Great new autobiography by Sheila Hancock

Sheila Hancock is currently appearing as Mother Superior in the musical Sister Act at the London Palladium, but she is also an author and her book “Time And Place” has just been published.

She is the widow of the lovely actor John Thaw, and a very glam 76 year old. In the book she tells how she spent her early years before the war in the Carpenter’s Arms in King’s Cross Road. This is where she developed a taste for entertaining by sneaking into the bar to entertain the older lady customers by playing all the parts in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The Salvation Army were regular visitors to the area and she would join in with them and sing and dance

It says a lot about her family and upbringing that her dad was running a bar in the 1970s and doing high kicks when he had a coronary and died!

Time and Place by Sheila Hancock is out now and published Bloomsbury @ £7.99

Ruthie Henshall Concert From Broadway to Hollywood

West End diva and Olivier Award winner Ruthie Henshall sings her favourite songs from stage and screen accompanied by the BBC Big Band at Buxton Opera House on 30th January 2010 at 19:30.

She will present a selection of melodies by some great songwriters including I Only Have Eyes For You, You Made Me Love You, Don’t Mean A Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing, The Man I Love, Don’t Rain On My Parade, Our Love Is Here To Stay and The Folks Who Live On The Hill.

Click on the link to find out more about From Broadway to Hollywood and reserve tickets.

Jonathan Ansell to Head New Tour of Lloyd Webber’s Whistle Down The Wind

Jonathan Ansell, ex- member of pop/opera act G4 who rose to fame from the X Factor, is to make his musical debut in Bill Kenwright’s tour of Whistle Down the Wind.

The original musical production was written and produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber with Lyrics by Jim Steinman,  It opened at the Aldwych Theatre in July 1998 and this latest version will start at the Liverpool Empire on 20th January with other dates announced so far including Sheffield, Aberdeen, Bristol, Nottingham, Southampton and Edinburgh.  It is scheduled to run for six months so more venues will be released soon.

A concept album was released in 1998 featuring twelve  songs from the show, covered by artists including Tom Jones, Boy George, Tina Arena, Donny Osmond, the Everly Brothers, Boyzone, Meat Loaf, and Bonnie Tyler.

The musical version of Whistle Down the Wind is based on a novel by the late Mary Hayley Bell, which was a famous film in the 1960s starring her and Sir John Mill’s then very young daughter Hayley Mills.

Spice Girls – the Musical

Rumour has it that a Spice Girls musical is scheduled to make its West End debut in London next November.  It is reportedly called “Viva Forever” after their 1998 number one single and will include a number of their hits while telling the story of girl power and Geri Halliwell, Mel B, Victoria Beckham, Mel C and Emma Bunton’s rise to supstardom.

The show is being written by Kim Fuller who wrote the script for their movie Spiceworld.

Recent reports also suggest that the girls are planning to hold a talent search to find the cast for the musical. Geri Halliwell has had the biggest involvement so far in the project and plans to be executive producer of the stage show.

Mel C is currently playing to rave reviews  in Willy Russell's musical Blood Brothers at the Phoenix Theatre, London.

The Spice Girls last performed together in Toronto, Canada, in February 2008 and unknown sources have said that they are also planning a spectacular performance for the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics here in London.

Watch live theatre performances in eight languages

A new device has just been launched which enables theatregoers to read live captions of a performance in eight different language.

AirScript is a new device which provides captions over WiFi which scrolls through live theatre performances in  English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Japanese or Chinese. The translations have been done by interpreters rather than translation software which can sometime be a bit inaccurate.

Cambridge Consultants have developed the handsets to attract more tourists (which represent more than one third of West End audiences).  The devices have a black background and orange text to minimise glare and not prove a distraction to other members of the audience. The battery life is up to six hours.

The Shaftesbury Theatre is the first to offer the AirScript handsets. Theatregoers will be asked to pay £6 to hire the device during a performance of Hairspray. The handsets contain very little software and up to 200 handsets can run simultaneously in the auditorium.

An operator ensures that each line hits the screens at the same time as it is delivered on stage. Because live performances always vary the process cannot be automated. One of the Hairspray operator’s biggest challengeshttp://www.musicaltheatrenews.com/hairspray.html is how to deal with Phill Jupitus' (Edna Turnblad)  ad-libbing!

