Recital for a World Gone to Sh*t
James Newby, Joseph Middleton & Adjoa Andoh
Platoon Presents at Kings Place
This recital is based on a collection of poetry entitled Poems for a World Gone to Sh*t
| James Newby | baritone |
|---|---|
| Joseph Middleton | piano |
| Adjoa Andoh | guest speaker |
“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.” – Oscar Wilde
Baritone James Newby says ‘As I read these vital and emotive poems, I realised that they resonated with me in the same way as the songs I was performing. Songs from today, as well as songs from a past era, have always provided the ideal vehicle to express our feelings and explore our emotions. There’s plenty in the world that we aren’t in control of – we are constantly surrounded by news of atrocities and suffering. The poems in this collection articulate those feelings of despair, frustration, loss, anger, but also reminds us that for all the ‘sh*t’ in the world, there is always beauty and joy to be found.
I’d love it if people left this recital having had even the tiniest shift, a new way of looking at something, a conscious gratitude, or even a melody that articulates better than words some sadness or joy. For me, that’s what I try to achieve every time I stand on stage, and that’s what makes art, in every form, so relevant to society today.’
Poetry will be read by actor, writer and director Adjoa Andoh, currently best known for playing Lady Danbury in Bridgerton and in its prequel Queen Charlotte.
About Adjoa Andoh
Adjoa Andoh is an actor, writer, director, with a career spanning 4 decades.
As an actor she is currently best known for playing Lady Danbury in Bridgerton and in its prequel Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton story, for which she is a 4-time nominee at the NAACP Awards.
Adjoa starred as Lady Heather Nancarrow in the new thriller 6-part TV drama The Red King, which aired in the spring (2024) for ALIBI/ITV. Other recent TV roles include DI Nina Rosen in BBC1’s Silent Witness and Nenneke in the Netflix blockbuster fantasy drama, The Witcher. Her many other television appearances include series regulars in Dr Who, Casualty, Law & Order UK and Eastenders.
In a career of almost 40 years, Adjoa has had lead roles at the National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, Royal Court Theatre, Young Vic, The Kiln, and in 2019, she conceived, co-directed and played the lead in Richard II at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in the UK’s first all women-of-colour production. 2023 saw Adjoa direct, co- produce and play the lead in a new theatre production of William Shakespeare’s Richard lll for Liverpool Playhouse and The Rose Theatre Kingston – also now a film.
Adjoa made her Hollywood debut in 2009, starring alongside Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon in Clint Eastwood’s Nelson Mandela biographical film Invictus. She played Dr Isaacs in the Netflix psychological thriller Fractured; and other films include Adulthood, Brotherhood, I Is A Long Memoried Woman, A Prayer Before Birth and What My Mother Told Me.
Adjoa has worked for RADA (The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art) as an audition panel member and director for over 20 years. She has also taught and directed at Rose Bruford Drama School.
She is an award-winning audiobook narrator with over 250 titles to her credit and has worked as an actor/writer/mentor in BBC radio drama since the 1980’s.
Adjoa is an associate artist at the Royal Shakespeare Company and an honorary fellow of the Shakespeare Association of America and The British Shakespeare Association.
She was the Cameron Mackintosh visiting Professor of Contemporary Drama 22/23 at Oxford University, where she is currently Professor Emeritus at St Catherine’s College.
Adjoa has been a 2023 Booker Prize judge, Bafta and Venice Biennale jurist, is an honorary fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and holds honorary degrees from Rose Bruford College and Bournemouth and Brighton Universities.
She is co-director of production company SwingingTheLens.
Adjoa is a proud ambassador for the International Rescue Committee, Patron for Tree Aid and for HACSA – The Heritage and Cultural Society of Africa.
This performance will last approximately 110 minutes, including an interval.
Concessions & Under 30s tickets
Kings Place Concessions Tickets
We want to ensure that people who may be struggling financially to purchase a ticket can still enjoy visiting Kings Place. A limited number of tickets are allocated for certain events (if the ticket type does not show in the booking pathway, it means they are not available for this event or have all been sold). Concessions tickets are accessible for people on the following criteria (for more information visit our FAQs)
- Pension Credit
- Universal Credit
- Disability Benefit
- Income Support or Job Seekers allowance
- Students
£10 ‘Under 30s’ tickets
A limited number of £10 tickets for attendees aged under 30 are available for certain shows. To purchase an ‘Under 30s’ ticket, please choose the ‘Under 30s’ price type when selecting your ticket(s). If the option does not appear, this means all ‘Under 30s’ tickets have sold out or are not available for this performance. Please note that proof of age may be requested at the venue. The £10 offer does not apply to premium price categories.
Plan your visit
Getting here
Kings Place is situated just a few minutes’ walk from King’s Cross and St Pancras stations, one of the most connected locations in London and now the biggest transport hub in Europe.
Our address is:
90 York Way, London, N1 9AG.
The Venue
Our performance spaces are situated on the lower ground floor. Hall One, Hall Two and St Pancras are located in level -2, reached by stairs, escalator and lift from the ground floor entrance level.
Event Times
Door times indicate auditorium entrance times only. Visitors are welcome to enjoy the Kings Place seating areas, gallery-level art, canal-side terrace, café, restaurant and bar throughout the day and evening.
- Our events begin promptly at the advertised start time. Typically, there is no support unless otherwise stated.
- We recommend arriving in good time before the performance. The Hall doors will open 30 minutes before the performance to allow time to take your seats, or to choose a space for standing shows.
- Latecomers will be admitted at a suitable break in the performance where possible
Access
We aim to make your visit to Kings Place as comfortable as possible. For more information about the accessibility of Kings Place, including details about our Access Scheme, please visit this page.
If you would like to discuss your access requirements with a member of our team, please get in touch with the Box Office team at info@kingsplace.co.uk.
Food & Drink
Rotunda Bar & Restaurant
Rotunda, situated on the ground floor of Kings Place, offers a unique dining and drinking experience alongside Regent’s Canal. The concert bar in the venue foyer will also be open for select events.
Green & Fortune Café
Recently re-furbished and now open with a new look, the Green & Fortune Café is open for selected concerts. Serving hot and cold food and drinks, including sandwiches, salads, soup, stew and a pie of the day, alongside a choice of cakes made by the on-site bakery team. See here for selected concert dates and standard opening hours.
