Dreamscape – Toyah Willcox Fansite

Sugar and Spice, written by Nigel Williams and directed by Bill Alexander, opened at the Royal Court Theatre, in Sloan Square, London, 35 years ago today. Starring Toyah Willcox, Caroline Quentin and Gwyneth Strong. Toyah played Sharon, her third stage role – following Tales From The Vienna Woods (Emma, 1977) and American Days (Tallulah, 1979).

• Read an NME interview with Toyah, discussing Sugar and Spice (while she was still appearing in it in 1980), and see the production’s poster at Royal Court Posters. (Thanks to The Official Toyah Instagram)

“Congratulations on your 150th anniversary. I have always loved working at the Theatre Royal. It is a beautiful venue overflowing with history. Here’s to the next 150 years!”
Toyah Willcox, actress and singer

Toyah paid tribute to Maximilian Schell last night: Just heard Maximillian Schell has died. A lovely, kind soul to work with. Directed me @ National Theatre in 1976! God bless. Here is a photo of Toyah as Emma in Tales From The Vienna Woods. View the full version at Instagram.

A selection of recent Hormonal Housewives reviews.

• Shropshire Star: Review: Hormonal Housewives, Wolverhampton Grand: A tiny sprinkling of very brave males turned out in support of their WAGS at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre last night, as 1980s pop princess Toyah Willcox and the cast of Hormonal Housewives flew into town on their broomsticks to begin a run of this hilarious comedy. It’s a light-hearted look at all things female through the eyes of three middle- aged woman, and providing you can see the humour in someone else’s sex life, PMS, bodily functions and other personal aspects of growing older, you’ll be entertained. (Photo © Shropshire Star)

• This is Devon: Review: Ellie Cox sees Hormonal Housewives at the Queen’s Theatre: Lighthearted sense of humour? Check. Gaggling group of girls? Check. Lover of sparkle, pink fluff and gym lycra? Check. If you ticked all of the above criteria, then this is a show for you.

• It’s On Cardiff: Hormonal Housewives: I have to say, I haven’t belly laughed like that in a long time! The show was packed with humour from start to finish as the ladies acted out different sketches on stage (with the help of their not-so-fetching male accomplice – Zeus), portraying different scenarios in a woman’s life.

• Instagram: The Hormonal Housewives entourage lunching with Toyah last week!

• Harrow Times: “The food cravings! The cold feet! The weight gain! The bloating! HELL!”: Toyah Willcox is in a flush as she prepares for Hormonal Housewives at Watford Colosseum.

• Wirral Globe: It’s no mystery that Toyah’s show is an ‘absolute scream’: Toyah Willcox returns to Wirral next week in a show which takes a humorous look at the ups and downs of life for women in the 21st Century.

• Gazette Live: Preview: Hormonal Housewives, Forum Theatre, Billingham: Toyah Willcox might not be your typical “hormonal housewife”. With a 30-year career spanning stage and screen her life has been far from “ordinary”.

• Chester Chronicle: Toyah Willcox is starring in Hormonal Housewives at Liverpool and Rhyl: It’s naughty fun and guaranteed to make you ‘howl with laughter’ according to Toyah Willcox one of the stars of a show called Hormonal Housewives on tour right now.

• Romford Recorder: Hormonal Housewives to be performed in Chelmsford: Pop icon Toyah Willcox will be asking if your man is more James May than Christian Grey in a new edition of Hormonal Housewives.

• Surry Comet: Hormonal Housewives to take over the Epsom Playhouse: An evening of women declaring what ticks them off has turned into a hugely successful show which rolls into the Epsom Playhouse next week.

• Skegness Standard: Housewives show set to hit Skegness: Following on from their hugely successful 2012 tour, join this bunch of spirited females for a night of hilarious entertainment, starring Toyah Willcox.

• Milton Keynes Citizen: Toyah has a moan in Milton Keynes: Toyah Willcox joins writer Julie Coombe and former Hollyoaks actress Sarah Jane Buckley in Hormonal Housewives, at MK Theatre this Sunday evening.

• Woman’s Own: Toyah is interviewed in the first issue of the new Woman’s Own magazine “Get Healthy”: In our first Get Healthy magazine we aim to help you feel your best.  We share with you the stars’ go-to remedies for staying well. Toyah Willcox tells us what made her sleep after 40 years of insomnia.

• Primitive Screwheads: Friday Night Movies 415: Jubilee is a 1978 film by Derek Jarman… With its uninhibited punk petulance and sloganeering, Jubilee, brings together many cultural and musical icons of the time, including Jordan, Toyah Willcox, Little Nell, Wayne County, Adam Ant, and Brian Eno (with his first original film score), to create a genuinely unique, unforgettable vision.

• Retro Brit: Quadrophenia: Great Retro Brit Flick: I can remember the first time I saw the advert at the Bank Underground station in 1979… There was Sting from the band: The Police and Toyah Willcox who were all rock stars of that time.

