- February 2020
Philadelphia, Here I Come! centres around Gareth (Gar) O'Donnell's move to America, specifically Philadelphia. The play takes place on the night before and morning of Gar's departure to America. Gar is portrayed by two characters, Gar Public ("the Gar that people see, talk to, talk about") and Gar Private ("the unseen man, the man within, the conscience"). Gareth lives with his father, S. B. O'Donnell ("a responsible, respectable citizen") with whom he has never connected. Gar works for his father in his shop and their relationship is no different from that of Boss and Employee. Private makes fun of S.B. calling him "Screwballs" and parodying his nightly routine as a fashion show.
- February 2020
ADC Lateshow Week 3
Cambridge's comedy scene asks the question we're all dying to know the answer to: "What's wrong with me?" Join us as doctors (or at least comedians playing doctors) try to diagnose the ills of the world and provide the best medicine of all, laughter, in large doses that push the legal limit.
- January–February 2020
"In fact, this is my soul leaking over the floor here, soot itself. I'm going to scoop handfuls up and spread it over you. Your head, you see, was the match head to this."
In a neglected Northern town, desperately missing her dead father, Little Voice spends her time locked in her bedroom, listening to his old record collection.
Meanwhile, downstairs, her mother Mari is on the rampage-she’s after booze, a man, a greasy breakfast, and a working phoneline.
Away from the chaos, Little Voice learns to perfect astonishing impersonations of famous divas including Shirley Bassey, Marilyn Monroe and Judy Garland.
When Mari starts dating small-time club agent Ray Say, she thinks he's her last chance for a better life. When Ray Say hears Little Voice sing, he thinks she's his ticket to the big time.
Little Voice just wants a normal life and to be loved.
Not everyone is going to get what they want.
Funny, brutal, beautiful and sad, Jim Cartwright’s timeless and ultimately uplifting tale is a comic tragedy about finding your voice in a noisy world.
- November 2019
"But you've asked a simple question, and I've told you why. It wasn't on a dare or on a whim. It's hard to comprehend now that the reason why, was simply that I went along with him."
Relationships can be murder. In 1924, two wealthy Chicago University students abducted and murdered a young boy for no reason other than wanting to carry out ‘the perfect crime’. Thirty-four years later, the true motives were revealed. Stephen Dolginoff’s one-act musical brings real-life thrill killers and homosexual lovers Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb to centre stage. It focuses on their dysfunctional romantic relationship, and how it eventually led to their imprisonment for ‘the crime of the century’. With a fast-paced narrative and captivating score, Thrill Me tells a story of obsession, sex and misguided philosophy.
- November 2019
Newly set in 2019, Funny Girl follows the story of Fanny Brice, talented and irrepressible but incapable of succeeding as a woman in traditional showbiz because she doesn't fit the mould of the all-American beauty queen. The show charts her meteoric rise through comedy instead and her turbulent marriage to Nicky, who struggles to cope with his wife's successes. Featuring such hit songs as "People", "The Music that Makes Me Dance" and of course "Don't Rain on my Parade", Funny Girl is not to be missed!
- November 2019
"It is madness in all women to let a secret love kindle within them, which, if unreturned and unknown, must devour the life that feeds it."
A bold and theatrically inventive adaptation of the literary classic that succeeds as both a wise distillation of the novel and a thrilling piece of theatre in its own right.
As a child, the orphaned Jane Eyre is taught by a succession of severe guardians to stifle her natural exuberance. A part of herself is locked away, out of view of polite society... Until she arrives at Mr Rochester's house as a governess to his young ward. Soon, Rochester's passionate nature reawakens Jane's hidden self, but darker secrets are lurking in the attic...
- October 2019
What is there beyond hope?
In the sitting room of a dishevelled flat in post-war London, Hester Collyer is found by her neighbours in the aftermath of a failed suicide attempt. Slowly, the story of her tempestuous affair with an alcoholic RAF pilot and the breakdown of her marriage to a High Court judge begins to unravel. With it comes a portrait of a woman steeped in need, loneliness, and a long-repressed passion.
Terence Rattigan’s masterpiece and one of the greatest tragedies of the twentieth century, The Deep Blue Sea offers a close and unflinching look at the fragile veneer of social repression and the brutal sense of loss and longing that lingers just beneath.
- May 2019
“Since the disaster we’ve all kind of… forgotten about ourselves. You know, the way we look? And some of us thought it would be a nice idea to have someone like you to come along and give us a talk on beauty tips - a demonstration - that’s all.”