Diana Vickers album scheduled for March release

Diana Vickers is due to release her debut album on the RCA record label in March next year.

The 2008 X Factor semi-finalist is currently starring in The Rise & Fall of Little Voice at the Vaudeville Theatre.

Meet Ramin Karimloo at Dress Circle

Fans of Ramin Karimloo (ex Phantom of the Opera and soon to star in “Love Never Dies” ) will be delighted to hear that he will be at Dress Circle in Monmouth Street at 12.15 on Saturday 5th December to sign copies of the Bluebird CD.

He will be joined by Sarah Lark and other cast members.

Kerry Ellis to play Nancy in Oliver

Rumour has it that Kerry Ellis from Wicked and We Will Rock You is going to take over from Jodie Prenger as Nancy in Oliver! at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

Jodie’s contract runs until March 2010 so the take over will be some time around then.

Griff Rhys Jones is taking over the role of Fagin from Omid Djalili on 14th December.

West End Stars record “Only You Can Save Mankind”

Only You Can Save Mankind is released online today.  It is a studio concept album of a sci-fi stage musical based on the international best-selling book by Terry Pratchett.  The music is by young British composer Leighton James House (Lifts, A Brief Affair), with lyrics by Shaun McKenna (West End musicals Lord of the Rings, Là Cava, Maddie and Lautrec).  It received rave reviews in a production at the 2004 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and major UK tour is planned for 2010.

Only You Can Save Mankind - The Album is available to download individually or as an entire album on Monday November 23 and the CD will be released on Wednesday December 2.
A number of  major West End stars have recorded the album including  Daniel Boys (Avenue Q), Sharon D. Clarke (who originated the role of the Killer Queen in We Will Rock You), Zubin Varla (Judas in the last West End production of Jesus Christ Superstar) and Oliver Tompsett (Fiyero in Wicked)

Terry Pratchett has been diagnosed with a rare form of early-onset Alzheimer's disease and has become Patron of The Alzheimer's Research Trust to which the producers are donating 10% of the album’s profits.
Website: www.ifnotyouthenwho.com

Monkee Micky Dolenz to appear in Hairspray

Micky Dolenz, who starred in the 1960s sitcom about a fictional band called “The Monkees,” is heading to London’s West End next February to appear in the hit musical Hairspray at the Shaftesbury Theatre.

He will play the part of Wilbur Turnblad, the father of the show’s heroine, Tracy Turnblad.
Micky Dolenz has appeared in a number of stage musicals including Grease, Aida, Pippin’ and A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum. He has most recently has been touring the States in Teen Idol  which also stars Peter Noone (ex Herman’s Hermits) and appropriately features hit music from the 1960s.

He has also just finished recording a tribute album to the legendary singer/songwriter Carole King called “King For A Day, and this is due for release around the time of his London-debut on 2nd February 2010.

Brian Conley will return to the musical at the same time as Dolenz makes his debut.  He will have finished pantomime and be ready to reprise his role as Tracy’s voluptuous mother, Edna.

See the Fonz in Panto

Henry Winkler (aka the Fonz from the 70s sitcom Happy Days) is again playing Captain Hook in panto this year.  He is appearing in Peter Pan at the Liverpool Empire.

It’s a role he loves and says that Hook is really misunderstood and although he wants to fry children in the bigger picture sometimes that's not so bad, if you think about it!  With that attitude sounds as though he’s ideal casting for a panto villain.

You can find out more about pantos in the London area , Xmas Shows and Christmas Shows for Children by clicking on the links.

Hair to Open in London next April

The entire Tony Award winning company of the rock musical Hair are transferring frpm New York to the Gielgud Theatre previewing from 1st April and opening on 14th April next year.

Hair tells the story of a country boy from Oklahoma who arrives in New York in the 1960s and falls in with a group of hippies called the Tribe.  You can hear some of the greatest songs ever written for the stage including Let The Sun Shine In, I Got Life, Good morning Starshine, Hair and Aquarius.

Premiere of new Neil Sedaka Musical “Laughter in the Rain”

Laughter in the Rain is a new show which charts the highs and lows of Neil Sedaka's  extensive music career.  It is being produced by Bill Kenwright and premieres on 1st  March 2010 at the Churchill Theatre Bromley before touring until 3^rd July to Woking, Wolverhampton, Bristol, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Sunderland, Hull, Blackpool, Manchester, Cardiff, Milton Keynes, Bradford and Southampton - with more venues and dates to be announced.

