Ray Davies WILL be in Come Dancing July 31, 2008
Posted by Andy in : Theatre Royal Stratford East, come dancing , add a commentTheatre Royal Stratford East London announced today that the legendary Ray Davies will be leading the cast of Come Dancing. Ray, who also wrote Come Dancing, based on his own childhood memories, is of course the former front-man of The Kinks and one of the world’s most respected songwriters. Come Dancing will be packed full of brand new, never heard before songs penned by the songwriting master-craftsman himself. Definitely a memorable night out! Linda was quick to get on to the Stratford box office so we’ll be there in prime position one night in the first week.
The Harder They Come closes early July 31, 2008
Posted by Linda in : dates, playhouse , add a commentThe Harder They Come at the Playhouse Theatre will now close on September 13.
The Jimmy Cliff reggae show was booking to November 1 but will now close 6 weeks or so early. The show played at the Barbican before moving to the Playhouse and started at Theatre Royal Stratford East.
It had a mixed response from the critics but audience numbers have reduced in the last couple of weeks.
No news of what will go into the Playhouse next but there are lots of good shows waiting in the wings.
Gigi - an interesting musical choice. July 31, 2008
Posted by Linda in : gigi, theatre breaks , add a comment
Gigi, the classic Lerner and Loewe musical will be at the Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park from August 6th to September 13th 2008.
Gigi- the Story
Gigi is based on the 1945 novel by one of my favourite French authors, Collette. What it becomes in the stage adaptation is really something else.
Gigi is a young (can be as young as 14), innocent girl growing up in Paris in the early 1900s. Her grandmother Mamita and her Aunt Alicia are grooming her to be a courtesan, the female plaything of some rich older man. This has been in some ways the family business. Mamita was once the lover of the rich, and now very respectable Honoré and learnt from bitter experience that men did not marry ‘their sort’. They teach her all the social graces and deportment they think she’ll need to keep them all in fine style. (Are you cringing yet?). Honoré narrates the show and plays a major role. So much so that we could start to fear he may fall for Gigi.
However Honoré has a nephew Gaston, himself a rich and eligible playboy, who becomes captivated by the girl as she is ‘tamed’ from a normal adolescent into the very image of a poised young lady.So that’s all right then? Erm…. Anyway after various twists and turns, including almost signing her up as his courtesan, and overcoming the obligatory scheming incumbent girlfriend, Gaston marries Gigi. Aw, I love a happy ending.
The Gigi music
There are,of course, some great songs in the show. I love “The Night They Invented Champagne” and “I Remember It Well” . I really wonder though, if we live in an innocent enough world to not cringe when a man old enough to be her grandfather, who might even be her grandfather, sings ” Thank Heaven for Little Girls” after spending some time with Gigi!
The Cast for Gigi
Honoré is being played by Topol. I’m struggling to see him in this role, as the consummate elderly French playboy gone respectable (ish). I suppose he’s so typecast in Fiddler on the Roof it is hard to remember he is in fact an actor.
Millicent Martin, ( I’ve always wanted to see her!) plays Madame Alvarez (Mamita) his former lover and Gigi’s Grandmother.
Thomas Borchert (new to the West End but a very experienced German musical star) plays Gaston
Linda Thorson, (OMG didn’t she used to be an Avenger?? ) plays Aunt Alicia
Lisa O’Hare (former Mary Poppins) plays Gigi.
Not so unPC after all
It is that last bit of casting that saves the show from just being in bad taste. Lisa O’Hare is not a teenager. She’s young and pretty but she’s not an ingenue. If Gigi is played as 18 or 19 rather than the 14 or 15 Collette intended everything becomes a lot less uncomfortable.
To go or not?
Gigi has some great tunes and casting. I love outdoor theatre. We might not get the chance to see Topol (72) and Ms Martin (no - that would be ungracious!) on the stage in London again. I love Collette. It’s set in Paris, hmm could be the clincher.
But
It just makes me feel slightly queasy. What do you think?
Chicago - Who’s the next Roxie? July 30, 2008
Posted by Linda in : cast changes, chicago , add a commentKelly Price will be the next Roxie Hart in Chicago for an 8 week run from September 1 until October 25.
Kelly Price’s West End Credits
No newcomer Kelly has been in two major West End productions already:
Guys and Dolls - Sarah Brown
Mamma Mia! - Sophie
Stomp with Free Hotel in August July 29, 2008
Posted by Linda in : offers, stomp , add a commentStomp and Free Hotel Breaks
Stomp is a great show to see during the summer holidays and now you can book a weekday (including Fridays!) performance in August, or even the first week of September, and get a free night in a three star London hotel. This is the great new summer offer from Show and Stay via London Theatre Breaks. You could see Stomp for as little as £45 per person including your hotel!
