*Which new shows are coming to the West End?
*What are the latest special offers for theatre breaks in London?
*Who is leaving the cast and who is replacing them
*What might close and what has been extended
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Calendar Girls New Cast May 29, 2009
Posted by Linda in : Calendar Girls, cast changes , add a commentA new Cast for Calendar Girls from July 28th.
Jerry Hall
Jerry Hall, ex-model and ex Mrs Mick Jagger, she of the long blond hair and even longer legs will be joining the cast of Calendar Girls from July 28th! Jerry’s West End credits include Mrs Robinson in The Graduate and Mother Lord in the 2005 production of High Society
Dot Cotton in Calendar Girls
EastEnders star June Brown (Dot) will also join the ladies of Calendar Girls. Of course, June is a stunning actress so she’ll help to bolster the cast. In real life June couldn’t be further from the part she plays in Eastenders as she’s actually a very elegant lady.
The Eastenders connection doesn’t end there as Anita Dobson is also joining the cast.
The other cast members will include Gemma Atkinson, Jill Halfpenny, Jill Baker, Richenda Carey and Jack Ryder.
I can’t help feeling that there will be even more laughs backstage with this line up! I’d love to be a fly on the wall when that lot start dishing the dirt!
The new cast will join the show on July 28 until October 17.
Mamma Mia – new cast May 27, 2009
Posted by Linda in : Mamma Mia!, cast changes , add a comment
Mamma Mia!
MAMMA MIA! at the Prince of Wales Theatre will have major cast changes from Monday 15 June 2009.
The Mamma Mia Cast list
- Sally Ann Triplett as Donna Sheridan,
- Katy Secombe as Rosie
- Jane Gurnett as Tanya.
- Norman Bowman as Sam Carmichael,
- Paul Ryan as Harry Bright,
- Christopher Hollis as Bill Austin,
- Niamh Perry as Sophie Sheridan,
- Oliver Hembrough as Sky,
- Jodie Read as Ali,
- Laura Selwood as Lisa,
- Ben Heathcote as Pepper
- Sam McKay as Eddie.
- Melissa Jacques as alternate Donna Sheridan
Some of the new cast members (Sally Ann Triplett, Katy Secombe and Norman Bowman) have good West End credentials.
Christopher Hollis is better known for his TV work (EastEnders, The Bill, A Touch of Frost)
Of course we’ll all recognise Niamh Perry as she was a finalist on I’d Do Anything on BBC One. She didn’t win the role of Nancy but she was very, very good. I think she’ll be excellent as Sarah.
Chicago – New Roxy announced May 26, 2009
Posted by Linda in : cast changes, chicago , add a commentMichelle Williams is Chicago’s new Roxy
New Chicago star Michelle Williams
Michelle Williams (ex-Destiny’s Child) is to make her West End stage debut starring as Roxie Hart in Chicago.
The US singer will appear at London’s Cambridge Theatre from July 13 until August 22.
Michelle first made her name with Beyonce Knowles and Kelly Rowland in Destiny’s Child.
She released a solo album in 2002. She made her stage debut in the title role in the musical Aida on Broadway .
She has also played Shug Avery in the musical of The Color Purple, in Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Michelle got very good reviews for her performance in the tour and I think it bodes very well for her time in Chicago.
Here she is at the 2006 Tony’s with the rest of the cast. (BTW doesn’t this sound like a great musical. I’d love to see it come here!)
West End Live 2009 May 25, 2009
Posted by Linda in : news, westendlive , add a commentWest End Live 2009 will take place on Saturday the 20th (11am to 6pm) and Sunday the 21st of June (12noon to 6pm). The venue will be Leicester Square.
This is the 5th annual West End Live and promises to be even bigger and better than last year’s extravaganza.
Although there’s no official running order or confirmations yet it seems likely we can expect to see performances from new shows like Priscilla and SIster Act as well as several of the more established favourites. As ever there will be some extracts from new off West End shows as well.
