Marina Theatre, SuffolkMarina Theatre, Suffolk
Short Q&A with Bing Live director Will Tuckett about the Magic of Bing Live
We caught up with Bing Live director Will Tuckett as the tour heads out around the country and asked him how things are going.
“Watching audiences around the country watching Bing Live has been a wonderful experience. When people are watching something and enjoying it, it’s one of the best things imaginable. A little girl behind me stood on her mother’s lap the other day singing one of the songs in the show at the top of her lungs without much sense of tune or rhythm, but the look on her face and her mum’s face, and her grandpa’s… and the gusto with which she joined in… she was just totally loving it without any filter whatsoever! If you could take that home, that joy and energy, and pop it in a drawer so you could take it out whenever things felt a bit blue… well then you’d never have another grey day for the rest of your life”.
How has it been working with the Bing Live team bringing Bing to life with Puppetry?
“Tahra Zafar (The Bing Live Puppet and Costume designer) is an incredible collaborator. Not only is she very, very experienced from her time working cross a myriad of projects involving puppets and creature creation on Star Wars, Harry Potter and with Jim Henson, but she is also one of the most open and generous creative people one could hope to meet. Working out how to transfer 2D characters into a 3D world is never straightforward and we spent a lot of time in her studio working out dimensions for scale, puppet handles, grips, harnesses… and that’s before she starts looking at the mechanics to make the puppets blink, walk, stretch, have ears that move… the list goes on and on! Wonderfully, when you look at the puppets you would never be aware of the complicated inner structures but that is the amazing thing about both Tahra and her incredibly talented team. They make the imagined real which is a pretty awesome skill!”
Bing Live here 6-7 February 2019
Full Price: £16.00
Privilege Card: £14.00
To book, call 01502 533200.
Rhythm of the Dance is a spectacular two-hour dance and music celebration of Irish culture through music and dance which was created in 1999 and inspired by the epic journey of the Irish Celts throughout history.
Featuring world champion dancers, a traditional Irish band and singers, this richly costumed show has been consistently rated as one of the most popular and successful Irish step dance tours in the world and performs across the UK this summer.
It will return to the Marina by popular demand on Wednesday 18th July at 7.30pm.
Rhythm of the Dance presents the ancient and modern by combining traditional dance and music with state of the art technology to give audiences of all ages a unique experience. The multi-award winning show has, over the last 19 years, performed to over 6 million people in more than 58 countries across the globe.
We caught up with lead dancers Amy Marie Prior and Dane McKiernan ahead of the performance.
Amy Marie Prior was at the Hennigan O’Loughlin School of Irish Dancing in London. She subsequently won six world medals and five southern regional Oireachtas championships. Amy turned professional when she was 18 and completed her first tour in Russia and Europe in 2015 and in 2016 joined Rhythm of the Dance as lead female dancer.
Dane McKiernan is choreographer and lead dancer in the show. Dane has been dancing since he was 6 and began touring the world in 2007 with the National Dance Company of Ireland’s Rhythm of the Dance. In 2009 he joined ‘Riverdance’ and in 2012 was part of the modern Irish dance group Prodijig which won Sky TV’s ‘Got to Dance’. He subsequently toured with Prodijig in the show ‘Footstorm’ and returned to Rhythm of the Dance in 2014 as lead dancer and choreographer.
AMY MARIE: The people you meet on the different tours from different countries and becoming a family with everyone in the show because of the amount of time you spend together. And taking that final bow at the end of the show is what makes me appreciate my job and realise how lucky I am.
DANE: I really enjoy having a creative outlet with the choreography and watching the show come alive every night onstage.
AMY MARIE: My soft shoe solo which leads into a duet with Dane or the Bodhran number in the second half as it’s one of the musicians and the boys against me in our heavy shoes. It’s always said to be a favourite number with the audience.
DANE: The opening number ‘Newgrange at Dawn’ – it starts with acapella rhythms and builds to a full company routine with the band. It definitely wakes up the leg muscles and lets them know they have another two hours to go!
AMY MARIE: Touring is such a different way to explore and see the world. I’m so grateful at 21 to have been to so many countries and given the opportunity to explore different parts of the world. I also love seeing all the different theatres and the reaction from the audience at the end of every show and I love meeting everyone after the show as well.