Set eight months after the Aberfan Disaster, 'The Revlon Girl' tells the true story of a group of bereaved mothers who met every week above a local hotel to talk, cry and laugh without feeling guilty.
Feeling like they’ve let themselves go, and fearing that other people might think them frivolous, they secretly arrange for a Revlon representative to give a talk on beauty tips.
After an acclaimed, ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑-reviewed run at Brickhouse Theatre, the original team brings this delicate and profound story of loss, compassion, and carrying on to the ADC stage.
⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑
https://thetab.com/uk/cambridge/2019/05/08/review-the-revlon-girl-124340
⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑
https://www.tcs.cam.ac.uk/review-revlon-girl/
⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑
https://www.varsity.co.uk/theatre/17492
- February–March 2019
Violet is a young woman on a journey. Her facial disfigurement, caused by an accident involving her father's axe, and his subsequent effort to protect Violet from the outside world's cruelty, has caused her to shut herself away from everyone. But on September 4th, 1964, inspired by the promises of an evangelical preacher through a television screen, Violet gets on a Greyhound bus, and she is on her way. During her travels she meets new faces and stories, all the while experiencing flashbacks of her late father.
Violet, based on the short story 'The Ugliest Pilgrim', is a story of transitions, difference and acceptance. As Violet is brought into the light she must stand on her own, facing her peers, and her own image head-on. Jeanine Tesori's heartfelt score and Brian Crawley's script combine to create a coming-of-age story that is so much more than just skin deep.
- February 2019
“Since the disaster we’ve all kind of… forgotten about ourselves. You know, the way we look? And some of us thought it would be a nice idea to have someone like you to come along and give us a talk on beauty tips - a demonstration - that’s all. But the thing is - given what’s happened - some people might think it’s wrong for us to worry about the way we look. They might think it’s stupid.”
Set eight months after the Aberfan Disaster, 'The Revlon Girl' tells the true story of a group of bereaved mothers who met every week above a local hotel to talk, cry and laugh without feeling guilty. At one of their meetings, the women looked at each other and admitted how much they felt they’d let themselves go. So afraid that people would think them frivolous, they secretly arranged for a representative from Revlon to come and give them a talk on beauty tips.
★★★★★ (Varsity)
https://www.varsity.co.uk/theatre/17163
- January–February 2019
'You funny creature! A woman who loves you - a woman you love - fine summer weather. What could be simpler than that?'
Charming, handsome, and with an opinion on everything, once upon a time Platonov seemed bound for greatness. Now he is a simple country schoolteacher and husband to a dutiful yet unimaginative wife. Arriving at the local estate one day for lunch with old friends, he is reunited with Sofya, a beautiful and recently married woman from his university days. Halfway between Hamlet and Don Juan, Platonov is desperate for a bit excitement and can't resist taking advantage of his one true gift: making himself utterly irresistible to women.
Adapted from Chekhov's untitled earliest complete work, Wild Honey is Michael Frayn's romp through the Russian countryside. A blending of the farcical and the tragic, this unique piece captures the combined absurdity and despair at the heart of Chekhov's scenario, creating the world of a gloriously bittersweet summer where none of the rules apply.
- November 2018
Sondheim's blackly comic masterpiece about obsession and revenge is coming to Brickhouse! Combining wickedly sharp lyrics with some of the most sophisticated and beautiful music in the whole of musical theatre gives a show not to be missed.
The play follows the barber Sweeney Todd as he returns to London after 15 years of wrongful incarceration to seek vengeance on the sadistic Judge Turpin who framed him. His quest to avenge his wife, who was stolen and violated by the Judge, and recover his daughter, whom the Judge took as a ward, soon spirals into a murderous campaign against all of humanity. Meanwhile, his eminently practical neighbour Mrs Lovett finds a mysterious new source of meat for her pie shop. "What happens next? Well, that's the play..."
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by Hugh Wheeler
From an Adaptation by Christopher Bond
Originally Directed on Broadway by Harold Prince
Orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick
Originally produced on Broadway by Richard Barr, Charles Woodward, Robert Fryer, Mary Lea Johnson, Martin Richardsin association with Dean and Judy Manos
This amateur production is presented by arrangement with Music Theatre International (Europe)
All authorised performance materials are also supplied by MTI Europe www.mtishows.co.uk
- November 2018
'They're very warm people, really. Very warm. They're my family. They're not ogres.'