Neil Sedaka’s career spans over sixty years and some of classic numbers include “Oh, Carol”, “Breaking up Is Hard to Do”, “Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen”, “Hey Little Devil”, “Laughter in the Rain” and “Amarillo” (which was given a new lease of life when it was re-released by Peter Kay for Comic Relief in 2005).

Hairspray Tour Dates

Hairspray will launch a UK tour in the New Year with Michael Ball reprising his cross-dressing role of Edna Turnblad in Glasgow, Southampton, Manchester and Cardiff. Further star casting for Edna and other principal parts has yet to be announced.

Tickets go on sale on 27th November with the tour starting on 30th March 2010 and extending into 2011.  The tour runs concurrently with the ongoing West End production of Hairspray at the Shaftesbury Theatre. You can find out all  the tour dates at Musical Theatre News Tours

Reduced version of Billy Elliot available to schools and youth groups

Schools and youth groups can now perform a reduced version of Billy Elliot the Musical as part of a new initiative called Billy Youth Theatre which has been set up to mark five years of the musical’s run in the West End. 

Billy Youth Theatre is open to schools and youth groups in England, Scotland and Wales, and to performers aged 10-19.  It is intended to give young people the opportunity to perform a shortened version of the show which has been put together by the writer Lee Hall and musical supervisor, Martin Koch.

Directors of the participating groups will be invited to London in December to attend a one day workshop, with contributions from Hall, resident director Nick Evans and resident choreographers Lee Proud and Damian Jackson.

The various productions of Billy Elliot will then be invited to perform excerpts from at showcases held at major regional theatres between April and June 2010, with some groups being offered the opportunity to perform at a Billy Youth Theatre West End Gala at the Victoria Palace Theatre in July 2010.

Love Never Dies Children in Need Auction

Terry Wogan  is holding a Children in Need Auction every morning this week during his Radio 2 programme.  On Monday he offered a lot of two tickets for a gala night of the much anticipated Love Never Dies which sold for £21,000!

The “package” included meeting  Sarah Kennedy and her “much beloved” for pre theatre aperitifs at an exclusive location in London and then attending  the glitzy gala of Love Never Dies as VIPs alongside Sarah

The top bidder also gets to attend the after show party with the cast and other celebrities

Lloyd Webber announces Dorothy auditions for Over the Rainbow

Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber has begun his search for an actress to play Dorothy in a new West End production of The Wizard Of Oz.

He will again use a televised talent show to find the leading lady following on from  the success of his previous shows How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?, Any Dream Will Do and I’d Do Anything.

The new Over The Rainbow talent show will be on BBC1 in 2010 with Graham Norton again hosting.
Applications are invited for females interested in taking part to apply for auditions in January which will take place in Belfast, Cardiff, Glasgow, Manchester and London. Auditions are open to everyone. Visit bbc.co.uk/dorothy for more information. All applicants must be aged 16 or over by June 26th this year.

Dreamboats & Petticoats back in West End at Playhouse Theatre

Dreamboats And Petticoats is a hit musical inspired by an album of 60s pop classics. It closed at the Savoy Theatre last month and is currently on tour until December, but it will be back in the West End on 6th January after La Cage Aux Folles closes at the Playhouse on 2nd January.

Written by Birds Of A Feather and Goodnight Sweetheart authors Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran, Dreamboats And Petticoats tells the story of two aspiring musicians hoping to win a national song writing competition and the attention of the gorgeous Sue. Some of the classic numbers include Runaround Sue, Great Pretender, Bobby’s Girl and Let’s Dance.

Camille Dark Angel Concert

After recently receiving rave reviews for her appearance on “Later…with Jools Holland” and sell-out shows at The Roundhouse, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Edinburgh Fringe, Camille O’Sullivan brings The Dark Angel to the Apollo Theatre in London’s West End.   

She will be performing new versions of songs by artists including Jacques Brel, Nick Cave, Tom Waits and David Bowie. She has recently performed sell out seasons in Ireland, New York, Australia (Sydney Opera House) and been a special guest star of the Broadway hit show La Clique.

The Dark Angel previews from 7th December, opens on 9th December and runs until 16th January next year.

