The Mask of Zorro February 5, 2008
Posted by admin in : news, zorro , add a commentThe swashbuckling spectacular “Mask of Zorro” is a old theatre favourite, I remember seeing a lovely production at Theatre Royal, Stratford East back when my children were small. A new production is due to start touring this spring with a very good chance of transferring to the West End later in 2008. This version comes from the same prodction team behind We Will Rock You and features a musical score by flamenco band The Gipsy Kings. The Mask of Zorro opens as a world premiere in Woking’s New Victoria Theatre on the 13th March 2008.
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Marguerite - new musical at the Haymarket January 31, 2008
Posted by admin in : Musicals, Theatre Royal, marguerite, news , 8comments** Book Marguerite theatre breaks **
Ruthie Henshall will star with Julien Ovendon in a brand new musical at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket from May 7th 2008. Marguerite the musical will be the World Premiere of a collaboration between Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg (Les Misérables, Miss Saigon and Martin Guerre) and the Oscar award-winning musical legend Michel Legrand and lyricist Herbert Kretzmer (Les Misérables).
A love story set in Paris during the Second World War, Marguerite is based on the great romantic novel, La Dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas. That’s right - the exact same story as Baz Lurmans’ film Moulin Rouge! This stage version though is set against the background of occupied war time Paris.
In this tense, dangerous atmosphere Marguerite,the beautiful and notorious mistress of a high ranking German officer, falls for Armand a young musician half her age. Armand’s obsessive love for Marguerite puts them both at risk.
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Theatre Breaks in London - Chicago November 26, 2007
Posted by admin in : Musicals, cambridge, chicago , 1 comment so farMusicals make great theatre breaks in London and December marks the 10th Birthday of one of the best of them.
Facts and Figures
Chicago is the longest running Broadway musical on the West End. In London it has played to an audience of over 4.5 million people and more than 4,000 performances. The musical transferred from the Adelphi Theatre to the Cambridge Theatre in April last year. Based on a play by Maurine Dallas Watkins with a book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse. The musicis by John Kander and the lyrics by Fred Ebb. The West End production is staged by the original Broadway creative team. The show is booking until 27 July 2008.
After it opened, almost 10 years ago, the show won the 1998 Laurence Olivier Award for ‘Outstanding Musical Production’ and the 1998 Critics Circle Drama Award for ‘Best Musical’.
Cast Changes
One of the ways they keep the musical fresh is by bringing in interesting new cast members. This time a few people are revisiting familiar roles.
Frances Ruffelle plays the female lead, Roxy. Frances is a familiar face on the London musical stage. She was in Starlight Express and went on to star as Eponine. Though then unknown outside of the West End, she and Colm Wilkinson were invited took the show to its Broadway launch. She won multiple awards (including the Tony) for her role. We’ll quickly gloss over her 1994 Eurovision offering! She’s played Roxy before and it will be interesting to see how she tackles it this time.
Terence Maynard makes a welcome return as Billy Flynn. It’s a far cry from his role in EastEnders!
Sue Kelvin also returns as Mama Morton, the prison matron, the part taken by Queen Latifa in the film version. She’s played this role on stage before and is unlikely to suffer the sort of nerves that dogged Kelly Osbourne. On the other hand she’s unlikely to fit into Kelly’s glam costumes either! Kelly suffered from terrible stage fright and recently admitted that she was so scared on the first night she was almost sick on stage. She certainly looked trim and gorgeous in the publicity shots but some people have suggested these might have been airbrushed (shock horror!). Still I’ve long suspected that appearing nightly in a musical might be the ultimate weight loss regime so who knows!
How to get there
The Cambridge Theatre is on Earlham Street, London, WC2 9HU It is in the area near Covent Garden now known as Seven Dials. The best route is to walk from Tottenham Court Rd, if you have to use the tube, or Charing Cross station if you can get a train. Alternatively try to make sure you get a hotel within easy walking distance of the Covent Garden area. Actually that’s good advice anyway as the area is great 
There are lots of shops to browse, cafes and restaurants to eat in, it’s one of my favourite areas of London and deserves a section of theatre breaks in London all to itself!
Theatre Breaks in London - ‘Joseph’ November 17, 2007
Posted by admin in : Musicals, joseph, theatre breaks in London , add a commentIf you are planning a theatre break in London, then “Joseph” is currently one of the ten most popular shows to see. The great thing about booking it as part of a package is that you are sure to get tickets for one of the best shows without paying over the odds. Knowing you have a comfy hotel room to wander back to after the show really adds to the sense of occasion as well. It’s just so much more relaxing than having to battle with trains, or even worse, driving through the London traffic.
Theatre breaks package
I was amazed by how reasonable the cost of tickets, hotel and train can be, with prices starting from around £118.
Rice and Webber
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat was originally a 1970s musical by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. The pair conceived it as a 15 minute school production in 1968, and then brought it to the West End after their success with Jesus Christ Superstar. Based on the Biblical story, “Joseph” tells a tale of sibling rivalry followed by punishment, forgiveness and redemption. It has some super songs and set pieces. My favourite is “Close Every Door” but there are lots of others. It’s just classic Lloyd Webber genius really!
Any Dream Will Do
The BBC TV show Any Dream Will Do which made a reality game show out of searching for the main cast members for a London production has now made Joseph really popular all over again. I think most people who watched the BBC series feel like they’ve had a part in producing this show. Who could forget the wonderful (awful!) faces Lloyd Webber pulled? Now is the perfect time to go and see what it was all about. The TV was great but you cannot compare it to the experience of watching a live performance. Lee Mead has had good reviews for his portrayal of the star role but it’s by no means a one man show and the rest of the cast have all been highly praised as well.
London Theatre - the Adelphi
The show is on at the Adelphi Theatre, a lovely 1930’s Art Deco Grade 2 listed building on the Strand in the heart of the West End. Although it has a fairly plain exterior, it is richly decorated inside. The whole theatre was re-furbished in the 1990s and it has up to date facilities. There has been a theatre on this site since the early 1800s and in 1930 updated to accommodate larger audiences The main walls and the entrance at the back of the theatre are all that remains of the original building.
Theatre break extras
Travelling to the heart of London Theatre Land by train, staying in a nearby hotel, maybe adding an extra night or even two, to allow for a little gentle shopping Sounds just about perfect to me. Some of the deals even let you add on ‘afternoon tea’ at Fortnum and Masons. I’ve only ever done that once but it was just so English, so civilised and so delicious! A lovely addition to a short London hotel break with theatre included.