When Ted, a professor in philosophy at an American university, brings his wife Ruth to visit the North London home he grew up in, he finds his family still living in the house - Max, his father, Sam, an uncle, and Lenny and Joe, his brothers. From this point of reunion develops a series of disturbing encounters, with Ruth as the beating pulse of the action, in spite of the oppressive all-male environment.
Harold Pinter's classic dark comedy explores issues of masculinity, family, power, and the unknowability of the past, all within the confines of one large room in an old family home. Brought to life in the Robinson Auditorium courtesy of Brickhouse Theatre Company, this production promises brave staging, creative interpretation and, above all, thrilling drama.
- August 2018
A Very Brexit Musical is back and bigger than ever!
A newly qualified journalist gets his first big break writing for the Maily Dail just as the biggest upset in British politics is about to occur. How will he cope with his fearsome editor and the many twists and turns of the referendum campaign? Follow the story of Cavid Dameron’s ill-fated decision to hold a referendum in the first instance, alongside Joris Bohnson’s grasp for power in supporting the leave campaign. Does anyone come out as a winner?
This musical comedy weaves patriotic anthems and political satire to shape the touching interactions of our torn protagonist as he tries to comprehend the mayhem of the campaign. Will he compromise his beliefs in order to further his career?
- February 2018
Synopsis
Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik’s Spring Awakening, charts the coming of age of 11 late 19th century German teenagers, through the medium of folk-infused rock. It deals with a myriad of issues – sex, mental health, death, suicide, sexual and physical abuse and the struggles of being subjected to the parentocracy. This poignant musical, based on the 1891 play by Frank Wedekin, is dark, funny and heart-breaking and explores the blurred lines of adolescence and adulthood, of pain and pleasure, and the stark contrast of conservativeness and progressiveness in the context of 19th century Germany. It is a musical that manages to speak to people of all ages – especially young people - due to the universality and the pertinence of its themes, the complexity of its characters and the haunting beauty of its score.
- February 2018
“But I'm mad, Inspector: certified mad! I'm a sort of amateur performance artist – my fellow performers need to be people who don't realise that they're in my plays.”
The city is in uproar following news of the mysterious death of an anarchist who fell from a window during a police interview – though the word on the street is that he was pushed…
The police force is in panic, the population on the verge of a riot – and who is the mysterious maniac recently arrived at the station? Part buffoon, part angel of justice, he embroils the police in a series of games, ranging from the ridiculously farcical to the deadly serious.
Come and see the fifth annual Italian-language play by the Cambridge Italian Society, a bold production that integrates the Italian and English languages to bring to life Dario Fo’s most daring, explosive and darkly comic masterpiece.
- February 2018
'Prevent couldn’t, pardon the pun, do enough to prevent tragedy. Respect will. And after all, what teacher hasn’t wished that children wouldn’t learn more respect?'
Books are being banned. Students are being sent to specialist behavioral units for reading. Teachers are being forced to stay silent. The world is changing and freedom is the price of safety. When Jessica reads a banned book, her whole life is changed and she realizes the system she is in is designed to oppress her, not protect her.
- November 2017
'This is my rage. This is my love. This is my town. This is my city. This is my life'.
The Tony Award-winning hit rock musical 'American Idiot', which includes every song from Green Day's 'American Idiot' album as well as several songs from the following release '21st Century Breakdown', is coming to Brickhouse!
American Idiot follows three friends - Johnny, Will, and Tunny - as they try to navigate a post 9-11 world. Johnny and Tunny escape to the city, whilst Will stays at home to sort out his relationship with his pregnant girlfriend, Heather. When Johnny is experiencing the freedom of the city, he becomes entangled in a passionate affair with an unpredictable young woman; however, he begins an even more passionate affair with drugs, discovering a part of himself that he begins to hate. Meanwhile, Tunny quickly gives up on life in the city and enlists in the army to be sent to war. This is a hard-hitting show about identity and individualism, and above all, finding something to believe in.
- November 2017
A newly qualified journalist gets his first big break writing for the Maily Dail just as the biggest upset in British politics is about to occur. How will he cope with his fearsome editor and the many twists and turns of the referendum campaign? Follow the story of Cavid Dameron’s ill-fated decision to hold a referendum in the first instance, alongside Joris Bohnson’s grasp for power in supporting the leave campaign. Does anyone come out as a winner?
This musical comedy weaves patriotic anthems and political satire to shape the touching interactions of our torn protagonist as he tries to comprehend the mayhem of the campaign. Will he compromise his beliefs in order to further his career?
- November 2017
“Everyone understands uncertainty. Or thinks he does. No-one understands my trip to Copenhagen.”
