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Preview by Jack Foley
OUTSPOKEN comedian, Ruby Wax, is to star in the West End as Roald
Dahl's terrifyingly repulsive Grand High Witch in a strictly limited
five-week West End season of The
Witches, at Wyndham's Theatre, from March 3 until April
2, 2005.
Featuring superb illusions by Paul Kieve, who created magic
effects for Harry
Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and who is personal magic
tutor to Harry Potter star, Daniel Radcliffe, this thrilling stage
production, based on the award-winning children's classic, heralds
a major celebration of Dahl's work, with Tim Burton's $42million
version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, starring Johnny
Depp, due for release in early 2005.
The Witches follows the adventures of a seven-year-old
boy and his somewhat-magical grandmother, as they battle with
real-life witches, led by the most powerful villainess of them
all - the Grand High Witch.
Plotting to get rid of all the children in England, she has
a hideous plan to take over all the sweet shops, poison the children
with chocolate and transform them into mice! The production is
suitable for children aged seven and above.
One of the most colourful and outspoken personalities on television,
Ruby Wax has won the hearts of the British public as a loud-mouthed
American who asks celebrities the sort of questions we wouldn't
dare!
She is best-known for her chat show, Ruby, Hot Wax and Ruby Wax
Meets..., a series of probing interviews with the rich and famous,
including the Duchess of
York (who she famously locked out of her own home), Imelda Marcos,
Roseanne Barr and Liza Minnelli and David Guest.
As a stage actress, Ruby performed with the Royal Shakespeare
Company and in her own solo West End show, Wax Acts,
directed by Alan Rickman.
She has just finished work on the feature film, Tara Road, in
Africa.
Dilys Laye plays the grandmother. In a long and distinguished
career, she spent several seasons with the Royal Shakespeare Company,
including playing a witch in Adrian Noble's Macbeth).
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She has appeared in the West End
in My Fair Lady and The Secret Garden; Into
The Woods and Nine at the Donmar Warehouse, and
on Broadway in the original cast of The Boyfriend.
The cast also includes Giles Cooper, Isabel Ford, Chris Hawley,
James Hirst, Peter Holdway, Katerina Jugati, Camilla Mathias,
Keith Saha and Catherine
Skinner.
It is designed by Simon Higlett, with lighting by Mark Jonathan
and choreography by Jenny Arnold. The composer will be Matthew
Scott.
A 17-date UK tour of The Witches opens on Monday, Januay
17, 2005 at Richmond Theatre and runs to June 26, 2005 - but please
note, Ruby Wax only appears in the West End engagement.
2005 tour schedule (London regions only)
Richmond Theatre: Wednesday, January 19 - Sunday, January
23
Wedesday & Thursday: 10.30am, 1.30pm, 7pm
Friday: 7pm
Saturday: 10.30am, 2.30pm
Sunday: 1.30pm, 5.30pm
Wyndham's Theatre, London: Thursday, March 3 - Saturday,
April 2
Thursday, March 3 - Saturday, April 2
Thu 3rd March: 7pm
Fri 4th March: 2pm, 7pm
Saturday 5th March: 2pm, 7pm
Sunday 6th March: 2pm
Tuesday 8th March: 10.30am, 1.30pm
Wednesday 9th March: 1.30pm, 7pm
Thursday 10th March: 10.30am, 1.30pm
Friday 11th March: 7pm
Saturday 12th March: 2pm, 7pm
Sunday 13th March 2pm
Tuesday 15th March: 2pm, 7pm
Wednesday 16th March: 2pm, 7pm
Thursday 17th March: 2pm, 7pm
Friday 18th March: 2pm, 7pm
Saturday 19th March: 2pm, 7pm
Sunday 20th March: 2pm
Tuesday 22nd March: 2pm, 7pm
Wednesday 23rd March: 2pm, 7pm
Thursday 24th March: 2pm, 7pm
Friday 25th March: 2pm, 7pm
Saturday 26th March: 2pm, 7pm
Tuesday 29th March: 2pm, 7pm
Wednesday 30th March: 2pm, 7pm
Thursday 31st March: 2pm, 7pm
Friday 1st April: 2pm, 7pm
Saturday 2nd April: 2pm, 7pm
New Wimbledon Theatre: Wednesday, April 20 - Sunday,
April 24
Wedesday 1.30pm, 7pm
Thursday: 10.30am, 1.30pm, 7pm
Friday: 7pm
Saturday: 2.30pm, 7pm
Sunday: 1.30pm, 5.00pm
Churchill Theatre, Bromley: Tuesday, June 21 - Sunday,
June 26
Tuesday: TBA
Wednesday: TBA
Thursday: TBA
Friday: TBA
Saturday: TBA
Sunday: TBA
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