The Way Old Friends Do
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A super-trouper of a show”
★★★★ WhatsOnStage
A new comedy about devotion, desire and dancing queens.
a heart-on-its-sequinned sleeve story”
The Times
In the late 1980s, two Birmingham school friends tentatively come out: one as gay, the other – more shockingly – as an ABBA fan. Thirty years later, they reunite to form the world’s first ABBA tribute band – in drag. Can their friendship survive the tribulations of a life on the road; one full of platform boots, fake beards and a distractingly attractive stranger?
full of laugh-out-loud moments…it’s bang on the Money, Money, Money”
★★★★★ ReviewsHub
Simultaneously tender and laugh-out loud funny, this heartfelt story will appeal to anyone who understands how it feels to be a fan: of ABBA or of anyone.
with a script this funny and charming, you won’t want to miss it”
★★★★ West End Best Friend
Written by and starring Ian Hallard (The Boys In The Band), this world premiere is directed by Mark Gatiss (Sherlock, Dracula, Doctor Who, The League of Gentlemen). Cast includes Donna Berlin (Doctors) James Bradshaw (Endeavour), Sara Crowe (Olivier Award winner for Private Lives), Andrew Horton (Jupiter’s Legacy) and Rose Shalloo (Malory Towers).
Featuring the voices of Miriam Margolyes and Paul O’Grady.
A high camp love letter to friendship and fandom”
★★★★ BrumHour
Price
From £10
Running time
2 hours 15 minutes including an interval
Presented by
Birmingham Rep and James Seabright in association with Jason Haigh-Ellery and Park Theatre
Written by
Ian Hallard
Directed by
Mark Gatiss
Age Guideline
14+
Content Advice
The Way Old Friends Do contains sensitive content including strong language.
Please note
This production contains flashing lights and haze.
Access Performances
Audio Described: Tue 28 Feb, 7.45pm (audio described by Julia Grundy and Carolyn Smith)
BSL Interpreted: Sat 25 Feb, 2.45pm (interpreted by Clare Edwards)
Captioned: Fri 3 Mar, 7.45pm
Relaxed: Thu 2 Mar, 2.45pm
Access Pack
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Fees & Charges
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Music Credits
“WAY OLD FRIENDS DO, THE” written by BENNY GORAN BROR ANDERSSON, BJOERN K. ULVAEUS and used by kind permission of UNIVERSAL MUSIC PUBLISHING LTD. ON BEHALF OF UNIVERSAL/UNION SONGS MUSIKFORLAG AB
Production shots
Photography by Darren Bell
Photography by Darren Bell
Photography by Darren Bell
Photography by Darren Bell
Photography by Darren Bell
Photography by Darren Bell
Photography by Darren Bell
Photography by Darren Bell
Photography by Darren Bell
Photography by Darren Bell
Writer & Director
Ian Hallard
Ian Hallard’s credits for theatre include The Boys in the Band (Park/Vaudeville – Whatsonstage Awards Best Actor nomination), Scenes From An Execution and Great Britain (NT), Hogarth’s Progress (Rose, Kingston), Tonight at 8:30 (Jermyn Street), Lovesong of the Electric Bear (Hope/Arts), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Clwyd), Lilies (Greenwich), The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (West Yorkshire Playhouse), The Vote (Donmar Warehouse), Tumulus (Soho), and Donkeys’ Years (UK Tour).
Ian’s television credits include Doctor Who, Sherlock, Endeavour, The Power, The Crown, Poirot, Marple, Doctors, Crooked House, and The Worst Journey in the World. Ian’s film credits include Mary Queen of Scots, The Act and The Dark Room. Ian has written and been script associate on three episodes of Poirot for ITV.
Ian’s first play Adventurous was produced online by Jermyn Street in March 2021. Further writing for theatre includes Steenie, about the relationship between King James I and the Duke of Buckingham (Turbine), and Horse-Play (Riverside Studios).
Twitter/Instagram: @IanHallard www.ianhallard.co.uk
Mark Gatiss
Mark Gatiss has had a long and varied career as a Writer, Director, and Producer, as well as an Actor and published author. Mark is best known as a member of The League of Gentlemen and as the Co-Creator and Executive Producer of the multi award-winning BBC series Sherlock, in which he played Mycroft Holmes.