As soon as I hear what the running order will be I’ll post it here so you can plan your trip to be sure of seeing favourites. I really want to see Sister Act!
West End Live 2008
Last year’s West End Live was fantastic and well worth putting up with the crowds.
Serious is what the public wants May 11, 2009
Posted by Linda in : Plays, news, opinion , add a commentSerious drama is the new black
Writing in the Evening Standard Nicholas Hytner makes a ‘confident prediction’. He says:
the hot tickets in London this summer will be for Shakespeare, Chekhov and Racine.
He suggests there’s serious hunger amongst the theatre audience for more complex plays. He goes on to say:
Over the next few months, sold out houses, a thousand strong, will discover again that honesty, intelligence and nobility of mind can be a crippling handicap (Hamlet).
That the destruction of a decayed old order is necessary and absolutely heart-breaking (The Cherry Orchard).
That obsessive love is an affliction that can turn a woman into a stalker (All’s Well That Ends Well) or prompt her to accuse an innocent young man of rape (Phedre) – but that in both cases the audience will stay with her, will not easily condemn, will not turn tabloid editor and cry witch.
I can’t disagree with any of that. They are all productions that I’d love to see. Rich, complex, serious drama. And there is an audience for it. Those productions, in the main, sell out before most of that potential audience can even book seats.
He’s not saying the West End musicals are dead. He’s being much more subtle than that. His point seems to be that the London theatre can both celebrate and satirise ‘pop culture’. I think he might be saying that we can have our ‘jukebox’, feel-good, musicals so long as they come with a suitable spoon full of self-awareness and make us think, as well as sing.
It will become part of a London theatre that is thriving because it provides escape, because it both satirises and embraces a debased popular culture. But above all, because it is serious. And it turns out that serious is what the public wants.
What do you want?
I hate to point out the obvious but Nicholas Hytner is Director of the National Theatre. To an extent he has to believe serious drama is what the public wants.
So it’s over to you, dear reader, what is it that you want?
More serious drama? Or more fluff like Legally Blonde?
(Oh and please, don’t try to persuade me it’s making a serious feminist point!)
Original Cast Recordings of Musicals April 19, 2009
Posted by Linda in : Musicals, music, news , add a commentI’ve found a great new free way to listen to original cast recordings of lots of musicals on my computer. Right now I’m enjoying Zorro!
Spotify is a legal way to listen to music online either for free (with occasional ads) or if you pay for premium it’s ad free.
Spotify is sort of like radio on demand. It’s a streaming service so you can’t store the music on your computer or transfer it to an MP3 player but it’s good enough to listen to music whilst working on your computer.
You can make up your own playlists and share them with friends.
The service pays a small fee to access the songs legally so it’s perfectly ok to use. You have to download the software onto your computer but it’s really easy and works on both PC and Mac computers via Adobe Air
Cast recordings I found on Spotify so far
They are adding stuff all the time so it’s worthwhile searching. So far I’ve managed to find:
They are lots more – so I hope you enjoy Spotify.
We Will Rock You – 4 free tracks April 19, 2009
Posted by Linda in : news, wewillrockyou , add a comment
We Will Rock You
We Will Rock You
We Will Rock You – Original Cast Recording
Next week’s Mail on Sunday is giving away a free CD. It has 10 classic Queen Tracks sung by the band, including Freddy Mercury. It also has 4 bonus tracks from the original London cast recording:
Bonus tracks from the London cast recording of We Will Rock You
- Somebody To Love (Live)
- I Want To Break Free (Live)
- A Kind Of Magic (Live)
- No-One But You (Only The Good Die Young) (Live)
Connie Fisher cancels UK Tour April 18, 2009
Posted by Linda in : news , add a comment
Connie Fisher
Connie Fisher has cancelled her forthcoming UK tour due to throat surgery. Sadly Connie who won How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? to star in The Sound of Music is to have surgery on her vocal chords to save her professional career.