The Stomp Offer - dates and performances
Weekday performances from Friday August 1st - Friday 5th of September covered by the offer:
Mondays - 8pm
Thursdays evenings - 8pm
Friday evenings - 8pm
No shows on Tuesdays and Wednesday
The Hotels
You can either choose from a range of a 3* hotels and pay nothing, or even upgrade to a luxurious 4* hotel for as little as £10. Some of the hotels are very close to the theatre others are further out. Choosing which you want really depends on what you want to do with the rest of your stay.
Book Stomp Theatre Breaks Now
For more details, read the London Hotel Deals page here at London theatre breaks or else head straight on over to book now. These special offer tickets won’t hang around for long.
Just Say Ni! to Spamalot Hotel offer July 29, 2008
Posted by Andy in : offers, spamalot, theatre break , add a commentSpamalot with free Hotel Offer
Hailed as “Funnier than the Black Death” what can you say about Monty Python’s Spamalot musical except Ni! I’ll just repeat that for the benefit of our older readers who are getting a little bit hard of hearing: WHAT CAN YOU SAY ABOUT MONTY PYTHON’S SPAMALOT EXCEPT oh never mind. Tell them about the free hotel offer. What free hotel offer? The one where you really have to pay £4,000? No, it’s not just the name of the shop, this really is a free hotel. You can doing anything you like when you stay there - within the bounds of British decency of course.
You book your top tickets for Spamalot midweek in August or early September and get an overnight stay in a three star London hotel inclusive with the theatre tickets. So the overall price can be as little as £55 per person. For an extra £10 it may be possible to upgrade to a four star hotel which is more likely to have a shrubbery and such things. Actually some of the three star hotels might have shrubberies as well, so it’s probably best to check at reception on your way out to the show so that everything can be all laid out waiting for you when you get back. One word of warning for when you are inside the theatre though, watch out for the funniest joke on earth. It’s a killer, as in fatal. Keep your ears well covered during that part and you should get out alive.
For more details, read the London Hotel Deals page here at London theatre breaks or else head straight on over to book now.
London’s Chicago musical with Free Hotel July 29, 2008
Posted by Andy in : chicago, midweek, offers , add a commentChicago in London - Free Hotel
Chicago the hit musical in London is part of a great summer sale which includes a one night hotel stay in the price of the tickets. As one of the shows qualifying for the free hotel offer with midweek London theatre breaks in August 2008, this means you can get an inclusive theatre and hotel deal with top tickets to see Chicago at the Cambridge Theatre for as little as £52.50 per person, and this includes a one night stay in a three star hotel in London.
For more details, read the London Hotel Deals page here at London theatre breaks or else head straight on over to book now
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Suzanne Shaw is Roxie in London’s Chicago from June 1st 2008
Billy Elliot - London Hotel offer July 28, 2008
Posted by Andy in : billy elliot, offers, theatre breaks , add a commentBilly Elliot included in Free Hotel deals
Great news for fans of the ever popular Billy Elliot West End show. It’s one of the great musicals qualifying for the free hotel offer with midweek theatre breaks in August 2008.
This means you can get an inclusive theatre and hotel deal with top tickets to see Billy Elliot at the lovely Victoria Palace theatre for as little as £65 per person, and this includes staying one night in a three star hotel in central London, based on two people sharing a room. The cost of the room is included in that price!
There are more details about the deal over on the London Hotel Deals page here at London theatre breaks or else you could head straight on over to book now.
Book Zorro and get a free hotel! July 28, 2008
Posted by Linda in : Special Offers, zorro , add a commentZorro tickets are included in the latest theatre breaks offer! I was amazed when I realised that you could book weekday performances during the Summer Holidays for Zorro and get a free hotel. This means that you can see Zorro and stay in a 3* hotel for as little as £55 per person! Zorro is full of swashbuckling action and is one of the hottest new musicals in the West End at the moment.
Zorro - dates and performances
The offer is for weekday evening performances from Friday August 1st to Friday September 5th, Monday - Friday - 7:30 pm
The Hotels
The London hotels included in the offer are all at least 3* London hotels. Some are close to the theatre others are a little further away but near other attractions. You can even opt to upgrade to a 4* hotel for as little as £10 per person.
Book now - these tickets won’t last!
This is such a good offer that you really have to act quickly and book as soon as possible.
Sound Of Music Summer Offer July 28, 2008
Posted by Andy in : Sound of Music, offers , add a commentThe Sound Of Music - Summer Offer with Free Hotel
Loved the film but never seen the show? This is the opportunity for anybody who always wanted to see The Sound Of Music live on stage or wants to go again or even yet again. It’s one of the shows qualifying for the free hotel offer with midweek theatre breaks in August 2008.
This means you can get an inclusive theatre and hotel deal with top tickets to see Maria, the nuns and Von Trapp family at the London Palladium for as little as £60 per person, and this includes staying one night in a three star hotel in central London or you can upgrade to a four star for as little as £10!
For further details, read the London Hotel Deals page here at London theatre breaks or else head straight on over to book now.
