"Amadeus" at Chichester Festival Theatre

[Mr Pee]

The newly refurbished Chichester Festival Theatre are to kick off their new season after a near 2-year closure this July with a brand new production of "Amadeus", directed by Jonathan Church, and with Rupert Everett as Salieri. The casting of Mozart himself is yet to be announced:-

http://www.cft.org.uk/amadeus

I must say the whole season looks very enticing....

[teamsaint]

What the hell have they been doing? 2 years.....??!!
nice to have you back Mr Pee.
Not long till the general election................

[Honoured Guest]

"A near 2-year closure" is a tad misleading! The Festival Theatre closed for major refurb at the end of the 2012 season, and a temporary replacement "big top" theatre was used for the three months of high summer last year in its place. The smaller Minerva Theatre has been unaffected by the CFT refurb and has been programmed as normal throughout.

[Mr Pee]

"A near 2-year closure" is a tad misleading! The Festival Theatre closed for major refurb at the end of the 2012 season, and a temporary replacement "big top" theatre was used for the three months of high summer last year in its place. The smaller Minerva Theatre has been unaffected by the CFT refurb and has been programmed as normal throughout.

Yes, thanks, I am fully aware of all that. There was no intention to mislead, but the fact is the main house will have been closed for just 4 months short of two years when it re- opens in July. Incidentally, "Barnum", which ran in the Theatre in the Park last summer, is going to be touring from September with Brian Conley in the title role. I believe the production will have had some tweaks as it was not too well received critically. I enjoyed it though!

Teamsaint, thanks for the welcome back! The theatre has had a major refurb, (22 million pounds worth)- both front of house and backstage. FOH will include new Cafe areas in an extended foyer, new toilets, lifts-(badly needed), extra seating, new air-con, roof grid, and much else. The area between the main house and the Minerva will also be landscaped to provide a more pedestrian friendly area for the audience to promenade in during intervals etc. There has also been renovation work to the exterior of the Grade 2 listed building itself, which was showing its age after 50 years exposed to the elements.

Backstage, an extension will house new admin offices, brand new dressing rooms overlooking Oaklands Park, a new Green room, scene dock, improved stage access for set changes, a larger de-mountable gallery for bands and orchestras and many other much needed improvements. I can tell you from experience that carrying out a set-change under the old arrangement could be tricky, with a narrow opening from the scene dock onto the stage and a change in height as well, requiring a heavy ramp to be manhandled in and out of position. And stage management will no longer operate out of a Portakabin, but will have their own office within the theatre!

After 50 years, CFT was badly in need of this work, and I am sure that both audience members and those who work there will appreciate the difference come July.

http://www.cft.org.uk/renew