Mark both wrote for and appeared in the modern revival of Doctor Who and was the Writer and Executive Producer of An Adventure in Space and Time for its 50th anniversary celebrations. Mark also co-created the BBC and Netflix drama Dracula, and has written and directed several BBC ghost stories including The Mezzotint, Martin’s Close, The Dead Room, and The Tractate Middoth. Other writing credits for television include The Amazing Mr Blunden, Crooked House, The Worst Journey in the World, Poirot, and his adaptation of H.G. Wells’ The First Men in the Moon. Mark wrote and presented the documentary series A History of Horror and its sequel Horror Europa, as well as art documentaries on John Minton and Aubrey Beardsley. Mark curated and directed Queers, a series of eight monologues for BBC Four to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Sexual Offences Act.
As an actor, Mark’s recent film credits include Mission Impossible 7, Operation Mincemeat, The Father, The Favourite, Christopher Robin, Gunpowder, Wolf Hall, Coalition and Game of Thrones. On stage, his credits include Coriolanus (Donmar Warehouse), The Boys in the Band (Park/ Vaudeville), Three Days in the Country (NT – Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role), the title role in The Madness of George III (Nottingham Playhouse), and Jacob Marley in his own adaptation of A Christmas Carol (Nottingham Playhouse/ Alexandra Palace). Mark has recently directed Steven Moffat’s debut play The Unfriend for Chichester, which in 2023 will transfer to the Criterion in the West End.
Cast
Donna Berlin
Donna Berlin is an Actress, Choreographer and Movement Director. She started dancing at the age of 3 and her love of the performing arts grew when she later attended stage school.
At the age of 11 she appeared in her first film, Pink Floyd’s The Wall, and since then she has never looked back. Donna’s theatre credits include The Clinic (Almeida), The Gift (Belgrade/UK Tour), Chasing Rainbows (Hoxton Hall), Princess and the Hustler (Bristol Old Vic/Hull Truck tour – nominated for ‘Best Supporting Actress’ at Broadway World Regional 2019 Awards), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Sheffield Crucible), The Chalk Garden (Chichester Festival), Great Apes (Arcola), Of Kith and Kin (Sheffield Crucible/ The Bush), Anna Karenina (Manchester Royal Exchange/WYP), Rolling Stone (Royal Exchange/WYP), Blood Wedding and The Bacchae (Royal & Derngate), Keeping Mum (Brockley Jack), Counted/Look Right Look Left (County Hall/ UK Tour), Puffins (Nabokov/ Southwark Playhouse), and The Vagina Monologues (Pleasance). Donna’s television credits include Nolly, Doctors, Breeders, Requiem, Game Face, Eastenders, Todd Margaret, Drifters, Coronation Street, Hollyoaks, New Tricks, Extras – Series B, Lead Balloon, Casualty, Judge John Deed, and Beautiful People. Donna’s credits in feature films include In Darkness, Monochrome, Dinner With My Sisters, Press Your Lips (LFS short), Blinda (short). Donna’s choreography and movement direction credits include Dick Whittington (Nottingham Playhouse), Trouble in Mind (NT), Aladdin (Mercury), Waves and Attempts on Her Life (NT), and The Merry Widow and Carmen (Opera UK).
Donna spent 6 years as Resident Choreographer at The Queens, Hornchurch and has done many in-house productions at LAMDA where she was a member of the movement department for over 30 years.
James Bradshaw
James Bradshaw trained at the Birmingham School of Acting and is perhaps best known in recent years for the role of Dr Max DeBryn in the popular and critically acclaimed series Endeavour. He is also remembered for playing Gordon Grimley in The Grimleys and DS Geoff Thorpe in Hollyoaks.
James’ other television credits include Four Lives, Doctors, The Reluctant Landlord, Close To The Enemy, Lucan, Primeval IV, Eastenders, Garrow’s Law, Casualty, The Line Of Beauty, Heartbeat, Afternoon Play, Mile High, Afternoon Play, Mile High, In a Land Of Plenty, Longitude, and Oliver Twist. James’ film credits include The Car: Road To Revenge, Convenience, Brideshead Revisited, Minotaur, Irish Jam, Undefeated and Recompense. James’ theatre credits include Heather Gardner (Birmingham Rep), Breakfast At Tiffany’s (Royal Haymarket), Plunder (Watermill/ Greenwich), The Hobbit (UK Tour), Violent Outing (Soho), The Wind In The Willows (Birmingham Rep), House and Garden (NT), and Terracotta (Hampstead). James’ radio credits include What Hetty Did, The Rotter’s Club and Summer Of Love.