• NI Scene: Calamity Jane: Ciara Mackey joins the ranks of Barbara Windsor, Toyah Willcox and the iconic Doris Day herself in playing the disaster-prone Calamity Jane.

• The Hormonal Housewives are now into their third week of rehearsals. There are now only six days until the first show at The Churchill Theatre, Bromley. Info here.

• A new Creative Team page has been added, and updated, at the Official Hormonal Housewives website.

• Toyah has tweeted a couple of updates about rehearsals over the last couple of days: “Starting 2 get 1st night nerves! Just a week 2 go. Rehearsed bizarrest dance I’ve ever done“, and “ran ACT 1, 4 1st time today. It’s really good fun, but wait 4 my madonna dance end of act 2! Its the weirdest thing!”

• The Cresset What’s On: The Show Everyone’s Talking About: A great page dedicated to Hormonal Housewives, which plays at The Cresset Theatre, Peterborough on 12th March.

• Term Times Family Magazine: Win A Pair Of Tickets To See Hormonal Housewives: To win “Like” the Term Times Facebook page and share this post.

• Toyah has also been discussing her involvement with the Hormonal Housewives tour in various recent interviews, including Woman’s Weekly, Birmingham Mail and This is Sussex.

Tons of activity for the Hormonal Housewives, in the second week of their rehearsals.

• Toyah has tweeted a couple of photos from the rehearsals: “dear ray, the only man on the Hormonal Housewives tour has decided he needs a bigger pair of balls :-)“, view photo here, and “Ray had the balls 2 wear a Playboy t-shirt 2 rehearsals….now he’s knackered! :-)“, view photo here.

• A new article on Hormonal Housewives by Cheshire Today: Toyah Willcox and Julie Coombe to star in Hormonal Housewives at the Liverpool Empire: The irrepressible Hormonal Housewives are back this spring with a second national tour, stopping at the Liverpool Empire for one night only on 10 April 2013.

• A new interview with Toyah, focusing on Hormonal Housewives, by This is Sussex: Toyah Willcox is going to pull no punches. Toyah explained: “It’s a sketch show with three acts and we play ourselves in between. It’s a comedy, and it’s not political – but it is very rude and naughty.

• Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone have a Hormonal Housewives competition: (Be quick, it closes at Midday today!!) We are giving away 10 pairs of tickets to come and see Hormonal Housewives at the LCH on Saturday 9 March 7:30pm! For your chance to win email your name and contact details to folkestonemarketing@theambassadors.com by 12pm today. The lucky winners will be picked at random and contacted after the closing date. Good Luck!!

• Keep updated with all the official Hormonal Housewives news at Twitter and Facebook.

It’s the second instalment of Dreamscape’s new Keeping Up With The Hormonal Housewives. There are now just 18 days to go until the tour begins, with the first show at The Churchill Theatre, Bromley.

• Toyah tweeted this week: “Started Hormonal Housewives rehearsals! Very funny! Very rude! Absolutely no phone reception @ venue….heaven” and also “Down deep in the bowels of churchill theatre, bromley, rehearsing HH. world could end we wouldn’t know!!!!”

• The Hormonal Housewives have been tweeting and facebooking over the last couple of days too, keeping everyone updated. View their Twitter and check out their Facebook.

• Get your tickets for the first week’s performances: Churchill Theatre, Bromley (5th March), Regent Theatre, Ipswich (6th), Corn Exchange, Kings Lynn (7th), Gordon Craig Theatre, Stevenage (8th) and Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone (9th March).

Welcome to Dreamscape’s new “Keeping Up with the Hormonal Housewives” strand: Regular posts in which we will endeavour to keep you updated on what those Hormonal Housewives are up to (I know the title is self-explanatory and didn’t need explaining but…). Here goes:

• Toyah tweeted on Sunday: “So much 2 do! Not packed yet! Start Hormonal Housewives tomorrow! Can’t wait :-)”

• Hormonal Housewives tweeted yesterday: “We are starting today with our rehearsals!!! Happy Monday to everyone! #laughingladies”

• Hormonal Housewives also linked to News Shopper‘s ticket competition yesterday, at Twitter and Facebook, and kindly gave Dreamscape a namecheck! (Thank you!)

• Visit the Official Hormonal Housewives website, and check out Dreamscape’s dedicated page.

• News Shopper: Win a night at the theatre with friends and Hormonal Housewives: News Shopper has teamed up with The Churchill Theatre in Bromley to offer one lucky reader, and five friends, the chance to win tickets to the opening night on 5th March. You can enter online or by text. (Closing date for entries: 21st February)

• The Hormonal Houswives begin rehearsals today for their mammoth three month tour. They tweeted on Friday: “The hormonal housewives are gearing up for a relaxing weekend before rehearsals start on Monday.”

Check out the latest addition to Dreamscape: A page dedicated to Hormonal Housewives, the theatre show that Toyah will tour with through March, April and May.

Dreamscape’s page includes info, photos and the full tour dates. I’ve also added direct links to the Hormonal Housewives page at each theatre website (just click on the theatre’s name).

