We’ve had an amazing start to 2023 here at Sheffield Theatres!
Chris Bush and Richard Hawley’s Standing at the Sky’s Edge ended its Sheffield run in January, having had such a great reception from audiences in the city, the show went on to the National Theatre to delight London audiences. As glowing reviews poured in, the production received an incredible eight Olivier Award nominations. Here’s just some of the praise for the production:
"a terrific blend of power and heart" - iNews
"spine-tingling and sentimental love song to the steel city" - The Guardian
"Seizes your heart and squeezes it tight" - The Stage
"Shout it from the highest tower block, this is the musical to see now." - British Theatre.com
And it is not just a Crucible production that has caught the eye of award panels. Jack and The Beanstalk, our co-production with Evolution Pantomimes which entertained Lyceum audiences over Christmas, has been nominated for two awards at the UK Pantomime Association Awards, including Best Pantomime (over 900 seats). We will have our fingers firmly crossed for both productions when the winners are announced in April.
At the beginning of 2023, we were excited to welcome audiences to our co-production with Theatre Centre, Birds and Bees. Directed by Rob Watt, "this refreshingly unpatronising portrayal of young people" (The Stage) has since gone on to tour theatres and schools across the UK. In March, Eve Leigh’s red hot Wildfire Road received its UK premiere in the Playhouse, thrilling audiences with “flawlessly delivered” (The Stage) performances. Whilst the following week, we opened The Good Person of Szechwan on the Crucible stage.
Coproduced with ETT and Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, the production had been highlighted as a Best Theatre Pick for 2023 by The Guardian, Daily Telegraph and The Times – an expectation which was met with audiences praising the playfulness and energy of the performers, whilst reviews called it “bold” (The Guardian), “sparky” (The Times), and “relentlessly inventive” (The Telegraph).
When The Good Person of Szechwan transfers to the Lyric Hammersmith in April, it will follow the critically acclaimed Accidental Death of an Anarchist, which delighted Sheffield audiences when it premiered in September 2022. The “wickedly funny” (Time Out) adaptation opened in London earlier this month following an incredibly successful run in the Playhouse. We’re so delighted that it continues to entertain audiences with its biting satire and ruthless energy.
Finally, another hugely well-loved production from our theatres that continues to wow audiences is Life of Pi. Having premiered in the Crucible in 2019, Life of Pi went on to win five Olivier awards last year, has been hailed a “theatrical phenomenon” (The Telegraph), and will officially open on Broadway on 30 March, before starting its first tour of UK and Ireland back home in Sheffield at the end of August.
With all of these incredibly exciting events taking place already, we are looking forward to the rest of what is set to be a thrilling year for our stages. Extraordinary demand has already extended the summer run of Sheffield Theatres’ newly reimagined production of Miss Saigon, and two more world premieres will be made in the Playhouse when, with Utopia Theatre, we present an adaptation of Atinuke’s Anna Hibiscus’ Song in July, and Doncaster writer Hannah Morley’s debut play We Could All Be Perfect opens in September.
Thank you to everyone who has been a part of an incredible year so far!
