Alicia Vikander will make her theatre debut in London opposite Andrew Lincoln in ‘The Lady from the Sea'
The Bridge Theatre has had a big juicy hole in its programming for some months now, smack bang between the imminent return of Nicholas Hytner's ecstatic immersive A Midsummer Night's Dream and Jordan Fein's revival of Sondheim's immortal Into the Woods.
We'd hoped a starry play with an interesting director might plug the gap, and lo! It has come to pass. In a busy year for Ibsen adaptations – following the Lyric Hammersmith's Ghosts, the Ewan McGregor-starring My Master Builder and a Lily Allen-led spin on Hedda Gabler over in Bath – auteur Aussie director Simon Stone will put his own spin on The Lady from the Sea. And he's got some heavyweight leads in the shape of Andrew Lincoln and – in her stage debut – Academy Award-winning Swedish actor Alicia Vikander.
Ibsen's 1889 drama concerns Ellida, a woman who has settled for a comfortable life that is shaken to the core when an old lover re-emerges. As with all Simon Stone's works – most famously his Billie Piper-starring West End hit Yerma – the play is a modern interpretation that he himself has adapted and directed, so it's hard to say precisely what details of the original will be retained, but he should do something pretty enthralling with it.
Vikander is a prolific screen actor best known for playing Lara Croft in the 2018 version of Tomb Raider and for her Oscar-winning supporting turn in 2015's The Danish Girl. Lincoln was a regular on UK stages before finding major US success with The Walking Dead. Technically his last London stage role was playing Scrooge at the Old Vic's A Christmas Carol in 2020, though the show was performed in front of webcams in an empty theatre due to the pandemic.
Vikander will play Ellida, and Lincoln her husband Edvard (whether the family name remains Wangel is TBC). There's a third major role of Ellida's dangerous ex-lover – in Ibsen simply called The Stranger – that is still to be cast, but all will presumably be revealed soon-ish. The show goes on general sale May 13, and you'll be able to .
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Scotsman
39 minutes ago
- Scotsman
I went to Butlin's for a week of non-stop entertainment
'Our True Intent is All for Your Delight' runs the phrase. It's one which, nicked from A Midsummer Night's Dream, has popped up on Butlin's adverts throughout the years but which now - at least as far as I could see - only appears on the wall of the Splash swimming pool complex at the Bognor Regis site. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... After five manic, hectic and ultimately wonderful days there, you can see why the slogan still runs true today, even though we are miles from the original days of knobbly knees competitions. After an exhausting half-term away, we needed to lie down in a darkened room for a bit, but that's not a criticism; in fact quite the opposite. We only live an hour away from Bognor so we're almost on home turf but not over-familiar with the area. But to be honest, that site could be a ten-minute walk down the road as far as the kids were concerned - they were not in town for sightseeing and in our five days didn't even leave the front gate. There simply weren't enough hours in the day to do everything we wanted to do - and again, that's no criticism. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Eddie, eight, and Rosanna, five, at Butlin's in Bognor Regis | Tom Morton/NationalWorld So where to start? Well, the headline for the summer is - again - the Masked Singer Live shows, in which anyone watching can indulge their Saturday night January TV fantasies and shout 'Take It Off!' at a real celebrity. No spoilers here, but the two who were unmasked when we were there were genuine household names - and were nicely pitched between difficult and guessable. It's a great laugh, and the hour-long show flashes past. The other attraction is - again Saturday night telly-based - meeting actual real-life Gladiators. This time it's not a spoiler to say that we had our picture taken with Sabre and Fire. Beware though - it's such a popular event, even though it's just a meet and greet and not a show, that the queue is enormous, so be prepared for a wait of up to 90 minutes. Tom Morton and his family meet Sabre and Fire from Gladiators | Tom Morton/NationalWorld While those two top the bill, our favourite show of the week was Electric Wonderland, who we had seen in an earlier incarnation as Electric City a couple of years ago. If you've seen Blackout on Britain's Got Talent, you'll know where they are coming from; very accomplished dancers but with neon lighting on their black bodysuits that allows intricate and pleasing patterns, witty visual jokes and dazzling effects to be staged. It's the kind of performance you could watch for hours. The start of Electric Wonderland's show | Tom Morton/NationalWorld Other shows we saw were the panto - Snow White and her Magnificent Friends - which saw Muddles and his mother bring the house down, and Animals and Mythical Beasts, a strange but charming mash-up of environmentalism, comedy, super-size puppetry and storytelling, which was also a hit. There was also Danny and Mick from CBBC with their bungled magic tricks, and SBX Extreme Playgrounds, with street stars showcasing basketball, street dance, football and beatboxing skills - all of which wowed an eight-year-old - and the in-house show, Iconic, which was a musical trip around the world. That was probably the only bum note, as the concept didn't really work, although the guest Kenyan dance troupe given a slot in each half were sensational. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Just reading that back seems exhausting, and we haven't even covered the two things that topped the kids' favourites list. Firstly, the swimming pool. It's been a favourite for a couple of years now, and for anyone who hasn't had the pleasure, imagine a swimming pool, but designed by a (skilled) child, for children. It's very difficult to do actual swimming - instead you spend your time on a variety of slides, including a raft run, an enclosed chute called Adrenaline, and two traditional whizz-alongs called the Stick of Rock and the Racers. There's also the rapids - which are more fun the lighter you are, as the five-year-old almost hit warp speed in one section, plus fountains, a helter skelter, and hot tubs. It's easily two hours, if not more, of fun - we went twice and both times emerged wrinkled as prunes from the long time spent in the water. The racer slides at Splash Bognor, the swimming pool at Butlin's Bognor Regis And new to us was PlayXperience. This has been a while in the making as it was being built when we were last here in 2023, but goodness me it has some kit inside it, a range of traditional games but all updated with oodles of tech included. We had a crack at three of the rooms. Tech Putt is basically crazy golf - we were in Neon, which is as you'd expect dark with bright lights, and there are also Vegas and Music-themed versions. Tech Putt Neon at Butlin's Bognor Regis | Butlin's Yes, it was great playing golf in a darkened room, and the course was pitched (pun intended) so even the five-year-old could get round quite easily. For all the fact that it looks amazing, the thing that wowed me was that each player's ball was tagged to them, and somehow the system counted your shots; it didn't matter who went first, and there was no annoying mini pencil and tiny piece of card on which to scrawl numbers. Honestly, a huge improvement in modern life. I'll keep that and internet banking, but anything else invented after 2004 can get in the bin. The VR-cade in Bognor Butlin's PlayXperience centre | Butlin's VR-cade was even more mindblowing, especially to me as someone who has not kept up with computer games and has not often worn a VR headset. We played shoot'em-ups where you got the shock of your life when you turned around to confront a hideous alien behind you, driving simulators, and best of all, rides and rollercoasters where your heart was in your mouth even though you knew full well that your seat was only tilting by a few degrees and you were not going to be catapulted across the room. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Tom Morton and his family in the Laser Tag arena at Butlin's Bognor Regis's PlayXperience centre | Tom Morton/NationalWorld And our final trip to PlayXperience was to Laser Tag. Somehow I have gone through life without ever playing this, but after 45 minutes I'm converted. Brilliant fun, very sweaty, but utterly exhilarating. Summer holiday prices Here's what's on offer over the summer break Summer Holiday break from £541 (£136 per person) Butlin's offers a four-night Summer Holiday break featuring Stephen Mulhern staying in a two bedroom Comfort Room from £541 on 21 July 2025. Price is based on a family of four sharing and includes live shows and activities with free flow access to the pool, unlimited fairground rides, brand-new Skyline Gang Soft Play and access to PLAYXPERIENCE. Dining packages start from £24.95 per adult, per day, £14.95 per child (6-14), per day and £6.95 per child (2-5). To find out more or to book go to Summer Holiday break from £659 (£165 per person) Butlin's offers a four-night Summer Holiday break featuring Stephen Mulhern staying in a two bedroom Wave Hotel room from £659 on 21 July 2025. Price is based on a family of four sharing and includes live shows and activities with free flow access to the pool, unlimited fairground rides, brand-new Skyline Gang Soft Play and access to PLAYXPERIENCE. Dining packages start from £24.95 per adult, per day, £14.95 per child (6-14), per day and £6.95 per child (2-5). To find out more or to book go to Rosanna and Eddie with Billy the Bear | Tom Morton/NationalWorld Mix into this fairground rides, bowling, the new soft play and some pottery painting, and it's obvious why the eight-year-old said that he felt half-term had lasted for ages. That's what happens when you pack in that many activities into five days; so much so that you don't even go to the beach when it is but a pebble's throw away. We were, indeed, Delighted.