Simply Gershwin Concert at Barbican

Experience the glamour of Broadway with toe-tapping tunes in a new Simply Gershwin Concert at the Barbican Hall, London Tuesday 29th December at 19:30.  The programme will feature dancers Chris Marques, Jaclyn Spencer and

Douglas Mills with Nicola Hughes and Rodney Clarke supplying the vocals to Gershwin classics including Rhapsody in Blue, S’Wonderful, Strike Up The Band,  The Man I Love , Fascinatin’ Rhythm, I’ve Got a Crush on You , Someone to Watch Over Me and excerpts from Porgy and Bess

Stephen Sondheim appearing at National Theatre

As part of Stephen Sondheim's 80th birthday celebrations next year he is doing a 45 minute platform in the Olivier at the National Theatre on 17th February at 17:30.  He will be talking about his life which he has spent “putting it together”.

Tickets are on sale from 2nd December at https://ticketing.nationaltheatre.org.uk

See a Unique Christmas Show at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre

If you are looking for something different to take the family to this Christmas, the unique Footsbarn Theatre Company are appearing at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre with Christmas Cracker. This is a great piece of entertainment for all the family offering aspects of carnival, jokes, magic, music, dance, puppets, circus, comedy and general Christmas cheer.

Basically the Cracker is a celebration of London's rich and bawdy past and festive traditions – all inspired by the complete works of Shakespeare.

The show runs for 90 minutes (including interval) and opens on Tuesday 22nd December running until Sunday 3rd January. To find out the performance days, times and cost of special family tickets visit: www.shakespeares-globe.org

Jedward to sing Under Pressure

Love them or loathe them, those twins John and Edward Grimes (aka Jedward) are grabbing all the press from the X Factor.

Tonight’s show has them performing another song from Queen’s We Will Rock You.  This time it’s “Under Pressure” and the reason for the choice is that they feel under pressure after coming in the bottom two last week.

Will be interesting to see how big the production is this week to try and disguise their admitted lack of singing skills.  If you're singing Freddie Mercury songs the sky's the limit!

Debbie Reynolds to Appear in London’s West End

The legendary MGM star Debbie Reynolds who has starred in Singing in the Rain, The Unsinkable Molly Brown and That's Entertainment!  is celebrating more than 50 years in showbusiness by bringing her award-winning one-woman show, Debbie Reynolds Alive and Fabulous to the Apollo Theatre from Wednesday 28th April to Sunday 9th May, 2010.  This  will be her first London theatre performances for 34 years

Prior to appearing in the West end she will do a 15 date tour of the UK, starting at Theatre Royal Norwich on Wednesday 7th April and then visiting Liverpool, Manchester, Cardiff, Brighton, Bristol, Birmingham, Basingstoke, Leicester, Windsor, Southend, Northampton, Cambridge, Malvern and Leeds.

The show features MGM movie clips as Debbie reminisces about her career, many husbands and her life full of song and dance. She is one of the few actresses who danced with both Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly.  She calls it a variety show and she does impressions of Barbra Streisand, Mae West, Katherine Hepburn and James Stewart!

Miss Reynolds described herself as a "movie-oholic" with  an extensive collection of memorabilia with over 4,000 costumes from the silent screen period up to the 1970s, including  Carmen Miranda’s turbans, a pair of  Judy Garland’s ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz,  John Wayne’s guns and that white windswept dress worn by Marilyn Monroe from The Seven Year Itch. Nearly all of the money she makes is put towards the creation of a Hollywood museum.

Tickets for the show can be obtained from the Apollo Theatre Box office or www.nimaxtheatres.com

Leicester Square Booth Extends Sunday Opening Hours

To meet the demand and increase in number of Sunday performances in the West End, the Leicester Square ticket booth has decided to extend the amount of time that it is open on Sundays from 11:00-16:00 instead of just being open for three hours in the afternoon.

The booth is currently able to sell tickets for Sunday performances of the following musicals: Stomp, The Lion King and Thriller Live.  Also opening soon on Sundays are Christmas productions of The Snowman, A Christmas Carol and The Gruffalo.

Hair to open at Gielgud Theatre next year

The current Tony Award winning revival of the 1968 Broadway musical Hair is to come to London’s West End complete with members of the American cast. The show is scheduled to preview at the Gielgud Theatre on April 1st next year prior to an official opening on April 14th.

