Formby charts George Formby's rise from awkward stable boy to one of ... In a
one-‐man performance Ewan Wardrop plays the role of Formby, as well as other
...
Salida Produc,ons presents
FORMBY By Ewan Wardrop
Touring na,onally in Spring 2014 With Ewan Wardrop as George Formby Co-‐devised and directed by Ed Hughes “Turned out nice again hasn’t it?” Formby charts George Formby’s rise from awkward stable boy to one of Britain’s biggest stars. In a one-‐man performance Ewan Wardrop plays the role of Formby, as well as other the key characters involved in this slice of his life. The producCon embarks on a small scale tour to Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis (9-‐14 April); The Bike Shed Theatre, Exeter (18 & 20 April); Mercury Theatre, Colchester (26-‐28 April); and Norwich Playhouse (5 May), before playing at this year’s Edinburgh Fes,val. Formby is a new play wriRen by Ewan Wardrop and co-‐devised and directed by Co-‐ArCsCc Director of Salida ProducCons Ed Hughes. It is not only a celebraCon of one of Britain’s greatest performers, but a funny, touching and thoughWul look at the life of an essenCally ordinary man with an extraordinary talent. The producCon features many of George Formby’s classic hits brilliantly recreated by Wardrop on the ukulele, including Blackpool Rock, Leaning On a Lamp-‐Post, When I’m Cleaning Windows, TT Races, Mr Wu and many more. Ewan Wardrop Ewan Wardrop is an actor, dancer and musical comedian, appearing regularly on the comedy circuit as well as on stage and on screen. He iniCally trained as a dancer and was a principal performer with MaRhew Bourne’s company Adventures in MoCon Pictures. He played leading roles in Swan Lake, Nutcracker! and The CarMan. For Play Without Words, Ewan was part of the original cast, which alongside Bourne, won an Olivier Award for Best Choreography in 2003. As an actor recent credits include ENRON in the West End, Headlong Theatre’s award winning play directed by Rupert Goold, Terence Ra`gan’s The Deep Blue Sea and Ra`gan’s Nijinsky at the Chichester FesCval Theatre directed by Philip Franks and in the films Mr.Happy directed by Eugene Magee and WaiCng For Sunrise directed by by Gary Morecambe. He has also worked with companies such as Complicite, the Royal Shakespeare Company and award winning comedy acapella group Barbershopera. For the Edinburgh Fringe 2012, Ewan wrote and starred in a one man play enCtled ‘Formby’ about the life of the comedian and ukulele player George Formby. While at the fesCval, Ewan
was invited to play on several other shows including Nicholas Parsons’ Happy Hour and Comedian and 8 out of 10 Cat’s Team Captain Jon Richardson’s sell-‐out show at Assembly Hall. Ed Hughes is the Co-‐ArCsCc Director of Salida ProducCons. His previous director credits include Romeo and Juliet with AsCllero Tango Orchestra and The Farmer and the Shepherd (film) and the part of Mayakovsky in Andrew RaRenbury’s Mayakovsky: The SlanHng Rain. As an actor, his credits include This House (NaConal Theatre, Nominated for two Olivier Awards) Democracy (as part of the Michael Frayn Season at Sheffield Theatres), Lakeboat and Prairie du Chien (Arcola), Enron (Headlong and Noel Coward Theatre), Everything Must Go (Soho Theatre), The Lifesavers (Theatre 503 and Mercury Theatre, Colchester), Rough Crossings (Headlong), The Canterbury Tales (RSC, West End and world tour), Hamlet (Old Vic), Romeo and Juliet (ETT), Finding the Sun (RNT), The LiNle Foxes (Donmar) and ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore (Young Vic). For television, his work includes David Copperfield and Wallander, and for film, Bulletproof Plan, Anesthesia and Incendiary. Salida Produc,ons are Ed Hughes, Michael Vale and Andrea Pelaez with Sir Kenneth Branagh as their patron. Formed in 2009, their first producCon was Romeo and Juliet with AsCllero Tango Orchestra a co-‐producCon between Salida and the Mercury Theatre Colchester. The producCon was awarded an Unesco High Achievement Award. They have been recently awarded a CreaCve Entrepreneurs Award by The City of London. In 2011 they together with Dreamepic premièred GuNer Junky by David Kantounas at the Edinburgh FesCval, and most recently partnered with the Mercury Theatre for a second Cme on Mayakovsky: The SlanHng Rain by Andrew RaRenbury. Their first film The Farmer and the Shepherd is currently in post producCon. www.salidaproduc,ons.com For further informaCon, please contact: Kate Morley/Anthony McNeill at DDABlueprint 07970 465 648 / 07967 480 844
[email protected] [email protected]
Lis,ng Informa,on
Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis 9-‐14 April www.marinetheatre.com Box Office: 01297 442 138 The Bike Shed Theatre, Exeter 18-‐21 April www.bikeshedtheatre.co.uk Box Office: 01392 434 169 Mercury Theatre, Colchester 26-‐28 April www.mercurytheatre.co.uk Box Office: 01206 573 948 Norwich Playhouse 5 May www.norwichplayhouse.co.uk Box Office: 01603 598 598
www.salidaproducCons.com
Formby