James’ short film credits include Scenes From The Life Of A Priest and Kebab Land.
Sara Crowe
Scots born Sara Crowe is known for her iconic comedy roles across both screen and stage. Her work across the West End has been met with great critical acclaim.
Sara’s theatre credits include most recently A Touch of Danger (Royal, Windsor) and Sheila’s Island (UK Tour). Also on tour How the Other Half Loves, Fallen Angels, Acorn Antiques the Musical, Calendar Girls the Musical, and The Constant Wife (Lyric/ UK tour).
West End credits include Queers, One Voice: Monologues (Old Vic), Bedroom Farce (Duke of York’s), The Real Inspector Hound and Black Comedy (Comedy), Calendar Girls (Noel Coward), Twelfth Night (Playhouse), Plunder (Savoy), Hay Fever (Albery – Olivier nomination for best comedy performance), Private Lives (Aldwych – Olivier Award for best supporting actress, Critics Circle most promising newcomer Award and Variety Club best actress award) and The City Madam (RSC).
Sara’s television credits include Midsomer Murders, Eastenders, Skins, Big Meg in Big Meg/Little Meg, Born and Bred, The Harry Enfield Show, The Rory Bremner Show, Alas Smith and Jones, and the Christmas ghost story Martin’s Close. Sara’s film credits include Four Weddings & A Funeral, Carry on Columbus, Scarlett and Round Ireland with a Fridge. Sara has written two novels, Campari For Breakfast and Martini Henry published by Transworld. Sara has written for the stage, Siobhan Basset’s Hound of the Baskervilles (Yvonne Arnaud).
Ian Hallard
Ian Hallard’s credits for theatre include The Boys in the Band (Park/Vaudeville – Whatsonstage Awards Best Actor nomination), Scenes From An Execution and Great Britain (NT), Hogarth’s Progress (Rose, Kingston), Tonight at 8:30 (Jermyn Street), Lovesong of the Electric Bear (Hope/Arts), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Clwyd), Lilies (Greenwich), The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (West Yorkshire Playhouse), The Vote (Donmar Warehouse), Tumulus (Soho), and Donkeys’ Years (UK Tour).
Ian’s television credits include Doctor Who, Sherlock, Endeavour, The Power, The Crown, Poirot, Marple, Doctors, Crooked House, and The Worst Journey in the World. Ian’s film credits include Mary Queen of Scots, The Act and The Dark Room. Ian has written and been script associate on three episodes of Poirot for ITV.
Ian’s first play Adventurous was produced online by Jermyn Street in March 2021. Further writing for theatre includes Steenie, about the relationship between King James I and the Duke of Buckingham (Turbine), and Horse-Play (Riverside Studios).
Twitter/Instagram: @IanHallard www.ianhallard.co.uk
Andrew Horton
Andrew Horton trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Andrew is best known for his starring role as Brandon Sampson / Paragon in Jupiter’s Legacy, released in 2021.
His credits for film include How To Talk to Girls at Parties and Slotherhouse. Andrew’s stage credits include playing the title role of Dorian Gray in The Picture of Dorian Gray (English Theatre, Hamburg) and Jonathan Harker in Dracula (Touring Consortium).
Rose Shalloo
Rose Shalloo trained at Musical Theatre Academy, with recent theatre credits including A Christmas Carol (Old Vic), Malory Towers (UK Tour), The Selfish Giant (Vaudeville), Fiddler On The Roof (Chichester Festival), and A Pacifist’s Guide To The War On Cancer (NT).
Her television credits include Holby City, The Scandalous Lady W, Call The Midwife, and The Five. Rose has also appeared in the film Emma.
Creative Team
Set & Costume Designer
Janet Bird
Janet Bird
Janet Bird was born and grew up in Cardiff and is now based in London. She received an MA in Scenography from Wimbledon School of Art and has designed theatre productions all over the world.