The London transfer is being produced by Cameron Mackintosh and Broadway Across America. A London staging of the original Broadway production played the West End's Shaftesbury Theatre in late 1968, with a cast that included Paul Nicholas, Richard O'Brien, Elaine Paige, Marsha Hunt, Oliver Tobias and Tim Curry.

Avenue Q is currently playing at the Gielgud and booking through March 20th, 2010, after moving from the Noel Coward Theatre. According to a spokesperson from Cameron Mackintosh it is planned to move it again.

Tickets for Hair will go on sale from 20th November.

Bid to Watch the Final Dress Rehearsal of Love Never Dies

From 18th November 9th December, the charity Pilotlight will be holding a fundraiser to support its three year plan to triple the number of charities and social enterprises it works with.. 

This will be in the form of a Money Can’t Buy Skills Auction and one of the lots on offer includes the opportunity to watch the final dress rehearsal of Love Never Dies.

This prize, along with many other, will also be available to bid for online from 18th November to 9th December. Visit  www.pilotlight.org.uk for more information.

La Cage Aux Folles to close at London Playhouse on January 2nd

The West End production of La Cage aux Folles which is currently starring  John Barrowman  has posted closing notices for 2nd  January  2010 at the PlayhouseTheatre.

John Barrowman will leave the show at the end of the month to start  his Robin Hood pantomime at  the New Theatre Cardiff , and Douglas Hodge takes over the role which he originally created at the Menier Chocolate Factory from 30th November.   Simon Burke leaves at the same time and Denis Lawson takes over the role of George.

Hodge will make the Broadway transfer with the show some time in 2010.

Jason Donovan to star in Jeff Wayne’s The War of the Worlds Arena Tour

Jason Donovan (currently appearing in Priscilla Queen of the Desert) and ex Atomic Kitten's Liz McLarnon will head the cast of a new European stadium tour of the musical version of HG Wells' classic in Jeff Wayne's The War of The Worlds which is scheduled to start up in November 2010.

Jason Donovan will play the role of The Artilleryman who is a fantasist with dreams of producing a new race of humans under the ground after the aliens attack.  This part only calls for a 15 minute stage appearance which I am sure Donovan is looking forward to after Priscilla which is a two hour marathon with numerous costume changes.

Liz McLarnon will play Beth, the Parson's wife, and Justin Hayward from the Moody Blues' returns to the role of The Sung Thoughts of the Journalist.

Jeff Wayne's The War of The Worlds will feature  an eleven foot high 3D hologram of Richard Burton (who voiced The Journalist on the original album), a three-tonne, 35 ft high  'Martian Fighting Machine' which fires “heat rays at the audience”, and a new levitation effect, which is described by Jeff Wayne as “groundbreaking” in scale.

The tour begins in London in November 2010, before visiting Antwerp, Dublin, Belfast, Newcastle, Glasgow, Sheffield, Manchester, Liverpool, Nottingham, Birmingham, Bournemouth, London (O2), Cardiff, Brighton and Wembley. It will finish in Germany in January 2011.  Find out more about dates and book tickets for Jeff Wayne's The War of The Worlds here.

Lucie from the X Factor to audition for Les Miserables?

Lucie Jones who was so unfairly voted out of the X Factor on Sunday  was due to try out for the  role of Eponine in a production of Les Miserables, but her X Factor commitments meant she was unable to audition.

Trevor Jackson, who is Cameron Mackintosh’s executive producer, has now said he could see Lucie on the West End stage and certainly thought she could have a future in musicals.

He said: “I could see her sitting in musical theatre very well. I could see her doing something like Les Miserables. I would like to meet her at some point to test out the range of her voice. The trouble with pop music is that it isn’t the same. It doesn’t have the same range as Phantom of the Opera or Les Miserables. I will be in touch with her again to see what she can do. I think she’s interesting.”

Obviously he sees more in her that Simon Cowell did … but then he’s not motivated by TV audience ratings ...!

Susan Boyle to Perform Les Miserables number on Dancing With the Stars

Susan Boyle from “Britain’s Got Talent” is performing on Dancing with the Stars - which is the American equivalent to Strictly Come Dancing - but luckily she is  planning to sing and not dance.

The 48-year-old Scottish singer will appear on the hit ABC show this week and is expected to perform "I Dreamed a Dream," the Les Miserables number that sky rocketed her to fame last April on Britain's Got Talent.

