Off-West End Announcements – 2 July 2010

Big Birthday In Wimbledon
Wimbledon has seen a proliferation of stars in the stands this week. But long after the tennis is over, the great and good will be back in SW19 to celebrate one hundred years of New Wimbledon Theatre. Among those appearing in the gala performance on 26 September will be Alistair McGowan, Bobby Davro, Catherine Tate, Four Poofs and Piano and Gareth Gates. Kevin Bishop, executive producer of nine Royal Variety Performances directs on the night.

Schiller in Southwark
Celebrating more landmarks, a new production of Friedrich Schiller’s Intrigue/Love comes to Southwark Playhouse later this month, freshly translated to mark the 250th anniversary of the playwright’s birth. Schiller’s lesser known tragicomedy will be brought to life by the faction theatre company from 20 Jul – 7 Aug, directed by Mark Leipacher and with a cast including Daniel Millar, who is currently appearing in The White Guard at the National Theatre.

Under Contract at The Cock
The Cock Tavern premieres the work of another fresh young voice this month as Royal Court alumnus Steven Hevey’s Pay As You Go runs from 20 Jul – 14 Aug at the Kilburn venue. Touted as a modern epic, it’s the tale one man – the manager of a mobile phone shop – and his realisation that there is no such thing as free minutes. Hevey’s first full-length play In My Name transferred from the Old Red Lion to the West End. This should be worth catching too.

Sweeney Todd Shoreditch Style
Never mind the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd hits the sleazier environs of Shoreditch this summer in a major new production from the National Youth Music Theatre. NYMT will be taking over Village Underground from 3 – 6 Aug, as a company of 60 breathes new life into the famous tale of Benjamin Barker’s quest for vengeance. Director Martin Constantine was last at the helm for the RSC’s production of Lucy Kirkwood’s Worms at Wilton’s.