DANE: I love to travel and we get to see new places almost every day. It’s only after a couple of years you start to become familiar with some places you would have probably never thought to visit.
AMY MARIE: 1) My blanket – it goes everywhere with me and it’s perfect for long trips on the bus. 2) The ice bucket that I get into filled up to my hips after every show! This helps my muscles and especially my feet so I’m not sore the next day. 3) Glucose tablets and my blood sugar monitor – I suffer from hypoglycaemia which is low blood sugar. It can be tough to keep my sugars at a reasonable level when burning so many calories off during every show. 4) earphones – it’s so nice to zone out before the show when stretching or getting ready. 5) my makeup and dancing shoes.
DANE: 1) Headphones! Music is life, especially when you’re travelling every day; it can feel like twice the duration of the journey when you’ve misplaced your headphones! 2) Coffee – you can never have enough energy to burn during a two hour show and, after being on the tour bus for a couple of hours, a cup of decent coffee is top priority for most of the cast. 3) My phone! I have to remember to pack a spare charger and it’s always best to have a fully charged power bank with you for long journeys or there’ll be no music or TV series to enjoy! 4) Home comforts – if you’re away for months at a time you miss the simple things like a decent cup of tea…after years of first hand research I’ve come to learn that Ireland has the best milk. Fact! 5) Travel pillow/blanket. We really do spend a lot of time travelling so comfort is essential. On long journeys the tour bus will be a sea of limbs and different coloured blankets while everyone gets some rest.
AMY MARIE: It really depends on the different parts of the show but I usually get a lot of laughter or reactions during the bodhran number as it really follows the story of the musician trying to win me over onstage between the male dancers. However the final number of the show and the reaction we receive after our last bow gives me an amazing feeling inside as it makes all the hours of rehearsals and years of learning how to dance worthwhile as the audience is so appreciative.
DANE: I love to watch the audience reaction throughout the show, especially after the opening scene because for the first time you get to see if they are going to be a vocal or reserved crowd. Depending on the country or region, some audiences are especially vocal whereas others are quite reserved until the end of the show. The world tour we just completed had standing ovations after every single show and that’s just the best feeling after performing for two hours. When the audience are enjoying the show, it definitely lifts the cast on stage to perform at the highest level; it’s all about creating that energy every night!
Full Price: £24.75 
Concession: £22.75 Privilege Card Holders £21.75 – CLICK HERE to book now!
With the country still awash with patriotism after the wonderful royal wedding, Neil Sands and his fabulous West End cast invite you to take a patriotic trip back down memory lane, with their new production ‘Land of Hope & Glory‘.
Celebrating The Best of British entertainment throughout the years it has been especially produced to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War, and is appearing at the Marina on 14th June at 2pm – as part of its 40 date nationwide tour.
This unforgettable afternoon of nostalgia, is filled with over 60 all time favourite songs from the fabulous 1940’s, the rocking 1950’s and the swinging 1960’s.
From ever popular show tunes, to a Pearly King & Queen old time sing along knees up.
Add to that a rousing selection from Last Night of The Proms, and a flag waving finale in a tribute to the veterans of the armed forces, singing the songs that won the war.
For many the most heartfelt part of the afternoon will be a commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War.
Authentically costumed and set, with a live poppy drop and the Last Post, a truly touching memory of the fallen,
Joining Neil for this explosion of patriotic music & memories is the stunning soprano Gemma Turner often described as “A beautiful English rose with the true voice of an angel”.
Alongside Gemma is Angie Diggens, whose unforgettable voice made her a former winner of televisions Stars in Their Eyes.
Both have appeared many times in the West End and their powerful and emotional performances are breathtaking.
With backing from the very talented New Golden Times, this really is an afternoon not to be missed.
Over the past 12 years Neil Sands productions have become known as the masters of matinee nostalgia, with their shows regularly selling out theatres all around the country.
Land of Hope & Glory promises to be their biggest and best production yet filled with over 50 stunning costumes, enough bunting and flags to host a street party, and a unique atmosphere that will have you singing along from start to finish.
This is truly an afternoon to lift the spirits and celebrate our nation’s music and heritage with pride and passion.
Full Price: £15.75 Concession: £12.75 Groups 10+: £10.00 – to book call 01502 533200 or CLICK HERE.