I couldn’t go through Monday without saying congratulations to James Corden on his Tony Award.
James picked up Best Actor for his brilliant performance in One Man, Two Guvnors – a worthy win!
He is still playing on Broadway s, if you can, get down to the Music Box Theatre before it’s too late.
Here I am writing yet again about One Man Two Guvnors and its continued meteoric rise to glory. Having taken the UK by storm, the play opened to rave reviews on Broadway with US audiences embracing it with open arms.
The Tony Awards nominations have just been announced for 2012, and One Man Two Guvnors has shouldered its way to the centre of the pack, receiving no less than seven nominations.
These include Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play for James Corden, and Best Direction of a Play for Nicholas Hytner.
The annual Tony’s are the Olivier’s of America, and the Awards are always a much-anticipated night of theatrical glitz and glamour, taking place this year on Sunday 10th June at the Beacon Theatre in the heart of Broadway.
The Awards are considered so important, there will be live television coverage of the event on CBS.
For all us digital fans, there will of course be a webcast streamed from the Tony’s website. I also expect there will be a great deal of Twitter activity from the red carpet arrivals onwards.
And I can’t finish without telling you that the Tony’s are named after a woman. Antoinette Perry (1888-1946), was an actress, stage director and philanthropist who was a founder of the American Theatre Wing which is an organisation dedicated to supporting excellence and education in theatre.
Bet you didn’t know that!
I am very pleased to say that One Man Two Guvnors has opened on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre to rave reviews.
The play, adapted by Richard Bean from The Servant of Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni, and directed by Nicholas Hytner has been an absolutely enormous hit in the UK and is still playing to sell-out audiences in the West End with the second cast featuring Hannah Spearritt.
The original cast, lead by James Corden with fellow UA clients Claire Lams, Fred Ridgeway and Suzie Toase is currently wowing our American friends in New York and the reviews prove that critics and audiences have taken the show to their hearts.
Ben Brantly in the New York Times said: It’s a rich, slow-spreading smile, like butter melting in a skillet over a low flame. And whenever it creeps across James Corden’s face in the splendidly silly “One Man, Two Guvnors,” you know two things for sure: You’re in for trouble, and you’re already hooked. Struggle as you will, there ain’t nothing you can do about it. That smile captures the essence of “One Man, Two Guvnors,” Richard Bean’s inspired adaptation of an 18th-century Italian farce by Carlo Goldoni, directed by Nicholas Hytner. A runaway hit in London, where it originated at the National Theater, “One Man” is, like Mr. Corden’s grin, both satanic and seraphic, dirty-minded and utterly innocent. Letting loose and neutralizing all sorts of demons, it’s ideal escapism for anxious times.
And David Cote in Time Out: This virtuoso banquet of slapstick farce and verbal jousting brings with it a shocking revelation: How starved we were for comedy.
If you are anywhere near New York do try and get a ticket – I PROMISE you won’t regret it.
It’s another opening night tonight for Richard Bean‘s remarkable smash hit comedy One Man Two Guvnors; this time at the Theatre Royal Haymarket.
The original cast (our clients James Corden, Suzie Toase, Fred Ridgeway and Claire Lams) are off to the Music Box Theatre on Broadway (tickets are on sale here), but luckily the show continues in London with a brilliant new cast including UA’s Hannah Spearritt as Pauline Clench.
If you just think S Club 7 and four series of Primeval when I mention Hannah, think again – she is proving a great hit in this new role. Even the Queen has seen her tread the boards when Her Majesty and Prince Phillip turned up unannounced to watch the play a week ago.
Tickets are on sale HERE and if you haven’t already managed to see this wonderful play I suggest you make sure you do before it’s too late. I promise you won’t be disappointed (and that goes for all you lucky New Yorkers too!)
Well the jetlag is starting to kick in, been up since 4am which proved surprisingly productive re thinking about work, but not sure how I’ll be feeling later in my meeting at Diageo with the heads of Global and European Innovation.
Whilst I’ve been away I see that UA clients have been busy winning awards and appearing on stage, screen and radio.
The 2011 British Comedy Awards saw Horrible Histories (starring wonderful Jim Howick) pick up yet another gong, this one for Best Sketch Show. 
Dan Renton Skinner won the award for Comedy Breakthrough Artist. Shooting Stars in which he also appears won Best Comedy Panel Show.
Joe Thomas collected two awards on the evening. Fresh Meat won Best New Comedy Programme and The Inbetweeners won The British Comedy Academy Outstanding Achievement Award.
On stage, James Corden is off the Broadway to wow American audiences in Richard Bean’s hot comedy One Man, Two Guvnors. Fellow cast members Suzie Toase, Claire Lams and Fred Ridgeway are going too. Lucky New York!
And for all you book-lovers, The London Train by Tessa Hadley has been selected for the new Waterstones Book Club launching on Thursday.
Have a look at our home page for more stories – you’ll see that The Iron Lady is awash with UA talent – guess who is playing Carol Thatcher?
It was a big night for UA clients last night at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards.
I’m sure I’ll miss someone out (have a look at our website later on to check) but, Richard Bean won Best Play for two of his creations: The Heretic (Royal Court) and of course, One Man, Two Guvnors.
Best Director went to Mike Leigh for Grief at the National’s Cottesloe.
Adam Cork won the Best Design award for his sound design of Anna Christie and King Lear at the Donmar Warehouse.
The Moscow Art Theatre’s Golden Seagull went to Tom Stoppard for his contribution to Russian theatre and the international stage.
And finally, the Charles Wintour award for Most Promising Playwright was won by Giles Smart’s client Penelope Skinner for her play The Village Bike which was a runaway success at the Royal Court in the summer.
Designed by Helen Goddard, the show followed the on-edge Becky in the summer of her first pregnancy, in a darkly comic exploration of romance, intimacy and sexual frustration. The play also won the 2011 George Devine Award.
The reviews were wonderful:
Penelope Skinner’s new play The Village Bike at the Royal Court is mercilessly funny and savagely insightful.
The Telegraph
The Royal Court has harvested a strong crop of female writers in recent years, although no playwright has put women themselves centre stage with quite such bravado as Penelope Skinner.
The Metro
This is a wickedly wise, furiously funny play that freewheels among the mess and indignities behind the many myths about sex.
The Times
The wonderful new play from Penelope Skinner… this bicycle’s path, one feels, has only just begun.
New York Times
Well done everyone at United Agents!
Ruth Young‘s client James Corden wowed audiences in the National Theatre and on tour, and for those of you who missed it, the wonderfully funny One Man, Two Guvnors transfers to the Adelphi Theatre in the West End from the 8th November.
The cast is awash with United Agents clients: as well as James you can see Suzie Toase, Fred Ridgeway and Claire Lams.
And the reviews for the production are amazing:
‘An evening of riotous delight… I found myself physically incapable with laughter.’ Daily Telegraph
‘One of the funniest productions in the National’s history.’ Guardian
‘Slapstick, satire and gags galore: a classic comedy hilariously updated.’ The Times
‘One Man, Two Guvnors, one massive hit.’ Independent
‘An instant National Theatre hit. Terrifically bouncy and often howlingly funny.’ Independent on Sunday
‘The single funniest production I’ve ever seen.’ Mark Lawson, BBC Radio 4
If you want an evening to take your mind off the problems with the Eurozone and Manchester United’s recent performance I suggest you rush down to the Adelphi as soon as possible.
You can buy tickets here.
