The Donmar Warehouse announces that it will present a special concert online to mark the festive season. Looking A Lot Like Christmas will be performed in the beautiful setting of St Paul’s Church (affectionately known as The Actors’ Church), in the heart of Covent Garden and premiere online for free on the Donmar’s YouTube channel on Wednesday 16 December, 7.30pm. The concert will be captioned, and an audio introduction will be available in partnership with Vocaleyes.
This hour-long concert of musical numbers, sketches and seasonal poetry will be directed by Simon Evans (Staged, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui), with musical direction by Nigel Lilley (Piaf, Caroline, or Change), and production design by Grace Smart (My Beautiful Laundrette, One Night in Miami).
The Donmar has assembled an all-star cast including Imelda Staunton (Gypsy, Follies, Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix/Deathly Hallows Part 1), Jim Carter (Downton Abbey, Guys and Dolls, Shakespeare in Love), Minnie Driver (Good Will Hunting, Will & Grace, Circle of Friends), Giles Terera (Hamilton, Rosmersholm, Hamlet), Rosalie Craig (Company, City of Angels, London Road) and Sharon Rose (Hamilton, Caroline, Or Change, Beautiful – The Carole King Musical). Further artists will be announced in the coming weeks, and there will even be a few surprise special guests joining in the merriment digitally from their own living rooms.
Donmar Warehouse Artistic Director Michael Longhurst said: “At the end of a very difficult year for us all, we wanted to bring together a group of incredible artists to celebrate the festive season in true Donmar style. We are thrilled to be creating this concert for the special setting of the Actors’ Church – and offer it as a heartfelt thank you to our audiences for their unwavering support this year. Even though we can’t be together in person, we hope you will all join us online to share the joy of music and theatre which has endured throughout the challenges of 2020.”
Looking A Lot Like Christmas will stream for free on YouTube from 7.30pm 16 December, and audiences will be invited to donate if they are able to via YouTube Giving or via text message. Proceeds from the concert will directly support the Donmar’s work on and off stage. The Donmar also believes it is vital to support its local community and will therefore redistribute 15% of all donations received to the Connection at St Martin’s, which during the COVID-19 crisis has supported thousands of homeless people across London with the provision of over 21,000 hot meals, as well as accommodation, access to medical support and therapy https://www.connection-at-stmartins.org.uk/
The Donmar Warehouse is a charity, and public funding makes up only 8% of its income. The generous support to-date from ticket-buyers, members, trusts, foundations and corporate partners has enabled it not only to deliver much-loved productions but also to work with thousands of young people and communities each year, to develop industry leading artists and to nurture the next generation of theatre audiences. For the Donmar, this support is now more crucial than ever to sustain the organisation over the coming months. To support the Donmar Warehouse and donate during this difficult time, more information can be found at https://www.donmarwarehouse.com/support/