Boyle's debut album, I Dreamed A Dream, is released on November 24th.

Love Never Dies Offers Signed and Captioned Performances

The new Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Love Never Dies which opens next year at the Adelphi has already announced several signed or captioned performances for theatregoers with hearing or visual impairments.

Audio-described performances will be presented August 31st at 19:30 and September 1st at 14:30.

Captioned performances are scheduled for September 8th at 14:30 and 19:30.

A signed performance will be offered on October 14th at 19.30.

This may all seem a long way ahead, but the speed at which tickets are selling for this show if you are interested in attending one of these performances it is worth booking your seats now!

Ray Davies Writing Kinks Musical

Ray Davies has confirmed he is writing a musical on the The Kinks which is the rock group he with his brother Dave in 1964.  His story will follow the band from its beginnings to international success.

Ray Davies is looking at various casting options and is currently looking into the popular idea of creating a televised talent hunt to find suitable performers.

Last year Davies confirmed that the band had started work on new material and said a reunion was not out of the question if the material was of the right standard.

Wicked the Musical Named As “Best Family Fun” And Announces Christmas Matinees

The musical Wicked which tells the untold story of the Witches of Oz, has been named "Best Family Fun" at the BT Visit London People's Choice Awards 2009.

Such is the popularity of the family show that three additional Christmas matinees have been added to the schedule: Tuesday 22nd, Thursday 24th December and Tuesday 29 December 2009 - all at 2.30pm. Tickets are now on sale. There are no evening performances on 24th and 25th December 2009

Jersey Boys' starts its 5th year on Broadway

Jersey Boys opened on Broadway in November  2005.  It is the story behind the music of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons who took the music world by storm in the 1960's. 

They are called Jersey Boys because they first got together in Newark, New Jersey. The show features some of the group's biggest hits including "Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry," "Oh What a Night”. It won four Tony Awards in 2006 including Best Musical and Best Actor.

You can see The Jersey Boys in London’s West  End  at the Prince Edward Theatre where it is booking until October 2010.

The Fantasticks to Open in London's West End Next Year

A new production of The Fantasticks is scheduled to at the Duchess Theatre on 9th June 2010, following previews from 24th May.

The Fantasticks first played in New York nearly fifty years ago and is the longest running show in the US and the longest running musical in the world. It has played in over 2000 cities and towns in the States, and been staged in 67 countries.

Christmas in New York Album Signing

Members of the cast of Christmas in New York will be at Dress Circle on Saturday 21st November at 12.30 to sign copies of the album of the sell out concert Christmas in New York.

The album of Christmas in New York is being released on CD for the first time ahead of show at the Prince of Wales Theatre on Sunday 6th December.   Featuring a cast of the West End’s finest including Avenue Q’s Julie Atherton and Daniel Boys, Wicked’s Oliver Tompsett and Ashleigh Gray, Broadway and West End leading lady Hannah Waddingham, Olivier Award winning star of Hairspray Leanne Jones and Rachael Wooding who is currently playing the title role in the UK tour of Evita.

The track listing for Christmas in New York is:

1. Christmas in New York – Company
2. White Christmas – Leanne Jones
3. This Christmas – Oliver Tompsett & Choir
4. All Those Christmas Clichés - Louise Dearman
5. In the Bleak Midwinter / A Winter’s Tale – Louise Dearman, Ashleigh Gray & Paul Spicer
6. What Christmas Means to Me / Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) – Oliver Tompsett, Rachael Wooding & Choir
7. Miss You Most (at Christmas Time) – Samuel Barnett
8. Children – Anna-Jane Casey
9. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Ashleigh Gray & Oliver Tompsett
10. Ave Maria – Daniel Boys
11. A Perfect Year – Julie Atherton
12. Just in Time for Christmas – Leanne Jones & Company
13. ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas – Anna-Jane Casey & Company
14. O Holy Night – Hannah Waddingham & Choir
15. My Simple Christmas Wish – Julie Atherton

To order a copy of Christmas in New York online click on the link,

Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton to appear in Sweeney Todd

Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton are rumoured to be playing the Demon Barber of Fleet Street and Mrs Lovett in a new production of Stephen Sondheim's musical Sweeney Todd which opens at the Chichester Festival Theatre before transferring into the West End in the Spring of 2011
. 
Michael Ball starred in the London premiere of Sondheim's musical Passion with Maria Friedman (the Donmar are doing it next year) and he has recorded Not While I'm Around from Sweeney Todd, although the number is  actually sung by Mrs Lovett.