Janet’s design for theatre includes What’s New Pussycat? (Birmingham Rep), Paper, Talent, Guys And Dolls, Kiss Me Kate, Wizard Of Oz, and Hobson’s Choice (Sheffield), Milky Peaks, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and Much Ado About Nothing (Clwyd), Our Lady of Blundellsands (Liverpool Everyman), Abigail’s Party (UK Tour), Enjoy (West End/ UK tour), The Madness of George III (Royal, Bath / West End/ UK Tour), The Merry Wives of Windsor (US Tour), A Comedy of Errors, and Holding Fire (Shakespeare’s Globe), Adult Supervision (Park), Ken, Four Minutes Twelve Seconds (Trafalgar Studios), Alphabetical Order (UK Tour), and The Argument (Hampstead), Uncle Vanya (St James), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Regent’s Park Open Air), Mad Man (Plymouth Drum), A Taste of Honey, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, The Age of Arousal, and Long Day’s Journey into Night (Edinburgh Lyceum), The BFG and Lighthearted Intercourse (Octagon, Bolton), The Rise and Fall of Little Voice (Dundee Rep), The History Boys (West Yorkshire Playhouse / UK Tour), Way Upstream (Salisbury Playhouse), A Doll’s House (Exeter Northcott), Hay Fever (Guthrie, Minneapolis), Single Spies and The Adventures of Woundman and Shirley (Royal, Bath / UK Tour), Tell Me on a Sunday (UK Tour), Longwave (Lyric Hammersmith), and The Rocky Horror Show (West End/ UK Tour).
Lighting Designer
Andrew Exeter
Andrew Exeter
Andrew Exeter is a Set and Lighting Designer based in London. He was a 2020 Stage Debut Award nominee for his Lighting Design on High Fidelity at the Turbine and is an OFFIE nominee on his design for LIFT at Southwark Playhouse.
Andrew trained at Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance. Andrew’s credits for set and lighting design include Oti Mabuse: I AM HERE (UK Tour), Johannes Radebe: FREEDOM (UK Tour), LIFT and Dogfight (Southwark Playhouse), The Last 5 Years (Minack), Daddy Issues (Seven Dials Playhouse), REHAB: A New Musical (Playground), Closer Than Ever and Scaramouche Jones, (Broadway HD/ Ginger Quiff Media), KLYN (Broadway HD), GUY: A New Musical (UK Tour) and Millennials (The Other Palace). Andrew’s credits for lighting design include Das Spongebob Musical (German International Tour), The Jungle Book, Bleak Expectations and Whistle Down The Wind (The Watermill), West Side Story (Ljubljana Festival Slovenia), Hair – directed by Arlene Phillips (London Palladium/ Turbine), STAGE DOOR for Celebrity Cruises (TBI Media), High Fidelity (The Turbine), Perception (The Place and Stockholm Fringe) John & Jen, Once On This Island and Preludes (Southwark Playhouse), and also Annual Pantomimes for Crossroads Pantomimes & Mark Goucher Productions. Andrew has also designed the set for Lady Chatterley’s Lover (Shaftesbury, West End). Andrew worked as Associate Lighting Designer on The Drifters Girl Musical (West End), Heathers The Musical (West End/ UK Tour). Andrew’s projects John & Jen, Closer Than Ever and BKLYN are available to watch now on Broadway HD.
Sound Designer
Ben Harrison
Ben Harrison
Ben Harrison’s sound designs include Bugsy Malone, 9 to 5, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Hairspray, Rock of Ages, Club Tropicana, Dr Dolittle, Fame, The Railway Children, The Wedding Singer, The Million Dollar Quartet, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Return To The Forbidden Planet, Happy Days The Musical, Carnaby Street, High Society, Blood Brothers, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jekyll & Hyde, Tommy, Save The Last Dance For Me, The Boy Friend, Half A Sixpence, The Roy Orbison Story, This Is Elvis, Laughter In The Rain (UK Tour), Cabaret, Scrooge, Soul Sister, Dreamboats & Petticoats, and The Country Girl (West End/ UK Tour), Starlight Express and Evita (International Tour), Whistle Down The Wind (UK/ American Tour), Dancing In The Streets (West End/ International Tours), Great British Bake Off The Musical (Cheltenham Everyman), Mame (Hope Mill), The Stick Maker Tales (NTW), The Wizard of Oz & Into The Woods (Leeds Playhouse), Bugsy Malone (Hammersmith Lyric), Five Guys Named Moe (Festival Square/ Marble Arch), Little Shop of Horrors, A Little Night Music and The Beggar’s Opera (Chester Storyhouse), Hedda Gabler (Northampton Royal), The Prodigals (Coventry Belgrade/ Edinburgh Fringe), The King & I and Hairspray (Leicester Curve/ UK Tour), Obama The Mamba (Leicester Curve/ The Lowry), Simply Cinderella, The Pillowman, Hot Stuff, Gypsy, Hello Dolly!, Oliver, Piaf, Sweeney Todd, Chicago and The Sound of Music (Leicester Curve). Between 2002 and 2007 Ben was Head of Sound at Leicester’s Haymarket where he designed West Side Story, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Macbeth, An Illustrious Corpse, Beautiful Thing, The Fortune Club, East, Divine, The Bogus Woman (Adelaide/ New York), The Good Woman of Schezuan, Pacific Overtures, The Happy Prince, and The Wizard of Oz.