Scotsman
3 hours ago
- Scotsman
I went to Butlin's for a week of non-stop entertainment
'Our True Intent is All for Your Delight' runs the phrase. It's one which, nicked from A Midsummer Night's Dream, has popped up on Butlin's adverts throughout the years but which now - at least as far as I could see - only appears on the wall of the Splash swimming pool complex at the Bognor Regis site. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... After five manic, hectic and ultimately wonderful days there, you can see why the slogan still runs true today, even though we are miles from the original days of knobbly knees competitions. After an exhausting half-term away, we needed to lie down in a darkened room for a bit, but that's not a criticism; in fact quite the opposite. We only live an hour away from Bognor so we're almost on home turf but not over-familiar with the area. But to be honest, that site could be a ten-minute walk down the road as far as the kids were concerned - they were not in town for sightseeing and in our five days didn't even leave the front gate. There simply weren't enough hours in the day to do everything we wanted to do - and again, that's no criticism. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Eddie, eight, and Rosanna, five, at Butlin's in Bognor Regis | Tom Morton/NationalWorld So where to start? Well, the headline for the summer is - again - the Masked Singer Live shows, in which anyone watching can indulge their Saturday night January TV fantasies and shout 'Take It Off!' at a real celebrity. No spoilers here, but the two who were unmasked when we were there were genuine household names - and were nicely pitched between difficult and guessable. It's a great laugh, and the hour-long show flashes past. The other attraction is - again Saturday night telly-based - meeting actual real-life Gladiators. This time it's not a spoiler to say that we had our picture taken with Sabre and Fire. Beware though - it's such a popular event, even though it's just a meet and greet and not a show, that the queue is enormous, so be prepared for a wait of up to 90 minutes. Tom Morton and his family meet Sabre and Fire from Gladiators | Tom Morton/NationalWorld While those two top the bill, our favourite show of the week was Electric Wonderland, who we had seen in an earlier incarnation as Electric City a couple of years ago. If you've seen Blackout on Britain's Got Talent, you'll know where they are coming from; very accomplished dancers but with neon lighting on their black bodysuits that allows intricate and pleasing patterns, witty visual jokes and dazzling effects to be staged. It's the kind of performance you could watch for hours. The start of Electric Wonderland's show | Tom Morton/NationalWorld Other shows we saw were the panto - Snow White and her Magnificent Friends - which saw Muddles and his mother bring the house down, and Animals and Mythical Beasts, a strange but charming mash-up of environmentalism, comedy, super-size puppetry and storytelling, which was also a hit. There was also Danny and Mick from CBBC with their bungled magic tricks, and SBX Extreme Playgrounds, with street stars showcasing basketball, street dance, football and beatboxing skills - all of which wowed an eight-year-old - and the in-house show, Iconic, which was a musical trip around the world. That was probably the only bum note, as the concept didn't really work, although the guest Kenyan dance troupe given a slot in each half were sensational. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Just reading that back seems exhausting, and we haven't even covered the two things that topped the kids' favourites list. Firstly, the swimming pool. It's been a favourite for a couple of years now, and for anyone who hasn't had the pleasure, imagine a swimming pool, but designed by a (skilled) child, for children. It's very difficult to do actual swimming - instead you spend your time on a variety of slides, including a raft run, an enclosed chute called Adrenaline, and two traditional whizz-alongs called the Stick of Rock and the Racers. There's also the rapids - which are more fun the lighter you are, as the five-year-old almost hit warp speed in one section, plus fountains, a helter skelter, and hot tubs. It's easily two hours, if not more, of