Connie,who is only 25 years old, has just been diagnosed with condition known as congenital fusion anomalies. This is a birth defect which is not uncommon in the general population but extremely rare in professional singers.
According to walesonline.com a consultant ear nose and throat surgeon Jonathan Osborne, described the operation as “very delicate”.
“I do not know of Connie’s personal medical details but I’ve performed similar operations on the vocal chords and this can be very difficult. The problem is caused by a web of tissue that crosses the gap between the two sides of the vocal chords. This can be removed but there is a chance of it reforming.
“In severe cases if this tissue is left it can cause breathing difficulties but after surgery at least three months of voice rest is needed. I wish Connie well.”
A spokesperson from Connie’s management team said:
“Connie is obviously very disappointed and upset she will not be able to do the concert tour, but we wish her a full recovery.
“Connie’s condition was diagnosed in March following a smaller operation but she was told last week she needed an urgent operation to have any chance to perform again.
“Connie’s doctor has advised her that the situation she finds herself in has been with her from birth. Effectively how Connie Fisher has ended up having a singing career is nothing short of a miracle.
“Connie is obviously very disappointed and upset she is not able to do the concert tour, but we wish her a full recovery.”
Connie had on-going problems with her voice during her time as Maria in The Sound of Music which she finally left in February 2008. Her plan was to pursue a solo singing career and she was due to return to the role for a UK tour starting in July.
We’d like to wish her a speedy recovery.
Hairspray – Brian Conley New Edna from July April 10, 2009
Posted by Linda in : Hairspray, cast changes, news , add a commentBrian Conley will take over as Edna Turnblad in Hairspray, currently running at London’s Shaftesbury Theatre, according today’s Daily Mail. 
Conley will take over from Michael Ball on July 27 2009. Michael Ball says that the show
“has without doubt been one of the happiest and most fulfilling experiences of my professional life.”
Brian Conley started out at Pontin’s and used to be warm-up man for Terry Wogan, Noel Edmonds and Kenny Everett. Since then he’s gone on to have his own TV shows “Brian Conley: This Way Up” and “The Brian Conley Show,.
He’s probably best known for presenting The National Lottery Show Live. His West End credits include ‘Me and My Girl’ where he took the lead role of Bill Snibson in the Adelphi Theatre production. More recently he played Caractacus Potts in “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” at the London Palladium in 2005.
Speaking about the casting Brian Conley said “I’ve done a lot in my career, but wearing a dress and heels every night and being married to Nigel Planer weren’t things I was expecting to be doing all at the same time, and in front of thousands of people! I’m absolutely delighted to be back in the West End and joining one of the most uplifting, happy and, not to mention, successful shows in town. Being part of something that brings a smile to people’s faces, especially in these troubled times, is a real treat and I can’t wait to get on stage at the Shaftesbury.”
Wicked – rest of the new cast announced. April 8, 2009
Posted by Linda in : cast changes, wicked , add a commentAlexia Khadime (Elphaba),
Dianne Pilkington (Glinda),
Oliver Tompsett (Fiyero), Sam Kelly (The Wizard), Harriet Thorpe (Madame Morrible)
Natalie Anderson (Nessarose)
Alex Jessop (Boq),
David Stoller (Doctor Dillamond),
Ashleigh Gray (Standby for Elphaba)
Sarah Earnshaw (Standby for Glinda),
Ensemble: Karen Aspinall, Lee Bridgeman, Sabrina Carter, Aileen Donohoe, A C Garcia, Clare Halse, Lauren James Ray, Keeley Jane Jackson, Arran Knight, Danny Mac, Mitchell Mahony, Sean Needham, Buchi Osuji, Sean Parkins, Caroline Rovina, Pharic Scott, Gregor Stewart, Lindsay Taylor, Chloe Taylor, Michelle Theunissen, Emily Tierney, Jennifer Tierney, Hannah Toy, George Ure, Sam Wilmott and Gary Wood.
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