Latest news with #RoyalDerngateTheatre
The Sun
11-08-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Brit TV legend cancels string of gigs saying he's ‘very busy and tired'
BRIT TV legend pulls plug on tour dates, admits he's 'very busy and tired' - leaving fans disappointed but understanding. The 79-year-old has postponed his national tour just weeks before it was set to kick off. 3 3 The acclaimed actor, recently back in the spotlight thanks to his powerhouse role in the HBO TV drama Succession, revealed the tough decision to cancel his upcoming gigs. Brian Cox, known for his commanding presence on both screen and stage, said the hectic schedule and exhaustion have forced him to take a step back - much to the disappointment of devoted fans. The Succession star was ready to launch his 18-date one-man show — It's All About Me! — starting 1 October at Northampton's Royal & Derngate Theatre, but now fans will have to wait a little longer. Brian told BBC Newscast: "I just thought I'll do it sometime, [October is] just too soon." He also confirmed he's gearing up to take his directorial debut, Glenrothan, to the Toronto Film Festival next month - adding even more to his already packed diary. He said: "It's been very busy and I just thought 'I can't be doing it.'" The Royal & Derngate said its box office would be in touch with any ticket holders, and it was hopeful the show would be rescheduled in 2026. The tour was set to roll into the Corn Exchange in Ipswich on October 3 and the Cliffs Pavilion in Southend-on-Sea on October 20. On launching the tour, Cox said: 'I am looking forward to this tour as it marks something a little different for me - sharing the stage with myself. "As the title indicates, the show will focus more than ever on my life and career. In the second half, the tables are turned and the audience will have the chance to put their questions to me. It should be a lot of fun.' Cox has also been keeping busy treading the boards in Make It Happen in Edinburgh — a new musical delving into the Royal Bank of Scotland collapse and government bailout, with the star taking on the role of free market economics founder Adam Smith. The Emmy and Golden Globe -winning star is also known for his role in the film Manhunter and his stage work with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). The Scottish actor trained at Dundee Rep Theatre before moving on to perform with the Royal Lyceum Theatre, the Royal National Theatre and the RSC, where he gained acclaim for playing King Lear. The news comes after Cox — who first wowed Edinburgh audiences with the Royal Lyceum Theatre Company back in 1965 — hit headlines for speaking out on the current state of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. At a UK Government gathering of cultural leaders at the newly revamped Filmhouse cinema, Cox used the launch of a fresh partnership between the Scotland Office and the Fringe Society to urge a shake-up of Edinburgh's world-famous festivals. 'I sort of find myself in a really weird position,' he told The Herald. 'Everybody's talking about art. I want to talk about practical matters — about how we coordinate everything.' While admitting that a bit of 'chaos' has always been part of the Fringe and International Festival's charm, Cox warned that poor coordination between the two was starting to undermine their success. 'The problem about chaos is it's chaotic,' he quipped, blasting competing box offices and clashing schedules as major headaches for performers and audiences alike. 'There needs to be greater coordination, just practically, in order to make things function properly.' Cox stressed that the real magic lies in the work itself — how it's seen and how people pay for it — not in the organisational mayhem. 'At the moment, half the charm of Edinburgh is its chaos, but that's only half the charm,' he said. He urged organisers to 'think of a way of really coordinating events a bit more than we do, so we can practically deal with stuff that is a little impractical at the moment. "It's just not good enough, quite frankly. "Bugger the art — I'm really worried about bringing it all together properly, without chaos or chaoticness.' 3
BBC News
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
'Breaking the Code' play in Northampton a homage to Alan Turing
A play about the life of mathematician and World War Two codebreaker Alan Turing is set to open in the autumn before touring the the Code, based on the book Alan Turing, The Enigma, by Andrew Hodges, opens at the Royal & Derngate Theatre in Northampton in September and examines how society's attitude towards Turing's sexuality changed the course of his Bletchley Park codebreaker was convicted in 1952 of gross indecency with a 19-year-old man and was chemically revival of Hugh Whitemore's play features new material relating to "Turing's law" following his royal pardon in 2013. Turing died in June 1954 from cyanide poisoning and an inquest decided that he had committed suicide. However, biographers, friends and other students of his life dispute the finding and suggest his death was an accident. Turing's work helped accelerate Allied efforts to read German Naval messages enciphered with the Enigma his later life was overshadowed by his conviction and it was almost 60 years before he was pardon was granted under the Royal Prerogative of Mercy after a request by the then-Justice Minister Chris at the time, Grayling said: "Turing deserves to be remembered and recognised for his fantastic contribution to the war effort and his legacy to science. A pardon from the Queen is a fitting tribute to an exceptional man."In 2017, thousands of men convicted under historic homophobic laws were also posthumously pardoned as part of "Turing's law".The law was an the amendment to the Policing and Crimes Bill and meant deceased people who were convicted of sexual acts that were no longer deemed criminal would receive an automatic those living, it also meant that if the Home Office agreed the offence was no longer an offence under current law, they would automatically be pardoned. Mark Edel-Hunt will take the role of Turing in Breaking the Code, which runs at Royal & Derngate from 11 to 27 September before touring to Barnstaple, Oxford, Peterborough, Liverpool and will be directed by Northampton Royal and Derngate's artistic director Jesse Jones and will be part of the theatre's "Made in Northampton" season. Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Northampton Carnival lights up town during return of event
Large crowds cheered as the return of a carnival brought colour, sound and plenty of outfits and performers marked Northampton Carnival by setting off from the Racecourse Park at 14:00 BST on them was artist Sarah Terry, who said the atmosphere was "absolutely incredible".Participants were encouraged to follow the Earth, Wind, Fire and Water theme as they lit up the town. The carnival was popular from the 1960s until the late 1990s, when it stopped running until being reimagined in 2005. Ms Terry said she spent weeks making costumes for the latest event."You've got to be glittery, you've got to be colourful - it's all about big and bold and making a huge statement," she told BBC Radio Northampton during its live Pitt, from art group Donna Fox Associates, also helped to create some added: "I've loved carnival since I was a little girl."The day ran between 12:00 and 19:30 at the Racecourse Park, offering food, crafts, entertainment and various stalls. People joining the parade headed down Kettering Road and through the town centre, returning to the park via Wellingborough the displays were a group representing the Royal and Derngate Theatre, which commemorated the Great Fire of Northampton in who was part of the team, said he wanted to prove the town had an impressive history."I feel like Northampton gets a lot of hate and a lot of stick," he said. "But it's a brilliant town that has risen from the ashes." Nikki Rogers was there to represent Old Northamptonians rugby hoped the town hosting eight of the Women's Rugby World Cup games would inspire young girls."It is our year and we're shouting loud and proud," Ms Rogers said. Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