Hormonal Housewives 2013 opens at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley on Tuesday 5th March and goes country wide over the following three months. The complete dates are also available at The Official Toyah Gigs page.

(Thanks to Valeria Carboni & Jamie Wilson Productions)

It’s the official flyer/leaflet for the Hormonal Housewives 2013 UK tour, featuring great photos and most of the later tour dates (in May). Please click on the photos to zoom.

Hormonal Housewives opens in just under a month’s time, on 5th March, and visits dozens of theatres and venues over the following three months. No doubt there will be tons of press and interviews in the build up to, and during, the tour.

• Visit the Hormonal Housewives website for more info. The complete list of dates is also available at The Official Toyah Gigs page at toyahwillcox.com. (Thanks to Sharon Dickson for the flyer)

• Indie London: Hormonal Housewives: A second national tour of Hormonal Housewives will visit New Wimbledon Theatre on April 19, 2013. With previous Hormonal Housewives including Margi Clark and Carol Smillie, 2013’s ladies will be led by British pop icon Toyah Willcox and writer Julie Coombe, with further casting to be announced.

• Official Blog: Toyah talks Hormonal Housewives in her latest missive: “I am getting ready to tour Hormonal Housewives, dealing with the  press for 67 dates, all in different towns.”

• Asda: Win! One of 25 pairs of tickets to watch Hormonal Housewives at a venue near you. (you may have to enable cookies first before entering the competition). There’s another link to this at Competition Hunter.

• Facebook: Visit the Hormonal Housewives Facebook page.

Toyah tours the UK from the beginning of March to the end of May in Hormonal Housewives. The full dates, over 70 in total, are available at the show’s website and the Official Gigs page at toyahwillcox.com. There has already been online press reports on the tour, including the Lancaster Guardian, This is Total Essex and the Brighouse Echo.

Toyah’s panto for Christmas 2012, Sleeping Beauty, opens at The Marlowe Theatre this evening.

A number of the dates have already sold out at the 1200 seat capacity theatre.

The panto, one of Toyah’s longest ever, runs until 20th January and there are over 90 performances in total, including a thigh-slappingly exhaustive three on Saturday 22nd and 29th December.

This is Toyah’s 16th panto (in 17 years) and the third time she has played the Bad Fairy in Sleeping Beauty.

Toyah’s first panto appearance was in the title role of Jack & The Beanstalk at the Theatre Royal, Norwich in 1996. Since then she has played Peter Pan, Aladdin, the Genie, the Bad Fairy and the Wicked Queen in a variety of successful pantomimes across England.

Panto time is always a busy period for Toyah news but this year it has been exceptionally busy. View all of our Sleeping Beauty related news here.

• View further Sleeping Beauty information, show dates & times, and ticket booking details, at The Marlowe Theatre website, here.

Numerous new dates and venues have been added to the Hormonal Housewives 2013 UK Tour. Toyah and Julie Coombe will travel the length and breadth of the UK during Spring 2013, playing over 70 dates. Tickets are already selling well.

Is your man more James May than Christian Grey? Then grab your girlfriends and head for a hilariously funny evening with the Hormonal Housewives – what they can’t teach you about modern womanhood isn’t worth knowing!

• View a report on Hormonal Housewives 2013 at the UK Theatre Network.

The ‘Cast’ pages at the Hormonal Housewives website have been added, including one for Toyah.

I was born on May 18th 1958; a birth date I share with Pope John Paul II. How could two people sharing the same birthday be so radically different? I bet he has never scoffed Mars Bars at 3’o clock in the morning whilst crying over Love Story. As far as I can remember I have always been hormonal, and I can remember being in my pram…

• Continue reading at hormonalhousewives.co.uk (Photo © Hormonal Housewives)

Hormonal Housewives: Starring Toyah Willcox: The Hormonal Housewives are back, and this time they mean business! ‘Hormonal Housewives will have you bouncing in your seat, clapping rhythmically and laughing uncontrollably! Catch it while you can…’ (Thanks to James Hawes)

The Spring 2013 dates for the UK Tour of Hormonal Housewives, starring Toyah, have just been added to the HH website.

There are visits to: Bromley, Brighton, Birmingham, Southport, Woking, Crawley, Swansea, Barnstaple, Wolverhampton, Cardiff, Milton Keynes, Guildford, Liverpool, Wimbledon, Epsom, Manchester, Oxford & Glasgow. (Thanks to Rob Cope)

Toyah mentioned in a recent interview with The Telegraph: “Next year, I’m touring in a show called Hormonal Housewives. It’s a comedy drama.”

Join the Hormonal Housewives as they battle against weight gain, weight loss, mood swings, wine, PMS, men, going to the gym, waxing, stretch marks, chocolate, upper-lip hair, chocolate, men, chocolate… and all the other joys of being a 21st Century girl! Did we mention chocolate?

Dates and cast list for the 2013 tour are expected to be announced shortly.