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Spring at The Coronet Theatre

By CW Contributor on 5/2/2020

The Coronet Theatre in Notting Hill combines a rich history, magnificent architecture, eclectic programming and an especially enchanting bar. The artfully restored building is named after the original 1898 theatre, but the exhibitions, performances and events have a distinctly fresh and international outlook. We round up the highlights of a new season that spans from Europe to Japan and encompasses rising stars and prestigious talents.

Created in partnership with The Coronet Theatre

maliphantworks3

After the five-star success of 2017 and 2018's programme, Olivier-winning choreographer Russell Maliphant returns to The Coronet Theatre for a third season.

maliphantworks3 is comprised of three works, all performed by Maliphant and Dana Fouras. There's The Space Between, a new work developed with video artist Pangiotis, two films made in collaboration with photographer Julian Broad, and a revival of 2018's acclaimed Duet. maliphantworks3 will be the last time Dana Fouras will dance with the company, having worked closely with Russell Maliphant for over 20 years.

WHEN

6 - 22 February, 7:30pm

Poetry Club

The Coronet's regular poetry club invites the greatest living writers to come to the atmospheric bar to read from their work.

On 3 March multi-award-winning poet David Harsent (Fire Songs) will read from Loss, a newly published sequence of meticulous verses that evoke the ethereal yet intense sensations of sleeplessness. Harsent is joined by British-born Cypriot poet Anthony Anaxagorou who reads from his TS Eliot Prize-nominated new collection After the Formalities.

On 7 June the prolific and prodigiously talented Irish poet Paul Muldoon will read from his thirteenth collection, Frolic and Detour. Subjects as diverse as Native American rulers, garden bird and Irish politics shimmer with life and Muldoon's distinctive cadence.

Stick around around after Poetry Club events for a post-show drink and book signing from the guest poet.

WHEN

Thursday 3 March and Thursday 2 June, 7:30pm

WHERE

The Coronet Bar, 103 Notting Hill Gate, London W11 3LB

Afterplay

The characters from Chekhov's Three Sisters and Uncle Vanya collide in this artful one-act play by Brian Friel (Translations, Faith Healer). Picking up on the stagnation, disappointment and desolation of Chekhov's dramatic world, Friel makes the famous characters fully his own as Audrey and Sonya cross paths in a café in Moscow. Both women were brought up to expect domesticity and fulfilment, and both feel alienated by what they have become.

John Haidar directs a new production of this poignant play for The Coronet Theatre.

WHEN

7 March - 14 April

WHERE

Sappho Singing

The short-film adaptation of Maureen Duffy's 2010 play Sappho Singing premieres at The Coronet Theatre on International Women's Day 2020.

Following the poet Sappho as she returns to a modern-day Lesbos, it's a tender celebration of enduring love, artful language and womanhood. The new 25-minute film was shot on the Greek island of Lesbos by acclaimed Greek documentary filmmaker Tzeli Hadjidimitriou and it features Maureen Duffy's new translations of the Greek Sappho fragments. Actor and activist Alison Child stars.

There will be a post-film Q&A with Maureen Duffy.

WHEN

Sunday 8 March, 6pm & 8pm

How It Is (Part 2)

After the success of Part One in 2018, the second instalment of Gare St Lazare Ireland and The Coronet Theatre's stage adaptation of Samuel Beckett's How It Is gets its UK premiere.

As innovative as it is puzzling, Beckett's text shifts the boundaries of form and language. It is brought to the stage by a theatre company described by the New York Times as 'unparalleled Beckett Champions' and will be staged in an engrossing in-the-round formation, maximising the intimacy of The Coronet Theatre. Actors Conor Lovett and Stephen Dillane will be joined on stage by the Irish Gamelan Orchestra.

WHEN

15 April - 2 May, 7:30pm

Japan 2020

The diversity of contemporary Japan comes to life in a festival of dance, theatre and exhibitions. The Coronet Theatre's artistic director Anda Winters says: 'A younger generation of artists are conflating east and west, traditional and contemporary, to produce something startlingly fresh and exhilarating which challenges artistic norms.'

Highlights span electrifying hip-hop to conceptual catwalk designs. Leading choreographer Barabbas Okuyama presents a modern interpretation of the expressive Butoh dance form, then the Tokyo Electrock Stairs company merge hip-hop, contemporary and jazz together with dramatic lighting and sound sources. The vibrant Osaka pop culture scene inspires ababa abarucum's arresting physical theatre piece, Saidan. And punk opera director Tomoco Kawaguchi boldly re-imagines Sarah Kane's subversive play 4.48 Psychosis.

Designer Kei Kagami's catwalk creations and conceptual fashion collections will be displayed in The Print Room and across the rest of The Coronet, giving you a close-up look at Japanese couture. Then an exhibition of award-winning tattooist Horiren's work showcases the intricate and colourful craft of irezumi, traditional Japanese body art.

WHEN

6 - 30 May

Italian Theatre Festival

The sellout celebration of Italian performance returns to The Coronet for its third year with three days of scintillating theatre from some of Italy’s brightest talents.

The life and works of famously fiery writer, critic and translator Giuseppe Marco come to life through dramatised readings in Un Caos Di Roba. A historic meeting in Brooklyn 1944 traces the ideology of the Italian People’s Party and the birth of contemporary politics in Giovanni Grasso’s Fuoriusciti. Elio Germano and Chiara Lagani explore the interplay between art, authority and extremism in a powerful show that crescendos with a twist. And Sandro Veronesi and Valeria Solarino’s dramatic reading breathes life into Sandro Veronesi’s latest novel, which tells the story of a man trying to stay static and still.

WHEN

5 - 7 June

And make time to enjoy The Coronet bar…

Tucked away from the buzz of Notting Hill, this is a theatre bar with a difference. There's an intimate speakeasy feel to the candlelit space, where mismatched antiques and curiosities make it feel like you've stepped back in time. As well as stocking fine wines, bottled beers, spirits and soft drinks, the bar is home to The Coronet's popular Poetry Club.

The bar opens an hour before each performance and stays open until 11pm, so make sure you leave time for a pre- or post-show drink.