Victoria opened in Gareth on Wednesday and Garry has the first performance of Ballroom tonight – we wish them both well with their respective shows.

Victoria Porter is currently rehearsing Gareth at the Wightman Theatre in Shrewsbury, and Garry Freer is rehearsing Ballroom at the Waterloo East Theatre in London.

Gareth is written by Shropshire playwright Joan Shirley and is the second production in The Wightman professional theatre season. Gareth is a 50 year old Welsh psychiatrist and Victoria plays his wife, Lucy. It will run from the 10th to the 20th of May (inclusive) with matinee performances on the 12th, 13th, 18th, 19th and 20th. Click here for more information

Ballroom is a 1970’s musical by Jerome Kass with music by Billy Goldenberg and lyrics by Alan & Marilyn Bergman, featuring the classic Broadway song ‘Fifty Percent’. It stars Jessica Martin, and Garry plays Johnny, one of the ballroom regulars. It will run from 12th May to 4th June with performances Tues to Sat at 7.30pm and matinees Sun at 4pm (no performance Tues May 16). Click here for more information

We wish them both well, and are looking forward to two opening nights!

Victoria Porter plays Karen in ‘Gazing at a Distant Star’ which is opening the spring season in the new Greenwich Studio Theatre tonight. Written by Sian Rowland, it runs from 13th to 29th January and is a three-hander which deals with the aftermath of people going missing. It’s been developed from the 20 minute monologue ‘Life Sentence’, which Victoria previously performed at the Southwark Playhouse and Bread and Roses Theatre. Following a rehearsed reading in Greenwich in October, it’s directed by Greenwich Theatre’s artistic director, James Haddrell.

For more details head to the Greenwich Theatre website

London Pub Theatres

The jewel in the crown of this excellent night and the best piece of drama I have seen this year is undoubtedly….‘Life Sentence’.  Victoria Porter is perfectly cast….a performance of startling intensity and grace from Porter, eschewing empty histrionics; understated, observational drama at its very best….  Every breath, every twitch of the superb Porter is imbued with humanity and humour.  The message is delivered without compromise as we’re showed the personal cost of loss to a strong and desperate mum….delivers a political message like a punch in the gut.

Carns Theatre Passion
….evening stealer….this exquisitely written, superbly acted piece took you by the guts and wrenched you from your seat.

Female Arts
….the high point of the evening….Porter’s performance as the perplexed mother totally sells the play.

Congratulations to Cathryn Sherman on her successful run of Road Show – the show proved extremely popular with many performances completely full. Cathryn really enjoyed the challenge of singing Stephen Sondheim’s work and hopes to have the opportunity to do so again.

Cathryn Sherman is playing Mama Meisner in the first UK revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Road Show directed by Phil Willmott, which is at the Union Theatre until 5th March – for more details see their website:

http://www.uniontheatre.biz/road-show/4591191795

Tickets are selling fast, with some performances already sold out.