These revivals are all part of the celebrations planned to coincide with Stephen Sondheim’s 80th birthday on 22nd March next year.

Shrek the Musical Coming to London?

Jeffrey Katzenburg who runs Dreamworks Animation has been looking around the London Palladium with the creative team behind the stage musical Shrek.

This musical has not had a good Broadway run and closes there early next year. It’s the brilliant sets and costumes steal the show so hopefully if the producers have worked out what to do to give it more audience appeal it might do better at the Palladium. The plan is to open there next October, which means Sister Act will close in the late summer.

Angela Lansbury to receive Sondheim Award

Angela Lansbury will receive the first Stephen Sondheim Award from the Signature Theatre Company which is well known for staging Sondheim works. The Arlington-based company has produced 18 shows by the composer and earlier this year announced this new award. The honour will be formally presented to Miss Lansbury at a gala dinner next April.

It is particularly poignant that she get the award as Miss Lansbury’s first appearance in musical theatre was over 50 years ago in 'Anyone Can Whistle,' for which Sondheim wrote the score.

Angela Lansbury is now 84 and has won five Tonys for productions including "Gypsy" and "Sweeney Todd" which were both groundbreaking works from Sondheim. Later this month she is returning to Broadway in a revival of Sondheim's "A Little Night Music," co-starring Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Ruthie Henshall Out of Dancing on Ice

Although it's still a couple of months away there are already some pretty solid rumours about who will  be taking part in Dancing on Ice in 2010.

Names of some of the “celebrity” skaters who are believed to be taking part are Heather Mills (ex-wife of Paul McCartney), Gordon Ramsay’s wife Tana, Danniella Westbrook from Eastenders, Simon Cowell’s friend Sinitta and ex-goalie Peter Shilton.   Not very impressive so far . . .

Judges  Robin Cousins, Karen Barber, Jason Gardiner and Nicky Slater will be returning to the show for the new series but Ruthie Henshall will not be back. Favourites to replace her are former Strictly Come Dancing judge Arlene Phillips or Dancing on Ice series 3 champion Suzanne Shaw.

The new series will again be presented by Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby.

Ray Quinn banned from driving for 28 days

Ray Quinn has been banned from driving for 28 days and fined £1,600 after he was caught doing 110mph in his Audi TT on the M6 Toll Road near to Cannock, Staffs.

Ray is the current Dancing On Ice champion, an X Factor runner-up and is playing the role of Danny Zuko in Grease in London’s West End until 28th  November when he leaves to start rehearsals for  the Sleeping Beauty pantomime at Birmingham Hippodrome which opens on 19th December.

Quinn pleaded guilty to the motoring offence and explained  he knew he was going too fast but was driving from London to Liverpool to attend a free children's acting workshop and didn’t want to be late.  He told the officer who stopped him "I apologise. I'm sorry it was very stupid of me".

Quinn pulled out of Wednesday and Thursday nights' performances of Grease citing illness on his official website. After the court case he refused to comment on the ban but confirmed: “I am ill, I have a throat infection, but intend to be back performing in Grease on Friday night.”

Peter Polycarpou playing Scrooge at Birmingham Rep

You can see Peter playing Ebenezer Scrooge in a new stage adaptation of a Christmas Carol in the Main House at Birmingham Rep from 25th November to 9th January.

Three Phantoms Concert at St David’s Hall

Peter Karrie, John Owen Jones and Scott Davies have all starred at The Phantom in the West End and are joining forces for a night of showstoppers from Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables and other popular West End and Broadway shows.

They are joined by a supporting cast with the Debbie Chapman Dancers, accompanied by John Quirk and his orchestra.

The concert will be held at St David’s Hall Cardiff at 19:30 on Sunday 22nd November and will be hosted by Siân Lloyd of BBC Wales.

Bluebird Musical starring Ramin Karimloo

British composer Gareth Peter has just released his dramatic musical Bluebird to mark the 70th anniversary of World War Two. It is available on CD from Dress Circle and stars some of the West End's top artists including Ramin Karimloo (shortly to appear in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies) and Sarah Lark.

