1st Night Photos: Pollard Shouts, Stuke in Nook

Our photographer Dan Wooller certainly was busy on Wednesday night (29 April 2009). In addition to meeting up with Bill Gates backstage at Spring Awakening (See Photos, 30 Apr 2009), he managed to get to not one but two opening nights.

In the West End, he snapped celebrities including Claire Sweeney, Sian Lloyd, Sally Lindsay, Antony Costa, Anneka Rice, Michelle Collins, Wendi Peters and Tameka Empson at the West End premiere of 1960s jukebox musical Shout!, starring Hi-de-Hi’s Su Pollard (pictured top) at the Arts Theatre (See News, 24 Mar 2009).

TO SCROLL THROUGH ALL OF SHOUT’s 1ST NIGHT PHOTOS,
JUST CLICK ON THE "NEXT >" LINKS BELOW THE FOLLOWING FRAME.
PHOTOS BY DAN WOOLLER FOR WHATSONSTAGE.COM.

In Shout!, five gorgeous women and one lucky man twist and shout, shimmy and shake as they embark on a journey through the Swinging Sixties and more than 30 hits from the era including “Downtown”, “Son of a Preacher Man”, “I Only Wanna Be With You”, “To Sir With Love” and “These Boots Are Made for Walking”.

Shout! is based on an original idea by Phillip George and David Lowenstein and adapted for UK audiences by Julie Balloo. It’s directed and choreographed by Bill Deamer and designed by Morgan Large. Pollard, who plays the girls’ mentor Vonnie, is joined in the cast by Marissa Dunlop, Tiffany Graves, Shona White, John Jack, Jessica Kirton and Francesca Newitt. The musical is currently booking through to 28 June 2009.

Wooller then nipped over to Southwark for the after party of Terry Johnson’s revival of Ben Travers’ 1926 English farce Rookery Nook, which opened at the Menier Chocolate Factory (previews from 16 April) for a run to 20 June 2009.

TO SCROLL THROUGH ALL OF ROOKERY NOOK’s 1ST NIGHT PHOTOS,
JUST CLICK ON THE "NEXT >" LINKS BELOW THE FOLLOWING FRAME.
PHOTOS BY DAN WOOLLER FOR WHATSONSTAGE.COM.

Neil Stuke stars as newly married playboy, who is on his way to Rookery Nook with his new wife Clara and his mother-in-law. Forced to travel on alone when his mother-in-law suddenly falls sick, Gerald arrives to find quite a commotion. A beautiful young girl has been thrown out of the house next door in nothing but her pink silk pyjamas and begs him to let her stay. Gerald must find the young girl some clothes and, until then, keep her hidden from his sister-in-law Gertrude, who lives nearby, and Rookery Nook's meddling maid, Mrs Leverett.

Stuke is joined in the cast by Edward Baker-Duly, Lynda Baron, Nick Brimble, Kellie Shirley, Clare Wilkie, Sarah Woodward and Mark Hadfield. Rookery Nook is designed by Tim Shortall, with lighting by Jason Taylor.

- by Terri Paddock

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