The Mike Leigh stage play that is one of his most scathing and extreme works, aptly described by one commentator as a "cocktail party from hell!" Formidable hostess Beverly and her stressed estate agent husband Laurence are entertaining new neighbours Tony and Angie, as well as Susan, whose daughter Abigail is having a wild teenage party down the road.
Lawrence wants a night of culture, Angie wants another G & T and Beverly wants Tony. Susan just wants to know her house is still standing!
The evening's initial good-will, clichés and fatuous small talk only serve to create a rising tension which finally snaps with a dramatic denouement. You should come prepared to squirm along with the host, hostess, and guests!
Dennis Potter’s evocative play about the dramas of childhood in the Second World War is wonderfully suited to outdoor performance. Originally performed in 1979, with a cast that included a young Dame Helen Mirren, Blue Remembered Hills revolves around a summer’s afternoon in wartime Gloucestershire, and follows seven children as they play in the Forest of Dean. The central twist being that instead of using child-actors, Potter stipulated that all the children should be played by adults. To set the mood for this production we usually start the show with a short set from our Andrews Sisters esque vocal group The Harmony Belles who sing songs from the period.
‘A wonderful performance of this great play that captivated my students and, with the help of a good quality workshop, massively improved their understanding of the play.’
Steve Hopwood, Head of Drama Chesterfield School Crosby
Bouncers explores the lives, loves, and losses of four bouncers in an eighties night-club. All the eighties stereotypes are here: the college rugger-bugger from St Lukes, the pina-colada-swigging tarts who carry their brains around in their handbags; the local lads out on the piss and ready to pull anyone by the end of the night, and pogo hopping punk-hippies hung over from the Sixties.
Bouncers by John Godber was thirty years old in 2007. Set in a nightclub it stands the test of time and is as relevent now as it was then.
This is a new show for 2010! After the great fun we have had working on The Twits we decided that we wanted to tackle another fabulous story by Roald Dahl. The Fantastic Mr Fox tells the story of one fearless fox and his clashes with Boggis, Bunce and Bean (one fat, one short, one lean) three greedy farmers and the lengths they go to try and stop him. This new production will be jam packed full of fun, great music, audience participation and laughter.
‘The flair, enthusiasm, and professionalism of the Gambolling Arena Theatre Company is electric!’
Wyre Borough Council
"No I regret nothing….neither the good nor the bad. It's all the same for me"
Over the years there has been much speculation surrounding the relationship between Edith Piaf and Marlene Dietrich, but little exploration of the complex and rewarding friendship which linked their lives. ‘I Wish You Love’ seeks to rectify this by combining first time writer Sarah Hymas’s poetic style with the superlative songs of the two legends, to create an intimate portrait of their lives, loves and tribulations through their touching camaraderie.
Marlene Dietrich and Edith Piaf were both icons; one of the stage, one of the screen, who with their sublime talent and unwillingness to conform created some of the most striking images of the twentieth century. Piaf and Dietrich are constantly referenced in popular culture (we’ve all seen the Specsavers advert!). While they were mega stars and to an extent ‘divas’, they experienced their lives as fully as anyone – perhaps with more than their fair share of pain. And, in the end, it is this suffering and inner conflict that made their songs such as ‘La Vie en Rose’, ‘No Regrets’, ‘Lili Marleen’ and ‘Falling in Love Again’ so genuinely moving and have helped them withstand the test of time.
‘I Wish You Love’ marks a new chapter in the life of North West Theatre Company Gambolling Arena, who conclude a decade of acclaimed performances across Europe with their first foray into new writing. Like most new pieces the journey from idea to conception has been a long one, however, the end result highlights Gambolling Arena’s collaborative ethos and commitment to fresh, high quality theatre.
Gambolling Arena bring Jacques Brel’s songs to life in their fresh interpretation of this hugely successful Off-Broadway show. Brel became the “Voice of Paris” during the 1950s and 1960s writing over 300 songs. He is viewed as one of the 20th century’s most talented singer-songwriters and is widely acknowledged as the inspiration for musicians such as David Bowie, Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen. Brel’s blend of the highly personal and the delicately subversive won him many devoted admirers, with songs being covered by artists such as Scott Walker, Nina Simone and Marc Almond! Eschewing conventional narrative the show highlights Brel’s astonishing song writing breadth; from the vitriolic anti-war accusations of ‘Sons of’ to the achingly real ‘The Desperate Ones’. Brel protests without preaching, speaks of tragedy without sinking to despair and offers insight without shunning emotion.
‘A Brel-liant show!’ - Southport Visiter
‘A Life Changing Experience’ - Spencer Leigh, BBC Radio Merseyside
‘An absolute MUST SEE! Beg, borrow or steal a ticket!’ - Eva Datta, The Cheesegrater
Paul Sheldon, author of a best-selling series of historical romances, wakes up one winter day in a strange place, a secluded farmhouse in Colorado. He wakes up to unspeakable pain (a dislocated pelvis, a crushed knee, two shattered legs) and to a bizarre greeting from the woman who has saved his life: "I'm your number one fan!"
He hates her, he fears her, he wants to kill her; but all the same he needs her power. Annie Wilkes literally breathes life into him.
Because she wants Paul Sheldon to be a Do-Bee, she buys him a typewriter and a ream of paper and tells him to bring Misery back to life. Wheelchair-bound, drug-dependent, locked in his room, Paul doesn't have much choice. He's an entertainer held captive by his audience. A writer in serious trouble. But writers have weapons too...
Gambolling Arena invite you to enter the world of Nicky, Adele, Carol and Mel four waitresses in a busy cocktail bar as they live out their lives against a backdrop of rude customers, posy cocktails and salted peanuts. ‘We stand and serve, we grin and smile, we serve to please, and all the while we do, we burn up deep inside with all the pain we’re meant to hide.’ John Godber’s bittersweet and deliciously amusing play has been a massive hit for Gambolling Arena and has toured the UK and Europe to great acclaim.
This extravaganza is packed full of all the wonderful moments from the original book, and anybody not familiar with the story will be hard pressed not to be entertained by the mischievous Mugglewumps, the nebulous Narrator, raucous Roly poly bird and, of course, the terrible Twits themselves. The show is a marvellous mix of singing, dancing, theatre, slapstick and audience participation that vividly brings to life two of Roald Dahl’s most wonderfully repulsive characters...Mr & Mrs Twit! This production has toured to great acclaim across Sefton and the Wyre Valley.
‘Twits about Roald Dahl? So are the Gambling Arena Theatre Company! The award winning Wyre Estuary Country Park was proud to host the Gambolling Arena Theatre Company's production of Roald Dahl - The Twits in 2009. Amazing, astounding, brilliant. This was just some of the feedback received from the captivated audience, of all age ranges, who enjoyed the company of Mr and Mrs Twit!’
Wyre Borough Council
Gambolling Arena's revamped production of their acclaimed version of Eve Ensler’s unforgettable Vagina Monologues. Following in the footsteps of some of the world’s most talented and famous women, from Kate Winslet to Whoopie Goldberg, a cast of four local actors bring to life this hilariously witty and moving collection of tales. Now in its eleventh year, the award winning Vagina Monologues, has been performed in 120 countries and raised (through its sister charity V-Day) over £25 million in its quest to stop violence against women. As sharp as Sex and the City, as unmissable as Friends and as funny as Smack the Pony, this riotous evening is the ultimate girls’ night out!
‘Feminist without being man-hating, entertaining without being trite, and political without being earnest' - Evening Standard
‘Laugh-out-loud funny and deeply poignant’ - Independent