Bluebird is set during World War Two and tells the heartbreaking tale of nurse Roberta Jones who has to come to terms with being a long way away from her family. She soon meets charismatic US serviceman Ben (played by Karimloo), and a friendship grows - much to the disapproval of best friend Jane.

Get into London Theatre Campaign

The ninth annual Get into London Theatre (GILT) campaign will commence in January.  It will offer six weeks of cheap ticket deals and activities to a range of musicals, plays, opera and dance.

The annual event runs from 1st January to 12th February 2010 and was created in 2001 by the then London Mayor Ken Livingstone in response to the dwindling number of theatregoers following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The scheme is organised by the Society of London Theatre (SOLT) and booking opens on 8th December 2009, with tickets available at £10, £15, £25 and £35 for a range of top shows. New for 2010 audiences will also be given the opportunity to join acting, singing and dance workshops led by West End professionals.
There are also a number of events throughout the month of January which give you the opportunity to look inside the world of London theatre.

A full list of participating shows will be available soon so keep checking the website www.getintolondontheatre.co.uk for the latest details.

Oh yes it is ... John Barrowman as Robin Hood

If you want to see those great legs of John Barrowman encased in Sherwood green tights, then make sure you book a ticket to see him play Robin Hood at  the New Theatre in Cardiff where he is appearing in the pantomime Robin Hood twice daily from 12th December to 24th January,

John’s last performance in La Cage Aux Folles at the Playhouse is on 28th November.

Donmar Marks Sondheim’s 80th Birthday

The Donmar Warehouse is presenting a revival of the musical Passion as part of Stephen Sondheim’s birthday celebrations when he turns 80 on 22nd March, 2010. The Donmar has had a long association with the composer’s work since 1992, with acclaimed productions of Assassins, Company, Into the Woods and Pacific Overtures.

Stephen Sondheim’s Passion is based on the Italian film Passione d’Amore, set amongst a battalion of soldiers in a bleak frontier town, where lonely Fosca’s obsessive passion threatens the happiness of Giorgio and his beautiful mistress Clara. It had its West End premiere in 1996 starring Maria Friedman, Michael Ball and Helen Hobson.

It will be directed by Donmar associate director Jamie Lloyd and is expected to star the Argentinean Elena Roger, who starred in his revival of Piaf. The exact dates have not yet been confirmed with productions currently booking there until 10th May 2010.

Christmas in New York Concert

The annual Christmas in New York  celebration of seasonal songs and classic carols, returns for the fourth year on December 6th at the Prince of Wales Theatre.

The show starts at 19:30 and will feature  over 70 performers on stage including West End stars Julie Atherton and Daniel Boys from Avenue Q, Oliver Tompsett and Ashleigh Gray from Wicked, Paul Spicer, Hannah Waddingham (Hairspray) and Leanne Jones (Evita).

For an extra special evening there are VIP seats which include a complimentary programme, mince pie and a glass of wine during the interval as well as access to a post-show champagne reception in the Delfont Room with the cast.

2010 Date for Night of 1000 Voices Announced

The Night of 1000 Voices will be held next year on Sunday 2nd May at the Royal Albert Hall.  The annual, star studded event featuring performers from musical theatre will raise funds for Leukaemia Research.

In 2010 it will be a triple celebration: honouring the 80th birthday of Stephen Sondheim, celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Leukaemia Research and marking the 10th year of this gala.

The evening will include performances from a host of London’s West End and names so far include Broadway stars Kerry Ellis (Wicked, Les Misérables), Philip Quast (Les Misérables, La Cage Aux Folles) and Adam Pascal (Rent, Chess in Concert), accompanied by the City of London Philharmonic and the massed choirs of Sing Live UK and USA under the musical supervision of David Firman.

Some of the most requested favourite songs will be featured in the concert, including songs from Wicked, Evita, The Lion King, West Side Story, Jesus Christ Superstar, Titanic, Rent, Kiss of the Spiderwoman, Brigadoon, Carousel, Porgy And Bess and We Will Rock You.

Hugh Wooldridge who is the creator of The Night of 1000 Voices says “This evening is a must for all who love musicals. You will hear the best performers in the world performing some of the greatest songs in the world’s finest venue. Come and join in the fun and help raise funds for a splendid charity whilst raising the roof of the Royal Albert Hall."