Casting Director
Marc Frankum
Marc Frankum
Marc Frankum has cast Sky Comedy Rep, Tartuffe (Birmingham Rep), The Play What I Wrote (Birmingham Rep/UK Tour), Now Is Good (Storyhouse, Chester), Bang Bang (Northcott/ UK Tour), The History Boys (Grand Wolverhampton), God of Chaos, The Kneebone Cadillac (Royal, Plymouth), Jack and the Beanstalk, Dick Whittington, Cinderella, Aladdin (Royal, Norwich), The Comedy of Errors, Baskerville, Aladdin, Moll Flanders, Pieces of String, Much Ado About Nothing, Clybourne Park, Noises Off, Macbeth (Mercury Colchester), Dracula (Touring Consortium), The Full Monty (2018/19 & 2016/17 – UK Tour), Tonight at 8.30 (Jermyn Street), The Band the Musical (UK Tour), Beauty & the Beast, Dick Whittington, I Capture the Castle (Palace, Watford), Out Of Order (UK Tour), Hand to God (West End), The Taming of the Shrew, Twelfth Night (Playing Shakespeare with Deutsche Bank/ Shakespeare’s Globe), Barbarians (Tooting Arts Club), When Blair had Bush and Bunga (Pleasance One), Dial M for Murder (UK Tour), The Duck House (West End), Goodnight Mister Tom (West End/ Chichester Festival/ The Children’s Touring Partnership), Stepping Out (Salisbury Playhouse), The Mousetrap (60th Anniversary Tour), The Woman In Black (West End), An Inspector Calls (UK Tour), Mother Adam (Jermyn Street), The Hairy Ape (Southwark Playhouse), End of the Rainbow (UK Tour), Sign of the Times (Duchess), Calendar Girls (UK Tour), Far Away (Bristol Old Vic), The History Boys (Royal, Bath/ West Yorkshire Playhouse), Sister Act, Secret Life of Humans 2022, The Totalitarians, Young Frankenstein, The Girl on the Train, Switzerland, Secret Life of Humans, The Effect, Sweeney Todd, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The Children, Apologia, Cabaret, The Lion in Winter, Jekyll & Hyde the Musical, Hand to God, Pygmalion, The Hound of the Baskervilles, Handbagged, Spamalot, The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Glass Menagerie, Disgraced, Death and the Maiden, Other Desert Cities, Ghost, The Musical, Strangers on a Train (English, Frankfurt) and was casting associate on Big, the Musical (Plymouth/ Dublin), Good Canary (Rose, Kingston), The Bodyguard (West End) and Elf, The Musical (West End/ Plymouth/ Dublin/ Manchester). Mark was casting consultant on Love on the Links (Salisbury Playhouse), The Dark Room (503), Chinese Whispers (Greenwich).
Assistant Director
Gavin Joseph
Gavin Joseph
Gavin Joseph’s theatre credits include Assistant Director for Liar Heretic Thief (Lyric Hammersmith), The Glee Club (Out of Joint) and The Unfriend (Chichester Festival). As a director Gavin’s credits include Ad Nauseam (Lyric Hammersmith), Madam Interpreter (Stanley Arts), Hello, it’s me (Tamasha), and Little Threads (Selladoor). Gavin is currently an Associate Artist at Company Three where he will be writing and directing two new pieces of work in collaboration with young people from Islington. Gavin co-created and produced a podcast Bame(ish) commenting on the creative arts and providing a platform for young creatives from under-represented communities and backgrounds at the beginning of their careers. Gavin has worked as Assistant Director at Southwark Playhouse, Wimbledon Civic Theatre Trust, Co-Lead at Kiln, Artist Consultant at The Old Vic, Associate Reader and Director for WoLab, Arts Festival Leader for I Am At Tate Exchange Festival, Lyric Ensemble and RADA Youth Company alumni, and also is an alumni of the Hackney Empire’s Writers Room.
As an Actor Gavin appeared in The Cleaner and Marriages.
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