September 1941. Nazi occupied Denmark. Two friends meet. One is a German nuclear physicist, Werner Heisenberg; the other, Niels Bohr, a Danish Jew, was once his colleague and mentor. Their meeting is documented, but what was said is lost to history. In a Europe engulfed by war and vying for nuclear armament, questions of personal and national responsibility, politics and physics, ethics and duty strain against each other. In the midst of these inexorable tensions, the motivation of individuals becomes as inscrutable as the quantum particles they study. Years later, in death, Heisenberg meets again with Bohr and his wife, Margrethe, in an attempt to resolve the uncertainty.
- October 2017
Four old school friends – Ella, Cathie, Robyn and Sal – reunite at a bar to reminisce about the good old days. However, Philippa, the fifth member of the group, is noticeably absent; upon discovering her old diary, she decides to do some reminiscing of her own. Over the course of the evening, we rediscover the group’s school days and watch as their friendships become increasingly fractured, as arguments over schoolwork, the pressure to fit in and their complicated love lives tear apart even the closest of friendships. As these arguments work their way into the present day, we are left to wonder – do people ever really change?
'Don't Ever Change' is an original musical written by Elspeth Collard and Rebecca Rebis coming to Brickhouse following its successful Edinburgh run. Reviewed as having 'some really impressive voices and musical talents', with a 'ridiculously catchy (and often deeply moving) musical score', this is not a show to be missed!
- August 2017
Four old school friends – Ella, Cathie, Robyn and Sal – reunite at a bar to reminisce about the good old days. However, Philippa, the fifth member of the group, is noticeably absent; upon discovering her old diary, she decides to do some reminiscing of her own. Over the course of the evening, we rediscover the group’s school days and watch as their friendships become increasingly fractured, as arguments over schoolwork, the pressure to fit in and their complicated love lives tear apart even the closest of friendships. As these arguments work their way into the present day, we are left to wonder – do people ever really change?
A brand new musical about memories, heartbreak, and, above all, friendship.
- June 2017
May Week is a time for laughter and having fun, but why not take a break from that to come to Robinson College for a unique event – Sketch Factor! Small teams of comedians will be performing a repertoire of sketches in desperate need of your validation. There will be ice creams, drinks, judges and prizes, all in the bucolic, melancholic, choleric setting of the open air theatre. Bring sun cream, and we’ll bring you the sunny side of May Week.*
*No guarantee of sun on the day.
- May 2017
Bedroom Farce is a hilarious comedy by legendary British playwright Alan Ayckbourn, set over the course of one night in the bedrooms of three couples: Ernest and Deila, Jan and Nick, and Malcolm and Kate. A fourth couple, Trevor and Susannah are having problems and their presence at Malcolm and Kate's housewarming party is dreaded by all. With Nick stuck in bed, Jan goes alone, but upon seeing Trevor, an old flame, things don't go quite as she planned. Nobody gets much sleep as people end up in and out of each other's bedrooms, in a rib-tickling insight into the private lives of the English.
- March 2017
Join the graduating class of William Ocean High School as they live through their final senior year - as they experience the fun, the heartbreak, the loves and the loneliness of growing up… all set to the biggest hits of the 80’s!
Set in the USA, Back To The 80’s tells the story of 17-year-old Corey, who is madly in love with Tiffany Houston, one of the coolest girls in the school. However, she is too busy mooning over Michael Feldman, the hottest guy around. Michael and his friends are athletic and good-looking - the kind of guys that Corey and his two best friends dream of being. However, while they may not be the coolest guys in school, they are still one up on Feargal McFerrin, who believes the crazy notion that one day CD’s will replace cassette tapes!
The plot follows Class President Elections, the arrival of several new students, and the teachers’ own problematic relationship. Throw in a Star Wars dream sequence, high-energy dance routines, the obligatory 80’s party scene, as well as some of the most popular songs ever written, and the result is a musical that will delights and amuses!
- February 2017
Following rave reviews of its premiere in 2009, at the Royal Court Theatre, Jerusalem’s run was extended and transferred to the Apollo. Jerusalem follows Johnny "Rooster" Byron on St. George’s Day, who besides being a local waster and modern day Pied Piper, is also a wanted man. Council officials want to evict him, his son wants to be taken to the fair, and his rag-tag group of mates wants his ample supply of drugs and alcohol. It’s a play about contemporary life in rural England, described by The Guardian as “unarguably one of the best dramas of the twenty-first century”.
- February 2017
"Heads, heads, heads."
