matinees 2.30pm

Box Office: 01225 448844

www.theatreroyal.org.uk

 

The Minack Theatre, Cornwall

Sunday 1 – Thursday 12 August 2021

Mondays & Wednesdays 7.30pm

Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays & Sundays 3.30pm & 7.30pm

Fridays no performance

Box Office: 01736 810181

www.minack.com

 

Joe Pasquale & Sarah Earnshaw to tour in John Godber’s April in Paris

Joe Pasquale & Sarah Earnshaw to tour in John Godber’s April in Paris

In John Godber’s touching and hilarious classic, we go into the heart of one ordinary couple’s life as they go on both the journey of a lifetime and a journey into their relationship.  Al and Bet are in a rut.  Married for 26 years, their conversations are running dry and life has taken its toll. With his building work sparse and her shifts at the shoe shop getting few and far between there’s little to look forward to, apart from a possible ABBA tribute show in Wakefield and the odd trip to the pub. But Bet has dreams. She longs to walk with the Pharaohs in Egypt, sunbathe on golden beaches and climb Alpine mountains, all fuelled by her love of magazine competitions with holidays as prizes.  Finally, her luck changes; she wins a night away for two to Paris in April, via a luxury trip on P&O Ferries out of Hull.

John Godber says, “April in Paris is one of my favourite plays and I’m very excited about this new version with Joe and Sarah, directed by my long-time friend Richard Lewis. I hope that Al and Bet’s trip to the French capital helps to raise the spirits and even a laugh or two, as they rekindle their romance amidst the baguettes, Beaujolais and the steak tartare! The play’s message, that we need to be kind to each other, seems to me to be more relevant now than it ever was before!”

Joe Pasquale and Sarah Earnshaw had begun the second UK tour of Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em when theatres were closed by the Government because of the Covid-19 pandemic, so they are delighted to be able to go out on the road again, as Joe explains:

“To say I’m excited about performing April in Paris would be an understatement, for lots of reasons.  One of the things that is so important is that we (Sarah Earnshaw, Richard Lewis and all at Limelight) will be on the front line with one of the first shows back into the theatre after such an horrendous year…. and we shall be flying the flag, so to speak, to the naysayers who say it can’t be done.  Well, Richard and his team have proved them wrong; if you think outside the box, anything can be achieved.”

Producer and director, Richard Lewis added, “As I’m sure most people are aware, it is an extremely challenging time for the theatre industry.  It has effectively been banned for over eight months now and has created great hardship – for artists, for theatres and for producers.  As we move into the New Year, it is already clear that only venues that can function with restricted capacity will be allowed to open.  It is hugely challenging for theatres to find the type of product that can operate with these limitations.  This is why I am particularly delighted and proud that Limelight Productions has been able to create a show that can help bring live performance back to its audience.  John Godber’s April in Paris starring Joe Pasquale and Sarah Earnshaw is a funny, touching comedy that lifts the spirits. It will bring a little sunshine into the life of everyone who sees it, and I hope audiences will be encouraged to help support this initiative to bring back live performances.”

Comedian Joe Pasquale has delighted audiences with his live stand-up tours for over 30 years. Along the way he’s voiced characters for Hollywood movies Garfield: A Tale of Two Kittens and Horton Hears a Who!, children’s television animation Frankenstein’s Cat and starred in The Muppets’ 25th Anniversary Show.  Joe made his theatrical debut in 1999 in Larry Shue’s The Nerd, followed by the touring productions of Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead and Mel Brooks’s The Producers. In addition, Joe took part recently in ITV1’s The All New Monty: Who Bares Wins, he was crowned ‘King of the Jungle’ in ITV’s I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here in 2004, appeared on five Royal Variety Performances, hosted his own ITV special An Audience with Joe Pasquale, at times hosted The Paul O’Grady Show for Channel 4 and hosted the long-running television series The Price is Right for ITV.  Other recent TV credits include a celebrity edition of Total Wipeout; Guinness World Records Smashed and Virgin One’s The Prisoner X.

Prior to playing Betty, Frank’s long-suffering wife in Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em, Sarah Earnshaw most recently starred as Connie in The Nightingales (Theatre Royal Bath & UK Tour) and Jennifer Lore in the UK Tour of Nativity – The Musical.  Her other theatre credits include Travels With My Aunt (Chichester Festival), The Lady of the Lake in Spamalot (West End and UK Tour) and the original London cast of Wicked.

The National Tour of April in Paris is produced by Limelight Productions.

Website:  www.AprilInParisLive.co.uk

Facebook: AprilInParis

Twitter: AprilinParis2


28 – 31 January | WELLINGBOROUGH The Castle Theatre | castletheatre.co.uk

22 – 24 February | SOUTHAMPTON Mayflower Theatre | 02380 711811 | mayflower.org.uk

2 – 3 March | CHESTERFIELD Pomegranate Theatre | 01246 345 222 | chesterfieldtheatres.co.uk

4 – 6 March | COVENTRY Belgrade Theatre | belgrade.co.uk

15 – 17 March | NOTTINGHAM Theatre Royal | 0115 989 5555 | trch.co.uk | on sale 16 December

Further dates to be added

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