Full cast announced for Malory Towers - coming to The Belgrade Theatre
- May 4
- 4 min read
Malory Towers from the novels by Enid Blyton and adapted and directed By Emma Rice, at the Belgrade Theatre as part of the UK Tour, from 12 - 16 May.
Preview.
The Emma Rice Company has announced the full cast for their upcoming tour of Malory Towers from the novels by Enid Blyton and adapted by Emma Rice. Rice directs Eden Barrie (Mary Lou Atkinson), Molly Cheesley (Alicia Johns), Rebecca Collingwood (Gwendolyn Lacey), Stephanie Hockley (Irene DuPont) Emily Panes (Musician), Robyn Sinclair (Darrell Rivers), Bethany Wooding (Sally Hope) and Zoe West (Bill Robinson) in this co-production with Alexandra Palace Theatre, Belgrade Theatre, HOME Manchester and Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse.
It’s back by popular demand! Emma Rice Company’s ‘magic’ Malory Towers (Guardian) is touring the UK again. Get ready for high jinks, high drama and high spirits, all set to sensational live music.
Darrell Rivers is starting school with an eager mind and fierce heart. Unfortunately, she also has a quick temper! Can she learn to tolerate the infuriating Gwendoline Lacey, or value the kind-hearted Sally Hope? Can she save the school play and rescue terrified Mary Lou from the grip of a raging storm? If she can do these things anywhere, she will do them at Malory Towers!
Nostalgic, naughty, and perfect for now, Malory Towers is the original ‘Girl Power’ story. This is a show for girls, boys and all grown-up children who still dream of midnight feasts and Cornish clifftops.
Emma Rice has this to say:
Q. What inspired you to adapt Malory Towers for the stage?
Emma Rice: These books make me joyfully tumble back through history. I tumble through memories of my own scary comprehensive, to stories of my Mum’s Dorset grammar school and then to my Gran who was an untrained teacher in the war. All of these stories have one thing in common – growing up. And Malory Towers, in my opinion, is the best of all growing up stories! Funny, sharply well observed and fantastically moreish, these books are a pure delight. However, beyond the adventures and clifftop thrills, I wanted to capture that time, just after the second world war. A time where people were bruised and damaged but resolute about creating a better future. A future without cruelty, violence and hatred. Within these deceptively simple books, all these themes are gently explored. The challenge that Enid Blyton sets for us in these gorgeous books, stands the test of time as she asks us to be ‘women that the world can lean on’. If you haven’t already gathered, I love them.
Q. You initially took Malory Towers on tour in 2019 - how does it feel to be returning to this piece and why did you decide to bring it back now?
Emma Rice: Oh! I am thrilled to be returning to Malory Towers! There is something exciting about a new class and a new term. We have done some fantastic new work on the design so it will feel like a box fresh new uniform. Why now? I think we are all ready for some hope and some fun and this will feel like spring has finally come. In these difficult and uncertain political times, this is exactly what we all need. A good time underpinned by kind and inclusive values.
Q. Enid Blyton's work is beloved by generations, did it feel daunting to take on such a renowned piece of work?
Emma Rice: How could I be daunted by something I feel such an affinity to? I feel I know these girls and have relished bringing them to theatrical life. Girls are much the same now as they were in in 1945. I don’t think being scared helps anybody do anything, so I try hard in my working life to work instinctively, respectfully and joyfully.
Q. You are known to use sound and music as a core piece of your stage works - how will you integrate this into Malory Towers?
Emma Rice: This production has the most virtuosic score and soundtrack. My cast are all exceptional singers and the close harmony songs will knock your socks off! We have gorgeous tunes from the time, mixed with newly composed songs by Ian Ross, my long term collaborator. The result is soaring, impressive and moving. All this as well as specially created animation and soundscape by Simon Baker and artist Beth Carter. I wanted this show to feel astonishing, just like young women are to me – and it really is!
Q. You recently announced a US tour of your fantastic adaptation of North by Northwest, what else can audiences look forward to from the Emma Rice Company this year?
Emma Rice: We have a bumper year with not only Malory Towers and North by Northwest but also the return of Tristan & Yseult. I can’t wait. I carry this show in my heart, and I have the most wonderful cast lined up to breathe new life into this iconic delight. What a year!
MALORY TOWERS – UK TOUR
Theatre Royal Bath: 1 – 9 May. https://www.theatreroyal.org.uk/
Belgrade Theatre, Coventry: 12 – 16 May. https://www.belgrade.co.uk/
Leeds Playhouse: 27 – 30 May. https://www.leedsplayhouse.org.uk/
HOME Manchester: 2 – 13 June. https://homemcr.org/
Liverpool Playhouse: 16 – 20 June, https://everymanplayhouse.com/
Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford: 14 – 18 July, https://www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk/
Alexandra Palace Theatre: 22 July – 2 August. https://www.alexandrapalace.com/
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