Latest news with #TheatrClwyd
Metro
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Sue Cleaver lands new role days after Coronation Street exit
Coronation Street legend Sue Cleaver may have only just left her role as Eileen Grimshaw on the cobbles, but already she has her next job lined up. Eileen left Weatherfield for a new life in Thailand during Friday's episode of the ITV soap, after confessing that she had fallen out of love with George Shuttleworth (Tony Maudsley). Having been given the chance to invest in son Jason Grimshaw's bar, Eileen decided to make her trip to Thailand permanent. Sue announced her exit earlier this year, explaining that she wanted to try new things. 'The door is still firmly open, but as I reached my 60th year, I decided it was time to embrace change, look for new adventures, and live fearlessly,' Sue said. Now, she is doing just that as she joins the cast of Snake in the Grass at the Theatr Clwyd and Octagon Theatre Bolton. She is set to star alongside Nicola Stephenson and Lisa Zahra when the production hits the stage this autumn. Sue spent 25 years on Coronation Street, and previously revealed that she was 'privileged' to have done so. More Trending Talking to Metro at the British Soap Awards, Sue's co-star Gareth Pierce, who plays on-screen son Todd Grimshaw, opened up about her departure. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 'It's so sad,' he told me. 'Sue's amazing and she really welcomed me in, as well. I screen-tested with Sue as well as with Dan Brocklebank and Peter Ash when I was coming in and that was probably one of the things that got me the job was that they both treated it as we were just filming those scenes by that stage. 'I was so lucky that Sue was so generous that we fell into the mother/son dynamic very easily. That's testament to her as much as anything that I did. View More » 'We're hugely going to miss Sue. She's brilliant. Eileen is such an iconic character. But I think she's also a brilliantly equipped actress to see what else is out there. I think it's been a burning desire of Sue's for a while. I think she'll be brilliant in whatever she does.' MORE: Neighbours boss confirms if Kylie and Jason will return in 'very different' second finale MORE: Coronation Street star welcomes second child in adorable post MORE: Inside Sue Cleaver's life with ITV colleague husband as Coronation Street exit nears
North Wales Live
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- North Wales Live
How Theatr Clwyd has relaunched with triumphant Tick, Tick...Boom! musical following £50m revamp
Theatr Clwyd in Mold has been undergoing a multi-million pound revamp which has lasted three years. ReachPLC editor Michael Green recently paid a visit to the popular Flintshire to take in its relaunch and to see how it is shaping up. Theatr Clwyd is back with a bang - or more accurately with a Tick, After three years and a £50m revamp, during which the celebrated Mold cultural centre has defiantly struggled through with a temporary theatre and even a Big Top, it was a pleasure to walk through the doors of the newly unveiled glass dominated frontage overlooking the North Wales landscape, reports Cheshire Live. As someone who went through the doors of the former building countless times in preceding decades, it was quite disorientating to find the magnificently spacious new interior looking completely unrecognisable with impressively vast areas set aside for eating, drinking or simply chilling out. Overall, the extensive project is still some way away from completion with such vital components as the cinema and the main restaurant falling under the banner of 'Coming Soon'. But I am delighted to report that the main auditorium - formerly known as the Anthony Hopkins Theatre - may have also been refurbished but has otherwise hardly changed at all, about which I am overjoyed because it has always been one of my favourite performance spaces. And my many, many wonderful memories of attending unforgettable productions here - whether it was one of their legendary rock 'n' roll pantos or some of the best Shakespeare I have ever seen during the days of the late, lamented Terry Hands - have instantly been added to by an opening production of Jonathan Larson's autobiographical musical so absolutely flawless and perfectly performed that it had me in tears on at least two occasions. It might seem an unusual choice as the relaunch show for a flagship Welsh venue, whisking its audiences off to New York in 1990 to watch a struggling young composer desperately trying to earn his big break while also coming to terms with the fact he is about to turn 30, especially as artistic director Kate Wasserberg has also decided to direct this herself. As it turns out, the choice is utterly inspired because I guarantee in no uncertain terms that every single person - and I mean: every. single. person. - is going to emerge from this show raving about it and the venue in which it was seen every bit as much as I am about to! If your only previous exposure to this piece of work (which I consider to be Larson's masterpiece rather than the better known Rent) has been the terrific 2021 film version starring Andrew Garfield and directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda then the first thing that may surprise you is to find there is a cast of only three but it is worth bearing in mind that in its original form, Larson would perform this solo (prior to his tragically untimely death in 1996 at the age of 35). But my goodness what a cast of three we have to behold! Ryan Owen is the central character of Jon with co-stars Christina Modestou and Tarik Frimpong primarily playing girlfriend Susan and best friend Michael respectively but also delightfully cropping up in a variety of additional supporting roles. Owen is a relentless bundle of energy as he narrates Jon's story, skilfully showing us the fragile ego, nihilistic despair and brittle optimism of the creative mind which is at its sharpest when he is offered the very real chance of economic and domestic security and rejects them in favour of the misery of the tortuous pursuit of his artistic dream. Frimpong as Michael is the other side of Jon's coin - a talented former actor who turned his back on such dreams for the financial rewards of a corporate lifestyle only to have tragedy strike in the cruellest of ways, something which Frimpong handles with heartbreaking sensitivity while also occasionally transforming himself into Jon's ageing father. Meanwhile, Modestou is unfailingly warm and appealing as Susan but also glamorously tempting as singer Karessa while demonstrating her exceptional versatility as the hilariously over the top New Yorker agent Rosa Stevens. When performing the musical numbers (aided by a brilliant live band suspended on a balcony above the action throughout), they are all breathtaking as soloists but their harmonies as a threesome are so perfect and natural you would be forgiven for thinking they have been singing together their whole lives. Every one of the songs is performed magnificently but I have to single out the ingenious staging of the duet between Owen and Modestou that is Therapy, choreographed and executed with such invention and expert timing. And then there is Come To Your Senses, one of my favourite songs in the whole of musical theatre and unlike Therapy, staged with beautifully judged simplicity as Christina Modestou stands in front of a mic stand and just belts it out with such power and passion that this proved to be the first occasion of the evening when tears were brought to my eyes. The other occasion came when the three of them teamed up for the extraordinary final song Louder Than Words which ended with the show's title being lowered from the rafters as a giant neon sign which was the signal for everyone in the audience to rightly rise to their feet to give these performers a well deserved standing ovation. The production is presented without an interval which is another inspired decision as this is a show which holds you spellbound from start to finish. In fact, I just did not want it to end and would have been perfectly happy if they had just started all over again! If this was being staged in the West End, I am confident it would run for years but as it is, you only have until June 28 to see it and tickets are selling extremely fast. Mind you, I am seriously considering starting a social media campaign demanding the run be extended and have every intention of going to see it again before it disappears!