Have you ever wondered if you're not, in fact, the leading role in your own life but, actually, a walk-on part in someone else's tragedy?
It's been a while since Rosencrantz and Guildenstern last saw Hamlet, their old friend from university, and things in Denmark have gotten a little rotten since then. These two minor characters, who watch from the wings as Shakespeare's play unfolds, are thrown centre-stage to make sense of it all in Tom Stoppard's chilling tragicomedy.
- February 2017
Songs for a New World is, according to composer Jason Robert Brown, “about one moment. It’s about hitting the wall and having to make a choice, or take a stand, or turn around and go back.”
With a rousing score that blends elements of pop, gospel and jazz, featuring tight harmonies and darling vocals, Songs for a New World transports its audience from the deck of a spanish sailing ship bound for a new land, to the ledge of a New York penthouse. Characters range from a young man in the Bronx who dreams of becoming a famous basketball player, to a forlorn and neglected Mrs. Claus lamenting as Christmas approaches.
A small but powerful diverse cast and a supercharged, well crafted score appeal to old and new generations alike as each character- in their own way- takes hold of that one moment and enters a new world.
- November 2016
Joseph is coming to Cambridge! Brought to you by Robinson's Brickhouse Theatre Company, Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's hit musical tells the well-known tale of Joseph and his coat of many colours from the Bible’s Book of Genesis. With a humorous blend of musical styles and a range of colourful and lovable characters, 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat' follows the story of a farmer's son whose astonishing dreams of power soon become an unimaginable reality. Featuring a talented youth choir from Stagecoach Cambridge and a fantastic cast, this is not a show to be missed!
- November 2016
Joseph is an insecure and bitter man living through the rise of social media. He is a conformist in every sense, but his friend Clarissa elevates his life from the mundane. As The Connection begins to monopolise all aspects of life, a tragic spiral of events leads Joseph to re-examine his relationship with himself and those around him as he is forced to confront The Connection and the way it has indelibly changed the way we all experience the world. This dystopic production seeks to explore the use of technology in theatre, and how we present its growing influence in our lives on the stage.
- October 2016
Brickhouse Theatre presents the first Robinson comedy night of the year in the college bar - and it's abolutely FREE. Hit up the bar at 9pm to see some of Cambridge's funniest acts over a pint of warm beetroot syrup, or whatever it is you young chappies drink these days.
Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1604315169870393/
- June 2016
Straight from the English set texts comes William Shakespeare's Cymbeline.
Innogen, daughter of King Cymbeline, has displeased her father by marrying Posthumus. In exile, Posthumus proclaims the beauty of his wife to the villainous Iachimo and lays a wager on her fidelity. But Iachimo will stop at nothing to prove that Innogen has been unfaithful – and Posthumus seems implacable in his revenge.
Tickets £3 on the door
- March 2016
The Brickhouse Theatre Company presents Samuel Barber's lush, gothic opera Vanessa. First performed in 1958, this expansive work won Barber the Pulitzer prize, but has since been under-performed. Director Judith Lebiez brings Vanessa to life in its first Cambridge presentation.
In the words of Barber's partner, and librettist, Giancarlo Menotti:
"This is the story of two women, Vanessa and Erika, caught in the central dilemma which faces every human being: whether to fight for one's ideals to the point of shutting oneself off from reality, or compromise with what life has to offer, even lying to oneself for the mere sake of living."
- February 2016
When dreams of power and takeover begin to fill the minds of the Disciples, Judas is quick to express his disdain at Jesus in order to avoid punishment being brought upon himself and The Disciples. Caiaphas, Annas, and others agree that his followers need to be crushed and Jesus must die. This is the epic tale of the seven days leading to Jesus' death on the cross - with music composed by none other than Andrew Lloyd Webber!
You don't want to miss this one!
- November 2015
The Rover is a comedy by Aphra Behn. Basically the 17th Century 'Inbetweeners'. Taking place during carnival time in Naples, English exile Belvile is seeking to reunite with his love Florinda. His friends are looking for women too, often with disastrous consequences. Placed in a modern setting, The Rover explores contemporary issues such as sex, rape culture and gender identity.
Thursday 26th, Friday 27th, Saturday 28th November, 7pm.
Tickets only available on the door, £5 per person.
https://www.facebook.com/events/473687579477163/
- November 2015
GranFM are providing the commentary for the world famous Oxford/Grantchester boatrace, and Amanda is going to make absolutely sure that nothing goes wrong. But their rival radio station OxFM have other ideas...