fun - we went twice and both times emerged wrinkled as prunes from the long time spent in the water. The racer slides at Splash Bognor, the swimming pool at Butlin's Bognor Regis And new to us was PlayXperience. This has been a while in the making as it was being built when we were last here in 2023, but goodness me it has some kit inside it, a range of traditional games but all updated with oodles of tech included. We had a crack at three of the rooms. Tech Putt is basically crazy golf - we were in Neon, which is as you'd expect dark with bright lights, and there are also Vegas and Music-themed versions. Tech Putt Neon at Butlin's Bognor Regis | Butlin's Yes, it was great playing golf in a darkened room, and the course was pitched (pun intended) so even the five-year-old could get round quite easily. For all the fact that it looks amazing, the thing that wowed me was that each player's ball was tagged to them, and somehow the system counted your shots; it didn't matter who went first, and there was no annoying mini pencil and tiny piece of card on which to scrawl numbers. Honestly, a huge improvement in modern life. I'll keep that and internet banking, but anything else invented after 2004 can get in the bin. The VR-cade in Bognor Butlin's PlayXperience centre | Butlin's VR-cade was even more mindblowing, especially to me as someone who has not kept up with computer games and has not often worn a VR headset. We played shoot'em-ups where you got the shock of your life when you turned around to confront a hideous alien behind you, driving simulators, and best of all, rides and rollercoasters where your heart was in your mouth even though you knew full well that your seat was only tilting by a few degrees and you were not going to be catapulted across the room. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Tom Morton and his family in the Laser Tag arena at Butlin's Bognor Regis's PlayXperience centre | Tom Morton/NationalWorld And our final trip to PlayXperience was to Laser Tag. Somehow I have gone through life without ever playing this, but after 45 minutes I'm converted. Brilliant fun, very sweaty, but utterly exhilarating. Summer holiday prices Here's what's on offer over the summer break Summer Holiday break from £541 (£136 per person) Butlin's offers a four-night Summer Holiday break featuring Stephen Mulhern staying in a two bedroom Comfort Room from £541 on 21 July 2025. Price is based on a family of four sharing and includes live shows and activities with free flow access to the pool, unlimited fairground rides, brand-new Skyline Gang Soft Play and access to PLAYXPERIENCE. Dining packages start from £24.95 per adult, per day, £14.95 per child (6-14), per day and £6.95 per child (2-5). To find out more or to book go to Summer Holiday break from £659 (£165 per person) Butlin's offers a four-night Summer Holiday break featuring Stephen Mulhern staying in a two bedroom Wave Hotel room from £659 on 21 July 2025. Price is based on a family of four sharing and includes live shows and activities with free flow access to the pool, unlimited fairground rides, brand-new Skyline Gang Soft Play and access to PLAYXPERIENCE. Dining packages start from £24.95 per adult, per day, £14.95 per child (6-14), per day and £6.95 per child (2-5). To find out more or to book go to Rosanna and Eddie with Billy the Bear | Tom Morton/NationalWorld
The Independent
14 hours ago
- The Independent
Ncuti Gatwa's revelation over ‘bittersweet' Dr Who exit
Ncuti Gatwa 's departure from Doctor Who after just two series has sparked confusion and concern among viewers. In the latest episode, Gatwa's Doctor regenerated into Billie Piper 's former companion, Rose Tyler, making his tenure the second shortest after Christopher Eccleston. Despite rumours of his exit, Gatwa had seemingly confirmed a third series last October, leading to complaints about the abruptness of his departure. Gatwa revealed in a behind-the-scenes clip that it 'was always the plan' to do only two seasons due to the role's physical and emotional demands, calling his exit 'bittersweet'. Russell T Davies, the showrunner, praised Gatwa's performance and wished him well as he moves on to new projects, including a West End production. Ncuti Gatwa makes claim about his sudden Doctor Who exit after fan backlash