Leader Live
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Leader Live
Sue Cleaver role in Alan Ayckbourn's Snake In The Grass
Sue Cleaver, most recognisable for her role as Eileen Grimshaw in Coronation Street, will be joining the cast of a show at Theatr Clwyd in Mold. Theatr Clwyd and Octagon Theatre Bolton have announced the cast of their autumn headline production, Alan Ayckbourn's Snake In The Grass. Sue is known for her role on the iconic ITV show's cobbled streets since 1994, as well as appearing on Loose Women and I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, and in the UK tour of Sister Act. Read more: She is joined by Nicola Stephenson whose stage credits include Our Country's Good (Lyric Hammersmith), Mumsie (Hull Truck) and The Empress (RSC) and who has been seen on television in Maternal (ITV), Father Brown (BBC) and The Long Shadow (ITV). Completing the cast is Lisa Zahra, who returns to Theatr Clwyd after appearing in 2021's stage play and screen adaptation of Tim Price's Isla. Her stage credits also include Odyssey 84 (Sherman Theatre), Baba Joon (The Other Room/GrandAmbition) and Grenfell (National Theatre). The production will be directed by Francesca Goodridge, who returns following the success of her 2024 show, Rope. Snake In The Grass runs at Theatr Clwyd from September 15 to October 4, before transferring to the Octagon Theatre Bolton, from October 9-25. Tickets available from and
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Tick, tick … Boom! review – a triumphant shout for theatrical ambition
How do you relaunch a cherished theatre? Theatr Clwyd's bold redevelopment continues, but the main auditorium and light-filled foyers are already open (the stunning views from this theatre on a hill have never gone away). Kate Wasserberg, for her first production as artistic director, picks Jonathan Larson's memoir musical: a show that refuses to apologise for the urgent necessity of making art. It's New York in 1990: the city of scuzzy apartments and fragile hopes that Larson would immortalise in Rent. Jonathan is living on a hustle and a dream, desperate to compose a Broadway show. As he turns 30, his unrealised ambition is all-consuming; he's too tangled up in frets and feelings to be properly present for his girlfriend, Susan, and best friend, Michael. Time is flying, everything is dying. A revolve neatly suggests Jonathan's fear that he can't set his own pace – life is going too fast, his career too slowly. This 'pre-midlife crisis' could seem frivolous, but the heartbreak, the anxiety over health and money all feel real, especially in Wasserberg's production, which is tender with the characters. Larson performed this as a solo; it was itself redeveloped after his death in 1996. His heady score is richly varied, from introspective ballad to guitar-hero antics, from zippy vaudeville to shimmering Sondheim homage. All arrive with gusto from the balcony band and tireless cast. Ryan Owen gives Jonathan restless fingers, taut smiles and a resonant sob of a voice. He bounces feelingly off Tarik Frimpong's twisty, animated Michael and Christina Modestou's terrific Susan, a performance of ample wit and warmth. This is also a soft launch for technical bells and whistles. Katy Morison's lighting shifts from chill to flare (with a last neon flourish). Amy Jane Cook's set design inserts evocative sections of rooms and roofs, and is as multitasking as the actors: a diner bar spins to become a BMW. With posters for Hair and Merrily We Roll Along on Jonathan's wall, this show is a theatre kid's apotheosis. It's also a statement of intent. Making art, like opening a theatre, is a leap of faith. Theatr Clwyd lands triumphantly. At Theatr Clwyd, Mold, until 28 June
Leader Live
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Leader Live
Theatr Clwyd: Phylip Harries returns as panto dame
Phylip, a firm favourite with audiences, will be taking the role of Dame in Cinderella (22 Nov - 17 Jan) at the newly redeveloped Theatr Clwyd in Mold. Mother Goose (Image: Andrew AB) Phylip Harries was nominated as Best Dame at this year's UK Panto Awards for his outstanding performance in 2024's Mother Goose, which received an impressive six nominations. Sleeping Beauty (Image: Andrew AB) His energy and charm winning the hearts of audiences young and old, and confirming him as a true star of the panto world. Phylip Harries expressed his excitement about returning to Theatr Clwyd, saying: "Hiya! I am thrilled to be returning to my second home once again this Christmas. "I can barely contain my excitement at the prospect of playing Dame in the new fully opened, all bells and whistles, Theatr Clwyd. MOST READ "I've never played Dame in Cinderella before, and I can't wait to bring a fresh twist to this classic tale. Cinderella at Theatr Clwyd promises to be a fun-filled, high-energy production that will have audiences singing and dancing in their seats. With Phylip Harries leading the cast, this year's show is sure to be a hit with panto fans of all ages.
